What a Beautiful Mess I'm In

Last week, we had a kind of disastrous trip to Wal-Mart. I knew before we went that it wouldn't be good, but I was already in town, and I needed to go, so I dragged the girls into the store. We had been there for less than five minutes when we had to make an emergency trip to the first aid section for some BandAids.

And yes, I was that person. You know - the one who opens up an item and uses it in the middle of the store before they pay for it. Yep, that was me.

But it was SO worth it. The tears stopped flowing as soon as Micah got a Princess Tiana BandAid strapped to her bobo. Life was good. For all of about five minutes. That's when Kendall had a meltdown. Her sippy cup was empty and she wanted more milk RIGHT THEN.

And so, I was that person again. I hightailed it over to the dairy section, grabbed a quart of whole milk and proceeded to fill up her cup in the middle of the store. Crisis averted.

We made it through the rest of the trip without any major mishaps. Both of my girls were happy for the time being, and as I drove out of the parking lot and caught a glimpse of their smiling faces in my backseat, I couldn't help but think that this messy, crazy, chaotic, and hectic life that I'm living is a beautiful one indeed.

Sometimes it's hard to look past the mess and see the beauty, but it's there nonetheless. Today, I'm praying that God will help me find beauty in the midst of the mess.

What are you praying for today?

Until next time, grace and peace.

Free Father's Day Card: Hey Daddy, You're Awesome

Father's Day 2013 is less than two weeks away, which means that it's high time to get your daddy a card! Lucky for you, I've got a free printable Father's Day card that's perfect for all the awesome daddies out there.

You might remember that this year's Mother's Day Freebie was inspired by my 3-year-old's constant proclamations that I'm an amazing mama. Warms the heart, right? Almost cancels out all the times she stomps her foot at me and tells me that I'm not being very nice. Almost. But not quite.

This card is also inspired by Micah. In her little world, all girls are amazing and all boys are awesome. She tells her daddy that he's awesome all. the. time. And she's right. He IS pretty awesome. We're lucky to have him, and we know it.

At any rate, I thought it was only fitting to create a coordinating Father's Day freebie for you. So without further ado, here's the link to print your free Father's Day card.

If your Daddy is as awesome as Micah's is, I hope you'll print out this card and tell him! 

Until next time, grace and peace.

THE SMALL PRINT: You may not accept credit for the design of this card or sell it to anyone. Leslie Ann Jones retains the copyright. If you wish to share the digital file with others, please direct them to this post. Do not e-mail the file all over the world. Please don’t link directly to the download file. Click to download your Free Printable Awesome Daddy Card!

My Girls and Me

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a good picture of a 3-year-old who can't be still and an 11-month-old who's easily distracted?

Exceedingly difficult.

That's why I settled for this as the best photo of me and my girls on Mother's Day. It's not perfect. For one, Dennis is lurking in the background. In addition to Dennis' inadvertent cameo, both Micah and Kendall seem determined to look at anything but the camera. And finally, it's glaringly obvious that I need to get my hair colored.

Despite all of that, I love this picture.

I'm usually behind the lens, so even if the photo isn't perfect, I'll take it, because I'm in it, and one day, my girls will appreciate it. It's also a perfect portrait of this stage of our lives. Both of my girls are just being themselves, and as much as I would love a snapshot of us all smiling at the camera, I really do want to remember what they were like at this point in time.

I used to think that a picture wasn't worth keeping if it wasn't perfect, but sometimes, perfect isn't possible. Real life is crazy and messy, and it's not always picture perfect. Our life is crazy and messy, and it's far from perfect, but it is beautiful.

Here's to keeping it real, y'all. That's what this blog is all about. If you're looking for perfection, you should go somewhere else. Now go post your less than perfect photos and link back to them here. I want to see your messy life, in all of its glory :)

Until next time, grace and peace.