God's cleaning service.

Kaden: "Mom, you a good mom because you clean up our house."

Me: "Thanks Kaden. Sometimes I feel like that's all I ever do"

Kaden: "Well mom, I not a very good boy because I don't clean up my room."

Me: "Well you need to pray that God will help you with that."

Kaden: "God CAN'T help me clean my room because him's in heaven."

Joel and I were rolling on the floor laughing. Love him.

Colorado Adventure

Our little bear on the way up.

The view as we walked along. (Pike's Peak)

K at the summit.

Both of our snuggle bugs.

 

View of Pike's Peak from the top.

We were in Colorado over Memorial Day weekend for an absolutely beautiful wedding. But while we were there we decided to take our boys on a little hiking adventure. I am deathly afraid of heights, so anytime we've ever done these climbing adventures I've always had to talk myself into them. Seeing as how climbing the first step of a ladder freaks me out. I convince myself "God Protects" and just throw caution to the wind. Or something like that. lol. 

I love the adventure. I love experiencing God in this way. We just stand amazed and in awe at the summit of this mountain/cliff because next to them we are incredibly small. It puts God, life, and creation back into perspective. I serve an AWESOME God who is all powerful. Who hung the heavens. Who knows the depth of the deepest ocean. Who counts the hairs on my head and catches the tears that fall from my eyes. He calls me His child. I am by association apart of this Glory revealed. He is great, and I am not. He is strong, yet I am weak. He is holy, and I am but filthy rags. Yet still He calls me His own. Thank you God for the adoption you provide so freely through your son Jesus Christ. I stand in awe of Your power and glory.

Silly Summer Days

Our Science lesson involved talking about God's beautiful creation.

Best Buddies.

Just one last picture that will hopefully make you smile. I think this is the reason my momma always said, "if you make that face for too much longer it will get stuck like that." lol. Let's hope not!

We have been enjoying playing outside on these hot summer days. What have you been up to this week?

DIY: Laundry Soap

I received this mason jar of home-made laundry soap from a sweet friend of mine as a gift. I was skeptical at first because we use Tide and I was unsure of how well it would clean our clothes. Oh well, I thought,what's it gonna hurt? I will give it a try. I did and it worked. Our clothes have that clean clothes smell to them as well. I am very excited to make this and use it for our clothes (mine and the children's). Joel's clothes get super dirty because of his occupation so I will use this plus a little tide. At a little over $3.00 a bucket to make why not! :) So here is the recipe to the do it yourself laundry soap. You will be quite the little laundress! :)

Ingredients:

1 bar Fels-Naptha (heavy duty laundry bar soap)

1 cup Borax (natural bounty) (box)

1 cup of Arm & Hammer (super washing soda) (box)

Directions:

1. Grate the bar of Fels-Naptha

2. In a pan 1 qt or more water- to dissolve the grated bar- boil until dissolved.

3. Pour mixture into 5 gallon bucket.

4. Add the powder ingredients (i.e. 1 cup borax, 1 cup arm & hammer)

5. Stir

6. Add watter to fill the 5 gal bucket full. Stir well.

7. Let set for 24 hours.

8. Stir when ready to use.

9. Make sure to shake each time you use, as mixture will become thick.

Yields: 5 gallons of Laundry Soap

Enjoy your weekend.

Happy Birthday Amanda

My baby sister turns 24 today. I called her an old fart yesterday, and she told me that she wasn't over 25 so that didn't apply. lol. I am so thankful that God gave me such a wonderful sister. She is funny, kind, loving, beautiful, and very thoughtful. She can always make me laugh no matter what kind of mood I am in. Her stories are always long and drawn out but that's why I love her. We can always talk for hours. We have been through so much together and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful friend.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday today. I love you and wish I was there with you celebrating. Oh yeah, watch out for the U.P.S. man the cane I bought you should be delivered today. xoxo

p.s. Joel, Kaden, and David say Happy Birthday  too! :)

A quaint little place and a fun date.

A few days ago I took K on a date. We went to "A Step In Time" here in North Judson. What a cute little place. I loved the atmosphere there. I also swoon over any place jam packed with antiques as I try and find new/old favorites regularly. Well as soon as we walk into the establishment I start looking around a immediately spot two things I can not live without ( a little dramatic? Not I. lol.  ). I look down at K to ask for his approval and I realize he does not have any shoes on??? "Where are your shoes?", I probe kindly. "I took my shoes off in the house mom.", he replies. And then it hits me. This does look like a house and he is just being polite. He is taking his shoes off at the door like he would when entering any home. I just love his heart. And take a mind picture to remember this sweet event. I love how polite my boy is!

 I get his shoes back on and buy him a big delish ice cream cone and we talk. And I listen. I just sit there and live in the moment. Much of what I have been trying to do lately is be there present in each moment with my children. To stop the thinking about the next thing I need to get done in the day, the dishes, the laundry, and all of the other things that occupy my time and thoughts. And I just am. I am there with him. Paying attention only to him, the place, the icecream. I realize I haven't done this enough in my life. Its raining outside and I have an umbrella. I decide that we will not use it on the way back to the car we will run in the rain and splash in the puddles and I will be ok with the dirt, the wet, and the spontaneity. I laugh and K chuckles and there we are experiencing true joy together! Thank you God.

*image from weheartit.com

I get to. I get to LIVE.

" I wake wildly wanting to live. Physically feeling it in the veins trembling, the hard pant of the lungs, seeing it in the steady stars, how much I really want to really live. How I don't want to die. Is that the message of nightmares or dreams? To live either fully alive...or in empty nothingness?

It is the in between that drives us mad.

It's the life in between, the days of walking lifeless, the years calloused and simply going through the hollow motions, the self-protecting by self-distracting, the body never waking, that's lost all capacity to fully feel-this is the life in between that makes us the wild walking dead.

The sun climbs the horizon. I throw back the covers, take another breath, and begin. I get to. I get to live." -Ann Voskamp from "One Thousand Gifts"

I have been reading this book and I can't put it down. I am so thankful of this reminder today that life is a gift from God. Sometimes with all of the business and things going on around me I think life is something that I'm owed. Oh how easily we forget that God allows us to live here in this very moment and wants us to live our lives abundantly. I pray that we are not the wild walking dead. I pray that our family is always fully alive in Christ. Thank you Lord for this day.

*image from weheartit.com

*Thank you to a wonderfully sweet lady for this book. I can not express how thankful I am to have you in my life.