Binkyless

I heard a preacher say the other day that women folk worry about things that haven't even happened yet. They are always anticipating what "could" go wrong or what "might" go wrong and they spend precious time fretting over possibilities in the future that could cause problems. The majority of those things never happen.

I found myself worrying about taking away Sydney's "bee bee." I could foresee weeping, wailing, and teeth gnashing. She has never been "addicted" to the binky and only used it when laying down for a nap or in times of great distress, but still yet, I was fearful of what was to be when I put her to bed without it. I did not want her to be hung up on this piece of plastic any longer...just 'cause.

Well, this is night 4 of binky freedom. You will never believe what happened when I put her to bed without it.

Absolutely nothing. She went right to sleep. No tears, no fuss, no nothing.

Wow. All that worrying for nothing. I guess I better find something else to worry about that hasn't happened yet.

Fa La La La La

Feast your eyes on the tree that won't die.

Yes...this tree is 30 years old...at least.

In my mom and dad's house there hangs a picture of my then tiny brother sitting by this tree looking up at it adoringly...and he's 30 now.

For the last several (9) years, I have not put up a major Christmas tree. I know that is simply appalling to my Christmas Crazy friends... You know who you are...you folks that have a tree in every room...I am praying for you..anyway.... With just Chris and myself, it just seemed silly. Last year, I put up a Charlie Brown tree that I snagged at the Family Dollar for $15. It was pretty, but just didn't have the magnitude of this dude

Sydney was 10 months old at Christmas time last year and truly just didn't "get it." She was barely walking and pretty much ignored the tree. We had to open her gifts for her...nuff said.

But...this year... is a whole 'nother story.

I was determined to bring 'ol Faithful out of my mom's attic (the attic with beams that will attack your cranium with no warning) and set 'er up in my living room. My husband protested, "We are not rearranging the living room for a tree. That is crazy." To his chagrin, the rocking chair relocated to the other side of the living room to make space for the mighty tree.

As I was assembling Gertrude, it was discovered that the piece that slips into the center pole which attached the tree top was missing. My mother who is the queen of "rigging" came over and with the help of wire, Styrofoam, and good 'ol fashioned ingenuity, we got 'er done.

I have lights and I know how to use them. There are 600 mini lights on this tree and at least 100 big whoppers. Gaudy? Yes!

After hours of stringing lights and decorating, my little one finally resuscitated herself from her coma-like nap. She walked into the living room and said, "Hi!" to the tree. She then walked up to the lights, touched them gingerly and murmured, "Hot!"

I asked her, "Do you like your pretty tree?" (Cause I did this for her to begin with...)

Her reply? "Happy!" and baby applause...

Definitely worth it all.

She Looks Just Like Her Daddy

This picture alone is why MY mother rolls her eyes when someone says, "She looks just like her daddy...not much of her mama."

Uh...ahem...this is HER MAMA! Can we say, "Holy Moly?!"

The likeness is uncanny...if I do say so myself.

I'm Gonna Get You Sucka

 I knew this day was coming.

Yes, the day when my child discovers that if she looks longingly at the bank tellers through our car window... 

 that her preciousness will evoke the desire on behalf of all bank staff to send her a delicious,

sticky and fluorescently dyed circular piece of glucose on a cardboard stick in the money tube.

 I think our favorite flavor so far is Tropical (will stain your clothes forever) Blue.

Pie Trifecta

Once upon a time, there were 3 little pies...

The first little pie was pumpkin. It begged to be topped with home made whipped cream. It held a pace of high honor as the traditional Thanksgiving dessert. It is not one that is particularly relished by yours truly, but I still respect its rightful place at the meal of giving thanks. I pledge allegiance...to the pie...

The second little pie was coconut cream. This pie was made from a recipe that has been in my family for years. It is my absolute favorite pie ever. If I was ever stranded on a deserted island and was forced to eat coconut for every meal, well, then...that would be A-okay wit' me. I blame the coconut cream pie alone for my extra girth and baked goods addiction. I have been raised on coconut pie. The feeling of gritty coconut between my teeth is one of pure ecstasy. This pie is always at the table for Thanksgiving. The earth may melt away and the mountains may crumble into the sea, but Nesha will have a coconut cream pie on Thanksgiving Day. Period. Case closed. My mother will make sure of it. (pardon the blurriness of the picture...I was trembling)

The third little pie was a new comer to the pie family. This piece of heaven on a spring form pan was discovered in a Tennessee restaurant. I searched the Internet tirelessly until the recipe was uncovered. I swooned. My eyes rolled back in my head. I smiled with glee as a glaze of peanut buttery goodness encompassed my mind. Ahhh... 3 hours and counters piled with sticky bowls later...it emerged in all of its decadent glory from my 'lil kitchen. The angels rejoiced. Oh help me...

And that my friends is a true Perfect Pie Trifecta. It does not happen very often so I do hope you appreciate the magnitude of three perfect pies coming together to be served at one meal.

I do hope you understand the amazingness of such dessert serendipity.

I do hope you take the time to rush out right now and grab the ingredients for the Double Chocolate Peanut Butter pie. Now...time is of the essence!

I also hope you do NOT hear my thighs clapping....for joy...and because of their sheer magnitude.

Where To Start?

I had good intentions this week to catch up on my blogging...I have so much to write about but can't seem to choose a topic. Has it really been 2 weeks since I've posted? Really? For shame..for shame..

Sydney is officially 21 months old. I cannot believe my baby is changing into a little girl right before my eyes. I am trying not to have baby withdrawals...but they are affecting me more than I realize. There are tiny babies at my church...little baby boys...and I soak them up like biscuits in gravy every Sunday. I know Chris would love to have a son and I would love to have another child if the Lord provides us with yet another miracle.

So many things to blog about... pea picking, sandbox playing, porch swing swinging, bonfires, thanksgiving feasts, etc...Maybe I will find my way out of the blogging blahs tomorrow and begin filling you in on all the details.

Life is good. It is busy, delicious, happy, and messy....but still very, very, good.

23rd Psalm

The Lord is MY Shepherd

  I shall not want

 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

 He RESTORES my soul.

He guides me in the paths of  RIGHTEOUSNESS

for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear NO evil. 

For YOU are with me,

Your rod and your staff

they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

You annoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

FOREVER.

Teen Terminology

The majority of my teaching experience has been with the 10 and younger crowd.

As a teacher of barely teenagers, I find myself learning new lingo DAILY.

Today's lesson will be "unnecessary comments." These are comments that my darlings think must be said after another classmate has said something that they
a. think has a slightly "criminal" overtone
b. think is ridiculous
c. think is kinda sorta true

The following three words are to be spoken with major attitudinal undertones and a very pronounced head bobble or sway.
"ish" - kinda, sorta (spoken in reference to the last adjective uttered)

Student #1: "We're going to start a new history lesson today! It will be super duper cool!"
Student #2: "ish"

"cough cough wink wink"- alluding to an action that the perpretrator sees as victimless but makes reference to the fact that this action may lead to trouble, although not in the speaker's opinion, sometimes combined with "sneeze sneeze" or "nudge nudge"

Student #1: "I will run that errand for you and be back in a jiffy."
Student # 2: "cough cough wink wink"

"OMG, LOL" - are you kidding me?

Student #1: "Can we please have more homework?"
Student #2: "OMG! LOL!"

I have become accustomed to this vernacular and have squashed its utterances in my room because it pretty much annoys me beyond description.

If you can't say something nice, then HUSH THY MOUTH. I have my children repeat these mantras daily:
"Self control is mouth control."
"Delayed obedience is disobedience."
"My teacher rocks."

Maybe not the last one, but DEFINITELY the first 2.

TTFN

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Thank you for buying these fake lemons.

They are wonderful.

I am completely infatuated and mesmorized by their plastic texture and bright color.

I am overwhelmed by your feeble attempt at kitchen decor.

But, I have a request...

 Can you...PLEASE...

put them a little closer to the ground?

Thanks.

Same Frequency

My hubs and I have been married for a little over 9 years.... well...112 months and 2 days to be exact. But who's counting?

We know each other very well. I can sense a change in the weather when I detect just the slightest variation of the tone of his voice. He knows exactly what I'm thinking by just looking at my face. I can tell you precisely what he is doing, thinking, or expressing in the other room by just the sound of his breathing. Really, I can.

Now, I could get all mushy and say that our relationship is deep and meaningful and he completes me and all that gobbledy gook, but who wants to hear all that?

Wouldn't you like to read about the way we are most compatible?

Food. Yes. We are one with our food.

Two examples:

Example # 1
Last Friday evening he called me and said, "What do you want for dinner?" I jokingly responded, "I want a big juicy steak from Logan's Roadhouse if you want to know the truth." (Logan's is an hour drive down the road.)  He chuckles, "Well, that's my second witness. I was thinking the EXACT same thing. One steak, coming right up!" We had steak that night, you betcha, and it was delish. I cried tears of delight.

Example #2
I am busily working on my laptop in the bedroom. He is working in the office. I suddenly get the urge for a Klondike bar that is hiding behind the Lean Cuisines in the freezer. I send him a telepathic message to retrieve this calorie-laden novelty for me. Before I even get the words out, "Would you..." I look up and my knight in shining tin foil is standing at the bedroom door with a glistening ice cream square. I never had to say a word. He just knew. With all of the courteousness he can muster, he hurls the bar at me... narrowly missing my forehead. I swooned.

Yes, as romantic as it sounds, we are on the same food frequency.

Along with bearing a child that permanently destroyed my abdominal muscles and added 20 pounds of girth to my middle, that's probably why we are not the same svelte and fit folks we were when we got married....

112 months ago.

Be Intolerant Part II

Follow this for a moment...

You are a shepherd. You have a beautiful flock of sheep. They are all sizes, shapes, and colors. You love them dearly and want what is best for them. You know that their world is filled with good, bad, and ugly. You want them to understand how to find the delicious grass and avoid the poisonous weeds. Your desire is that they stay next to your side, walking along the narrow path you have designed for them, and that they stay away from the muck, the mire, and the ditches.

After all, that is what a good shepherd is all about.

Now, imagine that one of your little sheep decides that they are going to choose their own path in life. They have concluded that your idea of right and wrong is not "right" for them. They wander off on their own and wind up getting sick, lost, and injured.

As a shepherd, what do you do? Well, you rush off to rescue that poor sheep and give it a stern "talking to" if necessary. There are even times when you discipline your sheep to the point of hurting their feelings or bruising their ego or even their hind parts. You care more about your sheep's life than their feelings.

Being overly tolerant of others' sins is like being an irresponsible shepherd. Now, I know that we are not all placed in a pastoral role, but as disciples of Christ, we ARE responsible for leading as many people to Christ as possible. We ARE responsible for picking our brother up, dusting him off, and gently guiding him when he falls. Yes, we ARE....whether you like it or not.

So, gone are the days of "it's not my place to say anything." Do you care more about their feelings or THEIR SOUL?

Think about it.

I thank God for the Christian friends the Lord has placed in my life that are not afraid to point out my areas of weakness. I need to know these things...because I will not face up to the facts for myself. I appreciate my folks that gently guide me when I stray. I thank GOD for them. Their guidance has literally saved my life and my soul.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

And now, I will share with you something I have not shared before.

One of my BIGGEST fears...

Is that someone I know will be standing before the judgment seat of Christ giving their account unto God and this thought flashes through their mind, "If only somebody had just said something to me."

Have the courage to get in people's faces and tell them the truth when they need to hear it. Don't be passive. Passiveness is definitely not love. Love people enough that you can be honest and unflinching, but do it in love.

It's not being judgmental, it is being like Jesus.