Clearing the Cobwebs

It's my last day of my vacation week.  I've had a terrific, relaxing week at home. I finished enough cleaning and organizing to feel at ease with the house. My dining room is full of things to send off to Goodwill or to throw away. I have a long list of things I didn't get done but I'm just focusing on the tasks I did complete. Besides clearing the cobwebs,  I got to spend a little girl time with my sister in law who came and stayed with us. Kyle was off a few days so we got to spend some quality time. We also attended Guns & Hoses with my father in law.

Can you see where Kyle gets that handsome smile? (and his mischievous ways)

 I caught a cold half way through and spent one whole day in bed and on the couch feeling not so great. I'm glad I got that full day of rest, even if I did go through a whole box of tissues. The day I had my cold, I had plans to visit my family, so I decided to make the drive today instead. It turned out to be a great day riding 4 wheelers and catching up.

 My parents on the trail with us. Aren't they just the cutest?

 This is Achilles, my brother's dog. We take him with us on every trip.  He loves, loves, loves to run and swim through the backwaters.

 My brother and I. We are hoping to get more trail cleaned out and will try to camp out here this summer.

The blue sky against the wheat fields made for a beautiful day to ride. This is where I get my pretty face. :)

My darling little family minus my sister, who was working.

I'm so glad I was able to take vacation time to relax and gear up for summer. We get so wound up tight, busy, and float along through the weeks without taking time to just enjoy where we are in life. It's so important to take that time, even just a day and clear the cobwebs in our mind.  I'm happy to say I feel refreshed and ready to get back in the groove.

Spring Photo Shoot

I love our backyard. When we bought our house, I instantly started dreaming up all the parties I could host there. Bonfires, sledding parties, picnics, camp outs, and slip-n-slides, oh my. I love the view of the pond, It is adjacent to our neighbors back yards so it feels secluded and peaceful. 

     Last fall I decided to take our tri-pod out there and take some family photos in the backyard just for fun. We grabbed my great grandma's quilt, a hay bale, and the neighbor's pond made the perfect backdrop. 

We decided to continue the backyard photo fun in the winter when the snow was beautiful on the trees. This photo looks like it is photo shopped. I promise it isn't, because I barely know how to rotate a photo. 

This morning we were cleaning up the backyard from our bonfire party last night and the weather was so amazing. We took the opportunity to snap a few spring pictures. This backdrop is the north side opposite of the pond. I had hung some old windows in our trees for a fun party backdrop at the bonfire last night. Here is a group picture from the bonfire last night! We had an awesome time hanging with some of our favorite people. Good friends are a treasure. 

Since the windows were still out there this morning, I couldn't resist.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  

Now maybe I can update some of the empty photo frames that I have hanging on my wall. :)   Stay tuned for our summer backyard photos! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

        It seems impossible for me to eat a chocolate chip cookie without thinking of my mom. When I was growing up it was her go-to pick me up. Of course, my mom did retail therapy, phone chats with my grandma, and long nights working in her garden to clear her head. But there were times when only a made from scratch, fresh out of the oven, chocolate chip cookie would do. My siblings and I would find her in the kitchen with a towel on her shoulder, barefoot, singing along to oldies on the radio. We would go play and wait until she called us in to lick the dough from the beaters. My mom never measured slowly or precisely. She just scooped the measuring cup in and did her best guess. Who knows what a "dash or sprinkle" really is anyway, right?  My mom is a teacher by profession and our cooking lessons started at a young age. It was extra practice for fractions and reading as we were instructions on how to follow recipe directions. Through our kitchen time, we also learned how to be creative with substitutions because sometimes you assume you have chocolate chips only to find a leftover chocolate bunny from Easter is all you have in the pantry. 

       When I think of chocolate chip cookies, I don't think about the raw egg dough I got to eat, I think of the  forgiving mom who let us get a special treat even if we had been misbehaving that day. I don't think of the imperfect measurements or if it is made with chocolate chips or chunks, I think of how I was taught to be flexible, improvise, and use the resources on hand. I received valuable coaching during these flour-faced sessions, and I thank God for chocolate chip cookies. There are that sweet little reminder of my mom's love.                    

       

      I have only had a smart phone for 6 months. I have had people exclaim "Don't you just love it?!", or "Could you ever go back to your old phone?!" Well, I can honestly say that I could. I love my smart phone, I love using it for pictures and to check my social media. I do. But, I find that checking my phone has become a quick addiction. I look at it while I'm in line at the bathroom at church, I check it during dinner dates with my husband, I look at it at long red lights when I'm driving. It's distracting. How can I invest in the people I love and the people in my community if I don't even see them? I don't want to be remembered as always being distracted or that I didn't value those around me. I want to be remembered by my love and for investing and pouring into the lives of my friends and family. I want them to see "chocolate chip cookies" and thank God for giving us that relationship. 

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25

P.S. I must add that I was making a new strawberry cake while writing this post, and I just looked over at an ingredient that I forgot to put it. So I don't think strawberry cake is going to be "my thing" like my mom and chocolate chip cookies. Better stick to what mom taught me. :)