Joanne Heim

Copying Meredith

Saw this on Meredith's blog. Who, by the way, is not just a bloggy friend but a real-life friend. And a real-life friend in Colorado. So I'm excited to see her again soon! 

I was going to find the post I wrote when we met for the first time (she and Holly drove up for lunch one autumn day a couple of years ago), but I can't find it quickly enough. We've spent quite a bit of time together since then--there's a group of bloggers in Denver/Colorado Springs/Boulder who gets together from time to time. Seems like we'll have to plan something for later in July. Ya'll wanna come for another backyard picnic?

So I'm going to copy Meredith. Because I am so tired of writing and thinking about packing (not to mention the actual...PACKING, ugh!) that you must be as sick of it as I am. And, if you're not, you must be new around here or haven't been in a while. Cause it's definitely getting OLD.

I'm so ready to get to the UNpacking part. Cause that's a lot more fun.

So, here you go. Wanna play along?

What color are your socks right now? I only wear socks when I run. Other than that, never.

What are you listening to right now? Doves in the backyard. Clicking keyboard. Air conditioner hum. Silence.

What was the last thing you ate? Carrot cake and strawberries. Last night. Drinking coffee now. (Did this this morning, then set to publish for later. I'm sure I will have eaten something during the day! I hope I will have eaten something during the day!)

Can you drive a stick? Of course. But I don't. Unless I'm borrowing my dad's Corvette. But that's been a while.

Last person you spoke to on the phone? My kids.

How old are you today? 38

What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Don't have a TV. But if I did, the Olympics.

What is your favorite drink? Coffee in the morning. Water for the rest of the day.

Have you ever dyed your hair? Once. And it was a wash out kind of a thing, probably 15 years ago. I don't color my hair at all. Though this year has resulted in some gray hair. And if they get out of control, I'll be changing that.

Favorite food? Depends on the meal and the mood. 

What is the last movie you watched? Mama Mia! Loved it.

Favorite day of the year? Christmas

How do you vent anger? Quiet, followed by yelling, some scribbling. And tears.

What was your favorite toy as a child? Weird. Just talked about this last night with a table of people at church. Speak and Spell was my answer. Then probably Barbies and Smurfs. But I really loved playing outside.

Favorite Season? Autumn. And I prefer to call it autumn than fall. Somehow it just sounds better. And I love the "mn" at the end of autumn. Yes, I am weird.

Cherries or Blueberries? Both.

Living situation? In transition. But the net, is that I'm going home.

When was the last time you cried? Yesterday.

What is on the floor of your closet right now? Not much, mostly packed. Running shoes and running duds. My Uggs. A small pile of dirty clothes to be washed.

What are you most afraid of? Failure. Snakes. Missing out on something God has for me because of fear.

Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Banzai burger at Red Robin.

Favorite dog breed? Beagle. Miss my Daisy girl.

Favorite day of the week? Sunday.

How many states have you lived in? California. Colorado. Alabama. Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Colorado. Washington. Paris, France. Colorado. California. Colorado. Arizona. And back to Colorado on Tuesday. So five states, three countries.

Diamonds or pearls? Both. Duh.

What is your favorite flower? Peonies. Hydrangeas. Pansies. Daisies.

Did you get an H1N1 vaccine? I don't do shots. Yuck.

Z is for zucchini

It's the end of the warm weather, the end of the alphabet, and just about the end of my garden. So here's a great recipe (modified some from Cooking Light) for all that shredded zucchini and ground beef in my freezer. Enjoy!

Layered Zucchini

6 cups shredded zucchini
1 pound ground beef
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce (whatever brand is your favorite)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Brown ground beef in a skillet until cooked through. Add spaghetti sauce and herbs; cook one minute. Remove from heat.

Combine cottage cheese, parsley, and eggs in a medium bowl.

Coat 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Add zucchini. Sprinkle zucchini with half of the breadcrumbs, top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, then half of the meat mixture and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat layers with remaining bread crumbs, cottage cheese mixture, and meat mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cup of mozzarella and bake additional 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Yield: 10 servings

This will serve a LOT of people. So if you're family is smaller like mine, divide into two smaller pans and freeze half. (It does freeze well.) This is a lot like lasagna--without the noodles. Yummy and perfect for a cool, autumn night!

Y is for you

Yes, you! One of the best parts of blogging is meeting new friends. And I've just loved getting to know so many of you. In fact, I've met two of you face-to-face in the past week.

Kate--despite seeming totally spacey on Friday, I really do know who you are and am excited that you're going to do the Siesta Fiesta next August. I'm looking forward to sitting down and visiting for more than just a few minutes!

And Wendy--what a blast it was to have coffee with you this morning. I came home to tell Toben how much fun I had and have told others what a great conversation we had. I'm anxious to get to know your knitting group and your writing group too. Let's do it again soon.

Others of you I've not met face to face--yet!--but feel like I know you well and count you as my friends. It's so weird, though, to say "my friend, so and so, whom I've never actually met." There needs to be a special name for this kind of friendship, I think.

I was talking to Holly today--another blogging friend I've actually met--and we discussed this very thing. It seems that among the blogging world of women there's very little judging based on appearance, few masks to wear. Instead, what you read is what you get and people seem to connect on a deep level without lots of small talk. What a gift.

All that to say, you are a big part of my life and I count you as my friends--whether I've met you face to face or not. I just wish that every single one of you lived in my neighborhood!

X is for x-rays

Luckily, x-rays are something we've not had to do much with our kids. Other than dental x-rays, the only ones we've had to do were for Emma when she was tiny and dislocated her elbow. She was holding on to the cart handle at Target with her feet on the little bar. Toben had his hands over hers and she lost her footing, swinging loose. It pulled her elbow out of whack (also known as "nanny elbow") and required one of our few (knock on wood) trips to the ER.

And though I say "hugs and kisses" for XOXO, I suppose it should really be "kisses and hugs" because in my mind X stands for a kiss, and 0 stands for a hug. Emma totally disagrees with me on this. She says a kissy-mouth is in the shape of an O, and when you hug someone you're arms cross like an X.

X is a hard one. There aren't many other words that begin with X that I have much to say about. So I think I'll stop and go make dinner instead of trying to think of something clever to write!

So I'll leave with this question: Would I want x-ray vision? I don't think so--some things are just better left hidden. I'd rather be able to fly.

W, part 2

W is also for my morning walk. I know I've written about it before, but wanted to share some of the things I saw this morning as Daisy and I walked along. How I wish you could've come along with me and enjoyed the beautiful, crisp air of an autumn morning in Colorado.

As I sang along with Go Fish to "Jesus Loves Me" I was just overwhelmed. So often I look up at the mountains or the sky and see the big work of God. But the incredible thing is that in addition to doing BIG work in the world, God also works in the tiny details. He's in the big picture of sweeping landscapes, but also in the small details of rocks and changing leaves.

The truth of it is this: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. But it's also true that Jesus loves me, as small as I am in the grand scheme of things. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.

W is for welcome

I really hope that anyone who visits our home will feel immediately welcome. I love having people over--though it's not happening much lately. Part of that is trying to stick to a better school-night routine, part of it is just getting back into the swing of school and feeling like we need to ease back into this whole school thing.

But I looked at the calendar the other day and October is NEXT WEEK! Oh my goodness. I guess school didn't just start and we really are into the swing of school. Time to send out some invitations...

We're having a family from school over for dinner on Saturday. He's a teacher at the middle school, I've met her a time or two, their son is in Emma's class. (In fact, she's declared that she's going to marry this boy, so I think we may need to arrange a marriage over the peach pie I'm going to make for dessert.)

And I'm thinking, thinking, thinking about a tea party. Mom and I used to have a Christmas tea every year--for nine years straight, in fact--for all of our friends. Hats, gloves, party dresses, bone china cups and saucers, and every kind of homemade cookie you can imagine. So much fun! Maybe something on a much smaller scale to welcome autumn. I really need to sit down and make some lists--who to invite, what to serve, when it could go on the calendar.

I'm also thinking a lot about my knitting group left behind in California. I usually had an open house on Wednesday morning, made yummy things to eat, and invited women in to knit, crochet, embroider, or just sit and talk. I miss that. It's sad that no one really just "drops by" much anymore and my Wednesday mornings at home gave me a chance to connect with so many incredible women. So few women have time just to sit and visit and I loved seeing people come in, sit back, take a deep breath, and just be.

At this point I don't think I could host a weekly open house like that--there is a book to be written with a deadline coming up. But I think I could possibly combine a tea party and crafty morning. Or maybe a tea party followed by a time for women to come and learn to knit. There are several friends who've hinted they'd like to learn...

All that to say, if you're ever in my neighborhood, please stop by. It's not imposing. I love unexpected company and if it's a bad time I promise to tell you so. Otherwise I'll invite you in for a cup of tea and we can sit in my newly rearranged family room and look out the window at the changing leaves.

V is for Alberto V05 conditioning hairdressing

This is my favorite hair product ever. If you have hair like mine that likes to fly away when it's too dry, is prone to be a little bit frizzy when the humidity is high, or just want it to be sleek and shiny all the time, this stuff is for you. Really.

I use it on the girls too--though they think it stinks. I happen to think it smells good. And it's pretty darn cheap too--so another V word--a great value. You only need to use a little bit at a time (if you use too much you pretty much have to wash your hair and start over, so use a little bit!) and it lasts forever.

***

On a totally unrelated subject--no Vs at all--the weather is definitely changing here. The leaves are starting to turn and I'm loving my morning walk these days. I especially love when a tree is all green and springy still--except for one branch of vivid (oops, there's a V) yellow. Today the high only got up to about 60 degrees. Perfect for a light sweater. Autumn is my favorite season, hands down.

I decorated the house the other day, sticking leaves and pumpkins into every nook and cranny. Then today, we bought a rug (they're all on sale at Cost Plus if you're in the market) and rearranged the family room. It seems so much bigger now and will seat more people.

We're off to Mom and Dad's for dinner once the girls get their homework done. I made an apple pie earlier (I don't like warm pie, so I made it with plenty of time for it to cool down to room temperature) and the house smells super fall-y. For some reason, I feel like I need to have a fall tea party... Hmm...have to look at the calendar, I think!

U is for undone

At one point during the Women of Faith pre-conference on Friday, Beth was totally undone. She staggered to the stage, hardly able to speak, so aware and amazed by all the God has done for her. I want to be undone like that--to be overwhelmed by the work of God in my life.

She talked about blessing. About barak blessing--the state of being blessed--and asher blessing--the feeling of happiness that sometimes come with the knowledge of being blessed. (And she pointed out through her tears that as women we often cry when we're the most happy. Weird, but true!)

It tied in some with last week's lesson in Jesus, the One and Only. At the end of the Christmas story in Luke, it says that "Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." The idea is one of taking things one by one and then viewing them as a whole, from all different angles.

I love that.

The idea of counting my blessings--of naming them individually--"one by one" as the old hymn says--and then viewing them as a whole, as evidence of God's work in my life. Seeing them add up, tally marks of God's barak blessing in my life, overwhelms me until that feeling of asher blessing overtakes me and fills me with happiness. A "psychological awakening to the work of God" as Beth put it.

For those of you who weren't able to attend, I'm not sure that this makes much sense. But here's some good news: they filmed the pre-conference and the DVD should be available in time for Christmas from what they said. I'm assuming you can order it from the Women of Faith website. So, go get a copy!

T is for tomorrow

And tomorrow is Beth Moore at the Pepsi Center here in Denver. Yippee!

***UPDATED SATURDAY MORNING***

It was, of course, incredible. Beth taught on the blessing of Asher, found in Deuteronomy 33:24-25. If you went and want a bookmark with the prayer she taught us, click on the link below. I printed it out on pretty paper, added some patterned paper to the back, and laminated it.

Download the_blessing_of_asher.doc

(For the gals I went with: I already made one for you!)

S is for schedule

My family runs on a schedule. Not to regiment our lives and make us miserable, but to give us free time, open days on the calendar, and rest. Over the summer, Toben and I spent a lot of time talking about our family, our kids, and how we could function best when school began.

Last year, it seemed like Audrey did homework from right after school until dinner. It felt like we rushed to get into bed each night. Mornings felt hurried and the girls had to wake up from a dead sleep every morning.

As a result of our new schedule, the girls get to sleep later in the mornings, have lots more time to play after school, and our days together just feel so much more open and free.

I keep myself to a pretty strict schedule too. Again, not to fill up every moment with something, but to see the week as a whole and to know what needs to be done when.

So here's what it looks like:

I keep our family calendar on the fridge. Toben and I both keep our calendars on Entourage, so we can send each other appointments easily. Every week I print out the calendar and put it up where everyone can see it. When I plan menus, I write what's for dinner on each day--and no one asks me "What's for dinner?" I tuck any recipes for the week behind the calendar, and keep a monthly calendar up there too. That way when someone calls about something after this week, I can quickly refer to our calendar and know if whatever it is will work for us.

Underneath is my weekly schedule. Each week I have time scheduled to write, to do laundry, to bake bread, to go to Bible study, to plan and prepare for Girl Scouts, and so on. I also have time set aside to sew, knit, or have friends over.

It's so much easier for me to plan menus, make a grocery list, and shop on Tuesdays than to look in the fridge on a school night and wonder what in the world I can make for dinner. Likewise, I know that that laundry will get done every Monday.

I have other friends who keep schedules like this--and our schedules are all very different. But if you're looking for a basic schedule to tailor to your own life, here's the file for mine:

Download joannes_weekly_schedule.doc

Some things aren't listed because they need to get done every day no matter what--in order to have a good tomorrow. I get the coffee ready the night before. I pack lunches the night before. The girls set out their clothes the night before. Simple things that make the next morning a million times better than if we didn't do them.

R is for Rummy

Growing up in my family the game of choice was Rummy. I remember sitting around the table with a handful of cards, drinking my mother's homemade mocha and trying to figure out if Mom was going to go out on her next turn.

We typically played Rummy 500--the first person to 500 points wins--rather than Gin Rummy--going out all at once. But my mother was (and still is) famous for holding all her cards as long as possible and laying them all out at once, leaving you with a hand full of points. "Hee hee!" she exclaims.

Dad taught me to shuffle and make the cards all bridge together as I did so; Mom taught me that it's better to collect as many of a suit as possible rather than go for easy points of three-of-a-kind. Dad usually kept score; Kristen and I ate a lot of cookies.

We played other games from time to time--Monopoly and Acquire and Hearts for the most part--but Rummy is the Friedenstein game of choice.

Our little family doesn't play many games all together. Emma loves to play Mancala; Audrey does too. But mostly I play one-on-one with the girls. Go Fish, Old Maid, Chutes and Ladders. We sit in the bay window in the living room, watching the world go by.

It might be time to teach them to play Rummy. Their hands are finally getting big enough to hold a hand of cards without the cards flying everywhere (or having to build a little fort around them so no one else can see your cards!).

***

R is also for responses. Thanks to all of you who responded to the questions below. Great, great answers and very helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you! For those of you who haven't responded, it's not too late.

And for rest--something I'm a BIG fan of! The older I get, the more I realize its importance for our family. Bedtime is pretty strict around here--myself included--and if I'm going to make any headway on my book tonight, I need to go get in bed before lights out.

Q is for questions

I think I mentioned that I'm working on a new book. And I need some help. I have some questions and wonder if you'd take some time to answer them for me.

I'm not looking for long, drawn out answers--just quick ones, with an anecdote thrown in here and there. You don't even have to answer every question--just the ones that you want.

If I use your answer in the book, I'd identify you by first name only and maybe location. Or, if you'd prefer, I'll keep in anonymous.

Want to help? You can send your answers to my email account: joanneheim [at] aol.com and put "Questions" in the subject line. You're awesome!

Here goes...

1. Do you have a quiet time? (By "quiet time" I mean some time spent alone with God.)

If yes:

2. How often?

3. For how long?

4. What do you do during your quiet time?

5. Where do you spend your quiet time?

If no:

6. Is having a quiet time something you'd like to do?

7. Do you have specific questions about how to have a quiet time?

If yes or no:

8. What are your biggest obstacles to having a quiet time?

9. Anything else you want to add or think I should know?

10. Your name and location

Thanks a million!
Joanne

P is also for P.S.

I almost forgot! But was reminded by Lisa saying she makes a list everyday when I was reading her blog this morning.

P is for PocketMod. I found this website from my friend Heather. If you're a list girl like me, go check it out!

P is for persnickity

...only because I think that's a really fun word to say. It sounds just like what it is...perrrrsnickity.

I'm not feeling persnickity at all today; it's been a lovely Sunday afternoon. I felt crafty, but didn't want to start a sewing project, so instead I cut out all kinds of little things to make in an assembly line fashion some afternoon. They're all lined up on my sewing table, ready to go.

Toben had a great idea for labeling the things I make, so I've been cutting out a stencil with my x-acto knife and my fingers are a little sore. But I think it's going to work...I'll take some pictures as soon as I get it totally figured out.

P is also for pictures--something I've not posted on here lately.

And pumpkins. Oh, how I love pumpkins! Mine are growing bigger everyday and I'm excited to pick them and put them here and there. Toben hates pumpkins--don't ask me why, maybe he'll comment--and so he's asked me not to decorate for fall until the end of the week. I can't wait and even wrote "Decorate for fall" on the calendar for next Saturday. I love autumn and having the house decked out in fall stuff. The only reason I ever take it down is because Christmas comes next and I love that just as much as autumn.

What else is P for?

Pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins for sure. Pecan pie too. Yum!

Paper--I don't think I'll ever give up paper lists and calendars, as much as I love my Mac.

Paris. How could I not have thought of Paris?! I think it's my favorite city in the world. I've not been since I turned 30...think it might be time for another trip. (My girlfriends and I are starting to talk about where to go for 40; think I'd be happy to go back to Paris!)

Prayer. The longer I've been a believer, the more it is just an ongoing conversation with God about everyone and everything I come into contact with throughout my day.

O is for ordinary

Big O, little o, what begins with O? It's been chanting in my head ever since N. O is a hard one!

I suppose O is for things like O'Hare (one of my least favorite places to be stuck), orange juice (freshly squeezed, please!), and Obadiah (a dog we had when I was a kid). But mostly it's just ordinary.

I've been thinking about ordinary the past few days as a result of my Bible study homework. At least, I think that's where it's coming from. As we start Jesus, the One and Only, we're starting at the beginning and a lot of the homework this week has been about Mary. So I've been thinking about Mary, an ordinary young girl God used in an extraordinary way.

That's one of the things I like about reading the stories in the Bible--how God used ordinary people to do extraordinary things. There's David (a shepherd boy and youngest in his family who became a king, a poet, and a man after God's own heart), Gideon (who was so afraid of raiders that he threshed wheat in a wine press and yet won an incredible victory with torches and jars and trumpets), Esther (an orphan living with her uncle who became queen and saved an entire nation), and so many others.

Thinking about that makes me think of the big O words--omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere at once), omnipotent (all powerful). Amazing that God---who is all those things--uses people at all, let alone ordinary ones.

N is for Narnia

I have always loved to read. I was one of those kids who would go to bed early, just to have the pleasure of reading in bed at night before falling asleep. And for those nights when I didn't manage to get some reading in, I'd sneak into my closet, turn on the light, and sit curled up with a book and a blanket hoping my parents wouldn't notice I wasn't in my bed.

The first time I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre at age 11, it was only in passing, as I looked up from the pages of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O'Hara and her dimpled smile and scheming ways seemed much more intriguing than the Mona Lisa's smile.

And as we traveled throughout Europe in our little camper during my junior high years, I sat always on the bench seat in the back, tucked behind the table with a book. Didn't matter that I couldn't see out at all, I read the miles away. (Since having kids, I get ridiculously carsick--no more reading in the car for me!)

Later as high school graduation drew near, I remember driving across the country to look at colleges, sitting in the backseat of the rental car and reading my way--again--through all of the Anne of Green Gables books.

I think I associate lots of places with books.

A trip back to England for a visit in high school was all of the Bourne books by Robert Ludlum. (The movies are good, I agree. But they're nothing like the books. Go read them!)

Our first vacation after college was to Canon Beach, Oregon, and that was the trip of Generation X and Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland.

Murder mysteries tend to remind me of Palm Springs, and laying by the pool with my huge pregnant belly for days on end while Toben sat through meetings.

New Orleans one year was a new Harry Potter release--sitting on the plane and trying not to devour it too fast, knowing there would be hours to fill while Toben was busy working.

Clive Cussler novels and Dirk Pitt always make me think of Hilton Head--a trip with the whole family when Emma was a baby and still napping twice a day. I didn't leave the condo much--except to travel in my imagination to the Sahara, South America, and the North Pole.

So, Narnia...

Mom and Dad gave me my first set of the Chronicles of Naria when I was in second or third grade. That time, they were the ones to go on a trip. Kristen and I stayed with the Nordemans. I was young enough that I have random memories of the time at their house--the smell of Noxema, the feel of mud between my toes as we played in a big muddy pit, seeing Mom and Dad walk up to the house upon their return. The books were the surprise they brought back to me.

We read the books out loud after dinner every night. Mom and Dad would take turns reading as we sat around the table, dirty dishes forgotten, lost in a world of fauns and endless winter. Narnia became a very real place to me and I longed to step through a magic portal into another world like Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

We read other books together as a family, I'm sure. But the Chronicles of Narnia are what I always think of when I think about families reading together.

They were the first "real" books I read to Audrey. And thinking about them now makes me wonder if it's time for a break from American Girl books and Boxcar Children. The leaves are beginning to change here and there, winter is just around the corner, and the snow is falling in Narnia... It might just be time for another visit.

M is for music

I was never a huge music girl. Sure, I liked it, but I was never one to have an all-time favorite band, to go to concerts, to play music all the time. I am one of those people who must work and study in silence--unlike Toben who loves to have background noise when he works.

But the older I get, the more I love music. I have such an appreciation for how music can alter my mood, change my focus, draw me in to its message. And so I'm very careful about what I listen to. Bits of a song often get stuck in my head and I want it to be something worth having stuck in there!

Part of it is having kids around--there's a lot of stuff in music that they just don't need to hear. But part of it is just being aware of the power it has. And like anything powerful, I need to be aware of it and careful with it and use it wisely.

All that said about music, I don't sing particularly well. It's one talent I really envy in others. I'd love to open my mouth and belt out something amazing. That's why I love walking with my ipod, I guess. I can turn it up, sing out loud, and not hear myself. The neighbors, as I've said before, probably think I'm a little nuts. But I really do take it down a notch when I see someone coming down the path. It's those times when someone sneaks up behind me that are the problem...

***

Let's see...M is also for:

M*A*S*H (my favorite TV show)
marshmallows (necessary for a life with Girl Scouts who love to camp)
manna (it's new every day--but we must gather it--I love that!)
mush (how I feel about my kids)
manic-depressive (the old name for being bipolar)
marmalade (something I could never stand to eat!)
mud (it really is fun to play in when you don't stop to think about the laundry it creates)
marmot (saw my first ones in the Grand Tetons as a kid)
Minnesota (a place I've never been)
Maine (a place I'd love to visit again--especially this time of year)
Montgomery, Lucy Maud (the woman who wrote the Anne of Green Gables books)
Maude (my grandmother's name)
Myrtle (my other grandmother's name)
Mississippi (always fun to spell!)
Mexican food (enchildas on the menu for tomorrow night)
Mama (what my kids call me most often)
Mother (what Audrey called me her entire kindergarten year)
midnight (a time I hardly ever see)
Marla (my friend who sees it all the time)
Montauk (a great place for a lobster boil in the Hamptons)
Mom (who I took to the foot doctor today after her surgery last week)
medicine (something I don't really like but am grateful for anyway)
milk (something I can't digest without lactaid pills)
more? (I think not, it's time for bed...)

L is for lundi (that's Monday en francais) and its laundry

L is also for lolly-gagging. Something my lundis never have in them. Mondays are hard work around my house!

After Daisy and I took our lovely walk in the cool and misty rain (today was one of those days that gave us a taste of the season to come), I hit the ground running.

Writing (finished up a chapter!), laundry, dusting, vacuuming, mopping (the kitchen floor three, yes three, times--once because it needed it; then again when I dropped a just-opened can of diet Coke that spurted everwhere, and I mean everywhere, the can was empty when I picked it up!; then a third time after I took out the kitchen trash and dripped something very gross all over the floor)...

Then lots of baking (double batch of zucchini bread done in a bundt for Bible study tomorrow, double batch of banana bread in a bundt for Bible study tomorrow, and another batch of banana bread done as muffins for my family), menu planning, a few errands, dinner prep, homework with the girls, some Bible study prep, and phew! I'm ready for my lit (that's french for bed).

***

And while I'm thinking about it, L is also for laughter. Something I wouldn't want to live without. Toben (my love, that is) makes me laugh--a lot.

K is for Kristen

This is my little sister...isn't she beautiful?

(This was taken on a trip to California when she got her nose pierced. Little sisters do tend to copy their big sisters...!)

But Kristen is very definitely her own person and an incredibly talented one at that. I'm constantly amazed at her ability to capture the essence of a person on film. She just sees things differently than most people, I think, and is able to then share that with others through her work. If you've never before checked out her photography website (over there to the left) go take a peek...

Love ya, little sis!

J is for Jesus, the One and Only

Instead of doing a Bible study at church this fall, I'm going to do Bible study at school. One of my friends had the idea of offering a study for moms at school and we start next Tuesday. About 30 women have said they're interested and I'm anxious to see who turns up. I'm so glad for the opportunity for moms to really connect.

We're going to do Beth Moore's Jesus, the One and Only. It's one of the few I haven't done and I'm excited to get started!

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J is also for jellybeans, jambalaya, and joy rides (once again, there's a long story there that involves driving without a license, but I'll save that for another day!).

And it's also for Juice Plus. I've just ordered it for our family and am excited to see the difference it makes in our health. I know a bunch of people who swear by it and say things like they rarely get sick since taking it. Considering that we all had colds a week into school, I think we could use it.

I is for inadequate

I listened to a great sermon this morning while Daisy and I walked around the neighborhood: Against All Odds by Alistair Begg. (You can download his podcasts from iTunes under his ministry, Truth for Life.) It was the story of Gideon against the Amalekites--300 against a vast army whose camels were like the sand on the seashore.

One of the points he made was this: when we get to the point of embracing our inadequacy, our weakness, then God can step in and do incredible things. Because when he does, there's absolutely no doubt about who gets the glory.

I was so challenged by this. All too often, I think of myself as together, capable, and able to handle just about anything that comes my way. But the truth is that on my own I'm completely unable to handle my life--marriage, parenting, being patient with those around me...and just about anything else that comes up in my life.

But God... Aren't those wonderful words? They make all the difference.

On my own, I would be bitter, angry, and alone. But God!

It is only in him and through him and because of him that my life makes any sense, has any purpose, and contains any joy.

I need to stop and think about that more. Not to create self-loathing or to wallow in self-pity, but to understand and accept the truth of all that God has done for me. To stop, like Gideon, and worship the Lord God who loves me and gave himself as a sacrifice for me.

And so I is also for incredible--literally, unbelievable. That God would do such a thing seems too good to be true. And that's why the gospel is good news. Because God has done the unbelievable--for me, and for you. Amen and hallelujah!

H is for home

H is most definitely for home--my favorite place to be. I've said it before: A day spent entirely at home is just about as good as it gets for me. Especially if I can stay in my pajamas!

It's funny...but every house we've ever lived in has been my favorite up to that point. They've all been different and I've loved them for all different reasons.

When we first got married, we lived in a teeny, tiny apartment on campus. We were students at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, and the married student housing was pretty limited. We had an apartment out in The Village--a group of old dorms set back up against the woods to the north of campus.

When we first moved in the dorm was empty, so we had the whole building to ourselves. Then it became a boys dorm--so we spent a lot of time in the bathroom late at night banging on the wall to make the guy next door stop playing the electric guitar at full volume. But that's another story.

The apartment itself was two rooms--a living room with a tiny deck and a bedroom. There was a very small bathroom too--and the kitchen was about the size of a coat closet and tucked off the living room. I had no idea how to cook when we moved in--and then learned to cook in that little kitchen, producing my first Thanksgiving dinner that used every surface and every dish we owned. Even in such a tiny space, we entertained a lot.

(Yep, that's the whole kitchen back there! It didn't even have a full-size fridge, but a half-size dorm fridge. And though it had four burners on the stovetop, you'd have to use doll-sized pots if you wanted to use all four burners at once!)

Since then we've lived in other apartments, a townhouse, and houses in France, Colorado, and in California. But really, no matter where we live or in what we live, as long as we're together it will be home.

G is for God's greatness

We drove up over Loveland Pass yesterday afternoon on our way home from Breckenridge. We stopped and got out of the car and just marveled at God's creation. Both the mountains and the ocean call to mind God and his glory for me. Something about the incredible grandeur of both gets to me--it makes my heart pound and overwhelms me with a certainty of his greatness.

I love these verses from the book of Psalms about the mountains:

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. Psalm 36:6

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:2

In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. Psalm 95:4

The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. Psalm 97:5

Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy... Psalm 98:8

My life story would be one of sorrow, bitterness, and defeat--of loneliness and despair--but God... Those two words for me have made all the difference. That he stoops down to save me is incredible beyond words. He is good. All the time.

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G is also for goat. I'd love to have a pet goat someday. And just think, Toben would never have to mow again. Of course, my garden would be nipped bare too. So maybe not.

G is for girls. When I found out I was a pregnant both times, Toben and I both hoped for girls. We're just a girl family. I'm one of two girls, my mom is one of two girls...I just wouldn't know what to do with boys. People often ask Toben if he'd wanted a son, but he's crazy about his girls.

G is for garden and growing things. I love growing vegetables in my garden. The zucchini have totally taken over. Think I'll plant fewer plants next year and maybe add some yellow squash. The brussel sprouts are huge, but again, think I'll plant fewer plants next summer. I think I'd like to consolidate some and use one of my raised beds for a cutting garden. I can just see it filled with zinnias and gerbera daisies!

G is for Gran. That's what Audrey and Emma call my mom. NOT granny--that makes her eyes cross funny!

G is also for "Oh dear Gussie!" I don't know who Gussie is or was, but that's what my mom's family says when they're frustrated.

And G is for Girl Scouts. A huge part of our lives. Audrey began Girl Scouts in kindergarten and so did Emma. They both want to continue all the way through high school to earn their Gold Awards (the equivalent of being an Eagle Scout). That's fine with me--not many Girl Scouts go that far and those who do often receive college scholarships as a result. We begin again this month--Audrey starts Juniors next week, and Emma begins Brownies a few weeks after that.

F is for friends

Friends are the first thing that comes to mind when I think of F. I am so blessed/fortunate/glad/thrilled/lucky/excited to have the friends I do. I have so many friends--best friends even!--and each one of them adds so much to my life.

Of course, not all my friends live here, so I do have those days where I feel a little lonely for a friend and wish there was someone across the street or next door to hang out with. Wouldn't that be lovely--a neighborhood where all your friends lived next door, across the street, or just down the way? I suppose that's what heaven will be like!

Lately I've really been missing my friend Hanna, who lives in Spokane, and wishing she could come and hang out for the day. As I think about winter, I'd like to learn to hook rugs (I know...another craft might be adding a little much until I finish all the things I've got going!) and Hanna makes beautiful ones.

I've been missing my friend Sarah in Seattle too--it's been a while since we've talked and sending a few emails back and forth the past couple of days has made me miss her a lot.

Of course, I miss my friends in San Diego, and am wishing for a morning when they could all come to my house for coffee and a morning of knitting or sewing or just chatting and catching up. I miss hanging out at the bus stop in the afternoon with Brenda and Marie!

Writing about England yesterday made me miss my friend Heidi and the silly teenagers we were together! I suppose I could go get some blue eyeshadow, electric blue mascara, suntan pantyhose, and some dangly earrings and have a little flashback by myself...

In the midst of missing these great women, I'm also looking forward to time with friends coming up... A day with Holly down in Colorado Springs, some time with Jen this weekend to meet her two new daughters from Ethiopia, a morning with another Jen learning to make paper flowers, and a day with a bunch of great women at the Women of Faith preconference in a couple of weeks.

Making time for friends is very important to me. I've told the story before of how I went a little nuts after Emma was born. I was stuck in "mommy mode" and felt a little stifled. Toben sent me off to Paris for a week with some girlfriends to celebrate my 30th birthday and it brought me back to life. Ever since then, I plan time with other women--Bible study, prayer group, time to visit on the phone, lots of emailing back and forth, girls weekends whenever I can...

Friendship is absolutely necessary for my life!

Here are some pictures of Sarah, Emily, Michelle, and me and some of our adventures together!

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F is for Friedenstein--my maiden name. Yep, I got called Frankenstein a lot as a child.

F is for Fraulein Maria (as Toben pointed out!). I do love The Sound of Music.

F is for french--a language I started learning when I was 11 and kept on learning until I earned a degree in it in college.

Finally, F is for Facebook--something to which I'm quickly becoming addicted! Go join and we can be friends there too!

E is for England

My family lived in England in the 1980s--in North Yorkshire. My dad was stationed at Menwith Hill and we lived near a town called Harrogate.

We lived on base for a few months until we moved into the village of Pannal. We went to British schools, a British church, and lived our lives as British as possible. I'm always surprised when people get stationed overseas and then live their entire lives on the American base.

I have such great memories of living in England and often say that if I could get my entire family (that means everyone) to go too, I'd move back in a heartbeat. The pace of life is slower, it seems more family oriented, and it's just so peaceful.

Toben got to see where we lived when he and I visited Harrogate in 2003. I thought he'd prefer London, but he fell in love with Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales. We spent a cold, Sunday afternoon at Fountains Abbey, walking around and imagining what life was like when it wasn't in ruins. And we had an amazing Sunday dinner at the pub in Grassington, a wonderful and charming village out in the dales.

This is Fountains Abbey:

And this is the house we lived in:

I can't wait to take the girls to England someday so they can see how wonderful it is. We've talked about all (Mom and Dad; Wade and Kristen and their kids; and us) renting a house in the dales to use as a base and then going from there to visit York, London, and Scotland. But I think we need to wait until Ava and Tyson are just a little bit older. I think a transatlantic flight with two small children just might put Kristen over the edge!

(Okay, lots of links, I know, but these are all great places to visit if you're ever there!)

D is for Daisy

Daisy is my dog. She's a miniature beagle and the sweetest, most loyal dog. Toben gave her to me for Valentine's Day one year--she was so tiny she could fit almost in the palm of my hand.

Daisy follows me everywhere throughout my day. There are days where I'm up and down and sitting for only a few minutes at a time, and she looks at me as if to say, "Would you just sit still for more than half a second?!" She lays at my feet while I wash dishes, sits under the dining room table during dinner, and stretches out at my feet while I write.

(Daisy is a good sport--and wears sweaters I knit for her!)

She does NOT like to ride in the car--so she never really goes anywhere beyond our morning walk, which is too bad, because she loves people and is very mellow. She also snores very loudly--even when she's awake at times. Goofy dog.

Most beagles tend to howl and dig--two things Daisy does not do. She prefers to follow me around and sleep for however long I sit still.

More on charm bracelets

Since some of you asked, here's the skinny on charm bracelets...

I counted and I have 63 charms on my bracelet. And though Toben thinks I should start a new one, I think there's plenty of room for more charms! I love having it full and jingly. And, no, it's really not too heavy!

Here's a picture:

A great place to get charms, braclets, and charm bracelet info is My Charmed Life. Rings n Things also has a good selection of charms at a great price. James Avery also sells silver charms. (Sometimes you can find charms at Hobby Lobby or Michaels--but they're usually made of pewter, and sterling silver is really best.)

If you're buying a bracelet for a little girl, go ahead and get a bracelet that will fit her as an adult. Mine has a lobster clasp on it, so when I was small, I just attached the clasp to one of the loops rather than the end clasp to make it small enough to fit my wrist.

Charms can be soldered onto the bracelet--which usually costs about $10 a charm. Not cheap. So now I use split rings to put mine on. I bought a bag of 100 from Rings n Things for about $10. A much better deal. Of course, it's up to you. My mom still likes to solder all of hers onto her bracelet because it is stronger.

To find charms when you're traveling, you often have to go to really tacky, really fun touristy kinds of shops. These charms often have a little flag attached to them, telling you where the charm came from. But for bigger monuments like the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can search the charm websites.

There are also charms for every hobby imaginable, as well as blank charms that you can have engraved. I have two little girl heads on my charm bracelet with Audrey and Emma's name on them and the dates they were born.

Any other questions about charm bracelets? Ask away!

C is for my charm bracelet

I'm pretty sure I've blogged about my charm bracelet before--but it was a long time ago. For my seventh birthday, my parents gave me a silver bracelet with a Happy Birthday charm and I've collected charms ever since.

Many of the charms from my childhood are from places--a squirrel from the Grand Canyon, a bear from the Grand Tetons, Minnie Mouse from Disneyworld. At one point, I put the bracelet away and didn't wear it or think about it very much. But I started to wear it again just before Audrey was born and began collecting charms again in earnest.

I think there are close to 60 or 70 charms on it now. I'll have to count. I wear it almost every day and it's great for keeping kids occupied--mine or other peoples. "Find the dolphin," I'll tell Emma while we're waiting in line at the grocery store. "Tell me about the lobster," Audrey will ask while we're sitting on the couch.

My most recent charms? A water skier from my mother to celebrate the water skiing gene we share and put into practice each summer at Lake of the Ozarks. A chair lift from our trip to Breckenridge this summer. And a cadet from the Air Force Academy that I found at the visitor's center last Saturday.

The girls each have a bracelet too--I started collecting charms for them while they were still babies and now they love to search for new ones when we go places.

I met a grandmother recently trying to decide what to buy for her nine-year-old granddaughter. Get her a charm bracelet, I said. Charms make great gifts, it lasts, and it's full of memories. I'm happy to say that she did get a bracelet--instead of the asked-for $110 jeans that her granddaughter would outgrow in less than a year!

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C is also for Charles--my dad's name, or Charlie as my mom calls him.

C is for my camera--downstairs in my purse and thus no picture of my bracelet!

C is for communication studies too--one of my majors in college.

B is for Books

Yes, definitely books. I love books and could read all day every day without ever getting tired of it. When I read, I disappear into another world and time stops.

I mostly read fiction. I love historical stories, children's fiction, and stories that give me insight into how other people live. And I read my favorites again and again.

My first job was at the base library at Menwith Hill Station in North Yorkshire, England, and later on I worked at a bookstore in high school. After college, I worked for a publishing company as a copywriter and editor. Nothing like being totally surrounded by books for a great day at work.

I've learned to read nonfiction and really enjoy it in the past couple of years. Mostly I read books on Christian spirituality--with a few parenting books thrown in there for good measure. I've just ordered a bunch of new nonfiction from Amazon to help me with my next book project.

And speaking of books, I began in earnest on my next book this morning. I've done lots of thinking and planning and outlining up until now, but now it's time to get it down in a readable format. I've scheduled some serious writing time throughout each week and hope to have a rough draft completed by the end of October so I can tweak and add and edit until it's due January 1. (Think I shared year or so ago that writing the last book wore off a bunch of letters on my keyboard--no E, S, D, F, L, C, N, or M and only half an A. Not sure there'll be any letters left after this next book!)

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B is also for Buddha--the nickname Toben gave me when we were dating in high school.

B is also for my Bible--it's so marked up and drawn in and stuffed with notes from Toben and the girls and other special people. I can't imagine losing it and trying to recreate all those "extras" it contains.

B is also for Brownies--a big part of our lives since Audrey was in first grade. But she's now a Junior Girl Scout and Emma's bridged to Brownies.

And speaking of books, B is also for the Boxcar Children--it's time to go read to Audrey and Emma before bed!