For Real?

I have just as much going on as ever. I noticed this moment however, that I am just not sitting down to write about it. (Also not sitting down to do much reading.) I really enjoy the medium of blogging for relieving my brain of my thoughts, and also to keep people up to date on what's going on with our world. So - it seems that sometimes I just need to be more intentional about it. Which is the case with a lot of things in my life. I'm certain I am not the only one. There are only 24 hours in a day - you can't change that so you have to choose how you would like to use them. Anyway.... maybe I'll write more about that later. Right now, I wanted to tell you about this cow....





We are continuing the renovations in our home (no I have not forgotten to give the final reveal of the master - I am just still working on making it swanky) and the current major work has been taking our 13 year old daughter's room down to the studs, reconfiguring, rewiring and rebuilding to beauty and ever so cute teenager domicileness. My daughter is a saver of things. Like; everything. Empty rolls from papertowels. Shoe boxes. Things, things and more things. No clue where she gets that from. "PURGE IT" is what I always say.

Anyway....

The rule is that nothing is going back into that room if it does not have a place to be. I mean NOTHING. And there were a few things that went straight into a box labeled, "Not even if it has a place!" The cow was one of those items. It's atrocious. It is a bank. And as you can notice, the giant hole next to the giant purple udders is missing its plug. Therefore it can't even be functional. It's just a blight on my view.




My daughter noticed the cow in the, "No way on God's green earth" box and promptly proceeded to make a case for it. Really? For real? I tried to talk with her about how really and truly ugly it is. Unphased. How she couldn't possibly care for it as much as she thinks because she didn't use it for anything. Unphased. How the fact that it has 2 inches of dust on it tells me that she really doesn't love it at all (yes those are dust streaks from the cow on the table). Unphased. She is certain that this cow must remain in her room. She has promised that she WILL give it a prominent place of display and she WILL keep it clean.

What's a mom to do? The cow stays. However, the girl has been informed that the first time I swipe dust off it, it goes straight to the trash. Not.even.a.yardsale.

God help her future husband.

Whoa Nelly!

I have 1900 unread posts in my Bloglines! And I just wrote you a whole update post about what I have been doing that has been borrowing my time. But I got ADD and left the page without saving. So BOOOO, the whole post is gone!

I've been working quite a bit and will leave you with a new pic. I'll try again to write soon.

copyright Sing 4 Joy Photography 2009

Into The Light - Organizer Extraordanaire

I LOVE to organize. I find beauty in organized things and comfort in knowing where to find something when it is needed.

So it is with consternation that I admit to you today that I HATE putting things away. I really want to just wiggle my nose and have things BE in their perfectly labeled places. I think this is partially why I have been feeling so overwhelmed by stuff. There is always something that has to be put away. Like all.the.time. Even for an organizing obsesser like me this can become a sheer battle of will. I want to win the battle. Also, I don't want to become completely crazy and get freaked out every time there is junk mail in my mail box or a stack of school papers that the kids have brought home.

The good news is that God is a god of order. Which means I am not left to my own devices, and I do not need to be crazy afraid of being overtaken by stuff. An example of this can be found in Numbers Chapter 2 where He lays out the entire plan of how the camping was to go down, who would be placed where and in what order. If the God of the universe took the time to help the Israelites get and stay organized, He will help me too.

And now...brought to you by the Old Testament book of Numbers AND Woman's Day July 2009 Issue....



I really liked this suggestion and will now share it with you, all my millions of readers...

"file it right. We really only need about 20% of the papers we file. Here's Lillard's method for weeding things out: Every time you retrieve a file, put it away in the front of your filing drawer. At the end of the year, the most frequently used files will end up in the front, and the ones you never look at will be in the back. Give those hidden ones a quick once-over and toss whatever is unnecessary."

It's Not Just For Swine Flu

Photo courtesy of SupplyLineDirect


Not only does this product help stop the spread of the dreaded swine flu h7ybn2 airborne communicable diseases, but do you know that you can hang around all day with your jaw wide open and no one will even know?! They'll just think you're either being productive or prophylactic.

Straight Up Hamper Scamper

Choose 5 picture frames and clean their glass. Inside AND out!

...and have lovely day.

The Climb

I loved this song from the first time I heard it in the Hannah Montana movie. What? I have girls.
N E WAY....

When we were up visiting our daughter, we were all in the car returning from our family photo session at The Picture People (whom I love) and my 13 year old daughter was singing along to this on her iPod and the other two joined in. Then my 17 year old played it on her phone so everyone could hear and there they were all singing along. It was such an easy and peaceful slice of time. So I cried. Those moments have been few and far between in these last years and it was such a beautiful gift.

Thank You Lord.

The Road To Healing

Back in December I shared with you (in a rather dark-humored way) that our eldest daughter (who has been estranged from us) was expecting her first child. I also shared with you my hope that there would be a day that we would be allowed to hold his hand. I knew that God could bring healing to this situation, but I had no idea if He would and certainly could not see how it could be done. It felt so far gone. This is where your faith is tested, wouldn't you say? I have prayed for healing, friends and family have prayed for healing, and then we sit and watch and wait and trust.

This week, we watched our daughter receive her high school diploma and not only did we meet our grandson, but sure enough - I was allowed to hold his hand. And now he holds my heart.



There is much, much more to this story that I may never be able to share. I can't begin to know how God softened her heart to even be in our presence but our time with her went so far beyond that. Our family is on the road to healing. To God be all the glory, honor and praise. AMEN.

My children. ALL of my children. Together. *sigh*
May 2009