A Visit From the Raging Perfectionist (and her family)

The Jenkins cousins

I know it's been an unusually cold start to spring, but no, we do not actually have snow on the ground (yet -- they're calling for 5-7" on Sunday!). These photos were actually taken at the beginning of the year when my cousin Dallas and his family came down from Elgin for a visit.  In spite of the fact that the images may be a bit past their 'best by' date, the pics were too fun not to share -- especially as we realize that family visits will be much more rare in a few months!

You'll have to read all the way to the bottom to understand the title of the post...

There's plenty to do outdoors on the farm!  Especially when there's snow!

(above) can you see the snowball in the air just flung by Reni?  It hits its target and he's pretty happy about it.  Thankfully, Max is a good sport and laughed just as hard as Reni!

You want to know who first introduced the idea of international adoption to Nathan and I? 

It was Dallas and Amanda, back in June of 2004 ...  God knew the idea would be best coming from family first.

We were thrilled when they were finally able to fulfill their dream of adoption when they brought home their youngest, Max, from Thailand in 2011.

And for my Aunt Dianna... tractor pics of Sam and Maya

Max, Elle, and Ellie (below)

It was fun to surprise Grandpa and Grandma Whiteford at their new home in assisted living.  The management was genius to install a freezer stocked with fudge and ice cream bars -- a sure fire way to guarentee the grandkids come back to visit again! 

It was such a treat to have the Jenkins' visit and see our kids get acquainted in the same house where Dal and I have so many memories of spending time together when we were their ages.  Thankfully the gigantic old barn and corn crib where we Dallas engaged in some of our more daring play are no longer standing so we didn't have to worry about the kids ... :-)

Now for the title of the post... we are super proud that Amanda is about to have her first book, "Confessions of a Raging Perfectionist,"  published by Tyndale and available for purchase on May 1 

[from Amazon] "Amanda is a raging perfectionist. She begins each day with a long list. “Keep the house picked up; limit myself to two Diet Cokes; spend special time with each of the kids; work out; pray; avoid sugar; read a chapter in a book about something very important; read my Bible; call my mom.” She determines each day’s worth, and ultimately her own, by keeping track of her stats—pounds gained or lost, stuff accomplished.

That is, until God spoke into her life, waking her up to the true costs of her addiction to perfection. Confessions of a Raging Perfectionist is more than Amanda’s confession; it’s a journey of letting go of the subtle but destructive idols  (emphasis mine) of her overactive inner voice and replacing them with God’s truth. Amanda hopes her journey can inspire others to let God dig in to their own lives, uncovering the subtle lies we unconsciously live by."

Until I read a preliminary draft of the book over a year ago, I wasn't aware of Amanda's struggles (though if one's honest, we're all pretty good at hiding them).  I think most women will identify with what Amanda shares in each chapter, especially today while we live in this world of Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where we're regularly bombarded with images of the beautifully decorated home, the picture-perfect children, the healthy meals, and the hand-crafted gifts that every woman our age seems able to accomplish while maintaining a happy family and successful career. I also appreciate that each chapter concludes with discussion questions, making it good for use in small groups or mentoring relationships.  You WILL enjoy it!

So there.  I had "The Raging Perfectionist" visit my home.  ;-)  If you'd like to get to "know" Amanda a little better, we set up a blog while she was here:  http://www.ragingperfectionist.com/ .  Enjoy!
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Nose in a Book

I have been wanting to blog something on here for a while, but have had a serious case of writer's block, combined with lots of other stuff demanding my attention.... blah, blah, blah.  My dad always called me 'Queen of Excuses.'

The other thing I was known for growing up was having a nose stuck in a book.  Books and me... we were friends.  Then something happened.  I think it was called COLLEGE and I all of a sudden my reading wasn't always what I would have chosen, and sometimes even required supplementary texts to make sense.  Besides, reading material printed on glossy textbook paper or that comes from a research library, read on a hard, wooden chair just doesn't have the same sensory experience as a good 'ol biography or novel, read on a comfortable couch, under a down throw.  Occasionally I would reacquaint myself with the smell of paper and ink, during the occasional air travel experience and enjoy it, but back home again, my eyes were absorbed in my spare time with something that didn't exist when I was growing up or in college and it was called the INTERNET and BLOGS and EMAIL.

Thankfully, lately I've been making time for some real reading. Stuff that is making my mind grow, stimulating discussions with Nathan and others, and it feels GREAT!  One that I want to share with you here is Kisses from Katie.  I'm pretty obnoxious about this book.  I read it over Christmas and was gifting it to others before I even finished it myself.  Here's a quick video about Katie here:




I had heard bits and pieces about her over the past year from some bloggy moms in the adoption community, but hadn't heard from her, in her voice.  I don't know what to say, but there is something about seeing someone live out the words of Jesus that is so compelling.  And it doesn't even have to happen in a place like where Katie lives and serves, but it made me pause and reflect.  A lot.  (Much like the testimony of the nuns lived out at Reni's orphanage -- it's extremely moving to me).  I read it on the Kindle and it was the first e-book that I wished I had in print because I wanted to highlight several things in every chapter and go back to read it again.

If you like female missionary biographies (Isobel Kuhn, Darlene Deibler Rose, Amy Carmichael, etc.), you'll enjoy this modern-day biography.  I can't wait to see the ripples from her life (did I mention that she's only 22?)