Rolled

Background: The girls often toss and/or throw their things out the their cribs when they've been awake awhile and we haven't gotten them yet.

Lizzie had a rough time sleeping tonight. After a considerable amount of crying and the realization it just wasn't going to stop, we went in to get them (change diapers, etc.). By that point, Ellie was up to. Cribs were just about empty. Steph's getting Ellie, I'm talking with Lizzie.

L: I'm thirsty.

A: Where's your water (sippy cup)?

L: Over there. (pointing across the room)

A: How did it get over there?

L: I... umm... I rolled it.

**Steph and I just can't stifle our hysterical laughter**

Provision update

First off, thanks to all who commented, emailed or called with feedback on the bar-tending idea. Steph and I are throwing it around with some seriousness, but since I wouldn’t want to pursue it until after this class is finished, it wouldn’t be for another three or four weeks anyway. It may be a moot issue at that point. If not, we’ll address it again. Regardless it provided some great conversations between me and Steph. It was nice to have a few days of deep conversation about the same topic with the woman I love. Those conversations are sometimes few and far between.

Second, God is taking care of us for the time being. Looks like I’ll be helping some folks pack books this weekend for a nice sized wage. Then next week, through a great friend, I’ll be helping a local farmer paint a whole bunch of fence. If it’s good enough for Huck Finn, it’s good enough for me. :-) Lastly, and perhaps quirkiest of all, I’ll be participating in a focus group of sorts next week. A taste test really. Of what, you ask? One of my favorite foods: bread. Look on Craigslist, friends; you’ll find all sorts of things.

Lastly, I’ve been sending out a fair bit of resumes. No takers yet, but I sent a couple last week and then four more today. And there are a couple more Craigslist ads that were added today that might be a good fit. So, with Steph’s help, we are ever looking for work.

Thanks again for the well-wishes and comments and prayers. And hey, if you know of anybody hiring near the 01982 zip code, lemme know.

Bartender, Pour Me Another!

So what do you think?
With the very recent job loss, Allen and I have discussed various options. One we laughed about at first was the idea of being a Bartender, but after a bit we thought it could be a great way to earn money to get through school, and could be an amazing witnessing opportunity.
He could complete the course in 1-2 weeks for around $200-$300 depending on the school, and should hopefully be able to use his new found bartenders license to procure a job that would work well with his school hours. So I ask again, what do you think?

What do you think are the Pros and Cons to being a Christian Bartender, living on a dry campus (pdf) and attempting two degrees at GCTS?

Carrier and Meme in 1

baby Carrier Contest

The above is a link to a contest for a baby carrier. I have linked to it so as to shamelessly get an extra entry :-)

The following is my response to a meme from Mrs. Mandy

1. Write the title to your memoir using 6 words
2. Post it on your blog
3. Link to the person that tagged you
4. Tag five more blogs

1. Everyday growing in the Hutchison household
2. Check
3. see above link
4. Let's see:

• My Sis
• Maria
• Joshua and Sarah
• Jeana
• Ashley
  

Never Boring

Life is always exciting around here and today was no exception.

It began with the girls having a rough night's sleep and then waking up earlier than we would have preferred this morning. Then as is custom I got the girls going and eventually sat down to check email while finally eating my cold oatmeal. Every Friday the school sends a general classified type email with jobs, ministry opportunities, etc. I enjoy looking through to see if anything jumps out at me, though usually it just gets sent to trash after a quick skim. Today's addition, however, held a neat opportunity to care for an infant twice a week and get paid.

Having prayed for sometime for just such an opportunity, I spoke with Allen and then called. The rest of the morning and early afternoon would consist of me running around nervously cleaning and running through all sorts of interview questions. The meeting went well, though I won't hear anything until mid June, but exciting none-the-less.

Allen returned home shortly after my interviewers left and graciously allowed me to go on about it excitedly. Once I finally took a breath he revealed the purpose behind his lack of enthusiasm.
Simultaneously as I was interviewing for a job, he was being laid off via a phone call from his boss.

Pray for us on so many levels right now from wisdom in our job searches to strength in whatever He has for us. And may I be better with another person's baby than some seem to be :-)

Mother's Day Fun For All

Today Lizzie and Mommy attended a Mother/Daughter Tea at the YMCA.
It was a ton of fun. We had juice, and breakfast treats (donut holes, bagels, muffins, etc.). Then Lizzie had a butterfly painted on her face. After that Lizzie decorated a flower pot and then planted some flower seeds. Next was the coloring of a picture frame for Mommy. Finally Lizzie's favorite activity (so she said on the ride home) was playing with all the balloons that were used to decorate the floor :-)
My favorite part was the beginning of our brunch meal. It was a little conversation that went something like this:
Lizzie, "Mommy, we pray please?"
Mommy, "Sure would you like to do it?"
Lizzie, "Yes...
Thank you Jesus for this day,
for the juice,
for this donut," pointing to her powdered donut,
for this donut, " the plain one,
for...," a strange pause as Lizzie examines her plate and realizes that I had snuck a bite of banana onto her plate.
"NO thank you for this...," she said with disgust as she put it back on my plate and then continued for another 3 or 4 minutes with thanking God for everything from the crafts to the paper plates our food was on.
What a huge blessing our little girl is to us.

Unfortunately Mommy forgot her camera so the only shots we have to show are the after we got home shots (hence Ellie is in some of the photos).


Oh, and note to all mommies out there: Never sit right behind and to the side of a small child who is trying to take a stubborn lid off a marker, you might get a shiner :-) (It is the puffy thing under my left eye)

In A Box

I have actually really been enjoying my Melaleuca products, and the girls like the added bonus of the toy the products come in:

Ode to Great Grandpa Sewell

The girls really, really, really enjoyed watching the Kentucky Derby this year. Who knew?


My Grandpa Sewell would have been so proud if he could have seen them!

Delta update #427

The last and final Delta post.

After all the trouble, travail and headache, we received this in the mail about 2 weeks ago.

We sincerely regret that you were inconvenienced during your recent trip with us. This is not typical of our service. Our check representing full payment of your claim will be mailed under separate cover within the next week.

Thank you for selecting Delta. We would appreciate the opportunity to better serve you in the future.

--- (their name) Customer Care - Central Baggage Service

Sure enough, a week later, we received a check for the $60 they had originally shorted us.

Happy ending!

Animals

To Ellie, all animals are "doggies." And she loves to announce it when she sees them. We all watched some of the Kentucky Derby tonight. There were lots and lots of doggies everywhere.