Day 28: I ate...

...at my favorite restaurant on the Riverwalk tonight.


Curious?


Tomorrow we're going to see Travis' letter!

Day 27: my favorite spot

My spot is my favorite spot...every night my Boy says, "come get in your spot." Good night!

Day 26: old photo

This one's easy-old photos abound in my room right now! This is is one of my favorite collections of Weseloh photos. James made this for Grandma's 90th birthday invitation, I believe, and we blew one up for her to display in her room at the nursing home. The text is "My Symphony," by William Henry Channing. The pictures are of my grandparents, my mom and her siblings.

Day 25: Every day I...

...start with coffee and quiet time.


It's interesting-when I don't have coffee, I feel like I move slower. But when I don't have quiet time, it feels like everything is faster-I'm quicker to anger, quicker to lose patience, quicker to give up...

Day 24: listening to...

...silence inside, squeals of joy outside. Happy Sunday!

Day 23: favorite thing

Y'all are probably tired of hearing about this, but Project Life is probably my favorite thing right now. I love how perfectly it fits my philosophy and my schedule, and I'm grateful for the record of our daily lives it's creating for our kids.


It's not the big, show-worthy moments that make a life, friends. It's the routines, the traditions, the way you spend your days. It's the misses as much as the hits, the ugly as much as the pretty. I want my kids to know that life is all of it--all the little things. It's shredding, which is one of Noble's absolute favorite jobs this year.


It's the anticipation and counting down the days til his party, not the party and the presents.


It's throwing the football around on a Friday afternoon instead of sitting in front of the TV. *Kayci has a really good arm, btw!


It's traditions and community.


It's celebrating the fact that Noble threw up in the toilet, not his bed.


My favorite thing? Everything. :)

Day 22: handwritten

I'm a big fan of mail. Like, honest to goodness handwritten notes and letters. We even have a line item in our budget each month for postage...seriously, I know the post office staff by name. Today was a particularly big mail day, as I sent off 25 thank you's to the ladies who did the Esther study with me...


...and almost 60 invitations for a certain someone's 5th birthday party.


I did the first 18 by myself for his classmates, but after school Noble helped stuff, stamp and label the rest. Daddy even took Bubby to the mail box, as he was adamant that he needed to put them IN the blue box.


I hope it's days like these the knuckleheads remember, even more than the parties and presents.

Day 21: eyes

I cheated-James showed this to me last night and I knew today's prompt was "eyes." I'm usually such a rule-follower, too! DaddyBoy was working on Noble's birthday invite and something about Noble's eyes triggered a memory. So he pulled up a picture of little Kayci and zoomed in...sure enough, same eyes. Pretty cool, huh? :)

Day 20: in a pocket

Today's prompt was a little tough. I was doing laundry so I thought I'd take a pic of the randomness that comes out of the kids' pockets. So far, all I've come across is a ponytail holder and a barrette. Usually one of James' knives ends up in the wash, but not this week. So then I got to thinking about MY pockets, and thanks to my friend Jennifer they're not nearly as packed as they used to be. I don't usually carry a purse, so I was always juggling my keys, my phone, and a coin purse that doubled as my wallet. Jennifer gave me a wristlet for my birthday and solved my pocket problem.


So there's what's NOT in my pockets. Carry on...

Day 19: lights

6:10 am We're lucky if Noble will stay in bed UNTIL 6:00, much less PAST 6:00. I'm funny about lights in the house until he's up, like a light in the living room is going to wake him up, right? :) This morning I giggled when I saw the photo prompt, as I'd just had a mini-stroke when James accidentally left our bedroom door open with my bedside light on. Oh, heavens!

Day 18: sunshine

There wasn't a lot of sunshine today, and I was wondering what my photo would be! I was back in Houston for work (if you're counting, I worked on Friday, came home, went back to Houston Saturday, came home last night, went back today, came home), and it was a gray, rainy day.


But the funniest thing happened. The rain let up as I went out to my car, and stopped once I pulled out of the parking lot. The sky was still gray and cloudy, but look what appeared:


I can't remember seeing a rainbow in a sky like that before. I think if I weren't on work-think overload, there's a lesson here. It's just out of my reach tonight, though-sorry! I spend a lot of time reflecting on the beauty of the sky while I'm commuting. Today was a really interesting sky day. After the gray clouds came:


And then this:


And this:


Gave way to this:


And finally, this:


The sun was going down as I parked at Mom's, and it felt fitting. Of course, it's always sunny at her house:


I'm so grateful that she took over kid duty today so I could work, and she even cooked dinner. And baked a cake!


We enjoyed a game of Skip-Bo after dinner, of course. :)


I won, if you're wondering!

Day 17: What I Wore...

Today I wore my new zebra flats. Then walked...a lot. :)


DaddyBoy and I enjoyed a 24-hour getaway...it feels like we were gone a week. I'm not complaining, though! We dropped the kids off at Grandma's at lunch time, then headed into town. We spent a little more time than I'll admit deciding on where we would eat lunch...but was there ever really a question? After our late lunch we checked into the hotel and took a quick nap before hitting the town for Steve's 40th. (That was our reason for going to Houston in the first place, and we decided to spend the night and call it a Valentines date.) After dinner we went to a comedy club. I'll be honest-I loved hanging out with old friends, but I didn't find a lot of the comedy funny. I know, I know...


This morning we slept in (6:15!!), then had breakfast in bed. We enjoyed vegging out and not having anywhere to be. It was downright decadent!


After breakfast we made a video tour of the hotel room for the knuckleheads. Can't wait to go back with them-they're going to love the rooms!


We drove around our old stomping ground...look what's next to our little bungalow now. Crazy, right?!


DaddyBoy suggested lunch al fresco at D'Amico's, and it was just as awesome as we remembered. We even tried Italian beer, which is pretty grown up for me. :)


We did a bit of shopping for things we can't buy locally...thanks, big city! After lunch and a walk around Rice Village (to walk OFF the lunch), it was time to head home. But you know, the rested, content feeling came home with us. Grandma taught Kayci to sew while we were gone, and I was excited to see her in action. Turns out, they make a pretty good team. :)


And then there's Noble...we'll have to head back to Mom's after a while since he decided to lock both interior bathroom doors at her apartment. Goofy! His defense? "We'll, I SAID 'oopsie!'"


We promised the kids a trip to HorseShoe Junction when we got home, and some friends met us up here.


I'd say a great weekend was had by all, and it's not over, yet. Have a great week!!

Day 16: around town

Tonight DaddyBoy and I hit the town with some old friends. We saw a lot of cool stuff today, but nothing beats Brenda's blinged-out brass knuckle clutch.


Apparently it's gotten pretty rough in the suburbs! :)

Day 15: I dislike...

...high gas prices!

Day 14: Love is...

In case you're wondering, I'm on a Facebook & blog fast for Lent. I'll post to my blog from my phone, but that's it. I realized I've gotten back in the habit of checking Facebook & blog-hopping whenever I open the computer to work, so I need to pull back a bit. Today's prompt: Love is... I asked everyone at dinner. Grandma wasn't sure. Kayci said love is happiness. DaddyBoy said love is patient, love is kind...yeah, yeah. Paul nailed it. Noble made me melt...love is you. (Me, MommyGirl!) As for me, love is all of the little things we are and do. Love is family.


Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope today you loved like crazy!

The End of the Book

Today was the last meeting for our Esther Bible Study. I'm not gonna lie-I've been looking forward to this day for the past couple of weeks. My plate is full, and even though it's full of good stuff...it's full. I thought it would be a relief to let go of this responsibility...but I sure cried when that DVD ended. Oh, Beth Moore, I'm going to miss you.


I've learned so much about myself through this study. I've been convicted most recently about my relationship with my Boy-while I realized I wasn't always respectful, I didn't realize how often I was disrespectful. And selfish and controlling. Ouch. I've been convicted about work in ways that I can't really articulate here. I'll say that for the first time since 2005, I entered the second semester able to see fall semester very clearly...no anxiety about will I go back, will they take me back, do I want to go...I do. I'm excited. And it feels good. This is huge for me. I've also been convicted about my role at home. We live the way we do so I can be here for James and the kids. I was out of balance, but I'm working on that, too. I needed an attitude adjustment about some of the simple things that need doing around the house: dishes, laundry, that stuff. Consider it adjusted. :)


Before we started, ladies told me Esther would be life-changing. I didn't believe them. 2 months in, a job offer changed everything, but I still didn't believe. When I started evaluating and reevaluating everything...I still didn't believe. When my heart turned back toward my home, I thought it was coincidence. When my heart softened toward my husband, I figured it was time. But looking back, my life is so much better than it was when I opened my Bible and re-read those 10 chapters. I see now that Esther is so much more than the story of a poor orphan girl who's pretty enough to become a queen. It's about the woman she became, and the choices she made. For a time such as this...Lord, help me to be what You are calling me to be. Help me to be courageous when I need to be bold, and patient when I need to wait. Help me to find the beauty in the mundane, and to do everything for Your glory and not my own. Thank You for all of the discomfort if the past several months, and for the growth. Thank You for the ladies who took this journey with me, and encouraged all of us along the way. Bless them as they continue the work You've started in their hearts, lives, and families. You know the ones who are crying out for You, and for peace. Help them stand strong and hold fiercely to You. You know the ones who ought to be crying out but are doing it heir own way. Help them step back and see Your way is always better. You know the ones who are ready to lead, Father. Help them step up. We know You are with them every step of the way. Amen.

Day 12: heart

Today's was easy...it's 2 days before Valentine's Day, so hearts are everywhere at our house. :) These hearts are special, though, because they're the souvenirs Daddy brought each of us from his camping trip/retreat. I love that he thinks of us, and that he understands that a thought is more valuable than most things. I love that Boy! There was a heart-shaped rock for me...


...a barbed wire heart for Noble...


...and Kayci's was a photo of a heart-shaped bullet hole. It probably sounds weird, but that's the kind of thing she loves!

Day 11: transportation

I'm soooooooo ready for the owner of this vehicle to come home...he's been gone for 79 hours and counting. Luckily, these last few hours should fly by!

Day 10: up

Today was a doozy. I intended to share a pic of Noble dressed UP...


...singing UP in front at St. Paul's this morning. He's so cute, right?? But then I opened my fortune cookie from last night's late-night Chinese dinner, and I was struck by how much this has been on my mind this week. It's so important to me to get this marriage thing, this LIFE thing, right...because I know our kids look UP to us. No pressure.


Well, then when we were getting dressed, the unthinkable happened. Noble's clothes went UP in smoke. See, he loves putting on toasty underpants and socks each morning. A while back, Daddy discovered that a few seconds in the microwave worked as well as half an hour in the dryer. And for the past few months, we've been letting Noble toast his own undies, under close supervision. Usually. But this morning I was busy trying to get to a different church on time, so I told him to go ahead. I confirmed JUST socks and undies, we're so careful about metal. It sounds crazy even telling y'all about this. Then I went back to my makeup. A couple minutes later, I smelled something burning. I hurried into the kitchen...nothing. Noble was standing there, still naked, clutching his towel. I told him to hurry up and get dressed and started checking the stove, coffeepot, looking for what was burning. I circled back around and Bubby was still standing there, clutching that towel. I asked him, thinking no...but he started crying, and my heart stopped. I grabbed the towel from him, and found smoldering socks and underwear that he was trying to smuggle into his room. Luckily, he was okay (other than yellow-stained, smoke-smelling hands), but after I made sure of that I yelled at my baby until he told me the truth about what happened. My responsible boy wanted to see what would happened if he put them in for 9-0 instead of 2-0. I'm so grateful that he's okay, and that he didn't catch anything on fire. Needless to say, he's lost toasty clothes privileges. But I am going to have him pop some popcorn tonight and get back on that horse again. Yes, I'm embarrassed telling you, but even more than that, I'm scared about what could have happened. Too many times, Noble has reminded me of what can happen in just a second, and that horrible things can happen to us, too.


Needless to say, we had a long talk and I had to remind him about how we don't hide from fire...and now I've had to add that we don't try to hide fire, either. If he had stashed those smoldering clothes in his room, there probably wouldn't be a little green house tonight. I'm thanking God tonight for protecting my Bubby today, and reminding me that as big as he is, Noble's still a little guy who needs a lot of guidance. And patience.