A Hard Night's Day

DeLaynie did not sleep well last night. This, of course, led to a bad night of sleep for Edwin and myself. She was very unhappy and squirmy. We didn't understand why, so Edwin took her back to her bed (she comes to the gate at our room until some sleep-deprived individual lifts her over to see if our bed is a better location for her).

She always talks in the middle of the night, usually some script from Dora the Explorer ("Look, Dora! It's the rock. Do you see the rock? I see the rock. Yeah! There it is.). Last night, though, she wasn't just saying it. She was screaming it. After a few minutes of this, while Edwin and I were praying that she'll give it up and go to sleep, she got up and came to our gate, crying.

I tried a few other ideas, like feeding her, but she didn't care for it. She ended up back in our bed. After a few squirmy minutes, she finally faded to sleep. Then we discovered what was causing the problem. "No, no,no!" She screamed randomly and threw out her arms in the universal stop sign (flat palm out). She was having nightmares. Obviously, this caused an instantaneous change from annoyance to intense sympathy. Of course she didn't want to be alone in her completely dark room with all of the bad things that were filling her little head! Who would?

We all resumed our normal sleep a little before dawn. Now we're back up and back to packing. We weren't edgy enough without a giant interruption in our sleep last night, so DeLaynie's imagination came to the rescue. Kids: gotta love 'em!

400 Pounds

400 pounds of stuff. That sounds like so much, until you start breaking that down.

75 lbs- girls' clothes
75 lbs- mom's clothes, okay maybe
50 lbs- dad's clothes
30 lbs- shoes, belts, outerwear, and other accessories
50 lbs- appliances, like hair dryer, flat iron, Crock Pot, coffee maker, etc.
20 lbs- books in a language we actually speak
15 lbs- toiletries, with extras of hard to find products
35 lbs- movies, cds, dvd player, and a couple of electronics
25 lbs- toys (that isn't many)
25 lbs- some homey stuff, like photographs (without frames; we'll buy those there) , bedding, towels, and a few other things to make our new house a home

If that still sounds like a lot to you, try weighing your stuff. It's amazing how much stuff weighs. I'm pretty sure that the final weight break-down isn't going to be quite that neat, but that'll give you a general idea of the task we're facing this week. I'm waiting for a couple of all-new categories to pop up and throw my entire system out of whack. Eh! What's in a system, anyhow?

I've been trying to keep my mind off of the actual task at hand, but I figured that I'd give you a glimpse at the math that's filled my sub-conscious for so long this week. Now, I must get back to the task at hand!

Missions Mondays: Pre-Training 1

I've made an executive decision to make Mondays the days when I give updates on our missionary journey. I hope that's okay with you.

We leave for training in less than two weeks. 2 weeks!!! It's a pretty crazy thought. That means that we are currently going through everything to determine what needs to go to training, what needs to go to Costa Rica (where we go for language training), and what needs to find a new home via the yard sale this weekend or by way of the trash truck.

We're getting all of our earthly possessions down to what can fit into eight 50-pound bags and three carry-ons. We're also storing some things in my parents' attic. Because they're cool enough to let us.

It's a little crazy around here. DeLaynie enjoys dumping things out of boxes (usually while yelling "yippee!"), so it's a little difficult to keep tasks completed. At least she isn't miserable. The hardest task is going to be toys. It isn't easy to take away the things that you think are important to your children, though I doubt that my assessment of the situation is accurate. The girls both seem pretty happy with a pile of dirt and a box. Still, it feels wrong. It's one of those times that I have to trust my head, and not this wickedly depraved heart of mine.

Every week, I'm going to give you some prayer requests to keep you busy. Your prayers matter, and they will make us more effective in our ministry. By praying for us, you are doing mission work!

• First of all, pray for our families. More specifically, really pray for our parents. My parents are named Derek and Sheila. Edwin's parents are Bill, who is married to Cindy, and Edwina, who is married to Bob. They are being called to make a very heavy sacrifice by giving up most of the time they would have with their grandchildren. As Dad puts it, they'll be the ones "standing on the dock" as we head out on this adventure.
• Secondly, lift up the girls (DeLaynie and Ella). We're beginning a series of changes that are going to be pretty difficult for them. They'll go from spending almost all of their time with one of us, to full-time daycare/school. Pray that they will adjust quickly to each and every change that comes barrelling their way. Pray that we will have wisdom in dealing with their emotions, and that we will know when discipline is appropriate, and when a hug is a better course of action. Pray that DeLaynie will continue to catch up developmentally so she can better understand when we explain what's going on.
• Finally, pray that we will either be able to find buyers for all of the items that must be sold, or that we will see opportunities to fill the needs of others. We have so much, and we desperately want to use what we have for the glory of our King. It has occurred to me that there are hundreds of millions of people who would be hard-pressed to fill two fifty-pound bags per a person. God has blessed us richly!

Thank you for your prayers as we continue down this path, which is so new to us. I know that we will see God at work, laying each brick for us to step on.

How To Make a Tutu (with photos)

Ever since Wednesday's photo shoot, DeLaynie has been tutu crazy. She enjoyed the experience of the tutu so very much that I came home and made each girl her very own tutu, as I mentioned previously. It was surprisingly easy. I decided to make a little how-to for those who have been hit by the recession (from what I hear, the tutu budget is the first thing cut), and for those who never had such a budget before the recession. If you are not in those categories, or if you don't have two hours (maybe three, or four if you include a little "helper" in the process), you may go here to purchase a better one than you could probably make. A little warning, though: if you're a perfectionist, this may be difficult. If scrapbooking gets you on edge, and you can't imagine a life without a tutu, just buy one.


This tutu costs about $7.50 to make, and that's if you make it very full. I highly recommend them as gifts because they're incredibly thoughtful, and very cheap. Here's what you'll need:

1. Tulle- I used 6 yards for DeLaynie's and 5 for Ella's. One lady whose instructions I read only used 2 for a child DeLaynie's size. It wasn't as full, but it was still pretty. You can use two or three coordinating colors, or just one if you want to go simple. I went with three, and was very happy about it. With Ella's, I did 2 yards of the dark color and 1 1/2 yards each of the lighter, coordinating colors. For DeLaynie's, I did 2 yards each. Don't stress too much over this decision. Just make sure the colors look nice together, and that you have enough tulle. (The world's smallest WalMart had all I needed at about a buck a yard.)
   
2. Elastic- I used elastic that was 1/2 inch wide. It worked great. (Again, I found it in the craft department of the local WalMart. $1.18 for way more than I needed for two tutus.


3. Ribbon, in coordinating colors to the tulle- I got 2 yards of each color, one per tutu. I matched the ribbon to the darkes, and therefore dominant, color of the tutu. I just love repeating the word, "tutu." Tutu, tutu, tutu! (And, yes. This too was available at Wally Market for about $.68 for two yards. We hope to one day have a WalMart that qualifies for the accepted title of Wally World. For now, it's just a market, not a world.)


4. Needle and thread, if you don't have any- I did. I didn't have to buy it. One woman used staples, but that wouldn't last six minutes with my girls, and it sounds dangerous.

Now, do you have everything together? Good. Let's get started with the fun part. If your daughter is old enough, cooperative enough, and crafty enough, she may want to help. I think that it would be completely possible for a preschooler meeting the qualifications listed to help. Unfortunately, DeLaynie isn't cooperative or crafty most of the time when it comes to my ideas. She's very creative with mud, though. Ella is not old enough, but I have a feeling that this will be right up her alley in a year or two. I was alone in making these tutus.

1. Start by cutting the tulle into 6"strips. If you think through it really carefully, you can layer them in such a way that they are already in the order in which you plan to put them on the tutu. (For Ella's the pattern was purple-pink-purple-white-purple-pink-purple-white. DeLaynie's was hot pink-white-light pink-hot pink-white-light pink.) If it hurts your head to try to think through it that meticulously, just cut the strips according to color. Just try to make sure that the number of strips works out. (Ella's tutu needed twice as many purple strips as lighter colored strips. DeLaynie's needed an equal number of each.) If not, you'll have one or two strips of tulle to throw away, no biggie. The length of the strips needs to be twice as long as the desired length of the final tutu. I used strips that were 26 inches long, so that the final product was 13 inches long. I would've though that would be too short, but it wasn't at all. (Each bolt of tulle is 52 inches wide, so I just the length in half after cutting the strips. I kept the tulle doubled during the cutting, so I cut at the fold. It sounds sooooo much more complicated than it is.)
   
2. Now, you need to cut the elastic. I wasn't about to try to get an accurate measurement by wrapping it around Ella or DeLaynie's waist. Neither of them do very well constrained. I used pants that fit them well, and wrapped the elastic around them like measuring tape. Then I added 1 inch and cut. Overlap the ends by about 1/2 inch, and sew them together. Like I mentioned previously, one woman stapled the ends together. I guess you could do that if you are completely inept with a needle and thread, but it really doesn't have to look good at all. It just needs to be strong enough to put up with being pulled on a lot. You'll end up with a loop of elastic like this:
   
   


3. The next step is to start attaching tulle. The way to do this is to double the tulle, place it under the elastic, and pull the ends through the loop that is at the fold. It's like pulling a ponytail through an elastic band, sort of. This is a good place for your daughter to help. She can pull the tulle through. It really isn't that difficult, and perfection isn't nearly as important as the experience (says the woman who made the tutus alone). I tried to draw a diagram of what this looks like, but there really isn't a way for someone so completely inept in all things vaguely similar to drawing to do that. Try to figure it out from this photo. It's completely clear, right?
   
   When they're correct, they look like this:
   
   
4. Keep doing this. Don't tighten the loops too much, or you'll end up stretching out the elastic. I did that and I had to trim the length, which was a pain after it's finished. When you have attached all the tulle, it should look like this:
   Pretty, eh? I got mine pretty full. Fuller than totally necessary. It stands up on its own, which makes me think about the petticoat that Rhett Butler bought for Mammy (in Gone With The Wind). After I finished all of that, I attached a bow to the front, or back, though it usually ends up being the side when DeLaynie's wearing it.

It does look lovely sitting there, doesn't it? But the true test of a tutu's greatness is not how it looks against a wall. It's how the child feels while wearing it.

I think we have a winner!

She rarely takes it off. The only occasions she seems to think worthy of its removal are bath time, bed time, and going out. There are exceptions to that last one, too. Today I let her swing with it on. You would've thought she was in Heaven for the giant grin on her face. That is $15 well spent, because Ella enjoys hers, too. It's great to finally find something extremely girly that DeLaynie enjoys. Here are a couple of pictures of the girls enjoying playtime in their tutus, not that I am trying to compete with Samantha. Nope. Not even gonna try.

The Great Giver and Taker

I did something foolish yesterday**. I was working on Ella's scrapbook, trying to get it ready before training so I can sell the scrapbooking stuff. I can't just think on one thing at a time. It makes my head hurt. So I put on Oprah. We only have one network. I would have just put on some dvd that I've seen a billion times, but it was Suze Orman giving financial advice. I don't agree with her stances on things like marital finances (she pretty much just wants couples to be roommates with benefits), but because I have no natural knack for numbers, I enjoy listening to someone who does. I mean, financial advice can't be too heretical, can it?

Apparently, yes. It can. One of the guests was a retired Lutheran pastor whose retirement is dwindling. It was causing him to stress. He made a ridiculous statement that he has given more than he has received. What I think he meant from that was that his charitable contribution outweighed his income on his tax return. But he calls himself a Christian. It was his job to make sure that everyone knows that we can never out-give God. The blood of His Son was more costly than anything. If we die completely destitute, but covered in the grace of God, we have been given more than we could ever imagine, or could repay in a thousand life-times. Satan used this scared man to manipulate people into doubting God's goodness. Edwin walked in right before he came on, and was absolutely appalled by his appearance. I was sad.

He had said in the video piece that he now feels like he's the one who needs some pastoral counseling. I wish that he had done that instead of going on national television to gripe about his investments! Now, any decent evangelical pastor would have him do an extensive study on Matthew 6:24-34. Suze Orman, however, decided to give him a speech about how God "doesn't know how to take. He only gives." Edwin was standing up by this a point, a sure sign that he is as angry as my sweet husband gets. I sat, quietly thinking about how ridiculous that statement was, again angry at Satan for using this man to mislead the American people one more time, dragging them farther from the true God of the universe.

Let's get one thing straight: my God, the true Creator and Sustainer of this world, takes! He took the life of His Son in order to take away the sins of His people. I praise God that I do not serve a god who merely sits in Heaven, with his hands full of blessings, hoping that I'll come up and get some like a bird receiving birdseed. My God is a Giver and a Taker. (Read 1 Samuel 2, if you don't believe me.)

Everything was made for Him and by Him (John 1:3). It's His business if He wants to reallocate His resources from one place to another. (You know, money doesn't disappear. It goes somewhere. Somebody is gaining out of this.) We seem to think that God should be worshipping us, which is what Suze Orman's statement comes down to. He lives for our glory, according to her theology. I belong to Him. If He chooses to take my money, my husband's life, my children's lives, and the very breath that fills my lungs, He is still good, and I still belong to Him. I'm His to take.

We get recite the verse that says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," (Romans 8:28). We don't focus much on that last part, according to His purpose, and we completely separate it from the rest of the passage which ends with these verses:

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This passage promises us hardship, and yet we're here, doubting the goodness of God because we are concerned about losing our retirement home or going without Internet. It's when we face hardship that God's goodness is revealed most fully. I haven't seen many people enduring nakedness due to this recession. I haven't seen many hungry people, either. They may not eat out as much, but that's hardly famine. It's in all that that we conquer. It may seem like we're suffering for Him, but in those moments, God's love becomes more real to us. His love alone is our goodness.

You know what I think is good? I think that it would be good for our country to realize that we are worshipping God's blessings and not God. I think it would be good for us to repent of our pseudo-Christianity and become the Christian nation we're always claiming to be. I think it would be good for God's people to shine as lights in the universe in the way that they deal with this recession. Maybe it's time we stop trusting in chariots, and start trusting in the one true God (Psalm 20:7). He told us very plainly that stuff here gets destroyed, but the things we do for Him are imperishable (Luke 12:33).

When I die, I want to stand before Him knowing that I left it all on the field. When I stand before God (and we all will), I want to know that I've used every resource that He has given me for His glory, and not my own. I want to look on the faces of those who know God or love Him more because I existed. I want to look into the face of the Great Giver and Taker, knowing that my life benefited Him more than me. Now that's good, and no recession can touch that!

(Edited at 12:47 a.m. on April 4, 2009: My mom made the very good point that it was unclear what I did that would be considered foolish. I have mentioned several times on my Bible study blog that it is generally a bad use of our mental energies to spend too much time listening to people who almost get it right, but don't. I have specifically used Oprah Winfrey as an example since she seems to be a "spiritual person," but she doesn't believe the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. It was foolish for me to not follow my own advice.)

Now, That's Photography!

Samantha posted a few of the photos she took yesterday on her blog to give us a preview of the beauty to come. When I first opened the page and saw them, I had this intense desire to shriek. I don't shriek often, but I really wanted to at first viewing. Edwin noticed this ridiculous grin on my face and came over to look. We both sat there and marveled at what we saw. Here are a couple of previews, and you can go to their blog for more.

I love the path thing that's going on here. As a literary nut, I want to talk about metaphor and all that philosophical stuff. I'll spare you, and just remark on how pretty it is. Isn't is lovely?

I love that little face she has on her.

Look, I try to not brag about how incredibly beautiful my children are, but it's pretty hard to deny at this point. Just look at that baby up there!

A little word on the tutus: DeLaynie loved it! Ella thought that it was interesting, and I found it utterly delightful to watch her crawl around in it. DeLaynie enjoyed it so much that I came home and made some. I'll probably take some pictures for a how-to blog, if any of you mommies of little girls are interested. (They also make good birthday presents for toddlers and preschool girls.) If you don't have as much time as I have with Edwin being home, or if you just don't care to play with tulle, you can go here and order one from the woman who made those lovely tutus that you see in the pictures. She's a stay-at-home mom, so I know that a bunch of you would love to support her work :). The ones she sells are boutique quality, and gorgeous. Mine are not, but DeLaynie still giggles whenever she gets to spin around in it.

We've Been Shot!

By a photographer, that is. Namely, by Samantha at His Hands Photographs. I was looking for someone to take a decent family photo for our prayer card, and I came across their website through a listing service.

To be completely honest, I've been really jazzed about this photo shoot for a long time. It may be one of the most exciting parts of this particular phase of the missionary journey. Yes, I know. Between the fact that my greatest concern is a lack of Fizz-Ease and the fact that I'm intensely excited about having a professional photograph taken, it may seem that I'm a tad-bit vain. I probably am, but we haven't had any professional photos taken as a family since the wedding, and Ella hasn't had any... ever!

Back to the photo shoot... Samantha was very, very patient, and very sweet. She put up with DeLaynie far better than I did, and I am confident that we are going to have some beautiful pictures as a result. She is what is called a lifestyle photographer. That means that she doesn't shoot in a studio, but outdoors, for the most part. I prefer that type of photography, personally. I dare you to try to get DeLaynie and Ella sitting still for two minutes simultaneously when there's a camera in the room. Not gonna happen.

When looking for a photographer, I came across them by name, and I figured that the "His" in the name may be a certain Him that I know pretty well. (You know, God. Yeah, that Him.) I went to their website, and saw tons of beautiful pictures of children that are about DeLaynie's age, and the information under "Who Are We" was written in a wonderfully witty style. You may not choose a photographer based on witty writing, but it's a big draw for me. After emailing them with an explanation about what I wanted a photo for, Samantha wrote me back and told me that she and her husband have a real heart for missions, and they work to use their gifts as a ministry. They especially want to take photos in third-world countries and print the Gospel on the back. Needless to say, I was hooked.

The experience was a wonderful one. I greatly, GREATLY, appreciate Samantha's hard work. I also wanted to let all of you know in case anyone in the Birmingham area (or anyone who can get to Birmingham) is looking for a really good photographer who isn't going to yell at your kids. Again, their website can be found here. Be sure to check them out, and check back here because I'll be posting some of the photos when I get them!