A tiny piece of tape, bible reading, projecting an image and not being ashamed.....

About two weeks ago, I was in line at Kohl's. I was returning something at the back and it was a looooong line. I didn't mind though. I was in there by myself and was happily staring off into space. Yes, I was in a daze. Enjoying a quiet moment. Having a thought of my own probably. It had been a busy day. I'd, of course, been getting ready for Christmas. I think I'd wrapped presents locked in my room all day long so........ my house was being "run" by a group of eight really wild people. A couple of them aren't really wild but I'll just lump them all together for the convenience and fun of aggravating a helper or two when they read this(heehee) They HATE being lumped. I was definitely NOT feeling like I had things all together. But for the moment, I could quietly project to strangers around me that I might have it all together---they didn't know my secret life now did they???? Anyway....back to the story. In the middle of my happy place daze a very "quiet ,and slow moving, I have all the time in the world to do things exactly right" kind of lady softly tapped me on the shoulder and was informing me of something that was stuck to my back. She even began to remove it from my back for me.(nice) Fear shot through me as visions of all the possible things that could be stuck to me came to mind: ) (One day I'll get up the nerve to blog about what one of my children dumped from my purse, in the middle of everyone, while all 8 of us sat in the crowded waiting area of a Great Clips. We didn't have Jessie yet and I think I was very pregnant with Max) OK, back to the lady in the line. She slowly handed me a piece of ..........clear tape. I'm serious. And it was so small, I had to squint and really employ my fine motor skills to take it from her. I was very relieved and thanked her profusely for her help and pretended to be embarrassed that I'd have a piece of tiny tape on my back. It makes me giggle when I think about how crazy my life would seem to someone who would think I'd care that there was a piece of tape on the bottom corner of the back of my sweater. I'm really not examining this lady. She really was nice. Its just a reminder to me that what I'm doing is different. Sometimes I feel like I'm being judged by others' standards and it irritates me. It probably does happen, but probably not as often or as severely as I've made it in my mind. If my van is extremely messy sometimes, its because we have lots of little people who are still being trained to take care of their own things. I'm thankful for everyone of those little messers. I enjoy them. If someone shows up at my house and they are shocked by the mess, its because we are ALWAYS in the process of cleaning and maintaining. It is never perfect unless we are about to show it. Even then, it still might not be perfect. My prayer for myself is that I can accept that others cannot help being surprised by us and not feel judged even if I am being judged. My prayer for me is that I can please God and my husband and care for my family the best I can and not even try to put up a facade for others. I think if I can do this, I can then be gracious towards people not just on the outside but on the inside too where it really matters to God.

I was asked last week to speak about organizing to our homeschool group. (heehee) I think someone had heard how quickly I will throw things away that cross my path and that was counted to me as organized. I just nicely replied that I only throw things away so quickly because I don't know how to organize and that its only a coping mechanism. Just be as simple as possible-that's the only advice I have and someone homeschooling one or two children really doesn't need to be as simple asI need to be. I jokingly said that as soon as they needed someone to speak about how losers can homeschool too to ask again.(heehee) That is way too self-deprecating and I don't really mean that. It was just a funny way to get out of embarrassing myself in front of a group of nice home schooling moms.

OK, I just realized I do have some advice. This is what I've been teaching my daughters lately about home skilledge. Don't be lazy. Keep moving. Always be praying that God will show you a better way to do things. Look around your area and think of a way to make it more appealing and functional.

Also, I'm loving, absolutely loving reading through the whole bible in 90 days. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of starting a new movement called reading thru the bible 4 times in 365 days. I'm wondering if it'll catch on.(heehee) Thanks to this nice family for the encouragement.

Oyster Roast and Happy New Year

We're getting ready to go to an oyster roast at a church in Moncks Corner with our friends the Whites. I just printed off my 3 month bible reading schedule and decided to print off a couple extra in case Lisa or any other unsuspecting person I can recruit tonight wants to do it as well. Here is the site to get the schedule again.

Karis

I stood on the card aisle yesterday for awhile reading cards that I would like to give to my now 17 year old daughter. Yes, today is her birthday!! I'm not really a card giver, but I read about 10 cards that I wanted to hand to her to just express how much she means to me. I was tear-ing up in Publix as I thought about how blessed I am to have been graced by her presence for 17 years now. Time goes by so very quickly and I know that before I know it, she will be all grown up. Other than a few of my bad habits she's picked up along the way (heehee) she is just like her daddy. Maybe that's why I love her so much. The only thing better than Richard is the female version of Richard. Just teasin'...there is nothng or no one better to me than that man. Oh, but it is amazing as she has gotten older and her intellect has developed to listen to her and see how she processes information just like Richard. How they both study and know people so well. They both enjoy people tremendously and like finding out little details. Maybe that's one reason they are both so loved by others. They make people feel good about themselves. Everyone wants to be known by someone.Honestly....they are odd. Maybe I should say unique but really unique doesn't express it well enough, so I'm sticking with odd til I think of a better word: ) I was in Target with Karis about 2 months ago and I returned an item when we first arrived. When we walked away she made a comment about a facial feature of the girl who waited on us. It wasn't negative it was just an observation. I told karis I probably couldn't even identify her again. I just don't take in details. Karis was bumfuzzled so she began to observe me. After we checked out she said I appear to be connecting with people, but that really I wasn't and was just saying words that sound like I'm connecting. It was't a criticism. It was just a fact. I hit target with a task and returned what I needed to return and collected everything into my cart I needed to collect and checked out and was on my way in record time. I guess I assumed that's what everyone does. After her glimpse into my world(amazing to her) and my gimpse into her world(amazing to me) we talked about how it takes different personality types to make life work. How God in his amazing creativeness made us all so differently and for special purposes. It really is cool. Except Karis knows she can't just float around relating and neglect responsibilities and I know I have to stop and really look at and get to know people sometime.
Anyway, I'm not sure I've stayed on topic well unless the topic is "I love my Karis and I am so glad to get to know her more and more everyday and I'm so glad to see God shaping her heart and developing her character...I'm blessed to be her momma"

Can't wait to see what today brings. We're going to spend the whole day blessing her to say thank you for what a blessing she is to us and just doing whatever she wants to do. I might post pics later: )

Reading Thru the Bible in 90 Days

I'm starting January 1 and reading (hopefully) thru the whole bible in 90 days.I heard about it from Raising Olives. Here is the site with an easy way to print a schedule. Would anyone like to join me?

Joy and Confession

Yesterday, during his sermon, Richard shared with us his desire for us to be a confessing church. Over the next year he wants confession one to another to be more a part of who we are--- For it to be just how we operate in our relationships with each other. More of a freedom to be real and to be willing to be held accountable and to be willing to be involved enough to follow up and ask someone else how they are doing in an area of struggle over sin. He didn't say ALL of what I just said, but I know that's what he meant. I can read that man's mind(heehee) During prayer time, I almost asked for prayer for Joy. I was afraid I would say more than I really wanted to say so I just told God and kept quiet like I usually do during prayer request time. Soooo, when Richard shared his vision for Providence in the area of being more transparent, I already knew my confession. I need more JOY. I don't know if that's really the confession though. Since Joy comes as a gift from our Lord, I guess its more of a complaint or maybe I should say request: ) The confession would be not going enough to the source of Joy. I'm a pull yourself up by your bootstraps kinda girl so when I get over whelmed with the work load here at our house or bickering amongst the people I live with--or I'm worried about little technicalities in this fleeting earthly life I try to just work harder or faster or smarter or do better or think of really good solutions. That's my confession and prayer request all at once. I want daily, hour by hour and minute by minute to learn from, go to and trust and rest in Him, my Father up above. Here is an amazing verse I plan to set to memory.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
—Psalm 16:11

I'm really thankful for God placing this on my heart. It is a sign of hope to me that he has a plan to see it through. He would not begin it if he had no intentions of completing it.

I wish every day was Christmas(sigh)

We had the best time yesterday. From the moment the children crowed like roosters to wake us up ( a weird tradition that's been going on since Karis and Cason were our only children) all the way to bedtime!! I have about 100 photos I would love to post but probably I'm the only person who would be THAT interested---so I'lll hold back.

I think I'd like everyday to be Christmas because we're all here together all day long.


(Yes, I put the pic of Cole with his eyes crossed cause it serves him right)

Also, because it is a time my children enjoy blessing each other with a gift they've put thought and love into.






If everyday could be Christmas, Richard would still probably need to make money so I think he'd just weave purses for a living with Kamryn's new loom.


(We'd call it folkart and it would be really EXPENSIVE)

If everyday could be Christmas, we'd wear our pajamas all day long.


(Max and his kitten)

We would eat dinner by candlelight every day STILL in our pajamas.








(kamryn makes dinner "dinner and a show")


Also and most importantly, I want everyday to be Christmas because of this.....Everything shuts down(EVERYTHING) because Jesus was born. It's taken me awhile in my life to get a grip on what I really think about gift giving and receiving on Jesus' birthday and all the preparation and the little bit of stess that comes along with getting ready for "THE DAY". I used to think it was just materialism and I really didn't want to be associated with it. And while I do know our world does get very materialistic at Christmas, we do our very best to not be materialistic with it all. I'm not bragging, but I think we've done a pretty good job. But again, as I mentioned earlier, I've come full circle. I might even do MORE next year---like maybe sending out Christmas cards...or maybe not: ) Even though its a feeble human attempt to shout and yell because Jesus was born, I think God looks graciously at our attempts to celebrate His Son and smiles about all the hoopla.

Does anyone else have a different take on that topic???? I'm not offended at all by differing views: ) I used to be, but I've grown with age: )

Also, if anyone can name a Christmas morning tradition more outrageous than my children crowing like roosters I'll mail a rooster to you as a prize: )

Cole and Grape Juice and Christmas Eve Gifts

Here is a stack-o-presents. One for each member of the Brown house. We open one gift on Christmas Eve. These are not yet wrapped but I thought they looked kinda pretty on my cabinet next to one of my favorite photos of my children. The photo was taken on Sullivan's Island by a local Charleston artist about seven years ago. Our family was a little over half-way done back then. At that time, Cole was the little Brown who needed to be watched the most(heehee) We were meeting patricia there to model for her for a new oil painting series she was about to begin. We were friends with her through the art gallery we owned at the time. I was so prepared. I had everyone's white clothes ready to go the night before, a white blanket ready to lay baby kamryn on. My white dress too cause she thought I was a good pregnant lady model. I even got up that morning and hid the purple grape juice in the fridge under the sink because I knew Cole, in his white clothes, would be searching through the fridge for it. Richard wanted to make a good impression on her and not be late because she did alot of framing with us. Plus he's nice and hates to be late. We were all ready to go out the door and I realized Cole was no longer in my sight. You guessed it. Cole found the grape juice. Opened it. Drank straight from the container and spilled half it down his clothes. I stripped his clothes off, grabbed the Oxy Clean, drenched it in the sink and watched the purple vanish pretty quickly. Then straight to the dryer it went. It was perfectly clean looking and dry in record time and although we were a few minutes late, we pulled up at the same time as our friend. Anyway, that's what I think of when I see that photo.

As for those gifts, I think I'll wrap them and put them under the tree. We are the only people I know who never put any gifts under the tree til time to open them. We always have a family member who has the age and moral capacity to not care of the feelings of others should they just happen to rip into all the gifts. I think I'll let these ten be our "test" gifts to see if we're ready to have some presents out and under the tree.