Busy, Busy, Dreadfully Busy

Title taken from Busy, Busy by VeggieTales

Why does it feel like every time I finish one task on my "To Do" list, two more have taken its place? Seriously, I have a lot of things I need to take care of. We're going on vacation next week, and I really want to have a relaxing time (not have a huge list looming in the back of my mind) so I'm trying to knock it out by next Wednesday. Eight days, 437 items. OK, I might be exaggerating a bit, but it is an intimidating line-up. And what do I do when I'm feeling overwhelmed? Procrastinate!! (On a side note, why is it so easy to point out these issues, but so hard to actually change the behavior?) OK, time to be productive and stop whining about it...

Oh, but I did want to share a couple funny sound-bites from the past couple days. On Sunday afternoon, we were heading out to take a dip in the pool, and our daughter was putting on her swimsuit. Well, trying to. She was holding it upside down, and she exclaimed, "Hey! What happened to the other strap?!" Too funny! After I stopped laughing, I helped her solve the mystery :) After swimming a bit, the kids decided to hop on the swings to warm up. Well, our son started getting some momentum and then announced that he was "swinging in Chinese." After much questioning, we still have no idea what he meant, but it was still funny!

OK, I'm really getting off the computer now...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5,8

Are you a Mom?

Well, here's a bit of encouragement to start off your week!

Friday Funny

Have fun, but be safe this summer :)

Random Babblings

Just a few silly things to share:

Yesterday morning, D asked whether he could have the boxes that I'd stacked by the front door (ready to go out to the trash), and said that he wanted to build a house for his sister's barbies. How could I deny that request? Scissors and glue sticks were also requested. I can't say the result was exactly stellar - in fact they never completed it - but they had a ball. It was great hearing them talk through their ideas, too. I was completely cracking up when D said that they needed to put holes in the walls to the barbies could breathe.

Yesterday afternoon I had the weather channel on for a bit, watching the progress of Dolly. D was fascinated by the footage of the flooded streets, and excitedly exclaimed that he knew what the people needed to do: "Everybody should open their front doors, then open their freezers and then the water will turn to ice!" How's that for an alternative approach? I must admit I'm a bit unclear as to why sheets of ice would be preferable to water ;)

And in happy news, our 12 YO car has passed inspection so we're good for another year. Whew!

Cleaning

Ah, the bane of my existence. I'm kidding (sort of) but housekeeping truly is a struggle for me. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing... but that doesn't exactly create a shiny, happy home - or responsible kidlets either.

Thought I'd share two good posts I ran across this week addressing this very topic. Two very different approaches - intuitive vs. scheduled - but I think we can all take pointers from each.

Homemaking 101
Cleaning with Children

Updates

Well, nothing is finalized yet, but I can say that it would definitely be a move south - and hubby is excited about the fishing possibilities :)

In other news, life continues on. We've scheduled some vacation time, and will be camping at a state park that's about 2 hours away. We'll be able to swim, fish, hike, ride bikes, and avoid answering the phone or checking email. Sounds good to me! I found this photo through a google search, but you can be sure that I'll take a bunch myself while we're there...

So what else is happening? We're celebrating hubby's sister's 20th anniversary this evening with a surprise party, which should be quite nice. I have a dentist appt on Wednesday, which will NOT be nice for either the budget or my mouth. We're getting together for dinner with some friends later in the week, and hubby is waiting for some parts to arrive so he can fix up our poor car and get it through inspection (there were 4 code issues when he took it in last week - bummer!)

OK, off to feed the kiddos - they're getting a bit whiney and food always seems to help in that department :)

What a Week!

What a difference a few days can make! A former boss contacted out of the blue with an offer for a part-time position (that I could mostly do from home). What an awesome opportunity, right?! Well, it seems that even bigger changes are in store for our family... will share details when I can! But in the meantime, here's a hint :)
We'd really appreciate your prayers right now - we have some serious decisions to make.

Praises

There's been quite a bit happening these past few days. As you may remember, my FIL passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Well, Mom isn't alone as she is also the full-time caregiver for Grandma (now 91 years old). Their house functioned well, but the location was becoming an issue as there were no close friends or family nearby.

Last week, she learned that a house two doors down from my SIL was being sold - a bank sale. Well, they took a look, and the realtor even commented that it was in wonderful condition for a foreclosure. Mom put a bid in, and found out Friday evening that it was hers. We were all praying, because this was definitely an example of stepping out in faith... What about the current house? And all those other little details? Well, her current house sold last night without even putting a "For Sale" sign up. And the miracles - big and small - just keep on coming.

Here's a quote straight from Mom:

I am totally stunned. I even get three months to move if I need it. The realtor is going to try to close my new home in 30 days and the sale of this one in 60. That gives me plenty of time to spruce up the new one and to move in stages if I need to. Please feel free to share this work of God with any and all persons who are struggling and need encouragement. The first half of this year was a nightmare from hell and now God is blessing, blessing, blessing.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Psalm 105:1-3

Monday Madness

Just checking in - there's a lot to get done in the next few weeks, and it seems as though the list continues to grow. Thankfully my foot is back to about 95%, so hopefully I can kick it into high gear now... and hopefully keep the proper attitude in the midst of it all, too.

Kiddos are having some issues with obedience again, which is really testing my patience. We were supposed to attend a musical program/ice cream social at church last night, but the kids hadn't done their jobs, so I stayed home while hubby went. Well, we were supposed to go to the library this morning, but the kids STILL haven't done their jobs, so once again we're missing out on some fun times. I know it's important to stand our ground once we've made it an issue, but it would be so much easier to just do it myself and let it slide!

Oh, and here's a frugal decorating tip for you: Don't like the color of your tile floor? Well then, simply drop a bottle of nail polish! Yeah, that was the scene on Friday morning (after I'd wiped up all I could with paper towels). Thankfully some acetone took the rest of it off - I really didn't want to live with pink floors :)

Well, break time is over. But here's a little something to think about:

The Power Of A Moment
Chris Rice

What am I gonna be when I grow up?
How am I gonna make my mark in history?
And what are they gonna write about me when I’m gone?
These are the questions that shape the way I think about what matters
But I have no guarantee of my next heartbeat
And my world’s too big to make a name for myself
And what if no one wants to read about me when I’m gone?
Seems to me that right now’s the only moment that matters
You know the number of my days
So come paint Your pictures on the canvas in my head
And come write Your wisdom on my heart
And teach me the power of a moment
The power of a moment, the power of a moment
In Your kingdom where the least is greatest
The weak are given strength and fools confound the wise
And forever brushes up against a moment’s time
Leaving impressions and drawing me into what really matters
You know the number of my days
So come paint Your pictures on the canvas in my head
And come write Your wisdom on my heart
And teach me the power of a moment
The power of a moment, the power of a moment
I get so distracted by my bigger schemes
Show me the importance of the simple things
Like a word, a seed, a thorn, a nail
And a cup of cold water
You know the number of my days
So come paint Your pictures on the canvas in my head
And come write Your wisdom on my heart
And teach me the power of a moment
The power of a moment, the power of a moment

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

Welcome to Wednesday

Can't believe we're already halfway into the week - time is flyin' by! We had a nice 4th; some friends hosted a picnic so we chowed down, chatted, and and lit a few fountains for the kids later in the evening.

Things were relatively quiet the rest of the weekend; hubby smoked some ribs on Sunday afternoon, and the kids played happily despite the rain. On Monday, we went to the library and officially partipated in our first "program." They have a bug theme for all the summer programs, and the librarian taught them a little song, read a couple books, and was just generally entertaining. The kids thought it was wonderful because they got plastic bug rings and free books :) It was packed out, but all the kids were actually pretty well behaved.

My foot is definitely getting better, but I'm still not quite back to full speed... I'm continuing on my quest to create a relatively organized, fully functioning living space, so I've been sifting through papers, etc. We're also preparing to move our son downstairs (the kids are still sharing a room, but we want to transition him before school starts), so I need to find new homes for all the stuff that currently lives in our soon-to-be-no-more guest room. I know this isn't exactly rocket science, but I'm such a pack rat that it is seriously exhausting me mentally. Baby steps, right? It doesn't help that it's been hot and sticky these past few days (definitely my least favorite weather conditions) and I'm really feeling convicted about my lousy attitude and lack of patience with hubby and kiddos.

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day Proverbs 27:15

So what's on the agenda for the rest of the week? I need to run some errands, then I'll be getting together with a friend tomorrow - the kids are pretty excited to hang with her kids, too :) I'm watching another friend's children on Friday morning, and then we have some family coming down for Friday night and Saturday. Should be lots of fun!

Happy Independence Day!

I can't help but thinking of the words to "Freedom" by Wayne Watson (off the Home Free album) today:

Freedom, people cry for freedom
But freedom without Jesus
Is just another wall
Freedom, give the people freedom
Give the people Jesus
Or they've got nothin' at all





Thanks to all the men and women who serve - in the battlefield as well as the mission field.