Pictures

This isn’t an exciting post, since I know you’ve gotten used to that from me.   Hee hee.  I just wanted to share some pictures that I’ve recently taken of Darby.  We had a great weekend in Tyler with her Go Grammy & Uncle Grady!  Judson and I really enjoyed our time with them and so did Darby. She loves them so much!  Unfortunately I’m having a hard time figuring out my camera and figuring out this blog, too.  I can’t quite get the images how I like them but here they are anyway.  You can click on the images to make them larger.

OK gotta go, someone is squeaking in her crib.  Love y’all!    

Our weekend in Tyler with Go Grammy & Uncle Grady. So fun!

This was supposed to be Darby’s 3 month pics & doesn’t she seem excited about them? Her first time to wear her baby legs, too.

Some sweet friends of mine got Darby a blabla doll for Christmas. Love it! Prudence Owl is keeping Darby’s chair warm until she’s big enough to use it.

Gettin’ her groove on in the exersaucer. Sitting up opens up a whole new world!

Judson’s dad gave Darby her first camo hunting gear. She looks ready to go, doesn’t she? :)

Baby Jogger

Hello World, I’m back again, 2nd night in a row, 3rd post in a row.  Can you guess what I’m doing right now? Eek. 

Anyway, I just got this in the mail and I am in love.  That’s not me in the picture, though, in case you are wondering.  It’s the Baby Jogger City Elite stroller that I’m trying to highlight and even though I love the mint green they have going on in the picture I got mine in all black because it was $130 cheaper on albeebaby.    Delicious.  And with the Kiddopotomus Snuzzler Darby fits just great in it.   We went walking with Becca & Claire the other night & it was so fun!  Baby Joggers have to have the easiest fold system ever.  I am so impressed & have I mentioned I am in love?? 

Recipe & More

I’m back and typing while using my hands free pumping bra. 

I realize this is TMI for some of you, and I’m sorry but it’s just not the same without a visual.  And besides, you might even be wondering how I can get so much done.

Lately I have been enjoying a delightful warm beverage called Fireside Coffee (I have a delicious cup right beside me now).  So I thought I’d share the recipe with you.  It’s a great little treat especially with this cold weather!

Fireside Coffee

1 cup powdered creamer

1 cup powdered hot chocolate mix

2/3 cup instant coffee (I use decaf & it’s great)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

 

Mix 3-4 spoonfuls in a mug with hot water.

How Much More

Hi friends, well thank you for commenting on my last post.  You are so sweet.  I have 5 readers, woo hoo.  That’s actually just about perfect in my book. 

This has been an exciting week for us.  Darby rolled over, played in her bumbo with a tray, and spent time in her office.  She had very important business to take care of, and believe you me she was very serious about it.  And no, I am not talking about poopy business.  The office is actually her exersaucer and to tell you the truth I stole this term from our dear friends, Becca & Claire Bishop.  I met Becca in a lamaze class @ Presby.  Becca gave birth to Claire 5 days before I had Darby, and precious Claire has been a trend setter ever since.   For the last week or 2 Darby has been incredibly bored with her infant toys, i.e, the bouncer, the swing, etc, so when Becca told me that Claire was basically making deals right & left in her office I got very excited.  Well yesterday was Darby’s first time in her office and she LOVED it.  And it’s official: Our living room has completely transformed into a baby wonderland.  I was wondering how long it would take.  At 3.5 months, not long.

So this brings me to my insight.  Yesterday I was on cloud 9.  I delighted in Darby and in her enjoyment of her toys.  I loved watching her facial expressions & squeals of delight as she experienced new things. Every once in a while she would look up at me as if to make sure that it was ok to be having that much fun.  As I was rocking her for a nap later that afternoon I thought about Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  And a lightbulb came on.  I have heard that verse used a million times in the context of exactly what I’m describing. In the past it just rolled off me , maybe because it seemed too easy to say and perhaps a little insincere.  But yesterday & today as I reflected on that entire passage (vs. 7-12) I felt a flicker of light come on inside.  I was practically giddy watching my daughter enjoy those gifts and my love for her, though intense, is still imperfect & diluted.  It made me laugh and then cry to think of what “how much more” really means for me, for all of us.  Our love cannot and will not be perfect (“For all of us have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” Romans 3:23 and “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” Isaiah 64:6) but because of Christ we can know that one day we will get to experience Love in its fullest (“For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your real life, is reaveled to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3:3,4) 

I am still thinking through these things.  There are so many wonderful treasures in this passage to consider.  But for right now, I am overwhelmed just thinking about the delight and enjoyment He has in His children.  It is too wonderful to comprehend.

We have a good God.

New Year, New Job, New Mommy

So by now I have about 0 subscribers to this blog, given it’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged.  This is ok.  I’m not even going to promise that I’ll do better.  I know I sound like a pessimist but I’ll just call myself a realist & live in that denial at least for now. 

It’s a new year and I always like new years because even though I am a said realist, I still enjoy the innocense of day 1 – unscathed by all the promises that I didn’t keep, all the thank you notes I didn’t write, and all the goals I set but didn’t meet.  This year I didn’t set any defined resolutions, even though I do see the benefit of setting goals.  I need a roadmap; I like a plan; I need my God to redirect my path & stay the course.

Since I’ve left this blog I have a new house & a new baby.  I no longer work at Watermark Community Church; instead, I stay at home.  I am also going on 2 years of battling ferociously with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, something I don’t talk about openly.  I will more later, as this is one of my unspoken goals for the New Year.  I am brand new at a lot of what I’m experiencing.  I am brand new at keeping up a home that I own.  I am brand new at being a mommy.  I am brand new at loving my husband sacrificially.  I am brand new at talking about my obsessive thoughts. 

This year I hope I can write more.  When asked today how I could reconnect with God, I shook my head & said I just didn’t know.  Then I realized I’ve cut out one of the things that gives me life, and that is writing.  I’d like for a lot of my writing to be on this blog.  I’d like to write about what’s going on in my life, in my heart & with my God.   My goals for this blog are  to be honest, to be loving, to be Truthful, to be funny sometimes & to be refreshing.  I would also like for it to reflect a little less of earth and a little more of heaven. I stopped writing last time because my obsessive compulsive thoughts started lying to me so much I got all choked up.  That’s so silly. 

I am starting this year with a thankful heart.  I have a God that loves me, a husband that I’m crazy about & a daughter that has stolen my heart.  I have family & friends that have gone above & beyond to serve me in all my newness.  It’s a New Year and I am blessed.

Tagged

What does this even mean?  I was tagged by Erynn Shipley which I learned means that I have to address the things that she addressed in her blog.  At least I think that’s it!  She has so many things on there that I just cannot do it all but here’s good enough.

5 things i can do

1.  go 3 days without washing my hair using baby powder & other important life sustaining products

2. find a good deal

3. cook a whole chicken and even eat it when it’s done (i used to to think cooking a whole chicken with bones & skin & everything was an indication of adulthood)

4. organize large events (now this has only come about while working for a church – I used to never even have people over to my house so I have come a long way:)

5.  last but not least i can type really quickly

5 things i cannot do

1. a standing full

2. whistle a real tune – i can whistle but only at one pitch

3.  climb a mountain – mostly because i do not even want to.  one i went rock climbing indoors and i had special shoes & everything & i was not EVEN close to good.

4. cry on demand but believe you me, I can cry with the best of ‘em if so naturally led.

5. hold a snake or other animals that put me into a cataleptic state.

 

5 things i say most often

1. anyhoo

2. i love it so much

3.  home again, home again, jiggidy jog

4.  grrrrrrrrr……..

5.  Juuuuuud!

5 things that attracted me to my husband

1.  his kindness & overall character – he’s a stud

2. he’s hot

3. he cooks

4.  when he drives his truck sometimes he will take his shoes off and sing at the top of his lungs and that is when i know he is happy and feeling himself.  it is the real deal and sometimes i just have to smile to myself so that i don’t break the moment.  i love it so much.

5.  his swallow – he doesn’t do this as much anymore but he does this swallow thing that lets me know he is at peace & very content.  it’s the best thing in the world, especially if i get the idea that i have anything to do with it.

PS – he’s probably going to kill me for writing this and no, that is not part of his character to kill me but you know what i mean.

If dreams came true

So the past few nights have been filled with some fairly traumatic, weird yet funny dreams, but the kicker came yesterday morning when one of them ACTUALLY came true.

The night before last I dreamed that there was a priest at the Catholic church down the street from where we live that happened to be our realtor.  When I parked in the parking lot @ the church, I was greeted and attacked by an enormous crow and so I never was able to meet with my realtor-priest.  I won’t bore you with anymore details about the dream but basically the crow would not get off my back & then my friend threw up in Galveston and after that 12 year old boys were throwing rocks at me & my car.

8am yesterday morning I had a breakfast with some other people on my team @ Watermark and bunch of ministry leaders all over the city to talk about social justice issues.  I sat next to my co-worker Erynn and on the other side of me was an older gentleman. We started talking & as he turned his head, I caught a glimpse of his priestly neck (I can’t remember what you call it).  I said to him, “Are you a priest?”  He replied, “Yes, I am. “  I said, “Where?”  He replied, “Holy Trinity on Oaklawn.”  I totally lost all concentration and told him my dream.  By now the entire table is listening.  That is when I looked him in the eye & put my hand on his shoulder & said, “Are you a realtor?”  To which he replied, “Well…yes, I am!”

OK, just kidding about the last part.  He’s not a realtor.  But isn’t that crazy?  The guy next to him turned to me sharply so in my prophetic state of mind I asked him also if he was a realtor but he put his hands up & said “No, I’m a Methodist preacher!”  Jeez.

Here’s a picture of the church

Cynthia Sylvia Stout

Some of you who grew up reading Shel Silverstein are already saying in your creative little minds that there should be a Sarah before Cynthia.  But alas!  The whole reason I’m writing this is because there is a new shampoo made by Lush that is actually called CYNTHIA SYLVIA STOUT.  I wonder why they left Sarah off…too long perhaps.  I was telling my husband about this new finding a couple of nights ago & read the poem aloud to him.  It was difficult to recite with dramatic appeal with all the alliteration!

Since I grew up on A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends, the shampoo brought back really great memories.  I even went to Lush to get a sample…what’s funny is the shampoo looks like liquid garbage & has a funny smell! In case you’re confused, I’m pasting the poem below.  Little Ms. Stout would not take the garbage out.

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceilings:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown bananas, rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the window and blocked the door
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans and tangerines,
Crusts of black burned buttered toast,
Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . .
The garbage rolled on down the hall,
It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .
Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Globs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from green baloney,
Rubbery blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk and crusts of pie,
Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold french fried and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That it finally touched the sky.
And all the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play.
And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said,
“OK, I’ll take the garbage out!”
But then, of course, it was too late. . .
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate.
And there, in the garbage she did hate,
Poor Sarah met an awful fate,
That I cannot now relate
Because the hour is much too late.
But children, remember Sarah Stout
And always take the garbage out!Shel Silverstein, 1974

Ragamuffin

Have you read The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning? I just borrowed it from a friend that suggested I needed a little does of grace in my life.  I guess we all do, but I’m grateful that whatever she heard in my rantings made her think to suggest it.  There is a quote from Thomas Merton in the book that says “A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.”  I really like that even though I know for sure I don’t understand everything it means. Right before that quote Manning says “To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.” 

I am a leader in a ministry called Celebrate Recovery at our church which is a Biblical 12-step program that includes a “fearless moral inventory”. I have worked the 12 steps, admitting my “shadow side” and thereby experienced grace abounding all the more in my life.  But what is so interesting to me is that I still try to cover up so much of what I think is unbearable for God and others to see.  Though my words would claim I believe in a gracious, loving God, my actions and emotions often betray me. 

I am only on Chapter 3 but I love this book and can’t wait to hear more of Manning’s story.  He states that people often ask him how he became an alcoholic after he was saved.   He answers, “It is possible because I got battered and bruised by loneliness and failure, because I got discouraged, uncertain, guilt-ridden and took my eyes of Jesus. Because the Christ-encounter did not transfigure me into an angel.  Because justification by grace through faith means I have been set in right relationship with God, not made the equivalent of a patient etherized on a table.”

When I became a believer of Jesus Christ, it was not difficult to acknowledge that I was a sinner, and I trusted God with my salvation because I could clearly see that in no way I could save myself.  But somehow along the way I stopped trusting Him to take me just as I am.  Without consciously doing so, I began developing rules for myself to keep my “goodness” in check.  Break them and feel terrible – keep them and feel good. 

I really like the reminder that it isn’t about being good.  It is about experiencing the goodness of God.  And I supposed that cannot be realized until we consciously acknowledge our “shadow sides” to Him.  I really want to know Him more, to experience His grace and to extend that grace all the more to others around me.  I am thankful that He used the ashes in Brennan Manning’s life to create a book like this.  I wonder if you can recommend a book you just started.

Advent Conspiracy

To find out more about the Advent Conspiracy click here.