1) It has been over a year since I last posted. Over.a.year...
2) My kids and I just spent almost six weeks with my family in the Panhandle of Texas. Life is slower there. We hunted for chicken eggs, studied rabbit bones, watched the sun rise and set almost every single day and saw the super moon. I skipped a treatment, for the first time in three years. I went in desperate need of rest, and upon our return home today, I feel rested.
3) My youngest is an animal lover. I am not sure where we got him.
4) Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I like that it isn't as commercial as other holidays. I love the opportunity to be intentional in giving thanks. And, I love cranberry sauce (fresh, not canned) and pumpkin pie, and, 'gasp', green bean casserole.
5) I still want chickens and goats and now I think I would also like a donkey.
6) Being with my family for an extended period of time makes me miss my family.
7) No matter where we are, a library feels like home. We never, ever tire of books.
8) My kids 'invented' a hand held VCR. They each created a story on a strip of paper that we watched on the 'VCR', like a movie reel. They are such fun.
9) I am glad to be home with my husband. Parenting without him is hard. And he's super cute.
10) My sweet grandma broke her hip. She is 95. She had surgery yesterday afternoon and the doctor said she is healthy and has strong bones. She is bound and determined to be up and walking as soon as possible. I want to be like her when I grow up.
11) We've not had a tree since we got married. We always decorate a 6' wreath. It's gorgeous and served a purpose when we had so many littles running around, but I think this year I'd like a tree. I think it would be fun to make ornaments out of gingerbread and string popcorn and put up hundreds of strands of tinsel. Can you even still buy tinsel??
12) It is always good to be home...
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday Twelve
1) We all have stories of heartache and difficulty and brokenness. Every.single.one.of.us. It's so important to remember to extend grace to people and to share hope.
2) My middle boy just hit his older brother on the head with a stick. "But I didn't know I hit him on the head. He was a chameleon in the tree."
3) My youngest is a thumb sucker, actually all of the boys are, but the youngest, he recently started sucking his thumb with one finger in his nose at the same time. Every now and again he finds a booger in there and he's so good to bring it to me, "Here Mommy, a booger for you."
4) My husband is the hardest working man I know...
5) and the kindest...
6) I recently received news that two friends, from my life many years ago, are moving close. One, a girl I taught when I lived in Nicaragua, will be two hours away. God has been so faithful to allow us to maintain a friendship, even though it's been years and the distance between us has been great. I'm so excited to intentionally get to be part of her life in person now. AND, another, a friend who is in a similar life stage as me and who is such a kindred spirit, is moving to FORT WORTH. I am thrilled, so very thankful.
7) My beautiful brown-eyed son became a child of the King yesterday. It is THE one thing we desire more than any other thing for our children, their salvation. After disciplining him I asked him if he wanted to pray and he said, "I want to ask Jesus to come into my heart, all by myself," and he did. I am so glad I got to be there and that I get to walk with him as he grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
8) The baby hunted me down this morning, "The boys need a 'pank." I'm not sure what wrong had been committed against him, but he is not afraid to make sure everyone receives justice, at least his idea of justice.
9) So, in the wild world of essential oils I continue to be amazed. My oldest had a bloody nose yesterday. I rubbed some cypress oil on his forearms and it stopped bleeding; seriously, it just stopped.
10) The other day the sprinkler guy asked me if I ran a daycare. I informed him that all of them were actually mine...I'm always surprised when folks act like we have a large family.
11) We are reading a biography of Jim Elliot at night before bedtime. "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to find what he cannot lose."
12) I am fond of the ellipsis...
2) My middle boy just hit his older brother on the head with a stick. "But I didn't know I hit him on the head. He was a chameleon in the tree."
3) My youngest is a thumb sucker, actually all of the boys are, but the youngest, he recently started sucking his thumb with one finger in his nose at the same time. Every now and again he finds a booger in there and he's so good to bring it to me, "Here Mommy, a booger for you."
4) My husband is the hardest working man I know...
5) and the kindest...
6) I recently received news that two friends, from my life many years ago, are moving close. One, a girl I taught when I lived in Nicaragua, will be two hours away. God has been so faithful to allow us to maintain a friendship, even though it's been years and the distance between us has been great. I'm so excited to intentionally get to be part of her life in person now. AND, another, a friend who is in a similar life stage as me and who is such a kindred spirit, is moving to FORT WORTH. I am thrilled, so very thankful.
7) My beautiful brown-eyed son became a child of the King yesterday. It is THE one thing we desire more than any other thing for our children, their salvation. After disciplining him I asked him if he wanted to pray and he said, "I want to ask Jesus to come into my heart, all by myself," and he did. I am so glad I got to be there and that I get to walk with him as he grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
8) The baby hunted me down this morning, "The boys need a 'pank." I'm not sure what wrong had been committed against him, but he is not afraid to make sure everyone receives justice, at least his idea of justice.
9) So, in the wild world of essential oils I continue to be amazed. My oldest had a bloody nose yesterday. I rubbed some cypress oil on his forearms and it stopped bleeding; seriously, it just stopped.
10) The other day the sprinkler guy asked me if I ran a daycare. I informed him that all of them were actually mine...I'm always surprised when folks act like we have a large family.
11) We are reading a biography of Jim Elliot at night before bedtime. "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to find what he cannot lose."
12) I am fond of the ellipsis...
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Never Give Up...
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer a sweet friend sent me and my family shirts that said, "Never Give Up". I'm sporting mine today, because it's indicative of so much more than just fighting cancer. And today, I need to be reminded to never give up.
First, I will never give up on my fight to better health. And a huge piece of that right now is my fight to lose weight. An oncologist I met with said, "Your fat feeds your cancer." It's harsh, but I know it's true. So, I'm meeting with a trainer and knowing, in my heart of hearts, I must be serious about eating healthy and moving. My sweet trainer. I try to keep her informed on how.very.difficult things are for fat people, especially fat, older folks who have little kiddos. I say things like, "It is never easy for a fat person to get on the floor, perform an exercise, and then try to get back up off the floor." It just isn't. She pushed me hard last night and by the time our session was over I could barely lift my arms over my head. I mentioned she may have to come over this morning and lift the baby out of his crib and change his diapers. She just laughed. After my workout I felt I deserved a shake, but, yay me, I refrained! Never give up...
Secondly, I will never give up on being a crazy dreamer of dreams. One day I WILL have a motor home and we will travel the country in it. We will hike the Grand Canyon and live in and travel through Europe. One day I'll write a book with my husband. I will, I will, I will, have chickens and goats. One day my hubby and I will host grandparent camp, each and every summer for our grandkids. One day we will retire and serve as missionaries, here in the U.S., and around the world. One day I'll make my own soap and have an etsy shop and I'll sew my kids' pajamas and we'll have a garden and I'll can and on, and on, and on. Never give up...
Third, I will never give up on delighting in my children. Let's be honest. Sometimes this parenting thing is hard. I took all of the kids to Walmart, yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly, Walmart. No one knocked anything over, or laid on the floor, or threw a fit (not even me). We did open a box of cereal bars to eat while we shopped and we left with four different kinds of jelly, because let's face it, sometimes, it's just easier to let everyone choose their favorite than to come to an agreement. I wore the baby in a backpack and made my middle guy ride in the cart, and we survived. And, as we left, with little guy's head leaning against my back and his sticky hands in my hair and on my shirt, and rubbing my face, and a beautiful browned-eyed boy telling me in the sweetest, most sincere voice, "Thank you, Mommy for letting us each pick our own jelly," I was reminded how very grateful I am that I get to be mama to these four kiddos. They are a delight. Never give up...
Last, I will never give up on my pursuit to know God more intimately. He knows me perfectly, but my knowledge of Him is so very imperfect. I do not even know how to articulate this well, but I do know I want more, more faith, more hope, more thankfulness, more dependance, more delight, more surrender to Jesus, the lover of my soul. In this quest, on this journey, I will NEVER give up...
First, I will never give up on my fight to better health. And a huge piece of that right now is my fight to lose weight. An oncologist I met with said, "Your fat feeds your cancer." It's harsh, but I know it's true. So, I'm meeting with a trainer and knowing, in my heart of hearts, I must be serious about eating healthy and moving. My sweet trainer. I try to keep her informed on how.very.difficult things are for fat people, especially fat, older folks who have little kiddos. I say things like, "It is never easy for a fat person to get on the floor, perform an exercise, and then try to get back up off the floor." It just isn't. She pushed me hard last night and by the time our session was over I could barely lift my arms over my head. I mentioned she may have to come over this morning and lift the baby out of his crib and change his diapers. She just laughed. After my workout I felt I deserved a shake, but, yay me, I refrained! Never give up...
Secondly, I will never give up on being a crazy dreamer of dreams. One day I WILL have a motor home and we will travel the country in it. We will hike the Grand Canyon and live in and travel through Europe. One day I'll write a book with my husband. I will, I will, I will, have chickens and goats. One day my hubby and I will host grandparent camp, each and every summer for our grandkids. One day we will retire and serve as missionaries, here in the U.S., and around the world. One day I'll make my own soap and have an etsy shop and I'll sew my kids' pajamas and we'll have a garden and I'll can and on, and on, and on. Never give up...
Third, I will never give up on delighting in my children. Let's be honest. Sometimes this parenting thing is hard. I took all of the kids to Walmart, yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly, Walmart. No one knocked anything over, or laid on the floor, or threw a fit (not even me). We did open a box of cereal bars to eat while we shopped and we left with four different kinds of jelly, because let's face it, sometimes, it's just easier to let everyone choose their favorite than to come to an agreement. I wore the baby in a backpack and made my middle guy ride in the cart, and we survived. And, as we left, with little guy's head leaning against my back and his sticky hands in my hair and on my shirt, and rubbing my face, and a beautiful browned-eyed boy telling me in the sweetest, most sincere voice, "Thank you, Mommy for letting us each pick our own jelly," I was reminded how very grateful I am that I get to be mama to these four kiddos. They are a delight. Never give up...
Last, I will never give up on my pursuit to know God more intimately. He knows me perfectly, but my knowledge of Him is so very imperfect. I do not even know how to articulate this well, but I do know I want more, more faith, more hope, more thankfulness, more dependance, more delight, more surrender to Jesus, the lover of my soul. In this quest, on this journey, I will NEVER give up...
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Blogging...
Well, my hubby has a blog. AND, not only does he have a blog, but he has a really great blog, AND he posts in it on a fairly regular basis. I'll be honest, I feel a need to keep up with him. So, here goes...
1) My kiddos wrote an awesome haiku in school today. We have been reading a book about salamanders, "The Salamander Room" by Anne Mazer. It is such a fun book and my kids really enjoy it and today, well, they wrote a haiku about salamanders. They are a delight.
2) It is almost time to begin potty training Baby. We even bought some training pants and a little bitty seat to put on the toilet for him. Every time I mention it though he says, "No, I wear a diaper." He's adorable.
3) I've ventured into the world of essential oils. I have loved the idea of them for such a long time and once I finally tried them out I realized they truly are fabulous. I have had great success using them so far. One thing I've really loved is putting onGUARD on my kiddos feet as well as diffusing it. I feel like it has really kept the cold bug and the flu at bay this winter.
4) We got a new van.
5) We are getting family photos taken next week. We've never had family photos taken, ever. We are going to Abilene to have them taken by a gal whose work I've seen and really, really admired. I know she will do an incredible job, Mia Coelho. I am excited.
6) Sis is going to be 8.
7) Did I mention we got a new van?
8) I just turned 43 and I'm wondering how I missed celebrating 40. Seriously, where does the time go?? My middle sister will be 40 next year. (Don't be sad, Jules, it's not bad.) I'm hoping we do something really exciting.
9) If anyone has read my blog before, I still want chickens and goats...
1) My kiddos wrote an awesome haiku in school today. We have been reading a book about salamanders, "The Salamander Room" by Anne Mazer. It is such a fun book and my kids really enjoy it and today, well, they wrote a haiku about salamanders. They are a delight.
2) It is almost time to begin potty training Baby. We even bought some training pants and a little bitty seat to put on the toilet for him. Every time I mention it though he says, "No, I wear a diaper." He's adorable.
3) I've ventured into the world of essential oils. I have loved the idea of them for such a long time and once I finally tried them out I realized they truly are fabulous. I have had great success using them so far. One thing I've really loved is putting onGUARD on my kiddos feet as well as diffusing it. I feel like it has really kept the cold bug and the flu at bay this winter.
4) We got a new van.
5) We are getting family photos taken next week. We've never had family photos taken, ever. We are going to Abilene to have them taken by a gal whose work I've seen and really, really admired. I know she will do an incredible job, Mia Coelho. I am excited.
6) Sis is going to be 8.
7) Did I mention we got a new van?
8) I just turned 43 and I'm wondering how I missed celebrating 40. Seriously, where does the time go?? My middle sister will be 40 next year. (Don't be sad, Jules, it's not bad.) I'm hoping we do something really exciting.
9) If anyone has read my blog before, I still want chickens and goats...
Friday, November 14, 2014
Thanksgiving Blues...
I'm tempted to skip Thanksgiving...not the heart of it, but the event. I want my sweet family to remember and be grateful, but I want us to do that, every.single.day. I'm tempted to forgo decorating and a big meal and those things. We're listening to Christmas carols, watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas books. Is there anything wrong with dragging out the decorations this weekend?! I feel like there is only one big holiday in me this year. And, to be honest, I am okay with it.
Yay! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Yay! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Little Miss...
I love my daughter's heart. We are not doing school today. My emotions have been so out of whack for a couple of days so I needed to go through and clean out the playroom and the kids needed to be outside, running and whooping and hollering. So, Sis, has taken it upon herself to "school" the boys. She just came in for supplies, paper and pencil, and robot stickers, "Of course, Mom, cuz' the boys love robots, right?" She's doing a little math and some spelling and then I believe she plans to read to them. She is so very patient with them and really creative in the ways in which she teaches them. Sometimes she will explain something to them and I'll think, "Hmmm, now that makes sense! Why haven't I explained it that way?!" She's a delight...
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