Heavy Heart.....

It is a tough day when your 10 year old shares with you a private conversation that she had with a friend.....and what the friend is going through makes you cry.  

This is when parenting becomes real and what you say and what you do REALLY matters to your little people.  

This is when, as a parent, you need to pass on to your little one the tools, words, and emotions, you use with them all the time, so they can use to help someone else.  In hope that it helps the person feel heard, seen and loved.  

I pray everyday that I am up for challenges like the one I am facing now......
Holly 

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Today's Inspiration....

You have to go through bad things to arrive at good places.

So profound, so true.

Happy, Sweet Crazy Bliss,
Holly

Sometimes You NEED a Professional....Sigh....

Okay, so NOT every project I work on actually IS successful!

About a month ago, on a camping trip, I was pulling our camper and a rock jumped up and hit the camper and then hit the back window of our car. It shattered. The girls freaked out....the glass was falling out...I had (at the last minute) throw in a roll of duct tape!!! Gotta LOVE it!!!

When did duct tape NOT fix something....Duct tape isn't man made, it is a Gift from God.

Anyway....Trev and I taped the entire back window. Teag was stressed, I said "Hey babe...this ISN'T my first rodeo!" Yes, this has actually happened to me before! I had it totally under control. Anyway....had the window replaced, but the duct tape saved the trip and it looked cool too!!

Then last week the back latch on my car quit working.....wouldn't close. So for a week it was bungied, again bungy cords another gift from God.

I read online how to fix the latch, so last on Thursday, I took the entire back of my car apart. Took off the back panel, took out all of the bolts, vacuumed out all of the left over glass that had taken up residence in my tailgate, pulled out the latch, the lock, everything....I had part laying ALL over the back of my car. Not only was it a difficult fix but it was also above my head, literally and figuratively. Long story short......I couldn't fix it!

It only took the dealer $230 and an hour! Drat!!!! I hate that! :)
Sometimes in life we meet our match and have to throw in the towel....maybe next time!

My Projects....My Passion

With great encouragement from friends, I have decided to start blogging about projects I am working on, attempting, and hopefully have completed. I was (and still am) skeptical that anyone will be interested in MY projects but according to my 'besties'....they want to hear about them.......sooooooo here we go!

I LOVE projects,, I LOVE seeing other people's projects, I LOVE researching projects!! I typically move from project to project....that's just how I roll.

When we moved into our new house, I struggled because there weren't a lot of project to be done....so I started creating them!

More to come.....

Let it rain.....

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Adversity will come to all in varied magnitudes at different times in life. But YOU ARE resilient and can weather the heaviest of adverse rainfalls. Let it rain, soak it in, and know that in time it will let up, evaporate, and leave you refreshed and with a better understanding of who YOU ARE and what you can handle.

The rewards of resiliency are immeasurable.

Hello Friends!!! I would like to introduce my newest obsession.....

Frilly, Frayed, Fabric Cuffs

They are fabric cuff bracelets that are embellished with flowers and other little sparkle or do-dads. They are sized for each individual as they purchased, so the sizing is perfect!

They are darling....they add touch of whimsy to any outfit!

I truly believe that we all need a bit of whimsy in our lives.

I have cuffs that are bright, floral, lacy, plaid, and bling. As I said...it's an obsession!!

I also have some extremely beautiful lace cuffs, they would be beautiful with a wedding dress OR.....a great pair of jeans and a demin jacket! Mmmmmm......I LOVE IT!!

I am selling my cuffs, they are $18.00/cuff or 2 for $30.00. I have been selling like mad, which is very exciting. I would like to advertise, what I need to know from you all is, what do you think might be my best option???

• Facebook Fan Page??


• Blog??


• Etsy?? (there are a bizzillion pages of bracelets on etsy)
  Other options??
  

Let me know what you think. I would love comments, so either post here or email me.
My new business name is 'Rustic Whimsy'.
Any ideas would be appreciated!!

Bliss,

Holly

Our new baby crew!

Meet our new baby crew!

This is Oaklie!

She is darling, wonderful addition to the Perry bunch.

Pets add a touch of whimsy to life....everyone needs a bit of whimsy! :)

Back in the game.....

Okay....I'm back in the blogging game. I took a hiatus for a bit and deeply missed this therapeutic outlet.....
Soooooo.....I'm baaaccccckkkkkkk!
Let's get right to it.

It is always fun and exciting to share details of your life when your life it going great. It is exciting to read every one's comments and feel like you are sharing your bliss.

It is a bit more difficult for ME to share details when life seems to have thrown me a curve ball. I hate to burden friends with the 'not-so-happy' part of my life. I hate to be a 'downer'!

I have grown accustom to being the the 'strong one', the 'rock', being the 'shoulder to cry on'. I like the feeling of being needed and being there whenever and where ever I am needed. This IS who I am.....or at least, how I see myself. I feel in control, powerful, stable, organized, and confident in this role. Not only do I feel like this is the role that I have created with my wonderful friends but this is also the role that I play within my family. My parents see me as the daughter that can 'take care of herself', they turn to me for help, often. I LIKE this role in my family. Trevor's family sees me as the 'ultra-organized' mom that still has time for hobbies, sewing, cooking, and time to send flowers and little notes to family members living hundreds of miles away. I LIKE this role in my family.

Well....Just as God always has a plan...sometimes he needs to teach us something that we have overlooked or forgotten somewhere along our journey.

I guess it is time for my lesson.

It is time for me to turn to all of my wonderful friends and family that I have so deeply cherished for such a long long time. It is time for me to be vulnerable and look to others for support and help.

My best friend of seventeen years was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is an amazing man with tons of humor, spirit, drive, and did I mention humor? The final outcome will be very positive and the cancer is very curable but....it has hit me like a ton of bricks. It is one of those things that you never expect to happen TO YOU. He is a very young man with a lot of life ahead of him and although the diagnosis is grim, the prognosis is bright. There are a number of treatment options, each with a very very high success rate. However, one of the most troubling issues, is that each treatment option carries with it a tough recovery and some potential long term side effects. Side effects that will impact his life in the future. This is the most devastating piece of this monster.

No matter how rough the treatment, no matter what the side effects, we will still be the best of best friends. We will continue to live life to it's fullest, love deeply, play hard, and laugh and laugh and laugh.

I am with you God....I am following your lead, I will cherish each moment, each smile, and each challenge. Guide me to be the person I need to be, I will rise to meet you.

Trevor Perry....Rocky road can be an obstacle or an ice cream....am I here to help you make BOTH disappear! I love you baby!

Your truly devoted best of best friends - Holly

I addicted! Sooooo addicted!

I am not much of a 'band wagoner'. When everyone else if jumping on the band wagon when something popular comes along, that is typically when I choose to resist! When things become super popular....I typically turn the other way. I hate to jump on the band wagon!!!

I went to the store this weekend and by the check stand were several piles of extremely popular books. I decided....what the heck...I am not currently reading anything and EVERYONE seems to LOVE these books, so I bought the first book in the series.....

I read Twilight in a day and half!!!!!!! I am totally addicted and I love it and hate it at the same time!!!! I love the book and hate that I jumped on the Band Wagon! LOL

Now...I need to read the other 3 books and see the movie Twilight before the movie New Moon comes out in November! :)

He wasn't just a dog....He was FAMILY. Thank you for the gift....

Some of you will 'get' this post, others may not. That's okay. I understand that some people aren't 'dog people' or maybe some of you haven't had a deep connection with an animal. My hope is that those of you who 'get it' send out good thoughts for my family and those of you who don't really understand the deep connection between a dog and his family....I hope one day you do.

Mom and Dad (and the rest of us) are completely devastated, Tucker died on Friday, June 19th. Dad let him out and typically when it is dark, Tucker goes to the bathroom and immediately returns. He didn’t come right back. Dad started looking for him and then the phone rang. The man told Dad that Tucker has been hit by a car just north of their house. Dad walked up to get him. His collar had broken off but Tucker didn’t have a scratch on him, but he was gone. Mom and Dad were up all night Friday night saying goodbye, then early on Saturday morning they buried him in the backyard. Dad made him a cross and burned his name into it.

Tucker was dad’s buddy and mom's cuddle bug. He went everywhere with them. He was the greatest companion, I can’t say dog because Tucker didn’t know he was a dog. He was just another member of the family! Tucker belonged to Mom and Dad, but I felt as if he was mine too.

Many things made Tucker special, one reason he was so special is because he came from friends…thank you Curtis and Shauna, for giving us such an amazing gift! Tucker was also special because everyone in the neighborhood knew him and loved him. The kids in the neighborhood referred to my folks yard as ‘Tucker’s Forest’. My parent would go to BBQ’s and people they didn’t even know, would say, “Do you know Tucker?” He touch many, many hearts in his short time with us and for that we are truly grateful. The sound of the tags on his collar, the ‘nuzzle’, ‘nuzzle’ “pet me”, and his sweet, sweet face will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

As you can imagine, my Dad isn’t doing very well. His heart is heavy with sadness, but he is a man, so he doesn’t want anyone to know how he is hurting. He feels totally responsible for what happened to Tucker and is assuming all of the blame.

We will never be able replace Tucker or his love of his family. My sister, Trev and I have been talking and would like to get our parents another puppy. Mom and Dad got Tucker a month after our first schnauzer, Allie passed away. Tucker helped them heal.

He was an amazing gift and we are very thankful that God gave us 9 years with such a magical little spirit. We love you Tucker.

We will see what happens...we may find a new little puppy to expand our family. I will keep you posted.

Holly

The road is rocky but the sunset beautiful....

Oh how I have missed this....

I haven't blogged for a long time. Not really because I didn't have anything to say...it was more because, I wasn't sure how to say it.

I had a miscarriage in April.
We found at we were expecting and were very excited. We started planning how our life and family would be changing. We were getting very excited about our Thanksgiving baby. Then things went wrong....
It was devastating news, but we came thru the sadness, pain, and frustration stronger than we went in. That's what really matters...right?

I decided to share my experience, not for sympathy because we are doing great, only so that I could share the personal growth that has taken place because of this event.

Maybe this is God's way of reminding us of all of the amazing blessings in our life. I believe that every difficult moment or event that we are faced with is a test of our character. How we cope with our sadness, how well we manage our frustration, and how we cherish our family all helps us build a better 'me'.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to go thru this event in my life.
It has proven to me that I am a strong person, both emotionally and physically.
It has also shown me that no matter how strong I can be...I need people. I don't ALWAYS have to be strong.
I feel a stronger bond with my husband, we cherish our relationship and know we can endure sadness and pain together and our bond becomes even stronger.
It has made me more aware of the miracle, children really are.
It has made me love, even more, every silly song, quirky smile, and sweet giggle from my little ladies.
Lastly,
It has made me aware and appreciate more deeply everything and everyone in my life that I love and for that I am deeply greatly for this experience.

God Bless,
Holly

Here are 4 easy-awesome soup recipes!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: Rise Argyle

Bake 3 bonless skinless chicken breasts coated in ranch dressing powder @ 350 until done.
Chop into cubes and put in crock pot.
Put hot water into baking dish and scrape out all drippings into crock pot.
Add 3-4 chicken bullion cubes.
Add one chopped onion, and one chopped bunch of celery.
Add H2O until pot is 3/4 full and simmer for 1 and 1/2 hrs.
Thaw 2 packages of Granny's frozen noodles (found in the frozen food section of the grocery store).
When thawed add to soup and cooking @ a low boil for another hour or so...
Twenty minutes prior to serving add 1 can of cream of chicken soup to thicken.



Taco Soup: Minnie Argyle

Brown 1 lb. ground beef with one chopped onion
Drain off fat.
In a large pot add:
16 oz. can already diced tomatos with juice
16 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
16 oz. can tomato sauce
16 oz. whole kernel corn with liquid
1 package taco seasoning mix (dry)

Simmer with meat 20-30 minutes

When serving you may top with:
sour cream
grated cheese
olives
guacomole
crushed tortilla chips


Clam Chowder

2 to 6 cups chopped potatoes I always use 6 cups
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
add one large can of clams from Costco (comes in a two can package)
add just enough water to cook vegetables.
Don’t over cook or the potatoes or they will disappear. You want them cooked but on the firm side.
Prepare a cream sauce.
¾ cup butter: melt in pan and add 1 cup of flour mix with whip add to this 1 quart of half and half stir constantly. Sauce will thicken. When you think it is as thick as it will get add it to the cooked vegetables. (some add a tsp of sugar to this sauce) its up to you.

NOTE: I remove most of the (water clam juice) from the potatoes/onions/celery, before I add the cream sauce. Keep the water in a container to use if the soup gets too thick. I also add some when I reheat the soup it helps to keep the soup from scorching.

You can add salt and pepper to the sauce or soup. I also add Red wine vinegar (to taste).


Chicken Tortilla Soup

48 OZ canned great northern white beans
4 tsp minced garlic
1-4oz can mild chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tbls dry onions (or medium onion sauteed in olive oil)
5 Uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (shreaded at the end of cooking)
6 cups Chicken Broth
3 Cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (added at the end of cooking)

Combine all ingredients except cheese in crock pot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8 hours. At the end take chicken out and shred the breasts. Return to pot. Add cheese and stir,.

Serve with: Tortilla chips crushed on bottom of the bowl, chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and fresh lime. Add a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Enjoy!!

Hey...I found a couple of great easy recipes. Just wanted to share!

I am always on the hunt for new, creative, yummy, easy recipes. I have found a couple that I wanted to share. If you like them let me know.
If you have some great easy recipes that your family loves.....please...send them my way!!!

Buget-arritos (Super Easy)
1 can refried beans
1 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup water
Mix together and press into pie plate (I really think you could make two pies with one can of beans). The Bisquick kinda forms a crust...it is really good.
Top beans with ground beef or ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning (I used 1 lb. and I could have made two pies with 1 lb.)
Top meat with a chunky salsa
Top salsa with cheese
Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
If you want the cheese gooey, bake for 15 minutes and then top with cheese and bake last 15 minutes.
Top with avocados
Eat and Enjoy!

We ate this with chips, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
My girls really liked it. It only took about 10 minutes to assemble. I think it is a great week night fast option!

Next recipe...My next recipe is Turkey Burgers. I know...I know...no one really LIKES turkey burgers. My mother-in-law makes them all the time and folks request them from her. So I asked her the secret. She didn't give me an exact recipe but she did give me some great tips that turned out simply delicious!

Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
1 handful of fresh spinach
3-4 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes (optional)
3-4 Tbsp. roasted red peppers (optional)
Salt or season salt
Pepper
Other spices (oregano, garlic, rosemary, thyme, combo spice)
Mix together, make patties.
Grill, Broil, or fry in olive oil.

Turkey burgers tend to be really dry...the spinach, sundried tomatoes, and/or roasted red peppers add tons of moisture and flavor.

My family loved the turkey burgers. I made little burgers (sliders), they are the perfect size for my kids and they thought the size is really fun! The burgers also reheat really well and are even better a day or so later, once the flavors have had time to blend together.

ENJOY!

I love my blog! I really do....honest!

I haven't posted on my blog for about a month now.....It isn't because I don't love my blog anymore. It is simply because I have become obsessed with Facebook! I have really enjoyed connecting with my friends thru FB. Before FB I was only in contact with two friends from high school and now I have over 50 high school friends to chat with. It is wonderful!

I enjoy living in Salt Lake and I have a ton of wonderful friends here. But I have to admit...it has been very uplifting to connect with my high school friends again. Growing up in a small town is something that some folks just don't get or understand because they have never experienced living in a small town. I loved growing up in Craig, Colorado. Connecting with my old high school friends has been like going home again.

It is nice to chat with friends that know your history and where you come from. :)

Embrace!

Word for 2009.....embrace!

We have to embrace obstacles to reach the next stage of joy.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day." Charles R. Swindoll

“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.”
Jan Glidewell quotes

My 2009 word....EMBRACE!

My Word for 2009

I have spent much time pondering what my word for 2009 should, could, would be.
I will keep thinking and you too! I will be anxious to hear about your inspiration words for '09!

I am Thankful for....My blessings.....

Our Family

We recently had family photos taken, I don't have the CD yet, but you can see a several of the photos at www.andeesphotos.blogspot.com for anyone that is interested!
She is an amazing photographer!! We had a blast!

Do I Deserve this??

I was inspired to write a post about

Trevor Perry,

not because I want to be boastful

but because I want to make public just how much

he makes my life great!

My husband is a wonderful provider, great friend, funny, witty, super Daddy, intelligent, talented, and some more great things, blah, blah, blah....

That isn't really what I wanted to tell you about today....

It isn't really bragging...I had NOTHING to do with how wonderful he turned out to be....

I am however extremely blessed that he chose me to share his life with.

We have a crazy week this week...getting ready for Halloween, Halloween BBQ, Halloween parties at the girls' schools, getting ready for Uncle Jon and Aunt Bre't to come, getting costumes ready, getting pictures taken, hair cut appointments, gymnastics....etc. When I went thru the list of everything we needed to accomplish this week, Trev listened and took it all in. "Busy...Fun Week", was his reply.

Last night, I took Teagan and Addison to get hair cuts, Trev met me at the salon, he picked up one of the girls while I waited for the other one to get finished. When he arrived, he said, "Addi and I are going to go to the store for all the Halloween BBQ stuff." We are BBQing hot dogs in our garage on Halloween night for all the parents and trick-or-treaters, we will have hot dogs, cider and cocoa. So....Off they went to the store. Which I TOTALLY appreciated...one less task for me.

They arrived home just after Teagan and I got home. I heard the garage door open and I heard the music from the car stereo, Trev and Addi were singing at the top of their lungs. Teag jumped in the car and started singing too! I stood in the doorway watch the trio belt out tunes with the car radio. It was silly bliss.

We unpacked the grocery bags and Trev was totally pumped, "I scored", he said. He then proceeded to tell me about all of the items that he bought on sale and how much $$$$ he saved. I was impressed.

I started to make chili, Trev said, "Is that dinner?" "No, this is for my work potluck tomorrow", I said. His response, "Oh, okay." We then decided to get take-out for dinner. Before I could ask, Trev said, "I'll go get it....who's going with Daddy?" Teagan jumped up. They arrived with dinner and we ate. After dinner Trev cleaned up and helped Teagan with her homework and reading. I took Addi upstairs and got her ready for bed and we put together Halloween gifts for she and Teagan's teachers. Then I put Addi to bed. I could hear Teagan reading to Trev. Then shortly after Teagan went to bed. Then I went to bed and Trev sat in the hot tub. Not sure what time he came to bed.....

This morning I got up and started getting ready for work....and just as it happens every morning, Trev brought me my creamer with a touch of coffee. Then he and I got the girls ready and it was all kisses and hugs and they were all out the door.

As I drove to work I reflected on how well we work together to make our life work. I thought about all of the things he does for us without a complaint or a grumble. I thought about all of the things that I am able to accomplish because I have his help....the list is endless.

I hate to admit it, but at times I have thought, "I wish that Trev would take me to dinner or plan something romantic, more often, like he did when we were dating."

I reflected this morning driving to work and it hit me like a ton of bricks....he didn't take us to dinner, but he brought dinner to us and he IS being romantic.

I realized that he WAS being romantic everyday....I was just failing to recognize it. I am so ashamed...I am a better person than that. I should have seen it before now.

My NEW and IMPROVED version of romantic;

• Romance is my husband arriving at the salon to pick up one of his ladies (without being asked), so I didn't have to entertain one of them while the other gets her hair cut
• Romance is him going to the grocery store, so I can cross that task off my list.
• Romance is watching him and the girls belt out a tune with the car radio blaring!
• Romance is him not EXPECTING me to have dinner ready every night.
• Romance is him cleaning up the kitchen, just so I don't have to do it.
• Romance is him reading with Teagan before bed.
• Romance is getting a warm cup of coffee with tons of creamer delivered to me every morning.
  

As I lay my head down tonight, I will thank God for allowing Trevor to choose me as his partner in life. And I will pray that someday God will bring someone just a special and "romantic" into my sister's life.