All I want for Christmas is a trampoline!

Betcha didn't know lawn chairs could be used this way...

Best.Present.EVER!

I think I have waited long enough to blog about this....I didn't want to right away because I tend to be strange about certain things (no comments from those who think me strange in all things! ;) and I wanted to just keep this close for a while I think.  A while back, I really felt God pressing in for me to be a worship leader of sorts.  At the time, I could play a bit of hand drum and I do mean a bit ;) and the tambourine and shaker and that's about it.  Good accent instruments, but lead instruments. :)  I tried to learn guitar 7 years ago when we lived in Hawaii with no success.  I was attempting to learn left-handed because I am and its more comfortable that way for me, but it really never panned out.  So fast forward to the recent past and God leading me into a place of amazing worship of Him and I picked up the guitar at the end of June, playing right-handed and have been going ever since.  Its been pretty fast-paced and I can play pretty much any song God puts on my heart.  Now, I will tell you that I can't bar to save my life...anything with Fs and Bs I steer clear of, but the great thing is I can just transpose it into Gs, Ds, As, Cs...you get the picture..stuff I can play.  I think there will be a time where I will really try to get proficient at playing chords I can't play right now....maybe. ;p  I also want to learn more about the instrument and all the technical terms and all that rigamarole, but I'm okay with that being a little at a time for now.  I also don't strum "normally" or play "normal" rhythm, but the songs sound the way I want them to and that's good enough for me!  Anyway, its been a very interesting so far and I'm loving that I can play while worshipping any time I want.   Its pretty neat!  God has just been so purposeful and gracious in equipping me this way and I'm really very honored and blessed!  I'm very excited to see where He takes me in all of this.  

Okay, now where my new guitar comes in is this...Sam has seen what God is doing with me with worship and he decided to full on equip and support me!  My husband is so great, people!  Seriously fantastic!  So buying me a guitar that is more suited for me was his opening move of empowering me:

Isn't it purdy?!  This is what Sam bought me for my birthday.  He actually bought it for me at the end of August and my birthday is not until November.  He wanted me to have it to play when I and several of the ladies of our home group were asked to lead the worship portion of a special service at a church in Copperas Cove.  I just love that about Sam!  He dreams bigger for me than I do!
Our friend Mel has a Big Baby Taylor and she let me play it and I just fell in love with it.  The wood and the feel of the guitar...just lovely!  I was totally smitten.  Add to that that she introduced me to Elixer Nanoweb strings...Oh, MY!  They feel slicker 'n' snot and they are truly lovely to play!
We had gone to San Antonio to visit and as usual, and with much gratitude from Sam and I, Juan and Donna sent us off on a much needed date while they spent alone time with the kids.  Sam decided it would be fun to go to Guitar Center there and just look to see what we could find.  They had a Big Baby in stock and I took it down and strummed on it for a minute and then... Sam found a MINI Taylor!  Oh, yeah!  I have very squatty hands with squatty fingers and short arms and it is difficult for me to play a full-sized guitar, so we wanted a smaller one for me.  Anyway, we ended up being able to get the same model at our Guitar Center here in Killeen.  I love it!  Plus, though its small, Sam can still plunk around on it and when the kids get older, if any of them want to learn, its the perfect size for that, too.  Its along the same lines as a travel guitar, but it has a full-bodied sound just like a full-size.

And yes, I did bling out my pick guard.  It was necessary, I promise!

Today's pictures brought to you by the letter F

Zekes and Lerlu are learning the letter F and they made a frog and also a fox....here is the artistic process in action:

this is super blurry and completely out of focus, but still conveys the idea...this is what Brea looks like on Blue's Clues a.k.a. crack for babies.

My Husband is A-Mazing!

We are gearing up to start our school year in a couple of days and I had an epiphany...well, of sorts.  The kids usually end up all bunking in the same room, so I thought to myself that it would be nice to turn the other bedroom into a homeschool room.  As usual, I'm flying by the seat of my pants trying to get it done and I've been toying with the idea of a triple bunk bed for a while.  So, Sam went to help our friend move this morning and when he came home, he found me eye deep in pondering how I could possibly turn the boy's current bunk beds into a triple bunk.  Didn't want to spend any money, you see.  Just wanted to use what we had on hand.  He said I was crazy.  He's starting to come around to my upcycling obsessiveness.  Well, after much collaborating together, we came up with a plan and we (read mostly Sam) went to work on it. :)  Poor man is now pooped, but looky at what he built!

The kids are giddy with excitement!  They are loving it.  We have a few more boards to add after some more money gets allotted for this project.  I'm also going to put up curtains on rods for the two lower bunks and a tent for the top.  We had all that wood on hand and the two upper bunks are the same metal bases from the previous bunk beds...Now, I need to figure out what to do with the head and foot boards from the other bunks.... ;)
I so wanted to paint the kids' room today.  I have some paint out in the garage and was sorely tempted, but I figured I could get to that another day.... I might paint the school room first since it will be mostly empty for a split second before I start setting up shop in there...  All I know is that it will feel better in both rooms once the unfortunate colors get hidden under much more soothing neutrals.  I think almost 3 years is enough time spent with those colors. :)

Galveston: A trip, part 1

WARNING!  Picture overload!!

So, we went to Galveston on a whirlwind mini vacay.  It was faabulous dahling...  Actually, it was fun, but two things to know for next time.  We need a larger space to stay and we need to stay longer.  Having said that, here is the picture deluge:

 Our trip on the ferry...we saw dolphins twice and I got zero pics of them :/

 Our rendition of The Birds!  Aaaah...seriously, who knew you could have such fun with seagulls flying overhead threatening to drop poo bombs upon your head? ;p

I think the ferry was a highlight for the kids, for sure.

 We stayed on the far eastern part of the island at The East Islander.

 The deck walk that goes out to the beach.

 The kids are really fish in disguise.

 Brea and Ailey's footprints

Happy Zekes!

Well, hello Frida Kahlo!

 A wave cometh...

 Up and down the beach

 And I'm in some pics!

That's a whole lotta man, right there!

Part 2 coming soon...ish!

Zekeyism

A few mornings ago, I made some hot tea for the kids after their breakfast and I overheard Zekey, in contemplative thought, saying, "There are real hiccups in my tea."  He, Braden and Lerloo were all trying to make hiccup sounds.  Apparently, the culprit for all of the "real" hiccups was the tea.  Gonna have to watch out for that tea, I guess. :)

Topiaries, a Wreath and Bookshelf Top-scape

Okay, I've finished my topiaries.  Moss is MESSY!  I also broke my new glue gun in the process. :(  I went with a bigger one so I could get those long glue stick mammerjammers.  I got tired of loading the little glue sticks every two seconds (only slight exaggeration ;) into my little glue gun.  Anyway, on we go:

 Something out of Whoville, perhaps?  Suits me!

 I wanted these to be able to stay out all year round.  I want to put a bead garland around the two trees in fall colors and then Christmas colored ones in December.  I'm going to attempt to make one myself because I have a ton of beads that are just hanging out needing to be used.  I may end up replacing that dowel rod with an actual stick from my backyard.  We'll see if I feel like messing with it sooner rather than later. :)

I've tried using those vase/bowl-thingies-whatever they are called in my decor in other ways for a while and they never really fit, but I like them for topiary bases.

 This is what I have so far.  I like it.  I think garlands on the two outside topiaries would add a bit of pizzaz.....

 I saw a burlap bubble wreath and then another one that had this exact fabric over burlap.  I decided that I like the bubble wreath, but didn't want burlap.  This is what I ended up with instead.

 I'm putting effort into two other spaces, but I'm not done yet.  I'll post pics when I finish.  Maybe even in time for actual Fall.

Fall, Fall, Please come soon!

I think I'm trying to will it to turn Autumn.  Maybe, just maybe if I decorate for Fall, it will just decide to capitulate.  It could happen.  Really.

I've never really decorated for Autumn or Thanksgiving or any of that.  I think I always felt the it was way to close to decorating for Christmastime and therefore too much work and more overwhelming than I needed to mess with. :)  This year, for some strange reason, I am inspired!  I'm wanting to just have a fun two seasons.  Fall is my favorite time of year, followed by winter as a close second.  I have some interesting ideas for the environment I would like to create in my house for my family and I don't want to do it last minute, so I'm getting a head start on my project list for the holidays.  Then, perhaps, I will be able to chill out and just enjoy the season!  It could happen.  No, I really mean it. :)

Okay, so here is the first in my series:

 These made me think of Cinderella....shiny.

I found these unfinished ceramic craft pumpkins at Hobby Lobby for 40% off, hey-hey!  Love Hobby Lobby!  Anyway, some burnt umber acrylic paint for the stems and the grooves and then some gold glitter for a bit of bling and I really like how they turned out.

These rather large acorns, too, were 40% off and all they needed was a little glitter to top them off.  Shiny makes me happy. :)

I've got some other items in the works and I'm pretty exited to see how they turn out.  I'll give you a hint.  Topiaries.  That is all for now.

Zekeyism

Is a mohawk where you mow all the hair off of your head? :)

Ailey and scissors and somewhere in between

Ailey found a pair of haircutting scissors that I had totally forgotten about in one of the drawers in the bathroom and decided she needed to give herself a "little" trim.  I think the normal response to seeing your child give themself a mullet is to come close to tears.  I had to try hard not to bust out laughing.  She is just following even further in my footsteps.  I nabbed a pair of my granny's sewing scissors when I was right around Ailey's age and got under the kitchen table and went to town on my nearly waist-length long pretty locks.  My mom apparently didn't take it well. ;)

I took some pics first and then set about trying to fix it the best I could...

 Self-inflicted mullet :)

 pixie cut...I tried to leave her with bangs, but there was that large chunk missing and no amount of combing over worked....

 So, I went with bangs just a tad longer than her cut line.  Little stinker looks cute with her hair like that. hmph.

Others who were in attendance of this event...

Brea's First Haircut and some more pics

 Had to get those bangs under control :)

 Nostril flaring at its finest!

 Zekey's current lego masterpiece

 Up close and personal

 Caught ya!

A bigger picture....

Braden...another growth spurt

He holds a captive audience

Braden's Baptism and Waterpark Family Fun!

Last Sunday, Braden came out of his class after church and asked if he could get baptized the following Sunday.  We spoke with him to find out why he wanted to do this and what he thought it meant and clarify some things with him.  We all came out of it with the satisfaction that this was His timing for Braden to start his very own relationship-adventure with his Heavenly Father.  These are exciting times!

For a long while now, I've had the perspective that I didn't want my kids to follow some set pattern of some point in time there is this momentous occasion that you make a decision to have Jesus come into your heart and then you follow that with "Believer's Baptism" and then off we go, la-ti-da-ti-dah.  That version of doing things reminds me very much of how much importance our society places on the ceremony and all that is involved in the fiasco of getting married and the honey moon time afterwards, but very little importance or effort is placed on the importance of beginning with a fantastic foundation before the ceremony takes place or the longevity of the process of marriage after all the euphoria of the beginning has dissipated into the reality of what covenant relationship really entails.

Now, don't get me wrong, I believe the decision is important and the baptism is too.  It is necessary to recognize in yourself your complete and utter lack of ability to get rid of sin and live in a true and absolute freedom in the way it was created and meant to be.  When we can acknowledge that we NEED the Savior, the only One who has the power and authority to transform us into new creations, the only One who is able to stand in our place, so that we are judged as pure and holy and righteous before our Sovereign and Holy Creator and God so that we can be reestablished/restored into our rightful places as heirs of our Amazing Daddy God!  That's enormous!...Then, to follow with being baptized to declare in an external/tangible way of the triunal (this will be an actual word someday;) transformation (mind, body and spirit) that has begun inside us is essential!   But its only the beginning.  Its the starting point of the greatest adventure anyone can ever enter into.  The sheer magnitude of how much interest in and enjoyment of us, the HOLY (set apart) and MOST HIGH GOD, the Creator of all that we see and are still unable to see, the One who's very words holds the universe and all therein together at the deeper than molecular level, how much pure, untainted, un-perverted, freely-given, all-encompassing LOVE He has for us.....the magnitude of it all is overwhelming and continually so!  Do you know that He delights in us?  Delights! - adores, approves, is satisfied with, praises, is pleased, honors, appreciates, has glee in, is gratified....the list is extensive!  You know, I believe we can make Him giggle or belly laugh!  I love the picture that paints. :)

I find it very interesting that we make this huge deal out of the birth of Christ for Christmas and then His death at Easter and while those two things are key and paramount, again...they were only the beginning and compared to what those keys unlocked...WOW!  The door that the birth of our Savior unlocked was His ministry here on earth and His death on the cross and resurrection in order to open, through a reciprocal relationship with Holy Spirit, an ever extending inheritance of freedom from the curse of the fall, restoration into a restriction free relationship with our Abba Father and the complete ability to live and walk in the authority and annointing to bring the fullness of His Kingdom and all that entails as it is in heaven into our environment and atmosphere and sustain it right here and right now.

Do we have eyes to see or ears to hear or hearts to listen?  I want THAT for my kids, for Sam and I, for our family and for our Christ family.  I don't want a someday-when-I-die-things-will-align-the-way-they-are-supposed-to Christian philosophy.  That somehow only by us dying will things finally be the way God meant them to be.  That would mean that Christ's death wasn't sufficient to restore and renew.  He continually said that we should repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  He was telling us that we need to get the sin out, so that we have nothing blocking us/holding us back from using the full, complete, absolute power and authority that has already been gifted to us by our Father to use in our lives here on earth today!  That was before He was crucified...the key of the crucification unlocked the oppression of the death of living under the law and through the blood of Jesus opened up a whole new way of living in constant connection with Holy Spirit Who interprets for us, guides us, comforts us...this list is extensive, too. :)  Its just a whole kaleidoscope of amazingness!

Just sayin. ;)

I do have pics of Braden getting baptized at the water park.  I love that our church does it this way, too.  Another fun highlight was that Memaw and Pepaw came to be with us for this special time, too.  :)  Here we go:

 Braden waiting for his turn

 Miss Pam and Michelle, two wonderful ladies with hearts for kid's ministry doing the "dunking" ;) honors

 The adventure has begun!

 Beautiful Memaw!

 Zeker Weekers

 Ler was having a great time!  She even went down the big slides with Sam and I. :)

 Brea had fun, too...she would continually lose her balance and go under and we would set her upright again and she would continue on her merry way.  No fear.

 Pepaw found a baby to hold. :)

 Sweet Liam had his first water park adventure

That's a proud mama!