GratiTuesday - Girly Art Time

My Little Man has been out and about a lot lately.  With basketball camp and baseball practices in full swing, he's been hard at work - which means that My Big Helper and I have had lots of time to ourselves.

Last week she decided that we needed to paint.  We pulled out canvases and our art supplies and got to work.

Since the weather was absolutely gorgeous, we took our supplies out to the deck and sat in the shade while designing our paintings.  

I've never painted on a canvas before, though I've often wanted to.  It was fun to hang out together, mixing and blending and dabbing.

My Big Helper has painted on several canvases but has only rarely blended colors, and since that's my very favorite part of painting, we talked through different ways to do that while she worked on her latest sunflower project.

It was a fun afternoon.  It was fun to pull out the art supplies and fun to relax and be creative and fun to spend that time with My Big Helper.

Sometimes, those pockets of time created by sports or other random activities are my very favorite things - because then I get focused time with one child or the other.

I love that.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Walking Away

My Little Man isn't so little anymore, but he's always been with me.  He's my buddy.

We go to the store and on field trips together.  We snuggle and read books and gather rocks and plant the garden together.  

Because I worked in a preschool, he's even been with me there - in the room next door or in my own classroom.

Until this week.

This week he chose to go to basketball camp, a half-day camp happening at our local high school.  It's a skills-based camp for boys, and since he played his first season of basketball this past winter, he loves the sport.

So for the first time ever, he's getting up early and getting dropped off somewhere.  Without us.

It's rather difficult to watch him carry his new water cooler up the steps and through those big doors, but then his face lights up when he finds a friend, and he takes off across the gym floor to join in a game until camp starts.

This is our role as parents.  This raising and teaching and discipling and preparing for the leaving.  As much as we revel and stress in the everyday, the point of it all is to prepare them to leave.  To leave us confidently and strong, ready to follow Jesus into the unknown of their futures.

So this basketball camp is an important step.  It's nearby and only a few hours and he probably won't encounter anything dangerous (yay!) but he's on his own.  Sure, it's a controlled environment, but it won't always be that way.  This is his chance to be a man of character when Mommy isn't looking.  To learn the consequences of his actions (I pray they're good ones) and to take responsibility for them.

It's just basketball camp, but it's so much more.

I'm glad that he's ready.  I'm glad that he wants to take this step.  It's hard to see him walk away, but it's necessary.  Walking away now will help him be prepared to walk away towards bigger, more important things.  

So while I'm rather sad to see him leaving, I'm thankful for that bounce in his step that tells me he's ready for this.  That he's not scared.  That he's ready to go and make new friends and try new things.

This hard parenting thing - we're seeing some fruit this week.

And it's good.

What are your kids involved in this summer?  And how goes it?

For more  GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Stickin' Together

Eleven years ago Saturday my husband and I said "I do."

A lot has changed in those eleven years.

Some of those things are good, and some ... not so much.  We're both a bit rounder, a bit grayer, and hopefully a bit wiser.  

We understand more about what it takes to spend your life with someone else.

There's no turning back or getting out.  We're in it for the long haul.  We decided to strike that deadly "D" word from our vocabulary before we said our vows.  

That's reassuring.  We're committed.  Our culture has forgotten the value in that, but we're not giving up on each other.  We're determined not to "grow apart," but to "grow together."

I don't say this because things are particularly hard right now - they're not.  On the contrary, it feels good to know that we're on the same page.  That we have the same purpose.  That our changes are okay because we're doing it all together.

Eleven years ago I would've wanted some sort of romantic evening.  Something with candles and sunsets and sweet, whispered words.

Except now I know that those aren't my thing, and they're not my husband's, either.  We talked about what to do.  Fancy dinner?  A movie?  Shopping?  Nothing seemed quite right.  Neither of us were thrilled with any of those ideas.

So we chose a baseball game.

Yup.  Baseball.

A baseball game was perfect.  We had a quick snack at a favorite Mexican restaurant just outside the stadium before hurrying in to see the opening pitch.  The weather was perfect - pleasingly cool with a light breeze, under a blue sky and puffy white clouds.  We had great seats along the first baseline, my husband's favorite, and he was happy to explain a few rare plays to me.  I was happy to sit and listen to his voice.  We watched several double plays, a trick play, and our hometown team finally win.  We talked throughout the game, about nothing special, really, just enjoyed being together.

Afterwards we walked to a restaurant with outdoor seating near a small waterfall and ate a late-night snack under the stars and some white Christmas lights.  We walked around hand-in-hand and then headed back home.

It wasn't a fancy evening.  It wasn't a quiet evening, or even a kid-free one, since the couple sitting in front of us at the game had a few rowdy preschoolers.

But it was perfect for us.  Together.  The New Us.  The older-and-wiser us.  We were both willing to throw out ideas and talk them over until we found the perfect thing. Until we realized that what we really wanted was to be together.  

Not stressing about the cost of a fancy dinner.

Not eating in a restaurant that was too loud to converse comfortably.

Not sitting side-by-side in a dark movie theater, each alone in our movie experience.

Together.  Being loud and silly, clapping and cheering ourselves hoarse and ... together.

It's not always easy to find your 'together,' but it's definitely worth the effort to find it.  

And then, as it evolves and changes and you find it again, to enjoy the ride.

What's your 'together?'  

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Saying Goodbye

About a year ago I wrote about saying goodbye to our pastor and his family.  People with whom we had become friends.

And now it's time for us to say goodbye again.

Several years ago, while attending another church, I was searching for a guitar player for a special event.  I wanted someone charismatic and talented; someone who could get our uncertain crowd enthused and praising.  When I was about to give up, someone pointed me to Everett.

I didn't know this guy, but his "resume" was impressive - and more importantly, he was willing to lead us in a special worship event!  He came and was fantastic, and we talked about maybe connecting our churches for other events in the future.

But then we left that church and began searching for a new one.  For a new home.  We heard that Everett had begun a contemporary service at his church, and we eventually ended up there.

As did many other people.  This service soon proved to be energetic and active, full of people who were willing to step out in new directions on faith.  It turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.

And yet there hasn't been time to get comfortable.  That service has been in transition since we got there. The worship team has swelled and grown and then shrunk again as people have moved on.  The pastor left to plant a church a few hours' away, and our interns come and go each season, each with their strengths and gifts, enriching us and then moving on.

Now it's Everett's turn.  He's a most gifted worship leader, but God has called him into full-time ministry, so in just a few more weeks he'll leave us and head off to seminary.  To his own church.  

We'll miss him.  We'll miss his leadership and communion with the Spirit.  We'll miss his laughter and sarcasm and jokes.  We'll miss his ability to sing the perfect song at the perfect time, every time.

We'll miss his family, too.  His energetic kids and his kind and gracious wife (whom my Big Helper has developed a special attachment to).  

It's hard saying goodbye.  Quite frankly, I don't like it, and I don't look forward to it.  At all.

But I know that, like with our former pastor, this is ultimately a Good Thing.  It's a God Thing.  He's planned it.  He's called this family.  We've been blessed by their ministry for years, and now someone else needs them.  

We won't be left behind.  While we can't go with them, God has called someone else to lead us next, and he's good, too.  It's going to be okay.

It's still hard to say goodbye, but it's also a blessing to see so many people following God.  Leaving the familiar and comfortable and known to venture out in faith.  To follow God wherever He leads them.

It's a great example.  It's a Hebrews 11 thing.  It's an Abraham thing.  It's a Ruth and Naomi thing.

It's a great lesson for our kids.  For us.

So, with mixed emotions and teary eyes, I'm glad.  I wouldn't want to keep them if it's not where they're supposed to be.  I wouldn't want any of us to settle for less than God's best.  

So if you see me looking rather weepy, remind me of all of this.  Okay?

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Let's Eat Worms! (Or Not)

Last week My Little Man's book club read about worms - and after talking about the book, they ate wrote their own worm recipes before trying out these guys.

They even had the opportunity, thanks to one generous mom, to taste real crickets.

Most of us were pretty grossed out by the worms.  They weren't real, and the boys figured that out pretty quickly, and then they got into the fun of it all, but the sight of real cricket legs and wings lying on the plate were another thing altogether.

When the event was over, I had to pick up the plate with a few remaining crickets and a pile of legs for disposal, and it was hard.  I don't like bugs.  I really don't like dead things, and I couldn't help but think, "I'm SO GLAD that I don't have to eat these things!"

But the truth is that many people do.  In many parts of the world, bugs are considered completely acceptable food.  I've seen pictures of them skewered and for sale in marketplaces.  Piled in bins to be picked out and savored.

Ugh.  I can't imagine looking forward to that meal, and I don't have to.

I live in a place where I can choose to eat bugs - or not.  As much as we Americans complain about our food supply, there is an abundance of things to eat - and most of them are good.  We can choose to eat bugs - or we can choose to eat processed foods - or we can choose fresh produce - or "real" meat like beef or chicken; but the point is that we can CHOOSE.

So many people can't.

We might get upset if we have to do without our favorite brand of soda or live without chocolate for a while.  We get frustrated if our coffee isn't the right brand or our tea is too sweet, but we have more than enough.  We are spoiled by the abundance of our choices.

I am so very thankful for our abundance.  I'm thankful for our ability to choose.  I'm thankful for being able to eat meals that don't include bugs.

And I'll try not to take those choices for granted.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Heading Outside ...

My Little Man just had a birthday.  He turned SEVEN.  

He suddenly seems quite big.  He's lost all vestiges of the chubby-cheeked baby I brought home from the hospital and the round-faced toddler who zoomed everywhere.  He's now long and lean, a veritable bottomless pit, a wealth of scientific facts and figures.

That love of science prompted his birthday request.  He wanted to spend the day outside and go fishing.

So fish we did. 

Rather, he did - with his daddy and papa.

He thought the fish should've been biting faster, so after a while we left the lake and headed to a nearby creek for some playtime.

The kids loved splashing through the water, getting wet, finding treasures, catching frogs, and generally exploring.

I'm very proud of this guy, but really - slow it down just a bit, would ya?  There's no need to rush things QUITE this much!  ;-)

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Only Two More Days!

If you've been reading here for any length of time, you might know that I didn't grow up in this Southern town where we now live.  

I grew up in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, surrounded by lots of farmers and Amish people and woods and streams and cows.

So when I went off to college I chose a small, private school not too far away.  I made friends and discovered our new college culture involved all sorts of things previously scorned - like cartoons and afternoon naps.  It also involved frequent Sheetz runs.

Sheetz is a Pennsylvania-based gas station chain with a restaurant inside.  You order your food at touch-screen computers so that it is all "Made to Order (MTO)."  Food that is prepared in a gas station might not sound so wonderful, but Sheetz has nailed it - specialty drinks, entrees that are flexible and include a wide variety of condiment/topping/veggie options - and it's one of my favorite quick places to eat.

So when I moved here, to this tiny Southern town nearly 13 years ago, and there wasn't a Sheetz anywhere around, I soon went into Nachos Grande withdrawal.  When my husband and I started dating and I suffered from a bout of homesickness, he would drive me across the state border after a small Sheetz opened there.  We'd get slushies and subs and eat in the car, and that taste of home made everything better.

Because for me Sheetz is a bit of home.  It's where I ate meals while road tripping.  It's where I filled the gas tank of my first car and shared nachos with friends during all nighters in college.  It's where I met friends after high school and grabbed slushies on hot days.

After detouring for Sheetz on every possible road trip for the past 13 years, Sheetz is finally coming to town.  It's being built about a mile from our house - and it's opening in just two more days.  It looks big and bright and beautiful, and I can't wait.

Some might say it's just a gas station.  It is that, but it's more.  It's the memory of friends and family and summer refreshment.  It's the feeling of safety when seeing the bright lights and big red sign from a strange highway.  

Just a gas station?  Nah.  

It's just a bit of home.  

Only two more days to wait.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - "Let the Little Children Come to Me"

Have you ever seen Resurrection Eggs?  

It's a dozen plastic eggs, Easter-style, and each one contains a symbol of the Easter message.  They have numbers so you can get them in the right order, and I've been using them to talk about the Easter message with my kids since they were in preschool.

Last week, though, I asked them to keep quiet about the story.  We decided to use the eggs with our church's elementary-aged youth group, and I wanted them to be sure to give the other kids a chance to answer.  I figured everyone would be excited and talking and ready to shout out about what each symbol meant.

I was partly right.

The kids liked the eggs.  We sat in a circle on the floor, and they had hands in the air and wiggly bottoms as I held up each egg.  They were eager for the opportunity to open it and find out what was inside.

But they didn't know what the symbols meant.

They didn't know that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, or that He was whipped, or wore a crown of thorns, or that soldiers gambled for His clothes.  They were excited to learn, and they listened intently to the story, but they didn't already know.

One kid knew, though.  Funny thing was, he wasn't one of our usual kids.  He came because his mom helps lead, and he had to tag along that night.

See, he's not old enough for the group - he's only three.

But that little three-year-old kid had heard this story before - this story that the older ones either didn't know or couldn't remember - and he couldn't wait to tell the rest of us all about it.

As soon as each egg cracked, this little guy was talking a mile a minute - telling us all about what each symbol meant.  He knew the whole story.  He knew the scary parts, the super sad parts, the bloody parts, and the full-of-love parts.  Turns out his preschool teacher taught him the story - I bet she has the eggs, too - and he learned it well.

Our kids are never too young to learn about Jesus.  That little one was so excited that he couldn't hold it in - and he's only three.  What might he do with that excitement and enthusiasm?  Who could he teach - both now, as a cute kid, and later, as a wise adult? 

It reminded me of the part of the story where Jesus told the onlookers that if He quieted the "parade" attendees, that even the stones would cry out to Him.

This preschooler was like that - he just had to share.  Of course, many preschoolers feel the urge to talk your ears off - but when's the last time one just had to tell you all about Jesus?

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - Dream Big

 
A few months ago, something challenged me to rethink the way that our children's youth group at church worked.  We'd been using a simple curriculum with lots of scripture memorization thrown in, but what if we weren't limited by money, materials, or volunteers in any way?

What sort of group would I want my kids to be involved with?

So I began praying and making lists and praying some more.  I started doodling and seeing mission activities and Bible lesson plans everywhere.

Part of this dreaming-big process involved church camp.  My week at Camp Penn completely changed my life about 25 years ago, and I knew I wanted my kids to have that same opportunity - although they are still a bit young.  I found a great Christian camp nearby, though, and started researching how to get a group of kids from our church to camp.

All the while feeling that if we could get maybe 5 kids to day camp there, including our 2, that we'd call that a successful first year.  We could carpool, fitting all of the kids in one mini-van, and that would help with gas expenses for the two-hour round-trip commute.

Then in the midst of Christmas craziness, we found that camp registration had opened.  Who knew people signed up for camp that early?    With a deep breath and lots of prayer, we started talking about camp at church.

We signed up.  Our two kids were now committed to camp - but some of those other dreams started coming true.  People began donating supplies for our kids, and now there were bags and boxes of art supplies to organize, as well as money to track, events to plan and advertise, and communication with all sorts of people to make happen.

As we worked to raise money to help pay for kids to go to camp, they started to sign up.  Just four at first, but that was okay.  We had to start somewhere.  Then we jumped to six, then eight, and then in the space of a week, our numbers rose again - to TWELVE.

As the number of campers rose, I found myself worrying more and more about the money. Sending kids to camp was a painful expense for many families, and while they all deemed it important, we were hoping that our collective fundraising would mean a significantly decreased cost in the end - but would it happen? 

Our last two big fundraisers were this past week.  The second, a bake sale, is something we've done before, but the first was a different story.

We planned to hold a spaghetti dinner, hoping to earn several hundred dollars' in one swoop - but tickets proved to be hard to sell.  We were hoping to serve 100 people, but for several weeks, it looked as though we'd be making dinner for 60, instead.

Then in the days before the dinner, ticket sales and reservations exploded.  It looked as though we would be serving 130!

The big day finally came.  Volunteers came out of the woodwork, and we got the space decorated beautifully with kid-created placemats and springy flower arrangements.  Our camper-wannabes all played a part in the evening - from being greeters and door holders to ticket takers, hosts, busboys, photographers, and table setters.  They looked professional and adorable both as they worked hard to serve our guests.

And guests we had - nearly more than we knew what to do with!  We ran out of bread after serving somewhere above 150 plates, and people continued to trickle in.

  By the end of the evening, we had taken in more than twice our projected amount - merely because people gave generously.  That generosity means that our families don't have to worry about camp money, because we can now pay down those camp bills in big ways, which is great - because kids are STILL signing up for camp!  We're up to 13 with a few more thinking about it.

So I hoped for 5 kids and enough money to cut their camp costs close to half.  Instead, we're sending nearly every child in our small church to camp - and parents should end up paying far less than half of the total cost per child.  No single mini-van is going to get these kids to camp anymore - unless we tie them to the roof.  Just kidding.  At the rate we're going, we might need a bus - but now I'm sure that God's got the transportation angle worked out, too.

Me?  Days later and I'm still dreaming about spaghetti.  I'm in awe of just how kind and generous everyone was on spaghetti night and how on-task and professional these elementary kids could be.  God has reminded me that no matter how hard any of us worked to make this happen, it's not about us.  It's not about me, my kids, or my dreams.

Dreaming big is fun, but dreams are just that:  dreams.  In this case, though, I don't think that's exactly what these were.  I think that God wants our kids at camp this year and He's had His hand on this project all along.  I think that He wanted to shake up our expectations and routines and is going to be making big things happen at camp this summer.

I can't wait to see it.

Where have you seen God at work lately?

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - A DIY 'Landscape' Cake

They say that time flies when you're having fun.

In that case, I must be having a blast, because the past - dare I say it? - NINE years have just flown by.

Nine years ago today, our Big Helper was born - and it doesn't seem possible that it has been that long.

Since then, she's grown into a creative, talkative, artsy, entrepreneurial kid - with big ideas.

Every year I make a birthday cake for her of her choosing.  It's a tradition we started before she could even choose her cake.  Those early ones were of her goldfish tank and a princess castle.

This year, she chose something that shocked me.  What did she want?

"I want a landscape cake, Mommy," she calmly told me a few weeks ago.

How in the world do you make a landscape cake?  What is that, anyway??

To help me understand, I asked her to draw out her ideas.  She handed me this a few minutes later:

I had to look at it a while to get it.  Do you see the top and side views?  The key indicating icing color changes and topographical diversities?

Oh, boy.

So, the night before the party, my mom and I - I sure was glad she was there! - started baking and brainstorming.  We wanted to give her the cake she dreamed of, but we figured a few surprises wouldn't hurt, either.

So this is what we came up with.  It's a two-tiered chocolate cake with a blue-Jello river, complete with the fish that she asked for.  We 'planted' pumpkins in the garden and tucked a Gummy bear into a fruit-leather sleeping bag.  Icing covered waffle cones became pine trees and a combination of pretzel sticks and more fruit leather became a campfire.  We added a hammock and kayak, too, but might have been a bit loopy by that point.  (We tried to add a bear zipline, but the Gummy bear was too heavy and always ended up in the river.  Oops.) 

We made the boulders out of ganache-covered marshmallows and put Swedish fish and Goldfish in the river.  Graham cracker crumbs made the riverbank, and Oreo crumbs became the garden soil.

I think she liked it -at least, I hope so.

Before the candles even made it on the cake, she and her daddy put their heads together and started dreaming.  Before I knew it, another bear had been added - a fishing bear.

I'm rather scared to see what she'll dream up next year - but then, next year we'll be talking double digits, and I can't imagine that, either, so let's not go there.  In the meantime, I'm very happy to be taking the day off with my super-creative, artsy, imaginative daughter.

What are you thankful for today?

GratiTuesday - Let It Snow 2014

Last week got a grand snowfall of 2 inches.

Since we live in North Carolina, you know that means that schools closed early, hours before a single flake fell from the sky, and that everything was shut down for three full days afterwards.

Our schedule didn't really change much, since we're based out of our home, anyway, but we all enjoyed the winter scenery.  The kids headed outside at every opportunity, and I took advantage of chilly temperatures to serve soup and sit by the fireplace, logs blazing.

I love winter!  God makes it so beautiful...!

The first morning, as the kids headed outside for the first time, I trailed them in an attempt to get some pictures.  This is what caught my eye:

 

A lone dump truck, small and made of plastic.  I'm sure most people would've been excited to see a big one this full of snow!

Siblings, excited to be outside after wintry precipitation has fallen ...

so excited, in fact, that they must race each other up and down the street.

The squirrel mansion, snowed under.  Might something be inside even now?

This little sled goes faster and farther than one might think!

This one wanted to go faster and farther, but ... it stalled out mid-hill.

Finally - they're in sync!

We've all got a think for icicles here.  There's just something about them that's awesome - the way that God lets the water melt and refreeze to make such neat shapes is just cool.  Can you spot this tiny one?

I'm glad that we had the chance to stay home, stay warm, and be together during last week's snowy stay-cation, but even better than that is God's wintry beauty.

What's your favorite thing about winter?

GratiTuesday - No More Commuting!

Almost exactly one year and four months ago, my husband was laid off from the company where he'd worked for fourteen years.

It was a scary time.  We didn't know what the future would hold, but we were pretty sure of one thing:  when he found a job, it wouldn't be in town.

He had worked only two or three miles away from home, but in the small town where we live, jobs in his field are hard to come by.  While we were anxious for him to find work, we took advantage of the extra family time we had, because chances were good that he'd find a job that kept him away from home.

In the end, that's exactly what happened.  My husband found a good job with a great company - that was nearly an hour away.  One way. We were so happy that we didn't think too much about the distance.  He started work just before Christmas, heading out the door early each morning in suit and tie, and we were thrilled to return to 'normal.'

Except normal it wasn't.  Shortly after Christmas he headed off for training - nearly an hour and a half away - one way.  After six weeks of driving three hours each day, returning home in time to eat a quick dinner and fall in bed, exhausted, only to do it all over again the next day, we agreed that the next time a training session arose he would stay in the city and not commute.

That made life easier on him, but we sure missed him!  He's been in training for a wide variety of things over the past year, and even when he's home, he's putting in nearly twelve hour days when you factor in the commute.

Until now.  Last week he transferred to an office in our tiny little town.  His office is now only two miles from our house - AND he gets an hour lunch break, during which time he comes home and eats with us.

We've gone from seeing him only over the dinner table - when he was in town - to having him move easily in and out of our daily schedule.  It's GREAT!

Over the past week, we've returned to our new-and-improved normal.  My husband is home to help with kiddie shower time again.  We drive to kiddie sporting events as a family instead of meeting up there.  He's home to listen to the kids' excitement over school projects, to greet their book club friends when they come over each month, and to talk with me before and after work.

We are incredibly thankful that he has a job.  We realize that many people don't.  But we're also very, very thankful to have him working back in town.  Without the commuting time, we have more time as a family to bond, volunteer, learn, work, and play together.  

I love that.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - How Much is Too Much?

As a certified teacher, I want my children to work to their full potential.  The curriculum that we studied in college and the one that I taught after I moved here are constantly in the back of my mind.  Trying not to hold my children to those standards can be difficult.

As a mom, one with a degree in early childhood education, I know that many of the curriculums in place are not developmentally appropriate.  That it’s okay for my child to do something when his body decides that it’s time, even if that’s far later than when the local public school would require it.

Those two parts of me battle at times about what to ask my children to do, and they’ve come out in full force about one particular issue:  handwriting.

When My Little Man first began to write, he didn’t like it.  He only knew his capital letters then and so I didn’t require him to write anything else.  When he started to write more independently, I decided not to force the handwriting issue because he suddenly started writing big words.  I was so happy with his content that I didn’t push for great handwriting.

But as he finished kindergarten and began first grade I started to worry.  Had I done the right thing?  Should I have insisted that he write properly as he learned so that he never had to relearn any part of it?

And then one day he asked to learn cursive like his sister.  I explained that we couldn’t study cursive handwriting until he could write in both capital and lowercase letters.  Now, I know that it really doesn’t work that way.  Lots of kids learn to write in cursive before they learn to print, but my patience level doesn’t extend to teaching two types of handwriting at one time.  Give me a historical event or writing lesson to teach any day over handwriting.  Yick.

To my surprise, the next day he brought me this thank you card.  I had asked him to write one in response to a field trip we had taken, and since he had proven that he was great at thank-you cards, I didn’t sit with him while he worked on it.  I was probably switching the laundry.  When I came back, he proudly showed me this card.

Do you see it?  There are lowercase letters in there!  He worked really hard on it, and it was all his idea.  He got out his handwriting book and practiced the letters we haven’t gotten to yet and then added them into his card.

This doesn’t mean that our lowercase letter struggle is over, because it isn’t.  After a few days of lowers he went back to all caps and is once again trying to stay in his comfort zone.  I know now, though, that he can do it.  He knows how, and he will switch over.  I’m grateful to know that progress has been made, and my capital-letter stress is gone.

But if he decides to stick with capital letters, and he ends up with horrible handwriting, then maybe he’ll go into the medical field.

Just kidding.  Kinda.

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

GratiTuesday - It's the Little Things

The Origami Owl giveaway is still happening!  Don't miss your chance to enter.

Sometimes it’s the little things that mean a lot.

My birthday was last week (enter my Happy Birthday giveawayhere!) and my family kindly took me to one of my very favorite restaurants for dinner.

I like Champps for several reasons:  the food is always wonderful, the wait staff kind, they have great meals for kids, and the patio area is quiet and sunny. 

My husband offered to take me wherever I wanted to go, though, and as I thought through my options, I decided to stick with Champps – and it didn’t hurt that they would give me a free entrée through their email club.  It may have been my birthday, and I appreciate my generous husband, but there’s something fun about redeeming a good coupon – especially when it’s as tasty as Champps’ food.

When we arrived, I asked Carmen, our waitress, about the details of the ‘birthday special.’  She informed us that Champps would comp my dinner up to $18.99.  If I chose something pricier, I could just pay the difference.  I was pleasantly surprised that the dollar amount was that high, and so I had fun looking over some entrees I’ve never tried.  I settled on the Walnut-crusted Chicken.  It sounded yummy.

After ordering, I realized that the patio was not quite as warm as I had thought, and I tried to add a bowl of Southwestern Corn Chowder to my order.  The menu said I could do that for a slight upcharge, and I love a good bowl of soup.  Carmen said that my birthday coupon wouldn’t cover it even though I still fell just within that monetary boundary, but I asked for it anyway.  It was definitely worth the small charge – it was fabulous!

Carmen had recommended the chicken dish that I chose, and it earned its reputation.  I’ve never had anything like it, but I look forward to trying it again.  You could easily share that dish, as well:  with a mound of mashed potatoes topped with grilled veggies and onion straws surrounded by THREE walnut-crusted chicken breasts, two could share it happily.

Carmen was attentive as we ate.  She even brought the dish of oranges that My Little Man expressed an interest in – and a second container of juice for each child. 

Near the end of our meal she furtively asked if the kids wanted the sundaes that came complimentarily with their dinner.  I appreciated her tactfulness but agreed that the kids would like to have them.  To my surprise, she brought one for me, too – with hot fudge and walnuts and whipped cream and a cherry on top!  The staff sang to me, as well.  I must admit, I preferred the ice cream to the spotlight, but it was pretty nice to be treated.

When we were ready Carmen brought the check to my husband.  To our surprise, not only was my dinner free, but Our Little Man’s oranges, the second juice, AND my soup!  Carmen took care of all of it for us.

I really appreciate the effort that Carmen put into serving us.  She could’ve let those charges ride, which would’ve guaranteed her of a certain tip, but instead she forsook the certainty of that to give us a special birthday dinner.  I know my husband – he tipped her based on the total before the freebies, not after, but she couldn’t be know that.  I think that’s pretty cool.

I felt very special, sitting at my favorite table in the sunshine, people watching and enjoying a fantastic dinner with my family.  Knowing that it wasn’t costing us an arm and a leg was even better.

The best part, though, was knowing that our dinner would be tasty and our service pleasant.  We’ve never experienced any trouble at Champps, and other wait staff members have been just as generous.  To me, the service can make or break a dinner, and it’s extra special to go to a place that feels like home.  Where people treat you as if they know you.  Where you know you’ll be welcomed warmly.

That may seem like a little thing.  After all, it was just dinner out.  One meal.  But Carmen’s kindness and generosity stood out and was the like the cherry on my sundae – a sweet ending to a wonderful meal.

Can’t wait to go again.

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