Best Way

I heard a message once, long ago, that came to my mind this week. The speaker worked at a place where they shipped books. On the order form was a place to bubble in which mode of shipping the customer wanted-overnight, ground, air, etc. There was 1 slot that said Best Way. If this slot was chosen it gave the company the liberty to see where the items were going, how many, etc and choose the best means of transportation. He then drew the analogy that in our lives God wants us to bubble in "Best Way" when we can't understand why or what's going on. This week was supposed to be a lovely week off for Chris. A week of finishing up projects on the house and enjoying each other. Monday he started w/ an earache that landed him at the Dr Tuesday and he's still not up to par. Our nights have been rocky and our days draggy, not at all the plan! But I had to think of this message and say "Best Way God!" That doesn't erase the disappointment and stress but it does allow me to rest in God's all knowing perspective!

What goes around...

I am the youngest in my family of six, with two brothers next to me in line. As anyone with brothers can imagine, this was cause for many opportunities to scream and run tattle taling to mom. (They used to call me Hettie, you know the little sister in the Caddie Woodlawn books? I probably told mom that too!) My mom spoke these words of wisdom to me on more than one occasion, "Just ignore them and they'll stop. They just want to hear you scream!" True words, but Oh, so hard to follow when all you want is to get that teasing big brother in trouble!! Guess who's mouth those words are coming out of these days? The other day, in the midst of brother teasing/little sister screaming...again...I suddenly had to smile to myself. The old saying is true, I guess. "What goes around comes around!" I think I'll start praying for a brother/sister combination for each of my children so my mom's words of wisdom can be passed down through the generations. "Just ignore them and they'll stop..." They make perfect sense now!

a little update

Dear little woefully neglected blog..... I will be back in full force again one of these days, I promise. Until then, a little update on life... School has begun again! Week one is down as history. Still not used to getting around and on the road every morning and afternoon but I'm loving my days alone with the two little girls! They have played and played together this week and I never get tired of watching and listening (except, of course, when they're fighting over the same piece of string they want tied around their waist...again...) I've enjoyed Isaac and Jasmine's excitement over school and friends too. They both moved into different classrooms from last year, so there's some new things to get used to. Isaac's switch, especially, will be cause for some growing up I have a feeling. Which is good...and scary! Next week Chris has off work so we'll be working on the house once again! Looking forward to him being around all week! Until later then......

The Bathroom: Mom's best hide out

I can remember supper being over, the table a mess and the after eating conversation being long. Mom would get up from the table and head for the bathroom, "Y'all have this cleared off by the time I come out and I'll wash the dishes." My sisters and I sometimes talked about how mom seemed to need a visit to the bathroom at strategic times and would return to the frey of life later with a bit different attitude. As a mom myself I now fully understand these bathroom visits! Think about it. The bathroom is the only place a mom can legitimately go and say "Cry, yell, holler if you want. I'm in the bathroom and I'll come out when I'm done!" The bathroom is the ticket for any mom who needs a little break, a good cry, a prayer session, a private place to make a phone call... it can all be done alone in that little room. Granted, the door will eventually be bombarded, the hollers and crying will eventually get too loud, the frey will have to be faced again but a little solitude can do wonders for a weary mom!

The little girl in me

A few weeks ago i helped jasmine make a doll house out of a cardboard box. Many memories came back to me of my own cardboard box dollhouse! Mine was made by my big sister and she had crafted curtains and little furniture out of boxes and cardboard. Probably if i could see it now it wouldn't be as far out as my memory makes it, but it was pretty fantastic! The little girl in me came through loud and strong and the next time we were at dollar general found me checking the toy aisle. Sure enough! There were little girls that would fit in the house for only $1. Back home with 3 girls owning dolls instead of 1, the next obvious idea was making clothes. Jasmine tried her hand and they had fun fashioning this and that. Today turned out to be the day that i took on the project. Turns out the ideas in my head didn't work out so well when i actually used teeny tiny pieces. So...i actually looked
online an came up w/ a pattern! Wasted day? I think not! :) i'm a hero!!

According to the good pleasure of His Will

How many of you, when you were little, got the feeling your parents just did whatever they wanted? You'd ask to do something or have something and they got to decide whatever they wanted and you were left to live with it! I know I thought that sometimes. Of course now, as a parent myself, it doesn't look that way at all! We have reasons for our decisions and usually we try to make them based on the good of our child-whether it looks like it to them or not! We've been memorizing Eph 1 and there's a phrase several times now that's got me thinking about this. It says, "According to the good pleasure of His will..." and "According to His good pleasure..." I don't even know if those phrases go with my thoughts or not, but don't we sometimes feel about God like little children do about their parents-"He can just do whatever He jolly well wants!"? And it's true, God can! But if we, being evil, make decisions for our children's good, how much more does our Heavenly Father for us? That thought comforts me tonight!

Things I'm enjoying...

*Little girls at play calling "Mom!" and when I answer they say "I'm not talking to you!" *Big boy going to work with Daddy and coming home looking like a tire shop. *Learning verses together before bed and listening to Lillian's version "Paul an Apossible of Jesus Christ..." *Observing the 4 year gap between girls diminishing while at play with a cardboard box turned dollhouse *Jennifer's comments during church - "Mom, her dress is just the color of carrots!!" (the lady sitting right beside me) and about the man with the long beard who gave a testimony "He can't even hardly talk right cause of his hair!" :) *big girl on the phone with a girl friend *my big boy proudly mowing the lawn even if it's blistering hot *listening to the dad effectively settle squabbles while I lay on my bed and read email and write blog posts and smile and say "hmmm...so that's how you do it!" *Consciously stopping my tirade of "Oh groan, how am I gonna do this" with purposeful lists of "Thank you God for......" Happy Monday!

I won!

I think i figured it out... Creative and frugal still in tact :)

Lack gratitude, then lack patience, then, ultimately, lack Love - A. V.

It started out fresh and hopeful. I had big plans! Curtains. My window set up here is different then the house I came from but I'm creative, ya know. And frugal! Don't forget that. Oh, and I could hang these things myself, just watch me! A gash on my arm didn't deter me in the least. Curtains. Only four panels between 1 large and 1 small window wasn't stopping me either! (creative and frugal, remember?) My 8 yr old's questions, ideas and comments nearly did me in though. And when the day was half gone and my to do list was still at "curtains" at the top and I didn't like any of the "creative" options I'd come up with....well, let's just say the freshness and hopefulness was pretty much gone! I redeemed the day somewhat by baking cookies and letting said 8 yr old make the meatloaf for supper. But it all fell back apart when the man arrived w/ a comment on the "creative" curtains and "O, I thought you were buying new curtains." Wrong thing to say! Tonight I thought of this title...hmmm...yes...my day. Sigh!