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Archive for the ‘Our house…in the middle of our street’ Category

You make lemonade, of course.

But if you’re a true entrepeneur, capitalist, or overachiever, you then sell that sweet-tangy nectar at your very own lemonade stand!

This summer, as part of our Brownie program for Girl Scouts, our troop was supposed to choose a project to make our community a better place.  Note the use of the singular adjective: A project.  One.  Majority rules.

Our troop, however, could not decide on a project.  No, all seven of our girls each voted for a different project.  So we ended up with no majority.  And you know what that means to an overachiever like me.  Yep, we’re doing all seven.   One per month for the entire school year.  Because that’s how we roll.

So each girl now gets to take the lead role in organizing and carrying out her chosen service project.  Crisana’s was to help the Samaritan Inn, Collin County’s only homeless shelter.  We drove by the Samaritan Inn regularly on our way to swim lessons this summer, and we could see the number of people waiting, even in the midst of the brutal heat, to get inside.  We heard about the overcrowding, the large numbers of children who were living there, and the way the Inn’s meager resources were being taxed trying to meet the needs of the most desperate in our community.  Crisana decided she wanted to help.  She contacted the Inn and spoke with one of the coordinators there to determine how our group of third-grade girls could make an impact.

Toilet paper and paper towels was the answer.

But I wanted this to be more than just having the girls ask their parents for money to buy toilet paper and paper towels.  I wanted the girls to have some sort of investment, to make some sort of sacrifice or effort to participate.  I wanted this to mean something to them.  I wanted them to give, not just physically but emotionally as well.

And so was born Crisana’s lemonade stand.

She sent out an email to the neighborhood advertising her stand this past Saturday and Sunday.  She spread the word through my facebook account and even sent an email to the principal at McGowen asking for permission to collect donations there.  She decided to sell lemonade and cookies, and to use the profits to purchase the needed supplies for the Samaritan Inn.  She set to work, making her sign, putting a tub out on our doorstep for donations, and squeezing lots and lots of lemons.  With a little help from mom and a few friends, she made 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies, 8 dozen sugar cookies (4 of which she frosted and decorated with a single candy corn), and 8 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies.  She bagged them in individual baggies and made nearly 6 gallons of fresh-squeezed lemonade.

And then we dragged it all down to the corner and set up shop.

One of her Brownie troop-mates joined us for the sale on Saturday, as well as a neighbor friend who is a Girl Scout Junior.  Thanks to a neighbor, we enjoyed shade from the brutal sun both days.  Thanks to other neighborhood children, we also enjoyed a nearly constant stream of customers and activity throughout the two-day event.

When it was all said and done, the pitchers were washed and the trash was bagged up and the cookies were eaten and the money was counted…we learned that she had earned a whopping $195.50.  That’ll buy a lot of toilet paper.

All because a little girl had a dream…had a passion…had a heart…and a lot of help.

I think we’ve already succeeded in making our community a better place.

Yesterday was our neighborhood’s National Night Out and as we always do, we hosted a friendly competition for the food.  Neighbors bring finger food in various categories and we do a secret ballot to determine the winners in each.  This year, the kids decided to outdo the parents!

Crisana settled on Black Cat Cupcakes.  She helped with every step, mixing the batter, baking the cupcakes, and setting them out to cool.  Even though Mom helped a bit with the frosting and decorating, Crisana was actively involved in the entire process.  And just look at how cute they came out:

She was so proud to show off her creations:

Not to be outdone, Trey made his own special festive treats.  We first made these Gobbler Goodies 2 years ago for a pack campout, and we’ve ended up making them every year since.  Each time, he’s taken more and more ownership of the process and can probably make them on his own next year.  This was probably our best batch ever:

Trey was very excited and proud to share them at the get together:

But we have some very creative neighbors as well, so the competition was fierce:

Crisana ended up winning her division for her cupcakes, and although Trey came up empty-handed we were proud of our creative bakers and enjoyed the fruit of their labors!

This morning brings deep sorrow.  First of all, I will not win the “Biggest Loser” competition.  I gave it a valiant effort, but just couldn’t seem to drop more than 8 lbs. during the past couple of months.

Snark aside, I’m deeply saddened for another reason this morning.

That’s our old house.  On Friday evening, the house was destroyed by a massive fire.  Thankfully no one was injured.  But the family who lived there lost everything.

My heart is broken for that family.  And I feel a sense of loss, too.

That was our very first house.  We poured our hearts into building our lives in that home.  We redid the entire landscape – by hand.  We planted those trees and tore out the old shrubs to plant new ones.  The bench in front of the living room window was an anniversary present from my mom.  The red oak on the left was a housewarming gift from my parents.  The window on the far right was first a sitting room, then a guest bedroom, and finally Crisana’s room.  The window on the left was Matt’s office.  We found many stray baseballs from the field across the street in our flowerbeds.  We brought our children home from the hospital to their lovingly decorated nurseries in this house.  We acquired two pets in this home.  We held Bible studies and neighborhood dinners and Sunday School Christmas parties here.  We hosted playgroups and birthday parties and movie nights.  We formed friendships and made lasting memories within those walls.

I imagined one day taking my children back to this house to show them where it all began.  To let them see where they got their start.

And now, it is no more.  Farewell, 2550 Parkhaven Drive…and thanks for the memories.

Today was the 6th annual Sloan Creek Estates Easter Egg Hunt!

Mind you, I use the term “Hunt” loosely.  It’s more like an Easter Egg “Scramble” as Matt calls it.  Because 600 eggs + no landscaping  + REALLY BIG yard = running out of “hiding” places very quickly.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather this year: sunny and warm and – true to form – incredibly windy.  I think God sends the wind on purpose, to keep me humble as I have to learn to “let go” of my standards of perfection.  I broke down this year and bought a new sign for the fence/photo op area, one that actually had the “t” in Easter:

Don’t worry, though.  Our “Happy Easer” sign still made it into the decorating scheme, this time on the garage door for the third bay.  And we had the opportunity to introduce a few more neighbors to this very special Sloan Creek signage.

We began by having the littlest ones hunt first, which is always so much fun.

We allowed each child an initial limit of 15 eggs, but most of those first hunters were satisfied with far less.  In fact, for one of our hunters, one egg was all she needed and she was happy as a clam.

Then the bigger kids got to hunt.

And once everyone had been given an opportunity to collect their 15 eggs, the scramble to clean up the yard began.  I am pleased to say that as far as we can tell, there are NO eggs left in our yard.  If there are, I’m sure the mowers or rabbits or raccoons will find them for us throughout the summer.

After the hunt was over, the neighbors met to socialize and visit.  There were lots of new faces and new connections, and of course, lots of good food.

People sat in the sun, or went across the street and explored at the pond, while kids played in the back yard or hid their eggs in the “spooky forest”.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and commented on how much fun it was.

And now that all the eggs are cleaned up and the decorations are taken down and stored for another year, I’m already looking forward to the next one.  It was truly and “eggs-tra” special day!

Tomorrow is our anniversary…our “sweet 16th”.  Sixteen years.  Wow.  I can’t believe we’ve put up with each other for that long.

Nah, I’m just kidding.

When we stood at the front of that church on that very hot July day in 1993, we promised our love and faithfulness to one another “for better or for worse; for richer and poorer; in sickness and in health.”  In our idealistic 20-something mindset it was easy to make those promises; much harder has been the process of living up to them over the past 16 years.  Those cliche’s were for “someday”…someday much later, when we were much older…more mature, able to handle them.  Right then, all we could see ahead of us were bright days filled with excitement, happiness, and fun.

But that was not the way it happened.  It wasn’t long into our marriage before those vows were put to the test.  And I’m grateful for the way we weathered that first storm…and the many that have come since.  I’m grateful for the happy times, the times of joy and laughter that we’ve built together.  Because both – the good AND the bad – have only served to strengthen our commitment and deepen our love.

I could spend all kinds of time recounting the memories of the good times and bad, the times of sickness and health, the times of plenty and want.  But I won’t.  Instead, I’ll make this short and sweet.

Today, I’m grateful for a song.  A simple song, played on the radio at just the right time.  I’m grateful for red lights and Chevy trucks and DTS parking permits and my parents’ Honda Accord.  I’m grateful for Richland College and physics classes and parking lots and lab partners.  I’m grateful for stubborn horses and fractured vertebrae and body casts and schools in Egypt and the U.S. Postal service.  I’m grateful that God orchestrated the details of bringing us together, and in so doing wove a tapestry of beautiful moments.  I’m grateful God had a plan for our lives that was bigger than either of us alone.  I’m grateful that God brought both of us to a place where we knew marriage was His will.

And today, I’m grateful for the life we’ve built together over the past sixteen years.  It hasn’t been perfect, to be sure, but I can definitely say it has been “sweet.”

POLICE BLOTTER….

Location: Fairview, Texas.  Sloan Creek Estates.

3:50 P.M.  Neighbor reports suspicious van in neighborhood.  Blue minivan with dent in right front fender.  Seen stopping in front of houses and opening mailboxes.  Appears to be putting things in some mailboxes, then reaching in and taking things out of mailboxes.  Neighbor expresses concern that this may be the perpetrator of recent mail-stealing crimes.

3:55 P.M.  Second neighbor joins the discussion.  Asks first neighbor if she called 911.

4:02 P.M.  Third neighbor joins the discussion.  Informs group that blue van belongs to substitute mailman, on duty for regular mailperson on Mondays.  Case closed.

Jay Leno would be proud.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to believe it’s been four years.  Four years since our very first Sloan Creek Easter Egg Hunt where we had more non-SCE residents in attendance than residents.  Four years since hiding a few dozen eggs in our playroom and having neighbors over for pizza.  Four years since we ran around on Sunday afternoon inviting whoever was home to a “casual little get-together” just for fun.

Now it’s a tradition.  There’s a lot that’s different from our first year.  For one thing, our neighborhood is bigger.  Our first year, we knocked on the doors of about 5 houses.  This year, I hand-delivered over 80 invitations.  It’s grown too big to be hosted inside our home.  And each year, there are new neighbors, new babies, and new friends who join us and become part of our wonderful Sloan Creek family.

But there are some things that don’t change.  The sense of community, the comraderie we enjoy, and the commitment to building a great neighborhood are as strong now as they were at the beginning.  The generosity of our neighbors, and the overwhelming support for community activities continues to thrive and grow.  A yard overflowing with eggs…that never changes.  And of course, there’s the now-famous “Happy Easer” sign which we just can’t bear to throw away.

Though we had our smallest crowd percentage-wise this year, we still managed to have a great time.  The kids found lots of eggs.  We enjoyed meeting new neighbors and snacking on lots of yummy food.  We took lots of pictures of little ones who have grown so much since last year.  And we are so grateful once again that God placed us here, in this little pocket of Fairview.

Enjoy the pictures from our most “egg-sellent” day yesterday!

We gave out directions for the hunt, and everyone was all set to go!

The little ones were the first to go…and the most fun to watch!

They loved hunting for eggs and filling their baskets.

Meanwhile, the big kids waited anxiously for their turn to hunt.

My two favorite hunters…on an “egg-sellent” mission!

Guys with matching Easter baskets need to stick together!

The kids migrated to the back yard to hunt and play…what could be better?

Someone brought cascaneras (“confetti eggs”), which as you can see were a bit – shall we say – HIT?

For those of you unfamiliar with the great Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, she just so happens to be one of my favorite childhood literary characters (along with the velveteen rabbit – but that’s a post for a different day).  And of all her books, I especially love the first one.  It is in that book that we learn what makes Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle so special…she lives in an upside-down house!

And now, for the first time ever, we know where that house is.  It’s in Germany!  Don’t believe me?  Check out this news story about the upside-down house.   Somehow, though, it’s a little different than what I remember in my imagination…

In 1974, a neighbor friend from our church in Miami held a “5-Day Bible Club” in her home.  At the time, I was 5 years old and looking forward to starting school.  My big brother Dan would walk with me as we crossed busy 82nd Avenue to get there and back home again.  I must confess not remembering much about the lessons she taught…but I do remember a special little book she used to tell us a wonderful story.  This book had no words, only colors, and as she flipped through the pages something resonated deep within me.  On the final day of the club, I met with one of the adult volunteers in her Florida room and prayed to accept God’s gift of salvation.

Now, 34 years later, God gave me the opportunity to do the same for another child.

This week was the week for Back Yard Bible Clubs at McKinney Fellowship.  I knew from the moment we first heard about them that we would be hosting one at our home.  Sure enough, we did.  The church provided the curriculum, crafts materials, volunteers, and even a few children.  The rest was up to us.

What a week!  Each day, we had around 15 children show up at our front door.  I was blessed to have 3 wonderful adult volunteers plus a youth helper (all but one from our neighborhood) assisting me each day, and I truly couldn’t have done it without them.  We learned about four parables of Jesus and had a wonderful time singing, dancing, doing crafts, playing games, and eating popsicles in our back yard.  Culvert loved the extra attention and spent quality time getting to know each of the children who came.

The most exciting part for me was seeing those children react to the Bible stories and hearing the way that God was moving and working in their hearts.  I may not have had the opportunity to lead a child to Christ this week, but I know that seeds have been planted.  Several of the children have already made professions of faith, so it was exciting to help equip them to now go out and be missionaries to their friends and others in our neighborhood.  Who knows what will happen over the next several weeks…months…years in our little community in Fairview?  All I know is I am grateful to God for putting us here and allowing me to have a small part in His great plan.

If it’s going to be an extreme makeover, it’s going to take a looooong time.

But this week, we started what we hope will become an extreme makeover of our landscape. With our decision to have me stay home another year, our financial outlook is quite different from what we had expected it would be and so the long-term projects have become even longer-term. And the different phases of the projects have been broken down into sub-phases to make them more financially manageable.

A year ago, we began our landscape dream with a single tree. A single 1″ caliper, 10-gallon tree. And for the next year, that’s where the dream sat. Under the measly shade of that one pitiful little tree.

Now, a year later, we not only have a shiny new landscape plan (shiny because it’s laminated), but we have a patio plan, and a shade structure plan! This week our plans finally broke ground as we had the first phase of our patio poured. Despite a spring thunderstorm “event” on Thursday evening, our patio seems to have survived intact. Hopefully we’ll be able to get approval from the developer for the shade structure and have that built so we can enjoy our patio some this summer.

The Heard Museum nature conservatory near our house has been hosting their annual native plants sale all week, so I went yesterday to check out their bogo deals. While most of their small pots were picked-over, I did manage to find some trees that were on our plan, so I picked up 6 for $90. Four are Eastern Red Cedars and two are Possumhaws, which we will plant in our front yard and thus initiate the grand landscape plan for the front yard.

Pictures will be forthcoming, but for now, I gotta go do me some planting!