Happy 89th Birthday Nana!

Happy 89th Birthday to my Nana (my dad's mom).........We celebrated tonight with a BBQ at my Uncle Reid and Aunt Anne's house.

So thankful that my Nana has been a prayer warrior- someone who has faithfully prayed for her family over the years-

Thank you for the Godly example you continue to be Nana...We all love you very much

 

 

Cutest Curls On The Block!

I think she's got the cutest curls on the block...........

I love you Ellie Marie!

(27 months old)

p.s. Happy 40th Birthday to my Matt!! 

They have no speech yet their voice goes out...

Psalm 19

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 

AMEN!

 

The Demanding Garden Hogs

When my sister in law sat down in the chair in my back yard I saw her gaze suddenly stop.........'Is that a zucchini plant?'  She said it with bigger than usual eyes and with a bit of a raised eye brow.....

After my 'Yes' response, I went on to explain to my sis in law that having zucchini, acorn squash, and pumpkins hogging my back yard was never my intention- they were an afterthought that was meant to 'accessorize' the $100 worth of flowers that I had purchased and planted. 

Not being a gardener by nature, I am not accustomed to what types of plants do what...oh I've planted the cute little pumpkin plant in my front yard each summer so that by fall the leaves will be grown up (the seeds never seemed to produce pumpkins, just leaves) and I would go purchase perfectly rounded pumpkins to place in those leaves....it was always a fun fall decoration that would literally draw a ton of 'are those pumpkins!! Oh how cute' attention.

As my $100 worth of flowers made their way over the scanner at our local plant co op the circular rack of seed packets caught my attention- as an afterthought I grabbed one packet of pumpkin seeds and 2 very small zucchini plants- this purchase added $3. to my bill-  After getting home and planting those beautiful flowers I stood back and told Matt...'I think I am going to plant these pumpkin seeds in front of the flowers- the leaves might add some nice color...while I'm at it I will also plant these 2 zucchini plants too (all in the same area).

Within a week those pumpkin seeds had all sprouted (the packet came with probably 15 seeds).  The zucchini plants seemed to grow an unusual amount in that week also.........by week 2 the $100 worth of flowers were squashed by the ever enlarging leaves of those pumpkins- and it seemed that the zucchini plant was determined to keep growing at an unusual rate......by week 3 the zucchini and pumpkins had hogged the whole flower bed, squashed to never been seen again those expensive flowers, and the zucchini started the daily demand of being picked

Lesson learned.........zucchini and pumpkins are demanding garden hogs!

Matt just asked me if I was going to plant them next year..........

Well ya!  It's flattering to this gal that I could grow anything at all AND if you really want to know the truth I kinda like seeing that huge patch of green in my back yard begging me to pick through it everyday..........the zucchini bread, cake, and steamed with dinner is not that bad either :)

Note to self....zucchini grows super fast and must be picked everyday-
If you miss one day this is what you get :)

I think this is an acorn squash- we have yet to eat one

Last Back to School Pic, A Freshman, & Baseball..

One of the most shocking things about being a mom is the amount of emotion little endings can produce.........little meaning the normal mile stones that all children meet but somehow when they happen to our own children they seem so big........so emotional...........

The below picture will complete the first day of school pictures for my Eli- the first day of 12th grade.... a senior.  I remember starting his 'school book' in 2001, his kindergarten year- The front of his 'school book' has 13 slots for pictures on the front and is labeled 'School Days'- When you pop that first picture in there it is unimaginable that in the blink of an eye all the slots get filled up with those first day of school pictures until one day, today, you pop that last picture in... aaaahhhhhh..........let the tears begin for this mama......#wheredidtimego #soproudofueli #classof2014 #makesthismamacrythatugrewupsofast #iloveukidpup

Yesterday marked my Ryan's first day of his freshman year :)  The high school Ryan attends is separated into 3 different schools (all under the umbrella of the high school).  Ryan choose the school that focuses on public service types of training (Ryan will be taking some agricultural type of classes as he makes his way through high school).  Last year marked some significant academic achievements for our Ryan- He was the first ever in our family to pull down straight A's..........He kept this up and by the end of the school year he had earned an academic excellence award.  While we do not push him to achieve straight A's (we have told our boys they must bring home nothing under a C and must always try their hardest) we were so pleased with Ryan's self motivation of straight A's and hope that he keeps it up!  Over the summer Ry realized that he's got quite a throwing arm and would like to play baseball...from what I hear fall ball will start up this Thurs. night- It will be exciting to see what baseball ends up looking like for him-

Loved seeing everyone's first day of school pictures they took of their kiddo's (on facebook)!!

Hope you are all having a great Wed-

Do Not Be Afraid- Stand Still and See...

I quickly grabbed a book from our church library on Sunday- It is Christian Fiction by an Author I don't know that I've read before (T. Davis Bunn). 
One of the most interesting things about this book is that several times, during the course of 265 pages, you follow the characters into their church and sit through most of a sermon with them...........
Below is an excerpt from one of the sermons 'preached'........hope you enjoy as much as I did :)

'Many of the lessons God wants us to learn are based on the principal of release.  We need to learn to take our hands off of the controls.  When we are at our most desperate and our desire to cling to control is strongest, this is when we most need to let go.  To be willing in faith to take our hands off, and put the experience and the circumstances under the control of God.  Yet, we desperately want to direct our own lives.  It is fear which keeps us from releasing control.  It makes us skeptical and keeps us from believing in the goodness of God.  A moment given over to fear is a moment lost from God.  We are lost in that moment, trapped by fear and doubt and a desperate desire to cling to what we know.
At these times, we can do ourselves the greatest harm by trying to forge ahead alone, governed by our fears, blinded by our terrors and our pains and our pasts.  It is in this moment that release to God is vital..... this is no senseless casting everything to the winds of fate. This is trusting God- putting action to the theory of faith.
Remember when the Israelites were trapped between the forces of Pharaoh and the Red Sea? Moses turned to them and in Ex, 14:13 says 'Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.'
In our impossible times, when our human frailties are greatest, this is when God's power can be strongest.  If only we can release the impossibilities to God, He will work His miracles.  Free yourself from the deadly assumption that you have the strength and the wisdom and the capacity to make the right decisions yourself....Release control to God and step off the cliff of comfort into the unknown...... Hallelujah, AMEN!'  Author T. Davis Bunn (One Shenandoah Winter pg. 219-221)

Keeping it Simple....

Last night Ryan came up with the idea to drag out an old discarded plastic bin and fill it with water- He wanted Ellie to have a swimming pool-  I didn't say anything at the time but was thinking to myself 'she's not gonna like it- I have drug out her giraffe pool time and time again and she hates it- what a waste of money that was...'
When the plastic bin was full of water, Elle's got right in
Wow!
Ryan, Matt, and I could not help but pull up chairs and watch- For a good hour Ellie twisted, twirled, and played in her bin of water...

Later, as I was cleaning up the outside, I came to the bin....as I stood over it, for some reason I started thinking....

It's not the over abundance of
(The over abundance of toys strewn throughout one's house and back yard all in hopes of encouraging both learning and play ignored by our children only to find that an old discarded bin filled with water will entertain for hours.......)
OR
the price spent that determines the fun (or appreciation of)..........
(As a decent amount of dollars and hours are spent picking out 'occasion' gifts by us parents, only to find that the child is more thrilled with the bow off of the wrapping than the actual gift itself)

A 2 year old, enjoying that old discarded bin filled with water...kicking her feet, laying on her back so that her hair can float, giggling at all the splashing she can do is a great reminder to keep it simple and enjoy what we have......

It's not always about bigger, better, or more of........sometimes it's just about appreciating what is already here....

Thank you Elle's for this reminder :)




Thank you Ryan for this adorable pic