merciful

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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....

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?

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

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

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!!

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

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?

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?

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...

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

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!

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

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

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?

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!

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

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!!

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??

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

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??

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!!

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?

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....

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!

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...

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?

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...