I am trying...

I just opened my "new post" tab and this big, blank box appeared. And I breathed a deep, cleansing breath. I have missed this big, blank box. I have missed this space. I have missed writing.

But I'm also trying to figure out how to be a present mom, and how to get two girls to listen and obey and love Jesus and maybe, in the process, still like me at the end of the day: me-- the crabby woman grabbing for another cup of coffee who didn't take the time to put on real pants* today and who just used that exasperated voice on you [again] simply because you asked if you could have strawberry milk instead of regular milk [the answer is no, right now, but should I be exasperated that you asked that? No. Sorry. My apologies, I'll try to be better next time].

*to be clear, I view "real pants" as the kind that require buttoning or zipping of some fashion

I'm also trying to survive pregnancy exhaustion [and pregnant women everywhere raise their fists in solidarity].

I'm clearly NOT trying to keep mirrors clean or stop Katniss from practicing her bow skills [see the bow at my feet]

I'm also trying to stay ahead of household stuff like feeding my family [they protest if I skip this step], paying bills [people also protest if I skip this step], and figuring out insurance for next year because, oh hey, FYI "we are no longer offering health coverage next year, " says my current provider.

I'm also trying to do well at my "new" job at our church: I guess I haven't really said much about it here, but I am working part time as the "coordinator of engagement and prayer."

I'm also loving taking more pictures for people, and trying to get pictures edited and back to everyone in a timely manner!  I even saved enough to update my camera. You read that right: not a new lens but a whole new camera. Very big deal.

Also, at 9 oclock this morning while the girls were eating their breakfast [we're late rises...praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost], I took one look at my filthy oven and it tipped me over the edge and I just dove into it. 

So that mess is happening right now. You should have seen my burners. Yikes. It made me think of Grandma Pat because 1. at least 12 times a day I think of Grandma Pat and 2. the day we moved into the house we had a lot of helpful hands on deck, hers being two of them. She manned the stove and she got those burners sparkling and she said, "Now I expect it to look this way every time I come over." Thankfully I knew she was joking because it most definitely did not look like any time she came over. Maybe after today it will. Maybe.

Oh, yes. And I am also trying to get everything updated in baby books for Blythe and Becks so I can begin baby girl number 3's book. I am keeping a "Belly Book" for her, just like I did the others, and so help me I will document this pregnancy and baby. But really, forgive your parents if you were not the first child and they didn't buy you a baby book.

But I want to keep writing and processing here. Hang with me. Maybe someday I'll put on real pants again. But for now I'll write when I can and try to keep my girls from burning the house down...if my dirty oven isn't the first culprit. 

archives

I was looking through some older posts recently and I enjoyed walking down memory lane so much I thought that today I would just post a few links to some older posts for you all. I know several of you have followed my blog faithfully from  the start-- and by several I mean my family--, but others have trickled in over the years or even recently. So here are some old posts, in no particular order:

State Champs: This one is a bit more recent, just last fall: I write about the time I got to coach a team that won state! 

Letters from my students: Letters my students wrote me after I had Blythe

The resurrection: I write about a funny moment in my classroom… with a sermonic twist at the end [as Brent would say]

Perspective: I write about the time a tv show gave me a little perspective on teaching, and on how to be a more compassionate person in general

Reflection: I write a reflection on my first two years of teaching

First Realized I was Grown Up: I write a little piece about becoming an adult

Tired old Town: I write about a place a grew up, and great literature

Unwritten: I write a poem for my daughter [I remember writing this and posting it from my phone-- the first and only blog post I have ever done like that-- while nursing Blythe. That is why there are a few capitalization errors etc] 

What I Come From: I write about my heritage

Under a Streetlight in January: I write about one of the most romantic wedding ceremonies I've ever heard about

Short Story: I write a short story … or attempt to write a short story. I am not a great short story writer. 

Missing Home: One of my first blog posts-- as a senior in college, I write about missing home 

My Fear: I write a poem about one of my greatest fears 

Noticed: I write a piece about my sister

Blythe's Birth Story: I write about Blythe's entrance into the world

Our Love Story [it is almost Valentine's day after all…and tomorrow marks TEN YEARS since Brent first had the guts to say, "I like you" and we started dating] : This is long- I wrote it over the course of several years-- and it isn't perfect, but I wanted to record it for us, but mainly for our kids to have a record of someday. So here I write the story of me and Brent, from awkward, teenaged beginning, to beautiful, wedding dress day end…which is really the beginning, right? 

I doubt anyone will actually reread all of those. But I had fun! And hey, some of you have been cooped up due to snow all week and may just be bored enough to read a few of them ;)

Happy weekend!

the cost of children

Brent and I like to listen to a Christian radio station around here, namely for the D.J.s. That's right. You heard correctly-- a Christian radio station that actually has decent D.J.s that ooze and sap all day but actually make us laugh and think.

One of the guys on there actually had a morning show on a station we both listened to in Kentucky. It was my favorite part of my commute to work. When I knew we were moving, I actually thought, "Oh man. I won't get to listen to Brant in the morning anymore." Weird, I know. But then he switched stations!

Brant the D.J. has a blog. It is good. You should read it. You should probably read it instead of this blog, actually, if you have a rule that you can only read one blog or something.

Yesterday he blogged on "the cost of children."

CLICK HERE to read the blog.

Basically he talks about how the media right now is all, "Hey! It costs a lot of money to have a kid! Have you thought about that?" And discusses how, for most of us, it doesn't make sense on paper to procreate. He says, "Foolish to have a kid? Mathematically, sure. And I love math, but math ain't everything. You can't play kickball with it or watch it giggle in the bathtub." 

 It's just good. And those of you that are past the kid stage and your savings aren't quite where they would be had you not had kids…well, I'm pretty sure you don't regret it, do you?

Brent wanted me to pass this blog along. So my job is done for the day.

a little blogging rant

I think I've written about this before, but it's been happening again a lot lately and I have more readers now so I thought I'd spew again.

I can't respond to your comments! And I want to! So help me out!

The problem really isn't yours, the problem is Blogger, this venue through which I am able to share my thoughts and stories and pictures with you. Typically what happens is I write a little something, something and get some comments. I get an email when you comment. This is what it looks like: 

What I want to be able to do is open that email, read your comment, and then hit reply and email you back. Then when you check your email, voila, we have a little conversation going and you can see how awesome I thought your comment was, or I can ask you a question back, or tell you how hilarious and cool you are. 

However MOST people aren't set up this way. So what happens is I get all excited to respond to a comment [I'm picking on Tara today…sorry, Tara]. I click "reply", and this pops up:

Awesome. I type up a response and click SEND, thinking you'll get the email. But here is the deal-- if you're not set up properly, this is actually where my email goes: 

So that email I just sent Tara in response to her comment? It went to this address, which is no where. So it went no where. Into the endless acres and acres of nothingness. And now Tara thinks I'm a jerk for never responding to her awesome comment. 

Here is the deal: It is super super super EASY to fix this, and then I can email you right back and we will be COMMUNICATING behind the scenes! It will be so fun. I promise. 

Go to your profile. Click "edit profile" on the top right. [That orange box]

 Then simply check the box that says "show my email address" and enter the email you would like your comments to respond to.

Even if you're on Wordpress, make a blogger profile with your email and website link, so you can comment on Blogger blogs so we can talk!

If you're worried that entering your email here is going to cause spam and other craziness, don't be. I've been on Blogger since 2007 and haven't had a single problem like that yet.

Trust me, you don't have to be super smart like this little lady to figure it out:

There you go. Go fix yourself up and stop being a no-reply commenter! If you've never gotten a response from me after you've commented, this is probably why. I'm so glad we'll be talking soon!

check it out

So I thought that created "pages/tabs" on my blog was going to be like having my wisdom teeth pulled and require many hours, and maybe even some pain medication.

Ends up, I was wrong.

So now I have some little tabs up there under my title. Get to clickin'!

Most of you have probably read "our story" that I wrote about Brent and me, but if you haven't that little link takes you there!

Also if you have no idea who I am or what I'm about, which I'm doubting is like one person who accidentally comes to my blog, you can click on the "about me" tab.

The one that says "why 'words that sing'" is to answer the question I've been asked regarding the title of this blog.

"blythe's story" is her birth story, all about how our sweet Blythe Kathleen joined our family and made us three.

And the last one, the "best of", this is where you come in! I need some of your suggestions, you see. I want to link up some favorite posts-- if one or two come to your mind, please leave a comment and I will link it up under that tab! It will be fun to see what people remember me writing about.

And that's all for today, as it is 7:30 and Brent and I have yet to eat because crock pot meals are not very convenient when you put them in the pot an hour before supper time. Whoops.

blogWORLD: i got tagged

Fun fact: I had a nice long blog post written up and it didn't save/didn't publish it when I tried to publish it. Here is the condensed version.

For those of you that don't know, the blog world is vast...I mean, we're talking IMMENSE. The fact that there is even the word "blogosphere" in our lexicon should prove this fact. I like to read blogs of people I know, and occasionally creep on others of people I don't know. One of my favorite things is knowing who reads this here blog. Which means, if you are a frequent/semi-frequent reader you should go over to the right hand side and become a "follower". This will 1) let me know who is actually reading this 2) make it easier for you to know when I update and 3) not sign you in as "anonymous" when you leave comments [Mom and Dad!]. So you should do that for me, please...even if I don't know you!

So that being said, one thing that occasionally happens in the blog world is being "tagged" by other bloggers. For those of you not hip with social media lingo, this is a fancy form of the 'ole chain letters essentially. Well my friend from the Louisville area, Hannah @ cheery bees, "tagged" me on her blog in this little game. I miss her, and my husband misses her 'let's-hang-out-whilst-doing-something-active' husband. And now you guys get to learn some stuff about me...which may or may not be loads of fun. We'll see.

Apparently, before I'm allowed to begin, I'm supposed to share the rules:

1) I have to post these rules
2) I must post 11 things about myself on my blog
3) I have to answer the questions the tagger [i.e. Hannah] set for me in her post, and then create 11 new questions for the people I tag to answer
4) I have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post
5) Then I have to go to their page and tell them I linked them [I started to do this and then stopped. We'll see if the ones I tagged actually look at my blog].

whew! AND remember, I've already done ALL of this once. My answers may not be as good this time around. But without further adieu:

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
[I knew I liked Hannah: Starting it off right with a food question] PASTA PASTA PASTA! Any shape, any sauce...plop that on my plate or in my bowl, heck, even directly into my mouth, and I'm a happy girl

2. If you had to choose between never brushing your hair again or never washing your face again, which would you choose?
[My college roommates are not allowed to comment on this one] I would choose never brushing my hair again. My hair is naturally curly, which means that it tends to POOF quite easily when it comes in contact with a brush. Don't believe me? Ask to see pictures from my childhood when my mom was in charge of the hair brush. I actually don't even own one now. Just a hair pick. And only that when it's wet. So if you're coming over to visit, make sure you pack your brush because I won't be able to help you!

3. If you had to live in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
I'm going to cheat and be vague and say anywhere that allows me to invest in the community around me and a community that invests in me and my family. [Which means I am quite content right where I am]

4. If you had the choice, and had to live in a different time period/era, which time period/era would you choose?
This is another great question but it makes me laugh because I sort of grew up in a different time period because of my dad. See HERE and HERE if you don't know what I'm talking about. That being said, I wouldn't choose the 1700s/revolutionary war time period. I would either choose the Victorian era, in which ladies dressed oh-so-smashingly in beautiful dresses and hats and poetry was booming, OR the late 1800s/early 1900s. I think there were a lot of exciting things happening at that time and I think it would be fantastic to teach in a one room school house [or at least give it a whirl!]

5. What do you wish you could have the will power to do that you just can't bring yourself to do now?
Wake up in the morning. Preferably early. And I'm not asking for anything crazy like 5. Just 6:30. To be able to get my dead and lethargic butt out of bed and not be miserable about it would be wonderful. And yes, I do realize this will have to change in roughly 2 months.

6. What super power would you like to have?
Quite honestly, I think waking up in the morning is a super power, but since I already used that one I will say fly. Which is cliche, but it would be pretty awesome. OR the super power of being able to merely TOUCH my students' assignments and automatically know what grade to write on the top. OR better yet, I'll take both because with the latter I would have much more available flying time.

7. Say you lost your hands and the only thing that could replace them were paws or hooves, which would you choose?
Hannah, do you teach 8th graders or something? I'm going to have to say hooves because I've always loved the way they sound on hard surfaces. So I'd have to rip up all my carpet...but definitely hooves.

8. You could only receive text messages or letters/cards (you know, the kind that come in the mail that the mail man brings to your house) for the

rest of your life, which would you choose?

This one is easy for me: LETTERS. Hands down. LETTERS. As a lover of words, you just don't get the beauty of the written language in a text message. They are convenient, yes, but I would much rather open up a real letter [I'd even take a post card!]. Brent and I, though we emailed one another daily while in college, still wrote letters to one another. And I'm so glad we did. And here is a weird little fact: Literally while I was typing this a new email popped up from my friend. He had sent me a link to here: http://boingboing.net/2012/01/24/mary-robinette-kowal-challenge.html and said, "Saw this and though of you…" It is about taking a challenge for the month of February to MAIL something everyday. :-) Clearly, I'm a letter person. And it takes a dern long time to text when you feel the need to insert commas and apostrophes correctly :)

9. If you could only wear one thing/outfit every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

THis one is tough. My first thought would be: sweats and tshirt. But this wouldn't allow for my vast array of shoes. SO on second thought: jeans and a black tshirt. I could dress up with proper bling and shoes, or dress down. Perfect.

10. Guilty pleasure?

You would ask me this while I'm pregnant [although, if I'm being honest, the answer wouldn't change]. Option 1: DOUBLE Stuf Oreos with WHOLE milk OR Option 2: [I've been doing this one since high school] melt together cheddar cheese and some sour cream in a bowl. Sometimes I dip chips in it, and sometimes…well…just pass me a spoon, please. :)

11. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Since I was about three I always said a teacher and a mom [and a grocery store worker, but we'll pretend I didn't say that]. Living the dream.

And this is where I make up 11 questions and tag some other people. Here we go.

1. If you could learn to do anything, what would you learn and why?

2. If you could paint a picture of a landscape/something from your memory perfectly, what would you choose and why?

And here I must interject: I am a teacher and therefore I am used to adding "and why" to the end of questions so my students learn to justify their answers. From here on, just assume the "and why" is added to the end of the question. :)

3. What is one career/occupation that you would NOT want to do/ or would not be suited for you?

4. What is something you keep extras of on hand at nearly all times in your home?

5. If you could BE a fictional character and live their story, who would it be?

6. What is the story that your family always tells about you?

7. If you were a flavor of ice cream, what flavor would you be?

8. What is your morning routine?

9. What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh?

10. If you could make all of one kind of thing go away, what would it be?

11. What is one thing you think all High School students should be taught before they graduate? [This does not have to be related to a "core" subject]

And now for the tagging portion of this game. Please do not feel obligated to participate, I just thought it may be fun. OR shorten it down and only answer the 11 things but don't tag others [it will take less time]. If you are not "tagged" below but still want to be linked here, please just leave me a comment and I will add you to the list.

1. sis-in-law Beth @ BChambers Photography OR Tangled Up in Blue

2. my sis, Kali @ Diary of an Oreo Lover

3. Meagan @ MWPhoto

4. Jenny @ The Life I Have Been Given

5. Micah @ midwest girl in the south

6. Carrie @ with all that i've been given

7. Jared & Renae @ J & R's Journey

8. Barb @ Life As We Know It

9. Amanda @ Teasingly Diverse

10. Lauri @ The Causey Adventure Series

11. Trish @ Grand Central Sandbulte [I'm gonna get you bloggin' again, lady! :)]

Like I said, if you aren't linked and want to participate, just leave me a comment. :) Happy linking!

400

Yesterday I realized I had reached 400 posts on this here blog of mine. Although I wish I had more time to write, I am thankful that I started this my senior year of college. Now don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with a list of 400 things about me or anything, but I thought I would share a list of 4 reasons why I write here: [Hint, if you click on the links that are different colors they will take you to a something I wrote about that topic]:

1. Just like under my heading, I write to "feel the wind on my face." So often in life we experience something that makes us question and wonder, or we experience something that makes us grieve or laugh… but we let that moment pass by. One of the main reasons I write is because I want to be able to really immerse myself in the things that happen to me, not just have a beautiful spring breeze wash over me and then forget about it. I want to capture what it feels like to miss a place, or the pain of caffeine addiction, or even the power of smell. I don't want a smell or feeling to pass by; I want to be reflective of what is happening around me, and in me. So, I write to feel the wind on my face.

2. I also write here to "remember the moments." I love remembering. I love to get lost in the patchwork of my past. To curl up with a mug of coffee and recall the things that have made me. Whether it is trying to picture my Grandma in English class, or the loss of someone I loved deeply [and here], or reminiscing about family vacations [and here], places that have made me- ME, or moments in teaching that have defined me and made me cry and laugh, I write to remember those moments.

3. I write to "feel the breath of God."It's pretty incredible how much life has been lived between 400 blog posts. It's pretty incredible how much I've had to grow and change and accept so many responsibilities since I first started typing in my dorm room my senior year. It's pretty incredible that all the while God has been right here with me, writing my story long before I ever touch a finger to the keyboard. For that reason I'm not linking up past stories I've written on this one because they way I look at it, they all are very full of the things of God. One of my favorite hymns says, "O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best! 'Tis an ocean vast of blessing, 'tis a haven sweet of rest. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me; And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee." What sweet assurance that no matter where life leads, no matter what the next 400 blog posts may read, I have a Savior to follow; a Savior who is leading me-- and that is also worth writing about.

4. And last but not least, I write because of community. I once had a mentor tell me that if you don't have a group of people with whom you're living messy with, then you're not really living. Here is where I like to live messy. Where I can share how much I'm resisting change, or my fears, or about leaving things I love. I can write about growing up. This is a place where I can live messy with those of you who dare to read. So thank you for being on this journey with me, whether you leave comments or not [leave comments!], just knowing someone is reading this writing helps me keep writing for all of these reasons.

**And I will be gone for a bit…leaving on an Alaskan cruise tomorrow with my dear friend, Micah. I am greatly looking forward to it and will write all about it when I return!**