Spring Break....oh the excitement!

two sick babies

seeds started

the cute gardener built my first little 4x4 garden


And to get some much needed fresh air after living in a germ cloud,
the glorious memorial garden here in the big C....

And to quote Josh as we pulled into the drive way of our own lush paradise (boasting two tulips)...

"Memorial gardens what?"

Memory card unload

A few weekends ago, Josh and I took a weekend away and went to Charleston for one of the days. We took a Gullah tour, given by the father of the pastor who's church we've been visiting. It was pretty interesting and hard to absorb all the rich history crammed into two hours. One of the themes through the tour was the work of an artist who has fashioned wrought iron gates through out Charleston and all over the world, been invited to the White House by President Reagan, deemed a "National Treasure." You can see his work here. This is where he lived...

When asked if he was rich, Philip replied, "Of course I'm rich. Anyone who has Jesus is rich."

Philip moved to a retirement home about 1 1/2 yrs ago. His house and shop are in the process of becoming a national historic site.

For the record, he really has made a lot of money and has sent all of his grandchildren to college as well as many kids from his neighborhood in the projects.

This place is like an all day dessert buffet for your eyes.


We also went to a state park....

Yeah....I'm not sure.

I cannot tell you how much pride I fought in posting this picture. I assure you, I am extremely uncomfortable in a tree of any sort.

I think he's so handsome :)

An entrance to the Atalaya Castle. This is as far as we got because it cost $1 to get in and we had NO cash and there was NO place in the park to get cash...despite what the man at the front gate will tell you.


And the boys....

Manny's band is now decked out in surfer rub-ons.

I don't even know what to say...he's a character!

He hears and He redeems

There are a lot of days when my heart is crying out to God, and, for a time, I just have to choose to believe that He hears and cares. Today is not one of them.

I'm in a season that I knew was coming for a long time...years. It's a little much for the blog format to go into great detail (though I'm a pretty open talker), but my sweet Lord is taking me back to a very dark time in my past and gently drawing out of my heart a lot of junk that has built up because of it. I'm finally dealing with it now and He's healing me...but it's hard to re-live. And it's a process.

I told a close friend today that I just want it redeemed. I want it all to be redeemed. It's the only word that fits. I didn't even know I felt that way until yesterday. And in my human thinking the only way for it to be redeemed would be for my life to have taken a totally different path then it has....a path I really don't want.

Then, I just happened to check Angie's blog today and it truly was as if Jesus just walked into my door, held His arms open to me and as I cried in His arms, said this to me:

***

Unredeemed

(Written by Chad Cates, Tony Wood, Brian Petak)

Produced by Bernie Herms

And had the FIRE sung out of it by Amy Perry and my Toddy.

The cruelest words

The coldest heart

The deepest wounds

The endless dark

The lonely ache

The burning tears

The bitter night

The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart

But we know these are…

Places

Where grace is

Soon to be so amazing

They may unfulfilled

They may unrestored

But when anything that’s shattered

Is laid before the Lord

Just watch and see

It will not be

Unredeemed

For every choice

That led to shame

And all the love

That never came

For every vow

That someone broke

And every life

That gave up hope

We live in the shadow of the fall

But the cross says these are all – just

Places

Where grace is

Soon to be so amazing

They may unfulfilled

They may unrestored

But when anything that’s shattered

Is laid before the Lord

Just watch and see

It will not be

Unredeemed

They may unfulfilled

They may unrestored

You never know the miracles

The father has in store

Just watch and see

It will not be

Unredeemed

***

You can hear the song on her blog today and tomorrow. It's so beautiful. And while you're at it, pray for her as she celebrates her daughter's first birthday tomorrow who's with Jesus.

Finding a routine

I just read this post by SimpleMom and found it extremely helpful.

I have quite a few friends who schedule their days really well. I am more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-britches kind of girl...which has led to MUCH fun in the past (like a drive to Charleston and back in the middle of the night, a tandem bungie jump over a famous waterfall in Africa, a large hoop hanging from my eyebrow...you get the picture).

However, I have apparently graduated from college and now have two kids that have to eat and a house that still doesn't clean itself.

SO....the question in my head has always been, "How does one even begin to think about what her routine should look like?" I don't want to copy someone else's because their life isn't like mine and I think I would get frustrated, but these tips help me think through what's most important, what REALLY needs to get done, what I already do and how to whiddle away all the other stuff without feeling guilty.

Super helpful.

So here are my 3 MIT's for today:

1. Fold and put away laundry.

2. Clip and sort coupons.

3. Keep kids alive and the house standing (because the other two are big tasks today).



What helps you decide on your routine?

Spring equals inspiration slash goals slash lists

I am a list maker. I really love lists. They take all the fragments and mismatched, half-thoughts running amuck in my head and make them...complete, whole, real thoughts. I have all the normal lists like grocery, to-do, errands, projects, packing, step-by-step instructions and sometimes even a list of things I need to look for online so I won't get side tracked (which works approximately 2% of the time). I also journal to get my thoughts to make sense, but that's another day.

(I never thought I would need a way to get to complete, whole, real thoughts, by the way, but apparently I do...and badly.)

And, with current technology, I have found myself to be a much better typer than hand writer so I thought I would make my list for spring here. And aren't you glad?

These are all the things running around like rabbits in my brain...things I'll complete, things I'm just thinking about completing, things that just won't leave me alone.

1. Squarefoot gardening. This WILL happen this year. I will make one, only one, and it will be good. Amen.

2. Pillows. I want to make them. Pretty, springy, fresh pillows for our bed and couch. This girl on Etsy has some super cute ones.

3. Thermal curtain panels. The blinds over our sliding glass door do little more than prevent sunburn, get knocked off by a certain two year old and then re-stapled and re-stapled again. Our great room is also a sauna in the summer time, so I'm trying to decide if I should get fabric and make them myself or just buy them...leaning toward buying them.

4. Cute memory board for the boy's room. I have wanted to do this since I was pregnant with Isaiah. It seems really simple (I already have the list of instructions for it). Though not for a boy, I still thought this one was pretty.

5. Make my own cleaning products. Do any of you guys already do this? Organized Home has some really simple ways of doing this.

6. Clean! The yearly (and I do mean yearly) bug has bit. This task is still very overwhelming to me. I would like to get back to doing little things everyday that don't take much time, but maintain cleanliness really well....like taking 39 seconds to wipe down a counter everyday instead of taking a fire hose to it once a month. Real Simple has the best plan for this that I have ever used. I really worked for me back then.

And just for proof of life

Here are a few pics taken recently :)

This is how we relax these days....We've gone off the deep end.

This is the best of about 20 attempts at this picture

Snow get-ups

Just plain happiness

Taking over Mommy and Daddy's bed
(Manny got his band...more about that later)

Tired boys

Isaiah's still silly :)

Manny's getting chunky!

Maybe it's because he's started eating food :)

Meet your new sister

I know it's been ages, but there is no better reason to blog than to introduce you to a new sister in Christ and ask you to share in my rejoicing and prayers for her.

A little background:

In 2001 I was an RA for a girl's floor in Moore Hall at UNCC. I was involved with a campus ministry that had a passionate vision for discipleship and I primarily became an RA to share my faith with the girls God would bring me. 2001 was my last year as an RA, but I built precious relationships that I still keep in touch with. One of those relationships was with Corey. She was lost, insecure and needed guidance. She was open to talking about anything, but completely shut out the gospel. She would just say, "I'm sorry, Dana. I know that's important to you, but it's just not for me."

Over the years I would see her at our annual Christmas parties and other get-togethers and it was obvious that her life was not good...I'll just leave it at that. Things were bad. Several of us girls who are Christians would talk about how we just wished Corey knew Jesus, and what do we say to help her and how she didn't want to talk to so-and-so (usually me because they looked to me like a mom) because she was embarrassed, etc. A few months ago, she finally called me out of desperation because she didn't know what to do, but was still very determined to "figure it out." I told her the gospel again and that I really believed God was using her circumstances to chase her down....and that He had been doing that since she was a freshman.

Anyway....here's an email I just sent out to people who I had asked to pray for her:

Hey Ladies,

Just wanted to thank you for praying for Corey. She called me a few days ago and wanted to get together for "spiritual guidance." We met last night and for an hour she very tearfully told me the story of how God drew her heart to Him the other night while she was by herself, and how she gave Him everything.. .her mess, her sins, her life. She said that Chris (the father of her child, who she lives with but is not together with...it's a mess) told her that to have a relationship with God you have to talk to Him and confess your sins. How amazing that God would use him, or me, or any of us! God has been bringing back to her mind conversations that we've had over the last 8 years...things I don't even remember saying.

To hear her tell it was so pure and real and beautiful. I don't think I've ever heard a story so beautiful. She really knows nothing about the Bible....she' s been to church twice and didn't even know if she believed in God before...but she knows that He has forgiven her and that He's with her and always will be. That's it! How simple and pure her experience is and nothing can ever take that away from her. I really have no words to describe listening to her last night. I wish you all could have heard her.

I explained the gospel to her in a little more detail (like the Jesus part) and even drew out the "bridge diagram" (shout out to CO folks!). I didn't want to overwhelm her but everything I told her just went straight to her heart, bringing more tears.

We are going to meet weekly so please continue to pray for this journey for her...she told me that her circumstances have only gotten worse, but that now she has Someone to turn to. I can't express how precious this all is to me. When I was her RA in college (when I first started talking about the gospel with her) it was probably the worst year of my life and I was a real mess. Isn't God good?

Love you all.

Amazed again by His grace,
Dana

"The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!"

Topic at dinner: Isaiah's holiness

I: Mommy, God is holy. Jesus is holy.

J: And what does that mean, Isaiah?

I: (long pause) Cause....God...not...sin.

D: That's right, Isaiah! God is holy because He doesn't sin and Jesus never sinned. We are not holy without Jesus because we sin.

I: Uh huh. I'm holy. God is holy and I am holy! (going back to eating and mumbling to himself) I am so holy.

D: No, we are not holy because we sin. We disobey.

I: Well...I'm holy.

(A few minutes later after disobeying and dealing with that)

D: See, Isaiah. You disobeyed so you are not holy. Mommy and Daddy disobey too. We need Jesus.

I: Well, I don't disobey. I'm a boy and I'm holy.



God help us.

This is straight crazy

Kate Gosselin is on the top of my "I can't fathom how she does it" list, but this lady might just beat her out.

EIGHT BABIES, PEOPLE!

For my brother....

Happy Birthday, Darren!

Question about your prayer plan

I really hope to able to post something substantial here soon, but I just started back to working 2 days a week so things have picked up even more around here. Ah, such is life, right?

So I just really have a question. I'm putting my prayer plan together right now...something I have done in the past, but very inconsistently. I want it to be a good plan that covers more than my family and our needs, but I also need it to be do-able in a short period of time or spread out in blocks of time.

My tendency is to make it too long and then get frustrated with not being able to keep up or praying some generic prayer just to get down the list. Yeah, that's sad. So, if you have a plan that works well for you I'd love to hear about it.

Rolling around in my head....

I've been thinking the words of this song all day today. I can hardly ever sing it without crying (for good reason!). It's been my prayer for Manny today...that the truth in these words -the gospel- would saturate his heart and spill over into his affections, his work, his play, his relationships, bringing great glory to the Father. What a good, good hymn.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Josh circa 1995

Josh took a moment to re-create what he looked like in 9th grade

(complete with the feathered hair).
Glad they fixed his eyes.

I want a shower for Christmas

Gosh, I haven't posted in awhile. It's funny how busy I get, but then don't know why I'm so busy or what I've been doing. I love when a friend calls and asks, "what are you doing?" and I've got nothing...I don't even know. What am I doing? There is no such thing as a "normal" day around here.

And I STILL can't figure out how people are able to feed their kids, cook dinner, do chores, go anywhere and still get dressed... and, dare I say, even shower! I just can't seem to make it all happen. I know it's a phase, it's a season. But Manny is an easy baby. He's not fussy or needy...so what's wrong?

Ok, so here's what I'm asking: how do you do it? I'm convinced there's a magic secret that you know and that I desperately need to know.. so what is it? Maybe I need to get up a lot earlier. I do go to bed late (stay up for Manny's late night bottle) and thus wake up late (8:00ish most mornings). Maybe I need to start getting flylady's bazillion emails again but I don't have time to read them.

I just want to be able to get some things done in a timely manner such as dishes, laundry, light cleaning and groceries/meal planning. I would also like a shower more than once a week and to get out of my pajamas on days that I don't leave the house (for poor Josh's sake).

Ok..now flood me with wisdom :)

The cute, cuddly reasons I'm dirty.

The coolest thing in the world

This morning I was looking for some kind of live radio stream of Christmas music and, LO AND BEHOLD, HALLELUJAH, I discovered Pandora.com. (Am I late? Do you already know about it?) I LOVE it! You can list an artist you like and it will immediately start a playlist from that artist and other's that are similar. You can also listen to music from favorite genres. I was in the mood for Bing Crosby Christmas classics so I've been listening to a playlist of him, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others. I also have jazz Christmas, peaceful Christmas, swingin' Christmas and a few other playlists waiting for me. They don't offer a huge selection of Christian categories, but their contemporary Christian stream is pretty good (don't think 91.9...sorry if you like them). Chris Tomlin, Third Day and Passion were on the list.

So go try it!

Feelings...

M: I love you, Isaiah.

I: I love you, Mom.

M: Aw, Isaiah! That makes Mommy happy!

I: Sad?

M: No.

I: Frustrated?

M: No.

I: Mad?


I guess we talk about our emotions a lot around here. :)

For Josh....

I got to him first ;)

Isaiah: "Mommy, it needs batteries."

Update: I sent this picture to one of my main trumpet instructors in college. He started playing when he was 4.....I know. To quote him, "and that child has terrific embouchure!!!" I love it! You can go hear him (Dr. Harding, not Isaiah) at Grand Central uptown. He's also directing the CPCC jazz ensemble, Queen City Brass and plays often with The Four Tops and The Temptations...if you're ever in the mood for some good brass playin'. :)

Sweet boy

In the middle of the night last night Josh came crawling into bed. Isaiah has been waking up a lot and crying for his daddy so Josh had gone to comfort him.

He said that he knelt down beside Isaiah's bed and rubbed his back for awhile, and then fell asleep himself on the floor next to the bed (Hartnesses will sleep anywhere). He woke up a little while later to Isaiah gently rubbing his arm saying, "It's ok, Daddy. It's ok. Get in bed with Mommy."

That just melted my heart :)

baby brain

I'm convinced that after the birth of each child I have gotten about 30% dumber. So basically, I can have one more child before I'm full blown retarded. Normal, everyday tasks are harder.
I can't concentrate. I can't talk (yes, I know I said that about pregnancy too). I ask dumb questions. I'm clumsy and drop things ALL the time. I tune out a lot. I forget general information needed to normally function through a day at home.

In fact, I just called a credit card company to complain that I couldn't log into my account. The nice man offered to verify my information for me and, lo and behold, we immediately realized that I had been entering my maiden name instead of my mom's.....I must have re-read that question at least 4 times trying to figure out what possibly could be wrong.

Ah, my poor children.

Free food for your soul...until tomorrow :)

Shawnda posted this awhile back about singer/songwriter JJ Heller. I read the lyrics and couldn't get them out of my mind so I went to her site and saw that she is giving away her newest album until Nov 1st! Glad I decided to check today! You can download it for free today and so far I really, really like her. She makes a few small requests if you decide to download it, but she's worth the shout out regardless.

For the unborn...

A couple of hours ago I was leaning toward voting for Obama. I even debated the issues last night with a good friend who will vote for McCain. Please don't judge me. I had done research on both candidates and was extremely disappointed in McCain's voting record on prolife issues. I also read many quotes from Obama on how he would work to reduce the number of abortions in our country by preventing unwanted pregnancies. After a lot of discussions with many believers that I respect strongly and more research, this sounded to me to be the most "prolife" plan of the two. I've prayed all along that God would give me wisdom and change my heart if I was becoming blind to what's closest to His heart.

Then I read this about the Freedom of Choice act that Obama has publicly announced he will sign as President, and after reading more and more details about this act, I feel queasy. It's disgusting. This act will open the doors for limitless abortions, without restrictions, at any point in the pregnancy, in way that government will not be able to interfere with. It also plans on all of these abortions to be fully funded by our government....many covered by his health insurance plan.

If you're a Christian on the fence or know one, please at least educate yourself on this and lovingly encourage your friend to. I'm truly convinced millions of lives are at stake in this election.

If you don't want to believe the comments of Randy Alcorn and other's, here it is from Obama himself at a Planned Parenthood rally....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0XIRZSTt8

I'm honestly still not a huge fan of McCain's, but I am of unborn children and their right to live. To me, and you may disagree, the alternative means countless precious little lives possibly lost.



"Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed." Deuteronomy 19:10



Update: In re-reading this post I want to be extremely clear that I'm not bashing any believer in support of Obama, or saying they don't care for the unborn. I have several close friends who love Jesus, sought His wisdom, did their homework and ended up differently than I did...that's ok. I also know that this election was settled before the world was ever formed and is in the complete control of a mighty and sovereign God. He does what pleases Him and He cannot be thwarted. I'm compelled to write out of my own personal convictions and since this is my blog, I will :) Hope you see my heart.

The Magic of Christmas tickets up for grabs!

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up in case anyone's interested. Stacey has 6 tickets to see the Charlotte Symphony perform their annual Magic of Christmas performance on Saturday, December 6th at 2:30pm.

These are orchestra level tickets and are in pairs. They are selling for $50, but Stacey is asking $25 so it's a great deal.

Josh and I have seen the Symphony perform The Nutcracker and Handel's Messiah and both were WONDERFUL! You can let either one of us know if you want tickets.

Here's the description on the Blumenthal website:

Share the enchantment of a musical wonderland as the Charlotte Symphony, caroling choirs, and special guests make the season bright. “The program offers something for everyone when it comes to musical tastes,” writes The Charlotte Observer. Don’t miss this Charlotte holiday tradition!

New favorite pic

poor, little, cross-eyed thing

Split screen

Josh found the split screen shot I mentioned earlier about the stadium used in the movie "The Leatherheads." It's pretty cool to see our pretty little skyline in the shot...even though it wasn't in the finished product.

Our hair crushes

So after we watched License to Wed, Josh and I had to ask ourselves why in the world we decided to rent it (please don't judge us by our movie choices...we've been holed up in the house for what seems like months).

It actually wasn't all that bad. It was pretty clean, if my memory serves me right (though I watched most of it in the middle of the night so who knows what I remember). It just wasn't super funny. But after talking about it, we figured it out. Actually, Josh figured it out. We both have hair crushes on the main characters. Like, enough of a crush to rent a bad movie just to see their hair fixed in different ways....I know.

In fact, Josh is growing his hair out as we speak. It's something he's wanted to do for a really long time. I actually think it would look good like John Krasinski's.

And just so I don't feel like a complete loser, I'd really like to know if anyone else has a hair crush???

Ah, memories

Last night Josh and I finally watched The Leatherheads. It's the one that came out a while back with George Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski (from "The Office"). You may have already seen it or heard about it...it created a lot of buzz around here since much of it was filmed in the Carolinas including Charlotte, Spencer and Salisbury.

We actually really liked it. I thought the plot was a little choppy, but the dialogue was smart, quick-witted and fiesty. Like many Clooney movies (he also directed this one). I have always thought he was funny.

Anyway, cute movie but I think the extras on the dvd were just as good as the movie. Much of it was shot at a stadium in Charlotte that Independence High School uses and the uptown skyline is extremely clear in the background. One of the bonus features shows how they made the stadium shots look like it was back in that time era. They have a split screen with the left side showing what they filmed and the right side showing the finished product after all the special effects stuff. The left side showed our skyline the whole time....pretty cool.

But the coolest thing to us by far were the scenes they shot at the old historic train depot in downtown Salisbury. It was where we had our wedding reception and is just incredibly charming and beautiful to me. It still has all the original floor tiles and I think the fixtures were original as well...we hardly had to decorate. During the commentary Clooney and some other guy were arguing about whether it's still a working station or not....it is. We were told we had to have a security guard to keep passengers from wandering into our reception. What?

Just wanted to share :)

Stadium in Charlotte.

High falootin' folk in the Depot.

Press inside the Depot when the actors stopped by for a few questions after filming.

Here it is....where our life together began. Sigh.
(note: Renee and John by the window having a very important
conversation)

Tomorrow's mercies for tomorrow's troubles

Josh took Isaiah to church this morning and I stayed home with Manny. Sitting through a service would be pretty difficult for both of us at this point, though I really could have benefited from corporate worship and some good teaching. I decided to make the best of it and pulled up a sermon from my favorite speaker/author on the subject that I continue to struggle with daily...anxiety. This would be the first time I've spent any real time with the Lord since Manny was born. No wonder I felt like I was running on empty in every aspect.

I won't summarize the whole sermon, but it was so good. It's good even if you don't struggle with anxiety and fear like I do. Please check out "Today's Mercies for Today's Troubles" if you have a few spare minutes....and listen to Piper preach it....even better than reading it.

A few quotes that knocked me over the head:

The point of the STAR article was that the strength to live tomorrow will be given tomorrow, not today. And it will be given. Our task today is not to have the strength needed for tomorrow's burdens. Our task today is to live by the mercies given for today, and to believe that there will be new mercies for tomorrow.


...It's important because of how natural and strong is the impulse in our hearts to want to feel sufficient today for tomorrow's challenges. We don't like it when the gauge reads "empty" at the end of the day, and we have to go to sleep—if we can—not feeling the power for tomorrow's troubles.


...You can know some of the pressures that are coming tomorrow. And part of your job may be to make some preparations for them. Those preparations are part of today's "sufficient" trouble. But how those preparations will turn out tomorrow, and whether you feel strong enough today to do your part tomorrow—that is not something God wants you to carry today. Those are tomorrow's burdens. God does not give mercies today for bearing tomorrow's burdens.

This made me realize how faithless I can be....I constantly worry about tomorrow. And right now, there's plenty to be worried about (how to parent a newborn and a toddler well when Josh goes back to work, the economy, the elections, our personal finances, should we take our house off the market, etc). And though the media and my own heart can make these issues feel urgent and a burden for today, the reality is that they really are mostly burdens for another day and the mercy that I need for those troubles will come another day. Right now I can rest in that promise and know that I have all the grace and mercy that I need for today's troubles, and when I wake up at 1:00 tomorrow morning to feed Manny there will be enough mercy for that and the rest of the day.


Here's the hymn he quoted in that sermon that brought me to tears as I prayed through it:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power;

The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.