Looking for that Silver Lining.

Finding the mythical "silver lining" is usually an easy thing for me to do.

Last night Sid and I were talking and I told him that I was an eternal optimist and a hopeless romantic.   He laughed at me.  He'll easily concede the optimist point, but the romantic... not so much.  But I think that he's just confused.  Romantic as defined by dictionary.com  "imbued with or dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, chivalry, etc."  granted it's definition number 3. But that doesn't make it less valid.   But that's not really what this post is about.  It's about the difference between finding the silver lining and appreciating the silver lining.

Right now, I see the silver lining.  Sid's job sucks.  I mean really sucks.  It's hard physically and emotionally.  It is best described as soul crushing.  I can't wait until he finds a new job.  So what can the silver lining of having a crappy job, surrounded by crude people, and no hope of the situation improving possibly be?  Well, I'm glad you asked.

It's this.  It has reinforced a conviction in both us that Sid belongs in full time ministry.  It has solidified The Call.  It has made us realize that we want to be in ministry.  Sid was told by his pastor growing up "if you can do anything else (non-ministry, that is) and be happy... do that."  Or something along those lines.  Well.

Sid will only be truly happy when he is serving God in a full time vocational way.  I'm glad.  We're sending out more resume's.  I'm glad.  We've expanded the area we're willing to search in.  I'm glad.  We're communicating more clearly on where, and why and what-about-part-time? I'm glad.

So what is the silver lining?  It's being closer to my husband.  It's seeing his passion for ministry renewed.  But... I wish it would have been accomplished without the crappy job, thankyouverymuch.

Things I love right now

This is a random post.  A list of things that I'm enjoying, that are making me smile, or laugh.  In no particular order. 

• Stella's ever-growing vocabulary.  Careened?  Really?  You're 4.  Slow down.
• The books I ordered to teach her to read just came. Thank you UPS.
• Bruce would rather not be fulled clothed inside.  Even if it is only 35 degrees out there.
• Sending out resumes and tracking the hits on Sid's website.
• Coffee every morning.
• Bruce falling asleep on my lap.
• Finishing a school workbook with Stella.
• Cuddly reading time with the kids.
• Nap time.

No more Milk

For this boy.  At least not regular grocery store milk. Nope.  He has a "dairy sensitivity."  We (finally) took Bruce to see a homeopathic doctor.  I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.  He got him on his funky little machine and 5 minutes later says it's a dairy sensitivity.  Probably to the casein. Probably to the casein that is broken (he described it as folded in half) during the pasteurization process.  This was not a real big surprise to me.  I have known since he was still nursing that there was a connection to my milk consumption and his gut reactions. 

So we have switched him to raw milk and cheese and I am learning just how very much dairy we eat!  No cheese! no goldfish! no pizza! Aren't those like the 3 food groups according to toddlers?  Oh I forgot chicken nuggets.  They're still ok.

We're figuring it out. And I'm learning.  He sleeps better and talks more when he feels good.  So I'm all for it!  We're grateful to have an answer that doesn't include surgery (for tubes) to getting rid of all those pesky ear infections!

Stella's New Dress Up Storage

Stella's dress up clothes have been housed in a cardboard trunk who's lid had been torn off and an empty diaper box.  Glamorous. Or not.  Anyway I had seen this thing on Pinterest.  It was a converted dresser.  I was stoked.  I repinned it to one of my boards and then I went to see if I could find the original location... and I couldn't.  I clicked through the pin and it took me to google reader.  Well, that is less than helpful.  Besides that I had just read this thing about pinning with integrity.  Which basically means I will find the original post and pin that instead of the link to the link to the link, or whatever the case may be.  So in any case. 

I have a very talented and handy husband and I said "Can we do this?  Would it be easier than building one from scratch?"  and he said, "Yes."  I said " Sweet.  I found this $10 dresser on Craigslist.  Will it work?"  he said "Yes." I said "Should I call her and see if it's sold?  Will you go with me to pick it up?" He said "Yes."  Anybody see a theme here?  I have the best husband EVER!

Anyway...We bought the dresser.  It looked like this: 

 Then We pulled the top 3 drawers out and cut out the front supports.  We opted to leave the side supports in so that when it has outlived it's usefulness as dress up storage in Stella's room it can be repainted and re-repurposed into mostly open shelving.  He's smart.  And it was easier than cutting them out.  We added a bottom "floor" to cover the bottom drawer, and put on a new, sturdier back.
Then we sanded it down, painted and added a bar to hang clothes on.  Easy.  And functional.  And very well recieved!  

 Here it is in all it's glory!

  

Also, I did find the original post about the inspiration piece.  It can be found here at Rambling Renovators.  You should check it out. It's way prettier than mine. And the rest of their site is pretty cool too! 

Christmas 2011

Christmas this year was fun!  With 2 little ones old enough to enjoy every part of it, we had so much fun.  We (again) did 4 for Christmas.  Which is an idea I read ages ago, somewhere.  I can't remember where or I'd share.  Anyway the idea is to only get your kids 4 gifts for Christmas.  Something they Want, something they Need, something to Wear, something to Read.  This helps me to keep from going overboard on the gifts.  Because I would! 

So, Stella got a new dress-up dress, a new dress-up storage... thing. (That Sid and I made by re-purposing a craigslist dresser, inspired by something I saw on Pinterest).  Also a pair of the cutest little navy blue corduroy pants (I went into Osh-Kosh for jeans and came out with cords). And the book  The Clown of God, by Tomie DePaola. 

Bruce got a wooden train set (which he couldn't wait to open and play with).  A Higher chair (since he loved Stella's so much, and since he wanted to sit AT the table with us during meals).  A new pair of jeans, and his book is The Story of Jesus which is a little golden book. 

And I was super proud of myself because I surprised Sid and got him a GPS.  He loves it.  And I love it.  And it still makes me smile when I think of his reaction when he opened it!

He got me a date to go pick out new boots.  Cowboy girl boots.  It was a fun morning.  We went to Green Dragon which is a large farmers market/ flea market/ defies acurate description market.  We had a lovely breakfast and I got boots!  They make me happy.

Since it was a Sunday we also did the church thing. You know since it's about Him and all.  We waited to do gifts after church, and Henry came with Kerri.  It was lovely! 

I am so abundantly blessed by my God and my Family.  I am so thankful that Jesus would come.  And as I was reminded so many times this season He came as baby, but He didn't stay one.  He grew up, to die on a cross.  And that is why I can celebrate His coming!

Project 52- Week 52

I did it!  I have a picture, at least 1. On the blog for every week of 2011.  I am quite proud of myself!    It was a good year.  Short.  But good.  I told Sid the other day that I am truly beginning to understand the phrase "The days are long, but the years are short."  This Last year just flew by, I feel like I'm not sure where it went! In any case, I'll be putting up an official 2011 recap sometime this week, in the meantime, here is a picture from the last week of 2011.

Presents from G.G.

This week we got a fun package in the mail... our Christmas presents from G.G.!  She's so sweet and fun.  We love her and miss her.  She sent these:

    They are fabulous hooded blankets.  The kids were very excited and I wasn't able to get great pictures!  Thanks G.G. 

52-51

It's hard to believe that 1. It's week 51 of 2011.  This year has flown by!  and 2. I actually put up a picture for each week of the year.  Even if most of them were a little bit late!

Project 52-50

 

Christmas with Kids is so much Fun!

52-49

I love these children!  They make me laugh!

52-48

Checking out the Christmas Lights that PoPs had just put up!  She was actually much happier than this picture would lead you to believe!

Stella-isms: round next

Stella's vocabulary continues to grow and surprise me!  Recently she has said some very amusing things.  For example on Sunday when we got to small group she looked out her window and said "They have quite the sandbox."  Quite, really?  You're 4.

Then on the way home she told me she had gotten m&m's in Sunday school and "they were delicious, let me tell you, delicious."  Let me tell you how hard it was to not laugh at that!

She has also learned to correctly use the word abrasion.  As in a scrape.  Yep.  That's my kid.

52-47

Wow!  I'm really super behind!   This is Thanksgiving week that I'm posting, Week 47 of my 52 week Challenge!

52-46

So, I'm a few weeks behind.  No surprise there.  I feel like I'm always a few weeks behind!  Anyway.  Pictures.  Of my kids.    Here they are. Filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  Which Stella loved.  And I loved that she loved it!  I told her it would go to a little girl who wouldn't get a Christmas present and they would tell her about Jesus.  She was pleased about that.

Tea Wallets for Aunt Sue

Sue Faulkner, this is for you.  This is the easiest way I know to get you several pictures!  Here are the tea Wallets that I have.

Project 52 Week 45

It's so hard to believe that we are in the middle of November already!  This has been a really fun way to track the year!

Tea Wallets

I've been making Tea Wallets.  They're really cute and useful.  I am selling them for $6.00 each (plus shipping, if applicable).  Here are some pictures of what they look like.   The lighting isn't great on some of them, but  you get the idea!

 This is all of them

What they look like inside.

What they look liked closed.

clockwise from top left: pink and brown, pink and blue, blue floral and cream, green and pink, navy blue and green, green and white

Comment or email if you want one!  I will also be making more,  let me know if there are combinations you want to see!

The Hand that rocks the cradle... Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about how Audrey Saint came and spoke at my Mom's group about grounding our families in the Word.  I also left it hanging about the most important part!  That came right at the end.  Audrey looked at us and said, I'm going to be radical here.  Then she suggested that we make a plan to have our children read through the whole Bible twice before they graduate from High School.  She suggested that the first time be from (roughly) ages 2 to 12 and then again from 12-18.

I love this idea.  It's new for me.  It is radical.  But, I think I'm ok with radical.  Especially if it's radical for Jesus.  I want my kids to be familiar with the Word of God.  I want them to have parts memorized. 

And, she wasn't totally saying that this is something that has to be done all at home.  Certainly it can be.  And it should be something that is encouraged at home.  But we were encouraged to keep a finger on what they were reading and learning in Sunday School and youth group.  Count that!  But the other part of this idea is being responsible for my children's spiritual training.  It is MY job.  Well, mine and Sid's, to make sure that Bruce and Stella are grounded, and rooted in faith.  Sunday school should be a supplement to what we are teaching at home, not the other way around. 

Audrey shared a sobering statistic.  Fewer than 1/20th of all Christian Families worship as a family outside of church. (Barna)  Wow.  That's less than 5 in 100.  And we're not really part of that 5.   Hmmp.Guess I better get on that. 

She talked about how opening the Bible begins a discussion.  Issues will come up during that time.  Questions, things that ae happening in their lives come out and are able to be discussed openly.  These times of conversation around the Word of God will produce fruit.  That's something I want! 

So, again.  What am I going to do?  Well, I'm gonna sit down with Sid and make a plan to get our kids through the Bible before they graduate.  I'm gonna sit down with Sid and see if we can figure out a good time to sit down and study the Bible together with the kids, at least 2x a week. 

I'm so thankful for the Godly women who are in my life, who challenge and encourage me.  Thanks, Audrey, for being faithful to share Godly principles and wisdom with us!

The hand that rocks the cradle...

Rules the world.  -- Napoleon Bonaparte

The name of the Young Mothers Group at my church is called Garlands of Grace.  There is a verse, but I'm not sure of the reference.  Anyway, we had a speaker come and talk to us last week (Nov. 2nd).  Her name is Audrey Saint, and she talked to us about Grounding our families in the Word.  It was excellent.  I've been mulling over some of what she said.

The thing that most stood out to me, that she said several times, was "be jealous for your kids."  I had never thought of it quite like that.  I mean, I knew I didn't want someone else to educate my kids. And I knew that I was primarily responsible for their spiritual development. And I knew a lot of things.  But to be jealous for my kids... that was a new idea for me.  I like it.

I am jealous for my husband. I get that.  I want his time, attention, and affection.  Why shouldn't I also be jealous for my kids?  Why shouldn't I be the one to teach them in the ways of the Lord?  Why shouldn't I be the one to teach them their academics?  I need to be jealous for their time and their hearts.

 She took us to Acts 17:26-27a.  Which says "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him."  We talked about our boundaries and periods.  Our job is to help our children to seek God.  She talked about taking advantage of teachable moments.  I've been trying to do that with more purpose.  To really answer the questions. 

We talked about verses that describe what we want our children to be like.  Psalm 3 talks about a tree planted by a stream.  It grows strong and bears fruit in season. I want that for my kids.  We talked about really being purposeful!  She took us to Deuteronomy 6:6-8, of course.  You know, where it talks about teaching your children God's laws when you sit, stand, walk, lie down.  I knew that.  I love those verses. But one of the things she said was that you can't ground your kids if you aren't first grounded yourself!   Oh, yeah.

I love that we talked about honing your craft.  Audrey said if you had a job you would always be working to better yourself in your field.  Taking courses, or going to seminars, or reading the latest trade magazines.  That sort of thing.  This is no different.  Read books (good ones), and be purposeful.  Don't leave it to chance!

We discussed Bible reading, too.  As in DO IT. At. home.  And Dad too. In front of your kids. And WITH your kids.  From a real Bible.  Those little story books are all well and good, but they need to know that you think it is important enough to share with them from your Bible.    There is more. That, maybe, is the most important part.  But I think that will be a different post, for a different day.     

But to wrap up this enormously long post, What am I going to do with all this info?  Because it's one thing to HEAR good, sound, Biblical advice.  It's another thing altogether to follow it.

I am going to try to be more intentional about answering my kids questions Biblically, and making sure they understand that it's biblical. I am going to surround myself to the best of my ability with like-minded Christians.  I am going to try to make sure that my kids are hearing the Word of God regularly.  From my Bible or Sid's.

Little Things

that brought me smiles in October:

My kids laughing together... this one will probably always be on  here!
Weddings, and family.
Apple Butter.
Apple pie.
My friends.
sunshine after lots of rain.
coffee.
Halloween.
My red vest.
Sid being home for dinner more!




So pleased to make my list of little things!  Thanks Katie for the inspiration, and the nudge!