Lighthouse Park

There was a MOPS playdate at Lighthouse Park yesterday, for the Farmers Market and play in the playground. I got there early so the kids could get their wiggles out before we wandered through the Market, and my friend joined us. We had a really fun time. I've always enjoyed Lighthouse Park, even before they added the playground. And this was the first time we actually went over to the lighthouse!
I read the information plaques around the lighthouse----so it was educational as well as fun!

Sitting on the porch of the "assistant keeper's house", currently the lighthouse gift shop. The boys in front of the lighthouse. Heidi and I in back of the lighthouse.

Fun at the playground area. Lots of wall walking, swinging and more!

Play on the beach, play on the dock, and berry/fruit eating in the Market

Lake Cavanaugh 2012

Every year my parents rent a house on Lake Cavanaugh and we get to spend about a week up there enjoying family, and lake side fun. It is the week during summer I look forward to all year----summer's Christmas!
This year was no exception----we had a blast!

Canoe trips
swallows
Playing in the shallows
mixed weather
Floating
Tie Dye Tee Shirts
Swimming
Liam swam to the buoy
Jumping off the dock

"Polar Bear" evening swims
Fabulous food
Liam jumped off the dock
Woods
2 puzzles
Kayak rides
4 Generations
garter snakes in the lawn
Sun bathing

Coloring flags
Playing the the pebbly sand
Sunsets
Erasable colored pencils
Life Jackets
Card Games
Puzzles
Amazing views
Walks on the road

Book Review

I just read The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. As in author of the "Anne" books.
I made the mistake of reading part of the introduction first. NEVER a good idea if you want to actually enjoy the book as it is. My advice: read the book first, then go back and read the introduction if you want to. Let the book be untainted by other people's opinions of it.
So, I read part of the introduction first, and from it deduced that I would probably hate the book. I casually flipped through the first half, reading here and there (another thing I DO NOT advise), and kept thinking I would hate it......then I got interested in spite of myself and ended up reading the entire second half, almost without stopping.
I will be going back and reading the entire thing from start to finish because the second half left me deliciously and totally happy. It is a story completely predictable with a happy, fairy-tale, "happily ever after" ending. The best kind of ending in my opinion. I am not a tragedy fan. Even if tragedy is "closer to real life". None of that in endings for ME, thank you very much... Maybe because I truly do not believe that life is a tragedy. No, in my opinion, even if tragical (a very Anne way to say it) things happen in life, over-all it is a wonderful and beautiful love story with heaven at the end of it. It is my deepest belief that to have life in Christ is to have a "happily ever after" ending. And so, it thrills me to read, watch or hear of stories that reflect such an ending.
So, I enjoyed the book very much. And if you like predictable, simple, romantical fairy tales with happy endings, then I think you'd enjoy it too. If not, I would not bother with it if I were you.

Five Minute Fridays: Join

So glad I double checked this week's FMF.....because it's not the word I was thinking it was. I thought it was "push". It IS "join".

I am late in getting this post written and all because I was at the lake all this last week...just got home this morning. It was wonderful......but more about it another time

So, this week's word is Join. Here we go:

Join. so often in my life I have stayed in the fringes because I've been too shy or too scared to join in the fun. I know I have missed out on "opportunities of a lifetime" because of it. The events I have joined in have proved that to me.
Last year, I made a decision to join MOPS. This year, I'm joining the leadership team for MOPS. And I am so grateful to God for giving me the courage to do it, because it has been such a blessing.
Going on DTS where I did, on board the Mercy Ship Anastasis was me joining into what I believed God was telling me and I earned so many blessings because of my obedience.
Obedience.......joining in. That is were the blessings lie. Letting go of fear and grabbing onto life. Life abundant. God's gift. God's gift to me. God's gift to anyone who would follow.

Five Minute Friday found here.

FMF: Stretch

Today's Five Minute Friday word is Stretch. Here we go......

Stretch. Isn't that what we do every day as a mother? From the moment we learn that we will have a child. It begins with our bodies, as we stretch to be able to encompass the wee one growing in us. It twists and wraps into each part of our lives.
We stretch our love, our finances, our peace of mind. We stretch when our child asks of us something we feel is beyond us. We stretch when we trust God to take care of that child when they are out of our reach, out of our site. We stretch as we encounter different people with different parenting ideas and choices, and we stretch when our spouses ideas are different too.
To allow God to work through the stretching is what makes us healthy, what shapes us into the women we need to be, the women He created us to be. His work in us makes us able to abide some of the stretching which would otherwise tear us in two.

Find more lovely thoughts and posts about Stretch!

Second Craft Day

I had another Craft Day today and boy was it fun! There was a better turn out this time----4 including me. This Craft Day centered around embellishing shoes and making yarn pom-poms!! My shoes still have a ways to go----I need to let the glue holding the glitter dry and I'm giving it about 24 or so hours....then I'll finish them.

Can you see Liam? He's begun an embroidery project....I'll have to post about it later. He's super excited about it and has been working on it ALL DAY!

While getting ready and cleaning for the day, Heidi found a fun place to play with my phone (I love how proud of herself she is!):

There will definitely be more Craft Days! I wish I had started doing these years ago!

FMF: Connect

This weeks word is Connect......rather fitting, as you will see

Connect to me means a lot of things but right now it is translating into the connection we make with other people. For instance, I joined MOPS this last year and had a wonderful time connecting to the women in the group, and most specifically the women at my table.
In this last week, I was approached with the request that I be a discussion group leader this year. I had already signed up to the a DGL helper, but they are short of leaders and wondered if I would be willing to be one. I asked for time to pray, talk to my husband and consider it as it is a rather large responsibility.
I am pretty much convinced that I should do it, that God is leading me there, and to tell you the truth, it's kind of exciting because it's a whole new level on connection. Connection with the moms that will be at my table, Connection with the group of women who are in leadership. Even a deeper connection with God as I lean on Him and His strength to be the discussion group leader I need to be.
The connection I had with the other moms at my table this year was something I really needed, something that encouraged me and helped me. I am so grateful for the friendships I made and for the opportunity that is before me.

Five Minute Friday is a community of bloggers writing their own thoughts about a single word each week. I am blessed to be a part of this connection!

Embroidery!

I have new parts of my Gratitude Sampler to show you!!!! And a fun collage of a little helper too!

Books, Sun&Moon&Stars, Mom&Dad, Candles, Fruit

Pamela, Home, Trees, Bible, Birthday

Heidi climbed up in my lap while I was working on my embroidery the other day and wanted to do it herself. I will have to get her some fabric and let her have at her own piece, because she wasn't too happy with me when I wouldn't let her do every part of it, and only let her pull the needle up. She was totally into it and can you see how serious she was about it?!? Liam wants to try embroidery too.....so I think I need to buy a couple more little hoops and let them have their own little pieces to work on.

And here is a picture of the whole piece so you can see where each little block is and how it looks! Getting close to being done! As you can see, I got tired of going in order...so I've been going off my list of things I am grateful for, and putting each thing where I think it fits best. It's helping me stick with it when I am so close to the end and some of my ideas aren't translating to cloth/embroidery very well.

Swimming Days

We've been going to the pool almost every time it's sunny. Which, this summer means maybe once or twice a week. But, in one week we had gone swimming more this summer than all summer last year. That's because Liam is very independent now (thanks mom and dad for all the lessons!!!), David can swim around in his life jacket with almost no problems, and Heidi is almost to the same point! It makes swimming so much fun and so easy too!
So, we've gone a lot and this week we have my nephew Pierce here with us. We went swimming on Monday and had a bunch of fun and since I HAVE FINALLY FOUND MY BATTERY CHARGER FOR MY CAMERA (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I brought my camera along and got some fun pictures before I joined the kids in the pool.

Hoping to get more time in at the pool before they close it down for the wintery months......also hoping they choose to keep the pool open a little longer than normal seen as we've had such a dismal summer, but I'm not counting on it. I guess we'll make Jessie take us to her indoor pool after they close ours.....

FMF: Here

Five minute Friday

Here
it was so easy to live in fantasy......dreams of then and when. I was constantly living for the next thing, instead of enjoying what I was doing in the here and now.
Slowly, I realized that what I was doing was not healthy. And I started opening my eyes to what was around me. Waking every morning and thanking God for the day before me. Living in the moment. Not always thinking "When..." There is some comfort in living in Today. God has given me the strength for today. I don't need to worry about the future or regret the past. I can enjoy my children at the stage each of them is in today, instead of wanting them to be older or younger than they are. 

I am here. Today. This moment. As my blog title says, I am trying to "Live Life In Every Breath". Every breath means here. Now. All of me.

Yes, I plan for the future....some. But with the knowledge that until it is Today, it's not as important as the day that is here and now. I still dream, but my dreams are tempered with contentment.


Five Minute Friday! join us!