Diamonds and Words To Live by

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure”

                                                                                                                  ~ Peter Marshall

No pressure......No diamonds!

                                    ~Thomas Carlyle

This is my first time participating in the weekly

Words to Live By

Started by Tracey Buxton over at

 Notes from a Cottage Industry

Head over there and check out her Mc Linky!

Xoxo  shell

For the Cute Packaging

Sometimes i get my way.

and when that happens....

....the family has to go into Thrift stores,

Or

To the mall...

(whichever i'm in the mood for)

shoot...... if it was up to me....

We would choose where we eat, and even

the grocer we shop with, by....

How cute the joint is!

Not only did the family,

(and by family ...i'm talking even the  hubby!)

go into a thrift store with me today....

But we also shopped at my new favorite Grocery

Market.....

..uh huh..

Trader Joe's

If i lived around a Trader Joe's....I  think that i would actually cook more....and eat healthier.

and maybe even pack  hubby's lunch....

(between you, me, and the wall.... the eat healthier part...

um not so much...  ain't gonna happen.)

(and.... probably not the packing lunch part either.)

HEY!      

I'm just keepin it real!

(do you pack your hubby's lunch??? 

just wondering.  I am an awfully lame wife!  I don't Do the

lunch packing thing.  Not for hubby or the munchkins.  When all the moms are meeting at the park

for "a packed lunch picnic and play time"....

I am the chic pulling up late with the Mc D's bags in tote....

with the crying kids.

But that is a whole notha' issue......)

Oooh....

I can see me now.....

I'm buying my cute sugar and

picking up some fresh flowers and my health snacks...

which are also in a cute package....

oh!  ....  oh!

and i pull up in this....

I can see it all so clearly.

I'm actually scaring myself.

(if this is your truck.... park it in your garage tonight!

Just kidding....

ha ha ha

  but  no,

SERIOUS!   don't ask questions...just hide your keys.)

.....

.........

.....

....

COME ON!

I'm messing with you!

I'm not really coming for your truck.

.....

...(what's your nearest cross street?)

so any who....

go on to Trader Joe's website.

go see if they have a location near you.

and if they do -and you didnt know about it before-

THAN GO!

and if they do ...and you already knew they did...

and you havent been there yet,  than biff yourself in the forehead!

and then GO!

It is such a  domesticly appropriate thing to do!

:)

xoxo  shell

Girls Gone CAmPing!

Remember last year how i

told you that if you brought really cute stuff

along.....

that you could come on an all girls camping trip????

Well........ it's not going to be this year.

:(

But it is going to happen!

...soon!

There will be cute tents,

clothes lines,  adorable

picnic-ey items,  ooh and Wildflower Picking!

and all kinds of fabulous camping Eyecandy!

Just so you know how serious i really am....

This is the cooler that i am saving
my change for

(except my writing is cream colored)

and....

this is my  new water cooler!

and i am totally gonna cook on one of these..

Project

Vintage Girly Camping...

Is in full swing!

i'm sorry.  i dont know where i came across

these lovely camper pics...if they are from your blog

let me know.  i would LOVE to give you the credit!

Sooo in love with this camper!

I will keep my eyes peeled for a diamond in the Rough

so i can restyle one of my own!

What about this one?

Potential?

The following are found on

Rosevine cottage Blog

Delicious!

SOOOoo

Get ready girls!

I'm thinking next summer to celebrate

all our long wonderful hours as hardworking women!

Joyfulweddings and events .com

Will i see you all there???

I hope so!

The More the Merrier!

xoxo 

shell

Nice Folks

Last night we were invited over to

the lovely home of a couple we met in church on

Sunday.

What are you gasping about????

Of course we go to church on the road!

We may seem a lil' rough around the edges....

but......

I'll have you know,

that we .....

well....

We use to be a lot worse.

for example...

us at our highschool prom:

and us now:

U see now?

It's really not as bad as it could be.

The two of us have come a long way!

Back to this Supper with some new friends.....

This couple also had 3children of their own.

They had also invited another couple with their 4 children.

There were  A lot of boys.

 

I was so sure that Kade was going to have the time of his life!

Boys to Wrestle with!

Oh,   our poor little man.   So use to the gentleness of girls.

He  was ok.  he only cried once....  or twice....or......ummmm, he was soooo much

 younger and smaller than

the other boys.

Kenzie played representative for the younger children all night.

she's a great lil' mommy.

Kie had a friend her age too.

The couples were very  down to earth   and we had a great time.

Their house was so adorabley decorated.  

It made me long for a new home of my own!

It was nice to get out of the room and not eat out for a change!

The  women even clued me in on  a few fun local activities!

It's so great to meet new people on the road.

 

We are so blessed to have nice folks come into our lives

no matter where we go.

xoxo  shell

But, It's Not In our Best Interest....

Homesick:

Longing for the comforts of home while away.



That is the definition of the word  homesick.
I looked it up.    so...... I would know!
But if you don't believe me...
then you are free to look it up for yourself.

..and on the odd chance that it does not say
those exact same words when you look it up....

Then  YOUR DICTIONARY IS WRONG!

...and furthermore....

shame on you for not just taking my word for it!

:)

(by the way....  i didn't realllly  look it up....but it's a very good definition for
just coming up with it right off the cuff  don't you think?)



We are all a bit homesick here in
 Hawker  Chateau.

We are missing not only our "home"
but our Family  and friends too.

This weekend is going to be particularly
hard for the lot of us.

We had thought that we were going to get a very special visit.

From a very special mix of people.

That would have done wonders for our

homesickedness.

Just to be able to spend some time with My elder sister
and her beautiful, wonderful, adorable children.

(homesickedness is so a word.... i ..... "looked it up" )

But alas .... it is not to be.

(is this reading like a sad fairytale????)

(cuz i'm going for the sad fairytale flow here.)

(is it working?.....Could you sense that sort of "mood"  in my story?)

For my fair sister and her lovely

lineage have had a very travesty of a time finding

tickets for the .....airplane.

(did i ruin it all when i had to throw " airplane" in there?)

(did i lose some of the long long ago fairytale credibility there?)

You know what?

i'm actually getting a lil' headache from

talking that way in my head so i can type this for you.

so,  i will continue on in regular American English

from this point on.

Due to the change of plans.....

We have been contemplating coming home for a 4 day

weekend ourselves.  So we can see a very special lil'  girl

who just turned 7.  And celebrate Kade's 4 th b-day.

(which happens to be sunday)

But....the fact is........

That while it would be just what we would love to do,

(ohhhhh,,,,  to have a girls night out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

It's probably not in our best interest.

Can you even imagine how hard it would be

to peel the kids away from home and friends and family AGAIN?

NOT to Mention:  Our  Bailey Dog.

Oh we miss her so much!

I could handle it just because  i know that traveling is something that needs to be done

for now and that it won't last forever.

But the kids......
i can't put them through that again.

So we will stay on the road....

Sacrificing for a short while,

so we can all be together until we get where we need to be.

Back on top of it all!

Life can be hard.

Some choices are really hard.

And sometimes...

the hard stuff...

is such a blessing!

Here's to Life!

and all the blessings that we have

and for the ones that are

 yet

 to

be!

xoxo  shell

put your shoulder to the wheel.
push along.

do your duty with a heart full of song.

i love hymns.

Life Summed up

Kie has turned into a 2 yr old movie buff.

We have to watch Barbie movies ALL DAY LONG.

Matt falls asleep every night @ 6PM upon arriving home from work.

AND THEN SNORES ALL EVENING LONG.

Kade is either sword fighting or dressing up in

tutus. HE PLAYS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM.

Kenzie is our GUINEA PIG TRAINER.

She has successfully trained Sweetcakes

to Run to her cage and up the ramp from any where in the room.

...AND SHE TOO IS NOW TRAINING TO BE A GIRL MUSKATEER.....  

Thanks  A lot......Barbie!

and me????

I'm just the crazy lady raising these goons!

:)

xoxo  love shell

Junking Legacy

I am getting to know this town quite well.

I can almost navigate brainlessly

to and from

the necessary stops.

Like the Opportunity House...

and the Goodwill...

and the smaller personally owned Bay Guild Thrift.

.....and don't worry!

It's all budgeted in!

There are no unauthorized,

 unplanned for

 purchases.

We are on a self induced, very tight, budget.

I was soooo good all week that i had a little fun money

left to junk with~

Like intsy weentsy.

But thats the beauty of thrifting....

...Great Frugal Finds!

 (kenzie's  latest treasure find)

she's ony 6 but she has the eye for junking already!

Just Passing the legacy on!

xoxo  shell

Suck Truck Makeover

What are your options when you

are holding off on buying a nicer vehicle

in the name of Sacrificing for the greater good

of the family budget...

and you are forced to

 drive around your hubby's truck,

(which you have "lovingly ???"  named "suck truck"

due to it's inability to steer and park)

Why.....  You give it a makeover dear boy!

This Spring Season ,Suck Truck is 

sporting a new Mix  of Vintage and New

accessories.

In keeping with my love for all things not

matching...

Suck truck is sporting some coordinating, but not

entirely matching, striped scarves around her necks.

She now boasts a lovely vintage broach

which adorns her driver side door

Her rear....

(view mirror)

is flaunting fancy pearls  and silver with a

splash of chic sequins!

She has been sporting this piece for a while now.

This sea shell filled trinket organizer,

Was the inspiration for the entire Makeover!

This spring you can Get this look without

breaking the bank

at your local thrift stores!

xoxo shell