Living In Extremes

Thank you

2012-01-27T22:22:00.002-07:00

To all my "readers" who played a part in God's provision this week.... thank you. :) Keep up the good work.

Aaron's mad skillz.

2012-01-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Friday nights are "dinner and a movie night" at our house. The dinner is generally homemade pizza. You all know how talented my husband is.... but I bet you didn't know he could do this.....

The weight of it all

2012-01-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

The sermon at our church this past Sunday was a heavy, mixed bag full of technical, theological, and emotional. That's a good sermon right there! It was on Genesis 1. When it came time to talk about Adam and Eve, and the fall in particular, they showed the following video. I can't encourage you enough to take 6 minutes and 42 seconds out of your life to watch this amazingly gripping piece of artwork. I'm not sure I've ever heard the story of the Creation and the Fall done is such a moving way. (It does take a minute or two to fully load, FYI.)

When the clip was over, my heart was left with an incredible sadness and this weight that I've felt has been trying to consume me lately. All at once, it came flooding to my mind that I've been wrestling with everything that accompanies the Fall..... a lot. It seems that it's been a growing pain - feeling this weight of man's curse, the weight of women's curse (I even flat out admitted to Aaron last week amidst an (ahem) argument that my desire was to rule over him, darn it!), the weight of brokeness, and strife; the weight of lack of whole community (that the Trinity IS and models), the lack of joy, peace, contentment, love and wholeness. I hear that "if God is for us, what can be against us" .... and in all honesty, it has felt lately like A LOT is against us .... against me. There is a line in the video where the poet states, "...born to know, born to rule, born to control" .... this is the LIE Eve first believed. This is the LIE we are all still tempted to believe.

And the Enemy has his way of making all that is untrue ring louder in my heart and mind than what is true.

Truth?
For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:22
Amen.

Following such a heavy message were songs of hope, of truth, and of the reminder that I do not bear this weight BECAUSE of what Jesus did for me. It is THIS truth that keeps me going on days when the weight seems too much to bear. It is the truth that the weight has already been lifted that makes my heart able to sing. I'm so thankful that this weight is not mine to bear. It is indeed too much.

So if you actually watched that video and you are feeling the heaviness that accompanies this world as I did after watching it (or just have been in general)..... do yourself a favor, sing a new song ... your soul is counted free!

"When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me"

The Modern Day Slave

2012-01-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

Did you know that there are more slaves today than there were during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade? Did you know that many people contribute to this slavery without even knowing it?

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness month. Today is the "day". I actually didn't know this until today. The funny thing is, I had a dream last night that Aaron and I worked for International Justice Mission. What a dream. So it's been on my mind a lot today. I kept seeing the Facebook posts and the blog links .... and well, this sad reality has just been on my mind and heart a lot today. Actually, there is one aspect that has been on my mind and heart a lot lately regarding the modern day human trafficking reality.

PORN.

Yup, you read that right. I read an article a few weeks back that smacked me upside the head in the truth that one cannot be anti-human trafficking and "okay" with porn all at the same time. The two go hand in hand, and if you are going to be against one, you have to take a stand against both. This is the article that I read.

"Pornography is not a ‘harmless pastime,’ but the fuel that drives prostitution, sex shops and human slavery."
by Bob DeMoss

In case you don't plan on reading that entire article....allow me to cut and paste....

"The U.S. Department of State estimates 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked internationally every year for purposes of entering the sex trade (stripping, prostitution, pornography, and live-sex shows), and labor exploitation (sweatshops and domestic servitude). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports, “After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today.”"

"While the horrors of human trafficking stir many hearts to action, there is far less anger directed toward mainstream commercial sex businesses, such as strip clubs and pornography that act as feeder industries for trafficking operations."

"In the business of commercial sex, pornography serves as the marketing vehicle."

So there you have it. It's a sad, disgusting reality that is rapidly becoming the "norm" in our society. Another fantastic article sums it disgustingly well.... "In terms of money, porn is a $10 to $14 billion dollar industry. This makes it a bigger business than professional football, basketball, and baseball—combined."

So today, 1.11.12, on Human Trafficking Awareness Day, I chose to talk about how a large population, people you know - people I know ... are adding to the problem, not helping. This makes me sick. This makes me sad.

I have 3 daughters. One from Africa where not too long ago, her family could have/may have been a part of some of our text books most tragic events. I have 3 daughters who I can't ever imagine being a sad statistic for the pleasure of a disgusting "pastime". I can't help but think about our current day that hoists the largest numbers of "slaves" ever known without a gnawing pit in my stomach. A large portion of these slaves are not plowing our fields or cooking our food .... but posing on screen. Nameless. Detached. For the pleasure of ......

For more information about today's Human Trafficking crisis and how you can be a part of the solution, my top 3 favorite organizations are, Not For Sale, International Justice Mission, and my local favorite.... iEmpathize.

And they were 'sore' afraid....

2011-12-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

So proud of my Sam. Another boy was supposed to do the scripture reading at today's Christmas Eve Services. He wasn't able to make it, so last minute - Sam got the gig. He did so good. Afterwards, he said, "That was scary!" The kid fooled me! He's a natural, that one.

Merry Christmas. May you remember in 2012 that Jesus came FOR YOU. God, my friends, is FOR YOU.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
The Jackson 5. I mean....the Britton 7 !

Sing With Me Now!

2011-12-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

(To the tune of 12 Days of Christmas)

All in a day in the Britton Family.

ahem....me me me me me me me.... ready.

All in a day in the Britton family,
1 Mom yelling insanely

All in a day in the Britton family,
2 loaves of bread and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
6 days off school (so far), FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
7 o'clock practice (for worship team), 6 days of school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
8 minutes of quiet, 7 o'clock practice, 6 days off school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
9 times I told you so (or umpteen, whichever is greater), 8 minutes of quiet, 7 o'clock practice, 6 days off school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
10 wet snow boots, 9 times I told you so, 8 minutes of quiet, 7 o'clock practice, 6 days off school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
11 trays of cookies, 10 wet snow boots, 9 times I told you so, 8 minutes of quiet, 7 o'clock practice, 6 days off school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, and 1 Mom yelling insanely.

All in a day in the Britton family,
12 inches of snow, 11 trays of cookies, 10 wet snow boots, 9 times I told you so, 8 minutes of quiet, 7 o'clock practice, 6 days off school, FIVE KIDS AT HOME! 4 times we've shoveled, 3 loads of laundry, 2 loaves of bread, aaaaannnnnnd 1 Mom yelling insanely.

I love my life....but I won't say it isn't tiring.
Thank you, and good night.

Tidy and Polite Children Gone Wild

2011-12-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I wrestled with if this blog post should take root here, or over at the Adoption blog. Maybe it doesn't matter. I decided to nestle in here for a bit.

Can we talk about parenting? I must admit, I had it in my head before we adopted Kira that we already had four kids, "what's one more". WOW. Okay, well, one more is five. And five kids is a lot of little people. I'm so blessed to be called, "Mom", by five of the most amazing children on the face of the planet (and I can actually say the planet). But I can also tell you that I'm wrestling with how to live it out well.

Everyone keeps asking how we are doing now that Kira is home. She's doing amazing. But yes, we are in the midst of some hard stuff as we adjust to life with five.

Pop quiz to make sure you are paying attention. How many kids do I have? :)

Kids and spouses have the ultimate ability to bring out the best in us. And by the best, I mean the worst. There is nothing like children to bring our sin struggles to the surface. God has an amazing way of using such small beings to refine us in some of the biggest ways. With each child we have added to our family, it's been this same story - just the next chapter.

Chapter 5.
I've been convicted by how much I lack what love is. I know I joked about it in our family photo post, but it's true...I'm falling short in patience and kindness. I am rude - insisting on my own way. I'm irritable and resentful. But the one that has side swiped me is my boastful and arrogant spirit. This spirit is one which is incapable of loving for pure reasons that flow from a servants heart. Rather, the boastful and arrogant spirit does what needs to be done for the glory of self.

Again, I know I joked (while still being serious) about my desire to look like the perfect family. (Not so much desire but more so idol.) All kidding aside....it's true. God has used one more child in the mix to reveal this ugly idol to me. It's a funny and sad little twisted reality that I live in.

I want to go in public and have well behaved, kind, loving children. Because it makes me look like a good mom. At home I want my kids to keep their rooms clean, share their toys, eat their dinner respectfully, and love each other well. Because it makes me feel like a good mom. Sure ... there is a corner of my heart that genuinely wants these things because I know it is a better life for them. But I'm feeling very convicted that my driving force behind such desires is not their hearts, but me. These desires have grown painfully obvious as we now parent a new six year old who doesn't know the rules, acts out in ways our other kids know to be unacceptable, and lacks the social skills that our kids have grown up in. All of a sudden I realize I have to step up my serving, and die to my NEED for the LOOK of perfection as I lovingly train this child in JESUS. To train all of them in Jesus.

Train this child in Jesus. Wow. What does that even mean? Well, thankfully, someone wrote a book about it. A good one. Y'all know how I feel about parenting books. So if I'm going to read one, it better be well worth my time...and it better be dripping with gold nuggets. I believe the book I just dove into is exactly that.

The book is called, "Give them Grace: Dazzling your kids with the love of Jesus", by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson

Here's a glimpse:

"Most of us are painfully aware that we're not perfect parents. We're also deeply grieved that we don't have perfect kids. But the remedy to our mutual imperfections isn't more law, even if it seems to produce tidy or polite children. Christian children (and their parents) don't need to learn to be "nice". They need death and resurrection and a Savior who has gone before them as a faithful high priest, who was a child himself, and who lived and died perfectly in their place. They need a Savior who extends the offer of complete forgiveness, total righteousness, and indissoluble adoption to all who will believe. This is the message we all need. We need the gospel of grace and the grace of the gospel. Children can't use the law any more than we can, because they will respond to it the same way we do. They'll ignore it or bend it or obey it outwardly for selfish purposes, but this one thing is certain: they won't obey it from the heart, because they can't. That's why Jesus had to die"

Love. I'm only 4% into this book (yes, 4%. I'm reading it on the Kindle, and I'm not sure how to find out what page I'm on) and she just nailed it on the head all that I'm feeling right now - both about my children, and my own selfish heart.

All that confession that I just vomited on the world wide web...and now I want to end by asking if anyone wants to join me in reading this book? This blog wasn't written with the desire to be self-loathing, or fishing for compliments from anyone who wants to tell me I'm kidding myself - my children are perfect. It's just true....we're in a hard little season of parenting. In our society where perfection (or the look of it) is praised - I fairly confident that I'm not alone. (And hey, if I am alone, my new BFF is Elyse Fitzpatrick since she apparently is with me on this one.) So that said, I would love if some of you want to read along. Maybe we'll make a one time online book-club out of the fun.

I'm so thankful for this timely treasure in book form tonight. My spirit needs this. And Lord knows, my kids need my spirit to soak this in.

***I do want to be clear that this blog post was not intended to bash on my children. My littles are truly good kids. I know they are. But they are still kids. And it's ME that is having a hard time with that.***

Pinecones and Pinterest

2011-12-02T09:26:00.002-07:00

Now don't get all excited thinking I'm turning this blog into a craft blog .... reminder, I am NOT a crafty person. But thanks to the newest online time sucker .... I mean, social networking sight - I was inspired!

I've seen pinecone wreathes in the stores (and by stores, I mean Pottery Barn catalogues). Me want. Me can't afford. (They're like, $50. Ouch!) So I thought to myself, surely this Pinterest thing would have a tutorial on how to make my own pinecone wreath. Ah-ha! Yes, indeed. I modified it a bit, and actually made a {gasp!} CRAFT. Hot glue and all.

I was going to just buy the pinecones, but they are up to about $5 for a small bag now. The how-to site I was following told me to take my kids on a nature hike for the fun of it and for free pinecones. So I obeyed. Who cares that it was below freezing. Bundle up kids! It's time to make some memories! So up the hill we drove. And I'm so glad we did!

We started out with a picnic lunch. Only these 2 thought it was a bit too cold to eat outside. It was.

Miss Eden on the search.

Provi was considering a Polar Bear swim instead of helping in the search.

Kira was so proud of every cone she found - but she especially loved finding the tiniest of the tiny ones.

These 2 guys didn't help search, they are just really cute.

Even Sam joined in a bit. He was the daring one to climb the hills that none of us girls would.

I was on a mission!

After the fun was over, my mom told me that I needed to dry the pinecones out. So I laid them on the back porch for the sun to do it's work. They were nice and dry, so I put them back in a bag and set them out front until I could get to my little project. (Don't want those Rocky Mountain bugs in my house, thank you very much.) Then it snowed. And my dry pinecones were no longer dry.

I did my project anyway.

Step 1: Get a wreath at your local craft store. ($4.50 at Hobby Lobby) The tutorial I was following said to get a white Styrofoam wreath and spray paint it green. Uh, I say skip that stupid step and buy the rustic looking twiggy ones. (See, I'm so uncrafty that I just referred to the wreath as a "twiggy one".)

Step 2: Lay out pinecones. Yes, yes I did lay them out smallest to biggest. The earlier image of these boots inspired me so much that I felt I had no choice.

Step 3: Glue. (Caution, hot glue doesn't feel great if gotten on ones hands. Never accuse me of not giving a full tutorial, thank you.) The how-to I was following said to line them up nice and neat, 3 in a row. I didn't find that to be possible at all. She must've had all the same size cones. Besides, other than the boots, since when is anything in my house nice and neat? The pinecones would be no different. I was going from random beauty.

Step 4: I added some fake pearly-looking things and a ribbon to hang it. Then I hung it. (Don't forget to hang it!)

Step 5: Put all remaining pinecones in a cute basket to display at some random spot in your house. Throw in some cinnamon sticks and call it potpourri if you want.

All done! I'm so happy with my little wreath. (And basket of leftovers.)

Twiggy wreath thingy - $4.50. Hot glue - $2.95. Savings from Pottery Barn - $42.55 (plus shipping and handling). Memories of collecting pinecones - say it with me..... PRICELESS!

Family Pictures, Part II

2011-11-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Jamie, did it again. She worked her magic in the midst of the mess that was our family portrait session. I truly couldn't be happier with this years pictures. And I actually got a kick out of seeing the facial expressions in certain pictures, knowing that I was saying certain words (strongly) to certain unhappy children, all with plastered smiles on our faces. Take that, Norman.

I hope my kids look back on these pictures one day and believe that the smiles on their faces reflected how they truly feel in our family. (Just maybe not on THIS particular day.) I hope.

(Yes there are 50 pictures below these words. Be glad, I narrowed it down from somewhere in the hundreds. So hard to choose!)

Thank you, Jamie!

Dance Party !!!

2011-11-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

This is how we play. LOVE these moments.

(If you are actually going to watch this, stay tuned because Daddy Britton joins the fun for a brief moment about half way through.)

Black Friday Funny

2011-11-24T20:51:00.001-07:00

Black Friday makes me wonder. Are the "deals" really "deals"??? Or will the prices you see in the ad really be good through the remainder of the Holiday season? Hmmm...

Well, I stumbled across an ad that is just unbeatable. Unbeatable in the sense that it is the dumbest thing I think I've ever seen.

I think I may just rush out and get this trampoline strictly because of the safety feature.

Really? We've taken safety to a whole new level.... Because of course, if your 4 year old falls 2 feet, they'd probably break their neck. Thank goodness there's that enclosure for your 100 pound 4 year old!

(Sorry if you have one of these.... um, I take it all back.)

Another one for the memory box

2011-11-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know - we're a beautiful family.

(Sorry Aaron...this time you aren't the only one that is embarrassed.)

Oh my ... we were something.....

Baby Britton Blurb

2011-11-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Provi - "Mom, you should have another baby."

Me - "Uh. No."

Seriously. I can't make this stuff up, people. Now tell me that's funny.

Family Pictures, Part I

2011-11-12T14:00:00.004-07:00

It's that time of year again, where all families big and small are trying to capture the beautiful moments of fall in an attempt to get the perfect family photo for those Christmas cards.

This year was an extra special year for our family portraits, as we have added a new member to our family. In fact, we would point to our family picture hanging over the mantle, and explain we needed a new picture with her in it! At this thought, Kira would grin from ear to ear.

Today was the big day! Our good friend Jamie, who has been doing our pictures for about 4 years now, was scheduled to come back. Actually, we were going to head to a lovely spot in the Foothills where many of our friends have been doing family portraits. What more speaks of a beautiful family then one all bundled up in their fancy warm clothes with a red barn, flowing wheat grass and bits of leaves and snow in the background? I mean, really, this is what Christmas Cards and Hallmark Movies are made of, folks.

So imagine my surprise when I got a call from Jamie last night telling me that she recently saw this picture I put up on Facebook.

Jamie thought it would be so much better to do pictures showing our growing family in real life - rather than some random outdoor shots. She asked if she could come to our home. At my hesitancy, she sent me a link or two to show me what she had in mind.

Um, so here is what went through my mind after seeing the adorable shots of those other families.

I don't have a house that looks like it is catalog material like those families. I don't look as cute in my "house clothes" as those moms did. My house is nowhere near as clean as those houses, and even the cooking mess in those pictures are cute messes. We don't make cute messes, we make small explosions. And anyway, I already planned out everyone's perfectly matched outfits that would just look silly for these kind of photos. These pictures call for cute, comfy, relaxed gear - and by golly, I want that Norman Rockwell picture that makes us look perfect!!!! No this just won't do because THIS is a more accurate photo of my non catalog house that certainly reveals my non Norman Rockwell family.

Jamie laughed at my nonsense, and I agreed to let her give it a try. After all, Jamie is one of those photographers that could probably do a photo shoot at the City Dump and everyone would want to have their next portrait session there with her because it would just be that fabulous. I told her that my house comes close to the City Dump, so let's go for it.

So even though she told me not to clean, I of course stuck Aaron and the kids on all sorts of cleaning duties this morning cleaning the entire house - because after all, I didn't know which room she would use....and by golly, I STILL want to look perfect! I picked out new clothes for the photos and agreed that we all looked a little more like ourselves. I thought about wearing yoga pants, but figured that would be pushing the coziness we were going for. (Not to mention how IMPERFECT a photo of me in yoga pants would be.)

Jamie showed up at 11:00 and we were ready to go! I had sent the kids outdoors for the entire morning so as to not mess up the house again. She began snapping away. I was feeling pretty good about things. She got some of all 7 of us on the couch, some of just the kids, maybe one of the dog, some of me and the girls baking, and Aaron and the boys watching football. I was growing pretty convinced ... this is OUR LIFE! I was so glad she had encouraged these real life/posed shots.

After we were done in the house, we ventured over to a nearby lake where our family often visits. I was really liking this change of plans! We had our real life pics, and now we were off for those perfect outdoor photos on familiar turf.

Yeah, here's how perfect it went....

The wind was blowing, one kid stepped in the lake, the tree branch that we were supposed to all sit on was hurting the kids, someone looked at one kid funny and she or he began to cry, one of the kids may or may not have ripped a large whole in the butt of their pants on said tree branch, two kids ran off one way while the other 3 ran another way, no one wanted to stop throwing rocks in the lake long enough to take a picture, I was yelling at everyone to stop being crazy and just smile - NO, SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT, and it turned cold out of nowhere - to which one child decided they wanted to be done. We all decided to be done.

So there you have it - our Norman Rockwell family. Perfect, huh?

I can't help but laugh at the stupidity of this all. We were just hoping to get a couple good family shots. Why would I think that what we look like in a picture reveals anything about who we really are? Why would I try to make it so? Why would I care if a picture did reveal who we really are - messy and imperfect? Why would I not want to capture the moments of our crazy life in mismatched clothes, shoes and socks that don't go, messed up hair, dishes in the sink, toilets that seldom get flushed, dusty shelves, and backpacks and winter hats strewn throughout the house? Because then I would have to admit that I'm not perfect, and neither are my kids. I'd have to admit and confess that I have sinned against my children through my anger and frustrations at them just being children. I'd have to admit and confess that I have turned the LOOK of perfection into an idol, rather than valuing love above all things. Shoot.

Love is PATIENT and KIND (not, SMILE, darn it!); love does not envy or BOAST (not, look at our perfect family in our perfect photos!!); it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not IRRITABLE (not, clean this! clean that! clean clean clean!) or resentful (not, why do the toilets NEVER get flushed??); it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the TRUTH (we are not perfect!). Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Say cheese!

(Part II will be the revealing of what I know will be wonderful pictures of an imperfect family. Stay tuned!)

Senior Prom

2011-11-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just for fun.....

I know. I haven't aged a bit. Thank you.

Garage Sale QUEEN!!!

2011-09-19T19:44:00.001-06:00

I.Love.Garage.Sales. I'm a sucker for those neon signs pointing me in a particular direction, even on the days I had no intention of going garage sale-ing.

Well, this weekend, that desire paid off BIG TIME. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and crown myself as Queen of Garage Sales.

In the past, I've found amazing deals..... The $250 bike hitch for $25. An entire fall Gap wardrobe for a child for $15. A unique work desk for $5. A Crate and Barrel Vase for $2. A solid wood kitchen table for FREE. That's just a few. And while I understand they hold no glory when compared to Malachi's free sword, stuffed animal, or "That Was Easy" button (can't even tell you how annoyed I was when the lady said he was so cute he could just have that one.... yeah, thanks!!!!), I'm always pretty excited to find a hidden treasure. (Don't even get me started on Flea Markets!!!)

Well, this weekend was the top for me! I was on my way to Costco (so again, no PLAN to go to a garage sale), when out of the corner of my eye, there it was - the hot pink sign beckoning me: MOVING SALE!! I hung a quick Louie, and there I was. (That means, turned left, mom.) But this was something different - all the belongings were not proudly displayed on the front lawn. No, I was being directed INSIDE the home....WHAT?!?!?! An entire home??? Excitedly, I went in.

Unfortunately, my excitement waned as I saw the little she actually had in her home. (Or at least the little that I would be interested in.) However, as soon as I walked in the front door, I spotted a beautiful Baby Grand piano. I didn't assume it was for sale, or if it was - it was at least going to be a few thousand dollars. So I continued browsing the dollar items. As I was about to walk out the door, I turned out of curiosity and asked if the owner was selling the piano.

Me: Is the piano for sale?
Owner: Yes.
Me: How much?
Owner: I dunno, $100???
Me (after picking my jaw up off the floor): Um, does it work?
Owner: Yes. I bought it 6 years ago for $4000 dollars. I'm moving though, and just need SOMEONE to get it out of here. I bought it thinking I would learn how to play, but haven't. So it's just been sitting here, with the occasional friend or family member playing it. I've been praying for the right buyer to come along...someone who would be blessed by it.

Um .... hand raised. Yes, please!

So I quickly called Aaron and had him bike over to take a look. (Yes, bike. I had only made it 2 blocks before spotting the pretty little sign.) He came to look at it and was certainly more than impressed...enough so to part with $100, that's for sure.

So we told the owner that we would take it and handed her the money. I asked her if she was a Christian (assuming so from how she had been talking combined with K-Love playing in the background). She told me that she was, and was in fact moving away to go to Bible College. She was really worried that no one would move the piano, and that she would have to. (Um... had ANYONE else actually ASKED the price, I'm sure it would have been long gone.) So I explained to her what a blessing it was to us, that we had (almost) 5 kids, a house full of musicians, and had been on the search for a loooong time for a decent, affordable piano. We both were blessed.

Now....to find the guys willing to move it.

Here's the thing. We don't really have room in our house for a Baby Grand....unless it can be moved to the basement....which most pianos this size could not be. The beauty of this Baby (pun intended) is that it is a digital piano - so it won't go out of tune by tipping and turning. Also the legs come off....perfect for tight corners. Amazing! Could God have orchestrated (no pun intended) this any better?

4 guys stepped forward (one who happens to be a brilliant pianist and even gave his stamp of approval on our new purchase!) and moved it into our home tonight.

Wanna see it??? It's hard to tell in the pics, but it is actually a beautiful cherry wood. Matches my house perfectly!!!

Wanna know the best part about a digital piano? There are headphone jacks! This gives the option for the player to be the only person who can hear the sound being played. This works well with 5 kids LEARNING piano, and a husband who likes to write music. :)

All kidding aside, I'm truly blessed by this little rose amongst a few thorns lately. One other random detail, but not so random to the Maker of the Universe, is that we came upon an extra $100 just the day before this find that we weren't expecting in our monthly budget. It's moments like this... they don't come often... but you know that when they do, God is wanting to cement His faithfulness and provision in your mind. I thank him for this.

And who knows - maybe I'll even finally learn how to play..... maybe.

NJ, fall, lattes, babes, and driving.

2011-09-07T21:09:00.001-06:00

Aaron and I got pregnant with our first child 4 months after we got married. 2 months later we moved to New Jersey. 1 month later I went on bed-rest. We were in New Jersey for 18 months. Looking back over the course of my life, it was perhaps 18 of the hardest and loneliest months of my life. But good...so good.

Aaron and I left all we had ever known and early on in our marriage - were forced to learn to lean on God and each other. We had our first child. I made one of the best friends I will probably ever have. I learned how to cook something other than mac'n'cheese with BBQ sausage (sounds yummy, huh). We lived 7 blocks from the ocean. We learned a lot about ministry, our giftedness, and what was important to us. We got pregnant with our second child....our Glory Baby (Sarah).

It was 10 years ago that we felt that pain of such a deep loss. I would drive a lot during those times. I loved to just get in the car and drive. I would think, sing, pray and NOT do housework (that I was learning as a young bride was never ending). The baby (Providence) would sleep peacefully as I cruised up and down the Parkway.

Fall was AMAZING in New Jersey. It spoiled me forever. Fall in Colorful Colorado is anything but colorful compared to an East Coast fall. I'd drive down the parkway with the beautiful red, orange, yellow and even purple leaves kicking up behind me in the car. I thought that only happened in car commercials with high powered fans. Apparently the car commercials were filmed in NJ.

There was a CD by Watermark (Christy Nockels) that came out shortly before we moved to NJ. I had it on repeat the entire time we lived there. So for some reason, fall and the CD, All Things New, go hand in hand for me. 10 years later, I still pull that CD out every fall. That album also has a song on it called Glory Baby... a song I reference every time I miss my Glory Baby.

I love fall. I love that everything is about to go to sleep for several months. Sometimes I want to go to sleep for several months. I love the smell of fall, the colors of fall, the feel of fall. Today in CO was the first hint of fall for this year. Every year at the start of season, I open up all the windows and let the 50 degree weather flood my house, only to dress up in my sweaters and warm socks. The rest of the family gets annoyed. The kids were walking around the house this morning wearing earmuffs (they aren't still called ear muffs, are they?) and gloves. C'mon ... dramatic much? (I don't know where they get it from.) But I love it.

Today was a sad day for me. We were supposed to be on our way to get our fifth child. We didn't go. It was a cold, dreary day (literally). Malachi didn't want to nap. So my old comfort plan seemed like a good idea.

I loaded up Malachi in the car. (Not as quiet as that babe, Provi ... but with the DVD player and his headphones, I was okay hearing his giggles and "Swiper no swiping!" every now and then.) And so what that I used to drive a little Honda Accord and gas was $.99/gallon and now I drive a Suburban and gas is $3.50/gallon. It was a good use of $40 worth of gas if you ask me. I drove in the cold rain with the windows down ... until the dog tried to jump out. I thanked God for the gloomy day. Had it been a sunshiny day, I probably would've really been depressed. Somehow gloomy days make it okay to be sad. Cold, fall days (even the gloomy ones) truly bring me joy. And any joy was welcomed today.

my view driving today

I stopped by Starbucks for the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (another joy), and I'm not even afraid to admit that. I popped in the All Things New CD and just drove. I listened to songs that reminded me of those days in NJ. I missed my friend there. Glory Baby came on and I shed some tears for that child I never held 10 years ago. There's a line in the song that says "baby let sweet Jesus hold you, till Mom and Dad can hold you"..... I shed some more tears at having that same sentiment for my Ugandan Sweetie who I am ready to hold.

The song Who Am I/Grace Flows Down came on. The first line says, "over time you've healed so much in me, and I am living proof - that although my darkest hour comes, your light can still shine through". More tears. I thought back to those hard days, to that sweet baby, to our current Sweetie, to many hard things that have been between then and now - and I thanked God that on this gloomy day - His light still shone through to me....that it always has.

God met me where I was today. When I couldn't find him, as always, he found me. Amazing grace indeed.

I couldn't find a good clip of the song, Who Am I/Grace Flows Down... but I did find a horrible one. So I'll post that. (And Aaron was so offended by the clip, that he made me shrink it so you can only play it - not watch it. ha!) Then you should just dig it up on iTunes or something to have in your library for your cold, gloomy days.

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Great is His Faithfulness unto me.

Here she goes again w/ that "community" garbage.

2011-09-07T10:49:00.000-06:00

Community.

Something I vaguely remember threatening last summer after Aaron's sabbatical to blog a series of posts about.

I don't think I ever did.

Thoughts of community, what it is, why it's gone wrong, etc....never cease to end in my mind. It's at the front of my thoughts almost as much as getting my new daughter home. So maybe I'll think about sharing some of those thoughts again.

Or maybe for now, I'll just link to a short video I saw this morning that made me sad and hopeful all at the same time. Sad because of the truths in it ("for the average American, there's only 2 people that they can confide in for any meaningful conversation, and for the rest of us - we don't have anyone at all") and hopeful because of the movement that seems to be happening parallel to that of Gospel-Centered living - a movement of authentic community ("real authentic community is not about us, it's about God.", and "that God would strip away everything that is fake...and replace it with the only thing that does give life - The Gospel ....")

So maybe .... maybe I'll blog some more in the days to come.

Slip??? What's that?

2011-09-03T21:46:00.000-06:00

Maybe this is TMI...

I needed a dress for a special occasion (ahem ... court in Uganda). I found a nice dress that I felt comfortable in, and would actually wear again after said occasion. (Crazy!) There was one problem .... it was totally see-through! Not sure who thought that was okay, but I figured I could work with it.

So I ventured out to find this thing I remembered wearing once upon a time in a former life. It's called a slip. (Believe it or not, long slips to go with a long dress are really hard to find!)

I had the slip laying out to pack for our trip, and Providence came in and asked what it was. I told her it was a slip. With shock in her voice, she asked, "they still make those?" Um yes ... I guess they do.

Maybe I should teach her about those things they call pantyhose, too.

Move over Willow....

2011-08-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

My kids have gotten into Willow Smith's song, "Whip My Hair". It's one of those songs that is crazy annoying and will never leave your head. Hmmmm, maybe that describes most of the music my kids like. Anyway ...

A while back, I attempted to twist Malachi's hair. It was still too short to work, and we've been growing it out ever since. Well - I decided to try again tonight. To be honest, I kinda think it still looks a bit girly, but Aaron disagrees. He brought out some famous men with similar hairstyles.

Men like Coolio

I really need to learn how to write letters with Malachi's twists. That'd be .... epic.

Or how about the ever famous Kris Kross?

You know - the popular ones who are leading the way in African hairstyles today. Umm.....

Well, Mr. Malachi says he likes his hair. He immediately started flopping his head all over the place, finding it rather funny that the twists would flop around on his head. With no prompting from us, he began to sing the above mentioned song. (It did take some prompting for him to do it again for the sake of video....)

I have a long way to go in learning how to style his hair. I watch the videos, I see the pictures that I want his hair to look like ... and yet we just aren't there yet. My favorite actually is not Willow, but her brother Jayden. LOVE this hairstyle, and I'm not sure how to get Malachi's hair to mimic it.

Maybe one day. Until then.....
wiggawiggawiggawiggittee WHHHACCK!!”

ElevenTeen. All advice welcome.

2011-07-20T21:32:00.005-06:00

I cannot believe that my baby girl, my first born, turned eleven yesterday. A friend asked me the other day how old she was turning. Before I could answer, they guessed.

"Eleventeen??"

I laughed, never having heard the word eleventeen. My friend laughed as well, as she didn't mean to say it, it just came out. I decided then that I was going with it. Provi is officially a "tween", but the word "tween" ranks up there on the my hate list with other words like, "epic", "besties", " militant", etc... So we're going with eleventeen.

The years have flown. I'll spare you from the cliches, but it's true.

CAUTION:
THE FOLLOWING IMAGES SHOULD NOT BE VIEWED BY .... well, they shouldn't be viewed by anyone ... but since I already told you about the weight gain over the course of my mommy hood days and how I wasn't cute when pregnant, I may as well post the proof.

Here is me a few days before giving birth to Provi. Now mind you ... I was on bed rest, which means there was a lot of food and little movement. I had toxemia. And to top it all off, there weren't cute maternity clothes back then (yes, 2000 is "back then").


Gorgeous, I know.

Moving on .....

Maybe I can make up for that by posting this:

There she is! My little "Peanut". Born July 19th, 2000 weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long.

I never knew I could love so much.

So what's happened the last 11 years? I don't know, but we've survived! As I was pondering the last 11 years, my mind quickly turned to the next 7. Yes, I said 7. 7 more years and Provi will be venturing out into this world on her own. (I know this for a fact, because we plan to kick our kids out on their 18th birthday, it's just the way it has to be. kidding.) I started to panic a bit, I must admit.

See, the thing is, I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. I realized that a lot of unsolicited advice is given to new moms, moms of toddlers, and mothers of pre-schooler's. I know this because not only did every women who had ever had kids feel they had the right to tell me how to get my child to sleep, eat, and poop ... but I've become that mom! Ugh. Advice and books are tossed at moms of newborns as if those first few years will determine the rest of the child's life. The theories on parenting styles and sleep schedules are suffocating to a new mom. Heck, they're suffocating to me STILL, and I'm on number 4! Everyone is an expert (especially those without kids), and every book makes you feel like a failure. BUT ....every now and then, some stuff stuck that got us through those early years. (For instance, thanks to Baby Wise, my biological kids slept through the night by 9 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 months ... WHAT??? What was wrong with that last kid? I was probably starving him like the other books warned me about.)

But now she's 11. The books are far and few between on practical daily living. I've read some great blogs, and a few great books that deal with parenting children's hearts (ahem, Shepherding a Child's Heart, Parenting by the Book, Give them Grace (haven't read that one yet, but I'm going to, and it will be amazing)). But what about the advice I used to get about sleep schedules, when to leave them alone, when to let them cry, when to rescue them, etc... I must admit, I'm starting to miss the unasked for advice.

So here I am. Asking. If you have advice to give, I'm all ears ... because I'm scared to death. So far, how I handled my babe the first 11 years hasn't seemed to screw her up horribly, but I'm not sure what power I hold over the next 7 - or maybe I am aware, and that's what scares me!

I want to know things like:

-How do I let her stay up past 8:00 pm, because I know she's old enough to stay up later? But after 8:00 has always been me and Aaron's time. I read in one of those baby parenting books that parents need time without the kids, and that after bedtime was good for that. So now what? What do I do with her while she stays up until 9 or 10?

-How much computer time does a middle schooler get?
-How do I monitor her phone and texting time? These were not issues when I was growing up. There was one phone with an attached chord, and no computer to possibly pop up horrible images.

-I don't want her to sleep over at friends houses, I did that growing up - it wasn't good. Do I let her anyway?

-When can she start to talk to boys? Oh right, when she's 18 and moved out ... silly question.

-What books can she read? What movies can she watch? This is my girl who used to be scared to death of Sleeping Beauty. Yet last night, she and I went to watch the last Harry Potter movie together. (Although, I'm convinced that Sleeping Beauty is way worse than HP in the scare factor.) Was that okay? Was she old enough to handle it? I know we both loved it.

-At what age can a child babysit? Oh right, that's 9 years old around here. And then you set the house on fire just to test their abilities.

-Do I tell her about my teenage life ... I mean, really tell her?

-Can she start biking to school by herself? It's only a mile away, but it crosses a very busy road. What if she gets a flat tire? Oh right, she has a phone now, she'll text me.

My dad told me yesterday that I was letting Provi grow up too fast. Nope. I never okayed this. I did not give her permission to grow up, but she keeps doing it anyway. So I better figure out what to do with it!

Buckle up! Teenage years, hear we come !!!

The importance of teaching our children careful exegesis

2011-07-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

Eden, my sweet 8 year old, has her side of her bedroom decorated with a mix of everything she loves. Here's a peak.

Oh yes. We've got cute kittens, some pictures she drew, the Zhu-Zhu pet calendar (you know, for her busy schedule), pictures of her siblings, her dog ... and some other dogs, and of course Justin Bieber. Well, right in the middle of the whole slew of things is a bible verse. Tonight I bent down to kiss her goodnight, and it caught my eye. So I paused to read it. I wasn't sure what to think after reading it. Has something happened? Did someone hurt her? Is she being teased? It's me ... I know it ... I'm causing her such hardship! Well here ... you look ... this is her life verse for the week. (I know it's blurry, so I typed it out in the caption underneath.)

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. 1 Peter 4:12

So I asked her why she had this verse posted. She gave me a confused look and asked what was wrong with it. I started to read it out loud to her. When I got to the "fiery trial" part, she began to laugh telling me that isn't what it says, and that I was reading it wrong.

I asked her to read it to me.

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the FAIRY TAIL which is to try you".

And now I have begun to laugh like I haven't laughed in a long time. She was laughing right along with me, as she still believed I was the one to read it wrong. I told her that it didn't say "fairy tail", and read it again correctly. Now we're both laughing at the same thing.

After our giggles subside, she asks me why something like that would be in the Bible.... because you know.... it makes much more sense for a fairy tail to be in the bible.

Inappropriate Much??

2011-06-12T14:25:00.000-06:00

I ran to the Grocery Store this afternoon and as usual, had the kiddo's with me. At the checkout lane, the clerk looks at me, then looks to Providence and starts laughing. I looked up with a confused stare. He says to us, "You two look exactly the same!" Provi looks to me with a puzzled look. (Most people, us included, say she looks like Aaron.) We just shrug it off and don't say much. He then proceeds with his amazed observation and says to Provi, "You better start saving her old ID's now!"

WHAT?!?!?!

I respond to him with a cough, and quietly stating (quietly, because I'm hoping that Provi is not understanding this conversation), "Excuse me! She's only 11." To which the bright young clerk laughs louder and says, "Yeah, but you can never start planning for your future too early. (Insert Bevis and Butthead laugh here.) My older brother and I look the same and I've been able to score so much ...."

At this point I cut him off by loudly by saying something to one of the other children and not even letting him finish his highly inappropriate comments.

I actually debated telling the Manager about this situation, but having all the kids in tow, decided to just leave.

I'm not usually surprised by much, but I must say - this one caught me off guard. Kind of like the time a different clerk (in the same grocery store), upon finding out that Malachi was adopted from Ethiopia, asked if he had "AIDS". Cuz I guess all kids coming from Africa do?

How would you have responded? Me??? I think I need to stop going to said Grocery Store.

Name those parents

2011-06-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I posted a picture asking you to name that child. Almost everyone got it right! The little one (not born in '98 .... I just was always too lazy to change the date on my camera) was Eden. What gave it away? The nose? The cheeks?

In the same stack of random photo's that were found, I came across another glorious one. Oh the memories. So today's game - name those parents. The dad appears in serious need of a haircut, and the mom could use a good weight loss plan. So what that the babe in her arms was 4 1/2 months old and the next one was already cooking..... YIKES!

Okay .... so I sort of can't believe I'm about to put this on my blog - but then, I did just post that picture, so nothing should surprise me.

I'm not one of those women who gains a cute 15 lbs while pregnant even though I eat everything in sight. No - I was the woman who you could tell by the size of my feet that I was pregnant. I'm also not one of those people that loses weight when stressed. Nope. Not me. So 4 pregnancies and (almost) 2 stressful adoptions later .... I always get a kick out of thinking what this poor shell of a body has endured. (Well, maybe not a kick...) Adding up weight gain and loss since starting to have my many littles - I come to a grand total of about 330 pounds of weight gain/loss combined. Yummy !! Thankfully - they are worth every pound !

Name that child

2011-06-08T12:20:00.000-06:00

Some random pictures turned up recently and I have no idea where they came from.... but it's been fun to flip through them. I don't think I've ever posted pictures of my littles before on my blog .... so I thought now would be as good of a time as any. Aaron looked at the picture and said, "Is this _________?". He had guessed wrong. :)

So I thought I'd let you guess. Name which Britton this is. I'll give you a hint - it isn't Malachi.

The winner receives .... well, nothing. Sorry. But you should still play.