Hi There Blog World

I've missed blogging and writing and sharing.
When I started this blog my boys were not toddlers and I had some free time to grab now and then each day; but now I have a very needy toddler and when she naps blogging is far down on the priority list.

I have been living without my kitchen, master bedroom and master bath for over a month now.
Until last night I've been fine with it.
But the dishes.
The dishes.
I have to do my dishes in a bathroom sink with not much counter space.
So while I have enjoyed my small,simple make-shift kitchen it is my sink I miss!
I am excited for when my kitchen is actually complete, not only will I have the dreM kitchen I never thought I'd have this side of heaven but I am also on my way to simpler living.
I have purged.
A small kitchen means less
And less is more.

In other news we received our adoption packet for Aubry, still months away but one step closer to a finalized adoption.

I've had such peace lately.
Life changes in the last 6-9 months have really given me freedom and a new confidence.
I had a few good people in my life that needed to be removed
I miss them but sometimes good, even great people can be toxic.
For me that was the case,
I had somehow lost and given up on some dreams,
Stepping away removed a scab and allowed Jesus to be the healing balm the sore needed.

He really is all we need.
A recent series of events reminded me that "the LORD will fight for me, I need only be still"
Still I sat.
Still I walked.
Still my mind remained, stilly focused on Jesus, listening to His Spirit in me.
Allowing the LORD to fight for me.
To fight for my children, oh how hard it is to be still on behalf of our babies.
With these events out of my reach and control wind to a close I have not only survived but thrived.
Thrived because I sat still and allowed God.
Thrived because the LORD in deed fought for me and the battle left no scars for this battle was not mine to fight beyond my knees.

So if life is tough right now.
Stop.
Be still.
Be still in your words, your actions and your thoughts.
Allow the LORD to fight for you, your family, your children.

Until next time may peace rule in your heart,
Love be your go-to response
And Jesus be Lord of your life,

Still in a Holding Pattern

Court.
Continued again.
Trusting this is the year of adoption for our sweet little girl.
Two weeks in and 2014 has already been an adventure and I'm sure the rest of it will continue in suite.
Forever blessed.

Just A Little Place to Play

I thought I'd take a minute to share one of my favorite areas at our house.
It's outside, so that's truly my favorite thing about this spot. 
It's a little sensory area I have set up for Aubry and any other kid who stops by.

I inherited an old workbench that sits on my front patio.
It has a perfect size shelf for a two-year-old to belly-up to and I have an old cookie sheet with rocks and shells on it. 
I happen to collect rocks from all around the word and house them under this shelf for little hands to grab and test their strength.

Volcano rocks from Africa and Alaska seem to be the favorites.

I also set up a few bins of water (not shown in pictures), just old rubbermaid containers that lost their lids.
Some days we fill them with water and have cups and tea pots, leaves and mulch to play with in them. Other days we may make a cornstarch water mixture, or put flour and eggs in them for little hands to feel. The shells almost always make their way to the water bins and the water bins never fail to make their way to the front of Aubry's shirt!

Like I always say- a messy kid is a happy kid.
Plus the bathtub is only a few feet away.

Hands-on learning and exploring is easy and a sensory station is simple to make, easy to maintain and clean-up. I am thankful I live in the south where outdoor play is year around but when the boys were young this was not the case. Cold winters brought our sensory stations inside where I had similar set-ups, with much smaller rocks, and the boys would often play in the kitchen or bathtub.

And we're also known to play in our PJ's in this neck of the woods!!
Happy playing,
-m

Happy New Year

Wow 2014 is upon us!
Time surely does fly. 

I have to say it's been a tough holiday season.
Not sure why, perhaps it's my fed-upness with the commercialism of the holiday, or maybe it's my grinchness tendencies creeping in; whatever the reason I surely had a great Christmas and Thanksgiving season there was just a bit of toughness in it all.

In other news: parenting this time around seems to be a lot harder,
maybe it is,
maybe it isn't.

That's the thing about parenting and kids and childbirth and all of life's hard times, 
as time goes by those past struggles turn to memories and somehow through the grace of God they all seem to be good, filled with only happy times, enjoyable; at least that's how it is for me.

So we've signed up, ok, ok I signed us up, for a parenting book study. It's based on the book I read and learned from when the boys were born; Making Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours.
Perhaps a mental reminder for this old soul on how the heck to parent a toddler, again.

I'm not a new years resolution person but this year I have some hopes and changes that I am trusting to God.

Aubry's adoption.
I'm not sure when the reality of the fact that we'd keep her forever set in but it did, and I trust this year will be the year we get to officially be her parents and not just her relative caregivers.

Justin's off to college.
Yes, Lord willing Justin will be off to University of Central Florida in the fall. He will graduate high school this spring and then off to college for a semester before plans to marry in a year. Being the product of his parents he is still unsure what he wants to do with his life. Someone along the line told him that's perfectly fine because some of the most interesting 40-year-olds still don't know what they want to do with their lives. No matter he will fly the nest before I know it.

Travel.
Family memories made and time alone with Steve; two things that fuel my soul and keep me alive.

So happy 2014.
To a good year.
14 has always been my favorite number, I was assigned it in jr, high basketball. I read in a recent blog it the Lord's number times 2!

So 2014 - let's do this thing!

Trust and obey for there's no other way,