Messy Everyday Wonder

thoughts for a sicky Monday

2012-01-30T08:55:00.003-06:00

We've all been sick. I kept the girls home today, so we're all coughing and drinking tea. BUT I'm working on thinking things that are true... This poem has been stuck in my head for a few days, so here it is for me to look at too.

God's Grandeur

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Advent

2011-12-11T16:47:00.003-06:00

Thinking about advent over at 5 minutes of kindness.

It's JOY Sunday! The pink candle!! (kinda my favorite). Blessings!

thoughts

2011-10-24T09:28:00.003-06:00

today I love these fabrics. with these patterns.

and this thought:

Psalm 127:2 (ESV)
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

or, from the Message:
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

BIG exhale.

dresses

2011-09-21T13:03:00.002-06:00

So a factor in the "lies that culture tells girls" involves (obviously) the way girls dress.

A few years ago, as the girls started to get BIG, Chris and I had to have conversations about what that should look like. His bottom line, "We need to dress them now the way we want them to dress when they're teenagers." In other words, no short skirts just because they're little. Nothing revealing, or risque (yeah, I'm appalled that they have risque, revealing clothes for little bitties, but it's just true).

So in the search and movement toward beautiful, modest clothing for our little girls that doesn't look too....uhrm...homeschoolerish (for lack of a better term, but I bet you know what I'm talking about), I'm starting to learn to do more on the ol' sewing machine than quilt. Three things help that tremendously: 1) I love fabric. WAY too much (see the SisBoom and Anna Maria Horner line on the left to see what I'm talking about. AMAZING stuff. 2) There is something incredibly satisfying about the creative process of sewing. I didn't think that would happen, but I absolutely LOVE it. 3) Sites like this one that have beautiful patterns for the fabulous aforementioned fabric (her blog is on the left, Olabelhe, btw).

Read the book 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter * and the author writes about how when clothes were made at home, they fit, and there wasn't an obsession with "What size am I??" How great would it be to grow up and not care what size you are? And to love dressing in clothes that are beautiful, modest and feminine? Excited to start this journey. By the way, I absolutely don't think you have to make clothes at home to help your girls avoid the lies culture tells about clothing - this is just my creative passion, at least today. ;o)

I'll post pics as I finish projects, and as the pumpkins let me take pics.

* I highly recommend this book to all in this search for how to teach our girls about the lies culture feeds us - it's a little wonky at times, but I think the principles the author, Vicki Courtney, presents are vital.

that girl

2011-09-06T18:34:00.002-06:00

Today I’m that girl. I didn’t mean to be. I didn’t want to be. But…I am.

Because I invited everyone to my house on Sunday to celebrate my (how is it even possible?) 8 year old Katie, and 3 of them left with the stomach bug that mowed my family down earlier last week. But we were better. And the house had been disinfected. TWICE (at least. That’s not even counting the hundred times I ran Clorox wipes over the light switches, and doorknobs, and appliance handles when we were sick).

So I’m that girl. The one who hands off the horrible stomach bug to the people she loves, because she can’t bear the thought of postponing a party and breaking her 8-year-old’s heart. *sigh* And even when she calls the nurse to see WHAT THE HECK KINDA BUG IS GOING AROUND ANYWAY, DO I NEED TO CALL THE MEN IN THE WHITE SUITS LIKE IN ET?? gets told, “Nah, they couldn’t have gotten it from your house.” Tell that to Nana and Julie and Jenny. (And Mom & Dad, and Jonathan & Judah & Sharifa, and Aaron, cause it’s coming for them, too). Boo.

But maybe…I’m hoping…that the next time I’m not that girl, and someone else is…that I’ll remember today. And I’ll have a heart full of compassion instead of judgment. Because it stinks to be that girl (even when the only voice calling you that girl is your own).

Tons of well-wishes to and prayers for my dear loved ones for a speedy recovery.

lies

2011-08-29T19:20:00.002-06:00

So I’ve been quiet lately. Couple of reasons for that. The first is that school started 2 weeks ago. We had to soak up every minute of fun we could, and get geared up for school, and there’s just no time for writing when that’s happening. The second is that I have some things swirling around in my brain that are just so…BIG…and…confounding…that I just don’t quite know how to give them words on paper. Spoken words, I can do that just fine, because other people help me process… But written down. Well, humph.

So I’m just gonna start writing.

There’s a war on. One that I hardly ever think about. It’s the one that the Bible talks about when it talks about the enemy of our souls as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” And for sure, he’s seeking to devour me, and you… But it hit me hard this summer that he’s seeking to devour my kids, too…

So I’m specifically thinking about my girls here.

Because there are lies that are so interwoven into the fabric of our culture, that I’m not even sure he has to seek anymore to devour the girls who grow up in it. I think the lies just completely eat them alive.

Lies like,

You’re only as good as you look

Your #1 goal is to be sexy

Fat is gross

Different is bad

You’re only worth something if you have a boyfriend

You’ve gotta have the latest & greatest or you suck

And so on (I bet you could add a few to this list, huh?)….

And I’m overwhelmed at the thought that as parents who want to raise girls who absolutely LOVE the Lord, heart, mind, soul, strength, we have to prepare them to FIGHT the current of culture that is coming at them like water from a fire hose. And we have to prepare them to not just walk against it, but to STAND TALL as they walk. To wear the badge of Christ proudly.

So, Chris and I are making some changes around here. I’ll write more about that later. I can tell you the TV is getting moved to our bedroom. The lies that thing tells makes me want to weep. But that’s for another day…

Father, all I can do is beg for wisdom. I don’t want to see the pumpkins chewed up and spit out like so many precious kids are in our culture…I don’t want them to know the pain my heart felt so often, feels still, because I chose, and still choose, to believe the lies that this culture, this world, tells me, instead of believing the absolute truth of Your Word. Mercy, Father, mercy…

cooking

2011-08-01T09:31:00.002-06:00

I am determined to not think of Mondays anymore as “ugh…Monday,” but rather as “Central Market Day!” It puts an entirely new spin on the day to think of it that way, as Central Market is the only grocery store I go to that makes me genuinely happy. Giddy, even. If you've never been, I'd love to encourage you to take a field trip soon. Just to look at the produce, if for no other reason.

I love to cook. I don’t always cook. Sometimes I quickly throw a meal together, when life is chaotic, or I just am too tired to be creative, but when I have time and energy…I really enjoy cooking tasty food for the people I love. I’ve found, though, that the key to cooking tasty food is having great recipes. So I feel like I’m on a quest – always searching for great recipes, and when I find one that sticks, I’m a happy camper.

Cooks Illustrated is a treasure-trove of great recipes. If I’m ever still enough to catch their show on PBS on Saturdays, it’s a treat. I recently purchased their Family Cookbook, and Family Baking Book, and highly recommend them both. I can read cooking magazines & cookbooks like novels (K has lately taken to reading cookbooks the same way. I even saw her grab my Julia Child cookbook the other day!). I devour them, and come back to them again and again. Everyday Food magazine (another great PBS cooking show) is another favorite. I also like to look on Food Network’s website, and Allrecipes for ideas when I want to make something, but am having trouble finding just the right recipe. Both of those have ratings and reviews, and I find comments from others who love to cook most helpful.

I think baking is my favorite variation on cooking, though. Cookies, especially. I have a killer chocolate chip recipe, and sugar cookie recipe, and it’s so much fun to whip up a batch when the craving arises, and have the girlies help. Though sometimes I find that it’s better to bake alone, as a sort of therapy. Little voices do tend to be a bit distracting, lovely though they are.

So here’s to tasty food! And Central Market, where I can get lovely supplies for wonderful meals! Happy Central Market Day!

summer

2011-07-20T09:46:00.001-06:00

I used to think that spring was the favorite, with all its new growth and cool breezes and exuberance. But now I know that it was just because it meant that the cold was gone, and it pointed to a time when everything slows down. A season that is more of a way of life than anything else…summer.

Summer is the favorite, no doubt about it.

It feels crazy now, in the midst of the “dog days” to say that I prefer it over all the other seasons, but I have my reasons. Here are a few of them:

1) Fruit. We have a little party in my house every year when we crack open our first watermelon. And we eat it constantly. Peaches, too. We adore peaches. All the fresh fruits and veggies (not grown by my own labor, let me tell you) just make me happy. I have a goal of having a garden one day…we tried a few years ago, and the squash took over the backyard, and the tomatoes just never did set up right, but one day I will learn. And won’t that be fabulous?

2) The leisurely pace. The school year feels like a rushed mess to me, most of the time. I love that we can sleep late in summer, have nice long breakfasts together, and that daddy is home for an entire month. We paint fingernails, we eat popsicles, we do lots of crafty stuff.

3) We get to play in water. Swimming is a big favorite around here. But we don’t have a pool, so it doesn’t happen as often as we’d like. But we do have a water hose, and a sprinkler, and that’s big fun. BIG fun.

4) Shoes are optional. I hardly wear shoes in the summer. The girls too. That’s gotten us into trouble a few times when we’ve gone out to the grocery, only to realize that one or the other of us have forgotten our shoes. Oh well…

5) Days that last forever. It’s hard as anything on the kids, with the sun coming up early, and setting late, but it’s so nice to have the sun around. I miss it in the winter.

But it’s almost August. I think in my heart, summer ends at the beginning of August, when daddy goes back to work, and the school supplies are bright & shiny on the shelves in the stores, and we have to work our way back into a routine so that early school mornings don’t make us all miserable. The countdown to back-to-school is about to start, and it makes my heart a little achy.

But I have a few more days of glorious summer, and I’m going to live it up while I can.

quilting

2011-07-16T18:44:00.005-06:00

Never thought I’d be one who loved anything to do with a sewing machine, but there it is. I adore quilting (machine quilting! I'm not patient enough for hand quilting). A few samples:

I’ve done a few bigger quilts, but I really REALLY love to make baby quilts. There’s just something so fantastic about making a quilt for a little person who hasn’t even arrived yet, and just praying and thinking about him or her while I work on one of these…

So yeah, it’s a passion. Love working with the colors, the different textures. Fabric stores make me swoon.

I want to make a new quilt for our bed (the one I made just looks kinda frumpy to me right now. I started working on it when MA was a bitty, and just finished it a few years ago. It just needs…updating). It's the MASTER bedroom quilt…and I’m a little daunted. So I’m going to start poking around on some quilting/sewing/crafty blogs for inspiration. In fact, on these (for starters):

Block Party Quilting

Handmade By Alissa

Tall Grass Prairie Studio

Marie Madeline Studio

Bramblewood Fashion

Sew Pretty Dresses

So as I start to find favorites they’ll just start to show up on faves over on the left. Consider yourself warned!

the muppet show

2011-07-09T10:11:00.002-06:00

Always will be a favorite. Adored the Muppets when I was little, still think they're marvelous. We own Seasons 1-3, and it's such fun introducing the kiddos to these crazy and lovable characters. Highlights (that I can think of right now):

Season 3, Elton John episode, when he sings Crocodile Rock with Muppet crocodiles, and Dr Teeth & the Electric Mayhem.
Anything Swedish Chef.
Beaker's voice.
the Gilda Radner episode.
the Steve Martin episode (banjo!).
the Gogolala Jubilee Jugband singing I'm my own Grandpa (or anything else).
Rowlf on the piano.

I'm sure youtube has a ton of Muppet stuff to view - probably even segments of everything I've mentioned above. My computer blocks youtube, and I haven't taken time to figure out how to make it stop yet, so I can't provide links - apologies!

the Word

2011-07-06T11:57:00.003-06:00

I can’t remember a time when the Word of God wasn’t a factor in my life. There are cassette tapes with my tiny voice on it, quoting the birth narrative of Christ. A tale of the time I memorized Psalm 100 in the nursery at church, and then said it in front of the congregation. I think the prize was my own little Bible. Memories of mom pantomiming verses so my sister and I would remember the passages we’d been assigned for school. Numerous Gideon Bibles – the version with the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs – handed out at Backyard Bible Clubs on mission trips in high school. So much of my life was based on the Book, but I didn’t really grasp much of it.

That happened later, my freshman year in college, in a dorm room while I was plowing my way through Romans. As with so many things in university, there was just an unquenchable hunger for learning, for figuring out, for making things my own. So something in the early chapters of Romans – I hate that I can’t remember exactly what – was used by the Holy Spirit to grab hold of me, and convince me of my utter and desperate need for a Savior. So the Word became a constant companion… It nourished me. It picked me up and carried me home when I walked away from the safety its instruction provided. It was a balm to my broken heart, my wounded soul, again and again. In the years that followed, I was just so hungry for what it had to say… I spent so much time in it that passages from the Psalms and the Epistles would just roll of my tongue when I was praying. It was so beautifully familiar.

And it still is. It’s just – different. I think Seminary somehow made it a technical manual for me, as opposed to a finely crafted love letter. I remember a girl at Seminary scoffing that people still read 5 Psalms and a Proverb as their daily time in the Word – “that’s just so immature.” I had done that for years, and it had made my heart soft, and adoring. Yet somehow I felt ashamed. Somehow felt the need to walk away from immature to mature, as if what she said was somehow binding. All that did was allow me to eventually abandon daily reading, because when I tried to read the more mature stuff in a devotional manner, it didn’t work. I hate that… I’m working to rid myself of that bias, to remember what it is to read the Word, all of it, with adoration. Because, the truth is, it is a Book of beauty, of God’s love for His people, and the world, and it is absolutely lovely and life-changing.

Psalm 119 is a meditation, a love letter, written about the Word of the Lord. I go to it when I’m thinking about the beauty of Scripture. Several of my favorite passages are below, or you can read the Psalm in its entirety here.

Psalm 119

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
¹¹I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
¹²Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes!
¹³With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
¹⁴In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
¹⁵I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
¹⁶I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

⁴¹Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise;
⁴²then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
⁴³And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my hope is in your rules.
⁴⁴I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,
⁴⁵and I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts.
⁴⁶I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
and shall not be put to shame,
⁴⁷for I find my delight in your commandments,
which I love.
⁴⁸I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.

⁹⁷Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
¹⁰¹I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
¹⁰²I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
¹⁰⁶I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
¹⁰⁷I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
¹⁰⁸Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your rules.
¹⁰⁹I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
¹¹⁰The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
¹¹¹Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹²I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.

the beach

2011-07-04T20:55:00.006-06:00

I know I said I’d write next about the Word…but today I’m feeling frumpy, and I’m thinking about the beach, so I’m going to write about the beach instead.

I can’t remember the first time we went to the beach. I was young…but I was instantly hooked. A note here – when I say beach, I think somewhere along the Florida coast on the Gulf of Mexico. Not a shivery cold beach in North Carolina or California – beautiful, but not what I have in mind. White sand is a must. Warm, with a constant balmy breeze. The water isn’t cold, but it’s not hot either. And the waves…never…stop…

For me, there is something so restorative about a trip to the beach. Correct that, a vacation to the beach.

One of my bosses, in a life that feels so foreign, before children, had categories for these things:
trip: going somewhere like Disneyworld. super fun, but super exhausting.
visit: going to see people. potential for fun is high but so is the potential for misery. vacation: going somewhere like the beach, and watching seagulls bash their heads against the water. rest is a must. no exhaustion or misery involved.

So, a vacation at the beach. For me, it’s reading fiction under a beach umbrella with a festive drink on one side and my toes buried in the sand. It’s a house, on the beach, with a weathered boardwalk you cross as quickly as possible to get to the super-hot white sand, so you can get to the water and cool off your toes. It’s sand everywhere, but that’s OK, because it’s supposed to be. It’s good food, it’s family. It’s sleeping like you never sleep at home, because the waves are constant, and comforting, and you’re drained from being outside all day. It’s little people looking like sugared donuts because they’re covered with sand all the time. It’s sitting in the sand at night and listening to the waves.

The last trip we took, in 2009, gave me a new appreciation for nighttime at the beach. I was in the first trimester of a pregnancy, and on our 3^rd day there, I started spotting. And it didn’t stop. So I was heartsick with worry, and sleep wasn’t happening. But we were on a beach where sea-turtles build their nests, so there were strict policies about NO LIGHTS outside of houses, or on the beaches at night (apparently it confuses the baby turtles, because they head for the light of the moon to find the water). So the stars….the STARS…were a thing of wonder and beauty. They started right where the water ended, and they were magnificent. So when I wasn’t sleeping, because I felt horrible and didn’t want to wake the whole house up by going outside, I would pull the mini-blinds, and just stare. And I would think to myself, over and over and over again, “The One who made them knows me. He knows what’s happening. And He loves me.” And I’d cry, and eventually fall asleep. The day before we left the beach we went to an awful ER and found out that I was indeed having a miscarriage. I will always think of those moments with the stars, with Him, when I think of that baby.

My heart yearns for the beach. But life being what it is, we don’t get there often enough. Budgets are restrictively tight, and there’s not always wiggle room for a week at the beach. But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming – this is a pic, from that week in 2009, that always greets me from my computer screen.

Don’tcha wanna go??

crawling back

2011-07-02T20:20:00.000-06:00

Well, people, after an incredibly long hiatus, I’m attempting to come back to regular blogging.

There are just some things that I’m feeling the need to process thru, and I think that regularly posting thoughts & other things here just might help the processing along…

So, where to begin?

I kinda feel like I need to figure out how to crawl back into my skin. Find Shannon… Not who I think I should be, or who others think I should be, or the mommy-version, or the wife-version, or the busy-busy-busy-with-whatever version… but Just. Plain. Old. Me.

And I’m not quite sure how to get there, to be honest. So I’m trying to think about things that make me come alive, things that stir my passions, and just see what happens. *A disclaimer here. I am passionate about my marriage and my children. That could go without saying. But I’m gonna say it anyway – my sweet little family gets me more fired up than anything else on this planet. But that’s not the point of this journey… The point is to remember – to discover? – the things that make me come alive apart from them, to be the best me I can be apart from them. That way, I’m the best me I can be when I’m with them as well. Win-win, see?*

So I think I’m going to start with writing about the Word of God. It stirs me like little else does.

And hopefully it won’t be 2 years between this post and that one.

summer book club, week 2

2009-07-13T16:45:00.002-06:00

So here are the books we've been reading this week:

Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle
*Cute story about a seagull who follows a little boy, Obadiah, around. Nice pictures, made me hungry because the mom bakes muffins and homemade bread.

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Magic Horse by Maj Lindman
*This story just weirded me out completely. Although these are recommended on K's book list, this one convinced me to not check any more out. Nothing sinister - it was just strange.

The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem
These were originally published as 4 separate books, obviously following the seasons (Spring Story, Summer Story, etc...). Tells stories of a little community of mice, who wear clothes, and have great houses in trees and bushes and tree stumps. Great illustrations - my girls really love them because of the whole "animals wearing clothes" factor, but I think boys might like it because of the details of the factories & things like that.

Nursery Classics by Paul Galdone
Great collection of classic fairy tales/fables (Little Red Hen, Goldilocks & The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs), with fantastic illustrations.

Summer Book Club

2009-07-07T20:07:00.002-06:00

So it's summertime!! One of the ways we try to stay cool in our neck of the woods is with a weekly visit to the library. Miss K has a summer reading list we need to help her work through before school starts in the fall, and as the list is (in my opinion) a super-great resource for those of us parenting wee ones, I'm going to blog my way through the list....or at least attempt to! We'll make a visit to the library tomorrow to pick up our first 5 books from the list, but for now I'll share some selections we already have here at home, and thoughts as they pop to mind about some of my favorites:

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Virginia Lee Burton
The Little House, Virginia Lee Burton
*I adore Burton's books. If you haven't read any of her books, by all means, do so today!!

Animals, Animals, Eric Carle (or any other Carle book)
*I could seriously decorate an entire room with nothing but Carle's illustrations. So gifted!

Prayer for a Child, Rachel Field

Corduroy, Don Freeman (or any other Freeman book)

The Market Square Dog, James Herriot (or any other children's books by Herriot)
*James Herriot is fabulous...the children's books are beautifully illustrated, kiddo-appropriate versions of the tales he writes of his days as a vet in the English countryside. He also has a series of books for adults that are so much fun to read.

The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf

The Little Engine that Could, Watty Piper

The Tale of Tom Kitten, Beatrix Potter (or others in this series)

Another thing Miss K's school has the children work on is recitation, both scripture & poems. Her class recited Robert Louis Stevenson's The Swing for the end of the year party, and she regularly spouts it off when she's playing in the backyard. Encourage those little minds to memorize! You'll be amazed at how much they retain...

how He loves

2009-04-07T08:47:00.004-06:00

I love seeing things that I've become used to through my children's eyes. I don't know that Easter is ever something that one should become "used to," but as the years have passed, it's become another holiday that marks how quickly the years are flying by, as in "Good night, is it Easter already?? Didn't this just happen??"

Anyway, Miss K drew this last night with her daddy. She wasn't prompted, she just drew it. She's got such a tender heart - it's really amazing to see the Holy Spirit working in her life, drawing her to Christ in such a sweet way. So hopefully this year I can really stop, and focus on the wonder of Christ, the wonder of His love for us all, His love for the Father, displayed in the cross. A song that keeps ringing in my mind is John Mark McMillan's "How He Loves" - if you haven't heard it yet, click here, find "How He Loves," and have a listen...

you are beautiful!!

2009-03-01T20:17:00.002-06:00

Friday at MOPS, Dr. Deborah Newman, a Dallas counselor and pastor to women, came to talk to all of us mommies about body image issues with our preschoolers. The statistics she mentioned were shocking - so many of our littles think terrible things about their bodies - and I think they get most of it from listening to us. It makes me cringe to think of the number of times I've looked at my reflection in the mirror, in front of their impressionable little ears, and uttered "so fat..."

I'll be the first to admit that I don't look like I looked at 18, or 22, or even 26 for that matter...but WHO DOES after having kids, and the old metabolism slowdown that comes with being in your 30's, and WHY do I try to live up to an impossible standard? Why can't I just be content with who I am, with how God has made me?? I'm not saying that I need to just give up, and stop exercising, and eat junk all day...but I need to realize that God has made me to do way more than obsess about the way I look in a pair of jeans.

So on Friday, Dr Newman had us pair up, and say a statement about who we are, in light of being God's children, to each other. It made me cry...I just get so caught up in what the world would have me think of myself, that I can't even remember the truth about who I am to the One who created me. I'm not going to put it here, because I think that everything on her website is copyrighted, but I'd love to challenge you to visit her website here, and find "You are beautiful," about 4/5 of the way down the page, at the bottom of the section "What's a mom to do?" Find a trusted friend, a sister, someone you connect with, and say it to each other. You can certainly tell yourself this in a mirror...but it was so powerful to hear these words spoken over me by a trusted mentor and dear friend.

Again, here's Dr. Newman's website - I'd challenge any of you who might be inadvertently passing on lies about body image to visit. It's going to be a regular stop for me!

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

2009-02-24T10:46:00.002-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Even though it's been (gasp!) 12 years since I've called Louisiana home, and 25 since my family lived just outside of New Orleans, there's still something special about Fat Tuesday to me. Like Kelley said on facebook, it's probably more because of the days we had off school than anything else, but I've got some fun Mardi Gras memories lurking around in my brain, and I'm glad to have them!

One of my favorite Mardi Gras memories, I think, is one of me & Jenny playing Mardi Gras parade on the swingset in our backyard in Kenner. The swingset was the float, and we'd take turns throwing beads and doubloons to one another....can't even imagine how much junk my poor dad must have mowed over, with junk getting thrown everywhere, but I'll always giggle when I think of us doing that.

Doing my best to pass on the fun to my kiddos. They already know what a king cake is, baby baked inside & all (yes, Susan, to me it's never going to be weird!), and after I told them the story of auntie & me playing Mardi Gras, K found a flyer from Party City advertising beads & doubloons, and wants some so she & MA can play Mardi Gras, too. Just might have to fulfill that wish today (sorry, honey - I'll do my best to pick up before you have to mow)!

thinking of pop

2009-02-18T22:28:00.003-06:00

Haven't been writing much lately (obviously!). I've been attributing that to a case of mid-winter "mully-grubs" (yes, I still use that phrase Bro. Doyle!), and acclamation to the world of facebook (ha!). But as I've been thinking about it today, I think it's because I just really miss my pop. Some of you know he passed away a few months ago - what you might not know is the last time I was with him, I was a complete brat.

Pop, like lots of other 87 year-olds, didn't have the best hearing in the world. Some granddads might put it more delicately, but that old marine who'd raised 8 kids of his own had taken to commenting on my girlies' "screechy little voices" in the last few months he was with us. He never had anything ugly to say about my girls...he loved them - they always got big kisses and hugs from pop-pop whenever we went to see him. But he was tired of what their high-pitched little-girl voices did to his ears, to his head.

So the last time I saw him, I pitched a fit when he fussed about their "screechy little voices." And I didn't give him a chance to apologize when he tried to...and I didn't give my girls time to say goodbye to their pop-pop as I stormed out of his house.

The next time I saw him was on a table in the emergency room, tubes coming out of his mouth, still warm although he was gone. All I could do was kiss his head (his hair was always so soft), and whisper "I am so so sorry..."

And I will always regret that I never got the chance to make things right with pop this side of heaven. I will always, always regret that my girls didn't get to give pop their usual hugs and kisses before we left. I hate that.

I'm praying that I'll learn from this, that I'll be more careful with the precious time I'm given with those I love. But I know that I'm stubborn, that I tend to forget lessons all too quickly, and that sometimes the only way for me to really get something is when it really, really hurts. Think this one qualifies. Father, thank you for tender mercies that are new every morning...how thankful I am that you don't take off in a huff when I insult You, or Your Son with my words and actions. Please, please help me to learn a lesson here, to love well, and to forgive quickly. How desperately I want to grow up to be like Jesus...

can't handle the peer pressure!!!

2009-01-17T13:47:00.002-06:00

Ha! So I've finally decided to cave to the phenomenon called facebook....let me know if you're already on, and I'll see if I can figure out how to make friends! ;o)

great expectations

2009-01-06T09:54:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it's already January 6th...the holidays, so soon gone, are a frenzied blur in my mind. We had such high hopes - it was the first year we were able to spend the holidays with all of honey's siblings (and all of the grandkids) up in PA. So I braced myself for a road trip to remember, and the Monday before Christmas, off we went. Tuesday night we arrived, exhausted but happy, ready to celebrate. Everything seemed perfect - everyone was there, everyone was on their best behavior, and the kiddos were all so cute together! Then, in the wee small hours of Christmas morning, I heard the horrid sounds of my oldest child throwing up. MA soon followed, with honey not far behind. Turns out that one of the families there had just recovered from a stomach bug, and had passed it on, not only to our family, but to just about everyone. Of the 31 people there for Christmas, 27 had the stomach bug sometime during our time together. Turned out to be a 24 hour bug, but my sweet family was very weak for days following. Stomach bug was followed by an pretty bad asthama flare for MA, and colds for all four of us. I think I got to feeling better about the time we rolled back into the DFW area.

Needless to say, it was a Christmas to remember.

As we look at another year, and all the expectations that go with it, I hope I can remember some lessons I learned from the great Christmas adventure of 2008. Sometimes, things just don't go the way you hope they will. However, there are still blessings to be found even when your expectations are dashed - you just have to be willing to keep your eyes (and heart) open to see them. And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. Psalm 139:7

merciful

2008-12-08T08:49:00.002-06:00

My pop (mom's dad) passed away Saturday night. He was sitting in his "big chair," watching OU play football - one minute he was here, the next he was gone. It's hard for us all, because we knew this was coming, but we didn't know it would happen so suddenly. But we know it's mercy, for him, for us, that he didn't have to spend miserable days or weeks in the hospital, but still...we miss him.

Miss K asked yesterday if we could call him on the phone - don't we all wish we could! We'd love to tell him how much we love him one last time. But it doesn't work that way, so we have to do with remembering, and sharing stories. Please keep our family in your prayers this week, especially my dear Nana...

shattered dreams

2008-11-18T12:57:00.002-06:00

Sunday was our first time to meet as a church in our new building! What a day... Our pastors had us all read the following prayer together:

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love. - Sir Francis Drake

Last week I had been struggling (emotionally and physically), because our sweet MA has been battling her asthma in a BIG way since the middle of October. It's no surprise to anyone that I like to be in control of things, and there's just this feeling of complete & utter helplessness that I feel holding my child at 2am, giving her a breathing treatment so that she can breathe easily, while she fights me, because all she wants to do is be left alone. A feeling of "what in the world do we do now?" when she's on an albuterol high at 11pm, tired out of her mind, but unable to rest because her little heart can't stop racing because of the medicine that helps her to breathe.

So after Sunday's sermon, all I could do was ponder the idea of change and challenge (which I typically hate!) as a impetus for growth in my life. It's always been after my dreams have been completely shattered that the Lord has graciously used my brokenness to help conform me to the image of Christ, to direct my life in such a way to bring Him greater glory than I could have where I was.

Yet another reminder that I must trust Him, must dare to allow my too-small dreams to be shattered, because He knows my pain (my baby's pain!), and He knows my shortcomings, and He has a purpose in the challenges I face that I cannot yet see.

skeletons & such

2008-11-06T21:30:00.003-06:00

So Halloween is over! It was a HUGE disappointment for us this year, so much so that we're thinking of doing away with it altogether as we've been doing it, and just having a costume party with other people dedicated to a non-scary Halloween....sheesh! Out here they've, for some bizarre reason, decided to take scary Halloween to an entire new level. Not just cute scary spiders & bats, mind you. We've got to have impaled skeletons on spears, and haunted graveyards, and freaky ghost things like the ghost of Christmas future in a super-scary version of "A Christmas Carol." We're done. That mess is NOT appropriate for preschoolers in any way, shape or form.

We've been dedicated to doing Halloween, mostly because of a great lecture I heard in seminary about putting out a jack-o-lantern at your house at Halloween because it's a great way to reach out to the culture around you. I believe the argument was along the lines of, "Hey, it's the one time of year each and every one of the kiddos in your neighborhood will willingly come by your house. Show them that Christians can be friendly!" (I'm sure it was much more nuanced and theologically appropriate than that explanation, but work with me here...). So every Halloween we sit outside, and hand out candy to all our neighbors...except that we only maybe saw 4 neighbors out of about 300 kids, and just as we were packing up to go inside, a boy in a "scream" mask decided that it would be funny to run up to my sweet Miss K and scary-scream at her as loudly as he possibly could. NOT funny. She turned white as a sheet, and when her daddy picked her up, she burst into tears, and didn't stop crying for an hour!

We're done.

On another note, honey and I went to a party a few weeks ago for a game night. I should have known it might not be a perfect fit for me upon seeing the house - beautiful, and immaculate! Crazy immaculate....I threw something in a trash can at the beginning of the evening, and when I went to throw something in it later, the trash can was empty! When it came to game time, we wound up with a song game, where someone read a word, and teams had to go back & forth singing songs with that word in it. The first word was hot, and all I could think (and of course, say, because I have no filters): "Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me!" I got a few funny looks, and a few people said, "Is that a real song?" When it came our turn again, honey said "It's gettin' hot in herre!" More funny looks. "Real song?" Honey said, "Well, I did work for DISD..."

So bizarre! That night, I just kept thinking, "I really need to find a skeleton in a closet somewhere in this house! Everything is so perfect..." People didn't know Nelly songs, trash disappeared from trash cans, and everything was so amazingly in place and beautiful. I don't do well in the midst of perfection - it just tends to make me nervous; I need a little mess to function properly (I heard that AMEN from all of you who've been to my house!).

I find that's true with my relationships, too. Authenticity is a key for me. People who seem to have it all together, who are "practically perfect in every way" mystify me. I know I'm a mess...I live it every single day, and because I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, anyone who's around me for longer than 5 minutes can pick up on it. So bring on the skeletons, girls - they'll always be welcome here, so long as you don't run screaming at my girlies on Halloween.

random thoughts from a late night coffee buzz...

2008-10-23T21:55:00.007-06:00

I read an interesting article the other day (I'd link to it, but I can't remember if it was online or in the paper, and I'm to lazy to go look for it now) stating that blogging is now all but dead, thanks to the annoyance called Facebook. Yes, annoyance...maybe I'm just completely techno-challenged, but I can't make heads or tails of it! Each time I look at honey's page, all I can think is "HUH?" Our MOPS group had us all sign up on Cafe Mom, which is just facebook for moms, so I'm trying it out over there. It still mystifies me, though! Oh, and the article also said that twitter was to blame for dying blogs...I tried to read Slate's twitter about the Olympics when they were on, and I kept trying to find articles attached to the "twitters." I just need more than a few sentences to keep me informed, I guess!

So, for now, I'm going to keep blogging away. Behind the times, I know, but that's just my comfort zone!

Great sermon Sunday, here, if you'd care to take a listen. We've been in a short series entitled "In God We Trust," and this week our pastor tackled worry from a biblical perspective. SO many take away points from this sermon, but one that's stuck with me all week is the fact that while fear is a normal emotion, if we choose to worry as a result of our fears, we're choosing to sin, because we aren't choosing to trust God. If you're struggling with worry in these uncertain times, I'd love to challenge you to listen to this sermon! Key passage was Philippians 4:4-9:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

So I'm going to try to go sleep now...I've actualy started drinking coffee (that may be the last thing in the world I should have taken up - although "coffee" is probably a big stretch, because it's a little bit of coffee with a lot of milk, and chocolate syrup...), and tonight had a meeting at a real coffee place, and had a mocha...and am wired! Happy weekend!

somebody pass the ketchup

2008-10-14T12:57:00.003-06:00

It's time once again for me to make a feast of my words! It's been a tradition in our family to craft the girlies' Halloween outfits, and we've had fun with that. So much fun, that in the past few years, I'm sure I've said (smugly, to myself): "WOW! I am such a great mom. I make my kiddos costumes! No store-bought stuff for us, thanks. Crafty critter here is able to make anything that her little ones' hearts desire!"

Humph.... Yeah, not so much this year. This year Miss K and Miss MA are set on being mermaids. I've tried to talk them out of it. "How about poodles? Belly dancers? Cheerleaders?" "Mermaids, mommy! MERMAIDS!!" Good night, Irene... How in the word does a crafty critter, who's probably more critter than crafty, make mermaid costumes? I looked at patterns (which I don't really understand the mechanics of, anyway), and sparkly fabric...and then stopped by Party City, just to see what I might spend on boughten costumes, were I to buy mermaids rather than try to craft them. Ariel costumes were on sale. Hmmmm.... I could go buy sparkly material, and then spend hours trying to craft mermaids, or just be done with the whole thing in the next 10 minutes for the same amount of money.

Needless to say, I walked out of Party City with two Ariel costumes tucked under my arm.

So I'm in a quandry. One that I tend to find myself in often in parenting... thinking that MY way is the ONLY way, only to discover that that's absolute rubbish, and that a great deal of flexibility is required as we help our girls grow into the women that God created them to be. That's not to say that there aren't absolutes in parenting - there are - but as regards stuff like this, I'm so thankful that there are so many other people out there who can help me stretch and grow, and learn that MY way isn't the ONLY way for things to be done well.

That doesn't mean that I'm going to leave the Ariel emblems on the costumes, though. Still have to add a bit of originality for crafty critter's sake. I'll post pics after Halloween!

better moms...

2008-10-05T20:10:00.003-06:00

Returned yesterday from the annual MOPS convention at the crazy-big over-the-top gaudy but-still-has really-comfy-beds-and-pretty-rooms Gaylord Texan (has anybody ever been there? It really is crazy big, and pretty impressive, but the boots & hats & belt buckles in the carpets in the conference rooms got to me after a while!). Anyhow, the MOPS convention. Really a great time of team-building with the ladies on the MOPS steering team at our church. Some super-great speakers, and some weird workshops (which I won't go into, other than to say there was a guy talking about communicating with your man, and he had people handing cards - I don't know what they said on them - to anyone who seemed to disagree with him, which totally made me cringe), but a great reminder that what we do as moms is so very important. The MOPS logo is "better moms make a better world," and I was just so inspired by the time I spent with the WONDERFUL women from our steering team, and the speakers there.

One inparticular, Erwin McManus, had great things to say about not being that mom who says to her kids, "I really did some amazing things for the Lord before I had you guys!" A great reminder that part of being a "better" mom is pursuing the passions that God has given you as you continue to pursue the passion He's given you to raise godly kiddos. So great....challenged me to think about those things that I just love doing, those passions that I know are God-given (like writing children's curriculum, and studying the Bible, digging deep into the Word, with other women), that have just been put away for now, under the excuse of "I'm just too stinkin' busy..." Because I know that I'm a better mom when I'm actively pursuing the passions and gifts that God has birthed in my heart...and I want my children to see me actively energized as I serve God, so that my life continually points their little hearts toward pursuing Him.

Good stuff! It's so hard to get away for things like that, but it's always so worth it. I love how it renews my heart, and challenges me, and helps me appreciate my sweet people at home!

fall faves

2008-09-21T15:37:00.005-06:00

OK, it truly only felt like fall for a few days this week, but since tomorrow is the official first day of autumn for the year, I thought I'd share!

1) Check out this amazing pumpkin (or maybe these 3 amazing pumpkins?)!
Found it at Whole Foods this week. It's called a Fairytale pumpkin, and I think it's well deserving of it's name. I'm hoping that it will last through Thanksgiving, but we'll see... I just love having things in the house that just remind me of the creativity of the Father! I love places like Whole Foods and Central Market for the same reason. I was at CM a few days ago with super great SIL Sha, and was marveling at His creativity shown in a display of tomatoes - red, orange, and yellow all lined up in a row- and then in a display of cauliflower- purple and yellow (geaux tigers!) right next to a green coral variety. So fabulous!

2) Also am excited about whole wheat pastry flour - read about it in a magazine last week, and am using it as a substitution for all-purpose flour in recipes now. Have already tried it in these buttermilk waffles, and am even going to go for it in chocolate chip cookies. I'll try anything once!

cake balls....

2008-09-11T20:20:00.002-06:00

So many jokes that I could make that I shouldn't even allude to...

Anyhoo, Dallas Morning News yesterday had a wonderful article (complete with recipes) on these cake balls, which are apparently all the rage these days! They're just so cute, and look like they should be fairly easy to make. The girls and I experimented today, and found that getting them coated with the almond bark in a pretty fashion is a bit tricky...but we'll definitely keep trying! Yum-o! I can't wait to try a yellow cake with chocolate frosting combo...

just shoulda stayed in bed?

2008-09-08T15:56:00.003-06:00

I should have known when the simple task of making my morning oatmeal turned into almost setting my kitchen on fire that I just shoulda stayed in bed yesterday. Yes, ladies, yesterday was one of those days that absolutely convinces me that there is indeed an enemy of our souls, who will employ any tactic necessary to render us completely useless for the Kingdom.

In my life, it's not big stuff, like car wrecks or sickness or financial instability that renders me useless (although I'm sure if any of those were to happen, they would absolutely wreak havoc on my life). It's red crayons in the dryer with a load of whites, and red strawberry soda on the carpet that I JUST steamed cleaned last week. These are the things that just paralyze me....they just make me want to go running back to the safety of my big cozy bed, away from the demands of community and accountability, away from the opportunity of learning anything new from others' perspectives on the madness in my life. So I missed out yesterday. I was so overwhelmed by my morning that we were late to church, then I slept right through most of the season opener for my beloved Dallas Cowboys (honey joked that if I watched it from the beginning I might jinx their chances of winning), and I didn't even attempt to go to community group last night. Completely missed out on several opportunities that the Lord provided to redeem my day.

I'm thankful for chances at redemption...thankful that when my day completely overwhelms me, and I walk past opportunities for renewal, that the Lord continues to send them my way, even when all I deserve is to be sent to my room for a time-out. Thank you, Father, for your steadfast loyal love, and that your mercies are new every morning (and afternoon, and evening...).

tapestry

2008-08-28T08:38:00.002-06:00

Hi girls!

Some of my absolute favorites (one I have the amazing privilege of calling SIL) have come together in Tapestry, a new website featuring some amazing women who have lovely and thought-provoking things to say. The Tapestry website says this: Tapestry features leading Christian writers and thinkers who have come together to engage culture about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It's a new daily favorite of mine....

in over my head

2008-08-21T14:29:00.003-06:00

This week marked a new era in my life: that of publicly being honey's wife, as relates to his new role as head of middle school at new job. I just have to say, I feel so very overwhelmed as relates to this role....Monday night was Parent's Night, and I felt such pressure (from myself alone, I'm pretty sure) to be practically perfect in every way. I'm not sure why I still struggle so much with that, as I haven't felt this in a while, but there's something about having your little Honda Civic surrounded by BIG, shiny, not-banged-up, luxury cars that can make one feel a little overwhelmed.

That's not to say that anyone has been unkind - they haven't. In fact, I haven't met anyone yet who's anything but gracious. But it's still been scary.

Sunday night miss K came in, and wanted to get something from the playroom, but the light was off, and she wanted me to turn the light on. I told her to get a stepstool (because she's ever-so capable of handling that alone), and as she marched out of my room, I heard her say to herself, "Be brave."

"That's it..."I thought to myself.

But of course there's so much more to it than that. I have to be renewed, secure in who I am in Christ, in who I am as honey's beloved wife, apart from role as wife-of-head-of-middle-school. Have to be able to just relax, and be authentic, banged-up Honda Civic & all.

Off now to rescue the girlies from Mermaidia yet again. Why, oh why, do my children love the Barbie movies so much? Best to everyone as school gets started up again, and we all find ourselves wearing new hats, getting in over our heads with new roles to fulfill. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. II Corinthians 3:5

shoo-wee HOT!!

2008-08-03T20:26:00.002-06:00

That's just something silly I've taken to saying to the girlies just about every time we head outside these days... It's just plain ol' hot down here in Texas, and we're content to stay inside as much as we possibly can! We're also looking for fun, new ways to cool off....

So tonight our CG (small group) took a spontaneous field trip to Bahama Buck's in Rockwall, and I had one of the best sno-cones I've had in a long time...although it did give me brain freeze a few times. Most everybody got the sno-cone with a scoop of Blue Bell in the bottom of the cup, but I just stuck to plain ol' strawberry with cream on top. I'm hooked, though...think we might just have to head that way tomorrow!!

thoughts on worship

2008-07-08T21:59:00.002-06:00

At mom & dad's house over the break, sis got her latest edition of her college magazine (from Baylor - go Bears!), and she pointed out this super-great quote regarding worship from Baylor grad David Crowder (obviously of the David Crowder Band):

But yet, Crowder is ever suspicious of musical moments. He sees worship as much more than music and instead gravitates towards Paul's description in Romans of offering ourselves as living sacrifices.

"Paul's words help put music in its place. It minimizes music's role. These moments in music to me are not completely trustworthy, just because there's so much emotion-you can go to a concert or be in a musical environment that is not intended to be a corporate worship experience. You hear people say, ‘Wow, that was a spiritual experience. Man, that was otherworldly,' very transcendent language.

"I trust musical experiences less than I do moments stuck in traffic and moments when you're encountering someone you might not like to be around all that much. I think that's when we're able to see our true intentions and motives and what's inside us perhaps better than when we're all together singing. I think Paul might've had something there."

The entire article is here if you're interested in seeing the rest of it... I was just really challenged by the thought that my attitude, as I'm sitting in traffic, or around some of my not-so-favorite people, is an accurate reflection of "worship," much more so than when I'm singing with the community on Sunday mornings...

little shop of horrors?

2008-06-27T21:22:00.004-06:00

We have squash growing in the backyard, and the rate at which the vines grow truly remind me of the big freaky plant in "Little Shop of Horrors." I'm just waiting for Dixie to disappear one of these days.... Luckily, neither of us know anything about tending to a vegetable garden, so I guess it can just overtake the backyard, and produce squash (which I don't even really like) like mad. All I really want are a few tomatoes, but we'll see...I think the squash just might claim those for itself.

Honey's been out of town all stinkin' week! I'm going a little crazy. It was our anniversary on Tuesday (how has it been 8 years already???), so I'm ready for him to come home so we can celebrate...sushi maybe?? The girlies are also in need of a daddy fix in a big way. They miss him so much when he's gone! And I'll even give him an extra hug because I convinced myself Wednesday after I couldn't get in touch with him all day long (it was 11:45pm his time!) that he must have had a stroke and was stuck in his hotel room with no way to call for help (a stroke because I listened to an interview earlier that day on NPR about a brain doctor lady who'd had a stroke, who's written a book about it, and it was a real struggle for her to remember how to call someone for help once she'd had her stroke). Anyway, I guess I need to add listening to stories about people having strokes to the list of things I shouldn't do when somebody I love is far, far away....

sleep deprived?

2008-06-14T21:49:00.004-06:00

One of the funniest things (I think) that I did in college was make a speech on sleep deprivation in a speech class that I couldn't ever stay awake in. I think the prof even thought it was funny. I'm pretty sure it was an early morning class (for me, anything before 11). Keeping that in mind....

As most of you all know very well, I am definitely not a morning person. Never have been. A girl at work (mom's day out, 2 days a week) even commented a few weeks ago about how funny it is that I'm so quiet in the morning when we first all get there...and we get there at 8:30! Even then I'm still sleepy! So I found this article in slate very interesting, on how a girl who is absolutely-not-a-morning-person is trying to reset her internal clock, in an effort to switch out her night-owlishness for morning-personality... I'm thinking about trying it, but, then again...

a new fave...

2008-06-07T10:58:00.002-06:00

Yum-o. Out here at mom & dad's, mom & I have discovered the lovely, new (to me, anyway) mint crisp M&M's. They're dangerous, ladies... I'm thinking of putting some in some brownies I'm making tonight!

Nana

2008-05-22T20:48:00.004-06:00

So my sweet Nana (mom's mom) had a heart attack Monday! That was the last thing any of us ever expected.... I've waited for a few years now for a call like that from my mom about my Pop (mom's dad), but didn't ever expect it about Nana. Sweet thing! She had to have a triple bypass, and is still in ICU. I was with mom & dad until last night, but needed to get back today to try to finish up the year at preschool... Am going back out Sunday afternoon, unless things get bad between now & then, which I don't anticipate, but you never know. (BTW, it's amazing to watch your parents care for their parents. I'm in awe of how great my folks are with nana & pop...hope I'm raising my girls to be as amazing as my parents are! Anyhow...)

It was sweet, when mom talked with her Monday morning before the surgery, she said, "Just think, if I wake up in heaven, I'll have nothing to do but sit and adore my precious Jesus!" Made me cry, of course. It was comforting to know that Nana was ready to go, but I don't think any of us are ready for her to go... seems like she might get to stay for a while longer, but I hate that she has to go through the pain of recovery and rehab from open heart surgery.

So if you still have a Nana around, go give her a big hug if you're able to. If you can't give her a hug, send her a card (my Nana loves cards, and I just kinda assume all Nanas out there love cards, too). And if you think of my sweet Nana, pray for her.

everything orange!

2008-05-04T19:55:00.003-06:00

OK, so sorry for my delay in posting....I went to a conference in Atlanta last Saturday, and returned in the wee small hours of the morning Thursday, so have been playing catch up since then!

So I went to the Orange Conference, which is put on by the reThink Group, an organization that "encourages churches to reThink the way they minister to families" (from their website). Our church uses the curriculum that they publish for preschoolers and children, so off to the conference I went with 6 others from the preschool/children's area. Can't say enough great stuff about this conference...the basic premise behind Orange is that 2 influences working together make a greater impact upon a child's life than 2 influences working alone, so RED (the home, love from the family) works with YELLOW (the church, light from the gospel) to make ORANGE... So it's the goal of an "orange" church to partner with parents and train parents to be spiritual leaders in their homes, to impact their children for the cause of Christ.... Way more to it than that, but that's it in a nutshell.

So I wanted to share this resource with you all - it's the best preschool CD I've heard (it's called With Me Every Day), ever, I think. The music is thoughtful, and quality-wise, super. Not another inane Christian children's CD (the girls have a few that make me want to pull my hair out!). One example: the song "You're Amazing," says "You're amazing, and I lift my hands to worship, and I sing and dance to praise you, how wonderful you are!" It's joyful, and it's a wonderful introduction to biblical truths musically. It's the CD that goes along with our preschool curriculum, First Look, and helps teach the 3 basic truths we hope that our kiddos learn by the time they leave our preschool program: God Made Me, God Loves Me, and Jesus Wants to be My Friend Forever. To hear samples of the songs, go here, and find With Me Every Day.

Also got to hear Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz Don Miller) speak at the conference, so here's just a note, if you haven't read Blue Like Jazz yet, by all means try to do it soon... I'll have more to say about that later, I'm sure, but for now, just a recommendation.

pingu

2008-04-21T20:45:00.002-06:00

Ready for some good, silly fun? Let me introduce you to Pingu! He's become a favorite here in our home since auntie introduced us a few months ago. "Pingu is a Swiss animated children's television series...about a family of penguins who live at the South Pole" (from Pingu's Wikipedia page) . It's just fun...Pingu doesn't speak English (or any other real language for that matter), but "a honking 'penguin language,' (called Penguinese)," (again, from the Wikipedia page) that's really funny. The girls and I try to honk at each other now and again, or talk like the seal from this video about Pingu fishing (btw, there are loads of Pingu videos on youtube, or you can look at the official Pingu website, or on the PBS Kids' Sprout Pingu site for others). Anyhow, good silly fun. We like that around here!

fox in socks & mittens

2008-04-16T21:08:00.019-06:00

Last weekend Miss K got to bring the class "pet," Fox in Socks, home for the weekend. Here's her experience with Fox (who she calls Fox in Socks and Mittens), her words:

FRIDAY

Poor Fox! First MA threw up on him, so he had to have a bath.

Later Fox in Socks went outside to ride bikes with us.

Fox in Socks and Mittens rode on my bike.

Fox in Socks loved Dixie so much.

Dixie was so happy that Fox in Socks wanted to ride on her back.

SATURDAY

It was a horse race day.

First we went on the train to the aquarium.

Fox in Socks was scared of the train because he was afraid of falling.

Fox in Socks was excited about the octopus.

Fox in Socks was scared of this polka-dotted Goliath Grouper

because he thought it was a stingray.

Fox in Socks liked the lunch table at the aquarium.

He felt good and tired taking a break from the animals at lunch.

He even tried to eat my sandwich. That made me sad.

He loved the Manatee.

He was afraid the cage would break and the sharks would eat him.

After the aquarium we went to Starbucks for hot chocolate.

Then it was time for a trolley ride.

He thought it was fun and he tried to eat us.

He got excited about the horse races.

He did not like the Miranda Lambert Concert.

He thought the singing was terrible.

He was terribly surprised by the singing, he said,

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it.”

SUNDAY & MONDAY

We had to spend all day Sunday and Monday resting because we were so tired.

I had a fun weekend with Fox in Socks.

remember this?

2008-04-06T17:42:00.003-06:00

So I'd never heard of it before, but the other day honey learned about being "rick rolled," and, of course had to share it...

So now I'm sharing it with you....And to think I used to LOVE this dude...

celebrate!

2008-04-01T20:01:00.002-06:00

I absolutely LOVE my children's sincere abandon when it comes to celebrating amazing things the Lord has done...

We found out yesterday that honey got that job we'd been waiting to hear about! He received the call about 8:30, while he was reading to the girls. Well, bedtime ritual was shot, so we danced for a while, and then set about sharing the news with others. While honey talked on the phone, Miss K decorated him with stickers, and made a "daddy got a new job!" badge for him. The girls really don't know what it means that daddy got a new job, but they saw how excited we were, and they joined right in with abandon. It was FANTASTIC.

I hope I celebrate the amazing things I see my Father doing in the same manner, even when I don't quite understand all that it means, like David did in 2 Samuel 6, when he danced before the Lord with all his might...

Father, thank you for times of celebration and rejoicing. I know that I have so much to celebrate in Who You are, and what You've done, but I forget sometimes. Help me to remember...and help me to dance with abandon, celebrating You often.

beautiful scandalous night

2008-03-24T19:30:00.009-06:00

I know that Easter is LONG over (ok - so only a day, but in the world of preschoolers, that's an eternity), but they sang "Beautiful Scandalous Night" on Palm Sunday at church. Maybe you've all heard this song already, but I hadn't, and I was so touched by its beauty... Our worship team did it very "old-school Caedmon's" style, which is still one of my favorite sounds in the world, and I'm wondering if there are any versions out there like that? Let me know if so...

In other news, I just really love LOUISIANA cuisine. Our family attended a wonderful crawfish boil Saturday at a neighbor's house...sadly, we couldn't get the girls to eat any crawfish (they'd hold them, but not eat them?), but honey and I ate more than our share. Not much better than crawfish and margaritas, y'all. Yum-O!

Anyhow, hope everyone is enjoying spring. Still can't believe how beautiful it is!

for-ev-er!!

2008-03-14T18:11:00.002-06:00

Does anybody remember that movie, The Sandlot, where the little boys, at some point in the movie, keep saying "FOR-EV-ER" over and over again?? I don't remember what's happening at that point, but honey and I have been through several processes lately that have been taking "for-ev-er," and we're ready to see some light at the end of the tunnel!!

The first is our sweet girl MA, and all of her health issues. I think that we're actually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this....I just commented that she's actually been sleeping ALL night, EVERY night, since we started her breathing treatments. Amazing! Now, the breathing treatments are a different story altogether, because I think it's a bit like wrestling a bear to actually get her to take her treatment...but it gets done, and now that she's on a "green light" with her symptoms, we aren't having to wrestle the bear at all...at least until her symptoms show up again!

The second is a (what feels like never-ending) job interview that honey has been walking through for the last few months. He's been interviewing for a teaching/administrative role at a classical Christian school in Dallas, and thus far he's had 4 interviews, he's taught a math class, and he's preached in chapel. Today was chapel, and we think it's the end of the process; we should find out if he's "the one for the job" by the end of the month, but it's been a bit grueling... We're confident that we don't want him to take the position if it's not the Lord's best for him, but it would still be hard to hear if that's the case. One of our pastors talked last week at small group about the Lord's will being more about "who we are being" than "what we are doing," and that's been really good to think about. I know I've heard that so many times, but it's just so easy to get caught up in the doing...

It's finally beautiful outside here in Texas! It's been for-ev-er since we've gotten to play, play, play outside, and we are loving the chance we have to romp around in various parks & backyards. I'm so excited that Easter is just around the corner, too! And it's spring break! And I was able to quit my job at the gym! Yaaay! Way too many exclamation points, but, you know...it's springtime!! Hope everybody is doing well... (and girls, hello, only 2 WEEKS until GW2008!!).

say what??

2008-03-06T20:01:00.002-06:00

So I found out today that our sweet MA, on top of everything else she's got going health-wise, also has asthma....good night!! Poor kiddo. Now we've got to learn how to give her breathing treatments, on top of her 3 other regular medications she has to take, plus antibiotics, and probiotics to keep her tummy regulated while she takes said antibiotics...

Any advice girls? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and underinformed....

a few random thoughts

2008-02-24T21:44:00.003-06:00

Just heard "Falling Slowly" from Once on the Oscars...if you haven't heard the song yet, by all means listen to it, and if you haven't seen the movie, well...if you can handle lots of the f-bomb, see it soon. Anyhow....

Quick update. We took MA to the allergist a few weeks ago, and he diagnosed her chronic runny nose as a symptom of acid reflux which apparently she still suffers from....which would explain the runny nose, the constant ear infections even after tubes, and the random waking up/screaming episodes we have at 3 in the morning...SO, we've already seen her nose start to dry up. We're waiting for the sleep issues to subside, but after 2 1/2 years, they're pretty ingrained, so pray for us as we continue plodding along! Poor kiddo.

I need to paint our room...any suggestions for a soothing color?

Enjoy the random extra day we get this week! I always say I could use an extra day every week, so I'll have to see if I can take advantage of the weirdness of the 29th on Friday.

all you need is...respect??

2008-02-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

So it's almost Valentine's Day, girls! I guess we all already know that. Our house was a flurry of foam hearts and glitter glue (I'd like to blow a big raspberry in the general direction of the person who invented glitter glue! What an obnoxious mess that my children adore...) on Friday as we tried to get a head start on class valentines. Ads for roses and chocolate are everywhere, and hearts are plastered on everything standing still...

So it made me think a bit. I kinda tend to blow off Valentine's Day...it's fun for my girlies, but it irritates me a little bit. A contrived holiday to force guys to try to get something perfect and thoughtful and sincere for their beloved? Or something else altogether? I don't know...

BUT I have been reading a very interesting book called Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, and I've been really intrigued by it. It's nothing I've not heard, but it's put in such a way that I can't help but think about it. I'm not finished with the book, but so far Eggerichs' basic premise is that, in the same way women are wired to need "unconditional love" from their husbands, so too men are wired to need "unconditional respect" from their wives. He states that couples enter a "crazy cycle" in their relationship when they interact without the love and respect they both need so desperately: "without love, she reacts without respect. Without respect, he reacts without love" (p. 16). A really interesting point he makes is that we need to always keep in mind that, for the most part, our husbands (and wives) are acting in "basic goodwill" toward us. Now, he's not talking about sin nature stuff here, but just thinking generally in terms of communication. I really see that with honey; too often I completely forget that he truly loves me, and wouldn't ever do something purposefully to hurt me. He's a wonderful man! I too quickly forget that truth when communication difficulties come, and I react with contempt to something he's trying to tell me...

Anyhow, interesting stuff! Very good for me to think about, especially as our church has been guiding us in a study of James, and we've recently touched on the "tongue" passages there. Here's a quote from something one of our pastors wrote:

James has quite a bit to say about the tongue. In 1:19 he tells us to be slow to speak. The majority of ch. 3 is devoted to taming the tongue. In this section he states that the tongue is able to corrupt the whole person. Then there is James 1:26 that says that a person’s religion is worthless if he cannot keep a tight reign on his tongue. James isn’t the only one who talks about the tongue. Ephesians 4:29 commands us to not let ANY unwholesome talk come out of our mouths. Jesus himself says in Matthew 12:34, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Here’s the deal: the Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, so what has your tongue been saying?

So it's been good for me to think about how I communicate respect to my sweet dear honey. It's my sincere desire that I'll be doing a lot better with that come Valentine's Day next year... Happy Valentine's Day girls! Hope everybody gets to enjoy some favorites (chocolates and fountain coke for me, thanks!).

darcy fans, unite!!

2008-02-08T22:28:00.000-06:00

So maybe all you cultured types already knew about this (I heard about it from our dear Schmemma a while ago, but promptly forgot about it until last week)....

PBS's Masterpiece Theatre is in the middle of a series called "The Complete Jane Austen." This Sunday marks the first of 3 weeks of *sigh* Pride and Prejudice. That's right girls...our very own A&E version of Pride & Prejudice, complete with Colin Firth as the dear Mr. Darcy. Here in Dallas, it starts Sunday night at 8pm - we'll probably be feasting on quesadillas as we watch, for old times' sake (sniff, sniff)!!

hoe-what-sa?

2008-02-01T10:03:00.000-06:00

OK, I've got a new favorite, ladies! Jojoba oil (pronounced, at least by me, ho-ho-ba).... I found out about it a few weeks ago at the spa party I attended, and decided to head down to the ol' health food store to find a bottle (where I had the whole "how is it pronounced?" debate for the first time; I asked the lady for "ho-ho-ba oil," she said "What?" So I spelled it, and she said, "Oh, joe-joe ba oil..." Then she couldn't find it, so she asked the other lady who worked there for "joe-joe-ba oil," and the other lady said, "Oh, you mean ho-ho-ba oil?" SIGH...) Anyhow, jojoba oil. Great stuff! My girls have (like most little kiddos) really sensitive skin, and this time of year I'm always looking for ways to keep their skin soft & unchapped. MA's nose runs constantly, so she's always red & ouchy under her nose, and K's chin & cheeks are chapped, no matter how much lotion or vaseline I douse them with... So I put some jojoba oil in their bath, and put a bit in their hands to rub on their faces, and no more red faces! It's lovely stuff. I've even been using it on my hands (until now I haven't been able to keep my knuckles from cracking), and under my eyes, on my legs after I shave, and even a bit in my hair...it makes everything so soft! Apparently the DNA in jojoba oil is like our own DNA, so it softens everything up, but doesn't make you greasy. I think I'm even going to add some essential oils or aromatherapy oils to some to make some massage oil, even...great stuff! I got a 16 ounce bottle from the health food store for $16, so it won't break the bank.

this overwhelming feeling....

2008-01-29T17:55:00.000-06:00

Today I'm just feeling a tad bit overwhelmed with everything. It's normal, and I'm not about to run off to the Caribbean or anything (if only, right???), but nevertheless...

I think we're all adjusting to my new "work" schedule. The girls seem to be trooping right along, and MA even greeted her teachers happily today: "Teacher!" (Side note: she now wants to be the moon when she grows up. What do I say to that??). Anyhow, we're all adjusting...so we came home after our full day, and lo & behold, thanks to crazy wind today in DFW, our back fence was COMPLETELY blown over. Not only 2 or 3 pickets...our whole back fence, save like 2 sections. SIGH. So there's that to deal with...and then I find my new "welcome to the business" package from Sensaria (the fun spa stuff I'm going to try to sell) outside the front door. So where the heck am I supposed to put it? In my bedroom/office/craft room, on the craft/junk table that's COMPLETELY full? SIGH. So I made some tea, confident that the fence can be handled by honey, and that with a few hours I can find some room for my Sensaria stuff... Now I just have to convince myself (again) that I can actually be a rep for the company, without being one of those home-based business ladies that you hide from when you see her in Wal-Mart cause you know that's all she's going to do is try to sell you something (btw, if you're a home-based business person this is not a slam - I know so many wonderful women who are excellent at this...but I know that you all know the type I'm talking about, right?).

Anyhow, overwhelmed.

So I'm grateful that if God is for us, who can be against us, and that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because when I start feeling overwhelmed my brain usually starts attacking me, bringing up past failures and consequences of failures, making it very difficult to get over "overwhelmed." So thankful...

Off to help honey get the kiddos out of the bathtub, and fish toilet paper out of said bathwater. "It's clean toilet paper, at least," says honey... Fits right in to the way today has played out, at least!!

poor neglected blog!

2008-01-24T09:15:00.000-06:00

I really am not happy that I don't have as much time these days to devote to the ol' blog. I guess it's just normal, it's how life works, that you get/start something new, and it's fun & exciting, and then it becomes part of the routine, and something else new works its way into the daily routine...

I started teaching pre-K at Miss K's mothers day out program the week before Christmas...today is my first day home with sick kiddos, so I'm taking a minute to update here. It's T/Th, from 8:30 until 2:30 (kiddos are there from 9:15 until 2:15). Miss MA has (finally?) warmed up to being in a classroom, and truth be told I think she gets a better nap at school than at home! I really love being in the classroom with preschoolers. Maybe that makes me crazy, but I've missed it...I get a bit of a rush going into the resource room, and am a bit too excited about bulletin boards and the die cut machine. ;o) I'm also going to start selling Sensaria products (think Aveda spa-ish stuff, but at home instead of a salon), and am excited about it, although I'm a bit nervous at the prospect of actually trying to sell stuff ("Oh, here, just take this...I've got plenty!!"). Just going to see what happens. If me doing this isn't a good fit, I'm not going to try to make it be one...it'll be fun to see what happens, right?

Miss K is feeling MUCH better. I'm so glad that we had her tonsils out...she had the worst breath, and now I know that it was from her yucky tonsils. Poor kiddo! Off to tend to my poor coughing bunnies. MA woke up with fever at midnight, and coughed until 4am, when she finally fell asleep. It's going to be a long day, I'm afraid!

today's thought...

2008-01-07T11:30:00.000-06:00

From a MOPS Mom-E-Mail I opened this morning:

Cleaning your house while your children
are still growing is like shoveling
the walk before it stops snowing. Phyllis Diller

Amen to that!

new year, new thoughts?

2008-01-02T17:04:00.000-06:00

So happy new year, everybody! Yikes. 2008. Shouldn't we all have flying cars & house-cleaning robots by now?

Sweet K had a tonsillectomy today, so we've been getting ready for today, and the new year just kinda sneaked right on by... We were in bed well before midnight, with our babies all snug in their beds on time. I know a time will come again when we'll actually stay up late & celebrate New Year's, but my fondness for sleep kinda really likes this way of celebrating!

Two things...

First, silly: going along with our Muppet Christmas, we picked up season one of the Muppet Show for our sweet little patient to recover with. Highly recommend it! Fun 70's clothes, colors & hair, and great silliness for our little people to laugh with.

Second, serious: terrible things are happening in Kenya, where Heather and her family serve. For now, Heather and her family are out of the country, but their hearts are there with the people they live with and love. Please be praying for them, for all of our missionaries serving there, and for the people of the country. Heather has a link to Daniel Liparelli's blog (Daniel is another American serving in Kenya) that gives a very real, very frightening insider's view of life in Kenya these last few days.

Always good to stretch our horizons, right? Praying that this year will find us looking more and more like the Son...

a muppet kinda christmas

2007-12-21T21:03:00.000-06:00

Sis picked up the John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together CD last week. We've been listening to it constantly. The girls favorite is Miss Piggy singing "Christmas is Coming," and my favorite is Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker singing the 9th day of Christmas during "The 12 Days of Christmas." I found the 12 days here on youtube, but, alas, it's different from the album. No Beaker!

I'm a little snowflake...

2007-12-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

I know that I should absolutely be doing Christmas stuff right now instead of blogging, but I just need to process, and for some crazy reason, this helps me do it, so...

Yesterday was a BAD day. Really super YUCK-O, the kind you just want a do-over on. I won't go into gory details, but it ended up with me being incredibly (maddeningly, almost out of my mind) frustrated because 1) I have years and years of (what really feels like) "useless" education that can't be put to practical use (read, WHY O WHY didn't I study nursing/ architecture/ business/or anything other than these degrees that end in the word "studies"?) and 2) my youngest daughter and I are butting heads like I never imagined we could.

So I was feeling lonely, isolated, and icky. Generally abandoned (although theologically I know that's nonsense, it still creeps into my practical outlook). I'm still in recovery from my attitude from yesterday. It was THAT bad - one of those attitudes that just stays with you for a while...

Anyway, in an attempt to bring some sanity back to life, I sat down to read the paper...on the front page of the entertainment section, there's a write up about coffee table books, and the first book they review, with amazing pictures provided, is The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album, by Kenneth Libbrecht (website here with more info about Libbrecht, and the book, and it's where these amazing images came from). So right there I have an amazing display of the creativity and amazing attention to detail of the Father, and I'm immediately reminded that He's still in control. For whatever reason, each and every snowflake that falls is unique, and yet I dare to think that my life has escaped His notice, that He no longer loves me as His own? Sheesh.... Thank you, Father, that in my forgetfulness and stubbornness you don't disown me. Your patience and kindness with me absolutely blow my mind...I long to be that way with my children (and with everyone around me), but I fall so very short. Help me to be a better learner, and to trust You.

like mother....

2007-12-07T20:37:00.000-06:00

It amazes me how much my girls are like me sometimes (btw, that's us at the Children's parade last weekend in downtown Dallas - so fun!). I probably shouldn't be amazed, considering how much time we spend together, but still...

We went to McDonald's today after a fun trip with some sweet friends to our very favorite library, the main Dallas library downtown (amazing children's section, with the best librarians ever! I absolutely adore the head children's librarian - you can ask about ANYTHING, and she can walk you right to her favorite choices on the topic...). Anyhow, we're in McDonald's. Susan and I are visiting while our 4 girlies are playing. In walks Ronald McDonald himself, and while all the other children in the building get giddy, my two start screaming. One hides behind the shoe holder, the other is frozen in fear inside the play-tube thing. I go rescue little (hidden, screaming, behind the shoes), and Susan climbs inside the play thing to rescue big, who is now sobbing. I've always disliked Ronald McDonald. Maybe that's genetic?

At bedtime K always likes to ask the really deep questions. I know asking questions is definitely a stall tactic, but WHY the gut-wrenching questions at that precise moment? Tonight it was of the "I'll miss you when I don't live with you anymore" variety. Her final question: "Will I be with a man who looks just like daddy?" Very concerned that she won't marry a man that looks like her daddy. That's daddy's girl! We assured her that we don't know the answers to those questions, but we know Who does, so she doesn't need to worry about it.

I know I need to post some pics of our tree, Jada! I promise I'm working on it. You all know the busy excuse, and I think our camera might be getting a little tired, so it's not taking the best pics ever... Maybe when the cold weather comes back? It's hard to convince myself that it's actually Christmastime with 80 degree weather outside...but we sure do love it!

gettin' christmas-y

2007-11-23T22:28:00.001-06:00

so it's time to start gettin' christmas-y here at the ol' homestead, so I thought the blog should reflect it as well. Get on my case if it still looks like this in February....

We've decided to go with a train theme for the tree this year, because honey and the girlies are wild about trains, so I'm trying to come up with a way to make/find garland that looks like train tracks, but am hitting a creativity wall...any suggestions? While I'm on the subject...what are some fun traditions y'all have at Christmas, decorating-wise, or even other-wise?

those crazy kiwis...

2007-11-22T23:34:00.000-06:00

So my sis introduced us to "Flight of the Conchords" last week...in case you've not heard of it, it's an HBO show that follows 2 guys from New Zealand, who are trying to make it as a band in New York. I wouldn't recommend any of it at all for family viewing, but I've cried laughing over some of their lyrics (the show breaks into "music videos" frequently). If you're a David Bowie fan, you need to check out their David Bowie episode... Anyhow, here's their song "part-time model" from episode 1: Sally.

sweet reminder

2007-11-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my sweet friend Angela, mom to 3 sweet angels 3 & under, shared this sweet story with a group of us girls...

Almost 2 months ago, she took the kiddos to visit her mom in Georgia. In the process of packing, her oldest daughter's bunny wound up missing. Sophie (her oldest) was a very brave 3 1/2 year old for the last 2 months, not complaining about the missing bunny, and all the while Angela kept searching diligently. Monday night Sophie broke down: "I miss my bunny! I need my bunny!" etc.., accompanied by many tears and loads of sobbing. Angela and her hubby gathered the kiddos on the bed, and said a prayer for bunny (isn't it interesting, the things we find ourselves praying for as parents?). So mom & the girls stayed on the bed while dad went about his business...about 2 minutes later, dad came in with bunny: "Look what I found in your other backpack!" Bunny was found. Dad assumed mom had already looked in there, but "something" just told him to check again.

Angela was sharing how overwhelmed she was at the thought that the God of the universe cared enough about her, and about her sweet girl, to let that bunny be found. Right then. One of our other friends remarked, "Angela, she'll never forget that." Angela replied that she wouldn't ever forget it either.

How great a love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! I John 3:1.

So there's a reminder. He is the great and awesome God of the universe, but He is also Abba, our dear Father. And he loves us so very much that He'll even bring our bunnies back right when we need them. Thank you, Father, for the great love you shower on us...I know I'm so very undeserving, but You have provided a way for us to be Yours through Christ. Draw our precious children, who You love, to Yourself by the work of the Spirit, I pray.

pumpkin bread recipes?

2007-11-09T14:06:00.001-06:00

It's almost Thanksgiving, and I'm looking for a wonderful pumpkin bread recipe! Gammy used to make the best pumpkin bread (and I'm sure she still does, but being here I haven't had the chance in way too long to find out!), and I used to have the recipe, but like most important stuff written down in this house, I have no idea where it might be...

So I'm looking for a few good recipes. Anyone?

Don't have any mommy wisdom yet...wanted to have the luncheon this week, but honey was sick, and now the girls are sick, and so I just don't know when it's going to happen! Maybe before January 1st?

We made these turkeys Wednesday. I love that the girlies love being crafty!!

thriller night

2007-10-31T18:20:00.000-06:00

Oh the wonders of modern technology! I'm sitting here on our front sidewalk blogging, while handing out candy and listening to Thriller on youtube...gotta love it! Our little bats are at our church's trunk or treat with their grandma-mumsie while their daddy works our CG's booth, or trunk, or whatever you call it.

So here are a few pics of our little bats (yes, bats! K was all about being "spooky" this year, and this was about as spooky as we could muster). Their costumes were fun and easy to make, thanks to Family Fun magazine (which our MOPS group is selling subscriptions to for $10 - it's a wonderful resource! Let me know if you want any more info!).

So it's later now, and our Halloween is over for this year! We have a field trip with K's class to the zoo tomorrow bright & early, so I'm off for now... Hope you all had a fun & safe evening!

plodding along!

2007-10-24T20:32:00.000-06:00

OK, I've decided that I want to learn to run, so in an effort to build some accountability toward that goal, I'm posting about it. My sweet friend Julie told me (at the beginning of the summer) about the Runners World website, where they have lots of stuff for running folks. She directed me toward the 10 week training plan, and loads of other good resources there. So I started yesterday...since I already work out at the gym, I'm skipping the walking days, but I started slow this week with 1 minute of running, and 4 minutes of walking, repeated 5 times for a total of 30 minutes. I've just got to lose some weight, and the stuff I'm doing at the gym isn't cutting it...I read last week that you have to be willing to sweat in order to drop pounds, so here we go. I'm at least going to give it a try....and if I finish the 10 weeks, I'm going to reward myself with actual good running shoes! I should probably also try to not drink any more fountain cokes, but that's another struggle altogether....

OH, and I almost forgot - it's October, that means in addition to fall, and Halloween, it's breast cancer awareness month, so girls, make sure you're doing all you need to be doing to take care of your ta-tas! Komen has excellent resources in case you need any.

walking in wisdom

2007-10-11T21:29:00.000-06:00

That's a picture of MA pretending to be a bull that honey took a few months ago. It's just one of my favorite images of her these days...

2 Sundays ago, our pastors finished up a series titled "Uncommon Sense," where we took a good long hard look at wisdom, and what it means to be wise, biblically speaking. Wonderful messages all, followed by amazing discussion at our CG (small group) about how to apply wisdom in our lives. The entire time, though, a question kept coming to me: "How in the world do we teach our children wisdom, even now, so that they maybe don't have to learn as much stuff as we did 'the hard way'? Is it even possible?"

In an effort to work toward some answers to that question, I think I'm going to start hosting a pot-luck type lunch once every 2 months or so for moms with little ones, where I invite an "experienced" mom with kiddos who are admirable, and pick her brain for help! After all, part of wise living is getting loads of counsel from godly people, right? I'm already regretting that my favorite blogger Heather Jamison is back in Africa, because she'd be my first invite were she still here in the states....however, I do believe she's got some amazing things to say here about protecting our children's innocence, part of the whole wisdom thing, so maybe we can work something out via email. Anyhoo, I need to come up with a list of questions for our experienced mom. I know that I want to ask how practically she's helped her kids learn fear of the Lord, and what fun tips she has for (ahem) keeping her marriage fresh (after all, a HUGE part of raising admirable kids is having an admirable marriage, right?)! So, what questions should I ask our experienced mom, ladies?

our lil' miss k

2007-10-09T21:44:00.000-06:00

Has eye surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, bright & early, to correct those ol' crossed eyes she inherited from yours truly. So, if you read this, say a prayer for our sweet baby, that this won't be unduly traumatic, that it will go well, and that she'll get better quickly. Say a prayer for her momma & daddy, too, that we will continue to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let [our] requests be made known to God..."

best goals EVER for pre-k

2007-09-27T21:58:00.003-06:00

full moon again...

2007-09-25T23:29:00.000-06:00

So that means crazy lunatic girl can't sleep again, so she's been surfing the net, catching up on all her sweet girlfriends' doings! BTW, this is probably the last thing I should be doing right now. I think you're supposed to read books, because the computer gets you all jazzied up even more than you already are....

So Heather is back blogging, so if you haven't checked her out in a while, get to it. She's got some amazing things to say about beauty... I love Lauren's classroom, Lindsey's joke make me laugh, Rach has the most beautiful children ever, and everybody loves pregnant pics!

I've got some thoughts brewing about wisdom, and how in the world do we try to impart it to our kiddos so that they don't have to learn the hard way like we did, but that'll have to wait till later, cause I think that I might be getting tired? Love to all!

school's in!!

2007-09-11T21:42:00.002-06:00

This has been a big week for our family! Miss K had her very first ever day of school today! What fun. She's going to preschool 2 days a week, from 9 until 2. We've been gearing up for it, and today the drive to school was very exciting....until we pulled into the parking lot: "Mommy, I'm a little nervous and scared," she said. Inside my head, I was saying, "Me too, pumpkin. I can't believe it's time for you to spend a day away from me!" But my voice was saying, "That's OK, precious. It's OK and normal to be nervous and scared about new things. Let's pray that God would help you with that today!" We bravely approached her classroom, and her first words to Ms. Sheli were, "I'm a little scared right now." To which Ms. Sheli replied, "That's OK, baby! I am, too! The first day of school is always tricky." Indeed!

But a lovely day was had by all. After Miss MA got over the shock of "sissy" being gone, she was content to hang out with me all by her little self, or as Miss K put it, "go to school with mommy." Miss K was very impressed with scissor safety, and playing with boys on the playground (oh, dear?).

So time marches on! My big girl is in school. I actually didn't shed tears, but almost thought about it yesterday when she said, "Mommy, when I am a grown-up lady, will I still live with you?" SIGH. Launching....we approach it so often with these dear little ones entrusted to our care, don't we? Thank you, Father, for the time we've had, and will continue to have, cocooning our precious little ones. Help us to do that well, and when it's time to approach these inevitable launches, help us to also do that well, and rejoice as we watch our children fly.

a princess tea party

2007-09-10T06:46:00.000-06:00

K's birthday party was Saturday, and while these pictures don't really capture the cuteness of all our little princesses (I wish you all could have been here!), it's a start!

depth perception

2007-09-06T21:39:00.000-06:00

About every 6 months, we take K to the Retina Foundation in Dallas, something her opthamologist recommends we do to help her little eyes develop the best they can. 2 visits ago, honey took her, and was surprised to learn through some tests they gave her, that she has no depth perception. That's defined by wikipedia as "the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions...Depth perception allows the beholder to accurately gauge the distance to an object." I took her again last week, and they again administered these tests. I laughed and said that I probably didn't have any either, so the guy working there let me take the tests as well. Guess what? I was absolutely right. No depth perception whatsoever. So many things fell into place at that moment: my inability to play basketball explained, my inability to see those "magic" pictures that were so popular when I was in high school, all the running into corners and walls that I do... I can't accurately gauge distance to objects! I'm not denying my natural clumsiness, but this at least explains part of it!

Made me think. Several weeks ago, our pastor was talking about biblical authority, one of the core values of our church. He stated that having knowledge of Scripture is a bit like having a full can of paint in the garage - it doesn't do much good until you get it out and apply it! Jesus' teaching at the end of His Sermon on the Mount emphasizes this: Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock, and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst upon that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall (Matt. 7:23-27). Do you see it there? Both of these guys had the same information: the difference in their outcomes was the application of that information.

This idea has been really good for me to ponder. I come from a background where knowledge is highly valued. Many places I've been highly emphasize what one knows about the Bible. And that's great: there's nothing wrong with biblical knowledge. But when I don't apply what I know about the Bible, I'm in danger of being wiped out by the storms that life will inevitably bring.

So depth perception...I might think that I'm safe and sound on the rock, with a firm, really deep foundation, but I wonder if, in reality, lots of the time I'm just a few inches deep in the sand. Father, help me to apply those things that I know of your Word, and of those things that I'm learning everyday. I desire a deep, firm foundation that's not shaken by the storms of life, that reflects a heart that desires to obey all that You've given us, even when it's really hard to do.

Our small group assignment after that lesson was to look at James 1:19-27, and really ponder it, so there's the challenge, ladies! That's a birthday pic of our little depth perception-challenged ladybug, by the way. She turned 4 yesterday!

Dixie & Lulu dance the cucuracha

2007-09-01T16:39:00.000-06:00

Oh my....I'm sure there are a million better things to post about, but this made us laugh....

My fierce Amazon warriors...

2007-08-22T21:19:00.001-06:00

Some of you know that my mom is a breast cancer survivor. 3 years now! She underwent a bilateral mastectomy in 2004 in order to rid her body of what she came to think of as her enemy: the cancer.

Shortly after her surgery, I was reading an article that compared breast cancer fighters and survivors to Amazon warriors, those fierce legendary women who cut off their right breasts in order to use bows and spears unencumbered. There's actually no historical proof of women who did any such thing, and if you read about the actual women who inspired the legend, it's kinda scary....

But I was struck by the comparison. Both fierce, both warriors, both fighting for survival, both willing to part with something precious in order to fight battles and fight for survival, unhindered, unencumbered.

I found out this week that my cousin Terra, who is my age, has breast cancer. Terra has two little ones really close in age to my girls. She's a wife. She's a momma. She's a passionate, creative woman. And she's starting the fight of her life.

But she, like my mom, is like those legendary Amazon women, and she is FIERCE. She will fight passionately, and I believe with all my heart that she will prevail, as the Father leads her, and undoubtedly sometimes carries her, through the jungle that is breast cancer. Father, be with Terra, and with her precious family. Protect their hearts as they walk down this path, and please bring healing to her body. Help them all to walk with hope, and to constantly look to You. We don't understand why these things happen; help us to trust you wholeheartedly nevertheless.

things that make ya go hmmm....

2007-08-20T21:43:00.000-06:00

So did you guys see this story last week? I didn't. But Sandi did, so here I am, totally getting a post out of something she already posted about....

But I'm genuinely interested in what you girls think about this. Here's a big quote from the article:

"Southwestern Baptist, one of the nation's largest Southern Baptist seminaries, is introducing a new academic program in homemaking as part of an effort to establish what its president calls biblical family and gender roles.

"It will offer a bachelor of arts in humanities degree with a 23-hour concentration in homemaking. The program is only open to women.

"Coursework will include seven hours of nutrition and meal preparation, seven hours of textile design and 'clothing construction,' three hours of general homemaking, three hours on 'the value of a child,' and three hours on the 'biblical model for the home and family.'

"Seminary officials say the main focus of the courses is on hospitality in the home – teaching women interior design as well as how to sew and cook. Women also study children's spiritual, physical and emotional development."

Wow. None of this stuff is bad. In fact, it sums up a lot of what I do every day, what I LOVE to do every day. But as somebody who got a general studies degree, who still regrets the fact that she didn't get a degree that would lead to part-time work options that a stay-at-home mom could do and still make a decent salary (think nurse or architect vs. working at the gym), it kinda burns me up. And as a former pastor's wife, it doesn't make sense to me. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Let's talk about this....

finds & treats

2007-08-12T19:20:00.000-06:00

Don't know if anybody else has seen this, but with two little girls who LOVE to color and craft, Disney's Magic Artist Online has been a big favorite lately... There are activities you can do with all of your favorite characters, from coloring pages to greeting cards to bookmarks. It's pretty fun, and I've not had too much trouble navigating! Needless to say, I think that we're going to have a lot more princess coloring pages on the fridge...

Am experimenting for Miss K's 4th birthday party, a princess tea party, and made a yummy and easy treat: Napoleons. Buy a roll of puff pastry, follow directions for thawing, and cut one sheet of it into 12 rectangles. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes (or until golden - took mine about 12), and then let cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, using 2 small packets of french vanilla instant pudding, mix with 1 cup milk and 1 cup heavy whipping cream for about 4 minutes, until fluffy. Pull apart each puff pastry into 2 sections (top and bottom), and then layer: one puff pastry piece, a blob of pudding, another puff pastry, more pudding, and finally top off with another puff pastry piece. Put together all the pieces and pudding (you'll have 8 Napoleons), and dust with powdered sugar. Pretty, and easy! And YUMMY!

two fads...

2007-08-09T20:42:00.000-06:00

One I love, one I hate...

We start with the unloved fad first. Heelys. I call them rolley shoes. Whatever. Every time a little kid glides by, it scares the stuffin' out of me. There's just something unnatural about kids gliding. Kids run, they stomp, they jump, but they don't glide. At least not without some help. So I was very relieved to read in the paper that the heelys fad is on the way out. Not a minute too soon!

On to the beloved... Call me a complete dork, but I am a grown woman who has a huge crush on High School Musical. Yes, I'm one of them. Jenny and I saw Hairspray last week (so fun!), and thought Zac Efron was absolutely adorable. That night Jenny picked up High School Musical (which he stars in), and now we want to have a High School Musical II movie-watching party next Friday....except that we don't have cable here at my house, so we're trying to figure that one out! Maybe it's the tweenager still alive & well in me, but BOY is the dancing & singing fun in both of those movies. Made me wish for a class at the gym that was just dancing. You know, so it doesn't feel like exercise...

help wanted

2007-08-06T20:42:00.001-06:00

My poor baby MA is having going to sleep issues, and I don't know how to help her. She and K share a room, and used to go to bed at the same time. Prior to her bottle being taken away (about a month ago), she didn't have any trouble getting to sleep, but nowadays not so much. I tried giving her a sippy cup with water (no help). We're trying putting her down before K, so that she can cry herself to sleep before K goes in there (when we put them both in at the same time, they both wind up crying hysterically. It happened several nights in a row, and that I just can't handle).

Now she just cries and cries and cries (we don't check on her; we just let her cry). Tonight we put her down at 8, and she cried until 9:30. It's at least 30 minutes EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I really am on the edge of crazy with this... Do I put her in another room? Stock up on tequila and earplugs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

bunch of lunatics...

2007-07-31T13:02:00.000-06:00

Last night was a rather sleepless night in our house. I'm not sure what was going on (I think too much caffeine kept the grown-ups awake), but Miss K came into our room about 3:30, complaining that she couldn't sleep either. Then, Jenny's dog got all wound up and wanted to go outside...

That's when I noticed the full moon. Mom has always sworn that people act crazy around a full moon (she was a nurse for many years), and I wondered if that was what was going on with all of us. Made me think of the word lunatic, and when I looked it up this morning on dictionary.com, several of the entries pertained to people acting nutso in relation to the cycle of the moon.

So there you have it. We're a bunch of lunatics. Am I alone in noticing this, or has anyone else had a similar experience?

my BIG laugh for the day...

2007-07-30T21:24:00.000-06:00

I just checked my email, and this was actually in my inbox....

Attention all ladies! Want to be part of the hottest dance team in the NBA? If you are a high school graduate, at least 18 years old, energetic and love to perform in front of large crowds - the Mavs want YOU to tryout to be a part of the Dallas Mavericks Dancers.

Can't you just see it? Oh my lands...

terrible 2's

2007-07-19T20:41:00.000-06:00

Here they come...

MA turns two on Saturday. Here's a preview of the adventure that awaits:

I want MA to be able to go to bed without a bottle by Saturday. Since we took her "baa" away, she's screamed herself to sleep every night. Tonight was no exception; when her daddy went to check on her, here's what he discovered:
What can I say...that's my wild woman!

bibbidi, bobbidi, boo

2007-07-14T12:42:00.000-06:00

I'm listening to my eldest trying to clean up the play room. She decided that she'd like to use all of her bins that hold her toys to make a train track, so she emptied them all out, creating a giant pile of toys in the corner. Naturally she was told that the toys promptly needed to find their way back to their respective bins.

After a few seconds of work, she appeared back out here. My prompt response: "Go back and clean up that playroom, missy." Her reply: "Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo." It took me a few seconds to understand that she actually believed she could clean up her mess with the magic phrase.

If only.

Sometimes I wish I had magic words that could fix all the messes I make, intentional or otherwise. Life is just flat out HARD sometimes (most days?), and I find that quite often my responses to the difficulty don't help much at all. They tend to make things even harder.

I've started a new book, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay's For the Family's Sake, and a thought is really sticking with me: "Everyday ordinary life lived faithfully is where the glory of God is best reflected" (p. 30).

"Ordinary life lived faithfully." Does that mean I won't blow it? By no means...but it does mean I'm seeking to put my faith into practice, to practice the presence of God, to utilize the tools I've been given to live the abundant life that is only found in Christ. I really don't want to flounder and make messes, but it's part of being human, of being broken. But I don't have to give up, or live without hope, or wish for magic words to make everything better. Rather, I have to keep trusting, relying on the Holy Spirit to empower me to live a faithful life, to best reflect the glory of God. II Corinthians 4:7 says it this way: "But we have this treasure [the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ, see verse 6] in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us" (italics mine). Again, it's not about me. It's about Him using ordinary earthen vessels like all of us to make Himself look good. Even in the midst of messes.

So wish all I might for magic words, they just aren't ever going to work. So I'm thankful I have a Father who watches over me, who encourages me to plod along, even in the messiest of times.

beautiful picture

2007-07-09T21:50:00.000-06:00

My friend Angela had baby Jack (her 3rd, her first boy) a few weeks ago, and she sent out this beautiful picture yesterday. It reminded me of Mary Cassatt, so I wanted to share it. This doesn't precede any announcement or anything (ahem, Elizabeth!) ;o)
Just thought it was lovely!

in need of grace...

2007-06-30T21:06:00.000-06:00

Last week we got to hang out with two of our favorite people in the world, like grown-ups get to do sometimes. It had been too long since our last visit, and I was so looking forward to it. But the day before our big double date, I just started feeling like a giant GRUMP. You know the feeling. Blah. Yuck-o. Just wanna curl up and eat chocolate ice cream in my big comfy chair. That feeling that I should know so well by now, the one that signals something about to start soon (AHEM), but for some reason I still get surprised by it, like it hasn't happened every month since I was 13, excepting only the blessed relief that pregnancy & nursing provides...

Anyhow, there I was. Out with two of our favorites. And all I wanted to do was go to sleep, and be alone.... Now of course, being the ridiculous southern girl that I am, I still was determined to keep up appearances, and not be a flake, because it had been too long since we had seen our dear ones, and if I missed the opportunity, it would be even longer before another visit. So I went. I think I was probably a lump. I've blocked out most of it (as I do most times I'm in moods like that), but I remember a story! A lovely story that has stuck with me all week, that won't let go:

J & S had just returned from a mission to New York City, where they got to work with dear, dear Tom B. and his ministry to the homeless. At one point, they were at a park (or something like that), handing out free food - soup and things like that, as well as canned goods. J was in charge of the canned goods. 2 cans per person. So that the line doesn't back up, J is randomly handing out cans, and not taking requests. A woman wants something specific, not what she's been given, and starts digging for what she wants. J kindly says, "Sorry, no can do...", and she THROWS the cans back at him, or at the box, or somewhere, the emphasis being on the throwing. And J says that right then, right there, he was reminded of grace.

Grace isn't about kindness toward the lovely...it's about kindness toward the unlovely. Toward the ones who throw FREE cans of food back in your face. About Christ, loving me, even when I throw cans (or goodness, or kindness, or blessing, or whatever He's lavishing upon me) right back in His face, and walk away in a huff. J put it much more eloquently than I can here, but it was a great reminder for me, to not scorn grace, and to remember that I need to be one who will generously heap grace on those I encounter, even those who might throw it back in my face.

So I'm glad for the reminder. That our dear ones deal with me even when I do little more than make Chewbacca noises, that their door will continue to be open. That the Savior continues to lavish grace, day after day, even when I can't see it for what it is.

heaven & bat-sism

2007-06-24T21:32:00.000-06:00

Poor pumpkins. With seminary grads for parents, any semi-theological question they ask gets over-analyzed and probably over-answered, and inevitably a little jumbled in their brains...

Chapter 1: Friday morning on the way to another lovely visit with Miss Bernice, Miss K piped up from the back, "Where does God live?" Naturally, honey and I started salivating over such a ripe question, and dove right in. The conversation progressed to the subject of heaven, with a summary statement from Miss K, "Well, I want to be in heaven, too!" More salivating, more questions (Will you be there? Will our house be there?), more answers (Yes, baby, and so will all people who believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sin and rose from the dead; No baby, Jesus is preparing a much more wonderful place for those who are His), and finally an encouragement from her daddy to pray. Then that precious little pumpkin, who typically won't even close her eyes for the blessing before a meal, actually BOWED her head, CLOSED her eyes, and FOLDED her sweet little hands and whispered a prayer to the Father. It lasted like a minute-and-a-half! We couldn't understand what she was saying, but she was so earnest. We know she doesn't understand sin yet, but we hope that this a glimpse of an answer to a prayer we've prayed for her longer than she's been alive: that He would draw her to Himself.

Chapter 2: Tonight our church celebrated baptism (YAAAY! I love baptism service...there's something just so teachable about dunking people in water, and I also love the Lord's Supper because the same is true of eating & drinking...sometimes I think we just make stuff too hard, but there's Jesus, playing with water, and handing out bread & wine, and talking about things like light, and farmers, and weddings! Beautiful! But I digress....). Since we aren't in our new building yet, we had the service at a local mini-water-park, and had some good play time before and after the baptism. It was the pumpkins' first look at a baptism, and we tried to explain, at least to Miss K, what was going to happen. As we were watching (and trying our best to keep Miss MA quiet and out of the pool), Miss K kept asking me where the bats were. Huh? Bats? She thought we were at a "bat-sism," so obviously bats were part of the action. She was mildly interested in the folks getting dunked, but I think would have been much happier if bats had somehow been involved.

too much of a good thing?

2007-06-17T20:34:00.000-06:00

Friday was a marathon for us - we started out just meaning to pay a visit to the main branch of the Dallas Public Library, for preschool story time, but wound up spending the entire day downtown, with visits to the Farmer's Market, the Dallas World Aquarium (honey asked for a membership for Father's Day), Fountain Place, and the Dallas Museum of Art, where Erykah Badu was performing a free outdoor concert. SHEESH. It was a long day. Every single thing on that list is amazing, loads of fun, and incredibly entertaining, but all rolled into one day made for a rotten attitude on my part - I was a major crabapple by 9 pm, when we were staring at some rather large bottoms that had planted themselves in front of us five minutes after the Erykah Badu concert started (we were seated, they found standing room in front of us...thoughtful, huh?).

So it was a lesson for me to trust my instincts - when honey suggested making a marathon of the outing that was only meant to be a couple of hours long, something inside me said, "Yeah, not so much for me, thanks," but, in the spirit of trying something different, I squelched that voice and went for it. I'm NOT blaming honey at all. He's an extrovert - he gets charged up by being around people, in energetic settings. I'm an introvert - I get charged up with my alone time. Not that I don't like being around people, but, I have my limits, and I trampled them on Friday. SO, a lesson in listening to myself. Not being selfish & unmovable, mind you, because it's good & healthy to stretch myself. But just part of knowing my boundaries, and sticking firm when I know that too much of a good thing will undoubtedly make me miserable.

Although...we did see our sweet friends Julie & Maria at the concert, which wouldn't have happened if we hadn't gone....so there are always blessings to be found, even when things aren't quite what you'd like them to be, right? Lord, balance is so hard to find...but You continually bless us, even when we're not expecting it. Thank You!

barefoot in the grass, with cupcakes

2007-06-11T13:54:00.000-06:00

Last night my sis & I went to a "concert in the gardens" event in Fort Worth at the Botanical Gardens, where we got to see Patty Griffin perform while we ate a yummy dinner from Central Market. It was delightful! There's just something about having the grass tickle your toes while you listen to one of your favorite artists, plus Central Market buttercream icing, that makes an evening pretty darn near perfect.

In case you haven't heard Patty Griffin, I'd highly recommend you take a listen (this link is to her first album, Living With Ghosts, released in 1996). Something about her music just stirs me (I don't remember who introduced me to her music, but it was back in my early seminary days, and I still absolutely love every single song on that first album. Be warned! It's not a jolly album. It's reflective and realistic about how hard things can be, particularly relationships). The concert last night inspired me to be sure to collect more of her music this summer, because she has just continued to develop her style beautifully over the last ten years!

whatcha readin?

2007-06-08T12:16:00.000-06:00

Spoken like a true Texan...

OK, girls, one of my favorite summertime activities is just curling up with a GOOD book. I prefer fiction to nonfiction (I find that since graduating from seminary, my brain can't handle too much smarty-pants type info), but I will attempt nonfiction if it comes highly recommended. So, any recommendations?

summertime!

2007-06-06T13:02:00.000-06:00

Today marks the start of the summer season for our little family, because we made our first visit to our favorite summer treat place, Ham's Orchard. It's a great little farmer's market in Terrell, and they not only sell incredibly delicious peaches (and any other fruit & veggie you can think of), but also homemade peach & strawberry ice cream, and this year they've added fudge! We stopped on the way home from mom & dad's and picked up a watermelon and a bag of peaches. Plan to go back later this week to get the pumpkins some ice cream. Yea for summer!!

Road Trip - 1, Shannon - 0

2007-06-05T10:23:00.000-06:00

Happy day, we are back in Texas! We made it to my parents' house yesterday around 5, and we are all very relieved to get a break from marathon driving. The girls did great, considering that we locked them in their carseats for 5 out of the past 11 days!

The girls' favorite diversions from their trapped state:
1) Cinderella and Charlie & Lola, #3. We got both of these specifically to help the time in the car pass, and they worked like charms (the car adapter for the computer was a wonderful idea, Susan!). Chris and I got sick of hearing "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" though.
2) Washable markers used as body art. At the end of each of our 5 driving days, the girls both looked like they had strange skin conditions, thanks to the "tattoos" they gave themselves (they loved it though, Rae! Great idea).
3) Snacks. Of every sort, especially on the way back, once we had a goodie box from the girls grandma-mumsie (honey's mom).

I've decided that, for me, one day of driving there (8-10 hours), and one day of driving back (8-10 hours) is the limit, if we're only going to be somewhere for a week. So if we're staying 2 weeks, we get 2 days of driving there, and 2 days back, etc... I'm just not at my best cooped up for that long, and I run out of patience for all of the junk that winds up sitting at my feet. Thankfully, now that Southwest is flying more places, we should be able to get good prices on flights, if we have enough advance notice. Lesson learned!

Greetings from Corolla, NC

2007-05-30T11:07:00.000-06:00

We've been at the beach now since late Saturday night/early Sunday morning (this is a picture of the house we're staying in - I've never stayed anywhere this BIG), and I think we're all starting to feel rested and very, very full (Honey's mom has been feeding us like the witch fed Hansel & Gretel to fatten them up before she was going to eat them. It's been SO great!). I can't get over how very COLD the water is. The lifeguard stand has a sign that tells water temp, and it's been between 57 & 62 the entire time. BRRRR! The pumpkins run right up to the waves, and then run away screaming with delight before the icy water touches their toes. Their daddy & his brothers have actually been body surfing in the water. I don't know HOW they do it - us girls choose to keep a safe distance from the water, burying our toes in the sand. It's also windy, so I have to wear a shirt to the beach to keep warm. It's unlike any previous beach experience I've had! We also spend a good bit of time in the pool (which is heated), and it's got a lovely little section that's only about a foot and a half of water, so whenever Miss MA sees it out the window, she starts screaming, "POOL! POOL! POOL!" I think that's her favorite.

It's been delightful watching all the little cousins enjoy each other - there are 5 total: Miss K is the oldest at 3 1/2, and Miss MA is the youngest at almost 2. In the middle are Mr J, 3, Miss C, almost 2, and Mr E, almost 2. Loads of fun. They were having races yesterday in the living room - it was adorable. I have video of it, but haven't figured out yet how to post it. I'll get honey to help me out later.

movin' right along

2007-05-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

In another installment of the "I'm just a little crazy" episodes, we leave Friday to go to North Carolina. MapQuest tells us that it's about a 22 hour drive from here to there, and then we get to do that all over again when we come back next week.

SO, I need HELP. I have never traveled that far with the pumpkins, and need input on how to keep us all from losing our minds while we're driving. Keep in mind that our car does not have a DVD player... Any suggestions?

surf's up!

2007-05-15T22:07:00.000-06:00

So I think I might be a little crazy, but I've got to tell ya', every grain of sand being tracked into my house from the pumpkins' sandbox is pushing me closer and closer to the edge. It all started a few weeks ago - we had finally gotten rid of all the "yucky" sand from last summer (advertised as play sand, but was obviously NOT play sand because of all the big rocks & junk it it), and honey wanted the replacement to be white sand. You know, beach sand. As one guy I talked to called it, "white sugar sand." Yep.

Well, turns out that you can't buy white sugar sand at any store around here. They all sell quick-rete's version of play sand, that's brown and dirty looking, with flecks of stuff in it that's white & black. Gritty looking. Yuck-o, right? So I finally tracked down some white sugar sand at a gravel & sand place, and honey was able to go get a "quarter of a yard" of white sugar sand (about 500 pounds) loaded up in the back of the truck.

So, people, there's a reason you can't buy white sugar sand for the sand box. It sticks to children. To their legs, to their arms, to the dog...to EVERYTHING. Mom & Dad have the gritty quick-rete sand at their house. Guess what? Doesn't stick. I've already changed my sheets TWICE (in one week) due to sand in the sheets. I can so handle that when I'm AT THE BEACH, but not so much in my house.

I had already decided that I want to do the girls' room in "surfer girl" style. Miss K asked me if that means she gets to have water & sand in her room. We're halfway there, baby!

Tag!

2007-05-11T17:36:00.000-06:00

I'm it! My sweet friend Kelley, who lives altogether too far away these days (we miss you down here, Kelley!) sent me the following message:

No obligation, but you've been "tagged." Read the info below and join in on the fun on your blog if you want:
1. Each tagged "player" starts with 8 random facts/habits about him- or herself.
2. A tagged person must write a blog entry about his or her 8 things and post these rules.
3. At the end of the blog, the tagged person must include 8 people to get tagged, and list their names.
4. Leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So, I've decided to very willingly oblige, because I feel like my brain is just absolutely ASLEEP these days, and maybe this'll get it going...or at least get something on the ol' blog!

8 random facts about me:
1. I wish I could play the bass guitar, and/or sing in musicals, like Idina Menzel, aka "Elphaba" from Wicked, and "Maureen" from Rent.
2. I LOVE roller coasters. Not the old, crickety wooden ones like the Texas Giant at Six Flags (yuck-o; those guys give me headaches), but new smooth ones, like Titan at Six Flags, or Aerosmith at Disney.
3. Junie B. Jones makes me laugh (although I don't think I want my girls to read her books and learn her bad habits).

4. I love the sound of the ocean, but not getting in the ocean.
5. I'm a little too excited about the release of Pirates III (love me some Captain Jack!). So much so that I'm considering seeing it at midnight on Thursday the 25th, even though we leave at 3 pm on Friday afternoon to drive 23 stinkin' hours to North Carolina.
6. I love traveling, but hate road trips (can you say yuck-o, 23 hours to North Carolina?).
7. And yet I hope to one day buy an RV so that we can travel the country with the pumpkins. Am I a complicated woman or what??!! Poor honey.
8. Favorite things about each season: Spring: new life all around! Summer: fruit (yea for watermelons!). Fall: football (go, Cowboys, even if they didn't get the right draft pick!). Winter: Christmas.

So there's my list of randomness. I'd love to see Liz, Bek, Jen, Laur, Lin, Rae, and Sue post their own lists, but there's no obligation, girls!

treats & inconveniences

2007-05-07T18:30:00.000-06:00

Our computer is sick. Hence "inconveniences." I knew that I used it a lot, but SHEESH it's hard not having my computer. I'm able to use honey's laptop in the evenings, so I'm not totally without...but I'm a bit amazed at how dependent I am on the dang thing.

Moving on: last week one of the girls mentioned an easy version of caramel popcorn she makes. I (being a big fan of caramel popcorn) perked right up. I found a version of it online, super easy, super good (it even looks professional!), so if you're a fan, pay attention:

MICROWAVE CARAMEL POPCORN

Prepare 4 quarts popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped, maybe a little more)

Add to 2 quart dish:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Microwave 3 minutes, stir, and microwave for additional 1 1/2 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn in brown paper bag, and shake vigorously for about a minute (check to see if distributed evenly).

Put paper bag in microwave, and microwave for about 1 minute and 10 seconds. Shake, and microwave an additional minute an 10 seconds. Cool & enjoy!
*Note: when I microwaved it for a minute and 10 seconds, it was too long, and a few pieces burned, so I now microwave it for about 30 seconds at a time 4 times. If it isn't microwaved enough, it will be chewy. It can also be baked in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes after you shake it all together, if you want to do it that way.

little gifts

2007-04-30T19:06:00.000-06:00

Got back yesterday from Orlando, and let me tell ya girls, it's definitely a trip worth taking without the pumpkins (at least once in your life!). I have to admit that everything there was a constant reminder of my girlies, but one of the gals who went is a seasoned DisneyWorld visitor, so I learned all the secrets for a great trip with the fam, and can't wait to take them some day.

A few notes on the trip:

1) I LOVE time with girl friends. It helps me to be SUCH a better wife and momma. So, for those of you who have gone too long without a night out with your girl friends, get to it!

2) I LOVE roller coasters. Seriously. Absolutely. If you go to Disney, take along someone who can watch the kiddos while you go ride coasters with your honey. So fun.

3) I LOVE the little gifts the Lord gives us. Silly stuff. Seems inconsequential, but He knows that it delights our souls, and gives it to us because He loves us so much. One example: My sweet friend Stacey had wanted all day to ride the Dumbo ride. Coaster girl (me) had (in my mind) wondered all day: "WHY? There are coasters. Why ride Dumbo?" But she was determined. When we had 20 minutes to kill before the fireworks show began, it was obviously time to ride Dumbo. So we were soaring on Dumbo when the fireworks started, and I was so stinkin' close to Tinkerbell I could've grabbed her foot as she flew by. Honestly! It was amazing. Maybe it's just the little kid in me, but that was a delight. A little gift from the Father to me, that I didn't even know I wanted.

One last thing - I wish I had that pic I mentioned in front of Cinderella's castle, but stubborn me didn't want to mess with a camera. BIG mistake! I missed lots of great picture opportunities, the biggest of all being a pic of all us girls together at Disney. Pooh!

princess fever

2007-04-23T17:13:00.000-06:00

If you have little girls in your house, like I have in mine, your home has probably already been bitten by the princess bug, invited or not. Princesses are BIG favorites in our home, and if you could listen in during storytime or dress up, chances are you'd hear about Cinderella, or Belle, or Ariel, among others. One of Miss K's favorite new pretend games is to dress up as Cinderella, while I get to be the stepmother, and daddy is the prince. I usually am required to bark out orders while Cinderella pines away for the ball, and she eventually winds up dancing with her daddy by the time the story ends. One thing I like about most of the princess stories is that, while the princesses sometimes make bad choices (think Ariel), they're typically pretty good gals. One thing I don't like about the whole princess motif is the idea that somehow our little princesses are, because of their "princess status," allowed to behave like beasts.

I've figured out lately that I tend to pick up the princess attitude (the beastly side) all too often in regard to everyday life: "I deserve better/more/nicer, etc...". Somehow I think that I'm exempt from the trials & tribulations of everyday life just because I'm me, because I'm somehow different, somehow more special. You know, a princess. Only problem is that I'm NOT a princess. I know that on some level I am, since I'm a daughter of the King, but that's an entirely different subject. I'm just talking about everyday practicality here. There's no fairy godmother, or cute talking animal that's going to solve all my problems for me. I know that I've got my handsome prince, but he's not about to carry me off to some awesome castle for a princess-style "happily ever after." These are days that I just have to keep plodding through at times, as an entirely different (and definitely un-princessey) theme song runs through my mind: "Y'all gonna make me lose my mind up in here..."

So there's my thought for today. Gotta let the princess fever go on its way, and be thankful for the abundant provision plopped in my lap by the Father. Although, I do actually get to play princess for a few days this week: some girlfriends and I are going to Orlando for a few days of getaway, and I think we're actually going to go visit Disney. Maybe I'll get a picture in front of the castle. ;o)

creamy chicken enchilada recipe?

2007-04-19T10:37:00.000-06:00

OK girls - I'm wanting to make those yummy creamy chicken enchiladas that we've had when we've all gotten together before (I think they're a junior league recipe?). The last time I remember having them was at Mike & Lindsey's place in McKinney, I think when Barry & Jessica were in town, and I think that Rebekah or Susan made them... SO, I emailed Bek for the recipe, but I have no patience, so if anyone has the recipe, PLEASE post it.

pray for virginia tech

2007-04-18T07:41:00.000-06:00

What can you really say about this? ugh...

I just found out (from Sandi's blog) that a former DTS classmate of mine, Jennifer Kincaid, is working at Virginia Tech. I also found this article that says she's working with her church, Northstar Church, as a director of women's ministries. I'm not sure of her "official" duties on the campus, but I know she must touch so many students' lives every day. Please be sure to pray for her, for her church, and for other churches in the area as they minister in these difficult days.

jellybeans in the bathtub

2007-04-14T22:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had some rip-roarin' storms come through the DFW area, and at one point, good ol' Forney was under a tornado warning, complete with yellow spinny circles on the radar thing on good ol' channel 8 (my favorite weather people in the metroplex), and tornado sirens going off here in town. When we knew the bad weather was headed our way, we got the the backyard all ready for the high winds; once we heard the sirens, it was off to the bathtub for us all, dogs included. I had no idea how I was going to amuse two toddlers and two crazy dogs for the time we'd spend in the bathroom, but at the last second I remembered the Easter candy: "Let's go sit in the bathtub and eat some jellybeans, pumpkins!" Even Dixie & Cappy (the dogs) got jellybeans, which kept them from getting too nervous at the sounds of the sirens. A handy tip: a crib mattress is actually a very good size for covering the bathtub. I was thinking we'd pull one of the big mattresses in, but then handy-dandy honey grabbed the crib mattress. Good thinkin', honey!

Nothing came of all the sirens & noise, at least not here in Forney. After about fifteen minutes, when the sirens were off, I went and checked channel 8, and it looked safe for us all to come out of our safehouse, er...bathtub. That's when honey said, "Hey, we can't get out until we have a picture!" So, here's our first official tornado drill picture:

I was reading some Job yesterday, and couldn't help but be reminded by the storms of the Lord's questions to Job toward the end of the book: Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an abundance of water will cover you? Can you send forth lightnings that they may go and say to you, "Here we are"? Job 38: 34-35. Job's obvious unspoken answer (and ours as well) is a very quiet & humble "No, sir." Incredible that He who has lightening answer to Him knows all about me and my little family sitting and eating jellybeans in the bathtub.

ma: a review

2007-04-12T20:23:00.000-06:00

In honor of MA's surgery tomorrow in the early am, I thought a slideshow of some of my faves of her would be in order...

Tales from the Crib

2007-04-10T14:52:00.000-06:00

I'm crazy distracted this week because we found out yesterday that MA has to have tubes put in her ears on Friday. Excited because we hope this will help her chronic ear infections & general sickness, but nervous because, well, ya know, the whole surgery aspect of it...

So I'm just going to post a few funny things I've heard/experienced at the gym since I started working there a few weeks ago (I'm in the nursery, and when no kiddos are in there, the TV is controlled by my co-workers). Keep in mind that most of my co-workers are teenagers, and it's been ever-so long since I've worked with the good ol' teen set...

1 - As we were watching American Idol a few weeks ago, one of the contestants sang his sorry version of "Every Breath You Take." Josh commented, "Doesn't some old dude sing that?"

2 - Kelly was flipping through the stations, and stopped for a second on a channel. "Hey, that's Karate Kid!" I said with excitement. "I had his poster on my wall in jr. high!" She watched for about 30 seconds (it was during a training session in Mr. Miyagi's backyard), wrinkled her nose, and kept channel surfing.

3 - Kelly was (again) flipping. She stopped on Airplane. "My mom loves this movie," she said. Another 30 seconds, another wrinkled nose, and more channel surfing.

4 - Josh & Kelly were watching an A&E biography on Michael Jackson. They were showing scenes from his childhood. Josh said, "Hey, he used to be black! What happened?" Don't we all wish we knew, Josh...