HappyGoStuckey

Back to life, back to reality…

April 16, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

Well, we made it! We survived the Master’s Week prep and lived to tell about it. It was touch and go there at the very end when our downstairs AC unit went out with absolutely no warning just 48 hours before our guests arrived. I honestly planned a few last-minute posts before we went out of town, but I ended up spending my last bit of free time haggling with our Home Warranty company to no avail. In the end, some friends lent us a window AC unit for our bedroom, and our local, trusted & reliable AC company was able to temporarily fix our unit so it would work for a few more weeks. (YAY!) so we packed up the family and headed for Mickey’s House! (Stopping by way of my parent’s house and getting to spend time with them on the way down and back!)

Our trip was absolutely WONDERFUL and I have ALL the things to share with you! Photos, Park Re-caps, and a few informative posts on my thoughts on a few things including the new MagicBands and FastPass+ I promise to get to all that soon. In the mean time, I am downloading and sorting the 444 pictures I took on my phone and taking care of a little stomach bug-suffering sweetie. Disney Souvenir– Free Germs. We literally just made it back last night so I’m still processing. And by processing, I mean– unpacking. Or “avoiding unpacking” as my dear husband knows I like to do.

While we were gone though, I took a REAL hiatus from blogging and took to Instagram for occasional trip updates. Now I am back and ready to share a few Misc. things with you.

1. First, Thank you for taking part in the giveaway for a copy of Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom by Lisa-Jo Baker. Heather was the randomly chosen winner of the giveaway, and she will be receiving the book next week. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, Amazon is back in stock– Woohoo! You may click on the (*affiliate) link above to order a copy. It’s pretty fantastic. If you have read the book, can I encourage you to visit the amazon page and leave a review? Amazon reviews are such great tool to spread the word and be sure the book stays in stock.

2. Going in a completely different direction, Do you read Sophie Hudson’s blog, BooMama? Not only is she going to be a Keynote Speaker at Allume this year– YAY!!! But, she is hilarious and also happens to be the author of A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon which came out last year. It is a fun collection of heart-warming stories about family (Southern Family!) and makes for a nice Mother’s Day gift– especially if you too call your Mother, “Mama” and she knows how to make the best buttermilk biscuits ever. Well, Sophie is offering these adorable signed bookplates and the cutest little bookmarks if you plan to buy any of her books for Mother’s Day. Hop on over here to find out how to get one. Also, while you’re over at Sophie’s check out this recent article she wrote about her take on the movie, Frozen. I enjoyed it so much. Especially because we just went on a road trip and our littles happened to watch the movie eight thousand times. HA!

Well, I guess that’s all for today! Happy Wednesday!

Writer. (Five Minute Friday)

April 4, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 5 Comments

When I saw the prompt, I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Writer.” Had it been, Write, I would have felt much more ready to sit down and begin.

But, writer, kinda always scares me. It wasn’t until just before Allume last year that I even referred to myself as such out loud. To my husband. To my Mom. To my best friend. In hushed tones and with the sparkle in my eyes that portrays a secret. A secret delight, to me, but a secret to be kept from everyone else. It was the term I always carried in my heart as one I wanted to apply to me.

Even as a seven year old. I know this because somewhere in my Parent’s Entertainment center lies a dusty VHS tape that reveals that my secret was long carried. A little girl in a fluffy ponytail who’s chin barely sticks above the table’s top holds a pen in one hand and holds down wide-ruled paper with the other. The paper lies in a vinyl Lisa Frank Notebook and holds her secrets.

Her brother, four years older and just recently allowed to carry the huge camcorder on his shoulder… walks around the house shakily recording the evening’s events. He shows my dad in his recliner watching the news. My mom smiling over a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce and me at the table, frowning with concentration.

“Whatcha doin?” He asks.

I glance up, red cheeked and grinning at being discovered.

“Writing.” I mumble.

“Whatcha Writing?” He asks.

“A Story. ” I say pointedly and instinctively pull my hand over the words.

“What’s it about? Let me read it.” He says.

“No!” I laugh. “It’s not finished and you CANNOT see it yet.”

For the record, the piece of notebook paper was never finished. Never found and never read. But the memory is there and it reminds me that going back to the things we’ve always loved and enjoyed can sometimes give us insight into those things that we are passionate about.

It also reminds me that we are all so often so guarded over our words that we miss the opportunity to share them. We see the amazing books being published. The speakers speaking. The “paid” writers writing. And we write… and we feel our words fall flat. The fall flat to us because they “aren’t finished.”

But the stories that are still being told are often the most beautiful.

And in the everyday moments of crazy and wonderful– we see the hints of the back of the tapestry that the Grand Weaver is orchestrating. And we can know… He is still working. We do not yet see where our paths will go.. but we do not navigate them alone.

How wonderful to know that we follow HIM. He GOES BEFORE US. He makes our path straight. He leads us in the way that we should go.

Will you join me in telling the stories that are yet to be finished? In the telling, we can lay those stones of remembrance. The reminders that our God is faithful. He has been. And He will continue to accomplish His purposes in us.

After all, it is HIS story we are telling anyway. Not our own.

Linking up with my favorite community of writers over here at Five Minute Friday.

Dear Charlie’s Mama, (or “How We’re All a Little Surprised by Motherhood”)

April 1, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 9 Comments

Dear Charlie’s Mama,

You and I have shared many things. A 482- mile relocation to a little town in North Carolina. Late night test-prep over coffee and chocolate. When we became friends we were giggly high school girls who snickered in a bus seat at “inside jokes.” Now we are women and wives. And in a few short months, you will add the title, Mama, to your repertoire. You are so suited to this.

You may not always remember that, but I hope you do.

There will be days not too far away when you rock back and forth next to a crib, hold your breath and lay a burrito-like swaddled little boy down. You tuck him in tight and slowly back out of the room– wincing if he makes one little noise that might signal his waking– and thus bringing you back in for round two (or round 17 for that matter.) You will undoubtedly look at him and he will take your very breath away. There is no substitute for the awestruck wonder that takes hold in your heart when you look into that little face and you see it. The mirror like image of yourself and the one you love, staring right back at you in fresh-from-heaven newness of life.

There may be wee hours of the morning when it’s all a little much. The sheer and ultimate exhaustion. The just falling asleep to wake up a short time later. At one point or another, you will realize that it’s always you he wants. Always. And while that’s a wonderfully amazing thing, it’s tough. Sometimes it’s all a little tough. You may feel it best to stay in the house until he’s potty-trained. Don’t do it. You will run out of Paper Towels and Coffee eventually anyway. (You must NOT let yourself run out of coffee.) And, each and every time you brave the outside world with that new little person, you’ll get better at it. And when he has a meltdown in the middle of the toothbrush aisle at Target, just know– you are doing it ALL right. There is nothing you can do to do it better and you are EXACTLY the mom for this job.

There are countless books, blogs, articles and forums on Mothering. Choose wisely, but be familiar with the art of throwing the book back on the shelf and trusting yourself as the expert on Charlie. Mother’s Intuition, or whatever you call it, you are the only mother in the world who can rightfully know what HE needs.

And when you really don’t know what to do, or when you wonder if you’re doing it right, or how you ended up here, I have a little piece of advice for you. Pray. And then,

Go in your kitchen. Turn on the music and Dance. Together. All three of you. Just dance and play and laugh.

And as you dance, remember that life is full of surprises. And Motherhood is full of even more surprises. You might be surprised how hard it is. You might be surprised at how easy it is. You might be surprised as how fast you can wear your regular pants again (Call me, I will celebrate with you.) You might be surprised at how often you find yourself singing over him, just as God’s Word says HE sings over us. You might just be surprised at the renewed love you feel for your Heavenly Father as you look into the face of your own, firstborn son. Some surprises will be frustrating and will produce hot, wet tears of confusion over why “he just won’t sleep… or eat.” You’ll be surprised how in about five minutes, you are packing his lunch for his first day of Kindergarten– that surprise will bring with it a huge lump in your throat. Some surprises will bring you to your knees in gratefulness. Stay there an extra minute and know that as much of a gift that Charlie is to you, you two amazing parents are a gift to him. Every new season will bring new surprises, new challenges and plenty of need to trust the One who gave him to you.

And know that nothing can possibly prepare you for the fact that, in the first five minutes you lock eyes with him, your world will be forever and surprisingly wonderfully changed. I would tell you to take a mental photograph in that moment, but there is absolutely no way you will ever forget it for the rest of your days.

Love,

That crazy friend of yours who can’t wait to hold your baby and love him as you love mine!

*****

I’ve been wanting to write on this subject ever since beginning to read, Lisa Jo Baker’s BRAND NEW (Released TODAY!!) book, Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom

Here’s the beautiful and inspiring trailer– I dare you not to reach for the tissues!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whahbpRd18w]

Lisa Jo’s book is probably the BEST book on Motherhood I’ve read in a long time. Surprised by Motherhood is a beautiful telling of her honest journey to and through Motherhood. It has become my newest book to give to Mamas. Whether a new Mom with a beautiful round expectant tummy, or grandma who has been mothering for 40 years, this book will touch your heart and remind you of the sacred everydayness that is Mothering.

AND, because I LOVE the book, I LOVE her and I LOVE all of you– I have a copy to give away!!! Just comment here for a chance to win by random entry. Giveaway will go for two weeks. I will choose a winner on April 15th– which also happens to be Tax Day– because, frankly Motherhood can be taxing but it’s always worth it!

Buy your copy of Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom TODAY! (affiliate link)

**This post was written for a Kindred-Spirit-Close-friend-family-member of mine– She’s about to embark into the brave new world of Motherhood and I cannot wait to share in her joy!

Small & Mighty (FMF)

March 29, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

I can’t help it. I saw the word “Mighty” as our Five Minute Friday prompt and all I could think of is the ALL Detergent bottle in my laundry room cabinet. “Small & Mighty” it says– “One cap full cleans a whole load!”

A word like mighty and all I can think of is laundry detergent. Maybe that tells a little bit about what my days have been like lately. Lots of laundry. Lots of dirt. Lots of cleaning. Lots of cleaning it again. Not as much “sitting in quiet places” like I would like. Even the somewhat brief but still daily times of quiet have been full of to-do lists and… stuff.

And I feel tired. I feel small. But I do NOT feel mighty. I feel like I’m struggling just to do what needs to be done.

Notice a theme here? I feel. I feel. I feel. I feel.

It’s times like this– when I stop looking UP and I start looking around– that I stop really seeing. All I hear is self-doubt. Questions that sound more like accusations. Wonderings of things I can’t possibly have answers for.

And it only takes a second.

And the great deceiver slips in my thoughts undetected.

And he all but whispers, hissing in my hear. “You can’t… You aren’t… You’re just NOT…. You never will be….”

But today he “came.” he whispered a new lie. Maybe not “new” but new for me. It was a whopper too. A huge accusation of how “everything I’m ‘doing’ just might be a waste and maybe I should…..”

And I was shocked. Shocked at myself. Shocked that he would try that. Why? Because I KNOW THE TRUTH.

That no matter how I might wonder what is in the future– He knows. And He will get us there– and HE KNOWS where I am.

I know that God has placed me here. Right here. Amidst the sippy cups, the smashed goldfish and the beautiful sloppy toddler kisses on my cheek.

HE HAS PLACED ME HERE. Right here. And I love “here.” I absolutely LOVE it.

And this purpose, no matter how small I might feel… is mighty. Not because I can hold two little hands, an oversized bag and the handle of a huge umbrella while we navigate through a parking lot– but because He is MIGHTY.

And I’ll never be forgotten. Because He remembers me. He remembers where I am.

What a thrilling thought! OUR God, who is mighty to save, is with us. In our midst. Beside us.

I feel stronger, don’t you?

Honored to link up with these awesome other Five Minute Friday-ers!

Psst! Our fearless leader, Lisa Jo Baker has a FABULOUS book coming out on Tuesday– Buy it here: Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom

Oh! and because it’s pretty much the BEST book on Motherhood I’ve EVER read you can definitely expect a giveaway next week– so come back ya’ll!!!!!

Fleeting

March 26, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 8 Comments

It really does not take a genius to recognize how brief life is. But, it might just take a mother.

From the brief night’s rest we get to the amount of time it takes for a piping hot cup of coffee to grow cold before we take a third sip and then microwave it yet again– time is moving rapidly.

We see it so clearly in their clothes. Pants that swallowed them in August by early March are capri length and bordering on too tight. The bathing suits they wore last summer which still carry the scent of salt water and fresh air– will lay in the hand me down box until several summers have passed and they are needed again. Seems like a long time from now. Can’t imagine them that grown. Except that the dress little sister wears today.. quite certainly just graced the older one’s 2 year old frame… except now she’s almost five and writes her own name. I struggle to get the winter things ready to come out of their closets… and yet I feel as though I just put them in. But they have been worn. Worn well and kept little arms and legs toasty warm through many a cool day. And now it’s time to pack them up… I remove each shirt, each pair of pants and I wonder… how many times was this worn over the past several months? I wonder if they had fun while wearing them. More importantly, did they notice ME having fun WITH them then? Was I chasing them through the leaves and over the bare grassless yard– or was I watching the clock and wondering if we had stayed outside long enough, because well it’s almost time to get dinner started.

And the shoes, Oh the shoes! Two little girls sure go through a pile of shoes at an alarming rate. Their little feet which have almost too much room in a pair of boots can barely squeeze in one for more day of cool weather. I’m not nearly as concerned about the affect of all this change on our bank account as I am its affect on my heart. Oh, some days this mama’s heart wants so badly to keep them little. I want them to always be small enough to fit completely in my lap.. but already her legs grow long and lanky and almost touch the floor. I want to always be able to stick my head around the corner and see them rolling around and “dog-piling” each other and collapsing into contagious giggles… (until somebody accidentally pulls someone else’s hair– then it’s ON.) I want to remember what their little hands feel like in mine… soft and sweet and pink. It was my own mother who caused me to stop and realize how perfectly sweet their little hands still were. She made a comment about how my own hands were just that way (like five minutes ago) and it struck me– she knows. She knows the joy (and pain) of watching the minutes fly around the clock as you fold up too- little dresses that you swore you bought plenty roomy enough.

Sometimes I’m caught off guard by the rapid pace their little-ness is flying by and I feel it.

That feeling. You know the one, you get a lump in your throat.. a little extra moisture on your palms and you…panic. Maybe just a little– but it’s still anxiety. Worry if you’re doing enough. Are they learning to love God? Do they even REALLY know that I love them? Do they see me reading God’s Word half as much as they catch me reading my twitter feed?

I realize sometimes in the quiet hours of the evening. Hours of reflection, exhaustion, exhaling and regret, maybe? Just a little? A smidge of regret that maybe I spent too much time today on things that didn’t communicate that they are a precious priority. Sometimes it causes me to tip-toe into their rooms, stand by their beds– watch their little chests move up and down for a minute or two. Search their enchanting faces for traces of my tiny babies. Sometimes I find them quickly. Other times I have to search and then I see them. Not so much signs of yesterday but glimpses of tomorrow– when they will be just a tad bit older.

But God is so gracious. And He gives us an entire day at a time. What a gift! And what a responsibility. And a day is both never enough and always just the right amount of time. Time to love them. Time to tell them HE loves them. Time to for goodness sake- teach them to LOVE others. Time to take time looking into their eyes. Listening to their stories. Sitting in the middle of a kitchen floor that desperately needs to be swept just because I know they will both come running and plant their little selves on my lap. If only for a moment. For that moment (and for this one) I am happy to sit amongst the crumbs and be close enough to see the sparkle in their eyes. To read that book even though it’s the long one. To pack up those winter clothes and thank HIM for every day we have had one another. After all, we only get today. And hopefully, tomorrow.

The JOY of being known (FMF)

March 21, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 10 Comments

More than three years ago, we packed up a bright yellow Penske truck with all of our belongings and left all that was familiar. God had called us, and we answered.

Feeling a little bit Abrahamic– we left our town, our friends who were more like family, and everything we thought we knew and moved to a town in Georgia.

A town that for years was nothing more to us than a Starbucks half way between our parents and our home in North Carolina.

Because so many told us to visit a particular church, we did so within 48 hours of arrival in our new “home.” And found an instant solace there among other believers.

There was difficulty in those first few months. We struggled to settle in and lost a baby to miscarriage. We clung to each other and to Christ and felt Him pulling us to look deeper for a close community within our church.

Then we found them. That group of other families in our stage of life who wanted to know God better. And to know us. We were on our way to finding home.

The first few weeks were less than easy for me. Each Tuesday night, the drive home from our Ladies’ Bible Study group involved me crying to myself, crying to a friend left behind in North Carolina, crying out to God… “This is so exhausting… We don’t really know them… they don’t know me…. they don’t know our story… they don’t know who we are.” Worn down and wrung out from the constant re-telling– I questioned if I would EVER feel like they were family. I questioned if we would ever feel the joy of being known and known well.

But God poured His grace out on us. He cracked open our hearts with hope. Thank goodness they kept asking. We kept sharing our story… and asking questions to learn theirs.

And now? More than three years later? They are those we share life with. We share burdens and heartaches. We share lessons as we learn them. We share gifts. We share answers to long- prayed prayers. We love on each other’s babies. The babies we prayed would be born healthy and strong despite concerns. We share meals. We share Coffee and community and so much more.

And when I waved from the porch and then closed the door behind the last one of them that last night they were over I went to my sink– and I saw a pile of dirty forks. Forks enjoyed with a hearty dose of laughter and chocolate cake. Each one representing a former stranger who was now a close sister.

And I thanked God for my story. And the strength HE gave in the telling of it. And the Grace He gave to listen to theirs. And most of all, for the JOY of knowing and being known in the love and community of Christ.

Linking up with Five Minute Friday over here!

No, Seriously. What are we doing?

March 19, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

Every year about this time, I look at the calendar and realize I have less than three weeks until…. Master’s Week. (Otherwise known as Spring Break around these parts.) If you are not familiar with Golf-related events, you’ve never been to the South, or you live in a hole in the ground (not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, but a hobbit hole of course.)– here’s a brief description. This year will be the 78th edition of the Master’s Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Held every year at the Augusta National Golf Club, the Master’s Tournament is one of the four major championships in Professional Golf. For years, this was about all I knew about it. I had a husband who loved the game of golf and for several years, a boss who was a great golf aficionado.

What I did not realize when we moved to Augusta more than three years ago, is that it is quite possibly the biggest deal in Augusta all year. Each year, beginning as soon as January 1, businesses and homeowners all over town begin preparations for the tournament. We have been involved the last couple of years, because we rent our house out during the tournament. It is a great opportunity for all involved, a) they get to rent an entire house for what they would pay for a hotel room for that week. b) we get to leave during all the hullabaloo and go somewhere fun (!) and 3) it gives us a yearly incentive to spring clean and spruce up our house. Win-Win!!! However. Right now, I find myself in the absolute THROES of pre-Master’s week prep. And I think I might just climb into bed with a book and forget my mile-long to-do list. But alas, I cannot. Because there are blinds and ceiling fans to be dusted. Base Boards to be wiped down. Sheets and towels to be located and freshly laundered. Closets to be tidied, cleaned out and rid of excess items. Floors to be mopped. Disney Princess Stickers to be peeled from the legs of our table. Windows to be washed. And every spare corner of this entire house to be.. put in order. I want my mommy. ( No seriously, Mom, if you’re reading this. Come quick. And bring an extra mop. ) Honestly, though it really is a WONDERFUL blessing to be able to rent our home and we are so thankful for the continued opportunity.

But in the mean time. I find myself.. overwhelmed. Overwhelmed and when I start doing “things” it only reveals more “things” that need to be done. Kinda like “If you give a mouse a cookie..” Except I’m the mouse and my cookie is a package of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

It’s entirely likely these days, that when Lance gets home in the afternoons– what he finds is varied and somewhat strange. One day, he found me accumulating a gargantuan pile of plastic hangers while cleaning out my closet. Hello, with all the cardigans, by the way.

Last week He came home to a spotless office desk and me– emerging from the pantry, with a somewhat crazed look in my eyes and the faint scent of Samoa’s on my breath– looking well worn and yet suspiciously calm. I really can’t be held responsible for the total state of crazy that’s going on around here. But we will PRESS ON!!

But, if any of you happen to have a Pinterest-y tip for how to simultaneously clean your entire home and keep it that way for 2 1/2 weeks while a family of four currently inhabit said house– let me know. I’m trying to not go all wacky on my two sweet littles every time they drag out the games with 2000 pieces and dump them out while I’m precariously dusting the top of a fan blade. (Hello, Mommie Dearest?!) After all– they could care less about how many rolls of paper towels and neatly folded washcloths we need– they just know we’re going to see Mickey Mouse soon! And, WAHOO we are!

But if anyone has any tips, I’ll be here digging twelve white pillowcases out of their 51-week storage spot. OH! and packing shorts for a sunny vacation while simultaneously cooking chili for dinner because it’s blasted FREEZING, I TELL YOU!!!