And... I'm back

Here are this morning's thoughts from the trenches:

* Mentioning that I'm back from the family reunion would not be complete without a couple of Zoey stories. She decided early on that she wanted to sleep in "Aunt Rachy's Bed." She is so sweet, and my brother and sis-in-law are a little cramped in their room, so it was OK, but I was reminded of how it's going to be a big change when I someday share a bed with a husband. Let's just hope my husband doesn't take up all the room (quite a feat for someone about half my height) and kick me all night. The first night, Z woke up and said she wanted her milk. I handed her the sippy cup from the bedside table and she said she wanted more. The cup was about a quarter full, but she insisted. So at 2:30 a.m., I stumbled to the kitchen, was blinded by the refrigerator light, and found some milk for a top-off. It was some Skye had packed in a Nalgene bottle-- probably some she was trying to use up before it went bad. I brought it back to Little Z, but she informed me she wanted NEW milk. I'm not gonna lie, I wouldn't blame her. I don't think it was bad but it was just at that point... you know what I'm talkin' about. So it was back to the kitchen to wash out the sippy cup and give her the NEW milk. When I got back to my room, she took about one swig and then said "Put it on the table" (I guess "please" isn't in her vocabulary circa: middle of the night) and promptly fell asleep. Honestly, little kids are so funny! I couldn't even get mad. The next night, she asked me to tell her a story. I don't think I really know any, so I told her about Egypt. She wanted to know what the princesses looked like, so I stretched the truth a little bit and told her to imagine Jasmine from Disney's "Aladdin." I told her that people in Egypt have beautiful brown skin. She then insisted that SHE wanted beautiful brown skin. I guess I'll have a prime suspect if suddenly my instant tanning cream goes missing. She also mentioned that she wants a baby brother and wants to name him "Chester." I didn't know she even knew anyone named Chester. We had to sleep with her Hello Kitty Purse, a plastic tomato and a deflating punching balloon. So on the whole, I didn't get a lot of sleep this weekend, but I got a slumber party fix.

* As for further explanation regarding my new lingerie hobby, I don't really know where it came from. You know that old cliche, "Those who can't______ teach"? I think it usually refers to performing arts. So I guess in my case, it would be "Those who can't ____..." (blank for a different reason) "...make stuff for other people to wear when they do." I doubt I'll be the next Victoria, but I'm hoping I can sell some of my wares at the Boho Babes Boutique. I don't know if there is a market for negligees at a craft boutique, but we will see.

* Finally this morning, and on a more serious note, I'd like to say I'm really grateful the way God prepares our hearts for whatever is coming down the pipeline-- if we let Him, that is. Trials that I wouldn't have thought I could face several weeks ago aren't even a big deal today. And, I really believe if we would just follow His will for us, we'd end up with better things than we could have chosen for ourselves. I could give lots of examples, but why don't y'all just think about that and tell me that I'm right? Good. Do that.