We woke up to a beautiful, snowy masterpiece this morning. Everything is covered in a thick, soft blanket of white, as if all tucked in comfy cozy. I love that snow makes everything look clean and crisp and pristine. It has the ability to brighten even the most rundown/filthy/decrepit of places and makes you forget their original state, as it covers the dirt and grime with its cleansing grace.
Since the roads were supposed to be a little nasty up this way, Wrex left after his evening sale last night to head to his Friday sale in Wyoming. We watched the radar and it looked like he could beat the snow and be safe and sound in town and not have to rush in the morning, so I sent him off at 10:00 last night – not my favorite thing on so many levels – but it was the wise choice.
A dear, dear friend of mine called to pray over me since I’m not the biggest of fan of being out here in the sticks without my protector/snuggle bunny here with me at night. As she was praying, she acknowledged the Lord as the “One in control of the storehouses of snow” and that just brought such immediate peace to me. I got such a vivid image of these big, long, white sheds with little fasteners on them and then Him excitedly opening them as beautiful, fluffy flakes fall out as blessings. Little, crystalline drops of His love and His mercy and His grace and His goodness falling straight from the sky.
In those moments, I forgot my fears and worries; His sovereignty and favor covered them, much like the snow outside covered the ground. My thoughts shifted to the Giver (Him) of these gifts (snow, hubby and kids) instead of my feeble attempt at controlling their well being. Just as He controls the falling of each flake and dispenses it upon the earth, He dispenses all I need…and in that moment, it was peace…and peace He brought.
I am so thankful that He brings gentle conviction so that I can open my hands and give Him back the things He has so graciously bestowed upon me. I am so thankful for sweet friends who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who are unafraid to pray and who bless me by doing so. I am most thankful that He has chosen to cover my rundown, filthy, decrepit, ramshackle, haggard attempts at righteousness with His perfection and holiness so that I can appear spotless before the Father…as white as snow, in fact.
Today, I find myself going back to the storehouse, back into His presence, back to the foot of the cross for more of His provision. Fridays usually find me tired and a little weary and in need of more of what He has to pour out, so I can pour it out, too. Lucky for me, the shelves are never empty.
I do hope you take the time to revel in His splendor today…
and take freely from the storehouse…there’s good stuff there.
The past two days have presented me with lots of photo ops…mainly of my two cuties, but hey, they make great subjects! Here’s a little picture recap of our Tuesday and Wednesday…
We read some books…and bundled up to go to the neighbors…He looked SO cute in this hat!Sawyer got a shell necklace that our neighbors brought her from Hawaii! She LOVES it!A band invaded my kitchen…Little Red Riding Hood got chased by a big, bad wolf…This was the beginning of a yummy dinner…I found a little doll hiding in my dish rag…Sawyer wanted to take some selfies…and we played a little Guess Who before bed.
Nothing crazy spectacular, but special all the same. These three make life fun!
If you’re not completely appalled at my behavior as a parent and are still reading this blog – thank you! 😉
This past Saturday, we were all so excited that it was supposed to be in the 60’s, so we had made plans to work in the barn and on the chicken house. We got dressed to go out and the stinkin’ wind about blew us over. We worked for a bit and then decided to do something a little more fun (and a little less windy).
There was an antique auction about 45 miles from here so we decided to hit the road! One of the ladies who had a booth in the Ogallala Antique Store decided to sell her collection so we thought we might find some fun things. We were right!
I found this really fun quilt for one of the guest rooms. This picture does not do it justice – you’ll have to check it out in person…
I found some more vintage Fiestaware to add to my little collection…
I fell in love with these hens on nests. They open up and you can put a little something inside…
I LOVE this big, old metal bowl. My fruit is going to look fab in it…
We scored Saywer some vintage dolls and doll furniture for her dollhouse…
I got some incredibly cute needlepoint pillowcases. This one is my fave…
We found some old pie pans and some little cast iron skillets, which Sawyer immediately called dibs on for her outdoor playhouse…
And we found this cute little Kitt and Kaboodle doll in great shape and her horse works like a charm. She is adorable! Someone really liked her, too…
The kids did so well at the auction and were so patient and obedient. Sawyer made friends with a little boy named Travis and they had fun pushing Wryder in the stroller all over the fairgrounds, which he enjoyed as well.
Dora the Explorer and I have a love/hate relationship. Sawyer used to really, really like watching her and it brought me joy because it brought her joy, but she has slowly grown out of that phase.
Halloween 2012 – Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora!She’s that super cool exploradora…
I mean, it’s sort of a cute little show; Map is adorable, as is Boots…they always have a goal, a place in mind that they have to get to…but I’ve noticed an increase in the number of times I have to get up and shut it off because of witches or wizards or other crazy characters casting spells. As a Bible believing family, we’re just not going to support that kind of stuff, especially in children’s programming. Same for the overly dramatic, whiny, disrespectful characters that are in way too many shows. Aint nobody got time for that!
As a parent, it is my God appointed responsibility to act as a gatekeeper for my kiddos. Our eyes and ears are two huge camps of infiltration and our babies don’t have the full capacity or discernment yet to know when something is trying to come in and inflict warfare on their hearts and minds.
Even though she only gets to watch a (heavily regulated) show a day, there is still sooooooo much stuff all around us that she’s exposed to – radio commercials, stories from other kids, loud phone conversations, pictures that pop up in Google search results (when only searching for “silly kitties”), attitudes and words from neighboring diners in restaurants, magazine racks at the checkout line, spending time with other peoples’ children – the list could go on and on.
At this young and impressionable age, if other peoples’ kids are treating each children disrespectfully (including yours) or don’t get disciplined (or get disciplined poorly or not in love) or have issues with physicality – don’t subject your kids to that! This can be so hard, especially if you really enjoy spending time with the parents of said children, but it’s just not worth it. One, they need to be in a place that feel safe and secure and if they’re getting beat up or verbally assaulted every time they “play” together, then they aren’t safe and secure. Two, they’re gonna bring that stuff home and we can’t be (or at least I’m not) willing to let that happen.
It’s my job to protect my babies from some of the things they’re just absolutely too young to think on, and to talk through and counter the rest with the Truth – the Word of God. I’m not saying you need to shelter them their entire lives and then just throw them to the wolves one day when it’s time to leave the nest, but I am saying that we have to be intentional about what and who they surround themselves with, even at age three.
We have to act with purpose by planting the wisdom and truth of the Lord into their hearts. Unfortunately, it’s not just going to happen on it’s own. We have to take an active stance and it’s going to take some (more) of our precious, dedicated time. (Have you ever had to die to yourself so much in your entire life?!? Yeah, me either…)
But? They will be better for it (and so will we). They will be well equipped with truth to combat the hundreds of lies thrown at them by the world every day. They will have a firm foundation of the Word of the Lord so that they can begin to navigate these things for themselves. They will be filled with the wisdom and discernment that comes from being saturated in Him…and they will begin to see themselves and others through the lens of the Lord and not the the lens of the world. Their hearts and words and actions and thoughts will bear the fruit of the Spirit – it will have no other option!
Guess what all of that means for us as parents? We have to do those same things for ourselves, too. We have to be cognizant of what we’re seeing and hearing and thinking on. We have to be led by the Spirit…we have to be full of wisdom and discernment…we have to be basking in His Word or else we won’t be able to give it away to the littles.
This post comes on the heels of 1.) the Grammy’s, which I did not watch but too many of my friends and their kids did (and I wished they wouldn’t have…see above) and 2.) an overly embarrassing episode in our home last night. As I was putting a spoon in the sink, our glass, dish soap holder fell (loudly) in the sink and scared the daylights out of me! (Me? Jumpy and high strung? Never. Ahem.) Before I had even uttered anything except a small scream, Sawyer said, “Oh, shed.” Yeah. Isn’t that nice. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to the little building where we store the lawn mowers. Apparently, ahem, I have a habit of saying a semblance of that lovely phrase often enough for her to notice. I mean, we don’t go too many places for her to pick this language up, so I’m gonna have to call dibs on this one.
I turned around and asked what she said and she replied, “Oh, shed. That’s what we say when we drop something.” Nice one, mom. Dora should be the least of my worries, eh?
So, we then got to have a talk about how imperfect mommy is and how I don’t always say things that honor Jesus, but that I need to work on that. We talked about how out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks and that I need to do some work on my heart so that my reactions when I get flustered or scared are more righteous.
So now that I’ve completely outed myself (embarrassed, flustered, red face, queasy stomach and all), I hope to practice more of what I’ve preached here. Lord, help me. And I’m hoping you’ll still let your kids come over – I really try to make a point not to use curse words, really, I do.
The point is, evil/vile/sinful things, thoughts and words are all around us vying for a piece of our allegiance. We have to do our best to protect the gates of our homes and the gates of the homes of our souls – our hearts. Let us love righteousness and hate sin…and watch less Dora…because that’s probably good for everyone.
I was playing dollhouse with Sawyer tonight when I jokingly pulled her pajama pants down to be funny. She reached down and grabbed them and cinched them back up with ease and my memory recalled a time when she was too little to do that on her own.
She has grown up so much here lately…too much for me, sometimes. I just want to freeze time right now, right in these moments we’re in, and just live here forever; is that too much to ask? These are some of the best days of my life, of that I am sure.
I love to hear all of the songs sings; the ones she makes up and the ones she knows by heart. When she belts out Amazing Grace and raises her hands to the Lord in worship to Him, I just about melt. (I know He has to about do the same).
I love her little laugh when something really tickles her. You can’t help but laugh right along with her.
I love the little ticks she and repetitions she’s designed for herself…like smelling the candle in the bathroom every time she’s in there…or her tooth brushing routine (it’s quite detailed)…or how she “starts” the dryer by pushing her little system of “buttons.”
I love how she gets so excited to wear pretty dresses and sparkly shoes and likes to change clothes several times a day.
I love how she loves her little brother. She always wants to hold him and help him and play with him. She is sooooo ready for him to walk, but until then, I’ll “take bubba into the toy room” for her every time she asks.
I love the elaborate picnics and birthday parties she creates in the toy room. There is always food and dishes and treats galore; she takes such care in making the occasion special.
I love to hear her speak truth to our entire family (and all of her dolls and toys for that matter). When “boy baby” gets scared in the dollhouse, she reminds him that Jesus is always with us…and when we dig in without thanking the Lord for our food, she’s quick to remind us that we should pray…or when she gets a word from the Lord, she’s always quick to share.
I love her gentle spirit and how quick she is to accept correction. Discipline isn’t always fun and sometimes it downright kills me and she always receives it with such grace…and the times I don’t do it right, she’s always so quick to forgive.
I love how in the mornings, she wants to come snuggle us if she wakes up first. She’ll be really still for a few minutes and then you find her kissing all over you and petting you; can’t get upset about that.
I love how she likes to make graham cracker soup (broken up graham crackers in milk) and how she likes to dip everything in ranch…how she won’t eat the ends of her pickles and how she’ll lick a salt shaker given half a chance.
I love her mind and her penchant for learning. She’s so interested in space and planets and making letters and numbers and counting and patterns and cattle breeds – and I could go on and on and on! She’s a little sponge and it’s so fun to get to research and teach her and show her more of the things she’s interested in.
I love how she loves to make pictures and drawings and in doing so, always use crayons and stamps and markers and map colors and stickers and scissors and glue and creates a complete masterpiece! She loves office supplies; a girl after my own heart.
I love how she likes to hold hands and give hugs and cover you in kisses. I will never get enough of those.
I love how much care she gives our dog Trigger, even though he doesn’t always return the favor. She’ll go out and pray over him and color pictures for him…she always makes sure he has food and water…and she gives him about 10 little treat bones a day, even though he tries to bite her every time she does. Her heart holds no grudge. I need to be more like her.
She is such a special little girl. I know I’m biased, but she really is. I never imagined I would be this blessed. She makes me want to do better, to live better, to eat better, to speak better, to think better, to love better, to forgive better, to play better, to be better.
Lord, help me to make these days count. It feels like I look up again and it’s Friday and a whole week has gone by…and pretty soon I’m gonna wake up and she’s gonna be four…and then 10…and then 16…and then…I can’t even let myself go to the ‘and then’…
Being a mommy is hard on the heart; to know something so intimately and to love something so completely and then to let it grow and let it go just seems so……cruel. I suppose women have done it for thousands of years before me…and I’m sure I’ll survive…but if I had my way…….
Sawyer’s Uncle Waco is a pretty special guy. He reminds me a lot of his older brother, whom I adore. He’s incredibly sweet and sensitive, yet manly and protective. He’s a great provider and an incredibly hard worker; like Wrex, I don’t think there’s a thing he can’t do. He is wise beyond his years, yet squirrelly and spontaneous as all get out! He is, hands down, one of my favorite people on the planet! He is a fantastic husband and is going to be an amazing daddy one of these days. I’m so honored to call him my brother, it’s true.
Last year, he married an incredibly special girl, who we all love and cherish, too! She just makes the package all the more sweeter…
Aunt Amber and Uncle Waco
Sawyer adores them both! They are soooooo good at playing with her and spending time with her and spoiling her rotten loving her like crazy!
LOVE these three!
For Christmas, they searched long and hard to find the perfect gift – a tricycle that could be driven on gravely dirt and grass, since we don’t have a lot of cement out here in the sticks.
She was soooooo excited to get it put together so she and daddy worked on it Sunday afternoon.
She was in charge of tools and instructions!
This trike is so awesome, it even has a bell!
Her favorite part, hands down…
The tires on this thing are massive! It took a little getting used to but then she was off to the races!
We have such a good daddy…Here I go!
We’ve got to work on our steering skills and our leg muscles, but we’ve got the bell ringing down! (Surprised?!) The cat has already gone for a ride and the chickens are getting the memo to steer clear. Pretty sure come summer, she’s gonna be whizzing all over the property!
She’s one happy girl, can you tell?
Thank you, Uncle Waco and Aunt Amber! We love you so much! Come visit soon so you can see me in action!
My little man is quite the ham when it comes to the camera.
He’s started doing this thing with his face every time he see the flash on the camera charge.
He squinches up his eyes and smiles really cheesy.
I absolutely adore him!
Sawyer was one of those kids that didn’t mind her photo being taken, but she didn’t play to the camera. (She’s figured that out now! Trust me. Ha!) Wryder is just a naturally, smiley guy…and I think he likes attention. Just what I’ve observed. Wonder where he gets that from?! Anyone know his father…yeah, that will explain it!
Saturday was terribly windy, yet again…the house was cleaned (even the blinds!)…everyone had taken good naps and was bathed so we decided to head to town for a rare Saturday night outing!
Dressed for the occasion!
Daddy bought our supper at the Front Street Steakhouse where Sawyer got root beer in a boot cup…with two straws…and two cherries! What could be better?!
YUMM!
Wryder experienced his first club cracker and fell. in. love. He ate six. Yes, six. Plus applesauce. And bread. And mashed potatoes and gravy. Have I mentioned he likes to eat?
Mom, these are REALLY good!May I have 5 more?!
After we finished up our supper, we took a little trip to the bowling alley! Sawyer loved the shoes and got to use a ramp to help her get her ball a little farther down the lane – she had a ball!
She was really focused…
She’d cock her hip to the side after every push until she hit some pins – too cute.
Go, ball, go!
Wrex is a really good bowler. He smoked me every game (as did Sawyer, unfortunately). I personally just like to watch his form, if you know what I mean. Ahem.
🙂
Wryder got over the whole bowling experience rather quickly. He usually goes to bed at 6:30 so when we started bowling at 6:30, that just didn’t jive with him.
I’s tired…
With lots of cuddling in between rolls, he made it until just past the bowling alley parking lot – then he was out!
This was one of the first Saturdays that we really didn’t have a lot going on so it was nice to get out and do something we don’t usually do. Completely enjoyable.
AND?!?
The Broncos are going to the SUPER BOWL!! I LOVE some Peyton Manning. He’s just a classy, professional individual…and he looks a little like my hubby. 😉 And who doesn’t love ex-Red Raider, Wes Welker? Well done, boys!
It has been sooooooooooooooo windy here lately and I loathe, hate, despise and murderously abhor the wind. The sound of it alone just grates on my nerves…and don’t even get me started on it’s effects on my hair! (It’s not as bad as humidity, but it’s a close second.) I grew up in windy West Texas and when I moved to Colorado I thought I had escaped it. WRONG.
I’m such a fall/winter person but I’m feeling really ready for spring this year. I know Sawyer needs more time outside, as do I. The walls close in on the house sometimes and I am a complete and utter wimp in the cold. Last week, it got up close to 60 so we took full advantage!
Sawyer put on her new pink John Deere gloves that she got from her Uncle Waco and off we went!
Cutest helper I’ve ever seen!
She helped daddy put some more bedding in the chicken nest boxes…
One of his favorite helpers…She’s really loves to serve and work!
The barn cats have made themselves at home amongst the chickens. They sleep in the nest boxes every night and the chickens seem to cordially share their space…
The cats get the bottom bunk!
She “cooked” a few snacks for her chickens and cats. Daddy made her a little make shift stove in the barn and she makes herself at home in the feed room gathering ingredients…
She cares so much for her animal friends….
She helped daddy make a few repairs and improvements to the “park.” Her steering wheel had worked it’s way loose so they whipped out the tools and went to work…
She was only upset because she had to pose instead of work!
She went for a pony ride and busted ice in the chicken waterers and fed the dogs a frozen egg and looked for the not-so-tame kitten and picked up some trash and jumped on the trampoline and just flat burned off some energy! By the time we wandered in, we had shed our coats and hats and gloves and enjoyed the sunshine!
It’s supposed to be 66 this weekend! The possibilities are ENDLESS! What will YOU be doing?!
I spent time with a dear, dear friend yesterday who isn’t just sweet, kind and Godly but also has a keen eye for all things vintage/rustic/primitive. Her house is super cute and it made me want to browse Pinterest and pretend I had time to do some projects. One day……
Until then, enjoy my lastest faves!
This pig feeder turned bar is a total yes! Oh, honey! Get the welder ready!
So us!
Who would not want to spend time in this kitchen? To die for!
Get in my house!
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Beautiful…
How cute (and easy to make) is this?! Pleather…I need pleather…
So cute and cool!
Love these pendant lights made out of old funnels. Clean out your garage, people, and send these my way! 😉
Anything galvanized or rusty is my friend…
I know a little boy that would look completely adorable in this!
Oh, yes I do!
I love to have people over and I love to make people feel comfortable – isn’t that what you want when you go somewhere? This is an eloquent reminder…
It’s my goal…
This light fixture is made of embroidery hoops – let’s do it!
Where to put this?!
This might look weird to some in my Colorado home, but who doesn’t love Texas?
and take freely from the storehouse…there’s good stuff there.
