Wordless Wednesday- butterfly

Our Wedding -Blast From the Past

The day I married the best man I have ever met.



March 22, 2003

Click on the link at the top to see more "blast from the past" blogs and post your own!

Consider the Lilies of the Field

I enjoy taking close-ups of flowers that are frequently passed by; either because they are too small to notice, or, more often, because they are just 'weeds'. God made beauty everywhere, and it can be encouraging to notice the attention He has given to even the tiniest plant.

Cottonwood Tree Blossom

Bindweed a nasty, invasive weed with beautiful flowers. Wild morning glory.

Prickly Poppy

Sweet Clover

A yellow flower ;)

Prickly Pear Bloom one of the most beautiful wildflowers I have ever seen

Purple Thistle

Learning Happens Weekend 2

We got to see lots of examples of children learning without adult guidance this weekend, when we went through Colorado to my sister's wedding. As we introduced our children to family members they had never met before they got a good dose of 'socialization' :)

Baby Girl learning to play nice with others. Her cousin once removed. I think.

Bop playing 'Blokus'

We were able to spend some time exploring the canyons in my parent's backyard, and the kiddos learned a lot, including how to persevere when you are hot and tired. :)

One of the neatest experiences of the trip, was being able to hold a lizard tail!

A big lizard was trying to have a snack, and this one dropped it's tail and ran. How neat! It was still wiggling...

After we got home, CJ tried to catch a butterfly after playing in the sprinkler...see it above his head?

Woops it went the other way!!

Join in the fun!! Show us how your kids 'educate' themselves! Add your link here, and don't forget to put my button in your post!

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God...

As I look over my list for the day, I realize, once again, that I must have thought I was having a 48 hour day. When the first light is peeking over the horizon and the children are still all sleeping quietly, the day always seems to hold such promise. "Surely I can get the rest of the corn (10 rows) planted this morning before it gets hot. And I need to get the kitchen cleaned up and the dishes washed before I head out. If I spend just five minutes in each room picking up before the kids wake up, I will have a head start.... I think I need a list."

While I am sorting laundry, I suddenly realize I need to move the water in the garden. So out we all go. As I pass by my hoe, I decide to make another corn row. I have 8 more to go, so if I do a few at a time...

I feel a hand tugging at my side and look up. There she is, my baby, holding up her tiny hand saying one of her rare words, "-and! -and!" She is asking me to hold her hand. So I take it for a few minutes, and then see my hoe laying there... I need to finish that row.

Suddenly Bop runs up, "Mom! Mom! Baby Girl is going to get lost in that corn field!" I dash to the edge of the growing corn and see her little head peeking over the plants 50 rows away. "NOOOOO!!!" I yell, "You stay out of the field!! Bad girl!!"

After fetching the child and herding everyone back inside, I remember that I had better go pay that rent before they all leave the office for lunch.... oh, lunch. What are WE having for lunch today? I don't know, but I need to put away those dishes on the counter before I can make anything. At least my sink is shiny. :)

Whew, got those dishes put away, now I think I will check my e-mail to see if there is any news from the Review Crew. Oh, no I haven't wrote a blog for 5 days! I had better think of something to say...

...Why are there still clothes on the couch??? I thought I did that- oh, that's right I stopped to move the water... (which by now, needs moved again.) After sorting through about half a load of laundry, I remember the rent.... OK kids we HAVE to leave! Head for the truck!

Where are CJ's shoes? I see one tennis shoe... Oh there is a boot... "Why don't you ever have two shoes that match? If you take them off at the same time, and put them in the same place, you won't...." never mind, I have been saying that for three years now.

While herding all the kids to the truck I remember that I STILL don't know what we are having for lunch... quasadillas, that will work.

After I pay the rent and we are all safely back inside the house (Don't forget to lock the door, the little boy we babysit knows how to escape.) I start getting out dinner. "Cheese, tortillas, butter- look the computer screen is on! I was writing a blog post! Well, I had better finish that before it gets messed up by one of the kids."

...And here I am.... :)

This is not a real account of what happened here today. (No, nothing like this would ever happen to me...at least not all on the same day. )

This was actually inspired by a couple of articles I read while we were traveling home from my parent's house this weekend.

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:31 and 33

This verse has been running over and over in my mind as I seek to prioritize my days. No matter how unplanned we are, we all prioritize. If we do the laundry and neglect to rock our babies, we have unthinkingly chosen our priorities.

Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God... not just a small devotional in the morning, not a quick prayer before meals. SEEKING is something that happens all day long. And where does it go on our 'list'? FIRST.

This does not mean we spend all of our time reading scriptures, or that we neglect our children to pray. It means that God's kingdom is FIRST in our hearts and always on our minds.

What will happen if we do this? ALL THESE THINGS will be added unto you. What things? What are you striving for in your life? A clean house? Perfectly manicured children? Delicious dinners? This is a promise, if you will SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God, ALL these things will be added unto you.

God wants us to leave our cares and worries with him, and STRIVE no more, trusting that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Trusting that he can and will give you the desires of your heart, if only you will SEEK him first.

Learning Happens Weekend 1

Welcome to the first Learning Happens Weekend! To start us off I thought this picture perfectly illustrates how learning happens- whether you plan it or not!

To join in the fun, just add your post to the Linky below, and don't forget to put the button on your post!

Wordless Wednesday- sand

Hiking to Fall Creek, 2005

Fall Creek, Colorado

September, 2005

My father, sisters and brother, Baby Bop and me.

We hiked to Fall Creek when Bop was about 9 months old. I was pregnant with CJ and we were at about 11,000 feet elevation. Isaac had a collapsed lung from a ATV accident, (which was undiagnosed at this time) so he slept in the sun while we hiked. :)

We were following a compass and a map, there was no trail. We were hiking to a small mark on the map, that said "falls". We had no idea what it was like, just wanted to see what was there. My father is notorious (in our family at least) for studying maps and finding little lakes, streams or other features marked in obscure places. Then, of course, we want to go find them!

We hiked for about 3 miles along a beautiful valley, when we came to the edge of another valley. We then came to Fall creek, which we followed for about a quarter of a mile to the falls.... and we discovered we had hiked into them from the top and we were standing at the top of a 400 foot cliff.

We could not see the falls but there was a beautiful view of hundreds of miles of mountains, valleys, rock cliff faces and trees. W e are determined to go back someday, only this time from the right side so that we can see the waterfall this time!

This post is part of the Blast From the Past meme from Debbie's Digest. Click this link for more fun posts!

Bubble Prints

Have you ever made prints from something? What about BUBBLE prints? We had never heard of this before, but when I was looking through an art book and saw it, I decided we had to give it a try.

It was really simple to do, and they turned out great. It is a little messy, as you can imagine, but it was worth it!

First, gather your materials: (isn't that what all good instructions say? )

Paint
Small containers about half-full of water
Dishsoap
Straws
An old tray or pan
Heavy paper or cardstock

(It is really very simple)



Water

+ paint (don't be afraid of using too much, it takes a tablespoon or so in this much water)

+ soap



Use the straw to blow bubbles, and then pop them with the paper! If you get bubbles stuck to your paper, leave them untill they are gone, they make a darker print that way.

Have fun, be creative, use your imagination! I thought this would be great for a background page. Try drawing bright tropical fish or a rubber ducky on your bubbles after it has dried.


Bops purple and yellow bubbles:

CJs blue and yellow bubbles:

A giveaway!!!! WEDGITS

I LOVE the idea of these cool, bright, stackable blocks. I guess they are blocks.... though they are unlike any others I have seen!

Wedgits!! They are diamond shapes, stacking, nesting hollow-centered blocks that combine to make amazing creations! Such a simple idea, but they yield such dramatic and artistic results they look like they would be irresistible to adults and children alike.

Michele from the blog "My Blessings from Above" has had an opportunity to review these neat toys, and now is offering her set as a free giveaway! She has included lots of pictures of the neat creations her kids made. Go by her blog and leave a comment to get a chance at winning your own set of Wedgits!

Capturing Childhood

One of the challenges I have faced in my photography is capturing the unadulterated honesty of childhood. When the expectations of adults are out of the picture (pun intended. ) you will find surprisingly mature and thoughtful- yet innocent- people.

The first problem with seeing this side of our children is getting us out of the picture! Yes, it's a little hard to take a picture without being there. The best way to be there without being there, is to make full use of your zoom. You can sit on the porch, behind a tree, or even hang out an upstairs window, and your little subjects will probably not even notice that you're aiming at them. The more you practice, the more they will get used to seeing you with a camera in your hands.


We all know how children act when they think they are the subject of a picture. That behavior is fun for snapshots, but we are looking for something else. We are looking inside the child's life when they are alone or alone with other children they trust.


Another way to take sneak shots of the littlest subjects is by not holding your camera up to your face. You may shut your display off to save batteries, but now is when it really comes in handy. You can hold your camera down, away from your face, or even sit it in your lap, and people will have no idea you are clicking away.










One of my favorites- talking together :)

Every seed-bearing plant...will be yours for food.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis 1:29


When the dirt warms under the spring sun, and the robins start seriously singing, there is something inside of me that starts to wake up. As the rooster song joins in the bird's chorus, and they start greeting the dawn earlier each day, there is a small seed that starts to sprout in me.

It is planted much earlier, like a wildflower seed, fallen in October on cold, unwelcoming ground. There is nothing inside of me that wants to put my hands in the dirt then. But through the winter months the cold and snow gradually prepare the seed to welcome the spring rains by freezing the hard shell. Sometime in January the small seed starts to thaw and feels the beginnings of the urge. Catalogs full of mouthwatering pictures start arriving, and the blander fare of winter makes the delicious tomatoes and watermelons even more appealing.

In February the seed starts its first growth. Still inside the protection of the seedcase, it starts to swell. Tomato and pepper seeds go into tiny pots, and it is hard to imagine they will ever make it to giant plants bearing hundreds of red fruits.

By early Spring the tiny seed has cracked and the desire to reach out into the warm dirt causes me to start digging. The soil is still cold, but it is welcome ground for potatoes and tiny shriveled pea seeds. I am happiest outside now.

I have been working outside for several hours each day, and I have not showed any of you my progress. :) Our garden is about three times larger then it was last year, and I am determined to keep it growing and producing. It is over 1,550 square feet.

Now that it is starting to grow taller, I just had to brag a little. I am pretty pleased with it. ;)

Planting tomatoes in Jiffy Pellets.




Daddy on the tractor, disking the ground for me.




His audience. Yes, we really do have a weight bench in our yard.... don't ask. Please.




The first rows- peas are going in! CJ in PJs and cowboy boots. :)




Tomato plants, about two weeks old.




Potatoes and peas, around the end of May.




Tomatoes in their buckets, taken today. About 8 weeks from transplanting.




The garden today; one row of peas, four rows of potatoes, four rows of tomatoes. Beyond the edge of the picture there is one row of peas, a row of lettuce and other salad veggies, and two rows of cucurbits. (Winter and Summer squash, cucumbers, melons and watermelons. )