meet Dingo or Ringo.

 

so, over the weekend, we got added a member to our family.

it's been a while coming and the kids couldn't be happier.


Dingo or Ringo, we're still debating on that one, but for the sake of the post i'll call him ringo since that's the name i picked, is a carolina dog. we had never heard of that breed, but then again we're not super knowledgeable on dog breeds. basically though, the breed is pretty good with families, and with kids. he's a real quiet dog, which concerned me at first, but he is always happy around the kiddos, jumping, wagging his tail.

we had tried owning a dog years ago, a yellow lab, but the younger kids at three and four years old, were not able keep up with his energy and we had to give him up.
this time around we opted for a medium sized dog, with a nice energy level and seems to be working out okay.

and just in time for the warmer weather. now that we have a four legged family member, the kids will be more willing to go to the park, because now it won't be boring.

 

(excuse the blurry photos please. he wouldn't stay still!)

a couple of things about ringo. he clearly likes comfort. he's made himself at home already and when he's tired, he will just retreat from the living room into my daughter's room and into her bed.
also, he's pretty smart. looks like he knows 'sit' and 'drop it' already. now if i could just teach him how to sort laundry, right?

does your family have a pet friend?

currently

 

oh friends, it is another monday. another week!

 

it is not much longer until the colder temperatures retreat and we're left with only glorious sunshine all day, everyday.

 

so currently i'm thinking about spring. we had our first picnic last week and look forward to having more. just being out in the open carefree air with the sun toasting your skin. heaven.

i need to find a cute picnic basket. i've never been interested in purchasing one because we've never made the time to picnic much, but this spring will be all about picnics, you'll see.

in the mean time, i'm trying to sneak in as many hints of spring around me. if i could only get spring and fall throughout the year.. it'd be fabulous.

 

speaking of fabulous, or great is the she reads truth bible study. currently it's on lent and we just finished the fasting aspect of it. man, how that has touched my heart. Isaiah 58? yep. heart wrecker right there, but even as the Lord speaks, you can feel His loving grace.

 

yesterday i spent the day with my sweet family. my sister lives in houston and is not always here to spend birthdays and other celebrations, so yesterday on their way home from dallas, they stopped by my mom's to give me a surprise celebration for my birthday last week. my heart was so thankful all afternoon, seeing the people i love to pieces under the same roof.

 

 

i'm hoping to get back on the wagon this week with more consistent posts, so you may be seeing more of me around here.

 

what does your 'currently' look like?

 

 

 

 

linking up with:

 

a mama collective

 

around here.

in the last two weeks, i've written twice. and i don't mind it one bit.
actually last monday i made the decision to shut off social media for a week.

instagram was hard to shut off since i'm on that thing every day, all day. it's an obsession really, as i sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling through my feed after i had just checked it five minutes before.
but i felt a tug on my heart to do so and honestly i'm glad i did.

i'll write more on why and what i learned and still learning while on my week off, but today i'll just share what we've been up to around here.


laundry and housework.
no, not kidding. my dryer was getting piled up with clothes that i had no desire to hang and/or fold. it was getting pretty ridiculous, so when i hung up every last shirt and folded every last sock. sigh. it was a nice feeling.

celebrating.
my youngest turned eight last friday. maybe it's a mom thing trying to hang on to the last bit of baby-ness, but i swear he still smells like a freshly bathed toddler, except when he comes back in from playing outside! ;)
this year, we kept celebrations low key. a cake baked by my mom, family time, and taking them to pick out a gift.

























painting.
i think this has been my favorite. i started a new series of paintings on motherhood, and i'm pretty pleased how they're turning out. i know i've said it before, but my happiest place is with a paint brush in my hand.

getting fed spiritually.
it's kind of crazy how far we can go starving without truly realizing it. being more conscious about spending time with the Lord made a huge difference. i began to follow the she reads truth bible study and i love being able to get His beautiful Word early in the morning to revive me.
also we've continued with our devotional every night, and i've loved sharing that with the kiddos.

that's pretty much what life has looked like around here.
what about you, what have you been up to lately?

goals schmoals.

can i tell you something?

i'm overwhelmed. like i feel like i'm drowning and gasping for air overwhelmed.

sorry for the heavy intro on a monday morning. last week i didn't post at all, simply because i had no energy to. i didn't want to sit in front of a computer and type away even though i love blogging.
but it had become another to do on my list. and that sucks the fun out of anything, doesn't it?

see this year i wanted to be reeeeallll intentional with everything. motherhood, being a wife, with my faith, my projects. all of it. this is the year that i wanted to check off everything i intended to do and feel a real sense of accomplishment. i didn't want to end the year feeling like i didn't do anything. like i just mossied my way through it.
 i thought that maybe writing out goals each month would help me stay on top of it, and accomplish things..

but honestly, it's barely two months in and i feel tired and overwhelmed.
as february passed by and nothing on my list was getting checked off, i became anxious and grumpy
because there were not enough hours in the day, because chores were still left undone, because i didn't spend as much time with my kids, because i left my quiet time with God till the end of the week.
something wasn't working. and what i realized was that i always try to make what works for others work for me.

yes, comparison.

i see other mommas having craft time with the kiddos, put that on my list.
i see other women filling up orders for their business, put that on my list.
other moms having their home right out of a pinterest board, yes, put that one on my list too.

and so my list kept building up. my expectations kept increasing, yet since an extra eight hours in the day did not magically appear, unless i wrote off sleep for good, my emotions, my attitude just kept on debunking day by day.

recently i read an article or could have been a post about a suitcase. i'll try to sum it up.
basically we all get a suitcase and at the end of this road when we look into that suitcase, we want to make sure we packed up the things that really, truly mattered. and it breaks my heart as i type this, because i'm a stubborn woman, and even though i know this, the things that really matter lots of times take the backseat.

i don't want to do that anymore. i want the people and things that matter to be always in my suitcase.

so i'm tossing out my itemized monthly goals. don't get me wrong. goal making is a good thing, if it works for you. for me monthly goals are overwhelming me at the moment.

the family photos, business cards, getting the house decorated, etc, etc. will come when they come. at the end of the day it's not all that important. however my God, my family, my kids. that matters.
and that is what i want to focus on. in light of it, i feel like placing time with God and with my family shouldn't even be on a goal list.

we don't put eating or breathing on a goal list, because it's something vital to our life. so is spending time with God and with our family.

 giving myself more of Jesus, showing my kids and husband Jesus, showing my community Jesus.

those three things i want my life song to be about. there, lifesong. that sounds better, don't you think?

letting go of the goal list starting today, grabbing hold of my life song.

what are your thoughts on goal making?