Dear Santa,

Lilia's 1st letter to Santa~

Dear Santa,
We want toys! We love you so much. We love to eat chicken and we love to eat mashed potatoes. We want for Christmas is a doll house. Max wants candy, and I want candy in my stocking and Pocahontas and Jasmine. Daddy wants a 'tar (guitar). Max wants is a puppy, not a real puppy who not talks. And I want a dolly. Two dollies and dolly clothes. Grammy wants a Christmas is a hide. (she said it means- lions don't eat it.) Pop wants a little cat, not a real cat who doesn't scratch who doesn't do nothing ever. Max wants Little People and that's all. I love you so much.

Love, Lilia

-and we love to put the angel on the top.



(this is in her exact words)

Lilia and the "polka dots"

Twas almost Thanksgiving when all through the house
germs were spreading to every mouth.
The cousins were coming, the turkey was bought
but sickness had spread and all were caught.
Lilia started amoxicillin.
So did the parents and a few of the children.
Turkey was had
The house was a sight,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
but a round red spot on her bright and clear.
So I sprang to my phone
to the doc gave a call
and away we went with high hopes one and all.
She came to the room and went straight to her work
made a few remarks then turned with a jerk.
I was left befuddled, bewildered and lost
she gave no solution to the wind we were tossed.
I grew angry and worried as Lily itched more,
so the very next day we went back out the door.
To Urgent Care we did go,
seeking help for my beau
for now she was covered with red head to toe.
Allergic reaction to the meds they think
they gave her some new meds for her to drink.
It took a few days for her to be well
But no longer does her face, feet and hands swell.
Grateful I am for the doctors and meds
that treated my girl and happily said,
"You are a beauty!" pink dots and all
and then my tears started to fall.
Lilia had polka dots, and oh what a sight
But now all is well, and to all a good night!

Ode to pink

How does anyone not like pink? I guess we all have our favorites. This is a tribute to the fabulous color PINK. What pink means to me....
-happy
-pretty
-brings a smile to my face
-good in almost every shade
-femininity
-love
-sassy
-when paired with other colors can convey many emotions/feelings (ie- black and pink:sexy or sophisticated; pink and brown:warm and friendly; pink and yellow:cheerful and vibrant)
-my signature color ;)

Don't get me wrong I love many colors but pink draws me in and comforts me and brightens my day. Funny how something so common as a color can have such an effect on me. Heavenly Father created them all. Pink is a gift for me.

Create something that didn't exist before

I get down, depressed and seem unable to appreciate the joy and beauty in my life. This is slowly cured through much prayer, much effort, a bit of shopping ;) and finally in an effort to create something.

I love to try new things within the comfort of my own home. Tonight I made homemade bread bowls. They turned out better than I initially thought( they were a little flat as opposed to bowls). Lilia and I put our hands to work with the dough.

We enjoyed Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli soup!

While it was rising we painted pictures. (Too close to my heart to share those pictures.)

And tonight I created these scripture bags out of placemats. I've had the idea for a while and finally put it to the test. I love it!
Still need some tweaking but overall my depression has passed.


Words of a holy man to inspire all to create:

" The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. You might say, I am not the creative type. If that is how you feel, think again. Creation is your opportunity in this life….. Start small. Creativity does not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you. You will make the World a better place. Improve, beautify, extend, smile, cultivate, develop, create."
~Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Halloween Party of Awesomeness

That's right its the most wonderful time of the year! No silly, not Christmas, it is HALLOWEEN!

The Brough Cinemas

presents

"Characters in Costume"

Captain Jack Sparrow and Scarlett O'Hara

Agents Scully and Mulder from the X-Files
Mr. and Mrs. Edward CullenCaptain Jack Sparrow II and his lovely Wench

Robin Hood

The Captains battling it out for the title!

The Movie Stars

The concession stands

my popcorn cupcakes

And for a few other Halloween events here are the cute kiddos

Alice in Wonderful

tea party with the elusive white rabbit

My lil pup
trick or treating on the boardwalk
DQ gave out ice cream! AWESOME!

Max playing between begging for candy

Modest Mama by Melanie

I've been sewing for almost 3 years and I LOVE IT! I make things from kid's aprons, bibs, nursing covers, baby slings, to burp cloths and quilts. These are a few of my latest projects.

I adore this custom order quilt!



I don't usually make bibs and I remembered why. They seem small and simple but cause me so much grief. But they did turn out pretty cute. (another custom order)

This is a recent gift I made for a college friend. I'm in love with it!

And here is a custom order set I just finished.
I love to sew and it is a true blessing. Thanks to all of you who have supported my efforts!

Stitches and their rewards

On Saturday I dropped a large glass canister. It shattered and bruised and cut my Lilia's right hand. It was small but deep and bleed a bit. I took her to Urgent Care and they "sewed me up" as she likes to tell people. Its also bruised quite a bit since then too.



For those mamas out there who have injuried their children and felt horribly quilty they will understand that prizes are a special way to help everyone feel better. She got 4 wiggles movies at a yard sale on the drive home from the doctor. Then we went to OC block party and she got this....$5 face painting. normally I would never pay so much but she adored it (silly face was no extra charge.)
FREE pony rides were a treat for everyone!
Max didn't last long once they started walking away from me.

i make milk

Lily loves being a mommy to her babies. She "feeds" them, loves them and does all a good mommy should. Yesterday she says looking down at her bare chest,
"mommy, I have "feedings" same as you."
me- "its called your chest."
Lily- " You have milk. I have orange juice."

Kid's say the darndest things

Script of our most recent Family Home Evening:

Mommy: Okay Daddy what is our lesson about?
Daddy: Chicken nuggets.
Mommy gives Daddy dirty look.
Lilia: I like to eat them, and french fries.
(laughter by all)
Daddy: when we're angry and mad we should not yell, scream or slam doors. Jesus wants us to be happy.
Lilia (with hands on her heart): But we can't love Jesus. We have to love our bodies and hearts....and our head, shoulders, knees and toes. Our body is a temple.
LAUGHTER GALORE!

Jumpin' July

Okay so I've kinda forgotten to post anything lately. Here's a peek into our lives this month.

Lots of pool time....120 heat index lately
*note: I have an amazing hubby. He works hard, plays hard and is a strong soul. He gets up with the kids each morning so I can sleep in. He never yells at me as I carry in all my yard saling treasures. and together we dream of our future. Thank heaven we're sealed for eternity, cause we have big plans!

Lilia and Max are starting to actually play together, they're buddies!

Max insists on feeding himself with a spoon and does an ok job of it.

Beach, beach and more beach.....we are the beach Broughs ya know!

Saw Harry Potter on opening day. and again since. I wore my Gryffindor badge!

my goofy son puts the bucket on his head and yells cause he likes the vibrations it makes....so silly! (truth is, i showed him how;) )

playgrounds are a favorite place when the heat cooperates

isn't he just the handsomest boy ever!!!!

Lilia the Firefighter....we love the Margate Library and all the fun things they have going on. this was a display of the Firetrucks and all their stuff. Lilia and cousins even got to spray the fire hose.
right after I gave Max a haircut. I love his curls and many are still intact but his hair was becoming fluffy and needed a trim.

Happy Birthday Pop!

Happy Indepence Day! We love the parade. Isn't she darling?!

Mr. Max, another Firefighter!

Max and cousin Josh lovin' the rides on OC Boardwalk.

Cousins galore....we love 'em!

Puddle jumping is pretty great!
Lilia has grown up so much recently. She dresses herself (sometimes the outfits are very interesting). She goes potty herself, she helps Max, and she is just plain AWESOME! She can be a bit sassy but together we're working on being kinder and happier!

blue eyed boy
Max seems older each time he awakes. I can't believe how quickly he's grown. He does stairs in both directions, he feeds himself, he amuses himself in his room. He's a dancing machine!!!! He now says "mama" and "night night". He's such a snuggle bug and a truly happy guy! I love him to pieces.

We even had a special visit from Papa Larry and Uncle Brad!

July isn't over yet, and neither are our adventures. and in other news in the past 2.5 years I've taken over 10,000 pictures with my camera :)