Dear baby Bree,
Today you did the cutest thing I've ever seen. You gave your baby doll a book to read. It might seem insignificant to you, but it made mommy laugh. You are the cutest little thing on earth. Your dad agrees.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
A Great Quote
"You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."
-Anne Lamott
-Anne Lamott
Friday, February 17, 2012
An Experiment in Editing
I was fooling around on Picnik - because I love it. And decided to try and see how different I can make a picture of mine look.
I can click a button and give myself a tan, change my hair color, shred 10 pounds, or erase all my freckles.
Here's my finished experiment:
(Me, circa 2006)
If this is the kind of editing I can do on a free program ... imagine the kind of editing that can be done for professionals - with endless resources.
It's funny because often I wish I looked like the girl on the right. But now, seeing her, I'm glad I don't.
Beauty we see on TV, in magazines, or in the movies is totally unrealistic and completely fake.
I can click a button and give myself a tan, change my hair color, shred 10 pounds, or erase all my freckles.
Here's my finished experiment:
If this is the kind of editing I can do on a free program ... imagine the kind of editing that can be done for professionals - with endless resources.
It's funny because often I wish I looked like the girl on the right. But now, seeing her, I'm glad I don't.
Beauty we see on TV, in magazines, or in the movies is totally unrealistic and completely fake.
Why I Love Adele
I was watching the Grammy's the other night when a beautiful woman walked to the stage.
I'm sure you are thinking: which one?
I had never seen Adele before, but I know Brent loves her music and sings it all the time.
When I saw her, I felt a sigh of relief and encouraged.
She's extremely talented, yes, but more than that she is the most "real" celebrity I have seen in awhile. She looks like a woman I might actually see on the street, an average woman. She was all dolled up, sure, but she looked natural. Like herself. She didn't seem like she was trying to fit the cultural perception of celebrity (funky hair and clothes, tiny body, flawless face and skin). She looked like a real person.
And I like real people.
So I like Adele.
I'm sure you are thinking: which one?
I had never seen Adele before, but I know Brent loves her music and sings it all the time.
When I saw her, I felt a sigh of relief and encouraged.
She's extremely talented, yes, but more than that she is the most "real" celebrity I have seen in awhile. She looks like a woman I might actually see on the street, an average woman. She was all dolled up, sure, but she looked natural. Like herself. She didn't seem like she was trying to fit the cultural perception of celebrity (funky hair and clothes, tiny body, flawless face and skin). She looked like a real person.
And I like real people.
So I like Adele.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Age is Just a Number, Baby.
If you know where that quote is from, this post is for you.
I've recently been trying to fit into shoes much too big for me, which is ironic because as a kid I always scrunched into shoes much too small for me (my older sister's - who did not have monster feet like I do).
I digress ... I thought having a kid meant I had to grow up.
And I do have to in a lot of ways. A LOT.
But lately, I have been feeling so "off" and not myself at all. I find myself constantly looking to other moms for what to do, what to wear, and how to act. Well, that's all well and good, but it's not me. I'm just trying to 'keep up with the Jones' - so to speak.
If growing up means I have to throw out all my funny tshirts, don some pearls, stop reading young adult books, and drive a minivan. I think I'll pass - except for the minivan. I really would love a minivan.
I want to be me. Maybe my taste and style will change as I get older, but for now I want to do what feels like me and enjoy it because someday I want Bree to be herself. And if she feels like she has to dress a certain way or do a certain thing, I want her to know that her mom was there, and her mom had the courage to be herself. However eclectic she may be.
So, yes, as a 25 year old wife and mom my tshirts will have characters on them. I will read Twilight novels and watch the movies repeatedly. I'll rock pigtails with bows on each tail. My socks will have polka dots, and my big plastic pink watch will never match what I'm wearing. I will dance around my house to no music. I will make everything into a song. I will call the people I love pet names that make no sense. And I will lounge around the house confidently and warm in my IU snuggie. And guess what?
I'm okay with that.
I've recently been trying to fit into shoes much too big for me, which is ironic because as a kid I always scrunched into shoes much too small for me (my older sister's - who did not have monster feet like I do).
I digress ... I thought having a kid meant I had to grow up.
And I do have to in a lot of ways. A LOT.
But lately, I have been feeling so "off" and not myself at all. I find myself constantly looking to other moms for what to do, what to wear, and how to act. Well, that's all well and good, but it's not me. I'm just trying to 'keep up with the Jones' - so to speak.
If growing up means I have to throw out all my funny tshirts, don some pearls, stop reading young adult books, and drive a minivan. I think I'll pass - except for the minivan. I really would love a minivan.
I want to be me. Maybe my taste and style will change as I get older, but for now I want to do what feels like me and enjoy it because someday I want Bree to be herself. And if she feels like she has to dress a certain way or do a certain thing, I want her to know that her mom was there, and her mom had the courage to be herself. However eclectic she may be.
So, yes, as a 25 year old wife and mom my tshirts will have characters on them. I will read Twilight novels and watch the movies repeatedly. I'll rock pigtails with bows on each tail. My socks will have polka dots, and my big plastic pink watch will never match what I'm wearing. I will dance around my house to no music. I will make everything into a song. I will call the people I love pet names that make no sense. And I will lounge around the house confidently and warm in my IU snuggie. And guess what?
I'm okay with that.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day!
On a day all about love, I find myself reflecting on the royal law, by which I try to live my life: Love the Lord and love others as I love myself.
Today, I was wondering why it is God wants to love others as we love ourselves. As I was reflecting on it at Bible study, a thought occurred. We sure do love ourselves. I think about myself a lot. Sometimes I am not even trying to think about myself, I just find my mind wanders to things that are going on in my life, things I want to do, want to change, etc.
God didn't call us to love each other just like we love our parents ... Or our children ... Or our friends.
There's a reason God chose to say love them as you love yourself!
I wonder if it's because if we love people the way we love ourselves, it takes the focus OFF of us and onto others. We would stop dwelling on us and start dwelling on others.
Doesn't that sound like someone familiar?
By loving others as we love ourselves, we are being more like Christ and less like the world. The world tells us to think about number one, take care of yourself, be independent. Christ tells us to think of others. Love others. Show mercy. Show compassion.
I make a lot of allowances for myself to mess up, to make mistakes. Do I offer that luxury to others? I allow myself the freedom to mess up, and I forgive myself - heck I excuse myself sometimes! Do I treat others to the same freedom? Or do I tend to condemn?
This is a great quote from a woman, "Do you just want to be right? Or do you want to have a relationship?" Because sometimes we choose being right over our relationships. Sometimes we choose self righteousness over grace and mercy.
And that is not love, especially not loving others as ourselves.
Ponder how you love people today, and so will I.
On a day all about love, I find myself reflecting on the royal law, by which I try to live my life: Love the Lord and love others as I love myself.
Today, I was wondering why it is God wants to love others as we love ourselves. As I was reflecting on it at Bible study, a thought occurred. We sure do love ourselves. I think about myself a lot. Sometimes I am not even trying to think about myself, I just find my mind wanders to things that are going on in my life, things I want to do, want to change, etc.
God didn't call us to love each other just like we love our parents ... Or our children ... Or our friends.
There's a reason God chose to say love them as you love yourself!
I wonder if it's because if we love people the way we love ourselves, it takes the focus OFF of us and onto others. We would stop dwelling on us and start dwelling on others.
Doesn't that sound like someone familiar?
By loving others as we love ourselves, we are being more like Christ and less like the world. The world tells us to think about number one, take care of yourself, be independent. Christ tells us to think of others. Love others. Show mercy. Show compassion.
I make a lot of allowances for myself to mess up, to make mistakes. Do I offer that luxury to others? I allow myself the freedom to mess up, and I forgive myself - heck I excuse myself sometimes! Do I treat others to the same freedom? Or do I tend to condemn?
This is a great quote from a woman, "Do you just want to be right? Or do you want to have a relationship?" Because sometimes we choose being right over our relationships. Sometimes we choose self righteousness over grace and mercy.
And that is not love, especially not loving others as ourselves.
Ponder how you love people today, and so will I.
Monday, February 13, 2012
WORDS
A self-created acronym of my lessons from James 22-25 this morning.
W - Written on our hearts, God has put His law in us and in our minds (Jer. 31:31-34; Ez. 36:26-27)
O - Our "doing" may not always be physical activity. (Romans 4:20)
R - Relationships are the goal of regulations. (Matthew 5: 3-10)
D - Deception enters when we only hear and not also "do." (James 1:22-24)
S - Satisfaction comes at the fulfillment of our original purpose. (James 1:25)
W - Written on our hearts, God has put His law in us and in our minds (Jer. 31:31-34; Ez. 36:26-27)
O - Our "doing" may not always be physical activity. (Romans 4:20)
R - Relationships are the goal of regulations. (Matthew 5: 3-10)
D - Deception enters when we only hear and not also "do." (James 1:22-24)
S - Satisfaction comes at the fulfillment of our original purpose. (James 1:25)
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