Living Life As Usual

 April 2020

Reading back on this day on my agenda, I couldn't help but laugh and get disgusted at the same time. I laughed because the way I expressed myself in detail using several expletives to describe our despicable reality at the time, all planned out by the left is still unbelievable ... and I am disgusted because what was done is nothing short of, well, disgusting. 

Jacob (like most office workers) had to go to his place of employment to pick up his special work chair and a keyboard. 

In Washington state about all citizens did what the government ordered them to do. The stay home order was utterly ridiculous and completely done out of pure manipulation to control people.

The government was successful in creating panic. Stores ran out of essential items. For example, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, water, frozen food, canned goods, flour and rice were gone off the shelves. Those people that liked to be told what to do were verbally attacking those that just wanted to be left alone.  I was in disbelief about what was happening to our beloved America. The ones behind all this clearly want(ed) to destroy her. All this manipulation, control and corruption makes me sad. 

God gave us Christians freedom. We weren't about to live in fear and stay indoors day after day. We continued to live our God-given freedoms and enjoy the life and creation He blessed us with.

Sydna's cat, Lila can be a sweet girl. She was inspecting our new sectional. April still brought forth chilly rainy days, which I love and enjoy.

Weather like this makes coloring a perfect pastime. I like adult coloring books with flowers. They just have to be simple drawings and not a bunch of multiple tight designs which makes the picture too busy and overwhelming.

Now that Jacob has been working from home and Riley's school year was cancelled (until further notice) we've been taking afternoon walks together, sometimes twice a day. We came across this cat that belonged to one of Riley's friends. He was a very sweet cat. I believe his name was Milo. 

Then we spotted this gray cat across the street who walked over to us when we called it. He was cute too. Rolled over and smiled at us ... at least that's what it seemed like, lol.  

I can't remember what this flowering shrub is called but I love it because it blooms all year long. And it's pretty too and it spreads which is a plus. 

There were several magnolia trees in the neighborhood next to ours.

After a few weeks since the lockdown began Riley's school finally sent an email stating that students were to pick up a laptop from school and that they would be having online classes. The excitement for this new venture didn't last. Riley became bored quickly therefore it was a challenge for him to stay engaged and up to speed. 

Meanwhile, all of us being home didn't face this girl. Just look how cozy and cute she looks. 

I love her toebeans.

And here, Lila's doing weird things. She decided to get cozy inside Riley's shorts.

Silly girl.

Jacob surprised me with a pretty tulip bouquet just because. How chivalrous. I love it!

Even during these tyrannical times, I am glad I have plenty of things to do at home (while Jacob works) to keep me busy, like choosing something to read from my home library. 

Here we are on another afternoon walk. I like this tree. Wish I knew the name of it. 

Look how pretty!

Hanging out with her owner. She definitely looks comfortable.

Natasha Crain is a great Christian Apologist. She's written four books. I've read her first two so far. Her books are mind opening. As a new Christian, things she writes about, I had never thought of before. I was hooked and honestly a bit overwhelmed but as I continued reading, I became fascinated about all these biblical truths she talks about in her books. And now I am able to pass this important information down to my kids.

I am thankful for a cozy home. I am glad that we enjoy being at home either playing games, reading or watching movies together. I am thankful that both Jacob and I get to make delicious home cooked meals that we all enjoy. 

I'm thankful and grateful for having a place to call home ... on the same token, being home day after day after day eventually becomes tiresome. There's only so much isolation from nature that one can take until we become restless. So, we continued to enjoy one of God's greatest gifts He made for humanity to enjoy, nature. Breathing the fresh clean air and stimulating our minds while hiking or going on a leisurely walk is a God-given right and we made sure that wasn't taken away from us. Besides, it's also healthy for our minds and bodies. 

Learn to see life with healthy optimism.

November: Simple Cozy Comforts

November 2019

As soon as Halloween is over I decorate for Autumn/Thanksgiving. I enjoy decorating for every holiday, it makes one's home fun and festive. I like simple decor, not cluttered and I do try to rearrange them differently each year. Buying several new decorations every year helps to change things up a bit.

Sydna surprised me with the prettiest coffee mug. It has a curled up cat with some Autumn foliage and the colors are very pretty. It really is one of my favorite mugs out of the many that I have. I'm very particular about things I buy for myself and for my home and when Sydna gave me this mug I smiled because she knows me so well ... I instantly loved it. 

These two girls have had a love hate relationship from the start. They do so well most of the time but then one of them gets too close to the other and so this happens....

Jacob giving Lila (peanut) some love and Sophie, sitting on the chair looking annoyed, lol.

Our church has two services, 9:00 & 11:00. We try to stick to the first service because it's less crowded. Sometimes after church we'll go eat breakfast. We like to go to the Original Pancake House, they have a yummy menu and delicious coffee so it's always a treat when we go there to eat. 

These two having fun while we wait for our food.

Pretty Lila

Although Sophie looks a bit mean here she is the sweetest cat ever! ( she was probably annoyed with Lila) She doesn't squirm out of your arms if you're holding her the right way, or tries to bite or swipe at you, nor does she meow or growl when you're holding her but you do have to baby her - sweet talk to her - so she'll stay relaxed in your arms. 

Whenever we get a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest we take advantage of it and make it a point to enjoy it. It's the best way to get vitamin D. However, weather it's sunny or cold and cloudy and it's a weekend we're most likely out and about anyway. The weekends are the only time we get to do fun family outings. We adjust to the weather, dress in layers and head out because it will be a shame to just stay home weekend after weekend during the cold months. That would be boring.

Nosy girl. Look at her cute little paws.

Riley had early release at his school due to parent/teacher conferences so we stopped at Panera for lunch and a treat. (this was 2 years ago, he was so small. I know it's a cliché but time flies!)

We get our fair share of foggy days but when the fog is like this it hurts my eyes and makes me drowsy. 

The days are cold now and short. The nights

are long and very dark. Cozy at home huddled around the fireplace.

Wild Cottontail Bunnies

 May 2019

One evening in May while we were all upstairs ready for bed I noticed Sophie was looking out the window. She was in full attention mode chattering and letting out a faint cry. She then jumped off the windowsill and ran downstairs. I followed her downstairs but wasn't able to see anything. 

The following night she did the same thing. Then a few days later we saw what all the excitement was about, a wild bunny!

The bunny had also caught Lila's attention. 

As the days passed by we noticed the bunny would drop by the evening. I would find her perched on top of the babies barrel. We had no idea how long she had been coming by so one day I decided to check the barrel. 

And I discovered baby bunnies. This was the second time that our backyard has been used as a nursery for wild bunnies. Look how cute they are!!

It seemed that momma bunny used her own fur to provide insulation. She dug the hole a good ways down and it tunneled to the other side of the tall plant. I think it's so amazing how God weaves knowledge into the animals brains so they know what it takes to survive. Amazing!

As the days went by and as I just kept my eye on the bunnies, one day I happened to see all 6 bunnies out of the hole. 

There were several times when I would only see these three together. I could see the other three still inside the hole. 

I did a bit of research and found out that wild bunnies tend to be on their own about five weeks after they're born. That's just crazy because they are still so little. 

One evening while I was watching television upstairs in my room I heard a loud thud downstairs. I went to check it out and Sophie had pounced on the window and had moved the blinds. I peeked outside and saw a black cat walking along our fence. I went back upstairs and then I heard a squeaking sound. I realized the cat was after the baby bunnies. 

The next morning I checked up on the bunnies and found only 5 baby bunnies. During the day they had jumped off the barrel and were scattered all around our backyard. I didn't want to interfere in case the mom came back for them. As it got dark we again heard another squeak. I felt so bad for them and decided that I should find them and bring them inside the house. I had Riley help me gather them up and as we tried to grab them one of them crawled under the fence and onto the neighbors yard. 

Two baby bunnies were killed by the black cat, one escaped and hopefully it survived and we did catch the remaining three. I felt bad because I didn't want the ones we rescued to die. I called the animal shelter and they don't take wild bunnies since they are native to WA and told us to just release them. 

I  placed an old towel inside the box and placed the three bunnies in there. The next morning we went to a feed store and bought Timothy hay but they didn't care for it so I did more research. Besides small pieces of carrots and cucumber skin I realized that they preferred cilantro. They would eat all the cilantro but they didn't care for the carrots. 

When they weren't eating they would huddle together in a corner and keep each other warm. 

One of the bunnies also liked to sit in the little water bowl I placed in the box. Thought that was cute. By this time the bunnies were about six/seven weeks old. We couldn't keep them because we have two cats plus I didn't want to keep them in a cage because I think that's mean given these are wild bunnies. And I didn't want to release them in our backyard because of the black cat that would still come by looking for them. So, we decided to release them in a large field that's covered with overgrown blackberry bushes and tall grass that's a few blocks from our house. 

We felt good about releasing them in that field. My husband had seen several other bunnies in that area so we knew that they would have a higher chance of survival there. 

I just can't take how cute they are. 

All the ugliness of the world can be best forgotten in the beauty of nature!

Family Togetherness

April 2019


I like that there are so many areas where one can enjoy the beautiful views of the Puget Sound. Whenever we're not in the mood to deal with chaotic Seattle we head South. The N Tacoma area is very laid back even when it's busy. It's just a different vibe than that of Seattle. One spot we like to hang out at is Owen's Beach in Point Defiance.

It was low tide and we got a chance to walk around the beach quite a ways.

Usually this area is under water.

We try to take pictures together as much as possible. Sometimes several weeks go by without taking a picture of us together. I think it's important. I would hate to regret not having enough pictures of the two of us together ten, twenty years from now.

I love caramel apples and I'm grateful that there's a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory about twenty five minutes from our house. It's such a delicious treat and this is the only time that I truly enjoy eating an apple. I used to get one with nuts but I wasn't a fan about chunks of chocolate falling off when I took a bite. Now I either get the butterfinger or the cheesecake apple. So good!

I like when low clouds cover mountain tops. I really do. It reminds me of cozy times.

The following weekend me and the boys went bowling.

Surprised that Nathan joined us!

We got Riley the Toilet Trouble game and had everyone participate, even grandpa.

Funny kid. Riley has always enjoyed playing games/board games. I'm not necessary fond of them, I would prefer to read to him or go on a walk but I'm glad Jacob is the parent that likes games and the active one. We definitely balance each other out.

Being together is what matters but being active and enjoying this wonderful world that God gave us is something that I don't take for granted and I am totally grateful for.

Deep inside me are personality traits, strong convictions, a sense of right

and wrong, a love for God, an ethical compass and a commitment to my husband and kids.