love and yesterday

If you were to walk up to a candy dish (filled to the brim with candy!), would you pass it, and keep on walking? Let me rephrase that question with one more detail: you're 7 years old; now, would you keep on going -- or stop?! Next question: it's out in the open, so would you free to help yourself to a piece of candy out of the dish?

After school pickup yesterday, Conor and I spent some time with one of my friends, and her daughters. The kids played, and my friend and I spent the time catching up on lost time. After about an hour of playtime, I realized we needed to get home. We said our goodbyes, and off we went! As we pulled into the garage, Conor came up to the front of the car, and laid a handwritten note next to me. He grabbed a pen out of the console, and handed it to me. "Mommy, sign on the line, please. If you don't sign, I'll have to go to the principal's office tomorrow.". Seemed urgent. I read the note. It was a note from Conor, himself. (see below (: )

I told Conor to show Daddy his note. His face got flush in color. Taking the note from my hand, Conor went inside to (meet his destiny!) find Jim. This is what I heard, "but, Dad, I didn't take the candy off of Father Toole's desk; it was on the lady's desk!". Father Toole, beloved priest, and friend to all. Doesn't get much sweeter than that. Love... would never allow you to steal a piece of candy!

Safe From the Fire

A couple of weeks ago I decided to make a creative gift suggestion to my sister. As always, my suggestions become my projects; this was no different! My sister is dating a wonderful man, and wanted to surprise him with a picture (taken by her) of her two children for his birthday. I thought it'd be much more personal if she had a custom, homespun frame to go along with her beautiful picture. Ha!

The project became a group ordeal. My kids got thrown into the mix, and benefited too! What kind of mom comes up with these crazy ideas, anyway?!?

Everything started off well. Greenware was chosen by all without too many tears; paints were selected, and with brushes in hand, we - I mean, they - were ready to begin!

I was amazed to see the maturity that has come with a couple years of growth. All four children were so focused on their projects. Each one took such pride in their project, and they were able to slow down and take their time painting; no more racing to the finish line -- looking for something else to do!

Finlay-Rose and Zeph (my sister's two) were so patient with me. They allowed me to borrow their sweet little fingers. Each one chose a different fingerprint creature, and left their stamp of life on "Mr. Jeff's" picture frame. They were so adorable and full of excitement, as they knew this was going to be a special gift!

The kids finished their individual critters within the one hour time slot, and we managed to escape paint flinging, water spills, broken pieces, and most of all... fights! We accomplished a peaceful group outing!! Our afternoon at the pottery studio couldn't have been more fun!

As we left the studio we were told that our pottery was going to take two weeks for the firing process. Apparently one of the two kilns had broken down, and they were running behind in firing. No problem! We weren't in a hurry!

One week later:

I was standing in our afternoon carpool when one of my friends came over to me. She asked if I'd "heard about the fire at Dish It Out?". What?!?!?!? The studio caught on fire! It just so happened that I'd been there the afternoon before the fire. Our pieces were ready ahead of schedule, so I went in and picked up the ones that my boys had done. I also just so happened to take a picture of the frame (for my blog, of course!)! My sister was planning on going in the same evening to pick up her kids' things -- along with the frame, but never made it into the studio! Now, what??

Well, the end of the story goes something like this:

My sister is one very blessed girl! The frame was not damaged by the (second!) fire. It was spared. My sister's children's critters survived too. Although the frame's delivery timing was delayed - due to unforeseen circumstances, it will still become a treasure to Jeff; a belated birthday present with quite a story behind it's creation!

http://www.dishitout.net/

I'm a Happy Mom!

Happy Mother's Day, all! Or, y'all!

This might wind up being one of my more lengthy posts. I've got so many things to share with you about my Mother's Day weekend. Yes, I did say "weekend". Friday night was the start of a wonderful three days centered around me!

I went to my first wine glass painting party on Friday night. It was soooo much fun. The time with just girls, doing girlie things, talking girlie talk, and not having to worry about a single "mommy" thing was priceless. My sister (a mother of two) was sweet enough to give up her Friday night for me. She came over, and spent the evening with my boys; all for the price of a slice of pizza. Doesn't get much better than that!

Saturday I was given the chance to SLEEP IN! My boys were angelic. They got their own breakfast, and enjoyed hanging out with some cartoons. As I was waking up, Conor came into my room with a box in his hand. Tulips; a dozen beautiful, multi-colored, my favorite! What a nice surprise. :)

The boys decided to spend the afternoon at our local farm, picking strawberries. I still haven't quite figured out the math on the price of our berries, but need to do so. Twenty cents per pound is what we were quoted. I walked away with $24 of strawberries. Doesn't that seem like a lot of berries??? Three buckets (see pictures). What was the actual weight? It must have been quite substantial. Sean and I made 12 (8 ounce) jars of freezer jam, and still had a ton of berries left over!

This morning was a lot like yesterday... nice, very nice. I slept until 9:00! The boys were so well behaved. A little energetic, but I did leave chocolate creme donuts out for them! We went to church, and then enjoyed an outdoor lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant. Afterward, the boys asked if they could go "look at the puppies" in a pet store nearby. No, we didn't come home with a puppy; but, we did come home with another pet. A parakeet. What?!?!? I don't know, I guess I gave in to the pressure. After all, what's another family member on Mother's Day? He - or she, is so very sweet. So far, it's been a good experience. I'll let you know how I really feel three weeks from now when the reality of the maintenance sets in! I might be informing you of an additional bird by tomorrow, as Conor's heartbroken over the fact that Sean (he paid for half) has his own bird, and he doesn't. It was a tearful afternoon. We'll see!! Do they offer PHD's in motherhood?? If so, I'm still waiting for mine; after all, I've earned it -- I think!

My day ended with a celebration of my own mother. Conor and I took a twenty minute drive, and went to deliver gifts to my Mom. There aren't any gifts that could come close to expressing my gratitude for all of the sacrifices my Mom made in raising me. She's got a mother's heart, so I know she did it all selflessly. Regardless, she owns my honor and unconditional love.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Psalms 127:3

For the love of my boys

They appear to be angelic, and for the moment - and purpose of this post, they are! Who?!? My two precious sons: Sean and Conor.

The other day (seems like everyday!), I was knee deep in swiffer dusters, rubber gloves, cleaners, and laundry. Suddenly, I realized someone was standing behind me. That someone was ever so quiet, and waited patiently for me to turn and give him my attention. My focus was NOT on the little boy waiting for me - it was everywhere else. Typical, and totally "normal" for me. When I finally found time to stop; without yelling at that certain little boy for still having his shoes on in the house * insert smile *; this is what I saw:

And, this is what I heard: "Mom, I picked these for you because I know you love purple flowers. I even pulled the roots! Do you think they'll live a long time?". Gulp. It doesn't get much more simply stated than that. The words "I love you" spoken through an outward action. The sweet simplicity of having taken the time to think of another; in what would appear to be a small way, but in all reality -- huge. Thank you, Sean. You are a blessing to me!

My day didn't end there! A few hours passed, and I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. As I was working at the sink, Conor came bouncing into the room. He had a huge grin on his face, and he said, "Mommy, you have to come to my room - now! Really - please - fast!". I tried to get out of having to "go see". Being called to Conor's room usually means one of two things: there's a big bug that needs to be taken care of, or he's rearranged all of his belongings and wants my approval. I wasn't in any mood to contend with room issues, but decided it was probably in my best interest to go. So I did, and this is what I was shown:

With great pride and joy, Conor pointed up to his bedroom wall and said, "Mommy, don't you love it? I made it for you! I even put it up there all by myself!". Swallow hard. Words cannot express the feeling you get when you child unveils a "masterpiece". I knew it was a labor of love. I had seen him gently unroll the huge piece of paper that he'd kept safely tucked away in his school backpack. I watched as he laid it out on the dining room table; as he worked so diligently to complete his work of art. And now, thumbtacks in the wall and all, the finished product... for me.

What in this world did I, or could I have ever done, to deserve such precious gifts from above? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Kind of like the gift of God's grace: salvation. We don't have to "do" anything to gain our eternal lives. We just have to accept the Gift of Eternity that's been offered to us free of purchase: Jesus. Our debts have been paid in full. Christ Jesus paid our way to eternity, and offered us salvation as a gift. It's as simple as accepting a cup of flowers. It's as easy as finding joy in your child's artwork. It's free. He's our Gift, and He gave Himself because He loves us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Happy Birthday, Conor!

I'm two days late on this post!!! My life seems to be moving faster than me -- not much time for my hobbies... sorry, Conor.

Conor, my little Bug, it seems like only yesterday that you were a tiny little baby. You came into this world with a lot of excitement, and have continued to fill our home with joy and energy! Your thoughtfulness is contagious; I treasure the little notes you leave for me! Our home is never quiet because of your love for music, and your dancing brings us laughter. I can't believe 7 years have passed! Each year has been a blessing, and we're so grateful that you're ours.

I love you, Conor!

Happy 7th Birthday, Bug.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March is already in full swing! Although, it's still hard to believe we had snow 15 days ago! Easter is riding on Saint Patrick's Day's coat tails. The time seems to fly these days.

Speaking of which, sorry it's been a month since my last post. My life has been in high gear, and I don't think my feet have touched the ground - yet. I had an opportunity to go away with my girlfriends a couple of weeks ago. Jim gave me the go, so I went! We went to Cancun for four days, and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. What a well-needed time of relaxation. It wasn't about sitting around and doing nothing; it was the fact that my mind didn't have to stay on high alert. I was able to kind of check out, mentally. I think my boys are happy to have me back, but even happier that I've come back refreshed.

Becoming a wife and mother has always been my heart's desire. I became a wife at a very young age: 20. No one could have prepared me for the years ahead. But, God did more than that. He equipped me, and never left my side. As I look back, and soak in all that's transpired over the last 19 years, I can see that He's the reason for my 'everything'. He brought me through the tough times. The years of not knowing whether I'd ever be able to conceive and carry a child. The trials and heartaches of infertility and loss. Through all of it, He was there.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6