#12 Settle In

So I am on Spring Break in the big city of Jackson. As much as I want to sit outside on our apartment's front porch and read my book and sip some Diet Coke or be a couch potato and catch up on every terrible reality TV show that I possibly can.....I can't. I have to do taxes. I have to unpack boxes and settle into this tiny apartment, while reminding myself that I can live in this little place for just 6 months. I have to get the resumes ready, fill out applications, visit schools, and meet principals. THIS IS THE WORST BREAK EVER!! I am being a bit dramatic!

This morning while getting ready to visit some schools, this load of anxiety began to build up inside of me. The once fresh and so clean, clean outfit is drenched with sweat. The once straight and neat hair begins to poof up. I have trouble breathing and start to get self-conscience. I check the mirror a million times to make sure that every thread  of my clothing and every strand of my hair  is perfectly in place. I lent roll my pants at least four times to get the Suki hair off. I read over my resume several times to make sure that I have not made any grammatical errors. I go to the bathroom twice before walking out the door. Who does this!?! I guess you have realized now that I have these anxious fears of meeting principals and just getting a job in general.

Am I the only one that gets like this!

So the Providence of God of course gives me a good smack in the face when "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" comes on. I make this song my prayer and I head out with the assurance that God is my Helper, my Strength, and my Strong Deliverer.

I have checked off everything on my to do list.....resume, taxes, cleaning, applications, etc...  I'm not worried or anxious about what will come of those applications or resumes.....knowing the Sovereign God is quite peaceful! It is time to read my book on the front porch and drink my diet coke!

Bid my anxious fears, goodbye.

#6 Attend Numerous Concerts

I meant to post this a week ago.....

So, right smack in the middle of moving we attended a concert. Probably not one of the wisest decisions, but it was well worth the four hours of sleep........ before we packed........and drove 5 hours into delirium the next day.

I have been following Band of Horses for the past two years or so and knew I could not miss the opportunity to FINALLY see them. Last Memphis in May we had tickets to go see them, but with the torrential downpour, we stayed put. So Jonathan, Andrew and I headed off to Tuscaloosa to see BOH and Avett Brothers at the new amphitheater!

BOH was amazing! I definitely goobed it up singing every lyric and bobbing my head like the rocker I am! Ha! 

This is a little clip of "The Funeral" by Band of  Horses.

Next up Avett Brothers.

 This is a clip of "I and Love and You" by The Avett Brothers.

Oh and I got to see Emma!!

 The no sleep and terrible move Saturday was completely worth it! Next concert is in the works.....I'll keep you updated!

i hold you in my heart

I think the last time we moved to Jackson we knew that we would be back, but this time it is different. We know we may never live in this little town we have called home for the past 7 years. We have made some amazing memories in this little place. Tuscumbia is where Andrew proposed to me, where we became newlyweds,  and where we celebrated birthdays and holidays with the whole Thompson clan. Where we were able to see Alex play basketball and graduate from high school and become this amazing young man. It's where we met the Sneed's and went on many adventures hiking, camping, cooking out, meeting Jerry Brown, and the birth of their sweet Wilson (I could go on for days).  It's where we worked with the youth group for so many years with an earnest desire for them to know Christ, love each other, and of course it was sprinkled with tons of fun. It's where I began to see what a church is really like. It's really a family who loves Christ! It's where I returned after the death of my father for an outpouring of love to fill me up in one of the darkest times of my life. It's where I was able to celebrate one of the brightest times as well! The birth of Emma! It's where we made sweet friendships with a bunch of single dudes (our spares) Sam, Rogers, Walker, and Johnathan and of course (our pair :)) Marisa and Josh. It's where we met Hannah and Jacob, who naturally felt like they have been in our lives forever.  It's where our back porch was open for anyone to stop by to talk and laugh away the hours. It's where I would watch my brother and Andrew play football on the xbox for all hours of the night, while talking in the most hilarious voices I have ever heard. It's where Andrew grew into a man that loves God first and foremost and also into a man that I adore.
 
My heart seems full! I am so thankful for our time here!

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me in grace. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11

We will hold Tuscumbia in our hearts and continue our journey together growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  

#12 Settle In

Andrew's sweet Mama (pronounced maw-maw) gave us her first set of bedroom furniture that she purchased at the age of 18. It has to be at least 60 years old! The furniture included a full size bed, a dresser, a vanity, and a bed-side table. It could all use a little sprucing up. So with Mama's permission, we did just that! My momma and I sanded off the old glossy finish and painted it a new guacamole color. (if you haven't' read my obsession with avocados, read it here) So here are the before and after pictures of our updated bedroom furniture.

Before

After

It's sooo cute! I haven't decided what to do with those knobs yet!

"Casie, why is this under "#12 Settle In" on the Cradle List." Glad you asked.  Andrew and I hope to be able to purchase new bedroom furniture for our room in the future and use this fun, guacamole furniture in the nursery! Yay!

#9 Figure out how babies work....practice on Emma...

I could smell the stench brewing from a mile away. A look of terror fell over my face as Emma was making her "poo face". Up until now, I haven't received ANY poopy surprises. On previous diaper explosions, from when we would babysit Will (6 years ago), Andrew would take care of them because he knew that I would barf at any slight smell of a stink. Andrew, the sweet hubs that he is, gave me a little pep talk, "you got this, Case". I knew I would have to go boldly where I had never gone before....

Let me give you a little background information before I give you my baby tips on changing a beast of a diaper. The gag reflex has been working long since I can remember. Around the year of 1990, my dad made me barf with his "morning business". Around the year of 2000, one of my friends let one slip and I had to pull over the car, but I was too late and barfed all over my leg. The year 2010, someone let one slip while outside and I ran inside and puked. WHO DOES THAT! These are the big three gags of my lifetime. I am not even counting all the numerous times I have gagged at youth group kids, Suki, brothers, birth, public bathrooms, etc... the tightness in the back of the throat is happening right now!

So with that in mind, I'll give you the tips that I, the gaggiest person in the world, used in changing the nastiest diaper ever.

Baby Diaper Explosion Steps for those who gag easily:
You will need baby changing pad(s), a box of wipes, fresh diaper, candles, matches, a coach, loosely fitted t-shirt, plastic sack and latex gloves.
1. Place child on changing pad.
2. Light candles with matches.
3, Put gloves on.
4. Cover nose and mouth with loosely fitted shirt and take deep breaths.
5. Look to coach for pep talk, "you got this, Case".
6. Slowly unstrap the diaper that holds the yuckiness.
7. Allow coach to hold the legs and remind you to breath (inside your t-shirt of course).
8. Use at least 20 wipes to clean up the nastiness that looks a little like guacamole.
9. Dispose of the diaper in a plastic sack in your neighbor's trash can! Get that stuff far away as possible!
10. New diaper on and we are good to go.

I know, it sounds dramatic, but I did it! My first gross diaper to change EVER!

How can something so GROSS come out of something so CUTE??

#9 Figure out how babies work....practice on Emma.

In this whole adventure of The Cradle List, I thought it would be wise to learn some Baby 101.  I have had a lot of time with the new niece, Emma. She has taught me a lot in the last couple of days! I have made a list of five things that I have learned from my little snoogity boogity woogity.....Emma.

1. Don't drain the water out of the whale bath tub with baby still in it. May turn over! Good thing I have quick reflexes.
2.  Keep a bottle in the car. Baby will scream bloody murder as you try to catch happy hour at Sonic, so while you have your Blue Coconut Cream Slush the baby can sip on whatever that nasty stuff is in that bottle. Win win.
3. When crying.....DFS. Diaper, Feed, Sleep. It has got to be one of the three!
4. Bottle Prep. Instead of pouring the formula into the water, you should pour the water into the formula or it is just a big lumpy mess and the powder goes everywhere. It took me three bottles to finally figure this out! Don't make fun! I am still working on my cooking skills!

5. Keep burp cloth on your shoulder at all times and keep another right beside you. Spit up is just disgusting and smells like death. Of course both times I kept Emma this  week, I was not burp cloth ready. I was sprayed immediately! Totally gagged! 

She's so stinkin' cute and I am having a blast learning all about babies!

#6 Attend Numerous Concerts

Well our second concert of the year was at the Workplay Theater in Birmingham. We saw The Civil Wars w/ Lucy Schwartz. What I love about the Workplay Theater is that you are more than likely going to have a run in with the performers. Josh waved enthusiastically at John Paul White upon arrival to the theater. I had quite the awkward run in with Lucy Schwartz. I know one of her songs and that's about it. I totally dorked it up! i.e. the following photo. She is like 6'5 and had to double over to take a photo with Marisa and me.

She is a "loopist" meaning she creates small sections of sound and plays it continuously while adding additional small sections to it. The machine is called a "looper" and the process of doing this is called "looping". Now that I have bestowed upon you this very important information, The Civil Wars......

If you have never heard of The Civil Wars, you should definitely check them out. They actually have the #1 album on iTunes at this very moment.  I love how they are completely stripped down to an acoustic guitar, little bit of piano, and vocals. Oh and the vocals are absolutely amazing!

My Father's Father by The Civil Wars

Andrew loves Barton Hollow

 Needless to say we had a great time. #6 is off to a good start this year. We have seen two concerts in two months and have another one lined up for April.....The Avett Brothers and Band of Horses!! HEY-OOO! We are stoked!

#12 Settle In (Part 2)

Andrew and I (mostly me) are absolutely FREAKING about where to live in Jackson.

I have this desire to live in the Belhaven area. I want to be urban!  My mom is completely freaking about the whole idea. She thinks we will more than likely have our things stolen or be shanked. (slang term for being punctured with a knife) I understand that living the "urban life" has its issues and good ole' mom just wants to protect us. The one year that I lived in the Jackson area, I did not watch the news for fear that I would never want to leave the house.

Somewhere in my mind I picture us living in an urban community. I picture Andrew starting some kind of basketball ministry. I picture myself being involved in some kind of mercy ministry or possibly involved in the youth or children's ministry in a church. My mind is running wild with all of these ideas. I find it exciting to think about how God could use us! I think somehow and in someway that God could use us in changing and turning hearts from racism and hatred to hearts that know the God of love and peace.

Another choice is the suburbs. We have been looking for a home in the Brandon, Richland, Pearl, and Florence areas. We feel like this is the safe, obvious choice. To be a suburbanite! (that's actually a real word, spell check said so)  Something about this makes me feel like we are disconnecting ourselves. I realize there is nothing wrong with living in the "burbs", but I have some issues about  having to commute at least 20 minutes to a church. I don't want to be a church commuter; I want to be in a church's community.

Anyway, this is the struggle of the day. If you were to be around me you could see that I am a total basket- case as of late!

In my Bible study today, I read that our prayers are a profound encouragement to believers. "In prayer we are with others and encouraging others through the Holy Spirit, who closes the distance between us." (how amazing is the Holy Spirit, that he links us together!)

Pray that no matter where we are living that we would glorify God  through restoring His kingdom. Pray for our new church family that we will be meeting shortly! Pray for my sanity, that I would have peace knowing that the God of the universe is at work even in these small details of my little life. Pray for us!

I hope this doesn't sound like a me me me post, but more like a post that we are struggling and we need our friends and family to pray and encourage us as we seek out how to glorify God in our next move.

"Finally, brothers rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." Ephesians 13:11

#5 Cook

Here's another yummy recipe! This is a great recipe if you like leftovers. Andrew and I can eat this a couple times a week without getting tired of it.

Oven Beef Stew

1 and 1/2 pounds of Lean Stew Meat
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of basil
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 small package or carrots (eyeball it)
2 small white onions or 1 medium/large white onion
1 can of tomato soup
1/2  of the soup can filled with water
2 or 3 potatoes peeled and cubed

Spray a 9 by 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Put beef in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil.
Put in the carrots, onion, and potatoes.
Pour the tomato soup and water over everything.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

#5 Cook

I have got to improve my cooking skills! So, I bought the new Cooking Light magazine because it had  "25 Ways to Makeover Chicken". Here's one of the recipes that I tried!

Chicken with Cherry Tomato Sauce

Chicken
First, pound the chicken in plastic wrap, so the chicken will cook evenly. Make sure you pat the chicken with a paper towel, so it gets seared! Then sprinkle it with a little salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a pan and cook the chicken. After the chicken is cooked move it to a serving dish.

Sauce
Add 5 coarsely chopped garlic cloves to pan; saute for a minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 pint of cherry tomatoes and 1/3 cup of low sodium chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Spoon the sauce over the chicken! YUM!

I put some of the sauce over white rice too!

DE-LISH!

#12 Settle In

Well looks like Andrew and I will be moving to Jackson, MS.

So by the end of May we will be official Mississippi residents......again.

I have so many questions and emotions about moving back to Mississippi. Will Andrew and I find a church that we love as much as FPC, will I renew relationships with old friends and make new ones, will I be able to find a job, where are we going to live, where will I live in April and May when Andrew moves,  etc....

all of these ROADBLOCKS.

How forgetful am I? 

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in balance? Isaiah 40:12

How often do I turn to worry, anger, frustration, and doubt about the unknown.

When I should look to.....

the Sovereign God.

I know the One, who has measured the water in the hollow of his hand, will be with me during this time.

These ROADBLOCKS are just the ROAD.

HE is at work.

Comfort and peace.

#6 Attend Numerous Concerts

Andrew and I kicked off the New Year with #6 on our Cradle List- concerts.We went with my aunt and uncle to a Martina McBride with Joe Nichols concert on day 1 of the New Year. We had front row seats! I am not typically a big fan of country music......I didn't know much about Joe Nichols and hadn't listened much to Martina McBride in a long time. Andrew and I had to do a little research to make sure we knew what we were getting into.  He swore that Martina sang "I Hope You Dance"....actually that's Lee Ann Womack....

Crazy girls were going nuts over this Joe Nichols guy. Who knew that songs like "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" and "She Only Smokes When She Drinks" could steer the crowd into insanity. Next up Martina-  I'll let you know that I did scream a couple of times and even sang along to all of the words to "This One's for the Girls", "Independence Day", and " My Baby Loves Me". Martina sang "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and  I do believe it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard, along with an amazing steel guitarist solo. I had a great first day of the New Year with Andrew, family, and Martina of course!

We have also just purchased our next concert tickets to see The Civil Wars w/Lucy Schwartz! I think #6 on the list is off to a good start with a concert in January and one planned for February.

Resolution: The Cradle List

I cannot believe it is the start of another year. Andrew will be having his ten year reunion and we will be another year older in no time. I am completely freaking about all of this!

So, Andrew and I begin the year of "The Cradle List".

Andrew and I love the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Marshall and Lily want to have a baby, but before they decide to have a baby, they make up "The Cradle List".  Andrew and I (mostly me) thought it was a pretty awesome idea. We (mostly me) have decided to come up with our own "Cradle List". 

It's true...we feel like we may be getting baby ready and we just want to do some things before it happens. 

Who would have thought that this girl would want to be a MUMMY!  (oh crap!)

I must admit that it is this little things fault!

Meet Emma....our new niece. She is the sweetest little baby and I want to hold her every chance I get!

Someone at church warned me about this..... (in old lady voice) "you know when my sister-in-law had a baby, I got the fever".

I said, "yeah, whatever".

It's true.