Hello, my name is Jo, and I'm a Procrastinator

It is 8:15 p.m. and I am so tired I could fall asleep typing except my dishwasher has all of a sudden decided to start making a noise like a jet plane taking off. I should be concerned, but I just don't have it in me. Which brings me to my shameful neglect of even attempting a Friday Feature last week. It was one of those Fridays that just never stops being busy, and so I said.. oh, I'll do it on Saturday morning. And then I got up at 5 am to go yard saling with The Fox on Saturday morning... and it didn't happen.
 "Oh, I'll do a really nice post on Tuesday. Maybe I'll even find another etsy shop I like and do a feature on them to make up for it."

o_o


So now it's after 8 o'clock and I'm stuffed full of this:

Which was beyond delicious, and the fact that I neither made it nor cleaned up after it was only the icing on top. The Fox worked his mad kitchen skills and that was after cutting hair non-stop today. 

Aside from that, things are pretty normal around here. I had some sales on etsy over the weekend which was very encouraging, and there are two new tomato sprouts that are peeping out in the new planters. Sowed my carrot and pak choy seeds in the back yard garden plots, and my sweet peppers and eggplants look like they may be ready to transplant soon. 

Sunday we had a chance to have lunch with another couple from our Bible study and we really enjoyed spending time with them! 

Then Monday night I got a text with this picture---->

And was at my best friend's house about 10 minutes later to see these sweet things in person! Oh, they were so sweet! Her DH had gone over the nest with the lawn mower and they were jumping everywhere! We ended up returning them to the nest, and I think the mother has since been back for them, so all is well, but I would have packed them home with me in a heartbeat if I thought my three wild hooligans would not gobble them up.

So that's been my excitement for the week. Now I can't make any promises, because as soon as I do, I'll flake out, but definitely check back on Friday for this week's feature piece! I am off to bed!

Spring Outside, Spring Inside

Spring has sprung!! I feel like maybe I have said that already a few times, but I am really, really ready! This weekend we were able to get outside and grub around in the garden some, and these gorgeous jonquils were just too cheerful! The Fox came out and helped me put down new dirt and clean out all the old weeds and dead things from last year, and we had a really nice time. It  has been a whole month since we last turned on our television and we have had so much time to spend together! We have learned how to work side by side even better than we used to, and that has really been a blessing. It is amazing how "negative in, negative out, positive in, positive out" works. It sounds so simplistic; something you might tell a child- but that's another thing I'm beginning to learn: simple works. As we get older, we (or I do, anyway!!) feel like things have to get more complicated, more involved, more detailed, more, more, more. And then the stress just builds upon itself every day. How often do you see a stressed out kid? I don't mean cranky or sleepy, but full blown grown up stressed. I know that when I have seen that in children- they are the ones who have homework, sports, two birthday parties a weekend to attend, swim lessons, and more, and more. They're tiny adults. 

I've begun to learn that bigger is not better, and more stuff is not going to make me more happy. Getting to spend time outdoors with someone who loves me so much that he pokes me awake at night to tell me something he just read in his Bible? That makes me sooo happy. 

I feel like giving up TV for Lent wasn't really about the TV at all. It was about giving up control. And once I started letting go of one thing, it didn't make giving up other things easy(at all! But that is for another day!), but it helped me see that all these things are fleeting. There is so much more- God is so much more. When I finally un-clench the fist and let go of the crummy things I think I want and open my hand to the things He wants to give... It is an amazing thing. 

I appreciate your time in reading this, and I hope that my stumbling, rambling along can maybe help you too. I certainly haven't learned everything and am so excited about all the things the Lord will continue to open my eyes to. I am more than happy to answer any questions or comments either here or via email: thetigerandthefox@gmail.com

"All these toys were never intended to posses my heart. My true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ." - C. S. Lewis