Q & A

Here are some questions and answers from last week's post. I hope I didn't miss any!

So what does the new do look like???? :)

Since the only people who mentioned it have been readers of this blog, I’ve concluded that it hardly looks different at all. It’s a tad darker, but not much.

I noticed where Melissa's getting married wasn't listed and I can imagine why. Smart move. Don't need any wedding crashers.

When Curt and I got married, our wedding coordinator’s biggest fear was that a tour bus was going to show up with a bunch of people we didn’t know. (For the record, no one in my family really thought that was going to happen.) Sure enough, on the big day a tour bus rolled in to the church parking lot. Peggy was horrified. She sent her son TJ to go handle the wedding crashers. He approached the bus, ready to handle it all, and they turned out to be a senior citizen tour group who could care less about us and our wedding. Ha ha!

I have a teenage daughter and would love to know a little more about the boundaries you had as a teenager. (Movies? Dating? MySpace?)

You know, I wrote a very long and detailed reply to this and then decided not to post it. Every kid is so different. What worked for my parents and me won’t necessarily work for you and your daughter. On the other hand, what didn’t work for us might work for you. That’s where parents have to be Spirit-led. Even though my parents set good and firm boundaries for me, by the end of high school I was breaking them outright and hiding it very well. When I was younger, I suppose my well being had a lot to do with the effectiveness of their rules. But in the end, it was all about the spiritual state of my heart and my character.

As for MySpace and other Internet issues, I would recommend for any parent to get familiar with Vicki Courtney’s ministry and get their hands on her book, Logged On and Tuned Out. My impression of MySpace is very negative. I don’t think teenagers have the wisdom to operate something like that while being safe and keeping their integrity. But that’s just my humble opinion. MySpace bombards you with seedy adds and invitations. You are always one click away from something nasty.

How did you survive a vacation without Jackson? How did you manage to get away? It is something I really want to do with hubs but I just can't bring myself to leave the kids (3 of 'em). The only night I've ever spent away from them was to be in the hospital having another one...sad, huh? Anyway, I'm on a workout kick myself and would like to plan a trip for next year. Love to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks!

Two things helped me survive four nights away from my child. One, I left Jackson with my parents and I knew he was being well taken care of. (In other words, I knew my mom would completely obsess over him like I do!) Two, we went to an all-inclusive resort where there were no children. It was so great because there weren’t any kids there to make me long for mine. We missed Jackson, but it was (mostly) a happy miss. It was very much needed – probably more than I realized – and I can’t wait to get away with Curt again. It was certainly an investment in our marriage. Plus, it is great to have something to work toward when you’re getting in shape!

What tools do you use for blogging?

Bloglines helps me keep the blogs I read organized. It lets me know when there are new posts to read.
Sitemeter helps me track visits to my blog.
Technorati shows me who is linking to my blog.

How do you make God fun for Jackson? I don't want to make our faith so serious (and yes, I do think that it is that but I want BALANCE). I have 4 kids and I struggle with this.

I think I will have more to say about this in the coming year(s). For now Jackson loves music, so we have a lot of fun jumping around the house to very loud praise songs. We have been watching a Hillsong Kids DVD while we eat breakfast (and I have my quiet time) in the morning. His teacher at mother’s day out has taught all the kids to pump their fist in the air when they say Amen! Jackson does it every single time we pray. Right now I am really praying hard for God to give him a mind to know Him and a heart to love Him.

Since you've moved to the DFW area what are your local addictions?

Mainly, my wonderful friends! Also JD’s Chippery for cookies; Scalini’s and DoubleDave’s for pizza; Northpark, the Galleria, and Southlake Town Square for shopping; specifically the Macy’s in the Galleria or any Nordstrom for my denim addiction; Baby Bliss for the Mister (more for looking than buying); Central Market for lunch and fun on the playground; Breadwinner’s for breakfast or lunch; Society Bakery for mean petit fours; Snuffers for killer cheese fries; La Duni for a girls night out; White Rock Lake Dog Park for taking Beckham swimming; the State Fair for a good corn dog; the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival for lots of fun; Keller’s Drive-In for an amazing burger; and AMC’s The Grand for a movie with Hubs. It’s huge and no one is ever there! On Knox-Henderson we like to hit up all the great stores while walking outside and maybe snagging a hot dog or ice cream at Wild About Harry’s. DFW is great!

What do you miss the most from Houston besides family?

My wonderful friends, my co-workers, and Tuesday night Bible study. Places like Paulie’s for very tasty, beautifully decorated cookies; Star Pizza; Dessert Gallery, where you can play games and drink coffee while eating your cake; Willowbrook Mall just because my mom, sister and I have spent countless hours there together; going on long walks with my mom in the neighborhood where I grew up; the culture of the South Texas coast.

So just to throw a question out there for your Q & A - where did you get your fabulous red coat?

Thank you for calling it fabulous. I got it at Banana Republic back in November.

How about your favorite beauty tip?

I love Benefit’s Benetint because I can get rosy cheeks without having to sit down and do my makeup. It’s just like putting a bit of red food coloring on your face, as weird as that sounds. This works well when I want to look alive but I’m just taking Jackson to MDO or going to the gym. I don’t like to work out with a bunch of makeup clogging my pores.

BTW, are you serious about some of that weird stuff--that is really weird!!

Totally serious.

If I had one question, it would be how do you make friends and keep friendships when you seem so busy, just like we all are?

I have some really wonderful friendships with people I’m busy with. When you are serving somewhere, you develop a bond with others who are serving there, too. That is one big plus to pouring yourself out at your church or in your community. And it never hurts to ask God for meaningful friendships. I specifically asked God to bring me friends to have my babies with and look what happened! Janelle and I were literally in the hospital with our babies at the same time! How’s that for an outright answer to prayer? He cares about those things. Also, think about starting a bunko/bunco (how do you really spell it?) group or something like it. It’s a great way to get to know other women. I must say that I struggle just like everyone else to maintain friendships, especially with friends I don’t get to see very much.


Before I sign off, I want to tell you how much your comments on "A Small Can of Worms" meant to me. I was completely blown away by all the loving and encouraging things you had to say. Thanks for loving on me. And it was very nice to meet so many of you!