Summertime Fun and Little Glimpses

Good thing I switched to being an "award free" blog because I think the only award I'd qualify for anymore would be the "Really Inconsistent Blogger"... or some other sad, sad thing. I don't mean to be. There was that time way back when, when I actually blogged daily about all matter of primitives, life, and pretty little thing. But then came the long pregnancy lull, then the baby, then the grandbaby.  Not only is my life a bit upside down right now, but in the midst of all the delightful chaos, my artistic focus is changing. For a while, I fought it. I had my feet stuck in a particular artistic community, and thought I would be betraying some unseen force in the universe if I followed my heart's content. Crazy, huh? But that's a whole other post.
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My husband  and I are continuing to work on some joint artisitc endeavors which I'm excited about. But at the moment, a lot is on the back burner while we try to enjoy every single fleeting moment of summertime with our children. It's been quite a challenge being fulltime caregivers for our grandbaby while making sure our own children enjoy every possible adventure. But we've been blessed with some super wonderful angels who are endlessly patient, and always loving of their niece and baby brother. Speaking of baby brother... Our little Jacob is such the cat's meow... the apple of our eye.... the heart of our family.... ya, you get the picture. He's just got every one of us from his dad, to his littlest big sister wrapped around his finger. He's unbelievably smart, and totally mischievous, and I can't stand to be any distance away from him where I can't smell his baby perfection. Ok, ok... enough... I know. But let me just say...
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When I discovered (or feared) I was pregnant at the age of 43, on enbrel injections for severe arthritis, and with a foreclosure notice lingering.... I was anything but happy. I was pretty distraught in fact. I thought God, Himself, had lost His mind because surely HE knew I could not handle another baby at this point. But guess what? I could. And I could handle the very unexpected news 2 months later that our 21 year old daughter was pregnant. 2009 was one of the most challenging years of my life. And 2010 has not exactly been a walk in the park. But never before was I ever so aware of the truth in the scripture that "God knows our needs before we do". He knew my heart better than I did. He knew I would NEED this little boy, LOVE this little boy, DELIGHT in this little boy beyond any dream. I prayed for every one of my other children, and was so blessed by them. But this little "unexpected" treasure is the greatest gift of my life. I am so glad God knew my heart so well, and so glad that I trusted in Him and His will for my life. I find myself often singing the words from The Sound Of Music, "Somewhere in my youth and childhood, I must have done something good". I just cannot believe that I get to mother these kiddos, and love their daddy.

This was Bekah's 5th Birthday party. A "Tea Party" themed day fit for a princess. Her sweet friends gathered with us and we had a day full of pink, glitter, roasted marshmallows, and handheld sparklers in the dark. It was a really fun day, and the rain held off!!! Yeah!!!

This was one of her favorite gifts. Pink and Sparkley, of course!

Last week, we hiked into Purgatory Chasm with Caleb's cubscout pack. It was so much fun and the kids cannot wait to go back.

 I've been waiting to edit these pictures to make nice posts. That's one reason I've fallen behind on blogging. Then I realized this is the reason I fall behind and plum ol' miss out on a lot of things in my life. I'm waiting to make something perfect before moving ahead. I have a vision, and want to attain that rather than settle. But then by the time I get around to it, the subject is no longer relevent. (you should see the awesome unedited Christmas photos I have stored up.... LOL).  I have posted in the past about how my perfectionism and my disorganization clash with a passion in my life. The result is usually paralyzing, emotionally, and physically.
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 And so... I decided "golly-gee-wilderbeast", it's time to let go of my perfect vision and just enjoy the ride while I'm here. I've got too many kiddos hanging off my elbows while I'm trying to type to worry about typos, alignments, and perfectly edited pictures. Maybe someday I can get back to that kind of blogging and creating, but at the moment, it's just the raw me. Better to show up at the party in a dress from the closet than to stay home cause you can't afford a new dress, right? Well, I hope so anyway.
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So, here I am at the party, sharing the goings on of my summer with the sweeties. We just went camping with our church group this past weekend. OMG! Too much fun. Can't wait to go back. My kids have inherited their dad's love of pine trees, lakes, campfires, and singing nonstop. (have I ever mentioned that I cannot carry a tune in a bucket?) Other than showering and Etsy, I didn't miss too much out there in the woods. Of course, it didn't hurt that two of my bestest friends were out in the woods with us :) I will share pictures as soon as I download them.... unedited most likely :)
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And I am working on my "Story Telling" painting with little glimpses. Love her class and her spirit!!! There's a link on my sidebar to her ning workshops. Check it out.