April: Done

I feel like I just wrote the monthly recap for March. This year is zooming!

* ACTUAL springtime arrived this month, and boy was I glad to see it show up for real (though I could have done without daily rain). I remember one night sitting at my desk, working on a writing project, when I looked outside to see sunshine, more green grass than brown, some daffodils, and real leaves on the trees. Thank you, LORD! And Kaegan and Braeya were overjoyed to sit in the windowsills for hours on end.

* Speaking of writing, I started doing that again...in earnest. I found it hard to get out of the emotional slump of last year and really dive into the kind of all-consuming writing I love to do the most, but I finally got there. I'd missed it. I knew when I was excited about research...I was back. (And I haven't lost my nerdy streak.)

* April was the month of seeing friends I hardly ever see. Lunches with in-town friends like Amber, Zach, and Amy...and a few hours spent with friends from out of town, like Jamie and Olivia. Not sure why I always bunch up those reunions all into a tiny space of time, but it was great to see them, and I feel so caught up now!

* All my friends chose to give birth in April. Not this April. Random Aprils of other years. But it makes for a busy month of birthday parties. I went to two and missed one more because it fell on the same day as one of the others. I feel so in touch with my inner child after April. And very full of cake.

* Speaking of cake, I baked one this month...and found a to-d.i.e.-for recipe for homemade chocolate frosting. My sister's reaction to this news was Why would you do that when you can buy it in a can? Answer? Because I'm an overachiever. For me, cake is merely a vehicle with which to eat frosting. And this frosting's a keeper. I also tried a new chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe that you'll be seeing sometime, brought back the classic fave of a taco bar for dinner, gave the crouton recipe a twist into garlic bread and found life's most perfect pancake spin. It revolutized my world.

* After all that eating, I had to work out, so I tried my new DVD, The Biggest Loser Cardio Max. OW. I bought it because I was getting bored doing the same DVD the whole time. I also started doing some of my workouts outside (because I can), and ran my first ever consecutive mile.

* Gave the living room a makeover with brand new paint...and even rearranged the furniture just to make it feel completely brand new. I love it.

* Somewhere in there, I had time to help Angi decorate cupcakes, watch Rachel's kids in exchange for some of her cute handmade hair bows, start the spring cleaning, make my first ever Etsy purchase, attend the Marion Easter Pageant service, crank out the first lawn mowing of the year, spend time with Olivia and her wedding party on wedding-palooza day, finish the Florida scrapbook, spend Easter with the fam, and say goodbye to another semester at IWU (which included the graduation of Rachel and Jonathan).

Stone Jar: End of April

Dear Rachel...

Dear Rachel...

I can't believe you're graduating tomorrow. I still remember the day you and your mom came in to meet with me about financial aid - you hadn't even started your freshman year. I didn't know I was meeting one of life's sweetest friends that day.

And now look at us - matching clothes...matching hair...
This picture sits on my desk at work, and every time I see it, I think Man I'm going to miss Rachel so much when she graduates. And while I'm very excited for you that you're DONE with school...I don't like thinking about days in the office that don't include you.

Office parties won't be the same without you. Plus...who will we celebrate now in January? Maybe we'll just keep celebrating you.

I love celebrating life outside of work with you too. Say...for instance...Ivanhoes outings! Oh. My. Word. When are we doing this again??

I'm going to miss fake surprise photos by Rachel. :)

And my plant is going to miss you too - as it dehydrates to death.

Maybe we can still get together to swim. I do love a pool. I love it that you invite me over to just chill. The mark of a good friend.

Or maybe we can go to the pumpkin patch again to look for muffin top pumpkins. And to drive by bungalows. And to discuss the definition of bungalows.

I love the writer you've become, and I can't wait for our writing-palooza adventure. That is going to be so much FUN!

Because you are always fun. Even on 412 degree days at the fair.

You take that Jesus stick and look upon it with fondness!!!

Rachel, I don't even know how to put into words how very proud of you I am. You are a blessing to me. You have brought many, many smiles and much laughter to my life. I am going to miss finding little post-it notes on my desk. I'm going to miss hugs and back rub swaps and silly photo shoots and sharing grammar disasters.

But I'm so excited for you. I can't wait to see what happens next for you and I know I still have an amazing friend, even if she's not in the cube down the hall.

Love that graduation day, Missyhead. You've earned it.

I love YOU.

PS...I want you to know that even though I'm going to be very busy and I do not have many workers....I will always have time for you. :)

Painting Palooza

When I moved into my house, the living room was peach.

Peach.

I don't do peach. (Probably because it brings up memories of that one time I was forced to eat peaches...which I also don't do.)

So after a few years, I decided to paint the living room. I wanted something bold - mostly because I could. What ensued was a disaster of a paint job that ended up taking twice as much paint as it should have, to still not look right. It's another story for another day.

But the most dreadful part of the entire adventure was that I had not yet watched enough HGTV to know that the dark paint shrinks a room. And my house has tiny rooms. So for the last few years, I've been squinting in my dark, it's-not-really-pink-so-stop-calling-it-that living room:
So this year I decided it was time to paint. And what better time to paint than over Easter break? I'd have a whole day off work, plus a couple of regular weekend days, and I could knock out that project with no problem.

A few weeks ago (you might remember from the recap) Amber and I went to Lowe's and looked at paint samples, and I chose my palette. Last week I went to pick up all the supplies. I told my best friend I was going to be painting if she wanted to come help. (She lives in Virginia Beach.) She asked if my painting budget included an airplane ticket. I told her my painting budget didn't even include PAINT. When did this stuff get so expensive?

Good Friday morning, I moved out all the furniture, took down the curtains and the pictures, knocked down the cobwebs, and got to it. No turning back now!

Had to start with primer. I hate priming. It's like the base coat of nail polish. The totally necessary unseen-and-therefore-feels-like-a-waste-of-time step. But I was painting yellow over red, so I was not about to skip the primer.

A couple of talk shows later, the primer was up and it was time to start on the real color. This is supposed to be a wheat color. It's a little more yellow than I thought it would be, but I like it. And I could not believe how much it lightened the room!! (Oh and sorry bout the view. Not my best side.)

Amber came over to help after she got off work. When she arrived, I'd completed all the yellow walls, but I hadn't done any of the trim. When I started on the green wall, I told her I hoped the upcoming trim would help because the room was starting to look like a cheesy Mexican restaurant.

In case you've never painted for 13 hours straight, here's what life looks like at 12:30 a.m. after hours of paint fume inhalation. I was slap happy crying and laughing.

The after colors. After 15 hours of painting!! I love it very much. So much lighter (although I am pretty sure I'm still under the influence of the fumes).

I'm not painting this room again for a long, LONG time. (And I have a plan for a picture above the fireplace. I just have to buy the frame.)

Not Okay

A couple of nights ago, Rachel posted a link to this post from the Stuff Christians Like blog. It's a great post about how we so quickly issue a "PhD" to those who insult us. We disregard every kind thing all those around us have ever said and live as though the one hateful comment is the governing truth...because clearly the person who said it has a PhD in...us.

As I read it, I was pretty convicted, because I do this all the time. In my line of work, while I do receive many compliments that I'm so grateful for, I also get the brunt of many people's frustrations, and those comments can wreck a day (okay, a week) faster than anything.

People get flustered about money. I get that. Shoot, earlier this week, a fast food restaurant gave me wrong change, and I almost threw up just thinking about calling to let them know. But it was ten bucks...and I needed my ten bucks. I fell all over myself cushioning the call when I finally did make it - because I didn't want the poor lady who happened to answer to think I had some personal problem with her just because someone mistook a 20 for a 10.

Yesterday I spoke with someone who was upset. That's not uncommon. And in fact, the caller had every reason on the face of this earth to be upset, and it had nothing to do with money. Money was just our topic of discussion.

But in the course of the tirade issued from the caller's mouth, which included all manner of insults against me personally, I heard these words:

You are not a Christian.

My heart literally froze and stopped beating in my chest.

Those words have never ever been said to me before.

And they are not okay.

Words are so powerful. When I write the posts for this blog, I read over and over them before I hit "post" - trying to make sure they're true...not offensive...uplifting. I edit and re-edit...and sometimes I just delete and start over. That's the beauty of the written word.

The spoken word gets one shot.

And it can leave lasting encouragement or lasting devastation.

What the Stuff Christians Like blog post said is true. It's time to stop giving insulters a PhD in our lives. That's the choice I'm faced with right now. The person who said I'm not a Christian is wrong. I love the Lord with all my heart and that's a non-negotiable fact. So there's no need for me to buy into the lie of those words.

But despite the truth that the words wrong, they were still not okay. Unless your name is Jesus (and He wasn't the caller) - you don't ever get to make a judgment call about my salvation or anyone else's. That territory is His alone.

I understand that the words said to me were said in anger. But I'm also freshly aware of the wounding power of words. And I hope to never be the person speaking things that are not okay over someone else's life. I don't want to have to cause him or her to decide NOT to issue me a PhD.

Happy Birthday, Dear Hannah...

Saturday was Miss Hannah's birthday party. A Barbie-palooza!!

They played pin the pony-tail on the Barbie...
The birthday girl goes glam...

As did her entourage...

Everyone risked life and head injury for the love of the Barbie pinata. Here we have the diving for the candy....

After that...a little fashion show. Half the guests were fashion designers...the other half, models:

Hannah's dress....

Anna's wardrobe malfunction. WOOPS!!!!

Never fear, though! The "tape lady" was at the ready. Yep, that's what I heard some kid yell at one point. "Where's the tape lady?" I've been called worse. Much worse.

Where there's a fashion show...there must be a runway....

And where there's a birthday party, there must be presents. :)

Listening to the rendition of Happy Birthday...

I think she had a fun party! Happy birthday, Miss Hannah!

Happy Easter (A Day Late)

Happy Easter!

Did you have a good day yesterday?

Our church served a breakfast before the Easter service, but I'd eaten an extraordinary amount of food the day before, so I skipped it in favor of a bowl of cereal. :)

We had a great church service - with a full house! - and this year I actually got to sit in the pew and enjoy it.

After church, I went to Mom and Dad's for lunch. Mom tried a new salad, which she decided she didn't like. This is how I heard her explain it to my sister on the phone: "I tried a new recipe. Didn't like it. Of course I changed a few things. I was supposed to use apples and I used mandarin oranges instead. And I couldn't find citrus dressing, so I used raspberry. Maybe that was why it didn't taste right." Oh Mama.

I had to take a picture of this - the word MERLOT in the house??!?!!?!?!!?
She also made twice baked potatoes. YUM YUM. I told her I'd take a picture since she'd worked so hard on them.

My new Easter dress! This year I turned over a new leaf and did NOT purchase the dress on Easter weekend. I have had it for a whole month. This is also the first time in more years than I can remember that I actually liked the selection of dresses in the store. They're finally springy again!

The lovely Rachel Bowman made me a flower for my hair. Loved it.

Apparently we had the wrong holiday: we dressed up as a stoplight. Should have saved that for Halloween!

Dad bought roses for Mom, Aunt B, a couple of other people, and me. They're gorgeous!!

And I leave you with this. I have been listening to this song over and over in recent weeks (mostly because it's one of my favorites on the new Best of David DVD I received), and I think it's a very appropriate song to consider at Easter. The last verse is my favorite, and not because David sings it - although he tears it UP. I love the words...Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday began with a shining moment. I left home for church and about half a block down the road, reached down for a drink of coffee, only to find the cup not in the cupholder. That's when I remembered putting it on the roof of the car as I loaded the car...so I had to stop in the middle of the street, get out, and retrieve a bright red travel mug from the top of the car. Brilliant indeed.

* Monday evening I had all sorts of plans, most of which were pre-empted when I saw the neighbor out mowing. Not to be outdone, I promptly prayed over my own mower, which is the only way I know to get it to start the first time each year. It started, and I mowed the yard for the first time. Worst first mowing ever, but at least I kept up with the Joneses!

After that, I did a rare thing in Bekahland and actually watched a movie. I sat down with popcorn and watched a movie. (Okay I scrapbooked while I watched. But still.) It was the William and Kate movie on Lifetime. Yes, I'm fascinated by the upcoming wedding.

* You already saw the recaps of my Tuesday evening. I went to the Easter Pageant service

and then had a mini Pancakes with the Princess with Miss Ronda.


After she left, I had to gather up all my most valuable possessions and hide from tornado warnings. My niece was kind enough to get on Facebook (thank you, internet, for staying fully connected) and talk me through the storm. I hate storms.

* Wednesday was the longest day in the history of the...okay probably just the week. I don't know if it was the weather or what, but literally every person I talked to needed a nap...and I needed one too! I decided to stay home and rest that evening. I made an exceptional batch of baked spaghetti and tried something new: made my crouton recipe, but didn't cut up the bread. Just made garlic bread out of it. Even sprinkled some cheese on top!

* Thursday was a frustrating day, so by about 2 p.m. I needed a little treat to keep going. I got one of my new McConn favorites: a caramel macchiato freeze. I'm really going to miss McConn when it closes for the summer! Dislike!!


Thursday was also a new Shellac color day: Tropix is the name. I chose it because I thought it would go well with my new Easter dress, debuting Sunday. It looks orange here, but it's really a very pretty coral.



* Since Friday was a holiday, I didn't have to go to work! I think I actually worked harder at home than I would have AT work, but still. It was a change of pace. I....painted the living room. Thirteen hours of painting and I still didn't quite finish. I wouldn't even have gotten as far as I did had my friend Amber not come over to help. We got a little slap happy by the end, but we had fun!
* Saturday I went to another birthday party!! The lovely Miss Hannah hosted a Barbie themed party, and Faith made a Barbie cake - I was pretty impressed with her work!

Books I'm Reading: Not much time for reading this week. Sparkling Gems from the Greek has focused on the message of Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Sobering reading! I read just a few chapters in Jody's book The Preacher's Bride (loving it!) and also re-read a chapter in In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day so I could discuss it with Olivia.


Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: I sort of wrote about it already, but the night I went to see the Easter Pageant and the tomb appeared out of nowhere was pivotal for me. Reminded me that just because I can't see something doesn't mean God's not capable of bringing it to pass. If He ordains something, it will come to pass - even making a tomb appear just to prove it's empty!

Update on Last Week's Goals: I went with Plan A and painted the living room. The bulk of the painting is done! Just a few finishing touches before I can call the room itself done. Love the way it looks and so glad I got this huge project out of the way.

Goals for the Coming Week: I have a hodge-podge of goals for this week. First and foremost, I want to completely finish reassembling the living room. My life will feel back in order once that is done, I know! I need to un-decorate the house from the Easter decorations, and I'd like to clean the dining room (which really should be pretty easy). And if we would, by some MIRACLE, get ten minutes of good weather this week, I want to work on the yard. (Picking up sticks, cleaning out leftover leaves, stuff that I should have done with the first mowing and didn't because I was so busy keeping up with the Joneses.)

Easter's Back!

For the first 25 or so years of my life, I participated in the Marion Easter Pageant every year. My whole family was in it. And for me...it's what made Easter...Easter.

The Pageant was held in the old Marion Memorial Coliseum, and was eventually shut down due to the disrepair of the building itself. Shortly thereafter, the building was entirely renovated and is now the YMCA.

And this year - for the first time in 8 or so years now - they brought back a version of the pageant. I was THRILLED.

They had a full choir and orchestra - just like the olden days - and showed a DVD of the pageant in its entirety. For the first time ever, I stood in line just like the lines I've walked past on my way into makeup...
For the record, it was FREEZING outside. I was so thankful, though, that the rain held off. It poured most of the day (and by poured, I mean turned my heavy duty super-de-duper umbrella inside out TWICE).

I went with Ronda! Or she went with me. Whatever. We went together. Kinda like vacation revisited. My parents were there as well, but Mom hated the picture I took of her, so I won't put it up. (This time.)

The orchestra played as we waited for it to begin. Here's the big screen where we watched the DVD - and much to my surprise, they also brought out a few former cast members in full costume just to mill about as people got settled.

I miss the soldiers! Their dressing room was in the same hallway as mine and I used to hurry to get ready so I could hang out in the hallway and look for a cutie! (Just keepin' it real folks.)

Then the music began...and it sounded uh-mazing. Loved the full choir. Jonathan sang in this because all of the IWU Chorale participated. They're the ones in the back in tuxes and dresses. The people in the front, in the white, were all community members.

Did NOT expect this at the end at all. When they got to the all-women's choir at the end singing the Ave Maria chorus, the three Holy Women came out in costume and began to walk through the aisles. I leaned over to Mom and said, "Where are they going? There's no tomb!"

She shrugged.

I looked away from the choir and back to the stage to see that the big screen had been removed and in its place....
This brought tears to my eyes. I love this scene. And I loved it even more to know that they brought it back live. So very powerful.

Christ the Lord is Risen today!

And the finale of the Hallelujah Chorus - I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

The tomb is empty! He is Risen!

While I still very much miss the pageant as it used to be - and the chance to be part of it - I am thrilled that they brought it back in this way this year. This feels like a real Easter again for the first time in YEARS.