Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

I am saddened by the news of late that uncovered a college admission scandal. Wealthy parents were caught buying their kid entrance into a college with bribes and cheating. ALL for them to feel good about their own images and to be able to say, “My kid goes to XYZ school. Isn’t that amazing?” Wow. Just so sad. The consequences of this are not just that it’s wrong but that the message they are sending their kid is that whatever it takes, get ahead in life. Sell your soul if you have to. Character doesn’t matter. What does matter is what you look like on the outside and what others think about you!? Such a lie from the pit of hell.

Jesus asks what good it is for a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul, (Matt 16:26) To gain the whole world is to receive all the world has to offer—money, fame, pleasure, power, prestige, etc. To lose one’s soul is to die without a right relationship with Christ and spend an eternity in the lake of fire. Moreover, how can you live with integrity and a clean heart knowing you have cheated your way through life? Is this peace? Who have you hurt along the way? So many issues here that I cannot even comprehend all that is wrong with the world.

HOWEVER, they know not what they do so don’t point fingers. We are all sinners, yes. SO we must love the world and be lights to the world. Let’s show them how a RIGHT relationship with Jesus leads to peace everlasting and fulfillment that FAR surpasses fame, fortune and fancy. That is all fleeting and will only lead to need of more and more. Never fulfilled.

This leads me to raising Tatum. Tatum, integrity is doing the right thing when NO ONE is watching. God always sees your heart, your motives, and your actions. So live for HIM. Live with this perspective. Live with loving HIM, loving OTHERS, and then loving yourself (to thine own self be true). If you do this, you’ll live OUT a life of love. It’s automatic. Being mindful of what Christ did for you on the cross leads to a life of gratitude and GIVING. Not “take take take and how many we can step on to get the world’s definition of success.”

Let’s raise the next generation to be more motivated by character than by image. Where your heart is, there is your treasure.

…while I work. That was my request today for Tatum.

It started out with a sound sleep this morning. She came into bed with me after Daddy left for work. We get to sleep in this week which is wonderfully wonderful!

Peaceful and precious.

Ok, cute breakfast time. It’s PIE day (3.14), and so I made her a parfait for breakfast. It’s close to pie, right?

Granola, greek yogurt, banana layered and topped with of course sprinkles.

Delicious!
After the gym, (Ella joined us in the car all safely buckled)

Tatum got to some serious play while I worked on GCU stuff.

She made some breakfast for her babies. She’s teaching them to not wiggle when they sit. Hmmmmm I wonder where she got that? She is a great mommy. Very nurturing yet consistently disciplining with grace.

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After this, it was time to thank her for being so gracious to me as I worked.

We did her nails with some press on’s.. She can now scratch my back. (I had a plan..heehee)

Tot, you play so well, with such imagination and fun. I love your mind and your heart.

We later discovered a path right outside our house. Since it is finally warming up, we tested it. Turns out it is beautiful, spacious and Tot-approved.

There she goes and here she comes. Keeping up with her..

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Requires me to get some fire in my steps. Tot, you are my little speedster.

AAAHHH> Cute breakfasts. Yes, this is part of the deal. We make sure we eat cute food and we make cute pictures. We also buy cute things. It’s the fun part of being a girl.

Today, it was oatmeal with a chocolate chip smile and sprinkley hair.

and dot trees.

We also had donuts with Mama. She made a cute card for her. Yes, cute. (She did it ALL ON HER OWN).

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She received a Target gift card from Marv and Pat for our wedding. Wasn’t that nice? She bought little Ella here. Cute huh?

Fun filled cute day.

It is off to a brilliant start. Sadly, Tot had the flu all weekend leading up to our fun week. She spent Sunday a bit down in the dumps, but she did have the energy to organize her art cart. Daddy brought her some more supplies and she had to find room in this monstrous supplied wheelie.

Monday morning arrived, and she had preceded me in awakening. She was working on a surprise for Daddy and me.

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She was feeling a bit better, so I made her a cute breakfast. It’s all about the aesthetics, right?

Then it was time for a few errands. One was to Sprouts for some new recipes. Yikes. I always am nervous to try out new things. My family is so patient, but so far so good.

When we got home, we worked on a flower craft. Tatum was ready to paint.

She was a helper in getting supplies ready.

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First we watercolored randomness on paper.

Then it was time to cut out flowers.

The background was an old book cover cut out in strips.

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They turned out pretty cool!

She wanted to then “cook” so we set up paints on the floor. Our new floor is very forgiving, so I had no worries. Plus, she is so responsible. She made me few pies. I’m so lucky!

We have a week to have some fun. Stay tuned for adventures.

We are gearing up to finalize our mission statement. First, we got the H’s going in our brainstorming session.

Then, Daddy taught us about Lent and why it’s significant. These next 40 days, we’ll focus on Jesus sacrifice for us and remembering. Easter will bring us to a close and an open to the CROSS! HIs resurrection. Thank you, Daddy for your insights and your neat printing!

More to come!

I get the honor to travel for GCU. They have me helping prospective teachers to pass a test to become certified. It’s a win-win all around. I get a bit of money and mommy time and Tot and Daddy bond.

I made sure all was organized for my absence so Daddy wouldn’t have any extra thinking to do. His plate is overflowing right now with tasks, so I want him not to be stressed while I am gone. Making Tot’s lunch always requires planning! A little jerky and jicama chips with buffalo hummus. Oh yes, a clementine to help minimize that spiciness, right?

This time, my honey gave me a group of cards to open progressively through my trip. Who does this? The best man in the world, that is who!

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I left a LOVE card for my honey too, and of course, I had love-bug jammies waiting as a surprise for Tot.

We send videos and pics back and forth. Some might say, gosh, this is a bit overkill. I mean, you’re only gone for 3 days! But, it’s the little droppings of gratitude we can share with each other that make all the difference. We want to be that kind of family. It teaches Tatum to exude kindness, appreciation, and love. It also is from our hearts so we make it reality.

Hi you two! I bought some bright nail polish to brighten your day. (and mine because it is frigid here in Raleigh!)

Now another bonus of me being gone was a Tot and Daddy bonding time. It happened to be Daddy Daughter Donut Day at school. I NEVER got to do this with my dad and neither has Tot. What a special time.

Sweeter than the donut, this picture says it all. My goodness, my heart melts.

I arrived back on Thursday bearing gifts for my loves. GCU swag for my family. Tot got some bonus Fruit of the Looms.

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Go Lopes!
Some sweet candles from my sweeties.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. It also allows for appreciation to grow and for love to abound. I love you guys.

We are going to church as a family now! Doug and I get to hold our little bumby’s hand and be united HAYs. I love it.

Doug loves to take pictures of the food I make. Today, Tatum’s breakfast must have been extra cute. Almond maple butter toast with greek yogurt and sprinkles can’t be ugly.

Actually, she is extra adorable.

This Sunday we enjoyed making cookies while my honey went to trim the ironwood tree outside our McCormick home. It has to be kept up while we get it remodeled, and he LOVES to keep things going. It’s an outlet for him and a way for his creativity to shine.

Now, he tried to trim as much as possible; I think it got quite a haircut. Whatever it looks like, I know it felt good for him to man-it-up and use his tools.

And create this pile.

When he got home, I got to hug him and send him on his way to get clean for dinner.

I found an old camera in my stash of random bits of life; it’s the kind that holds film. So, it still works and takes pretend pics (without the film). The flash gave her this camera power, and she kept begging Daddy to smile.

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Now, what’s a better way to end a Sunday than to practice our 60 verses with my delicious cookies?

This time I used toasted hazelnuts for a caaaaarazy twist. Anything to spoil my family.

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We are mastering these verses to our memory. The key will be to be able to pull them out of our heart when we need HIM! I love this idea. Daddy, you’ll catch up. We love you!