Camping in the Rain

For being relatively new to the whole camping thing, I'm pretty proud of myself and my little guys for having a really enjoyable time outside in the rain all weekend! Thankfully it was mostly a gentle, warm rain. We remained in sandals and rain jackets most of the time, and Jeff was able to keep our tent and eating area quite dry. :)


Now Jeff is an amazing cook at home, so of course we were treated to yummy camp food all weekend!And we spent some time roaming a lumberjack museum...


playing on the little beach area in the rain...

meeting some cute critters..

a chipmunk who parked under our table for every meal...

a baby snapper turtle...a little fawn who was stuck on one side of our jeep and its mother across the road on the other side...

and just really enjoying some down time away from it all!


I must say, if I didn't have such an experienced outdoorsman for a husband, the rainy weekend in the woods just might have ended sooner than planned. Thanks for making a wonderful memory for our family, sweetheart!

Where did summer go?

So, August is now gone, and summer is officially over. And with the rain and wind of Hurricane Hanna blown northward, I am enjoying the low humidity and perfect temperatures. My boys are very excited to see leaves falling, although I'm pretty sure they're falling early due to previously dry temps. and this past weekend's wind and rain. But, nevertheless, there are leaves to rake into piles for jumping, and that makes Garrett and Carson giggle with excitement.

Another adventure that has them giggling in delight is our camping trip planned for this weekend. This will be their first time, and they are anticipating all sorts of new adventures in the woods for three whole days. They don't even know the half of it. So, I will have camera in tow, following them around for the duration documenting their every new discovery and experience. I, as well, will be experiencing new things, as I've only done this one other time in my life, and it was before children. Needless to say, this will be a new endeavor for all of us. Even Daddy, experienced wilderness outdoorsman that he is!! :)

So, I'll be back next week with lots to share. Enjoy your week, everybody!

Doin' alot of thinkin'...

I've had a lot on my mind lately, most of which will stay right there and go no further toward a public post. (Just thank me later.) :) But life is a crazy winding journey sometimes, and mine has been awinding. Nothing traumatic, just a meandering through a wooded patch where it's hard to see what might be around the next few trees. However, recently I've felt like I've suddenly stumbled into one of those meadows of tall grass between wooded patches, where much like a deer, I'm enjoying some sunshine, breathing some fresh air, munching on some much needed sustenance, and keeping one eye on another wooded patch of uncertainty in the near future. But because I'm grazing in this spacious meadow, I feel up to the challenges ahead.

Now that either made perfect sense to you as you read that, or made you have second thoughts about continuing a friendship with a space cadet. :) Anyway, it made perfect sense to me as I wrote it just now, and since this is my blog, that's all that matters, right?!!

I've been spending a lot of time in my gardens, playing in the summer sun with my boys, enjoying some special times with my hubby, and I've also squeezed in some extra reading. All of which has done wonders for my soul and my outlook.

This is just a little bit of what has been going on in this head of mine, and sometimes you just have to write it down (or type it out) to move on. I don't know about you, but I feel better. I'll go back to posting normal stuff now. :)

So, it's summertime...

I'm just realizing that the date of my last post was May 31st. Somehow I've missed a whole month! But then I thought about how little time I spend indoors in front of a keyboard when it's warm and sunny outside!

So here are a few photos of what me and my boys have been up to...

Some backyard fun...

An evening stroll at a nearby lake...

Beatin' the heat in the river...

Seeing some local wildlife...

Finding a baby birdie that fell out of its nest...

Hope you are enjoying summertime as much as we are!

Pool Time!

This is where the boys will be all summer!

Heart-Soil

I have a little book I like to peruse every so often. It's a devotional book of sorts that uses the idea of gardening to explain a person's relationship with Christ. Well, gardening is one of my favorite past-times. And I definitely need reminders to continue growing closer to the Lord on life's journey. Thus, "Down a Garden Path" by Karla Dornacher was written for the likes of me. :)

One of the points in this book reminds us that "beautiful blooms and a bountiful harvest require good soil." To quote more insightful words from this book...

"Good heart-soil is an ongoing, never-ending process. As you open your heart to the tender hand of the Master Gardener, He is able to till the hard places, remove the rocks, and pull up the weeds of the world that would entangle and choke out the life of His love. Take time to cultivate your relationship with the Master Gardener. Ask Him to show you any areas of your heart-soil where you need to let go and let Him work. Seek to be the beautiful and bountiful garden He designed you to be."

And then Karla Dornacher quotes a phrase from a familiar psalm, "Search me O God, and know my heart".

Wow, those words! I remember many a church communion service where the hymn, written from that psalm, was sung. The words brought my heart, mind, and soul into a quiet and reverent place of humility and dependence. I couldn't help but do some soul-searching and vow right there in the church pew to allow the Master Gardener to cultivate my heart-soil.

I've often wanted to write out the words to this hymn and post it where I could read them daily. I need a regular reminder to weed out worldly influences, plant seeds of God's Word, and cultivate my heart-soil in order to attain a beautiful and bountiful life in His eyes.

So, as I enjoy my spring planting, thank you, Karla Dornacher, for this timely reminder. And in case you're not familiar with the psalm she referenced, read these verses and see if they don't move you in some way.

Psalm 139:23, 24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."

Cabin Fever

Well, it has been a very long week, but yesterday, Memorial Day, my sick little boys and I were able to step outside and enjoy some long awaited sunshine. Sickness hit our household last week (exactly 24 hours after the boys attended Sunday School-amazing how that happens). So started a week of sleepless nights, miserable days stuck inside in front of the tv, tissue boxes adorning every table top. Only to begin the holiday weekend with a doctor's visit due to pink eye and an ear infection. At least the week had been just as miserable outside with very cool spring temperatures and lots of rain and wind. Inside, even if it was a sick-house, was definitely the better option.

My sweetheart gave up his three-day weekend plans of a family trip to Cabela's, target shooting, turkey hunting, and whatever else he could squeeze in, to babysit us sicko's and do some long awaited around-the-house/yard projects. Having him around for three whole days all to ourselves was just the medicine we needed, and by yesterday we were feeling up to spending the day in our back yard on a most beautiful day. The boys "helping" daddy, of course, as he did some electrical wiring for the fishpond and some outdoor lighting. And me relaxing on the back porch watching the many motorcycles that drive by on a sunny holiday. OK, I did work in a load of laundry or two in the middle of all that relaxin' ('cause clothing mountains were forming in the basement after a week of neglect!)

And here I would like to pause and say a big THANK YOU to my husband's new company for actually using a uniform service! No more washing work clothes for me! Yippeeee!!

So, today, the hubby is back to work, it's dismal and rainy again, and me and the boys are lounging. We're not back to full steam yet, and yesterday's outside fun was exhausting. Ours was a very low-key Memorial Day weekend spent at home, but we were together as a family and life doesn't get much better. Hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as we did.

My Boys in Trees

This is my boys' idea of a weekend well spent...







helping Pop Pop and Daddy cut up tree branches and stack wood piles. Does it get any better for little boys?


. . . and big boys? :)

Spring Blooms

I've been anxiously awaiting my garden's first blooms,
and here they are...

Spring shows God's detailed handiwork so brilliantly, doesn't it?

Some Family Fun!

Here are a few pictures of the kids
playing together this past weekend!

(I have a lot to learn yet about my new camera,
but I'm pretty pleased to have actually uploaded
these pics after only two days.) :)

The cousins after conquering their "Mt. Everest"!


Uncles are so nice to have around!

Check me out!

And did anyone notice my rock climbing abilities?

Not sure what that look is for! :)


I think it's pretty obvious that a good time was had by all!

Mommy's New Toy

So, as soon as I had successfully added one picture to a post, Jeff found that he needed our digital camera for work, leaving me severely disadvantaged this past week! All the opportunities with the boys in the sunshine, and me with nothing digital to show for it! I don't think the boys were complaining about it, though. :)

But last night, my sweetie came through for me as he always does! He loaded us all in the truck after dinner and drove us down to Best Buy where he bought me a beautiful new digital camera! A Canon PowerShot SX100IS to be exact! I am in LOVE with it already, even though I only know how to work the on/off button at this point! It was an ordeal with the boys along, however, but that's life with preschoolers. They had fallen asleep on the way and woke up very crabby when we got there. Let's just say that we took advantage of the comfy stuffed chairs in front of a BIG screen TV for the first 15 minutes until everyone calmed down enough to proceed to the camera counter. Where I kept handing the boys peanut butter crackers and their sippy cups while daddy peppered the sales guy with all the questions. (He's better at that than I am anyway.) And the boys really are generally well behaved, just a wee bit emotional when woken up too soon.

In the end, I have a fabulous new toy that I will be annoying friends and family with for quite some time! Thank you, honey!! (Like he reads this anyway.) And as soon as you see more pictures here, you'll know that me and my new camera are becoming best friends! :)

Spring Resolutions

I don't know about you, but I have a pathetic time being enthusiastic about making and keeping New Year's resolutions. With the same grey, cold winter surroundings of January as in the previous month of December, I can't help but lack the necessary vigor for making changes. Even itty, bitty ones.

As spring has been "springing" this week, I've come to a realization. I know, I'm a little slow, but I've found that I need sunshine warming my skin, bright green grass and vibrant flowers filling my view, warm breezes blowing through open windows, and birds chirping spring melodies to jump-start my sluggish energy levels! My conclusion: I should start making my annual resolutions in April, not January!

So, I'm going to dig out that crumpled list I penned the first week of January, revise it, and plan to achieve some goals. Maybe this time, I'll actually make some headway! :)

Boys and Dogs

"What are little boys made of, made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snakes and snails, and puppy dog tails,
That's what little boys are made of."

Isn't that the truth!! At least the puppy dog part. My boys have hardly met a dog they haven't loved! This chocolate lab is Bailey, and they met her at a birthday party a few weekends ago. My sons informed me that Bailey loves them and they love her. Undoubtedly so! Naturally we needed a photo of this special new friend! Hopefully our Brittany won't catch a glimpse of it and 'woof" her jealous disapproval. :)

Pictures Coming Soon!

I do plan to embellish this blog with some personal photos. I am just experiencing a little bit of technical difficulty. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't come to conclusions quickly, and that includes learning new things like downloading our digital photos to my new laptop. I had everything figured out and running smoothly on the old desktop. But I just had to have a laptop, and now I feel as if I have been thrust back to computer kindergarten. :) Oh, there is progress, just ever so snail-paced.

My goal is to have some family photos posted by the end of this weekend. Because what is a blog really worth without the family pics!!

Simple Pleasures

There's no need for extravagance to shoot a tingle straight down my spine into my pinky toe. A simple cup of strong coffee, cream and sugar, will do just fine. Those who participate in this daily addiction remember what hooked them for life. Mine began with a Bible study my hubby and I attended as newlyweds. A close nit group of young married couples communing over God's precious word and a good cup of coffee or two.

What great times of discussion over a passage of scripture or biblical issue. Iron sharpening iron, spiritual bonding, friendships blossoming, leaning on one another in times of crisis. All while sipping a hot cup of Java! Those were the days--late night discussions and numerous pots of coffee with no worry of getting children home to bed on time.

Now I simply can't clear the morning brain fog without at least 16 ounces. (I hear these pre-menopausal years can be quite foggy! Although, come to think of it, I did enter this world with a considerable amount of "fog".)

So, even if you're not a coffee drinker, I'm sure there's another simple pleasure that conjures up great memories and happy places. My simple pleasure is attached to wonderful times that helped shape who I am today.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to morn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and time for peace."


This passage never ceases to speak to me. I've been contemplating the concept of time and the seasons of life quite often of late. Becoming a mother has generated a lot of life contemplation, come to think of it. A serious reevaluation of all notions of time, actions, cause and effect, reaping and sowing--a whole host of things that new light is shed upon by bringing children into this world.

I generally take quite a bit of TIME evaluating things before coming to any steadfast conclusions, so you will not find great theological answers here, just maybe some food for thought. :)

A Complete Thought

So, I've been contemplating entering this blogging world for some time now. Today I decided it was time to dive in and get my fingers wet, so to speak.

I've had great interest in writing all my life, as in "someday, maybe". But somewhere in the back of my mind, the prospect of actually penning words onto paper for even just myself to read might prove that I have no talent for doing such.

However, of late, the need for space to share somewhat intelligent thoughts that a toddler and preschooler would definitely not understand has arisen quite sharply. Every stay-at-home mother would understand and wholeheartedly agree.

This blog is, therefore, my solution. It will hopefully fulfill my need to write down complete thoughts, and help preserve my sanity, as well as, my knowledge of the English language beyond "I'm hungry!", "I'm poopy!", and "He took my toy!"