Spring has Sprung!

Cheesy title. Indeed it is. But, it's truth here in Brenham, Texas. Spring has arrived.

Locals round these parts know the winter frosts are over when the native pecan trees begin their buddin'. One of our two pecan trees alerted us a couple weeks ago that it was time for new life:

Now she is starting to show off for the other trees in the neighborhood.

Since the pecan tree let us know it was time, we obeyed and got to planting. The goal for our garden this year was simple. Make it smaller than last year. And fill it with things we are excited about eating. Last, year I made the mistake of thinking okra was a good idea. After it started coming in, I remembered I really only like it battered and fried. And we had 8 of them. I don't think I ate a single okra from that garden. SO, to remedy that this year we have: watermelon, cantaloupe, two kinds of tomatoes, squash, red pepper, cucumber and strawberries. I am also hoping to make some of Norah's baby food from these fruits and veggies, so we'll see how that goes! 

The strawberries are in two containers on my front porch. My awesome man thought they would serve to add color and foliage to our naked porch for the summer. So. Smart.

 

The red pepper plant is growing nicely. Though, I already see some evidence of critters. hhhmmm....

Yeah, no idea which one this is...Maybe the watermelon

I just have to document this tree in our back yard. It is gigantic. I would love to know how old it is. It's branches cover the back side of our home, which is a GREAT advantage during the summer heat. It helps keep us cool and provides great shade on our back porch. 

However. I have a love-hate relationship with this tree. I love the benefits it provides us, but despise...let me say again...DESPISE...it's little seedling children. Now, I love kids. I love other people's kids. Shoot, I have a kid! But this tree's kids just never stop coming. They fall, I sweep. I sleep. They fall, I sweep. I sleep. They fall. And the cycle continues for weeks on end in the spring. 

I spent hours in our orange-green yard last Saturday raking these suckers up, only to see the picture below a few days later. Alas. God bless the seedlings...

Saving the best for last. This is our old clothesline. No telling how many years it's been here, but it was looking kind of lonely and naked out there. A short trip to Lowes, and following my nose to the plant who's smell was filling the place, and we are now the owners of this fast growing extremely fragrant, Pink Jasmine. I love it thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.

I would love to say that I have beautiful pictures of our baby girl lounging in the Blue Bonnets this part of Texas is so nationally known for. Unfortunately,  thanks to what the media is calling an "Expansive Drought" - the Blue Bonnets are few and far between this year. For now, this picture is an example of what we normally see out here in Blue Bonnet Country.

Officially a WFHM...

Yep. It's official. I'm a WFHM. Now, this is different than a SAHM. For some reason WFHM makes me think of waffles...I dunno, but I do like waffles. Everybody like waffles.

So, there you have it, I'm a Work From Home Mom! This is something that Dave and I had wrestled for quite a while during my pregnancy. Make that the entire pregnancy. I have always wanted my heart to be home-focused. A great book by Sally Clarkson (Mission of Motherhood) is letting me know that this is a God-given desire and not just something I want. But, then again, would it be so bad for me simply want to be at home? I think not, but that's a blog for another day.

Toward the end of Norah's in utero journey, Dave and I stumbled upon these teachings by Mark Driscoll, titled "Marriage and Women" and "Marriage and Men." (Marriage and Women and Marriage and Men) They were challenging for both of us and I have shared them with some of you.

They specifically challenged me in the area of trusting the Lord with our finances. I found myself praying for favor for Dave in his job so that I could be at home with Norah. But, more importantly, I found myself wondering if I were living outside of God's perfect design for the family if I were working for financial gain outside the home. (Pretty sure that statement would start a world war if mentioned too loudly...that's why its in small print! ha!) So, I sought Dave's wisdom first and then we sought that of our pastor.

Long story short, I think it goes back to a simple question. A question I need to ask myself on a daily basis. Where is my heart? And is it divided? Is my heart in my home, focused on caring, nurturing and instilling life into my husband and daughter? Or is it clamoring for recognition outside of that God-given responsibility? Could I walk away from the businesses I am currently involved in and be OK with what I do with my day, my time, and my energy? Or would there be a gaping hole that couldn't be filled?

In the end, here I am, a Work From Home Mom. And I can honestly say I. LOVE. IT. It started off a little rocky - figuring out schedules - mine, Dave's, Norah's - figuring out when I would work and from where in our home (the couch is NOT a good idea by the way...), how to work and nurse and cook and clean and go to small group and church and help lead worship and...and...and...you get the point.

But, here we are 6 weeks into the game, and it looks like this is a perfect fit for our family. I'm working as a independent contractor doing software testing and love the companies I work for: Toomah and ProjecTools. I thank the Lord everyday that I have this opportunity. He has truly been at work in bringing me to this place.

And hey...the view from my desk is pretty good too...

PS-- the baby couldn't roll, kick, or in any other way move herself in this picture. I assure you, she is perfectly safe. ;-)

AND...MAD MAD MAD PROPS to my sister, Emily Williams for her super crochet skills, displayed above in both the blanket and the elephant. heart. her.

She's left her mark...

So, I promised myself I would blog more this year. And I have not done such a great job. But, I'm going to try harder. I think my amazing sister has more blog posts than I do and she just started hers a few weeks ago...alas. I will try harder, I promise!

For now, here are some snap shots of my life in the country with our sweet Norah Jane. I realized today how this little one has left her mark on every facet of our lives. The visual of this is displayed in every room of our home (and even our yard!) ...and here's the proof. What a joy, blessing and light she is in our lives.

I'm a cloth diapering mama! Love. It.

Her new high chair in our old kitchen.

Daddy's latest project. Trying to fix the light up star. It's beyond repair. Sad. Day.

Living Room = where Norah spends most of her days.

Remnants of a prune juice bottle and a stick on thermometer. Constipation and immunizations in the same week are not a happy combination!

 Her bear. Her bib. Our bed.

Her favorite seat in the house. 

Vanilla and Oatmeal baby wash. Not my fav, but still makes me want to eat her face. 

No. Words. So precious.

Told you it was her favorite seat!

And now the latest from our smiley girl... 

Can't resist those sweet little feet.