Archives for July 2012

When we are tired…

…..life feels harder.

…..decisions feel overwhelming.

…..my temper is short.

…..I don’t like to be argued with.

…..I wish I had a cook.

…..I prefer peace over commotion.

…..I press into The Father more than ever.

…..I want to cry more often.

…..I have to make me take care of me.

…..I wish both me and my husband weren’t tired at the same time.

I recall a very wise person teaching me the acronym HALT. If I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired do not make decisions; big decisions anyway.

So today I will rest. In Him. Physically and Emotionally. Be Blessed today.

3 Comments

Posted: July 27, 2012 by Julie |Category: God Breathed | Our Family, Our Lives | Tags:

A New Fan!

I have a new fan! I’m so excited!

He’s an unusual fan but I’m honored to have him nonetheless.

He showed up on my blog on Sunday….I wondered how he found me. Other bloggers know how nice it is to know your audience. Well, now I know one more!

Isn’t he just special?

He worked well with me and was trying to comment (hint) when he read my post!

But try as he might his little feet just couldn’t make the IPad work!

So he decided to take a little nap….

And afterwards we had a little chat….

And then he told me it was time to go back outside to be with his friends. However, he really did enjoy stopping by for a visit….

He told me he’d return soon and visit for a while. In the meantime he’d be in the front yard eating bugs.

I was a little sad when he left. “Bye, my new friend”

6 Comments

Posted: July 23, 2012 by Julie |Category: Chuckles | Tags: blogging, comments, frog

“Lord, there are times when our eyes turn towards you in a way they haven’t before. In light of the shooting in Colorado I pray that the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of your glory and grace. Surround these people with your love, your light, and your grace, Lord. May you be glorified through the churches and the Believers in that state as they love on the families who are grieving. Let us all know what we can do for the families in that state. May we pray for them, grieve with them, and lift their lives up to you to find peace and glory and grace!!”

1 Comment

Posted: July 22, 2012 by Julie |Category: God Breathed | Tags: Colorado movie shootings, God, Grace, prayer

Backpacks!

For the first time in, well FOREVER, I’m considering backpacks for four kids. Not just the drag your stuff to homeschool co-op backpacks but real-life SCHOOL backpacks. Is it crazy that this intimidates me? Yea, it’s my analytical, perfectionist side wanting to pick the perfect backpack to last all year. Or maybe it’s my cheap-o side wanting a deal.

There, I said it, it sounds even more ridiculous on paper or the web or the computer…..WHATEVER!

I’ve looked at the $60 LandsEnd and LLBean backpacks. I’ve looked at the cheap-o backpacks but still I don’t know what to buy. I guess I”m looking for somewhere in between. I do have four to buy. I think Baby Girl may have hers already but not sure how long Hannah will be accepted in a private Christian school. So, I’m shopping for the boys.

Anyone have a direction to point me in, calming words for a mom who can’t make a choice about backpacks, a good therapist to recommend?

🙂

Ok, I’m making myself chuckle!!

Still, backpack help would be great!!!

Maybe he knows….

4 Comments

Posted: July 21, 2012 by Julie |Category: Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: backpacks, homeschooling, school

Copper River Bags Giveaway

Pure Photoshop Actions is giving away one of Copper River Bags mostest wonderfulest (yes, I meant to say that) bag! If you have gear and you need a bag these are wonderful! Click on over and check them out!! I tried to get you a photo of the bag but it didn’t work. Happy looking!

Summer

I remember as a child that summers lasted forever. As an adult it’s quite a different story. This summer has whizzed by like a rocket ship bound for other planets!!

Sometimes I’d love to grab hold of time and make it stand still for just a day, like those stop motion camera shots you see on TV.

I’d like to sit and exam my life. Step outside of it and stand there with God and say, “What do I need to change?” “Where am I wasting time?” “What needs my attention?”

Are you happy with your life? Do the days whiz by in a blur? Some days I feel like the day controls me instead of me controlling my day.

I say to my soul, “Peace. Be still.”

And I wish my brain and body would follow. To bask in the stillness of who God is…..to soak up His love and mercies, to KNOW that He alone is God, to cast all my cares upon Him who loves me so, to leave all that I am in His hands to shape and to mold.”

Share with me. What do you do to stop the pace of life. Where is your peaceful place? How do you find rest in the midst of life.

I’m looking for some answers here!

4 Comments

Posted: July 12, 2012 by Julie |Category: God Breathed | Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: God, Peace, rest, Stillness

The Football Dance

Most of our year is taken up with football in one form or another. After finishing flag ball this year we’ve plugged through the Florida heat and conditioning camp.

Since being gone for the Fourth of July the boys had a particularly hard training session yesterday. We had thunderstorms all around us which made the humidity and the bugs just horrible. The heat was bearable, however the mosquitos that tried to carry us off weren’t.

I purchased a new camera and a new lens a while back and I’m having fun getting accustomed to both. I love the new camera and toted my 50mm 1.4 yesterday.

Here’s a couple shots of the boys during practice.

This is Son#3 with his buddy Cam.

Son #2 with Ms. Kayla as everyone on the squad calls her. She’s a tough one and loves football.

Running full speed backwards. My backside would be on the ground!

This one just never looks fun:

Got to love the one who will pose for mom!!

Because one never will!!

Working the hips on the ladder:

This is just plain working hard!

Check out the height in these two photos:

Playing after training:

Stretching as a team:

I love this one. He loves his new cleats.

Tuckered out after stretching:

I’m thinking Mike needs to train my backside back into shape. What are you doing to keep in shape this summer? Anything?

Organic Facial Mask

Over at One Good Thing By Jillee you will find the most amazing facial mask and a wonderful story about her great friend, Jodi who has beautified the stars!! She now has her own business called Mind Ur Bees Wax. Too bad I’m in Florida and she is in Utah. Hey, my husband is going to Utah today.

Humh!

So here is her recipe, but go over and check out Jillee and then Jodi’s site.

1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg

Jillee talks about the way her face felt after her “at home” facial treatment. It sounds so wonderful!! Honey! I love it. Use Raw Honey if you have it.

Give Jillee a shout and tell her Julie (the peppermint spider lady) sent you! Have a great Monday.

Brain fog and summer vacation…

As a homeschool mom and blogger I often wonder why my blogs are not eloquent and thought-provoking. As I sit typing there are three extra kids in my house. That makes 7. One son is feeding a neighbor, two are on the trampoline and a few are upstairs on the XBox. The girls are running around screaming as they play some imaginary game.

Since beginning the process of editing the pictures you are about to see I’ve stopped, vacuumed the kitchen and den, made lunch for myself (only), came back to the computer, looked for a Bible, put a load of laundry in the wash, remembered I was supposed to be working on photos……

Came back to the computer.

Got up again to “lay down the law!”

Tried to remember what I was going to blog about.

Got up again to send them all to the pool.

Asked one son to flip the laundry. Asked another if he wanted to go to the Apple Store because his iPod touch dropped in the driveway yesterday and I ran over it. YIKES.

Remembered I needed to go to the grocery store.

Then sat back down to blog. Now baby girl is in here complained about her brother choking her and “He could have made her die!!!”

And I wonder why my thoughts are scattered and my brain feels like that commercial of the egg frying.

So before I must get up once again here is my scattered but posted post. (Does that even make sense??)

Fun In The Sun

Our Fourth of July was spent in SC as stated in my previous post.

We had a blast seeing friends from our home of 10 years. Several families joined us for the Fourth. One made a Corn Hole game and we ate ribs, hamburger, hotdogs, shrimp and steak. It was a feast, I tell ya!! Makes me hungry even thinking about it.

While we missed many of our friends because they were on vacation too we enjoyed the ones who stayed behind! Thanks guys!!

Here’s a few pictures from our trip.

Two men who should not be allowed in the same county!

Maybe this tells you a little of the story of why!

The host of our Fourth of July event. I don’t care what anyone says, he’s a good ole man!!

Fighting in the pool.

Let’s get the girl!

Brotherly love! Our friends from KY whose son’s wedding we attended on Sunday.

These two have been great friends since they were wee ones. Now he throws her in the pool and loves to carry her on his shoulder. Wonder what the future holds here?

The end of a spectacular evening! The men wooed the women with some awesome fireworks!

Ok, how many sentences is that in a row? Guess I better stop while I am ahead. There is thunder coming from the upstairs and too many boys in the house. CALGON!

4 Comments

Posted: July 8, 2012 by Julie |Category: Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: Fourth of July, friends, South Carolina, vacation