Scrub boards and laundry lines

For the past year and a half or so, my dryer has been, let's say, underperforming.
It would overheat after 5-10 minutes of drying and I would have to restart it multiple times to dry a load. Like all day to dry ONE load.

Bothersome, but non-essential.
It did, however, make it so that I was NEVER on top of my laundry.

But last week, to my horror, my washing machine gave out. Gonzo.

I began thinking about scrub boards and laundry lines. It was doable, but difficult, and maybe a bit too agonizing for how hard my work life will be this summer...

I decided this was a last straw scenario.

So I...

• Went shopping.
• Got discouraged.
• Began thinking about money and the impending gap betwen paychecks during the job change.
• I did something stupid and financed a matching set of Maytags.
• I began having buyer's remorse.

Then, the next day, something wonderful happened.

In the mailbox, I found a statement talking about some stocks we had cashed in when Chris switched careers last fall.

But why am I still getting a statement in May when we received 'payment in full' in October?

So I made a phone call. The statement I was holding in my hands was some OTHER stocks we didn't know we had. And they had grown by more than double since the time Chris left Red Lobster in September.

Today, I got a check in the mail.
Come Monday morning, my brand new, do-not-take-all-day-to-complete-one-load, matching washer and dryer set will be paid off.

It's in the little things that God daily shows up in our lives. When He shows off fancy, taking care of His little girl, in a big, big way, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by His interest in my life.

To what do I owe this enormous love You show? I am overjoyed by Your faithfulness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l3CEMWCxSk&feature=related

A snail of a tale.

When I was a little girl, I looked forward to the few hours after a big rainfall. I would go outside, a hunter, and collect earth worms, snails, and every other non-perilous critter that would cross my path.

This evening, after dinner, Avery, Jaron, and I went outside. We were all business, we three "Snail Hunters," using our whisper voices, prowling tactics, and everything.

We collected scads of them. Then we would gently touch (er, poke) their long spindly eyes and giggle as they slunk back into their shells. Poor snails.

We made snail art.

We had a family snail race.

Each of the 4 snails got a permanent marker tattoo of each family member's first initial.

D= Daddy Snail, M=Mommy Snail, J=Jaron Snail, and A=Avery Snail.

As you can see, it was slow going at first. But Avery snail took an early lead.

Notice that Mommy snail is flat on her back, with no intention of even poking her eyes out of her shell...

In the end, it was Avery snail. Followed by a distant Daddy snail in second place.

Mommy snail is still refusing to play. I guess Jaron snail had a great video game to play...

Good times! Yay Avery Snail!

(No Snails were hurt in the filming of this post.)

seven

(Jaron's last 6 year old shot @ bedtime last night.)

It's amazing - how one little person can completely change your world.

Even though I know, with a deep inside kind of knowing, that God feels this way about us - still I find it difficult to accept His unbelievable and unchanging love as a Father.

But it becomes infinitely easier to comprehend because of how I love my son. Today he turns seven years old.

(The sweet little angel)

(The truth...)

Seven years I could repeat a thousand times in my mind with love increasing each moment and with each memory.

Our lives are super-charged with energy and love, all because of these seven years with you, Jaron. You are an absolute page-turner of a person!

I can't wait for eight!

Yes, thank heaven for little boys.

Extra Extra Read all about it!

I have been given the go ahead from all the people who have a say in these things, so here goes...

You are reading the blog of a newly selected elementary music teacher.

She will be teaching at her children's school.

This. is. a. dream. come. true.

You would not believe how long I had to sit on this information...

God - Thanks for blessing us big time! It always amazes me how much you care about the things that matter to us. Such awesomeness you are!

I've been cheating myself

In 30 years of living, I never cultivated the habit of reading.
I certainly have never really read by choice. I always did my studying. And I have read the Bible from cover to cover because that's what good Christian girls do, but I have never chosen to read for the sheer and intensive therapy that I see it becoming in my life.
In the past two months, I have made some pretty big commitments to myself, one of them being reading regularly and intentionally.
At first, I read because I convinced myself that I needed to pick up a hobby and reading is just about the most practical leisure-time activity a person can have. But now,

I love reading! I have been devouring papyrus!
It's weird - because you don't spend 30 years avoiding something like the plague and one day up and decide to make a lifestyle change. But I have. And I have done it so consistently that I feel comfortable blogging about it, so that's something...

The book I have been reading is amazing and eye-opening, thought-provoking and popping with unreal life and energy. It's called the Bible. Ha!

(I have also been reading supplemental books that are terrific in their own right.)

But seriously, if you have never made the commitment to yourself to really delve into God's Word and become studious about it, you should.

It will change your life!

Blessed are the Peacemakers...

...for they shall live in an eternal mess that they made while trying to make peace.

Am I alone?

And no, you won't find that anywhere in Scripture.

:)

I'm a Dummy!

yes, yes i am.

and no this is not me being self-deprecating.

my hubby actually uses me as a dummy

he's applied tourniquets, given CPR, taken my blood pressure, put me on a long board, immobilized fake broken limbs, etc.

rest assured that if you have an emergency and you see my husband walk through your front door, he is well prepared for the task ahead

i am so proud to be his dummy!

things that stir my heart

• watching my husband play legos with our son
• eyelash kisses with my little girl
• cooking a very healthy dinner and inviting family over to enjoy it with us
• having a very faithful 'helper' while I cook, who loves to wear her 'fun-size' apron and taste samples of everything
• reading in a quiet moment
• the way Bonnie's whole butt wags when she sees us
• thinking about how awesome VBS is going to be and that I get to be a part of seeing lives change
• buying tiny little newborn size clothes
• getting an out-of-the-blue phone call from a friend
• sneaking back into my kids' rooms to watch them sleep - it's just about the only time they look like babies anymore
• picking a whole field's worth of wild flowers with my kids
• giving
• reconnecting with people who mean a lot to me
• humbly delivering a long overdue apology
• learning more each day how to be the person God made me to be

Smiles all around

I am so out of the habit of updating - to the point that I'm awkward in doing so.

However, it's been too long and too many terrific and wonderful, worthy of posting about things have happened.

First and freshest on the list is last night, April 12, 2010. While Avery and I were doing our nighttime snuggle, she started asking questions about heaven. She's now nearly 5 1/2 and I began to try and answer as best I could her questions. Without expectation on my part, she asked if she could pray and ask Jesus to live inside her heart.

And we did.

How precious! I have now had the singular pleasure in life to pray that prayer with both of my children. Knowing fully that each in their own way has absolute assurance of their place in God's heart.

There are moments in motherhood that you can really only dream about and pray for - this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of moments.

It's hard to follow that, but in other news...

Jaron is competing today in his first ever TRIYS competition. He is so nervous! He kept telling me that his tummy was weird. Butterflies! :) No, it's not funny - and he'll probably remember today as one of the scariest days in his young life but still I can't help but grin when I reflect on his nervousness and grown-upness this morning as I sent him out the door.

I hope he's proud of all he's accomplished in first grade - I sure am proud of him!

Also, I am coming off of a very busy Easter and Lenten Season. So I took yesterday and today off, just to be me and to play catch up. It's been amazing!

I wish I had the perspective seven years ago that I have now, to appreciate each day as a stay-at-home mom. What an amazing gift it was! I did enjoy it, but not as greedily as I do now. I'll just soak as much of it in as I can for these two days.

When I get back to work it's time to hit the trails hard and prepare for one hot crazy summer! VBS, Camps, Mission work, and all that comes with it!

Chris is doing really well with the fire department. He seems to have found in this profession a perfect fit. Everyone should be so content and feel as fortunate as him.

Chris and I see that change is on the horizon for us and our approach to this change is tentative - hoping, no praying, that we have heard God's voice and not imposed our wills into the decisions we are now facing.

It's difficult to imagine having any further upset in our delicately balanced world, but it's no small urging that I have been feeling lately. So yesterday, I took the first steps toward getting into graduate school.

There are some very real changes that this life course would dictate, so we're weighing that and all that it brings very carefully right now. Prayers are appreciated.

Guess that just about brings us all up to speed.

Cute, priceless and a little embarrassing

We have added a little Zazz to our nightly routine.

I guess after 6 or so years, the nightly book, bath, brush, tickle, talk, smooch, prayer bit has gotten crusty for them.

So the kids (5 and 6 years old now) have decided to request our presence at a party in their bedrooms.

We knock.
They giggle.
We are invited in.
Upon entering, we see that they have plugged in their special lights and gotten all their blinky-light toys to strobing. They start the beat, in pure techno fashion - and then comes the dancing.

All four of us jump around, flopping our arms, and trying not to strain our backs to the tune of their techno beat. It's an all-out Hoopla.
Little girl actually assigns a syllable to the bass line, "Oots, oots, oots, oots" she says in quite possibly the sweetest, rhythmic voice you've ever heard...

We dance till we jiggle our sillies out and then we finish our same ol' crusty routine.
I love going to their bedtime parties.