More than Christ

Is there anything I want more than Christ?
The answer should be no and every day I desire it to be so, but in the reality of sin the answer too often is yes. Our culture puts high value on things that have no eternal significance, baiting a tantalizing hook that's difficult not to nibble at. I'm making a choice when my DVR is full and I haven't done my devotions, when I hear the baby crying in the middle of my quiet time, when I'm obsessing over the design of my house during church, when I start the morning by turning on the TV and pulling out my smart phone. The little nuances of life start to take over and before I know it I'm desiring them more than the relationship I hold with my Creator. It's a reminder that evaluation in our lives is key. 
I have found myself caught up in the busyness of life going and going until I'm feeling lost and disconnected, and it's here that I finally stop to evaluate what's happening. Have I been praying, reading, and communing with God or have I been placing the pleasures and chores of my daily life higher on my to-do list than I should? In truth I shouldn't wait until that moment when I'm feeling most overwhelmed to do an assessment but instead evaluate more frequently, weekly and even daily. 
What’s keeping me from wanting Christ the most? In my weakness alone the answer is everything but in His strength the answer is nothing.

Goodbye Scion, Hello Outlander!

It was time to trade up...in size that is. Since 2008 we've been fortunate to have two vehicles in our family, the Civic and the Scion. 

new in 2007

new to us in 2008

The only problem, they're small and smaller. Now that we have a little one it's not quite as practical to have a car (the Scion) that he can't even ride in. 

unless of course he rides with no carseat...but I don't think that's allowed just yet

Enter the crossover SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander. Our backs are already thanking us, as it's a hundred times easier to get Oliver in and out of his carseat from a standing position rather than stooping down in the Civic. 

new to us in 2011

And the trunk space is awesome! No more packing everything loose in the trunk of the civic. And fitting two carseats into the Outlander will be so much easier...when it comes time to that is ;)

excuses in pictures

We've been a little busy lately and here's proof:

Oliver

a visit with Steve and Jolie before they moved to Seattle 

Oliver

the draft

Oliver

the pancake breakfast at Marion's Drive-in Fly-in, or as Aaron calls it "D-I-F-I"

Oliver 

JuJu Berry!

Oliver

couples

Oliver

my new sewing machine, which promptly helped me finish the family room curtains

Oliver

Mark and Lauren weekend!

Oliver at King's Island

I painted the dining room and recovered the chairs

Oliver

Jordan and Allison weekend!

Oliver: army crawling and officially teething all at the same time!

Yeah, I'd say we've been a little preoccupied...


Actually I have another reason blogging has been especially lax, except I don't have a picture to show for it. Lately I've been doing some soul searching and finding that I'm concerned about what I am and am not doing for the Kingdom of God in my day-to-day life. This blog is supposed to be about just what it's title suggests, everything and nothing, and yet I'm worried that my posts have been significantly lacking in the everything category. You see Jesus is and should be my everything and it's not that my life and all the things I've blogged about up to this time are nothings, but they would be if I they didn't include Jesus. Thankfully my life and all that it's made up of does include Jesus, but he should be the headline of each story and not in the background which is where I fear I've put him. So I've decided to include more posts about faith and the spiritual journey that makes up the  everythings and nothings. I still plan to post silly pictures and recaps of things we've done and places we've gone but I'm hoping to have just as many posts where I share what God's been teaching me and how I've seen him at work in and around me. It's a restructuring of sorts that I hope leads to many new and wonderful things not just here but in all aspects of my life and maybe even the lives of others.  

Things You Should Be Eating: Horsefeed

Few have seen it in all its glory. Those who have marvel at its subtle balance of sweet, tangy, and...well...chewy blandness. Those who've tasted it?  Well, as far as I know that's just me, but I love it!  I'm talking about, of course, horsefeed.

A piping cold bowl of the golden good stuff.

What is horsefeed you ask?  Only my favorite late night snack.  Perfect for staving off hunger pangs (pains?) while avoiding yet another cookie/cracker/slice of pizza/cake, a good old fashioned bowl of horsefeed goes a long way toward filling you up. And since it's high in fiber, who needs Jamie Lee Curtis and her overstated regularity?

Making horsefeed is easy--all it takes is a well stocked pantry and a strong ability to layer dry ingredients. Ready?

Layer One: oat bran
Layer Two: old fashioned oats
Layer Three (not pictured due to supply shortage): steel cut oats
Layer Four: mini chocolate chips
Layer Five: shredded coconut
Layer Six: brown sugar
Layer Seven (not pictured due to heart health implications): sea salt

The result? Perfection...as long as your idea of perfection is a food that takes approximately 30 seconds of chewing per bite, has a tendency to fly everywhere like a bag of sawdust, and rivals Saltines in its ability to suck every drop of moisture out your mouth.  Seriously, don't eat this stuff without a pitcher of water nearby.

Despite its potential shortcomings, however, I can't get enough of this stuff.  And if you have concerns now, keep in mind that the original version included only layers one through three.  Horsefeed indeed.

lazy monday morning

Oliver and I spent the morning catnapping, snuggling and giggling in bed together. 
Its been busy around here lately so it was nice to just hang out for a while with no pressing responsibilities and sneak in a little extra rest.

Toby was there too but he was mostly just napping

The only thing that would have made it better is if Aaron had been there too...oh and maybe if someone could have brought us breakfast...

for my husband

There are some things I'm kind of guarded about. Personal feelings and emotions that I try so hard to keep out of the social media realm and public view...sometimes maybe too hard. 

So on our 4th wedding anniversary I'm letting my guard down.

The thing is Aaron, I love you a thousand times over.

I know I don't say it enough or always let it show, 

but you are my best thing.

Happy anniversary my love. 

For all of the everything and nothing that we've had and will have together I am truly thankful.

I love you forever.

"Earl opened Mooch's gift.

'There's nothing here,' said Earl.

'Yesh!' said Mooch. 'Nothing...but me and you.'

So Mooch and Earl just stayed still and enjoyed nothing and everything."

Let's See Where This Goes

There are two ways to approach inconsistent blogging.  The first is to apologize with something like "Sorry it's been so long" at the beginning of each bi-annual post.  The other is to ignore the lapse in text but acknowledge it by posting a collection of Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Memorial Day photos.  I prefer the second option, since it at least allows you to enjoy some pictures.

Actually, it hasn't been that long (Oh look, a third way: denial).  We have been keeping ourselves busy though.  For one, we've gotten back into the summer viewing routine.  So far our list of must sees includes Burn Notice (a cooler James Bond) Leverage (think pint-sized Oceans 11), and Falling Skies (Independence Day/War of the Worlds), the latter being a new entry to the summer rotation.  In non couch potato news, I've been spending one evening a week getting my exercise in a local beach volleyball league.  Our team is improving (we won only one game during the spring season) but we still have difficulty closing.  I mostly blame the fact that we're playing beach volleyball in 90 degree heat.

Obviously, the big event of the last few weeks was Jordan and Alli's wedding. As expected, it was amazing.  A lot of work and a lot of fun led to quite the day/night.  Evidence in the form of pictures below.

You can guess how many L of moisture we wrang out of those clothes.

Obadiah, Jethro, Abraham, and Samuel
(Actually, the yellow ties would be way too bright for the Amish)

Oliver finally got to meet Dave and Kim!

After the festivities, we relaxed with two backyard cookouts, courtesy of family and friends. 

Overall, lots of Kan-Jam, burgers/hot dogs/chicken, and cold drinks. To top it all off, we went to the library yesterday and I picked out my summer novel (Bridge of Sighs, Richard Russo). Life is good.