Summer Halftime Report

I feel like I haven't done a very good job at narrating about our summer thus far.   And it's like halfway over already!    So even if it's only for my peace of mind to have it recorded somewhere, I figured now was a good time to catch up.

Well, we started out thinking this summer would be full of packing, raising support, and moving across the country.   However, the Lord definitely surprised us with a change of plans, and we have spent the last couple months adjusting mentally and emotionally to staying right where we are.     It still doesn't all make sense, but we're choosing to trust that where God leads we will follow.   And right now, His leading is to stay put.   So we've been working hard on the business, and having lots of fun not stressing about packing up our lives right now.

One thing in the beginning of the summer that we were doing was reading stories out on the front porch in the evenings.   It was really fun to be able to sit out there as a family and read together on our steps.   Sometimes we would rock, or have ice cream, or talk with passer-bys, but mainly it was just our storytime on the steps.   We only did it for a couple weeks, but I think we need to start up again.   We stopped when we got all the rain for like days on end. Which I'm not complaining about!

We had the chance to head down to the beach with my sweet mom-in-law and two of my closest friends.  One with her baby, and one with her baby on the way!    So it was full of good hang out time, yummy meal times, watching plenty of So You Think You Can Dance, and just being together on the beach.     The first day we were there, we decided to go visit the aquarium.    We even took the ferry over, which made for a fun but long day.   ;)

It was also the first time that Asher really took to the ocean.   He's always loved the beach, by walking all around, or playing in the sand, but the ocean was just more of the background.    This past time, he would go and lay down in the water, where it was coming up, and get it all over him.   Lay down in the tidal pools, splash in the surf, and even wade out to try to keep standing when the waves would start to crash on him.    He.....loved......it.

Then we ventured back to the Boro, for Vacation Bible School.   It was the first year that River really got to do the whole VBS program.    She loved it.   And of course we finished the week up with the traditional shirt signing, 

and pictures with the favorite leader (you know how you always have a favorite camp counselor that you would get lots of pics with?  Well, this was River's crew leader, and she was definitely the chosen one!)   River had a great time learning new songs and stories.

I think one of my favorite things from this summer thus far has been seeing my 2 kids really begin to bond.    I had an older sister growing up, and then when I was 13 I was blessed to be a big sister myself to my twin brother and sister.   But I didn't really "grow up" with a brother.   I was practically out of the house by the time we could really play together.    So, in my mind, I've always wondered how close could a brother and sister really be?    I am so close to my older sister, that it almost seems impossible to be able to be that close with a brother.   But I'm wrong, right?    We probably won't have any more kids, and so I just really want them to have the closeness that I've been blessed with.    All that to say, I've begun to see this start to come out and I love it.   They've also been bickering a bit more, which always makes things nice and exciting around here.    He's always the chaser, and she's always being chased.   He hits....she screams.   You know, your typical boy girl relationship.     And she definitely wants to grow up and marry him. 

Or her favorite cousin, that you can see her sipping hot chocolate with.

This is from the Black Water Loft in Floyd, VA over the weekend of the fourth.   We had a great time camping up at my aunt's farm with my sister and her kids, and then a couple other families.    Floyd is such a fun town to visit, not to mention the exceptional family we get the priveledge of stopping in for blueberry muffins and coffee.   Not exactly roughing it.   But being out under the stars (or thunderstorms) was definitely a needed get away for our family.    Our camera wasn't out very much, so this is basically the only shot from the entire weekend.    Sad, I know.

And last week, I got to go and meet this cute little bundle of a boy named Logan.   Isn't he precious!?    When your baby is almost 2, it's always good to go and get your baby fix for a while.   He's just 8 weeks old, and simply adorable.   And he's practically sleeping through the night, those lucky dogs.   He belongs to my sweet friend, Heather, who I've known since 1st grade, so he will definitely know me as "Aunt Melissa"!     I've already bribed him with presents and lots of bottles.   ;)    It was really fun to see Heather and her husband doing such a great job with their first baby.   Not to mention how much fun I had just snuggling with this little angel!

Well, going from visit to visit, somewhere over the last couple weeks, I've managed to break the LCD on our camera, so hopefully, this next week at the beach, we'll get a few pictures.   Even if they're off center and blurry.    Maybe I'll even take on the commitment to blog every day next week, like my friend Kari has been doing this summer.      But mind you, IF I do, it will only be for the week.   ;)

Oh, and the other thing I've been doing this summer that I LOVE, is the Beth Moore Believing God study.   And if I don't stop typing right now, I'm going to be late to Bible study!!!

So How's Your Last Decade Been?

This wasn't one of the questions asked, but certainly could have been, as I gathered together with a bunch of sweet ladies this past week.      I hadn't seen most of them since high school, almost 12 years ago, but it was easy to pick back up where we left off.     

I think the thing that I loved the most, was that we were all still us.    I couldn't really remember going into our time together, what each of us had done over the last decade and more.   But I knew that most of us had gone to college, gotten married, moved at least once, had children, lost children, lost family, gained family, had struggles, had victories.   They still laugh the same, they still hug the same, they still cry the same, they still talk the same.   They might have a baby in their arms, and maybe shorter hair, a newer car, an important job, but they were still the friends I loved.

Even though I never see these women, and hardly ever talk to most of them, they all are still important people in my life.     And I was glad to be able to see them again....all grown up.    

Egypt

I think that its hard to live by faith.

Even though it's the best way to live.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for,

And certain of what we do not see.

How can we be certain we do not see?

If we can't see it, than how can we trust it's there?

Faith.

Living by faith is more painful, 

And more challenging,

But also the safest place that you can reside.

I've many times wanted to go back to Egypt.

Even though I know I don't want to live in the bondage that I'm fighting to be free from.

And I am free.

Free indeed.

For Christ has set me free.

The song playing, by Keith Green, always helps to remind me that just like the people of Israel, God is wanting to always take us on to something better.   To deepen our walk with Him.   To know His goodness more.   And to trust Him.   Even when we can't see the place He's leading us.   I was listening to a speaker the other day talking about how the Israelites were never "wandering", for the cloud was guiding them by day, and the pillar of fire by night.   He was always leading them.   Even if it felt like it was in circles.   He knew that He had a plan, even when it wasn't clear to them.

Only in Him do I have the power to have faith to follow.

And The Bag Goes To...

Wow, you girls know how to party!     Outside of my wedding, I think this is the biggest party I've ever had.   ;)     It was soooo fun to get to hear from all of you!     Thank you each for your sweet encouragement and just for participating in our give away.       That's my favorite part of the business, is getting to know new people!    Not to mention, I love to have parties!     Have I mentioned that?    haha.

I'm sure we'll be doing other give aways, so if you didn't win, you'll have another chance!    And, the bags are only $12 (w/o monogram), so come on over to www.rekonciledesign.com and get one for yourself!    Everyone needs a new summer tote!    And, actually, just because you did the contest, I'll sell them to you for $10 ($20 with monogram)  But that's just for you, not your brother's wife who heard about the website through their next door neighbors aunt.   So come by whenever to get yourself a good deal!      And as some of you have asked, we are in the process of getting paypal up and running on our site, so it will be even easier to place your order.    Thanks for your patience while we're still figuring out the kinks!

Remember, no matter where you live, we can mail to you, for any of your orders.    We'll be sending out newsletters once a month featuring our latest designs and any special offers we have going on, so leave me your email here if you'd be interested in having those emailed to you! 

Without further ado...the winner is...

JUDY!

Item of the month  ;)

dark brown shell stretch bracelet $12 

($22 w/ engraving)

Did Someone Say Party?

Because I love parties, and because it would be absolutely ridiculous to throw a "website release party", I have decided to celebrate here instead!   We are not brilliant computer people, but with the help of a friend who is, we have finally been able to publish our website!    To celebrate, we are going to give away something from our shop, to one of you!    Just comment here to enter, and then if you link back to this post again on your blog, I'll count it as a double entry.   Then, a week from today, I will choose the lucky winner.    We're excited about our growing business, and wanted to let you all have the chance to celebrate with us!   Wanna see what you could win?   Here she is...

Cute, fun, and so versatile!    I use a different color almost every day - as a purse, diaper bag, beach tote, travel bag, or just to look cute on the go.  If you win, you can pick the color (they come in solids and polka dots, too!) , and tell me how you'd like it monogrammed, and I will send it to you, for free!    Ready to party?

Saturday at it's Finest

What a fun morning I had. First I went shopping to get a few things...

found some fun new clothes, and this great leather travel bag (with 2 smaller travel bags inside)

floor lamp for a few dollars (all she needs now is one of those tassels from the Nester!)

i love Degas, and i found these prints that are already mounted and just need to be framed, that will be fun wherever. my mom used to take me to art museums and i loved the dancers the best. so i got a set of three for the big price of $2.

And the best Father's Day present ever!

Yes, that's a like new, Thermos Gas Grill 2 Go, for $45. We love camping and I'm always on the hunt for good camping deals. Well, I scored big today - at the sales and on the homefront!

Then we went down to our neighborhood's People's Market to pick up our free rain barrel. It was really fun to meet some of our neighbors who love living in our inner city neighborhood and have a similar vision to us. To love those who look and live very differently than you, to restore what has been broken, and to care about being kind to the Earth we've been given.

Some people may look at our neighborhood and see run down old houses, weird alternative people and low income families - and think, "definitely not a place to raise a family." When we chose to buy our house 4 years ago, we knew that we wanted to be in an area where we could live simply, be around people who were different than us, and stand for racial reconciliation, and justice and mercy in the little ways of life. And living here has definitely been a journey of faith in many ways. But recently I have really come to love living here more.

From meeting new friends, to going to the best storytime in town , it has been neat to be given back a heart of love for where I am. As I was speaking to one of the men at the market today, he said, "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world. I feel like we're making history." It was encouraging to hear from someone I've never met, but am living around the corner from.

Beauty from Ashes

I live in the city. On a busy street. And sometimes there things going on around our house that are not always the most wholesome. I usually call my husband when I'm almost home if it's at night, and have him meet me at the car. And once inside, I feel safe.

When I was a little girl, I lived in the country. Like wayyyy out, in the middle of nowhere. Down a 1/2 mile dirt road. We had a very small farm, with dogs, cats, horses, and sometimes geese. At night, it was mine and my sisters job to feed the animals. So we would walk up to the barn, which was probably about 1/4 of a mile walk, maybe not even (you know how when you're a kid, everything seems so much bigger), and feed the animals, and then head back to the house. Well, I would not walk back. I almost always ran. And sometimes I would pretend that there were wild dogs chasing me, and I had to run as fast as I could, and as soon as I reached our back door, I would grab it and yank it open, like the dogs were about to get my feet, and slam it shut behind me. But once I was inside, I was safe. And the dogs couldn't get me.

I can't imagine living in a house where I didn't feel safe. Or having to stay in a place where the people around me made me afraid, and at any moment I might fall victim to whatever malicious thought or deed they had in store.

I think that's why I so easily love "Beauty" again. I'll call her "Beauty" because she truly is beautiful. And you would instantly agree upon seeing her, but after a minute of being with her, you would see the knives come out. And they are sharp. Beauty doesn't know peace. Beauty doesn't know safety. Beauty does not know love. And because of that, she hates. And she pushes you away with her hurtful words and her sharp eyes.

But last night I saw her smile. Her big beautiful smile that I never get to see. And that she seldom cracks for anyone. No matter how much you encourage her. And no matter how much you try to show you care. She won't trust you enough to show you her smile. Not only did I get to see her smile, but I got to see her dance. She danced with others for the Lord, about healing, and about racial reconciliation, about forgiveness, and about trusting the Lord. But the beauty of her smile was all I needed to remember that He can bring "beauty from ashes" and that He longs to restore. Her broken places, He can fix. And maybe, just maybe, one day she'll let Him. For He is the only one who truly can.

Adding Principals and Good Gifts

Sometimes, less is more.

A lot more.

We went to the Farmers Market today, because it's just so fun to do on Sat. mornings. And I was a wimp today - I only went to one yard sale. Because my car AC is broken, and it was like 200 degrees at 10am. However, the one that we went to, we scored big time.

We've been wanting a TV armoire for some time, but as usual with us, don't have an extra $500 bucks laying around. This is what we got today for $100.

Y'all are gonna think that I'm crazy, but I swear to you, just as I was leaving the house, I was thinking how great it would be to find a really nice TV armoire for a good deal. And as the guy drove it in his truck to our house, I just praised the Lord for how sweet He is. And how He loves to surprise us with good gifts that we don't have to have. And we don't really "need". But just like I love giving my kids something I know they'll love, He loves to give us fun gifts. And surprise us out of the blue with something that He knows we'll love.

So since I don't have tons of things to thrill you with this week, and last week was filled with the dance recital, let me hear what you have been finding over the last couple weeks!

If the heat is getting to you, and you're feeling kind of deflated in all this yard sale drama, here's my second addition to the principals:

Don't Give Up!

Just like the saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again." The more you go to, the more chances you have of finding those amazing finds. I know sometimes getting up and going out to yard sales is a task in itself, and then if you don't really find anything, it can feel like it was all for nothing. But don't give up! Your treasure is out there waiting for you to take it home!

The Gift of Dance

This past weekend my daughter River had her first dance recital. As you've seen before here, she absolutely loves to dance. And loves to be in costume, and loves to learn the steps, and loves to watch others dance. Growing up, I was the same way. I could sit and watch the bigger girls dance in the studio I took lessons at, and just be in awe. How could they move so beautifully, and how could I learn to do that?

What I learned at an early age was that to be one of them you had to be perfect in poise and skill, as showy as possible, and that even if you were one of the best, if you didn't have money and popularity, you wouldn't really get too far. Oh, and one other thing....you could never be skinny enough. The sad thing is, is that I really believed some of these things. Thankfully, I was not one of the most perfect, popular or best, and therefore, did not have to succumb to as much scrutiny as those who were. But that was often really hard to not be one of them. To not be wanted as much as someone else. Looking back, I am thankful, that I only had a small amount of damage, as opposed to some who developed terrible self images, eating disorders, and other self deprecating practices to "make themselves better".

However, this past weekend, I was able to participate in something so different. The studio that River has been taking lessons with is not at all about those things. They truly believe that we are to "praise His name with dancing". That the gift of dance, is a way to worship God. An expression of who He is in us, coming out in such an expressive way. The studio does also have a desire for excellence, but it is not so proud that it shames any who don't "measure up". Rather, the dancers and teachers here, seek to encourage each dancer, not just in their accuracy, but also in who they are in Christ.

I've been able to dance with them, too, a little bit. I still dance some, even though I'm not anything like these girl prodigies that are pirouetting around me! But that's the thing, I am still seeing it in that skewed way, of me "not being good enough" to really count. And I'm so thankful that that isn't true, even though I struggle to not believe it. I think being able to see them and hear them long to worship through their dance, and seeing how young they are, but still knowing the true reason why we are dancing, has been so amazing for me to see. They really get it, and they're truly ministering through this gift. What an honor it has been to dance alongside these women of God!

I think all of what I've experienced could be summed up in something I asked River about the other day. She was doing a beautiful dance, just making it up as she went. She likes choreographing and I love to watch and find out what she's thinking as she's dancing. So I asked her what her dance was about. She said, "It's a dance to ask God into my heart."

I'm so thankful to have her in a place where instead of idolizing the showy and proud, she's already seeing the true gift of dance. How beautiful a thing it is to "praise His name with dancing".

"Let them praise His name with dancing!" Psalm 149:3

A Real Boy

You know how in Pinocchio, when he turns into a real boy, and Gepetto keeps saying, "A real boy! A real boy!" ? Well, that's how I've felt this week with Asher. I feel like he's turning into a real boy. Not a baby. A real boy. And there's nothing I can do to stop it or slow it down.

I think it started with the haircut. I had been putting it off for so long, just loving the way the curls hung around his neck. I know that those first curls don't always come back, and I wasn't quite ready to part with them. I also knew that cutting it, would be the start of a new big boy look, and he's just been my sweet baby boy. But as the cute curls turned into a mullet, it started to look less "babyish" and more unkempt. And then, it got so long that it started to look like a little girl. See...

The long eyelashes don't help that, either. So, I distracted him in the bathtub with some toys and brushed it down while it was wet. Then in one snip, I cut those long curls. Well, then, as soon as he heard the scissors, he would jerk away, so I had to think of a new distraction. I got him out of the tub, put a diaper on, and sat him on sissy's bed (his favorite spot) with his favorite book, and a handful of Pringles. Then, I tried to very quickly, snip some of the sides away, to match the back a little bit. It was fun to see such an immediate change in him. To really see him look more like a real boy. Or a little man in a diaper finishing his chips.

It's really amazing and fun to see the change from baby to little kid, but it's also hard to see it happening so fast. Last Tuesday at his 18 month old appointment, I told the doctor that he only really had about 5-10 words. This week I'd say it was about 15-20. And sentences starting to come out, too.

And then there's the climbing. Like pushing a chair over to the counter, and climbing up for what he wants. Or climbing out of the bathtub on his own. Or climbing onto the bed or table and getting off without any help at all.

He's probably my last. And he'll always be my baby, but he sure is changing fast. I like this picture of him. He's fake crying because he can't have more Pringles. But I also like it, because he looks a little bit more like a baby here. Poor thing, I'm sure he'll be in counseling for years.

Junk In The Trunk

Saturday morning necessities: coffee, sunglasses and/or hat, change in your pocket.

This Sat. I was so excited to go yard-saleing because my sweet friend Kelly came along with me! I need to make a couple additions to my principals, one of them being, it's always more fun to go with someone else! I don't think I've ever talked about my history with yard sales, but my friend since forever ago, Heather, and I started going when we were in high school. It was a new found love for me, since my family never really did much yard saleing. But Heather was a pro. And she taught me to love traveling down those Pitt County roads to find whatever treasure we could. So, I learned early, it's always better with two. That way, you can ask each other's opinions, and have fun together, and also...there's strength in numbers. Which brings me to my second addition...

Don't Let Price Tags Intimidate You.

So, you know, yesterday turned out to be really pretty in the afternoon, but not so much in the morning. It wasn't really "yard sale" weather. And, actually, many people moved their sales to Monday, since it's Memorial Day. (So if you missed it on Sat., you still have a chance to go on Monday!) But Kelly and I still went, and were having fun even in the sprinkles, and getting some pretty good deals (which you'll hear about in a minute).

It's not very often that you meet grumpy yard sale hosts that are stingy and unwilling to deal. I mean, if you're buying their old junk, usually their pretty cordial. Well, we met Stingy Man this weekend. We came to one house, and there were a lot of fun toys. And especially a lot of little girl toys. I start looking, and realize that there are Groovy Girl dolls and accessories, Littlest Pet Shop playhouse and accessories, Little Town toys....I could go on, but for those of you without children this age, you would probably lose interest in this post. I saw that the toy prices were high, with stickers noting that each "set" is $5 and then the accessories another $5. WHAT?! Ok, maybe for a couple of sets, I would pay $5. But not for just one set. Not at a yard sale...in the rain....on Memorial Day weekend. So, I start to gather a few things together, and make an offer for a couple of the sets, asking $10 for for a few sets plus a box set of puzzles. The stingy man looked like that was the worst offer ever, but he looked at his daughter allowing her to make the decision, since they were her old toys. She kind of reluctantly said yes.

SO THEN, I started to look through the books realizing that I had missed some fun ones. He had said paper backs were .25 each, and hard backs were $2 each. (OK, just fyi- $2 per book, at a yard sale is not a good deal.) So, I pick out 6 paper backs, thinking that I'll take a few off his hands, and I ask if he'll take $1 for the stack (instead of $1.50). Again, he acts all offended, and says "I'll take $2!" Dude, you just went more than the asking price. That's not whatcha do. If people take more than one, you make the deal a little better. Since they are taking your junk off your hands, and paying you for it. I said, "Well, if they're a quarter each, and I only have 6, that comes to $1.50. But I'll put one back, and give you $1.25." And that's what I did.

So then, when Kelly went up with her pile, it was supposed to add up to $10 at their price, but she got it for $5. A much more reasonable price. I think I wore him down.

I tell you this story to let you know that sometimes you have to be on your game. Now I realize for the more timid ones, this is hard to do. But you do not want to be taken advantage and pay way more than you need to or want to. If they won't come to your price, than they probably won't end up getting rid of it, and it will be their loss. Most of the time, you can tell them what you are wanting to pay, and usually if it's reasonable, they'll be happy to take it. Unless they're stingy man. I think this may have been his first yard sale. (When I told Randy about it, he said, "It's probably because he remembers how much he paid for all of it." I laughed.)

So, yes, there is strength in numbers, but also just remain confident about what you feel comfortable with price wise. It's your game - you're the buyer!

So I ended up doing pretty well getting some fun new things for the house. Here are my favs...

River loving her new pet shop toy - yay!

big old decor things for anywhere (I paid $10 for both!)

Yes that is Calphalon - like new, and only $15!!!

pretty new candelabra to put up

fancy finials ($10 for all of these!) ( these are the things you put on the end of curtain rods)

i love these fun big lanterns that can go anywhere - inside or out! $2

We piled it all in, and loved every minute of it. I meant to get a picture of my trunk, with all the junk in there, but maybe that will be next week. Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!!!

Pickin' Time

We had a great time picking strawberries this week. It's so fun to see the different personalities of my kids come out in whatever we do. Even picking strawberries. And you might think, what's there to be different about. You go. You pick. You eat. You go home.

Well, let me tell you how my daughter River picks strawberries. She starts by being well prepared with her basket. Then after listening intently to the instructions given to her, she developed her strategy. "Twist and pull." And then she very seriously picks the biggest, reddest, and "BEST strawberries ever!"

(notice Asher waaay down the row behind River)

Then, she fills her basket until she can no longer carry it, and runs with all her might down to where we pay for them. Then, she likes to sit in her seat with "her basket" and eat them all the way home. I don't think she ate one while she was picking, but by her basket was probably 1/4 of the way gone by the time we got home.

My son on the other hand, enjoyed seeing the strawberries at the first plant we came to. He picked one, maybe two, and then ate one or two. Then proceeded to run up and down the aisles, crawl over the rows, go down to the end of the row, and then all the way back to the parking lot. He liked standing up on the covered rows, and then jump off, or roll off, or whatever active movement he was enjoying at the time.

It's so fun to see who they are develop a little more with each season.

Good Finds!

(Sorry it's Wed. already, but hey, half way to this weekends finds!)

So...two words.... rocking chairs!

Friday night, I was writing down the things that I would love to find yard saleing, to kind of be thinking of when I'm looking around. I named my list "Yard Sale Prayer List" and kind of laughed at myself for it. Because I love lists, and of course it needed to be a list. The top thing on my list was rocking chairs. I've been wanting some for a while, just because I love them on front porches, and have always wanted them for ours.

On the way to get cash out Sat. morning, we drove by a sign in our neighborhood, and said to Randy let's just go check it out real fast, and then we can go to the bank. We drove up, and both looked at each other and laughed. There they were. Rugged, unfinished, but in good condition, and just needing a coat of paint. We were very excited and later (after going and getting money, and taking it back to them) stuffed the car full with them for $15 for the pair. I'm going to save the pics for before and after pictures.

Among the other goods, were fun new (like tags still on new) board shorts for my little boy, along with a pair of cute pants and a fall fleece for him, and Littlest pet shop toys for my little girlie girl, a play hospital, a couple new books, and a pack of 800 Kodak film for $1 - and yes it's still good.

I also found one of these, which I've been wanting one for a while.

And this

And a great dresser that my husband is fixing up a little. Another great furniture find, but just needed a few touch ups - we don't mind, since it was only $5.

And I think my other favorite thing from the weekend was this all in one joystick atari game that we got. Some of our friends enjoyed watching Randy beat the computer on this one. Can't you see the joy?

To Know Comfort

When I was a little girl, whenever I was sick, we had special things that we got to do, to make being sick not seem so bad. My mom would give me a bell to use, in case I needed to call her for something, but didn't have the "strength" to walk down and find her. (Remember this was before there were cell phones.) And she would make me crushed ice in Karo syrup, so I could have something on my stomach to take in little by little. It was delicious. And being sick - a.k.a. resting in my bed, and having books read to me, and watching movies - wasn't so bad.

I remember "making" myself sick a few times so I wouldn't have to go to school. Like doing the throw up sounds in the bathroom, or fake coughing a ton, or even using a hair dryer to make the thermometer rise really high. I think it's really funny now, looking back, thinking that I was so sneaky. Did anyone else do this, too? Or did I just have serious psychological issues from early on?

Well, anyway, today my daughter told me her throat "really" hurt. But if her panties are crumpled up too much, they "really" hurt. Or if she barely bumps her arm on something, it "REALLY" hurts. So, I didn't really take it too seriously. And we went on to preschool. In the middle of my coffee date with a fun new friend, I got a call from her teacher. "River's sick. She has a fever of 101.6."

So, feeling extremely guilty, I rushed over and picked her up. And held her tight for a while. I heard that someone else in her school had had strep, so I figured with her sore throat and high fever, I better go get her checked. The test came back negative, but we still waiting for the second one. It just seems like she's been sick a lot this year. Cold after cold. Virus after virus. And the next season comes, and you hope that it's done. At least for a month. But it's only been about 2 weeks, and here we go again.

At the doctor's office her fever was up to 103, and she was very pitiful. Just laying on me, while I held her and read books while we waited. She would barely answer questions, and was totally lethargic. I asked her if a nice cold milkshake from Chick-Fil-A would help her feel better, and of course it did.

I felt sad for her, and enjoyed being able to comfort her. I can't imagine just not comforting her. Not holding her. Not helping her. It just reminded me of how my mom used to take care of me on those rough days. I thought how it really doesn't matter what we do to help them. We just love to help them. And we want to comfort them, and be with them in the midst of the sickness. (Even though I was anti-bacing my hands like crazy all the while).

But it makes me think of our Heavenly Father, too. I know that He loves us with that deep, deep love of a father. That in the midst of strife and the suffering of this world, He truly longs to comfort us. To help us. To be with us throughout the hard days. You know, it's not like he likes us having hard times. No more than I like seeing my precious girl sick. I think that we sometimes get tricked into thinking that He's the one who is doing all this stuff to us. But that's just not who He is. It's not His Father's heart to hurt us. He says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

To think that we would go through this life with no hardship or struggle is kind of like hoping that our children would never get sick. And we know how ridiculous that sounds. Of course they're gonna get sick. But when struggles come to us, sometimes we think, "How could He let this happen?" or "Why would God do this to me?" I remember someone saying to me onetime, when I was pondering this same thing, "Why do you think God has done this to you?" And I remember thinking, "Huh. I don't know." But we so easily blame Him and keep our distance when the trials come. Like He'll only hurt us more if we let Him comfort us. It's so sad that we believe the lie that He doesn't want to care for us. That He doesn't care about us.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Ps. 119:50

"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant." Ps. 119:76

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." Isaiah 40:1

"For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones." Isaiah 49:13

"I, even I, am He who comforts you." Isaiah 51:12

"...to comfort all who mourn..." Isaiah 61:2

"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." Isaiah 66:13

"O, my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me." Jeremiah 8:18

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3

I'm thankful that He truly is the God of all comfort, and longs to come to us in the midst of strife and struggle. I long to know that so deeply that I would let Him come. Let Him be the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts me in all my troubles.

The Goods from the Weekend

So you know how when you love something in one area, you like to try it in another place.  Like, if you love Bar-B-Que, you like to try it anywhere, and all over.    You become a BBQ connoisseur, and you probably try it wherever you go.    

That's how I was this weekend at the beach.   We went down with my husbands family, and had a great time.   On Saturday morning, Randy and I were going to go on a coffee date, and maybe stop at a sale or two if we saw any.    Of course I wanted to.  =)     Whenever we're down there on the weekends, I always see yard sale signs, and usually I don't go.    And it's not like you want to spend time away from the beach to go yard saleing, but it was still fun to experience Brunswick County yard sales at their finest.

I was glad that I kept to principal No. 5 and checked to see what was up on the crowded table of clothes.   I wouldn't have found cute fall clothes for my sweet little boy, all for $2!   Or this awesome new Beatles T-shirt for myself.

Randy was excited about this old edition (but unopened, mind you) of Risk.

The other sale that was good to me this weekend, I actually got to go early to.    I knew we were going out of town, and was so sad that my little girls preschool had their big yard sale the same weekend.   Well, I saw the people starting to set stuff up on Thursday, and I walked through, explaining that I was legit - as I did teach music and chapel to the preschoolers.   I was so excited, that I could at least just see a little of what was going to be there.    I walked away from this early bird special with these fun things.

My parents have a barn like this for their nativity, and I've always wanted one for our nativity scenes.   It was fun to think about Christmas, too.

I couldn't wait to show my 4 year old what surprise I had for her for our trip....

Those things are like $40!!!   Not mine - mine was only $3!!

And this will be perfect for lemonade on a cold day this summer!   And just in time - I can't find my other clear pitcher anywhere!!    It was the big price of a quarter. 

That's all folks.     I'm looking forward to hearing about your fun finds, too!

Holding Back

I felt myself start to cry today.   It was at a bad time, and it wouldn't have made sense at all to anyone around me, and so I didn't let myself think about the sad thing, and just distracted myself to what I "had" to do.   It was just a bad time to fall apart.  

But that's the thing, there's never a good time to fall apart.   There's never a good time to feel sad about something.   It's never fun.   It's never a good feeling.    And usually, in my life, I don't welcome it, even when I feel it coming.    And then, the moment has passed, and you've "made it through" without crying.  Like it's a victory or something.   

But what makes me sad, is that my soul doesn't need another victory of stoicism and strength.  I need to be weak, so He can be strong.   I need to be broken so that He can mend.   And I need to be down in the ashes so that He can make me, all of me, beautifully whole.    It's been my nature for so long now to conquer those emotions, that it's a whole new lesson.  And it's hard to learn.  

When I used to play piano, I would learn the song mainly by ear, because I was really bad at sight-reading.   It was so much easier to hear my teacher play it, and then to duplicate that.   However, almost always, I would teach myself a mistake, and because I wasn't reading from the notes, I wouldn't catch it.   And usually, it would be hard for the teacher to catch it because it would sound almost perfect.   But, it wasn't.    It was wrong.  And I had learned it the wrong way.   It would take twice as long to go back and re-teach myself, and my hand to go the right way; to play it the right way.   And I would have to read the music, to make sure it was right.  Because every time, my finger would reach for that one note that I had learned the first way.

So I'm trying to relearn how I feel things.   And how I think about emotions.  To know that it's not weak to cry.  Or wrong to let them show.   Even typing that sounds so sissy.     But I know that the Lord will continue to give me grace, and will continue working to bring this good work to completion.    

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."    Psalm 51:17

Better Than A Yard Sale

I know you're all dying to know about yard saleing on Sat. (haha) but I didn't get to go this weekend.  Instead, I was able to see some of the most precious kids in the world get the chance to live out some of their dreams.   It wasn't the olympics, but it might as well been for how amazing some of them did.   

I have the privilege of working with children from our neighborhood in an afterschool program.   These kids don't get a lot of opportunities to do the things that you and I were privey to as kids.   They don't have private art or dance lessons, annual trips to the mountains and/or beach, fun outings to get ice cream, or even to go to an occasional baseball game.   So you can imagine how neat it was for them to be able to participate in the Children's Race at the marathon on Saturday.

We were blessed to have one of our tutors offer to sponsor any of the children that wanted to participate in the race.   So we got them signed up, and they were picked up by their tutor by 7:45 on Sat. morning, and brought them to race.   You know, we should have trained them, and bought them all running shorts, and had them all prepared.   However, much like the apple pie incident, we were the last minute contestants, who hadn't really well prepared, and our poor kids were running in their baggy, saggy, jeans, and their worn out sneakers.     But they couldn't wait.   And run, they did.

Here are a couple pictures of some of our cuties.

The most amazing part, was not seeing our kids place first, second, and third in almost every age category, though that was pretty great.   The greatest part to me, was seeing our tutors give one of their Saturday mornings, to make something wonderful happen for these little ones.    To show these children that they do deserve a chance to run.   That they are special enough to get up early and spend a morning with.   And that they are talented enough to be a part of (and even win) an extraordinary event.   It blessed my heart more than a hundred yard sales.