A Little Before & After

Here is what our second bathroom looked like when we moved in a little over a year ago.

And here it is today...minus a few decorative touches but fully operational/functional none-the-less!!! (I stood in the middle of the room and took pictures as I turned in a circle to the left)

So happy to have more than one bathroom for the 6 of us again!

The Friendship Bag

Over the summer I stumbled upon a blog about a bag. Those of you who don't already know, I'm a sucker for bags, purses and wallets...you might even say its an addiction. I don't think I'm to that level yet, but my husband may disagree=) This wasn't just an ordinary bag though...it was a Friendship Bag! Cindy over at http://www.rickrackandgingham.blogspot.com/ had a wonderful idea to send this bag to some very special ladies around the US, who filled it with yummy recipes, goodies, postcards from their home state, and thoughtful messages of God's love. Once each "journey" was finished, everything was packed in a box and sent to the next lady on the list then eventually back to Cindy where she would gift all the wonderful things collected along the way to a special friend who lost her husband. What a sweet idea! Sadie Mae is the name of the bag and her traveling companions ('cuz who wants to travel alone?!) are Rufus and Toto.

Jessica, Rufus, Sadie Mae, Ainsley and Toto (with the beautiful Sandia Mountains at sunset in the background)

Some places we visited were:

my mom's house

the Albuquerque Aquarium and Botanic Gardens

the grocery story (I know, how exciting...you can hardly contain yourself, right?! 'Tis a glamorous life I lead with 4 small kids!)

and the park

My mom's backyard (my brother built this pond!) She LOVES kokopellis so Sadie Mae, Rufus and Toto posed for a picture. the fish in the pond

My brother's artichokes!! Can't wait to have some=)



The Albuquerque Aquarium and Botanic Gardens, home to so many wonderful attractions:
the Heritage Farm
Butterfly Pavilion (during the summer...what a sight to see!)
Rose Garden
Miniature Train
Aquarium
Kids Castle (makes me think of the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids because everything is meant to make you feel as if you were tiny)
Shark Reef Cafe
Japanese Garden
and some much more!

The back of Heritage Farm
Sadie Mae inside the old farmhouse

resting in the rocker (she was, afterall, holding all of the things necessary for an outing with 4 kids! I was in the other rocker!!)

part of the Japanese Gardens

This ant in the castle tried to take Sadie Mae but thankfully my son rescued her! Can you blame the ant??? The bag is fabulous...so large with so many pockets...perfect for all your needs!!! And so full of blessings!

Snack time!

Inside the aquarium...visiting the lobsters.

The eel tank...I know this isn't an eel but I am always amazed at this huge fish.

Heading to the grocery store. Rufus wants to drive!

My daughter Jessica wanted to see how much they weighed!

Toto holding my grocery list

hanging out in the apples

helping Dylan drive the grocery cart

The park

hitching a ride with Dylan

Ainsley wrote their names in the sand...so cute how she spelled Rufus...r-o-o-f-i-s!

taking it easy on the park bench Our leg of the journey has come to an end. Sadie Mae, Rufus and Toto must get to their next destination now but we have our memories! Thank you Cindy and all the other ladies for the blessings of the Friendship Bag!

Can't Forget Fiesta

When we go to the Balloon Fiesta, we don't normally go on the opening or closing weekend but during the week instead. Waiting until later in the week is always iffy because there seems to be a pattern of bad weather towards the end of Fiesta. We picked to go Thursday morning for the Special Shapes Mass Ascension. It pretty windy that morning so none of the balloons were able to take off and many didn't even inflate. It was a bit of a bummer but still nice to see some up close and personal! The kids had fun collecting trading cards for the different balloons.

Mr. Z the Zebra

Airabelle, the Creamland Cow

Z with a Storm Trooper (Darth Vader being packed up in the background)

SHARK!!

Airabelle being inflated

Cabinets and Paint!

Paint went on the walls last week and the vanity and cabinet made their arrival earlier this week! Below you can see the wall color. Nothing too drastic but just enough to warm things up. Sometimes it doesn't even look like it was painted until you look at the ceiling (or the area where the cabinet goes)!

The new cabinet!!! Can't wait to cram it full of towels and toiletries!!!!

The vanity (minus the counter top which will go in next week...it matches the tub/shower surround)

Tile will be happening soon because I hear it arrived the other day. The two doors still need to be stained and mirrors/fixtures need to go in but I'm really beginning to see it all come together!