A little baseball, a little fishing and a lot of planting!

Had a great weekend with the boys!  Friday night started the weekend right with How to Train Your Dragon and some pizza, B's choice for having great behavior days all week!

We had B's ball game Saturday morning and then Grandaddy and I took the boys fishing at a friend's house. 

Miss Linda is an amazing lady from church and she and her husband open up their lake for the kids to fish in once a year.  They cooked hotdogs and served them on little fish plates with gummy works!  Adorable idea!

 
I took Dad so I didn't have to deal with the worms and I certainly wasn't going to take any fish off the line!

We caught a couple of branches and a turtle ate our hook off one of the rods.  A lot of people had more luck than we did, but we sure had a fun time.  I can't believe neither boys ended up in the lake.  I just knew one of them was going to get wet.

After our fishing adventure, the boys and I headed to our local nursery to get some serious flowers for planting.  Ty was completely zonked and wanted me to hold him while I shopped, and B caught a ride in the flower wagon. 

Once we got home, Ty went straight to bed for a nap, B got out his Legos, and I got busy planting! 

Nothing like some dirt therapy to get your mind off of life's very detailed and complicated dramas.  God has really been working on me lately and my issue with people pleasing and perfectionism.  One would not come to a quick conclusion that I am suffering from perfectionism by looking at my toy cluttered home and apple juice stained carpet.  But I am an all or nothing kind of gal, and a lot of time I choose nothing because I can't do it all. 

I plan events, outings and family time in my head with perfect detail and when things don't go as planned, I feel defeated.  We are not always going to be the family holding hands on the beach, planting a garden together, or laughing while feeding animals at the zoo.  My 2 year old will likely have a meltdown and throw the food on the ground, and my 6 year old will probably decide he hates the feel of the sand in his shoes and refuse to walk on the beach.  Or both would rather be inside the house playing Legos on a beautiful day that begs for outdoor play. 

Or with goals in my own life.  I expect perfection from myself when I set something in motion and feel very much a failure when I don't live up to self imposed expectations.  God is showing me through His Word and His grace that He wants us to have abundant life, but that is not something we can achieve with self imposed goals and standards.  That's something we achieve through Him alone.

Perfectionism does not exist on earth.  Only Jesus accomplished that.  We will not see it in ourselves until we reach heaven.  So what do we do?  Give up and do nothing?  Sit on the couch and not try for fun family time?

"Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  Galatians 6:9

God calls for consistency, not perfection.  He doesn't need us to mark off a daily list of tasks or behaviors.  He just wants us to surrender our lives and schedules to Him daily and let Him do all the "growing" in His time and way.

Kind of like my planting, I can draw up a garden plan, use the right fertilizer, tuck the flowers in with care, water twice a week... but I can't make them grow and produce beautifully.  That is something that only God can accomplish by His hand.

After I got all the flowers in the dirt and pots, God sent the rain to water everything and tuck them in for the summer.

We ended the night watching the Kentucky Derby.  And cheered as Ty reenacted the race.

On Sunday, after we got home from church and lunch at my inlaws, B and I went to his school to participate in the Chalk Walk.  We colored all the squares of the sidewalk in honor of the teachers and staff.  Its Teacher/Staff Appreciation week!  What a cool activity!

We got back and made our teacher gifts.  Case in point.  I had envisioned B and I making these pretzel and Hershey Kisses treats together.  However, when I brought it up in the car, B said he wasn't interested and would rather play basketball.  I didn't fight it this time.  Wasn't worth it to me.  So I would make them?  Was that awful?  I released him of his duty because I need to let go of perfection.  Funny thing is, as I was making them, he came over and helped anyway during his "halftime." 

They are ready for distribution. 

Its going to be a busy week with the Book Fair, a Kindergarten Play and teacher events!

The boys ended the evening running around the family room with swords.  I did have to explain what a throat was and that its not a good place for elbows.  Hope that lesson will stick.  At least for tonight.

Here's to letting go of perfection and embracing the things that matter.  My family isn't always hugging and laughing together while eating broccoli and watching PBS, but we are a family that God put together and we are blessed abundantly.