did i just drive in a circle?!

learning the ins and outs of a new town is pretty exciting
seeing all it has to offer is like a treasure hunt!

(hello gillian welch!)

cadence and i went exploring a bit tonight and my little picture ham loved it!

have i mentioned how much i'm loving it up here?

because well....i am. a lot! 

we even found a new spot to feed the duckies! which cadence made me promise we'd come back stocked with duck food, just so happens we have 2 half empty bags of duck food  (i.e. old bread) 

if i believed in luck, i'd still have to agree it must be God

tristan's been hauling loads that make for perfect. in the last week and a half he's been able to stop at home for the night 3 times. i mean perfect to the T....fitting with his log hours and run time. so the week doesn't seem so long with these little gifts in-between weekends. last night after a nice homemade mexican supper with my parents and sister's family we took a lil family date to get yogurt. 

now we being recently retired californians we know our froyo, and we love our froyo so when the first lil froyo shop popped up in our new town we were excited. 

(daddy tristan's, mama's, and lil honey bee's)

it was a little different then us born californias are use to, but it was still yummy. 

though we will miss our favorite, plan tart, and have to save that love for trips back to the bay. 

it was so nice to get out and enjoy ourselves as a family. 

with tristan being gone mostly during the week and our weekends have been filled with busy trips to CA we haven't enjoyed much family time. 

it was raining at 5am when i had to drive tristan back to his truck, which he only has to park 2 blocks away from our house. 

but now the sun is out and it made for some perfect shots of the lil miss

now onto laundry, and hopefully papa's truck will be pulling up later this evening! 

{truth}

{one} i'm really bad about leaving bobby pins all over the house. then i can never find them when i need them

{two} i have a tenancy to watch lame shows..example, teen mom, the real housewives of new jersey, jersey shore 

{three} i was uneducated when i was pregnant with my honey bee. i let them induce me and after 19 hours i ended up in a c-section. ever since i have this feeling of being jipped that i didn't get to push my daughter into this world. if God ever blesses tristan and i with a baby, i want to try for a natural vbac

{four}i have a slight obsession with bags (purses, totes, reuseables, market bags...etc...)

{five} tristan and i have started praying that God would bless us with a baby

{six} i have the talent to paint, but fear keeps me from painting. i'll just sit and stare at a canvas in fear that i'll mess up 

{seven} one of my favorite smells is coconut

summer 2011 bucket list

summer has finally decided to grace us with it's presence 

i must say that so far the heat here in oregon has been nicer to me then it use to be in california

we've been staying in the mid to upper 80's which i'll take over high 90's low 100's! 

i'm looking forward to all that summer 2011 has to offer my lil family.

summer 2011 bucket list~

1. VBS for lil miss (this is almost ready to cross off, just a few days left)

2. family camping trip

3. learn to can! and can a bunch of yummy things! (i'm going to make my sister do this with me)

4. take a nice long drive to explore oregon with my luff. 

5. family bike ride

6. cut cadence's hair (she's been wanting me to cut is short again, but i've been putting it off per other family members request)  

7. learn to sew! (make reusable snack/sandwich bags...and i'd also like to make reusable pads) 

8. lay in the sun and read this present darkness

9. take lil miss swimming as much a possible 

10. have a night getaway with just me and the husband

11. many trips to the beach 

12. take cadence to the park to fly kites

13. lay in the grass and watch the clouds roll by with my lil honey bee

14. go berry picking (maybe can those berries too!)

15. get mama and daughter pedicures together with my lil miss

16.  have cadence call mema every week to help cheer her up!

17. sidewalk chalk (nuff said)

18. girls camp out in the backyard 

19. bike ride to the park for a picnic with family

20. blow bubbles down by the river

21. have a pj dance party (cadence is an awesome dance party partner!)

22. two words- tie dye (oh yes!)

23. stargazing by the river with my luff

24. go on a bug hunt with cadence

25. help cadence with a lemonade stand

26. family pillow fight!

27. make smores in the backyard 

28. blog at least once a week! (thinking weekly summer recaps)

29. hiking

30. random roadtrip
31. picnic with my luff muffin
32. learn how to embroider 

(bbq with cousins)

another giveaway! (totally digging this!)

it's a blessing is hosting a giveaway 

for a proverbs 31 blessings bracelet with a matching key chain. (i totally love this, read proverbs 31 below!)

Proverbs 31 
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies (red bead).
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. (heart)
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (yellow-reminder of sun-days) 
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar (blue a reminder of ships on water)
She gets up while it is still dark (black bead); 
she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. 
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard (green-growth). She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 

When it snows (clear round), she has no fear for her household; 
for all of them are clothed in scarlet (red bead) 
She makes covering for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple (purple bead). 
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments (off white bead) and sells them, 
and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 
Her children arise and call her blessed (B bead); her husband also, and he praises her;, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

get over there and enter! 

my heart longs for you

being the wife of a trucker is not the easiest in that... i miss my guy when he's gone.

i cry every time he loads up his car to head back to his truck for the week, and sometimes i cry the night before too. 

this is a new hat for me. i've never loved someone the way i love him.
not to say it's more or less then the love i have for my daughter, each has its own set of aspects and different feelings tied into it. but both the same that when either of them are away from me a part of my heart is missing. 

(i love this picture of them together)

with tristan all the pieces fit together. it just makes sense. i want to be with him all day long.

i did not understand marriage till i met this guy, and honestly neither did he. we both have come together from previous broken marriages. but let me tell you, God surely used our past to make for a solid marriage. 

 ...and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  

romans 8:28

it's been amazing to watch as God does miracles. to see the flower bloom right around us. 

we did a hand washing at our wedding, symbolizing Christ washing away our past and sins and starting over fresh and clean together through Jesus.

i use to have such a hard time with "wives submit yourself to your husbands" (ephesians 5:22-33)

it was like i had this women's rights activist inside of me (hello rebellion), and i refused to "submit" 

and it took me going through a divorce and losing nearly everything in my life to really except Jesus and when i finally opened my arms to His already opened arms everything in me changed, including understanding what the real meaning to submitting to your husband. when my brother inlaw was going over the lay out of our wedding ceremony , i asked him to change part of it stating that i would submit to tristan. i wanted to outwardly profess that i would do just as i was called to do through Christ. 

it surely is amazing the work that has been done in both of us. 

it's important to remember though...

love is not a gushy feeling, love is a choice and we to choose to love each other, just like Christ loves us.

for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

jeremiah 29:11

hello ruffle cuteness! *giveaway*

i'm loving this lil shop!

skip on over to sometimes sweet and
enter to have a chance at winning $75 towards this ruffle filled shop

i'm totally eyeballing this lil pretty....

duckies

one of my favorite places in contra costa county is the martinez waterfront.

i can remember many family trips when i was little to feed the duckies, walk around the pier, and have picnics.

even as a teenager my parents would take us out there, and then when grandbabies entered our family trips for them started.

i loved sharing that place with cadence

(mama daughter picnic date, 2009)

tristan even proposed to me at the waterfront!

he drove me to a "secret" place with my eyes closed and then lead me by the hand (still with my eyes closed) to a bench right in front of the water, got down in a squat cause it was to muddy to get down on one knee 

and proposed.

yesterday after realizing we had a box full of extra buns from the wedding we knew just the spot to take it :)

this is one spot i'm going to really miss now that we are living in oregon

it was nice having a mini farewell yesterday, picnic and all. 

ugh, it's not breakfast time again, is it?!

i have such a picky little monster on my hands these days

ok, lets back up. i should say i'm very blessed that my daughter loves her fruit and veggies. veggies are normally the very first thing eaten off her plate. but lately trying to feed this girl has gotten close to impossible! 

breakfast is the worse. 

every morning starts with, how about a banana, how about toast, what about toast with peanut butter, would you like a yogurt, oatmeal, maybe you'd like some cheese?

it's gotten to the point i have to say these are your options if you don't pick something you're going to be hungry.

her current wants are:

cantaloupe, salad, bread with butter, cheese, crunchy tacos, carrots, apples, cherries

that list doesn't sound so bad, but i think even she's getting tired of it. 

the other night she asked me for a hotdog, but without the hotdog. just a bun with ketchup and mustard. 

i'm out of ideas, almost everything i offer to her, if it's not in that list gets a fast "no, thanks"

and since her bread with peanut butter wasn't what she wants i've got to go try and figure something else for her to eat because, "mama...i'm hungry"

i need some new ideas! 

mr and mrs pratt

i'm a wifey!

it was unreal how windy it was. my pretty decorations did not stand a chance in that kind of wind. although my aisle of pinwheels looked great! 

...and the candy table was a huge hit!

even with the crazy wind the day was awesome and i'm married to my best friend!

this is it...

we are now in the home stretch of the wedding

leaving oregon this morning and heading down to the bay

not only do i have marrying the most awesome person ever to look forward to, i have seeing all my closest friends to look forward to. 

i cant wait to get down there and hug some of my favorite people

<3

next time i post, i'll be a married woman! 

photo challenge

the paper mama  is doing a little photo challenge
entering your favorite shot that you have taken of your child. wow. well, i have way too many favorite pictures of my littlest luff. but since i have to pick one....

she was so tuckered out from a long playdate/picnic

this was taken in 2009, looking at it really makes it sink in how fast my little baby is growing.

i miss her pudgy little fingers and cheeks. 

stroll on over to the paper mama to get yourself entered. (also check out her blog, it's super cute!)

greek salad

i've been drooling over this salad for a few weeks now

i made it for a family dinner and it was devoured 

so i made again the next night! :) 

it's rather simple but jam packed with yummy stuff

black pitted olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and greek feta vinaigrette

and the left overs go great over pasta!

mmmm...wishing i had all the ingredients now!