Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

Me and My Dad!

June 18, 2011

An Evening in June...

My family, although appearing in many photos, don't enjoy having their picture taken.  In fact, it takes an act of congress, a request filled out in triplicate, and filed 6 months in advance for Tim to willingly take a photo.  (OK ~ perhaps that is an exaggeration, but you get the idea right?  He does not like his photo taken.)

Tonight was a little different...

*  It was date night!

(I LOVE date nights.)

PLUS...

*  Tim's mom called, and she is going to see family therefore she needs current photos to take with her...current FAMILY photos...not just KID photos.

Ashley is housesitting at a home in a different town, Tim and I were planning a date, Aiden had been sick, but we found a compromise...

take the boys to Ashley where she is housesitting, and

get a family photo there!

It's in a town that we don't eat out in often so the dynamics were perfect!

I love the flowers in the garden ~ they added an element I was pleasantly surprised with.

All in all...

I LOVE THEM!

There are only three, but that is all we needed...here they are.

Tim and I

The Family

Roth x 6

Persian Nights...Prom 2011

My Persian Prom Princess...

Ashley, April 2011

Prom

At first she was excited for prom....

then ~ she decided she didn't want to go...

Finally, she went...

and she had a BLAST!

Nothing like last minute decisions...

Getting ready...

Yep, she did her own makeup...

threw her hair in a ponytail...

note the polish free fingernails...

One last look...

then off for Mommy's photo shoot!

I think this is one of my favorites...

subtle and classic.

I do love this close up though...

I absolutely ADORE the smile.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
(2 Timothy 3:14-15)

"I am the Master of My Universe!

Don't you just feel like bursting out in song...

"He's got the whole world in His hands,..."



31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Cleaning...

Not Cleaning...

CleANing..., but why?

So, it's no secret that I HATE to clean.  Well, I should rephrase that ... I don't HatE to clean...I just don't understand why we need to do it!  Yes, there is the roach and insect issue, but beyond that ~ WHY???

True, a clean home is honoring to God and your family...have you read Proverbs 31 or Titus 2?  Go, now and read.  If you are like me you will shake, get an eye twitch, become nauseous, get a sudden migraine, your palms will sweat and you will feel the need to hide in the closet (with the lights off and the door closed!). 

I always wonder: "How can I ever measure up to that?" 

Housework takes time away from reading, chatting on FaceBook, watching movies, playing in the yard with my kids, doing yard work, planting/growing a garden, exercising (hey, I might exercise more if I didn't have to clean), taking pictures, blogging...do you get the idea and the visual image that I have other things to do besides CLEAN?

In my efforts to be a better wife (in the house keeping area), I bought a book.  (Escapism...it's my reality! If I'm reading a book about what I need to be doing then it doesn't really count as procrastination or avoidance.)  31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way. I grabbed my phone (because my mom has my Kindle...thank goodness I have a phone that has a Kindle app...whatever would my mom do?) and started reading.

I made it through the introduction just fine!  I thought, "Wow!  This lady has truly nailed it on the head!  I'm so glad she wrote this book JUST FOR ME!"

Next, I got to Chapter 1..."Why Clean" 
     Why, indeed...
             My thoughts exactly...

Then I got to the homework part...

Identify specific reasons you want to make your home a haven, and then complete a mission statement based on those reasons. 

(Oh boy...doomed for failure in the first chapter ~ the first day.)

So, I did what every obedient wife does...I went to my husband for counsel, and I asked him, "Why do we want a clean home?"

His response:  A blank stare.  Maybe he had gas.  I don't know...maybe he was forming a politically correct response, or trying to justify a clean home because deep down inside perhaps he too wants me to do more blogging or reading...or jeepers creepers more exercising!  His verbal response was something like this..  "Because I want to know what our house would look like clean."

My response:  "Whatever."  I said it with dignity...not teenager sarcasm...I'm an adult!

Finally, I sat down with paper and a pen to create a list of why I want a clean home...Here is what I came up with ~

Why I want a clean home...

by Robyn

• so I don't see mounds of dog hair floating on the floors 
• to have nice, shiny floors
• it smells good
• so my children don't get sick
• I think...cleaning is suppose to make you feel good (I'm not real sure about this one!)
• so people can sit on the sofa without dog fur sticking to them when they leave
• so I don't have to panic every time someone shows up to the door
• so the bathrooms are clean when guests show up
• I think it might be pretty awesome to actually be able to see through the window...currently the windows are "artfully" decorated with finger prints and nose prints (4 kids...2 dogs...1 cat...at least I relocated the chickens!)
• so I can be outside playing or working in a garden
• so people can come to my home and feel comfortable
• to serve my family as a Godly wife
• to serve my husband with respect so he loves me.

After creating my list, I wondered...how much of this is authentically me?  I know that I want my friends and acquaintances to enter my home and feel comfortable.  I know that a clean home makes my husband feel happy when he comes home from work.  I know that I feel happy when I walk into the house and it is clean.  I can't help but wonder though...what is it going to take to turn myself around.  Is a Mission Statement going to be enough?
We will see...

A personal mission statement provides clarity and gives you a sense of purpose.  It defines who you are and how you will live.

Great...this is what I get for living in the age of technology...I can look up anything I want easily, but I don't know how to put it in to practice.  I could use a little help here friends...

Robyn's Household Cleaning Mission Statement

I will serve my husband and my children by providing a clean and welcoming home to family and friends.  I will put God first and seek His help to maintain the discipline and self-control needed to maintain the daily chores.

Now, I need to figure out a plan...

please...

someone....

tell me what "daily chores" are!

A Cat's Life

I love when my teenager comes into my room early in the morning to snuggle with the cat, and converse with the mom!

What great friends the three of us are!

No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. 

~Leo Dworken

This quote is so true...

Can you see the cat hair on my comforter?

Tigger came to live with us when Ashley was 2.  She would haul him around in doll buggies, and child size shopping carts.  She put boas on him as well as clip on jewelry.  If Ashley was dressing up ~ Tigger got dressed up too.  During the early years of roping...when Ashley had roping lessons ~ Tigger got roped.

Tigger has attacked large animals and small animals.

Now, 15 years later, he still gets into bed with the kids and waits for them to wake up.  At that point he begins purring while they "maul" him.

By the way...He HATES to have his picture taken.

No Fear...of Cold Temperatures or Shallow Water

We swim because we are too sexy for a sport that requires clothes. 

~Author Unknown

Caution:  No Diving

Shallow Water

 Guess he can't read yet...

 Will someone PLEASE wash this child's face?

Who is his mom?

There's a lot of LoVe in this little BaCkYard!

I Love My Kids!!!!

Isaiah & Aiden ~ 3 yr * Ashley ~ 17 yr * Tyler ~ 5 yr

Dinner at the Roth Table...

Busy day?

OR

Just don't want to eat the salad?

Eat little, sleep sound. 

~Iranian Proverb

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

...JaGgeD toEnaiLs...

*sTicKY, diRty HanDs*

<sunBurNed Cheeks, ScaRred FoReHEad, ThIck BRowN EyELaSheS>

 { The peacefulness of sleep. }

Isaiah, May 2011, 3 years old

Summer Frivolity

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What! 

Is it nothing to be happy? 

Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? 

Never in his life will he be so busy again. 

~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

I love birthdays...

I LOVE birthdays!

It doesn't matter if it is mine, yours, a friend, a kid...I just love them!

Last week, my friend Pat and I met for dinner.  We ate at a Foxconcept restaurant called sauce.  We had pizza, salad, lasagne, and I had a glass of wine...and we TALKED! and Talked... and talked... then we decided to walk (since we missed the movie).  The beauty of AZ is the number of outdoor malls.  This particular spot was no different.  The weather was beautiful, our tummies were full, we missed the movie so obviously ...the next logical step was to sHoP!

While shopping, Pat took dragged me into this cute boutique called Charming Charlies.  Oh my goodness!  Can you say, "I Love It!"  I tried to walk out, but she blocked the door.  What was I to do?  There are racks and racks of jewelry, shelves filled with purses of every color and size, and clothes!  and shoes!  I couldn't contain myself.  Well, actually I did ~ I didn't come home with everything I wanted...but enough.

Here is a photo of the dress that I picked up...along with the chain necklace!  (and some other jewelry...I'll show you another time!)

Random Ramblings and Scenic Images

Tyler...just spotted the water fall.

Beautiful isn't it?

This is it! Well, kinda...maybe not really...

OK - this is by no means all of the Hawaii pictures that we have, but I'm tired of doing Hawaii posts...so...

This is obviously a hiking trail that we went on.

If you are so inclined to view all of our Hawaii pictures...

call me ~ we can do lunch or coffee and then talk Hawaii!

Enjoy!

Getting started!

 

Yes, I allow my children to eat random berries along the trail...

Ashley smelled it!  It must be ok.

Wild ginger!  Yum!

Can you believe the size of the trees?

Tim harvested some type of "potato" root or something off of the tree...

Aiden doing a karate move ~ fighting off the wild, invisible Hawaiian monsters.