Random -vacation 2017

The water was generally calm, so there was very little boogie boarding.

On a good day, you could be neck deep in the water and still see your toes.  

On birthdays

My paternal grandfather died suddenly and unexpectedly on my 11th birthday. I learned early that birthdays aren't special.  Life can still knock you down on your birthday.  It would take decades before I felt like celebrating my birthday was an okay thing to do.  Just about the time I started celebrating again, life threw another disappointing blow my way on that special day.

Several years ago I started following the Fly Lady.  I would like to say that she changed my life, and my home is now always neat and organized, and I can keep it that way with my control journal and fifteen minutes of chore duty at a time.  However, that is still an area of struggle for me.  I do have the control journal with important information for my family to access in a time of crisis, but the house - ugh!!

All this to say that one thing that the Fly Lady introduced me to is the idea of taking care of yourself. She shared that instead of feeling left out after she had stuffed stockings for her entire family, and there was nothing for her, she went ahead and stuffed herself a stocking and participated when the family opened stockings. If I were a single mom, I might do that and take the pressure off my kids to feel like I should have something that morning.  However, I couldn't care less if I have a stocking on the mantle on Christmas morning.

I want to be that person who has the perfect gift for every occasion, but the reality is that I just don't.  I fret over what to do or get until I am out at the last minute praying for God's guidance as I try to pick something that will be enjoyed by the recipient.  I am an acts of service kind of gal.  If my family deep cleaned my house for my birthday, I would like that much better than a trinket of some sort.

That being said, I just vacationed with two widows, and I really want to make their birthdays special. They have friends who do a great job of that.  I am a total failure.  In regard to my own birthday, when my family asks what I want, I go blank.  Of course there are things I want.  I want a bathroom renovation.  I want new flooring for my entire house.  However, those things don't squeeze into that combined $50-$100 budget my husband and kids have for my birthday.  I am always game for a quality bottle of a fun nail polish color, but I would have to pick it out which takes the fun out of surprises for everyone else :)  I think  you are getting the picture - I am not much fun.

This year I am approaching my birthday a little differently.  I plan to treat myself.  I am not sure in what way I will do that.  I love pedicures and only get them every other year.  I already had one this year, but I promised myself a second one for a change.  I may do that.  I have been considering a new Bible to make my note taking easier.  However, I am a practical girl, and my bible is in good shape.  I don't need another item in my house as I need to purge far more than I need to add, so I probably will forgo that idea.  The reality is that, if I am honest with myself, my next bible should be a large print one - ouch!  As I've already stated on the blog, I will be ordering from Trades of Hope, and while I don't need any more trinkets, I can justify that by the fact that a portion of my spending on those items supports a good cause, and I will not be ordering anything that I will not use.

Life changes. The people who always gave me something for my birthday and actually were present on the day of my birth are gone.  I can wallow in that, or I can choose to celebrate.  I don't want to put it on anyone else to make my day special.  I can do that myself, in my own way, and I want to encourage you to do the same.  So if you like gifts and pretty packages, get yourself the perfect gift and wrap it up in pretty paper and then open it on that special day.  If you like to be pampered, schedule yourself a small session to do it.  If you prefer a restful day, put one on the calendar and do it.  Get creative, and don't let the inattention of others hurt you.  Chances are that they don't mean to hurt your feelings or neglect you, there are many reasons why they might be unable to celebrate you.

The reality for me is that my birthday will be wonderful if it is a pretty day, and we get to do something outside whether it be poolside or walking through a pretty part of town.  Savannah's homemade chocolate cake won't hurt either ;)  Okay, it will hurt my health, but I will enjoy every bite.

For me, this isn't so hard because I hate to be the center of attention.  I get that this would be harder if I liked that.  I will forbid my family to mention my birthday on that day if we will be in the company of others who do not already know it (a rule they blatantly broke last year, and I am still trying to forgive them - lol), so I can celebrate this day privately with no qualms. Hopefully, you can also find a way to celebrate your life without depending on others.

Crab Hunt - vacation 2017

It's tradition! The kids go on a crab hunt at least once on vacation.  The crabs they caught this year were no bigger than bugs.

pressing pause on the vacation posts

I interrupt these vacation posts to bring you the following shameless ad:

Just sharing some of my Trades of Hope faves and a link to my compassionate entrepreneur's site.


Trades of Hope
The link above takes you to the site.



First a little history: Trades of Hope was born when a woman went to Haiti to adopt a little girl.  She would learn upon meeting her would-be daughter that the child had parents who wanted to keep her, but they were faced with the impossible choice of either watching their child die or giving her up in hopes that she would live. This was not only true for this child but for every child in the orphanage.  From there a social enterprise business was born.  Partnering with a friend, this woman launched a business training these moms to be artisans and offering them a fair trade income so that they could keep their children and break the cycle of poverty.  Now many countries have artisans working for Trades of Hope.  These artisans make more money than they would in their own countries and are paid what they request.  They also get to see the joy they bring to customers because they receive pictures when the company works with them.

I find this company to be so inspirational.  I have to dress professionally for my job, and I like finishing my look with jewelry, so the jewelry pieces are my favorites, but the company offers journals, scarves, home decor, and the fall line includes Christmas decorations and ornaments.


If nickel allergies are a concern, my understanding is that all of the products from India are nickel free.

Amina earrings - possibly my favorite purchase - so versatile

Pearls of Hope necklace - my Mother's Day gift from Andy and the kids.  

One thing I love about all of my necklaces from Trades of Hope is that they are all adjustable, so if I need to change them for the sake of the neckline on my blouses, I have that option.

Wish list : The names of the pieces are all live links, so you can click on them to see the product.

Milo bracelet

The Milo bracelet will look nice with my Amina earrings and a black tank that does not need a necklace.  

Bayo earrings

Love these!  They are from Kenya, just like my Amina earrings and similar in style.  I know I will get a lot of wear out of them.

Dasah tote

I am a bag lady.  I have a Bible study tote to keep all my books, pens, bookmarks etc. together.  I have designated bags for various things.  Work bag, carry in the car with bills and such to address when sitting in carpool, or long practices bag,  to read bag-- you get the idea.  I love the look of this one and know I will find a good use for it  - thinking church bag.

Shoho cross body

I have to be very careful about my purses.  My everyday purse has to have straps short enough that I am not tempted to carry it on my shoulder because it causes too much strain on my neck.  However, I always have to have a cross body for those times when I need to be hands free.  Trip to the zoo with my nieces and nephews - cross body day. Trip to an amusement park - cross body day.  Hiking but needing to carry my phone, wallet etc.  -- cross body day.  This one looks like it will be easy to keep clean, durable and light - all requirements for those cross body days.

Warrior cuff

I love bold bracelets, and this has been on my wish list almost from the start.   It's one of those things where you go to a party thinking you know what you will get, but you get there and fall for something else, so I have not bought it yet.

I won't purchase my entire wish list at this time.  For the first time with Trades of Hope, however, I will purchase more than one item.  What do you think?  What must I make priority?

Of course I can't mention anything under consideration for gifts for upcoming birthdays and such.  Shh!

P.S. The party is over, but the company is alive and well if you want to place orders.  I received four of the items above, so I will share my thoughts.

Bayo earrings - love them!! So lightweight (of huge importance to me) and so pretty and versatile with the combination of silver splashed with a bit of gold, and they go nicely with the Milo bracelet, so I have some variety.

Milo bracelet -more understated than I expected.  I love it alone, but it can actually be worn with a second, complimentary bracelet.  Also very versatile with mixed silver, gold and black finishes.

Shoho cross body - not too big, not too small. I like that it has two inner pockets.  The more pockets the better in regard to totes and purses in my opinion.  I also like that it's neutral and will match anything.  It will be great for ball games and swim meets.

Dasah tote - a little on the big side for my purposes, but so much prettier than the picture.  It has three inside pockets which makes it way better than the tote I was carrying to church.  I carry a tote to hold my Bible, pens, notebook and contents of my purse instead of carrying a purse. I'm still old school.  I don't have an iPad for note taking or for reading the Bible while following along with the sermon or in class.  A tote protects these items on bad weather days and keeps everything simplified in one  place.  When at home I keep my church stuff in said tote and just pull out what I need daily for study and reading. That being said I like this tote well enough that I might consider another TOH tote design or another Dasah for work.  It would be nice to carry one bag into work holding my purse, lunch, whatever books I am reading for promotion and whatever papers have been procured from outside meetings.  I usually lug in my purse, lunch bag, and my drink separately and forget anything else I should take in for days at a time.  This tote may be a way to have one bag which would also make me less likely to forget anything if I pack it the night before or as things come up that need to go to work.  I would still have to carry my drink separately so that it does not spill in my bag, but everything else would fit.

the pier - vacation 2017

Our visit to the pier included a sea turtle sighting.  I've always wanted to see one in the wild and only regret that I could not get the camera going fast enough to snap the photo.

It was a hot mid-morning trip to the pier, so we were not sure we would see any wildlife, but we saw a couple of dolphins playing nearby.

Another great vacation quote came from Isaac.

Tiffany handed him something for breakfast and then asked, "Who's your favorite aunt?" She paused very briefly and then added, "say Tiffany." 

Isaac exclaimed, "Fire ants - they will BURN you!"

Isaac is a wealth of information on all creatures great and small.

Tiffany got burned on another occasion on vacation.  Our house had both a coffee maker and a Keurig.  We had pods for the Keurig and were making coffee that way.  Tiffany felt it would make more sense to use the coffee maker, so while planning a trip to the store, she stated, "I'll just pick up filters, so we can make coffee."

Andy quipped, "I've never associated Tiffany with filters before."

Anniversary 24 years - vacation 2017

Andy and I celebrated 24 years of marriage while on vacation with a dinner out at The Back Porch.  A dinner out is our typical celebration, if we celebrate at all.

My Trades of Hope show was still open (may still be when this posts - linked a few posts back), so my consultant suggested we share pictures of items from Trades of Hope.  I don't generally do selfies as I am so not photogenic but wanted to share some of my favorite earrings from Trades of Hope - Amina earrings. 

anniversary selfie while awaiting our table

We sat with a beach view and spoke very little about the kids. 

24 years ago I said "I do" to my best friend.  Over the course of those years we have seen the Grand Canyon, New York City, climbed the Great Wall of China and enjoyed a few beaches.  We visited Estes Park in both the winter and the summer with a visit in the spring still on the bucket list. We marveled over the miracle of tiny newborns entrusted to our care and journeyed to China for a toddler and later for a five-year-old after wading through mountains of paperwork. We weathered storms. We each lost parents far too soon. We married with five grandparents still living between us. We now have none. We suffered through miscarriages. We lost a much loved brother in law, and we have mourned with and for our widowed sister and a widowed friend. We have loved and buried two dogs, and we have endured the most evil cat known to mankind (no more cats for this family!) along with hamsters, a gecko, and fish. We have driven to and from countless practices and sat through games in pouring rain, freezing cold (under 20 degrees cold), and under the most beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and even a rainbow. We have walked our kids through triumphs and failures, great times and big disappointments. We have taken turns throughout a sleepless night or two nursing the child with the high fever and had each others' backs when cleaning up after sick kids or animals since neither of us stomach that well.  We parent four kids with very different personalities who all have a wonderful love for God and family.  We've been so blessed. We learned by accident many years ago that we could end the fights in our marriage by simply having separate checking accounts.  At first we thought that meant we were failures ;) We have worked hard, and we have been prosperous, and we have been broke.  We have laughed a lot, and our kids have all inherited a great sense of humor. We have been united in our goals for our kids and thus our parenting. We have tried hard to put God first, each other second and kids third. I couldn't have and wouldn't have done this with anyone else.  I still do!