Junior High

I'm in a sweaty but content mood this morning. So ready for fall and lower temps, as we head into yet another day of 90°. I'm doing my housewife thing, moving laundry and tidying up after the weekend. The kids start school tomorrow (*insert hallelujah chorus*) and they're pretty excited. My daughter is starting junior high which is unreal to me. First, that I'm old enough to have a child old enough for junior high. Second, that I'm sending her off to the wolves. I know, let's not dramatize it, but junior high pretty much sucked for me. It was awkward to say the least, and full of bullies and catty girls that made me feel pretty small. My daughter is way cuter than I was at this age, so she has that going for her. But she also has braces and just got glasses and prays nightly for a growth spurt. So the key word is awkward, which I'm sure every adult can agree is that theme for junior high.

My neighbor reassured me the other day, saying that they have really cracked down on bullying in recent years. I'd like to believe that it is somehow different now, but I'm too cynical to hop on board with that just yet. Some of my worst moments happened on the school bus, and since we live so close to the school, that won't be an issue. And as God told me when she started Kindergarten, I'm just going to have to trust Him. He has her back. Which I will be reminding Him of daily, probably until she is 50 years old and I feel like I can finally relax.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. {Inspired by SouleMama}

{spaghetti sandwich}

Those New Bowls

I so love these new bowls that I'm posting about them again.... just to say, LOOK how cute they are! Underneath is some greenery that the Boy picked for me. ♥

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse supposedly went to rehab this summer. I hope that it's true, and I hope that she gets clean. All you have to do is look at pictures of her to tell her life story.

Beautiful, talented and a singing career with a bright future on the left, emaciated, high, dirty and pathetic on the right. This is what addiction looks like. Pretty glamorous, huh?

Overheard

"My penis is in there, haha, my peeeee-nis."

"I don't need to hear about your penis."

"But I like my penis!" (Convo between the Tyrant and the Man, laying together on the couch. The Tyrant was wrapped in a beach towel after getting out of the pool.)

"Mom, you may think this is crazy, but one time at the campground I kissed C. in a tree."
"In a tree?"
"Yes.  Like in the song."  (Convo between me and the Boy, about a wee romance blooming between him and my best friend's daughter)

"Mom, I just always miss you when you go by yourself and I always love you."  (The Tyrant, explaining why he MUST be allowed to accompany me to the grocery store.)

My Daughter's Birthday Party

My Princess turned 11 a few weeks ago, and we're finally having her party tonight. Out of the dozen invitations she sent to friends, only 2 can come. I'm so sad for her. She wrote me a note last night saying that she was upset about it, but knows that she will live. I hate that I can't fix this for her. I know the 3 girls will have a fun time and eat lots of junk food and so forth, but I have major mama guilt about giving my child a summer birthday. I have a summer/holiday birthday, so I am all too familiar with what that feels like. I didn't have a friend birthday party until I was 30. And even then, it was really just a summer bbq, with cake thrown in at the end for me.

As I contemplate my dislike of birthday parties in general, I am reminded that it is not my job to keep life from happening to my kids. Parties will flop, boyfriends will break up with you and bees will sting. I can accept all of the ugly stuff in my own life, but in my kids' lives? I want to protect them.

The real irony here is that in my own life, I wouldn't change anything about my own experiences. The most painful events I have lived through have been the ones that shaped me the most, and led me all the nearer to God. Miscarriage, broken friendships, alcoholism.... these things have made me who I am. All the things I would never want for my kids, are the very things that I can honestly say I am thankful to God for allowing to happen to me.

I still wish my daughter could have a dozen friends at her party, and that I could somehow protect her from all of life's hurts. But I know that God will use this day in her life to shape her into the woman He wants her to be.

This & That

New Dress A Day - This clever gal is making old dresses into new ones every day for a year. She is ridiculously cute, and even though I hate wearing dresses, her blog is fun to read.

Things you shouldn't be spending money on.... Nice article, self-explanatory. I was quite pleased to see that we're complying with most of these suggestions. The one we're not is our gym membership, but at 20 bucks a month for both the Man and I, I think we're getting a good deal.

Johnny Cash & Billy Graham - I love this video! Some good old gospel music performed by Johnny, with some scripture narration by Billy. Two American icons, who only wanted to tell about the love of their life - Jesus.

For the love of cheese....

....why can't they be quiet?! And stop bickering?!

Two more weeks til school starts, and my sanity returns.....

Vintage Kitchen

What is it about old kitchen things that I love so? I can't explain it, but they make me so happy. They must remind me of summers at my Gram's; a simple country life. I found these on our last camping trip.

The pitcher is in perfect condition, and even still has the original enamelware sticker on it. As much as that may increase its value, I'm still going to peel that baby off so I can use the it. I'm already imagining a big pitcher of lemonade with slices floating....

I had never seen green handled utensils until a few years ago, and now I buy them anytime I find them. The dipper is so precious! The tool in the middle is a jar lifter for canning. The bowls are grey agate enamelware, which I've never seen before. They're too chipped to use for food, but I think they'll be perfect for centerpieces or candle holders.

I found myself tearing up in the little shop I found these in. I just kept thinking about my childhood summers at the farm with Gram, cooking and sewing together. I miss her. I don't know how much longer she will know who I am, and being hundreds of miles away makes it incredibly difficult to go visit. I just want to get on a plane and go be with her, and that's really not an option for many reasons. I know that I need to pray about this and quit stewing about it, but blogging it helps me too.

This & That

EvanTell -  Last night at church we had an evangelism training seminar. I love my Jesus, and really do want to share Him with others, but like every garden-variety Christian, I feel very inept in doing so.  How do you express in simple terms how much the Creator of the universe loves and wants you?  It's overwhelming from every angle. Two of our pastors led the seminar based on material from EvanTell.  I found it very helpful and insightful. The specific worksheet that we used, How to tell the Bad News Good News, is found here.

That Will Buff Out - One of the many sites in my 'Funny & Bizarre' bookmark folder. (A bit of language here & there, not for the kids.)

Girl's Weekend

The nonbloggingfriend and I met up in a town in West Virginia this past weekend. (not quite halfway between our hometowns) Finally meeting Kristin in person was everything I had hoped it would be. We talked constantly, ate a lot, and hiked a LOT. We went to Cooper's Rock State Forest and hiked 3 trails, 2 of which were the hardest ones. I have not had opportunity to truly hike like that in many years, and I had forgotten how much sheer joy it brings me. I really need to find a way to *ahem* lose my kids a bit more often so I can go. We covered about 8 miles on Saturday, and even woke up at 6am on Sunday to go exploring and do a bit more hiking. Which should tell you how much I wanted to keep hiking, because I really do not do mornings.

I took this pic of us on top of Raven Rock, which was a 4 mile round trip hike.

After about 7 years of being friends via internet & phone, it was a great blessing to hug one another, and pray face to face. Love you girl!