Even not freak out after Frodo Baggins dropped his lunch in dog poop and broke his necklace, losing the ring before we ever got into the car, causing Hermione Granger to be angry and Angelina Ballerina to smudge her face paint.
Awesome.
Friday, October 30, 2009
I am SuperMan and I Can Do Anything...
Even not freak out after Frodo Baggins dropped his lunch in dog poop and broke his necklace, losing the ring before we ever got into the car, causing Hermione Granger to be angry and Angelina Ballerina to smudge her face paint.
Awesome.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow....
Robb has been out of town all of this week, and it is has been a very busy week. I wasn't able to do all that I had hoped (what else is new?) but I did accomplish a few things like...
Tuesday: we attended Mattie's 5th grade program, which was a Michael Jackson theme. How time changes everything....When I was 13 years old, only the bad kids had seen the Thriller video; fast forward a few years and my 5th grader is singing it at her elementary school and it was cute as could be.
On Wednesday I got my etsy boxes packed and out the door, ran some errands and went to help out in the GT class. They have a Shakespeare festival in a couple of weeks and it looks like I will be helping them get ready for that as long as I don't embarrass Mattie. I came desperately close when I wore mismatched earrings, but she caught it in time for me to not make her look too stupid.
Today, I worked on making the house work for us. Bills, dogs, school papers, keys and all the other stuff that goes in and out the doors needed organizing. So I put a lot of thought into getting that ready.
And we got ready for Book Character day...A tradition I love at the kids school...they have to dress like a book character, not just any old princess or Star Wars character. And so I give you, Hermione Granger, Frodo Baggins and Angelina Ballerina. And what could be the coolest magic wand ever...made from a pen, a long paintbrush, and the wonder that is hot-glue.
Lastly, I give you worms. It has been raining cats and dogs and tonight it rained so hard, that when I opened the back door to let the dogs in, I swear, a worm jumped in to escape drowning. Just look at my cement patio...covered in the wiggly little things. Eek!
As usual, nothing goes wrong unless your man is away, so it was only fitting that I discovered that the fan switch is stuck in the on position on the furnace, causing it to run non-stop (I am terrified about the electric bill). It requires climbing up in a hole in the ceiling and tapping the furnace to release it, but I am going to wait and let that be a job best accomplished by two people. The other discovery was that in all this rain, the house has no gutter spouts. It's a weird thing they do with houses here. Three gables come together to drop all the rain in one small section in front of the house where it seeped into the garage. Fortunately, I grew up with many a flood in my parents' basement, so a bit of seeping doesn't scare me. But I am utterly puzzled why they don't put gutters on houses here. It makes no sense whatever to me.
I have been busier than I can relate this week....hardly online and terribly delinquent in returning phone calls (I HATE chatting on the phone. I know, it's weird). And yet, trying to get it on paper escapes me. Perhaps I should list all the things I needed to do this week and didn't finish....then you might catch some of the urgency I feel....
oh well. Hubby is home tomorrow and that's pretty much all I care about now....
Monday, October 26, 2009
Living Like I Won't be Overwhelmed
My husband set us all up yesterday.
He started off the sermon at Vintage by asking us about people that had greatly impacted us. Hands up all around the room, eager to talk about the people in our past that have profoundly changed the way we see the world and act in it.
And then he said, "Every one of you talked about positive people. None of you talked about the negative ones."
There was a kind of gasp in the room, as the group seemed to simultaneously recall heartbreak, loss, betrayal, disappointment and anger at the same moment. He went on to talk about Lot, Abraham's nephew, who hogged up the best land for himself and then a few verses later, has to have his uncle bail him out of a tribal war, putting all of the family's resources on the line.
As an extension of the theme of this series, "YOU ARE HERE: the journey of Abraham" we participated in a journaling exercise helping us to think about where we are, where we've been, who's been there with us, and where God might be taking us. And finally, "How can you express your faith in God? What can you do to show that you trust him?"
I was taken aback at the last question, which required forward thinking, proactive versus reactive thought. Clearly, I've been playing defense lately. Pretty much getting out of bed has been an act of faith. But then again, I kind of have to do that anyway, so not really.
So I thought for awhile about it. And I asked God to tell me what that would look like. And he brought this phrase to mind: "Live like you WON'T be overwhelmed."
I feel afraid a lot of the time. A lot of my fears revolved around if I'll be able to handle what happens. I'm a real wuss about a lot of things. I say "yes" and "no" to things sometimes based on fear that I will be overwhelmed...that I won't be able to handle it.
But looking back over the last few months, some things I've handled and some I haven't. But I'm still here. The waves have crashed on this family, but we are still here. God is still with us. We are ok because God has our back. Life has this crazy way of being so fragile on the one hand, and pushing it's way up through the cracks in the concrete on another.
So that's my goal right now. To live like I won't be overwhelmed. That ultimately, I might fall down and get hurt and cry and feel afraid and want my mommy, but because of God, I won't be overwhelmed.
First test: the laundry.
He started off the sermon at Vintage by asking us about people that had greatly impacted us. Hands up all around the room, eager to talk about the people in our past that have profoundly changed the way we see the world and act in it.
And then he said, "Every one of you talked about positive people. None of you talked about the negative ones."
There was a kind of gasp in the room, as the group seemed to simultaneously recall heartbreak, loss, betrayal, disappointment and anger at the same moment. He went on to talk about Lot, Abraham's nephew, who hogged up the best land for himself and then a few verses later, has to have his uncle bail him out of a tribal war, putting all of the family's resources on the line.
As an extension of the theme of this series, "YOU ARE HERE: the journey of Abraham" we participated in a journaling exercise helping us to think about where we are, where we've been, who's been there with us, and where God might be taking us. And finally, "How can you express your faith in God? What can you do to show that you trust him?"
I was taken aback at the last question, which required forward thinking, proactive versus reactive thought. Clearly, I've been playing defense lately. Pretty much getting out of bed has been an act of faith. But then again, I kind of have to do that anyway, so not really.
So I thought for awhile about it. And I asked God to tell me what that would look like. And he brought this phrase to mind: "Live like you WON'T be overwhelmed."
I feel afraid a lot of the time. A lot of my fears revolved around if I'll be able to handle what happens. I'm a real wuss about a lot of things. I say "yes" and "no" to things sometimes based on fear that I will be overwhelmed...that I won't be able to handle it.
But looking back over the last few months, some things I've handled and some I haven't. But I'm still here. The waves have crashed on this family, but we are still here. God is still with us. We are ok because God has our back. Life has this crazy way of being so fragile on the one hand, and pushing it's way up through the cracks in the concrete on another.
So that's my goal right now. To live like I won't be overwhelmed. That ultimately, I might fall down and get hurt and cry and feel afraid and want my mommy, but because of God, I won't be overwhelmed.
First test: the laundry.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Seriously? Seriously.
ok, so just so we are straight on this:
The kids went back to school
We lost Kevin.
The closing got moved 41 times.
Mattie turned 10.
We moved in.
I got the flu.
Robb started traveling again.
The craft fair went down.
We all got the stomach flu.
And we hosted a slumber party for 5 girls.
Yup. That's some of it anyway.
Wednesday night, while Robb was in Florida and I was home here alone, we both were struck down with that horrible flu. I can't even imagine what it must have been like in the faraway hotel room where Robb was doomed to revisit a steak and peanut butter pie, but I can tell you that for me, it was the kind of flu that causes a person to put a foot-stool in front of the toilet because you are a too tired to stand up and hurl anymore, and your stomach hurts too bad to lie down anyway, but when you fall asleep with your head resting on your knees, you REALLY have to get your wits about you to remember in time what you are sitting on and what you are puking into.
So let me ask you this, Blog-o-sphere: How do you come back from having absolutely no reserve strength? I mean seriously...is there a vitamin I should be taking or some kind of yoga routine I need to start? Because I currently seem to have the constitution of a newborn kitten. If there is a virus out there, it isn't content to take me lunch money, it goes ahead and gives me atomic wedgie at the same time. I am so weak, there was a 20 dollar refrigerator and a rocking chair we needed for church at a garage sale down the street and I was too winded by walking there to fight for them and let them both slip through my fingers: THAT's JUST SAD, I TELL YA!
So go ahead, lay it on me: your best advice for building up some intestinal fortitude, for healing, for wellness. I'm all ears (and saggy jeans.)
The kids went back to school
We lost Kevin.
The closing got moved 41 times.
Mattie turned 10.
We moved in.
I got the flu.
Robb started traveling again.
The craft fair went down.
We all got the stomach flu.
And we hosted a slumber party for 5 girls.
Yup. That's some of it anyway.
Wednesday night, while Robb was in Florida and I was home here alone, we both were struck down with that horrible flu. I can't even imagine what it must have been like in the faraway hotel room where Robb was doomed to revisit a steak and peanut butter pie, but I can tell you that for me, it was the kind of flu that causes a person to put a foot-stool in front of the toilet because you are a too tired to stand up and hurl anymore, and your stomach hurts too bad to lie down anyway, but when you fall asleep with your head resting on your knees, you REALLY have to get your wits about you to remember in time what you are sitting on and what you are puking into.
So let me ask you this, Blog-o-sphere: How do you come back from having absolutely no reserve strength? I mean seriously...is there a vitamin I should be taking or some kind of yoga routine I need to start? Because I currently seem to have the constitution of a newborn kitten. If there is a virus out there, it isn't content to take me lunch money, it goes ahead and gives me atomic wedgie at the same time. I am so weak, there was a 20 dollar refrigerator and a rocking chair we needed for church at a garage sale down the street and I was too winded by walking there to fight for them and let them both slip through my fingers: THAT's JUST SAD, I TELL YA!
So go ahead, lay it on me: your best advice for building up some intestinal fortitude, for healing, for wellness. I'm all ears (and saggy jeans.)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sweet Finds
Naugahyde Wingback chair, Salvation Army, $15.00. Yeah, Baby.
Yellow side chair, Salvation Army, $39.50
Daniel Green "Outdorables" Suede shoes, on sale at half price, $2.50.
Everyone always asks me how I decide which of my vintage treasures to keep and which of them to sell. This is a very inexact science, frankly. It has something to do with romance...namely, if I love it too much to part with something. Romance is trumped by what bills came in the mail this month. Bills are trumped by the chances of me ever, ever, ever finding something again. Ever finding something again is trumped by making a bigger sale than I've ever had (the record stands at 700 dollars for a map I paid 2 dollars for.) And record breaking is trumped finally by the thought of something being good enough to leave to my children. Which has resulted so far, in my keeping a bakelite necklace and two paintings.
One other factor comes into play: if they fit.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Just a little while longer....
...and I might get to blog again. But this weekend, I am doing a craft fair that I was signed up for a year ago....long before I knew my life would be complete and total insanity. So 12 hours ago, I was running out the door with barely-dry mosaics I had finished just moments before. Thursday was busy, today was brutally slow. I am exhausted. I miss my family. I want to just be still. Soon.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
And Now, For Something Completely Different....
Hi.
I feel like I went to sleep and woke up a month later in a completely different life. I confess that this move, approximately 1/2 mile from the former location, has been one of the most disconcerting events of my life. While I haven't walked into any walls exactly, I do keep trying to put the milk in the pantry, which stands approximately in the same location as the old fridge.
The first night, I had the strongest urge to call our old neighbors and tell them we miss them. Because we do. Desperately.
For the first few days, we had no internet or tv and so I just kept putting things away until I sort of fell into what felt very much like a hotel bed with a hotel bathroom. Robb has been buried with work and was torn between wanting to take a little time to help us unpack, but after spending a week in Grand Rapids already and many new challenges at the office, really needing to put in some full days.
On Wednesday, the school called and asked me to come get Charleigh who was sporting a fever of 102. She came home and slept until 7:30, got up without a fever, ate a tray full of peanut butter crackers and went back to bed and slept all night. I planned to keep her home, but by 9 a.m. the next day, she was begging to go back to school. So she got dressed and I packed her lunch and took her. And then the school nurse called me and told me that she had to be fever-free for 24 hours to come back to school and that I needed to come back and get her. So I did. She watched tv while I got sicker by the minute. By 3, I knew I was not getting better.
We had a giant rain storm that night and then I slept for a long, long time. I woke up to Robb saying we were going to the doctor.
"Right this second?"
"Uh huh."
"Can I get dressed first?"
And Robb laughed.
They put a very pointy swab in both your nostrils and it tickles like mad. And when the receptionist says, "Oh you poor thing. Go home and get some rest." You know you'd better just give up and wait til whatever it is (Influenza A and B) is over. And you just figure that the kids who don't know where anything is, and the etsy store and the craft fair that is coming in 3 days will just fall into place while you try to figure out where the permanent home for your toothbrush should be.
I'm not moving ever again. I mean it this time.
I'll post some pictures after the craft fair is over.
I feel like I went to sleep and woke up a month later in a completely different life. I confess that this move, approximately 1/2 mile from the former location, has been one of the most disconcerting events of my life. While I haven't walked into any walls exactly, I do keep trying to put the milk in the pantry, which stands approximately in the same location as the old fridge.
The first night, I had the strongest urge to call our old neighbors and tell them we miss them. Because we do. Desperately.
For the first few days, we had no internet or tv and so I just kept putting things away until I sort of fell into what felt very much like a hotel bed with a hotel bathroom. Robb has been buried with work and was torn between wanting to take a little time to help us unpack, but after spending a week in Grand Rapids already and many new challenges at the office, really needing to put in some full days.
On Wednesday, the school called and asked me to come get Charleigh who was sporting a fever of 102. She came home and slept until 7:30, got up without a fever, ate a tray full of peanut butter crackers and went back to bed and slept all night. I planned to keep her home, but by 9 a.m. the next day, she was begging to go back to school. So she got dressed and I packed her lunch and took her. And then the school nurse called me and told me that she had to be fever-free for 24 hours to come back to school and that I needed to come back and get her. So I did. She watched tv while I got sicker by the minute. By 3, I knew I was not getting better.
We had a giant rain storm that night and then I slept for a long, long time. I woke up to Robb saying we were going to the doctor.
"Right this second?"
"Uh huh."
"Can I get dressed first?"
And Robb laughed.
They put a very pointy swab in both your nostrils and it tickles like mad. And when the receptionist says, "Oh you poor thing. Go home and get some rest." You know you'd better just give up and wait til whatever it is (Influenza A and B) is over. And you just figure that the kids who don't know where anything is, and the etsy store and the craft fair that is coming in 3 days will just fall into place while you try to figure out where the permanent home for your toothbrush should be.
I'm not moving ever again. I mean it this time.
I'll post some pictures after the craft fair is over.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
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