Weekend Away!

So Hotsauce and I got away for the weekend! Yay us!  ;)
Like most of you know, we went to St. Louis and quickly discovered that a weekend WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH.  Though, honestly when is a weekend away ever long enough??  Or a week even?  But we are seriously considering taking the kids with us next summer.
Which brings me to this random thought.  I rarely usually sometimes NEVER miss the Turkey Bottoms when I'm away with Hotsauce.  I know, I'm a bad mom!  But, seriously I had just shy of 72 hours without anyone saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy... NOOOOO! I WAS TALKING TO MOMMY! MOMMY, MOMMMMMY, MOMMMMMMMMMMMY!" It was heavenly.

So, what did we do?  We got in on Friday night around 9ish and asked the front desk guy where a great place to hang out would be... he suggested the Delmar Loop.  Which was great... if you like live music, people yelling and screaming at each other, bright lights, big crowds, lots of hookah bars and nightlife in general.  Which of course we do.  Ha! Ok, I loved watching the people and the atmosphere... Hotsauce looked like a very uncomfortable cop. ;)  And he may or may not have had to explain what exactly and hookah bar was and I just kept thinking, "That CANNOT be sanitary."

Saturday morning we slept in... until 11:30! Heavenly.  Seriously.  We had to force ourselves out of bed.  We then bought new running shoes at the Galleria Mall and put them to use once we found some used furniture/consignment/antique shops.  Here's something that never happens... we found 2 pieces of furniture that we both liked and could afford... but didn't buy them!  Ahhh, the power of the Holy Spirit!

After that we did a drive by of the Arch and then went out with some friends from Emmaus (that we hadn't seen in 10 years) at a place called Bailey's Range, which you can check out here.  And because I was doing such a great job of sticking to my diet (or because we were enjoying our time with James and Eryn so much) we ended up at Fountains on Locust...which you can check out here.  This is the one time where Ben "out ordered me" and got something called the Dark and Sinister... um, it was delish!  

Sunday morning we only slept in until 10:30!  It still makes me a little giddy just thinking about it.  :) On the suggestion of Eryn we went to Antique Row on Cherokee.  Again the Holy Spirit was at work and we refrained from buying anything!  We left there and went to the St. Louis Zoo which was a great time!  I fed a stingray and it nibbled my finger and I chickened out of feeding it anything else!!  But, they were great to pet... at least for me - the uncomfortable cop just looked on and laughed at me!  We probably walked a minimum of 7 miles and it was 94 degrees, so maybe Hotsauce was just hot! ;)

We headed out for the Arch with big plans to go to the top as I have never been and Ben was just a little duffer when his parents took him.  We got there and discovered this sign...

I won't rat him out entirely, but let's just say he didn't have any alcohol, pets or mace on him... but if there are any other pictures of any other things he may have had both in his possession.  Not that he would ever have to protect himself, his wife or others at a national monument... so who cares about his right to bear arms... but that's a different blog post altogether right!

Well, by the time we got back to the van to lock up forbidden items I may have had to go to the bathroom and by the time we found one and got back to the Arch and stood in line forever they only had ONE ticket left to the top.  Ben was willing to let me have it, but I wasn't going without him, so we went to the Museum to lick our wounds.  After walking around listening to the creepy fake people giving small history levels we left to go have pizza and watch cable TV in our hotel room.  Which by the way was really nice and I got it super cheap using the "secret room" option from Travelocity.  But, if you're ever in St. Louis, you should check out the Hilton Garden Inn.  Breakfast costs $12, but since we slept through it we didn't care!!

Monday morning rolled around and we were out of bed bright and early for a last ditch effort to get to the top of the Arch (which is something the two of us have wanted to do together for awhile now).  And we finally made it!! So I will leave you with some pictures since this has gone a little longer than planned!!

I didn't do the best directing of where his hands should go, but I try!

View towards the city from the top!

We sure are cute!!

Hypocrite Church ...

"Do you want to come to church with me on Sunday?" I ask.

"Church really isn't my thing." She replies.

"Well, if you change your mind let me know."

"Actually, I don't like the idea of going to Hypocrite Church."

"Hypocrite Church?"

"Yes. Your church. It's full of hypocrites, acting like they're better than everyone else, pretending not to be sinners.  But, I work with Mr. Hypocrite and let me tell you he's a real dirt bag Monday through Friday from 9-5 and I know he's a member of Hypocrite Church and I don't want to be a part of that."

                                                                              ************

Lots of us have experienced conversations like this one!  And for some reason this conversation keeps coming up in my world.  Like most conversations I always look back and think, I should have said this and that and added this... as though my terrific insights on any subject will convince those in attendance to lay down their lives, pick up their crosses and follow after Jesus all the days of their lives!  Ahh, if only!

But, here are a few things I wish I would have said ...

First of all how is hypocrite defined?   -person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.


-person who pretends to be what he is not

Ouch.

So yes, perhaps I go to Hypocrite Church. Every church has their share of hypocrites.  So does every organization, political group, group of moms, and circle of friends... etc.  Where there is a group of people gathered you will find in their midst people pretending to be something/someone they're not.  We all want people to think that we are better than we really are, it's human nature.  It's not an excuse so much as an admission of guilt.

But, perhaps you're wrong about who they really are and what they're doing?  What if they're not so much a hypocrite as they are a work in progress?  I strive to be more than I am.  I know right from wrong and unfortunately I often choose wrong.  But, the more time I spend in the presence of Jesus, with fellow believers who keep me accountable and pray for my growth, the more God makes me into who I should be.

Becoming a Christian and going to church doesn't guarantee that we automatically become sin free... much in the same way that becoming a parent doesn't make our actions always line up with what we are teaching our children.  I would dearly love to impress upon my children that they need to be honest, but does that mean that I will never lie again? I wish!!  If we had to wait to go to church before we became perfect people we would have a lot of empty churches and, I for one, would never know the joy of sitting under the teaching of the Bible so that I may somehow become a little more like Jesus each week!  Likewise, if we had to be perfect before bearing children this world would die off pretty quickly!

Since I'm relating church going and parenting so much here is one more consideration.  Before having children I would have very pridefully told you that I thought I would make a wonderful mom, because I was a pretty wonderful person.  Then God gave me children!  I learned very quickly that I'm a very impatient person.  I am an easily frustrated person.  I am prone to telling white lies if it gets me out of asking another question.  I am lazy.  I am not nearly the prayer warrior I need to be.  I will tell you that some situations warrant yelling like a crazy person and that I have been known to spank in anger and not out of a desire for my children to become more like Jesus.  Being a mom has opened my eyes to my many areas of weakness and that perhaps a little humility will do me some good!  I will also tell you that church has done the very same thing for me.

Being involved in a Bible believing church has also taught me that I fall short all of the time.  Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It reminds me that many times I will tell my friends and neighbors that the need to be patient with their children, that they need to pray for them and that yelling isn't the answer and many times those who know me best will ask me how I'm doing in these areas myself.  My church is more than a building full of hypocrites... it's my family.  They are people who know that I fall short and they love me in spite of short comings.  It is a family that encourages me, teaches me, prays for me (and my poor children), calls me out when I need to be called out, and offers unconditional love and is a picture of God's grace.

I ask that you might give my family at Hypocrite Church a little grace and realize that we aren't really here to tell you what you need to do or not do... instead we are here to learn more about God and His Only Begotten Son ... you know, the Son that died on the cross for all our sins and who is mercifully changing us each day to be more like Him and less like a hypocrite.

Also I would challenge you to come to Hypocrite Church and perhaps God will work in your heart so that you may love His children and see that we need a Savior just as much as you do.  We would love you to become a part of our family... bumps, bruises and dysfunction ... love, grace and mercy too.

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:15 &16 (NLT).

Trying the impossible.

I've recently read a quote that says something along the lines that nothing is impossible, the word itself says,
 "I'm possible".

I am worn out with what seems like my impossible task!

I am fervently, obsessively, constantly searching for the perfect home school curriculum.  Assuming that you're my friend on Facebook you're saying to yourself, "Tell me something I don't already know!"

We have been using My Father's World with Hannah for 4 years, with Emma for 2 years and with Benjamin this year.  It has some incredible strengths... it's phonics instruction seems to be fantastic for each of the Turkeys.  I also think the penmanship is great and there's plenty of practice.  Penmanship may not seem like a big deal, but it is a major deal for Hotsauce who thinks that too many home schooled kids have horrific hand writing.

This year we read Kingdom Tales which we all loved as a family (though it was designed for Hannah's curriculum), we also loved Hero Tales, Christian Heroes: Then & Now, Come Look With Me, Window on the World and many other books recommended for reading.  So I loved both the read alouds and the silent reading that we have done over the years.

I do not like Singapore Math.  I do not like how there are no comprehension questions that accompany the assigned Bible passages or memory verses.  I do not like English program that we are using as it has no teacher's manual and seems to be obscure and frustrating for Hannah.  I also don't like how each subject does not connect to the others... at least not as much as I would like.

I would love to find a Christ-centered curriculum that is also connected and "one-piece" if you will.  I would love a program that has a central unit of study and everything else is connected.  For instance, if we are learning about Africa I would love to have our vocabulary and spelling words coming out of the books that we are reading.  I would want our history and geography to be all about a Africa as well as any copy work too.  I would like art that is from Africa to be studied and instruction on how to make similar "African Art" to be given.  I would love to have books on what God is doing in Africa and accounts of "famous" African saints.  And so on and so on.

But apparently this doesn't exist. I have had several people joke that I should write my own curriculum. I considered it... believe me I might still be considering it!!

Since I cannot find what I want I have asked numerous people about what they are using and what are the strengths and weaknesses of their curriculum.  Let me tell you something about home schooling mamas... they either love or hate their curriculum.  I have not found people who think, "It's pretty average and our children really aren't learning anything, but that's okay with us."  No, most HSMs (home schooling mamas) have very strong opinions about curriculum and most are very long winded in telling you about them... some HSMs even write blogs about it!! ;)

The one thing that has been a very positive aspect of weeding through curriculum is that you learn quickly what you don't want... and in doing so you discover what is most important to you.  Several HSMs who have grown children keep telling me to cover the basics for Elementary... Bible, reading, writing, math and the rest will follow.

Hotsauce and I also strongly believe that one of the greatest things we can do for our children's education is not only to teach them to read, but to introduce them to great books. Literature opens our children's minds to a wealth of knowledge!  History, science, geography, grammar, art, math, personal character, matters of faith and more can all be learned from great books.  Reading together as a family, or one on one with the a Turkey, also opens doors to greatness!  But, there are so many books that are so full of junk that we also must be diligent in giving them books that are in line with our faith.  Easier said then done!!

So this is the journey of home schooling.  It's exhausting.  I only pray that it will prove to be of great value for the Kingdom!

**Please let me know what your favorite books were in Elementary!!

Say what??

With temperatures in the 70s and 5 children asking  begging to go to the park we decided we could hold them off no longer... especially one persistent 6 year old boy who's life would surely end if we didn't make it there today!
We went out to grab the Turkey Bottoms and before long a neighbor girl asked her mom if she could come with us... her mom agreed.  I think her eyes even twinkled in a way that all moms hope they hide, but other moms pick up on easily. You know, the look of freedom. As we were taking off the girl across the street came home from school and was about ready to cross the street when one of our children announced that we were headed to the park.  So Hotsauce, dutifully walked over and asked her mom if she could join us too! I imagine she had that same look also... especially since she works out of the home all day.
While waiting for girl-across-the-street and for Benjamin to return his fireman hat into the house along came two other neighbor kids from school. They joined us also. So with 9 kids in tow, some on bikes and others with little legs hurrying to catch up we journeyed to the park.  And wouldn't you know that while we were there 2 more kids from our neighborhood showed up.  So that's 4 eyes on 11 kiddos... all who were very well behaved and actually made the day far more enjoyable than our meager family of 7!
I wish the same could be said of another boy who was around the ripe age of 9 or 10... he was at the park accompanied by a 6 or 7 month old brother and an 18 month old brother and his mom.  Upon arrival I hear his mom say his name in that disgusted tone that can only mean she is done... and I mean DONE! He ignores her and goes on with his business of being naughty. When she tries to get his attention again he replies:


"Mom you're so retarded that you shove batteries up your butt so you can have some power."


Ben and I sucked all the oxygen out of a three block radius, both from sheer shock and in anticipation of the fury that will surely befall this ... this... this... disrespectful child who really has a snowball's chance in hell to become a contributing member of society... and then it happened... His mother dropped her voice an octive and said:

"That's really inappropriate, you know."


And the child responded with laughter:

"Yeah, but it's really funny."


And that was that.

Ben and I, of course, exchanged a look that lasted a mere half second that communicated to the other:

"Oh.my.word.if.that.was.our.child...You've.got.to.be.kidding.that's.all.you.got?...You both need spankings. And so much more."


Now, I know that when your child acts out and you're out in public that it's really hard to know exactly what to do and I will also admit that my children have gotten away with more then they should... but this was beyond "inappropriate".

As you may have guessed they stuck around and played awhile longer before the mom announced that it was time to go home because she was tired and still needed to make supper. The child flat told his mom, "NO" and that he wasn't going yet. So she stayed awhile longer. Again she announced it was time to go and started getting her two younger sons ready to leave.  Oldest boy says, "Just one more slide."

Now we have all been here and we have all given into the "One more slide," request... even when it's accompanied by a whine. I've even seen moms give in to this request when it comes with kicking, screaming and throwing a fit on the floor of McDonalds.  But, I've never seen it work after a child has called his mom a "powerless retard".  Which is obviously an offensive term that no child should ever use, but when using it to his mother's face is without words, but he did prove his point that his mother truly doesn't have any power when it comes to being an authority figure in the life of her 9 year old child.

When mom finally convinced her son to leave the playground he was upset and called her fat, maybe even a big fatty, but I can't be completely sure of that.  Upon hearing this my eyes doubled in size and my mouth dropped open.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Just wait until we get home."

Son: "No, mom. No!"

"That's it. I've told you a hundred times not to call me that and now when we get home..."

"No, mom!! No!!!!!"

"...I'm going to whoop your ass..."


Are you serious?  He's called you that a hundred times before and he still has teeth? I am going to make a major assumption here and say that there must not be a dad (or his dad) in the picture. Why? Because if any of my children would have ever said that to me their Dad would have knocked them into next week.  But, even further than that my children would never say that to me because they have been trained by their father that not only is that inappropriate, it won't be tolerated! And why won't it be tolerated?  Because God commands that "children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right."  And if dads don't teach their children what is right and what is wrong, then this is what happens. This boy has no boundaries, no respect for authority, no direction or purpose, no idea what is right.

I believe that each one of us has a need for authority and a need to know how to operate under it.  I further believe that we have a small period of time to train our children the up in the benefits of obedience and the consequences of rebellion.  During the early years we give them a gift far beyond worldly riches that will guide their lives.  Some people would say that it is far too early to predict the path that this young boy will travel, but I would imagine that it will not be an easy one and will likely end up in destruction.  Of course, I can not predict if God will get a hold of him and his heart, but apart from Him there is little hope for this young boy.

And that's the saddest part of this whole story.  A lost little boy who needs a father who loves him enough to discipline him, to train him in the way that he should go, to teach him what it means to respect and to be respected.

What's Cooking? ... Part II

I really, really, really wish that I had all sorts of "After" photos for you... or even a few of the middle photos for you...
But I don't.

I did find this treasured picture of what the kitchen looked like when we bought our house 2 years ago!  Could it be any more drab or icky feeling?  I find it sterile while dirty at the same time.  I'm not a big fan of wall cabinets to begin with and being surrounded by them makes me want to give up and throw on a straight jacket! Yes, I feel that strongly about it.

Fortunately, I hardly remember it looking like this at all!

If you look at the super fuzzy photo that Hotsauce says he took ... though I think my mom took it... but that's neither here nor there... anywho... on the left side of the photo where there should be a stove, that wall is no longer there.  Opposite that wall was another smaller kitchen that had fabulous green ivy wall paper (you know you've seen that wall paper other places... ughsauce), but that room is now the room we call "the-room-with-no-name"... no joke, that's what we call it.  It will one day house a wood burning stove.  That's all we know about that room at this time!  Maybe an eat in kitchen area.  Maybe a very large mudroom with lockers.  Maybe a home school room.  Maybe an arcade.  Maybe a multimedia room with stadium seating.  Maybe the hot tub room.  Who knows?  Okay, I know the last three were made up, but we have no idea what's going on in that room that I can't even begin to describe what may be and I should really figure out the details of the current project I'm on before even trying to figure that project out!  You guys really need to keep me on track!

We returned the "Brickberry" aka salmony, organey, brownish, kinda reddish paint tonight and to the credit of the fine folks at Menards we received a full refund for both gallons of paint, even the one that I had opened!  I went in on the hunt for "Red Barn" from Sherwin Williams as suggested by a friend, but called it "Barn Red" and they couldn't do a color match for me.  Seems like a bit of a repeat of looking for "Cinnabark" and I was at a total loss.  Ben looks at me and says, "I'm not returning any more paint," in a very man-like voice and starts pulling out red paint swatches like a kid in a candy store... or better yet, like a cop in a donut shop :).  After eliminating several of his choices without really even looking at them he huffs out, "Where's the red? Really, where's the swatch that says 'red'?"  This made me giggle and lightened the mood my attitude considerably.  I finally choose "Red Gumball" from Pittsburgh Paints.  Do not attempt to look it up online.  I did this, showed it to Ben, and almost had a panic attack.

Photo from Dutch Boy's Website

Speaking of not looking things up online, I need to stop trying to find inspiration online!  I just found this picture and now wonder if I should paint the cabinets red and Ben is shaking his head no at me... I love the yellow and red together, how cheery is that?  But, red cabinets would really be hard to come back from if I didn't like it.  Oh, kitchen remodel, how you keep me up at night!



My goal for tomorrow is to get one wall painted... just one and see how brilliant I am!  Pictures coming soon... I hope!  For now, to bed with me!

Random side note: I overuse ... these wonderful dots (elipse? no, that's not right...) in everything I type.  As a matter of fact only half of them make the final draft and there are still far too many of them!  Oh well... ;)

Don't know much about economics...

My husband works 40 hours a week, every week. Since we've been married (almost 10 years now) he's only been unemployed for 2 days.  As in, his last day of work was on Friday of his last job and he started his job with the D.O.T. the following Monday.

I haven't worked in a little over 6 years... We sold the newspaper when I got pregnant with #3 and I haven't been "gainfully employed" since. We wanted to raise our children and not have a daycare provider raise them.  It was a personal choice that we knew would greatly effect our standard of living.  Oh my word, we had no idea!

We don't get to take fancy vacations.  85% of our clothes come from friends, neighbors and family. We don't eat out every week.  We don't have a flat screen TV, as a matter of fact we have rabbit ears on our TV, because we don't have a dish or cable.  Our newest vehicle is from 1997.  I haven't had my hair cut in 6 months.  Our children don't have IPods or smart phones, heck Hotsauce and I don't have IPods or smart phones.  I shop at garage sales, thrift shops and Goodwill... not always because I'm a pinterest freak, but usually out of necessity.

So here's my question... who among you will give a percentage of your income to help raise our five beautiful babies and fill our lives with stuff??

Of course if you have less money than me, I don't expect anything from you... and I'm not willing to give you anything that I have.  I just mean those of you who are better off than me.  I don't think it's fair that you have more.  Let's make things more fair.  You earn your money, make sacrifices, work hard... and now it's time for you to give it to me.

Does that sound fair?

Correction!

When Benjamin memorizes verses for Awana he will frequently quote verses from his favorite book of the Bible, Colatians.  It's a mix of Colossians and Galatians.  Both written by Paul so what's the big deal, right?  I frequently wonder where in the world he gets this from.

Well, apparently he gets it from his mama.

If you read my "I resolve to resolute" blog... you may have noticed that I also don't know the difference between Colossians and Galatians.

In our reading plan I said that we would be reading Colossians from June to December.  Which of course could be done, until you get to November and have been assigned to read Colossians 5.  Hmmm, Colossians only has 4 chapters. This is problematic.

Ugh. Someday I'll find my brain. For now, I'll edit my original post and use my Jedi mind tricks to make you all forget that I made the mistake in the first place!!

This year I resolved to resolute... er something like that!

I almost never make New Year's resolutions.  Because I know one very true thing about myself... I'm a great "idea" person with very little discipline to follow through. I can think of a hundred things that I started and never had the gumption to finish.  Like, basketball, softball, volleyball, college, books (both reading and writing)... just to name a few. But, this year is going to be the year! I am going to follow through on this, or go down swinging!

Here's the deal. Last year I enlisted the help of my very good friend Julayne to help keep me accountable for reading my Bible.  And she really sucked at it. As in, she asked me every.single.day. Sometimes I didn't do it and had to tell her that no, I hadn't read. And this is where she really started to get irritating. She never.missed.a.single.day! Are you serious? Not once? Oh, no, not even once! Picture me rolling my eyes at the thought of this, because that's exactly what I just did.

She resolved last year to read her Bible everyday and that's what she did. Please, be disgusted that she not only made a resolution, but she kept it. Because, if you're disgusted then somehow I'm justified in my disgust... more at myself really, then at her... but we won't tell her that.

So as you may have guessed the first part of my resolution is to read my Bible everyday. Every.single.day. There really is no reason "good" enough to justify missing a day.

And here's the really encouraging part. I learned that while it wasn't pleasant to tell Miss Perfect Attendance that I had missed a day, that I needed more people looking out for me.  Not only that I heard too many of my friends saying my same excuses, "I just don't have time." or simply saying, "I'm not as good at reading my Bible as I should be." or even some who said, "I don't even remember the last time that I read my Bible."  Oh, and I can put myself in each of those quotes as being the one who echoed those very words.  So, while you're thinking, "She said this is the really encouraging part?" ... here's the thing. I resolved to make a resolution for my friends as well (isn't that wonderful of me?). We're not going to go at this alone and we're certainly not going to settle for this mediocre Christian walk.

Hotsauce has been reading Ephesians 5 with something like 10 other men from our church, all friends of ours, who decided that they were going to keep each other accountable.  And while at first I thought it would be nice to do that with some of my friends, I didn't want to be a copy cat.  Didn't want to step on the menfolks toes or anything ridiculous like that.   As if it would be super offensive to read our Bibles everyday and become more Christlike and thereby becoming better wives and mothers.  Who.do.I.think.I.am??

Obviously with Ben's blessing, I developed this plan. Over the course of the year I would invite my friends to read Ephesians and Galatians.  Here's our reading plan.
January: Read Eph. 1 everyday
Feb.: Read Eph. 2 everyday
March: Read Eph. 3 everyday
April: Read Eph. 4 everyday
May: Read Eph. 5 everyday
June: Read Eph. 6 everyday
July: Read Gal. 1 everyday
Aug.: Read Gal. 2 everyday
Sept.: Read Gal. 3 everyday
Oct.: Read Gal. 4 everyday
Nov.: Read Gal. 5 everyday
Dec.: Read Gal. 6 everyday

After we are finished reading we send everyone a text that says, "Done." That way everyone knows who has done it and who may need a gentle reminder! Plus if you have 13 women and 3 girls waiting to know if you've read, that is some serious motivation for not slacking!  Did you read that 3 girls are doing it too? *squeal*
Three daughters are joining their mamas in this year long Bible reading journey.  Can you think of a better way to encourage/train/motivate your child to develop the discipline of being in God's Word then having her come along side of you! When Hannah "joined the ranks" it probably made me cry, but you will have to determine if that could possibly be true or not.  By the end of the year we will have read through 2 books and should have a pretty good handle on them! So exciting!

The next resolution I made came from the inspiration of my wonderful friend, Bethany.  Out of a labor of love Bethany made a prayer guide for women wanting to pray for their husbands! And since I have one of those who needs lots of prayer ;) I couldn't wait to get started. The guide maps out areas of life that our husbands need prayer in, such as, his integrity, his work, his finances, his obedience, his walk, his priorities, his fatherhood, his marriage, his trials... just to name a few!  Each area of life has Scripture that is to be used to pray specifically for our husbands.  What I love about that is that when I pray Scripture for Hotsauce it takes my selfish motivations out of the prayer and inserts God's intentions for him. Oh, and sometimes as I'm praying for Ben I actually call him "Hotsauce" in the prayer and I think God chuckles.  Another thing that I love about the guide is that it also calls for me to pray for myself and my attitude and responses to Ben as the leader in our marriage. Perhaps the most convicting prayer that I've ever prayed for myself is that I would be "swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger" (James 1:9). I told Ben the other day that sometimes I pray that one 3 times in a single prayer because I don't feel like it's "taking" yet! I'm sure he thinks, "Only 3 times??" :)

So those are my two resolutions for 2012. Spend everyday in God's word and pray for my Hotsauce everyday. No excuses. No holding back.

By the way, it's not to late to join in the reading plan with us, just give me a heads up if you'd like to get started. Or if you're not from around these parts, get this going with your circle of friends! :)

What's Cooking?

Has it really been since October since I last blogged? I would never make it as a professional blogger!
I feel like there should be all sorts of news worthy of blogging... but I have been having some serious writer's block!
I cannot wait to show off all the work that has been going on in our kitchen! But, it's not done yet and so I'm holding off as long as possible.  I can tell you that I've been painting and painting and painting and we haven't even touched a roller to the drywall yet! We have two tall cabinets that have been sanded, painted an Ivory color, painted again, and again, then sanded and distressed and then stained. They are nearly complete, just waiting on Ben to drill some holes for some fabulous glass knobs! They make me squeal when I look at them! Of course (as there always is) there have been some naysayers and rude rudeness about them... but hey, they make me giddy and like the rest of the house I'm not looking for some cookie cutter cabinetry. Ben loves them too, though I have yet to hear any squealing from him! To give you an idea of what they look like I will post this picture that inspired me, it's from Pinterest, of course! These are not my cabinets, mine are even better! ;)

photo credit http://pinterest.com/pin/117515871496427512/

This past summer Ben found a bench at a garage sale that almost made him squeal like a school girl he really liked for only $10. It was re-purposed from an old queen size bed frame.  The former owners used it in their garden, but we decided it needed to be IN the house.  But, where? This is no small bench, but kinda chunky and slightly overwhelming in a way. It's been pushed aside with no real purpose and I'm excited to announce that with the kitchen remodel we have moved some cabinets to make a peninsula that we have space for it in the kitchen.  It will sit near the back door and will be a great place to put on and take off shoes.  The plan is to have Hotsauce (aka Ben) put in a box for storage under the seat... perhaps even tomorrow! It has a new paint job as well and went from a very dark stain wood to gray with a black glaze.  In true Kelly fashion I have distressed it and some days I love it and others I think... well, I don't know what to think.  I believe when the whole thing is put back together that I will love it. At least I hope I love it!

I also searched and searched for the perfect neutral color for the walls.  If you know who Thrifty Decor Chick is... I greatly desired her Cinnabark walls from her dining room.  She informed me that Behr paint has two different colors of Cinnabark and of course I could only find the "wrong" Cinnabark. So I stood at the paint sample area FOR.EV.ER. It was here that Ben asked me if I truly wanted the perfect neutral color (aka tan) in the kitchen since I frequently comment that there's too much brown (insert gasp here) in the house as it is.  A light bulb started to flicker. But, if not the perfect neutral color then what?  A whole world of color stood before me and I almost panicked. We are talking color anxiety attack. Just as the first bead of sweat began to form on my brow Julayne comes to the rescue with one simple statement, "Haven't you always wanted a red kitchen?"  With the light bulb, in full 100 watt goodness, finally turned on and I was inspired! I want red. Not neutral. But, red in all of its glorious redness. Right? Yet, as I thumb through the samples I backed off of my vision a bit and pick a color called Brickberry. Something, red, but not particularly flashy. Perhaps a more neutral version of red, like a boring cousin of red in all of its glorious redness.
In my excitement to try out Brickberry and determine if I had indeed picked the perfect neutral red I found a scrap piece of drywall and try it out... and you may have guessed by now... it was ugh. And not just a little ugh, but ugh-ly! It faded into the wood colors and looked almost pinkish orangeish salmonish!
It was U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, yay, yay you ugly!

Photo credit

I want a red that's going to pop... like these shutters...
These shutters make me happy. Almost squeal worthy really! And that's the color I want my walls to be! I deserve to be happy in the kitchen when I'm loading the dishwasher for the 4th time and sweeping for the 400th time! Don't I?  Besides, my dad will like this color, though he will ask where the sunshine blinding yellow cabinets to go with them are...but you can't please everyone!

So these are a few glimpses into my inspirations for what will be a wonderfully remodeled kitchen. And if it ever gets complete I will post a million pictures! In the meantime, pray that Ben will heal from a sprained wrist so that we (translated, he) can get some more work done in our (translated, my) kitchen! :)

Parents weigh in on this...

Have you heard of Demias Jimerson? I would imagine that if you haven't yet, in the years to come you will! Demias is 11 years old 6th grader who is an amazing athlete. To learn more about him read this article!

Let's pretend that you're too lazy to read the article and even too lazy to watch the news report (wow, that issss lazy) - Here's the Kelly Driscoll paraphrase:


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Demias Jimerson is a superstar.  He leads his "league" in touchdowns.  So the schools invoked the "Madre Hill" rule. Which, if I understand correctly, prevents Demias from scoring once his team is ahead by 14 points or he's scored 3 touchdowns. 

The principal reports that it enables the other players a chance to score and develop their skills.  In theory making the game more of a team sport instead of the "Demias Jimerson Show".  I understand this philosophy. They're young and need every opportunity to learn the game and quite honestly if you're on his team and never get to touch the ball how much fun is that? 

Though, I would also think that this is the coaches responsibility to call plays that involve the entire offense and not just one player.  Yes, I'm a little  incredibly, super-duper, completely competitive and fully understand the desire to win, but sooner or later defenses will learn to stop Demias and your whole offense will exploded in your face leaving you with inexperienced players left, literally, holding the ball.

The Madre Hill rule ends in the 7th grade, so Demias can score as often as possible with no limitations placed on him by the officals.  But, in the meantime what are we teaching those on the field?  I know there's an idealogy out there that says that we shouldn't even keep score, because having fun is what really matters in athletics.  To which I think is complete hogwash.  Competition teaches valuable life lessons.  You will win. Great, hard work pays off.  Be humble in your success.  Encourage others. Teach others. Celebrate as a team. Never give up, keep pushing to be even better.  You will lose. Great, remember how it feels and work harder. Be humble in your defeat.  Don't lose heart. Be teachable.  Celebrate for others. Never ever, ever, ever give up... because only then do you truly lose.  Winning is nice, but it's also temporary. Play in such a way that pleases, honors and glorifys God.

I think the real "win" here is the job that Demias's parents are doing.  Yes, he's a 6th grade football super-star, but his attitude is what's truly admirable.  That part I won't give away, you'll have to listen to the news report and hear the words come out of his own mouth!

So what are your thoughts of the "Madre Hill" rule?