Category Archives: 2 Mi Familia

All things family-related. My husband and me, the children we made, the grandbebes that thrill us now. Our whole great big, loud, messy family. Love! *sigh…

Thought-Collage Thursday // Thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes, oh my!

May 8, 20141 Christ is All, 2 Mi Familia, 4 Home & Garden/Food & Seasons, 6 Looking Back // Memories!Jeanie

So, hello there, May (the month), oh, yoo-hoo???

Been planning some excitement for us, I guess?

Crazy weather here. Saw a bunch of tornadoes pass through yesterday, had to pray for our eastern-plains of Colorado peeps who were banished to the basement for two hours in the height of it.

Got lots of hail. Lots! It was so loud on the roof of Chili’s last night!

More crazy today. Cold, brrrrr….rainy. And it looks like my Mother’s Day trail riding by horse in Estes Park will have to be postponed due to the 70% chance of snow they have going up there, plus a high of 37-degrees. *sigh.

Throwback Thursday #tbt dedicated to my mom because Mother’s Day is coming up.

My mom was in her mid-fifties before I actually knew her as a person. Before then she was my mom, my mom. Then, I realized she was a woman with hopes and dreams and passions and interests and that all of it had been on hold until then – because of family and church and ministry and life and obligations. Which she did fully willingly! And then…

I like her so much. I mean, yes, I love her deeply. I still hope I’ll be more like her before the end. But I also just like her as a person. Her beginnings were kind of rough. But this baby (pictured below) turned the frowns upside down, trusted God and has made so many people smile.

Here she is, all madly in love with my dad. He has been the lucky recipient of her deep devotion and zealous love for 57-58 years now.

My mom loves all creatures great and small. She really loves her horses. She became a professional horse photographer in her mid-fifties!

She was once given the nickname “Abnormal Norma.” And I guess if by “abnormal” you mean uncommon, exceptional and unexpected – then yes. She is abnormal. She is abnormally sweet and longsuffering, she is abnormally forgiving and understanding. She is abnormally optimistic and energetic for a woman of 76, or any age, really.

When we get together, we laugh. It is what we do. We laugh and until we are weak. And we do ridiculous things like this:

I consider it my mission to make sure she gets all the laughter that was allotted to her in life, even though the first 10-12 years had some really hard, laughter-stealing things.

Mother’s Day = warm weather (final frost date) gardening!

Tara planted her first boxes this year and Ryan is going to garden, too! Gavin is the old-pro by now. It’s going to be exciting as we all not only grow our own, pesticide-free goodies, but exchange recipes when we have certain crops coming out our ears!

Dave is supposed to be building me some brand new tomato boxes today, *ahem! I do not hear the hammer going.

Square Foot Gardening, people! Mel knows EVERYTHING! If you want to grow any edibles at all, please buy the book (or check it out from the library): All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. I was a total city girl who thought I would never want to garden, but this book, written with concise explanations by an engineer, explains all you need to know!

Colorado is one of only 4 states with no felony penalty for repeat DUI offenders.

While it seemed widely favored on both sides of the political aisle, I am disheartened that the Senate Appropriations committee voted 4-3 to kill House Bill 1036 Felony DUI for Repeat Offenders.

Fran Lanzer from MADD talked to us about it at the fashion show last week. Our fingers were crossed, but then this:

“For two fundamental reasons, I cast a ‘no’ vote,” said Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “First, I think more emphasis needs to be put on addressing the disease of alcoholism and not us locking people up. Second, the bill was changed to take effect next year. Because of that, I think next year’s appropriations committee should address it.”* from The Denver Post

I am perturbed by this, so I shouldn’t say much. To me, it sounds lazy and weak – a failure in the courage it takes to address a complex issue. By saying, “I think the emphasis needs to be put on addressing the disease of alcoholism and not us locking people up,” Mary Hodge has simply passed the buck instead of the bill. Because “addressing the disease of alcoholism” is going to finally, fully happen – when? Right. Sometime in the future.

Tomorrow is my first born’s birthday!

When she was in pre-school, her fav song was “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham!and I came across this Pomplamoose version the other day. Much pretty-colored hair and reminded me of the girl who made me a mommy.

Be sure to come back tomorrow and read my love-letter and blessing to my darling daughter, whom I have loved beyond my ability to express for 35 years.

I saw this on Pinterest and I like it.

He finished it. He did what needed done!

Happy Thursday, aka day before we actually know we’ll make it to the weekend!

Thought-Collage Thursday // I gave up perfection{ism} for Lent

April 18, 20141 Christ is All, 2 Mi Familia, 4 Home & Garden/Food & Seasons, 5 Songs I am Singing, Stuff I Actually Thinkanne ortlund, Donald Miller, Houzz, Jesus loves me this I know, perfectionismJeanie

If you happen to see me and I look dazed and confused

It’s probably because I have been collecting songs for the fashion show. And high-energy club music makes — me — craaaaaaaaaazzzzeeeey!

I may or may not have a throbbing pain behind my left eye, while my right eye is twitching. I won’t say. But I am enjoying these three songs, only the first of these made the show cut. But the other two are fun, too!

Sometimes a small phrase turns a very nicely written article into something quite fanciful~

Nibbles, Tredessa’s wedding 2011

That happened with a Laura Gaskill piece at Houzz on Sunday. She was advising us all to “Cultivate Everyday Joie de Vivre.” Upon her fourth suggestion, “Entertain with Abandon,” in which I felt fully encouraged to have guests over often without worrying over perfection, she wrote,

“Offer aperitifs and nibbles as soon as guests arrive to put everyone at ease.”

“Offer aperitifs and nibbles.” Doesn’t it just sound divine?

Well, it does, but of course, I don’t do alcohol {teetotaler, here}, so I won’t be – serving aperitifs. I’ll serve lemonade or green-sherbet punch, and root beer floats a-plenty, instead. Sorry.

But there will be nibbles. I could not and would not have guests without nibbles. Of this you may rest assured.

Simple Pleasures: Cultivate Everyday Joie de Vivre

I LOVED this blog post today:

How to Fail and Still Win, a Guide to not losing your cool. Donald Miller. Big fan of his writing and life’s work.

Because yesterday, I was feeling completely ill-prepared for an important meeting with people whose time is very valuable. I really wanted to cancel, even though I knew I would be enriched by them.

Then this simple Donald Miller post, just spotlighted my rather exuberant tendency to treat any bump in the road like a major wreck , to beat myself to smithereens when I have not achieved perfection. How did he know what I was thinking this morning? The conclusion:

“The next morning I got up, made my to-do list and pushed on. It’s a long season, after all. You’re going to drop a couple games on the way to the Superbowl.” -Donald Miller

Thank-you, Donald Miller. And so I am pushing on.

They just don’t make TV like they used to

My silly little secret is that I loved music so much, any kind of music and song, I used to watch Lawrence Welk on TV every Saturday at 5 pm – when I was 14! I knew his bubbly brand of American standards and Martini music weren’t “cool,” but if there were going to be singers with bouffant hair in fancy dresses and fabulous, colorful sets and antics, I was going to watch!

Last Saturday evening, PBS was airing a Lawrence Welk “special.” They sometimes take a theme and air the best of his many years on television. This particular theme was the month of April, all bright and spring-y and hopeful and romantic.

I totally got sucked in to the special. Of course, it still isn’t “cool” for some one of my generation to be watching Lawrence Welk, but I was thinking – these people, these singers and dancers and the orchestra – they worked so hard to entertain. They are certainly considered quaint by any of today’s standards, but I found the show beyond enchanting.

Check out the “rain” in this video. So low-tech, So perfectly charming.

Effort. Lights, Pretty clothes. Color. Sentimental songs. I loved.

Lawrence Welk would absolutely have served aperitifs with his nibbles!

Lumosity Brain Train

I love those silly Lumosity things. It’s my brand of gaming. Sometimes I do the daily suggestions then try them several times to beat myself. :)

I assumed my weakest area would be “flexibility.” But it is my highest scoring area, with speed and problem solving right behind.

Attention (What? Where were we?) and memory are tied for my weakest areas. I used to have this amazing memory, like – AMAZING (In 1974 April 17th was a Wednesday – that type of memory)…but I can’t quite recall when that was…before the flood or something.

Sometimes I just don’t know what to do.

Or what to say. Or what to think. Or which way is up or right or the best. I feel surprised at this age and stage to not know as much as I once thought I did, to not know what is expected of me or how to make hard things work. Sometimes I just don’t know…which is tough on a striver like myself.

And this is really the bravest thing I will admit today. Or maybe over the course of many days.

I did try to give up perfection for Lent. But…

I was remembering my younger self – back when I thought I knew an awful lot about a great many things. And even if I didn’t know, I still had a strong opinion. I really miss those days, sometimes. I really thought I was going to conquer everything before the end.

Now I know much better, which is to say I know very little. In my life, there is so much I will absolutely never know, ever learn, never experience. And while it wreaks havoc on my pride to know less than ever, to be less certain and able to tout my absolutely correct and utterly right viewpoints and finely tuned belief system, I’m wondering if that isn’t the point, anyway?

But it boils down to this, I really want to know {need to know} and never forget this thing: Jesus loves me. I am in my 50s and I have yet to comprehend the depth and breadth and width and height of it – this lavish love. “Jesus loves me, this I know,” and that knowing is still where I often find myself stuck. I am glad the Ephesians needed understanding for this, too. :)

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3

Anne Ortlund, in Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, said she jotted in her Bible margin next to that passage, “How do you put the ocean in a teacup?” That is the question!

His love

Amelie was practicing her cutting and gluing skills in pre-school with Nonna today. I masked off the shape of the cross and we talked about all the things for which we thanked Jesus – besides dying on the cross for our sins and then beating the devil by being raised from the dead.

I may or may not have misspelled “Easter.” Proving my point. Ha!

But as she cut and glued and looked through the newspaper and found more images, she just kept saying, “I know Jesus would love this – let’s give Him this!” Instead of thinking about what He has done for her, her love response was to give Him something in return!

“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4.19 NIV

This, is turns out – is pretty perfect!

I could talk about my grandbebes all day long

April 15, 20142 Mi Familiagrandbebes, grandchildren, things I say about grandchildrenJeanie

Do not test me on this. Unless you have a whole day!

Have I mentioned mine to you before?

There’s Gavin and Hunter-Magoo, Guinivere and Gemma May. I’ve got Averi and Amelie Belle. And the three born last year, Malakai, Bailey-Baby and little Evangeline. They really do thrill-me-silly!

Got grandkids? Oh, then YOU know! :)

And then there was the baby

April 15, 20142 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Eventsbirthday blessing, birthday blessing fror grown child, birthday daughter, birthday prayer, nirthday blessing for daughter, stormie rhoadesJeanie

“Last-borns tend to be self-centered, attention-seeking people who will wrestle the spotlight from others if need be.” – from an article on birth-order at a parenting site

Not so, our Stormkins. She never fit the profile of the typical baby of the family. She, in fact, nurturing spirit mixed with careful thoughtfulness, is adored by her siblings all, for she has enriched their lives and adds to them as people. She never wrestled spotlights from them nor manipulated to take their place. She is loved deeply for how she has loved them. She is loved fiercely for all the ferociousness with which she has protected and covered and served and loved them.

And on her birthday, they can’t say enough. She is festooned with praises, this particular baby-of-the-family.

Last year on Mother’s Day – I have the black eye. Stormie is flawless.

Can you even imagine what it is like to get to be her parents?

She lives in our town. She lives in a house she is making her own and it is designed with detail, though it may seem quite casual because it is so relaxed and unpretentiously welcoming. But it’s reflective of her utter sophisticated coolness. Everything around her, including the giant German Shepherd, Saber, is structurally Stormie. Light rebounding from carefully curated usable collections of her heart and soul: her books, her kitchen tools and dishes, her music and her scents – all clues to a most unique and copacetic home owner. No one else could possibly live in that particular early 1900s house. It pulses with the beat of Stormie’s life-giving existence, her panache, her style. Don’t tell her I told you she has one. She would blush. :)

Stormie – as tagged on FB

“Tax-Day” forever redeemed. 1986 a best-year ever.

April 15 was never the same after 1986. The IRS never once more could claim this day, for this was the day our family became **7** and it was perfect: Dave and Jeanie (aka dad and mom), Tara**Stephanie**Tredessa**Rocky and finally, fantastically, phenomenally ~ Stormie. Our Stormie Dae (it really was icy and blizzardy on the day she came). And for that matter, of all the things that happened in 1986, jobs and a new house and church stuff and life in general, the *best* thing of the year was having Stormie, a sweet-natured baby who has grown up to become a trustworthy, responsible, longsuffering, compassionate, missions-minded, loving, doting, worshiping, praying, wry, funny, intuitive, deeply-connected, intensely-loyal, attentive, utterly-amiable and oh-so-likeable girl. I guess she is a woman, but she is my baby girl, too.

“Hold tight to the sounds of the music of living, happy songs from the laughter of children at play…We have this moment today.” I sang this, holding you, when we dedicated you to the Lord (a Gaither song)

Good grief – how did you turn out so well? Must be all those older sisters and that older brother helping hone and shape you. :)

So, my sweet baby girl – of course I bless the day you were born. And I bless you.

Let us pray on the occasion of the celebration of your birth and the life you are living:

I pray you live, Stormie, take the deepest breath, inhale the Holy Spirit, the ruach of the LORD, and be energized and live. **Live!** Live deeply and hidden, unseen and true. Live loudly and bright and in the light, in the open, fearlessly. Live to delight the One. And live to make happy the places in you only you and your Maker know anything about. Be quickened and energized with that same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead – let your mortal body reflect the glory of God (remember our homeschool rap from 1 Cor. 6.20, “therefore – glorify God in your body,” haha).

I see His countenance on you, my sweet. I see a twinkle, a sparkle dancing in those eyes. The stars are casting light on your nights, the sunglow doesn’t match your days. Damn self-sufficiency, baby-love. You could do that in your sleep. You possess fortitude and ability and are able, but you, my daughter, were meant for the wild passions of the things of God. You have tasted eternity on your tongue. Your hair has been blown by the winds of the Holy Spirit. Your heart expands in the Presence, your longing for the Divine opens doors to see Him face to face, to be so close you hear His still, small voice with utter clarity.

You are like David. He did not strive to come out from among the rest. He was doing what he did. He was honoring God and singing songs that blessed the Lord – when no one heard, and no one saw. And God invited him to come out, to come up, to be seen, to do what he was born to do and was already doing in secret places. That is how it is, my sweet. God sees you. He knows you. It’s ok when He calls you forth. You’re no Johnny-come-lately. You are true and real, you are an honest version of who God says you are.

And all the things the enemy has ever done to try to take that away – well, to *h*with the devil. God rebuke the enemy on your behalf, I pray! May God be your Protection, your Guide, your Guard, your Friend, your Father, your All. And when He invites you to the seat of honor, all of us will know why and we’ll be cheering loudly and raucously, Stormie’s fans and family, with hearts fairly bursting in love.

I bless the day you were born and all the days you have left, in Jesus’s Name, in His great love and grace, and with gratefulness for the forgiveness and healing we have received for all the wounds and wrongs and sins {redemption has come – He has made all things new!}, my darling daughter – in HIS name, I bless you! Amen.

Your momma loves you. Be-member. ;)

The Birthday Blizzard

April 13, 20142 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 5 Songs I am Singingbirthday song, chris trapper birthday song, chris trapper-I love him, family birthdays, joe moslander, tim moslanderJeanie

Right around this time, our spring-season birthdays start appearing in a flurry of cakes & gifts & celebrations!

Amelie Belle was born on a spring day, a few days after Grand-poppa’s birthday. We celebrate them both just as spring has sprung. Then April happens and things really heat up! Bailey-Baby and Stormie have celebrations. Then we have Tara, Stephanie, Gemma May in May with Gavin, Tredessa and DP just as spring is about to turn in to summer.

Ten peeps of our family-of-20 happen in this one little season.

Then there is Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, May-Day, last day of school, and the sun shines bright in blue skies while flowers emerge in full color and the green grass starts its’ wildly renewed growth as lawnmowers criss-cross over subdivided lots creating an emerald plaid any leprechaun would be proud to wear.

No wonder I love spring so much!

Plus there are those other people we love, from our families of origin (like my Mamala in early June). And ~ who remembers what I was doing on Stormie’s birthday (April 15) last year very early in the morning??? That is right! I was helping birth baby-boy Wryder of Holyoke. Now – I didn’t do much of the birthing work – that was his mom, but I sure do think that kid is handsome! He and his sweet sister dropped by for a few minutes Saturday afternoon and I got dandelions. :)

LOVE these people – so glad they were all born to be in my life!

My little brother, Tim, just had a birthday Friday. I called him “the gorgeous one in the family” and he acted surprised. Please. He’s a handsome fella and he knows it. Plus – he is an excellent Elvis impersonator. I will try to share video with you sometime on that.

Joey was 3 1/2 and Timmy was 1 1/2 in this November 1964 photo.

And tomorrow is Joe’s birthday. He was my first younger sibling and has been my most enduring friendship. I wish he were here today with his guitar and we were singing and reminiscing on life because no one else on earth shares as much early-life history with me. He knows where the bodies are. I mean, there was my mom, but Joey saw things from my eye-level. And I will always have the Joey-Joey-Joey-Joey down in my heart.

Here is a song for you, Joe-Joe, to say I LOVE you on your birthday! “May your party never stop”

And the years go by

And we don’t know where they went

We just let them fly

‘Cause they were all heaven-sent

We’re on borrowed time

And we still owe half the rent

For soaking up the sunshine

‘Til we’re dead gone

We will laugh until we drop

Here’s your birthday song

May your party never stop

Singing on and on

We go stumbling down the block

Soaking up the good wine –Chris Trapper

Speaking of blizzards –

Must be Springtime in the Rockies because is was hot-hot-hot yesterday and today – sleet and snow. Good grief.

But just beyond the white, dancing flakes, where the birds frolic and sing anyway, I see the pink blossoms of the flowering pear tree just next to the sunny yellow, forsythia. I am not deterred in my springtime hope…Oh it is true:

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.” ~Song of Solomon 2.11-13

It’s the season of celebrations and many birthdays. It’s the season of singing.

Bailey is ONE!

April 8, 20142 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Eventsbirthday blessing, birthday blessing for baby girl, birthday blessing for granddaughter, blessing family, blessing grandchildJeanie

Baby Bailey-Sophia ~

Light as air, soft as the Pillsbury Doughboy, sweet as cotton candy, and pretty as a sunny, April day – oh, yes, that is you, little bundle of love!

The day you came was a miraculous, divine, lovely day, indeed. You came strong and healthy and full of life and I got struck by the invigorating trail of your refreshing, buoyant arrival. I had stars in my eyes for days – new, beautiful, dark-haired, ravishing beauty. Oh you made life so happy!

Now, sweet little baby girl – you’re one. You’re one in a million. You’re one of a kind. You’re one of three sweet sisters and one step ahead of us now that you know you can be. You’re one happy little girl and you’re one contented baby. You’re one big blessing to us all and one of the babies we like to brag about. You’re such a special ONE!

My blessing on you, Baby-Bailey~

Photo by Stephanie

Oh, Jesus – you see this girl and you see the delight and joy she has brought to our hearts. Watch over her always. Protect her. Be her nourishment and Healer. Feed her from Your table of goodness. Walk with her. Talk with her. Share Your secrets with her.

We give her back, out of gratefulness and deep love, to You, Savior of the world! She is Yours and we give her to You to teach and lead and guide and love and lavish good things upon and oh, do please dance over her with rejoicing!

May all the days of Bailey’s life, all the days that were written in Your book, Lord, before she was even one day old – may they bring You a smile, may they bring you honor, may they reflect Your glory ever and always. May she receive from Your abundance, just as we read about in John 1.16, ONE gracious blessing after another ONE gracious blessing after another ONE…and so on. I know it pleases You to love her even more than we do. So, do – and let it be evidenced her whole life through! AMEN!

Bailey-baby, your Nonna is wildly in love with you. I am just crazy about you and I will always be on your side! {love x 1000, Nonna}

xoxoxo

Thought Collage Thursday // shameless

April 3, 20141 Christ is All, 2 Mi Familia, Stuff I Actually ThinkJeanie

It’s a shame isn’t it?

When you catch one of those awful, terrible, no-good, super-nasty, gross and disgusting food bugs and the meal you had last gets the blame – so sad, ne c’est pas? It might be your famous chili recipe or KFC, but whatever was “in there” when it hit, that horrid ugga-bugga, well – you won’t like that food again for a long time, a very long time. It’s the blame game.

I am a grape

So says one of those online quizzes:

You are Grape

You’re adaptable and intelligent. Always one step ahead of the rest, your friends often rely on you to know the answer to any question or help update their resumes. If everyone would just let you write ‘The Rules for Life’ that everyone must follow, the world would be a better place.

You can’t argue with truth. That last sentence pretty much sums it all up.

“Nothing stays in Vegas” – Gretchen Rubin

Probably good to remember that.

#tbt Throwback Thursday

Easter 1970. I actually asked to have my hair fixed like that. My mom’s friends took me along to a beauty shop the day before and they ratted and spray and piled and swirled. It’s all my hair. I had to sleep with toilet paper wrapped around it, haha! I felt like such a mature church lady. Oh my.

Remember when these trucks delivered potato chips right to your door? No? No one else is that old?

We never had potato chip delivery, but our friends, the Courtneys did! And oh how fun it was to look in the pantry and see several giant cans of potato chips there for the snacking.

Those were the days!

When the chips are down

There is a major non-chip chip craze happening. Potato chips are out. But kale chips are in. And spinach chips, turnip chips, zucchini chips are all ok. Butternut squash chips, eggplant chips, Brussels sprouts chips, and beet chips are on the acceptable list. And of course apple chips are fine, and carrot fries – not a chip, but who doesn’t love a fry?

But check this out – right now, while the spring radishes are large and well-hydrated and tasty, but not too spicy from the heat of summer, I just found out you can make radish chips – which was actually what got me on the chip train, anyway. I was enjoying a whole bowl full of beautiful red radishes and wondering if anyone in the course of humanity has ever cooked them (I am very sheltered) and OF COURSE they have. Radish Chips. I shall try them soon and report back! CLICK FOR RECIPE

Possible Chip Theft!

Speaking of which – I just pinned a paint-chip birthday “cake” on Pinterest, but Pinterest has an awful lot of “paint chip” projects that may or may not be using stolen paint chips. I mean , ok, maybe make yourself a bookmarker with a paint chip from Home Depot once you have chosen a color and are finished with it. Maybe even make 6 notecards using them, but when you are covering an entire wall in paint chips – I am thinking you are not buying enough paint to cover that expense. I suspect you only buy the mis-mixed paints on occasion.

And I sincerely hope you’re not ordering paint and returning it to re-buy it cheaper later because that would be way bad! Let us not steal paint chips, people.

We should all give up our shame for Easter

Since Jesus died to set us free from the law of sin and death and everything…don’t ya think?

“Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.” -Brene Brown

I have been thinking a lot about shame and how it sticks to us like glue and we walk around under the weight of it. And I just wanted to say, to anyone I have ever cursed by saying, “Shame on you,” I do hereby withdraw it and strongly encourage you to be free from it. Really – run like the Dickens, as they say – I take it back, I release you from it. DON’T be ashamed anymore.

As a priest in the kingdom of God, I can pretty much do that.

In fact, let me turn it around. I’ll trade you:

Don’t be ashamed. Be forgiven, if there is something that needs forgiven. You know how, right? “If we confess our sins, He [Jesus] is faithful and just and He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1.9) So – do that simple thing and be forgiven.

Or, don’t be ashamed. Because I was maybe judging you wrongly and made you feel bad when I shouldn’t have. In which case, please be blessed, instead. I approve you, I esteem you now. Better than that, God does. All good things are from Him, so please avail yourself of them and forgive me for making you feel shame or ashamed.

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

This week’s mission: be shameless. :)

Thought Collage Thursday // crumbs from dimly-lit corners

March 27, 20142 Mi Familia, 6 Looking Back // Memories!, 9 TV & Movies/Books & EntertainmentJeanie

I’m behind on my reading. So what’s new?

I tried to join The Empty Shelf Challenge the week between Christmas and New Years. I made myself this handy little chart and started reading like a mad woman (for me, anyway). But I’ve lost some steam. Also, I m actually reading almost everything on Kindle and I am not falling in love with digital reading. I could always fall asleep reading, but I think the light is messing with my melatonin.

Plus, I am also currently reading 6 books (never, ever one at a time, seriously), but I am a little bit uncommitted.

Every year I swear I’ll complete the reading of 52 books. Every year I am wrong.

My top three so far: Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist, The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown (on a 3rd read-through because I need it and I’m in a club) and Becoming Myself by Staci Eldredge.

I should be through the 13th book by now…How are you doing on reading in 2014? Will you make your goals? Do you think I will? Be nice.

Life is a Mixtape by Handz on Etsy

How much do you think I love this? Yep. That much. The whole shop is filled with the cutest prints! Click above to go see!

The red-back hymnal gets noticed

I have a hymnal collection and I loooooooooove it and really the only hymnal glaringly missing, the one I probably should own, is the red-backed hymnal I grew up with. It’s actually the one I can still name song and page number to, but I got rid of the ones I had a few years ago…because I needed some distance. But I am ready to embrace a copy now. Especially now that it has gone and been honored on TBN’s presentation Of the Southern Gospel Music Guild’s annual Harmony Honors, which was hosted by Jason Crabb, the other night.

This year the Harmony Honors recognized Pathway Press as publisher of the classic “Red Back” Church Hymnal, used by thousands of churches across the South for over sixty years. Generations of gospel groups have dipped into the depths of the old “Red Back” hymnal for classic quartet and convention songs…

One day, I may even be able to come to page 333 (“Ill Fly Away”) without cringing. One day.

Ombre

Ombre hair is beautiful. But the ends should be lighter. The roots, darker. It should be like this:

Not this! And NO – this is NOT me!!! But, it will be soon if something doesn’t happen…

Time to re-color, but dang-it – I cannot get the dark stuff out I used last summer!

I started going dark brown around Christmas of 2012 and got really bold with it last June. I did this extremely deep black-brown and loved it, twice. But since, I have re-colored with brown, medium brown and light brown and I have tried color-stripper on it twice. That stuff stinks to high heaven – like rotten eggs for a week! Yuck. Just by the sheer torture I have put it through, my hair has faded some, but not all the way.

I am ready to go back to something lighter that will, *ahem, not be so highly contrasted with some certain, shall we call them, silvery strands that wish to take over my head? What in the world? Wigs may be my only, true hope…

This is one pretty mannequin, huh? Wig, $33.99 {source}

I swear the stores are full of Joey Buttafucco pants right now

That cannot be coming back, can it? Lord, help us all!

They are being paired with cropped tops so you can get the full effect and that isn’t going to make anybody’s butt look bigger. Nooooo….just keep telling yourself that.

You had no idea what an artist I am, did you?

Wanna play Draw Something with me?

#tbt Throw-Back Thursday

This is my Grandpa and Grandma Allison and their little brood, circa 1944 or 45. I wish I’d seen this when my kids were little, I’d have tried to replicate it-you know I would have. I also had 4 daughters and one son.

Left to right, Grandpa is holding Aunt Judy, Aunt Helen was the oldest sister in the middle back, Aunt Pat near Grandpa, my mom near Grandma. Uncle Cab was on Grandma’s lap. My mamala is about 5 in this picture and I can so see the sweet gentle spirit she still possesses.

Grandma and Grandpa, also known as the epic, life-long lovers, Opal & Everett (click here), have gone on to heaven now. I don’t know, in the history of mankind, if there has been a man who loved his wife like my grandpa loved his. He adored her all the way to the end. I come from love, deep love.

My treasured Aunt Helen passed away over 20 years ago, much too young. Uncle Cab died a year and a half ago, the nicest man.

Here is my mom with her first granddaughter. Tara was about 6 or 8 months old. My raving-beauty mom was 41.

Norma Jean and Tara Jean – two of my life’s most important, most admired women.

I am sick

I don’t feeeeeeel good today. Weak, shaky, nauseous…But I think Dairy Queen could help?

You can change the world on Thursday

People think that you have to do something huge, like go to Africa and build a school, but you can make a small change in a day. If you change Wednesday, then you change Thursday. Pretty soon it’s a week, then a month, then a year. It’s bite-size, as opposed to feeling like you have to turn your life inside out to make changes. -Hoda Kotb

Go, make the world a better place! Let’s meet back here next Thursday. :)

“Shouts of Grace! Grace to it!”

March 25, 20142 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, Stuff I Actually Thinkbirthday blessing for my husband, dave's birthday, grace, husband birthday, james ryle quoteJeanie

Happy Birthday, Husband o’ Mine

“Tomorrow I hit my life’s halfway mark.” – said by Dave on Saturday afternoon about turning 55 on Sunday. Yes, he plans to make it to 110. No kidding.

22 + 33 = 55 (You were 22 when you married me 33 years ago).

Forget the speed limit sign. You’re 55 and just hitting your stride!

I love that your big sister reminded you that in the Bible, the number 5 symbolizes grace. And I love that she said since you’re 55, it must mean double-grace. Immediately I thought of one of your all-time favorite passages from Zechariah. It is such a word of courage, such a call to remember, “‘It’s not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.”

And the confidence that passage inspires goes on to challenge the mountains that seemingly stand in our way, sometimes, “Who are you, mountain – you’ll become a molehill,” and the man of God will get to finish what he started by the power of the Holy Spirit and he will get to place the capstone on the whole thing with people all around rejoicing, shouting “Grace! Grace to it!”

“For who are you, O great mountain [of human obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who with Joshua had led the return of the exiles from Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple, before him] you shall become a plain [a mere molehill]! And he shall bring forth the finishing gable stone [of the new temple] with loud shoutings of the people, crying, Grace, grace to it!” Zechariah 4.7 Amp.

It’s the cherry on top promise. It’s the star on the Christmas tree. It’s the king of the hill scenario, that finishing gable stone story.

And it is your story. It is your revelation.

Remember years ago when we attended James Ryle’s Grace-Grace-Grace weekend in Boulder Valley? We found out grace really had nothing to do with unmerited favor (that’s more like mercy), but that grace was

“The empowering presence of God enabling us to be who He created us to be and to do what He created us to do.”*

Grace is God’s presence and His power and I love that you have always understood the grace of God and so been able to receive it and walk in it and share it freely.

So, 55 years ago

A teen-age girl gives up a baby. For 5 days you were in a Topeka, Kansas hospital, motherless, fatherless, it would seem to the staff. But I know that is when you first encountered Grace, His power, His comforting Presence and must be why you know Him so deeply that way.

Then they came for you – the Rhoades family. They signed papers and took you home, then moved you to Colorado and raised you for me.

I didn’t know, the summer of our big Colorado vacation in the early 70s that you were living here in Denver, all brown-skinned and dimpled, being prepared to be my husband. You had no idea those same June days that some stringy-long-haired tourist from Iowa, in a station wagon with her family was being prepared for you, to be your wife.

Maybe we passed you, madly pedaling your bike through the neighborhood. Maybe I saw your super-short, good Baptist-boy haircut. Maybe you saw me flash the peace sign out the rolled-down window (something I wasn’t allowed to do) and thought me rather sinful?

All I know is, you have been the gift of grace* to me. You have spent all the years preaching the message of it, reminding me time and again that I can’t earn it and I don’t even have to try. You have graced me with your love and your presence and you have opened the door for me to live in the Grace of God, not churchy-ness, not religiousness (my fall back every time), but in His empowering Presence.

It happens, the bad with the good…

I once saw a bumper sticker that said, in other words (if you get my drift), “Dung happens.” And I remember thinking, “No kidding. This bumper sticker speaks the truth. Dung does happen!” And it was in a season to which I could fully attest to it. Dung had happened. Lots of dung.

But then, we saw another bumper sticker. It spoke of what you have nurtured in our family through love and sweat and tears and sacrifice and more love and and tending to. I see this, now. And this is truer than true, the truest of all things, this bumper sticker: “Grace happens.” And it does, freely, abundantly, time and again. Grace happens!

{source}

Tara, Stephanie, Tredessa, Rocky & Stormie

Grace does happen. I am living proof. Our family – those wonderful 5 we got to raise together: aren’t they just so beautiful? Aren’t they darling human beings? Don’t they just make you want to burst with pride and thankfulness? They’re all so pretty and so talented and passionate about so many cool things. I look at them and I am in awe. Thank-you, honey, for these children, for the ones you hinted to me about when you proposed marriage in 1981, for when you told me, “I want you to be the mother of my children.” I had no idea how amazing that was going to turn out to be, to get to be mommy to the children of grace, grace.

Tristan, Dave, Jovan, & Ryan

And hasn’t Grace, His holy Presence, so graced us yet again with the 4 who have joined us by marriage (so far…one to go)? Aren’t they the perfect additions? Aren’t they all just people we would have chosen for our babies, anyway? And didn’t Grace show up and bless these unions? He did! Aren’t we just unworthy of this, yet graced anyway?

Gavin, Hunter, Guinivere, Gemma, Averi, Amelie, Malakai, Bailey, & Evangeline

And now – we’re practically mush, aren’t we? To see these 9 and enjoy them so, so, so much. Gifts – just *boom* happiness pouring-sparkling-raining like a summer shower straight from heaven.

For all you were born to do and for all you were born to be (Psalm 112 and Psalm 128 man of mine), these 9 have been added to you. Added to you.

You are no longer a baby in a hospital nursery in cold Kansas of 1959. You are Dave, Jeanie’s husband, her lover and hero. You are dad, who checks in making sure everything is ok, who prays for and is prayed for and who leads his family beside peaceful waters; you are a spiritual father to the sweetest ones (others the ages of our own tribe) who respect you and honor you in the gates and who seek that supernatural fathering you possess; you are grandpa, poppa, grand-poppa – pouring mercy, love, peace and grace on the next generation – making an impact into the 22nd century from where you stand today.

That beautiful baby boy, once alone, has been increased and Graced beyond measure. And all the people who know you and love you now are cheering you as mountains become molehills, as barriers are blasted through as you finish everything you have started with strength: Cheers-rejoicing-yay!-Blessing-Grace and more Grace!

Happy Birthday, my best friend and love, my husband, and the grace of my heart.

“Doc McAmelie Belle” Makes Life a Whole Lot Better

March 25, 20142 Mi Familia, 3 Celebrations & Festive Events, Stuff I Actually Thinkbithday blessing, blessing for granddaughter, doc mcstuffins birthday cakeJeanie

She likes Doc McStuffins. She even has a tiny lab coat like the Disney character. She is lots of sugar and loads of spice. And she will give you candy-medicine if you ask and a band–aid to make everything better. And now she is 4. Today!

She dances, she creates, and she sings. She loves to sing! She does Kickin’ It moves in her sparkly princess attire and isn’t afraid of boys, even when she’s in her high heels, which is a lot. Ah, she is one of a kind.

Four! Teeny-tiny with gargantuan personality ~ 4!

Curly-headed sweet-pea, your Nonna sure does love you. I am so glad we are getting school time together. You work hard you snack big and when you are gone, Grand-poppa and I always laugh when we find your wad of gum somewhere in the house, for it is always in whatever place you were when you decided you wanted to move on to something else and it’s just like an Easter-egg hunt for us! *surprise* :)

And so I bless you, Amelie Belle. I bless the day you were born and the charmer you are. I bless and encourage your song-sing, little girl, sing with your might! I bless your silliness and happiness and I bless your intensity and strength. I bless your drive to do big-girl things and be as fast and accomplished as all the bigger kids and I bless that soft sweet place that melts in to my neck when it’s time to cuddle and snuggle. You are such a good hugger, what a little love! I bless you to be a deep-lover and giver.

I know you feel things so ferociously, you sense things beyond your years and while you are saddled with what some people think is a hardship, being the “middle child,” I bless your place in your family, especially! For middle children are surrounded by opportunity on either side. You’re not “stuck in the middle,” you are flourishing there, rising above limitations and shining like the sun. You’re a go-between, an ambitious little girlie, able to keep up with your big sister and help mommy and daddy with the baby. You’re right in the center of the family action and you were the perfect little girl for that job! So, thrive, baby girl

And, oh my sweet Amelie {which means industrious, laborious and eager!}, love Jesus! Love Him! Love Jesus because He first loved you! Love Him because He saw you being made – before any of us could have imagined you. Love Him because He died for you. And live for Him, too. Make Him happy. Make Him smile. Be you and that ought to do it. It does it for me!

Here is a verse for you, my Belle-baby {Belle, meaning beautiful, which, of course, you are}:

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,

the good news of peace and salvation,

the news that the God of Israel reigns!

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,

for before their very eyes, they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem. Isaiah 52.7-8 nlt