soul journaling 2.0


We had a really really good time.  They were such good sports.

I was - like last time - totally touched by how each woman instinctively reached for exactly the colors, mediums, and designs that matched their own personal rhythms.  


We laughed and glued and ate chocolate.  Good times.


And the best part....that different generations and personalities criss-crossed one another to create a functional reflection of themselves.





She pulled me aside and with sparkling eyes, said that Evelyn Rouner would be so pleased.
Icing on the cake!


heat packing


This weekend is the Mennonite Women's Retreat called Women In Conversation, which makes me want to poke my eyes out.  I like women and I like conversation, but it just sounds ew.   But I love the cackle and crackle of great minds and spicy opinions getting all rubbed into each other, which is exactly what it is.  Generally, things are always more fun with men around too.  But I suppose we can go without em for a solid 24 hours.  If we have to.

I made 85 heat packs for it.  I just think every person needs one.  I warm mine every night for 1.5 minutes in the microwave, drop essential oil on it, and hold it at my tummy or on my neck.  Its like a little "Hi.  You're kind of a rockstar.  You matter.  Be nice to yourself already" message.


I'm giving a workshop on soul journaling again.  Nothing new and fancy, same as last time.  (Not Normal Journals and Old Women and Soul Journal and Geese)  But the planners said it doesn't get old and they want the space to do it again.  So I'm looking forward to sitting down with multiple generations to create.  And if we're lucky, I'll take pictures.  See you when we're through...

3 days of E

Here were the goals:

dye eggs
sleep in
make easter wagons
make pretzels
not scream at each other
go to the Good Friday Service
go to the Sunrise Service
egg hunt
sing the Hallelujah Chorus at church
eat chocolate bunnies
take naps
be a family

We did most of them!  And the ones that didn't happen quite like they were supposed to, well they didn't matter anyway.






I wish I could say that our gluten-free pretzel recipe is great but its really not.  I threw out the recipe and we will try something else next year.  Eva didn't complain about it though.  Such a trooper.  For the regular recipe, click here:  soft pretzels.

And today, on the other side of Lent, I feel like I can breathe deeply again.  I don't know if its the Lentness of those 40 days, or that its winter breaking into spring, or its my church job, or just because - but Lent always kicks my butt.  I weirdly invite it to.  I like it, and come back every year for more.  But I'm oh so happy to be through it too.  Oh so happy.  Even flew a kite today to celebrate.  For real!

egg hunt

I love these three days.  The melancholy-ness, the waiting.  That we get to do it in sunshine is the greatest gift.  Its like we get to go through the exercise of remembering death and resurrection, but in the sweet warmth of bright days and bare feet.

A few weeks ago when our Colorado cousins visited, we egg-hunted.  Look at McCage's face.  I just adore the innocence of it.  In her memory, its her first time and she's listening so intently to those rules.


Each child got their own color.  This could be most important trick ever for a happy hunt!  This way there aren't races to the eggs, kids take their time because they are confident others won't take theirs, and you can hide the eggs harder for the bigger kids and easier for the littles.



The girls totally cracked me up!  Look how serious they are about supervising.  Like little librarians.




Then they popped open their eggs to find puzzle pieces inside.  On the puzzle was a map to their Easter basket.  Like a treasure hunt.  (All Auntie Lisa's idea, of course!)


I embrace how the secular and the holy get all jumbled up together in these traditions.  Because the big message should be that there is fun to be had, being with family is good times, we treat each other kindly, God is big big big big love, and this holiday is worth giving time to.

More on these sunny days after they've been had!

10

I have new camera lenses that I cannot figure out.  Gr.  
The photos are imperfect, but the moments are bliss.

10 on the 10th-ish....

My cup overflows....
















on glitter, bigass rides, and being nice

This is me with my new wheels.


At least that's what the size ratio feels like.  

It's kind of rambly, but get a snack and stick it out...

Ok, this morning I was drinking my coffee and putting on my face.  And before I knew it, I was applying body glitter.  Because it was right there by the mascara begging to be used, and its Monday, and mostly because I said so.

The two littles were making messes and playing together like besties.  Dinosaurs were drinking chocolate milk.  It was basically the Brady Bunch around here if you don't count the glitter and the dinosaurs.



I had my day alllll planned.  Drop off the Buzz at preschool, take the van in for repairs, pick up the rental van, get groceries, pick him up from preschool, feed them lunch, go to kindergarten round-up, make supper, go to work, and tuck them in.  While making doctor appointments, turning in camp registrations, hiring sitters, and doing the laundry.  No biggie.  A normal, glittery Monday.

This is what mamas do in order to start that list:  After feeding and clothing and washing and herding the kids, carry three loads of junk in from the van so that the car repair people will believe we are the Brady's....carry the crockpot to return to a friend out to the van....carry the farm toys the preschool teacher asked to borrow out to the van....bribe the children to the van with fruitsnacks....strap them in....tie their shoes...notice Sage McCage's einstein-do and go back to the house for hair tyes and a brush....get her out of the van to do her hair....go back inside to warm my now-cold coffee....go back in again to get a sweatshirt for the preschooler....and then and only then....turn the key in the ignition.

We were only 3 minutes late.  Woot-woot!  There's something about the fiasco of simply getting out the door.  It puts me on the edge of a beautiful breakdown if once we are truly ready to go, things don't go as planned.

But then the key wouldn't turn in the van.  Would.not.turn.

I would like to here put out a good word about a man named Richard Monares at the Conklin Cars bodyshop.  He was calm and quick and had his friend coming to tow me.

The kids were praying out loud. "Dear God please make the key turn....let the van start...." Then "Go God Go Go God Go".  It was sweet and warmed my fuming mama heart to hear them immediately turn to that.  I was freaking and in hindsight I'm irritated that it was such a gigantic life or death stressed out to the freaking max deal in my head.  But it was.  I didn't say one single swear word out loud.  Go-Go God maybe answered the prayers by shutting down my sailor mouth?

But eventually guess what?  The key turned.

So the tow was cancelled and Monday was resumed.

But I was very much no longer sparkling.  I did not roll well with the punches.  I did not appreciate the change in plans.  I very much more than ever hated that stupid minivan.  But....I've been finding lately that if I want to feel happy, the fastest way is to do kind things.  Be nice.

So a route 44 mango-lime-aid went to Conklin Cars Richard.

And I'll keep my friend's kids tomorrow night.  She talked me down and tried the key and took Riv to preschool and picked up gum at the store and basically just agreed to be present.

And I made supper for my parents, who took River to lunch so I could still grocery-shop.  Which turned into this really great end to the day.

Who'd have thunk it?  Call on old friends, make new ones, crawl down out of my head, and get nice.  Turns out it works.  And if you're lucky, you'll get a badass brand new SUV for your rental.


If you need to find me for the next 10 days or so, look for the biggest brightest red SUV in the county with this little lady in the driver's seat.  She'll be wearing glitter.