a day (or 2) in the life of Oliver {wordish wednesday}

Happy Mid-Week!

I must say, Oliver is one busy little boy...

 always on the go...

places to go, people to see...

He thought the revolving door was the COOLEST thing

a little rain never hurt anyone

stomping in puddles is so fun

now that's he's walking... there no stopping him

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'How do I get in here?'

'Is anyone looking?'

'I wonder if anyone saw me put dirt in my mouth'

(*note that grimy hand and dirt above his lip*)

'Maybe if I just walk away I'll go unnoticed'

'I don't think dirt is very tasty'

(someone please push my pocket back in, and snap the button on my pants)

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'Hmmm... What will I do tomorrow?'

This post is linked here

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

Guess what came today??

 In the mail today was a little package with my name on it...

I LOVE GETTING MAIL, as long as it's not a bill.

My lovely new friend, Heather of Some Kind of Wonderful had a giveaway... and I won it!

She was giving away a 'Lovely Thoughts' notebook

made by another sweet new friend, Chrissy of Whimsical Poppysmic

(check out their blogs, they are both amazing women)

it was wrapped in this cute paper... I love the buttons!

Chrissy was so sweet to include a beautiful poppy pin, I can't wait to wear it

 

I just LOVE it, and can't wait to start writing in it

It's amazing how one little package, wrapped in pretty paper with sweet buttons can make one girls heart so happy.... Thank you both <3

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae



one awesome award from one amazing bloggy friend

Is it Friday yet??

Nope, it's only Tuesday... a beautiful {rainy} Tuesday!

Guess What?!?!!!

I got another blog award!

I am so excited.. and HONORED!

The very VERY sweet Christina of My Silly Life awarded my blog with a sweet award

THANK YOU!

Seriously people... you need to go check her blog out. You will not be disappointed.

Christina is so loving and sweet, not to mention her little Kai is just so dang cute!

GO THERE NOW!

 (ok, you can finish reading my post first... hehe! and I didn't mean to sound so bossy, sorry)

~The Rules of the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows~

*Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in you post

*Tell 7 things about yourself 

(I just did a whole post about myself a few days ago, but I'm sure there are 7 more things I can share)

*Award 15 recently discovered new bloggers

~7 things {new} about me ~

(and my feet)

*my shoe size is a 7... it used to be a 6 1/2 but after having Oliver, and getting rid of the elephant feet, they stayed at a 7

*if I could wear flip flops all year, I WOULD!

*I only paint my toe nails in the summer... they have all winter to breath

*I do my whole pedicures... and I enjoy doing them.

 (except when I was 7 months pregnant.. I gladly paid someone to do it for me)

*I have a cute little lady bug tattoo on the top of my right foot

*I have a little brown spot (that looks like a freckle) on the bottom of my left foot... it's a mark that was left behind from a HUGE thorn I stepped on when I was a kid.

I have never walked outside barefooted again.

*my feet are VERY ticklish... and I hate to have them tickled

OK, I'm going to cheat a little... but I love reading all of your blogs, and have some wonderful followers... I am sharing this award with all of YOU!

Please feel free to take it and share 7 things about you with all of us.

TAKE IT NOW!!

 (there I go being bossy again, sorry........... again)

Thank you for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

 



Silent Sunday {Easter}

Happy Easter Sunday!

Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:34

And just for fun...

Oliver is NOT happy about the bunny ears

'mama, PLEASE take these things off of me'

Have a wonderful Easter sweet friends!

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae



Scavenger Hunt Sunday

It's scavenger hunt time over at Ramblings and Photos. I linked up a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try again. These little hunts are so fun, and has helped me look at how, when, and what makes a good picture... I'm still learning, but am having fun with it.

  Scavenger Hunt Sunday items: Reflections, Guess What This Is, What's Inside?, Playtime, and Lawn & Garden

Reflections

between the reflection of the trees, and movement of the water... you almost can't see the sweet duck swimming along.

 Guess What it is

did you guess ice? If so you guessed right!

This is what I was looking at when I got into my car one morning last week... ice on the windshield.

What's inside

ok, so this really isn't a 'what's inside' picture... it's more of a what's outside picture.

This is what I see when I look out the peep hole on the front door.

 Playtime

Oliver playing with his truck,

he just loving the 'zoooommmmmmmmmmmm' sound it makes.

Lawn and Garden

I haven't had much time to work in my garden,

these little purple flowering weeds are everywhere. Good thing they are kinda pretty.

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

ABC... XYZ

It's almost Friday.. YAY!

 

I've seen these fun little getting to know you post, so I decided to share my ABC's with you.

 

 

The ABC's of ME

 

Age:  29 

Bed size: queen

Chore you hate:  folding laundry

Dog’s name: no pets yet... but I would love 2 dogs, a lab and a pug

Essential Start Your Day Item: a toothbrush and washcloth

Favorite Color(s): green, but I love all earth tones

Gold or Silver: silver

Height: 5'0

Instrument(s) You Play: the flute

Job Title: customer care rep

Kid(s): one sweet boy

Living Arrangements: mama, baby, and daddy

Mom’s name: Iris

Nickname(s): nae, pumpkin, sissy

Overnight Hospital Stay Besides Birth: luckily just for giving birth

Pet Peeve: hmm, so many little pet peeves, but one of the biggest is lying and chewing with your mouth open and talking with food in your mouth and leaving the toothpaste cap off....

Quote: 'if you judge people, you have no time to love them' Mother Teresa

Right or Left Handed: righty

Siblings: 2 brothers and a sister

Time You Wake Up: anywhere between 4:30 and 6 am... it depends on if Oliver is going to let me 'sleep in'

Underwear: cotton please

Vegetable You Dislike: I like all veggies as long as long as it didn't come from a can

(I'm not a canned veggies fan)

Workout Style: chasing a 10 1/2 month old around

X-rays You’ve Had: teeth, chest, ankle

Yesterday’s Best Moment: yesterday I won a giveaway... that was pretty awesome

Zoo Favorite: elephants

An alphabetical journey though my Life

(little tidbits of me)

A - an apple a day (it does keep the doctor away)

B - blogging has become a fun daily outlet for me

C- commute, I have drive 64 miles round trip from home to work and back again

D- dairy doesn't agree with my tummy, but I love it

E- esthetician... it's what I wanna be when I grow up, it's a goal I work towards daily...

 I love all things skin care

F- fashion, I'm a simple girl with simple fashion. It's been described as 'stylish comfy'. Jeans, tees, flip flops with pops of funky jewelry, YES PLEASE!

G- green, not only is it my favorite color... I TRY to do my part in keeping the earth clean

H- height wasn't a gift given to me, and I wouldn't know what I do without a step stool

I- ice, I love crushed ice in everything I drink (note to self.. you need an ice maker)

J- jewelry making... a wonderful hobby of mine that I love, and need to get back into it

K- klondike bar... I've never had one, so I don't know what I would do for one

L- lenses, I hate taking my contacts out at night, it's the simplest thing, but it's such a chore. ha

M- mama to Oliver... I love this job

N- nick names... I love having them, and I love giving them. sweet endearments.

O- Oprah, I watch Oprah daily (sad it's almost over), read the magazine, and watch OWN

P- pens, I don't by pens with caps because if I lose the cap, the pen is no good (a little weird I know)

Q- quilts, I want to make one (for a few)... I've been gather fabric scraps for a while now

R- red headed step child... that's me!

S- sleep, something I never get enough of

T- Target is truly one of my favorite places to go

U- understanding, I am a very understanding and patient person (that's until I feel like I've been wronged)

V- voice... I have one, and I use it.. I have learned through the years that's it's ok to speak my mind

W- words (or phrases) I says about 500 times a day, really?! seriously?! That's crraaaaaarazzy! Shut the front door! Are you serious right now?!

X- XL is my shirt size no matter how much weight I lose, and I'm proud of it.

Y- yelling is not nice, I don't do it.

Z- zips through life with a smile, no matter what is going on

... now you know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

What I'm Loving... and a funny story

It's Wednesday... YAY!

The week is half over,

I welcome the weekend with open arms, who's with me?

Before I get into what I'm loving, I want to share a cute and funny story my brother told me last night

(which I'm also loving)

One of my Brother's best friend, Caroline, has a 5 year old son. Her son ask his mama if they could have McDonalds for dinner. She thought about it and replied 'I'll take you to McDonalds if you can spell it for me'. This little 5 year old rolled his eyes at his mom and walked away.
Ten minutes later is went to her again and said 'will you please take me to KFC'

I laughed so hard... the kid didn't know how to spell McDonalds, but he knew how to spell K.F.C.

Kids really do say the darnest things!

I'm Loving that I just won my second giveaway.

 SUPER sweet Heather over at Some Kind of Wonderful

had a fabulous giveaway, and I WON!

This Lovely Thoughts notebook (made by the talented Chrissy of Whimsical Poppysmic) is so cute...

I will put it to great use.

Check out Chrissy Etsy shop here

I'm Loving Dunkin Donuts (limited edition) Strawberry Shortcake coffee

I was unsure about this coffee when I bought it, but I'm happy I did.

It doesn't really have a strong strawberry flavor, but it makes on good cup of coffee.

I'm Loving The Serenity Prayer

I say this little prayer everyday... it's a simple reminder that God will never give me to much I can't handle, and He is always by my side.

I'm Loving all of you!

I'm sending all of you a HUGE hug.

Thank you so much for all the encouraging words and prayers during this time as I make life changing decisions. It means a lot to me.

I'm Loving my sweet Oliver

This little guy is so FUN!

He's becoming his own person, and developing a great personality.

He makes my world a better place.

What are you Loving?

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

Top 2 Tuesday on Monday night {things you collect}

 I want the weekend baaaaaaaaack!

Monday came fast, a little to fast for my likings.

anywho...

HAPPY MONDAY!

I must say, I'm a collector of things... I love small shiny bits!

1. Rocks and Shells

I love the random little red rock

(I came home with it)

Sand filled shell... so simple, so pretty

(I came home with this one too)

I took these pictures yesterday at the Lake Front close to my house.

(really?!?!! who would have thought you can find washed up shells on the 'beach' at Lake Michigan)

Oliver was a good sport while mama picked up rocks and shell and snapped pictures.

(I just love some of the pictures I took, I'll be sharing those soon)

2. Old glass bottle and vases

Most of my collection of bottles/vases live in a beautiful antique cabinet in entry way of my mom's house.

Somehow she convinced me to leaving them with her... at least they are being displayed and not packed in a box, right?!??

(since my collection is 900 miles away from me... I found these similar ones online)

What are you collecting?

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

I'm feeling like a single mom...

Happy {cold and rainy} Saturday!

 this is my rant... my getting things off my chest... my I'm done talking til I'm blue in the face

post. I'm sorry for the craziness of it all and I'm sorry for being such a buzz kill.

Lately you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned Shawn in ANY post, well it's because...

I've been feeling like a single mom.

 I can actually see myself as a single mom, and I honestly don't have a problem with it.

 I think I would be a happier person, a happier mom.

Sad I know!!

See Shawn and I really haven't been together very long... almost 2 years.

And yes, we have a 10 month old baby.. which means I got pregnant really fast, in about 1 1/2 months.

We obviously weren't trying or planning for a baby and apparently not preventing it from happening.

Now, before I go on... you must know that my son is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me... he is my life, my heart. I wouldn't know what to do without him and I can't imagine life without him. 

The love I have for him that is unmeasurable.

I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Oliver is suppose to be here, and he was suppose to come from Shawn and I

(even if Shawn and I weren't meant for each other)

It not that I don't love Shawn, I just don't think he is 'the one'.

Shawn is amazing with Oliver, and Oliver LOVES his daddy...

 and for that I have tried to work things out, I just don't think I can do it anymore.

I'm a little over the feeling of living with a roommate.

 I'm ready for a relationship... to be married... to have more children

(you know, the whole house with a dog and white picket fence fairly tale)

and

Shawn has expressed to me over and OVER again..

 that he doesn't ever what to get married again

and he doesn't want more children.

So, why am I hear? I do I try?

 Am I suppose to just flush my wants and dreams down the toilet for the father of my child?

I DON'T THINK SO!

Because I got pregnant so fast, we didn't have time for the whole getting.to.know.you period.

Everything was focused on us being parents, that fact that we barely knew each other was put on the back burner. We were going to do what we needed to do to work it out... well that what we hoped for.

Things have come up in our relationship that are inexcusable, and as much as I have tried to work it out and move on... I've tried and I can't. 

When I met Shawn I knew he was married before, and had gone through a divorce. 

It didn't really bother me that he has been married before, I know everyone has a past and things happen.

Well right before the New Years Eve, Dec 29th 2010 to be exact

 I found out the divorce I thought had happened... Hadn't happened at all.

(since then it has been filed, and as far as I know it's final)

Needless to say, I was crushed. My heart was and still is broken.

When I confronted him, he flat out lied to my face, which hurt even more.

The relationship we had changed... in one night.

I couldn't stop thinking that all this time I was in a relationship with a married man.

I had a baby with a married man.

I wanted to pack mine and Oliver's stuff and leave, but had no where to go.

(which is a one downfall from living so far away from family)

It's sad that Shawn doesn't see the seriousness of it all.

He said he was afraid to tell me because he didn't want me to leave.

Well... here I am, 4 months later thinking about leaving.

I'm considering moving back to Colorado, closer to family- my support, my circle, my home.

The thought of moving Oliver away from his daddy breaks my heart, but I can't live like this forever,

and I don't see where things are going to change.

I have embraced the thought and possibly the fact that I'll be a single mama..

I'm ok... it's gonna be OK!

Thank you for letting me rant, thank you for listening reading.

I'm gonna step off my soap box now, and go play with my sweet boy.

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae



Top 2 Tuesday {Monday night} Favorite Drinks

Happy manic Monday!

Link up with Taylor and share your favorite drinks with us

I know one of my favorite drinks SHOULD be water... I don't drink enough of it. But I am happy to say that neither one of the favorites is a pop/sode/cola (whatever it's called, ha)

1. APPLE JUICE

For as long as I can remember.. I've always loved apple juice.

My mom has even told me stories about me and my apple juice when I was younger

It's good stuff!

2. ICE COLD SWEET TEA

Really, on a hot summer day, does it get any better the a cold glass of sweet tea?

Especially when it's served in a mason jar.

So refreshing, makes me say 'ahhhh'!

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Hello Sweet Friends!

I've seen this fun little scavenger hunt several times, and this week I thought I would give it a try

(I hope I have a picture for each of the topics... I took several over the weekend)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

(Oliver style)

Motion

No more Mama

Waiting to Click

I'm getting impatient- flash already or I'm gonna cover the lens

In Fashion

The white onesie wedgie

Animal's Perspective

Mama why are you laying on the floor taking picture of me?

Many

So many toys, and I rather play with a string

Wow, I take a lot of black and white photos!

Link up here and join the hunt

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love
XOXO,
Renae



we're going to the zoo, how about you...

Happy Sunday Lovelies

Yesterday was such a nice day out... not to hot and not to cold.

So I decided it would be a good day for the zoo

{Booges first zoo trip}

Hmm... I may have thought it was a nice day out, but the animals thought different.

A lot of them were inside or hiding, so we didn't see much.

Oliver didn't seem very impressed either, ha.

I enjoyed the nature walk through around the ponds

It was a warm foggy day, but it was a good!

Thanks for stopping by...

Peace and Love

XOXO,

Renae