Motivational Monday~ Memories Made

Another Pinterest Pin onto my "Inspirations" Board. I thought this was perfect for Motivational Monday.

Taking time for family seems to be getting more and more difficult. With cell phones, tablets, etc. etc. we are more accessible than ever. This makes it difficult to shut our business life off and turn family time on.

So when I asked my husband for a few days with the boys, for a "BIG Field Trip", I was totally expecting that it might never happen. His job is 7 days a week, even though technically he is off two days a week. He is still on the phone, texting, emails, etc.

Although at times it is frustrating, it pays our bills and allows me to stay at home with my boys and homeschool them. So I am truly thankful. But, it does get tough to keep the family connected when everyone is connected to media devices and at times disconnected to one another.

So at times it is necessary for mom's to pull the proverbial "Plug"!

But, when it actually happened, (funny enough... I got a text message saying we could go), I was thrilled! We went to our state capitol Austin and then drove the same day to San Antonio. We had a four day field trip. It was an amazing whirlwind.

The first day, we toured the capitol, saw historical exhibits on display, & even saw some senators. Then, we pressed on to San Antonio.

Preston, our 12 year old, took this of me & Glen. We lucked out and made it through all the capitol grounds and to San Antonio before a big thunderstorm.

Preston, studied Texas history two years ago, and is our history buff. He was practically coming out of his skin the WHOLE trip. He even impressed the tour guide in the capitol at all he knew of Texas history. He became our tour guide in San Antonio. It was so cute how excited he got at seeing the capitol & the Alamo! This is him looking through an old surveyor scope in the capitol hands-on museum section.

Of course Landen, our 10 year old, had to try it too!

Austin sure was beautiful, even on a cloudy day.....

 

In San Antonio, we stayed in the Historic Omini La Mansion del Rio, on the Riverwalk. This hotel was an old Catholic School and one of the oldest buildings on the Riverwalk.

The Lobby~

The courtyard with a beautiful heated pool. Of course the boys jumped in our first night.

Staircase to ballrooms & meeting rooms in the hotel.

Spring is the perfect time of year to visit Texas. The weather was the perfect temperature. On our second & third day in San Antonio, we saw The Alamo, the historic Spanish Governors Palace, the Guenther House and ate fabulous food for 3 days.

This picture in front of the Alamo was after much drizzle and then ironically, we were barricaded in the Alamo during a heavy thunderstorm. It was really kind of cool! We then realized why it wasn't crowded....everyone else knew it was going to downpour, but US! Well, it was better to tour it without a huge crowd. But....very wet when we finally took a run for it!

 

The picture below was taken by my husband before he read the sign saying "No Pictures", (We were dying laughing!) OOOPS! But, now you get a sneak peek.

The Riverwalk our first day....

Our first day in San Antonio, is wearing on me by this point...hence the "I'm about to pass-out" look on my face. We started off in Austin and this was after check-in in San Antonio and already a lot of walking, on the Riverwalk.

Preston carefully considering dinner, after A LOT of walking!!!

This is the ceiling in the restaurant, The County Line Riverwalk. It was a great atmosphere and the food was good too. Well, truth be known, we were famished, so if it's not your favorite, don't judge us (wink).

These are pictures from theguentherhouse.com Thanks to my husbands assisstant Anna for the fabulous sugesstion!! It was a great restaurant & museum of the Guenther family who started Pioneer Flour. I brought back some pancake mix! YAY!

We ate in this room below, in the table to the right of the fireplace. Everyone was so nice, and the food was great!

Beyond getting all the 4th Grade Texas History sightseeing on my list accomplished, the trip renewed our spirits. It was not a Hot Texas summer day, it was Spring, in the 70's and one day a dip into the 50's after a cold front. But trust me!! It was soooooo much better than the Texas 100* summer heat & humidity! It was fabulous! { notice my exclamation points :-) We loved our trip}

We had a blast!!

Don't forget to unplug, spend time with the family (face-to-face), and enjoy each other! Make some Memories!

Happy Family Time~

 

Posted with Blogsy

Happy Sibling Day~

sib·ling (sblng)

n.

One of two or more individuals having one or both parents in common; a brother or sister.

[Middle English, from Old English, from sibb, kinsman; see sib.]

 

 

I found this darling postcard poem and thought it was perfect for my sisters...

And a few family photos of bad haircuts, matching outfits, and many other shared memories with my sisters.Heather, Jessica, & Angie, I'm lucky to have you all in my life!

 

Me & Heather: (we are 17months apart)

 

 

 

 

Jessica & Angie

All Four of Us!

I was 16 in this picture, Heather(in green) 14, Jessica (in blue) 5, & Angie (in red) 4.

 

This is a picture from a couple of years ago, but still a fun picture of all 4 of us after a very close sack race, heehee!

Left to Right: Me, Jessica, Heather, & Angie

And with our kiddos!

Our Mom had me & Heather and after she remarried had Jessica and Angie when I was 10 & 12. Jessica & Angie were like living dolls to me. I'm sure I carried them around far more than I let them down. They were so cute!!

I loved and hated being the oldest. I got to do everything first & I got to be do EVERYTHING first!! This means I was also the guinea pig for raising children.

Now, they let me practice decorating in their homes....guess who's the guinea pig now? I'm so lucky to have ALL of them in my life.

Happy Siblings Day to all you siblings out there!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Motivational Monday: Home ~

 

 

I think sometimes we feel it necessary to look for peace, comfort, or escape in places other than our own home. But, if our homes are a true reflection of ourselves, it should be the ONE place we find solace in.

So, I picked this quote of Jane Austen from my Pinterest Inspirations Board.

I think so many people ignore decorating their homes because they don't know where to start. I know it can be overwhelming. But now we have Pinterest! What a great way to put together all our ideas for each room. Funny how we often gravitate towards the same style in our Pins. This helps in determining "Style"!

When I get asked by clients where to start, I say start in the bedroom. We spend more time there than any other place in life. It should be relaxing, calming, organized, and clean.

Keep the colors neutral. This can be done with one or two colors. This doesn't mean white! But, if you choose white, that's fine too. Shades of white, always conjure up images and feelings of calm. After all...heaven is often painted as white.

Here are a few of my picks from my Pinterest "Beautiful Bedrooms" Board:

This room is elegant and yet understated at the same time. Simple drapes, simple bedding, as well as accent pieces.

This room in its very RED color, even though very bold, offers a sense of comfort. The use of one color gives a cocoon like feeling. If this is "your" color, then it will make you feel even more at ease and comfortable.

This is my bedroom below. I chose warmer colors. I have since changed it a bit and added blue/grey accents. Sometimes the slightest change is all that is needed to refresh a room, that over time may begin to feel stagnant.

This room is just refreshing! It looks calm & cool. That green is fabulous!

This room looks warm & inviting in any weather.

So keep an open mind when looking at your bedroom. Even though it may feel as if you need to empty the room and start over, sometimes all you need is a can of paint for the walls and a bed in a bag combo with other linens in similar colors you can throw around the room, or from other places in your home. I used extra throw pillows from sofa for "euro-shams" on my bed. Now I have a dog bed pillow, found at Ross or Marshall's, and a few throw pillows. So think outside the box and have fun.

Always ask a friend or relative to come over and pick out what they like or dislike in the room. It's nice to get other opinions in a room we spend a lot of time in. To us it may seem boring, to others it is beautiful. Then, build on those ideas. Brainstorming is the best part!

Happy Motivational Monday! I hope I helped in encouraging you to find comfort in your own home.

Happy Decorating...or Redecorating~

 

Posted with Blogsy

Antique Mall $5.00 Find

I was SO excited!! I found this chair for our school room at an Antique Mall in Grapevine, TX. We needed one more chair and for $5.00, how can you go wrong? Woooohoooo! The chair was definitely in some need of TLC. The chair had a pad attached with tacks & nails...the poor thing was barely on.

A little oil and a screw reattached for one of the braces and VIOLA!!!! I swear the chair smiled at me when I was done. It looked so happy.

$5.00 I was so excited!

Happy Decorating and Happy Antique Shopping!

 

Posted with Blogsy