The Messy Truth

This will not be a post about the joys of raising children.

This is about the messy, exhausting, mind-frying job of keeping one's children from destroying everything in their path.

Yesterday at church, there was a reception between services with cake as a refreshment. I was responsible for Hope and Jonny, who of course wanted as much cake as possible. Have you ever tried to balance a piece of sheet cake on a flimsy paper plate? Now picture this with a four year old. We dropped TWO pieces of cake on the carpet before Mama realized we should probably lay the cake on it's SIDE.

Hope had her share of cake, with me trying balance her on my hip and fork it in, but then I put her down to talk (and bring back the feeling in my arm) and she lovingly rubs her face all over my upper thigh/black pants. And of course I'm singing in 10 minutes.

The cake came out, the children were sufficiently sugared, and we lived to tell about it.

Pretty Little Things

Some of the fun of the internet is how one thing leads to another, then another, and...you get the idea.

So I was enjoying this website which led me to these beautiful little gems, like this one below made by Word Designs. Go here to look at more and search for "Scrabble Tiles by Word Designs"

I fell for a "buy 2, get 1 free" deal, but they were so reasonable, I couldn't resist! I'll show 'em to you when they arrive :)

Choosing to be Positive on a Bleak Day in Professional Sports

Today I could blog about Brett Favre and his insane evil twin who keeps doing stupid things.

I could share how depressing it is to see my favorite professional athlete hold up the jersey of a rival team.

But I have decided that it's much more important to show you happy summer faces of children in the sunshine and the water. Stuff that really matters.

Sixteen Candles

Beautiful K turned 16 a few weeks ago! There's another niece in the background, delivering her bday card :)

Hope at the age K was (almost) when we got married!.

Her favorite chips...all wrapped up just for her....

This cake rocked!

BIG Day

Today was the Kid's Green Lake Triathalon in Spicer. I am still recovering.

We woke up to rain, so the race was delayed one hour. Jonny and I went early and I helped with Registration with him pulling on my shirt sleeve the whole time. Sigh.

All 3 boys did great in their own heats, with their own age groups. Now they'll be better prepared for next year! Here's some fun video for you, please watch the volume as I am quite loud. Sorry.

Things I've Said Today....

NO! You may not watch TV, or play on the computer!

Wanna play Jenga?

Then find something else to do, please.

The half Cranberry Chicken Salad, please. (You'd think I'd be sick of this by now...I think I've eaten it every day for months...)

Man! Am I glad to see you! (Usual greeting to cute sleepy boys in the morning.)

I love you.

Your haircut is so handsome!

Hopey, you HAVE to stop crying. (Had a fever for the past couple days...crabby city)

I think there are 3 kids crying now; I've officially lost my mind. (To Aaron on the phone around 4pm)

I Feel Weird About My Face

It was last year at this time that I was slowly recovering from a fun little thing called Bells Palsy.

I never wrote about it, basically not wanting to think about it anymore than I already did. But 4 days after Hope was born, I woke up to half of my face just NOT working. I couldn't figure out why I was talking so weird...couldn't smile right...and then it dawned on me.

My hairdresser had it, and she was in that small percentage of people who never recovered. I was hit with a little panic, knowing this would not disappear for months, if this was really BP.
I went to the ER with my new baby girl, and sure 'nuff.

And it sounds so whiney and ridiculous, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with. Ladies, you know how we are about our faces? Our smile? Our entire way of communicating to the world?

I think my most difficult times were trying to smile at my amazing newborn daughter, and only being able to give her a broken look. Three months later, I was almost jumping with joy when I looked at this picture and saw something almost normal:
It wasn't until six more months had passed, though, that I felt like I had about 90% back of what was there before.

All this to say: it had my attention. It had me looking at my own pride and vanity and it was ugly. I still fight it today because I notice how my eyes or smile don't do exactly what I want them to do and it makes me feel out of control. It reminds me where my true beauty MUST come from.

There's a great book, "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge that I have all messed up with my underlining. Here's the section that I kept re-reading:

We have all heard it said that a woman is most beautiful when she is in love. It's true. You've seen it yourself. When a woman knows that she is loved and loved deeply, she glows from the inside. This radiance stems from a heart that has had its deepest questions answered. "Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for? Have I been and will continue to be romanced?" When these questions are answered, Yes, a restful, quiet spirit settles in a woman's heart.

And every woman can have these questions answered, Yes. You have been and will continue to be romanced all your life. Yes. Our God finds you lovely. Jesus has moved heaven and earth to win you for himself. He will not rest until you are completely his. The King is enthralled by your beauty. He finds you captivating.

And that's what it comes down to --- true beauty is cultivated only in His presence.

Beauty flows from a heart at rest, and that is where I want to be: resting in who I am and Whose I am.