do we have to get out of bed?

I snapped these photos of mimi and I with my macbook a couple of weeks ago. She is such a cuddler.

how scary she looks when she kisses.... yikes



Today is cold and gloomy and were still in bed. It's past ten eeks. I'm perfectly content laying here, listening to Neil Young and daydreaming
It's seems like a lovely day to cuddle. There is a storm on its way.
it's perfect, just perfect.

but there is some task that need to be done.
my room needs a good cleaning.
my garden needs some tending.
some bread must be baked.
some hot soup must be made.


then I shall curl up on the coach and crochet.
Oh the joys of a gloomy day.

big ears

fuzzy face makes me happy after a rough day.
I often find myself thanking God for making this tiny funny looking creature.

school continues to breed negativity and frustration in my life.
I know this is something I have the power to control.
And the Lord is helping me to do so.

I tell myself to constantly focus on the positive.
And the positive breeds joy and happiness.
Im continuing to learn life is all about perspective.
It's interesting and very important thing to learn.

So dear friends

REMEMBER
that the way you feel
often times reflects the way you deal with the situations you are in and or put yourself in.

anyways please pray for me and my "perspective:

night
xo
-esther

under the tree

Monday afternoon was lovely I sat in the front yard under my favorite orange trees with my sweet neighbor/friend. The weather was perfection. Warm and a bit windy. My kind of day.

We laid out on a pretty quilt and had oranges and drank orange, strawberry, and mint flavored water. It was wonderfully refreshing. I'm really trying to take advantage of our orange tree since citrus is in season right now. So as you can see I'm using them quite a bit. So far I've used them in cakes, orange juice (obviously), water, to flavor syrups and I've even candied the peel. Oh and of course I enjoying eating them on their own.

As we sat in the front yard we saw a friend from church pass by. He had just gotten out of school and was walking home. I hollered at him and asked him if he wanted some oranges. He and his friend came right over.

We all talked for a good long while and then I sent them on their way. Of course I had to send them each home with a bag of oranges. I feel like Im saying the word "oranges" way too much...

Anyways as we sat and relaxed I played with some film which really interests me. I like that when I'm shooting with film I really think about the picture I'm taking. Those shots mean so much more to me then the ones I mindlessly take with my digital camera.

It was a wonderful way to end my monday.

Night
xo
-esther

Olive Oil Lime Cake

I finally purchased a bundt cake pan. I had been searching through the thrift stores for a good long while. They usually have a ton but I wanted to find the perfect one. So glad I did. What kind of baker doesn't own a bundt pan.

I had never even made a bundt cake before. I love how easy it is to deal with after it bakes. Just pop it out and sprinkle some powdered sugar on it and you got yourself a good looking cake. So easy.

It was delightful.

I see a lot of bundt cake making in my future. I think they are the cutest little cakes.

Happy Monday

night
xo
-esther

Baby Shower

My dear friend Teresa is having a baby! I am over the moon excited. Who doesn't love a precious newborn to love on. To celebrate his soon arrival we had a shower for her Saturday.
The shower was pretty darn cute.



We made these delicious banana cream pie cupcakes. Aren't they cute?

I made baby boy a warm hooded blanket. Hope he gets some use out of it considering our hot weather. Eeeks.

Goodness I can't wait til he is here!

xo
-esther

brother sister time

Oh how these two can make me laugh. Life wouldn't be half as fun without them.

Poor sister is sick and wasn't too happy that I was snapping photos of her.


then there is David. Happy as can be.

Yep, I love them.
I really really love them.
xo
esther

REAL TALK

so today is my half birthday.
goodness who over the age of seven still thinks about their half birthday.
just me....
great.
I never seemed to forget mine because it only comes every 4 years.
on leap day.
I remember as a child being a little bummed that I didn't have a half birthday.
You see in elementary school we celebrated our birthdays in class.
But if you were born in the summer the class would celebrate your half birthday.
the teacher would give you a goodie bag and parents would bake cupcakes and cookies.
I'd always get worried and think they would just skip over mine because there wasn't always a feb. 29.
It did happen once.
haha.
I was one of those shy little girls who didn't say anything though.

Anyways let me get off of this silly little tangent.
Back to me being 6 months from turning 22.
It made me think about how my little plan for my life is not entirely in my control.

Pretty much my whole life I told myself I'd be married by the time I was 22.
I know it sounds weird.
Some may think Why 22?
Well that's how old my mother was when she wed my father.
So since I was around five or six I just assumed I'd do the same.
In all honesty it wasn't til I was around fifteen or sixteen that I realized that probably wouldn't happen.
Even then I secretly dreamed it would.
I know I sound loony.
But that's really the way I thought.
Upon realizing that I was going to be 22 in just six short months. I started to get pretty upset.
Here I am a 21 year old young woman who has never had a love interest in my life....

Sometimes that makes me sad.
I mean like really sad.
It wasn't easy being a teenage girl watching all your friends dating.
And oh boy am I a hopeless romantic.
I'd get so frustrated and think will I ever meet someone...?
It was hard but I have come a long way from that.
I've learned to be grateful that I have never had to deal with painful broken heart.
I'm not sure my teenage heart would have been able to handle something like that.

I need to constantly remind myself that God is in control. He loves me and HE wants the best for me.
O how that calms my heart. The creator of the universe has a plan for me.

As much as I wanted to get married real young that just might not be his plan for me.

I need to learn to be okay with that.

I know that as long as I have him in my life everything will be okay.

I just need to live my life wholeheartedly believing it.

It's strange deep down in my heart I know that it is the truth but I let my dumb emotions cloud my mind. It makes things fuzzy.

So my prayer is that my emotions don't get in the way of me any my savior.

I usually post these serious blogs to a private blog because it can be hard to be really open. It makes you so vulnerable but I thought maybe one person could be encouraged by my words.


Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight

xo
-esther