If you Give a Kid a Camera - Part Three

Paige spent some time in our backyard.

This is what I found on the compact flash when I downloaded.

I thought this moss was pretty growing on one of the trees.

Don't know if it's healthy or not for the tree,

but it makes for an interesting picture.

Looking up....

If you give a kid a camera.....

you might just see things in a different light.

Have a great weekend.

Ready for Summer

{click to show larger}

Memorial Day

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people He chose for His inheritance.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;

from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth -

He who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in His unfailing love,

to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.

May your unfailing love rest up on us,

O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.

Psalm 33:12~22

This Memorial Day weekend I join Americans in remembering those who gave their lives for our great nation. I also thank God for sending Jesus who gave His life for the sins of all.

The Garden Center

There is a very inspirational garden center in nearby Tomball, Texas. They offer classes on a variety of topics. A few weeks ago they had a class on garden photography so I headed over. I'm really a point and shoot kind of gal and don't understand half the functions my camera is capable of. But I believe it is hard to take a bad picture at The Arbor Gate. They have beautiful vignettes all throughout the property. You just go there and dream your own garden could look like that.
Here are few pictures I took that day.

It is a very peaceful place out in the country. There is a pasture next door with horses grazing and galloping around. I could just live there I believe.

What's in a Name?

Stephanie over at Bike, Book, Bread did a post on how she and her husband came up with the names for their children. I think naming a baby is one of the hardest decisions to make.


I thought Stephanie's post was interesting and thought it would be fun if we all did a post on that topic.... or if you do not have children why your parents named you what they named you.


When I was pregnant I checked out a book from the library called Beyond Jennifer and Jason.

There is a revised version out Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana.

By: Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmon Satran.






This book is a great read for expectant parents. The writers categorize names and also delve in to how names are perceived. They really make you think about names in a totally different light. They have chapters on what names are popular in different countries around the world, also names that were made popular by TV stars/shows/famous people. The classic names are discussed and whether you want a truly feminine or masculine name or an androgynous name.
I can't say enough good things about this book.

It's just not an alphabetical book of the top 100 baby names of the last century. It is much more.

Now, back to my girls and their names....


Paige Victoria is our oldest. We did not name either of our girls after family members. We just did not feel led in that direction. We both loved the name Paige and wanted to call her Paige. We love the beautiful name Victoria. So there you have it.


We made sure we named our girls with the first name that we would be calling them. Not make it their middle name. Buster and I both use our middle names and it is hard to always tell the nurse in the doctor's office that belts out your first name in a loud, booming voice ....

"I'm sorry, I go by my middle name Joy." or Keith in my husband's case.


We also knew we wanted their first names to be short one or two syllables because our last name is kind of long and we didn't want them to spend all day in Kindergarten trying to figure out how to fit their entire name on the top of their paper.



Leah Grace is next. We literally went up to the last few weeks of my pregnancy deciding on her name. For the longest time we were going to name her Emma Grace. Big sister was convinced that should be her name. As much as we adored the name, we started having second thoughts about "Emma" so we began thinking about using Grace as the first name. Then we had to figure out a middle name... We also decided we liked the name Leah, but for some reason just never connected the two names until my mom said one day "Why don't you name her Leah Grace." Bingo! Leah Grace was her name-O. [sorry, I just had to say it] I also like that Leah's name is a Biblical name.


So that is the story of how we came to name the two children we brought into this world.

How about you? What is your child's name and why did you decide on that particular name?
My inquiring mind wants to know....

I'm a little behind on a few things...

I've been negligent in acknowledging a few things here on my blog. I can't go another post in good conscience.

FIRST: I won my very first blog contest....Yes, I did! After the long week of attempting to win that trip to Connecticut, I found out I won a book. Some of you may know Louise at A View from Carmine Superiore, well she has another blog Biblios Book Reviews where she reviews books (duh). I happened to comment on a give away and I won! I'm so excited. The book has arrived all the way from Italy. That was the most exciting thing is to think this book spent time at a place I would most love to go....ITALY!~

The book is Jane Autsen Ruined my Life by Beth Pattillo and I plan to take it to read in Jamaica this summer when Buster and I go. (more on that later) Thank you Louise ♥

Second: I won a CD. Suzanne at Adventures in Teething was giving this away. It is a very thought provoking CD geared to young women who are in their teens and out of high school, but not married yet. The CD is a talk given by Crystal Paine (a homeschool graduate) entitled What to do While You are Waiting for Prince Charming. Paige (my 13 yr old) and I listened to it together. It was interesting and the speaker has some strong ideas on the role of young women in their homes and society. Maybe I'll regift it in the future.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions from her talk. But thank you so much Suzanne. I enjoy your blog and your heart for your home and family shines through.

Now, on to the awards.


I'm always humbled when my blog comes to mind when a fellow blogger is handing out awards. These are some very sweet and thoughtful awards and I have yet to acknowledge and pass along. Like I said I'm a little behind in my thank yous on my blog.



This award comes from Caroline at Family Stories. Caroline loves genealogy and has some deep Texas roots. She has great stories and does lots of research. She just started her blog recently and wow, I think she has the hang of it. It's great. Go check her out.





This award is from Melody at Merrie Melody. When you visit Melody's blog you know you just met a woman that loves her home, husband, home-schooled children, her chickens and numerous other animals. She amazes me with all she accomplishes each day. I love reading her blog.




Daja at In Other Words surprised me one day (quite awhile back) by including me in this award. There is not enough I can say about Daja. She inspires me beyond belief with her love for the Lord, and her heart for the country and church in Mongolia. She has lots of beautiful kiddos and has all kinds of adventures with them. Check out her blog....She can tell you how to birth babies, love your husband better, who to vote for and praise Jesus in her terrific blog.

Thank you Daja.





Allison at Displaced Texan sent this one to me (quite awhile back).... I'm telling ya'll...I'm so far behind on this stuff. Anyway.....Allison is a fellow Texan who has been living in Germany with her husband while he serves in the military. She's headed back to the home turf soon. (not all the way to Texas, but close) Allison's passion for protecting the unborn endears me to her. She also has a miniature schnauzer, which makes me so happy. She was the brains and the talent behind my blog re-do a little while back. So check out Allison and give her some love.








Also, Jiggy Update: I've done the Wii Fit 5 days in a row. Still Ohhhhing though.

Getting Jiggy With It

This is a picture of me and the girls (Leah, Paige and Libby) on Mother's Day after we got back from church and lunch. I'm wearing my maxi dress I bought in the maternity section at Target. No I'm not pregnant, but the dress was too cute. The fashion magazines are saying the maxi is back. I'm seeing them in stores a lot now. This is what I had to tell Buster when he wondered why I was wearing a long dress. You know these poor business men, they wear navy trousers and black socks and shoes nearly everyday of their lives. They just don't get much variety. So you have to educate them. Anyway...the picture was....

Just before I opened this::::

Yes, I got a Wii Fit and an Ipod Touch. I did not know what to expect this Mother's Day. I had requested a kitchen composter. But Buster wouldn't buy it for Mother's Day. The story goes they went to the Best B*y to purchase the Ipod and the WiiFit was sitting right next to it. Leah wanted me to have the WiiFit. It will be fun for all of us. I know some women wouldn't be happy to get a fitness item for Mother's Day, but I'm good with it.

My Mii's name on Wii Fit is Jiggy.

It cracks me up....when you step on the little platform it makes this sound "ohhh" (interpreted...oh my have we gained a few)

You look pretty silly doing some of the activities like hula hooping with no hula hoop. But boy you feel it when your finished.

I also set up my Ipod Touch on Sunday. That was a different story. I'm excited to have it, but just trying to get it to connect to the internet caused a spike in blood pressure. I deleted some code in my settings that made my router quit working. So I had to bypass the router and plug directly into the modem so I could get internet back and I could call support. An hour later I hung up the phone with this nice girl from who knows where. She help me get everything working again including my IPod Touch connecting to the internet. My blood pressure eventually returned to normal. I needed that Wii Fit Yoga after that for sure.

This is the back of the beautiful card Leah made me. One of the 4th grade teachers took their picture. I love it.

On Saturday I treated myself to a pedicure (long overdue). I took Paige with me and she got a manicure and her nails painted a pretty shade of green. I've never been in this particular nail salon. When I walked up to the counter to pay, I looked down and saw this sign taped to the counter. I acted like I was finding something in my purse so I could wait for the lady to walk back to her customer and I took a picture with my phone. I'm sorry but does this strike anyone else funny or is it just me. [I apologize if I have offended anyone. I'm not usually rated over a G rating on this blog.]

So that was the weekend in a nutshell or a nut post. Which ever you prefer.


a.k.a. Jiggy

If You Give a Kid a Camera- Part Two

News Flash : This is my 102nd post. The 100th got passed me before I noticed.

Uummm, no, I don't have anything clever to give away. Sorry, but here is another installment of "If You Give a Kid a Camera". This time we're going to church with Paige as she wanders the hallways while I'm in a meeting.

The top left is of our sanctuary and the bottom two are in the Robb Chapel.



This is in the chapel too. A piano recital was scheduled for that afternoon. The Robb Chapel has beautiful stained glass windows.

This sculpture from Israel is in the foyer area, and I had no idea it was there. I believe one of the church members purchased it while in Israel and gave it to the church. I never go in that door. I'll have to go and see this in person.

A candle in the chapel:

A mural near the cafe (yes, we have a cafe and a bookstore) You can get your spirit and your tummy fed at our church:

Another mural in the children's area:

Fish tank in the Children's Area:


I'm glad Paige feels comfortable in our church and loves to go. As you can see it is quite large and a little intimidating when you first come inside due to the size. She serves in the preschool ministry as a junior volunteer. That is one of her favorite things to do. We are blessed with a beautiful church building, but also with godly pastors and staff; a loving congregation who is growing and serving and has a heart for missions locally and worldwide. Hope you enjoyed Paige's camera tour.

Wordless Wednesday - Sneaking a Peek

The Frog and The Hare

This morning I walked out my back door and saw this frog sitting on the back of my bunny that I have hanging back there. I thought it was funny. He looked like he was ready to go for a ride on the back of this bunny. I know she looks like she is going somewhere, but both of them are still there this afternoon.

Happy Weekend, where ever it takes you.