Crafting Craziness

It's been a little quiet around the blog lately. My birthday was this weekend, so that was festivity filled. I've had photography I've needed to work on, Adoration has like four teeth coming in all at once, and I've been crafting like crazy! I have a couple of blogs I'm working on, but just so you know I'm still around, I leave you with this:

My crafting craziness: making favor's for the patoot's b-day party.

Ravenous: in three parts.

A spaghetti massacre of epic proportions.

It was a gleeful undertaking.

Spaghetti conquered, a food coma ensues.

and...time for a nap!

Beach, Babes, and Babies.

I had such an amazing time on our Girl's Beach Trip!

(Can't you tell?)

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We rented a house right on the beach in Folly Beach right outside Charleston.

"We" included:

9 women

6 babies

1 child

I know...whoa! We were quite the spectacle!

The trip was just sooo much fun though and worked wonders for my heart. I've truly been blessed with some of the loveliest lady friends. I "unplugged" the whole week, so no internet, email, blogging, facebook...I even put my camera on standby most of the week. I just focused on enjoying my sweet company at the ocean. It was wonderful....even though I missed my hubs like crazy!

A sneak peek into our trip:

Lot's of baby beach time:

Adoration sampling some sea shells. yummy!

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This pic of Sparrow is just too much. Hilarious.

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Lot's of baby nakey time.

Lot's of sweet little moments.

and....lot's of girl time. (Adoration is wanting to join in.)

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I'snt this pic hilarious?

All the babies. Yep, mine is the one with the ponytail completely losing it!

We lined all those hungry, tired babies for a picture. Then we ALL started

yelling "yay" to get them to look at the camera. Poor lil babies. We scared the bejeebers

out of them and they all started losing it! Well, except for Kael, who just looked bewildered (that's a boy, for you.)

Well, there's a little peek into our trip!

so. much.fun.

11 months

Dear Adoration,

It is true that I loved you before I even knew you.

But, oh my, it is my every day joy to know you. I have become a student of all your little ways.

Your ways that are ever changing, growing, moving.....me.

Today I love you more than yesterday, and tomorrow I will love you more than today.

You are my daughter, my wild girl, my sensitive soul, my dancing heart.... my Adoration.

And every time I say your name I give praise to the One who entrusted you with me.

a thousand kisses and all my heart,

your Mama.

Romantic

I'm working procrastinating on a

beach post blog.

In the meantime, here is a little eye candy from the trip to make your

heart swoon.

Mr. Noah Fox, my friend Jessie's son, was sitting in his booster chair. Adoration

was standing up doting on him. Noah spontaneously leaned over and kissed her forehead, not just once, but twice! Thankfully one of the girls was able to capture the moment.

Most. romantic. baby picture. ever.

Mother's Day Tribute.

This is my mom from when she was in her twenties. Isn't she smokin'?

and...I'm pretty sad she didn't save these clothes for me.

(note to self: save my favorite outfits for Adoration.)

My Mom is an amazing woman. She is from the Philippines. She grew up in a world apart from what I have known....one of eight children in relative poverty. When she met my father she left her family, country, and everything familiar for the sake of love and a chance at a better life for herself and her children-to-be.

From my mother I learned a strong work ethic, loyalty, endurance, how to put my children before myself, and the sacredness of a good home cooked meal.

Some more pics:

Like mother, like daughter. There

is a resemblance, no?

photo courtesy of Anna Naphtali Photography

With my daughter, Adoration,

named after my mother, Adoracion (the spanish word for

Adoration) on my very first Mother's Day.

For all the mother's out there, who love, sacrifice, and nurture.

For the women who long to be mother's but aren't yet.

For the mother of my husband for raising an amazing man.

And to my mother:

Happy Mother's Day!

*Tomorrow I leave on a beach trip with some girlfriends! eee!!

I'm unplugging for the week and taking a blogging break. But

I'll be back next week with some fun beach pics!*

Music Love

I heart folky, haunting music.

After listening to this song, you will too.

Song courtesy of First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk duo.

(Don't the words "swedish," "folk," and "duo" just seem like they belong together?)

Call me old-fashioned.

The beach has been on my mind a lot lately. First of all, it's my favorite place ever. I could never live smack in the middle of any major landmass cause that would be too far away from the ocean. Surrounded by all that land, I would just feel claustrophobic. Also....

I'm going on a girls beach trip next week.

Our family beach trip is coming up next month.

And the big kicker:

We might be moving....to the beach. or pretty darn close to it.

A possible move to the coast has had me daydreaming all sorts of daydreams. Some of these have been decorating day dreams.

I confess: I love beach cottage style. Call me old fashioned but I do. You can keep your sleek modernism.

Give me your weathered, vintage, white, white, and more white. Burlap and mason jars and milk glass, suitcases and sailboats, peeling mirrors, slipcovers, driftwood, sea glass, found feathers, stripes, and fresh flowers. Heck...I even like the occasional sea shell.

I've reigned it my beach cottage love.....because we, well...live in a city.

But if we live on the coast there will be no holding back.

Some beach cottage love:

All photos from A Beach Cottage.

Ocean love.

Adoration exploring one of the perks of our future *hopefully* home.

oh please please please.

Ponytail!!!

Too.much.to.handle.