"It goes fast"

Sam came into our bed this morning.  At 3 am.

It's always cute in theory, when your kids climb in with you.  And I always think, "Enjoy this while you can, because it goes by fast."  Or so they say.

But then the child rolls right up next to you, and he's hot, and he tosses, and he turns, and you think, "Thank God this goes by fast."

The truth is I already feel that regret.  The loss I imagine you feel when your children grow and pull away from you.  And I panic, "Are they really learning anything from me? From us?  And if yes, is it the good stuff?"

This may come as a surprise to you, but I am not perfect.  And although he is pretty stinkin spectacular, Josh has issues too.  Are we turning out good children?

Ahhh!! This time we have with them slips away a little more everyday and I don't even realize it!  I am so focused on facebook, blogging, laundry, what's for dinner, work, home renovations, that I am afraid somedays I don't even remember that we have this responsibility called:  Parenting.

And then I turn around and have an 8 year old, making his own lunch, doing his own laundry (yes...it is true), and my children are becoming men right in front of my distracted eyes.

So, lately I've been making more conscious decisions to be with them.  For example, on Sunday they were begging to go play the Wii and I made them weed with me.   It was great!

And now for a trip down memory lane:

Noah, then

Noah, now

Ben, then

Ben, now

Jake, then

Jake, now

Sam, then

                                                                                        













                                      Ha Ha!!  just kidding (really, don't we all have a baby pic like that one up there???  I do!)

Sam, then

Sam, now

And now a little bonus:  Noah and Ben, before other brothers.

AHH!!!  I can't stand it!!!!

Love that Noah

Such adorable babies...They were just so cute

A few good [soon to be] men.

jake

noah and ben, at attention

sam, loving ben

And now for a little monday blues booster.

One day I was on an airplane.  I was 22, single, and thinking I was so cool, travelling the world.  Actually, I was headed to Indiana, but destination aside, I was going somewhere.

I was seated next to an older, distinguished looking business man on a small commuter plane.  It held about 37 people, give or take a few.

I was looking down, reading something, probably the magazine in the little seat back pocket, when I noticed a long string of drool coming from my mouth.  I was mortified and quickly slurped it back up.

That's it.  I hope you will still acknowledge me when you see me in public.

Boston Marathon and Waterboarding

Does it ever happen like this in your life?  That your thoughts take a theme?

I started thinking about the Boston Marathon Bombing... and then about the perpetrators... and then about what other attacks are in the planning stages at this very moment...and then about how we can find that out.  And I thought about waterboarding.

And I watched an old Mission Impossible (tv series...o.l.d.) and they threatened to bomb a bomber, and then I watched a LOST episode...where torture was used.  The theme of torture was tracking me yesterday.  But it wasn't torture for tortures sake.  It was torture for information.

Did you follow the events in Boston?  I sure didn't.  Maybe I just wasn't all that shocked that there are people wanting to kill Americans who are making plans and executing them.

Remember "Never Forget"?  Is it just a catchy phrase?

See, to 'never forget' 9/11 does not mean that we just remember those whose lives were lost.  No, although those lives were important, it is not just 'in memoriam' that we remember.  It is also, 'in protection of'.

There appears to be a radical people among us and those few believe that we are the ENEMY.

They don't just dislike us.  No, they HATE us.  They believe with all their hearts that we, with our restaurant consuming, SUV driving, cable watching selves, are evil.  Hannibal Lector evil, not just Cruella DeVille evil.

They believe unto d.e.a.t.h. that we must be destroyed.  They believe this so fiercely that they are pursuing us, on our own soil, at our own events, and following us into our own homes with scenes that terrorize us from CNN.

They are training their children to despise us as well.  Haven't we all seen the scenes of young and old alike burning the American flag, rejoicing over the loss of American lives, celebrating our despair?  Remember that verse, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Pro. 22:6?  It stands to reason that this goes both ways.  Whatever way you train, good or bad, will be the way he will go.

When I see pictures of athletes that have their legs blown off I am not upset at the idea of "sleep deprivation" used in interrogation.  This does not seem cruel or unusual when being used to gather information that will save lives.

I have an eight year old.  I see how much he adores his dad.  When Josh talks, Noah raptly pays attention.  Josh is his hero, his example of how to be a husband, father, and just all around good man.  When I think of how excited he would be to see his hero finish a long endeavor, like a marathon, a little thrill runs through my heart.

And when I think of how there was an eight year old who, while waiting excitedly for his dad to cross a finish line, was mercilessly and excruciatingly murdered, I think water boarding to discover where the next child is in danger is the LEAST that officials should initiate.

I'm sure mothers all around America would gladly see that terrorist laying down with a washcloth over his face if it meant that their own 8 year olds would be protected.  Some, if not most, of them would gladly take the water bottle themselves and apply.

I know I probably would.

Because I love my family.  And I want them protected.  And their lives are worth a terrorists few moments of fear and discomfort.

And I don't think this makes me any less Christian.  On the contrary, I believe God has blessed us with four little boys to protect.  And if He has entrusted us with them, then we are accountable to Him for their lives.  We better do whatever we can to keep them healthy, fed, in a warm home, etc...because we'll have to answer for what we've done with His generous gifts.

Can you love someone who is trying to kill your children?  I can pray for them, I can hope that they confess, and repent, and that in doing so can live in peace with us.  That seems pretty loving to me.  But if they come to my house, threaten my children, then I feel the priority should be to protect my innocent children.

To everything there is a balance and if I were to define torture it would look a whole lot more like putting a dirty, metal/nail/glass filled bomb in a crowded area than depriving terrorists of sleep.

At least we can get intel from water boarding.  A drone garners....what??

Fine wine and stinky cheese...

Some things just get better with age....right???

I found this beauty posted in our break room at work.  I think it was during my child bearing years...my coworker says it was before.

What do you think???

It may have been taken on this very day.

And now for something completely different...Potato Chip Chicken!!

My most favorite meal is called:  Potato Chip Chicken.

G.G. always made this.  G.G. is my dad's mom and we are good friends.

She is a wanna-be chef, so she follows a recipe a little closer.  She grates the onion, cooks and removes the chicken and then cooks down the liquid, etc etc...

I'm not that interested in recipe s-t-e-p-s, so I try and condense as many as possible.  GRATE an onion???  Ain't nobody got time for that!!!

Anyways, I always make sure that I have the ingredients for this in my pantry, cause I love it that much, and it's an easy go-to meal for me.

WARNING:  I don't measure, I guesstimate, so if you are an exact-recipe-amount kinda girl (or guy) I apologize in advance.

Ingredients:

chicken (I usually use 2 large breasts)
chicken stock (enough to cover chicken)
white wine (optional...just add extra broth if you omit)
small onion or 1/2 a large one
1 can cream of chicken soup
tablespoonful of sugar
1/4 or so cup of mayo (hellman's of course!)
splash of lemon juice
potato chips


Directions:

1.  Cook chicken in liquids (stock and wine).  I  believe the technical term for this is "poaching".

 [sorry bout the blurry pic!]

I have little kids, so I cook the chicken a little bit, then cut it into bite-size pieces and finish cooking.

2.  Mix the rest!

Years ago I was given something like this as a wedding present:

I love it, it has come in handy more times than I can count.  I used to use the immersion blender to make baby food out of whatever was for dinner, it was so great!!!  [On a side note...this is a much better investment for 'homemade' baby food than the high priced gadgets they market specifically for that use.]


Anyway, see that little R2D2 looking attachment?  I put the small onion in there and chop it, then I add the mayo, a spoonful of sugar, a splash of lemon juice, and the can of condensed soup (Rachel Ray would be very disappointed in me).

I WHIR it into oblivion.

Then I add it to the chicken and it's lovely liquid on the stove and stir it together.

Put all of that goodness into a casserole dish

Bake it at 350 for, like, about 45 minutes.

 Crumble some potato chips up and sprinkle on the liquidy top for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

[note:  this is not as crumbly as I like my chips to be on top...but Josh did it AND took the picture...so I'm not complaining, just sayin is all]

Serve over steamed (or microwaved) broccoli and rice and voila!  dinner!!!
[Yes, that's a well used kiddie plate, what do you expect!]


I like this especially saucy so I use a ton of broth (like 3/4 a box full).  If you don't like to pour sauce over the veggies and rice, use less! See how I do?

Ok, if you try it and love it, tell me!  If you try it and hate it...I don't know what to say....!!!

Have  a Wonderful Wednesday!

Hooray for earth day!!!

On this earth day, I am thinking of how the earth came to be.

And then it occurs to me, the earth was created for man. Not man for the earth. It is here FOR us!  For our provision, our enjoyment, it is ours to subdue.  

The earth will overtake.  It will grow and grow and grow, because that's how it is created to provide for us, with constant renewal.  Humans may set it on fire, but that just brings back greener grass.  We may cut down the trees, but they continue to reseed themselves.  

I love that.  That something, like the earth, can just be spun into motion and then continue, and if it continues unchecked, will overrun.  

Even the earth needs discipline, boundaries, a stopping point.  

And it needs care.  It needs to be coaxed, coerced and corrected.  The weeds must be stopped for the flowers to flourish.  

I love this time of year, when hope is visible through every window.  Hope in the form of leaf buds and green grass, hope in the form of seemingly dead wood coming back to life.  

It is a beautiful image of God's intentions for us.   We get to witness the reassurance that no matter how desolate our life may seem, how dead and hopeless, there is life, and life, and life to be had.  A thriving future is within our reach.

Every leaf, every bud, every green blade is here for us to see hope, and in seeing that hope, partake of it.

What a beautiful picture of love for us.

Happy earth day!!!

Thanks

Every night my boys say their prayers.

They are simple little prayers.  They aren't stopping famine, or bombers, or terror.   It's really more along the lines of daily thanks.  But it's daily communication with God...and I love to hear it.

Noah:  "Thank you Lord for this day, and for letting me live on the earth, and for everything good, Amen."

Ben:  "Thank you Lord for healing me."

Jake:  "Thank you Lord for this day and for the food, Amen."

Sam:  "Thank you Lord for this day, and my mom and dad and for everything and for everything and for everything and for everything and for everything and for everything."

So, these prayers are B.A.S.I.C.  Just a thank you note every evening.

Guess that's what great prayers begin and end with, thanks.

Maybe they're growing to be great prayer warriors after all?

At least they know who to attribute all the good things in their lives to!  And if Josh and I love hearing them so much, can you just imagine how sweet it is to God?

This is my prayer tonight:

"Thank you Lord for this day, that my boys are all healthy...that we have plenty of food in our cabinets and that you are providing for us, just like you said you would.  (Phil 4:19)  Help us to become who you desire us to be...to be your love in this world.  And thank you for those who read my blog.  It means more to me than I can say and I'm grateful."

I've been thinking about...sacrifice!

I've been listening to the Old Testament and one thing I've learned is that God's all about having a personal, one-on-one with us.  He wants to be involved in our EVERYday life!!

He set out these guidelines for us to follow so that we could have a happy, abundant, fulfilling life.  But then we go and screw things up and think we can't be right until we fix it.

As if our own fix-it abilities are good enough to present to him.  HA!  AS IF!!!

Remember that verse:  It is better than to obey than to sacrifice? (1 Sam 15:22)

That's amazing to think about, really.

If we obey, then no sacrifice is needed!

Obedience is God's preference!

He doesn't NEED our sacrifice.  He doesn't want anything we possess.  He doesn't need our fasting, our penance, he doesn't need our confessions, our hail Mary's, our hours in a repentant prayer closet.  He doesn't need us to feel guilty, or condemned.

We want them.  Because they make us feel punished. And that 'punishment' gives us a false sense of cleanliness.

But what we are doing is our own form of righteousness!  Which is like "filthy rags" to Him.

Because no behavior, no religion, no crawling to mass, no meditation, no church attendance, is good enough for him to accept us.

That's why he sent his son for us.  Jesus came to be the One and Only sacrifice that God would ever deem holy enough, good enough, righteous enough.  Because Jesus was sin-less, guilt-less.  And when we invite him into our lives, to be our master then he becomes our savior.

Not only does he become our savior from hell, but he also saves us from hopelessness.  He gives us a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11).

That future and that hope not only involves physical needs (Phil 4:16) but our spiritual and deep seated emotional needs as well.

He is a loving, kind God.

And he wants our innermost desires, our innermost thoughts, our most desperate longings.  He wants them so that he can fill them, and in doing so fulfill us.

What God wants from us is our love.  If we love Him then we can trust him and if we trust him we can obey him.  And that obedience is the key to our successful future.

Sirens of Peace

Last night I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard an annoying, whining sound.  My husbands phone was alerting him to the existence of nearby tornados.

A few seconds later here comes the wailing of the sirens.  Loud, brazen, rude, drawing me into fear.  My feet felt the fear, becoming heavy, solid blocks.

Years ago I had a nightmare that I was sucked up and blown away by a tornado.  I think I was living in LA at the time, so it was especially poignant.  I've not been the same in storm season since.

Since then I let fear grip me, worrying about my dream coming true.  Having children has not helped alleviate this worry.

I've been told that as long as you can hear the rain, thunder, and wind outside than you're safe from the tornado.  Tornados suck all the weather up into themselves, leaving an unnatural calm. And then you hear the train sound.

There I was, in bed, and outside it was still, eerily calm.  And I began to follow the sirens into fear.  And fear welcomed me, with chilling fingers, gripping my feet.

But Josh wasn't worried.  He was starting to snore.  There was no way he was going to be dragging our children out of bed, into their own closet, at midnight.

"What's the worse that could happen?  We die?  Oh well."

But I prayed anyway.  Prayed that we would be protected, that my flowers would survive, prayed that we would be fine.  I prayed that "angels would surround us, keeping us safe from all harm."

I kept thinking of the verse, "A thousand my fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it  [danger] will not come near you." Ps. 91:7

And when fear would beckon I would remember that verse again.

In my mind I saw our yard, our one little fenced acre, and I saw a silvery force field bubbling up over it, from corner to corner.  A little bubble protecting me and mine.

This may seem foolish to you, that we didn't jump up and pull our boys into a closet, to wait out the sirens, but I had peace, not to mention a sound sleep.

I sit here now, on this cloudy, chilly day after the storm, and remember another verse, "Be anxious for nothing (even a tornado?!?) but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God, and the peace that passes all understanding, will guide your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."  Phil 4:6

I am so grateful that God wants us to have peace, even in chaos! Now, to learn to implement that in all areas of my life...even my kitchen ;) !

How to travel with kids AND enjoy your flight!

I have 4 boys.  My oldest was 3 years and 9 months when I had my 4th child.  My husband and I also like to travel.  And I work for an airline.  Conundrum alert!!

Not only do we enjoy going to see new places, but we have family on the east and the west coast.  We like to visit them.   Once I went on a direct flight from Tulsa to Atlanta with a 2,3,5&6 year old by myself.  Don't worry, it was fine, and I'm still alive to tell the tale!

Here are my tips for travelling with the kiddos:

1.  Dress for success

Dress in layers.  It gets cold on airplanes!  Also, make sure clothing is comfy.

2. PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE

You are about to embark on a journey with a human being who has a fraction of the attention span that you do.  Have things to occupy them.

TOYS:  My boys are allowed to pick out 2 or 3 toys for themselves to travel with.  They must be small, self contained (no small pieces, NO legos!!!) and legal by TSA standards.  We were stopped once because one of my boys packed a water gun without our knowledge.  These go into their own backpacks along with a small blanket and a pillow pet.

Coloring books and ONE box of crayons is a must-have for us.  I tear out ONE page of their choosing from the book and pass out 1,2, or 3 crayons at a time.  No more crayons go out at one time.  They can trade colors as they go.

FOOD:  Pack your lunches, snacks, and a potential dinner!  I always bring a bag of food as a carry on.

My favorites include:

1.  Pringles (they don't break easily!)
2.  fruit snacks
3.  Lunchables
4.  A box of Ho-Ho's...or other such pastry treat
5.  baby wipes!

All finger foods, none too messy.  No liquids, if you are tempted to bring applesauce get the squeeze bag kind.  Do not bring little fruit cups or puddings.  Those things need utensils and you don't have room for all that.

Fruit is great, in theory.  Grapes in a baggies, apple slices, and other like items are a good idea.  Bananas bruise easily, oranges have waste and can be messy to eat, you get the idea.  Remember the goal:  to get through the next few hours as easily as possible.

I must expound on the baby wipes.  They always come in handy.  Use them to clean grubby fingers, before and after eating, but also to wipe down tray tables and armrests.   Make sure you don't bring the ones in the bulky plastic case.  Get the ones in the plastic bag with the little flip lid.  As you use them, they reduce in size!  Your carryon will be lighter, you'll be thankful for that during a connection.

NO!!!!

YES!!! 

3.  Utilize the Experience.

Most kids are excited to fly in an airplane.  Use the airport setting to your advantage.  Watch takeoffs and landings, airplanes as they taxi, and even look for the little baggage carts.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll see a bag fall out, then you can count the minutes, or even hours, it takes for that bag to be retrieved.

4.  Do NOT Pre-Board.  (unless you have a car seat to strap in)

I never board an airplane first.  Why would I want to begin the hours of confinement even 10 minutes before I have too?   My boys are about to be contained, without reprieve, for maybe several hours.  I do not want to be sitting there, on an airplane with 100 other people, for any longer than I have to.

5.  Wait as long as possible to break into your travel supplies.

When you board let the kids explore their surroundings.  There's tons to see from an airplane seat! The safety manual is a great distraction for a few minutes.  My boys spend about 15 minutes each flight looking it over.  It's a comic book to them, with easy-to-understand pictures !

Do not bring out any goodie bags until you must.  Every minute counts and you don't want to run out of things to do inflight.  I exhaust all entertainment options, including the shopping catalogues, before bringing out toys or food.  Those shopping catalogues have some pretty interesting pictures in them, you might be surprised!

6.  Relax and enjoy your flight.

Remember, this is a FEW hours out of your entire life.  It's not a big deal.  The flight will land and you'll be able to get on with your life and soon this entire experience will be a funny story to tell.

One more note regarding carry-on luggage.  I know some people are tempted to avoid the checked bag fees and carry all of their clothing on, but if you are travelling with young kids please check one big, 50 pound bag and avoid the hassle of pulling a roller bag while trying to contain your child.  Think of the $25.00 fee as an investment into your sanity.

Those are a few of my travel-with-kids tips.  Now, go expose your kiddos to the big, wonderful world and be not afraid!!!

Before and After: Beauty, where there should have been ashes Pt. 4

This was the 'rec' room.  More like the wreck room, though, if you know what I mean!!

It had a wood burning stove, a leaky roof, those black patches under the window are mold...black mold.  This was sitting on a cracked up, slab foundation.  If you live in Oklahoma, than you know what I mean by that.

The soil here is filled with clay.  When it's 105 degrees it shrinks up, becoming like rock, but then, get a little rain in it and it expands, becoming all nice and mushy.  Can you imagine what a little foundation does in that kind of soil?  It cracks.  There are tons of solutions for it, so it's really nothing to be afraid of, but this room needed to be demolished for more reasons than just that.

The ceiling was, obviously, falling in, that's insulation coming out of the holes.

Outside.  The brush and trees had encroached upon the house up until the line you see here.  We did clear it all out, but it took a while.

The original porch was not so useful for relaxation. 

We scraped it ALL, building a new crawl-space foundation to match the rest of the house.

Josh became quite the carpenter through this project.

I love the picture window!  The best thing about this house was the 1.14 acre it sat on.  Green and beautiful and filled with mature trees.  It was wonderful to wake to.

Please note the little buzzed head in the lower right hand corner.

 I know this isn't the best picture of an AFTER, but it's all I have, sorry!!!

Lots of natural light, new everything, and we matched the hardwoods to the rest of the house.  There's a small full master bath too, but no pictures, ahhh!!

A little note on the hardwood floor:  Josh and I installed them ourselves.  I was 6 months pregnant.  Josh lined them all up, tongue in groove, and I would follow him, just nailing away.

         

   

Lovely new sod.  Can you see the new screened in porch to the right of the master?  The kitchen opened to it.  That small window to the right of the big picture window is to the master bath.  

Inside the porch.  It's like a whole nother living space!  This was the best part of the house.  It had 2 ceiling fans and minimal bugs.  It was perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus coffee with friends while the kids played.

I think this concludes all of the remodel pictures I have for this little house.  It was such a joy to work on and I would do it all again in a heart beat.  Of course, I didn't execute most of the labor, but...

And then there was laundry day...

Laura, my sister, pointed out a strange spot on my jeans the other night.  The little brown spot was towards the top of my thigh, the aftermath of a chocolate chip from mint chocolate chip ice cream I had enjoyed.  

We were standing in the lobby at church.  I hadn't seen it before and began to scratch at it, which she, with horrified eyes, stopped immediately.  

"That looks worse than the spot!!"  

I think she was embarrassed for me. 

Yeah, I had been wearing those jeans for about 3 days, the chocolate stain was a few nights old already.  This may clarify any questions you had about the underwear story...

My other pants were buried in my laundry pile (see above).

That same night I forced my boys to watch one of my favorites, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.  A classic!!!

Obviously they loved it!!  Look at Sam's face (2nd from the top).  

And do you notice my feet?  I was folding laundry.  I felt JUST LIKE MILLIE when she saw the house Adam brought her to.  Filthy, overrun by hungry males.  And do you remember the scene where she does their laundry and they're all forced to come to breakfast wearing only the blankets from their beds?

Yep, that's a movie I can relate to.

a marital mystery

Last night Josh asked, "What's wrong.  Why the attitude?"

We had just laid down to sleep and I didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to let my emotions rile me up while I tried to calm down, didn't want to think, just wanted to drift off.

But he asked and I let him know.

Let him know in terse one word answers.

Let him know in my body language.

Let him know, "I'm not happy, not with you, not with anything and I don't want to talk about it, so leave me alone."

But he didn't leave me alone.  He reached over and, in the dark, touched my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry."

And he was sincere.  And wanting to put me at ease.  And taking my issues seriously, with gentle care.

And then he began to rub my hair so I could fall asleep.

And today I watch him fiddle with his guitar and I think, What kind of man is this that I married?  That he wouldn't be defensive against my attacks, but that he would take my side through them.

What beauty is this that he can look at me, with my offensive behavior and not push me away, but rather pull me close.

And then he's done with the guitar and asks, "Would it bother you if I go play my drums?"

And then he's gone, taking my petty problems out on his drums, releasing my frustrations through his hands.

And his banging sounds like love.

Can we raise 4 boys to be just like him?  i hope i hope i hope

Choosing sides.

Floating around Facebook is a story about the Dr. Kermit Gosnell trial.  Have you seen the links?  On a side note, Josh wanted to name all of our children Kermit, but logic and my women sense prevailed.

Dr. Gosnell preformed abortions in Pennsylvania.  He is facing murder charges.  Which begs the question, 'Why? Isn't abortion legal?'

Dr. Gosnell was preforming late-term abortions.  If you are not familiar with what they are, you need to be.  They are murder, there is no reason why they should be practiced....NONE.  They never protect the life of a mother.  There is still labor and birth involved.

Logically I cannot look at a fetus and consider it anything other than a human being.  It is a growing organism, a being, propagated from humans, therefore, it is a human being.

The moment we begin to allow that a human life form can be extinguished in the name of 'choice' the line between murder and 'my body, my choice' becomes blurred.

One time I asked a woman how she could be Pro-Choice and a Catholic.  It was an honest-I'm-searching-for-a-real-answer question.  She justified her position by saying, Aborition is not wrong until the fetus becomes viable, that is, able to survive on it's own.

This thought process is a slippery slippery slope.


1.  What baby is able to survive on it's own?  Every infant needs needs needs.  I've yet to see an infant that can fend for itself.
2.  As people age, sometimes they need help eating.  Are they viable?
3.  Some people are paralyzed and must be fed through tubes.  Are they viable?

Why would it be murder to starve a paralyzed man, or an elderly bedridden individual, but not to kill a developing, unseen life?  There is something to be said for believing that the unseen life is still worthy.


I am not writing this to condemn anyone that has had an abortion, I am sorry that you were put in that position.  But a story like Dr. Gosnell's must be brought to light.  Sometimes we have to re-examine our position and determine which side we want to be on at the end of our lives.

 It's not a political matter, it's a personal choice that we will each have to answer for.

So you will feel good about yourself, a picture from my house...

See this sink?  It's mine.  It is a picture from my life.  Let us take a moment to dissect it.  From the top down:  

 

On the window sill

1. Avocado seed propped by toothpicks in a cup of water.  Josh's hopeful experiment, he wants to plant an Avocado tree.

2.  Cast iron crab and turtle and silver tarnished creamer jug, my attempt at windowsill whimsy.

3.  Lotion brought from LA, that stuff is over 12 years old.

4. Other misc. junk...money from Mexico, a toothpick container, etc...

In the sink

1. Dishes infringing on my free-will

2. Plants sitting after being watered.  They can co-habitat a sink together in my opinion.

People say to me, "I don't know how you do it with four boys!!!"  And then I think,  "I don't!!  I let the dishes pile and the laundry sit.  I let the boys do what they do and I call it good."

This is probably not the best way to mother....

A thought on truth.

 It must be awfully difficult to be a grown up deciding what is right and wrong if it wasn't clearly spelled out for you as a child.

I went on a weird date once.  This guy and I talked about every hot-button topic you can think of...including religion and politics...and we disagreed on EVERYthing, but we could converse about it.  Neither of us got all defensive.  He was trying to convince me that whatever you believe in here on earth would be your reality throughout eternity.

Isn't that the easiest thing to believe?  That if you believe in reincarnation, you will be reincarnated.  If you believe in heaven, you will go there.  He gave me the example, "If you believe in fuzzy bunny land, you will go to fuzzy bunny land!!"  And he was serious.

Too bad easy doesn't make right.

I was so tempted to consider this as reality, but then I engaged my brain and remembered that truth is not subject to our beliefs, but our beliefs should bow to truth.

I gave him the example, "You can choose to believe that the sky is green, but that belief will not change the blue sky!"

Truth is a constant.  IT does not change!!!  We change for it...or we suffer the consequences.

This is a perfect example:



IRISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South, to avoid a collision.

BRITISH: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North, to avoid a collision.

IRISH: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

BRITISH: This is the Captain of a British navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

IRISH: Negative. I say again. You will have to divert YOUR course.

BRITISH: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS BRITANNIA! THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE BRITISH ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS, AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT IS 15 DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

IRISH: We are a lighthouse. Your call.

Truth isn't going to stomp and yell and insist you believe it, it will just be.  What we do about it is our call.

John 14:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Before and After Bathroom: Beauty, where there should have been ashes Pt. 3

This was the only bathroom in the house.  

I just want to take this moment to mention:  There was a woman living in this house.  There was, apparently, no heat and you can see the condition it was in.  She was a hoarder, with paths for her to move around.  I feel for this woman.   I hear she was very nice, and she had beautiful flowers that she cared for, but obviously she was very ill.  

I thought of her a lot while we worked on this house, especially when I would work in the yard.  

She died here, but I like to think she would love how the house looks today.  Her name was Phyllis.

THE bathroom.  

[Insert horror movie music here]

So this is how we found the bathroom, covered in filth.  From the bathroom door:  

1. water heater closet  

2. toilet

3. sinking sink  

4. tub/shower (love the towel rack under the window)

Do you love the foil rose wallpaper?  

There was a bit of discussion as to whether or not we should try and re-use the tub.  We chose against.  Good thing to because there was a squirrel carcass found underneath it.  

See all that newspaper that served for a bathroom rug?  

I'm not sure what all the filth consisted of, I am sure I don't want to find out.

  I have never liked the toilet first layout (where the toilet is closest to door)...so we changed it.

Already that bathroom looked better!!

(Good job Josh!)

AFTER!!!!

What an improvement!!!  The vanity was made from a dresser I found at a garage sale for $10.00.  The window is higher for more privacy, the tile...off the shelf from a home improvement store!

I should have more pictures, but don't...so sorry!!!  You get the idea though, looks better, definitely SMELLS better and functions wonderfully.

So that's the bathroom!!  We also put another bathroom off of the master, but it wasn't reno'd just added.

A tale of attraction.

I was always a little awkward around the members of the opposite sex.  My first memory of a boy chasing me is literally about a boy chasing me...on his bike.  He was trying to give me a necklace as a present.  I was 6 and horrified!!!  Nervous and terrified, I rushed to my mother to tattle on him.

She asked, "What kind of necklace was it?  Was it nice?"  Didn't she appreciate the trauma I had just experienced!?

Later, in 4th grade, I got my first (and only) "Do you like me?  Check yes or no" note.  I was stunned with embarrassment.   Instead of basking in this attention I slowly tore up the note into tiny pieces and made about 20 trips to the trash can to discreetly discard the evidence.  The poor boy who gave it to me was totally perplexed.  Where the heck did that note disappear to?

So that's how my life developed as far as boy attentions were concerned.

Now, one thing I've noticed about life development is this:  the way I am as an adult is not too far from how I was as an awkward pre-teen.  We are now who we were then, just taller (hopefully) and a bit more masked.

Several years ago we were living with my parents.  I had 2 babies and was pregnant with my 3rd.  I worked the early morning shift, 5-9.  I would eat on the way to work and again, as soon as my short 4 hour shift was over.  I was always famished!!  That may be why I gained 63 pounds with my first child....

One morning I decided to swing into Sonic on my way home to get a burger for myself and my mom, who had been watching my boys.  They were not prepared for my lunch order at 9:20 in the morning and I had to wait.  No problem.  I paid and was sitting at the window waiting for my cheeseburgers and tots when I noticed the kid at the window checking me out!

I was totally unprepared for this guy to be so blatantly looking at my chest!  At first I was taken aback, but then, when I came to myself, I decided to be flattered!  I mean, here I was, overweight and pregnant, but still attractive to some random stranger!  Cool.  I figured I must look pretty amazing!

After a few minutes he gave me my bag of saturated fats and I drove away.  As I left, I decided to check my own self out.

Thats when I saw what the kid had really been checking out!  Humility quickly took the place of any pride I may have acquired over my 'amazing' appearance. 

Apparently, the oatmeal I had scarfed as I drove to work 4 hours earlier had fallen off my spoon, onto the seatbelt I was wearing, leaving a disgusting brown dried up clump of food over my heart.  That's what had really caught this young mans eye.

Looking back I can only imagine what he really saw, an overweight, pregnant slob, who was so addicted to eating that she had to order fatty lunch foods before 10 in the morning.  Didn't he know I had already been up for 5 hours and it was MY lunchtime!!!!

And so my life has gone.  But I am maturing in some ways!  These days, I'm more concerned about getting through the day without totally humiliating myself than how a random stranger sees me.

Womanhood and feminism today.

I think that the Feminist/Pro-Choice agenda is, like, the biggest attack on women in the history of the world.  Woman in the Old Testament were less oppressed than women of today.  In the name of 'liberation' women are surrendering the very freedoms they seek.

Sexual liberation does not look like a woman who can sleep around with whomever she desires.  It also doesn't look like the overly sexualized woman we see plastered all over media today.  It looks like a woman who can confide in and share intimacy with a man who loves, respects and cares for her. It is a woman who can be a partner in a marriage bed, express herself, and in doing so, be heard and happily content.

Was the 1950's housewife as objectified as women today?

Social equality does not look like a woman at the top of a teetering corporate ladder, earning the same amount of pay as the men there.  It looks like a woman who can run a thriving family, and if she desires, a thriving business.  I don't have an issue with women in the work force, but I think it can take precedence over children, and that creates a dangerous society.

Abortion is not a "right to choose."  It's a legal way to end a human life.  This happened in the Old Testament too.  Evil in the form of sacrificing children in the fire.  It was permissible by society, but not by God.

I am a woman.  Not a man.  My goal is not to be more like a man and gain equality that way.  My goal is to be the FULL woman I am created to be!!  And yes, that includes submitting to a man who loves me "like Jesus loved the church and gave himself for her."  Eph 5:25.

I have been listening to the Old Testament courtesy of BibleGateway.com. Today I heard about Esther.   Esther was a powerful woman, not because she was, herself, in power, but because of the influence she held.

Esther was a beautiful woman, with a lovely figure.  She went through beautifying treatments to make herself even more attractive to the king.  It worked!  Those spa treatments must have been something else because of all the 'young virgins' in the harem, he was attracted to Esther the most.  Hubba hubba!  Do you think she wore makeup?  I do.

So there she is, freshly crowned queen, and her new husband just issued a decree to plunder and kill all her people, the Jews.  Uhh...not the best way to honeymoon.  I think she must have been a little unsure about trying to prevent this because Mordecai (her uncle) gave her a little pep-talk.

I imagine it went something like this, "Look girl, you gotta go talk to him, tell him to call off his decree.  I know he could have you killed for walking in on his court, but if you don't risk it you'll die anyway.  God's going to save us whether he uses you or not, but this could be your chance to be used in a big way for Him!  You could have been put in this special position just for this reason:  to prevent a genocide!  Now, get your royal robes on, spritz a little perfume and get in there!"

That woman must have been some looker because the king was pleased whenever he saw her.  He was ready and willing to give her WHATever she wanted...up to half of his kingdom.  She was wise, judged the circumstances, and waited for the perfect moment to present her petition.

Was Esther looking for social equality?  Did Esther try and take power from the king?  No.  Even when she was offered wealth, she declined.  It was worthless in light of the circumstances.  She knew her worth as a woman and utilized it to save her people.

In the end the Jews were saved and Jesus came decades later to save all of humanity. Beautiful!  AND she gets a whole book in the Bible!

What can I glean from this story as a woman in today's culture?

1.  Sometimes the wisest thing is to wait, to NOT nag, and trust that the time to be heard will come.

2.  Wealth that comes from a high position is worthless if my family falls by the wayside because I am pursuing a career.  Who cares how much money I possess if I don't have my children!

3.  To be a woman is to have influence where and when it counts, and I don't need to worry about it otherwise!

I could go on and on, but I won't.  Instead I will put into practice another lesson from Esther:  beauty and spa treatments matter.  I'm off to plant flowers and then exfoliate my hands!  Happy Womanhood!

Before and After Kitchen: Beauty, where there should have been ashes Pt. 2

Yesterday I posted pictures of the outside of our project house.  Today I will bring you inside to the kitchen area.  The kitchen was small and....disgusting, a true hazard.  When we walked through Mrs. K told us that another potential buyer had inspected the attic and found it to be surprisingly sturdy.  We took her word for it.  

Who knows what kinds of wildlife had made the kitchen their home.  We surely couldn't tell.  

I believe blue cabinets are making a comeback, but at the time they just look dated, not to mention condemned!

We gutted it ALL.  The window opening became an exterior door to our porch.  

This lovely brown sink was thrown away.  If I had been more aware of it at the time I may have kept the horse head.  As it is it went the way of the dumpster.  Notice the sink draining into the ever useful pink bucket. 

A good cleaning was not going to be good enough...

Vintage stove, not yet vintage enough to be worth salvaging.  

We put a giant fridge in it's place.

Beautiful peel and stick vinyl flooring...or what was left of it.  We replaced it with narrow hardwoods that matched the original 1950's flooring. 

See that door?  It led to the weirdly added on rec room.  You had to step down into it.

During...EVERYthing gone, walls opened, what an adventure!!  Are you impressed that we had no floors??

AFTER!!! 

That island built from a bowling lane.  Thank you Rose Bowl.  See the door to the porch?  No more window.

Another view of our living/dining/kitchen.  Pictured here is the old 'utility room' with it's newly raised foundation.  Don't you love the pot lights?  The crown moulding was a Valentines Day present to me one year.

I think it was quite an improvement!

Have I mentioned that Josh did it all!  I designed and he executed.  We hired a few guys to help, but he ran the new wiring, did all the framing, hung new cabinets, installed the fireplace, on and on and on...

Hope you enjoy seeing this little bit of our housing history.