Sentimental

December 11, 2011 by · 3 Comments

My husband would tell you that I have a hard time getting rid of certain things.

When it comes to things like clothes or household items, I have no problem donating them or whatever when it’s time to de-clutter.

It’s the little things…the things with sentimental value that I just can’t part with.

And so, I tell you a little story. ‘Cause you all know I like stories. :)

About three years ago, when we were living in Indonesia, I had a pretty tough week. It was

busy, I was super-stressed, and I just needed a day of pampering…so a friend and I headed to one of the local malls for reflexology massages.

$5 for an hour of bliss…really. I can think of NO better way to spend Rp 50,000…the equivalent of about US $5.

After our glorious hour, we went to Starbucks (also at the mall) and I think squeezed in a little outlet shopping, too, before heading home.

I remember that morning so well because I felt human again after all the crazy that had encompassed my life the previous week.

I was about to plop down on the couch for a movie and/or nap when I decided I needed a piece of chocolate… and I broke into the heavily guarded, semi-secret, American c

andy stash we had in the kitchen.

I pulled out a Dove Promise.

And here’s the thing about those…you know how they always have a quote on the inside of the wrapper

? Whenever I eat one of those chocolates, I am careful to never tear the wrapper, just in case the quote is a keeper.

And this one was.

It said?

Get your feet massaged.

Really?!?!

What are the odds

?

I know it’s nothing earth-shattering…but it m ade me smile, it w

as ironic, and it reminded me of a happy time.

And so I put it in my wallet on that day a few years ago.

I’ve switched wallets a few times…and that quote has survived all the switches.

It’s a tiny piece of foil…but to me, it represents so much.

Laughter with a friend. Memories I’ll always cherish. A day that was a good one. A place that will always be in my heart.

So if you ever catch me staring at something in my wallet and smiling, now you know.

Those sentimental things are worth keeping.

Sig

Filed Under: friends, Indonesia, remembering

Something to Think About

December 10, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

A lot of people in cyberworld have weighed in on the subject of the Duggar family and their recent announcement of baby #20… and the miscarriage that occurred this past week.

I thought about sharing my b’zillion thoughts with you all…and decided that this article did a much better job.

Give it a read…it’ s worth your time.

Thought provoking and puts some things in perspective for sure.

And then please say a prayer for this family…parents and kids. So sad. :(

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Little Blessings (Pt. 15)

December 9, 2011 by · 2 Comments

:) A 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon from the napless-yesterday girl.

:) Christmas ornaments that don’t break. Those would be the ones on the bottom of our tree, the ones Maelie can reach, the ones she pulls

off the tree sixty times a day.

I’d be annoyed if she wasn’ t so cu

te.

:) A sweet nativity scene we purchased in Indonesia, made by a man who lived not far from the old BAIS campus.

I love the precious reminder it is to us, not only of

the season, but also of our Indo.

If you are at our house during the Christmas season at all, make sure you ask to see it.

:) First snow. Little Snow. White Snow. Yay for snow!

:) I love Illinois for the fact that they put down salt for like 1/4″ of snow. In Minnesota we needed a goo

d 2-3″ before we got any saltage.

:) The neighbors’ Christmas lights. We jokingly refer to them as our night-lights…but they are pretty.

:) Music. I really want to go

Christmas caroling…anyone want to go?

:) Our TV is not sitting on end tables anymore!

That blessing is bigger than you may realize…

:) A hubby who went grocery shopping tonight so I didn’t have to go.

:) Weekends…they are always nice.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life

What to Do Tonight…

December 8, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

It’s 8:30 p.m., the girl is in bed, and I’m home.

It’s really nice ’cause this week has seemed a bit crazy… and lacking in free time.

I’ve been thinking of all the things I can do with the next two hours of my life…

Like…

–watch a movie with my hubby

–bury my nose in Catching Fire, the second book in  The Hunger Games Trilogy.

–sleep

–address Christmas cards…nah. Too early. Though they turned out very cute…I love that.

:)

–play Scrabble with Tobin and kick his butt, which I will admit to you is actually the winning thought at this point.

:)

–catch up on a few e-mails and blogs

–make jewelry

–write another chapter of my book

Sadly…and I’m so sorry, my faithful readers…blogging is not really making the list of what I’d like to be doing tonight.

I promise tomorrow will be more thought provoking…or at least more opinionated.

:)

See ya all tomorrow!!!

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Tunes…

December 7, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I love music.

I just got home from praise team practice, and I’m too tired

to think.

But it was a good practice. :)

So, here are a few lines still in my head from some of the songs we’re singing…maybe they’ ll inspire you.

Or make you sing along.

Or both. 😉

How glorious is Your love; if I could sing forever, it’s not enough.

One day, every tongue will confess YOU are God…one day EVERY knee will bow!

You are my strength when I am weak…

Your grace has broken every chain…my sins are gone, my debt’ s been paid.

You gave, You gave Your life away for me.

In the desert of my need, You’re the fountain that I seek.

You’re the Living Water I keep running to…

Jesus, You are the Answer; Jesus, my debt You paid; Jesus, You are my Savior; Jesus, You’re the One, You’re the Way!

Really looking forward to Sunday. :)

Have a good sleep, friends.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: church, just life, music

On Being Brave

December 6, 2011 by · 2 Comments

The title of this post is an adjective that does not describe me.

At least, I don’t think it does.

Yeah, I’m adventurous. But I’m not brave.

It’s a rare thing for me to do something that might kill me, or worse, result in failure.

I’m about to do just that…do somthing that I might fail at, not something that might kill me.

:)

So I guess that means I get to be brave.

:)

That was a fake, e-smile.

Really. Cause I kind of have knots in my stomach as I think about the next few months.

So I took

a job at a local coffee shop a few months ago.

It was more to get me out of the house for a few hours every week, but if we’re being honest, the extra money has been nice, too.

I’ve enjoyed the people I work with and the friends I’ve made there, but the schedule of it isn’t working.

I feel like I don’t see my family…as in the three of us…all together during the week. Not to mention that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are horrendously long. And it’s starting to wear on us…ALL of us.

So I decided that for the sanity of my family I needed to be doing something where I could at least stay home.

That’s where the bravery comes

in.

In the next month or so I’m going to head a different direction and try something that I’ve wanted to do for a really long time.

And I am so scared I’m going to fail.

Even brave people fail at things, and that isn’t something I enjoy.

That failure thing.

More to come.

:)

P.S. That was a real smile. I can be brave.

Sig

Filed Under: family, just life, where I am

Monday Funny

December 5, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So despite a drama-filled, emotional, crazy Monday…

On the part of the daughter, mostly…maybe a little from me… 😉

Maelie started the day off in a super funny way,

and it was really nice to start our morn

ing that way.

I went in to get her up around 8:00 this morning, and as I walked into her room, I saw her head pop up over the side of the crib, and she just watched me as I walked to her blinds to open them and then to her closet to get some clothes for her.

The watching was funny enough, but when I got her on the changing table to change her diaper and get her dressed, the following conversation unfolded.

Yes, a conversation.

On the part of two people.

Me: Ok, we need to put your jeans on.

Mae: No! (kicks legs several times)

Me: (holding her legs down and trying not to laugh) Yes!

Mae: No! (more kicking)

Me: Yes!

We struggled for a minute or so, and three times she kicked the jeans off her legs before I finally got them pulled up, zipped, and buttoned.

Me: Now, are you going to be a good girl

today or a naughty girl

?

Mae: Hmmmmm… (she waits a moment) Naughty!

That did it. I just laughed and laughed.

Whatever it was that she meant, she certainly lived up to it.

We had a very active, ornery day. (Those are nice adjectives.)

I love her…and am thankful for the love and laughter we share together.

But I’m still hoping for a little less drama tomorrow.

😉

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, just life, Maelie

All Over the Place

December 4, 2011 by · 3 Comments

Warning: I’m about as scattered as Humpty Dumpty’s poor, shattered, eggshell-of-a-body tonight. So read…or don’t.

Either way, I’ll still love ya.

:)

To preface this, I really don’t watch much TV. Other than the Morning Show occasionally, Blues’ Clues with Mae while she has a morning snack, and sometimes Millionaire in the afternoon so I can feel smart.

So when the ritual Sunday football mania was over tonight…

Insert…deep breath…and a WHEW!

Don’t do that to us, Pack.

Anyway, so when it was over I decided to keep the TV on and watch The Amazing Race.

Which I love, but really, my life has been an amazing race of sorts, and I don’t think the producers would ever let me and Tobin race it for real.

(Because we know too well how to navigate a country without speaking a lick of the language, maybe?! ;)) So I don’t really watch it.

Except I’d heard several weeks ago that they’d been to Indonesia…and to Yogyakarta, one of our favorite Indo cities. This trip to Indonesia was a first for the show, and I’ll admit I’ve been curious. So I pulled the episode up on cbs.com and watched away.

The teams stood in places we did…the Jakarta airport, Gambir train station and the Yogya station, Malioboro Mall.

Things made me smile…like seeing the Bata shoe store and Blue Bird taxis and a motorbike identical to what I drove and black and white painted curbs.

There were words I recognized and beautiful Indonesian faces that looked so familiar…and it was just so smile-worthy. (Though I’ll totally admit that I cracked up hearing the teams botch the pronunciation of Yogyakarta, too.

:)) I think it’s awesome that CBS finally thought Indo was cool enough to send people there.

But in watching all of this…

I didn’t expect the familiar ache.

I’m learning that it will always return whenever those particular strings on my heart are pulled.

I didn’t expect to cry.

I’m learning that it’s ok to cry over something.

I didn’t expect to want to dive for my phone and call Delta to try to use our miles again.

😉

Don’t worry…I didn’t yet. We’ll see. Yeah.

I have no idea why it’s so hard to let go of this place that was our better or worse for five years.

I HATED the snakes…they gave me nightmares. I HATED the horrendous traffic.

I HATED the lack of so many things I deemed “necessary” for happy survival.

And yet, I must have LOVED

…the people, the pretty green everywhere, the way I was loved and accepted, the people, the shopping ;), the motorbike love, the people…

Indonesia wormed its way into the heart of a girl who never thought she could love something so different.

So tonight my heart aches a little and I hurt a little more.

I’ll probably cry a little more tonight.

And tomorrow, I’ll wake up and smile because I remember the LOVE.

Thank God for Indonesia.

And if you want to see a bit of what pulls on my heart, you can find the video here. It’s long but worth the watch…the producers did an amazing job of representing Indonesia. Who wouldn’t want to visi

t? :)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Indonesia, remembering

Christmas Thoughts…

December 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Yikes…is it really December 3rd already?!

Anyway…

Last night we took Mae “downtown” to Dickens in Dundee. (T hat’

s where the UH-dorable photo from yesterday is from.) It was fun…we were only there for about an hour because it was on the cold side, and she refused to wear a hat.

:) But we walked around, stopped for popcorn, got her picture taken, chatted with friends, and listened to some awesome Christmas

music performed by friends of ours.

It was such a fun start to the Christmas season.

Today the parade in Dundee was canceled, so we used our morning to finish Christmas shopping for Mae, realizing this is the last year we’ll be able to do it while she’s with us. 😉

We don’t do huge amounts of gifts for Christmas.

Tobin and I buy each other a few smaller things, and we buy a few things for Maelie, and that’s that. This year my mom and dad and stepmom chipped in and we were able to buy her something bigger…which you’ll have to wait until Christmas to see. :)

No spilling secrets on THIS blog! 😉

As we were walking through Target today, though, I was nagged by thought,

Did we buy her enough

?

We have really tried to keep Christmas about Jesus…and keep the gifts to a minimum.

She’s getting a few fun things, but there probably won’t ever be a huge stack of presents for her.

At the same time, we don’t want her to miss the fun of visiting Santa, of opening gifts… of being a kid at Christmas.

It hasn’t been a hard balance so far, but she doesn’t understand yet, either.

:)

I know the more difficult years are coming…the years when her friends are getting iPads or whatever else is the big thing by then…and we’ll be struggling to figure out what’s appropriate and what’s ridiculous.

I guess that’s part of parenting…we’d better enjoy these years now, huh

? 😉

And on the bright side...I'm done shopping...YaHOO!!! December 3rd could be  a record,  I think.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie

A Happy Memory

December 2, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Sig

Filed Under: just life, Maelie
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