Thanks Poppa!

 

Today my father drove all the way to my house to install a shelf he built for my kitchen. We had to cover up an area behind our cabinets where the wall was out of square by several inches (gotta love 100 year old homes!)
Ikea couldn't fix this kitchen dilema, but my father could. He did a great job--it looks better that I even imagined.
And all the while it was amazingly georgeous weather--he could have enjoyed it working on his own projects. Scarlett was very excited to see her Poppa and so was Ensley. It was a great little visit and my kitchen is really coming together! Thanks Poppa- you're awesome.

six months later

 

The other day I was marveling that Ensley is almost 7 months old!
Could it be that my little boy used to be that tiny? He has just gotten his second tooth, started practicing a very endearing laugh and sits and rolls and has an "I wish I could crawl" mentality.
He loves to play peek-a-boo and wiggle and splash in the bathtub.
I just caught Nate trying to teach him to say "Dada."
He already has a favorite toy and knows the difference between a real and pretend cell phone!
What happened to that little tiny peanut of a baby?
Looking forward to what happens next.

What's your love story?

For a project at church, we are collecting love stories. I'm not just talking about romantic love stories, but how loving someone has changed your life. Or maybe how someone showing you love has affected you. It might be a story of generousity, forgiveness, redemption or hope. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, it is your story. But please tell me your story. Do it here or send it to me--call me, write me, e-mail me, just take a minute this week to share your story with me. Thanks.
I guess it wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to do this without sharing a story of my own.
There are so many examples of people showing me love in my life, my husband, my parents and my siblings have all loved me over and over even when I was completely unloveable. I can still distinctly remember one time in particular.
As a teenager I was lost. I seemed to know the right answers but purposefully chose the opposite. I made a lot of choices that I am not proud of. If there was a rule I wanted to break it, even if it meant sneaking and being dishonest. Trying on this new 'bad girl' skin to see what it was like. Apparently I wasn't very good at it, though--because I got caught. Alot.
One time I got caught (I think it was skipping school or breaking curfew) blatenly disobeying my parent's rules AGAIN. All afternoon I sat in my room dreading the fallout of the event. I practiced giving my parents an indifferent shrug and snide countenance. They came into my room and told me to get in the car. Now I was nervous. We started driving and it was very quiet at first. Then they started talking to me about what I had been doing. Not yelling, but asking and listening. Then I saw where we were going--a little greek restaurant that I hadn't tried before but wanted to. We sat together and talked. We talked about the food--it was good. and we talked about the choices I needed to be making. There was no anger, only love, guidance and forgiveness. When I wnet to sleep that night, I lay there knowing that my parents loved me no matter what. They did not like what I was doing but they liked me, and they always would. I went on to make even more mistakes and I am sure that I will continue to make more, but I know that my Poppa and Mom will love me despite them. This demonstration of their love not only gave me a peace and security all me life, but have given me an even greater gift. Now that I am a mother, I can model myself after them. I can show my children what unconditional love is and give them that gift.
That's my story. What's yours?

Confessions of a deadbeat mother

This morning I was giving art lessons, so I got up very early and made sure everything was clean and ready to go. About 20 minutes before the first students was to arrive, I realized that we had no toilet paper. Knowing that I would have people in the house throughout the day, I decided that it would be super embarrassing to ask guests to use diaper wipes. So to the convenience store one block down I went. Scarlett begged to go on a walk (it was snowing), so I told her if she hurried she could come. She put her own shoes on (wrong feet of course) and put down the marker that she was using to give herself a beard. I threw on the nearest sweatshirt (inside out) and we were on our way. Scarlett spots her wagon and insists on filling it with a random assortment of her "treasures" to drag behind her. Sure, okay...let's go!
I get into the store and grab the paper and hand the guy my card that I always use. I already feel bad about using a card for a $2 pack of TP, but I'm out of cash, so what can I do? He furrows his brow, hands me my card and tells me it has been declined. I ask him to try again--same result. WHAT!?! So I try the ATM. No dice. I tell the guy, "I'm so sorry, I will have to run home and get cash--I'll be right back." The guy hands me the paper and says "Ma'am, really it is no problem, you can bring me the money if you want, but you don't have to." I say I will and run out of the door.
On the walk home, I am wondering, why is this guy trying to just give me the tp? Then I survey the situation. My clothes are disheveled and I have fuzzy slippers on. My daughter has wild hair. She is dragging her possessions behind her in a wagon and her face is smeared with marker. I can't even pay for one lousy roll of paper. This guy must think I am the biggest deadbeat in town! He was giving me the paper because he felt bad for me. Great.
So after getting home and figuring out my banking error (all the money was in the other account...woops). I asked Nate to take the two bucks to the guy--I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Soon enough I will have to pop back in to that store(whenever I am craving dark chocolate m&ms most likely). But next time, I will try really hard not to be a pathetic wreck!!!