Just a Little of This and That....

I remember. on my last post I promised to share some pictures of the ice storm. but seriously, i never figured it would be 3 months until I post again  :) these last three months were spent enjoying life and catching up on neglected housework and a million other things in between. and really, i just didn't feel like writing. and the times i really did have something inspiring to share, i was busy, so i'd "write" the post in my head  and till I actually had time to sit down and type it out, the inspiration was gone!

our life these past three months has been the normal life of a young family :) which includes everything from tee-ball to birthday parties to weddings, fussy days, dirty diapers and everything a young family does and experiences! at the moment its a wailing child that seems very unsettled and thinks bed isn't the place to be.

some days seem like they will never end. other days are days you want to relive over and over again!

 

i found some old pictures on my camera that i kind of forgot i had. check out miss chubby cheeks! the picture above was her 7 months ago. the picture below is her now. Amazing what 7 months can change! she is no longer a baby who is crawling...she is now running and giving us a run for our parenthood! 

busy...is how people describe her. beyond busy...is what comes to my mind! church, family nights out and basically everything where you have to sit or stay in one place for any amount of time was purely torture...or maybe impossible would better describe it! there was times when i felt like huffing and stomping my feet because of how purely impossible it felt. and maybe or maybe not there were times that I did :) there are days i cry in frustration and can't wait til she's a few years older! 

but looking past all of that...she has added so much love and sweetness to our family, the busy-ness is a small price to pay. without her singing and her funny spunkiness there would be a huge hole! we love our madi!

daddy's got big shoes to fill! :)

braxton played tee-ball this year. i have a hard time believing that my colicky, first born is actually six already! (i guess there is hope for the fussy, teething 18 month old :) )

hailey is a proud 5 year old! (yep, that's cake batter lining the top of her forehead.it stayed there all day! :) )

this picture makes me laugh! joel had just lit her candle (we didn't have 5 of them, just in case you wondered :) ) and he stuck the burning match in his mouth and started blowing smoke out of his nose, and i actually caught her look of astonishment on camera :) :)

in february we got together with joel's brothers and their wives. every other year we rent a cabin in the smokies for a weekend and get together.we catch up on each others lives and just have a fun weekend.

there was five boys.i can only imagine what their mom had to deal with at times :) 

here's us...the wives of the bunch :) sisters by marriage. its always good to catch up since 3 out of us 5 live in OH.

My sister got married in April. I was lucky enough to go spend a week with my family, helping with planning wedding details and getting everything set in place. 

And I know i had pictures somewhere, but i cannot find them.that's irritating to me! her and josh make a cute couple! and it's fun to finally have a brother on my side of the family. joel was tickled to finally have a brother in law and my dad - well i'm sure without a doubt that he loves the  added "male presence" to the family! :) with three girls only he was hen pecked for quite awhile.with us girls finally getting married we are gifting him "sons" and grandsons which i know for sure and for certain he is deeply proud of ! :)

so here's just a glimpse of what's been happening in our lives.

nothing profound. just life.a life we love.

we are blessed!

And Then There Was Snow...

 Anyone that knows me well, knows that I'm not a fan of winter weather. I don't know ...but I think God built some bodies to stand the heat and others can battle the cold :) For me I'd much rather sweat huge drops of sweat and be smothering in the heat, than to have to bundle up in a coat and literally get sore from trying to stay warm.I know, I'm a wimp and I'm ok with that! :)

So imagine the shock my body goes through when we get a cold snap.I mean a REAL cold snap, people :)

I don't know about you, but this looks like a cold snap to me! :)

Even tho' I don't care for the cold, when there is snow predicted here in the South, I must say, even I get excited to see it...for a day at least  :) And then I'm good. 

The excitement was high.The snow was predicted for a Tuesday. Tuesday came and no snow for the whole day. The children were anxiously waiting.

 People hurried out to get their bread and milk...oh, and lunch meat! ; D

 Finally, when they were tucked into bed it started. 

Sometime after they were tucked in all snugly and warm, Hailey crept out of her bed, looked out the window and discovered SNOW! She called me to her room to share her discovery.We just had to wake Braxton to let him in on the excitement too. That night me and Joel slept with our blinds open, because it was so beautiful just to see the snow, gently, quietly fall from the sky!

The next morning, the very first thing the children wanted to do was play in the snow. I felt like a major part pooper but my desire to get wet and cold was pretty much 0! So I sat inside for awhile, watched the action.When Madalyn woke up I decided to brave it and go out for a little at least :) 

She was in awe...

...until she fell.And that was the end of her snow adventure!

These two were delighted! (Looks like we need some lessons on how to stay warm in the snow.Zipping our coats would maybe be a start! :) )

They ate snow...

....they threw snow

...they built "Frosty". (Sadly we had no magic hat to make him jump to life!)

Even Bella seemed to enjoy the snow!

The excitement of the children is enough to make me love it. Just to see their joy and happiness. To hear them thank God for sending the snow. That, my friends is enough to make any mama's heart melt!

So was the adventure of our snow day in the South!

God forgive me if I ever complained about the snow because two weeks later we got another cold snap!

That was way worse in every way imaginable.

I will share our ice adventure in my next post!

If Motherhood Came With Report Cards ...

...my report card would have showed a BIG,RED, N! - "N" for 'needs improvement.' Or maybe an 'F' for failed!


It seems almost everything I did today could have used lots of improvement.

My mothering skills lacked, my "wifely skills" lacked, my diy projects lacked ... even my cooking skills lacked (ok, that wasn't really my fault but we'll get there later.)

(And I know that this post already sounds so negative, but it's not. Hang in there with me! :-) )

I started my morning late...again...and that in itself is never a good thing...ever :-(  It's something I've been trying to work on, but my bed feels so,so cozy every morning  :-) So, I'll keep trying till I get an 'E' for excellent in this area! :-)

When my morning starts late there is so much that just goes 'down the drain'...good attitudes included!

So when two of my cuties :-) got into a ridiculous fight about who's oatmeal had more sugar, it escalated and became an intense "discussion" that raised this mama's blood pressure.
If there's anything that makes me want to run away crying, it's this - These crazy little cat fights that are totally ridiculous and unnecessary and leave me with absolutely no idea what to do and how to resolve them at that moment.

And I really don't know how it happened but my day just went down hill.

I was not a Proverbs 31 woman in any stretch of the imagination.

My lamp shade that I tried to re-do gave me more grief than relief. (I think it's really cute - but only when the light isn't on ;-) ) It definitely didn't go the way I dreamed it would!

Frustration and selfishness,snappiness and crabbiness took over until I felt the need to "disappear" and put myself in timeout for awhile (my children found me, and thought it was incredibly funny that they snuck into my bathroom and found me - yep, that's a mom's life)

Why am I telling you this?

Because I believe in real life...I know what real life is.
It's laughter and fun, silliness, love,smiles & giggles,happiness - oatmeal with just the right amount of sugar.

But real life is also, tears and crabbiness, bad attitudes,selfishness and frustration.

 And the reason I'm telling you all of this is because here at my house we do real life. 

We do love and laughter but we also do tears and crabbiness. 

And here on my blog you will NOT only find the love and laughter. You will also see days that we get big, fat, red "Ns" ! Days that we fail.The truth.

We are not perfect but we are perfectly happy being a family. A family doing real life.

And tonight I'm so thankful for grace and second chances. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I get a second chance. Today I saw God's grace.

And now, on to my cooking!

 Tonight I made chili soup. It wasn't a hit. It wasn't great! And it really wasn't my fault. It was a new recipe, a recipe I won't be going back to :-) A recipe that I would say gets an "N" for needs improvement.

But let me tell you what did hit me a BIG 'E' for today - 'E' for EXCELLENT! So excellent in fact, I wanted to share it with you! :-)

Around here we love cornbread!! And I found a recipe...on pinterest of course... that is absolutely irresistible!

(I am TERRIBLE at food photography!! So just trust me! This was DELICIOUS!) 

You can find the recipe here. You will also find a beautiful photo of the cornbread! :-) And you really,really need to use the cast iron skillet!

The "blob" beside the cornbread...well, it's just a "little bit of heaven" you can put in your mouth!! It will forever change your life. Your kids will LOVE you extra, and you may or may not get an extra kiss from your husband if you serve this at your next meal ;-) So if you're in need of a kiss, it's worth a try!! :-D But even if you don't need a kiss, do you and your family a favor, a BIG FAT favor and make this! :-)

 It's good on fresh baked rolls, toast and just about anything!! and yes, yes, on cornbread. It takes cornbread to a whole 'nother level! (we will refrain from saying just how much I put on my bread) You will find the recipe for this amazing, Cinnamon Honey Butter here.

 There's snow! I know, amazing!!! The kids excitement is so cute! Tonight after we had them tucked in for the night, miss Hailey crawled out of her bed (without us knowing) in anticipation to see if there's any snow! Of course she had to call me back to her room and she told me she wants to show me something out her window. Her eyes shining with wonder was too adorable! Of course we had to call Braxton over and show him too.His reaction was pretty much the same. They were waiting for this snow ALL DAY! To bad it waited to come till bedtime!  This is one reason I have to be ready to roll in the morning.Their excitement will have them up bright and early I'm sure! :-)

Anyway, I'm signing out for tonight. I'm going to rest my body and start fresh tomorrow. If you've had a day that feels like you got a big fat "N" - I encourage you to take heart! Everyone has those days! Don't sit in the dread of your failure. Stand up strong, God is good at giving second chances!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

                                                                                                   2 Corinthians 12:9

Dear Madi

Photo Credits to heidimastphotography.com

Heidi did a great job at capturing Madi's personality. She does so well working with kids that don't think picture taking is really that great. Thank you to Heidi, I have some great 1 year old pictures celebrating Madi.

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby girl!

Dear Madi,

I hope you grow up to be smart,tough and wise

but I also hope that you always have

the same innocence in your eyes.

It's hard to believe that you, our little Madi are one already! You actually turned 1 on November 28 already but  mommy seems to always be behind on blogging these days :) :)

You have brought a lot of life into our family.

I forgot how busy a baby seems to keep me.And you seem extra busy and some days you very nearly have me in tears! :)

But I'm so thankful that God has blessed us with you, a happy,healthy baby even though you have the ability to make our house look like a tornado zone :) We'd never trade you for a cleaner more organized house! I think you are one way God is teaching me about what's really important in life.

You have taught me so much...even in just the last week.

Today I was watching you walk.

You were walking through leaves that were thick and hard for you to navigate.

You took  one little step and then you'd fall over.You'd try again and fall over...and again,and again...

Until I came to your rescue, held your little hand in mine and helped you out of the "rough terrain."

When I was watching you try and try again I was reminded of myself, and how when I try to take a step forward in life, and I "fall over" again and again.

And how Jesus comes and takes my hand and helps me along.

Watching you fail to walk through the leaves but never give up,just reminded me that even when I fail so often in life, I should never,ever even think of quitting.

Jesus is always right there, watching me and helping me along.

You are an inspiration my darling!

There was never a child so lovely but his  her mother was glad to get him her to sleep.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nap-time is always a highlight at this house :) It gives me the time to recharge a little and to be again fully equipped with strength to make it through the rest of the day :) Energy to keep up with you :)

When my husband comes home,and if the kids are still alive, I figure I've done my job.

-Rosanne Barr

Some days keeping you children alive is maybe all that I get done.But that is enough.That is why I'm here, to take care of you and love you.

Motherhood is a rewarding job,a job that I wouldn't ever trade.

If all I ever get in return are those hugs and wet kisses, that is enough!Traces of your innocent love.Things that make me all fuzzy inside.

Having the privilege to be your mommy is a gift straight from heaven. I'm so thankful for the blessing that you and your brother and sister are to me and your daddy.

My prayer is that you grow up to be passionate about God. Use that 

energy and determination of yours for His Kingdom.

 Happy Birthday again my sweet Madi .

Thank you for all the life lessons you have taught me in these 12 short months.

You are a blessing!

You were prayed for!

I thank God for you!

With all my love, mommy

Looking Back On 2013

Philippians 3:13,14   Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  As I look back on 2013 I don't wish to relive this year! I know, that sounds negative :) But 2013 has probably been one of the toughest years I've lived.And its funny how I hear that coming from so many people.If I'd believe in bad luck, I say maybe it was the number 13...but since I don't I'll just believe it was a year that God gave me some extra loving :)  I take to heart Philippians 3:13,14. Remembering the lessons I learned but leaving behind the things that do not benefit me, and starting fresh, pressing toward the mark. It probably is also the year that I have been reminded the most about all the beautiful blessings I have in life but how, so often I tend to take them for granted! Friends and family.How easy to just assume that we have them for always, when actually...we never know how long. It's been a year of change.Lots of change. To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. – Henri Bergson It's also been a year of learning - hard life lessons. ~ A year that has brought me closer to God and at the same time stretched me till I really thought I couldn't stretch anymore! ~ A year of tears, lots of tears.And I thank God he cares enough, so much actually that he "bottles every tear!"  ~ Its also been a year of much laughter and happiness. ~ It's the year that marked 7 years with an incredibly handsome man.A quiet but stable man.A man whos desire is to serve his Lord.A man whom I have learned so much from.And I see how blessed I am.  ~ It's been a year where I saw so many young men, their life taken in an instant, leaving behind their wives and children. ~ A year that made me realize even more than before that every year I have with the man I love, is a blessing, never to be taken for granted! ~ It's been a year of learning who I really and what my priorities are. ~ A year of seeing myself ... through God's eyes.How ugly I sometimes am on the inside.But how God's forgiveness knows no end.And I'm slowly beginning to understand the fullness of God's Love.And how undeserving I am, and yet how endless God's mercy is. Seeing how I can be changed.But only through God, for His glory.Seeing how much my life, and the lives of those around me affect God's Kingdom.How valuable we can be, but yet how sometimes we choose destruction.  ~ A year that has taught me how everything I do, should have some kind of eternal value. ~ A year of learning that my true identity lies in Christ. Not in what I do or don't do, or have or don't have,or even who I please or don't please. My identity is in Christ alone. ~ A year of realizing that people...people are the most valuable in God's eyes.Not things...people.Something I always knew, but was reminded of in a fresh new way.A year of God teaching me about relationships. ~ A year of seeing how my fears and selfishness have kept me and sometimes still keep me from living life to it's fullest.And how easy it would be to quit trying.But remembering how faithful God is in helping us grow and go forward...one baby-step at a time. ~ A year of sifting through the plans God has for me. Waiting and wondering...but always knowing deep within that there's a special place for me to fill.A reason I am where I am. "our sense of worth is not a question of giftedness,talent,intelligence or beauty. Your sense of personal worth comes from knowing who you are as a child of God and your growth in character." I am happy to be a Child of the King!  So as I look forward to 2014, I want to leave all my mistakes and regret behind.Because I realize the more I remember my mistakes and regrets, the less I move forward. I never want to forget the faithfulness of God. And I want to always remember that with God anything is possible. Happy New Year to all my friends and family! May 2014 bring you much happiness and many blessings. Thank you especially to God for helping me through this year. Thank you to my husband for being there and showing me what unconditional love is. And thank you to my friends, especially those who have stuck with me through this year :)I am blessed!

Living Joyful in the Moment

Remember in my last post,( ya, that post way back in July :) ) I mentioned how the moments slip by in the busy-ness of life and somehow you miss out on everyday life moments?
Well sometimes I find myself so caught up in the negative part of the moments I that I totally fail to see the positive. I'm thinking maybe, just maybe that's more the reason I miss out on those happy life moments.

Some days it seems are filled with moments like this...

 

And when I have too many moments like that  I begin to feel like this...

 



And it really doesn't help that I tend to be a perfectionist in certain things.
I like... no, actually I love when my house is cleaned every week, I like when the dishes are stacked and properly put in the cabinets, I like the toys picked up and ALWAYS put into their proper bins, I really love when the shoes are lined nicely in the closets and so on and so on!
But then you should see our vehicles and my oh my! my windows! It seems I can go weeks without cleaning these areas, and it bothers me but I can deal with it :) Strange, I know!

Hang in there with me and keep reading and I'll share part of my convicting journey with you.

 The thing of perfectionism has robbed me of joy in many of my moments! I focused on the cereal that's strewn over the sticky floor and the toys that haven't been put away to perfection.

The beginning of this year I had the privilege of attending the Mom Heart conference in NC. I think I mentioned it before, but that Mom's conference was so inspiring and uplifting and spoke to me in many ways.
I also have read books throughout this year that have been exactly what my Mom Soul needed to read. I highly recommend each of these books!

~ The Ministry of Motherhood ~ Sally Clarkson
~ The Mom Walk ~ Sally Clarkson
~ Desperate ~ Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
~ No More Perfect Moms ~ Jill Savage
~ Real Moms Real Jesus ~ Jill Savage (This one I read the other year and thoroughly enjoyed it!)
~ Unglued ~ Lysa Teurkerst

I have found myself so weary and worn trying to keep up with the demands of motherhood PLUS my perfectionism on top of it. And this year God just spoke to me so loudly, not just through these books but in various ways, as to where my priorities should be. My priorities should not be in a clean spotless house, but in loving and serving those around me. My family, my friends. Because they (people) are the only thing that really matter on this earth.
I need to slow down, lose the constant hurry and love on those around me. Think positively in a negative situation.

I can keep my house clean, but it doesn't have to be  a "diamond sparkle" at all times. It's ok if the dishes are "thrown" back in the cupboard sometimes. And the toys, well, you should see the toy bins now!  The play dishes are mixed with the animals and the cars are mixed with the dishes - You get the picture. The closets are lucky if they get swept every two weeks. And yesterday when I was cleaning I handed my 5 year old a rag and the windex bottle and put him to work on windex-ing my windows and stove front etc. He thought he was Superman! And in the end I had a much happier child on cleaning day. (Windows with a little wiping are much better than no wiping at all, right?! :) )

When my 11 month old empties my cupboard for the 10th time that day, I can thank God that she's a healthy baby who has the strength and energy to do that. Some people could only wish for that.
In the moments that I have to break up arguments and fights I can thank God that I have the energy and strength to keep up with all the demands.

I realize that these examples are just very minor things...but when I get ahold of the minor things I will be able to also find the positive in the major, what seem like negative life issues. I believe that with all my heart!

Reading "One Thousand Gifts" has been showing me how I can find joy in the midst of constant thankfulness. The Author's "Joy Journey" inspired me to embark on my own Joy Journey. I have now started my own diary of "One Thousand Gifts."

 

I have this note hanging on my fridge. It's a reminder to find the good even when it feels like bad! Remembering to choose Joy is shifting my thoughts to the positive.

 

I in no way have this joy/perfectionism thing perfectly down pat. I have my days when I really don't want to see the positive and my perfectionism comes roaring to the surface. But with God's help I'm learning. I'm taking baby steps forward. And that makes me happy.happy.happy. :)

 

Today I'm very thankful for

 

 

and

 

 

It makes me happy to be aware of the beauty around and to pick out all the positive things in my life.

 

I know my "Joy Journey" will be a challenge, but I'm excited to see how God will work in my life!

 

 



 



Busy Lives Need a Getaway Now and Then

Did you ever get that feeling that life is way to busy and is passing much to quickly?

And when you stop to think about it you realize you are missing out on so many moments.

Moments that you should be laughing and enjoying.

But instead your running here, running there, trying to meet a much to busy schedule.

It might all be good stuff, stuff that needs to be done. But sometimes it just catches up with you!

 

 

 

Summertime seems to do that to us.

Even if you cut stuff out there's always something else there to take it's place.

 

And I think it probably seems worse to me having three little ones to take care of. Seems like I always have something to do and will never catch up :) So sometimes things just don't get done.(this week my house didn't get cleaned. Seriously.)

 

  Friday I was super excited about having a day off of my normal housework and headed to work with Joel. (Let me just say, that if you ever have a chance to head to work with your man, do it! I realize some men have jobs that it's not possible and that's ok. I'm only talking about when it's possible) In our case it is possible for me to work with him every now and then, and I love it! We joke and laugh while we work. And sometimes we discuss the serious things in life. Every now and then we work "shoulder to shoulder." (If you've ever gone through the love and respect series you will understand that term) In our case it means I shut up and we work in silence :) :) :)

Anyway, we had a great day and by the end of the day we had a spontaneous trip to the beach planned. I mentioned the beach and he was thinking along those same lines.(great minds think alike :) ) We had wanted to take the kids sometime this summer anyway.

So we headed home. Hubby booked a motel and I  did only what I needed to get done. That included washing clothes, and doing the rest of the peaches. Which only was a few. And wiping down the toilets (that really is a "need to do!" right?) oh and sweeping the carpets! (I hate carpet filth)

I decided the sticky kitchen floor wasn't a "need to do"! And the layer of dust everywhere wasn't a "need to do" and the lawn...it could wait! 

So Saturday morning found us heading to Savannah with some very excited children.

 

 

We had never been in Savannah before to "vacation." We usually head to Charleston. But with a little coaxing I convinced Joel that it'd be fun to try something new.

Savannah was great. But I do think Charleston is better  ;)

 

 

I love their expressions on this picture! :)

 

We all had a great time. Maddie LOVED it! She ate sand for her lunch...ok, not really. But she did eat sand!

 

We went to Tybee Island. It's a beautiful island with a very nice beach. The beach was packed full. We don't very often go right in the middle of summer like this. Usually our beach trips happen more at the end or the beginning of summer "vacationers." So it probably seemed extra full to us. For the most part it was ok. But when you catch sight of a "couple", who both happen to be the same gender, "enjoying" the beach, it's not quite so pleasant. Anyway, I'll leave it at that.

Lil' "snookum's" did great! She took a good nap in her stroller. I'm just amazed how good she does on weekends like this.

 

Braxton and Hailey absolutely LOVED it. They especially loved when Joel was helping them build sand castles. I don't mind getting dirty, but getting sandy and wet is a whole different story! So I sat in the chair and took in the beautiful sight of "daddy playing with children." :)

We did go "tour" the little town of Savannah. And I was not happy because I forgot the camera in the car. So all day Sunday I didn't get any pictures of anything.
I think our favorite stop was the candy store. We always visit the one in Charleston and Braxton wanted to go there. So we were pleasantly surprised when we stumbled across a cute little candy store in Savannah :)

It was a weekend of memories we made with our little family. Sometimes it's just good to leave the busy-ness of life and pretend like we have no responsibilities! :)
Monday morning we are always reminded that there are plenty responsibilities left to deal with :)

Happy Monday to everyone and may you be blessed with a wonderful week ahead!