Riding Shotgun

"Riding shotgun refers to the practice of sitting alongside the driver of a moving vehicle."

Life has been moving full speed ahead lately.
Here' s a whole lot of what's been riding in the "passenger seat" lately~
 

Dinner with the family who generously invited me to live with them when I was 18, and who I've not seen for almost 20 years- the Springstons! 

Bill, Nancy, daughter Julie, and granddaughter Ellie, who all reside out of state, were in my corner of the world for an evening. Stealing a bit of time with my beloved Springston's was a treat!  Pop over and say "Hi" to Julie at her new craft blog. 

Fancy Valentine's dinner

 Shout out to Alan and Kyra Lohuis, who went all out to gift a community with a lovely Valentine's Dinner- complete with hors d' oeuvres,  gifts, an incredible catered meal, and topped off with encouraging words on marraige from pastor, Pj Lewis with wife Sheiri. 

Alan and Kyra cause me to think of Matthew 5:16 from The Message,"Keep open house; be generous with  your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

 8th grade girl slumber party

 Junk food, Just Dance, "I Never,"  sharpie-marker- hair- coloring, and a projected-on-the-wall-movie was just a bit of what induced giggling among this fantastic bunch of girls. 

And I must exclaim that  "Emilie is the best big sister EVER!" She was happy to have the little sister hang out with her gal pals. 

 

(I was informed  that coloring hair with sharpie markers is "no big deal," and that "the color only lasts 3-4 days."  Thinking I might try it to cover my grays "crown of splendor.")

Three rounds and counting of Zycam, cough syrup, cough drops, vapor rub, humidifiers, and tissue.

We'd all like to kick this bug out of the "passenger seat," and to the curb! 

Putting finishing good-enough-for-now touches 
on our new family room

As you can see we've been busy getting walls up, primed and painted. The ceiling now has canned lights and a new ceiling fan.  The concrete  floors are painted with Home Depot's  Wet Cement floor paint.   The color on the walls- which we LOVE- is BEHR'S Agave.  We have lots of things planned: wood floors, baseboards, window treatments, cheery pillows, art for the walls, covering the wall (bottom right) from floor to ceiling with framed photos.  BUT mostly what we have planned is to ENJOY this cozy FAMILY room together.

A birthday celebration for Josie

 our game lover wanted a gamingpalooza day, and was beyond thrilled to have the hours of her special day filled playing Farkle, Clue, Scatergories, and Apples to Apples.

Josie requested to make her own birthday dessert, Nerd cupcakes. She baked, I cleaned- the perfect arrangement. 

Her final request was to watch home videos from the projector.  Life sized memories of the day she was born, while snuggling my 11 yr old was hands-down the BEST way to cherish the journey of being her mommy. 

And finally, watching Downton Abbey, season 3.  

Last night's season finale... sad.

If you watched it, and are in need of a Downton Abbey pick-me-up, the following video will do just that. 

 

  What's riding shotgun in your life these days?

   

Live in Peace!

 

Because You're Awesome

Happy 11th Birthday to you, Josie Jo!

You are the coolest kid.  I am in no way worried about offending your older brother and sister by saying this. They're in 100% agreement. We all think you are extraordinary!

 You change the temperature of this home with your contagious Joy!  11 years ago you arrived illuminating Joy. It's been a Joy ride with you ever since! 

 My heart skips a beat when you sing!  I'm so glad that you are finding your voice... your beautiful voice.  You encourage me to keep finding mine (at this moment you are singing Journey's, "Don't Stop Believing"). 

Hands down my favorite thing about you is how you adore your big sister. You two are so good to each other.  I'd bet I'm more blessed by your sweet relationship with each other than you two are (let's start scheming a plan together to deter Emilie from going to high school next fall).  

 We are spoiled by the way you take charge in the kitchen.  That's you're space, and you are thrilled to treat us all with baked goods, or to serve us with sous chefing.  Please don't ever move out. 

You are thoughtful.  I delight in the sweet nuggets you share that the Spirit is stirring in you. This mommy, who wants more than anything for you to Love the LORD your God, is blessed to hear of the Truth you know and love.

 My heart for you has become your heart for me.  You are intentional about making sure I  know I am loved and beautiful just as I am. Your kisses and constant reminders nudge me to rest in Love. 

Please don't ever stop wearing tutu's and mismatched socks- promise to never start taking yourself too seriously.  We need your silly and easy goingness.

 Your hand in mine is the yummiest... melts me like butter.

Hello, Miss Competitive!  You are fierce when playing games.  I like seeing this sassy I'm-gonna-take-everyone-down competitiveness in you.

Until this last year your daddy was the witty one in the family.  Lately, your sense of humor trumps his, and has us both busting up!  

I admire your confidence. When we ask why you do or think this or that you declare, "Because I'm awesome."  You believe it, delight in who you are, and you ♥ being fabulous.  Girlfriend, don't ever lose your awesome!  EVER.  You glorify God in this way, causing others (especially Emilie and I) to embrace that God made them extraordinary, too, and that we honor Him by delighting in what He has fearfully and wonderfully made in us.

I am 11 yrs grateful that God lets me be your mommy.  
I love you... and yes, "you are my favorite" (unless Noah or Emilie is reading this, in which case they are my favorite...but not really (wink).  

With "skubajuauian" love (infinity x infinity), 
Mommy

(photos taken recently, when Josie dressed up for a friend's Red Carpet birthday party) 

Pinned & Tackled

Joining blog friend, Jessica, with some Pinterest "bake it" and "make its," recently attempted in the Jones casa. 

First up- these cinnamon & sugar baked donuts.

These were made by our two resident bakers, Emilie and Josie, and were dainty, darling, and delish! 

I'm glad my girls love to bake... my scale on the other hand is NOT SO GLAD the girls are bakers.

Next up- two accent pillows. An owl, and birds on a wire pillows
The girls were glad to have Nana help them whip these cuties up. 
Nana is more patient than mommy in the area of sewing. She also just happens to have embroidery thread in her car (must be a Nana requirement- carrying embroidery thread).  And when the thread isn't the color needed for the project she quickly suggests using a marker to change it to the desired color. genius.

Last up is something this non-lover-of-baking-or-sewing actually enjoys doing- painting!

When I saw this painted entry door I knew my own needed to go from this

to this!

Huge difference, right?!!

There is still A LOT that I'd like to do in this space (and in our home of one year).  

In the meantime painting the door bright red was a quick improvement (and a free one,  because I already had the paint on hand from this project).

(Check out this post to get a better look at the creative Nana-made-chandelier).

And because I'm linking up with Jessica, I'll give you a closer look at what's displayed on my made-by-Michael (with free) reclaimed wood shelf there on the right.

 Jessica's Hope for Sudan print (chevron print on matte painted by me- the paint addict). 

So that's a snippet of what we've attempted this last month from our pin boards. 

 (my girls have their own designated boards on my Pinterest. Follow me here.)

What have you pinned and tackled recently?

Live in Peace!

Friendship Pins

When I was 9 friendship pins were all the rage on the school play yard.  

 4th grade girls would gather during recess near the tether-ball line or the monkey bars to share their prized safety pins, adorned in multicolored beads, with their besties. 

Whoever thought up friendship pins was a genius. And here's why- because they cost just a few cents each to make, and took zero creativity.  It was also fun to see them jangling on my Kangaroo tennies, while playing Chinese jump-rope with Joanna and Shawna.

 When I told Josie about friendship pins she quickly decided to make some to share with her own besties (thankfully, in home schooling circles safety-pins dressed with beads aren't believed to be dangerous). She put her own twist on hers and created pins with silly little words to share with her peeps.  

I'm thinking it would be super cute to line the letters up from left to right across the pins to whip up a fun message for a pal to place on her laces. 

 If I was 9 again (or 11 days shy of 11, which is what Josie informed me today she is) I'd race to be pals with this cool gal, cause she is loads of friendshippy joy to be with.

 

Did you make and trade friendship pins?

 What was "all the rage" when you were 9? 

Live in Peace!

Hide n' Seek

When I was 8 I wrote in my Holly Hobby diary that I was going to "read my bible everyday."  I had received a bible clothed in a snazzy denim bible cover that Christmas from my first step-dad.  Somehow I knew it was a treasure that would lead me to Something bigger than myself.  But roller-skates, Barbies, and watching The Flintstones trumped flipping through the pages of that sacred book, and it would be 30 years before I actually followed through on the desires penciled into Holly Hobby's pages.

It isn't that I haven't read my bible. I have, just never all the way through,  and not consistently. I meant to, everyday I meant to... but most days I just didn't.  Eventually, I was ashamed that I had neglected drawing near to God through His word, so like Adam and Eve, I hid.  My Bible, which was always handy, and giving the impression it was being faithfully consumed, would call out to me like God called out to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" The Author knew I was hiding; avoiding my shame behind a few more minutes of sleep, dishes, laundry, home-schooling, church activity, blogging, t.v., and anything else that could prevent me from "having the time."

And I don't know how, but a little over a year ago I got sick of playing Hide n' Seek with my bible, and wanted to be found reading it.  

I was determined to not only read my bible daily, but to also read through it in 1 year. Because I function best with structure and accountability, The Daily Message, by Eugene Peterson was the perfect fit  (it's available for $3.00 here, and available for download  here). 

It took me 1 yr and 17 days, but I did it!  Because "old habits die hard,"  the 17 additional days were needed to polish off the 2.5 of the 66 books that I had put off reading. Also, you should know that there was a number of times I'd have to cram in days of reading I'd neglected (just keep'n it real folks).

These words from C.S. Lewis sum up why it's important for believers to read the word of God.    

As I read, God magnified Himself to me in ways that I would have missed had I not sought Him in his word. Instead of remaining as C.S. Lewis said, " a man glimpsing the Atlantic," I joined the masses of those (Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Esther, Jeremiah, Matthew, Peter, Paul, John... to name a few), who have gone before me and experienced and charted the "Atlantic" first hand. 
    
As a result, I've come to a greater understanding of God as Sovereign Lord. I've experienced that He is  "more than I can fathom, more than I can guess, and more than I can see with human sight." (Sara Groves)

Live in Peace!

Avoid Hiking Alone

 This weekend we took a break from the spin-cycle of life, 
which requires us to

do do do, go go go, be be be, 

and took a hike on the Lewis Creek Trail.

  Josie, our resident noise maker, reduced our chances of surprising a mountain lion.   

The trek was a bit icy, but the sights were beautiful. 

We "avoided hiking alone" and called on Papa Dan, Mama Holly, and "Brodie Law Dog" to join us.   
We love them!
They're our family, and are always available to trek with us through 
all of life's ups and downs. 
(Do you have folks like that in your life?) 

The fragrant pines smell delicious, and take me back to 1993, when I was first dating this guy, when we both worked at Emerald Cove Camp (sometimes I miss 1993).

The sound of Lewis Creek racing beside our trail was serene.

Discovering a colony of ladybugs soaking up the sun was a highlight (especially for Josie). 

We'd like to thank Charles & Diana for capturing this Kodak family moment. 

After our hike, we headed over to Mama Holly & Papa Dan's, 

 where we played a comical round of Cranium, 

then  feasted on a casual meal of 

homemade potpie, salad, beets (Yick! Emilie wanted to try them), and brownies. 

Years ago, Cranium's humdinger revealed that I am the worst hummer EVER!
  It's fingernails scraping a chalkboard BAD.

I am however an exceptional artist when drawing with my eyes closed. 

Who knew.

That's underware Noah sculpted from playdough. 

Noah's teammate Micahel didn't get it.  

     Mama Holly helping a reluctant Noah act out Justin Timberlake. 
Michael didn't get that either. 

So that's a snippet from our  weekend. 

How did you take a breather from spin-cycle  

on this 3 day weekend? 

  Live in Peace!