Hello Kitty Times Five

                                     

If you know my Madeline, you know the following: she smiles nonstop (she has since birth), is dramatic to the max, and is infatuated with Hello Kitty. So with her third request in five years for yet another Hello Kitty birthday party, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find any new creative ideas. Thankfully I was wrong.

I came up with the idea for the invitation during a period of insomnia. The other side gave the party info. Lots of tracing and cutting, but I got to use glittery scrapbook paper and stickers. Not to mention pink ribbon.

I decorated the foyer with pink bows. I loved them so much they stayed around for a couple weeks after the party. I would have left them up longer, but then realized I'm not five years old anymore, and so shouldn't decorate my house long term as if I were.

I bought these plain white lanterns and decorated them as Hello Kitty. There is even pink glitter on the bow. These also stayed around for an extra couple weeks.

The flowers came from a local florist. I then decorated some flowers to look like Hello Kitty. Amazing what you can do with a little hot glue.

       

       

The party table. I swear that I hurriedly ironed the tablecloth- though this picture clearly shows I missed some spots.

Cake pops need a better name- something that involves the words labor and tedious. The amount of time it takes to eat one of these scrumptious pops is not at all relative to the time it took to make each one. (Did I mention these took a long time to make?)

Hello Kitty fruit arrangement. I just spray painted the bucket and used cookie cutters to cut the pineapple.

Hello Kitty bow pasta.

Artist I am not, but the kids loved them.

Madeline requested cupcakes this year instead of a cake. I used a vegan recipe for the cake and icing, so Lydia was able to eat them too.

Guests were decorated as kitties upon arrival, and could make beaded friendship bracelets. They also played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty (of course!)

My baby girl- at least I have one child out of four that clearly looks like me.

Bow!

The littlest kitty.

My "older" kitties.

My girls!

Madeline is about to be "surprised". I should explain that this was actually a surprise party. Madeline had told me weeks before that she wanted the party to be a surprise. Once everyone arrived, she would go upstairs to her room, the guests would hide, and then we would call her back downstairs and yell surprise. She was very serious about this part, and reminded me almost daily until party day that this was very important to her.

My boys. Handsome, aren't they?

Happy fifth birthday Madeline! You love kindergarten and your teacher; you amaze me nonstop with your incredible ability to read anything and everything; I love that adorable smile that takes over your entire body each and everytime. You still sneak into our room at night to get extra snuggles. You love Jesus and praise Him nonstop. You witness to all your friends, and ask Mommy nearly every day to ask their mommies if they will go to church with us. You teach me so much, baby girl. I love you!!

Never Too Early

Even though Bill and I are made for each other, there is one big difference between us. I like to be early to everything, and if I arrive right on time, I consider myself to be late. Bill, on the other hand, can consider anything up to 15 minutes or more late to be in the realm of "on time". It doesn't drive me as crazy as when we were first married, but I still like to be early to anything. So it's no surprise that I was very early to an event last night. Madeline's preschool teacher from last year was launching her Premier Jewelry business, and I wanted to take Madeline to her launch party with me to spend some time with her. She lives in town about twenty minutes from our house, so Bill came home in time to watch the younger kids while Madeline and I went by ourselves. I was excited to have a night out with Madeline, and to look at jewelry. I was also happy to see her teacher Mrs. H, since it had been several weeks since I had talked to her- we never saw each other apart from school.

Madeline and I set off a bit late due to a bad thunderstorm. I knew we would arrive a few minutes late, but I still wanted to go. Once in town, I got lost on the side streets, and had to call Mrs. H to ask her about directions.  I felt terrible because it was already a half hour past when the party was to start. That's when she said, "Michelle- the party is NEXT Monday." I wasn't late. I was early. REALLY early. Seven whole days early. I was immediately frustrated with myself. But right away, she asked if I wanted to come over anyway. Normally, I would say- Of course not, I don't want to impose. Especially because I didn't "hang out" with her regularly, and would have felt awkward just coming over unplanned like that. But there is something about Lisa that puts me at ease. (She told me not to call her Mrs. H because that would be wierd- thank goodness, because yes- it did feel wierd.)  She's funny, easy to talk to, and I was excited for some girl talk. So after getting lost only twice more, I finally found her house. (I only drove past it three times before finding it.) I stayed for a couple hours and chatted away while Madeline played with her two children upstairs. She is so easy to talk to, the time flew by. When I was leaving, Lisa mentioned that she misses the days when people could just drop in at someone's house. I agreed with her. Bill and I are close friends with our neighbors across the street from us, and we stop over at each other's homes just about every day. I don't feel wierd rummaging through her kitchen, or running over to borrow a couple eggs to make dinner. It should happen more often between friends.

So Lisa, thanks again for having me over. I had a blast- I would love to hang out with you more. I'll see you next Monday!

Great Grandparents

Isaac is our shy boy. I never worry about him running away from me in a parking lot because he's usually clawing at my hand while glued to my side, terrified he'll be hit by a car. He is friendly to strangers as long as they don't try to get too close. He still whimpers when I drop him off at Sunday School with the same friendly faces he's known for two years now. Knowing all of this, I'm very glad that even though he doesn't see him every week, Isaac constantly asks about my Pap pap (my maternal grandfather) and wants to go see him. We don't see my Pap pap as much as we should or I'd like- he and my grandma don't live in the same town as us, and he is home-bound. When we do go visit them, Isaac is immediately playing with Pap Pap and getting as close to him as possible. It's like they have an instant connection. He also loves my grandma to pieces and likes to sit on her lap. Pap Pap and Grandma are my only living grandparents, and I love them both very much. I have great memories of sleepovers in their home with my cousins, watching Grandma frying her yummy cheeseburgers, and making milkshakes in Grandma's kitchen. Recently my Grandma made my kids chocolate milk, and it brought back those memories again.

Pap Pap (James Robert ) as a young man.

Pap pap and Grandma back when they were young loves. They are still in love, and young at heart. :) They raised five children together.

Pap Pap in 1954. James Robert  served our country in both the Marines and the Air Force. He was the driver for Admiral Delaney as a Marine. He retired as Master Sargeant of the Air Force.  

Taken in April of 1954 under a B36 Peacemaker at Lowry Air Force Base near Denver, Colorado.

Pap Pap holding my mother, born in 1957.

My sister and I eating popcorn with Pap Pap. One of my favorite childhood memories. He used to pick through the bowl and find pieces without the kernel for us.

Pap Pap holding baby Isaac. I love their grins here.

Grandma and Isaac- she loves holding her babies. She and Pap Pap have fifteen grandchildren, and eighteen great grandchildren- (did I count that right?)

Look how little they are! 

Isaac was almost two years old here, loving on Pap Pap.

Little snuggler.

More recent picture- look, no teeth! I grew up thinking Pap Pap had magic teeth he could take in and out.

Mom, Pap pap and all four of my children. Thanks, Mom, for your interest in geneology, and giving me easy access to all these pictures!

Love you Pap Pap and Grandma!!!



Closets Meet Spring

After being home less than thirty minutes from a week at the beach, Bill and I were already looking at beach area real estate, and contemplating if that was really a move for us in the near future. Real estate there was surprisingly cheap if we were willing to downsize- which then got me thinking about how much stuff we could get rid of, and still be quite happy. I imagined how much easier daily cleaning would be in keeping up with less space and things. After a couple days, reality set in that we already were home, and maybe one day when the kids were grown we could move to the beach, or at least have vacation property there. So instead, after spending two days of imaging a life in much less square feet, I decided it was time to clean out the closets. One of the reasons we (and when I say "we" I mean "I") fell in love with this house was because of the vast number of closets and how big each one was. We have only lived in this house for two years (today marks the anniversary we had our closing) and already I'd managed to fill each one without even realizing it. So to make a long story short, I spent the next week working in the morning at VBS in our local church, then spending all afternoon and evening purging our closets, completely rearranging the kitchen cabinets and pantry, and making countless (I seriously lost count) trips to Goodwill. The result? I smile every time I open a closet, the house stays picked up throughout the day with much less struggle, and I am a much happier momma.

At the Deeper Still conference in Kentucky, Priscilla Shirer spoke on the commandment from God regarding keeping the Sabbath. She posed this question: Are we as a society addicted to the chaos? Do we get restless and irritable when there is a day with no planned activity, instead of enjoying the rest? Do we have too much stuff in our lives- both in activities and our possessions? When the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, God provided them manna from Heaven that they were to gather each morning. They were only to gather as much as they needed, or else the remaining food would become infested with worms. However, on the day before Sabbath, they were to gather a double portion, so that they would not have to work the following day on the Sabbath. The way the original Hebrew is written, it appears that they did not have to work double to gather the food the day before because there was more bread per square foot. The same amount of work that day resulted in twice the results. Priscilla then gave the example of her own speaking schedule in 2007- she was traveling so much that she was exhausted and didn't feel she was praying enough for the women she was speaking to, and felt overwhelmed throughout the week at home with her small children. So she and her husband (also her manager) prayed for God's leading. They decided to leave the schedule for 2008 completely open, and wait on God. That is when Lifeway approached her about the Deeper Still conference series. Instead of spending every weekend speaking at an individual church, they could invite ten or so area churches to come at one time in a big arena setting, thereby reaching ten times the number of women in the same weekend as would have been reached before in the same amount of time. If she had continued to schedule speaking engagements as she had before, this opportunity would not have been possible. Priscilla said it was as if God was telling her, "You give me the Sabbath, and I will give you a double portion."

Purging the closets and getting rid of so much stuff- toys, clothes, and more toys and clothes, opened my eyes to the ridiculousness of it all. My girls have one entire wall of their bedroom that is one giant closet- and it is jam-packed with clothes. All of it bought on sale/clearance, and gifts from Grandma, yes- but they don't need that much! I still had infant baby blankets tucked in the linen closet because I didn't want to let go of them. Keeping a couple blankets as a keepsake is lovely, but twenty? Craziness. Today, for the first Sunday in a very long time, I did not fold a single item of laundry, clean one single bathroom, or mop one single floor. Instead, I went to church, played with the kids, and took a beautiful two hour nap (thanks to my parents who came to visit and play for awhile.)I have four children to feed and nurture, so in this stage of life there will never be a time I can prop my feet up for twenty four hours, but as far as anything that can wait for tomorrow? It will still be there in the morning. My double portion? I see it in the way my house seems to stay picked up so much easier- who knew cleaning closets could have that effect? Maybe it's more a state of mind that makes it seem simpler, but whatever the cause, I'm liking it. The children also pitch in a lot more now, and I know that's making a huge difference. So my new goal is to continue honoring God in this way, taking rest when I need it, and becoming a better wife and mom for it.

Deeper Still Louisville, KY

A few months ago, my local church hosted a simulcast with Priscilla Shirer. She is a mother of three young children who ministers to women all over the country. During that seminar, three of us decided it would be awesome to go to the Deeper Still conference coming up in Kentucky. Started in 2008, Deeper Still was a conference in which Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer ministered to several thousand women over a two day event. The conference coming up in Louisville was to be the last one ever to be held. Within days, we had our tickets purchased, rooms booked, and travel plans made. I was beside myself with excitement to spend a weekend bathed in the Word, with no other responsibilities at home to become entangled with.

I have been to several conferences over the years in my Christian life, but none of them have compared to this past weekend. There is something about breaking down the barriers of denominations (which personally, I think God hurts to see His people so deeply divided in this way) and worshipping as one body in Christ. It's like a hint of what's to come in Heaven- a place that I am ECSTATIC to see and experience for eternity.

I learned so much this weekend, and fell even more deeply in love with my Savior. I took notes like crazy, excited to keep them for future reference. I even read over them again Saturday night before going to bed in our hotel. Sadly though- I can't find my notes!! I even called the hotel while on the road to home once I realized they were missing, but the staff said that even after searching the maid's trash, they couldn't locate my book of notes anywhere. I'd like to think that God purposed for someone else to find and read them, and point that person to Himself. I'd hate to think I was simply irresponsible in losing them, and that no one will benefit from the notes! Thankfully I paid close enough attention to remember most of what was said by the speakers. I want to share so much, so this may end up being a three part blog series. I hope you don't mind!

That first night Kay Arthur spoke on God's love. She took us to Malachi, where the Lord told His people that He loved them. The people responded accusingly, "In what way have You loved us?" The Lord then patiently went on to explain just exactly how He loved them. And then, He was silent for the next four hundred years, leaving them His Word to recall His love for them. Until one day, an angel appeared to a man named Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist,forerunner of Christ; and another angel, Gabriel, appeared to a man named Joseph, and announced the birth of a Son, Jesus, whose kingdom will have no end. I John 4:10 says, In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitation for our sins." Ms. Arthur expounded on Christ's sacrifice on the cross, describing in detail the physical torment He experienced that day, His body literally being ripped to shreds, His flesh hanging in ribbons. He was whipped, beaten, spit upon, and mocked. He was marred beyond recognition. At any point He could have summoned 10,000 angels- but He didn't. He went through it, even the death of the cross, for all for us.  All for me. All for you.

The point of Ms. Arthur's message was this: Do you question God's love for you? Or do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter what happens in your life, He loves you? If you do have doubts, you should also doubt whether you are truly saved. Anyone who has accepted Christ as their Savior understands His sacrifice, and His love- His deep, profound, breath-taking love for us. Oh, reader, how He LOVES you and me. He took our sin upon Him on that cross, so that we may have life in Him! When I sit and really think of His love, my eyes overflow with tears and I am overwhelmed. I have NO doubt of His love. God in His soverignty allows negative things to happen to us, and we may not always understand, but know this: HE. LOVES. YOU. He loves you!!! "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."( I John 4:9) I pray that anyone reading this who does not trust Christ will be stirred inside to know more, to seek Him, and to trust Him.

During Friday night's message, one verse kept resonating with me: I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." It was one of those things that as I listened, that phrase kept popping up- "There is no fear in love...perfect love casts out fear..." I would say that the verse repeated in my mind almost to the point of annoyance. I even prayed, "Yes Lord, I know- I trust you!" I have made strides in trusting my children in His hands, and I couldn't understand why He wanted me to pay attention to that verse, especially when it was evident that was not the main point of Ms. Arthur's message.

Later that night, I texted Bill before bed to see whether he was still working. The kids were sleeping at my parents', and I knew that Bill didn't like coming home to an empty house, or sleeping in our bed without me. The day that our oldest child Brooke was born, Bill wasn't allowed to stay overnight with me in the hospital, and so he gave my mom our bed that night because he didn't want to sleep in it without me. So sweet, huh? So I assumed Friday night he'd work as late as possible. He texted back he was working, and I asked him to text me when he got home. I later woke up at 3am and noticed he never texted me. I sent him a message, and no response. I immediately started praying, and I John 4:18 popped in mind. "I know Lord," I prayed, "he's in Your hands, but the human part of me is scared! Please let me know he's alright!" I've experienced instant peace before, and have felt the Lord telling me all was ok- but He didn't provide that peace this time. That made me even more scared and freaked out. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't, waiting for him to text. I tossed and turned and prayed the rest of the night. At 6:00am, I began calling and texting like crazy, but no response. I even called OnStar to locate our vehicle- the operator would only tell me that the airbags had not been deployed (small reassurance) but wouldn't tell me the location of the car unless the police were involved. I then called our neighbor to see if his car was in the driveway, but it wasn't. Bill doesn't have a desk job, and getting hurt with no help around is a true reality, so at this point I was pretty freaked out. I was keeping it inward, and my friend Kelly did her best to help reassure me, but I just wanted the knot in my stomach to go away. I tried calling the local police, but Bill works out of a very small town, and no one was answering at the station. I was running out of ideas, short of calling 911.

Before we went downstairs to breakfast, my friends gathered around me to pray. I immediately started hysterically sobbing. I was so scared I was going to be left without a husband, and my children without their father. I knew God's love and that He would provide, but that is not at all what I had pictured for our family. As they prayed, I felt myself calm down, but I still didn't feel peace inside that he was ok. So I started to mentally prepare for the worst.

Finally, at 8:00am, Bill texted that he was ok. He had worked through the night, and hadn't wanted to wake me. He never heard his phone that entire night. I was so relieved to know he was ok! I went immediately from that experience back to Freedom Hall where the conference was held, to hear a woman named Tammy Head lead the morning devotion. She spoke from Luke 2, about a woman named Anna. The Word says she was a widow of 84 years, and that she never departed the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. She went from being married, to suddenly having no husband at a young age, yet she continued to worship God. Tammy then spoke about an experience on a recent vacation, in which she stood on the beach, worshipping God, and then felt God lead her to some commotion on the beach where a man had been dragged out of the water, not breathing. With God's leading, she prayed over him that he may live through this. Instead, sadly the man died. Then, right after that experience, she went to a massage that her husband had previously scheduled. Tammy said, that's how life in Christ can be. We go from worship to warfare, then back to worship. I just sat in awe that this was the message I was hearing. The night before, I was worshipping with thousands of women, feeling the power and presence of the Holy Spirit heavily among us, then right into a night of fear and worry, and then straight back into worship again. I almost had to laugh out loud from the perfect timing- God was talking directly to me. He had tried to prepare me the night before for what I was about to experience, pointing out I John 4:18 to me over and over. What a glorious God I serve. I doubt I will never fear again- as I said, I am human and far from being perfect, but I pray that I will continue to trust Him more, no matter the outcome He has in store. I am treasured by the God of this universe, and that is enough.

Eight Years and Counting

A couple days ago, Bill and I were talking about infidelity in marriages and the ways it tears families apart. Statistics show that Christian marriages are just as affected as non-Christian marriages, and that to me is scary. Later that day we went shopping with the kids, and as we were getting out of the car, Bill paused and asked if I remembered what we talked about earlier. When I said yes, he looked me in the eye and said, "Just know that I would never do that to you or to the kids." I already knew that, but to have him lock eyes with me and say it, meant so very much to me.

Neither one of us are perfect, and I'd be naive to think that our marriage is foolproof against adultery. Satan doesn't attack those that he already has a grip on- he goes after people he can bring down and ruin their testimony. Men and women of God need to be ever vigilant against such an attack. However, that being said, there is no excuse- sin is a choice by free will, and God always prepares a way of escape. I Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Bill and I have an agreement that if either one of us  were ever to become tempted in this area, we immediately talk about it and deal with it then, instead of allowing any opportunity for a thought to become more than just that. We have been faithful to each other for each year of our marriage and relationship, and as long as God stays in the center, we will continue on this same road.

Today Bill and I celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary. I am blessed with a hard working man who loves God, respects me, adores me, speaks kind words, is an ever-patient father, plays with our children, does not yell but disciplines them with patience and love, and wants the very best for our family. My dad has always told me that he and my mom pray daily for me, and I know that part of their answered prayers came in the form of my husband. I love you, sweetheart. I too wouldn't want to travel this journey with anyone else.



Stay-at-Home Misnomer

It's not too long ago that I spent days in a row couped up at home, never seeing the light of day, or at least not stepping out past the front yard. Stay-at-home mom meant just that for me: I stayed home, and occasionally lost a part of my sanity in the process. Then, about a year ago, all of that changed. Not only did I take on a part-time job, but my oldest daughter started kindergarten, my second oldest started all day preschool, and we also spent time in after-school activities, including ballet once a week. That's when it clicked and I understood what all those moms were whining about back when I longed for a life outside my house. I'm not sure which is the lesser evil- being caged up like an animal, or spending life out on the road bustling from one location to another. Let's just say, I'm ecstatic that summer has arrived.

I always said that I would never become that mom that lived out of her minivan, and I still hold to that promise. Number one, because I don't own a minivan, but number two- because I will continue to strive to find that balance between allowing my kids to have fun while not overloading their schedule. This will be even more of a challenge in a few more years, when all my children are old enough to be involved, but right now I'm living in the moment. And that means ballet once a week during school, and soccer in the spring and fall. Watching them dance like ballerinas and kick a soccer ball (occasionally even making it into the net) warms my heart like I never could have imagined before they were born. Seeing any other kid do the same activity is cute, but to see my own baby who I grew in my belly and gave birth to do the same exact thing- words can't describe how happy it makes me. Madeline made her one and only goal in soccer a few weeks ago, and I went nuts. Seriously, I screamed and jumped up and down like a complete lunatic before I gained my senses and sheepishly sat back down in my chair. The next week Amy was visiting, and overheard a dad say to the coach, "Remember last week when Madeline made a goal, and her whole family went crazy?" Yeah, the "whole family" reference meant me. Guess I left an impression.

It'll be Isaac's turn to join the lesson gammet this spring when I sign him up for soccer. In the meantime, my older two girls will be taking a one week session of tennis lessons (seriously, how cute will that be!) and swim lessons this summer, then resuming ballet in the fall. Maybe by then I'll convince my love that a soccer mom really does need a minivan to go along with the stereotype. (**wink**)

 While Brooke hustled the entire game, Madeline took frequent water breaks. She was the only kid out on the field that combined ballet and soccer while running. In her last game, Madeline kicked the ball ( a rare event) and another dad said, "Look at that smile! You would have thought she just won the World Cup." I love her passion!

 The cheering section. Lugging my kids and their stuff is a workout in itself.

 Purple soccer balls- who knew? Her shin guards are pink, even though you can't tell. Her pink cleats ended up being too small, but my friend Kelly gave me these black ones, so it worked out- thanks Kelly!

 Brooke LOVED soccer. She asked every day if she could go to practice, and was devastated if it was rained out. She is pretty talented too- she's all girl and all sports rolled up in one. She has her game face on the whole time- so adorable!

 Beautiful ballerinas!

                                                Dancing before practice started.

Madeline smiled at me the whole time this day, when she wasn't picking her nose or daydreaming off in space.