seven

{an experimental mutiny against excess}

written by jen hatmaker

it started something like this... a text from my dear friend laura informing me she read my un content post and thought this book might be right up my alley. she had ordered hers and was waiting for the big arrival. lucky for me the mr and i were planning on going shopping (that day) so we hit up barnes and nobles and i guess you could say the rest is history.

life-changing-history.

a few chapters in i received a text which read - "this book is seriously thought provoking and has messed my entire life up"

amen sista. you're preaching to the choir.

lawd have mercy because we bout to do some serious changing up in here (read in your deepest southern accent)

my wheels are churning and i'm only half way through. i am 'so in' and after i read through this once i will read through it again and am so going to do it.{lucky for you i will blog my experience}

it's hard for me to explain this book, so i'm going to write verbatim part of what's printed so eloquently on the back cover.

"food.clothes.spending.media.possessions.waste.stress. jen and her family would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe "seven sacred pauses" so, what's the pay off from living a deeply reduced life? it's the discovery of a greatly increased God-a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends a social experiment to become a radically better existense. 7's funny, raw, and not a guilt trip in the making, so come along and consider what Jesus' version of rich, blessed, and generous might look like in your life"

Seriously now, go get your copy, it's $14.99 that you will not regret spending. More on this topic later.

life lately

As I sit here, the sun is shining, the little is napping, and the Mr is lounging watching football. Bliss. I feel a sense of urgency to share the excitement coursing through my veins. The excitement stems from the plans for Gavin's first birthday party. I never said I wasn't going overboard. Go ahead and judge me. See if I care. I don't. Because here's the thing, we have been so incredibly blessed by his little life already and for that I will celebrate. I will throw him a kick-ass party, even if he is only turning one and won't remember (thank-you for informing me of that Mom)

First things first. The invitations. Thanks to etsy and picklehead we now have 'board passes' and recycled road map envelopes.
We've gone green, and once you go green you never go back. Or something.


Every birthday boy should have a banner. Now I know you can buy pre-made banners that say 'happy birthday' (cue open mouth with hand covering the biggest yawn of your life) but I had a vision that was much cooler. And besides, it's currently hanging above his crib as wall decor.

Multipurposing.

uhthankyou.

Thanks to some cardstock, paint, modge-podge, chip board, ribbon and random buttons, I introduce to you the coolest flippin banner there ever was which cost around $20 to make.

He's mobile now. My little goat gets wherever he wants to go. He's even using the traditional crawling forward motion on occasion now. I am so proud and he is so much more content because he can get into so much more trouble now. Take for example, pulling himself up on a swiveling chair only to nosedive to the floor.

Or pulling the DVD player out of the stand and playing with wires. Don't worry as you can see we had a responsible babysitter watching Gavin at this time.

And this is how I found him this morning in his crib. He's so smart to be peeking at the door saying "Nanna"

Can you think of a better way to start the day than this? Me either.

10 months

The Mr and I had a family date night at wouldn't you know it, Texas Roadhouse the other day. Man I love that place. Anywho...after the waitress took our drink orders she pointed at my baby who was very maturely sitting in a high chair, pounding his hands on the table, and grinning from ear to ear and she said

"And for him?"

I woulda loved to see my face. It was something of confusion/this-is-funny/i'mrealizingmybabylookslikeatwoyearold.

I smiled after a quick exchange of a glances from my husband and told her

"Uhh nothing for him. He's only 10 months old"

"Wow, he looks much older"

"Yeah, we get that a lot"

Classic.

10 month stats:

26+ lbs
Very tall {how do you accurately measure a wiggly baby?}
Wears 18 month clothes
Size 4-5 shoe
On the move, sort of. His signature move is the reverse dumptruck into sitting position. He's classy.
Eats almost anything.
Has cut down to 4 bottles a day...which is a direct reflection to the above statement.
Swims in the bathtub - i'm serious. It's a mix of the doggie paddle/breaststroke. Next Michael Phelps anyone?
He's working on saying Mamma although it sounds like Baa-Baa or Naa-Naa which might mean he's hungry or wants a banana but that is obviously beside the point because he's clearly saying Mamma. Wait, what?
Learning to sign "more".
Loves loves loves books and to read.
Is enrolled in Kindermusik. Bring on the music, sign language, and dancing.
He is my snuggly lovable teddy bear. He now gives hugs and kisses {with an open mouth and lots of drool}
Has 4 teeth
Naps like a champ and sleeps at night like a champ too.
He seriously has brought more joy to our family than we ever knew possible. Oh yes and his hair continues to grow like crazy. And he's the cutest baby there ever was.

Sneak peek of the little's first birthday party that is right around the corner.

"Up Up and Away Gavin is celebrating his First Birthday"

I'm not going overboard.
Read as "I'm definately going overboard, he only turns 1 once and we've got reason to celebrate!"
Grin.

Staycation

Guess where we went this weekend? Lets play a game of clue to find out.

There was lots of water...slides...and a lazy river...

We pretended to be fish (see my child's "fin"?) and swam until our fingers were prunes...

We ate pizza in our suite...


and jumped on the beds (shh! don't tell)...

Do you give up?

Bridges Bay people, bridges bay :)

Fun was had by all.

Lets make this an annual occurence, okay? Mkay!

twenty questions

.:with the author.:

1. Were you named after anyone?
First name - no. Middle name - yes, it is the exact same as my Mom's middle name. Do I plan to use it for a middle name if we have a girl someday? That's up for debate.

2. Do you untie your shoes before you take them off?
{Disclaimer - I am a triage nurse so my days consist mostly of time management and delegation} so NO! I don't untie my shoes before taking them off. uhthankyou.

3. What was the last movie you watched?
"Warrior" Simply.Amazing.

4. If money didn't matter what would you fill your days with?
Mommyhood, photography, writing, and crafting.

5. What are your dreams?

{Another disclaimer - if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough}

Writing a book- someday. Maybe when the laundry's done, the house is clean, and I'm done having babies. So not for a long, long time.

Adopting a child. Someday. God seems to be laying this on my heart over and over and I'm really unsure.

6. Last book you read?
Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah. Literally couldn't put it down. Passed it on to my Mom and Sister who also burned through the pages.

7. Biggest insecurity?
That my "best" isn't good enough. I'm way too hard on myself.

8. Favorite smells?
Vanilla, amber, sandalwood.

9. Summer or winter?
Neither, fall then spring.

10. Hardest thing you've ever endured?
Miscarriage. Postpartum Depression.

11. Most growing life experiences?
Miscarriage. Postpartum Depression. Marriage. Motherhood.

12. What is the farthest you have been from home?
Probably when the Mr and I went on our honeymoon to Riviera Maya Mexico. Oh to go back.

13. Favorite Sound?
The little giggling...gets me every time.

14. How did you know the Mr. was "the one"?
We literally grew up together and were best friends from 7th/8th grade on. He is the dreamer in our relationship and in case you didn't know I am definately a realist, so we're a good combo. He pulls me up into the sky to enjoy the view at times while I yank him back down to the 'real world' when need be. I am a very indesicive person so I think God helped me out by showing me "the one" at an early age. yeah, i guess that's basically how it went.

15. Most annoying habit?
Hah, only one? The Mr would say that I don't screw the toothpaste lid completely on but again - time management honey. I would say swearing-- soon my child will be paying more attention so I'm really trying to kick that habit.

16. Favorite outfit?
Yoga pants and an under armour long sleeve t-shirt. Comfort please. But when I do have to wear "real clothes" then a pair of skinny jeans with grey boots and a patterned top.

17. Religion?
To me, it's not about religion it's about a relationship. Jesus is my Savior, I am a Christian. I believe He died to save us all from our sins. I'm Christian Reformed if you're into specifics.

18. Favorite Food?
Pizza Ranch Cheese Pizza, Archie's peppered steaks, sweet rolls/honey butter from Texas Roadhouse. You're probably thinking - does she ever cook? And yes, I do! My favorite home cooked meals would include bbq meatballs, mashed potatoes, and corn. Oh and anything with chocolate.

19. Democrat or Rebuplican?
Republican. Pro life please.

20. Any pets?
Yes, Maya. She's a cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix). She's 2. We should've named her Trouble, with a capital "T".

Nice to meet you.

un content

Something has been going on in my heart lately and I can't ignore it any longer. Blame it on this season of more, more, more. Being new years eve, I find myself intentionally thinking of things I want to improve on in 2012.

One intentional area of improvement involves contentment. I will work on being content with what I have and not comparing it to what "everyone else has". If I'm completely honest, my heart lately has been more full of "look what so and so has, how do they afford that, on one income? what are we doing wrong? i want __________ (fill in the blank with whatever you covet)

Here's the thing - I have everything I need and more.

Be still my heart.

Be thankful.

Help others and don't always think of your own desires.

One lesson I've learned in my twenty some odd years is that material possessions will never satisfy. Did you hear me? Material.Possessions.Will.Never.Satisfy. What they will do is leave you longing for more, and more and more. Buyers remorse anyone? It's an ugly, infectious, and potentially terminal cycle. Quite similar to a MRSA or VRE infection that no antibiotics can touch because the "bug" is too smart for the treatment. It can go something like this, you buy a bigger house because you need more room, but then wait you need better furniture to go in your bigger house, and you need new decorations for your new house, and new dishes, and probably a new vehicle to put in your new garage. The infection spreads and soon it's nothing short of lethal to your soul. I won't pretend to have never been on a similar cycle, although it was more of a lust-after-newer-and-nicer-things-and-compare-what-we-have-to-what-other-have cycle... but thank God it's a new year and I'm bailing off that pony.

While I don't ever remember going without when I was young, I do remember both of my parents working their tails off to provide for me. I heard and hated the word "budget". While in junior high I resented my Mom because she wouldn't buy me a pair of $50 jeans with holes in them. Good call Mom, what the h was I thinking?! My parents succeeded and ingrained gratitude deep into the crevices of my soul. Thanks Mom & Dad. I refuse to raise an ungrateful child myself. I will intentially parent Gavin to be aware of those people who have nothing, do without, and probably have more joy than we will ever know because they rely solely on God.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

Cheers to a new year and learning contentment!

Stay tuned for a ' christmas and year-in-review' post coming soon.

12.25.11

Merry Christmas from the Kroeze's

{we hope your day is full of celebration and you find yourself surrounded by those you love, remember Jesus is the reason for the season}