The Bright Eyed Brunette

 Happy Friday, Friends! Today I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  for another Friday Favorites. What a week it has been! Having picnics with Wrenley and Makena were pretty high up on my favorites list. She wanted a lunchable (big surprise there!) while Makena and I had tuna salad. Playing outside is a must with Wrenley! And she loves making sure the bird bath has plenty of water! Another thing on my favorites list is listening to Trey play the guitar. This smile is also my favorite! We had a celebration for my son-in-law, Caleb this week. He is a pretty great guy and we are thankful that he is "ours" now :)  He is my favorite son-in-law! As I was studying for my Gospel Project lesson earlier this week I realized we only have 3 more lessons! That means that summer break is just 3 weeks away (for our Wednesday night program)! Although I will still have to prepare lessons for Sunday School and VBS.  Summer is my favorite! This summer will be extra sp...

 I was scrolling through TikTok the other night when I came across a preacher who said, "God doesn't need our fingerprints on His blueprints." And that stuck with me.  There's something in us that really likes to help God out. We pray about a situation, ask Him to move, and then-- almost immediately-- start sketching out our own version of how it should happen. We draft the timeline, the method, the outcome, and sometimes even the backup plan. It's just as if we're saying, "Lord, I trust You...but just in case, here's what I think the blueprint should look like." But God doesn't need our fingerprints on His blueprints. His plans were complete long before we started making suggestions. Scripture reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."       ...

 Every family has that one thing they are known for. Maybe it's Grammy's favorite coconut pie, Uncle Joe's questionable grilling skills, or the annual holiday game night that somehow ends in mild chaos and someone storming out over Monopoly. And then there are families where the main course isn't food-- it's gossip. You know the kind. The kind where conversations are less "How have you been?" and more "Did you hear about what she said about them last week?" The kind where you can feel the tension in the room like humidity in July; thick, unavoidable, and just a little suffocating.  It usually starts innocently enough. You're in the kitchen, helping set out food, when someone leans in just a little too close and lowers their voice like they're about to share national secrets. "Now don't repeat this, but..." And just like that, you've been drafted. Suddenly you hear about :  Who isn't pulling their weight Who can't...

 Happy Easter Monday! I hope you all had a great Easter weekend. We are still celebrating our Risen Savior over here! I have been slightly under the weather, but did my best to try and get all of the Easter fun in! On Saturday, Carl was off because it rained all day. We went to Carlie's to dye eggs with Wrenley. She was interested in it for about 5 seconds. Wrenley had Pappy dying eggs too! She made sure he had orange because it is his favorite color :) She and I went to play Barbies in her room while Carlie finished her eggs. We had to get a Happy Meal before we left to come back home. And Aunt Kena came to eat with us too! On Resurrection Sunday we all headed to church. I woke up feeling pretty rotten but knew I had to teach my class. We must have had a change in barometric pressure because it was a pretty gnarly migraine.  Our normal car selfie. Caleb was at the fire station today, so he is missing in our obligatory family picture. I came home after Sunday School and brough...

 There's something about April that feels like a quiet invitation to start again.                                       The trees begin to bud, the flowers push their way up through the soil, and the days stretch a little longer. After months of gray skies and bare branches, the world slowly wakes up. Spring doesn't rush in loudly-- it arrives gently, one bloom at a time. It reminds me that God often works the same way in our lives. Sometimes we expect big, dramatic change. We think growth has to look impressive or immediate. But often the Lord works in small, steady ways-- softening our hearts, renewing our prospective, and giving us the courage to begin again.  April also points our hearts toward Easter, the greatest reminder that God is in the business of renewal. When Jesus went to the cross, it looked like the end of the story. Hope seemed buried along with Him. But three d...

 What? Did you just hear that? Today I'm going to give you a few of my favorite podcasts.  Starting with one that I have recommended and will continue to recommend is "Compared to Who?" with Heather Creekmore. This podcast focuses on helping Christian women improve their body image and overcome comparison issues through a Biblical lens.  The next one I want to share is, "Family Life Today" with Dave and Ann Wilson. It offers discussions that help families grow closer to Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter the most.  And next would be a true crime podcast. I still love "Crime Junkie" but I am also really enjoying "48 Hours". I feel like the "Crime Junkie" girls are regular people talking about crimes and investigating other people's takes on crimes and then they add their opinion in , while "48 Hours" is more of a what the police and justice system wants us to know about the crimes of topic. Sometimes I n...

 Happy Monday friends! Here is our weekend in pictures! We didn't do a whole lot. Carl has been in the field all week but got off a little early on Friday and was off at noon on Saturday. That was a nice surprise!  Along with chickens, Trey got a couple of rabbits over the weekend. You can see the white rabbit in this picture. You can also see the two new roosters. The white bantam rooster is named Collin. The two big roosters are learning how to get along. Trey had to separate them on Saturday, but they are doing much better. Maggie loves to herd the chickens and rabbits. Sundays are for church :) I love having this little lady beside me at church. Wrenley had the best time playing with her church friends after lunch. We had a very low-key weekend. We are sad because one of my friends lost her husband in a car accident on Saturday. That made the weekend a little somber. It made me want to hug my husband and kids a little tighter. I am keeping both my friend and her husband's ...

 Twenty-seven years. That's not a number you hear celebrated as loudly as 25 or 30, but maybe it should. Because 27 years of marriage is more than just a number; it is a story. A long, layered, lived-in story.  Back when we started out, we thought we knew what love looked like. We had ideas and expectations. I'm sure there were unrealistic standards and a whole lot of confidence that we had it all figured out. We didn't. But we learned.                                                                                                                            Twenty-seven years of growing together will teach you things that no book, advice, or Pinterest quote ever could. And...

  Spring Break was always one of those things that sounded like loads of fun until you realize that it's not always that way for everyone. For some, spring break meant snow skiing, lounging on the beach, or even a class trip to The Big Apple . For others (me), it was just a week to hang out and try to find things to do locally. Growing up, spring break felt like a dream for some. On Friday when the last bell would ring everyone was running as fast as they could to the exit. The teachers would all say something like, "Have fun on your trips", and I would say, "I will". The truth was, while other kids were packing their suitcases, I was reorganizing or rearranging my room and calling it a "project".  We had a " staycation " before they were even a thing! Here's the thing no one tells you as a kid: when your parents don't have money for the big trips (or they can't take off work), spring break feels less like a vacation and more lik...

 Good Monday morning, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend. The First Day of Spring brought the most beautiful weather thus far. Highs in the mid 80's. It was downright hot in the sun, but you know I love the heat. Carl was off on Friday and we made flexible plans to go to Fort Worth and stay thru Sunday, but you know what can sometimes happen: life. We tried to make the best of it and just got a few things done around here on Friday.  Carl is also celebrating his 30 year work anniversary sometime in the next few weeks. I am proud of him. He is honest, loyal, and works hard. His bosses are pretty good to him. He deserves more, but I guess that goes along with a lot of jobs. On Friday evening we put Makena's raised bed together. She is also planting in the ground as well as my grandpa's old wheelbarrow. She is pretty good with plants. I, on the other hand, have a black thumb. And Trey got his chickens this weekend! He got 19 Rhode Island Red hens, and 1 Barred Rock ro...