to live simply.

for the past 3 days we have camped.
in a camper.
in the woods.
by a lake.

surrounded by people
with a common-enough mission
to still be secluded enough to refocus.

we [mostly] unplugged.
we read the bible.
we laughed.
we swam.

i noticed the beauty of God's Creation.
i noticed the beauty of simplicity.
i noticed the laughter of my children.

their laughter pulls something inside of me to tears sometimes.
as does their nearly inerrant ability to create beauty and evoke such awe.
to love with abandon.
to BE where and when they are.
to be present with ardent fervor.

my 'trio spent their time
building nests out of gravel
and sticks
and pine needles.

they built these nests for sweet birdies who may have lost their home and were afraid or lonely.
they built them out of love.

they panned for precious gems
and learned how to build fires and
roast a marshmallow to perfection.

they are wise.
when do we lose that wisdom of childhood?

simple wisdom.
but great, and real wisdom.

i truthfully did not want to return home from this trip.
it was a short trip,
but it reminded me so much of what is truly important.

not that i had forgotten.

but that it is just so easy to remember when there is nothing but they sky,
the trees,
3 forest nymphs,
and Creator, God.


this is what i know:

kisses.

fruit-dalloped pancakes.

[and waffles]

a little imagination.

bare feet.

a handful of berries.

good friends/sisters and brothers to share them with.

and changing the world

one bird's nest

at a time

are what REALLY, truly, 

matters.

may we never stray from our present.  

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.  May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ^[b]—for this will bring much glory and praise to God."

Philippians 1:9-11 {NLT}

you may see a whale...

an incredible project:

youmayseeawhale

a friend of mine embarked on this community-inspiring journey a few weeks ago,
and this weekend my 'trio and i
were able to take part in it!

a whale of a 'tail' 

i love the pictures from this day--

my sweet A took them all.  our photojournalist in the making...

mixing the papier-mâché

[unanimously the favorite task]

(=

look at this guy-- 

all ready for a coat of primer!

SUCH a lovely day.

thank you,

karina,

for letting us be a part of this fantastic event!  

(=

star gazing.

(=

i've learned something today...

what i learned:

1.   i either blog like a crazy person, writing post after post after post--
or you don't hear from me for months on end.  (=

and 2.  that God is ultimately a Father.
our Father.
and that i have so much entrusted to me as a parent.


as i mentioned earlier this week, i have been a little pensive...thoughtful...distant?
to others it may come across as
scatterbrained
irritable
impatient
unorganized
and so on.

but i'll stick with contemplative.

anywho, today i woke up renewed.
happy, fun.
full of energy.
my normal.  [thank the Lord]

i had my first [early] morning wed. bible study with my friend,
and came home to find my sweet L awaiting me in all of his under-weared glory on the couch.
we had time for a snuggle,
breakfast on the porch,
watering the flowers/container garden,
pulling weeds,
reading a few books,
playing about a zillion rounds of  'water-[every sport rolled into one with a bat and a ball] in the pool,
and a 'second breakfast' as we like to call it--

ALL BEFORE my 2 sleeping beauties emerged from their slumber!!!!!

we have had an absolutely wonderful day.
completely normal,
fun,
whimsical and creative.

and so i must conclude this:
[not that i didn't already know it, but i've encountered a twist]

my children feed off of and react to MY person,
my spirit.
my mood, my inner peace--or unrest.

so as i am making the most AMAZING banana muffins
{that i DO have lovely pictures of but my stinking camera will not upload to this thing!!!!!}
for a portion of our dinner this evening,
i am struck.

WE feed off of
and react,
to the person of God.
to the SPIRIT of our Lord.
to His peace.
His eminence.

and because Christ should be our center--all of the time,
we too should emanate that peace.
radiate that Love.

and when we find ourselves straying from that constant peace.
that connection that our soul longs for,
we show it.
and it hurts my kiddos.
and probably my sweet man, too.

can you even comprehend what it would feel like to have our constant, immoveable Creator shift our very beings,
our core,
our emotions,
because He was in a 'strange mood'
or 'feeling a little irritable today'
or was tired?

i cannot.


and so taking that with me, i will not be perfect.
or anywhere near so.

but i WILL strive to remember [when i don't have the energy to]
that these little beings,
these BEAUTIFUL creations,
my 'trio.

they are counting on me.
to be that peace of Jesus in them.
to be centered on Him.

and i will rest in my Savior a little more desperately than before.

 linking to:

 

makin' banana pancakes....

i have recently been able to visit a few very dear friends--on my own--which is something i have NEVER done before.

ever i think.

it was amazing!
truly.
nothing re-focuses me and re-awakens me like these visits.
and truly i know they are gifts from our Lord for just such purposes.

but also, obviously, i missed my 'trio incredibly.
hearing their voices over the phone was a little heart-wrenching.

and of course, coming home to a family who misses and loves you unconditionally is a beautiful thing.
[not to mention a CLEAN HOUSE!!!!!  nice one, A2]

i think ever since being back, though, i have been a little,
'pensive'.....
not sure why.
maybe a perspective shift?

i had coffee [and a donut] with a sweet friend here in town the other day and we made a 'pact' of sorts.
we will MAKE each other consistently be friends.
sound ridiculous?

maybe.
but how many of you,
who are moms, [or are not]
find that it is so very easy to NOT cultivate friendships
especially new ones that need cultivating
when you have the whole world of:

your home,
your kiddos,
your husband's world,
etc.

to keep you from it?

well, i do.
and so our journey of wednesday morning [early morning] bible studies/friend time begins.
equipped with getting together regularly and opening our family to her.
which i LOVE.

but still, i remain in this pensive state.
i don't know what it is.

so this morning we made banana pancakes.

which led me to think of my sister,
who,
when A was just a 'babe, introduced me to this song by
jack johnson
because she said it made her think of me.



which made me ultimately pretty happy inside.  (=

but this thought brought my mind my dear friend from our first years in seminary.
whom i/we miss ever so dearly.
who introduced us to the curious george soundtrack right before my 'trio and i traveled cross-country
together one summer.  

all the while, my mind reels and i make a mountain of banana pancakes that we will eat for days on end.....
my sweet 'trio plays.

such joy and such contemplativeness.
all at once.

it is a beautiful thing to KNOW what one needs.
i need my Savior.
i need His Words.
His Scriptures.

i am thankful for 3 amazing kiddos and a monstrous batch of banana pancakes,
and a sister who reminds me of the simplicity of our dynamic around here,
and of friends who, while a large sum of them are far away in distance,
are able to steady me and re-center my soul.

and i am thankful to know that what i need is right here, all the time.
always.


to these things.  (=

just a few favorites.

my 'B.

sweet A.

and my boy.

thanking Jesus for my sweet, sweet 'trio.  (=

the reveal.

not that you've been waiting, but.....

sweet trio

                                         A BAKING COMPANY

what do you think?????

i LOVE it!

really.

it was the first name i thought of [i do have a pretty sweet 'trio you know].
and then i went through a few others that i thought were better--

but in the end, i was still head-over-heels with this one.

to [paraphrase] a dear friend,
"you are first and foremost a mom.  i couldn't see your name being anything else but a reference to your children.."

[i love it.]



(=