Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Advent Conspiracy
If you decide to spend less and give more but don't know where or how, here are a couple of my favorite organizations:
World Vision
Samaritans Purse
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Giving and Ressurection
On Friday night Adi and I went out to dinner with my parents to a local restaurant. We traditionally have dinner with them on Friday nights, pretty much ever since Adi was a new born. As we left the restaurant, they had one of those cardboard boxes with lollipops sticking out and a quarter slot to donate to whatever cause it's representing. There was a couple there with an adorable little boy who so badly wanted one of those lollipops but his parents didn't have a quarter. If you are a parent or can recall being a child desiring candy you know what a big deal this can be. I wished I had a quarter to give them but I had no change, but my dad did. And he didn't even hesitate to give the child's mother the quarter just as his father went back into the restaurant to get change.
When I talk about the feeling I get when I have been so blessed that I have an opportunity to give, I don't even think about what that might look like from the outside. But Friday night I got to see it in my father. He absolutely glowed as he handed that quarter to this family, a small gift but so deeply appreciated. And my dad instantly became joyful! And as we left the entryway he looked back in time to see the father come out and wave to him in thanks. My dad glowed, and I felt proud to have him as my father, and to have him as Adi's Papa, leading by example. It was such a small event but it somehow felt like it was much bigger than it seemed. I saw this smile on my dads face, and witnessed a genuine connection between him and these strangers as he reached out to them in kindness. It was beautiful.
OK, so I was completely inspired and had Saturday all planned out to be a great family day full of giving cheer as we prepared the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes together... as a family. Here's what really went down:
Cam was irritated that I didn't wrap the shoe boxes ahead of time, because to be honest wrapping the box and lid separately is kind of challenging and time consuming. Something a 3 1/2 year old doesn't readily engage in, unless you count bonking mommy on the head repeatedly with a wrapping paper roll while mommy wraps the boxes as engagement. It kept her from steeling the gifts that were divided into individual bags according to age group and hiding them under chairs while giggling hysterically. Kinda cute and funny but not when I'm trying to also keep scissors and tape away from her so she doesn't stab someone (Mojo) or waste what little tape we have on taping the boxes shut (not exactly the idea behind wrapping lids separately!)
So where was Cam during all of this? I told him to go away after acting grumpy which threatened to ruin my holiday cheer. His tolerance level was low and I can handle either grumpy hubby or wild and crazy child but not both at the same time.
Some time later, maybe around box three of six --- there's no magic in the number 6, there were 3 age groups to choose from and both boys and girls so I chose to bless all six --- so Cam comes upstairs to inform me that there's cat puke and poop on the rug downstairs. Great, thanks for telling me.
When I finally get done, all boxes wrapped and packed (this took at least a couple of hours) I decided I'd go clean up the rug. Wrong! Cam had thrown the area rug, poop and puke and all outside in our breezeway. I had no idea of knowing where poop was originally or puke for that matter so essentially the entire rug is ruined because I don't have a carpet steamer/cleaner to clean the entire thing. By now, I'm furious because Cam didn't just either clean the crap up himself and use spot cleaner to save our rug or just wait for me to take care of it. Instead, he spazzed out and virtually throws our rug away.
I was so pissed I told Cam to call our friends whom we had plans with later that evening to tell them not to come. On top of that, I realized that part of the reason I was so upset and now bawling was because I had PMS, which meant that once again for yet another month I am not pregnant. This sets me off every month and often causes a downward spiral in my mind. Sheer crappiness.
So after Adi went to bed and I was downstairs enjoying a much deserved beer, I kept eying Adi's easel which we had set up earlier in the day for her to paint (she chose to paint a burning bush, yep, the Moses kind - ha ha). I'd take a look at the easel and then look back at the t.v. that I wasn't really paying attention to because I was too irritated to do much of anything. Finally I decided I would paint. A few days ago I found photographs of the last two pieces of art I did and I realized a lot of things about my 12 year artistic quiet period... then decided it was time to
break the artistic silence.
I just started painting. On regular paper. Using washable acrylic red, orange, green and blue. I had nothing in mind, just started painting freely and it was like therapy that kept getting better and better as I went. Finally Cam says, "it looks like a peacock" and of course that irritated me and I snapped, "it's not a peacock!" because it wasn't anything. But as I stopped and looked at it I realized that we were both right in a way. It wasn't a peacock but it was a bird... in the end I had painted a phoenix. I couldn't believe it.
The phoenix is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and resurrection. After living hundreds of years it engulfs itself in flames and rises again from its ashes. It is immortal. For me, it is connected to who I am in so many ways. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my name Stacey comes from Anastasia which means "resurrection". Once I saw what I had painted, not setting out to paint anything in particular I realized how close God is right now. That He sees me and is guiding me and He knows me. God took my crappy day and redeemed it.
When I talk about the feeling I get when I have been so blessed that I have an opportunity to give, I don't even think about what that might look like from the outside. But Friday night I got to see it in my father. He absolutely glowed as he handed that quarter to this family, a small gift but so deeply appreciated. And my dad instantly became joyful! And as we left the entryway he looked back in time to see the father come out and wave to him in thanks. My dad glowed, and I felt proud to have him as my father, and to have him as Adi's Papa, leading by example. It was such a small event but it somehow felt like it was much bigger than it seemed. I saw this smile on my dads face, and witnessed a genuine connection between him and these strangers as he reached out to them in kindness. It was beautiful.
OK, so I was completely inspired and had Saturday all planned out to be a great family day full of giving cheer as we prepared the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes together... as a family. Here's what really went down:
Cam was irritated that I didn't wrap the shoe boxes ahead of time, because to be honest wrapping the box and lid separately is kind of challenging and time consuming. Something a 3 1/2 year old doesn't readily engage in, unless you count bonking mommy on the head repeatedly with a wrapping paper roll while mommy wraps the boxes as engagement. It kept her from steeling the gifts that were divided into individual bags according to age group and hiding them under chairs while giggling hysterically. Kinda cute and funny but not when I'm trying to also keep scissors and tape away from her so she doesn't stab someone (Mojo) or waste what little tape we have on taping the boxes shut (not exactly the idea behind wrapping lids separately!)
So where was Cam during all of this? I told him to go away after acting grumpy which threatened to ruin my holiday cheer. His tolerance level was low and I can handle either grumpy hubby or wild and crazy child but not both at the same time.
Some time later, maybe around box three of six --- there's no magic in the number 6, there were 3 age groups to choose from and both boys and girls so I chose to bless all six --- so Cam comes upstairs to inform me that there's cat puke and poop on the rug downstairs. Great, thanks for telling me.
When I finally get done, all boxes wrapped and packed (this took at least a couple of hours) I decided I'd go clean up the rug. Wrong! Cam had thrown the area rug, poop and puke and all outside in our breezeway. I had no idea of knowing where poop was originally or puke for that matter so essentially the entire rug is ruined because I don't have a carpet steamer/cleaner to clean the entire thing. By now, I'm furious because Cam didn't just either clean the crap up himself and use spot cleaner to save our rug or just wait for me to take care of it. Instead, he spazzed out and virtually throws our rug away.
I was so pissed I told Cam to call our friends whom we had plans with later that evening to tell them not to come. On top of that, I realized that part of the reason I was so upset and now bawling was because I had PMS, which meant that once again for yet another month I am not pregnant. This sets me off every month and often causes a downward spiral in my mind. Sheer crappiness.So after Adi went to bed and I was downstairs enjoying a much deserved beer, I kept eying Adi's easel which we had set up earlier in the day for her to paint (she chose to paint a burning bush, yep, the Moses kind - ha ha). I'd take a look at the easel and then look back at the t.v. that I wasn't really paying attention to because I was too irritated to do much of anything. Finally I decided I would paint. A few days ago I found photographs of the last two pieces of art I did and I realized a lot of things about my 12 year artistic quiet period... then decided it was time to
break the artistic silence.I just started painting. On regular paper. Using washable acrylic red, orange, green and blue. I had nothing in mind, just started painting freely and it was like therapy that kept getting better and better as I went. Finally Cam says, "it looks like a peacock" and of course that irritated me and I snapped, "it's not a peacock!" because it wasn't anything. But as I stopped and looked at it I realized that we were both right in a way. It wasn't a peacock but it was a bird... in the end I had painted a phoenix. I couldn't believe it.
The phoenix is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and resurrection. After living hundreds of years it engulfs itself in flames and rises again from its ashes. It is immortal. For me, it is connected to who I am in so many ways. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my name Stacey comes from Anastasia which means "resurrection". Once I saw what I had painted, not setting out to paint anything in particular I realized how close God is right now. That He sees me and is guiding me and He knows me. God took my crappy day and redeemed it.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Operation Christmas Child
A couple of years ago part of our Christmas celebration with Cam's family was to each choose a paper angel - I think it was for Salvation Army. Each angel represented a child in need in that community. We had so much fun wandering through the store searching for the right gift(s) for our 'angel'. It was so exciting, so invigorating, and so fun! For me, it was way better than receiving any gift. I felt so full of love and joy. I don't fully understand how giving can be such a blessing, but amazing life and light shines through this simple act. This is my favorite adult Christmas memory.
So this year I've been hearing about Operation Christmas Child on the radio and have longed to pack a shoe box to donate to the cause but have been held back by the incorrect belief that I would have to take the box to another city where the radio station is located! I don't know why I thought that. So this morning I had a eureka moment when the dj announced that by simply going to the website I could type in my zip code and find a convenient drop off location near me! Wooo hoooo! First thing I got online and found out that the drop off place is about 4 blocks from my house!! I can't believe it and I'm so freakin excited I can hardly stand it. I want to have a shoe box party or something :)
So the deadline to drop off shoe boxes is Monday and my plan is to spend some time on Saturday doing this as a family and teaching Adi about giving. We've already sent our sponsor child Nomsa a Christmas package and now we get to make shoe boxes full of love and gifts that a child somewhere would not have had otherwise! I can't think of a better way to teach Adi about giving. If you want more info about doing the same you can click on one of the links above or visit Samaritan's Purse website. May this be a season full of giving, life and love.
So this year I've been hearing about Operation Christmas Child on the radio and have longed to pack a shoe box to donate to the cause but have been held back by the incorrect belief that I would have to take the box to another city where the radio station is located! I don't know why I thought that. So this morning I had a eureka moment when the dj announced that by simply going to the website I could type in my zip code and find a convenient drop off location near me! Wooo hoooo! First thing I got online and found out that the drop off place is about 4 blocks from my house!! I can't believe it and I'm so freakin excited I can hardly stand it. I want to have a shoe box party or something :)
So the deadline to drop off shoe boxes is Monday and my plan is to spend some time on Saturday doing this as a family and teaching Adi about giving. We've already sent our sponsor child Nomsa a Christmas package and now we get to make shoe boxes full of love and gifts that a child somewhere would not have had otherwise! I can't think of a better way to teach Adi about giving. If you want more info about doing the same you can click on one of the links above or visit Samaritan's Purse website. May this be a season full of giving, life and love.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thanks to Facebook
Thanks to Facebook I talked to my dear friend and Miami Beach roommate, Adela on the phone tonight. It's been about 10 years since we last saw or spoke with one another. Amazing! I'm so happy to have my spunky, wild, fun and artistic friend back in my life. So much has changed, but her captivating spirit remains. This post is a flashback from the past:
OK, first up is Halloween. Heather is Pocahontas, I'm a vampire and Adela is Snow White. Adela had to work at the pool hall that night so Heather and I went and hung out with her for a while. Other than that, we just wandered around the beach and probably partied at some point.
I'm holding my beloved kitty Abu with Adela's friend Dave (who looked just like John Lenon with his glasses on) and Adela. Most of our photos are self portraits much like this one!
Pre-party photo. We loved taking pics of our fun evenings as single women in South Beach.
You can barely see my Thing One and Thing Two Dr. Seuss t-shirt that I wore on a regular basis. Can you believe they let me into clubs wearing that? It was nice to be a local, unfortunately tourists wouldn't have gotten away with that.
Here we are with little Abu-bu again. Such a sweet kitty. I miss him!
So there you have it. A small flash into my history, before I met Cam. Here you witness a wild wild child!
OK, first up is Halloween. Heather is Pocahontas, I'm a vampire and Adela is Snow White. Adela had to work at the pool hall that night so Heather and I went and hung out with her for a while. Other than that, we just wandered around the beach and probably partied at some point.
I'm holding my beloved kitty Abu with Adela's friend Dave (who looked just like John Lenon with his glasses on) and Adela. Most of our photos are self portraits much like this one!
Pre-party photo. We loved taking pics of our fun evenings as single women in South Beach.
You can barely see my Thing One and Thing Two Dr. Seuss t-shirt that I wore on a regular basis. Can you believe they let me into clubs wearing that? It was nice to be a local, unfortunately tourists wouldn't have gotten away with that.
Here we are with little Abu-bu again. Such a sweet kitty. I miss him!
So there you have it. A small flash into my history, before I met Cam. Here you witness a wild wild child!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
All of Us are Stinkers
Adi had a fun play date with her friend Caedon... I never quite know what to expect. Sometimes one or the other will be grumpy and they won't play much and others they amaze me at how well they get along and how easily they share and respect one another. This time I was well entertained as they spent a good 30 minutes spinning, laughing and saying silly things. Hope you don't get too dizzy watching them ;)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Dancing
I can't resist posting Miss Adi dancing. She does some of the funniest things, but I know that this is her expression. This is her art. This is Adi.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Praise the Lord!
I get email forwards all the time but this is one that I received recently and I loved it so much that I'm posting it here:
There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD!” One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell, “THERE IS NO LORD!”
Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day. One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!”
The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “PRAISE THE LORD!” she cried out. “HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!” The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: “THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!” The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: “PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!”
I love this for a few reasons. First, I love the sweetness and openness of the little old lady shouting praise to the Lord from her porch every morning. It makes me wish I had the kind of unabashed faith to do the same thing. At the very least I can praise the Lord from my shower each morning as I silently pray.
Second, I love the way the little old lady doesn't let the atheist shouting back at her deter her from praising God. I find that when I am questioned or challenged I often "shut up" and as a follower of Christ, I want to respond like the old lady does, while remaining respectful of others, of course.
Third, I love the main lesson of this story. I love that it shows how God provides for us through other human beings!! And the other people aren't always Christians!!! Totally eye opening and wonderful. God uses all of us to do his work whether we know it and acknowledge it or not.
Last, how can I resist the defeat of the enemy in this story. The atheist thinks he's proving there is no Lord to the lady by buying her groceries and serving as the provider but she is showing him that by the same reasoning there actually is a Lord and the Lord used the atheist to bless her. I'm sure the atheist could go one of two ways, walking off thinking the little old lady has a couple screws loose or walking off thinking twice about whether or not there is a God.
We don't really know what happens to the atheist in the end of this story but how lovely to show that God is in the ordinary. God is in the every day and sometimes we just need a forwarded email to point that out again.
There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD!” One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell, “THERE IS NO LORD!”
Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day. One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!”
The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “PRAISE THE LORD!” she cried out. “HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!” The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: “THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!” The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: “PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!”
I love this for a few reasons. First, I love the sweetness and openness of the little old lady shouting praise to the Lord from her porch every morning. It makes me wish I had the kind of unabashed faith to do the same thing. At the very least I can praise the Lord from my shower each morning as I silently pray.
Second, I love the way the little old lady doesn't let the atheist shouting back at her deter her from praising God. I find that when I am questioned or challenged I often "shut up" and as a follower of Christ, I want to respond like the old lady does, while remaining respectful of others, of course.
Third, I love the main lesson of this story. I love that it shows how God provides for us through other human beings!! And the other people aren't always Christians!!! Totally eye opening and wonderful. God uses all of us to do his work whether we know it and acknowledge it or not.
Last, how can I resist the defeat of the enemy in this story. The atheist thinks he's proving there is no Lord to the lady by buying her groceries and serving as the provider but she is showing him that by the same reasoning there actually is a Lord and the Lord used the atheist to bless her. I'm sure the atheist could go one of two ways, walking off thinking the little old lady has a couple screws loose or walking off thinking twice about whether or not there is a God.
We don't really know what happens to the atheist in the end of this story but how lovely to show that God is in the ordinary. God is in the every day and sometimes we just need a forwarded email to point that out again.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Fall Photos for Gramdma Marsha
These photos are especially for you Grandma Marsha (our most loyal blog follower :)
The weather has been so wonderful (thanks surely to global warming) and we've been doing our best to enjoy the warm temps while we can before the blustery winter descends upon us.
I love this next picture of Adi. She looks so contemplative. I think she was trying to figure out how to climb over the pile of branches Bella our kitty was snooping through so she could capture her. We let the cats out in the fenced yard with us on nice days so they can eat grass and cough up hairballs outside ;)
The weather has been so wonderful (thanks surely to global warming) and we've been doing our best to enjoy the warm temps while we can before the blustery winter descends upon us.
I love this next picture of Adi. She looks so contemplative. I think she was trying to figure out how to climb over the pile of branches Bella our kitty was snooping through so she could capture her. We let the cats out in the fenced yard with us on nice days so they can eat grass and cough up hairballs outside ;)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Happy Halloween!
So what does Super Woman do anyway? Fly, of course!
Here's Nana, Adi and I at the "dress rehearsal" of Halloween. We went to the Sycamore Mall Halloween event on Thursday night and though the hay rack ride was fun, I seriously doubt we will brave the massive crowd and slow moving lines. I don't think anyone really had much fun, it was too crazy to enjoy it.
The redeeming moment was finding Super Man and convincing him to have his photo taken with Super Woman. He wasn't too sure but his mommy was optimistic that the two Supers would "hook-up" in the future. Parents are funny.
On Halloween night we continued with our annual tradition of trick-or-treating with our beloved friends and neighbors, the McCoy's. It wouldn't have been the same without them.
As you can see Miss Adi was Super Woman for Halloween this year. We originally got an Ariel (The Little Mermaid) costume but once Adi laid eyes on this gem there was no turning back! Super Woman it is - officially Super Girl but you try as you might, Adi will have none of the "girl" stuff. She was Super "Woman"! I couldn't resist taking a picture of the loot. Ridiculous. The photo doesn't do it justice. If Cam and I don't eat it all first (big IF) Adi will have candy for months!
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