Love, Joy, Smiles, PICTURES!

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.” ~Thomas Merton

This beautiful quote was one I heard on Criminal Minds...bazaar, right? I love the meaning of these words. Life takes us on the most amazing journey. The bends in the road, every joy, each fallen tear, every dream lost or fulfilled, are all given meaning by the ones we share these moments with. Here are some pics of the ones who bring love and joy to my life and a smile to my face...

 I love these pictures and the people they hold inside. They are all in my heart. (I am desperately in need of pics with Steph and my sis in law Lindsay!)

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What a Week! (Work, Gossip, & Best Friends)

What a week. I am sure we all say that every now and then. I would venture to say that teachers and educators might use that phrase more than others. When I say, "If you only knew what goes on in the span of a school day", I wish I had some way of really making you understand that phrase too. All I can say is that the teachers in your children's lives work so hard every day. They spend more time with your children than their own, and love them all. I am proud to be part of education, because if you put aside the government politics and the blame game, the bottom line is that I make a difference in the lives of children. I get to teach them how to read. I can help them smile when they've had a bad morning at home. I can help them realize their potential. What more of a reward could I ask for in a job?

Moving away from the work topic...How do you all handle people that are nice to you in person but completely turn on you (with words) to others? I am aware of a couple of people in my life that I thought were friends or at least close acquaintances, that have had some pretty mean things to say about me. I sure would appreciate anyone that has a concern with me to bring it to my attention rather than spreading gossip. Lord knows, we all slip up in the area of gossip, and I don't exempt myself from it. However, to make opinionated, false statements and even bring up my job & kids....come on. If you watch Good Luck, Charlie, think of the "Mama Bear" episode, and that would be me. Ha ha. Don't mess with my kids! In this case, I will not do the drama thing and I am just going to let it go; which is not easy if you know me and my Gallops temper! I can forgive, but will never forget. Have any of you faced things like this? What are your thoughts?


On a lighter, happier note, I got to see my best friend do what she does best, or at least one of the things she does best...SING and perform in 9 to 5 at the Springer. I am so thankful for the friend God gave me all those years ago as a frizzy haired fourth grader. She has been with me through the absolute best and worst of times and I love her dearly. She has a wonderful, sweet family and though we don't get to hang out as often as I'd like, every time we do it's like we were never apart! Here we are this past Christmas.

I hope everyone has a great work week. In between work, dance, football, and other mom stuff, I hope I can get in a good run or two. All of you doing boot camp, crossfit, and other great programs...I am envious!  ;-)

Love Always,

Dancing, Laughing, Celebrating...

We celebrated our sweet Emma Grace's 7th birthday Friday and Saturday. She had been planning and looking forward to her first girls' sleepover for weeks. The day arrived and my house was filled with 10 giggly girls ready to party the night away. I didn't need much to entertain them. As soon as the music played, dancing took over the night. They had dance offs, played freeze dance, made a hip hop circle, and even had the energy to play Just Dance on the Wii. The smiles and laughs heard over the night were worth every moment of planning. One little one said, "This is the best night ever!" That made my night. I don't think Emma will ever forget this birthday. To everyone who came and helped celebrate, I can't thank you enough. She had an absolutely wonderful time! Here are a few glimpses of the night...

And...poor big brother...!

Overwhelmed

Tonight/This Morning/Whatever Time It Is…

I am overwhelmed. When did my baby grow up? I am the mother of a middle schooler, which sounds CrAzY to me! There are so many things that are different about him. He is not as "in to" school as he used to be. Homework time is torture time, for Cole and for me. The past two nights, we have been up late battling it out, to the point where we BOTH cried sobbed. This is definitely uncharted territory. Yikes!  I am busier than ever with work ,where more and more gets added to my agenda. Not to mention that my position probably won’t be funded next year. Yep, the ailing economy impacts special intervention programs too. Between work, kids and Emma Grace's dance classes, most days I feel accomplished if we get homework done and lunches made for the next day.

My house is far from spotless and I am not getting enough sleep. I am alone quite often because I am married to a fireman who heads to the woods every chance he gets. I have no time to maintain friendships and suffer from pretty intense anxiety.

Sometimes, I beat myself up comparing myself with friends who seem to have it all together...at least according to their Facebook, Instagram, or Blog page. I find myself thinking "If only I could be like... then I would be a great... mom... wife...teacher... volunteer". I hope I am not the only one who does this.

I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but it is so hard not to. I reflect on 2^nd Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This verse helps me realize that in Jesus I am already covered and seen as perfect…forever. I mess up every.single.day. In my mess, I know I need His covering. So, I don’t have to cover up my junk. I have arguments with my 11 year old, I have laundry piles bigger than the baskets hold, I get upset with my hubby more than I should, and my kids fight waaaaaaaaay too much. There is little to zero time to clean, and I have basically given up on working out. That’s just to name a few.

On a positive note, Emma Grace will be 7 years old on September 13, and I am planning an awesome dance themed sleepover for her that weekend. Cole is excited about being a part of Ignite, the middle school group at church. Being a mom is the most amazing, painful, emotional, and beautiful thing I have ever done. I just hope I am ready for the road ahead…

I want to be real, and I want to be transparent. Hope you all don’t mind me pouring my heart out just a little bit…maybe it will help me sleep better. 

There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. ~Richard Sibbes

See...told ya!

Summer Mini Remodel

Summer is a great time of year for a teacher. To those of you thinking we teachers have it made....check back with me in September when the school year is in full gear, I am losing pay to furlough days, working late, and having to spend my $$$ to stock my classroom with materials because we get NO money for that.....yeah, lets talk then....

Back to my original point. Summer is a blessing that comes with my job. I have this time at home with my kids that allows us to just have fun. This summer has been a blast! At the end of the school year, EG wrote me a persuasive letter as to why she should get to remodel her room. Yep, my kindergartner wrote this....and mommy was impressed. Props to her fabulous kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Griffis. EG learned so much. So, with that letter in hand, I agreed. I mean come on, she agreed not to fight over the remote people!

In the beginning, she said she wanted black and green, and maybe purple. Here is where I think um....Halloween??? But, I trusted my gal and off we went to Lowes, and several thrift stores. Here are the results...

Before EG was born, we bought her a nice, very expensive set of furniture...Baby's Dream, large hutch, crib, & dresser. It was supposed to be this wonderful investment....crib changed to toddler bed, & into full sized bed. Little did we know she would beat it, carve it with a pencil, and draw peace signs on it with a Sharpie. Yep she did all those things and more...So, we are proud we saved it and were able to refinish it to remain in use. We went with an aged/antique look with the green under the black. Four coats of paint and a coat of lacquer later, with some sanding in between, we were done with the furniture. We are still looking for the perfect knobs and a few other finishing touches. I am proud to say that my hubby made her curtains. Everything looks great. Guess my girl does have taste! Anyways, advice to those of you purchasing furniture for your new additions...chances are they will use it as a canvas, or a drum set, and many other objects which you didn't imagine, so be prepared!

To my teacher friends, I hope you are all having a FUN summer and enjoy these last few weeks at home with your families. I am just praying I can get back to the beach one more time...

TV Free Summer Days

Hi Friends.

I shamefully admit, since Emma Grace was born, we have NOT had professional family pictures taken. I am such a slacker mom...ugh! Hopefully when she's old enough, she will forgive me. People warned me about this...the "second child" missing pictures. I have tons of unprofessional snapshots of her childhood, but the pretty, polished ones aren't there. That is, until now! Oh my goodness....what a fun and rewarding experience. We owe so much to the fabulous Jenna Allen. She did an amazing job capturing candid moments on a sunny afternoon for us. I cannot even describe how happy this makes me. Just seeing those adorable images of my kiddos has made my summer. Here are a couple of them with credits due to Jenna...please check out her website! www.jkaphotography.com

I have proclaimed to my kids that TV is off limits during the day for the summer. Some of you might think I am crazy...I think so too! The Disney Channel is great. Who doesn't love a good episode of Good Luck, Charlie? You know you watch too. We are even looking forward to the newest "Name the Baby" upcoming episode...but really, how many times do they need to watch a repeat? When they are reciting the lines along with commercials, I think that's enough. So, I am trying really hard to keep them engaged in summer fun without TV. So far, we've enjoyed VBS, cooking, making bird feeders, bathing the dogs, and outdoor adventures. Tomorrow brings Father's Day crafts, and next week, who knows? No life threatening fights yet...just a few "you are REALLY getting on my NERVES!" moments between the kids (& maybe mommy). Ha ha!

I do know nature hikes and library trips are in our near future. If you see me out and about around town and I am kid-less...please worry... because it means I have lost them! LOL...

Friday Random Thoughts: Family, Friends, Faith

These three words have been on my mind all week. I love my family so much, sometimes I think my heart could literally burst. A cliche'? Maybe. But so true.

My friends are my family as well. There is a quote from C.S. Lewis that I love and believe to be very true as it relates to dear friends..."Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

What a blessing to have each of these three things in my life. Each in its own way adds joy to my life and fire to my faith. I am thankful that I am participating in a Beth Moore group that is challenging me to grow spiritually.

I also learned a new song this week called "I Am Not the Same" which I have been singing over and over. (Thankfully I only sing when there is NO ONE...absolutely NO ONE around, and believe me, your ears are thankful for that too.) I have posted the lyrics here for you to read, and hope you hop over to iTunes and preview it...I love the line that says "Your love replaces fear, Your mercy makes us whole." There is great value in those truths.

I Am Not the Same

You restore the wasted years, ! You build the broken walls
Your love replaces fear, ! ! Your mercy makes us whole
Adopted healed and lifted

CHORUS
I am not the same Iʼm a new creation
I am not the same anymore
I am not ashamed I will not be shaken
I am not the same anymore

I bow before your cross, A broken life made new
Amazed at all You are, And who I am in You
Adopted healed and lifted
Forgiven found and rescued

BRIDGE
You have overcome, it is finished, it is done
Now my heart is finally free
Every chain undone, by the power of the Son
Risen Saviour, Reigning King

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I would love to hear your random thoughts too!

Love,

~ Mandy~

Wordless Wednesday: We Love the Outdoors!

Our favorite way to spend time together...the best memories are all of our outdoor adventures.