Out of order

 Argh!  Someone forgot to start the dishwasher last night.  Trying to get it done before the girls arrived this morning, I finished loading the last few, put in the Cascade, locked it, and pushed start.  NOTHING!!!  No light, no beep, no "give me a minute, I'm thinking" kinda warning.  I'm a college graduate, daughter to a determined do-it-yourself kinda mom, and mom to three kids, so I do the logical thing and unplug and replug it in.  Granted my knees were screaming at me, and I discovered some creepy things under my sink, but that's another day. 

NOTHING!!!   So like an intelligent person, I stood there in the wee morning hours, and pushed the lifeless buttons again... I know, I know!  I can now assume it's dead for now. No big deal.  Remember I said I needed the dishes done before the girls got there.  Didn't happen.  It took me three sinkfuls of dishwater spread out over three different times during the day to completely empty the dishwasher  and hand wash all the dishes.  My sink was was shiny at the end of the day!  I would love to say I had a ton of time to pray while washing, but I had many little ones clamoring for my attention, and it took me a while.

Finally, during my last sink full of dishes, Youngest came over to rinse his cup out and get a drink. 

"Um, what do I do?" he inquires. 

I Took his cup, washed and rinsed it and gave it to him.

"Um, Mom? Is the dishwasher broke?"  he asks as he is inspecting and drying his clean cup.

"Yes, do you think I love hand washing dishes that were in the dishwasher?" (I wanted to flog him with the dishrag)
Youngest: "well, I just thought you were practicing for our next Boy Scout campout." 
Bwahahahahahaha!!!  I just about laid on the floor and laughed! Leave it to Youngest to find something funny in this.    

  I'm very thankful for hot water and a sink to wash them in. Thankful for dirty dishes - means my family has food to eat and dishes to eat on.Only gave me a sneaky look when she got out he plate for our evening meal, unlike my boys who had used regular dinner plate.  Also thankful I don't have to hand wash all the laundry!  


If you happen to read this post and see my husband, please don't mention it to him.  He doesn't know it's broke.  I mean, it's not an emergency - my hands can still wash dishes, and we have running hot water.  I swore Youngest and Only  to secrecy - just to see how long it will take for Oldest and Honey to figure out the Dishwasher has died.  Maybe I should get some of that yellow CAUTION strips and put across it? Thank they'd notice then? 

Life unexpected

I was reading this blog post yesterday  by  Beth Webb Hart at Southern Belle View,  (it's lengthy) and pondered some of the unexpected events we've had in our personal lives.  

This summer, it seems like it's been one thing after another and still we're scrambling for footing in the seeming chaos.  It's strange.  Sometimes it takes months, years or even a decade before we really realize why events happened, and then sometimes, in a short summer, it all cascades like a roaring waterfall. Wave after wave leaves one gulping for relief, but seeing His reasons quickly. It's not always the road that we might have chosen, but then I think of what we would have missed out on. Our waterfalls of chaos probably really are not that bad, really. There are so many worse things going on around us, to others, so I really shouldn't complain.  I keep telling myself, it's not about me, stop focusing on myself (I'm not really good at this).   It's those times where you ask God to just "write it down in black and white" because you're I'm not good at discernment or guessing (or patience).  Once we prayed for seven months (not a horribly long time) for a particular answer, asking God to show us in black and white, and He did sixteen months later with the birth of our third child. We still shake our head in wonder when we think how many years BEFORE we even started praying about this, that He was setting things in motion. 


At the time of each event, we couldn't see how it was going to possibly work to the good, but years down the road, we were able to see how God was working through the circumstances and events to His good.  I honestly have handled some poorly and others better, but it's the one where we felt our hearts shatter, that was the hardest (at the time) for me. It took me quite a while to work through it.  A lot of questioning, shutting myself off from others - not the best moments of motherhood or wife-hood (I know, it's not really a word). If I could go back and redo a moment in time, it would be those painful years.

 

God does seem to move –sometimes - in ways we don’t expect or plan.  In ways that run contrary to our fervent prayers.  In ways that run contrary to the lives of those around us.  It’s how we react to the unexpected, and to the painful moments that determines whether or not we will accept our name on His dance card or turn our backs to his outstretched hands and sulk.

He’s awfully creative and resourceful and has been known to send  a fish to swallow someone whole in order for His will to be done, in order for his people to join Him in the good work of redeeming a lost world, in order for every living soul to have the chance to move toward His outstretched arms.

 

If we refuse to go along because it doesn’t match our vision, where does that leave us? 

Priest Henri Nouwen who lived the last years of his life in a Christian community of mentally and physically disabled people known as Daybreak in Toronto, Canada, writes this about life’s unexpected turns, especially the ones that cause us pain:

“Mourning makes us poor; it powerfully reminds us of our smallness.  But it is precisely here, in that pain or poverty or awkwardness, that the Dancer invites us to rise up and take the first steps.  For in our suffering, not apart from it, Jesus enters our sadness, takes us by the hand, pulls us gently up to stand, an invites us to dance.  We find the way to pray, as the psalmist did, ‘You have turned my mourning into dancing’ (Psalm 30:11), because at the center of our grief we find the grace of God.

As we dance, we realize that we don’t have to stay on the little spot of our grief, but can step beyond it.  We stop centering our lives on ourselves.  We pull others along with us and invite them into the larger dance.  We learn to make room for others – and the Gracious Other in our midst.  And when we become present to God and God’s people, we find our lives richer.  We come to know that all the world is our dance floor.  Our steps grow lighter because God has called out others to dance as well.”

Shakespeare said all the world’s a stage, but maybe it’s a dance floor, after all.  So let’s put on our dancing shoes, take our partner’s Almighty Hand and get twirling!

Do I have it all together now?  Hardly!  I've had many character building moments and have many more to come.  Have you had those moments that have just knocked you off your feet, wondering how in the world it would turn out for the good?  How did you handle it?  How did it turn out to be a blessing or are you still waiting for reason for the event?


** While I've not read anything by Henri Nouwen, I've added this book to my reading list.  

Dusting off my shoes

Last week, 

the  first official day of our 7 weeks of summer break,

I dusted off my running shoes

stretched my unused muscles

(they protested greatly)

and plugged in my moving sidewalk

(this clothing hanger is officially called a treadmill).  

Last week I did 8 miles not great,

(please read 8 miles in one week, not in one day, ugh)

but everyday getting faster and better. 

I'm ashamed to admit that this last year I allowed stress and adjustments to our family structure stress me and use food as a crutch and I gained those 25 lbs . I worked so hard the last few years to not just lose the extra pounds, but to be healthier, and feel better about myself, and improve my marriage. Although getting up at 5 to go spinning at 5:20 and working out for 3 hrs. a day was helping me to lose the weight and tone up, it was taking it's toll. 

Tracking progress: A few years ago I used FitDay, because I need be held accountable, but found SparkPeople easier to use on my phone when I'm out.  I like the options of entering data on my phone or on line and it automatically updates. In the past I found that MyFitnessFriends was a wonderful support and encouragement, I probably should head back over there! Slowly, yes slowly, I'm working back towards my goal.  I loved being the size I was for years, and it's not really about the specific size or the number on the scale, but it's about how I feel about myself and the role model I am for my kids.  I told myself all those years ago that I wouldn't go back to where I had started, but I did.




*Note to self
Do not swing arms when jogging
arm will catch on ear buds connected to phone on which I'm listening to Pandora cardio music because I must then jump over my phone as it falls on treadmill.  It easier to attach it to self and avoid such supposed disaster.


** Note to self
Lock cat out of bedroom while walking
she is magically drawn to the moving "play toy"
The last time she tried to join me,
she jumped on the treadmill (which was moving)
I tried to jump out of her fast and unsuccessful use,
landed back on the moving sidewalk,
but I did one of those ungracefull falls off,
which slid me backwards in the blink of an eye. 
I had abraisions and bruises on the left side of my poor body
could hardly move for 4 days afterward.
All the videos you see on AFV of people doing the same thing...
It's really not that funny

Handy Honey

I don't always get it right away - the way my husband's brain works.  Actually, 20 yrs. after we said "I Do" most of the time I don't understand how he thinks, but that might be a good thing.  God made our brains to work differently and I'm just so grateful for that. 

He's a thinker.  When I ask him a question, he doesn't answer right away and sometimes that leads to frustration on my part.  I feel that I have to go at warp speed or get an answer when I ask it.  I have learned that he really doesn't want to know each detail of what I need to tell him.  He would have been a good  Dragnet detective because he wants "Just the facts, ma'am", so when I start to tell him something, this little voice goes off in my head that reminds me "Just the facts, or you'll lose him."  I must admit that sometimes he looses me on what he's doing or planning. 

So last month  when a set of locking wheels showed up in a Lowes bag with a small pile of boards, I was curious.  I couldn't grasp we needed or didn't need or even WHERE we were going to put his new project.  "You'll see" was all I could get from him.  So I went back to my sewing, going out from time to time to see what was going on and this is what I found


So what was it??????



 My sweet husband built me a rolling cabinet to put all of our school books in so I wouldn't have to tote the crate and bag from room to room each morning!  I just LOVE that guy!  This is one of those weekend projects that I use every weekday!  I keep the student books organized in the crate and all my teachers books, crayons, and cds or DVDs used for this year below. 

Crate and bag: Very heavy

My very own Book Mobile!

Snack Shack

When my kids first entered public school a few years ago, I knew there had to be an easier way to store the foods (to complement their sandwiches) they needed to pack in their lunches (chips, fruit and cake type snacks, drinks, etc), without cluttering up the pantry or some ugly box overflowing and unorganized.

Snack Shack

I had a space in my kitchen I knew would be perfect.  Taking my drawing and measurements to our local Lowes, I found the baskets I wanted to use and knew the type of wood I wanted and picked out my corner round to help with sharp edges.  I'd love to say I had the brains enough to figure out the exact amount of boards an space needed for each shelf, but I don't. So I loaded up my cart with some of my supplies and pushed that magic HELP button.  Presto!  God sent the perfect guy that had great knowledge and vision of what I wanted and needed.  In no time, he transformed my vision to a doable attainable plan, made sure I had the wood I wanted and sent me on my way to make our snack shack.

That next day, Honey cut the boards and trim to the right measurements and we put it together.  Our kids were thrilled with our new Snack Shack and I could easily see if we were low on supplies.  I no longer stressed about their lunches and the kids loved it! It was like shopping at home! 


Lynnet

Update:  My two oldest are in college now and the Snack Shack has been filled with various coffee K-cups  and  food that the little ones I watch bring for their lunches.  My kids still have various snacks they "shop" from for college and work lunches (sometimes a late night snack), and it remains a great storage solution for us.

I am what I am

It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career. ~ All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, M*A*S*H, "Identity Crisis," With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. ~Isadora Duncan

Last night I was perusing through several college alumni magazines we had received. It was amazing to see how much the universities had grown and what they offer now. But the section that always draws me first is the section that tells about new births and Alumni Notes (what they've been up to). As I was looking through it, I saw that many of my classmates have written books, published articles, are the dean, director, or president of a school or business, have their PhD, missionaries in foreign places, have discovered some astronomical something or other... I was starting to feel really great about myself (if you know what I mean) when Only came in to kiss me goodnight and asked me what I was doing. I showed her what some of my former classmates had accomplished and to my amazement she seemed to brush it off. I then realized that my kids don't care about all those things. For that I'm simply grateful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have four days of laundry and home school to do with my kids...

Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep "Mothers are all slightly insane." ~ J.D. Salinger

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. ~Charles R. Swindoll, The Strong Family

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont Housekeeping is like being caught in a revolving door. Author: Marcelene Cox

Wild Savior

This is a silly quiz I took this morning on what part of Thanksgiving I am... You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

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This morning, I slipped over the the Internet Cafe Devotions where Kristen was talking about "Wild Savior"

Following Christ is a constant learning experience. It never fails to astound me how little I know the deeper in relationship I get with Him! Over and over again He has taught me stagnancy is just not healthy. He desires movement. Growth. Travel. He wants my today to play out a little differently than my yesterday

I believe we often think we know better than Him. Don’t we? I know I do. The deepest struggle I have walking with Christ is the letting go of my independence and the walking in dependence. Each day is a lying down of what I think my life should look like or how I feel my talents would better be spent. It is the thing that I most struggle with and yet it is the thing that most keeps me looking ahead.

I struggle mightily with letting go of the control. I live by a calendar. "If it's not written down, we're not doing it, buying it, thinking of it." I look at my kids and wonder what God has in store for them... what will they do, where will they go, are they getting it, will they marry, who will it be, ... but I guess the really important questions is, will they follow God's leading when He prompts them... Have I followed God's leading in my life? I really can't say that 100% positive, but who am I kidding? Do I really believe with all my heart that I know better what my life needs than God does? If I'm not following God's leading in my life, learning to dance with Him, then how will my kids learn to follow His leading?

What I wished for

It was one of those days for me and, during one of the 5 trips I made into Ft. Smith, I actually met myself on the road going the other direction. I think I needed a nap ºÜº. Kids finished up work camp, Connor went to the Dr. about a cough he's had for a few weeks, ended up getting an x-ray (thankfully it came back okay), Buddy got a shave, pedicure, and shampoo. Me??? I didn't get a shampoo, shave, or pedicure... but that is probably more than you wanted to know. A friend and I were talking today - mostly about life in general. In the midst of wondering and conversations I asked her if, back when we were younger, we knew what we were wishing for? I always wanted to be "a really good mom" but did I realize what I was wishing for - and if I knew exactly what I was wishing for, would I wish for what I was wishing for? Yes, but I had no idea how hard it would be or how much it would change me. Do I regret getting what I wished for - no. There are some things that I would change - but that is hindsight. I have a tile sitting in my kitchen window that about sums it up for me:

"I long to accomplish

great and noble tasks,

but it is my chief duty

and joy to accomplish

humble tasks as though

they were great and noble."

Helen Keller