So what do you get your Mom for Mo†her's Day? Flowers, maybe a box of chocolates, better yet a day at the spa....etc. etc. This year I decided to give my Mom a public gift from my heart! A tribute of sorts, a blog entry dedicated to her for the world to see(or maybe just the 2 or 3 people who find my blog interesting enough to read)

.....so Mom this is for you!

My Mom is beautiful inside and out, her heart is as vibrant as her striking white hair! By-the-way I love her white hair, she inherited it from my Grandpa George, and I'm crossing my fingers I'll inherit it too! My Mom loves to garden, and I don't say that lightly. I remember my friends from high school asking me why my Mom was outside at 1:00 am in her night gown with a spray bottle. Of course being the insecure teenager that I was, I was embarrassed that she would let my friends see her in her night gown and had to express my concerns to her. She then explained to me that deer don't like rotten eggs so if she sprays her roses with this solution then her "little rose babies" will be safe and sound. Now that is dedication! I vividly recall that during all of the summer months in the door of the fridge was a spray bottle filled with rotten eggs! Her talent for gardening is amazing, she can name and catergorize every plant with it's accompanying family, blooming period, growth potential, etc.

-My Mom loves unconditionally, In a crowded room she would prefer to talk to the teenager with the nose ring and mohawk, she has a way with teenagers, outside appearance and rebellious attitudes mean nothing to her.

-My Mom is nurturing beyond words. During my toughest moments and trials, she is the one, along with Garrett of course, that can make things "all better."

-My Mom is so smart! She graduated with a masters degree in English, and loves to read. I would love to know exactly how many books she has read in her lifetime. She's current on politics and I love to hear her political views! Along with my Dad she as taught our family the importance of an education and dedication to your talents. Here is a brief family brag moment:

5 of 6 children played college basketball(sorry I ruined the perfect record, wink)

All 6 of her children will graduate or have graduated from college, and even one graduated with a PHD





-So Mom take this with a grain of salt and please laugh.....please. I love my Mom because she is a bit of a clutz. Oh how we've laughed at her embarrassing moments. Here's just a few:
Stuffing cotton balls in your bathing suit and then thinking it would be a good idea to go swimming. Traci pretending she didn't know you as your cotton balls floated out of your bathing suit and all over the pool.

Sneezing a "logi" on the guy in front of us, while waiting in line to reserve our hotel room in Mexico.

Dropping your spaghetti sauce at Sebaros and having it spray all over your pants. Then you replacing your spaghetti sauce stained pants with your short running shorts you had just bought. We still had shopping to do, there was no time to go home and change. I'll never forget your outfit that day: button-up blouse, short running shorts, and high-heal sandals! Do you remember we saw Anne Heaston that day? I still wonder what she was thinking.....

Losing your wig while riding on a roller coaster with Dad on a date. Losing your wig a second time while making-out at the drive-in!

Mom, I love you for not only your perfections, but also for your imperfections!


My Mom has a tender and sensitive heart! She gets hurt easily, therefore, she is very sensitive to not hurt other feelings. I'm still sorry Mom for making fun of your purple polka-dot beach cruiser and making you cry, you can totally pull off your beach-cruiser with dignity and grace.....you rock!

More than anything in the world, I want to thank my Mom for teaching me the tools to be a good Mom. She has taught me the importance of service, unconditional love(which I have not mastered), how to live a spiritual Christ centered life, love of nature, patience, and the importance of gratitude for the little things in life.


I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!

Anne Marie

FINISHED!! I had so much fun that I am actually a little bit sad (a very little bit sad) that it's over. I definitely don't miss the mess, we had dust on every inch of our house, I had to dust and wash everything in my house, such a pain! So welcome to the "Deucher" cottage, sorry Garrett it's so feminine, next remodel I'll make it very masculine......I promise, wink wink!



I made this coat rack and placed shoe baskets under it, seriously this is the best, no more scrambling for shoes and backpacks before school!











Bathroom-new paint, new tile, and re-incarnated home decor accessories!

I wanted a cottage bedding set, and the only one I found online that I liked was out of my budget x's 3 so I made my own!

Bathroom-new tile, it was amazing how much black mold was under our linoleum...sick!

"SOME DAYS YOU ARE THE BUG, AND SOME DAYS YOU ARE THE WINDSHIELD," Today I was the windshield, and I am oh-so grateful for that!!!!




JUST FOR FUN I'M DOING ANNE'S TOP TEN FOR A WEEK!

1-Drew's fever went down from 104 to 101
2-My attempt at highlighting and coloring my hair wasn't a total disaster, it actually turned out okay!
3-Watched a fishing show with my husband, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law's friend, and it didn't involve any bum belching....phew, I hate that!
4-The refreshments at my meeting tonight were so delicious, I ate three servings and called it dinner!
5-Eating outside on Center Street at Gurros with Tessa and Drew.....the best.
6-I didn't make my bed for the first time in weeks, so liberating!
7-Running, wasn't totally miserable, just moderately miserable!
8-Tessa's crooked pigtails and snotty nose, need I say more?
9-Libby reading to me for the first time the book "I'll Love you Forever," instead of me reading it to her.
10-Tessa telling me that she's ready to be a "gril" again, and not a "buoy", phew that was a close one.

Happy Birthday Tessa Boo! We love you so much, even when you paint our walls and carpets with hot pink lip gloss!

Just a thought on trials. Lately I've had a doozie of a one, and have spent most of my days begging for it to leave, maybe I need to adjust my prayers and instead of praying for the trial to leave, maybe pray for strength, patience, and perseverance instead! I don't believe the man upstairs gives us our trials, this is a imperfect world for heaven's sake, trials just happen as a result of it's imperfection, but I do believe he chooses the way he helps us through our trials. He knows what will make us stronger, more refined, and a better people all together. I love this picture, we spend so much time endlessly climbing life and forget to look at the beauty above us!

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES!!!

I bet you're jealous of my lawn "guy!"

The other day I went outside to go on a morning run and this lovely creature was on my yard. Libby and I got a kick out of it, not literally!