If I were homeless ...

Darren (my bro-in-law) has been taking a homeless guy out to dinner during his breaks at work. After a fabulous meal at Carl's Jr., the guy asked Darren if he had any money to "buy booze." Darren said, "Sure," and handed him $5 bucks. My first response, which sort of surprised me, was, If I were homeless I would want to drink too. I am definitely one of those people who used to think that I couldn't give money to people begging or standing on street corners because they were just going to go by alcohol with it ... and that was just not good! Without Christ where does any warmth or hope come from for the homeless population who curl up on a park benches, cover up with newspapers and go to bed? For them it most likely comes in the form of a bottle which might even warm their insides and numb the pain of being homeless and having no where to go. Without Christ and without a roof over my head I think I would hit the bottle too. Too often I think I have judged first before empathizing and seeking to understand why someone is at a certain crossroads in life (i.e. homeless). I have judged the label on the bottle before daring to really try the liquid content. If a homeless person ever asks me for money to "buy booze," I hope that I have the courage to sit down with him and ask why he wants booze in the first place and then maybe even share a beer with the guy. Now that would be revolutionary (for me, at least).

Paper Plates Vs. The real thing

So ... we use paper plates -- a lot of them. I think we use paper plates for every meal. There are various reasons for this, one of them being that paper plates = less dishes = happier wife and mom. But, I have to ask the question, is this good for the environment? What is the greater cost, more waste from paper products or the amount of electricity and water used to clean real plates?

Fire Updates

This website lists all the fires currently burning, what counties affected, number of evacuations, etc. It also gives the name of each fire so you can search for updates on the Internet if needed. Ryan's uncle lives in Escondido and still does not know whether his house is standing or not. Be praying for miraculous wind shifts and a drop in temperature to combat these fires! Be praying also for the firefighters and their families.

http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm

Lazy Day

We haven't had one of these in a while. After church we had a little engagement party for Darren & Kate and then after the kids took naps we hung out and kept updated on the Malibu fire and watched a movie. We didn't go outside because the air conditions didn't seem great, but being confined to the house was sort of nice. It just felt good to not have to be anywhere for an entire afternoon. And now the kids have gone to bed for the night and we get to watch a movie that we have been trying to watch all week, Transformers. Lazy days are a requirement to living sane lives : )

I'm thinking of ...

Do you ever play the "I'm thinking of," game? It goes something like this .... (we were outside while playing this)

Me: I'm thinking of something that is red and has white windows ...
Sage: It's a barn!
Me: Right!
Sage: Okay, I'm thinking of something that is purple and it's a circle with a hole in the middle.
Me: (I see the hula hoop) Is it a hula hoop?
Sage: No ...
Me: Oh, okay then ... is it hard?
Sage: Yes
Me: Is it outside?
Sage: Yes
Me: ?? (there's nothing else outside that is purple)
Sage: (smiling) It's the hula hoop mom. I was just kidding with you.

The Resurrection

A while ago someone asked Sage what her daddy did (for work) and she said, "He plays!" This is actually a pretty accurate description considering we usually only see Ryan at church during the game and song-worship portion of youth group. So, last night I explained to her that after the songs are over (after we leave to go home and go to bed) Ryan teaches the kids about Jesus and also encourages the kids to be more like Jesus. Fast forward a few minutes later in the conversation and Sage and I were somehow discussing how some people like Jesus and some people don't ...

Sage: But, some people didn't like Jesus and so he died.
Me: You are right, Jesus died.
Sage: But then he rose again!
Me: (super duper proud mom!) You are right Sage! Jesus rose again.
Sage: Well, there was probably a wand and someone probably waved it over Jesus and then he came alive.

I wanted to start cracking up ... but she was so sincere in her add-on to the story. I gently explained that wands are just pretend and don't even work when Dora uses them on T.V. I went on to say that it was God who rose Jesus because He is so powerful. Not sure if she got it but she didn't mention the wand again. Needless to say, this story will be told for many a generation to come!

Moldy Bread

How many times have I gone to make some toast only to find that the bread was moldy? My first inclination is to be irritated because I was probably looking forward to a piece of toast and now I would have to switch to some other non-molded food. I am not quite sure who I am irritated at, though. Am I irritated with the bread? Am I irritated at the store from where I bought the bread? Maybe I should be irritated with myself for overbuying in the first place. We live in abundance. Our refrigerators can house a week's worth of food which is good, but is it? How often do I forget what is in my fridge only to find week-old leftovers stuffed in the back corner ... molded? I recently read that we should keep a log of what is in our freezers. In order to do this I had to go through my freezer ... that was interesting. So, what's in your freezer and do you have any moldy bread in your house?

Balance

Sewing, or rather, learning to sew, has been a wonderful addition to my life. I no longer have to throw away items that, "if I only knew how to sew," could have otherwise been saved. Like Sage's toy stroller, for instance. It came with a seat cover and eventually, no doubt from Aspen trying to sit in it, the straps broke off. For months the kids have been playing with an empty toy stroller. That's kind of funny all on its own. But now that I have some basic sewing skills I was actually able to fix it. And now comes the hard part -- balance. How do I choose projects that won't cost more in time and money then just going to Ross and picking out a toddler dress on clearance -- then marked down 50% more?? I am not even a good enough sewer to know how long it will take me to put together a pair of pajama pants from a pattern. I think I saw a 2-pack of fleece pajama pants (super cute) from Costco which were priced at $12. So Ryan told me I better be able to make Sage's pajama pants for less than $6.
Well ... a couple of yards of pink and purple pegasus material later, plus some elastic and thread put the project costs well over $6. But Sage is so excited about her "pegasus pants" which definitely makes the project worth it. Like anything, balance will be the key to this hobby lasting.

Bowling

Tonight we went bowling with some friends from our church. I think we all got some strikes at some point, but in between there was Ryan trying to get the fastest bowling speed and Gina doing her jump-rope cheers. We laughed a lot at ourselves and at each other. My arm is really tired now ... I am sure to be sore tomorrow.
p.s. I must brag that in the 3rd game I bowled a 154 -- an all-time personal record.

Ugly Boots

Sage: Mom, I'm going to put on my ugly boots.
Me: Huh? Ugly boots?
Sage: Yeah, my ugly boots.
Me: (chuckle, chuckle). Sage, go show daddy your ugly boots.
Dad: Ugly boots, huh? How about Ugg Boots?

Slacker

So I have been a serious slacker in the blogging business. My excuse is the Beth Moore study that we are going through at my church. It (and God too) has invaded my life. It's a good thing. I am learning a ton. Hey, maybe I could invite Beth over to help me fold the 5 loads of laundry on my couch ... hee hee ... or finish all of the sewing projects I have floating around in my mind, or, or, or, etc. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matt 6:34. This verse has brought me much comfort lately. I actually even memorized it. The laundry will get folded, the bathroom will get clean and I will someday make a skort (don't laugh Michaela!) and a skirt for Sage! But right now I am going to go and spend some quality with my husband : )

Whatever Works

So I have to confess that I think about cleaning our bathroom a whole lot more than any cleaning actually occurs. Usually I wait until I absolutely can't stand it anymore and then I dive in and an hour or so later a clean bathroom emerges. As I was in our dirty bathroom the other night I had just enough time to clear the clutter off the counter and wipe it off with a wet washcloth. Not disinfected, I know, but it looked better. But then I thought, what if I invested in some of those disinfecting/cleaning wipes so that when I get a free moment I could just wipe down the counters, sink, etc.? Genius! I know it's not the traditional way of cleaning, and it's not the cheapest, but I actually think the bathrooms will stay cleaner this way. So, the wipes work for me, what works for you?

A Poem

While on our walk today Sage was trying to say something to me ... at first I thought she said, "I'm cute." Then I thought I heard, "I'm free." After some frustration, Sage pulled her sunshade back (on the jogger) and yelled,"I'm PEACE! That means I am happy." At first I started to explain that we don't really use the word "peace" like that, but then I started to think that it was a pretty fun statement. And then I started to think that it sounded like a pretty good poem.

First Poem
by Sage, age 3

I'm
Peace

Just have to laugh

This week has been the week of late nights. It started with one night staying up too late watching a show or blogging or emailing and then it turned into 4 nights in a row and then mom is tired and has no patience -- duh! Get some sleep!
So, despite going to bed late (again) last night, I was determined to go to the gym this morning and get back on track -- whatever that means. I was out the door by 6:30 a.m. . Not bad, but I didn't make any coffee to drink and I forgot the iPod, but, oh well, off I go. I turned the corner into the gym parking lot, all the while noticing there weren't any cars around. Hm ... this is odd. I parked my car and made my way to the gym's front door. There was a sign and it read, "We will not be opening the gym until 8:00 a.m. on 9/14 due to electrical problems." Are you kidding me? I literally laughed out loud -- at myself, at the situation, at how tired I was, at the fact that I could have been home sleeping. So, tonight I am going to bed early and sleeping in (until the kids wake up, that is)!

Nine Eleven

Today is 9/11. The day, 6 years ago, that some 3,000 people died from the direct actions of 19 men. 19 men killed 3,000 people ...

My radio alarm clock went off at its normal time of 6:30 a.m. I was still half-asleep but the DJs on the radio seemed frantic and worried. "The World Trade Center has been attacked," is all I heard. Was I still asleep? After Ryan and I recognized what was going on we rushed to the television. The images of the burning buildings are still right there in my mind. How much more so are they in the minds of those who lost a loved one on this very sad day?

Ryan reminded me just this morning that it was 9/11 and in the busyness of my day I didn't think about it until I finally sat down tonight and saw the date as it appears on a blog after someone posts a comment ... September 11, 2007. Oh, that's right, it's 9/11. Ryan said they were showing images from the burning twin-towers on the news this morning. We weren't sure if that was the best way to memorialize the day ... I am sort of speechless about this topic. It just makes me sad to think of the many lives lost because of hatred, greed and sin. And it also reminds of just how long we have been at war ... 6 years ... and so many more lives have been lost, on both sides of the battle field. Oh, how God must be crying over our weak attempt to be powerful and mighty and #1.

Good Habits

I finally did it! I went to the store and used my re-usable grocery bag. I have about 10 of them from trips to TJ's or Von's, but I purchased those the same time I bought my groceries, so that was a no-brainer. This time I had to put the bags in my car and then remember to get them out of the car when I got to the store. And I did it! I hope I can make a habit out of this.

Translating Seeds

A student from a local boarding school has been staying with us for the past 9 days. She goes back to school tomorrow, but today she got to experience church for the first time (I think). She speaks pretty good English and can read almost anything, but that wasn't really the issue. We were singing praise songs (not hymns) and I was translating what they meant (or I was trying my best to). Such words that we take for granted knowing like, heaven, praise, reign, almighty, etc, were some of the few that I was attempting to explain. I can enjoy the songs only because I know their meaning, intent and melody. To an outsider they must appear ... um ... confusing and maybe even wacky. So, I want to think that some seeds were planted in the translation process, but in my finite brain I am thinking, "Yeah right!" Thankfully God is bigger than me and my feeble attempt to translate his glory to a young girl, who before this morning, didn't even know heaven existed.

Blogging & The Heat

I think there is a correlation between blogging and the heat. Um ... let's see ... when it's hot, people don't blog. That is my genius conclusion today. It is hot and I finally decided to open up the computer only to see that the postings are only crawling in at a pace of maybe 2/day. I know why. I have no energy to sit and type about how hot it is. Well, I guess I have some time.

Why I love blogging ...

I love to write. As mentioned in my very first blog, I have kept a journal since the young age of 8. So, naturally I love blogging because I love to write. But blogging has become much more for me. With kids running around and a household to manage there isn't a lot of time to pick up the phone and chat with friends. But, I can log onto my computer and see what all of my friends are up to, and they can comment on my happenings and I on theirs and poof! We are connected! I love the sharing that occurs within the blogging world. From recipes to toddler troubles, we seem to cover all of it. Blogging is my daily adult conversation, which as we know, is very important when you have little ones running around and Dora songs stuck in your head. So, here's to blogging (hold up whatever glass is near you -- be it a 12pm Martini or a sticky-rimmed sippy cup). Cheers! Cheers!

Unicorns