Welcome back to Monday, friends and family!
I'll admit it. I was not ready for the weekend to be over. I used to be that girl who came into work on Monday all ready to go and never understood the whole "I hate Mondays" thing. Folks, things have changed. I now understand. But at least Monday means that it's the beginning of a whole new week that I can work and make money and just be that much closer to being rich and famous some day. Hey, check out that silver lining, eh?
Anyways, this post isn't about Monday, actually. It's about Saturday morning, in which I picked up Bethany and David and brought them to "Auntie's house" for the morning, in hopes that my sister would be able to get some extra much-needed sleep.
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| { Ever since I was younger, I've loved these cars that Chevron gas stations put out. Aren't they cute? I've been collecting them as fun toys for the nephlings } |
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| { I'm thrilled to say that I now have my own toy box, which ahem, also doubles as my tv stand. Isn't that Peter Rabbit cute? I love bargains! } |
So, that's how I spent my Saturday morning - playing with toys, eating peanut-butter-toast and grapes and watching Strawberry Shortcake with a little boy snuggling in my lap and a little girl commandeering my bed as her personal tv watching platform. It was a lovely.
And on a completely unrelated topic, I'm super excited, because...I found a swingset in town! Now, I love my little town - it's basically a modern-day Mayberry where it feels like everybody knows everybody else and you smile and wave at people as you drive down the street. But it's lacking in one important detail - even though there are numerous parks in town, none of them have had swing sets! Believe me, I've looked, but after countless searches (even looked online!) for a swing set, I'd finally given up.
But last night, as I was out taking an evening stroll a few blocks from my house...there, tucked in an itty-bitty corner park that I'd not even known existed because it was so small...was a swing set. And not only was there a swing set, but there was a tire swing and one of those old-fashioned big twirly riding things that make you sick because they spin so fast but you absolutely love anyway! It was like the park that forgot that swings and twirly-riding things are supposed to be "dangerous for children" and therefore, a "liability." May it ever forget it, for I have found in it's sweet embrace my new sanctuary.
Have a lovely Monday, everybody! Have I thanked you lately for sticking around and doing life with me here on this blog? I don't think I have, so...
THANK YOU.
Okay, so this is the inner-child and teacher in me, but are those Melissa & Doug toys? Because I am seriously in LOVE with their toys--especially the velcro foods! :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just had to say that you look so cute (I LOVE that mint cardigan and the little ruffles on your top!) and that I'm definitely a child at heart, too.
And hooray for finding a little park! Parks and playgrounds are the best, no matter how old you are. :)
Good eye, Kiki! Yes, I do believe that those are Melissa & Doug toys! I love them,too! I love that they're realtoys, made of wood and require imagination to play with...instead of battery-operated, plastic gizmos! I have some of their play food, as well as some of their magnetic "paper" dolls. Definitely keepers and the n&n's love them!
DeleteAh, thanks! The mint cardigan is a new addition to the wardrobe...gotta love Target clearance wracks! Although, haha...I put in on when I got home and my roomie was like "wait, did you get my green cardigan, too?" Haha...our styles are so similar. I fear having matching clothes (we both love shopping at Target!) is going to be a common occurrence! :)
Yay for having the same love for toys. I'm a HUGE supporter of toys that provide space for imagination and creativity and don't just keep kids' eyeballs glued on flashing lights and noise-making gadgets (that's not to say that there aren't any battery-operated toys out there that I don't love, but you know what I mean). And those magnetic paper dolls are THE best, too. I've been keeping my eye out for sales (I even signed up for their emails) so I can snag a set or two for the kids I teach/babysit.
DeleteAnd Target clearance racks are where it's at! Whenever I go to Target, I'll spend a few minutes looking through their clothes but always spend the most time looking through their clearance section. And that's so funny that you two have similar styles--it reminds me of my family! On Sundays, especially, I always find that I'm practically twins with someone in my family. :)
And um, I LOVE this new look for your blog! So clean, so simple, and so happy. Just lovely, my friend!
Thanks, Kiki! Hopefully you saw it when I was finished with it - not when I was in the middle of changing everything, haha! I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to my blog...simple, clear-cut and conformity is the word. ;) Glad that you like it! It's hard to decide when you're actually designing something whether it'll actually look great...or you're just imagining that it'll look great! :)
DeleteYou should check and see if there are any facebook yard sales in your area. It's really popular here and there's pretty much where I get all the cool stuff in my room, haha! They're just facebook groups where people just post stuff they are wanting to sell, so it's basically a big community on-going garage sale. I LOVE it! It's where I got my magnet dolls, the Peter Rabbit toy box, a ton of my movies and some other great stuff, too! Check and see if they're in your area!
Yay! so exciting you found a swing set--I seriously love those things! When I was younger I used to look forward going to the park so much, I wish I had a good one nearby where I live now to go visit! I love these pictures!! Made me smile. I also love those cars that Chevron gas station puts out too, they are so cute! I hope you have a wonderful Monday Kellie! thanks SO much again for all your help with choosing a new camera to buy--you have noooo idea how helpful you were!
ReplyDeletelots of love,
Jess
You're SO welcome, Jessica! Did you buy one this weekend?? Tell all. :)
DeleteSounds like we have some more things in common - swing sets and Chevron cars. :)
Love those little cars!! I also love playgrounds, specifically the swings. I love a good swingset...I need to find one tucked away somewhere near my place!
ReplyDeleteAren't they so cute? They have so much personality! I love browsing ebay for Chevron car finds! :D I hope you can find a swing set! It was so glorious last night, swinging high like a kid again! :)
DeleteAw! What a sweet post full of your love for your niece and nephew - looks like they had as much fun with Auntie as you did with them. :) What a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday!
To you, too, Rissi! And yup, I sure do love loving them. :)
DeleteWell Kellie, I am excited for your finding of a long lost swing set and your ever-so-lovely Peter Rabbit toy box...it's adorable! :)
ReplyDeleteHehe, thanks, Madison!! You can see that I really am just a big kid at heart. ;)
DeleteThese pictures are so adorable!! :) I just discovered your blog and am thrilled to find another Jesus lover in bloggy world! I am thrilled to have found your blog and am so excited to be your newest follower!
ReplyDelete:) Rebecca
www.caravansonnet.com
Rebecca! I am also so thrilled that you stopped by and left a comment! Welcome to my blog, I'm so glad that our paths have crossed and I look forward to them crossing more in the future! :)
DeleteMaybe you can take Jane and I to the "sanctuary" when we come over on Wednesday! I haven't been on one of those twirly things in years! There's a big one that we played on a long time ago (may have been on one of our cross crountry trips at a camp ground)and it has stuck around in my memory. We shouldn't let all the child in us grow up. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I remember that twirly thing...when I saw it at the corner playground the other day, I have this brief mental flashback to "road trip" and I remembered that! :) Yes, I was hoping maybe we'd walk down there together. It's actually a darling little park. :)
DeleteYour niece and nephew are adorable.(: I bet you had loads of fun with them! I always have such fun playing with my little cousins...it always makes me feel like a kid again. And honestly, there's nothing that boosts the spirits quite so much as a little kiddo, haha.
ReplyDeleteI adore swing sets. There aren't nearly enough of them around here...the ones that used to have them switched them out for the baby swings. Blah. All the tire swings have disappeared as well. Finding a swing set is always a real treat for me.(:
~Vicki
Decked Out in Ruffles
Oh, Vicki, yes, that I do! The older I get, the more I find myself just needing more and more "n&n" fixes. They always cheer me up, I can not stay sad or gloomy when I'm with them! Their free therapy for a down day. Plus they make happy days even better, too. :)
DeleteI know what you mean! I really had thought that all the actually fun playground stuff was pretty much banned from existence...so what a treat to find my little corner park! Can't wait to go back tonight and have some swing therapy. :)
Yup, they're adorable! Way to make me smile, Kellie! :D And a tire swing? I didn't think any public place had those anymore. That's way cool!
ReplyDeleteRight there with you, Kara! Like I was telling Vicki above, I thought that all the actually fun park things were extinct now. But my little corner park? It's a time capsule of sorts now. :)
DeleteOh Kellie! You did SUCH A GREAT JOB with these images! Your use of lighting is superb. And you successfully captured their emotions, not an easy task with children :) Oh and I love those little cars too. Adorable.
ReplyDeleteAnd about the swing set? Yay for you! I'm glad you finally found one. I'm the same way about swingsets/playgrounds. Sometimes I still wish I could play on them like a kid and no one stare at me as if I were odd.........
Thanks, Brea! Your compliments go a long way!! The morning lighting in my room is...heavenly. Just heavenly. I couldn't ask for more! My one grievance with these photos (and others, too) is that they're slightly blurry, not crystal sharp like I'd like. I've been realizing that, in order to keep my ISO as low as possible, I've been compromising on my shutter speed (and aperture, too, but mostly shutter speed), which is why often when I'm shooting fast...they turn out a little blurry. I've really gotta work on that. I'd rather have a wee bit of "noise" in my photos and them be sharp, rather than blurry.
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