Wednesday, August 26, 2009

We get by with a little camping with friends...

We love this family....if you know what I mean. ;)

Don't you hate it when people use inside jokes on their blogs?? Cause that's totally what I'm doing.

Well, then I'll tell you that we had some serious fun....that's what she said. ;)

Okay, okay!! How about I just show you?

The fun...not the inside joke. The joke is really not a big secret. Just us, being silly. Cause silly is fun.

Al
most
THERE!
Found us some beach babes.:)
Someone forgot the zoom was zoomed in. I'll pretend you can't see who that someone was.
One word: CREVICES

7 boys. 3 girls.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside ocean...

And if you get the choice to sit it out or dance....I hope you dance!!
We met Dusty Sandy Bottoms while we were there. (Sadly, Lucky Day and Ned Nederlander were no where to be found.)
And his band The Beach Piggies.
We roasted marshmallows, ate s'mores, told "ghost stories" (which interestingly enough, all had to do with Scooby-Doo), made our Jiffy Pop (You know the ones...big foil dome.) over the campfire, talked, and laughed. But my fingers were too sticky and my eyes burning from campfire smoke to get pictures. Trust me, though, it was good times.

And we left.
Tired.
But happy.
And full. Cause we stopped at one of our fave places to eat at the coast.
And with sand in crevices.
And mouths. The End.


P.S. Are you dizzy yet from all those pictures?? Well, if you want to permanently damage your retinas (doesn't that sound appealing?) you can see some more of our beautiful coast and our past trips to it. Cause you know that will make your day....if you know what I mean....









Monday, August 24, 2009

Sometimes...

Sometimes...when the day is beginning, I just want to crawl back in bed and spend the day there. For brief moments I wish it was quiet and I was alone and responsibility free. I would "call in sick", roll over, and sleep for 13 hours like I did in college...if my 30+ year old back wouldn't scream at me later.

Sometimes...I wish I could rewind and start all over with my children. Same kids. Different mom. A mom who was always calm, always tender, always even tempered, always had her head on straight and her priorities in the right place, always willing to say "Yes!" instead of "No" or "Just a minute!" (but that minute never comes) to the request of a book read or a game played...instead I'll remember that I'm forgiven, today is a new start, and there's still time.

Sometimes...I look for satisfaction in other things. Things that will leave me still hungry and still thirsting. Things that I KNOW will not fulfill. Stubbornly looking away from that which will quench my thirst. SO glad He has a hold of me, cause sometimes I "forget" to hold tight to Him.

Sometimes...I wonder how a God like Him could possibly still be giving chances to a girl like me...but then He sends His Word (sometimes even through other's words) to remind me of His love, His grace, His comfort, His goodness, His power, my salvation, my place in His family, and my hope.

Sometimes...I rush through my time with Lord, to get to the other things I want to be doing. Fulfilling a duty instead of being devoted to Him. What does my life show that I'm devoted to? Him? Or time spent cleaning house, putting everything in it's place (a hundred times a day), finding just the right outfit for me or the kids, blogging, having my computer time, not missing certain T.V. shows, over indulging in food?

What I really need to be doing is engaging in a perpetual staring contest with my Everything. Not breaking my gaze. Lord, I want to be captivated by You. Ev.ery.day. So much so that I am completely filled up by You to the point of You spilling out of me. So full of You that there's nothing left of me. So full of You that it's You people see. So full of You that it's only You I see.

Captivated by You
I am captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my gaze
I become more like You and my heart is changed
Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my view
Transform me into the likeness of You

(Lyrics/Music by Vicky Beeching)


Friday, August 21, 2009

pardon the dust sand

...I'm still cleaning it out of crevices, the dryer lint trap, carseats, pants, and the ziplock of goldfish crackers.

I'll be back soon to post about our adventures of late.

Maybe today.

Maybe next week.

Maybe...eventually, anyway.



Saturday, August 15, 2009

What kind of wax is it?

Emma was getting ready to tattle on Lincoln ONCE AGAIN when I politely *ahem* asked her to mind her own business.

I overhear her say, "Hee. Hee. Yeah, mind your own business wax".

I THEN overhear big brother correcting her and saying, "Nooo. (Can't you just hear his tone?) It's not business wax, it's bizneez wax, Emma".

Good thing we're not the kind of parents that ever tell our children to mind their own bizneez wax....or business wax....or whatever....


Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Double Victory

I have bangle bracelet challenged hands.

There. I said it.

I can squeeze. I can contort. But those things will just.not.slip.on.

I've even been known to slather them up, just so I can accessorize properly. But to no avail.

I've had to face the facts. And resort to "stretchy" wrist candy. But sometimes its just.not. the same.

So when I won the little bloggity giveaway that was going on at my new, like-old friend Amber's blog, I was cautiously excited. Excited, because I love to win. And well, I did. Excited because it was coming from this sweet gal who shares a state with my sweet Grandma. Excited because the prize was ridiculously cute. But cautious because, well, I think I just covered that and I'd rather not keep talking about a painful and traumatic subject.

And when that package arrived in my mail, I excitedly ripped it open, momentarily forgetting my challenged hands....until I tried to put it on, that is. How was I going to proudly model my loot if I couldn't get it on my dad-gum wrist?! It wouldn't work as an anklet. Wearing it on a chain around my neck was out, unless I wanted to bust a cap and go all gangsta on ya head. (Um, or however that goes.) And I'm pretty sure my hubby would never approve me getting it turned into a nose ring. So I found myself in a little pickle.

However, I'm not one to give up easily. At least not for the sake of fashion. So I waited a couple hours for the swelling (caused by trying to force it on) to go down before I tried again. I squeezed and I squeezed that thumb and pinkie together in hopes of victory. And just when I was about ready to give up, have a good cry, and confess my lameness to Amb, it slipped on! (And by "slipped on" I mean "scrapped and left marks that might be gone by next year".) If I hadn't been in my car, not much could have stopped me from doing a little jig in honor of wrist candy that quite possibly may have become a permanent feature to my person.

I also almost broke out singing "High School Musical" songs in my mic at worship team practice last night, but that's another subject entirely.

Instead I'll leave you with the poor quality phone picture that I snapped of myself after one of my life's greatest achievements. (tongue in cheek) And I won't tell you that it only took me 15 tries to get a picture that didn't make me gag (because I've already established that I stink at self portraits), or that I edited the snot out of this one just to make it presentable.

Well, there you go. Me in all my blingy goodness. Thank you, Amber!!! SO GLAD I didn't have to say, "Return to Sender"...

***************************

Updated: ...because, well, it has actually taken me almost a month to finish this post and hit publish....

I'll have you know that you CAN teach old dogs new tricks, because I'm managed to get my bracelet past my formerly bangle challenged hands several more times since that fated day...and my wrists and outfits thank me...and Amber.:)




Tuesday, August 11, 2009

(insert picture)

I think I'm a seasoned blogger. Not great. Not well known. But seasoned. Which is why this weekend while away I was sorely disappointed by my lack of blogger attention to detail. Otherwise read as, I didn't take one.stinkin.picture. (Hanging head in shame.) My intentions were good. My camera,with it's purposely fully charged battery, was ready and waiting in the purse that it was banished to the entire weekend. A weekend that was full of all kinds of picture worthy moments.

This trip found us heading over the mountains to the area that we lived in for 3+ years before we moved back to our current town about a year ago. Visiting some great friends. Friends that have never failed to make us feel loved, appreciated, or special. Friends that would almost bring us to tears by selflessly taking time out of his day to, unbeknownst to us, go over to our house that any day now we have high hopes of selling is another victim to the tanked housing market and sits empty and neglected, and mow the grass hay, clean up junk, and cut his way through the jungle that is our weeds mature wild trees. Friends that would do this because they knew we were going to have to take a day of our weekend to go over there and "git 'er dun". Friends that would host a BBQ just so we could see and visit with some of our other friends that we left behind and miss. Friends that would put up with our idiosyncrasies. Friends that would keep our dog for us until we could find a rental that would let us bring her home. Friends that....fill in the blank.

We talked about getting a group picture of both our families.

(insert picture that was not taken by that sorry excuse of a seasoned blogger.)

I thought several times of snapping pics of all 6 kiddos playing in the pool, skippin' around the backyard, typing on the "old" garage sale typewriter, stretched out over almost every square inch of a bedroom when it was time to go to sleep, licking up Push-Ups before the sun could melt them, sneaking chips, giggling, fighting one minute and being best buds the next, sharing gum, writing "stories", playing games, making each other laugh.

(insert incredibly adorable, memory heavy pictures that were not taken by that sorry excuse of a seasoned blogger.)

A few times I headed to get the camera to take pictures of all our friends eating, chatting, laughing, reconnecting at the "Friends" BBQ.

(Insert picture that never made it on to my camera because of that sorry excuse of a seasoned blogger.)

Should have made an effort to get some pictures of our visits with Nana and our other very missed friends.

(Insert the shoulda, woulda, coulda, pictures that will never exist now because of that sorry excuse of a seasoned blogger.)

Our time there went too fast.
And so it drew to a close with nary a picture.

Oh and one last thing, since we got approval from the owner of our rental to bring our dog, Star (Don't blame me. Apparently my kids prefer grocery store stranger's suggestions for names over their own mother's. I'm not bitter.), home to live with us, we planned to pick her up while we were visiting. When Billy said to get in the car, she must have thought he said, "Get on the hood of our friend's suburban". (She gets her hearing from her Daddy. Ahem.) There she was, while we all just laughed and stared in disbelief that this had actually happened. A big black dog perched on the hood of a big, white suburban. Owners and friends standing there amazed at her cat-like skillz. Gives a whole new meaning to the words "hood ornament", doesn't it?

And if I was any kind of dedicated blogger there would be a picture showcasing this funny and highly unusual event. Alas, the blogger has left the building her brain elsewhere.

Ooorrr...

It's quite possible and highly probable that I was just enjoying a fun-filled, relaxing, rejuvenating, friendiful (I like made up words. They make me happy.) weekend without worrying about snapping pictures every second of every day.

And that's OK.
And that was good.
And our weekend was good.
And the fellowship was good.
And the weather was good.
And the food was good.
And the scenery was good.
And the friends...are some of the best!

(Insert picture that I hold in my head of my smiling, beautiful family and friends)

It's just a shame you can't see it.....




Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Monday, August 3, 2009

Monday Gladitudes



A newish bloggy friend, Gretchen, knows the importance of being glad and having the right attitude in life. So how could I not join her?! There's just too many blessings in life to not show my "gladitude" for them and to the One Who grants them.

So on to my gladdies...


1 ~ I am so glad for His Word. I am thankful for it's teaching, admonishing, and encouragement. I'm grateful that He has given us this as a means to know Him better. Why do I struggle at times to be in it daily, when all I ever am after being in it is humbled, filled, and glad?

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you..."Col. 3:16a


2 ~ As crazy and weird as it may sound, I was glad today as I was paying my bills. Oh, I wasn't at first. In fact, I was feeling like complaining because I was thinking that the one month I thought we would have something leftover, a few unexpected expenses just happened to pop up. But before I could get very far, I was reminded to be thankful that those curve balls came in a month when there WAS extra. It wasn't very long ago that we weren't sure how we would buy milk and I'm complaining that I don't have a little extra money?! May it never be!! He has blessed us greatly with a roof over our heads, clothes on our bodies (which you all can add to your "glads"!), and food to eat! We are blessed indeed.


3 ~ I am gladder than glad, glad beyond measure, overflowing with gladness that my sweet, dear friend, Summer was granted her heart's desire...to be a mama! After many years of infertility, God answered Summer and Mike's prayers in an amazing, special way. Their hearts have welcomed a beautiful little girl into their family!

This special lady was meant to be a mama, and God had someone very special in mind. Baby Moriah is blessed beyond measure to call this amazing woman "mama" and God has blessed them abundantly with this sweet babe. They prayed for a child. He answered. In His time. In His way. Perfectly. Only God could have orchestrated Moriah being born into their waiting arms and hearts. He chose them for each other, and if that's not something to be glad about, I don't know what is. We can't even contain our gladness for you, Mike, Summer, and Moriah!!!
At the shower that we (Karyn, Mya, and I) recently threw for Summer and Moriah, Karyn gave Summer this poem that she found and it says it in words so beautifully...

"Not flesh of my flesh,
nor bone of my bone
but still miraculously my own
never forget -not for a minute-
you weren't born under my heart
but in it."

And this picture portrays it perfectly...
And as for me having another little babe to hold? Well, that's just the gladdy goodness on top!
I did have to share her, though, and was I glad about that? I don't have to answer that.
There are probably eleventy hundred more things that I could share that have me all gladified, like the $2 pair of almost new school jeans I found for Will at Goodwill, or that we get to spend some days this weekend visiting some good friends, or that I have 3 healthy, beautiful children, or that God has blessed me with new friends that feel like old friends, or that it's summer, the sun is shining, and my kids have those really cute tan lines, or that I have two friends who are pregnant with prayed for babies, or that I rode that ride (even though it made me sick) with my son while he still wants me to do things like that with him, or that it's no longer 108 degrees outside (cause that was too hot, even for me) but, instead, I'll just leave you with these 3 things.:)

Thanks for listening while I played "The Glad Game"!

..............I know I left "Pollyanna" laying around here somewhere...................................