This snow is so much fun!

Are you ready for the massive amounts of snow that dismissed schools this morning.... look really really close....

Maybe you can see it better from the flash shot?

No?  Still can't see it?  Well you'll just have to take my word for it, there IS some snow there on my deck railing.  Treacherous driving?  Probably not, but still, there is technically some snow! :)

Happy Snow Day everyone!

Snow Schmow - and Happy Epiphany, or 12th Night, or Merry Christmas in Russia

Here I sit, having some MAJOR de ja vu.  I seem to remember that the week that we returned from Christmas break last year, we ended up getting out for a 'non snow' day that week (actually I looked back, it was January 15th and that day we got out because it was cold!, not because there was snow...). Just when things were starting to return to normal... whatever that is?

Today is the Russian Orthodox Christmas.  Russians celebrate Christmas today.  Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.  The Scottish celebrate 12th Night.  In any tradition, it's an important night!  So have a blessed Epiphany!  Merry Christmas! and Happy 12th Night!

Anyway, they are PREDICTING 1-3 inches of snow for here tomorrow.  Now keep in mind that it hasn't actually started to snow yet.  They are just saying that it will snow, but we haven't actually seen the first flake.  Also please keep in mind that we are in the CITY school district.  For those of you who live near rural areas, you know full well that this means our buses do not traverse any really narrow, winding, hilly country roads.  We pretty much live on city streets, the whole lot of us who attend every single school in our district.  Now maybe it will surprise you to know that school has been dismissed for tomorrow.  Pause for dramatic affect... yes, that's right, they have already announced that there will be NO school tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love a snow day.  I actually look forward to them.  They are guaranteed to happen here in the South because none of us know how to drive on the snow, we don't have snow tires and chains and such around these parts.  I actually am not a total idiot on the snow, I did grow up on a farm and my Daddy taught me not to brake and turn at the same time, yada yada yada.  But still, I promise you, if the first flake falls, it will look like the day after Armageddon in the morning because no self-respecting Southerner would dare set foot in a car until 10 AM, at which time all the snow will be melted and life will return to normal, albeit a very cold version of normal.  My friends north of the Mason Dixon are really impressing me with their thermometer reportings in the negatives. I truly cannot imagine living where temps regularly dip below freezing.  We have had below freezing temps this week (20-30 degrees) and I've felt like I was going to die of frost bite every single time I've popped my head out the door.  But I have next week to look forward to, when the weather man is promising 40's and sunshine! :)

Anyway, the kids are out of school tomorrow and you would think they hadn't had a day off in months the way they were dancing around the house.  I was not very wise when I informed them at 7:30 that there would be no school.  Why on earth didn't I tuck their sweet heads into their beds and snuggle up with the new book Lindsay just sent me, next to my roaring hot fire that I had stoked in hopes of enjoying a movie on the couch tonight?  Why didn't I think ahead, they could have slept late in the morning, thinking they were sneaking a few more minutes of sleep prior to the arrival of the bus.  Why, why, why?

A few photos from the week, just because I have some time on my hands now that I don't have to beat the bus tomorrow morning! :)  Yay for me, I don't have to remember the napkins.  :)

Brian and I cleaned out our attic this weekend.  He found this crown.  I said, "Can we toss this?"  He said, "That's from when I was homecoming king!"  Me, "So?"  Him, "Would you throw away your crown if you were homecoming queen?"  Me, "Um? YES!"  So guess what we did with it?  :)

Notice that Connor is in a different outfit (different day) but still wearing the crown!  Every king needs a good dog, don't you think?  And a double headed axe! I'm actually starting to get used to seeing him in this thing.

Have you ever seen anything more pitiful?  Seriously, he looks innocent, but believe me, he would snatch that pizza off the table at his first available opportunity.

Guess what the kids got from their third round of Grandparent Christmas?  Is this thing safe?  Is 15 miles per hour really wise?  Don't they need a license for this thing?  I guess it's better than a REAL go-kart, right?  Try to just ignore the junk in our garage.  That's what I tell my husband about twice a week too!

Speaking of grandparents, this is my mom with the little puppy, who is now named Rocky.  And who has gone to live with my friends, the Hills.  My mom isn't really a pet person so much, so this will tell you how irresistible this dog is.  I know what you're thinking... how did a woman who doesn't really like pets end up with a cowboy, living on a farm, raising a daughter that loves everything with four legs and fur?  Well, I don't know how it happened to start with, but that they are now divorced shouldn't really be a shocker! My mom is very happy to be the coach's wife and attend church every Sunday.  My dad is very happy to worship from his deer stand and have a wife that enjoys taking vacation time to attend National Finals Bull Riding Events.  All's well that ends well.

And how exactly a post about the Epiphany and non-snow turned into an "it's okay, really" about my parents' divorce (which was well over 20 years ago anyway) is just further testament to my focusing skills and my gnat-like attention span.  Gotta go, I think I just heard a chicken!

By the way, Kristine, you have to jump over to my friend Carrie's blog (Laugh or Cry Carrie in my sidebar), she's the one who first told me about the chicken thing and it stuck!  Plus, you and I are already friends with all the same bloggers and Carrie lives sort of near me and is really one of the funniest people I've ever met.  Plus she has two tiny Russians in her house, so y'all have lots in common.

New Years Resolultions?

I have been pretty intrigued by reading everyone's new year's resolutions or goals from their blogs.  I don't usually make new year's resolutions.  There are several reasons, but the main reason I don't is because I have Attention Deficit Disorder, which means by January 2, I've seen some sparkly bobble of a resolution that looked more intriguing than the resolutions I actually made, so I abandon mine and take up theirs and this pattern continues until I forget that there ever were resolutions and I move on to some other random tangent.  So, it's best for folks like me not to get too zealous about making sweeping change in our lives because it will inevitably lead to distraction and ultimate failure.  I'm not trying to be depressing here... I'm not wasted by this fact, just realistic.  It is what it is so therefore, I don't usually resolve to do a whole lot of things differently simply because the calendar reads January 1.

HOWEVER, since everyone seems to be advertising the changes they intend to make in the coming year, I thought maybe I'm somehow avoiding becoming a better person by missing this opportunity to change myself.  So here goes, my grand resolve for 2010:

1.  I will remember to pack a napkin in Connor's lunch like his teacher has been asking for a whole semester.
2.  I will try to be no more than 10 minutes late to pre-school for the remainder of the semester.
3.  I will actually brush my teeth every single day!
4.  I resolve not to make any elaborate plans and goals that I know on the front end I will not follow through on.

I know these will be very tough to accomplish, for an unorganized, distractible individual like myself, but I shall try!  I do not say that tongue-in-cheek, if I actually get a napkin in Connor's box every day it will be a major achievement.

I hope you have set some attainable, yet lofty goals for yourself as well.  If you have any goals for the year that don't involve losing weight or having a cleaner house, I'd love to hear about them.  I mean, if you plan to lose weight and keep a cleaner house, I really hope you achieve them, don't get me wrong.  Those are certainly great goals.  It's just that if I were a resolution making person, those would probably be my goals, and if you have those goals and share them with me I will probably get some grand idea that I, too, could keep a cleaner house and lose a little weight and I'll be tempted to join you in what would turn out to be a doomed venture! :)

Happy resolving!

Talk about a Not Me Monday

I absolutely, positively DID NOT get my kids up for school this morning only to figure out that school doesn't start back until TOMORROW! No way that I would do that because I have done that once before. I did not fuss at Jack because he wouldn't get up, only to realize (while packing the back-packs) that there is no school.

I did not embarrass myself even further by texting my carpool this morning at 7:09 saying that we couldn't drive today because we slept to late.  Man, I bet they thought, "Joke's on you!"  :)

In other news, it is not so cold here in the nice warm South, that it's snowing little flurries (nothing compared to what Lori and Danyele are seeing) and my dog won't even get out of his nice warm bed to go outside.  NOW THAT'S COLD, FOLKS!  Good thing there is no school today, they probably would have canceled anyway due to flurries... I'm not kidding!

Brian and I did not clean out our side attics last night in preparation for turning them into rooms for Connor and Liam to sleep in.  Only to realize that if we give up our side attics, that means we have to figure out where to put the junk that was in there.  We thought most of it was stuff to throw away, but it turns out there is alot of stuff keep.  Argh!  We have albums that have been in our attic for 11 years!  Wow!

So this morning, the coffee is hot, the fire is already going, the two little bugs are still snuggled warmly in their beds, big boys are occupied with their gaming, and I am off to do my Bible Study, which I have missed so much over the break, and watch it snow.  :)  This is a little slice of heaven!

Not sure if MckMama has her Not Me post up yet, but you can head over there to see what others are NOT doing now.

Why do I do these things?

My mom did take my tree down for me! :)  I can't tell you how happy that made me.  Now I wonder how long I will have to leave all the totes of decor in the dining room before Brian gets so sick of looking at it and takes it to the attic?  And I wonder at what point my neighbors will wonder if we're taking down the outside stuff?  My neighbor across the street has her Christmas wreath on the door, tree up, and two little pumpkins still sitting on her steps from Halloween.  And I live in an okay neighborhood too! :)  So I guess they'll tolerate my outside junk for a few more days! Believe me, they've tolerated much worse from me and not complained to my face.

I laughed at myself today as I was in the giant orange home store.  I went for one thing and 1 1/2 hours later, I'm checking out, talking the clerk about the new mop in my basket.  I was asking her questions about it (as if running the register at a home improvement store makes you a mop expert) and then I finally said, "Oh well, I'll just get it.  What do I know, I'm actually a terrible housekeeper."  Then I started laughing wondering why on earth I would feel the need to share that with the lady who just simply wants me to pay my bill.  And now I've gone and reminded all of you what a crappy housewife I am.  I think I should change the name of my blog to "Confessions of an Over Caffeinated Slob!"  I'm going to go have a glass of wine and stare at the clean spot where the tree used to be, THANKS MAMA!  See you tomorrow! 

To Take Advantage or Not to Take Advantage?

My mom reads my blog.  And she loves me.  And as luck would have it, she's coming to visit today.  AND as procrastination would have it, my tree is still up.  :)  Guess who is offering to take down my tree for me!  There is no end to the amount of things guilt will make a mother do for her children.  I used to feel bad about stuff like this... and I sort of still do feel bad about it, truth be known, because my mom does ALOT of stuff for me.  She is babysitting tonight while we go out for New Years, she does my laundry when she comes in, plays tirelessly with my kids, buys oodles of clothes for Meg every season and sends the boys little surprises in the mail on a regular basis.  In general, I'm still the spoiled child I have always been when it comes to my mom, even though I am far from that child in every other aspect of my life.  But the question is, do I feel bad enough to try to get it down before she gets here so she won't have to do it?  Well, probably not!  :)  Maybe that is something the two of us can do together, actually.  It will definitely be easier to do that than do it by myself.  I know I am whining alot about this tree thing, but seriously, I'd rather drink hot water to wash down a mouthful of dirt than take this tree down! Argh! 


Gwen gave me the COOLEST shirt for Christmas.  On the back it has a quote from Mother Teresa that I have always loved.  It says, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you can live as you wish."  Oh my, don't you just love that.  It has so many meanings.  It's obviously applicable to abortion.  But it's so applicable to orphans as well.  Isn't that truly what we choose when we turn our backs on what we know to be true?  We choose that those faces staring out at us from waiting children websites and TV screens will die, figuratively or literally, so that we can be comfortable.  I am excited to wear the shirt.  Gwen said it was destined for me because I always "bring it with a sledgehammer".  I think that's her way of telling me I could be a little more subtle in my approach! :)


I hope you all have a great New Year!  I'm looking forward to my mom being here. I know it will be a hard weekend for her since she lost her mom, and my Granma, this time last year.  I'm glad we'll be together.  It's the circle of life, but it seems like after a year anniversary, things are always a little bit easier.  


Have a great New Years!  Happy 2010!

If you really love me....

I hope you all had a very very Merry Merry Christmas.  And I hope that you are looking forward to a fab new year!  I always get a little melancholy about the old year leaving.  I won't go into all the deep seated psyche that goes into my "fears", but I get a little paranoid that the new year will hold something tragic.  I have not had a year that I was ever super happy to say goodbye to.  Last year, this fear was proven out when my beloved Granma died on January 2.  So I think I don't like the new year because I always know in the back of my head that "this could be the year that ...."  Anyway, that's waaaaaay to deep and dark for this post.  You can explore my dark side some other time.

What I really want to ask is WON'T SOMEONE OUT THERE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come over and take down my Christmas decorations?  Seriously!  If you love me, you will!  It's this time each year that I question why in the world I thought it was a good idea to get out ALL the tubs of decorations or why I thought it would be fun to add a few new ones to the collection.  Seriously?  I think next year I will buy a live tree, buy some red and green plastic balls at the dollar store, and throw the whole thing out to the curb the day after Christmas.  It helps me really understand something I never liked or understood as a child.  When I was a kid, my parents had a fake tree that had been flocked.  It had blue glass balls on it with maybe blue or white lights, I can't remember, I just know it was a monochrome homage to Elvis and 1976!  Every year, that tree came out of the attic on December 24.  We removed the sheet that had been protecting it for the other 363 days of the year and plugged that puppy in.  On December 26, the sheet went back on and up it went to await it's two day appearance the following year.  Sort of funny now, when I think about it.  And on December 26th, I TOTALLY get it.  It's always amazing to me how the decorations that looked so homey and ethereal at midnight on December 25, magically transform themselves to JUNK and clutter overnight and I can't wait to not look at them for a few months.

So.... if you love me, and surely someone out there does.... you will come over and take down all my decorations.  You might even organize them when you are in the attic.... if you really really love me.  I'll make you a sandwich and an ice cold coca-cola! :)  Pretty please!

Another Proud Parenting Moment, Brought to you by....

Connor!

Last night, the Hollis family was hosting a Parent's Night Out to benefit Reece's Rainbow. They are raising money for a family who is adopting Evangeline.  The cutest little girl you have ever seen.  When we dropped the kids off, three of my four were totally fine with joining in the fun in the playroom.  There were games, dolls, Wii, and music.  Kid heaven, in other words.  But ONE of my children was having none of it.  He did not want to stay and he had a giant fit to prove it.  For a full 45 minutes, we tried to get him happy.  Finally, we left with him screaming his head off.

I called on our way out of the neighborhood to see if he was doing okay and I could hear him in the background screaming at the top of his lungs, "I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO HER ON THE PHONE!!!!"  Well, okay then.

The comedy is that Melanie said after we left, he bolted out the door.  Chappy looked at Mel and said, "He's gone!"  Chappy ran out the door after him and said he might not have caught him except that Connor had on his gorilla feet house shoes and he had stopped to take them off so he could run faster.  I wish I could have seen Chappy bringing Connor back in, most likely kicking and screaming!  :)  It's a fine parenting moment when your child embarrasses you in front of people who have well behaved children.  Luckily, the rest of my kiddos were apparently on their best behavior because Melanie said she enjoyed having them.

Caleb finally won Connor over by letting him play with their little dog, Trudy.  So at least they knew the way to the boys heart!

And to assuage my horror, I needed to get a fix of something that I am actually good at (since parenting and baking don't seem to be the reason God put me here.)  So we brought this little foster fellow home today!  Have you ever seen anything so cute?

That's Joey with Connor and my niece.  He's so darn precious!

Yes, I know he's wearing a sweater.  Yes, I know I think it's really silly when dogs wear clothes.  But he's only 10 weeks old and it's so funny to me to see him in it that I can't bear to take it off of him.  Though I probably should, but I can't help myself.  I've never had a dog in my house this small.  Vince wasn't even this little when he was 6 weeks old.  Joey is some sort of Chihuahua mix, but he's every ounce of precious! :)

This is why I don't bake... among other things!

I watch alot of cooking shows.  I love the food network.  Love Giada.  Love Rachel.  Love Emeril.  Love Iron Chef.  Once in a while when I watch Giada (for some reason, she always inspires me to believe I can actually do this...) I will get the bright idea that I can come up with some fabulously tasty culinary creation. Remember the Butternut Squash Debacle?  Well I do!

So for those of you who wanted to know what  Santa cake is, I think you better read this first.  I can share the recipe if you promise to keep it in the family! :)

This is our Santa cake.  I know he looks a little messy.  Believe me, it's an issue I struggle with.  I didn't actually want to let the kids help me decorate him because I wanted him to look perfect.  But I thought that would be really really ridiculous.  So Connor did all the red parts! Which also meant that some of the white got a little messed up too.  But that's not the reason I don't bake.

 See this big crack between the two halves of my Santa.  See all the frosting that is supposed to be holding him together?  See how it has all poured out onto the tray instead of holding him together like it was supposed to?  Yeah, that's because I always take the shortcut.  I decided frosting would surely hold him together as well as Chocolate Ganache (like the recipe called for.)  Right?  Wrong!

This is our elf attacking the cake overnight.  Just thought I'd share that SOMEONE got some joy from the cake.

This is how we found the cake this morning.... you can't tell very well, but there are alot of sections of the cake that are missing their frosting... because Vince... the dog..... stood on his hind legs and licked him clean this morning.  At least all the parts Vince could reach.  Remind me again why I didn't get a teacup poodle?

Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that every time I enter the kitchen, I am reminded again why it's been six months since I last attempted anything closely related to homemaking.  Remember the exploded baked potatoes incident?  Seriously!

Oh yeah... as for the recipe for the Santa.  You have to run down to Willi@ms S0n0m@ and get a santa pan.  The recipe is on the back of the cover.  Or if you're like me and you like to take shortcuts, you can use two boxed cake mixes.  I will take both boxes, by the way.  And icing cannot be substituted for chocolate ganache.  Just in case you were wondering!

I'm Baaaaack!

What do you do with a sick day? Why, publish two blog posts, of course.

We woke up this morning at 4:37 AM to a sick little girl with a fever.  This is the first fever she's had since she came home from St. Petersburg.  That's over 17 months without an illness.  Let's here it for the hearty girls in the family!  :)

So in addition to sitting on the couch watching every episode of Dora and Diego ever created, we also built a roaring fire.  Daddy came home for lunch to bring us some eggs.  We needed the eggs so we could do this:

We wanted to do this so that we could then do this:

And while we're waiting for our Santa cake to finish cooking, Connor decided it would be a good idea for me to try to photograph him doing some of his most popular stunts.

Sorry about the lighting and the blur in these photos, I just can't work up the energy to edit them.  Give me a break already.... I'm making a cake for heaven's sake.  I built a fire.  I lit some candles.  I can only do so many domestic "mother of the year" things in one day or my system will go into overload and the whole thing might short circuit.

Right now the kids are watching Diego and you know how he wants you to repeat everything a whole bunch of times?  Well, they keep saying llama and I keep saying "What?"  And then I realize they aren't actually saying "mama".  :)

Okay, back to domestic insanity tranquility.

Christmas Fun

You may have noticed that I am under contruction.... I was having alot of trouble with getting my photos to post right, so I am changing things up a bit.  It was time for a change anyway.  Why not, I have SOOOO much time on my hands to be changing up the blog.

Today Meg had her Christmas program at school.  I couldn't even tell you what she sang, Connor and I were too busy waving at her.  But I got it all on video and hopefully I can figure out how to upload it soon.... as soon as I find the right cord.

This photo really has nothing to do with Christmas, I just can't resist how cute she is! :)

Liam asked my dad for a cowboy hat for Christmas.  Guess what he got?  :)

Look at this outfit.  My dad gave Connor cowboy boots.  Also the only thing on his list.  How do you like them with those fancy plaid Pippers?  Nifty, don't you think?

This is Connor after his little Christmas concert.

Reilly (my niece) and Meg after the Christmas singing.  Gorgeous girlies!

Got any good suggestions?

I am really desperately in need of a great book.  I have read alot of stuff recently that maybe broadened my perspective or changed my point of view, educated me on a topic that I most likely had hoped never to be educated on, or in general, was probably to my betterment, but maybe not to my entertainment.  I have been feeling some major writers block lately on the blog and I think I need some serious inspiration.

SOO.... please tell me what book you've ready lately that you LOVED!  What is the best book you've ever read?  I am listing my top few books in case you haven't read these, they are must-reads if you're a reader:

1.  The Poisonwood Bible
2.  The Twilight Series (I know, how can I still consider myself a serious reader?)
3.  Ahab's Wife
4.  The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
5.  Crazy Love

So... there you have it... some good suggestions to dig into for the Holiday.  Please share your suggestions... I'm in a dry spell.

Thanks!

Whew!

Is anyone else out there totally exhausted already?  I was complaining only two weeks ago that I had no parties to attend... now I have one like every other night from now through December 23.  The 23rd!  Seriously, that's practically Christmas.  By the way, Kristine pointed out that this might have come across as saying I'm popular... it's not that.  I just hang out with popular people (like Gwen) who are nice enough to include me in their revelry! :)

Coming from a "blended" family (isn't that the PC term for divorced parents these days?) I have a marathon Christmas season.  The unwrapping extravaganza starts this weekend with my dad's visit.  It's always a super easy visit though.  He and his wife get the kids one toy each.  He brings his step-son and his wife with them and the six adults and my four kids go out to lunch at Famous Dave's (same place every year.)  They bring their grand-dog (a Westie) and it's a riot because this dog travels with a diaper bag, bed, bowls, etc. for a DAY TRIP!  I guess that's the sort of thing I did for my dog before I had kids too.  Honestly, I look back and laugh that I actually said to someone I couldn't ever imagine loving a child more than I loved  my dog.  HA!  As soon as kids came along, the dog was a second class citizen.  Anyway, I'm off track (again.... oh look, Kristine, there's a chicken!)

So.... let the merriment begin.  And just to let you in on another little piece of the absurdity that is my life... I had a hang-nail last month, that I bit off with my teeth.  You know how you can never exactly get a hang nail all the way off with your teeth and you end up "tearing" it a little too short and it gets sore, etc.?  Well, that happened to me and I didn't think that much about it.  But it never stopped hurting.  In fact, it started getting more and more sore.  Then it started to swell.  Then it got hot and red.  Then the part right next to my nail turned WHITE and started "weeping".  Yuck!  So... only ONLY I could get a staph infection from a hang nail that I am now taking anti-biotics for... seriously people...

1 Peter 4:8
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."

Are these things sweeping the nation?

Or it is just our tiny town?

Because around here, the Elf on the Shelf is a blessing and a curse.  He gets my kids out of bed in the morning like you wouldn't believe. Seriously, sleepy heads that are normally the last to rise and very cranky even then, seem to spring out of bed with enthusiasm to see where this little dude has landed in the night.  AND, the children are constantly telling each other "be careful, the elf is watching."  Wow, maybe he should just live here year-round!

But the curse?  Well, when you're a sleepy mom who sometimes falls into bed before the kids are actually asleep (they are all tucked in, but I have a "roamer" who finds about 20 reasons a night to get up before finally falling asleep), it's hard to make sure that Carl (that's our Elf's name) is actually on the move.  And the elves are very mischievous (sometimes they TP the house, sometimes they leave "gifts" and sometimes they get into stuff.)  So to keep up with all the elfin activity is nutty.  Plus... it's sort of an elf competition of sorts now, at the bus stop, we have to discuss who's elf did what and then I get chastised if our elf isn't silly enough, or get the long faces!  Grrrr!

So, do you have an elf?  I think we need a support group!  :)

Permission to Hope

I don't often read Angie Smith's blog, Bring the Rain.   But I went there this week to get the link to String of Pearls for a friend who just suffered the loss of her baby on Thanksgiving Day.   When I read the title of her latest post "Permission to Hope", it really settled into my bones.  I thought it was so fitting for Advent.  This is not why Angie titled her post, it had nothing to do with Advent, but that's what it made me think of.  And then today I was talking to one of my dear friends and she read a passage to me that said as Christians, Advent is a time when we HOPE for "the invasion of holiness."  Let that settle into your bones for a moment.  Think of what an INVASION looks like.  For me, it brings to mind someone storming into my home, an army overtaking a city and taking control, ants moving into my house in the thousands!  That is an invasion in my imagination. I can be excited to wait for, to hope for even, an INVASION of HOLINESS!  Ummmm, just imagine it!  Angels storming the city.  Legions of saints overthrowing the darkness and triumphing over all the accepted evils we fight against every day!  Imagine witnessing the glowing heavenly hosts running in, swords drawn, and seating "holiness" in a reign of power!

Webster defines hope this way:
hope is a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by expectation!  A reason for hope.  A person or thing on which one may base hope, reliance, to EXPECT!  YES! YES! YES!  Isn't that Jesus!?!?!?!  An EXPECTATION that some day, this vision will be realized and holiness will prevail?  All will be set right?

All day this theme of hope has been running through my head.  I think little Hope Hollis is hope personified.  Talk about permission to hope, a reason to hope!  And also, isn't Advent a reason to hope?  A season to look forward with expectation that what we wait for (hope for) as Christians will SURELY come to pass!  A day when there will be no more orphans, a day when widows will not be lonely, a day when all will walk, all will laugh, all will love, and all will have peace.

So... for the month of December, I have decided to focus on JOY and HOPE!  I want to embrace the true spirit of Advent, for my family, for my children in particular, and for myself.  I can't forget that there are bone deep pains out there that stir me to the core (orphans, poverty, hunger), but for this season of preparing for the birth of our SAVIOR, I have permission to hope, permission to rejoice.  Permission to know that though these things are a reality on this fallen earth, where darkness rules, my LORD already overcame all of this and we wait in JOYFUL hope for the coming of our Savior.  It's an anticipation that what we wait for WILL happen.  And it will be an absolute INVASION of holiness like no one can imagine!

And since I'm turning a significant number (ending in zero) this month, I think a big dose of hope is just what the doctor ordered.... hope I don't croak, hope I don't get any more cellulite, hope I can keep the next size pants at bay... hope my kids don't kill me... hope my hairdresser doesn't leave town (cause after 15 years with him, he's known me as long as Brian, and I need them both more than ever)... hope gravity will lose it's affect on me.... well, let's just say there's LOTS to hope for.  You get the point! :)

John 16:31-32
"I'm not abandoned.  The Father is with me.  I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.  In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties.  But take heart!  I've conquered the world."

Raising Successful Children

I know it's been a long time since I've posted.  And I have a couple more families to highlight in ways you can give.... but my husband sent me this e-mail this morning and I thought it was too good to pass up.  I have no idea where it came from, but the author is credited to the full in the lines below, so please know these are NOT my words.  But they are my new perspective.  I find it so hard to parent children without applying the world's standard of success to them.  I find it hard not to measure myself as a parent by how much my children "shine" on the world stage.  And therein lies the lesson and the devotion in this following message for me... parenting my children is not about ME!  (I know, a lesson I'm continually learning.)  It's not about how I look or feel as a person, it's about them and steering them toward the Lord, whether that looks like a rock star or a janitor, if they are in the roles God has for them, then I have done my job as a mom.  I think Lysa says it way better than I am....


I Don't Want to Raise Successful Children

Lysa TerKeurst



 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn
from it."

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)



Devotion:

I don't want to raise successful children.  That's a shocking thing to read,
and a shocking thing for a mother to type.  So, let me clarify.



I used to define success according to my child's report card.  Good grades
and academic achievement would surely equal a good child with great
potential in this world.  But then several of my children wound up being
average students with average grades.  Though we carted them off to tutors
and spent many a late night at the kitchen table helping them, they remained
average.  And I remained concerned and frustrated.



One report card day I found myself facedown in the fibers of my carpet
crying and wondering, "Where have I gone wrong as a mom?"



I dug into Scriptures.  I begged God for wisdom and discernment.  I prayed
for God's perspective with each of my kids.  Finally, one day it dawned on
me - what if I simply chose to embrace the natural bent of each of my kids
as God's way to protect them and keep them on the path toward His best plans
for their lives?



What if my A student needs academic success to prepare her for God's plans
while my average to below-average student needs to be steered away from a
more academic future?  What if my sports star kid needs that athletic
excellence for his future assignments by God, but my benchwarmer kid is
being protected from getting off course by her lack in this area?



And that's when it finally dawned on me.  My job isn't to push success for
my kids.  My job as a parent is to recognize the unique way God created each
child and point them to Jesus at every turn along their journey toward
adulthood.  Yes, I want my kids to learn and thrive and grow up educated,
but it's not a flaw in me or them if they don't have straight A report cards
and trophy cases full of sports medals.



Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is
old he will not turn from it" (NIV).



I am challenged to ponder these words, "... in the way he should go."  Are
we training our kids that the "way he should go" is to chase worldly
achievement or to chase God?  Whatever they learn to chase as a child, they
will chase as adults.  Therefore, we must be challenged to honestly assess
the way we are pointing them to go.



My daughter, Hope, is one of my average students.  She has also warmed many
a bench in the sports she's tried, and can always be found hiding on the
back row of the stage during school concerts.  Using the world's benchmarks
for achievement, Hope wouldn't be seen as a child positioned for success.
But God...



This past January, my 15 year old Hope, shocked me when she announced she
wanted to go to Ethiopia with some missionary friends of ours and live in
the remote African bush for the summer.  Yes, she may not have trophies and
straight A report cards but she does have a heart of gold.  And because
she's not entrenched in sports and academic pursuits that could have created
obligations for her summer, she was free to go to Africa.  Free to chase God
in a really big way.



One of the first e-mails she sent me from Ethiopia read, "Mom, I've fallen
in love with the AIDS orphanage children.  They rushed at me when I held my
arms out and I tried with all my might to hold all 30 of them at once.  I 
love it here."



Now, don't get me wrong.  I do expect Hope to return to her studies this
fall, give 100% effort, and finish her high school career having done her
very best.  She will most likely then go to college.  But she probably won't
be delivering the valedictorian address or wearing the honors cords and
medals.  She'll be the one with a vision of a dying AIDS orphan pressing
against her heart ready to chase God's plans to the ends of the earth.



So back to my original statement, I don't want to raise successful children.
It's true, I don't.  Though Hope's sister coming behind her is an A student
and can always be found on the front row of school performances - we don't
chase after success for her either.  I trust God that she needs those things
in her life for the plans He's unfolding in her life.  We train with that
bent in mind.  But, we don't chase it.  Just like Hope, we point her in the
direction of God at every turn and pray like crazy.



I stand by what I said and I'll say it again, I don't want to raise
successful children.  Because--- raising God-honoring adults who will set
the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding.



Dear Lord, being a mom is a really tough job.  Please help me, teach me and
show me how to define success for my kids. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I've been blessed!

I want to share an amazing blessing with you.  On Sunday afternoon, I went over to the Hollis' home to take photos for people.  For a $25 donation to the Darya Project, I took photos for people to use for their Christmas cards.  I was totally blessed by taking photos of some very special little girls.  I loved it!   And I hope that I have the opportunity in the future to take photos of other special needs kids.  I can't tell you how blessed I was by this experience. Melanie shared with me that there are some photographers who won't work with special needs kiddos.  And she said that when they do find a photographer, it's often a really bad experience because they don't always know how to interact with the kids.  I really can't imagine not knowing how to interact with a child with Down Syndrome.  I believe it's fear and uncertainty of their own abilities that hold them back, surely not aversion to the children themselves.  But on the other hand, I'm not a "line up and say cheese" kind of "photographer."  (I put that word in quotes because I don't know at what point you officially get to call yourself a photographer.  Is it when you start getting paid for your work?  Is it when you are recognized?  I'm not sure, but it feels a little phony to say I'm a "photographer" just yet.)  It doesn't bother me if people aren't perfectly posed.  I'm not trying to capture museum models, I'm trying to capture relationships and personalities.  I believe if you get a brother pulling hair or a sister trying to tickle everyone, that's who that child is and that will evoke a memory later in life that a perfectly posed portrait won't capture.  

Anyway, my point is, I think that photographers who won't work with special children are missing a fantastic blessing.  I had a blast, I was honored, and I hope that the parents are happy with the result.  Here are a few.  

This is Caroline and her brother, Stuart.  This little girl was so sweet and loving.  She followed directions so well.  She just hammed it up for the camera.  (This picture is straight out of the camera, I haven't edited it yet.)

  

Of course, the precious Hollis chidren.  It's easy to see that they make a photographers job very easy! 

This mom and dad are in for some t.r.o.u.b.l.e. when these girls grow up.  Look at these gorgeous girls!  And little Delaney was a peach!  I have another sweet shot where her sister is looking at her with so much love it melts your heart!  Precious! 

How Crazy is Your Love?

Folks, I can't tell you how inspired I am by my friends, the Hollis family.  Melanie and I became friends years ago when we had the good fortune of having the same driver on our respective trips to Russia.  It's funny to me now that Melanie and I met over a bottle of vodka because I can't imagine either of us drinking a bottle of vodka.  But that's another story.  Let's just say it involved one very passionate Russian driver with a generous heart.  And the precious Hollis family carried a bottle of vodka LITERALLY around the world to a family they had never met or even heard of.

Anyway, it just goes to show you that God can use ANYTHING to bring two hearts together for Him.  Melanie and I have been friends ever since and something has kept us close even through the wavy paths we've both walked in life.  We've prayed together, done Bible studies together, and laughed alot!  Melanie helps me laugh at things I want to cry over. And she inspires me every single day to be a better mother and Christian.  I thank God for her!

But lately, I've been even more inspired by the heart Mel and Chappy have formed in their children.  They have the most amazing kids.  Contrary to my house, when you talk to Mel on the phone, no one interrupts, no one is screaming in the background, and no one is competing for attention.  Which is amazing because she has five kids and they are all at home and two of them have Down Syndrome.  Now will someone please tell me how in the world to accomplish this?   But that's not what is so impressive (can you tell I'm a little jealous? :)  What's so impressive is the love these kids have for God, special needs children, and particularly children with Down Syndrome.  Now here is where the good stuff comes in.... I promised you a month filled with ways to live out your conviction that God didn't make too many children.  I hear Katie say this all the time, that she is pretty sure God didn't mess up and make too many children so there are obviously some adults who aren't stepping up to the plate and doing what God intended for them to do through adoption.  But not the Hollis family.  They have the most open hearts and arms of anyone I know.  Melanie's attitude is always, "I can take more."  Now this is a very fun challenge she has thrown out to her sweet daughter Lydia.  Lydia fell in love with a little girls on a Down Syndrome advocacy site called Reece's Rainbow.  Mel told Lydia that if she could raise $20,000, the Hollis family would adopt Darya, a little girl with Down Syndrome who is living in a Russian orphanage without a hope in the world.  (I can't wait to hear what Chappy has to say about this when he gets back from his mission trip in Africa!)  Darya is left in her crib most of the time with no one to love on her, hold her, or interact with her.  So...  Lydia and her giant faith has started praying that God will bring $20,000 to the family by Thanksgiving!  That's one week from tomorrow.  But in her 11 year old sense of grand love, she has figured out that if she could just get 200 people to give $100 then they would have the money and they could let Darya know by Thanksgiving that she has a family.  I don't think I have 200 readers in a week, much less a day, but if the 20 or so folks that do read would give $100, then that would be a grand start!  (Lydia raised $800 today, one day after her campaign began!  I love this girl's heart!)

Check out the Hollis Family blog (the button with the cute girl in pig-tails and glasses on my sidebar.)  And give $5, give $10, or give $100.  I would love to see God bring $20,000 to this child by Thursday so she could have a family for Thanksgiving... and I can't wait to see the gigantic things Lydia will accomplish next when she sees how easy it is for God to raise $20,000.

I think this is a girl we should all watch because I am expecting some great things from her.  I told Melanie this week that her daughter is the total package, she's beautiful, she's talented, she has a heart of gold, and God would not raise all this up in one person and not do a mighty work with it!

Another Great Chance to Change a Life

Well, my "tomorrow" turned into several days. But I have a very good excuse. MICHELLE came to visit me! We had so much fun! She flew in on Friday morning and we hit the ground running. We went all over the city, criss-crossing back and forth until we fell into bed that night. I won't bore you with the details, but it was anything but boring. I am not sure if Michelle's husband will ever let her come back because I took her shopping to a couple of irresistible stores.

As I promised on Thursday of last week, I have a really great gift idea for you this year. It's only $85 and it's a chance to really change someone's life.

For me, sometimes the numbers of orphans, numbers of people suffering from hunger, numbers of people without clean water, etc. can be very overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like a drop of rain in the ocean and like the things I am doing amount to absolutely nothing and that there is no progress or headway being made. But then I found out about the blood:water mission campaign for Christmas to give biosand filters to families in Africa. Check out this video:

Biosand Filter Video from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.

The thought I have when I see this video is that even though I am a drop of rain in the ocean, for ONE family I can TOTALLY change their life for $85. That's not that much money in my world. Can you imagine being THAT family who is given the gift of clean water.... water in your home? Can you imagine not being able to feed your baby because you don't have CLEAN water to mix your bottles with? Can you imagine not having the option to nurse your baby because you are HIV+ and you can't feed your baby formula because the water is contaminated and so you have to hear your baby's cries of hunger? Have you ever been woken at night by your infant, who just wants to be fed? If so, can you imagine just laying there listening to your baby cry because you have no options for meeting their needs? You can alleviate this reality for one family! Seriously, you can totally change a person's future, a family's experience, a life! You have it within your power to completely change life for someone. And imagine how pervasive clean water can be in someone's life. Imagine the things that change when something as basic as water becomes a non-issue? Imagine the hope, the good-will, the joy, the empowerment that comes from being given the gift of water.

So, watch the video and please consider giving the gift of water for someone this year. If you have someone on your list who has everything, then give this gift to someone who has very little. I got this for my birthday from Brian's sister (Brian got it too) and I guarantee that this gift will last longer than any other gift I get for my birthday this year. (The filters are supposed to last up to 20 years.)

An award? For Moi?

Carolina Girl gave me a Sugar and Spice award... and well, since I'm not famous like Gwen and Katie, but hang around on their coat tails, so when someone sort of throws me a bone of "popularity", I'm all about it! :) Thanks for listing me in your ten. There is a cute little photo to go along with this "award", but I can't seem to get it to upload, so you'll just have to work with me here!

I'm supposed to list ten random things about me and then nominate ten other bloggers that you need to get to know.

Random things:

1. At last count, I have six blogs. Two you will never find unless I accidentally comment under the wrong ID (s0 far, Barb is the only one who's busted me!)

2. I have an uncommon love for orphans. It totally consumes me some days and I have to struggle for air.

3. As you probably know, I grew up on a "farm" where my dad raised beef cattle, had rodeo livestock, and broke horses for Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch.

4. Therefore Loretta Lynn was my childhood idol!

5. Some of my best friends I met through blogging. Some of them I've never laid eyes on. Some I see every day, but I didn't know them until I found their blogs!

6. One of those bloggy friends is coming in to see me tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited about it.

7. I have ADD. I truly do! People say they do all the time, but they just mean that they are hyper or scattered. I really have it and it drives some people crazy to try to carry on a conversation with me. I think Sallee over at It's Poppy Dip might have been a little exhausted by me yesterday because she and I were in the same room for 2 hours and she's very calm and peaceful... I'm not! I definitely exhaust some people.

8. I have no tact whatsoever. I think it's a trait I inherited from my dad. I really don't mean to be abrupt and clueless, but sometimes I am and for the life of me, I can't figure out when I'm about to blurt out something that will get me into trouble!

9. I have the best husband in the world. And whenever I say that, the thought always runs through my head that maybe he will make a fool of me someday and I will find out that behind the scenes, he was a scoundrel. But I think he really is just that good, it seems to good to be true and I'm a skeptic, but he keeps on being this amazing guy and I just keep on falling for him over and over again.

10. I have no memory whatsoever. I can watch a movie several times and swear I have never seen it before, all the while, Brian is telling me we've seen it together. Then at the end, I'll finally say, "Oh yeah... I remember." Brian always says, "It must be nice to watch this again for the first time!" :) I think that might be hereditary too! I hope the giant butt and large stomachs aren't... but it's not looking good for the home team!

The ten bloggers you need to meet are:

1. Lynnette Kraft at Dancing Barefoot

2. Suzanne at Joining the Journey

3. Barb at Holm Sweet Home (who I swear I am going to visit sometime in the not too distant future!)

4. Kim at Everyday Adventures in Faith (she moved with her husband to Hong Kong (and did I mention they have four kids?) Talk about stepping out on faith!

5. Melanie, of course I couldn't leave Melanie out! She's at The 30 Day Journey for Hope. Mel cracks me up, she asked me yesterday, "Why would I ever buy Hope a dress from Target when I can buy her Poppy Dips and support an orphan?" And when I told her that I needed to stop buying stuff from Gwen because I had very little in my wardrobe that didn't talk about orphans, she said, "Why?" I love her!

6. Everyone already knows Kristi over at We Love Our Lucy, but I have to list her so that you're sure to stop over and take a gander at the gorgeous Lucy Lane and the other Johnson kiddos. This is a woman on fire for orphans, let me tell you!

7. I really love Amy at He Wanted 2, I wanted 4". She has a like heart.

8. My sort-of cousin, Bethany, has a great little blog that will make you ashamed of how much you spend on groceries. But it's worth heading over there to check out her story of adopting Caroline from Guatemala. What really blows me away is that two little bumpkins from Fulton, KY have traveled halfway around the world to bring home their kids. Unbelievable!

9. Oh my goodness, you have GOT to meet the Minovich family! They are at Unveiled Faces and they are the most precious family ever. Just go check it out!

10. My friend, Lori, who is terrible about consistently blogging, but when she does, fasten your seatbelt because she's liable to take you on a ride! Sometimes her posts are about life with her gorgeous and very well behaved children. But sometimes they rip your heart out... Plus it's another chance for me to remind you to buy a Pendant and support an orphan!

I have an awesome Christmas gift opportunity to share with you in honor of my November awareness posts. But since this one is so long, I am saving it for tomorrow so you can get the full affect of what I have to tell you... be sure to check back over the weekend because you really are going to want to get one of these for the person on your list who has everything! They definitely DO NOT have one of these!