Simple Things :: An Empty Church

One of my most favorite things ever; an old, empty beautiful church.

The stained glass is beyond beautiful.

The architecture, the ceilings, the light... simply amazing.

And so peaceful.

Have a happy, happy Sunday.

Dear Sunday

I love you

and your rain we have been waiting a whole month for

for sleeping in and breakfast in bed

for the excuse to wear my new rain boots 

and plenty of puddles for splashing in

for neighborhood walks and no plans for the day
for hot coffee and the smell of bread baking in the kitchen

for long sleeves and ponchos

for squirrel-watching and heart-hunting

for flower admiring (and maybe a little picking)
for the sun coming out and lovely 70* weather
for our second walk of the day and time for crafting
for cars that get a much-needed wash from the rain
and plans to catch up with a good friend tonight

Yep Sunday, I seriously love you.
Hope you are enjoying your Sunday, too.

What Would You Do?

Today I found myself with a couple of hours all to myself and about $20 in cash. What did I do? Well, it was a beautiful, sunny day so I could not stay inside and fold laundry, clean the bathroom or any of the other million things I should have been doing at home. I stopped for coffee, took a long, nice drive through the country, listened to my boyfriend, listened to nothing but the sound of silence and then stopped at my favorite Nature Preserve for a short walk--well, actually it was more like a stroll. And it was so nice.

So tell me...what would YOU do with a couple of unexpected hours to yourself and only about $20 in your pocket? Oh, and don't you just LOVE how green everything is? I love Spring, I really do.

Around The Neighborhood....

I can't wait until walks around the neighborhood are part of our daily routine again. Can. not. wait. The fresh air and sunshine are essential to my sanity as a stay-at-home mom. Seriously. But until then...walks in the snow on a sunny day will just have to do.

Happy Sunday!

We had a busy but FUN weekend and now it's already Sunday. Tonight we will be trying to trick the kids into an early bedtime so we can eat pizza and watch the Grammy's. I love Sunday nights, especially at the end of a really good weekend. Today is the last day of January and tomorrow is already February.....wow. I must say though,  I am looking forward to February because that puts me just a little bit closer to Spring...and that's a good thing.
Hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend!

Sledding Party::

Just wanted to share a few pictures from the Sledding Party at my Uncle's house on Sunday. I went outside and quickly snapped a few pictures before I hurried back inside-it was probably in the single digits yesterday, which is just way too cold for me! Remember how when you were younger you could go up and down the hill over and over and you didn't care how cold it was or that you really couldn't feel your face anymore? Those were the days. After  the outdoor fun everyone went inside for cookies, brownies, apple pie and hot cocoa.......the best part of the day.

During a short break from "Cops & Robbers" I had some of the cousins jump up on the bench in the hallway for an impromptu Bench Monday shot where Wyatt replied; "Ummm...hello mommy, it's Sunday!" I told him it's okay to cheat sometimes. Happy Monday!

Cook-out, Cousins and a Campfire

How come the weekends go by so fast yet that stretch of time every weekday from ...oh, about 4:00 p.m. until sometimes 7:00 p.m. can feel like an entire day? That's how many weekdays go around here a lot of the time and that is definitely how this past weekend flew by. Sunday we went to a big family cook-out and I think  it really wore us all out. It was nice enough to be outside around the fire and that is where the kids stayed, unless they were inside eating or warming up with a cup of hot chocolate. The kids spent their time climbing trees, trying to skip rocks in the pond, crawling through the big drain ditch, going on adventures through the corn with the "big kid" cousins, roasting marshmallows and climbing up the huge mound of dirt. The adults got to do a lot of visiting with family--which to me is just as important as the kids having a chance to run around outside for a few hours. Oh and how I love coming home and still smelling like a fire. What else could you possibly want to do on a Sunday in October?