Update

Not a ton special or exciting has been happening around here.
No vacations, no surprises; actually if anything I have had more of a withdrawal of things from my life and then the normal life with teenage stuff I guess, if normal is even a word.
Here are some pictures to sum up the last few weeks.
I spent the better part of the first 2 weeks in March sewing over 25 bags. Here they are:
During one of my busy days my "daughter" Sarah was called in to take Justin for a few hours; to get him out of the house and to give me some well needed quiet time. I've come to realize that as children get older people don't think that parents need supervised breaks from them; we do. Teenagers are no less noisy, hungry or time consuming than elementary kids, they just have more independence.

One thing I just love about my boys is there love for their dad. They still hug him and kiss him, they still snuggle on the couch with him and here is Vaughan just hugging his dad. As boys become teenagers they need dad more and more; while this hurts my heart, they seem to need mom less and less, it ultimately brings so much joy to my heart.

Justin dressed for church:

I had the amazing opportunity to serve on a Lighthouse Via de Cristo weekend. It truly was an honor and a privilege to be called to this weekend. My sisters in Christ this weekend were just what I needed. In a time where craziness around me has pulled my closest friends away from me I needed these women. Thank you God for pulling people away, drawing me to You in this "aloneness" and then blessing me with these women. Here I am in my bunk:

So that's that. I will try to post more pic on what we're up to. While we've been homebodies I am getting ready to "take back" my family and get out and about like days gone by. In some ways I feel as though I've shrunk back and let life run me. I don't like that, want that or think it's healthy for our family.

Have a blessed week.

peace out :-)

Video Link

Cute video you gotta watch.
Go here.
Love the Mouse Cha-

Spinning Into the Arms of Jesus

Life has been crazy lately.

I've learned news about my children's lives, my close friends lives and the lives of my not-so-close friends; news that has rocked my world.

Well.
That's not true.
See while all the news that has been flying my way has been devastating, shocking, hurtful and disappointing it hasn't been crushing.

It could have been and to others is may have spun them into despair, depression and withdrawal. Heck! a few years or even months back I think it may have done all of that to me.

But it hasn't and for that I am thankful.

God began working in my heart a few months back, He spoke to me saying "Who ya gonna believe?" Some hurtful things had been said to me and my natural tendency is to shrink back, but not this time. See when I heard, and no it wasn't an audible voice, God say "Who ya gonna believe?" peace came over me.

I've chosen to believe God.
Believe He knows what today will offer and what tomorrow will bring.
He wrote each of my days in His book before one of them came to be, how could I question there exsistence?
Psalm 139:16 in the Message Bible says it this way:
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

How could I not believe?

While He doesn't like pain and disappointment for me, He does use it for His good.
As I face the reality of my news and the news of my friends I find such a comfort in the arms of my Jesus. When I look at it from my standpoint I am perplexed at this peace, shaking my head at this calmness. When I look back at the reasons he has given me to believe Him I am sad that I even doubted.

See, I've found the best way to combat unbelief is to recall past goodness.
I look back at times I should have been dead,
times my husband could have left me,
times my friends should have kicked my meanness to the curb,
times we should have been without food.

When I look back and see the hand of God in my life I can't help but look toward my next second on this planet with hope and with peace. No, this hope and peace doesn't always come right away but these last few months it has.

Oh how I love Jesus and the truth in who He is. I love that my life did not spin out of control but instead spun me right into the hand of God.

So whatever you are facing, whatever storm has come your way I ask you this:
"Who ya gonna believe?"
and I pray that like me you'll say with confidence: "I'm believin' God!"

Oh and the picture above??
It's what a momma of boys does when her baby chicks have independence, she goes out and sets off some bottle rockets! The sounds of boys may not be heard but I sure can do my best to replicate them!!

Peace, love and smiles-

WFMW- Drinking Glasses

Works for me Wednesday!
We like to travel. Lately we travel less but still getting away is always welcome.
But what do we buy??
I guess we could buy nothing, but sometimes it's nice to have a reminder of the places we've gone.
So... a long time ago we started to buy pint glasses everywhere we went. It's kind of a bummer when one breaks but all in all we like it!
Obviously we're not ones for coordinating glasses and since we don't travel enough to have tons of them I had to add to our collection with jars. Some of our jars are nice mason jars others are old jelly or spaghetti jars.
Well, it works for me!

That Darn Cat!

I could write a whole children's series about my cats.
It wasn't long after I hung the pinecone bird feeders that I saw this:

I couldn't leave him there, I had to grab him and put him on the ground.

The birds ate the seeds and survived!

A Few KNOWN Pictures

Here's a group shot of my Wednesday night girls. For those of you wondering the girl on the far left is Vaughan's girlfriend!!
I had the opportunity to ride the elevator down with another group of girls.

Wednesdays are fun!

You Gotta Check Out This Blog

I was visiting Pioneer Woman today and decided to make this yummy recipe!
If you have not checked out Pioneer Woman than you are missing out! This lady lives on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma!!
She has great gardening, cooking and other tips!

Anyway check her out!

Most Days I Just Gotta Dance!

So...
None of that mumbo jumbo
Gimme that funky Jesus music
Gimme that soulful gumbo
Gimme that funky Jesus music

Gimme that hip, that rock, that funk and soul
Gimme that juicy flow
Gimme that funky Jesus music and watch this party grow!
let's go!

Apparently...

...when you have kids it's a constant series of letting go.
It starts at birth.
They need you for everything,
then you teach them to do things on their own,
until eventually-
they don't need you very much anymore.

Don't fight it.
It's just happens.

May I always see my need for God.
May I never try to grow up and out of His family, and when I do I am thankful in advance He waits with open arms.

My arms are open.
Waiting for a 16-year-old, or 14-year-old to hug me.

Sadly life moves along quickly, yet somewhere deep down I am doing flips anticipating life without kids at home.
God help me!
Happy Friday all- hug someone today.

*sigh

Mothering /parenting two teenagers is tiring.

Constantly second guessing my past and current decisions.
Doubting.
Scared I'll get found out as a horrible parent.

Struggling to hold on but not smother, to left go but keep close.
Fighting the urge to make rules and scared to death to set boundaries.
Anxiety, tears, peace.

Prayerfully covering each time they leave my front door.
A torn-up, stretched, growing heart.
They are my favorite people on this planet, no doubt about that.

Trusting.
Trusting in a new way.
Ahh, sweet relief.
Thank you Jesus.

1-Day Vaca

My in-laws from New Hampshire visited a few weeks back. They stayed at the Oceanwalk Condos in Daytona. We took one day off from school and work and enjoyed all that Daytona and that sweet condo had in store!
Steve's step-dad:
Steve, Daytona Bandshell

Part of the gang.

Looking down on the boys playing indoor mini-golf:

Looking up at ourselves in the elevator:

Playing mini-golf:

Silhouette shot

Oh and then there was this bit of heart stopping excitement!

Tons of fun!

Hait Cut

I was sad to see the hair go.