Thankful Mama

Happy Thanksgiving...........Here are some things that I am thankful for....

• My loving fiance who loves me for me and pushes me to be myself.
• My amazing son who reminds me everyday what unconditional love is.
  
• My entire family who have always been there for me.
• My friends that stick by me through thick and thin.
  
• That my mother is healthier.
• That my sister has been in Bend the past few months. She has been so helpful.
• My loving brother who sticks up for me. I do miss him!!
  
• My best friend, Mel, who is by my side no matter what and gives me the best advice.
• My crazy dog, Jackson
• That my Aunt MJ, Uncle AC, and Grandma Josie moved to Tualatin. I love having them so close to me.
• That my Grandpa Herb is 89 and still with us.
• For all types of music......it brings so much joy in my life.
• For this beautiful earth that we are all so blessed to live on.
  
• For what Mother Nature brings us..........beauty
• For hugs and kisses
• For Barack Obama and the new hope that he brings our country.
• For all of Andrew's family for excepting me into their family.
• For food that we are able to put on our table everynight
• For getting married next year to my best friend
  
• For all the new friends that I have met.
  
• The fact that I have a chance to go back to school
• For everyone that brings peace to this world
  

101 Reasons Why I Love My Fiance....

2. He has such a wonderful and loving family that has opened there arms to me the second they met me. It's good to know that I am marrying into a family that loves me for me.

More reasons to come!!!

Menu Plan Monday

So, this week will be a little different because we are going to Utah to visit Andrew's family from Wednesday to Tuesday of next week. That means we only have to plan for 2 nights this week and 5 nights next week. It will be a nice break for me. No planning and no cooking! Sounds good to me! We are very excited to go to Utah and see Andrew's family. We have not seen them since May and look forward to spending time with them. Ayden will be meeting his Uncle Pete for the first time since he is coming back from his 2-year mission trip. We are so anxious and excited to see him. I'm sure that I will write about our trip and post tons of pictures.

Here is our short menu! For more menus or information about Menu Plan Mondays go to www.orgjunkie.com

Monday- Salmon and veggie fajitas

Tuesday- Quick and easy pizza

Wed-Sun- In Utah

"The belly rules the mind."-Spanish Proverb

We are getting married at Camp Westwind!

Before I was even engaged I knew that I wanted to be married on a beach facing the Ocean. When I met Andrew he shared the same dream with me. So it was not hard to choose what area we wanted to get married BUT it was hard to find a place that we really liked on the Oregon Coast. We both really wanted a beautiful private beach with a lodge. We looked everywhere and then we found the PERFECT place.....Camp Westwind. Some of you might already know about Camp Westwind because it holds Outdoor School and YWCA summer camps. It had everything that we wanted plus more. It is 6 miles north of Lincoln City where the Salmon River meets the great Pacific Ocean. I was able to get a few pictures of the place but it is just so beautiful in person.

This is the lodge where the reception will be held. Hopefully if the weather cooperates we will be having the music on the deck. Since we have rented the entire camp we don't have to stop playing music at 10pm. We can play music as long as we want! Inside there is a huge room where the dinner will be served. In the picture you can see the upstairs windows. Those are the windows to the "bridal" room, where my bridesmaids and I will be getting ready. You should see the view from that room! The other side of the lodge. This is also the start of the path to the beach where the ceremony will be held. It is about 250 feet from the lodge.
The path to the beach. Where the tree line ends is where the beach begins. I am trying to figure out how I will line the path way. Flowers, candles, or lights???? Sorry ladies, as you can see NO high heels.

Where the ceremony will be held. Totally private!!!

Looking to the right.

The Salmon River and the ferries that we take to get to camp.

Some of the cabins that guests can stay in if they choose.

We are SO excited and happy we found the "perfect" place for us. We will keep everyone informed on details.

"Peace Begins With A Smile"

It's late......I'm up doing math homework! But I took a break to read the wise inspirational words of a great woman.....Mother Teresa. I just wanted to share some quotes by her. I think I might print some out and paste them throughout my house for inspiration.

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."

"Peace begins with a smile."

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. "

Daybook Entry #1- November 12th

FOR TODAY November 12th........

Outside my window....It is dark and windy. I can hear the leaves being blown back and forth. The gate that is not latched is banging open and shut. Sometimes I hear the spooky whistle that the wind makes. It sounds like a ghost right outside the window.

I am thinking....that I can't wait for Andrew to get home from school. We have such busy lives right now that I really miss him when he is gone.

I am thankful for....the strong and trustworthy relationship I have with Andrew.

From the kitchen....I have food that awaits to be cooked. I will start cooking in 15 mins so that it is ready for Andrew when he gets home.

I am wearing....comfy socks, jeans, and a black shirt

I am creating....my blog website. I am trying to figure out how to customize it.

I am going....to Utah in 7 days to see Andrew's family.

I am reading....All of my textbooks.

I am hoping....that my precious little boy grows up to be a caring respectable young man. And that he will be his own person and think for himself.

I am hearing....the wind violently blow the branches of the trees and the gate back and forth outside my window.

Around the house....there is silence. Ayden went to bed early. I think he has teeth coming in and the poor little boy is not feeling so good.

One of my favorite things....is warm socks on a cold day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: catch up on my math homework, help Andrew make phone calls for his Christmas Lighting business, spend all the time in the world with my little man, work on organization throughout the house, get ready for our trip to Utah.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing....

A fall picture of my cutie pie taken by Andrew

To learn more about The Simple Woman's Daybook go to http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

101 Reasons Why I Love My Fiance

1.  Every-time he comes home from work and walks in the house he always says "It's my family!".  Then he comes over and gives me a big kiss and then gives Ayden hugs and kisses.  He is so wonderful!

So keep posted and every few days I will post reasons why I love my fiance till I reach 101!

Menu Plan Monday

The past month Drew and I have been planning out our dinners weekly. This has truly been a wonderful change for us. I know some of my friends think I am a bit crazy for doing this but it truly helps bring some organization to our house. Planning out our dinners helps me actually cook and cook good food. Otherwise I would cook mac and cheese every night. It also helps with our budget. I try not to spend more than $40 a week at the grocery story. We try our hardest to buy only organic and locally grown foods. This doesn't happen every time but we really make an effort. It's better for our bodies and the environment if we do this.

So every Monday I will post our weekly menu. I got this idea from orgjunkie.com. It's a great organization website that has some really good ideas. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or your own menus please bring them my way! Happy Monday everyone!

Monday- Spaghetti Pie, green beans, and whole wheat bread

Tuesday- South Pacific Shrimp

Wednesday- Black Bean Burittos and spanish rice

Thursday- Broccoli Chowder (This is our FAVORITE soup....Drew and I made it together

when we first started dating)

Friday- leftovers (Alyson works at the restuarant tonight)

Saturday- Tortellini with pesto sauce and a garden salad

Sunday- Salmon fillets with whole grain rice and steamed broccoli

"There is soul music, soul food, and soul love......" -Dalai Lama

New beginnings

I have decided that I still don't have enough to do, so I added yet another thing to keep my life busy. This is MY blog. Here I will write about my life as a new mom and a fiance and everything in between. I think that this will be very therapeutic for me. I love writing, especially about what is going on in my life and just my random thoughts. I have a few fun ideas that I am going to do weekly to keep my sanity.

I call it Peaceful Mama because that is what I aspire to be. I consider myself peaceful but I know that I still have a lot of work to do to become completely peaceful in all aspects of my life. I want my household to be a relaxing peaceful place for Ayden and for Drew and I. I think that this will help Drew and I become a healthy married couple and it will help Ayden grow as a compassionate caring boy. I feel that I want more peace in my surroundings throughout the world. I am excited to find my way through this journey of peaceful motherhood and parenting.

Please join me in my journey. I hope that I can inspire or be inspired.

"All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make our world." -Buddha