:the one where i come home full [GIVEAWAY]:

 

Lindsay, Alison, Autumn, Angie, Melissa, Heather, Amy, Stephanie, Julie, Christa

 

it's unusual, but it's me. i am monica on friends when she throws the shower for rachel and then spends the evening ironing tissue paper and cleaning her apartment. that's me. i love to clean. i love to cook for my family, though, i would love to be as talented as this lady. i love playing and teaching and spending endless moments reading books and soaking in that wrinkled nose of baby girls. i love motherhood and everything about it. i love snuggling my babies every single day.

i learned a little something about myself this past weekend. mama needs a break. i hate being away from my family. when i am away from them i spend my time missing them like crazy. yet this weekend provided just the refreshing i needed to get back to the daily grind with a new and improved attitude!

i got to hug the necks of each one of these women. they each have a story to tell and talent to share. i arrived in blue ridge tired. i came home from blue ridge, still tired, but full....so very full. not to mention i came home with some pretty amazing loot. stuff i've been eyeing for a while now. it's mine all mine. and it can be yours all yours too!!!

 

 

just enter below. seriously, you'll be glad you did.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6d855c2/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

:the one where it is so much more than coffee:

running late already i hop in the car and pull out my camera to check the settings as we drive. i forgot my memory card, goooo baaaaack! she whips into the next driveway turning around without one complaint. she knows my love affair with photographs. capturing moments. freezing time.

grande iced caramel macchiato please. i hand over both my arm and leg in exchange for a few sips of cold caffiene. instantly reminded of how i feel about spending that kind of money on coffee these days. i don't have to have it and actually like it better at home.

we pull two tables together and squeeze under the umbrella already in place to hide from the heat. friends arrive. we smile and hug and settle in to get aquainted. one tells us about her children and their latest antics and another does the same. we talk about cloth diapers and vacations and cooking. we laugh and sigh the sighs of i am not alone.

lives so different yet intersecting on the common ground of motherhood. no matter of left wing, right wing, believer, non-believer. simply mothers on a journey connecting over poop and breastmilk and coffee.

my head hit the pillow hard that night. i turned over the laughter and honesty shared, falling asleep thankful that where we are gathered together, He joins and blesses.

:the one with the changing seasons:

late night chatter with a friend brings back memories of when friendships first formed. dreams of a place for moms to be together and encourage one another. scripture was read with little ones at our feet, just one or two per mom. now some have two. some have three. conversations are rarely finished. thoughts hardly complete. yet the season holds such sweetness. a time of growth, comradery and encouragement more precious than any earthy possession.

seasons change.

fall can be felt in the cool night air. refreshing after so many hot summer nights. ten children among us now. public schooling, homeschooling and a longing for deeper relationships with Him take us on different paths. some go this way, some another. this breaking away is not personal. we do not battle flesh and blood. different desires bring about different choices.

his unfailing love washes over me reminding of his plans. the stars and sand tell how great is his love for us.

***

we laugh holding our coffee mugs, the fancy ones, warm with fresh coffee straight from the press. we catch up on family, work and our current obsession, Lost.

my heart longs for community, i tell her. my longing, no my calling, to be with and encourage other mothers on this journey. i talk about my search for a church to call home like that one when i was a little girl. she has a place and reflects on its blessing.

after many hours the sun is gone and so is our coffee. if it weren't for the tiny ones that need us before the sun rises i think we could have talked all night. we hug tight, thankful for friendship and coffee. yes coffee, that nectar that unites and awakens the soul, thank you jesus. we plan our sleep over to watch the series finale of this show that keeps me both confused and hooked. i close the door behind her and exhale. moments later i fall into my bed, soft and welcoming, with a full full heart.




*late to the party, just writing with heather

::what friendship looks like::

we hugged and giggled at finally being able to catch up.
we talked for over an hour non-stop about babies, life and the loves of our lives.
we cried and laughed and ooed and ahhed.
we delighted in each others blessings.
we sympathized with each other aches and pains.
we opened our hearts, no judgement, just a welcome platform to stand on.
we asked questions and shared opinions.


i walked away encouraged.
i walked away excited.
i walked away not missing the hour spent.
i walked away anticipating the next time we meet.

friendship at its best.

"a friend is someone with whom i may be sincere. before him i may think aloud."

-ralph waldo emerson

tell me your secret to cultivating friendships?

::thoughts on friendship::

the sound of rushing water soothed as we approached the cabin in the pitch black of night, only our headlights to guide the way.
finally inside, fireplace blazing, pj's on, games commence and laughter emerges.

laughter is healing and breaks down walls.
bonds are built through laughter.
comradery established.
laughter joins hearts and minds, overshadowing insecurities that lurk in the darkness.

friendships treasured.
knowing each other more deeply through shared hugs and conversation.
receiving them whole, in love, no judgement or criticism.
a safe place to be a mom, a wife, a woman.
solidarity.

*linking up with heather for just write

::things i love thursday::

{{watching my children grow in their friendships}}

these girls are the daughters of my closest friend (the one in the middle is mine). i met their mother, krissy, in college and didn't give her a second thought. she was cute with the roundest cheeks and sweetest smile and freckles to boot. i was snobby and self-absorbed, finding my way. little did i know she would become my dearest friend.

or that her husband would become my husbands great friend. or that our girls would share secrets and play chase and dress up for hours on end. or that god would bless us with baby boys to pal around and balance it all out.

we are teaching our children to be good friends through our friendships.
we are teaching our children to push through the difficult moments and conflicts by keeping peace ourselves. they will become good friends to each other and others if they see us being a good friend to each other and others.
we are teaching them by living it out.

how are you teaching your children about friendship?

::change in perspective::

::photo::

she was simply sharing what was on her mind. the things she has been wrestling with over the last few weeks. the joys. the sorrows. the triumps.

you could hear the passion in her voice as she talked about their studies and her precious girls. you could hear the gratefulness for her recent epiphony on how to interact with her girls.

"they desire to see our silly side," she said.
then she went on to desribe the game time they had the night before that ended with rough housing with daddy and lots of family giggles.

bonding.
they were bonding.
oh they are a tight-knit family to start but they bonded all the more just by having fun. letting go of the have-to's and focusing on the needs at hand. the need to engage with their daughters. the need to show their silly side. the need to be free from the demands of life for just a short while.

it was a phone conversation.
she wasn't calling to tell me i should be doing more of this with my family.
she was simply talking about life.
she doesn't know the impact that little talk had on this ol' mama.

i went straight home and i played... i played a lot!
i often come home from work and get caught up in all the things that must be done before bed. get dinner started. clean up. baths. tidy the house. etc. it's a short window of time. there are never enough hours to embrace my darlings like i truly want to. but last night....all agendas went by the wayside.

we played horses and chased all around the house. my daughter makes the best horse sound!
we played and epic game of hide and seek.....until the little one joined in- he likes to hide with me and say my name over and over again...stinker!
we read books.
we played dinosaurs and they were trapped in a cage (a.k.a. the crib).
the little ones wrestled and giggled as i looked on, heart over flowing at the discovery of what happens when mommy has fun.


have you had fun with your darlings today?

::just because you can, doesn't mean you should::

have you ever had one of those moments where you say..."why didn't i think of that?"
i had one of those this past weekend.
i spent some time with a cherished friend. a wise-beyond-her-years kind of friend. and she breathed wisdom and encouragement into me in a simple statement.
"just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

she said this in response to all the things i have been committing myself to lately.

i am type A personality.
i do things. a lot of things. all the time.
my husband says to me regularly..."just come sit down."
this weekend i realized i am doing too many things.

so i will choose to slow down.
i will choose to live out what i believe.
i will choose to take more time to love my neighbor and teach my children to do the same.
i will choose to nurture friendships and teach my children to do the same.
i will choose to joke and play and grow in my love for jacob so they know what love looks like.
i will choose...

what will you choose today?

{wordless wednesday}

“imagination is more important than knowledge. for knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

-albert einstein

{the most precious gift we can give}

"one of the most precious gifts we can offer is to be a place of refuge, to be {sabbath} for one another."

-wayne muller

sabbath: finding rest, renewal and delight in our busy lives

i held my cup of coffee and she held her cup of ice cream.
our bodies nuzzled into opposite ends of the couch.
we sat there.
cozy.
relaxed.
we talked and giggled.
it's been six months since our last visit and that's just waaaaay too long.
we rejoiced in the evidence of god's hand in our lives.
we shared tears of joy.
we explored the art of parenting and compared stories.
we shared our challenges and took note of our blessings.
she {among several others that are truly gifts from god} is a place of refuge for me.
she always has been.
since the first interaction of that freckle faced teenager and this metal mouth teenager fifteen years ago.
she encourages me.
loves me just as i am {and that often is a task in and of itself}.
she is a wonderful friend.
for her...i am forever grateful!

thank you k.p.


xo