{yesterday}

was overwhelming. 

 i knew with every part of me it would be very,

very difficult.  but, it ended up being even beyond that.  i hate, hate

goodbyes.  my family was overtaken with grief and it was hard

to be in the midst of it.  i have much to write, but i need to 'be' in it

myself for a while longer.  i haven't even been able to verbally

share it all with scott yet.   just too, too much.

{outdoor movie night}

well, our plans went a little off schedule due to immediately going from the spring

floods to the desert heat.  All 116+ degrees of it, with no in between relief.

soooo, now that i've made it through several weekends of weddings, 

we our planning on hosting our first outdoor {as in the pasture} family

'inspirational' movie night.  so, if you can bring your family,

your rolled-up quilts and snacks and drinks {we'll provide the popcorn}, &

your kiddos in their comfies to spend some time together

under the stars - we would love to have you!

it will begin at dusk {likely around 7:15ish} on October 8th.  There are at least two

additional evenings that we will likely host before it gets too cold. And, then we will

crank it up in early spring.  I'll post more specific information next week. 

And, feel free to invite anyone you would like....the more the merrier!!!!  

if you plan on coming, if you wouldn't mind to message me or comment

as it may be a tad easier on the first go around to have somewhat of a

number....and, any movie ideas as well.  i know we will not be able

to show one that not everyone has seen but i think it's about being

together as much as about what we view.   and, as it gets going, i think

it will be easier to "hold off" on buying/renting a dvd if you know that

it will be in the queue here.  this may seem like such a strange idea, but

i'm so excited.  i love anything under the stars and with my family &

friends makes it that much better!  



{new to our home...}

halloween.

well, not really, but I have only ever decorated for

fall, not halloween.  as many of you know, my

upbringing was rather strict and skewed and i 

always just stuck to fall.  it was "safe."  so, my

mom can blame mrs. t.h. for this.  TOTALLY kidding! ;)

 but, the boys are REALLY into halloween this year.

and, of course, the scarier stuff.  no longer will they let me

drape a super-hero cape on them.  so, what's a mom to do?

i prayed.  i know that must sound so silly to most.  i get that.

but, when you were raised as i was...it's pretty much a part

of who you are now...good or bad.   so, i started trying to 

come up with answers for our family.  and, in doing so, i will

completely admit to having flashbacks of some of my VERY favorite

halloweens...the ones in witch i was a witch.  i made a VERY good

witch with all of that 80's hair.  and, my witch days were before things

went really awry at home in that department.  i LOVED it and it didn't

damage me and i didn't go to the dark side.  it was just FUN.

so, a couple weeks ago, i started collecting a small supply of

halloween decorations.  today, after i got back from the oil change,

tire rotations, wiper blade change, etc...i started pulling it all out.

i had about 45 minutes between returning home and picking up the boys.

i am spent.  primarily because of the events of the last 24 hours which

led to probably about 2 hours of interrupted sleep last night. 

and, i felt almost "wrong" for pulling it all out when so many in my family

are so sad.  and, didn't think i would blog it at all.  but, then, i realized...

terry was a GREAT mom.  i feel like i've let so much work and just 

life circumstances override the part of my mom heart that loves doing

little things for the boys. the little things i always want to them to remember

long after i am gone.   unfortunately, me putting so much off because

of all of my deadlines and unexpected interferences, i am not guaranteed

a next halloween nor a tomorrow.  so, i pulled it all out and the smiles

i got from the boys said it all.  it is nothing much at all.  and, it is contained 

in just our little area off the kitchen that will probably always be termed

the "train room" thanks to our lifelong friend thomas. ;)  but,
they were so surprised and keep telling me how much they love it.  evan
does say it could be scarier and his favorite thing is the spider.  yuck. 

and, this is the "after after" pictures thanks to having to baby proof due

to savannah.   at picture time all lights were unplugged and all things "dangly" as in the

cute spiders were piled in heaps thanks to puppy teething. 

and, overall i think it looks much more whimsical than "scary" anyway. ;) 

i have many fires that need to be put out tonight, but, for tonight

i think i will wrap myself up with the boys and savor. 

 tomorrow, i will start fresh again.   

{another goodbye...}

way too soon.  

I came out of church last night to many missed calls

and texts; as I was texting one of my cousins to see

what was going on....my mom finally rang through.  

It's NEVER a good feeling, because

you know at that point whatever you are about to learn,

is.not.good.   And it wasn't.  As I sit here and type it, I still cannot believe

it.  But, my cousin from Sapulpa had died about an hour

before I got out of church.  She had undergone a routine cervical fusion

on Thursday....everything had gone great.  Saturday, she suddenly

became nonresponsive, had to be placed on life support and had

passed away soon before the phone calls and messages

started coming in.

She and her brothers would come in every summer and

split about a 3 or 4 week stay between our house, my grandpa's

and my aunts.  She was only about 3 years older than me.  I have

not yet grasped it.  At all.  She had a heart of gold and no matter

what was going on, always had a smile on her face.

I saw her at another funeral about 8 months ago or so.  Last

night I relived that conversation over and over in my mind.

Today, I did not want to stay in the house

all day by myself, so I ran errands to get ready for the trip

 for her funeral.  Truthfully, I do not want to see my aunt or my cousins,

it is going to be so painful.  I'd honestly rather avoid, but I can't. 

My heart is so heavy.....

{playground chatter}

e has a stalker.  still.

she is the one who had declared her

love for him all over her refrigerator.

her parents had to be called a few

times last year.  a specific request

was made that it was probably a great

idea that they not be in class this year.

well, they are not, but there is always the playground. :) 

this week,  this conversation occurred.....

"evan, i will look different when we grow

up and you may not recognize me.  so,

marry me now!!!!!" 

he told her that definitely wasn't a good idea. 

at least he didn't get pinned down this time. ;)



{in the bag}

if it's not in your bag, trust me, it should be....

I love it so much, I have no reservations to say that.

In fact, I can't say anything negative about it.

It's not sticky, doesn't taste bad and is pretty much the perfect color

either alone or over pretty much any shade of lipstick. 

The color is pink petal.

And, with all of the coupons out there for Revlon products,

you can get it at a SUPER price! 

My opinion only, girls. ;)

  

{quick plug!}

I'm in LOVE!

I have tried numerous powders over the summer, all 

with really good reviews.  But, I've narrowed it down to

my favorite.  And, it happens to be the least expensive as

well, go figure??   But, this is Rimmel, Stay Matte.  And,

it really does.  I wear the translucent and it goes on so smooth

and stays put without being heavy or cakey at all.

LOVE it!  Wanted to share! 

{to: mr. james}

I have a new chapter for the book/film.

It involves Evan feeling 'rain drops' in the back seat. 

Kit Kat relieving herself in the trunk area.

In.the.kennel.

It's kind-of a long story. 

Sob.

{a sweet sunny spot}

in our dreary weekend.

Welcome sweet Savannah! 

That's all folks!

{no energy}

to even post everything that has happened since Thursday.

Emotional or physical.

It has been so tough, almost surreal.  

But, in the midst of that nightmare, we picked up

a little bright spot Friday evening.  Little Savannah

is precious!    

Then we woke up to no electricity, phone or internet from the

storms Sunday morning.  And, that led to a security

system that beeped every 3-5 seconds.  The.remainder.

of.the.day.   It finally gave up too and all is finally quiet.

Except for the puppies playing chase right now.

At 4:45 am.  On a Monday morning.

They have too much energy for me.  

I'm pretty much spent.

Praying for a productive day at the home office! :) 

{life as we know it}

......the occasional calm.

is about to change in a big way. 

well, actually, in a little way that is big. 

scott and i head out tomorrow at 8 am to

bring our sweet savannah home. 

We are all a tad excited!!!

And, after next Monday, there may be more winds of change

around here.  But, I'll wade in before I put it all out there. :)   

{dreaming}

I was suppose to be here this weekend. 

At least I will edit when they return.

Eat a cupcake {or two} for me!

Love you Hobbs Family!!!

{which is more painful}

Evan and I check for eggs several times a day.

He and I have completely enjoyed the entire process of the chickens.

Is it bad that they know me by name at Atwood's?  They say

I have spoiled chickens.   Maybe??  

I went and peeked earlier this morning as on weekends we

gather in the morning and evening because he just can't stand it.  I spied

3 in one spot, one dropped in the doorway of the coop and a new

one sitting who looked scared out of her mind.  Can't say I don't blame her.

I quietly closed the door and returned to the house and left her in privacy. 

 I reported everything to Evan. He of course wanted to go gather, but

I reminded him how scared this new mom was and we needed

 to give her some time alone.

His reply, "Oh, I can imagine her face being scared.  It probably looks

just like mine when I sit down to AR test.  That scares me to death!!"

Funny Boy!

    

{pretty much perfect}

i.am.savoring.

today.

it has been pretty great thus far.

actually totally great.

after weeks and weeks of stressful chaos,

the skies are parting and i'm beginning to breath.

a bit.

still so much to do, but some major projects have been

tackled and completed. yay! i still have my nursing

license despite the hurricane hitting my testing center last week.

so, i have 40 hours under my belt instead of the required 15.

all is good. 

i had my quiet time on the patio this morning with a wonderful

devotion and a yummy cup of coffee.

while listening to my rooster crow.

laundry on the clothes line.

working in my pj's in the living room. with the

boys playing and reading around me.

music playing all morning.  no television.

a freshly cut lawn.

a sleeping dog.

and, a sleeping husband with a headache. :(

that part is not good at all. 

a playful kitty.

boys i can hear a room away playing legos.

and, giggling.

a pumpkin spice candle burning.

razorbacks with starting quarterback tyler wilson

playing at 6 pm.  WPS!!!!!

family coming over with pizza to watch said game.

heading out early in the morning for a final weekend

with summer.   our last hooray.  the smiles on the boys face will make

the crowd worth it.  {praying daddy gets to go this time}.

my fall calendar looks good. balanced. 

i've learned to say no.

and, i'm proud as terrible as that sounds.

countdown is on for new puppy, savannah.

cannot wait to get my hands on her.

i am feeling overly blessed.

overly happy.

overly content.

and, even though a to-do list that would

make any sane person cringe is still staring at

me.  i know the end is in sight.

my goal for getting everything under control:  to spend

more quality time with my family & friends both near and far. :)