Snail Mail.

I have a love of snail mail.  I love sending it and receiving it.  Today, Stella and I went to the post office to buy stamps and mail some letters/bills.  Once I showed her how to put the mail in the slot she was hooked.  Too bad I only had four letters.  The funny thing was she wanted to put the three letters I was holding in the slot, but when it came time to put the letter she chose in the slot she was NOT a happy camper.  Did you know that post office's are, for the most part, really echo-ey?  Well, I do now, and so does everyone who was in the Durham Post Office around 4:30pm this afternoon.  

She held on to this last letter with a death grip.  By the time I pried it out of her hands it was kind of crumpled.

P.S.  Love that they have a slot at Stella's height for mailing stuff.

Choices.

"Oh the joys of those who trust the LORD."  Psalm 40:4

This verse is TRUE and it hangs above our kitchen sink.

I've been reflecting on my life recently and especially on choices we've made.  The choice to give up our house so I could stay at home with Stella.  The choice to live in a modest apartment to make staying home possible.  The choice to drive the cars we drive, spend the way we do, and go to the church we attend.  I can honestly say that there is little I would change about my life, even if, for some reason, Tim or I started to make a lot more money and had the freedom to spend it in whatever way we chose.  I love our apartment, I love my little family, I love our church family, I love living simply, I love our neighborhood.  Most of the things I would love to have are things I absolutely do not need.  Living on one salary has taught us to see God's provision more clearly.  We don't have much left over at the end of every pay period, but we have all we need and more and we have more joy than most.  I am grateful to God for His provision and would be worse off if I didn't consciously see it every day of my life.

Today I am especially thankful for Stella's new frog winter hat.  It's hilarious.  Now all I have got to do is to teach her to keep it on her head...

Funny Faces.

Teaching Children Financial Stewardship.

We opened Stella's first savings account yesterday.  Thanks to our hometown bank Stella now has a passbook and an account full of her past holiday, dedication, and birthday money.  We saved every penny of it because we wanted her to know what it is to honor God with her money - age-appropriate lessons to follow on:  tithing, giving, saving and spending and investing.  Tim and I are enjoying the book we are reading, Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton, and even though we don't agree with every principle it's refreshing to read a book on finances that has a basic biblical foundation.  I'm excited to teach Stella financial stewardship as our view of this topic continues to be shaped by God.

Stella had her snack and her book ready for the wait.

Thanks Jennifer for staying late to get us signed up!

Look mom!  This is proof of my new savings account!

Good thing she brought her purse for her passbook...she sure does plan ahead!

Crown Financial Class

Today, Tim and I (and Stella, too) went to our first small group study for Crown Financial Ministries.  We are really excited to take this class, especially in advance of the huge financial commitment to adopt a child.  I have heard of many financial planning classes, even those marketed as "Christian", but I'm supremely impressed by the biblical basis for the Crown material.  From the output of the book you are asked to sign a Quit-Claim Deed - surrendering all of your earthly possessions to God; ultimately, every single thing we own is God's anyway, so it is a spiritual exercise to give full ownership and control to the one who gave us everything.  We are memorizing verses each week that correspond to the specific lesson we are learning.  We all commit to praying for each member of our small group every day of the ten week study.  Scripture permeates every page of the book Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton.  I am halfway through the book and I have advance questions about the spiritual implications of investing and saving money for myself while there are so many people in the world in great NEED (haven't read that far yet...).  These questions aside, I'm excited to build a scriptural foundation for how we handle our finances.  Afterall, as someone who calls myself a follower of Jesus, shouldn't my life (and all its pieces, especially the way I handle money) have a biblical basis?  Just because something works in my life, or because I like doing something a certain way, doesn't mean it's God's best!

Joyful Contentment

"...godliness with contentment is great gain." 1Timothy 6:6

I've spent some time recently thinking about being content.  I go back and forth between whether it is a good thing to feel content this side of heaven.  I think contentment can bring with it complacency - being content can lead to feeling like there is nothing to work on, nothing to improve, and no place to go but here and now.  Contentment, as many people define it, can include lots of "stuff" that makes us feel secure, safe, and protected - and security, safety, protection aren't things God guarantees when you walk closely with Him.  I wrestle with the idea that heaven is going to be radically better and more amazing than my human brain can grasp.

And, at the same time, I have never felt more joy in my life since becoming a mom and quitting my day job.  I love the freedom of this life with Stella and Tim.  I love being with my daughter and being more available for my family.  I truly enjoy the community where we live and all the opportunities to minister to those around us.  Being joyfully content is a beautiful thing and, as I was walking the dogs and praying today, I had a revelation that experiencing godly contentment comes with knowing you are in the center of God's will.  I long for heaven but I'm so grateful to be experiencing pieces of heaven right her and right now in my life.

Sandwich Fair 2011 - Stella Dances

You may be wondering whether Stella enjoyed the Sandwich Fair this year.  We went as a family again and had a total blast.  

The highlight this year is a toss up between Stella interacting with all the animals and her dancing to the amusement ride music.  If I had to vote I'd put money on the dancing.  Here is Stella closing out our fair experience this year with her awesome moves (special thanks to back-up dancer, Tim, and to Fergie...the song couldn't have been more perfect...she was trippin' all over the place):

Miss you, Cup Head.

Tim has been away and, while Stella and I have been enjoying a lot of each other's company, we are ready to see him again today.  We are headed to the Sandwich Fair today (a fair I've been going to since I was ten years old)!  I'm so excited for the time as a family and I'm also excited because I know when we get home it will be Stella's bathtime...and time for cup head:

I present to you Stella and Tim's latest creation:  Cup Head

Miss you, Diaper Head.

Tim is gone with the youth from our church - at their annual Fall Retreat up North.  My next few posts will be dedication to Daddy Diaper Head - who can make Stella (and me) laugh harder than anyone else and who plays the funniest games with her that I have ever seen...including, putting diapers on his/her head as follows:

Shout out to our pastor, Bruce, who is preaching in the background!

Cell Phone Mom

Stella and I went to the riverway to meet our friends, Pam and James, for a little walk this afternoon.  We arrived about twenty minutes earlier than our friends and I decided to let Stella wander around while I made some phone calls to my nana and my mom.  Stella was having a blast exploring the dock area.  After I got off the call with my grandmother, we were throwing rocks (I know, naughty habits I'm teaching her) and picking them up when my phone rang.  It was an attorney from our church and I had to take the call.  We've been asking questions about all the "what-if's" from our home foreclosure and this man has been the kindest and most thoughtful attorney I've spoken with (and I've talked to several in the past months).  Anyhoo - I'm realizing by this time that I'm the dreaded "cell phone mom"...the moms I see all over town with a child wandering or playing alone while they gab away on their cell phones.  I made a mental note to not be "that" mom for too much longer; unfortunately, I was not finished with my note-to-self before Stella found the one mud puddle in sight and took off running.  I caught up to her too late to stop the ensuing mess.  My one attempt to remove her from the mud puddle resulted in Stella screeching her protests so loudly she was attracting attention from all around us.  So, I did what any good cell phone mom would do:  I let her play in said mud puddle until my conversation ended about five minutes later.  She had a blast for five minutes and I was able to finish my phone call.  I promptly changed her pants when my friend arrived, and I also changed my identity to fully-present-non-cell-phone-mom. 

Rain, rain, go away...or I will bake more cookies.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.  Can you tell what has been on my mind lately?  Today's activities:  Veggie Tales Movies, kid's songs on tape (which I hate, incidentally), and cookie baking!  Stella was a great helper - especially when it came to eating the chocolate chips and the cookie dough.  I think this first photo might be the cutest picture I've ever taken of anyone or anything.  Oh, did I forget to mention that, YES, we DO have matching mother-daughter aprons?!

"I'll just steal a little bit of cookie dough...mommy will never notice."

"Oh, I didn't realize you were documenting this..."

Monkey On My Back.

It has been kind of rainy and gray these days which translates into a lot of inside time for me and Stella.  Yesterday, we broke out the crayons several times (a regular activity in our household); I got on the floor with Stella and we started coloring...until she realized she could climb on my back and then another game ensued.  I love the pictures, but not as much as I love spending time with her!

Caroline always wants "in" on the action, too!