Here's the thing. I'm not a blogger. Apparently. I mean, my last post was...five months ago. This is record craptastic blogging, I'd say. I mean, I know people who've blogged one or two times. Period. And they get to just stop blogging and I won't think anything about it, because they never really got started. But...I used to be a regular. I assume there's something to be said about not just rambling to ramble. So...you're welcome for the five month silent treatment.
I had a friend email me the other day (hello, friend) saying "remember when you used to blog?"
ha. nope. when was that? like...forever ago.
Quick recap on our hap hap happenings:
1) Kids are good. big one will be 7 soon. Little one 4 soon. Third one on the way, eta October.
2) Little kid still doing great. line's been out two years, and almost two years since last transfusion.
3) uh, literally, that's all. I mean...the big one has been losing a lot of teeth this year. That's kind of new and exciting and strange. The little one will be our first child to break a bone; I will take bets if you don't believe me. He climbs. He is reckless. He is fearless. Sigh.
We are about to finish our first year of Classical Conversations, a homeschool program we've joined this year. It is fantastic. Lots of memorization. Lots of songs. Some handy dandy classical learning going on. Amaaaazing what the boys can hold in their brains through rote memory. Of course, we learn past that and apply what we are able to apply, but the memory alone will prepare them for critical thinking at such a young age. This program is truly, truly phenomenal. I mean, mathematically, my kid knows formulas some of the adults I teach don't retain. Sure, he can't apply them yet, but that will come. He will know them when the time comes. He won't need a formula sheet, or some last minute memory efforts to ditch after an exam. He will know them. They will be stuck in his brain. And take me to History...my goodness. I hated History, my entire academic life. Good riddance. Then...this year. We have learned chronologically all major events from Creation up to present day. Next week, the kids will learn all of our nation's presidents from Washington to Obama. Every week we learn 7 timeline events, and then we camp out on one major idea in history for that week. There are (usually) fantastic songs that go with virtually all of the memory work, and I have learned things I never learned before (okay, I probably was taught them in elementary and high school, but I do not recall them at all, because did I say how I hated history? hated it. read the book, answer the study questions, cram it all in for an exam, forget it the next day. I seriously have a recurring dream where I forget to go to a class for like an entire semester. It is occasionally Calculus, which is nonsensical, because who'd skip THAT class? That's some good stuff. :) But, typically it is World History or some other History class. And I fail. And the teacher usually has some sort of mean thing to say to me for my lack of attendance. Rightly so.) Anyway, this stuff is good stuff, man. When the mom can't even read through the timeline cards without weeping some weeks, well, you know you're learning some good stuff. :) It has been wonderful to cross paths with other families to do life with- families with similar vision for their children, families desiring a redeemed education, one that will equip our children with learning through knowledge AND understanding. I had some spot on, wonderful, caring, fantastic teachers growing up. Really really great teachers. and I always loved school. Nerrrrd. But, a lot of what I learned, I didn't retain, for whatever reason, and it is nice go back to the beginning and really learn it. All of it. But, I'm still a nerd!
Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday are still fairly close in our rearview mirror-- and can I just say this is my most favorite time of the year? As a believer, every day is a day to be in awe of the grace I have received, certainly. But this specific week turns me to mush. A sobbing, ugly mess most days. We spent the week lightly- did the schooling we needed to do, and spent time during the day doing a little studying of the Bible regarding the Triumphal Entry through the crucifixion and Resurrection. The days were filled with some small crafts/mementos, and we had some candlelight times several weeks leading up to this week/weekend. This year, we had a family Seder- we tried that last year and all loved the time so much, we have adopted it as tradition in our family. It is humbling (sob sob bite my lip fight tears back) to read through the story of our Redemption, our freedom from sin because of the sinless Lamb. Anyway, it was/is a refreshing family time. How humbling this monumental time in history was/is for us. We, who are so undeserving, completely undeserving, totally unworthy, have been literally redeemed. redeemed. by the One who had no sin. No sin. No need to die. No need to be forsaken. No need to be alone. No need to suffer. He took it. In our place. For the utmost Glory of God. No matter how many times you look at it, if you really look at it, it is overwhelming.
See ya in five months.
- alisha
- wife. mom. adjunct professor. we homeschool. i'm a little bit OCD. i love math. bright colors and geometric designs make me drool. we live with a medical rarity, and Jesus saved his life. through that, Jesus is changing us. The american dream and status quo is overrated...and sometimes just plain wrong. our lives, our family, our careers, our faith are all now filtered through a new lens-- thank you Jesus. welcome to our crazy. feel free to take some of it with you, we have plenty to go around.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Saint Nicholas Day
It is cold here- this morning. It will be nice again this afternoon, but this morning, it was finally cold. This "winter" has not started out very...wintry.
We have been excited in our house for this day for awhile. This past year, Santa has been revamped in our house. And so, today, we celebrate the true St. Nicholas. There is a wealth of information at www.stnicholascenter.org , but quick summary would tell you that Saint Nicholas was orphaned during his teen years when his parents died. They left him wealthy, though. And one eve, he heard a girl crying. He asked her the issue, and she explained that she and her three sisters were all in love with men they wanted to marry, but they could not, because they were too poor, their father had no dowry money. So, Nicholas left, and that night, and the two subsequent nights, returned to their home, and tossed a bag of gold coins into the chimney of the girls' home. He did this in secret. The father did catch him the last night, but Nicholas asked him to just thank God for answering his prayers, and please to not tell anyone. That spring, he attended their weddings. :) He continued to help people, and everyone loved him. He set an example of how to live, and he was named a Saint. He loved Jesus. He was imprisoned for his faith. There is some who say he argued with Arius at the Council of Nicea, about whether there was a time when the Word didn't exist (Nicholas believed the Word always existed....you know, 'In the beginning was the Word" and all), and punched Arius for his heresy. I have heard that he apologized :). Anyway, the gift giving to those in need-- in secret, the devotion to the Lord, the passion for Christ, the kindness....THIS is a St. Nick worth celebrating on this December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. Why? I pulled these from the St. Nicholas Center site hyperlinked above, but here's why:
So today, we awoke to chocolate gold coins in our boots....in sweet little red pouches that I thought necessary. :) The kids know the candy is from their daddy and I, but the excitement and fun still hangs in the air preceding, and at, and after, the discovery.
But before the kids rolled their bedheaded selves out of their bunks, their daddy came in and whispered, "Birdie has had two pups." What a fun day to add excitement and anticipation. Our sweet (but too hyper for me) old girl is working on delivering her (most likely to be) last litter of pups. She doesn't really like an audience (what's wrong with her?) but she is doing well so far. A boy and a girl, both look to be orange and white like their daddy, Tucker.
So while we wait in anticipation for the litter to be born today, we are about to have some blackberry muffins for breakfast, the boys are coloring pages about Saint Nicholas, we will read oodles of books and watch a movie or two today, the babes will be treated to lunch out, and we will pick up a dozen yummy cupcakes (thank goodness that Groupon extended its expiration date! Totally forgot about that sweet treat).
We will also give a gift in secret. I am most excited about this part! Is there someone you know who is in need? Or could use some encouragement? Or maybe a stranger will cross your path and you will be able to meet a need of theirs today. In the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of taking what we have, though it be little, and using it to meet a need, or be a blessing, to someone else. Maybe even sacrificing a bit. In this anticipated season...the season where we can "sing out for joy, for the brave little boy, who was God but he made himself nothing. Well he gave up his pride, and he came here to die like a man." Jesus. Who left heaven to come to earth. The begotten of God, our Rescuer. He brought the free gift of salvation-given to us out of his great mercy and sacrifice. Glory. Glory to the Newborn King. (quote is from Andrew Peterson's album, "Behold the Lamb of God," which you can listen to almost in its entirety for free here) . It is excellent for Advent, and for the entire year! :)
We have been excited in our house for this day for awhile. This past year, Santa has been revamped in our house. And so, today, we celebrate the true St. Nicholas. There is a wealth of information at www.stnicholascenter.org , but quick summary would tell you that Saint Nicholas was orphaned during his teen years when his parents died. They left him wealthy, though. And one eve, he heard a girl crying. He asked her the issue, and she explained that she and her three sisters were all in love with men they wanted to marry, but they could not, because they were too poor, their father had no dowry money. So, Nicholas left, and that night, and the two subsequent nights, returned to their home, and tossed a bag of gold coins into the chimney of the girls' home. He did this in secret. The father did catch him the last night, but Nicholas asked him to just thank God for answering his prayers, and please to not tell anyone. That spring, he attended their weddings. :) He continued to help people, and everyone loved him. He set an example of how to live, and he was named a Saint. He loved Jesus. He was imprisoned for his faith. There is some who say he argued with Arius at the Council of Nicea, about whether there was a time when the Word didn't exist (Nicholas believed the Word always existed....you know, 'In the beginning was the Word" and all), and punched Arius for his heresy. I have heard that he apologized :). Anyway, the gift giving to those in need-- in secret, the devotion to the Lord, the passion for Christ, the kindness....THIS is a St. Nick worth celebrating on this December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. Why? I pulled these from the St. Nicholas Center site hyperlinked above, but here's why:
- To learn about the true Santa Claus and Father Christmas: St. Nicholas, a man of faith who lived his life in devotion to Christ
- To focus on giving more than receiving: St. Nicholas cared for the needy
- To emphasize small treats and family fun: St. Nicholas loved children
- To provide a bit of special festivity early in the waiting weeks of Advent: St. Nicholas points to Jesus, the heart of Christmas
- To offer a spiritual dimension to gift giving
- To tell the story of a Christian saint, whose model life inspires compassion and charity
- To honor St. Nicholas honors the Christ Child who selflessly gave the greatest gift of all—himself
So today, we awoke to chocolate gold coins in our boots....in sweet little red pouches that I thought necessary. :) The kids know the candy is from their daddy and I, but the excitement and fun still hangs in the air preceding, and at, and after, the discovery.
But before the kids rolled their bedheaded selves out of their bunks, their daddy came in and whispered, "Birdie has had two pups." What a fun day to add excitement and anticipation. Our sweet (but too hyper for me) old girl is working on delivering her (most likely to be) last litter of pups. She doesn't really like an audience (what's wrong with her?) but she is doing well so far. A boy and a girl, both look to be orange and white like their daddy, Tucker.
So while we wait in anticipation for the litter to be born today, we are about to have some blackberry muffins for breakfast, the boys are coloring pages about Saint Nicholas, we will read oodles of books and watch a movie or two today, the babes will be treated to lunch out, and we will pick up a dozen yummy cupcakes (thank goodness that Groupon extended its expiration date! Totally forgot about that sweet treat).
We will also give a gift in secret. I am most excited about this part! Is there someone you know who is in need? Or could use some encouragement? Or maybe a stranger will cross your path and you will be able to meet a need of theirs today. In the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of taking what we have, though it be little, and using it to meet a need, or be a blessing, to someone else. Maybe even sacrificing a bit. In this anticipated season...the season where we can "sing out for joy, for the brave little boy, who was God but he made himself nothing. Well he gave up his pride, and he came here to die like a man." Jesus. Who left heaven to come to earth. The begotten of God, our Rescuer. He brought the free gift of salvation-given to us out of his great mercy and sacrifice. Glory. Glory to the Newborn King. (quote is from Andrew Peterson's album, "Behold the Lamb of God," which you can listen to almost in its entirety for free here) . It is excellent for Advent, and for the entire year! :)
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
citizenship
Hi there.
Long time no see.
So, here's what I think. We don't have cable, so I was keeping up as best I could with election coverage online last night. I'm no political junkie, but I do believe it to be important that we exercise our right to vote (my own personal clause here: IF we are educated on the candidates and issues. There were a couple things on my ballot, for some reason, I had missed knowing would be on there, and I was frustrated with MYSELF for being one of "those" people who just didn't know. So I think we should always be as prepared as possible-- we've done our research, on the candidates/state questions/whatever. We aren't going into things blindly). While keeping up with this coverage online (via CNN, Fox News (gasp!), etc etc), I was also able to keep up with it with an even more fabulous running commentary on everyone's favorite social media site, Facebook. Oh....facebook. loveyouhateyou. And virtually nothing I saw there was good. And I don't mean because Romney supporters were disappointed, or because Obama supporters were ecstatic. Those reactions are normal. I was apathetic candidate-wise, because I would've rather voted for someone else (guess!), but in Oklahoma I didn't have that option (I digress.) What I (we all) saw there that was so not good was the horrible, mean spirited, woe-is-me attitudes. The cutting remarks, the slander, the "I'm outta here" attitude. Some of these only came from the Republican side of things, but the ugliness was rearing its head from both parties, to be sure. I don't need to type anymore about that, because you all probably saw that on your own news feeds if you have a bit of a diverse 'friend' group. :)
But here's the thing. Glory be. Seriously. Glory straight to God. Not because I think President Obama is leading us in a place we as believers should feel comfortable. I don't. If Romney had won, my response would be the same-- Glory. Why? Because before this day was even a dot on the timeline of our life, God was. If the Lord doesn't know what every day holds, how is he the Lord at all? And not just the knowing what each day brings, but the creating it Himself. We know that nothing that is made has been made without Him. Nothing that has come to pass has come to pass without his permission, approval, and creation. That doesn't mean we always love it. That doesn't mean it's always fun. That doesn't mean we always understand. That does mean things are difficult sometimes. That does mean struggles exist sometimes. That does mean we have a lot of questions in some things. But our Sovereign Lord is the in the business of appointing rulers, kings, authority-- sometimes in what "we" would see as for His glory. And sometimes in what we would see as 'punishment' or 'destruction'-- this is clear throughout scripture. I don't know what the Lord is up to, but there is no actual 'sometimes' about it. It is ALWAYS for His glory. Always. That is what HE exists for-- the glory of His Name! We dont' get to pick and choose how he does things. HE is the Lord. He is sovereign. He has numbered each of our days, and yesterday happened exactly as he appointed it to happen. It wasn't an accident. It wouldn't have been an accident had Romney won the election. Knowing the Lord is sovereign and has done a few miracles, I was kind of hoping for a miraculous announcement of Ron Paul as our newest POTUS. :) No, really. Okay, back to the point. What are we so up in arms about? Our votes matter because we have a right to cast them. They matter because we have an obligation to let our voice be heard. But one way or the other, in an election, some side is going to be disappointed. But in Christ, this need not be so. We may want something different, but we can rest assured that He does not always work things out into a nice, easy ride for us. There was no righteous man running for President, y'all. The 'lesser of two evils' whoever he be, would still be 'some' evil. The logic is silly. When I think upon my 'self' sometimes, I am not excited about the next four years, to be honest. But when we who are in Christ remove ourselves from the equation and remember that He does all things for HIS GLORY, and all those things are for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose...well, it just isn't about us anymore. So whether these four years bring prosperity and blessing, or poverty and hardship, blessed be the name of the Lord. He is working ALL things ALL the time FOR HIS GLORY. He can't do otherwise!
We have lived through some hard, hard things in this household. Things that people sometimes would see and feel sorry for us, or wonder WHY would God allow that, etc....this is ridiculous. Was it difficult? yes. was I sad often? yes. Did I want it to be over the moment it started? yes. BUT. The Lord GRACIOUSLY spared our son (he didn't have to. there were times Ridge probably shouldn't have survived medically speaking. There were times I thought he wouldn't. there were times i submitted to the reality that this could happen), the Lord walked through that terrible terrible time WITH us, overseeing all things, and I.am. NOT. the. same. person. Four years ago, I was not this person. Four years ago, three years ago, even two years ago, I was battling to get over this hardship so our life could go back to "normal." Praise the Lord He didn't just drop us then and there at my laments. Praise the Lord he pursued us. Praise Him for leaving that difficulty there until His purpose was accomplished. Praise the Lord our life is NOT "back to normal." Because stumbling through that taught us a dependency on His providence like we had never, ever known. Because the hardest thing we have lived through so far was also the greatest blessing- not ONLY because the Lord spared our son (although he does not ALWAYS do this , I am aware and sensitive to that reality, but that is another post entirely) but also because He used that terrible terrible thing to bring glory to His name and to grow us in holiness, to further sanctify us.
Trials will come. But you can rest assured they never surprise the Lord. Ever. He is always before them. ALWAYS. and He always has His glory in mind. The question is, will we be a part of that? Will we allow ourselves to be shaped to His purpose? Even if it is difficult? Even if it is painful? Even if it is unbearable? Will we bear it anyway, in/with the help of the grace of God?
I voted early. But on election day, my Bible reading fell to Habakkuk. If you haven't read it, it's only 3 chapters, so just go ahead. But synopsis (I will not do this justice here)-- Habakkuk was a prophet of God. He was one of the good guys, living rightly. But the nation he was in was in turmoil. He was crying out to God to save them. The Lord responds that He is doing something that Habakkuk wouldn't believe even if he were told. Whaaaat? And then the Lord continues by saying He would send the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to come in and seize the land. This did not seem good. The Babylonians were powerful and overtook a lot of nations. They were dreaded and feared. They come for violence. So Habakkuk responds that he understands the Lord has appointed them to judge, but he questions if the Chaldeans will just be allowed to continue slaying nations without sparing people (it doesn't quite seem fair. They are not a righteous people, and they are strong and merciless). So the Lord tells him in a long series of woes basically that the Chaldeans will get theirs, as well. And Habakkuk replies that even though all of this will come to be, even though he is waiting for the day these Chaldeans will invade, even though things are bad ("....though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet and makes me walk on high places."-- habakkuk 3:17-19
So whatever your take is on the new POTUS, or on the next four years-- whether you are jubilant or discouraged-- it doesn't really matter. The Lord has appointed this day. Heck, he knows what will happen tomorrow- he appointed that, too. And in a year? four years? he's already there! And it may be better or worse than we could possibly imagine in these next four years, but one thing is for sure and for certain, it will ultimately be for His glory. And THAT is all that matters for those of us in Christ. This world isn't our home, anyway!
Glory be.
Long time no see.
So, here's what I think. We don't have cable, so I was keeping up as best I could with election coverage online last night. I'm no political junkie, but I do believe it to be important that we exercise our right to vote (my own personal clause here: IF we are educated on the candidates and issues. There were a couple things on my ballot, for some reason, I had missed knowing would be on there, and I was frustrated with MYSELF for being one of "those" people who just didn't know. So I think we should always be as prepared as possible-- we've done our research, on the candidates/state questions/whatever. We aren't going into things blindly). While keeping up with this coverage online (via CNN, Fox News (gasp!), etc etc), I was also able to keep up with it with an even more fabulous running commentary on everyone's favorite social media site, Facebook. Oh....facebook. loveyouhateyou. And virtually nothing I saw there was good. And I don't mean because Romney supporters were disappointed, or because Obama supporters were ecstatic. Those reactions are normal. I was apathetic candidate-wise, because I would've rather voted for someone else (guess!), but in Oklahoma I didn't have that option (I digress.) What I (we all) saw there that was so not good was the horrible, mean spirited, woe-is-me attitudes. The cutting remarks, the slander, the "I'm outta here" attitude. Some of these only came from the Republican side of things, but the ugliness was rearing its head from both parties, to be sure. I don't need to type anymore about that, because you all probably saw that on your own news feeds if you have a bit of a diverse 'friend' group. :)
But here's the thing. Glory be. Seriously. Glory straight to God. Not because I think President Obama is leading us in a place we as believers should feel comfortable. I don't. If Romney had won, my response would be the same-- Glory. Why? Because before this day was even a dot on the timeline of our life, God was. If the Lord doesn't know what every day holds, how is he the Lord at all? And not just the knowing what each day brings, but the creating it Himself. We know that nothing that is made has been made without Him. Nothing that has come to pass has come to pass without his permission, approval, and creation. That doesn't mean we always love it. That doesn't mean it's always fun. That doesn't mean we always understand. That does mean things are difficult sometimes. That does mean struggles exist sometimes. That does mean we have a lot of questions in some things. But our Sovereign Lord is the in the business of appointing rulers, kings, authority-- sometimes in what "we" would see as for His glory. And sometimes in what we would see as 'punishment' or 'destruction'-- this is clear throughout scripture. I don't know what the Lord is up to, but there is no actual 'sometimes' about it. It is ALWAYS for His glory. Always. That is what HE exists for-- the glory of His Name! We dont' get to pick and choose how he does things. HE is the Lord. He is sovereign. He has numbered each of our days, and yesterday happened exactly as he appointed it to happen. It wasn't an accident. It wouldn't have been an accident had Romney won the election. Knowing the Lord is sovereign and has done a few miracles, I was kind of hoping for a miraculous announcement of Ron Paul as our newest POTUS. :) No, really. Okay, back to the point. What are we so up in arms about? Our votes matter because we have a right to cast them. They matter because we have an obligation to let our voice be heard. But one way or the other, in an election, some side is going to be disappointed. But in Christ, this need not be so. We may want something different, but we can rest assured that He does not always work things out into a nice, easy ride for us. There was no righteous man running for President, y'all. The 'lesser of two evils' whoever he be, would still be 'some' evil. The logic is silly. When I think upon my 'self' sometimes, I am not excited about the next four years, to be honest. But when we who are in Christ remove ourselves from the equation and remember that He does all things for HIS GLORY, and all those things are for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose...well, it just isn't about us anymore. So whether these four years bring prosperity and blessing, or poverty and hardship, blessed be the name of the Lord. He is working ALL things ALL the time FOR HIS GLORY. He can't do otherwise!
We have lived through some hard, hard things in this household. Things that people sometimes would see and feel sorry for us, or wonder WHY would God allow that, etc....this is ridiculous. Was it difficult? yes. was I sad often? yes. Did I want it to be over the moment it started? yes. BUT. The Lord GRACIOUSLY spared our son (he didn't have to. there were times Ridge probably shouldn't have survived medically speaking. There were times I thought he wouldn't. there were times i submitted to the reality that this could happen), the Lord walked through that terrible terrible time WITH us, overseeing all things, and I.am. NOT. the. same. person. Four years ago, I was not this person. Four years ago, three years ago, even two years ago, I was battling to get over this hardship so our life could go back to "normal." Praise the Lord He didn't just drop us then and there at my laments. Praise the Lord he pursued us. Praise Him for leaving that difficulty there until His purpose was accomplished. Praise the Lord our life is NOT "back to normal." Because stumbling through that taught us a dependency on His providence like we had never, ever known. Because the hardest thing we have lived through so far was also the greatest blessing- not ONLY because the Lord spared our son (although he does not ALWAYS do this , I am aware and sensitive to that reality, but that is another post entirely) but also because He used that terrible terrible thing to bring glory to His name and to grow us in holiness, to further sanctify us.
Trials will come. But you can rest assured they never surprise the Lord. Ever. He is always before them. ALWAYS. and He always has His glory in mind. The question is, will we be a part of that? Will we allow ourselves to be shaped to His purpose? Even if it is difficult? Even if it is painful? Even if it is unbearable? Will we bear it anyway, in/with the help of the grace of God?
I voted early. But on election day, my Bible reading fell to Habakkuk. If you haven't read it, it's only 3 chapters, so just go ahead. But synopsis (I will not do this justice here)-- Habakkuk was a prophet of God. He was one of the good guys, living rightly. But the nation he was in was in turmoil. He was crying out to God to save them. The Lord responds that He is doing something that Habakkuk wouldn't believe even if he were told. Whaaaat? And then the Lord continues by saying He would send the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to come in and seize the land. This did not seem good. The Babylonians were powerful and overtook a lot of nations. They were dreaded and feared. They come for violence. So Habakkuk responds that he understands the Lord has appointed them to judge, but he questions if the Chaldeans will just be allowed to continue slaying nations without sparing people (it doesn't quite seem fair. They are not a righteous people, and they are strong and merciless). So the Lord tells him in a long series of woes basically that the Chaldeans will get theirs, as well. And Habakkuk replies that even though all of this will come to be, even though he is waiting for the day these Chaldeans will invade, even though things are bad ("....though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet and makes me walk on high places."-- habakkuk 3:17-19
So whatever your take is on the new POTUS, or on the next four years-- whether you are jubilant or discouraged-- it doesn't really matter. The Lord has appointed this day. Heck, he knows what will happen tomorrow- he appointed that, too. And in a year? four years? he's already there! And it may be better or worse than we could possibly imagine in these next four years, but one thing is for sure and for certain, it will ultimately be for His glory. And THAT is all that matters for those of us in Christ. This world isn't our home, anyway!
Glory be.
Friday, September 7, 2012
bulging bookshelves (in my) brain
I love to read.
love. love. LOVE to read.
so when I realized I hadn't posted anything in oh...a MONTHish, I thought, hmmm...what's been kickin my rear the most recently? Books. These books I've been reading are just real butt-kickers. So, if you enjoy a good chastising, or if you think nothing could possibly need changing in you, or if you know there's a lot that needs to change, or...if you just don't even know what in the world to read at all but you have no aversion to non-fiction, here are some dandies. I didn't say you'd want to kiss them because they make you feel fantastic about yourself...they are honest, hard, and will pierce at your (and by your I mean my) sinful black heart...or your (and by your I mean my) kind of stagnant brain.
in fact, you might hate them love them. hove them. late them. i mean, your relationship with them will be bittersweet in a fantastic way, and you might want to punch the author (s) right in the liver (thank you jen hatmaker for that mental picture in a previous blog post (of hers)... don't read jen's blog? you should....she's so honest you will want to weep at your hideous soul when you read some of her posts...but she's also DANG hilarious. so, here- this is the most recent, and you will LAUGH AND LAUGH: http://www.jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/09/03/not-a-fan. I don't know her personally but it's okay for me to act like I do, bc I like to think if I lived in austin, we'd be bffs. I know we would. That or she'd have to get a restraining order to keep me away from her awesomeness.)
Okay. So in no particular order, here ya go:
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges
so...that's straight to one that will kick you in the teeth. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but it is fantastic. FANTASTIC. It covers things from worry and anxiety to anger (with people, at people, at God, etc) to whatever. Sins that possibly you have thought of before, but other "kosher in today's world" behaviors that for the believer are actually just NOT holy. Too much to cover here, but for example...anxiety, discontentment, frustration, unthankfulness... short (and mega vague) story on anxiety for me-- I was anxious about a vaccine for Ridge-- something that "needed" to be done (according to the secular and believing world alike). I didn't have a peace about it it, but I'm weird, so I figured it was just me being a weirdo (in the interest of full disclosure, we do NOT fully vaccinate, and we DO use a spaced out schedule for the vaccines we give. This questioning began when Ridge was ill and had some TERRIBLE issues after some vaccinations...I'm not really interested in discussing anyone's vaccine opinions, though. Educate yourself, decide what's best based on that education, and do it for your family.) ANYWAY, I wrestled with this decision for a week or two, before deciding, well, everyone (not everyone. but most everyone) thinks you have to do this, so we're going to do this. So...I embark. On the way to the health department, I completely miss my turn (I KNOW how to get there. I LIVE near there.) I turn around, get there early, and seriously have to go to the bathroom SO badly I have to leave (they weren't open yet, and i wasn't going to use that bathroom anyway. I have an aversion to public restrooms in general. Anyway, seriously? I JUST left my house and I can't even make it 5 till they open, 5 mins to get R his vax, and go back home? nope. this NEVER HAPPENS TO ME. EVER.). I go back home. By the time I am BACK at the health department, literally like 5 minutes later, it is crowded. I have to wait. Which is fine, but that's why I got there early. So we wait and wait and wait, and finally it is our turn and then....there are some glitches. Some questions about records, some questions about his medical history, blah blah blah (routine stuff). The whole while, the kids are restless, I am getting more and more irritated and anxious, and nothing is happening. We are just waiting. Doctors offices, the health dept, the hospital, all of these places gross me out. Germs everywhere, I am certain. Finally, we are alone in our little room, the nurse has gone to find out some info, and Ridge says, "We are NEVER coming back here again!" I'm sure he just came up with THAT on his own. I say, "you are right. never ever ever." Then, I feel my frustration building up in me, and I feel that anxiety, that worry, that concern, that "things aren't going the way i thought they would" and THEN by divine intervention i realize, I am not resting. I am being restless and discontent. So I correct my speech with my kiddos and say, "Boys. I have prayed for weeks about this, that the Lord would help us to be wise in this decision. That his sovereignty would be apparent. That we would acknowledge that He is in control.' Of course, they didn't know what that meant. But I did. And when the nurse came back and said she couldn't give us that vaccine, I started crying. Not because we couldn't get it, but because the Lord had put so many roadblocks in our way that very day. I missed my turn. I almost had an accident, and I don't mean with my vehicle, and then, after being asked questions I'm NEVER asked about Ridge anymore, even when we have gotten vaccinations, even when he was doing BADLY, I am denied. I know everyone in the medical community probably thinks I'm a quack, but I don't care. The Lord was clearly sovereign in our day, and I was able to know that that decision was NOT correct for us on that day. So even though I wasted an hour of my morning, I was taught a lesson that even in "routine" things, things that we might normally not even bat an eyelash about, we are to trust in his sovereignty and provision. My worrying and anxiety about everything, my trying to make it all work, that was sin. It wasn't resting in the fact that he will provide EVERYTHING we need, and that he has the power to intervene in our lives. I talked way too long here on this one thing. Read the book. It will definitely change the way you see yourself at least in some regards.
Next up (I will keep it short from here on out):
Nevertheless I Live, by Mona Adkisson
I grew up in church with Mona. Her oldest son is about the same age as me, and her second son was my sister's age. Her third son was younger than both my sister and I. This is a book of pages that tell the story of a tragedy I remember well, even though I was young in both instances. Mona's second son died suddenly at age 3, and a few years later, after she'd had her third son, he died at age 5. She and her family have walked through a dark valley...twice. The Lord has sustained them. I could not read this book without bawling my eyes out- sometimes because I remembered the emotions....I was only 7 or so when her first son died, but it was on a Wednesday night at church, and I remember her tears and her crying out to God. I was not sitting far away from where she cried and prayed, and while I do not have a lot of memories from that age, I vividly remember a lot about that night. In this book, Mona is transparent-- about her grief, depression that followed, and the grace of the Lord Jesus to carry her family through such such tragedy. Anyone should read this book, but I definitely recommend it if you have lost a loved one. I read the book in about a day...and make sure you have tissues nearby. I have linked to amazon, but it is also available from Tate Publishing.
The Core, by Leigh Bortins
I am not finished with this one yet. BUT, I think ANY parent, grandparent, or educator should read this. Whether you educate in the public school system or in a private school or at home. This book is fantastic, and it really has opened my eyes to some of the pitfalls in our current methods of educating. It also made me more aware of the parental responsibility to educate, EVEN IF YOU ARE A WORKING PARENT. We can NOT leave the education "just" to the teachers. I WAS a public school teacher, and I did my best, but I was one, and they were 20-30, and you can NOT reach them all. Parents are not always helpful, and oftentimes at the secondary level, because parents do not know/remember the material, they are not helpful at ALL. Sometimes parents will hire tutors, which is great, but oftentimes, the student is left to struggle alone because he/she is 17 and is going to have to figure it out at some point...or they are to come in early or stay late, and sometimes it just isn't enough. That's not even really what this book touches on, I'm just addressing for a moment as a former public school teacher, the need for parental involvement-- not just support, but INVOLVEMENT in their education. Confession: before we decided to homeschool, I honestly didn't think about THIS as a parent. I knew I'd check my kiddos' homework and talk to them about their day, but I wasn't thinking, "I need to be involved in their education. They are learning about the pyramids, so maybe I should learn about them, too, so that we can talk about it at home and I can enhance their learning so they can retain it." Probably everyone else out there thinks that way about their kids, but I didn't, so I'm going to confess it. But I think it is OUR JOB TO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF WITH OUR KIDS. It is no one else's responsibility to help them retain their knowledge. What they get in a classroom is NOT enough for them to retain it (I promise. If it was enough, I'd remember everything I'm teaching my eldest child currently...but instead, I'm learning it all as if for the first time!), even though they probably have the most rockstar teacher in the entire universe (I am being serious. I have nothing but love for teachers. I was one, and i am one, so I'm not pushing hate here.) But seven hours in a classroom (or several) with subjects spread out, and distractions abundant, with 20-30 students per teacher...It just isn't enough; I know because I was that teacher. And I loved my job. But occasionally I'd have a student whose parent DID understand the math we were doing, and it was fantastic to hear that student come in and say that their dad sat down with them and showed them the lesson this way or whatever. YES! That is what we need. Take an interest in what your kiddo is learning, not just because they don't understand it and need your help, but because you are their parent and their education falls under your authority, not the public school system's! Again, this book covers way more specific things than this, but it is written truly in the spirit of FAMILY educating their children, regardless of WHERE the child goes to school (although, let it be disclaimered that Bortins is a homeschool mama...which is great with me! But I've read about half of this and I see it as a pivotal book for ANY educator).
Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic
This is a FAST read. I'm about 70% finished and just started the other day. I thought it would be funny, but at first it wasn't. THEN, it was. Sometimes, my kids make Jankovic out to be a liar, like when she says in trying times to look at the clock, and do what you need to get done, and in 20 minutes, that crazy time will all be blown over. This isn't the case...ever...in my house. Eventually it has blown over, but maybe 40 minutes. or 200 minutes. Whatever. Anyway, there are parts of this book that are laugh out loud funny....and if you are a mama to young children, you need to read this. Oh, you need to read it-- for the heart warming practical advice and also for the laughs.
and lastly,
Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney
I saved the doozy for last. This is a really fast read, I'm almost finished with it and I just started it Monday or Tuesday (it's 9 chapters)... But it will kick your behind, ladies. And some of you probably will hate it because you probably completely disagree with Mahaney (but I don't know who reads this blog. So maybe I'm wrong. I completely agree with Mahaney but I also want to punch her in the liver through most of this book.) This book talks you through Titus 2, and principles applied from that passage such as loving your husband and your children (whaaaat? :) ), self control, purity, working at home, (and I haven't read this far yet)- kindness, submission (don't freak out), margaret's story. I can't speak on those last three because I haven't read those parts of the book. But I can tell you this-- 1) I didn't know that when the Bible references a wife's love for her husband, the greek used is phileo, which is a more personal type of love, as in close friends/supporters. And we all know that's what our husbands need is a close friend and supporter, and for many women (I'll raise my hand) that isn't always what comes easiest for us-- but our husband is called to agape love us-- and agape is the type of love Christ had for us, a self-sacrificing type of love...which is something wives usually have less issue with-- we can do laundry or dishes for our husband even if we are upset or annoyed with them. We can't/don't always easily cheer them on in something that we don't really have an interest in. Anyway, I just found this interesting (not that we are not obligated to love our husband sacrificially, but the direct statements in scripture regarding a wife loving her husband uses the term "phileo"....Also, same is true of our love for our children! We are to support and encourage them, with a phileo love. Here is my favorite passage from the book so far:
(on the kind of love we are to have for our littles): "What is the ultimate purpose of a phileo kind of love? It is nothing less than the salvation of our children's souls. This is the chief end of mothering. Our goal is not that our children be happy, fulfilled, and successful. Granted, we may desire these things for them, but our highest objective should be that our children would repent from their sins, put their trust in Jesus Christ, and reflect the gospel to the world around them."-- Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal
Anyway, as you continue to read, Mahaney may irk you. She isn't trying to, but your pride and sin might just get in the way and you might start to kind of despise her. No, you probably won't, but I might. I did. I do. But it's not her, it's me.
These books are a good kind of burn. The kind that settles in your soul and gives you a hunger to know more of God. So...I say read one today! What books are you reading currently? Feel free to share in the comments, please!!!
love. love. LOVE to read.
so when I realized I hadn't posted anything in oh...a MONTHish, I thought, hmmm...what's been kickin my rear the most recently? Books. These books I've been reading are just real butt-kickers. So, if you enjoy a good chastising, or if you think nothing could possibly need changing in you, or if you know there's a lot that needs to change, or...if you just don't even know what in the world to read at all but you have no aversion to non-fiction, here are some dandies. I didn't say you'd want to kiss them because they make you feel fantastic about yourself...they are honest, hard, and will pierce at your (and by your I mean my) sinful black heart...or your (and by your I mean my) kind of stagnant brain.
in fact, you might hate them love them. hove them. late them. i mean, your relationship with them will be bittersweet in a fantastic way, and you might want to punch the author (s) right in the liver (thank you jen hatmaker for that mental picture in a previous blog post (of hers)... don't read jen's blog? you should....she's so honest you will want to weep at your hideous soul when you read some of her posts...but she's also DANG hilarious. so, here- this is the most recent, and you will LAUGH AND LAUGH: http://www.jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/09/03/not-a-fan. I don't know her personally but it's okay for me to act like I do, bc I like to think if I lived in austin, we'd be bffs. I know we would. That or she'd have to get a restraining order to keep me away from her awesomeness.)
Okay. So in no particular order, here ya go:
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridgesso...that's straight to one that will kick you in the teeth. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but it is fantastic. FANTASTIC. It covers things from worry and anxiety to anger (with people, at people, at God, etc) to whatever. Sins that possibly you have thought of before, but other "kosher in today's world" behaviors that for the believer are actually just NOT holy. Too much to cover here, but for example...anxiety, discontentment, frustration, unthankfulness... short (and mega vague) story on anxiety for me-- I was anxious about a vaccine for Ridge-- something that "needed" to be done (according to the secular and believing world alike). I didn't have a peace about it it, but I'm weird, so I figured it was just me being a weirdo (in the interest of full disclosure, we do NOT fully vaccinate, and we DO use a spaced out schedule for the vaccines we give. This questioning began when Ridge was ill and had some TERRIBLE issues after some vaccinations...I'm not really interested in discussing anyone's vaccine opinions, though. Educate yourself, decide what's best based on that education, and do it for your family.) ANYWAY, I wrestled with this decision for a week or two, before deciding, well, everyone (not everyone. but most everyone) thinks you have to do this, so we're going to do this. So...I embark. On the way to the health department, I completely miss my turn (I KNOW how to get there. I LIVE near there.) I turn around, get there early, and seriously have to go to the bathroom SO badly I have to leave (they weren't open yet, and i wasn't going to use that bathroom anyway. I have an aversion to public restrooms in general. Anyway, seriously? I JUST left my house and I can't even make it 5 till they open, 5 mins to get R his vax, and go back home? nope. this NEVER HAPPENS TO ME. EVER.). I go back home. By the time I am BACK at the health department, literally like 5 minutes later, it is crowded. I have to wait. Which is fine, but that's why I got there early. So we wait and wait and wait, and finally it is our turn and then....there are some glitches. Some questions about records, some questions about his medical history, blah blah blah (routine stuff). The whole while, the kids are restless, I am getting more and more irritated and anxious, and nothing is happening. We are just waiting. Doctors offices, the health dept, the hospital, all of these places gross me out. Germs everywhere, I am certain. Finally, we are alone in our little room, the nurse has gone to find out some info, and Ridge says, "We are NEVER coming back here again!" I'm sure he just came up with THAT on his own. I say, "you are right. never ever ever." Then, I feel my frustration building up in me, and I feel that anxiety, that worry, that concern, that "things aren't going the way i thought they would" and THEN by divine intervention i realize, I am not resting. I am being restless and discontent. So I correct my speech with my kiddos and say, "Boys. I have prayed for weeks about this, that the Lord would help us to be wise in this decision. That his sovereignty would be apparent. That we would acknowledge that He is in control.' Of course, they didn't know what that meant. But I did. And when the nurse came back and said she couldn't give us that vaccine, I started crying. Not because we couldn't get it, but because the Lord had put so many roadblocks in our way that very day. I missed my turn. I almost had an accident, and I don't mean with my vehicle, and then, after being asked questions I'm NEVER asked about Ridge anymore, even when we have gotten vaccinations, even when he was doing BADLY, I am denied. I know everyone in the medical community probably thinks I'm a quack, but I don't care. The Lord was clearly sovereign in our day, and I was able to know that that decision was NOT correct for us on that day. So even though I wasted an hour of my morning, I was taught a lesson that even in "routine" things, things that we might normally not even bat an eyelash about, we are to trust in his sovereignty and provision. My worrying and anxiety about everything, my trying to make it all work, that was sin. It wasn't resting in the fact that he will provide EVERYTHING we need, and that he has the power to intervene in our lives. I talked way too long here on this one thing. Read the book. It will definitely change the way you see yourself at least in some regards.
Next up (I will keep it short from here on out):
Nevertheless I Live, by Mona AdkissonI grew up in church with Mona. Her oldest son is about the same age as me, and her second son was my sister's age. Her third son was younger than both my sister and I. This is a book of pages that tell the story of a tragedy I remember well, even though I was young in both instances. Mona's second son died suddenly at age 3, and a few years later, after she'd had her third son, he died at age 5. She and her family have walked through a dark valley...twice. The Lord has sustained them. I could not read this book without bawling my eyes out- sometimes because I remembered the emotions....I was only 7 or so when her first son died, but it was on a Wednesday night at church, and I remember her tears and her crying out to God. I was not sitting far away from where she cried and prayed, and while I do not have a lot of memories from that age, I vividly remember a lot about that night. In this book, Mona is transparent-- about her grief, depression that followed, and the grace of the Lord Jesus to carry her family through such such tragedy. Anyone should read this book, but I definitely recommend it if you have lost a loved one. I read the book in about a day...and make sure you have tissues nearby. I have linked to amazon, but it is also available from Tate Publishing.
The Core, by Leigh BortinsI am not finished with this one yet. BUT, I think ANY parent, grandparent, or educator should read this. Whether you educate in the public school system or in a private school or at home. This book is fantastic, and it really has opened my eyes to some of the pitfalls in our current methods of educating. It also made me more aware of the parental responsibility to educate, EVEN IF YOU ARE A WORKING PARENT. We can NOT leave the education "just" to the teachers. I WAS a public school teacher, and I did my best, but I was one, and they were 20-30, and you can NOT reach them all. Parents are not always helpful, and oftentimes at the secondary level, because parents do not know/remember the material, they are not helpful at ALL. Sometimes parents will hire tutors, which is great, but oftentimes, the student is left to struggle alone because he/she is 17 and is going to have to figure it out at some point...or they are to come in early or stay late, and sometimes it just isn't enough. That's not even really what this book touches on, I'm just addressing for a moment as a former public school teacher, the need for parental involvement-- not just support, but INVOLVEMENT in their education. Confession: before we decided to homeschool, I honestly didn't think about THIS as a parent. I knew I'd check my kiddos' homework and talk to them about their day, but I wasn't thinking, "I need to be involved in their education. They are learning about the pyramids, so maybe I should learn about them, too, so that we can talk about it at home and I can enhance their learning so they can retain it." Probably everyone else out there thinks that way about their kids, but I didn't, so I'm going to confess it. But I think it is OUR JOB TO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF WITH OUR KIDS. It is no one else's responsibility to help them retain their knowledge. What they get in a classroom is NOT enough for them to retain it (I promise. If it was enough, I'd remember everything I'm teaching my eldest child currently...but instead, I'm learning it all as if for the first time!), even though they probably have the most rockstar teacher in the entire universe (I am being serious. I have nothing but love for teachers. I was one, and i am one, so I'm not pushing hate here.) But seven hours in a classroom (or several) with subjects spread out, and distractions abundant, with 20-30 students per teacher...It just isn't enough; I know because I was that teacher. And I loved my job. But occasionally I'd have a student whose parent DID understand the math we were doing, and it was fantastic to hear that student come in and say that their dad sat down with them and showed them the lesson this way or whatever. YES! That is what we need. Take an interest in what your kiddo is learning, not just because they don't understand it and need your help, but because you are their parent and their education falls under your authority, not the public school system's! Again, this book covers way more specific things than this, but it is written truly in the spirit of FAMILY educating their children, regardless of WHERE the child goes to school (although, let it be disclaimered that Bortins is a homeschool mama...which is great with me! But I've read about half of this and I see it as a pivotal book for ANY educator).
Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic This is a FAST read. I'm about 70% finished and just started the other day. I thought it would be funny, but at first it wasn't. THEN, it was. Sometimes, my kids make Jankovic out to be a liar, like when she says in trying times to look at the clock, and do what you need to get done, and in 20 minutes, that crazy time will all be blown over. This isn't the case...ever...in my house. Eventually it has blown over, but maybe 40 minutes. or 200 minutes. Whatever. Anyway, there are parts of this book that are laugh out loud funny....and if you are a mama to young children, you need to read this. Oh, you need to read it-- for the heart warming practical advice and also for the laughs.
and lastly,
Feminine Appeal, Carolyn MahaneyI saved the doozy for last. This is a really fast read, I'm almost finished with it and I just started it Monday or Tuesday (it's 9 chapters)... But it will kick your behind, ladies. And some of you probably will hate it because you probably completely disagree with Mahaney (but I don't know who reads this blog. So maybe I'm wrong. I completely agree with Mahaney but I also want to punch her in the liver through most of this book.) This book talks you through Titus 2, and principles applied from that passage such as loving your husband and your children (whaaaat? :) ), self control, purity, working at home, (and I haven't read this far yet)- kindness, submission (don't freak out), margaret's story. I can't speak on those last three because I haven't read those parts of the book. But I can tell you this-- 1) I didn't know that when the Bible references a wife's love for her husband, the greek used is phileo, which is a more personal type of love, as in close friends/supporters. And we all know that's what our husbands need is a close friend and supporter, and for many women (I'll raise my hand) that isn't always what comes easiest for us-- but our husband is called to agape love us-- and agape is the type of love Christ had for us, a self-sacrificing type of love...which is something wives usually have less issue with-- we can do laundry or dishes for our husband even if we are upset or annoyed with them. We can't/don't always easily cheer them on in something that we don't really have an interest in. Anyway, I just found this interesting (not that we are not obligated to love our husband sacrificially, but the direct statements in scripture regarding a wife loving her husband uses the term "phileo"....Also, same is true of our love for our children! We are to support and encourage them, with a phileo love. Here is my favorite passage from the book so far:
(on the kind of love we are to have for our littles): "What is the ultimate purpose of a phileo kind of love? It is nothing less than the salvation of our children's souls. This is the chief end of mothering. Our goal is not that our children be happy, fulfilled, and successful. Granted, we may desire these things for them, but our highest objective should be that our children would repent from their sins, put their trust in Jesus Christ, and reflect the gospel to the world around them."-- Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal
Anyway, as you continue to read, Mahaney may irk you. She isn't trying to, but your pride and sin might just get in the way and you might start to kind of despise her. No, you probably won't, but I might. I did. I do. But it's not her, it's me.
These books are a good kind of burn. The kind that settles in your soul and gives you a hunger to know more of God. So...I say read one today! What books are you reading currently? Feel free to share in the comments, please!!!
Friday, August 10, 2012
The curtain conundrum.
Sigh. The last 24 hours has been a teary one, y'all.
I woke up on a Thursday morning, to discover the big giant blinds in my dining room had become injured by a 6 year old. They wouldn't open....at all. Total jam. A quick googling found some tips. So I clumsily took the 60" (that's 5', people!) blinds down from their post. I examined the interior mechanisms, and saw a tangled up mess. I don't think a Polly Pocket is small enough to get into the area that was all jammed up. But I attempted to untangle the mess. About 2-3 hours later, after a lot of fussing and complaining, I had accomplished nothing...other than broken the valance clips that go to the blinds, which meant I needed to find some new ones of THOSE if I ever got my blinds fixed.
I.Was.Mad.
I resigned myself to the fact that we were just going to have to replace them. I got in the car with both kids and headed to Lowe's. Where I discovered only the pricier blinds came in the size I needed, and the color family I needed (NEEDED, y'all. Do you hear it? NEEDED. In all truth, I did need some blinds, because it's hot outside. And my OCD brain needs them to match the other blinds, or at least coordinate. But let's just mention for a second that I don't even LIKE these blinds). Anyway, I look and look, and really, there are NO blinds the size of mine, except for the ones like and similar to the broken ones at my house. And those are all pricey. And I'm not in love with any of them. So I can't justify that. Plan B (which I really kind of liked but didn't want to admit)-- make new curtains! We have no curtains on that window, just the big wooden blinds. And high, floor to ceiling curtains in some rockin' geometric print would look fantastic in my kitchen (which is slowly, ever slowly, getting a face lift). So...we picked up a cheap curtain rod, and headed to the fabric store. Where I found some perfect fabric, on clearance. It was a steal, but still expensive. I didn't really have another option, and certainly wasn't going to find fabric for a better price than that...so I went and had cut what I needed-- fabric, drapery lining, nine yards of each (that's a LOT)...and headed to the checkout. $$$ for fabric. I wasn't surprised at all, I'd done the math. Curtain fabric is expensive, even if it is almost 70% off. And I figured it was close in price to the blinds I would've had to buy to replace the other ones, but it was going to look SO much better. So I was super mad about the cost, but I knew we needed a solution. Home we came, to finish up laundry so I could prewash the fabric.
In the meantime, I called B-Dawg and blubbered my grievances over the blinds and curtains. "It's just money. It's okay. God will provide." I know. I know know know. But money is tight on a single family income, even when you are doing what you know the Lord has led you to do! And this month has brought 2 teeth cleanings for little uninsured mouths, glasses for the eyes of someone who is now 30, school supplies for this year (and starting a new homeschool program brought a lot of new curriculum for us), cavities being filled for a certain adult male in the household, a chipped tooth needing to be fixed for the littlest of littles, and a dog going under the knife to prevent procreation....quite a hefty lineup of expenses, none of which were really expected, other than school stuff. After I got off the phone with him, he sent me a text. It included the reference to Luke 12:13-34, which is right where we are studying in our Sunday School class. So I knew what it said. But I sat down, and read it through my frustrated tears. High points (read it in its entirety, though!)
V. 15: Then He said to them, “ Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
V. 29-32: 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
The Lord knows what I need. He will take care of us. He will provide. So I thanked him for that, and just asked that he would provide for us in this situation, as I have seen him do so many times before. I know to some, what I spent would not be considered much, but after ALL those other expenses, it was too much for us to feel good about this month. So I prayed about it, and trusted that the Lord would take care of us. Assuming that meant money would be freed up somehow, He would supply what we needed. So... later that night, the washer was empty and I was going to wash the curtains. I was getting kind of excited because the fabric was just gorgeous.
Enter: B-Dawg. With some blinds. THE same blinds. Functioning. In a matter of minutes, he was able to fix something that I could not fix in hours (I didn't even think this was a possibility, because usually, this is not the order of events in our household . If I thought he could fix the blinds, I would've waited to buy the fabric! :) ) Instead of doing a happy dance, my heart was kind of sad. At least I had an excuse to make some pretty curtains if the blinds were broken! I kid you not, I was up for several hours stewing over what to do with this fabric and curtain rod. I was CRYING over some curtains. Ridiculous. Because immediately, B and I both knew that the Lord had provided. Something that was broken (even the dang valance clips! B found some spares in the garage!) was made whole again, and while there was still "want" for the curtains, there was no "need." So...was it wrong for me to keep them and go ahead and make the curtains? My brain would not shut off.
No. It isn't wrong to have nice things (to covet them, to live for them, to store them up...yes, that's wrong). It isn't wrong for me to have curtains in my dining room. Gorgeous curtains. But that wasn't the issue at hand. The issue at hand is that we had prayed and trusted God to provide for our family. He did. Not at all in the way I wanted him to.
But I know if I keep the fabric (oh, I want to keep it. badly.) and make these curtains, I will every day walk by them and know, the Lord took care of me on that day, and I decided to go ahead and do things my way. I trusted him, he provided, and I continued on my own path. If I (painstakingly) return the fabric (yes, it is returnable...I looked for a loophole!) in obedience, I will walk past my ugly blinds every day, a monument to God's faithfulness. A reminder that He will take care of me, but he will do it His way, not mine. Because His way is ALWAYS best for me. And so, even though I don't love them for their looks, I love the blinds hanging in my dining room, because they are a fixed reminder that the Lord does hear our prayers, and that He will do supernatural (I mean it. Those blinds were BROKEN, people, and there's no way my fabulous husband who is great at many things could ever have fixed them in 5 minutes, or at all, any other day) things to accomplish his purpose. Because, as my dear friend said to me last night, "He cares more about my holiness than my comfort." And oh, how I am thankful to Him for that. He doesn't do it my way. He does it the best way.
He will supply all of our needs, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He's in control, y'all...He is sovereign, even over my decision/circumstance for those stupid ugly blinds. He will always provide-- but He will do it His way-- anything less goes completely against His character.
So. Go hug your blinds (or whatever your issue is) today. And thank God for taking care of you!
I woke up on a Thursday morning, to discover the big giant blinds in my dining room had become injured by a 6 year old. They wouldn't open....at all. Total jam. A quick googling found some tips. So I clumsily took the 60" (that's 5', people!) blinds down from their post. I examined the interior mechanisms, and saw a tangled up mess. I don't think a Polly Pocket is small enough to get into the area that was all jammed up. But I attempted to untangle the mess. About 2-3 hours later, after a lot of fussing and complaining, I had accomplished nothing...other than broken the valance clips that go to the blinds, which meant I needed to find some new ones of THOSE if I ever got my blinds fixed.
I.Was.Mad.
I resigned myself to the fact that we were just going to have to replace them. I got in the car with both kids and headed to Lowe's. Where I discovered only the pricier blinds came in the size I needed, and the color family I needed (NEEDED, y'all. Do you hear it? NEEDED. In all truth, I did need some blinds, because it's hot outside. And my OCD brain needs them to match the other blinds, or at least coordinate. But let's just mention for a second that I don't even LIKE these blinds). Anyway, I look and look, and really, there are NO blinds the size of mine, except for the ones like and similar to the broken ones at my house. And those are all pricey. And I'm not in love with any of them. So I can't justify that. Plan B (which I really kind of liked but didn't want to admit)-- make new curtains! We have no curtains on that window, just the big wooden blinds. And high, floor to ceiling curtains in some rockin' geometric print would look fantastic in my kitchen (which is slowly, ever slowly, getting a face lift). So...we picked up a cheap curtain rod, and headed to the fabric store. Where I found some perfect fabric, on clearance. It was a steal, but still expensive. I didn't really have another option, and certainly wasn't going to find fabric for a better price than that...so I went and had cut what I needed-- fabric, drapery lining, nine yards of each (that's a LOT)...and headed to the checkout. $$$ for fabric. I wasn't surprised at all, I'd done the math. Curtain fabric is expensive, even if it is almost 70% off. And I figured it was close in price to the blinds I would've had to buy to replace the other ones, but it was going to look SO much better. So I was super mad about the cost, but I knew we needed a solution. Home we came, to finish up laundry so I could prewash the fabric.
In the meantime, I called B-Dawg and blubbered my grievances over the blinds and curtains. "It's just money. It's okay. God will provide." I know. I know know know. But money is tight on a single family income, even when you are doing what you know the Lord has led you to do! And this month has brought 2 teeth cleanings for little uninsured mouths, glasses for the eyes of someone who is now 30, school supplies for this year (and starting a new homeschool program brought a lot of new curriculum for us), cavities being filled for a certain adult male in the household, a chipped tooth needing to be fixed for the littlest of littles, and a dog going under the knife to prevent procreation....quite a hefty lineup of expenses, none of which were really expected, other than school stuff. After I got off the phone with him, he sent me a text. It included the reference to Luke 12:13-34, which is right where we are studying in our Sunday School class. So I knew what it said. But I sat down, and read it through my frustrated tears. High points (read it in its entirety, though!)
V. 15: Then He said to them, “ Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
V. 29-32: 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
The Lord knows what I need. He will take care of us. He will provide. So I thanked him for that, and just asked that he would provide for us in this situation, as I have seen him do so many times before. I know to some, what I spent would not be considered much, but after ALL those other expenses, it was too much for us to feel good about this month. So I prayed about it, and trusted that the Lord would take care of us. Assuming that meant money would be freed up somehow, He would supply what we needed. So... later that night, the washer was empty and I was going to wash the curtains. I was getting kind of excited because the fabric was just gorgeous.
Enter: B-Dawg. With some blinds. THE same blinds. Functioning. In a matter of minutes, he was able to fix something that I could not fix in hours (I didn't even think this was a possibility, because usually, this is not the order of events in our household . If I thought he could fix the blinds, I would've waited to buy the fabric! :) ) Instead of doing a happy dance, my heart was kind of sad. At least I had an excuse to make some pretty curtains if the blinds were broken! I kid you not, I was up for several hours stewing over what to do with this fabric and curtain rod. I was CRYING over some curtains. Ridiculous. Because immediately, B and I both knew that the Lord had provided. Something that was broken (even the dang valance clips! B found some spares in the garage!) was made whole again, and while there was still "want" for the curtains, there was no "need." So...was it wrong for me to keep them and go ahead and make the curtains? My brain would not shut off.
No. It isn't wrong to have nice things (to covet them, to live for them, to store them up...yes, that's wrong). It isn't wrong for me to have curtains in my dining room. Gorgeous curtains. But that wasn't the issue at hand. The issue at hand is that we had prayed and trusted God to provide for our family. He did. Not at all in the way I wanted him to.
But I know if I keep the fabric (oh, I want to keep it. badly.) and make these curtains, I will every day walk by them and know, the Lord took care of me on that day, and I decided to go ahead and do things my way. I trusted him, he provided, and I continued on my own path. If I (painstakingly) return the fabric (yes, it is returnable...I looked for a loophole!) in obedience, I will walk past my ugly blinds every day, a monument to God's faithfulness. A reminder that He will take care of me, but he will do it His way, not mine. Because His way is ALWAYS best for me. And so, even though I don't love them for their looks, I love the blinds hanging in my dining room, because they are a fixed reminder that the Lord does hear our prayers, and that He will do supernatural (I mean it. Those blinds were BROKEN, people, and there's no way my fabulous husband who is great at many things could ever have fixed them in 5 minutes, or at all, any other day) things to accomplish his purpose. Because, as my dear friend said to me last night, "He cares more about my holiness than my comfort." And oh, how I am thankful to Him for that. He doesn't do it my way. He does it the best way.
He will supply all of our needs, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He's in control, y'all...He is sovereign, even over my decision/circumstance for those stupid ugly blinds. He will always provide-- but He will do it His way-- anything less goes completely against His character.
So. Go hug your blinds (or whatever your issue is) today. And thank God for taking care of you!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
June. All of it.
June2012...fun month over here, y'all. What have we been up to? Apparently I've been so busy (um...no) that I haven't blogged at all. So here is all of June in one big post. Mostly pictures. Because there was just too much going on to narrate it all!
Just before June, we took the kiddos to the Harn Homestead in OKC. fun times with friends,
At the beginning of the month, S turned 6. We had a Yo Gabba Gabba party in May for both boys with our families...but on S's actual bday, our fam of 4 spent the day at the science museum and ate lunch at Hideaway Pizza (yummmm-o). S is really growing up this summer and is a great helper. He has helped R with pottying, he helps R get dressed, he helps with the dishes and the laundry...he's just getting big enough to be a big ol' help. He also is super smart. He can read pretty much anything you put in front of him, and his math brain is fantastic. Good stuff. He is learning (sometimes difficultly!) that our actions speak from what is within us and he is absorbing (usually!) what we are trying to teach him in this respect. I'm so proud of him, my first baby, the one molded pretty much just like me, although his art genes came from somewhere else, further back in our lineage, I suppose! Because I couldn't draw or paint if my livelihood depended on it.
super funny daddy.
big day. tired them both out.
(for S's birthday, Gibby got him some rad golf clubs!)
Date night photo captured by my eldest child...and (there are nine flowers in the other photo (for 9 years, duh!)...gerber daisies...i love)
Three years ago, no one knew, but many speculated, that we would never see this sight:
And Sawyer finished up his second t-ball season...
I've been making a few of these for some nappers in the fall--
And....while I'd love to stay and chat....
Just before June, we took the kiddos to the Harn Homestead in OKC. fun times with friends,
At the beginning of June, we had a fun time at the park with our cousin, Noah!
I also got my hair cut at the beginning of June or end of May...
then again today! ha...
The Sprinkle Cake of DOOOOM. but it was yummy. and rainbow colors inside.
super funny daddy.
big day. tired them both out.
(for S's birthday, Gibby got him some rad golf clubs!)
In the middle of June, I took a much anticipated, carefully planned vacation with some of my college girlfriends-- we all turned 30 this year and we went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and had a GREAT relaxing time!!
It was all so ugly. Can't you tell. Feel sorry for us. Terrible trip. :)
Then...I got back, and we celebrated two anniversaries in one day!! June 28, 2012 marked NINE years of marriage for us....
Date night photo captured by my eldest child...and (there are nine flowers in the other photo (for 9 years, duh!)...gerber daisies...i love)
AND...we went to orange leaf to celebrate the ONE YEAR anniversary of NO blood transfusions for Ridge!!! Way to go, God!
Three years ago, no one knew, but many speculated, that we would never see this sight:
And now, we don't have to be scared when Ridge picks up a bat and ball, because his last set of labs were fantastic, with a hemoglobin of 12.6 (holllaaaaa!) and platelets of 242,000-- well within normal range!!! We believe in the Lord, our Healer!
As for the rest of the summer, I've really enjoyed these zinnias that are doing crazy well in our mailbox flower bed...
And Sawyer finished up his second t-ball season...
I've been making a few of these for some nappers in the fall--
And....while I'd love to stay and chat....
I really mustache.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
mamaaaaa!!!
Moms. This weekend, we recognize you. We recognize me, too. Because I'm a mom, you know.
So a few sentiments for you here.
http://1x57.com/2012/05/03/letter-from-a-mother-to-a-daughter/
Any of these will get ya, not only in sentiment, but probably in laughter. I can't just link to one, because they are all really great:
http://skitguys.com/videos/theme/mothers-day
And now my thoughts on this most blessed holiday.
Being a mom is hard work. The fighting. The crying. The spills. The forget-what-I-just-told-you-five-seconds-ago-ing. And we haven't even gotten to the kids yet. :) No, but really, it's tough. Juggling schedules and extra activities and changing diapers and doing laundry (I have a fantastic husband who does laundry and washes dishes and even occasionally cooks to help me out. It's okay if you want to be jealous.) It just gets overwhelming. It's rewarding, but overwhelming. You can lose your temper easily if you're wired that way (I am. It's just the truth, people). Patience can be short. Grace can be lacking. But love is great. And prayer is strong. And I've also read if you just put a big brown paper grocery bag on your head while you're getting kind of upset, it will really just calm everyone down. So we might have to try that sometime around here.
But one thing that really gets me in mommy-ville is...
poop.
Poop, poop, poop. Stop reading if that alone has grossed you out. Just go away and have a happy Mother's Day. Stop back by in 7 months when I finally blog again.
Poop. Diapers. Some days, I will clean up dog poop. Then change a diaper. Then more dog poop. Then the bigger kid will "hold it" too long and have a small accident. I would NOT be lying if I told you the other day, I was cleaning up a small human's poop out of my carpet-- and it wasn't even from the littlest little in my house! I'm not jokin- I was bawling huge crocodile tears and crying out loud, and sounding seriously like a child (I know it, I thought it myself "I sound like a child"). I knew it should be funny, but it wasn't. Not yet. And it still isn't, yet. It wasn't fun. The littles were quarantined to the bathroom-- for the sake of avoiding poop smears everywhere, and for everyone's sanity. The knight in shining armor came home at lunch and bathed them and made things all better. I shampooed those carpets and steam cleaned the bathroom and bleach cleaned what I could....It was bad, y'all. Poop. In. My.Carpet. POOP! gag.
And let's just talk about bathroom-ing in general. #1? #2? Just blowing your nose? Taking a bath? Whatever. It doesn't matter. Those sweet angels just come on in. There's no privacy. If you need to use the bathroom, get ready...because mamas are gonna have a....
pottyence.
not an audience. A Pottyence.
If someone else has coined that phrase, you're a genius. But for now, I'm calling it my own.
What is it about those moments? If I'm sitting here with you, child, you could care less about my presence. But heaven forbid I get up for 2.7 seconds to pee fast enough to break a world record...I mean, the world's gonna fall apart if I'm gone that long!!! So you come with me. Pottyence. I know some people's pottyence clap for them when they have success going potty. My littlest little isn't potty trained yet, so he doesn't do that. But still. Gotta love that pottyence.
For all the crap that is in my house (pun completely intended)... there's more good stuff than bad. :)
Good stuff like hearing my 5 year old read out loud. Or tell me he likes me best (even though it isn't a contest and if it were, his dad should totally win. but it's mother's day-ish. So I win.
Or having my 3 year old grab my face when I'm changing his (ugh...poopy) diaper-- he will pull me close to his face and say, "I huv you mommy. I give you a kiss. Eye kiss? (butterfly kiss) Esimo kiss?" I mean. What are you going to do there? You're gonna love that poopy diaper because well, it provided that sweet moment with a usually pretty swift moving 3 year old.
The poop in the carpet I could do without. The kids who provided it? Never.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas!
So a few sentiments for you here.
http://1x57.com/2012/05/03/letter-from-a-mother-to-a-daughter/
Any of these will get ya, not only in sentiment, but probably in laughter. I can't just link to one, because they are all really great:
http://skitguys.com/videos/theme/mothers-day
And now my thoughts on this most blessed holiday.
Being a mom is hard work. The fighting. The crying. The spills. The forget-what-I-just-told-you-five-seconds-ago-ing. And we haven't even gotten to the kids yet. :) No, but really, it's tough. Juggling schedules and extra activities and changing diapers and doing laundry (I have a fantastic husband who does laundry and washes dishes and even occasionally cooks to help me out. It's okay if you want to be jealous.) It just gets overwhelming. It's rewarding, but overwhelming. You can lose your temper easily if you're wired that way (I am. It's just the truth, people). Patience can be short. Grace can be lacking. But love is great. And prayer is strong. And I've also read if you just put a big brown paper grocery bag on your head while you're getting kind of upset, it will really just calm everyone down. So we might have to try that sometime around here.
But one thing that really gets me in mommy-ville is...
poop.
Poop, poop, poop. Stop reading if that alone has grossed you out. Just go away and have a happy Mother's Day. Stop back by in 7 months when I finally blog again.
Poop. Diapers. Some days, I will clean up dog poop. Then change a diaper. Then more dog poop. Then the bigger kid will "hold it" too long and have a small accident. I would NOT be lying if I told you the other day, I was cleaning up a small human's poop out of my carpet-- and it wasn't even from the littlest little in my house! I'm not jokin- I was bawling huge crocodile tears and crying out loud, and sounding seriously like a child (I know it, I thought it myself "I sound like a child"). I knew it should be funny, but it wasn't. Not yet. And it still isn't, yet. It wasn't fun. The littles were quarantined to the bathroom-- for the sake of avoiding poop smears everywhere, and for everyone's sanity. The knight in shining armor came home at lunch and bathed them and made things all better. I shampooed those carpets and steam cleaned the bathroom and bleach cleaned what I could....It was bad, y'all. Poop. In. My.Carpet. POOP! gag.
And let's just talk about bathroom-ing in general. #1? #2? Just blowing your nose? Taking a bath? Whatever. It doesn't matter. Those sweet angels just come on in. There's no privacy. If you need to use the bathroom, get ready...because mamas are gonna have a....
pottyence.
not an audience. A Pottyence.
If someone else has coined that phrase, you're a genius. But for now, I'm calling it my own.
What is it about those moments? If I'm sitting here with you, child, you could care less about my presence. But heaven forbid I get up for 2.7 seconds to pee fast enough to break a world record...I mean, the world's gonna fall apart if I'm gone that long!!! So you come with me. Pottyence. I know some people's pottyence clap for them when they have success going potty. My littlest little isn't potty trained yet, so he doesn't do that. But still. Gotta love that pottyence.
For all the crap that is in my house (pun completely intended)... there's more good stuff than bad. :)
Good stuff like hearing my 5 year old read out loud. Or tell me he likes me best (even though it isn't a contest and if it were, his dad should totally win. but it's mother's day-ish. So I win.
Or having my 3 year old grab my face when I'm changing his (ugh...poopy) diaper-- he will pull me close to his face and say, "I huv you mommy. I give you a kiss. Eye kiss? (butterfly kiss) Esimo kiss?" I mean. What are you going to do there? You're gonna love that poopy diaper because well, it provided that sweet moment with a usually pretty swift moving 3 year old.
The poop in the carpet I could do without. The kids who provided it? Never.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
so glad to see three! (years. not babies. don't be getting any ideas)
Tomorrow, when the sun comes up and we roll our sleepy selves out of bed, the littlest little in our home will be a big ol' 3 year old! A birthday will be celebrated tomorrow! Today, as we ate pizza (birthday boy's choice) and noshed on "cuhcapes" (cupcakes), my little boy BEAMED as we sang "happy birthday" a day early to him. I'm sure his daddy and I beamed, as well. So in keeping with blogging-semi-tradition...here is a letter to my littlest prince, for his special day.
Baby Ridge-
my how you have grown! Three years ago was a fantastic day in our lives, as we became a family of 4 instead of 3! You looked just like your brother at birth, and stole our hearts from your very first cry....well, probably from even months and months before that! Your first year of life was scary, tragic, hopeless, hopeful, miraculous, tedious, trying, tearful, growing pain inducing, wonderful, celebratory, sad, fantastic, so outside of ourselves that there are really no words to truly describe it. That year, and for at least 6 months following that year, our lives were somewhat horrific. Our lives were also insanely blessed. We saw the hand of God at work in your little life, and in our little lives, in a way we had never before seen. It had been there, we had just been too much of something else to stop and ask for it. To stop and see it. Your trials, your illness, your fight for your life, has taught us so much more than we would have ever stopped to learn on our own. Thanks be to God for you, and everything about you.
Your second year of life allowed for "normalcy" to begin to creep upon your little mischievous self. You began to fully leave behind the disease that plagued you-- Jesus has taken that away from you. You haven't needed a blood transfusion in 10 months (and counting!) and have not been in the hospital in over 15 months. Your hemoglobin is stable. Your platelets are NORMAL, which prompts me to laughter every time I hear the lab results. You are a living, breathing, walking, talking, smiley miracle. A miracle! A miracle (actually two of them, bc it is not blind to us that our oldest is a miracle himself-- by the grace of God he is here with us, and free of disease) sits at my table every day, and sleeps in my house, and eats my food, and writes on my walls, and throws fits in my floor. A miracle.
And now, tomorrow, you will be 3. Three years ago, early in the morning, I was getting settled in a hospital bed, in early labor, there to be induced. Labor progressed quickly, and within a few hours, there you were. Easy peasy! We went home a day or two later, life began, life changed, we changed, we are still changed, and God is doing some mighty works in our life...works that would not ever have even been in our field of vision had it not been for that bump in our journey. That rare, rare, almost zero chance of ever happening bump. Praise God for that bump.
At 3, here are some of your current loves:
*pizza
*hot doggies (corn dogs)
*cuhcapes
*freekas (fruit snacks)
*wearing shoes
*watching yo-gabba-gabba
*our (but mostly your) dog, Thunder
*coloring
*using (kid-friendly) scissors
*making messes
*asking me to leave your plate out so you can eat more food later, as you feel "hungy" again
*jumping on the trampoline
*joking/hiding/sneaking/being silly
*saying "i huv you mommy." "i huv you the most" (huv=love)
*saying your brother's name as "gah-gahs"...this is something you probably could be finished with by now, but we encourage it, because it's just too cute that you say his name so incorrectly.
*stating some of the 12 disciples by memory. Judas Iscariot is my personal favorite- how many 2/3 year olds can say that stuff?!?! too funny.
You bring laughter (and other emotions, too) into our lives every single day. You are a MESS! A BIG OL' MESS! Potty training is about to change your world this summer, and I am so excited for NO MORE DIAPERS! You have a tender heart- your feelings are hurt easily, you kiss other people when they are hurt, and you say you're sorry if you are mean to someone. You are talking more clearly and can pretty much ask for anything, using complete sentences. You are a joy in our life, and we count ourselves so super blessed to be the family God chose for you! Without you, and what the Lord has already done through your small but large life, we would NOT be the people we are today. Because of the journey God took us on through you, we are still growing and changing into people we couldn't even imagine three years ago. THANK YOU for taking "normal" from us. THANK YOU for the opportunity to start again, to change, to allow God to begin a movement in us, and in our family.
We love you, baby Ridge! You are one of God's greatest gifts in our lives! All praise to our Heavenly Father for the miracles he has performed in ALL of us, because of YOU, and because of His great great love for us!
HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY, my brown eyed, dark haired, devious, sweet, sweet, boy!!! Momma (and Daddy, and Gah Gahs) looooves you!!!
Baby Ridge-
my how you have grown! Three years ago was a fantastic day in our lives, as we became a family of 4 instead of 3! You looked just like your brother at birth, and stole our hearts from your very first cry....well, probably from even months and months before that! Your first year of life was scary, tragic, hopeless, hopeful, miraculous, tedious, trying, tearful, growing pain inducing, wonderful, celebratory, sad, fantastic, so outside of ourselves that there are really no words to truly describe it. That year, and for at least 6 months following that year, our lives were somewhat horrific. Our lives were also insanely blessed. We saw the hand of God at work in your little life, and in our little lives, in a way we had never before seen. It had been there, we had just been too much of something else to stop and ask for it. To stop and see it. Your trials, your illness, your fight for your life, has taught us so much more than we would have ever stopped to learn on our own. Thanks be to God for you, and everything about you.
Your second year of life allowed for "normalcy" to begin to creep upon your little mischievous self. You began to fully leave behind the disease that plagued you-- Jesus has taken that away from you. You haven't needed a blood transfusion in 10 months (and counting!) and have not been in the hospital in over 15 months. Your hemoglobin is stable. Your platelets are NORMAL, which prompts me to laughter every time I hear the lab results. You are a living, breathing, walking, talking, smiley miracle. A miracle! A miracle (actually two of them, bc it is not blind to us that our oldest is a miracle himself-- by the grace of God he is here with us, and free of disease) sits at my table every day, and sleeps in my house, and eats my food, and writes on my walls, and throws fits in my floor. A miracle.
And now, tomorrow, you will be 3. Three years ago, early in the morning, I was getting settled in a hospital bed, in early labor, there to be induced. Labor progressed quickly, and within a few hours, there you were. Easy peasy! We went home a day or two later, life began, life changed, we changed, we are still changed, and God is doing some mighty works in our life...works that would not ever have even been in our field of vision had it not been for that bump in our journey. That rare, rare, almost zero chance of ever happening bump. Praise God for that bump.
At 3, here are some of your current loves:
*pizza
*hot doggies (corn dogs)
*cuhcapes
*freekas (fruit snacks)
*wearing shoes
*watching yo-gabba-gabba
*our (but mostly your) dog, Thunder
*coloring
*using (kid-friendly) scissors
*making messes
*asking me to leave your plate out so you can eat more food later, as you feel "hungy" again
*jumping on the trampoline
*joking/hiding/sneaking/being silly
*saying "i huv you mommy." "i huv you the most" (huv=love)
*saying your brother's name as "gah-gahs"...this is something you probably could be finished with by now, but we encourage it, because it's just too cute that you say his name so incorrectly.
*stating some of the 12 disciples by memory. Judas Iscariot is my personal favorite- how many 2/3 year olds can say that stuff?!?! too funny.
You bring laughter (and other emotions, too) into our lives every single day. You are a MESS! A BIG OL' MESS! Potty training is about to change your world this summer, and I am so excited for NO MORE DIAPERS! You have a tender heart- your feelings are hurt easily, you kiss other people when they are hurt, and you say you're sorry if you are mean to someone. You are talking more clearly and can pretty much ask for anything, using complete sentences. You are a joy in our life, and we count ourselves so super blessed to be the family God chose for you! Without you, and what the Lord has already done through your small but large life, we would NOT be the people we are today. Because of the journey God took us on through you, we are still growing and changing into people we couldn't even imagine three years ago. THANK YOU for taking "normal" from us. THANK YOU for the opportunity to start again, to change, to allow God to begin a movement in us, and in our family.
We love you, baby Ridge! You are one of God's greatest gifts in our lives! All praise to our Heavenly Father for the miracles he has performed in ALL of us, because of YOU, and because of His great great love for us!
HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY, my brown eyed, dark haired, devious, sweet, sweet, boy!!! Momma (and Daddy, and Gah Gahs) looooves you!!!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
in like a lion, out like a lamb...or not
So spring is here. We've had a mild winter and I loved that. I know that meant allergens were high, and we definitely suffered over here....but less cold was fun. I know we need cold and freezes and whatever, I get it...but I enjoyed the mild winter! I love the weather we are currently having...those temperatures where you can wear pretty much whatever attire you want and be comfortable (although today it was really in the 80s and long sleeves and pants would've been hot.)
I have nothing stupendous to say today. or ever. ;)
Since a month ago (when I last posted....good job, me)....here's what's been going on:
nothing.
No, probably that isn't true.
Sometime in the last couple of months, my biggest little lost his first tooth! The second one is super loose and will come out this week, if I were a betting woman.
A couple of weeks ago, I sojourned to Arkansas for a wedding shower for the last of my college gal pal's to get married. Her wedding is in a few weeks, so I will be trekkin it back to the AR for that shindig again. I always love getting to see those girls (hi, girls!). I hope God puts us all right by each other in Heaven. I know we won't care once we get there, but I think it'd be fun if we were all neighbors. In this life, or in the heavenly realms :).
Ridge has been sick. Fever, snot, cough...doctor thought strep, nope...flu, nope...so who knows what it was but it went away. he didn't bleed any from it. He had a lab a week or so ago....well, almost 2 weeks I guess. I don't remember. Anyway, we are getting labs drawn every 3 months now, and my goal is in September, when we go back for our 6 month consult/appointment, to get those labs scaled back to every 6 months...and then hopefully NEXT summer (2013) get to once a year labs/checkups. At his last lab, Ridge's hemoglobin was 11.9. It has been 11.9ish for the past 9 months. This is good, people. His platelets, this last lab, were 251,000. This. Is. Fantastic. Normal platelets begin around 150,000. Ridge, on a good day, back in the "scary times" would have platelet counts of 20,000. This is super low. It was normal for him to be in the 10-15K range...we wouldn't transfuse any platelets (they exacerbate his bleeding, even though that makes no logical sense) until he fell below 10K. This is like chemo-therapy platelet levels, I've been told (but I am no expert, so forgive me if that is incorrect. I do not mean to sound intelligent in that realm, because I most certainly am not). ANYWAY...251K is WELL in the normal range, and if I could do a cartwheel, I would've, on that day we received THAT news. That is FANTASTIC, y'all. He is still on no meds. Some other hurdles we've overcome this month:
He had to be on oral antibiotics for the first time. We've always done shots (thankfully, we haven't really needed abx for much of anything). Anyway, the by mouth antibiotics did not make him bleed (back in the day, even one dose of abx by mouth would make him bleed). So that's a HUGE hurdle, jumped.
He ate some grapes. I know that seems stupid, most likely, but he doesn't get a lot of fruit with skin on it...and he hasn't had many grapes, but he's had 5 or so at a time, with no ill effects/no bleeding.
He threw up (if you have a light stomach, skip this paragraph. NOW.) This was once during the fever/cough/snot illness aforementioned. Vomit sicks me out, but a kid with sores and clots and blood in his stomach...well, THAT vomit grosses me out, scares me, and makes me want to cry all at once. Vomit...this time...was normal. It was just barf. Plain old nasty barf. no blood. No clots. Just gross, normal puke. Praise the Lord for pretty throw up.
He got the chicken pox vaccine. We skipped most all of his vax from 12 mos to now. We will make a few of them up, but not most of them. Chicken pox is one of the two or three I wanted to make sure he gets (although I don't know why...I am not that worried about the chicken pox, although it is a convenience to know we most likely won't get them, now....perhaps I'm naive, but I can think of much worse things he could get than the chicken pox.) ANYWAY, this was his first LIVE vaccine. Ever. I think. He may have had the rotovirus vax once when he was a baby. Before all the big stuff began happening in his little life. Anyway, he handled the chicken pox vax perfectly. BDawg took him, and Ridge cried, but he didn't get a fever, he didn't bleed, nothing. He just got vaccinated, like most normal kids.
He went to Sunday School- with all the other kids! Now people, this is a big deal. Our kids go into the church service with us. But after church, for a LONG time, we didn't go to Sunday School at all, because we did not want Ridge to get sick, so we'd all just go home together. A few months ago, we started splitting shifts-- Sawyer got to begin going to Sunday School (which he loves!) and Brandon or I would stay in one of the adult classes. the other of us would take Ridge home. Last week, Brandon and I both stayed for Sunday school, but took Ridge with us. He was super good and played in a corner with some plastic cups....and wrote on the dry erase board. But this week, we let him try Sunday School. I was told by two of my friends who were in the nursery working today that he did great! I am so happy for him, and so appreciative of those girls for watching out for him! My heart is happy for him!!! The Lord is good!
Sawyer is kind of at the end of our Kindergarten curriculum...I think. We still have quite a few days of school left-- so I am looking forward to finding some more relaxing things to do. We still need to learn money (he sort of knows it, but we haven't concentrated big time on it...), but he's got his reading down, and his writing is pretty good, and he can add and subtract and tell time.... now that the weather is nice, we can do some more activities outside....and I really need to teach him to tie his shoes. I know he should know how to do that, but...he just doesn't get it yet. He is getting so big now, and so handsome, and so smart. He is a challenge at times, because he is growing into an individual. He is developing his own character traits, and he is pushing some limits when it comes to obedience, back talk, lying, etc. So discipline is having to be consistent, and it is very frustrating when I know he is not telling the truth. I know he knows in his heart what is right, and he will usually come around to apologizing for things on his own-- he is not inherently obstinate. I want him to always make the right choices, though! That is so much easier for us all! Discipline is never fun. Isn't that the truth?? !!?!? Oh how I love him, though. He is such a sweet sweet spirited boy. T ball begins soon for him. We will see if he takes to it better this year. (The little one can play next year, and I know HE will be ALL over that opportunity. That littlest little of ours is rough and tumble all the way.)
I blabbed longer than long enough. So I will leave you with that....until next time!
I have nothing stupendous to say today. or ever. ;)
Since a month ago (when I last posted....good job, me)....here's what's been going on:
nothing.
No, probably that isn't true.
Sometime in the last couple of months, my biggest little lost his first tooth! The second one is super loose and will come out this week, if I were a betting woman.
A couple of weeks ago, I sojourned to Arkansas for a wedding shower for the last of my college gal pal's to get married. Her wedding is in a few weeks, so I will be trekkin it back to the AR for that shindig again. I always love getting to see those girls (hi, girls!). I hope God puts us all right by each other in Heaven. I know we won't care once we get there, but I think it'd be fun if we were all neighbors. In this life, or in the heavenly realms :).
Ridge has been sick. Fever, snot, cough...doctor thought strep, nope...flu, nope...so who knows what it was but it went away. he didn't bleed any from it. He had a lab a week or so ago....well, almost 2 weeks I guess. I don't remember. Anyway, we are getting labs drawn every 3 months now, and my goal is in September, when we go back for our 6 month consult/appointment, to get those labs scaled back to every 6 months...and then hopefully NEXT summer (2013) get to once a year labs/checkups. At his last lab, Ridge's hemoglobin was 11.9. It has been 11.9ish for the past 9 months. This is good, people. His platelets, this last lab, were 251,000. This. Is. Fantastic. Normal platelets begin around 150,000. Ridge, on a good day, back in the "scary times" would have platelet counts of 20,000. This is super low. It was normal for him to be in the 10-15K range...we wouldn't transfuse any platelets (they exacerbate his bleeding, even though that makes no logical sense) until he fell below 10K. This is like chemo-therapy platelet levels, I've been told (but I am no expert, so forgive me if that is incorrect. I do not mean to sound intelligent in that realm, because I most certainly am not). ANYWAY...251K is WELL in the normal range, and if I could do a cartwheel, I would've, on that day we received THAT news. That is FANTASTIC, y'all. He is still on no meds. Some other hurdles we've overcome this month:
He had to be on oral antibiotics for the first time. We've always done shots (thankfully, we haven't really needed abx for much of anything). Anyway, the by mouth antibiotics did not make him bleed (back in the day, even one dose of abx by mouth would make him bleed). So that's a HUGE hurdle, jumped.
He ate some grapes. I know that seems stupid, most likely, but he doesn't get a lot of fruit with skin on it...and he hasn't had many grapes, but he's had 5 or so at a time, with no ill effects/no bleeding.
He threw up (if you have a light stomach, skip this paragraph. NOW.) This was once during the fever/cough/snot illness aforementioned. Vomit sicks me out, but a kid with sores and clots and blood in his stomach...well, THAT vomit grosses me out, scares me, and makes me want to cry all at once. Vomit...this time...was normal. It was just barf. Plain old nasty barf. no blood. No clots. Just gross, normal puke. Praise the Lord for pretty throw up.
He got the chicken pox vaccine. We skipped most all of his vax from 12 mos to now. We will make a few of them up, but not most of them. Chicken pox is one of the two or three I wanted to make sure he gets (although I don't know why...I am not that worried about the chicken pox, although it is a convenience to know we most likely won't get them, now....perhaps I'm naive, but I can think of much worse things he could get than the chicken pox.) ANYWAY, this was his first LIVE vaccine. Ever. I think. He may have had the rotovirus vax once when he was a baby. Before all the big stuff began happening in his little life. Anyway, he handled the chicken pox vax perfectly. BDawg took him, and Ridge cried, but he didn't get a fever, he didn't bleed, nothing. He just got vaccinated, like most normal kids.
He went to Sunday School- with all the other kids! Now people, this is a big deal. Our kids go into the church service with us. But after church, for a LONG time, we didn't go to Sunday School at all, because we did not want Ridge to get sick, so we'd all just go home together. A few months ago, we started splitting shifts-- Sawyer got to begin going to Sunday School (which he loves!) and Brandon or I would stay in one of the adult classes. the other of us would take Ridge home. Last week, Brandon and I both stayed for Sunday school, but took Ridge with us. He was super good and played in a corner with some plastic cups....and wrote on the dry erase board. But this week, we let him try Sunday School. I was told by two of my friends who were in the nursery working today that he did great! I am so happy for him, and so appreciative of those girls for watching out for him! My heart is happy for him!!! The Lord is good!
Sawyer is kind of at the end of our Kindergarten curriculum...I think. We still have quite a few days of school left-- so I am looking forward to finding some more relaxing things to do. We still need to learn money (he sort of knows it, but we haven't concentrated big time on it...), but he's got his reading down, and his writing is pretty good, and he can add and subtract and tell time.... now that the weather is nice, we can do some more activities outside....and I really need to teach him to tie his shoes. I know he should know how to do that, but...he just doesn't get it yet. He is getting so big now, and so handsome, and so smart. He is a challenge at times, because he is growing into an individual. He is developing his own character traits, and he is pushing some limits when it comes to obedience, back talk, lying, etc. So discipline is having to be consistent, and it is very frustrating when I know he is not telling the truth. I know he knows in his heart what is right, and he will usually come around to apologizing for things on his own-- he is not inherently obstinate. I want him to always make the right choices, though! That is so much easier for us all! Discipline is never fun. Isn't that the truth?? !!?!? Oh how I love him, though. He is such a sweet sweet spirited boy. T ball begins soon for him. We will see if he takes to it better this year. (The little one can play next year, and I know HE will be ALL over that opportunity. That littlest little of ours is rough and tumble all the way.)
I blabbed longer than long enough. So I will leave you with that....until next time!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
don't cry. or do. whatever.
If you want me to be funny, read my last post. I tried, anyway. I don't see a lot of funny coming in this one....sometimes it sneaks through, but don't place any bets on it this time.
So. It's a beeeeautiful day outside today. I tried to do a little reading outside while the boys rest/nap, but the wind was a teeny bit chilly for me, because I'm becoming old. So I came inside and opened the blinds and pretended I was outside. I also pretended I was a lot skinnier and having fun on the beach with my friends. Which I will actually be doing in about 4 months. But I probably will still be pretending to be skinnier.
Anyway, I digress. I'm trying to read through the Bible in 90 days, if you've been absent from the blog for awhile. I'm failing. I'm reading it every day, though. And I'm all the way into the Psalms, which I suppose is pretty good considering I really did start in Genesis, on Jan. 1....yes, of this year. So anyway, I'm really only about 10 days behind, because I just couldn't read big huge chunks of the 1sts and 2nds (You know, samuels, kings, chronicles). I couldn't do it. I'm a baby. So I finished Job today. And I've always liked the book of Job. Mainly because all this bad stuff happens to Job, but he doesn't implode or become a recluse or anything. He survives. But there's a lot of good stuff in there. Like how God even talks about dinosaurs (or dragons. or big beastly things. scholars? no, scholars aren't beastly. i'm asking their opinion. I like to think, based on a pro-dinosaurs are in the Bible-scholar I've heard speak before, that dinosaurs are what some of the beasts in Job are...) Anyway...and how Satan is weird and is just roaming the earth. Just roaming around like he has nothing else to do...stupid. Roaming. And God asks him if he's noticed Job...Job who is ever so faithful. And Satan is like, "uh yeah. No wonder Job's so "awesome"...nothing bad has ever happened to him. like ever." So God says, Okay. You can mess with him. I give you permission. (that's another thing...God gave Satan the go ahead. Because He's God. So He gets to be in charge.) So anyway, Job loses all his children and his livestock (as in, they die.) And other stuff. And he is sad and mourns and grieves but doesn't curse God. And then he gets all these sores on him, but he still doesn't curse God, even though his wife tells him to. But he does lament and wish he'd never been born. And the his friends tell him some messed up stuff and disagree with him about everything pretty much concerning how he won't curse God. And finally, at the very end, God is like, Hey Job. Brace yourself like a man. I'm gonna question you and you will answer me. Do you know how to mark off the earth's dimensions? have you seen the gates of death? can you make the constellations do stuff? do the lightning bolts report to you?can you capture (Behemoth, Leviathan, DINOSAURS! okay, i'm not an expert. but these WERE some sort of gargantuan things way back in the day). ANYWAY...God's like, So. Job. Can you do any of that stuff? And obviously, all of it is stuff GOD can do and/or has done. And Job's like, I can't even talk to you. I spoke once, but I don't have an answer. I'm not saying anything else.
And towards the end, Job notes that God can do anything. That's kind of God's point. Yeah, Job had some really crappy stuff happen to him. REALLY ROUGH STUFF. Hardcore, make you cry until you throw up kind of stuff. But sometimes, that stuff happens. God knows it's coming. I mean, He could stop it if that were His plan, right? But sometimes, He allows that stuff to happen. Yes, suffering and junk just happens in the world. It's part of life. But if God wanted to let us live a life free of suffering, He totally has the power to do that. But He chooses not to. I'm sure there are some ailments that could befall me that the Lord has said "Nope. That's not going to happen to her today." I'm sure when Ridge was born, God could've made sure that the genetic weirdness inside him causing him to have MLT was obliterated. But that time, he allowed that hardship to go through. He had a plan. He knew what was on the other side. He knew that with Job, too. At the end of Job, in the epilogue, we read, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part."
Amen. Sure, Job never got his kids back, and he lost all those animals and servants...but the Lord did bless him with more kids (I'm not saying there wasn't still heartache and loss from all the stuff that came his way previously. There was. Heartache doesn't just go away, I know that. I'm not being insensitive. Unless I'm being insensitive to myself, because clearly we've lived through some junk.)...Anyway, really really really hard things happen. And they make us really really really hurt. And we cry until we don't think we can breathe. And we are sad. And we are angry at times. And we don't know who to even talk to because who could possibly really understand? But at some point, the hardship is over. It may not end how we want it to, but it does end. eventually. And for those of us who have lived through the hardest time of our life so far, and are now seemingly on the other side...and who have new struggles because of those previous hardships...and who still have days filled with tears.....for those of us who have walked through that darkness, but seen the hand of God at work in the midst of that...for us...for me...I can say, "The Lord has blessed the latter part of the Carys life more than the former part."
There are hard days. There are days we have obstacles to overcome that didn't exist before our struggles with Ridge's health. But there is no greater truth for me at this moment in my life than the truth that the Lord has done and is doing a mighty mighty work in our lives BECAUSE of that dark time we lived through. Every day is a gift!
So. It's a beeeeautiful day outside today. I tried to do a little reading outside while the boys rest/nap, but the wind was a teeny bit chilly for me, because I'm becoming old. So I came inside and opened the blinds and pretended I was outside. I also pretended I was a lot skinnier and having fun on the beach with my friends. Which I will actually be doing in about 4 months. But I probably will still be pretending to be skinnier.
Anyway, I digress. I'm trying to read through the Bible in 90 days, if you've been absent from the blog for awhile. I'm failing. I'm reading it every day, though. And I'm all the way into the Psalms, which I suppose is pretty good considering I really did start in Genesis, on Jan. 1....yes, of this year. So anyway, I'm really only about 10 days behind, because I just couldn't read big huge chunks of the 1sts and 2nds (You know, samuels, kings, chronicles). I couldn't do it. I'm a baby. So I finished Job today. And I've always liked the book of Job. Mainly because all this bad stuff happens to Job, but he doesn't implode or become a recluse or anything. He survives. But there's a lot of good stuff in there. Like how God even talks about dinosaurs (or dragons. or big beastly things. scholars? no, scholars aren't beastly. i'm asking their opinion. I like to think, based on a pro-dinosaurs are in the Bible-scholar I've heard speak before, that dinosaurs are what some of the beasts in Job are...) Anyway...and how Satan is weird and is just roaming the earth. Just roaming around like he has nothing else to do...stupid. Roaming. And God asks him if he's noticed Job...Job who is ever so faithful. And Satan is like, "uh yeah. No wonder Job's so "awesome"...nothing bad has ever happened to him. like ever." So God says, Okay. You can mess with him. I give you permission. (that's another thing...God gave Satan the go ahead. Because He's God. So He gets to be in charge.) So anyway, Job loses all his children and his livestock (as in, they die.) And other stuff. And he is sad and mourns and grieves but doesn't curse God. And then he gets all these sores on him, but he still doesn't curse God, even though his wife tells him to. But he does lament and wish he'd never been born. And the his friends tell him some messed up stuff and disagree with him about everything pretty much concerning how he won't curse God. And finally, at the very end, God is like, Hey Job. Brace yourself like a man. I'm gonna question you and you will answer me. Do you know how to mark off the earth's dimensions? have you seen the gates of death? can you make the constellations do stuff? do the lightning bolts report to you?can you capture (Behemoth, Leviathan, DINOSAURS! okay, i'm not an expert. but these WERE some sort of gargantuan things way back in the day). ANYWAY...God's like, So. Job. Can you do any of that stuff? And obviously, all of it is stuff GOD can do and/or has done. And Job's like, I can't even talk to you. I spoke once, but I don't have an answer. I'm not saying anything else.
And towards the end, Job notes that God can do anything. That's kind of God's point. Yeah, Job had some really crappy stuff happen to him. REALLY ROUGH STUFF. Hardcore, make you cry until you throw up kind of stuff. But sometimes, that stuff happens. God knows it's coming. I mean, He could stop it if that were His plan, right? But sometimes, He allows that stuff to happen. Yes, suffering and junk just happens in the world. It's part of life. But if God wanted to let us live a life free of suffering, He totally has the power to do that. But He chooses not to. I'm sure there are some ailments that could befall me that the Lord has said "Nope. That's not going to happen to her today." I'm sure when Ridge was born, God could've made sure that the genetic weirdness inside him causing him to have MLT was obliterated. But that time, he allowed that hardship to go through. He had a plan. He knew what was on the other side. He knew that with Job, too. At the end of Job, in the epilogue, we read, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part."
Amen. Sure, Job never got his kids back, and he lost all those animals and servants...but the Lord did bless him with more kids (I'm not saying there wasn't still heartache and loss from all the stuff that came his way previously. There was. Heartache doesn't just go away, I know that. I'm not being insensitive. Unless I'm being insensitive to myself, because clearly we've lived through some junk.)...Anyway, really really really hard things happen. And they make us really really really hurt. And we cry until we don't think we can breathe. And we are sad. And we are angry at times. And we don't know who to even talk to because who could possibly really understand? But at some point, the hardship is over. It may not end how we want it to, but it does end. eventually. And for those of us who have lived through the hardest time of our life so far, and are now seemingly on the other side...and who have new struggles because of those previous hardships...and who still have days filled with tears.....for those of us who have walked through that darkness, but seen the hand of God at work in the midst of that...for us...for me...I can say, "The Lord has blessed the latter part of the Carys life more than the former part."
There are hard days. There are days we have obstacles to overcome that didn't exist before our struggles with Ridge's health. But there is no greater truth for me at this moment in my life than the truth that the Lord has done and is doing a mighty mighty work in our lives BECAUSE of that dark time we lived through. Every day is a gift!
Monday, February 13, 2012
date weekend!
We don't have a lot of date nights, as far as getting fixed up and going out goes, around here. We might watch a movie after the kids go to bed once a week or so...I mean, we really live it up. Part of this is because we have two kids. That means asking someone to watch them-- of which we have several family and a few friend choices, so no complaints there. But sometimes after a week with two kiddos, getting all fixed up and ready to go out just doesn't have the same appeal as it did 8, 9, 10 years ago. heck, 5 years ago when i was halfway to gigantically pregnant. Another part of this is because we don't budget much for entertainment....because we don't have a ton of extra to budget for that, and because honestly, there are better ways to save our money than blowing it on ourselves. But this weekend, we were able to go and do a few fun things.
Friday night, we went to dinner at Matthew Kenney in OKC...and you should try it. Very good. It's a raw foods restaurant, but you need to brace yourself, sushi or sushi aversion crowds...it's vegetarian cuisine. And it's fantastic. I don't love sushi, and it has nothing to do with the taste... it is simply because the idea of raw fish gags me (the thought of raw any kind of meat gags me). So we headed to Matthew Kenney, because it looked unique, and I had a groupon there :). We started off with a dragon roll, which was fantastic...then we had a Salsa Verde salad, also fantastic (the chips were made from roasted red peppers....so good). Then for dinner we had tortellini (me) and tamales (b). My advice, for sure, is to get an app and/or salad before dinner, bc dinner is savory but small. The prices are not bad at all for the caliber of restaurant (entrees max out at $12, I think). But heck to the no when it comes to skipping dessert. DO NOT SKIP DESSERT IF YOU GO HERE. In fact, i say get the chocolate ganache tart. It is insanely delicious...with a french press of coffee on the side. Holy yummo. Anyway, it won't be a regular stop for us, but we will definitely go back. Unique, and tasty, and you don't leave hungry. Plus everything is organic and nothing is cooked past 180 degrees, if cooked at all, so it's all really healthy! So good. But we can't go back anytime too soon. Not just bc we are out of fun money for the month...but because of what happened at the end (THANKFULLY) of our dinner. BDawg had paid out...and was waiting at the table with my stuff while I went to the restroom. As I entered the corridor housing the restrooms, our waiter was standing at the bar, and he saw me coming, so he politely opened the door to the restroom for me (they are those one room bathrooms, you know, you have it all to yourself, the way a bathroom should be). I thought, "that's so nice of him!" Until I walked in and thought, "Is this some sort of joke? A prank??" Because there, in front of me, sat a chef. On the toilet. You know, going potty. A girl younger than myself, and hopefully not reading this, and if she is, I'm here to say, I'M SO SORRY AND IT TOTALLY WAS NOT MY FAULT!!! But I couldn't say that. I was flabbergasted. I just stood there like an idiot. Thinking, "this has to be some sort of joke??? right?" but the sweet girl just looked up at me in one of the most vulnerable positions in which one can be seen, and said, "oh. i'm sorry." so i turned around, walked out, and our waiter opened another bathroom door for me...and i turned to him and said, "well now. that was awkward. for everyone." and then I shut the bathroom door. locked it, and triple checked to make sure it was locked, and texted my husband to get to the car right now...i could not face walking back to the table where i would have to see that chef again (because the restaurant is open kitchen and you can see the chefs preparing your food).... Anyway...yeah. To that poor girl...I'm sorry. And I bet she never ever ever forgets to double check the lock ever ever ever again.
Then we went to see a late showing of "The Vow" at Yukon's old ghetto-fabulous movie theater. We have a newer theater, but it wasn't showing that movie, and we knew it'd be mega crowded at the OKC theaters, and cost more anyway (remember. budget, people.) And in serious, this theater is older...and kinda dirty (the seats are supposed to be blue, i think, but mainly they look brown)...but I'm not dissing it, because we've been there on several occasions and my husband or I one always know one of the students working, and the staff is super duper friendly, and the prices are not sky high, and we don't care about high tech stuff, and I like small towny feel...so it's a winner in our books. Anyway, ...we were able to watch the movie in a theater that only had about half capacity....and I told God he doesn't ever have to give me a teenage daughter if he doesn't want to, because the 37 of them in the theater were enough to make me about come unglued. I mean, you can't deny the attractiveness of Channing Tatum, but if they could just keep the giggles and sighs to themselves, that'd be great. Thanks, girls. And whichever one of you thought it was cool to leave your phone on, not on vibrate, but full out turned up, and then let it ring for what seemed like 5 minutes before silencing it to answer it, well, I want to tell you, thank you. And I want to say, these girls are at every movie in every theater in the United States of America. And they always get on my nerves. And then I imagine buying their mom a cup of coffee or glass of wine, because if I were living with that every day.... I'd love it to pieces, I know. I was the most lovable teenage daughter known in history. Mark my words. A perfect angel. I never did anything remotely exasperating. Ever. Not once. Ever ever ever ever ever. No, really. I still have a halo...somewhere. But anyway, yeah...big ol' thanks to them for making my movie going experience extra special. You know when they didn't sigh or swoon aloud? You know what moment I got to smile to myself? A moment they would never in a billion years understand in their premium youth...the moment when I saw the "other" guy in the movie. Scott Speedman. As in, Ben, from Felicity. As in, way before your time, chickadees. But not before mine. So swoon over Channing Tatum. Swoon away. But I will let my husband just make fun of me for the look on my face when I said, "You know who that is?!?! That's ben, from felicity!!!" and then all those teenagers told me to shut up with my swooning. shhhhhhhhhhhh. okay. they didn't. but i uttered some SHHHHs to them. yes. i'm that person.
So that ended our Friday night.
Saturday morning I made breakfast, then B ran some errands while I worked on some craft things. Then we got ready and headed to Thackerville, OK. It sounds small, right? Yeah. It is. But you know what they have there that's super big? I wouldn't know this on a typical day, so I assume many of you do not. But they have the WinStar World Casino. It's enormous, and looks like all these different areas of the world outside-- London, Beijing, um, lots of places. It's beautiful. Outside. We aren't casino goers- sorry to any of you who are-- I don't know how people do that. First of all, I was never aware that many people still smoke in the nation. I think maybe everyone who smokes was all there that day. I mean. wow. Second of all, and I'm sure this is because we aren't acclimated to the environment, but we just didn't "get" it. WAIT- before I go on, we were not there for the casino experience-- we were there for a concert. Anyway, we just didn't "get it"...Brandon said, "it's like grown ups...sitting in front of a video game all day?" Yeah, totally didn't get it. But we were there for a concert that my husband has been hoping he'd get to go to one day, for as long as I've known him. It just happened to be 2 hours away from our house in the prettiest smoke joint you've seen. ALABAMA. Not the state, because clearly i already said we were in thackerville, Oklahoma. Alabama, the band. Anyway, it was a good time, and we came home with a little jingle still in our pockets. That means money, if you don't get the reference....which means you don't listen to alabama. what's wrong with you?
Anyway, good weekend. Dinner where I got to see another adult using the bathroom. Movie where I decided swoon worthy actors' movies should only be shown in divisions: mothers with their daughters (or teenage girls with a supervised adult) can view the movie at this time, teenage girls without a mother/adult can view the movie at this time, and women who are too old to swoon but do it anyway can view the movie with their friends or significant other at this time, without worrying about 13 year olds and their cell phones. (okay all you 13 year olds-- i know you're sweet girls, most of you, i'm just super sure of it! but you know, sometimes when you get older like i am, you get kind of grouchy and set in your ways. so, you be you. and i'll be me. and when we aren't in the movies together, or any other public place where you are acting kind of inappropriate but you don't really know it because you're 13...well, all the times other than that, we really would be great friends, i know it. really, i do.)...and finally, Alabama concert where I got to see first off, lots and lots of smokers. I got to also see a line for the men's restroom longer than the women's restroom line....and I got to see that we were mostly the youngest age of people at the concert...and I got to see three men in or near their 60s showing off like they'd never stopped.
Hope you had a good weekend, too!
Friday night, we went to dinner at Matthew Kenney in OKC...and you should try it. Very good. It's a raw foods restaurant, but you need to brace yourself, sushi or sushi aversion crowds...it's vegetarian cuisine. And it's fantastic. I don't love sushi, and it has nothing to do with the taste... it is simply because the idea of raw fish gags me (the thought of raw any kind of meat gags me). So we headed to Matthew Kenney, because it looked unique, and I had a groupon there :). We started off with a dragon roll, which was fantastic...then we had a Salsa Verde salad, also fantastic (the chips were made from roasted red peppers....so good). Then for dinner we had tortellini (me) and tamales (b). My advice, for sure, is to get an app and/or salad before dinner, bc dinner is savory but small. The prices are not bad at all for the caliber of restaurant (entrees max out at $12, I think). But heck to the no when it comes to skipping dessert. DO NOT SKIP DESSERT IF YOU GO HERE. In fact, i say get the chocolate ganache tart. It is insanely delicious...with a french press of coffee on the side. Holy yummo. Anyway, it won't be a regular stop for us, but we will definitely go back. Unique, and tasty, and you don't leave hungry. Plus everything is organic and nothing is cooked past 180 degrees, if cooked at all, so it's all really healthy! So good. But we can't go back anytime too soon. Not just bc we are out of fun money for the month...but because of what happened at the end (THANKFULLY) of our dinner. BDawg had paid out...and was waiting at the table with my stuff while I went to the restroom. As I entered the corridor housing the restrooms, our waiter was standing at the bar, and he saw me coming, so he politely opened the door to the restroom for me (they are those one room bathrooms, you know, you have it all to yourself, the way a bathroom should be). I thought, "that's so nice of him!" Until I walked in and thought, "Is this some sort of joke? A prank??" Because there, in front of me, sat a chef. On the toilet. You know, going potty. A girl younger than myself, and hopefully not reading this, and if she is, I'm here to say, I'M SO SORRY AND IT TOTALLY WAS NOT MY FAULT!!! But I couldn't say that. I was flabbergasted. I just stood there like an idiot. Thinking, "this has to be some sort of joke??? right?" but the sweet girl just looked up at me in one of the most vulnerable positions in which one can be seen, and said, "oh. i'm sorry." so i turned around, walked out, and our waiter opened another bathroom door for me...and i turned to him and said, "well now. that was awkward. for everyone." and then I shut the bathroom door. locked it, and triple checked to make sure it was locked, and texted my husband to get to the car right now...i could not face walking back to the table where i would have to see that chef again (because the restaurant is open kitchen and you can see the chefs preparing your food).... Anyway...yeah. To that poor girl...I'm sorry. And I bet she never ever ever forgets to double check the lock ever ever ever again.
Then we went to see a late showing of "The Vow" at Yukon's old ghetto-fabulous movie theater. We have a newer theater, but it wasn't showing that movie, and we knew it'd be mega crowded at the OKC theaters, and cost more anyway (remember. budget, people.) And in serious, this theater is older...and kinda dirty (the seats are supposed to be blue, i think, but mainly they look brown)...but I'm not dissing it, because we've been there on several occasions and my husband or I one always know one of the students working, and the staff is super duper friendly, and the prices are not sky high, and we don't care about high tech stuff, and I like small towny feel...so it's a winner in our books. Anyway, ...we were able to watch the movie in a theater that only had about half capacity....and I told God he doesn't ever have to give me a teenage daughter if he doesn't want to, because the 37 of them in the theater were enough to make me about come unglued. I mean, you can't deny the attractiveness of Channing Tatum, but if they could just keep the giggles and sighs to themselves, that'd be great. Thanks, girls. And whichever one of you thought it was cool to leave your phone on, not on vibrate, but full out turned up, and then let it ring for what seemed like 5 minutes before silencing it to answer it, well, I want to tell you, thank you. And I want to say, these girls are at every movie in every theater in the United States of America. And they always get on my nerves. And then I imagine buying their mom a cup of coffee or glass of wine, because if I were living with that every day.... I'd love it to pieces, I know. I was the most lovable teenage daughter known in history. Mark my words. A perfect angel. I never did anything remotely exasperating. Ever. Not once. Ever ever ever ever ever. No, really. I still have a halo...somewhere. But anyway, yeah...big ol' thanks to them for making my movie going experience extra special. You know when they didn't sigh or swoon aloud? You know what moment I got to smile to myself? A moment they would never in a billion years understand in their premium youth...the moment when I saw the "other" guy in the movie. Scott Speedman. As in, Ben, from Felicity. As in, way before your time, chickadees. But not before mine. So swoon over Channing Tatum. Swoon away. But I will let my husband just make fun of me for the look on my face when I said, "You know who that is?!?! That's ben, from felicity!!!" and then all those teenagers told me to shut up with my swooning. shhhhhhhhhhhh. okay. they didn't. but i uttered some SHHHHs to them. yes. i'm that person.
So that ended our Friday night.
Saturday morning I made breakfast, then B ran some errands while I worked on some craft things. Then we got ready and headed to Thackerville, OK. It sounds small, right? Yeah. It is. But you know what they have there that's super big? I wouldn't know this on a typical day, so I assume many of you do not. But they have the WinStar World Casino. It's enormous, and looks like all these different areas of the world outside-- London, Beijing, um, lots of places. It's beautiful. Outside. We aren't casino goers- sorry to any of you who are-- I don't know how people do that. First of all, I was never aware that many people still smoke in the nation. I think maybe everyone who smokes was all there that day. I mean. wow. Second of all, and I'm sure this is because we aren't acclimated to the environment, but we just didn't "get" it. WAIT- before I go on, we were not there for the casino experience-- we were there for a concert. Anyway, we just didn't "get it"...Brandon said, "it's like grown ups...sitting in front of a video game all day?" Yeah, totally didn't get it. But we were there for a concert that my husband has been hoping he'd get to go to one day, for as long as I've known him. It just happened to be 2 hours away from our house in the prettiest smoke joint you've seen. ALABAMA. Not the state, because clearly i already said we were in thackerville, Oklahoma. Alabama, the band. Anyway, it was a good time, and we came home with a little jingle still in our pockets. That means money, if you don't get the reference....which means you don't listen to alabama. what's wrong with you?
Anyway, good weekend. Dinner where I got to see another adult using the bathroom. Movie where I decided swoon worthy actors' movies should only be shown in divisions: mothers with their daughters (or teenage girls with a supervised adult) can view the movie at this time, teenage girls without a mother/adult can view the movie at this time, and women who are too old to swoon but do it anyway can view the movie with their friends or significant other at this time, without worrying about 13 year olds and their cell phones. (okay all you 13 year olds-- i know you're sweet girls, most of you, i'm just super sure of it! but you know, sometimes when you get older like i am, you get kind of grouchy and set in your ways. so, you be you. and i'll be me. and when we aren't in the movies together, or any other public place where you are acting kind of inappropriate but you don't really know it because you're 13...well, all the times other than that, we really would be great friends, i know it. really, i do.)...and finally, Alabama concert where I got to see first off, lots and lots of smokers. I got to also see a line for the men's restroom longer than the women's restroom line....and I got to see that we were mostly the youngest age of people at the concert...and I got to see three men in or near their 60s showing off like they'd never stopped.
Hope you had a good weekend, too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)