A good friend

Well, isn't that how it goes? You promise to do something, you nearly swear up & down to do it & then a good friend reminds you and encourages you to actually do what you said you would do! That is exactly why I am writing . . . Because a good friend reminded me not to stop now, eve though I haven't written as much as I had liked or hoped to have written.

So, I wondered what would be worth writing about? Well, the kids have gone back to school. Eliza has started kindergarten (I can't believe it!). So, now I only have one at home with me during the day, and I have been buried lately in books and writing assignments for my FNP program. It is difficult going back to school when there is so much to do here at home, but I just keep telling myself that it will be worth it. It will. Right!?!

Anyway, it is late now, and I have more to tell, but I will have to do it after I catch some zzz's. So, here's to good friends, and I hope I am as good a friend yo my peeps ;) as mine are to me!

little sand angel

ahhhhh, summertime. how i love the smell of the ocean mist, full of salt and coppertone, and beautiful, gloriousSunSHine!!!!!  this has been the summer of beaches for us.  many trips to nearby va beach and one {too short} week-long trip to some of the beaches of massachusettes & rhode island.  although we had a couple hiccups along the way {horribly flat tire on our way up the east coast, and no working radio in the minivan the entire summer!! with four LoUd kiddos in tow}, i wouldn't trade any of it.  for me, the sunshine, the ocean, and my sweet family are all i need to be brimming with joy.

{hi}atus

i am not really certain how to pick up where i left off over a year ago.  so many things have changed, and i like to think they have all been for the better.  some changes were welcome, and some, quite painful.  i have much to be grateful for and several who i am in debt to for loving & supporting me.  so, i suppose i will start there . . . with a very simple, "thank you" for my blessings, my dear friends & family {who i never, ever keep in touch with as nearly as often as i think about you . . . i love you}, and for remembering and "doing" this blog today. selfishly, i enjoy the therapy these writings are to me & have convinced myself that blogging allows each of us to see how truly similar our lives {w/joy & disappointment} really are.

surroundings

 

my little buddy (Cameron) & I went out around our house for a bike ride this evening & i was reminded just how lucky i am to have access to such a pure, sweet spirit as he.  what an incredible ride surrounded by fresh air, an almost setting sun just beyond the trees, and beautiful Springtime blossoms.  to cap it all off, as we approached this bend we saw a small family of deer just on the edge of the road.  so, so cool.  they are just beautiful animals.  i loved this special time together, to talk about his days, his friends, his challenges . . . and to listen to his corny jokes . . . just the thought of them makes me laugh . . . and just the thought of him makes me smile.  i {heart} my little ones.

so much to see

wow, the last time i wrote seems like eons ago even though it has only been a few weeks!  Spring Break came, along with an incredible trip to Disney World and over 1000 pictures downloaded to my computer!!!  i can't wait to share the highlights, but i still need to sift through all those pics & decide which ones are keepers!  anyway, i did want to leave this quick preview & let you know that i will be back with many, many more!  and, i'll have some fun projects to share too!!!  enjoy the Springtime!!

sweet as a clementine

so, i have been more busy in the last 3 weeks than i think i've been this entire past YEAR!  but, feb/mar are usually like that for me because it is the time of the year that 4 of the 6 of us have birthdays . . . so we have visitors, projects, etc non-stop it seems.  but, i've also been doing A LOT of crafting lately, and i had promised to share what i was up to . . . so here is the first of some of the goodies i want to share!

my kids LOVE little clementines & i always thought it was so cool that they came in this little wooden crate.  so, i had saved the crate from one of our purchases & finally had a chance to play with it.  i wanted to make a little something to sit on my shelf in my craft room & so i made a little "crate art" out of the clementine box.  i've always thought that raising kids was a little like gardening -- a delicate balance of paying just the right attention at just the right moments, etc -- so i titled this little number "my garden" . . . and it turned out PERFECTLY with the help of some very pretty Jillibean Soup papers & some Prima vines/fibers.

quick earth day layout

i am often challenged by those {supposedly} quick, easy layouts. so, here, i toned my style down and made myself keep all the creativity down to a mere 10mins. check it out & have fun!

Scrapbooking.com -- Layout - Earth Day by Natasha Prymak

a great day

well, i don't feel that much older . . . yet!  BUT, that might have something to do with my continuous consumption of chocolate cake at LeAsT once a day, everyday, since my bday festivities started on friday night!!  you know what sheryl crow says, "If it makes you HaPPy!! . . . " 

i think i had the BEST bday EVER!!  friday night we went to my parents' house for homemade persian food that included my FaVoRite "rice with berries" (i really have no idea what it's "proper" persian name is b/c i always asked my mom to make it by that name, so we kind of just adopted THAT as it's name!!).  SO YUMMY!!  then, we all enjoyed some cake & ice cream, thanks to my dear hubby's baking efforts!!  he did a great job!  i mean, really, how can you go wrong with chocolate!??  (even if he DID add twice the amount of butter that the recipe called for!) . . . and i LOVE the special hannah montana candle azelin picked out!  so funny!

(sorry for the blurry pic . . . but, you know what happens when you're not the one behind the lens!  oh well!  thanks, anyway, dad!! hee hee hee!)

then, the next day started off with a HUGE, yummy homemade bfast of pancakes, sausage, and homemade blackberry sauce!  (i've created quite a little capable chef, huh!?)  once again, ian found the way to my heart!!  MORE yummy food!  which we needed because next we headed off to explore this place we've heard so much about:  Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World.  It was a really cool super center for all things outdoors.  it was so nice to visit & think towards the spring/summer when it'll be warm enough to go camping again, etc.  we've never been fishing yet, but i've learned to never say never!!  i thought this little squirrel windchime & these bags of "fartless bean soup & chili" were just too funny! {don't worry, i skipped this purchase!! YIKES!}

I fell IN LOVE with these soy candles that looked like edible treats in really cool cast iron mini-pots!  What a cool idea for packaging of a candle!  i actually picked up 2 soy candles & let me tell you, they smell HEAVENLY.  I got "espresso" for our 1st floor & it's SO cozy smelling! 

Then, we headed upstairs & came across the shooting gallery!!  too funny!!  I had to take a shot {a picture, not an actual shot!! i probably would have set off the alarms or something if i had actually tried to play!}!

after a few other stops, lunch, and a brief catnap in the car, Ian surprised me with private tango lessons at Stirctly Ballroom here in town & Michael Buble (sp??) tickets!!!  It was TRULY a bday to remember!!  I felt like I was glowing with joy the whole day!!  Can't wait to scrap the whole day & finally see Michael in concert!!!!!!!!

you know, maybe getting older isn't so bad after all!! ;)

love, natasha 

contest

hey everyone!  yes, it's true, today i'm a year older {and hopefully i'm a bit wiser too!} . . . so, to celebrate i want to guide you over to my friends over at the reminisce blog for a very cool sports contest, with great prizes!!!  also, they are now LIVE on NING!!! so, be sure to stop by here to stay up-to-date with all reminisce happenings, gallery posts, and other fun, inspiring ideas!! 

have a wonderful day!! i'll be back later with birthday highlights for you all to see!!!!!!! {35 isn't SOOOOOO bad!} 

love, natasha

so much to say

well, you know how the saying goes, when it rains, it pours! that's how i've felt these last few weeks (hence the lag in posting!) because i've been swamped creating, celebrating birthdays (4 of the 6 of us have Feb bdays!!) etc, MEANWHILE the kids were home for TwO WeeKs!!! due to snow days from school!!  so, now that life is leveling out again, i'm SO stokked to be back blogging!  so, of course, let me catch you up!! . . .

valentine's day wasn't quite as planned, due to the "severe weather conditions in the east,"  amazon's packaged were tied up at Ups forever!!! so, the cute little heart shaped waffle maker i ordered eons before the 14th didn't arrive until the 16th!  BUT, the kids didn't miss a beat, with homemade fruit topping, whipped cream, pancakes, and a yummy sparkling water/juice combo with fresh strawberries & a heart lollipop for each!  (of course, they ate the lollipops before they ate their food!! but, oh well, you're only a kid once!)

the following day was Ian's birthday, so we went out for a YUMMY dinner to Firebird's with his mom & stepdad & the kids.  by this point, i was pretty tired of cooking/baking, but Hudson's 2nd bday was 3 days later, so we decided to take him out for dinner & i brought along some chocolate cupcakes decked out in all kinds of sprinkles!!  before dinner, though, my mom decided to take him on a little "shopping spree" at Toys R Us . . .

shopping for books (his favorite thing!)

then, it was off to the life-size race car (too bad it was over the budget!!) . . .

and, of course big brother & big sister had to accompany him & make sure the toys he picked were fun for all!!!

then, after all the snow days & postponements, the District FINALLY had their Spelling Bee.  Cameron won his schoolwide spelling bee back in December, so he had been preparing (as well as the attention span of a little 8 year old boy would allow!) hard for the District Bee.  And, well, it PAID OFF!!!  Our little 3rd grader beat out all the other kids for a spot as Runner-up in the District Bee (placing 2nd only to an 8th grade, veteran speller!!!).  the word he missed: barracks.  Poor kid, he over-thought it after spelling much harder words in those final 3 rounds against that 8th grader & spelled it "b-a-r-y-x".  great guess, though. 

here's my favorite pic from the Bee . . . Cameron is giving the old victory arms as he's cheering for himself (man, this kid has my heart) -- i just LOVE seeing how proud he is of himself . . . fearless, confident, and such a sweetheart.  words cannot even express how much i love him & all my kids.

and, how sweet was azelin to make him a sign to cheer him on!! what an awesome little sister.  those 2 are such best friends.

check back in a few days & i'll be able to share the paper creations i've been working on!!!!  (ok, and, yes, i will post pics of my 35th (UGH!) bday happenings too!)

love, natasha