Rejoicing.

One of my faithful followers is dancing in Heaven today.

I'm missing her already.

Better is one day Aunt Hazel.

Better is one day.

Shhhh.....

If you're really, really quiet ...

you might hear something magical today.

you might hear someone singing praise today.

you might hear something whispering through the wind today.

you might hear someone crying out for help today.

you might hear someone rejoicing today.

you might hear someone praying today.

you might hear someone laughing today.

you might hear something growing today.

Yes.

If you're quiet and still ...

for just a moment  {in this day you've been given to live} ...

you might just hear Jesus.

Flat land.

I used to think that there wasn't anything {flat} about my life ... or at least I hoped there wasn't.

I was either climbing straight up with all the strength I could possibly muster up ... or I was hanging on for dear life as the ground seemed to be sliding right out from under me.

I knew challenge was good.

but ... I didn't want to sink into despair if/when I failed.

Yet ... somehow {flat} didn't seem like the answer.

That path that just stays solid, unchanging, and never winding or forking just didn't seem to be a part of what I knew as {life}.

Or was it ?? ...

I started writing down the multitudes of greatness in my life earlier this year and wouldn't you know it ... those areas, moments, and whispers from God suddenly seemed to be the {flatness} my life truly needed.

The flatness that has made the mountains a little less steep ... and the valleys a little less deep.

The flatness that has brought strength in its power to hold fast and firm to where it's planted.

The flatness that has provided mercy and grace and forgiveness.

The flatness that holds everything together.

The flatness that just is.

And as I read back through the previous {multitudes of much} in just this year alone ... I watch my life unfold ... and I see that flat isn't such a bad thing.

...............................

My friendship with Allison has been flat.

We've cruised through the past 30 years as friends.

Best of friends.

Friends that don't change.

Friends that climb mountains and sit in valleys together.

Friends that know when to talk and when to listen.

Friends that tell it like it is.

Friends that are everything you need right when you need it.
................................

Flat.

Doesn't sound like much of a word ... especially when you look up the definition.

Doesn't have that {pizazz} that it should.

Because flat ... well, it's way more than boring, and spiritless in my world.

Flat means you're there ... for the long haul.

.......................................

Meet Allison.

The friend I've had for almost 30 years ... and the friend I know is proud to be {flat} with me.

.............................



231. Pioneer Woman. {in real life}

232. an advocate for Eastern Oregon women in a long line.

233. sunshine. {it just does the body good}

234. rain. {so needed}

235. a train whistle coming up the canyon late at night.

236. memories shared, tears, and a life remembered.

237. tulips that just make the world brighter.

238. art projects and aliens ... there is nothing better than watching kids {create}.

239. tacos. I LOVE tacos. I could eat them every. single. day.

240. laundry done, floors mopped, and dinner ready to go.

241. worship.

242. dinner together, board games, cards and friends.

243. a garden of our very own.

244. a few more freckles and a little bit of a sunburn.

245. monster cookies.

246. a camera to capture time.

247. a 30+ year old rototiller that works.

248. serious conversations and opportunities on the horizon.

249. seasons.  what would life be like be without them??

......................................................

and the blessings continue ...... mine .... and yours!

Hello weekend!

We're glad you're here!!  So, so glad you're here.

......................................

Now ... to spend some time planting & preparing our very own garden.

An evening in April.

\

Ordinary, and so very beautiful.

Ordinary, and peaceful. {most of the time}

Ordinary, and so very extraordinary.

...........................................................

An average evening at the {Windy M}.

Both boys outside, and me following them around with my camera.

Yep.

Ordinary ... but extraordinary in every single way.

............................................................

Phillipians 2:14-16

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You'll be living proof that I didn't go to all this work for nothing.

shoes.

I guess you could say that I've been {that} mom for 5+ years now.

The one who doesn't buy the shoes that light up.

The one that sticks with plain t-shirts, stripes and plaid.

The one that doesn't buy clothes with TV characters or superheroes on them.

The one who likes basic over {fancy}.

Don't get me wrong ... there is nothing wrong with any of that stuff, I just don't have a strong urge to spend money on it.

Call me crazy. Go ahead.

Is there something wrong with me??

Probably.

............................................

Rewind to the day I left the shoes on the back of the car.

Picture me walking into Payless Shoes with a shoeless child.

{note ... I usually don't take my children shopping for clothing/shoes ... then, they're stuck with what I choose (plain) ... at least for now}

At 12:00 that day ... Mack thinks he's died and gone to heaven.

He stares at the rows of shoes ... looking as if  his eyes might pop out of his head.

He heads straight for the first aisle.

And then reaches for ...

Dora.

Dora?? WHAT??

Me: Mack ... they're pink.

Mack: Mommy ... Dora!! Look mommy, Dora!

Me: Look at these nice blue and white ones.

Mack: No mommy! Dora!

Me: Oh, look at these Mack! They're brown with orange. I love brown and orange.

Mack: Dora!

Me: Let's try the blue and white ones on ... I think they'll be perfect.

Mack: No.

Me: Come on. Please?! Just try them on for me.

Mack: Dora.

Me:  They're pink.

Mack: Dora.

Me: Buzz.

.............................

We left the store.

He now owns Buzz Lightyear shoes ... and yes, they light up.

And if you're reading this and you've purchased/given any of the above items {clothing with TV/movie characters or shoes that light up} that I mentioned I don't buy ... my children thank you.

.....................................

Yep. 

Life is better thanks to {Woody-Buzz}!  (as Mack refers to his new shoes)

PW ... in real life.

Yep ... the picture is for real.

Me ... meeting Pioneer Woman.

And at 10:50 last night, {4.19.2010} ... when she signed my cookbook ... all was right in the world.

And then I traveled the 3+ hours home.

....................................................

Believe it or not ... all is still right in the world.

I am just a little bit tired.

Just a little bit.

a box + a hill = FUN!

A day at Papa & Mor Mor's house.

Definitely a Saturday in April that won't be forgotten.

related to.

Not our lambs.

Not our amazing {fort}.

Not our zip line.

Not our yard.

But definitely {things} we're blessed to be {related} to!

.....................................

Thank you Brownings ... these are just a few more reasons to love you!! :)

Mason ... a.k.a. Maverick

{hey mom ... I look just like Maverick .... not Goose I don't think  .... just Maverick}

Life ... Shared.

Somehow it's Tuesday already.

How did that happen?

I'm suddenly surrounded with a sea of children that I can claim as {mine} for a few hours every day.

The Dr.'s office is calling.

The meeting is still happening.

The kids are ready to learn.

....................................

Another day has arrived and whether or not I'm ready for it, it's here.

The wind is blowing.

Mason's fever is down.

Mack won't get out of his jammies.

The cattle truck pulled out of our driveway early this morning.

And I'm tired.

....................................

My class is getting covered this afternoon.

My notes are complete for the meeting I have after the dr. appointment.

And my students just shared some of the funniest stories using the handful of words I gave them.

Some of the funniest stories I've read all year.

They're growing.

They're becoming those kids that know that they {know it}.

They're sharing their personalities and aren't too worried about what their friends will think.

Putting yourself out there isn't always easy.

And sometimes you catch yourself talking instead of just thinking ... a little too late.

But that is what life is about ...

Learning how to be the best you there is ... and sharing it with the world.

The good and the bad.

..........................

Sometimes I wonder what it is I'm sharing ... or who I'm specifically sharing with.

And then I stop.

All that matters is that I'm sharing life.

Nothing less.

Nothing more.

Just life.

Shared.

.........................................

And so ... the blessings I find in the ordinary continue.



212. egg salad sandwiches with colored eggs.

213. friendship. the amazing way life just seems better because of one word.

214. OREO cookies on sale.

215. birthdays.

216. hula hoops and a husband who isn't embarrased to swing his hips.

217. The Help. (powerful, soul-stirring, real)

218. a church nursery overflowing with children.

219. baby lambs.

220. letting go of fear ... and going for it.

221. prayer warriors. on their knees on behalf of others.

222. vocabulary lessons with 2nd graders.

223. a reflection that you're proud to call your own.

224. shoes that fit.

225. a smile that greets me every morning ... I love you Ian.

226. an almost empty table at MOPS and the opportunity to just visit quietly.

227. roses. {the flower that makes the world just that much more beautiful}

228. prescriptions.

229. Little Steps. Paint. Scissors. Stories. and friends.

230. scrapbooks. pictures. {remembering where you've been ... and how far you've come}

I got a feelin'.

You dropped your yogurt on the front porch.

It exploded.

I left home with your shoes on the back bumper.

I made it 10 miles before I realized that they were there.

At 7:13 this morning, the gas station attendant was totally impressed that one shoe was still on the back bumper.

I was thinking it would have been better to lose both.

At 8: 18 this morning, your dad called and said he found the other shoe by our mailbox.

I guess I am glad I made it 10 miles with one still on the back bumper.

.................................................

It's been a day ... and ... I got a feelin' ....

that today ... we're  both gonna to need some chocolate.

......................................

Thanks Bryn for the inspiration to make the most of today ...

neighborhoods.

........................

Our neighborhood.

Anything but ordinary.

Filled with rocks, dirt, grass, hay bales and sand.

Acres wide.

Bordered with barbed wire.

Shared with cows.

No traffic.

No play structures.

No sandbox.

No sidewalks.

No other kids.

...................................

Yesterday my boys played in a neighborhood.

A neighborhood filled with kids.

A neighborhood with paved places to ride bikes and scooters.

A neighborhood with traffic.

A place with parents calling out to their kids, and friends sharing their lives.

Playing with something besides dirt and cows …

I’m pretty sure it was about 45 minutes of an out-of-body experience for them.

And as I pulled away from the {fun} … I couldn’t help but wonder if my boys would ever wish for a {neighborhood}.

A place where you can run over to your friends house in a matter of seconds, not miles.

A place where houses, cars and people are everywhere you look, not fields, cows, and fence.

A place where toys are shared and relationships are made feet away from your front door.

And then I come home, turn on the computer, pull up a few pictures I took last month and say to myself … {nah! … I think they’re just fine}.

Watching storms roll over the hills, digging holes, climbing under barbed wire, and learning to ride a bike on dirt and gravel.

Those things are going to make Mason and Mack who they’re supposed to be.

..........................................

Sometimes it’s good to step outside of your life and experience something else for a minute or two.

Sometimes you wish for the life you see others living.

Sometimes you can't help but compare what you {know} to what you think you'd like to {know}.

And for those of you who find yourself marveling at what we have … come visit for a day … and then go home.

Home will look brighter than ever before.

Not perfect, but definitely where you’re supposed to be.

God knows what you need.

He knows where you’re supposed to be.

And He does ordinary things to remind you.

Like giving you an hour at a place that is {perfect} in almost every way ... and then reminding you how {perfect} the life He's given you is as soon as you pull in your driveway.

...........................

Take time to experience life outside of your own.

Enjoy it to the fullest.

And then remember to praise Him for what he has given you.

...........................

P.S.

Come visit our neighborhood - anytime - day or night … just look for the signs {blowing dust next 40 miles} and the barbed wire fences filled with tumble weeds.

You'll know you're there.