::sjbk::

For Sare~Lah.  

Good Busy

Painting in the kitchen. 

The sun is shining today.

Weatherman says 58 degrees by this afternoon.

I need all 58.

The last two months have been sick ones for me and mine.  Pink eye.  Influenza.  Bronchitis.  The common cold. The uncommon cold.  Good times. 

I'm tired.  But the sun is shining. 

itsystitch Waldorf inspired dolls

If you have a little girl, and your little girl likes to play with dolls...well, then you need to know about itsystitch.

Photo: Amie :: itsystitch

  Shop owner Amie is a super talented lady, and she recently started selling her wares online.  She is running a contest to win one of her Waldorf inspired dolls.  You have until 2:00 pm on February 2nd to enter.  If you win, come back and thank me....and if you don't, you're welcome anyhow...you will not find Waldorf inspired dolls anywhere else online of this quality at such a great price.  And, seriously, how cute is their hair?!

one, two, three, four

hootie owl for Steph

Lori and Donna

A few possibilities...

bleeding hearts :: 30" x 24" :: $55

wildflowers :: 36" x 24" :: $75

daisy field :: 36" x 24" :: $75

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

2012

Three days in.

We're back into the rhythm of our schedule. 

Daddy at work.  Big kids at school.  Little kids at home.  Mom/my...you know....still doing whatever it is I do. 

Trying to find some words to share in this space.

I'm going to make this year an authentic one.  Is that an Oprah thing to do?  I'm not intending to do it in an Oprah sort of way.  I want to be real and honest.  I want to be fully present in my life.  For whatever reason, I find myself floating through my days, hovering above the surface.  This will be the year that I stop floating.  And figure out whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing. 

South African Stripes

a must buy

wrestling fragile

I was in my car.  The radio pastor was not Joel Osteen, but his message was dangerously similar.  God doesn't just want to give me a roof over my head, clothes and food.  He wants to bless me with "things" - abundantly.  I know the verse.  I know the sentiment.  I can argue both sides and all around and back and forth and inside and out.  I can speak Christianese. 

Some Sundays as I'm sitting in church it is all I can do not to start shouting.  Our clothes are all beautiful.  Our parking lots filled with expensive vehicles.  Our homes...our stuff...our things.  We have been blessed abundantly. 

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Sweet!  I hope Baby Jesus is going to bring me an iPad2 for His birthday. 

.

.

.

People.  PEOPLE!  How do we reconcile our wealth and the needs of the poor?  Do we only give once we have all the stuff we want?  Because God's hand of blessing is on us?  Do we sell everything we have?  Where is the middle ground between David Platt and Joel Osteen?  Why do we buy all these books?  Why do we pick one token "social issue"....

I have been wrestling.  With this and so many other things.  Church as a business.  Sinners.  All of us.  Sinning.  And loving.  And trying.  And failing. 

Wanting SO BADLY to wrestle this all out with someone.  Anyone.  Anyone that won't  pray a sermon over me.  As I know I have done to others.  (If I've done that to you, I'm so sorry.)  Why do we do that?  Why do I do that? 

I imagine myself in a conversation.  Puking this all out on someChristiansomeone.  And I already know the pat answers.  I can complete the entire dialogue (monologue) in my mind.  I already know.  The Christianese. We say the right things.  We gently rebuke.  We have the verse that supports our response.   

Can you have a conversation with someone and begin it with, "I already know I am judging others and that is wrong.  I already know that God is in control.  I already know that we are all sinners.  I already know that the poor will always be among us.  I already know...Grace!  Mercy!  Love!  Jesus! The Bible!  God!" 

Do I sound self righteous?  I am!  I am full of all kinds of sins.  I judge.  I have a log in my own eye.  I already know that!  I am on a slow burn to I'm not sure where....crazy?

...I sit here and simmer.  Afraid to say the words out loud.  I'm too fragile to face rebuke. 

I don't want a prayer sermon.  I just want God to be right here with me, so very close.  And maybe someone else who doesn't have the right answers.

For Eric (& Jen)

It took a while to figure out how to do this.
A long time (years?) ago, my brother-in-law gave me an idea for a painting. 
A birth. 
A death. 
And a resurrection.
A giant trio. 
This is how I would hang it. 
I told him he's going to need a big wall. 

for Martina and Laura...

Martina:

 

Laura:

you don't bring a mirror to the grand canyon

A John Piper quote that pricked my soul at momtime today.

Followed by:

(my paraphrasing)

((of this wise young lady))

When you're drowning in the river, you don't reach out and grab onto something that is also in the river.  You must reach out to someone on the river's edge. 

(P.S. His name is Jesus.)

for Cook

the white goose

Several years ago I noticed a giant white goose living amongst a flock of Canadian geese at one of the city parks.  It stuck out.  Like a giant white goose. 

Every Spring since, I've kept my eye out for her.  (Or him.  But I've named it Frannie...so let's just say it's a girl.) And every Spring, there she is...giant Miss Frannie.

I love her. 

Sassy thing. 

November 2

A few new...

wrens

the real

I took a picture this afternoon.  But I feel too lazy to pull out the camera cord so I can upload it.

The picture is of my sofa.  Couch.  Davenport.  Whatever.

There are powdery hand prints all over the seats.  Why?  Because my son's lunch was a donut.  And you know what?  So was his breakfast.  He ate both of them in front of the couch, all classy-style.

And to be completely honest the reason we even have donuts in the house today is because it's Friday. 

A friend and I decided last April to walk every weekday morning.  At FIVE a.m. 

Because we're total rock stars, we started running  at some point in May.  Eventually we were walk/running a 5K every day.  That's right.  A 5K.  Impressed?  Hold on.

When school started, we decided we should cut back to meeting Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  And then it started to get a little cold and one or both of us started having achy joints.  So we decided we would quit with the running and just walk fast.

That went well. 

Until we decided that we should walk really fast on Monday and Wednesday, and then Friday instead of meeting to walk, we should meet for donuts. 

So. 

That's what we do. 

I've lost exactly zero pounds.

But, it's my favorite new reason to wake up at 5 a.m. on a Friday.   

ten eleven

He has a birthday today.

And an early meeting.  And an out of town football game. 

Yesterday we made cards and hit the grocery store for the ingredients we'll need to make his birthday dinner.  Everyone had ideas....a feast to rival the holiday meals.  The presents they want to buy for him cost more than they (will ever) have.  So they draw pictures. 

Tonight, when it's much past bedtime, we'll be waiting by the windows for our birthday dad to come home. 

And we will celebrate the man that 4 little kids adore and whose wife thinks he hung the moon.