SortaCrunchy

A Love Letter to My Grandparents

Kyle and I with my grandparents on our wedding day, June 1998

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

Of course it makes sense that summer always reminds me of you. How many summer days and weeks did we spend in your home throughout my childhood?  My tummy always tingled with excitement when our station wagon would finally pull into your driveway.  We would strap on the shoes we had abandoned hours before on the outset of our road trip and race to the front door where we would be caught up in enthusiastic embraces from each of you.

I've been thinking about each of you so much lately. 

this is us: preserving summer mornings

 

I cannot even tell you with words known to mankind how much I love summer.

Yeah, yeah.  It's hot.  And if I didn't live in the luxury of an air-conditioned house and an air-conditioned car that shuttles me back and forth from one air-conditioned shelter to another, I am sure I would sing a different song.

But because I do live in the luxury of protection from the hot, I am free to indulge in all of the coat-free, sock-free, shiver-free, icy-wind-that-takes-your-breath-away-free goodness that is summer. 

O Pioneers!

The next town over had a little Pioneer Days event today.

We
admired handwork

 

  and animal pelts

The Birthday Road Trip

First things first: Today at Simple Mom, I have a column up discussing 7 Ideas for Screen-Free Travel with Kids.  There are some great comments already.  If you have a few moments, I would love it if you stopped by to add to the discussion.

In fact, that would be a great birthday present to me.  Because did I mention?  TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!  The big, symmetrical 33! 

Your suggestions on the road trip playlist last week were wonderful.  Thanks for humoring me with that!  My sister Emily and I had an incredible trip.

Here's the rundown:

* On Thursday, I dropped the girls off at their grandparents' where they were so happily ensconced in playing in the yard that they barely looked up to tell me goodbye.

* I headed south on I-35 until I got to north Texas where Emily lives and goes to grad school.  We had fun tootling around town - shopping, eating, and seeing friends.  We talked about ninety miles an hour, and I am confident we annoyed all those around us with our frequent outbursts of laughter.  We then proceeded to stay up way too late, as is our custom.

* Friday morning, we shuffled around and finally hit the road for Austin around noon.  That means we were ready for nourishment just about the time we hit West, Texas - home of the best kolaches ever in the history of man.  My favorites come from The Czech Stop:

 

Then it was back on the road for us!  

Traffic in Austin on a Friday night can get a little gnarly (even worse than usual) but we actually made it to RunTex Riverside in plenty of time for me to pick up my running packet for The Race.

And then - AND THEN! - we headed over to The Shady Grove for dinner with my friend (and Simple Organic editor) Katie Fox!  I called to let her know we were on our way over and told her to look for me - that I would be wearing a green t-shirt and white skirt.  Emily was a little confused.  "Do you think she's forgotten what you look like?"  Um, not so much forgotten - we had never met!  But we've "known" each other for nearly three year through blogging.

Katie (and her hubby and precious daughter) were so much fun.  My friend Melissa also joined us for dinner there, and we stayed for hours and I feel like we could have kept right on talking for hours.

* We drove south out of town a little ways to the home of my friend Angela who had graciously offered to host us.  Catching up with her was the perfect end to an incredible day.

* Saturday morning, we got up bright and early with the sun and drove out to Blanco, Texas, for the Texas Lavender Women's 5K and 10K.  I wish I could have take pictures of the incredible scenery that driving through the Texas Hill Country offers.  It was stunning and just what I needed to settle my nerves before the big 10K.

There were hundreds of women participating in the race, and the atmosphere was awesome!  Everything was so well organized.  If you live in Texas and enjoy running, I HIGHLY recommend running in the annual Texas Women's run at least once!  

 
The race course took us along a gentle road through lavender country, but I had a hard time enjoying the scenery because OHMYGOSH, the heat.  The race started at 8:30 AM and the temps were already rising.  But worse - oh so much worse - than the heat was the humidity.  When the sweat can't evaporate off of your skin because of the humidity, it makes for a miserable race.  My morning runs end as the sun is coming up, so my body was not even a little bit used to running in that kind of weather.  I was disappointed that I had to walk most of the last two miles of the race, but overall, I was happy to have completed it!

While I was on the course, my sister (the artist) thoroughly enjoyed all the art and artisans who were participating in the Lavender Festival.  She got some of the best shots of the trip:

 

 

   

 

* After the race, we drove down into San Marcos - another absolutely breathtaking part of the trip.  There is a big, big part of my heart in the Texas Hill Country, and time spent there was one of the best birthday presents I've ever had.

* Some of my closest friends from our San Marcos days met us for lunch - and again, I could have stayed and talked for hours.  I was reminded of how with such dear friends, it's so easy to pick up right where you left off.  SUCH a treat.

* We ended the day with dinner with Emily's friend (and Austin expert) Patton at Trudy's and a trip out to The Oasis for live music and relaxing.  We stayed in Austin that night - along with nearly a quarter of a million bikers who were in town for the ROT rally.  So that was interesting.

* Sunday morning, we slept in ('til 8:45!  It was glorious!) and made one last stop before we headed northward.  H-E-B is arguably the best grocery store chain IN THE UNIVERSE.  Since neither Emily nor I can shop there anymore, we actually did some grocery shopping as part of our road trip.  I loaded up on Kyle's favorite salsa (we've been unable to locate decent salsa in the Sooner State) and other little goodies.

* One last stop in West - this time, upon recommendation from a friend, at a different bakery.  The kolaches were slightly different, but still scrumptious.  And look at that!  Some Texas-sized cinnamon rolls jumped in the box, too!

 

I arrived home to two sweet girls who were almost as anxious to see me as I was to see them, and my sweet hubby who graciously made this whole trip possible.

Once we reach our thirties, it becomes a challenge to carve out celebrations, doesn't it?  Or is that just me?  It's easy to let a birthday pass by in the season of diapers and Dora and PB&J and constant clutter patrol.  That's what I'm doing today on my actual birthday.  A trip to the library for story time, cleaning house, preparing dinner for our small group tonight . . . just the business of life. 

But I am stopping to pause and remember and treasure the memories of the grown-up road trip.  I feel so incredibly well-celebrated.

40 Days of Joy {day 11} - Like a Lion

Dear March,

How dare you sneak up on me like that?  Did your mother teach you no manners?  As the wintry wind whipped across the Oklahoma plains today, it occurred to me that you have decided on to arrive with mane bristled and teeth bared.  I can hear your roaring around outside the window even as I write.  I trust you'll later leave us meek and gentle as a lamb, all woolly and bursting with bounce.  I'm counting on it.

And I'm not complaining.

-- M

* * * * *

I told some friends last week that I almost feel like I'm cheating on Lent.  Picking up everything and turning it over and over, inspecting and seeking out joy, leaves little time, energy, or - frankly - desire to complain.  This is almost too easy.

* * * * *

Joy and gratitude get along famously, don't they?

I haven't add my link to Ann's list in so long, and though I often share that for which I am thankful, I so often forget to work on my numbered list.

I'll pick the list up where I left off:

24. a mama and Dacey day at the salon.  Her first Big Girl haircut.  It's precious.

25. Hearing myself in AJ's vocabulary.  I smile at her while she chitter-chatters and she giggles shyly, "Oh, I'm just talkin' to myself!"

26. Our pastor retired from a lifetime of serving the Lord in ministry yesterday.  (Literally, a lifetime.  His first pulpit found him before he turned twenty years old.  He's in his seventies now.)  Every hymn sang of grace, grace, God's grace.  And love.  And it was beautiful.

27. Kyle and I have been making more space and time for each other.  We have found our way back to the center of a Venn.  It's a good place to be.

28. My friend Marla and her heart for missions . . . so thankful. So much joy.  Take one minute to go read.

29. Out of nowhere

 

 

an anonymous sister sent words of Truth and an unthinkably generous gift.  Puzzled, perplexed, and bursting with joy and gratitude.  Sister - thank you!

goodness

Thank you all for the kind words on yesterday's post. 

When I share something like that and the response includes kind words and hugs across the miles, my first instinct is to pull those words back to my chest and crinkle my eyes and say, "Oh, I'm fine.  No, really.  Fine." 

And on many levels, I am fine.  And on others, not fine.

The responses shared in comments and private emails have encouraged me to be okay with sitting in a moment of hurt while all the while acknowledging the goodness that surrounds.  In fact, that inspiration has sparked, clarified, and confirmed my focus for the coming Lenten season.  (more on that later)

Goodness in this moment:

*** my sister Emily who not only accepts my mess, but stays longer than planned to help me dig out and clean up (both literally and figuratively) (especially my laundry room which was about to pick up the phone and call the producers of Hoarders)

*** my husband who, sensing my absolute weariness after a week of tending to sick chicks, immediately began making dinner upon his arrival home last night

*** sweet girls who make me laugh even when their fevers soar (and the promise of health just around the corner!)

*** close-knit community manifested in almost daily email discussions with friends who know me

*** Mothering magazine.  It's arrival in my mailbox encourages me mightily.

*** An incredible cookbook from a mama who knows her stuff: Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food Bill (that I purchased with my own money thankyouverymuch - but that is, of course, an affiliate link)

*** salsa verde

*** remembering sunny February days south of Austin - two years ago:

 

 

 

*** while honoring the beauty of winter on the plains:

*** Sumatra fair trade

*** A very new friend who showed up on my doorstep with dinner for our family one night this week

*** plans falling into place for a new direction I'll be taking with SortaCrunchy in the very near future

And more and more and more. 

So much goodness.

(comments closed.  Have a beautiful Friday!)

With so much thanksgiving

I joyfully and intentionally spent most of Thanksgiving and the days that followed away from the computer.  I've been craving reconnection with the flesh-and-blood-and-leaves-and-twigs world around me, and I admit to now feeling quite satiated.

This did mean, however, that I didn't quite get around to writing up The Thanksgiving Post.

Understatement alert: I have so much for which to be thankful.  Our life is far from perfect, but the abundance of amazing in my life is staggering. 

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. *

Absolutely.

One area of my life in which I don't think I could ever express my gratitude enough is to you all.  It is with so much smiling disbelief that I step back and look at this year for SortaCrunchy. 

When I first started using Feedburner back in April 2008, sixty-three (blessyourheart) readers subscribed to silly ol' SortaCrunchy.

This time last year?  On this very last day of November?  The approximate reader number was about 191.

Why on earth so many of you have seen fit to add me to your reader or invite me to your email inbox in 2009 is just beyond me.  Why you would come forth with resounding support for the project that is so close to my heart . . . why you would turn out in full force to come alongside the Vega family . . . why you walk with me through the controversial and the mundane . . .

It's all just too much.

I know that your time is precious.  That you would spend a few minutes with me on a (completely not daily) basis renders me as close to speechless as my loquaciousness-prone self can get.

Thank you. 

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.

Times infinity.

* closing lyric from my life hymn - Great is Thy Faithfulness

picture from D Sharon Pruitt

ablaze

How the sky turns to fire
against a telephone wire
And even I'm getting tired
of useless desires

-- "Useless Desires," Patty Griffin

Few things make my heart expand like an autumn sunset. 

A few weeks ago, I stood at my kitchen sink doing dishes when I glanced up and saw the sky in the last few moments of spectacular blaze.  Normally I work to avoid the telephone and other utility wires that clutter up shots in our backyard, but the way this shot spoke of that song?  Irresistible.

(This shot is straight out of the camera and though the composition irritates me, it also reminds me that sometimes you have just a second or two to accept God's invitation to beauty and then the sky fades and navy blue extinguishes the flames that just seconds before glorified the clouds above.  Sometimes you have to abandon the perfect shot to get the shot.)

Tell me - when was the last time you were startled by unexpected beauty?

Abudance of Gratitude and an Invitation to Give

I had sorta planned on an As He Leads Us post for today, but in all honesty, my heart and head are just reeling in the wake of the news of Gabriella Vega's stroke last week.  Every time I type or say that word - stroke - I just cannot believe this is really happening to sweet Princess G.

She is four years old. 

I've watched that sweet girl with the blond curls grow from darling little baby to vivacious preschooler, and to see her confined to a hospital bed without words and with little movement overwhelms me with crushing sadness.

My every other thought is of her and her mama Kristi and daddy Paul and little brother PJ.

I've found solace in the practice of gratitude.  With every laugh and through all the chatter and amidst the wrestling rough-housing from the girls, my heart stretches and snaps to Arizona, to Kristi at Gabriella's bedside, praying that she'll hear Gabriella's voice again soon.

I'm slowing down to listen and hold close and soak up the rhythms and routines and blessed normalcy of each day.

I'm

17. getting lost in the zen-like calm of snapping green beans at the sink.

18. grinning big in response to Aliza Joy's "dank you, Mommy!"  Oh, now that child has a heart of gratitude, to be sure.

19. indulging in a few extra moments with my fingers dug deep in appreciation of that mystical feel of flour and butter which have become one in the moments before the buttermilk splashes and reminds the buttered flour that biscuits need making.

20. happy sighing over biscuits that rise up and come out just right.

21. so, so, so grateful for an old friend's thoughtfulness in passing on something that met a need at the exact moment we needed it.

22. overjoyed to spend a Saturday afternoon on a quilt under the canopy of a pecan tree whose paternal arms have shielded decades of seekers-of-the-slow.  Markers took to journals while the last of the summer cicadas sang.

23. aching heart over the joyful innocence of Dacey's art where the sun shines always and every face beams with smile.

*****

I can never, ever put words to my gratitude for each and every one of you.  When I think back on the humble start of SC, I just shake my head.  At the start, I was just gonna talk about some cloth diapers a little bit, and now look at this place.  Just amazing.

Over the weekend, I hatched a plan.  I have been praying unceasingly for the Vega family, but I feel so helpless to help all these miles away.  But then I thought maybe . . . maybe I can help.  Here's the plan:

I'm going to put together an online raffle to be hosted here at SC.  All of the proceeds from the raffle will go to the Vega family to bless them and help ease some of the burden of the many expenses they are accruing in the midst of this circumstance.

To host a really great raffle that honors a really amazing little girl, I need some really big help.  That's where you come in.  I know there are some wonderfully, tremendously gifted people that hang out here. 

Would you like to join me in this by donating a prize to the raffle?

Here are some ideas:

* Anything handmade or created by you - knitted, crocheted, letterpressed, photographed - any kind of handwork or art
* Services you might offer - digital card creation, mama card design, blog design
* Products that you want to purchase for donation

The details are very loose right now.  I've never taken on a project of this size, but I've got a team of friends from the mothering community through which we all know the Vegas who have stepped up to help pull this thing off.

So this is our invitation to those who want to be directly involved in the creation of the raffle prize packages.  If you want in, leave a comment here or email me at sortacrunchy at gmail dot com.

*****

If your Monday promises nothing but the usual, hold your dear ones close and offer a breath of thanks to God for normal.

You can join others on the path of gratitude each Monday at Holy Experience.

1000 Gifts ~ happy messy kitchen

taking a brief pause from all the Ditch the Disposables talk to reconnect with the Gratitude Community begun and nurtured by Ann of Holy Experience.  I've finally shaken off the sand of Ninevah and my heart has been bathing in the restorative pools of gratitude. 

I first began to keep track of my 1000 gifts last year, but after a while, I just started adding grateful thoughts without worrying to number anything.  I'm taking up the list again, and today is devoted entirely to

#16: my kitchen.

music and dancing and bowing and blessing

and clean and dirty

 

and water running and bubbles rising and messy and dirty

and sticky

and lived in and run through and neglected

and tended to and mopped through and counters swiped and table wiped and covered for creating

and popcorn bars!

  

and spaghetti sauce!

and fresh and life and lovely simples

 

and "Mama, can I help?"

 

and end of day and dishes done and

heart full and

lights out

 

Thank You, God, for the way life pulses in our kitchen.

Thank You for plenty, cups and plates overflow.