green machine

today 
we're eating this

 and this

they're wearing this

 

if  i can get her out of this

and i'm laughing because of this
 (which has nothing to do with St. Pat's Day, but is hilarious!)

 

(old friend, jesse rice and wife katie. yes, "the run little turkey" folks) 

 
hApPy St. PaTrIcK's DaY!!

3/15/74

I wonder if the Spirit whispered in my almost 4 month old curly ear, 

"He's here!" 

on 3/15/74.

 Love, 

I believe He did. 

I am certain that at 

5:15 p.m. 

on March 15th, 1974 

this baby girl 

squealed with delight

as 

"it's a boy!" 

was announced in a hospital room 50 miles away. 

For

my most-treasured friend, 

the one I would most intimately share my 

life,

love,

home,

and Savior with,

was here. 

 So today

Michael Alexander Jones,

I celebrate you,

and the Author of life 

Who so generously 

 wrote you

for me.

3/15/74

was a very happy day indeed!  

  

Happy Birthday!!

Ten on the 10th

  Ten on Ten: Take a photo every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month. Document a day of your life and find beauty among the ordinary moments.

Michael leading us. 

Josie in a cape, playing with "Elise Denise."

"Can we do our math in the living room sunlight?"

Laundry.  It's never ending.

Science~ Health: carbohydrates, minerals, fats, proteins.

Work.

Lunch-

left-overs {from yesterday's lunch date with Michael while the kids all had school}

enjoyed in the sunshine watching the girls play.

A 2 mile walk around the lake

Time to get Noah, yeah!

Emptying the dishwasher.

Josie dropped her stack of cups immediately after this photo was taken.

Participating in Ten on Ten,
was just the kick in the pants this computer potato
needed to get off my lazy keister!
Documenting every hour for 10 hours
definitely motivated me to be diligent with my time.

  


 

For Lent

Goodbye Laziness, 

I'm ending our relationship.
Breaking up with you is long overdue.

You've been lounging around here in my flesh for far too long. 

Wasting time. 

Self-indulging.  

Demeaning me. 

Robbing me of life with your excessive idleness. 

We're over.

Done. 

Finished. 

Hello Diligence, 
You lead. 
I will follow.

 Follow You to the cross

Everyday

To put laziness to death

For the next 40 days of Lent.

Dieing to self-love.

To be 

Resurrected 

With Christ,

Faithful.

 

  Images above taken at the Feast of Tents 2009. 

  What in you needs to be put to death on the Cross

this Easter? 

What would you like to see be resurrected in you?

Soul Breathing

Abiding

As stirring and stillness

Together and solitude

Words and silence

Take up residence beside each other in my soul. 

Learning to navigate this new

Where opposites attract.

 

Minus fear.

Sans wrestling to be worthy. 

Resting.  

In wonder. 

 

Hope.

 

Soul breathing.

In, out, in, out, in, out. 

    

 Soul breathing. 

Filling up my Spirit-lungs with peace. 

Contentment.

Waiting. 

For His kingdom to come.

In me. 

For Glory to be revealed. 

To glorify.

To have a voice. 

Once more.

 Anew.

His voice. 

A song. 

A narrative.

An intimate union of letters on a page.

A calling from the mountains. 

A  testimony.

Poured out. 


(Photos taken today at Bass Lake)

Being the "Cool Mommy" Joy.

i'm joining blog friend kristen with another week {or two} of joys (btw- kristen is hosting a give-away at her blog}.

i'm the mom that wants her kids to think she's cool {"cool" for me equals off the wall, silly, spontaneous, and playful.  note webster's definition of "cool" is entirely different than mine}.

however like all mommies i get caught up in laundry, school work, bills, "training them in the way they should go," disciplining, and the daily droll of life,  thus the playful/joyful  side of me becomes non-existent.

when i am out of sorts with that playful side of me i feel that i am in a "cool mommy" deficit. 

i loose what brings me joy...

me bringing my family joy. 

i want to be a source of their joy {not The source, but a source}.    

so  i kicked my "cool" up a notch. 

   breakfast date with my kids; french toast n' bacon, chocolate milk, playing skip-bo and uno, and being told "you're so cool mommy" 50 times {back in the saddle again}. 

breakfast date continued at the bowling alley.

30 more "you're so cool mommy" praises.

noah is 12 {hence the smug look on his face.  the age 12 is the top reason i am in the "you're a cool mommy" deficit}  finding joy with a jr. higher is becoming increasingly more difficult.   awe, but it is not impossible, i just have to be more intentional about finding it, spreading it, living in it! 

noah playing pinball with the "king of rock'n' roll."  a girl i knew in high school decorated her room in elvis paraphernalia.  in 1990.  weird, right?

that girl was me!   

 

 a much needed double date night with friends, eric & michelle. 

pf chang's, 3 rounds of lazer tag, and dessert at marie callendar's. 

my lazer tag name was "swpdalgjny" {sweep the leg johnny, watch this video if you don't get it}.

this date night was lonnnngggg over due (our last date was in october).

lazer tag is fun... note to self "wear depends."

i shared a kiss with michael,

and that yummmmmyyyy brownie sunday with michelle. 

michelle and i scored "your the coolest wife" praises from our husbands for planning an awesome date {i'm never in a "cool wife" deficit with michael because he is crazy about me}.

i do a little side job for someone from home. it's mindless busywork that can be done while homes schooling or watching gilmore girls {or "glamor girls" as josie refers to them}.

this side job is paying for michael and i to go to MAUI this summer to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary!!!  just anticipating joy brings joy.  i have enough saved so we can go. woot woot!  child care is arranged so we can go, yipeee!!  now i need to work on saving for meals, outings, and souvenirs (like a t-shirt that says my parent's went to maui and all i got was this shirt for my kids).

breakfast courtesy of the kitchen of lorelai and rory gilmore; rice krispies and mini marshmallows... they're magically delicious, and equal a dozen more "your so cool mommy" accolades!

finally, michael went snow-camping with my our good friend jeff this past weekend {crazy menfolk!}.  snow-camping would bring me absolutely no joy, however it brings my husband TONS of joy, and that makes me joyful. 

while they trekked through blizzards and slept in what might as well have been an igloo, jeff's car "ginger" was parked in my driveway.  

she is so nice to look at. 

to sit in.  

to smell.  

to pretend you are driving.

i'm in love. 

i neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed one. 

this car makes me feel giddy, and reminds me of a past joy.