November. Really? How can that be? And, I haven't blogged since January!

Wasn't this the year that I was going to accomplish something? Here it is November and I am not sure that I have accomplished anything. However, we still have almost two months...46 days to be exact. And I picked up the pace this week.

I bought a red KitchenAid mixer...sweet...literally. I took Sydney with me to the shelter and we served supper to homeless men and women. I went out to eat with my dear a friend Julie. I sat through three nights of watching Sydney in gymnastics classes. I worked on spelling words, listened to reading and helped with math problems. I watched Abby play two basketball games in Ames. Oh, and took the kids trick or treating with Brian...and missed my mom...and bought a red KitchenAid mixer. Life is good.

So, right now I have a warm Cream Cheese Pound Cake cooling in my kitchen. The ice cream freezer is cranking out some Dr. Pepper ice cream. Cream cheese and butter are warming to room temperature before I mix up some frosting for the red velvet cupcakes that I am making tomorrow. My husband continues to load the dishwasher behind me as I cook. And my daughter comes downstairs in a vest that is closed with duct tape. Indeed, life is very good.

I should change the header to this blog. Neither of my children look much like this anymore. Which is exactly why I don't change it.

New 52

I'm a bit unpredictable. Brian would tell you that I'm always seeking change. But in many ways, I want things to stay exactly as they are. I only want change that I initiate and that I control. Change brought about by someone else is not the change that I embrace.

So, bring on New 52. This is a challenge to do something new at least once a week in 2011. I was a bit late with Week 1. It took me until yesterday (which officially began Week 2) to accomplish the task.

We re-joined the Y. And I'm going to start swimming. Not learn to swim...I know how to swim. Just start swimming. Because this is also my year to "live in the moment", that is enough for me.

If it turns out well, I may have future results: swimming laps with my son, taking lessons to learn a few new strokes, sit for an interview in the newspaper at age 70 talking about how swimming turned around my health and fitness goals and made me what I am today.

But for now, I'm going to start swimming and it's quite enough.

Scrapbook Pages

On New Year's Eve, I was exhausted by 9:30 and knew that I'd never make it to midnight. The kids really didn't care one way or the other but I had purchased party hats and streamers. So I suggested that we celebrate at 10:00. After all, it's midnight somewhere!

Sunday after church
On Sunday, I asked the kids what they learned in Promiseland. First response was "Nothing." That's the "let's see if Mom has the energy to dig out the answer" response. And Mom was feeling strong so she dug a little deeper. The first answer was something to the effect that "we learned about the people who start with an F" which left me stumbling a bit. However, when Shaun remembered that "God turned the water into blood Mom", we were on the beginning of another interesting spiritual journey. I figured out that the people that start with an F was, in fact, Pharaoh.

Then we talked about the difference between God's actions in the Old Testament and the New Testament and the reason for the difference being Jesus. And that's when it got a little bit deep.

I said something about God sending his Son Jesus. Sydney piped up and said, "I thought Jesus was God." We've been over this question before. I've used the illustration of the egg. Today I thought that I'd take a different approach. And so I explained some of the characteristics of God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When I explained that the Holy Spirit lives within us as Christians to tell us what to do Sydney stopped me.

Sydney accepted Christ as her Savior at about 4 1/2 years old and is interested in spiritual matters. Jesus is very real to her. So her question was "Mom, how do I know that He is telling me what to do? How do I not know that it's just my brain telling me what to do?"

Ah...the questions of a six year old. Well, the discussion of "how do I know" was short but good. And I know that there will be follow-ups soon...because that's Sydney for you. But it keeps my faith so fresh to have to answer in the simplest of terms why I believe what I believe. It's good for me!

Three Chinese and two Norwalk people
Haoyi is coming for supper tonight. Shaun is so excited. Last night we were talking about how she would be here tonight for supper. Shaun wanted to know if I was fixing something special. I said that I was...we have ribeyes in the refrigerator because Haoyi loves steak! And I thought that we might crank up the homemade ice cream as well. That satisfied Shaun.

Then, he threw his hands in the air as if in victory and said "Mom, there will be three Chinese people in the house and two Norwalk people." And that left me thinking about whether or not I'm doing enough to try to keep the Chinese culture alive for my children. It left me thinking about whether an almost all Caucasian school is the best place for my children. Not new questions, just questions revisited.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I didn't even get out of my nightgown. I just enjoyed every minute of the day! And, now we've reached the last day of Christmas vacation. And I'm going to enjoy every minute of today as well...but not in my nightgown.

Haoyi is back in Norwalk for a week and we are hoping to see her soon. It's been a year and a half since she left. I can't wait to hear about her Christmas vacation and her week in Oklahoma with her suitemate and the details of what she has planned while she is here.

And I'm anxious to go to church this morning. Pastor Rob is going to be preaching about the church's re-written mission statement. I believe that 2011 is going to be an exciting year spiritually for me. I'm so excited about the A.C.T.S network here in Norwalk and so excited about my involvement.

But, to continue the "Live in the Moment" theme, I need to get ready for church now!

2011
It doesn't seem possible to me that we are beginning 2011. There is so much behind me...and yet, Lord willing, still so much ahead.

I have a theme for 2011. I don't do very well with resolutions so I've decided to go with a theme and a word. The theme is "Live in the moment". That doesn't come naturally to me. I seem to have one foot in the past and one foot in the future at all times. But, for 2011, I'm going to live in the moment.

Which means that I won't sit here and tell you what I think 2011 will bring. What a foolhardy (marked by unthinking boldness) thing that would be. I don't know if I have tomorrow. So, instead, I will take what I have which is today and I'll live in this moment.

The word for 2011 is hope. Hope as described in Psalm 71:5. "For You have been my hope Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth." How incredibly blessed I have been to have had the same hope throughout my entire life.

There are many definitions for hope. The one that I believe best sums up my feeling for this year is "expectancy". So join with me as I begin my year of hope!