A Summer Snack

I am so excited to report that my fruits and vegetables are starting to grow.....This is only a small sampling of what I have harvested so far. The radishes are picked and cut and the strawberries are growing like crazy. The girls and I go out about every other day and pick about a colander full. They are small but super sweet. I have a pleuthra of apples on the the three trees and plenty of blueberries that will need picking in the upcoming weeks.

I love summer and I especially love fresh food - especially when it the result of our hard work. Here's to a hearty, healthy summer.

If Your Anything Like Me.....

This post came to my inbox back in April. I was so excited to read it and then pass along to you guys through my blog. It came at an absolutely perfect time. I was frustrated and anxious about my to do list that day. It seemed as if my children were moving in slow motion, the piles of laundry were growing by leaps and bounds, and my floors had little dust bunnies flying all over them. For some reason I could not get my act together. Now if you know me at all, you may know that I am a perfectionist. I always have been and am convinced that I will be until the day that I die. I don't always think it is the best quality to have but it is certainly the way that God designed me. I am passionate about my job, I am passionate about my marriage, I am passionate about my children, and I am passionate about my house - cleaning that is. I thrive when my house is clean, organized and smells like bleach and pine sol. After reading this great devotion though, I am once again reminded what is important. I will not stand at the gates of heaven and be let in solely because my carpets were vacuumed and my toilets scrubbed with a toothbrush. I will not sit at the feet of Jesus because I polished my counters several times a day or dusted until my fingers were raw. Take a moment to read this devotion and reorganize your day. In the long run, you'll be happier that you did. I was.

The Sweet Smell of PineSol™

22 Apr 2011

T. Suzanne Eller

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

I admit it. I’m the world’s worst when it comes to preserving photos. I have boxes of photos stacked in various cubbyholes. I tried to organize the pictures once. I divided them and placed them in large envelopes. My next step was to put them in albums. They are still in the envelopes — stacked in a box.

My children Melissa, Ryan, and Leslie are now in their 20′s and newly married. The chances of me ever getting these precious memories organized are slim to none, but I’m realizing something powerful. Memories aren’t limited to pictures.

Remember when, Mom? is a common phrase in my house now. We have become the hub, a privilege once reserved for my husband’s parents. At holidays and special weekends, they drive up and unload luggage and pile into the guest rooms. We laugh and reminisce a lot around the table. Remember when we went on treasure hunts in the pasture? Remember when you jumped on the bed and popped Ryan up in the air so high it scared you? Remember that yellow Slip-n-Slide™?

I do remember. But I also remember a young mom with three little ones who worried that her house wasn’t spotless when an unexpected guest showed up. I remember the angst of trying to do everything and the fatigue when my day ended before my chores did.

I also remember days that I threw caution to the wind and jumped on the bed, even though it might make others frown. I grabbed a shovel and gave the kids plastic buckets and we looked for old bottles and trinkets at the abandoned homestead nearby. We mixed dishwashing liquid and water and I laughed out loud as the kids flew like greased lightening across the yellow slippery slide.

Some of those memories were captured in that pre-digital age, but most were not. However, they are etched on the heart of my young adult children.

What they don’t reminisce about is the sweet, sweet smell of PineSol™. Whether my house was perfect or how it compared to others’ is not even on their radar.

Why did I worry so?

Is it good to have order and structure? Sure. But don’t allow the pressure to be the perfect mom keep you from the simplicity of playing with your children. The unmade bed will still be there when you are through, but I promise that a child will grow quickly.

Take a moment today and look past the clutter and the to-do list and be a child again. It might not be a picture-perfect moment, but it will be a memory.

Dear Lord, time passes so fast. Slow me down. Let me enjoy the smallest pleasures. Let me play with my child instead of only knocking down a to-do list. Let me laugh with my teen instead of fussing at him. Thank You for sweet memories, Amen.

Yee Haw!

Who can resist a little down home fun? Nothing like putting on your black leather boots, your busting with bling cowgirl hat, and heading out to the local rodeo. Since grandma and grandpa were in town and have never experienced a rodeo, our family decided to show them a heel kicking, bull snorting good time.

My little Paloma put on her pink cowgirl boots and thought she was all that. And since Mattea doesn't own a pair of boots but wanted to dress just like her sister, she donned her black "hooker" boots and decided she was just as cool. How in the world could I possibly resist.

It was a beautiful evening. The girls love watching the action and I love watching their faces. After a little cotton candy, a whole lot of hootin and hollerin, and several trips to the port a potty, we closed the evening after the big bull riding event. We sure hope grandma and grandpa had fun. Although we are not a buckle wearing, cow riding, square dancing family, we absolutely love the rodeo and can't wait to take in another event. Yee Haw!!

Meet My Husband

I was so excited to log on today and find that I have a few new followers. I love being able to share my thoughts, ideas, and photos with all my friends and family. But I must say, I love knowing there are others out there who log on and read as well. So, for those of you "new" readers, I wanted to use this post to introduce you to a very special man on this very special day.

Today is Fathers Day. It is truly an honor that I am able to blog about one of the most special daddies I know - my husband David.

David and I have been married for almost 9 years. We have two amazing little girls - Mattea & Paloma. I will be honest, when we were expecting our first daughter Mattea, I was nervous about how David would handle the new addition. He was such a caring and compassionate man towards me but how in the world would he be toward a crying, screaming, pooping newborn at 3 am. I'm not going to lie - I had visions of a grown man packing his bags after having to endure watching a very long delivery process.

But to my surprise, David embraced fatherhood from day 1. He jumped right in and loved on our little daughter from the moment she arrived. He snuggled her, changed her diaper, comforted her, and catered to her every need. In fact, I remember one night putting her to bed and just watching her breathe when Dave came up behind me and said, "You know Heather, we may not be able to give this little girl a new car when she grows up or all the toys in the world, but we will love her like no other." It melted my heart.

I also remember talking to David very early on (within weeks of Mattea's birth) about how important it is to read to our kids. Not even a day later, I walked in to find Mattea snuggled up on Dave's chest listening to her daddy read biological journals that he was reading for his Master's class.

These are just a couple of examples of precious memories I have of David and our children. Even now as they are growing and changing from babies, to little girls, to emotional young ladies, David continues to do an incredible job of meeting their needs and being the fleshly father they can rely on. Happy Fathers Day to the love of my life -you are a living example of what being a father really means! We are all blessed to have you in our lives.

Here is a photo of David opening the gift that Paloma made him at school last night. It was a copy of her foot prints with a very touching little poem on it.

How cute are those little feet? To treasure these memories forever....

The girls and I decided to do a recordable book for daddy this year. It was fun. One afternoon or should I say several afternoons, we would sit down and I would interview them and then I would record their answers in this very special book. I hope David enjoys listening to some of those ridiculous answers for years to come.

So as I'm writing this post, the girls and I are at an indoor play place passing time until our very special daddy comes home. We pondered what to do that would be special enough for such a special individual and came to the conclusion we would give him a day to himself. So he is currently salmon fishing in northern Idaho with one of his friends. We sincerely hope he is having a wonderful time. We love you Babe!

Wordless Wednesday

Paloma's Plug

As I was cleaning the other day, I happened to pass Paloma in the hall. She stopped me and said,
"Mama, have you been cleaning toilets?"

Finding it odd that she asked, I kindly said "No, why?"

Her reply, "Oh, because you smell like toilet water."

Thanks honey....