The past week went rather quickly. I feel like even though the days are getting longer I’m getting less and less done around here.  There are still plants that need to go in the ground, spent plants that are bolting that need to be pulled and composted, photos that need uploaded and the list goes on and on.  It’s ok, right?  I’ll get around to it and if I don’t the world will still go on.    The flowers are in bloom and they won’t wait until we find the time to stop and admire them.  I’m taking the time and admiring them.

# 398 – 409

girls learning to bake

chocolate chip cookie dough balls – sugar free but oh so sweet !  and gone before I got to go back for seconds!  you can find the recipe here

dropping everything and running out to take photos in the morning

the school year coming to a close – this includes afterschool activities that my girls are a part of

chatting it up with a friend while the kids splash about in the pool

laughing over the phone with long distance friends

sitting down watching movies as a family

a room full of giggles

good music

good finds at Goodwill

finding peace in the fact that since I’m forgiven much I also should forgive

reaching out when others shun

 

An upside down week

Last week was just hard to explain. I think the best way to describe it would be as upside down or just plain out of whack! I had a really big decision to make at the beginning of the week. Well, it had already been made I just had to let people know. I prayed about this for months and months and it took me half the week just to be able to share it. It was a hard thing for me, I didn’t take it lightly but I felt this was where the Lord was leading me. Needless to say it was not received well by all. I should be used to this by now because I’m never received well by all (or even most). I wasn’t prepared though and ended up with very hurt feelings. I thought I went about it in the best way possible because it gave people a time to digest/absorb rather than being put on the spot. I will double think these things next time. Although apologies have been made on both sides it still stings. I can forgive but words are hard to forget. Throughout the week though I did feel a peace about the situation. I think when you follow God, whether others like it or not (or even the way you went about telling them), you will feel at peace about it all and I did. I really did.

Then, the following day came an incident about a portrait. It wasn’t a big deal but I was already on edge. It was worked out. I think mostly because we were both ok with being perfectly honest. And really neither of us were at fault or there really isn’t any blame to be placed. But can I just say here that if you don’t like the photograph you send to an artist to draw of someone I can guarantee that you will not like the drawing? This was the situation. This has been the past two situations with portraits I’ve drawn. The truth is that neither person really noticed the things they didn’t like in the photo until they saw the portrait. Bangs. A funny smile. You really should examine that photograph because the artist most certainly will. We have to, it’s the only way to get the drawing right. If we don’t notice these things the portrait won’t look like the person in the photo. It’s also easier to draw from a person in the flesh than a photo but it can be done well we just need a good foundation to start with. Most portraits I’ve drawn are from nothing close to great photos. That really makes it hard but I do my best with what I’m given.

Last, but not least, today we took a little trip to an amusement park. It was fun. We all enjoyed it but I literally was upside down when my cell phone fell out of my purse and ended up under the ship that was holding us hostage in said upside down position. Not one of us even realized this thing did that! We thought it was like all the other ship rides at parks where you are brought up really high to one side and then the other, rocking back and forth and then coming to a stop. Never had any of us been turned upside down on a pirate ship ride before!! I had my smallest child on one side of me screaming to please let her off the ride and my husband on the other side holding on for dear life and me feeling as if the child was too small and would fall right out of the seat. And my poor husband! He hates any ride that goes in a circle or fast or upside down or whips. . . Basically the only ride he likes is the carousel. Seriously, that’s the only ride he is usually ok with! In the end though we all walked away unscathed and strangely fast when walking past that ship for the rest of the day. It was only a Tracfone so it’s not the end of the world, right?

All this to say that no matter what’s going on. No matter where we are in life. There is always something to praise God about. An upset friend put me in more prayer this week as every time the situation came to mind I prayed for peace. A portrait that didn’t sit well gave me the opportunity to be honest and for others to be honest with no one having hard feelings. A phone decimated under an amusement park pirate ship gave me the opportunity to show my kids how to handle things calmly after a week of stress in the house.

# 386 – 397

for quiet moments stolen away from the world to help me catch my breath

the peace that truly does pass all understanding

forgiving

radio turned off and chatting it up in the car on long car trips

a good deal

friends that check up

calmness when things feel out of control (or maybe out of my control)

mix it up Icees – I honestly hate the things they taste too sweet for me but the rest of my family loves them and LOVED being able to mix flavors they never see together

stomach dropping roller coaster rides with girls who giggle and hold on for dear life

being absorbed in whatever it is at the moment – family, photography, a good movie with the girls, art. . .

17 years of marriage – it has been a great journey so far and I’m thankful for such a great husband. who else could put up with me and all my craziness? this man has been so calm and loving with me all these years, I don’t even know how he does it but I am so very thankful he does

love – just love

Counting those blessings

It’s been a cool and rainy few days. I can always tell when we REALLY need the weather to break by the girls arguing. I think it’s pretty normal but I also hope the weather warms soon. In the midst of all the craziness and cold weather and arguing there’s always time to stop and praise God. That’s what I’m doing today – praising God for all the good in the turmoil of all this life’s struggles.

374 – 385

the smell of honeysuckle floating through the air

photos of my cousin’s children that I have yet to meet

thumbprints on a heart made to hang around my neck

a lovely fruit salad made for lunch

truths revealed

funny videos cousins send – so many times we see the down side of technology but I see the good in technology every week watching my children interact with their cousin

rainy days

veggies over tortillas

girls with blogs. . . and stories. . . and recipes. . . and camera in hand

playing with clay and paint and glass

field day with fellow homeschoolers

making new, likeminded friends

Blessings

# 368 – 373

new life emerging – I see this constantly now in the greenhouse and around the property and, yes, a friend just had a baby

holding a two day old baby (and not having to give her up quickly )

taking photos in the morning when the dew is still wet

a new job – J started a new job. it’s temp to possible hire but I just see it as a blessing.

watching the girls skate together down the stree – we’ve had these skates sitting around for at least a year and I was actually thinking of getting rid of them because they weren’t getting used! they found them last week and have been skating since then. they know how to skate but one pair was inline skates, which were new to M. as a matter of fact my youngest went to a friend’s house with me today and there were a pair of inline skates she was selling for a friend. she’s been pondering them ever since I told her I wasn’t buying them for her and I think she’s decided on them. i’ll keep you updated on how she does on them.

girls with skinned knees who get back up and keep going

Blessings

This past week has been full of blessings. Not that other weeks are not but I guess it just felt like one of those really blessed weeks, ya know? A friend and her daughter came for a visit. Now that doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary except that we are the best of friends and haven’t seen each other for over 8 years!!! That’s a long time to “visit” on the phone weekly! We had the opportunity to hang out downtown, take in a movie, play some games, start a few hikes (don’t ask), shop a bit, make some crafts and laugh together. It was nice for us each to get to know the other’s girls a little better. Of course, we know the kids through what we tell each other but nothing beats meeting them in person and enjoying their company. I must admit that I’m a little disappointed in the lack of photos since none of our girls were really into it and everything went so fast that we didn’t have much time to plan a photo shoot. All in all it was a fast but great week!

We also have finished everything that needed to be finished around here and as of today our house is officially on the market! I’m excited, nervous and relieved all at once. My hope is that it would sell quick but I know that it’s not my plan that determines things in life so I’ll try my hardest to be patient. Patience is a virtue (so I hear).

I ended up with another art class. I wasn’t sure as of the end of last week but found out the day before that I had a preschool art class. Preschoolers are great They’re so hard to judge. You never know if they’ll take an hour on a project or 5 minutes, whether they’ll love it or dismiss it. I love the honesty that comes from small children and the excitement they have for life an new things!

And last but not least J got hire for a job yesterday. He starts next week. We are very thankful for him to find something so quick. It is currently a temp job but he was told that after a few months they typically hire people on full time. Ultimately, it’s whatever God has in store so we’ll just wait and see where we’re led from here.

# 355 – 367

visits with old friends – in person

watching happy girls laugh together

getting things crossed off the to-do list

nice weather

hugging friends for the first time in years

enjoying a little nature together

art projects to hold memories of special times with friends

making new friends – this always seems to happen right before we move, we seem to make several friends quickly before a move. I have no idea why this is but it’s a pattern I’ve seen over the years.

a friend giving birth to a healthy 8lb 12oz baby girl just this morning

pain I feel for someone who is sick- I know this may seem like a strange praise but I’m thankful we’re in touch because we weren’t on speaking terms for years. I’m not thankful she’s in pain. My heart aches and cries out to the Lord for her – for her health to improve, for her to come to know the Lord, for her to survive this terrible disease!! But I’m thankful I can cry out to God for her. For anyone. That God gives us that one on one with Him to be honest and talk.

being able to give to someone in need

having groups that I can be honest on without feeling that I will be judged – there aren’t that many groups I’m in that I feel this.

girls eating chicken for breakfast – another strange praise but I see myself in this as I’ve never liked breakfast foods for breakfast

Blessings

This past week has been amazing. It’s hard to explain but it has. Life is throwing us curve balls but God is working through it all.

# 347 – 354

seeing God’s timing in action, over and over again – in the course of a few days last week there were so many instances. if I could actually put it into words I could write a whole post about it.

the awe of knowing who is in control in my life

friendly conversations where it’s ok to disagree – when I see arguements on the social media sites, it truly makes me thankful that I have this

apple trees flowering – we just put them in the ground last fall so we haven’t had the pleasure of watching them bloom until now

being able to walk away

a clean room – wish I could say a clean house but right now it’s one room at a time and I’ll take it

spring rain

knowing we’re almost there

Giving Thanks

No matter what is going on in our lives there’s always the bigger picture. God is always there and always working. I think sometimes we get our biggest blessings by giving thanks even when our hearts are breaking. I know for me it helps me to see beyond my circumstances and realize that things are better than they appear and I’m still being blessed in so many ways. Today I count those blessings, big and small, and give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow.

332 – 346

dew drops on plants in the morning

the colors of spring (even if it isn’t officially spring yet)

for being the lucky guinnea pig when my daughter has made something new – this time shampoo bars!!

preschoolers painting themselves, giggling helplessly

making new friends

girls with etsy shop excitedly making and offering

for dandelions, those flowers that everyone should love but most consider a pest

a husband that gives all he can and then some

God’s provisions and guidance, even when we don’t know what the future holds or where He’ll lead us from here

my daughter being blessed with a free course that isn’t in the budget for us right now

nice weather

getting our hands dirty

snapping photos

a happy home

bugs dancing their jigg on flowers while they do their thing

Random Happenings (and Monday’s blessings)

Through all life’s trials and troubles God is there to see us through. Lately life has been crazy and busy and fun and artsy and chaotic and fast. We’ve been lovin’ it, hatin’ it, enjoyin’ it, and really just goin’ with it. It’s been warm and then cold and then warm and back to cold again. You can check out a bit of what I’ve been up to here.

322 – 331

seedlings sprouting – peppers, tomatoes, cumin, artichokes, lettuces (I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting)

paint on our clothes, in our hair, on our face

sisters laughing together

riding on the back of Little A’s scooter

homemade chocolate bars

bouquet from a little one

lasagna right out of the oven

knowing we’re not alone

chatting with friends

writing with my sister

watching Big A develop her talents (of which she has many)

It’s that time again

Well, it’s still Monday and I’m actually getting to my post! I think that’s pretty good for me!

It’s that time of year again. Yeah, that’s right, it’s time to get the gardening going. My goal this week is to get soil blocks made and seeds started. I kept my seed ordering down this year trying to use what I already have before the seeds go bad. I am planning on trying my hand at seed saving this year. Although, I’ve really liked the lasagna gardening it’s now January and I still haven’t gotten all the beds “lasagna-ed” so I’m going to try the biointensive garden method and see how that does for us. It’s a double digging method. I have checked out the few books I could find through the library on building up healthier soil and this method seems like it might work the best for me. Time will tell but I’m excited to see how it works out.

I have to tell this story because it’s been on my mind. Last week we went to the local home improvement store to just browse which we do often. Anyway, there were all these paints sitting there at the paint counter with free taped on them. Well, I couldn’t believe no one had snagged them up so I did. They were the smaller sample sized paints. We started looking around and J found a nice faux finish on clearance for 1/4 of the regular price. So of course we started trying to figure out what to have it tinted and what room to use it in. Well, J left to get a cart and as I was looking I made a comment to the lady at the paint counter that I took all her free paint. She said she was happy to get rid of it and she was always trying to clean out under the counters. I then told her that I was starting some craft parties with the teenage girls. Upon hearing this she got under the counter and pulled out some nice sparkley paints and said teenage girls love this stuff! I had to share this because there are times when we feel like there really aren’t nice people walking around but things like this really make you realize that there are a lot of really nice people still left out there. It really left quite an impression on me that she was so thoughtful and kind. It just goes to show that there are always ways God is blessing us through others!

314 – 321

laughing so hard your stomach hurts

crafting it up around the house

seeds waiting to be dropped into the dirt

paint techniques that work the first time

good advice

people who take the time to help those we love

a new season

a hot cup of decaf once in a while

This past week felt like a wind just circling around me as I stood in the middle of it all and watched. It was a good week though and I enjoyed it.

I am starting a monthly craft get together for my girls & some of their friends so the oldest and I made up a few of the pendants to see how they’d turn out. We both really like them and we’ve been wearing ours ever since they dried. We’re still searching around for a good craft idea for next month so if anyone has any ideas pass them our way!

In a week full of rushing there is still much to slow down and be thankful for.

# 302 – 313

for friends with grain mills who let you come over with yoru bag of wheat berries

the paint lady at the local home improvement store that happily pulls out old paints to pass along for free

gardening books

chit chatting with friends while the kids play loudly in the next room

a “new to us” sewing machine passed along by a friend

chocolate mint lotion bars that my daughter made and gladly gave me one to try out

cleaning up the kitchen with the whole family as the music plays loudly

thunder and lightning

a little girl with a video camera

earring swapping sisters

learning about chickens and dreaming about spring

hot tea on cold nights