day 121 - gloomy days

after luke looked outside the window this morning he turned to me and said, "i'm sad".  i was honestly a bit surprised by his statement and asked him "why?".  he quickly looked back out the window and then back at me and then said, "because there is no sun.  i don't know why mom, i just feel sad when it is so gloomy outside."  in that moment i wanted to immediately tell him he was crazy for feeling that way and point out all the fabulous things we had planned for the day and point out to him all the fun things we had done over the weekend.  instead, something deep within me told me just to hold him and tell him it was ok to feel that way.  we stood in the foyer for a few moments like that and then he pulled away and began sharing with me all the things he was looking forward to.  by the time he was finished tying up his shoes we were both laughing and by the time we walked out the door for school he told me he wasn't sad any more.

sometimes i think we just need permission to feel the way we feel.  yes, sometimes feelings are based on truths but sometimes feelings are just feelings that don't seem to make any sense.  i know for me personally, when i'm experiencing a feeling that doesn't make sense to me logically i do one of two things; push it way down and pretend like i'm ok or i try to find something logical to attach my feeling to.  rarely do i give myself permission to just rest in the anxiety of the "feeling" let alone lay it at the cross and believe God can handle it.  seeing luke today struggle through his own feelings of sadness i couldn't help but pray for wisdom in how to best communicate with him and give him the space to feel and find refuge in not only a family who loves him but a savior who died for him.

Day 120 - leaving well

i have heard the words, "leaving well" more times than i can count over the last couple of months.  to be honest, i have even said those two words in several conversations.  however, i don't know if i really believed we were going to be able to do it.  how do you leave the people you love and church you helped birth well?  it seems like an oxymoron.  in our culture leaving can be easier associated to abandonment, divorce, hurt, or division especially when the party leaving isn't actually leaving to go anywhere.  in general, most people (myself included) struggle with how to communicate especially in situations where there is potential for hurt feelings.  it is hard to leave well. 

i'm not going to pretend that today was easy-because it wasn't.  but i am able to say with full confidence that our family, by the grace of God, was able to leave well.  i am blessed my children have a father who is able to discern and communicate the importance of following after God and walking through incredibly difficult situations with humility and graciousness.  my prayer as we begin this next journey in our lives is that we will continue to live out the call on our own lives and in turn teach our kids to love God and love people.  thank you renovate.

day 118 - photoshoot & deep dish

i had a blast today taking photos of this darling boy! i was able to take advantage of this sweet 23 day old for a project i'm working on. isn't he darling...

if you've been around our family for any length of time then you know we LOVE pizza.  over the years i have tweaked and tweaked recipes for the right kind of crust whether it be thin or deep dish.  tonight was deep dish night - YUM!  i remembered to snap a photo before i put it in the oven.  i have been asked several times for the recipe and i'm working on it - i promise.  one of these days i'll actually write it down :)

day 117 - adjustments

we are BIG believers in chiropractic care. our family has enjoyed the benefits of this kind of care for years and years. we are thankful for not only our doctor (dr. pulver) but the insurance that makes it possible.

day 116 - editing

I have found myself in the throws of editing. Here are a few of my favs!!!

day 115 - good news tuesday

in my office we have coined, "good news tuesday" to give us something to look forward to throughout the week.  every tuesday we ask one another for good news and it is crazy how many really amazingly good things happen on tuesday.  maybe it's because we pay special attention to the day - who knows. 

i share this because today was filled with good news both at work and at the home front.  ironically, it's nothing i am free to share in such an open format (hence the NO PHOTO!).  here's to hoping everyone had a good news tuesday today!

day 114 - kitchen wrestling

day 113 - spring cleaning, soccer and improvising

what a full day.  our family began the day by visiting a new church (weird). then got home and tackled a number of spring cleaning jobs including re-organizing the linen closet, cleaning out lilly's room (sheesh - there's a job) and putting the finishing touches on our master bath.  we ended the afternoon with 5 garbage bags full of things to donate!!!

our afternoon included a soccer game where lukes team won 5-1.  the boys played like a team today and it was a blast to watch.  go sailors!!!

as for improvising i am rather proud of the blueberry syrup i made in lieu of the fact that we didn't have any maple syrup for the pancakes dave made for dinner.  WOW - it was amazing and everyone ate it up.  caleb even said he liked the blueberry syrup better than maple!!

i love days/weekends filled with my fabulous family :)

day 112 - watercolor saturday

we had more fun today with watercolors.  i honestly can't remember the last time all of us took the kitchen over with paints and spent almost the entire day painting.  one thing's for sure - we need to do it more often. 

day 111 - tough loss

the girls played a great game today in spite of the cold and the rain. although the other team scored the only goal in the last minute of the game they played great. i can't wait to watch them continue to grow as a team and individually as friends and skill level.

day 110 - fundraiser night

the select soccer team we are a part of held a fundraiser at applebee's tonight! yum!

day 109 - finish your dinner

i can honestly say my kids are amazing eaters. i have had several friends throughout the years who have struggled through meal time with their kids and have picky eaters.

tonight we experienced a first at our dinner table. lilly refused to finish her dinner. she ended up sitting at the table for almost an hour refusing to eat the last of her meal.  i couldn't help but laugh (fortunately not in front of her) as she sat there pouting, crying and then finally trying to renegotiate her last few bites.  although the timer was finally set and the threat was made that whatever wasn't finished would be served for breakfast - we finally made it through!!!  i'm hoping this doesn't become a new "thing" in our house.

Day 108 - cupcakes and orchestra

like any good mom i made a couple dozen cupcakes for the orchestra concert this evening.  caleb asked for my oreo cupcakes.  i love when they get so excited about something as simple and easy as a homemade cupcake.

here is the finished product - they were pretty delish if i don't say so myself!!  if you'd like to give them a try check out the recipe at annie's eats.  of course i made revisions to the original recipe - because lord knows i can't just follow a recipe :)

caleb is in 6th grade orchestra.  he plays the violin.  i can't say that middle school orchestra is the most exciting concert to attend - but i am proud of his enthusiasm and drive to continue with this instrument. 

day 107 - clean cut

caleb got his hair chopped off tonight.  he has been asking to get his mop cut for a few days now.  it never ceases to amaze me how much hair this kid has on top of his head.  without fail, whoever cuts his hair ALWAYS comments. 

he looks great!!

day 106 - finished

I fished the hunger games series today. Although today didn't turn out how I'd planned I enjoyed my evening cuddled under a blanket reading the final book in the series while listening to the thunder storm outside.

day 105 - soccer begins

Today marked the beginning of our busy soccer season. Lukes team tied 3-3. Next weekend we have three games.

day 104 - date night

guess which one we went to see..... 

day 103 - stinky feet

if you have ever had the pleasure of living with me, slept over at my house as a kid, or hung out with me for longer than a couple of days then you already know this fun misty diller fact; i have stinky feet.  yes, i wash my feet.  i get regular pedicures.  i wash my shoes.  tried powders/febreeze.  nothing works, so over the last 36 years i have pretty well embraced my stinky feet and those that love me the most - love me feet and all!

a couple of months ago i bought these adorable toms (yes, lilly and i even have matching ones - we are sooooo cute). but my dear lord - i have never owned a shoe that make my feet stink worse!!!  what the heck do they do to these simple shoes??? i was thinking someone MUST have a stinky shoe solution to pass along - i love these shoes too much to get rid of them......

day 102 - singing...

nagel asked me if i would be interested in singing with him and trying to get some local gigs around town in the coming months.  i of course said, "yes".  tonight we spent about 2.5 hours going through about 15 or so songs.  it was so much fun singing with nagel again and i can't wait to see what kinda fun we can have together playing and singing!!

 don't worry, i'll let you all know when and where you can show up and support our little duo :)

day 101 - trash or treasure?

this afternoon i went for a walk. on my way down our street i noticed one of our neighbors had a pile of trash at the end of their driveway ready to be picked up tomorrow. THEN i saw this......

i couldn't believe my eyes.  i stood for a moment thinking, "how cool is this retro piece of technology sitting in a trash heap!".  i quickly called dave who was home and told him to meet me down the street with the van.  (i was actually to afraid to leave the site of the trash pile in fear of someone else coming upon it.)  as soon as he pulled in he gave me a thumbs up and repeated my earlier statement, "cool".

i already have a few ideas brewing in my head about what i could possibly do with my new found treasure but i thought it would be fun to hear if anyone else had any great thoughts......!!!

Day 100 - aroma

the aroma that fills my kitchen from this simple flower is amazing.  i have a difficult time with scents.  perfumes/colognes/soaps/candles/air fresheners can give me a headache faster than a screaming child.  so, what is it about the aroma of a flower as strong as a lilly that amazingly fills me with such peace and joy rather than an annoying headache?  this special flower found it's way into my kitchen via the easter bunny - thanks dave, i love my beautiful flower and can't wait to plant it in the yard and enjoy it for many years to come.

day 99 - easter

"where, o death, is your victory? where, o death, is your sting?"  the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  but thanks be to God! he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  let nothing move you.  always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 cor. 15:55-58

so thankful and blessed!

Day 98 - home sweet home

it's amazing how much your scenery can change in a quick 24 hours.  we said good-bye to our home away from home spending the entire morning/afternoon outside playing in the waves.  due to a storm that came in last night and the wind, the waves were the largest we have ever had in all the years we've been coming.  we laughed played and left wanting more.

we asked the neighbor to snap a couple family photos for us as we said our final good-byes to the wonderful island and gulf waters - till next year!

well, all good things have to come to an end.  we made it home today and i have to admit i am excited to go back to our normal and begin what has becoming lovingly known in our family as the beginning of the new diller year.

day 96 - family walk

Every year we take a family walk on our final evening together at the beach. It has become a very special time and space for us to be a family and share how much we love and appreciate each person in our family and pray for one another in anticipation for heading home and starting life after our time of rejuvenation.

It never ceases to amaze me how much we, as family, need to be encouraged and told why we are loved and valued. I'm not a fan of praising my kids for mediocrity but I am a huge fan of telling them why I love them as much as I do and teaching them how important it is to communicate words of affirmation to others as well.

Day 95 - boating

who doesn't love a fun filled day of boating! we had an amazing afternoon out on a pontoon boat we rented this afternoon. the dolphins same up next to us and we saw several manatees too.

after the boat we went out to have fun in the waves.  what a day!!

day 94 - we all love it!

i'm not the only one in our family who finds themselves mesmerized by the sunset experiences here on don pedro island.  the kids love it just as much as me.  i swear there is something magical that happens as the light changes and the sun begins to kiss the water. 

all of the kids pull out there cameras to capture the special moments.  i couldn't help but catch lilly snapping her photo of the amazing scene. 

as dave and i sat on the beach, a few feet from the water's edge we sat in silence as we watched the sun fade into the water and the colors change from bright orange to pinks and purples and at the same moment saw a giant manatee crest right where we had been swimming earlier in the day.  like i said, "magical".

day 93 - another sunset

it just never gets old!!!

day 92 - april fools!

there were not a lot of jokes - but LOTS of laughter!!  we spent the morning doing crafts with red bard.  lilly made her own beads and then necklace and we all chatted with our favorite pirate.

 lilly has a bajillion freckles all over her face.  her smile is so contagious and she can brighten up a room faster than anyone i know with her big smile and belly laugh. 

 looking at palm trees just doesn't get old.