Tea With Queen Elsa

Little girls and tea parties and dressup...and Queen Elsa -- what more could you ask for?  A coworker told me about a special "High Tea with Queen Elsa" taking place in Old Town Clovis this past weekend, I thought it would be so much fun to take Tess and a few of her little girlfriends!  

The girls got dressed up in their Frozen finest, complete with hair glitter and makeup.  The party was hosted at the old Victoria Rose tea place, now called "Old Town Bistro & Heart's Delight."  It was their first tea party of this kind, and was a pretty good time despite some kinks that need to be worked out if they are going to do it again.  The girls seemed to enjoy themselves, and each got special one-on-one time talking with Elsa.  Of course, we all sang "Let It Go," and were treated to a few other songs and stories by Elsa, too.  I think most of all it was a fun dressup and photo opp, and a sweet memory they will have in their little hearts for at least a while.  

Future CNHS Bronco?

With the school year winding down, there have been lots of opportunities for "end of the year" parties at Mr. Hayden's classroom. Below are pics of one very special guest, beloved by teacher and students alike! She quickly made friends with Chad's students and with all of his pens.  What a cutie!

Last day of class for Seniors -- visiting 5th period AP Lit

Forensics end-of-year party and "awards night"

Bomb Shelter For Sale

Well well well....Mr. Handy has completed his work on The Bomb Shelter and put up a "For Sale By Owner" sign. Asking price? A mere $159,000.00.  At 965 square feet, with 3 tiny bedrooms and just 1 bathroom, that's a paltry $165.00 per square foot. After discussing with the neighbors we have confirmed that we aren't the only ones who think this is a crazy insane ridiculous asking price.  It will take a special person to spend $160K on this "unique" architectural style.  But hey, at least the place is clean and fresh.  We've seen a few house hunters come by and we're waiting to see how long it takes Handy to figure out nobody will buy it at the asking price. 

Visit From The Bestie

Have I mentioned how blessed I am?  In mid-July my best friend Lindsey came from Dallas to visit me, come to my baby shower, help me in the baby's room, and be her wonderful, beautiful self in my everyday life for 4 days.  It was heavenly!  I know I gush about "The Sullivans" a lot, and I was absolutely THRILLED for so many people in my life to finally meet Linds and know why I love her so.  We had such a great time visiting with Chad's parents, my parents, my girlfriends, my extended family, and each other.  We shopped, we ate, we had tea, we watched movies, and we talked talked talked.  And sometimes we didn't talk, we just spent time together.  The best gift Lindsey gave me, in addition to all the beautiful homemade gifts she gave me for the baby, was helping me put the nursery together.  We spent almost 2 full days, it seemed, unpackaging baby stuff and trying to find places for it, sorting thru boxes of baby hand-me-downs, washing and folding/hanging baby clothes, and dreaming about final decor for the nursery.  It's because of her that I did not collapse from the overwhelming task of getting that room ready. 

And I'm sure somewhere in this blog I have mentioned how talented and crafted she is.  She's got one of those really cool sewing machines that will custom embroider stuff, and so she showered me with a boatload of personalized burp cloths, onesies, and a gorgeous blanket for the baby.  As if her visit and help wasn't enough!

It was great to see her so soon after our last visit in April for Easter....and, AND she is planning to visit AGAIN as soon as possible after the baby arrives!

At the Victoria Rose Cottage Restaurant in Old Town Clovis.

T.B.S. Update

Progress on The Bomb Shelter! We now have stucco, and more "junk" has been removed. I tell ya, those workers are LOUD and CHATTY. They start early, and I listen to them banter as I am getting ready for work in the morning (our bathroom window is the closest spot to the action next door). At night the owner ("Mr. Handy") stops by to check on their progress. Next up, we hope, are new windows and paint!

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Happy Birthday, Vince!

This past weekend we were invited to a 50th birthday party for our dear friend Vince Martinez.  Vince, his wife Linda, and their 5 kids are part of our small home church group that we have been meeting with for more than 11 years now.  They also happen to live right around the corner from us!  We have so enjoyed their friendship and influence in our lives over the years -- they can always be counted on for good advice, a fun night out, and a fantastic bottle of wine (at the very least!).  We're even more thrilled to look to them for parental advice in the coming years -- as you can see, they are pros! 

L to R below are Linda, Julianna (age 15), Rachel, (age 18), Abbi (age 21), and Vince, with their twin boys Nathan & Gabriel in the front (age 12).  What a beautiful family! 

I made a photo book for Vince from all the pictures I took at the party.  You should be able to view the book by clicking here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirect.jsp?token=898352613606%3A825631786. 

Enjoy!



The Story Of The Bomb Shelter

We moved to Old Town Clovis in September of 2000, after being married just over a year. We found a great deal on an apartment one street over from Pollasky Avenue, and fell in love with the area. A few years later, we summoned up the courage to become homeowners.

One night, as we were dreaming about being homeowners in Old Town, we were taking our nightly jog around the neighborhood (a ritual that died long ago!) when we passed this....uh...."architectural wonder" pictured below. It was late at night, and someone inside was playing loud electric guitar. I distinctly remember saying to Chad, "Let's just hope we don't end up next door to a junky place like that, with all that noise!"

Fast forward a few months, and I had to eat my words when this "lovely" place ended up being NEXT DOOR to our cute little house that we couldn't resist buying. Since we moved in, we have tried hard not to look at it. It really is an eyesore, and we soon dubbed it "The Bomb Shelter" due to the various riffraff that were in and out of the house all the time. Over the years it has fallen into even worse disrepair and we wondered what might become of it (and how badly our property value was suffering). Then a few months ago we heard from some other neighbors that someone had actually bought the place as an investment.

Our first thought was, "Why not just tear it down and start over?!" But several weeks ago we started noticing definite activity going on over there. I wish I had thought to take some pictures sooner, because the pics below actually show the place in quite an improved state. Before Mr. Handy started working on it, the brown weeds were waist-high and the front was covered in graffiti.

Then a few weeks ago, Mr. Handy decided to introduce himself to Chad and share his plans for the place -- a complete overhaul, to turn it into a rental -- that involved us sharing the cost of fixing the fence between our place and "TBS." Hello, unexpected major expense! After getting some shocking quotes, we made a deal with Mr. Handy to pay $900 for our part of the project. Yes, $900 sounds outrageous, but this was SIGNIFICANTLY less than half of the quotes we received just for that one stretch of fence that divides our properties. And since $900 was all he asked for, we did the "good neighbor thing" and coughed up our share. (Really, the new fence looks good from our side, and adds to our motivation to get our backyard finished!)

Every day we hear new noises and voices over the fence, and we're watching cautiously to see the outcome of Mr. Handy's "investment." The other day Chad got a tour, and discovered it's actually a 3-bedroom, 1-bath house that's smaller than ours. At that point I decided we should chronicle the progress, since this place has been such a topic of conversation ever since we moved in.

Here's hoping Mr. Handy can turn that ugly duckling into a less ugly duckling! I will continue to post pics as we see progress.

Old Town Traditions

Last night Chad and I walked over to the local Farmer's Market, held in Old Town Clovis every Friday night from May through September. What a little piece of Americana, right in our backyard! We had a wonderful time taking part in this community tradition, and I had a lot of fun snapping photos with the new Canon camera. The prices on produce were pretty good, I guess -- with our $20.00 "budget" we bought a bouquet of flowers, an onion, some peaches, some blueberries, some squash, a wedge of smoked jack cheese, and an heirloom tomato. Yum!

After shopping we stopped in at La Posada for dinner. Mexican foods has long been our "tradition" on Friday nights. This place is great -- it's within walking distance of our house and is super quaint: the restaurant is an old house. They also have really great homemade chips and salsa! Double yum!

"The Little House That Could...

...and the Big Rewards of Living Small."

A few years ago I came across this article in Woman's Day magazine about a family's life-changing decision to NOT "keep up with the Joneses" by buying a bigger house, and instead to add on to their already very small one. "Over the years, as most of our friends moved into larger homes, invested in major additions, or stayed in a home that was bigger than ours to start with, we remained in our two-bedroom cottage with the postage stamp-sized yard...Years later, I can say without reservation that this was one of the best decisions we ever made." Indeed, this family was on the cutting edge of a hot, new trend -- downsizing. The tough economy, falling real estate market, and the disappearance of easy credit have all helped fuel a recognition that America needs to re-think its love affair with bigger and better houses.

Did you know that the average house in 1950 was just under 1,000 square feet? Today it's twice that, despite the fact that household sizes have shrunk. Yet, "are we twice as happy as we were in 1950?" the author asks.

Welcome to 212 Oxford Avenue, our tiny house (built in 1951, and just 1,000 square feet), which we absolutely love. We can definitely identify with the many benefits of living in a smaller space, which the article praises:

--Because we don't have a large mortgage (we pay less than $800), we've been able to take some amazing vacations, including 4 trips to Europe.

--We have money left over to support many causes we care about: Steps of Hope Outreach, Kingdom Ministries, Ransomed Heart Ministries, Compassion International, and our local Christian radio station.

--In our small house, no space is wasted. We make good use of every nook and cranny. And because we have less space, we tend to buy less (benefiting our bank account, for sure). It helps us not to live in excess.

--When the time is right, we can choose to live comfortably on one income.

We definitely have plans to add on in the future, but we're not in any hurry... We've got 2 bedrooms and can have at least one kiddo and still be comfortable. And when we do become a family, it will be harder for us to ignore each other by retreating to our own spaces. We'll still be able to take trips as a family, and maybe even save for (and pay for) our kids' college education.

Sure, there are times we wish we had more room -- for getting ready in the morning (a small bathroom requires scheduling!), for entertaining guests (well, more than 4, anyway), etc. But it would be a tradeoff.... and having a large home (and in turn, a large mortgage) isn't what we, The Haydens, value. For us, our little house feels "just right."

Why We Home Church

It used to be so easy. There was no controversy, no awkward moments, and no feigned expressions of acceptance. We could proudly shout off the roof tops in a confident, barbaric yawp that we had joined the rank and file evangelical community by attending Clovis EV Free. Our life had indeed found a comfort zone that we would never have to deviate from. We went to church on Sunday morning, attended a young married group later in the morning and were comforted knowing we were married by the pastor. But that blissful experience took a turn down a different path once we decided to forsake the rank and file Christian and join a cult.

I’m sorry… not a cult… a home church. For the majority of Evangelical Christians, the two terms seem synonymous. After all, if you’re not attending a strong, run of the mill, non-denominational institution that has some type of hierarchical accountability and, rather, attending a home church, one might as well be sacrificing goats on a full moon while chanting some demonic spell. Alright, so that might be stretching the truth. Nevertheless, the point is made.

Most evangelical Christians have little experience with those who chose to worship and study scripture in a “non-traditional” church setting. And as such, when asked what church we attend, we are more often met with a polite, but awkward, “Well… isn’t that nice.” Sarah and I have never flinched or been disillusioned by such responses. We understand. As much as Americans boast an attitude of tolerance and acceptance, the reality is that we fear that which we don’t understand. You can be Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, transgender, New Age, or Mormon and most have a tidy little box in which to place you. But what do you do with those who attend a home church?

I can almost hear Sister Agnes singing “What do you do with a problem like the home church?”

How do you solve a problem like [a home church]?

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her

Many a thing she ought to understand

But how do you make her stay?

And listen to all you say?

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?

The question is begged: Why do we attend a home church instead of an institutional church? The answer is in the life of Maria Von Trapp. Much like Maria, the home church is gentle! She is wild! She's a riddle! She's a child! She's a headache! She's an angel! And She’s REAL!

After ten years attending the same tiny fellowship in downtown Clovis, we’ve come to appreciate an authenticity that is only fostered through an intimate gathering of saints. There are no ulterior motives in attending such a Spartan fellowship. There is no extravagant worship band, no digital power-point to take notes on, no powerful figures to rub shoulders with. Besides a few couches, some folding chairs, a guitar, and some homemade song books, our fellowship relies on the promise that “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Our Sunday morning meetings consist of worship (we pick songs from our song books as the Lord leads), we take the Lord’s Table, and then have an open time to share what the Lord has been impressing on our hearts throughout the week. Everyone has the chance to share what the Lord has been speaking to them. This might be through a number of scriptures, an insightful chapter of a book or a testimony of what the Lord did in that person’s life during the week. The format allows for a tremendous amount of freedom. However, it also provides for an accountability that traditional congregations don’t have. That is, if no one was spending time in the Word or speaking to the Lord throughout the week, our meetings would be pretty darn short. And with only fifteen people attending the meeting, you can’t just sneak in and fall asleep in the back pew. Likewise, if you want to worship the Lord out of a genuine heart of gratitude and love, you have to belt out your song for all to hear. There is no room to be bashful or shy. Either you want to praise the Lord in front of everybody or you don’t. I think that’s what I appreciate most of our fellowship – authenticity and simplicity. It is what the early church experienced after Pentecost. They had the scriptures and the Holy Spirit; and that was enough.

A caveat should be made before going further. The home church is not holier than the institutional church. We have not been granted a special place in heaven reserved only for the elect that have seen the light and truth of the home church. We’re simply brothers and sisters who love Jesus and want to love Him, to share Him and to worship Him without the constraints that the institutional church can place on its members. For us, the home church is the church of Robert Frost and Henry David Thoreau. It is the road less traveled “in leaves no step had trodden black.” It is driving “life into a corner and reduc[ing] it to its lowest terms…to get the whole and genuine meanness out of it.” It is Maria Von Trapp frolicking atop the Swiss Alps with reckless abandon singing to her heart’s content. Praise be to Jesus for setting us free with the truth of His love and His life.

Our Cute Little House...

I couldn't resist posting a picture of our cozy little home. Our lawn is at its peak this time of year, we got a new bench for our front porch, and the flowers are in full bloom. Welcome, Spring!

A Little Home Improvement...

This summer marked 6 years that we've lived at 212 Oxford Avenue. We love our little 1951 house; we love being in quaint Old Town Clovis near great antique shops, some pretty decent restaurants, and the Victorian Tea Room; and we love being close to some very dear friends. The best features of our home, despite its small almost-1,000 square feet, are its warm wood floors and open layout. Nobody believes it's as small as it really is! The living room and kitchen are very open but the bedrooms are teeny-tiny....it's obvious where people's priorities were back in the day! We also have a huge backyard (we'll get around to adding on....someday.....) and a really beautiful silver maple in the front. Oh, and our porch -- we've spent many a warm summer night on the front porch enjoying a cool glass of white wine.

This year we finally embarked on a few home improvement projects....Not because we had time or because we're particularly handy, but because we finally had some extra money and got tired of staring at white walls! So we were able to pay some people to do the job right!

In January we had crown molding installed in the living room, dining room, and hallway. We also had the living room and dining room painted in a golden-yellow tone called "cornsilk." Our much-anticipated project came during the summer, when we had floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves installed in the living room. Finally, a beautiful home for all our books! We capped everything off with a new white rug, a new media console and side tables, a flat-screen TV, and some new wall decor.

Next up? We're not sure yet....We're still recovering....Chad's ready to tackle the addition of a master bedroom suite but I'm not quite there yet. Although as much as we love each other, sharing one very small bathroom is getting old!

Below are just a few pictures of the "new look," which we really love!