Meet Larry

We have this beautiful (and somewhat crazy) cardinal that the boys have named Larry after this other Cardinal that hangs out upstairs in Connor's room:

This little bird comes in the morning and stays until dark the last few days.  He sits on the ledge outside our dining room windows and peers in all day, flapping and banging at the window.  

Isn't that crazy? 

The boys LOVE watching his antics.

First thing this morning they heard him at it again and I had little bed heads enjoying the show:

He is even getting comfortable with the boys standing close to the window as long as they stay still.

I may have to reward our little Larry with some bird seed for all this entertainment!

We sure love our crazy cardinal:)

Ran into this little guy on my Morning Jog..

I had to carry him home to meet the boys.

They were thrilled and begged to make him part of the family

Until, thanks to Google we found out that he is the official Tennessee state reptile and is protected by hefty fines...

So we promptly returned him to exactly where we found him, but not before snapping a few pictures of our little friend:)

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Crazy Bracelets Everywhere

Coleman's collection proudly displayed along with crumbs from an after school snack

My boys (Connor and down) are crazy about these funny bracelets.

They wear bunches of them at the same time and make trades with their buddies at school.

The coveted ones at the moment are of the rock band theme: microphone, guitar etc.

With all boys, I never thought I would have bracelets everywhere!

Is this just a Tennessee thing or are your kids crazy about these things too?

Creative Fishermen

On a chilly, dreary day in February the boys took a walk to our neighborhood pond. TJ came back to the house for some supplies and asked if they could bring my little camera with them.

They knew there were fish in this pond, but with no fishing pole they had no way of catching them..or did they??

Connor and TJ being the resourceful guys that they are, have come up with a way to fish without a pole. Connor was not there that day( he was at Wrestling practise), but TJ was a sweet big brother and helped the younger boys himself.

These fish were caught with a hook tied onto a piece of fishing line. They used bright little salmon eggs for bait. They are getting pretty darn good at this creative fishing technique.

TJ's catch--

Coleman's fish--look at that face--he is loving this:)

Even little Bridger was successful!

What smart and determined little guys I have!

But I think it is time that we invested in some fishing poles, don't ya think?!

Scents of the Season

I enjoyed a little trip to Bath and Body Works recently and I was delighted to find this new scent ...

Black Amethyst

It is my new favorite! I am also loving the subtle fragrance filling my home from the Leaves wallflower. And of course I picked up the annual wallflower that smells like a REAL Christmas Tree, since mine is not:) I am getting ready for Holiday Season!

I LOVE this time of year!

I used this coupon here (click to print) to get $10 off a $30 purchase at Bath and Body Works.

Dreamy Home

I cannot get this home out of my head! I love the idea of renovating an old house. I think those old farmhouses have so much charm and character. Look at this gorgeous front porch--I love the green door!

Aren't those wood countertops beautiful! That is butcher block from IKEA. There is something about white cupboards that I love! I am just not sure how they would look with 5 little boys and all their sticky fingers!



Our four poster bed would look great in a room like this!

You can go to The Country Farmhouse blog to see more of the renovation process! It is incredible! I want to do this someday, but I don't know if I could talk Brad into it!

Create --Body Scrubs

I am very excited about this Do-it-Yourself idea I saw on the Martha Stewart website. Don't you just LOVE to use a good scrub and feel soft and radiant all over? It is a great way to get ready for Summer! I happen to have all the ingredients on hand, so now I just need to find the time to make it up. These would make great gifts for your girlfriends birthdays, don't you think? The instructions are here.

Speaking of creating--watch this--inspiring! The message, the pictures and the music--just BEAUTIFUL!!

Spring in the Mail

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email informing me that I was the lucky winner of a Spring package from the lovely and creative Dandee. I was so excited!! I enjoy her fun blog, Dandee Designs. You should check it out. She just had her 5th baby last week and he is adorable! Anyway, it was so fun to get this package in the mail! Thank you so much Dandee!! There were lots of fun things for me, but the boys really loved the "Spring in a Can". If you want one of these, she sells them in her Etsy shop here. The grass grew so fast! Coleman couldn't wait to take it to 'Show and Tell' for his kindergarten class. He didn't have to wait long. In less than a week it looked like this-

So, Dandee inspired me to do a giveaway too. I am working on a fun package and Sisters Cafe will host a giveaway next week!

Two more little thoughts...I am very excited for Genereal conference this weekend. And I read a very enlightening article here. It inspired me to improve my fasts and gave me lots of ideas for teaching my boys about this powerful principle.

Lil' Bandits & a Lil thought for Moms

Early Morning Fun

(After running into the table and hurting his big toe, Coleman discovered that it was hard to carry out his bandit agenda with a kleenex taped over his eyes.)

Here is a little poem that I got from a Mom I admire. I think she is already really good at this--I am still working on it, so I keep it up in my kitchen as a reminder-Enjoy!

If I had my child to raise over again,

I 'd finger paint more and point my finger less.

I'd do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more,

I would take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious and seriously play,

I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self-sesteem first, and the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.