october 30

Day 30: Who are you?

In true Jude style, this will be a list. (And for the record, I think this question is lame, but it finished off this month long blogging gig.)


woman
wife
daughter
mom
friend
sister
care-giver
laundry wench
sister in law
shopper
photo-taker
enemy
volunteer
christian
pastor's wife
baker
crafty gal
sinner
listener
talker
planner
chip-lover
tea drinker
memory recorder
poker player
sarcasm lover
time waster
book lover

Ok, that is enough of that. If you have actually read all of this months posts, congratulations, I owe you a box of tissues for boring you to tears...

Onto November! Wait, where did October go?!?!

October 29

Day 29: In this past month, what have you learned?

1. My kids love praise. I knew this already, but sometimes I forget to do it enough.
2. I really think Lincoln is trying to see if he can send me to the looney bin by not remembering to inside out his socks and put them in the dirty clothes.
3. Fall is always awesome. Always.

4. I never get tired of the clacking noise my typewriter makes when I use it.
5. Hadji thought, until last night, that babies were born with a diaper on, or even clothes. The look of total shock on his face was priceless when I told him, no, they are born naked. "WHAT?!?! So they are naked in the mama's belly? Gross!" Yes, I replied. Totally gross.

 6. We are watching Little House on the Prairie every evening again. I love this. If it weren't for the outhouses, lack of deodorant, and having to kill your own meat, I would totally say I was born in the wrong era. Ok, looking at that list, maybe I just like to watch tv shows about the pioneer way of life...
(Ps, this is my boys whittling, yes, whittling with their pocket knives one afternoon. LOVE it.) 

7. I tried Aibileen's match in the mouth trick whilst cutting onions. It totally worked.

8. Making my gramma's bean stew makes me happy and sad all at the same time.
9. Sometimes a two hour nap, wrapped up in an afghan knit by your great aunt is JUST the right thing to do.

10. Putting away the folded laundry is the most procrastinated chore I ever do. Or, don't do...

Day 29. Done.

October 28

Day 28: A picture of you last year and now. How you have changed?

Another picture? Really? Ugh...

Last Year:
(this was the oldest one I had without going to my external hard drive.)

and this is from October 20th:

I am pretty sure I have just gotten older, flabbier, and crankier. I don't know, I'll ask my friends and hope they lie... ;)

Day 28. Done.

October 27

Day 27: Why you are doing this 30 Day challenge?

I have no clue...
Hmmm, easiest day yet! Ha!

Day 27. Done!

October 26

Day 26: What you think about your friends...

Friends. I have said it before and I will say it again... I have the best friends.  I love that they bear with my oddities, laugh at my bad humor, and put up with my imperfect ways. They love me, they love my kids, they are just awesome.  They have waded through some rough waters with me; my sister having cancer, Micah changing careers, and even my grandmother dying. Somehow, they know when to say nothing, when to reply, "that sucks" and when to say, "I am coming over."  They have rebuked in love, encouraged in faith, and just plain "been there".  One time my friend Jen said, "I understand what you are feeling, and would feel the same way. But, I cannot let you stay there." That's wisdom folks.

A few weeks ago, we asked Hadji, "who loves you Hadji?" His quick and immediate reply, "Miss Heather" (said more like "Hedder".)  I like that Alden asks to "just be dropped off" at my friend Sarah's house. I like that Lincoln enjoys when my friend Jessica's 2 year old comes with us, because he likes to take care of her. I like that when I had to take Emerson to the ER this weekend for an asthma attack, I could comfort Micah (who stayed home with the other two boys) by telling him, "I'll call Ashley and Kerry. One of them can come sit with me if it is going to be a long night." and they did just that.

So, I think my friends are pretty amazing. I could never mention each of them here by name, and the stories are numerous and many of their genuine kindness, adventures of road trips, thrift store shopping and dinners out.  If you don't have close friends ask yourself...

do I seek out others? (as in, am I friendly?)
do I invest in the friends I already have?  ( the grass is always greener syndrome)
do I want friends only for social reasons? (somewhere to hang out on friday night? someone to facebook brag about? )
do I want to love someone even when they are going through hard times? (did you see what some of these gals have been through with me?)

Friendships are tricky. Some people feel like they have too many, not enough, etc. Just open your eyes. There are people everywhere who need and want love and friendship. Maybe you need to be the one to start it. Maybe you need to be the one who invests more upfront. Try this... try being the kind of friend you want someone to be for you and see what happens. Pray for your friends. I should also note,  if you are married, your spouse should be your best friend. I have seen people ignore their marital friendship and folks, that is one friendship you MUST keep growing. I reserve the title of best friend for my Micah. Yet, I am ever thankful for my best friends...

Day 26. Done.

october 25

Day 25: What I would find in your bag...

I love it when they can be done list style! Here goes:

iPhone
tissues
receipts from: grocery store, hardware store, and post office.
coupon holder
change purse
coach clutch. (it holds tampons. I want whoever steals my purse and thinks they scored with a coach clutch inside to suffer knowing it held feminine products.)
the book "Wreck this Journal". (yes, still. I am not very good at wrecking things apparently.)
handi-wipes
lipstick
chapstick
excedrin migraine
bobby pins and pony tail holders
pens. oh so many pens...
pocket size lysol (what? you choose your battles, I choose mine, and mine involve public restrooms)
wallet
keys
coupons for Costco and ruby tuesdays
epi-pen
benadryl
trident gum
sunglasses
old grocery lists

Not as bad or embarrassing as I thought. One time I did one of these and there were super hero undies in my purse.Oh the painful truths of motherhood...

day 25.Done.

october 24

Day 24: A letter to your parents...

This would be hard to do. My Dad left when I was little, I only saw him a handful of times over the years, the last time being almost 25 years ago. WOW, that "25" looks longer in writing. Point being, I doubt I would write him a letter. Why? Oh, there is that Pollyanna side of me that wants to believe I cross his mind, and he regrets walking away from his wife and four children. I like to think that he googles my name, wonders how I am, and wishes he could know me. But you know what? He doesn't. He doesn't care, regret, think of, wish, hope, or google. So, no letter.

What would I write to my mom? Lots. Lots of emotions when I think of her, and that man in the paragraph above. He didn't just leave us kids, he left her too. I think the best way to say it is simply this...

                 
day 24.done.                               

october 23

Day 23: Something you crave for a lot.

I have a list for this one:
1. chips. I ♥ chips. horrible food, i know.
2. canon 5DmkII. total.camera.covet.
3. books. I love to read. I will ignore laundry to finish a good book.
4. apple pie.
5. fall.
6. date nite with my Micah.
7. snuggles with my boys.
8. more time.
9. big ginormous closets. oh, and a second toilet at the casa. (don't judge. its my crave list, i can crave a commode!)
10. world peace. (i just threw that in there in case Micah ever runs for president. they can say I pined for noble causes like world peace my whole life. well, that and Donald Trump's hair to be fixed... )

day 23.done.

october 22

Day 22: What makes you different from everyone else...

Really? Aside from the obvious DNA and whatnot? I don't know, I don't think I am all that different from a lot of people in many ways. Ok, maybe not everyone ooohs and aaaahs over junk shops, old typewriters, hot tea on a cold morning, and such. But they should.  ;)
I think that, though there are many things that make us all different, there is one that also makes us the same. Our human nature.  At the end of the day, I am just another person, who has the same selfish motives as the next guy or gal. I want what I want, when I want it. Maybe you can relate???
We like to think though, that deep down, we are kinda' good. Surely we would not be like Casey Anthony or some fame hungry celebrity or even, some power hungry political figure. Really? You say "Not me. I would never do that."  Think for a minute. Do you think it was Casey Anthony's greatest goal in life to kill her daughter and then get acquitted for it? Do we really think that was her best plan to become (in)famous? I am not by any means excusing her or mine or anyone else's wrong choices. (or the justice that needs to be served in relation to them.) I am just trying to get you to see that the phrase "But for the grace of God, there go I."  Is. So. Very. True.

Ask yourself some what ifs...
What if I had a different childhood? parents?
What if I had smoked that joint thinking it would just be once?
What if I had lost that job and ended up doing anything to make money?

What if, what if, what if? We need to stop thinking we are good. We aren't. I'm not. You aren't. Until you have been put in the position, you cannot truly say, "Well I would..." You can and should have standards you want to keep and maintain, but don't confuse your desire to be holy, with actual acts of holiness.

You are a powerful business man, you are given anything you want to make you happy. Would you be able to turn down that girl they send to your hotel room? It's easier to say "YES!" when you work in a small office and your biggest temptation is to not steal the last donut. You are a talented singer, and get a rapid, non-stop shot to fame. Suddenly, you are THE hottest thing out there. Just a little nudity is all they ask for that next video. "Well I would never!" You cry. Really? Probably a lot easier to say when your microphone is your hairbrush and your audience is your dog.

I am just trying to say, and I hope some of you read this and understand... We are all more alike than we think. I thank God that one thing I am, is  forgiven...

october 21

Day 21: A picture of something that makes you happy...

Well, since I love photos and being happy, this could be a very long post. I won't do that though. I will choose the first one that popped into my head, and then one more that actually happened today.

This always makes me happy. My boys reading books. I bet when they look back at their childhood photos they will ask, "Why were you always snapping pictures of us reading?" My hope though, is that they will not have to ask... ;)

This was what my boys were doing this afternoon. Whittling sticks with their pocket knives. I love that they do this. They have also taken to pulling the chairs over into the grass and facing them toward the backyard. Then, they wait until dark to go out and whittle. I swear, if they start asking for pipe tobacco... I blame Pa Ingalls.

So, there are just two of the many things that make me happy.
Day 21. Done.

october 20

Day 20: Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future...

I think we have already established the answer to this one, but I will do it anyway. Here we are when we first began dating many, many years ago. Just celebrated that "anniversary" recently. Did you know that my Micah knew the week we met that he would marry me? Yep. True Story. (and he wisely didn't tell me that for quite some time. I was a little commitment phobic, I admit.) Truth be told, I knew pretty quickly that this was not just another boyfriend. It was an indescribable feeling. I don't dare try to label it with "spark", or "connection" or any other cliche words. I just knew...  

and here we are today... 

This photo was taken by Lincoln. I was so proud. I told him what I wanted him to snap, and he did it. No small task for a nine year old.  Who would've thunk it, all those years ago, that those two crazy teenagers would end up married and raising up three wild boys? Oh, my Micah did, that's who ;)

october 19

Day 19: Nicknames you have and why you have them...

Nuckanew - given to be my sister Patti. I made this sound as a baby that sounded like the word nuckanew, so she called me that. And it stuck. It still comes out from time to time. I love my sister :)

Drunkfish - this nickname was not given to me for the reasons you are thinking. its a play on my maiden name, and it was given to me by my former youth pastor. it was a great time when he introduced me to some deacons as that...

Buddy - when we first started hanging out Micah and I were NOT the mushy, googly eyed type of couple. I called him buddy one day, and it stuck. Our first term of endearment. He is my best friend, and buddy. We even have a handshake, cause we are that nerdy cool.

I know there are more, but I am in a hurry, so three shall suffice.
day 19. done.

october 18

Day 18: Plans, dreams, goals that you have...

I guess I am supposed to give you all my bucket list eh?  Well, that list is entirely too long.
I would like to do a few things though...
1. grow old with my Micah
2. raise godly boys who are also just all around good humans
3. OK, I really do want Emerson to play in the NFL. I birthed that beast, and yelling "Hey Mom!" as he wins the Superbowl is all I ask in return.
4. I want this house decluttered. It is making me nutsy.
5. learn more about photography
6. write more letters. I am averaging about one a week. I am a firm believer in the beauty and art of penning a letter to someone. It means a lot to them, and you.

that's all. the end. there are more, but I gotta keep a few surprises...

day 18. done.

october 17

Day 17: Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why?

Wow. This is a loaded question... I assume they mean people currently living, and I am going to go with Donald Trump. Why? Not because of all the money, which is what the natural assumption would be. No... I would run that Trump butt to the nearest salon and get that hair fixed. After that, I would of course, generously the tip the stay at home mom -red-headed - mom of 3 wild boys- hair stylist that I went to. Yep. There it is. Maybe not the most noble of causes, but I think it works.

october 16

Day 16: Another photo of yourself

This was taken yesterday whilst on a little day trip to the mountains with my Micah and the wild boys. It is totally 100% straight from the camera. No touch ups, no light fixes, no zapping a zit off my face or anything. I am pretty impressed with my man. (ok, I did adjust the settings on the camera, but he did all the composing, the setting, etc. And I am not a very photogenic person. At. All.)  Thanks buddy. You done good.  

 

Day 16. Done.

october 15

Day 15: Put your iPod on shuffle. List the first ten songs that play.

Ok, here goes:

1. You Are Good - Matt Redman
2.21 Guns - Green Day
3. It's Love - Kina Grannis
4. Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
5. Syndicate - The Fray
6. Portable Television - Death Cab for Cutie
7. South of the Border - Frank Sinatra
8. All the Wild Horses - Ray LaMontagne
9. Ghost in the Night - Christopher Blue
10. Coffee Girl - The Tragically Hip

This was the easiest day so far. Amen.
Day 15. Done.

october 14

Day 14: A picture of you and your family...

Here we are. One Dad. One Mama. Three Boys. I love these humans. A whole lot. Even when they make me crazy. Even when I make them crazy. We are a team. A unit. This is my family and my life wouldn't be the same without them.  I also realized we need to take more photos of all 5 of us. I have tons of me or Micah with the boys, but not very many of all five. Note to self: get the camera remote out more.

Day 14. Done.

october 13

Day 13: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently...

Well, I am sneaking this one in just under the wire. I was on an all day field trip with Lincoln. That is a story for another time.  This prompt perplexed me. I read it at the beginning of the month and kept waiting for someone to hurt me. Didn't happen. Annoy me? Yes. Hurt me? Eh, not so much. So I wrote this letter about just some general feelings of frustrations. It felt good to get it out, and as you can see, I just wrote and wrote on top of what I wrote and then wrote some more. I wrote about my faith intersecting with my frustration, and was brutally honest.  Here is the letter.  Please note the irony of my using the "Little Miss Fun" note paper.

And then I did what I felt would help me put to rest these feelings... I burnt that sucker.

 

Yep. No need to keep around bad vibes. I don't know that I would call this letter a prayer, in fact, I wouldn't. But by the end of it, I wanted to pray. I wanted to let God be in control of situations and people when I cannot. So I felt like burning it was a good way to say, Hey Lord, I am done with this. A little reverse burning bush if you will... is that sacreligous? I am not meaning for it to be. 

 I also had to laugh at the fact that the ONLY part of the paper to remain unscathed was Little Miss Fun's smiling face. As if to say, "See. Quit holding onto all that junk, and get happy. Be Fun."  So, thank you Lord for a paper, pen, a match, and your quiet Holy Spirit whispering to me this evening...

Day 13. Done.

october 12

Day 12: How you found out about Blogger and why you made one...

Well, I am pretty sure I was reading a scrapbooking message board, and people kept linking their pages to their blogs. They showed their work off. I thought, "Hey. I got pages. I can show them off too." Plus, I could not figure how to link a flickr photo to the message board at that point. So, I started a blog. It was solely for sharing scrapbook pages at first. Then... I wrote a "real life" post. You can read it HERE.
I think it was a bit therapeutic to be able to write about being a mom... a REAL mom. So, that is how it all started. And those girls in the photo on the last post? We met through blogging. Yep, true story. 

Now, you get to suffer through all my mishaps whilst raising three little men.

Day 12. Done.

october 11

Day 11: Another picture of you and your friends:

Ok. Apparently the writer of this list has lots of friends, or was running out of ideas. I can appreciate the "repeat" decision. I do that as well, but its usually with dinners. I went on a long stretch of being obsessed with having loaded baked potatoes for dinner. Over. And over. And over.  Micah finally said one day, "So, how long are we doing the potato thing? I'd sure like to see some meat and another vegetable on a plate sometime..."  Praise God that man has the patience of Job.

Anyhoo, photos of friends. Here we go...

Recent trip to see these amazing gals in Minnesota. (Beth and Nicole) Chrissy was missing. We were sad. I wrote a post about the trip, and forgot to publish it. oops.  I should also note, Nicole took this photo.

Here is another. These are my girlfriends from college. Kelli and Beth. Two other pals, Amy and Jamie, couldn't make the trip. We have gone years without chatting, but when we get together, it is like we are back being giddy nineteen year olds serenading Micah over the phone. Did I just admit to that? Yes. Yes I did.

Blogger is making the photos all wonky again, and I have neither the time or energy to resize them. If you click on them they should be clearer.

Day 11. Done.

october 10

Day 10: songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad.

Okay, this is a weird question. I don't think I consciously get mad and say, "I am so mad, I am going to go listen to _____." Let me try and remember, did I turn on any music after my last Mommy Dearest moment? No... I usually let the silence of my insanity just hang in the air at those times...

Happy: Barton Hallow, Rumor Has It, Coffee Girl, You Never Let Go, I Saw Lightning, The Revelation Song, Good Life.
Sad: Enough for Now
Bored: ? I don't know. Bored? that's stupid. I am skipping this one.
Hyped:  Isn't hyped close to happy? Maybe I step up to Purple Rain when I am hyped. Don't judge. Or anything by the Fray. I love me some Fray. I so overplayed them that Micah burned me a Coldplay disc and said, "Please. Please play something else in the car. ANYthing but the Fray."

In honor of my faves, the Fray, (who I might add are SENSATIONAL in concert) here ya' go...

october 9

Day 9: Something you're proud of in the last few days...

I gotta' say it is this guy's boldness in just saying, "Hey I want to shave my hair all off!"  No fear. No second guessing. No questions of if he would look cool. He has confidence. I love that. I am proud of that.

                                                                        
                                                                           before

                                                                          and after:

 

and of course we had some fun during:

and one more, just because he reminds me of the guy from that show, Prison Break. 

october 8

Day 8: A list of short term goals for this month and why:

I have one goal and one goal only... to get my excess scrap-crap sold on Craigslist. If I don't get that and all the baby clothes cleaned out of the garage soon, I may be sleeping out there with it all. (Um, my Micah may have been asking me to get this task done for a while. a wee bit o' time. a few, uh... months. )

So, in order to keep myself in his good graces, and ensure I am never on that show "Hoarders"...

I WILL GET MY JUNK OUT OF THE GARAGE!

(PS if anyone wants to buy a boatload of scrapbooking supplies, let me know... :) ) 

Pray for My Micah. This is the kind of thing I like to post on his FB wall.

Insert "garage" for house... yep.

October 7

Day 7: A picture of someone or something that has the biggest impact on you:

Wow, this one is a loaded question! I could list several factors, things, etc that impact on daily basis. My husband, my kids, the weather, my friends, etc...
Mostly though, I would have to say, the biggest would be God, and my own sin. The one desires holiness, the other to keep me as far from it as possible. The one is pure in love and motive. The other, as self satisfyingly driven as possible. I know what kind of person I would be without God in my heart and life, and the thought... terrifies me.

"Behold, If any man/woman is in Christ, he/she is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become  new."

                                                 - 2 Corinthians 5:17

ps: I am pretty sure I get a "pass" for not having a photo of the Lord. ;)

october 6

Day 6: Your Favorite Superhero and Why...

Here she is, my gal...

There is no cape for the one below, but its true... 

I think the illustrations say it all... 

October 5

Day 5: A picture of somewhere you've been...

 This is St.Michael's Church in Vienna, Austria. It was amAzing. Dead people, right there, is some freakish mummified state. Flowers still in tact, clothes, skin, etc. Everything was still there, just blackened. I stood inches from the face of a man who died in 1789. Since you weren't allowed to take photos inside, these are ones I grabbed off the internet. I think the best part was the tour only cost 5 euros, and it was just me and a sweet older german couple. (who I might add lived in the town my family came from in Germany!!) 

October 4

Day 4: A habit you wish you didn't have...

What? Me? A bad habit? Never...

I would say I wish I had never gotten in the habit of cursing as a teenager. Ok, who am I kidding, as a five year old is more accurate. It can still be a struggle sometimes to remember to not say "S*#T" in the heat of a moment. I remember being told as a teenager at church that I needed to stop saying even "Darn it" and "Oh my gosh". I believe my next question was, literally,  "Well what the H#LL" am I supposed to say then?!?!"  Bad. Habit.

October 3

Day 3: A picture of you and your friends...

Here are a couple:

I am blessed to have lots of super sweet friends. It was hard to pick just one or two photos. There are some folks not in each photo, and there are memories of hiking, weddings, dinners out, birthday parties, holidays, cookouts, weekend outings, etc. that I cherish. ♥ you girls!

October 2

Day two: The meaning of your blog name:
Pajamas are Clothes?
That's simple. Once I got to stay home, I realized it saved me laundry and gained comfort to just stay in my comfy pjs all day when I could. I declared them "real clothes" on days we stay in.  Hence the title, Pajamas are Clothes. I am not sure making it the title of my blog was the best idea...

I am wondering, did this mean my name on my blog? If so, that is easy. it's Jude. That rhymes with mood. Dude. Rude. And even attitude. It is my name. Tricky eh?

October 1

Hold onto your hats... my friend Melanie, posted a great list of things to blog about for one month straight. As in every day. I told her I would do it this month. If you are still here at the end, I should probably give you a major organ or something really grand. Let me call up Oprah and see what I can arrange...

Day One: A recent Photo of Yourself and 15 Interesting Facts About Yourself
The photo:

The Facts:
1. I hate the smell of red meat.
2. I have not eaten steak in 23 years. I think it is gross. Please reference number 1.
3. I think it is sad that my kids will never have to be told to make sure they have a couple dimes for the payphone when they go out as teenagers. Now I will just have to ask if their cell phone is charged.

4. A bonus to the lack of pay phones and surplus of cell phones... I will be on one of those mom track your kid sites monitoring their every move. Just kidding. Sort of.
5. I typed an envelope address last week. It made me extremely happy to do so.
6. Yes, I know that #5 makes me a major dork.
7. I filled up those vintage suitcases with cluttery stuff from my office shelves. They now serve a real purpose which means my Micah cannot toss them. Bwahahahaha...
8. I could eat cereal for every meal of the day.

9. I want to tear down our dining room wall and see if the old fireplace is still behind it. I don't even want it to be useable, I just want a hearth. Why do I live in an almost 100 year old house without a fireplace?!?!
10. I think if one more male species in this house puts their smelly socks in the laundry without insiding them out, I will go Mommy Dearest on them all. Its been a while since I have done so, and I would hate to foster any ideas my children may have of me being normal.
11. I think by number 11 you are realizing, I am not all that interesting...
12. Five. That is the number of packages that came to my door last Wednesday. Amazon Prime ♥. (I feel like I should be hashtagging "#winning" but... )
13. I let the one year anniversary of my grandmother's death go by without remembering. I think that was actually a good thing. I miss her terribly.
14. I just started crying.
15. Given the choice between a fireplace and a dishwasher, I would choose the fireplace. Hands down.