We got the spirit!

It's Spirit Week at Robbinsdale Middle School. Today is "Crazy Hair Day." Here's our big kid cute in his crazy hair! Good thing we had some hair spray leftover from Halloween...boys' hair is hard to make crazy.

Sometimes He Calms His Child

I was moved by these lyrics this week:

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And let's the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

-Scott Krippayne

Peterson Giveaway!

(No. I'm not giving away a Peterson.)

I am going to start a collection of all things Peterson. It's a common name, so I thought it would be a fun collage idea. Here's entry #1. Anyone know where it is?

GIVEAWAY!

Submit a picture of a business in your area with the name Peterson in it. I'll pick randomly from the submitters next Friday, May 1. Winner will receive a $15 amazon.com gift certificate. (Catch: you must be the photographer).

You can email me your submissions at leannepeterson@comcast.net.

Garage sale help...?

I'm having my first-ever garage sale. And, just to make sure it's fairly complicated, I'm also organizing my neighbors to have a Pilgrim Lane Area Garage Sale. I have eight families participating. Here is my to-do list; what am I forgetting??

- Price all my stuff. I have my lower-level family room FULL of stuff. Holy crap. This is the scariest part for me.

- Signage.

- Advertise. One of my neighbors is doing a craigslist ad. If it goes well, we might charge a small fee next year and then advertise in the StarTrib as well. Do you read the paper to find garage sales??

- Get tables.

- Find an adding machine.

- Get enough bags. I'm thinking of hitting a restaurant supply store just so I don't have to stress about having enough piled up.

- Get quarters and small bills. No need for other change, there won't be anything priced for less than that. If you want it for a dime, you can just take it. :)

So much to do. Sale opens two weeks from today!

Shoes

I'm not really a shoe person. Or maybe I am, and I just never let myself be. I went to Famous Footwear in order to replace my oh-so-sad black pumps that I've had for the past five years (yes, Mindi, I had one pair of black pumps for five years. Sad.). I fell in love with these. They are super duper cute with jeans or black dress pants. And I have an outfit all planned out for them when I reach my goal weight this summer. Cute, huh?

Do you see what they see?

Ants, of course. Just another sign that summer is coming!

Read this one!

I stayed up way too late too many nights the past week reading this one. Captivated from page one. A very thoughtful novel; I definitely recommend it.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

A Piece of Heaven.

Two years ago, I held Jack for the first time. I carried him inside of me for 39 weeks. I struggled during my pregnancy, fighting nausea, fatigue, and pain. I waited impatiently for his arrival. I was induced on April 10. Six hours after they broke my water, the epidural stopped working. I couldn't fully dialate because of the pain, so my doctor decided to do a spinal. At that point, Jack and I were having blood pressure issues, so they needed to get him out quickly. All I remember is trying to push (six minutes they tell me), feeling very lightheaded and itchy. They took Jack and had to persuade him to breathe. I remember him being very blue and it seeming like a long time before Cory gave me a thumbs-up.

As Dr. Brown was putting me "back together," she told me with tears in her eyes that she had to get him out quickly, pulled him out from under his armpits and heard his arm break. I asked her if he was going to be okay. She said yes, so I quickly assured her then, that it was okay. Lots of moms get far worse news that that at birth. It turned out Jack had brachial plexus injury as well, so he couldn't move either arm for three or four weeks after birth.

But I think I told all that before. What I might not have shared is this:

After all that, they bring me my bundle. The baby that I know. The child that I brought into this world with sweat and tears and struggle. They place him in my arms, and I know...I FEEL...in that moment, the angels hand him over. They tell me that it's my turn. That I am now responsible for his upbringing, and his soul. And there is nothing like that feeling. I always say it's as close to euphoria as I can ever hope to feel here on Earth. I am overcome with emotion both from this ordeal and the angels' confidence in me.

And so, two years later, I am grateful to God for allowing me to have him. I am grateful for the angels for their safe delivery of my son. I am grateful to live in an age of modern medicine, where Jack and I both survived that birth. I am grateful for these past two healthy years with my Sassy Jack-Jack. And I am grateful to be his mother.
Happy birthday, my sweet son. I love you.

That we might live.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19: 17 - 30

For Elizabeth

Many of you know Elizabeth because she comments on my blog frequently. I knew her casually when we were younger, and I'm happy to say that I know her better now. I hope she doesn't mind me gushing, but she is goodness personified in so many ways. She's sweet and caring and loving. And this billboard in the Twin Cities reminds me of her. Because when she was younger, she was called Libby. I still refer to her as that because something inside of me doesn't recognize her as Elizabeth. But by either name, she is my friend. And that makes me happy. Here's to you, Libby!

Books I'm working on...

I was spring cleaning my room today and made a nice pile of the books I'm reading or waiting to read.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Dive from Klausen's Pier by Ann Packer (on loan from a friend)
Lucky by Alice Sebold (on loan from a friend)
Inside the Jihad by Omar Nasiri
Blind Spots by Madeline Van Hecke
Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano

Updated after Libby's comment: I have Change Your Thoughts, Change your Life on CD in this picture. It's written by Dr. Wayne Dyer. He has a dreamy voice and and an amazing heart and I can't wait to listen to it!

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Friday Night Knitting Club: Don't bother. I quit half way through. Mindless.
Twilight: I tried. Honest. It just doesn't do it for me. (Less the subject matter, more the style I didn't like.)

Sassy Jack-Jack: The Video I

For those of you who aren't sick of this yet. Specifically for:

Shannon, Laura, and Grandma. 'Cause you all think he's cute. I think he's sassy. And cute.

(Note: Yes, I pull hair. My mom did too and I'm fine.)

The Escape Artist Take II

CAUGHT IN THE ACT! Note the chain lock.

And wearing MY shoes no less. Sassy Jack-Jack.

Sneaking Out

We have a hotel lock on our front door. Because when Matthew was two, he used to sneak out the front door. He quickly figured out the deadbolt. I just discovered that Jack is that same age! He slips on shoes (doesn't matter whose) and sneaks out. Like yesterday. Bathed, jammied, and ready for bed. Snuck on Matthew's rain boots (wellies, bloggers?) and out the door he went. Stinker.

I Love Color.

I really love bright colors. Not neon, just bright, primary colors. As is evidenced by my wardrobe of jackets. One denim (of course), one yellow, one green, and one blue. I love them. (Oddly, the only color I don't love to wear is red.)

That's better.

Today is better.

1. I slept from 9:30 p.m. - 8:00 a.m.
2. The sun was shining when I opened my eyes.
3. I went to the gym with Cory.
4. The sun is still shining.
5. I'm no longer anxious about my weigh-in.
6. Ed Schultz is getting a TV show.
7. My legs feel good. Not sure if it's the week of exercise or that I shaved them this morning.
8. The sun is shining. (Wait. I might have already said that.)
9. I ran to the mall and the library alone (Libby - I picked up Gorgeously Green)
10. I'm going to dinner with my sister and aunt tonight.

Yep, today is better.

I'm moving away.

We Minnesotans are so fickle. We think that winter ends sometime in the beginning of March. It doesn't. It sometimes doesn't end until the middle of April. Why do we forget that every 12 months? So, I've decided. I'm moving to Arizona. I've had enough of the snow. Cory: are you coming with me?