Our Year Without Buying: January Update

Look at that… We’re almost done! Including today, there are only fourteen days left in our little challenge. I think I can make it from here.

However

I didn’t have it together enough to make Christmas a completely purchase-free event. We made gifts for our extended family, but still bought some clothes and things for the boys. And they got toys from Santa.

Thinking about children without Christmas gifts breaks my heart. I admire those who struggle, who get by with less and teach their children that the gifts aren’t what is important. But we aren’t struggling. We’re just not buying things as kind of a game. Although we focus our family on Jesus, and talk about giving, they are still little boys who know what we have. They would be so hurt to know that we could bless them with gifts but simply choose not to. Jackson may have been able to tolerate it, but Parker would completely lose his mind. I don’t know that gifts are his top love language, but he would be devastated if he didn’t get anything that he asked for.

And remember back at the beginning when I said that I didn’t want to send the boys to school looking like street urchins? We were getting to that point. There’s a limit to how much sock should be showing beyond the legs of the pants. For real.

We also had an opportunity to bless another family this Christmas. We were talking about the family over dinner one night, discussing ways in which we could help. Parker piped up, “Jackson and I have lots of money… We could buy them a gift!” So that weekend, I took the boys to Target to do a little shopping. They started out strong, but once we had spent a few minutes in the toy section, their resolve began to waver. There were so many things that they wanted for themselves… It was a challenge for them to spend their hard-earned money on a stranger. But they did it! I am quite proud.

Here’s a gray-area with OYWB: Gift cards. Andy ran out and spent all of his, pretty much right away. He didn’t spend money, so… still good? But I haven’t let the kids spend the gift cards that they’ve received throughout the year, so I didn’t feel right about spending mine. But I did return a gift and pick out some other things in exchange. Does that count? Probably.

Ugh.

At any rate, I’ll be glad when February 1st arrives!

Lately

*NOTE* This post is super long and incredibly linktastic! Don’t feel pressured to click any of the links, unless of course you want to know what I’m talking about. And you have loads of time. And maybe some tissues.

This long absence from the blog was quite unplanned. I would think about things to write, fully intending to sit down and get to it, but never made it happen. I’ve missed writing, but most of all I’ve missed reading other blogs!

But blog time can sometimes seep into other time, like cooking time, or cleaning time, or gym time. And then I end up eating junk food in a dirty kitchen and feeling bad about my fitness level and (lack of) time management skills. But blog time is me time, so I’m going to make sure I get some of it back into my life on a regular basis.

Now, today I can have as much blog time as I want, because my awesome husband took care of the house yesterday while I was sick in bed. It’s nothing serious… just a really annoying head cold. Andy gave me express orders to take it easy today, so I am.

Before I dive into long hours of reading and sipping tea, I want to give you an update on what’s been going on around here lately.

We’re almost done with Our Year Without Buying! I just finished a post about that, which will go up after this one. C’mon, February First!

The canine population of the Boyd Abode has been en flux over the past twelve months. With two litters of puppies coming and going, we had lots of youthful excitement. In bitter contrast, at the end of November we said goodbye to our sweet old Courtney Rae. Liberty has been a bit strange since then. She’s more needy now than before. If you know her, you are no doubt wondering, “HOW is that possible?”

I can’t explain it. It just is what it is.

We had a very quiet Christmas this year, completely unintentionally. With much of the family out of town, the schedule of celebrations shifted and we strayed from tradition. This gave me the opportunity to prepare my first ever holiday meal, which was quite exciting for me. I served it to my little family of four on my great-grandmother’s china. Next year will be very different, I’m sure. For one thing, we’re hoping that our little family of four will have expanded to five or maybe six.

Speaking of which… We are officially licensed to adopt! We’re just waiting to be the right family for the right kid. Or kids. God is leading this journey, and only He knows for certain what destination awaits us. We are so excited to be on our way!

Right now, we are fasting with our Fellowship Church family. This is a Daniel Fast, which is a partial fast... Basically a vegan diet. It’s definitely a stretch for me, a girl who loves to eat animals and things that come from them. Sorry, PETA.

A favorite Deep Thought, by Jack Handey:

“If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat?”

Any who… Last year, I found ways to satisfy my sweet tooth while still following the fast. This year, I’m more into soup. And straight up syrup. I feel like Elf, adding pure maple syrup to my tea and whole wheat spaghetti.

Now to be serious.

There are two families on my prayer docket who I am feeling led to talk about. Even if you pray for them for just one little second, it would be really cool. And maybe life changing. My prayers for them are similar, though their circumstances are rather different. I am praying for each family’s strength and comfort as they wait and cope, and for the wisdom and ability of the medical staff involved.

The first is the Heim family, Toben and Joanne, and their two young girls, Audrey and Emma. Joanne has suffered a stroke and is fighting for her life. I don’t know them at all. I’ve read Joanne’s blog a time or two, and became aware the situation through another blogger, Marla Taviano. This has forced me to consider the fragility of life in general, and my own plans, specifically. For Joanne, I pray for a miraculous recovery, that her health would be completely restored in every way.

The second is the Ridder family, who we have known personally for nearly a decade. Nick and Alecia, and their kids Kate, Luke, and infant twin girls Brooke and Layne. I just got word this morning, while typing this very post, that little Layne is very sick. Her tiny system is battling two illnesses at once: Strep and flu. As a parent, I know how helpless I feel when a child is sick. I pray that Laine gets well in a hurry, and that these contagious illnesses are not passed to anyone else in the family.

I know that God has things well in hand, and that His timing is perfect. Thank you for joining me in praying for these families!

13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
                      Psalm 27:13-14