Springtime (?!) and New Year's Resolutions

 1.) Spring Garden 

 It's only January, but we've been getting 80 degree temperatures during the afternoon and my tomatoes, spinach, and turnips are sprouting. I'm about to plant beets, lettuce, and greens too. 

Tomatoes 

Spinach 

Lonely little turnip sprout (tiny green thing in the middle). 

South Texas is weird. It's totally possible we'll still get a freeze too; we usually get one in February. 

2.) Tractor, Tractor

We're looking at buying a used tractor to replace our current used tractor. 

Ever since we got our current tractor, Chris has longed for the thing to have a bucket (giant shovel on the front). 

I mention picking up manure from a local rancher for the garden; "you know, a bucket would be great for that." 

I'm out shoveling mulch and Chris walks by; "I really wish we had a bucket." 

Chris comes in from moving gravel into pot holes on the driveway; "I WANT A BUCKET." 

You get the idea.

We've been looking at tractors with buckets attached for about the past week, and we might be heading up to a city two hours away to look at one this weekend. 

3.) Resolutions

I'm trying to kick my YouTube habit, but it's not going without a fight. Stay tuned. 

We're also doing this semi- family counseling thing called Interior Kingdom. It's a program you go through as a family that walks you through setting up a system for processing yours and the kids' emotions. 

It's pricy and pretty intensive, but I figure it's cheaper than signing up for family therapy down the road.  I also feel like I've witnessed enough of what happens when people go out into the world without knowing how to relate to their emotions to want to give my kids at least a basic framework for that. 

We're a family that can get pretty riled up and loud when emotions run high. I'd like to change that, if we can. 

4.) Living room re-vamp 

I'm not totally sure why, but I felt a pressing need to go through the living room, get a bunch of stuff out of there, and re-do the little family altar we have. 

So...I did that. And got the last of the Christmas decorations down. 

I wish I'd thought of taking a "before" picture, but here's the altar as it currently sits. 

The lacey thingie on top is a handkerchief that I got as a wedding favor, the green cloth is from Dollar Tree, and the box it's all on was given to us awhile back. 

So it's cheap, but I think it looks nice. (And yes, that's a mini liquor bottle as the vase. It's the perfect shape and size, but I can't get the label off). 

5.) An unasked for TV show review 

I'm  pretty sure I've mentioned this before; I'm a fan of The Chosen. I don't think it's the best thing since sliced bread and I don't buy any merch, but I watch the episodes as they come out, and I think it's interesting to look at as a cultural and ecumenical phenomena. 

My husband and I like to pause the episodes as we watch them and discuss what we're seeing. Sometimes it's because we think the writers made a good point, other times it's because we think they did something dumb and we're Mystery Science Theatring it. 

My general thoughts on the current season (3)  thus far (spoilers):  

Episode 1: The most unsatisfying and frustrating one to watch since the first one. It's all tying up loose ends or trying to set something up for the next seasons' arcs. There's a couple neat moments and a little bit of character development, but it's mostly just housekeeping for the storylines. 

 Episode 2 : More storyline set ups, but new material this time, so a bit more interesting. 

This episode is the first time I've ever paused the show and yelled at the screen in pure frustration. There's a scene where they have Jesus discuss suffering with someone, and it's just SO incomplete. They basically have him say, "You're suffering because it makes a good illustration of your belief in me to everyone else, and you'll do great things in spite of it." 

That's...not a horrible view of suffering, but it's an awful half assed one. 

The truth is that God works THROUGH our suffering: shapes who we are with it, equips us for the work he has for us through it, and unites it to his suffering on the cross to help others with it. 

There's not many times Evangelical self inserts pop in and disrupt the story, but this was one of those times and it was profoundly frustrating. 

Episode 3: This one darn near made up for how bad the first two were. 

Some great interaction between Jesus and Mary, some genuinely funny moments, and the second half had some fantastic dramatic tension building up to the climax. 

Well written, well directed, and well worth watching. 

Episodes 4&5: a return to form for the writing and directing, and about on par with the first two seasons. Finally. 

A really interesting new character or two, and a really well written storyline with Simon (Peter...at some point, he doesn't have that name yet) and his wife, Eden.  I identify a lot with certain aspects of what that character is going through, and excited to see how that arc resolves. 

There's also some nice riffs on a couple well known miracle stories that add some context, and some nice character moments.  

6.) Potty Training

It has commenced with Bitty Baby. 

I bought some enzyme cleaner, and I'm using it. Often. 

Pull-Ups are painfully expensive. 

That is all.