What happens when a gypsy and a cowboy meet, fall in love, and get married? A lifetime of laughter and joy, a few struggles, some heartache along the way, and a home full of girls along with a menagerie of pets. Our life is nothing other than a beautiful mess, created by our Heavenly Father... whom happens to have a wonderful sense of humor and showcases that in the dailyness of our life. Come along and join in the fun :)
I am in love with the March wax warmer! Seriously! A sweet, vintage garden gnome. He's available during the month of March ONLY (starting tomorrow:) perfect for any spring time gifts you may need...think upcoming wedding showers, Mother's Day, birthdays; and, don't forget maybe a special treat for yourself;)
All new spring/summer line comes out tomorrow (March 1) as well. New warmers and lots of lovely new scents to brighten up your home.
Get ready for a little rant today.... go ahead, get your beverage of choice, your glasses, curl up in your favorite spot, and be ready to shake your head, thinking " there she goes again" ;)
Craig and I are at that "caught in the middle" age, I guess. We are old enough to be enjoying the fruits of our hard work from our entire lives, yet we are still raising our daughters and starting to realize our responsibilities toward are parents as they continue to age. We've been together nearly three decades... longer than we weren't together. We've seen tough times and amazing times. We've ridden the ebb and flow of marriage and a lifelong relationship.... and admittedly, Craig has put up with a lot from me, as I know I'm no picnic to live with at times. We've managed to maneuver our way through our pasts, our birth-order traits (he as the oldest, me as an only), and we've even kept our sanity as two introverted personalities with very creative "right brained" wiring, all while raising very creative "right brained" daughters (code for messy and emotional;). We come from an era where our grandparents were very involved and influential in our daily lives, as well as our parents, and we were taught the value of hard work ~ both in relationships and in life in general. We are of the bent that it's better to fix things, in most cases, than to throw them out.... while living in a very disposable society.
Why am I going down this path, and what does it have to do with "date night"? Well because, like most everything in today's world, marriage and relationships have become nothing more than a Pinterest Board, and I find that within our christian communities, it is only being fostered. I have my radios set to a christian radio station most of the time (although the girls might argue that it's set to talk radio;), and it's begun to grate on my nerves that EVERY break they take from music, they are promoting "date night". Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe that married couples need to prioritize their relationship to keep it strong.... but this popular "date night" mentality is nothing more than a living pinterest board and it's a dangerous path to go down. Think about it... this mentality has taken something very normal and needed and created a need for it to be PERFECT and blown out of proportion.
There is nothing wrong with planning something special for your spouse. I tried to plan something special for Craig for our anniversary, he planned an amazing surprise for my birthday. But it's normal protocol around here for me to look at him after a long day and say, "Can we go get a bite to eat tonight? Just you and I? It's been a long day and I need a break with you." Then he's whisks me off to dinner as the girls eat something I've left for them at home. See.... We are accomplishing exactly what "date night" is suppose to accomplish without making it into some big hoopla that only adds extra stress (and in many cases, financial stress). In just getting away for an hour or two, just Craig and I, we are 1- reconnecting as a couple, 2- finding comfort and security within our relationship, 3- prioritizing our marriage, 4- not adding the pressure of high expectations that normally apply to "Date Night... pinterest style". It's normal. It's fun. We laugh, talk, vent, dream.... uninterrupted. And, most importantly.... IT'S REAL and WE ARE REAL.
This whole date night phenomenon is in place to sell books and seminars. Yep.... every single time it's mentioned on the radio, it's followed by an add for a marriage retreat. Now, don't get me wrong... it's a great retreat. We actually attended several years ago and had a great time reconnecting. But here's the deal.... we come from a generation that doesn't think everything has to have a selfie and hashtag attached to it. A generation that values real relationships and desires to invest ourselves into them... invest ourselves into each other. The danger with turning life into a Pinterest Board is that when it's not pinterest perfect, it's viewed as not valuable, not worthy of saving...just delete and start over. That isn't life, at least it's not a sustaining life.
Marriage isn't scripted by Hallmark. It's not meant to be on Pinterest. Everything in life doesn't have to be a big deal. STOP MAKING IT SUCH A BIG DEAL. What I've seen happen is that over the past dozen years or so, Date Night has become one more thing to check off the list, and consequently, if it's not pinterest perfect, it causes stress and guilt... that's not what it's suppose to accomplish. The goal is to help spouses reconnect and grow closer during the craziness and chaos of raising a family. Making it into such a big deal, an organized activity that must occur once a month minimum, tends to create fallout when things don't go as planned. Not to mention, there are families like ours, who just didn't have the option of a regular date night. Parents with special needs kids who don't have a support system around them, can't just up and plan a special occasion with each other on a monthly basis. When others don't understand this, and they, in a well-meaning way, preach the importance of "date night", it does nothing but add an extra burden on that family, as well as a sense of guilt and failure because they can't do what is the popular teaching of the day.
May I suggest we all just get back to going out to dinner with your spouse. Enjoy and cherish that one on one time together without worrying about the mess you'll come back to when you return home after dinner. After all, how many of us ever remember our parents or grandparents going out on "date night"? What we do remember is that they set aside time to spend together. Maybe it was going to dinner then to do the weekly grocery shopping together. Maybe it was a lemonade break while they were doing the yard work together. I personally remember my parents going on walks after dinner. Yes, I absolutely agree that married couples must prioritize their relationship and make sure to strengthen it, especially when they still have children at home. But seriously, date night, as it's presented now-a-days (not only in society but within our churches as well) doesn't strengthen a relationship. It only serves to make for good instagram posts and puts a ton of pressure on everyone to "get it right" or feelings get hurt, angry words are said, relationships are cracked. Personally, I find that simple everyday things build our marriage. Craig taking me to dinner after a hard day, me trying to make his favorite meal so he knows his likes and dislikes are important to me. Taking a walk on a nice evening. Curling up with pan popped popcorn to watch a movie together (only to fall asleep within the first half;). Building each other up rather than saying things in anger that only serve to tear each other down. It's the impromptu that makes me feel loved and cherished more than the planned.
It's the little, daily things that build love and relationship. After all, we can delegate the planning of everything, even date night, to event planners... but the little. daily things there's just no delegating... we have to sacrifice ourselves to show our spouse (or anyone important to us) we love them and that they are important to us. Stop making your marriage into a pinterest board.... just something to think about ;)
As y'all know, I've declared this my year of quilting, and I'm having a GREAT time getting back to it after so many years of unintentional hiatus. I opted to join a block of the month club to make a sweet Christmas wallhanging. Using mostly wool along with a bit of velvet, it has an unusual primitive yet somewhat shabby chic feel to it. There are 9 applique blocks that spell out "CHRISTMAS" when it's all complete. This weekend, I made the first one. Completely appliqués by hand with a blanket stitch. So much fun!!! I can't wait for the next block to arrive in my mailbox the middle of next month! I think I may actually be able to stay on top of this and get it finished on time, for once 😉.
True to form, I could barely take a break from this book. I absolutely LOVE Wanda Brunstetter's stories. She has a way of almost taking you by the hand and walking you thru, introducing you to each character along the way, and allowing you to almost form a friendship with them. This book was no different...and since it's the first in her new trilogy, I'm so excited to foster these literary friendships with such sweet characters, whose lives always end up connecting in the most surprising ways.
My copy hasn't arrived from Barbour Publishing yet, but I couldn't wait any longer so I picked one up at Sam's Club last night. After a quick Friday night dinner of pizza, I curled up on the sofa in my office, under a quilt Mamo made in her youth, with Annie dog asleep on my feet. I then spent the next several hours reading....by the time it reached midnight, I was well into my delusion of "only one more chapter then I'll go to bed". Right! It was close to 2am before I headed off upstairs to sleep. After taking Mom to work this morning, I sent Craig a text and told him I was going to grab something to drink and read a bit further. By noon I'll admit I was starting to feel a bit guilty about being so indulgent so I got Drive thru for the family for lunch and headed home...only to curl right back up on my sofa and finish this sweet story.
Closing the cover at the end was almost like shutting my front door after friends had come to visit. Bittersweet...I didn't want it to end, but now I might be able to focus on getting some much-needed chores done around this house;)
What a glorious start to the weekend! Seriously....the yuckies are beginning to lift around here and everyone is on the mend. The weather is AMAZING! I'm curled up on the sofa, under a quilt my grandma made, annie dog laying on my feet, windows open and a beautiful spring-like breeze coming in taking all the stuffiness out of this house. Keep in mind....it's February, IN NEBRASKA....we normally have a blizzard about right now. I am loving it around here today:)
I am blessed to be apart of a book club with my very favorite author, Wanda Brunstetter. She has a new trilogy in the works and the first book in it was released on my birthday :) Wanda's stories have a way of pulling you in and making you feel right at home "living" within the pages of her books. She so effortlessly spins details that help you feel you're actually friends with the characters she writes about, and she paints vivid pictures thru her words, allowing you to see each one of those details. There are times I start laughing so hard, I'll actually snort (gasp), then I'll start reading aloud to my family but can't get the words out because I'll still be laughing so hard. A chapter or two later might find me with tears slipping down my cheeks. Wanda is just one of those very special authors that can capture your heart with every story she pens, leaving you wanting more when the last page is finally read. Well, this weekend I've set aside to read "The Seekers", as uninterrupted as possible (around here anyway;). I'm sure I'll be up all night tonight, telling myself "just one more chapter"....yeah, we all have our little delusions;). Truth is, when I start her books, I never put them down till I'm finished. There's a bonus with this new book: you see, the setting is an Amish cooking class, so you know what that means:) Yup! Amish recipes from the story are included in the back. YUMMY!!! I may have to try them out and see what everyone thinks :)
I don't know about all of you, but by this time of the year our home needs to air out. The sun is beginning to shine, the breeze is refreshing, and I want the inside of our home to smell and sparkle as much as the outside. With my family, "sparkling home" isn't a reality, we are just too creative to not be messy. However, I can make it smell fresh and wonderful :)
I signed up to be a scentsy lady this winter, in anticipation of this time of year. You won't find me "peddling" it but I will share the adorable warmers and yummy scents in case y'all need a fresh take in your home too. I love scentsy because it's a safe alternative to the paraffin and chemical laden wax melts found in the stores. The scents are amazing and they last for days. So, if the mood strikes and you are feeling like you need a non-fattening pick-me-up, please check out my scentsy website and take a look around. www.cowboyandmoonbeam.scentsy.us
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
This seriously will never stop making me laugh😂😂😂. The run close like this at least half the time. Who knew! Apparently sisters who dexcom together, stick together😂😂😂
Y'all have heard me sing the praises about the flexibility that homeschooling naturally allows our family and just how much I LOVE IT. Never is it more of a blessing than times when one or more of us, especially me, is sick. We don't have to just totally miss out on learning because we aren't feeling good; rather, we are able to adjust.
As y'all know, just about the entire family has some sort of crud at the moment.... strep, tonsillitis, bronchitis, old fashioned cold, etc. What this means for our days is that none of us are totally upright and "with it" at the same time. Maybe Hannah is napping after taking her medicine and Gracie is doing a reading lesson. Or Hannah is doing math while Gracie is combating high blood sugar due to her illness and antibiotic so she's watching a video lesson. OR..... mom has hit her wall, taken her medicine and needs a 30 minute nap before she can listen to anyone read to her or even begin to get her head in the game to help with math.
It's at times like these that I enjoy youtube and seeking out interesting things for the girls to watch and learn something new. We are a HUGE history family..... it's our favorite subject and it's a lifelong passion (well, except for Sarah... it's her least favorite subject EVER). We love learning the little tidbits and details, the personal stories, that make historical facts REAL. Today I decided to have the girls learn about the Quilts of the Underground Railroad, and I found that Eleanor Burns series is actually on Youtube. I love her teaching style! While it's geared toward quilters and recreating the quilts from the underground railroad, she tells the personal stories of runaway slaves and those who helped them along the way. She teaches the patterns and what they meant, right along with the possible variations that would've given extra details. She is a very engaging teacher, not only for quilters, but for anyone interested in the history of these quilts.
We will spend the rest of the week watching this series, as we are all moving pretty slow at the moment and we tire out quickly (We are all improving each day though, thank the Lord!). I also have the book and plan to make an Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt from it in the near future. It's a testament to the rich history of our great nation and the people who've gone before us. They were steadfast and strong and it's up to us to show them and their lives honor and respect. I'm secretly hoping that Hannah and Gracie will love this as much as I do and want to make their own quilts alongside of me to remember this particular part of our American History ;)
Craig is the last man standing around our home, and thankfully he is off the road for the next couple weeks. Just like clockwork, even with all the precautions we've taken, our home has been struck with the yuckies. It started with strep throat with Hannah, who graciously shared it with Gracie several days later. Sarah is hanging tough with an old fashioned cold. Dawn came down most likely with that lovely strep the girls so lovingly shared, which promptly started to travel down to her lungs and turn into bronchitis. Finally today, Tess was diagnosed with tonsillitis. Antibiotics all around🤒.
Being Valentine's Day, none of us really feel like doing much more than curling up and coughing the night away as opposed to dancing it away. Craig is as awesome as ever tho...he is picking up take out as I type and we will enjoy dinner and a movie at home😍
I heard this song earlier on the radio and thought it was rather appropriate for the day. Love isn't a feeling, it's an action. It's not just words and roses, it's putting those you love ahead of yourself, no matter how you feel or what kind of day you're having. Craig is a true servant leader in our home. There's absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for any of us no matter the personal sacrifice it means to him. He proves his love everyday, even when we are all feeling crappy and grumpy. We are so blessed to call him ours ❤❤❤
We have driven my mom crazy, quite literally FOREVER, because the girls and I are always barefoot. We only wear shoes when we HAVE TO. Like, you know, when we are actually going into the store or restaurant as opposed to drive-thru;). Don't get me wrong...we love to buy shoes and there's proof of that scattered all throughout our home...we are females, after all;).
Several years ago I ran across scientific proof that going barefoot is healthy and presented it to my mom. She just shook her head and I'm sure thought I was making it all up...but seriously, there really are health benefits from going barefoot :) I love that there is now a name given to this along with a true definition....it equals validation for us "barefooters".
See Mom, told ya I wasn't kidding. It really is SCIENCE:)
Well, I finished my annual rotation around the moon and the universe graciously plopped me right back down where I love to stay... right at 36;) Craig has now started referring to me as "Moonbeam, his Genesis 1 wife" :) That's why I love that man! He lets me sit right where I enjoy staying, even if I choose to do so forever ;) In all honesty, I really don't mind turning 50.... my entire childhood, my parents were told by all the doctors that I most likely wouldn't live to see this age because of the severity of my asthma and all the damage to my lungs, not to mention all the damage that a lifetime of prednisone will cause. But, being a classic redhead, and not liking to be told what I will and won't do... I set out to prove them all wrong :)
I'm not a big one to enjoy much fuss over birthdays, but this year was a milestone, so, a little fuss was in order. I had spent a few weeks trying to figure out what I wanted to do to celebrate. We tossed all sorts of ideas around. We thought about a trip somewhere, Craig offered a quilting retreat at Missouri Star Quilt Co....then I realized what I really wanted; the ability to have my own personal quilt retreat anytime I wanted...at home:)
Unfortunately Craig had to be in Colorado over my birthday, but the girls worked hard to make my day special. There was a lot of whispering and secret texting going on around here. Anytime I'd ask "what, where, who, why" I'd be reminded that it was too close to my birthday for me to be asking such questions. By Monday, I got news I didn't want....Craig's schedule was mixed up and instead of coming home late on my birthday like he'd planned, he wasn't going to be getting home for another couple of days. UGH! Well, the girls kicked things up to compensate.
The morning started out with brunch with my mom and the girls (sadly, Tess was working). Then a little shopping...nothing special, just some girl time and a few necessities. A quiet afternoon at home, then the girls told me that I had a mystery date picking me up around 5:30. Gotta be honest here, I was really hoping it was Craig, but they assured me it was NOT their dad. Shortly after 6 one of my dearest friends came to whisk my off to dinner. What a treat! Julie and I never have enough time to get together and visit as often as we'd like so this was a wonderful gift! She took me to my favorite restaurant, and we chatted over chips and salsa and amazing mexican food. After a couple hours, Tess joined us. I was confused at first but she quickly informed me that she was there to take me off of Julie's hands:) We visited for a bit longer then Tess and I headed off to coffee. It quickly became apparent that I wasn't allowed to go home and she was keeping me out until she got the all clear. That's ok because I was having a great time with my oldest daughter and enjoying some rare 1 on 1 time together. Shortly before 10:30 we were finally able to go home. Sarah, Gracie and Hannah had worked hard on birthday surprises. They decorated the house with balloons and chocolate kisses, had a cake made with patchwork quilts in each corned, and even went shopping for some gifts.
We were having fun giggling and opening gifts when the doorbell rang.....let's just stop right here. I don't care how old I am or how many rotations around the moon I've made, I've never outgrown my fear of the dark and I still believe in the boogey man. There was NO WAY I was opening that door after 11pm. Being the quick thinker she is, Tess convinced me that Logan had just texted her and it was him at the door. I hesitantly went to the door and opened it..... nobody was there. I mean, I looked and looked (without opening the storm door) and there was nobody there. (note to self....remember to get lightbulbs for the porch light;) I cracked the storm door open to look when I hear " HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" ACK!!!!!!!!!!!! I jumped out of my skin and back into the foyer! My heart was pounding and I was nearly in tears. My poor husband busted his behind to get home ON my birthday to surprise me! It was the best surprise EVER, wrapped in my biggest nightmare :) We will laugh about this for decades to come, I'm sure! My Birthday was complete... or so I thought.....
The next morning we woke to just a little snow and Craig told me he had cleared his day for us to go up to Omaha to tour Accuquilt. Remember how I said I'd finally figured out what I wanted for my birthday? I requested a cutting system to make quilting easier and faster :) Problem was, I was struggling to figure out which one I wanted. By going to their headquarters, I'd be able to see them all and even try them. We enjoyed lunch at Cracker Barrel and were warmly welcomed when we stepped into the front door of Accuquilt. Their offices are beautiful! Quilts hanging everywhere. Happy sigh. Pam, our tour guide, shared the story of how Accuquilt came to be then showed us into their Quilt showcase. A lovely room built to showcase a different quilt artist's work each month. Each quilt on display was made using their cutting system and it was so inspiring. From there we went into their Dream Studio. WOW! It was like Disneyland for quilters;) This company makes this room available for all their employees to enjoy creating in. They have the use of all the accuquilt cutting machines and every die made. Drool! I got to try the different machines and was so impressed with the fact that they easily and quickly cut up to 6 layers of fabric in a single pass. After that we marveled at the efficiency of their warehouse. We ended our tour back in the office, meeting the owner and CEO of the company. Very nice gentlemen who graciously came over to introduce themselves and welcome us. They even gave me a birthday card! WOW! Everyone there was so nice, wishing me happy birthday all the way throughout our tour. They handed me a "happy birthday" sign and we all took a picture under their logo :) That's when they told me about what my wonderful husband had pulled off for me and left me speechless, which if you know me well you know that is a rarity;)
I came to find out that Craig had taken things into his own hands while I was struggling to decide what I wanted to choose for my gift. He called them the day before, after hours, and was so persistent with their automated system that Pam had, on a fluke, answered his call. He had explained to her that it was my milestone birthday and he wanted to order my gift so that I could actually take it home and start playing instead of waiting for it to arrive in several days. I looked over to a large rolling shelving unit full of boxes as Pam was saying they were ALL MINE. WHAT????? NO WAY!!!! They were all so tickled to be a part of this surprise that they even gave me extra gifts beyond what Craig ordered. I seriously felt like Queen For The Day! We loaded the back of the sequoia and headed home. My amazing husband had gotten my my dream kit.... every foundation set so that I can make any quilt block my heart desires in 4 different sizes, along with an appliqué set. He also splurged even more and got me the electric cutter, knowing that with my fibromyalgia it can sometimes be painful to stand and cut quilt pieces out and cranking a hand crank machine would cause me pain in my shoulder and elbow on those days. Accuquilt gifted me with extra cutting mats, rotary cutters, rulers, a book, extra dies, and they even gave me a GO! Baby to take along to any classes or retreats I may go to. Seriously...I was blown away by it all. Within an hour of getting home and unpacking everything, I made my first block for Craig. We will frame it as a reminder of this amazing day :) It's a windmill block and the colors remind him of our farm life together.
So, if anyone is wondering what I plan to do with the second half of my life..... Quilt! I plan to enjoy quilting as much as I possibly can :)
As you can tell, my sweet family treated me very well as I celebrated this milestone. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday :)
