He's Pretty Wonderful

My husband is wonderful.  I'm thinking about changing his blog name from Dear Husband to Mr. Wonderful.  To be honest, he thinks Dear Husband sounds cheesy and old fashion.  I personally don't think that there's anything wrong with being old fashion, but whatever.  If he likes Mr. Wonderful I am happy to oblige.  After all the work he did this weekend, I'll call him whatever he wants. 

My to-do list for the weekend really wasn't that long, but I feared it might take long to complete.  And I was right. 

The first project that we had was to remove a bush from our landscaping.  I'm not sure what kind of bush it was, but in my opinion, it belonged in the African Savannah rather than in my front yard.  It was wild and huge and when I attempted to prune it, the leaves would stick to my ankles like tendrils and slice my hands.  To make matters worse, the silly bush grew as if on steroids.  So I could either commit to destroying my hands once a month or remove the bush and plant something pretty and flowery.  So bye-bye ugly bush.  Mr. Wonderful and Fabulous Father (my dad) spent hours wrestling the crazy bush out of the ground.  But at last it's gone.

Once the bush had disappeared, the guys moved on to project #2: remove the weed cloths and add mulch to the flower beds.  Someone did an excellent job creating beautiful flower beds around my house.  The problem is that they never planted any flowers.  Instead, they  covered some weed cloth with enough mulch to hide the cloth, but not enough to keep the weeds from growing.  Thus, we had lots of green bushes with tons of green weeds to match growing in these beautifully designed flower beds.  It was atrocious.  In just 3 weeks I have pulled more weeds at this house than I ever pulled at my previous home during the 7 year period we lived there.  So, once again, Mr. Wonderful and Fabulous Father obliged and brought a truck load of mulch to fill out my flower beds.  I'm sure my parents had better things to do no Saturday, but their efforts are greatly appreciated.  I still don't have any flowers planted, but the weeds are finally gone.  Project 2 completed.

Next, I begged Mr. Wonderful to help me paint my office.  I knew that this task  would be harder for him than for me, because the walls in my office are too tall for me to do much.  Plus, Mr. Wonderful is the only person I know with a professionally precise hand.  Thus, he was the only person I wanted going near my crown molding.  As a result, he spent hours yesterday going up and down the ladder in my office in order to create a cozy workspace for me.  We still have a some curtains to hang and some items to add in order to finish off the room.  But Project 3 was completed.

Then, just because he's amazing, Mr. Wonderful got out his hammer and level last night and helped me hang pictures.  That was a huge surprise, because that task was NOT on my to-do list!  I can't tell you how impressed I am with the way Mr. Wonderful's projects turned out.  Thanks to his hard work, our house is starting to look like WE live in it.  I have no doubt that his muscles are sore from all the work this weekend.  And I'm sure he has a sun burn and bug bites to show off this morning too.  I just hope he knows how much I appreciate him.  I think he's pretty wonderful!

The August Mulligan

 
Is it really August already?  August 1st is officially the back-to-school season opener around here, which means that summer is on it's way out.  Well, in Texas we might feel summer for another 3 or 4 months, but in reality, August means that I can start pulling out my tall leather boots and fall "mom bag" and pretend that it is fall.  August is also time to stock up on our college game-day gear for the whole family, because college football is getting ready to take us by storm.  Pretty soon, Starbucks is also going to be getting in the spirit of things and will be bringing back pumpkin spice for my lattes.  And there's a good chance that Kohl's is getting their Christmas trees ready for display (they always seem to be on the extreme front end of the seasonal curve).  Thus, August 1st is the ultimate indicator that change is coming.

After being miserable and pregnant last year, I forgot how much I love fall and everything that comes with it!  Just thinking about mums on my front porch and fitting into my wool coat again is making me forget how quickly I started sweating on our walk today in our 100 degree heat (there's no "glistening" when it's triple digits outside.)  Something about the back-to-school season just gets me excited and jumpy. 

When I was in school (which was for most of my life up until 2 years ago), back-to-school time marked a fresh start.  It was better than New Year's, because it meant a new teacher, new clothes, new friends, new grades, and clean slate.  I've never been a fan of the New Year's resolution, but I've always enjoyed the "do-over" that I get every fall. 

I think us adults who don't ever really get a back-to-school, fresh start each fall need to give ourselves a mental break and a personal clean slate.  We need to give ourselves permission to take a mulligan and start over.  It might mean interrupting your work-out schedule that you haven't really been keeping and starting a new one.  Or it might mean starting a new Bible-reading plan because you never got yourself caught up after missing a few days on your previous plan.  Or it just mean sending some old clothes to Good Will and going shopping for yourself (doesn't every girl need back-to-school clothes every year!?).  I love starting over. 

So happy August!  I hope you find something fresh and new to celebrate over the next 31 days.  

Finally Home

 

We have finally moved into our new house.  By the grace of God, the paperwork somehow came through in time for us to close and get our keys last Monday.  How the funding was able to go through after the Fed closed and how the title lady had the willingness to stay late in order to get our documents put together on that rainy day I will never know.  Only God could work it out. Thank you God for answering our prayers.

We listed our home on May 16 and had the movers physically move us into our new home on July 16.  The entire process was a headache, nerve-racking, and an inconvenience to say the least.  Yet, it only lasted 2 months!  And now we are home!!!  (Can an Aggie somewhere give me a "whoop?"  I'm not an Aggie, but the whoop feels appropriate under the circumstances.)

During our first week in Derby House (doesn't every house need a name?) we've managed to unpack all but a couple of boxes, paint the laundry room, flood the laundry room twice, host a birthday party with the family, discover and fix a leak from our boys' bathroom, get the downstairs AC unit repaired, set up TV and internet, and actually eat home-cooked meals almost every night.  In addition, Dear Husband started his job with a new law firm and our oldest son turned 5.  Since we were kind of in the mood for change last week, we even upgraded our TVs and cell phones.  We kind of felt like we might as well rip the Band-aid off in one fell swoop and make as many changes as we could at the same time.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that Dear Husband and I did not buy a house that needed "work."  I'm talking about the houses you see on HGTV where the new owners have to rip up floors, reconfigure kitchens, and update bathrooms.  People who buy project houses are amazing people.  I admire them and their accomplishments in transforming their homes.  But we are not these people.  We are both lawyers who know how to read and write and problem solve.  We are not handy.  We seriously considered buying a major project house, but common sense prevailed when we calculated the cost of contractors and subcontractors and inconvenience. 

So ultimately, we bought the barely lived in house--the couple who built it and owned it for the last 4 years didn't have kids! Thankfully, the only change that our house really needed was some color.  (Who really wants to live in a beige and brown house?)  The fact that our house only really needed paint is good, because the ONLY handy skills that Dear Husband and I possess involve a paint brush.  So, one of these days when we get our painting done, curtains hung, and furniture delivered, I'll share some pics.   Until then, there is more work to be done.  But at last, we're home!   

For those of you who might need my new address, feel free to shoot me an email or text and I will be happy to share my new contact information with you!!!

Mommy Got a Surprise!

 

What a surprise to find my Baby G standing up in her pack-n-play yesterday!  She's only 7 months old.  I'm not ready for her to become independently mobile quite yet.  And now I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about the huge curved staircase in the house that I'm buying on Monday morning.  What have we gotten ourselves into?!

God is Handling the Details

If you decide that you want to do something where you pretty much have no control over the process, then try to buy or sell a house.  It won't take long to realize that nobody seems to really care about set dates--even when they're negotiated and in the contract-- and nobody seems to get the concept of good communication. Let me just say, that if I practiced law the way these bank and title folks work, I'd be disbarred.  I mean, how hard is it to meet a deadline?!  Or to return a phone call?!

Dear Husband and I are slated to close on both of our houses on Monday morning.  Only by the grace of God will this happen.  (I know, theologically speaking, only by the grace of God does anything happen.  But trust me, dealing with all these people would be 100% impossible without God.)

I've always heard the phrase that "God is in the details."  I just didn't really understand that phrase until now.  I totally get that God is in control.  But this entire real estate experience has demonstrated to me that not only is God in control of the entire process, but His timing is perfect for every single element of the process--as in every single piece of paper required for this to all go down.   He doesn't always allow things to get done a few days in advance (like lawyers prefer), but God always makes things happen when they're supposed to.  What a relief that He's in control and I'm not!

All I can do at this point is wait and trust that God is going to work it out.  I've packed all my boxes.  I've set up utilities for Monday morning.  I've booked my movers.  And I'm just letting God work it all out.  What a relief to know that He can do the impossible!

Oh Happy Day...

 

Music is a huge part of my life.  I've always loved music.  And more specifically, I've always loved church music--gospel music, hymns, praise songs, etc.  So it shouldn't be a huge shock to those who know me that I'm trying to make music a part of my children's lives too.

When many of my friends have asked me how I trained my kids to sleep through the night, they're often surprised when I say that I music-trained them.  Each child has had his or her favorite CD's of church music that I turned on each night as I tucked them into their cribs.  Within a day or 2, they would fall asleep to their music.  Or in some cases, they would sing themselves to sleep while they listened to their music.  So precious!

As the boys have gotten older I haven't done a great job continuing the church music exposure at home.  At night, they talk to each other before they sleep instead of listening to music.  In the car, I have historically forced them to listen to talk radio (as I am a political junky).  And at home, I just haven't been playing much music in the house.  It recently occurred to me that I really need to crank up the hymns and praise songs more when we move into our new house.  I'm even converting the designated "media" room in the house to a home music studio/fine arts room.  Doesn't every family need a sound-proof room to make music?  And doesn't every happy house need to have praise music flowing through it's halls on a daily basis? 

Anyway, despite my failures to promote musical awareness with my oldest children, last weekend I was pleasantly surprised.  As Dear Husband pulled into the church parking lot on Sunday morning, he said that our oldest son started singing Here I am to Worship.  Dear Husband was quite impressed! 

Our younger son also got our attention on Sunday night.  We overheard the boys playing in the room when the younger one started singing, "Oh happy day, happy day..."  As we heard him singing on key, Dear Husband and I gave each other those smug, we-are-such-awesome-parents-looks.  But then my 3 year old continued, "...happy day, when I washed my hands and rubbed them together..."  Okay, so he doesn't exactly understand the song.  He was close; but he missed the theology in its entirety.

What a good reminder for Mommy of something to work on at home.  We shouldn't leave the singing and praising God for just at church.  Wouldn't it be awesome if our homes were characterized by praise and worship on a daily basis too?!  I can't think of a better environment for raising a child.  And I think it's a great way to teach our children how to praise and worship God.

They're Starting to Get It

There's nothing more exciting than those moments when you discover that your child "gets it."  You know, those days when you overhear your child talking about God or praying when you're not around.  Lately, Dear Husband and I have been in awe of what God is doing in the life of our 4 year old.  Hallelujah!  What a change we're seeing in our formerly strong-willed son!

In addition to being very vocal about his faith lately, my son has also been on a spiritual high ever since his week at Vacation Bible School.  Not only has he been vary conscientious of his need to obey, but he's also been very quick to repent for those moments where, as he describes, "I had a dirty heart." 

It's been so fun to hear our oldest tell his little brother about the lessons that he's been learning. One night we even caught him teaching his brother the slogan that they learned at Bible school.  We overheard the two boys saying "Facing fears, trusting God" over and over again until the little one figured out the hand motions.  Later, as the boys were playing with their medieval castle and their knights, one of the boys told their daddy that the knight had just saved his wife, the Queen, from the Philistines.  My son quickly explained that the knight wasn't afraid of the Philistines, because he trusted God!  I was truly amazed at this statement.  Not only are my boys memorizing biblical truths, but they're even understanding the application of those truths.

In the midst of all the craziness that comes with moving, changing jobs (Dear Husband starts working for a new law firm on the same day that we close on our house), parenting, homeschooling, and everything else we do, it's so great to see that God is not only working in our lives.  He's also at work in the lives of our kids.   How awesome!

The Healthcare Surprise

 

I got a letter in the mail last weekend.  It shouldn't have been a shock, but I wasn't expecting this to actually happen so soon. 

My health insurance company is kicking the kids and me off of our plan.  Yep, no more group coverage through Aetna as of January 1.  Thank you President Obama.  That insurance that you told me I could keep is dropping not only my family, but their entire plan!  Aetna suggested that I seek individual coverage for myself come January.  But come on, by then no insurance company will be offering individual coverage. 

Thankfully, God is good.  My family still has the option of employer-based health insurance coverage.  So at least our entire family will be covered.  But what about everybody else?  What about those people who rely on plans like the one I've been on?  What's going to happen to them? Let's just say that U.S. healthcare is going to be a mess.  It's going to get expensive.  It's going to get ugly. 

I actually watched a legal continuing education course by some experts who couldn't even predict what's going to happen when the so-call "Affordable Healthcare Act" takes effect because there are so many rules and unknowns.  This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who watched the ridiculously huge health care bill get passed without having even been read.  Obamacare is the ultimate example of our political process gone completely wrong. 

All of those people who were told they were going to get to keep their plans and their doctors have been deceived.  The only thing we get to keep is government officials who are pushing garbage down our throats, illegals who are still crowding emergency departments, and high premiums and deductibles. 

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 6 months.  Thankfully I was given a heads up about the change that's coming my way.  Please don't sit on your hands and wait around expecting to not feel anything come January 1st.  Change is coming whether you want it or not.

Mommy Overload

So much has been happening.  I've created a number blog posts in head lately, but my blogging can't seem to keep up with my brain.  At this point, I'm not even sure what to blog about.  I think I'm on Mommy overload.

Too much is going on and I'm having attention problems.  I've tried desperately to not sit and stare at the news for the last few days, but I can't help getting caught up in the Zimmerman trial.  (Despite terrible jokes, his lawyer is making an excellent case for self defense.)  I can't help tuning in to my radio to hear the latest and greatest about the feud between Governor Perry and Wendy Davis (Still can't figure out how she can argue that the Texas Bill is bad for women--it actually protects both women and babies!) I can't seem to stay off decorating websites and HGTV shows.  (Can you blame me?  I'm practically living out House Hunters in real life!)  And on top of all this, I'm packing up my house, planning my son's birthday party, working on some legal cases, keeping up with my 92 day New Testament read-thru, attempting to cook meals with half of my kitchen in boxes, planning out all the logistics of moving, and still trying to be kind to all those around me who seem to have an opinion about everything going on with my life despite it being none of their business. 

Okay, that may have sounded a little harsh.  The truth is that I'm not good at being micromanaged.  I like to figure things out on my own.  And when I want help, I ask for it.  Other than that, I like my space.  The problem with moving is that nobody gives you space and you are completely at the mercy of all other parties involved.  Plus, you get unsolicited advice and opinions from everyone and their brother about what you should or could do with regards to everything from setting up utilities to decorating the new house.

The combination of dealing with other people plus accomplishing everything that  I actually have to do are starting to get to me.  I have to keep envisioning myself in my happy place--standing on the street corner in Waikiki outside of the Coach and Tiffany's stores sipping a latte and listening to IZ's Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  And then I have to give myself the pep talk.  "Just 2 more weeks." 

In 2 weeks, the hard part will be over.  It will be like Finals Week in law school when you've taken your last final and can at least pretend to forget everything you've jammed inside your brain for the past semester.  That feeling of "I can finally relax because nothing is pressing or pending at this time."  Oh how Mommy can't wait to finally relax!  Just 2 more weeks.

Nothing Says "Hello Summer!" Like VBS

We're in the middle of VBS this week.  Thankfully, some super smart person decided that our week should start on Sunday night, so this evening is already Day 3.  And for the first time ever, I have a child old enough to participate in all of the fun.

Well, my child thinks that the entire event is super fun.  But I'm in a state of mental fatigue.  Being stuck in a tiny classroom with 30 screaming children is probably my worst nightmare.  As a member of the Missions team, I've been given a whole entire to-do list to accomplish with each group of kiddos that comes through my room.  The problem is that every group of kiddos has about 30 kids and I only have 7.5 minutes to do everything on my list!  I'm pretty sure it took that long last night just to do a head count of the preschool red group because the leader thought she had lost someone.  Ugghhh.... 

The good news is that we have 3x the number of children attending VBS than we had last year (I think we had 225 last night).  Us leaders may not have been prepared for the large numbers of kids that were coming our way, but God is good.  His Word is being shared with over 200 children each night!  What a relief to know that my inadequacy to deal with the time and scores of little creatures under the age of 12 that come to my room really doesn't matter.  Because God is still at work.

What a joy to see little ones excited to come to church to learn about God.  If only people our age got this excited about church, maybe our world would be a better place.