Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations

Sighing

Smiling

Dreaming

Inspiring

Skirtin' it Up!

And lovin' it!

Feminine

My bestie (Emily Kate) sent me her pre-loved digicam. I nearly cried when I got her email saying she'd send me her Canon. I love having the ability to take pictures of my kids to share with you readers and the grandparents. Thank you Emily!


My pretty lady friend (Heather P.) turned me onto skirt-wearing full-time. I've been experimenting with the skirts I own and LOVE how feminine I feel. Not to mention how cool I feel in this hot summer weather. ;)

Since skirts are such a big hit for me - I trucked on down to Salvation Army for their 50% off sale and now have plenty of skirtiness to go around. Total damage for all the skirts and four pairs of shoes was $57! Try to buy that in a department store!!


I'm really diggin' budgeteering - and I've been very successful at it! I gotta tell ya - we were waaay off mark while living in Alaska. We got ourselves into a heap of trouble acting as though we had infinite money. ;) We've now eliminated our credit card debt and have only our van to pay for. It's been liberating to have such a firm knowledge of our finances.

All's good in the Gent home - thanks for stopping by!

Happy-Sad-Love

When I was a kid, one of my favorite family bonding times was "Happy-Sad." We'd go around our (very large) kitchen table and each child would be able to share a Happy moment and a Sad moment from their day. Once everyone had a turn, if we all had more to share, we'd go around again.

Kellie is old enough now to understand the concept and it helps us reconnect at night no matter how hectic our day was. We've been Happy-Sadding it for about six months now. Kellie has gotten creative and adds on her own little bits. She's added on "Worry" "Funny" "Frustrating" and now "Love"

Kellie's moments today:
Happy - Playing at the park with Alex
Sad - Not being able to get down from the playground
Love - Coming home to my bed to snuggle to sleep with my Mommy

A Woman and Her Bag...s

If you've been following my blog for the past 4 years, you've likely noticed that I tend to gravitate toward one item, one brand, one type of gear at a time. Right now, all my obsession energy is focused on Ju Ju Be.

They make amazing bags in amazing prints with amazing features and I just can't get enough! I've been known to share the love in real life but have never really gushed about it on my blog.

Well, now I am entering in their advertising program that pays a percentage of sales to the advertising mama. So, if you click on my link and buy within 45 days, I get a little bit of that sale to go towards my next bag. Which could be a gift for you - ya never know! ;)

Use this code to get free shipping through July 15th!
Free shipping through July 15th with promo code: SHIPJJBCJP

If you have a blog and are interested in becoming an affiliate, post a reply with your email address and I'll send you a link. :) Why don't we all earn our JuJuMoney together?

And now a few pics to show off their fantabulous bags-

Be Right Back

Be Prepared

Be All

Be Light

Basket o' Ju Ju Bes
Baby in a Be Light

L to R - Packabe, Fuel Cell, Be Quicks, BeTween

Be Quick

MiniBe (And a Busy Book by my Dad)

BeHave (My current fav!)

High Steppin'

Delia began standing unassisted for moments at a time about two and a half weeks ago. This week, she can successfully walk from person to person about six (or more!) steps if she's not so excited that she falls over.

I dropped my camera yesterday, so it's going to be a while before you see pictures from me. We're trying very hard to live within our means. And that means saving up for things that are not within our budget. So, for Delia's birthday, I'll have to buy a disposable camera. I'll try to remember to scan some pictures in for you Grandparents. ;)

Kellie can write her own name, Mom, and Dad without any assistance. She can write any word that we help her spell. But those three she writes without assistance.

Between Kellie and Brian-
"Daddy, your name has a D in it."
"No it doesn't! It starts with B."
Kellie looks puzzled and then responds with, "Duh-duh-duh Daddy. That's a D. Your name has a D in it."
Daddy looks properly chagrined.

Time Machine

Same baby...

...same diaper!

Sign "Thank you!"

Thank you very much!
I'm here all week!

*Kellie declined a photo shoot...
So I've opted to post an embarrassing baby picture for her posterity.*