The Perfect Shell

While on the sandy beaches of Cayo Costa, my daughters and I had a great time shelling.  There are some of the biggest shells I've seen there!  As we were walking on the beach, we were constantly scanning, trying to find that perfect shell.  I started to think... what makes a shell perfect for picking. So I asked our middle daughter, Amelia.  She said, " It has to be smooth, no cracks or breaks, colorful, and cool."  So we kept looking. Then, I started to feel bad for all those poor shells that would never be picked because they were not quite "perfect".  Then, I picked up one.  And then another. And then, my daughters and I were all on the lookout for the imperfect shells.

I started to think then about life..... how we're always in search of the perfect everything.  Perfect life. Perfect body.  Perfect man. Perfect kids. Perfect family. Perfect job. Perfect..... everything. But there is so much to be said about that not perfect shell.  There is still beauty in the broken shell.  The colors, the lines, the texture, they can be gorgeous.  I'm an imperfect shell, but I'm trying to love my imperfections.  I'm loving our imperfect family, our imperfect life.  I'm embracing and loving being an imperfect shell.

Are you still on the search for the perfect shell?  Give up. Go for the imperfect one.  They are much better and will still bring you lots of joy. :)

Sunshine Love

We just returned from a MUCH needed Christmas vacation in the Sunshine State.  And it did not disappoint. Our vacation had no shortage of sunshine and warm, humid temps.  I was in heaven! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the sun and to be on a beach, in the sun..... dreamy.  

Where we stay once the sun goes down, it's pitch black.  I mean feels like 10pm at 6pm, pitch black. So, the girls (unknowingly) went to bed pretty early each night and then once they were up, we were at 'em.  We alternated beach (Sanibel, Ft. Meyers, Coquina) and pool, visited The Shell Factory, Greenwells, Cabbage Key, Cayo Costa, Matlacha (the cutest little town EVER), and watched many beautiful sunsets.  Here's a little peak into our vacation. 

 

Cabbage Key 

 This is an island where you can eat and it is said that Jimmy Buffet got his inspiration for "Cheeseburger in Paradise".  I know why..

 

Best.Cheeseburger.Ever.

 

 

Sunsets... they are just breathtaking.

 

One little house in Matlacha had this ADORABLE sign hanging outside the house.  We had to stop and take a picture of it!

 

 The end of one of our Ft. Meyers beach trips.

 

 Isn't this gorgeous?  This is the Gulf of Mexico.  We took a boat to Cayo Costa and this was our view.  We never wanted to leave. 

 

Our girls are still begging us to go back and quite frankly, I would.  It was VERY hard to leave.  We LOVE you Florida!!!! Do you have a favorite place to vacation?

From our Brown eyes to yours....

Life

I, like every other blogger, get caught up in this little thing we like to call.... life.  Things get neglected.  Needless to say, this little blog is one thing that gets the boot when all the other aspects of life take over.   So... I'm not going to apologize because great things have been going on in our life.  I get to spend lots of time with these little ladies...

I've been doing great things with our kiddos in our class...

 

And helping our firsties believe they are authors by stamping their finished books!  Their faces are priceless. 

So, no apologies.  This ride continues to be amazing. 

From our Brown eyes to yours...

Rewind Day... I Wish!

Do you ever wish you could take a day and just hit the rewind button? This summer there have been a few days I've wanted to rewind.  Some for no particular reason except that I just want to make it a little better.  Some because they needed to be made much better. 

As a woman and more importantly a mama, I feel like I'm never enough.  While I know in my mind this is not true and I am enough in the eye's of the Lord, I can't help but feeling this way more often than not.  When our girls are picking at each other and just can't get along, I feel like I've not set a good enough example or that I've not taught them correctly. Or when it's chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cereal, pizza rolls, etc. for dinner....... again.  Not good enough.

One day I hope these feelings will disappear, especially when I take a look at these three little ladies and all seems right with the world.

 

 

I'm not sure when this day will come along, but until then I will know that the Lord loves me for who I am and the mama I'm trying to be so desperately good at.

From our Brown eyes to yours....

It's Been TOO Long

I've been away from this little blog way to long.  So... I'm dusting off the cobwebs, cleaning off the dust, and trying to dig in again.

This year I had chosen the word AUTHOR as my one.little.word.  I've chosen this word because I want to be the person in charge of living out the decisions of the carefully orchestrated plan that has already been scripted for me. I've been trying to listen the what the Lord is saying to me. And... it keeps coming back that I should use this little blog to celebrate His word.  So while this will be a blog about my Three Brown Eyed Girls, it will also be infused with bible verses.  I will share those words and what I think and I would LOVE to hear what you think too!  :) 

So, from here on out, these are my hopes and dreams for this little blog.  Today my first verse is from John 2:5. 

This one is so hard. I feel that sometimes the Lord is speaking to us, but we just don't listen.  This happened to me about a year ago when He was telling me to call a friend.  This thought had popped into my head several times, but I didn't listen. I didn't. And then.... on Easter, I found out he had died the day before. I couldn't believe it.  I was lost.  Heartbroken. I just couldn't understand and then I kept thinking that He told me to call him.  Even on that Easter morning I had that thought again even though he was already gone.

So here is what I need to do. I need to DO whatever it is that the Lord tells me. I need to let Him guide me and my actions.

Have you listened to what the Lord tells you? How do you do this?

Want a copy?  Click on the pic above!  (I hope it worked. :) )

From our Brown eyes to yours...

More Elf Antics

Elf Antics.....

  At Grandma's House

 Oops!!!!  This guys fell down...   Back from the Elf Hospital. All fixed up!

 

            Back at home and still a little under the weather.      Louise had to have a few adventures on her own.


What are your elves up to?