It can't be...

that it has been four months (FOUR???) since I have posted on the blog!!! Shame on me - not a very good historian for the family through this method right now.  Things are CRAZY busy but aren't we all - I won't glorify busy - it's not what life should be about and once these last few weeks of school are over there will be some MAJOR shifts in commitments and priorities.  And to be honest, it's not the desire that is lacking, it's my seeming inability to say NO.  there are things I want (and need) to do but I committed to some days of work way before Christmas and it's not a good idea to go back on one's word - not Christian at all:)  So, I hope to share some things as I go along but I wanted to share one thing with you and in that hope to keep the fires alive until I can fan them without distractions. 

I read a book called "7 - an experimental mutiny against greed and excess"  by Jen Hatmaker.  I am not usually one to read "self-help" books (most days don't feel like I am the one to be helping myself - it's too big a job honestly) but this one came highly recommended to me and I thought it was a book on de-cluttering your life - HA! - I think after reading the book (and a second book by her, though it was written first) I believe Jen (I feel i know her well enough to call her by her first name:) probably knew that this book was life altering for anyone willing to be altered.  Even though I think those of us who first pick it up arent quite ready for the "seams" to come unraveled.  however, they did.

if you are ready for a change, to stop standing on the edge (even if you think you are already doing it "all right") - i would recommend this book.  it is not for the faint at heart or the arrogant - or maybe it is for the arrogant and maybe you won't be after reading it.  i do want to warn you that if you are a Christian in America - which I'm assuming you are (the America part) - this book will hit you hard, in the gut, or maybe in the wallet.  be ready for some conviction (guilt) and a host of other eye-opening emotions.

most of all, i hope you are changed.  not for a day, or a week, but forever - as i have been.



this is tyrone.  he is homeless and needs your prayers for healing of an ulcerated wound on his leg.  he is the first of many whom we hope to show the love of our Lord. 

if you read the book, please comment.  if you have read the book, i would love to talk to you about how you were changed.  i am totally open to criticism of the book.  i am trying not to be afraid to question the things that i have always just taken someone else's words for.

i want to journey through this life, living like Jesus would if he were here today.  i could go on and on but this is enough for today.  hoping to hear from you all soon - i would loan you my copy of the book but i can't part with it.  if you want to read it but don't have the funds - i will buy it for you - i'm just that serious!

Christmas Mayhem.....

so, this may be my first post ever without a picture - or at least in a long time.  Right now I just want to purge my brain - which by the way is in severe overdrive.  My house is somewhat clean.  The presents are unwrapped - and were adored!  We did our very best to include the reality of the day.  However, I feel distressed and a bit sad.  I am sad because of how relieved I am that this day is OVER!  Why do we feel this way?  Surely I can't be the only one?!? 

 I didn't feel the greatest today physically...but felt I was ready emotionally.  Honestly, I knew I shouldve spent some time with the good Lord but it just all moved so quickly.  One of the challenges of hosting the day.  Emotions are a hard thing to control at times.  These last two years have often been more than my fragile heart can handle.  Honestly, I feel very weak and more than vulnerable.  I often feel I have no control...which is true to an extent....I can only control me.  And even though that sounds great....the reality is often hard.  I want to fix.  i want to help.  I want to participate in the healing...but you can't force anyone to do anything they don't want to.  And truth is, you can't keep them from doing things either.  people move through life without asking your permission.  They think of themselves.  It is hurtful but what can you do. 

You pray!  You talk yourself off the ledge...daily....hourly....even more often when needed.  You cry. At the most unexpected times. You try to put on a happy face - which probably doesn't fool anyone.  You pray some more.  and you must let go and whatever you do, you must hold only to the Lord's hand.  I am pretty excited about a new year.  The chance for the dust to settle.  The older I get the more I know that nothing is the same forever - I have one really big wish for 2013 - for healing.  Healing in all our hearts.  Healing in our relationships. Healing so that we can all do what it is that we may be called to do which is LOVE.  Love as Christ has loved us - unconditionally.

Wishing you and yours the very best of the rest of 2012 and a Healing Start to 2013.

Thank you Mr. Columbus...

for sailing those huge, stormy oceans to come find America! We loved celebrating with an AMAZING day at the State Park.  We had lots of fun and couldn't have asked for a better time. 

 

Check out these kiddos jumping off the dunes...it was a HUGE drop off...nothing like I had ever seen before...kids clearly don't care about getting sand in those place that shouldn't have sand - HA!

 

The "natural" wildlife was something I hadn't experienced at the State Park either.  Raccoons were all over the jetties - someone had brought them a dozen old eggs and boy they weren't scared of anything.  Even took some from mason's hand - until his mother yelled about rabies and threatened to go home if they didn't stay away...mean mommy!

Mason loved a bit of the solitute which always intrigues me...friends to play with and yet...at some point... he always takes a moment (or two or three) away....i love that he knows when its time to just be by himself.(or with the raccoons:)

The butterflies were in abundance - clearly it shall be winter soon:)

He didn't catch one that big but he sure was excited to see the fish among the pools within the rocks of the jetties. They played for literally hours on that pile of rocks.  I was a wreck hoping no one fell, busted their head, and then drown...but they enjoyed themselves which makes me enjoy myself.

Again, Thank you Mr. Columbus for discovering this amazing place - we truly are blessed, blessed, blessed to live in such a beautiful place:)

Honestly - I can't keep up!

That ever expanding "to - do " list is gonna be the death of me! I love it, I hate being bored, hate not having a list but at times it just gest a bit too long.  Lately I've done better at letting some things go and trying to focus on the "must do " things....like science projects, math homework, taxi time, and keeping my house from looking like a bomb went off in it:)  My husband would probably say that one hasn't happened just yet!

 

I have tried to get some of the decorating done since we recently painted the half bath - I think I mentioned that???  It is super cool with a two tone wide gray stripe.  We updated the sink with chrome fixtures and I hung this cool subway art I did.  This is something I have wanted to do for a while but in my mind I couldn't figure a quick way to do it.  Then it came to me - scrapbook letters of different sizes and shapes - seriously?? why so long - it's not genius but I love this little thing.  Mostly American Crafts foam alphabets in different colors.  I love the splash of yellow (the handtowel is yellow too!) 

 

Some fall decor has FINALLY made it out at our house.  Since we don't do halloween, I wait as long as possible because dear heavens I am soooo tired of pumpkin stuff by Thanksgiving I can barely stand it.

 

This little set up is new but I like it ALOT! Right in the entry way by the piano - just all casual like:)

 

We had a fun Skate Factory party this past weekend to celebrate Miss Taylor's 6th Birthday - OMG I can't believe how big all these kiddos are getting.  Here is her with her Daddy....

 

 

 And with Mommy and "Babby"..  This day may or may not have ended up with the hubby in the walk-in clinic for x-rays....he may or may not have been acting a little bit silly (and competitive)....all is well now but man he isn't a teenager anymore!

 

 

And this is what most of our Saturdays look like .... lots and lots of soccer for us! Love it!!!

 

Thanks for making it all the way through this post - it's been a crazy time for us but its also been full of great memories and learning experiences.  I will share more of that later when I can put some of it to words.  Happy Wednesday:)

Catching up...

so one day I'm gonna find that company to print my blog into a book so i can have all these wonderful things written down for our family history book.  We began school THREE weeks ago and I chose not to have first day of middle school pictures in lieu of being on time to the first day of middle school. 

 

So I think these are maybe day 3 of middle school but at least it shows it.  This blog may be a bit weird for you but it's a history book for us with a few things that I don't want to forget. 

 

Like... this look.  Can you just hear the "MOOOOM, can you hurry up already"

Then the "OK, I will smile great so you will quit - I just LOVE this face!  have we had challenges, throw-downs, and melt-downs?? oh my Lordy yes! but, at the end of the day, he is amazing!!! He loves harder than most adults I know and no matter how many times I lose Mother of the Year - he still loves me - I am truly blessed!!!

 Here is the sweet girl - she is snarky, energetic, my word is she self-confident (maybe a little too much so) and she is scared of very little (except the chicken pox shot she got yesterday that reduced her to full blown tears in the dr.'s office)  She might be a bit nervous about middle school but she would never, ever blow her cool calm and collected cover.... and I mean NEVER!!!

 This is funny to me...here is the back story....she HATES.HATES.HATES to be touched while taking the picture.  DO NOT put your arm around her.  He knows this and that's why you can see the sneaky look in his eyes.  I spared you that one where she was fussing at him but believe it took a ton of pics to get...

 this one!  You can still see the look of angst on her face.  silly girl.

 here is day three of the third grade...excited and ready to go!

school has been TOUGH to say the least.  if we were quitters or unsure of God's will...we would have pulled them week two and been at their zoned school.  However, we are NOT quitters and we KNOW we are where we are supposed to be for now....so we continue to tread water...barely!!!

 

The good Lord knows when you need a break - so he sent Tropical Storm Isaac.  We had a fun stay at home day with the little cousins...we had NO rain... so we swam, finger painted, and swam some more:)

Relaxation at it's best:)

a side note to our ridiculous homework load - when i say ridiculous - i AM NOT KIDDING!!! last wednesday David worked with Abbi for more than two hours - see what I mean by ridiculous??? BUT... they had their first math test on Friday and guess what we scored....89 and a 95!!!! a 95 in a class where she was scoring F's - more than one - I was so excited I nearly soiled my pants!!! way to go kiddos - super, duper, proud:)

Papers, Papers Everywhere!!!

So when you have little ones (which I still do - sorta) you have tons of papers showing all their achievements, awards, progress reports, drawings, etc.  Clearly one could never display it all.  I actually do not keep it all (GASP!) but sort through and pick the "best of the best" to keep.  Don't tell my kiddos though cause I'm not sure they have that figured out entirely:)

So what to do once you've narrowed that GINORMOUS pile down?  Scrapbook them.  In a pocket.  I know this isn't the first time I have shared an idea like this but with school a mere 3 days, 9 hrs and 40 minutes away (who's counting, right?) I figured this is a great time to revisit school scrapbooking pages and techniques.  Here is a page I completed this am.

I love the kraft and black with just the pop of red.  I cut the kraft paper down enough that the black shows behind it but the papers still fit in it without going beyond the page border - hate when that happens.  I have been known to cut some of the extra off the bottoms/tops of pages to make them fit to 12x12.  Again, please don't tell my kids!

I used Jenni Bowlin letters here for the school year and I found some old school notebook paper and printed the Dr. Seuss quote onto it.  I love this quote - it's all about your decisions and choices.  Dr. Seuss was a VERY wise man! Love his birthday week at school alot!!!

I used staples (very school-ish) to adhere the pocket - this time I used two on each spot just to change it up and the bow gives it a girly look since this was for, you guessed it, a girl:)

This technique could be used for any type of papers, or flat memorabilia, and can be adapted for all ages.  Hope you use this next time you need to store some goodies.

Thanks for looking - have a great day - it's about to flood here. again. so ready for crisp, dry air and cooler temps!

Not really MIA...

Just a little out of pocket for a bit... I wanted to share some pics with you of our vacation in an effort to get back to normal.  School starts in a week (eeekkk!!!) and we plan to start a version of a school style routine next week so this is the perfect jumping off point. 

We went back to Blue Ridge, GA( here/) last week and stayed in an amazing cabin, on the same creek as last year and enjoyed alot of family time.  We started our Sunday am off with Preacher Braden reading to us from Genesis about the creation.  I must tell you this is one special little guy.  He came up with his own "message" and it was super amazing.  He did pray about it first.  It was serile to be staring out at such amazing creation and think about how it was in the very beginning.  We ended with a prayer by the preacher who asked us "not to let Jesus be finished with us yet" - can you say there was not a dry adult eye on the porch.  We ended with praise and worship - AMAZING!

on a funny note: As we all left the porch headed back in, Abbi says - "fellowship with your neighbor before you leave"  We thought we would die laughing!

Not sure if he qualified as a church mouse or not but he was still pretty quiet (and cute!)

This was the scene for a large portion of the week - CREEK LIFE for sure!

God's beauty and peaceful babblings...

His favorite thing - swimming up stream - Michael Phelps in the making???

I spent ALOT of time like this, trying to explore while not breaking anything - currents were strong in some places - still have multiple scars to show for the fun:)

I will share the other half of our adventure in the next few days - tons to do to get ready for school and I have a little scrapbooking that got delayed due to a very difficult week this week.  If our family comes across your mind, please pray, transitions at this point are MANY and difficult.  THANKS!