Do you know why I follow you?

Tonight I was unpacking a suitcase from a trip Ryan and I had recently returned from. And though I NEVER unpack a suitcase this early, it was happening! um...wait. Nope...I just looked over and I left a few things in there. The suitcase is officially still packed.
Anyway, I was going back and forth from the closet through the bathroom and back into the bedroom hanging, folding, you know, the stuff you do when unpacking. It took me just a couple trips back and forth to realize that Espen my 4 year old had been following me. He was literally on my heels. I said playfully "Are you following me"? He responded with "Yep"! I didn't respond and then he chimed in with "Mom, you know why I follow you?" Me: "Why?" Espen: "Because I love you".
I literally stopped in my tracks. Mainly because my heart was melting and I couldn't take another step! I turned around and kneeled down to get on his level and said "Espen I love you so much! And you can totally follow me if you want." He smiled, said ok with a smile, then gave me the biggest hug.

This is a moment I always want to remember and I never want to forget (Yes I'm redundant on purpose).

Two reasons why I want to hold that moment dear and keep in my perverbial pocket...

1. It's a crystal clear picture for me and my relationship with my heavenly father. I want to be with my heavenly father. On his heels. I want to be wherever He is.
2. It will be a wonderful teaching tool to show Espen and Oliver one day how they can be with our heavenly father. And until Espen is a believer, I can tell him that that is how I follow Christ just like you follow me.

My deepest prayers are that I will please my heavenly Father and follow Him, and that my children will walk in our footsteps as we follow Him.
Follow me Espen as I follow Christ!

1 Cor 11:1

Yes Espen I'm totally ok with you following me!

Looking ahead and staying here.

Ahhh Here we go--Again!

Welcome (or welcome back) to our blog! I'm honestly not sure where to go with this blog. So many questions fill my mind. Is this a family update, talks from the heart, work being published, an exercise of the written word once again... yes i guess it is.

I'm sitting here at a old rickety yellow desk in our 2nd floor apartment right above the street. Espen naps and Ryan is wrapping up some things for work, and I have the day off. It's time to exercise and work my voice a little. My writing voice. It's the week of Christmas, 4 days in fact until Christmas day. I'm neutral. Of course I adore family time and wish time would slow down in those moments. I love having a break off work. I love this time to reflect on the beautiful story of our Savior coming to deliver His people from their oppression. Sometimes I try to get into Mary's head and ponder with her the things she would accomplish, or her son for that matter! I'm amazed at her obedience and willingness....
There are a few more gifts to pick up but i'm putting it off until tomorrow.

When Fall blows in, I get excited and start looking for all my sweaters. Even though I won't be really needing them until January I must put them close. The pumpkins start rolling out and appearing everywhere, we start to plan Espen's birthday. October 31st comes and goes way too fast. I soak up every day until Thanksgiving. Now that's my favorite holiday. The noise and sounds of Christmas start ringing and getting louder... yes I love this time of year but I'm mostly looking forward to New Years. For the same reason I like Mondays. It's a fresh start. I get to dream and make new plans.
Though I'm still formulating in my mind what my "new list" for the new year will be, There are a few things that rise to the top of the ever evolving list.

* Less Hulu, More reading
* I want to cook more
* More writing singing and playing

But most of all I want to make our home a place I want to be. We are transient by nature and mind, but Bishop Taban from Southern Sudan said one thing in early december when visiting our church... "You can't bloom unless you've been planted."
I want that. I'm not sure really how that would look for our little family, but I think I'm a little more ready than before.
Ryan and I have done a lot of talking and crying and waiting this last year. Living in the struggle of our will vs. God's will...our dreams and what's laying here before us, and we feel like 2011 is a year for us to get ready. For what? I'm not sure. I desire to hear God's voice, see His hand position and move us to where He can use us. We are willing. So willing.
So when I think about the new year, i just wonder what's next. I feel like i'm always on my tippy toes looking for the next thing.
This might be hard for a visionary like myself, but in 2011, I want to pivot my chair from the window back to the living area. This is where we are. This is where we love. This is where we're made ready. We will go and do, no doubt about that. This is where we are investing in memories...for the time being.
Trust. Patience. Rest. Deep planting is what I want to grow in this year.
A quiet grounded feeling for stability and balance like on a dance floor.

Ready Willing Waiting Resting. That's me.

Lindey

family band

Uncle Connor came for a visit! Espen loves his Connor... I was able to get a couple segments of the jam session

Canton!

Yesterday my friend Becky and I went to Canton Texas which is an hour and half away from our places (she's also my next door neighbor). I had never been to canton before! They have what is called First Monday. It's like a gigantic flea market on hundreds of acres in tons of tents and pavillions on the weekends right before the first Monday of every month.

It was 40 degrees and I wore 5 shirts, gloves, long underwear, lip saver from Aveda, and a good pair of shoes.

Becky and I were on a mission. We did not want to stay all day, and I knew exactly what I was looking for. My list included a storage cabinet or buffet for my dining room, a chandelier, 2 vintage chairs to mismatch with my others at our dining table, writing desk, and any other treasure I thought I might "need"..... The whole place smelled like fair food, bad coffee, moth balls, and old people. I don't know how many people we saw on scooters pulling their carts behind them just in case of finding treasures. Some people go to Canton and stay the whole weekend because of all the shopping there is to do there. We saw motor homes, trailers, vans, trucks and any other big vehicle to carry things home in. So the people that bring the big vehicles and stay all weekend don't walk very fast. I mean they have 3 days to choose and gather and shop and eat! Becky and I on the other hand walked like Black Friday shoppers, weaving in a out of all the other people.

We found some amazing things! I didn't come home with my chandelier or any other thing that wasn't on the list in my mind, which is probably a good thing. I don't mind to wait for the perfect thing.

Also, these items I don't even need to rebuild or sand down or paint! There are a few changes I will make to the hutch I bought but I will keep you up to date on how that project is going, when I decide to start it.

There's nothing better than finding a good deal! And making an even better deal by negotiating! (which I'm still learning to do with my friend's help ;)

I think I spent around $200 for everything! My most favorite purchase was 2 magenta chairs! "When in doubt pick magenta!"

Becky

Espen added his chair on the table for the pic :)

color shot...color phase

my favorite thing about these is the magenta part

This is the before shot of the hutch...an after is soon to come!

you can tell the color better here :)

as is. Not going to have to paint it. Love that.

good thing Becky brought their truck! It all fit perfectly.

She found the cutest Green dresser for Saige! The little one in her tummy.

All in a daze...

First Idea shot

My little love...Who still calls me babe

Pulled our tree in through the window... it worked!

"Eppen's Chee"

Decorating the Tree

Love these little hands

A little black Friday purchase, excited about Advent

up to some trouble.... notice the lines on the dishwasher...

Found Markings here and inside a cabinet a little more major than this...

And here!

He told me "E bus!" "E-S-P-E-N-R-2-9" so thats his

name there written on the bus

(still haven't found the cap)

This bus has been through so much cream cheese!

It's weird when it dries. I've been wiping off the bus, the floor,

the wall, toes, hands and a little face.

Play the game

So I've been playing a game. It's called the Grocery Game. It was started by this woman named Teri Gault. Ryan and I saw her on the Donny Deutsch show when were were living in Houston...I thought it was cool then but didn't participate in it or learn anything more about it. It's just been recently that my friend, and now next door neighbor Becky, told me about it. She saves so much freaking money! She is teaching me the ins and outs of it all and I've been simply picking up a sunday paper full of great coupons which I date and file away, only to pull on them when its time to grocery shop. You go on to thegrocerygame.com and set up an account for a small fee every 2 months, put in your zip code, and in return, Teri gives you the participating stores in your area, and all of their deals and specials going on. You have to check it out!

Ryan is fully amazed and pretty much thinks i'm a super woman. Well thats what I feel like at least when I stand at the register and see my bill rack up to around $120, hand over my kroger card and it falls down to around $65 and then give a few coupons (which took me like 10 min to clip, because you only clip the ones Teri tells you to clip, hence, the small fee you pay for convenience) and ends at about $50. Thats what happened today. And that also included a 20 lb. turkey!

Some deals in the last few weeks have been so great!

- I bought a package of bacon, and with it came a dozen large eggs, box of bfast sausages, fruit cup, and english muffins all came free.

- Buy one get one free Wheat bread

- Evaporated Milk (for baking) free!

- Free Downy fabric softener

- Ghirardelli supreme brownie mix .99

...on and on! All name brand items, all great food! My friend Becky last week bought a gallon of milk for a dollar!!

In the words of Ryan "That's pretty awesome!! just sayin"

testing one, two

Found this pic, have no idea where we're going.

(my friend Aina just showed me how to use blogger.

Just trying it out this way)