Bath and belly pics

These were all taken tonight:

This picture looks EXACTLY like my sister to me when she was little.

We run the whole gamut of emotions during bath time.

Who said I had big eyes?

17 weeks and getting bigger by the day!

Happiness in your wallet

So, lately I've really gotten into reading frugal blogs and changing how I shop and spend money. We could always use free stuff and great deals on groceries....you all know that too as much as I've talked about our finances :)



So far, I've gotten diapers, wipes, cleaning stuff, make up, air fresheners, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, medicine, and some groceries for either completely free, pocket change or I made money on the deal.



One of my favorite blogs is Moneysavingmom.com. She is a godly woman with a husband, 2 small children and a $40 a week grocery budget. It's amazing how she has figured out how to make it work. She has learned how to get TONS of stuff from CVS free and thoroughly explains it. I'm still getting the hang of it (Stacey has been a big help too!) but have already gotten a lot of stuff! It's pretty thrilling!



Anyway, while I don't plan on posting on this very much, every now and then I'll post a few deals if they're really good. In the mean time, go to her site and she links to a lot of other smart ladies doing the same thing.



One thing that I just did is something you may have already seen on Stacey's blog called Revolution Money Exchange which is an online money center that seems to be trying to take the monopoly from paypal (who continuously raise their fees). There are no fees and as a promotion until May 15th they'll put $25 in your account when you sign up (mine showed up instantly and I plan to transfer it to my checking acct). Then, if you choose, you can get an add'l $10 for referring people.



So, if you're interested, click on my link to the left (unless you saw Stacey's first) and see for yourself.



One more thing I saw this morning was a coupon for free bowling. Here's where I saw it and I noticed that Foxfire Lanes in Kannapolis is participating. Sounds like a good date night!

So, I hope this was helpful for those of you pinching pennies like me!

4 humans, no dog?

It looks like our blog may need a title change soon. The switch to 4 humans is obvious, but the possibility of taking Max out of the equation is looking more and more probable. I have such mixed emotions about this because we love Max dearly. He's been ours since he was 8 weeks old and we were 1 month into our marriage (I don't recommend getting a dog that early, btw).

He literally has been like a child to us. We spent a lot of time together playing, wrestling, walking and running in the park, hiking, going on trips, play dates with other dogs, etc....until Isaiah came along. I knew Isaiah would change things but I didn't realize how much. That honestly makes me feel really guilty. The reality is that we don't have the space that Max needs to run free in. He's so energetic and full of life and needs lots of exercise. We could give that to him before, but now it's really challenging. Especially when it's just me and Isaiah and him in the house together. Among other things, he started jumping his electric fence a lot and running away, putting me in a bad predicament since Josh usually wasn't home. He was also peeing and pooping in the house whenever we left (he was mad at us) which eventually led to him being put in the garage. We could tell he needed more than we could give and it just wasn't good for any of us.

SO...he's been temporarily adopted by our neighbor who has a fenced in back yard and a boxer named Grace. We give her food and she takes care of the rest. Max has been outside until night when he goes in to her house with Grace and they cuddle up together in a huge crate. It has been WONDERFUL! Although I've shed some tears, it has removed such a huge burden. He has a companion to play with and gets to run around outside all day.

Our neighbor is getting attached to him so we sat down and discussed the options. We ended up agreeing for her to keep him until we know where we will be living after our house sells and we will make a final decision then. I think in the back of our minds we think that we'll regret giving him up if our next house is an ideal situation for him. But honestly, I think he'll end up staying where he is. We'll see....

And on a bit of a side note, we (and by "we" I mean Josh pretty much) have decided to once again not find out what we're having. I protested when Dr. Jones asked us what we wanted to do, but when he sided with Josh I knew I had officially lost the battle (thanks a bunch, Doc).

So, closer to the due date I'm sure I'll post some kind of a poll to amuse myself with, but until then I guess God will be the only one in on the secret :)

New pictures

Here are a few pics I snapped the other day while we were outside enjoying

the gorgeous, balmy weather.

I realized I haven't been taking as many pics lately so

I'm trying to do better. It's sinking in that my

days with just me and Isaiah are numbered so I want to soak

these moments up and cherish them.

We kiss all day long!

Cutie!

This boy LOVES his wagon!

Right now, his main goal in life is to try to get to a higher elevation than he has before.

Here you can see how crazy his hair has gotten (but I won't cut it :))

He's saying "Smi-uuh!"

This captures him perfectly at any given moment.

Cute, snotty and dirty!

Helping kids (and yourself) to love missions

I just read this article and was so stirred and excited by it and would love to hear your thoughts as well.

10 Ways to Help Kids Love Missions assumes that you yourself love missions, but I think these practical suggestions would do much to stir your own heart as well as your family. I get the sense (and I could be wrong) that a lot of people I've talked to about what God's doing in the nations have the perspective that it makes sense to get involved and excited IF you're called to that...meaning IF that desire is already in your heart and IF you're called to go to the nations and even IF you're just naturally inclined to enjoy and be interested in that type of thing.

There seems to sometimes be a disconnect between God being glorified here in our own lives, churches, neighborhoods and Him being glorified in the slums of a Muslim township or a small West African village we can't pronouce. I'm convicted that we are to be about God's glory...period. Wherever it is. That's how we stay connected to the bigger picture, how we see God through different eyes and behold His beauty in a fresh, captivating way.

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods."

Ps 93:1-4

It has been an incredible gift of grace in my life to be able to just catch a glimpse of what worship might look like in a different culture, to sit at the feet of missionaries and hear their first-hand accounts of God working in ways that give you goose bumps, to watch in person a group of poor, dirty people lift their hands up to God with tears streaming down their faces as they worship in another language with their whole hearts. I get teary thinking of it. I don't have words that can describe the beauty.

There is MUCH to be tasted and seen of God when it comes to the nations, and we miss out on so, so much when we live our lives never positioning ourselves to ever taste or see it.

Suggestions 6-9 are my favorite, though the other 7 suggestions are really good too. I can honestly say that if my parent's had not lived out #7, my love and enjoyment of God wouldn't be close to the same. That gift was priceless to me and it still is.

Thank you, Mom and Dad.

Still swooning a bit...

And totally kicking myself for thinking that they would confiscate my camera and make us take it all the way back to the car....therefore having no good pictures of my own of this amazing show. It was quickly after the opening act began that we realized cameras were allowed....my heart hurts just thinking about it.

BUT...it was absolutely the most enjoyable concert I've ever gone to...and I've been to my fair share. I don't think my feet have touched the ground yet. I knew we were in for a good show with Michael Buble, but the opener floored me! They were called Naturally 7 and are an acapella group from NY that do all of their own instruments with their VOICE. They sounded like a chior with a full band behind them! Josh even thought they were using special effects on their mics...such little faith :) They did drums, bass (he was unhuman-like), electric guitar, turn tables, violin and trombone. Our jaws were on the floor pretty much the whole time. See them for yourself here.

And then the man himself.....wow. He serenades with the sound of Frank Sinatra. Even his speaking voice is captivating. I have always loved the old crooner sound, but to come out of a 32 year old! Frank died before I really appreciated him and in a small way Michael's voice transports me back to before my time. Anyway, I fully expected him to be incredible, not to mention the 10 piece band of genius' that played with him. But he was really funny! A few highlights were of him pointing out how miserable two guys up front looked, how they must have been dragged there by their wives and then ordered them two beers with refills all night. He also pointed out 2 young girls ages 15 and 12, thoroughly embarrassed them by telling them how cute they were and how having "young cutie pies" in his audience keeps him responsible because otherwise "I would turn Amy Winehouse in this place so fast!" He hopped off the stage to take pictures with them, hugged a random guy, danced with another lady kissing her on both cheeks while she pretty much groped him.....poor guy. He wasn't offended and laughed about it.

If you already like his music then DEFINITELY go see him live! It made me realize how much I would love to see Tony Bennett before he dies. Michael and others have named him the "last man standing."

Anyway, he was charming, funny, gushing toward the audience...no wonder he sells so many tickets. But don't worry, he had enough locker room humor to keep me from idolizing him!

Big night out

We're off to a fabulous dinner at the Jazz Cafe and then to see this talented fellow with a voice like Frank Sinatra sing his little heart out. We have such sweet family that know EXACTLY what to get us for Christmas. Thank you, Randy, Patti, Dee and Stacey!

If they let me take pictures, I'll post them.

Driving me to drink

No, I'm not drinking anything other than water, but if I was an alcoholic today very well may have knocked me off the wagon. I have been frustrated and impatient ALL day. A ton of little things have added up and I have been harsh over and over.

This morning I kept my neice and nephew, who were not at all a problem, but it just seems that when other kids are here Isaiah is much more of a challenge. More fussy, whiny and slow to obey. I was a referee most of the time for the two boys who haven't quite learned how to share toys, and while I'm managing, redirecting, reminding, warning, disciplining, feeding, changing, etc Max was AWFUL. The last thing I needed! He doesn't listen anymore and runs away frequently. He terrified my nephew who doesn't like dogs, so he ended up in the garage while they were here. Then he woke Isaiah up from his much needed nap 3 times with constant barking at something in the yard. It didn't help that I've felt very tired today and was trying to rest myself.

Then, with a busy weekend ahead, I decided I should start planning for school Monday and the entire time I was online searching site after site and not finding what I need, the internet went out probably 10 times at least. And it continues to go in and out as I type this. Grrrrr....

Honestly, at this point I would love to include a nice, long quote or verse that gets at the heart of my sin. You know, something I've read that's convicted me and given me right perspective and would then turn and encourage you. Sorry, I'm not there yet. My heart is ugly right now. I really want the world to stop and cater to me because I'm low on energy and high on hormones these days. So, I'll go deal with that now, and maybe you could pray for me?

...and thanks for listening :)

Um, what?

This is what I keep hearing from people. Mainly, because I can't talk. I remember this when I was pregnant with Isaiah. Literally, words just don't come into my brain at the right time. I want to say something extremely simple and my mind goes blank. Some times I can't even start the sentence (it reminds me of a time when a friend was stuttering and kept beginning new sentences and I said, "So, which of those sentences do you plan to finish?" I know, mean right?)

Then, when the words come they are often too late and all in the wrong order. For example, instead of saying something like, "what about that is hard?" It will come out, "what hard is about that?" This happens ALL the time now. I just can't think of what to say. I know people who've been around me lately will think that this isn't all that true, but if you knew how long it took me to say the sentence in my head first to make sure it was right, you'd feel a little sorry for me.

All that to say, I really want to blog. But you might need a mirror to read it :) And yes, I edited and proof read this about 3 times before posting it.

Update on the little people

Life with Isaiah these days can be characterized by words like nonstop, off the walls, off the furniture, rambunctous, gut laughing one minute, ready to claw eyes out the next (this describes me), new words, A LOT of bananas, running, throwing balls, major Daddy attachment, sweet kisses all the time, playing hard until he's red in the face, endless discovery of new "no-no's" and great interest in the old ones.

He still loves to sing "E, I, O" which is Old MacDonald and a new song called, "Ho, Ho-sanna" that I sang as a little girl. He just sings, "Ha, ha, ha, ha." He is still REALLY into phones...especially cell phones and often calls people when I don't know it so if you've gotten a hang up recently from us, I promise it wasn't me. The other thing that he loves doing is hiking one leg up on the couch, pull himself up and then jump all over the couch...we're working on sitting on our bottoms :)

He's now saying no, yes (sometimes), Daddy, Momma, Nana (for my mom and banana), Papa, Pop, Ma (Max), Buddy (my parent's dog), nose, ear, eye, toes, knee, ball, cookie, hey, bye-bye, ba (bath), shoes, sock, k! (ok!), men! (Amen!), and tries to repeat what we say all the time...and yes, I know that's scary.

He's also been pointing at my tummy and saying, "Baby? Baby?" I'm pretty sure he's really trying to say "belly button" -OR- he's a genius child with crazy perception abilities.

Because there IS a baby in there! A lot of you knew that, but this is the first time I've blogged about it so here's an update: I'm 10 weeks, due Oct 3rd and got to see our little one for the first time yesterday. The ultrasound tech wasn't there, but Dr. Jones wanted to see the heartbeat so he attempted it himself. We saw the sweet little flicker of a heartbeat, but only for a second because the little bit was kicking and flipping around. Then I laughed, moved too much and right when he found it again the screen went blank. So no pictures, but we were thrilled to get to see that! I have been fighting to not be anxious as I waited 6 weeks to know anything, but God was really sweet to me and gave me a lot of grace in that area....one that I tend to struggle in a lot.

So, we are both really healthy, and I'm blessed to not get sick in pregnancy...just tiredness and a lack of patience :)

(Now I get to add my own little baby widget!)

Because I'm committed to making you smarter...

Here's some useless, yet interesting leap day trivia:

-- A person born on Leap Day is called a leapling.

--As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.

--The tradition continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288 that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she fancied. Menfolk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair.

--Invented at the Savoy Hotel in London on February 29, 1928 this sweet concoction was said to have spurred many a marriage proposal.

2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Serve with a twist of lemon.

You're welcome....

Stewart has a little brother

Josh and I often quote Stewart right after Isaiah has said something. Please don't think less of us, but we find a lot of similarities between the two. This captures that several times (except we're not looking for a new daddy).

Missions...

is a passion that God has deeply wedged into our hearts for years and, I'm learning, never goes away. And I definitely didn't want it to (though it would make some things easier), but I guess we've kinda "put it on the back burner" for the last couple of years as God has been healing and restoring us, building up our marriage and guiding us through the huge transition of becoming parents. I feel like we have come a LONG way from where we were 2 years ago, and the Lord has been slowly, gently but steadily bringing the nations back to the front of our hearts. I have no idea what this will mean for our future, whether we will go or send (or go some and send some), but doing one or the other is clear....Praise God!

So, last Sunday morning Josh and I were in bed recovering from an ugly stomach bug, and decided to listen to several of Piper's sermons on the subject. If you haven't heard him preach on this you are missing a huge part of his heart...start with "Doing Missions When Dying is Gain"...you won't be the same!

Anyway, though he says SO MUCH there was one statement in particular that really challenged us. This is from his sermon called, "Missions: The Battle Cry of Christian Hedonism."

"When Jesus commissioned his church to disciple the peoples, he did not have in mind merely political boundaries. He had in mind the distant, distinct groups including tribes and tongues and peoples. And today there are over 16,000 such groups undiscipled. If every Christian in the world won all his neighbors to Christ, half the world would be unevangelized; because two billion people make up culturally distant people groups who do not have an indigenous witness. They are the "hidden peoples," the "frontier missions" of our day. The only way they can be reached is by cross-cultural missionaries."

How Marvelous!

I didn't grow up in churches that sang many hymns and on days like today I'm thankful because when I hear one I haven't heard in a long time, it's still new to me and the words have fresh meaning. I don't have memories of singing them as a bored kid in the pew with her parents. There's no negativity or indifference associated with them in my head (not that people who grew up with them would...but I think I would).

And this morning I was hit over the head with one as I was listening to Chris Tomlin in my car. What a beautiful and ENCOURAGING message! I couldn't help raising my hand (with one planting firmly on the steering wheel) and singing to the top of my lungs! The chorus has been playing over and over in my head since. A very simple message, but so full of marvel, wonder and joy at Jesus. So, I just wanted to share the words of it with you:

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my Savior’s love for me!

Refrain

He took my sins and my sorrows,

He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary,

And suffered and died alone.

Refrain

When with the ransomed in glory

His face I at last shall see,

’Twill be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me.

Refrain

Boxes, anyone???

We have been trying to get our house ready to sell and are having the hardest time finding moving boxes. Seems like grocery stores, pharmacies and even ABC stores don't have them like we thought they would.

So, if you hear of any available...let us know!

Isaiah's happy reunion with food

Let me explain: Isaiah has always LOVED his food....until he has a stomach bug which is what he's had the past few days. It has been IMPOSSIBLE to please him. He would constantly sign "food" and "please" only to emphatically shout "No!" (his new favorite word...ugh) at EVERYthing we would offer him. He was finally satisfied yesterday for a few short minutes with Jello and part of a popcicle. But today he's eating! He's not quite into all his normal foods yet, but he was happy this morning with honey-nut cheerios (in the pantry, no less) and his first ever peanut butter sandwich at lunch. This is a big deal if you know his dad well.

.

The Mr and Mrs

Wow. They're married! Here's a few pictures of their special day. I'm missing all of the wedding party and most of our family so I'll try to get those up as soon as I get them.

Still the big sister!

At the reception and much more comfortable....and can I just mention the

two incredibly cute boys in the background?

Mother of the groom and her little boy

Today is the BIG DAY!

My little brother, Darren, is getting married! It's still really unsettling to me (He's young and will always be "little" to me), but he's excited and says he's ready. I'll post pictures soon.

Update on Doria

Several of you have asked about her and have been praying for her. That speaks volumes to us so thank you.

She had surgery yesterday afternoon to have her gall bladder removed. They found really thick bile which is most likely the cause of all her pain. They didn't see stones but will do a pathology report to be sure. She should go home today. She said her belly button hurts :) but she's doing much better. We're thankful that they didn't wait any longer to do the surgery as my brother is getting married Saturday (!). We're expecting and praying that she'll be doing much better by the weekend.

Thanks again for praying for her.

Prayer, please

My sister, Doria, was admitted to the hospital this morning. She's been experiencing some pretty awful pain in her side for awhile now and after several trips to the Dr, two trips to the emercency room, two prescriptions for Vicaden that didn't work, she was finally admitted. She's relieved to get better pain meds, but they're still not sure what's wrong or what to do. She definitely has ovarian cysts and a scan earlier today showed that her gall bladder is only functioning at 33%. However, the Drs seem to be miscommunicating (one has a very thick accent, they said.....WHAT?!?). One Dr was talking about surgery and another one was talking about discharging her, so please pray for clarity for them and healing for Doria.

Moved

I'm sitting here pretty emotional, and since I posted earlier that I didn't know what to blog I figured I'd make up for that.

I flipped on the tv this afternoon and was shocked to see my former Weight Watchers teacher (who just sent me a card telling me that her arms were open to welcome me back...I haven't been since Thanksgiving) on Oprah.

I quickly understood why. Her son was Jason Ray, the Chapel Hill mascot who was killed when a car hit him as he walked along the side of a road in New Jersey at a game. He went to First Assembly as a kid and my mom remembers when he was in kindergarten there. His death made major headline news here. Charlotte had talked about Jason often during our meetings and recently did an ESPN special about him. She would ask if anyone saw it and how did they think it went. She continuously commented on how something really good came out of something really bad. Jason was an organ donor and the ripple effect of that was huge. That's why ESPN and Oprah took notice. His organs went to save at least 3 other people and inspired others to become donors. One family came who lost a son 2 weeks after Jason's death. He was inspired by Jason's story, convinced his brother to become a donor and was a donor himself.

I think what I'm most moved by is the faith of Charlotte, her husband Emmitt, their son Jason, and several of the organ recipients and family that Jason inspired. If you heard what they said about their loss and gain, you heard something close to the gospel. They spoke about eternal life, their Heavenly Father, and their gratefulness for His goodness to them. You just don't hear that on Oprah everyday and it gives testimony to our amazing Father. His grace in the midst of great pain and tragedy, that He's for us and His children He's already taken home. His great wisdom even in young, shocking, seemingly untimely death....and our great hope because of that. His good plan. His right rule.

It gives me comfort and faith to watch people grieve such tremendous loss (one of my worst fears) under the sweet grace and sustaining hope that God provides in that moment. He makes it possible for me to lose my son at the age of 21 and still have great reason for hope, peace and joy in the God who is for us and the glorious future we have.

You can read about their story here. Click on "Ray of Hope."

Are we dull?

I guess there just hasn't really been anything I want to post about. I think I'm in the post-Christmas winter slump. You know, gray skies, cold temps that keep me indoors a lot, doing the day-to-day thing. Not bad. Just not great writing material. I get up, get dressed, make coffee, try my best at a quiet time, get Isaiah up, chase him around most of the day, read some, surf the web some, clean some, cook some, talk with friends some, walk some, wait for Josh to get home, eat dinner, get Isaiah bathed and in the bed, crash.

I remember feeling this way big time as a teacher. It was the thought that made my stomach drop...what am I going to do with these kids until May?!? I'm feeling that a little with work now. Christmas program is over...now I have to actually plan. And don't get me wrong...there's plenty going on and lots of big decisions coming up for us. Things are just fairly "January-ish."

But then I have moments like I just had when my sweet husband comes up to me holding an empty cereal bag and asking me if I want to eat the crumbs leftover from the frosted shredded wheat because it was probably at least 7 or 8 squares worth and he just wanted to consider me (but to not make fun of him...so I'm not, of course :).

It's funny how seasons affect me. I'm really looking forward to spring.

The thorn in my flesh....

our disgusting problem

(the white stuff is powder that's supposed to lift out stains...yeah right)

The culprit

Since Thankgiving we have been greeted with "presents" from Max at least once a week. It is absolutely driving me mad. We have honestly considered finding another family for him, but, of course we definitely don't want to do that. He's been ours since the very beginning of our marriage.

HOWEVER, this has to change!!! It's completely ridiculous! When the weather is ok he spends most of the day outside, gets plenty, of love (though less attention since Isaiah's come along), goes out to do his business multiple times during the day, has completed 2 training classes, etc. Why is this still a problem?!?

Now, we're looking into ripping out the carpet and installing laminate so we can sell the house. I am furious we're at this point. I have tried soap and water, vinegar, Spot Shot, Resolve for Pet Stains, Urine Gone, powder from Carpet Dry Clean and steam cleaning. So, if you have a magic solution for getting urine out of carpet, training a dog who knows better, or cheap/good laminate solution....I'm all ears!

UGH!!!

E-I-O

Here is Isaiah singing his favorite song. Please our house cleaner who's singing and apparently can't bark in tune.
(we don't have a house cleaner.)

E-I-O

Here's Isaiah singing his favorite song. Please ignore the lady singing...she's our house cleaner and apparently can't bark in tune.

(we don't have a house cleaner.)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

I've been bad. I know. I'm sorry if you've been checking. :(

So, here's what we've been up to lately:

We are back to normal after the holidays which means work, de-cluttering the house, training an almost 18 mo old, hanging out with people in our care group, walking at the mall with my friend Kristen and her daughter Lily, getting the house ready to sell (finally!), catching up on reading, establishing better routines, concentrating more efforts into our date nights, and trying to plan a much needed getaway...just the two of us (we haven't done that yet as parents).

This time of year always brings a fresh resolve to be more organized and clean...among other things. So, I've gone back to my Keep-It-Clean plan from Real Simple which has served me well in the past (ok, today was the first day back on it but my bathrooms are sparkly!)

I've also been cleaning out closets so that prospective buyers can actually see that they have custom shelving. 2 down, 3 more to go. I absolutely could not believe what all we put in one little boy's closet!

And with all good domestication efforts, there should be efficient meal planning...gosh, I even sound more domestic, don't I? Well, I'm bad at this. So bad, dinner deciding time is the most stressful part of my day. This time starts the second Josh walks in the door and I say, "What do you want for supper?" and he says, "I don't know, babe. Whatever's easiest. I just don't want it to be stressful for you." So bad that when I asked him recently, at the prompting of a great discussion with other ladies, how I could grow in one area of helping him at home, he requested that I simply plan out our meals so I won't get stressed.


***Update: Apon reading what I was typing, I realized that raw chicken was waiting in the kitchen, as was my slightly famished husband. I won't tell you what time it was. We had a good chuckle.


Anyway, I've been planning meals and trying new recipes...mainly soup...from the Better Homes and Gardens website. A few we didn't like so if you have any good ones, send 'em my way!


I finally finished a book (!!!) that I've been reading for awhile. It was "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman. Excellent! I see my future self needed to reread it often. I'm also finishing up "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. This book has gone to my soul in a striking, passionate, painful, joyful way. I simply could not suggest a man-written book more worth your time (in my opinion).

I'm also trying (often unsuccessfully) to greet the day before Isaiah, leaving myself enough time to get ready for the day, fix a cup of coffee and spent tine with the Lord before I go get him out of his bed at 8:00am. I'm still going through the Psalms and that has been really good.

So there you have it. I plan to do better on my posting now that the daunting task of catching up is over....I suppose that 's a little dramatic. I will leave you with pictures of Isaiah, who's hair looks like this now at any given moment. He's a wild man!

Flight of the Bumblebee....A Capella!

Yes, it's Christmas and I know this makes me look sad, BUT I showed it to my family earlier today and we decided it was blog-worthy. Enjoy as you slowly surface from the mounds of goodies, gifts, family and cheer :)

Da, da-da-da da-da, Da, Da, Da

Did you recognize it?!? It's the opening brass line in the March of course! Josh and I are about to indulge ourselves and act nerdy...We're going to see The Nutcracker tonight!!! I am SO excited! Trying not to sound pitiful (or gloat...may be too late for that), I have almost begged to go see every year of our marriage.....and now I finally get to!

I LOVE Tchaikovsky and I LOVE ballet! It's on a long list of things I think every musician should experience!

I'll update later!

Passion and Patience

Josh and I just started reading Pilgrim's Progress together as part of our date nights. I have never read it (I know. I can feel your gasps.) and he just couldn't bear the thought of that as it's been so impactful to him.

Anyway, I have to say...I get why this is a classic! I already relate to Pilgrim and his struggles so much and people who know me well will attest to the fact that few things spur me on like true, raw honesty about where a person's heart really is...realness....and almost nothing turns me off more than a pretty, put together, rarely-struggles facade. It's just not real and it's not encouraging or edifying for anyone else. Sorry. Soapbox moment. So I'm loving the refreshing honesty in this book.

Today I read ch 2 (I read it without Josh...sorry, baby) and came to the part of the two children, Passion and Patience. This really got at where my heart has been misguided and distracted this Christmas season. It's my natural tendency anyway, but running from mall to mall, thinking of what things I will acquire and what things I will help others acquire does nothing to help my continuous fight against my own Passion.

Here it is:

Then I saw Interpreter take Christian by the hand and lead him into a little room where sat two little children, each in his own chair. The eldest was named Passion, and the other Patience. Passion seemed much discontented, but Patience was very quiet. Then Christian asked, “What is the reason of the discontent of Passion?” The Interpreter answered, “The Master would have him wait for his best things till the beginning of next year; but he will have all now. Patience is willing to wait.”

Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet. He took it up, and rejoiced and laughed Patience to scorn. But he had soon wasted all away, and had nothing left him but rags.

CHRISTIAN. Explain this matter more fully to me.

INTERPRETER. These two lads are pictures; Passion, of the men of this world; and Patience of the men of the world to come. As you see Passion will have all now, this year, that is to say in this world; so are the men of this world; they must have all their good things now; they cannot wait until the next world for their portion of good. But, as thou sawest that he had quickly wasted all away, and had left nothing but rags, so will it be with all such men at the end of this world.

Then said Christian, “Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, both because he waits for the best things and because he will have the glory of his things when Passion’s are only rags.”

INTERPRETER. You may add also that the glory of the next world will never wear out; but these are suddenly gone. Therefore Passion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience because he had his good things first, as Patience will have to laugh at Passion, because he had his best things last.

CHRISTIAN. Then I see it is not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come.

INTERPRETER. You say truth; “for the things that are seen soon pass away, but the things that are not seen endure forever.”

One more...cause I can't help it

This time they bust out in gorgeous harmonies as a thank you to the people who served them chili cheese fries in Hardees. Man, fast food jobs have perks these days (but watch 12 days of Christmas before you watch this one.)

12 Days of Christmas....down in Africa

Few things entertain me more than a capella groups (except maybe an amazing brass quintet). My brother-in-law Chris just introduced me to this group and all I can say is WOW!!! Sit back and let these boys knock your socks off!

Out of the mouth of babes and infants...

Thank you to those of you who prayed for me. Last night was absolutely beautiful. The kids did such a good job and wowed their parents...hopefully leading them to worship our King that came as a baby. I hope to post a video clip as soon as I find out if it's legal :) This morning I've just been amazed (now that I have time to really think about it) at how God orchestrated every little detail - from sound equipment and projectors to the pretty poinsetta plants and sequine sashes - to come together when none of it was together a few months ago. I'm amazed once again at how He cares for us on every level...big and small.

So, I've been going through the Psalms again and this morning I read Psalm 8 about God's majesty. Here are a few definitions I found:

Majesty = regal, lofty or stately dignity, grandeur; supreme greatness or authority; sovereignty; the power and sovereignty of God; the greatness and dignity of a sovereign; Royal dignity; stately splendor; magnificance; supreme authority or power.

I don't think I've ever posted part of a journal entry here before, but I feel compelled. His care is just too good not to.

"O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? "(vs 1-4)

Lord, I really feel some of the greatness of this today. Just reading the definition of majesty - seeing Your name referenced in the definition (though You are not contained by our language or definitions!) and then seeing how You care for me with such love and understanding of who I am and what I need...such intimate and sweet care for my soul - I'm just blown away that You would do that! Who am I that You are mindful of me...that You would care for me?!?

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

One down, one to go....

We did our first performance this morning and have the big one tonight. This morning went well with only a few very minor glitches (like one of the backdrops nearly falling on the cast). It actually did go very well. We performed for the upper school (grades 7-12). They're a tough crowd and they seemed to enjoy it.

Then back to normal life.....aaah. Well, sort of. Josh has two performances this weekend at HGBC North.

Say a little prayer for us if you think about it!

Let me count the ways...

Thanksgiving day was our 4th anniversary. We were with his family and this year they decided to go to the beach so I didn't get to post this earlier. Blogging has been slow around here anyway due to said Christmas production in previous post, but I didn't want this one to slip by. Too important.

I always have so much to be grateful for. I feel like God pours down buckets of blessings on us constantly, and so I'm a big fan lately of cultivating thankfulness in my heart...to both praise God for his mercy that I certainly don't deserve and also to keep my heart from becoming prideful and numb to how staggeringly good He is to his children.

That being said, this year it seems even more real how sweet God is to me as I think about the last 4 years of being Josh's wife. And though this list is far from complete, I want to try to capture some of why I'm so grateful for my precious husband.

--He has one of the most tender hearts I've ever known.
--He's gentle with me.
--He has eyes like two gorgeous little oceans and gave me a son with the same eyes.
--He can play the sax, the flute and the clarinet....like really play them.
--He makes me laugh at myself at the most inconvenient times (like when I'm really mad or crying).
--He truly has a heart for the Lord and makes me want to know Him better too.
--His love for digging deep into the Word is contagious.
--His love for theology translates into how he lives...it's not just knowledge.
--For as long as I've known him (10 1/2 years) he's had strong accountability from another man.
--He loves his momma!
--He's a cuddler (even more than me!)
--He still loves Tom and Jerry, The Little Rascals and Charlie Brown.
--He can fit a whole cheeseburger in his mouth....and a double decker moon pie (see pic).
--He fights hard to grow in areas he's weak in and asks for help from others all the time.
--He loves his little boy SO much (and that little boy loves his daddy SO much)!
--He comes home from a long day of teaching 12 yr olds math and wrestling to a frazzled wife and immediately asks, "How can I help you, baby? Here, I'll do it...go sit down."
--He genuinely loves jazz and can give anyone a passionate discertation on why Kenny G is not jazz.
--He loves my family dearly and they know that.
--When Wanda (the custodian who cleans his room) called the school yesterday to say that her father had just passed away, she only wanted to talk to Josh...he stepped out into the hall and prayed with her on the phone.
--He is quite possibly the most compassionate person I have ever met.
--His students love him.
--He was a great friend to me for 5 yrs before we started dating and pushed me toward Christ even then.
--He has proven his character to me time and time again.
--He dresses well.
--He helped me endure 6 yrs of the music dept in college....it was intense.
--He understands that my hair gets frizzy in the rain so he walks me everywhere with an umbrella while getting drenched himself.
--He works hard at our marriage.
--He's almost always the first to reconcile an argument.
--His southern drawl increases 10 fold when we go to his parent's house.
--He sings the theme song from King of Queens to me everytime he hears it.
--He shares my heart for the nations and has gone to several of them with me.
--He's gracious in helping me deal with my sin.
--I really could keep going!

An Invitation

You are invited to

a special presentation of...

"Meet Me at the Manger"

Presented by

the grammar school students

of CCS

December 6th, 2007

7:00pm

CCS gymnasium

(see me for more details)

Psalm 19:1 from my back yard tonight

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handywork."

Bock, bock...

I know it's long gone, and though I'm not a halloween fan, I still wanted to show you our little chick-a-dee. These were taken at a local fall festival. His costume was a last minute, day-of purchase from Old Navy for $6!

Friends of ours: Cole (a lion) and Laney (a Laney-bug)

What Jeff Foxworthy says about us....

My Mom sent this to me, and honestly, a bunch of them weren't that funny to me because I didn't know other people in the country were any different. You transplants should get a good chuckle though :)

What Jeff Foxworthy has to say about people in North Carolina............

--If you go to "cut" off the lights instead of turn off the lights, you may live in North Carolina.....
--If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you are fixin to go anywhere, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you've worn shorts to a Christmas party, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in North Carolina.
--If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Myrtle Beach for the weekend, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you measure distance in hours, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in North Carolina .
--If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in North Carolina.
--If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you find 60 degrees 'a little chilly', you may live in North Carolina.
--If you and all your friends live for basketball season, be it high school, college, or Pro......you may live in North Carolina.
--If you know that Charlotte is not really the State Capital, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you know three different recipes for baked beans, and which one to take to a funeral, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you know two of more friends named Trey, you may live in North Carolina .
--If you can name two hurricanes that blew away your neighbors trailer, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you think that all students who graduate from Duke move back home to New York, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you think that the tobacco barn out front is part of your home, you may live in North Carolina.
--If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with your North Carolina friends and others, you definitely live in North Carolina .

What's in my cart....

Ok, I have to add another website that has been an integral part of our date night rotation....restaurant.com. Dee and Stacey have both been a walking commercial for this site for awhile now....and rightly so!

Basically, you find the restaurant you want to go on their site (not all restaurants use them, but a lot do!) and can either buy a $25 gift certificate for $10 -or- you can opt for a $10 gift certificate for $3. The fine print is that you usually have to spend a minimum of $35 or $15 depending on what gift certificate you buy, and sometimes you have to use it during the week instead of the weekend....BUT it's still a really good deal.

And right now they're having a 70% off sale until Oct 31st. Just enter "treats" in the discount box at check out. I'm about to buy four $25 gift certificates and one $10 gift certificate for $12.90!!! You just print them out and frolic off to your date night with your sweetie!

Here are a few places we want to try:

Lulu.... it was voted "Most Creative Menu" by Charlotte Magazine last year and the gift certificates have been sold out already for October. You should look at their menu!

Maddi's Southern Bistro.... it's a restaurant and art gallery in one. You shop for locally handmade jewelry, wine glasses, etc and then feast on what sounds like true southern food (in a swanky atmosphere)! I'm eyeing the low country shrimp and grits. It's at Birkdale, so some great window shopping after dinner! It's another one that has sold out until Nov 1st.

Brazilian Buffet Boi Gordo.... A little more off the beaten path and the name means "Fat Ox". Apparently, you pay a flat rate and they serve you an entire dinner featuring many different types of meat that the servers will come and shave off onto your plate. Josh and I ate at a similar place in South Africa and it was really, really good!

The Ibis.... another high recommendation from Dee and Stacey. It's a new Caribbean place in downtown Concord, that is struggling because of it's location, but who's food is, "unbelievable!" We definitely need to keep good, independently owned restaurants open in Concord.

Fuji San Japanese Restaurant.... it's sushi on a conveyer belt, ya'll!!!

Tijuana Flats.... Tex-Mex is always a safe bet with me and this place looks fun and lively.

Two websites I visited today

I am already feeling stressed about Christmas. Though there were definitely many sweet moments last year with our families, there were also things that we hope to do differently this year to take some of the stress off we felt last year. Hence, my thinking about it now.

Josh and I were talking the other night about a financial plan we're striving towards....that also MAJORLY cuts our Christmas budget. We have A LOT of family....and it happily grows every year. My gift list now stands at 23.

Sooo..... I've found some new tools I'll be using this year. Here they are :

http://www.organizedchristmas.com/

http://www.christmasorganizing.com/

In the meantime, I am currently taking suggestions and brown, paper bags :)

Vintage Blowing Rock

...pics from last year...