Tasty Names Family Update

It seems that each time I start a letter or an e-mail, I always say, "How are you? We're fine. There's not much going on around here," and then proceed to list about 50 things that are going on around here!

So, here goes:

Buffalo Wings and Chicken Nugget started school on the same day. BW's job at his new school is so much better! The school he left lost 60% of its teachers! There was quite an exodus. It would take another post just to describe all that is going wrong with that school. Anyway, BW has lots of friends from church at his new school, lots of professional support, and the kids here really work hard to learn (for the most part).

CN is enjoying SECOND GRADE!!!! But I'm having a hard time believing that I have a child old enough to be in second grade! She's a great reader, but struggles a little in math. I feel bad that I have passed down the math-impaired gene to her. Thankfully we have a math teacher in the house! That helps a lot.

CN is also playing soccer. Today will be her third practice. And BW is her coach! That's lots of fun. Games begin in just a couple of weeks.

Banana is walking, ya'll! He's still so smiley, cuddly, and happy. He is a sweet and easy-going little guy. He's having a hard time right now, because he is cutting some more teeth, we think. He's not sleeping, he's drooling a lot, and he's got a horrible runny nose (but it is running clear. I know that's gross, but that's just one of those things you look for!). Right now he is sitting in his high chair eating some crackers. He loves to sit in his high chair and eat anything!

Noodle is working on potty training. When she first realized that she'd get candy if she went, she stopped saying, "I need to go potty," and started saying, "I want candy." Now she'll go sometimes without a reward, but there are times when her Dr. Jekyll comes out and she will cry if she does not get candy, even if she does not "produce" on the potty. For about a week or so, she'd go with not much prompting and no reward at all and was perfectly happy about it. But then she had a personality change. Anyway, she's doing much better at the potty training than her older sister did at that age. I would entreat CN to go to the potty, and she'd simply say, "No, I don't want to." Noodle is pretty eager to get on the potty each time I ask, and usually, something will come out. So this is good news. We're on our way to no more diapers!

BW has been missing his men's Bible study on Thursday nights, because of soccer practice. He really enjoys that group, and I'm happy he has it. The guys are great and they do some really amazing studies. Scott will even skip out on Halo from time to time! Now that's dedication.

Things are back in full-swing at church. All the choir and missions programs are back on for the kids. Last night was our first Wednesday night supper of the year - the best meal in town for $3.50! Last night was hamburgers. CN enjoyed her choir class. Sunday begins missions classes. I'll be teaching Mission Friends (4-5 yr. olds)! I'm really excited about it. Maybe I will get to teach them about some of my friends who are missionaries.

I'm still singing in choir and I am the chairman of the education committee. That is a task that will last three years. I am very excited about this opportunity. At the moment we are involved in starting up small groups. I can't wait to get going and then report on all the progress! I also hope to coordinate a marriage enrichment seminar or retreat before the year is out.

BW and I have the chance to help out with another ministry that is going on. There is an apartment complex right beside our church. One of our good friends has been instrumental in getting a Saturday night worship service going within the complex. I will be helping coordinate childcare for this ministry.

Most of you know that I sell Pampered Chef. I have also added Avon to my plate! But Avon is very simple and does not require that I do home shows, so I can still commit plenty of time to Pampered Chef.

We are house-hunting! I am really excited about this. We have never owned a home. I'm excited because this means that this really is where we want to stay. And I'm thrilled about this because we have great friends here, BW likes his job, there's tons of opportunity for ministry, and I am ready to put down some roots. Please pray for us through this process! We've looked at several and have found a couple that we really like.

Much love to all of you as always!

Yay for Matt!

My brother, Matt, got a new job, and I am so proud of him! I've been about to bust ever since my mom told me.

Before I tell you about his job, you should all know that Matt is a great guy. He has always been a good friend to me. He has worked very hard and has never been afraid of doing so. He's had lots of jobs to pay the bills: cutting trees, working on cars, factory work, you name it. Recently he has been working for a Mercedes dealership; he's been in charge of selling / buying parts.

One thing Matt has always loved is working on cars. He especially loves Volkswagens, but he will work on anything. And he knows what he's doing. He's very smart. And he's honest. (I'm not saying all this just because he's my brother! He really is just a great guy!) He's helped me so much with car-care over the years, changing belts and oil and whatever he needed to do. He really is an expert with anything having to do with cars - engine work, body work, doesn't matter.

As it seems to be sometimes when it comes to work, it's all about who you know. Matt happens to know a guy that works at a community college / technical school in Little Rock (Matt lives in Benton, AR, near my parents; he works in Little Rock), and this guy came into the Mercedes dealership and offered Matt a job at the school! It's such a great job, with better pay and benefits, vacation time, and he'll be teaching about the thing that he loves and is so great at doing! Right now he is teaching an automotives class and is an aid in another class. His employer will help him get his certification so that he can be considered a "real" teacher later. We are all so proud of him! I cannot tell you how happy I am that he has gotten this great job that I know he will really love. He has worked hard and he deserves it. Way to go, Matt! Yay, Matt!

Grasping

Yeah, I blog a lot. It is a great outlet for me. It makes me feel better. And I think this is ok. I know only one other stay-at-home mom. I don't talk to a lot of people during the day. So blogging is my outlet. And sometimes, when I am just grasping to figure things out, I will sit down and start to write and things clear up.

It was a difficult weekend. I was frustrated. I was angry. I cried. I questioned if I even really needed to be a mom. I beat myself up for not being kinder to my kids. I admonished myself for letting small irritations turn me inside out. I felt sorry for my kids to have to have a mother like me. I wondered if as a wife, mom, person in general, I would ever get it. You know? Will I ever, really, get it? Will I ever arrive? And if so, when?

BW stayed at home with Banana this morning. Banana, we think, is cutting more teeth and is being cranky and a little fevery off and on. Sunday school was very good. We're doing a new study and taking turns in class leading it. I lead the lesson on forgivness. This morning the lesson was on slothfulness. I enjoyed our friend's lesson. She did a great job. But I got to the choir room and forgot all about the great lesson because someone had taken my choir folder! All my music was in there. My folder goes in slot 83. My robe is on the hanger with the number 83. I am number 83! But slot 83 was empty. No music! Why did someone take it? Why didn't they know that it was mine? So I had to scramble around for a folder and ended up using one with a broken ring, so my music kept sliding all morning. But I tried not to be so petty. I really did. I asked a couple of people about my music later, but they had no idea about it, so I cheerfully replied, "Oh, well! That's ok! I'm sure we'll find it around here somewhere!"

There was a dinner after church, a pot-luck thing. I really wanted to stay, but with BW gone, there was no way I could handle Noodle all by myself. My friend said she'd help me out, but I somehow got separated from her between the fellowship hall and the nursery, and Noodle was gearing up to throw a world-class fit, so we just went home.

We got home and in the middle of lunch got some horrible news. One of our friends in Sunday school learned that her father had died tragically while we were all at church this morning. Today has been spent making arrangements for our friend's family as far as coordinating meals and collecting money for flowers. I remarked to a friend who called, "Our Sunday School class has so many needs right now," because we are helping out a friend who is going through chemo and are praying with two others who are out of work. And you wonder, why? Why all of this, why so many needs? But through it all, I am so thankful for the wonderful people in our Sunday School class who rush immediately to any need.

I'm reasoning things out, I suppose. I'm still not happy with myself. I'm not happy that I was so irritated by my kids' actions this weekend. They are just kids. I'm not happy that I don't have more grace with them or with my husband. I don't want to be the ultra-petty person that I am that got so irritated that my choir folder was gone from its spot and no one seemed to know where it was. Who cares? It was just a folder, and all the songs got sung regardless. When there are many more very important and life-changing things going on with dear friends all around me. And I'm worried about kids being kids and my folder not being there.

So why can't I change? When will I? It makes me sad that I am this way. It makes me want to change, but I'm not sure how. If only selfishness could be manifested into some physical matter, then I could just take it off and lay it down and get rid of it. Same with anger, unforgiveness, pettiness, you name it. I'm just not the person that I know God wants me to be. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

O Lord God, You love me so much. Sometimes I do not know why, when all I do is fail and disappoint You. Please teach me self control, that I might put my flesh aside and only serve You. May Your desires become my desires, that I might delight myself in You so that You may give me the desires of my heart. Oh, my Father, please forgive me all my pride, selfishness, and petty ways. Please help me focus on what really matters, on my husband and children and on serving the Body. Please strengthen my flesh, that it may be disciplined to do Your will. Father God, I cannot ever thank You enough with words or deeds for Your great sacrifice of love. Because of Your sacrifice, I can pray to you with confidence, I can live with You eternally, and I can know You personally. I do not want to experience life without You; may I be bold in sharing You with those who are experiencing life without You. Lord God, You are the greatest joy in my life. May I only ever honor You.

At Least She Didn't Get It On Her Clothes . . .

You Turn Your Back for Half a Second . . .

It really is a universal issue.

Universal Loyalty

Why am I so upset about this Pluto thing? I mean, really, all this time Pluto has been going along, ceasing to be a planet, and my life hasn't been disrupted one bit. In fact, I've never even thought about it! But the announcement that Pluto has been demoted really rattled my cage! Why is that? And what is the big deal? Come on, you scientist readers you, ease my mind. Can't we just go on saying that Pluto is a planet, even if it is technically not? I mean, how long have we been taught that it really is one? Is anyone going to be tarred and feathered over this? We believe that the Earth is round and that it rotates around the sun. Galileo has been vindicated. We're good, honest citizens. Let us have Pluto! And yet, like I said, Pluto not being a planet isn't going to alter my universe at all. Maybe I just feel sorry for the puny planet. Or maybe it's just that my loyalty runs deep. At any rate, poor old Pluto. You'll always be a planet in my book!

Pay It Forward

I used to be an idealist. I used to dream a lot bigger than I do now, but I suppose that the older I've gotten, the reality of life has set in. I was going to publish my novel, sing and act on Broadway, be on Oprah, even have a talk show of my own! I was going to have the white-picket-fence life, in which all family disputes were settled happily (that is, if we ever HAD disputes!), I'd have happy and well-adjusted kids, all the while pursuing knowledge and even running an orphanage or two as I served the Lord in some far-off land. I didn't even really mind that those things were so distant that they were only tiny specks in my mind. The dream was enough for me.

But there have been days since those dreams that I've stopped believing in certain things, and that is very sad. It's a difficult place to be, after being in a place full of dreams and ideals. I've seen lots of life happen. I've seen pain and reality and simply stopped believing, as I said, certain things that feed ideals. But . . . I miss being an idealist.

Last night, I went to a program called Rachel's Challenge. It was the second day of the program, which was held at the school where my husband teaches. BW encouraged me to go, and though I had to miss choir practice, I took Chicken Nugget and went to the program. I am so glad that I did.

Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999. Now her brother travels and speaks of the legacy that Rachel left behind. Rachel stood for kindess and showed love and kindness to everyone that she could. She targeted those who were ridiculed, lonely, and had no friends. One story that her brother, Craig, told was of Rachel standing between some bullies and a young man who was the target, and she raised her fists in the faces of the bullies and told them that they would have to deal with her if they didn't leave this young man alone. There were several such testimonies of Rachel's courageous kindness.

I was reminded of the movie, Pay it Forward. Do ya'll remember that movie? As a class project, a little boy comes up with the idea that instead of paying kindness back, you pay it forward. Jump start the kindness. Start a chain reaction. And in an essay by Rachel Scott, she said the same thing. She believed that random acts of kindness could start a chain reaction. Now Rachel's positive message of hope is touching lives all over the nation.

Craig Scott also spoke of forgiveness. He was in the library of Columbine High School that day and witnessed two of his close friends shot right in front of him. He learned of his sister's death the next morning. Filled with rage, he eventually allowed his anger to spew forth, until he learned about the power of forgiveness. Last night, he relayed this message told to him by a mentor:
"Forgiveness is like releasing a prisoner, and then realizing that the prisoner was yourself."
Craig also talked about letting go of the right to hate.

I was listening intently to the truth of this message, targeted towards a group of high school students. I listened to the principal get up after the presentation and affirm the message of kindness and compassion, saying that if we would all learn to treat one another as we should, then other things would take care of themselves (like state test scores, etc.). No one ever said the word God in the message, but I felt Him all around. Everything that was said last night was truth, and I do believe that all truth is God's truth.

I also was thinking of legacy last night. My oldest brother died in 1999, and his legacy was also kindness. A theme in everyone's stories about Anthony was generosity, and I saw it from him many times. He showed generosity by helping us out in college, buying groceries, sending large birthday checks, and things like that. He showed generosity to all of my family members by giving of his resources to help out or just make us happy. To his friends, he did the same, and was the go-to guy for all kinds of help. That's the impact that Anthony made in this world. That is his legacy, kindness and generosity.

I was able to take CN up to meet Craig Scott last night. She was born on 4-20-99, and I remember as I was laboring the hospital that I watched the footage of the Columbine tragedy. The days and weeks that passed after her birth, I watched the stories on TV and my heart cried out for the victims' families and friends. What a great loss they had experienced on the same day that I received great joy. It was always significant to me that CN was born that day, that she was somehow a light of hope on such an awful day. Now I can see that the legacy Rachel would have wanted to pass on to everyone, is evident in CN. She is kind and always tries to befriend classmates who don't have friends. She forgives easily. I was thankful to be able to see Craig and my little girl meet last night. I was thankful to share words of hope with him as he had shared them with all of us there.

I see the lives of people such as Rachel and my brother. Just thinking of them makes me want to be a better person. We were challenged last night to thank people who have loved us and helped us. We were challenged to make a difference in our families and communities. There are so many things that I can change to help my family feel more loved and secure. There are so many places that I can be kind when instead I am selfish. When I give into my self-serving nature, the enemy wins.

CN wanted to know what had happened to the young men who had done the shooting. It was difficult, but I told her the truth about their deaths. She wanted to know why they had taken their own lives, and I said, "Well, I think it was because they were just really sad."
When we got home, as we were walking in the door, CN said, "We should pray for Rachel."
I said, "We don't need to pray for her, anymore, honey, she's in Heaven."
She then said, "Well, we can pray for the things that Rachel wanted to do, you know, like being nice to everyone and helping people who don't have friends and who people are mean to and things like that."
"Yes, we can pray for that," I said.

I think I am ready to become an idealist again.

"Hate what is evil; cling to what is good" Romans 12:9
" . . . overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:23-24

Fun in Galveston

Why it Takes Me Four Hours to Clean the Kitchen

As I've stated before, my life has changed in a drastic way since I became a stay-at-home-mom. I used to be able to clean my house pretty quickly. Even as a single mom, the job wasn't so hard. Laundry was hard, because I didn't have a washer and dryer, but house-cleaning - not so hard.

Then I started to analyze why that might be. Why do I work all day and then look at the house and it seems as if nothing has gotten done? Why do I do piles of laundry on an almost daily basis, only to turn around and see another pile staring me in the face?

I have come up with a couple of reasons for why this might be:

First, the places I lived before I got married were small. In seminary, I called my apartment "the bat cave." It was small and sort-of dark. There was nothing that required mopping. I could scrub a floor faster and easier than I could mop it, so small were the surfaces that needed mopping. Though I didn't have a dishwasher, I never had many dishes to wash. And my kitchen was tiny. I called it the mouse kitchen. Cracker box. Tiny.

In Iowa, before I married Scott, Chicken Nugget and I lived in a studio. Bathroom, kitchen, large room (used for living/bedroom). That was it. Small, cozy, not much to clean. So space has a lot to do with the amount of time I spend cleaning. We have a three bedroom, two bath house with a living room and a den. Makes sense I spend more time cleaning.

Another thing is, the less people you live with, the less there is to clean up after, and the fewer interruptions you face during the cleaning process. Cleaning for two (CN and myself) was much more controlled, and CN has always been helpful.

I could probably get my house cleaned up with no problem if no one else lived with me. But as it is, I'll start cleaning something and it will immediately be undone. Banana loves to take the dishes out of the dishwasher as I'm loading it. He is especially fond of the silverware. It feels like I load the thing four times for every one load that I wash. And if I can get him distraced from that little past-time, it won't be long before I have to go see why he and Noodle are crying. It is usually something to do with Noodle inflicting bodily harm on Banana, or with Banana eating the toilet paper, or something like that. After I've dealt with one or more crises in that manner, then I will return to loading the dishwasher. In short order, Banana will back into the kitchen, start taking things out of the dishwasher, and the cycle begins all over again.

Or if I am sweeping and mopping, one of the kids always wants in on the action, whether it be playing in the junk I've just swept up, or trying to take the broom or mop (whichever one I am not using at the moment), or sitting right in front of my cleaning path.

And in the meantime, even if I'm not stopping someone from taking things out of the dishwasher, sitting in the swept-up junk, or interrupting my cleaning in general, I always have to go clean up the messes made as I was cleaning other messes. See what I mean?

So that is why it takes me four hours to clean the kitchen.

Here's the group that worked in Mississippi. Yep, there I am - front and center!
This is a great bunch of folks. It was an honor and a pleasure to serve the Lord with them all.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

BW and Chicken Nugget went to the ballgame Friday night - Astros v. Padres. They had these very cool green screen photos taken. Aren't they the cute? CN plays soccer, but with a stance like that, she may have to try some bat-and-ball sports, huh? ;o)

On Top of the World

I am still having so much trouble sorting everything out from my trip. I've been back home one week now, but things in my mind and heart are still all swimming around. I had such a great, intense experience with the group in Mississippi, and I have been thinking how I need to write about it, but I just can't think of a way.

This is a picture of me on top of Mr. and Mrs. Hall's home. I became the Master Caulker! I was a prodigy with that caulk gun, I'll have you know!

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, we worked from morning till mid-afternoon. There were four groups working at four different work sites, repairing storm damaged. There was roof repair to be done as well as some internal damage on some of the homes. After the groups returned (we stayed on the campus of Southern Mississippi University, which boasts the likes of Brett Favre), we'd have supper and then group worship time. Then it was time for devotionals and prayer time in small groups, then off to bed (as long as certain suite mates didn't have any silly shenanigans to play!).

A couple of nights we went to revival at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was the church that our group partnered with. They fed us very well :o) - one great thing about travelling and working with a bunch of believers - you'll never go hungry!!!! But they also gave us some good messages from the Word, some good singing, and lots of love.

There is so much more to what happened than the schedule. I made friends. I saw authentic faith lived out. I talked with people who had not come to know Christ until adulthood (in their late 20's or 30's or 40's). I met people who had a lot to say about their relationship with Christ, how precious it was and how important. I worked alongside those who were brand-new in their faith, some by two months, some by one or two or three years. In most cases, those people were older than me. I was amazed because, besides the work we were there to accomplish, I saw evidence that God is working in a big way. In the lives of adults. All the time.

God is in the business of pursuing people. He is working all the time, everywhere. And I have been created in Christ to do good works, which He has already prepared for me to do! Why am I sitting around waiting?

I returned home overjoyed to be in the arms of my family, but sad and confused to leave something that I love so much - a life of service. It follows Eph. 2:10 - I was created in Christ to do just that! It makes sense, then, that a group of strangers (of all age rangers, life situations, denominations) got along and accomplished a huge task. It was because we were working in the will of God, the way He designed us, at a task laid at the foundations of the Earth.

Now I am frustrated and longing for more. I am on my knees in prayer for my church which is going through a time of pain. I am convicted more and more not to wait on my church for ministry, but to go out and seek it anyway. There's certainly no lack of need anywhere.

So as I struggle to say what I want to say, that's all that will come out for now.

Much love to all of you.

Decompression

This isn't a great photo. There will be more to come. I got this off our photobucket account that our group set up. It is of a group of my fellow missionaries working on one of the houses in Hattiesburg. We were re-roofing the wind-damaged homes, which were hit hard by Hurrican Katrina almost a year ago. My team worked with a dear couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, who had gone all this time in desperate need. Their roof still had a blue FEMA tarp on it. We finished the roofing job ahead of schedule and got to do some additional work.

I'm finding that I'm having a hard time decompressing after this trip! There's so much I want to say and tell and think about, but if it all came out in a flood, I may actually emotionally drown, so to speak. Thankfully, it is coming out in trickles and I'm just letting the leaks happen as they will. I cannot believe that only one week would pack my heart, mind, and soul with so much information.

God bless you all for standing with me, praying for me, thinking of me, hoping with me. Thank you.

On Mission

I am posting this from Hattiesburg. We have been hot, sweaty, and tired as we work on houses that are in desperate need. We will travel to the gulf coast tomorrow and see another area that is in great need. I'm seeing God in many places, facing many challenges, and having fun making midnight runs to Walgreens! Much love to all of you -