The Little Man's Christmas Letter

Before I begin, I know that some of you don’t know about me yet. These people call me The Little Man. Or sometimes Prince Charming…I don’t mean to brag, but I charm most of the people I meet.

I came to stay with these people at the end of August (my parents had some trouble taking care of me so I am staying here until, well, I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be here). Just to clarify, I call them “The Lady,” “That Man,” and the 13yo and the 11yo. The lady and that man haven’t really told me what to call them yet so that’s what I’m going with until they do.

And since I haven’t been with them for most of the year, I’m not entirely sure why they asked me to write this letter…I figure it’s because they can’t remember most of their year either so this way they have an excuse for why stuff is missing.

Just blame the baby, apparently.

I will say, though, that they have mentioned little bits of things and being that I am super-smart  with a somewhat advanced vocabulary (in spite of the fact that I am just 6 months old), I have held on to these bits of info and shall now relay them to you.

First I will tell you about the two boring people in the house:

That Man and The Lady

That Man continues to work in the same field at the same company, CMT.  I don’t know what he does but he leaves most days when it is dark out and gets home when it is dark out. He also coached the 11yo’s basketball team last winter and is coaching his team again this season.

In addition, he helped with several projects at church this year, including (but not limited to) painting, cleaning (think “cleaning out/purging”…more than your cursory cleaning), and more painting. And then some more painting. Let me put it this way…he wasn’t in charge of the painting, but most people thought he was.

The Lady has been busy for the past few months taking care of me and homeschooling the PBA. She has also been doing some freelance writing this year for a couple local magazines. Her dad (who is a photographer) has taken all the pictures for her stories, and even though she hasn’t admitted it to him, she enjoys working with her dad. I can tell.

Over Easter week-end, the lady and that man had their first foster kiddo placement that didn’t go so well.  It was two little girls who had been in the system a few times and I think we can just leave it at that.

This fall, the lady and that man began a study called “7: A Mutiny Against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker with their Hope Group from church. In August (the first of 7 months), they could only eat 7 foods for the month. Granted, they chose the foods, but it still seems a little bit crazy. I mean, I only have one thing I ever get to eat but still…when you have such an array of options, I really don’t know why you would limit yourself. I think it had something to do with simplifying their lives and being thankful for what they do have and considering people around the world who have less than 7 foods to eat all the time…not just for a month. I think that’s what they said, anyway…

They are currently on Month Four: Media, having already done Month Two: Clothes (wearing only 7 articles of clothing for the month…not including skivvies, workout clothes and jammies, just in case you were wondering…oh, and apparently it’s fun  when you have an urpy baby in the house too) and Month Three: Possessions (giving away at least 7 possessions a day for the month, and being intentional about where they are going instead of boxing it all up and sending it to Goodwill). 

Give them a call or send an email if you want to hear more about this craziness, or any other craziness, in their lives.

The 13yo and The 11yo

The 13yo played basketball for the first time last winter. Although he did a great job, he decided that playing organized ball is not really for him; he will stick to shooting baskets at the gym just for fun. He continues to excel at soccer, traveling the state for games and tournaments. And this summer he experienced his first “overnight” camp at Camp Lakeview, near Seymour, Indiana. He loved it and can’t wait to go back next year. He turned 13 over the summer as well and suddenly he knew everything. I can’t wait until I turn 13!

The 11yo played his fourth season of basketball last winter and just began his fifth season a couple weeks ago . He plays lacrosse too, which is only in the spring… I haven’t seen this game played yet but it sounds a little dangerous. Boys running around a field with sticks they can use to catch the ball and also hit each other with. On second thought, I think I might be in! In February, he had 10 teeth (yes, you read that correctly) extracted (they were all baby teeth, but some were anklosed, which means the roots had not dissolved and had actually fused to the jaw bone) and then he got braces.  He was confined to a Pacers basketball daycamp this year, as the lady wasn’t ready to let him go away for a week just yet. It might also be that the lady didn’t think Camp Lakeview was ready for him. But I’m a little fuzzy on the details…I am only 6 months old, you know.

Over the summer, the boys took a “Safe Sitter” class offered through a local hospital. They learned basic first aid, CPR and how to change a baby’s diaper. Lucky for them, I provided a much more accurate version of a baby than those teddy bears they were using…I include wiggling, rolling and grabbing my feet for an extra added challenge. They do a fabulous job helping the lady and that man take care if me…I don’t think I could ask for better brothers if they were my own flesh and blood.

The PBA began school at the end of July…yes, it seemed early to me too, but these crazy homeschoolers decided to stay on the same calendar as the public school kids…whatever “school” is.

And both boys began art lessons. The 13yo LOVES them and the 11yo, well not so much. The lady says they are “a lesson in humility” for him. I think she’s a really good mom.

Over Fall Break, they all went on vacation to Hilton Head Island; I got to take my own little “trip” to stay with another foster family.  I think they had fun…their skin was darker than mine before they went and it was REALLY dark (compared to mine, which isn’t saying a whole lot b/c I am kinda, really pale…) when they got back.

The Little Man

Let’s see…now to me. I was born in May but the Always Random Family didn’t know about me until August.  On the last day of their first month of “7” (actually as they were “celebrating” with their Hope Group by indulging in some pizza), they got the placement call for me. They had to go downtown and pick me up from the hospital…after, of course, they had a lesson in how to feed me with an NG tube.

So I’ve been with them ever since. I see my mom a few times a week and go to the doctor about once a week too, since I was less than 10 pounds when they got me as a 3-month old…they have to make sure I am growing as I should. I still haven’t figured out how to swallow without gagging so I am having surgery next week to get my g-tube put in. They think I’ll be able to figure out this whole “eating by mouth” business when I don’t have a tube running down my throat all the time. I sure am interested in what other people are eating, so maybe that will help me out too. I hate to ask, but prayers for me would be greatly appreciated.

I think that covers all the basics. Now just to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Little Man (and the Always Random Family too!)

The Mutiny Month 4 Day 1: Media

As you may or may not recall, we are working our way through “7: The Mutiny” with our Hope Group. Here’s a little “overview” if you missed it when we began.

Thus far, we have made it through, I mean experienced…Food, Clothes and Possessions.

And now, today, we begin Media.

Food was by far the toughest…but we are already back to eating all the things we were really sick of by the end of that month. Choosing what to make for dinner became a real breeze. I kind of miss that.

Wearing the same 7 articles of clothes for a month wasn’t too terrible and even the day after we were finished with that fast, I found myself still wanting to wear the same things. Plus it made getting dressed in the morning uber-simple. Granted, we didn’t include workout clothes and jammies in our 7 articles, and with an urpy (putting it mildly) baby in the house, those were gifts we were thankful to have.

Possessions: I don’t think I even wrote about this one. Mostly b/c I wasn’t doing much writing, but also because I don’t think I did this one as well. I know I gave up the designated amount of 196 items (for my math-impaired friends, this equals 7 items a day for 28 days) but I know there is much work yet to be done in that area so I will continue to wade through my possessions.

Which brings us now to Media.

We decided not to skip the two weeks between fasts this time…mostly b/c we are so shallow as to not want to miss all the Christmas specials and such; staying the course, we will finish this month on December 19, just in time to squeeze in all those movies before December 25.

So clearly we still have some heart issues which need to be addressed…and I put myself at the top of the list of “who needs the most work”.

So what is the point of this month? My interpretation of the chapter is that it is to spend time in prayer, Bible study, and with family NOT staring at a screen together. Not that it is bad to watch TV or a movie together, but if that is your ONLY family time, it might be a problem.

Sorry if you feel judged…it’s not my intent. Mostly it’s about my/our conviction. Your conviction is totally on you. And God...I advise you to take it up with him.

So what are our rules? I won’t even tell you her rules because they are kind of cray-cray. We, as a group, we bent some, and then I bent them even more. So here are my rules, in no particular order:

• I am refraining from Facebook (OK, I am allowing myself one visit and possible post to it per day…but even then it might not be even that often. I shall try…)
• No Instagram.
• We get seven hours of tv/movie time/week. We are not holding our kids to this (as in my family is not…I don’t know about the other families, actually), but we will not be watching TV together as a family every evening. We might have to bust out the euchre cards again. Wahoo!
• Email as need for family business, work, etc. No superfluous emailing.
• Same goes for texting. (Ugh…I am not sure how I will survive. How did I live prior to the text?!?)
• I knew that I would be so filled with blog ideas in these 28 days that I could not take my blogging away…but I don’t plan to READ any blogs during this time. Which actually won’t be too too different from what I have been doing since The Little Man arrived, but still. I am intentionally refraining rather than simply being too busy.
• Radio…I am choosing to only listen to Christian stations or Christmas…which should overlap but doesn’t always. I don’t think Dominick the Christmas Donkey is one we’ve ever sung in church. I could be mistaken, though, so don’t quote me on it…
• No gaming…which is not a problem for me. Which may be why I included it.
• We are allowing 7 minutes/day of superfluous internet access, which will be when I load my blog post into Blogger. (And check my FB.)
• Also, I am not considering online shopping for Christmas in my 7 minutes a day…the way I figure it is this: if I can shop online and not have to either a) drag 1-3 boys out shopping with me, or b) go in the evenings or week-ends when Mr. AR is home, this will exponentially increase the amount of time we get to spend together so it seems like the “broken rule” that makes the most sense.

So with that, I will wrap up by telling you how I have failed in this experiment already. On Day 1.

When I was doing Christmas shopping online, my 11yo was watching “Elf” in the adjoining room…I tried not to listen but I couldn’t help it. Technically I didn’t “watch” it but I’ve seen it so many times I could picture it all in my mind. And maybe say the lines along with the movie. Don’t judge.

When we took the boys shopping at the actual mall (yes, I online shopped and then made them actually go to real live stores), I tried to get on the wifi to check Facebook…because I forgot about “7”.  Fortunately, the connection was slow so it never did connect.

But as I sat there waiting for Mr. AR and the 11yo to meet up with us, I sat mindlessly watching a TV that was set up there…because I couldn’t get on the wifi. So 6 of one, half dozen of another, right?

So yeah…it might be a long long month. If I have time, I’m sure you’ll read all about it. Lucky you!

The Mutiny: Month 2 Day 6: Finally Telling You What I Am Wearing

So...this will most likely be uber-short as I have no time.

You know why...the standard excuse from the past 3 weeks: The Little Man.

But, seeing as how (yes I am certain that is grammatically correct...still on no sleep...my other excuse of the past 3 weeks) you, my adoring fans,

a) have most-assuredly been missing me,
b) have been wondering how this second month of "fasting" has been going, and
c) are dying to know what I chose for my 7 articles of clothing.

So...I will tell you but I must back the train up for a minute; I must explain that Jen Hatmaker included in her "7" her shoes...two pairs of shoes = 1 item.

Our Hope Group opted not to do that; we only "allowed" two pairs of shoes, but they did not count as one of the 7 clothing items.

And we also said that "workout clothes" and pajamas also did not count.

Or socks and skivvies...because that would be 3 items right there; and while this whole "7" business is a bit cray-cray in and of itself, we don't need to be over the top about things.

And while we are on the subject of workout clothes (ok, not really but I don't have time to attempt a smooth transition), I am so thankful for them. The Little Man tends to be most "urpy" first thing in the morning. And being as how (also grammatically correct...don't question me) we are now going to the gym in the morning (because there is nursery/childcare in the mornings AND it only costs $2/hour...wahoo!), I begin my day in my workout clothes.

And I can change them as often as need be (at least once a day, but it has been more...) without dipping in to my 7 allotted articles.

I may be stretching things...don't judge.

As an aside I must really love you people because I am holding a fussy baby and using my right hand to hunt and peck this out. Frankly it is not unlike my method of texting so I am quite familiar with the process.

Don't judge.

Anyway because time is of the essence, and my unsupported left arm is beginning to tremble, here's my 7 clothing items:

Pardon any dirt you may or may not see on the carpet...tomorrow is Home Ec Friday at the PBA and it will be rectified then.

• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 skirt
• 1 dress
• 1 3/4 length sleeve sweater
• 2 short-sleeve shirts
• 1 long-sleeve shirt

 My two pairs of shoes...we are hovering on fall but I think I can get by with sandals as one of my two pairs...at least I hope I can!

This was my original selection...at the eleventh hour I switched my long-sleeve shirt from white to black, and changed the dress to one I can wear by itself...just in case you were wondering if I made any last-minute modifications. This is funny b/c I made my clothing decision the night before we began...and did not put nearly the thought into it as I did the food.

Clearly food is more important to me than clothing.

Don't judge.

And I know that this month is prepping me to give-away during the "possessions" month...so clearly more fun is to be had!

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Total Splurge: The Pantry

So this post is WAAAAAAY over-due.

Although, in all honesty, it took me WAAAAAAAY too long to accomplish said task and thus write about it. So it's not that the post-writing took all that long (even though it kind of did too)...it was the finishing of the event which gave me the most trouble.

Because, well, frankly, I have been caring for a baby. And even though you think you remember how it all goes when you have a baby (newborn or not) you don’t remember everything.

Plus, you know…many couples have 9 months to prepare for such an event. We had about an hour.

I think I’ve already used that line but frankly I can’t recall. I am averaging about 6 hours of sleep per night and that is with getting up twice in there…But it’s all good. It’s only for a short time and we are joyful to be Jesus’ hands and feet to The Little Man.

But I have digressed and made excuses for my delay.

There’s really no excuse for it…I had planned for this post to be up about 2.5 weeks ago. Only the project wasn’t complete.

Again, we shall lay blame on The Little Man. Mr. AR had white-washing to do, which he could not b/c I was working (helping set up wedding flowers with my friend SV) on both Saturday and Sunday on the week-end when Little Man first arrived.

After that, it was almost another week before the white-washing took place. I don't remember why...it's been too long ago now. Get off my back, would you?

And then it took me about 1.5 weeks to get everything back in place. It takes a while to put things in their proper place when you can only hold one thing at a time…what with a sleeping (or non-sleeping) baby in the other arm.

So…since I have belabored this long enough (I know you have all been missing me, so I’m trying to make this post worth your time), I shall tell you what has happened: we had custom-built shelves installed in our pantry.

And even though this may not sound like a big deal...trust me. It is.

And let me tell you this as well: these shelves are ah-mazing. 

Amazing.

They were built by a friend from church who is extremely gifted at such tasks and I don’t even know how we will ever repay him…so if you have a thought on how we might best do that, please leave a comment, send a message, something to help a girl out.

Because frankly, I am completely tapped out on my creativity as of late. For approximately the past 2 weeks, actually. Go figure...it's a curious coincidence, right?

 

Which may or may not be why I haven’t blogged except twice in these past two weeks.

Or it might be because I have no time. Or that hunt and peck with one hand (because, yes, you guessed it..holding a sleeping baby) is irritating beyond belief…just to be clear: the holding the sleeping baby is not irritating; it’s the hunt and peck with one hand that is irritating.

So…because I know you will want to see how this project transpired, I will give you some photos. Because I can at least do THAT with one hand.

Now, I must explain, especially after coming off our first month of “7” why I would do this and spend my money in this way: because it is not wrong to spend money on things you want, so long as you are not ONLY spending your money that way.

This is my two-cents.

Plus, this is something I have wanted since we moved into this house almost 10 years ago. And I finally decided to do something about it.

And because Mr. AR is awesome like that, he totally agreed.

So here.we.go.

This is what my pantry has looked like for almost 10 years (ok, the food items themselves changed, because otherwise that would be disgusting).

And now here it is with everything emptied out. Except the fire extinguiser. Safety first!

And mind you...this took place while we were still in the midst of "7: Food" so here's all the food we were NOT eating at that time...so that was fun to avoid looking at. (And yes, I ended my sentence with a preposition...)

And here's what we (and the PBA...note that some of this was not on our list, but it's what the PBA often ate...really all we had on the counter was the dry quinoa, black beans, olive oil and dried cranberries) WERE eating...

And here it is sans the shelves.  And Mr. AR and the PBA removing all the hooks and screws which were holding up the shelves (there's a few...I didn't take into consideration just how many there were...oops!)

Note all the black dots. Those are all the holes which needed to be spackled. I am thankful that Mr. AR loves me.

Note that we are STILL hanging on to that fire extinguisher.

And because "one does like a hint of color" (quick....what movie is that from? Time's up..."The Birdcage") I forced insisted asked oh-so nicely for it to be painted the same color as the kitchen. And I love love love it! I'm so glad that "we" decided to do that.

And I thought I took a picture of it before the whitewash was on, but apparently not...I can't be expected to keep track of EVERYTHING! So here we have jumped ahead to the final product. Feel free to ooo and ahhhh along with me. I honestly smile every time I open the pantry door...and I'm certain it is not only because I am once again free to eat everything inside.

If you are interested in finding out the name of our the fabulous craftsman, please send me a message and I'll be glad to share his info with you. (His wife, upon reading that, may have just had a heart attack that I said that!  Love you, CK! Thanks again for sharing your husband's time!)

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Foodie Friday on Saturday: How We Have Done "7"

Well, since I know you were all curious as to whether or not I could eek out a second Foodie Friday while on this “fast”, I shall give you one.

But on Saturday.

And not including a recipe.

BTW it’s only one week left…can you believe it?!? It feels like it’s only been 3 weeks and wow, now it is almost over.

Actually, on some days, it feels as though it has been years since I ate some of the delightful food I see around me, and that it will be an eternity until it’s over.

I'm clearly still a work in progress so don't judge.

Also, I caution you to be careful of judgement about its difficulty and the range of emotions you feel until you give this a whirl...it truly is more difficult than a) it looks and b) it should be.

But I digress…

Since I have no recipe to share, I shall give you my list of ingredients and share with you all the various ways we have found to combine them to give us some variety…because I know you’ve been wondering.

Just as a recap, our foods are:

• Yogurt
• Quinoa
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Spinach
• Berries
• Black beans
• Whole wheat bread (which is an added 8^th food, which I haven’t eaten every day, but sometimes…don’t judge)
• Water
• Coffee (typically I only drink 1 cup in the morning, but a couple times I have indulged in a mid-afternoon cup too; and once I added some sugar b/c iced black coffee is beyond disgusting. Who knew?)
• AND we could use as much salt and pepper as we wanted (this means I have used more salt and pepper in the past three weeks than I believe I have used in all the rest of my life combined), as well as sparingly-use olive oil.

So…how have we managed to survive on this? Well, first of all because it is plenty (in fact, still MORE than plenty) of food.

Originally, I wasn’t sure how handy that would be, but trust me: it is. If I have been hungry during these past weeks, it's because I opted not to eat what was available to me...not because the food was in short-supply.

But since our American mind-set needs variety so this is how we have accomplished it:

• Berries by their own lovely selves, separated according to type, or mixed up together
• Yogurt with berries (notice we used “berries” the generic term so we could mix it up a bit…excepting no “Crunch Berries” which Mr. AR is still trying to sneak in)
• Spinach salad with berries (also provides variety with the different types of berries…I know that sounds crazy, but different berries do make it different!)
• Spinach salad with roast chicken and boiled eggs
• Chicken and black bean soup (utilizing stock I made from the chicken carcass of the whole chicken I made in the crock-pot…still chicken and water…nothing added!)
• Chicken sandwich (with or without spinach)
• Roast chicken
• Chicken and quinoa
• Chicken, quinoa and black beans
• Sauted spinach with quinoa and chicken
• Black bean burgers (recipe here)
• Boiled eggs (with or without toast)
• Scrambled eggs (with or without toast)
• Scrambled eggs with spinach (with or without toast)
• Scrambled eggs with spinach and quinoa (with or without toast)
• Toad in a Hole (which is sunny-side-up eggs in the middle of toast brushed with olive oil)
• Frozen yogurt (also a “cheat” but once I began having a small bowl of it before bed, my restless legs calmed down and I could sleep…my conscious is ok with it. Don’t judge.)
• Sunday Addendum: fruit smoothie (yogurt, fruit, ice...why did this not occur to me before now?!?)

See…it’s not so bad.

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Grasping at Straws for a Blog Post

So I really really really wanted to write something for you lovely people today.

And also NOT write about "7"...because I promised that it wouldn't take over the blog but it kind of has.

Sorry about that.

It's kind of taken over a lot...and we are only in Month 1...so yeah.

And I also did not want to write about the buckets of tears which have (and will continue to be) shed over the trees behind us being cut down...being cut down as I type. Not just me...all of us.

Well, I can't speak for Mr. AR, but frankly it would not surprise me is he "got something in his eye" when we texted him the news.

And texted the pictures...which I am too sad to show you, and would not mean as much without a reference (which I cannot find the photos at the moment of what the woods used to look like, so that may have to wait a bit).

In fact, the TV is blaring just to be heard over the constant drone of the machinery.

The PBA have been somewhat distracted today, I must admit.

But I am not writing about that either.

I am, instead, going to tout my progress in motherhood...are you ready?

Here is goes:

You know that you are becoming relaxed in your mothering when you leave your kids to make lunch (and use the stove, no less) and go hop in the shower.

Not only that, as you are STILL IN THE SHOWER, you smell smoke. (Clearly something is burning.)

And you DO NOT PANIC.

In fact, you calmly finish your shower, get dressed and dry your hair before checking on things.

Mostly you are thinking, "I wonder what he burned?" (And you know exactly who the culprit is because you know one child already had his lunch fixed...it was most-assuredly the other one. And you are not really all that surprised.) 

You saunter into the kitchen (after stumbling through the living room which was hazy with smoke) and ask, "Hmmm what's that smell?" (No yelling AND being able to joke are extremely indicative of how far you, as the parent, has progressed.)

Immediately you notice that: 

a) the child who burned his lunch is EATING the burnt lunch (because we don't waste food in this household...and actually, you would have let him NOT eat it b/c it was charred beyond recognition. But since he had chosen to eat it...you let him. We learn lessons the hard way in this family.)
b) the stove is turned off
c) the fan above the stove is on...and on "High"
d) the kitchen windows are open (as the other child explains, "I opened those to let all the smoke out!")

So I guess, more than anything, this is a short little ditty about how far ALL three of us have come.

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Thankful for SOMETHING

I have found some reason for thankfulness today...I was thankful for my salad at lunch.

And for the Ella's Frozen Yogurt which I shall be enjoying as an after-dinner treat this evening.

But I am also crazy-thankful for funny Youtube videos...notice I said "funny" ones.  Because there are many out there which are definitely NOT funny.

And I love it when I stumble upon my favorite comedian in clips on Youtube.

Now this seems as though I am switching gears completely but stick with me...it relates to the video. Try to ignore your whiplash.

Just to be clear...kale is NOT on my list for "7" because I think it is disgusting. I have tried in several different ways and still do not find it edible.

Yes, even kale chips...gross with a capital "G".

I'm a little gaggy now as I ponder them.

But my friend MM, on the other hand...she loves the stuff.

And apparently puts it in everything.

So to her, I dedicate this video...enjoy, MM!

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The Mutiny: Month 1 Day 16: An Ugly Rant and Attitude

Warning! I am about to complain! A lot, in fact. Feel free to pull the rip cord right now....I wouldn't blame you if you did. And trust me: I won't even know if you bail out early.

I pondered not writing this. 

And then I pondered not posting this.

But I knew it would not be fair or realistic or accurate if I made this whole thing seem like it was all sunshine and lollipops. (And speaking of lollipops, you may have noticed that Tootsie Roll Pops are not on my list...I have made it through 4 soccer games in the past week with nary a Tootsie Roll Pop...or sucker of any kind. Hold your applause until the end, please. But I have digressed.)

Or at the very least: something which was slightly difficult but really not all that big of a deal.

But it IS a big deal. (I know...I'm a word-smith right here.)

I have learned so much about myself, if nothing else...

And (here's a warning) how people think you're weird when you do this sort of thing.

Believe me...I'm not going to be like St. Francis of Assis and wear a brown wool robe tied with twine, and shave the crown of my head.

I'm fairly certain that the Lord has not, nor will He, call me to do that.

I think He knows better than to even joke about it...and yes, God does joke. I have two boys as living proof of that.

But I digress...again.

I know you are sick of hearing about this Mutiny 7 Experiment thing...and I apologize for that; we will be finished with the entire experiment on May 8, 2015 so feel free to come back after that.

Yes, I may or may not have counted up the exact days left.

Don't judge.

I actually did it so I could know what "month" was happening when ("Media" happens over Christmas...because I know you were all wondering).

So yeah...today I have hit a wall and I am not feeling the "7" love today. 

In fact, I am not thankful at all.

I do not want to eat any of these foods on my list in any way, shape or form.

The exception possibly being Moose Tracks Frozen yogurt by Kemp's...I could eat that (and yes, that IS yogurt...no judging).

A big bowl of that.

Otherwise...no. I want a greasy cheeseburger, or a pizza, or a big chocolate frozen custard creation with Reece's peanut butter cups and hot fudge...frankly, anything else than the 7 foods I swore I'd eat this month.

So yes...not thankful at all.

And not just "not thankful"...I am feeling sick of it altogether.

In fact, I just kind of feel sick. 

Warning! More complaining ahead: I have been fighting a cold since Thursday evening and the cold is kind of kicking my behind a little bit. I wake up ok, but by the middle of the day, all I want to do it lie down.

Which is awesome when you're a homeschool mom and looking ahead to a whole 5 days of school...wahoo!

I have been taking zinc ever since the first sniffle.

That's not entirely true...after I sneezed about 25 times in the course of 10 minutes, I knew something was up.

Say what you will about me: I'm a quick study.

And THEN I began the zinc. I believe in that stuff whole-heartedly. If you've never tried it, you should.

But I'll warn you: it does make food taste slightly off.

And the roof of your mouth will feel a little tender...almost like it's burned. I'm certain that the zinc lozenges had nothing to do with that.

Nothing.at.all.

So is that part of the reason for my discontent?

Probably partially, but definitely not completely.

The other part is that I am realizing, increasingly as the days go on, that I am NOT truly content with what I have, even though my "minimal" food is way more than so many other people in this world.

And the millions around the world who get a cup of rice to eat each day (if they're lucky)...they don't even get to choose what they eat.

I got to choose my foods and I carefully considered many options...eventually deciding on that which (I thought) would offer us a lovely little variety of combinations as well as appropriate vitamins and nutrients.

I got to freaking CHOOSE my foods and I am still not thankful.

Why can't I be thankful?

Because (be ready...here's the confession) I am choosing the discontent. 

The dissatisfaction. 

The lack of a thankful heart.

And now the conviction...the verse that has been trying to play in my mind today and I keep swatting it away: 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

So yeah...it is like that...

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My 500th Post Also Happens to Be An Addendum

Yes, ladies and gentlemen...this is my 500th post. It's hard to believe it's been just over 2 years that I've been writing this blog.

And that some people have been reading it all along. To them I say "Thank you".

In fact, I say "Thank you" to each and everyone of you who takes the time to read my randomness, whether it be once in a while or devoutly. Regardless...I appreciate it. I would especially like to give a huge shout out to all my fans who apparently live in Russia...do you I say,

 "спасибо".

(I am really hoping I didn't put something profane in my post...Google told me it means "Thank you" in Russian...and I have NEVER known Google to lie.)

I would appreciate all of your visits (not so much from Russia but elsewhere) more if you took the time to comment so I know what you are thinking...but for now I'll simply accept that you're reading it. 

Mostly because I am fully-aware that my posts sometimes do not include full details or a complete ending.

Or may necessitate an addendum because I simply did not complete my diatribe (look at me...I got the right word today) from the previous day.

And with that comment, I shall seamlessly transition right into my reason for today's post: an addendum to yesterday.

Yes, yesterday's post prattled on and on, but there were words left untyped, photos unintentionally omitted, and I felt as though I must rectify the situation.

To begin with, I realized this morning (why? I'll never know...sometimes things pop in my head randomly...surely this is not a surprise to you, is it?) that I had completely neglected to include my photos of the meat pies.

I did go back in and add them, but just in case you are not feeling up to all the trouble of clicking on the link above, I shall include them here as well:

So now that my mouth is watering, I shall move on.

I did want to also address why I believe my neighbor's visitors only know two words in English...it's partially due to the conversation in which I took over the loaf of bread.

It is also due to the fact that if we see the two of them (did I tell you that it's a man and woman who are visitors? I don't think I did, which is why I am telling you now) out walking the twins in their little tandem stroller...

OK, I have to stop for a moment and talk about those twins. They are, hands-down, some of the C.U.T.E.S.T. little twins I have ever seen. Oh...I just want to pinch their cute little chubby fraternal-twin cheeks.

Thus far I have refrained b/c that MIGHT be crossing some sort of cultural line of which I am unaware.

But also because they stare at me with these big, beautiful brown eyes that are always questioning, "What is up with that woman?"

I didn't know I was clairvoyant until I met them, but trust me...it's true. I know that's what they are asking.

To be fair, they are not the first to think it, so it may be a fairly-substantiated question.

And yes, since you are undoubtedly wondering, I DO know their names...but I can never remember which one is which so it really doesn't help me much, now does it?

Anyway...the visitors walking the twins...are you back with me? 

So here's the other reason I think "Hello" and "Thank you!" are all the English they may know: because when we see them outside, they wave and call out, "Hello! Thank you! Hello! Thank you!"

Now that was some of my finest zucchini bread work, to elicit such a response, right? Days later and they are STILL thanking me?

Just to be clear...I am not mocking his English in any way. Because how many words do I know in Chinese? Only ones which relate to food. 

And even then, those are kind of sketchy...because do you HONESTLY think "General Tso's Chicken" is a dish in China? (Actually, I know for a fact that it and most of the foods we Americans eat which are labeled "Chinese" are nothing close to authentic Chinese)...but playing devil's advocate...if it WAS a legitimate Chinese dish, would is be called "General Tso's Chicken"? What about eggroll? Egg Drop Soup? Shall I go on? I think I've made my point: I know zippo Chinese.

None. Nada. Zilch.

Mostly what I am trying to say is that even though our language barriers are severe, they are the ones making an attempt...they are two words up on me.

I think I'll just keep on sending over food...it's the international language, right? Do you think they would like a pound cake?

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Off the Wagon

So I haven’t had the opportunity to rat myself out yet, because clearly there are just so many other things I must tell you about.

Maybe “must” is a strong word choice; “desire to” might be more appropriate.

If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you will already know this, but I feel I must be completely forthright in telling the rest of you that I experienced a slight hiccup in my experiment last week-end.

Things were going along all fine and well, and we were celebrating one week down…and I mean that in my most-excited voice. Can you hear it in your mind?

When about 8pm on Saturday evening, the doorbell rang. We assumed it was a neighbor seeking the PBA to come out and play (clearly they don’t know that the apples do not fall far from the tree and they may or may not have already been in their jammies, cozied up to watch some TV…yes, on a Saturday evening. Don’t judge.)

But just to make sure, we sent the PBA to answer the door. Technically, only one of them needed to open the door; the other one was present to hold Indy. They don’t really both need to do this job, as we have explained to them numerous times, but they are so concerned about the dog running away that they continue being insane about it.

Can you tell it drives me a bit batty?

And really, would it be SO terrible if he ran away? We keep telling the boys that he would come back, but they fail to be convinced.

Clearly our record at honesty has been sketchy.

Anyway, at the door stood our neighbor…with a plate of “meat pies”…this is what he called them.

They looked more like quesadillas to us, but the spices were definitely not Mexican…they were aromatically-Asian.

And smelled ah-mazing…but I probably don’t have to tell you that.

Which makes sense because out neighbor is Chinese. Not Chinese-American, mind you…Chinese. From China. As in they have been here only a few years and have an accent to which I really have to carefully listen to ensure my white-bread, Anglo-Saxon mind understands and responds appropriately.

But I am getting ahead of myself a bit and need to back up and fill in some back-story.

Our neighbors moved in almost three years ago; three years in November, to be exact, lest you care to make a note of it.

I don’t know why you would, but I try to give as many details as possible. (This is not news.)

In that three-year time period, we have had casual conversations on occasion. A wave here and there. Brief exchanges about lawn care. Very shallow, basic stuff.

When their twin boys were born last spring, the wife/mom (whose name I have no idea how to spell or if I am, embarrassingly, unsure if I am even pronouncing correctly; chances are I am off by at least a touch) came over to ask me a few questions about babies.

Because I mean come on! Behold these amazing children which I have spawned…of course I’ll have all your answers!

Plus, I think I was the only one in the neighborhood they had really ever spoken too.

And I lived next door…sometimes you just ask the person closest to you. Think back to when you were in school…did you ALWAYS sit by the smartest kid in the class? Probably not…if you had a question, you asked whoever was closest…someone who may or may not have truly known what he/she was talking about.

That was certainly not the situation here, I assure you…

I thought maybe, just maybe, a friendship might blossom. But no, it never did… they both work full-time and had new twins, so I chalked it up to there not being much room left for new friendships.

But to be honest, I didn’t put in much effort; I was mailing it in, so to speak.

So ever since last summer, our interaction with the neighbors has mostly been a friendly wave, some ooing and ahhhhing over the babies when they brought them out for a walk and that.was.it.

Until July 27 of this year…or, as I like to call it “The Day I Was Convicted To Seek Relationship With Them”.

That was the day in which I heard a teaching which spoke aloud all the whisperings I’d heard for months.

I sat there in my pew and knew what I needed to do next: take those people some zucchini bread.

Because what better way to invite relationship than through food.

And God knows I have PLENTY of zucchini.

Since I know full-well that you really want to know what convicted me, you can check it out on this page. Scroll down to:

Genesis 10 – Tongues & Tribes

July 27, 2014 by Randy Spacht

Fortunately for me, we had not begun the experiment yet. I'm certain you were anxious about my sanity and baking zucchini bread right at the beginning. No worries…I would have told you about this much sooner if I’d had a mental break-down over it.

So because sometimes God needs my help with how things should go down, I had it all scripted in my mind how the bread delivery would go down. I'd told God what I needed, as this visit was definitely, in my mind at least, two-fold:

To build a bridge and possibly begin true relationship with the neighbors,

As well as to confess my lack of knowing without a shadow of doubt their names and absolve myself if that guilt.

So all day I felt my anxiety rise...it's not easy to confess a fault.

I’m certain none of you have ever had to do that, but this was definitely not my first rodeo.

But still…a little anxious.

When I saw that both of the neighbor's cars were in their garage, I knew they were both home from work and it was time to go on over.

I grabbed my bread and toddled out the door.

I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out as I waited for the doorbell to be answered. It actually took a minute or two (because why would it be quick... I felt slightly like I was going to vomit).

When the door opened, it wasn't the husband or wife who lives there which stood before me. But a family member visiting from China. Who knows seems to know two words in English.

For my astute readers, I bet during this exchange you can tell what those two words are.

Visitor: Hello!

Me: Hi, I live next door… (pointing to my house)

Visitor: (Head nods and points to my house)

I nod and point again at my house for emphasis.

Me: I made this bread and wanted to share it with you.

I'll confess I was trying desperately not to yell...even though everyone knows that when talking to someone who doesn't speak your language the best way to make certain they understand is to be loud. And speak slowly...don't forget slowly.

He smiled, put his hands together, gave a slight bow, said "thank you" and took the bread.

As he disappeared into the house I realized the exchange was over...going exactly as I'd planned.

Ok not at all.

Days went by and I didn't know what to think...did I offend? Some cultures don't want men talking to women with whom they are not family...

Or maybe they thought it was disgusting and they didn't want to be rude and tell me.

I wasn't fishing for a compliment. Truly.

But I was very-much second-guessing my decision.

I’m sure that you’re shocked.

Then the next week MR. AR was working in the yard when the wife (remember, still don’t know her name so I can’t mention it here) came over and thanked him for the bread.

She said, "The boys…they love it; it was their favorite. My husband asked me to get the recipe."

Oh glorious day...everyone knows that's high praise when you're asked for the recipe!

So he relayed the message (he’s such a good husband) and I copied it for her. I even included a note saying how glad I was that they enjoyed it and to please let me know if she had questions on the directions.

I was trying NOT to make assumptions because CLEARLY I do not know this family near-well enough to accurately be able to discern all their culinary practices.

But I had smelled their cooking through their open kitchen window (more than once I may have stood there and sniffed deeply…don’t judge) and have never noticed anything similar to an American-style baked good.

And though I knew it highly possible that she has, I didn't know if she'd ever baked with any of these ingredients.

And did she know what a "loaf pan" was?

I, the queen of Google searches, know full-well that she could totally Google each and every one of her possible questions. But I had my fingers crossed that she would ask me instead.

Days turned into more than a week and I feared the worst...NOW I had offended them. Surely this wasn't just my insecurity talking.

And then on this past Saturday evening the doorbell rang. Fast forward to then... We sent the PBA to the door blah blah blah...you know all this.

Re-read the intro if you’ve already forgotten.

The boys immediately began apologizing that we could not share in this bounteous gift but that they would sacrifice and eat them on our behalf.

My 11yo even ran to the kitchen and poured himself a big glass of whole milk because he heard the word “pie” and assumed it was a sweet treat.

Not one to be easily thwarted, he drank that glass of milk with this savory treat, unwilling to acquiesce that perhaps, he has misunderstood.

But I digress.

Well, Mr. AR and I knew we could not offend the neighbors we were so fresh in relationship building with by not eating their generous gift...plus this "7 experiment" sounds crazy to our friends; how much crazier would it sound to our neighbors?

We didn't want to risk attempting to explain it.

And we could not lie and say we enjoyed them but had not tried them. (Lying is wrong, FYI.)

So with our consciences remaining in good standing, we divided up those meat pies lickety-split.

We got out good plates and real forks... It was like a little party.

Believe me it felt like one.

So all this to say: yeah, we tried them. And we would do it again if given the chance.

And they were ah-mazing.

Ah-mazing. (So much so that not only did I ask her for the recipe, but I asked her to teach me how to make them. So yeah...I'm totally trying to finagle an invitation into the house.)

I'm certain that their ah-mazingness had nothing to do with the fact that we'd been on 7…because the PBA were right there beside us inhaling them.

To be crystal clear…the PBA inhaled them; we did not. This is telling: we honestly did NOT inhale as we may have done just a week prior. We ate slowly. Lingering over each and every bite. Thankful for this blessing.

The blessing of this food and the blessing of a confirmation that I hadn't messed anything up.

Yet…give me time. I am fairly certain there are many ways I could unwittingly offend a person from another country. 

Stay tuned for details.

  

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