Tonight Andrew has his first Theolgy of the Body group meeting. I'm really excited, but a little nervous. I want this to interest him, to excite him, to create curiosity and promise in our relationship. As he's at his first meeting tonight, I'm going to spend tonight in prayer and thought, hoping that this little seed really sparks something in Andrew and encourages us to pursue a deeper path for or marriage. I'll post more on TOB later - maybe I'll find some inspiration!
07 April 2010
06 April 2010
Amazed.
Tonight I had just put Molly to bed and was puttering around in the house. The sun had already set and the family room was getting dark. Since we had just come in from a trip to Home Depot, the lights were all off, so when the family room lit up bright PINK, I was really confused. I ran to the window and saw the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I started yelling for Andrew, who came to the window and said, "Oh, wow." I replied, "Honey, the sun already set! It's supposed to be dark!" I grabbed my camera and went running outside.
In Texas, the sky is SO big. Tonight, the sun had already set and it was getting dark when it hit a cloud that was really, really high in the sky. As the sun's rays hit the cloud, it just lit up, even though the sun was totally gone. It was just breathtaking. It was the kind of moment where you just feel everything stand still. The darker clouds you can see in the picture above are the clouds that we usually see in the sky; the ones that are closer to us. There was actually an immense space between these clouds and the huge, pink could behind them.
This picture shows you how dusky it really was outside.
Lucy came to the door and said breathlessly, "Wow! Mommy, it's just so beautiful! Can I watch the cloud with you?"
I don't think this will be far from my mind for a very, very long time.
05 April 2010
PS
See that necklace Molly's wearing? She usually wears 4. At all times. When she wakes up in the morning, she hunts down her jewerly and puts it on immediately, wearing it right up to naptime and then directly after, until bedtime. At least she knows what's important. A girl should always sparkle, right?
04 April 2010
Happy Easter!!
Well, it's late here, but I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten! In lieu of a longer, more wordy post (which will come tomorrow), here are a few pictures of our youngest egg hunter learning the ropes! She was just so excited to be included with the big girls, and ran right out there to find her egg. (Yes...she didn't quite get it, but she ended up with 3 eggs and was so proud of herself!)
This kid...I tell you what. She's just a delight from head to toe. I'll post about big sister tomorrow!
This kid...I tell you what. She's just a delight from head to toe. I'll post about big sister tomorrow!
Putting all her eggs in one basket. Or under. Whatever.
Checking out her amazing 3-egg haul!
Receiving directions - they tend to stun her.
Action shot.
The thrill of the hunt!
And no, Tricia, I didn't forget you! Here's the amazing recipe for that wonderful Mac-n-Cheese! I use sharp cheddar, which is really the only way to go, isn't it? I also add extra dry mustard, a few dashes of paprika and about a half cup of minced onion - it just does something magical! I follow Ree's recipe pretty closely, but I took a few ingredients from Alton Brown's recipe and together they make an amazing mac-n-cheese!
Well, more pictures, recipes and love tomorrow! It's been a long day and this Easter bunny is one tired
02 April 2010
What's Cookin' in Texas.
Well Ladies and Gents, things are certainly stepping up around here.
Andrew signed on with a new company yesterday. This company is in the same field Andrew works in and the new office is about 20 minutes north of here. I think I'm pleased with this. It's hard when you have family and friends in the mix and are still missing "home," but isn't home for me really supposed to be the people under this roof, anyway? It would be unfair to say that I can't live anywhere but Maryland, because what I really need in my life is Andrew and our girls. We do miss our family and friends, but they're visitable. This is the point where many people who are reading right now will say to themselves, "We should go visit them!" and I know that their intentions are good. But the fact remains that a mere 1% of the people who say they'll visit will actually show up at our door. When we lived in Western MD, we did the visiting, for the most part. Now that we're in Texas, we'll do roughly 99% of the visiting. That's just the way it goes. That's what makes a relocation hard. Once you're out of the circle of regulars, you really are knocked waaaayyy down the list of "must-do's." I could give you a list of, say, 8 people will are likely to see here in Texas. And I know a lot of people. (Do you know that I had 4 out of town family members at my WEDDING? It's true. Four. I mean, the Davis girls were there. So I had 7. Does anyone really need a whole lot more than a bottle of champagne and the Davis girls?)
My point is, when you move far away, you really do need to MAKE your own life. We're doing a decent job of that, so far. I'm involved with my mom's group at Church and really loving it, Andrew is having a blast with his bike and can't wait to get out to fish. We have Jenny and Paul, who are the world's best neighbors and and most wonderful friends. They were truly a gift from God, living right next door with a cute little girl, always at the ready. I think that that is how you know that things will be okay. Even if it takes awhile to really get settled and figure out your place, God sends you some sign that anywhere can be home with the right attitude.
And Texas? Texas is so...us. We talked at length about moving back to the Midatlantic area. A few nights ago I said, "Well, at least if we move back, we will have had a nice 6 month vacation, right?" And Andrew replied, "Why would you move if where you're living feels like vacation?"
Texas is big, open, breezy, warm, friendly, silly and loyal. It's sort of like a big, huge friend. The people here are just so kind and ready to chat. It's hot and dusty and has fire ants, but no friend is perfect 100% of the time, right? When we landed at DFW after our trip to Port Angeles, we were driving home and I said, "Wow, I feel like I can stretch and spread out again!" The skies here are the bluest I've ever seen and they just go on for miles.
And we can afford Texas. As a one-income family, I'm learning that you have to make sacrifices. It turns out that those sacrifices right now are not financial so much as environmental. We just can't afford the Midatlantic area. Andrew's salary is fine, but we'd really have to pinch pennies and live in a smaller house. For us, Texas holds amazing possibilities where homemaking is concerned. For $200k, we can buy this, or this, or this. We're looking forward to having well over 2k square feet, a little bit of land and a lot of room to play, should we decide to buy next year. It's so important to us that our home be a comfortable, happy retreat. That means a big backyard, lots of room to run indoors and out and a sense of privacy. Texas has that, and we're really looking forward to it. It's easier to be a stay-at-home-mom when you love your home.
The girls really don't know what's going on. They're just happy having food, a family bed and Addy next door. The rest of it is a blur to them! I'm glad we won't be moving again so soon. Lucy and Molly really need a sense of continuity for awhile. We're still working on completing our home furnishings and have lots of little plans for the next few months. Simple things, like redecorating their bedroom and turning it into a purple paradise for Lucy. We anticipate moving them into a shared room at Christmas, so we're slowly working on turning their bedroom into a little girl's dream room. We need to find a very large entertainment center. I need to get off my duff and buy a few more end tables. Or bookshelves. Something. I also need to get a sewing table. I think the family is getting tired of my kitchen counter sewing. So, we have things to keep us busy as we settle in to a more permanent Texan life.
Well, there's a little update for you. I'm going to head to the couch and snuggle up for a 20 minute catnap with my sweet redhead. Perfection!
Andrew signed on with a new company yesterday. This company is in the same field Andrew works in and the new office is about 20 minutes north of here. I think I'm pleased with this. It's hard when you have family and friends in the mix and are still missing "home," but isn't home for me really supposed to be the people under this roof, anyway? It would be unfair to say that I can't live anywhere but Maryland, because what I really need in my life is Andrew and our girls. We do miss our family and friends, but they're visitable. This is the point where many people who are reading right now will say to themselves, "We should go visit them!" and I know that their intentions are good. But the fact remains that a mere 1% of the people who say they'll visit will actually show up at our door. When we lived in Western MD, we did the visiting, for the most part. Now that we're in Texas, we'll do roughly 99% of the visiting. That's just the way it goes. That's what makes a relocation hard. Once you're out of the circle of regulars, you really are knocked waaaayyy down the list of "must-do's." I could give you a list of, say, 8 people will are likely to see here in Texas. And I know a lot of people. (Do you know that I had 4 out of town family members at my WEDDING? It's true. Four. I mean, the Davis girls were there. So I had 7. Does anyone really need a whole lot more than a bottle of champagne and the Davis girls?)
My point is, when you move far away, you really do need to MAKE your own life. We're doing a decent job of that, so far. I'm involved with my mom's group at Church and really loving it, Andrew is having a blast with his bike and can't wait to get out to fish. We have Jenny and Paul, who are the world's best neighbors and and most wonderful friends. They were truly a gift from God, living right next door with a cute little girl, always at the ready. I think that that is how you know that things will be okay. Even if it takes awhile to really get settled and figure out your place, God sends you some sign that anywhere can be home with the right attitude.
And Texas? Texas is so...us. We talked at length about moving back to the Midatlantic area. A few nights ago I said, "Well, at least if we move back, we will have had a nice 6 month vacation, right?" And Andrew replied, "Why would you move if where you're living feels like vacation?"
Texas is big, open, breezy, warm, friendly, silly and loyal. It's sort of like a big, huge friend. The people here are just so kind and ready to chat. It's hot and dusty and has fire ants, but no friend is perfect 100% of the time, right? When we landed at DFW after our trip to Port Angeles, we were driving home and I said, "Wow, I feel like I can stretch and spread out again!" The skies here are the bluest I've ever seen and they just go on for miles.
And we can afford Texas. As a one-income family, I'm learning that you have to make sacrifices. It turns out that those sacrifices right now are not financial so much as environmental. We just can't afford the Midatlantic area. Andrew's salary is fine, but we'd really have to pinch pennies and live in a smaller house. For us, Texas holds amazing possibilities where homemaking is concerned. For $200k, we can buy this, or this, or this. We're looking forward to having well over 2k square feet, a little bit of land and a lot of room to play, should we decide to buy next year. It's so important to us that our home be a comfortable, happy retreat. That means a big backyard, lots of room to run indoors and out and a sense of privacy. Texas has that, and we're really looking forward to it. It's easier to be a stay-at-home-mom when you love your home.
The girls really don't know what's going on. They're just happy having food, a family bed and Addy next door. The rest of it is a blur to them! I'm glad we won't be moving again so soon. Lucy and Molly really need a sense of continuity for awhile. We're still working on completing our home furnishings and have lots of little plans for the next few months. Simple things, like redecorating their bedroom and turning it into a purple paradise for Lucy. We anticipate moving them into a shared room at Christmas, so we're slowly working on turning their bedroom into a little girl's dream room. We need to find a very large entertainment center. I need to get off my duff and buy a few more end tables. Or bookshelves. Something. I also need to get a sewing table. I think the family is getting tired of my kitchen counter sewing. So, we have things to keep us busy as we settle in to a more permanent Texan life.
Well, there's a little update for you. I'm going to head to the couch and snuggle up for a 20 minute catnap with my sweet redhead. Perfection!
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