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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Decisions

I’ve been thinking about decisions lately and how when making a big purchase I really try and search it out to make sure that I’m making the right one. This week I had to make 2 decisions. To a lot of you reading it will seem very minute and you may even get a good chuckle out of this and in the big scheme of things, I realize it’s not 
hu-ge life altering problems I'm faced with. However, when it’s dealing with money, a big sum of money for us, I always count it a big decision because I want to be wise in our choices. Especially when there's so many pressing things in life that need our income.
Decision number 1 came last Friday when I stumbled upon a vintage sofa. I have wanted an old sofa for awhile and I have a certain one in my head that I can just picture anywhere really, in my house. I picture it in the front room, my bedroom, or even in my craft room. I mean I would even squeeze one into the bathroom if I could. I can see using it for picture sessions with my kids indoors_ outdoors_ cute yellow pillows all propped up on top of it. But it’s a couple hundred dollars and I ask myself all these questions about me really needing it? I talk it over with my hubs & we talk it over some more, and then I do what all smart peeps do, I post it on Insta-gram and ask for help with my decision of should I or shouldn’t I, from my people who know a good thing when they see it. I wrestle these decisions, I pray about them, I sleep on them, and I try to not fall prey to making a quick decision of just buying it NOW. In the immediate of the moment.
A dog has been a topic in our household for years. Basically ever since 3 years ago we purchased a Shih Tzu from a Pet Store, got it home and after taking her to her first vet visit found out she was really sick. We thought something was wrong with her from the beginning because she would cough like she was trying to get a hair ball up. She sounded more like a cat than a dog. It was our first animal, other than a fish, and she was precious… a cute little ball of fur. After nursing her for 2 weeks with 3 meds we finally made the hard decision to return her to the pet store. Thankfully, there was a store policy that whenever an animal was sold and sickly you were able to get a full refund. So we did. The kids recovered after about a day of missing her and we’ve been very careful about pursuing the next animal that will become part of our family.


Currently, we're faced with making a decision on getting an adorable golden doodle puppy. And once again, I’ve wrestled, prayed, slept on it, talked it over with jode like 400 times or every time I've gotten a new thought of “what if ______” that pops into my brain, and we’ve sought advice from friends who own dogs. I’m so thankful for those friends who bare the truth. Like my besty from back home. When I called to talk to her she told me about the constant dog smell in her laundry room, the puppy that she had to teach not to eat her own poop, and about the scratches that are on her wood floors. She didn’t just tell me of the negatives she told me of all the positives too but I needed to hear the hard things because as I talk I process and it helps bring clarity.
Or I started thinking what if I just let go of some of the tight grip that I have on trying to be right with every little decision. Stopped being so afraid that I'm going to mess up. I'm not talking about being irresponsible with finances but this carries over into deeper areas too. Not just the small ones like whether or not to purchase a new couch. What if I fully trusted myself with a decision, be it right or be it wrong. If I could give myself some slack that even if it turned out to be wrong that it would be ok. It would totally be ok. I probably would find myself enjoying the process a little more. I know there is so much to be learned from every decision that we're faced with, be it wrong or be it right. And obviously some of the greatest lessons I've learned in life have come from making a not so great decision about something. That's why I'm so thankful for a loving God that covers over all my silly mistakes and forgives never to remember. So I think I should do the same for myself, give myself some slack and trust that He who lives inside of me is bigger. I’m curious, how do you make decisions on the biggies in your life? Do you have anything that helps bring clarity when crunch time comes?
heather.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Basketball_ Soccer_ & Cartwheels


Saturday oldest played his last basketball game for the season. His team were the winners of 1 game but overall, I think they all were winners. It's awesome to watch kids who start out maybe lacking confidence or who know nothing about team work turn around and by the end of the season they're holding their heads a little higher and they're passing the ball off & around the court. I love seeing the transition that happens out on the field/ court and know that it has to carry over into other areas of their life too. 


Two weeks ago we were out shopping and oldest spotted some new special dunking shoes. For those of you who follow along here you know my son has quite the obsession with shoes. Most of them being pretty pricey. He was more than disappointed that day to leave not getting the shoes that were on sale promising to do just about every chore he could think of from now until forever. Over the next couple of days the shoes were the highlight of his conversation. When finally Jode told him if he scored 10 points in the next game he would buy him the shoes. I think this bet happened amongst them as they were playing b-ball out in the driveway. Well he didn't make the 10 point score for that game and was more than disappointed but hubs once again committed to buy the shoes this last game if he scored 6 points..... and that he did.



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The girls are both thinking they want to try their kicks out at Soccer this year. They've been practicing and yesterday Jode and I took them on in a game. It was kind of chilly but so beautiful out.




The girls kept collaborating on their next play trying to outsmart us. Youngest kept impersonating Nacho Libre trying to make her sister laugh. I like seeing them on the same team and working together bc trust me it's so much better quieter that way. :)


Then late last night after all the tucking in had taken place I heard the text on my phone ring. Middle had text'd me to say that she really wants to play Soccer but not if her sister is going to play and be on her team. If that's the case she'd rather just play Softball again this year and let youngest play Soccer. I told her not to worry about it right then. It was too late and that we would figure it out tomorrow.


And there were some cartwheels, too this weekend. Because it just wouldn't have been a day to the fullest had there not been. Soccer and all is fun but cartwheels in the sunshine...that's often where it's really at.


Happy Monday!

Linking up with Laura
heather.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Day's Off












This weekend was a quiet one for us. 
Sunday was cold, nasty, and it rained the entire day. 
But today was President's Day and the kids were off from school. 
It was a sleep in and have fun just doing whatever the kids wanted kind of day.
So after lunch we decided to go down to the park and take a few pictures.
It's still chilly enough to wear a beanie hat and not yet warm enough to wear flip flops.
I'm longing lately for days of Summer to be here but trying to soak the last of Winter up.
Because I'm sure when we're having the days of 100 degrees I'll be dreaming of cooler ones to come.
Funny how that all works.
It's been awhile though, since I've played with my camera in the sunlight, outdoors.
And it's so the best
Indoors I find to be such a challenge to get the lighting just right and to achieve the look that I want. 
But it's so much fun getting out in the sunshine and just going with it.
That's what we did today... we just went with it and "it" was beautiful.

I'm so happy to be linking up today with Laura from Bits of Splendor.
You should go over and check out her blog and get to know some other awesome bloggers all linking up and sharing their splendor in life.
Happy Monday!
heather.





Thursday, February 16, 2012

Adventure

Five different states we’ve had the pleasure of experiencing life in. Each having different cultures, new people, strange food, beautiful and not so beautiful scenery and it’s been fun. A challenge at times, but overall fun. It has also been an adventure. We tell that to our 3 kids a lot. Life is an adventure. We want to live it. To really experience it. For us, living and dying in the same place without ever having expanded our horizons to life lived differently, would be disappointing. I often get these hankerings of adventures I’d like to take and I tell them to Jode. You know, when I’m trying to make sure I get in all my 2,000 words for the day.

I share with him how I’d like to...
hike down the Grand Canyon {not sure about hiking back up though}
take our kids white water rafting
visit California
see the vastness of Montana
travel the world for a year in an RV
and my latest…
is to one day live in the city. In a cool little downtown place where we have big sliding barn doors on the inside, a space up top the roof where we go for fresh air, just a walk around the corner takes us to the quaint coffee shop that knows me by name, and the bookstore you can get lost in for hours. {which this last hankering was brought back on from seeing “the vow”} Do you ever see something or maybe read a book that lights a spark already rooted inside of you?
First move 18hours away from what we'd always known as home. {2002}

I like change. The change-up in location, the change-up of routine, the going, the seeing_ the doing. I crave adventure. But not the kind so much, that involves jumping out of planes or even off of a ledge with a bungee….nah, I tend to enjoy  my feet being planted on the ground.

I remember for my  26th birthday Jode surprised me by taking me away for the weekend to snow ski. Neither of us had ever been before and neither of us had a clue as to how we were to get off a lift without falling. I still tell to this day that I only fell bc he pushed off on my leg each time we went to lift ourselves up. Therefore allowing him able to stay up on his skis and me fall every single time… I spent the majority of my time on my butt, but can I tell you how exhilarating it was. Being surrounded by the mountains of snow and all the beauty there was for us to take in. Tackling and taking on something new together that we had never done. It was an adventure and one I’ll never ever forget.
Snow Skiing 2003

It also was around this time that we kind of made a pact with each other promising we would continue to have adventures and do things that neither of us had ever done before … but we would do them with each other. We wanted to share those experiences in each other’s presence. 

And some days I find myself dreaming up new ways of adventure together. Sometimes it’s small things like eating at the new restaurant that serves a food we’ve never eaten before. Or seeing a band in concert we’ve never heard, shopping at Whole Foods instead of Wal-Mart, taking a new route home, buying exotic different flowers for the kitchen vase…. Just to shake things up a little. Because life can be an adventure if you look at it that way. I think it all just kind of depends on your perspective. 
First Dinner Boat Cruise 2004
heather.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy "Love" Day


Happy happy Valentine's Day!
I hope you get to celebrate all the love in your life today.
We're celebrating the love we receive from God_ our kids_ 
my man_ friends and oh, just everyone. It's a love Fest today Ya'll...



I hope you at least, get to treat yourself to one of something chocolate today....


So from me to you Happy Valentine's Day!
{This picture is a little distorted but ya'll I'm loving the Hubba Hubba app on my phone. I'm like a kid in a candy store creating all kinds of fun pics. You must go & check it out! It'll at the least be 5 minutes of fun for you.}



And lastly don't forget that...
.
  .
     .
                        I really do!

PS. Hubs and I are going to see "The Vow" today. Just know that I'm eeking out on the inside but I'm going to hold it together on here for ya'll, mkay. ;)
This song will be on repeat in my house today.

heather.





Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine's-Making Weekend


Friday oldest stayed home from school not feeling well.
He had the whole sore throat_ congestion thing going on. Not fun, at all.
But we needed to get our Valentine-Making on anyway and so that's just what we did.



We have a few paint decks laying around our home so we grabbed one up 
and made bookmarks that I had seen here
The girls got a kick out of reading all the paint color names...Romantic Morn, Pink Mimosa, Frosted Tulip, Bleeding Heart, Kenny's Kiss. Who gets to pick all those names anyway? 
We had fun trying to come up with our own names for each one....









By yesterday, oldest was feeling much better and wanted to go out and get all hot & sweaty while shooting some basketball, in the super cold weather. 
We wouldn't let him...we couldn't let him and you can imagine how well that went over.
This is where the whole parenting thing gets a little hard. 
We want them to understand that we're doing it for their good but they don't or maybe deep down they do but they don't want you to know that they do..ha!
Anyways, we made brownie sundaes with caramel on top and it really was the best way to close out our little Valentine's making weekend...even oldest had to agree.

Linking up this week with heather for
heather.











Thursday, February 9, 2012

Flowers







We've had flowers in our house for the past 2 weeks just bc. It started when my girls picked some from the side bush in our yard and brought them in to me. Then I picked some up from Wal-Mart bc i love to see them sitting on the kitchen counter. And these flowers pictured probably don't look like much but it's really more about what they stand for. They're about a daddy & momma who want to make sure their daughters are being wooed by the right people_ ...with the things that little girls dream about. Like chocolates_ balloons_ flowers_ pretty things.

 Valentine's Day has me thinking all kinds of thoughts bc of it being right upon us. I get that flowers and chocolates and stuffed animals are just things. It's about the cuddles_ the comfort_ the teaching_ the sharing of_ the love, love, love and so much more than any mere monetary thing. But i also know that us females have an inner desire and an eye for pretty, or if your like me, a stomach for some good milk chocolate. 

And then i think about Jesus and all the ways he woos me
by the flowers in the field
the clouds in the sky
by His peace I receive
by the friend that calls 
by my children's arms that wrap tightly around my neck
by His words that i read..... He woos me.

And I want my kids to see and know that it is He who wants/desires it all.....all of their affections. 
 I'm not sure this is even coming out right or making sense like it does in my insides but sometimes that's just how the writing goes. It just spills out and over and onto this page....

What I know is there will come the day when she will be wooed by a boy, a man, her future husband, but for now her daddy is that person and he/we want to woo her well. That's all. 
happy Thursday!

woo [wuː]
vb wooswooingwooed
1. to seek the affection, favour, or love of (a woman)


heather.