it ain't pretty.....

but right now i'm trying out a new blog.

it's public.

and i've been moving some of the project life/photos/craft posts over there.

but it's taking FORever!!!

SO.

it's not a purty blog.

but i just had to start somewhere.

so i started.

i hope you'll come and visit me. 

and say hi.

i think i'm back.

in a new, more reserved, way.

i don't know where it'll take me. or where i'm going.

but i'm there.

i didn't want to delete this blog. but it has first names. and last names. and beach vacation photos {ha!} and bathtub photos of our kids.... etc. etc.

and instead of going back through and editing, etc. i just started fresh.

new.

and next time i have those bathtub photos of my babies or whatnot i might post them here. i might not post them at all. but i'll let you know. :)

thanks for your patience. and support.

love you all.

over a month ago.....

we went to the plano balloon festival.

so fun. kind of chaotic, yes. but fun. it was beautiful weather which made it even more crowded!

so glad we got to go.... we hadn't been since b was a baby.

home.

 
so. we've moved.

we have all made the transition to our new house.

and, it has been a lovely one, albeit a tad chaotic and extremely QUICK.

our new house might be smaller and older than our old house, but let me tell you how the Lord has seemed to step into the role of Provider in our new house:

it is home.

already. and i can't really describe that since after two years in our old house, it just never seemed to quite 'fit' us. don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful house. we brought charlotte home in that house. we had christmas parties in that house. we had wonderful neighbors. a pool down the street. we were close to jeff's parents' house. we had space. too much space.

it was a great house.

but i never felt quite 'settled', if you will. and there was no reason for me not to feel that way, i just didn't.

and already, after two weeks in our new house, even with boxes still hanging around, nothing on the walls, no draperies hung, i already feel settled. there's something effortless and easy about this house. there is something wonderfully woven in this house to where it is home. to all of us. i don't know this is an attitude change on my part as to what's 'important' or the feeling that this house evokes, nevertheless it is so nice to feel home.

even this morning, on the way to school, b. told me, "mommy? i really like the new house. it's a nice home." *smile*.

the Lord has answered our prayers in a huge way when it comes to our kids. life has changed dramatically in the last two 1/2 months, but it hasn't seemed to affect brady or charlotte. praise God.

i am slowly adjusting to this new pace of life. the Lord has made it completely clear that I will need to seek Him DAILY to make it through this journey in one piece. and He's made it clear that seeking Him does not have to mean sitting down for thirty minutes with my bible. which i'm so thankful for.

sometimes i'm able to do that. and it's such a blessing.

but sometimes all i get to do is dwell on memorized scripture.
or sing praise songs in the car.
or pray.
or talk about Noah with brady. {his favorite bible story. of course it is.... }

i've broken out of the mold. i've been freed of what my walk with the Lord is supposed to look like. and it has been rejuvenating. i've stopped beating myself up when i don't have time to write in my prayer journal. or sit by myself.


and i'm thankful. 

so - onto the pictures!


i took the kids to the arboretum on monday with some friends. it was beautiful! the day started out foggy which actually was nice and cool, and then the sun came out as soon as we got there. yay!

the change.

so.

if you are a friend of mine of facebook - and let's be honest, since going private, if you're reading this you probably are.... then you know.

the change was 'revealed' last night. 

for all of social media to see.

and later on this week, it will be revealed for all of texas to see.

it's weird. definitely weird.

to see it all coming to life.

but, at the same time, totally refreshing. to hang it all out there for everyone to see. to be an open book. to stop talking about what's wrong with our country, our state, and start doing something about it.

yup. refreshing is the right word.

i've been dying to share with you. how this all came about. what my thoughts are. what the decision process was like. all the ins and outs to it.

and i will.

but today i'm going to soak my babies in. and our new home.

and try to still my heart. {before the rangers play, of course!}

God is faithful, y'all.

Oh. So. Faithful.

and although there is going to be a long road ahead for my precious family, the hubbs and i know that the Lord has called us to this journey.

and there is peace.

so today, i'm going to leave you with this song.

a precious hymmn that has comforted my soul in the past two months.

orange beach. and more of 'the change'.

this morning i woke up 'full'.

i guess a cup of pumpkin spice coffee will do that for you.

we've had a few "big ticket items" looming over us in regard to the change i spoke about last week.

one of those big ticket items is moving.

yup. we're moving. and it had to happen quickly.

and i was so sure that the Lord would make it happen in MY timing. but, as i was so clearly reminded with each passing day, with each yucky house after the next, His ways are higher than my ways... and His thought higher than my thoughts.

ugh.

i should tell you that i wasn't being picky. i wasn't. in fact, jeff & i had both settled on an unkept house {that could be super cute with a little money and a little love, i might add} because it was down the street from two of our best friends. and when i say that it was unkept... i mean an INCH of insulation in the attic. an overgrown back yard and front yard... a plastic yellow 'chandelier' in the kitchen with white clouds on it. all the interior doors had been 'touched up' with paint that was five shades different than what was actually on the door. {actually, it might have been a totally different color.}

but i was willing. so was jeff.

my criteria were safety & function. that was it. i'm serious.

and yes, i was a designer for four years before having brady... and yes, i like pretty things, but in this case... the Lord has been teaching me what's TRULY important.

and with the loudness and clarity of this call on our lives, i was willing to sacrifice 'pretty' for His plan.

anyway... this house fell through. on saturday evening. and it was... to be honest... confusing. i questioned the call on our lives. i didn't understand... i wasn't, i thought, being materialistic. i wasn't trying to get the nicest house out there... i wasn't. so why, would a house that had been on the market for 90 days suddenly be taken off - for no reason - as soon as we go for it?

like i said, His ways are higher than mine.

and boy, did He have a blessing in store for us.

so thankful to serve a God who's knowledge is Infinite.

anyway -------- onto a more blog-friendly topic.....

over a MONTH ago {that's how behind i am} we went to orange beach, alabama with jeff's family.

just in time for the tropical storm!!

we had a great time, though. it was a very very nice change of pace for us... staying in our jammies all day... eating like kings... and doing little bits of nothing all. day. long.

loved it.

when we were getting off of the plane, the pilots asked brady if he wanted to come and sit down with them. {the hubbs thought they were talking to him at first and got super excited.... then realized they were talking to brady....}

we made up fun games to play.

this was our version of 'minute to win it'.

another wave of the storm.... seriously. i can't imagine what HURRICANE force winds would be like.

it was opening weekend for college football. yay.

uncle bubba is a huge 'fighting irish' fan.

too bad he's had a rough start to the season....

that's all i have for today. maybe actual BEACH pictures tomorrow next week?

happy monday.

the change.

hi.

my name is becky.

and i used to blog.

wow.

have you ever been living your life, comfortable & 'happy'... minding your own business... when, seemingly out of nowhere, the Lord calls you to make a change? like, a radical, crazy change?

yup.

i hadn't either.

until about 8 weeks ago.

and it has rocked. my. world.

i'm not ready to share details yet, but i am excited about the day that i can let it all out.

and share about how the Lord has been working in our lives. our marriage. our family.

in the meantime, the change has been sucking all of the every-day-normalcy out of our life.

i used to blog.

i used to craft.

i used to {mostly} cook dinner.

i used to take pictures.

i used to keep up with project life. {sad, but true.}

but here's the thing...

this life is temporary. 

i LOVE all of those things.

love. them.

and i'm so sad that the change has caused me to put those on the back burner for now.

but i know that i'm making the better choice in following HIS will for our lives. HIS work is eternal, not the worldy {but fun} things that make me "happy".

i've found that, although it's been terribly hard.... frustrating - even - at times, being in the center of HIS will is the most uncomfortably comfortable place to be.

hard to explain? yes. even harder to live out? absolutely. but it's Truth.

have you heard of Jesus Calling by sarah young?

it's been my saving grace the past few weeks. short & sweet but packed with a message daily from the Lord directly to me.

one of my favorite excerpts, i sent to jeff just yesterday.

"When your energy fails you, do not look inward and lament the lack you find there. Look to Me and My sufficiency; rejoice in My radiant riches that are abundantly available to help you. Go gently through this day, leaning on Me and enjoying My Presence. Thank Me for your neediness, which is building trust-bonds between us. If you look back on your journey thus far, you can see that days of extreme weakness have been some of your most precious times."

love this. it was such a blessing to me yesterday morning. so thankful for a neighbor at the lake that gave these to a few of us on a visit recently.

"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." Ps 37:14

i've given myself permission to take some time 'off' during naps today to finally edit pictures of our vacation. yay! so hopefully i'll have those up tonight!

and project life? don't you worry that i WILL catch up. i've been saving all of my stuff in a box... and it will all be on a new blog. when? i don't know. but it WILL happen.

i realize that some of you may be 'lost' when i talk about a change in direction in our life. i promise it will all make sense soon. i will share as soon as i'm able.

and... i took the littles to the lake this weekend to visit with my grandparents.

it is so dry!

they have a beach!

but it was fun... trent & my dad fished... brady and georgia ran in and out of the water.... and georgia went swimming. on purpose! i couldn't believe it! we missed the hubbs terribly, but were glad that we could make it out there for a quick visit!

i'm here.

y'all.

life has taken a 180 degree turn for jeff & i in the last 7 weeks.... like only life does.

and i've been paralyzed! overwhelmed with all that has come to be on my 'to do' list. and all that is not getting crossed off.

but all the important things are together, right? family. health. sweet friends. 

so i try to keep it all in perspective. and that's why the blog has taken such a 'hit' lately. i have so much to say - and so many wonderful pictures to post - but that will have to wait. 

taking a backseat to my 'real life'. 

so....................

saturday before we went on vacation, we had a 'family' reunion at j's parents' house.

b. had fun playing the guitar and aunt 'neesie' had fun loving on lil' miss.

okay - so a while back, j's parents took b. to the circus. 

and he loved it.

and darlene dug out this old costume of jeff's from when he dressed as a lion tamer for a play in elementary school...

and this became b's 'high wire' costume...

here he is with mamaw - the maker of the lion tamer-turned high wire costume.

doing some tricks...

and here is doing the 'high wire'.... love it. he even sticks out his foot like he's trying to balance....

and his 'ta-da' at the end.... 

and just for fun - here's a picture of the hubbs in the costume for his play.  isn't he a cutie? 

and ps- i've always thought that b. favors me - but in this picutre, i think he looks SO much like his handsome daddy!

happy monday night {or tuesday morning}. 

love all of these new shows starting this week.

too bad that won't be helping my 'to do' list.