Intro to Philippians.

Dun-dun-dun-DUUUUNNNN!!!! We're here!! And If I could make a trumpet sound I totally would! Almost every day this week someone's jumped on board the Bloggin' Bible Study train and  I've become more and more excited about it. You guys have shown me that its NOT scary to study the Bible, especially if its in the un-scary ( hehe) realms of the internets where no one can come to your house and TP it because you didn't answer "Jesus" to every question ( that would never happen) and apparently you guys are totally willing to join in this little experiment with me and hopefully bring this particular blogging community closer together! Excellent!

So lets get this party started: 

Philippians. The background:

It was written by this guy named Paul ( read how Paul became a follower of Jesus here) . And he probably dictated it to this other guy named Timothy ( basically Paul's right hand man, quite a bit younger but had also helped Paul start the Church at Philippi ) . He wrote it while he was in PRISON ( now there's a long story, and if you don't know it...I suggest you read the book of Acts sometime) . And he wrote it to the church in the city of Philippi in around the year 63 A.D. ( whatever that means! Man, I wish I was good at history sometimes!!) .

  

Now, I got most of my background info on this book from this handy-dandy other book called "Halley's Bible Handbook"  but you could probably find most of your basic background on the book of Philippians in most Study Bibles or....the wonderful world of Wikipedia. 

Some of the things that were clarified for me by doing my background research is that, it had probably been three or four years since Paul had last been to Philippi and it had been about ten years since his first visit when he founded the church there. It looks like the church had sent this guy, Epaphroditus ( don't name your son after him...please) with some monetary support for Paul and he'd gotten really sick on the way. When he recovered Paul sent him back with this letter ( Phil. 2:25-30, 4:18). 

Major themes thoughts of the Letter (I guess I'll stop calling it a book now...) 

Without even realizing it I picked a nice seemingly "lighthearted" book to study. Which I dig. But its also a bit of a mishmash of topics and I got waaaaay overwhelmed trying to make it into any kind of outline/major themes. So instead I'll just point out some things that stuck out to me this read-through. 

~Using seemingly difficult/awful circumstances for the good and glory of God. ( Chapter 1: 12-, 27-)

 I definitely need to have this attitude more often. The attitude that even when things do NOT go my way, my prayer should be that my circumstances in some way are advancing the Kingdom of Jesus. I guess I'd call that "Heavenly Minded"...which I am not. 

~A reminder of how Christ lived( and how we should live): 

Treat each other in a servant hearted manner ( first section of chapter 2). Something I really want to do better in. Especially with the people that have been placed in my life that may not be the easiest to love. 

Remember you are a light in a world that may not know Jesus. You might just be someones only chance of meeting Him ( through you!). (second section of Chapter 2) 

~A reminder that just because Paul had 'everything together' none of that really matters for Christ has made us ALL equal in our salvation in Him. ( Chapter 3:2-11) I need to stop looking at my "street cred" as a Christian...the fact that I give money to the poor...that I volunteer...the fact that I've read the Bible...memorized verses etc. etc. as what makes me cool or uncool. Bottom line. NONE of us are "Good People" unless we have Jesus in our lives. Period. 

~Striving to be like Christ, look to others that are doing the same and look to them to help you in your growth. ( chapter 3:12-20) I really want to reavaluate and make sure that the people I'm looking up to, the people I'm spending my time with and who influence me the most are REALLY the type of people that I want to be like. aka...are they following hard after Christ?

~Chapter 4:4-6...these are the verses I quoted yesterday and that I need to seriously write on my forehead sometimes!! They are SO helpful. 

Chapter 4:8-9...very helpful to me in keeping my mind from dwelling on whatifs and fears and concerns that I've contrived in my head..they've even helped me from spending my time daydreaming and thinking about things that I WISH would happen...which can be just as detrimental. 

Final thoughts: 

One thing that reading through this whole letter reminded me of this week, is that there may just be sections that I just DO NOT GET. And that's ok too....in fact, that's one of the major cool-factors of doing this bible study with all you awesome people. So I'd like to go ahead and add that to next weeks homework: Ask some questions that you do NOT have the answer to......I think sometimes the "A-student" in me comes out and I only want to ask questions that I immediately have the answer for, but there's something really great about reading the Bible with the attitude that we do not understand everything in it...and that we can come away with new questions and answers every time we read it! again and again! 

OK, now I'm SUPER EXCITED to hear what you guys think!!  I'll be collecting your studies ( if you want to send them in!) via email and blog-link. And I'd love to share some of your thoughts here on my blog if that's ok! Maybe a little sum-up-age later this weekend? ;-) 

Preview...

I'm so excited about our bible study this week!!! So may of you have said you're going to get involved and I can't tell you how that warms my heart! One thing I know for sure and that's that I need PEOPLE. Fellowship is one of the THE most important things about my faith, the sharing of that faith with one another- sharing what God has put on your heart and then rejoicing/crying/wondering/marveling at ( even questioning) what He's said together...well, its all pretty well the best.

So, because I can't wait until Friday I'll share one of the very first thoughts I've received from one of you guys...and it was very much needed today:

Favorite verse?!? Possibly.

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7


I've got a LOT of things to be anxious about today...so yeah. Sendin' up some prayers

Daddy son time...

They are so cute together!  I am thankful that the Army never allows me to be at all casual or flippant about our times together as a family. Every minute is precious. 

Blogging Bible Study: How it'll work!

Pic I took coming back from my first Family Readiness Group meeting for Brett's new company.

Alrighty folks! I'm excited! I've been praying and thinking about it all week and I'm starting my very first  Interactive Blogging Bible Study! WOOO!  Basically how it will work is if you're also a blogger and you'd like to post your thoughts on the Bible Study please comment a link to your blog post so we can all share. ( and if you don't mind, link to mine on YOUR blog post too!) 

Since everyone seemed excited about the idea, but no one had any thoughts on WHAT we should study, I've prayed about it and decided to go "Old School". We'll be doing a "Searching the Scriptures" or STS style study of the book of Philippians.  I loooove this kind of study but it scares some people so hopefully by going through it with me this month you will loose that fear ( since if *I* can do it...anybody can!) and learn to love it too...because it will work with EVERY SINGLE BOOK OF THE BIBLE ( and that's a lot of ready made bible studies ;-)!!  ) 

So here's my schedule: 

Week One: 

Read the WHOLE BOOK of Philippians!!! Come back here on Friday ( Sept 30) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

Background of the Book. ( who wrote it, when did they write, who was the audience.)

Main Themes of the Book ( what I think I'll be getting out of the study, things I'll be on the lookout for-no wrong answers here! I won't be going back to see if its the same answer at the end of the study...so don't hold me to this ;-) )

Post YOUR thoughts either on your own blog and link it in my comments section, or email me your answers at abigail.abt(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll probably do a follow-up post where I share your thoughts ( IF YOU SEND THEM IN!) 

Week Two

 Read Chapter 1 (again!). Come back here on Friday( Oct. 7th) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

What does this chapter say? ( any main things that jump out at me...)

Where else does it say it? ( I'll probably do some cross referencing here-basically looking up verses that I particularly like from the chapter on awesome websites like biblos.com and www.biblegateway.com and see where the same things are talked about in OTHER parts of the Bible!! 

What does it say to me? ( How does what I have just read and "researched" affect my life?) 

What will I do about it? ( Here's the really tricky part! I would like to come up with some way I can VISIBLY apply what I'm studying each week to my life so I will come up with some way to measurably and tangibly apply the Word of God in my life for the next week....I'll be telling you guys what I come up with and hopefully following up with you the next week to keep me accountable to what I'm doing ( or not doing!) hehe!

AND THEN!! I want you guys to do the same and once again link/email me your thoughts!!!

Week Three

Read Chapter 2, come back here on Friday for the same question/answer roundup. Rinse Repeat

Week Four

Chapter 3 etc. etc. etc.

Week Five 

Chapter 4 etc. etc. etc.

Week Six

I'll be coming back on the 6th Friday to talk about my major takeaways from the Book...the things that stuck with me throughout the whole process...I'll probably also discuss this whole "blogging biblestudy" business and what I learned from it, what I'd change if I do it again...If I should do it again. And hopefully get all your awesome feedback on these questions too! 

feedback.

A lot has been going on in the Wilson household the last week or two-but what's new? However, here are some thoughts I've yet to do much with, other than voice them one or two times:

One, I'm thinking about starting an Etsy store for my Mystery Dinners. Sure. I only wrote one of them but it was such fun( !) , an I've got one or two more roaming around in my head and I'm thinking I might also offer the option for a "personalized" one too, where the buyer could tell me the theme they wanted and how many people ( guys and girls) would be at the party and I would write one specifically for their needs...  Anyway, I think it'd be fun though I'm already hearing the voice in the back of my head saying, "no one would buy that!"

My other thought is I'm really itching to do a women's bible study...and while i have one or two ladies here that I think would also be interested, I'm ALSO thinking about maybe a BLOGGING BIBLE STUDY! Anyone interested could join in and start the bible study with me, and then I'll blog my thoughts once a week in the hopes that others would also share THEIR thoughts! Anyone interested?! Any thoughts on a topic or a study you think is awesome blossom?

So those are my major thoughts the other minor thoughts going on in my head are as follows: I'm SO glad Ransom has started having an appetite again ( last week was a LONG week that included some awful puking moments)...I'm SO excited that my Aunty D is coming to visit this week...I'm also excited for all the fall premieres of television starting up soon ( Castle, anyone?!?)...which makes me feel a little bit lame, but whatevers...I've also put off cleaning Brett and my bathroom for an embarrassingly long time and I'm really feeling like a housewife failure. WILL DO THAT TODAY. I really want to make those brownies again and I'm kind of glad I don't have any more beer in the house otherwise I'd make them RIGHT NOW....oooo....I could make some and send them to work with Brett...hmmmm...there's a thought! And speaking of food, I've instituted a "Waffles Sunday" at our house the last few weeks and its really ( oddly) helped my attitude about the day. It immediately makes the day feel "special" ( since really all my days end up having the same basic schedule) and I feel like I've had better quiet times/ listening to sermons/ singing hymns and praise songs "with" Ransom times since I've started this "tradition"....

Another....winner?

So, I never heard from the Katie that wanted to win the amazing ( or at least I thought) polish prize that I gave away a week or so ago... therefore I had to do a redraw. And to be honest, I hope this person comes forward because I'm starting to think that people don't like free stuff as much as I do...and if that's not the case, maybe the stuff that makes ME happy doesn't really do it for all you folk.

Anyway.....here's the winner!! She better comment on this post in the next 24 hours or I will seriously keep my totally adorable nail polish to myself in the future ;-)
Congrats:

 Esther said...

There was even a nip in the air here this morning. Fall is definitely on it's way. YAY!
My favorite thing is definitely comfy cozy sweaters (I have a new mustard yellow one that I'm dying to wear 24/7 when it gets cold enough).

PS. I really miss you! Kiss Ransom for me (if he'll sit still long enough).

The Holy Grail of brownies.

In college I lived in a Hall called Carrington. We had an amazing chef who prepared amazing meals for us three times a day.
I ate those meals and they were incredible. I also gained SO MUCH weight during my time there that when I was 9 months pregnant I did not weigh as much as I did then...which is neither here nor there except to point out that the food was AWESOME. And I still dream about the Mud Cake. The Mud Cake was this ULTRA rich chocolate cake that was SO dense it never got a joke in its life, and it was so rich that it put the Queen to shame...anyways. It was incredible and I've spent the past 6 years (!!) trying to find a recipe that lived up to its amazingness...

And then....then I joined Pinterest and I found this little gem:

Guinness Stout Brownies.

You can find the recipe here. And you best head over there right now and make these brownies. Because they will rock. your. world. Also you will need  milk with them or at least some whip cream...possibly some simple vanilla ice cream because they are not your stand alone whimpy brownie. These babies have bite.
And I believe that the search is over. These brownies seriously take the place of Mud Cake. Holy Moly are they good....PLEASE MAKE THEM YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

P.S. Katie hasn't contacted me about her Win and she has until Friday to claim her prize or we do another "drawing"....

There's a WINNNNNNNNNNNER!

So, since Brett's in the field this week, and my dear friend Tabitha is visiting for the week SHE got the honor of "picking a number" for my September Giveaway...and she picked....

katie said...

I love the weather feeling perfect, bowls of soup, and hot chocolate. mmmmmm

So, ummm...actually its kinda funny but I have several Katies who read my blog and so I'm not sure WHICH Katie this is...soooOOOoooo...if you wouldn't mind contacting me at thebrettwilsonfam(at)gmail(dot)com that would be awesome blossom and letting me know which one you are..and your address if I don't already have it ;-) 

In other news, I've started running again. I had forgotten how much I loathe/love it. Its a terrible combo that always keeps me in a state of not knowing whether I'll actually go through with it today or not ;-) But today, today I DID. Mostly because I plan to eat something yummy this evening in honor of my friend Miranda's birthday...because I'm supportive like that. 

Welcome!

Seasons.

DONT FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN "ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS"

So, today I feel like I was rather productive. I give full credit to the amazing weather. Weather that allowed me to wear jeans and not break out in a sweat. Magic. I am lovin' the cooler temps but wish upon a star that they'd last longer than a week...*sigh* Until then, however, I'm burning my autumn candles and pulling out all the domestic stops.

Case in point: Today, I went through my 'fall clothes' ( meaning, very thin sweaters, short sleeve shirts that are a tad thicker in material...) took all the "too summery for september" things out of my closet. Just because its going to be 90 degrees again next week does not mean I'm going to feel like wearing my floweredy print dresses until next May. I also, duh-duh-DUN, organized Brett's closet. I got one of those totally awesome collapsable hanging shelves things from the Target 2 dollar section ( SCORE! those things are usually 10 dollars, but if you wait until "fall" they always have them on sale for the "teens going to college" time of year) Anywho, his uniforms are now no longer "neatly piled" on the floor ( aka. THROWN ABOUT) and his PTs are not wadded up on the top shelf. ahhhhhh!!!! I feel so happy about this!

In other domestic pursuits, my darling friend Melissa and Baby Emmy came over this afternoon and we made some "Fall Decor"....I made a wreath which I think I'm happy with...I'll post a picture once I've taken a good one.  But really the point was I got to enjoy some good quality time with a good friend making something fun. I say it was a win-win-win. ( Idea for my fall wreath...TOTALLY FROM Pinterest ...are you following me yet?! Because seriously. I love this site.
In fact, Miranda, being the good friend that she is asked me today how my Facebook addiction was going since I'd gotten back on...And to be honest, its a NONISSUE now that I've found Pinterest! ( hehe)  I mean, I check it maybe twice a day! ( Seriously, taking a break from facebook was SO helpful and really gave me the perspective I needed, pinterest not withstanding, it was just what I needed.)

Many of you may be wondering how I've been doing since Brett's taken Command ( really?! You haven't?! What's your problem?!) and therefore dropped off the face of the earth. And to be honest, Ransom and I are doing surprisingly well. We miss him terribly. But evening routine has gotten better and I've learned to expect an evening of "Abigail Time". Once Ransom goes to bed I am able to sit around and lounge. Which, lets be honest, I'd rather do with Brett....but since he's away it gives me opportunity to be more productive. Such as this evening. I made and froze 8 breakfast burritos for Brett's breakfasts this coming week.  So yes. This is not optimal. But, as I keep hearing repeated over and over in my head. "This is only for a season...."

“There are things I can do now that I won’t be able to do later, and it’s about making sure I do the important things pertaining to that season right now.” - Louise

A diet coke ( and a giveaway)

I drank some diet coke yesterday. the pure kind. the kind with caffeine in it. Thus I was awake a LOT longer than I should have been last night...when will I learn?!
Anyway, here are some thoughts I had:

Firstly, I came across a craft that I really really want to do, but I'm scared because we all know my artistic abilities run rather short...You can read all about it here, but basically the idea is taking one of these ugly kid play mats:

And painting it to look like this:

So, yeah...probably not something I'm capable of pulling off so that it'd look good...but BOY would I like one of these for my kitchen!!


Secondly, I am SO READY FOR FALL! It is my favorite favorite time of year and I'm pretty much dying for sweaters and scarves, hot drinks ( without caffeine, obviously), spiced candles, soup, cute boots....the list goes on. Anyway, this made me think about how I needed to pull out my "fall" nail polishes ( the darker colors just seem to scream fall) and it reminded me that I haven't done a give away in a while. And this one...well...its super girlie....but we could argue that they have ALL been super girlie thus far so why mess with a good thing?!

Ok, so this month I'm giving away something that NEVER FAILS to make me super happy. Its my GO TO winter nail polish....and I think its best on toes, though it might be way fun for a holiday party nail too...so go with your heart on this one!
Here it is:

Yeah, its called RUBY PUMPS!! How could I NOT love it?!?! 

So here's the dealio...feel free to enter to win by commenting with your favorite thing about Fall...and I'll announce the winner next Monday! YAY!! I so love sharing my favorite things with my wonderful readers! 

New territory ( that looks rather old)

Brett's taken command! Exciting!
Yesterday his ceremony and the reception afterwards ( that was only a success because I have awesome friends)  went well...and then we had an Army function that night ( 'no rest for the weary' is my new catch phrase)  also went well...though I was COMPLETELY shattered by the time we got home at 10pm. Seriously, I was not cut out for all this shmoosing. Anyway... I was way looking forward to the long Labor Day weekend, even though today was technically the only day Brett and I would get to spend together since we're headed to the Navigator conference in north Georgia tomorrow. The conference that last year I cried at...( yaaay).

Annnnyway, of course, first day on the job Brett had to go into the office to deal with an unruly soldier. So there goes our day together.

And here's what I'm fighting against. I'm so annoyed. so disappointed. How do I not have a bad attitude?!?
Honestly. I'm about to have to be more like Jesus if it kills me.

We're moving!!!

Don't freak out. We aren't ACTUALLY moving...but that's definitely how I'm feeling of late. I know that I am way behind on giving you a follow up from my last dramatic post. But here's what's happened in a nutshell. First off, God was good and reminded me of, well, just how blessed I really am...and he also gently reminded me of all those who are probably much lonelier than I am. But, also in the mix I got this great email from a friend, one of those friends everyone should have...the kind who know you so well and who've known you for so long they can pull out the laundry list of all the things that God has done before and stick it in your face. Anyway, she was kind enough to remind me that this is how I felt when I first moved to New Zealand. And its how I felt when I first moved back to Texas. And when I first moved to Washington. And when I moved to Kansas and locked myself in the trunk , or the time I moved back to Washington. Or when I first moved to Fort Benning....
Well, anyway since you see a pattern here, I was annoyed ( at first) because I was like WE DIDN'T MOVE!!  I mean, its all well and good to feel alone and without friends and fellowship when you've just moved but WE'RE STILL HERE!!

However, it wasn't until several days later that another friend was visiting with us and he was talking about how God moves us so that we'll grow, that we'll spread out. So that we'll spread the gossip ( Acts 8:1)...and it hit me! Sure, we haven't physically moved, but we ARE starting a brand new chapter. A chapter where Brett's work is gonna be a 24/7 kind of deal, a chapter where our lives will look much much different from how they've looked up till now. And so, in that, it some how has helped me to think that we've moved again. That these feeling are normal and they are forcing me out of my comfort zone YET AGAIN. But, the hope in that is that community will once again be around the corner. I met today with my dear friend Melissa. Her husband also works on Kelley Hill and Brett and I have always known that we were "partners" in taking the Hill for Christ with Melissa and her Hubs...however, some how that's gotten lost in our busy busy schedule. But we're taking it back. Taking back our fellowship with one another, and hopefully in that we'll all be a little more encouraged in the Work we have set before us! God is faithful.
THANK YOU blog readers for your continued support, wonderful emails of encouragement and sometimes admonishment. I can always trust you to tell me the truth! Thanks :-)

A private thought

I'm about to write about something I don't fully understand. I've been trying to and I've decided maybe its just not meant to be at the moment and I should just write what I do know and we'll go from there.

I'm pretty sure last week I was depressed. Now, for those who I know who suffer from real depression I do not want to belittle or trivialize what is a real and true disease. So instead I'll just call it a serious Downer.

It had probably been coming on for a while though, because for the last few months my life has looked a bit like a horror film. People dropping like flies. Or should I say, people, fellowship any kind of anything. First, our Navigator community did some DRASTIC changing, changes that I will caveat by saying that I still ( even after what happened) believe in the fundamentals of...however, the result was that Community DISAPPEARED from our lives. Where we use to have Friday night BBQs-nada. where we use to have Chapel-nada. Where we use to have lunch after chapel-nada. Where we use to have Sunday night Searching the Scriptures Bible Study-nada. Where we use to keep track and know what was going on in the lives of the other leaders and laborers-nada. It went from weekly meetings, to every so often, to pretty much nothing. ( I'm leaving out a lot here, like the fact that a lot of people went out and started their very own small groups for the first time ever, and people who would never walk into a church or chapel were getting to hear the good news of Christ....this is why deep down I was positive and excited through this whole process...because I thought that ultimately the good was out weighing the bad...) , on top of that my friend Adelaide deployed (boo), my friend Amy moved ( boo),
and to be honest if I hadn't had walking with my friend Miranda in the mornings I wouldn't have seen anyone all week. And if it hadn't been during the summer where I had a trip to Texas, several visits from friends and family mixed it, then well....things would have probably come to a head even sooner. Because...the other major change that was going on was Brett's work.

 I've already talked about this on my blog so I won't go on and on, but basically Brett's work took it up a notch. And last week it took it up an even further notch and he's FINALLY GETTING HIS COMPANY! This is super exciting! For those of you non-army types ( lots of you), basically Brett's going to be the company commander for about 100 guys. Large and in charge. He's going to be wonderful. So, to break that down though- he'll be going from an intense horrible job with horribly long hours to hopefully a more fulfilling, exciting job with equally, if not longer, hours.

And so....here I was. At the end of my rope. People I never would have expected this. I never expected to feel so utterly alone.  Its not that I didn't have friends, or I didn't have people around. But I learned that I didn't just need human contact, I needed deeper communion. I needed a more spiritual connection that happened on a regular basis. I felt like we were drowning.

Anyway. I'm nervous about writing this. Nervous that it'll hurt someones feelings or make someone mad.  But, I'm writing it anyway. I'm writing it because its ultimately its how I felt.  That's why I'm calling it a Downer. Something that made me take naps every day. Something that made me cry, and I mean seriously cry three or four times ( for a non-cryer that's TONS). I mean, I was seriously taking pregnancy tests like they were going out of style. But ultimately I think it boiled down to the fact that we are not made to go at this alone. And I actually think that I, personally, am not even made to go at this life with just one or two people. I'm a village girl. I need a crowd of people in my life.

I want my crowd back.

I've been reviewing some of my old memory verses this week and I was in the car and I got to Hebrews 10:24-25. "Consider how you may spur others on towards love and good deeds.  Do not give up meeting together as some or in the habit of doing, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

And, this is embarrassing to admit, but when I memorized this a long time ago I always thought I was memorizing for other peoples sake because I had never had a problem with that before!! Well, there I was in the car and I literally said, "oh." out loud...because that is EXACTLY what we, I  had done.

And after I figured that out, I magically no longer needed a nap any more. Now I just want this fixed. Really really fixed.

Please pray for the Fort Benning community that I'm "suppose" to be involved in. One thing that really sealed the deal for me was thinking about Brett deploying again. When thinking about it I thought about how last deployment my Fort Lewis community/family seriously got me through that deployment. But when thinking about Brett deploying again all I could think was: "I'm going to be SO ALONE." Now, I know that's not going to be the case, and I know that God will take care of Ransom and I when the time comes, but the fact that I even thought that...that's trouble! So, praying and seeking the Lord and having great Hope in a community that I still very much believe in, that we WILL get back on track!

Replacing

Now that I'm no longer addicted to Facebook ( I'm back and feel like I have a healthy amount of distance ;-) lol ). I've replaced my addiction with Pinterest ( which I blogged about two days ago)....and yeah. I'm loving it in a BIG WAY.

I think the difference is Pinterest is officially inspiring me and not bogging me down making me feel like I should be doing better ( like most craft/design blogs tend to do to me). So all in all. IM. A. FAN.

In other news, I should be writing thank you cards for Ransom's b-day. RIGHT NOW.

Not for the faint of heart

Baby Einstein possibly created Ransom's first therapist talking point last night...

So, Brett being gone until all hours of the night, me fighting off fatigue, Ransom being cranky/clinging, and the can't-put-it-off-any-longer need to unload and reload the dishwasher, all came together yesterday evening and I put in Ransom's new Baby Einstein DVD: Baby Shakespeare

The creepy depiction of shakespeare-frog should have been a tip off

So, all was going swimmingly and I was putting away the last of the five million sippy cups when Ransom starts crying. And not, whiny-I-need-attention crying or this-is-boring-come-play-with-me crying, but SOMETHING-SCARED-ME crying. 

So I hurry and scoop him up to console him and I rewind the DVD to see the culprit. ( and yes, I'm still holding my baby and so I'm probably about to re-live the earlier scared moment, never mind that...) 

Anyway, this is what I see: 

HOLY CHILD SCARRING BATMAN! This is seriously the "toys" they like to depict on this DVD?!?! Seriously?!?! I mean, I'm a grown woman and I'm going to have nightmares!!!

Anyway, I shake my head and Ransom and I start playing in the entry way ( the echo in there is excellent if you're 1 and you like the sound of your own voice....or if you're 27 and you've deliriously tired)...now, don't judge, but I forgot to turn off the DVD so its still pumping out the classical tunes and showing us pictures of random children and pretty-pretty things ( and every so often quoting a sonnet in a semi-creepy voice) when THERE IT IS AGAIN!!! THE EVIL EVIL MONKEY IS BACK!!! 

And it just so happened that Ransom caught sight of the TV at just that moment and, if I wasn't sure before, I was DEFINITELY sure the second time when Ransom FROZE in the spot and stared at the TV in horror. His little eyes started to well up with tears before I whipped him around and distracted him with a truck going by outside the window. Ahhhh to be one and have that kind of attention span! 

The moral of this story is stick to Praise Baby DVDs ( hahaha! I bet you thought I was going to say something like, "stick to reading" or something! hahah! You're funny!) ..I don't care if they try to woo you with Shakespeare and a child who can quote sonnets at the age of 2....there are some TWISTED people making Baby Einstein DVDs. 

Side effects

Brett is working "9 to 9" shifts at work this week. I put that in parentheses because I have yet to see the fruits of that first "9"....its more like 6:30 to 9...but I guess that didn't have the same ring to it.

Anyway, this has caused me to return to very weird eating habits. aka. I eat mostly chocolate.
your traditional "meals" are out the window...but I AM considering making these cake mix blondies I saw on Pinterest.

P.S. I just joined Pinterest today. So don't know much about THAT...but I'm all about consolidating all the fun things I find on the internets...Do I have any readers who are fans? Tips on how to best use this particular resource?

Napping

Its possible I have Mono.

My throat is sore and swollen, and I've had to take a nap every day for the last three days. And by had I mean, I seriously couldn't keep my eyes open. ( luckily my child takes a nap too...so that makes it a tiny bit easier) And I say Mono because I friend of ours has it, and we'd spent quite a bit of time with her before she was diagnosed.
Buuut, I'm pretending that this is just a weird cold and it'll all go away soon. After all, there is much to be done around here! I've got my fall consignment sale to get ready for....a baby shower to do a CRAFT project for ( honestly, this doesn't bode well...), plus Ransom's first year book to finish up by September 1st ( I have a Groupon that expires then). So, the next few weeks are busy busy and sickness is not an option.

And in the spirit of not being sick, here's a picture of my family and I at the wedding we went to this past weekend. ( we don't look sick at all..in fact, everyone looks quite nice).

It takes a village...

Throwing a first birthday party is difficult. The child is so young that really we might as well forget about them all together and focus on the parents since, lets be honest, the party is really about them. Buuuut, you don't want to make that too obvious and so you are left in a quandary.

I was faced with this quandary a month or so ago when planning Ransom's first birthday and I threw around all sorts of ideas-none of which I really liked. The only thing that kept coming back to me over and over again was the phrase "it takes a village". I have definitely felt that sentiment quite a few times during this past year when friends have cooked for us, babysat for free, listened while I moaned, given advice, gotten us out of the house for a much needed walk....sooo many things that have made a year in the life of an infant and WITH an infant possible....anyway, I wanted Ransom's first birthday to really be about the celebration of Community. The community that has loved us and loved Ransom this last year. 

We don't really go to an official "church" like most people in the Western world have come to recognize it. We attend small groups where we share our Walks with Christ and our victories and struggles in doing so and we are a part of a much bigger community that knows and loves one another throughout the week....that being said, Ransom had no official "Church dedication", but in my mind his first Birthday was an unofficial one. 

In the end I printed off a bunch of pictures of different people with Ransom. In the end I had over 40...and while that seemed like a lot, there were people that I was sad to realize I had never gotten a picture with Ransom. My neighbor Michelle, Amy B., Rolinda and Keri....honestly shocking! That being said, it was wonderful to see all the faces and all the wonderful people who have played a roll in Ransom's life this year. 

So, my Mom and I strung up the pictures as a reminder of this past year with Ransom. And I hope that we do it again next year, and all the years after...so that one day Ransom will have hundreds of pictures of the people who have been a part of his life. A reminder of the heritage that has brought him thus far. 

Also, if your interested...you can check out Ransom's Birthday Letter here. 

Ransom

Today Ransom Nathaniel Wilson turns one.

And really I have so much so say, so much to wax eloquent about. How much he's changed, and yet how I can look at those first pictures of him and I can already see the personality that we've grown to know over the last year and I love him more. More than I even did those first few moments when we were just getting acquainted. 

Ransom is a very talkative little boy and is currently having a very long and involved conversation with a remote control strategically placed at his ear ( his "phone"). So far the only words I can catch are "bye" and "papa"...but I'm assuming its about something serious and important because that's what his face portrays. 

I can also thank Ransom's wonderful Aunt Amber and Uncle Tim for the fact that I have this time to blog, since Ransom is down right OBSESSED with the balls from the totally cool "gum ball machine" toy they got him for his birthday. Hours of entertainment.  Hours.

 I'll be writing a blog on Ransom's personal blog as SOON AS I CAN because I don't want to forget all that's going on in his little world...but let me just say this...this morning I just so happen to get to this section in my Bible reading....coincidence? I think not...

The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Is 51:11

Speechless

I've officially lost my voice because of my cold. This is bad news because my Internet is down ( typing this the old fashioned way on my phone) and other than blogging the other things on my to do list required phone calls. *sigh*

Hey, surprisingly people have MISSED ME from Facebook!! Honestly with newsfeeds the way they are I figured no one would notice. But, it's nice to be missed and I'm actually looking forward to being back in the "know" after next week.... Im pretty sure there are a few weddings I need to attend via pictures. But my major concern is that I'll have missed something important... So if you know any good gossip that I need to know... Fill me in ;-)
Incidentally, is anyone else having problems with Yahoo?! I've kept my yahoo email for years even though I primarily use gmail. I have the yahoo one forwarded to google and all is well... Until last week when I started not getting notifications for things ( I used the yahoo address for ordering things online) and Brett got an email from some family who have been trying to reach me- apparently using that address. Long story short. I tired to login and it was a no go... Locked, beyond my abilities. Very strange. Anywho. If you have an old school yahoo email for me, go ahead and delete that baby. It's no longer valid.

I know this post is boring and very internet related so let me shift (Hahah) to another topic. Ransom. He's turning one on Tuesday. CRY ME A RIVER. Seriously people I am so beyond nostalgic at this point, country music is band and any Johnson &johnson advertisements banished from my sight or I swear I'll loose it all together... Anyway, get ready for some serious mushiness in the coming days. Babies. They getcha everytime.

The big picture

My picture wall just keeps growing! It makes me so happy!

Sick of it.

The next two weeks are really busy here in the Wilson household. Hayden is graduating Ranger School this weekend ( we are so excited about this amazing answer to prayer! He went straight through without recycling once!), we've had a house full of visitors the last few days with our dear friends the Woods in town. And next week we're preparing for my parents very short visit that coincides with Ransom's birthday...

So....

Of course, Ransom and I have gotten sick. He was beyond miserable yesterday and I've been feeling less than stellar today. It makes it EVEN MORE AWESOME that Brett will be working later than normal the next two days so it looks like I'll be pulling myself off the couch to Mommy it up with the champions of Suckitupness.

Anyway, I'm am TIRED of all this sickness going around and ready to get back into the swing of things! This is so frustrating.

Don't worry! I'm back!

We've been on Vacay on Texas for the past week...but I'm back and doing laundry like a made woman. 

Can someone solve the age old problem of not having ANY food to eat when you get back from a trip?! I mean, you work so hard to eat it all ( so it won't spoil while you're gone) before you leave and then you're faced with cupboards that are bare when you return. 

Anyway...I'm starving. 

OK, once I've filled the fridge and made sure we have clothes to put on our backs again, I promise blogging will begin again...

Until then, check out Ransom at his "trial run" birthday that we did in Texas....who takes after his Mom's love for cupcakes?!?! WHO!? 

The perfect storm

So, last night I made an aaaaaaaamazing pizza if I do say so myself. I had some leftover egg plant and some green olives that needed to be eaten, three turkey italian sausage links gathering freezer burn in my freezer and a ticking clock to clean out my fridge before our trip next week-all this equaled the perfect storm of recipe making and I found this Perfect Solution on Smitten Kitchen. I just added the italian sausages, which may I just say, probably made it even MORE amazing, and I also used Betty Crocker's roll out pizza crust because I do NOT HAVE THE TIME to make homemade pizza crust. The only thing I'd change is next time we will definitely have a bottle of Red to have along with this pizza, it was a crying shame not to have a glass with this fancy feast. 

a goodbye

Yesterday I got to go to the Deployment ceremony for my friend Adelaide's veterinary team which is headed to Afghanistan this weekend. 

I'm seriously going to miss Adelaide,  she's been such a fun and bright part of our life here at Fort Benning. We usually hung out on Thursdays when she'd get off work and come over until Bible Study.  Adelaide was a fellow Texas and all around kindred spirit and I am SO BUMMED she's leaving! But I am looking for my silver lining in the form of the fact we'll still be here at Fort Benning when she gets back and I hear that RE-deployment ceremonies are EVEN BETTER...and I hear those have cake too! But seriously...sometimes the Army makes me sad and saying goodbye to a friend for a while is definitely at the top of the list! Keep Adelaide in your prayers I know she'll appreciate them!

Sometimes...

Parenting can be soooo hard sometimes. And I feel like the last two days I've been failing at it in a big way.  My patience has been paper thin and I my heart has been anything but loving. 

But, things are looking up and I'm looking to next week as my ticket to sanity! Nothing like the hopes of a vacation to get you through....that and the cute face of a little stinker. 

The Un-to-do list

We visit the petri dish gym TWICE and Ransom gets an intense cold?? Coincidence?!? I THINK NOT!!!!  haha.
So anyway, Ransom is a cranky ball of mucus... A ball that finds it's only happy resting place is ON TOP OF ME.
Side note: Expectant Moms listen up! People will tell you to get a comfy chair for your nursery...LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE! In fact, I would go so far as to say get a chair you not only don't mind sitting on, ,but one you don't mind SLEEPING on. Last night I spent a grand total of 5 hours "sleeping" in my chair, and I'm currently going on an hour and a half ( nap time)... And yes, I could risk moving him to his bed, which is what I did the first half of the night...but when his head isn't elevated ( like it is on my chest) than he only sleeps about 20 min. Straight....aaaaaanyway, here we are. Here we are NOT working on the massive todo list that I must complete before we go out of town on Saturday.
Did I tell you? The Texas Swap begins! Because of Army Weirdness ( what's new there?) we are going to Texas for a week ( yay!!), then exactly a week after we get back, my parents are coming here for almost a week...and then on the same day they drive home, I'll be FLYING back to Texas ( I wonder who will get there first?)for a quick "day" trip for a friends wedding... Probably not the most efficient way to spent several weeks... But definitely optimizes the fun.
In the midst of all of that, Brett and I will get TWO WHOLE NIGHTS away while we're in Texas thanks to our wonderful family. Hopefully Hayden will graduate Ranger School, our dear friends Wes and Tina Wood will be visiting for Washington, Ransom will celebrate his first year of life ( hopefully with a party if I can get my act together.), and Brett and Ransom will survive their first weekend without me. ( hopefully. Haha! Just kidding... They will be fine.)....so yes, there is plenty for me to do. All of which I am not doing. Ahhhh...parenthood, how you have taught me how very UNimportant having a perfectly clean house really is. *sigh*

While I was writing this post...

Putting out fires

So, I can be kind of a "clingy" mom sometimes. This probably stems from those dramatic months when Ransom would just LOOK at the outside world and burst into tears.
My child is dramatic. He didn't get it from me. ( hahahaha!)
Anyway, since he tends to be standoffish and slow to warm up, so do I...and that's no good for anyone. And so, the last few months as Ransom has grown into himself more, and I've noticed how he does seem to enjoy, or at least put up with, other children and large groups of people more- I felt like we needed to make some steps towards him getting use to "group play times". I mean, heck, my sister is putting her one-year-old in SCHOOL this year!!! And sure, her child BLOSSOMS in social settings, but surely I need to make at least some efforts in that direction?!?
And so I started pumping myself for our first challenge.
The gym's childcare.
It would just be for an hour, I'd get a good workout in ( something that is becoming less and less likely when I'm walking outside in the sweltering heat of summer) and Ransom would get a little "outside" stimulation.
So I decided we'd try for Tuesday, but Monday night happened-we both had horrible sleeps-and I put it off until today.....and then today came.
Ransom slept a WHOLE EXTRA HOUR.
It was INCREDIBLE!
I was rested, he was rested. It seemed as though the STARS HAD ALIGNED and we were going to have our first wonderful gym experience.
So we went, we walked down the winding halls of the gym to the childcare room, we got Ransom all signed in, I dropped him off and I did my best to not think about him as I powered through my workout, jamming to the Blackeyedpeas pandora station....and then, through the sound of Rihanna telling me to "dont stop the music" I heard the blaring, unmistakeable sound of a fire alarm.
At first I thought it was a mistake, but then it continued and I saw gym workers in yellow shirts shooing people out the doors...and that's when I started to walk quickly towards the childcare room...
WHY IS IT SO FAR AWAY?!!?!
Those long winding halls are MILES LONG. WHO NEEDS A WORKOUT WHEN YOU HAVE THESE STUPID HALLS?!?!
And finally I reached the childcare room, right behind a bunch of other mothers-heck, if that building had really been on fire, for get about it, we still would have headed for our kids...
Anyway, we got there and no one was there...they had already evacuated the kids ( good thing?)  and so I headed outside into the face of a crazed childcare worker running around counting kids, and the sound of screaming children and crying babies. You would have thought a natural disaster had hit.
And there he was. Crammed into an "evacuation crib" ( seriously that was written on the side) with five other babies, sobbing his eyes out.
I. could. not. get. to. him. fast. enough.
And it took him a good five minutes to calm down, and even once we'd waited to get back into the building and I had signed him back out and collected his bag, he would still let out a little whimper/shutter every so often. Poor, sensitive baby.

 THAT was our first attempt at going to the gym together.

So, of course, I had to laugh and call my sister on the way home because if you can't find the extreme irony in THAT situation then you're just dense...and, of course, we'll be going back to the gym next week to "face our fears"  in the hopes that this will not end up being something that Ransom remembers in therapy years from now.

A Grown up Marriage

I remember the first year I knew I had grown up. It was the year I worked on my birthday, and Christmas day...for me those days, even if they didn't hold birthday cake or presents, were still days you got to do whatever you wanted. Well, welcome to adulthood honey...not so.
Don't get me wrong, its not that dreary...its just that when those days came in went and I had to work and pay bills and do Real Life Activities and it didn't actually Kill Me or anything (haha)...well, I realized that life was not all roses, but that it, DID have roses mixed in and that's what really matters..

So, here we are reaching another "growing up" milestone, but first off for perspective lets look back...
This time last year, we did this: were lazy at home...
This time two years ago, we did this: Were enjoying R&R in Washington.
This time three years ago, we did this: were lazy in Victoria, BC
This time 4 years ago, we did this: Had a big "party" and went to the Bahamas

Ok, so now we come to today. Brett's at work and I went to the gym and plan to do some house cleaning. ahhhhhhh! Happy Anniversary Honey! ;-)
But you know what, I know we'll celebrate ( we're planning on living it up on Saturday by going to see the LAST HARRY POTTER MOVIE WHICH I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT I COULD SCREAM and going to eat yummy yummy steaks), but I also know its about celebrating EVERY day. I know we've grown into our marriage. And not that I wouldn't take a day off, or a vacation or another honeymoon...but I know that we do not need such things to make our marriage memorable and fun. And so, ironically ( because I'm talking about being "grown up" and about how excited I am about a kids movie all in the same post....yeah) I feel like we're grown ups now.

Of course, we haven't even GOTTEN to year five yet...but I'm looking forward to it being just as wonderful. Wonderful because I am married to a man who puts Christ before all things, who loves me with his actions and words, who loves our son with all his heart, who loves others with an equal passion and caring heart that I wish I could emulate.  I am forever grateful that the Lord gave me such a wonderful husband and continues to fulfill His promises to us through our marriage verse:

I will give the one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. ~Jer 32:39 

a mouthful

Yesterday was crazy, even for me....I hung out with four different ladies and baby sat for another little lady, all back to back to back. Ransom was grumpy. But now that I look back on it, he probably just felt out numbered.

In other semi-related news, I'm trying my hand at homemade teething biscuits. Ransom has never been one for teethers, and usually when he seems to be in pain nothing really works, but I'm desperate and they also looked kind of yummy ( plus I had all the ingredients in the house already!)...The jury is still out on whether he likes it, he's been holding and periodically putting it in his mouth for about 5 minutes...so we'll see.

Incidentally, if you are thinking about getting married the dates between July 10-15th are really pretty great and I now know a TON of people who's wedding anniversary is this week, so apparently it works ;-) . Brett and my 4th anniversary is on Thursday ( BIIIIIG celebration coming on Saturday...stay tuned) but our friends the McKnight's 3rd anniversary was yesterday so I took care of their 1 year old daughter Elizabeth for them. It was super fun. And I think if you could get past the whole infancy stage ( isn't that with all babies?!?) I think it would kind of be fun to have twins.
Watching R and E interacting was loads of fun, and double the cuteness...

Update: Ok, so he successfully finished his biscuit.  I'm going to go with he likes it, but its definitely a sit and watch him while he eats it food...unlike SOME children Ransom tried his hand at shoving the WHOLE THING in his mouth at once. Luckily he'd already nibbled off about half of it, but it was still a lot to chew ( and swallow).


If you'd like to make these teething biscuits: 

1 cup whole wheat, all-purpose, barley or oat flour
1 cup dry infant rice or oat cereal
1 very ripe banana, mashed until smooth, some apple sauce if needed
2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil

Preheat oven to 375˚F. 
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and cereal. In a small bowl, stir together the banana, oil and about 2 Tbsp. water; add to the dry ingredients and stir until you have a soft dough, adding a bit more water or flour  ( I actually added about a Tablespoon of applesauce) as needed until the dough comes together and is not too sticky. (It will depend largely on the size of the banana, and how juicy it is.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1/4-inch thick and cut into smooth shapes (circles or sticks, without pointy edges – squish them a bit with your fingers). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely and store extras in an airtight container.

Bookish

Today I was told that I "looked like an Abigail"...this caused me to dwell way too long on what an Abigail looks like exactly. I mean I am all about people looking like their name and all, but when a SALES PERSON starts to make a comment...anyway, I suppose its good for identity theft if you look more like the name on your card. Speaking of which I lost my debt card on Monday. Luckily there have been no "odd" charges so I've just reported it missing and hoped for the best. oops. 

Ransom is back to taking really short naps. I guess the weekend of 2 hour naps is over. Luckily he's still been in a relatively good mood. He is currently really into "reading"... he will seriously sit on the floor pulling books out of his book basket one at a time, turning the pages, turning the book all different ways, and then on to the next book...he'll do it for a good twenty minutes and will often do it several times during the day. I love that our child is already bookish. I just hope it sticks! 

I can't quit you.

So, I admit I checked Brett's facebook today... I am going to go ahead and cut myself some slack since I had been holding a sleeping Ransom for about an hour when I finally caved and looked it up on my phone. I mean, what ELSE did I have to do?! haha

Anyway, I guess its going to take my a while to fill the "void" but since its so hard to quit, it must have definitely been the right decision!  And look here! You're getting another blog post! So time IS being spent more wisely!

Brett's longer working hours have extended into the weekend-since he took off work "early" on Thursday so he could have Bible Study, he's had to work all day today. For reals there are just not enough hours in the day for powerpoint according to the Army. Army Strong. Army Power(point).

A rebel with a tiny cause

So, I deactivated my facebook account today...I've been toying with the idea to do it for days-well, really ever since that glorious week of vacation when I didn't check it. Anyway, it probably won't be forever, right now I'm going for a month-but, anyway, the deciding factor was time. And time well spent. This week was busy hanging out with two of my gorgeous friends from Texas, Christa and Esther. I've known them their whole lives and it is always such a nice surprise when you find yourselves adults and friends at that! 

At our second fireworks show of the weekend...

eating famous "Abt Family Chili Cheese Dogs"

A jam packed week of goodness

If you look closely you can see the airborne students jumping from the plane...

 three ladies at his beck and call? one spoiled baby

It was a great week and in the midst of the busyness I feel like God was talking to me a bit about the people I should be making a priority. The Dear Ones who have been neglected because I'm a "busy mother", but really if I'm honest I'm just not doing an awesome time management job.  And so what better way to free up some time for the Important People than to get rid of the people I just randomly stalk? ( haha) And thus the change. In fact, I think the only thing really holding me back was the fact that I wouldn't be able to share pictures of Ransom as easily...but what about my dear neglected blog?! And so, even though its a bit harder to post...I'll be hopefully making an effort to pick up the missing facebook slack by posting more pictures here instead. We'll see how that goes..

Sometimes Fort Benning can rock a pretty sky. 

Happy Independence Day!! (+ a winner)

Happy 4th everyone!! I love love this holiday! BBQs, fireworks, family picnics and little town parades- it's seriously great. We're currently watching the Abt Family tradional movie- Independence Day. Hahaha!
So what better time to announce the winner of my chocolate giveaway?!

It was interesting that with each person that commented I would think, "Oh! I hope they win!! I'd love to send that person Chocolate!"

But in the end there could only be one winner, but I will tell you this...friends, take a look around and find someone you can bless with a little "something special" this week! I definitely need to do "just because" presents for people more often.

And today I'm sending Chocolate to JUDY!!!! Congrats for winning! It'll be in the mail soon! *And by the way, Brett was very excited that he randomly picked your number! :-)