Tomorrow

It's funny how our moments throughout the day can so clearly shape our attitude and feelings. Today couldn't have been a more perfect example.

I started out with a headache at 8 a.m. so I was feeling pretty proud of myself when Alex and I finished grocery shopping at 10 a.m.  The headache had grown into a dull throbbing pain and I've been getting some pretty bad migraines lately so I thought a quick stop at McDonald's for a coke (the caffeine) on the way home would be justified. For those of you who know me, you know the one thing I haven't been able to give up is coke. But that's another argument for another day. My point is, Dustin and I have had tons of experience with coke in the car - one might say we're kinda experts in the field.

Unless the sweet McDonald's employee gives me a torn cup...without a lid firmly affixed. The result - one large coke covering 65% of my car's interior. I kid you not. I think it exploded! And then Alex spilled chocolate milk and said HE was angry at the mess.

I paid a dollar to NOT drink coke, spent thirty minutes cleaning the car, and then had to shower since I was soaked from arm pits to knees. You would think I'd learn a lesson here, but no. There's more.

As I'm finally fishing up my second car cleaning this week (if you want to see my car clean come now!) and ready to scrub the sticky off my legs, my sweet, big scardy-cat of a dog pees her way across the entire family room floor. And she's a pretty big dog. With a bladder the size of Lake Michigan. And I just used all the cleaner on the car.

I decide after all of this, and I still had a headache by the way, an easy dinner was in order. I got out my brand new bag of rice, added it to my steamer, and found BUGS. In complete defeat I tossed it all down the drain which promptly backed up into both sinks and the dishwasher.

Then I had to wait for Dustin to take the drain apart.

Some time later as my headache began to fade (thanks to a McDonald's coke - I took my mama with me on my second trip) I realized that some days God just doesn't want us to be worried about all the little things because -

THEY. DON'T. MATTER.

I've spent the past weeks trying to check off my list things I have put off for months but now isn't the time. Truthfully any other time I would have gotten a good chuckle out of all the crazy things that happened, but not today. God could see I was missing the big picture and he spoke through the familiar voice of my mama tonight when she reminded me that tomorrow is a new day and we get to start all over again.

God, I need a big do-over so help me do it right. And if all else fails please let there be coke in the fridge and a restaurant gift card in my purse!

 

The Christmas Tree Farm

We've discovered the exception to the well known phrase "everything is bigger in Texas"...Christmas trees.  (I feel like I have to give Texas a break though - we do live in a perpetual drought - how big could we really grow trees here anyhow?)  I thought we'd wait a week into December to give our tree the best chance of staying alive until Christmas, but that meant all the good ones were taken and we were hunting through short trees.  

In cold weather.  

In unseasonably frigid temperatures.  

In "Texas style" winter clothes.

Did I mention the wind?

I did ask myself about a zillion times what in the world I was thinking (this was my idea) as we walked across the fields hoping to find the perfect tree.  Eventually we agreed we'd settle for a decently shaped tree that was about six feet tall.  Then we decided we'd take a decently shaped tree, any height.  Seriously, at one point when my toes went numb and I couldn't feel my fingers I wanted to grab the saw and cut down the next tree I came to, which just happened to be a tree that was about two feet tall and sparse.  Talk about your Charlie Brown tree.

Just as were considering purchasing one of the beautiful pre-cut noble firs that had arrived the day before, Dustin spotted a nicely shaped, five foot tall Leland Cypress.  It's not an evergreen.  It doesn't reach the ceiling, but the boys cut it down together and I am absolutely enamored with our little tree.

This year wasn't about the perfect tree - the right shape, the right size, the right type of needles.  It was about a memory from my childhood and the start of a new tradition for us during Christmas.  Because there is so much more to Christmas than what they try to sell us on TV or what we try to convince ourselves it should be.  My only goal this year is to put aside our expectations and focus on what matters most - preparing for the coming of our Lord during Advent, and celebrating his birth during Christmas.

I had a moment where I thought our adventure to cut down a tree would turn into a huge disappointment, leaving us feeling cheated of what we expected to come home with - but God has placed a child in our lives who cares more about the process than he does about the product - and the process is exactly the tradition we set out to begin.  It might just be the most beautiful tree we've ever decorated.  

Success.

Cutting down the tree

Alex helped cut down the tree

Ready to take home

Wrapping the tree for the trip home

Putting up the train around the tree

Sea World Homeschool Field Trip

First Day of School!

We started our first day of the new school year yesterday.  We had fun trying out our new curriculum, but I did hear at the end of the lessons, "when will it be time to study the animals, Mommy?"  

Really?  Again?  Seems like all we've done is study animals in school and out for the past year.  I'm standing by my prediction of the zoologist career pathway for now!  (By the way, he was very proud of the fact that he wrote his own name on this sign with the little "dots" like I used on my letters...)

After school we made a quick stop at Dairy Queen for a blizzard with M & M's and then off to the library to pick up some books.

And finally we spent the afternoon outside, playing in the sandbox.  

In case you hadn't noticed, we had a LOT of rain here in Central Texas this past weekend, and it left us with quite a few muddy spots in the backyard.  Alex wasted no time at all stepping right in and covering himself in mud.  Too bad you can't see what the back of him looks like!

It was a pretty good start to a new year!  Now to keep up the momentum...

Pioneer Farms Homeschool Field Trip

Technically our school year does not start for another two weeks, BUT we couldn't pass up an opportunity to join some of our FISCHE homeschooling families for a school field trip to Pioneer Farms (which happens to be just up the road from us).  Here are some pictures from our morning adventure.

You know you have a Texan when the first words out of his mouth when he gets to the farm are "LONGHORN mommy!"

Alex said he loves Tepees and he wants to live in one.  Until he discovers there are no books and no air-conditioning.  Then I think he'll change his mind.

Standing inside the Smokehouse.  Does he really understand what this was used for?

The detached kitchen.  He found the idea of a kitchen outside (where you potentially had to walk through the rain to get to it) a bit disturbing...considering how much time he spends in our kitchen, I'm thinking the extra distance might have been a good idea!

The outhouse.  He would have stood inside the outhouse for a picture too, but I'm not even going to go there!

Alex's First Soccer Game

Here they are.  Alex and his friends at their first soccer game!