Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Exciting news

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day around here. We waited on pins and needles all day waiting for news from our friends on the birth of their baby. Well, he's here!! Ethan Isaac was born at 4:10 in the afternoon, 8.15 lbs, 21". It wasn't an easy birth but we're glad it's over!!

Then a little later in the evening we got the news that we won the e-bay auction we were in. We are now the owners of a new van - okay not new new - a 1998 Savanna. It has capacity for 10, 4 bucket seats, a converted top with a TV and VCR in it. We'll post pictures once it's here. Only drawback is that Kelly has to fly to Pennsylvania to pick it up. The good news, we paid for the whole thing, so no new payments or anything - we are so excited about that!

Gotta get the herd fed...

Thursday, December 13, 2007

fresh flowers for December 13

Can't think of a title
copyright 2007, lani wiens
a fresh flowers original

I didn't know when I became a mother what exactly would be required of me. If someone had told me there is a possibility that I may not have signed up. At this very moment my two oldest sons are sending lego to every corner of my basement with the catapults they just built. Then they come up giggling, thinking I have not heard their war cries and the lego hitting the walls. I say, "Are you planning to clean up the lego that you just sent to the far reaches of the basement?"
"You could hear that?" they ask incredulously, "How did you do that?"
"I'm a mother," I reply, "we're wired for that."

Apparently I am also wired to be a GPS unit for every single toy, piece of clothing, book and paper that we own. If someone can't find something, rather than look for it themselves, they simply ask me. The scary part is that nine times out of ten I actually know where the item is. For example: Boy #2 comes racing into the kitchen while I am preparing supper. "Mom, mom, where's Jack?" I race through the Rolodex in my head trying to think of who Jack might be, currently I don't know any Jacks and wouldn't know where they were if I did know one. I innocently ask, "Jack who?"
"Jack Sparrow, of course."
Of course Jack Sparrow, how could I be so silly, "He's under the table."
"Thanks mom."

There are new decorating themes that you should get used to as a mom. My most recent, cheese on soft green wall. How the cheese got there, I'm not even going to guess. Let's see what else have we discovered? Toothpaste texture on the bathroom counter. Shaving cream studded sinks. That was just today. Let's not forget the ever popular permanent marker primitive drawings and did you know that dry erase markers are not erasable on most walls? Glue stick makes for nice wall texture as well! My computer moniter has a distinctive border in grafite, a little brown marker and what's that in the corner...fly poop.

There are things that come out of your mouth that you may never would have imagined would become part of your daily speech. Questions like, "Who peed in the ___________?" We have personally filled in that blank with; the garbage can, the toy box, the tub, various pails and a can of nails.

I am a professional lie detector. I can spot a fib at 50 paces. I could get a job with the police department. Put that together with my super sonic hearing and my ability to remember who does what when and I should be worth my weight in gold.

I love being a mom most days, really I do. I'm awfully glad God is so much better at this than I am. I only have to keep up with 6 not 6 billion. As you wait on His coming this season may you pause in amazement at the incredible gift that God has given us. He personally, hears us, knows where we are at all times, answers every crazy question we have, spots us in our lies and lovingly corrects, directs and comforts us every single minute of the day.

Blessings to you and yours this glorious Christmas season.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The more I use Facebook the less I like it. It's impersonal and time-consuming. The only really good bit is Scrabulous. That, and the fact that I connected with a few old friends I haven't seen this decade. Anyways, enough sour notes.

Getting ready for Christmas this year has actually been fun. We have been able to purchase some very fun gifts for our kids and others, that has been a blessing. The simple fact that I'm not stressing out about every penny goes a long way to keeping this mommy happy.

Right now I'm enjoying a cuddle with my baby girl. I love that she still wants to sit on my lap for long periods of time, is mostly not demanding and loves to give hugs. IT is, however, difficult to type, so I guess I'm done.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

fresh flowers for December 6

The Promised Land
copyright, lani wiens, 2007
a fresh flowers original

Over here in the promised land the flowers seem to be blooming less than normal. Perhaps winter has been a little harsh on the posies lately. I've been ruminating on the promised land life and wondering what it might have been like for the Israelites way back then. You would hope that once you get to the promised land you'd have it made in the shade, milk and honey everywhere, new houses that might be a little more permanent, out of the hostile desert and into some treed areas. Now that I'm in our promised land I've been making a few observations.

1. The promised land requires some elbow grease.

So here we are, fresh over the Jordan and what do we run into...Jericho. A big, walled city that we are now required to inhabit. Apparently God does not see this as a problem, but an opportunity to remind his followers that He is still in the picture and life will still require faith to live. Yes, we feel like we are currently living in the promises that God made us a long time ago. Sometimes the amount of work required to live here is staggering. But is it worth it? I'm guessing when the Israelites got to plunder Jericho they weren't complaining! We're not complaining either.

2. The promised land can be intimidating.

The giants over here in the promised land are mighty big. The good thing is that the God of David is still on the throne and a small smooth stone of obedience can bring down the biggest giant we face. We just watched Facing The Giants (an excellent movie, we highly recommend it) and were moved to tears as we watched the actors face many of the same giants we've faced in our lifetime. It brought us to the realization that we have overcome much through the hand of God. The giants will keep coming, but if we're willing to give it our all, to lay ourselves on the altar of obedience, God will fight for us. We will continue to honor Him, whether we win or lose.

3. The promised land can be lonely.

It's all new people in the promised land. In order to get here we had to cross the Jordan, while our friends came to see us off, they stayed on the other side, they have their own promised land to get to. As we put down roots and build new relationships we miss the proximity and closeness of what we had. However, God is on this side of the river as well, He will never leave us or forsake us, He will help us move in and move on.

4. The promised land can be expensive.

Back in the desert things didn't wear out. Stuff showed up just when we needed it, sometimes right outside our door. However, God is saying that particular brand of provision isn't necessary anymore. We need to begin to replace the things we came with for new things that are approriate for this land. Our eyes are being opened to how worn out and ragged some of our things are. We are so thankful for the provision that God has made in the past and for the new kind of provision He is making now. There are times where I long for the old kind of provision but I'm learning to enjoy the new kind as well, it still requires faith to believe. It's a new land and a new lesson to learn.

5. The promised land requires adjustments.

Things were pretty comfortable in the desert, or at least familiar. There's a whole new way of doing things over here. New ways of being. Things are NOT the same. You are only allowed to say, "When I lived in the desert we did..." so many times before it isn't allowed anymore. It's time to adjust to the new land, the new ways, adapt to the customs, learn the language and become part of this new country. We have applied for citizenship in this new land of promise.

So many of the things we have dreamed of are happening right before our eyes. We lived for such a long time feeling like we were just on the edge of something and suddenly we're there. The tags are still a little scratchy and we don't feel like we've quite worn things in yet, there are days we wish we were back in the land of familiar, but being in the promised land is good. Very good.