discovering the simple...

Rubber Boots and Bluebonnets

2010-04-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

There aren't many things more "Texan" than our Bluebonnets. I wanted so badly to have a family picture taken with a sea of blue surrounding us. It's what every good little Texas Momma dreams of. Last year, busy schedules stole that dream. This year...it almost happened again....until today...well, kinda. As we drove out of the driveway this morning my prayers were that it wouldn't rain, and that Callie Jo would enjoy herself so we'd be able to get some good pictures. Boy did we ever get pictures! Here are just a few of the moments captured that day, and even though we weren't able to get a family picture these will definately tide me over until next year....

Testing, Testing...

2010-03-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to see if my new blogging application worked on my cell phone....Of course I must leave you with a picture of Monkey enjoying this weather. Have a blessed Thursday!

through the eyes of a child....

2010-03-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

Beauty, sweetness, joy, and curiosity are what I see daily in her eyes.

My cup overflows, and my heart smiles...

charts, m&m's, stickers, and lysol...

2010-03-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

It's potty time in our house. Oh that cute little pink potty....how it causes so much frustration and mess is beyond me. I'm not really sure what prompted me to start all this. Maybe it was the fact that Callie is finally in a size 4 diaper and you get like twenty diapers less for the same price. Maybe it was the fact that Little Bit is now starting to realize that she would much rather play or run or twirl than have her diaper changed and has decided that kicking is the best defense. At any rate, despite the fact that she still wakes up in the morning with a wet diaper, she is able to keep her diaper dry for long periods of time during the day so I thought we should give it a shot. Today wasn't too bad for a day one. We only had two accidents...one on the floor while she was running around bare bottomed and the other in her panties while I had to put the dog in the kennel. By the end of this evening, Callie was shaking her head no when I asked her if she needed to go, but altogether she was pretty good natured about sitting on her potty so much today. I decided to keep a diaper on her for naps and for bedtime although I've read that I should just let her make a mess to speed up the process. I've got so many different ideas running around in my head from book, blogs, or family that ironically I feel a little lost. A part of me does want things to go well because I tend to care about what people think, and I want to be a good momma. I think I've concluded that maybe I'll just have to wing it and go with the flow...haha sorry :) You've got to love a good pun...well...I suppose you don't HAVE to...but I do. I thank my Grandpa and Dad for that. I'm hopeful that tomorrow will bring new milestones, but if it doesn't I'll still have this...

and I'm completely ok with that.

a quick recap...for memories sake...

2010-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Callie Jo can say chicken, duck, dog, outside, tree, mama, daddy, three. hi, wow, ohhhh, what's that...She knows how to shake her head yes and no although it usually throws her a little off balance. She knows that a duck says "kack, kack" and a dog says "oooff". When you say TOUCHDOWN she throws her hands in the air and screams "yaaaaaa"... She loves sitting by her bookshelf and looking at her books. She's learning how to pretend. Taking a drink or eating some "food" with her new little kitchen utensils is usually followed by a "uuummm" all the while licking her lips VERY dramatically. Callie loves wearing hats, and still sleeps with her blankie. Her sweet little hands pat your back or face "tenderly" and she is known to give lots of hugs and wet kisses. She's is very deliberatly stubborn and so beautifully intelligent. She has recently learned how to frown, but it is quickly followed up by the cutest, widest grin you have ever seen. It's amazing watching her figure things out... She will stand for long periods of time to try and figure out how the car seat or high chair buckles. She loves her rocking horse and lays her head on his saddle petting his side. She also enjoys riding with no hands wearing her cowgirl hat that hasn't fit her in 6 months. Her veggie tale movies are still her favorite BY FAR, but Peter Pan has recently become a big hit. Callie is a goofy, loud, silly, beautiful, crazy little weirdo and i'm so proud and blessed to call her my daughter.

The countdown begins....

2009-10-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

My baby is turning one in three days. As much as I read, and studied and tried to learn the basics of good parenting, nothing prepared me for what was in store. I have been stretched and tried, tested and pulled in ways I would have never thought possible. My sweet baby girl is such a beautiful mystery, and I feel so much pressure to be a "good" parent, and then it happens. She giggles and crinkles up her nose and looks up at me with the huge deep blue eyes and I know that more than anything this little girl simply needs to be loved. She needs me to love her the best that I can every day. She needs me to love her with everything I have inside of me, and all the rest will fall into place. I love that I was created for this. Created to love wholly, to teach and not control, to be instruments in showing God's love, grace, mercy, faith, and hope. I love that I have had to learn to sew out of necessity and have really come to love it. Some of my most favorite moments have come in the middle of the night when it is only my arms, or my voice that will pacify her. I love being depended on, and I love being a mom...specifically Callie's mom. God knew what He was doing by giving us each other. What is even more amazing to think about is that right now, I believe that God is just beaming at His children. That His heart swells with pride and love when we look up at him smiling, and simply needing Him and His love...

This week will be filled with cutting out A LOT of circles (we are doing a polka dot theme, and a lot of construction and felt will be cut in the process!), some last minute sewing, baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, and so much more. Here is the picture of the tutu that my mother in law made for her to wear to her party. Isn't it precious????

I made her a little t-shirt that has the word ONE spelled out on it with fabric that I had cut out. It's so big on her, but it was the smallest size I could find....lesson #3857 not everything has to be perfect :).....

The toole on the skirt kept coming up in the back and tickling her neck. She kept looking behind her very annoyed to not know what or where the tickling was coming from... :) haha

Recently Callie has really come to love screaming. She won't be mad or upset. She simply enjoys hearing herself get very loud. This next picture was taken after one of her rice and bean lunches...you know...the type of lunch where a bath must follow immediately after. :)

and with that I bid you all goodnight.

Loving the Rain

2009-10-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Our first "cool" front has officially hit the Houston area. It didn't last long, but it was so nice while it lasted. Joining the cooler weather was a weekend of rain, and I LOVE the rain. I know that it may be silly because to most people the rain is seen as dreary, grey, and wet...a hassle to drive to work in, and a pain to bring groceries into to the house during...but I genuinly love it when it rains. I love to hold Callie up to the window or out on the back porch and watch the world get wet. I love the sound it makes on the roof especially if i'm lucky to be lying in bed at the time. I love the way it makes the trees, and flowers twinkle. I love the smell in the air before the rain comes, and the rumbling in the clouds to announce it's arrival. Sometimes...just sometimes when I am having a hard day, and it happens to start raining, I think that maybe God opened up the skies just for me. Maybe He enjoys seeing me smile....

Today during another one of our wet and wonderful days, I was able to sew. I've been trying to sew as much as possible for practice so as not to make so many mistakes...mistakes that take forever to correct. This is my latest creation which is for baby girl of course. I'm not completely happy with it. The lace isn't laying right on one of the straps and I also didn't have enough lace to go all the way around the dress. Where it stops and starts looks a little strange. I suppose this can just be a play dress for now, or maybe I can figure out a way to fix it. At any rate, here are a few pictures. I still have to sew on the buttons. The ones in the picture are just pinned on. I'm not sure these are the style I want to go with. Let me know what you think.

front

back

Gnight friends...

2009-10-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

Wow...Where do I start???? We've not only moved, but we've moved in with my parents. I don't know where we would be without our family. We are so grateful to them. Tim still hasn't found a job yet, but we are both very much at peace where the Lord has us right now. In the midst of hardship we have seen many rainbows....promises of Hope, and of the knowledge of Who holds our future.

Callie has adjusted well to everything. The girl is getting more love and attention than she knows what to do with. Pure giggles and lots of smiles fill her day. She's waving bye, climbing stairs, dancing to mary poppins and in a little less than three weeks my baby will be turning one. I know every mother says this, but it rings so true: Time has flown by so quickly...I just can't believe it has been a whole year already. I truly LOVE being a mother. She is a beautiful, wonderfully silly daily reminder of God's love. I am so very blessed.

The rain is pittering on the rooftop as I write this blog....I'm pretty sure I would be ok with it raining every night :) Where is my tin roof? Hopefully one day....

Now that everything is unpacked and in place hopefully there won't be so many days in between posts.

Trust the Lord, love your family, and enjoy the rain....

Gnight friends...

My daughter is....

2009-09-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

My daughter is silly and loves to scrunch up her nose when she giggles.

She is headstrong, and tends to push you away from her when she is finished with you. (We need to keep working on that...)

She loves to "dance, dance" and "jump, jump" when she first wakes up in the morning.

She is not a fan of diaper changes and I am constantly having to find new ways of distracting her until the deed is done.

She can say "dadda", "duck", "tickle-tickle" and "chick-chick" although it is usually only Tim or myself that can understand her tickle and chick :)

She has been walking since 9 months and is practically running now. She is a woman on a mission. She is curious to touch everything, but doesn't linger in one place too long. (next lesson...stopping to smell the roses)

My daughter is beautiful with very light brown almost blonde hair, and deep sky blue eyes. How did THAT happen???

She can sit for and play for hours outside, and loves to go "off-roading" in her Jeep umbrella stroller with daddy in the backyard.

She is not afraid of dogs, or thunderstorms but has a complete meltdown when new people try to talk to her or family members she doesn't always see try to hold her.

She must travel with her duck!

She is severely independent and sometimes I blame myself for that.

She has a wonderful sense of humor, and the most precious giggly laugh.

My daughter still takes two naps a day and sleeps 12 hours a night. I am indescribably grateful for this.

She slept with me until she was three months old and a part of me still misses cuddling with her through the night.

She puts her perfect little hands on either side of my face and pulls me down to her to give kisses...time stands still and it completely makes the trials of day disappear. I am in heaven.

I love my Callie Jo with every fiber in my body. I never imagined loving someone so much, and this is coming from a girl who has played "mom" since she was a very little girl herself. I strive daily to not just be a good mom or a better mom, but a mom that inspires my daughter, and shows her the love of One that loves her more than I ever could. This is my hearts prayer.

2009-08-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Grandma, Callie, and myself had some girl time after church today. Grandma had some clothing to donate to Goodwill so we all tagged along. Boy, was it a good thing we did! In addition to some quality family time, we found some adorable outfits for Callie! I just had to show off some of the dresses. Aren't they cute????

....change of subject....

My cousin Ashley's little girl Emmy is a beautifully outgoing, brutally honest two and a half year old. I'm not completely clear on the entire story so I am going to paraphrase it the best I can. Emmy was spending the night at her Debi's house. Debi is my aunt and Emmy's grandma whom she refuses to call anything BUT Debi. So Emmy is apparently jumping on Debi's bed, sees her reflection in the mirror, and very enthusiastically proclaims..." Look how beautiful I am!" :) How is that for self esteem? Doesn't a little part of you wish that you could do that? How many of us look in the mirror and with every conviction in our body announce how beautiful we are? I would be willing to bet not many of us. I believe most of us would be thought of as arrogant or crazy if we did something like that. This is certainly something that I do not practice. I still haven't lost my pregnancy weight and avoid mirrors at all cost. It is a constant struggle for me to accept what I know to be true on the subject of beauty and self worth, and to not give in to the negative way of thinking that usually clouds my mind. We are masterpieces though. We are handcrafted, and meticulously created by a God that sees us as royalty. There is not one pound, or stretch mark, or what I see as a flaw in myself that my Lord doesn't call beautiful. He loves me just as I am, and He loves YOU exactly how you at this very moment. There is no need to put on makeup or fix your hair or buy the cutest outfit....and I realize that most of us don't see ourselves as that shallow but the words out of our mouths , and our actions reflect our hearts. Every time we put ourselves down, dismiss a compliment from our spouse because we don't feel like we deserve it, go on some radical diet just so that we can fit into our pre-pregnancy jeans, or look in the mirror and cry because we don't look the way we did when we were twenty are all forms of being shallow. It is just another side of it. It is like telling God that He did't do a good enough job. That He messed up in some way. Our God doesn't make mistakes. I rarely think about it in that way, but it is the truth. The last few weeks that has really started to hit home with me. I am so hard on myself, and realize that I struggle with allowing myself to be loved. My prayer is that my focus will change from daily beating myself up about becoming a better person to daily simply accepting God's love for the beauty that He created in me. I want to look into the mirror and with every conviction in my body exclaim "Look how beautiful I am!"

2009-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I found this really cool website called PhotoJojo. It's basically a website designed entirely around photography. There are DIY forums with different craft or technique ideas along with all kinds of advice and help in using every kind of camera imaginable. As I was scrolling through the different forums I found a link to a japanese website that converts any phote to look like it is 150 (or so) years old. It takes a matter of seconds, and the pictures come out like they were clipped out of an old newspaper or something. If you enjoy fiddling with different types of finishes for pictures like myself, you really may enjoy this website. The site is called Bakumatsu Koshashin Generator

2009-08-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

"The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."