Tonight

Tonight will be our first night in our new house!

Somehow it all seems as a dream.
Somehow I still wake up surprised to be in "Al-bana, Mamma?", as Madelyn says.
Somehow I am still wondering how this all happened.

As I look at all the boxes, all the laundry baskets that are serving as dressers, and the rooms that still need organizing...I feel faint and usually consider taking a seat to regroup.

But, I'm looking forward to my first cup of coffee on my back deck.
I'm looking forward to each child having their own rooms to sleep in (I'm counting on that ending the "stop talking boys" that we do for 30 minutes every night).
I'm looking forward to Madelyn spending the entire night asleep in her own bed...I want a full nights sleep!!

In the midst of all the moving in...we are planning a party for one sweet little girl who will be turning 2 this next week!! I'm already working on a birthday post for her...so stay tuned for it on Tuesday the 21st!!

I'm in a hurry...trying to get last minute things over to the house from my parents...so I will cut this short but hopefully be back tomorrow to post on our first night!! I'm praying Brody (my 100 lb. Weimeraner) doesn't pace the floors all night!! He's prone to do such things when he's not at home!! And we are discovering that he is NOT fond of wood floors!! He's been FLAT a few too many times!!

Tonight...I have much to do, much to pray over, much to be thankful for!!
But tonight I'm particularly grateful!!

Wide Open Spaces

Yesterday morning, as I sat out on my parents back porch drinking my coffee...overlooking the many acres of thick pasture land, the mountains were full of green trees, the fish pond bubbled ever so peacefully and the sky perfectly framing it all...the kids were running across the yard (playing dart tag, or something) and this post came to me.



"Wide Open Spaces"

The farm has no fences (yet...), everything is wide open here... there are horses and cows with old red barns, gardens blooming with flowers, vegetables waiting to be picked and eaten, mountains to be climbed and trails to be walked, freshly cut hay fields that will soon be baled and sold... the list goes on and on.

I know the phrase "wide open spaces" brings a song to mind. The Dixie Chicks made that so popular. But when I think of "wide open spaces" I often think....as the song goes...."room to make a big mistake"!

It somewhat puts a damper on my excitement over the "wide open spaces" idea. This post isn't about that.

This morning, as I looked over the scenery and watched the kids run with complete freedom...I felt my heart rate drop and my body relax. It is wonderful to see wide open space. To watch a storm come over the mountains and coyotes howling at night. It's wonderful to have room for the kids to play, run, scream and be silly. Open space gives room for new ideas and fresh opportunities. It relaxes the mind and gives the soul a place to soar.

Contrary to the song...in this case...
Wide open spaces will give room for us to start again.
It will give us time for adjusting to a new normal.

Wide open spaces will be what the kids need to work through the emotions.
And I love how it sheds light on things never seen before!

I'm beginning to think that we all need a place that is full of wide open spaces!!