The Schneider Web

5 Things About Me

2011-08-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my inspiring friend, Robin over at Knitting Peace. I’m hitching a ride on her always authentic blog post 5 Things About Me. But let me start with the fact that my 5 Things are the SAME as HER 5 things and maybe that’s why I like Robin!

Truth be told, Robin and I have known each other for years. Years and years. I can’t count them. Let’s just say we have known each other since before blogging was invented. One of the reasons I blog at all is to stay in contact with friends like Robin whose minds I long to penetrate, to keep me sane, to keep me connected, to keep me laughing... at her and at myself. Laughter is good medicine. There ya go. And there is an example of the first of my 5 Things.

I talk too much.

I yam what I yam, as Popeye once said and apparently, like Robin and Popeye, I’m a yammer. Last week, I logged my longest phone conversation ever. 6 hrs. Give or take. I am most definitely a yammer.

I may be menopausal.

A few months ago, I logged my longest period ever. 2 weeks. Give or take. TMI. So sorry, but that and the night sweats are impairing my judgment.

I cook because I have to.

I do not enjoy it, either.

It’s messy.

Crumbs in the cracks of my expansive tile counter make me cranky. No one sees the crumbs but me. Or the crusted pancake batter. Or the crispy shredded cheese. It’s crummy. But the worse thing of all is raw meat. Does anyone actually enjoy handling raw meat? I was wishing the other day that they sold packages of CHEAP raw chicken cubed just so I wouldn’t have to cut it into pieces. Hate that job. And I won’t let anyone else do it because if they can’t see the crumbs and the crusty pancake batter and bright orange shredded cheese, they will not even think to sanitize raw chicken schmear!

I hate being frugal.

Because if I weren’t frugal, I could perhaps find the pre-cut raw chicken cubed and buy it, or the pre-seasoned stuff, or whatever. I’m sure it would be easier.

Dogmatism.

Gray is my new favorite color. In every shade. But I specialize in silver linings.

What about you my bloggedy friends? What are 5 things about you you’d like to share!?

They Came Home

2011-07-31T22:03:00.001-07:00

Trust me. That pillow did not return from Boy Scout camp that color.

Neither did the Boy Scout shirts.

Neither did the boys.

They came home a dingy shade of brown.

Can't believe Boy Scout khaki can get any dingier? shadier? brownier?

It can. Trust me.

They came home responsible.

I found myself reminding them of things they already did.

"Did you get the stuff out of the car?"

I already did mom.

"Have you unpacked your packs yet?

I already did mom.

"Did you call your dad?"

"Did you remember to put bleach in the laundry?"

"Did you shower?"

I already did mom. Can I give you a big hug now that I'm not so dirty and smelly?

(A mother's heart melts when her gigantic sons want to hug her. I think one of my boys kept forgetting he hugged me already because every half hour or so he'd come back for another hug.)

They came home affectionate.

They wanted homemade pizzas for dinner with a fruit salad. Apparently, nobody cooks like mom cooks, but I gotta tell you, homemade pizzas are not my specialty. Pizzas from Vons are my specialty, but I cracked open the big bucks and bought Boboli and real pepperoni with real previously shredded italian cheeses by Kraft. They each had one big one of their own.

They came home thankful.

They also came home with stories. Zach met Sam and walked with him everyday from one class to another. Sam, he knows strangely enough, from Fresno - where we don't live but where we have friends who do. Leave it to Zach to make a friend connection. Evan received the Boy Scouts of America Lifeguard certificate and came home confident. His Troop Leader was so impressed he emailed me with a suggestion on how we can surprise Evan at the Court of Honor with a special something. I can't say more. What if he reads my blog? Needless to say, leave it to Evan to make an impression.

It was a long week for Jillian and me without them. I had plans. We did good things, but something changed this year. My boys came home different. I think they come home every year ... different. But this year, they came home different-er than all the other years. This year, I longed for them. I think they also longed for me. Perhaps it is because we are all realizing, that some day, they won't come home.

For now, however, my gigantic, smelly, brown, responsible, affectionate, thankful, friendly, impressive boys are home.

Thank you Jesus. They came home.

Eat Chocolate

2011-07-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

I’m eating chocolate.

And I’m celebrating!

Okay. Truths out. I’ve lost weight. I didn’t need to lose weight, but I started gaining weight which led to me watching my weight which led to me watching what I eat which led me to praying to God.

Dear Lord, Life stinks and the last thing I need right now is to have to buy clothes to fit into! And the Lord provided.

My Fitness Pal.

I lost 9 pounds. I weigh what I weighed when I got married. Yay for me! I am recommending it to all the mommy women I know, because in all my years of watching my weight off and on, I have never been so simply successful. I know you mommy women who need a change can be successful too!

BUT, I have had to buy clothes. Smaller ones. Never thought I’d be doing that!

Here’s the story.

After I prayed, my husband called me.

“Hey sweetie, I was reading this article about a guy who ate twinkies...”

Don’t believe me? I swear to God my husband said he read an article about a guy who ate twinkies and lost weight. Click here and you can read it, too.

“Hey sweetie, I was reading this article about a guy who ate twinkies and he just counted the calories and he used this cool website, My Fitness Pal.”

Joe started using My Fitness Pal.

Joe started showing ME how to use My Fitness Pal and even though I balked at being tied down to a computer dictating to me what and how much I could eat, I found My Fitness Pal to be my PAL! my FRIEND! my BUDDY! It was so easy and now, most often, I use My Fitness Pal to manage my day. When Joe is home, we sit at tandem computers and make our entries and determine how much dessert we can or can’t have that evening. Sweet fellowship! Isn’t it Romantic?

You manage what you measure and now I am managing my weight nicely.

Joe lost 23 pounds. He’s my pal on My Fitness Pal, kind of like you have friends on Facebook. So, if you want to be my Pal, sign up! I highly recommend it.

Like me, you may find yourself eating the best chocolate cake in the world and not feeling one bit of guilt, remorse or dread.

I’m watching my weight and eating cake too! Yahoo!

If you find yourself feeling slightly ugly at my pronouncement, take a minute to read this amazing blog post about body image and be encouraged.

God answers prayer.

It’s Been a Whale

2011-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

We’ve been bogged down with LIFE; in a good way. It’s full. This speech thing my kids are doing is sucking the life right out of me on one end and filling me up with a fire hose on the other end. It’s hard to ponder and wonder about things when you are just in the middle of the fun. It’s a great time to just go with the flow.

However, God has brought to my attention a guy in the Bible who didn’t go with the flow. Jonah.

I’ve nicknamed Jonah the Pitiful Prophet. He thought he could flee from the presence of God and had the arrogant audacity to sleep through the consequential mess he created. Shirker! Slacker! Slouch! Pitiful!

He was also angry. Really angry. At God. At the end of the itty bitty book, God says, “You moron. You don’t have the right to be mad. People matter to me.” (My Paraphrase)

Until recently, I had a narrow perception of Jonah as pitiful and angry and bitter. That’s how the Bible describes him. Lately, however, my perception of Jonah is broadening. First, I heard a sermon series by RC Sproul on the subject of Jonah then, my church did a series on Jonah. It’s a whale of a tale weighing the grace of God against the self-righteousness of man and I’m discovering stuff I didn’t know. LOVE how God’s Word does that!

Initially, I asked myself the usual questions, “How am I like Jonah? Am I angry at God? What do I need to do about that?”

Then, one of the pastors mentioned that something called the Tomb of Jonah exists in what was once Ninevah, in modern day, Iraq. The pastor suggests that if this is true, we can deduce that Jonah got God’s message loud and clear and that he perhaps stayed in Ninevah to guide all those who repented. Oh, the thought! Maybe the Pitiful Prophet wasn’t so pitiful, afterall. Maybe, though history doesn’t record it, Jonah’s redeemed.

Speaking of redemption, my favorite revelation into the book of Jonah is this - The Whale SAVES him. Read it yourself. Tossed to and fro by the waves leads to his being engulfed by the sea. Choking the thick salty water of the sea, what air he has left is stuck in his throat; Jonah has no where to turn. Tangled in webs of seaweed, growing more frantic every moment, the surface fades to black as Jonah begins to lose consciousness and HRUMPF! he is swallowed by a fish. The fish is his redemption. The fish saves him. The fish gives him life.

Have you ever had a “belly of the fish” kind of experience where you were covered my the mirk and mire of one’s circumstances, yet it was your salvation? We don’t often see the salvation until later, kind of like Jesus and the tomb ..... (duh - if you cross reference much of anything that’s an easy match). But because we don’t live in the “ever after” but in the “here and now” in the midst of our stinky, acidic, rotting circumstances we forget to be thankful. Sometimes it is good to remember that despite everything, God calls us to Himself. We can’t get away from His purposes. We can’t run away from His agenda. We can’t escape His love.

No.
Matter.
How pitiful we may be.
Because it is not about Us.

Just like the Book of Jonah isn’t about Jonah. And it’s not about a Fish. It’s about GOD and the great lengths he will go to because He cares for PEOPLE, even disobedient ones.

Real-igious

2011-02-15T22:34:00.001-08:00

Real-ligious

Jillian mispelled a word in her Louis Pasteur paper today.

It made me laugh.

Real-ligious.

Isn’t that how it is? We think we are being “for real”. Authentic. Ourselves. Free. But sometimes we are more religious than real. Ever thought of what religious looks like? Do you think it might be you? Or are you genuinely “for real”? Are you real-igious?

It’s a funny thing being around realigious people compared to religious ones. There is a comfort, a laughter and joy about being real. Real to walk with Jesus. What joy!

It's been a long time since I just sat and talked face to face with someone real. But a week ago I had a phone conversation with dear friend... I think we might have hit the 2.5 hour mark! Real-ligious. The other night, I stayed up til past midnight, getting to know a new friend. Real - ligious.

Both cases: Women walking. Women talking. Women loving their God and learning and growing. Women knowing they don’t have it all together but, as the saying goes, together we have it all. Fellowship. Community. Real-igious.

I know I am being real-igious when I can tell my friend that I’m so irked at my teen that 4 letter words are flashing through my brain.

I know I am being real-igious when I can tell someone else’s kid they need to knock it off and that Jesus loves them, but they still need to shape up because they are bugging me!

I know I am being real-igious when I tell someone that I have no idea what to do or what to say and to ask someone else because I am totally clueless.

I know that being real-ligious is like this Christmas cactus. It was supposed to bloom at Christmas time, like, I am not kidding, like, can you tell I’m Californian?, 2 years ago, when I received it. It never bloomed. I parked it in a dark place in my garage to go dormant. It didn’t work. I gave up. I decided that since it looked more or less happy despite the fact that it never bloomed, I’d just leave it in my window sill. It’s been over a year but it’s suddenly blooming. Why?

Because it’s time. It’s real. It’s been alive all along but it needed something I couldn’t give it. When I gave up. It bloomed.

I think that’s what being real is all about. When you stop following all the rules and guidelines for blooming, you stop following all the prescribed directions, you just do it. You bloom. You become real-ligious. Like my Christmas cactus. Who cares if it’s not Christmas? Look at it! It's splendiforous with promise and blooms!

I haven’t thought this through. I have no time to edit. But I want to know, do you get it? Are you blooming? Or do you just need to rest from religious and get a little more real?

New Year

2011-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

There is something wonderful about NEW. It's a great word, isn't it? What comes to mind?
New creation.
New things.
New baby.
New season?

What about WONDERFUL. Full of wonder.
A wonderful story.
A wonderful memory.
A wonderful person.
A wonderful life?

Words pack a powerful punch. Those eloquent phraseologists, able to turn concrete, stone-cold letters into meanings that transcend spirit, touching us deeply are few and far between. I don't claim to be one of those eloquent types, even though I've been accused of saying what you meant to say. My kids say I'm "wordy" and that's not a compliment. But one word stands out to me this year and this is it - FREE.

Betz White is one of my faves of the blogosphere. She went looking for the Word of The Year in her My Word blog post. What word, if you can claim one, says it for you? What word describes where you are at? What word expresses your heart in this cold, January season of hope, promise and future? An entire year is ahead of you... can you describe it in a word?

I chose FREE and I can't really tell you why. I commented on Betz' site and I can't quite recall my ramblings. I just know I AM FREE. I just know I am so grateful to BE FREE. Even if I don't feel free, FREE is the truth. I touched on this idea in my recent Thanksgiving blog, and quite frankly, I'm glad I live there still.

Perhaps the word jumped out at me because the verse tumbling out of my mouth lately is this verse. I don't know how or why it grabbed hold of me, but here it is -

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Cor 3:17)

FREE.

What's your word of the year?

How I Know 2011 Will Be A Very Good Year

2011-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

When we moved from California to Colorado in 2004, our hearts broke. All the people we’d miss was first and foremost on our minds, but it’s not until you get to a new place that you realize how much you enjoyed the simple things like Round Table Pizza or Togos. My fellow newly planted Coloradoans rejoiced with me when they built the Costco in Colorado Springs, but despite several writing campaigns, we were never able to talk Trader Joe’s into towing the line all the way to the Rocky Mountain State. Alas, some things you just have to learn to live without.

When I moved back to California from Colorado in 2007 I tried to focus on what I was gaining, not all that I was losing. Fresh air. Ta ta. Blue Skies. Asta La Vista. Whisper of new fallen snow. Sayonara, baby. (Oh, and you sierra folk who think you have whisper of new fallen snow, you don’t. You just think you do. It’s slushy and globby and nothing whisper like.) But anyway.... When we returned to our home state, we had lots of Round Table Pepperoni Pizza, crispy, spicy and greasy and just the way we like it. Togos, #27, wheat, extra pickles. Need I say more? TJ’s... I admit, I have a love affair with their salt and pepper ridge cut potato chips! BUT, I could not have anticipated the blessing of this .... new.....development.

(drum roll please) .....Yah Baby!

Hobby Lobby is coming to California!!!

And get this!

Tomorrow, Monday, January 3rd we have to drive ALL THE WAY TO TULARE.... for a speech thing. And guess what? This is the good part! Aren't you dying to know????

Tomorrow, Monday, January 3rd is the GRAND OPENING of the NEW Visalia HOBBY LOBBY! Do you know how far it is from the Tulare speech thing to the new Hobby Lobby?... 7 measley miles!!!

Guess how fast I’m going to hightail it outa my speech thing dragging my children behind me tomorrow, January 3rd?

Lightning, baby....don’t blink, because I’m gonna be outa there..... VaVaroom!

2011 is going to be a very
Hobby New Year!

Bring an Umbrella

2010-12-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

It was supposed to rain. It did. The weatherman was right this time. But my friend just said, “Bring an umbrella.”

It was a Christmas Party and a Caroling Party and my friend’s way of blessing her neighborhood. True enough, the gospel is contained within the lyrics of many a Christmas Carol. The Light of the World’s story is sung. The name, Jesus, is pronounced as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and people smile. I don’t know the impact a Caroling Party can make in one’s neighborhood, but I know the impact it makes on me.

Years ago I remember having caroling parties. It was tradition for us back then, too. It was my heart to bless my neighbors with truth and love and music and it was so much fun to be with my friends. I hoped for some of that tonight and I got it in spades. Spades, I tell you!

The truth of the matter is you can’t rain on a Jesus Parade and that’s what we were... that’s what we are. When the Wonderful Counselor shows up and the Spirit is walking along side you, what’s revealed is encouragement, hope, fellowship, friendship, food, laughter, games and quite simply, peace on earth. It’s not contained in the activity itself but in the people who bring the message.

Often our instinct is to look at the circumstances. “It’s raining,” you might say. But my friend said, “Bring an umbrella,” because she knows what matters. It is not what you see, but what you don’t see. It’s not the obstacles or inconveniences, those things are always temporary. What counts is people, living for eternity’s sake with streams of living water flowing from them. Rain is just wet and rain always goes away. By the way, God sends rain. Matthew 5:45

So whether you are toting an umbrella or singing in the rain or walking on sunshine remember this, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38

I say.... Let it Rain.

Merry Peopling to You

2010-12-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. - Charles Spurgeon

Isn’t that the truth?

Some people would argue that starving people in deprived countries need STUFF. What I argue is that they need HOPE... and yes, clothes, clean water, access to healthcare and education, freedom, Jesus... My heart aches for the broken hearted and crushed in spirit... everywhere...and for some people in the world, hope is borne in a vaccination, a sewing machine, a well dug in their community.

Community.

Many of the studies that have been done on life satisfaction around the globe clearly indicate that PEOPLE connected to PEOPLE creates the conditions most necessary for happiness. Gretchen Rubin makes mention of this somewhere in the first six chapters of her book. The studies consistently show that what ya GOT, physically speaking doesn’t compare with WHO ya got. Good people make a rich life indeed. Exhibit A: the United States, one of the richest countries on the planet, is not the happiest.

But getting back to my point - Good people spur you on to love and good deeds and shall I say it? ... Yes, bring Joy.

Christmas Season is about JOY to the world, right?
JOY to the world. What? JOY.
JOY to the world. To WHO? The world!
JOY to the world, WHY? The Lord has come!... as a... PERSON! A human being. Living. Breathing. He came.

He ate. He drank. He laughed. He touched. He wept. He cooked. He sang. He listened. He spoke.

Do you hear the bells ringing it? The songs being song? Are they resounding in your heart and your home? Are you sharing that music with people? Are you donating to charity or buying someone in Chile a cow? If so, are you enJOYing it?

It’s not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.

So whether you are ready up to your eyeballs in Christmas boxes stuffed with stuff from too many years of tchachke collecting, or whether you are up to your eyeballs in bills and burdens, enJOY your holiday season... with PEOPLE..... and your God.

I wish you JOY! To who? To YOU!

Here is my little drummer boy. We Got The Beat day is his favorite day of the week. Why? Because in addition to drumming, he loves “peopling”. He made that word up. He said one day after I asked the “How was your day, dear?” question that he had a great “peopling” day.
I said, “What do you mean, ‘peopling’ honey?”
He replied, “I just love people.”

I think Jesus did, too.

Generosity

2010-12-04T11:16:00.001-08:00

We love because....

My little girl has been on-the-ball this Christmas season. Do you have any kids like that?

Even before the holiday she wants to go shopping. Not for herself. For others. She is begging to look at Amazon wish lists. She is counting her money and even making a budget. She is probing her brothers for everything they want, because she wants to (smirk, giggle, eyes lit up) SURPRISE them!

I am in wonder of her generosity.

Jillian: Mommy, why is everything on your amazon wish list so expensive?

Me: I don’t know honey. Maybe it’s because the things I want and need that are cheap, I just buy them for myself.

(In the back of my head the little voice cries out, “Do not cheat her of the joy of giving! FIND SOMETHING that she can give you. She wants to do it. She wants to give!”)

(The other voice in the back of my head asks, “When did she look at the amazon wish list? Who was her accomplice? Are there other things she’s doing on the internet I don’t know about?)

(Voice Number Three arrives - yes, I talk to myself often - and she says, “Relax.”)

So, today, I need to find something that she is excited to give me that she can afford so that she can enjoy the gift of giving me something I want. Isn’t that a funny take on Christmas giving?... My 10 year old’s heart is so generous - a lot like Jesus’ heart.

Jesus can afford everything and He gave it all. All. He didn’t hold one thing back. He didn’t budget His mercy or His grace. He didn’t try to do what was convenient or easy. He KNEW what we most wanted. He KNEW what we most needed and he poured himself lavishly...isn’t that a beautiful word? ...lavishly....excitedly....sacrificially....joyfully.... and He still does it today. It’s why He came. So that he could keep on giving!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us. 1 John 3:1

Why? We love because.... He first loved us. He came so that He could give love, through us.

So whatever you are in position to give this holiday... to your God or to your family or to your friends.... Give it like a little child. Smirk. Giggle. SURPRISE! Let your eyes light up and GIVE. Don’t hold back. Don’t worry about the details. Just do it. Lavishly, excitedly, sacrificially and by all means, joyfully.

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. 9:7
He loves it. Don’t you?

This is my cheerful giver giving me a bouquet of paper flowers she made for me and our skyping with daddy so he can see them.

Extra Especially Blessed Brag Blog

2010-11-19T11:51:00.001-08:00

We had a marathon day in Fresno yesterday. 15 hrs. Grande. I woke this morning with a spring in my step because the adrenalin from a God crafted blessing is still running in my veins. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for coming to see the show!

All semester, starting in August, the kids have been involved in some really cool stuff. Last night, at their semester concert, we got to see many pieces come together. Not everything, but some of it. What’s hardest to record are the relationships being forged. When I think of the people we have met and are getting to know better, the word “abundance” comes to mind. I rejoice seeing glimpses of Heaven.

Eventually, we’ll have our own DVD of the evening. I’d love to try to post snippets if I can figure it out. Stuff will likely end up on YouTube, at least from the high school crowd. For now, you can see the works in progress and the reasons why we feel extra especially blessed.

A bit from Zach’s Youth Choir at People’s School for Creative Arts

This is a bit from a Interpretive Speech the boys are working on together. It falls into the “duo” category and we’re learning how to do this together. They will take it into competition with STOAca.org next year. It’s already been changed a million times since this movie was made.... and we’re still not finished with the whole story. Why are we doing this? I don’t know.... but it’s FUN! Oh, and this had nothing to do with last night’s festivities but we did have speech practice before the concert!

I didn’t want to inundate you with choir stuff, but here’s a sample of what Jillian’s learning and getting to share with her class.

Evan’s Concert Choir practices are only once a week for 2 hrs. It blows my mind that our kids can compete with local high schools, but there you go. This Choral Festival was a month ago. They sounded even better last night.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and Free

2010-11-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

It’s beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas....

Okay, it’s not Christmas yet. Thanksgiving might even be your favorite holiday. For me, it’s all about the turkey. And the mashed potatoes. And the green bean casserole. And the pumpkin pie. And the people.... oh..... I love that part.

Hospitality is not my gift, but I manage to get everything out more or less warmish and it’s usually on a half decently decorated table. Jillian always helps. She likes making place cards.... at the last minute.....with whatever paper and pens we have on hand.

Hey! By the way, I need cloth napkins. I can’t believe how long I haven’t had them. You know what, I need to read chapter 7 of Happiness Project because it has something to do with buying happiness. I know, I know. Money can’t buy happiness. I agree! But I can’t help wondering what Gretchen Rubin will say about purchasing?!?!?! Nevertheless, you can’t deny the fact that money can buy me cloth napkins!

Last year I went looking. Cloth napkins just seem ridiculously expensive. THIS year I already went looking. Know what? Cloth napkins are still ridiculously expensive. I should learn to sew. But last year at this time I stopped should-ing myself; I am letting cloth napkins go. Dear Jesus, Can you please help me find cloth napkins at a good price this year, in a set of 12, neither too fancy nor too plain and definitely not white or help me just be content with paper napkins on Thanksgiving? Amen.

It’s beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas....

I know, for so many it is the busiest and craziest time of year. For me, however, Christmas gets simple. I carve out time in my day to listen to music. I carve out time to bake cookies. Last year, I forgot to carve out time to wrap gifts and ended up at the post office way too close to deadlines.... but it all worked out. It’s beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas because I am already looking forward to the CHANGE.

Funny I should say that as I recently had an epiphany.

In the last 6 years or so, I have had way more change to adapt to than I ever in a million years wanted. Finally, as we adjust to a new community of people in Fresno (we haven’t moved there... we just go there a lot) I have realized that I am really tired. On the weekends when we are home, I sleep. I sleep a lot. One night last week, Jillian gave me a 3 minute backrub (it was 3 minutes because it was all I could afford....she charges me...and I am saving for cloth napkins)... after my backrub, I fell asleep. Where I was. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of our house. Long before anyone went to bed. I was done. I am done.... with change and the stress even good change causes. I’m done, while being very thankful for the change that has taken place.... in me.

If nothing else, I can sleep with a clean conscience because I am too tired to let the failures of a day reign over me. A clean conscience because I am too tired to try to control the universe. A clean conscience because what doesn’t get done today will get done tomorrow.... or never. I’m thankful Christmas is coming. I am thankful Christmas came. Because of Christmas, I am free....

cloth napkins or paper
wrapped gifts or unwrapped
warmish food or hot out of the oven
dog tired or wide awake
FREE

Evan: I like it when you are like this Momma.

Me: What do you mean?

Evan: I like it when you are silly.

Now, if that ain’t happiness wrapped up in a bow, for a stressed-out, overly-tired mom, I don’t what is.

Despite the breathe of fresh air my son’s comment brings my weary soul, I’m still dog-tired and tonight is Friday. We’re watching Once Upon a Mattress and I’ll sing along with the silly lyrics that I know... what are you doing tonight?

Whatever it is, I hope you do it, free.

Chapter 6 of the Happiness Project

2010-10-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Alright already! I am finally posting this post. It's been sitting on my desktop. I’ve not been happy with it for some time. I just can’t find the words. I know, hard to believe that has ever happened to me!

The simple truth is that Gretchen Rubin is right. Friends are really important. I mean, really really important. I get that sometimes friends are mostly your family. I get that sometimes people live in such a way that a few friends is all they ever want and need. But you know what? God uses PEOPLE! Thumbing through the CBD Christmas Catalog this morning I found this. Yup. That’s it. That’s what I’ve been wanting to say.

Friends are God's Way of Taking Care of Us

We ought to consider that friendship is one of the gifts we give other people. Rubin talks about how to do that. Lots of practical advice. Lots of it. Will you take the time to read, Make Time for Friends? Chapter 6. It’s a winner.

And so is this video!

I’ll try to tell you how Rubin describes the nurturing of friendship. If you are getting buried in the other parts of life that don’t involve friends, here are a few tips to keep growing:

Remember Birthdays
Dear Friends, Thank you for the recent gift so precious it made me cry and so perfect it made me laugh and the heartfelt apology because you forgot!

Be Generous
Dear Friends, Thanks for your encouraging words. Thanks for your words of wisdom. Thanks for telling me exactly what I needed to hear in just the way I needed to hear it. Thanks for trusting me enough to be honest and loving and fair... oh! And Thanks Emily, for not forgetting me ;)

Show Up
Dear Friends, Thanks for the call. You know who you are. Thanks for visiting. Thanks for writing. Thanks.... for all the times I’ve cried on your shoulder.

Don’t Gossip
Dear Friends, Thanks for teaching me compassion and consideration, when I got snooty. Thanks for reminding me that life is hard and extending extra measures of kindness is required. Thanks for helping me be the person I want to be. Thanks for being someone I can admire. Thanks for being good and helping me be good, too.

Lastly, Rubin suggests that we make 3 new friends. How do you do that? Get the book!

I can’t help but to think how immensely grateful I am for the years in which I nurtured friendships outside of my family... because now, in this busy season, I rest well at night knowing fully that my friends (who are mostly in their very busy seasons, too) are counting the years and the months until we can make MORE time for each other. Oh friends, I miss you.

Hey Friends, did that video make you smile?

A Day In My Life - The Calendar Saga

2010-10-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from an email I sent to a busy mom friend of mine. I promised to tell her my calendar sob story, but I have decided to also share it with you. I wonder if Gretchen Rubin has a chapter on Life Maintenance in the Happiness Project because now that my closets are clean, my calendars are a mess!

Calendar Saga. A Day In My Life. Ready. Set. Go.

So for the last 5 years Joe has been trying to get me into the 21st century and use the computer. I still write everything down on a gigantic calendar and then put the minor things on a mini calendar I can carry in my purse (when it is there and sometimes it isn't).... but THIS YEAR, I finally adapted to using the computer calendar. Easy for him because he can download our entire life onto his iPhone with a click. BUT I am still managing this mini calendar which doesn't have the space for everything and it's starting to get confusing and I'm missing things and I have to reschedule 4 different (or was it 5?) appointments the last 4 weeks. This was after I went to Hallmark to buy a "bigger" mini calendar in hopes that if I had more writing space it would help. 3 doctor appointments, and a dental appt... it was 4 appts. THEN, LAST WEEK, I do my volunteer time with the drum club only to discover when I get home that it wasn't even my turn that day and I really needed to go to Winco!!!! SO I beg my husband to buy me an iPad and of course, we can't afford one. He says, "Go to the office store and get a bigger monthly calendar that fits in your purse. I promise to use your old fashioned calendar and update my iPhone with YOUR old fashioned calendar." Okay. So I go to the office store, spend 45 minutes with 2 distracted children, looking at all my options.....and I buy a planner along with gummy worms and chewing gum thank you gifts for my distracted children... that DOES NOT fit in my purse.

I go home.

THEN, I spend time taking things out of the planner that I don't need. Eventually, I begin fishing out coupons and receipts and business cards that I want to keep from their various homes in my drawers, baskets, envelopes and wallets so that I can consider if they will have a home in my new, snazzy, red planner. I ponder the content of my piles. I sort. I restack. I toss things. I decide to keep my Colorado drivers license. 2 hours later, when I finally get down to entering drum club gigs and speech tournaments, orthodontist appointments and scout events to my calendar, I realize I bought one without NUMBERS. Yes, my friend, I had to WRITE THE NUMBERS IN!!!!..... all 12 months.....

......and now.... I need a bigger purse.

What does a day in YOUR life look like?

Yarnspiration

2010-10-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear. Dear dear dear.

I know it’s fall when the knitting bug starts overwhelms my every thought.

We’ve been so busy. Soooooo busy. I mean, I don’t have time to breathe.

But, one of the benefits of being busy is making new connections. I met a mom through my son’s drum club, We Got The Beat. Mom knits. Need I say more? She dies yarns, too. Ooohhh la la! Mom recommends new yarn store. Birthday money burning hole in my pocket. Oooohhhh la la! again!

I’m having so much fun right now that I just have to share the joy. Here are a few of my latest projects on the needles. Oh! and those of you waiting for the lucy bag... well, you might get lucky because I am so Knit Happy I think I may start one of those before too long. I’m just giddy with yarny joy.

Fall. Cool weather. Hot tea. Big red chair. Worship music. Thanks Abby for the new CD! Yarn and needles in hand. Amen. Sitting at piano lessons in Mrs. Walker’s comfy couch, listening to my kids tickle the keys musically and the lilt in Mrs. Walker’s voice as she helps them play better. Bliss. Yarn and needles in hand. Kumbahyah My Lord, sung by 60 little voices. Homeschool choir. Thank you Mrs. Clark. Thank you for teaching us the most beautiful thing a child can sing is “ooooh” and thank you for helping them do it so well all together. Yarn and needles in my hands. Happiness.

Chapter 7 of my Happiness Project is Buy Some Happiness. I guess I got a jump-start with the help of birthday money and yarnspiration! I haven’t even read the chapter yet because I have been too busy knit knit knitting!.... and running my kids all over to choir and drums and piano.

Sometimes you don’t need a happiness project to make you happy. Sometimes you just need YARN!

By the way, if it looks like I am practicing my lame photography. I am. I can’t remember which chapter of the HP learning new things pertains to, but there ya go. I’m trying.

This little watermelon gem is in process. See the black threads? got more seeds to stitch... no pun intended knitters.

The red dooly bop I'm starting will someday look like an apple with a stem, kinda like the little plum hats I finished. Why does red look pink in pictures? Another photography lesson for me to learn no doubt.

This Waterfall Scarf defies explanation. It's a slice of Heaven. I'm using a new stitch technique and yarn I've never worked with before. I'm loving it. I wish my pictures could catch it's subtle texture and colors. Every row makes me want to stitch another, you know what I mean?

Happiness Project, Chapter 5. For Reals.

2010-09-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I’m back at it again. To be perfectly honest, Chapter 5 - Be Serious About Play wasn’t all that fun for me. However, Chapter 6 rocks and so here I am, in my dutiful fashion blogging about Chapter 5, first. Why? Because maybe you read it, too and have something YOU want to share. I hope so!

Gretchen Rubin’s points from Chapter 5 include: Find More Fun, Take Time To Be Silly, Go Off The Path and Start A Collection.

Each one a nugget in itself, I could write endlessly about any one of these main ideas and how they apply to me, but instead, I want to introduce you to an idea the author has been alluding to all along....Be Yourself.

In her words, “Be Gretchen.”

In mine, “Be Shirin.”

Simply put, the Happiness Project is about self-discovery. I think Rubin would admit her need to write the Happiness Project resulted from living a full and wonderful life, complete with expectations and obligations. Like many of us, she wears many hats and in doing so, she was content, yet not free. She needed to reclaim her freedom to make choices. So far, she has addressed the choices we make toward happiness in the areas of energy, marriage, goals and parenthhood. This chapter on leisure has helped me begin taking seriously what is really fun for me.

Rubin writes on p. 116, “If something was really fun for me, it would pass this test: I looked forward to it, I found it energizing, not draining; and I didn’t feel guilty about it later.” Later on she repeats the notion, “Fun is energizing.”

Anyone say, YES! to that?

She also makes note of the fact that there is a genuine scientific phenomenon called “emotional contagion” wherein we unconsciously catch emotions from other people - whether good or bad.

Anybody find themselves strangely attracted to people who are cheerful, laugh easily or best yet, create fun? Golly. I know I am!

She also introduced the idea of different kinds of fun. Challenging Fun is the fun stuff you have to work at to get good at. Accommodating Fun is the fun stuff you do because people you love find it fun and you know how to make the best of doing what they like. Relaxing Fun is what we call in our family, “vegging” or “chilling out”. Relaxing fun is eating a bag of doritos while watching your favorite sport on TV, without the guilt. If there’s guilt, then you need to eat celery and carrot sticks for it to qualify as relaxing fun.

Since I read this chapter I realized that I get a kick out of watching movie musicals, reading Jane Austen and going to plays. I love shopping for the perfect gift. Challenging Fun for me is homeschooling my children. Accommodating Fun for me is playing Herd Your Horses with my 9 year old. Relaxing Fun includes many things.... fewer calories the better.

I don’t always have time to do what is fun. Or, I get stuck in one form of fun which runs its course and dries me up. It’s been good to identify some of the things that make me happy because it helps me more clearly see what God has made me to be.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made so why I shouldn’t I just... “Be Shirin”?

As I said before, it’s good to mix things up and not put all your happiness eggs in one basket, you must diversify your happiness portfolio. Now that I have a fuller picture of what is fun for me, I can make some more thoughtful choices and get more serious about play!

 What is fun for you? Seriously.....

Musicals are often all about being happy, finding happy, living happy. Maybe that’s why I like them! 

Take this quiz and see if you can identify the musical that goes with the song.

1. Favorite Things (ask yourself: what are a few of your favorite things?)

2. I Enjoy Being a Girl (what about being a girl do you enjoy?)

3. Happiness (fill in the blank: Happiness is.....)

4. Put On a Happy Face (who helps you wipe off that mask of tragedy?)

5. Make ‘Em Laugh (what makes you laugh?)

6. Put On Your Sunday Clothes (what do you wear that makes you feel wonderful?)

7. Thank You for the Music (what do you sing in the shower?)

Now that I have you thinking, what music makes you happy?

Mele Kalikimaka

2010-09-12T13:28:00.001-07:00

Being with the Yuens is a lot like Christmas. Much anticipation. Thrills. Noise. Chaos. Fun. Song. Food. Love. AND Peace. We never know what will happen, but we know it will be good.

When my kids were little, I insisted on having every Christmas in our home, with our tree, with our songs, with our stuff. A creature of habit, I like things to be predictable. It feels secure. Yet, I’ve changed in recent years. I’m no longer bound to my town or my home or even my people. I no longer need to have Christmas here. In a sense, I’ve taken Christmas out of the box!

Someday, I want to have Christmas in Hawaii. Maybe the Yuens will join us! And Yes, I COULD drink a mai tai instead of hot mulled cider on Christmas Eve and wear a muumuu instead of flannel Christmas morning. I am more at peace with the unpredictable and new. It’s a lot like fishing, isn’t it?

Sometimes you throw your nets out into the sea and come up with nothin’. The disciples knew that. Other times, you throw your nets out and come up with a whole lot of somethin’! Someone once said, “It’s all good.”

Maybe the Yuens and the Schneiders will meet again in Hawaii! Who knows, maybe we’ll even have another hukilau.

What’s a hukilau you ask?

What?! You don’t KNOW?!

I’m teasing. My favorite line is “Paradise now, at the hukilau.” It’s all there, in this silly, singable song.

And for my friend Jill, listen to the words....they are for you ;)

You can check out Jill’s blog to read about our hukilau prequel. Maybe you’ll understand why I have Hawaii on the brain. It was quite a gnarly ride!

A hui hou kakou - Until we meet again.

Happiness Project, Intro to Chapter 5

2010-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

"Research shows that regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life," writes Gretchen Rubin on page 113 of the Happiness Project.

Tough truth to hear when 99% of what you do isn’t fun. I don’t like cooking. I don’t like laundry. I don’t like cleaning or disciplining children. I don’t like driving them all over creation either....

"Studies show that each common interest between people boosts the chances of a lasting relationship and also brings about a 2 percent increase in life satisfaction." (p. 119)

Bummer. I’m not that into what my kids are into. Yikes. I really want lasting relationships with them.

Oops. I haven’t finished the chapter. I didn’t realize I hadn’t finished the chapter until I sat down to type this blog. Why did I choose now to write this blog? Because I had some unexpected play today and Chapter 5 is entitled: Be Serious About Play.

Seriously.

So, even though there are plenty of parts of my job that are really NOT fun. Even though I’m not into what my kids are into and I spend the vast majority of my time with them, there are ways to play.

Tonight I enjoyed the privilege of attending my Boy Scouts’ Court of Honor. An occasion in which they receive numerous awards. My boys raked it in tonight. Yeah! Worth celebrating. But before we left the house, this was the NOT FUN conversation.

Me: Zach! Did you wash your shirt when you got home from camp?!
Zach: Yeah.
Me: It’s filthy!
Zach: It is?
Me: You can’t wear that tonight.
Zach: I have to.
Me: TAKE IT OFF now, it’s going into the wash. I can’t let you go looking like that...

Horrendous Mommy Moment. I know. When we all get to heaven no one will care that his Boy Scout Class A Uniform shirt was dirty. But the Mommy Monster took over and me and Shout It Out had a party in the laundry room. Big Brother, and eldest child, who was recently nominated Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) starts having a fit because he’s doing the math on the time. Stress. Anxiety. And it’s all my fault. A NOT FUN mommy moment, indeed. SPL will be late to his first Court of Honor that he has to direct.... yada yada yada.

Fast forward 30 minutes. I took the clean class A out of the wash. Threw it in the drier. Numerous debates ensued over the time issue. How long does it take for a Boy Scout Class A Uniform shirt to dry enough to wear it?????

Me: Zach, take it out.
Zach: Now?
Me: Yes, now. It’s time to go.
Evan, new SPL: We’re already going to be late.
Me: No, we are not.
Zach: It’s wet.
Me: It won’t be when you get there!

When we got into the car I told Zach to hang his shirt out to dry on the way. We had FUN! Zach dodged cars, (think - matador!), as we let his shirt take wing on our windy roads. And guess what? It DRIED. Upon arrival Zach looked as spiffy as the rest of his troop.

It wasn’t planned, so I know this doesn’t count as the “regular fun” the research recommends. It wasn’t the kind of “common interest” the studies refer to either.
But we shared a common goal.

I’ll have to finish the chapter to find out what it really means to be serious about play, but on this occasion, we found the fun. We laughed. We rejoiced. We played.

A definite 2 percent increase in life satisfaction, for all of us tonight.

What do you see?

2010-08-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

What do you see when you look at this picture?

You notice the candle thingy?

What do you notice about the candle thingy?

For years, I’ve only noticed the paisley design. There’s a vine-like leaf pattern, too. These are the patterns I have noticed. That’s probably why I bought it. I like nature. I think I’ve owned this Yankee Candle accessory for 5 years. Maybe more.

Funny though. I never noticed the hearts. Never. Not til today.

This morning, while praying for God’s mind and heart, this homey, sweet smelling bit of tchotchke was sitting front and center. I happened to be looking at it. This morning, I looked at it in a new way. I saw the hearts.

I realized that often, I don’t see God and in my frustration, I keep seeing the same things. Usually negative. Usually things I have to work hard to fix. Just like I haven’t really seen the heart pattern on this familiar piece of decor, I miss what is in front of me. Today, like the blind man I can cry out, “I was blind but now I see.” What’s important to recognize is that just as Jesus healed the blind man, Jesus needs to heal me. I can’t show myself these things. He must do it. He opens eyes.

As I think through my relationships, I know, too that I often ask my friends this question, “What am I not seeing?” or “What am I missing?” or “Am I interpreting this correctly?” Perhaps my conscience knows what a failure I am...at seeing things way God’s sees them.

Guilty.

But what I love about God is that simple requests, the simplest prayers always seem to get answered.

Like, help me have compassion. The next thing I know I’m sobbing at everything. I donate time toward the leukemia society. I actually walk up to the people begging for money and offer them something, so they don’t have to ask. I pray for the woman in the store being mean to her children, instead of walking away with that self-righteous chip on my shoulder.

Like, help me love my husband.

Like, help me love my children.

Like, help me love You, oh, Lord.

My most recent prayer: Help me see what You see.

What are you seeing? Most importantly, what do you need to see? What simple prayer might you prayer inviting God to open your eyes?

Happiness Project, Chapter 4

2010-08-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Lighten Up.

God knows, I need to lighten up! 
In fact, in a group of people last spring I boldly proclaimed, “I need to find ways to have more fun!”

Have I done it? Nope. Not really. But I’ll blog about that in Chapter 5. Chapter 5 is my favorite so far, but here we go on Chapter 4. One chapter at a time....

What resonated most with me was found on pg. 98-100. The author was discussing the importance of people’s feelings, specifically her children. Gretchen Rubin writes, “We should acknowledge the task is difficult (in the case of a child’s frustration or complaint)....Experts say that denying bad feelings intensifies them; acknowledging bad feelings allows good feelings to return.” Please read it again. Slowly. I think it works even with adults. Have you found that to be true?

Many years ago I prayed to become a more compassionate person. I knew I was heavily task oriented, and I needed something to help me live more in the moment. Prayer change things. I still err on the side of duties and check-lists, but I am more aware of my tendencies and mindful to put people first. When my children were losing it, I began to stop what I was doing. Then, I would pause to feel their pain. Filled with genuine sympathy I say, “Oh, what a bummer.” With my husband I use, “Man, that really stinks.” A few simple feeling words is enough for most people. For me, it reduces my natural inclination toward should-ing and shaming and empowers me to sympathize a little better. Now that I know what the “experts say”, I hope those I love feel heard and understood. Hopefully, I have helped them to lighten up.

I love this Bible verse from Romans 12: Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. It’s part of what it is to love people. I try to keep that verse in the back of my mind. I think the simple principle is often the sugar that helps the medicine of life go down.

Other aspects of the chapter are like this one. It's stuff I already know. I keep photo albums of happy memories. “...recalling the past amplifies the positive.” Traditions are important. I’m not so good at that as our holidays are different each and every year, but we have a few basic traditions we enjoy as a family.

Take Away Point: When burdened, I need to lighten up a lot.

I like what Rubin advises about identifying the problem. Sometimes, it requires simplifying something. Sometimes, it is realizing that the work you are doing IS important to you, even if it is a momentary trouble.

The Bible says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” So, whether it is cooking up a storm for holiday guests, driving my kids to music lessons on a stormy afternoon, or wrapping Christmas presents at 11PM on Christmas Eve, I can anticipate the joy, savor the event as it unfolds, and express the happiness of the moment when it comes. Singing along with my children as they play Christmas Carols on the piano Christmas morning is the culmination of all this good effort. Forever, I get to recall those happy times and will have the pictures to prove it....

Thank you God for using your Word to lighten my path before I read Happiness Project, Ch. 4. Thank you God for your compassion on me, for hearing my prayer.

It's a Ladybug World

2010-08-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

I experienced a ladybug miracle last week. One of those wonderful moments in a person’s life when you say, “Remember when.....”

I’ll always remember the first time I saw a bald eagle, perched in its nest, regal and still. I’ll always remember the time a red tailed hawk swooped into my suburban backyard to snatch an innocent bird at my feeder. I’ll even remember the time I carelessly hopped over a baby rattlesnake because I wasn’t paying attention. And I’ll remember this day at the river with some of my Ladybug People.

Once I wrote about ladybugs. They eat the aphids that suck the life out of the blossoms on my roses. Ladybugs are my friends. They help me bloom. I’ve been blessed with many in my life and continue to enjoy little reminders. I don’t know if I was blooming in their presence the other day when we were all together, but I know I couldn’t help but catch a whiff of their sweet aromas... sugar, spice and everything nice, rosy, serene with a hint of sunscreen.

See what I mean?

Learn the Lesson of Not

2010-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Can you see it? The lazy days of summer are coming to an end. We are starting school next week. I just found out we need to leave our house at 7AM Tuesday mornings because Zach has a class that starts at 8. Wasn’t expecting that. Evan doesn’t get out of his classes til 3. You do the math. One long day. I’m sure this isn’t the end of surprises as we face a new school year. Homeschooling’s like a box of chocolates, don’t you know?

I wanted to share with you something I read from Sit Walk Stand (originally published in 1957). I don’t know why I want to share these things. I just do. I also know that people who don’t comment, are reading my blog. So, comments or no comments. It doesn’t matter. Sometimes we give gifts with wrapping paper and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we write thank you notes and sometimes we don’t. It’s not the receiving that counts.... It’s the giving....

Watchman Nee writes the following in the chapter entitled: Stand

John 5:19, “ The Son can do nothing of himself.” How often in the books of Acts we find the Holy Spirit prohibitions! (... he mentions Acts 16) Yet this book is the book of the acts of the Holy Spirit, not of His inactivities. Too often we think that the actual doing is what matters. We have to learn the lesson of not doing - of keeping quiet for him. We have to learn that if God does not move, we dare not move......

.......The abiding principle of all true christian work is, “In the beginning God.” (Gen 1)

...all work, to be effective, must depend for its continuance upon the power of God alone. What is power? We often use the word loosely. We say of a man, “He is a very powerful speaker.” But we have to ask ourselves the question: What power is he using? Is it spiritual power, or is it natural power? There is today all too much place given to the power of nature in the service of God. We have got to learn that even where God has initiated a work, if we are trying to accomplish it in our power, God will never commit himself to it.

You ask me what I mean by natural power. Put very simply, it is what we can do without the help of God. We give a man a task of organizing something because he is naturally a good organizer. But if that is so, how hard will he pray? If he is accustomed to depend on his natural gifts, he may feel no need to cry to God. The trouble with us all is that there is so many things we can do without relying upon God. (Exod. 4:10)

.....Somehow, in our history with God, we must experience that initial crippling touch of His hand to weaken our natural strength, so that we can stand forth on the ground of the resurrection life in Christ alone .....

..... When God commits Himself to a thing, then He comes out in power to prove that He is in it and is Himself its Author.

What a way to start my school year!

I’m an expert at trying hard. Aren’t we all? I even try to appropriate God’s power for myself. It goes like this: This is a good thing I feel I must do, therefore I will ask God to give me the strength to do this good thing I feel I must do. Ouch. Argh. Groan. Guess it’s time for me to re-learn an old lesson from a study I once did by Henry Blackaby. “Look for where God is already at work... then join Him.”

I’m not saying God can not originate a thing through me, He certainly can. I’m just sayin’ that no matter what I do, I want God the Author of it and the Power behind my activity in it. Anyone say, Amen?!

Our homeschool motto is Psalm 127, "Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain...." It could just as easily be a family motto or a life motto. A motto is an Italian word for pledge.

What do you pledge as your summer comes to an end and another school year begins?

Happiness Conflict

2010-07-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Conflict.

What was supposed to be a leisurely afternoon nap turned into a heated discussion about closets.

A number of weeks ago, when I started my Happiness Project and knew that sooner or later, I’d be cleaning my master bedroom closet, I mentioned to my husband, “Ummm.. by the way one of these days this summer, I’m going to either go through your closet stuff or ask you to do it.” It’s a secret, but I already went through his stuff before Father’s Day and dumped some shirts into a garbage bag. He didn’t notice and that garbage bag is still taking up space in the closet.

So our leisurely discussion about whether or not to have a garage sale and when/where to dump to stuff, excess stuff, more stuff than people need and currently stuff we don’t want, became a knock-down dragged out discussion about who is storing too much stuff and who won’t let go of too much stuff.

All I was asking was for him to either commit to doing a garage sale with me or tell me where to store the bags and boxes for him to take to Goodwill. (The thought hadn’t occurred to me to drive an hour to Fresno so I could take it to the Goodwill there.... since our discussion, I know I have a Plan B). All I was asking was for him to get rid of the extra shoes I had already asked him to get rid of months ago.

Him: You didn’t tell me those shoes were supposed to be donated.

Her: Yes, I did. I told you when I set them in the garage on your work bench in that blue basket.

Him: I don’t think you did. I remember you pointing them out a few weeks ago. That was the first time I saw them. (Note: They SIT in driver’s eye view of the driver of the car whenever you pull in or out of the garage. NOTE 2: He recently cleaned the garage of a myriad of cobwebs and had to have moved that shoe basket in the cleaning!)

Her: Yes, I did. I am sick of looking at it. And by the way, I needed duck tape the other day and couldn’t even get to your organizer where you keep the tape. I couldn’t reach your toolbox either when I was trying to adjust the thingy on the carpet shampooer and had to keep reaching around the pingpong table into your dark toolbox (we have black widows!) to try to find a tool I couldn’t see.

Him: Well, if you would keep clean the shoe and jacket area, we might be able to move the pingpong table over there. And I’ve been wanting to sell that headboard that your aunt left us. It’s in the way.

Her: YOU are the ONE who let Zach bring home a free camping backpack and you don’t even have space for the 2 we have! And YOU are the ONE WHO....

Conflict. It wasn’t pretty. Currently, my closet is not cleaned. But it will be.

HP 1 I am supposed to clean my closet
HP2 I am supposed to create an atmosphere of love in my home.

Oh my goodness.

HP 3 Apparently, I’m not aiming higher either.
Point 1 - Arguing wasn’t new. It’s really old.
Point 2 - Focusing on one element. Oh bother.
Point 3 - Didn’t make the discussion fun. Rats.

My husband’s response was to clear space and set up a donation station in our garage. See?
The sign reads: Goodwill and Garage Sale Staging Area Only. Violators will be shot!

Sometimes happiness results from what others do for you, not what you do for others. When that happens, you get happy and really humble. I also got hopeful that someday I might be worthy of those whose grace I don't deserve. In the meantime, I will, at the very least, clean my closet.

Happiness Project, Chapter 3

2010-07-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

In all honesty, this is NOT my favorite chapter.

Aim Higher

I think when you are already disposed to reflection and are self-critical, you don’t need anyone to tell you to work or try harder. I like what Watchman Nee is telling me currently in Sit Walk Stand. Nee says it’s a lot about doing nothing and just sitting at the feet of Jesus. Yeah. That’s what I need to hear. But anyway, blog I shall. Why? Because I said I would do it and that’s my nature.

According to Rubin, p. 69, “...the happy outperform the less happy.” Oh, my gosh! In the Mommy World, that is so very true!

Therein lies the cruxt of my difficulties with this chapter. Mommy World. Rubin talks a lot here about striving in her professional life. Well, my professional life at the moment is being a wife and mother. So, in a sense, where do I strive to do better? That is the question I have to ask myself. What Take Away Points can benefit me in my Mommy World?

I like these points -

Point 1: “If you do new things - you are more apt to feel happy than people who stick to more familiar activities.”

Point 2: “Research shows that the more elements make up your identity the less threatening it is when any one element is threatened.”

Point 3: “The fun part doesn’t come later, now is the fun part.”

New Things: So, where I fantasize about what “real job” in the “real world” I might sooner or later acquire once again, the Now is about continuing to do New Things. In the last 6 years I have learned to ski, started running, hiked Half Dome, learned to enjoy camping, wrote a music appreciation curriculum, taught a literary analysis class to 6 high schoolers, and learned to crochet. I also started to blog. Currently, I am creating a website for families in my area. New Things. Check. Continue to do New Things... yes, but what? I love that question.

Something you should know about me. I am not naturally adventurous. I chose to be. I chose to be for my little girl. I chose to be so she wouldn’t be afraid of trying new things, physical things. I purposed to be a good example for her and it was prayer that opened the doors and gave me direction. By God’s grace I learned a new meaning of being a “new creation”. If you don’t know what New Thing to do next, ask God. He helps people.

Do you get Point 2? I think of it this way, it’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket. In other words, if your total purpose is wrapped up in just a few things and those few things start to unravel at the seams, life becomes a drag. Whereas, if you are cheerfully engaged in a variety of meaningful life-giving pursuits, then you can handle better that cousin, twice removed, who is blaming you for ruining her life when you were both 12 because you were better than her at playing guitar. That cousin twice removed does not have the power to pop your joy bubble; she can only make a little leak, because you are filled with many good things. Diversify your happiness portfolio! (oh, and choose wisely what you fill yourself with!)

The Fun Part: Life is challenging. There is plenty to stew over, but I know from our recent vacation that 3 flat tires in Barstow in mind-boggling heat, is the fun part. We played catch on a blacktop with a nerf football while a couple of guys fixed our tires in the scariest “off the beaten path” place I had ever been. My only trouble, I kinda forgot how to throw a good one. I used to know how to throw a football! The weird stuff. The hard stuff. That’s the fun stuff. The Now really is the fun stuff if you look at it that way.

My Take Away Points - Aiming high for me means looking at life Now with my God Glasses on. I have to remember that all things really are possible; new things, many things, and fun things.

Love does not seek its own...1 Corinthians 13:5

2010-07-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

So far, I have no one tracking with me on my HP (Happiness Project) although I have at least three friends who have bought the book and at least two reading it. That’s somethin’!

One of my favorite subjects, Love, I have blogged about previously. But Love has come up again as a result of my HP. You can read Happiness Project, Chapter 2 if you scroll down. My Take Away Point - What says “I love you” to my family?

And then, one of my favorite pastors, BG (Bill Giovannetti) of the Neighborhood Church in Redding, CA has recently blogged about one of my favorite subjects, Love! Please read what he wrote in theological terms about Love, one of my all time favorite subjects. Perhaps it is the most significant topic to dwell upon, ponder and grow into which is why Love is one of my favorite subjects!

Part 2 of BG’s message is here.

I LOVE this stuff even if no one else cares because love does not seek its own!

(That’s just another way of saying, you don’t have to like it just ‘cuz I like it. It’s okay to be different. Love doesn’t need for us to agree about everything or even prefer the same things. )

Don't you just love learning new Bible stuff?

Happiness Project, Chapter 2

2010-07-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Gretchen Rubin titles her Chapter: Remember Love

Yeah. I remember it.

Hear the ringing enthusiasm in my voice? I’ve been married 22 years and sometimes I think if I haven’t figured it out by now, I never will. That’s what I thought at the beginning of the chapter, but as I read along, I realized I was reading a woman’s journal as she discovered truths I have already learned such as “nagging only makes him feel bad and me feel worse”. (Those are my words, not Rubin’s and if you haven’t figured that one out yet, every time you nag, pinch yourself or sit in time-out or make yourself take a spoonful of cod liver oil. Stop nagging, ladies, you are just digging a hole for yourself that someday you will be buried in.)

Okay. Moving on.

Chapter 2 was a celebration of what I have learned and what I have already put into practice in my life and in my marriage. Yahoo! Nothing to work on!?

No, I’m not that lucky.

Doing something about something....hmmmm.... I mentioned that in my last post.

Here’s Rubin: “Happiness,” wrote Yeats, “Is neither virtue nor pleasure, nor this thing nor that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.” Contemporary researchers make the same argument: that it isn’t goal attainment but the process of striving after goals - that is, growth - that brings happiness.”

I know and you probably do too, that husbands want happy wives. It’s that simple. Heard the phrase, If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody’s happy? It’s true, isn’t it? So, get happy!

But, how?

On page 68 Rubin reminds her readers, “The fact is - you can’t change anyone but yourself.”

Duh. That’s marriage 101, right? Putting that principle into practice is perhaps that hardest part about being married, but at our core we know we ought not strive to change our husbands. So, embrace the truth. Change yourself. (For the record, I believe abuse situations require more than these simple principles.)

My Take Away Point from this chapter leads me to put into practice some things I am reading about in another book, For the Family’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. As Macaulay talks about the dynamics of home life she has reminded me of my overall goal: Create a Loving Atmosphere in My Marriage and in My Home. I have to do something about that. It won't happen by itself. It requires me to grow. Bingo! and growing makes me happy!

For the Family’s Sake motivates me to keep my husband and children my priority and the bonus is that in practice, loving them well makes me really happy. Gretchen Rubin puts it this way: Give Proofs of Love. I put it this way: What says “I love you” to my family?

Can you relate?

Happiness Project, Chapter 1

2010-07-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

My mother and nephew are coming this week. It’s no week to clean my closets. But just so you know, the Happiness Project isn’t just about cleaning closets. In all honesty, I don’t know what it’s ALL about. I’m only on Chapter 2. Today, however, I thought it was time to share what I have been doing about Chapter 1.

Vitality.

For a moment, however, let me move along to Chapter 2 on marriage. Gretchen Rubin reminds her readers of the business school truism: You manage what you measure. She even applies this principle to RELATIONSHIPS. As I read along, it makes a lot of sense. I have a feeling the Happiness Project is a lot about managing and measuring. As I mentioned previously, my fondness for list-making makes this the perfect book for me.

“It is by studying the little things,” wrote Samuel Johnson, “that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”

Many years ago, I figured out I like to take small steps. I like to achieve. I like to meet my goals. Overwhelming goals like losing 5 or 10 or 15 pounds just aren’t my style. I prefer goals like, I will eat a salad every day. That I can do. I will walk on the treadmill at least 20 minutes 5 days each week. That’s so much easier than training for a marathon. And I feel good when I do what I say I will do. I agree with Samuel Johnson, for me, it is in the little things.

Sometimes I call my little things, Take Away Points. They are the nuggets of truth or measurable principles I can walk away with and do something about. After church, our family always discusses the Take Away Point. Half the fun is hearing everyone’s different points of view and realizing that when God speaks, there are lots of Take Away Points possible! Doing something about something... well, there’ll be more in Chapter 2 on that subject!

The biggest Take-Away point for me from Chapter 1 is this: The One Minute Rule. Don’t postpone any task that can be done in less than a minute.

I LOVE THIS RULE!

It keeps my underwear from sitting in the laundry pile on the couch.

It keeps crumbs off my counter.

It keeps books stacked neatly.

It keeps pillows happily propped in their proper places.

The One Minute Rule creates energy. Hence, it is my primary Take Away Point from the chapter on Vitality. Gretchen Rubin talks about exercise and sleep and organizational goals like cleaning your closets, but the One Minute Rule is easy to implement and has already made me happier.

What is making you happy?

Rhapsody on a Theme from Princess Bride or The Happiness Project, Scene 1

2010-06-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

No! That’s not what I meant.

How about this one?

“Inconceivable!”

“I do not think it means what you think it means.”

No! That’s not it either.

Here we go.

“He’s not dead. He’s only mostly dead.”

Know any dead people? I know you don’t. But it’s slightly possible that some of the people you know are only mostly dead. Okay. I know. I’m crazy. What on earth am I saying?

I’m reading the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Right off the bat, she makes the point that she’s not depressed. She is simply asking some basic questions. I can tell Gretchen Rubin is a “thinker”, like me. She’s also a list-maker, like me. Gretchen Rubin isn’t searching for happiness the way some people in this day and age search for “purpose” or “inner truth” or whatever it is they do..... Gretchen Rubin takes a scientifically sound, statistical approach and asks, What makes people happy? What might make me a happier person? What choices do I have to increase my happiness? Not schmultzy, mushy, sappy, cheesy, warm and fuzzy happy - no, content. Read that both ways. CONtent and conTENT. Simple acts like getting enough sleep and putting things away when you are done with them. Creating order. Creating energy. That’s where she begins her project. I've re-worded Rubin's ideas and summed it up this way for myself: The CONtent of my life choices will increase conTENTment. duh!

But what I like best so far is not so much that I need cleaner closets or a better night-time routine, but that the Happiness Project is a way to choose a little bit MORE life.

We can fill our lives with so much “stuff” that we don’t choose; we don’t live much. We are mostly dead, reacting to our environment as opposed to embracing the choices we have. We all need a Miracle Max to chocolate coat a little pill we can swallow that will improve our circumstances. But as he said in the movie, “You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.”

My girlfriend, Kristy recently shared with me what gave her the courage to become a painter, at the ripe old age of 42. She’s got 2 kids at home with plenty to do; homeschooling, running those boys all over creation, fundraisers, church stuff.... but she realized God had given her a passion to create art. What she lacked was the discipline. Her Happiness Project (and she hasn’t read the book) was the CHOICE to combine her passion with DISCIPLINE. A few years ago, she committed to draw or paint every day. It was that simple. She made a choice. This summer, she has several shows lined up and people, including me, who want to buy her work (but I can’t afford it, she’s already that good!). Wow. To see her work, click on Kristy.

Apparently, Miracle Max was correct, “There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.”

So the slightly alive part of me is challenging the slightly alive part of you to read the Happiness Project. If you can’t, that’s cool. But ask yourself, what do I need to do with the CONtent of my life to increase conTENTment? The Apostle Paul said he had to learn to be content. It takes time. It takes discipline. But do you want to be happier? Will you join me?

BYOK or Bring Your Own Kleenex

2010-06-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Emily Adcox shared with Catey a blessing. It was more than that, to me, however, because what she shared was a question. The question was about legacy. Not the highfalutin’ kind. No. Emily shared a simple gift of passing something on.

As she shared, I found my mind reeling back to my mother. My mother who did not teach me to clean toilets or do my own laundry. My mother who did not teach me to cook or sew. But I couldn’t stay there in my mind when I thought of all the things my mother did teach me... to believe in myself.... to trust my instincts... to not give up.... to stand alone....to choose good friends.... to make memories..... to hope for more. Thought I didn’t grow up in a conventional Christian home, my mother also taught me how to pray... Now I lay me down to sleep..... So when the storms hit later in life, to whom did I turn? I have my mother to thank, in part, for Faith, the greatest legacy.

About 8 months ago, maybe it was 10. It was hot that day so it must have been last fall or even last summer. I was on my front porch on the phone with mom. In fairness to those of you have a strained relationship with your mom, you have got to know that my mom is not, nor ever has been, my “BFF”. We don’t have a relationship like that. We have our obligatory calls, which my mom usually initiates and sometimes we talk about heart issues. But it took a long time before we could do that. That day, I decided to put the advice of The Blessing into practice. That day on the phone, I told my mom how grateful I was that she gave me so much advice growing up. That sound, wise advice, have been the pillars of strength in what has been a most difficult time in my life. I hear my mother’s voice when the world closes in, and my gratitude overcomes me. It was time to tell my mother that and thank her.

Emily has 5 young children (one on his way from China!). She’s a young mom herself I think. She is about to teach her daughter to cross stitch. Her mother taught her to cross stitch. Cross stitch has been for Emily what baseball is to some father/son relationships. Cross stitch is the tie that binds, the spark of communication. Cross stitch is a legacy the women in Emily’s family share. Joy over finished projects. Enthusiasm over new ones to come. Frustrations about bad patterns, missing stitches, doing and re-doing. Shared excitement. Shared losses. Shared vision. Shared hope. But her question to Catey was what struck me most: What is your connection going to be? What will you pass on? She asked Catey this while giving her a beautiful cross stitch to place in her Hope Chest.

Here I am, with 3 not-so-young children and like iron sharpening iron, Emily asks a question of another person that is a gift to me.

WHAT AM I passing on?

Some of you know why I don’t crochet. My mother crocheted. Like crazy. And when I tried to learn how (she bought me books and hooks and yarn), I failed...miserably. So that’s when I went to my mom-in-law to learn to knit. Deep within, I was longing to have something to pass down.

Little did I know when my mom-in-law taught me my first stitches, that there was a whole world out there of enthusiastic knitters taking the world by storm with free lessons on YouTube! But at that time, I was trying to create a memory and a miniature legacy of my own.

But here I am today, thanks to CATEY, (who is responsible for the whole Emily connection because I met Emily at Catey’s Blessing Celebration), I am also a crocheter. CATEY taught me to crochet my first flower. I needed to see it all in 3-D. Thanks to Catey, I have now crocheted several hats and this picture is her wearing one with a flower SHE taught me to crochet. That day on the porch, I delighted in telling my mother that I had finally mastered a small aspect of crocheting. Connection. Sharing. Passing down. “I finally got it, Mom!” “Good for you!”

I intend to leave a legacy of every other good thing my mother offered me, as well. Thanks to Emily's blessing, I will be intentional about passing on the most precious gifts of all. Wisdom. Words. Encouragement. Hope. Prayer. Faith.

And if I forget, I have this to hang on my wall. A story to share with all who enter my home. A piece of Emily Adcox and Catey and Me. We each have one. Emily made it for Catey and gave it to her at her blessing. Mine will arrive soon, a free gift given to me for no good reason. Maybe that’s the best reason of all.

For the record, all of my children, including the boys, can knit and crochet. They don’t all love it, but they know how. Best of all, stitched in their minds forever will be pictures of me, propped on the couch, in the car, and in our trailer - reflections of memories I have of their grandmothers... yarn in hand....flowing from a skein that never ends.

What do you give? What will you pass on? What will your story be?

The Blessing

2010-06-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Blessing: It’s a book by Trent and Smalley. I’ve read it 3-4 times. It’s one of those I come back to again and again because I want to give blessings, not curses to people. When you’ve been cursed, it’s as if someone has put you to sleep and diabolically planted thorns in your flesh. (That’s not from the book. That’s from my imagination) Those thorns cause pain. Whenever someone rubs you wrong the way, they get poked or stabbed. Sometimes, the thorns themselves cause aching and anguish for the bearer. The Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he prayed to be removed. Musta been a pain.

Sometimes, the thorny nature of people, simply keeps you from being close to them. When I shop for roses I’m like that. If I see a wallop of thorns on the stems, I skip it. The suckers that often grow from good roses are often thornier offshoots of the original plant. What to do with those? You cut them off... as close to the ground as possible. You don’t let them grow because no matter how pretty the flower, them thorns are vicious! And they’ll eventually take over the whole plant. Kinda like the proverb, a companion of fools suffers harm. Keep away from the cursed!

But I am cursed. In part, I was born that way. Sinful nature and all. So in response, I read the Blessing, because I wanted to be a blessing to others. I want to be a thorn picker. One of those people who patiently de-thorns the rose stems before I put them in the vase. I recommend it. It’s a good book.

Another recommendation is to GIVE a blessing. My friend, Jill, did this for her daughter, Catey. I got to be a part of it. Here’s the “How to”.

First, have a momentous occasion. 16th or 18th birthday or a graduation. In Catey’s case, it was her high school graduation celebration that prompted the date for The Blessing.

Second, a Hope Chest is a good idea.

Third, send an invitation and descriptive letter to all significant women in daughter’s life. Tell invitees to come prepared with a written blessing to share verbally and to give to the Blessed for her Hope Chest. Explain that the Hope Chest is to be started that day, filled with the hope and promise and blessings of a future, along with colanders. (inside joke)

Fourth, make a whole lot of sandwiches!

Fifth, inconspicuously place tissues around the room (Jill forgot this part) and be prepared for the wisdom of the ages to come pouring out of the women you know who love your little girl.

Some blessing ideas: A set of candles and candlesticks - to remind her to let her light shine before men in such a way that they will see her good works and glorify her father who is in heaven. A tablecloth - a foundation on which to build service and hospitality. A quilt- to comfort her with the comfort with which she has been comforted by Christ. Tea things - to encourage her meditation. Coffee Mugs - to encourage her meditation after she has children when she needs something stronger than tea to get her going in the morning. Books that have changed your life - Sit, Walk, Stand by Watchman Nee and The Rest of the Gospel by .... okay, so you can tell... I WAS ENCOURAGED AND BLESSED! You know those 2 books are currently in my amazon cart for when I get done with the Happiness Project and Bold Love.

One of my favorite of the blessings, deserves a post of its own. Because it wasn’t just a blessing to Catey, but because it was the kind of blessing that is changing me. Stay tuned... and BYOK (bring your own kleenex).

Paradox

2010-06-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Paradox. I love 'em.

Read this today. Thought it might strike a chord in you, too.

Both. And. Having your cake and eating it, too. Truth. In Love.

Justice. Mercy.

Not unlike my recent blog post about Truth and Grace.

Think about it. Abundant life born from giving up your rights to everything. (Matthew 10:39)

The wisest people are those who can receive instruction. (Proverbs 9:9)

The last will be first and the first will be last.

What paradoxes come to mind for you?

Two Lucky Ladies

2010-06-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Looks can be deceiving.

You can’t always read a book by its cover.

All that glitters is not gold.

You’ve heard them all before and you know they are true. The hard part, is unlike the God of the Universe, we are prone to judge on appearances. Why is that? We are wired concretely. We respond to what we see.

The dog really is impressionably challenged. She’s ugly, but in a cute way. That’s what I thought to myself but before the words were fully formed and I gave it any thought I simply blurted out, “She’s ugly.” I’ve spent many years considering the importance of tact. But sometimes, I don’t have any. It’s kind of like appearances, I guess. Some people don’t give the best first impressions, yet underneath an impression lives someone quite the opposite. Sometimes.

Most of us merely want to be loved for who we are INSIDE. Not what we do. Not even what we say. Not what impressions we give. I’m like everyone else.

Like Popeye of old, I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam. Tactless though I be on occasion, I’ve been blessed with something not everyone has. Thanks to one very important person in my life, my mother, liking myself has been mostly easy. That was a blessing all by itself. Of course, then when I met God, I realized, my mom was really right! God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Yahoo! Sometimes, I am ugly, or tactless but in an okay sort of way. Sometimes, I don’t make the best first impressions or say the right thing. It’s okay, though, because I am His. The older I get the more I realize how rare a thing it is to both strive for personal improvement and live contentedly in one’s own skin, with mistakes, blunders, failures, warts, wrong motives and all. I am very fortunate to belong to a forgiving God.

Meeting Lady, the ugly dog, reminded me of this kind of unconditional acceptance. She’s been re-homed 3 times now (kind of like being stood up for the prom) and needed someone to take her in. She is the blind date that no one would take out, the wallflower that no one wanted to dance with, the Ugly Duckling of the dog world or Cinderella in dire need of a fairy DOGmother. But a few weeks ago, she got loved.

Even though she is really funny looking, my friend, Jill, Carli “The FunYuen’s” mom, saw her full potential as one of God’s creatures and invited Lady into her family. Spots and all. It doesn’t matter that she can’t dance and that her head is too big for her body. Jill saw beyond all that…..saw her for who she really is. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it? How lucky Lady is. She may be ugly in a cute way, but what’s best is that she belongs.

When I think about it, Lady and I have a lot in common, but what's obvious is that we both have a great personality! (grin)
(seriously) Maybe we do, not because of who we are, but because of who loves us the way we are. We are two lucky ladies.

DISCLAIMERS:
(no animal feelings have been hurt in the writing of this blog)
(photo has not been touched-up, re-touched, altered, stretched, colored, exaggerated... no.... that’s what the dog really looks like!)

Car-tripping with Carli is a Trip!

2010-06-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

We went to see Catey Yuen graduate and be blessed. That was the goal. I can’t say enough about her that wasn’t already said to her face. She is loved. She is admired. She is blessed. So many people celebrated her and the Schneiders were overcome to be among them.

But then, we snatched Carli! Nicknamed, The FunYuen! What a hoot to have Carli on wheels among us. Fiesty. Friendly. FUN! Here area few glimpses of Car-tripping with Carli as we traveled from Colorado back to California pulling our trailer behind us, camping along the way.

These are notes I (Aunty) wrote to her Momma (Jill) so she could share in the FunYuen from afar:

Carli upon completing a lovely origami elephant exclaimed,"Look Uncle Joe!"
Uncle Joe replied, "What a nice giraffe!"
Carli's expression in reply, priceless!
Let the laughter begin!

Today Carli and Aunty walked around Bear Lake. While traversing in several feet of snow, learning to slide as we go, we both stepped straight through into the lake! Undaunted, we finished the course with wet socks, wet shoes, cold feet. By the way, your precious girl doesn't complain!

We finally got showers today. Laundry done and spaghetti dinner and grocery shopping. A full day... Thank God there was no snow and lots of elk to see. Did some browsing in Estes, too. Don't be surprised when you hear Carli being elected Mayor of Estes. Everyone knows her now and she can introduce you to half the shopkeepers in town. Carli for MAYOR! Hip hip Hooray! That sweet girl makes the world a better place and this trip a better trip ! Tomorrow swimming. Exploring. And maybe no wet socks.

"Certain members" of the Yuen family are Energizer Bunnies! Joe and I are a bit concerned.... Will Carli crash and burn? Do we need to make her go to sleep? She fell asleep during story time last night - it was late. But woke this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed... How much sleep does The FunYuen need?

She lost panties in the locker room. Loves to shop, but seeks advice about spending wisely.... Washes hair at lightning speed. Discusses the importance of modesty quietly with me while naked mother searches for daughter in locker room. Orders Dr Pepper at restaurant.

Has named free toy frisbee, Violet Petunia Switsengard. According to Carli, her frisbee doesn't like men. So Aunty is holding free frisbee while Carli goes to bathroom. The FunYuen won't let Uncle Joe, who paid for dinner and therefore, paid for the free frisbee, touch Violet Petunia!

Carli doesn't appreciate Aunty's Latin rock/60's mix though she can sing on queue, “TEQUILA!” with the rest of us.

She thinks she found missing panties in Cedar City laundry room. She lost the panties in laundry at Glenwood Springs ( uh?)

Carli has taught Zach to crochet..... Is that why we trailer ? ( guess so)

Ate limas. Didn’t complain. Cleared plate. Confesses that she still likes brussel sprouts better.

Carli wants to make sure Aunty likes Steve Winwood while she blasts him from the bunkhouse. Aunty is concerned about sharing. Had to find Walmart to buy crochet hooks and yarn so everyone wasn't borrowing from generous Carli. Poor girl inspired all 3 kids but didn’t have enough hooks and yarn to go around.

Evan's highlight of the day: Carli’s wild hair at the super windy gas stop between No Name and Somewhere.

This morning is a Cap'n Crunch morning.
Carli says, “I don't think we are eating one serving.”
Uncle Joe, “Let's see how much is one serving.”
(Joe hunts and finds measuring cup)
Joe measures, beginning lecture on serving sizes, sugar and calories.
Carli, “Can you be quiet now?”
Zach asks for a Pop Tart to round out his meal.
Evan asks for a banana ;)
Love mornings.....

Carli purchases ice cream cone larger than her head.... But she earned it! 5 mile hike. No slouches or grouches. Carli gets award for most interesting find- mating frogs!
Carli, “Aunty can I touch them?”
Me, “Sure.”
Mating frogs hop away....attached!

Carli was dismayed when she discovered Uncle Joe allows sodas for breakfast on vacation. Zach had a Sprite to go with his pancakes while the FunYuen had taken the high road by ordering chocolate milk. Bummer . As the meal progressed she eyed Jillian’s apple cider in a frosty mug. As soon as Carli finished that milk she leaped at the chance to order something sweeter.... Which she totally consumed before I could finish this note.... Ready for shopping Cracker Barrel and naps now.

There were many I could choose from today, but the 100 degree heat and the Blizzard from DQ knocked me out. Here's a quick keeper:
Carli, “I did it!!!!!!”
Aunty, “What did you do?”
Carli, “I did it! I flushed the toilet while sitting on it!”
Carli is now officially Trailer Trash - no no no - maybe put it another way- how about Toilet Trained- no no no! - I mean Trailer TRAINED!
That's it.

THIS morning Carli was the 5th one up! I think we FINALLY created enough activity that she was inspired to sleep in!

At lunch she names the flies, Bob and Larry. She cons Evan into catching a moth for her.....which she is scared of! They try to trap it in a napkin, 3 times. (S’cuse me, Why does she want a moth she is frightened of?) She orders a BLT and takes out the bacon (?). Jillian eats the bacon ;)
Numerous questions to waitress about her very cool hoop skirt! Don' t be surprised if she wants to get married in one . Vacation is way more fun with Carli .

Good day at Yosemite except that she is too smart. She seems to have lost her sweatshirt somewhere sometime, so Joe slyly bought her a new one. On way back to car she does NOT ask "What did you buy?" nor does she ask "Did you find something you liked?" No.
Carli asks directly, “Can I see what is in the bag?” (dangit!)
So much for surprises......

Today she nursed her bug bites, learned what a junco looks like, smelled a dogwood blossom and swam in a mountain lake. S’mores when we get home so we can authenticate trip officially as "camping". A very God kinda day. Did I mention horrible traffic due to roadwork? BUT Jesus gave us a perfect parking place in the heart of Yosemite Village and a memorable experience on a crowded shuttle. Met Mike and Tracy on the shuttle and became intimately acquainted with German tourists ;) While walking to the car we quizzed her on the people we met along the way.
Who was the guy who met us at the door at that place in Glenwood Springs? Levi!
Who was the first waitress at the place where they gave you Violet Petunia? Alicia! the waitress. Who wore the hoop skirt? Shiloh!
Then there was Ranger Jack at the Rocky Mountain National gate. Connie, who helped with the bowling scores.... and the list goes on.

Her last night with us she tells me, “Aunty, I know this doesn’t sound right, but I miss my family!”

“Of course you do! You’ve done so well and this has been such a long trip for a 10 year old girl.”

“Yeah. But I mostly just missed my dog.”

The Dog, is a blog for another day.....

In the meantime, watch the FunYuen in action!

Packing My Trailer

2010-05-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Guilty. I am blogging when I should be packing my trailer. The rain is threatening today. I knew yesterday that the rain was coming. Yesterday the sun was shining. Did I pack my trailer then? NO. Why not? I dunno. Packing is the part I hate about vacation.

Now that I have my confession out of the way, let me move on to other things.

I am starting a Happiness Project. I haven’t started yet. I bought the book by Gretchen Rubin. I have so many other MUST READS right now, I just couldn’t bring myself to start it when it came. That’s okay. I give myself permission to wait until I come home from our trip. Anyone want to join me? I’d love to share via my blog or email..... My friend, Robin, is doing it too.

On our trip I plan to read the Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy. This came as a recommendation of my 15 year old who said, “Mom! You have to read this book!” Okay, then. How can I not?

I am also reading Nehemiah and maybe sometime today, I can finish the sermon series I have been listening to from Alistair Begg. He is listed on the right side of my blog if you want to check “Al” out. He’s got a cool Scottish accent, so in addition to good Bible teaching, he’s easy on the ears.

Bold Love by Dr. Dan B. Allender. Heavy. That’s all I can say about that. Major heart/journal/prayer material in that book. MAYBE I’ll read more on vacation. I’m bringing Bold Love with me, just in case I need a shovel to dig a little deeper.

Then of course, there is the music. Road Trip routine involves new music. My kids listen to mostly Christian stuff and lots of classical music during the school year. But on Road Trips they listen to Elvis, the Beach Boys, Country (including John Denver) and musical movie soundtracks like Fiddler on the Roof. This year is the year of Latin Rock and Jazz, like Santana and Celia Cruz AND some 60’s hits like Wooly Bully. Wooly Bully and other songs in the mix are influenced by latin rhythms of the time, so it makes sense to put them together. I was going to give you the whole mix, but I’ll spare you. CD 2 - Soundtrack from Into the Woods. If you don’t know Into the Woods you should. FUN! Rent it on Netflix!

For my knitting friends, I have slouch hat, fingering weight, bright fuschia on no. 5’s. It’s slippery. I have a self-striping yarn on no. 10 circs. It’ll be hat but I don’t know yet if I want to slouch it. I am working on a purple crocheted hat with a bernat satin. Smooth! We’ll see how much yarning I do.

I’m sparing my readers the gushing. We are going to CO to see Catey graduate from homeschool highschool. Uncle Joe will pray. I will read scripture. I can hardly wait. We are also doing a blessing. Oh. Sweet. Sweet. Sweet. If I type anymore, I’ll probably start to cry for the joy of it. Then there’s Carli. I’ll have to tell you all about her after I spend 2 weeks with her. She’s coming back to CA with us. Can you think of anything more delightful than having Carli with you? Of course you can’t. That’s okay. Did I start gushing? Oh, I hope not. I’m just SO EXCITED! Maybe I should start packing my trailer......

Truth and Grace

2010-05-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Have I blogged about this before? I don’t know. Maybe I have. I’m not good with details... not even the details that come out of my own brain. I forget. Remembering. Now I know I have blogged about that before. But here we go. Back to truth and grace.

When I moved to Oakhurst 3 years ago...... You know you live in a weird place when everyone you know can tell you how long they lived here. It’s like some weird countdown we are all making so we have a frame of reference. Personally, I think it’s a contest to see who can remain sane the longest living in this quirky mountain town. Back again, to my schizophrenic blog. When I moved here, I had a heart-to-heart discussion with my mother-in-law. She can be really good for that sort of thing. Virginia, if you are reading, I love you!

Me: I feel like God is teaching me about truth and grace and I wrestle with them. I feel like I have to choose between them somehow. They both vie for my attention and I can’t seem to figure out on whose side I fall.

Mother-in-law: Aren’t they the same thing?

Whoa. Leave it to the wisdom of the wise to send you reeling for 3 years trying to figure out if she’s right.

Another mother-in-law favorite: God is the perfect parent and look how His kids turned out!

But I’ll try not to digress anymore. Truth and grace. Bedfellows? Anyone?

This is what I know, or at least what I think I know.

Truth is found in God’s Word alone. Christians, for the most part, acknowledge that. If you want to get technical, Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone) is the infant of the Protestant Reformation and isn’t as old as we like to pretend that is. But again, for the most part, Truth is God’s and He communicates truth from His Word, the Bible.

Grace. Christians, generally speaking, cling to the Old Rugged Cross while using more infants of the Protestant Reformation to make the point. Sola Fide (by faith alone) or Sola Gratia (by grace alone). We don’t deserve the free pass to Heaven that we get when we come to Christ. That’s grace. Otherwise known as “unmerited favor” in evangelical circles. True theologians, however, understand that grace came before the Cross. Noah received grace. So did Abraham. The list goes on. God has been giving free passes since the dawn of time.

Okay. So where does one go with this, assuming I am right that truth and grace are twin sisters?

They don’t stand alone. They can’t. They aren’t just twin sisters they are conjoined twins! That’s what my mother-in-law meant! They DIE if they are separated because they share a heart!

Think about it. Truth lacking grace is condemnation. Grace lacking truth is chaos. Neither are safe places to live. They are bedfellows. They are syncretic. (Did I use that word correctly? Catey? You reading my blog or getting ready for graduation?)

So what happens in our lives when we err on EITHER side?

We are not safe people when we don’t tell the truth or live the truth. We are not safe people because we condemn ourselves or others. We are not safe people when we bask in the favoritism of God because we inevitably shirk responsibility or take on everyone else’s. We are not safe people because we create chaos.

WE are not safe people because we become KILLERS. We separate 2 things that are meant to live together. When we err on either side, we kill the heart of God.

1 John says: Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Both.

Search me oh God...and give me your heart.

All Things New

2010-04-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

My Super D Duper friend over at Adoptyuen, blogged recently about the Sabbath. Interesting. Old ways. Even when we think we “get it” we often don’t. Not for very long. Real change is really hard. One of my favorite all time sayings, and if you’ve known me very long you’ve heard me say it more than once: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Why! Oh, why!.... Do we think doing the same thing over and over will work? Especially Christians. We have the NEW Testament, the NEW Covenant, the promise we will be made NEW and yet, like the disciples, we go back. Back to pain. Back to sin. Back to old habits that destroy us instead of putting on the NEW self, created to be like God.

Why are we prone to wander, Lord? Why do we always want to go back to Egypt?

I’ve been in the book of James. Heavy stuff. Heavy stuff on faith and works. Faith without works is dead, you know?

But here is the wrinkle I see. That passage in James identifies 3-4 key evidences of faith at work. And... it’s not what you’d naturally think. In fact, I’m looking at works in a NEW way.

James says, “Feed the poor, clothe the needy and visit orphans and widows.” That’s easy. What’s harder to work out in my mind about works are the tales of Rahab and the Spies and the story of Abraham and Isaac. Faith at work can be a high risk undertaking. Faith at work goes against the grain. Faith at work is sometimes a private matter. Faith at work goes against common sense. By these examples, faith at work often appears to be sacrificial. Yet, in 1 Sam 15 God says, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Whoa.

Rahab’s and Abraham’s examples of faith are NO LESS SIGNIFICANT than the obvious instruction about serving the needy. Yet, because certain acts of faith are intensely personal, more relational than tangible, we sometimes fail to identify them as acts of faith. From a desire to be obedient, we go looking for concrete good works to do. Truth be told, we want others to notice them, too. We don’t always go looking for the good works GOD prepared for us to do, either. Been there? Done that?

We sometimes get hung up on our own ideas of what a “good work” is. If you read Jill’s blog, you hear her tell the example of how the disciples did that. Good works that complete faith do not come from ourselves. Good works do not come from the letter of the law. Whatever you make of acts of faith, make sure they are also acts of obedience. I guess that’s the point.

Perhaps, if I could remember all God did in the wilderness outside of Egypt, I wouldn’t want to go back to doing things my way. If I could hold on to the bright hope for tomorrow with both hands, I’d listen to God’s unique instruction, trusting Him instead of leaning on my own understanding.

Is anyone tracking with me?

Maybe God isn’t interested in us doing the same old thing because he explicitly said, "Behold I make all things NEW." (Rev 21)

Leisure

2010-04-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

W. H. Davies
Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs, 
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass, 
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight, 
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
 And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can 
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care, 
We have no time to stand and stare.

Can you relate?

April Showers

2010-04-11T17:36:00.001-07:00

April Showers bring May flowers. What I really want to be doing is gardening. I have my new ladybug flag to keep me company. I did research on cerastium and the silene uniflora I bought yesterday (when it was sunny). I bought a new pot to go with Jillian's geranium she picked out. We should be planting. But it's raining today. I'm cold.

My house looks like this.

Dishes in the sink. Crud on the counter.

Laundry on the couch. Free curriculum still in the box and on the floor though I've looked through it three times. Photo boxes in the hallway for the framing job I was doing earlier. Messy.

Jillian doesn't seem to mind the rain. She is painting rainbows while wearing footsy pajamas. A life lesson is modeled before my eyes.

Here is my ribbon box. On a day like today, when laundry and dishes are staring me in the face and mini-messes are calling my name, what did I choose to do? Make a rainbow of my own.

What's important to you on a rainy day?

Ladybugs

2010-04-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

One of the simple joys in Oakhurst is spotting the Bug Lady. It took me the longest time to figure her out. She drives around town in a red VW beetle with black spots. How cute! How clever! And I kept seeing her parked at the Western Sierra Nursery here in town. Duh. She owns it. I guess she drives around in a precocious vehicle just because..... I’m a bit of a ladybug myself. Red is one of my favorite colors and I don’t mind standing out in a crowd. For more on ladybugs, read Jill’s post here.

When Evan was turning 3, I purchased little magnifying glasses, plastic tweezers and bug cups for party favors. The night before his birthday, I also purchased a bag full of ladybugs and released them into our yard. My little bug-lover was born in March when aphids begin their attacks in the Bay Area and ladybugs are for sale. How fortunate that we could enjoy such a silly insect hunting party! What kind of cake did I serve? Bugs Life probably. Ahhhh... those were the days, when I went out of my way just because.....

Roses. Once upon a time, I had 8 on our little suburban parcel. Mr. Lincoln was my favorite and I miss him still. If you follow my blog you know that last year, the deer were having a field day with my new roses. New roses were my attempt to recreate the glory days of suburban living while living in mountain area hostility! The deer were reading my “out to lunch” sign and helping themselves to a budding harvest. Then came the voles... but that was a blog for another day.

Both pesky critters and ladybugs alike are plentiful here in Oakhurst. I’ll take ladybugs anytime! Last year they were ALL OVER my garage! Watching them transform themselves was wonderful. Have you ever walked through a swarm of them? I guess it’s another one of those local enjoyments. Not everyone has seen a rattlesnake, but many of us have a ladybug story to tell. I guess it’s why many of us live here, to commune with nature, endure its surprises and revel in its wonder.

Ladybugs. Not cacophonous creatures like the bullfrogs our friends have to put up with on their property or creepy like the bats in another friend’s attic. Ladybugs are polite (they don’t bite), protective (they eat aphids) and even generous (they let you touch them). For all the larvae they littered my house with last year, not a mark was left when they were gone. Eventually, they flew away home leaving not a trace, but a pleasant memory. They gave us enjoyment just because....... Ladybugs are friends.

Ladybugs. Pretentiously beautiful but humble in heart. You’ve heard the cry, “A ladybug!” Time stands still. Everyone wants one to have and to hold. Don’t you always count their spots? Don’t you marvel at their movement? Don’t you sigh when they finally fly away? Simple joy in a blessed moment.

Last week my friend sent me a garden flag. What can I say? It’s not my birthday. It’s not a holiday. My friend sends me something beautiful and sweet just because..... SHE is a ladybug and when I am with her, time stands still. I count her admirable qualities, marvel at her pure motives and sigh when she drives away. Such friends never bite, protect you from enemies and are generous enough to let you in to the treasure chest inside. Such friends are always more than welcome and every moment shared is blessed.

Ladybugs. Simple joy. Just because.

Contest Winner: Literature Trumps Winter Sport

2010-04-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

The "Early Bird" Gets the Worm... so sorry this is a day late.

We had to hunt and peck for all the family members, finally corraling Daddy rooster to cast the deciding vote. We combed through our entries sharpening our beaks for inspection.

We clucked and crowed about the dioramatic entries for our Peep Contest. After viewing many pictures in which movies and tv shows were represented in aPeeppriate fashion, we finally decided that literature trumps winter sport.

Honorable Mention (pictured here) goes to Winter Olympeeps which gave us much joy and laughter as we all marveled at the Flying Bunny miraculously suspended in air and the all too appropriately named, Half Peep complete with Peeps!

But our winner made is positively “Mad! Mad I say!” Alice in Peepland reached the top of the pecking order with its highly individualized party. So many flock members contributed! So many chicks represented! So much imagination! Alice in Peepland demonstrated some kinda Pluck and it didn’t look Cheep! To see for yourself, click on Alice in Peepland. Fluid, organic, painterly and where in the world did those microscopic peepy tea cups come from!? (One last thing Alice in Peepland Peeple, can I have your address so I can send you your amazing wonderful Peep prize? We don’t know you, but we love you and if we ever meet you, we shall have tea, if you have the time.)

Yoke of the day: While making a Peep Diorama for the Schneider Annual Peep contest, young Jack ate several marshmallow peeps. Concerned over a possible tummy ache, his mother hoping to discourage further indulgences, warned him, “Too many sweets can make you sick.” Jack replied, “Sweets? I thought this is what they meant when they said, “It tastes like chicken”...

Okay. I heard you moan. I’ll stick to blogging.

For your information and edification, we recommend you check out the other Peep diarama entries. They were so much fun and even fowl. What could be more exciting than Iron Chef Peeps? and Jurassic Peeps? (spoiler: the Peeps die)....

I hope you have a good time chicking out the brave eggs that feathered their nests with creativity this Easter Season. Thank you for sharing the fun! I gotta Crow!

For Peep’s Sake

2010-03-24T12:57:00.001-07:00

Do you have Spring Fever? Are you feeling like a chicken with her head cut off? Are you ready to break out of the shell you’re in and become the Super Cool Momma Chick you are meant to be?

Then join me as I hatch this little plan.....

Lately, I’ve been hen-pecked by my hard-boiled conscience and the pick-a-little-talk-a-little chick in me is ready to fly the coop. “Fly! Be Free!” I cluck to myself. Since birds of a feather flock together I decided to celebrate finding my wings by hosting one of those “web contests.” The biggest newspapers in the country do it every Easter. Can I steal their chicken lickin’ good idea? Sure! Why not. So here we go.

Imagine it now.

On your dining room table is a box. A shoe box. Craft glue. Scissors. Markers. Paper and maybe some toothpicks. Easter grass. And, oh yes, Peeps. Purple Peeps. Blue Bunny Peeps. Imaginative Peeps to whom you are related.

You’re all brainstorming.

Little Bo-Peep has Lost her Peeps?

A Village Peeple Concert?

Easter Island?

What will your Peep-y theme be?

Post your Peep Diorama and its title on your blog or send me a photo via email by Wednesday, April 7th.

Me and my little peeps will vote on the best entries..... and will send you a free gift!

And if you think I’m not entirely serious, that I’ve gone a little quackers.... check this out!

People take their Peeps seriously, for peep’s sake!

I hope I don’t end up with egg on my face but since “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” I’m hoping we’ll have a more than enough entries to choose from! No party peepers out there! Give Peeps a chance!

Rules

- Don’t forget to TITLE your Peep Diorama.

- Please DO NOT ALTER your Peeps considerably. Dress them up, by all means. You can even paint them, just don’t take a blow torch to them, okay?

- We will accept Peep Dioramas from individuals and families. Please LABEL NAME AND AGE of the creators/participants so we can take that into account when judging.

- Use at least 2 individual Peeps marshmallow items in your diorama.

Who wants to play?

If I Lived in Redding

2010-03-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends lives in Redding. When we moved back to CA, I contemplated moving where I could be close to her. Naturally. Joe and I determined that you can't move where people are because God is in the business of moving people, so we moved to Oakhurst, where we knew no one at all. Sure enough, my friend is planning to move out of Redding and is hoping that that is God's plan for her, too. Guess it makes me gladder I landed in Oakhurst.

One of the benefits of having a friend in Redding, however, is visiting her church. I'm a 'ghost attendee' of the Neighborhood Church trying to keep tabs on what's happening there. I listen to a few sermons when I can and I catch the pastor's blog. Here is what he wrote most recently. I wonder if you agree?

Here’s the best advice I can share about preaching. All sermons are either enabling (grace) or obligatory (law). We’re either preaching YOU CAN or YOU SHOULD (or YOU CAN’T or YOU SHOULDN’T).

Obligatory sermons pile up over the years. We wear people down and send them home feeling terrible about themselves. Soon, they’ll take it out on God. They’ll either give up or fake it. We become legalists when we decouple of duties of the Christian life from the divine power to do them.

Enabling sermons also pile up over the years. We build people up in their confidence in God. I’m not suggesting “positive thinking” sermons. I’m suggesting messages that communicate the good news of all that God has promised to do for us and be within us. Sermons that show off all the sparkly facets of the “I can do all things through Christ” diamond.

Good, theologically rich preaching shouldn’t just inform, it should enable. It should open your eyes to how God, by his Spirit, conforms you to Christ, even when you’re a jerk. How God overcomes your jerkitude to reveal Christ in you. It should make you believe that God hasn’t given up on you, and that this coming week is another chance to tap into his power when you’re weary.

I want people to leave my church trusting God for greater things than when they came in.

Most of the Bible is declarative, and therefore enabling.

How come most sermons are imperative, and therefore obligatory?

Great preaching lays the bulk of obligation on God… and exhorts listeners to turn to him. Isn’t that the Bible in a nutshell?

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

2010-03-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

In all seriousness, I love my little girl. Yet, here she is, with another blog worthy episode.

Jillian: Momma, you should be a housekeeper and clean people's houses.

Mommy: Really?

Jillian: Yes, Momma, you'd be really good at it.

Anybody else havin' a Sun Shiny Day?

What's Wrong with this Picture?

2010-03-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Can anyone tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

She’s 9. I thought she was becoming a pretty good little artist.

Maybe she needs lessons? Or maybe I need to lose weight?

I was under the impression I looked more like this......

Joe is wondering if those are pockets or my saggy boobs....

What do you think?

Punish 9 year old, penalize aging husband or purchase pink mumu?

Too Busy to Blog

2010-03-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

Are you ever too busy to blog?

Not me. Not usually. If I don't blog it's most often because I have nothing to say. Sometimes, I have lots to say and just can't find the words. Those blogs end up in my "not-posted" blog folder and is a living file of ideas that go through my head that are lot like dreams; disjointed, nonsensical and surreal.

But tonight I am too busy to blog because I have something better to do. I don't mean to be insulting, but there ya go.

Tonight I have something to do because someone was really nice to me. Someone who reads my blog, was thinking of me and brought me a gift. Can you guess which of my February blogs inspired this act of kindness?

I love this part of life. The part where someone thinks of you, surprises you, just because they want to and not because they have to. It makes me want to pay-it-forward and when I do, I will remember fondly this night...when I was too busy to blog because someone wasn't too busy to do something nice for me.

Thank you. Chugga...Chugga....Choo! Choo!

It Only Takes A Moment

2010-02-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

I didn’t like the movie, Wall-E. Don’t want to talk about all the reasons why, today. Instead, I want to talk about what I LIKE about the film. And I promise, it will only take a moment.

In Wall-E, the main character, a robot, longs for love and affection. The plot line runs on the theme of his finding first love in a robot, Eve. He finds her, he meets her, he pursues her. He longs for connection in a barren wasteland of garbage. She represents hope; she represents the intimacy he needs.

You see Wall-E, a merely-functional, garbage-collecting, rust-laden servant of the planet, understands the matters of the heart. Like the proverbial Tin Man of Oz, he may be made of metal but his bosom is alive with passion, sympathy and spirit. Wall-E watches excerpts of Hello Dolly with the best Cornelius ever, Michael Crawford, and his heart melts. He swoons with the schmaltzy sentiment of the lyrics.....

“It only takes a moment
For your eyes to meet and then
Your heart knows in a moment
You will never be alone again”

Wall-E longs to never be alone. Do you know what that’s like? Do you remember it? Do you long for that even now?

“It only takes a moment
To be loved a whole life long...”

Do you think that’s true? I do! People who are looking for that kind of love show up at church. They do. Sometimes in the midst of the emptiness, the leftovers of life gone awry, they go seeking.... and WE are to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them.

It is so important that we not remove relationship from our midst. It is the only way Jesus works. And it only takes a moment. Take a moment with Jesus each day. Receive the fullness of His love for you. Take a moment to touch the hem of His cloak. Receive His healing. Then, eyeball to eyeball, ear to ear share that good news with others. We meet needs by touching others, hearing them and holding them up when the storm comes. Are you like that? Are you in a church like that? Do you know what that is?

I mourn the day that we have synthesized our faith to such an extent that we can no longer take a moment to dwell with others. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, isn’t it the least we can do? I mourn the loss the Body of Christ suffers when we amputate the voice of God with a substitute. Are we approaching the days when mankind will be so plugged-in they can not reach out and touch someone? My friend shares her thoughts on this topic here and if you can’t track with me, watch Wall-E and you’ll understand what I DON'T like about the movie.

It only takes a moment to pray for your pastor, your church and your believing friends. Pray that we would not miss life-giving opportunities in our tin can lives in our tin can world. I’ll close with a line from movie I love, “Now I know I have a heart, ‘cause it’s breaking....”

Isn't it Romantic?

2010-02-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

A Boaz by any other name would smell as sweet... okay, so that's not exactly what Shakespeare wrote, but after reading the Book of Ruth this week, I am feeling very romantic. I am feeling romantic about this man named Boaz. (sigh)

In fairness to cultural and historical authenticity and even theology, we could go on and on about the obligations of the kinsman-redeemer. We can talk about the fact that in a sense, Ruth initiates the marriage proposal, not the other way around. You could argue that this story is really unromantic. But would you indulge me? It’s not the way I am reading the Book of Ruth today.

Upon her arrival in Judah, Boaz protects Ruth and makes sure she has more than enough. I think it’s marvelous how he tells her to "go get a drink from the water jars." Later, he offers her some roasted grain and finally he makes a real statement of his affection when he gives her six measures of barley so that she would not go away empty handed. (sigh)

Boaz has a stellar reputation among people. Naomi even says, "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." That can only mean that even years ago, when Naomi first lived in Bethlehem, he was known for being a really good guy. By Naomi’s statement we can know that Boaz hasn't stopped being a really good guy. He is one of those faithful, steady types, loaded with integrity and everyone knows it. (sigh)

But what impresses me most is the blessing Boaz gives to Ruth. He goes out of his way telling her, "May you be richly rewarded." Later he says, "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier." He praises her further by saying everyone knows you are a "woman of noble character". What an encouraging guy! Ruth has arrived in a land where she is lowest on the social totem-pole of approval, a total nothing and yet she receives welcome, favor and blessing instead! How romantic! How like my God! (sigh)

But I gotta be honest. When I look a round the church building at all the little kids running amuck, I meet a plethora of Joshuas and Calebs. I meet Davids and Jonathans. I meet Timothys and Thomases. I even know Isaacs and Jacobs (Jacob I have never understood since that unfortunate Bible character is known for so much deception!) In the right church, I'll even meet kids named Jesus. I meet Nehemiahs, Micahs and Ezekiels (when last did you read any of THOSE Bible books?) But Why? oh! Why?! aren't any of these special, wonderful marvelous little boys named BOAZ? I mean, he's most assuredly one of the most noble of Biblical characters!

Anybody want to name their precious new baby boy BOAZ?

How about naming your daughter Dorcas... or maybe that is a blog for another day.

Bored? Games!

2010-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by another blogger to write about games. Her experiences and memories got me to thinking. It’s a simple thing, I guess, and one I am not always aware of. I don’t consider myself a “board game” type of person. When actually bored, I am far more likely to pick up my knitting, turn on some music or read a book. Heck, I’ll even go for a walk or get down on my knees and just pray. As you can probably guess, being bored isn’t a common occurrence, but since I like a little variety in my life, I try to incorporate some boredom on occasion. Don’t you? If you don’t, let me just finish this tangent by saying, I highly recommend it! Be bored once in a while, it’s good for you!   And when you are bored, take out a Board Game!

Growing up, my parents played a lot of YAHTZEE. I know there’s no actual board involved, but you get the idea right?

In my youth, I also learned how to play RUMMY. My best friend from college and I played LOTS of Rummy and subsequently, Joe and I built our courtship around this simple card game.

But things have changed and where I’ve played my fair share of Hi Ho Cherrio and Candy Land, we have recently been introduced to some really awesome games.

I love SEQUENCE. We can all play it and little ones can partner with us easily. It’s a fancy matching game with strategy to keep the old folks like my in-laws thoroughly engaged.

I also love FARKLE. We played this game with Stephen and Nicole long ago in the days before they actually made little sets with matching dice cups and dice. None of us had children back then and when one of us farkled, well..... it was both funny and slightly profane.

I love PHASE 10. It’s not my fault that the first time we introduced this game to Sheffie and Julie they swore it was a conspiracy and they would never come back to our house ever again. Poor losers.

I love MEXICAN TRAINS. 2 questions: Does anyone know what’s Mexican about Mexican Trains? Would someone please buy me this game? Guess I should put it on my amazon wish list. Last time we played it, I happily lost to Carl and Jill and Joe... but I had so much fun pushing the little choo choo button, I didn’t care.

Much of the credit for our version of family fun games goes to my sister-in-law, Mary the Annihilator. She looks all nice and sweet and harmless on the outside, but get her in a game and watch out. She’s brutal!

Mary whoops us good with an incredibly fast and simple card game called WACKEE SIX. It’s whacky alright and if you are a speedy, highly competitive player, then Wackee Six is for you!

My nine year old, Jillian, has inherited her paternal aunt’s affinity for winning, absolutely and cruelly. But, I love to play SET with Jillian. She beats me, but hey, it’s my contribution to her brain development. SET is a fabulous game of visual perception and is highly recommended by MENSA.

Jillian also is amazing at GOBBLET. Another one of those award winning games.

We all got tired of losing to her in Blink and Blokus, so we bought her a latch hook carpet kit. Jillian has done 5 now and is the process of conquering her first 500 piece puzzle, by herself.

Speaking of old-fashioned entertainments, there are some other highly valuable diversions children should be familiar with.

Thank God for Duncan Yo-Yo’s, and Auntie Mary who remembered this irreplaceable treasure and added it to our What Do You Do When You Are Bored repertoire.

This year, the boys got juggling balls in their Christmas stocking. Humility has been welcomed into the Schneider Kid Kingdom. (wink)

Quite frankly, any parent who fails to make available original SILLY PUTTY and the colored funnies, is just un-American.

But there’s a NEW standby out there. It’s called the BILIBO... and where my kids have rather outgrown its use, you can be sure that subsequent generations of Schneiders will have this toy. To ensure it’s quality, I had one sent to my 3 year old Godson, Sam. See how he likes it?

What am I forgetting? I’m sure you have now conjured up images from your childhood and are reflecting on the indoor days you spend with your kids. What do you like to play?

Perplexed

2010-01-29T15:43:00.000-08:00

Perplexed, she looked at me and uttered, “Since when do you worry about what other people think?”

I’ve had that part of the conversation running in my head for almost 2 years.

Since when?

I don’t know.

Since that conversation with a most trusted friend, I’ve been getting back to all I know to be true. It’s hard to see the grand scheme from the valley, the lay of the land is deceiving. How far is that mountain peak? How big is it really? Is that snow or granite? Is there anything back there behind it? Is that the highest point? Valleys are not good places to make judgments from. Know what I mean?

When we first moved here I met a woman who said, “Sometimes God gives you just enough light for the next step.”

Another woman recently reminded me, “God gives us grace enough for today, not necessarily tomorrow.”

Joe likes to say, “God is a God of Just In Time Deliveries.”

There is much I don’t understand about God, His timing, His grace and His provision. I don’t usually understand the direction He is leading. But I know that the longer I stay in the valley, the more prone I am to wandering, desperately seeking a way to the mountain top. I know that desperation will have me running in circles getting nowhere.... and that’s when my judgments are least reliable. Discernment seems to be base camped somewhere else and I can’t even find the road to get there. I listen to the voices of fellow travelers, but if I don’t listen carefully, I won’t realize they have never been to the top of the mountain, or that they’ve been there so long ago, they no longer remember the way. I am on my own. Instead of fighting that fact, I need to trust it.

Why? Because God really does give light enough for the next step. And because God really does give grace for today and not necessarily tomorrow. And because He will provide just what I need just when I need it.....like wisdom.

It’s the running around in circles that messes up my trip. When will I learn to trust the one true voice I know?

Seriously, since when do I worry about what other people think instead of humbling myself before my God? I’m thinking God is just in time and that I’m in for a surprise and a really great view. In the meantime, I’m perplexed, but that’s as it should be otherwise I would think I had something to do with the outcome. I don’t. God does.

2 Corinthians 4 includes this truth : We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair....All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart....inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Good Grief!

2010-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Which Peanuts character are you? I definitely want comments from the Peanut Gallery! Do you ever feel like a failure?

I think I might be a Lucy. Free advice, 5 cents. The Doctor is IN!

In all seriousness, I believe we homeschool moms often feel like failures. Like Lucy said in the clip, “We need emotional outlets!” Where is yours?

Sometimes in our homeschool journey, and perhaps more often than not, moms deal with depression. Yeah. I said it. The big D! And often times, these losses are prompted by the truth about life. It is not our imagination or lack of faith. Circumstances are clearly not what they should be, not what God ever intended. As a result, we feel the gap between the way things ought to be and the way things are. At the very least, we are sad. The gap is an abyss and we can’t see the way out.

I’ve known homeschooling moms who have lost their parents. There are those who have lost their babies. Those, who try as they might, have had to deal with the mammoth disappointment of children who stray or the difficulty of learning disabilities. Job losses. Financial strain. Marital conflict. There are moves from one state to the next. Relationships that sever. Friendships that die. Grief.

While grief is happening, what’s a homeschool mom to do? Grieve. AND GET ALL THE STUFF DONE THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE? Yeah. I’m sorry. That’s where the profound sense of failure comes in. How do you take care of yourself and everyone else all day long, every day, all day long, every day, all day long, every day...

Here are some mighty good tips from a real live homeschool mom. I hope you like her website. I think she has a lot to offer. May Julie Bogart bless you as she has me.

Christmas According to Zach

2009-12-22T09:08:00.001-08:00

When I told Zach he was blogging he got smart-alecky with me.

Zach: Christmas is my favorite holiday. I like it a lot. The End.

(Cute.)

Me: Let’s try again.

Zach: Christmas is better than 4th of July because you have to wait for fireworks.

Christmas is better than Halloween because you have to wait all day to start going trick or treating.

Christmas is better than Thanksgiving because, well... I don’t know about that, stuffing is really good.

Christmas is better than Easter.... well you do have to wait to get the eggs but I think they are equally important because Christ rose that day and Christ was born on Christmas.

Christmas is way better than St. Patrick’s Day because corned beef and cabbage are smelly.

Christmas smells like gingerbread cookie dough and that’s a very good thing.

Christmas is better than most holidays because it starts as soon as you get up in the morning.

I am making a Christmas Morning Schedule because my sister wants a schedule. Dad has been adding stuff to it, too. The thing I like best about the schedule is that my sister is not scheduled to jump all over me and my brother to wake us up until 6:45.

Your birthday makes you feel good because its all about you, but you don’t get to give anything.

Giving is fun because it makes other people happy and I’m disappointed Jillian’s present hasn’t come yet. I want to wrap it and put it under the tree.

Mom: I want to wrap Zach up and keep him 11 forever. Like Jesus, I have been given 3 gifts - Evan, Zachary and Jillian. Like Mary, I am treasuring up all these things and pondering them in my heart. Like the Magi, I am worshiping the King of everything.

Zach (after reading my post) : I want to be 12!

It's Mail Time!

2009-12-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Some of you know my friend Jill. Those of who don’t know her, probably wish you did. She is a barrel of fun in every way. What homeschooling mother of five allows her daughter to wear hairstyles (in public!) that rival both Pippi Longstocking and Bob Marley? Did you know she lets her boys parade around defrocked in nothing but superhero underwear, cowboy boots and swords? She even lets her 2 year old make cell phone calls (without permission) across states! Jill believes the purpose of the school supply store is not school supplies....no, the purpose of the school supply store is to supply props for parties! Jill is a Party Mom. She is not especially proper. She is not a perfectionist. She is not stuffy. No, Jill is the real deal. Until you REALLY get to know her and find out about her one vice, her MALL TREE. (say it with me - Mmmmmmmaaaaaaawwwwwwwwllllll Tree)

There aren’t too many hard and fast rules in Jill’s house except those regarding the Mall Tree of course. One of the rules is that the MALL TREE is only donned in STOREBOUGHT ornaments - pure white and precious silver and gobs of glittery gold! Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I dubbed the Mall Tree the Tree of Sheba. This gaudy thing has got to go, I think to myself. I can’t see how such a loving and grace-filled mom, full of spontaneity and joy, can MAKE her children NOT TOUCH it and NOT DECORATE it with the ORNAMENTS from their wee precious creative little hearts! NO, she buys them their own humble, meek and mild little green tree to decorate so that the Tree of Sheba remains PRISTINE.

So, this year, I am sending the Tree of Sheba a few little gifts of my own. And, if Jill doesn’t use them, the whole bloggedy blog world will know how prissy she can be. So, if you think this is a dare... a challenge....an opportunuty for personal growth... you are RIGHT Jill..... here they come! HOMEMADE ornaments, which I believe are worthy enough even for the Tree of Sheba. And I expect to read a blog about it.....very very soon.

PS - Many thanks for my accomplice, Julie, who last year, purchased the supplies at a proper craft store so I could craft these ornaments and to my children, who afforded me time to put the lovely ornaments together.

No Doors

2009-12-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Jillian and I were having a discussion. It was her attempt to keep the looming sink full of dishes at bay. She had KP. But, I always appreciate conversation even if it is under the guise of an ulterior motive known as procrastination. This is how it began.

Jillian: Who is your best friend?

Mommy: Oh, I have a Friend Collection.

Jillian: Yes, but who is your best?

Mommy: (invoking child’s moral compass to not press me) That’s so hard. It’s like you are asking me which of you children is my favorite.

Jillian: Yes, but who is the most special?

Mommy: (trying to evade the qualitative question with philosophy) God has given me the most special people at just the right time in my life. They fit into my life just when God needed them to. God gave them a special job at just the right time. God created a spot in my heart where only they reside, even if I don’t see them or talk to them any more. Each one is special.

Jillian: Yes, but which one is the best?

Mommy: (trying to skirt the issue further with humor; a lighthearted anecdote meant to distract the 9 year old) Well, your Aunty Jill and I have an agreement. I will live next door to her in Heaven.

Jillian: Heaven won’t have any doors.

My daughter is right. Heaven won’t have doors. Jesus won’t have to stand at the door and knock anymore. In fact, everyone will be welcome, all the time, everywhere. Can you see us all there? I’m sure I’ll fall back into habit and attempt to introduce you to my friend, Jesus, and we’ll laugh! We ALL know HIM! And we’ll get to know each other anew and introduce each other to each other’s best friends, special friends, family members, neighbors and acquaintances. There we will see each other for who we were always meant to be.

Heaven won’t have doors. So why do we have them now? I don’t know. Maybe it’s so that Jesus has something to knock on.

If Jesus is knocking on your door this Christmas Season, will you consider answering? Will you open your door and let Him in?

It's Just a Fish

2009-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

It’s Just a Fish

Right. Easy for you to say.

Apparently, God saw fit to use a fish to re-teach this proverbial Jonah some lessons; lessons I thought I had already learned.

At co-op on Tuesday, I was re-teaching a few lessons myself. Music Appreciation is no easy subject. Like another language, music speaks and the students in my class were asked to decipher the basics of this complex foreign language. Some hadn’t grasped it. I was wallowing and worrying through Tuesday about the co-op class yet all the while I was asking myself a more important question, will Captain Nemo live?

Before you start imagining a cute little clown fish, think again. Captain Nemo is named for the antagonist in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Not a nice guy. Captain Nemo is a good name for a fierce, purplish, bluish, reddish betta fighting fish. Jillian got him for her 9th birthday. She named him for his masculine personality and he might die of pop-eye.

I’m not kidding. Pop-eye sounds funny to you but it’s no laughing matter. I want to call it a disease but Jillian corrected me, “No mommy, it’s a symptom.” After a day full of tears and concern and the inability to successfully complete either grammar or math I told my overwrought 4th grader to take the morning off of school. For a while, we sat on the couch. I held her. She cried. Sobbed really. The mom in me was sitting there thinking of the 100 things I needed to do, while Jesus gently whispered, “No, this is what you need to do.” Lesson re-learned, Part 1 - People matter.

At co-op I brought up our prayer request to 24 children. No one thought Jillian was ridiculous for wanting her 12 dollar fish to live. Everyone could see her little heart breaking, fretting over her betta fish. One lad asked me later in private which terrible illness Captain Nemo had succumbed to and questioned me about the prognosis. Thank you Jesus. I no longer felt silly for bringing it up.
Lesson re-learned, Part 2 - Everything matters to God.

After doing some research - oh, and this a good point - Often doing research, I can’t find what I need. However, God had mercy on ME! I went right to an excellent site that guided me perfectly through the realm of fish diseases. After finding out what our options were, I prayed again. The likelihood of finding the right antibiotic is slim. I read with the guilt weighing heavily, “You should be prepared with bettas, you should have medicine on hand just in case they get ill. They don’t carry fish medicine in pet stores.” Who’d a thunk? I should have spent 35 dollars on-line for the betta first aid kit, so that we would be ready for this day. God had mercy on ME AGAIN! Our humble pet supply place in modest and miniscule “You can’t find mittens in winter” Oakhurst, carried a SELECTION, yes, a SELECTION of fish pharmaceuticals! for 8 bucks, a mere 8 bucks! Captain Nemo can get sick 8 times, because there were 8 packets.
Lesson re-learned, Part 3 - God provides.

Get a load of this. A single packet of antibotic powder, less than a 1/4 tsp (I measured) was placed into 10 little bowls as evenly dispersed as any pharmacist could do it. Each day, we’ll pour this scant powder into his bowl. God willing, Captain Nemo will live.
Lesson re-learned, Part 4 - It is a privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus. (even to a fish)

He’s just a fish but whether he lives or dies, today was priceless. Thank you Jesus for second chances and for giving me a chance to grasp what I didn’t get the first time.

Wednesday morning. Captain Nemo died.
Lesson re-learned, Part 5 - The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:20

From Chuck

2009-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

November 16, 2009

Start Seeking God
by Charles R. Swindoll

Lamentations 3:25

"Lord, I'm back and I diligently seek you." How many times have we said this? This time stop stalking and sit silently. Wait patiently, seek diligently, sit silently. That means you need to pour out your heart and then deliberately be quiet. Spend a full day in quietness.

Meditation is a lost art in this modern, hurry-up world. I suggest you revive it. Not by endlessly repeating some mantra to get into some other frame of mind. Not that. Simply and silently wait before your faithful God. Read a passage of Scripture, perhaps a Psalm, and let it speak. Say nothing. Just sit silently. Let Him talk. Let Him reassure you that you are fully and completely forgiven and that your shame is gone. Feel His arms around you. Understand the cleansing that He's bringing. Feel again the freshness and relief of His presence.

God will give you a fresh start if you'll stop fighting. It works. I know. I've been there. Just submit to Him and accept His grace.

God will keep His promise to forgive and welcome you home.
His mercies are new every morning.

What Should You Do?

2009-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

I should blog.

My friend, Jocelyn should blog, too.

So should Robin.

We are all overdue in our blog updates and should get back to it.

I should also catch up on facebook. So many friends I should write to. I should mop my floor well because the last time I did it, I was hasty. I should be at the gym this morning, not blogging. I should floss more. I should send thank you notes for my birthday presents. I should go through that pile of papers on the counter. I should wash the sheets today. I should spend more time with the dog. I should.....

Do you feel the anxiety? What should you be doing besides reading my blog? Do you have similar thoughts now running through your head? Has the guilt-trip set in? Proverbs 12:25 says that a person’s anxiety will weigh him down. Is your heart heavy with the shoulds you should do?

Years ago a friend lent me a secular parenting book titled Parenting with Love and Logic. It’s great. I applied a few of the simplest principles to my parenting and it made a lot of difference. In practice, it demonstrated the power of our choice of words. It’s not just what we say that counts but how we say it. Ever notice how often the Bible says we ought to “build each other up”? As a result of Love and Logic language, I chose to reconstruct the way I phrased things so that my words would be helpful to my children and really benefit them.

I am currently reading Losing Control and Liking it: How to Set your Teen and Yourself Free. Chapter 6 is about the 3 Habits of Highly Controlling People and since I don’t want to be a highly controlling person, I dove right in. Habit #1 - SHOULDS should be avoided!

Should Thinking invokes a sense of condemnation. Behind every should is a judgment.
I should get more organized... (but I don’t because I am lazy.) Should Thinking makes me feel defeated.

Should Thinking sabotages choice-making and generates feelings of obligation. I should volunteer to be a merit badge counselor, because I should do my part like all the other parents. Should Thinking makes me feel guilty.

Should Thinking removes reward, because of course, you should have earned an A on that test anyway. Should Thinking thwarts joy.

Do you get it? I hope this translates to your life and circumstances. It does mine. How many times each week do I tell my children they should..... (you fill in the blank)? How often do I subtly condemn? impose obligation? and press them into performing without hope of any credit? Guilt motivated living is not living.

Since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, delete the shoulds from your vocabulary.

Insert words like - could - would like to - I wish - I choose. When you do so, you tell the truth. There is a lot about shoulds that create little white lies in your life. God loves a cheerful giver, so give cheerfully and not under compulsion.
A person's anxiety will weigh him down, but an encouraging word makes him joyful. Prov 12:25

If you are game join me in the month of November. It is NO SHOULDS month. Here is my commitment:

I will not should myself, my husband or my children. I choose to eliminate shoulds from my vocabulary and would like to use more encouraging words instead.

Anyone want to play?

I Need a Man

2009-10-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

I need a man. I know. I chose to live all this distance from my husband’s work place. He likes the mountains and the space. I like the space. I like my very nice house and yard and seasons and.... and.... I need a man.

I need a man because Tucker has a tick. gross. The boys are real troopers when it comes to killing big spiders and disposing of dead squirrels that the cats drag in. They clean up the garbage if the raccoons get wily on us. They manage dead rodents, birds, bats and lizards but I found out today, ticks are NOT part of their removal repertoire. I need a man!

I went on-line once again to see what the protocol is for tick removal. I can’t do it. I just can’t. I’m the mom who cringes when she looks at her little girl’s split finger or the little boy’s gushing with blood chin. I squint my eyes and pray its not gross or that I can tell right away it is ER worthy, quickly cover the wound and rush screaming child and queasy mommy (me) to Urgent Care. Do they have Urgent Care for dog tick removal? Am I a city girl or what!?

I need a man. In two and half years of living here, I haven’t missed my dear hubby that much. I mean, I do. I mean, I married the guy! I mean, I like him, I love him, I said “I do!” You know what I mean, don’t you? I mean, I appreciate the guy. He changes light bulbs and fills up my tank. He also makes me laugh and listens to me whine. It’s just that despite all the love around here, I don’t need him here every single day....unless the DOG has a TICK and I need a MAN!

Juicy Morsels

2009-10-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

It’s Juicy Morsel Season. Yesterday, my friend brought over a ton, yes a ton! of apples. With the handy dandy apple peeler corer slicer and many hands to lighten the work, I am smelling the sweet aroma of mushy apples simmering on the stove as they await their turn in the food processor. Yet another friend is in the habit of sending us Mrs. Prindables which combines the best of fall - sweet caramel, sweet chocolate, and sweet apples. Currently, I am looking for an excuse to try Snickers Salad. If I had planned better last night I would have served it to company. An apply, snickery, cool whippy new dessert I’ve been meaning to try, sounds like a juicy morsel indeed. Juicy morsels. I love fall.

Here’s a juicy morsel: When you get to the end of yourself, you get to the beginning of God.

I think that’s true, don’t you?

In fact, I think so much of that catch phrase it’s the tag-line on my emails for the last few years now. I guess I need it there to remind me that sometimes it is okay to “Let go and let God” without the cliche.

I don’t know who gets the credit for those juicy morsels but here’s one from CS Lewis. “Pain is God’s megaphone.”

Do you agree with that?

I can recall vividly when my little boy, in the middle of vomiting cried out, “Pray for me mommy!” This was his habit actually. When the stomach flu hit this kid, I learned to pray in ways I had only once prayed for myself. His passion for prayer was acute. You could hear his desperation in the tone of voice. Never have I heard anyone ask me pray for them with such passion. Pain really is God’s megaphone.

Yet another: The good is the enemy of the best.

Heard that one? In a casual conversation recently, I mentioned that phrase. I brought it up with that familiar introduction, “You know what they say? The good is the enemy of the best.” My friend replied,” No, I haven’t heard that before.”

Whoa! Some juicy morsels of truth out there still. For all of us, I suppose.

What are your favorite juicy morsels of truth to share?

My Pickin’ Teeth

2009-10-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have always had uncomfortable teeth. My experience with fillings goes way back in time, before the time I can remember things. Hence, I have since endured numerous crowns and even a few root canals to make those weakened teeth last longer. As a result of all these dental experiences and no doubt, a side effect of age, my teeth are highly sensitive. One time I actually told an oral surgeon (a very attractive one, I might add) that if he hurt me, I’d cry. He said he wouldn’t hurt me. He didn’t. He was a very attractive man, did I tell you that already? I am so glad I never saw him again.

Today, I had my 6 month dental check-up. I like the hygienists in this office. Each one seems a happy fit for me and my family. I’m perfectly content socializing and quite frankly, would be delighted to talk their ears off for the length of my appointment, but no matter what, sooner or later, they have to start pickin’ my sensitive teeth.

Today, after her first offense, the hygienist remarked, “Oh yeah, I remember you.” Off she went to fetch the desensitizing stuff so that she could continue pickin’ at my teeth. After we chatted a bit about the benefits of prescription toothpaste for especially-sensitive-teeth people, like me, she offended me again. It was the air. It bugs me when it blows on my too-sensitive-teeth. I was then instructed to do the familiar drill: wrap my lips around the suction thingy so she doesn’t have to ouch! point it at my too-sensitive-teeth when my mouth develops saliva.

Well, in case you were wondering, I don’t have any cavities. Today the dentist realized we live in the same neighborhood. (All I could think of was whether or not he would ever make me cry during a brutal dental experience which sooner or later I no doubt will have to succumb to.) And no, he’s not as attractive as that once upon a time oral surgeon.

As happy as I am to have that dreaded appointment over with for 6 more months, I couldn’t help but think about all the things in life I might be “too sensitive” about. Unfortunately, there is no prescription for especially-sensitive-heart people like me.

I like my dentist office because they listen to my complaint. They try to take care of the hurt. Numbing the pain. Waiting for the medicine to take effect. No blame. No shame. They are gentle and firm. Plus, they do what they are supposed to do - the hard job of cleaning my too-sensitive-teeth. In addition to all this, they try to equip me to take care of the most sensitive spots. They know I have some control over my sensitive teeth situation and they genuinely don’t want to see me suffer. They give the best advice they can and have my best interests at heart.

Funny thing is, as happy as I am to have that dreaded appointment over with for 6 more months, my especially-sensitive-heart was cared about today. So Dentist Office People, Thank You.

Erosion

2009-10-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Things fade and change over time. The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon were a reminder that within the layer of rocks upon rocks, are hidden treasures, spires of beauty waiting to emerge from their sandstone coffins, waiting to be blown away by wind and washed away by rain, waiting to become... what they were meant to be all along. Beautiful and strange, sculpted by Heaven’s Hands. Some day, they will be memories held in snapshots and paintings. Obelisks worn away by time will no longer stand. Eventually, they return entirely to the dust from which they were formed.

But our lives aren’t like that. My body has a lot in common with a stony canyon, cut and carved by gravity, worn thin by the weather and worries of this world. But my spirit is far more. My body will someday be nothing more than a memory; my smile will live alone in my children’s and (Lord willing) grandchildren’s scrapbooks, but my spirit will forever remain. I am eternal..... and so is everyone else I know.

In 42 years, I have begun to observe erosion in my life. I’d like to believe that with each passing year, my new shape is formed into something increasingly interesting and glorious. Eventually, however, we face fate as nature takes its course with us. Some even have said, “You can’t take it with you.” IT refers to the pleasures of this world of course, but I say, “You can take THEM with you.” THEM are those people - beautiful, a little bit strange, perhaps. They are sculpted by Heaven’s Hands and seared in my heart and mind. People last. Relationship lasts. Whether I see them or not, they are there, a part of my eternity. They will always be there, even when those precious people return to the dust from which they were born. Relationship is not a thing....relationship is alive and its eternal...whether I see God or not, He is there.

Utah Rocks

2009-09-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Can you see the small print? Utah Rocks.

That just about sums up our vacation. Several months ago when we planned this shin-dig I didn't care what we did or where we went. The planning was easy. All I said was YES! What was harder was scrolling through the 600 photos I took, choosing the ones I wanted to use and coming up with a song for this video. Normally, these things come to me. I had Audio Adrenaline's It's My Father's House as my first choice and I tried to make it work.

A big big House with lots and lots of rooms,
A big big table, with lots and lots off food...

After you watch the video you'll agree. Doesn't that look like what we did the whole time? Hang out? Eat! But the song didn't capture what was in my heart.

Bobby McFerrin's Simple Pleasures goes like this:
Simple pleasures are the best
Yes they are
I'm so happy
I'm a happy man
Yes I am
Yes I am
I'm so happy

Great words but I needed something country to go with the hickory and pine and great outdoors. Then I thought of Martina McBride's Just the Way that I Am

Don't need no copy of vogue magazine
Don't need to dress like no
Beauty Queen
High heels or sneakers, he don't
give a damn
My bab(ies) love me just the way that I am

I love being loved just the way that I am and that definitely describes a week with the Yuens, but it lacked depth of feeling.

Randy Travis' Deeper than the Holler and Sweet Bye and Bye by Sara Evans were poor runners-up. 80's dance tunes were an option since we listened to them all week long, but they just didn't have what I was looking for.

Eventually I resorted to pouring over old CD's and was thrilled with an old favorite, loaded with happy memories of a happy season long ago; A nostalgic song, celebratory, worshipful and sentimental that reflects, at least for me, what a great thing it is to have and give love. Isn't Love Profound?

Life is Short....and Funny

2009-09-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Life is short and funny. If you don't think so, check out my friend Robin's blog. Robin cracks me up. Always has. In case you don't feel like going all the way to Robin's blog for a good chuckle, read my short and funny story, but I warn you, if you are from PETA just click off my blog, right now.

Me. Driving. 3 compassionate children locked and loaded. Stupid gray squirrel runs back and forth and back and forth....to the curb, to the middle of the road, to the curb, to the middle of the road. "It's baiting me!" I exclaim. "It WANTS to be run over!"
"NO!" my daughter yells.
"That's mean mom!" my eldest son says, "It's one of God's creatures!"

Budump! Dead Squirrel. "Yay!" I say, "One less stupid squirrel in the world."

Middle son deadpans, "Is that what Jesus would do, Mom?"

Ouch.

Share your Short and Funny moment by clicking on the comment section. I'd love to hear it.

Pumpkin Bread, Peanut Butter and Little Pilgrim’s Progress

2009-09-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

I had such a terrible summer. Okay. You got me. I’m being dramatic. I know. I can hear my mother tell me now, “It’s not the end of the world you know!”

The last few weeks as we’ve been approaching the end of the end of the summer, I’ve been grieving a set of bad choices and missed opportunities. Why? Because I couldn’t see clearly through the fog of activity. Priorities. They are important. I missed 'em. This summer, instead of stepping back to see where I was going, I just went with the flow. The consequence: I was truly unhappy with where I ended up - upside down with my life jacket wrapped around my neck screaming, “What did I get myself into?!”

Going with the flow is a great quality if you are a canoe or a kayak. I, however, am more like an air-craft carrier. I run a tight ship with precision making it possible for various take-offs and landings. I have a lot going on in my head and my heart and slowing down, carefully plodding and living intentionally suits my character better. Going with the flow can be a lot of fun and many times I have been pleasantly surprised at how energizing and productive going with the flow can be! But I gotta be honest, it’s not how I function best. It’s not my design.

So, I have repented and refused to embark on another rafting trip down the Whatever River and I have chosen instead to get back on board the USS Simplicity. Captain Mom is saying, “No” unless there’s a good reason to say, “Yes” and will keep things simple as long as possible.

This afternoon I made pumpkin bread. It’s not fall yet, but it just sounded so good! After dinner Zach started making peanut butter cookies. The boys walked the dog, together. Evan and I played a SAT question game on the computer. He got the math questions before me! I talked to a friend on the phone while I cleaned counters. I read my Bible today, several times. Did I write that? Yes. Whoopee! I found the time. I also read an extra 3 chapters of history to Zachary and his sister. Did you notice? I even found some time to blog. Tonight I will begin a new read-aloud, Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen Taylor. Jillian vaguely recalls her first hearing of this classic tale. This time around she’ll more fully embrace the simple principles of John Bunyan’s retelling for children. She may never want or need me to read it aloud again.

I wonder what will be in it for me this time? Certainly, I am making progress on my own pilgrimage but like little Christian in the story, I can get thrown off course in my travels by the likes of Self, Worldly, and the Giant Despair who inhabits Doubting Castle. But tonight I will unload my pilgrim’s burden and celebrate a day well lived.

My Bleeding Heart

2009-08-16T08:15:00.001-07:00

Habit. I know not every one is like me, but let me tell you how I am. I change. One thing at a time. I stand back and look at the last 20 years of my life and in all honesty, I’m proud of myself. I’ve changed a lot. For the better. One little habit at a time. I like success and one little habit makes success achievable for me.

So it is with my garden.

I’ve had this little plot along the shady walkway to my front door. When we bought the house, there were a few winners there like the bleeding heart pictured above. It also housed some real losers. With some amazing soil amendments and an intact watering and drip system (thanks to the previous owners) I was off to a great start. Our first year, I made a few basic changes. In the spring I began to envision what the space would do. The fall came and went with a few more changes. The empty spaces I filled with pine cones. Cheap. Homey. Joe wanted to talk about the watering system on the back deck. He wanted to see flowers on the front deck. Nope. One thing at a time. The Walkway. My first project. I wanted it to become mine and I have been patient.

This spring I was finally able to invest in campanula, lamium, hydrangea, hostas and shade loving roses, special ordered just for the space. As some of you know, roses don’t grow in the shade, but these do!
I’ve researched, planned and patiently worked to see this space take shape. Until last week when tragedy struck. This isn’t the first hardship the garden has had to face this season. Earlier, we were infested by Odocoileus hemionus or “mountain rats”: mule deer. They almost ate all my roses. $30 later and repeated applications of repellent, the roses are saved. However, this week’s tragedy has made my heart bleed.

Voles.

Today, I started digging plants up and potting them in hopes that they will live. So far, my roses are okay. A friend assured me that poison was the only way to get rid of voles and she also assured me they’ve never eaten her roses. My happy hydrangea looks okay. It’s too big to pot. I hope it lives.

Joe and I used the Vole Invasion as an opportunity. We cleaned up the space. We discovered the watering system needed some attention and the hose thingy needs to be replaced. We threw away old bird feeders and moved shepherds hooks. Since I was pulling out plants, trimming everything down, moving bird baths I also decided to bait for earwigs and slugs.

It’s just a garden. I know that. But I can’t help wondering if my plans just aren’t God’s plans. Ever. Hope deferred makes the heart bleed.

Maybe it’s what Robert Burns meant when he penned,
The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

I guess I'm starting over.

Controlling Myself

2009-07-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Summer is ease. Summer is peace. Hot weather. Fewer agendas. Change in routines.

Our life is a bit topsy turvy in the Schneider household. What started out as a summer with no plans has become a summer full to overflowing and I'm having a heckuva time staying on top of the laundry and grocery shopping. We've got people, places and things happening galore. I'm working very hard on enjoying it, because as you know, I'm one of those who likes her ducks in a row.

When the ducks aren't in a row and life gets a little off balance I respond my trying to control what I can. Makes sense. You can't control this other thing, so what do you do? Control what you can... I may not be able to change the schedule of our day today, but tomorrow I can demand that you (children) finally clean your rooms and do it to my very high expectations! Can you hear my voice? (unfair, unchangeable, non-negotiable)...

This blog entry was a helpful reminder to me of who I want to be and who I don't want to be. No matter the circumstances, I don't want to fall back into being the "Momster", controlling my children, denying freedom of choice and fullness of life because my head and heart are spinning out of control. No, I can control myself. Do you know what I mean?

I have Nancy Pelosi Hair!

2009-07-15T12:01:00.001-07:00

OMG! I realized one fine day while perusing the Fox News pages on-line, I HAVE NANCY PELOSI HAIR! I’ve not been totally happy with the short bob thing I’ve been wearing this summer. You ever have those hair days? those hair months? those hair years? Fortunately, I’m not hating this hair for years, yet. It’s just that I have hair woes... I want something different.

Most of my friends reading this are primed with a “shut up, Shirin” kinda comment lurking in their brains. I know girlfriends, I DO have great hair. I got monkey feet and my dad’s hands, but I am aware I have inherited an amazing coiffure of thick hair. I’ve also prematurely gone gray so my amazing coiffure of thick hair costs a fortune to color, but I digress.

Nancy Pelosi hair, however, THAT I didn’t count on. I mean c’mon... can you see me bringing in a magazine clipping with that all too familiar question, “Will my hair do that if you cut it right?” NO! I never said that. So, how did I end up with Nancy Pelosi hair?

My hair has a mind of it’s own. Those stylists can cut it and blow it dry, sell me various product, recommend the proper brush, but my hair will always end up doing what it wants. I also had Nancy Pelosi hair in the 80’s. If you don’t believe me, peruse my facebook photos.

The other day, I went into the salon saying, “I’m ready to grow it out now,” but since my stylists ALSO has a mind of her own, I walked out with Mrs. Incredible Hair! Which would be awesome if I were a superhero, but I’m not. I wish I were a super-stylist and could actually make it look like it did when I walked out of the salon. Needless to say, she didn’t make it look like Mrs. Incredible Hair. After she did it, it just looked rather incredible. With me and my hair brushes and plethora of prodcuts, however, it’s just not going to happen.

Instead, my hair reminds me of the Dorothy Hamill “do” I wore in 5th grade. Like I said, it’s gonna do what it wants to do. I am giving up believing I have control over my hair or my stylists... even though I pay them. I am relinquishing the need to make my hair into something it’s not. It is what it is. Perhaps the better question is, why am I trying so hard to change what is perfectly good all by itself?

Because when I close my eyes at night I imagine looking like Eva Longoria. If I could also change into a 5 foot nothing size 0 that would be awesome, too. I guess it is human nature to want what we don’t have, even when we have it all.

I Thought It Was Mutual

2009-07-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am co-dependent. I have known this for a long time. If you aren't familiar with it, here is a short list of co-dependent behaviors:
1) Think and feel responsible for other people - for other people's feelings, thoughts, actions, choices, wants, needs, well-being, lack of well-being and ultimate destiny. 2) Feel compelled - almost forced - to help that person solve the problem, such as offering unwanted advice, giving rapid-fire series of suggestions, or fixing feelings. 3) Find themselves saying yes when they mean no, doing things they don't really want to be doing, doing more than their fair share of the work, and doing things other people are capable of doing for themselves.

It is really painful to have weak boundaries. When you fail to “let your yes be yes and your no be no,” others can walk all over you. All the while you believe you are doing them a service. You believe you are helping them. You know you are protecting them and want what is best for them so you go to great lengths to ensure that they are well and happy and that their needs are met. I have done this. I have shackled myself in the bonds of imaginary obligation and expectation.

I would like to be totally free, but I can’t be. That’s a co-dependent statement right there. I feel helpless to change because of the pain it might cause others. Separation seems cruel. When I am away I worry and feel guilty about whether my loved one feels rejected, abandoned and lonely. When I walk in the door and can attend to his needs, reassure them of my love, I feel a sense of relief and control. I feel responsible for his happiness. I know that when I am around, my loved one’s life is far better and my self-esteem is improved. I am a good caretaker.

Another area of dysfunction I deal with is has to do with physical limitations. You see I have a loved one who is always asking for my help. He has the ability to do things but is afraid. Often I make myself available so he no longer feels trapped in his circumstances. He needs my encouragement and I am compelled to help him. There are some things he can’t do alone. He needs me and because of all I do for him, he loves me. Most importantly, I feel loved because I am needed.

This morning, I tried to encourage one of my precious loved ones to move past his comfort zone and eat on the deck in the dappled shadows of summer’s oaken canopy. He wanted to go inside but several times I said, “No, I want to stay out here.” In the long run, he won again. I went inside the house for his sake. I sacrificed my desires for his, again. I am a martyr.

Over the years, as I learned of my dysfunction, I realized that one way I cope is by choosing to invest in those who are less demanding. I’ve met many selfless people who have taught me to balance caretaking with self-care. This has afforded me expression of some of my own needs, wants and desires. I have become somewhat free. In all honesty, however, we chose a golden retriever because they are among the least demanding. Tucker is generally very low maintenance dog yet we have succeeded in enabling him. We just can’t help “helping” him. Apparently, a dog’s life is too much for our dear pooch to bear.

We hate leaving him because we know he doesn’t like to be alone. He won’t push his way through a doorway so it means we won’t even bother with a doggie door even though it would make our away trips far less worrisome if we knew he could get outside to go do his doggie doo-dooty. I did not enjoy my hot cup of coffee on the deck this morning while Tucker ate his rawhide because he just didn’t want to eat the thing outside.
We have enabled him to be an indoor dog. It is our fault. Instead of him being our best friend it turns out, we are really HIS best friend. And all this time... I thought it was mutual.....and that I had put my co-dependency behind me.

Voices from Heaven

2009-06-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

I don’t know what to make of those “afterlife” stories you hear about. You know, the ones where someone who has been in a terrible accident is on the table in the ER, sees themselves lying there and then passes through a great light. They always make a decision to come back to earth to live. I don’t know how much choice we really have when we pass on. When I think of our freedom in Christ, however, and the fact that we are in relationship with a living God, I can imagine that God, in His sovereignty, might choose to give us a choice. I just don’t know.

In recent years, I have felt compelled to pray for the Lord’s return. I feel it is imminent. So did the early Christians of 2000 years ago and that makes me smile. Maybe we are supposed to live with that hopefulness and purposefulness knowing that what we see is just a mere reflection, a mere shadow of what is to come. I’ve been meaning to read Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven. I still don’t have it. Currently, I am reading a number of books all related to living now. I just can’t wrap my head around Heaven yet God’s voice whispers that it’s worth considering. Thinking about Heaven more might even change the way I live today. Ya think?

There’s a song I’ve been listening to lately by Big Daddy Weave. It’s called "From Here". This is the chorus:

From here, the race has been run and love’s already won
I see clearly the end and the start
From here, I’m cheering you on
So live out each breath with all that you’ve got
And know until I hold you close
I’ll be holding you dear in my heart
From here

I don’t know where my grandma is. I don’t know where my aunt and uncle are spending eternity either. I was the first in my family to get a college degree. It’s possible I’ll be the first in my family to go to Heaven, too. It’s another one of those things I just don’t know. Yet, the song encourages me to think about my future. And it encourages me to see more clearly today. While I live in the shadows, I have my own personal coach, cheering me on until my race is won; I have Jesus.

Political Moment

2009-05-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm having a political moment. Will you read my blog anyway?

Check out this story. It got me thinking.

I'm sure this issue will die, but like so many issues, it will resurface. Again and again. How do I know? History.

My boys are Boy Scouts. Part of their oath is to keep themselves Morally Straight. Do you know how to explain this principle to your children? Do you even try?

What about truth and truthfulness?

What about ends justifying means?

What about freedom? responsibility? prejudice?

How do you explain these things to your children when we live in a world that lies and deceives? Have you read the magazine covers at the check out stand?

How do you explain a government that thinks we are now out of money when last year when we were in the hole trillions of dollars we were somehow not out of money and had the means to bail out everybody. Did you know they are considering a TOE? A federal tax on everything.

How do you explain freedom and responsibility when you have to pay a fine for not wearing your seatbelt, but if you get pregnant you can have an abortion for practically free.

How do you explain prejudice to kids who can't talk about Jesus in their classroom but have a chapter on Mohammed in their textbooks?

How do you live the Golden Rule?

I'm off my soap box now. Thanks for listening. I needed to have a political moment. I needed to vent. Now, I need to go eat some chocolate.

Making Friends in Oakhurst

2009-05-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

I’ve been aghast at the number of new discoveries in Oakhurst. It’s always something. Many friends. Some good. Some not so good. Can you see these friends? Do you know who they are?

They are all over our house this year and I am thankful for them. Do you know why? Because I planted Zephrinine. Almost as soon as I put her in the soil, she began thanking me profusely with blooms to match my lovely hydrangea. Clair Matins has not yet arrived, but when she does, she’ll need friends like these, too. Have you figured out who these little friends are and why I am so happy they live here in Oakhurst?

I must admit, that while I was taking these few snapshots some of my not so good friends showed up. I HATE them. So far this year, I have had too many swollen, itchy, irritating parts to count. So swollen my eye was puffy for 3 days. (That was from a bite on my nose.) So swollen on another few days that I couldn’t wear my wedding ring. That little nip occurred when Zephrinine and I were first getting to know each other. Joe talked to the knows-something-about-everything boy scout troop Doctor Dad who said I have an overreactive immune system. (Whatever!)

I may have to enjoy all this wildlife looking out the window of my air conditioned house or get Joe to move me somewhere where bugs don’t bite me. (Yeah. Right.) The other option is deet poisoning. Dag nab it. I have to stop blogging now to go find the benadryl cream. I’m sure there is another one of those spiritual journey parallels about all this good and evil stuff, but I’m too distracted to care. Someday there will be roses and bugs living in harmony without mosquitoes. It will be Heaven. This life is just a shadow of what is to come. (Colossians 2:17)

Danger: Going the Wrong Way

2009-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Oops! We went the wrong way. Ever done that? Had to take a U-turn?

My husband insists we went the right direction. In a way, he is correct. We found the flume. A Reliable Friend had told us about the flume a few months ago. After much debate over what we might do on Mother’s Day, we finally, at the last minute, settled on what I wanted to do. A Bike Ride. Joe decided on the location: The Flume.

We started out great. We got there, got the bikes off. Discovered a flat on Joe’s bike but determined it wasn’t all that bad. We’d just tote the pump along. Found the flume trail, but then we discovered we had to cross over the flume itself. At first, no biggie. Just pick up the bikes or carefully side step them over the narrow passageway. Easy. A little time-consuming, but with 3 capable children and a daring mom, we were on our way. Until we got to the next narrow passageway OVER the flume. Finally I said, “Ummmm.... did Reliable Friend say that this was a BIKE trail? Seems to me it’d be great for hiking?”

Plan B. We left our bikes on the side of the flume and started hiking. We walked over a really long narrow passageway and I tried not to watch my children navigate heights.

Then Plan C hit. I really wanted to do some gardening that day, too, and we hadn’t brought along water bottles or hats for hiking. No bug repellent either. We finally said, “It’s time to turn around.”

After returning to the car, we found a bike trail. Aha! This is where we meant to go all along. At least, it’s what I had in mind. Joe reminded me. “No, I wanted to find the flume. It was where I was planning on going all along.” We talked about whether or not Reliable Friend had told us it wasn’t a family friendly bike trail. Did something get lost in the translation? We questioned whether we heard him right. Did we misunderstand his description? Did we just hear what we wanted to hear? Did we simply forget what he had originally said?

Our spiritual journey is like this sometimes. When you go the wrong way, you start questioning yourself: Did I hear God right? Did I miss something in the translation? Did I hear what I what I wanted to hear? But you know, there are times when going the wrong way isn’t really wrong. It IS what God is planning all along and it is RIGHT.

Even on right paths, we occasionally have to pause. Evaluate. Make a U-turn. That’s what we did. That’s what we do. Sometimes, right or wrong it becomes obvious that it’s time to turn around. It’s part of learning how to listen, how to discern and the growing of wisdom. Going the wrong-way is an opportunity, because we know that all things work together for good....

When was the last time you made a U-turn in your life?

Gotta Love Chuck

2009-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Chuck Swindoll is not among my favorites. His sister Lucy rocks, however. Ever heard her at Women of Faith? Anyway, when I catch Chuck on the radio I pause. I am always compelled to give him a thorough listening ear because he's a solid guy. He's just not one of my favorites.

BUT TODAY, he may become one of my faves. Why? Because his website is awesome. Go to Insight for Living. If you want to listen to a particular passage of scripture and his preaching on it, you simply go to his broadcasts, click on the library and then you can find his sermons by topic, title and YES, SCRIPTURE REFERENCE!

You know his mom was cool. She named her kids Chuck and Lucy. Do you think they might have been like the cartoon strip growing up? Maybe so. Gotta love the humor and the authenticity of that Peanuts inspired relationship. I welcome being served the meat of the Word with truth and laughter. Give the Swindoll Sibs some of your time; add Chuck to your podcast rotation or buy one of Lucy's books for a summer read. I hope you will.

If you know any other websites so well laid out that you can just click on what you are interested in hearing about... let me know. I'm becoming a connoiseur of radio preachers. There's lots of good news out there!

Oh! And does anyone out there know if I spelled "connoiseur" correctly? It's a great word.

It's Important to Me

2009-05-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Today, I read this interesting article on parenting. I realize as I have grown with my kids how much I’ve learned and how little I would have figured out on my own. In fact, the article itself came to my email box by way of a friend whose example and advice have molded my mothering. It is good to be iron sharpening iron. I love that my God chooses to use people in my life to care for me and meet my needs. But, it leaves me with the question, am I caring for others the way Jesus cares for me? Am I the hands and feet of Jesus to, at the very least, my family?

Segue.... Many years ago. Yes, many years ago....maybe 7 or so, my husband came home from work one day. Welcoming him through the door I gave a thorough recitation of my concerns, worries and burdens. I proceeded to inform him of all the things he could do to “help” me, when he cheerfully replied, “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me!” I sarcastically retorted, “Who stole my husband?” Yes, I really said that. Out loud. I proceeded to explain that someone must have body-snatched the real Joe Schneider and replaced him with this man who cheerfully replies, “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” I went to the window to look for the alien spaceship that had replaced my husband with this Divine Imitation.

The irony, of course, is that there really was no alien spaceship. This new man really was my husband. I tried to analyze why he would suddenly intentionally begin to make my concerns his own. I even asked him, “Why?” I admit it. I’m pretty stupid. After an embarrassing amount of probing, I chose to take what I was given and enjoy every bit of it.

All these years later, you know what I wonder? I wonder what would happen if I could put that one simple principle of caring into practice?

If it’s important to my kids, it's important to me.
If it’s important to Joe, it's important to me.
If it’s important to God, it's important to me.

I am just one woman and I know I can only do so much. The problem is, I often try to do all the wrong things. Just like I mentioned on my last post, On the Porch, I can barrel through life, trying so hard. That’s not part of God’s plan for me. God says, “Be still.”

In answer to my prayer, “Bless Him, Change Me,” God has replied with the words of my husband, “If it’s important to Joe and the kids, it’s important to Me.”

Could that be the whole of God’s will for me? What if it is?

On the Porch

2009-04-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Porch Time has been reconvened. The coming of 80 degree temps has brought us back to Porch Time; that time of day we sit out on the porch and talk. I love my husband. I love that he thinks Porch Time is important. I love that time with him. I love that God gave us a great porch. I love being on the porch. I never know what will happen when we are there.

This weekend during Porch Time I asked my husband why he had been so nice to me lately. I prattled on about all the little things I’ve been noticing. I asked forgiveness for being a little whacky lately. Emotional. I thanked him for being kind with me despite myself. I thanked him for going the extra mile in so many areas, making me want to be less of a burden and more of a helper. I told him that in my desire to be selfless, I had put a lot of pressure on myself. I confessed I wasn’t asking God for help and I wasn’t seeking counsel from the best counselor at my disposal, my husband. I was just barreling through life... trying so hard.

You know what he SAID?

You KNOW what he SAID?

He said, “I’ve been asking God to Bless Her. Change Me.”

I sat there on the porch, stunned.

What Joe doesn’t know is that in all my trying, the undercurrent of blame exists. In all my trying lives a martyr complex. In all my trying, working, and striving to be selfless exists an arrogance and self-importance which can consume and destroy a marriage. If allowed to run rampant, it will turn me into an ugly hag and him, a disappointed defeated man.

And what is he praying? “Bless Her. Change Me.”

I woke up this morning with the utterances of prayers for my husband on my lips. A morning ritual. But today all I could manage to say to my God was, “Bless Him and Change Me.”

A Dream Come True

2009-04-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

I am working on my bucket list. Mostly, it's made up of things I think I might like to do when my kids are grown. There are other things, however, that I can do now. For example, I want to hike Half Dome for the 3rd time and God willing, every year until I can't anymore. I'm considering running a 10K. And yes, one of these days, I want to get involved in community theater. Perhaps I'll be able to do that with one of my kids. There is so much in life to be enjoyed and you never know what the future holds.

I love this video, because it reminds me how important goals and dreams are.

It won't allow me to embed, so you have to pop over to YouTube to see A Dream Come True.

What do you dream?

Resurrection Cookies

2009-04-10T08:32:00.001-07:00

Jillian was asking to make Resurrection Cookies again this year. They are edible, but not delicious. However, making them is as easy as pie and cheap. Here is the recipe and the process by which you can share the Easter Story with your children.

Except for the pecans, everything in this recipe is probably already in your cupboard. And if you can’t swing the pecans, use walnuts. They’re less expensive and work just as well.

Resurrection Cookies

* 1 cup whole pecans (we use walnuts)
* 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
* 3 egg whites
* pinch salt
* 1 cup sugar
* Plastic Ziploc Baggie
* Wooden spoon
* Rolling pin
* Tape
* Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. (Do this before doing anything else.)

* Place nuts in baggie and beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3
* Open the vinegar and let everyone smell it. Put 1 teaspoon into the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, all He was given to drink was vinegar. Read John 19:28-30
* Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11
* Put a little salt into each person’s hand. Let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl. (If you have lots of kids, put a pinch of salt in yourself, and then let each child taste the salt…otherwise there will be too much salt in the recipe) Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27
* So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Sprinkle a little sugar into each person’s hand. Let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
* Beat with mixer on high speed for 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents our purity in God’s eyes because our sins are cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18
* Fold in nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60
* Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and TURN THE OVEN OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door shut. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. One year, the boys posted Roman sentries outside the oven using Lego Men. Read Matthew 27:65-66
* Now go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22
* On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the third day, Jesus followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9
* Head off to church and the rest of your Easter celebrations, knowing that you have started the day as a family, remembering the reason you celebrate Easter.

What do you do that's memorable for your children?

Busy

2009-03-27T07:03:00.001-07:00

I've been sucked into the Destination Imagination vortex. My kids are going to State Championships and I've been spending all my spare time getting them back and forth to practices. Lately, I can't get anything else done. I'm trying to squeeze in the must-do's, like grocery shopping, into all the pockets I use to use for the want-to-do's, like blogging. Sometimes real life trumps virtual life. That's as it should be.

There are a few staples of my busy-life diet I try to keep firmly in place. If I don't, then I begin to look something like that odd ball on the playground that's been warped by time, deflated some by abuse and just won't bounce properly. No one wants to play with that odd ball. I try not to get out of whack and make every effort to remain steadfast as I roll around through life like a pinball bouncing from here to there.

Reading is one of the staples of my busy-life diet. This is something I read recently that's kept me more balanced than I would have been.

Satan dreads nothing but prayer.
The church that lost its Christ was full of good works. Activities are multiplied that meditation may be ousted, and organizations are increased that prayer may have not chance. Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as in evil ways. The one concern of the Devil is to keep the saints from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
- Samuel Chadwick

I resolved to pray even more in my busy season and the little girl in me has been rejoicing at God's answers. What helps you remain focused during the busy seasons of your life?

Spring Fever

2009-03-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when we all get a little "Spring Fever". Suddenly, the blessings of being home with children, running errands and making life meaningful through work and play feel like drudgery. “Spring Fever” makes me ready for change.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what fills my tank. There have been seasons where Getting Away from my children was all I needed to feel full enough to return to Motherly Duties. Other times, Getting Outside with my children and just enjoying the great outdoors, doing something educational and different than the day to day table-work has totally floated my boat. Quiet Time to myself has also been one of the regular remedies for the void I feel in my spirit with time to reflect, to read, to ponder, to journal.

However, this season of life I am in, requires something altogether different. At this point I need a jolt of Creativity; learning something new, moving forward, growing a part of me I can scarcely identify. That is what is required in this season of my life. Over the last few years, this need for something new has manifested itself in a variety of ways. But most recently, I have turned into a Knitting Nut!

I recently made my first knitting store purchase on-line. I’ve visited my local knitting store so many times now, I have one of those frequent purchase punch cards. I am in the process of knitting my first sweater, knitting a bucket (yes, didn’t you know you could knit a bucket!?) and am branching out in the area of felting! I have friends who are coaching me along and at least one local knitting officianado willing to listen to me rant and rave about what I’m learning. I picked up a crochet needle (something I swore I would never do) because a few needle tricks with the crochet hook will assist me in some of my new knitting projects.

What do you need to get out of the rut you are in? What totally energizes you? What are you doing to take care of YOU in this Spring season? What helps you survive, “Spring Fever”?

God Answers

2009-03-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

My husband is really "into" politics. He was frustrated in college because he "didn't know what he wanted to do with his life" and today, he wishes he had dived into a major in Political Science. He may not have known what to do with his life, but at least he would have been interested in his classes! ha! Politics, however, are not my stronger suit. I have to work hard to pay attention to his mini-sermons about the state of the world. I have to work hard to engage. I have my own views and my own areas of interest in the greater political realm, but remaining a viable part of the conversation is a stretch for me. Often, it seems overwhelmingly dark.

On a recent night out with some Girl Talking Friends, we were finishing our discussion about kids, school and daily business and the topic became the state of the world. We agreed, doom and hopelessness can be both frustrating and depressing. I had to confess, these days I am avoiding what's going on in the world. I am trying to remain thankful. I am trying to be joyful. I am trying to learn to rejoice in every circumstance. Like the proverbial ostrich, I am purposefully putting my head in the sand and looking for the light. Can you hear the echo? Are you there Lord?

The trouble is, God isn't in the darkness of my hole. No, he's out here. In the grim and grime of the world.

I went home that night and took my usual position in bed to read my evening Psalm. This is what I read in the 46th Psalm:

1.God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea,

3.though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. "Selah"

4.There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5.God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

6.Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7.The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah"

8.Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9.He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

10."Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

11.The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. "Selah"

In the grim and grime of the world the Lord Almighty is with us and He will be exalted among the nations and He will be exalted in the earth. In the midst of everything, He is ever-present and He gives us reason to rejoice!

Do you hear His voice? Do you KNOW that He is God? Have you said, "Thank you?"

Robin

2009-03-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

A Long Time Ago in a Land Far Far Away, there was a Boy who lived around the corner. He had a light saber, but that is another story..... That Boy became one of my son’s best friends. On February 14th, his mom blogged about him. As I was scanning the pictures of the boy around the corner as he grew up, I saw, among many wonderful shots of that crazy Boy, my little girl! Oh! What memories we have the boy around the corner and his wonderful family!

They live in Oregon now. Joe doesn’t meet with the boy around the corner’s dad to pray, I don’t get little girly hand-me-downs anymore and we no longer swap children for date-night-outs, yet Robin remains one of those inspirational people in my life. She has always had something significant to share. If you read her blog, you will scratch the surface of her many interests... you may even see how they compare with my own. We love books. We love gardening. We homeschool our children. We are infected with the knitting virus. But Robin, unlike me, is crafty and productive enough to have an etsy shop! Her aprons are so fun! Just like her. It’s easy to see she has lots to offer....so check out that etsy shop and enjoy browsing her most tangible gifts.

If you spend some time reading her blog, you will learn a little about the way she sees the world. She is funny. If you read more, you will realize she is smart as a whip. You will sooner or later notice that she has remarkable wisdom and perspective about raising children. She has an uncanny ability to focus on what matters most. She has a big heart and it’s an honest one. What I love most about Robin are the intangible qualities that have helped me see more of God and more who God is making me to be.

I wish her heart still lived around the corner from mine. Maybe it will, someday, in Heaven. If she moves in around the corner at the end of Pearly Lane Road, I will serve goodies wearing one of her great etsy shop aprons! Check them out and check out Robin, she may inspire you, too!

Learning to Play

2009-03-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

We have to learn a lot of things in this life. Some things are harder than others. One thing that has been hard for me is Learning to Play.

When I was a child, I played at singing and violin and acting. I was part of a wonderful theater arts program in school. There, I flourished and played all the parts I was given as well as I could. In high school, I made great strides and in my performing arts high school, I made lots of friends who would go onto the entertainment industry. I can play at "entertainment".

In college, I felt it was time to set aside the things of childhood and get serious. There I intentionally gave up the things I loved. At least I tried to. Eventually I got a Creative Arts degree, with the hope at working at a non-profit arts organization. I did that. I hated it. I went back to school to teach. I did that. That suited me very well. First, I had a salary and secondly, because teaching requires a whole lot of creativity!

When my kids were little, I learned how to play with them on the floor. I was knowledgeable enough about children to know that being with them is where it's at. I learned how to relish the moments of stacking blocks and building trains and singing silly songs, but when the time was up, I was always glad to move on to adult matters of the day. My heart could engage in that kind of play for short periods of time, but never for very long. I was a grown-up and I didn't really enjoy play.

As my kids have aged, I have found myself looking for ways to play with them. I fall short, often. I'm the mom who plays the card game out of obligation. (can you hear God's voice saying, "God loves a cheerful giver?"). I'm the mom who watches a movie and tries so hard not to fall asleep, (can you hear Jesus saying, "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?"). I'm the one who prefers a neat kitchen instead of one all messed up by some kids' cooking project (can you hear Jesus say to the woman upset about all the kitchen stuff, "Martha, Martha,you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.")

How I long to not rob my children of a fun mother. I think how Jesus' might have played. What did that look like? Did He and the disciples play pick-up games of stick ball along the road to Jerusalem? Did they ever play marbles on the floor of someone's home? Did they make up skits? Did they make up ridiculous songs or recite funny poetry at parties? Did they concoct zinger trifles to eat for dessert?

I'm certain Jesus was fun.

In contrast, I have a hard time being funny. I AM funny. It's just that no one ever gets my joke. See? That was a joke and you didn't get it, did you?

But more important than wit is that ability to infuse an event with joy. For me, choosing events for the sole purpose of joy is a stretch. But I am learning.

When I moved to CO I began trying a myriad of new things, I discovered a sense of adventure. I grew (out of no where) a belief that I could be good at all kinds of things. There were so many things yet to be discovered. I thought it was time to try them, even if I failed. It was time to get out of the music box I had put myself in and become a new kind of fun. The words of my friend, Abby, ring so true, "Shirin!" she exclaimed, "You are learning how to play!"

The truth about me is that I have no right to talk back to God. Romans 9 reads something like this: "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Can't God do what He wants to with me?

What natural design has He given me? That's a post for another day. Today, I realize that I haven't been my own for a long time. I am His. If He wants to teach me to play then I will learn to play. God is shaping me in ways I have never planned on. I am His workmanship. How is God reshaping you?

I Want to Play!

2009-02-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

As a side note, this photo will be part of a photo story I am planning to tell about one of my favorite Spring rites of passage - The Birth of the Daffodils.

My friend over at Knittin' Peace suggested I look at Poetry and Hums' challenge to write a flower haiku. I decided that writing a poem was a game I want to play!

Here's mine entitled: Daffodil Spring

emerging pushing
from frozen layers of earth
yellow petals breathe

Do you Haiku?

Do you want to write one too?

Just In Time

2009-02-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

The scarf is in the mail. Is it late? Oh, yeah, but it's on its way.

I could ramble on about the relief I feel. It's done. The labor of love is finished.

Yet, I can't helping thinking about what it must be like for God in Heaven, waiting until just the right time to give us His gifts. Of course, he can snap his fingers and get anything ready in a moment or a day. I don't know what time is like for God, but I do know this, we are supposed to wait. Have you ever gone on Crosswalk.com’s Bible Search engine ? Try it. Type in the word “wait” or “patience”. We are told to wait on the Lord a lot.

Waiting well is a virtue. Think about it, what tops the list among the fruit of the spirit? What’s first in the definition of love? How many great men of the Bible - Moses, Joseph, Abraham, David - to name a few, had to wait on God? Yet, for mere mortals, waiting is seldom easy.

My girlfriend, born and raised in the deep South, has a way with words and she quipped recently, after she had gone through one heck of a long trial, that she was sure glad God took the time to take away all the rhinestones in her life. She is happy that the counterfeit things of this world were removed. She is grateful that the good Lord took his good sweet time to lay out the black velvet, empty, nothing, a blank canvas, so that when He put the diamond there, she'd be able to see it for what it was!

Isn’t she cool? Isn't she amazing? And she meant it! Oh, to have a faith like that. To see with human eyes all that God might have planned. To be willing to wait and wait some more. We are a ‘want it now’ society. We are a ‘want it now’ world. We can not delay our gratification. We lack patience. Me, most of all. I can't even knit a scarf without whining about how long it takes.

I just sent my sister a scarf and now I am trusting that it wasn't late one day. Not really. Not if God is sovereign. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a good thing to be On Time, but in God's economy, He is never late. None of His gifts are. Isn't it a good thing to wait for God's plans and not try to force our own? Joe likes to say that God is in the business of the “Just In Time” delivery.

What are you waiting for?

Enslaved by a Cableknit Scarf

2009-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

I love my sister, but she does not read my blog. I can use this venue to chat about her or even gossip. I hope not.

I love my sister, yet we are not close in personality type. I am the first child, she the very, very last. Psychologically, we are only children who grew up together.

I love my sister, and she is 6 months overdue in sending my birthday present. She is a month late in sending my Christmas present. None of my children have received anything from her in months and months.

So why am I going crazy about this scarf?

The cableknit scarf looks great. It’s not perfect, but it’s my first one and I am so proud. But, I am also sick and tired of knitting it. I have a short attention span. I admit it. I want fast projects, because I can not stand, CAN NOT STAND, not finishing what I start. Cableknitting on skinny needles is kinda slow. There is this inner drive that compels me to at least do what I said. I may not do it well, which also drives me nuts, but I will, I promise, do what I said. Even the promises I make to myself. I keep them. I am trustworthy.

This would be a great quality and perhaps, in general, it is a virtue. However, at this time, this afternoon, when I should be knitting that cableknit scarf, I can’t make myself do it. It needs to be in the mail 7 days from today to get there on time. It doesn’t bother me that SHE is late in every gift giving occasion. No. That’s fully her perogative. No skin off my nose. Doesn’t bother me. It’s just that I want to be ON TIME for her birthday.

And I don’t want to knit that cableknit scarf!

Are there cableknit elves who will come to my house at night and knit a few rows like the Shoemakery Cobbler had? Wouldn’t it be lovely to waken in the morning and unroll it and find it inches longer? I’d take out the measuring tape each day and find it was nearing the 48” mark... oh, the thought!

I can hear one friend’s voice in my head, “Chill out.”

I can hear another friend say, “So, don’t do it. Give it to her next year.”

Yet another friend will say, “Here. I’ll take your kids. You turn on the stereo or a girly movie and have a great day finishing the scarf.”

I don’t need help. I just need to choose. I let the burden overwhelm me. I let the thing rule over me. I let guilt plague me. And it is just a scarf! A scarf! A gift filled with thought and love that has no timeline on it. How many other things in my life do I let get the better of me? How many other “scarves” are on my schedule that are making me crazy because I can’t see how they fit in to the bigger scheme. Why am I like this?

A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him - 2Peter 2:19

What dumb things get the better of you?

How Sweet It Is

2009-01-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

10 Sweet Things About Being on Vacation
10. Zinger Trifle
9. Twinkies
8. Pop Tarts of every flavor
7. Pop Tart Cake made with Funfetti and Fudge
6. Chips, Cheetos and FunYu(e)ns
(it was sweet to engage in a little salty on vacation!)
5. Peanut Butter Cookies
4. Oatmeal Cookies with golden raisins
3. Birthday Cake
2. Prindables Sweetly Covered Apples and
1. Lots of Sweet Fellowship!

Wikipedia states, “The chemosensory basis for detecting sweetness, which varies among both individuals and species, has only been teased apart in recent years. The current theoretical model is the multipoint attachment theory, which involves multiple binding sites between sweetness receptor and the sweet substance itself.”

Ha ha ha! Well, I know some of the sweetest people alive with whom I would share something sweet in a minute. I’ve gone through my salty phases, and technically, I am a salty - but there is something sweet that often takes the edge off. In high school, my friend, Megan, was my greatest comforter. She makes the most amazing wontons. Garlic. Soy Sauce. Divine. However, I am sure there were M&M’s involved on some of those salty occasions and I know we drank way too much Pepsi. So it is with friends. They provide lots of opportunity for "multipoint attachment".

When you can, you indulge. You indulge in laughter. You indulge in sharing. You indulge in silliness or song. On this last vacation, we indulged and made it our goal to indulge. Most of all, we indulged in EACH OTHER. We attached ourselves to "multiple binding sites", I guess. My sweetness receptor was on overload and I loved every sweet minute. Friends are the sweetness of life. Watch, and you’ll see what I mean. It is so sweet to be loved by all of you.....

Move Over Wiggles

2009-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Move over Wiggles! which was too early for my little kids' time. Move over Wee Sing! which I could never stand.
Move over SugarBeats! which was by far my favorite little kids music...
Move over everyone and listen to Go Fish!

Is Time On My Side?

2009-01-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Mick Jagger coined the phrase, "I've got Time on my side"...sing along now....

My friend recently posted a blog on her New Year's resolution which isn't really a resolution so much as it is a decision. Her resolution has to do with Time.

Another friend posted on her Facebook notes an article entitled, Juggling Life with personal tips explaining how she spins her plates efficiently making the most of her Time.

On the wall of Catey's Room where I slept on vacation was a quote from Maya Angelou:

Time is an invaluable gift
It is wise to cherish it carefully
and give it away generously

Isn't it obvious? How can I not have Time on my mind? I've also had the luxury of being on vacation which affords lots of TIME to think about such things.

1 Corinthians 6:12 reads: Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but I will not be mastered by anything.

2 Corinthians 9:7 reads: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, not reluctantly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver

Psalm 119:37 reads: Turn my eyes away from worthless things...

Do you spend your time in beneficial ways? Do you give your time freely, not under compulsion but cheerfully? Do you spend time wisely or do you find yourself wasteful? Do your choices master you or do you master your choices? Is Time on your side or has it become your enemy?

What does Time mean to you?

BEing on Vacation

2009-01-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

BEing on vacation is Complicated Simplicity. Complicated because you have to think about what you really need to get by and Simple, because you have so little to get by with.

BEing on vacation is Unfamiliar Familiarity. Unfamiliar because you are not in your home or bed, yet Familiar because you live each day with those you love the most.

BEing on vacation is BitterSweet. Bitter because you have to go home, but Sweet because you have a home to go to.

BEing on vacation is Spontaneous Planning. Spontaneous because something better may come along at any minute and Planned because without some planning, no one would eat or sleep at all.

BEing on vacation is Agitated Peacefulness. Agitated because there are so many things you want to do or see and Peaceful because one way or another you make it a goal to enjoy every activity.

BEing on vacation is the Same as being Home. Same because you have every day to choose how to live and to love and Home because what matters most is with you.

BEing on vacation is Divine Opportunity. Divine because slowing down enables you to hear God’s voice and Opportunity because you have a chance to start again living the day–to-day like you are always on vacation.

BE

2008-12-31T17:39:00.000-08:00

I think I've been in a blaaaahhhhhg mood this last week or two. I've tried composing blogs, but all the stuff is jumbled inside and isn't ready to come out yet. Kinda like that not-so-subtle feeling of indigestion one gets after the holidays have come and gone. It's stuck.

Every year there is a Blue Christmas feeling I get after the holiday. It's never quite what I expect it to be. But this year, as I reflect, I realize that nothing is ever what I expect it to be. Sometimes things are far better. And sometimes, things are much worse. I guess having no expectations is an option. Would I be more content? I think maybe I would be.

I wrote recently that my goal for 2009 is to Live in the Moment while Planning for the Future.

I am preparing for a road trip to see some dear friends I haven't seen in a long time. My agenda: BE there. Be PRESENT. Listen. Laugh. Be. Live in the moments as they come.

I know my tree is still covered with ornaments and my carpet is covered in pine needles. I know that I did a shoddy job of cleaning the fridge today. I know that my car needs to be cleaned, inside and out before we leave. There is laundry to be done and lists to be made, but here I am: blogging.

Why? Because tonight is a new night. It's New Year's Eve. I may not get a chance tomorrow to tell you what is on my heart and mind. I've done enough work today. It is vacation after all. Tonight, when I am done with this blog, I am going to BE in the kitchen preparing an appetizer. After that I am going to BE with my kids as I help them dress for a party, braiding hair. Tonight the agenda is to listen, laugh and play.

God willing, I'll awake in the morning to a new day and a new agenda. I'll start my planning...again.

Tomorrow, while I am doing all that laundry and list-making I hope I will BE WILLING to BE in the MOMENT. I pray that I will BE MINDFUL of the MOMENT and where God is in it. I hope I will BE ABLE to listen to God's whisper as He guides me through my PLANS. I know I have lots to do, but it's pretty worthless if the minutes just tick by. No, this year, I really do want to Live in the Moment while Planning for the Future.

But, Tonight is the only thing I can do anything about. Tonight I will ring in the new year. Tonight I am hoping that I might carry the willingness to merely BE into the new year, not just when I am going to a party or on vacation, but every day.

What are you going to BE this new year?

Are you a Fan Of Christmas Cards? I am!

2008-12-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

What happened to the years between 1998 and 2000?

I have no idea. It’s perplexing.

In several moves I have lost :
A box of lovey letters Joe had written me while we were dating.
A standing FLOOR lamp.... yes a great big lamp!
and I can’t believe it but, I lost the years 1998, 1999 and 2000!

I have 1997’s Christmas Cards. I have everything between 2001 and 2007, what happened to the rest? I guess I won’t know ‘til I get to Heaven.

Losing the Lovey Letters was heartbreaking. Losing the Floor Lamp was a bummer. But gosh darn it, I always meant to do something with those Christmas Cards!

Since you can’t cry over spilled milk or lost things, I want to share what I think is a great idea. In good conscience, I can not brag about a good idea without admitting that I stole the good idea. In fact, I have few good ideas of my own so if you observe me having a good idea, ask me who I got it from. Here, the credit goes to my Sister-in-Love, Mary, who is a good resource for people like me who are in desperate need of good ideas. Mary showed me what I needed to do with all my Christmas Cards that I had not yet lost, and is the Queen of THIS good idea.

The (drum roll please)....... Christmas Card Fan!

To make a Christmas Card Fan you need Christmas Cards and some Christmas letters, too. Mount them on black cardstock and hold them together with a ring. Simple. It’s fun to see how families have grown. It’s fun to recall the history you have with people.
Year 2001 - a cute couple
Year 2002 - still a cute couple
Year 2003 - an ecstatic couple with one child
Year 2004 - a toddler, a tired dad (smiling) and a fat momma (also smiling).
Year 2005 - 2 beautiful children with two happy, tired looking parents and eventually, a few years down the line, we get a Christmas Card of that same family with 5 kids and the parents are still grinning. How is that?

Anyway, making the Christmas Card Fan is cheap, easy, and priceless in it’s own way. The one thing I will never do is MOVE ever again! Because I might lose my Christmas Card Fans and then where would I be?

How do you use your Christmas Cards?

Joseph

2008-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

There's a whole lot of hoop-la this time of year. It's all about Jesus. There's also a lot of attention directed toward Mary. She is, afterall, the mother of God. Bears some attention I think. Like all pregnant women, she gets LOTS of attention.

However, do you ever think of dads? I'm sure you do. Especially if you have "been there, done that" and recall with a modicum of clarity how fuzzy the world was when you were first expecting a child and when your infant was born. The world was changed for you, wasn't it? It changes for moms and dads alike. Many of us have personal experience to draw upon when reading the Christmas Story. But do you ever think much about Joseph?

I can't remember where I heard it but somewhere someone commented... (like that?... I'm trying to give the credit but that old memory of mine is failing) Someone on some show or in some book remarked that Jesus came as a baby to draw attention to his humanity. It strikes me that he didn't come as a King. He didn't come as a Political Power. He didn't come as a Warrior. He didn't come as a great artist or aritocrat. No, he came as a baby. Same as you and me. He came in human form and among the most helpless of humans, an infant. He was a baby who needed an earthly father... and Joseph got picked!

Why Joseph? What do you think or believe was so notable that God chose Joseph to be the father of this child? Or do you think there is nothing noteworthy about Joseph at all? What does the Bible say?

This is one of my favorite passages about Joseph -

Matthew 1: 19-20 says: Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

This is one of my favorite passages because I can't help but to dwell on the fact that he had to consider what to do. Can you imagine? How long did he consider? What did he consider? How many choices did he have? How many nights did he lay awake? I gotta look it up in Greek. Maybe the original language will help.

What do you think about Joseph? Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to have been him? Joseph didn't lead a great army, win great battles, or fell any giants. But he is a giant of the Christmas Story and I wonder what he was like. Do you?

Gifts I've Received

2008-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

My friend Denise blogged recently about the spirit of gift giving. It got me thinking... not so much about the creative gift giving I’ve done, but about the many special gifts I’ve received.

Here are a few, and only a few, highlights from a few Someones whose gifts have meant so much.

Someone once gave me - a bottle of wine left on my porch after our firstborn’s first trip to the ER; Ouch!... stitches.... he bears the scar to this day

Someone once gave me - the gift of knitting because she taught me how

Someone once gave me - the LLBean travel bag I had been eyeing in a catalog for 3 years which I couldn’t see buying for myself when ziploc baggies will do. I love that travel bag... in my favorite color no less!

Someone once gave me - a precious picture framed to remind us of sympatico

Someone once gave me - the gift of forgiveness... You can’t be a friend with someone for 30 years without that!

Someone once gave me - the gift of wisdom and gentle guidance and words of truth spoken in love, consistency, loyalty, all in a single afternoon

Someone once gave me - my Jeremiah 29:11-13 bracelet right when I needed to let go of my own plans and accept God’s plans

Someone once gave me - my Sisters By Heart poem

Someone once gave me - amazing black pants I have worn for so many years that still fit perfectly and go with everything and have lasted forever

Someone once gave me - a little heart box complete with symbolic little items like 10 candles for our first 10 years of marriage, 2 monopoly houses for each real house we had made Home, 2 angels for our 2 children, salt for the tears and sugar for the sweet times

 Someone once gave me - a little box with a stone, hand decorated, representing the spiritual marker of our friendship

Someone once gave me - my mushroom picture that she drew with her very own hands

Someone once gave me - the gift of allowing me to barge in on her and help her paint her kitchen my favorite color

Someone once gave me - the gift of loving my children like her own

Someone once gave me - the gift of letting me love his children like my own

Someone once gave me - the gift of time talking on the phone for a whole hour which is a big commitment when you are only 9!

Someone once gave me - the gift of encouragement and fitness because she got me to run my first 5K

Someone once gave me - a party complete with balloons and laughter and cake and ice cream and singing on a birthday day when there was supposed to be nothing but laundry, macaroni and dishes

Someone once gave me - the gift of a silver locket

And those are just a few of the best gifts I’ve ever received. What comes to mind for you?

Santa Died

2008-12-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

The child was nestled all snug in her bed
When Mommy came in for the prayers to be said.
Mommy was hoping to be done in a snap
And go settle her brain for a long winter’s nap.

Jillian: Are you Mrs. Claus?

Mommy: Yes

Jillian: So is Daddy Santa?

Mommy: What do you think?

Jillian: Well, if you’re Mrs. Claus then Daddy must be Santa.

Mommy: Why do you think Mommy and Daddy pretended to be Santa?

Jillian: Because you like giving us presents and you like surprising us.

Mommy: That’s right. It’s fun to give presents in secret and not to get any Thank Yous. Sometimes it reminds me of Jesus who gives us lots of good things and we don’t say Thank You. Sometimes we don’t see that it is Him who is taking care of us. Jesus loves us though. That’s why he came to earth. He loves us even if we don’t say Thank You.

Jillian: Why are you crying Mommy?

Mommy: Because I don’t want any Thank Yous. I just want to love you the way Jesus loves me.

Jillian: How can I not say Thank You when I know it’s you?

Mommy: I know it’s hard. Try not to thank me on Christmas. Try to remember that some gifts are free and Thank Jesus for His gift instead. Jesus’ gift is the best one of all.

Jillian: Jesus really loves me.

Mommy: Yes, he does.

Mommy sprang to embrace her while the tears started pouring
And away she flew to go finish her mourning.
Santa had died, the fib was now out of sight,
"It’s all about Jesus now, and One Holy Night!"

Ebenezer

2008-12-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Use the word, “Ebenezer” this time of year, and you are bound to think of Dickens’ famous Ebenezer Scrooge, Esquire. A greedy, grumpy, and supremely selfish man eventually transformed and reborn.

Aren’t you glad at the end of that tale? Isn’t it a relief to see what happens to that crusty old man? The Ebenezer that emerges at the end of the play inspires Hope in us because we want to believe that given eyes to see, the past, the present and the future we can be made new. We so desperately need that kind of Hope. Deep down we fear what we might be missing, don’t we? We identify with Dickens’ portrayal because Ebenezer reminds us who we are and who we might become. But there is another Ebenezer I want to talk about.

In the Bible, an Ebenezer was a memorial. It was like a totem pole of thankfulness. An altar erected to God to remind the people of all He had done. It was meant to give them Hope. Why does God think the people need an Ebenezer? It is because we forget.

We forget how blessed we are.
We forget what God has done.
We forget all the times we have been rescued.
We forget the joy we have known.
We forget to be thankful.

God knew we are Forgetters. We are Ebenezers like Scrooge who get greedy and grumpy and need again and again to be transformed into Rememberers. Rememberers who know how fortunate we are. Rememberers who care about the poor and needy. Rememberers who look for a way to give of the little or much we have with joy.

So in response to our Scroogish nature, Joe and I bought some rocks. We also bought a great big cedar bowl. Into the bowl we place stones on which are written memories of the miracles and blessings authored by Jehoveh Jirah - the God who provides. We do this lest we forget all that the Lord has done for our family. We do this to become Rememberers. It is our Ebenezer Bowl, to remind us who God is, who we are and what He has done for us in the past and in the present. Each blank stone is a reminder that God has a plan for the future. Someday, all the stones will tell a story.

In Hebrew, Ebenezer means Stone of Help and it is with the help of these stones that I hope to actually BE an Ebenezer Scrooge, Esq..... transformed, reborn and made new... a portrait of Hope... a reflection of God.

1 Samuel 7:12.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up.... He named it Ebenezer, saying, “The LORD helped us."

PS - Credit for the Ebenezer Bowl goes to my friend Jill who got her idea from her friend. And maybe Jill’s friend got the idea from someone else. In any case, it all started in the Old Testament. It was God’s idea all along... that we not forget. That we REMEMBER.

What do YOU do in YOUR family to remember?

Silver and Gold

2008-11-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Silver and Gold Season has officially begun...

My friend, Michelle, commented on my last blog with this wonderful poem about old and new friendships. You've heard it before. Maybe you even know all the words. In keeping with the theme of Blessing which this Season inevitably inspires, I wanted to share this poem with you.

Silver and Gold

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test-
Time and change-are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray;
Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die;
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast-
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.

For those of my friends who are among the "new", I want to tell you that even now, as friendship is being born, I look forward to when we are old together. I didn't know what old friends were until the last few years, but now that I know, I value more richly the diamonds in their unrefined state, knowing what they might become.

What are silver and gold to you?

“Aha” Moments

2008-11-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

(photo of me and my friend, Abby)

When we initially moved to Oakhurst in 2007, there was so much going on in our lives. In the midst of our move, there was also a lot of pain. I think the needs of the moment circumvented the needs of the heart. It took a while for my heart to catch up and mourn what I left behind. My friend, Jill, however was left in the lurch and was processing my move and her life from those first days in 2007.

Jill wrote in April of 2008 about an “aha” moment she had with God. If I recall, I think we were having a chat on the phone when she had her “aha” moment and her blog tumbled onto the www after that.

I mention Jill because I just had a similar “aha” moment on the floor of my bedroom. It’s where I wrap things. Gifts. Lots of them. I like presents; both the giving and the receiving. I was wrapping gifts for my friend Abby and her family, who live in a land far far away.... Maryland.

Like me, Abby has the gift of giving and receiving. Many years ago, when we parted company, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with every birthday, but in the short time we had had together we had quite a repertoire of traditions and experiences. Abby was always sharing something. She still does. That’s what I love about Abby. I’ve never stopped missing her and her husband and her children.

That’s what the gifts are all about.

After every holiday, I collect little things from wherever I can find them. Usually, a set of valentine napkins from the grocery store, green bowls with shamrocks on them and this year I got a great deal on a July 4th decoration in the shape of a gigantic sparkly star! In the holiday box with all the holiday things go the holiday wishes - We think of your corn beef on St.Patricks Day. We remember your love for us on Valentines....stuff like that. I miss her. I miss her sweetheart husband. I miss her boys. I want to give her little gifts that make moments in the year pretty or silly or special. I love when one holiday ends and the next starts, because then I can start my hunt for the markdowns! I can spend a few moments in the middle of Vons just thinking about Abby and what she might like. I can’t be with her, but I can send her my heart in a box.

Then, came my “aha” moment. I wonder if Jesus is up in Heaven collecting things for me and attaching His heart to them? Does he tie little notes on those precious treasures and pass them along to me as the year unfolds? Does He gather them eagerly, excited for what I might think? Does He imagine how I will use His gift? I can see Him wanting me not to miss the lovely moments in life, little or large. I can see Him wanting to be included in them the way I want to be included in Abby’s celebrations.

I want Abby to be thinking about me, to remember me, to know that I love her and care for her. I want Abby to know that she is important and is missed all year long. There are times when Jesus seems like Abby, living in a land far far away, preparing a place for me to come home to someday. But the Truth is, Jesus is with me. I just need to open up my eyes and say, “aha!” as I see all the little gifts He has given me. I need to take a little time to read the notes on the treasures He has sent my way. I can’t always be with Abby, but Jesus is always with me.

Jill said it best in her blog:

“Could it be He moved our friends to remind us that nothing can separate us from Him? I think that is, at least, part of it!”

“I take great comfort in the fact that the Lord has a reason for these distances. I praise Him, that He desires us to know that He will never leave, nor forsake us! I thank Him for every glimpse of Heaven and Heart that He allows us! Some day we will all be together forever in the Glory of the Lord..”

That is what Christmas is all about: God is With Us.

ho! ho! ho! down!

2008-11-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

It may not be Christmas yet but Jesus was alive and well at our annual Harvest Festival. Seriously, if you go to church in the Oakhurst area, you need to consider Sierra Vista. You got a whole lot of folk who love Jesus and a whole lot of folk who love each other. That’s what makes our church special.

We’ve got kids like Evan (not my Evan, another, much taller Evan who plays the tuba) getting jiggy with the little kids.

We’ve got gals like Rae, who also totally Rocks and that’s not just cuz her last name’s so cool. She has a gift for delicious ideas like COTTON CANDY and a “can-do” attitude that’s infectious!

In addition, we’ve got Sherry (Fabulous) Faber who can decorate anything with anything and make it look so darn hoe downy its amazing.

We’ve got a pastor’s wife who is silly enough in her own right to show up with polka dot hair ribbons, overalls and freckles painted on her nose and beleive it or not, she didn’t get the best dressed prize!

We’ve got kitchen leadership in Kim, who hates being in the kitchen but has an encouraging word and the prettiest smile to share every time you go in there.

We’ve got the Wolters, who, I am so sorry to say this, are too dang cute AND CAN DANCE! Did you miss having them in your square? Too bad for you cuz Eric knows how to swing his partner dosey-doe and everything else with the hands of a man who knows what the heck he’s doing.

We’ve got DJ, aka Denise Jones, who can orchestrate the miraculous - a coming together of all ages where love and laughter is shared and worship is obvious not because we’re singing songs or praying but because together we are God's family. Check out her blog because she has cornered the market on great photographs and subsequently, a great slide show....AFTER you watch mine. ;)

The Glad Game

2008-11-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

I need that movie. You know the one I mean? Disney’s Pollyanna. In that old movie, people are transformed because someone comes into their world speaking words of hope and truth. Pollyanna gave the people reasons to be thankful by teaching them to look through another lens - The Glad Game. Do you need a Pollyanna in your life? Are you one?

Another blogger (who I now can’t trace) quoted John Piper on her blog. He said, “The people who love God most enjoy God most, cling to him most, hug him most are the most broken people. They’re the ones who have felt most deeply how desperate they are. So let’s be a broken happy people.”

I am often lost between the optimist and the pessimist in me, the broken person and the profoundly blessed one. Loss must not be minimized nor ought it be dwelt upon. Life goes on. Hope can be found in the darkest of places and if such a hope exists, do we dare ignore it?

Yet, it is in my brokenness, my disappointments, and my sorrow that I cry out to God the most. It is often my circumstances that provoke relentless prayer. Yet as bad as circumstances might be, the depth of my brokenness is determined by my conscience. It is then that I know Who I really am! How can I be less than one of those broken happy people?

Pollyanna found reasons to be glad. I am determined to do the same and the words of this song sum it up for me perfectly. It is because of the truths expressed here that my spirit can be released to really play the Glad Game. This is what I’m thankful for:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me

When Satan tempts me to despair
and tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end to all my sin

Because the sinless Savior died
my sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
my perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am,
the King of glory and of grace

My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in Heaven, He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart

One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased with His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God

Good News in the News

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my idea of "spreading the wealth". Click on this article.

The point to remember is what government gives, it must first take away.
John S. Caldwell

Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have…The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.
Thomas Jefferson

A committee is a thing which takes a week to do what one good man can do in an hour.
Elbert Hubbard

Jump Roping for Joy

2008-10-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Surprise BRAG!

My sister-in-law, Mary McBride, and MY NIECES are on TV! Mary and my nieces, Allie Emma and Kate are part of a cool Jump Rope Club at their school. The youngest, Kate, didn't make the demo team cut for this gig, but everything about Kate is noteworthy. Someday, I'll be bragging about her on my blog. You can see her standing next to Jillian in this photo op at Nelder Grove. But today, check out this link and see our extended family :

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/health_fitness&id=6471150

Allie is the taller blond one at the front in the very beginning.

Emma was the first one to do the double jump rope and at the end, they both responded first to the journalists’ questions.

Aren’t they wonderful?