Because I Like Cute Stuff...

I have a dream.

It goes a little something like this: Someone with some skill at putting adorable quirky outfits together comes to my home, takes the clothes I already have and puts outfits together for me. Ya know, cute outfits that I never would have thought of.

That way, I wouldn't just stand at my closet everyday, staring at it while my eyes glaze over...until I give up and put on a boring t-shirt and shorts.

A few weeks ago I found a neat new sight called ModCloth. A-dore-a-ble. I can't get enough of their cute stuff...especially the outerwear. And by "get" I mean "look at on my computer screen without actually purchasing" Exciting, huh ;)

From ModCloth I found the ModCloth blog...which is kinda fun...funky little fashion people sharing their style.

From ModCloth blog I found WishWishWish. I am not even kidding that I spent a couple hours one day/evening reading back through all she's written. Her style is very retro, and she just might have convinced me to go vintage this coming fall and winter...thrift stores here I come. I also love that she takes pictures of herself in outfits she's put together, which I happen to think is genius...because I need to see how things work together so I can copy. Plus, it's loaded with clever ideas like this one...which I've already bought ribbon for! She also introduced me to TopShop which is apparently a big deal...but I live in Iowa, so I had no idea ;)

A couple others that I've also fallen for are Go Jane (cheap shoes and stuff) These boots are calling my name for fall, and the price can't be beat...even if they are "man made materials."

Tulle in another cutie. Some of the stuff from the Tulle sight I've seen in a local store...the prices were much more expensive in the store. This coat just makes me happy...just looking at it.

I'm no fashionista. I don't even know what a fashionista is, except that I've seen the term a lot since reading some new blogs. But I do love seeing how people put stuff together to express their personality. I love getting cute, cost friendly ideas to make old stuff seem new and fresh and fun again.

I'm working on a post that includes some of my own personal favorite stuff I'm wearing this summer...coming some time next week :)

Happy 4th of July weekend! God bless this country and God bless these. YAY!

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Because I'm Weird...

I happened to take a good look at my Google reader the other day discovered I have some blogging stereotypes and bias.

One can learn a lot about themselves by the blogs they read.

Generally speaking, I'm a mom-blog kinda reader....ladies that are in the trenches of motherhood with me . I'm also easily sucked in by several Christian women who are sharing their journey and keepin' it real in the process. They make me laugh, relate, and many times cry...there's comfort in knowing others out there are like me...going through the same stuff of life.

Because it's no secret I'm a tad quirky there's also some un-written made-up rules I seem to follow regarding what blogs I read. Here's what I found from my reader:

• I've stopped subscribing to any of the huge blogs. Weird, huh. I've visited before, and they're pretty great (obviously, or they wouldn't be so huge) but I always end up leaving and feeling like the odd kid who's standing outside the group of the popular kids...like I need to go find another kid who actually needs a friend...
• I don't read cooking blogs...it's just not my thing. It would be like me trying to read blogs about golf or fishing...although both are fine activities I don't particularly enjoy them.
• I like smaller blogs because then I get to interact with the writer.
• If the blog posts are loooong with long paragraphs I stop reading, no matter how great it is...it must have something to do with my self-diagnosed ADD.
• If the blog background is really dark and I can't see the letters well I stop reading...it hurts my eyes...for real.
• I love blogs that look at life through a unique perspective.
• But I tend to shy away from ones that seem too sad, or too negative.
• I get on tangents of certain topics. For awhile I read a bunch of running blogs...eventually I narrowed it down to the ones who are not over-achiever runners, but more like myself...only better.
• Lately I'm hooked on some fashion blogs that are utterly adorable. I'm gonna share those links with you tomorrow...because I'm just too lazy to do it today.

It's odd, but my blog reading tendencies are very similar to my real life. Much of what draws my attention or repels it are the same.

Some of it needs to be tweaked.

Some of it, I'm just gonna leave alone...because golfing and fishing are boring, I don't care what you say *wink wink*

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I've Found Another...

Dear Scrap booking,

For years I watched people become enamored with your little craft. I swore to myself I'd never be taken in by you. Too much work...not enough time.

Four years ago, upon my move to tiny town, somehow my defenses were down and I gave in.

Everyone was doing it.

And I loved it. And in true Sarah form, I went full-boar. Eight of these babies I finished in about 2 1/2 years.

(Blogger is being totally disobediant about turning this picture)

I've known this was coming though. I've lost that loving feeling. I tried to rekindle it...I did. But it's gone. Long gone. Scrap booking, you've been replaced with a new, faster and cheaper method...called Shutterfly.

Oh, don't worry, we'll have one last hurrah...there's one last book that's half-done...my obsessive personality can't allow that...it must be finished...in January at a special scrap booking retreat that I am still going to go to even if I quit scrapping because I love that retreat ;)

Back to my point. It was fun while it lasted. But all good things come to an end, eventually...it's not you, it's me...or something like that.

My Deepest Regards,

Sarah

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Can't Come Up With a Title...

This morning in the parsonage...

• I awoke to the fact that Julie will arrive in 35 days...and then I wondered if she'll need knee pads for volleyball camp when she comes, because I'd hate for her to go and not have the appropriate attire on her third day in America. What kind of Pseudo mom am I if I don't even know what she is supposed to wear!?!?

• After dragging myself out of bed, I was greeted by Jake who had picked out his own clothes and dressed himself.

Nice choice with the dark socks and sandals little buddy...elderly men all over would be so proud of you...although I'm not sure they'd choose to wear their shoes on the wrong feet. The shirt on backwards...that's just a bonus.

• I went out to water my plants...still in my pajamas. Classy.

• I found this in my fern:

• I ran over to my neighbors house to take the cookies out of the oven for her (because we live in tiny town and we do that sort of thing...it's the best place on earth.) I still had my pajama pants on....and I was out of breath when I got back. What? How, you ask? Aren't I training for a 1/2 Mary? Why yes, technically I am. Except this week I have not ran once. Not once. I am 14 miles behind for the week...and scheduled to run 9 tomorrow....which is my 11 year wedding anniversary. Did you catch all that?

• I learned something about myself this week. This week has been full of ups and downs. Big ones. For some people, running is an escape. It is not that for me...I so wish it was. Physically, running is a great stress reliever for me...mentally though, it's just one more thing to do...one more thing required of me. This week, I just wasn't up to it. I needed a break. I fell off the running wagon. Monday though...I'll get back on...and pray that my body decides not to punish me too badly for the week long break.

• Tonight, my mom is taking the boys overnight so that Ben and I can have a date and a quiet house. Eleven years...we were babies when we got married. 20 and 23...but we were ready, as crazy as that sounds. And it has been an amazingly wonderful 11 years...which sounds even crazier ;)

• God gets the glory for it. All of it. Happy Weekend!

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He's Got My Attention.

Friday I blogged that it felt like somone was messing with me.

Turns out...the messing was/is not quite over.

I find that unfortunate.

The rest of the story:

Ben's car is old and on its last leg of life...but it gets him to work and back...and it's paid for...so we heart that '91 Buick. But Saturday, the good 'ol Buick pretty much gave us fair warning that it would like to rest in peace...soon. It's timing on this...not so good.

Meanwhile...two different people in our tiny church suffered small heart attacks, both are ok, but recovery is long...

Sunday evening we were at church and Ben was preaching a particularly great sermon when the tornado sirens went off in tiny town. Our church has no basement. When I heard the deacon announce "everyone to the parsonage basement" I had to laugh...because my 100 year old basement/toy room is, quite frankly, a messy pit. I quickly replayed the conversation I'd had with myself just a couple days prior. It went something like this:

This basement is a pit. I should really pick up all the toys. Nah...the boys will just mess it up again and besides...no one ever sees it.

Famous last words.

So, everyone at church filed down into my basement. And oddly enough...I didn't even really care that they saw the big mess. I have three boys. I have bigger problems to worry about.

Hello. My name is Sarah...and I have a messy basement (and garage.)

The weather cleared enough for all but one family to go home. Pete and his three boys were able to hang out for awhile till the storm passed. Pete's wife is taking a class and working right now, and he shared that it had been a long day and he'd gotten inside and thought to himself that it would really be easier to stay home tonight rather than driving (the half hour) to church. But he figured if it was going to storm, he'd rather be at church than at home.

Ben and I were so thankful he had. God used him to encourage us...when we didn't even realize we needed encouragement. Pete shared some things he was praying about for us and our church...big things...and I laughed.

Remember another Sarah that laughed at God's big plans? Yeah.

Pete said to me, you laugh...but God can do it.

And he is right. God can do it. I never fail to believe that God can do big things. But I so often fail to believe that He will do big things. Because I feel I don't deserve for Him to do such things.

And then He reminds me it's not about being deserving. He's given me above and beyond what I deserve. And at the same time spared me some horrible consequences, that naturally speaking...I totally deserved.

This week has brought me to my knees...in a good way. God's got my attention, and right now I'm almost giddy with anticipation to see what He's got planned.

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Someone's Messing With Me...

It has been a weird week here in the parsonage.

The weather: Weird. It's finally hot and humid, but it's been storming and then nice and then storming...you get the idea.

My children: Monday-Wednesday I could have sworn that something had taken over their little bodies. Thankfully they've returned to normal yesterday and today.

The mower: Demon-possessed. I'm sure of it. I'll spare you the details.

The coffeemaker: Three years ago I ditched my simple Mr. Coffee because I believed I needed something fancier. I did what any reasonable Pastor's wife does...I donated the old one to the church ;) The new one lasted less than a year and broke. So I bought another fancy model...and today, that machine had enough nerve to not brew ANYTHING. And I just cleaned it with smelly vinegar on Monday...how dare it.

I once again did what any reasonable Pastor's wife does who lives 27 steps from the church...I marched over there and "borrowed" my simple old, trusty coffee pot. Because pastors wife needs coffee. Bad.

And it brewed me coffee.

God bless it.

And soon, I will drive to Wal-Mart (again) and purchase a new coffee pot. But this time...I'm buying the cheapest model I can find. No timers, no bells and whistles...just the $9.99 special...which will probably last forever. Maybe.

Anyways, my point originally was...that it's almost as if someone has been messing with me this week. You ever feel like that? Like I keep waiting for someone to pop out from around the corner and say "Ah ha! We were totally messing with you!" Because THAT seems like the only reasonable explanation :)

I give you pictures that will undoubtedly make you feel A: thankful that your children are incapable of making messes this huge or B: thankful that someone else's house looked like this.

You are welcome.

Because it's rained there are puddles...

Guess why he has chocolate around his mouth...

Yeah...

The mudroom...

My Bible has been laid open to Psalm 65 for the past few days. I can't move past it.

Verse 3 says: Our guilt overwhelms us, but you forgive our sins.

The rest of the chapter is good too...but it seems this week I needed to be reminded of that very thing.

I fail. Profusely. I am less than stellar in every area of my life...which leaves a feeling of guilt behind. On weeks like this, it overwhelms...literally.

God brought me back to the very basics of my faith. I am a sinner, saved by His grace. Forgiven...over and over and over again. And through that verse this week, my load of guilt lightened. He picks me back up, brushes me off and places me back on the path He's planned.

I couldn't be more thankful for that.

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Mama Means Business...

To say that my children are behaving like wild beasts strung out on some substance that makes them seemingly unable to control themselves or the volume at which they speak or make noise would be....

A VAST UNDERSTATEMENT. And a run-on sentence.

I am losing my mind.

I am losing my patience. Not losing actually...it's completely and utterly gone.

I am taking them to the pool today even if it does thunderstorm.

I am going to make them swim and swim and SWIM and if that does not burn off enough energy then I will follow them as they walk jog the 8 miles home.

And then maybe, just maybe, tomorrow when I politely ask them to BE QUIET and STOP KILLING ONE ANOTHER they will stop and think...

I better listen to her. She means business. Remember yesterday when she made us tread water for four hours and then jog 8 miles home?

Who am I kidding. They'll never remember that long.

I love Summer, right?!?

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