Mustard Seeds

Beth Mess #7

Introducing the Butter Baby.

On a recent Tuesday morning before Bible study, I ran upstairs to finish getting ready and left Beth and Jack finishing their breakfast downstairs. I came back downstairs to the Butter  Baby.

She was sitting on the middle of table. She had take the lid off the butter tray, unzipped her pjs and was smearing butter all over herself. And her hair.

She must have needed the moisture.

As we had to get to church, I squeezed some Palmolive soap on her head and gave her hair a quick rinse under the kitchen facet. Then off we went.

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Then, just a few days later, as I was loading the fridge up, she grabbed the sticks of butter and began trying to eat them through the wax paper covers.

She is a Paula Deen in the making.

Jack on the Farm

A while ago, we went to Meeker, Colo., and hung out at Grandma Marilyn's 100-year-old farmhouse.

I've been playing with some Photoshop Actions...Doesn't this pic of Jack look like it was taken back in the 70s? He always looks forward to playing with these trucks.

Jack loves Grandma Marilyn. And he loves driving her "tractor," which is actually her John Deere lawn mower. He doesn't really get that she is the one controlling the power with her foot...

In fact, he likes to take care of Marilyn. While they were driving around the ranch he turned to her and sighed and said, "It's a good thing I'm here, cause you're getting pretty old..."

She was in stitches and told him she would be glad for him to take care of her  in her old age.

This pics for you, Papa.

Yep, Jack truly was the man of the house while we were there. He was outnumbered 6 to 1. We felt completely secure and protected by our man.

Dance Party in the Kitchen

Check out my Beautifully Rooted post here.

 

The Month of April

This has been a pretty busy month. Well, not just pretty busy--really busy. I realized this last week that for the last four Saturdays, I've had to get up at 6:30 am to into major events, classes, etc. They have all been fabulous and fun and on the calendar for months, but it all just kind of "HIT" this month.

Thus, the lack of blogging. I have been taking pictures and thinking about you all though, so stay tuned, I'm hoping to put up some more in-depth posts. In the meantime, here's a glimpse of what we've been up to....and you know, just incase I decide to move on with life and start posting on curent life instead of the past.

Hill of Calvary Class...Matt was also gone on a 10-day fishing trip this whole week.

We made somes spring blossom (tissue paper) trees.

Jack learned to ride a bike without training wheels.

Beth learned how to drive a car.

All my tulips and daffodills came up! And much spring yard planting has commenced. Our forest area is on the fourth or fifth round of "cleaning out."

Passover celebration on Good Friday.

Easter Sunday at our house. Daddy and Grandpa back from fishing trip just in time for a fun family day.

Laundry for Kids post over at Beautifully Rooted.

I did the food for Kristen's CLICK CLASS.

The following Saturday, I had my SEW LOVELY class (more pics soon).

I had a private SEW LOVELY class with Kate.

 

Planned and posed a era-class photo for Anne's school fundraiser, and went to the evening event.

I swapped the back TV room with the front sitting room....all the furniture, books, TV, etc. moved in 2 hours with the help of 6 friends. More befores and afters to come soon.

Just a few more "things" to mark of my list this weekend and then I'm looking forward to MAY. Ahhhh....the warmer days of summer are coming. Needing to have more days where there is NOTHING on the calendar. Wide open space, ya know?

 

 

I don't speak whine-ese

Check out my post over at Beautifully Rooted.

More thoughts on kidney infections

Go here and read what I learned/pondered during my kidney infection ordeal....

Beth Mess #4

This was a somewhat frequent scene in the days leading up to Christmas.

Beth opening up other people's gifts....she caused much re-wrapping to occur.

Happy New Year!

Sorry things have been quiet here on the blog....We were at Matt's parent's house for nearly two weeks during the Christmas holiday. It was SO relaxing and fun but this week has been very busy. We've been re-entering the reality of life.

It's not like anything has been URGENT!, but there's been a lot to get done here at home, which weighs on me: getting Christmas put away, purging and organizing each room to start the New Year clean...Jack's birthday party tomorrow, new freelance writing jobs, SEW LOVELY at the end of the month, pants to alter. And the desire to get things done without putting my children in front of movies for hours.

I've been pressing into the Lord to help direct my days and use "open" time to do more reading with my kids, playing on the floor, etc. I always like to take time at the start of the year to refocus on what God wants me to be doing. It often starts with remembering that I am 1.  Matt's wife, 2. a mother, 3. a friend, 4. writer/crafter/blogger. Some days it's very hard for me to keep these in order. I may be sharing more of my New Year's thoughts with you soon...You might enjoy Ann Voskamp's New Year post here.

Blogging is something I really enjoy and it's not going away, but things may be a little quieter this month as I focus on getting thing in order in my home and my heart. I started this blog because I wanted to "be intentional about teaching God's truth to my kids." This month, for me, that means that all my extra time is going to be devoted to just that (without the pressure to do a post on it).

While I haven't been blogging every day, it does dominate a lot of my thought time. I think about it a lot and sometimes I feel this pressure that it's just one more thing I have to get done each day. It can take the joy out of it. So I'm gonna be rethinking some strategies to still blog, but to do it in a way that doesn't feel like just another check mark. (So far my ideas include: writing more posts that don't include photography, posting 2-3 times a week only, writing posts each week all at once, getting up before the kids once a week to have "uninterrupted" computer time.)

Anyway, just thought I would let you know where my heart is at these days and that I haven't just fallen off the face of the earth.Thanks for letting me ramble.

And now, I need to deal with a little boy who is has climbed on the counter and is sticking everything imaginable into his pile of play dough and a baby girl who is throwing a fit because she can't get her baby doll stroller to do what she wants....ahhh such is the life of a domestic engineer. Did I mention my toilets are disgusting?

More later, friends. More later.

Beth Mess #2 and #3

For Beth, meals have become her time to experiment with her skin regimen. I think this girl may someday create a line of all-organic-food-based skin care products.

Oatmeal face scrub

On another "oatmeal" morning, we were rushing to church and I didn't realize I hadn't gotten off her mask until were were in the bright lights of the nursery room. She had flakes still stuck to her face and looked like she had leprosy.

Greek yogurt moisturizer

Not Pictured: Banana leave-in conditioner.

Beth Mess #1

So...Beth is my messiest child. Seriously. I can't keep the girl out of the toilet, out from under the sink, out of the pantry. She is into EVERYTHING. And then, she has to go and be so darling about it!

So I'm starting a new theme here on the blog called "Beth Mess." It will be a documentation of her messes. I'll try to keep the camera handy to capture these moments. I hope to make a Shutterfly book out of the pics and present it to her someday.

Love this baby girl. But, man, she is messy!

BETH MESS #1

Scene: Beth was in the upstairs bathroom proudly "brushing her teeth" on the step stool near the sink. I left to go and put some clothes away in Jack's room. I heard water turn on. "I better get in there," I say to myself. This is what I found.

She decided she needed a bath, I guess. There she was--fully clothed and in her new soft, suede booties--taking a dip in the sink. Her little body plugged up the drain.

The kicker? The water was perfect bath-water temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. She blended it just perfectly.

Beth: "Oh excuse me, I need to blow my nose."