open house with mom

this weekend i got to spend 4 days in florida with mom helping her out with her lil chicks open house. i arrived in florida thrusday afternoon, we grabbed a bite to eat and mom asked what i wanted to do. i said "make dresses". so thursday afternoon mom and i made two more fall colored dresses and she made herself an apron. it was so nice to just sit down and accomplish a task without looking after the kids as well. dave was so good to keep ALL 3 of them so i got to come down all by myself.
friday morning we both wanted to sleep in but neither of us could. i guess we were both to excited. we spent the morning setting up the house for the sale. moms friend Diane came also and does crafts so she brought a bunch of her fun things as well. everything looked really good together and filled up the house. the picture above is of mom, diane, her other friend sandy, who was our cahier for the day, and me. mom has had a really great support of friends through this process. they all came by on friday and saturday to check everything out. it was nice for me to see them too.the set up
mom had little gift baskets made up with a childs apron and either kitchen, gardening, or artist goodies. dad made the dress stands. they showed off the dresses so nicely.
we had hair bows, dresses, gift baskets, aprons, burp cloths, diaper bag tags and few other things. it was a ton of fun. she didnt sell to many of the little girl things, just because not many of the people that came had little girls to buy for. i kept thinking that i know lots of mommies up in tennessee with little girls to buy for :) so after the open house we packed everything up into a suit case for me to bring up to tennessee with me. i will have a little show here and try to sell some more dresses for mom. whatever doenst sell i am sending back to her in time for her fall and christmas sales at big crafts shows. i think she will do really well at both of those venues.

"i'm leavin' on a jet plane..."

... well more like a really tiny prop plane, but non the less, i'm leaving on plane to head to south florida tomorrow morning for moms "lil chicks" open house. i am so excited that i can be there for it. Dave is awesome and is being mr. mom for the last two days of the school week and the weekend. i know he will do great and the kids will have a blast with him. he has been gone the first half of this week and the kids and i have had a good time together, now they get some daddy time.

i have been working on a few more things to bring down to the sale. a few more hair accessories and things. i couldnt resist putting some on brenna and taking her picture.
some super cute head bands on a super cute girl. she is looking and acting so grown up all of a sudden. brenna will be 2 years old in 2 short months.




i love the colors and her eye lashes in this one. she isnt to fond of my camera, so i have to move quick with her. this was a lucky shot and i just love it.
good bye for now. cant wait to get there and help mom set it all up. i am sure i will take lots of pictures so you can see how she did. we are not quite sure what to expect so we are both a little nervous. i know, no matter what happens with sales, that mom and i will have a good time together.

psalms 19:11

"there's more: God's word warns us of danger
and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
Or know when we play the fool?"

lord help me to continue in your word. the road map for life! this is where i will find my answers, help me to always remember this.

psalms 18:6b

"...from his palace he hears my call,
my cry brings me right into his presence-
a private audience!"

my mind cant grasp this.... how i can cry out to the lord and that he hears me, like i am the only person in the world. he hears me and is focused on me, he is my private audience. the amazing thing is that he can do this with every christian that cries out his name.... God you are more amazing than i have words for. help me to find joy in knowing that i have your full attention, my private audience, whenever i cry out your name.

psalms 8:1-2

"God, brilliant Lord,
yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
that drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble."

-the message

Lord let this be true of my home.

Raelyn is a PRESCHOOLER

this past tuesday was raelyns first day of preschool. she is in a 3 year old class at our church on tuesdays and thursdays. this was a hard decision to send her to school. there were many pros and cons.... pros: it would be great for raelyn to learn to interact with other kids and other adults better, it would give me time to spend with just brenna, it would be easier to find someone to watch only one kid so i can do things like go to the dentist and things like that. cons: money, and i had to really question my intentions. i didnt want to send her just b/c i needed a break.
we prayed about it a lot and obviously came to the conclusion to send her.

she did GREAT! she walked right in with no problem. when i picked her up she looked so grown up walking up to the car with her backpack and big old smile. what a cutie pie. her teacher told me she was very independent. not sure if that was a good thing or bad. i will get to talk to her teacher more tomorrow about that when i drop rae off for day #2.
all set with her lunch box, new backpack from the backpack fairy, and her sleeping mat that i made for her.
oh she melts me!
brenna would not get out of the pictures. she wanted to do everything rae was doing this morning.
heading to the car with daddy. raelyn doenst start school until 9. garret starts at 7:30 (at a differnt school). so when garret left with daddy for school today, realyn was so upset. she knew it was her first day but couldnt understand why she wasnt going with garret.

psalms 4:6-7

so today i did it. i read and responded to my emails/facebook this morning and then when i was done eating my breakfast i shut my computer and put my bible on top of it. i did not check emails or facebook again all day, until now that the kids are in bed. so instead of walking by and checking out whats new on the internet, i read and re-read a verse i found today while doing my devos.

psalms 4:6-7 from the message
"why is everyone hungry for more? 'more, more,' they say.
'more, more.'
I have God's more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day
Then they get in all their shopping sprees.
At day's end i'm ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together."

this verse hit me this morning and i have been thinking about it all day. most days i feel hungry for "more"... more bonnie time, more dave time, more obedient children, more money, ( i could go on) . i long for the time when i can say God is my more-than-enough and find joy in the ordinary days. as a mom i am coming to realize that most of my days are ordinary, mundane days. i need to be ok with that and find joy in these days.

so the kids are in bed now and i get to check out my emails and facebook. it is a good feeling, feeling like i accomplished something that really means something. something small but a step in the right direction i guess.

mom and dad, thanks for your comments. love you guys. thanks for being good role models for daily time with the lord all these years.

devotional journey

In the alone place, fear closes in as I sense my aloneness.
The part of me with YOU , that I lost, wondering in its own apprehensions,
causing my sprit to imitate a mime, pressing against invisible walls that soundlessly threaten suffocation by unconscious yet deliberate isolation.
And I long for the resuscitation that YOUR breath brings.
Giving life to all my members, strength to my soul.

Causing me to unfold like a wet new butterfly, fighting to unwrap itself from the bondage of its self-imposed cocoon,
to spread new and unfamiliar members for the very fist time, testing their strength, readying these fragile members for the act of ascending

Not caring for the fact that is it the struggle which produces strength to take wing and fly while resisting the urge to cast off my independence and call upon YOUR help.
I weary myself and wonder at my ability to continue on, to rise above where I presently lie…

This place is not kind to my spirit’s expectations and I am lost in the prison of myself while YOU patiently hold the key and wait…
wait for me to invite YOU into this alone place…

But I have learned of another space called time, that calls sweetly to me, that woos me gently to its bosom, causing me to rest in the discovery that it is in the alone time that I find YOU.
Refreshing me like newly falling dew, washing me in my own tears, imparting YOUR comfort like liquid oil soothing my heart, melting my defenses and all the reasons why I deny YOU, until I find myself back in this place where fellowship is sweet communion, where intimacy is second nature, where I am reminded of YOUR faithfulness and YOUR love for me….

Yet there is a time called alone that I fear, but cannot seem to flee, for an invisible arm grips me suddenly, unexpectedly, while supporters I counted true vanish
Daring me to keep my standard in the face of a million opposing voices

I stand in the cold, shivering from my own indecision, torn by the reality of how little I trust YOU, as my stomach knots in hunger for one word of reassurance, from YOU who holds the key to my wholeness, that I am really not alone…

Still there is a place called alone that I seek, tucked beneath the arm of God, warm and sweet. A place where I can lay my weariness and unanswerable questions finding revelation in the rest that HIS heartbeat gives. As I burrow deeper into the folds of HIS breast, lost in the depths of HIS mysteries and riches untold, found in HIS love that always finds me when I Feel most alone.

Taken from the book His Love Always Finds Me : God’s Passionate Pursuit of His People by Michelle McKinney Hammond

I have not been in the word for about two months now. Since summer started and routines changed, my time with the Lord has stopped too. Lately I can really tell that something has been missing. I keep saying I just need some time alone to recharge and refresh. In "time alone" i was thinking of doing things like scrapbooking, sewing, painting.... and then it hit me like a ton of bricks that i dont need "bonnie" time, i need "God" time. i find myself on the computer way to much of my day, it is easy to do. the computer sits in the kitchen, so every time i walk by i check to see if there is any new mail and then i usually get sucked into facebook or photography blogs. it has almost become like an addiction. my little escape. so i am trying hard to change this habit. i am going to close my computer and place a bible on it instead. so if i have time to pass by and take a minute to check emails then i surely have time to read a verse or two instead. i am also really going to try to devote some real time to devotions. i need help with this. it is so hard for me to get back into the routine of devotions. i covet your prayers for my ability to stick with this. thanks friends

It Pays to Eat Pasta!

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Garret is SIX!

Garret turned 6 on saturday! hard to believe he is growing up so fast. dave and i were going down memory lane the other night and thinking about the events leading up to his arrival. he was such an amazingly beautiful baby. perfect in every way. (i know im his mom so of course i thought he was the most beautiful) anyway, he came quick into this world and has been quick to go ever since then. he is such a strong kid. he amazes me what he can do. he is also a very sensitive guy and cares about others feelings.

when we asked him what kind of party he wanted he said he wanted a sleep over. i told him that he might need to wait and be a little older before he can have a sleep over with a bunch of friends. then he said he wanted a turkey hunting party like last year. so together we came up with the idea for a base ball party! we have been playing ball in the back yard as a family and he is REALLY good at hitting and throwing a base ball.

we set up the yard to look like a baseball field, with lines on the field and signs along the fence. we tired to make a sign to represent each family that was at the party. dave also worked on finishing the second story to the tree fort.
here are some of the details...
i made the baseball cake, we gave the kids a water bottle with their names on it to fill up with gatorade, we had all the baseball themed snacks and then the kids got a goodie bag filled with bubble gum and cracker jacks.
i LOVE seeing our backyard full of families. god has really blessed us with some great friends.
this is garrets buddy from school. they were in kindergarten together and are now together in first grade. i was so glad they were. he is a great kid.
home run!
tee-ball time.... we played a quick game of tee-ball with all the parents and kids.
sweet brenna holding a ball
snack time! this little guy was asking his daddy, "dad, dont you love birthday parties?" how sweet is that.
present time.... transformers, water guns, books, art supplies... all his favorite things.
thanks amy for taking the pics with me in them. i really do exist.
silly faces before cake time. garret had a blast and i think dave and i had just as much fun. we love having parties and coming up with fun ways to make it creative. he is just as creative as i am so sometimes we have to pull eachother back to reality. :)

Love you garret. you sure are an awesome kid. we love you and are so proud of you. keep up the good work.

practicing with back lighting

the other night we were all outside having a picnic dinner and playing around. the lighting was so great and i wanted to practice with back lighting. it is really hard to get just right. these are by far from "just right", but i just love raelyns little personality coming through in these photos.
they remind of peter pan and tinker bell. those little glittery things were tiny little bugs flying around, the sun was catching them just right and made it look like pixie dust, plus raelyn is running around with a sword :) i so wish the shed wasnt in the back round.

sweet face, different from the pirate face from yesterdays post :)
love this girl! she always keeps us smiling.

wordless wednesday

first grader

well yesterday was garrets first day of FIRST grade! so hard to believe. we got to meet his teacher last week and see his classroom. in the couple minutes i had with his teacher i really liked her. i loved his classroom. so grown up! clean, real desks (last year they all say at the same table) it just looks so much more grown up than a kindergarten classroom. garret was excited to go so it was not sad for me at all to take him. i know it would be tough if he didnt want to go. he found out there where 4 of his buds from last year in his class this year and they were all really good kids so i was happy about that as well.
we started a tradition last year that the night before school starts the backpack fairy comes and fills up your backpack with all your new school supplies, a new outfit, and lunch box. this has been great for me, b/c the school supply shopping can be done by only me and i dont have to take all the kids to go pick stuff out. last year was terrible trying to do that. stores were crowded, garret couldnt make up his mind, everything i put in the cart the girls took back out.... anyways, he got to pick what kind of back pack he wanted and i (the backpack fairy) did the rest. he was super excited to see all that was in there and was happy with all of it. eating breakfast before heading off to school. i joked with him and told him i was going to take 500 pictures before he left for school yesterday.
those blue eyes... love them :) i love his freckles too. he already doesnt like them. i had to get out a picture of me when i was a kid to show him how many freckles i had.
this year he picked a transformers backpack. in the past he has just had plain ones. he was super excited about this one. he got it for an early birthday present from our friends.
giving dad a hug before jumping in the van. garret actually wanted ME to take him to school. i was shocked. he never picks me over daddy. it was s good ride there, just me and him. i love this kid so much. he is growing up way to fast. his 6th birthday is on the 15th. wow.

lil chicks open house

i designed this invite for moms lil chicks open house in a few weeks. i am excited for her debut and praying that she has lots of people come look at her stuff and buy lots of dresses :) i am excited also because i will be able to come down for it and help her set it all up. if any of you readers live in south florida, you need to stop by and see us.
you can check out her blog here.

wordless wednesday-park

Dill-licious

a few weeks ago our neighbor brought us over a bunch of pickling cucumbers. i LOVE dill pickles and thought it would be a fun project for garret and i to do together while camp was going on. kay makes sweet pickles and had a recipe i could use but dill are my favorite so i searched the internet and found this one that garret and i tried out. we tweeked it a little bit. i did not use horse radish, i did not use fresh dill ( i couldnt find any at the store) so i used dried dill, and i cut up some onions that i through in the jars with the pickles. they were pretty easy to make and OH SO YUMMY! we have almost eaten all the jars we made that day. the kids love them too.


let me know if you try them out for yourselves.