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HollsRenee
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Name: Holly
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Gender: Female
Interests: Gardening, coffee, dogs, traveling, television, fashion, music, arts & crafts (home decor), reading, children's & adolescent lit., cooking/baking
Expertise: using 100 words when 20 will do
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
5/28/2003
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| This post is *ahem* a little bit about babies. Therefore, I feel the need to give a disclaimer. One of my personal pet peeves is when people ask me about having a baby and I say, "We're just not ready" to which they respond, "Oh, you're never ready." It bothers me because that's not what I mean, and I feel like they should know that.
We want to be prepared. There is a difference between being ready and being prepared. The two are not synonymous (I looked it up). You'll never be ready for a hurricane, but you can be prepared. We want to be prepared (and yes, I just compared having a baby to experiencing a natural disaster. Get over it.)
**However, in this post, I am going to use the word "ready" in place of the word "prepared." There is no intelligent logic or phonetic reasoning behind this. For some reason, it just sounds better...
Moving on.
I often have a lot of "Baby Drama." I feel a lot of pressure to have a baby, but I have come to the conclusion that about 75% of that pressure exists only in my head. Last year was a hard year for a lot of different reasons. I think our first priority surrounding last year was to just merely survive. However, this year is different. I can't quite explain it, but I know in my heart that we are more settled. I feel like we are ready to start getting ready to have a baby, if that makes sense. We are now trying to focus on paying off our debts and building up our savings, organizing and reorganizing and taking frequent trips to Goodwill with a car full of loot...or in this case, un-loot. ("un-loot?" Just go with it).
So, we hit the ground running and our biggest growth has been in the way we view our finances. It has been my dream to be a stay at home mom so a large part of our focus is about reaching the point where we "bank" one income and only live on 50% in the year(s) before we have a baby. (We are also focusing on eating more healthful foods and organizing the house...maybe more on that later). I have fallen in love with two blogs that I feel represent "life school" (being a teacher, I mean that in such a good way.) :) They are posted below.
lifeblessons.blogspot.com
http://urbandomesticity.wordpress.com/
(This is like my version of a commercial break!) :)
So, I've been doing some research here and there and snagging some ideas from people who either want to go the same direction or have gone there before. Forget the Encyclopedia- Other People can be a fantastic resource if you just know the right questions to ask and where to look to get the answers.
Here's the part where I tell you a story. It is kind of long, but it is also kind of cool/interesting/funny and eventually ties into the whole idea of controlling our finances, so just stay with me.
I like clothes. Out of all our "cutbacks," clothing is the one that makes me the most anxious. I am not an out of control shopper, in fact, I am quite proud of my ability to hunt down fantastic bargains. The dress I wore to my cousin's wedding was on clearance for $7.50. The MOST expensive purse I own was $32.00 and came from JCPenney's. I can put down the slingbacks when the chips are down. However, I have to feel good in what I have on. Maybe people are judgmental about that. Maybe they think I'm shallow, but that's okay. I feel so much better about "life" when I know I am putting my best foot forward. I want to be taken seriously and unfortunately, the world judges us by our appearance. We get a lot farther in pant suits than we do in sweatpants (unless you are running a marathon, obviously).
So, with an open heart and the desire to save some serious cash, I ventured to Goodwill. People are grossed out by Goodwill. Let's face it, it smells funny. It's true. But that's okay. My mother looooooooves Goodwill. She rejoiced the year she finally qualified for the "Senior Citizens" discount. She is a bargain-shopper extraordinaire and a FABULOUS role model- someone who managed to pursue a career, balance her finances, AND stay at home with her kids, all while wearing fantastic jewelry and attractive sweater sets.
So, I was at Goodwill and I wasn't freaked out.
And I found out that Goodwill is a Fashion Cemetery. It is where perfectly AMAZING clothes go to die early deaths.
Barely-worn Hunter Green J.Crew ballet flats for $6? Yes, please.
A pumpkin-colored cable knit L.L. Bean sweater? I'll take it.
"Oh, 100% Apostrophe Pure Cashmere sweater, I'll give you a nice home."
I ended up with 5 pairs of shoes, a Military-Style Mossimo (Target-brand) Jacket, and 4 sweaters for $80
So what's even more great is that I am no longer foaming at the mouth (gross, right?) My retail-craving has totally been satisfied because I know I have (new?) stuff to wear.
And I know people would totally disagree with this, but my trip was such a comfort; so encouraging- like God's way of saying, "So, you wanna live on one income? Yea, we can so totally do this."
Anyway, I just encourage you to find something you've ALWAYS wanted to do but never thought would work. Create a magical time machine? Capture a Sasquatch? I say, GO FOR IT! I'll help you in any way that I can (just let me know, cause obviously if we're hunting a sasquatch, I'm not gonna wanna wear my new J.Crew shoes). Take the time to do the research and just do it. I think it'll totally be worth it and well, gosh darn it, I believe in you!
My best to you.
Love, H.
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| So, it's 11:08 and my husband just heated up leftover pizza. We are watching The History Channel, I am still in my "school clothes" and it looks like no one is going to bed anytime soon.
In all seriousness, I love being married, and it keeps getting better which I honestly find surprising which probably sounds bad.
I am learning that whenever I am entirely too distant from God, that void manifests itself in so many different ways...like a child who gets grumpy when she's tired...the less time I end up spending with God, the more I find myself struggling with grumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, etc. You name it. If it's yucky, it's there.
In my head, this was like, super profound and C.S. Lewis-ish. On paper (or screen) it sounds sort of silly and too short and Miley Cyrus-ish. At least I didn't use the phrase "OMG." Right? ;)
Ack, it's so late.
Love, H. | | |
| I have started thinking about heaven a lot lately which may seem morbid/unusual/odd but, whatever. Francis Chan says that people who truly love God are also excited about heaven, so I guess it's a good thing. Also, it has been almost a year since my grandpa died, so I guess these thoughts and this date are connected.
I used to think about heaven as a place where everyone spends the entire time worshipping God and this idea used to concern me. I thought worshipping God and being "in church" were one in the same. While I liked church and I liked worshipping God, no one wants to spend thousands upon thousands of years crammed next to a stranger on a wooden pew, waiting to go to lunch. Also, my "church shoes" tend to get really, really uncomfortable by the end of the day...let alone by the end of the millennium. So, I loved God, and I wanted to go to heaven, but I didn't want to spend eternity in church.
....Conundrum.....
I have wrestled with this idea for longer than I'd like to admit. Well into my years of adulthood...and then I started thinking about the word *worship*.
There are hundreds upon thousands of ways to worship God. I think my most powerful times of worship come from times spent surrounded by nature and also around people (and dogs) that I love. Maybe I will spend a thousand years in heaven, perched on an iceberg, sipping a latte and watching the polar bears. Sweet Heather Marie really loves polar bears. I think she'll want to do that, too.
Sometimes, when I am magically running 5 minutes early, I'll find the only corner of our bed that hasn't been overrun by my handsome husband and two furry dogs. I'll slip back in for a last minute cuddle and recite a few Little Kid Prayers...you know the ones... "Thank you for my husband....thank you for my job...thank you for my dogs....."
And I think THIS is worship. Maybe there is neighborhood in heaven dedicated entirely to wearing pajamas and napping in warm, dark rooms with no windows. Maybe our to-do lists will read something like- Starting Today : spend the next 400 years napping.
Count me in.
So, maybe you are reading this and you think I'm crazy or you don't believe in heaven, and that's okay. I'm down with that. We're cool. But I do encourage you to take a longer look...a deeper look. Keep your eyes and your heart open to the idea that there could be something else out there. Maybe we don't just turn to nothing. Maybe we are destined spend our time on earth loving people and then die....and spend eternity eating ice cream.
My Best to you.
Love, H.
P.S. For more ideas about Heaven...I'd suggest reading anything by Donald Miller. He's got some really great ideas about The Afterlife. | | |
| Well, as promised, I have returned with the letter i. Dear Goodness, it feels good.
Last week, I listed a few topics to be discussed in the future. However, the moment has passed so I'll make it snappy. Here they are, in no particular order. There are only three so I trust you can keep track.
Numero Uno
For those of you who don't know, Jessica Watson is a 16 year old Australian Girl who set sail this month in an attempt to become the youngest person to sail around the world and the first female since the late 80's. She is traveling around the globe in a pink sailboat.
And she wants to be taken seriously.
So, while I'm all up for adventure combined with fun colors, I think it's dumb. I wish her the best, but I think she should be in school. 16 is way way way way way too young to spend 8 months alone in the middle of the ocean. I don't think it is so much a matter of talent and ability. I'm sure she knows her way around the Covey Crump, but it is more about responsible parenting. Teenagers' brains are still developing. They are still learning how to problem-solve...how to deal with their emotions. They need affection. They need support and guidance. That's not something you can easily receive on a boat by yourself.
Deux
One of the things I am most looking forward to about heaven is having 20/20 vision. My vision is bad enough to require contacts (I heart them!) but not so bad that I always remember to put them in every morning. Sometimes I am all...hurry...hurry...get to the car....notice that the numbers on the dashboard are blurry...Rats...I forgot my contacts.
I want fabulous eyesight in heaven, and I think I'll probably get it.
Number III. Richard Heene, father of the balloon boy, has been known to write his own television theme songs. I have a love/hate relationship with the one for the show entitled "The Psyience Detective." Take a gander ( I heart google).
http://www.tmz.com/2009/10/20/richard-heene-balloon-boy-reality-show-theme-music/
I guarantee you will be humming it for the rest of the day, if not for the rest of your life. My condolences.
I planted a teeny tiny herb garden in our kitchen window sill. I think I am one of those people who always has to have something green in the works, be it a 2 and 1/2 foot tomato plant or a sweet basil sprout.
Parsley, Basil, Parsley. Yum-o.
I try not to write about work on here. Teaching is something I take very seriously, and I am savvy enough to know that my line of work comes with a lot of cards I have to keep close to my chest.
With that being said, I think it IS safe to tell you that I LOVE my job. I have always *liked* teaching. I work with some fantasticly sweet people, and I have an intense passion for reading and literacy. However, this is year...I LOVE my job.
I think every once in awhile, the planets align and you end up with this really great mix of kiddos who are all pretty low key and have similar personalities and just...get along. Magic. Karma. Fate. Welcome to Room 118. :) I don't know how long it will last or what the future holds, but I do know that tomorrow is Monday, and by the grace of God, I am able to face it with a Venti chai-tea latte, 1%, 3 splenda and a smile.
I hope you are, too.
Love, H. | | |
| So, a major d!scla!mer.
My keyboard sucks.
That's r!ght. l used the S word. l am m!ss!ng a letter but who cares.
l am antsy to type and l've m!ssed you. L!ke m!ssed you, m!ssed you. The k!nd of feel!ng you say tw!ce, r!ght?
So, ! am try!ng th!s new "MUFA" d!et...you should look !t up. ! am cur!ous to see !f anyone has tr!ed !t...? Thoughts?
Lots of "good fats"
@ avacados
@ peanut butter
@ dark chocolate
@ Nuts!
@ o!l (sunflower, canola, grapeseed)
Also made "sassy water" and now my hands smell l!ke cucumbers.
add that to some m!nt leaves, g!nger and a l!ttle b!t of h2o.
l fear !t w!ll be gross.
T!me w!ll tell.
Some days are better than others....wh!le my pants are no more "room!er" l am st!ll very exc!ted about cont!nu!ng to make some much-needed changes. Ah. The pursu!t of heal!ng. All good th!ngs.
Some top!cs to ant!c!pate?
@ what ! am most look!ng forward to about heaven
@ some thoughts on Jess Watson & ella's p!nk Lady (shark ba!t? let's hope not)
@ lyr!cs to my own show's theme song wr!tten by R!chard Heene
Was any of that funny?
Much love and no letter eye,
H.
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