~passing on a post~

Just wanted to share my husband's latest blogpost.  It's not often that he blogs, so I like to pass it on when he does:)  Enjoy!

http://pastorglenc.blogspot.com/2010/09/barlow-girl-is-all-woman-christian-rock.html

Blessings,

~don't cry over broken.....glass?~

We have a neighbor who's a young mom of two.  She's in the process of a divorce and she's recently gone back to school.  I know she must be exhausted, but I usually can't think of many ways to help.  Since we homeschool, I don't have much free time to give.

Last week, she was mowing her lawn and her mower broke mid-lawn.  There was just this giant square of tall grass in the middle of her front yard.  I felt so bad for her, but thought her dad would help her out.  A few days later, Glen offered to mow it for her on Friday when he mowed ours.  What an opportunity to teach our kids to reach out.  I was so proud of Riley!  While Glen used the weed-eater, Riley mowed her lawn.  Everything was going just as Glen had planned, until a stick or rock flew up and busted out the back windshield of my car. 

Uggh!  What are you gonna do?  Right after our discussion about the money we need to put back for our trip to Chicago in November (for my brother's wedding), and the shower I'm giving his fiance in October, and well, let's not forget Christmas......BAM!

The hardest part was the initial conversation.  I heard Glen tell Riley to wait on the porch and "whatever you do, don't come in."  As he began to tell me the story of what happened, I jumped to conclusions and thought Riley was hurt.  I began to tear up, only to find out it was only the window.  I think that may have been his plan:)

Glen cleaned up the glass and covered the opening as neatly as he could with a trash bag (until we bought a drop cloth, which was much better) and bright green tape (Hey!  It's what we had!).  I wasn't embarrassed (okay, maybe a little),  but it was so annoying.  It was really noisy and every time I picked up speed, it inflated like a parachute!

Monday morning, I was taking Grayson to orchestra class at the junior high and we couldn't hear each other over the racket in the back!  I said, "I'm really sorry about this Grayson.  I know it's embarrassing to be dropped off with a trash bag on the window."  Words cannot begin to describe my feelings regarding her reaction.  She said, "Why would I be embarrassed?  This is just life, Mom.  No biggee".  What did she say?  Are you kidding me?

Glen and I talked about her reaction and he said, "Would you have been embarrassed at her age?"  I don't know.  I hope not, but I see so much shallowness on television, that I guess I made the assumption that she would be.  Shame on me! 

The neighbor bought our family pizza for helping her!  What a blessing!  The window was fixed yesterday, and even though I would rather have not spent the money on a new window, we got a good deal on it (Thanks, God) and I learned a little something about my daughter - and me.  Lessons don't come cheap around our house:) 

Blessings,

~slipping away~

 I know, I know!  It's been FOREVER since I've posted a blog!  My summer was packed with activity!  Grayson and Riley both played ball, which led into all-stars.  Never have they both made an all-star team at the same time.  I'm thankful they did, but I'm also thankful it doesn't happen often:)


In the last few weeks I have searched my heart and searched God's Word for answers for fears I've been having.  I have felt inadequate in several areas.  As a mom, I'm sometimes pulled in several directions, headed in every direction- except the direction I feel I should be. We started school today and I don't have everything planned out like I want it.  This will inevitably lead to being unorganized.  I have unfinished projects, the laundry's not caught up, the dog needs a bath, etc.

As I searched for what was bothering me, I realized I had been feeling anxious for a while.  Probably months.  I love homeschooling my kids, but can I really do as good as the school?  (God quickly gave me a situation to relate to with a definite answer - YES!)  I think my fears are coming from the fact that Grayson is turning 13 in a few weeks.  Why am I stressing over a number?  It seems like only yesterday I was singing to her in my belly, but 13 years?  Wow!  I started to feel as if I've lost control and time is slipping away. 

There is a verse I use with a friend who has a son with chronic health problems.  Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.."  So I did.  Another verse God led me to was Matthew 6:34.  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."   Why am I finding this so hard?  The more stressed I became, the worse it got.  Suddenly I was convinced that my sweet little girl would be caught up in all kinds of trouble - just like you see in the movies...or worse!  As I sought an answer from God, he quieted me with the reality that nothing will go as I have planned, but He is faithful and He has a plan for her.  Thank goodness I'm not in control!  As long as I'm resolved to teach her and continue to lead her to Him, I should have no worries.  Not that she will have a perfect life with no problems, but that she will learn to lean into Him when she struggles, just as He has taught me to do.

I'm looking forward to her teenage years!  There.  I said it.   She is beautiful and smart and compassionate and loving.  She's loud and fun and spontaneous!  I'm excited for the years that await!  How tall will she be?  Who will she marry?  Will she have children?  How many?  Will she work outside the home or stay home with them?  Will she homeschool them?

She has kept me on my knees all of her life, and I'll continue to pray for her....that's what mom's do:) But I will take every day as God gives it...one at a time.



Blessings,

~is it okay for mom to go to work?~

Just saw this shared on Facebook and I thought it was a good description of my beliefs as well. Please don't take offense if you're employed full-time -I used to be also. I think Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to help her family, but her family is her PRIORITY. I simply couldn't keep my family as my priority when I worked full time.

Blessings,

~saucy dreams~

Hot weather is here and the long, leisurely summer I was dreaming of seems out of reach.  Since finishing school, our days have been filled with welding classes, family reunions, baseball, softball, cleaning the house....and laundry :-P

I had dreams of a garden big enough to feed the neighborhood.  This was the year I would finally take the time to do it!  Nothing was getting in my way.  Nothing!  My plans also included growing everything I need to can my own spaghetti sauce - tomatoes, onions, peppers, basil, oregano.  My secret sauce would be available with the twist of a lid!  I can think of nothing better than putting in extra hours up front to make dinner prep quick and easy.  I've been formulating shortcuts for years, but this would be the ultimate!  (I should probably mention I've never canned, either unless you count the summers helping my Aunt Bev stir her sauce and tighten the lids!)  In my mind, this would help me become more like the Proverbs 31 woman.  "She gets up while it's still dark, provides food for her family....she plants a vineyard....she sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks."

Instead, we've had baseball and softball games to prepare for and play.  Glen coaches Grayson's team, so he's particular about summer activities on game days.  Outdoor activities are inevitable, but not for too long.  No sunburns for us whitey's - and no swimming on game day for sure!  The regular ball season just wrapped up, but Grayson is on the allstar team, so we're not done yet.  (Uggh - I mean, YEAH!)

The past few months have been full of good intentions.  After several weeks of rain, my in-laws bought a tiller after hearing of my plans, but all for not - it never started!  Finally last week, I walked into Lowe's and priced raised garden beds.  They're marked down, but still a little pricey - this is an experiment, after all!  I looked for tomato plants and guess what was on clearance?!!  They were marked down from $9 to $1 so I decided to buy five or six.  When the lady at the register rang me up, she said she'd give them to me for 50 cents if I'd buy them all!  SOLD!  Sixteen tomato plants for $8!  Surely owning sixteen plants makes me a gardener;-)

Once again, I had big plans.  Saturday I would "work the ground" in my backyard and begin my journey.  As I'm cleaning house Saturday morning, Glen was mowing and trimming the yard.  I hear him stop and I begin to hear a noise.  A rhythmic sound - with intention.  I step out back to see my husband with a post-hole digger!  NOOOOOOO!!!!!  That's my job!  I've been planning this for years in my head.  It never included Glen doing the work - or using a post-hole digger for that matter.  Though it will help you to get the plant in the ground, I don't think it's the ideal way to plant them.  Where I imagined hours of time spent tending, nurturing and contemplating, he saw a task to check off of a list.

After calling Dig-Rite to mark the utility lines in our yard, the only suitable place to plant was smack-dab in the middle of the back yard.  The final straw was that somewhere along the way, one of the many owners of our 75 year old home decided to get rid of their concrete patio by covering it with 6" of dirt!  Guess where the patio was?  Yep - smack-dab in the middle of the back yard!  The only place left to plant them is in the front yard!  Since I don't think our neighbors would appreciate this, and there are probably codes restricting it, we'll look for other options.  The raised garden is looking like a better idea everyday - especially since for now, the plants are in rows on my driveway!


I'm convinced there's a conspiracy to keep me from gardening, but I'll diligently tend to my potted plants for now.

Oh, and while reading Proverbs 31 again, I think I found a loophole.  Proverbs 31:14 says, "She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."  Could this mean a trip to Sam's and Aldi's?  Or possibly Mexican take-out?  I think it could......

Blessings,

~flapjack attack~

Tickets are now available for the Lancaster's adoption fundraiser!  $5.00 for all-you-can-eat pancakes at Applebee's in Sikeston on Saturday, July 10th from 8-10am.  We'd like to get 20 people to sell 20 tickets, if possible.  If you'd like to buy tickets, you can contact me or go to the Lancaster's blog here.  They have a "donate" button.  If you'd like to donate to their cause to bring Lori home, you can donate online there also.

Blessings,

~i'll take it any way i can get it~

Yesterday was Memorial Day, and although I have many veterans in my life and I am thankful for my freedom, lately any day that Glen has off has become a day to "catch up" on cleaning and organizing.  I know Glen must LOVE this!

We started the day by having breakfast in bed, made by our sweet 12 year old, Grayson.  She's learning the finer points of cooking, and we're letting her practice on us;-)  Last time she made omelets, Glen informed her that he likes "the works" on his!  She made sure I got everything she needed from the store - and she loaded his omelet down with ham, cheese, onion and God only knows what else...  I'm a simple girl - cheese only, please.

So that was pretty much the end of our holiday.  From the time we got up, we got busy.  Glen did yard work (and Riley helped), then showered, then started organizing the bedroom.  Closets, drawers, you name it.....even my jewelry box!  That thing hasn't been organized in a decade!

I cleaned in the rest of the house, while the kids cleaned in their rooms.  They weeded out clothes that don't fit and even cleaned under their beds (I don't even want to know what lurks under there!) - and yes, that took all day.  I am ashamed to say that as much as I love a clean house, with everything neatly in it's place and the smell of (insert your favorite scented cleaner here - mine is Pine Sol), I cannot keep it that way for the life of me!  I don't know if it's because we're so busy and we're in and out of our house so often, or if it's because we homeschool - so the kids are always there (the down-side to the up-side), or if we're just slobs!  Whatever the reason, I hate the fact that I can't keep it together.  One elderly lady from church always says, "One day you'll have all the time you need to keep a clean house.  Just enjoy those kids!"  I don't want to wish my time away with my kids, I'd just like to enjoy them in a clean house;-)  The easy answer here is to hire someone to help, but I can't justify spending the money when I'm home!  Also, at this point, I feel I need to clean up for the cleaning lady;-)

As a side-note, after I walked into the bedroom last night, exhausted from the day, I looked up at my pretty wrought iron candle holder hanging on the wall to find that Glen had conveniently turned it into a hat rack.  I was too tired to fight about it.  I'll sneak them into the closet at some point.  Right now I'm just grateful for his help - and I'll take it any way I can get it!

Blessings,