Forgotten

So many changes since I began this blog as a stay-at-home mom desperate to keep connected with the outside world. I have been given much grace - more than I deserve. It is only fitting that this, too, should become something new.


Old friends who share their hearts and homes when I needed them most.

A neighbor who secretly mowes the lawn.

Strangers who show me unconditional love and sit with me on a hard day.

Grace upon grace.

You won't believe this one!

Not so long ago, the Whitfill Five enjoyed an art-filled family outing. As the evening concluded, we pulled into the drive, and my husband upon exiting the driver's seat said, "Honey, you've got to see this."

When my purse could not be retrieved by feeling around underneath my feet, I assumed that I had placed it in the backseat next to the baby and continued to get out of the car. As I shut the door and faced the direction of my husband's voice, I saw it.....

My purse was calmly sitting on the trunk of our car. Yep. That's right. I placed it on the trunk of the car when loading the baby, and my "Mama Brain," completely forgot it as I walked around to the passenger's side and got in. It waited patiently there for me the 10-or-so blocks that it took us to get home.

My husband simply said, "Aren't you glad I was driving?"

When he's right....he's right.

Are you smarter than a two-year-old?

Unfortunately, I am afraid that I am not.

This morning I decided to tackle the pile of baby and toddler clothing in need of some good, old-fashioned scrubbing with Ivory soap. (If you have not discovered this yet, Ivory soap and some muscle power will get out just about anything!) While I realize that stains are easier to remove when fresh, I often put it off until the baby has nothing to wear, so when I say "tackle" that's really not an exaggeration.

Jack immediately saw his opportunity. I was kneeling at the tub (because the pile was too big for the sink....), when the little stinker shut the bathroom door. He's like his father....loves to close doors. (Funny. That statement sounds so metaphorical, but it's really meant quite literally.)

Upon finishing my task, I entered the living room to find the organ turned on, the didgeridoo taken from our closet and laid (gently, I'm sure) on the floor beside the bagged (thank goodness) kitchen trash, and Jack sitting on the couch strumming the guitar (also taken from our closet.)

Do you see what I'm up against?

If I were a rock star....

Apparently I had too much down-time on my hands today, because I caught myself imagining me as a rock star.

I have decided that if I were a rock star, I would have a dramatic up-do, a glamorous little black dress and a glittery guitar. (Especially a glittery guitar!)

Alas, another day in which the solution to ending world hunger has eluded me......

A Few Extremely Discombobulated Thoughts

The first reason I wanted to blog a little today was because a friend's blog jogged my memory of a particular Saturday or Sunday afternoon when my husband and I went grocery shopping. We were expecting our first baby and were trying to be frugal and always eat at home because, while we didn't have a clue about being parents, we knew that that baby would be extrememly expensive once he/she arrived! Anyway, there was a Long John Silver's restaurant in the same shopping center as the grocery store, and for whatever reason, we both thought that our lives could just not continue as normal without some of that super greasy "fish" and those freakishly crunchy crispies.

So....we decided to splurge. We went in and ordered and sat down in a booth to enjoy our one plate of food and one soft drink! Here's to splurging!!


Soon after arriving home today from church, Jonathan received a text message that is proof prayer works!! Not even a lot of prayer.....just a little prayer. I just wanted to share that.

Sitting down at the computer to enter my aforementioned thoughts, an old roommate of mine sent me a message via the Chat feature on Facebook. She lives on the other side of the world now and was heading off to bed, but the few moments we were able to reminisce reminded me how it felt to be young.

Well that's all for now....crying baby in the background and a 7-year-old anxiously waiting to give mommy a makeover.

Desperations of a Housewife

Ahhh...it is silent.

Today was one of those days that made me wonder how I came to be here. Among other things, my two-year-old decided the plants needed some baby lotion. He got away with this because I selfishly stole away to the bath while he was napping. His big blue eyes and nonsensical yet serious gibberish as he proudly tells of his recent doings would soften the blow for most observers, but my love affair with cute ended a while back. (Was it the day he ate the Comet or the time he stripped himself of his dirty diaper that did it?)

So now there are blobs of pink on the leaves and in the potting soil. To clean or not to clean? THAT, Mr. Shakespeare, is ALWAYS the question. Does baby lotion eventually soak in or perhaps evaporate? Would this qualify as a Science Fair project?

The highlight of the day was to be the Bible study that I have missed for the passed two Wednesdays because I gave away my time to high school students who neither noticed nor cared. Amidst tormented screams, cries of injustice, and wails of a much-too-short naptime, we managed to pile into the car. It wouldn't start. Not the usual-won't-start-unless-you-get-the-battery-jumpstart-thing-out-of-the-trunk-and-pop-the-hood won't start, but a new-almost-gonna-wait-here-it-is-nope-not-gonna-do-it kind of won't start. Really?!

I think I'll go to bed.

A Tribute to The Faithful

Last weekend, I had the honor of photographing a celebration and renewal of marriage vows between a husband and wife of 50 years. They are the parents of one of my dearest friends. I love this family because, in all the time I've known them, they've never said a disagreeable word to each other. And with 6 daughters (and one son), you would think there would be plenty to be disagreeable about. The sisters have a kind of bond that I thought only existed in the movies. The passion they have for each other is transcended only by the respect and admiration they show their parents -- most especially their mother.

This is not to say they have had perfectly easy lives void of difficult decisions and world-changing events. I believe they have had plenty of both. But through it all, they continue to love and accept.

I think this, more than any ceremony or ritual, is the highest tribute to their mother -- a lady who promised her love and devotion five decades ago, and continues to honor her promise even in the winter.

Thank you with all my heart for allowing me a glimpse, and, Lord, help me never forget the finish-line.