A Monster Among Us

August 16, 2017 | Stacy

I can’t remember when my kids weren’t performing. As youngsters they would retell their favorite movies, much as all kids do.

Then it was reenacting favorite stories with stuffed animals.

Somewhere in the mix they got involved with Music Makers at Webster Bible Church.

And then it was using video cameras to make sweet stories.

And acquiring better cameras.

Then writing scripts.

And getting better software.

And now – it is entering independent projects into Film Festivals.

And tonight we got a sneak preview of their movie.

I’m exceedingly proud of them. This final movie represents at least (at LEAST) 200 hours. There are a few things that ended up on the cutting room floor. And a few things that I wish had gone differently. But, mostly, I am over the moon.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

“I’m a rumor weed.”

August 16, 2017 | Stacy

Somehow, the little girls had never embraced the wonders of Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed until this past week or so. While it has always been on the movie shelf, for whatever reason it remained undiscovered.

Let’s just say it went over big. Very big! In her tremendous enthusiasm, Katriel decided since Mama hadn’t watched it with them, she would share the story with me. So she did. In careful detail she retold the story to me, complete with sound effects and dance moves. She fed me the lines so that I could reenact her favorite parts of the story. I enjoyed hearing her narration to the core of my being. Now, I probably first enjoyed Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed in 2003. Imagine her joy and surprise when I was able to join her in a rousing chorus of the Rumor Weed’s song!

That was a few days ago. Since then, she has carried, “Weedy” pretty much everywhere and today I asked if I could take a picture. For reasons known only to her, she felt these faces best such a shot.

(She is such a Butler-kid!!!!!)

I did catch this smiles a few moments later.

Matthew 13:40
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.

the tomatoes ARE good

August 14, 2017 | Stacy

It was one of THOSE moments. I suddenly had a keen, crisp awareness of the fleeting of time. I saw my *baby* girl as she truly is – an almost 4½ year old young lady with a whole self of her own that is growing up. And though at that moment she was asking me to turn on the faucet to wash her sticky hands, she would not always need me to turn on the faucet. I gently rinsed her hands with not-too-warm water, with the spray feature on the way she likes it, and danced the water around longer than necessary as she wiggled her fingers under the streams. I found the towel and took extra moments to dry her hands as I soaked her in with my eyes. I planted a kiss on her nose and said, “I love you, Katriel,” and moved in for a hug.

She brightly responded, “I love tomatoes. And you, Mama.”

Psalm 90:17
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Ktichen Update

August 11, 2017 | Stacy

Shhhh – can you hear that? It is Pinterest, calling my name.

I can’t believe just a short time ago I wrote Pinterest off as an annoying site you had to log in to see recipes… I had no idea just how helpful it could be. I thank my friend, Diane, for helping me to understand how to use the site. I feel like the updates we have made to the house this year have gone so well in no small part to what we find on this site.

I knew we needed to paint the kitchen. And after painting the living room a sunny yellow, the bathroom a cheerful chartreuse, and the dining room an alluring blue, the warm red kitchen didn’t quite fit. (Although, I did love the red.) Those three rooms were coming together with a sort of tropical feel and I did some searches with that as my key word. One of the things that kept coming up was colored furniture. Ooooo – I’ve always REALLY LIKED color! Not only was I intrigued, but John liked the samples online, as well.

I hadn’t initially planned to swap out the table and chairs, but they are really, really beat on. The chairs have giant dents in the backs where they have hit up against the table for 12+ yers, and the cushions are disgusting. John regularly tightens the screws holding them together and yet they wobble all the time. The table isn’t the kind of wood that can be refinished. And the footprint in the kitchen is rather large, too.

Craigslist helped us find four chairs quickly. Sturdy wooden ones. Then we found a small table and chair set that would round it out. SIDE NOTE – The kitchen can only seat six and we have only been eating breakfast and lunch in there since Katriel was born. And since Katriel got out of the high chair, I typically stand to eat breakfast and lunch… OR – (insert sad face here) – this past year we noticed there are a lot of weekdays where the 7 of us don’t even eat breakfast and lunch all together anymore. That is what happens when the big kids grow up and have activities outside of the home. (Insert joy here – homeschooling gave me more meals with my kids than away-school would have ever offered.) – END SIDE NOTE

So we bought the furniture.
We bought a paint sprayer.
We watched the tutorials online.
We read lots of Pinterest pins.

And I left for Prince Edward Island for the week. John took the week of work. He and the other four kids had a STAYCATION that included working on the furniture.

The process took days. And had a lot of steps.

Joanna has Chip; I have John. ♥

I easily had 30 paint swatches from Walmart (my new favorite paint – totally not kidding) and with the help of my Captain of Color (Stewart) we selected cool cucumber.

Now – to truly embrace a trendy, tropical-style kitchen, we’d have to paint the cabinets. And that isn’t going to happen. We love the cabinets. We’re not about to mess with the real wood. We hope to add crown moulding and a backsplash. Soon. But not too soon.

Ecclesiastes 3:13

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Now you see them…

August 8, 2017 | Stacy

Now you don’t!

Hanny let those teeth get as loose as can be. It took a few tries to get that first one out. She would sit still and ask me to tug, only to have me stop when it got too intense. A few days later, however, she was ready to let me pull the second one out in one determined yank.

We celebrated the way Butlers do —- ice cream.

Tab also lost two teeth this week…. we’ve had a lot of dairy. Winking smile

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live

Following directions

August 6, 2017 | Stacy

During the summer, sometimes I will work evening shifts on weeknights. When I do this Johanna likes me to leave the girls a note for the morning (so I can sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00).

She actually didn’t need a note one morning, because I had been able to give instructions verbally before she went to bed. But she pleaded with me to leave her one just the same.

Instead of thinking it was funny, as I did (I was laughing so hard as I typed it out) she said it made her cry. She said that as she read it she was worried about all the jobs. She also thought “gas” said “gats” and she thought those were bugs, and thought I meant get them out of the big van. Which was even funnier. But I guess she’s just not yet primed for my witty humor. I will stick to love notes from here on out.

1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.