Cowgirl Up!

So, I'm having a little fun with this dress-up thing...I mean how often do I get to wear a cowgirl hat and boots?  Seems to me, about twice a year - rodeo weekend and now for the Third Annual VOA Barn Dance Fundraiser.  It may be that I grew up much of my life in Wyoming and should be quite familiar with this apparel.  However, I'm just a city girl gone country.  When I look around me surrounded by "real" country western gals, who actually know why they wear a cowgirl hat and boots other than for a fashion statement, I know I have no business calling myself one.  I like to do country with a little city flare.  Truth is, however, I'm either here nor there.  "City" doesn't define me and "Country Western" doesn't define me.  

Someone once told me I could get away with looking the look of several different ethic groups depending on what I wear.  I enjoy that versatility yet, not even my own true ethnicity defines me. I'm just a girl seeking her full identity in Christ and having fun with making up the rest as I go.  

So, here is my rendition of cowgirl-ing it up for the VOA Barn Dance this past weekend:

First Cowgirl Boots EVER

My Stetson

A Marriage of Boots

Today

Today, I have a five-month-old baby girl who lights up when you look at her and coos when you talk to her, who offers sweet sounds as I lay her down to sleep, then turns and snuggles into the side of her bassinet.

Today, I have a rambunctious two-year-old boy who climbs to the top of the couch and yells at the top of his lungs, "MOMMMMMMMMMMM!" until he gets my attention and, "a me, a me (look at me)" then topples over onto the cushions.

Today, I have a four-year-old girl who likes to make her own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, put her own barrettes in her hair, draw numbers her way even if it is not what mom or anyone else considers the right way, and puts herself down for a nap after lunch because she is tired.

Today, I have a six-year-old boy who snuggles with mom over a morning devotion, gets himself ready for school in a timely manner yet, needs a little reminding here and there to stay on task, and who tunes mom out very quickly if she talks too much about life lessons on the drive to school.

Today, I have a husband who sticks around a little longer in the morning so I don't have to load all four kids in the SUV to take Robby to school, and who gives me and each child a kiss on his way out the door to work.

Today, the sun is warm and the air is crisp.

Today, colors outside are changing and clouds are hovering over the mountains in the distance.

Today, nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

Yet, today - is a gift.

Stick-to-it-iveness

Things are starting to fall into place.

We're a few weeks into routine at home with Alexa and Drew and honestly it has felt (pause) -well, a little...pointless. Schedules look great on paper. Yet, the reality of the day to day can be daunting and feel like literal chaos.  

First of all, I have to be ON all the time.  I must get good sleep, up early enough for "me" time, and preparation for the day has had to have happened. Then I get going with the kiddos morning routines, fighting to stay present to them with thoughts racing through my head of, "Today clean bathrooms, fold and put away laundry, in addition to keeping up with dishes, swept floor, and general pick-up- Oh! and don't forget about fall cleaning: ceiling fans and windows; MOPS: reserve park for registration, recruit one more child care provider, need copies of registration forms - Oh! and don't forget you still have to revise the handbook, call x, y, and z, and type out "Fees" document...all before noon when we'll have lunch and quiet time just in time to be ready for Robby to come home from school - and I present to his day." Right.  And that is not even the sum of it, just what needs to happen that day.  Did I mention feeding, caressing, and tending to the needs of Madeline? Did I mention chaos?

As for fall cleaning, I got a little side-tracked when it took me an entire week just to get through the kitchen!  I think I only gave myself a week for the entire house.  So I hadn't given up these last couple of weeks, just became less determined...in my mind, that is.  In reality, "fall cleaning" came to a complete halt by the time I completed the kitchen at the end of the week and it looked like my refrigerator needed cleaning out again.

I've been pretty good about getting up early enough to have some "me" time even if just a half hour. Yesterday morning I was mulling over my bible study lesson and considering the question, "What revelations has God given you this week?"

"Well honestly, Lord, I haven't been paying that close attention."  One word came to me so, I wrote it down.

"Perseverance." 


Okay, I have come to terms with the fact that life (and house) is a work in progress.  That if you don't start somewhere, how can you refine and perfect your system...and naturally, everything will change again once it's considered perfected...particularly the house - within only moments. But, so true to life because we are living, breathing, learning, and growing.  No, we cannot freeze life or a clean home, nor would I want to forfeit the glory of God through the lack of even one breath.  Yet, those ridiculous expectations that creep into my mind make me want to bag all those good intentions sometimes.


I realize that routines and structure, anything done differently or even well, take time.  It takes time to see what works and what doesn't work, time to determine what is realistic, what is most effective, and time to form habits. I get it.

This morning I read Robby a devotion, as I do every morning.  Just a simple story about Noah and his stick-to-it-ivedness.  Quitters never finish anything, according to Captain Noah.  God needs people who'll stick with it until the task is done.  God calls it perseverance.


Have you ever heard how important it is to pay attention to repetition in your life? I take it quite seriously.  Once is, "Okay, I get it. Good reminder." A second time? "Yes, Lord. I hear you. Thank you!" God speaks to us all the time, every day, in the big and little things.  Are we paying attention? Repetition should surely get our attention. And I just love that affirmation that God cares. "Oh ya, he is in the details of my life. Oh ya, he's not just cheering me on. Oh, right. I'm taking His lead...forgot about that." I love it. I love God. He humbles me frequently just in the knowing I can't do it all on my own, nor am I meant to.

So, the bottom line is - we are getting it. Schedules are falling into place, habits are forming, and I am sticking-to-it.

The Roaring '20's

So, Rob and I were invited to a costume party, this past weekend, featuring the roaring 1920's.  As much as we initially dragged our feet, I have to say it was fun!  Just getting dressed up, all decked out - doing something you don't normally do.  It just adds a fun element to life.  I can tell you this much, I'll never wear that much make-up again! However, I loved the excuse to play.  It reminds me to change things up every once in a while...try new things...add some flavor...it does a person - and a couple - good.

Eight Years Ago...

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our eighth anniversary.

Today we would have been on our way to Kauai for our honeymoon. 

Hundreds of Waterfalls

Just Outside Our Hotel Room

I am so thankful for this man in my life.  On one hand, it makes me sad to think of our children growing to one day leave our home.  On the other hand, I couldn't be more excited that I get to spend the rest of my life with this man! He's not going anywhere.

This truly is a sacred adventure...holy ground that we tread...because God is the author of this story.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Leading with Abandon

I have been writing a lot about Robby starting kindergarten this week and I can't stop here.

Up to this year, Robby's learning has always contained a biblical/Christian component to it's curriculum. Therefore, incorporated into the learning atmosphere, his classes have always prayed.   That was one loss I grieved when we decided to send him to public school.  He would not be led in prayer anymore.  "But we still would pray at home," I consoled.


This was a detail his dad and I casually mentioned in preparation for school. We told him that they would not pray at school but, he could still pray if he wanted to.  Of course, he could hardly understand why they wouldn't pray at this school. We briefly explained that not everybody believes in God and Jesus or prays, and left it at that.


I was just visiting with a friend.  One we have known since Robby and her daughter were babies, who were class mates in pre-kindergarten, and now are in the same kindergarten class.  This friend sent me an electronic message yesterday asking me if I knew our kids were praying at school before lunch.  In fact, I did.  Robby told us he had prayed and said he saw his classmate praying, too.  My friend continued to say that, on the first day of school, Robby sat down to eat his lunch and said, "I'm going to pray."  And he did so quietly. So, her girl did, too.


These two kindergärtner's have been praying before lunch everyday now since the first day of school.


This overwhelms and humbles my heart. I only pray that they will continue to lead with this kind of abandon throughout their years.

A Little Catch-up: Landscaping

One major event that happened this summer was landscaping our yard.  We put in a sprinkler system and planted grass seed.  We've started planting shrubs and bushes and will be planting more shrubs, bushes, and trees along with an extension of our patio, which Rob is working on now.   It's so good to have this (almost) done!

Trenching Begins

Back Yard

Front Yard

Pipes for Sprinkler System

Sprinkler System Going In

Sprinkler System In; Grass Seed Laid; Watering Begins

And We Have Grass