wings

little wyatt has joined the "water wing" club

and seemed to be loving it his first time!

how fast the progression continues....

asher is out of wings, swimming about, diving to the bottom for objects

wearing his goggles and running and jumping off the side of the pool

brody is a wing man, but able to jump from the sides and float on his back

stick his face in the water and go under with a little encouragement from mommy

journey is in the wing club too

but she now jumps (or falls) off the side also,

floats about without much ado....and allows herself to be talked into

going under a time or two.

amazing how they grow and develop

who knows what next summer will bring?

living simply

" to find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be resfreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter;

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a birds's nest or a wildflower in spring-

these are some of the rewards of the simple life".

~john burroughs

this quote spoke to me when i read it in our newspaper this morning

and then, i happened to check jessamyn's blog before posting

and the thoughts she shared seemed to reflect a similar message.

it would be a great thing if we as parents and grandparents

would give a little time to visit these pages for info:

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/
www.michigantelevision.org/childrenplay

or to read Richard Louv's book

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

there is also an article in this month's issue of

Mary Janes Farm titled "See Jane Play....out you go!"

some of my fondest memories growing up

were of the many hours spent just playing......

swinging on rope swings, riding horses bareback in the desert

camping, fishing, walking to the zoo....just us kids

playing hide and seek, red rover red rover

jumping rope, double dutch

riding our bikes

being free to just be.

i hope life makes a u-turn

towards

simplicity.

but it

begins

with

us.

back in the classroom

happy 1st day back in the classroom, cassie!

cassie has been teaching third grade since she graduated from college
except last year.....she moved to a different town and took a year off.
but she started teaching again today,
and she is teaching at the school her younger sisters attended.
in fact, the only returning third grade teacher this year
was jessamyn's third grade teacher 19 years ago!

wishing you an amazing year, cassie!
i think children need teachers just like you!

yummmmy!

"our organics" food basket

jessamyn and brittni have been getting these baskets

for quite some time now.

they are from "our organics".

so this morning, i went with britt and got our first basket.

what a beautiful array of veggies and fruit.....

and this was one of their half baskets for $35.00

every other saturday!

their vision is to bring meaning plus connection

back into our shopping, cooking and everyday experiences.

they believe that food grown with a respect for our bodies

and mother earth

creates the foundation to make this vision possible.

if you are interested, just go to the website.

todd is so friendly and would answer any questions

and they have several locations....

now i just need to do my part

and find ways to use this beautiful basket.....

so i guess i'll be cooking more! :)

dirt and diamonds!

our camping trip:

12 adults, 4 children and 5 dogs

beautiful weather

enough rain to be refreshing....not muddy :)

cool temperatures

nightly campfires

natures wonders; tree frogs, crawdads, worms, snakes and lots of bugs

a few too many mosquitoes

good grub

walks, playing ball,

rides in the back of papa's pickup to the lake

gooood coffee

family

and......

one engagement!!!!!!

kyle asked cassie to marry him saturday morning....

.... and she said yes! :)

congratulations kyle and cassie!

we are so happy for you!

and thank you kyle, for the effort you made
to include us in this very special day!

see you next time

we are outta here!

going camping

to

cool off

and

PLAY!

if any of you are visiting

for the photo challenge

i apologize.

i withdrew my name for this one.

the two weeks zipped by

and before i knew it,

i had PLAYED a lot,

but didn't get it in photos

only in memory! :)

i let donna know, so hopefully she got my name off in time.

see you at the next one,

and i will be checking your photos

when we get home!

enjoy the challenge, i am sure it will be amazing!

kimberly

peace and love

a couple of day ago, while driving,

the car in front of me had the following bumper sticker:

"are you good for the environment?"

it really made me think.....

not so much about the three R's

reduce, reuse and recycle

which are very important....

but it made me think about ME

what kind of "fragrance" or "vibes" do i give off?

are they good for the environment?

this is a list of things i would like to have in my life

so that i would be "good" for the environment

• show love by my deeds
• lift others up through love and encouragment
• listen better and be considerate of others
• be genuinely happy for the success of others
• be respectful of others
• be kind
• be humble
• be willing to help others with their needs
• be a giving person
• be patient
• seek peace
• be forgiving
• be hopeful, positive
• treat all others as i would like to be treated
• don't return harm for harm, but return love and good

a lot to work on,
but i am thankful for being reminded
we can do our part to make this a better world
and it does begin within our own selves

Pink Artist Drawing....raising funds for cancer research

it is finally here!

LOVE SQUARED

is in the August 1st, 2008

issue of

ART DOLL QUARTERLY

which hits the stands today!

Her name is "Love Squared."
She wears 180 two inch art squares.
182 artists total created her.
She is just under 40" tall
and weighs 6 pounds and 2 ounces.
She smiles because already she knows love
and is able to give love unconditionally.
To many, she is a symbol of hope.
She stands for COURAGE and was built
by a community of givers
and displays that spirit of connectedness
to end breast cancer for good~

and today starts the beginning of the Pink Artist Drawing

FYI: For those of you just learning about our drawing,
it was voted to offer our doll as a gift in a drawing as
opposed to using ebay.
This method allows for more participation,
raising possibly more funds for charity due to a greater wider audience,
and offers a FUN environment for giving,
because for every $10 donation,
your collected name will go into the drawing twice for
Love Squared
and the "runner up" gifts

On April 1, 2008 our pink artist doll was completed holding 180 artist squares and taking 182 artists TOTAL to complete her.

On April 7, 2008 our doll was shipped in for a photo shoot with Art Doll Quarterly™ to be featured in an upcoming AUTUMN issue available August 1, 2008.

The response from their office being, "She is ever so much more impressive in real life.. It’s a gorgeous piece of work and everyone here was very impressed. Thanks for sending her!"

please go to monica's blog for information on making a donation.
there you will discover a feast for the eyes
& a chance to WIN Love Squared,
created by The Pink Artists, 182 artists from all over the world
coming together to raise awareness &
donations for breast cancer research.

also check out the wonderful donated art from gifted artists
for the runner up gifts.

beauty-femininity-strength-courage-diversity-empowerment-
connectedness-vivaciousness-provocativeness-Nature-WOMAN-bounty-youth-paSSion-belief-unity-spirit-heART-honor

amazing.