Back to School Shopping!~ Day 31

Up early on a Saturday?... We are on a mission.... school shopping! Yeah!!!

The joy of school shopping with my teenager daughter, all day long today!
And we girls, really mean SHOPPING! :) This can be dangerous!

We have a whole day planned out  to shop in Atlanta until all the stores close at 9pm. My wallet will be empty by the end of the day for sure. However, it is also an opportunity to shop responsibly, together with my daughter. We both love bargains and designer clothes!!!

No matter how old she gets, she is still my one and only little girl to spoil when I can.
I just love that she still gets into my closet first thing when we get together for our weeekend. She always find something of mine to try on! Nowadays, they are STILL the high heels! There's something about girls and high heels! What's up with that?? Lol haha.

May she never change from being "that little girl in my closet" of mine no matter how old she gets!
Amazing to watch your child grows up through the years into a young lady.
This is something I treasure so much with my daughter.

My little girl is now a grown up beautiful young lady!

 Now, I don't remember being like her when I was a Sophmore in High School! Yikes!
Who knew? I have a teenager daughter who is all about social & fashion. I was NOT into fashion but considered more of a geek back then. I was clueless on fashion and what's the lastest craze. My daughter keeps me well informed today. The joy of watching her enjoying her teen years is priceless for me, as her Mom. :)

Time hasn't really changed for her. I still have that fond memory of her and her friends, when she was only 4, in this picture. They played in my closet and wore all my clothes! Fashionista she was and still is....

I should have know I would have a fashionista on my hand

Young or old, we, girls love our fashions and shoes! I just started a little later in life than my daughter but it is something we have in common to enjoy together!

My daughter is dressed, ready and waiting...so, I can't write too long today!
The whole day of Mom & Daughter's back to school shopping is ahead of us...

No matter what you do today, enjoy your time with your child(ren) and take it one day at a time with them as they grow up way too fast!

With Love & Light,

Hai

It's a Happy Friday~ Day 30

Today's blog is short & simple...

It's already a Happy Day! ~ How?.... Well, you get to CHOOSE it....... all day long!

What will it be for you, today?

Happiness is a choice!

With Love & Light,

Hai

The purpose of weed~ Day 29

I honestly look forward to sitting down each day to hear what my little mind will discuss with me and then I share it in my blog. :) In the old days, we just write in a journal or a diary and put it away.
Today with internet, we can share our thoughts across the world in an instant!.
Amazing how sharing information & our thoughts has changed! :)

I find writing for me is a form of meditation everyday.
Today,  I also found pulling weeds in my garden is another form of meditation. It takes concentration, hardwork and with purpose! Five hours came & went.
Right now, my back is thanking me for sitting still to write my blog....so, guess what's on my mind?
Weed... but not that kind! :)

Let's weed away with me here....

I can't relax or enjoy my cottage until it's tidy but my lil' Jojo makes it so charming with the mess here.

While "pulling weed" until my back hurts, I keep asking that's the purpose of having weed anyway . The  weeds in your gardens, only create more hardwork and they are unwanted plants! So, why God creates weed anyway?

A barrel full of back pain!

There has to be a greater purpose for having weed in your garden. Why don't we like them? Feeling like I was wasting my time to pull up what God has placed there, I was curious enough to find out the answer.

I "google" the answer ... Here it is... just one of many answers...

"Weed in your garden... provides ground cover to even out soil temperature extremes, holding soil together,giving color to the environment, and fighting pollution are among the most important purposes that garden weeds serve. Specifically, bare ground shows great temperature fluctuations and loses moisture to evaporation. It also can become both compacted and eroded without roots holding it together and attracting soil food web critters. It's drab and uninspiring to look at too. Additionally, it takes in carbon dioxide, gives off oxygen and thereby cushions against traffic noise and fumes."

Hmmmmm....  who knew??  


 Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_purpose_of_garden_weeds#ixzz1U6KfhnAH

Though we strive to live more "green" and by choice, that's why we live where we live!  We do love our environment as natural as possible.  I weed for the part that says " It's drab and uninspiring to look at too." I do let the weeds roam elsewhere on our 5 acres but within our picket fence, I let my other pretty plants do the job of our "carbon footprint: without the weeds, thank you! :)

The BEFORE 

Just the same, I have my pretty "Garden of Love" back without the weeds & I feel SO MUCH better!

Ahhhhhhh... weedless pretty! More Inspiring to us!
Next time, when you don't feel like pulling weeds, you just have to remind yourself of all the important purposes weed has for us all. Then, you can just relax and enjoy, while looking at them from your porch.    So, the next question I have is ....Is that possible for you? Lol haha 

I guess, we all need to accept the weed as part of the landscape, much like the unwanted parts of life as part of life. :)

Does that make sense? LOL haha... Thought so...

With Love & Light,

Hai

Cottage Sweet Cottage~ Day 28

As much as I enjoy traveling, there's no place like home to come back to. :)
Don't you just love sleeping in your own bed with your favorite pillow and get back to you old comfy routines?
Ahhhhhh.... I am home to my "Cottage Sweet Cottage" among my gardens...

My welcome home harvest!

My gardens have taken over while I was gone... everything has grown so much., including the weeds!

My yard is happily occupied with vegetables

Besides more hard work for me later, harvesting them this morning brought me sooooo much joy! :)  Everytime I am home, I feel so blessed for the abundance that we have all around our very own "Garden of Eden" that God provides to us. :)

Our fig tree is busting with sweet, delicious figs. We have so much that the ground under the fig tree is covered with fermented smells of the ripen figs that the birds & squirrels didn't get to.

 But oh my... thank you figs, for such yummy treats this morning for my breakfast, right off the tree!

There is NOTHING better than home grown organic vegetables & fruits! I love, love, love and MUST have kitchen gardens for fresh produce every season when I can.

I even have squash, watermelon,  cucummber, carrots, spinach, basils, mints, lettuce, green peppers and more, waiting for me to harvest...

My tomatoes are ripen and ready to eat. I am so looking forward to make fresh tomatoe sauce with home grown basils with my angel hair recipe to enjoy for my daughter this weekend.  Yummm!

Of course, after the joy of  harvesting my rewards and finding more garden treats to come, I have plenty of just plain hard work ahead of me to get my cottage back to its tidy self again! :)

My Cleveland's "Knock Out " Roses made it!  Welcome to your new home!

Yes... There's no place like home to put all of your labor of love into it!

May God bless your home & your garden with love & laughter today as well! :)

With Love & Light,

Hai

It's a gift for yourself... Day 27

I am up way too early to travel... but then it has been my traveling routine for so many years, to get up & get going by 3AM every time! My internal traveling clock is still in that mode. No need to rush, today!

With 11 hours of driving to do today, I thought I should go ahead and get my today's blog done now because I don't intend to miss a day of my 100 days writing discipline.
Today is my Day 27 ! I am almost to 1/3 on my goal to this discipline. It has been insightful to write again but to commit to it and stick to it daily has given me so much more...

As they say, after doing anything consistantly for 21 days, it becomes a habit! I do like my new habit! :)

I believe we all need new challenges in our personal life, from small to big commitment to something, anything, that's personally important to you, and to stick with it can be very rewarding.
It's a gift you earn for yourself!

It can only have positive outcomes to stretch you, inspire you and maybe even others along the way but mostly to allow you to grow personally, wherever you are!
It doesn't have to be world records, ( unless you want it to be) but as long as it has a personal meaningful records to you! :)

Have you thought of giving this a try?  What's your 100 days challenge for yourself?

Think about it, today and... just take it one day at a time! :)

With Love & Light,

Hai

Is Summer over? ~ Day 26

 I am sitting here at our picnic table, under our shady canopy full of trees, listening to my favorite music, writing my today's blog, enjoying a cool breeze around me, taking it all in for the last day!

It feels so official with today as Monday, August 1st with my husband, up & at it at 6:30AM, and back to work on a new month! And... I am heading back to my cottage in Georgia to be with my daughter as school is right aound the corner for her. Summer is over, already?
I can't help it but to think to myself... I am going to MISS this summer spot but realized, this spot will be here for me to return in the fall too so, I am thrilled to have that option! Hmmm..Who knew?

Anyway, my today's real challenge is how am  I going to pack my "summer finds" in my little car?  It's not an easy task with me! As I travel, I am always finding treasures but thank goodness, I am limited by having the smallest car, like my Honda Fit.

The problem is ...I am such a sucker for bargains! I only buy when there is a DEAL in it! I LOVE the "hunt" more than the "buy" in my shopping experiences! :)

I am taking back with me 5 old windows that were FREE from our Illinois trip while antique shopping with my sister-in-law, Nan. What a fun trip!  I have been collecting old windows for four years now, hoping to eventually build a cottage greenhouse out of them. So, I am always looking out for  those "oldies with personality" windows and these were at the right price! :)

Also, how am I going to fit my 15 "Knockout" Rose bushes that were on SALE at 60% off ! LOL haha. I've never seen "Knockout" Roses "on sale" and I need LOTS of them as I am creating that "charming cottage" venue in my head so I am always needing more plants at our yellow cottage!
Of course, I couldn't pass them up at that unsual bargain price to get what the store had left!

James is laughing at my plants to take home!

Also, it means I have alot of work in stored for me when I get home! :)

Between my husband, and my daughter, they keep me busy. Our life is what it is for now.  It may not be ideal but we enjoy life nevertheless with our unconventional family life! Matter of fact, life is always an adventure for us and I love it! The distance keeps it all fresh and forever changing for my personality because I am easily bored. :)

The only thing CONSTANT in life is CHANGE! As you learn to go with the flow, life happens as it should, so just enjoy the ride...whatever that is for you today!:)

With Love & Light,

Hai

Variety is the spices of life!~ Day 25

What a great Sunday morning as we enjoy our simple RV environment with a refreshing cool breeze...

Enjoying our Sunday morning coffee & catching up with world news

Stepping out to our shady canopy of trees every monring! 

We truly love all the varities life has to offer us....from Friday night with Cleveland's skyline, to Saturday night at the RV campsite in the woods, to our Sunday morning shade!

We opted to take a more relaxing Saturday after our Friday night fun in the city, to just hang out in the woods with our RV neighbors since we tend to be "on the go" more than not.

Just love, love my two Teddy Bears! :)

Summer at its best!
Our campsite is always filled up to the brim with festivities, with more families coming to play on the weekends. We enjoy the family-oriented views as we drive in on our bike, from playing ourselves.  Such joy to see all the kids playing at the playground, riding their bikes along the 5 mph campsite road, and then laying their bikes on the side of the road on the grass to be entertained by an older couple who dress up like clowns and stroll thru the campgrounds. Even the clowns love the happy flower car and just have to get their picture taken with it! lol haha

Meet Fluffy & Silly Willy, our very own campsite clowns to bring you smiles all summer long! Too cute!

Kids in wet clothes after swimming til dark, the lake's pier filled with hopeful fishermen, while there is a pig roast taking place on the shore with a hungry crowd, all waiting for or enjoying their dinner. People are so happy here!

To join in the fun, James hung up some night lites around the trees along our campsite. Christmas lights were available to do the quick evening job and put us in the mood, as we take in all the sounds of summer fun. It was just too hot for a fire, so the lights were perfect!  We loved our Saturday night here.  These lazy evenings are coming to an end, as school will soon be starting and I will be heading back to my cottage to be with my daughter.

My Happy Camper # 1

Happy Camper 2 with her other spoiled Teddy Ber!

 Life is grand, wherever you are....

With Love & Light,

Hai