A little taste of Heaven

Last weekend Brad planned a Labor Day vacation for the family.  I found out about it 2 days before (partly because I had been so sick prior to that it wouldn’t have registered had he told me any earlier) and he planned the whole thing, down to the groceries!  That in itself was such a blessing that I knew it was going to be a nice retreat.

We drove up to a beautiful area in North Carolina where the air was crisp and the scenery was breathtaking.  We stayed in a fantastic home with plenty of room and all of the luxuries of home.  Actually, there were many luxuries I don’t enjoy at home which made it even nicer.  And there was one room that was by far our favorite.  It was open and wall-less.  The seating was comfortable, the fireplace was cozy (and entertaining for the boys), and the view was spectacular.  We spent the majority of our time in this roomless room and felt the pressures and stresses of our normal lives just float away with the windblown leaves.

Overall, it was a magical time with the children running around outside, nothing specific on the agenda, canned soup and peanut butter sandwiches on the menu and a feeling of family that is a little too rarely realized.

What a blessed weekend.

The reason I blog, but haven’t lately.

I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.
-Beryl Pfizer

I relate so much to this statement.  Unfortunately.  This is why I am trying to record at least a small percentage of my thoughts in this high tech format.  It is also why my Blackberry, Mac Desktop & iGoogle homepage are decorated with yellow virtual sticky notes.  Sadly, I still rely on the old standard refrigerator note and my small paper purse calendar as well.  Overall, I’m a very organized, disorganized person that needs a few prompts to get through life.

Because these documentations are important to me, it disappoints me a bit that I haven’t had the chance to add to my personal, yet very public musings here on this blog lately.  Basically life has quite simply gotten in the way.  From a conference in Seattle to the flu to a lovely Labor Day vacation to the busiest September we have ever seen in the office thanks to the above mentioned flu, I’ve been spinning my wheels to keep up with real life.  This has left little time to communicate in this virtual world.  I am determined, however, to try to catch up.  Not because I have any grand ideas that anyone is following and reading, but because it’s these times that I need to remember as well.  Every peak and valley make up the topography of life and they all deserve reflection.

My Favorite Masterpieces

“The colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas.”
-Edvard Munch

I have a few very favorite works of art.  Namely Joseph, Jacob, Arabella and Abraham.  God created them each to be unique masterpieces and although I realize that Brad and I have the awesome responsibility of assisting in the shaping of their lives, I also know that God has a plan for them much greater and more beautiful than anything we can imagine.

I am blessed to be able to watch them grow and develop and I pray for them everyday.  My great desire and joy is to see the strokes on the canvas that were placed by my children themselves, their humble parents, and most importantly our awesome God come together into art.

Photos from Summer 2009

No place like home

I’m in Seattle, Washington right now.  What a beautiful place!  Cool weather, lovely surroundings, time for myself (a little).  It’s been a nice trip.  I’ve learned a lot and my brain is overloaded with computer information.  I’m also ready to go home.  I miss my family and the chaos.

See you later, Seattle.

I’ve got Georgia on my Mind .

The worth of a book

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it”
James Bryce

With all due respect to the long departed Mr. Bryce, I completely disagree with this statement.  This is an area where Brad and I do not see eye to eye.  My scholarly husband doesn’t read “fiction” (say it with air quotes and a wimpy voice and you will better approximate his opinion).  He finds it a waste of his time.  I do not necessarily disagree with him about the time wasting aspects of a good novel, or movie for that matter, but I do think it has great value in spite of that quality.

I read a lot and most of it is educational, but sometimes I get into a reading frenzy where I plow through several fictional works for pure recreation.  I am careful not to start a good book when I have a lot of extra things on my plate, which is why I haven’t read any in quite a while.  This is because I tend to ignore everyone and everything around me to get through said book as quickly as possible, including the basic needs of my children.  For me, the worth of a book is it’s ability to rob me of sleep all night engrossed in the pages.

I’m totally fine with carrying away nothing but the pleasure of entertainment.

Eleven…

Eleven years ago today, I gave birth to our first son, Joseph.  He was our joy then and is still a blessing so great these keystrokes couldn’t come close to expressing.  He is growing into a handsome, responsible, intelligent and kind young man.

And I am proud to be his mom.

Things I learned from my Bathroom

There are a couple of things that became very clear to me as I was cleaning my bathroom last week.  These do not include the obvious facts that the bathrooms in my house are sorely neglected & it a chore that I put off as long as I can I can in good conscience delay.

1.  I don’t mind nearly as much as I should that all six humans in our home use the Master bathroom – all the time, for everything.  Mainly because that means that it is the only bathroom that gets overly disgusting.

2.  I really hate hair when it is not on my head (and sometimes even then).

3. I sadly have been known to discourage teeth brushing among my children due to the inevitable dried toothpaste that ends up on absolutely everything.  I mean, really, how does that happen?

4.  I am dreadfully under stocked in cleaning supplies – shocker.

5.  I really must do something about a favorite pet in the house.  I have a bag of new bath mats in a corner because I know that they will become the new litter box if they are put out.  UGGG!

6.  I wish there was a door on this well trafficked room for more reasons that one.

7.  It feels good to have a clean bathroom… even if it only lasts 6 hours.

Exercising His New Vocabulary

What do these words have in common?  They were all spoke by Abraham as we enjoyed a few minutes in the humidity this afternoon.  He is really talking well and loves to point out everything in his environment.  I’m enjoying watching him transition from baby to toddler.  I love that verbose little boy.

“bird”

“water”

“rain”

“car”

“daddy’s truck”

“tree”

“cup”

“jump”

“look”

“doggie”

“kittie cat”

“flower”

“mommy”

I’m still here…

I promise.  Will write soon.

Another pet?

No (thank heavens)!  This was a lovely little friend we discovered in the bathroom last week. We had to capture her on film before letting her go find her family in our backyard.

I’m still playing around with my new toy, so this one will be my Photo of the Week.