i will be a mom who lets her kids stay home from school on stormy days.  shoes will be optional, well strongly discouraged and our umbrellas will be collecting dust in the closet.  i don't see any way around it.

baby steps though, because i have a baby. 
we strolled through papago park and took shelter under an ramada. we watched the planes set sail and dock at Sky Harbor, and ender foraged for rocks.

ender making his airplane noise...

papago is awesome because you walk through a corridor of creosote, the aroma is dizzying. 

beauty is a light in the heart

strong & beautiful is our sister abigail

her imagination is a deep well, mystical & clear that is dug into the sky, even beyond, into the heavens.   she used to, does she still? imagine that God carved those He loved, those who faded away from human history, into the stones, into the mountains, as His own secret, precious memorial to them.  i like abbie.  i miss her telling wild, imaginative stories.

Happy Birthday soon! 

i remember this post. see the last photo?  she was right :)

this was our weekend

of course we had to pause under the sycamore, of course. 

"you girls need to do this more often. No, I'm serious.  This is is good for you" - zander

This is why you, our dear boy, along with emilio esteves, zach galifianakis, tom hanks (80s) make it so easily onto our list of honorary boy members.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord

The fruit of the womb is His reward

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

So are the children of one's youth

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them

They shall not be ashamed

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate"

i adore this verse! what does it mean?

children who are precious ,vulnerable, weaker creatures are compared to weapons against darkness. i feel deep in my spirit that this is true. I have never felt braver than when ender came to stand by my side.

i've had plans of decorating his room with arrows in lieu of this verse. definitely for his next room when we move soon! OH! I'll put a red arrow above his door to signify his blessing and Jesus's blessing of being the Passover.

I've also been thinking if i should get a necklace with ender's name on it. it seems to be what alot of mamas are doing these days. well, if i do decide to wear the turkey's name around my neck, i think i'll go for something more like this.... maybe with his name etched in the shaft.... ?

image 1: Waddler

image 2: all the mountains blogspot

oakies

my mama is ornery!

talkin 'bout uncle bubba and his two week wedded bliss after Vietnam "she was ugly! had to sneak up on a glass of water to get a drink, i swear."

tonight we let the weather channel eat dinner with us, considering our old stompin ground is oklahoma, we were quite concerned with the deadly twisters.

like yankin' teeth, i asked my dad his earliest memory of a tornado. i finally pulled a molar. "in third grade, our teacher rushed us out on the playground when she heard the fire alarm go off. we were speechless when we were the only ones out there with the tornado. she got the alarms confused."

boiling the rain plant to extract its dye will make your kitchen stink to high heaven. and just when you thought that the smell of the desert in a rain storm would be ruined for you forever, you fling open all the doors, turn on the fans, take a deep breath and realize the creosote is still one of your favorite desert scents. next year i will do more foraging in the desert to see what natural dyes it offers.

some vegetables and fruits. swiss chard doesn't work for green(top right egg). in fact, it leaves an odd film on the egg that peels away.

an easter portrait.

Vermillion Cliffs & my dad

yet again, my dad returned from a jeep trip in the desert. I used to live for these rides. I would quit a job on a whim so I wouldn't miss out. I hated school for the very reason it kept me from the hot wind in my face as we sped down the highway. Eventually, my responsibilities became more concrete and these escapades became fewer. the spirit of adventure faded in me as i continued on with the daily grind of secretarial work.

Ender found me wandering aimless on the fringes of the wilderness. he brought me home and I believe he tends to refine me. He threw a bucket of cold water on my face and told me to snap out of it, get a hold of yourself woman, you lost your way, look to Jesus.

Ender is like the little darling rock tumbler I got for Christmas as a child. I'm being tossed and spun with water and sand until I come out smooth and shiny.

"As for me, ....i shall be satisfied when i awake in Your likeness"

Looks like I'll be in this rock tumbler for the rest of my earthly days.