Practicing Gratitude 6.5.13
- Basden competing in UIL storytellin - Corbin always making the celebration special - Little Laura Ingalls Wilder This dress - a treasure - made for Daboo by my Grandma Esther - May projects ~ never-ending ~ this one on responsibilities at home- Basden\'s \"Squake\"...
Tornado TJ
I even surprised myself. At the end of a very fun, very relaxing Memorial Day weekend at the lake, with all of the cars loaded and ready to head home, I burst into the full kitchen in a fit of anger and spewed out a couple of demands. Virtually incapable of...
Practicing Gratitude 5.25.13
- Dangly earrings and a locket from a Charming Charlie\'s shopping trip with Mama- What she chose to put in the locket - Watching Hudson as a Baylor Bear this springYou know something\'s wrong if he\'s not cheering / chattering - Basden\'s first run at softball - Go...
An Open Letter to Grandparents, in Response to the Boston Marathon Attacks
Dear Mama and Papa, Cappy and Daboo, in response to yesterday’s attacks... We are grieving after yesterday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon. Grieving on so many levels. For the victims and their families, for the city of Boston in general, and for our country...
Practicing Gratitude 4.14.13
- Adults across our city breathing new life and energy into the Fort Worth Young Life Committee- Elvia, Elvia, Elvia!! And my clean house!- Jessica\'s 40th birthday - and getting to celebrate right there with her Surprise!- Esther\'s note on my nightstand, waiting my...
Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
I was with a good friend recently, who in describing her weekly cooking routine, said that her Sunday suppers were typically more gourmet, because that's the day she has free afternoon hours to spend in the kitchen. In that moment, I was reminded that I clearly missed...
Practicing Gratitude 4.3.13
- God-timed conversations on Monday mornings- Jesus Calling. No matter how popular that little devotional book gets, it remains right-on and incredibly encouraging. Thankful for Sarah Young\'s listening in writing those devos.- Davis family. What they are to so many,...
Practicing Gratitude 3.29.13
- Crystal\'s birthday! 7+ years as a James, and our three precious little James cousins growing up in Bozeman- “Thank you that I can give myself up to be led by You... that I can go forth praising and at rest, letting You manage me and my day... that I can joyfully...
Grandma’s Words
I can still picture the look of surprise on her face when I told her I didn’t know Isaiah 40. Pulling out her worn Bible and thumbing through the pages, Grandma shook her head and said, “Why Tonya, you really don’t know those verses? Oh, you must go and memorize them....
Practicing Gratitude 2.13.13
- Luke’s 33rd birthday TODAY. Love, love my little brother. So proud of the man he has become, of his amazing wife and three boys. God made Luke brilliant, but still very teachable. Missing him (them!) especially today across the miles (Tulsa is a lucky town to have...
Still LoLo by Lauren Scruggs
I snagged Still Lolo last month from Costco's book table and stuffed it in my own Christmas stocking. Lauren's story caught my attention a little over a year ago when our local radio stations spread news of her horrific accident of being struck by an airplane...
Candid Confessions of An Imperfect Parent ~ Book Review
I like this guy. I don't remember how I came across Jonathon McKee's site, probably from an article he'd posted somewhere else, but I have kept up with his writings now for awhile. What hooked me on McKee's blog is that this former youth pastor researches teen...
Practicing Gratitude 12.26.12
- Not long enough with the Keisters at their home in Amarillo! - How much more we all enjoy road trips now that the kids are a bit older- 3 full days of skiing. No accidents, a whole lotta fun, and super pretty (sunny!) weather on the 3rd day. Family pic. With Mommy...
Hemming us in ~ Behind and Before
Snowy white powder under our skis, none of us could keep up with Esther today on the slopes. Seriously. Now, that's not counting the boys, as they were on their own snowboarding. But Basden, Nettie May and I could barely keep up with little Essie, who plowed straight...
Practicing Gratitude 12.22.12
- Basden as Narrator in A Christmas Carol ~ Mrs. Burlin’s precious influence, and a very special Christmas ornament. Basden looked to me like an angel at center stage. And she loved every minute of it.- Southcliff’s Singing Christmas Tree ~ celebrating 25 years,...
Light in the darkness
We were driving through Starbucks, Corbin and I, cheered that winter morn by hot cups of coffee in hand and a thick hazlenut aroma filling our car. We spent the morning together at an appointment, our children safely tucked in their schools, while across the country...
Practicing Gratitude 12.13.12
- Family movie watching the \"Christmas Carol\" with a giant trash bag full of popcorn (thank you, Thursday Boys!)- Basden knowing so many lines to the movie by heart- Daboo\'s 40th birthday gift to me ~ winterizing our front flower bed - Esther\'s 40th birthday...
Jesus Came… Dust and All
An article I wrote for the Laity Lodge Family Camp's December newsletter. A huge thanks to Jessica for editing ~ you put a pretty frame around my words! I glanced across the den at our measly little Christmas tree, the sparse, glittery branches suspending a handful...
Restorer of the Wall
There was an upset in our neighborhood a few months ago. Word traveled fast that a 17-year-old girl was found shot to death on the back steps of a duplex near our elementary school. She had no criminal record, and the story remained hushed once the home owner claimed...
Thanksgiving 2012 ~ Our crew of 24 and counting…
My sisters-in-law get a prize. A really big one. They each endured plane trips and road trips to Texas with all their little kiddos for a fun-filled week at the lake. Because our family has exponentially grown in the last five or six years, we've never all been...