I collect words.

I love reading. I love the written words that tell a great story. And I love the creative ways writers form words to make a clearer picture or a more beautiful or poignant statement.

Sometimes I have to reread phrases that make me smile. Other times I have to write them down. Phrases like, "companionable silence" or "runaway enthusiasms."

Sometimes I save an entire monologue. Last week, I scribbled this on the back of the closest water bill envelope:

"She glanced down at her shoes again, and they met her stare. Shoes are realists, she thought, and they seemed to be saying: 'No chance. Sorry, but no chance.' " Tears of the Giraffe

Anyone else collect words?

Waiting some more

Our 10 month anniversary of waiting has come and gone.

From what I can gather from our agency, they are holding off on making referrals until the baby's file is completely complete. Every form, letter, etc. must be ready before the child is matched with a family. This means a longer wait time for a referral but hopefully a shorter wait for a court date and a better chance of a successful court hearing.

This is good news, it just means we're still waiting.

She's Gone Country

As an east coast transplant, I'm still shocked every now and then when I realize my kids are born and bread Texans.

I had one of those shock moments this weekend when I took my daughter to Cavender's Boot City for her first pair of boots.

When she was younger, she wanted to be a Princess when she grew up. Then it was a Doctor, then a Princess Doctor. For a while now, she has had the dream of being a CowGirl. And I have no doubt it has more to do with the wardrobe than the duties associated with animal husbandry.

Still, I want to encourage her in her dreams, so after a trip to Costco, we stopped at Cavenders and picked out these puppies:

Rustic Stars

On our last Nature Walk, the kids and I picked up sticks for a little star project.





Really, this was just something to make together, with no intended purpose. Although now that we've started a little star collection, the ideas are flowing with uses for them and none of them have to do with the Blair Witch Project.



::Small Christmas Ornaments tied with red yarn; a star for the treetop;

::Hung from our porch with twinkling lights for a rustic outdoor chandelier or stuck in a planter with twinkling lights to make the season bright;

::Hung from the ceiling of the kids' cabin theme room;



You don't think my sweet little stars are cryptic, do you? I was going for "rustic."


I'm linking this up to Kimba's DIY Day & Kim's Get Your Craft On today!

3 ways to Reclaim a Day with Little Ones

Ever have one of those mornings when nothing seems to go right?

Juice gets spilled, a dish broken, maybe an accident on the way to the bathroom with a tike in training. By lunch you just want to crawl in bed and wish the messes would go away.

But they don't.

And neither do the little ones who likely made the messes. And they still need a present mom.

How do you reclaim a day like that?



When the weather is nice, or nice enough, we've found taking a walk, even if just around the block for a few minutes makes such a difference in everyone's outlook.

When the weather is not so permitting, a mid-day bath or shower can also be a miracle calmer for the fussiest tot or mom.

And possibly the best reclaimer we use is something we call Circle Time. I call the kids together for Circle Time and read a child devotional with them. They know the routine of it: a story, a question, a prayer and an activity. And they love this. It often makes a messy day worth it.

How do you reclaim messy days?

PS, for those of you who know me & Mr. Smarty in real life, I've added a few more IronMan pics!