I Made This With My Own Two Hands

I've been looking on Craigslist and Ebay and every place else online for a while to find a mannequin. This weekend Robin emailed me a link to a mannequin tutorial. I just happened to have a little margin in my life right now so I whipped one out on Sunday.

...and by "whipped it out" I mean it only took me FOUR AND A HALF HOURS. And $40, and duct tape, an old pillow, an old blanket, quilt batting, 2 yards of muslin fabric, a glue gun, an umbrella base and a dowel rod.

I followed the tutorial listed here -- somewhat. I gave Mannie Kin some "shape" in the front so she wouldn't look like a boy. And since it is too cold to spray paint the dowel rod I decided to leave it au'natural because I couldn't wait for the weather to warm up.

Want to see her fully clothed? Check it out here. I had this new outfit waiting for her arrival.

Get a piece of Awesomeness...w/ Cindy Beall

My friend, Cindy Beall is hosting a Week of Awesomeness on her blog. Skip on over there to find out how to win an apron from Pink Licorice.


While you are there, be sure to read a few posts. You will be blessed! She is one of favorite women in the history of people.

Thanks for hosting a giveaway, Cindy!

It's not just me looking out for my boys

All day Wednesday I was planning to attend Bible Study in the evening. 6pm neared and I began feeling uneasy about leaving the kids alone while the Foxy Mr. traveled. The house was a little chaotic, Kid Three was whiny but I really wanted to go. Yet something felt off.

I shook it off, grabbed my keys and Bible and told the boys I'd be home in a little over an hour. As I left the neighborhood I saw a flash of lightening and heard a small clap of thunder. No rain, no wind, just a sign it was coming.

I turned the car around and went back home. Not ten minutes later the rain came, the wind blew and the big thunder announced the storm ... and our electricity went out. Dark and quiet for a short time.

And then it made sense.

That "uneasy" feeling was the gentle voice of the Spirit "encouraging" me to stay home -- to be there for my guys when the lights went out, to light a candle and get out the flashlight in case the next time the power outage was longer. No one was even rattled when it happened. Because I was there.

Sometimes I'm amazed at the Father and his attention to detail. He wasn't looking out for me that night. He was taking care of my boys.

How could I not love Him?

Job 37:5 - God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.

A Culinary Genius? I Doubt It.

Kid Three had quite a party with his snack this week. The menu: pretzels, a few peanuts, sliced cheese and water.

Left alone for about 4 minutes, he created this. I think it's called "pretzel-peanut-cheese" water. Huh.

He grinned, took a sip, then offered me a drink, "You wanit?"

No thank you. Don't quit your day job, K-3. I don't think Gatorade will be buying this flavor anytime soon!

A quick thought on worship

The human heart craves something to worship, and left to itself, it will worship almost anything. --Jan Winebrenner*

There's a sobering thought. And it's true.

Worship: noun. - reverent honor or homage paid to God, or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred

I read that this week and took a little look-see into my heart. (I must have been feeling particularly brave!) Father, what do I worship when my heart is left to itself?

my husband and children
my bank account
my girlfriends
my little plans for my future
my goals
the list creeps on and on

The truth is this: there is only room for one object of my worship. Capacity: 1.

Thinking of putting to death the worship of any of these other little gods can be scary because too often we have linked them to our safety.*

Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things..."
The human heart. The heart controlled by the flesh. My heart when I am out of step with the Spirit.

Hebrews 12:2 - "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith..."

Father, teach us the discipline of worship!

Spaghettio's - The Motherload of School Lunches

I had a Holly Hobby lunch box -- one of the square metal ones that if hit just right, the clasp would open and spill the uneaten remnants of your b-o-l-o-g-n-a sandwich all over the floor of the car rider pick up line.

I remember lunch time in the 4th and 5th grade, in particular. We would open our metal boxes and stand them up so the lid was our "plate" and the bottom portion stood upright on the side, hiding the glorious treasures inside. That was the only sure way to keep looters from stealing the coveted Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll or the Ding Dong (which was wrapped in TIN FOIL in those days - as it should be). Usually lunch was no big deal. You eat your sandwich (sans crust), devour your chips, lick your fingers and slurp your milk.

But there were those days when your mom proved her love for you, when she really acted like a mom filled with the spirit, willing to lay down her life for her youngin's.

On those days you got Spaghettio's WITH HOTDOGS CUT UP IN THEM. Hallelujah. Kind of like spaghetti but without the annoying chunks of tomato and the long stringy noodles that get your face messy. Tiny well behaved circles of pasta glory at just the right temperature. The food of angels (if you're 10). I'm only slightly embarrassed to say I am salivating at the memory.

I can vividly remember the glory days when I would sit down (always next to my BFF Kim) and proudly display the prized thermos holding the golden pasta tossed in a cheap tomato sauce - with the hot dogs. And if my mom was really the bomb-dot-com that day, she would FRY the weenies before cutting them up!

My children had no idea this was the motherload of all school lunches when I was a kid. I only thought of it recently when I purchased a couple of cans from the store.

I fell in love with Kid Two a little more this morning when he came into the kitchen. The conversation went like this:

Kid Two - Mom, do we have a thermos?
Me - I think so, why?
Kid Two - Because I want to take something different in my lunch today.
Me - Okay, like what?
Kid Two - Maybe like some Spaghettio's.
Me - nearly tearing up
Kid Two - Mom, why are you hugging me and acting weird? Did you even hear what I said?

Yeah, I heard it.
Loud and clear.
What was your favorite lunch in elementary school?

No School, Really?

It's cold.
I know.
I get it.
Not a good day to kick the boys outside and say, "find something to do until lunch time."

I like having my kids home. They are fun to be with and they don't drain my physical energy like they did when they were 2 and 4. For that reason I don't mind school being closed. But I have to wonder if it is really necessary to close school because of cold weather. Cold weather. Cold.

Both my husband and my sister's husband grew up in Minnesota. She commented last night if they closed school in Minnesota every time it was cold or blew a flake of snow they would STILL be trying to graduate. I happen to agree.

My beef with this school closing is that we still have a lot of winter left. And one snow day left after this. What if it snows? What if it gets cold again? What if someone gets a hangnail? Please, EPS, put on a hat, gloves and encourage parents to just drive their kids to school so they don't have to wait on the bus outside. The same parents who are inconvenienced by driving their little ones to school are the same ones who are scrambling to find childcare today. And trust me, I feel for them - been there.

At least if we're going to cancel school for winter weather we should have some snow to entertain us, right? You can't sled down a hill on "cold."

I don't want another year where our kids have to go to school after Memorial Day. When that holiday rolls around, we are done with school. It's time to play. Besides, by then it might be too hot to enjoy the walk to the bus.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my kids and I are going to put on our warm clothes and get out of the house. As far as I'm aware, I don't think they've cancelled breakfast.
Yet.

If I Didn't Know Your Name

I'm no different than anyone else who gets excited about a new year... a new decade... a new chance to start (some things) over. I like January 1.

And this year, we are going to be inTENtional in 2010.

One of the things I want to be intentional about is scripture memory. Just today I was talking to a new friend and a passage of scripture came to my mind at the right time. Had I not already studied and "hidden" that in my heart I would not have been able to encourage her when she needed it. So, every so often I will share with you some of the ways we're hiding the Word in our hearts and calling it to memory!

Proverbs 20:11 - Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Learning this verse is not a manipulative ploy to get my kids to obey me. It's a gentle reminder to them (and me) that people will know us by what they see -- the fruits in our life.

Borrowing from an idea I read in a book, I asked the kids, "If I didn't know your name, what could I call you that would describe you?" After a blank look, they answered, "Funny, smart, short, athletic, etc."

I took it a few steps further.

Boys, people will know you by your actions - what they see in you. Do they see a reflection of Christ? Do they see someone who is compassionate? Do they see you stand up for the Truth? Or do they see bickering, arguing brothers who never stop fighting about who takes out the trash?

Our actions tell the world what is in our hearts (what's in the well.) If others don't see evidence of our love for God in our life, how will they ever know?

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure or right. (Adults, it doesn't just apply to children...)

I challenged them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, whatever happens in this world. (Phil 1:27) because people are desperately looking for what our Savior offers. And we are called to be a mirror. I asked them again, "If I didn't know your name, what would I call you?"

This time the answers were thoughtful and different.
"Kind."
"Loving my family."
"Serious about being a Christian."
"Wanting to have a good heart."

Even a child is known by his actions.
Even a mom is known by her actions.
Even a dad is known by his actions.

I hope they know me as one who loved the Father.

If I didn't know your name, what would I call you?