Giveaway!

Heidi over at Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers is giving away a copy of her fantastic book!! Hop on over and check it out!

If anyone out there is a lousy housekeeper (like me) I highly suggest you get this book and read it!!

My first daffodil of the year!!

I look forward to these flowers all year long! They are my all time favorites. I even had them shipped in from Holland out of season so that I could have a bouquet of them at my wedding. I love them. This is the first bloom to pop open in my yard, and I couldn't resist bringing it in to enjoy it a little more closely! It's just what I need on a dreary day like today to bring some sunshine into my house!!

Spring.....

only 18 more days until my most favorite season officially starts. I'm counting down. These little guys popped up weekend before last when we has some 60ish degree days. I have no idea what they are, and they've never bloomed here before, but I'm very thankful for the birdie that planted them for me. They make me feel so happy when I walk out of my front door. A tiny peek of spring. My daffodils are still green shoots, but I'm waiting patiently for them to bloom. And! My peonies are beautiful right now! I love them.

Spring feels so different for me this year. The baby is the big reason of course, but how appropriate that I end my favorite season with the best example of new growth? I'm starting to have bits of being frantic about her upcoming arrival. I think mostly because I have more to plan around this time. Macie has never spent a night away from me, and while I know that she'll do fine, the thought of being away from her over night makes me a little panicy. Also, this time, knowing that we're having a girl is putting more pressure on me for a name for some reason. She'll have a name eventually.

I'm going to try and keep up better with my blog.....I know I've said that a million times, but the season is changing, and my mood is picking up, so maybe I'll have some better inspiration. Those (2) of you who read here, try and hold me accountable!!

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!!

it's raining, it's pouring...

i'm actually really enjoying the rain today. I have a fire in the fireplace, a cup of coffee in my hand, and Macie is napping! it's nice to have a slow day now and again......and I'm so excited that our naps are fixed. Macie went nearly 2 weeks without a real nap......that was an adventure to say the least! I think that I fixed it though....(thanks, Cookie!) i'm pretty sure that due to our nightweaning and trying to cut back/limit daytime nursings she went on a nap strike. she would go to sleep fine, but as soon as we layed down if i moved at all, she was awake and not happy for the rest of the day. so since tuesday I haven't been limiting her nursing as much, and she's back to her normal 2 hour naps!! yay! she just wasn't ready to wean, and that was her way of letting me know it. and thankfully i had a friend who nurses her babies for a long time too, to help clue me in!

Macie's vocabulary is really taking off.......yesterday she told me very clearly "it's cold in here!" and after dinner last night, she told bobby "i need to go to the bathroom." (potty training time, here we come!). she didn't go to the bathroom, but that's beside the point! I can't wait for the holidays this year with her......she's going to enjoy everything so much now that she's big enough to know what's going on! I've got to get on planning her birthday party, too. it's only 7 weeks away.......it's unbelievable! this time 2 years ago, i was huge, and finding it hard to believe that it was possible that i would be pregnant for 2 more months!

we were visited by a fairy last week!  we got macie some wings when we went to the renaissance festival a couple of weekend ago, and i thought i'd take advantage of the few remaining flowers i have around the yard and get some fun pictures!  

macie has really begun to bloom lately.  she's not quite as bashful, or as nervous about being without me anymore.  for the past month, she's been staying (and enjoying) in the church nursery!  that hasn't happened......ever, and i really needed it!  i was totally feeling the effects of not getting to hear or participate at church!  we either didn't go, or i ended up staying in the nursery with her for the entire time.  I did commit to serve in the toddler room permanently at the 11 o'clock service, so we've been getting up and going to the 9:30 service, and that's been wonderful!  not only do i get to enjoy a church service, but macie gets a few hours of play time with some other kids!  she's becoming much more social with our friends, too.  she's gotten comfortable enough with them, i guess!  it's refreshing to see her opening up!  

new!

so, it looks a little different here now!  I wanted to have a little bit of a focus and a theme here!  Our ginormous oak tree is loaded down with acorns this year, and Macie and I have become mildly obsessed!  We go acorn collecting whenever we go outside.  I've never really thought about them before, but it is truly a miracle that something so small can grow to be such an enormous tree.  Which got me thinking even further about trees and God and us.   God starts us as a tiny seed and grows us into people....it's amazing.  Of course, nothing can grow without nourishment, so that is now my main goal, to nurture and nourish Macie in to the "tree" that she will someday become.  The verse that is now posted at the top of my page says it all about why we should be so focused on God.  Imagine these huge trees that are rooted so deep where they stand that they never thirst for anything, and never worry about the storms or droughts that will come.  

God has been really working in me lately to prioritize His way, and to be the woman that He has called me to be......to live biblically......I am to fear God, be a helpmate to Bobby, and to nurture my children.  The more I try to learn about how I should be living, the more excited I get about how it will affect our lives, and glorify God.

school school school

so, i've been on the hunt to find the best fit for us and learning.  I think that Macie's ready to start having a little structured "school" time each day, and I've tried hard to think of what i want to incorporate.  Thank goodness for blogs, though........so far it seems to be the best way to find "real life" information and experiences.  I've read several sites on several different methods (montessori, waldorf, charlotte mason, etc.) while I like some of the ideas that montessori and waldorf have, I'm not so crazy about the forced independence that comes with it.  I happen to like that Macie wants me to be involved with her........and I want to have a Christian/God base to what we do, so I think that Charlotte Mason may be our way!  It's got the nature focus that I love about montessori and waldorf, but It's founded in Christianity, which is crucial in my opinion.  

I've also done some good toy purging lately.  I've donated a lot of "junk" toys, put away our loud toys for rainy/bad days, and really set everything up to focus on our classic, quality toys.  I want Macie to learn how to imagine and play, not for her toys to play for her.  It's hard now, when your only options in toy stores are plastic, battery operated headaches in boxed that require absolutely no imagination on the child's part.  She's just now starting to show more of an interest in books, so I'm really trying to encourage this........it may be a little selfish, but I want her to love reading as much as I always have!

We went to the zoo last week, and Macie had a great time.  I didn't take any pictures of her, though.....i'm so terrible.  I got a few pictures of some of the animals, and bobby took some pretty good video, so as soon as he gets that all loaded I'll get the video posted up here.  She loved the monkeys and the birds......there was an area that you could walk through and feed Lorry's (sp?), she thought it was great.  The birds land on you and eat out of your hand.  She's been talking about the birds and mommy since we went!  

bringin' it back on the road

I know i've said this in every post, but from here on out, I'm commited!  I'm going to make sure I update at least twice a week!  That's big talk, I know, but I really  want a place where everyone can keep up to date on macie's comings and goings!  

She's getting so hilarious now, and it blows my mind how smart she is.  I've recently decided to start setting up our home preschool......she's too eager to try new things to not get going with it!  I've been super inspired by several Montessori mama blogs, so I'm really thinking we'll lean that way.  I think it will fit us really well.....she's really independent already, so if I can further cultivate that and let her learn, then fantastic!  

19 months is a fun but difficult age..........her personality is really blossoming now......i get glimpses of what kind of girl she'll be every day.  She's got such a mix of me and bobby.......she's wild and loud and outgoing, but such a homebody too.  and too many kids totally overwhelm her.  she gets that from bobby.......

an entire year (plus a month!) has passed since i became a mommy, and as i write that, it's still unbelievable! i love every minute of it......even the difficult ones, and there's are many! right now, at this very moment, she's trying to eat a crayon......yeesh! I'm going to try to start keeping this up for my family and friends, as a way for everyone to keep up with macie as she grows. we have lots of videos but no time to make them into movies that we can send out, so the least i can do is try and upload some pictures at least once a week with a little update!!

she's a walking fool now, and loves to climb the stairs, so our baby gates are being put to good use! she's also picking up some sign language, which is great! bobby and i are really trying to at least get her the basics so that she can tell us what she wants before the has the words for it. She loves the baby signing time videos, so that makes it easy for her, and us to learn together.

i'm going to send this address out to everyone, so keep on me to update!! I'll do my best!!!!

 
boy oh boy, has it been a long time! down below is what i looked like about 15 months ago, and to my left is what I'm dealing with now! she's a mess! Macie's first birthday is less than a week away, and I can hardly believe it! Motherhood has been a constant adventure, and I'm loving every minute of it! I don't really guess there's an effective way to catch up with the last year of my life, so there's really not much use in trying. It's been so amazing being her mother....there aren't enough words to say how blessed I am to have her! She gets better every day....and funnier, too!