Tween Fashion

"Look at me!" squealed Delaney. As she twirled and sashayed towards me, I caught the price tag in my right palm. Thirty-nine ninety-nine? It's just a wisp of a thing. Not to mention the crazy expensive designer jeans--FOR A TEN-YEAR-OLD! "Puh-leeeeze?" she asked. "I've been gooood!" I can't believe this is the same little girl who made fun of me for liking nice things...She inherited her father's mantra that "used but not abused is just as good as new." But now she's changing her tune. She's just shy of eleven but I'd say she's officially a tween-a-donna.
I took her shopping yesterday...I'm playing "single parent" some nights as Jeff and Max rehearse their play daily since it premiers in mid-March. I like to call it rehearsal hell. It's a logistical nightmare trying to work out Max's schedule since he lives part time in another city. I don't know how on earth we'll pull this one off. Lots of prayer, that's for sure!

Friends + Fondue = FUN

I find that I'm only as interesting as the company I keep. I'm so energized every time I meet a woman whose light shines a little brighter than mine in hopes that she reflects her rays on me in some fashion...I'm pretty fortunate to have made some pretty special friends in the past couple of years.
My soul exhaled a deep ahhh-men after spending the evening with some of them on Saturday night. While our guys enjoyed male bonding over game night at the church, we gals got together to chat it up with some chocolate fondue. Why on earth don't we do this more often? Amid the clamor of the daily grind and investing in our loved ones, it can feel hard to justify a girl's night out sometimes...but this weekend I realized I've just got to get together with the girls more often. It's like H2O for my soul.

Connecting Hearts Adoption Conference

If you've got a special place tucked away in your heart to give a child a "forever home," I'd love for you to join me at the "Connecting Hearts with the Forgotten" conference in Normal, IL. It's happening this Saturday from 9am-12:30pm and it's not too late to register by sending an email to connectingheartsconference@yahoo.com. It's absolutely free but promises to offer you a wealth of great information.
When my husband and I were initially embarking on this adoption journey, we had no clue where to turn. If we hadn't connected with the "Open Hearts, Open Homes" ministry at Bethany Baptist Church, I'd still be on the fence of whether adopting is the wisest idea. It's scary. It's scary expensive, too! What's the best country to adopt from? The best agency to choose? Is it really God's idea? So many questions...so hard to know where to find the answers! Well, I'm willing to sacrifice a little sleep this weekend to find some answers to questions that've surfaced now that we're nearing the end of our home study.
And I simply cannot wait to connect with you! Thank you for joining me on this exciting adventure...

Committed

"Marriage is those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over two thousand indistinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel. How do you measure the worth of becoming that familiar to somebody?" --Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert
Jeff and I are in the midst of our second, most solid year of marriage. I love watching time pass on his face, I like the way he wrinkles his nose when he's silly and nicknames all the girls in his family...and I love how a thousand creative pistons fire off in his mind to string words together so beautifully in poetic form...and how he superimposes those words on a graphic so I can have a permanent visual reminder of his love for me. (What I not-so-love is how he slaps those poems on the backs of photo frames so no one sees them. He made me remove the beautiful poem he made for me...grrrrr).
We enjoyed each other at leisure in Chicago this weekend. If you trapped the two of us in a box all weekend, we could have a good time...but remind me not to plan a getaway for V-day weekend again! The hotel was so booked, they ran out of king and queen size beds. Nothing spells romance like two double-beds, right? And it didn't occur to my pea brain to make a dinner reservation until Friday...so we ended up having dinner with the early birds at 3:30! (Mind you, it was probably the best meal of my life, but still)...Nonetheless, we were love-struck by cupid and I've got a great restaurant recommendation if you need one.
Happy Belated V-Day, everyone!

Heart Healthy

Seeing photos of myself circa 2007 made me realize I need to lose weight! So does my hunk of a hubby. Here's a tacky snapshot of our wedded blitz to Vegas...man what I would give to fit in that dress again! So tonight Jeff and I did what I never dreamed we'd do together: we blasted through Jillian Michaels' "30-Day Shred" DVD. Yes, she's that scary personal trainer from the Biggest Loser. We panted through butt kicks, ab crunches, jumping jacks...you name it! Nothing says romance like bicycle reps.
Jeff and I have committed to helping each other get healthy again. I'm on a slippery slope to letting myself go after marriage. Delaney reminded me the other day that I used to be "such a fancy person." WHAT HAPPENED?! I got too comfy, that's what! I hooked my man and I've got a great job that doesn't show my face. To some degree it's been healthy to shift my focus away from my appearance but I don't want my husband and kids to have a slob for a wife and mom.
I'm gonna make more of an effort to look a littler nicer and get my husband in heart-healthy shape...but first I need to treat myself to some cornbread and cookies after my turbo workout!

M.O.D. Squad

I'm a M.O.D. Squad member and proud of it!
For those not in the know, M.O.D. stands for "Marie Osmond Dolls." I've been high on dolls since I was a little girl. My mom idolized Marie Osmond and often had her eyes glued to QVC, so when Marie launched a line of collectible fine porcelain dolls in 1991, my mom happily hooked me on the habit of doll collecting.
But my dolls from childhood have been tucked away in storage in Hawaii for many years...until now. My stepfather apparently wants to clear his storage space, so every day for the past few days he's been steadily sending dolls my way. Jeff is appalled. Delaney & I are delighted. I've been placing them in all corners of my home to my husband's horror. I better be careful. He threatened to sell them on eBay! No Way!