Maybe...

With a new deck being built on to the front of the house, my little guy has been spending a lot of time hanging out with Daddy and his tools.

Hammering is the big thing.

I am surprised that we haven't had a major smashed finger catashtrophe yet.

Yet....

This little guy is so intent on learning to use these tools...

whether real or play.

I am proud of his initiative.

Maybe we'll get lucky and not have any big disasters...

Maybe...

In the photo above you can see what has become our path out of the house.  A series of plywood slabs that keep us from hitting the ground.

But...

Below is the beginning of a beautiful deck.

Beautiful.

We are using the old barn wood.

Planed.

Planed.

Planed

and then trimmed to size.

This is gorgeous stuff!

The photo was from a few days ago...

so the deck is about half finished now.

Hooray!!!!!

My man is working hard at it...

and he loves every minute of it.

What was I doing while this work was being done?

Only making the most gorgeous french bread!

It really did turn out beautifully.

No.

You don't understand.

I have been making the transition from an electric stove to a gas stove.

It has been years since I used gas...

It is a much bigger change than you would expect!

Some things haven't gone so well.

There may or may not have been some burning of certain items...

maybe...

This bread...

This very bread turned out amazing!

I think I am finally getting the hang of this stove!

Maybe...

Barns and Firepits...

I've been noticing a trend.

The men...

Out in one of the back fields...

While we girls sit at the firepit.

Sometimes, it is really good to just sit at the firepit...

and enjoy watching two men try to take down a barn...

with ropes, chains and a truck.

My excuse for not being out there

(ummm I don't think they invited me, thank you Lord)

is that I have to document the process.

Taz is smart.

He doesn't get too close.

He stays  in the yard with us.

Good boy, Taz Miraz!

Okay...

I'll admit it.

These photos are from last week, when the weather was still warm.

Today...

FREEZING.

But, trust me, I'm not complaining.

This has been the easiest Fall I've spent in years.

There is no snow.

Mild days.

I can handle this!

Have a great day.

I know I will!

What Kind of Day Am I Having...

Great!

Wonderful!

Full of hugs and kisses.

Thanks for asking....

I have run out of photos for you guys... that don't seem like repeats. 

I love them...

but for you they seem like the same old thing... and are.

So...

I decided to prove to you that we made slab apple pie To celebrate Cadi's 21st birthday...

even though she is far away.  Sad.

Sad

Sad

Sad...

I miss you, Cadi Lady!

I may have posted these photos before...

I honestly don't know and I am so tired this morning that I am not going to go look...

Some pretty severe storms came through last night and Momma was up making sure all was safe.

This morning, things are beautiful.

Although I did find visiting Raider in the basement and a broken window where he had managed to get in... again.

He just wasn't meant to be an outside dog.

We spoiled him.

He needs Uncle to come back from his trip and take him back to his warm house in Arkansas.

So...

now that I have rambled a bit...

Enjoy the pictures and have a great day.

Choice...

I took Aubrey out for a quick photo shoot the other day. 

She is such a special girl. 

She is beautiful inside and out!

I am really tired this morning.  Hopefully I wake up soon.

I plan to make this day great. 

It's my choice, right?!

I had a great chat with my second oldest last night.

I love when we really share from our hearts.

She is an amazing young lady...

just coming into her own.

She is just starting to figure our who she is.

I love it!

We have lots and lots of sniffles going on around here.

Hopefully, that passes soon.

Well...

That about sums it up.

Go out and CHOOSE to have a great day!

Personality...

I sat down this morning to do some editing of photos from the past couple of days.

I was planning on doing a whole post on the excitement that took place when we received a box from Galen and Cadi...

but I couldn't resist posting this picture!

This is a perfect example of crazy attitudes in this house.

Take special notice of the little one on the left...

Do you notice anything... strange about her face?

Click on the picture to get a close up...

She thinks this is hilarious!!

It is definitely a true representation of her personality...

Crazy Face!!

My Wish...

... that all the little ones

(who have runny noses and nasty coughs)

 would wake up in the morning feeling GREAT!

The Road Not Taken...

I'm feeling good today.

Wait.

Did I just say that?

Was that me?

For a second there...

I thought I...almost... recognized myself.

Even if it was only a second...

it was nice to see myself...

for a bit.

I miss... me.

Now, I'm off to make this day...

Wonderfully Dreamy.

The Road Not Taken

~Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Ups and Downs...

We are in the process of building on a new front deck.  There was a teeny tiny little cement step (two steps really) that you couldn't even stand on while opening the door...

Hmmmmm.

Weird.

Anyway, we finally got tired of knocking people off the step and started building a deck.  Eventually the deck will wrap around the house, but for now it will just be a large section of the front.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because this means that there are planers and saws and drills and such taking up space all over the front of the house.

Really ugly?

Yes.

Necessary?

For now, yes.

This has brought a few new ideas to the kids, however.

Kids imaginations are always at work.

They managed to convince Grandpa to let them "use" a sawhorse.

They "borrowed" a long board.

Now, they are trying to figure out how to make this a permanent feature...

And...

When Daddy has time to make this new project a little safer...

Permanent it will be!

By the way...

I'm sorry for all of the whining and complaining lately.

A lot of emotions and feelings have been brought up with this move.

And...

I am a "stewer"...

It takes me a little time to work through some of this stuff...

I am getting there, though.

I think I have more good days than bad...

I think...

For those of you who are praying for me right now...

Thank you and I feel it!

Really.

You are appreciated.

Someone sent me a facebook message yesterday that just made me feel loved and thought of...

and, well...

not crazy!

lol

Everyone needs to know that they matter, I guess.

This process has really made me do a lot of thinking about how many times I may feel like someone is hurting, but I move on and don't take the time to just love on them.

I am not someone who gets down often...

Thank God!

I will say, that the next time I feel like someone is feeling extra lonely and just needs a listening friend...

I will be so much more understanding!

Now, let's get over my ups and downs and prepare for the onslaught of seesaw photos...

I have a ton of them people...

A ton!

All Things...

I Would love to say this is a Wordless Wednesday photo...

I just don't seem to have anything to say.

All I seem to feel these days is anger...

At what?

Who knows.

Everything.

Anything.

All things...

So, since I don't want to drag anyone down with me...

I will just leave you with a photo

of a couple of amazing little people

on a beautiful Fall afternoon.

Curls...

 Anyone who knows our Ari...

knows that she has some of the most naturally curly hair around!

This girl has no hope of growing out of it...

as if we would want her to.

I think it is absolutely beautiful.

My hair is also curly...

but where she got amazingly beautiful curls that frame her beautiful face, I got weird tight curl here... loose curl here... wave here... poke straight out here...

So I straighten my hair frequently.

She got the best of the curls!

We have been talking about straightening her hair for the past year or so.

You know... someday we should...

While dad and I were out the other day I received a picture text.

It showed that the girls had been busy...

straightening Ari's hair.

This is a photo of our Ari...

It doesn't even show how tight her little curls are, but you get the idea.

The following photos are of some strange girl with straight hair...

that none of us recognized.

We took photos to remember this strange girl...

and popped her in the shower to get her curls back!

Curls or not...

You can see her spunk!

Beautiful baby girl!

Scenes From This Big Boys Day...

Brysen turned 5 yesterday...

People!

He IS 5!!!!!

Oh My!

The end of the baby years has come and gone.

He is a big boy now.

Awwwww....

For those of you who couldn't be with him yesterday...

here are a few scenes from his day.

And...

You were GREATLY missed.

The doctor pepper in a football bottle was one of the two things he asked for.

He opened it right before bed, but mean old mom made him put it away.

This morning... right after breakfast... it is out and being sampled again and again and again...

If it were in any other bottle he wouldn't care.

LOL...

 Talking to Bampa and Grandma...

He hasn't put this thing down since he opened it!

Seriously...

 I had the normal plan of catching the perfect shot of him blowing out the candles...

but he blew the darn things out before the cake was even on the table!

He just couldn't wait.

What a great day...

What a great boy!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday...

Today is Brysen's 5th Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful boy!!

I can't believe so much time has passed already...

This will be a very busy day with cake baking... and eating.

There will be presents to open and games to play.

So...

I will leave you with some beautiful photos of our evenings so that you won't feel to depressed when I tell you that the cake was wonderful...

He wants chocolate.

Now, off to bake.

Birthday photos will come soon...

Talking and Texting...

How I feel after talking to my two oldest babies

and texting my son-n-law...

Full of HOPE...

I Know. I Will.....

I don't feel like I've had much to say lately.

It's all been fluff...

filler...

meaningless.

I'm struggling to find my place.

My voice.

I have so many thoughts running through my head.

I can't seem to make them reach my mouth.

I know what I'm supposed to say.

I know what is expected of me.

I know.

I know.

I know...

SCREAM!!!!!!

I know...

I just can't seem to find the feelings that go along with that knowledge.

I'm in a dead zone.

The one thing that I know is that I love my family.

They are what gets me through another day.

I miss my older peeps.

I miss them so much.

But...

That is the way life goes.

My little ones have really drawn closer.

They spend a lot of time. reading and doing puzzles.

Watching them makes me smile.

Smiles are good!

Don't worry.

Really.

Stop it!

I will get through this...

whatever "this" is...

Lonely sounds wrong and empty and stupid.

I WILL get through this.

I will.

I will.

I WILL........

Sisters...

Sisters

doing homework...

A beautiful sight at the end of a long day.

He Didn't Think That Was Funny...

The first thing I heard yesterday morning...

"I got my armadillo."

This was said with just joyous abandon!

He was thrilled...

over the moon really.

He had shot one before...

and then we had one that was completely destroying our property.

Holes everywhere.

Their holes are really common for breaking people and animal legs...

Anyway, when the kids started tripping in the holes Mark got real serious about trying to find this thing.

He only seems to come out at night...

which limited Mark in his "hunting" time.

But Tuesday night...

He got his armadillo.

He wanted you all to know.

He really did...

He is the proud hunter.

He also wanted everyone to know that it only took one shot...

( the last time was 3... remember?"

So...

I reminded him that that means 2 armadillo...

4 shots.

He didn't think that was funny.

Happy Birthday, Cadi...

Time has a way of catching up with you...

Before you know it, decades have gone.

Life changes.

Moves.

Morphs.

Mom has to learn a new role.

I won't say every single day of the last 21 years was pure heaven...

That wouldn't be reality.

Arguments were argued.

Words were exchanged.

Lessons learned.

Mistakes made... (oh, how I hate that I made so many)

 I will say that I wouldn't trade a single one.

Each and every moment was spent learning and growing and loving.

Happy 21st Birthday, Cadi!!!!

I love you so very much!

Flying...

Laughter, giggles, smiles, joy, dreams...

flying through the air...

A moment in time.

sick

I am sick today.

Flu-ish.

Yuck!

I went to church but could barely keep my eyes open...

came home and fell asleep on the couch...

went out into the hot sun with a jacket on...

because I was freezing...

the kids made fun of me...

I came inside because all I want to do is sleep some more.

So...

enough about me.

The photo is of Big Mama.

Our sole surviving guinnea hen.

The only one who made it out of the Raider years alive.

Poor things.