I Heart Thee

Warning...this post has little sentimental value. No deep thoughts or life discoveries. Just a wish now that Fall has arrived on my doorstep. I want to take a walk among the oak leaves and acorns, sipping my pumpkin spice latte, wearing these! The Second Annual Consumption Crackdown may have to take a rest for a week so my feet can find a new home in this pair of lovelies. Welcome Autumn!

May I Suggest

"I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift."

-Shauna Niequist
Cold Tangerines

The Window & The Plate

My plate is full.

I'm closing the window.

These are just a few of the sayings that my dear friend AML and I share. If you say them often enough, you begin to follow the mantras. I have found it difficult to not just say them, but follow through living them out day to day.

Oftentimes as women, we have this "thought" that we must take on so much in order to achieve success or have others see success in us. I fall into this trap, oftentimes it seems like the trap won't let us out of its nasty gashing teeth. My blog friend Malisa, described it recently in one of her posts as "the cliff's edge". I found this to be so relational. Her lovely husband rescued her from the edge. I silently rejoiced alongside her.

I'm still waiting on my rescue squad.

I was sitting outside Sarah's music class chatting with another mother. She asked what activities my boys were in this season. When I said that they weren't participating in anything but school and a Wednesday night bible study, it looked as if all life had left her body. It felt great to say that we were doing "nothing" for a while.

With The Hubby traveling once again, I have made the decision to just slow down. Empower myself to say "no" when asked to help out(a quality that I have been blessed/cursed with). Not because my heart doesn't care to help out when needed, but rather at this time of my life, I have found it necessary to slow down.

I encourage each of you to "close the window" or tell someone lovingly that your "plate is full". Slow down and enjoy the process. Slow down and enjoy the life and the people in it that you love. Maybe sometime soon my window will will be cracked open just a little. I have a feeling it will just be to allow some of the crisp Autumn air come into our home.

This & That

The view out my kitchen window in the morning...how beautiful it is!


My wonderful next door neighbor delivered these to me today. We babysat her granddaughter last weekend and she kindly repaid us with this lovely arrangement.


You know how much I love monograms. Check this one out...my 15 year old nephew, Trey, had custom Nike's made(size 13). He had his initials put on one shoe and III put on the other (His full name: Tony Gene Zentz III) Very Cool!


We spent the weekend with my lovely sis and her dashing dude. It is always a jam packed weekend full of fun. Aren't they adorable?!


After the older boys got home from the Notre Dame game, they played flag football. Sis Margaret got in on the action.


We were thrilled that my mom and dad joined us for the night. My dad made a batch of his famous pimento & cheese spread. You can never have enough!

A Song

I have been finding so much comfort in the lyrics of songs lately. Today was a difficult day, yet a day that was filled with comfort and hope. This morning I was able to join together with many ladies of the Toledo area as my Bible Study began. I found so much comfort in these ladies last year...I find that I need other women of faith surrounding me to help keep me accountable...I am after all, human. This years class is full of such wonderful women of God!

This afternoon, I received a call from my mom that a dear friend of our family had suffered a stroke. I thought about how weeks earlier this couple sat with my parents and our family as we struggled to make sense of my dad's diagnosis. This is what good friends do...support, love & life up in prayer. Friends that you consider family. My prayers and the prayers of many go out to the Hammond Family during this time.

Trav & I continue to pray about where He may lead us to go. There are difficult decisions to be made, especially when you are also dealing with a parent who is ill. Yet, we feel confident as a couple and as a family that He is in control. He will carry us along the way. A reminder that wakes me every single morning...why am I searching when YOU hold all the answers. A comfort that I find in the lyrics of a song.

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

"By Your Side"
Tenth Avenue North

If we left it up to him...

If we left it up to CEP, we would be competing against the Duggar Family who are expecting baby number 19! Nineteen children...more caffeine..STAT! I am in awe of the way this family can function. I struggle keeping up with the laundry and school papers of three children.

I am a big fan of babies...much to the chagrin of family members and strangers. There is always an undertone in their comments, "you certainly have your hands full as it is" or "I think three is a good number for you". No worries, The Hubby and I aren't planning on expanding our family(just yet) but if we left it up to CEP, we would have a new little bundle on his way(note the gender preference). We have told CEP to leave the baby planning to God and the economy.

p.s. Note how our darling CEP is now spelling his name at school "Clay'n".
Lovely(note the sarcasm)

On This Day

***On this day, September 11, 2009, I am re-posting my post from last year. The message remains the same...May We Never Forget

It all began with a phone call from my sister. I will never forget the sound of her voice. The fear, the concern, the confusion. Everything she was telling me was so sureal. I began to wonder if I was still sleeping. I looked over to the other side of the bed to notice Trav had already left for work and Jack was still sleeping soundly on my pillow. How could it be? What is going on? I felt disoriented & confused. A warm feeling shot through the veins of my body...I didn't know if it was fear or adrenaline. I picked Jack up and ran throughout the house turning on all the forms of communication I could find. I knew at that moment, all innocence had been lost. I cried. I cried for the feeling of being out of control. I cried for the fear of the unknown . I cried for all of those innocent people who went to work. I cried for all the children who no longer had parents. I cried for those whose efforts to help were ceased. I cried because at that very moment, I knew the world would never be the same for myself or my children. We were and still are so vulnerable. May God bless those who sacrificed so much that day. May God bless all of us who are left behind. May God continue to protect and hold us close.

Make A Note

This is why I no longer buy post-it notes!
I don't need a reminder of my to do list...the mess speaks for itself!

Pumpkin Ice Cream & My Lovely Thighs

I was recently told by a certain someone that my blog posts were sad and somewhat depressing. I tried to educate this certain someone that a blog is just one's personal thoughts...a journal of sorts. My journal is open to all to read, no lock on my diary. So, I thought that this recent "breaking news story" could make us all laugh. Looks like I have a long life ahead of me!

My day was made, and I can now carry on after reading the article...off to eat some pumpkin ice cream(thanks Nana Barb)!