Wordless Wednesday: Wide Open Spaces

Feeling the need for some space...

Somewhere between here and there...

My parents' home in Louisiana

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Without spiritual preparation...

Man oh man. It just feels like one of those days, weeks, months when everything speeds by in a whirl. I can't seem to get my bearings on the new week before it's gone and I'm trying to start all over. I feel like things are due for a serious overhaul.

How different, when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon one!
--George Mueller

With all that has been going on with family (James' dad was in a bike accident and broke his hip, James was rear-ended, ElfGirl, etc...) I have kind of been in high adrenaline mode for the last few months. It feels like the time for simplifying and meditating and devotion is upon us.
Perhaps with the advent of this new season, I will be able to keep up with blogging more. Some of my favorite blogs have gone unread for the last few weeks while I keep my head above the water. I know you all have been busy planting and sewing and generally being brilliant. Hope to be back in circulation before too long.
Do I have pictures for you!

More pictures of the newest niece...

Isn't she a cutie? Thanks to Tracy for sending me some pictures of her. I know she's checking the blog again...so here's a picture of your little darlin'. Loooove that hairbow!

More on what we've been doing at BrightHaven...

Seeds started in the greenhouse the first of March. They seem to be a bit sluggish.
Sewing sweet little baby shoes for my sister Micah and her husband Drew's new little girl. Micah says she's big enough to be having twins so she is expecting another one is hiding in there!!
Taking photos of the last of the cool weather crops. Today's high will be 76 degrees fahrenheit.
Lettuce mix raised from our own saved seed.
James' project is to re-brick the back pathway, using salvaged brick from an old Pensacola convent.
And that, friends, is why we haven't been blogging all that much. Tune in later today or tonight for the Saturday BookAway. You have until I post today's bookaway to get signed up for last week's.

Why we'll homeschool...someday

I can't imagine losing any precious moments.

Many thanks to all...

You all are such an encouragement and a blessing. Thank you for your kind emails, comments and prayers. I always appreciate hearing from my blogger friends. Now, for the even better news:

MawMaw is doing wonderfully! Here's what happened: her blood pressure dropped to an indiscernable level, she stopped breathing and no heartbeat could be found. My aunt and uncle were with her at the time. At some point, she was revived. This is where the story begins to get hazy: my parents received a phone call that she was passed away. My mother did not handle it well at all. My sister called me in Florida to let us know. We immediately began making arrangements to leave the next day, informing my sister that we would be on our way as soon as possible.

At 3 p.m., we received another call from my sister. Ummm...MawMaw's not dead. Good news but a little mind-bending, right? We continued with our plans to head to Louisiana anyway. When we got to the hospital, the only one expecting us was MawMaw. No one else got the message that we were coming and they all thought she was delusional. Gee.

But, she was sitting up eating and talking and so seems to be doing much better. I'm so very happy to have such good news to report. Thanks again.

Wordless Wednesday Eggs

Eggs, originally uploaded by bekados.

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What do you suppose James is holding in his hand? Hint: we're in the swamp!

A Bit of a Shock

We received a call this morning that my MawMaw had passed away. She is a beautiful little dark-eyed Cajun lady that I always see smiling and laughing. About an hour and a half later, we received another call saying that she wasn't gone after all and had been resuscitated at the hospital(?) at home(?), we're not sure which. We are still speeding out to see her as soon as we possibly can. You know, two phone calls like that can really mess with a person's constitution. Please be praying for Joyce Bryant and the rest of our family.

The picture is from our wedding three years ago. MawMaw is in the white suit on the left of the photo, right beside me.

Wordless Wednesday # New Orleans

Originally taken, January 2007

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Don't forget to check out the new Book-Away. I'll be taking names for the drawing until I post the next one.

Good News Sunday

Great news!! Kinsey Michelle is here. Weighing in at a whopping 6 lbs and 9 oz...what a pretty girl...This is niece number five, folks.

Tracy Who???

This woman is one of my sisters-in-law. She is 8 months pregnant, about to have her sweet little girl any day and yet she finds time to read my blog faithfully.


Here's to you, Tracy!

She's very shy about people seeing her picture. Everyone, let her know you think she's beautiful!!

Kellie Coffey Song--I Would Die for That

This video may or may not make you sob...

The signs held by these women are so heartbreakingly true. I find myself wanting a child more and more with each new niece I meet. I can tell you that it is such a struggle...

Elf Girl and the Princess

These two girls just make me giggle! Notice the matching hats, scarves and mittens: courtesy of Mee-Maw. They had lots of fun playing on the "playground" at my parents' home. Thanksgiving was such a lovely day in central Louisiana!

Logging in Central Louisiana

Here's a short video of my father's mad pine tree harvesting skills. James is the fearless videographer whose voice you will hear toward the end of the video. What you are seeing in this video is footage of my dad "delimbing" young pine trees. If you live in a highly forested area, you have probably seen logging trucks with limbless pines. This is how it happens! Keep in mind, these trees are approximately 5-10 years old. Tree harvesting (logging) is stewarding an easily renewable product.

Gratitude--letting others know that you appreciate them

After two days of running at high speed (the weekends are busy times for us at BrightHaven), the little ElfGirl seems to be winding down. Who knew that three-year olds need more than five hours of sleep at night? Allright, allright, no throwing of stones or calling child protective services. I read your blogs too, you know!

So, anyway, she had the sniffles earlier this evening, accompanied by unbidden tears, fever and coughing. I was concerned and we had to postpone our trip to night service. She was miserable. Eventually, I realized as I was praying for her that she was mostly just sad--but sad ElfGirl is almost as miserable as sick ElfGirl!

At one point, I was holding her in my arms and rubbing her back when it occurred to me how grateful I am for every second we can spend with her. When Marshall died, I regretted the chances we won't have to kiss her and hold her and ride bikes with her. Some days, the list just seems endless! Each opportunity with ElfGirl is a moment that I greatly appreciate. Our family and friends are so precious. It's so hard sometimes to really just be in the moment--not thinking about 10 minutes ago or ten minutes from now or what else should be done.

Sometimes, the most important thing I can do is hold an ElfGirl and rub her back.

Elf Girl in Aunt Becca's Kitchen!

It's so marvelous to see this little girl bloom when she is given responsibility. She goes from anxious to accomplished at lightning speed. She was in charge of stirring and adding non messy ingredients. For three, the little elf did a great job, if I say so myself!

Aunt Becca's Cowboy Cookies for Kids

This recipe is simplified so that little ones (and big, distracted ones) can remember the ingredients more easily!

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg

blend first three ingredients with pastry blender--perfect size for little hands!! Add remaining ingredients. At some point, you will have to take over because mixture will become too stiff or you can dump dough onto a waxed sheet and continue process by hand.

1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Roll one tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on greased cookie sheet. These cookies don't flatten out much so you can place them kind of close together! Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Born at the Right Time: a song for Marshall

For some reason, this song makes me think of my little niece Marshall. This version is performed by a high school. Even though the sound and video quality are a little off, the voices are impeccable. Hope you enjoy watching.

a different walk...

Since Marshall's death, so many things seem different. Some things are more important and others have completely faded from the radar. I feel more mature, more well-rounded. I still struggle with anxiety and selfishness but I can feel their hold slipping. It's a neat feeling. I was walking through a crowd of people yesterday and didn't feel so conspicuous. It was like I was even walking differently. Have any of you ever experienced anything like this? It's such a liberating experience.

Those two weeks with my family were really hard. I think we all learned things about ourselves. We learned things about spiritual battles and faith and disappointment and grieving. Some things are impossible to put into words but my spirit knows there is a new deposit of...something.

in the country...

When was the last time you saw a firefly? For those of you who live in the country, you may say you saw one tonight. I always forget about fireflies until I visit my family in the summertime. There are still for real fireflies flitting about in the back country of Louisiana. And, I caught one of them! Of course, it was a catch and release kind of situation, but I was thrilled nonetheless. The firefly stayed on my finger long enough to blink at me and then she was gone again. What a nice experience!

A few nights later, I had an altogether different insect experience. I was standing in the front yard of my sister T's little house when a bug flew directly into my mouth. Why was my mouth even open? I wasn't talking to anyone. I wasn't eating or singing. For some reason, my mouth was open and the unknown flying insect took the opportunity to fly inside. I coughed the rest of the night and the next morning. I seriously thought the bug was trying to crawl out of my mouth. I believed I could feel its little legs scratching on my throat. It wasn't a nice experience. You know what makes it even better? The lovebugs are in full force around these parts. That means I got two for the excitement of one. Why swallow only one flying critter when two will do just as well?

Yum...

with the Munchkin in East Texas

Park outside of small town, east Texas
sad face outside of antique shop in antique capital of east Texas
Just my size!
They were almost of identical height.