I’m a creature of habit. Except when I get bored. I like risk and adventure. Except when I’m scared. I’m a people-loving extrovert. Except when I’m a introverted hermit.

I am an indecisive, self-contradictory, mood-flinging roller coaster.

Just ask my husband, the man who has been married to me for 13+ years and has learned to predict my reactions/responses with great accuracy but will probably never, ever understand why on earth I think/act/feel the way I do.

Why I can’t sit at the table/my desk/in a car like a normal person with my feet on the floor.

Why I can speak to a group of hundreds of people, yet hyperventilate at a little Meet-n-Greet and beg him to let me go home.

Why I can love something one minute and hate it the next.

Why I can be completely selfless one minute and entirely selfish the next.

Why I feel this urgent, pressing need to purge our home of every single thing we don’t need. And then some.

Why buying a new shirt for a photo shoot causes a real, not-made-up panic attack.

Sigh. I don’t get me either.

Anyway. Gabe wants to make some changes on my blog. He wants to lose the stick figures, put up a picture or two of me, make my books more visible, and add some stuff that gives people more of an idea of what makes me tick (ha! not as simple as it sounds).

So, I need your help. What kinds of things do you like in a blog? What would you like to see on this one? And, if you’d be so kind, tell me which picture you think would look best (either as part of the header or on the sidebar). Here’s one pic, and you can see the other four here.

(p.s. my sweet bag is from One Mango Tree. It was 50% off, and I LOVE IT.)

And if change makes you freak out, just tell me to keep it the same please, thanks.

Stay tuned for a homeschooling update (I finally made an agonizing decision about curriculum), a Cambodia Fund update, more books you’ve got to read, and some more stuff I’m selling to raise money for our trip.

Last thing. I’m having a 31 Gifts party at my house Thursday at 7pm for my friend and pastor’s wife, Shalla. You are MORE than welcome to come if you live close. And ANYONE can order online, and it will count toward my party. If you’re looking for some cute personalized Christmas gifts, this would be perfect. 15% off entire catalog!

Thanks, friends!

When overwhelmed, make a list! (in no particular order…)

1. THANK YOU for all your support and encouragement concerning our big homeschooling decision. You people are a real find.

2. I’m going NUTS reserving books at the library lately. I picked up 11 tonight including: The Better World Handbook, The Creative Family, Enough, The Missional Mom, The Pastor, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate…

3. I’ve got some writing projects in the works. The biggest obstacle in my writing path? My obsession with reading.

4. We’re working on completely de-cluttering our home with 2 purposes in mind. a.) freedom from stuff and b.) earning money for Cambodia. In the past week, we’ve let go of a princess toddler bed, a jogging stroller, the girls’ Little House on the Prairie dresses, lots of books… Anything of mine you want?

5. I’ve got several pregnancy centers that would love some more copies of Expecting to give to the women who come to them for help. Next week I’ll be giving you another opportunity to bless an expectant mama in need. You can donate a book for $10 or co-donate one for $5.

6. I went to a 31 Gifts Open House at my friend Shalla’s tonight and decided to host my FIRST-EVER direct-sales party in August. If you’re in/near Columbus, I would LOVE to see you. No pressure AT ALL to buy anything (although they’ve got some really great stuff). I just want to catch up with everybody!

7. I love my husband and daughters. I’m super, super, super blessed.

8. Homegrown produce is my love language. The girls and I had a delicious lunch today–grilled carrots, fried eggplant, and Greek Avocado Salsa. If your garden is out of control, I’ll gladly take some veggies off your hands.

9. I’m really thankful for Beth Murphy tonight. And I have a really cool story to tell her…

10. If I had to sum up my life rightthisminute in just three words, they’d be: overwhelmed, grateful, anticipating.

What would your three words be?

We just got home from a little 2-day road trip that involved a buffalo sticking his head in our car (Wyoming?), and my husband going zero to 120 in 4 seconds (NASCAR?).

We also celebrated FIVE YEARS in our current home. WORLD RECORD for us (we’ve moved 10 times in 13 years).

Livi’s poison ivy is sloooooowly healing. Thank you for praying.

School starts in 23 days. Gulp.

Back to the real posts tomorrow.

I think.

There’s bad overwhelmed and good overwhelmed. Thank the good Lord that I’m good overwhelmed, but goodness, am I good and tired!

Good night! Have a good weekend!

Please pray for Livi. She’s got a bad case of poison ivy all over her legs and is absolutely miserable. I’m going to take her to Urgent Care in the morning in hopes of getting her a steroid shot.

Big day, home late, scratching Livi’s back for a looong time, trying to help her get comfortable while the Benadryl kicks in, sooooo tired, eyes burning, no post.

Just add these to your book list.

And get yourself some of these.

And treat your husband to Christmas in July.

And I’ll see you tomorrow.