What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Friday, June 28, 2013

Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny AddieMae








 
 
Well, I've done it before, so I guess you shouldn't be surprised by now.

I WOULD have posted only one picture of Miss Adyay if she hadn't, when I snapped the first shot, decided to make a million funny faces and then erupt in laughter at her own hilariousness.

I wanted to take a picture of this girl in the Mama-made bright orange shirt because I remember another girl in it not so long ago.  WHY didn't I get a picture back then?  And more importantly, where did the time go?

And now, she has spotted me as I post them and stands behind my left shoulder as I type, laughing once again at the cleverness of HER.

One to grow on~


Thursday, June 27, 2013

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

{Pretty}







I really am such a slacker when it comes to the 'pretty' theme.  I always do the simplest thing-flowers.  Flowers are so gorgeous all by themselves, they require no artistic eye whatsoever.  I can't help myself.

{Happy}





The children are enjoying uninterrupted play time this week and I have enjoyed seeing where their free time takes them.  ALWAYS outdoors.  (That is one benefit of not having air-conditioning....there is no draw to stay cool inside.)

{Funny}





When we can't seem to find a good movie for movie night, we have taken to watching an episode or two of Gilligans Island.  Can you tell?

{Real}


The grill is now officially my kitchen again.  Every day something good comes from it.  


round button chicken

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Rainbows
















I found a rainbow in my pictures and it got me thinking.  I realized that the pot of gold isn't always at the end of the rainbow-but in the rainbow seeking.

Sometimes I think so much about what I should do next- that I forget to see what wonderful opportunities there are to do right here.  Where I am.

Sometimes I think wistfully of reaching that ever-elusive spot in life where there is more time.  More money.  Less worry.  Less chaos.  More luxury.  More.  But in the wishing for tomorrow, I miss the glories of this day.

Why am I never content with how things are THIS.MOMENT?  Why do I spend more time thinking about hypothetical dreams, future hopes (and worries) than what is happening this very moment?

God is in raindrops.  God is in the girl wrapped in yarn.  God is in the cherries AND the pits.  God is in the cinnamon sugar shaker that was mysteriously opened this morning and shaken all about the kitchen floor.

Tomorrow won't be better than today.  Tomorrow will be tomorrow.  A day just LIKE today.  A day that, if spent the same way I have been, will lose the rainbows of the day from eyes looking off into the distance for some elusive pot of gold.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

First things, Last things






The last 'official' day of school was on Friday and I've gotta be honest- there was face painting involved.

Later that afternoon we sent the kids to the grandparents' house for the first sleepover ever and Matt and I went CAMPING for a night because Saturday morning I was to shoot an early-morning wedding (showtime 6:15am!) almost two hours from home.  I thought a night at a motel would be a romantic remedy for such a situation- but all the hotel/motels were booked solid and those with a remaining room or two required well over $100.00 (and often $200.00) to nab them.  I didn't want one THAT much.  So we borrowed a tent from Matt's boss and hoped for the best.

My first camping trip ever involved scratching my contacts and breaking my glasses all in the first day.  NOT a good thing for a blind-as-a-bat girl like me.  It also involved a baby (Corynn) terrified of the flame flickers who wailed for much of the night and a husband who thought a TARP strung to a tree would be a sufficient tent.  It was not a good time.

My second camping trip ever involved the limbs of four children (or was I pregnant?) pushing, prodding, and kicking me all hours of the night in the back of a grand caravan whose seats were folded down while the seats' metal things poked me in my back.  This, in between me waking up and going out in the pouring rain to try to protect our clothes outside from the rain soaking everything from the tarp that was not protecting THEM.  It (as you can tell) ALSO involved a husband who thought a tarp strung to a VAN would suffice for a proper tent.  (He is an Eagle Scout, you see.)

So camping and I haven't really made friends yet.

I thought I'd give it a-go again if it means being at the wedding site at the proper time and doesn't involve me shelling out $200.00 that we don't have.  Plus, I would have only one other persons' extremities poking and prodding me.  How bad could it be?

I am happy to report- not bad at all.  Besides the fact that the air mattress pump didn't have enough battery power to inflate the air mattress more than 2 inches (in spots) and when we laid down on it we both promptly rolled into the center and on top of one another (and NOT in a romantic way.), it was actually kinda FUN.  We had to spread our bodies over the surface of the air-mattress JUST SO and keep them that way all night in order to spread out our weight appropriately and get all body parts 1/4 inch off the gravel ground- but there were S'mores, and uninterrupted fireside chatter and a gorgeous moon and a gorgeous sunrise and a far less hectic morning the next day.

We might just go camping again some day!  (But I will be buying a tent first. AND batteries.)

Because I needed all the camera space I could get for the wedding, I tried not to take pictures of our own little adventure. *sniff*  I did take this one though~ where I look as if I haven't lost an ounce of weight and (where Matt says) I am holding Matt's belly as if we have an announcement to make.



Awkward!

Thankfully, the wedding pictures turned out a bit better than our solitary camping one.  Not too difficult since the subjects/scenery/day was much more photogenic than we two.

You'll get a sneak peak one of these days....

Friday, June 21, 2013

GOOD STUFF for the weekend





 I have been having so much fun compiling 'Good Stuff' posts lately, I think this might just become a regular thing.   I think a 'Because YOU Asked' type post should become a more regular posting as well.  I have been sitting on a few questions emailed to me for TOO.LONG (I am so sorry ladies- you know who you are.)  So look for that coming up too.



Here are a few 'Good Things' for the weekend.

  • The Creativity Crisis from Newsweek is a thought-provoking read. I liked looking through (and reading the commentary from) the slideshow of drawings from the 'creativity test' they gave to people.  Once I knew what they deemed less creative and what made something more creative I thought..."Hmmm."  It would be fun to see what Corynn and Andrew come up with.  So I recreated the squiggles and this is what they came up with.  





I am betting you can probably guess who's who.  ;-)





This.  Yes, this.



  • If you are a fan of John Taylor Gatto, I bet The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend With John Taylor Gatto would be right up your alley.   It has five segments totaling over five hours of interview so don't expect to be done in 20 minutes!  :-)  I have been chipping away at it when I am able.  Maybe you'd like to also?   

  • It is going to be HOT this weekend-  Taking this little bottle boat down to the creek might just be the perfect way to cool off.  Since we don't own barbies- I am thinking our dollhouse family might like a boating trip.

  • Don't miss the SUPERMOON on Sunday!!!! This will be the perfect ending to our year of astronomy!

Any plans for the weekend?  

We just POSSIBLY might have a romantic weekend, the Mister and I.  Maybe.  You know how these things go...  I'll tell you one thing, I sure could USE one!  A sunrise wedding on Saturday.  A kid-less, just the two-of-us Friday night.  The kinks are all still be worked out- but it should be fun. 

See you on the flipside!



 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sneak Peak: 'Lil Lilian





















It was really hard to narrow down the photos for this sneak peak...but here are some of my favorites from my recent photo session with Lilian Grace.  I am REALLY happy to have this problem because the entire session I was REALLY worried that I wouldn't get ANY good shots- it seems sweet Little Lilian likes her Mama's arms better than silly flower petal hats and fuzzy blankets.

Remember that flower petal hat?  I remember making it while pregnant (last time), in anticipation of a girl.  I got a 11 pound boy instead.  (Who I wouldn't trade for the world, by the way.)  But still.  Little girls are awfully fun to dress up.  I am happy to have finally been able to do something with it.

So what do you think of it?    Cute or corny?   Anne Geddes or Agony? 

Which is your favorite picture of the bunch?