random and wonderful

...from the weekends before last

random wonderful #1:  polka dots and purple boots

random wonderful #2:  the little man pose

random wonderful #3:  vintage dress and free thrifted boots

random wonderful #4:  spontaneous jam session with my man and our friends Chris and Erin

random wonderful #5:  getting to see one of my best friends and roommate from college!  Erin flew in from my home state of Nebraska and spent almost a week visiting.  It just felt really good to be around a close friend that has known me for years.  There's nothing like that feeling--the comfort of being exactly as you are and knowing that you will always be accepted.  I was exhausted from motherhood, but Erin was such a breath of fresh air.  Joel and I got to meet her boyfriend Chris, too, and we enjoyed our time with them.  Ummm, I'm not sure if I can say the same for them! They certainly got to see our crazy life up close and personal--they couldn't sit down without our kids piling on top of them and attacking them with random toys!

 It really was wonderful.  It was one of those weekends when you don't plan anything, you just enjoy the day as the moments define it.  Those are always the best.

Giving Thanks in the everyday

This day,

I am thankful for motherhood.

For dirty dishes and full tummies.

For my imperfections and my constant need for Jesus.

For warm pink sunsets that linger in my rearview mirrors.

For grace that keeps me moving on a few hours of sleep.

This day,

I will not take for granted

Tiny arms that wrap around me and sticky kisses in my hair;

That shoes need tied, books need read, bottoms need wiped 

and mouths need fed.

This day,

I will give thanks for

My husband's love and admiration.

His dirty boots leaving smudges on my living room rug.

The way he plays and works and gives so tirelessly.

This day,

I appreciate

Late blooming roses and fair autumn weather,

Rare quiet moments when God's love is spoken,

Friends and family and unexpected treasures of wisdom.

Seeing the invisible power of prayer 

in the faces of answered ones.

This day,

I give back to God.

Because I'm humbled by the gift it is.

love moves oh yes it does

Since I started doing graphic design for our church, I get to see our series ahead of time.  And I was sooo excited to hear about this one!  And even more excited when I heard how we were going to move in love!  In simple ways.  In the everyday.  By being available and attentive to the needs of people around us.  In kind gestures and thoughtful actions.  Paying for the person's coffee in line behind us.  Carrying groceries to a mother's car.  Delivering meals to the hungry.  Filling someone's car with gas.  The list goes on and on there's no end to the possibilities of love.  There's no stopping love when it's on the move!

When our pastor announced it this Sunday, I just couldn't contain my excitement.  This is what the church should look like!  This is how the world should define us.  On Saturday, we are all meeting at the church and then splitting off into several different areas in our community to show the love of Jesus in real, tangible, practical ways.  This entire month is going to be full of love on the move.

I can't wait.  And I shouldn't wait!  Everyday I'm surrounded by opportunities to give love.  Even if I never leave my house.  My husband comes home seeking a sanctuary of peace, my children are testing my love with their attitudes and actions.  My neighbors may be lonely.  My friends may be hurting.  And I want to be a vessel of God's love.

But can I be honest?  Sometimes I don't feel like my love tanks are full enough.  Sometimes I feel exhausted from the amount of love four kids and a husband need.  Sometimes I'm too focused on my own struggles to see someone else struggling.  Sometimes I just don't feel very loving.  And that's when I realize how much I need God's love.  It's HIS love not mine, that changes hearts and fills souls.  Nothing I try to do in my own power will have any effect on His Kingdom.  I NEED JESUS.  I WANT HIS LOVE to MOVE through me.

"Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.  Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat."  2 Corinthians 5:14 MSG

P.S. I just read the lyrics to an awesome song here right after I posted this.  

i give up...

This is the same man who throws firecrackers in the bathroom when I'm taking a shower.

And laughs when I nearly jump out of my skin.

He's lucky he's such a good dad and so good looking.

autumn loves

gray tights...I think I might love you this year.

last year I tried but failed.

pregnancy + tights = not so hot

a tea picnic with my tiny people

mmmmm...apples.

apple cake, apple pie, apple cider, apple butter, apples dipped in caramel...

curls, plaid, and cowgirl boots.

love. love. love.

autumn confetti cupcakes that i didn't make but got to eat anyways.

nuff said.

camping....in the great indoors.

Legend looking stellar in a tweed vest for his dedication.

tis the season of eggnog!

and yes, that was me drinking a quart of eggnog at the red light yesterday.

i just couldn't resist.

what are you loving this autumn?

for the daughters

down by the docks

This weekend was a busy one for us.  On Friday, Joel took the guys in the youth group on an overnight fishing trip and I hosted an all nighter for the girls.  Then on Sunday morning we dedicated Legend to the Lord and Joel was ordained as a minister in a service that same evening.  It was a great weekend full of the blessings of God.  By Monday, though, we were exhausted.  So, we decided we needed some family time and we headed out to the docks.

Daddy fished while the kids splashed and chased bait.  Even Legend put his toesies in the water.  Joel caught fish as fast as the kids threw them back.  Then he started pulling up shrimp with his cast net and that's when I got excited.  There's nothing like feasting on fresh shrimp for dinner.

Mmmmm....I love days like these.

Days filled with unplanned but intentional togetherness.

God is so tangible in the simple days.

my birthweekend

This month has been a whirlwind!  The weekend before last was my birthday and it was amazing!  We celebrated all weekend long!  On Friday my honey took me out to eat at our favorite restaurant, Kona Grill, and we had the most wonderful meal.  We laughed like two school kids over jokes and stories and it felt so good to just be together.  Then he took me to the mall and let me browse for two hours (I say "browse" because it usually takes me almost two hours before I can convince myself to buy anything! ha!)  He really loves me.  A lot.

Then, on Saturday, the girls in our youth group threw me a surprise birthday party!  I have to say, it was nothing less than amazing!  Georgia and Rebecca came to my house earlier that morning and cleaned my entire house, baked me a pretty cake, made me a banner, fixed yummy red beans and rice for the party, invited some of the youth group, and then surprised my socks off!!  I really, really love these guys.  God has blessed us with some wonderful youth leaders and young people with a desire to serve Him!  It's just so incredible to watch them grow in the grace of God and so humbling to be a recipient of their servant hearts!

Of course, such a wonderful weekend couldn't end on Saturday.  We celebrated my birthday again on Sunday at my mother in love's house with a delicious fresh strawberry cake and seafood gumbo!  It was the most incredible birthday weekend.  

I feel so very loved and not one bit older.

And that is the way every birthday should be.

my new shop!

This is where I have been of late...stocking the shelves in my new online vintage treasure shoppe, The Vintage Ruby

I had planned on listing at least 100 of our items before I let the cat out of the bag, but I had NO IDEA how LONG it takes to upload one single item.  Holy Moley!  So, I decided to spill the beans anyways and welcome you all to my little store!

I plan on hosting a Grand Opening Giveaway for all my blog readers next week so check back in after this weekend!

The story behind the birth of this shop is really pretty simple.  I love vintage, I love etsy, and I love searching for treasure.  But even more than that, though, I wanted a way to give more; to help my family while investing in the lives of other people as well.  Thankfully, I have a sister in law that feels the same away about all of the above.  So, we partnered together and opened The Vintage Ruby.  We were too scared to do it by ourselves.  And it's sooooo much more fun when you can share your exciting finds with someone who cares!  (lol.)

I'm still ironing out a few details and every day we're uploading something new and beautiful.  It's exciting!  I'm also working on a button for our store and I can't wait to share that soon as well.  BUT there are only so many hours in the day and as much as I love staying up at night with my little Legend, I think I need whatever seconds of snoozing I can snatch, so it's off to bed I go!

Oh, and I can't wait to share what a lovely birthday weekend I just had!  It was amazing!  I don't feel older, just more loved!

winner winner

Oh dear!

In case you were wondering where on earth I was on Friday--it was my Birthday and also the day our TAXES were due!  So I was busy, busy, busy!  Everything blurred in a rush of frenzy and then slowed down to a delicious pace and I got to enjoy a marvelous evening with my honey.  

But I forgot.  I forgot to announce the winner of my giveaway!!  Please forgive me, lovely ladies!!

I just sat down and had my dear man draw a number for the marvelous GUSSY giveaway....

#31  Danielle at Take Heart

Yeah, Danielle!!  Enjoy your gussy!

I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend, mine has been amazing and I have SO MUCH TO TELL !  But it will have to wait until Monday.... :)

a gussy giveaway

Sew.....

I think it's time for a giveaway, don't you?

Just because....

You all have been so patient for me in these baby days (and long baby nights)

And....

You make my heart smile.

Real big.

Something else that makes me smile?

Gussy!

I have to say, I love her cute little clutches and wristlets, and laptop bags, oh my!

Like this gorgeous vintage floral laptop bag:

delightful!

Here's some info about the giveaway:

Winner will receive $30 shop credit to be spent at www.shopgussy.com
-all baby blankets are exempt from giveaway credit

First entry: 

visit Gussy's shop and comment with your favorite item

Multiple entries:

* follow my blog and/or Gussy's blog

*tweet it, facebook it, or blog it 

I'll announce the winner next Friday!

Have a Lovely weekend, dears!

daddy's little ballerina

Dearest and Sweetest Astair,

You are sunshine and light, rose petals and pink tutus.  Like autumn leaves, you're rarely ever still.  You're a flash of color, laughter floating on a fragrant breeze.  You have a gentle radiance that captivates us.  We're mesmerized by your sweet almond eyes and that little nose that scrunches up when you smile. 

You change clothes faster than I can blink.  That's why Mimi bought you a tutu last year and we were so sure you would love it.  But you adamantly refused to wear it.  So, I put it away in a closet.  You found it the other day and wouldn't take it off!  You wore it to bed over your pajamas, you napped in it, you danced in it, you refused to remove it for almost three straight days!

Watching you run and play with gleaming eyes and joyful abandon makes your daddy and me so unbelievably happy.  This must be just a taste of how your Father God feels about you. 

You utterly delight him!

"The Lord you God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  -Zephaniah 3:17

God loves you like crazy and so do we!
♥ ♥
Mommy and Daddy

so i'm just a little excited....

I have an article featured in the latest Christian magazine for teen girls, 2:21 Mag!

If I could do cartwheels, I would!

But for some reason my cartwheels always end up looking like a half-hearted bunny flop, so I think I'll celebrate by going to bed early tonight.  That just made me sound really old.

I love this magazine.

To the moon and back.

Know any teen girls?

Pass it on!

can I unload on you?

....pictures from my iphone, that is (smile and breathe a sigh of relief).  Thaddeus loves the hipstamatic.  He's hip like that.  I have about a hundred pictures on my phone Thad has taken around the house and I think they're all great!  Most are pretty blurry, but he managed to get a few steady shots (and I helped him just a little bit). 

This week we've been quarantined.  My twins share everything....including sore throats.  So life has slowed down to a crawl and we've been drinking chicken broth and taking cool baths.  

And if you happened to drive by the Shell station on Railroad the other day, yes, I was digging in the trash can.  But I was wearing the gloves the kind gas attendant gave me.  And I did find my debit card.  Just in case you were wondering....

Have a lovely weekend!

superstar kidz club

Superstar Kidz Club

Where do you think you would find five teens every Saturday morning for months in a row?

Not sleeping in!  They're out on the streets by 9 am taking the love of Jesus to the poorest neighborhoods in our town.  That takes commitment.  That takes passion.  That takes radical hearts!  I am amazed by this generation.  As my husband likes to say, "this is the generation that will!"  And it is.

We don't have to travel thousands of miles to find our mission field.  It's right here.  In our backyards.  In lines at the food pantry, under the interstate, in fatherless homes and neglected playgrounds.  And if we really believe in a love that's bigger than this world, then we'll find them.  We'll find hungry hearts and fill them with Jesus.  If we really believe in eternity, then what is temporary won't matter quite as much anymore.  

I asked God to break my heart for what breaks His.  And I'm overwhelmed with heartache.  I cry every time I visit Superstar Kidz Club and get to pray with a little lonely boy or girl as tears run down their cheeks.  "God, they need love!  What can I give them?"  Those thoughts tumbled through my mind, arms wrapped over a little boy's shoulder as he cried over the loss of his best friend.  You can give them my Son.  I'll never leave them or forsake them.  God's love is the greatest gift.  We prayed and I told him that Jesus will be his best friend.  Closer than a brother.

Because he's been that for me.

I've lost best friends.  I've been that lonely little kid who cried themselves to sleep.  Something beautiful happened to me, though.  Jesus really and truly became my best friend.  He was always the first one I shared my secrets with.  The one I ran to with my hurts and my fears and my insecurities.  He held my hand and never let go.  He showered me with his love, filled my heart with joy.

I want that for everyone.

such a coon

Dear Boston aka my little rascal,

You have eyes that twinkle and a smile that melts my heart into putty.  Give me one of those toothy grins of yours and I forget all about the mountain of flour you spilled on the upstairs carpet or the honey you drizzled all over the dining table and chairs.  Moments like this one, when you found your daddy's coon hat and the gorilla he had when he was just a boy so much like you, make my heart flip flop and flutter.  You wrap your little arms around my neck and tell me you love me and I could hold you like this forever....

I love you my little coon,

your Mommy

eeeek!

Okay, so I'm not the most organized person you'll ever meet.
I'm one of those really laid back type of personalities.  As in spur of the moment, fly by the seat of your pants types.  I don't like to start fires or cause waves.  I'd rather be the one to put the flames out and throw a life buoy.  So far, this has worked for me.  My unorganized state of existing has occasionally created stressful situations, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in a mad dash of productivity.

Well, those mad dashes have now been occurring in increasing frequency.

God's putting his finger on one problem area of my life and I'm squirming just a little bit under the pressure.  After all, being unorganized isn't exactly sinning, is it?   I can justify my lack of organization.  I can think of a million reasons why I can't be organized.  But the problem is that I've now seen a bigger picture.  I know the unnecessary stress it causes and while I never thought before that it affected anyone but me, I've discovered I'm wrong.  It affects my ability to be my husband's best helpmeet, my kids best instructor, a good neighbor, an available friend, a ready witness.

There is so much God is calling me to do right now and the truth is that I really can't do it.  Not by staying the way I am.  I have to be putty in His hands.  Moldable.  Changeable.

I must become less.  He must become more.

And right now, "more" of Him includes a calendar in every room....(smile)

the poems that find you

copyright: Orissa Kent, image protected by copyscape

My lovely neighbor friend blew in with a rare breeze in this stagnant southern heat.  And with her, she brought the winds of inspiration.  On a picture of sunny poppies, were these fragments and phrases of words cut out of books.  And if you're a book lover like me, that sentence alone likely gave you a heart attack.

"It's a found poem," she told me, and I read it aloud.

"Discovery of a Living Valley... Life is clad in gentle colors.  "The air...is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious.", the words washed over my spirit, awakening my senses.

How many poems are there just waiting to be found?  Hidden in "living valleys", cloaked in dense life-giving air.  They're in the moments we miss if we're not looking,  the seconds that slip into years unaware.  

Yes, the valleys are just as tremendous as the view from the mountaintops.

Life is in the poems that find you.

I finished reading the last line aloud, "for those who have eyes to see, are beloved of God."

Open my eyes, God.