Hot Summer Days and Breezy Texas Nights

Hello dear friends! My dear blog will be slightly neglected over the next few weeks. The Texas vacation we have been eagerly anticipating is finally here and in full swing! We are staying at my hubby's family's house and the days are already quickly passing.

Texas is truly amazing! It's completely different from Wisconsin and feels like we are in a completely different time. Granted, we are on vacation, but everything in Texas just seems a little bit more laid back, the people are nicer and the days seem to pass a little more slowly.

The above photo is my father in law's '74 International Harvester and there is Spanish moss hanging from the trees, I love the beautiful and almost eerie way the Spanish moss covers everything here.

The girls are loving being here! Here they are looking out at my parent's in law backyard. They completely designed, planted and built their entire backyard to feel like a tropical Paradise! (Well, they didn't say that, but that's how it feels anyway!)

The yard is just as stunning after dark as it is during the day.....

Last night we were all up talking into the wee hours of the morning with coffee and iced tea in hand. The days are almost unbearably hot, but once the sun sets and you have a breeze come through...well... it's just perfect.

Texas has been perfect and we are trying to soak up every single minute of our time here. We may not see our family again after this for a long time, so our time here is so precious and I'm thanking God for every second.

I have no cell phone signal and limited computer access, so I won't be texting, blogging or on facebook for the next 2 weeks. This is family time and it's refreshing to not have Internet. (believe it or not!!!) I can't wait to share photos and stories when we get back and to hear what you all have been up too. Have a beautiful week dear friends, family and all my bloggy friends!

Wordy Wednesday, A Cloudy Day at the Beach

These photos were actually taken a few weeks ago. We were going bit stir crazy being inside, so despite the overcast day, we spent the afternoon at the beach! It was such a pretty and cloudy Sunday afternoon :)

From July 27, 2011

From July 27, 2011

From July 27, 2011

From July 27, 2011

From July 27, 2011

The photos make it look like such a relaxing time, but it was so windy that the lunch we brought out with us blew all over the beach and hubby and I spent quite a bit of time cleaning that. While we were scavenging the beach for garbage Diana found a dead fish and gave that to Ellie, we grabbed that away just in time. We tried to set the camera on the rocks so as to do a family photo, but Diana was a little crazy person and kept running away and it was so windy I was afraid of sand getting into the camera, so that didn't work. The beach was just enough on a hill where Ellie could not walk without falling over and we could not keep Diana from trying to run into the water.

From July 27, 2011

It was so chilly. They would not eat because there was to much too see, but then got crabby because they were hungry. Ahhh! Life with little ones!This picture seems to sum it up so well.....

From July 27, 2011

It was still a great day and we were so glad to get out, but life sure does change when you have babies! It makes simple things like a picnic lunch on the beach turn into a huge ordeal, but Im thankful for every moment because it's already going by so quickly. :) Parenting is a much greater task than hubby and I ever dreamed, but God knows our hearts and has blessed us so very much. I pray that we can continue to see the joy and savor the simple and precious days that are spent training our children's hearts; and not lose sight of our blessings in the pressures of daily living.

From July 27, 2011

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

Psalm 127:3-4

Gentle Cool Mornings....

This morning the air feels just a bit more crisp and the dew is that much cooler... Autumn is on the way! Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year, somehow everything about this season seems just a bit more poetic. I have had enough of our fleeting Midwestern summer and ready for the breathtaking beauty of the fall! I love the way thousands of little leaves turn orange, red, pink, brown and green and how they look against a the backdrop of a bright blue sky. I love pumpkins, chilly mornings, crunchy leaves, steamy lattes, bright red apples, corn mazes, and cozy sweaters. I think it's almost impossible for sunrises and sunsets not to be absolutely stunning this time of the year!

These are just a few photos from last year. Although taken at the end of Autumn, looking through them this morning I could not help but get excited about photographing the breathtaking beauty of God's hand this year. Aren't you happy we have such a creative God?

From August 3, 2011

From August 3, 2011

From August 3, 2011

From August 3, 2011

From August 3, 2011

Be still, and know I am God.

Psalm 46:10

A Meg Moment Has Received the Versatile Blogger Award!

Yeah!!! I just did my happy dance! I am very honored to receive my first blog award, "The Versatile Blogger" from two very talented and good blogger Friends Stephanie at Gum drop Pass (You can check out her amazing blog here) and Christine from over at why we love green (check out her blog here!)




The Rules after accepting the Versatile Blogger Award are:
*Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
*Share 7 things about yourself
*Pass this award along to 15 recently discovered blogs.

Hhmmm.... 7 Things About Me:

1.)I love the Lord with all my heart soul and strength. I take my calling to be a wife and mom as the biggest honor and toughest challenge, though I reap bigger rewards than I ever thought possible.

2.) Although we talked on the phone a lot, hubby proposed on only our second date and I said yes! We then got married 4 months later. I love that man!

3.)I was once arrested and had to take a drive in the back of a cop car because I had an over due library book. (They didn't handcuff me because I was several months pregnant and they had pity on me, if you can call that pity. lol )

4. Sometimes, when Im flipping through radio stations while driving, I'll pause to hear a catchy new song. Then after 2 seconds I realize it was a commercial :)

5.) I often get the urge to jump in the Jeep with hubby and drive as far as we can go and discover some little known treasure of a place.

6.) I love notebooks, journaling, and recording the everyday "mundane." To me, photography is just another form of journaling. Photos capture truth in a unique way that can't be matched.

7.) I like being social and making new friends, but often my shyness still gets the best of me, so I often wait for someone else to make the first move. Blogging is a way for me to be a little more bold! Visiting and commenting on someone else's blog is like going up to someone and saying, "You seem nice and I like you! Do you wanna be friends?" I love that! :)

Who's next for the reward?

Now, I love, love, LOVE blogs. I read blogs from many lovely woman who share things about their walk with God and how they are growing, blogs from other moms also going through the trials and tribulations of raising children and still more blogs that help me learn about fashion and recipes! Here are a few of my favorites that I am passing the award too:


*Gumdrop pass

* Daisy Girl

* Little Natural Cottage

* Bramblewood Wood Fashion Modesty Fashion Blog

* Life is too Short Not to Wear Red Shoes

* She Calls me "Momma Leisha"

* A cottage in the Woods

*The Imperfect Housewife

*Momma Go Round

* Of Such is the Kingdom
* The pleated Poppy

* The Continuing Adventures Of Eric and Noelle
* Jenny at Dapperhouse

* A Sorta Fairy Tale

* 3 Princes and a Princess 2


Once again, thank you Christine and Stephanie for awarding me, it means so much! :)

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Although I have been a Christian my whole life and have a general knowledge of the Bible, I have never read it cover to cover. I probably have read most books, some several times. I also know a fair amount of scripture verses and many Bible stories and have a pretty good general understanding of the timeline of the Bible. But I have wanted to learn more. Not just learn more about the Bible, but really understand who God is and what His will and plan for me is.

So last year, the day before my birthday (on September 25th) I decided I was going to read through my Bible, cover to cover, in a year. I started that morning in Genesis 1:1.

Since then, I have attempted to spend one hour every morning alone with God. Let me say, that some of the sweetest and best moments of my life have been spent in those one hour mornings. What started as a simple plan for one hour alone with God to read His word, has turned into a life giving and heart renewing experience!

Now, It hasn't' happened every morning. For those of you who know me know that my morning start very early, 4:00am. By the time hubby is at work and I go to sit quietly on the couch it is 5:00. The girls wake up about 6:30. That gives me a good solid hour in peace and quite to read and meditate. Now of course, some days I am so tired I fall asleep only to wake up when the girls do, or sometimes the girls get up at 5:00 and don't go back to bed... everyday life sometimes just happens and that's Ok! I know God hasn't taken me on this journey for me to be super strict with my schedule and be legalistic about times. Just the opposite! I believe He wants me tolearn how to go with the flow a little bit and realize that although every morning isn't perfect, I can always make a little time for Him. I like it to be an hour, but sometimes it's 5 minutes. Sometimes it's a single verse that I read in 30 seconds.

Anyway, I am only about a month and a half away from my one year and I am not quite even halfway through the Bible. I'm sure I could still finish in my one year time frame if I wanted, but I don't think I am going to. My goal has changed and now includes no time frame. I think I needed the incentive for me to make the commitment in the beginning, but now that it is part of my daily routine I want to read at a slow and steady pace and soak up everything I can!

I have kept a journal since I started. In there I will sometimes record my thoughts on different subjects, write out questions on things I don't yet understand and write out verses that touch my heart.

Sometime I spend as much time writing as I do reading! I usually pray in the beginning. I just ask that God would revel His word to me and teach me. I then will pray for my family and anything else on my heart. Sometimes 45 minutes of my hour is in prayer and I only read for about 15minutes. There are days where instead of the bible I will read from a devotional book instead. Sometimes after 45 minutes of reading I stop right there as I feel I have more than enough to meditate and ponder. Other times, after I pray, I will sit and listen to hymns almost the entire time. The words and the music will touch my heart in such a way that the tears will just stream down my face, in awe of God's great love for me. His love overwhelms me!

The reason I am sharing this is because if I would have just stuck to my original goal of reading enough of my Bible to finish in a year, I think I would have missed out on a lot. I have learned a lot just about being ready and willing to change your plans! It's more important to follow where the spirit leads you, instead of your own plans. Whether it be concerning morning reading time, or anything else in life. Our plans may not be what's best and I want to always make time to hear God's gentle and quite voice because I want to Go where He leads me. I believe that it's imperative to make a time for hearing God's voice. God knows us and He knows our hearts. He can speak to us in an hour, and He can speak to us in 5 minutes. But, He won't speak to us if we don't invite Him in to do so. Won't you make some time this morning to let Him speak to your heart? He is waiting.... I know because I found Him!

A Busy Day

So, remember yesterday when I said the girls and I were going to have an adventure? Well we did! I a matter of speaking. I guess everything is a matter of speaking though. So I guess I will say, or write rather, that we did have an adventure!

Ok, enough mumble jumble!

So, we didn't do anything very much totally out of the ordinary in relative terms. But, the girls added to their knowledge and I did slay my closet monster! So that's something. Let me share....


I took the girls into the "back yard" to play. That was very short lived! We were only out there for about 15 minutes. No matter what games I tried playing with them, they both insisted on running towards the road, in separate directions. Of course. That on the grass was very itchy, so that wasn't great.

So we ended coming inside to the nice cool air conditioning! Diana played with a cute fun fish puzzle. We went through the different names of the fish and put it together about 20 times. Ellie joined us after a bit and Diana tried teaching her, it was cute. :)

From August 2, 201

We then did some flash cards! In my excitement and the anticipation of starting to home school the little ones, I bought flash cards while at Target. Their real simple, just primary shapes in different colors. Diana and I went over them together and Ellie just played with them. It was pretty fun. It kept them amused for about an hour! So that was kinda awesome. :)

From August 2, 2011

The girls trailed along with me as I cleaned and organized. We cleaned the bathroom and and I reorganized the bathroom closet. I have been collecting huggies wipe containers to use as storage containers. That way I can buy a necessity like wipes and buy super cute storage containers at the same time!

From August 2, 2011

Then, I went through the daunting task of going through my makeup. Since I don't use makeup very much anymore, I don't tend to go through it very often. It's just all thrown into the same messy container, so sad!

From August 2, 2011

While visiting Sarah the other day, she passed along an adorable storage container that her mom gave her. Isn't it pretty? It has a nice magnetic clasp on the inside, it's pink and I love it! At first I was going to give it to the girls for some toys, but it's so cute I just can't bare to see it potentially destroyed. Plus, I needed an excuse to organize my makeup!

From August 2, 2011

Oh yes, so much better!

From August 2, 2011

From August 2, 2011

Now... I must warn you. The images below are graphic in nature and all those with sensitive eyes and clean closets should stop right here....

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Final warning! Grab your brooms and busy yourselves elsewhere!!!

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The Men are now separated from the boys................

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AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Must be the work of some closet Monster Dragon, surly no human could have created such a mess?!?! Right... no??? .....

From August 2, 2011

And of course, as I attempt to clean and organize the mess it somehow seems to only get worse....

From August 3, 2011

Talk about shameless photo uploads! You can see now why I was putting this HUGE project off. And really, it's not nearly as bad as it looks! The sleeping bag just needs rolled up and..... I don't even know. It was bad!I'll admit it... :P

I honestly didn't know if I was going to be able to upload these pictures after seeing on the computer just how bad it looks. But, I figure it may be inspirational. Inspirational maybe only in the fact that no area of your house could be half that bad. But Inspirational anyway.

But, guess what? I cleaned it! Yup, every single thing! I was in a zone, on a rampage, I honestly don't know how it got done. I was throwing things away left and right and folding like a crazy person. Even the girls just seemed to stare in awe and wonder. (When they weren't busy playing king of the mountain on the clothes piles....that is.....)

But after 3 hours, 2 FULL garbage bags, 3 loads of laundry and countless hangers I finished! It felt so amazing to get that clean. It about knocked hubby's socks off when he saw it. :)

From August 2, 2011

So, our day went by very quickly. We had a lot of fun and got a lot done. It almost makes me wish I was this productive ever day! Almost..... ;)

Wordless Wednesday & Thoughts to Ponder and Inspire!

I find these images/quotes both inspiring and energizing! God created a great big adventurous world out there just full of things for us to explore and do! So, off we go today! Have fun out there everyone :)

(photo credit)

(photo credit)

Just Another Tuesday

So, this morning hubby and I woke up late and had a liesurly breakfast in the garden before he went off to work.

(photo credit here)

Then I preceded to do some laundry... in the middle of a field...in an evening gown. I so do love to do laundry in an evening gown!

(photo credit:here)

I then completely organized my kitchen

(Photo credit here)

And went through and cleaned out my fridge. hhmmm... what healthy and nummy dinner shall I make tonight????

(pinterest, could not find original destination)

NOT! Obviously... this isn't the truth. I really didn't do laundry in an evening gown. Well, none of it's true actually. :) I will say this, today has been probably one of the least un motivated days of my life...my life. It's not even that Im tired...I just have no get up and go. I don't want to clean, I don't feel like organizing, dishes seem just like a drag, doing yet another load of laundry seems so pointless. I don't even feel like doing anything that would be considered "relaxing" I don't want to watch tv, be on the computer... anything! I just don't know what to do!

From August 2, 2011

I have of course, taken care of played some games with the babies. But even they seem kind of out of it. We did have a really busy weekend and we were gone most of the day yesterday. I guess it's just one of those days where you need to wind down and reboot!

But Im curious, when the rest of you feel like a slug on a hot day (gross!) what do you do to get motivated? Cause Im am just out of ways of trying to trick myself into getting motivated!

I did consider doing those posts about our trip to Kentucky that I keep talking about... but organizing and going through the almost 1000 photos I took seem just like to much of a feat right now. Plus, I did post an album on facebook of Kentucky anyway. I know most of us are probably already friends on there, and if not... don't be shy.... Im a good friend! You can send me a request here and we can read each other's blogs through there too!

Well, have a good get up and go kind of day all!