Container Garden

The weather has been glorious.

The budding trees & chirping birds 
seem to call me out doors. 
Mark and I decided to plant a small garden.

Yes, it is too early.

Truth is,

I've never been good at following rules.

Mark just announced it's supposed 

to be in the 30's in a few days.

Oh boy.

I have decided to do a container garden.
If you look online,
you can see so many options.
Here are a few I grabbed off google images.

This last photo is like mine.
I actually got two and may need to get one more.
I planted tomatoes and cabbage in one of mine.
I will be thrilled if it looks like this in a couple months.

The containers are elevated so my back is thankful.
Kansas has lots of rabbits so this will hopefully keep 
them from eating my veggies.

I am thrilled to get my hands in the dirt.
I love the feeling the warm sun on my white self. 

Now, do I go upstairs and embroider?
Do I walk out the door and work in the garden?
Decisions, decisions.

Hope you are having a fabulous day!


My prayer for you today...

"The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face
shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face
toward you
and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

My New Toy

I got a new toy!
Mark bought me an embroidery machine.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! That's my happy scream.

I have been wanting one for awhile and couldn't decide.
The one I chose is simple and perfect for what I want to do.

I'm like a kid at Christmas.

Can't sleep and when I do,

I wake up thinking about what can I embroider next.

I've stitched on all the fabric, pillowcases, 
& hand towels I own.

Nothing is safe.

Practice makes perfect.

I chose the Brothers SE400.

I am amazed how easy this machine is.
It is dummy proof.
It threads itself.

Do you embroider?
If so, I would love any advice.

I am thrilled with my new toy.
Oh the possibilities!

Babies On Horses

I had to post these pictures that Danielle sent me.

Oh how I miss these kiddos!

These are from a horse show they participated in over the weekend.

Abi is riding SnowBall.

I'm not sure what she is looking at.

Quite possibly the dirt.

or her knee.

Dani is riding Tater.

They both seem to be posing.

Look at the intensity in Kacey's face.

Apparently, she was upset 

because her horse, Sunny messed up.

I love that Kacey is very competitive.

Elijah looks like he's having a good run on Sassy.

I'm so amazed how the kids are improving.

They impress this MiMi!

I haven't seen them since February!

It's killing me.

But....

they are coming to see me this week

and I can't wait!

* disclaimer: I grabbed the pics off Facebook and I'm not familiar

 with the photographer but they do have their stamp on each shot. 

Starbuck Dork

What is it about Starbucks that gives me warm fuzzies?

Something about that green sign just speaks to me.

Here's the deal.

I always leave the store feeling like such a dork.

Getting the names right is impossible.

What I want and what I order is seldom the same.

I do have the sizes figured out,

although, 

sometimes I say Tall 

and I am not really wanting a small.

If I think about it, I can do it though.

Then there's the skinny vs skim milk.

Do they mean the same thing?

In January,

I received a few gift cards so decided to download 

the app for more convenience.

I couldn't figure it out. 

Fortunately, when I walked in the store,

I was the only one in line so I didn't feel bad 

by asking the lady for some cyber assistance.

When I walked out with my grande ice coffee, 

a splash of whole milk, & 2 Splendas,

the line was out the door.

I could feel the glares.

Today,

I'm in the drive thru,

6 cars back. I figure I got time to RELOAD my app.

It would not work. I'm frantically pulling up to the window.

No money, no app money.

Dork!

I would have skipped it but you get free coffee 

when get to be GOLD.

The goal is GOLD baby!

The lady says,

I can add to your account.

Who knew!

It slows the drive thru line but I am ok with that.

She hands me the pen to sign.

I drop it on the ground.

I try to open my door but theres no room 

between the car and the wall.

Dork!

Here's the problem with this younger tech smart generation.

They're just too fast for me.

I can't be rushed.

I get flustered and mess everything up.

Dork!

Sometimes,

I leave Starbucks and say to myself,

"I'm never going back."

It's too humiliating.

Then I see that green sign.

Thinking about it makes me almost smell 

that freshly ground coffee.

Yes, I am a dork and I'm learning to live with it.

Lesson for the day...

try to give that car in front of you a break.

Peace & Protection

We made reservations to stop 

half-way to San Antonio.

When we heard the weather conditions,

we cancelled our reservations and decided to stop 

when the roads got bad.

It sounded like a good idea at the time.

Somewhere in Oklahoma,

while I was blissfully sleeping in the backseat of the Tacoma,

I was awaken by my normally calm husband.

"Whoa... whoa... we're gonna crash!"

I looked up and we were sideways to the left, 

then we slid 180 degrees to the right,

back to the left and then straight.

The sheet of ice allowed for no control.

Thank the Lord,

we didn't hit anything or anyone.

We called Marriott, nothing was available.

We called Hilton, nothing was available.

Yes, we called the other ones too but our points 

are with Marriott and Hilton.

All were booked full.

We trudged on because we didn't have a choice.

When I fell back asleep,

the roads seemed ok,

especially since Mark was going around 40 mph 

and there was little traffic.

It happened again.

If he hadn't yelled, I would have slept through it.

Regardless,

I woke up and as we were spinning,

a calmness came over me.

I closed my eyes and asked God to protect us.

He did!

Not a scratch.

I tried hotel after hotel.

We had to drive south of Texas to find a hotel.

By the time our heads hit the pillow of the roach motel,

which was perfectly fine with me,

it was 4 a.m.

Days later,

as I reflect to my response during the crisis,

I am thankful that it was natural to turn to Christ.

He is after all, in control.

It has been a concern in my life, 

at least the adult part of my life

as to how I will respond during the crisis' moments in life.

Will I cuss?

Scream?

Get angry?

Freak out?

I want my natural reaction to be what I've preached 

for so many years.

I want to TRUST THE LORD in everything.

Mark said he saw at least 50 cars in ditches, turned over semi's, and crashes that night.

I know the Lord was there with us and placed His peace all over me.

Did Someone Say Spring?

This is what I woke up to.

The weather men totally missed it.

The birds are nesting.

Such an odd truth for this Florida girl.

Seems like it's always trash day 

when I'm wanting a picture.

Poor garbage men!

Happy Wednesday!

More Abi Faces

I love this girl and all her expressions.

I will share a brief description for this love.

C H E E E E S E!

Starry-eyed.

 I wanna go play now.

Dazed.

What are you talking about?

I already smiled 100 times.

 I'm trying to smile.

This is my smile! 

La, la, la, la, la.

Sweetness!

If one of the kids 

is the life of the party...

It's Abigail.

Never a dull moment!

Look Out World!

The minute she said she was thinking about moving,

I began making plans.

"Oh she can get a two-bedroom!"

"Maybe a house."

I knew nothing about San Antonio,

especially not downtown San Antonio.

I am game for anything,

especially when it comes to my girls dreams.

We did lots of research and filled a notepad with notes 

and scheduled appointments.

She packed the bare necessities 

and set our tires

west on I-10.

Look out world for this little teal Toyota Corolla is on a venture.

We looked at 8 or 10 places when we found THE studio apartment above a famous landmark.

It was perfect, although at first we weren't sure how we would fit her belongings.

After we blew the air mattress up and realized 

we had plenty of room,

we began planning and getting excited 

to make this place her new home.

I love the challenge of making the most out of every inch.

 The window offered the perfect nook for this table.

The island was a necessity to provide more counter space 

and some additional storage.

Notice the magnet on the edge to

accommodate potholders and a dishtowel.

 The sofa was her birthday present and provides the perfect spot to "flop" at the end of the day.

 Lots of storage to hide the extras in life.

 The door to the right walks into her surprisingly large bathroom and a walk-in closet.

  The painting on the top of the ladder is a paint-by-number that she completed 

before she moved from Florida. 

We love that it pictures someplace you may find in her neighborhood.

Cookbooks, cookie sheet, cutting board and other handy gadgets.

San Antonio is an amazing city.

Last week was Rodeo Week.

She sat at the cafe across the street from her apartment. 

She sipped coffee while herds of cattle were driven passed her.

I'm glad she can go from one world out her door

and safely back into her little cozy apartment.

(I'm a mother.)

I'm so proud of Kristen.

She says she has found her "home."

It just fits her.

The Birthday Girl

The signs of your creativity have been obvious 

since you were a little girl.

From your imaginary friends (as a little girl), 

to writing in your many journals (from early on),

to your love for old songs,

old movies,

& Audrey, 

you are drawn to drama.

You impress me how you remember every word 

to every movie and every song.

You have never followed the crowd.

You are your own woman.

I love that!

You load your belongings and move across the country 

to a new adventure

where you are blooming. 

I had no doubt.

Your faith is your own.

Your ideas are your own.

You amaze me.

I love watching the Lord's plans 

as they unfold in your life.

It's your birthday!

I hope you have a wonderful day.

I adore you!

I love you!

XXOOXX

Mom