Family

Birthday Blessings Love Family Gratitude

Thoughts On My Birthday

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read707 views

“As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.” – Terri Guillemets

I’ve learned so much about myself through the years and I’m perfectly content with my Life.

I am in awe with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for His gift of Life and unfathomable love. I am thankful for my loving Husband who has not left my side and made it a priority to write me a heartfelt note for the past 14 years, on my special day. I am so lucky to have my Children; they’ve made me a better person, taught me things about myself that I never knew about. I am blessed to have incredible Parents who have always stood by me, believed in me and taught me about not giving up. I’m grateful for my amazing brothers who constantly look out for me. Though the grief never goes away and ebbs with the seasons and the years; I’m grateful for knowing my incredible Sister whose love was honest and true. I know she’s with me, always.

In My 30s (Thirties).
In My 30s (Thirties).

My absolute best moment of last week was when I asked my daughter what she would get for me and she said: Strawberry Shortcake Blueberry Muffin Doll and some cupcake toys. And she added, we could play together. She made me smile all week-long and I found it sneaky that she planned on giving me the same items on her wish list. It is so wonderful of her to want to share her favorites things with me.

Thank you all for hanging tough with me another Year.

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Fun Activities Birds Family Gratitude Gardening High Desert

Enjoying The Rain

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read473 views

Yesterday’s rainfall brought so much joy and peace of mind.

It is the second rain we have had since the start of Summer and it was such a relief. Like most weekends, we are always out and about visiting Vintage and Antique Shops, Retail Stores, Nurseries and so much more. One thing I very much wanted to do this weekend was to take the kids to a Park and let them loose.
Instead of doing those wonderful things, we opted to stay home. As of now, the backyard fencing is 80% complete. We got rid of more Oleanders and what a difference! It feels like we gained three feet on that side of the yard. It started raining, so we ran into the garage, sat back enjoying some delicious and nutritious snacks while watching the rain fall. It was a wonderful moment for the kids. As soon as the rains stopped, they resumed drawing on the driveway with Crayola Sidewalk Chalk and we continued digging out more Oleanders.

Hawk.
Hawk perched on a Wire.

Early in the evening as my husband was removing and replacing all the solar batteries, he spotted a Hawk perched on a Wire just above the Sweet Almond Tree.

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Blessings Scripture Parenting Love Weather Children Family Gratitude

My Bringer of Serenity

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read579 views

Finally, after weeks of praying, hoping and waiting; it rained this morning. It was a short moment of heavy rain. Prior to the rain, we had periods of thunderstorm and lightning which started around 5:00 AM until 7:15 AM. My daughter who was still asleep then was awoken by the sound of the rain pouring down as well as the thunder. Once it stopped raining, the sun came out and my husband took his little girl outside to look at the beautiful rainbow.

My Daughter
My Daughter looking at rain drops.

I love it when it rains and I look forward to suit up, get out of the house and smell the clean, wet dirt. Today was different. While it was raining it got hot inside and as soon as it stopped raining it got even hotter. Though the backyard looks beautiful and the plants healthy, the dirt smelled musty for the first time in years. It smelled like decaying organic matter. I checked my younger plants, moved the trash can to the street for our weekly garbage pickup and then I went in to spend some time with my darling little girl.

I am blessed beyond words for having a wonderful family and amazing children. Every single one of them lift me up and renew my Spirit with their love and generosity. From the moment we drop off my Son to school until it’s time to pick him up, I experience great moments with my little girl. We explore, we learn, we play, we watch TV, we dance, we laugh, we plan events, we cock and eat, she calls and talk to one of her favorite persons in the World, we take turns listening to each other …, and she even makes up stories just for me.

Silhouette
Silhouette of My Beautiful Kids.

What I love the most about my kids is that they keep me sane and joyful. They are best friends. They love and have so much respect and admiration for one another. They help each other, compromise and fight fair. They’ve somehow figured a way to give me some space when needed. Her brother though her the ABC’s and 123’s. He reads stories to her every single night before going to bed and they pray together before sleeping (whether I am present or not). Also, they remind me so much of my brother and I at that age.

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” — Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)

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Movies Leisure Music Family Gratitude

Benise On My Mind

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read603 views

Here we are, the night before the first day of school. It’s almost hard to believe that the holidays are over and that my Son will be back to school again in just a few hours. He is excited and I am happy for him. We had a blast visiting places and doing the things we enjoy the most over the past few weeks without worrying about perfections and deadlines. Yesterday I asked my kids what they would like to do today and they said they wanted to go running around in the backyard. What about movies? I asked. “Well, maybe we could see Turbo,” my Son replied.

This morning we went to the movies and watched Turbo. We treasure movies on demand, though once in a while we enjoy going to the movies when it’s less crowded as it was the case today. We spent some time at the Park before returning home and allowing them to run around in the backyard.

I listened to Benise all afternoon. I love his Music and find it soothing. Nights Of Fire! does the trick all the time.

Benise, Nights Of Fire!
Benise, Nights Of Fire!.

The house is quiet. We said our prayers a couple of hours ago and the kids are sound asleep.

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Ground Squirrel Garden Decor Family Gardening High Desert

Yard Updates

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read774 views

Today has been a busy day for us and quite rewarding too.

While visiting Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures yesterday, I spotted a gorgeous set of Terracotta Pots/Planters which I ended up purchasing (amongst other things). Beautiful hand made clay pots with a flat back to rest neatly against a wall or fence. Each wall pot has two holes in the back for hanging and one more at the base for draining. They are a wonderful choice for growing trailing plants, but I am sure they would look as lovely just the way they are without any greenery in them. The simple green bow accent add charm to the Planters.

Terracotta Wall Pot Planters.
Terracotta Wall Pot Planters.
Terracotta Wall Pot Planters.
Terracotta Wall Pot Planters.

Before the sun set down yesterday, we installed and buried the last section of drip system needed for the new additions to the backyard. Plants do well on a timed watering schedule as opposed to manual watering (since it can vary on the individual’s personal schedule). Now that this project has been completed, we will move on to other partially started projects on the list. Cutting down the Sweet Almond Tree doesn’t sound bad, either.

Ground Squirrel standing on its hind legs.
Ground Squirrel standing on its hind legs.

I have come to love the Sweet Almond Tree growing in one corner of my front yard. I love the sight of its bareness in the Fall after all the leaves have fallen. I love watching those tiny bud formations turn into delicate white and pink flowers as early as late Winter. Thanks to a few reluctant ground Squirrels, we will cut down the tree. Fencing the backyard and securing openings around the wooden fence are not enough to keep them away from the tree. The depth and amount of holes they dig on a consistent basis is overwhelming to say the least. As much as it hurts me to part with the tree, I know I will gain peace of mind and more time to invest in the Family.

On a much happier note, I did some gardening today. Keeping the kids busy in the pool and getting my hands dirty (uninterrupted) put a smile on my face. To reduce the amount of Rose bushes I have in my front yard, I dug out a couple which I transplanted to an ideal location in the backyard. Last month I relocated a couple and they are thriving in their new location. As you know, Roses are one of the toughest plants around and with proper preparation, your chances for a successful transplant will be high regardless of the time of year (learn more).

I am so grateful for my huge yard with its endless possibilities and opportunities.  Living and Gardening in the High Desert is quite challenging and so rewarding. My gardening success is mainly attributed to choosing the right plants for my garden and more important, the right plants for my zone. I lovingly tend to them as I would with any other living thing. One of my goals is to surround my garden with a lot more Native Plants.

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