Editing

I wish I could edit my life. I am right now watching listening to The Office in the background whilst I internet. (yes it's a verb) Actually it is the deleted scenes from season 3 -- it got me to thinking that I would like to delete some scenes in my life. I would REALLY like to take out the scene with Norman and his mother from the store today. Ok, his name wasn't Norman but holy moly, if the movie Psycho came to life, this guy would have totally fit the character. I can still hear his eerie voice calling for "Mother" (who incidentally wore a black trench with a burberry scarf and the tightest bun tied in her hair!) while she sat in a chair so he could try on dress shirts and try to convince me to cut the price in half on everything he wanted to buy. I don't know if he lives in the basement, but they sure seemed awfully close. Perhaps too close...and not in an immoral icky way necessarily, just a too close for comfort kind of way. Delete the scene please!

I would also like to take back the conversation that B and I had today about frozen plants and frost. I'll just leave it at that. Delete.

I could go on and on wishing for a delete button, but instead I would just like to hire a better director. I'm not sure that I am fit for the job to direct my life anymore. Especially when my week is full of work, meetings, football, church, conferences, new roof, volunteering, more football, more work, more meetings...in addition to planning a party and pulling our house together. So this week, I need a delete button. Similar to the easy button, but instead of making these things easier, I just want some of them to go away. Not the roof. We need it so that one can stay. And not the conferences, I'd like to know how Benjamin is doing so far in school. And football should stay, he really enjoys that. Church of course is really important, so I guess that one should stay on the schedule. I really do need to work, because we have a house payment to make, so I should keep that on the schedule. PPT was pretty crucial this week, we made a big decision that impacts the school, so it's best to keep that. I'm really looking forward to entertaining this weekend, so I want to keep that one...Sigh, I guess I'll only send the whole Norman and his mother to the cutting room floor this time.


What scenes would you like deleted from your life this week? I'd love to hear about them!

Say what?!

3 days in a row Jodie? How did we get so lucky?! Aww, so sweet of you to say--assuming you did say--it's just who I am, I aim to please!

I had a meeting tonight with a taskforce at our church where we discussed forcing a task. Ok, seriously I was a little out of my element at this meeting, but I have opinions...and I am always happy to share them. When I was asked to participate in the discussion I jumped at it, and am so grateful to have been a part of this meeting of the minds. I was reminded however of how little I actually know of the topic at hand. Why is this so top secret you ask? It isn't. But until things gain a little momentum, I will leave it at that. The reason I bring it up is that while I was sitting in this meeting, thinking of some of the opportunities that may present themselves to our family, I felt so blessed to be a member of our church. Not only to have the privilege to be in the meeting that I was in, but to have this congregation as my church family as my immediate family faces some new territory, and big decisions. The Lord has truly provided for us not only with tangible items, and a beautiful home, but with people and a community who are worth their collective weight in gold. And from what I hear gold is worth alot right now, so that is saying something!

I also have to mention that He was certainly looking out for me today while I was taking the kids to FP. FP if you will remember from last year is First Players. It is a program that a music teacher from another church in town runs for kids who are just beginning to play instruments. As 5th graders they meet once a week in the morning to play with small groups, and then on Friday mornings as a large group. This year, since Benjamin is a 6th grader not in 5th anymore, so he is in a concert band with students from 6th-12th grade, with the same teacher. Now, they meet on Thursday afternoons. So anyway, it was my day to transfer the kids from school to practice (I pick them up about 40 min before school is out), and when we were walking out the door, I noticed that one of them seemed a little out of sorts, so I said... (we'll call the student "Sax")... I said to Sax, "You seem a little off today, is everthing ok?" Thinking the response would be--I don't wanna go to band, or I wanted to stay in science and learn, or I'm hot...oh no, the response was "I don't feel good, I almost got sick in my locker"!!!

I stopped in my tracks, jaw hit ground. Ok, so I didn't get that kind of sick this past week, but I have had just about all the sick I want to handle right now. So I felt Sax's forehead, and asked a few questions then turned Sax around and said "Lets go call your mom". We didn't get a hold of her, so I made the executive decision to leave Sax in the nurse's office and took the rest to band. When I returned to pick up Christian from school, I was told by our wonderful secretary that soon after I left Sax got sick. HE was watching out for me for sure! Instead of having 4 kids + myself in the car with a student who would have gotten sick in my car, I had 3 healthy students and one exactly where he/she belonged--in the nurse's office! I pray for Sax as I have since talked to mom a number of times, and being at school was not the only time where Sax got sick...so I hope that a speedy recovery will be made, and that this does not pass around through their home!

Tomorrow I get to pick up our Goddaughter Callie! We are picking her up to have her for the weekend and our whole house is excited to have her! She is 3 now, and brings such an energy to a house full-o boys! I can't wait to cuddle with her, and sing to her, and read some of the books that the boys are too old for! We are looking forward to bringing her to football, and church, and some of the other things we have going on this weekend! I am so looking forward to having her, we've had it on the calendar for a while, and it is finally here! So I THANK our ever knowing God for watching out for us today so that we were not exposed to Sax at his/her most vulnerable point. Praises to Him!

Taking a break

This past week, I came down with a nasty cold like flu. Thankfully, it was not the flu with the name that shall not be mentioned! (I'm channeling Harry Potter doncha know?) Anyway, my voice decided that until I felt better, it would take a break. So, since Saturday I have been w/o a voice. I have had trouble sleeping the last few nights because of my throat, but now I am feeling better, and I would welcome my voice back anytime! Break time over!

Because of these sick days, I haven't been able to work in the store, who can blame her for not wanting me to bring whatever I have to her? So I have been able to not only keep up with my blog -- you're welcome-- but I have also been able to tackle our spare room and get some of the things that don't have a clear home, put away. We have a pretty cool attic that is surprisingly clean that I actually enjoy going into. It doesn't have the creepy cobwebs, or scary corners, in fact it has rods to hang extra clothing or coats, as well as TONS of space for storage. I have even thought it would be cool to put real floors in it for more living space...B says no. He will win.

I have had a chance to unpack some of the things that I have not unpacked for years and years because I didn't have space to put them. And now I have a whole room! Granted, that room still needs bookshelves--are you drawing up your plan B?


One wall in the spare room will look something like this

Or maybe this
We both share the same vision for the spare room, and I can't wait to have it finished, and now thanks to my voice taking a break, the room is ready for construction!

Today I joined my voice and took a break. I needed to calm down. I went on a little rant yesterday, and for those of you who witnessed the rant (in the previous post) then you will be happy to know that I feel much much better. I can't control what other people say or believe, but I do know what is true and at least my reality is firmly planted in, well, reality, so I will continue to be content knowing that. Instead of working around the house today, I decided to peruse some of my favorite consignment stores for accessories. Now that we have been in the house for awhile, I have a better idea of what sorts of things I would like for the space we have. I had fun looking around, and found some really interesting things. Like old records...B and I are trying to figure out how to incorporate them into our bedroom. In addition to the records I found several things for Christian's bedroom, the downstairs living room, and a cute sign for the laundry room, I was also able to check off specific things that we have been looking for since we move in! And ALL for under $30! Love it!

Furniture is tough. It must be durable, it must be comfortable, it must be the right size, and it should be new (this is where I can't really do second hand...many things yes, furniture? mmm, maybe not so much!). Oh yea, and we want to afford it...so yea, that weeds out many of the pieces we've looked at.

We finally settled on this one, right size, durable, super comfy and a great price...but I don't know about that color? With boys? In their space. In the not so distant future they will be teenage boys, which I sometimes think may be worse than toddler boys. When they were toddlers they had sippy cups with lids that didn't spill, and they weren't allowed to eat on the couch. But teenage boys---that is a different story. Sigh, why did I take myself there? I don't want to think about having teenage boys 1 1/2 years from now...not ready for that.

Tomorrow I get back into the classroom to volunteer for the year! I am excited to be back in their classrooms, and this year Benjamin is in a whole new world with a whole new volunteer code to follow!! Thank goodness Christian is still in 4th, because I have been told that at Benjamin's age, he will likely not acknowledge me being there, nor should I acknowledge him during school hours. It is the whole "don't speak unless spoken to" rule in 6th grade I guess. I seriously need to stop talking about how big he is getting! I am proud of all that he has accomplished, and he is at a very fun age right now. When I'm not thinking about how not-little he is becoming, I truly am fully enthralled with the young man that he is. It's just when I start thinking that 12 is around the corner, he is a 6th grader now, wasn't he just a baby? I suppose I should just take a break from thinking about that too! Sigh....

OH yea! PS....the changes are neither a baby nor a new job! Good guesses tho!

Amazingly honest

It was truly amazing to me to read the post on my new friend's blog. Before I wrote my Q&A, I started a post with a bit of a rant about those who make judgments based on false rumors. I have been on the receiving end of falsehoods that are ridiculous and...well just plain false. Lies regarding my divorce, lies about my relationship with Brian and lies about my current and past relationship with my exhusband. Out and out lies. Absolute untruths, and to my delight, when I read my new friend's post, I was in tears. She is right. She hit it head on, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. She was unknowingly there for me the night I was feeling down a few weeks ago, she has lifted my spirits not only as a Christian, but as a mother and wife as well.

Please take a moment to read it. I know some of you already follow her blog...and we all share some common interest with her, but for those of you who don't, I hope you get the same out of this as I did. Even if it doesn't directly apply to you, maybe next time you hear something that doesn't quite ring true, you'll remember this post and perhaps seek out your own answers!

Way to go Jennifer! So proud of you!

Exactly what I needed to read right now

Q & A (updated)

Who are "the offenders"? I choose not to identify who they are simply because I don't think it is relevant. I consider now and then to talk about who and how many there are, but at this point, I don't see a benefit to that, so for now, we'll upgrade them to "those we should pray for".

You haven't mentioned them in awhile, have things gotten better? Umm, that is a difficult question. I think to some degree things have gotten better for Brian and me. We have sought counsel in a number of areas and have found that we are not in jeopardy with the decisions that we have been making, so we will continue to do what we know is right (and legal), and if things continue to move in the right direction (no matter how slowly) we will leave things as are. Unfortunately, there are people involved (personally and professionally to all of us) who have expressed frustration with them as well, and are feeling misled with some of the deceiving things that are being and have been said. Instead of letting it consume me as it did last winter, I have made the decision to say as little as possible with the exception of lending an ear, they are not on my radar as they had been. So, while it is getting somewhat better for me, it has taken a turn for others involved in both personal and professional ways. Again, I will continue to pray for them. I believe for the most part we all have the same ultimate goal, and that is to serve the Lord the best we can, I just think we have different ways to achieve that goal.

Brian isn't the boy's dad?! I didn't realize that, who is? Was I married to him? You are right! Brian is their stepfather, and the best stepfather you could ask for. I met him when Benjamin was just over a month old, and he became a fast friend to both Benjamin and me. Of course because of the timing, he has also known Christian since he was born. We have pictures of B holding each boy when they were infants, and he has played an instrumental role their entire lives. From a mundane day at the park, to holidays and birthdays with many friends, their memories with Brian reach far back to before he and I were a couple, and I feel grateful for that. (their dad is very involved and is very much a part of their lives, B is not a replacement at all to him.) B is amazing, and we are all very lucky to have him in our lives. Yes, I was married to their dad. *** I already got the beep on my phone telling me that I had a new email, upon checking the message, it asked further questions about their dad. Wow-you're quick! Thanks for your sweet words! :) I should have realized that some of you are relatively new readers, and I haven't mentioned him recently, but his name has come up occasionally. I started this blog thinking that those who would read it would know much of our history already, so I haven't taken the time to introduce him, but now that it has grown to some of you who don't know...I suppose I should. Any time I have mentioned Chad ...it would be their dad that I am referring to. Inquisitive readers! I like that!! ***

What changes are happening? You mentioned them, and then never brought it up again. I did, and I am sorry. The changes were taking a little longer than we anticipated, since then another opportunity came up, so they have been put on hold for awhile. When I have more news I will definitely share!

Have I figured out what the screeching animal was last night? Ok, so this wasn't asked by someone else, but it is one that has been haunting me since we heard it. We sleep with our bedroom windows open, and last night we were both wakened by an awful screaming sound from an animal outside. It was chilling and scary, I couldn't tell if it was fear or pain, but after a few minutes of listening to it, and B at the window trying to see what it was, it made a few small squeaks and went quiet. I have no idea what happened, or what kind of animal it was, but I can't get the sound out of my head, and I sure would like to have an answer to that question!

Where oh where have I been?

Well let's see. I've been PPT-ing, ViE-ing, volunteering, employeeing, baking, interviewing, GIFT-ing, mothering, wife-ing, homemaking, deck sitting, entertaining, homeworking, and footballing. Yes, that is about sums up my past week. And it has been great. As I type I am surrounded by birds just chirping away on the deck, I don't think they care that I am here. I'm still getting used to that, so bear with me while I absorb the newness of the birds not being afraid of me!

*UPDATE* For those of you who have asked...ViE stands for Volunteers in Education, and I am the one of the coordinators for our school. I help find and organize volunteers for district events. PPT stands for Program Planning Team, which is our school's version of the PTA, or PTSA. I serve as one of 2 presidents this year, and have 2 years left of this position! I really love both positions as they have helped me to meet many people who are now dear friends, as well as being in the loop of the goings on at school, so I can be an advocate for the boys' education and help make decisions regarding their experience at Lincoln!

In addition to all that this past week has kept me busy with, I have heard the question "when oh when are you having a housewarming party?" SOO, after much contemplation, and trying to work out a time, I think we have found a chance to have one! And now I am super excited! Something to look forward to, and plan, and prepare for.

Ok, so this was a cheater post, I do have lots to talk about, in fact I have several posts hanging out in the unpublished category. It includes an update on the offenders deceivers those we should pray for, thoughts on motherhood, and some great quips from some blogs I have read lately! But that post takes time, and I don't have much of that these days, so it will come in due time! Until then--have a fantastic Thursday!

Happy Birthday Love!

Yesterday my adorable husband celebrated his 34th birthday!

He and I spent much of the day together while the boys were in school. We went to Thursdays on First where we ate, mingled, and shopped. We also ran into Benjamin's former football coach and spent a good hour discussing the sport at great length. Plays, players, ups and downs. Ok, so I had little to nothing to talk about during this conversation, but the 2 of them love to talk about football, so who was I stop them? It is his birthday afterall. And I actually enjoyed just being an observer of the endless conversation!

After we picked the boys up from school we came home only to have my mom stop in to spend some time on our deck while Brian and Benjamin went to--you guessed it--football practice. Boy oh boy do I love this season! My mom and I had a great time sitting on the deck talking and enjoying a glass of wine while Christian played in da 'hood.

I won't fill you all with the details of how wonderful, kind, adorable, thoughtful, gentle and sexy my husband is. And I won't fill you in on how worthy this man is of a day just for himself.


Mmmm, german chocolate!

We can't take our eyes off it...it looks delish!


He is an excellent match for me, and only by God's grace are we together today. Praises.

Now, he gets to use his new birthday power tools to build me a floor to ceiling wall to wall bookshelf for "my" room. The spare room will be used as a sewing/study, and I can NOT wait to get started on it. So much that I may even wait to paint the circus striped main floor bathroom. (I'll share pictures of both rooms soon!)

Happy Friday everyone! This weekend we have football on Friday, with more football on Saturday, followed by football on Sunday. Mix in drinks with friends, dinner with friends, rally Sunday at church and an evening with friends, it should be a fantastic weekend!

Wordless Wednesday--almost

So handsome. Love this face.

He insisted we do this. Recognize the orange bracelet anyone?

Very first time ever riding the bus. (field trips are the exception) They've never taken the bus to or from school until this year. 6th grade and 4th grade. If only I had never heard the phrase "Everything I learned, I learned on the bus." They may have had this experience sooner.

Praying

Nazis? Hitler? ELCA and where they went wrong? Republicans. Democrats. Conservative. Liberal. Right. Left. Gay. Lesbian. To be a Pastor. To not be a Pastor. So.Fed.UP.

Human.

All of us.

I am frustrated with society right now. I am embarrassed. I am ashamed. Where are our priorities?

Jesus loves us all. He turned no one away while He was teaching. Who are we to judge? It is not my job. Nor is my job to be the President of the United States. And if you ask me--you didn't but this is my blog after all, so you did sort of ask, in a round about way...right? Where was I? Oh yes! If you ask me, I think he did a fantastic job in his speech. No political swaying, nor hypnotizing of our youth. Health care was never brought up. Encouraging. Uplifting. Impressive.

I'm frustrated. I'm praying. Praying for my congregation. Praying for those who prey on the confused and hurt. Praying for the organizations who exploit people when there is controversy.

Family changes coming our way. Just between B and I (and all of you). I'll reveal more to the boys (and all of you) when there is more to reveal. In the mean time, we'll stay focused.

Sigh....it is difficult to be a Christian/mother/wife/friend. Praying.

Catch up

I haven't posted pictures in awhile, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites. The first pictures are from the week we moved.


This is my favorite part of our home. These beautiful french doors make me happy. Very happy.


This was our first night in the house. We were exhausted. Brian could barely turn the screwdriver to put the legs back on the sofa so we could sit on it. All the hard work was very worth it!

Here is Mojo sitting next to the wide open door as though to say "Yea, right, what will happen to me if I come out there. Will you get mad at me? I'll just stay here thank you."

A few moments later...

"Really, you mean I can come out? Seriously?"


"I'm out. Nothing happened. It's safe!"

And now both cats LOVE to have free reign on the deck.

We are home. And we are here to stay.