Sliding into Home Base

My brother wrote to me recently from Iraq. He said this:

I read something once that said:

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming... "Wow! What a ride!"

I love the picture in my mind that I see when I read these words. It makes me think of the apostle Paul, who said these words in Philippians 3:

17-19 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

20-21 But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

We're right there with him, running this race, jogging the marathon, ready to jump and land flat on our bellies as we slide toward the finish line, bruised, aching, tired, old, probably with a black eye, filthy, ragged, and proclaiming "Wah-hoo! What a ride!"

I personally need to remember this when I'm so focused in on my very small life, in my very small town, and my very small issues, only growing narrower and narrower in my view. This abundant life is a glorious ride! It is designed specifically to wear you out and use you up! Go for it!

xoxoxoxox

My Week

Well, it's a good thing I got some serious meditative relaxing in at the beach last weekend.

This was my week:

1. Day One: I am full of energy! Mr. J comes to paint the ceilings. Start laundry while Hunk O Man moves furniture and moves decorative items onto kitchen table. Entertain Mr. J and fix him a glass of Diet Coke while I decide on a new paint color for kitchen. Remove all faceplates from switches and outlets. Move all the stuff out of the kitchen. Go get paint for kitchen at Lowe's. Decide it also matches the family room. Repaint family room after Mr. J leaves. Swap out old outlets and switches from almond to white. Finish that, move all furniture and decorative items back in family room. Clean up brushes and pans for paint. Fix dinner. Tell kids to take all the dishes off the kitchen shelving so I can paint tomorrow. Collapse into bed. Get up from bed and realise that Barbie is the only one removing the dishes. Help her until all things are removed and kitchen is ready for Mr. J. Collapse into bed again.

5. Day Two: Coffee with Barb and Donna. Come home greatly encouraged! Cut in all throughout kitchen with yellow paint. Do more laundry. Try not to be angry with girls for not helping remove dishes from shelves. Get sewing room ready for painting tomorrow by moving things out and around. Clean up paint mess. Realise I got the wrong switches for the kitchen to swap out. Tell girls to do the dishes. Help Barbie with cheerleading moves and dances because this week she's trying out. Collapse into bed. Have I been this tired lately?

6. Day Three: Finish painting kitchen. Put clean laundry in a heap in bedroom, realising that things in the laundry room are now a total mess because girls are doing their own laundry. Realise the ground beef I got out two days ago has been sitting in the kitchen sink defrosting, covered with a plastic sheet. Help Mr. J load his truck up with everything. Tote ladders, paint cans, and drop cloths out to his van and chat. Decide I hate the color in the kitchen. Cable guy arrives and tells me the reason I can't get reception on digital channels is because they have to replace a cable down the street. Hunk O Man reminds me to research cheaper cable/phone/internet rates. Go to Lowe's and realise I didn't get the wrong switches after all, I just need to be some kind of electrical genius to figure the combination switch out. Tell the girls again to do the dishes. Deal with Baby's screaming, stomping meltdown about going to Wednesday night church. Pick up pizza for dinner. Collapse into bed. Can't remember when I was this tired. Hunk O Man tells me I am getting too old for this. Naah, I reply.

7. Day Four: Experiment with glaze and various colors and patterns on kitchen wall. Realize I now have two extra gallons of yellow paint I will not be using and cannot return. Hate everything I try. Decide to just paint it all white and be done with it. Thank God that I have an almost-full gallon of white sating paint in the shed. Start painting again. Fall off ladder while stepping down from the countertop. Feel like an idiot and tell Baby that I'm fine, the worst thing was that I got paint all over the floor. Tell the girls to do the dishes again, and Rose loads the dishwasher but leaves pans all over counter. Take Bug to her new job. Scrape all paint off wood floor and decide to use drop cloths from here on out. Finish the walls behind the kitchen shelving and put all the dishes back. Try and put sewing room back in order after ceilings were painted. Shut the door to the laundry room so I don't have to look at it. Paint all but over the doorways with white. Clean brushes and pans, open all windows, thank God that it's warm outside. Collapse into bed. Get up at 2AM and climb into bed with Rose because of Hunk O Man's snoring. Rose is mad.

8. Day Five: Rose gets up for school and makes a ton of noise specifically designed to wake me up because she's mad I am sleeping with her. I go back to my own bed. Get up at 11. Drink some coffee. Hunk O Man makes me an omlette. My right leg is sore from that fall yesterday and what in the world is going on with my right foot? Take a 2 hour nap. Go with Hunk O Man to new burger place and get an amazing peanut butter malt I do not need. Take another nap and some ibuprofen. Answer phone and it's the cable people; spend 45 minutes making arrangements for them to take over our phone service. Make pizza dough. Remind Bug to clean up the kitchen before she goes to work. Finish painting in kitchen. Decide not to make pizza because kitchen is still a mess. Clean up spilled cup of glaze + paint off wood floor. Spend two hours on the phone with cable people because they didn't register the serial number on cable box and it quit working. They can't fix it until tomorrow. Unhook cable box and think twice about throwing it in the yard and setting it on fire. Fold all laundry. Deal with Baby, who is furious that there is no pizza because of sister's selfishness. Hook up tv directly to cable and watch tv until I fall asleep.

9. Day Six: Research DirectTV. Keep smelling and tasting that funny taste you get when you're getting a cold. Drink more coffee. Smile at the faithful dog who always greets me and loves me. Thank God for warm weather. Take a vitamin and read my bible, my favourite passage in Proverbs. Start another load of laundry. Hope the kitchen will finally get cleaned up today. Thank God that Bug is in a good mood. It's been a pretty regular week, all things considered. Maybe I'll plant something today.

I think I'll call my mama.

xoxox

If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride

I got a wonderful opportunity today to teach about 20 women at our church about freezer cooking. You know -- where you cook it all in one day and freeze it? (see Today in Jen's Kitchen) My mom and I have done this for years. My heart for ministry these days lies with young wives and young moms. So many were latchkey kids whose mom had to work. There is a huge generation of young women who have missed the wonderful teachings about home from their mom or grandma.

I love that kind of thing, so today was really fun. I talked about cooking, did some cooking (how DO those cooking show people do that?), we all ate some of my cooking, and then I briefly touched on coupons and saving money. A pretty good time was had by all.

Then Hunk O Man picked me up and we drove over to Sonic for a half-price Coke. Sonic has happy hour from 2-4PM, so their drinks are half off.

Now you probably know that Sonic is a drive-in. Like the old-fashioned kind, where you pull up to the menu and order and the people roller-skate out to bring you your food.

So we're sitting there, and there's a truck with a man and a woman next to us on my side. It's a warm day, so everyone's windows are down, and I notice that he is a middle-aged "painted" man with lots of tattoos. Cool! I think: I'll bet he has a story. I'd love to hear it. I thought I might speak to him, but it was awkward, so I just looked away.

Then he pushed the button to order, and this is what we heard between High-Pitched Animated Cheerleader-sounding Sonic Girl and him. Be sure to add the eastern Carolina drawl in your head:

HPACSSG: Hi, welcome to Sonic, what can I get for you today?
Painted Man: I'd like a large Diet Coke and a medium Blue Coconut freeze.
HPACSSG: OK, a large Diet Coke and medium Blue Coconut freeze? Is that all? Would you like some cheesy tots or anything else?
Painted Man: Yeah. A bag of money.
HPACSSG: Oh, um, we don't have bags of money. Sorry about that . . .
(brief pause)
But we do have bags of ice!
Painted Man: Nope, I don't need no ice. Just a bag of money.
HPACSSG: Well we don't have bags of money. But you know, you could buy the bag of ice and maybe sell it for a bag of money.
Painted Man: Nah, don't think so.
HPACSSG: Are ya sure?
Painted Man: Yep.
HPACSSG: Ok then, a large Diet Coke and a medium Blue Coconut freeze and no bags of ice or money. That'll be $1.76. Thank you for choosing Sonic!


Hunk O Man and I nearly fell out of the car laughing. It was one of those priceless moments you rarely get to witness.

God, please bless that man with a bag of money today, even if it's just some change leftover in a fast-food sack. Thank you for Jesus, our Saviour, Amen.

xoxox

New Year's Resolutions

I was thinking about New Year's resolutions earlier last week, and came to some conclusions about myself.

Making these resolutions, i.e., "resolving that I will do this or that," isn't going to do me much good. I can have all the resolve and good intentions possible and still walk wholeheartedly down the wrong path.

Instead, I decided to make some commitments. Or rather, just one commitment.

And that commitment is to pray for self-control.

When I really thought about it, the things I need to do are lose weight, spend less money, exercise more.

The reason I don't do these things is that I have very bad self-control. Little to none. I am one of those immediate gratification people -- I want it, and I want it now. NOW.

So I have committed to pray for self-control in my life. I am seriously committing to asking God (believing) for self-control in every area of my life.

It's like one-stop shopping. I cover all the bases with one fell swoop.

So far I'm doing great with the spending money but not so great with the diet and exercise. But this is a process, and His mercies are new every morning. Everytime I fall down, I get up and pray that prayer again -- "Lord, please provide me with self-control. I know You can."

Yesterday was a bit sunnier, and I was grateful for that. I got a haircut and fresh nails; I'm back to having bangs again, as I've had most of my life. I feel like myself again. I drove kids and kids' friends home from their swim meet last night and felt great about being a mom.

And God, in His great and infinite wisdom, did not see fit to blow one of the 28 pine trees in my yard into my kitchen. Dang. And this although nearly half of central NC blew away last night with the wind. The swim meet was cancelled when the lights all went out.

Today I'm going to try and get control of my domain -- and that means clean house! I am a terrible housekeeper in that I often keep it picked up but seldom clean. I depend on my kids for that. But two days ago I cleaned out the pantry completely and today I need to work on the laundry room and my sewing closet. Just the thought of it makes me sigh, and yet IT MUST BE DONE!

So here's to 2009: I lift my cup of hazelnut coffee in praise of the God who is faithful and who will keep me on track!

xoxox

All Is Well

Man. What a December.

First it was Babydoll and me in the play, Peter Pan. Tons of fun, and we're going to do Cinderella in February. We're all (as in all 6 of us, excluding Hunk O Man only), are in the chorus and I'm going to help with costumes.




Then Christmas hit. As in, hit me upside the head! I've done virtually all of my shopping online and had it shipped up to my Mom's house (where I currently am until Friday, the 26th). I'm still short one Santa gift, but doing pretty well on the rest. I was able to save quite a bit this year by utilising my Visa card reward points. I'm telling you what, it's not a bad deal and you can spend it like free money.

Then I got on Ebay and found a couple of things, and made sure I went through Upromise and SwapBucks, etc for other stuff. So the money savings has been good this year.

We had a trip to Monticello last week -- just Babydoll and two of her friends, EB and CG. We played CatchPhrase virtually all the 2 1/2 hours there -- and I got them all headbands with springy disco ball thingys on them, so it was me and the three also-homeschooled aliens. The weather was terrible, but we had a good time anyway. That place is amazing -- Thomas Jefferson is amazing! We'll definitely be going back in the spring. I am determined that my kids are going to see some of the history that surrounds us within a 3-hour drive of the NC/VA border where we live.

We also had a look at downtown Charlottesville, which was your typical college town -- wonderful in its history and creativity. I recommend a visit if you get the chance.

I make Christmas dresses every year -- except not this year. It just didn't happen. Sometimes we must let things go. Instead, I'm doing a little gift project for the girls for everyday. I think it will all turn out fine in the end.

We did get our Christmas tree, finally. Hunk O Man ended up going over to the tree farm, and the guy was the former art teacher's husband, and the art teacher loves Bug, and they got to talking -- in the end the guy gave him the tree for free. So there you go. I married an amazing man who is not only stingy and frugal, but is able to make the most beautiful Christmas tree materialize out of thin air. Waiting a little longer just makes it prettier -- and I am determined to leave it up until mid-January and thoroughly enjoy it!

Merry Christmas!

Bible Trivia Nights

Hunk O Man has been trying to stump the girls at the dinner table. They're all PK (Preacher's Kids) so they should know some stuff about the bible, right? I mean, you don't sing things like "Zaccheus was a wee little man . . ." and "The B-I-B-L-E" for years and years without learning something, right?

Well, JB has really gotten into it. No surprise, really, because she's the brainiac of our house.

So the other night, Hunk O Man asks this: Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem?

JB frowns. She is stumped.

Hunk O Man gives her a hint. "Remember? All the inns were full? Why would that be?"

(we read the Christmas story, directly from Luke 2, EVERY YEAR)

JB: "Oh! I know! Because it was Christmastime!"

Friday Randomness

I like helping the girls study for tests. One year I learned all the pertinent details about North Carolina's history and the part it played in our country's independence. Last night it was all about how DNA, RNA, viruses, and bacteria work. Seriously microbiology -- stuff about translation and transduction and mutation and cytoplasm and splicocenes.

After two chapters I thought my brain was going to explode. But Rose just kept giving the right answers! My children are brilliant. What can I say?

Well, I can say this: I think they get all that intelligence from their Daddy!

Have you ever heard of Cheap Stingy Bargains? This website has a plethora of deals. A nice freebie list, too. You can get it via email each week. It's especially useful when you are in the market for virtually any electronic device -- but it also has list after list of deals no matter what you seek. Lately I've been printing coupons and checking out money-saving websites and blogs. But I've gotten CSB for a couple of years now.

Another great money-saver is the Dollar Stretcher. You can get both the regular newsletter and a weekly "reader's tips" newsletter via email. It always has good stuff and lots of links to everything frugal.

I'm getting ready today to go freeze to death up in Ohio, which is "Civilization Yankee." (as opposed to "Civilization North, which is just Virginia").

It is amazing to me that I have two roses and all my impatiens still in my yard, blooming. Even my sweet alyssum is still going strong, even though our nighttime temps have been in the 30's and 40's. But my Mama says that it's cold up north. I'll have to break out the turtlenecks and winter coats. Brr. I may have been born there but I most certainly do not belong there.

I belong on a tropical beach with warm ocean water. Most definitely.

And lastly, tonight is the first swim meet of the season. My Rabid-Screaming-Jumping-Up-and-down-Totally-Embarassing-My-Swimmers -Inner-Swim-Mama is about to emerge.

And you know, all that hollering is so effective when their heads are under water. Like they even can hear me. Or would go faster if they actually could hear me.

And that makes me laugh, so I hope it makes you laugh as well. Have a pointlessly screaming good weekend! I will!

xox



p.s. I am totally IN LOVE with these boots, which I could never afford. It's the cute heel --

What I actually planned to do yesterday: sew like crazy. Make more aprons. Up the stock in the Etsy shop.

What I actually did do yesterday: grocery shop. The "big shop." Sam's Club and Aldi. I sneaked in a trip to Goodwill, also, and made a slight killing. Many plans for scarves and aprons out of other things. Plus, I found this Ohio State Buckeye throw for just $2.99 -- in NC State and UNC territory! Go figure!

So today I must sew, sew, sew.

One thing that irritated me yesterday and still does today: Babydoll was too young, apparently, to check out the two books I need -- "Red" and "White" by Ted Dekker -- because they are adult fiction and she is only 13. She went to the library without me yesterday. And then today is Veteran's Day, and the library is closed. While I appreciate their policy on keeping adult fiction out of the hands of small children -- she is 13, and I honestly thought these books were in the young adult fiction section. I appreciate policy but I bristle under the inconvenience.

I am such a person who is "spirit of the law" versus "letter of the law."

Dang!

One thing that made me happy yesterday and makes me happy again today: I am going on a very short trip this weekend! It's off to Columbus Ohio and parts home to see my Mama. A friend here needed a traveling companion to drop off some mission items, so I'm it! I get a break, I get to read, I get to be with my Mama, I get to do some nominal Christmas shopping.

Life is good!

And now I must leave you and get those girls o' mine to clean up the big mess all the Marco Polos made last night during their movie night with popcorn and pizza.

I love it when all the kids come over. They're so much fun.

xox

But Enough About Me. Let's Talk About You. What Do You Think of Me?

Let me just share a couple of things about myself today. Things I thought you might want to know.

First of all, I have the highest degree possible to attain in the ancient art of Wei-Ning. I know! Impressive, isn't it? I started when I was just a baby, and as of now I'm not only an expert, I have BEEN an expert for most of my life. Just ask my mother.

Wei-Ning? (It's pronounced "Why-ning").

Secondly, I am an excellent mother and I take no nonsense. Here's an example: the twins were 5, Barbie was 4, JB was 2, and Babydoll was 1. I was completely fed up with the mess everywhere. Nobody would help, nobody would put toys away, it was a mess. And of course that was during the crazy-without-drugs days, so I threw a fit. I yelled. I ranted. And I said this: "If you're going to act like pigs, I'm going to treat you like pigs!"

Lunch in those days consisted of PB&J (half sandwich cut in a triangle), a container of yogurt, and some fruit. So in keeping with "treating them like pigs," I fixed everyones plate and set it on the wood floor in the kitchen. 'Fine!' I thought. 'Eat like pigs!'

If you are -- or ever have been -- the mother of a toddler (or several toddlers), you know that this was not at all a punishment. It was rather, a picnic. They were thrilled that I would let them eat off the floor. I can see the thoughts even now running thru their tiny minds -- "No getting strapped into a chair! Wah-hooey! This rocks!"

Obviously I saw their clear enjoyment and I realised that even God was laughing at me, and likely thinking it was far past the time for me to just get over myself. This did not make me happy immediately. But pretty soon I lightened up.

There was another time in my excellent mothering career when we had lots and lots of candy in the house. I think it was probably winter -- January, I think -- when all the Halloween candy and Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies had just piled up. So one night, I was very tired, and it was Sunday night after church, and everyone was looking at me for dinner.

I put all the candy in the center of the table and told them to have at it. That was dinner.

See? I told you I was the best mom. Just ask my kids.

I am missing them all terribly today. True to my utmost degree in Wei-Ning, I cannot be made happy. I am tired of the bickering and constant noise when they are here, and I need a break. Then when three or four of them leave, I miss them terribly.

It's hard to be me. Truly. Let the violins begin.

Hunk O Man, Rose, Bug, and Barbie have been gone on a trip to visit colleges since Tuesday morning. They've had a great time, laughing and seeing people. I've spoken to them every day. The prospects at every school so far are very good.

They'll be home tomorrow, and I can't wait. I do miss them. It's entirely too quiet around here. The dishes take no time at all. There's no laundry. The TV is never on, and the dog is stalking me for lack of people to greet and see. Bleah. Even JB and Babydoll miss them.

Are they home yet?

xox

This Inspired Me Today

My good good friend Nan sent me this today. Nan has a job, a husband, and an extended family that keep her busier than me and my five teenagers keep me. I appreciated this so much. It's about 5 minutes long, but worth every second --

I hope it inspires you today like it did me.



xox

A Hill On Which I Will Die

I remember the days when I was in control of the mornings, and when everyone left the house, it was in a cute little outfit and matching shoes. My girls are right when they say little kids get all the cool stuff.

The way they dress themselves these days is not a hill on which I want to die. Because it would be a bloody massacre I would lose when they ganged up on me 4 to one.

This morning, I happened to be up as everyone left for school and work. Normally I'm sleeping -- but I was awakened at 5:30AM and couldn't go back to sleep.

But this was great, because I was able to sit at the kitchen table and just observe. Fascinating! Hunk O Man gives everything a little extra pat as he's making the girls' sandwiches for lunches. And he's so meticulous! Finally I can really see where Rose gets her aversion to having anything gooey or sticky on her hands.

I also took note of JB, who entered in a t-shirt and jeans. Followed by Bug, who entered in an oversized hoodie and jeans. Following them was Barbie, who wore a very cute sweater over t-shirt, tied loosely at the waist, over jeans and complete with cute scarf tied at the neck.

When I made mention of this, I was met with scorn from JB. "Who cares? Why would I want to look nice for school?" And then "Bug is wearing a sloppy t-shirt too." Bug stated that she was wearing a hoodie, duh, and she was wearing the exact same t-shirt JB had on under her hoodie.

Barbie walked in, and of course said "Whose t-shirt looks sloppy?"

JB answered with this: "I'd wear that kind of stuff if I had it in my closet."

This prompted a yes-you-do/no-I-don't exchange between Barbie and JB, and Barbie and I both assurred JB that if we went upstairs right then, we were sure we'd find something cute. JB just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

I think that means she thinks she won that one. Either that or she doesn't care.

Rose followed closely behind with a pink oversized hoodie and jeans. They all hustled and bustled around and I mostly sat quietly and watched. It was very entertaining. And this mostly because Barbie proved herself again the fashion plate. I'll be interested to see if the clothing changes at all tomorrow.

Later, Babydoll came down. Happy go lucky, homeschooled, comfy Babydoll in some kind of outfit comprised of several tanks and a pair of jeans.

Now here is a hill on which I will die:




We had a "fall apart" about this on the way to dropping her off for rehearsals last night. I quietly said, "I will say this for the last time, and I really mean it. Get your bangs out of your eyes."

She is in that 13-year-old weirdness phase we all have gone through. For me, it was always wearing a shirt or top that was almost as long as a dress. We all have some strange thing we think is cool, so we do it.

For Babydoll, it is the constant hair in the eyes.

Well, this is my last child, my last teenager, and a hill on which I am willing to die. There will be no more hair in the eyes. I will have my way despite the whining and crying and wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is one of her and one of me, and the odds are quite even.

There are bobby pins, headbands, and hair clips in this child's future, I assure you.

And in the future when she sees photographs of herself during these years, she will thank me for laying dead on the Hill Of No More Bangs In The Eyes.

Which I'm afraid I won't be able to say for all the other teenagers and their sloppy t-shirts on their way to school. Thank God for Barbie and her love of fashion. I may not be able to dress them in cute little matching outfits and shoes anymore, but I will wield my sword of No More Bangs in the Eyes with a vengeance.

xox

A Bit of a Quandry

You know, I go back and forth.

I just finished cleaning up the kitchen. This included gathering all the leftover dishes in the family room -- along with all the various pieces of clothing and single socks and paper and trash. Wrappers, junk mail, that sort of thing.

It also included putting the remains of a cake the size of Texas into a plastic container and then walking out to the trash thingy to throw the massive cardboard container away. The cake was leftover from a church thing on Sunday.

It took about 30-35 minutes total to clean all that up and load the dishwasher and wash the dishes that 1-came out of the dishwasher still with stuff on them because my girls can't understand that you should scrape off the "big chunks," and 2-because sometimes it's not worth trying to load everything into the dishwasher, and some things I just wash by hand, like wooden handled things and pots and pans.

ANYWAY -- it's really pretty easy for me to get that stuff done in the mornings. While I hate waking up to a kitchen that needs cleaning, I do have the time to do it. The house is my area -- my responsibility in the family is to keep it running smoothly and keep it relatively clean. Doing these things keeps me from being really lazy.

I use the term "relatively" very loosely when combined with the term "clean."

The girls have chores, and they are required to do them because they live here. When you live somewhere, you get to share in the upkeep of the place in which you live.

We only have 3 major chores -- those being "Kitchen," "Floors," and "Baths." Obviously the floors are just sweeping and mopping, and bath is making sure the bathrooms are clean.

In my mind, these are simple things. While it took me 35 minutes to clean up the kitchen this morning, it would likely take two people half that time. And they'd enjoy some company while doing it. Many hands make light work and all that.

The other things go pretty quickly too. We have hardwood floors in the entire downstairs, so the only thing you have to vacuum is the area run in the family room. I have Swiffers -- the vac and the mop -- for the rest. It goes pretty fast.

All this to say that really -- none of this stuff takes very long to do.

My children aren't little anymore. They are teenagers on their way out into the world. They've had chores all their lives. They know what it means to contribute to a family. They will soon learn that when they don't pick up after themselves, no one else will. They keep their rooms pretty clean. They are also very busy people with sports, jobs, friends, school.

I, on the other hand, am home all day. I have time to do the chores. And it's really my job ultimately anyway. I don't want to be treated like the maid, but I don't want to overburden everyone else either.

So here's the quandry: should we just throw the chores out the window and be done with all the haggling over who hasn't done theirs?

Or should we keep them in the name of making sure everyone knows that they have a role in the keeping up of our household?

I'm interested to know what you think.

If's Not a Migraine, It's Something Else . . .

I actually purchased one of those microwave thingys of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup last night. And ate half of it, during rehearsals for Peter Pan.

Hack hack. Cough. Hack. Spit. Hack. Gross!

Hunk O Man loves to do gross things to me, like make me smell disgusting smells and hear disgusting sounds. Once in awhile he'll show me a mashed bug. So, I retaliate by matching his boyish grossness skills with a look at what comes either out of my nose or throat. Works everytime!

Babydoll has given me her plague. Her creeping crud. Little did I know those daily hugs and kisses were disease-ridden. Little mice look so cute, don't they? Even rats.

Ok, well, maybe not rats.

(sound of Darth Vader breathing)

Nonetheless, I am trying to tough it out with no medication. I think today I will give in.

I actually feel fine, although my throat is ON FIE-YA!

Last night I was up at 1:00AM. Again at 3:00AM to get the Vick's for my throat and chest and ibuprofen and throat spray (which I found while looking for the Vick's) water to drink. Again at 5 when Hunk O Man got up to go to Cracker Barrel for his bible study on Tuesday AM's. Again at 8:30 when everyone left for school.

It's actually kind of nice not feeling that badly. It won't really hinder my day. Although, if you're going to really get sick, you should get the fever and all that, just to really milk it for all its worth.

The coffee this morning tastes especially good going down. That warm liquid on a raw throat -- and I was reminded of my sweet friend Bethany, of whom I have not thought in a long time. She is a wonderful, smart, funny friend that I dearly love. And the last time I saw her, we were drinking coffee. She put her little containers of cream into her cup before the waitress came to refill it. Another friend with us asked why she did that -- she looked at me and said "You taught me that." I did? I didn't remember. Then she explained that when you put the cream in first, the hot coffee warms it for you.

Wow. I had no idea. :)

Hack hack! Cough! Where are my antihistimines and decongestants?

xox

PR Non-dish

I realise that I didn't post about Project Runway yesterday. The episode really made me a little sad.

The designers were all supposed to create an evening gown based on a photo they took at the New York Botanical Gardens.

(BTW, the NYBG's were gorgeous)

What actually happened, though, was that three of the designers -- namely Jerrell, LeAnn, and Korto, ganged up on Kenley and were very mean to her.

Kenley has had her moments. She is very young, and probably things come out of her mouth that shouldn't. She has some growing up to do. She is also very direct. Basically, it adds up like this: no tact+tells the truth+very opinionated+wants to win=upsets everybody else a lot of the time.

She may well be what I would term "Hoo! What a piece of work!" But that isn't really my point here.

My point would be that no matter what, you don't gang up on somebody like that. You don't leave her out to dry. It's a competition, folks, and you don't decide one talented person doesn't get to belong simply because you close ranks and keep her out.

That's exactly what they did. It was so unfair, and I felt terrible for her.

To add insult to injury, Korto started in on her about how she got what she deserved -- while they were sitting in the green room, waiting for a decision on who would be out. And this after Korto, Jerrell, and LeAnn had stood there on the runway and said that they would like to be in the running with each other. Every one of them stated clearly that they wanted Kenley to be out.

This wasn't based on her designs or her ability -- on which the competition is actually based. It was all about watching a bunch of kindergarten-minded bullies gang up on the odd kid.

Bad timing, Korto.

Shame on all of them. The judges left them all in, and said they'd all be on the chopping block once they created a collection.

In other words, everybody should PLAY NICE. I think they all needed a nap!

And if you've watched the runway shows from Fashion Week, which happened in September, you know that not only Kenley got to show her collection, but so did Joe and Suede. So the end result is the same for all of them -- they all got to have that international exposure that Fashion Week affords.

In the end, I think there should be some code of honour that says that you can't "throw your fellow designers under the bus." Just my opinion -- and this specifically because I was a little girl who was frequently the new kid at school, who never felt like she belonged (even in my own family), and whose creativity made her somewhat odd, honest, and definitely in need of a huge dose of tact! My greatest goal in life is to speak the truth IN LOVE. At 49, I'm still working on it.

So you can see why I can give Kenley the benefit of the doubt. She'll probably grow up to be a very nice person in the end, and a great designer to boot. Everybody deserves a chance, and especially when the others gang up on you and force you out. Good for her for standing her ground.

I should probably also mention that I'm really miffed today because the dishes aren't done and my sewing room is messy after somebody used it to do a project either last night or this morning.

Plus, Hunk O Man was telling me how to drive when I took him over to drop him off to drive the bus for the tennis team to their away match.

HOWEVER, in all honestly, this man could write a book on how to drive. He recently got his CDL, along with his motorcycle endorsement. I think he has almost everything you can get in the way of driving and licensing. He really does know his stuff.

I think I'll take the dog for a walk and refresh my attitude with some of the unbelievably gorgeous sunshine outside today. Man. If ever there was a reminder that God is good and most things are of no eternal significance, it's that sunshine!

xox

Can This Mean I Am Truly An Artist?

The signs of a great mind? Well, at least I console myself with that thought.



It's everywhere. Mess everywhere. The results of a creative weekend --

And I will not be cleaning it up. I will be creating some more for the Etsy shop and our local Craft Fair in December.

At least I have some kind of validation for the way my house looks. I made this and gave it to Hunk O Man the first year we were married --

I definitely need another cup of coffee.

xox

Much Better and a Few Projects

I am myself again. A good thing to be oneself. A bag of peanut-butter M&M's and a little bit of a Hershey's 1/2 lb. chocolate bar didn't hurt, either.

SCORE! I found milk yesterday for $1.85/gallon at Sav-A-Lot! I have not been terribly impressed with Sav-A-Lot because I am such a fan of Aldi. But then again, I have to drive 30 minutes to the closest Aldi, so Sav-A-Lot is the next best thing. And it's a brand-new store, very clean, very nice. These were a "red-tag" special. I probably should have gotten every gallon they had (I freeze them), but I limited myself to only 6. Into the freezer they went.

Also, I've been doing some projects around here. I'm trying to take things that are tired or old, and give them new life. My Etsy shop is starting to be things I basically "upcycle," or "refashion."

So I took an old poly chiffon dress that was very tired and dated, found at our Union Mission Thrift Store --





And turned it into this scarf!

AND NOW FOR THAT RARE BREED, THE SEWISTS AMONGUS:

Initially, I cut away all the chiffon from the dress -- poor thing, it looks like it's been skinned -- and experimented. First I tried a french seam, and that didn't work. Then I tried pintucking on the slant, and that didn't really do it for me either.


Finally, I just started stitching about 3/4" folds, like tucks, on the slant. I say slant because the chiffon was cut initially on the bias, so every square piece I got was bias cut already. I was using embroidery thread, since it was all I had that matched, and the stitching was puckering. So I got the first one done and kind of liked the ruffle effect. I tightened my tension a bit, and made some more stitched folds/tucks. The end result was this lovely ruffled piece of fabric -- not quite wide enough for a scarf. So I put ties on the back, like this:




And now I have a very nice accessory piece!

The teenagers all wrinkled their noses at it, so I posted it up at Wardrobe Refashion. They all loved it, proving that my crew has no fashion taste whatsoever.


I betcha that if my girls saw it in a store, they'd love it. Especially if they knew I had nothing to do with it! (by the way, it's for sale in my Etsy Shop)


At a local garage-sale-fundraiser, I also scored some fabric, two green glass goblets, two Beatrix Potter big books to use for decopauge (or something else), a copy of Norton's Anthology of Literature, and a full copy-paper box of old vintage patterns! All for $10! And the $10 went to buy shoes for kids in Haiti!


Speaking of Haiti, let me direct you to This Ain't New York today. Although we are always struggling to save money, and we regularly tithe, I was compelled. Haiti has been ravaged by hurricanes this year. The need there is great. And I had been shoving this particular need aside for entirely too long -- I believe in the work of Compassion International and have for years. Finally I'm doing something about it, thanks to Melanie at TANY.


I'm challenging you to ask God to lead you to your child.


Mine is named Rose (just like my eldest daughter).


Then just start clicking. You're already on the computer; it's as easy as that.


A good day is when you need sunglasses outside. We need them here in NC today.


xox

My Alter Ego

I've been questioning myself lately as to whether I should stay on my meds. I take Cymbalta. When I first started it, I felt like finally people could see me for who I really am. Finally the person appearing on the outside was the same one I knew on the inside.

However, I've found myself in recent weeks to be kind of blah. Things go undone, and honestly, I just don't care. I'd like a clean house and laundry all neatly folded and tons of sewing projects done, as well as the ability to be a faithful youth sponsor and dynamic church worker. It ain't happenin'. I simply have no motivation. I'm just even -- not up or down, not motivated, just -- blah.

So I decided to take a couple of days off. I did get a headache, but that was manageable. And then yesterday, it happened.

Volcano mom appeared.

Honestly, I could have created an entirely new person with all the meanish lava screaming that I was doing. Evil Demon Lava Person, and straight from the pit of hell -- on the way to church!

I was mad about several things, and one was my fault. I think I was maddest at myself.

But -- I took it out on four of the girls. I screamed and yelled. I turned into the Momster. All that energy I have when I'm not on my meds goes right into anger, and impatience. Honestly, I probably get about the same amount of stuff done because I use up all that valuable energy just being angry.

So --

My good friend and sister Gail said "Take your meds now. As in right now." And I did. I sat alone in church -- Hunk O Man preached, and hit a grand-slam with his sermon. It was fabulous.

Afterward, I walked home. It's about a half-hour walk at a brisk pace, but I kind of moseyed along, picking up the trash when I saw an available trash can (our town would be so pretty if people would just pick up after themselves!). By the time I got home, I was very chilled out and myself again.

Sadly, the moral of this story is that I get to live with the middle of life -- a loss of passion and drive that I always had before. But I also get to live without the angry monster that emerges when I am not taking the meds. If this is why those who are extremely bipolar go off their meds, I see why. I don't blame them. And yet, although the cure is sometimes worse than the disease, it's mostly not. Being even-tempered is a very good thing.

Although I am not bipolar, I am clinically depressed. I have no idea why, and I have no idea when it started except to say that I can't remember a time when I wasn't like this. I sat and looked at God yesterday and questioned Him: "Why do I have to take all this medicine? Why the Cymbalta and Zyrtec and Sudafed? Why can't my body just function like everyone else's?"

Then I looked up and heard "My grace is sufficient for you." Even Paul had a thorn in his flesh. And I have nothing to complain about.

It was then that I thanked Him for His mercies, and for that little pill that I take every morning. He has made a way for me to glorify Him, and I owe Him my next breath and heartbeat. He will provide the motivation.

So I'd better get going. I have work to do . . .

Heard Just Now from the Other Room

Barbie, (who's in the kitchen and popping in and out of the bedroom to ask how you make dump cake, is this enough butter, can I use two cans of cherry pie filling, etc):
"JB! Get in here and clean the kitchen!"

JB, in a small voice: "I'm right here, why do you have to talk to me like that? Sniff sniff"

We all know JB is not phased at all by Barbie's yelling. It is just funny.

Barbie: "JB WHAT have you done to the computer? It is so slow!"
JB: "I'm downloading Maple Story! Don't click! No clicking!"
Barbie: "WHY do you have to play that stupid game?"
JB: "Do not click! No clicking! You'll make it freeze up!"
Barbie: "Well I'm clicking because you've already had your hour."
JB, from the kitchen: "I did not have my hour! I was downloading."
Barbie: "Did too!"
JB: "Did not."
Barbie: "Did TOO."
JB: "Did NOT!"
Barbie: "DID TOO!"

Hunk O Man: "We need to leave in about 15 minutes, girls."
Babydoll: "For what?"
Hunk O Man: "The Church picnic. It'll be tons of fun."
Babydoll: "Why was I not notified of this church picnic?"
JB: "Dad, it's freezing outside. Why are we going to a church picnic?"
Barbie: "DID TOO!"

Then nothing for a few seconds.

Then . . .

JB, singing: "Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends?"

Me: falling on the floor with laughter.

Thank you, God, for giving me this hilariously nutzoid family. What a crew!