Yes, the title of this post really is THAT long. There will be many facets to this post - I hope you will stay with me to the end.

1. Encores and More North Childrens Consignment Sale
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that my friend Brea runs a childrens consignment sale in rivergate each summer and winter. The upcoming Fall/Winter sale is August 9-16 and it will be my third sale to shop there. While I have been to many childrens consignment sales in my day, never have I been to one like Brea’s. This sale includes over $900,000 of new with tag Gymboree clothing at 60-80% off retail (we all know my unnatural love for Gymboree when I can get it cheap). The sale also features a huge selection of boutique items - think smocked dresses from Remember Nguyen, Greggy Girl, trendy Baby Lulu, and the list goes on and on. At the last sale, I bought several pairs of Baby Lulu PJ’s for 75% off retail, and even got Norah a pair of her favorite Pediped shoes. All of this to say - this is a childrens consignment sale that has top quality merchandise for a fraction of retail prices. It is well worth the 45 minute drive from my side of town…and I will probably do it at least twice during the sale! I highly recommend you do it too.

2. They say (and I have no clue who “they” are) that food preferences are established in the first years of life and if you expose your child to a variety of foods they will be more likely to accept and enjoy new things throughout life. Makes sense to me. We are trying to broaden Norah’s horizons when it comes to food. I am offering her tastes of pretty much anything and everything that would be healthy for her to eat. While we were at Grammy & Granddaddy’s she gobbled up cucumber/onion salad - yes soaked in vinegar - and asked for more. She also had pork chops and purple hull peas that night. She ate my French Onion soup at Atlanta Bread Company in Germantown. She ate Fried Green Tomatoes at Jim N Nick’s. She ate pieces of red and green bell peppers and let me feed her small bites of my salad at lunch on Sunday. Peanut butter can cause a serious allergic reaction, so you’re supposed to exercise caution when introducing it to your child. Our pediatrician had told us it was fine to let her try it after her one year checkup, but to keep an eye on her after it. I hadn’t been brave enough until today, but we let her try the thinnest layer of peanut butter on a graham cracker and she seemed to really enjoy it. Some of her other current favorites are blueberries, mandarin oranges, cheese quesadillas, cheese pizza, green beans (cooked in low-sodium broth), and chicken. She’s also getting big enough to manage a sandwich in her carseat - I gave her a grilled cheese a quarter at a time and she ate it happily. Not that I want her to eat all of her meals in the car or have fast food all the time, but on a road trip, this was a helpful development.

3. I feel embarrassed to admit that it has been two months since I had sent a letter or pictures to Norah’s birthmother and our social worker emailed and said that “Mama L” called and wondered if we would send some. It made me cry to know that she has probably been looking for them every day for the past month (I have sent them once a month for the past year) and that she’s been disappointed, worried, sad, etc. because I hadn’t done it. You better believe I sat down last night and wrote a 3 page letter to catch her up on everything, and uploaded a bunch of pictures and had them printed at Wal-Mart and that they will be in the mail to her tomorrow. Seriously, not a day goes by that I don’t think about Mama L, and I think that will only increase as Norah grows and her personality shines through. The thought of disappointing her made my stomach turn.

4. At church on Sunday, Kyle Goen taught from Ephesians, and the essential point of his message was “Submission is MY responsibility,” in reference to the biblical principle of wives submitting to husbands as the head of the home, and husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church. If you have a few minutes, definitely listen to the sermon or download it to your ipod. I wanted to brag on my sweet husband because Kyle mentioned several things that husbands can do to show their wives they love and value them, and Brad already has those things down. He comes home from work and feeds Norah her dinner and spends time on the floor playing with her instead of coming home and checking out for the evening. I am amazed and impressed at how much of a “hands on dad” that he is and I know it is because he loves her so much and he loves me so much and we are blessed that he is the leader of our home. Submission in the context of marriage is a hot topic - and one that we will all struggle with - and I know that it is my responsibility to keep my heart focused on Jesus, and that spirit will carry over into serving and loving my husband with humility and bring a few less “I told you so’s.”

Random night, I know.