Refining

Oy, did we have a morning around here yesterday.

Tears, drama, arguing...

All over a song.  A hobby, really.


I've long been a fan of Vince Guaraldi, and when Kayci started playing the piano I couldn't WAIT until she was able to play a "Charlie Brown" song.  Well, when it came time to choose songs for her Christmas recital, she wanted to try one.

Or maybe she wanted to do it for me.

Either way, she said she would do it.  Then the next week she informed me that she had a back up plan since the Charlie Brown song was hard.  And right then, I knew it.  For two whole weeks, the Charlie Brown songbook collected dust.  Even after lessons last week, I thought she'd get inspired to work on it some more after guidance from Ms. Jana.

And truthfully?  She hasn't been practicing.  And when she does practice, she plays the songs she KNOWS instead of working on the one that she's LEARNING.  It's kind of been driving me crazy.

So, yesterday morning she was practicing.  We'd discussed this over the weekend, and I told her she needed to put more time in on the song she was struggling with.  But once again, yesterday morning, every song BUT that song rang through the house.

I put on my big girl panties and went and sat in the red chair and reminded her, gently, that she needed to be working on the Charlie Brown song.

And it hit the fan.

Much 9 year old drama followed, but Daddyboy and I were on the same page and stood firm...it feels good when we agree without working on it, you know?

Before Kayci got out of the car yesterday morning, I told her that I wasn't MAD at her, just disappointed that she wasn't doing her best and that she'd quit before she even tried.  I told her the truth--that most things in life are easy for her, because of her intelligence and talent and other blessings.  Piano, up to this point, has been easy for her.  I told her that God often puts things in our lives that are hard because it's these things that challenge us and help us to grow--and that's what this song is for her.

It's a little bit of Refiner's fire, maybe for both of us.

Yesterday afternoon she practiced without complaint, and the mood was totally back to normal (phew...I was kind of dreading more drama!).

Today is lessons.

Tomorrow...we'll see.

I love that I am able to have real conversations with my kids about God--there's no way I would have understood any of that at her age.  And for the record, at her age, I wouldn't have tried, either--I'd have quit.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Something old--we had lunch with my high school friends yesterday.  Despite being an hour late (sorry, guys!), we had a GREAT time...I'm so glad we made the drive.  It has been YEARS--like, since our wedding, since this group has been together!  But thanks to the wonder of facebook, it feels like just yesterday.  There wasn't a whole lot of catching up to do since we stalk each other online, so it was nice to pick up where we left off and just enjoy our time together.  :)  

I wish I was cool enough to have a high school picture of us handy...but they're in boxes.  These are the friends who liked me when I didn't like myself, who knew me when I didn't know who I was, and who loved me anyway through it all.  That doesn't mean there wasn't drama (hey, I thought my life was a John Hughes movie for a good decade), but I love these friends dearly.  The years have changed us and we're literally spread out around the country, but it doesn't matter...put us at a table and the years fall away.  The only way yesterday could have been better is if Mike Wright had been available, but next time!  Oh, and look on the left behind Noble--when I saw this picture on facebook (thanks, Allan!) I cracked up--I love, love me some Preston (Jen & Steve's son, our Godson).  Isn't he Calvin personified?

So that was the old.

The new?  If you've been following along, you know the Pilot has been acting up.  A week ago James and I were heading off to Salado to shoot a wedding, and I fully intended to come home and sink the profit from that into Pilot repairs.  But somewhere along the way I woke up and realized that we've been spending WAY more than a car payment on repairs since August, and there comes a point when it becomes less important to have a car that's paid off and more important to mind our budget.  So, my Boy and I sat down and came up with the amount we could pay comfortably each month and a list of things we needed in a new car.  Well, newer car--we are used car buyers, thanks to Dave Ramsey.

I love, love, love how the internet has changed car buying.  I spent a couple of days online searching for Pilots, thinking I wanted a 2009 Pilot.  Well, turns out we couldn't afford a 2009 Pilot--and the 2007 and 2008 Pilots we COULD afford weren't much better than our 2005 Pilot.  So, it was a bit of a letdown.

And then I found a 2008 Explorer online that I liked, except for the crazy custom interior.  So I did some research and found out that's a good, solid vehicle.  And I kept looking and ended up finding a couple more Explorers at a dealership here in town.  I called about them, since James and I are all for buying local (but in the case of a car, we weren't too set on it--when you're talking that much money, it's worth it to drive to the best deal).  I liked the salesman immediately, and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with him to decrease the amount of time we'd have to be on the lot with our knuckleheads.  The Explorer sounded good enough on the phone to spend time looking at, so we loaded up and headed over to the dealership.  (It's Brenham, with stopping to pick James up from work it took 10 minutes.  Love, love living in a small town!)

We liked the car a lot, and the kids were sold at sunroof.  To be fair, we drove a Toyota, as well but didn't care for the interior.  And that was a lot more money for less car, so we weren't very excited about it and knocked it off our short list.  I still had a few Pilots lined up in Houston and another Explorer, so we talked to the salesman about price and he thought he could get the Explorer down to what we wanted to pay.  We left the dealership and were ready to buy the car that day, but figured we'd better think and pray on it a bit longer.

After a day of that and a couple hours of negotiating and finalizing, we ended up with the something blue.  :)

You guys know how I feel about money, and it was nice to buy a car we really like that didn't leave us with buyers' remorse.  We didn't want to take on debt, but we didn't have the cash saved to buy a car...so we did the next best thing and picked a low amount that we could spend on a car payment each month and stuck to it.  It feels good to have accomplished that more than it feels good to have a prettier car, to be honest.  Oh, and a note:  when we started negotiating, the dealership kindly worked a service contract into the deal.  We kept asking to revisit it and get details, and when we finally did we found out it was a $2600 contract that would only last about a year the way I drive.  I wonder how many of these "deals" we've financed into our previous cars...we were so young and dumb.  So, we declined and agreed that if this vehicle needs $2600 worth of work over the next year, we shouldn't be driving it, anyway!

Today we're off to Clarkson Thanksgiving--this year Ronny's making gumbo.  Yum!  

Thankful for...

Surely he's thankful for other stuff, too?


If you're reading this, we're thankful for YOU!

Assistant

When we were first married, James went to work for a video production company.  It was a really interesting job, and I enjoyed the perks.  One weekend we were asked to be in a commercial for a local car lot, which thrilled me.  But...we got there, and the shoot was off-schedule.  It drove me NUTS.  We were just waiting and waiting and waiting and they were being sooooooo inefficient.  Then it was finally our time to be on camera, and they had us, the 24 year old newlyweds, look at a minivan and a the older parents with their 2 kids looking at a sports car.  Really?  Oh, my poor Boy--I don't think I said a positive word all day.  And I know there were other shoots I was involved with that I criticized this or that.  Man, I must have been so. much. fun. to be around.  NOT!

Needless to say, God's been working on my control freak nature.  A lot.  And I've been letting Him.  (That's a control freak joke.  Get it?)  I'm not saying I don't struggle with it, because I do, but I'm learning that I can't and shouldn't, quite frankly, control everything.  

Along with that, I've learned over the past several years that there's always something positive in a situation, even if it's that the situation has gone horribly wrong and will be a learning experience.  I've changed from one who's always pointing out the negative to one who can either keep her mouth shut or say something nice.  And I'm working on that one every day...there are lots of negative people out there, and it can be contagious.

That's me, the photographer's assistant.  I wasn't sure what to wear, but I'm glad I opted for clothes I could run, climb, jump and bend over in...I'm thinking a variation of this outfit for each season will be my uniform!

This past weekend I had the honor and pleasure of being James' assistant at his first solo wedding shoot.  I know I'm biased, but he did an AMAZING job.  He's grown so much as a photographer, not just with his technical skills but his people skills, as well.  It was really cool to watch him work--I am in awe of how much talent God has packed into that one man.

I think he was nervous, honestly, about me being his assistant.  I don't blame him.  See above.

As recently as last spring, I've had trouble assisting James with shoots because I would talk to much to the people IN the pictures, not pay attention, not hold stuff right, and the list goes on.  I sucked as an assistant, not so much anymore because I wanted to be the boss but because I just didn't do a good job of being an assistant and listening to the one who was leading me.  But God's been at work, there, too, and this wedding was my chance to redeem myself and prove that I've been listening and growing.

I'm proud to say that I did a great job of being James' hands and feet this weekend.  I took direction well and was able to stay in sync with him (rather than trying to be one step ahead of him, as in the past, which usually ended up badly!).  I chalk that up to maturity on my part, and just being able to submit.  (All those Bible studies are paying off!)  And my Boy and I are in a great place right now, so that helps, too.

It really helped when we got home and faced our car issue head on...we've been praying and working on that all week.  Guess what we're getting tomorrow?  :)  And it hasn't been nearly as stressful as I thought it would be, because we're on the same page.

I like it here.  My prayer today is that we can STAY on the same page throughout the day as we celebrate with a full house.  James is taking lead again today, as he enjoys cooking the turkey and I really could care.  :)  I'm grateful HE enjoys it, though!

And I'm grateful for you, sweet friends.  Go out and be a blessing to your man today, and be sure he knows how grateful you are for him.  :)

An e-mail to my Jesus Girl friends :)

Hi, Jesus Girls!

I hope you are all having a fabulous Thanksgiving week!  I'll admit, this year we weren't faithful about writing in our family gratitude journal every day.  I think I've burned my kids out on it, but we still TALK about it (mostly) every day.  Man, I hope that's enough!  :)  Last night I spent a few minutes on Pinterest while I was winding down, and Melissa Smith pinned something that made me smile and think of you.  Thanks, Melissa!

Be joyful always

pray continually

give thanks in all circumstances

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Look at those words again, friends--always, continually, all circumstances...not just when we have abundantly, not just when things are going our way, not just when we're gearing up to get more stuff...always.  Continually.  In all circumstances.

This is a time of year that begs comparison, want, overindulgence...don't play the game.  Chances are, if you're reading this, that you have ENOUGH.  

Enough is enough.

Enough is all we need.

This time of year encourages us to want MORE, to not be satisfied with enough.  I'll be honest, it got me yesterday at IKEA.  I went in looking for a cheap lamp and I found one--but I came out dissatisfied because somehow while I was in there I decided I needed a new table for my work corner.  This hounded me all day, and it made me MAD.  I don't like that feeling of want, and dissatisfaction.  I must have sounded like a petulant child when my sweet Boy asked me what's wrong and I said, "I don't like WANTing!  I'm trying so hard to be grateful to have a corner to work in and work to do in the corner..."  

But I need to not try as hard, and just 

Be joyful always

pray continually

give thanks in all circumstances

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This week especially, let us be grateful for enough--even if it's not what we thought it was going to look like.  Even if it's less than our siblings or neighbors or friends.  And as we head into the next most wonderful time of the year, let's agree to focus less on the busyness of the season and as a group of friends, help keep the next few weeks Christ-centered.  No matter what the calendar says, this is a time of year when we celebrate our Savior's birth.

Let it sink in, friends.

Our Christ came to earth just like we did, just like our babies did.

To be born of a woman.  A girl, really.

To be born human, vulnerable...to live to teach us, and die to save us.

He was born to die.

For me.

For you.

For our babies.

THAT is what we are celebrating.

Now, if you know me or you read my blog, you know we do a lot more celebrating around here.  Santa will visit us, and we've had an elf friend for most of Kayci's life.  We have traditions that we love, and little celebrations constantly.  And like some of you, James and I will struggle daily with balancing that stuff with the birth of Jesus and what a huge, huge gift that was and is every day.  

I'm rambling.  These are the things on my mind even as I gear up with groceries and figuring out seating for more people than will fit comfortably in our house.  :)  Another ramble--I bet my Grandma never once worried about stuff like, will I have enough chairs? Or where will everyone sit?  We just FIT...tons of us in her small house.  And it wasn't a big deal that there was only one bathroom, we just took turns.  I remind myself of that when we have a houseful here in the little green house.  I hope you'll remind yourself of those times, too, if you're stressing this week about table settings and perfect recipes and...whatever you're stressing about.  

Enjoy preparing your house.  Or preparing your family for travel.  

Cherish the time in the kitchen, or the car.  

And if you're struggling with these things or finding things to be grateful about, don't beat yourself up.

Yes, you, who even as you're reading this are beating yourself up and withdrawing...don't do it.

Talk about it.  Find a girl friend or mentor you trust and talk about it.  Call me--I know what it is to struggle with these things.  And I know what it is to come out on the other side, as well, and fight NOT to go back.  

Don't spend another day wondering why you can't be joyful--find your joy.

It's in the manger.  On the cross.  Walking the dusty roads finding people to minister to.  Walking on water.  Calming the seas.  Sitting at the right hand of His Father.  Loving you, loving me.

Friend, I love you.  But more importantly, Jesus loves you.  If you're reading this, you're a Jesus Girl.  Let's go into this season as Jesus Girls, not frantic, busy, dissatisfied mamas.

Deal?

I can't wait to see you all next week...hmm, guess I'd better bust out that homework, no?

Have a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving.  And know that as I'm counting my blessings this week, you're on the list.

Big hugs,

:) Kristi

Every time!

Kayci is an exceptionally responsible child. Noble, however, is a typical 4 year old boy. He leaves his jackets at school daily. I wish I was kidding. The boy loses jackets like...I lose jewelry. Enough about me. So, his hoodie's been MIA for a week. 2 trips to school didn't turn it up (but they did find another of his missing jackets!), so yesterday I gave in and took him shopping.


Dang it. Guess what I found on his toy shelf this morning?


Seriously?! Every time.

File under...

...saw this one coming. Got in the truck this morning and realized I wasn't wearing my wedding ring. I didn't *think* I'd lost it, just forgot to put it on. The good thing was, it was waiting for me at home. And I thought to myself, I'd better pick up some ring sizer thingies today while I'm out. You know what's next, right? I went to recycling. And helpful, helpful me...I was all like, hey, I'll just throw these milk cartons directly into the crusher and save y'all the trouble. Stinkin' Girl Scout in me! That's enough words. Fill in the rest...














Every day really IS an adventure around here. :)