Mothering - Fruit That Lasts

Everybody knows that a good mother gives her children a feeling of trust and stability. She is the one they can count on for things that matter most of all. She is their food and their bed and their extra blanket when it grows cold in the night; she is their warmth and health and their shelter; she is the one they want to be near when they cry. She is the only person in the whole world, or in a whole lifetime, who can be these things to her children. There is no substitute for her. Somehow even her clothes feel different to her children's hands from anybody else's clothes. Only to touch her skirt or her sleeve makes a troubled child feel better.

{Katherine Butler Hathaway}

{Alexander - July 13, 2002}


{Emily - March 4, 2004}

Perhaps it's because we've been producing "fruit" that lasts, according to John 15:16. These great days may be few and far between, but they help us cling to what's important.

In her address to the 1990 graduation class of Wellesley College, this line drew then-First Lady Babara Bush the most fervent applause: "At the end of your life, you'll never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret times not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent."

May we never forget the fruit we're producing as mothers. Mothering truly does matter!
{Mom's Devotional Bible}

Some days things just seem to go right. We helped our husband talk through an issue that's been bothering him. The laundry is done. We drew a hopscotch grid on the sidewalk and hopped along with our kids. Inspiration hit, and we tried a new recipe for dinner & everyone loved it! Why do we find satisfaction from such days?

"You're Gonna Miss This...Moment" X's and O's

Time to join Pam and share the moments we're going to miss one day...because life is so short! Sometimes it's hard to find those moments among our busy schedules, but that's what I love about participating in this...it makes me stop and think about it and appreciate them so much more!

One of the best things about putting Alex and Emily to bed are the X's and O's {hugs & kisses!} I usually get them during the day, but sometimes we're just so busy, we don't stop and get that little peck on the cheek or extra squeeze around the neck.

I love when Emily gets out of bed some nights because she's stalling wanting one more bear hug and a glass of water big smooch! She has a sign in her room that reads Always Kiss Me Goodnight... and I try and make sure I do just that!

I'll miss the nights when they will be too big for Mommy's kisses, but I hope it's not anytime soon!

{Hugs from Mommy - 2004}

{Come here and give us a big hug! 2005}

Happy Mother's Day, friends...may you get lots of X's and O's on your special day!

Wordless Wednesday - Take the Plunge!

Straight from the horse's mouth...

...or Emily's, I should say! Today Emily's preschool class took a field trip to a local horse farm.

She learned that horses sleep standing up and when they get flies on their backs, they shake them off! {hmm... sounds like they could be talking about me!}

She loved riding a horse named Split...

{I think he's still asleep in this picture...zzzzz}

{but once he woke up...she had a really fun ride!}




Then we crammed as many kids and moms as we could into a little chicken house to wrangle some baby chickens...

{here, chick chick...}

{Emily caught one...}
{...two baby chickens! Such a proud little chicken wrangler!}

And don't forget the best part...


...cleaning the stalls!


They loved scooping the stalls and we cracked up at the little girls trying to maneuver the big, heavy scoops...barely missing each other's heads! How do you think we smelled at the end of this trip?

They also learned how to take care of the horses, getting a chance to brush them and learning about their shoes!

Such a cute morning at the farm riding horses and making new farm friends!

"Not Me!" Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and so many others have not been doing this week!

We are totally not enjoying the beautiful weather around here and you would not have found me here this weekend!
I would have been inside catching up on that laundry I keep talking about! And I would never hear "Mom! I can't find any underwear!" No, not me!
We did not love getting our hands dirty planting some flowers to spruce up our front steps!






Alex did not come running up from the basement yelling about an enormous spider! I did not hear it's bones crunch when I sadly had to take care of it! I do not still get creepy chills thinking about it's giant black body! {ewwwww!}
I have not left the vacuum cleaner standing in our kitchen all week, unused! What? No, not me! I would have all the floors vacuumed clean of popcorn pieces and cookie crumbs & the vacuum would be neatly stowed away in the closet, where it belongs!
Emily did not tell me I need to go exercise! She's so wrong about that because eating cookies and Chex Mix when they go to bed does not catch up with one's thighs or elsewhere! {Oh goodness, my swimsuit is terrified right now!}
What did you not do? Please share, you know you'll feel better...or not!

Queen of the Manor

So, Miss Terri over at the Four Frugal Scarbarys thinks I'm a Queen! Well, I sure don't want to argue with that! But will let her know how gracious I am that she stops by the Manor and keeps up with our happenings from time to time and has taken the time to let me know! How sweet is that? Please stop by the Scarbarys' place and tell her how Awe-summm she is too {after all it takes a queen to know one...tee hee!}


Isn't that just a lovely & sparkly award? I will have to make some room on the mantle for that one! Well, being a queen doesn't come without it's duties...therefore, I must follow some rules...

I am to list 7 things that make me Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers I love. Make sure to tag the recipients and let them know they have won! Also link back to the Queen that tagged me. {I thought being Queen meant eating chocolate-chip cookies and sipping an iced coffee....No?} Okay, let's get started!

1. Being a Mom automatically makes me awe-summm! It's the toughest job in the world, but the most rewarding...it can't get more awesome than that! {thank you Alex & Emily for helping me out with that one!}

2. I love watching Alex & Emily try new sports and activities and I think being their personal cheerleader is Awe-summm! I wasn't a cheerleader in school, so here's my chance! {I'm sure they're not embarrassed by it, yet!}

3. I'm pretty sure the managers at the local McDonalds and Burger King think I'm awesome, because they love when I visit them almost daily to get my caffeine fix! "Oh here comes Queen Martin...better have that large Diet Coke ready, with an iced coffee on the side...stat!" And don't forget our wonderful Chili's establishment! They surely can't wait to see us and serve us an order of bottomless chips & salsa...with a side of ranch! Awe-summm!

4. I love to plant flowers in the Spring! It makes me feel awesome {if I can keep them alive!} to see all the beautiful colors around outdoors...on our front steps and around the deck and pool! It makes a wonderful place for the bees and wasps to visit! But I do love seeing the hummingbirds, too!

5. Having a blog might make me pretty awesome...otherwise I wouldn't have received this Awe-summm Award in the first place! I've loved catching my family up on the kiddos through blogging, and have really found making new friends this way has been awesome!

6. I love to knit and have made some awesome little scarves for Alex & Emily! It's very relaxing, especially in the winter when I can sit by the fireplace and curl up under a blanket. I think I've given my fair share of scarves for gifts, though...I need to figure out how to make something else!



7. Trying to be flexible is most awesome! Things don't always go as planned around here, so keeping a positive attitude and going with the flow is the best way to roll! {not always the easiest way...but the most awe-summm way!}

Now, 7 blog friends who I think deserve to be crowned Queen of All things Awe-summm...{in no particular order!}

1. Carey @ Life in the Carpool Lane

2. Erica @ Scottsville

3. Kelli @ Outside my Kitchen Window

4. Bonnie @ Where did This All Come From?

5. Melissa @ Home is Where Your Story Begins

6. Jackie @ Our Moments, Our Memories
7. Jen @ Cheaper Than Therapy

...and as if I wasn't Awe-summm enough, Kelli from Outside my Kitchen Window, was so sweet to think of me for this award...
She thinks my blog is alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring! I'm supposed to pass this onto 5 blogs that I think are alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring...

...so I'm passing this on to the above mentioned blogs also! {who says I only get to choose 5 anyway!}

Thank you to all of those who voted for me...oh, you didn't? Well, thank you anyway for being such fun blog friends! I love reading your comments and being inspired and humored by your blogs, too!

"You're Gonna Miss This...Moment" There's No Place Like Home

Time to join Pam and share the moments we're going to miss one day...because life is so short! Sometimes it's hard to find those moments among our busy schedules, but that's what I love about participating in this...it makes me stop and think about it and appreciate them so much more!

We've had a busy weekend and a busy week, with all the kids' activities in full swing. Emily has finished her ice-skating lessons until Fall, but Alex has started baseball practice. They both continue to take tennis lessons, and Emily is still mastering her ballet...she performs ballet as well as she can ice skate! {chuckle!} I can't wait to see her recital! And MOPS has come to a close until Fall.

The laundry is piling up {always} and the piles of papers have made themselves a home on our counters! {sigh} But through all of this...I have tried to appreciate the little things along the way that seem to make Alex and Emily so happy! Of course they don't notice the paper trails. They effortlessly step over the clothes piles on their way to the kitchen {because they've gotten really good at it!} and they are happy to grab a pair of shoes from the shoe pile at the back door! Taking a cue from them, I smile at Alex dancing to his music, or at Emily talking to her Polly Pockets as she drives them around in their tiny car. They look forward to nothing more than just being home! They put their swimsuits on the second they pass through the door and can't wait to cannonball into the pool! Never mind there is a pile of wet towels and swimsuits from the day before, or the fact that the skies are gray and cloudy! They had the best time swimming when the rain drops started to fall!

No matter how chaotic our schedule can be or how messy the house is, there's no other place we'd rather be than home! It's a place we can relax, be comfortable and be surrounded by the things we love! I will miss it the day the kids would rather be out with their friends...when they are able to drive {yikes!} and want to spend every second in the car! I hope they will always know this is their home...and will always want to be here! I look forward to having their friends here, their spouses, and the grandkids! That seems so far away...but know it will come fast!

{Chef Alex, Open for business}

{Driving Miss Polly}

{Home for the Holidays}






"There's NO place like home!"