my latest crushes.....

Guess what I did last weekend?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I sat on the beach in Newport and stared at this.

I watched my cute boys and husband splashing in the cool waves, then burying each other with sand.  You know, boy stuff.

I loved watching Jaci and her darling friend Allie play the guitar and laugh for hours.

No meals to make, no carpooling, no puppy, no laundry.

Just pure bliss and perfect weather.

I contemplated what an honor it is to be a mom.  It was always what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I'm incredibly grateful my wish came true.  My life hasn't turned out exactly like I thought it might, (whose does?) but having three kids definitely fulfilled a certain measure of my dreams and far surpassed my expectations for happiness and contentment.  I'm super thankful everyday for the blessing of the precious little ones that call me mom, even on the hardest of days.  Without question, my two favorite times of the day are when we have our family prayer and hug in the morning, and when I check to make sure they are all sleeping soundly before I call it a night.  And THAT is how I know I'm doing exactly what I was born to do.

It's a good feeling.

I also took some time to catch up on a few of my blog crushes.  Here are some of my current favorites.  They each offer something different, but I love what I take away when I visit their sites.

{Gus and Lula}.  The adorable Britt and her mild mannered husband adopted the sweetest babies, a boy and a girl, from Ethiopia last year.  The journey they went on to make it a reality was something that movies are made of, and they are truly an amazing couple.  If the pictures of Gus and Lula aren't enough to keep you coming back for more, (and trust me, they are!) then certainly Britt's projects will.  She does very doable things and has great ideas.  I love her style.  And her babies.

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{Our Humble A{Bowe}d}.  The very cute Amanda and her equally cute husband Ben have been blogging for two years and have generated quite a following, for good reason!  Amanda is beyond darling, and I'm convinced that Ben can literally do anything.  They wanted a new kitchen...... no biggie.  Ben just built it.  The whole entire thing. They accomplish more in a weekend than I do in six months, and that's no lie.  They recently closed on a DIY dream home that will keep them busy for the next ten years.  Or maybe just ten months.  But pay attention to this husband/wife super team if you care about seeing some amazing progress!

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{Pure Style Home}.  Lauren Liess has been featured in many publications, and is an accomplished designer.  She has two of the cutest boys ever and is about to give birth to her third child any day now.  Her husband is a high school math teacher, who also happens to be super handy, helpful and supportive.  You can tell through her writing that she is a genuine person who really cares about her family and others.  Her designs are beautiful, and she recently came out with her own fabric line of gorgeous prints.  I love how she mixes a few high end things with affordable and found objects for a look that is so pleasant and comfortable.  She is always a daily read.

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{Funky Junk Interiors}.  You can't help but love, adore and admire Donna!  She lives in beautiful British Columbia, Canada with her boy on a beautiful piece of property.  Take some time to read about her story.  It's heartbreaking but also so uplifting.  I just sat at my computer and cried about her misfortune, and also about the goodness of others coming to her aid.  She is one of the hardest working gals around, and a single mother to boot.  She is a great photographer, and can make something amazing and useful out of total and complete junk.  Talk about resourceful.  This girl has a corner on that market!  I would really love to meet her someday.

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Maybe you didn't know about these blogs?  I hope at least one of them is new to you.  We have a list of great blogs we visit on a very regular basis under our "Love" heading.  They are all excellent sources for inspiration.  If you can't go to the beach to do some blog surfing, maybe you can treat yourself to an ice cold {creamed lemonade} and settle in for an hour or so some evening very soon.  You totally deserve it.

And maybe it would be fun if you left us a comment with your very favorite blogs so we can know what you know!  We've shared a lot of secrets with you......