What I'm Doing Now

It’s been a cloudy, drizzly morning. Let me first say that this is among my favorite types of weather. I’m not sleepy, but I just want to curl up and nap by the fire. But that would require me to build a fire, which would require me to suit up and go outside for some firewood. Not happening.

At the moment, I’m still in my pajamas at the computer, listening to all of my minions hard at work: The Keurig made my tea. The laundry machines, the dishwasher, the Roomba, and the Crockpot are all running. There are things about the simpler life of generations past that I romanticize, but certainly not the housework. I enjoy modern convenience!

Eventually I’m going to have to get up and physically do some stuff around here. It’s well past time to move my furniture back to where it belongs. We shifted everything to accommodate the Christmas tree, and haven’t gotten around to shifting it back. I need a little exercise, and I’ll have to actually get dressed to go buy dog food for the King of Pets and to go to Bible study tonight.

The morning has been quietly productive for me, thanks to helpful machines. I’m looking forward to an equally pleasant afternoon!

What are you doing today?

xo,
C

Has It Been Two Months Already?

Today my neck is sore, so I have skipped my morning at the gym. I should probably clean, but I can’t do much of anything without hurting, so I am seizing the opportunity to blog. Since it has been over two months, there is quite a bit to cover.

I present to you… Bullet Points.

• OYWB officially ended February 1st. Hooray! I expected, as did my children, that there would be a ceremonious trip to the store to make a long awaited purchase. Instead we had snow!

• I love snow days, and I love that my children have experienced so many of them! It definitely didn’t snow this much during MY Texas childhood. That’s okay. I’m sure that I appreciate it more now than I would have then.

• Our church held our annual C3 Conference. It was AMAZING, as always. Andy and I were blessed to host Pastor Shannon O’Dell and his family during the conference and the following weekend. They are beautiful, humble, genuine people, passionately chasing down God’s plan for their lives and their church. I am teary eyed just thinking about them! Truly. I am deeply grateful for the people I have the opportunity to meet through Fellowship!

• Maybe some of these bullet points are going to be long.

• Get over it. You can skim if you don’t want to read.

• I went to a one-day conference for parents of gifted and talented children. WOW. As a gifted person, it was validating. As a parent, it was encouraging.

• My mom and younger siblings came to town for a visit. Much food was eaten.

• We had several opportunities to spend time with people in our lives who we don’t know well. I love the community that I live in and the people of my church en mass, but I feel like I don’t know many of the individuals. Do you know your neighbors? Do you know the people you serve with at church?

• Parker took his pet, Alvin The Biting Hamster, to show-and-tell. Good news! Alvin didn’t bite any of Parker’s classmates… only Parker. Poor baby.

• We were blessed with beautiful weather for Spring Break, and spent nearly all day every day out in the glorious sun. We then spent nearly every evening inside sniffling and sneezing. Allergies.

• We checked out Dinosaur Valley State Park, which was cool. Lots of easy hiking and climbing. And then we ate at Dairy Queen, which is an event in itself.

• Andy spent a night of the Break camping alone at Mineral Wells State Park. The boys were a little bummed that they weren’t going along, so I set up our newest tent in the living room. It required moving all of the furniture, but we could still see the tv from in the tent. And THAT is what is important when you’re 10 and 8 and your allergies have trapped you in your house.

• Jackson’s Fifth Grade Choir participated in our district’s annual Elementary Choir Festival last Tuesday, which consisted of every elementary school in our district plus one high school performance choir. Throw in equipment failure, a rogue bird, a power outage, and some jazz hands... Did I mention that we have twenty one elementary schools? It was much longer than it sounds.

• This year, Andy and I celebrate our tenth anniversary. Hooray! As a part of our celebration, I am having some bling added to my ring. I’ll post an update when it comes back from the jeweler. I’m so excited!

• Speaking of excitement, we have some possibility on the adoption front! We have been included in the selection process for adopting a little boy, and also for a pair of brothers. The truly exciting thing about this news is that soon, these boys will have their forever families. It may not be ours, but I know that God will provide them with the families that they need.

 

So, rejoice and pray with me through the ups and downs of our story, and over these updates about others:

Our friends, the Ballast family of Seattle, have adopted little Z all the way from Ethiopia. He is finally home!

Joanne Heim, who suffered a stroke in January, is recovering quite well. She is a walking miracle!

 

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

The Destination

Last week, I explained to you what our journey feels like. Now I’ll tell you what it actually is:

We are ADOPTING!

So, if you care to read it, here’s the story... prologue and all:

I never thought I wanted more than two kids. I grew up in a house with two kids. All of my cousins have come in sets of two. My marriage is a set of two. I have two hands... It just made sense to me. Two is manageable. Two is enough, isn’t it?

Then God called me to that wide gravel path; the perfect place to find a new direction and think it over for a while. I was reading a fictional novel that was centered on a girl in the foster care system. And while this book was a work of fiction, it haunted me that many of the issues this child was facing are a reality in the lives of others. I thought, This is something we could do. We could be a light in a child’s life through foster care. Andy and I talked about it, and excitedly agreed that we could offer a great foster home to children in need when our two boys have grown and gone.

Feeling at peace with this slow plan, we buried it in a time capsule to be opened in 2021. Or, I should say, we thought we did. As the months passed, God kept reminding me of this call, this need that He had positioned us to meet. At the same time, He pointed out my own needs and desires that would be met in His plan.

On April 25th, Christine Caine was preaching at our church. At one point in her message, she was speaking of a girl who had been rescued from human trafficking. This girl looked Christine in the eye and asked her, “Why didn’t you come sooner?” When Christine spoke those words, it felt as though a lightning bolt had struck my heart. What are we waiting for? Why should we wait? Because it will be “easy” when the boys are grown? How many times has God called me to do what is easy?

Never.

It is an understatement to say that I was rattled. Satan seized the opportunity to get in my head. I can’t remember whether or not I told Andy about the lightning bolt. If I told him, I’m sure my speech lacked any recognizable confidence. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t particularly want to hear what God was saying, so I turned inward. I felt very alone.

Months passed.

But God did not leave me. He continued to press me, repeatedly bringing these hurting children to the forefront of my mind. God worked on me to bring the desire of my heart in line with His. I knew exactly what God was telling me to do, but I wondered why He was only telling ME. I prayed that He would communicate this plan to Andy as well, and I imagined a magnificent moment when it would all come together… But it didn’t. I prayed that God would reach in and change Andy’s heart, that Andy would share my urgency. I even gave God another choice in the matter: Change Andy’s heart OR change mine. If I’m seeing this whole thing wrong, fix me, God.

Well, He did. But not in the way I was expecting. God let me know, in no uncertain terms, that sharing this vision with Andy was my burden to bear.

So to fix me, He broke me.

In a flurry of words and tears, I laid it all out one Monday evening while I was making dinner. Before I was even done talking, Andy had made an appointment to have coffee with a friend of ours who, along with his wife, has fostered several children. By the end of the week, we had gone to an information meeting and shared our vision with Jackson and Parker.

In the information meeting, it became crystal clear that God’s plan for us is adoption. So, we are planning and pursuing the adoption of a school-age local boy. We don’t know who he is or when he will be ours, but I know that God does.

It has been amazing to live this story as it unfolds. We have several friends and family members who are adopted, and others who have adopted or have had the seed planted in their hearts, that someday they might. As time passes, more and more people join this little community of support. I am so grateful for them, especially after the months I spent feeling very alone.

We have completed our required training classes, background checks, health screenings, and the like. Tomorrow afternoon we are having our home study, and then we wait. In my last post, I talked about the valley ahead. For me, this time in waiting is the valley. Generally speaking, I don’t think I’m very good at waiting. But I have plenty to do to ready our home, so that this waiting time can be spent in active preparation.


The mountain on the other side of this valley is the work that we face when the waiting is over. Having another child physically present in our home is one thing. That’s what all of the pre-placement requirements have been for. The mountain ahead is the challenge that our family will meet together, embracing this new son and becoming a family.

(By the way, Andy shared the news in a video on his blog a while back. Give it a listen if you are interested in getting his perspective. It’s almost the same as mine. Almost.)

Things I Love About Baudelaire (BO-de-lare)

When Liberty had her first litter of puppies last Thanksgiving, we weren’t planning on keeping any. But by Christmas, one little fur ball had snuggled his way into our hearts for good.

I ADORE him. Seriously. Look. At that. FACE.

He likes to lay on my feet. If I am relatively still for any amount of time, he will come and lay down on my feet. He lays on my feet when I do dishes. He lays on my feet when I’m at the computer. He’s doing it right now.

When I do the laundry, Baudie sits on the floor facing the dryer. He seems to be fascinated as I pull out the dry clothes. He gets excited when I throw in the wet clothes. Sometimes he even sticks his head in to get a closer look.

He closes his eyes when I pet him.

He leaps and dances in circles when it’s time to eat. “Food” is the magic word to send him spinning.

He eats toys, especially small ones, thus motivating my children to keep their rooms clean. This same dynamic is what motivates us to keep the lawn clean. Gross, but highly effective.

He chases his tail. MADLY.

His favorite chew toy is an empty water bottle. It doesn’t last long, but that’s okay. If we have one around, I’ll let him chew it until it’s almost unrecognizable, and then I’ll toss it into the recycle bin. It’s like recycling twice!

He fetches sticks. I’ve never had a dog that would do that!

Baudie’s latest toy-that-isn’t-really-a-toy is his stainless steel food dish. He pushes it around the floor, and runs around the house with it in his mouth. It makes me laugh every time.

 He loves his momma. And NO, I don’t mean me. I mean his actual momma, the Liberty Belle. Chances are, if he isn’t laying on my feet, he’s laying on hers.

My Little Baudelaire was cute as a tiny puppy, but I love him even more now… I can’t walk past him without petting him. I can’t stay mad at him for anything. I love to see his sweet face when he has just woken up.

And now, we have an entire litter of baby Baudie siblings!

Baudie is a very attentive big brother. I don’t think he realizes how much bigger he truly is!

I’m sure you’ll want one for yourself. Maybe this one.

Our Year Without Buying: July Update

We are just over a week from our half-way point in Our Year Without Buying and, I must say, it’s going pretty well. We aren’t actually saving any money, but I’m okay with that. Saving was only part of the goal, and I feel good about where the money we are spending has gone:

We knew from the beginning that Parker and I were going to need new bathing suits this year. I didn’t bring it up before, because I don’t like to talk about masochistic issues. I was seriously in denial about it. I’m sure this old suit will do just fine. I don’t REALLY need to buy a new one. Do I? One sad trip to the waterpark later, and I was checking out the swimsuit racks at the mall. It was weird to go shopping, even though it was a planned exception.

I also bought myself some much needed workout wear for the gym, which we joined in May. Perhaps the new swimsuit has motivated me beyond the poolside. The gym clothes were a total cheat on the challenge. Sorry, but I’m not sorry.

I still haven’t bought P’s new suit because, unlike mine, his seems to be holding together. I’m going to have to break down and get one this week, though, because I have fears of sending him to camp with shoddy swim trunks. I just know the waistband will finally fail, and humiliate my baby. I shudder at the thought of it.

Speaking of camp, I can hardly wait! One week from Sunday, our boys are headed to Allaso Ranch. The boys will actually be there at the same time this year. It’s P’s first time to go, but Jackson is an old pro. It’s been really sweet to listen to J tell P about all of the cool stuff they get to do. I can tell that P is a little nervous, but I’m sure that having big brother there will help him cope.

Last month we took a weekend road trip to Sea World San Antonio. Andy’s cousin, who works for SW, hooked us up BIG TIME. We enjoyed Quick Queue passes for both days, and All Day Dining passes on Saturday. The QQ passes allow you to skip the line, walking up the exit and hopping right on the ride. I felt like a bit of jerk, butting in front of hundreds of people who had been waiting, but at the same time, I was deeply grateful that we didn’t have to stand in those long lines with our boys! The dining passes are worth every penny. Amusement park food is expensive! Bottled water at the park is almost $3 per 20oz bottle, but with the dining pass, you just pick up a water, wave your wrist band, and keep going. As much as you want, all day long. Now that we’ve been spoiled, I don’t imagine I will ever want to go back to the usual amusement park experience.

We’ve spent some money on a few home improvement projects as well, which I’ll write about later. This post is long enough as it is… I don’t want to keep you here all day.

Even though Andy and I haven’t been storing up any extra savings, the boys are collecting their allowance each week with nowhere to spend it. They’re excited about their expanding pocketbooks… Parker says that he wants to extend this little experiment to FIVE years without buying, so he can save enough for a massive Lego set that he wants. I told him that he is more than welcome to do that on his own.

So maybe we should call this "Our Year Without Buying, Sort Of" or "Our Year Without Buying, Mostly." Even though we've made more exceptions than I would like, I would call it a success thus far. We haven't brought any more useless stuff into the house, so we haven't thrown any packaging away. The boys are excited about saving, and are talking less and less about what they are saving for. It will be interesting to see what P chooses to do with his money next February. I for one am looking forward to doing a little shopping!

It's About Time

Here’s a revolutionary thought: There are twenty-four hours in a day, and no matter how many things I want to get done, or how many hours I waste along the way, I can’t extend time.

Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5

Recently, I have listened to The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta, on CD. Actually, I have listened to it twice. “Do less, get more done,” he says.

The Power of Less is about identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary. Babauta says that in order to streamline your life, you have to set limits for yourself and focus your energy on achieving your goals.

Thankfully, God has set the limit of hours in a day and the days of my life. I know that if I were in command of the number of hours I could have in a day, I would be perpetually trapped, trying to just finish ONE MORE THING.

All I have to do is figure out what is important to me, how long it will take to get done, and when I’m going to do it. I need to set limits in my own life, so that I can focus on what is important to me instead of doing every little thing that comes up.

So the other day, I sat down to organize myself in a schedule. I made a plan for the hours of the schooldays for the rest of the school year, which is now less than three weeks. Hooray! And even so, I only planned out Monday through Wednesday, because some fun out-of-the-ordinary thing is happening at school every Thursday and Friday until the end. It’s a sprint to the finish every year!

I also scheduled my summer days with the kids, including quiet time, meals, chores, swimming… Then I realized that I had left post-pool SHOWERING out of the equation. It seems I was planning for a pretty nasty summer!

It looks like I have a ton of “free” time, which left me puzzled. I am putting MORE in my schedule, but seem to have MORE time? This should prove to be true, if I work efficiently. Hmm. Just evidence that I am a blatant time waster, and reason why this verse often haunts me:

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27

OUCH.

I need to cut carbs from more than just my dinner plate! Hopefully my sparkling new schedule will help me get my stuff together.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Reading Books

Today, I’m at the library, utilizing their fabulous bank of computers. Our home computer has been down for a while, so I haven’t had much opportunity to blog. Worse, I haven’t had much opportunity to read other people’s blogs.

Since I haven’t been reading a lot of blogs, I’ve had my nose buried in books. If you don’t care what I’ve been reading, I don’t blame you. I promise I’ll write something more interesting or post pictures of my new garden or something even better next time. For now, you get books.

The kids and I just finished A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket, on Friday. We celebrated by watching the movie which only covers the first three books, presented out of sequence for the sake of Hollywood. But whatever. I think the boys liked it. I’m not sure what we’re going to read next… I have a few random novels that I’ve checked out from the library, but I’ve also picked up this:

The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices, by Edmund M. Kern. I’m not sure about reading Harry Potter to the kids, so I’m reading this book to investigate the possibility. Who doesn’t love a teachable moment?

While we were wrapping up Unfortunate Events as a group, the kids were individually devouring Magic Tree House books, by Mary Pope Osborne. Their obsession continues but, at a rate of about one book per day, I have a feeling that they will be done with that series in a blink!

Speaking of kids, I’m reading Taking Back Childhood: Helping Your Kids Thrive in a Fast-Paced, Media-Saturated, Violence-Filled World, by Nancy Carlsson-Paige. Long title, long book. Reading this, I feel like some of my concerns are being validated. I’m not being overprotective… I’m being a responsible parent.

And while we’re on the topic of responsibility, let’s talk about Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet, by Tracey Bianchi. I’m barely into the first chapter, but I fell in love with her concept in just the introduction! Allow me to quote, “…when it comes to saving the planet, I cannot separate the cause from the Creator of the world.” I love it when authors unashamedly point to God. I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the book has in store!

Finally, at the bottom of the pile, I have Spring Cleaning: The Spirit of Keeping Home, by Monica Nassif. I’ve thumbed through it. It looks informative. And useful. And it means that I have a lot of work to do! Now that the garage sale is done (Praise the Lord!), I can get to it. Oh. Happy. Day.

So that’s it! I have others around the house that I think I’ll read. Soonish. And I have a growing list of books I want to read after these. Imagine if I had started liking to read when I was younger!

I’m so thankful that my children love to read. There are so many things to be read… things to learn and imaginative places to be unlocked. The possibilities are endless!

So… Do you have any recommendations to share?

Chopping the Lawn

I was outside with the dogs when it started to rain, and I thought of my husband. He and I both love this kind of weather: cool temperatures, overcast skies, and falling rain. The perfect compliment to this weather?

A fire in the fireplace.

Which brings up a bit of a need. It’s only kind of a need, since the fire is just for enjoyment and not for survival. But if we’re going to have a fire, someone is going to have to chop the wood. Preferably before the wood gets soaked by the rain. Andy always chops the wood. It’s just one of those “man things” that he does, and I believe enjoys doing. But I don’t want him to have come home, after working all day, just to go out and chop firewood in the rain. So that leaves it to me.

Let me just say that I’m a bit leery of dangerous-ish physical activities. I have a life… I can’t afford to hurt myself doing something stupid.

But if we’re going to have a fire…

At first I swung tentatively, striking with my eyes closed, lodging the axe somewhere along the middle. Not really splitting the logs, but just nagging them into pieces. Then I got a little more comfortable and swung harder, burying the blade of the axe in my lawn more than a couple of times. Chopping the lawn isn’t as much due to brute strength as it is timidly swinging with my eyes closed. Make note of that. It’s profound.

At some point, I became brave enough to keep my eyes open without imagining a massive shank of wood rendering me blind. And that is when it all came together and I really found joy in the work.

I love the crisp sound of a log splitting with just one swing, the satisfying ease of movement. What a sensation! Every muscle working in tandem to swing hard and hit my target, hearing, feeling, and seeing the wood split.

I’m sure this all seems girly and dumb to you if you’re outdoorsy. Or even if you’re not. Sorry. I’ll make my point now.

As I was working, I realized that this is a great picture of our approach to life. When we are fully engaged in what is going on, the experience is so much better. Timidly chopping wood is lame. With my eyes closed, I often missed the mark. It took longer, it wasn't very satisfying, and it was actually much more difficult. I think the same is true with nearly everything. Think about your work. Even just your drive to work, or anywhere else you may go. Think about parenting your children. Loving your spouse. How much collateral damage is caused by holding something back?

My life is better when I put my whole self in it; when I open my eyes and stop haphazardly chopping the lawn.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

Our Year Without Buying

It has officially begun: An entire year without buying new stuff. I am so excited!

I know I had heard about it somewhere before, but serious consideration began when I read a magazine article last October. Since that time, Andy and I have been talking about it, planning when to begin, negotiating any exceptions to be allowed. (I’ll talk about our exceptions another day.) As we have discussed this endeavor, I have felt God’s increasing urge to commit. I am thrilled that the day is finally here!

I recently found something called The Compact Movement, which you can join online, but I feel like that is a little extreme – at least for us. The Compact appears to be based on environmentalism, stewardship of our planet. But our plan has really blossomed out of stewardship of our personal resources, and the responsibility of teaching stewardship to our children. We are simply challenging ourselves to live a bit more efficiently. I suppose environmentalism is a big part of that, but since we already recycle and compost(as mentioned here), I don’t see that as part of our year-long challenge. Mainly, I want this year to help my family have a lighter attachment to money and especially the things that money can buy.

Maybe this is a little more selfish, because we are doing it for the betterment of our household. But how can we change the world if we don’t first change ourselves?

Right now, the kids don’t get it. They’re seven and nine, and think about toys constantly. When we first told them about our Year Without Buying, they booed. But, quickly understanding that they didn’t have a say, they have started looking toward the positive, which to them means saving money for later spending. (What else?) Yesterday over breakfast they calculated how much money they will accrue if they save their allowance for the year, and listed all the stuff they could buy when the year is through. It’s okay. We’ll let them talk about spending. I think they’ll get tired of the subject and drop it. That’s one of my main goals in this whole concept anyway: That the boys will get bored with the consumer mindset and just let it go. We’ll just have to see how long it takes.

So, for the record, here are the benefits that I anticipate:
Saving money,
Greater appreciation for what we have,
Less trash output (No packaging from new stuff!),
Less greed oozing from my children,
and definitely
Less stuff cluttering our house!

As with all things prompted by God, I know that my expectations are just the tip of the iceberg. I trust that He will guide us through this experience, and believe that the blessings will be far beyond my imagination.

I’m sure that I will have plenty to share about this journey and, whether you think we are ingenious or insane, I’d love your comments as we go along.

Well… here we go!

A Year of Less and, Consequentially, More

Each year, for quite a few in a row, God has blessed my life more and more. I am married to the best husband I know. I have two handsome, healthy little boys, and a lovely home in which to raise them. We go to the greatest church around, full of cherished leaders and friends. We have sweet pets, a wonderful school, and a neighborhood brimming with children as icing on the cake.

We are starting this year out with much, and I hope to finish it with much less. And by this, I know we will gain much more. This may sound like nonsense. I’ll elaborate.

My Pastor talks about the need to “say NO to the good, so you can say YES to the best." We have an abundance of good going on around here, but there’s just so much of it that it’s crowding out the best. So here are a few of my specific goals, to have less and more:

I’m going to be more diligent with the recycling, so my family can put out even less trash.

I’m going to have less caffeine, so I can have more sleep.

I’m going to have less responsibility in the roles I choose at the boys’ school, so I can have more fun with the students!

We’re going to have fewer toys, so there is more appreciation for what we have.

I’m going to have less in my closet, so there is more room to see what’s in there. (And more empty hangers at the ready on laundry days!)

The kids are going to have more responsibilities around the house, so I can feel less like a maid.

And we’re going to do a lot less buying, for several reasons, which I expect to bring about a multitude of blessings. I’ll write more about that another day.


Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy both less and more.

We were having eggs.

One morning this summer, the boys and I were having breakfast and talking about eternity. Jackson had asked Christ into his heart at church camp in 2007, so he and I were doing much of the talking. Parker was mostly silent, but I could tell that he was deeply listening and weighing our words. J and I talked about what it is to be a Christian, and I explained how it is that a person would go about becoming a Christian, all while P thoughtfully picked at his eggs. Then P looked up and said, “I haven’t decided that yet.” And the way he said it, I thought that it might be a long time before he would.

Fast forward to bedtime last night. With a heavy heart, I told Parker that one of the teachers from his school, Kathy Albert, had passed away. We know that Mrs. Albert was a Christian. I reminded him that she had been very sick for a long time. Her body could not get better. God wanted Mrs. Albert to come to heaven. So, she did.

Thus began a discussion of heaven and hell. Parker told me about someone he knows who doesn’t choose the best behavior, and told me that he thinks this person is going to hell.

“Whether you go to heaven or hell is not decided by how many good behavior days you have at school,” I said.

“I know,” he said, and left the proverbial door wide open.

“Thank goodness for that, right? Because every person on earth messes up and sins. Every person EVER, except for one. Do you know which one?”

“Jesus,” he nods. Hooray! Children’s Church is working. Good job, guys.

“That’s right. Jesus lived a perfect life, without any sin at all. And sin is not just bad behavior. Our words and even thoughts can be sinful. We all sin. But Jesus didn’t have any sin at all. He lived completely without sin so that he could be the sacrifice for our sin. God knows that we can’t pay the price for our sin, so Jesus paid it for us. And because He paid our price, and rose from the dead and went to heaven, we can go to heaven too! Anyone who believes this can go to heaven.”

“Well, I believe that,” he shrugs.

“You do? That’s awesome, buddy! Have you prayed to tell God that you believe it?”

“Yeah, I did that a long time ago when I was six or something,” says Mr. Nonchalant. “At breakfast. We were having eggs. I prayed in my head and just didn’t tell you.”

And I knew the very breakfast he was talking about. It was this summer.

I’m glad that Parker finally revealed to us his decision to follow Christ. Now we can rejoice, along with all the angels of heaven and Mrs. Albert and all the others who have gone before us.

“…there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10

Hallelujah!

It's just easier to SHOW you.

I have so many words buzzing around in my brain right now. So many, in fact, that I can’t form a coherent post to describe what I’ve been doing lately. Instead of lengthy descriptions, I shall give you pictures with captions. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm sure you'll be quite glad that I went with pictures.



This is what our hallway bathroom looked like a week ago. I forgot to take a picture before we took the big mirror down, but you get the idea. Notice the mauve stripes and frilly border. For once I am thankful that my boys are colorblind. They had no idea that they should have been embarrassed by this feminine wallpaper.



And this is what it looks like now! This is the best project that Andy and I have worked on together. Well, other than our children. But we’ll have to wait a while to see how they turn out.



This family tree originated in my mind several years ago, even before we had our own home, inspired by Owl’s house in Winnie the Pooh. We come from a long line of good-looking individuals! No wonder my little boys are so handsome.



Our tree went up a bit early this year. We had so much going on during the Thanksgiving holiday that I wanted to have this done ahead of time. Truly, the tree and the holiday music seemed a bit out of place until I watched the snow fall this morning. Now it all feels just right.



And this is my favorite little project of all. My Liberty Belle and her ten beautiful puppies! I’ve been planning, preparing, and praying for them for months now. I’m so glad they are finally here!



Somewhere in the midst of all of this, my little oak turned bright red. I love it!

So that’s my last three weeks in a nutshell. I hope you had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!

FYI

I've been meaning to write, but didn't really have anything to talk about. Now my home internet is down. So I'm at the public Library with only 2 minutes remaining of my allotted computer usage.

I just wanted to say that once my internet is repaired, Look Out! I've been saving up the words.

Hope all is well out there. See you soon!

Happy Birthday Parker!

I can hardly believe that my baby is seven.

I have spent far longer than anticipated sitting here at the computer, sifting through old pictures. I cherish the memories attached to pictures, and didn’t want to rush through.

I adore this kid, and there are so many pictures that I wanted to share. But it was too many. Way too many. So here a just few favorites to celebrate Parker. Enjoy!



At our old park by our old house. I actually played here sometimes when I was little!



P’s first real Trick-or-Treat experience. He was so happy to have the candy in his hands, there was no WAY he was going to put in some bag. He held it all until he couldn’t hold any more.



P loves his big brother!



Autumn Leaves



I love Parker’s imagination. He loves to play pretend.



So, who here is the biggest ham?



Wonder.



First day of school! I was so excited for him, but I still cried.



Happy Birthday, Little! We love you!!

My Dining Room Grew Up

Our dining room has grown up quite a bit in the last year.

We used to have what I called the Fake Table. It was really real, I suppose. Real deception! It was two white plastic folding tables, covered with white table cloths and butted-up against each other, with a table runner hiding the seam. Fantastic illusion. The walls were painted in flat off-white with white glossy trim. The carpet was light beige. Not ideal for a young family with two boys and two dogs. And when I finally put up curtains, they were white sheer-ish things from Ikea.

In summary, we had a white table in a room with white walls, white curtains, and beige carpet. All white can be classy, but this was… bland. And kind of like it should have been in our first apartment, not our grown-up, want-to-live-here-forever home.

See? Through that doorway? This is the best "Before" picture I could find. I didn't think to take one on purpose, so I had to dig to find this. And it isn't even a picture OF the dining room. But you get the gist. It was white. And boring. And there are no pictures of us actually IN there, because we really didn't spend time in there.



But that’s okay. We can’t fix everything all at once. And if we could, what ever would I do with myself? I am person who needs to make improvements. I like change. I might even love it. So the slow process of decorating (and redecorating) our home is a joy that I will savor as long as the Lord allows us to live here.

Last fall, we ripped out much of our beige carpeting, including that of our dining room, and stained the concrete floors a rich brown. Once the staining was done, we moved our real wood table from the breakfast room into the dining room, and now that’s where we have our family meals.

I knew I wanted to paint the walls something dark, but what shade? The thousands of color choices at the paint store overwhelm me. It stresses me out to look at all of the options, and the price tags, and know that whatever I choose had better be right. I’m much more comfortable with working what I have. So I mixed together a bunch of stuff from the garage, and voila!

And I bought some new curtains. Still from Ikea, but far better than the first set. These are only about, oh, thirty inches too short, so I had the added challenge (read: pleasure) of customizing them with some of my favorite fabric. Bought from the discount bin at JoAnn, of course.

Most recently, Andy’s dad and his wife blessed us with what is probably the nicest piece of furniture we will ever own: An armoire flanked by lighted shelves. I love it. The room has a whole new personality now.

I know it's dark, and I should take a better picture in the daytime, but if I don't just post this now it'll never get posted. (I could take a new picture and update this tomorrow, but let's be real. That probably won't happen.)



Before, this was The Eatin’ Room. Now I feel like this room is actually worthy of the grandeur implied. I can honestly call it our Dining Room.

Playing Beauty Shop

Last Thursday, I spent several hours at my grandmother’s house. I call it “playing beauty shop” because it really is just play. I’m not any sort of professional. I’m just a little granddaughter, playing with scissors and rollers and administering a combination of chemicals, ominously called a Permanent.

I cherish this time with her. She has always been so special to me, but even more so now that I understand that our time is precious. The days are numbered. And I don’t say that just because she turns 82 today. The days have been numbered all along; Hers and mine. I just didn’t believe it when I was younger.

Our beauty shop time is ours and ours alone. No one else gets to set her hair. Only me.

We talk and laugh and reminisce. She tells me stories about her life. There are so many stories, and while some favorites are told and retold, I usually get to hear at least one new one. We talk about the family, about the weather, her friends at the Coppell Senior Center. We talk about her upcoming travels. There are always upcoming travels. Whether her departure is in a week or months, she is always planning her next trip.

And last week, as with most times I visit her, she asked her most frequently asked question:

Are you losing weight?

Weight is a common discussion with my grandmother. You might call it an obsession. I tell her that time spent chasing kids and not baking keeps me fit. She tells me that she always had to diet like crazy to keep any weight off.

One summer I lost a lot of weight. I went over to So-and-so’s house to sunbathe, and her husband came out with the camera. I jumped up and covered myself so quick! But now that I think about it, I wish I had let him take my picture. I have never been so thin as I was then, and I wish I had a picture of myself.

This tale of sunbathing and camera-shyness has been told before. But then she tells me a part of the story I’ve never heard.

Actually, that was the one time your grandfather said to me, “Jeanne, you’ve lost enough weight. You’re getting too thin. You need to stop it now.”

Then she laughed a little, and got a sort of sheepish look. She continued, speaking softly and grinning widely, as though she were betraying a great secret.

You see, I had been going to the doctor and getting diet pills. I had so much energy! I could just go and go and go… She pumps her arms in an act of faux running.

Gramma, do you know what was in those? Doctors used to prescribe amphetamines for weight loss. That’s SPEED, Gramma.

Oh. She shrugged. Well, it worked!

I just love her. She cracks me up. I tell her that she was in danger of drug addiction, using an incredibly harmful substance, and she shrugs. I thank the Lord that my grandfather made her stop, and she laments the loss of her waiflike physique. We both smile and shake our heads.

And I laugh out loud.

Happy Birthday, Gramma!

A Great Morning

Today when we sat down for our picnic lunch, I was a bit frazzled from a morning of household craziness. So I asked Jackson to lead the prayer over our meal.

He thanked the Lord for our food and then, to my absolute shock and confusion, he genuinely thanked Him for letting us enjoy a “great morning.” That’s where I lost track of J’s prayer and branched off on my own.

Eyes still closed, I thought, “WHAT? Great morning? Who here had a GREAT morning?” And I twisted my face into an expression that Parker apparently found hilarious. His giggles snapped me out of my mental sidetrack and I looked up. The boy was cracking up and soon, so was I.

J totally lost focus, so our prayer closed with a quickly chuckled “Amen” from all three of us. I thought I should explain myself, because J was looking pretty confused. It's not every day that people burst into laughter while he prays.

I’m sorry Jackson. I made a face and Parker saw me. He started laughing, and then I started laughing. I didn’t mean to interrupt.

Why did you make a face?

Well, you thanked God for our "great morning." The dog pooped on the floor. You boys fought over Lincoln Logs, locked each other out of the bathroom, and complained the entire time we worked outside (which was only thirty minutes but felt like an eternity). The dog pooped on the floor. AGAIN. You fussed about popsicles, and Parker just got his mouth washed out. Which part made this a “great morning” for you?

I don’t know… Just getting to be here with you, I guess.

That is the best thing I have heard all day. Thanks, bud.

That Jackson is one sweet kid. One sweet kid who spends part of each day driving me out of my mind. But at least we can all laugh about it!

I'm on Vacation

This time of year, people frequently ask the question, “Are you planning a vacation this summer?” Well, we aren’t planning to travel, but I’m on vacation already.

Vacation is defined as a respite or a time of respite from something. An intermission.

School is out. All of my volunteer responsibilities at my local Elementary are suspended for the next eighty-five days. My boys have completed their respective grade levels, and are intellectually more than ready for next year’s beginning. We’re officially on vacation.

I like that definition. I am hoping for this summer vacation to be all of those things. Respite. Rest. Relief. I loved my time spent working in and for the school, don’t get me wrong. And both of my boys are perfectly capable of succeeding educationally. They are geniuses, if you ask me. But the daily grind and the teachers’ mad dash, the race to the finish, had gotten to us all. I think we were all thankful that yesterday, the last day of the school year, finally passed. Now summer is here!

The children know that I have plans for them. They know that they’ll practice math and do lots of reading. They know that some of my plans include house cleaning and weed pulling and poop scooping. But they’re still excited. They’re excited because they also know that my plans are heavily laden with library lurking and movie watching and water splashing.

Maybe I don’t want this summer to be just an intermission. I don’t want to go back to an overly demanding lifestyle the next time school starts. Intermission implies a return to the programming already in progress. No, that’s not what I’m looking for.

I have decided that, starting this summer - right now – our family is going to make some changes. The boys will hear “yes” more than “no.” They are going to work harder than usual, and will in turn have opportunities to play harder than usual. They are set up for success, with our expectations literally in writing on the wall. Any moment can be a teachable one… the lesson doesn’t have to be inspired by strife.

Our family is going to do more lounging, share more laughs, and as a result, enjoy more love. And who wouldn’t want a little more love?

Happy Summer, everyone!

Home-Cooked Food = Food Cooked at Home

There is something deeply gratifying about preparing a delicious home-cooked dinner. And let me just say that home cooked for me does not necessarily mean that I made it all from scratch. Sunday, I made chicken enchilada soup using a Homemade Gourmet recipe and leftover Chicken Express. It’s like recycling a delicious dinner into yet another delicious but completely different dinner! Like I said, it’s not from scratch but I still made it.

Saturday night, my dad and brother joined us for a fabulous steak dinner. I had the pleasure of creating a meal, even though I did nothing more than throw salad in a bowl and bake a few potatoes. Andy is the grill master. I have absolutely no skills when it comes to charcoal, so I leave it all to the man.

Sidebar: I have this huge issue with being stereotypical. Ask Andy. I don’t like fitting in to general stereotypes. But I haven’t the slightest problem with the old 1950’s definitions of women’s work. I love being the lady of the house, taking care of my husband and our boys. I like stirring pots in the kitchen while the man stands at the grill, searing red meat with fire. It’s who I am. God made me for this.

So, anywhoo…

Wednesday, I decided to try a creamy pork tenderloin recipe from Melanie at Big Mama. Sort of. I knew I was going to make this recipe when I went to the store, but I didn’t even look at the list of ingredients until it was time to cook. So I had to improvise a few things. Still, it all worked out. I’m sure that the results of following the actual recipe would be even better, but the three people who bothered to eat this dinner really enjoyed it. (P doesn’t eat dinner most of the time. It’s a wonder that he survives.)

There’s just a special feeling that I get when I cook. Well, I guess the really good part is serving up what I have made, sitting down around the table, thanking God and enjoying the blessing of a home-cooked meal shared with loved ones.