Today I LOVE

these verses from psalm 16:5-6. they have been among my favorites for a while & for various reasons

Lord, you have assigned my my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

~ freshly painted toenails

~ Food Inc.















~ Flip Flop tan lines

~ McDonalds Vanilla Iced Coffee (the only thing i like at mcd's)

~ Eric Carle . . . specifically The Hungry Caterpillar

~ how nicely our boys can play together

~ the comfort food package of Pretzel M&Ms, Cheez Its, & Coke 0 . . . what more could i want!?  thanks "bff"

~ rain in our barrel & our friend who set it all up for us

~ how refreshing & faithful God's word is

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

 for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness. 

lam. 3:22-23

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you. 

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul. 

psalm 143:8

~ grilling out our our surprise grill that appeared on our back porch.  thanks ~ we had a fun summer dinner last night.  hot dogs, watermelon, etc!

~ this fun filled site look at all the activities in the far right column . . . the georgia o'keeffe inspired paintings.  i can hardly wait!  the eye spy bottles would make fun gifts too!

i don't love . . . TICKS!, when i take my frustrations out on the boys, the unknown cause of j's rash ~ is it chlorine, sunblock? that we missed church this morning

Add This Up

2 boys woke up so nicely this morning

1 hour morning nap for me

5 ticks as of date around our home or on us

4 lovely ladies for a lunch date

1 little boy too . . . any day now.  if only i knew his name ;)

2 weeks left of school ~ yipee yipee

28 children signed up for camp next week

11 huge & healthy tomato plants growing ~ can't get through all the vines to count the cucumbers & zuchinni

1 rain barrel ready for the storms

1 yummy pizza w/ feta, spinach, & sausage for friday family fun night

2 so tired little boys tonight

2 more weeks until Toy Story 3 ~ i seriously can NOT wait!

Today I Love

~ our garden . . . it's growing! yipee. i can not wait to pick tomatoes & cucumbers especially.


~ that the storms (that were predicted) all stayed away so we could enjoy ALL day at the pool

~ NRPreK graduation night . . . such bittersweet feelings. precious children, wonderful parents, fabulous year, amazing team

~ a long weekend

~ cuddly little boys

~ soft beach towels

~ girlfriends that stay over late to offer hands to complete projects

~ jacob's raspy voice . . . he has a frog in his throat. he sounds so cute when he talks but i do hope he isn't getting sick

~ the teachers i am blessed to serve on staff with.

~ my sweet father-in-law who works so hard in our yard. around the mail box is all cleaned up from the ugly old dead tulip stems. talk about a servant!

i don't love ~ sunburns, whining, mosquito bites, ghostbusters (oops), consession stands fully stocked w/ HIGH amounts of high fructose corn syrup, migraines (especially those of little boys)

Wrap Me In Your Arms

This morning wasn't the first time that I heard these words but they spoke to me today just as they did the last time. 

There is a God who loves me

Who wraps me in His arms

And that is the place where I'm changed

And that's where I belong

[Chorus]

Take me to that place Lord

To that secret place where

I can be with You

You can make me like You

Wrap me in Your arms

Wrap me in Your arms

Wrap me in your arms

 
What a reassuring promise filled with beautiful words. I especially enjoyed worshiping right beside Jacob. I can't help but be encouraged by the Lord with the tender voice of our 8 year old right beside me.

Hands at Work

She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

Proverbs 31:17

Last weekend we came home with yet another few flats of strawberries.  Ben really enjoys strawberry picking so we made a trip to a different patch.  The first weekend of capping strawberries it didn't seem to take so long but this last weekend . . . whew . . . I felt like I stood over that counter all day.  Turns out it was just a couple of hours. 

Standing there got me to thinking about my precious, hard working Granny, her large hands, and the hospitality she blessed others with.  Who knows how many strawberries she capped, beans she strung, corn she shucked, tobacco she tied, etc.  She made & canned so much from their big garden.  She was an amazing, dedicated worker, serving God, her family & friends.

I know Granny knew how much I looked up to her and longed to be as dedicated as she was.  As I grow older though and now have boys of our own, I look up to her even more. 

One thing I do know is that no matter what I do, my hands will never look as beautiful & hard worked as hers did.  Those same hands tenderly taught me basics in sewing and even helped my make my wedding veil. 

She taught me so much and set an amazing example of a God -Fearing follower, Wife, & Mama.  I have a long way to go but I'll give it my best!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, no for men.

Colossians3:23

Today I Love

~ going strawberry picking 2 weekends in a row.

~ running into one of our favorite families while we were there

~ watching & listening to the cousins all play together

~ my man, our boys, our families, our God

~ God's reassuring, faithful, true Word

~ my senses being on overload.  the night breeze feels wonderful, the sound of the calm rain is peaceful, our kitchen smelling like a humonous strawberry

~ the anticipation of summer . . . i can feel it!

~ getting invited to some friends' house for lunch & a swim

~ the sermon in church this morning

~ our busy day packed with fun, friends, exercise, yummy food, celebrations

project 365 will have less than 365 pictures

5/12

Chik Fil A is a meal at least once a week in our home.

I can't cook for that price when we have all those amazing coupons.

5/13

What's a great distraction for a tired 6 year old?

Bubble Baths still work great!

5/14

FIELD DAY

Crab Soccer

5/15

Strawberry Picking

We didn't pick too much b/c Ben wants to go

again this coming weekend with the other set of grandparents.

5/16

Sunday was such a beautiful day.

I "had" to sleep in and then the boys spent much of the morning

painting their canvases to make a tee pee.

I can't wait to have it finished.

5/17

One yummy treat to enjoy our strawberries with ~

Strawberry Shortcake!

5/18

Check out this humongous pile of laundry.

It's a result of PROCRASTINATION!

5/19

Ironically enough,

I had gotten in the car to leave for pre-school,

remembered I left my Bible on our bed.

So I went back to get it so

Roxy wouldn't be tempted to "enjoy" it.

Instead I found her "BOWing" down in front of it.

5/21

The best way to cool off on a hot day

with NO HOMEWORK ~

kiddie pool & popsicles!

what a treat!