Changing It Up A Bit

So I went through a bunch of weird health stuff a few months ago and through it I learned that I have developed adult asthma. In doing some research and learning about the different things people are allergic to and triggers for those people, I learned a lot about how many people are making a lot of their own daily products at home. I was intrigued so I thought I would try something we use every day and make it.
I found a "recipe" for homemade body wash on Pinterest, because well, we go through soap and body wash around here like we're made of the stuff.
The ingredients were really simple.

1 gallon of water
8oz bar of soap
2 tbs of glycerin
Grate the soap like cheese.

Add the water and the grated soap to a stock pot and dissolve the soap into the water over low heat.

Remove from heat and allow it to sit for 10-12 hours.
Once it sat overnight, the instructions said to take a hand mixer and mix the pot until it is thick.
Then add to a gallon container.
Mine never really got thick. It just looked like cloudy water. I went ahead and added several drops of lavender essential oil and changed the containers in our showers to the new stuff.

The family said that they were not that impressed. It was really fluid and never really soaped or foamed, so they felt like they were using twice as much as normal. But at under a $1 for the whole mix, they are going to use it until it runs out!
Oh well, maybe I'm not so domesticated after all, or maybe Pinterest is wrong as much as it is right.
- Hugs n Love,
Lindsey

All Days Should Be That Good

For Easter, the kids got their own fishing poles and bait kits. What can I say? It's what they get for being adopted by really outdoorsy people. They were mesmerized and although we have had two opportunities since for them to use their poles, The Hero and I decided that for Memorial Day, we would not disappoint them. We'd make an entire day of fishing.
Only one problem.
We had no idea where to go.
Some friends of ours have an amazing property not far from us, but like most good friends, it's been too long since we've seen them. We called and asked if we could bring the kids out to fish and they were elated. Due to all our recent rain, there had been no time to weed out the perch fish from the pond. Apparently, perch fish eat the eggs of other, more desirable fish. So perch fishing it was.
The Hero and I headed to the store for bait and picnic snacks.
Mommy got REALLY side tracked when we stopped by a local farm and bought produce...I may or may not have filled up the back of our car with flowers, veggies and fruit to plant in our back yard. The kids were allegedly DYING to go fishing, so I crammed the remaining treasures in our car and off we went.
Their poles weren't in the water 30 seconds before both of them had caught fish. For almost three hours, The Hero baited the hooks, Mommy wore the glove to remove the fish from the hooks and tossed them on the bank. The Angel caught almost 50 fish!




She squealed and giggled and yelled "I CAUGHT ONE. I CAUGHT ONE."
Every.
Single.
Time.





It was so much fun.






And all the while, The Dinosaur acted tough and brave.
But he still didn't want them too close to him once they were pulled from the water.

We laughed and played and drove home exhausted. They were filthy and fishy and we recounted the catches of the day.




The Dino was asleep before his body was dried off from his bath. The Angel snuggled up to The Hero and whispered "Every day should be that good."
They were both asleep before 7:30, so The Hero and I made a light dinner and poured glasses of wine and snuck out to the patio to toast the day.

Yes Angel, every day should be that good.

- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey

How Can He Be Five.

A few days ago we said Happy Birthday to The Dinosaur. I find it so hard to believe he's that old. While his personality and body are developing and changing every day, I still see him as the tiny, shy baby we brought home three years ago.

I remember the night years ago that The Dinosaur fell asleep in the car coming home from dinner out. I opened the door and was trying to cradle him in my arms without waking him when The Hero asked if I wanted him to take over. I told him no, because there would come a day when I would be unable to carry him myself. Unfortunately, that time is almost upon me. A few nights ago, The Dino fell asleep on the couch downstairs. He was so heavy, I struggled to make it up the stairs with him because his feet were kicking me in the knees!

Happy belated birthday Dinosaur. You may never really know all that you have taught and brought into my life.






Such a character!






May all your dreams await you, with the passion you possess.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

3 Years

This week marked three years of us being together as a family. Three years seems like a long time. But looking at these pictures tonight, the time has flown by.

His chubby baby cheeks.





So Sweet. SOOOOO Tiny.





How did I ever become lucky enough to have these two in my home every day?





The laughs.




The antics.




The love. My goodness the love.
Happy Three years babies. It's all gone by too fast.


- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey

When You Can't Pray

Last Monday afternoon, I got the call that every child dreads. My dad was admitted to the hospital and was in intensive care. Every thing in my life disappeared. I no longer became the Type-A, time scheduled oriented person I've developed into over the last thirty-four years. I left the office with enough work to keep my mind busy, called The Hero and headed to the hospital. Most of last week is a complete blur. Between the hospital, the office and home, our lives have taken some what of a slower pace.
Dad is stable but still in the hospital with a blood clot. But I've discovered something about myself when approached with tragedy; I find it very hard to pray. I don't make grand promises to God, argue my case with Him or bemoan the current circumstances. I try to approach the throne and nothing comes out.

This at first was very alarming. I wondered if I was missing something in my theology. Until yesterday morning. My legal assistant walked in my office before I headed to the hospital and closed the door.
She asked me if I had any idea how many people were praying for my family. And as we approached the throne room together, she prayed over me while I sobbed through her requests on my behalf.
And then it all became quite clear to me. While these past days have felt extremely lonely, we have in fact been surrounded. The texts, phone calls, hugs, sincere emails and encouraging thoughts have engulfed my family with reminders that I don't need to be concerned with my inability to pray these days; so many of you are doing it for us. It is such an example of the Church at her best and I am honored to be a part of it.

From the bottom of my heart, from the entirety of my family, THANK YOU for loving us through this period of our lives.


- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey

My Rules

I think The Hero has acclimated nicely to being married to a justice junkie, spontaneously thinking crazy woman such as myself. He has very few rules that I must follow when developing a project, a plan or an idea. And while the rules are few, I still have a hard time following them from time to time. It's not because I am intending to break the rules, but most often it is because I forget.

Here are the rules:

1.) I cannot be led solely from emotion.
Allegedly, the rule doesn't allow for a reactionary response based upon my ability to be moved at a moment's notice. Like when I asked if we could become home base for all the animals and children displaced from Hurricane Katrina. He simply smiled and said "Rule #1".

2.) The decision I make cannot force us to move more than 50 miles outside our current location without prior notice. This rule was developed upon our first trip from Ethiopia wherein I announced on the airplane we were selling our home, cashing in his retirement plan with the fire department and opening an orphanage in Ethiopia for needy children.

3.) If The Hero is expected to be exert money, time or energy on one of my projects, I have to successfully implement and maintain such enthusiasm for a defined length of time. This defined length of time is also determined by The Hero, not me. This rule developed after reading Jen Hatmaker's 7 last year and advising The Hero I had hired a bulldozer to demolish our back yard and till up a garden plot that if successful would mean our kids' swing set must be demolished to make way for potatoes.

As I previously indicated in my last post, I love this time of year. As dominated the kitchen table a few weeks ago with growth charts, almanacs, seed catalogs and soil tests, The Hero tried to slink into his Lazyboy undetected. No dice.
"Hey did you rent the tiller for the garden space this year?" I batted my eyes his direction for effect.

"Uh...you're doing that again this year?" He was already looking for an escape route from the living room.

I stared out the kitchen window and daydreamed. "I grew tomatoes, herbs, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cucumbers, leafy greens and peppers last year. This year I think we need to move the kids swing set to make room for a cut flower garden, garlic, strawberries, okra, black-eyed peas, onions and carrots. What do you think?"

I turned around to discover he was headed out of the living room mumbling something about Rule #3.


- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey

This Time of Year

Oklahoma this time of year is one of my favorites of all. The weather is temperamental no matter the season, but from end of January until middle of March, every day is a total surprise. Three weeks ago, my family spent the most amazing Sunday outdoors enjoying a 70 degree day.

Less than seven days ago, we were under a blizzard watch. Living on the plains always keeps us guessing.

But my favorite thing about this season is the anticipation. The seed and gardening catalogs start arriving the first part of January and I devour the contents like an addict needing a fix. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, flowers, seedlings, berry bushes and the like can keep me curled on the couch for an entire Saturday.

I make our list. Chart out rows and check my gardening notes from the season before. I double check the online almanac and place our first seed order.




And then I start daydreaming...

onions.



carrots.




Gardening even became a family affair last year. The kids and I would hit the door from school and work, drop everything and head to the back yard. They would search for new growth and water, while I pulled weeds and marveled at how amazing is God's handiwork.

Jen Hatmaker posted on facebook last week that she learned more about God from an hour gardening than from most Bible studies. I couldn't agree more. So many metaphors about growing, life, depth, pruning and removing what's dead are found in a garden.

So as the wind howls outside today, I checked our pepper and tomato seedlings tucked away in the windowsill and am preparing for a summer of what might be.


- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey