Posts Tagged ‘Rainy days’
Contentment in All Things
Posted on: September 19, 2011
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
I might have mentioned a time or two that Texas is experiencing the hottest weather in recorded history. Perhaps, I haven’t mentioned that we are also going through the worst drought since the late 1800’s. The heat and drought have led to rampant fires throughout Central Texas. The town of Bastrop {30 miles east of Austin} caught ablaze Labor Day weekend, burning 40,000 acres and destroying 2,000+ homes. Sadly, the fire still hasn’t been fully contained.
Texas needs rain. Badly.
This last Saturday it rained. For 30 minutes, it poured. It was glorious. It was wonderful. It was refreshing. In her excitement, Julia asked me to dance with her in the rain. I gladly accepted. We danced, we puddle jumped, we laughed as we got soaked.
{The rain while driving}
During the rain, our family ran an errand to Target. As we were leaving {and it was still raining}, I overheard two young ladies complaining about the rain. Having to walk in it. Having to get wet on their way to the car. People standing around us, grumbled in agreement. The rain, so badly needed, was an inconvenience.
To say I was irritated, is an understatement. In a state faced with drought, why aren’t we rejoicing at the rain? Why aren’t we seeing it through the eyes of a three year old, whose only wish was to dance in the rain. My initial thought was how selfish these people were. How dissatisfied can they be? Bemoan the drought, then bemoan the rain.
And in my judgement, I realized :: I am always complaining.
Too hot.
Too cold.
Too dry.
Too wet.
My kids are too hyper.
My kids are too shy.
I don’t get enough alone time.
I don’t get enough time with others.
The list could go on. Contentment isn’t exactly my strong suit. Yet, I am called to be content in all things {Philippians 4:11}. Trusting that God is in control, that I have no need to worry.
I want to rejoice in all the moments in my life. Even the ones that seem to inconvenience me. I want to see life as purely as a 3 year old. I want to dance in the rain with my daughters.
- In: Life
- 21 Comments
When we moved into our apartment, we laughed that it had a fireplace. A fireplace. In southern Texas. Now you’re laughing. Even though we laughed, we knew right away, the moment it was cold enough to put the fireplace to use, we would. December came a went. No fire. Then the new year began. Still, no fire. Finally, this last week, we had an “arctic blast” {weatherman’s words, not mine} and the daytime temperatures have been in the high 30’s / low 40’s and slightly dreary. Perfect fireplace weather.
Feel the warmth?
Monday I told the girls I would attempt to build and start a fire. After much coaxing turned begging and finally walking away, I had a fire going. It was slow at first, but then it burned for several hours, using up all our wood. Tuesday we bought more wood, and I started yet another fire. Come Wednesday night, I tried my hand once again. We celebrated my new found ability by roasting marsh mellows. Yummy.
Yes, those are stockings you see. All our Christmas decorations are still up, with no plans of taking them down soon. And it's not from my love of Christmas, just sheer laziness.
Now, it might not seem like a big deal to start a fire all on your own. Plenty of people have done it. But I can’t honestly say I’ve ever started a fire by myself before this week. I’ve always started fires with other people, had help collecting kindling, help coaxing it, and bringing it to life. Never all by myself, where the fire won’t start unless I start it. It was a pretty great feeling!
Up next? Starting a fire without matches! {Well, ok, that might be a bit of a stretch.}
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Top Ten Favorite Movies
Posted on: November 9, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
I love movies. I think it stems from my great love of watching television. But I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t watch movies on a regular basis. Jonathan and I have spent a lot of time discussing our all time favorite movies {which is actually almost as fun as watching them, since you get to relive it!}. Without further ado, my top ten favorite movies of all time:
1. A Christmas Story – I quote this movie more than any other movie. And thanks to TBS’s movie marathon on Christmas Day, I’ve seen it more than any other movie.
2. Elf – Will Ferrell. In Tights. Enough said.
3. Meet the Parents – An equal favorite for Jon and I both, this movie is a classic comedy of showing just how wrong everything can go when you first “meet the parents”.
4. You’ve Got Mail – Such a happy movie. *sigh* Maybe I’m a sap, but I just love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together.
5. Labyrinth – The main character shares my name. My younger brother had just been born and I was struggling with the adjustment, just like the movie plot. Expect the Goblin King never did take Fletcher away.
6. Ocean’s 11/12 – Both movies are funny, action packed but not too crazy and just plain witty.
7. Bourne Trilogy – I’m a fan of action thrillers. Ones that make you think and stay with the plot line. And the Bourne movies do that so well.
8. Love in the Afternoon – I had a huge thing for Audrey Hepburn when I was younger. I watched so many of her movies, and LitA was my favorite.
9. Harry Potter Series – While I’m waiting on pins and needles for the 7th movie to come out {next week!!}, the first 6 have been really great {though not as great as the books}.
10. Family Stone – A dysfunctional family getting together for Christmas. Yep, pretty much sums up my entire family experience.
Pretty random list, I know. What can I say – I like a variety of movies.
What are some of your favorite movies?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Jane Austen meets mystery novel
Posted on: June 22, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
I have a deep love for Jane Austen. Since high school I’ve read and re-read several of her books. Obviously, like most Jane Austen lovers, Pride and Prejudice has been my favorite. So when I was at the library last Friday, this caught my attention:
Pride and Prescience begins at the wedding of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy. It weaves a mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s new sister-in-law, Caroline Bingley. Caroline, who gets married right after Elizabeth, is entangled in horrific happenings. If you’ve read the original or seen the movie(s), then you might feel little sympathy for Caroline {who proves to be just as self -centered in this story as the original}. But once the other characters become involved, it draws you in even more. I won’t go into detail about the plot, since I’ve had a least one reader voice their desire to read it and I’d hate to ruin it for them.
Two things I loved about the book were:
1. I already had a “relationship” established with the main characters {Darcy and Elizabeth} making it easy to start the book.
2. It was written in the fashion of Austen, so there was no “inappropriate” scenes.
Since having had the girls, it takes me a good long while to finish any book. But, I devoured all 287 pages in four days {partly due to Friday’s power outage and lack of internet distractions}. I’d say that’s a testament of a good book.
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
Yesterday afternoon our family had lunch out. While we were eating it stormed. Bad. I even commented to Jon that the clouds seemed to be going in a circular motion {never a good thing} and the winds were crazy. We came home to downed tree branches, scattered patio furniture, stray animals running around and no electricity. It was about an hour before naptime and honestly all I could think was “Thank You God our sound machine has back-up batteries!” My kids can’t sleep without white noise.
The afternoon felt almost pioneer-y, no noise, no real distractions. The girls even set up a fort under the kitchen table {which, for some reason, screams pioneer to me}. During naptime I started reading Pride and Prescience – a Jane Austen spin off mystery. It seemed quite an appropriate time period for my afternoon. By dinner, the electricity was still out, but since we have a gas stove, we were able to cook. My romantic flare kicked in and I seriously debated cooking a roast in a huge stock pot and serving it in wooden bowls. Instead I made bean and cheese tacos. Always a fast and easy winner with the family.
By dark, we still had no power so we made use of all our Kandela Candles from Leah’s old business. Once the girls were in bed I sat in the living room reading my Jane Austen-eques book and Jonathan said I must be eating all this romance up. Which I was. 😉 Around 1 this morning the power came back and we’ve been living in modern society since. Kind of a shame. I think we might have to have more no-electricity days. It was just too peaceful.
- In: Life
- 5 Comments
Despite the fact that it’s no longer April, we’re getting a lot of rain. And while I actually don’t mind it (since normally I really do like rain) it’s cold on top of rainy. Meaning, we are staying indoors. A lot. And going stir crazy. A lot.
So, what’s a mama to do with all this indoor time?
1. Have regular play dates
We try to meet up with other kids twice a week. This week? We’ve got a whopping 4 play dates scheduled. And while it totally messes up Hannah’s morning nap routine, it’s a lifesaver for Julia and me.
2. Bring out old toys
Have toys that are tucked away that your kids haven’t touched in a few weeks (or new toys they’ve never seen)? Rainy days, or rainy weeks in our case, are a great time to reintroduce old toys.
3. Clear out the garage
If you have space in your garage, pull out the car and let your kids use the area as an outdoor/indoor play area. Let them ride around on bikes, write with sidewalk chalk, have a picnic or other fun outdoor games.
4. Have movie night during the day
We don’t allow our girls to watch much television. Actually, let me rephrase that – we go weeks without turning on the television and then might watch it for two days in a row. But, typically speaking, watching television for the girls is a privilege (and let’s be honest, it’s a nice break for me too). So, when we’ve exhausted all our options, I like to have Movie Night during the day. Bring out the pillows and blankets, pop some popcorn, get some candy and toss in Curious George. Sometimes I might even fall asleep.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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