SSMTC 2012

I just want y'all to know that I'm still in my robe - which is standard for a Monday morning - and Annabeth is wearing a light pink leotard with a red and white tutu and hot pink leg warmers. We are kicking off the week in style. Did I tell you that Annabeth once asked me if my robe was my "dress ups"?  She is a hilarious child.

I'm here to give a little recap of this weekend but there's no way to do it justice. My dear friend Janelle came down from Irving and we got to hang out all weekend for the Siesta Scripture Memory Team Celebration that my mom hosted. It was so good to have quality time with her. Melanie and Sophie were also here and we got to stay with them on Friday night. What a blast. The awkward, absurd, and flat out hilarious moments abounded and so did the guacamole. We found the world's best - I kid you not - at Escalante's on Westheimer. I have no words, only pictures.

This is the dinner we all shared. It redeemed some of the meals I shared with Sophie in Melanie in Ecuador. Obviously, healthy eating was put on pause for about 24 hours.

I've never loved Melanie more because she embraced the awkward and took one for Team Moore a couple of times. It just so happens that Melanie and my sister are both very slender, tall, stylish, and beautiful with long brown hair. Out of the corner of my eye I sometimes mistake one for the other. There were a couple of times when people approached her and it was very unclear if they knew they were talking to the ultra fabulous uber-blogger Big Mama or the equally fabulous scholar of ancient biblical languages and sister of mine, @MisFitz77. Bless Mel's heart. She was so, so gracious and tried keep "Melissa" from appearing too aloof. It was the gift that kept giving.

One of my favorite things was that I had lots of people ask about As Our Own and Compassion. As Our Own even had a display in the foyer as part of HFBC's missions expo. That was such cool timing. I'm not much of a blogger these days, but if I can do anything to connect people with how they can help vulnerable children in Jesus's name, I will keep trying. (Lord, help me.)

My mom taught from 2 John and she brought it. Travis and Angela Cottrell and their team led us in worship, which was awesome.

This picture is for my friend Charity in Wales. I missed her very much this weekend. This is Siesta Cindy, who just moved back to the U.S. after being in the U.K. for several years. She was precious.

Lots of Siestas visited our church on Sunday morning and that was a lot of fun. We came very, very close to maxing out the chapel. I think you could have counted the empty chairs on your fingers. Curtis was on fire while he preached and I was just sitting there thinking, "This is my husband." I'm so in awe of Jesus.

Speaking of church, I have been really blessed by a blog by Christine Hoover for church planting wives called Grace Covers Me. We did a little interview for her blog if you want to check it out (here and here).

She Wanted Breakfast Tacos

I'm feeling much better about life thanks to all of your encouragement and "Me too!" comments on my last post. Thank you, friends. Our house is looking a lot better today and I'm so grateful. I put out some of the fun little "pretties" I got for Christmas from Anthropologie and they're very cheerful. If you don't like bold colors, you should probably not come over. Just saying.

So yesterday I took back a bowl and some jeans from Anthro that I had been given. The bowl arrived broken and the zipper had fallen right off the jeans. They gave me a gift card for what they were worth and then I went on the hunt through the store to find the same jeans. I couldn't find my size, so a sales lady brought me some from the back. I grabbed a couple more things and went to check out. The jeans rang up at $9.

NINE DOLLARS.

The lady checking me out was in shock because the tag clearly said "A lot more than $9." But apparently the computer was just dying to give me a major discount. I thought they would fix it and charge the full amount, but the sales ladies just basically said, "Rock on! It's your lucky day!" and congratulated me on my good deal. How awesome is that?

This is a very random turn to take, but this morning I was in my room getting all the laundry folded and Annabeth was watching 'Punzel in the living room. When I finished, I came out and found that she was in the back yard with two cartons of eggs she had taken out of the fridge. She had also been playing with tortillas. I guess I can't blame her for wanting to make breakfast tacos. But it was just the perfect story to share after my last post.

Okay, one of my besties is arriving any minute. Gotta go! Happy Friday, peeps.

Guess What, Guys!?

I do not have it all together.

Today I'm lamenting the fact that I can't get every part of my life under control. No matter how hard I try, there's always (at least) one part of me spinning off into chaos. It could be something like my schedule, my avoidance of cooking, my spending habits, or my overuse of the computer.

During the holidays I ate like I was about to go into hibernation and now I'm working out and eating right to try to get my body back in order. I'm even cooking healthy meals! Now that I feel in control there, I'll swear if I cannot get a grip on this house. Is it just the reality of having a five and two-year-old? Or am I a failure as a woman? That's what it feels like.

Confession: we just took our artificial Christmas tree down last night. Curtis and I were sort of waiting each other out, hoping the other would make the first move. Now everything is in boxes, but those boxes are still in the hallway. Ahhhhhhhh! Laundry is everywhere and all the kids'  new toys are spread throughout the house. I haven't seen the surface of my desk in several months because I just pile things on top of it until I can't take it anymore. I just want my house in order, but as long as we're living in it, it will never be! If I could get 48 hours alone in these four walls, I think I could get it under control. But I don't know how to keep it that way when it takes 5 minutes or less for the kids to utterly destroy it.

Does anyone know the secret of having it all together? If so, please share. In the meantime, I'll just be watching Hoarders to scare myself into getting organized.

Happy New Year! (And a 2011 Recap)

Thirteen days into 2012, is it too late to do an end of 2011 survey? I just saw this on Rage Against the Minivan and thought it was such a great idea. Thanks, Kristen.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

Plant a church!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

There was one big one that I really failed out. The other one was to stop freaking out. I at least made some headway on that one. I don't have any major resolutions this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister-in-law, Lindsay, had a baby girl named Ava - my one and only niece! She's a doll.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No one truly close to me died. My great-uncle passed the week Jackson started kindergarten, and while I didn't know him well, his life had a very big impact on everyone in our family.

5. What countries did you visit?

I got to visit Ecuador with Compassion and some friends I met on the Internet. I fell in love with that beautiful country and its people. Los Angeles is technically not a different country, but in August I spent several days serving at the Dream Center with an amazing group of women. I would love to go back with a team from our church.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

I can't really think of anything. 2011 was kind to me. On second thought, I would like more patience with my kids.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 26 was the night we hosted a dinner for a group of friends to share our vision for Bayou City Fellowship.

September 11 was the day our church launched publicly.

8. What was your biggest achievement for the year?

Sending Jackson to kindergarten and adjusting to life with a kid in school every day. I also started a new habit of waking up at 6 AM on weekdays to have my quiet time. This has been an amazing change in my life.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I wasted a lot of time messing around on the computer.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I struggled with anxiety but I'm dealing with it effectively now. Thank You, Jesus.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Two baseball gloves.

12. Where did most of your money go?

My Jeep kicked the bucket and we bought a new (to me) car.

13. What did you get really excited about?

My friends Angela and Alicia moving to Houston to help us start BCF.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

"Overcome" by New Life Worship.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
-Happier or sadder?

Happier!

-Thinner or fatter?

My goal for 2012 is to find balance here. I was at different times thinner and fatter than I needed to be in 2011.

-Richer or poorer?

Same.

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Cook dinner for my family.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Hold grudges.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

On Christmas Eve our church held an outdoor service. We knew the building we meet in wasn't going to have power due to construction going on over the holidays, so we decided to have it outside. It ended up being very cold and wet that night, but we stayed (mostly) dry under an overhang. Everything about it was inconvenient for us, but so was everything that happened in the Christmas story. Hello, Mary gave birth in a stable. As Curtis said, we may never do it that way again, but we will always remember it. It was a very sweet night and I'll never forget this:

We had Christmas Eve dinner with our dear friends, the Steffens. Christmas morning was at our home and we spent the rest of the day at my parents' house. That night we packed up for our trip to Missouri.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

We got rid of cable about a year and a half ago and use Netflix, but I really miss 20/20, as dorky as that sounds. If I had a favorite show (not an endorsement) it would be Parks and Recreation.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis 

21. What was your favorite music this year?

Hillsong, Hillsong United, Passion 2011

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

The Help, Sherlock Holmes

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 32 in October. The night of my birthday, my mom cooked dinner for me and we had a little fiesta at her house.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Being with Jesus.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Ha! I guess you could say I plunged deeply into the equestrian look with my tall brown boots and a green velvet blazer I got from Banana Republic like 7 years ago.

26. What kept you sane?

See number 10. Also, LOTS of people praying for us.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

When someone says something to me out of their flesh or lack of faith, I can choose to stay in the spirit and continue believing God. I don't have to descend into a pit. I got to practice this a lot. :)