i hear first.
asher: dear God... [pause] mom, what can i thank God for?
i peer through my rearview mirror and see him with hands folded tight, held up in front of his face. ready to pray.
i merge onto the freeway. my four year old initiates prayer like i initiate over to the next lane.
me: asher, we just left costco and were able to get groceries. i'm thankful to God for that. what are you thankful for?
asher: i know. dear God, thank You for ms. kellie giving me that star wars book. thank You for our new house. thank You for the living room. thank You for elijah's room. thank You for our bathroom. thank You for our kitchen. thank You for me and sam's room. thank You for the ga-gouge [garage]. amen.
he smiles, knowing he just talked to the Most Powerful, Most Loving God in the universe.
asher: mom, it's your turn.
he says with confidence.
me: dear God, thank You for the heart of gratitude You are forming in my son. he is learning that You are the Giver of all good things. thank You for ms. kellie going with us to costco. thank you for how You provide us the means to buy groceries. amen.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Sunday, February 05, 2012
pancakes+pajamas
i'm not this creative on my own
but sure love borrowing and implementing a good idea.
thanks to emily allen and kind folks who post pictures so i can do a google search for pancakes and pajamas.
it's their idea. i'm simply borrowing and implementing.
it's the start of a new year.
moms have cleaned up the christmas decor and have high hopes for what's ahead. it's been a season of travel, holidays, and parties. we've missed each other.
i am blessed with a home to host.
to host pancakes + pajamas.
moms and children came in pajamas.
to feast and fellowship over pancakes.
the griddle always warm and ready.
the syrup constant pouring.
who's not happy in their lounge attire?
especially when surrounded by fleece, flannel, and fur.
conversation drifted from formula to diaper rash
from discipline to school applications.
if only to bottle up the laughter and the comfort, the conversation and the encouragement that comes from time with ladies who want the best for their marriages, their children, our city, our hearts.
for this season our paths are similar. we make the choice to spur each other on in one another's company or live out the season alone. we need time together. we need pancakes + pajamas.
take this idea. it's yours to borrow and implement.
who do you know that needs pancakes + pajamas?
are you blessed with a home to host?
Monday, January 30, 2012
despite
despite a 'hit and run' that left me and asher and his two preschool friends in the middle of a city intersection
despite the lady fleeing the scene, leaving me with a totaled minivan and folks laughing and jeering at me on the sidewalk
despite asher's finger getting shut near the hinges of a heavy gym door for what seemed like minutes
despite the finger going flat then puffing up to twice the size of the others
despite sam running into a playground pole at school, causing a gash upon the forehead, with blood running down, taking care of it alone
despite a trip to the doctor for 5 staples that went in just like that...ka-chick, ka-chick, ka-chick, ka-chick, ka-chick
despite this all happening from a wednesday to the following thursday,
me and the kids were safe and unharmed in the van.
the totaled van gave us a new car, at least some towards it.
x-rays showed no broken finger.
6 days later and asher can make a fist with that puffed up finger.
the pediatrician put in the staples which meant no emergency room visit nor emergency room lines.
sam bounced back quickly to his entertaining self.
despite the week we've had,
our family jumped into 'survive and thrive' mode.
the boys grew more empathetic towards each other.
ben and i sat still in the evenings, grateful for His protection.
together, we said we could do a compact car rather than a van. it will be compact. it will be a squeeze. it will save us money. it meets the need.
the instant all of these incidents took place, we had to survive. we had to think fast. we had to think straight.
we had to hold each other.
we had to pray for each other.
we had to cheer each other on.
then we chose to thrive.
sure, it's easy to stay in survival mode.
you do what you can to coast through.
you try to keep your head up.
surviving is the first necessity.
surviving, sometimes, is all that can happen.
but for me, i could thrive going through this together.
key word being together.
throwing in the milkshake always help to thrive!
doesn't it, sam?
Monday, January 23, 2012
lemons
doesn't the saying go, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?
life has given us lemons. that is, it comes with the house.
sam and i gain satisfaction in shaking the tree and listening to the klomp of the lemons...some on our heads. we giggle.
he scurries to gather them.
we gaze up at the tree and it's as if the supply never ends.
it's a simple joy for ben. an extra gift to the home.
it's a process for elijah. he needs something to show for it. it's a gift, too. for he's doing it for others. he's not fond of the taste.
we give them away. they add flavor to cooking.
and we also make lemonade.
backyard lemonade
i'll give some credit to paula deen, but i'm gonna give most of the credit to three of my guys who picked the lemons, cut the lemons, and squeezed the lemons.
ingredients
fresh squeezed lemonade
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice (ben says 12 lemons)
2 quarts cold water
directions
in a pitcher, place sugar and hot water and stir til sugar dissolves. add lemon juice and cold water to make 2 quarts. stir until well mixed. slice lemons to make drink attractive.
life has given us lemons. what has life given you?
Friday, January 20, 2012
dream
i want you to be the first to know:
a dream
one that began on my heart as a young girl
to report like deborah norville
or write like anne shirley of green gables.
over the years with my Father directing my steps and giving what gifts He has given me back to Him,
i'm delighted to share this dream with you.
this chapter began winter 2009 as i met my friend and co-author, courtney belle bullard, at a writer's conference in nashville. as the only two girls on the writer's team, we developed a quick friendship that has resulted in sharing similar dreams and passions to speak truth into the lives of women and young girls.
courtney lives in oklahoma with her husband, steve, and daughter, francesca. she also operates I.D. Ministries, an organization that helps teenage girls find their identity and purpose in Christ.
The Same Page: Living Your Happily Ever After
together, we have used our experience as moms, daughters, writers, speakers, and leaders to imaginatively create a story between a mother and daughter. The Same Page is a flip book with one side telling the story from a teenage daughter’s perspective and the other from a mother’s viewpoint. this book goes beyond a fictional tale and weaves journal questions for the reader. tate publishers has partnered to help make this tale a reality.
our vision
what is not speaking into the hearts and minds of teenage girls and moms today? no wonder it’s so hard to listen to God’s voice and His alone. there are so many voices out there trying to get our attention. courtney and i want to be another voice of truth speaking in the mind, heart of girls of all ages - yes, through a fanciful tale. it’s good to escape into a tale to discover truths about yourself in addition to hearing ‘current reality’ speak to you in forms of a friend, a pastor, family.
living your happily ever after
“I know I am living my happily ever after!” ysabel thinks to herself. courtney and i believe our ‘happily ever after’ begins when we accept the King’s gift of salvation. the most beautiful and redemptive stories are the ones when we embrace His truths and live them out in our heart, home, community, gifts, and the world.
[me and courtney] [holding the final layout]
discover your part
here's where i need your help. in the publishing world today, it’s up to the reader and authors to advocate for the book and its message. i need you to join us in inviting moms and daughters, women and girls, around the globe to step into this fanciful tale and discover their part in ‘living their happily ever after!’
here's what you can do:
tomorrow, saturday, january 21
our website goes live
tweet
facebook post
blog
email
help me get the word out about our website and
book set to release in march.
follow us on twitter at thesamepagebook.
find us on facebook and post how you will help.
let me know you'll buy a copy and write a post on your blog.
send out an email to friends and family about the website and book.
i want to thank you for how you will use your circle of influence to tell others about this book. courtney and i believe in the message and wait expectantly for how God will use it.
believe with us.
in the coming weeks, i will let you know when i have the books in hand. come back and order from the website.
“We will come together when we see each other through the eyes of our King.” - The Same Page
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
spent
"i will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls." paul said this in his letter to the church in corinth. [2 Corinthians 12.15]
this year, more than ever,
i want to walk in love.
i want to share and sacrifice for others.
friends are asking to come into the warmth of our new home.
i must open the door.
moms are seeking stronger, healthier marriages.
i must encourage, follow-up, and pray.
women long for community. i long for community.
i must seek it out and let His overflow in my life spill over to others.
if i care for the souls of mankind like Jesus does, His Kingdom will come.
[jennifer kennedy dean, He Restores My Soul]
Sunday, January 15, 2012
home
we're home.
it's been a word we've seriously talked about as a family since
spring of last year. on our drives to and from school, we'd collectively ask God to provide a home in the neighborhood.
our hearts are already in san francisco, but we have wanted our roots to take hold in the neighborhood where our boys attend school and where we are building relationships.
[our back deck]
as i wrote in my post dwell, we've loved every minute in our first place and believe that this new place begins a new season for our family and how we want to serve the city. when we share our home story in the city, people who are renters understand the agony that can come with the process of finding a home or apartment. but for others, let me shed a little light...
the vacancy rate in san francisco is less than 4% making it very nice for landlords and competitive for those seeking to rent.
our days were spent on craigslist looking for a place affordable and conducive to a family of five.
i compare applying for a rental in san francisco to applying for a scholarship to an ivy league school. it's intense and only one can be chosen. applicants will offer to pay more, bring gift baskets, submit resumes, and sometimes play dirty. the more we applied, the more our eyes were open to the reality that this was bigger than us. through the application process, we'd get awful close and then hear the words,
"the other couple makes a little more than you."
"they're just now starting their family."
"oh, it's already rented; sorry for not calling you back."
"now, how many kids did you say you have?"
(the week after thanksgiving)
monday night, we discovered we were one of the top two
applicants for a home. we gathered as a family
and asked God to give us this home.
asher prayed, "God, thank you for our new home. Amen."
we went to bed hopeful.
tuesday, i received one of these dreaded phone calls from the potential landlord. he chose the other couple. i was devastated. how many more of these phone calls would we get? the search was wearing on me mentally and emotionally. the thought of clicking on craigslist again made me stomach turn. i asked ben if he would continue the search over the holidays, if he chose. i would take a break, set up Christmas decor in our apartment and will myself to trust and wait.
[a rose blossoms in january in our backyard]
a process brings about much stretching and revelation. a process takes time...time i thought we didn't have. a process reveals much about one's character. this search was more than acquiring a home. it was a pursuit for a gift for our family. we see it as a part of the mission for living here. moms in my small group were praying for us. friends in the neighborhood wrote reference letters for us. through the stretching, we were being watched as how we would respond to yet another no. i can't say we got it right the whole time. yet, we lived this process like an open book. we had to relinquish our control. we had to submit to God's best for our family and wait on His perfect timing.
on wednesday, ben calls after taking the boys to school that he had a home viewing at two that afternoon. i told him to go ahead as i would be picking up the boys. at two, ben calls and tells me to rush over to five-two-four day street.
"you gotta see this one!"
it had been less than 24 hours since the devastating phone call. i went with hopes low.
[hutch in kitchen corner]
home was built in 1907. everything updated.
yet beautiful hutch original.
rusty, the landlord, was busy making finishing touches for future tenants. open floor space for entertaining. a dream kitchen. patty, also the landlord, remodeled with emphasis on storage. lots of windows. hardwood floors. garage. deck. lemon tree. apple tree. rose bushes. warm morning and afternoon sun. gas fireplace.
i smiled through the tour of the home, thinking,
"someone is gonna love this house."
i left with hopes low.
i put the final touches on our Christmas tree and resolved to celebrate the holidays in our apartment.
moms would come for a Christmas craft and cookies.
we'd travel to louisiana for a week.
we'd enjoy our first Christmas Day in the city.
[view out our bedroom window]
ten days passed and ben grew hopeful. i held on with a small dose of faith. ben interrupted my mom's brunch to tell me we got the house. my mouth dropped. i quickly shared the news with the moms that had been praying for us. i couldn't believe it.
"why did they pick us?" i wondered.
"i don't know, but we got the house!" ben laughed with excitement.
rusty and patty chose us. they wanted us...all five of us.
we signed the paperwork and began moving in just before Christmas. we still spent Christmas Day at our apartment.
movers and friends did majority of the move with us on december 26, the night we lay our heads down in our new home.
the craigslist search is over. God gave us a home that surpasses my wildest dreams.
[a dainty chandelier]
i wasn't looking for the gift to be lavishing. i was simply looking and hopeful for the gift. the gift of a home. but a friend reminded me of a truth about God:
God loves you and at times God lavishes His love upon you. do you know that as the only female living in this boy-filed home that there hangs two dainty chandeliers?
that's lavish.
and do you know that as ben and i head to bed at night, we have the most amazing view of our city just above our bed?
that's lavish.
though our things are moved in and our beds made.
though i've used the stove and emptied the dishwasher.
though food is in the fridge and the towels linger on the bathroom floor, there is one thing that makes this place home.
we picked lemons and placed them in a brown paper sack.
we baked 6 dozen chocolate chip cookies.
we wrote out a note with our phone numbers and emails.
we went to our ten neighbors on our street.
now, we're home.
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