Job Interview Morning

This morning, I'm thankful for...

• a husband who kisses me goodbye in the morning and says with a smile, "Knock, 'em dead today!"
• girls sleeping in from their all night read-a-thon (still wondering how long they made it!)
• that I actually got a good night's sleep last night
• a warm shower to wake up
• homemade zucchini bread for breakfast
• pay day (and Mike's amazing job for the past 17 years that provides for us!!) 
• two more etsy orders to ship out today! 
• remembering that I am not defined by my career, but by who I am in Christ, by how well I love. 
• the dreams that God has placed in my heart, that I can keep pursuing, - to write, to encourage...
• Hope. Thinking about opportunity this job offers for me to love kids and to coordinate resources that bring them hope, growth, and healing. 
• Opportunity today for me to decide if this is the right 'next chapter' to open in my life, and for them to decide if I'm the right person for the position. 
• waking up, another day to smile and enjoy! 

It's Camp Week!

This was the picture we snapped Sunday afternoon just before we drove away and left these two adorables at camp til Friday!! They look happy, don't they?

Well if you notice, sweet Sarah (in the pink) has her arm around her big sister.  I think this is her way of comforting her big sis.  Her big sis is super nervous in new and unknown situations. (Kinda like her momma!) I'm not actually sure she smiled for the half hour from when we got there until we were leaving. I'm actually surprised she smiled for this picture. She has a beautiful smile, so I'm glad she did!  And well Sarah, if you know her, she's always smiling her beautiful grin!

But even though she was nervous, timid, I know this will be a good experience for her.  I'm certain she will relax sometime on Monday, and have a great week at camp! (I mean how can you not with a pool, lake, float trips on river, cave exploring, horseback riding, crafts, a snack bar, chapel time and umm, no parents!) But it makes my momma heart ache for her wishing I could make it somehow easier for her in the beginning.

On the flip side, yes, I am doing a happy dance this week...you see, while I love them like crazy, and I spend tons of time with them, this momma needed a break!! A break from questions, from arguing, from whining, from intense attitudes, from setting boundaries, from reminding them to pick up, to do chores, to be kind, to treat others the way they want to be treated.

I love that my summers mean more time with them. Time for togetherness, time for completing our fun A to Z list. But, but emotionally these girls can wear me out! I know I need to take more breaks. We all need breaks from each other. I'm thankful we have one this week!!

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I'm linking up with Crystal Stine and others today at her Behind the Scenes Tuesday Linkups...

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. 

Couch Rebels

Five years ago, I wrote my memoir.  It's a story I wrote for my girls. It's part of their family history. It's a story of how tragedy changed and shaped my life, and thus theirs.  

Well, I had a few friends who were submitting stories to this book project...

http://causepub.com/couch-rebels/

What is the book about?

"Couch rebels are people who have been outside their comfort zones (whether voluntary or involuntary) and have allowed those experiences to change their lives. While the rest of society is imitating potatoes, couch rebels are learning, growing, and experiencing the incredible things life has to offer." 

If your story gets enough votes, and the editors like your story, then you will get published in the book (set to release next month!)! They give 50% of profits to a good cause, this time it's going to provide clean water for 45,000 people and to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

If my story is selected, I will get to share 20% of the profits with all the other authors! Added bonus!

So, I woke up at 4am in the morning Saturday, couldn't sleep, so I condensed my memoir into 900 words and submitted it. I almost didn't submit it -- fear of rejection, fear of being vulnerable, but I did!  I'd love for you to take a few moments and read it and vote for my story: A Mosaic Heart. 

Note, you know your vote has gone through when the vote icon changes from orange to grey. :)

Oh, and as long as your there, you should read my friend Mel's story too: A Moment of Love.

In the Middle of our A to Z Summer Fun

So we are deep in the middle of our A to Z Summer Fun List! This is our 4th year doing this in the summertime and we have a lot of fun with it!

I think P Day is one of my favorites every year. It's the one that's always the same: Pizza Picnic at the Park with Pop. We thought rain might spoil our day this week, but alas, it did not! Glad Mike works next door to Jordan Valley Park...just a pretty, replenishing park in the middle of the city! And the girls can play in the fountains too!

I did something new for O Day this year, and wasn't exactly sure what we'd do, but I kinda made it up as the day went along and it was really fun.  I called it Outer Space Day.  First, I found a new flower on my walk at the park in the morning, and guess what? It's called a Moon Flower...how perfect for Outer Space Day! Isn't it gorgeous?!

Then we tried our hand at making moon sand and moon dough.  Neither of them really turned out...but the girls spent a good hour just making a mess and having a great time! They even threw in volcano making! 

I had planned to get a space movie from the library -- Apollo 13 or Space Camp, but I had forgot to do this ahead of time.  Netflix had a Magic Schoolbus Space cartoon and surprisingly the girls were all over it! (Don't tell, but they've been watching Magic Schoolbus episodes all week now!)

We ended the day by spreading a blanket in the yard and watching the stars come out.  I LOVE the APP Star Walk.  It shows you which stars and planets you are looking at in the sky! Very fun.

I'm also looking forward to our Q Day which is next!! :)

Here's this year's A to Z list.

Arts & Crafts – Village Pottery

Bikes! Blog Entries!

Cozumel Scrapbooking

Daisy’s Day (homemade dog treats, extra walk, fetch)

Eat Chinese Lunch with Dad

Friendship Day (make fondant to play with?)

Games! Play board games together.

Hugs & Hope Day (bring Happiness to others)

Ice Cream Day (make homemade)

Jumping Day (Jump into pool, long jump)

Kitchen Fun

Lickity Split Day (make banana splits)

Memory Lane Day with Mom (watch family movies, look thru scrapbooks)

Neighbors

OuterSpace - Stay up late to look at stars, watch outerspace movie

Pizza at the Park with Pop

Quiet Day (visit Japanese Stroll Gardens – write/draw/read)

Race Day (funny races)

Sewing Project Day (pillows? Cross stitch?)

Take Tacos to Dad

Up, Up and Away (watch Mary Poppins & make/fly own kites)

Vote Day – Take a family vote on what we get to go do today

Water Day

X Marks the Spot Treasure Hunt

Yikes Day! Only 1 Day left – Let’s make this day a surprise!

Zoo Day (with Casellas?!)

#sweetsummertime #dontslipaway #makingmemories #enjoyingthejourney

Behind the Scenes: Drive-In Movies

Here's a  "Behind the Scenes" Tuesday Linkup, over at Crystal Stine's blog.

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. 

Just 20 minutes south of us is a Drive-In theater, and at only $7 a ticket, and always a double feature, it's a great deal. So, last week we decided to have a family night watching Monster's University, followed by The Lone Ranger. 

It's a tad crazy...you have to get in line early -- we got there at 6:40, gates open at 7:00 and the movie doesn't begin until 9:15 when the darkness overtakes the sky.  

See how cute they are waiting for the movies to begin? Soon, all four of us will be snuggled up in there together. (Thankfully we were experiencing below average temps in July! lower 80s is much better than upper 90s)

And I had this brilliant idea to bring our ice cream ball --  we hadn't used it yet this year and I thought it was the perfect thing to do while we wait. 

psst: More about ice cream making fun to appear on Thursday on the Good Stuff Guide. 

Looks fun, right? It was.  Except see that cutie on the right in the above picture? She didn't get to actually eat any of the ice cream.  And it kinda broke my momma heart. And kinda ruined a little bit of the fun memory I was trying to create.  

But you see consequences, are consequences. And sometimes being a parent means enforcing the consequences. Even if it's breaking your heart in the process.

You see she only ate poptarts for breakfast. And didn't drink her milk. 

She only ate cheez-its, cookies, half string cheese, and a few pieces of trail mix for lunch. Ignored her apples.

She did get a small milk-shake in the afternoon, after they took a core out of her finger at the dermatologist. 

For dinner, we had hot dogs. She refuses to eat hot dogs, so she always makes herself a sandwich, which is fine. But then she refused to eat her sandwich.  I warned her if she did not eat her sandwich, no snacks at the drive in, which included homemade icecream. 

Guess what, she didn't eat it. I told her she could put it in a sandwich bag and bring it along.  She forgot it. 

We told her she could spend her own money on something 'healthy' from snack bar.  They only had hot dogs and corn dogs. She said definitely no! 

So, in the end, no ice cream for her.  Sigh. Ugh.  

But she never wants to eat healthy. Ever. It's always a battle.  And I drew the line in the sand and we felt like we needed to stand behind it this time to hopefully teach her a bigger lesson.  But man, it hurt. 

(Oh, and I may or may not have let her at least lick the serving spoon. Is that bad? Is that good?)

And one more thing...shortly after we snapped the above photo...a storm rolled in. Glad we had an SUV to snuggle up in and not a pick-up truck, because the movie plays regardless of the weather. 

The girls and I made it through Monsters University, but we mostly slept (11pm-2am) through The Lone Ranger, but Mike said he enjoyed it. :) 

And one more tidbit...last time we went to the drive-in with the girls, two years ago...my same sweet daughter hid her hamburger (we grilled) in the car and pretended like she had eaten it.  Luckily we found it sooner than later! And also that same night, a storm rolled in then too!  

Maybe next time we go we'll have better luck with both the weather and the food!