19 iron burns (yes, surprisingly few & all to the left hand)
58 glue-gun blisters*
1,712 yards of fabric*
10,004 pin pricks*
1 million+ drops of sweat*
& more than a few curses, are-you-kidding-me’s, i-think-I’m-going-to-cry’s later*…
Here it is… the new look of the-little-clothing-business-that-could…
Daffodils-&-Daisies AND... on Facebook (only the business!)
Some days I wonder if it’s all really worth it… then I think about the friends I’ve made along the way… I wouldn’t trade it for all the fabric in China! (or anything else :)
*These are only estimates… actual numbers are probably higher*
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Have you lost your mind?!?!
I remember it like it like it was yesterday… the day we found out our sweet baby was a girl… oh the excitement. I also remember vividly the doctor’s words when she looked at the ultra-sound pictures…
“There it is!” she said with a grin. “See right there? That’s her brain. Some day you will wonder if there’s anything in there, so I’m showing you now… there is.”
It was funny then, but today… oh today… those words came flooding back to me as I said to The Goose…
“Do you know why Mommy & Daddy tell you not to jump on the beds, and not to stand up in chairs, and not to jump on tables(!)?” She shook her head no. “We tell you that because if you fall you will hit your head. And do you know what’s inside your head?” Again, I get a no. “Your brain. And a brain is a very important thing.”
This little anatomy lesson was followed by a serious come-to-Jesus about using our brain and listening to Mommy & Daddy.
Fast-forward two hours… while talking on the phone to Mimi, The Goose (out of nowhere of course) interjects, “Daddy, what’s in your head? … A brain?... Our brains are important.”
Oh yes they are…. VERY important… and sometimes I marvel at how they work… and sometimes I wonder if they work at all…. But thanks to Dr. D, I know it’s in there… somewhere!
“There it is!” she said with a grin. “See right there? That’s her brain. Some day you will wonder if there’s anything in there, so I’m showing you now… there is.”
It was funny then, but today… oh today… those words came flooding back to me as I said to The Goose…
“Do you know why Mommy & Daddy tell you not to jump on the beds, and not to stand up in chairs, and not to jump on tables(!)?” She shook her head no. “We tell you that because if you fall you will hit your head. And do you know what’s inside your head?” Again, I get a no. “Your brain. And a brain is a very important thing.”
This little anatomy lesson was followed by a serious come-to-Jesus about using our brain and listening to Mommy & Daddy.
Fast-forward two hours… while talking on the phone to Mimi, The Goose (out of nowhere of course) interjects, “Daddy, what’s in your head? … A brain?... Our brains are important.”
Oh yes they are…. VERY important… and sometimes I marvel at how they work… and sometimes I wonder if they work at all…. But thanks to Dr. D, I know it’s in there… somewhere!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
How to make a Goose sit still...
... pull out the pink nail polish...
Just a quick rim turned into a full mani-pedi.... I think that's the only time The Goose has actually been awake AND still! She was so proud... too bad the fingers all chipped off in a day :( Oh well! It was fun while it lasted
Just a quick rim turned into a full mani-pedi.... I think that's the only time The Goose has actually been awake AND still! She was so proud... too bad the fingers all chipped off in a day :( Oh well! It was fun while it lasted
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| Nothing like a little pampering to make a girl smile! |
Spiritual Toddler
Today was one of those ridiculously exhausting days… and by ridiculously exhausting I mean it seems ridiculous that I am exhausted. Don’t get me wrong… I accomplished plenty today, but nothing too meaningful. I did my domestic duties… laundry, produce-freezing, dinner-making, toy-picking-up (or rather delegating of toy-picking-up). I even did some sewing & a bit of reading, but only 25 pages in, I found myself “Praying” (which is what I like to say I am doing any time I fall asleep when I am supposed to be awake… I am frequently “praying” when the alarm goes off in the morning… or when studying, which works since it’s seminary, right?)
Anyway, I couldn’t figure out why I was so tired. I usually do my best work after 10pm, but not tonight. This is ridiculous. SO… to keep myself awake, I begin to blog-stalk, coming across some blogs that make me cry & some that make me laugh, but all make me wonder how I accomplish so much less every day than everyone else seems to. And not just that… but they seem to accomplish much AND take time to experience & enjoy it all too! (Either that or they are good blog-liars & fake productivity & joy very well!)
So I begin to think back through my day… did I do anything really important? Did I at least spend time with the people that are most important? Did I devote my attention to anything other than mundane tasks? Sadly, the answers… all no. I was around some pretty important people, especially one under four-feet tall. I had the opportunity to talk to someone over 6 feet tall. I could have chosen to spend some quality time at the feet of the Father. But, instead I was consumed with the ordinary. Not that there’s anything wrong with ordinary… it’s just how I handle my ordinary that bothers me.
For instance, today, The Goose was very good, but in her new-found three-year-old passion of finding what grates on Mommy’s nerves and sticking with it, she decided she would ask me the same questions over and over and over, never even listening to my answer… just asking & asking & asking some more. OR… even better… asking, hearing and doing the opposite… over & over & over, even when told to stop, over & over & over, with the occasional grin & eye-glimmer that says, “I know exactly what I’m doing”… Drives me crazy!
But wait… I do the same thing. I feel ridiculously exhausted & ask God why I’m not as productive as other people. Am I doing the right thing? What do YOU want me to do? Will YOU help me be a better mother, wife, housekeeper, student, time manager…??? HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME… I sound like a toddler. Asking the same things over and over again, but not listening. Not giving God time to talk. Probably driving Him crazy.
In First Corinthians, Paul talks about the members of the Corinthian church being spiritual infants, and though I would like to think of myself as a faithful & mature person… the truth is, I am more like a toddler than I would like to admit. I whine… I ask the same annoying questions… I don’t listen very well… & sometimes, I do exactly what I know I shouldn’t. If I’m honest, most days, I know exactly what I am supposed to do, & I also know the attitude I should have while doing the things I do.
No matter how ordinary or simple, they are my tasks & I choose how to handle them – with joy and a servant’s heart or with frustration and jealously at how I am not what someone else is. I choose how to respond to the incessant questions of a three-year-old (who really just wants me to put down the laundry & play)… I choose whether to make time to listen or move on to the next item on my to-do list… I choose to out-grown my toddler spirit or to keep seeking something that perhaps God never intended for me to do or be… at least not yet. Maybe when I am a big girl.
Anyway, I couldn’t figure out why I was so tired. I usually do my best work after 10pm, but not tonight. This is ridiculous. SO… to keep myself awake, I begin to blog-stalk, coming across some blogs that make me cry & some that make me laugh, but all make me wonder how I accomplish so much less every day than everyone else seems to. And not just that… but they seem to accomplish much AND take time to experience & enjoy it all too! (Either that or they are good blog-liars & fake productivity & joy very well!)
So I begin to think back through my day… did I do anything really important? Did I at least spend time with the people that are most important? Did I devote my attention to anything other than mundane tasks? Sadly, the answers… all no. I was around some pretty important people, especially one under four-feet tall. I had the opportunity to talk to someone over 6 feet tall. I could have chosen to spend some quality time at the feet of the Father. But, instead I was consumed with the ordinary. Not that there’s anything wrong with ordinary… it’s just how I handle my ordinary that bothers me.
For instance, today, The Goose was very good, but in her new-found three-year-old passion of finding what grates on Mommy’s nerves and sticking with it, she decided she would ask me the same questions over and over and over, never even listening to my answer… just asking & asking & asking some more. OR… even better… asking, hearing and doing the opposite… over & over & over, even when told to stop, over & over & over, with the occasional grin & eye-glimmer that says, “I know exactly what I’m doing”… Drives me crazy!
But wait… I do the same thing. I feel ridiculously exhausted & ask God why I’m not as productive as other people. Am I doing the right thing? What do YOU want me to do? Will YOU help me be a better mother, wife, housekeeper, student, time manager…??? HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME… I sound like a toddler. Asking the same things over and over again, but not listening. Not giving God time to talk. Probably driving Him crazy.
In First Corinthians, Paul talks about the members of the Corinthian church being spiritual infants, and though I would like to think of myself as a faithful & mature person… the truth is, I am more like a toddler than I would like to admit. I whine… I ask the same annoying questions… I don’t listen very well… & sometimes, I do exactly what I know I shouldn’t. If I’m honest, most days, I know exactly what I am supposed to do, & I also know the attitude I should have while doing the things I do.
No matter how ordinary or simple, they are my tasks & I choose how to handle them – with joy and a servant’s heart or with frustration and jealously at how I am not what someone else is. I choose how to respond to the incessant questions of a three-year-old (who really just wants me to put down the laundry & play)… I choose whether to make time to listen or move on to the next item on my to-do list… I choose to out-grown my toddler spirit or to keep seeking something that perhaps God never intended for me to do or be… at least not yet. Maybe when I am a big girl.
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him,
and to which God has called him.” ~1 Corinthians 7:17
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tiny Evangelist… Tales from the Target Cart
We used to joke that The Goose was a tiny evangelist because she liked (and still does on occasion) to burst into choruses of “Jesus Loves Me” (which is always followed by “Deep & Wide”) when riding in the cart through the aisles of Target. And to make it even better, she would pause mid-song to correct me for my silence: “Sing it with me Mommy!” Well what can you say to that? “No honey, that might make people look at us funny.”? Or “You sing it, Mommy’s too big to sing in Target”? Clearly not! So… here we go… singing down the aisles, getting a few looks, mostly nice, and one very vocal “AMEN!”
You see, she already knows how to be an Evangelical… probably better than most adults I know. So when do we lose our ability to share our faith? Or, maybe it’s not lost, but when did we gain this major evangelical-inhibition? And when did “Evangelical” become such a “bad” word? It seems now if you profess to be an Evangelical, people get nervous. I feel the nagging need to correct people who refer to someone as an “Evangelical Christian,” for all Christians are by nature (IF we are doing our job right) Evangelical. So isn’t the “term” or “label” a bit redundant? Or maybe we need to be redundant. Maybe all Christians need to refer to themselves and other believers as “Evangelical Christians” so that we remember that key part of what it means to BE a Christian.
“Share the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”… (a famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi)… to which I add, “or songs from a shopping cart, whatever works for you.”
Pretty funny, how we think we have to work so hard to teach our children how to love God, when they are really pretty good at showing us how to love Him even better… Sing it loud, Sing it proud!
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? […] How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~Romans 10: 14-15
You see, she already knows how to be an Evangelical… probably better than most adults I know. So when do we lose our ability to share our faith? Or, maybe it’s not lost, but when did we gain this major evangelical-inhibition? And when did “Evangelical” become such a “bad” word? It seems now if you profess to be an Evangelical, people get nervous. I feel the nagging need to correct people who refer to someone as an “Evangelical Christian,” for all Christians are by nature (IF we are doing our job right) Evangelical. So isn’t the “term” or “label” a bit redundant? Or maybe we need to be redundant. Maybe all Christians need to refer to themselves and other believers as “Evangelical Christians” so that we remember that key part of what it means to BE a Christian.
“Share the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”… (a famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi)… to which I add, “or songs from a shopping cart, whatever works for you.”
Pretty funny, how we think we have to work so hard to teach our children how to love God, when they are really pretty good at showing us how to love Him even better… Sing it loud, Sing it proud!
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? […] How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~Romans 10: 14-15
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I Just Don't Get It...
Not to harp on the same subject, but check out this week's "Faith & Values" section cartoon, from the funnies, not the articles, but it could go along with last week's theme... I'm not sure, because I just don't get it... maybe you can help??? Seriously, I am at a loss.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Real Bedtime Prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Mommy prays I’ll stay in bed, but I think I would like to play instead.
I’ll try to get out of this night-time routine, as I cannot stand this resting thing.
Out of bed at least 14 times, with tears, and pleas and an occasional whine.
So let the bargaining begin! I think I know who will win.
First I’ll sneak in one, or maybe two… who are we kidding, only FIVE will do!
And if I cannot sleep tonight, I’ll play until the morning light.
Mommy prays I’ll stay in bed, but I think I would like to play instead.
I’ll try to get out of this night-time routine, as I cannot stand this resting thing.
Out of bed at least 14 times, with tears, and pleas and an occasional whine.
So let the bargaining begin! I think I know who will win.
First I’ll sneak in one, or maybe two… who are we kidding, only FIVE will do!
And if I cannot sleep tonight, I’ll play until the morning light.
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