Weekend Reading: 1/13/12

Hi everyone!  It's been quite a while since I've done a post of weekend reading, but with old man winter finally showing up for many of us, I figure this is the perfect time to grab some tea, read some thought-provoking posts, challenge ourselves and pray for others!

Happy weekend and happy reading!

Sarah's post, called Emotional Nudists, challenges me as I struggle with vulnerability sometimes. From the post:

But, I say, I will not, I cannot feel that kind of hurt again. I pad my heart so carefully against injury. So I put up walls ... I build up bricks of protection ... Never again, I say. Never. But with all love comes some hurt. With all real emotion comes transparency and with living in an emotionally naked way comes vulnerability.

Please be in prayer for Courtney, as her son, Tripp, is nearing the end of his little life on this earth.

Vanessa asks if $1 really makes a difference in the fight for racial equality.

Read about (and even sign) the petition to bring breastfeeding back to Sesame Street.  I remember when it was on there and didn't think a thing of it!

Emily at Frugal Granola shares a free tutorial on making Homemade Bulk Shopping Bags.

Annalise shares how to make lovely, homemade pure vanilla extract!  Yum!

I Return Every Gift I Receive

 source: shrscs.net

I turned 30 years old this weekend.  Kind of weird, because I remember my parents turning 30!  I don't feel 30 and the kids in our youth group about lost it when they heard I was going to be 30.  They guessed I was 24 or 26.  I made Dallas pause youth group then I told them they were all my best friends for life.  :-)

Moving on.... 

Dallas has a birthday surprise planned for me this week.  He refuses to tell me much about it.  It's not because he has to surprise me, it's because I normally say a big 'heck no' whenever he mentions getting me a gift.  All that I know is we're going away (I cried when he told me because I'm not ready to leave India again, but I got over it real fast) and I'm super excited and super nervous.

Why?

I don't want him spending lots of money on me. 

It's frivolous, ridiculous, unnecessary and our money should go a million other places before it's spent on me.  Besides, I've done and been a part of a lot of really amazing things in my life so I don't need any more cool things.

But he insists that we are doing this. 

I'm notorious for returning every gift I receive.  It's not that I'm not grateful, but I'm super practical, cheap and get easily convicted.  For Mother's Day this year, Dallas (bless his sweet heart) bought me an iPad and I fought with him for days to return it.  I didn't need it and there's no way I could justify spending that much money on myself! 

I finally won out and he returned it. 

I felt kind of bad, like maybe he felt I was rejecting him, but I just can't justify it. 

That's just one of many stories.  Poor guy.  He should know because I'm the girl who has never bought a kitchen table, a bed or spent more than $50 on a used couch from Goodwill.  Nearly everything I have is second hand and I don't mind a bit.

I just have such a hard time justifying new things when what I have is fine or I can find a secondhand replacement.  No judgment, as I have friends whose husbands buy them fancy jewelry, iPads, kitchen appliances, vacations and more for gifts, but I.just.cannot.do.it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not Mother Teresa, I'm materialistic and covetous, and I still make purchases that seem pointless.  But I struggle with the lines of necessary, a blessing and frivolous....like these $35 boots that literally took me two years to buy and I still bought half of them with a gift card.  I struggled with that purchase.

I enter this week knowing that my husband is spending money on me.  I'm uneasy but yet so grateful that I have a husband who loves me and wants to do something extraordinary for me.  I guess this is a time for me to sit back, be blessed and enjoy.  After all, this is the first time in 10 years I've let him do anything like this and this is one gift, I can't return.

Do you and your spouse exchange gifts?  Does anyone else out there ever struggle with feeling like they have 'too much'?

Weekend Reading: Stuff you don't want to miss!

I'm going to try something new occasionally: linking up with other blog posts of interest.  Maybe I agree, maybe I don't, but they are worth the read and the thought.


Of interest:

Annalise shares a delicious recipe called Not-So Green Smoothie - a yummy way to use up and eat greens AND berries!

Mother-Ease giveaway on whyclothdiaper.com

Adventures in Solid Food shares 10 Reasons to Delay Solids until at least 6 Months

Stephanie shares a great resource for bloggers, her e-book Bloggertunity, available for free download!  Thank you Stephanie!

Nicholas Kristof shares on Family Planning Overseas and the dilemma that exists.  He continues with more thoughts on Family Planning and Midwifery: how education affects a girl and his thoughts on the necessity of allowing midwives to perform c-sections overseas.

Have a great weekend, and happy reading!