The view from where I'm sitting

I lay on my comfy couch, my head upon the cute handmade pillow, The Rend Collective playing softly in the background, my body beside my adorable 8 month son. I look out the spotless window seeing emerald trees swaying ever so slightly from the God given breeze taking a little of the heat away. I stare at the hazy blue sky filled with crisp white cotton candy puffs. My husband is at the store getting me jelly jars to fill with blueberry fig jam. My oldest three children are sitting under a tree 3 miles away with their Granny Great, listening to stories from her childhood mesmerized I'm sure. She tells great stories. My husband is blessed with the same gift of storytelling. 

I just unloaded a van half full of beautiful food to consume. I get teary eyed thinking about the bountiful blessings He gives weekly. He provides. Faithfully. I am grateful. 

I talk with my Mom and sister hundreds of miles away. My daughter types "I love you so so so so so so so so so so much" to her cousin thousands of miles across the Pacific. 

We tickle and snuggle with our children. We read books brought home from the library. We create art. We go on family bike rides. We jump on our trampoline. We make different food everyday, multiple times in a day.  And I take pictures using a $1000.00 camera of it all. 

I am blessed with all of this. And more than what all this means to me, I am at peace with the God that has created it all and given it all and so much more. I know His voice. He knows my heart more than I do and hears my cries and joys and happy songs I sing when only my kids are around. 

I am blessed. Today I remember it. Today I think upon it all. Today I pray for the grace to remember it all tomorrow when it doesn't look so pretty. 

Keeping a good perspective for God calls us to be thankful always because it is fitting for His people. 

Creative spark?

I came across a blog the other day and I just adored the photos that she shared. I wish I could take pictures like that. I have so much to learn. I am a slow one. I don't usually jump right in. I'm an observer and it takes me awhile to connect the dots and connect myself with an idea or activity or group or what have you. 

I love to take pictures. I lack creativity and time to develop that creativity. Also I lack the quiet to be able to focus. But every once in awhile I have that moment. Every once in awhile I ask Micheal to pull over so I can snap a picture. Or I randomly take a picture of my bathroom windowsill!

And every once in awhile Micheal brings me fresh flowers, and that is an entirely different kind of spark. ;) 

Finding beauty. It's everywhere. Challenging myself to be joyful always. 

It's all happening

I upload more photos of what I think will be the last few weeks and realize it has been only 4 days. 

I can relate to the quote:

"The days are slow but the years fly by."

Liam doesn't sleep well. Maybe that is why I am all confused. Maybe because it is Summer and we just don't measure time in the summer! Maybe because we homeschool and therefore school just happens all year and we take natural breaks and maybe it is just because life is busy and little  and big 

moments happen all the time and they get all mixed together with some forgotten and some forever remembered and we call that life. 

I wake up to more sunshine and little faces and an idea of what to eat for breakfast and we are off to another day. A day that only God knows what it will hold and we get the surprise of it all! Surprises! I sure do love surprises! 

Speaking of surprises .......

This happy soul that still seems so little to me is bigger than I realize. 

We had Bible time outside the other morning and I was asking him questions and he was answering them all. I didn't know he knew so much, but apparently kids listen!! I asked him if he knew he was a sinner and he said yes. I asked if he wanted to ask Jesus to be his Savior. He answered no, not right now, shyly. 

But then by the end of the conversation, he snuggled up close to me and quietly asked how to ask Jesus to forgive him. Surprise! I didn't see that coming as we started our day and then BAM! I'm praying with my third born and angels are partying in heaven! 

I am:

feeling blessed

praising my God who is ever mindful of his children

singing hallelujah, our God reigns

trying so badly to take in every little moment with these beautiful people Christ has given me.