Dear Dad,

When are you coming home?
I've been trying to take charge of things around here, but I don't think mom likes that one bit. Yesterday she made this pumpkin pie thing and then wouldn't even let me have a bite. I cried and stomped my feet a bit, but that just made things worse. She said it was delicious and she'd make another one just for us... but for some reason I didn't believe her and cried even more. Please come home so she'll make one again... please.
I'm trying to help - really I am - but I guess when I thought I was washing dishes last night, it really was just making a HUGE mess and somehow water got EVERYWHERE.
Mom has had something to do every single night.
On Monday, I played at church while mom was at a meeting.
On Tuesday, I got to see my cousins at school, and I ate hot dogs and read books with Aunt Bryn and Uncle Josh. Mommy took pictures. I only spilled the red juice they had there 3 times - isn't that GREAT!
Yesterday, mom had to go back to school to work on some things and I met a couple of new friends there. Mom says they can't be my friends anymore. I guess they taught me a bad word, and I've never seen her so mad when she found me "screaming" it from behind the basketball court wall on the playground. We had to leave right then.
My Gator is plugged in and charged, but I still haven't had a chance to ride it since Sunday. Mommy keeps telling me that I can ride it tomorrow, but I guess I don't know when tomorrow is.
I miss Jack and Jill.
I want to play in the tractor.
I want you to come home dad.
Today we have to get up really early to go to Deb's house because mommy has a dentist appointment at 7:00. I want to go with her, but she keeps saying "no, not this time."
I think we get to just be at home today after school ... or at least I hope so. Mom said we'd get to be here when it wasn't dark. Oh how I hope she's right.

I love you dad. I hope you're having fun with Karl riding horses. Next time, take me too!

Love, Mason

P.S. I go to school today and learn about Jesus, and paint, and glue, and play, and sing, and sit by Cidney.

NILLA® Crust Pumpkin Pie

{from KraftFoods.com}

Prep Time:15 min Total Time:2 hr 15 min Makes:8 servings

What You Need:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
NILLA® Crumb Crust

Make It:
BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Gradually add milk, beating after each addition until well blended. And dry pudding mix, pumpkin and spice; beat on low speed 1 min. or until well blended. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the whipped topping.

SPOON into crust.

REFRIGERATE at least 2 hours or until set. Top with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping. Garnish with a light sprinkling of additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired. Cut into 8 slices to serve. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

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

I made this early this morning ... and I can't wait to try it today after school at our staff social. Not only is there going to be some great food, but I'm hoping it will give us a chance to just {be}.

~ We're constantly doing what's best for kids.
~ We're consistently making extra efforts to make our school the best it can be.
~ We're continually just giving a quick "hello" when we pass in our school breeze-way.
~We're continuing to hold some of the best "family reading nights" in town ... there was an AWESOME turnout last night!

~We need some time to enjoy {being}!

and so ... I'm bringing this dessert, and if I'm the only one that shows up at this social we're having, I'm pretty sure I'm just going to eat the whole thing myself!

A Package.

Almost 3 weeks ago I spent the morning with one of my favorite families. A family that embraced me about 6 years ago when I married Ian. They are truly a gift & when they asked me to take their pictures, I jumped at the chance. Just getting to spend the morning with them was worth every ounce of nervousness I had about doing a decent job at {capturing} them.

Today, after another long work day, a very, very long wait at the Safeway pharmacy, dinner at the park, a wonderful MOPS meeting/gathering, a great visit with my friend Jodi & my new friend Andrea, and a 12 minute drive home, I pulled in my dark driveway at 8:40 totally and completely exhausted.

*side note*
{Ian has been and is continuing to gather our cows & calves in the mountains all week and there just doesn't seem to be enough of "me" to go around. }

Anyway, enough of my "pity party" ... I unloaded the car, carried my sleeping boys into the house, put them in bed {with their clothes on}, checked the message machine, and went back out to the car to get my camera. And then, I saw it. A package in a John Deere box addressed to me. Hmmm. Did I order some parts and forget?

This box was completely full of {treasure}. Treasure that had been hand packed with love and appreciation. A perfect, and very fitting box that held Peanut M&M's, John Deere tractors, frosting, sugar cookie mix, sprinkles, cookie cutters, windsocks, stickers, pumpkin sippy cups, a fire engine, a beautiful note & a stack of pictures of me with my boys taking pictures as I was taking pictures.
The {treasure} had arrived from this beautiful family I was blessed enough to take pictures of 3 weeks ago. How did they know I needed the box today? Well, somehow, someway, they did & man, oh man - what a gift it was & is!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

I'm freckled.

I'm loved.

I'm blessed.

God is so very, very good!!

... and I praise Him that in my weakness, in my lowest points, in my frustrations, in my tears, in my humanness ... HE IS STRONG!

This Adventure We're On

There are times when it seems as if we give our everything to "our everything." Our kids, our spouse, our job, our God, our friends, our family, our neighbors... and at some point we find that all of that energy, love, time, and commitment we've given has paid off.

I've been reading a book this weekend that came to me in the mail from MOPS. It's titled {finding yourself in daily adventure}. The chapters are short, and due to the amount of pressure in my head, and my watery/itchy eyes, I haven't read much, but what I have read has been so eye opening and thought provoking.

The book states:

"Wife. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Moms wear a lot of different hats and fulfill a multitude of roles in any given day. As we shift from personality to personality, it can be hard to remember who we really are - at our core. Life changes us, but despite any maturation, wisdom, perspective we might gain, our core remains the same. The personhood we were born with stays with us our whole lives through. Our deepest desires, passions, traits seek outlet as much as ever, even if they are buried deep beneath a mothering exterior."

and then later:

"Who we are serves as a map to guide our journey as adults. Each task and accomplishment bears the unique fingerprint of our soul. We discover a role only we can fill, an adventure only we can live. That's when we truly soar and make the most influential impact on this world. We might very well be our husband's wife, our children's mother, and our parents' daughter. But we're first, undeniably, our self."


I have several friends who are amazing women, mothers, teachers, wives, sisters, daughters, friends. They go about life, wearing many hats, and somehow manage {by the grace of God} to make their passions and dreams become reality. Each one is different. What they do, how they look, what they say, how they feel ... and the adventure they're on is unique to them.

Honestly, I feel totally and completely blessed that I get to be a part {even if it is small} on so many different adventures! I get to cheer them on, I get to help them along the way, I get to watch with pride as their passion continues to guide them on this road of life.

Today, I opened an email & then my igoogle and couldn't help but smile. Finally! After sending an email to the author of this blog two different times {Blogs of Photogs} they finally featured her!!

Go to the link above & then visit HERE and give her a big WHOO HOO!
God continues to use her and bless her in many, many ways ... and lucky for many of us, we get to cheer her on!

so... what did YOU eat for breakfast??

{Psalm 34:8}
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to Him.

The Future Tiger Woods & Annika Sorenstam

We've been reading about athletes this week in 2nd grade.

We've written about our favorite sports.

One of our books was about Nancy Lopez. She is a legendary golfer that I used to dream of being. My 2nd graders have absolutely no clue who she is/was, but they do have an appreciation for golf, especially after today.

I was a golfer. I guess I still am. Just a bit "rusty."

When I was a junior in high school {long, long ago... like 15 years ago} I placed 3rd at the State Tournament.

At the end of my senior year our team placed 1st and I placed 6th individually.

I was dedicated.

I loved to practice - especially when I was having a "good" day. The rest of the team would be in the suburban ready to go, and I'd still be putting. I wouldn't quit on the bad days.

I didn't like to lose.

I really liked to win.

I guess you could say I was competitive. I'm pretty sure I still am.

I coached the high school golf team when I moved to this community I now call home & truly enjoyed it (minus the high-school girl drama every once in a while ... right Tiff :)) It was fun to share one of my passions with others and help them enjoy this game that I loved.

I haven't played more than one or two rounds a year since marrying my rancher/farmer, but today, when I pulled out my 7 iron and grabbed a handful of whiffle balls, I was 17 again. This game that seemed to define me just a few years ago, was back ... and in the eyes of these seven and eight year olds, I was a professional. Oh, if they only knew what a professional really looks like.

My reading group (12 today) became little Tiger Woods' and Annika Sorenstams ... and in their world - for about 15 minutes, they were the stars!!

A treasure for today.

After spending at least 20 minutes sorting through old email/junk email/email that should have been deleted months ago, I found one from my father-in-law with no subject ... but it did have this attachment.

He took this {treasure} at the Annual Cattleman's Picnic this past Father's Day ... and even though it was from months ago, it's a treasure for me today.

Thank you George.