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My bid for Wife of the Year

October 4, 2009 by Kelli

Earlier this year, Lee and I attended an auction for a local school where we bid on and won a backyard grill package. This item included a huge grill (which we ultimately sold) and a party that would be completely planned and catered for us.

So, in the spirit of awesome wifedom, I cashed in on said prize and threw Lee a surprise party for his birthday. And I actually managed to pull it off, which is no small feat when you’re married to a man who tends to smell surprises and weasel them out of you early.

I may or may not have told a couple of little white lies in order to pull it all together, but I’m pretty sure that somewhere in Leviticus the Lord tells us that lying to protect a good secret is permissible and encouraged.

Or maybe it’s in the book of Nahum…

Whatever the case, my fibs worked – thankfully. I thought my secret was blown Friday when he came home at noon to find someone cleaning our house. I had made a big deal out of the fact that I was planning to clean the house, when in fact I was really out running my last few errands.

So when he came home early (noon – he came home at noon! He never comes home at noon!) I spun a fantastic tale about my mom wanting to bless us with a deep house cleaning and I called this girl and she just happened to have an opening that morning and blah, blah, blah…

He bought it.

It’s like feeding candy to a baby.

And so, after my poor dad had to stall for quite some time, Lee showed up having already downed a couple of margaritas, a hot dog and a quesadilla. And he was surprised. Very, very surprised.

The party package included a caterer who made amazing appetizers, a grill master who smoked a brisket over night and delivered it hot to our door and an amazing Jazz band. The weather was perfect; it was crisp and cool – perfect for sitting around the fire pit and listening to the music and enjoying family and friends.

And we have sweet, sweet friends. I am constantly amazed at just how blessed we are to have such amazing people around us, pouring into our lives.

I got a few pictures. They’re not great, because I’ve finally embraced the fact that I’m not a good photographer. I’ve messed around with my camera so much that I think it’s finally gone on strike and is refusing to take a decent picture purely on principle. I can almost hear it laughing at me every time I take a picture.

But these shots should give you a basic idea…

: The spread of food

: The crowd waiting for Lee to show up

: The amazing band

: Lee looking around in shock

: Hugging a dear friend who drove in all the way from Nashville just for the party

: I splurged on a fun, big cake since I didn’t have to prepare anything else for the party

: He had this stunned look on his face most of the night

: The Shrine to Lee – a wall of pictures of him from infancy to the present – I also loaded up the fridge with old photos.

Now, earlier this year, I left my dear husband for eight days while I romped around the Caribbean. That trip really set me back in my bid for Wife of the Year. But this party, my friends, this. party. put me back in the running – big time.

You all are going to have to work pretty hard if you want to catch up now.

The end.

Filed Under: Family, Life, Marriage, Random Tagged With: Surprise Birthday, Wife of the Year

To hang or not to hang

October 2, 2009 by Kelli

For some time (read, two and a half years) Lee has been not so subtly suggesting we hang our television over our fireplace.

When I say not so subtly, I mean he’s been saying things like, “Hey babe. We should hang the TV over the fireplace.”

He insists that in order to fully utilize the awesomeness (my word, not his) of our TV, it should be hanging on the wall.

You know – because it’s a flat screen. (his words, not mine)

This week, he has almost convinced me to give it a try. But I’m still not sure. Do I really want my TV hanging on the wall above my fireplace? How will that look?

Oh my, what to do!

Here are a couple of pictures to give you a visual. After viewing, please take a moment to vote on the poll. Because I know that men and women will have different viewpoints on this matter, I’ve included gender specific choices.

You’re welcome.

This first shot is where the TV is now. A brief background (because I know you’re dying to know more). Lee won that TV in a work contest a few years ago. We had a lovely armoir unit that housed our old, non-flat screen, TV, but the new one wouldn’t fit in it.

What to do? We didn’t really want to buy a new TV stand, and I nixed the hangitoverthefireplce idea, so we sawed the top of the armoir off. Yes, we are indeed hoosiers.

This is where Lee wants to hang the TV. I’m just not sure. It seems odd to me to have a TV hanging over the fireplace. What do you think? Vote below!

Filed Under: Life, Marriage, Motherhood, Polls, Random Tagged With: Hanging a flat screen over the fireplace

Re-Post: Redeeming Halloween

October 1, 2009 by Kelli

It’s a lazy, rainy day and I have a lot to do around the house this morning, so I am recycling one of my post’s from last year. With Halloween approaching, I figured it was a good time for this re-post. This was origianlly posted on October 28, 2008.

As the Halloween season approaches I thought I’d pass on the name of a great book that I think is important for parents to read – particularly those who struggle with the concept of Halloween.

It seems that Halloween has gotten a bit of a bad wrap over the years. What can be, and should be, a fun, innocent holiday for children has been mired by slasher movies and horror tales of cult-like sacrifices. This, in my opinion, is unfortunate because Halloween is really a fun time for both children and parents.

The idea of Halloween being a pagan holiday is particularly prevalent among christian circles. I understand where this is coming from. In fact, Lee and I really debated whether or not we would celebrate Halloween with our kids. Both of us just assumed that Halloween was a holiday that opened the door to evil and wondered if we should just scrap it. But, when Sloan was born, it broke my heart to think of not dressing him up and parading him around the neighborhood, showing off his cute, fat cheeks and racking up a little sugary delight.

I also couldn’t figure out how to not celebrate the holiday without it seeming weird and legalistic. Did we hand out candy to Trick or Treaters, but just not take our kids Trick or Treating? That didn’t seem right because it just makes the practice of Trick or Treating seem wrong.

Did we turn off all the lights and hide in a dark corner all night, ignoring the Trick or Treaters on our front step? That didn’t seem like a good conclusion either because how would we explain that to our kids?

And, while I love fall festivals that church’s put on and have no problem attending them, the fact is, they are still a celebration of the holiday called Halloween so I didn’t see how that was a reasonable alternative to Trick or Treating.

So before Lee and I made a decision, I decided it was time to research Halloween. And I am glad I did!

I came across a book called Redeeming Halloween: Celebrating Without Selling Out. This book was published by Focus on the Family, a reputable christian organization whose focus is, oddly enough, on issues that affect families. I learned a lot from this book.

Perhaps the thing that most surprised me was the fact the Halloween, the original holiday, is not pagan but rather a Christian holiday. It stands for All Hallow ‘een or “the eve of the holy ones“.

Under the reign of Nero, a tyrannous and horrible Roman leader, christian’s were brutally murdered in public places. Literally thrown before the lions, christians in early Rome were martyred for no other reason than that Nero felt threatened by them. In A.D. 610, as the church gained more honor, these martyrs were officially recognized and given their own holiday, All Saints’ Day or All Hallows Day. This holiday eventually landed on the calendar on November 1. It was meant to be a day for the church to remember and recognize the believers who died for their faith.

(Incidentally, if you’re looking for an excellent read on the early Christian martyrs, I highly recommend the book Quo Vadis. It’s a novel, but it’s so historically factual that it barely passes as fiction. It is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in a long time.)

Now, there is no denying that this meaning of Halloween has been wildly distorted over the centuries. But the fact remains that Halloween is not pagan, and this book gives great suggestions of ways to celebrate Halloween by merging the traditions that we have today, Trick or Treating, with the true meaning of the holiday. After all, isn’t that what we try to do at Christmas as well? If you think about it, Christmas has also been dreadfully distorted and paganized.

So where did the costumes and trick or treating come into play? The authors state that there is no real conclusive evidence as to where this tradition began but there is some historical evidence that in the mid-1800’s, masquaraders would go from door to door performing plays in exchange for food or drink.

Around this time, a large population of Irish immigrants came to America bringing with them a tradition known as “mischeif night” where they would canvas neighborhoods playing harmless tricks on their neighbors. By the 1920’s, however, this tradition had gotten out of hand leading to true vandalism, so a small town mayor instituted a night where “good” children could go to neighbor’s homes and shops, crying “Trick or Treat!” The idea was that the shop owners should give them a treat so they wouldn’t be “tricked.” Placing this tradition on the eve of All Hallow’s Day was merely a way to designate it as a once a year occasion.

So, for those of you who may be unsure of whether or not to celebrate Halloween, I highly recommend this book. You still have to do what you feel is right for your family, but you owe it to yourself to be educated about the decision you are making.

For those of you who celebrate Halloween but feel guilty about doing so – Don’t! You don’t have to skulk around on Halloween hoping no one from church see’s you taking your kids out. Bottom line is that there are ways to enjoy the innocence and the fun of Halloween without partaking of the evil that pervades.

So, in closing, Happy Halloween!

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, Motherhood, Random Tagged With: Christians celebrating Halloween, Redeeming Halloween

The one where I procrastinate

September 29, 2009 by Kelli

Hey internets.

It’s 9:45 on Tuesday night and I’m very tired. Very, very tired indeed. And yet, here I am, rapping away on my trusty keyboard. Why? You ask.

Because I’m procrastinating. I’m putting off. I’m waiting until tomorrow. Only tomorrow is today, but I’m reminding myself that no, today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow and tomorrow I’ll get it done. Except I should have gotten it done yesterday.

Confused yet?

I pitched an article idea about a month ago and it was accepted. I don’t want to say what it’s about yet, because I just really need to write it first. But I’m overwhelmed. And I can’t seem to figure out how to get it started so I keep putting it off and I need to stop putting it off and just get it done.

I keep thinking that by some miracle of the heavens I’ll have an abundance of free time in which to process thoughts and delve into the aformentioned subject matter. Then I wake up and remember I have three kids 6 and under and free time is a commodity of which I am sorely lacking these days.

You see, there are no free moments in my day. Two of my three still nap, a gift for which I am immensly grateful. And the oldest does “rest” in his room. But his “rest” usually includes several ventures out to show me the awesome, totally cool, really sweet LEGO ships he’s constructed. Or the lineup of Transformers he’s laid out. There are also the frequent bathroom breaks, the much needed drinks and of course the obligatory questions of how much time he has left.

In short – there is little time to complete a significant train of thought. Which, in general, is not a big deal as I tend to give myself a sweet break during “rest” time in which to read blogs, answer emails and otherwise have guilt free computer time.

Only, I really have some things I need to get done these days. But I never seem to find the right time to do them.

Which is why I am now sitting on my couch, rambling on to you poor souls instead of making my brain kick it into hyperdrive and tackle this project.

And so I have a question for you all. How do you carve out quiet moments in your day? When do you find time to sit in the stillness and process thoughts? How do you get yourself moving on those days when all you want to do is sit and breathe? Do share. Perhaps we can learn from one another.

Now, I’m off to sleep. Maybe I’ll get up early to write in the morning. Or, maybe I won’t. I’ve gotten in bed with procrastination, friends. And she is a persistent bed-fellow…

Filed Under: Blogging, Life, Motherhood, Random Tagged With: procrastination

Happy Birthday to the Hottest 35 Year Old I Know

September 24, 2009 by Kelli

Ten years ago today, Lee and I were in the beginning days of our courtship. As we picked up a cake to take to the K-Life house where he lived and worked, I boldly proclaimed, “Wow! You’re half a decade old today!”

I was a Professional Writing major folks…a Writing major.

Despite my horrible blonde blunder, Lee still married me. And I’m so glad he did. I’m so glad we’re growing older together. I know, I know…35 isn’t old. But it is older.

I love you, Lee. And yes, you absolutely looked wiser upon waking this morning. 35 looks good on you!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Marriage, Random

Balancing Act

September 23, 2009 by Kelli

I’ve noticed recently that I have quite a few more readers following my blog on a daily basis than I realized. I mean, I’m not experiencing mutliple thousands of hits per day, but my readership has increased significantly in the last few months.

While I’m grateful for this fact, as I’d always hoped to turn this more into a creative outlet for my writing and less of a family journal, I also feel a lot more pressure on a day to day basis because of it. I find myself thinking of things to write and then talking myself out of it because I’m not really sure if anyone would actually want to read about said topic or it seems funny in my head, but translating it onto cyber-paper loses the effect.

Whatever the case, I do find myself thinking a lot more about my words, how I write and how much I really want to share with the world.

I enjoy writing about my kids more than anything, because…well, because they’re funny. For example, yesterday Sloan came home and told us that the girl from iCarly is hot. When Lee asked him what that meant he replied, “Uh, you know it means she’s, like, really awful…Really, I just like to say that she’s hot!”

Six year olds say funny things and I love to capture those things so that someday, when he’s all grown up and we are at his rehearsal dinner the night before his wedding, I’ll be able to read some of the funny things he said and reminisce about the boy that he once was.

But there is a balance on how much I share about my kids. I try to think clearly through how they might feel about what I wrote for the world to read when they get older. I want them to laugh at these stories – I don’t want them to be embarrassed.

So, sometimes, I keep things to myself. Even if they’re funny. There have been a couple of times when I’ve contemplated writing about a particular struggle or disciplinary issue, in the hopes of getting some insight or wisdom or understanding from other parents, but have refrained eventually because I don’t want my kids to look back and be ashamed or humiliated by my words.

This is a balancing act.

I also enjoy writing about motherhood issues because that’s where I am right now. I’m in the thick of this thing called motherhood and it’s so nice to know that I’m not the only one who sometimes feels isolated. Blogging has become my lifeline to a world outside the walls of my home. There are some days when I get so discouraged as I look at the caller ID on my phone and realize no one’s called my house in two days. But then I see that I have several comments on my blog and my spirits are lifted, because, while it’s not as personal, it’s still a connection.

Motherhood can be lonely sometimes, yes?

My conundrum with writing about all things motherhood, however, is that I often feel like I don’t have that much to say. I don’t have any innovative child rearing tactics. I’m thankful each evening when I tuck them in to bed that they’re all still alive! I do aim to mother with purpose, but I don’t feel like I’m a good cheerleader on the sidelines of the motherhood game.

I’m more like the pimple faced, uncoordinated kid who stumbles around the field and every once in awhile bounces the ball off her foot and falls into the end zone.

What I mean is – I have a plan in my parenting, but I don’t have an excellent plan book so sharing mothering advice seems daunting to me. I don’t have great discipline techniques or fun, crafty ideas, or cute recipes. I don’t have great advice for getting your kids to clean up their rooms or how to make them eat broccoli without bitter weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I can, however, write about each of these issues in such a way that we can all chuckle together at the hilarity of parenting. For example, while I can’t give you point by point advice on how to get your child to obey you immediately, I can tell you that yesterday, when I told Landon to give me the penny that he found and was playing with, he promptly shoved it in his mouth and swallowed it. Um – a little dangerous? Yes. A little funny? Uh-huh. Because I’m now on poop patrol to make sure that the penny passes.

I find that funny.

Moving on…I love to blog about the fun things that happen in our lives. Lee and I are so blessed – were blessed far beyond what I ever imagined we would be. We are not rich…but we are not poor. We have three healthy, beautiful, hilarious kids, a house that meets our needs, faithful and wise friends and we laugh every. single. day. Our life is wonderful.

And so I blog about it. I try to keep the blog light and fun, but OY! There’s pressure even in that. I find myself sitting at the computer, staring at a blank screen, begging myself to think of something funny to say. And sometimes I come up dry. So somedays I’m just not going to be funny. Somedays I don’t feel funny. Like today. Sorry.

There are other things I like to write about like, for example, politics. But we all saw how that went for me the last time I did it, so I try to keep my political ramblings to a minimum because I want my blog to be a happy place. There will be times when I share my views because, ahem, this is my blog. But, in general, I try not to go overboard with the politics.

Blogging is great. It’s fun, it gives me some sense that I’m pursuing my passion, I’m making a little money, I’m keeping a record of my children’s lives and I’m working out some of the kinks in my head. But I am also balancing the act of sharing the right amount of information. It is a delicate balance, but, so far, I think it’s going alright.

So what about you? How do you balance the art of sharing your lives without sharing too much?

Filed Under: Blogging, Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Landon, Life, Motherhood, Random, Sloan

Why do I do this to myself?

September 17, 2009 by Kelli

I’m tired. Not, gee-I-wish-I-could-catch-a-break-tired, since I, ahem, just had a break; but, I’m tired in a why-on-earth-do-I-not-get-my-duff-in-bed-earlier sort of way. In short, I’m fatigued.

In addition to going to bed way too late, about 4 nights per week, my sleep is interrupted by someone not feeling well, needing to go the bathroom, having a bad dream or any other sort of ailment you can imagine. And while I know this will happen, I still don’t manage to get myself to bed before 11:00 most nights.

Why do I do this to myself?

Part of the reason is that I’m just so happy to have alone, quiet time at nights that I relish in the quiet aloneness for much too long. Going to bed almost feels like defeat, like I’m surrendering. So instead, I power through, proving to whom, I’m not exactly sure, that I still have the independence to do what I want for how long I want.

Brilliant, I know.

On top of that, I’ve got a lot of work to do and I just can’t seem to get it done during the day – thus leaving the evenings. And I hate working in the evenings so it takes me twice as long to get anything done. My brain after 8:00 is like the egg in a frying pan – only I don’t need drugs to get there, just a prolonged period of short, interrupted sleep.

Then there’s the fact that I cannot sleep unless I’ve read for a little while. But again, I don’t get myself in bed until 10:00 or 10:30, which means the reading time pushes the sleep time back a little further (or a lot depending on the book).

So that leaves me in a jumbled mess of blah with circles under my eyes. Boo! Am I the only one who does this? Am I the only one who pushes herself to the limit simply because it’s the only time I really, truly have to myself in a day?

Tell me I’m not alone…

Filed Under: Life, Motherhood, Random

I filled my Word Quotient

September 15, 2009 by Kelli

The proverbial “they” say that on average women speak roughly 20,000-25,000 words per day while men speak anywhere from 8,000-12,000 per day.

Thus the importance for women to have good girl friends. Our husbands – they’re great. But, you know, we ladies need to have time to talk incessantly without the recipient of our conversation glazing over and slipping into a coma.

Thus the reason I love “rendezvous” weekends with my college girlfriends. I am blessed beyond measure to have friendships with ladies who are likeminded, funny, fashionable (they helped me out with my wardrobe this weekend) and who, no matter how long or how far apart we’ve been, can always fall right back into the same fun, loving friendship that dominated our years at Baylor.

I love these ladies.

I am positive that we fulfilled our daily talking quotient this weekend and we likely banked a few hundred thousand words. We talked from morning to the wee hours of the night, fully enjoying one another’s company. It felt as if time hadn’t passed by at all.

Never mind that between the five of us, we have 14 children. FOURTEEN. That actually gives us more to talk about! Yeah! I’ve known these women since I was 18. We shared so many dreams and hopes back in our college days and it’s so fun to see many of those dreams and hopes being realized and lived out daily. These relationships are unique and special and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Jillian, we missed you so much. There was a piece of our group noticably missing. Hopefully it will work out next year...

Upon returning home from my lovely weekend of movies, pedicures, massages, shopping and talking, I had a minor panic attack at all that needed to be accomplished in my sweet little home. First off, apparently the house threw up while I was gone. So, you know, I’ve got to deal with that.

Secondly, Tia started preschool yesterday and since I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t leave everything until the last minute, I was up half the night Sunday night searching for all the forms and information that I needed to give the school so she could officially start.

But doesn’t she look precious?

I’m finally able to sit down and do a bit of writing today and that’s a good thing because I am behind on several projects.

So today I will be hunkering down, trying to piece the house back together and tap, tap, tapping away on my trusty computer in the hopes of making a dent in the long To-Do list sitting on my desk.

Put up a post on my blog? Check!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Motherhood, Random, Tia Tagged With: Baylor friends

A Party in the Heavenlies

September 9, 2009 by Kelli

I don’t usually post twice in one day, and I certainly don’t have time to be doing this right now, but I can’t resist. Sloan accepted Jesus as his Savior today. And my heart is filled with all measure of joy.

When Sloan got off the school bus this morning, I could immediately tell we were in for a rough afternoon. He was just grouchy. And it took no time at all for him to end up in his room where he proceeded to throw a lovely little tantrum.

By the time lunch was over and the little kids were in bed, I was fried. I was completely done and fed up and I still had to discipline my very angry boy. After Sloan and I both calmed down, we sat to talk about his behavior. Sloan told me he was sorry and that he wished he would act better and he didn’t know why he did that.

“I know I shouldn’t yell and scream. Why do I do that?”

So we talked a little about sin and how our sin separates us from God. Then I explained to him that God gave us all forgiveness through his death on the cross, and when we acknowledge Jesus as our Savior and believe that He rose again and accepts us as we are, we can have eternal life.

We also talked about how we can pray and ask God to help us behave in a way that honors Him and in the way that we know is right.

After all this, Sloan asked me how he could ask Jesus into his heart, and he and I prayed together. And, I mean to tell you, the heavens themselves cracked open and splayed forth a song of praise within my heart.

I’ve prayed for a long time that my children would know God and that they would desire to grow in faith. I’ve also prayed that either Lee or I would be the ones to lead them to salvation. I wanted to be the one to rejoice with my child in that moment. I’m so grateful for this experience today.

Now, I realize that he’s only six and that there will be plenty more tantrums and discipline issues to come. I don’t expect him to fully understand this decision. But, I do believe that this is the start of his walk in his Christian faith. This is the moment when he grasped it with the faith of a child. As he matures, he will have to learn to make the faith that Lee and I impart to him his own.

But for now, I rejoice in the knowledge that my deepest longing for my child has come to fruition. It’s a beautiful moment.

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, Marriage, Ministry, Motherhood, Sloan

Happy Labor Day

September 7, 2009 by Kelli

We’ve been in Arkansas all weekend eating our way through my mother-in-law’s kitchen. I’m pretty sure I’ve put on a few pounds in the last 5 days. We are headed home this afternoon and will be back into the grind tomorrow – until Thursday when I go to Texas for a girl’s weekend away!

My fabulously talented sister-in-law, Becke’, took some amazing pictures of us the other day. You can see some of them here.

In the meantime, enjoy your day off, eating lots of meat, enjoy some much needed family time, watch some TV, be as lazy as you can possibly be.

Because you deserve it!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Random Tagged With: Labor Day fun, Lulu Photography