beach boys

Jacob 4 & 1/2  and Ben 2 & 1/2

missin the little days

Jacob 10 & 1/2 and Ben 8 & 1/2

lovin the bigger days too

beach boys

morning back tickles

toes in the sand
granny & poppy

lazy river

late night swims

crab legs 

aquarium

nose in a few books

sleeping in

19th floor

perfect fire work viewing

morning walks

apples to apples

sunblock galore

dunkin donut dates

lots of cuddles

miss martha

hot hot sand

karen kingsbury

turtle man

pajama wearing

ice cream sandwiches

shuffle board

dolphins

Five Friday Favs

listening to 4 school age boys

play & SING LOUD 

ring around the rosey

with the 3 year old

outside in the cul de sac

* * * * * 

surprise guests for dinner

we eat simple around here

pancakes, bacon, & fruit 

for all!

* * * * * 

sweet mini conversation w/ b

b: "Mom, say 'hey there cutie'."

me: "hey there cutie!"

b: "What's up gorgeous?"

yep, he melted me!

* * * * * 

sweet thought teacher appreciation gifts

crayon crafts, flowers, gift cards, creative

~ generous ~

* * * * * 

windows open all week

spring time

* * * celebrating * * * 

* * * crafting * * * 

 * * * gifting * * * 

* * * decorating * * *

 * * * treats * * * 

* * * picture taking * * * 

* * * car washing * * * 

here's hoping they'll return for car washing fun this weekend

as the yellow polka dots reappeared!

Happy Spring!

while taking the boys pictures

after church Easter

i noticed BOTH of their zippers were down!!

o dear

i have NO idea how long they went around like this

i just hope it happened after church!

five friday favs

green monsters 

* * * * * 

c25k

yes i'm trying

again

* * * * * 

* * * * *

finger nail polish
my fav is essie
just wish it wasn't so expensive
the $3 coupon made it a steal

* * * * *

nightly uno games on my bed with the boys
uno, then devotions, then up to bed they go!
precious time

an answer to my "whys"

i'm learning a lot these days about struggles, pain, joy, exchange, God's love & more

let me start first with the confusion i have in finding a church to plant, worship, grow, serve, etc. in.  i LOVE LOVE LOVE Hope however we just haven't found our niche.  i've taken the boys to a few other churches that i really like, we have friends at each one, and they each have choices for myself & the boys.
then i come back to hope.  i think that is truly where we need to dig our feet . . . doing it is hard.

timely that i returned to hope last week for the series "empty"

 . . . . . . . . . .

i've found my self asking "why" a lot over the past 2 years.  why would God allow my man to leave our marriage.  why am i without my best friend, Godly husband, ministry partner, etc.

i've loved the points the Lord has brought to my attention through the sermons these past 2 weeks.

* God's present in our sufferings. Job
* it's up to me to how to respond to these sufferings 1 Peter 1:7
* knowing the fellowship of His sufferings Phil 3:10
* every place of suffering is a place of exchange ~ if we are close to him isaiah 53:5
* my pain could make me a better friend to Jesus!  NEVER have i thought of it like this. (LOVE THIS ONE!)
* beauty has nothing to do with what i look like but who I am
* He who has not suffered, what does he know?


and the biggie that struck me ~

"The losses I've experienced 

may be the most powerful tools 

Jesus uses to make me beautiful"

i no longer need an answer to all my "whys".  instead i pray that i choose to rest in the ways God can use the mess & bless it.  i like that answer way better than blaming Satan.

five friday favs

whole house smells april fresh

and it's all thanks to a birthday gift

that ben & i just couldn't get enough sniffs of

* * * * * 

amazon.com

* * * * * 

target clearance

sweet sarah gave me an adorable little yellow note pad

i was tickled when i found a stash of them on the end cap 

perfect for "sunshine care packages"

* * * * * 

i thought the soft wallet was my favorite

then i received the timeless wallet

* * * * * 

i have curtains in my bedroom!!

and a few holes needing patching!

five friday funks . . . and favs!

funks first

only 3

yesterday i got to sub in the 5th grade

during a tornado warning

all good until the students in the class i was in had to

cover their heads with a text book

on the floor

in the BOYS BATHROOM

* * * * * 

forgetting about the pile of 4 day old

wet snow clothes

* * * * * 

the smell of the trees blooming in the front yard

it stinks

* * * * * 

favs

being introduced to estate sales

i love thrifting & junking

but i'd never been estate sale hoppin

i found some treasures too

a $2 cake dome like my granny's

* * * * * 

starting the school week with 

a snow day

off from school that really wasn't a true snow day

but a fun laid back day at home

* * * * * 

then ending it with amazing outside fun

the boys' backpacks didn't even make it inside until dark

kickball, capture the flag, hide & seek, basketball

i even got to join in the kickball game

kids from all over the neighborhood were over to play

* * * * * 

having the windows open

pollen hasn't invade . . . yet

* * * * * 

the smell of clean laundry

five friday favs

commercial makes me SMILE big

* * * * * 

looking forward to some fun dessert

thanks to these valentine coupons

* * * * * 

i LOVE my birthday

i can't even count how many times it was celebrated this year

even.more.fun!

* * * * * 

my new warm cozy soft blanket

i even passed on my former favorite 

warm cozy soft blanket to j

* * * * * 

i've said it before as a fav 

BUT

the lovely gals

wonderful friends

amazing team of ladies i work with

and families who are represented by each child at our pre k

are a big FAVORITE this week

we love our job teaching littles,

enjoy a celebration & have a lot of fun together,

love the children & their familes

& this week we discovered another strength

we can come together in crisis

it's been solid to pray for her family with our nrpre-k family

with each update, each request, each glimmer of hope

we've cried, worshiped, prayed, squealed with joy

five friday favs

never ever heard of this stuff

have you?

a little pre k friend gave to me for valentines day

ben & i have enjoyed using it

on our hands & feet

* * * * * 

if you haven't had gelati celesti 

RED VELVET ice cream

you really need to drop by there

for those of you that know me well,

it is EVEN better than my long time favorite

PUMPKIN

well gelati celeste pumpkin now is in close 2nd 

to the delish, smooth, & creamy RED VELVET

* * * * * 

lunch time salads are much easier

with Gladware Salad & dressing pop in containers

so glad jennifer showed me them

* * * * *

love this song

* * * * *

the new ring tones
my little b put on my phone
to celebrate my big ole b-day

Fantastic February Fun . . .

. . . with friends

the boys both have good girl friends

so we thought it would be fun to invite them both over at the same time

after the initial invitation

more & more were invited the day of

baking with all these kiddos

was fun chaos!

i can't wait for us to do it again

HEADBANDS

1 of our favorite games

if you don't have it

get it!

that's right ben,

make yourself comfortable

. . . with family

i've NEVER been a real fan of valentines day

but that doesn't mean i shouldn't make it special for my boys

so we had some of their favorites,

baked spaghetti * chocolate covered strawberries * sparkling grape juice

and a new yummy dessert

we HIGHLY recommend it

surely we'll have more fun to finish out the month

i couldn't have said it better myself

and i sure can't sing it better

these words are so close to where i am right now

i love how the Lord showed up to me 

through a friend this week

right when i need Him most

But as for me, I trust in you, 

O Lord, I say

"You are my God."

My times are in your hand.

Psalm 31:14-15

just HAD to re-post

the other night we were all reminiscing "hey mom, remember the video you took of ben and all his girlfriends?"

oh dear jacob, boy do i!!

if you haven't seen it, you really might want to!  haha.  i've watched over & over just sitting here.  oh i miss those little days!!  it's funny sb commented on how huge he was then and now i'm looking back thinking aww . . . what a baby.  i really miss when they were little.  thankful that they're big, healthy, & strong.  well you get it!

http://reginaskammer.blogspot.com/2008/09/lucky-7.html

Hello Monday

hello a better understanding of 1 peter chapter 1
         a better understanding of sufferings

hello tummy bug & yuckies

hello chocolate chip cookies ~ some crunchy some soft
         and a good cover up for the "sick" smell

hello return home jammer day

hello project 1 completion

hello week of testing

hello joy & lisa

all over the place

* boys' basketball was better today, still intense but cooler calmer parents, wish jm could coach both boys teams but that would be a lot!  one of the coaches was rather rough in my opinion ~ it's the Y!!

*  this post, this gal, her family, makes me smile, makes me cry, reminds me of hope.  love their promise & re-promises to God & one another, as their children watched.  what a gift!

*  the last week, i've really had a hunch to hunker down & focus on some challenging words in 1 peter ~

      "be holy, because I am holy"

i did say challenging!

* just now getting around to using the chika chika boom boom activity bag that i made over the summer. i can't find where i got the print out of the tree & alphabet.  if you happen to know, please tell me so i can give credit.

*  i've had fun making more since.  the snowy day, laura numeroff's books, etc.  love making reading fun for the kiddos.  i put objects that relate to the story in a bag along with counting, sorting, phonics, matching games & props they can retell the story with.  i'm on a roll!

* it's cold . . . maybe a night to bake something warm & cozy.  chocolate chip cookies, cake balls?  decisions decisions!  maybe even some of that tasty cinnamon tea