s.i.s.t.e.r.

heidi and me

sorry the picture is fuzzy wuzzy..this also came off my work computer.

heidi recently moved to NEW YORK CITY!! 

well, a few months ago and is living in the upper east side so y'all should go visit her.

so... all of us siblings are scattered all over the one and only united states.

i just really MISS my sister and y'all should know that.

ALWAYS IN MY HEART

It gives me pains to see you leave,
But I never forget what I've learned through the years
We've gone through a lot together
Much less laughs and tears

I'll always be there for you,
Even after we’re married
I'll always stay true to you.
After all the love we’ve carried

You are my sister,
And my very best friend
You will always be
And my love will never end

You are a part of me,
And never will you ever leave my heart.
All the times we've shared together
Our hearts will never part

Don't let anyone take my place,
They'll never change our lives together.
Or even if you think they will
Remember we will be sisters forever

The laughs, we have
We share the tears,
We kept our promises
That have built up throughout the years.

I’ll love you all through life
I'll never let us part,
Because you'll always have special place
That special place is in my heart.

Author: KRISTEN M SACCARDI

please no tears...

just grab a glass of wine and say "cheers" to you and me!!!

~love your sister~

d.a.d.

Texas Sheet Cake..do i need to say more!!!

but really both my husband and my dad mean the world to me!!

i have baked this cake for over 15 years for my dad and it is still our favorite. it did occur to me that this would be the first time we had "TEXAS" sheet cake in "TEXAS"..i guess it was mean't to be.

i made this banner out of a paper bag, yarn, skewers, sharpie, scissors and tape in about 5 minutes.

could be better but it worked.

YES..that is me and my dad in the b&w picture. he is soooo channeling tom sellek with the mustache!!

major resemblance don't you agree?!?

this is an actual tom selleck picture by the way.

natey (and maybe his mom too) wanted to make sure the texas sheet cake was "ok" to eat! 

what a thoughtful child.

playing in the yard with the boys. this is what summer is about..and this is what we do just about everyday!!

we have the freezer loaded with Popsicles for this little guy who usually has to have one in each hand.

clothing is also optional for small kids...

how perfect on our back fence to tell those special men..

"happy father's day"

 and we LOVE you!!

o what a happy day!!

Life Lessons

You may have thought I didn't see,
Or that I hadn't heard,
Life lessons that you taught to me,
But I got every word.

Perhaps you thought I missed it all,
And that we'd grow apart,
But Dad, I picked up everything,
It's written on my heart.

Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be
The woman I am today;
You built a strong foundation
No one can take away.

I've grown up with your values,
And I'm very glad I did;
So here's to you, dear father,
From your forever grateful kid.

By Joanna Fuchs

this little Blondie just melts my heart!!

this guy melts my heart too!!

and then we feasted on salmon. my dad just got back from a fishing trip up in Alaska so the fish was fresh of the airplane and now in the little ol' town of Friona!

Nathan prepared the salmon filet's, goat cheese and beet salad (with his homemade dressing) and herbed rice pilaf! usually you would think someone else..ME.. would cook for this special day but Nathan is by far my favorite chef (along with his mom and sisters)!!!

the 3 different kinds of salmon the chef cooked up for us..my favorite was the peanut butter teriyaki!!

~peanut butter teriyaki

~garlic & herb

~tomato basil

nathan...me...dad...justin p...his lovely girlfriend jessica taking the photo.

more salmon and halibut (not shown in the freezer door) at the dairy office.

why the hungry.man.....that would be my dad's.....he doesn't cook :)

herb box

we love fresh herbs for cooking and living out here in the middle of no where, but somewhere to me, they sure are pricey and most of the time they are already wilting to their death in the package. one day, i think it was a Friday because that is the go to Clovis and get mineral day, nathan and i headed into town to pick up some mineral, salt blocks you know cow goods for the dairy, stopped by Lowe's, picked out the perfect herbs, planted them with the boys and accomplished instant garden satisfaction!! we'all planted the herb garden a month or so ago and  every time i looked at the plain wooden box i knew it needed some extra help or maybe i just wanted to use my stencils and get my paint brush out.

materials:

-paint, i used black

-paint brush

-stencils, these are from ace hardware or office max i can't remember i have 3 different sizes

-tape

-wooden box from Lowe's

-edible or non-edible plants

easy as 1, 2, 3...

but i did learn that when using stencils you want to push on the stencil when going over it with paint because some of the paint leaked under the stencil..creating a not so perfect edge. i tried my best and went over it free hand to straighten my crooked lines.
this mini  D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself)  took only a few minutes and i like it so much better now and since it is "labeled" no one will be confused as to what is in the box. i added a arbor for decoration (the boys think it is real fun to pull it out of the ground) and some prayer flags that i still had from the college days cause the more prayers the better (no i am not a Buddhist..just like the flags)!!

  i did find this..Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity.

we will go along with that then..

TA-DA!! 

my herb shrine or herb garden whatever you want to call it!! and my Maxwell always there to watch mommy do her crazy projects because she does need supervision at times:)

be creative, inspire yourself. 

SunrisE

early yesterday morning when i am in a deep slumber of sleep, my other half was capturing the sunrise out on the dairy farm. just the fact that he grabbed my camera (i mean OUR camera..since it was his idea to splurge on it) makes me smile!! so when i arrived later in the morning he showed me and told me he has been wanting to take a few shots of his morning view. no editing was necessary, the pictures speak for themselves and say a lot about the man behind the camera. even though the days are long, the work is tough, the wicked wind makes the days seem even longer and the work even tougher, he can take a moment to behold the beauty in the sun coming over the horizon to greet him.

 the picture above is my favorite. i find the silhouettes of the shades simple but dramatic.

i tell you what i have seen more sunrises as a mom of 2 kids than i ever did in college that is for sure...but that is besides the point right now. just enjoy the pictures and don't think about getting out of bed early at this moment. my problem is i go to bed only a few hours before it is back up again...besides the point again.

i don't know why but this poem came to mind...
thank you for sharing husband of mine!!


Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you:
May the wind be always at your back,
The sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

RANdOm MoNDay

Missing My Girls Back in Arizona!!

maria...jacque...me...melissa...katie

(this event took place in july of 2006..wow, a lot has changed since then)

we hit the race tracks for a birthday party..don't remember whose birthday?? 

just remembered how much i loved this picture!!

i have so many random photos on my "work" computer. this baby, my computer, not to be confused with a real life baby, has been my mode of operation for over 6 years now.. so i am going to share them with you. if you happen to be in the photo i hope you don't mind (and so many more friends & family that are not in the photo that i miss too).. just know i love & miss you dearly !! we may not talk everyday, every week or even once awhile but you'all are always in my heart!!

reminds me of so many good memories we had "pre-kids" (cause we really had some pretty spectacular moments!!!!!!!!!!) and so many more "post-kids"!! fun times, fun times!!

if you ask me..we make a GOOD TEAM of friends!!

mOM dAY & gRAD dAY!

Mother's Day Weekend with the College Graduate!!

Not very often do you celebrate 4 years of hard work, the ending of one chapter, the beginning of a new chapter, becoming an alumni, no more football games, tears of happiness and the celebration of being a mom. All of these pictures took place on mother's day which also was the day Rock graduated from Wheaton College, like i said before no more football!! We started our day with Brunch at our local favorite, The Ivy (no kids were present thanx to sloan for arranging a sitter). Had a nice time playing with the boys and enjoying the beautiful day in the backyard before graduation. Took lots of fun pictures with the Grad in blue!! Had a leisurely evening in the backyard with take-out, bomb-fire, lots of laughter with friends and family!!

college is really some of the best years. never again will you live in a dorm room the size of a shoe box, have to walk half a mile to the "shared" bathroom, endure the smell of microwavable popcorn (still can't eat popcorn to this day) the numerous campus parking tickets, the familiar faces and friends everywhere you go are just some of the great things you will only do once and wouldn't change a thing about it. the freedom to do what you want with the common sense to know not to cross the line and really just becoming a more responsible version of yourself with more knowledge.

so we celebrate you and everything you do

"For Christ and His Kingdom" !!

the wheaton college moto. see it above.

what a beautiful campus i might add!

my dad took max on a walk down the cutest little sidewalk ever. this place still amazes me with it's lush green yards, giant trees and Midwestern charm. how we will miss the pick street house!!

**side note**i am really getting into photo editing...there are so many cool things to enhance the quality of each picture. i think that is where is spend most of my time when preparing a blog post. since i want to share so many photos, collages are the best way in my mind.

anyway ..

still can't believe my "little" brother is a college graduate!

and these happy parents no longer have any kids in school and no more tuition!

what will they do now?!?

~Robert "Rocky" Conrad Gingg~

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

4 things to love today on this friday...

this is what i am enjoying on my Friday...

1.

if you are like me and live 90+ miles away from the nearest Starbucks or any type coffee shop you gotta bring the GOOD stuff to yourself so you continue to stay happy and focused at all times.

 a Milk Frother: A luscious topping of foam is the crowning glory of a cappuccino – and equally essential for lattes, macchiatos and other coffee bar staples. Using this compact machine, you can create that perfect froth with the push of a button. (that description came right from here at Williams-Sonoma) 

 this machine is life changing and for the price it should be!! but really i love it so much!! thanx mom for discovering this electronic device and leaving it with me at the dairy. like your turquoise mirror, you may never see it again :)

2.

 my boys planting my new roses (this was taken a month ago). we planted 2 Peace Roses and 2 Mister Lincoln's (my Nana says Lincoln's are the most fragrant roses ever and she knows roses).

Lil Nathan..not so little anymore, it quite handy with a shovel and is very helpful in the garden. he looks like a giant baby in a diaper..i don't even want to talk about potty training. he will be 3 years old next month, time to buckle down! (the thought is constantly in the back of my mind, potty train, potty train, how much bigger do diapers get, o yay we have the largest size, potty train!!)

3.

found this picture on my computer of Nathan at 7months old. we were playing dress up but he already out grew the outfit!! 

4.

and finally love this post. 

http://nadafarmlife.blogspot.com/2011/06/there-is-reason.html

enjoy your weekend with some good coffee (mine will be frothy with a sprinkle of cinnamon), time in your garden, and the ones you love!!

xoxo

eAStER pART 3

"egg-toss" the classic Easter game for all of us "grown-up's". the Gingg family is quite competitive so this is a big deal. as you can see there is a lot of us and i love them all!!

as you can see we get farther and farther apart and the messier and messier it got!!

my brother Justin and sis-in-love Jennifer won the toss. look at her amazing catch and really nice tan!!

then all the kiddos had a huge Easter egg hunt..sorry for the lack of pictures i was coaching my kids to be speedy and to get those eggs!!

Easter egg hunt and mustaches..quite the combo.

my Lil Easter bunnies

Max's expression is pure joy!!

Easter baskets from Mimi and papa rocky full of Thomas the train and toy story, their faves at the moment!

ManTeL in BlOom

remember ME, remember my PEONIES ?!?! 

here WAS my mantel a few weeks ago...i have been on a blogging hiatus as you have probably noticed. i have many excuses ready for you: lazy, out of town & lazy. yep, that is all i have to report. so i might go on a posting binge and prove that i am really not that lazy!! i have been determined to get my house together and it has cost me lots of sleep and bottles of wine but i am finally getting somewhere. expect to see some before and after photos in the near future. 

finally unpacked all the hobnail milk glass, this is only a small portion of my collection i must admit.

still can't believe these pretty flowers came from my backyard!

loving how the turquoise mirror brings out the same color in the drapes..i don't particularly like the word curtains i have just decided.

 i was moving my mom's Texas truck at the dairy and spotted this mirror in the back seat and knew it had to come home with me. she picked it up one day and yes i am "borrowing" it. it is kinda like stealing clothes from your sister's closet but i prefer to take vintage finds from my mom's pick-up!

 still looking for the perfect color for the walls..whatever this color is..needs to go!! soon the carpet will be history too!

  milk glass vase..an Amarillo goodwill find ;)

about the mantel...my mom SAVED it from a consignment store in phoenix and has had it in her courtyard for over a year and brought it over to Texas for me cause i desperately needed it for decorating purposes!! i am already dreaming of  Christmas stocking's!! 

random photo of the wall in the entry way. just love the old window and the simple bible verse

= forever

lil nathan wanted to be part of the photo shoot too! he threw the burlap pillow across the room, sat in the chair and said "mommy..cheese". to this day the burlap pillow sits perfectly on the bistro chair just like the photos above but the peonies are no longer. every time i looked at the mantel full of peonies it just made me smile and thank God for creating such beautiful simple moments.