The chair im in these days

MY goal is to blog at least ....



once a week....

This could be bad.

"why?"

  cuz i don't have much to talk about really....

Did you see the picture at the start of this post?

See the cute tan zebra chair?

YAH....WELL MY BUTT NEVER LEAVES

THAT FLIPPIN CHAIR!

hee hee...

i am serious!

i feed that baby

ALL .... DAY..... LONG.....!

OH LOOK!

THere i am AGAIN...

SITTING IN THE CHAIR...

FEEDING THE BEBE!

OH....OH....

WAIT A MINUTE...

IM  NOT IN THE CHAIR...

BUT ALAS.....

STILL FEEDING THE BEBE!

SOOOO...

AS YOU CAN SEE FROM EXHIBIT A , B AND C...

I DONT DO MUCH THESE DAYS...

(Of course...if u ask Tyndlee....

mommy is busy doing a very IMPORTANT job! thank YOU very much!!!)

ANY WHO...

MY POINT IS ....

I dont have a hole lot of anything entertaining to blog about...

but i would never want to look back and

reallize i didnt record this beautiful (seemingly boring)

time in my life!

xoxo  shell

oh look!    im not in the chair.....

I moved over to the other side of the room and am....

on the couch!

(not really....this is an old photo....

in real life..im still in the chair.)

guaranteed!

;)

xoxo

Crazy, Funky, Fun

What could be better than playin with

Play-dough?

Hows bout...

playin with Play-dough

AND

crazy Who-ville hair do's!!!

Play-dough is just a part of childhood...

I remember playing it when i was little.

 We had a Care Bear Play-dough set...

Ahhhhhh...

Good Times!

Oh and CRAZY HAIR was also a big part of my childhood.

(poor  Kie.....her got my hair)

but kie sports it way better than i ever did!

Dang she's cute!!!

Anutha  awesome memory from my childhood....

CHALKBOARDS!!!

My grampa Harley was a carpenter....

He made my sister and I a huge school teacher style

Chalkboard....

So i just had to pass the joy onto my babies!

Plus....

it's super cute in my kitchen!!!

it's a win win situation!

xoxo  shell



A Home for Hawkers.... Again

3 years of ...

HARD WORK

and

SACRIFICE....

ALL WORTH IT!!!

i have had lotsa FUN decorating again!

In my funky mix n match Rachelle style!

the beloved CHALKBOARD wall!

My own Heavenly mix of Vintage pieces

and modern patterns! 

xoxo  shell

Happy Endings

I am sooo in LOVE with that saying!

It kinda sums up the past couple of years for me!

Remember how we traveled for a year after

giving up our gorgeous home....

We sacrificed our comforts we had enjoyed

when the economy turned on our landscaping buisness...

after 10 very successful years...

I homeschooled  my kids from our hotel rooms...

then we lived in my in-laws basement apartment

for a year and a half....

(which is really hard after owning 3 beautiful

homes over the years)

you see...

we decided not to be victims....

not to give in and not to give up!

we had been living the good life because of

hard work....

and we wanted it back!!!

After traveling ...

 hubby started up his own company again...

and then took another job with a great company...

(for benefits)

so i put on my big girl panties

and decided to "cowgirl up"

and run our Dumptrucking

company! just me and my driver.

i was scared to death ....

but if you want something bad enough...

YOU DO WHATYA GOTTA DO!

I new i could do it...

with the help of a good friend of course!

i trusted that where i was weak...

He would make me strong!

And He did...and it paid off big!

We were blessed with an amazing account...

that got us back on top!

We paid off an insane amount of debts..

....We bought a home and ...

We are lovin our happy  ending...

or is it our amazing new beginning????!!!

xoxo  shell



Givin' it Another Go!

soooo...

it's been a while...

like almost exactly one year...

since i blogged last.

I will just come right out and say why...

cuz thats the kinda girl i am.

an open book...

(thats a form of therapy for me)

I haven't blogged since my little brother

RJ passed away and i posted his story.

i couldn't think of anything of enough

signifigance ..

that i could post,

after the unexpected passing

of an amazing young hero.

the guilt i felt for not being more

involved in his life as we grew up...

(in different homes)

was too much ..and caused EXTRA grieving

over the past year.

but i have missed out on an entire year

of my life....

grieving and turning  a lil  bit  bitter...

You see...

i lost my lemonade for a while.

I could only see the lemons...

but i am done with that now.

i am givin it another go!

at life....

at blogging...

at being present in every moment

of every day.

******

********

and i could not think of a better thing

to start off bloggin about than...

the birth of a new addition

to our family.

Tyndlee Jane Hawker

7lbs 9oz

20"

born Feb.29th 2012

our little leap year baby..

(who was actually due on March 9th...

RJ's birthday)

she is a gift from heaven and has healed

this mommy's heart...

and changed me forever!

so heres to a new beginning...

and i promise...

there is plenty of LEMONADE to come!

xoxo  shell

May your Day be Pink and Bright

La stanza di giuggiola

I  am in dire need of PINK and Pretty

stuff today!

i am on the verge of a RUT...

i must rebel against the rut!

so this is a just a quick post dedicated to

Pink, Happy, Pretty, stuffs!

this is the best advice i have heard in a

long time.

so...YES...I  THINK I  WILL!

xoxo  shell



Goodbye little Brother

                                            In Loving Memory of 

                   Our little   Brother ...                                                              

Roger Lee Scherf Jr.

My heart is so FULL right now.

I have been avoiding my blog like it's the plague...

because the happenings of late have been....

...a mixture of  extreme sadness and

extreme beauty.

(does that make any sense??? it will in a minute i promise!)

SO either one that i talk about will have me

bawling like a little baby.

Two weeks ago ..march 19th...

I got a phone call from my father, Roger Scherf  Sr.,

he was in hysterics...

RJ , Roger Jr.,  was  in a horrible car accident...

He was in Madigan Hospital on the Army Base of 

Fort Lewis...

He was pronounced brain dead.

He was on life support.

Not expected to make it much longer...

The military was picking my father up to get him

to Washington  A.S.A.P. 

If he left immediately..he might make it to say goodbye

to his son...my little brother...RJ

He was packed and waiting when the military phoned to say

that the plane ticket had been cancelled...

Sr.  and   Jr. that is one proud papa!

It was too Late.....RJ was gone...

We were all devastated...especially for my

father and Rj's mom...

They were not going to be able to hold their

sons hand one last time... tell him they loved him once more....

Then ...just hours later....  another call came in...

It was a misunderstanding...

RJ was  still alive....

on life support.. but still holding onto life.

It was a beautiful Miracle!

Just hours after My dad and RJ's mom got to the

hospital  they held a small service in honor of RJ...

There was a Vigil in that hospital room that night.

30 or more of RJ's fellow soldiers and

friends were their to say their goodbyes as well.

A prayer was offered up to Heaven...

RJ was in bad shape....it was his time to go...

Lori, Rj's mom,  told him he could go...

she thanked him for holding on til they could say goodbye...

As the prayer ended....and the words...

"in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN,".... were uttered...

Roger Lee Scherf Jr....took his very last breath on this Earth.

He returned to his Heavenly Father on March 20th,2011.

He had just turned 21 the week before....

He had just married a month before....

He was so young...It was very confusing...

In late 2009 he was in Afghanistan and his platoon was

hit by one of the largest IED bombs  ever recorded...

He was driving the HUM V...

All of his men and their interpreter...

were killed....

RJ was the only survivor.

Surely there must have been something more in store for

this amazing young man....

He was spared ...it was a miracle for sure...

the vehicle was destroyed...

He had brain damage...a badly injured leg...

a severely lacerated tongue...and a mouth full of broken teeth...

But ....

HE WAS ALIVE!

A short year and a half later....

He was recovering well...

physically....

but struggling to hang in there emotionally..

survivors guilt...His platoon brothers were gone...

he had seen horrible things....

His heart was in a lot of pain...

And now he too is gone....

He survived the Taliban but an icy road got the best of him...

It seemed so wrong.

But here's the thing....

In the last year and a half....

RJ became very close to the mothers and fathers of his

fellow soldiers who never made it home from that war.

He was their last connection to the sons that they

would never see again...

He told those boy's stories...

He gave their parents something to hold onto and  the chance to have some closure... to let go...

 to heal their broken hearts.

Rj was a true hero!!!

To our Country and to those families...

He is My Hero.

I will never be the same again....

I have so much more gratitude for what those boys

and men do for us....

Rj did not become a soldier...he was born one.

They see too much....

things noone should ever have to witness...

and they do it all for us...

for you and me...

We are free because of them.

As his Seargents and fellow soldiers shared

their stories of RJ and their love for his Humor that

"kept them all going"...

My Patriotism just grew by leaps and bounds.

RJ as a boy...in camo...as always!  ;)

God Bless America...

and  our little brother..

RJ

xoxo  shell

links to articles on RJ:

Roger Scherf http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/03/turn_the_page_friend_of_fallen.html

My absolute FAVORITE ONE:    http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/03/1948911/cut-short-2nd-chance-still-a-gift.html

http://www.operationward57.org/2011/03/spc-roger-scherf/



 

P.S.  thank your soldiers every chance you get....
you never know when you won't  be able to anymore!