tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15401714048711813692024-03-13T09:29:48.974-04:00a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of lifeScooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.comBlogger377110tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-64008494012699232472014-03-25T06:46:00.000-04:002014-03-25T06:46:19.567-04:00Welcome to My New Home! Come on Over. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zWx8n0x9-VA/UzFaMNaFkjI/AAAAAAAAEKw/WguU8aVn3RQ/s1600/welcome+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zWx8n0x9-VA/UzFaMNaFkjI/AAAAAAAAEKw/WguU8aVn3RQ/s1600/welcome+pic.jpg" height="640" width="578" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Good morning friends. Moving day is here! <a href="http://www.marianvischer.com/">Come on over. I'll show you around to my new home</a>. </span>Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-29968539989985350592014-03-24T08:27:00.001-04:002014-03-24T09:57:50.294-04:00Guess What? I'm Moving Tomorrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-euimct_ew0g/UzAzqatFY5I/AAAAAAAAEKg/u0R9VCUIa08/s1600/I'm+moving+w+text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-euimct_ew0g/UzAzqatFY5I/AAAAAAAAEKg/u0R9VCUIa08/s1600/I'm+moving+w+text.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hi friends! Guess what? Tomorrow is moving day here at <i>a la mode</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Originally we'd planned on today but we're finishing a few last tweaks. I try to avoid rush and stress at all costs so waiting a day just seemed like the grown-up thing to do. Though I am passionate about this online space and have been hard at work, it is, after all, <i>a blog</i>. I'm not saving the world over here or anything. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you want to know more about the move, feel free to look at <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-announcement-aaaaandi-need-your-help.html">this post</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Plans for this new space have been swimming around in my head for a couple of years now. It's super exciting to see those dreams take shape and become a real thing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As you can see from those pics above, it's been fun and messy and caffeinated around here. I've been staging DIY photo shoots at the <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-every-mama-needs-office-and-how-to.html">mama desk</a>, obsessing over font combinations, and sending my designer countless emails and texts. Is there such a thing as a virtual restraining order? Because I have stalked poor <a href="http://www.willowwhite.com/">Kindel</a> <i>night and day</i> with my questions and ideas. She is surely the most long-suffering fairy blogmother on the planet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While I have your attention, I'd love to have a bit of feedback {again} if you have a minute. And then I will leave you alone. Until tomorrow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you're a regular reader of blogs, what's important to you regarding design, readability, and finding your way around?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For example, do you appreciate a large font within the post to make reading easier? {Do you feel like you often have to enlarge a blog in order to read with greater ease?} How important is it for categories be easy to find? Do you like it when there's a list of favorite posts? What are some of your pet peeves? These are just sample questions. A bit of feedback can help me better prioritize some of the final tweaks we'll be making today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been a blog reader for years so I have ideas of my own. But I'm only one person with one set of opinions. I would so love to hear from others on this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just leave a comment in the comment section. I really appreciate your feedback!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading here. Thanks for being excited with me about the move. I can't wait to show up first thing tomorrow morning and take you by the hand to my new home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's such a lovely place and I'm already more grateful for it than I can say. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">See you tomorrow!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-19370757650960792432014-03-20T06:00:00.000-04:002014-03-24T10:53:42.832-04:00Why Every Mama Needs an Office {and how to make your own, no matter how small the space}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nbmmv2Zc8fw/UyoDUxcm51I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/G7DHw-FWGhQ/s1600/office+post+w+text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nbmmv2Zc8fw/UyoDUxcm51I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/G7DHw-FWGhQ/s1600/office+post+w+text.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />I took early retirement at the ripe old age of 33. That was 7 years ago. Though I haven't looked back, I've been surprised about one of the things I miss the most about working: <i>an office of my very own. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So. Over Christmas break I decided to give myself a little gift and it didn't cost me a dime. Yep, this mama rigged up an office of her very own. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This fancy sophisticated office sits in a tiny corner of my bedroom, wedged between the chifferobe and the window. It's roughly 3 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet deep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I plundered the house for my office furnishings, dragging in one of our former <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2010/10/miracle-desk.html">homeschool desks</a> and snagging a lone mismatched chair from the attic. A spare lamp, a pin-board, my diplomas {only because they are pretty} and a few pieces of art finished off the space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This makeshift office works hard every day. Though we can all agree that a writer needs her own desk and chair, I've been surprised at how much I use this small space for all sorts of work. I pay our bills, <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/02/7-simple-ways-i-cut-our-food-budget-in.html">plan our groceries & meals</a>, study, e-mail, make lists, and return phone calls, all at this humble Ikea desk with the $5.99 table-top. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It gets messy every day but each morning I clean it up and start over again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Though I don't know why, my desk has made me more productive and serious about my work. It's provided a designated space to ponder and plan, listen and write, and tackle the mundane with a bit more gusto than I possessed pre-office. There's just something about having a legit place that belongs only to me tucked back in the corner of our little home. It makes me feel official and allows me to work with intention and a I daresay a bit of professionalism. Even if I'm just paying bills or making my to-do list in my pajamas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Plus, a mama's office can feel like a makeshift retreat, a quiet{ish} space away from the dishes and the legos.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do I have dreams of a bigger office? Sure. Perhaps one with a tufted chair and ottoman in the corner {so I can read in luxury}, lots of bookshelves, liberal doses of art, two lovely lamps, and a desk that allows for a bit more sprawl. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just for fun, here are some of my favorite smallish-space office inspiration photos:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="30 Creative Home Office Ideas: Working from Home in Style" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/a8/95/e7/a895e731a308eb0a41b440559e0750cd.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="426" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.freshome.com/2014/02/12/30-creative-home-office-ideas-working-home-style/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="white & pretty" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-cd0.pinimg.com/736x/0c/6a/3c/0c6a3c3729b3a49a5c383d981a7f5b39.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="437" /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://petitevanou.tumblr.com/page/2"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="desk" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/af/72/01/af7201720e67582abd4d01bb08e68651.jpg" height="413" width="640" /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theeverygirl.com/feature/danielle-moss-chicago-apartment-tour/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Domino Magazine Is Back!" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/72/c5/e8/72c5e8b7e923151e0b4138ac84768634.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="492" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://decor8blog.com/2013/10/04/domino-magazine-returns-october-8th/">{via}</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="working space" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/66/28/91/662891881df66a57ef799b8cd73d3559.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="426" /></span></div>
<a href="http://stylizimoblog.com/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="No traditional home office? No problem." class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/5d/be/5d/5dbe5d58c27712b353537c0d457dcafd.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="537" /></span></div>
<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/small-space-decorating-00100000107433/index.html?crlt.pid=camp.NIx1seGg1s19#3"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="shelves enable quicker arrangements and an easier way to swap frames or objects in and out of the composition" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6d/94/cd/6d94cd373446d67421386716b85b1def.jpg" height="640" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px;" width="395" /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.sacramentostreet.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-02T14:45:00-08:00&max-results=5"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And last but not least, I'm in love with <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/06/a-bit-of-whats-been-afoot-this-week-on-the-farm-friday-on-the-farm/">Ann Voskamp's writing space</a>, which really is like a tiny chapel retreat. Isn't it just the loveliest? I'm afraid I'd lock myself in there and never come out.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ann! xoxo" class="pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/ab/4c/b8/ab4cb88c633502f883571ba903454649.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/06/a-bit-of-whats-been-afoot-this-week-on-the-farm-friday-on-the-farm/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{via}</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Though I'm so grateful for my own small sacred space {even though I still indulge in dreaming of an office with its own door and walls}, I'm reminded that I somehow scrawled about 450 posts during the past 5+ years on this blog. And I did it without a dedicated space of my own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wrote at the kitchen table while the kids did math, on the sagging-in-the-middle sofa, and cozied beneath layered blankets on my bed. I wrote in local coffee shops and on trips to the beach and sitting in a folding mesh chair in the driveway while the kids rode scooters around me. I've paid bills on my iPhone and from the living room floor, scribbled to-do lists in pick-up lines, and held important phone conversations in my van while it's parked in the garage because the noise inside the house was just too dang loud.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The art of the multitasking mama knows no bounds. Her work is not dictated by walls or swivel chairs or well-designed interiors. Amen?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But if our own workspace / dreamspace is just one hour and a few random pieces of furniture away, it's kind of a no-brainer. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why not carve one out today? I wish I'd created a tiny office years ago. If we wait to have the perfect space in place, the world may well end before we ever pound the first nail into the wall. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So fetch that tiny table from the attic and steal a chair from the kitchen table. Shop the house for a lamp and some pretties for the wall. Heave the dresser to the left a few feet and stake your claim on that little corner there beside the window. Yep, right there.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In a house that's bursting with laundry and crumbs and plastic super heroes, save your own day and set up shop. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's time mama got an office of her own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>How about you? Do you have a designated work space just for you in your own home?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-24313659643828602832014-03-18T07:00:00.000-04:002014-03-25T09:27:16.753-04:00Full Disclosure: On Writing, Mixed Motives, & Redemption<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bifQP4vmvaU/UycsDvphLcI/AAAAAAAAEJk/gXjOLczHPXk/s1600/cropped+outside+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bifQP4vmvaU/UycsDvphLcI/AAAAAAAAEJk/gXjOLczHPXk/s1600/cropped+outside+pic.jpg" height="640" width="568" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If all goes as planned, I roll out a <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-announcement-aaaaandi-need-your-help.html">new blog</a> in six days. I am equal parts terrified and excited.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remaking what I've had in place for five and half years at <i>a la mode</i> has caused me to reflect {and overthink} on blogging and why I'm still doing it after almost 450 posts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've considered the positives and the pitfalls. I've obsessed far too much about silly things. I've had to repent of messy motives. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most of all, I've doubted and despaired that I may never be able to pursue writing with complete purity of heart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that has caused me to wonder whether I should do it at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then I apply that line of thinking to all of my pursuits. Marriage? Motherhood? The years I spent in school and college teaching and then homeschooling? All of these relationships and endeavors have been and still are a perfect storm of actual giftedness mixed up with selfishness and pride and all sorts of messy motives. Good and bad and everything in between all swirling around together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love this excerpt from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800722442/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0800722442&linkCode=as2&tag=alamodealitts-20">A Million Little Ways</a>, </i>a recent book by Emily P. Freeman:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The art I believe I was born to make lingers even in the midst of my inadequacy.</i></span><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just because you can't fully live your life the way you so long to live it doesn't mean you don't fully believe it's possible with all your heart. And it doesn't mean you are forbidden to share what you're learning unless you are living it perfectly.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Christ is in you and wants to come out through you in a million little ways--through your strength and also your weakness, your abilities and also your lack.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I call it art, someone else calls it rubbish.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what?</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></i> </blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Call it what you will. God calls us his poem. And the job of the poem is to inspire. To sing. To express the full spectrum of the human experience--both the bright hope that comes with victory and the profound loss that accompanies defeat.</span></i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I realize that if I wait to pursue anything--relationships, vocation, service--with only 100% pure motives and with a 100% pure product and with a 100% track record of living perfectly what I believe to be true and right, I'll be waiting until I die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've mentioned before that I'm knee-deep in the study of Matthew this year. Getting to know those in Jesus' inner circle has been refreshing, encouraging, and sometimes hilarious. Whenever I'm tempted to think I'm too much of a mess or too unprepared to really be of much good, I'm wise to consider the disciples. They fought over who would sit at Jesus' right hand, wanted to be considered the greatest in his kingdom, tried to send away children instead of allowing them to be blessed by Jesus, and were rebuked for their weak faith. Some even denied the very One who came to give them life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Talk about mixed motives. But God used them to change the world anyway. He used their strengths and their sins. He redeemed their pasts and their positions. He used their God-given gifts and their God-allowed inadequacies. Either way, it was all God and all grace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like the disciples, I'm a broken person living in a fallen world. My marriage, my mothering, my writing, my many relationships--they're messy, laced with my good contributions and also many failures. But because of more grace than I can comprehend, they're being redeemed all the time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And because of this overwhelming grace and redemption, I can be <i>a-very-much-in-process</i> wife, mom, friend, and writer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can write imperfect posts with honesty and with hope. I can keep putting my art out there with truthfulness and humility all the while acknowledging that there will inevitably be some hypocrisy and pride tainting its edges, whether I'm fully aware of it or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't write that because I'm fatalistic about my depravity <i>or</i> because I'm light-hearted about it. I write that because I want to be honest and because I have hope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope that God, in his love, will continue to show me my sin and mixed motives. How else can I attain the freedom and joy that only repentance brings? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope because I know I stand loved, forgiven, and redeemed in the messy midst of all the sacred work I do with my life. {And it is <i>all sacred.</i>}</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope because I can gaze back and see how far I've come, not because of self-effort and boot-strapped righteousness but because God has set his love upon me and is remaking me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The remaking, much like pruning a delicate plant, is sometimes painful. It means cutting away things I'd rather keep. It means waiting. It means rest. It means seasons of ugly barrenness in order to give birth to new seasons of fruitful beauty. And this process of <i>cutting away, waiting, ugly, beauty</i> is a cyclical one. I'll never arrive and simply live in a state of blossomed beauty for the rest of my days. Redemptive pruning lasts a lifetime.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I will keep writing in this remade space, mess and neuroses and all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bear with me as I try to write with humility, honesty, humor, and hope. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bear with me as I do this imperfectly and inconsistently. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bear with me as hypocrisy, pride, selfish ambition, and fear of man are inevitably thrown in the pot and mixed up with all the good stuff. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I dream that I might make a difference with the words I write in this space. But I try to let go of any hard and fast visions of what that might look like. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope that I'll have words to write, hope to share, grace to give, and humor to lighten our hearts for many posts to come. But I try not to cling too tightly. I want to be ready to lay it down and walk away should I ever need to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Being known and loved perfectly and intimately by the Creator of the universe is an incomprehensible gift. And I want this to matter more than being known and loved by those who read my posts. I don't want this space and the person typing out the words that fill this space to ever become too important. This is hard. <i>Because the things we love most always have a way of becoming the things we love too much.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a season of new opportunity. And though I certainly have a few ideas and hopes and dreams, I teeter on the scale of acceptable enthusiasm versus unacceptable ambition. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I accept that there are good things here: finding gifts in the mess and the mundane, spilling encouragement from the overflow of my own life, writing honest stories of hope out of imperfect marriage and crazy motherhood, and even sharing the <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-your-weekend-popcorn-that-has-yet.html">magic popcorn recipe</a>. Yet these spiffed-up posts can still have a bit of muck at their core. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I suppose I write all of this because I need you to know. And because I need to remind myself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something about the shiny new blog that I'm unveiling--this lovely, long-held dream of mine--urges me to pull back the curtain so that you can see me in all of my shaking, sweaty, lounge-pants-wearing, people-pleasing, mixed-motived glory. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Putting one's art out there is a such a paradoxicial gesture--humility mixed with pride, confidence blended with fear, a longing to encourage followed by a longing to be loved for it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Welcome to the neurotic life of a writer. Welcome to the mixed-motives that characterize each one of us, if we're honest. Welcome to a God who's big enough to use it all anyway. Welcome to redemption. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you're interested in more on this topic of mixed motives, I appreciated this post that Emily wrote a while back: </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/10/24/desires-vs-motives/">For the Artist Who Worries Her Motives Are Wrong</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks for counting down the days with me to the new blog. I can't wait to show you around. I'm hoping and praying that we won't have debilitating glitches but that's always a possibility. I'm so glad my life doesn't depend on a smooth transition. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you'd like to weigh in on some of the questions I asked in <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-announcement-aaaaandi-need-your-help.html">this post</a>, I'd love that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All book links are amazon affiliate links.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-58506971272901003892014-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:002014-03-13T06:00:06.212-04:00A Perfectly Imperfect Special Occasion Using What You Have<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp7Vm5ba7TI/UyDCzvdRU7I/AAAAAAAAEHQ/CSZscpkxxMc/s1600/bday+chalkboard+3.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp7Vm5ba7TI/UyDCzvdRU7I/AAAAAAAAEHQ/CSZscpkxxMc/s1600/bday+chalkboard+3.13.14.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you read <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/and-then-she-was-teenager-13-things-im.html">this post</a>, you know that our girl recently turned 13. For many months I'd hoped to do something extra special to celebrate this milestone birthday. But I also knew that it was most important for the celebration be something she really wanted. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Meaningful for me and meaningful for her don't always translate into the same celebration language.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We brainstormed and planned. She considered a slumber party but didn't want to leave anyone out. By the time the invite list reached 16 girls, she and I both realized we simply couldn't sleep that many in our house. Plan B was an overnight outing, just the two of us. But this girl is savvy; she knew that an overnight trip might take away from the money we'd put toward her gift. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only thing she could decide on was her favorite meal. But should we eat it at home or at a restaurant? The poor child {who suffers from decision-making anxiety just like her mother} couldn't decide.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She finally gave up and left all the plans to us. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I worried that it wouldn't be "enough." My idealistic expectations convinced me that it wouldn't be the special, commemorative time <i>I'd</i> envisioned for her or that she'd envisioned for herself.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the end, it was lovely and simple and included only us, her family.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Truth be told, I think it was a success because she got the gift she wanted but didn't think she'd get. She's all about the swag. {Yet another thing she inherited from me.}</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I also think she loved it because it was all about her simple favorite things and this made her feel special. A dorky poem and small surprise gift each day of the week leading up to her birthday, her favorite meal, a pretty table with real stemware, and chocolate torte for dessert.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/milleniyum-chocolate-torte/60d0ecd7-d204-4592-a008-4975c1472492">This chocolate torte</a> makes everything perfect.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The occasion reminded me that we can pull off a sweet and personal affair using what we have and not going to great expense or stress.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll let you in on our birthday lineup:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Fettucini Alfredo</b> {recipe from America's Test Kitchen and supplied by my brother}</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VuSFqJ1FPTk/Ux9SyHRzOsI/AAAAAAAAEGo/i4DQ7BmKRIU/s1600/bday+alfredo+3.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VuSFqJ1FPTk/Ux9SyHRzOsI/AAAAAAAAEGo/i4DQ7BmKRIU/s1600/bday+alfredo+3.13.14.jpg" height="640" width="514" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Grilled chicken </b>to go with the pasta </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A simple iceberg lettuce salad with Olive Garden dressing</b> {her fave}</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCfdodBLxYg/Ux9S-UUjCxI/AAAAAAAAEGw/1RZKhA6bXL8/s1600/bday+meal+3.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCfdodBLxYg/Ux9S-UUjCxI/AAAAAAAAEGw/1RZKhA6bXL8/s1600/bday+meal+3.13.14.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/02/09/back-to-basics-tips-and-techniques-to-create-a-great-loaf-in-5-minutes-a-day" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Bread</a></b></span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNqt0a3X7UY/Ux9TFGZZ7II/AAAAAAAAEG4/2S-RASERivA/s1600/bday+bread+3.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNqt0a3X7UY/Ux9TFGZZ7II/AAAAAAAAEG4/2S-RASERivA/s1600/bday+bread+3.13.14.jpg" height="566" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/milleniyum-chocolate-torte/60d0ecd7-d204-4592-a008-4975c1472492" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Milleniyum Chocolate Torte</b></span></a><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gmi-digital-library/dfac0d6c-5eac-438e-a4ed-9408d093eaf6.jpg" height="359" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/milleniyum-chocolate-torte/60d0ecd7-d204-4592-a008-4975c1472492">{via}</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pretty dishes and glasses</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sweet tea</b> {because this girl is certifiably southern}</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Wildflowers</b> {weeds} picked by our youngest as the floral centerpiece</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrkC0Pch9kk/Ux9TNXh-XCI/AAAAAAAAEHA/u3mA7VAsQHw/s1600/bday+wildflowers+3.13.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrkC0Pch9kk/Ux9TNXh-XCI/AAAAAAAAEHA/u3mA7VAsQHw/s1600/bday+wildflowers+3.13.14.jpg" height="640" width="500" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>
Homemade cards by her brothers</b> that are so priceless, we'll be dying over them for years to come. The youngest drew a misshapen crayon heart and then apologized in the card that the heart looked like a bottom. {I suspicion that for kindergarten boys, many things tend to resemble bottoms.}</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My iPhone camera. </b>Because my real camera's battery died at the exact moment I snapped the first picture. I mean, <i>of course.</i> How appropriate to have less-than-perfect photos for our perfectly imperfect occasion. I had to laugh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In an age of "pinworthy" parties and perfectly themed events and magazine-inspired everything, it's refreshing to remember that hospitality and celebration isn't about perfection; it's about people. It's about making them feel loved and unique and worth fussing over. It's about making their joys your joys. It's about using what you have--blossoming weeds, time to go to extra lengths in the kitchen, your weathered and wobbly kitchen table, and a tried-and-true torte recipe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eighteen years into marriage and thirteen years into motherhood, I'm finally getting a clue about the real art of celebration.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She told me it's the best birthday she's ever had. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">...................</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In other news, <a href="http://www.willowwhite.com/">Kindel</a> and I are hard at work on the new blog details. I'm so excited! If you haven't read <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-announcement-aaaaandi-need-your-help.html">my last post</a>, it tells you a little bit about what's coming next. It's also the post where I plead for a bit of help from you readers. <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-announcement-aaaaandi-need-your-help.html">Check it out.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-16491110685548294332014-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:002014-03-11T06:00:04.121-04:00An Announcement. Aaaaand...I Need Your Help.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ouqT-jU0Mc/Ux3TvZRBS4I/AAAAAAAAEGY/oEASx5iVweE/s1600/colored+pencils+3.10.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ouqT-jU0Mc/Ux3TvZRBS4I/AAAAAAAAEGY/oEASx5iVweE/s1600/colored+pencils+3.10.14.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hi friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been staring at the blinking cursor on the blank screen waiting for meaningful words to show up. They have not. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So in the absence of a meaningful post I thought it might be time to tell you the thing that currently preoccupies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Are you ready?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I'm rolling out a new blog. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Raise your hand if you thought I was going to tell you I'm pregnant and that I need help naming my baby.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing that huge and dramatic, people. But it does feel a little bit like having a baby {minus the sickness, stretch marks, and pain} and I do need some help with a name. But more on that in a minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't have an exact "delivery date" yet. There will be plenty of wrinkles to iron out first. But after an extremely long gestation period / creative and technical process, she's almost here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm giddy and terrified. {And will stop with the pregnancy / baby metaphor now.}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are some questions you might have:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Scooper, why are you changing things up?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm glad you asked. It's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. For lots of reasons, the timing simply hasn't been right until now. I've wanted a name that was less "themey" and more reflective of me and my content. And I wanted a design that felt more reflective of those things too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Are you switching from Blogger</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I'm switching to a self-hosted site using a custom Wordpress theme. Blogger is great in that it's very user-friendly and easy to set up. It's lacking, however, in functionality and customization. I also worry about ownership of my content with Blogger. Having a self-hosted site {where one actually owns their web domain} provides more options and makes my content a little bit easier to find. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Will you tell us your real name after you move?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yep, I sure will. No more Scooper. Unless of course you really want to call me that. In a way I'll forever be Scooper.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Will you still be writing about the same stuff?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's the plan. My content will still be "a little scoop for every slice of life." As much as I'd love to be a niche blog, I'm just too random to pin down. There's too many things I love to write about. I've made peace with it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Will all of your content and comments move with you?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Absolutely. All 400+ posts and comments will be moving with me. {Fingers crossed!}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I subscribe via e-mail to your blog. Will I still get each post delivered to my inbox?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You mentioned that you need my help. How?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are two ways. <i>First, I need some naming help.</i> I've got the name for the blog. It's both very original and not original at all. How's that for vague? But I'm still struggling with the tag-line. I've got long lists of possibilities and while one of them stands above the rest, even it doesn't feel 100% right. As it turns out, naming your blog is harder than naming your baby. At least it is for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd love some feedback from you on this. What overall theme or message do you find in my posts? How do you feel after you've read a post? What words describe my content? I've got some ideas on this but I'm obviously not objective. Hearing from you may give me some fresh perspective. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>There's another way you can help.</i> What sort of posts are your favorite? What would you like to see more of? My primary motivation for writing is simple. I write because I'm a writer. I can't <i>not</i> write. It's how I process. It's how I learn. It's how I reinterpret and make meaning of both the epic and the everyday. Some of my writing is private {in journals} and some of it is public here on the blog. But I've also come to see writing as part of my calling, as a way to encourage and inspire, as a way of speaking truth and beauty into the world around me. With that said, what are some of the most encouraging and enjoyable kinds of posts you've read here? What topics would you like to see explored in the future? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't wait for you to see the new place. The design is close to done and it's going to be simple and lovely. My friend and fairy blogmother, Kindel {at <a href="http://www.willowwhite.com/">Willow White Studios</a>}, is the genius and cheerleader behind this whole endeavor. I wouldn't have attempted this without her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stay tuned for more updates but in the meantime, help a sister out and let me know your thoughts. You can reply in the comments or even send me an e-mail: scooperalamode at gmail dot com. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks a million, friends!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-14795182321133702842014-03-07T09:35:00.000-05:002014-03-08T14:54:45.085-05:00And Then She Was a Teenager. 13 Things I'm Learning in Her 13th Year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D-ntlElyu74/UxnUdWdcbOI/AAAAAAAAEEs/d4PmvYXINuk/s1600/teenager+jumping+text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D-ntlElyu74/UxnUdWdcbOI/AAAAAAAAEEs/d4PmvYXINuk/s1600/teenager+jumping+text.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My girl turned 13 on Sunday. Her birthday week was such a whirlwind of gifting and celebration and cooking that I didn't have time to process the emotion of it all. It's probably why as I sit down to write this now, the tears well up unannounced. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>My oldest and only daughter is a teenager. </i>What?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have just over five years left together before she likely leaves home. The reality is more than I can bear. It's easy to be fueled by panic when you begin to think in these terms. It's tempting to amp up and get crazy intentional about getting it right from here and out and making sure she's prepared and knows what she needs to know. I want our relationship to be perfect and awesome so that her remaining time under this roof is nothing but pedicures and laughter and chick flicks. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But if parenthood has taught me anything, it's that we can't rush or manufacture anything. Relationship takes time. Lots of it. Wisdom shows up gently and slowly. Too slowly for my taste. Figuring it out is laced with more failures than successes. Embarrassing, fall-on-your-face failures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I may have a clue about what I'm doing by the time she leaves home. {Why is knowledge backwards like that?} </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that's why I've titled this post, "13 <i>I'm Learning</i>" instead of "13 Things I've Learned." I'm nothing if not in process. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here they are, in no particular order.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. The winds of adolescence are fickle breezes.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{And by breezes I mean the tsunami variety.} This very week has brought everything from euphoria and gratitude to hysterical tears and silent treatments. Do your best to stay calm and take deep breaths. {You, not her.} The current weather condition will soon pass.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Remember.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My adolescence was fine and good on the outside but a hot mess on the inside. I didn't realize that I stood at the precarious intersection of hormones, change, insecurity, and mounting stress. I didn't realize that my crazy was actually normal. It's a wonder any of us survive. Remembering the volatility of my own internal waters all those years ago can help me have more compassion and grace as she navigates her own waves...even if she sometimes leaves us in the turbulent wake of it all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{Unfortunately, my girl learned from the best. It's tempting for me to sink to her level instead of being the mature mom that I obviously am. Situations have at times looked like this: "I'll see your 5 on the freak-out scale and raise you 50. Do not mess with me because I invented the freak-out. I am going to out-drama you, sister!" This is a very bad idea. Very bad indeed.}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Do not take it personally.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I repeat, do <i>not</i> take it personally. Detach. As much as you can. Deep breaths. As many as it takes. Decompress. After the storm has died down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Respect.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She's a little girl and young woman hybrid right now. Think about how awkward and confusing that is. And while she still wants to be cared for, she has a growing longing to be heard. Treating her like a child can insult her and harden her heart toward you. Lovingly respect her need to be heard. But it's also vitally important that the respect is mutual. You're still the parent. {Disrespect yields major consequences in this house, no matter how old you are.}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Be very honest about the facts of life and the realities of this world.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, it might be uncomfortable for you both. No, she may not want to hear it from you. Tell her anyway. She will learn things eventually and it's better that she learns it from you, tawdry details and all. We had one such conversation this week. I wouldn't call it fun but I'd definitely call it needful. My hope is that talking about "heavy" and uncomfortable things on a regular basis will make her more likely to come to me in the future when it transitions from theory to real life. I might be wrong about this but I figure I have nothing to lose by putting it all out there. I may, however, have something to lose if I don't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Find the things that bring you together and prioritize them, no matter how trivial or superficial.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shopping, pedicures, watching favorite shows together--these are my girl's love languages. I could {and have} rationalized that these are not exactly the most world-changing endeavors. But if these are the things that bring us together and keep our relationship tight, they're worth every superficial penny. It's not about the worthwhileness of the activity; it's about the connection forged over time in the togetherness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Hope for the best. Be prepared for the worst.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love and respect are unconditional but trust must be earned. Whenever I'm tempted to implicitly trust her, I remember my own duplicity all those years ago...and I think better of it. I respect her basic needs for privacy--getting dressed, having her own room, time to herself, etc. That's pretty much where it ends. {Types the mom who has full access to her daughter's iPad mini and every single app.} Guess what? Our kids are sinful.They will make bad decisions. This doesn't mean you're a bad parent; it means your kids are human. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-5-real-motherhood-notice-becoming.html">Notice the becoming.</a></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She's creative, analytical, and infinitely curious. She loves being with her friends but recharges in solitude. Her strengths and weaknesses come out in myriad ways and God only knows what she'll end up doing with her life. As a parent, it's my job to notice her gifts, to foster them as best I can, and to teach her that God plans to use her uniqueness for her good and for the good of others and most of all, for his glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. Know her limits and guard them as if her life depends on it.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because it just might. Rest, stress, activities, margin--<i>you</i> still have control over these. Today's adolescents are woefully under-rested and over-scheduled. Our toughest battles this year have been over the good endeavors we've said <i>no</i> to. I second-guessed these displeasing decisions at the time and now I feel nothing but relief that we stuck to our guns. Our family life and family schedule and family sanity are all the better for it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Never underestimate the power of a mental-health day.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This one is really a life lesson for all of us. After a particularly stressful and busy two weeks this winter, I dropped her off at school on a Friday morning like I always do, got home, and had a gut-feeling that I needed to bring her back home. It had been the most emotional morning in the history of ever. The stress and exhaustion had shown itself in all sorts of unlovely ways. I checked her out of school during first period, took her to Starbucks, and declared it a mental health day. I had a gut feeling she needed rest more than she needed school. The next day she came down with the flu. Which brings me to another point: <i>trust those maternal instincts.</i> You have them for a reason.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>11. Keep telling her that your boundaries are rooted in love and protection, even if she hates you for it.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Especially if she hates you for it. Keep telling her even if she doesn't believe you and even though all of your rules seem to be ruining her life at the moment and even if you're the "only mom" who has to approve every friend she accepts on Instagram. Also? Keep telling<i> yourself</i> that your boundaries are rooted in love and protection. When emotions are high and you could temporarily make it all better by giving her what she wants, try to think long-term. And <i>please,</i> hold my hand and remind me of this too?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>12. Surprise her with grace.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Draw the boundary-lines deep. Let natural consequences be the best teacher. Don't rush in and save her every time she needs help. But for the love, weave grace through it all. Sometimes that <i>does</i> mean rushing in and saving her. Sometimes it means getting her out of school for the day. Sometimes it means purchasing something she doesn't deserve and sometimes it means letting her out of consequences she <i>does</i> deserve. This is how the Father treats us; let his character spill over into our relationships with our own children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>13. <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2010/10/love-em-for-who-they-are.html">Love her for who she is and not for who you want her to be.</a></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">{Even if you end up being the <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-reluctant-cheer-mom_6.html">reluctant cheer mom.</a>}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And really, doesn't this apply to every relationship? And isn't this how all of us long to be loved?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There's far more that I'm learning but these are the thirteen things that floated to the surface for this post. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My current season of motherhood is sure to be intense, but I'm full of hope that much of it will be <i>intensely good</i>. We watched the Oscars together Sunday night and I realized just how fun it's going to be to hang out as grown-up {ish} girls together in the coming years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For all of you who may be on the other side of raising teenagers, what are the lessons you've learned? We'd love to learn from you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">And for your weekend reading, here are two of my favorite posts about teenage daughters that my friend Emily Freeman wrote last year. They are beautifully insightful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/05/13/one-thing-your-daughter-doesnt-need-you-to-say/">One Thing You Daughter Doesn't Need You to Say</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/05/15/12-things-your-daug">12 Things Your Daughter Needs You to Say</a></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;"><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;"><br /></i></span></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-35327024197136998922014-02-28T09:30:00.000-05:002014-02-28T11:35:48.244-05:0010 Things I Learned In February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwPF91wY5Z8/UxCYeapH5pI/AAAAAAAAEEU/UC7hkW4EVcc/s1600/Feb+learned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwPF91wY5Z8/UxCYeapH5pI/AAAAAAAAEEU/UC7hkW4EVcc/s1600/Feb+learned.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love these posts. They provide an opportunity to walk on the lighter side of life as I share the stuff I've learned this month. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The <i>What We Learned</i> posts are hosted by <a href="http://www.chattingatthesky.com/">Emily over at Chatting at the Sky</a> as a "monthly community link-up to share the fascinating, ridiculous, sacred, or small." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mine is mostly just ridiculous. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Want to know more of what I'm talking about? Go <a href="http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2014/02/28/lets-share-learned-february/">here</a>.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">In no particular order, here are ten things I've learned in February.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. If I don't unpack a duffel back within 48 hours of returning from a trip, it may sit there for two months.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We went to Florida before Christmas. My unpacked bag is still in my closet. I've also learned that slackerness tends to beget slackerness. The unpacked bag has managed to spread its slothful contagion to the rest of the closet and the entire area is now a full-fledged epidemic of clothing chaos. Every day I write "clean the closet" on my to-do list and every day it mocks me in its still-unchecked state. At this point I'm contemplating just leaving the duffel bag packed for our beach trip in June. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/02/7-simple-ways-i-cut-our-food-budget-in.html">I can cut my food budget almost in half without clipping coupons.</a> </b>{or making everything from scratch}</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. A dusting of snow down south will get you out of school for almost a week. And provide many days of jokes about <a href="http://missalamode.blogspot.com/2014/02/southern-snow-day-bring-on-roasting-pan.html">"milk sandwiches."</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Papa John's makes heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day.</b> We may have started a tradition with this one.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsy_CYGX6l4/UxCZH8AbZBI/AAAAAAAAEEc/aBNgZEww53s/s1600/heart+pizza+2.28.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsy_CYGX6l4/UxCZH8AbZBI/AAAAAAAAEEc/aBNgZEww53s/s1600/heart+pizza+2.28.14.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>5. How to fake a monogram. </b>{for moms like me who don't know how to sew} </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My daughter is a fan of the monogram. We took this ho-hum navy gym bag and turned it into something preppy and cute.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GLa96H2Pjc/UxCYFvHWfQI/AAAAAAAAEEM/I_dicpDOk0I/s1600/fake+monogram+2.28.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8GLa96H2Pjc/UxCYFvHWfQI/AAAAAAAAEEM/I_dicpDOk0I/s1600/fake+monogram+2.28.14.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just print a monogram online. Trace it onto an iron-on transfer sheet. Cut it out and iron. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>A word of warning</u>: If you are ironing the monogram onto a <i>nylon</i> gym bag, please place a towel flat inside the gym bag to prevent melting the front and back of the bag together. If you realize that you have in fact done this in error, quickly and carefully attempt to peel the layers apart and try not to let the molten nylon burn off your fingerprints in the process. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. My favorite Easter treats are the Cadbury mini-eggs. </b>Anyone else? The mini-bags are just 99 cents <i>and</i> buy one get one free this week at CVS. The mini-bags are great because you don't have to worry about eating so many. Unless you keep going back to CVS to purchase additional mini bags, all the while rationalizing that they are essentially just samples. <i>Well-played mini-bag. Well-played.</i> </span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7. When my 6-year-old confesses anything or hatches various plans to his best friend while standing in the front yard shrubs and I am working at my desk right next to the front windows, I can hear every. single. word.</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yesterday's bit of surveillance revealed that he got in trouble at school and had to move his clip. {Who has super-powers? This mom, that's who.} When I brought it up at dinner, he looked at me as though I were telepathic. Please don't tell him. I will only be able to blow his mind in this way for another year or two and I am taking full advantage.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>8. I don't feel ready to have a teenager. </b>But like it or not, my girl turns 13 on Sunday. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The embarrassing and ironic part is that on any given day, I feel we are complete equals regarding our emotional maturity level. I fear that I may never outgrow being easily overwhelmed, ridiculously irrational, and paralyzed by everyday decisions. As you might imagine, having two of our kind in the same house is all sorts of fun and not at all overwhelming for anyone, especially not my long-suffering husband.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>9. How to watercolor without being a real artist.</b> You've probably heard of <a href="http://www.waterlogueapp.com/">Waterlogue</a> by now. If not, it's an iPhone app that allows you to turn any photo into a watercolored work of art. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a photo I snapped with my phone of Cinderella's castle.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ilJB9DiQIPs/UxCXdx6VM0I/AAAAAAAAED8/5jCHGn12kKQ/s1600/castle+pic+2.14.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ilJB9DiQIPs/UxCXdx6VM0I/AAAAAAAAED8/5jCHGn12kKQ/s1600/castle+pic+2.14.14.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here it is in Waterlogue. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YaAIDu6hmk0/UxCXticwbfI/AAAAAAAAEEE/u5LTLHz1Z8I/s1600/watercolor+castle+2.28.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YaAIDu6hmk0/UxCXticwbfI/AAAAAAAAEEE/u5LTLHz1Z8I/s1600/watercolor+castle+2.28.14.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm addicted. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My friend, <a href="http://www.impartinggrace.com/">Richella</a>, did a <a href="http://www.impartinggrace.com/2014/02/how-to-create-portrait-of-your-home.html">great tutorial</a> on how to print Waterlogue photos and turn them into real art for your home.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>10. <a href="http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/nyc-artist-shows-us-what-famous-celebrities-would-look-like-as-normal-people#r4JEbyOjhiHdgbKa.01">What celebrities would look like as normal people.</a> </b>With the Oscars fast approaching, this link just seems timely and right. I'll give you a peek. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Brad & Angelina.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><img src="http://media.techeblog.com/images/bradpitt-angelinajolie-portrait.jpg" /> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You're welcome. If you tune in to the red carpet interviews this Sunday night and begin to feel just a tad frumpy and less-than in your sweatpants and drugstore mascara, close your eyes and visualize your favorite celebrity sans million-dollar stylist, personal trainer, Spanx, and couture gown. Picture <i>this</i> middle-class, middle-America Brad and Angelina, the ones who never got famous and splurged on a portrait session at the Walmart photo center. You'll feel a thousand times better. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Oscars weekend, friends!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what have you learned this month?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;"><br /></i></span></div>
</div>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-31296802548528808872014-02-24T09:41:00.001-05:002014-02-24T09:41:26.011-05:00Living Free Through Our Unfixable Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-et5NKgjnwlY/UwtU9cabpYI/AAAAAAAAEDs/ew3b0hv8Ap8/s1600/cousin+on+hill+2.24.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-et5NKgjnwlY/UwtU9cabpYI/AAAAAAAAEDs/ew3b0hv8Ap8/s1600/cousin+on+hill+2.24.14.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For all the tasking and folding and washing and making and cleaning up that goes on around here, I find myself scratching my head at all that remains undone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That drawer of 200 socks that someone dumped out 10 days ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Those two mountains of laundry I sorted last Friday and haven't washed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The mountain of my own clothes in the closet that has grown scary big and covered up every square inch of the floor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The conversations that need to happen but where is the time in the midst of dishwasher-loading and oatmeal-making and homework-helping and kid-chauffering?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My wheels are spinning and my hands are laboring and my brain is whirring but you'd never know it by a quick glance at all the undone and unfixed around here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's easy to zero in on all that still remains instead of resting in all that has been completed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's my default to forge ahead and fixate on all that remains unanswered instead of bowing grateful for all that has been understood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's tempting to worry and fear that certain messes may never be fully cleaned up in this life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That certain consequences may never be escaped. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That certain wounds may never fully heal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That certain dysfunctions and dispositions and diseases may never flee once and for all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What's an unfixed girl living an unfixed life to do with all of her unfinished business on a tired and uninspired Monday?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She gives thanks for the unfixable life because it points her to a fixed life still to come and the perfect Savior that she'll never be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>An unfixable life frees her from worshipping this life.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If all was fine and beautiful and swoony each and every day, there'd be no need for hope. Nothing better to wait for. No impulse to run hard after Truth until she's breathless. No reason to put her faith in anything but her own fixed self and her own fine life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She sets her default on an awareness of all that's been done already. She bathes in gratitude. She rests in the Father's faithfulness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She accepts that certain messes and scars and dysfunctions may remain but she brings it all into the light of Jesus. She's speaks honestly in the light. She lies bare and exposed, wounded and messy, but warm and secure in the light and never-ending love of Christ. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She realizes there's nothing to be gained by clinching and fretting and worrying over that which she cannot change. Nothing to be gained by hiding or pretending she's fine either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And so she chooses trust. </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reckless, wild, nonsensical trust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And though nothing is really fixed, <i>she is free</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to hope. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to worship. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to try and fail and get back up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to carry her unanswered questions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to disappoint and be disappointed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to love the unlovely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to give sacrificially. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to not be enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to mourn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to receive the beautiful gifts that are such obvious grace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And free receive the hard things...that are also grace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Free to live her messy, unfixable days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because all is grace. Because she is loved. Because the Father holds all things. Because one day He will wipe away every tear. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She's free to hope and trust and worship and give thanks through each unfixable day as she waits patiently for the perfect redemption yet to come. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1540171404871181369.post-71475273032106731982014-02-19T09:28:00.001-05:002014-02-27T16:27:06.674-05:007 Simple Ways I Cut Our Food Budget in Half: A Non-Guru's "Guide" to Groceries & Meals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DRJnbCHp9rU/UwS8gd0nCTI/AAAAAAAAEA8/49r7mGLsF6E/s1600/heart+sandwich+w+text+2.19.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DRJnbCHp9rU/UwS8gd0nCTI/AAAAAAAAEA8/49r7mGLsF6E/s1600/heart+sandwich+w+text+2.19.14.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Backstory</span></b><b style="font-size: x-large;"> </b><span style="font-size: large;">{</span><i><span style="font-size: large;">Because I'm a writer and even a post about groceries has a backstory.</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">}</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm no guru about anything. Unless there's a guru status on laundry-avoidance because I've got that one nailed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not a decorating expert or a financial expert or a parenting expert. I've got a knack for certain things but not to the extent that I can professionalize any of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm a real wife and a real mom and a real homemaker, somewhat of a hacker and a slacker. I'm long on dreaming but short on patience and follow-through. And though I love finding better ways to do everyday tasks, I become easily overwhelmed by complicated systems and binders and planning sheets. Don't get me wrong, I actually love organizing and plannerly products and to-do lists. I can browse the aisles of Staples for hours. But I've learned that for me, I have to keep systems, procedures, and tasks <i>as simple and personalized as possible.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I use a spiral notebook, pencil, and calculator to budget and pay bills. I keep a one-week dry-erase calendar on our fridge for our family schedule and meals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The way I plan meals and buy groceries is equally simple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">These aren't the sort of posts I normally do. But because meal-planning and grocery-shopping are tasks that all of us <i>have</i> to do, I thought I'd share my easy, non-guru methods with the rest of you. Take it or leave it. There are lots of </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">actual</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"> experts with entire blogs and books devoted to this subject. But if you want a Cliff's Notes / non-extreme / no coupons way to approach the often-dreaded task of feeding your family easily and economically, perhaps you'll find some encouragement here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This year my husband and I set some rather audacious financial goals. We decided we were ready to get super serious about some endeavors that we've put off because we've had more important issues to tackle. Timing is everything. We're at a good place and on the same page. We've squinted at the numbers and squeezed every dime out of each possible category.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The trickle-down effect is this: <b><i>we pretty much cut our food budget in half.</i></b> Because we're just getting started on this "adventure," I can't tell you how well it's going to work long-term. I can only tell you how it's working so far through February.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can I be honest? I hate even writing about money and "systems" and goals. Doing so makes me accountable. But deep down I know that accountability is a needful thing. It would thrill me to be able to update you 6 months from now and say, "The non-guru guide is still working! We're saving money! We're still not starving!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But the only way to reach our goals is if we're realistic and honest about ourselves, our spouses, and our individual situations. After many fits and starts over the years, months of couponing and stockpiling and knowing the amount of time it takes and mental energy it requires and physical exhaustion I feel afterward, I decided to take a mostly non-couponing, super realistic approach to planning and shopping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've devoted the last two-ish years to rest. And during those two years my husband and I resolved that I would not take on added stress and time-consuming endeavors, like coupons and being hyper-vigilant about the grocery budget. My goal was to keep food in the house, lunches in the lunchboxes, and dinner on the table. Sure, I was mindful of food prices and I saved when I could but I didn't stress or obsess. This was all fine and good and necessary for those two years. In the process, however, I also got a little bit lazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm in a different place now, ready and able to be more proactive about my responsibilities. But proactive in a reasonable and therefore {hopefully} sustainable way. This is not a sprint; it's a marathon. I need a system that can work long-term.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's my non-fancy / realistic / no-coupon way of slashing our food budget. In half. {Yes, it's possible.}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Plan </b>{Because even if you hate plans, you've got to have one. A plan is 90% of the battle.}</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. A monthly plan.</b> I plan out all the meals I'll make in a month and approximately how many leftover meals we'll also have. I don't assign meals to a day. That's too hard-core and inflexible for me. I write out our meals one week at a time but I have a plan for the meals I'll make over the month. A month's worth of meals + lunch stuff + breakfast stuff gives me my grocery list for the month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If this sounds like too much work and planning, I'll let you in on a secret. It took me ten minutes. No lie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Behold my very sophisticated system. {And terrible photo.}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wDn3GYhz2Xg/UwS2BmfvjzI/AAAAAAAAEAs/j2x9J3yfMeQ/s1600/feb+meals+2.19.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wDn3GYhz2Xg/UwS2BmfvjzI/AAAAAAAAEAs/j2x9J3yfMeQ/s1600/feb+meals+2.19.14.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I make a list of our meals and how many times I'll make it or how many leftover meals it will provide. When my tally reaches 30 meals or so, I'm done. Then it's on to the grocery list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Make a grocery list based on my monthly menu.</b> I've been surprised at how little time this takes. Maybe 20 minutes? Then I divide up what I'm going to purchase where.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Shop with purpose & with a plan</b>. I'm now doing my shopping at two main stores, <b>Aldi</b> and <b>Costco</b>. I make one big trip to both stores in a month and those two trips get most of what we need. I purchase more milk, bread, and produce in between but I'm trying to get most of this stuff at Aldi too. A new one just opened up not too far away so that's making it easier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Paying cash.</b> We get paid once a month and that means we budget, pay bills, and plan groceries and meals within a monthly scope. Years ago I did the cash system for groceries and it really does make a difference so I'm doing it again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you hand over those hard-earned bills to the cashier, you think twice about how much you really need something. When you know that cash has to last to the end of the month, you're careful with it. I've read that paying cash for your groceries lowers your bill by 30% on average.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. No eating out.</b> Not that we did much of that anyway. It was more of the little things that added up. A drink from the drive-thru. A Starbucks treat. Lunch at the coffee shop. This means more planning ahead and being disciplined {<i>such</i> a painful word} and delayed gratification. I'll be honest...this is embarrassingly hard for me. My love language is food treats. And also lip gloss.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Our meals are simple-ish.</b> I enjoy really good food. I even enjoy making the occasional gourmet dish or dessert. But day in and day out, my time and energy and passions don't jive with fussy meals. I've found what works for us and there's a fair amount of repetition. But we enjoy a hot meal most nights around our kitchen table and that's my definition of <i>win</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Know yourself.</b> There are many ways to save big on your food budget but I've learned that none of them will work unless it's realistic and doable <i>for you</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My time, sanity, and health are valuable and finite. If meal-planning and grocery-shopping and money-saving uses up a lot of that time, sanity or health, then I may have saved bunches of money but I've paid a hefty price. </span></i></b></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Full disclosure.</b> I didn't think we could stay within this budget without coupons, store-hopping, making everything from scratch, and deprivation. I thought it would take more time than it does. I thought I'd be stressed. I thought I'd be grumpy over what I couldn't buy. I've never been so happy to be wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A few more things. </b>We eat healthy-ish but it's far from ideal. I try to purchase mostly real, whole food. I attempt to avoid too many processed foods but I don't obsess. While I would love to buy mostly organic and local, it's not within our current budget. I will be able to do a bit more of this during farmer's market season. We don't have food allergies nor are we gluten-free or dairy-free. In short, we do the best we can with the resources we have and I don't fret about imperfections. Each family's needs and priorities are different and one's budget will obviously reflect those differences.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have more questions? {Why Aldi? Why Costco? What do you cook? What <i>is</i> your monthly food budget?} Ask away in the comments and I'll do my best to answer you there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">::</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post linked to {and featured on} the <a href="http://www.impartinggrace.com/2014/02/grace-at-home-no-95.html">Grace at Home Party</a> hosted by the lovely Richella at <a href="http://www.impartinggrace.com/">Imparting Grace</a>. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a border="0" href="http://www.impartinggrace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OGtWT6Eap4Y/UHMg_A49uLI/AAAAAAAAMV4/6vu6I1MqGvo/s1600/Imparting+Grace+featured+button.png" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This post first appeared at <a href="http://www.missalamode.blogspot.com/">a la mode: a little scoop for every slice of life</a>.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;">Interested in having each post from a la mode delivered to your e-mail inbox? You can do that near the top of the right sidebar. Just enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box. You can unsubscribe anytime you like.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #d5a6bd; text-align: center;"><br /></i></span></div>
Scooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13200593501887901812noreply@blogger.com18