Our Christmas in Pictures

Let the festivities begin . . .

Thursday, December 20th -- Big Night Out

Caleigh & Mommy -- all dolled up for an evening at Sight & Sound's Christmas show "Voices of Christmas"

Friday, December 21st -- Aunt Heather comes home from Indiana

Caleigh loves the gift from Aunt Heather

Who needs toys when you can have laundry?!?

Sunday, December 23rd -- Christmas at MomMom's & PopPop's

Caleigh felt like a real princess in the Cinderella dress from Uncle Adam.

Is it time to open the presents yet????

Peyton & her new blanket

Mommy & PeyPey opening presents together

A favorite gift for Pey -- her new baby bassinet

Jason gets in touch with his inner rocker with "Guitar Hero" from Playstation 2.

Monday, December 24th -- Twas the night before Christmas . . .

Our tree, complete with presents

Tuesday, December 25th -- Christmas Morning!!!!

It was all we could do to hold Caleigh off until 6:30 am

Say "cheese!"

PeyPey joins the fun & finally sees what all the fuss is about.

A little Christmas morning serenade on her new recorder.

How does this thing work?

The princess gets her long-awaited crown.

It's never too early for a cell phone!

It was a Princess Christmas -- complete with a Princess cash register.

. . . and a Princess ride-on toy!

And now we all enjoy a perfect Christmas breakfast.

Mommy's favorite Christmas gift!!

A Christmas gathering at Mimi's brought more special presents -- including Baby Cindy.

Caleigh models her new winter outerwear!!

It was a wonderful Christmas for our family!! And we wish all of you a blessed New Year!!!!

You Couldn't Write This Stuff . . .

Simply outrageous!!! I'm telling you, if all these crazy things hadn't been happening to me, I would never believe it!!

So, as you all know, life has been a bit trying lately, to say the least. We spent this past weekend at Jason's mom & dad's house. Even though Peyton & I were not feeling up to snuff, with MomMom & PopPop's watchful eyes, we were able to get a lot of good rest. We headed back home last night around 9 pm.

It was a clear, crisp winter's night as we left Pottstown. The closer we got to Myerstown, however, the worse the situation got. Everything was covered with a thick coat of ice -- so much so that several trees had buckled under the weight & were lying in the road. The wind didn't help matters any.

As we turned off the main road & approached the seminary, Jason turned to me & said, "Honey, I don't see any Christmas lights." Things did not look good. As we pulled in to our driveway, there was not one street lamp, not one Christmas tree, not one window candle to be seen. Not only that, but all the cars were parked far away from the trees. Hmmm, that's odd. It didn't take us long to see why. The wind was blowing shards of ice out of the trees & down into the exact spots where our cars would normally be parked.

No power meant no heat for us as we have electric heat. It was going to be an interesting night! I quickly located the matches & lit all the candles. Thank goodness I'm a candle-junkie! Then we got everyone into double sets of jammies. We settled the girls down in our bed to snuggle together while Dad & I took care of everything else (finding the lantern & the flashlight, packing the fridge with ice, & gathering extra blankets). After all emergency measures were taken, we got the girls settled into their own beds with everything but their parkas. It was a long night, with the temperature dropping a few degrees every hour. By morning, the power was still gone & the house was a nippy 40 degrees.

It's one of those situations where, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. So we chose to laugh. I greeted everyone who called on our cell phones with a melodic " . . . Jack Frost nipping at your nose . . . "

So, here we sit, at Jason's mom & dad's again. Weren't we just here?? It is rumored that we may be without power until at least tomorrow. Oh well, it gets me out of doing the laundry for a few days!!!

Welcome Infectious Diseases

We made it through finals week with our health & our sanity still in tact . . . well, our sanity anyway -- our health, not so much.

It was a tough week. Satan has a way of kicking you when you're down. It was obviously an important week for Jason. It was imperative that we stick to the schedule & give Daddy plenty of uninterrupted study time. Ha!!! On Tuesday night, Peyton's eyes started looking a little pink . . . eerily reminiscent of Thanksgiving day. By Wednesday morning, it was pretty obvious that our weekly trip to church (5 hours of study time for Daddy) was not happening. So Jason was trapped in the house with us all night . . . not the most conducive environment for studying. Things went from bad to worse pretty quickly on Thursday morning. The seminary was officially closed due to the weather, so Jason's 4 hours of studying in the library also went out the window. The planned babysitter for Thursday evening also became a fleeting dream as Peyton's eyes got worse. Our evening ended with a trip to the doctor's office . . .

Now, this section is only for those of you who can handle children & their complete & utter grossness.

I called the doctor on Thursday to request an office visit. He asked me to explain what was going on with Peyton. I said, "This is really gross, but this is the best way to describe it. It looks like snot is coming out of her eyes." When the doctor saw her in the evening, it turned out that I was right!!! Apparently, the congestion in her nose is traveling up into her tear ducts & coming out her eyes!! And it's just nasty!

Friday morning ushered in yet more sickness as I woke up with my throat on FIRE!! I think the doctor jinxed me. He made the astute observation that everyone had been sick except for Mom. Thanks.

But finals are over. The semester is over. And we have Jason all to ourselves for 5 WHOLE WEEKS!!

The Holidays Are Upon Us

It's the most wonderful time of the year . . .

And it's finally here!! I would like to be able to say that my overly-organized self has all my Christmas gifts picked out, purchased, wrapped, & sitting under my perfectly-decorated tree. But life is bound & determined to teach me to go with the flow (no matter how much I may resist). Besides, the only thing I love more than being organized is the hustle & bustle of the holiday season. I love to be out amongst the crowds, sipping mocha cappuccino, listening to Christmas music, looking for that perfect gift for that special someone.

Truth be told, this year is a bit out of the ordinary for us. Being our first year at seminary, we are still getting used to all the new demands on our time. Jason has not had the luxury of shopping, decorating, or baking with his girls. Now if Christmas cheer consisted of paper-writing, theological journal-reading, or visits to the library, he would be Kris Kringle himself! But we are learning to grab ahold of special moments when they happen to come along . . . to heck with the best laid plans.

So our Christmas tree, which always goes up the day after Thanksgiving, is not gracing our livingroom as of yet, but hopefully it will tonight after the girls go to bed. We may not have the traditional marathon session of decorating the tree, but throughout the course of the week, we should manage to get it done.

As for my shopping, most of it is done. At least the gifts that are non-negotiable, must-haves. Nothing is wrapped yet, but I'm sure it will be done before Christmas morning. Maybe Christmas Eve, but better late than never!

But in the meantime, we are on the countdown . . . 11 more days before Jason's first semester of seminary is over!!! He has lots of projects & papers due this week & finals the week after that. We are bracing ourselves for one big push through to the end & then CELEBRATION!! I already have a babysitter lined up for the night of Jason's last final. :)

But, until he is free to celebrate with us, we will continue to play our Christmas music in the kitchen, make our Christmas cookies for Daddy, & decorate that tree, one ornament at a time.

Happy Holidays!!

Doritos & Pink Eye

As Thanksgiving Day approached this year, we were all looking forward to a day of rest, relaxation, family, & FOOD! We couldn't wait to share the excitement of the sale of our house with our family members who have been storming the gates of Heaven on our behalf. We were ready to CELEBRATE!

And then morning came . . . I awakened to the wail of my 3-year-old.

"Mommy!! I can't open my eye!!"

Caleigh's eye was pasted shut. Two phonecalls later ~ one to our insurance's 24-hour nurse hotline & one to the doctor's office ~ my worst fears were confirmed. Pink eye (highly contagious) had invaded our house. It wasn't long before her nose was running & she was collapsed in a heap on the couch moaning about her aching ear :(

So here we were, quarantined at home, with nothing for Thanksgiving dinner except the Apple Pecan cheesecake that I was supposed to take to my sister-in-law's house.

We had to giggle as we sat down to eat our grilled cheese & Doritos (around the same time all our family members were feasting on mouth-watering turkey). Not quite the Thanksgiving feast that we had planned.

But we made the best of the day . . . together. We spent our time decorating the house for Christmas, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, playing Sesame Street dominos, & putting slips of paper with 5 things that we were each thankful for into our "Thankful Bundt Pan" (it was the best I could come up with on short notice).

Before you feel too sorry for us, Nana did come through for us in the feast department. She & Mimi gathered together all sorts of containers filled with luscious goodies & delivered it to us just before dinner this evening. We ate by candlelight & reminisced about all the things God has done for our family in the past year.

All in all, a perfect day.

SOLD!!!!

Yes, you read the title correctly . . . it says, "SOLD!!!!" Our house, that is.

Here's the funny/Divine details . . .

Way back in the summertime, a house a few blocks away from ours went up for sale. Through strange circumstances, it came to our attention that these people used to own our house back in the day. After meeting them at a neighborhood yard sale, we were informed that they would love to buy our house back, but they needed to sell their house first. And we all know what the housing market has been like lately ~ we were not holding our breath.

For those of you who attend our church, you know that we are in the midst of a Capital Campaign & that the date of the "First Fruits" offering was November 18th. So we made that our new deadline. Just a few weeks ago, we began praying earnestly that God would sell our home before the First Fruits offering.

Sunday morning came & went . . . no sale. On Sunday afternoon, we stopped to gas up the van at Sheetz & noticed that that same house had a "SOLD" sign on it. The questions started to fly ~ "I wonder when it sold?" "I wonder if they're still interested in our house?" "Maybe they've changed their minds & want something different?" We had not heard a word of interest, so we assumed the worst. Oh ye of little faith.

Tonight at dinner, we got the official phonecall. Those same people put in a bid on our house on Friday, but through miscommunications in the office, we were just hearing about it tonight. We fax the papers tomorrow. Our house is SOLD!!!!!

With God all things are possible!!!!

Say "Cheese"

I am thoroughly amazed that I did not wake up this morning in the Looney Bin, sporting a straight jacket!!

And this is why . . .

It's been a stressful week. I'll spare you the details & fast-forward to last night. Nana had graciously offered to have the girls' pictures professionally taken & we were all excited about last night's photo session . . . until it actually came time to get the girls ready to go. It was a battle just to get Caleigh in the van. She was inconsolable because Peyton was wearing a "princess" dress & she looked like a boy in her cute little pants & turtleneck. Once we navigated our way through that drama, we then drove the 45 minutes to the studio. Much to my surprise, the girls did great!! They followed the photographer's instructions perfectly & were really hamming it up!! Great smiles, great poses, great pictures. An outfit change and an hour later, we asked the photographer what we had for pictures so far, since the girls were starting to wear down. Now, get ready, because here it comes . . . the flash had not gone off for a single picture!!! Every picture was black!!!

Needless to say, we will be receiving a $130+ photo package for free, but that also means that we will have to go through Picture Night again in a week and a half.

Calgon, take me away!!!

Deperate Seminary Housewife

It's Sunday night & I'm looking on as my wonderful husband & sweet little girl build a princess castle out of blocks. They are storing up special moments that will hopefully get each of them through the week.

Jason has another major paper due on Thursday, so this is how our week will go (if all goes as planned ~ ha ha):

Monday ~ Jason leaves for work early in the morning & then goes straight from work to the library until 10 pm.

Tuesday ~ Jason leaves for work early, comes home at 12:30 for lunch & then heads off to class until 9:30 pm.

Wednesday ~ Jason leaves for work early. Before he gets home, the girls & I will have already left for dinner at church, nursery, & Cubbies. We'll get back home around 9:30 pm.

Thursday ~ Jason will be in class from 8:15 am to 3 pm. The girls & I will be leaving right after dinner to have some pictures taken (thanks to Nana).

Friday ~ Jason will be working half a day. As soon as he gets home, I'll leave for work.

So we Dickinson girls will be on our own this week. We live for the weekends, the time when we truly do store up special moments with Jason that will last us until we get time with him again the next weekend. It's an adjustment. We're used to having him around & accessible A LOT! But we're learning to treasure every moment that we do have together.

We have had some great examples of the goodness of God this weekend. As many of you know, the oil heater at the house we're selling was leaking water. There were many possibilities of what it could have been ~ ranging from $10 to $3000! We were envisioning the worst! A friend from church (who is very knowledgeable in this area) met Jason at the house on Saturday to help him tackle the project. And much to our amazement, it was just a $10 gasket!!! The part has been replaced & everything is working great!! God is good!

As if that weren't enough to praise Him about, through the generosity of a fellow brother & sister in Christ, our mortgage for November has been paid!! And we all breathe a collective sigh of relief. *sigh* But it gets better . . .

Family members have graciously provided the money to buy the oil that we need for the house so we can keep the pipes from freezing!!

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {Or 'How shall we heat our house or pay our mortgage?'} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well {along with multiplied diapers, free babysitters, and Christmas presents you forgot you bought last year}. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow {or next month or next semester}, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

There is no human reason why we should still be surviving. We've been here at the seminary for almost 5 months with an unsold house. The numbers never add up ~ the money going out is always greater then the money coming in. But God's ways aren't man's ways. Thank goodness!!

Epiphany & Multiplied Diapers

It was the best of weekends. It was the worst of weekends.

The space this blog affords would not lend space enough to even be able to begin to explain the depth of emotion & spiritual stretching we received this weekend. Suffice it to say, Satan has been working overtime on our family. The spark that ignited the wildfire started on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after finishing up a depressing round of bill-paying (or non-paying, as is often the case), a friend called to let us know that he discovered a leak at our house {you know, the house that we no longer live in, but still own & are still paying expenses for . . . yeah, that's the house}.

After being at the house, not being able to fix the leak, & discovering another leak, we staggered into church on Sunday morning feeling spiritually battered & bruised. In the privacy of our own home, we had thrown around words like "abandoned" & "quit." There was nothing left to do, nothing left to say, nothing left to give. We were wounded soldiers.

Sunday's sermon was on cross-bearing.

"Some of you have heavy crosses to bear. You're feeling ABANDONED and you're being asked to TRUST."

Afterwards, we took communion. Now, I don't know what your personal, typical pre-communion moments are like, but mine are usually a good deal of confession, followed by an even greater deal of thanksgiving. But as I stood there, only one thing kept playing in my mind. It was a song that we have been practicing for worship team, called "You Are God Alone." The song talks about how God is God & He doesn't rely on humans for anything & doesn't need anything we can give Him. There is a line from that song that struck a cord with me & I have often thought about & was the only thing I could say to Him.

"You are God. That's just the way it is."

It was my prayer of acceptance. I may not always like it & it doesn't always feel good, but that's just the way it is.

It took about two days to process all our thoughts, feelings, & advice of friends & loved-ones. Finally, over lunch on Tuesday, our epiphany came to light.

Do we belong here at seminary? YES!! Are we exactly where the Lord wants us? YES!! So what's going on? Is this a test from God? A refining process? Or is this the work of Satan? The devil just digging in his fangs? It's both. Satan wants us to fail. The last thing he needs is an on-fire, fully-devoted couple going about doing the Lord's work. Perhaps that's why the house hasn't sold yet. It would be so incredibly easy for us to turn tail & run. After all, we already own a home. Jason's bosses left a wide open invitation to return to work at any time. We could go right back to life as usual & forget this whole ministry thing. But what Satan just can't seem to understand (and you'd think he would get it after thousands of years) is that if he keeps pushing, & pushing, & pushing & we don't fail, then we come out stronger on the other side & God has two more powerful warriors than He had before.

What Satan meant for evil, God meant for good.


So there's the epiphany. Now here's a cool story:

Yesterday we were running low on diapers. And I mean, really low! I mentioned something about it to Jason & that I was planning on heading to Walmart after dinner (if Peyton could last that long). A few minutes later, Jason came down the stairs with a full box of White Cloud size 4 diapers!! Now, those of you who know me, know that I am an organizational freak! All extra diapers are kept in the linen closet, third shelf from the bottom. He found these diapers under the bed!!! Sometimes He multiplies money in your pockets, sometimes He multiplies diapers under the bed!! :)

New Pics

Praise the Lord!!! It's Friday!! The weekend is in sight!!

Here are some recent pics of our family. Would post more, but my munchkins are starting to stir.

Winning the Battle

It's Wednesday morning & we're winning the battle!!! Satan has tried some of his best moves to rob our joy, but it's not working!!

Jason has been MIA all week due to a 10-page paper that he has to turn in tomorrow, so I've been getting a crash course in Single Parenting 101.

The girls have been battling a stomach virus that has left Peyton's behind looking rather war-torn & Mommy feeling more like a nurse with each passing hour.

Not to mention that this weekend we turn the clocks back one hour. Have you ever tried to add an hour of sleep into a toddler's day?? Not an easy task. So I've been pushing bedtime back 10 minutes every day in preparation for Saturday (in the hopes that Jason & I will be able to get some much-needed rest). However, that precious 10 minutes does not seem to be translating into morning wake-up time :(

But that's okay! I came across a verse this morning in my devotions & personalized it to fit my particular circumstance.

"The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched (sleep-deprived) land & will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden (well-rested Mommy), like a spring whose waters never fail (a woman whose Savior never sleeps)."

Life's still good :)

Lessons from VeggieTales

So there I was on Saturday night, driving home from the Ladies Banquet in my mini-van with my 2 toddlers in the back.

{Let me interject here that some of the ladies in our church are participating in a Bible study called "40 Days of Community." As one of their projects, they decided to reach out to a family in our church that was in need. And who do you think that lucky family was?? Needless to say, it was mine. These ladies graciously put together an absolutely AMAZING care package for the 4 of us. And among all the incredible gifts was the VeggieTale "Gideon" video ~ a new family favorite.}

Back to Saturday night . . . the girls were in the back of the van watching "Gideon" on the DVD & I was driving, mulling over all sorts of life stuff. I wasn't feeling downcast per se, but seminary life is a challege ~ the house is unsold, Jason's time is very limited, my devotions are giving me more to chew on then ever before ~ my mind was full. As I sat in my own little world, something (or Someone) brought my attention to the video (now mind you, every time we are in the van, the girls are watching some sort of video & thus, I have gotten very good at tuning it out). What I heard was a very touching conversation between Pa Grape (dressed like an angel) and Larry the Cucumber (dressed as Gideon). It is right before Gideon is to face the Midianites in battle & the angel comes to offer some encouragement. The conversation goes something like this (& forgive me, all you VeggieTale die-hards, if I don't have it 100% correct . . . I'm doing this from memory):

Gideon: Do you ever have trouble trusting God?

Angel: Me? No. I see Him everyday. I know how glorious He is. I know He never breaks His promise. I also know how much He loves you ~ He told me.

The conversation goes on & the angel adds:

"It's easy for an angel to trust God. But you have faith in something you've never even seen. I admire that."

And then the angel ends the conversation with:

"Trust Him, Gideon. He'll never let you down."

I'm telling you, Pa Grape might as well have been talking to me! My heart was so encouraged. It still makes me giggle a little.

I guess adults can learn from talking vegetables :)

Slightly Disappointed & Whole-heartedly Encouraged

So I started that new book I had mentioned earlier (I see no reason to mention it by name here, as I am getting ready to run it into the ground). I feel that I gave it it's due time & opportunity to leave a lasting impact. However, I found myself slightly disappointed. It seemed as though chapter after chapter was about saying "no" to everyone & everything, taking time out for yourself, & being in tune with your "needs." And while I appreciate the sentiment & agree that being overcommitted can be detrimental, it just seemed impractical . . . especially for me.

I went out with a friend on Thursday night & bounced some of my feelings & thoughts off of her. Let's face it ~~ I'm currently a seminary wife & soon-to-be pastor's wife . . . life ain't slowing down anytime soon!! So do I sit around lamenting the fact that I have no "ME Time," or am I grateful for the moment's I have (such as now, when my girls are sleeping in a bit) & live the rest of my moments by the grace of God, knowing that this is the life He has called me to?

I'm so sick of hearing about "margin" ~~ the concept that if my responsibilities outweigh my strengths, then I need to eliminate some responsibilities. Hello!! I'm a seminary wife with 2 children under the age of 3!! Of course my responsibilities outweigh my strengths . . . my human strengths, that is. Everyone seems to conveniently forget that God promises, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They will run & not grow weary. They will walk & not faint." So maybe instead of spending my free time pursuing a hobby of some sort, perhaps I should spend more of those moments waiting on the Lord, since that is what renews my strength.

Okay, enough of my soapbox. I picked up 2 new books that I've been thoroughly enjoying. As a mom, I can only read schnippets of chapters at a time & in this case, that's a good thing. The author packs so much thought-provoking content in each chapter that I can only handle a schnippet at a time! The books are When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy & Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life ~ both by John Piper.

Anyway, the girls are awake & I'm off to selflessly minister to my children. I'm sleep-deprived & overworked. I guess it's a good thing I don't live by margin, otherwise I'd have to cross them off my list!!! So I guess it's off to real life by the grace of God . . .

Laundry, Doctor's Appointments, & Unexpected Blessings

So it's Laundry Day here at the OK Corral & I thought maybe I should take a few moments to update my faithful readers on some struggles, some blessings, & some overall musings.

I'm doing laundry fast & furiously today because I have somehow gotten behind on it & I swore I would not let that happen. But, low & behold, as I passed each of the 3 laundry baskets this morning, I couldn't help but noticed they were full to overflowing! But not to worry, things are under control & the 4th load is spinning as I type :)

There have been a few rough days this week. We are still feeling the effects of a complete "life overhaul." For example, in my pre-seminary life I used to meal plan & grocery shop for an entire month at a time. I could do that because our schedule was fairly predictable & we have the financial resources for such an excursion. Having such a plan in place allowed me more free time as I was not running to the grocery store on a weekly basis. However, such is not the case anymore. I'm lucky if I know in the morning what we will have for dinner that evening!! Our financial state is such that I find myself at the market at least 3 times a week! At the market 3 times a week with 2 kids who either have to pee or take a nap long before the trip is over.

I am also starting to feel the true tinyness of our home. When everything is cleaned up & in its proper place, our home feels almost spacious (almost). But as soon as something out of the ordinary is added to the mix (like bins of clothes for the cold weather switch or a bag of stuff for Goodwill or even a new toy), the house seems to shrink by leaps & bounds!! I've been meaning to get out some new fall candles that I have packed away, but that would mean attempting to dig out the candle bin from the bottom of our walk-in closet -- the closet that has become the catch-all for everything that doesn't have an assigned spot. No thanks.

Before we left for seminary, I would have considered myself a very organized mom. A place for everything & everything in its place. But our current situation is truly putting my organizational skills to the test. It is a struggle everyday to arrange things so that we are not tripping over each other all day long!

But through it all, we are also experiencing the amazing effects of God working miracles everyday on our behalf. Here's just a small example -- the girls have their health insurance through the state. A woman from the Department of Welfare called me up & told me that I needed to chose a primary care physician. She read off a list of names & asked me to pick one. I had absolutely no information about any of these doctors! I breathed a quick prayer asking God to help me pick the right one. So on Tuesday, we headed off to the mysterious Dr. G.'s office. It turns out that the office is a Christian-run practice & all the doctors are believers!!! I could not have asked for more!

And that's just me. Jason is experiencing his own set of trials. He is feeling very overwhelmed by all the work that is coming up in the next few weeks. Seminary would be a lot easier for him without a wife & 2 kids. But God called us here at this time in our lives for a purpose. We are just trying not to "grow weary in well-doing."

Fall is Here!!!

Enjoy these pics from the Dickinson Girls Annual Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza!!

A New Perspective

Thanks for the advice, girls! As I was baking some apple crisp last night in anticipation of Jason coming home from class & needing a snack, it suddenly dawned on me . . . we've only been in seminary for a month! I'm being much too hard on myself. It's okay if I don't have everything flowing perfectly ~ we'll get there. We'll be back to the well-oiled machine we once were in no time (okay, maybe not well-oiled, but at least functional).

I've been reading Ravi Zacharias' book The Grand Weaver. It's a great book, & I am enjoying it. However, I don't think it's giving me the practical advice that I am in such desperate need of right now. But, as my true friends know, I'm a perfectionist . . . every fiber of my being is saying, "You CAN'T start a new book without finishing the old one first!!!!" However, my common sense is going to win this battle. I just started Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life. It was the back of the book that drew me in . . .

"While juggling kids, errands, jobs, relationships, & church activities, many moms don't realize that their value is found not in what they do but in who they are. If this is you, & your energy runs out long before your day comes to an end, then maybe it's time to take a break & breathe."

Hmm . . .

The Bad Mommy Award

So . . . I have officially given up all delusions that I can do it all. And not just that I can do it all (let's face it, I may still have to do it all), but that I can do it all without losing my mind, my marbles, or my temper.

I've been going strong now for weeks since Jason started seminary. There are the usual household responsibilities ~ cleaning, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. But the over-achiever in me just can't leave well enough alone. I have to research cookbooks in my spare time (ha ha) to fulfill my goal of trying out one new recipe every week. I feel as though it's my personal responsibility to make sure that everyone is not only healthy, but also happy. Then there's taking care of the girls, which all you moms know is a full-time job. But I have decided to go above & beyond that call of duty & homeschool Caleigh for pre-school this year. Which basically means that I spend 3 nights a week making lesson plans (granted, they're not rocket science, but they do require a lot of creativity). Then you add all the miscellaneous activities to the mix ~ family obligations on both sides, worship team practice, nursery duty, Cubbies team color night, Bible study, 2 part-time jobs . . . arghhhhhh!!!

Well, needless to say, last night was the breaking point. We often tease our youngest daughter, Peyton of "hitting the wall" every night. She can be going strong, playing with her sister, happy as a clam . . . then all of the sudden, one thing will not go her way & she instantly melts & life just stinks!! I hit my wall last night. I was having a face-off with Peyton because she wouldn't say "thank you" when I gave her her juice. No thank you . . . no juice. We had been battling it out for a good half hour, which mostly consisted of me muttering under my breath & her sobbing uncontrollably. Since this was the 2nd time we had faced-off over such ridiculousness in the past hour, I had had enough!! I hit my limit, looked at Peyton, & said, "Fine!! Just take it!! I don't care if you never say thank you. Just stop crying!!!!!" That certainly was not one of my finer moments.

Next comes the analysis . . . what can I do/change to safeguard from one of those moments happening again? I'm not really sure. I took the first step & had myself in bed before 9 o'clock last night. I know that everything looks a little bit better after a good night of sleep. However, if sleep could cure everything, I'd never get out of bed!!! I still feel a bit of the leftover frazzled-ness today. Not really sure how to get over that. Any suggestions??

The Good Life

If you're visiting our blog, chances are you know our story. And if you know our story, you may be asking yourself what is possibly so "good" about this life. I'll tell you what . . . EVERYTHING!!! Especially the two little girls who are in this life!


Okay, so things have been a little bit hectic. Jason started his classes last week & the first day was quite an experience for me. He went to work all morning & then to class all afternoon. After his first class, he came waltzing down the hill for his dinner break, completely forgetting that he needed to be in the library for his Seminary Research class. The girls caught sight of him, only to have him turn around & head right back up the hill. And so ensued about 45 minutes of crying! Later that evening, (after Mommy was in charge of tubbies & bedtime) I had to navigate my way around the emotional trauma of having my 3-year-old saying, "I don't want Daddy to go to school. I don't want to live here. I want to move back to my old house. And I want my dog back!" But we made it through & are developing a new version of normal for all of us.


Jason's classes are good. There's only one that he feels is going to be the "I'm-ready-to-go-right-over-the-edge" class. He has to write six 6-8 page papers for this class, but is only given the topic the week before. That has him a bit frazzled. All in all, his classes are great. He really enjoys the subject matter & his professors.

Meanwhile, the girls & I are enjoying our "new" life. Peyton is walking all the time now & loves to explore (read "get into trouble"). I'm homeschooling Caleigh for preschool & we LOVE the time we get to spend together. I am also learning to take pleasure in the little things. Like this picture of the girls . . . what you can't see is that they're both sporting their new rainboots.

Our family still needs your prayers. The house is still for sale, & although there's been lots of activity on it lately, nothing has materialized.

But life is still good. God's still on the throne. And He knows the plans He has for us.

The Long Haul

The day is finally here. The day that we have been preparing for this entire past year. It is Jason's first official day of seminary!!!! And it's going to be a long one! He decided to get some hours in at work so he is there from 8 to 12. Then he will be in class from 3 til 9:30. But he is really looking forward to it. His 2 classes today are The Pentateuch & Joshua and Personal Foundations for Ministry. When I talked to him this morning, he was more excited than nervous.

I, however, am nervous. Today is my first day as a "seminary widow." I realize that this is just the beginning of deadlines, late nights, & no time.

It will be an adjustment for everyone, especially the girls. I tried to prepare Caleigh for the fact that Daddy wasn't going to be home at bedtime. She was less than happy about that, but she'll adjust.

We are very happy to report that Jason got an 'A' on his summer course. We are hoping that it is the very of many 'A's'.

Keep praying for the sale of our house. We haven't heard anything about the open house we had on Sunday.

More later . . . .

Family Update

First let me apologize to my faithful readers for being so slow getting new updates posted. I know there are many of you who like to be kept up-to-date.

Things are going very well here in Myerstown. We are finally starting to feel like this is home. Jason has started his job & seems to be enjoying it. There are plenty of hours for him to work, so we praise the Lord for that. We just got our new car (new to us), so that has been a big help.

Jason just finished his first summer course on Monday. It was a seminary writing course & he really enjoyed it. It was definitely worth every penny we paid. He learned so much about what his professors will be expecting & how long it should take him to write a paper. We're just waiting for his final score, but he feels pretty confident.

The girls are doing very well. Peyton has been having a rough couple of days. She is getting 3 teeth & she is MISERABLE. We've been trying to be understanding & give her a little extra love & patiece, but when she's clutching your leg, screaming (as she has been for the last 2 hours), & you're trying to make dinner, patience is a little hard to come by!! Other than that, she's great! Two nights ago, she walked from the kitchen sink to the middle of the livingroom all by herself!


Caleigh's doing pretty well. She's been having a little trouble adjusting to being without Livvy. She will mention Livvy every couple of days. At first, she would cry . . . A LOT. But now, we usually just have to say that we miss Livvy & then pray for her. We are checking with someone at the school as to whether we would be able to get Caleigh a hamster for her birthday next week (since we're technically not allowed to have pets). We thought that would help her get over Livvy. Caleigh will also be starting a homeschool pre-school curriculum in September. I've been working on getting some of her lessons ready & am really looking forward to teaching her.


As for me, I'm actually starting to enjoy life here. I've found some markets & some stores that I like to frequent (The Salvation Army is my favorite!), so it's starting to feel more like home. I just got a job working every Friday afternoon as a receptionist at a local chiropractor's office. I start tomorrow & am really looking forward to it! It will be a little extra income for the family & a chance for me to get out of the house & have some adult conversation.

Please keep praying for us. A couple saw our house on Tuesday night. Their realtor said that they really liked it & would like to put in a bid, but their numbers are low. That same realtor was showing our house to another couple last night.

Also pray for our health insurance situation. We applied to get CHIP for the girls & we're told that we were better qualified for Medicaid, so pray that we can get that application processed soon!!!

The Lord continues to faithfully provide for our every need, at just the right moment. We have no doubt that He will continue to do so as we serve Him here at the seminary.

"The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Ahhh, finally . . . a few moments from the crazy busyness of life to update my blog. I know that many of you have been wondering where we've been & what we've been up to. Well, step into the life of the Dickinsons & I'll tell you all about it . . .



We just got back last Saturday night from the most AWESOME vacation EVER!!!!! We headed up to our family cabin in the Poconos for a week of relaxation & recharge before seminary classes started. As a "thanks for everything," we took our wonderful friends, the Nygards & their 3 kids. What a fantastic week!!! We arrived late on Sunday night. It poured most of the day on Monday, but we did get a chance to head out to the world famous American Candle Factory.



Tuesday was absolutely gorgeous, so we took the kids & a picnic lunch to the beach. The kids had a great time building a sand castle with quite possibly the most elaborate moat I've ever seen.


That night, we built a campfire, roasted marshmallows, & enjoyed partaking in general silliness. Evan was, by far, the expert Marshmallow Roaster!


On Thursday, in celebration of Heather's birthday, we took the kids to Claws 'N Paws Animal Park. The kids had a great time learning about all sorts of different animals. They had the opportunity to feed & pet goats, deer, & sheep, as well as petting tortoises, & feeding the zoo's beautiful giraffe, Twigga.


Other highlights of our week included pizza at Alfredo's, a lesson in pretzel-making at Callie's Pretzel Factory, & a rousing game of Dutch Blitz with Kris, the sloppy Blitz player.

We were sad to leave (just ask Isaiah), but are counting the days until we can go back again next year.

As for our life at Evangelical, Jason official started his first class this week. It has been one of our most difficult weeks, but also one of our most rewarding. The Lord provided Jason with a part-time job doing estimating work. It does not offer health benefits, but it gives him plenty of hours & pays well. Jason is loving his class & is learning a lot. God also provided a 2nd car for us that Jason is picking up at this very moment. The car was offered to us at only $100!! (It's worth well over than that!) Thank you to the family members who purchased this car for us & got it road worthy! But perhaps the biggest praise came just yesterday . . .

I received the bill for Jason's first semester . . . due on the 21st. After student loans were applied, we still owed over $900. We only had about half of that after paying yet another month's mortgage. I went to bed on Thursday night begging the Lord to provide. On Friday afternoon, I received a revised school bill in the mail with $1000 credit added to our account!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We don't have to pay a dime this semester! The Lord is faithful!!

But, of course, Satan just can't leave well-enough alone. Please continue praying for us. Jason & I have both been very under the weather this week. Also, we cannot apply for CHIP for the girls until Jason gets his first paycheck. Please pray for God's protection over our girls while we are without health insurance. And, as also, pray that our house will sell soon!!!!

A Whole New World

I know there are so many of you who have been following our family's "Great Adventure." (Even though you don't leave me any comments ~ that's okay . . . I'm not bitter!!!)

You will be thrilled to know that we are now official residents of Myerstown!! The move was exciting, a bit tearful, but ~ overall ~ uneventful. We loaded up the truck on Sunday night ~ an event that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. I think we finally got to bed sometime around 3 am (of course, that was after we put together Caleigh's Dora big wheel . . . her "welcome to your new house" surprise). We had a hard time explaining to Caleigh why everything was being loaded onto the truck, but we thought she understood. WRONG!!!! We thought we would be wise & wait until after she went to bed to empty the playroom of all her toys & get them loaded into the truck. In the morning, when she walked into the empty playroom for the first time, she got herself so worked up that she immediately began vomiting!!! It took a long time to settle her down. She never really did seem like her old self again until a few days in the new house.




We got to Myerstown around 11 on Monday morning & the first words out of Caleigh's mouth were, "Look, my new swingset." We knew that was a good sign! It was a very busy day, but we had a lot of friends & family there to help & support us. Because of all the planning we did ahead of time, it didn't take long to find a place for everything. The last box was unpacked & hauled off to the dumpster by Thursday. For those of you who enjoy decorating, look for pics of my new house coming soon!

As you can see, the smiles returned rather quickly & we have started thinking of this as our new home. Here, Daddy & Caleigh are goofing off & enjoying a cookie pie made by Miss Sarah.

We tried to make sure that the girls had lots of new outside toys to greet them at this new place. Their new pool is one of their favorite additions & here is Peyton thoroughly enjoying herself!!!


One week after the move, I had the awesome opportunity to show my jewelry at "Arts on the Avenue" which is part of Philadelphia's Welcome America Fourth of July celebration. They close down Broad Street, starting at City Hall for about a mile. Then they line the street with tents of vendors, ending with a main stage ~ this particular night's entertainment featured Branford Marsalais. It was thrilling!!!! I was very proud of myself, as becoming a vendor is by invitation only. As I drove down Broad Street, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of podunk, backwoods girl meets big city!! We passed my tent & I practically passed out!!! We had an awesome night & I made tons of contacts. Here are some pics from the night . . .



You can check out some of my stuff at www.morganmariedesigns.etsy.com


So now things are finally starting to settle down. For those of you who have been following the "Great Adventure," please continue to pray for our family. Our buyer backed out of the deal to buy our home & so our house is still on the market. Obviously we cannot continue to pay the mortgage & the rent on both places for much longer, so we really need to sell. Also, Jason still has not found a new job here in Myerstown. He is still employed currently, but will not be able to continue once his first class starts at the end of this month.

But God is good & He will provide!! And we just can't wait to tell you how He does it!

We will keep you updated!!!!