Catching Up & a New Addiction

So, did you think I had gone away forever??

Yes, it has been really quiet in my little corner of blogland.

Seems that this working full time gig is killing my creativity

and free time!

I have been a really bad blogger lately and I plan

to amend that in the near

future.

I was such a bad blogger that over this long holiday weekend,

I didn't even pick up a camera.

We were in the mountains with all kinds

of family and photo ops,

 and I didn't even try to capture one image of our holiday!

Yikes!!

But......

I did spend some time on my newest addiction.

Introducing... {drum roll please} me on Pinterest!

Yes, indeed I am a bit late to the party as most bloggers are

way up on the social media scene & I

am just always a bit behind in

all things technology related.

It's how I roll.

You can click here to see what I have been up to

and to be inspired by all things lovely.

Have fun!

The Day After

I awakened this morning

 knowing only three thing for certain:

God still sits on the throne.

There is a God who works outside our

presuppositions and does things 

his own way.

There is a God who connects

the dots of history -

past, present, and future.

....

In our politically charged climate

it is difficult to keep a right perspective.

It is tempting to be all consumed and bow a knee in the wrong place.

I, like you, must decide to live not on the basis

of what I see, but on the truth that God will do what

He said He will do.

....

I must know that hope is more than a word - 

it is a state of being.

It is a firm belief that even if you don't know how,

or even if you don't know when,

God will come through and better days are ahead...  

Weekend Bliss ~ Easy Autumn

May your weekend be filled with

long walks and sunshine on your shoulders.

May leaves crunch all colorful under toasty boots.

May the orangiest pumpkins grace your porch

and friends grace your table.

May the Throne of Heaven smile down on you,

soothe your weariness,

quiet your fretfulness,

and let you be easy for just a moment.

May you find a spot to sit quiet,

 just to hear His grace.

May you sit in great expectation 

for the One

who is working out all things

for the good of those who love Him.

Blessings kindest friends...

For the Hard Times

I stare out the morning window, the outline of my tired head stares back at me, sticky-up hair all out of place, crazy.  The sun isn't quite up yet.  Just the beginning of pink light on the horizon ready to set the world a blaze in autumn's hues.  I inhale slowly and in blessed relief give thanks that this slow rising happens every morning, even when the dark seems all consuming.  I wrap my hands a bit tighter around my warm cup and my head rushes forward into the day.  Even though the house is quiet, I am rushing around in my head like things are in full swing already.  My feet have hardly moved but my soul is rumbling.

My soul is rumbling because the events of the past week have left me weak and thirsty to my core for some divine reassurance.

 In the pre-dawn dark of Tuesday morning I was awakened by Todd shouting, "Kim, the neighbor's house is on fire!  I'm calling 911!"  What in the world?? I thought as I struggled to lift sleep's daze from my mind.  Before I even fully came to, I could smell the smoke seeping through open windows in the boys' rooms. The commotion roused everyone from sleep and in moments we all stood in front of the windows with mouths agape and hearts praying as we could easily see the orange flames light up the interior of their house.  Such an eery, helpless feeling to just sit and watch a dream, quite literally, go up in smoke.  Fortunately this house is under construction and no one lives there.  The family was scheduled to close on it and move in in just a couple of weeks.  Their dreams of being in their new home for the holidays will have to wait until spring as the entire interior will have to be gutted and rebuilt.

Wednesday evening, Todd interrupted my work out with a breaking news story from our area.  A 10-year old girl was abducted on her way to school earlier in the week and he wanted to let me know she had been found.  In a field, in pieces, 1/2 mile from our house.  My soul is still rumbling as I struggle to wrap my mind around how something so sick and twisted happens to someone so innocent.  It's like the fingers of hell reached right up through the ground and grabbed her.  Her life was snuffed out and the the entire community has been launched into a place of fear and anxiety.  I am angry.  I am angry that her mother will never be able to hold her again, to kiss her and tell her how sorry she is. To let her know that even the next breath feels impossible to take without her.

And dare I say it?  I questioned deep inside myself, where was God?

Mercifully, the Lord whispers His presence over me.  He calls me back into this moment and reminds me that He called the light day and the dark night.  He spoke the days into being, just one at a time.  He reminds me that His mercies are new every morning and that He alone can make beauty from ashes.  He reminds me that when I am weak, He is my strength.  He is my rock and my shelter from the storm.
He is my deliverer and that little girl's deliverer as well.  

And so I stand there next to the window, pink sky lighting up with each passing moment and I feel a bit guilty because I am a Christian and Christians aren't supposed to have fear or anxieties, right?  I want to ignore the anxiety and fear and not let them rise to the surface.  But I must let them rise up so I can release them into His hands.  Speak the fear out loud, so that He can speak truth.  I know I have a God who can handle it.

I set my cup on the counter, breathe in deep the fresh air of a new day, pray without words to a God who knows.  Much like a sunrise, truth can be a slow rising, but as each moment weaves itself into the next, as we believe in the great right now, His truth becomes a strand woven into the fabric of our minutes.  This moment living reminds me of who is small, who is in control and who isn't.  It reminds me of my desperate need for a source outside myself. I can trust in the One True God.  He alone is enough.  For today and tomorrow and every day after.   The condition of the world, the depravity of humanity, the circumstances of my life or the rumblings of my soul can or will ever define Him.  He is unchanging and for that I am so grateful.

{9}

I just went upstairs

& kissed you for the last time

as an eight year old.

You can hardly wait for tomorrow,  

though technically

"you will still be eight until 3:21 p.m."

Just in case I forgot?

You, Daniel,

are such a funny one.

You are emotional and enthusiastic and love life.

There is not much that you don't like to do.

You'll give almost anything a try... once.

You have a heart of gold & wear it right out on your sleeve.

You are respectful & kind & just 

won an award at school that is a

testimony to your care & concern for others.

Way to go!!

Daddy & I are so very proud of you.

You drew a tough spot as the 'baby' in our family.

You spent the first couple of years

strapped in your car seat

 being hauled

to every event and activity the older two had.

You get the most sleep of all of us

& yet you still appear to be allergic to mornings.

Your recent love of your history textbook

delights me to no end.

I love that you so enjoy being in the kitchen with me.

I love that you love Wranglers & boots as much as your dad.

I love that you love Jesus.

 Happiest birthday to you, Big D!!

We all love the stuffins out of you!!

Homecoming & Such

This past week was Homecoming week at school.

  Our kids attend a Christian school - one school, three campuses.  

That means every campus

 had specially themed days for every day of the week, i.e.

 'school colors day', or 'retro day', or 'surf and ski day'... you get the picture. 

 A different level of craziness was added to our house

 as we searched out different costumes/outfits late at night, 

all in the name of school spirit.

Our week culminated with a winning Homecoming game on Friday night, 

of which I have no pictures because

 we inadvertently ended up sitting in the student section

 and were forced to watch the back sides of all the students

 because for some unknown reason,

 all of them stand for the majority of the  game. 

 I had a great view of some really blinged out jean pockets.

  Nice.

Saturday was the official Homecoming banquet 

where the kids got dressed up & headed out
 as couples or groups

 & had a nice dinner

 & then went to a fun center until the wee hours of the morning.

  

This is Mykenna & Luke. 

 They have been best friends since kindergarten

 and when Homecoming was announced,  Luke knew immediately who he would ask to be his date.

  The theme for the banquet was 'famous couples or groups' - they went as Ken and Barbie.

  They have a unique friendship,
one that we admire and approve of.
We love her
 & her sweet family

 &

 are happy that they like to spend time together as friends.

On another note, 

I went to the library the other day.

Seems like I have a little something for cookbooks.

I could sit and read through them for hours.

I think the thing I miss the most about

not being home all day, now that I am working full time,
is time in my kitchen.

Lord, I love to be in there puttering and

mixing and measuring and making dishes

that put smiles on their faces.

I have plans to put together a cookbook of my own one day.

One day...

I took the hound dog out for an early run this morning.

It was beautiful.

  

It was so very tranquil

&

just what I needed

 to clear my mind &

get myself ready for

 another

 busy

 week.

Blessings,

{K}

Weekend Bliss

May your weekend be filled with

awe & wonder,

&

 the magic of closer inspection.

May there be plenty of time for 

dew soaked tennies

&

aventure around every corner.

May you find respite from busyness,
a quiet spot where your soul can breathe deep,
&
 linger long on the important things in life.

May you fully appreciate all these things
for what they truly are -
holy, ordinary, amazing grace...

Blessings to you, sweet friends
{K}