Project 52:41-44 | Intent | Beautiful | Focused | Notable

Project 52:41

Motherhood is:

INTENT
& focused.

Staying focused is so difficult at times.
There are so many "important" things requiring our attention.
What should we keep our focus on and be intentional about
as we journey through our day?

As summer is winding down and our family is settling into more of a routine, I think it's time for me to regroup. It's time to decide what to focus my time and energies on over the next couple of months. It's time to get [re]organized!
So many things, so little time.
Here we go!

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Project 52:42

Motherhood is:

BEAUTIFUL
& bold.

I do find myself LEARNING to parent a beautiful and bold little lady.
Some days I think I need an instruction manual for this child.
I know it's hard to believe looking at her sweet face.
One of these days, I pray, I will be very thankful for her strong will.
Go get 'em, girl!

~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

Project 52:43

Motherhood is:

FOCUSED
on building a firm foundation
in each child's heart.

I loved this moment and still remember catching him in the act of playing alone with his blocks. I can recall how focused he was on growing his tower.  It was a precious moment for me as I could see his mind churning.
As mothers and parents we live for these milestone moments.
I pray I can be just as focused in building a firm foundation in his heart.

"Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasures as a GOOD FOUNDATION for the future so that they may experience true life. "
1 Timothy 6:18-19

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Project 52:44

Motherhood is:

NOTABLE

for allowing each child's
creative spirit to flourish.

This girl has always loved to draw, color and paint. From the time she was old enough to hold a crayon or marker she has been busy filling notepads and coloring books.
And I never really had to worry about her marking up my walls and furniture.
It was really amazing to me! She had the interest, the knack and the confidence.

On the other hand, her younger brother, (although he is improving) is another story.
I try to provide him with the same opportunities, but I dare not turn my head while he holds any type of a marking device.
Notice his pumpkin is not included in this picture. HA!
I'll leave it up to your imagination. 

Project 52:37-40 | Entertaining | Harmonious | Ageless | Comical

Project 52:37

Motherhood is:

ENTERTAINING
& [hopefully] full of laughter & smiles
on this wonderful ride of life.

Motherhood is so very entertaining. Here we are a year later from my last post! Geesh! That, in itself, is entertaining! Where did the year go? I guess I was mostly busy being entertained by two toddlers.

I find it so fitting that I am ready to blog again. My last post was entitled "Omitting" and I left you literally omitting the month of August 2012. I was busy readying our new home and enthralled in so many DIY projects. I guess it took me an entire year to get to the point I could sit down and begin to gather my thoughts again. Read on as I condense the rest of 2012 (It was killing me to leave the year unfinished!) and begin a slightly new journey in the world of blogging.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Project 52:38

Motherhood is:

HARMONIOUS
or just mostly sounds like
four children banging on an
antique, out of tune piano.
Which, is very lovely.

I love the days when everything seems to be working in harmony. The kids are playing nicely with one another, there is calming music in the background, the second load of laundry is whirring and the countertops are clean and shiny.
Then, I look at the clock to realize it is only 8:30 in the morning.

It is at this moment I realize the harmony I am currently experiencing
will last only approximately three more minutes and
we will soon be catapulted into some other, slightly familiar, realm of discord.

[The harmonious sound of four children banging on an antique, out of tune piano.]

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Project 52:39

Motherhood is:

AGELESS
because we are never too old
to enjoy a beautiful fall day
munching on Crunchy Cheetos.
Just. Ask. Grandma.

I'm so thankful my children have been able to get to know a few of my grandparents.
I vaguely remember my Great Grandpa Raymond, but am thankful for the few memories I have of him. Hopefully their memories will be slightly greater and
more detailed than the ones I have.

Knowing your heritage is important. Unfortunately our busy lives often cause us to forget the value of spending time with our elders until it is too late.
Life is like a vapor. I'm thankful for every visit we are able to make back home.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Project 52:40

Motherhood is:

COMICAL.
If in doubt, scroll through your camera albums
& reminisce over your children's entertaining antics.

After visiting our first pumpkin patch last fall we returned home and I sat down to view the memories from the morning I was able to catch on my camera. You hope for that picture of your children sitting perfectly with beautiful smiles on their faces and, OF COURSE, all eyes looking at the camera. 

Unfortunately, that picture is nowhere to be found. Instead, there are a handful of pictures similar to the one posted above. 

After a little frustration, I am thankful because I realize I have captured their personalities on camera. It is these photos that I look back at and laugh and realize that motherhood is still very ENTERTAINING. 

Project 52:36 | Omitting

Project 52:36

Motherhood is:

OMITTING

the month of August

because playing catch-up

-in the world of blogging-
is not the most important thing.

Spending time with these two precious faces is the most important thing SO please don't stop following me yet! I'm certain to have many more treasured photos and a few noteworthy ideas for the upcoming months. I just had to make the decision that I wasn't going to play catch up this time. I am letting that burden go! And it feels good.

 Setting up a new home with two young children is like packing up your home with two young children. SLOW. Though it's been a lot of fun, I'm about to go nutty knowing we are still in project mode rather than performance mode.
Maybe it's just another "burden" I need to let go?

Aside from unpacking boxes and attempting to complete the plethora of projects on my list we have been enjoying Missouri, friends and family. We are members of the zoo, soon-to-be members of the library, and frequent guests to the park, Bass Pro and the sights and shops of Branson.
Our month of August was jam packed full of craziness and fun.

So . . .  Hello September and 70 degree weather, I missed you and am enjoying time with you. Please slow down.
~~~
Here's a sneak peak at a few of my completed projects:
Old dresser turned TV stand;
discounted/less-than-perfect headboard from Nebraska Furniture Mart turned nearly perfect headboard for my daughter's room;
large wooden frame turned art holder for my little Picasso's,
and of course a handful of canvas projects.
I look forward to sharing them with you.

I hope you've been well during my brief leave of absence.
Do you have a "burden" you need to let go of this week?

Until next time . . . 

Project 52:30 | Simple

Project 52:30

Motherhood is:

SIMPLE.
Said no mother ever.

I could probably come up with a handful of excuses why I was so far behind on my blog this month, but I must confess the real reason. Every bit of alone time after the kiddos were tucked tight in their beds at night was devoted to Pinterest and Pinterest DIY projects. Can I get an AMEN?!?
I just couldn't help myself!

My mind has been continually occupied with paint colors, designs and wall decor for our new home. You see we close on our house on Wednesday and I get four days to paint (well, have someone else paint), clean and prepare for the big moving day.
It's every woman's dream! Right?!?!

The pictures in the upper left corner are not my creation, but rather pieces I've found for the house. My first DIY canvas picture in the upper right corner turned out fairly well! I chose a lyric from a James Taylor tune and am hoping it fits perfect in the living room along with a few other pieces of "inspiration" I recently found. Sadie created the second DIY project with just a little help. She painted a picture we plan to hang in her room.

I say all of this to say that right now my brain is split in a million different directions and my blog has obviously been neglected.

Anyone else out there enjoying an addiction, errr I mean pastime, to Pinterest and DIY projects?
I know some of you are with me cause I like your pins every evening! HA!

Notice: This post is actually EARLY! I knew I better get caught up as much as possible before moving day. Hopefully I won't get behind by another month, but I am making no promises at this point.  My track record doesn't look good. : )
I should have an abundance to share by the next time I sit down to write.

Project 52:29 | Stunning

Project 52:29

Motherhood is:

STUNNING
& so are her children.
Priceless facial expressions
 - as they learn, grow & explore -
are captured by the camera,
but stored deep in mama's heart.

Elam has fallen in love with tractors, trucks, lawn mowers and combines. Speak one of these words and you get this adorable smile and head shake that jiggles his entire body. Living this last month with Pop and Papa Gary has surely spoiled him rotten. During our last visit to northern Missouri he took a ride in Papa Gary's tractor and spent time in his combine that is sitting ready for harvest. 

I'm not sure what we will do when we move to our house and don't have access to one of these riding machines in the garage.

None the less, we are thankful that family is now only a short day trip away.

And ... it looks like Papa Gary just might have a new riding partner come September.  

Project 52:28 | Sacrificing

Project 52:28

Motherhood is: 

SACRIFICING
your own wants & plans
for the needs of your babe's.

Unfortunately, the end of our 4th of July travels commenced with an unwelcome hospital stay. Elam came down with what we now think was an intestinal virus, but with his fever spiking above 105 and an extremely high white blood count the doctors wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.

Not only do we not have a pediatrician to call our own right now, but we weren't even at our home away from "home." After weathering out the illness a few days we decided to try Urgent Care. We left that visit with a finger prick, a chest x-ray and extremely irritated at the standoffish doctor.

Finally, the following day we resorted to a cousin's pediatrician. I HIGHLY recommend going this route if you are traveling with a sick child and have any connections in the area. The doctors were very attentive and suggested we hospitalize Elam to make sure we weren't dealing with a larger issue. We also felt this was best. The poor little guy ended up with an IV, three more finger pricks (mostly due to human error) and another x-ray. He would scream anytime an unfamiliar face walked into the room and literally wore himself out!

As you can tell he loved seeing Granna and Pop that evening. Pop went a bought him some tea (he's a TEA lover) and promised him a lawn mower ride. Thankfully, with fluids, meds and lots of prayer he improved overnight and we were able to leave the hospital. We headed back to Joplin the following day.

Joel and I were supposed to celebrate our anniversary at a St. Louis Cardinal's game the night Elam went to the hospital.  When it comes to your children and their needs everything else just takes the back seat. It worked out in the end and we celebrated a few weeks later with Sushi and a James Taylor concert.

And now, all are happy and well.

Project 52:27 | Sharing

Project 52:27

Motherhood is:

SHARING
time, family, belongings & lessons learned with others
& teaching your little ones to do the same.

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July. Ours was spent at a home away from our "home." It was spent with family and so it was delightful. We enjoyed a small town parade, snow cones and fireworks in southeast Missouri. I thought we would escape the dreaded heat when we left Texas, but I'm afraid we drug it north instead. 

Happy Hot July!