PEONIES

I love these flowers!

I have seen peonies all over blogland this week.  

They say "Look at me. Don't you just love my dress?"

But they are not stuck up about it.

They are just sweet and lovely.  

These girls were in my mother's yard and they begged me to take their picture.

TECHNICOLOR PRAYER

I believe in prayer.  I grew up in a Christian home, saying my prayers.  I am teaching my 4 children to pray.
I have prayed in gratitude, in confusion, in grief, in praise and in petition for others.
But recently I had an experience that took my prayer life from black and white to technicolor and I'm overwhelmed with the difference.   


In 16 years of marriage my husband and I have moved 9 times.  This has never bothered me other than the hassle of moving itself.  I have liked every place we have lived.  I'm grateful for the experiences we have had and the people we have met in all these places.  Each time I have said in prayer "OK God I'll go where you want me.  I trust you.  Help us do the right thing."


We have known for a year that we did not want to stay in our current location.  We had a picture of the life we wanted for our family and began to consider our options. This time we wanted to put down roots. 
We began to formulate a plan but were not very excited by it.  Then we decided that what we really wanted to do was return to Colorado, a place we loved. This was not the most reasonable or practical plan and we were not sure if it was even possible with my husband's job.  We decided to be cautiously optimistic and explore the idea.  

Then I took a walk with my dog one Saturday afternoon.
I could feel a growing excitement about the possibility of moving to Colorado but I didn't want to be disappointed.  It was beginning to feel like the only option that would satisfy me and that worried me.  While walking I began to pray that God would help us figure this out.  I began with my typical "God, whatever you think is best ..." prayer.  


Then I stopped. 


I looked up at the sky, and at the woods around me and the lake to my left and at the dog at my feet.  And I thought to myself  "What am I doing?!  God made all this.  My God can DO ANYTHING and he loves me.
Why can't I BOLDLY ask for what I want?"  

So I did.
I brazenly prayed and said "I want this God, and I know you can make it happen.  I get that we can't always have what we want but I am boldly asking you to get us where we want to be".


Then I walked home.  I felt peace and confidence.  Not that I could see the future and know that we would get our heart's desire but that I could boldly approach the Lord.  It was like I had been wearing blinders my whole life and all of a sudden I saw so much more.

There is more to tell.  But today I leave you with a cliffhanger.

Because the asking and not the answer is what changed me.

Come back next week.  It's going to be good!

"Ask and it will be given to you;  seek and you will find; knock and the door will be oped to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  

Which of you, when his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are man know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"  - Matthew 7:7-11

YELLOW SHOE PHOTOGRAPH

I'm wrapping up my life,

packing everything in boxes,

tucking the precious between layers of the everyday.

Boxes are beginning to accumulate in the hallway.  Things are being evaluated.  Do I really love this enough to move it across the country?  We have moved often enough that we are experts at clearing the clutter, packing efficiently and checking off the endless to do list involved in moving.


In preparing for our upcoming move I found some old slides and had them put on a disc.  To my surprise I found a delightful picture of my grandparents and myself.  Many of you have said you enjoyed the yellow shoe story so I thought you might like to put some faces to the story.

I love this photo.  It was 1972 and they look vibrant and happy.
(I still have that sailor dress and both my girls wore it when they were little.)

Sometimes you get a fresh start in life.

And sometimes when you are wrapping things up, you find some treasures.


I'm linking up to someplace new today.  A beautiful site that I have recently enjoyed visiting.
Check out what other treasures are found in the ordinary by visiting below.

WONDERFUL GIFTS

My schedule has had me away from my computer for a few weeks and I have missed creating my list each Monday.  It is a concrete way to count my blessings and occasionally adjust an attitude. We have been on the road and will be again next week.  The list goes on... 

194.  good weather and safe travels on a long road trip to Oklahoma
195.  that first, run to meet her in the parking lot,  greeting

196.  a birthday party with all the Oklahoma cousins

197.  letting the birthday boy pick his own lunch from the buffet  (banana, blue jello and black olives for the 1st course)

198.  showing my children icons of my hometown

199.  and fine dining

200. perfect peonies

201.  and rose gardens

202.  crepe paper olympic games

203.  chopstick lessons with Uncle Jonathan

204.  arriving home

205.  sleeping in your own bed

206.  getting to the bottom of the laundry basket

207.  then leaving again for another adventure with a list of its own

208.  closing on a new home

209.  knowing God's hand in our plans

210.  looking forward to the changes to come

Lots of Goodness to share!

If only I had more time!    Stay tuned... 

MONTREAL

Our Montreal trip was short and sweet.

My husband was there on business.  He called on Monday night and said "you have to come up".  So by Wednesday the kids and I were in the car, passports in hand, for a 1 night trip to "a real foreign country".  Only a 3 1/2 hour drive from our home in New Hampshire and we were in another world where they have different money, speak another language and have lots of old buildings - it was a thrill for a 4, 7 and 8 year old (and their mama!)

We were staying in the charming old town area with brick streets, beautiful architecture and outdoor cafes.

I love this sculpture tucked into a corner along one of the streets.

We arrived at 6 p.m. and went to dinner in a courtyard garden.  There was live jazz music, twinkle lights and French accents everywhere.  Of course for dinner we all had crepes.  Much to the shock and horror of my children, I ordered the rabbit crepe - just because I've never had rabbit before and was feeling daring in a foreign country and all.  It tasted like chicken.  But it was in a delicious mustard cream sauce with mushrooms and folded into a yummy crepe.

The next morning I was determined to find a bakery with croissants.  I assumed any place where French is spoken must have good pastries.  But alas, it was not to be!  I'm sure they are there somewhere but I could not find them  - so we had crepes!

A quick tour of the original Governor's Mansion and Gardens for an interesting overview of Quebec history, a peek into a few very chic shops and then off to a cupcake boutique that we had spotted the night before for lunch.  It wasn't croissants but it was a really fun experience.  I loved the decor as you will see by all the photos.

Decisions...decisions....   We ended up with Vanilla (because one girl could not resist the flower), Red Velvet (because the other girl can't resist multiple shades of red and pink in a single cupcake), Brownie Avalanche (because a 7 year old boy loves the idea of destruction and dessert together) and the Chocolate Orange because that is one of my favorite flavor combinations.

I almost didn't post this picture because it kinda looks like I'm making a rude gesture with my finger but I would never do that - especially in a cupcake store - and I wanted to show the cute decor.  See those chalkboard circles painted on the wall?  I love that.

Artwork on the walls also cute.  My talented and detail oriented 8 year old noticed that there were beads stuck in the wet paint for the glittery sprinkles on this cupcake.  We may have to buy a canvas and some fun colors this summer.
Final stop - a gorgeous old stationary shop.  Actually they call it a papeterie.  I love pens, papers, books and all the little notions you find in these places.  I wish I had taken a photo of this charming shop to share with you. Here I bought a souvenir.  A pen and some violet ink cartridges.

This may look like a pink plastic pen that you could buy at Staples but it isn't.

 It's a fountain pen which always feels like a luxury to write with.  Even if all you write is a grocery list!

It was a great trip - just a taste on Montreal that left us wanting more.  

TURBO BOOST

My kids love the Mario Brothers games.  We have even incorporated some of its lingo into our daily life.  It is desirable in the game to get turbo boost so you can go at super speed.  So when we are taking a walk with the dog my little ones will shout "turbo boost!" and off they go.  When we are in a hurry to get out the door I have resorted to speaking their language and announced "We need turbo boost or we will be late.  And there are no bonus points for late."

Turbo boost comes in handy.
There is also fly power.  My husband has that.  He is on the go for work, flying all over the country.

I've read so many great things about slowing down lately.  I have to make an effort to do so because I come from a long line of busy, on-the-go women.  I like getting things done.  I guess that's one of the reasons I love knitting, because I can sit and relax and I'm still accomplishing something.  So I work at slowing the pace.  I work at setting aside the list and playing with my children.  I work at finding quiet time to read my Bible and pray and be still.

However...
...this summer my entire family is on TURBO BOOST.  We are moving and of course typical for our family we are not doing it the easy way.
I'm sad to say my blog postings will be sparse.  We have super speed in our schedule and will be in and out of town for a while.  I don't have a laptop but I may be able to wrestle my husband to the ground for his while we are on the road.

Here is an overview of our crazy life.

March

After months of wondering where we go when our lease is up here, we finally decide to move back to Colorado because life is good there.  Tim stops in Denver for the weekend on his way home from California to look at houses and schools.    

April
-1 week trip to Florida to visit family (2 very long days each way)
-made an offer on a house
-crazy amounts of time spent chasing mortgage requirements and overnighting paperwork
-survived a big moving sale

day 2 of the Florida road trip

May
-spent a total of 6 days in the car to be in Oklahoma for Mother's Day and Jack's birthday
-while residents of the state of New Hampshire we closed on a house in Colorado while on a vacation in Oklahoma.  Correction - I was in Oklahoma.  By this time Tim was in Indiana for a trade show. It took some creativity and preplanning to pull that off!
-home for 4 days then off to meet Tim in Montreal for 1 night because the pull of a French speaking place that may have really good croissants is too great to resist and worth the 3 hour drive time.
-home for 1 week in which some serious packing must occur and dog must be neutered

the birthday boy in Oklahoma

June
-spend 1st week in New York with family
-3 weeks home to stuff belongings of 6 people and 16 years of marriage into boxes

July
-back to New York  to spend (DARE I SAY IT) some down time at the cabin for a few weeks
-back to New Hampshire to load the trucks and say farewell
-2000 mile road trip - 1 SUV, 2 moving trucks, 1 brother-in-law, a dog, and 5 children and possibly 2  senior citizens if Mema and Poppy decide to tag along.  Of course that would also increase the dog count by 1since they have a new puppy.

road trip style

August 1 - Move into our new home!

Then I do this...

RANDOM BIT #6

I probably shouldn't take pictures of my kids in their underwear but I was so impressed with his agility.

He perched like this and washed all the breakfast dishes.

MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day!

I have posted this before but it is one of my favorites

and perfect for today.

Enjoy your family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK

Jack turns 7 today!

Jack is my fun loving, daredevil

The snowboarder, jet skier, and Jedi Knight

The superhero

He has been funny since he was born

An infectious laugh

An enormous imagination

Constant motion

And a sweetheart

Here is a story that sums up my Jack.

This past December we took the kids to see The Nutcracker ballet.  This is not his thing but he donned a tie and shuffled off to the "girl show".  We could tell he was kinda enjoying it but when the nutcracker battles the mouse king all of a sudden this boy sits up in his chair, his eyes light up and the entire auditorium hears "ALL RIGHT!  A CANNON!!"  followed by a belly laugh.  It was priceless!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We head to Oklahoma in the morning.  We are not taking our surrey with the fringe on top.  But hopefully it will be a beautiful morning.  

There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as a elephant's eye, And it looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day! I got a beautiful feelin' Everything's goin' my way.

- from the movie

If you haven't watched it you should.
We will be be watching it in the car and I expect my children to know the lyrics by the time we get there.