spring fever

Yes, I realize it's February. Only Groundhog Day, actually. And apparently that clever little groundhog thinks we'll have six more weeks of winter. Ugh. So not what I wanted to hear.

I'm itching for warmer weather and springtime turning into summer. I always considered myself a winter lover with the snow, cozy fires, holiday, etc. And then I had a toddler. Now winter = cabin fever, bundling up, running out of cheap/free activities to do around town and LOTS more energy (uh, him not me).

Now that we have our own place, Tim and I are both excited about making the outdoors our own. I have plans for a porch swing on the front of our cape cod and painting the shutters dark grey and the front door a playful colonial yellow (something on houses I've always envied).

Well, that's just the front. One of the big perks of this house was that it was already landscaped. So nice. Just making it our own personal style is the ticket for getting us to do any sort of "home project".

Of course, Tim is loving the idea of a sweet deck out back, complete with grill and outdoor seating. We L-O-V-E grilling. I actually cook so much more in the summer because I can send Tim outside with a few things and the fresh produce is endless.

A built in fire pit is definitely going to happen. Who doesn't love a good fire in the summer while kids run around and get dirty catching fireflies?

The biggest project (besides the deck of course, which I plan on having very little to do with:)) would be a vegetable garden. Since we've rented for so long, the idea of investing time and money into a garden was silly. I tried my hand at a few container herbs here and there, but we've always loved the idea of our own garden. Tim's not so much a huge veggie lover, but I definitely am - especially home grown. We get all starry-eyed thinking of our family working together in the garden and our kids learning the value of working with your hands. I'm sure it'll turn out that perfectly. :)

Until then, we know we're going to join the local CSA for the months of April & May when you wouldn't be getting too much out of your own plot anyway. Lots of greens & root vegetables. Yum. I enjoy the surprise of different produce each week and having to figure out how to prepare it. Last time we did this, we got some pretty interesting things, tryed lots of new veggies and learned a lot!

I'm always good at making lists and then just looking at them. Hopefully, we'll get some gumption and actually get around to all of our big plans. But right now, it's February. Hm.

Pinterest balance

I probably spend more time pinning ideas on Pinterest than I should. It's a great resource for inspiration and tutorials. The problem is: I've maybe done less than a handful of the projects I've marked.

You're probably thinking, "Court, what's the problem? You don't work, you have a new house, blank walls, a creative mind, and Pinterest as your resource! Get going already!"

Those are exactly the problems. Along with knowing I'm one of the most indecisive minds I know of. And the notion that now that we own our home, I have to decorate everything like I've always wanted to. That puts a lot of pressure on me.

In my own mind, of course.

I'm easily overwhelmed.

I want every space to be perfect.

I want to be incredibly, cutely organized.

My taste and style changes almost annually.

*sigh*

You know it's bad when my DH is kindly suggesting, "I'm ready for this house to finally get put together."

I know, I know! Meeeeee too.






I'm having a brain fart.







I need to take it one week at a time, maybe one project/improvement a week. That's going to require planning, doing, budgeting, and deciding. Oy.

We're also in transition in this house since we decided to shuffle some bedrooms for the new baby coming in August *eeee!:)* and that has led to closet purging, reorganizing, possible paint color changes, and really wanting to give attention to our master bedroom. We have a pretty small living space in the main part of the house, so some innovative toy storage is underway as well.


In reality, it's a productive day for me if I a)keep Isaac entertained/happy/learning, b)my family fed with healthy meals, c) laundry, dishes & regular household chores maintained, and d)my sanity with keeping up with Bible studies, blogs, Zumba classes, and just SLEEP.


Now my conscience kicks me in the rear and says, "What about all this simple living mumbo jumbo you preach about?"

You're right. It matters no more that my house is perfectly decorated, organized, or updated. I shouldn't worry about the way the house looks as long as its walls are filled with laughing people and great food instead of professionally framed photos.

Balance.


I've got to find a way to balance my creative energy and desire for aesthetically pleasing spaces with the true beauty of a home: how its inhabitants use it.

December in Our Home

Isaac turned 2! We celebrated with a baseball party and Mexican food (duh).
Made some fun keepsake ornaments with the bean's profile & super easy Scrabble ornaments for anyone I could think of.
Ugly sweater Christmas party with the youth group. I'm usually so proud of my husband. *sigh*
Craig & Lindsay came to visit.
Flew to Virginia for Christmas with my family.
Took lots of goofy pictures of a goofy kid making goofy pictures. I do NOT know where he gets that.

November In Our Home

Clif notes: We moved into our OWN home, Tim turned 29, we were out of town for 3/4 weekends of the month, Ministers & Wives retreat, Thanksgiving in TN with family, where I ran my first 5K. All of this and somehow we managed to "flip" a bathroom.

September in our home

This month was busy and productive! The weather in Indiana couldn't make up its mind between summer and fall, so we danced in a little of each. It's the start of my favorite season of all and the end of a hectic summer.

Isaac kept us on our toes (pun intended)and ended up with his first(of many, I predict)cast. He literally woke up with a fractured ankle from getting his foot caught in his crib slats the night before. Who knew!? Of course, I graciously received the Mother of the Year award when I was convinced he was just making a big deal about his foot falling asleep. I mean, HOW can a child literally wake up with a broken bone when he was fine when you put him down? Well, if that doesn't give you a taste of my son's unpredictability, then I don't know what does.

He actually did surprisingly well on it, and was running around hours after getting the cast on. I put the leggings I made for his crawling stage last year to good use as a cover for his cast. It kept it clean(-er than it would've been without one) and was pretty cool, too! People in the stores and such kept telling me, "Did you know he's missing a shoe?" because they couldn't tell by the way he was walking that it was in a cast! Kids are adaptable, I tell ya.

The very same day Isaac got his cast on, he caught his first flu bug. I'm talking the diarrhea, vomiting, fever, no appetite, "my baby's dying and I don't know what to do" kind. I'm very thankful it was a weekend and Tim was home to help cuddle and clean up. Blech. Most pitiful sight I've ever laid eyes on, that little guy.

While we were at home snuggling a sick and limping little boy, Sarah ran away on a boat. We all hate her. I usually don't let her stand next to me from the months of March-September to avoid any racial assumptions people may have of the two of us. ;)

Once Isaac recovered from his "go big or go home!" weekend of glory and testing our parenting skills, we got back into our normal weekly routine of storytime at the public library. I decided to try moving him up to the 2-3's class and see how it went. Oh, my! He loved it! Structure, listening skills, motor development, themes...it was heaven for both of us. It's so great to have a quality library program for little ones. He learns the songs so quickly and sings them over and over at home or in the car. It's so fun to see him learn. Our refrigerator is filling up quickly with "art projects" that only a mother & daddy could really appreciate.


I mentioned the enormous amount of cupcakes that Sarah and I are making for the big wedding later in October for their brother. It's going to be a lovely fall wedding! We decided to showcase, er, practice some of our cupcake flavors for the couple's shower we hosted and let the bride and groom approve for themselves. Our red velvet and snickerdoodle cupcakes with dulce de leche frosting were a hit! *Sigh of relief.
Now, we have to master the piping and figure out how the heck to transport 200 cupcakes a few hours south. I may feel more pressure than the couple themselves for this big day. My two jobs: make, transport & display 200 cupcakes and get the ring bearer down the aisle. Dressed. Prayers appreciated.

We ended the month with some pretty fun "firsts" for all of us. Isaac got his first "real" haircut (i.e. that didn't involve Mom trying to sneak a few snips in the bath tub when he wasn't paying attention) and now looks five years older. Be still, my heart.

We also took the plunge(or leap of faith) and seriously, actually, this time for real, started the home buying process. If you know our area at all, it's the latter. We couldn't be happier about our choice and how the Lord worked out every single detail to make it happen. We haven't closed or anything yet, so I'll post pictures when it's official!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Right now I am...

:: watching my son grow up faster than i care to accept.

:: loving how curly his hair gets when he's sweaty.

:: wanting to feel content.

:: looking at my new Food Network Magazine & earmarking several smoothie recipes.

:: heading to bed to rest up for Zumba class tomorrow morning-solo. jeeps.

:: patting myself on the back for making two loaves of homemade bread, kale soup & two pizza crusts all in the same day.

:: waiting for the weather to decide to stay warm!

:: enjoying taking isaac outside every change we get to play.

:: surprising myself with new habits.

:: looking forward to our "second honeymoon" vacation to Boulder in 30 days!

:: feeling grateful for the basic provisions.

:: hoping that i'm doing my best each day.

about learning to see what's right there

alright, friends. i have a lot going on right now. several things are a-stewin' in this head of mine, which always seems to come in waves. so in advance - hold on, it's random and a bit lengthy.

if you remember several months ago, i said i believe God planted a small seed of a desire to see a successful women's ministry begin to take shape in my local church community. God is faithful and has been continuing his good work. this post is partly mental notes for me to document how this whole thing is taking shape, even if slowly, and partly to share my excitement with you (because how can I keep God's work a secret!?). aside from anything i could ever try to plan & execute myself, i'd love to tell you about the topics stirring around in my head & heart as well.

-started reading(yes, lofty goals!)a book called The Forgotten God by Francis Chan. definitely rethinking (or even paying attention for the first time) to the role of the Holy Spirit in me as living and real, and not just a Sunday School answer.

-Zumba. continues to grow & i love love love hearing the excitement by several participants who are slowly growing in their addiction *evil laugh*. it's working! bridging the gap between healthy physical bodies & healthy communities and souls is narrowing.

-this is a big year for my church community, in my opinion. tim & i have now been here 3 years and feel like it's time to dig into the trenches & get serious about making a change. i'm expecting it to be uncomfortable for many, and we're learning to be okay with that. it always amazes me how God sets things on our hearts individually & then we have those "me too!" moments. we're also starting to make our "church community" as outside the walls of our congregation where tim is employed.

-our current church community is looking towards figuring out what discipleship means for them. it's an uncomfortable conversation at times, and involves some looking in the mirror and admitting that most of the time, we're not doing it. in order to do my part, i've decided that along with the help of the Holy Spirit, i'm going to attempt some matchmaking of my own within the demographic i know best - women. by matchmaking i mean taking what i've learned from previous discipleship groups that have worked well & providing opportunities for women to connect with each other - OUTSIDE of kids, husbands, work, etc.

i have the privilege of being connected to our church body by default - i'm a pastor's wife. people have to be nice to me, know who i am, involve us, etc. however, i need to remember those who may walk into the building looking for that connection. what is there? "hmm, do you have kids? no? um..well, services are at 9 and 10:30. won't that be fun??" (sad, but true.)

-tim and i have been faced with the reality that Anderson might be a long term home for us. we've complained for far too long about how this city has nothing to offer the twenty somethings for entertainment, culture & recreation. we've done a half ass job, to probably be pretty honest, about investing in this city as the Lord's holy ground. too long we've lived in a "one day" state of mind and dreaming about the next trendy town we live in with lots to keep us entertained and endless ministry opportunities. well, i feel as if a veil has been lifted and that place we always said we'd live intentionally and make our mission field is right. freaking. here. Anderson is a special town with financial strife, poverty, hopeless people, and an education system that is below par. who are we to decide we're too good for this place? and what cool city park or trendy cafe can replace good friends that would do anything for you & live life with you?? God needs us here. we try to remind ourselves when we have frustrations about our present location that if we don't stay and give hope, who will?

well, i don't ever promise great literature or clever crafty tutorials, but i hope that you find encouragement & comfort in reading about how God works through a crazy world, even if it's just the small realm of my own reality here in a seemingly hopeless city in central Indiana.

God bless. enjoy your time with loved ones this weekend & make sure they know you love them.

2. growth

Not only am I thankful that my little boy is healthy and growing like a weed, learning new things every day, but I am thankful for my own growth. I've said before that I live a life of seasons, and this last year has definitely been a growing year for me. I guess becoming a parent will do that to ya. I've had to stretch beyond myself and make my life about someone other than me. The sad truth is, I should have been doing this all along. As a follower of Christ, I should have been living my life as a way of pointing to Jesus, but let's be honest.

This last year, I think Tim and I both have been re-evaluating a lot about ourselves and the way we live. We've tried to be intentional in everything we do, whether it's what we eat, who we are around, or what we spend our money on. We've had to make some major adjustments because of Isaac, but I really don't think I would change any of them. I love the challenge of trying to live more simply, more intentional, with more regard to others and the life that Jesus has come to give us. I've grown in many ways this year, and really feel like I'm finally starting to taste the fruit of this life we live for God. And it's good stuff.