Joanne Heim

More pictures from this weekend

Beth on stage at Living Proof Live in Albuquerque (can you tell we sat waaaaaay in the back?!)

All the gals and their bags (we filled them with water bottles, bookmarks, pens/pencils/highlighters, gum/candy/mints, a folio notebook, and lots of love!)

Saturday's lunch at Rudy's--AWESOME barbecue in Albuquerque and worth a visit if you're ever there (it's near Menual and Carlisle)

We went to Old Town Saturday afternoon. Southwestern art and jewelry isn't really me, but sitting on a patio and people watching while drinking a frosty margarita is definitely me--and Heidi too!

One of the gifts I put together for Heidi was this photo album (love those fabric bookcovers--so easy and fun!) from our days in junior high school. She doesn't have pictures from this time in our life, and I had such fun putting this together and journaling about all of our memories together.

So, to embrace humility like Beth taught, I'll go so far as to share a few pictures from the book.

I'm still a head taller than Heidi! All in all, I think we aged pretty well. (It's hard to go anywhere but up after junior high, don't you think?) That's my sister Kristen in the pictures with us--sorry Kristen, I randomly selected pictures and didn't know what would show up!

After a weekend like this, I really missed each one of these women today. I feel like I had a chance to connect with each one individually over the course of the weekend and am just amazed at how God has worked in all of our lives. Oh, he is good!

Yesterday's "Yesterday Hair"

Oh my goodness, Heidi and I stayed up until 1:30 or so this morning. A cold shower helped to wake me up, but there's no way I'm attempting new hair today. So here's to yesterday's "yesterday hair"!

I'm off to find some coffee (and a cute outfit to wear!)...

I *heart* Beth Moore

Oh, how I love Beth Moore.

We had a great drive down, a yummy Mexican lunch in Las Vegas, NM, and it's so fun to see Heidi again.

Beth started teaching tonight from Philippians 2--and the theme for the weekend is this: WORK OUT WHAT HE'S WORKED IN. It looks like this: A work in + A work out = A divine purpose fulfilled (and therefore delight)

Here's one of the things that struck me: What God works in this season is to make me determined about some things in my life that need to be changed. Where is it I want to end up? Am I headed in that direction?

I'd write much more, but for now I'm late for a pajama party!

New Mexico

Janna, Amy, CL

Heidi and me

Heidi, Janna, me

Gayle, Ruth, Mom

CL, Amy

Janna and I gave everyone their __________. Tote bags filled with goodies for the weekend. I'll be sure to take pictures tomorrow. The cookies are calling!

Beth or bust!

We're leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to drive to Albuquerque. I can't believe it's already here--for so long it's been "We're going to Living Proof Live at the end of April" and now it's the end of April already.

I'm so excited for so many things:

~spending time with awesome women in the car on the way down
~seeing my friend Heidi when we get there (we were best friends in junior high when our families both lived in England and I've not seen her in 15 years)
~worshipping God with that many women--oh how I love to sing with a BIG group of people (we're talking thousands!)
~seeing Beth in person (who knows? maybe this time I can actually meet her!)
~hearing from God in a powerful way

But first I need to go box up the muffins I just baked, jump in the shower, paint my nails, put a few last-minute things in the car, and get to sleep. (I did soap the rear window of my car--Beth or Bust! Couldn't resist!)

I am going to take my Mac along with me so I can post pictures and more from NM while it's all fresh in my mind. Wish each and every one of you was coming along!

Abundant joy

I have been overwhelmed with joy for the past day or so. I think I'm normally a pretty happy person, but these past few days I've felt it brimming over.

As I've stopped to think about what's made me feel like this (I want to know for those days when joy is elusive) I think it's come down to a couple of things:

~Bible study yesterday was great. Week 3 of When Godly People Do Ungodly Things is my favorite so far. I've really been thinking about how feed the Spirit (and starve the flesh). And the video yesterday was a great reminder that there are endless delights to be found in the safety of obedience to God. Safe doesn't mean boring.

~I've been listening to great music--a lot. I downloaded some new music and am loving Kirk Franklin--especially "Blessing in the Storm" and "Hosanna." Also, "In the Sanctuary" by Kurt Carr. Wow, do I want to go to a church with music like this. I get so excited to go to heaven, because I'm going to beg Jesus to give me a voice that can SING. Now I just turn up the music loud enough so I can't really hear myself!

Music makes a big difference in how I'm feeling. Music that feeds the Spirit feeds my spirit and makes me feel so satisified and content. I realize that every time I woke up last night, there was great music playing in my head.

~I've been creative--working on projects here and there. Making things makes me glad. And making things for other people makes me even gladder.

~I'm looking forward to this weekend in Albuquerque with Beth Moore. Then I'm going to Seattle for my friend Sarah's wedding, and then Terri is coming here to visit. Having something to look forward to is really important to me.

~I got to hold Tyson for a long time this evening. We all had dinner at Mom and Dad's tonight and it was just so fun to sit and be together with family. I love them all so much.

Well that's more than a couple of things, I guess. But I realize that a lot of it is within my control--to be thankful, to feed the Spirit, to be with family. Makes me want to be sure I'm doing those things each day in order to experience this kind of joy. Thank you, Jesus!

Who knew?

Audrey loves to iron. She ironed all the fabric scraps from my scrap bin and I folded them and just look!

And not only that, but I folded all my fabric--something that seems to need to be done with some frequency.

I think I'll have to sew something tomorrow!

***

It snowed today (yes, again!), and look who showed up in the backyard with his wife to huddle by my back door until Daisy ran at the door and scared them away.

***

My friend Terri is coming to visit for her birthday in a few weeks and I'm so excited. There's something about having your friends know where you live that's really important to me. I felt that way after we moved to California and I needed all my friends to come visit so they could picture where I was. She'll be my first California friend to come visit...anyone else want to come?

She's going to fly in on her birthday, and the next day I think we'll go to Vail for the day and have lunch at Sweet Basil. Mmm... I'll have to start thinking of what else we'll do while she's here.

***

Toben should be walking in the door any minute now from his trip...and I think I win the prize for having a very random post!

Secret project

Spent the morning at Janna's working on _______ and ________ and _________ and _________! A whole lotta secret crafting going on. It's so much fun to craft with another person and have someone to talk to while you work. We chatted, crafted, ate lunch, and generally had a ball.

Then I ran home for 15 minutes before heading out to school for Brownies and then to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Toben's out of town and we just got home in time to jump in the tub and into bed. Phew!

I so need to go sit and be still and unwind and take a deep breath.

Three more days till Living Proof Live in Albuquerque... Cannot wait!

Little Pilgrim's Progress

I was looking for something to read the other night and grabbed a copy of Little Pilgrim's Progress off the shelf in the loft. I got halfway into it and then started reading it to the girls the next night. We're about five chapters in so far. The chapters are so short (2-3 pages at the most), making it a great bedtime, breakfast time, or anytime book.

I don't think they've figured out that it's an allegory of the Christian life quite yet, but I'm expecting Audrey to get it the next time we read. (We didn't read tonight; Roman Holiday was on TCM and we watched that instead. I love Audrey Hepburn's line at the beginning of the movie, something like, "I hate my nightgowns and all my underwear too." Don't you just sometimes feel that way? Time for a trip to Vicotria's Secret!)

I remember my parents reading Little Pilgrim's Progress to me and Kristen when we were small. And all of The Chronicles of Narnia too. We often read after dinner, and I can remember sitting around the table, dirty dishes still there, begging for just one more chapter.

(Lots of yard work today--mulch, mulch, and more mulch. I'm off to bed. Yawn.)

Muffins

I'm going to bake some muffins for the neighbors tomorrow morning--along with some extra muffin batter for their fridge. I posted this recipe last summer, but here it is again for anyone who missed it.

These are really good, and the great thing about keeping the mix in the fridge is that you can quickly bake fresh muffins each morning--just the amount you know you'll eat hot!

Bran Muffins (Refrigerator Mix)

Cream well: 1/2 cup shortening, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tsp. salt
Beat in: 2 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup boiling water
Add: 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 3 cups bran buds cereal
Then add: 2 cups raisins, dates, dried fruit, nuts, or a combination of such.

Makes 3 quarts...countless muffins. Store, covered, in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
Bake in greased muffin tins for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks for all the encouragement to go next door and deliver a smile and something yummy to eat. So many of you used the words "open door"--that this is an opportunity to begin a new relationship. I sit up and pay attention when I start hearing the same thing from all different people and in all different places. It's usually an indication that God is pushing me to do something!

Next door

Something happened next door on Sunday afternoon. While Kristen and I were sitting in the bay window talking we heard sirens and a fire truck, paramedic truck, and police cars came screeching to a halt next door. It was hard to tell what was going on for a long time; the paramedics and firemen came back out after not too long, though the sheriff stayed for hours.

We saw another car pull up, someone come out of the house, and the woman's mouth form the word "NO" before her face crumpled into tears. It was uncomfortable to be curious and then to witness someone's grief unexpectedly. I think the dad may have died.

I don't really know these neighbors. I've rung their doorbell a lot--to deliver a Christmas gift, to say hello, to let them know we'd be out of town for a few weeks--but somehow we've never really met. In fact, I've only met their daughter and wouldn't recognize the parents if I passed them on the street.

It makes me sad to be so close to their grief and yet be unable to offer comfort. While we are faithfully praying for them in whatever has happened, I don't feel like I can go ring the doorbell without intruding.

Here's the thing...the street has been packed with cars since Sunday afternoon. Even now there are more than 20 cars parked outside. People come and go, bearing meals, flowers, gifts. The people coming and going are of all ages--older people, teenagers, young families, single people, people my parents' age. As an outsider, this has been an amazing testimony. What an incredible family this must be to have such a huge group of friends to support them during a difficult time.

I wish I'd been more persistent in getting to know them; and I feel compelled to really be a neighbor and reach out to the people who live around me.

Virtual friends

I met Kimberly and her sweet little boy for lunch today at The House of Commons tearoom and it was such fun. We met through blogging and a love of similar things--Anne of Green Gables, tea parties, and such. And since we both live in Denver (albeit on opposite ends!) she invited me to meet her at one of her favorite tea shops.

She's the first blogging friend I've met face to face, though I've emailed with so many of you. It was a little strange, but just for a moment and then it felt like sitting down with a friend I've known for a long, long time. I've never been on a blind date, but we joked that this is perhaps what it feels like a little!

We discovered all kinds of things in common--from churches to college degrees to homebirth to people we even know in common. I just kept thinking what a small world it is sometimes! We talked about keeping our lives open to accomodate friendships and how hard it is to find friends whose lives are open enough to be friends. It seems like so many women--even other stay-at-home moms--are so busy and spend so much time in the car that it's hard to find time to meet for lunch or grab a cup of coffee or just drop by for a morning unannounced and find someone at home.

In California, I was always home on Wednesday mornings, coffee and tea made, treats ready for whoever wanted to come by and knit, learn to knit, work on a project, or just sit and chat. I'm missing that some and think that with Emma in school full-time next year, I may need to pick a morning to be home like that again. (Of course, there were those Wednesday mornings where I'd have everything all ready and no one would come. It always rattled by self-esteem a little! Maybe I should start with just one or two mornings a month and invite a LOT of people so someone would be sure to come!)

Anyway...meeting Kimberly today was such fun; I'm definitely ready to meet more virtual friends face to face. So, if you're ever in Denver, let's have lunch. And Kimberly, let's do it again soon!

**EDITED TO ADD P.S.**
Just one last quick thought. I had my teeth cleaned today and would have rescheduled since I have a cold again. But our dental insurance runs out at the end of the month and I just needed to go and get it done with.

I thought that laying back for 45 minutes would be okay, because my nose wouldn't drip because of gravity. True. But I neglected to take into account that my nose would get so plugged that no air could pass through it--and would remain that way for hours. Kimberly really has no idea what my real voice sounds like!

(One of my irrational fears is having my mouth taped shut a la action-adventure movie and being so stuffy that I'd suffocate. I thought about that a lot at the dentist this morning when I took HUGE breaths in between tooth scraping, gum measuring, and all that good stuff. Really, I'm sure there must be awful stories about having your mouth bound and not being able to breathe through your nose...)

All that to say, if you have a cold, reschedule your dentist appointment. Really.

My morning walk

I just got home from my morning walk. Yesterday, Daisy wore her sweater (she looked so cute); I wore fleece sweats, a fleece sweatshirt, a fleece headband, and a snowboarding jacket. It snowed and we were cold. This morning, I wore my Girl Scout hoodie and was too warm.

I love my morning walk. It feels so good to be back in the routine of walking each day. I really slacked off over the winter; the streets and paths were so icy that there was no way to walk at a good pace. My mom keeps telling me about specials to join Curves, where she works out every day. But I just love being outside.

I walk the same route each morning, switching directions every few days. There are great trails all through my neighborhood and I'm hardly on the street at all. I love seeing trees bud and bloom, tulips start to come up and then bloom. There are ducks nesting along one of the streams I pass each day, and I can hardly wait to see ducklings later this spring.

I especially love my morning walk since Toben bought me my ipod. I get up early each morning to read and pray, and having my ipod along on my walk has added an element of worship to my quiet time that wasn't there before. The girls would be embarassed to go with me even if they could keep up because I sing out loud, skip, and twirl when I get to a song I really like. Somehow turning the volume up loud so I can't hear myself sing makes me forget that other people can. Of course, I do make an effort not to be too silly when I see other people along the path. But when people look out their windows I'm sure it looks like I'm talking to myself nonstop.

I'm off to jump in the shower...

Snowy day fun

Emma's best friend Hayden is over for lunch today while her mom is volunteering at the bake sale at school. The girls are baking brownies in the Easy Bake Oven and having a ball. It smells good!

I've had one of those weeks where I've felt busy but am not really sure what I've accomplished. One thing I've planned to do each and every day this week is to finish making changes on a book proposal. I really need to get this done and plan to work on it this afternoon, but thought I'd check in first...I haven't fallen off the planet!

I was tagged by my Girl Scout leader to share four things about me:

Four places I've lived:
Carlsbad, CA
Paris, France
Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
Denver, CO

Four jobs I've had in my life:
Flying W Ranch, Colorado Springs
Training Coordinator, Societe le Bihan, Paris
Salesperson, Family Bookstores
Editor, NavPress Publishing Group

Four movies I'd watch over and over again:
You’ve Got Mail
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Anne of Green Gables
Gigi

Four of my favorite foods:
Bread
Vietnamese food
Strawberries
Roasted potatoes

Four places I'd rather be right now:
I don’t know...I pretty much love being home on a snowy day...but if I had to choose...
Paris
Kauai
Yorkshire
London

Consider yourself tagged...

Evenings away from home...

We've been away from home the past two nights, and I have Girl Scout training tomorrow night, which makes it hard to stick with my evening routine.

I find it hard to be away from home at night. While I enjoy being with other people, I usually prefer it if other people will come here! That way the girls can still have leisurely baths, finish up homework, and we can all read and blog and have a normal evening routine.

I've been thinking some about our summer routine as the end of the school year gets closer. It's all too easy to waste a day watching tv and not really doing anything, so Toben and I have started talking some about how we want our summer days to go. Trips to the pool are in order, weeding the garden, "playing school" with each of the girls (I'd love for Emma to go into first grade reading confidently, and for Audrey to feel solid in her math), crafty kinds of projects...

We did travel journals last summer for our trip to DC and Pennsylvana; I'd love to come up with some sort of summer journal for the girls to work on over the course of the summer. I'll have to start giving that some more thought.

Off to bed!

Easter in Colorado...

...means choosing to wear new Easter dresses even when it's snowing. Sometimes it's worth it to be cold in order to look cute!

The girls found their Easter dresses downstairs this morning by their Easter baskets and I crocheted the shawls from a pattern my mother made for Kristen and me when we were small.

One of my first thoughts about our backyard at this house was how great it would be for a huge Easter egg hunt. But with snow coming down, that didn't happen today. But it felt like Easter anyway since I can remember wearing turtlenecks under new Easter dresses when I was little. It never felt quite right--and so I let the girls wear their sleeveless dresses without turtlenecks today; Toben dropped us at the door for church!

Twirly skirts, baby update, Seder

I just love the twirly skirts over here at House on Hill Road. (She has a super simple tutorial and it's a breeze to follow!)

Emma's twirly:

Ava's twirly skirt:

The little circle is a pin to go on whatever shirt she wears with it. I thought it would pull the whole outfit together. (I made Kristen a skirt out of this same fabric--the fabric from Ava's nursery--after Ava was born; now they can match!)

I'd like to make one for me, but I think that much fabric gathered around my waist might look disasterous.

P.S. I've updated some of the project photos in the Project album over there <----. I've put in pictures of some of the onesies I made for Ty, as well as Ava's Easter backpack.

***

Kristen, Wade, Ty, Ava, and Presta (their dog) all went home this afternoon. Toben and I ran over to the hospital this morning while all the grandgirls hunted Easter eggs at Mom and Dad's. Gotta get that baby fix. Oh, he's such a little jellybean!

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We had our Seder dinner last night. We did one last year in California on Good Friday with Terri and her family and it made me miss her so much while I was getting everything all ready yesterday afternoon. So I called her and we chatted while I set the table and marinated the tenderloin (Audrey and Emma are horrified by the thought of eating lamb; somehow eating cows doesn't bother them at all. Strange.)

Mom and Dad came with Ava, who sat in her high chair and colored while we went through the Haggadah and read the story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt and our deliverance from sin. It was fun to see how much Audrey and Emma remembered from last year.

I think this will definitely be our Easter tradition on Good Friday each year. Mom can make the Easter ham on Sunday. (Or ham-burgers, which is what we're having tomorrow after church.)

***

Happy Easter, everyone. He is risen!

Housekeeping

Just a couple of things...

Baby Mac (now little Ty) was called Mac because Wade and Kristen will never tell us the baby's name until that baby's birthday. It drives me nuts, but they feel like they want to keep something a secret. It took them waaaay too long to tell us Ty's name when we showed up at the hospital today--like two or three minutes!

When we found out Ava was coming, Emma said she needed a princess name. Since Princess Emma was already taken, she named the baby Princess Pocahontas--Pokey for short. So we called Ava Pokey until she was born.

We knew this baby needed a short name too, so Emma named him Mac (short for Mac and Cheese) until he was born, and that's what we've all called him--and Kristen's heartburn or hard Braxton Hicks contractions were called "Mac Attacks."

Nope, no more babies for us...though holding new little ones and snuggling with Ava always makes me want to. Snip, snip, we're done.

And thanks for all the photo compliments. It definitely helps to have a professional photographer for a sister. She can make my eyes and teeth look bright and white, smooth away all my wrinkles, and take away any circles under my eyes. She makes me look much better than I do in person!

I put up a tutorial (see right) on how to make a fabric bookcover and how to put your hair in a bun. It's much harder to write step-by-step instructions than I thought--especially for a sewing project. If anything's not clear, ask me and I'll try to clarify.

**EDITED** Thanks, Janine. For this link to the kind of hairpins you need to have great buns! (Doesn't that sound funny?) Anyway, these are the hairpins that really, really work for buns, french twists, and all kinds of updos.

Lastly, I usually try to respond to all the comments, but was convicted by an article on busyness in The New York Times the other day talking about all the time email takes--even just email that says, "Thanks!" So if you comment, I may not always respond in the future--doing my part to keep your inbox a little emptier. I do love reading all your comments and appreciate each one. Keep 'em coming! I do promise to answer any specific questions for sure.

Think that's about it...time to crawl under the covers with a good book--Many Waters, the last book in the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle.

He's here!

Tyson Daniel was born this afternoon at 3 o'clock, after only 6 hours of labor! He's 8 lb. 1 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long. He has strawberry-blond fuzzy hair, blue eyes, and is perfect in every way.

Isn't he a doll?

I'd forgotten how little newborns are and how good it feels to hold such a teeny tiny baby... It's a good thing I live close and can hold him all the time, because that "Are you sure we're really done, honey?" gene is kicking in!

Ava is such a sweet big sister already and ran all over the hospital, back and forth between the nursery and her beautiful mama. "Baby! Baby!"

I'd made a dolly for her ages and ages ago--before they even found out Ty was a boy. I thought at the time that the doll looked boy-ish. He's now Baby Button. (Ava loves belly buttons! And her doll has one too!)

I can't wait to go back and hold him some more tomorrow!

Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for Kristen and her sweet new baby. What an incredible gift he is!

Almost an auntie?!

**EDITED: 1:40 p.m.**

Just talked to Kristen. They're in the hospital and her epidural just kicked in. This is it!

I talked to Kristen this morning.

"Whatcha doin?" I asked.

"Not much. I think I'm in labor," she says.

Then she starts to breathe heavily and says, "I forgot how much this hurt!"

Yep, definitely in labor! She and Wade have dropped Ava and their dog at my mom's house, and are headed into the hospital to see their doctor, and (I hope) get all checked in to have this baby. The hospital is only five minutes from my house, so I'm off to take a shower and get ready to go at the drop of a hat--or baby, as the case may be!

I'll keep you posted...

Book covers

Sweet Janna made me this cover for my birthday to fit whatever Beth Moore Bible study I'm currently doing. (Just finished Living Beyond Yourself; starting When Godly People Do Ungodly Things this week.) All her studies are pretty much the same size, which is fun because I can move the cover to each new study.

Isn't it fun?

The other day I made this cover for my prayer book. The real cover is a very dignified navy blue; somehow the pink and green swirls make me happer to be awake at 5:30 a.m.

It was so fun to make--I'd made a similar kind of thing for a journal a couple of years ago, but this was much easier than I remembered that one being.

Since Easter's coming up, I made this cover for my mom this morning. I went ahead and gave it to her earlier today. She has Bible study tomorrow and this way she'll get to use it sooner!

I put a pocket on the cover of hers, with seams sewn to hold a pen, a highlighter, a ruler, and a bigger pocket for whatever else she wants. Those are her Bible study "tools"--now they'll be handy.

Here's a closeup of the button closure I did for Mom's cover. My great aunt Sissie hoarded all kinds of stuff--including vintage buttons. This one just happened to perfectly match the fabric I chose for Mom.

Hmmm...what other books can I cover?! Think that's what I'll be up to some tomorrow--along with some twirly skirts inspired by House on Hill Road here!

P.S. It was family date again today. Audrey took us all to see Meet the Robinsons--very cute! Though by the time we bought tickets (matinee even), popcorn, candy, and cokes it ended up being more than a day at the zoo. Crazy!

In a rut...

After my horrible haircut more than a year ago, my hair is finally getting long again. It's plenty long to pull back once more...and so I find that I don't ever really "do" my hair. I just pull it up when it's wet and let it dry in a bun.

Every time I wash my hair I think I'll take the time to blow it dry, but then it ends up up once more!

(It's just so darn fast to do it this way; I love old-fashioned hair pins--soooo much better than bobby pins; and it makes me feel kinda like Ma Ingalls!)

I'm off to Monument tonight to have dinner with Emily and Michelle...can't wait! I do love the chance to drive in the car by myself and sing at the top of my lungs. :)

Family date

Toben came up with the great idea of giving each of the girls a day to plan for our family this week since it's spring break. He gave them some money and told them to come up with an idea for the day.

We just got home from Emma's day at the zoo. She took us all to visit her favorite animals and did a great job of buying our tickets, managing her money, and paying for lunch. She loved being in charge for the day. (According to Audrey, this means that "Emma's being bossy!")

Audrey will have her day on Wednesday, I think. She wants to take us all to the movies.

There were some lion cubs to see today; they were awake and all the grown ups were sound asleep. Think that'll be our house this afternoon. I'm feeling a nap coming on!

This is the auntie lion... (And nope, no baby yet for this auntie...)

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Also just had to show you these lovely tulips blooming off my deck!