The "Funny Farm" of the Cowles family.
Sunday morning was Christmas Sunday, the Sunday right before Christmas. Little girls in frilly dresses. Little boys tugging at the tie mom made him wear. It is the last Sunday that we can hand out our gifts and Christmas cards to our church friends. The Sunday service is for rejoicing and remembering the real reason… Continue reading Christmas Sunday Moms
I am a pessimist. I don't love being a pessimist but I have embraced the fact that I am one. I tend to look at life and see what could go wrong. When people ask how we are doing, my first reaction is to tell them the negative things going on in our lives. It's… Continue reading The Joyful Pessimist
I remember being a kid and thinking that 40 was old. Now I'm 40 and let me tell you, 40 is NOT OLD! My mom is turning 70 this week! I hope I'm as healthy and happy as she is, when I hit 70. I've learned a lot from watching my mom. Some things I… Continue reading Things I’ve learned from my Mom
You've heard the phrase, "Live like it's your last", but I would suggest to you to "LOVE like it's your last" day on earth. We are not promised tomorrow. If I have learned anything in my short 39 years, I've learned that life is short and fast. If today was your last day on earth, … Continue reading Love for Today
My mom recently gave me some old school papers and photo albums of mine. In the box of stuff, I found a paper that I had filled out when I was 8 years old. At the bottom the paper was the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" My answer, written… Continue reading Living the Dream
Like most two year olds, when T was about two years old, she was just pushing my buttons. After the 5th time of me telling her to "Stop eating the dog food!", she threw a fit. I waited patiently until she was done with her fit and I asked if she "had put her 'grumpy… Continue reading “Grumpy Pants”
My mom, the retired English teacher, made me aware of a phrase that we all use incorrectly. The phrase, "Raising a Child" is actually incorrect. The correct phrase should be "to rear" a child. She explained it to me in a such a simple and OBVIOUS way. She said, "We RAISE cattle, we REAR children."… Continue reading Raise a Child or Rear a Child?
My sweet precious girls, I was determined. I was determined to not "let it beat me". I was determined to not let the fear take over... Looking into the face of a doctor, a man I had come to respect, and see the fear in his eyes, (even though his mouth is saying he's "not… Continue reading The Waiting Room
Too often we forget that the person standing in front of us at the register is a real person! We look at them, moving slowly, thinking... "What is taking so long? Can she not move any faster?, oh great now she is going to answer the phone and I'm never going to get out of… Continue reading Choose to see…
A lot of times when we post things online or on our Facebook pages we edit and reword and crop our pictures to be just what we want it to be. Last thanksgiving I decided to be thankful for things I'm normally complaining about. I tried to see the good in what only seemed like… Continue reading Thankful for the clutter
As with every kid, when the girls were little, they liked to jump on furniture. Bed, couch, chairs, coffee table...it didn't matter what it was, they jumped on it, and as with every mom, jumping on the furniture is huge no-no! One day, I caught them jumping on T's bed, and told them to get… Continue reading Jumping on the couch
I have a fear of just about everything under 1 lb. I'm o.k. with dogs, cats, guinea pigs even, but MICE, oh my word, neighbors 4 streets over can hear me scream if there is mouse in the same building with me. The girls have hamsters as pets, and I'm o.k. with them in the… Continue reading Scary Little Critter
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Col. 3:23-24 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31 What… Continue reading EVERYTHING you do…
One day, when the girls were around 2 and 3, they were playing in the playroom. I was doing laundry in the other room, and hearing normal play noise. Then things got quiet. Too quiet. As a mom, you know, when things get quiet, that's never a good sign. So I had to go to… Continue reading Too Quiet
When the girls were little, I was in the kitchen making breakfast and they were playing in the living room. I heard giggles and dancing and clapping so I went out to see what all the excitement was about. I watched for a bit as they were jumping in the air and clapping at what… Continue reading Sun Fuzzies
I was saying goodnight to the girls and I was in S's room and I asked my regular nightly question, "what was the favorite part of your day?" S told me and I told her my other "regular", "wake me if you need me." She smiled and I added, "because you know when I'm old… Continue reading “Wake me if you need me.”
(Ironically, this pic was just snuggling, but I thought it looked like they were choking each other. 😉 ) As I sit here in our sunroom, I'm in awe of how the girls can go from one minute of practically RIPPING each others heads off to, giggly, happy girls the next. Their fights have never… Continue reading Learning to Argue
Over the summer months, the girls and I plan a surprise day for their dad. At first it was a day for fun and to let him know that we were thinking of him and wanted to do something special. Over the years, it has turned into "Get Dad!" The first summer (JULY 2010) we… Continue reading Annual “Get Dad” Days
I found a letter like this on pinterest and loved it. After I wrote one for T, I wanted the same thing for S. I took S out for ice cream, and I gave her this letter. I told her that she could read it to herself, or I could read it to her. She… Continue reading S, 10 things for you to know before you turn 10!
As a mom, it rips your heart out to see your child cry. Whether it be something simple as a skinned their knee, fear of a bug, or just plain mad, no mom wants their kid to cry, but let’s face it, skinned knees are easier to fix...being mistreated...not so easy! After a recent letter… Continue reading Bullying hurts the WHOLE family
You know that Subaru commercial, where the girl “grows up in the back of a Subaru”? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENr4J8zwcI I CRY EVERY TIME!!!! I see my girls in that straight haired girl’s face and her “WHAT?” is what I hear from them, when I just STARE at their OLD faces! We are coming up on another round… Continue reading Time is not waiting on us….
T and S, Did you know mom had a life before you? No seriously! I can hardly imagine my life without you girls now, but I went to school, had parents and a sister who loved me to the moon and back, had a curfew, had a few (sorry Daddy) car crashes, had boyfriends, and… Continue reading Invisible
I don't know how many times people have said to me, "You always have a smile on your face.". It took probably 100 people to tell me until I finally realized that I must have a smile on my face all the time. I am a "wear your heart on your sleeve" kind of girl.… Continue reading I Will Be A Difference Maker
I love blankets! We have tons! At least 3 in every room in the house! When I got pregnant, I was blessed with friends and family who showered us with many gifts. I was given a lot of receiving blankets and baby blankets, or I would pick up another one if I thought it was… Continue reading Repurposed Baby Blankets
I am blessed with a wonderful husband who notices when things are piling up around the house that I can't get to. He will enlist the help of our girls and the three of them can bang out, so it shouldn't be a shocker when I walked in the door and I see that the… Continue reading Housekeeping vs Home-Keeping
Right now, I'm sitting here listening to my girls play with their Barbies, but I'm "NOT ALLOWED" to listen! Most of the time when they play, they want P and I out of the room. They don't want us listening to them play. I guess it's embarrassing when we start cracking up at their high… Continue reading “Supermom bug killer”
Another letter to my girls.... Your dad and I met at church when he came here to the States to go to college. The first time I saw him walking his Nana into church, I thought he was really cute! We were in the college and career class together and we did a lot of… Continue reading Happily Ever After / Invested Forever After
My facebook post on Dec. 18th, 2013 “I have seen such sweet compassion come from my hubby this week by doing things for our failing Max. I have seen the gift of "comfort" in both my girls as they try to coax him to eat or drink, or by covering him with their blankets. Today… Continue reading Max’s Death
Have you ever felt like a monkey could do your job better than you? There have been some days where I have thought, “a monkey would be better at this.” A monkey could get my kids’ juice (without spilling it all over the floor). A monkey could put my kids to bed. A monkey could… Continue reading Monkey Love
T, turned 10 last May, and this was a letter I wrote to her. I took her out to go shopping, on a "mommy/daughter date", and gave her this letter. I found one on pinterest and loved the idea. 1. It is not your job to keep the people you love happy. Not me, not… Continue reading T, 10 things for you to know before you turn 10
Cowles Farm 