oh, life.....

this year has been such a whirlwind.......but, i suppose we all have those seasons of life. The past few months have been difficult for us. On October 11, we lost Bobby's Mamaw Shirley to ovarian cancer. She is sorely missed, but we are comforted by the fact that she knew the Lord, and is now fully healed! She was diagnosed with Scleroderma in her twenties and only given 3 years to live, then. She was a fighter, and you would have never known by her attitude and spirit that she was in pain for most of her life....even at the end. She was a beautiful woman, and I feel blessed to have known her for the 9 years that I did. I hope that Macie will be able to hold on to a few memories of her.

You must not know 'bout me...

So, I guess I have to start being more careful about what radio station I have it on. Macie NEVER pays attention to the radio, or rather, to what song is playing. She's normally in her own little world, so if I have the radio on, it usually just on one of the generic "listen at work" stations, because I figure they'll have less risk of cursing and questionable songs. Yesterday, while I was putting away laundry, I turned the radio on for background noise, and that Beyonce' song came on. I don't even know the name, but the lyrics say "you must not know 'bout me." Macie immediately started singing it......I guess it made an impression on her, lol! She's been a singing fool lately......now I just have to make sure she's hearing good music! Beyonce' is not really the type of music that normally gets played in our house, and while it's funny, I'm not sure I want my 2 year old singing her songs!

socks, sunshine, and sweet tea

Naptime is a wonderful thing at the Jones house. I know that a lot of moms take that time to catch up from the day, but more often than not, I try to take that time to refresh and relax. Tuesday, I did just that. Macie was sleeping, and I turned my bluegrass way up, gathered my supplies and headed outside.


I worked on the mate to my long finished first sock, and got some sun on my ghostly white legs. It was a beautiful thing! It's so much easier for me to make it through my afternoons when I've had that little bit of time to wind down and not have to tend to the needs of anyone other than myself for an hour or so. I think Macie and mommy are both happier for me not wearing myself out cleaning during naptime. I'm refreshed and ready for an afternoon of play when she wakes up, and I have more patience for teaching her how to unload the dishwasher or sweep the floor when she wants to help me with a "job"!

Yes, naptime, it's a wonderful thing!

sunday afternoons

We had a wonderful, relaxing Sunday afternoon at home today.....which never happens! Macie and Bobby laid down for a nap, and I took that opportunity to spend some time outside and relax. I gathered my supplies, coffee, knitting, Bible, and antique rocking chair. Could life get any better?
I sat on my porch, and enjoyed a beautiful, grey afternoon. God's creation is so amazing.......as I sat, coffee in hand, I had a wonderful time listening to my yard. The soft whisper of the leaves in the breeze, cicadas in the trees, birds singing, and squirrels fussing......I am so blessed!
We love our little house.....once you step into our yard, it's easy to forget that we're right on main street in our busy little town. Hidden back from the road and surrounded by trees, we get a taste of our mountain home, that makes this feel even more like our home here in the city.
I had a great time of reflection and special prayer time for dear friends, and just totally enjoyed some quiet time, and got lots of inspiration from sitting on my little porch. It's days like this that totally renew me.......the Lord knew I needed this day. Once Macie and Bobby woke up, we all went for a bike ride, and had a great time........God is so good to me!

outside voice

Any mom of toddlers has surely had the "inside voice/outside voice" discussion many, many times. At least, I sure do! Macie is very talkative, and just generally likes to exercise her vocal cords. The only time she's completely quiet is when she's asleep. But anyway, she decided the other day to give her outside voice a good wearing out. She really just yelled like this for a long time......just running around the yard......yelling......to no one.....except, maybe, Dan....the cat.

Wordless Wednesday

it's been a long time! 3 months!!!! we've been busy these past 3 months. nothing in particular, really, just lots and lots of stuff........visiting family, saying goodbye to loved ones, saying hello to new ones, gardening, living, and loving life!

we took a trip to mississippi in may to see my aunt ruth before she passed away. it was a sad trip, but i'm so thankful that i got to see her one last time, even if she didn't get to "see" me. i know she knew that we were there. we did get to spend some good time with my dad, even though it was a short and busy trip. he and macie had a big time playing in the garden, and just having fun!

macie is now almost 30 months old. i can hardly believe that i have a 2 and half year old! where has the time gone? it's amazing how quickly she's changed in the past few months. she is no longer a baby.........but a little girl. it's amazing to watch her grow up and learn! she's started to really use her imagination, and is getting into pretend play, which i just love!! i love listening to her talk to herself and her toys, and find out just how she sees the world around her. her dolls mostly recreate our days........i'm not sure that's always that's great.......hahaha! today she told me that her dolls were fussing.......then she told them "that's enough!" I guess i say that more than i realize!

it's been a soup kind of day. yesterday was, too.....that's when i made the soup, but i made enough to enjoy for a couple of days!

we've had a pretty laid back march so far, and i'm hopeful that this attitude will carry on through the rest of the year.

Macie has been such a blessing.....she is just growing and learning so much! every day she amazes us with something new. She's started saying her own bedtime prayers, and in addition to praying for our friends and family, she's been thanking God for things like marshmallows, turtles, Yo Gabba Gabba, etc...........you know? the important things in life! She loves church, and is always excited to go to her sunday school classes, and takes charge when she's there! we've got a little bossy britches with her. she's definetly a leader!

sorry for my absence......

sorry i've been away so long! christmas took a lot out of us, and then with macie's birthday right on top of it, it makes the recovery take a lot longer! we also had a bit of a roller coaster january......on the 10th, I found out that I was pregnant. we were all so excited! I sent out an email with a picture of macie holding a sign that said "i'm going to be a big sister!" I was sicker with this one than i was with macie and super tired, but all was going well. On the 26th, though, all was not well.......I ended up miscarrying. It was a shock, and it was hard for us all, but overall, we're doing well. It's all in God's hands, so I'm trying not to stress!

I promise that i'll be catching up, and being more dedicated here! Thanks for sticking with me!

tut, tut, it looks like rain!

it's so nasty outside today.......i don't even want to go outside to do laundry....bleh. I've been totally slack here, but the holidays had us so busy that i couldn't even think straight! Bobby had almost 2 weeks off for christmas and new years/macie's birthday, so this week has been an adjustment for all of us!

there's not much to update on...macie turned 2, which is HUGE, but we didn't do much due to weather and sicknesses. She got to pick out what kind of cake she wanted, and all we heard about for days was her birthday cake! or her "beetday cake" She of course wanted a confetti cake with sprinkles! Christmas was fantastic this year, and santa was too good to all of us! Macie got a kitchen built by her Poppy, and she's been cooking up a storm ever since! I'll be sure to come back and do a post about it to show pictures!

Bobby got me a Wii Fit, and I've been using it like crazy! It's super fun, and really does give you a great workout! it's pretty entertaining to watch, too! Macie wants me to do "woga" all day, and if not that, then she wants "mama hoo hoop!"

We've been blessed with another new year, and I hope to make this one as good as possible, with the Lord's help, of course! I'm not making any resolutions, but i'm going to try setting some goals for myself. My main one is to spend more time with God. It's the most important relationship I have, yet it always seems to be the one i devote the least time to. I pray that this will change!!