Just a Quickie

Of course, when you're four, it's perfectly acceptable to play in the fields with your best white clothes and your hot pink boots. That's totally cool. And looks totally great too.

Celebrating

Yesterday I had a birthday. And I had a party. I wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by all my favorite people, eat good cake and laugh-a lot.

We threw open the doors and invited everyone in.

We had a delicious cake and to die for cookies (actually death by chocolate is thier official name-thanks Mammie!)

We sat around and talked and laughed while the kids played crazy, rowdy games.

We enjoyed each other and the beautiful evening.

We loved on the youngest member of the family, lots.

And of course, we wore our best party clothes.

We caught up on life.

And we shared some jokes.

It was everything a perfect birthday could be. And I had a few of those amazing grateful, overflowing emotional moments. Just so glad to be surrounded by so many amazing folks, just so blessed that God has planted us here.

And Mom and Dad, we missed you! Wish you were closer so you could have been there too.

Painted Kitchen Cabinets, or the Cheapest Kitchen Redo Ever

How's that for a title? This is the story of a work in progress and of a girl who really wanted to do something cool. But she was worried for a long time about the process; how long would it take, how messy would it be, what if she did it wrong, what if she hated the end result?

But then that girl took a leap and said to herself, "It's my kitchen and my house and I can do what I want! I'm the one living here and so I'm gonna do it. Pthbttttt!" You hear that? That's the sound of me sticking my tongue out at any naysayers.


Yeah, this was a process, both in time and in a chance to learn a bit. Not about cabinets but about enjoying the process of a good work. You see this project took longer than I thought it would and there were some days I couldn't even pick up a brush and paint. But in it all I was reminded that a process isn't bad. Just as the kitchen was a process, I'm in a process too. I didn't quit because it wasn't working out like I hoped. God doesn't quit, and won't quit on me-even if it takes a while for me to learn what I need to.

Now, on to the finished project.

Here's the start of it, just as I was taking the doors off.

And here's how it looked with the just the primer. And how it looked for about two weeks.


But it's okay-it's done now and I so appreciate the finished product. It's a great place to start the day.

And the best part, I got a new kitchen for twenty dollars! I already had the primer and other supplies so all I needed was the paint. Not bad, huh?

What the cheapest redo you've ever done?

I'm linking up to The Inspired Room's Beautiful Life Series; even though life was pretty good before the new kitchen I was reminded that taking a chance and doing something you've always wanted to do (regardless of how it might have turned out) sure makes life beautiful for me. Head over to the Inspired Room to see how other's are finding beauty this week.

I'm also linking up to Kimba's DIY party-be sure to head over and see all the awesome DYI projects that are gonna-you're bound to find some serious inspiration!

Sharing some with Nester's National Take a Risk Day-this was by far the riskiest thing I've done in my house, and the most rewarding!

Thoughts for Tuesday

FOR TODAY: June 23, 20009

Outside my window...spinach and lettuce are waiting to be harvested.
I am thinking...I loved seeing the first hummingbird of the season this morning.
I am thankful for...three kids playing happily upstairs.
From the kitchen...a hot cup of coffee in my hand.
I am wearing...my favorite brown dress.
I am creating...new kitchen cabs (by way of paint).
I am going...to the pool for swim lessons.
I am reading...Last Child in the Woods.
I am hoping...to spend more time outside today.
I am hearing...Rita Springer on the iPod.
Around the house...seashells.
One of my favorite things...my new hair. Color (done by a pro) makes such a huge difference.
A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday plans for me, swimming lessons for the kids and a fun bbq party with friends.

Here is picture to mark the day:


I found this idea from The Simple Woman's Daybook via Ali Edwards.

I love this simple idea to chronicle my everyday, the right now things.

Because today matters. Today is a good day.

Through the Lens: Slowing Down

It's been a bit rough around here. Everyday stresses and life sometimes rob us of our joy. They cause us to look at the to do list more than at what's going around us. That's where I've been a bit this week. I don't like that. So on Thursday I grabbed the camera and started looking.

I noticed a little tomato growing.


I spied on a little girl while she watched her brother dig in the sand.

Then she caught me and showed my how big the beetle she had just found was.

In the morning I noticed a boy reading when he was supposed to be getting dressed.

I found a little girl dancing by the back door.

And not to be outdone, I happened upon our first berry of the season.

Life slips by pretty quickly. Taking the time to look the lens really slows it down for me. It helps me to see what's happening all around me, things I might have missed otherwise. When life gets frazzled a day with the camera in my hand helps me to stop and appreciate the gifts all around me. I find myself more thoughtful and more apt to slow down, simply because I want to see.

How do you slow down when things feel like they're spinning?

This is how I found beauty in my life this week, to see how others are finding beauty this week head over to the Inspired Room.

Matters of the Heart, Why my Heart is Important

image credit: Michael Medina Photography

What does your heart need? In some sense it's a personal question, unique to your makeup and what brings us life...Let me ask again. What does your heart need? A simple starting place would be to ask God: What do you have for my heart? You'll be stunned by what he guides you into.

I read this the other day in Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. The point he is making is that our hearts do matter to God. That's why we find the reminder in Proverbs to guard our hearts, with diligence even. Caring for my heart is essential. He goes on:

A heart that is weak is vulnerable. Are you able to fend off accusation when you are wiped out from a hard week?....The first wave of any strike against us is to rob us of the heart to fight it. It always starts that way, with that sense of being too tired or overwhelmed. Heads up-the main assault is coming on the heels of it.

What he's saying here is that we have a real enemy, one who would like us to be ineffective and weak. His goal is to make us feel defeated before we even begin, before we ever get a start at living life as God intended it for us. This enemy tricks us into thinking that our hearts, our longings don't matter. That our hearts are not worth fighting for, or are not even capable of any good.

But those things are not true. Our hearts do matter, God has created it so. And we are capable of good with Christ's redeeming grace at work in our lives.

Honestly, I've been fighting that battle this week. The battle of overwhelmed and tired. The kids are busy, we've been running to swim lesson every morning this week. It's sucking the lazy out of my summer mornings and I don't like it. The bigger issue here is that the commitments we've made to swim lessons and to friends and to scads of other things are piling up. It's left me wiped out. And at the point of utter exhaustion I read those words above. It was a moment of clarity for me, a vivid reminder that my heart does matter. Even when it's tired and frazzled. It is okay for me to yearn for a long run at the end of day, and getting out for a long run isn't bad. It's practically life and death. It's in those quiet moments while my feet are hitting the trail that I clear my head and focus on my heart. Those moments I'm alone, but still with the most important One ever. I feel God whisper sometimes in those lonely runs. I hear, "it's okay, I love you and wanted you to see this beautiful sunset. I wanted you to notice how the fading light bounces off the snow covered peaks to the west and the rocky crags to the north. I want you to rest in me." And while I'm running I do.

So the question is, what makes your heart come alive? What do you long to do? Could it be that God is speaking to you in the midst of that, using those yearnings to draw you closer to him? He wants your heart to feel refreshed, he wants you to know that your heart does matter. Will you agree with him and find a place to pull away in order to be refreshed? It could be a long run, it could be a soak in the tub or an afternoon at the spa. Maybe it's an hour in your garden, or in the art studio, or a long hike. I could go on. We all need to recognize our hearts longings and pay attention to them, God has placed those in us for a reason.

How do I Serve?

image source

Serve the Lord wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men. -Ephesians 6:7

That should pretty much sum up all that I do. As a wife and a stay at home I do a lot of serving and I should operate as if I'm serving the Lord, not my family. That should color my perspective on the things I do, if I'm doing them for God I should be serving with the best attitude and a cheerful heart.

This means I let go of any feelings of entitlement that I might have, my rights don't really come into play here. Is this easy? Not at all. The days can be long, mundane and tiring. It's hard to serve joyfully when your child is ill or cranky or whining or demanding. I might feel like I deserve that break to get away and then become demanding myself when it doesn't happen.

But what would happen if I acted as though I were directly serving Jesus? Verse 8 of Ephesians 6 says, "the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does." Okay this doesn't mean I serve on the basis that I'll get a reward but it does mean I can serve knowing God's got my back. He sees when I'm tired and worn out, he sees my willing heart and takes note. Quite honestly, my children probably won't be falling all over themselves to reward or bless me. They'll most likely do that later, when they're older and understand all the work a mom does. See Proverbs 31 on this. But God sees and that should be enough for me.

In Matthew 6 Jesus reminds us several times that Jesus will see and reward us for our works done in secret. I think sometimes, in the midst of all my daily doings for my family, the secret part is the state of my heart. It's the unseen place that grumbles when I serve or rejoices when I serve.

I want to be one who serves gladly, who rejoices even when things are tough. I know with God's help I can do this-but it's got to take me working in cooperation with him and allowing him to renew my heart. This is a daily thing, it comes from spending time him daily, all day long. Is it easy? Afraid not. But it's worth it. And really, what mom would my family rather have, the one who serves begrudgingly or the one who serves with joy? I think we all know the answer to that.

For some more motivation and a good reminder on numbering our days head over to Composing Hallelujahs-Motivate Me Monday's new home.

Summer Goals

image source: jillstanek.com

Now that school is out and summer is underway we are working hard on routine. It's tough to go from structured school days to hours and hours of free time, not just for the kids but for me as well. This year we're doing something we've never done before.

I sat down with the older two and asked them what they wanted to do this summer. I wanted to see if there was something they wanted to learn about or learn to do. Or even if there something specific they wanted to do. We talked about those ideas and refined them and came up with a list of summer goals.

With those goals in hand I put together a simple little schedule for our days. Mondays are home days and chores days, Wednesdays are library days, Friday grocery days. There's some other stuff in there too. But I also made a daily schedule too, a guideline for what should maybe happen when. This is tremendously helpful for our oldest who thrives on routine and predictability.

It sounds simple but it's one little way to bring order to a long summer, and I figure it'll help us ease into the home school routine in the fall.

Predictability and order can really go a long way towards making a beautiful life and a beautiful summer. To see how others are adding beauty this week head on over to The Inspired Room. There's also a great guest post today on entertaining.

Oh, here's a look at goal central right inside the pantry door. Keeps things easy to see and at the front of our minds.

Adventure Saturday

On Saturday we spent a good part of the day here. It was beautiful, it was a great escape and it was fun. The best part was that it's only about a forty minute drive from home. Love that.

We went to Wizard Falls Fish hatchery for the free fishing day. I guess it's an annual thing. We did it last year and had a blast, this year was no different.

The weather was perfect, the kids were (mostly) cooperative and the parents were (almost totally) relaxed. It was great.


We experienced the thrill of catching a fish.


And we experienced the disgust of catching a fish.

We had a picnic lunch by the river and found some yummy treats at Camp Sherman's General Store.





It was a great day for an adventure. And two of us even got a dollar for falling asleep on the way home.

And we had three little fishies to eat for dinner. Miss Middle helped me clean and gut them and get them ready to cook. She ate every bite. What a gal!

We are so looking forward to more adventures this summer.

Side Table Transformation

Or maybe, it's a night stand. I don't know. I found this for seven bucks at Goodwill. I had grand plans to use it in the girls' room but once we moved a new big bed in there just wasn't room. But, I found a home for it, once it got a little makeover of course.



I mixed up some other paint with white to make a nice soft blue. It looks like clouds to me, not stormy clouds but good clouds.



The handles and plates got a coat of spray paint and it found a new home in our living room.

And the gumball holder that I thought would make a nice terrarium has ended being a great little place for the kids to stuff toys. Right now it's home to our son's favorite stuffy, Bo.

When kids decorate, everyone wins. At least most of the time.

Oh, the little chair is also a Goodwill find with a fresh coat of spray paint. The kids love it and regulary truck it all over the house.

I'm linking up with Kimba's DIY day-lots of great stuff there, go take a look!

Kindergarten Celebration

Yesterday we celebrated a successful year of kindergarten.

There were smiles all around as the kids sang special kindergarten songs and performed The Little Red Hen for a room full of proud families. Oh, and there were a few tears too. Just a few.


Hugs and high fives were given to friends, along with promises to make "your mom call my mom for a play date."

So much has been learned this year, so much accomplished. Mastering reading and learning basic math skills, along with lessons on cooperation and teamwork. Songs were sung, field trips taken and lots of other adventures were had along the way.

It's been a good year. (Sniff)

We're already looking forward to the fun adventures that await us in first grade...at home. We plan on homeschooling this year. (Sniff and stifle a scream as well, it's a bit overwhelming.)

We will never stop learning.

Living Simply-Yet Focused

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . —Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38 ).

We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

(from rbcministries.org)

Today I'm encouraged to do less. Sometimes it's so very easy to think of the next thing to do-the next project, the next ministry, the next assignment we recieve from God. But here is the reminder that the most important thing I do as a Christ follower is stay close to Jesus. I need to concern myself less with what I do and more with who I am living for. God will use me when I am fully yielded to him, and to keep me from pride he will often use me in such a way that I am unaware of it. I just simply need to align myself very closly to him, and he'll take care of the details of the things I do. I need only concern myself with being.

For more motivation today head over to Like a Warm Cup of Coffee .