{buddha with the cracked head}

Whenever I see a statue of Buddha I feel at peace.

For ages I have been looking for one to place

in my perennial garden,

to inspire me

to be more zen.

I found this piece at Pier 1.

It would have been $100 {too expensive for me}

but just my good fortune,

upon inspection, I discovered that

Buddha had a cracked head

which made him 

$25.

{b l i s s}

And now, some enlightening words from the Buddha:

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky."

"Your work is to discover your work, and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

"Meditate.

Live purely. Be quiet.

Do your work with mastery.

Like the moon, come out

from behind the clouds!

Shine."

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

"Happiness never decreases by being shared."
g

{dearest dad}

Dearest Dad,

I wonder if you know how much you shaped my life?

Many girls 

grow up to 

{consciously or unconsciously}

look for a soulmate 

resembling their father.

In my own life I 

searched for a man with amazing qualities 

modeled after you.

Your example of being 

a man of God,

follower of Jesus,

led me to look for another

believer in Christ.

Your patience and unending devotion

to my beautiful Mother

led me to look for a man

of patience and deep love and devotion 

to marry.

{and as you well know, any husband of mine would have to have a LOT of patience!}

I would not have chosen such a good man

without your strong example.

Many girls 

grow up with fathers who are not

present in their lives.

You always were there.

You were there to make sure we were safe...

...to cheerfully wake us up

 at the crack of dawn

 on camping trips by peeking in our tents, singing "Rise and Shine"...

...to walk your daughters down the aisle...

...to preach your beautiful sermons at all the important events...

...to take us on amazing adventures on mountain tops,

in your indestructible blue windsuit,

singing Rocky Mountain High, 

making sure we all made it to the top...

Many girls

don't get to have a lot of quality time with their dads.

Although you worked a lot of hours

at multiple jobs

 to make ends meet

and do what God had called you to do,

you also made sure 

we had time with you.

You made us breakfast every morning before school

took us cross-country skiing, hiking, 

and on many, many journeys

involving canoes!

I can always picture you in the green Old Town,

paddling contentedly,

singing Sunshine on my Shoulders

{or anything John Denver.}

Or in the BWCA,

on "our island"

snoozing in the afternoon sun 

on the rocks...

Dad, 

you raised four strong, healthy kids...

one of them being quite a tempermental handful!

{*cough, cough*}

Just know that this "tempermental handful"

is grateful for all you have done for me,
the time you have spent,

and all the love

you continue to give
to us and now to
your grandchildren.

I am blessed to have a Dad like you

and our Baby Boy will be blessed to have

you as a Grandpa.

I love you!

your daughter,

Greta Robyn

  *   *   *

 Happy Father's Day, blogger friends!

g

thrifty find: beverage tub redo!

Sometimes as I wander aimlessly through Target

 I pass one of the end caps and cannot resist the red clearance tag.

Even if it is attached to something hideously ugly.

Like this...

Not sure what Target buyer thought this beverage tub might be a hot seller. It kind of gave me a headache to look at.  I mean...Is it a Rorschach test?

No shocker that a whole slew of them ended up on a clearance endcap at 75% off last summer.

Since I kind of have a thing for aluminum beverage tubs though...I thought I could find a use for this.

{Confession #1: I actually bought three!}

See how pretty the inside is?

{Confession #2: I am not crafty at all.  I cannot sew.  I cannot Mod Podge or Cricut or sling a glue gun. I can, however, spray a mean can of paint.}  

I knew I wanted a really clean, simple and versatile tub -- so I went all black.

I sprayed the outside of the tub black, then I sprayed a layer of black chalkboard paint on the front.

Easy project for the non-crafty, like me!

What will I use it for?  Not quite sure yet...but for now I wrote in white chalk one of my favorite words:

Vino!  

Then I filled the tub with wine bottles:

Sidenote: You may notice it is set on a chrome beverage stand.  You can get these most larger stores that sell home goods.  I got my for $10 at Target -- another thrifty find!

I am really excited to use this tub at the next gathering we host!

Not bad for $2.98! 

PS: One of the other beverage tubs I used in my laundry room to hold detergent, etc.  Click {here} to check it out!

L O V E -

g

baby bump alert: my little lebron

In the spirit of the NBA finals 

I was thinking of naming my Baby "Lebron."

Or perhaps Dirk.

Not just because of the NBA Finals, 

but also...

because he looks like a 

basketball!

At least that is what everyone keeps saying.

Supposedly boy babies are carried out front like a basketball.

Someone even said to me at work today:

"Oh look! You brought your basketball!"

Heh. Funny. 

I do not play basketball.  Or any sport involving a ball.

Or coordination.

I run.  Long distances. Trying not to trip.

The one on the left is the 5th grade me...looking awkward and definitely NOT

like a basketball player. More like I have to pee or somthing:

My hubby, however, loves the sport!  

We go to many Kentucky basketball games, he plays twice a week with a group of guys...

...so maybe, just maybe...

Baby will be a basketball player! 
{or at least a fan} 

:o)

For now he will just have to keep making 

my ready-to-bounce preggo belly

look like a round, large

"basketball."

Weeks along: 36
Pounds gained: 32
cm dilated: 1
Position: head down

Nursery: complete!

g

{five ways to know you are about to have your first baby}

1.  All of a sudden it is exciting to come home from work and find a pack-n-play set up in your bedroom.  

 2. The books on your nightstand are ALL baby-related.

 3.  Suddenly there are 5x the normal amount of pillows on your bed...and you still can't sleep comfortably. 

 4.  You have been carefully packing your hospital bag for the past month...and still are concerned you will not be ready.  {Yes, I did invest in comfy slippers.}

 5.  You leave notes for your spouse surrounded by cute baby things.  Or, at least, I do.  Because I really don't know what to use these things for yet.  :)

Anyone else ready for me to have this baby already???

The little man is getting restless.

So is mama.

I am dilated 1cm!

Can I make it another four weeks?

Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!

g

{avocado, feta & tomato salsa}

I'm a sucker for a good salsa.

But before I go into my latest favorite salsa...

let me share with you something first:

Being nine months pregnant is grand...except for the part where I want to eat a huge pile of food {growing baby and all} but then I feel stuffed after eating half.  Like last night, I really wanted a 3rd bratwurst {yes 3rd!} but I knew if I ate it would not be able to sit upright for the rest of the evening.  I would be in "feet-on-the-coffee-table-reclining-just-so-I-can-breath" mode.  

Which I sort of ended up being in anyway.

Like every night. 

Sigh.

Back to salsa.  

If you are a lover of avocado like me, you love to chop it up in salads, dips and of course, make delicious guacamole!

Well, for today's post, I thought I would share a view of a delicious feta, tomato and avocado salsa...which can be eaten as an appetizer with a fork, or a salsa with some tortilla chips.

Both ways are delish.

You will need:  2 avocados (chopped) 4 roma tomatoes (chopped) 1 small onion (chopped) fresh cilantro, feta cheese (4oz crumbled) 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 TB red wine vinegar, a pinch of cumin, and salt to taste.

Gently combine all ingredients and serve chilled, with or without the chips!

Oh, and go ahead, have that 3rd bratwurst.

Unless you're nine months pregnant...

then you might want to stick to the salsa.
:D

g

{feeling showered!}

This past week I was showered.

{read: spoiled} 

I had three amazing baby showers given by women who I am sure will be paramount in the life of my darling little paramour.

Okay, I know that baby showers are, in essence, for the baby.  However, I can't help but feel these sweet, pretty events are more for the mothers.   The mamas-to-be like me, who are feeling huge and so NOT pretty in the latter part of pregnancy.  The chance for us to put on a dress, maybe prepare with a pedicure, 

and be treated to a spread fit for a princess.
The food was heavenly... 

...the decorations were thoughtful and made each event special...

                        

 ...the gifts that will make Baby cleaner, cuter, and cuddlier...

{these adorable onesies were made my talented sister-in-law Jen, who blogs at with grace and lace}

...and the best part was just being around the people I love.

I am so thankful for all the ladies that made my showers some of the most special days of my pregnancy!

{also I'm feeling much more prepared!}

L O V E,

g