Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Time keeps on tickin....into the future.....

I feel like I have blogged this before..........where has the time gone? (LOL! Yes, I know I have!) I feel so out of control of time! We always get to the end of the summer and it feels like we just got out of school! This year seems a bit quicker, tho. Maybe it's because I enjoyed it more. Maybe it's because I'm older and everything seems to fly by quicker. Maybe it's because I have a Junior in High School this year and I want to hold on a little longer.......

I am just so weepy today! I always feel better when I blog. So, I get on here and the last blog entry was in January!!!!!!!?????? (sorry, Grandma!) I just had a sinking in the pit of my stomach. 8 months have passed by........so quickly! I barely blinked and they were gone! We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, milestones and memories. We have said goodbye to loved ones and hello to new friends. We have prayed and seen prayers answered. We have prayed and been promised God's grace. We have laughed so much that we want to cry.....and cried some, too. We finished yet another school year and are getting ready to welcome another.

So, as this school year begins.......Emma is a Junior, Hanna will be in Jr High for the last time as a big 8th grader, Lily will finish her milestone in elementary school as a 4th grader and Seth will no longer be the little man on campus as a 1st grader (which he is torn between sadness and gladness here!) We will have fun. We will laugh. We will cry. We will pray. We will grow. We will love madly. We will hope deeply. And time will march on.......

Here are some of the words to a song that I heard this morning. It touches my heart so sweetly and brings me to tears everytime! This is dedicated to my sweet ones....my peeps....my littles....my family!

and, the link: http://youtu.be/Vyjq5SCbjQk

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go.
And if your faced with the choice and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin till you find the window.
And if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.
But more than anything,
My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to. Your dreams stay big and your worries stay small, you never need to carry more than you can hold. And while you're out there gettin where you're gettin to, I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things, too!
Yeah, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forgot on the one's who love you and the place you left.
I hope you always forgive and you never regret, and you help somebody every chance you get.
Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake and always give more than you take!

Yeah, this is my wish!

~Rascal Flatts


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Project 365


So, as soon as it started....I fell behind! Life happened! I knew it would! However, I did manage to get caught up. So, here it is. (I will try to post less than 20 pictures next time! :) My first 20 days of the new year and my project 365.....a picture a day of simple pleasures that bless my life!


My New Year motto:

My sweet Hanna....and the way i see her many times during the day....
....ahhhh, happiness in my mug!
A blessing.....with a fever! Why are sick babies so stinkin' sweet?
....and his favorite thing to do.
A sight that makes you proud! We did good!
Seth, "helping" me cook his "cloud eggs", his favorite breakfast.
My morning, starting out right!
I LOVE these shoes! They make me happy! :)
and one of my favorite things!
Sweet Lily, and her cheering friends
SCRAPBOOKING!
God's handiwork at it's finest.....winter sunsets!
Seth's 1st lost tooth. I love this look.....and it's the last time I will see it in one of my children.
Sweet Hanna Grace.....my cheerleader! She blesses me!
When I see this, right inside the door, after school.....my first reaction is "grrrrr"! Then, I realize how blessed I am to be the mommy to this little boy of mine!
My kitty....Clara. She loves me!
Seth and his popcorn. Enough said!
My new MacBook. Ahhhhhhh..........
Lily Hope.....you make my heart smile! And, your new braces make you look too grown up!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A New Year!

I love new things! New shoes, new clothes, new pens and paper, new camera things, new finds, new thoughts, a new box of crayons, new babies (no, I'm not!), new friends, new days.......it really goes on and on. But, I love the old, comfortable things, too. Old shoes, old sweats, old jewelry, old favorite movies, old things, old friends....and that list goes on, too. In the last few months, life has happened, sometimes it is happy and sometimes it is cruel...... and time keeps flying by! It doesn't stop for nothing! It's always CrAzY!..... yet, never the same.

....BUT, the one thing that has stayed the same, is the faithfulness of my Jesus, encouraging me to "keep going" and reminding me "it only gets better"! Blessings are present in my "everyday"....I just have to have the eyes to see them! My motto for the coming year is "Scatter Joy"! Somedays I just don't feel like it! Somedays I do. With God, all things are possible! So, ok! I can do it!

I have decided to do a project called "Simple Joys 365". In this, I will photograph something that brings me joy each and every day. I am a little late, because life has happened...... but I will catch up! I will try to document my photo for each day......and I encourage you to join in. You can jot down a note of your "simple joy" or blessing from each day, if you aren't picture crazy like me! :) I challenge you! Just as life challenges you.......but, this will bring you JOY! Guaranteed!
one of my joys!


Ready.....Set......GO!

Monday, November 29, 2010

THANKFUL!


This is the most wonderful time of the year! I love Thanksgiving. I love giving thanks! I am always amazed at how great our God is and how lavish His love is.....and how abundant our blessings are. This is the time of year where we pause and remember to give thanks.....not that we forget to give thanks on a daily basis.....but, to really stop and ponder all that He has done for us. It brings tears to my eyes even now as I think about it.

Our family got to travel to Kansas for Thanksgiving this year. We haven't gone back for Thanksgiving in many years. It is always a busy time of year for us, preparing for The Nutcracker and Sean's busy schedule. With so many relatives lost this year and with several struck with illness now, we knew we had to go back home and visit some of the very "blessings" we are thankful for.




Seth and Gramps.....in his chair has always been one of Seth's favorite places to be. He even took an extra blue silky this time so that Gramps could have one of his very own to snuggle with while we were there visiting. Sweet!



Grandma Betty showing Hanna how to set the table. It was so sweet and got me a little choked up to see this.....seperated by 3 generations, but still an important thing to pass down. She taught me how to set the table many, many years ago.

....a cheerful learner.


This is one of my favorite trees at my grandparent's house. (My other favorite is pictured at the beginning of the blog and with Seth later) It is always so pretty...no matter what time of year we visit. It is especially beautiful in the fall.



Grandma, cutting the pies.
Oh, my, how I adore her pumpkin pie. (The pecan wasn't bad, either.) She has not only taught me how to cook (to that, my hubby is grateful), make a bed properly, sewing and even some painting......she has also taught me how to take care of my own and love them deeply.






Two of my favorite blessings.....Emma and Hanna. I love how my extended family sees their bond when we visit. They truly have a special sister bond that has become more like best friends. I love that, too.






Sweet Lily and Sean.....a couple more of my favorite blessings.





....and my sweet Sethy (under the fabulous crabtree!) Another little person that blesses my socks off!






HOOORAY for the pumpkin pie!
(that's exactly how I felt!)






Sean, Hanna and Uncle Johnny....ready to eat.






Uncle Mark, carving the turkey and cutting the ham.






Me, my daddy and my grandma! I am blessed!






Gramps and Grandma Betty

Gramps was diagnosed with cancer this year. He has always been the rock of our family. Now Grandma takes care of everything. Seeing him down is hard. But, he still has that ornery look in his eye and I love when he tells me he loves me.
Blessing!





The Lyons bell and star.....the beacon in the wintry night sky, that tells me, "I am home!"





Mom and her Grands! So blessed!

I love this woman.....and what a blessing she is to me. My mommy, my confidant, my children's Grammy and my friend. (She has also installed in me some great lessons....cooking, again, being one of them!)
Did I mention, I am blessed?!






Me and Granny
The miles have seperated us more than we would like.....but, as soon as she hugs me, I know I am home. She has planted some great things in me over the years. She has taught me to love and care for others....and have faith in my Jesus. She is not only a prayer warrior..... She is a prayer Queen!








We also got to travel to Emporia to be with some of Sean's family at Uncle Mike and Aunt Joyce's house. Aunt Julie and Uncle Doug were there, too. It is always so great to get together with them. Lots of good times. Just never enough time!
Sean's dad, Bill, and the girls.





Sean and his Uncle Mike





Maddie, Jared and Melissa's little sweetie, and Seth tore up the piano....and honestly, I think they tore up everything they were around that day. Thank you, guys, for putting up with us! Maddie and Seth made an instant connection! For not having been around each other for a long time, it was really sweet, and proves that family ties are just instilled! I love that!



Melissa and I. What sweet time we enjoyed together!





Joyce, Michaela and Caesie. Sweet blessings!






This is just a sweet picture I took on the way back to my Texas home from my Kansas home. It gave me a warm feeling inside.....just a sense of security. It made me think about how those big towering things were never there before, back when Emma was a little baby, and we would travel home for the holidays. We never used to see anything but an occasional windmill or some cows in the field against beautiful Kansas sunsets. The road is still long. Home is still home. Family bonds are still as strong as ever. Some have passed away.....some are still in the same place....some of us have grown up and changed with life.....but all of them still bless me for who they are and have become. Now, more than ever, it occurs to me that "the more things change.....the more they stay the same". And, for that...

I am thankful!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sweet 16 and An Enchanted Evening.....

Another "how can it be" moment! ( I seem to be having many of those lately!) I chalk it up to my children's older ages....not mine! :)
My Emma Kate is 16!!! I can't believe the day has finally come! She is a vision of beauty and of grace. We love to watch her dance and sing and do the things she loves the most. She has given us so much to be thankful for....but, I am thankful most of all for the way she has taught me mercy and a love that looks so much like the Father!

Emma's "new" car! We have been trying out all options, and, it looks like she is getting the one she wanted! This was the best car to "fit" her. She wanted to be high up off the ground and she had to see over the steering wheel. With her trips back and forth to Amarillo, Momma will feel better now that she has something "meaty" to travel in! (And, she looks stinkin' cute in it!)


Sweet 16 wishes!


And, on her 16th Birthday, how fitting that Lone Star Ballet would throw their annual Nutcracker Ball. We say....in her honor...but, the whole family, and many of her good friends, got to enjoy this enchanted evening together!
This is my favorite picture from the night.....Seth is in Heaven!!!




Our beautiful family...




Emma and her friends in her new car! (this won't be the last time I see this view!)





My sweet peeps!




Emma and Seth and their matching Converse! COOL!!






And, the final fun surprise of the evening.....their very own LIMO! The look on Emma's face when he pulled into our driveway was PRICELESS!

And, here is "Joe Cool" again.....what a ladies man!


...arriving at the Ball....they were princesses, for sure!




...and, this Cinderella better not loose her glass slipper at midnight!
The Belles of the Ball......Morgan, Marissa, Madison, Emma and Kyleigh




Emma. Erin and Loren.....dancing friends.



my sweet birthday girl




Lily's excitement for Santa could not be contained! She is such a silly girl!



Hanna and her daddy





Sweeeeet Sisters!



me and my little guy smiley




....and the band sang "Happy Birthday, dear Emma!" What a fun moment in the spotlight for her! She is very comfortable there.....and she still loves her momma!








Seth, doing the "Bunny Hop"! Oh, that boy had the time of his life!



oh....we all did!