Look! I Made This!!

It has been more than a year since I have blogged, and, boy what a year it has been!  I would apologize, but...ehhh...whatcha gonna do?

I have many thoughts in my mind the past few days & just felt the urge to write them down...to express them in some way.  Isn't that what a blog is for? 

If you know me at all, you might say I am a creative sort.  I have always had a "thing" for creating stuff.  Sometimes for money, sometimes for personal pleasure, often-times for relaxation.

Do you create? 

What is your creative outlet?

Do you scrapbook (I do)? 

How about photography (yep, that, too)?

Needlework (me, too!)?

Sewing (ummm..duh.)?

Quilting (nah...)?


One of the sometimes embarrassing, and secretly pleasant, side-effects of creativity is the compliments.  The ooh's & the ahh's are....nice.  I truly enjoy looking at something I have poured hours and hours of my time into.  Conversely, I have been known to fully complete something, say an outfit for one of my kids, and then chunk it in the Goodwill bag after one wear because I was humiliated to say I had made it.  Hey, we all have off days!  HA!


So, by now, you may be thinking this post is a bit self-serving, and maybe, in the end, it will be.  However, the creative expression that I want to talk about isn't about something you can buy supplies for at the local Hobby Lobby or Joanns craft stores.  It's bigger than that.  Chances are, it's something that even you...the self-professed "uncreative" person partakes in everyday.


Do you have kids?

I do.

Eight of them.

Yes.  Eight.

Five girls & three boys.

Ages 6-21.

Yes, they are all mine.

No, there are no twins.

No, we aren't Mormon or Catholic.

No, we don't know the Duggars personally.

No, I didn't plan to have them all, God did.

(I think that covers all of the most-asked questions....)


My kids are my greatest creation.  I know, I know...technically, I didn't create them, God did.  However, I DID play a VERY big role in it...so I'll take a little bit of credit.


From the moment I first laid eyes on each of them, they stole my whole heart.  I believe I must have, like, 10 or 13 hearts...one for each of my kids, one for my sweetheart, and some extras for all the other people I love.

From the moment I first held each one, I knew they were a great creation!

Each and every child is a wondrous creation.

I have, on more than one occasion had the feeling of wanting to have  Lion King moment...you know, the scene where that creepy monkey holds up the baby lion for all the world to see. 

C'mon...tell me you haven't had the urge to do that! 

You know, hold up your kid high for all the world to see & yell at the top of your lungs, "HEY!!!  LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!!"  Bowing is optional.

Parenting is hard work.  Seriously, the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my whole entire life!  I take it extremely seriously.  To see them becoming decent, loving, God-fearing, kind, well-adjusted people is a deep source of pride for me.  However, I can never sit back and rest & say...look how good they are turning out...I think I'll take a break.  Because, unlike an unfinished sewing project, six months down the road, they won't be in the same place.  "Resting" while parenting can cause so much extra work! 

In the last 3 months, I have seen 2 of my creations completed.  It has been bittersweet, to put it mildly.

Occasionally, I will make a particularly beautiful dress for my little girls and, when they outgrow it, I feel  small sense of sadness at not having it on the scene anymore.  I cannot make them stop growing, though, I have even tried to bribe them.

That sense of sadness is nothing compared to watching your beautiful daughter, dressed in the purest white, walk down the aisle and give her heart to a young man. 

W.O.W! 

The pain is acute. 

But so is the pride.

That day, when I have sat and watched some of my finest creations pledge their life & love to another, has been the last time I had that Lion King moment.  There she was...for everyone to see.  So beautiful.  So poised.  So happy.  She loves God.  She is smart.  She has so much to offer.  AND she can cook!

I have never been more proud than that day.

I also have never hurt more. 

I received the compliments graciously.

There are still 6 more creations at home.  Works in progress. 

I will still have cause to hold up my babies and show the world..."LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!"

Bowing is optional.

Morgan & Enrique
January 23, 2015

 

 

 

 

Heather & Seth
May 2, 2015

***Special note:  This post is written from my standpoint, but is in no way meant to discount the role their Dad plays.  Just saying...****

Wonder-FULL Wednesday: How We Roll (down the road)

For those of you who missed last week's "Wonder-FULL Wednesday" post...I apologize for not letting you know that we were going to be out of town.  However, on second thought, it's probably not a good idea to announce to the whole world that we will be leaving the homestead unattended!

*Not that I don't trust you guys, of course.*

I have pretty much run out of questions to answer, so until someone asks more...well, I'll just keep giving up some fascinating little tidbits of info on our family's comings & goings.  Hold on to your seats...it's riveting stuff! :o)

So---where did we go?

Kentucky.

Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

To many folks this town means absolutely nothing, but to our family (as well as many of our friends), it is a place of heritage & roots.  It is where we gather twice a year with like-minded people to learn more about God & how to more successfully become like Him.  It is a wonderful place on a hilltop that never fails to bring a tingle to my skin as we come 'round that last turn & see the campus sitting there.  I wonder how many thousands of people travel that road & never even glance at the grounds that mean so much to so many.

Anyway, I digress.

So, we packed up (5 suitcases, 4 garment bags, 1 snack bag....oh, forget it...we were stuffed to the gills!!!), and headed down the road.  It only takes until the 12th of forever to get there from here.  That is fairly managable in 2 stages, but, we drove it all. the. way. through.  We finally arrived somewhere around dawn the day after we left.  It was painful.  I won't lie.

The first full day of being in Kentucky was our 5th child's (aka our 2nd son) BIRTHDAY!!!!

  Whoop-whoop!!!  We love birthdays around here. :0) 

Barrett Paul is now 7, & so stinkin' handsome & pretty much smarter than any other kid alive.  Really.

The Birthday Boy just a few weeks before he turned 7



This is our group of sweeties partially rested up & ready for the fun to start.


You may wonder why we load up 8 kids & tons of luggage, drive 13+ hours just to attend church.  Well, it's our life!  Our whole purpose in this life is to serve God, so we try our best to mingle with other folks from all over the country (world, even) when we get the chance. 



Relax ladies...he is VERY taken!
(Envy is a sin...better go pray)  LOL

I can imagine that some of you moms may be asking,

"Isn't it hard to take all of those kids on a long trip,

and then sit through several hours of church at a time?"

ANSWER:

Of course it is!!!!

I won't lie to you, I get very stressed out. 

I have been found in the restroom crying.

I have chewed out the amazing man I'm married to for not helping more.

I have offered my offspring to the lowest bidder.

However, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing the hard stuff when it comes to doing what is right for your family.  In doing so, you are letting your children see what is the most important to you: their well-being.  Yes, it would be MUCH easier to stay home most of the time, but to what benefit?  I admit that I usually do not take the little ones to both camp meetings...usually only the fall one.  However, I really felt that I made a wrong decision this past June when half of my family headed down the road without us, so, we may be there everytime we have the money.

You know, we have teenagers & 'tweens' as well as little kids, and I love that we have an opportunity to introduce them to other godly young people.  They usually come home talking about the new friends they have met...some of which have even made the trip to Texas to visit!  COOL!

"Can you see all of our faces?"
"Yeah, mom!" 
Click



Triple Trouble!!!
I love that my boy (in the middle) is growing up with good young men!





Time spent under the pews can create lasting memories!



I used to think that little kids didn't get much from the services, but, many times over I have been proven wrong by the questions of a little one.  They do hear, they do think. 

Especially if their name is in the Bible (HA!)

 One other wonderful thing about going to camp meeting is the opportunity to serve others.  My family loves to work.  The older girls wait tables during meals, clean restrooms & play music during services.  My younger crowd loves to work at the snack bar at night, carrying trays, washing them & doing trash detail (of course, that free ice cream is a great incentive).  My hubby usually has something to do with driving folks around the huge property on golf carts.


 I....usually....watch kids. 

This year, I told the fam...mom will work too.  Our dear friends make pizzas for the snack bar & I volunteered to help.  I am almost embarrassed at how excited I was!  Seriously.  I haven't been able to work in years!  I was just thrilled! 

I never tossed the dough into the air, but I did a pretty good job, I think!

Isn't she a beauty? :)

Ok....here's the aftermath of 10 people going out of town for 6 days:

Mt. Laundrimous

It takes 2 days to pack & 4-5 days (if steadily working)

 to get it all unpacked, sorted, washed, dried, folded/hung/ironed & put away.

It's tough, but we love the experience -and- it only gets easier as the kiddos get older.

At least that's my theory.....

Shallow Thoughts/Deep Thoughts

Hello! I may need to reintroduce myself as it has been *like* forever since I've posted anything. LOL
I would like to say that life has been just >TOO< boring to write about, but it's actually totally the opposite. Have you ever disillusioned yourself into thinking that *SUMMERTIME* is a wonderful 12 week span of time where you stay up late, sleep late, & do very little except what you REALLY want to do in between?
Yeah, me too.

Um.

NOT!

Well, maybe. When you're a kid...a very little kid.

Reality is this: Summer is the time when you sweat profusely every time you move...and you simply MUST move...A LOT!!! Since school has let out, we have done the following (this is by no means a comprehensive list):
*had 2 birthdays

*planned, sewed & packed for 3 trips for various members of the family

*taken an impromptu trip to Houston (3.5 hours each way) all in one day with everyone including the Grands in tow for a funeral.

*planned (still planning) for 2 weddings which has included: making the maid-of-honor's dress, making flower arrangements, decorating, sewing a vest & tie for a handsome fellow to be the ring bearer.

*5,425 trips to the library, McDonald's, Hobby Lobby & various other "Must Go's"

*swim lessons

*last-minute-let's-invite-everyone pizza parties

I really could go on, but let's face it...you don't really care.

Our lives are busy. Very. Busy.

Sometimes, I love it. Sometimes not so much.

Would you believe that noise drives me insane. I know. God has a vicious sense of humor. :)

Seriously, though, while I do periodically long for peace..and quiet...lots of quiet, I truly love my life. Each day is the same, and completely different all at the same time. My kiddos make me laugh, drive me crazy, make me angry & make me want to cry. All within a 10 minute span of time! LOL

No.

Really.

Yes.

They do.

NEW TOPIC:
*Hee hee...my blog, I can just be random if I wanna... *

Yesterday, we made a whirlwind trip of 7 hours (total) drive time to Houston for the funeral of a wonderfully godly man. I have known him & his family for my entire life, and have been saddened by his passing. Not so much for the loss of life as the passing of an era. I know he has moved on to his reward, so, while he will be missed, there is also joy in knowing his race is complete.

In the past 20 years or so (not that I'm that old), I have noticed (since I was, like 2) that our funeral services have changed. They aren't always about grieving. More often, they are a celebration...of a life lived, and a new life that is waiting. Yes, I cried yesterday. I cried for his children as they wept. I cried for his friends as they expressed how they would miss him. But, mostly, I cried as I felt the spirit of the Lord give witness to the testimonies of how this man's life had positively affected others for good. I cried as I watched a video of him preaching his "farewell" message a few weeks ago as if he knew his race was completed. I guess, I can say that I cried for joy. Weird to many, I know, but true, nonetheless. When we sang, "It Is Well With My Soul", I knew it was. As his whole family, from his wife down to his 4 year old greats joined together to sing his favorite song, "The Reason I'm In This Church (I Don't Wanna Be Lost)", I knew he wasn't. He loved the moving of the Spirit of God, and, when it moved in his funeral, it only seemed natural to clap, to sing, to cry, & yes, to dance in celebration of a life lived wholly for God.
In the hours of quiet (BAHAHAHAHA) on the drive home, I pondered...
....there were 1,000+ people at that funeral! Wow! What a witness to a life lived right!

...there was rejoicing! What?!? Yes!

....there was peace! That passes ALL understanding.

I told my 11 year old son that he should aspire to have a funeral like the one we were in. In fact, I should aspire to have that kind of funeral! One that is a testament to a life lived rightly...for Jesus. One that brings joy to God. One that feels like a promotion rather than a demotion!

Such deep thoughts for 100+ degree weather! I just might need some cold sweet tea, & a ceiling fan to help me ponder farther. However, if you give a southern girl a glass of sweet tea & a fan, you may just find her resting her eyes while thinking on the meaning of life.....

A Keeper of Memories

This past weekend I was able to attend a scrapbooking retreat. This was the 4th year I have gone, and I am already looking forward to next year!!

I have been a scrapbooker, a.k.a.

keeper of the family memories,

for about 15 years now, and I just love it! Not only is it a fun craft-form for me, but it is an important part of our family's history.

I document EVERYTHING!!! My kids are always looking for photo-ops for me, and even hollering..."Don't you DARE take a picture of this!!!" LOL

Our albums not only have the good, fun times in them, they also have the hard, trying times in them as well. I feel it is just as important to remember the rougher times as well as the happy ones.

A common theme throughout our albums is the faithfulness of God.

When I started cropping, I only had 2 girls, and I wanted to make them each their own set of childhood albums to take with them when they leave home.

A story book of their lives.

Then came the other 6 children. HAHA! The joke was on me!

However, even though I do get woefully behind, I am doing this for of my kiddos. I want them to have this documentation of their lives. God has been faithful to each one of them in different ways. I have written it all down for them.

I have included photos of grandparents that won't always be here; photos of friends we've lost along the way; photos of injuries; testimonies; love letters to each of them. I've put pictures of me & their daddy...together, and with them. I've told them how much we love each other. I've told them of some of the difficult times we've had in our married life, and how God has met us there.

The kids' books aren't the only project I work on, though. I have a set of Christmas books which document all of the fun we've had since Lloyd & I married. The cookies we've made, the gifts we've made & given...so much fun!

I also have seperate books for our vacations. So far, I have 2 traditional scrapbooks FULL, and also 2 digital books. I have decided that I will only be doing our travels in digital. It is fast & fun.

One book that I have made is a "Blessings" book. I encourage everyone to make some form of this type of book for your family. In this book, I have photos of all sorts of things that God has had a hand in. Some things, like empty cupboard & refrigerator photos don't seem like appropriate fare for a book entitled "Blessings", but in reading the story that goes along with the photos, the reader quickly sees that taking us down to the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, was just another way for Him to show his love & faithfulness to us.

I love this book.

In fact, my main reason for creating it was to have tangible documentation of God's love for us to go to when we were feeling down, lost & alone.

It has worked beautifully!

Plus, my children have a visual testimony of God's amazing hand in our lives!

Yes, I buy tons of paper, stickers, flowers, tools....the list goes on & on. However, that is not WHY I scrapbook.

I scrapbook for the stories.

How are your children going to know your testimony?

How will they remember theirs?

Time With a Sister

Man, it has been a long time since I have blogged! The funny thing is that I am constantly writing on here in my head. So much so, that I have sometimes been surprised that it hasn't actually been done :D You guys have missed out on so much of my wit, life, and deep thoughts! ROFL

I had the absolute privilege to go visit my dear "Sister" in Illinois a few weeks ago. We aren't actually sisters, of course, but we both have no doubt that God put us in each other's lives. It is pretty funny how we met...it was in Little Rock, Arkansas at a youth meeting last year...we shoved them to the end of the pew & proceded to worm our way into their lives! I warned them that we had a bunch of kids, and they said, "That's fine". Next thing we knew...they both had kids in their laps! She & her hubby invited us to come see them after Christmas.

BIG mistake!

We did.

(yeah, we're THOSE kind of people...lol)

Seriously, though, it was a wonderful time of fellowship for both of our families, and a new life-long friendship was forged. So, when the opportunity arose for me to go visit, I worked out the kid-details, asked my hubby if it could be my birthday present, and off I went ('cause he's THAT kind of hubby!).

Our visit was just so.....girly.

After traveling for 12 hours with my sweet friend who is moving to Illinois...I arrived...and we stayed up til 1:30 a.m. talking, and giggling....just like teenagers! In fact, our 16 year old daughters have mentioned numerous times how WIERD it was....we were like...OLD "besties". LOL *for the record...we are NOT old!!!*

Over the next couple of days, we shopped at high-end malls, a craft mall, a health-food store & shopped at low-end Goodwills. All were equally enjoyable!

We ate at fancy tea rooms, high-priced restaurants, as well as Arby's, and sammys on the porch (a personal fave).

We got drowsy on the porch, chillaxed with the laptop, discussed the intricacies of life, death, marriage, relationships, recipes, ideas, God, kids, *a small amount of gossiping*, cooking, shopping, health...well, you get the idea.

I could just say I had a blast, but I don't think that really conveys my thoughts! :)

Oh...and I learned some new skills from my "Sister", too! She taught me how to make bread and homemade cinnamon rolls!!! It was so fun!

And yummy, too. My kiddos have been after me to try it out on them, and I will...as soon as I can afford it at the scale!

Seriously though, this is something I have wanted to learn for years, and I feel like I can mark something off of my new year's resolution list now. Yeast no longer scares me.

Now, I need a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas....red, of course!

As our visit came to an end, I went with the caravan of cars from their church to meet up with my family in Shepherdsville, KY for camp meeting.

More on that next time.

Making Memories...

Don't you just love making memories?

We just returned from a weekend in Galveston. We have some wonderfully generous friends who own a fabulous beach house right on the beach. They have let us use it a few times & it is one of our favorite places to go & chillax. Granted, there are probably prettier beaches in the world, but this one is close, and...pretty inexpensive!

You know, making memories isn't even about spending money or finding the most fabulous location to vacation. It is about spending time with each other. Doing things that make each person happy. Doing things out of the ordinary. For instance, when I was picking some things up at the store for our meals, I was thinking all healthy (like a good Weight Watcher), but my kids spotted the waffle ice cream cones. Being a good mom, I put away the healthy snacks, & indulged in ice cream cone fixins. I do not usually purchase these things, but, hey, it was vacation, right? ;)

I also don't like the beach. Oh, don't get me wrong...I really enjoy sitting on the balcony of the condo with my feet propped up feeling the breeze (read: gale-force wind) in my hair & listening to the waves crash on the shore. But, that is as far as my true enjoyment goes. If I'm getting wet, I want to see what's on the bottom of wherever I'm standing! So, we go to the beach. I walk in the sand (mud) & oooh & ahh over the treasures they find ("no honey, that's not a new kind of fish, that is a piece of rubber..."), take lots of pictures & just enjoy watching them experience life.

There are at least 2 kinds of vacations (at least in my family).

1. Relaxing

2. Not Relaxing

Disney World, the beach, day trips, staycations, girls' trips, retreats...these fall into the "Relaxing" category. They are usually low-pressure, no real work involved...only fun. Granted, Mickey's land can sometimes be hectic, but that is really up to you...

Camping, church trips, whirlwind trips, most holidays out of town...these fall into the "Not Relaxing" category. These types of trips require minute planning, lots of stressful days with little sleep...I really try to avoid these kinds :)

I am not sure why I put that last little blurb in there, but I just thought it up & put it down...this IS my blog, after all! :)

So, what I really wanted to say is this, we had a great time on our "Relaxing" trip. We were able to have dinner with some great friends, take some family photos, swim, indulge in seafood, shop, explore, kick back & just enjoy each other.

Ahhh...Have I mentioned lately that I love my life?

I do.