A Yard - The Best Playground Ever!

Personally, I would never want to raise kids in a city, especially an apartment complex, because I couldn't imagine a kid growing up without a yard where they can play.  A yard is so much more than some grass around a house.  For me it was a football field where my brother and I would play touch football (I always thought I could run so much faster in the grass without shoes, but I'm pretty sure I was just imagining that) :); it was a clean place where I could tie my bucket calves up to dry after I washed them; it was the "open plains" for my toy horses; it was a jungle for our little kittens; it was a place to practice cartwheels; and one of my most favorite things about our yard was that it was a place where I could spread out a blanket and lay down to read a book.

Early this summer, after trees were planted and before the grass was grown

I've learned that getting a yard out here requires a little more than buying some grass seed and sprinkling it around until enough comes up to make a lawn.  We just don't get enough rain out here to make a good stand of grass.  Granted there are native grass pastures, but all summer they have been brown and dry because of the lack of moisture. To get a yard around our house, we had to have a sprinkler system put in before any grass was planted.  Last week the yard company came back an finished putting the last of the landscaping around the house, so we finally have our yard work and landscaping done!  It looks so much nicer!  Now that we have the yard, when the wind blows really hard, we shouldn't get sandblasted. I'm all for taking good care of your skin and using skin-care products, but I really didn't appreciate the few times when I would walk out the door and get my face exfoliated by blowing sand.

Last weekend Taylor and I went back to my parents because my newest niece, Dawson, was getting baptized.  While we were there, we also wanted to have our traditional family bonfire/weenie roast.  It was definitely cold enough last Saturday for a fire to feel good, but we decided that with all the little babies it might be a little too cold to be outside for long.  Instead we cooked the hot dogs out there and then came in to eat them.  Later we went back out and roasted some marshmallows and drank hot chocolate.  There's something so simple and fun about cooking things over an open fire and standing around talking as you warm yourself next to those bright flames.  It definitely makes for some great memories!  Also my niece Kallan started walking last weekend!  She is getting so big, so fast!  Now that she'll be able to traipse around after Kolden (her 4 yr. old brother), it will be interesting to see what kind of situations/trouble they get themselves into! :)

I don't like burnt foods, but for some reason a  marshmallow that is caught on fire and quickly blown out is awesome!

Western Kansas Fact:  Bunko is a popular game here.  Maybe this is true other places, and I have just been sheltered growing up, but I had never heard of Bunko until I moved out to western Kansas.  It is a dice game, and there are a lot of groups around that get together once a month to have supper and play Bunko.  I've got to play a few times with some groups, and it's been a lot of fun.

Being made right with God by His grace, we could have the hope of receiving the life that never ends. Titus 3:7
This was yesterday's "Scripture of the Day," and it really spoke to me.  This was the prayer that I wrote to go along with this scripture:
"O God, without You my life would be meaningless.  I would just be alive on this earth for a short period of time with no purpose, no hope, knowing I would never be good enough, clean enough, to make it into Your kingdom.  My life would just be made up of simple actions that were the same as the actions of the people around me.  But God, You lifted me out of the despair and filth of a worthless life.  With the sacrifice of Christ, You paid for my sins.  Christ's death on the cross didn't make it so that You could overlook my sins and uncleanliness.  It took away my sins and put them on Him.  I am clean only through Christ.  O God, thank You for paying in full the debt that would have broke me.  Thank You for giving me new life, for giving me hope, for giving me the love that I could never have earned no matter how hard I tried.  I choose to devote my life to You, Lord, because You gave everything for me.  You have saved me.  Amen."

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Lyndee