Longing For.... Flowers

Spring is my favorite time of year, aside from fall... Right now here in Northern California we're not having either lately. If we are going to consistently have 80 degree weather, can't I have things like this to look at??

The Start Of A New Season

Welcome Fall! Granted it is still 100+ degrees outside but it’s September and it’s time to get ready for my favorite things about the fall: Changing leaves on trees, Warm drinks in the morning, Cute fuzzy socks, Candles at night, Smell of crispness and coolness in the air, and the Warm rich colors of fall!

I have been reading The Nester for the past little while and last week she has totally inspired me to get off my hiney and make my house a home, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” If you get the time you should go check out her site it’s FAN-TAB-ULOUS-TIC!

Anyway, here is the first improvement for the month for my house:

Welcome to my house! Not a great first impression huh? I mean you have the really thin ivy, black drain tubes and sprinklers, and well the phone book that we have obviously been too lazy to take to the trash can (that will serve as my reminder that I have announced to the whole world that I leave a phonebook on my patio for well, I will leave out the specific time frame, but if you ever need a number you know where to come!). This weekend I will be planting some Hyacinth and Tulips so they can bloom in the spring, and if you look closely in the bottom right hand corner you can see some Bearded Irises growing, these were given to me and left in my car for a little over a week I can’t believe they are actually growing! (This post is making me sound like a horrible procrastinator, trust me I’m really not, at least I don’t think that I am). So anyway, while in Joanne Fabric Store yesterday I found the best thing to lighten up my front door ‘space’ for now! I’m so excited, it looks more like a home already:

Welcome Autumn, and Welcome to Our Home



Won’t my husband be super weirded-out excited when he comes home tonight?!? I also found a nifty box to hold my sheet music for the Cello and Piano as well as a wall-hanging I am so excited to do, and not to mention the color I’m going to paint the walls (I’ll give you a hint, it’s not green or gray)! Are you as excited as I am?! Well, if not you should be! So welcome to our house that will soon be a home.

California Rain

I stood in the rain today. I had some nice thoughts as well. I like the rain it makes it feel fresh, new, and alive. For some strange reason it puts me in a cleaning mood. I put some Enya on softly and lit some candles and have done the dishes and cleaned the oven. It was a good day.


Back to the thoughts I had while I was standing in the rain this was after I heard a beautiful arrangement of Nearer My God To Thee I was thinking of traditions and family and came up with some things I hope I can implement into our family one day when we have one:

Family Walks and Hikes
Buy A Live Tree and Decorate it simply and make popcorn garland with cranberries
Make Gingerbread Men/Houses
Make A Wreath
Hang Lights
Celebrate New Years Together with a Home Made Cheesecake
Write Big Moments From That Year or Read From Our Family Journal
Attend The Temple Monthly
Make Family Pizza Every Saturday
Live frugally and teach my children how to do so

I want to make a memory every day and happy ones. I want to do more things and be more active. I know that none of this has to do with the title of my post but I thought it was important to write down those thoughts before I forget them.

Back to the California Rain, it isn't like the rain I grew up with big thunder and lightning. It's a simple rain, as this is the first rain of the season (it hasn't rained since March) it's a cleansing rain. California Rain is simple and peaceful.

One thing I haven't been able to get used to is that in the summer the hills surrounding my home are brown and things are dead, whereas in the winter the trees are changing color and the grass is becoming green. It's amazing and it's beautiful to see so many bold colors at once. I never really have seen the vibrant green grass and the jewel toned leaves together, beautiful simply beautiful.

Why I Love My Birthday

If you know me you know that my birthday was on the 5th of this month (same as my aunt and 2 of my close friends, it's also shared by many I have come in contact with). I enjoy my birthday for the following reasons:

• Fall smells begin to tickle my nose: Cinnamon, Pumpkin, Pies, and my favorite the smell of fresh crisp cool air.
• I can open my windows and have that crisp air in my house and curl up with a cup of hot tea and a blanket.
• The skies are that cold gray, don't get me wrong I like the sun but I love the cool gray skies even better.
• It puts me in the mood to cook or rather to bake; pies, cakes, casseroles.
  

As you can see I love my birthdays for every reason besides that fact that it's my birthday. I don't know why I just have never been very fond of my birthdays. There is no particular reason, I just don't enjoy them. I turned 25 this year, I never thought I would be this "old". Where was I ten years ago? I was 15 getting my driving permit working at Dominos with the rest of the rifle team. I would drive my dads brand new F-150 home from work when he would pick me up from his job around 11pm at night. I had my "first" boyfriend (no the love triangle doesn't count, maybe I'll explain this in full detail for those of you that are still trying to figure it out), and was enjoying high school. I loved high school the friends and all the drama that went along with it. My siblings were 6 and 4 now they are 16 and 14 - I still can't believe they are that old. My brother can now go to dances and my sister can date. But this isn't about them it's about me. I wanted to be older than a "teenager who had so many rules" little did I know that now I have more rules. I thought I could sleep when I wanted, eat what I wanted, buy what I wanted, do what I wanted. Looking back now I had it better than I could've ever imagined. Now I have to do all the chores, go to work, wake up early, keep a budget, what was I thinking? Now that I'm 25 I have a few things I want to do this year that I feel if I don't do it now I never will. I will eat healthier, move more, and make memories every day so I don't have a lot of empty tomorrows.

I haven't had a chance to listen to conference yet but plan to do so this weekend. I'm excited about it, I really am. I bought the triple combination (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) at the book store and have been listening to it. So far I have listened to it for 3 days on my way to and from work. The exciting news is I am on the 27th chapter of 2nd Nephi, IN 3 DAYS! How amazing. The coolest part is I have learned so much by just listening. There are so many wonderful things and principles that I never thought of or never knew where they were. I wish I could write and drive so that I would have a list of all the cool things I have learned. The gospel is amazing and the principles are even more amazing. I'm so thankful to have the peace and the guidance I do in my life from my loving Heavenly Father. Life is so much better when we pray daily and remember Him in our lives. Mine has been at least, the amount of calmness and peace I know couldn't come from my own nerves.