Tis the season...

Every time I try to have a garage sale I just end up buying my own stuff. Which, according to my husband is pointless and a waste of time. I guess he's right, maybe this once. Its not my fault really, everything just looks so good and new again spread out on a plastic table in front of a lawn chair. Therefore I have decided to be on the opposite end this year, to be the browser and even the buyer perhaps. I am in the market for something that I probably will never use or just put in my drawer and forget about. I want to be like my friend Jackie (@jacquiwalks), she has this ability to take something someone is getting rid of and turn it into something beautiful. She'll make you wish you never threw it out or gave it away. She can see the value in it when someone else can't anymore. With a little effort and time the trash is truly turned into treasure. I also need to apply that to my life, to take the garbage and transform it. Pull something out of a bad situation that I can learn from and maybe have it result in something beautiful. And that is real renewal. @leahlaing

Talking to the wall

I have two daughters that recently turned 15 and 13. This officially makes me a couple of things. 1. A proud mother to two teenagers and 2. Someone that knows pretty much nothing. But this is what I do know and what I want my daughters to know as well. Be confident, but know there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Love yourself even on the hard days, no matter what the world tells you real beauty starts internally first. Surround yourself with good people. Pick your friends and the ones you choose to love carefully, they will have more impact on the rest of your life than you think. Respect and trust is earned, it is not just tossed on you for no reason and can be lost in seconds. All the little choices you make will end up reflecting on the person you become. Forgive easily because there will be a time when you need to be forgiven. When in doubt look up. You can't go wrong. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 Grip those three words tightly. So even though sometimes I feel like I'm talking to the wall or whispering instruction in vain I can already see the greatness in both of them. Which makes me think that no matter what they imply, I may know what I'm talking about just a little and it may just be reaching them on a way I can't see on a daily basis. So that makes me a happy mom. And a hopeful one.

The penguin predicament

When I was little I loved penguins. By love I mean collected them, drew them, did projects on them. I would spend my hard earned allowance on penguin paraphernalia, request items of the penguin kind for my birthday and daydream of visiting the arctic. Most of my friends wanted ponies, I wished for a feathered friend. But despite my many pleas my mother did not give in. And then it happened, penguin overload. My room started to overflow with black and white, I had too many penguin snow scene sweatshirts to number and to my own surprise thought my collection was complete. However the rest of the world did not get the memo, bless their souls.  The stuffed animals, posters and figurines kept on coming well into my teenage years and early adulthood. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciated every gift but I just needed to move on. To shake my reputation as the penguin girl. I was having dinner with my good friend the other night and she said the same thing happened to her but with kittens. I'm thinking of  starting a support group. I have to be honest though, I still think they are the cutest animal I've ever seen and catch myself picking them off the shelf in the store on occasion. My sisters and I still laugh about it all the time but they seem to be laughing a little harder than me.

I swear I don't swear

I don't swear. I swear I don't. I don't feel the need to, I never have. Its not like I can't, I'm a grown adult and no one is going to wash my mouth out with soap. I get made fun of for saying words like shoot and darn by my surrounding adults and I don't even think in curse words. I don't wave in traffic in case its misinterpreted. It's just something that doesn't appeal to me personally. I understand it's necessity in some situations like labor or when you hammer your thumb. I laugh when small children repeat it unintentionally and it's used in the right context to entertain people. I know you're probably thinking shut the front door...but its true. I always try and think of something more creative to say, to challenge myself. To bring myself to the next non-swearing level, I think its called pre-school.

I prayed for patience

I prayed for patience the other day. Since then I've waited in line for hours at the grocery store, listened to my kids practice their "spongebob voice" in the car, and misplaced my income tax receipts on numerous occasions. I'm good now Lord. Moral of the story, be careful what you pray for, you may get it. This doesn't mean I will stop praying, this just means I will be more selective. I will seriously think of things that are wants and weed them out among the needs. I will be thankful for the opportunity to become more patient or the ability to show kindness. For the places where I can be a peacemaker and my chances to be humble even when it stings. Maybe I will even focus on what I do have instead of what I don't. I know all this sounds as easy as pie. But have you ever made pie? It's not that easy. Yum pie. Now I need to pray for willpower. 

Lego and pain

Pain is no laughing matter. Anyone that's ever stepped on a piece of lego knows this. It reminds us that we're human. It also reminds us that yes, plastic can break through skin quite easily. But seriously without pain we wouldn't learn anything. The pain of mistrust or a broken heart. The pain of losing something important or making the wrong decision. Pain tells us one thing, we don't want it to happen again. It not-so-gently reminds us what went wrong or the reality of not being in control all the time. Sometimes we see the lego and still step on it. Sometimes we yell at someone else for leaving the lego in our path. But eventually we will be like, "oh there's the lego, I think I will go around it today. " And that my friends is learning that pain may be in our paths at times and sometimes we step on it and sometimes we don't.

Childlike honesty

Honesty is a funny thing. It can be quite selective in the way we use it. If you want an honest opinion on something ask a four year old. Don't ask your friend, or your mom (thanks mom, I saw the picture and no I do not look good in a floral maternity top) or your neighbor. Find a four year old, look them directly in the eye and ask. There will be no hesitation or awkward silence. No changing the subject or underlying sarcasm.  I've now decided to bring a four year old with me everywhere I need that. When I get my hair done, purchasing a new bathing suit, or trying out a recipe for the first time, to name a few. I will brace myself for the harsh reality of childlike honesty and appreciate it for all it's worth. Which in my opinion is a lot.