$8,000 SHOES

On Tuesday morning Faith and I went out to do a little shopping.  Parker is gone for the week so we decided that we would have a "girl" day.  With the 4th of July coming up I told her we would go to Justice to get her an outfit for the holiday.  Our town has a huge celebration of the 4th of July and when I was little I always got a new outfit.  I do the same with Faith.

She asked, "Could I get a pair of shoes, too?"

I told her that we'd see once we got there and it would depend on how much it cost.  I'm a sucker for shoes so I knew the answer would be yes, but I didn't want her to know that quite yet.

We got to Justice and it didn't take long to find a cute little skirt and a shirt that would make the perfect outfit.  Yes...we can also look at shoes.

She found two pair that she wanted to try with her outfit.  So into the dressing room we go.  The outfit looked adorable.  Done.  The two pair of shoes were very different and each pair were super cute.  How to decide?

"Can I get BOTH pair, mommy?"

Hmmmmm..."Well, Faith...let's get to the checkout and see what the total is and then we'll decide."

To avoid drama in the store I allowed the second pair of shoes.  (You can agree or disagree with me on this, but I don't like in-store drama).  The total came to $80 and some change.  We exited the store and made a bee-line for the nearest mall bench to discuss whether-or-not we should have spend the little extra on the second pair of shoes or if we should return them?  Tears.  Real tears.  Not screaming, yelling, temper-tantrum.  Just real tears that dropped from her little eyes and a tiny voice saying, "But it's so hard to decide, mommy."  I know, sweet girl.  I hear ya.

Later that day we started getting Faith ready for her date-night with her daddy.  They were going to a restaurant of her choice (McDonalds) and a movie (Mr. Popper's Penguins).  Scott told me later that they had barely gotten in the car and the conversation went something as follows:

Faith:  "Daddy?"
Scott:  "Yes, Faith."
Faith:  "I'm really sorry, but I wasted some money today."
Scott:  "Huh?  What do you mean you wasted money?  Do you mean you spent some money?"
Faith:  "No daddy, we wasted money.  I wanted two pair of shoes and it cost eight thousand dollars!"
Scott:  "Eight thousand dollars?  Are you sure it cost eight thousand dollars?"
Faith:  "Yes, daddy.  It was four numbers.  It was eight thousand dollars.  I'm sorry I spent that much on shoes."
Scott:  "Faithy...are you sure it wasn't eighty dollars and not eight thousand dollars?"
Faith:  "I don't know, daddy.  Maybe.  Can we not talk about it anymore?"
Scott:  "Okay, honey."

I asked Scott how he was able to keep composure during this conversation and not start laughing.  He said he just did, but it wasn't easy!

Scott does a good job of all the "girl" stuff.  He asked to see her new stuff and when it came to the shoes he "oooooo'd" and "awwwww'd" over them and made special emphasis on liking the second pair that brought the total to "eight thousand dollars."

Oh sweet, Faith.  Ya gotta love that little girl!

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine

STILL HERE

Hi!

I haven't blogged for a while.

I'm still here...just in case you're wondering.

Everything is good.

Busy...just like everyone this time of year.

But my heart is full...even in the midst of the busyness.

Peace is existent.

Simplicity...well...not so much...but it's okay.

God's love surrounds it all!

I hope you're well...happy...enjoying summer...lovin' life.

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.

Jeanine

A NEW DAY

The first part of this post is going to sound all whiny and complain-y.  It'll get better by the end...I promise.

So yesterday was quite a day around here.  It started out pretty good.  We had Karate on the schedule and that was pretty much it.  Scott decided he was going to work from home.  His vehicle was acting up on the way home from work on Monday so his plan was to take it in before Karate so I could pick him up and then he'd go with us to Karate lessons.  Nice.simple.plan.

11:05 AM.  Faith comes to me and says, "Mommy, can I have ice for my eye.  It really itches."

I looked at it and gasped out loud.  It was swollen and red and well...gasp-worthy!  I didn't mean to, but I know my gasp frightened her a little.  Since anything eye-related is serious business at our house, I immediately called the pediatrician.  I could bring her right in and they would work us into the schedule.  I only wanted Dr. Garvis.  He knows our little Faith almost as well as Scott and me.

My fear was pink eye.  Thankfully my fears were for not.  Dr. Garvis said he was sure it was allergies but he didn't want to mess around.  So we wouldn't have to drive to Rochester to see Faith's specialist for most likely an allergy, he called the pediatric eye doctor at the eye clinic one floor down from the pediatrician's office.  The pediatric doctor was in another building that day.  Fifteen minutes away.  Dr. Garvis scheduled us to be there in twenty minutes.  We zoomed off and made it in time.

Dr. "P" was very nice.  She checked Faith's eyes and agreed that it was allergies and nothing related to her retinal issues.  She prescribed a daily eye drop that would help alleviate the itching and redness.  It would take a few days to really start to work.  One drop...once per day.  My Faith was mad.  mad, Mad, MAD!  And scared.  She does.not.like eye drops.  She tried so hard to be brave, but once she and I were alone her little lip started to quiver and she said, "Mommy, I don't LIKE eye drops.  I'm scared." 

"I know, sweet girl...I know.  We'll get through it one step at a time."

We didn't get to Karate.  Scott was left hanging on how to get his vehicle in for service and get a ride home.  He did what I would have done in the same situation and called my mom and dad.  My dad picked him up and brought him home.

A few hours later his vehicle was ready.  He had been leaking fuel.  Some fuel got into the oil so the oil had to be changed again, too.  End result was $620 in repairs.  Better than a new vehicle...which is what would have been the case had he just let it go.

Next stop was a trip to the vet with our dog Player.  I needed to pick up heart worm pills for both our dogs so I scheduled a visit with the vet for her to check Players ear, which I was pretty sure had an infection, and then also check a little lump on his tummy.  Lump was nothing to be concerned about, just keep watch of it.  Ears were infected, most likely due to allergies.  I walked out with two packages of heart worm pills, prescription ear ointment, and of course, Player...but only after writing them a check for $113.

To top off the whole thing, my back has been so sore I can hardly move.  It's my neck, left shoulder and mid-back.  The only way I can explain it is that it not only hurts, but it burns.  When I'm home I've been walking around the house with a large Ziplock bag full of ice on my shoulder/neck.  I went to the chiropractor on Monday and I'm thinking I'll be back by the end of the week.  Anything I do hurts.

Okay...so that was the whiny, complain-y part.  Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest.  Sorry you had to endure it, though.

Now for the positive side of things.

Our little Faithy is okay.  It's just allergies.  In the grand scheme of things, I'll take allergies over anything else that could have been going on with her eyes.  In her "up-side" of looking at things, Faith said to me yesterday, "Well...at least it's my left eye." because that's the eye she doesn't see out of.  She did really well with the drops last night.  It took a good ten minutes to calm her down, talk to her about it and convince her that it would all be okay.  When it was done she looked at me and said, "That's it?  We're done?"  Yep...easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

As far as Scott's vehicle.  We can be thankful that what was wrong was fixable and that we didn't need a new one.  He said just driving it home the probably mile or so from the repair shop he already noticed a difference in how it drove.  He could breathe easy knowing that he could drive it safely to work without it breaking down.

Making sure our two four-legged family members are healthy and well-cared for is important, too.  What would we do without these two joys in our family?  They add so much happiness to our lives and each of them has personality and uniqueness just like the rest of us.  We can't put a dollar amount on them.

So...in the grand scheme of things...it all worked out okay.  God provided and cared for and continued to hold our hands through it all...guiding, directing, protecting and loving every step of every day.

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine

HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYBODY!

Well...what a morning we've already had at the Johnson house!

It's the first FULL WEEK of summer break!  I love summer break.  Loved it as a kid and now I love it as the mom of kids.  Of course there are days when Parker and Faith will have sibling "issues" and I secretly wish that I could send them off to school.  But those are fleeting moments and they are few and far between.

So the morning started with Parker sleeping in until 7:34 AM!  You have to understand that for Parker, this IS sleeping in and it's sleeping in LATE!  All was off to a good start.  Got the dogs outside for their morning "duties" and filled their dog bowls.  Soon Max was barking more zealously than usual.  I went out to the deck to unleash him only to find that Player had gotten off his leash.

Oh goodie!

Nothing like one of our dogs off the leash at 7:45 in the morning.  I took a breath of relief, though, that it was Player and not Max.  Player is easier to catch and we usually don't need a leash to get him back home.  He just runs off his energy and follows us home.  So the kids and I slipped on shoes and went outside to find our little Player.  He was next door at the park and the kids spotted him almost immediately.  And Player ran home almost immediately.

Crisis diverted.

Next up...Parker told Faith he'd play the Wii with her for a bit.  Better to get it over-and-done with right away in the morning so we can move on to better activities.  They started off great...giggling with each other and getting along splendidly.  That quickly changed with Parker was going to show Faith a "move" and she decided not to listen.  Parker got upset with her and Faith fussed about it.  They argued.  Parker told her if she continued in this way he would be done.  She listened.  They were happy again and soon Parker said, "Faithy...I'm sorry I got upset with you, but I was just trying to show you something."  Faithy said, "It's okay, Parker."

Sounds like now the game is over.  They were just wrestling with each other and Parker had Faith giggling like only he can make her giggle.  They have moved on to the box of left-over Sunday morning donuts and fresh glasses of milk.  They are reminiscing about something Faith did to Parker when she was a baby.

I love listening to them talk, giggle, play...get along (which is most of the time).

It warms my heart.

Hope your Monday is off to a good start, too...minus chasing the dog (did I mention I was still in my jammies?).

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day!
Jeanine

LET SUMMER BEGIN!

Yesterday was the last day of school.  Parker has completed 6th grade and will be moving on to 7th grade...official Junior High.  Faith finished 1st grade and is already very excited about being a 2nd grader in the fall.

For the last three years the neighbors have planned the "Westridge Hills End of the School Year Party" at the park in our development.  It was fun.  Here are photos to prove it:

Lots and lots of water balloons!

Too many kids to count...some are missing from this photo!

Lots of families celebrating together!

And then there were mine...

Parker didn't want his picture taken...

and Faith enjoyed the pink lemonade popsicles!

Today is the first official day of summer vacation.

How are we spending it?

Any...way...we...want!

Parker was awake at his usual non-school time of 7:00 AM.  He's enjoying the computer.  That's pretty much it...enjoying the computer and saving the world from Star Wars droids.  I feel so much safer knowing he is protecting me from any potential threats of droid attacks.

Little Miss Faith slept until 8:20 AM!  EIGHT...TWENTY!  She was one tired little girl after yesterdays celebrations at school and then after school party at the park.  Plum...tuckered...out!  She is quietly enjoying the morning playing with her Polly Pockets and watching Sponge Bob.

Me?  I'm on my second cup of coffee and enjoying the fact that my children are finally home for the summer!  Wondering what adventures we'll be on during the next few months.  Wishing there were not dishes in the sink that needed to be cleaned up.  Guess that stuff doesn't take a summer break, huh?

But my kids do...and for that I'm excited!

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine

ANOTHER YEAR COMPLETE

This photo was taken 274 days ago on the first day of the 2010-2011 school year.
1st and 6th grades started.

This photo was taken today on the last day of the 2010-2011 school year.
1st and 6th grades complete.

Congratulations, Parker and Faith, on another year well-done!
Mom and Dad are so proud of both of you.

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine

BE BOLD!

Acts 4:29 New International Version (NIV)

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

This was the scripture focus of our pastor's message this past Sunday.

At then end of the service we were all given wrist bands that read:

Be Bold - Acts 4:29

See...here's mine

So what does it mean to be "bold"?  I couldn't help but think of the lady that cut Parker's hair the other day.  She was bold.  Even though Parker was her customer, she proceeded to tell me that my hair needed some serious treatment to brighten up the white and that Faith could use the same treatment since her hair was looking "straw-like."  Of course she would be "more than happy" to provide these services to us and what a wonderful way to spend some quality mother/daughter time.  Faith looked at me and whispered, "Mommy...does my hair look like straw?"  I whispered back, "No, sweetie...it does not!"

Pretty BOLD, huh?

However, that's not the kind of BOLD that Acts 4:29 refers to.  Acts 4:29 refers to being BOLD in Jesus name.  Unceasing boldness in the name of Jesus Christ.  But how?

* invite someone to church
* pray with someone, especially someone who might be unsure of doing it alone
* share your faith story with someone
* stand up in the face of adversity and do it in Jesus' name


I had to laugh as every time Pastor Steve gave an example of being "BOLD" he would snap the wristband on his wrist and say in his big voice, "BE BOLD!"


I think sometimes we need that slap on the wrist...not because we did something wrong...but because we need to remind ourselves to do something more.  A reminder to, "BE BOLD!"


Just imagine what could come out of being "Bold for Jesus".


Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.
Jeanine