Today

I am grateful for:

*the summer days that I get to have with my 4 precious kiddos. 

* the beginning of school which starts in just under 3 weeks.

Flower tour

Thank you for touring our garden.

The bunny and I thank you!

(and thanks to my mom for my cute, new

polka-dot drinking glasses!!) 

Yard not-so-work

I've been "away" all week long.  Away to our garden.  It called to me to get it ready for a garden tour that it has been invited to participate in tomorrow night.  I answered the call to weed, water, transplant,  mulch, dig, plant, weed some more, and between all of the weeding stand back and appreciate the colors and the humble-ness of our little part of the planet.  I love being in the yard.  It is therapeutic for me.  I have had much to think about and pray about and mull over in the past week, and my plants have been the perfect companion for my conversations.  Not once did they tell me I was silly, or too wordy, or too angry or too sad (or wrong!).  Nope - they just listened.  I don't know that I've gotten anything completely figured out, but the yard looks amazing!  It's been so much fun getting ready to have company out in the garden.  The kids and Patrick have helped in so many ways with the preparation.  It has really been a family affair - I sure couldn't have done it by myself.  So tonight we are all going to bed with a few more mosquito bites and a lot more love in our hearts for time spent together and for all of our garden "friends".

song

Yesterday at church we sang an old favorite hymn of mine.  "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand".  As I sang the words full of truth,  a modernized yet so familiar version, I felt hugged by my Father.  The familiarity of this song brought comfort to my emotion filled heart.  I almost didn't make it to sing praises to the Lord.  My selfishness wanted me to stay home.  I'm so glad that I didn't.  I would have missed such a blessing.   Not far from me, lifting up their voices in praise, were two friends of mine who are widows.  One young and recent, one older and not so recent.  My dear friend who buried her mother in April stood just pews away from these.  I know of others who were singing that have left doctors appointments with awful news; some who have relationships with loved ones that are less than ideal.  For all of us who had the courage and the faith to proclaim in song 

"My faith is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  

I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name."

                                                                      I pray that God will be found as our very solid rock.

"All other ground is sinking sand."

Book review

I am happy to share with you a book that I just finished called "Shades of Morning, by Marlo Schalesky.
This was a book that I had the pleasure of receiving in the mail, on request that I read it and then blog my review.  What a treat for me, I say!!

This book was outstanding in it's character formation and it's story line.  I identified with the main character, Marnie, and the ways that she was afraid to allow others into her world because of past hurt.  When she is confronted with the situation of having to care for her nephew, Marnie's choices are to do it with a close heart, or an open one.  As the story unfolds, her transition to openness and the love of other's is truly beautiful.  Marlo has written a story that many readers will treasure in their hearts as they interact with the ones that they love in their life.  The easy ones to love, and the hard ones to love.  I was uplifted and encouraged to read about a woman who is unprepared for the task in front of her, and yet by faith she takes each step as it comes to her.  She allows Taylor and Emmit into her world and gets to see big-picture miracles happen.  These miracles change Marnie's mind about God, herself and the gift of love.

Thank you for letting me share with you my thoughts on this wonderful book.  To find more out about Marlo Schalesky, please visit her blog at www. marloschalesky.blogspot.com

May you only read HAPPY things!!!

C.O.U.R.A.G.E

Can I get a C?? An O?? A U???!!!!.... you see where I'm going with this. COURAGE is what I have seen in my kiddos this week during our swimming lessons. Marky and Maddie are doing a diving class, and Meredith and Michael are taking their very first swimming lessons. I have been the mom on the side of the pool, grinning from ear to ear as I have watched my 4 little ones participate in their swimming lessons. I've been smiling because the kids have done such a good job, but I've also been smiling because I know things their teachers don't know!! Things like, Meredith hasn't EVER jumped into the pool. She always tip-toes. TODAY?? Oh yeah! She was jumping in, making the biggest splash ever! Another thing I knew... Maddie was TERRIFIED of trying a front flip. 4 days ago - SHE TRIED IT!!! It was a bit uncoordinated, and it hurt her leg and her pride a little as she smacked the water, but SHE TRIED IT!! Something else that I knew was that it had never crossed Marky's mind that she would be any good at diving. And flipping. Guess what?? SHE IS!!! Like... REALLY!!! She is a natural at it. Graceful, willing to try and keep trying, happy with her success, willing to work on the ones that didn't go so well. Michael has been a joy to watch. He is enthusiastic, and willing to try whatever his teacher asks him to. He is floating on his front and back like he's been doing it for months! All of this took so much COURAGE from the kids. I am so proud of them. I can't wait to see how much they progress over the next few weeks.

our hunky diving  teacher Matt

swimming lessons make Michael very tired

Life

I decided today that I am in love with my life.  

It was a good decision, prompted by the events of some great things, some challenging things, some bad things, but mostly prompted by the ordinary preciousness of our life.  

Like... my favorite place to be... on our bed with one, two, three or four children cuddling, 

talking or just being with me.  

Like... my happiest moment of the week so far was being out in the garden Michael, cutting flowers that we had grown to bundle in a bouquet of prettiness for someone whom we love so much.

Like... our very un-fancy, ordinary lunch eaten on our well-used green plaid blanket in the shade of our backyard trees becomes our favorite meal ever eaten. 

Like... adding some nice music to the mundane dish-washer unloading and loading process 

turns the chore into something more bearable.  

Since celebrating our anniversary over the weekend, I have been wrapped in the comfort of this thought.  Patrick is here to stay.  He's just not going anywhere.  Because of past abandonment, I have had some issues with security in our relationship.  It's not something that "gets me" very often, but every once in a while my fears and insecurities try to crowd out the joy that I'm feeling and attempt to be the emotion "on top".  Not this time. I'm fighting back!   What is most comforting about resting in Patrick's love is the fact that he could leave.  He could run.  He could bail. And yet he doesn't.   He stays.  Because of who he is, because he said he would, because of what we are, because of the very common, (yet very beautifully decorated), nest of little birdies that reside in every nook and cranny of our beings.  As I continue to trust God with our marriage, rather than give in to my fears, I can see a future crafted by the threads of commitment and trust, secure with knots of integrity and unconditional love.  

It has given me a soft place to land these last few days. 

   

Sometimes, I ask the Lord, "Am I doing enough for You?"  " Is there something I'm missing?" "Is there some great big plan that I'm supposed to be apart of?"  

Because, really I don't want to miss anything.  I want to live in step with whatever God's will and plan is for me.  I want to do it..um... well... right!  I want to do it right! Not perfect, just right.   

And today I have felt God's peace over my spirit telling me that THIS is the big plan.  

THIS is what is right. 

Here.  No place fancy, no place exotic, no place far away. Just here
in the humbleness and simplicity of
what
He has blessed me with.  

 The everyday, the good and bad stuff, the easy and hard stuff.  In our ordinary and imperfect lives, in our common home, with the hours that don't differ much from the day before - this is my destination, for now.  God is telling me that this is His "now"plan for me, to be here in my home loving our kids and my sweet husband.  I am convinced more than ever that I am to make the minutes of our days as special as I can for my family and friends and 

THIS is what doing
it right means.    

Lucky #7!

A wedding anniversary is a thing to celebrate.  And CELEBRATE we DID this weekend!!!  Patrick and I have put seven really good years into our love, and we plan on making it seventy more... or something like that.  There are times, because of all that we've done in the 7 years we've been married, when we think we should get to count every year as two...  I suppose nobody is stopping us from doing it...

We began celebrating on Friday night with dinner out at one of our favorite local dining spots, Austins.  It has both delicious food and great entertainment if you sit outside and watch all of the "downtownies" meander around.  Usually you will hear a horse clip-clopping down the street doing his job giving buggy rides.  Occassionally you can hear live music, or at the very least a loud stereo from a car stopped at the red light.  There are people of all shapes and sizes, some dressed scantilly because it is summer, others more covered in their appearance yet raucous with their tattos and peircings.  Bicycles whiz around semi-polite pedestrians and kids hold tightly to parent's hands in order to steer clear.  I love being around the Friday night crowd.  Everyone is a little more spiffed up, a tad more relaxed, and you know that if you decided to stay out real, real late there would probably be a place open to accomodate you.  We had a really yummy dinner, beginning with our favorite appetizer.  Steaks arrived soon after filling our tummys up to their happy place.  After dinner, we walked around and peeked into shop windows.  We made our way over to a new fabric store that is filled with bright colors and so many fantastic fabrics that were just crying out for me to touch and feel them. So as not to disappoint, I followed my eyes to stroke each lovely fold.  Patrick was practicing patience as I complimented all of the beatiful fibers enjoying the feel of the soft cotten in my hands.  I didn't want to ask too much of him, so I said I would come back later (and I WILL!).  We finished up our night with a slice of dessert at Whole Foods and a rented movie.  Saturday we had plans to go to Denver and spend some time down there as well as to pick up some vintage theater chairs that I had bought on-line.  I was so excited to get the chairs and have been planning for days where I would put them.  As the time got closer to go pick up the chairs, my excitement just kept growing!  I wasn't disappointed - they are absolutely awesome!! I'm so glad that they are now sitting in my hallway.  Today included a lazy morning, church, helping a friend out with yardwork, and time tonight celebrating 3 family member's "special day" (sometimes we batch them depending on who is home).  Maddie and I rode our bikes up to Target to grab a couple of things.  The mosquitos were quite hungry, and we tried to out-ride them.  My itchy arms would indicate that we did not ride quite fast enough. We had fun being together though, so it was worth it.   The kids are outside in the backyard,  sleeping in the tent.  I do not know how they fit everthing that they were bringing outside into that tent.  I've heard laughing, crying, squealing, tattling, and hope to soon hear silence because it is getting late.   We'll see who comes inside first; my bet is on Meredith.  Now, on to year #8.  It's going to be a great one.  We have so much to celebrate and be grateful for every day.

I love you, my dear Patrick. 

 Thank you for choosing me to spend your life and your days with.

We are so good together.

   

AWAY!!!

I LOVE me some "getting away"

It's absolutely one of my favorite things.  

I LOVE it for 2 reasons.

a.) you leave stuff behind

b.) you get to come home

The stuff we left behind this time was

* our doggies

* our house

* our worries

* our yard

The stuff we got to come home to

*our doggies

*our house

*our yard

Inevitably,  when you "get away" you leave something where you went!!!

This time it was

our

worries

They did not come back with us.

We left them somewhere on the prairie

between Fleming and Stonehenge.

Our final destination was Haxtun.

It was beautiful,

unexpected

turquoise

and 

restful. 

Thank you

'Mom and Dad' 

for letting us

take a big breath of

small town air.

We loved it

and needed it.

and

We will be back

SOON!!! 

July 4th

Happy Independence Day!!!

We saw these fireworks on Friday night when we went

to a baseball game.

Going to a Rockies game is one of our fun summer activities.

This game was Meredith and Michael's first time going. 

They loved it. 

It was such a fun night!!

We ate hotdogs, cotton candy, cold beer, snow cones, cheese pretzels and pizza.  

I think that we enjoyed all of the traditional treats a baseball game

has to offer.   

The Rockies won, which made the night even better!

After the game was over, we watched the most fantastic

display of fireworks. 

I've never been as close as we were to them. 

They were out of this world amazing!!!

Sweet Land of Liberty!