What's Going On?

I can always tell when life keeps throwing extra balls into juggling routine. I don't get to jot down my thoughts. Busy is my mother-tongue, but every day I am checking in to be sure I'm doing the "right" busy stuff.

What's been going on?

1. No-new-clothes 2012: We had some seriously WARM weather for a St. Patty's day weekend, and I went scrambling into the attic for something short-sleeved and cotton. I also went digging in my closet for sandals! Sandals are the one thing I love about summer. However, after limping around work for a day and shredding the tops of my feet with a pair of black dress sandals...and remembering how I needed some all last summer, I caved and purchased some black dress sandals. The ones I had rip the top of my feet. It's just not worth it. While I was at it, I picked up a pair of bronze-colored flat sandals that should go with literally everything else in my summer wardrobe and cover the bases. These were my birthday presents.

Happy Birthday to meeeeee....



2. I continue to justify my two-shoe pick-up with the fact that one of last year's pairs of sandals actually came completely apart last Friday at the grocery store. I had to walk out with one shoe in hand and one shoe on. I don't even walk barefoot in my own house. I can't stand to have bare feet! So the idea that I was walking in a filthy parking lot kind of put me over the edge. Sadly, this was a pair of "investment" shoes. I had been looking for a pair of beige dressy yet casual sandals for years when I found these, and spent a little more on them than I normally would. Let's just say they haven't worked out. I had to take them to shoe repair last year when the soles were coming off...and last week, they entire cork wedge came apart from the top. Ugh.

3. I haven't yet purchased ANY clothing or jewelry. And hopefully won't be needing any additional shoes. I will say that it was much much easier to coast through fall/winter weather with my wardrobe than it will be for summer. Pretty much my entire summer wardrobe was purchased last year, as the post-baby-body wasn't fitting into my summer stash. So, when you see me sporting my black and white striped shirt for the bazillionth time, just know. It fits. It matches. I'm wearing the heck out of it.
4. Shepard is starting to talk and make sooo many connections. When he hears an airplane overhead and waves his hand around, as I showed him how the planes fly. His inquisitive nature is at work the moment he wakes up. I love to see him scrunch up his forehead when he's trying to work something out. He knows most of his animal noises now and attributes them to the correct animals. Crickets still buzz like bees, but that's fine.
5. Speaking of the short guy, we were sooo blessed to pull down a bag FULL of summer clothes for him. I was thinking he didn't have any, then lo and behold, a TON from my friend Jill were hiding behind a Christmas box! Thank you, Lord for your provision again and again. We were able to pass on a ton of clothes on to some other little boys too, so I'm thankful to give and receive.
6. My boss is retiring. At the end of next summer, we'll have a new President of Winthrop. Crazy, since he's been president since Jerod and I were students here (and a few years before that, even). So, the next year or so could bring lots of change to me and my co-workers as we have the "last" events all year for this president and make plans to inaugurate a new one.

I still have no idea why this list was numbered. Sometimes I just like to number things. Two of the items were about shoes. You can't help your passions, now can you? For the record, I would like to highly endorse the Clarks Privo sandal line. Stylish, flat and cushiony (see picture above). All the things a girl with bad feet and a shoe fetish could love.
Happy Spring!

Flashback...er...Friday?

I know. I know. You've been feverishly refreshing your "keeping up" blog since Friday wondering where the heck I was with a riveting flashback. It's Monday. It may or may not happen today. Last week, I was on spring break, got sick and had my folks in town for five days (yay!); so I was busy blowing my nose, having fun, going to the park, and eating out. I'm a hot flying mess today trying to get my massive work week underway. Perhaps I'll write a flash-forward, a la LOST about a time when my child magically does what I say, my nose isn't stuffy, and I'm independently wealthy and can write some each day. Yes. I like it.
See you soon! --ish.

Clothe me, Lord

I made a crazy decision to go a whole year without purchasing clothing for myself. A whole year, y'all. Here's the post on that in case you're not caught up on your "keeping up" reading...
I just felt that I should make use of the clothing I had and not feed my shopping habit. Some of you have asked me how it's going. I like to imagine about 400 of you cheering me on. I know this is also crazy, but it helps when I'm having a weak moment...
Like Friday. At Target. I went with no real list, other than Jerod needed some hair gel, Shepard could use some more socks, and I wanted to look at kiddo riding toys. I mean, why not just STROLL through the ladies clothing department? What could it hurt? I had a personal gift card I could use, so I wouldn't even spend actual MONEY if I found something. (justify much?) I looked and looked. I settled on a black and white tank top. I put it in the cart. I kept looking. I moved to shoes. If they had had those coral wedge sandals in my size, those would have gone in the cart too. I circled back into the clothing section. Tank top went back on the shelf. I really needed to pull down my summer/spring stuff before I go buying anything, I thought.
Come on, Shelley!
Then I moved on to the toddler clothes section. I filled the cart with cute little boy shorts and matching shirts for summer. Then made my way to the toy section...then felt compelled to go put most of the toddler clothes back too. I need to see what he has stashed away in the attic too, and since it's just March, there is no need to purchase his entire warm-weather wardrobe! I was having an all-out battle.
"Come on, Shelley, it was just a $9 tank top and some kid shorts..."

Yes, and it's more than that too. It's trusting God to provide. It's acknowledging that he is my source, for material goods and for my fulfillment. It's about being a steward of the closet I've amassed. It's about this:

 Matthew 6: 25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 And I realize that not everyone needs to do what I'm doing. But it's important for me. Likewise, on Sunday, it all came home to me with Colossians 3.

12Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

I think the Lord sometimes uses real-life lessons to show us what He wants to do in our hearts. He wants me to worry about a different kind of clothing during this season. Not about being beautiful or stylish on the outside for others to see, but about being compassionate and beautiful on the inside, because I allowed his love and compassion to flow through me. As our pastor said yesterday, we don't need to just put the old ways behind us, we need to adopt NEW ways. We need to move forward with things to DO and do them.

So, perhaps this year will bring some new God-colored clothes my way. And as much as I've always detested anything heart-shaped in my style, I hope that's exactly what I'm going to get.

Perhaps I need a new motto?

ps. In the continuing trend of God's uncanny provision, our dear neighbors offered Shepard a little riding toy yesterday...two days after I looked at them specifically at Target...I'm just saying.