It's been far too long!

...Since I've done a bit of a "favorite things" post.  Speaking of favorite things, I believe Julie Andrews Edwards is probably one of mine.  Let's see what I come up with, shall we?

1.  Not a well guarded secret that I'm in lurve with Nutella.  I'm jonesing to make Nutella brownies or something, but I'm worried that in making them I would be so disappointed in their taste.  So...I'm back to eating it regular-style (on a finger spoon), on a Ritz or on toast. Num+my.

2.  Note:  the children joyfully washing my car are not the result of human slavery trafficking.  At one point, the above children were little and wanted to please me.  This is a sheer voluntary act.  But the POINT is, my van is one of my favorite things--perhaps by default.  Good old 2005 RHonda is about to turn 120,000 miles old, and she just keeps truckin'.  Oh, and the car that you see on the right--in one piece--is going to be broken in "new driver style" shortly after July 13th.  Gulp.

3.  For about as much $ as a manicure at your local Vietnamese sweatshop nail salon, you can purchase this kit, which includes a pen to do the white tip of a French manicure.  I think the fact that a French manicure can "cheat" your nail length, and the fact that hands always look clean and finished with them makes them one of my favorite things. 

4. Because I tend to lurve medical shows, and due to the fact that it's now summer, and most of my shows are on hiatus, I favor Combat Hospital as one of my favorite things.  This little, Canadian import may just be the engine that could for me in terms of mid-summer TV enjoyment.  I've only seen one epi, but I liked the acting and storyline.  It's about an Army hospital in Afghanistan.  Try it and let me know what you think.

5.  I am so excited for this memoir by Brennan Manning, with John Blase, to come out.  Go here to see a beautiful trailer for it, at the home of The Beautiful Due, by my friend, John (or Pony Boy, as I like to call him).  Listening to Brennan Manning talk about how much God loves us, how worthy we are because of Him.  Well, that's definitely one of my favorite things.

This Was Gonna Be a Rant...

And then, I had a check in my spirit. 
I was gonna write something pithy, fun, and perhaps a little mean spirited about how manners matter.  About how every time I go into a pizza place with a name that rhymes with nipple squeezers, I leave with my pizzas and never, never, EVER does a soul move to push open the door for me.  Everyone is always so focused on what they're ordering/doing, etc., that helping a lady juggle her pizzas and 2 litre just doesn't enter their minds' eye.  Please poor grammar (object possessive).  Anyhoo...I was gonna write about that and wonder "what's wrong with people these days?!!!", whilst urging all of you to wonder along with me about the self-centered nature of the world. 

But today...my 13 year old daughter asked me to "Watch me, Mom!  Watch all my tricks!" on the trampoline.  Think of that!  She wants me to watch her, still.  She cares about what I think.  She's so precious, and the days are so fleeting.  It was such a little thing for her to ask.  So I did.

And then...as I sat down to write, I read this post from Jean about the kindness of people.  She shared this quote at the end: 

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Robert Brault

So..I didn't have the heart to rant.  Because I get to enjoy my daughter for one more day.  And instead of teaching her to rant, I can teach her to be kind.

 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

Thirteen

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Thirteen years ago, at 3:46 a.m., we officially made each others' acquaintance. What a joyous, amazing, whirlwind ride it's been. I am so very grateful and beyond honored that I can call you "daughter". I love that you're a try-er. I love that you have an easy laugh and a wonderful (sometimes naughty) sense of humor. I love that you are concerned about being your best and treating your body well. I love that you love Jesus--that relationship really has very little to do with me, but as times get hard and uncertain, I'm so glad you know to whom you can turn--the One who is always with you and withIN you. I love your beautiful-even-though-you-want-to-do-crazy-things-to-it hair. Even though it sometimes hurts my ears, I love that you live out loud, full steam ahead, life of high energy and joy. I love your amazing patience and compassion. You outshine me in both of those and teach me well. I love your independence. I love your need for Momma wake ups and cuddles. I love that you want to be taller than me--and probably will make it. I love your generosity of spirit, even though, let's be serious--sharing your b'day with Father's Day is NOT your fave. :) I love the way you wear 10% of your wardrobe, over and over and always manage to look cute. If I've done anything right in raising you, to God be the glory. You.are. magnificent.

I

Love

You.

xxxooo love, Mom.

"Survey Says!"

Busy day, so must be brief.

Aren't you grateful? ;)

A God thing happened today. Some might call it smallish, but I call it significantish. I was disappointed about something, and instead of getting angry and reacting with my usual style of pouting and "whataboutme?" attitude, I took a deep breath, asked a few questions, and let it go.

Let. it. go.

Thank you, God!!!

As you may have guessed, when I'm thinking, I quantum leap all over the place. Today is no exception. After thinking about the above interaction--intercession, really--I got to thinking about how I spend my time with Jesus.

Right now, I'm re-reading the Bible in 4 sections at a time (like a Piper study I did last year). And that's about it in terms of quiet time. I do some praying during the quiet time, but generally, I pray throughout the day, as prayer requests and praises come to mind. I also typically pray for the kids as I drop them off for school, and we generally say grace at dinnertime, as a family. When time permits, I also do a bit of reading--right now, i'm about 1/3 of the way through Knowing God, by JI Packer. Sometimes, I also read books like Crazy Love (Francis Chan), Radical (David Platt), and other current Christian nonfiction whilst I'm (ahem) soaking in the tub. (Dying here b/c Blogger isn't allowing me to select and hyperlink--what'supwiththat?!) Probably the least structured part of my God time is prayer and meditation. And, to open the kimono up just a bit more, please know that I only "do" quiet time about 5 days a week. ;)

So, since I get by with a little help from my friends (thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo), I'd like to know what YOU do. Just curious. And thirsty.

• Do you have a daily quiet time (even if it's "most" days)?
• How much time do you spend reading/praying/meditating, etc?
• How do you pray/read/structure your time with God? Or do you structure it at all?
• Bonus question: Can you feel a difference when you don't set aside time for God?

Many Thanks!

Book Club, Anyone? Bueller???

M'kay, so I have been wanting to join a book club for a while, now. But, with summer approaching, we all seem to run our separate ways. Would anyone like to do a book club with me? We can read, and then reconvene on the blahg/blawg in a few weeks or so to discuss highs/lows, or give suggestions for another book.

Tell you what: NO pressure. But, I'm choosing the book Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent, because I really want to read it, and think I will probably pass it on to my kids.

It's a tiny book, so if you're joining me, plan on coming back on June 29th, 3 weeks from today to discuss. Let me know if you're "in" in the comments. But if you've already read it, please don't spill the beans on any details till the 29th. Happy Reading!

The 3 Rs of Summer

Regroup, Reboot, and Renew.  Or is it: outplay, outwit...nevermind. ;)

The point is, we're nearing the half-way point in the year (July 1 or 2, depending on whom you ask), and I need to regroup, reboot, and renew.  Because I am flighty and distractible.

Need to regroup because the kids are nearly out of school for the summer.  Yikes!  Where did 7th and 9th grades go?  Not that I would go back, you understand.  Not that my kids would, either, I trust. Truly the best rated reality TV show would be just filming the angst and tribulations of muddling through the wonder years.  Oooh, is Mark Burnett available for a conference?  I need to raise college tuition--fast!

Closely related to regrouping  is rebooting (except in math terms--but I don't do math--I just talk about it).  Need to reboot the schedule, and balance the needs for rest and unstructured time with the needs of facilitating life skills (e.g. chores, Grommit!), and family "fun" time. 

I suspect we all need some renewal, too.  Whether the New Year's Resolutions need some dusting off and tweaking, or the spirit needs some lifting, it's time to renew.

It might not surprise you to know that I'm an "idea" person.  So that's about all I have right now.  Ideas.  Tick. Tock. 

But one has to start somewhere.  Okay...narrowing the focus...

Regroup: 

• Dust off the calendar, and remind myself of the current "knowns"--e.g. trips
• Realize that our family will have 3 b'days, 1 Hallmark holiday, and 1 national holiday within one month--plan accordingly.  Oh, $h!t!  Need to renew!  Send chocolate!  Send wine!
• Plan for sugared cereal or trip to Frost for last day of school.
• Hug kids, and rejoice in the fact that they made it.  And that the car is still running after another year of carpooling and commuting.  Holla!

Reboot:

• Schedule (boooooo!) summer tutoring for August.
• Schedule oil change.  Doesn't hurt to wash the car, either.
• Schedule some fun days (e.g. gaming, swimming, hanging with friends)
• Schedule eyes, teeth, and other money sucking appts.
• Prioritize weekly family time (e.g. games, walks, drives, goin' to da mtns or da beach).

Renew:

• Get hairapy on the calendar, STAT!
• Nap as often as possible.
• Goals: 
• Read 3 soley-for-pleasure books
• Make one quilt, weather tiny or big
• Do a family devo--somehow--in our split family of believers and prodigals.
• Stop saying naughty words, even in my head. ;)

So...what chy'all doin' to pass the next 3 months?

21

Today, I can say I've been married 1/2 my life.  Been married twenty-one years to the most incredible person I know.  That would be you, Big.  Twenty-one isn't so flashy.  It's right after the biggie at 20 and a few years before the Silver anniversary.  But flashy or not, each day we've been married has been a gift.  I always tell you that you're my favorite.  Below, in no particular order are 21 reasons why: 

1. Nightly back scratches.  I sit on the edge of the bed, and that's your cue.  Thankfully my sensory overload occurs quickly, so the scratch time is brief. :)
2. A look and a nod from across the room.  The meaning is shared between us, alone, whether we're "talking" about the kids, a TV show, or a past memory.  We just know.
3. You don't complain.  Oh, how I could learn from that!  I'm sure you have just as many grievances as the next person, but you tend to hold your tongue.  Not always sure whether you're holding your tongue because you know it won't make a difference to complain, or because complaining would hurt someone, but either way...you just go with the flow.
4. You are the steady to my eddy...or something like that.
5. You're the peanut butter to my chocolate.  The milk to my oreo cookies. 
6. Love that we can crank all our "old people" grunge and/or 80s/90s rock in the office and that you don't laugh when I dance around.
7. You're a kick a$$ provider.  And an adventurous one, as well.
8. You're a stellar dad, with awesome connections to both kids.  What a joy for me to see.
9. You watch the Star Trek movie with me (ahem, over and over again) when everyone else thinks I'm weird.
10. You watch Love Actually, and other Hugh Grant movies (also, ahem, over and over again).  And Honey, don't you worry--watching these rom-coms only makes you sexier to me. ;)
11. Thank you for being such an encourager to me--whether w/my weightloss strategy du jour, or with whatever project I'm thrust headlong into. 
12. I love that you respect and honor my faith. 
13. I love that we get Chinese foot massages together.
14. Thank you for all of our lunch dates.  I know you tease me about being a lady who lunches, but I so appreciate the effort you make in taking me out and making me feel pretty.
15. Thank you for loving my friends, because as you know, they are like family to me.
16. You're always the designated driver. :)
17. I love that you have high expectations of all of us in the family, and yet you pamper me and play with us whenever you can.  Your leadership is awesome.
18. You're simply still awesome in every way, and so darn cute.  Seriously.
19. Thank you for riding the waves of new adventures with me.
20. You're my bestest friend.  The BFF of a lifetime.
21. Your sacrificial, steadfast, supportive love sustains and humbles me and makes me want to be my best. 

Happy 21st Anniversary.  So glad I got you, babe...