» Family and Friends

Road Trip! Old Stomping Grounds, Happy Memories and Jehovah’s Witness

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:08:58 +0000

This was our trip around the world. Okay, I know it was only across a few states, but an 8-day road trip is like…forever…for us. We are the weekend travelers, but we have stepped off the beaten path and gotten adventurous.
First stop: Waynesville, NC (home of all my nystalgic, sappy, happy childhood memories) I got all giddy as the landscape began to change into rolling hills and then smoky mountains. There is no place more beautiful. It was a really weird feeling, though, to discover our old house was torn down and replaced with this one. Granted, it would have been really great if this had been our house when we lived there, but my mom just didn’t think of a remodel like this or I’m sure she would have done it (hee hee).

Our yard looks a little different, too. Where the heck are the trees? Yeah, they cut them all down and made it into organic garden-ville. Where are the smelly cows with BB’s stuck in their rears (wonder how that happened)? In their place is a new Kingdom Hall, so apparently the cows did not get converted and had to go. Where’s the 6-foot tall weeds and hay? How do they expect kids to make a fort in that yard? Or sled down the hill in the winter with that fence in the way?

Well, as I left town kind of choked up and teary (yes, even The Stone is capable of a few tears once in awhile) I realized that things change and move on, but I am grateful for the happy years God gave us all the way out in the Smokies, time to be carefree kids, with fresh air and a mountain drawl that got us shamelessly ridiculed when we moved away. Sigh. Sweet memories.

Next stop… Camp Lejeune! (coming soon to a blogpost near you)

Scrapbooking – Modern Day Quilting

admin — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:22:31 +0000

I can honestly say I never dreamed I would EVER be excited about having a bunch of gals over to scrapbook. Here I am, though, in my 30’s and starved for female companionship. It is not the scrapping that makes me look forward in anticipation. If that were true my suitcase full of cardstock paper would not be collecting dust right now. The truth is, I only touch it once a month when the girls get together. So why the pull?

Back in the day, before television and computers made people completely disconnected from one another, women would get together and quilt. I’ve watched enough Anne of Green Gables to imagine the old biddies quilting away with their mouths flying and their eyebrows wide with excitement over the latest gossip. I imagine there were some tender, touching moments, too. Time for the younger women to glean from the wisdom of the elder, for the young girls to watch their mothers and form their own identities through their example.

The truth is, we are just not a quilting society anymore. People rarely get together at all. Our lives pass each other at breakneck speed. We often forget to stop and touch one another, to feel the joy and the sorrow of each other’s lives. You know what I’m talking about. You ask, “Hey, how’s it going?” and do not even stop for the answer. I know you do that too!

I guess that is why I get excited about scrapbooking. My scrappin buddies listen to my goofy stories of my kids and their blunders, they look at my pictures and are actually interested. They give advice when life is confusing and encourage me during difficult seasons in my life. I love that I can be that to them, too. When my pals stop me and say, “Hey, we need to get together to scrapbook. It’s been a long time!” what I hear is, “Hey, a lot is going on in my life that I haven’t shared with you yet!” I think everyone should have a scrapbooking club…even if you don’t scrapbook

Some of the Scrappin Gals in Gatlinburg

What’s for Dinner?

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:23:43 +0000

I forgot to plan…again. It’s September 1st and 74 degrees outside, so what do you expect? The big, bad, looming computer screen glared at me with its dark, tentacle fingers motioning, in its deep, somber voice, “You have work to do! Don’t think about having fun. What’s wrong with you? Snap out of it!” In the end, though, Emily made me lunch, packed snacks, got the boys dressed and ran in with flushed cheeks and a big smile, “Mom, let’s go to the creek!” I stuck my tongue out at the computer as I turned my back and skipped into the sunshine.

Well, the creek was not interested in giving up any of its fish today, but we still had a great time. There was a cool breeze, we got muddy and dirty, sweaty and smelly. It does not get any better than that.

Unfortunately, 5:00 rolled around and no dinner plans. My computer laughed a deep, gurgly evil cackle at me, “I told you! You should not have strayed from your strict, unforgiving schedule. Now you’ll be working all night.” Oh shut up. That thing is a pain. Plus I’m hungry…but it was worth it! Oh yeah, and my mom gave me a quick and easy recipe for goulash. It smells really great in the oven as we speak. Want the recipe?

How do you spend lovely days like this?

The Honesty Room

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:21:05 +0000

So, really, what compels us to lie? I know the Scriptures tell us we walk out of the womb lying our brains out. I picture some punk baby in need of a shave, smoking a pipe, leaning up against the nurse’s station just telling tall tales. You don’t have to teach a kid to lie. They are experts at it already. You do, however, have to teach them how to tell the truth.

I had a situation this week with one of my lovely offspring with this very thing. There is nothing worse than being lied to and yet we all do it (even me, bless my soul!). So the offending party had the punishment of two days of grounding and a long conversation, confessional, tears, and a journey back to the fold of trust. Yet I have this nagging feeling I’m not doing enough… What do you do to instill a love for the path of honesty in your little pumpkin (however old that pumpkin might be)?

Tent Camping and Other Life Lessons

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:55:19 +0000

I have way too much stuff. After two days away in a crisp new tent with a leaky blowup mattress, this is what I come up with. For two days we were able to survive (quite contentedly, I might add) with a pack of paper plates, a cooler full of ice and goodies, some stashed away toilet paper and some bug spray.

I have to say, my home and the contents therein seemed quite trivial after being in God’s natural cathedral, away from the hustle and demands of everyday living. The truth is, I find that as Americans we are driven, not by need, but by some foreign ambition to have more of what we don’t need. While I was grateful for a hot shower and my own fluffy mattress, I came home renewed in my choice to live on less and for less. I already have everything I could ever want and my feeling of contentedness is simply a choice. I can let commercialism, television, magazines and media persuade me that I am missing out, but it is just not true. They are the ones missing out, and I smile to myself as I reminisce our two nights under the stars. When I am not striving to be more and to have more, I don’t have to miss my grubby boys’ faces as they find treasures hidden in the dirt, or feel the excessively tight squeeze of a 10-year-old girl who “don’t ever want to grow up,” as she puts her arms around me.

Scaling back seems scary but in truth only adds value to the things you value enough to keep. The result: More time…