Old Photos for All my Friends

Thrift Score

I love finding unused kits for Christmas gifts. I feel so high after a successful thrift shop experience. I got Ivy this supercute Lucky girl Lucky shoes Chinese beaded slipper kit for 3$$$!!! Never even opened. And for Aley, a giant brand new hardback copy of Babar and His Children, so bright red and beautiful, I nearly choked on my own nostalgia! (Babar is the Elephant King). 50 cents! I bought Ivy a hardback copy of a neat alphabet of incredible American women. Brand new! 50 cents!!
For everyday, I got Ivy two pairs of Keds (pink with beads, and white leather with charms) 2$$ each! Sol got a copy of one of the best kids books out there, People, by Peter Spiers, 10 cents!!! And a Grinch computer game and one awesome game about the Oregon Trail, 2$$ each!
A stuffed Lion rug, So Cute, looks BRAND NEW!, 5$$

And now for the true miracle of the day-the mommy part of my whole experience!
One beautiful, still in great condition, black leather DKNY bag....

wait for it...

1$$!!!

I love thrift stores! For the still unconverted, I might mention the tons of unused, unopened gift baskets people donate, like decorative candles, bath products, usually priced at three to five dollars! These are NEW, unused, and a great bargain. It is a great way to recycle and live simply.
I mean, where else can you shop, at the same time dropping off all your excess clothing, children's toy's, and other treasures?

A Hard Rain Is Already Falling

So our finances are jacked. But in a way, we needed the push-to continue our educations, to live the simple way we want to, to DISCIPLINE (dare I say it out loud) ourselves and spending....however, before I Pollyanna y'all to death, it is hard. So hard. I am going to have to get a part time job (probably at the Greenland McDonalds) and that feels weird, but it will be so nice to have something to put away, to give to my awesome church, to begin using my groovy budget. My whole family needs prayer above all else. I have such a problem with losing my focus and copping to the system of the world. Just flat out getting distracted from my goals, or freaking out! I want to say public bloggily that Amber, Liz, Hannah, and Vanessa, in so many ways you all inspire me, when you are candid, when you are clever, when you open your hearts and stories, when you make 50 cent bread pudding! I feel like I try to hide alot of things, to always seem like I am JUST FINE! I am getting better at all this.
Maybe it's the peer pressure! :)

All These Things

Ivy is seven. We had so much fun at her party! Bubble machine, 11 pm cupcakes, girly goody bags, and all the Hannah Montana music I could stand! And there, in the background, were my friends, encouraging me, complimenting me, laughing along with me. My spirit is lifted whenever I am around these ladies, and I know that for them, this is how they always are, but it really felt like something that kept me afloat and positive.
And I have to give props to our friend (and freindly preacher! :) , Robb Ryerse for saving the day and unlocking the music hall for us. He had already been a great husband the week before to his ailing wife, and then saved the day for me, when his whole being had to be screaming COUCH, BED, SOMETHING!!!!

I saw Hairspray with the lovely-masking-her-true-level-of-sickness-Vanessa, and all I can say is WELCOME TO THE SIXTIES!!!! I looooved it! I havetogetthesoundtrack!!!!

Later today I want to post some of my favorite Ivy quotes. For now, I will simply leave you with the knowledge that for the first five years of her life, she INSISTED on calling her forehead her "one"head, because there ARE NOT four, just ONE!

My New Addiction

OK, so I am sitting here sick in a sudden way, but otherwise I am doing alright. I actually have two new addictions-my new crock pot cookbook (I want to buy, like, four crockpots and have them bubbling all the time with these delicate, savory, kick ass recipes!), and I LOOOOVE Project Runway! I am way behind so I get to watch reruns. It seems like magic, and maybe insanity the way these designers pull up these dresses from long, square fabric!
I have officially gotten Sol hooked (he likes any reality show that has a vote off). He has to skip the over sexy stuff, however. On the last episode we watched, he was critiqueing-"too much add-ons, toomuch fabric, over designing)
Thursday he will offer his deep opinions on Survivor.
Versatile guy, my littl Sol!

Happy things and Thoughts to ponder

Sol told me this morning that all the kids in his class think that I am the coolest mom in the world. I love this, because of how natural and fun it is to hang out with those nutty third graders. I just love that he sees me as cool! (I told my ultra creepy China Doll spooky story at their Halloween party-always a hit, and actually told to me during a power outage in third grade!) I also am going to help their poor teacher do social studies. To me, volunteering is fun, but teaching seems like it might start to suck real fast.

I think when you grow up with a crazy life, you think there is some right way, some mirage in the distance where everyone is waiting for you to "get it". Imagine my surprise at the humanity and vulnerability of all of us! I am trying to dig my hands deep in the soil of my life, instead of transplanting all the time.

There's some good stuff at the roots!

"Everything in nature bespeaks the mother."
-Kahlil Gibran

Feeling Like a Kite

I feel like I am loose in the wind. I was saying to Cheyne yesterday that our kiddos are nice grounding for me, because I am always thinking or singing or praying (the desperate frantic waited til the lastsec to deal with that one kind of prayers.) But recently I realized how temporal and flawed it is to count on ANYTHING external or, dare I say, earthly to pull us back to this fine place we dwell on. So that is what I am meditating on, praying about, and trying to conceive right now. Trying to pin down the elusive peace, at least a scrap. I want to be more trusting, more deep, less flighty, way more self confident, less needy, etc, etc, etc......but I have finally gotten that I cannot give myself those things. I can change my behavior, write down my dreams, keep an open mind, lose 10 pounds, practice affirmations-still, I have to finally surrender. To my Maker. I have to trust Him in a way I have never been able to trust anyone. And I know alot of folks feel that, but I mean it literally. I have to know He Has my back, someone is with me, I am not alone.

This is the BIG STUFF work of my life.

Pray for me!