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sometimes i have really random thoughts.
and i’ll create an unextremely unlikely senario,
where a difficult decision has to be made.
so, today’s thought…
“would i sell all my furniture for $20K?”
every chair, couch, table, bed, etc.
and after some deliberation i decided, yes.
yes, i would!
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so how about you, would you sell all your furniture for $20K?
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i snapped this pic at twilight last night
i couldn’t resist the huge fluffy clouds in comparison to the small red barn.
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we are in the midst of mother’s day madness around here.
getting all your jewelry made and ready to ship
{so mom knows how amazing she is}
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which means lots of late nights for me.
and the mornings still come too early.
coffee is my crutch this week. so good.
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off to make jewelry and sip some more coffee.
and hopefully squeeze in a few moments to soak in little bits of beauty.
happy thursday!
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when david was only 10 months old i found out i was pregnant with matthias.
when david was about 1 year old i went to see our perinatologist for an in-depth ultrasound.
as i sat in the waiting room, i remembered getting the news a year earlier
that there was something wrong.
at 38 weeks, our baby was way too small and i was admitted to the hospital
to start inducement.
i remember feeling my world crumble around me as the perinatologist told me
something was definitely wrong with our baby.
i remember how scared i was.
and as i was waiting for my turn to see the doctor
a woman came out crying.
shaken.
she had received bad news.
and i wanted to run over to her and tell her
i know how scared you are.
“i know what it feels like to see your world crumble around you.
but you will be okay. you’ll find joy.”
but that wouldn’t work, would it?
but she had to journey through her own pain and sadness and heal in her own time.
and no one could have comforted me at that time.
i had to walk through the pain.
and hurt and heal.
i didn’t know then that david’s smile would make my heart sing.
i didn’t know that he would hug my neck with all his might
and that he would be a super snuggler.
i had to walk through the pain to find joy.
and looking back, i can confidently say, the joy far outweighs the pain.
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our mother’s day deadline is tomorrow!
so if you need something for mom, grandma or auntie, or a special friend, hop over to the shop!!
{please note we can’t guarantee delivery for international orders}
how about the family tree necklace, the vintage frames or the be still? lovely!
and mom would flip for the marked by love necklace, the sweet & simple birdie or the little lady!
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a few more of my faves…
the whoo do you love? {so fun!} the pewter heart wall hanging,
baby spoons and the jumble of charms.
click here to shop our hand-stamped jewelry.
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and just for fun…
what’s the #1 thing your mom taught you?
i think for me, i would have to say generosity.
my mom would literally give anything she could.
i love that about her!
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we are back from LA, unpacked and ready for a new week.
it was a good weekend.
relaxing (since i got to sleep in)
and hard because i am processing next steps for david’s heart surgery.
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the cardiologist explained that david’s surgery would be open heart surgery,
not a less invasive surgery (like i’d hoped).
and before we schedule surgery they want to do a heart catheterization
to measure blood pressure and chamber size.
so that will be another test at ucla under anesthesia.
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these are the moments where i stop
reflect on the turns this journey has taken
{that i never expected}
and what a beautiful journey it is.
and i’m reminded that i am not in control.
but i have a good God who is.
so grateful.
*
yesterday morning i met my aunt and uncle for breakfast in baywood.
it was such a foggy, gray morning.
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i pulled the car over three times
to take pictures of the bay and various flowers.
i felt overcome by the peacefulness.
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this bench would be a lovely spot for a cup of coffee.
too bad it’s someone else’s front yard!
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a quiet morning was just what i needed.
a few moments to clear my head
and catch my breath.
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we’re in LA today for david’s rescheduled echocardiogram.
i’ll be glad to be on the other side.
and even more glad to get his heart surgery over with.
so thankful for good doctors, loving family and friends who pray.
i’ll update this post after the echo!
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*UPDATE*
we had a loooong day today.
we woke up at 4am to get ready and get to ucla by 6am.
lots of waiting.
during the echo (while under anesthesia)
david started holding his breath and coughing,
so the anesthesiologists decided to intubate him.
as soon as they intubated him, his lungs started to spasm
causing an asthma attack
which was quickly resolved with some albuterol.
i’m not sure if they gave him additional meds after they intubated,
but instead of taking a half hour to wake up
it took david four hours.
and i was starving and exhausted and not in a good place emotionally.
but a late lunch and good nap and some sisters who jumped in to help
with kiddos saved the day.
off to relax and snuggle my boys
{and enjoy the rest of the weekend!!}
thank you thank you for your prayers. we are so grateful.
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on saturday it was sunny, shiny and absolutely gorgeous.
on sunday we played outside and soaked up the warmth.
on monday i made sure to put sunscreen on matthias before soccer practice.
ahhh, spring had finally arrived. right? wrong.
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tuesday was rainy and gray.
and cold.
what happened, spring?
i thought you had arrived.
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but you did give us a beautiful rainbow.
with the brightest color i’ve ever seen.
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and your fickle behavior makes the wildflowers grow like crazy.
spring, even though i can’t trust you…
you are quite lovely overall.
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mother’s day is coming quickly
and we want you to get your orders in!
so TODAY ONLY-every order over $100 will recieve a FREE soft spot necklace!!
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our hand-cast sterling heart charm (a lisa leonard designs exclusive) is strung on plated chain.
love the simplicity!
it’s not available for sale yet. so if you want it, better get shopping!
click here to see our custom, hand-stamped jewelry.
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i have a soft spot for giggles, crocodile tears, tight hugs and sleeping kiddos.
i have a soft spot for freshly-picked dandelions, crayon drawings and i-love-yous.
tell us, what do you have a soft spot for??
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yes, mr. strawberry-truck-driver, we are following you!
because we want your delicious strawberries
for our pancakes and smoothies and angel food cake and for chocolate dippin!
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thank goodness it’s strawberry season!
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1. last week i took my lunch to the beach and there was a bomb squad there.
they asked everybody to leave the area. crazy!
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2. my favorite tv show right now is parenthood.
i am just so glad to see lorelei (lauren graham) on a weekly basis again.
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3. i have a very specific sweet tooth.
sometimes it wants chocolate, sometimes straight sugar.
i just try to be prepared.
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4. matthias is a morning person,
david is a night person.
i can’t remember what i am anymore!
but i’d be happy to be either if it meant a little more sleep.
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5. i’d like to know how to use caution against drifting sand.
is it really dangerous?
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6. i’m still figuring out twitter.
apparently the other night i replied to a few of my own tweets. nice.
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the other night we had dinner with friends.
they packed sack dinners for the kids and the adults ate around the table.
i love david’s custom bag. notice the 7 fingers. love it-seriously.
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8. a favorite quote.
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9. some friends gave us tadpoles last night
and they are kinda freaking me out.
but i am so excited for the boys to watch them transform.
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10. you’re turn to share some random information…
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it’s been a sunshiny, lazy weekend at home.
i did some laundry and cleaned the house
but not nearly as much as i should have!
and we took the boys for ice cream
and went out for date night last night.
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i love tina fey and steve carell.
i haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
and i ate a whole box of milk duds before the previews ended.
yip yip hurray for lazy weekends!!
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tell me about your weekend!
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a few weeks ago steve bought me a new bike
and i love it!
it’s taken a little getting used to.
i rode a bike last summer, but before that it had been about 15 years.
crazy!
there is a bike path near our home that leads to the bay
and it’s an easy, beautiful ride.
i’m not much of an athlete-but i’m willing to work for a milkshake!
and a little bike ride is the perfect way to unwind and soak up the day.
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what do you do to exercise/unwind?
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written by my literary friend sarah markley
{who has an amazing way with words}
this sweet necklace captures the imperfect and
beautiful nature of family.
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a thick sterling tag (1 1/4″) is strung on sterling chain
with a freshwater pearl.
add a custom disc, to make it one-of-a-kind.
(mine reads ‘leonards est.1999)
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i love the 24″ length for this necklace.
it’s so casual, like a dog tag.
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we are in the middle of mother’s day madness over here!
so if you want one, hurry!
we have a limited number available before the
mother’s day deadline, april 28th.
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and the back adds a little bit more sweetness
with a sterling heart.
you’ll find the new ‘together necklace’ here.
ON SALE FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS {yipppee!}
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i don’t know if i am in denial that spring break is over
{two weeks was wonderful!}
or if i am trying to wish summer here sooner
{come on summer, we need you!!}
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but i am having a serious case of ‘avoid less desirable tasks’.
like laundry.
i mean, do we really need clean laundry?
okay, so i’ll wash and dry it.
but folding, folding is definitely overrated.
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let’s talk about alarm clocks.
definitely not what i want to wake up to in the morning.
the soft glow of sunlight, a warm cup of coffee and snuggles with my boys…
that’s how every morning should be!
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and plenty of time to wait
for those five little birdies to fly away
and {snap} capture it on my camera.
* * *
okay, off to do some laundry.
my family needs clean underwear (at least).
are you avoiding anything?
*
we headed south last week to
1. see family (so fun)
2. get a sedated echocardiogram for david (at ucla)
{which was cancelled at the last minute because he had a cold}
3. get some disney time.
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the park was packed because everyone was on spring break
and the weather was about 80* the first day.
we were still able to get on ride quickly
and we just made sure we hydrated.
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they keep the grounds so lovely.
and the trees were all blooming. loved it.
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and there was no shortage of snacks.
yum.
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disneyland works well for our family.
there are rides all four of us can do
and when matthias and steve go on the roller coasters
david and i are happy to find a shady spot and relax.
the jungle cruise is a family fave.
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the cheesy jungle cruise jokes never get old.
i think they actually get funnier!
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other family favorites…
pirates of the caribbean, small world, astro blasters and haunted mansion.
matthias and daddy like indiana jones, matterhorn and space mountain.
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and we got a new stroller for david that is awesome.
he was dragging his long legs in his old stroller
and it was driving me nuts.
at times he refuses to walk (although he is totally able!)
and sometimes when i carry him, he pulls my hair (rascal!)
so a good stroller is a great investment in my sanity.
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i wouldn’t call disneyland a vacation
but we had a blast.
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what’s your favorite ride at disneyland?
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