Category Archives: Things & Stuff

Tuning In To His Song

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SONG

Go…

Cringing and grimacing are often seen, along with some snickering thrown in for good measure, whenever I sing.  I can’t carry a tune to save my life.  Thankfully, I’ve never had to.

That’s why I find it so laughable that the man I call “husband” has such an amazing voice.

He doesn’t think he does, but, oh, how he can sing.  Not in a you-should-go-out-and-start-a-band kind of way.  No, no.  I’m talking about the I’m-gonna-stop-my-catterwauling-to-listen-to-you kind of way.  Others might move a few rows farther away when I get fired up, or wish they were in a different car.  Not so, when he does.  Others tune in and scootch closer.

He doesn’t think his song is all that special, because his brother sings, too. And well!  As in, already-an-artist kind of way.

But, each time that my man chooses to belt it out, and thinks he’s just blending in with the host of other voices around him?

My own singing ceases (thankfully).

I look up at him.

And I.

Just.

Listen.

To his song.

Because it’s always beautiful.

It’s Five Minute Friday time over at Lisa Jo Baker’s place. Dontcha’ just love it?  Today’s prompt is “song”.  You know you want to read what others had to share about this little word.  Click the button below and you can!

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How To Be Brave

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BRAVE

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I’m trying. Really, I am.  This bravery thing, isn’t for the faint of heart.  And lately?  My heart is feeling pretty faint.  I feel like that one lone bird standing on the rock closest to the wildly pounding ocean, with the tumultuous waves ready to smash her to smithereens if she doesn’t take flight.

I tell my Sweetboy that bravery is what you do even though you feel scared.  I tell my Sweetgirl that mama’s can be brave, too, just by doing what they know in their hearts they are to do – not what the world tells them they should be doing.

And it all sounds so good.

Only, all of those words aren’t quite making it to my own heart lately.  I feel on the cusp of a bravery.  Glorious adventure and excitement await as soon as I will just commit to taking flight.  But, if I don’t, and soon, I’ll be crushed by the waves of disappointment, expectation, and even circumstances.

I don’t want to be crushed.

There is no need for panic.  No need for indecision.

I know how to unfurl my wings.  I even know what flight plan to use.

It’s a matter of doing it.  In trust.  In trust that He will hold me steady and keep His firm grasp upon me when the winds shift.

I just need to practice Brave.

Then, I will be.

I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker and the beautiful community of writers for her Five Minute Friday writing prompt. Click the button below to participate, or to read what this word, brave, brought to mind for others.

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Alpacas, Gerbils, and Community – Oh My!

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“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:20

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Did you know that Alpacas spit?  Maybe you were already privy to that information, but I always thought they were far too cultured for that.  Apparently, while they won’t spit at you, they will indeed spit out into the great beyond to share their disdain for something that you might be trying to introduce them to. Like, say… a harness for the first time.

And, did you know that there are Gerbil Rescuers? Oh, yes. There. Are. You know how you can bring home “two male gerbils” and 2 weeks later you awake to miraculously find that there are approximately 23 more are in the cage now, too?  There are kind folks who will swoop right in and help you make that right.

I learned these things, and so much more, from these beautiful new friends that I made at the inRL Meetup that took place at my home this weekend.

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I wrote here, back in March, that I had taken the leap and signed up for the (in)courage inRL (that’s in real life) meetups that were going to be taking place this past weekend, around the world. And not only did I sign up to attend, but also to host at my home. (‘Cuz I’m just extroverted like that).  I wrangled a sweet friend with Mad Decorating Skills to come help me in that area because God so clearly neglected to give me that particular skill set.  True story. (And that would be the beautiful lady on the far right up there!)

My friends, if you didn’t get a chance to make one of these this year?  Put it on your calendar for next year. NOW!  It was amazingly refreshing and uplifting and encouraging. And I have pictures to prove it, of course.

But first, I must show you how I started the morning.  I put on my brand spankin’ new white inRL t-shirt, and proceeded to get lipstick right on the front of it.  Lipstick that is, apparently, immune to any sort of stain stick. Trust me – we tried a few different ones.  I took it as a reminder, from the God that provided this opportunity for community, to Keep It Real.  Amen?

inRL_Stained_Shirt

As each new woman walked in, I reminded myself to breathe and to just brightly say, “Welcome!”, instead of rushing to explain what was staining the front of my t-shirt.

And do you know what was amazing?  No one noticed.

Do you want to know what else was amazing?  These women!  Not a single one was at the same stage of life as me.  Not a single one had a child with Autism.  There were two without any children at all. (Although, we’re all counting the Alpacas as children after our conversation!) We were all at various places in our faith journeys, in our work lives, and relationships.

We may not have been a large group, but God brought five women together to learn about what community can feel like -with all the pain and joy it brings with it – in real life.

And it was so good.  So. Very. Good.

With the icebreaker over and the gabbing winding down, we gathered around the screen to watch the webcast on Staying in Community. There were so many heads nodding throughout, that I thought heads were going to fall right off of bodies! Such wisdom was conveyed during the telling of these genuine and heartfelt stories during the webcast.  A few of my favorites were the following:

  • “We all need to be told it isn’t too late to make it beautiful.” –Angie Smith
  • “…we walk around and pick up a few of each other’s shards to add to a few of our own. Because that is what good friends do.  Become safe places to break wide open and share the shards of our mess.” – Kristen Strong
  • “The thing that wounds us is often the thing that God will walk us through again to heal us.” – Mary DeMuth
  • “Sometimes when we stay, it’s because our testimony isn’t about us at all- it’s entirely about Him.” _-TeriLynne Underwood
  • “You need imperfect people in your life to perfect your practice of love.” –Ann Voskamp

These were just a few of the many many thoughts I tucked into my heart during this webcast!

The talk of mentors had my head spinning for the rest of the day. I didn’t write down who said, “Mentors are like anchors. They ground us when things get rough.”  I chewed on that for hours!  And Marina Bromley spoke of the importance of being real: “One of the best gifts you can give to a mentee is to not be perfect – but perfectly open.”  Oh. My. Soul! Don’t we all just crave someone to be real with us?  Someone who will let us be ourselves and not turn us away when we botch it up and good? Who will call us to the carpet when we’re turning away purposefully?  And love on us when we aren’t?

Are you feeling like you missed a great opportunity?  Don’t! If you missed it, I do believe it will be made available later on, in DVD format. I’m going to tell you straight up to run and get yourself a copy, when it does! You will be so thankful.  And encouraged.  Who doesn’t want that?  Who doesn’t need that?

This is one event that I plan to take part in forevermore.  It did my heart and soul good to know that I was part of a larger community of women who are trusting in God to see us through every stage of life. And that we’re better… together.

Yes, indeedy!

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We Need More Sock Puppets

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This week has been so tumultuous.  I’m trusting in this, right here:

via Pinterest via Renee Swope

So… I thought we could all do with a joyful little story.  Here ya go.

A week before Sweetgirl turned five, The Nana kept telling us to watch the mail for her card.  I thought it was odd that she would make a bunch of fanfare about a card, but thought it wise to indulge her. I am nothing if not respectful of thy mother.

Each day, we eagerly checked the mailbox for a card from The Nana.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch!

And then, one day, this arrived:

Slipperfoot_Collage_Missindeedy

And we instantly understood.

Is this not the most fabulous card?  I’m not sure who played with Princess Slipperfoot more, me or Sweetgirl.

Therefore, I do believe we need more sock puppets.  It’s fun for the whole family.

Or, at least, for me.

And, a note to The Nana – I will never doubt your enthusiasm for a card, again.

Promote What You Love

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We did a little of this and that yesterday.  I ended up being able to catch up on some reading and I was seriously blessed for it.  In the interest of being more concerned with promoting what I love than shaming what I don’t, I thought I’d share some of my “loves” with you. You’re welcome.

To that end, here are just a few things that I’m loving lately:

1) April is Autism Awareness Month.  In case you didn’t already know, with a son on the Autism Spectrum, this month is near and dear to my heart.  Sweetgirl also turns 5 (FIVE!!!!) this month, so there’s that, too.

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2) I am catching up on my Relevant (online and print magazine) reading.  And I mean “catching up” as in, harking back to July issues.  Anywho,  This article, about why Christians have such a hard time being funny?  It is good!      And, then  this article will definitely help you put depression in perspective.

3) My friend, Christina, over at Five Walkers wrote a short, but powerful piece on how a specific portion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s story affected her own thoughts on marriage.  Yes.  Yes. To. This!

4) Ever wonder what the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is?  Here’s an awesomely simple explanation by Erin Ulrich over at design by insight.

5) I’m blessed to know this lady in real life.  There are approximately 32 reasons why she’s awesome and I love her.  But, shoot! She. Is. Talented.  You can check out her website here at Kym Scott Photography.Her photographs sometimes sing to me, sometimes shout to me, and sometimes just knock my socks off. This recent one, called “Will”?  Socks.  Knocked clean off!

Will

Will

Happy April!

Exercising Together

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The yoga pants and I are gettin’ tight again.  Sorry, what I really mean, is that they are getting tight again.  When you find yourself spending five minutes workin’ up a sweat just trying to wrangle on last years jeans, you know something’s gotta give.  And, unfortunately, the spandex in my jeans has about given me all it’s got.

Y’all! This winter is about to do me in!

So, I’ve begun the exersizzle regime. Again.

Only, this time?  My Sweetgirl has taken up exercising with me.

And I have proof.

Enter, exhibit A:

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May I explain?

1) I am quite pink and apparently wear a red cheer-leading bow on top of my hair to exercise.  (I do get very red, but I draw the line at wearing a bow over 40.)

2) My not-quite-five year old likes to dance on table tops behind my back. (She does not. Unless, of course, the coffee table counts. She likes to be “as tall as mama.”)

3) We let butterflies roam free in our house. (We do not. Sorry.  I know. That would be pretty exciting, but I think dancing on coffee tables is enough excitement, no?)

4) A purple person in a box watches us exercise. (Nope. But, I do exercise to DVDs. Which, obviously, I follow along with on the TV. But our TV is not purple. Nor is the Instructor.  Although, that would be interesting, wouldn’t it?)

My little shadow likes to proclaim how “tired from all the ‘sizing”she is about four minutes in.  I do too. But, alas, I must be the adult and keep going.  I’m trying to show her how important exercise is.  And, I can’t do that if I punk out and grab a can of salt-n-vinegar Pringles snack with her.

Wait! Can I?

No. I know. Sigh…

So, she usually grabs a snack and watches me finish out the last 40 minutes.  I suppose it’s kind of like watching the Biggest Loser. But, in real life.  And up close and personal.

But, I will prevail.  I refuse to buy the next size up jeans.

And, it would be nice to be able to wriggle in to my current ones without so much effort.

So, if you need me, I’ll be workin’ up a sweat while my back-up dancer Sweetgirl does, too, on the coffee table behind me.  Because, everyone knows exercising together is way more fun.

Yes indeedy!

Now and Then

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You may or may not remember that last year, Sweetboy had some funny ideas about how he looked. Let the record reflect that this was Sweetboy’s self-portrait last year:

THEN:

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This month, his class completed a story-writing project. As part of it, they had to draw a self-portrait of “the Author”.

I give you… the NOW:
 

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My, what big eyes you have, Author!

 
What a difference a year makes! We are making progress here, folks.  Dontcha’ think?

Playing Around

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As opposed to, you know, horsing around.  Because, y’all know I don’t do horses. Please excuse the mess today.  I’m playing with the theme of my blog and the background and the header and…
 
In the meantime, I was hoping you’d feel free to amuse yourself at my expense. Feel free to click on an “update” to any of these older posts while I get this thang all sorted out.
 
See ya in a few weeks days. Oh yes indeedy!
 
 
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Update: Um, the rebounder? The blessED, belovED, needED, rebounder? It was puked on this weekend. Just sayin’.
 
Update: I’m imagining an endless supply of stories that I’ll come back from Arkansas with when we go for a family wedding in April.  (More fun stuff always happens down South. It’s just true y’all.) 
 
Update: I‘m lovin’ Modcloth right now. Seriously.  Browsing around that site will help an hour disappear in seconds. For realz!
 
And lastly, and maybe my favorite, in a surprise turn of events – The Nana is becoming totally Tech Saavy. True Story!
 
Update: Straight from The Nana’s mouth, recently:
 
“I’d talk to Siri more – but Captain Ahab says she uses too much data! Whatever that means?”
 
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See now?  How fun is that?! Plus, I just helped you kill an hour, too.  Your welcome.
 

One Word

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I’ve struggled with this.

 

This notion of spending one year focusing on just one word.

 

It’s time.

 

This is the year.

 

2013!

 

I will be…

 

One_Word_2013

 

I will be intentional about finding the joy in the moment, no matter how messy.

 

There will be intentional moments of taking thoughts captive. (I predict oh-so-many of these).

 

Reflection will be intentional, too.

 

Intentional time choices, media choices, and food choices.

 

And in the end?

 

Well, I have no idea! We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

 

After all, I believe Hellen Keller had it exactly right. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all!”.

 

And with God at the helm, it is sure to be exactly that.

 

Join me, won’t you? An adventure is so much more fun with friends.

 

 
 

Of Hairspray and Friendship

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When Dionne Warwick thought up the lyrics to the song “That’s What Friends Are For”, I’m pretty sure that she was thinking about hairspray. And I don’t mean the Musical.

 

I have a Sweetfriend who lives down the street; and I think she’s the “Awesome Sauce”, as they say.  Truly. I call her Sparkles and she calls me Sunshine.  She’s one of those friends that teaches you how to love lip gloss again at 40-something, tells other people that she can’t ever imagine you getting mad at anybody (HA!), and is too busy getting the most out of life to bother with any Mama Drama.  She wears sparkly earrings with her yoga pants and shares the link for that cozy, but darling, sweater she was wearing yesterday, so that you can get one too.

 

Sparkles would tell you that I’m the bomb because, recently, when she was out of dish-washing sponges and asked if I had one to spare, I sent one down;a half of one, to be exact.  When she asked where I bought those cute little sponges, I told her Tar-jay. Then, I explained that to get more use out of them, and to get into more of the little cracks and crevices with my “cleaning”, *cough, cough*, I cut them in half.  She thought that was ”brilliant”.

 

I, however, am pretty sure that she’s brilliant, because she has taught me to “always pad the playdate!”, layer on the bling to make anything, even yoga pants, look dressed up, and to remember that “exhausted kids are more often than not, happy kids”.

 

Recently, at the bus stop, we had this conversation:

 

Sparkles – “Wow! Your hair looks awesome!”

Me – “Thanks!  I am trying to, you know… style it.  I actually pulled out a curling iron this morning for the first time in, oh… 2 decades.  But enjoy it.  It will fall out in about 7 minutes.”

Sparkles – “You just need some hairspray.  And don’t be afraid to really lay it on.”

Me – “Oh, okay.  I haven’t used hairspray in… well… ever.; but… I don’t want it to look stiff.  Yours always looks so bouncy!”

Sparkles – “Trust me, just good old [drugstore brand] hairspray does great!”

 

At this point, the bus came.  And every dad within a footfall field’s radius of our conversation was never happier to smell bus fumes.

 

After arriving back home, I received this text:

 

Hairspray_Text

 

I went to my door and found Ralphie (her Elf on the Shelf) hugging, oh-so-tightly, a bottle of hairspray.  (Apparently, Ralphie stopped by to help more than just our elf, Jack, that day. What a compassionate elf…).

 

And the best part of all? It worked! The hairspray worked! And I didn’t even have to stand out on the front porch to spray it.

 

Now that’s what friends are for. Indeed!