family portrait

a different kind.

just for fun....for V.

the most fun I've ever had painting.

found

Last weekend my boy attended a birthday party. On the way home from collecting him, I drove past this:

Someone had set it on the curb. I stopped. What have we here? There was a man cleaning out his garage twenty feet behind this treasure.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you getting rid of this?"

"I am."

"Is it for sale?"

"You can have it."

"Really? Are you sure? Thank you so much!"

And because I look 50 weeks pregnant he quickly came over and said, "here, let me lift it in your car for you."

I was very happy. But I think he was even happier.

He pointed out the water marks as if to apologize for its condition. Hey, pal, who am I to complain? The price is right, and everything else in my house has water marks, so it will match PERFECTLY!

I like it just fine this way.

a rose by any other name

Here I sit. Nearing week 26 of gestation. We know we are having a baby boy. The ultra sound lady kindly (ahem) included a photo with an arrow and such on our complimentary take home picture. Thanks.

While we are beyond thrilled to be welcoming another boy into our family, we have hit a snag. We have already used the only two boy names that we could agree on.

When we found out that our last two were boys, around the twenty week mark, we started referring to them by their names. I liked that. It sort of felt like we already knew them when they arrived. Their sibling(s) prayed for them by name. We talked about them. It gave a certain level of familiarity that was nice.

Plus, on some strange level, it soothed my controlling tendencies.

With the other kids, once we had chosen their name, it felt right. Right now it feels like I'm trying to force a name....and nothing is feeling right. The other kids have plain and simple and wonderful names. Who knew it could be so complicated to find a name to blend in to the mix?

Mary, Paul, John and Elliot.

(Those are not my kids names...but similar.....but you see how Elliot doesn't "go"? I like Elliot. It's too fancy for my husband. Which is the case for about every name I mention.)

Mary, Paul, John and Silas.

Mary, Paul, John and Nathan.

Mary, Paul, John and Benjamin.

Mary, Paul, John and Duncan.

Mary, Paul, John and Elias.

All of the above have been vetoed by someone I'm married to. And, because he teaches, 80% of names are already out of the question.

Who are you tiny baby?

Happy Father's Day

Pancakes:
2 eggs
2 cups milk + 1 tsp vinegar (unless you have buttermilk on hand, then just 2 cups buttermilk)
3 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Mix the first five ingredients together, then add the last three all at once.

Make sure your griddle is hot.

Today, we made them Dad-sized.

If I had enough space to vacuum I could solve the world's problems

Maybe.

Probably not.

But I could solve a good chunk of my own!

I do my best thinking when I'm vacuuming. The hum of the machine drowns out the sounds of everything else.

Today I was remembering a conversation I had a long time ago with a friend. She shared wisdom with me that someone had shared with her. It was the kind of thing I need to remind myself of often.....

Years ago, she joined a bible study with women both young and old. God had been teaching her some big things in her life, and she was feeling some serious convictions. She shared those convictions with the group and felt that since she was being convicted, she would help them feel convicted, too.

Later that day, a kind older woman took her aside. She gently reminded her that personal convictions from God are wonderful, powerful things. But that they're personal. They aren't always meant for everyone around you. Sometimes they might need to be shared...but we need to measure our words, so that we aren't passing judgement in the name of imparting wisdom.

This information served as a wake up call for me. I go through times when I'm being pulled and stretched and convicted on all sorts of things. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. Sometimes it's exciting. Every time it's a growing experience that moves me in the right direction.

But I need to remember that what is being done in me is personal.

If there's a show that I don't feel like I should watch, or a book I shouldn't read, or a place I shouldn't go, those are things God's doing in me. He knows the ways I'm impacted. He knows my heart.

He didn't make everyone just like me, and He's not working in everyone exactly like He's working in me.

We're not all at the same place in our journey. You aren't going to have the same struggles as I do. Sometimes He allows us to go down a road to learn a gigantic lesson. Sometimes He puts a person in the road to share some wisdom....sometimes He doesn't.

Sometimes the person in the road ran there of their own accord. And you want to drive right over top of them.

All of this was to say that I was reminded today that convictions are powerful and personal. Sometimes they are meant to be shared. Sometimes they are not.

I'm praying for the wisdom to know the difference.

And for a heart that doesn't want to judge.

fyi...

Every now and again, there will be a comment here from someone in China. Or Thailand? Or Japan....somewhere with a lovely Asian alphabet. I never know what they are saying, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with what I'm saying. It's some kind of spam, that if you click on what they write you will find yourself transported to some grody {adult} site.

I usually catch the comments and delete them.

But just in case you should see one and wonder....I'm saving you the trouble of further investigation.

Maybe there's a way to block them? I have no idea.

Just wanted to give a heads up.

And if you should know how I can prevent them in the future, that would be slick.

Carry on.

Bagels

Initial inspiration found here.




Recipe here.

So easy. It's ridiculous.

And so delicious. It's criminal.


(I kneaded in some cinnamon after the first rise, then after boiling sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top before baking.)

random thoughts on a Tuesday

I wanted a nap SO badly this morning. My youngest still takes two naps a day. (Which is the best present any mom can receive.)

After tennis--my girl started tennis lessons this morning--we came home and played for a little bit. The babe was over due for his nap. He went down easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I made lunch. Spicy chicken wings for the boy and left over pizza for the girl.

My cupboards are looking a little bare, but I REFUSE to run to the store until I absolutely must. And I've got lovely things for dinner for the next few days, and okay things for breakfast....and mediocre things for lunch. Mediocre if your name is Mom. Which mine is...so I had yogurt mixed with Kashi's answer to shredded wheat. You know what? It was lackluster.

I ate it.

I got full in the belly, but not in the mind. Do you know what I mean? It didn't do anything for me. I like a few bells and whistles.

So I started eyeballing the kids plates.

And you know what?

They cleaned them today....save for a scrap of chicken and 1/3 piece of pizza.

Once the bigs were done with lunch, they went to play. I reminded them that it was IMPERATIVE to be QUIET so as not to wake the sleeper.

Cue the herd of buffalo.

Right outside the sleeper's door, on their way to play Polly Pockets and G.I Joe.

At this point, I was laying on the couch. Holding my breath. Would he keep sleeping? This was my moment. Would a twenty minute nap be too much to ask?

Yes.

It would.

I choked back a tear and swallowed my urge to growl angrily at the buffalo.

My nolongersleeping-er snuggled with me on the couch. Then Daddy came home for lunch. And I lost my snuggler. But not my spot on the couch.

Daddy stepped in so I could lay motionless for 4 minutes.

I dreamed about second nap time. Second nap time is coming.

And is here now.

And now today is a good day.

Because it isn't yesterday. When I got to shampoo the carpet and a piece of furniture. Because of a diaper.

Apples and Pear

Two of these have taken up residence in the same home as the bamboo trio below. And that house isn't mine. Which makes me feel glad.

her journal

Yesterday was the last day of school. My girl brought home 40 lbs of stuff from her desk. She presented me with her writing journal and asked if I wanted to read it. (Are you kidding me? YES! How long before she hides this stuff under her bed?)

Can I just say that I struck the daughter jackpot? This girl is golden.

My favorite excerpts from her writing:

"No, I don't want a bat for a pet. My father's wife would freak out probably."

...

"When you are on a team you need to be gleeful if you lose. And you should try to be calm and willing. You don't have to be stylish or brainy. You just need to be big-hearted. And that is priceless. Plus thats all you need to be a swell team."

...

"I wouldn't like to be a paleontologist. Because I don't like to get my clothes derty. Every body else in our class might want to but I don't. So being a paleontologist isn't easy. Thats why I don't want to be one. And also they are getting derty right exactly now possibly."

...

"If you have a swell sibling their good. But if you have a wild sibling their not good. I think I am a swell sibling. And I think the same for my brothers. Plus some brothers are great when you play castle. Because they could be a gard. So sisters could be the princess or queen."

still more

This is a big one.

My house is starting to look like a gallery.

Sometimes you gotta do the hard thing...

Like right now: I spent a better part of the day doing laundry. Except instead of folding it right out of the dryer I brought it to my bed and flung it in a pile (now mountain). The good news is that every stitch of clothing in my house is clean. The bad news is that it's all in a mountain on my bed. And it isn't folding itself.

There are 14 other things I would rather be doing right now.

But I'm going to go and do the hard thing - folding a mountain.

Because I'll need to sleep in that bed tonight.

painting

I've been keeping busy lately...

....more to come.