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(Re)Cleaning the Garage

The neighbors gave Sawyer a pair of roller blades last year and here lately she’s been dying to strap them on and go for a skate. Our garage has a concrete floor, the perfect place for her to do so…but we haven’t seen it in a while. Anybody else have that problem?

On Thursdays, Wrexy doesn’t have to report to the sale barn until late afternoon/early evening so we’ve spent our morning cleaning out the garage…again. Is it just us or is that a never ending project for everyone??

The garage is where we store, uh, everything. Tools? The garage. Christmas decor? The garage. Tricycles and wagons and scooter and toy cars? The garage. Totes of kids’ clothes that we’re saving for the next baby(s)? The garage. Rakes and shovels and brooms? The garage. Decor and party supplies? The garage. Everything you might ever need to do any project ever? The garage.

It’s nice to have a space to put all of those things but man it gets crowded in there. Half the time, we’re in a hurry to clean up after a project…or we’re going to need the same equipment for a project in a few days…or we we need more totes to store the clothes the kids have outgrown or the clearance Christmas items we just bought…or the kids got really imaginative with a cardboard box and every little trinket they could find and made ~~a mess~~ a creative little play station.

And none of those are necessarily bad things but it ends up creating a big, jumbled mess that has to be resorted and reorganized and cleaned up again.

Isn’t that how life can be? There are so many good things we can dip our fingers into, things we can fill our time with and some of them can be life giving, but after a while it’s just…a lot. Just like we are constantly going back to the garage to declutter again, we have to do that with our time and priorities. What brings the most life to our family? What is helping us grow in our relationships with the Lord? What is benefiting us and what is stealing joy? What are the things that we can lay down in order to have a little more peace or restoration?

Just like re-cleaning the garage, it’s not always a simple task (it took us a few hours and a lot of physical labor) and not everyone will agree with what works best for you, but YOU do. Pray about it with your spouse and ask the Lord to show you what in your schedule needs weeded out, then make those changes. I promise that what you give up in obedience will be replaced ten-fold with peace and joy and life!

Just be careful not to let all of that busyness sneak in again. It’s really good at that, ya know? You’ll be back on your hands and knees scrubbing your calendar again before you know it…

We finished up a little after noon today and Sawyer got to strap on her skates and fly like the wind (read – have a death grip on my hand as I led her around in circles, ahem). Regardless, she was a joyful little ball of energy!

We’re quite glad to have the cleaning part behind us. Here’s to hoping it stays that way…

The Chair

I posted this picture last night because, well, it was funny but also because he just looked so darn cute sitting there with his feet up and his BUCKET of ice cream.

I had gotten up to get some water and I came back and took in the full view and I just couldn’t help myself…

Wrexy bought this chair for me (us) after Christmas. We got it on sale at Menards and it is really comfy. The later weeks and months of pregnancy can be a little uncomfortable and he thought it would be nice for me to a have nice place to sit when I get the chance. Trust me, I know; I’ve got a good one.

The first week or so, we were both so careful not to sit in it all the time; we always wanted the other one to have the option to have it first. Now, it’s a mad dash into the living room after the kids go to bed and chores are done – ha! I told him we should’ve bought two…

The kids have loved it and I have too. The chair has already brought lots of snuggle time and lots of rocking…lots of praying together and over each other…a place to read lots of books and watch a lot of football. It’s been a little refuge when someone got hurt or just needed a little bit of a time out with mom or dad. The chair has been where the kids have felt Sayble kick for the first time and where I’ve taken refuge after a day of taking care of my family. It’s been a place where Sawyer has cuddled with Wryder while she helped him learn the words in his picture books and where he has rocked it as far back as he could without knocking it over. Ahem.

It took us weeks to agree to make the purchase but we’re really quite glad that we did. It’s become more than a place to sit; it’s a little haven of memories and closeness and time together…and you know I love that.

I Wrote Again – Is It Gonna Snow?

This poor thing has been neglected! I wish I had some deep, revelatory reason as to why…but I don’t. The Lord didn’t tell me to take a break…I didn’t take a sabbatical to make sure I was spending x amount of hours not on the computer and with the fam…I haven’t been suffering from writer’s block and there certainly hasn’t been a lack of happenings to talk about…I’ve just been absent. Shame on me!

Alas, I’m back! So let’s catch up!

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We had a fabulous Christmas break! My husband’s job affords him quite a few days off, so we had daddy around (all to ourselves, mind you) for two weeks! YIPPEE! We ate well, slept well, played lots of games, watched some fun shows, cuddled a lot, talked a lot – took full advantage of our time with him.

We were all ~~dreadfully sad~~ a little sad to see him go Monday morning but we all survived!

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I have been in MAJOR nesting mode. My poor husband.

The past two days, I’ve decluttered/deep cleaned our ENTIRE house! Six bags of trash and six bags of give away later, I’m feeling good! (Except for my feet, lower back and hip – but hey, it was worth it!) Now if it will all just say this way until baby comes……..

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Speaking of baby….we’re having a GIRL! Sawyer called it from the beginning and she was right again…and quite proud of herself. 🙂

Sayble Jean Phipps is due May 1st and doesn’t seem to be near as active in utero has her siblings. 🙂

We are over the moon about having another sweet little princess. I’ve already ordered a few *ahem* hair bows. The selection of girly, frilly, adorable clothing, footwear and head wear is astounding. I’m already thinking I made need to order a new debit card so I won’t have the new number memorized like I do this one. Ay yi yi…

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We got to see a lot of family over Christmas break. We got together with all of Wrex’s family over Thanksgiving and snuck in some family pictures! How cute is this set of grandkids? I mean, I know I’m a little partial, but come on!

RaRa and the grand-girls... — RaRa and the grand-girls…

We met up with my family halfway in Kansas and spent the weekend together – soooo thankful for the time together! Sawyer was so excited to have another cousin to play with, hold hands with Gramps and swim at the motel pool, of course.

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Other happenings (in no particular order, thank you pregnancy brain)…

I had four teeth pulled. Not my favorite experience, especially pregnant, but I survived…

We had a little New Year’s Eve party with Sawyer. We let her stay up until nine and then we watched last year’s ball drop on Youtube…

I made Sawyer a set of Disney princess felt ornaments for the tree in her room. I LOVE how they turned out. I see more of these in my future…

We got to witness two beautiful unions in the past month. Sawyer and Wryder danced their little hearts out AND met Santa at the first wedding – how cool is that?

Sittin' with Santa... — Sittin’ with Santa

I thought I was getting a stand mixer for Christmas and I got a handgun instead! (MUCH better, in my opinion!) We’ve been so busy and it’s been so cold, I’ve only shot ten rounds through it, but I’m excited to get more familiar with it and take my concealed to carry class…

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I’m sure there’s more to tell but that’s a good start, yes?

Random Rambles

It’s Wednesday…and it’s felt a bit like a Monday. Sawyer had Cubbie bear for the week and I needed to print pictures for his adventure journal. Lo and behold, of the seven ink cartridges in our printer, light magenta was out so it refused to print a thing! Is it just me or does it sound like the printer needs to learn how to compromise a little??

I saved the pics to my flash drive and loaded everybody up so we could go print them in town. As I was buckling Wryder in his car seat I realized I didn’t have my keys, even though I had just locked the house door. No biggie, I’ll get the spare key. Oh. Wait. The spare is on my keyring because I lost the original. *ahem*

I called Wrex and he told me the best place to break into the house (which I shall not divulge here). I got in and went to grab my keys which I knew were on the kitchen table…but they weren’t there now. I looked EVERYWHERE. Trashcan…toy room…mud room…car…called Wrex to see if he had them…confirmed with Sawyer they were on the table. At this point, I knew Wryder must have been the culprit.

I finally told the Lord that I had no idea where else to look and I asked for His help – novel idea! I went back inside and I felt like I was supposed to put a bag of tortilla chips back in the pantry that Wryder had drug out (seriously, what is this kid’s deal with corn chips today??) and as I did, I thought they might be in there! I looked where we keep the chips and saw nothing. Just as I was about to shut the door, I saw a little glint by a bag of potatoes – my keys!

He cares, even about my keys…

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So, back to Cubbie. He go to spend the week with us and I had one happy girl on my hands!

Cubbie even got to travel to Denver with us for the weekend and we made a stop at Krispy Kreme’s so he and the kiddos could watch them make the doughnuts!

When we got home, we had three day old baby chicks that they had to check out! Cubbie even got to hold a couple!

Sawyer's favorite - Marshmallow Gravy — Sawyer’s favorite chick – Marshmallow Gravy

These two had a lot of fun together. I’m sure she’s not ready to let him go but it’s time for another adventure with one of her classmates.

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Our time in Denver was so special. We got to spend some good time with the bestie and her family – always a good time! The kids love playing with Baby Eva.

It’s so fun to watch my kids play with my bestie’s kids. It’s one of those things you kind of dream about and then when you get to watch it come to fruition, it’s a sweet, sweet thing.

We got to spend some time with the bestie’s extended family…which is our extended family. Sawyer’s Cubbie’s lesson this past week was about how the Lord gives us family that aren’t always blood, and that’s exactly what these people are. We may not be flesh of their flesh, but we are definitely family of the heart and soul and spirit.

He has been so faithful to do this for us…for me. When everyone is scattered across the country and some homes have been broken, He’s been so faithful to fill those gaps with some of the most important people in my life. I’m forever grateful…

Friday night, we celebrated family birthdays with them and it was just such a warm, familiar time. Sitting around the living room as the evening wore on, I just sat there observing the circle of people around me and thinking, “I want this. I love this. THIS is family.”

There’s trust and respect and genuine affection…there’s easy smiles and belly laughs and warmth…I just wanted to freeze that moment for all time.

The grandkids organized a talent show of sorts and about four people in, Sawyer wanted to get up and dance for everyone. While this is something she would do at our house for Wrex and I, our little introvert wouldn’t do that everywhere. I LOVED that she felt safe enough to do so there; it was so telling.

Seriously, it was a good night.

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I’ve been reading in Isaiah lately (one of my FAVORITE FAVORITE books) and this morning’s passage was so beautiful.

It was from Isaiah 65 and He talks about the new heaven and the new earth. It says, “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,or an old man who does not live out his years;”

“They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.”

I guess I had never read those verses before?? OR maybe they haven’t meant as much as they do these days.

SOOOOOOOO often my heart longs for heaven. Usually, it’s a selfish, please-rescue-us-from-the-madness-and-injustice-of-this-world kind of thing. I’m not really ready to go without my family…I guess I’m just ready for Him to come and this new reign to begin. And I think that’s a good place to keep my heart sometimes. Not on this world…on Him and His heavenly kingdom…but it’s not always easy.

There will be a day…when all you’ve gone through…will be no more. No more tears…no more suffering…no more heartache…no more bitterness…no more hurt…no more what ifs…no more…

Until then, I will attempt to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus…the author and finisher of my faith.

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In case you missed it on Facebook this morning, my sweet boy was up to his usual food scavenging shenanigans.

I had just finished cleaning up from breakfast (in which he had two scrambled eggs with cheese, a piece of toast and a cup of milk) and sat down to help Sawyer with Cubbies when he came in munching on a taco shell. What?!

I have no idea how he even got in the pantry, rummaged around and got one out of the box…or why he thought he was still hungry.

Regardless, how could you be mad at this sweet face?

Random Rambles

Besides playhouse move-in day, yesterday was also chicken moving day!

The 100 little hens that we ordered a while back were ready to join the big flock in the chicken house. Sawyer is an incredible helper! She carried two chickens at a time and made about 10 trips with us. They were still exploring their new digs this morning, but I’m betting they feel right at home soon enough.

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On the playhouse front, I had to laugh/grimace/shake my head yesterday. After breakfast, we went back out to play and I had a little mowing to finish up. The kids played in the little house for about 20-30 minutes and then I see them scurrying off……..to the barn………where they played for over an hour. HA! Sweet Tredessa reminded me that the barn was just like a really big playhouse…

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I was talking to a friend last night about some of the struggles life throws at us. She was saying she just felt like she was unequipped to deal with some of the trials that her family has been going through as of late; she felt like she had no strength to dig in and conquer. She felt frayed and frazzled and a little scared.

As I was chatting with her, the Lord gave me a picture of childbirth. When you get into transition phase – right before that sweet, beautiful baby that you’ve been waiting on for nine (long) months physically makes its way into the world – things get rough. The pain is intense, it feels like it’s gonna never gonna be over and you start saying/screaming/yelling/crying “I can’t do this! It’s too hard! I’m not gonna be able to do it!” – the tell-tale sign of transition. Don’t ask me how I know. *ahem*

And lo and behold, you’re able to…you’re more than able to…and out comes this sweet little life that has been knit inside your womb by the very hands of God. And? Every month and day and minute of pain and discomfort was worth it.

Isn’t that how life is sometimes, too? When you’re being held over the refining fire…when the Lord is working things out for the better for you, even if it feels like the worst…when we finally get to the other side, there is LIFE. I’m praying that for her and for you…and for me.

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Sweet Sawyer put on her swimsuit yesterday all by her lonesome!

I didn’t tell her it was on backwards because she was so proud of herself and I was proud of her, too. Plus, she looks stinkin’ cute with her backwards suit! And in these sunglasses…

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Daddy took Sawyer to the sale barn today as part of “birthday week” and I stayed home with little man to have some one-on-one time with him and to catch up on some housework. I had just sat down with a notebook and pen to make a lit of things that ‘needed’ to be done when I came across this post from Ann Voskamp.

I get increasingly frustrated by moms that celebrate their kids going back to school, not for the sake of the kid, but out of their own selfishness. THAT’S another post for another day…

Ann beautifully captures the order in which things should be. She writes:

What if I want to play more games of monopoly and leave the dishes in the sink more often? What if I want to take you fishing more Saturdays and blow off cleaning up the garage? Why doesn’t someone tell all the homemakers: Cleanliness isn’t next to godliness. Love is.

Oh. My. Heart. I’m crying again just reading it. Let’s just say I haven’t done much cleaning…and I’ve loved every minute. Please, please take the time to read her post…

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I’m off to see if I can catch a nap before WD wakes up…it’ll be all over after that!

Random Rambles

It’s overcast and cool out; my soul is begging for fall! This has been such a mild summer and I have very little tan left on my arms and legs…might as well call it and hide them under sweaters and jeans, right?! Come on, fall…

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Wryder’s namesake and great-grandpa is turning 85 this year and I have the distinct honor of providing decor for the grand event! I’ve got about 10 projects half done and ~~quite~~ a few *ahem* that I have yet to embark upon. For some reason, this overcast weather makes me uber-productive, so I’m hoping to take advantage of that today. I’ve already got these bad boys in the dishwasher…

Stay tuned for a DIY this week! Maybe that will REALLY make me get it done this week…

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Our church cleaned out their library and had tables of free books for us to peruse this past Sunday. For bibliophiles, it was hard not to take them all, but we decided upon these:

Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories — Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories

These are the sweetest little stories that discuss character and wise choices and how the Lord would prefer us to live. They’ve been a fun edition to our daily readings and we highly recommend them if you can get your hands on a set!

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I missed my kiddos terribly while I was at jury duty last week so we’ve tried to make up for lost play time with LOTS of playtime. I must say, I have the cutest playmates of anyone around.

This girl throws quite the party and this little guest sure makes them fun!

It warms my heart how well they get along. I’m sure those feelings for each other might change and evolve as the years go on but I hope they only intensify amorously. It’s so cute to see them interact together and greet each other in the morning and give random hugs and pull each other close to sit…

I wish I could say this attentive shot was during our family devotions…but I was letting them watch “Let it Go.” *ahem* Maybe I should start theatrically singing all of our Bible lessons…

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I don’t know about your kids, but Sawyer is a lover of rocks! Every parking lot/driveway/restaurant/farm/house/business/ we visit, she finds at least one to add to her “collection.” Wrex was cleaning out his pickup last night and found a stash under her seat. He brought them in and she put them in a little baggie and showed them to us and said, “These are so I can remember all the places I’ve been.”

It was completely cute and completely heart melting. We talked to her about how incredibly Biblical that was. Over and over in the Old Testament, stones are placed at significant places of significant happenings so that when people saw them, they would remember what transpired there…they would remember the faithfulness of God and what He did.

That’s sort of what this blog is; a giant rock of remembrance for me and my family. He has done so much for us and I don’t want them to forget where all of this good comes from.

I don’t think I’ll be forgetting her and her rocks anytime soon.

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If you’re not familiar with Angie Smith, you should be! She has quite the story, the best red hair, an adorable self-deprecation and I swear she’s my sister from another mister…or something. Her latest book, Chasing God, is on sale today for $0.99 (Kindle edition) at Amazon. I haven’t read it yet but if it’s anything like her others, it will be worth the buck. Bought and downloaded!

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All right, I better hop to it! The coffee cup is empty, the play tent is set up and the natives are growing restless; time to camp and then create! Enjoy this cozy day!

Worth 1,000 Words: Country Cottage

Our floral boxes have really come on in the past two weeks and things have bloomed like crazy! ***I contribute their success to my sweet neighbor who took most excellent care of them while we were gone.*** Regardless, the Phipps “Ranch” is looking more like a country cottage…and l love it! If only we could find time to mow…sigh…

Pretend you can't see all those weeds... — Pretend you can’t see all those weeds…

Love this little area... — Love this little area…

And these pink petunias are Wrexy's favorite! — These pink petunias are Wrexy’s favorite!

A little show box full of red surprises!

Volunteer portulaca has sprouted up everywhere!

Today was so incredibly lovely…I even told the Lord that if He wanted to send an early fall I wouldn’t complain one bit! I’d gladly trade these pretties for pumpkins. 😉

Our Humble Abode: Living Room

I feel so troubled…I can’t find the before pics of the living room anywhere! I’ve looked on two computers and a flash drive – what happened to them!?

Close your eyes and imagine white walls…and then pick up a rag and smear some yellow brown paint in a circular motion on said walls – THAT would’ve been the living room. The floor was fine and the wood work was good, it just needed some paint!

After:

Our living room changes a bit from time to time, both in arrangement and details. It’s shaped really funny and I’m always arranging and rearranging trying to find the setup I like best. This is where I’ve landed for now. Things are decorated a little on the Americana side – summer just screams that to me.

DSCF2090 — Other side, from the kitchen…

From the north wall... — From the north wall…

I have lots of little vintagey things displayed in crates that are kind of fun…

The stars are old carpenter’s rulers that Wrex shaped into stars for me. I swiped the July 4th printables off a Pinterest site and added some touches of red and turquoise.

I found this gorgeous fabric at a yard sale this past weekend. It’s thick, red-striped canvas and totally reminded me of Old Glory…

Wrex built this tree for me out of scrap wood and it’s one of my favorite things in the room. I keep thinking I’m going to get sick of it, but so far it hasn’t happened.

I used flashcards to make the bunting…

and scrap fabric to make this wreath stand out a bit.

This is command central for all things preschool/Cubbies/blogging/bill paying, etc., can you tell?!

We made this chicken wire bulletin board and have been using it as a prayer board for a few years now. It’s just a simple reminder to intercede for the people we have tacked up there…

Where the blog magic happens... — Where the blog magic happens…

I love these Ikea hanging systems. So handy!

We made the big star out of yardstick around Christmas and I threw it up there for summer. Our TV stand is an old dresser we bought from some friends. We sanded it to rustic it up, added some funky paint and fabric and voila – I love it!

Our light fixtures in the living room are old minnow buckets we found at a flea market. They, too, are one of my faves!

I hope you enjoyed our little living room tour! We’re headed to enjoy some summer outside!

Life in the Light

We fell in love with this place at dusk and it’s still my favorite time of day here…

While we were out doing chores tonight, Wrex called me into the hen house. We’ve had a momma sitting on eggs for a while now and he decided to check in on her. We have some roosters so there was a good possibility that she would hatch some chicks.

We got out the cell phone flashlight to take a peak…

We found a pleasant, awe-inspiring surprise!

How awesome is that?! We could even see him/her moving around inside that amniotic goodness.

I so clearly see the hand of the Lord IN His creation. Tonight was no exception…

Thankful to live in rural America…

Thankful to be surrounded by life…

Thankful He reveals Himself to us…

Our Humble Abode: Kitchen

The kitchen is the most popular room in our house…probably because we spend a lot of time there. Between three meals and two snacks, plus prep and clean-up, some days I feel like I rarely leave it!

Aside from the flooring, this room didn’t need much attention; it mainly just looked dated…a little paint goes a long way…

Before:

After:

We painted all of the cabinets a soft white, added a dishwasher, painted the walls and put in new flooring.

I left some of the cabinets exposed to show off some of my fun dishes and glassware.

DSCF2063 — Wrexy found this set with a pitcher for me – love them!

We got this refrigerator from my brother. It had been in storage and was pretty scratched up so I painted it with chalkboard paint. It’s a fantastic place to write scripture or reminders and it gives the kids something to do when I’m cooking.

Wrex made this mason jar chandelier for me when we lived in Denver and there was no question that I was hanging it here, as well.

388617_10151122473215335_1697160731_n — Isn’t this awesome?!?

It's one of my favorite things in the house... — It’s one of my favorite things in the house…

Wrex also made these wire baskets that I placed above my cabinets, along with a few other fun, vintage finds…

DSCF2066 — I also have a thing for flour sifters…

My other favorite thing in the kitchen are these giant letters.

They were from the old Ogallala Livestock sale barn sign and they let Wrex have them when they updated their signage.

We used an old pallet for a dish display…

an old tool box as a silver ware holder…

and a peg board as a electrical box hider/utensil hanger.

Our kitchen table is butcher block style and is banged up and scarred and for this point in our lives – it’s perfect…

I love that everyone likes to gather here, I just really wish we had a dining room. We have a big family and we love to have everyone over and our small space makes that difficult. One day…one day…