Friday, November 29, 2013

7 Quick Takes (Volume 259)



I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving. We spent a lovely day at Kevin's parents' house. Good food, good conversation, a really good day.


I've been pondering the meaning of life lately and one night my angst slipped out at dinner.

Me: Why should a person dream, really? What's the use of having big dreams if God's gonna do what He's gonna do? Why work that hard?

My 18-year-old son didn't miss a beat. With no pause whatsoever he made a profound statement.

Ladies Man: How about just for the enjoyment of it? It makes life fun and exciting.

And I realized my son has real joy. He thoroughly relishes life and his attitude is somewhat contagious. People of all ages love being around him. He's fun and creative and his enthusiasm makes others happy.

I need to get me some of that. Thanks for the beautiful example, son.


Leave it to daughters to make you feel better about yourself. After dinner where I vocalized the pointlessness of dreams and feeling like a fat hog, my daughters tried to cheer me up.

Princess Dawdle: Are you okay, Mom? You're saying things like why should a person dream and talking about being a fat hog.

Me (still feeling like a fat hog): I'm fine. I think I'm gonna put my pajamas on already though. These jeans make me feel like a fat hog.

Princess Dawdle: You're not a fat hog, Mom.

Me (to Drama Queen): You know what else made me feel like a fat hog? Those jeans you said are WAY too big on you? I thought since they were too big for you they might fit me so I tried them on and they were too tight.

Drama Queen: Mom, that's just because you have a large butt.

I stared in disbelief for a second, then blinked a few times. I think the crickets started chirping too.

Me: Thanks?

Drama Queen: It's not a bad thing.

Me: Oh no, course not.

Drama Queen: No, really. You just have a big butt.

Cue blinking and chirping again.

Drama Queen: No, Mom. It's a good thing. I tell all my friends you have a good butt.

Me: Mmmm hmmmm.

Drama Queen: Dad, help me out here. Doesn't Mom have a good big butt?

Kevin wisely stayed mute.

Drama Queen: No, you're taking this all wrong. It's good, like voluptuous. I wish I had more of your butt.

I think I do too. Apparently I have plenty to spare!


I am a model mother. Truly I am. Look at the amazing hemming job I did on Ladies Man's pants.


Yep, you're looking at bright blue duct tape, people. And it lasted a whole ten minutes! He is such a lucky kid.


A commercial for Village Inn pies came on and Kevin couldn't help but utter a "mmmmm."

Princess Dawdle: Pssht.

Kevin: What?

Princess Dawdle: Mmmmm?

Me (to Princess Dawdle): You know, you used to be the only kid that liked us and now you're mocking us like the rest of them.

Princess Dawdle: Just because we mock you doesn't mean we don't like you.

She walked across the room and practically laid on top of her father.

Princess Dawdle: No worries, Daddy-o. I love you.


Drummer Boy had a five year class reunion from high school this week. How can I have a kid who's been OUT of high school five years?!

I guess it's the week for making me feel old. I couldn't fit into Drama Queen's jeans, Drummer Boy had a class reunion and I switched to progressive lenses in my glasses.

And yes, of course, my kids are mocking me for that too. Whatever. I'm still kicking kids! I am who I am. Ladies Man has convinced me I need to embrace it and find the joy in it. I'm going to start calling my big butt my "booty" because that sounds way sexier. And I'm going to stick my head in the sand and pretend people would be surprised I have a son who's been out of high school for five years. And I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my glasses because now I can see. RAWR!


We've got a BIG WEEK coming up. Next weekend is our Christmas musical at church so we'll be super busy preparing. We'd love to have you come out and see us if you live close. And don't leave without saying hello if you do. I'll be swinging the power stick in the orchestra pit.



Have a great weekend, friends and read more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!

Friday, November 15, 2013

7 Quick Takes (Volume 258)



My brain hasn't been firing on all cylinders this week. I'm blaming it on lack of sleep. Why can I never seem to STAY asleep? Grr. I sat down to do the sudoku one morning at breakfast and found myself struggling through the beginner puzzle which totally chapped my hide (Don't say it, Drama Queen.).

Me (in severe angst): Why am I such an IDIOT today?

Kevin (ever the encourager): I don't know.

Okay, that was NOT the answer I wanted to hear. Would it be that difficult to say, "Oh honey, you're not an idiot. It's morning. Give yourself a break."? But I got, "I don't know . . . " and the silent rest of the sentence " . . . why you're such an idiot." I couldn't take it.

Me: Bad answer, honey. Bad, BAD answer!


We celebrated Ladies Man's 18th birthday on 11-12-13. Where has the time gone?! I still remember these days.




And now he's this strapping young man.


It's been a wild ride, Ladies Man. Thanks for keeping it interesting. Love you!


Because Ladies Man turned 18, I've been reminding him to register for Secret Service. Uh huh. I see what I did there. My family keeps pointing out that I mean Selective Service. I don't know why I have Secret stuck in my head.  Do I have hidden aspirations for him to be in the FBI or something?

It is one case where I see the tides turning in our family. I am  no longer Mom-who-knows-everything (Who am I kidding? When was I EVER Mom-who-knows-everything?!). Now I'm Poor-stupid-mother-who-can't-keep-anything-straight. I would like to point out that I have a better vocabulary than any of them. Never mind the fact that if I can't use the right word in its appropriate place it means nothing. Sigh.

Maybe I will embrace my new status and claim I can't do half the stuff I can so that someone else will take care of it. That's it! Their mocking will backfire on them. Soon they'll be overrun with new tasks their poor stupid mother can't do (Insert maniacal laugh--see, told you I have a good vocabulary).


We have only three weeks until our fairy tale Christmas musical opens. Apparently it's seeping into our psyche. Ladies Man complained to Kevin about unplugging his ipad and got this reply.

Kevin: Your accusation cuts me to the quick.

Oh my.


Ladies Man has a new passion. He was sick over the weekend and must have spent WAY too much time watching youtube videos. We knew he was feeling better when he came out with this.



It's an apple swan he said he saw on youtube. He was super proud of his creation.

Ladies Man: I'm really gonna get into fruit sculptures now.

Who says these kinds of things?! I guess fruit sculptures won't leave spray paint on my sidewalk or wood shavings on my basement floor or scads of cardboard remnants all over the house. Knock yourself out, boy!


Let's see. My brain is puttering out. What else do I got? Um . . . hmmm . . . now that it's colder outside and I'm wearing pants most of the time I don't bother shaving my legs as much. Is that riveting content?

Pappy is shaving less too. Still not a fan, but I'm telling him to keep it for the Christmas musical since it fits his character. I guess I'll suffer for the sake of art. Or something like that.


And speaking of said musical, is it too soon to give the invite? Since I'm struggling to fill in my blanks here, I say no. Come on down (or over or up or whichever direction applies to you) for something completely different for us this year. We've attempted to imitate C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien in a whimsical, magical adventure hinting at a bigger Story (yeah, that sounds good and see if you can figure out why I capitalized Story). Make it a night for the whole family. Kids are gonna love this one, I think. Hope you can make it!



With that we'll call it a day. Have a great weekend and read more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Seeing the Good on Earth

Hourglass

Do you get impatient? Have you prayed for years for the same thing only to see no progress? Does it wear you down?

I am easily discouraged. I want an easy life, free from worry or fear (By the way, God offers us this if we trust Him, but sometimes that's a tall order, isn't it?). I want my prayers answered in a way I can see. I want miracles and prosperity. I don't feel cut out for the hard stuff.

But God is a God of waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited until their old age to have a son. Jacob worked 14 years for his beloved Rachel. Joseph waited decades before his dream of his brothers bowing before him came to reality. When we can't see how it will possibly work out, waiting forces us to trust.

David was familiar with waiting on God. After his anointing, he waited years to take the throne. Yet while he was running from those wishing to take his life, he penned these words.

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14 (NLT)

Do you see it? He says I will see the Lord's goodness. Here. In the land of the living. As in on earth. I will see God's goodness in my earthly lifetime.

I've had many discussions about how God works and makes good of everything. Often those discussions end with the acknowledgement that our prayers may not be answered until heaven. We are promised good in heaven.

But David says, "I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living." (emphasis mine)

Is this a promise to see God's goodness here on earth? Does it mean I don't have to wait for heaven?

I think so.

But don't misunderstand me. God's goodness may not be solving the problem. God's goodness may be painful. I might miss God's goodness because it doesn't resemble what I expect. Do I overlook it because I'm short-sighted? Have I covered it with hurt and disappointment? Am I looking with human eyes? Am I looking for it at all?

If God is good, and He is, there must be good in any bad. There must be purpose and glimpses of His touch. There must be a perfect plan in place. If we look hard enough for His goodness, will we find it? If we ask to see it, will He show us?

I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Mmmmm. I like that idea. It makes me feel like a child waiting for the surprise. And just like any kid, I have a hard time waiting. God knows us well for He adds an admonition about waiting. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. It might get tough. We might want to give up, but we're to hang on with courage. If we just wait long enough, we will see His goodness.

That's enough for me. I'll ask for better eyesight and put on my big girl panties and wait for the goodness of the Lord.

I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.



Photo Credit: Jamie

Friday, November 08, 2013

7 Quick Takes (Volume 257)



Life just presses on, doesn't it? Obviously my motivation has been waning on the blog lately. There's really nothing noteworthy in anyone's life, is there? At least that's what I've been thinking about my own life anyway. But since I don't scrapbook and the best my kids are gonna get from me is a box of stuff I saved from their childhood, I figure I should make a teeny bit of effort to chronicle our family life for them in the only way I know how. So here we go.


Ladies Man and Kevin have a little fan in our church. Every Sunday he comes up to Kevin and says, "You're the man!" And he has such a fascination with Ladies Man he decided to BE him for Halloween, donning a marching band uniform and carrying a trombone. We were thrilled he came over to show us and get this pic.


Apparently I've risen in his eyes now too. His mom told me he saw me driving into church Sunday morning and said, "Hey, there's Kevin's wife." He knows I exist! Yes!

(On a completely unrelated note, aren't my guys handsome?! No wonder I never get anything done.)


I was talking with my lovely daughter about the stresses of life and how much everything costs when she sighed and gave me her take.

Drama Queen: Being an adult is not what it's cracked up to be.

No truer words were ever said, babe. But there's lots of good in life too. Don't miss it by being stressed about money. You know that Veggie Tale song God is Bigger Than The Boogie Man? God is bigger than money too. And way more faithful.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Never forget it. Or the fact that a big screen TV is not a need.


For instance, who can be worried about money when you look at this pic Drama Queen posted on Facebook for Transformation Tuesday?


They were cute then and they're cute now. And they've brought such joy to my life. What is money compared to this?


I've been pushing myself to be braver in letting Princess Dawdle drive. It appears her driving lessons with her dad are helping.

Princess Dawdle (feeling proud of herself): See? This isn't so bad.

Me: You are getting better.

Princess Dawdle: Yeah, it helps to drive with Dad. And . . . I really like doing it with him.

Me: I think he enjoys it too, babe.

Princess Dawdle: Yep. Love me some quality mustache time.

Oh brother.


And speaking of facial hair, with two male young adults in the family, November is always dubbed No Shave November. This year Drummer Boy and Ladies Man had a little male bonding by shaving themselves clean on October 31st to start with a fresh slate.


This year they talked their dad into it too, but he refused to start over. He is adding to his mustache and goatee, growing a full beard. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it yet. He's had a full beard before, but it was many years ago and made him look dark and mysterious. Now . . . well, it's not so dark now. Now it makes me want to call him Pappy.


I had a super fun time with some friends the other day. It was Rachelle's birthday and to celebrate she wanted to give gifts to others, a random act of kindness thing. Each of us brought small gifts and spent the day randomly giving them away, both to people we know and to strangers. It's not something I'd have the courage to do every day or by myself, but it did stir a lot of thoughts in my brain about how to love others better. My favorite reactions came from my neighbor and the Mormon boys walking along the side of the road.




I could do a better job sacrificially loving others. Everybody loves being thought of and treated special. How can one make spreading love and joy a practical part of every day life?

We got the whole weekend to think about it, friends. I hope you have a great one and find more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!.