The Wall Bloggers

Proverbs 27   1  Do not boast about tomorrow,         for you do not know what a day may bring forth.   18  He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,         and he who looks after his master will be honored.   23  Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,         give careful attention to your herds;   24  for riches do not endure forever,         and a crown is not secure for all generations.   25  When the hay is removed and new growth appears         and the grass from the hills is gathered in,   26  the lambs will provide you with clothing,         and the goats with the price of a field.   27  You will have plenty of goats' milk         to feed you and your family         and to nourish your servant gir...

Last week, Adrianna's preschool took a field trip to a local "pumpkin patch," and Abel and I tagged along.  While the "pumpkin patch" was a little disappointing (just pumpkins set up on a church property), there were many pumpkins to be had at good prices.  Abel tried tackling the pumpkins, climbing on them, and attempting to wear me out, while Adrianna dealt with unexplained anxiety about riding the school bus, which turned her into a whining, naggy child.  I guess I would call it a hard morning for a mom. : (I wasn't really a big fan of the alien photo op, but Abel kept posing in it with a huge smile!) After nap time that day, in an attempt to redeem the morning, I let the kids decorate their pumpkins.  Adrianna used paint markers, while Abel used washable paints.  Abel did great painting until he decided he was done, without letting me know that he was done.  I'm afraid to say, I gave him quite an angry reaction when he threw his freshly painted pum...

I felt so inspired helping Adrianna make her flower shirt (see previous), that I got a vision for a shirt for Abel...  And what better time to work on it than when Adrianna and Scott took a special Daddy-daughter trip to visit Scott's brother and his family in Houston? So Abel and I got by for four days while they were gone, and Abel got a new shirt out of the deal.  Thankfully, before I got to the little windows and wheels on this one, by mother-in-law told me about Wonder Under.  This iron-on adhesive has become my new crafting best friend.  Boy, did that save me a lot of hassle with those tiny car parts! I'm pretty certain Abel felt the absence of our other family half (and I know I did!).  On Thursday, he looked over from his car seat, to where Adrianna's seat usually is, and gave his frowny eyes.  Later that night, when I stayed in his room with him so that he could fall asleep, which is what Adrianna usually does by sleeping in there,...

As a stay-at-home mom, I need inspiration for creativity.  Without the constant, everyday interactions with other adults and the outside world that comes from a typical job, I need other sources to keep motivated for my job.  I found one fun source of motivation at the store I mentioned in the previous post (Magical Scraps -- see previous for website). With the extra riggers of caring for two kids, I was getting to the point of drudgery with my work -- not getting to express my own self and creativity, because I expended all my energy on the maintenance of the household.  Just a bit of inspiration helped me to give my brain and my heart a little needed exercise. So, it started with a trip to Magical Scraps in Breckenridge.  I oowed and awed over all the adorable kids' and women's clothing items they had.  The Magical Scraps creativity begins by taking a typical t-shirt or dress and adorning it with a beautiful, eclectic...

After packing and preparing for two hours last Thursday night, another four hours Friday morning, and enjoying a six-and-a-half hour car trip with two kids under five, I always wonder... Is time away really worth it?? When I arrive at my dad's condo in the Colorado mountains, and instantly realize there are no dishes to clean, no dusting, no cleaning, no laundry, no home-owner projects, and so forth, it suddenly feels worth the immense effort that it took to get there. We enjoyed two-and-a-half days in Colorado, where two of the days were overcast, with spitting snow.  Abel had trouble sleeping and Rusty had trouble itching (allergies), but still -- no dishes, no dusting, no cleaning, etc.!  So, while I can't say I want to make the trip every month, when we do make it, we always enjoy it. Some of our highlights this time included a visit from my mom and Richard.  We shopped our way through Breckenridge, stopping mostly at kid-related stores, and enjoying lunch at a ...

Some fun pictures from a few weeks ago... These are from our fun cookout at a nearby mountain site.  We discovered (no surprise!) that our boy likes fire! We even heard a "happy fire sound" (sort of a combination giggle-grunt) from him for the first five minutes the fire was going.  He couldn't take his eyes from the flames, and of course, wanted to climb in or throw things in it the entire time we were there.   Hot dogs... And what's a cook out without s'mores?