Saturday, September 29, 2007

Just Thinkin'


I love Saturdays. Saturdays are for ripping...do you know what ripping is? Ripping is when you absolutely SPRINT to get as much done as possible.


Today I ripped through my pantry. I took everything out, labeled stuff, laid new shelf liner, moved stuff to the basement, threw stuff out. The pantry looks...well, it's perfect. There, I said it.


Why is it that when things are in order I feel...life? And that when things are a big stinkin' mess, it sort of feels like death?


I don't want to get ahead of myself or anything, I mean I know that being OCD about stuff is not healthy, and NOT having people over because my house isn't perfect isn't healthy, either (which I don't do...just ask my supper club friends from last night). If my husband working in his garden is bringing God's kingdom to bear...can't organizing my pantry be bringing it as well?


Yes, I did organize my pantry mostly for myself...but I also did it because I love my family. Michael works in his garden both for himself, for the kingdom, and for us. We have some beautiful (and organic!) lettuces growing right now, along with broccoli, sweet potatoes, green onions, butternut squash and lots of herbs.


Does anyone else care that bagged lettuce is $3 a bag and a head of lettuce is only about $.75??


My girls had breakdowns today because of a Ken doll. See, we only have 1 Ken doll and his head doesn't stay on very well (thank you, Sam Estes! ;) Plus, he doesn't have appropriate clothing for much more than the beach or the Barbie pool. Today, Caroline had Cinderella barbie dressed in her wedding gown and she was gettin' hitched to...you guessed it! Ken! However, Ken had only his swim trunks on. I would have killed Michael if he had shown up to our wedding in only his swim trunks. The last time I was at Wal Mart I saw a Ken on clearance for only $3, so I bought him. Now, I didn't get any clothing for him (this one is also in his swim trunks), but his head does stay on and he has real hair instead of the brown painted plastic kind. Caroline had set up her wedding party and a while later she left them set up and moved on to the art supplies. Molly happened along, saw the Barbies set up and asked if she could play with them. Caroline quickly told her that no...she could not play with them. I asked Caroline to reconsider, which she did, but Ken was to be off limits.


So, I went to my room where I pulled out the new Ken and gave him to Molly, who then proceeded to sing the "na na na na boo boo" song. That just about started WW3 - when Caroline realized there was a stable-headed Ken in the vicinity. I wish I could tell you that I handled all this in some "stellar" way, putting down my "mother-of-the-year" award and loving everyone into repentance. Nope. It took Michael taking each girl on a knee and talking through it to help them see how they were both being selfish and not loving the other well. In fact, aside from their sinful hearts...I actually CAUSED the problem.


I'm just so thankful for Jesus. Things like this really help me see what a mess I really am. And like I read in a Paul Miller book today, "knowing you're a mess means you can stop pretending you have it all together."


That's my 2 cents. And I'm going to try again with the picture!!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Oops!

For some reason I can't get the picture to download. Could it be because I still am using dial-up? Hmmm.

I will try again, hopefully with success this time..

Sorry about the pause!

Wow! It's been a while since I blogged last! At this point, though, I do believe it's only me, and occasionally Michael, who actually read this. So, I'm not going to kick myself too hard.

We had a great spring/summer: a trip to Memphis where we got to visit with Mitch and Jawan McGinnis at General Assembly; 3 birthdays: Mason (8), Caroline (7), and Molly (5); a 10th wedding anniversary celebration (!) in Birmingham (it was the first time EVER that Michael and I have been alone for more than one night! We went to see 2 movies and ate out every meal, slept late, etc. Roger and Lynne Means happily kept all 4 kids. Friends like them are rare!!); a trip to Destin to stay at the Beach home of our friends here in Monroeville (and they joined us for the weekend - they have 5 children so we have 9 total! But sooo fun!)

So, now we have started school. Mason is in 2nd grade, Caroline in 1st, and Molly in K4. Ethan is home with me, which is fun, too. It seems that as fun as the summer is, the beginning of fall brings back "real life". The big kids are playing soccer now. Michael is coaching Mason and Caroline's team, so we spend Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the YMCA. It seems surreal that my children are old enough to do this.

I had a friend ask me recently, "How are you?". Now, I know that's not a very loaded question or anything, but it did get me thinking. I have spent the last year of my life virtually crisis-free. And you know what? It's been nice. The Father is so sweet to help us face hard things that grow and change us...help us to see our real need of Him. And then, to give us rest and respite. This season of rest has been so refreshing. And even though I guess I really DO enjoy the calm times more (who WANTS to suffer? I don't think I do...), God has been teaching me that seeking Him when there is no obvious storm is just as important.

Michael is doing a sermon series on Isaiah right now. Can I confess? Isaiah, to me, has always been a bit of a challenge. But the way Michael talks about it and preaches from it, I can see so much richness there and am really seeing more of my need of the gospel minute by minute...like I need to breathe. I'm really looking forward to the advent sermons he will preach from Isaiah.

Tonight I am hosting Supper Club. I started this last year as a way for young families in our church to get to know each other better through fellowship and fun. We're having breakfast for dinner and a game of cranium. I had to go buy the game...and now I just need to read the directions!!

Have you heard of the book: 1000 Books to Read Before you Die? Well, I have decided to read them. A couple weeks ago I finished Aesop's Fables. For some reason I had never read that book...but it's really good! Short (most only a paragraph) stories that you have heard all your life but probably didn't realize where they had come from.

Anyway...here is a picture of the children and my dad. He has been coming to visit us every couple months or so - we love it! And the kids really love their "Paw Paw".

Have a good weekend...and God bless!

Amy