Stuff.

I feel like there are so many things that I want {need} to share. Quotes, scriptures, pictures, thoughts, and even a website or two.

Here goes...

{1}
I've spent some time the past few weeks re-reading through my journals of 2000 and 2001. Not sure what prompted me to do this... maybe it was when I cleared off my entire bookshelf and realized one whole shelf was filled with my journals.... anyway,
8 years sure does go by quickly, and WOW - A LOT has changed! My relationship with God continues to lead me in places I never thought I'd be, but after today's message at church, I am reminded that I am HERE, living in this community, married to my farmer/rancher, teaching 2nd grade, mothering 2 sweet boys for a reason.
I did a study with some wonderful women during the summer of 2000 and I'm thinking that I need to do it again. Such powerful stuff in Experiencing God.

"You cannot be in a relationship with Jesus and not be on a mission."

"God can do anything He wants with one person who believes Him and will obey Him."

"Be patient and faithful to the Lord. God will cause your small influence to have far reaching effects in His timing. Don't try to force change with your own strength. Trust God to do His work of bringing change through you."

{2}
I love quotes that stop me in my tracks, make me think about things in a new or different way, and make me appreciate life. Here are a few that are meaningful to me right now:

{Find direction in your life by looking where you want to go, not where you don't.}

{Learn something new. Emphasize the trying, not the succeeding.}

{Don't compare yourself to other people... compare yourself to Jesus.}

{God wants ALL I have! Not just what I want to give.}

{...God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.}

{Ever notice that it takes ten compliments to overcome one negative criticism? If one person said she/he didn't like your hair, it would take ten people saying they really liked your hair before you would feel good about it. So be careful what you say... especially about yourself.}

{3}
I've found that I {heart} t-shirts. White, black, green, blue, yellow, red... capped sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve t-shirts. I've had huge amounts of success shopping for great tops at Old Navy and Modbe, and my sister's closet (thank you, thank you, thank you Kirsten!!).
If you haven't checked out the cute clothes my friend Angela is selling, CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW! I have loved all 7 things I've purchased from this site and they will have new items next week! Whoo Hoo!

{4}
My husband owns a business that does custom baling of hay and straw for farmers around our region. We have 7 balers that have to keep moving while the weather is good. Keeping 7 balers moving isn't an easy task, and I've found that as I've started back into my "busy" season at school, my husband's busy season just keeps on coming. He leaves at 5 and is home at dark. We're both tired & there is barely time to eat, let alone "chat" about our days. This too shall pass... one day at a time (as Ronda would say), but I tell you what, it's HARD right now. I continue to pray for patience and rest as we move forward into fall. The cows will be home from the mountains soon & then another "busy" season begins.

{5}
My parents spent a few days with us. We napped, we picnicked, we swam (thank you Hawmans), we laughed. Thanks for coming mom & dad... we're all counting the days until our next visit!!

{6}
Encourage those around you. Send them a note. Call them and just say HI. Make them a treat. Send them a book (Thank you Amy!). Take time to visit. Pray for them faithfully. Show interest in their lives. Be REAL.

God is good. He continues to show Himself and His power in and through our lives. I'm so very thankful for His mercy and grace as I continue to press on and strive to be more like Him.

Have a GREAT week dear readers & know that you are loved.

Learned

Behaviors.

A manner of behaving or acting.

An action or reaction to any given circumstance.

How we conduct ourselves.

What we say.

How we walk.

Who we look to.

What we wear.

How we smile.

Behaviors.

We all have them. Some good. Some bad.

What we do when turmoil strikes.

How we react to circumstances life brings.

What we feel when something good happens.

Who we praise. Who we cry out to. Who we seek.

Behaviors.

They're not always clean.

In fact, they're dirty quite a bit of the time.

But one thing about it... they're us.

They define us.

They challenge us.

They mean we're alive.

Change.

Sometimes "change" is easier on some than others.

Back to work, back to the babysitter, back to school, back to earlier mornings, back to short evenings, back to bed earlier, back to more of a routine, back to seeing a lot less of my boys, back to somewhat controlled chaos, back to life as we know it.

Sometimes we cry.

Sometimes we call for help.

Sometimes we just stick out our lip as far is it will go.

And then sometimes, we just walk away.

Change. It's a good thing most of the time... but it isn't always easy.

I'm truly hoping and praying that the changes in your lives are going as well as our are {moment by moment, day by day} ... and that those changes that we can't avoid are happening with grace, peace, extra amounts of strength, and most importantly...
God's love!

Peace.

Do You Want To Take A Tour?

Here is my room.

My 2nd grade classroom in all its glory.

21 kids + an excited teacher + some great stories + and a raccoon or two =

a GREAT first day!

JOY

"If you are joyful, it will shine in your eyes and in your look, in your conversation and in your contentment. You will not be able to hide it because joy overflows."

May God give back to you all the love you have given and all the joy and peace you have sown around you all over the world.

~ In The Heart of the World - Thoughts, Stories, & Prayers

 by Mother Teresa

My mother is the true definition of joy.  

She radiates it from head to her toes.  

Her smile is contagious, her laughter is music to my ears, and the love she has for these three beautiful grandchildren of hers is evident to all!

Thank you mom for showing us what JOY really and truly is!

The Ideas In Our Heads...

Rule Our World! ~ Mac Bledsoe

I love that I'm a teacher.

I've never wanted to be anything else. (except maybe a stay-at-home-mom)
I enjoy going to work.
I like the people I work with.
I feel valued and important at the school I teach at.

I love that on inservice day each August for the past 11 years of my life I've been surrounded by 500+ others who love the world of education too.

Teachers, school bus drivers, custodians, assistants, counselors, principals, and school secretaries... people with passion for education.

Passion for learning.

Passion for teaching.

Passion for impacting the lives of the future.

As I sat in an auditorium full of co-workers & friends this morning, I couldn't help but feel "alive." The energy in the room was amazing to me. The excitement of the beginning of a new school year was contagious.

Each of the speakers did a fantastic job of reminding us why we're even in the profession of public education.

I proudly stood this morning as a past recipient of a Hermiston Education Foundation grant.

I cheered and applauded the new staff hired by our school district as they made their way to the stage as I once did 11 years ago.

I listened intently as the key-note speaker told his story. Stories of fellow educators, past students, his father's experiences in World War II, his son's success in the world of professional football. He was real. He was unedited, real, and true. He was passionate about sharing his successes and failures in education and in life with the employees of the Hermiston School District.
And at one point during the hour and a half presentation he gave, I found myself calmly walking to the front of the room and handing him the key he had dropped. He thanked me, and in return gave me a large stack of autographed trading cards signed by his son.

Mac Bledsoe met me this morning for the first time. He shook my hand, gave me a huge smile and said "well, Ian sure found himself a keeper." (I couldn't agree more) As I stood there visiting with him, he asked, "Will you help me with something today?"

"Sure, of course... anything," I replied.

I did. He put an idea in my head & I went with it. He told me he was going to drop a key and that I should pick it up and give it to him. And I now have several ( a class set for sure) Drew Bledsoe trading cards and can't hardly contain my excitement.

Tonight, as I sit here working on labels and lesson plan templates, and finish making my magnetic "Mrs. Murdock" information/contact cards for the 20+ students that will be arriving in my room Tuesday morning to take home and put on their fridge, I'm going to remember those things, those ideas, those insights that Mac Bledsoe shared today.

I'm a teacher.

I'm a teacher that has a great responsibility of making a difference in the lives of many.

I'm a teacher that is ready.

Ready to teach and ready to learn.

Ready to give those 20+ kids that will come through my door some GREAT ideas, some postive experiences, and a 2nd grade year that they'll never forget!!

** and I know for a fact, that when I read his book, the parenting of my two precious boys will be impacted as well!

Wordless Wednesday

Tomorrow... back to work... tomorrow.

Night Sky

As I was washing dishes and answering Mason's 156th "why?" of the day, my eye was drawn to this amazing sunset streaming through every window of the west side of the house this evening.



I grabbed my camera, and my curious boy, walked out into the driveway and just started clicking as fast as I could. There was no need for editing, no over-exposed/underexposed issues, no saturation increase necessary... just life.
Real, beautiful, amazing life.

Sunsets have always intrigued me, taken my breath away, and seem to offer me a calming peace at the end of a long, hot day.



What do those "take-your-breath-away" sunsets mean to you?

The Next Michael Phelps.

Well... maybe not, but hey, you never know. :)

As I've watched Michael Phelps do amazing things during the Olympics, I can't help but wonder what he was like as a child?

Did he do exactly what his swim instructor told him to do at age 3?
Did he ever have "freak-out moments" when he realized he couldn't touch?
Could he bob up and down, in and out of the water 10 times in a row without stopping?
Did he like to dive for the colored sticks and rings?
Was he sad when it was a "swimming lesson" day?

We're not all born Olympic stars.
We don't all have that natural talent and ability to exceed at everything we do.

But...

We all have potential.
We all have talents.
We all have the chance to be or do something unique.

Tonight, as I turned off the TV, I sat and stared at my oldest son in awe and wonder.

What will his future be like?
What will his passion be?
What will he do with the talent he possesses?
How will he react after achieving a lifetime goal?

Mason may not be Michael Phelps, but he will be a medal winner - somewhere, some time, some place... and I'm going to be that proud, proud mom cheering him on!!

Play Date {8.14.08}

Leslie & Morgan live near us now & it's great to have them in the same town.
It also makes it a lot easier to "meet up" and let the cousins play!
Yesterday - amongst a few of the items on my previous list - we took some time to enjoy the park near their house before it got too hot!

Mom, we're tired...

Picking berries, peaches & beans.

Birthday parties.

Hosting a luncheon.

Playing at the park.

Painting on a wall or two.

Socializing with my school staff.

Filling out paperwork.

Mowing the yard.

Rearranging my classroom 5 times.

Sorting stickers, pens & glue.

Picking up playing cards and building blocks 15 thousand times. {not really, but close}

Making a Costco run before school starts.

Folding laundry.

Taking pictures.

Paying bills.

Ironing school clothes.

Getting Modbe deliveries.

Backing up all my summer photos to my external hard drive, online storage and disks.

Swimming up a storm.

Sliding on the super slide.

Making lesson plan templates.

Filling out postcards to new students.

Riding bikes.

Changing pipe.

Fixing balers.

Making cookies.

Eating cookie dough.

Re-reading the books of I & II Corinthians.

Baling all night.

Walking.

Talking.

Eating free lunch at school 3 days in a row.

Napping.

Driving.

Shopping.

Surviving.

This week has been busy, overwhelming at times, HOT, tiring, & fun ... and as I sit here staring at the calendar, the future doesn't look much brighter. Oh the sun will be shining, and the temperatures will hit 100, but the rest, peace & calm will not be seen... not for quite some time.

Mom, we're tired...

When can you come?

{... little snaps}

Look Alikes

from Lord Bless My Child:

Lord, in this age of materialism, insatiable appetites, and pleasure run wild, we are so programmed to not be content. Help my child see the futility of pursuing things and sensations. Help my child understand that contentment comes not from great wealth but from fewer wants. Give my child an appetite for learning truth. And help me to demonstrate contentment in my own lifestyle.

"Things don't last. People do."

Week 2: Contentment

No Difference

Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We're all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We're all worth the same
When we turn off the light.

Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

{Shel Silverstein}

Putting this on my wall in my classroom today.

Hoping to share the truth behind it with my students in just a few short days.

May your week be blessed with beautiful moments ...

Happy 2nd Birthday TREY!!

My Cardboard Testimony

Renee Swope from Proverbs 31 Ministries continues to be an inspiration to me through her blog. A few weeks ago she posted about Cardboard Testimonies and I finally watched it last night. As I read each and every cardboard during the 8 minutes of the video (and wiped away tear after tear), I couldn't help but feel the emotion, pain & JOY that these people experienced in their life before and after Christ. What a testimony of His faithfulness and mercy when we choose to follow Him!

The big question that has pondered my mind ...What would my cardboard read today?

What will it read 10 years from now?

Watch this video - it's not a drama... it's real-life people standing before their church with God by their side letting the world know what God has the power to do!



Today - this Sunday morning in August of 2008 my cardboard would read:

lost, worldly, mentally abused, always comparing myself to others, insecure

and the flip side:

living in truth, walking in light, sharing my God-given gifts with the world, knowing and believing that I'm a beautifully and wonderfully made and I am HIS!

What would yours say?

I'd love to see/read the GREAT things God has done in all of your lives as well... so, leave a comment with your cardboard testimony and share your story with all of the readers of Bales & Tales!

Blessings friends ~ Peace.

Can You Believe...

that I wasn't even in the top 15 at our County Fair's "Prettiest Baby Contest?"

I know... shocking isn't it!?

I'm pretty shook up about it & the tears just won't stop.

I think it was rigged (and so does my mommy).

You'd vote for me ... wouldn't you?!

Watercolors

So even if I don't own the best photo editing software in today's "technologically enhanced world," my Photoshop Elements 4.0 (purchased 5+ years ago) seems to offer something new to learn daily ... and for the most part it's pretty easy to understand, although frustration can set in once in a while.

I used to dream of newest and latest version, but thanks to Pioneer Woman Photography I've realized my "cheap" version still has the capability of making magic!!

What do you think of these? (click on images to see them larger & as watercolors)