...because eventually it will stop raining here and be Summer.

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You like to think of yourself as a fairly modest person. And it's true that you don't talk yourself up... but you're also pretty happy with who you are. You have a wild reputation, but you're not as wild as you seem. You take risks, but only measured risks. You are a somewhat open minded person, but deep down you're fairly conservative. You don't like trying new things very much. And if you do find something new you like, you stick with it. You are a natural multitasker. You feel alive when you're doing more than one thing at a time. You can be a big dramatic and over the top sometimes. You are bold in every way

The Ice Cream Personality Test

I'm not sure I'm quite like everything said here but there are a few things that are true. Like the multitasking...(you should see my house right now), and being conservative. However, I like to try new things and I'm not so sure I am bold in every way!

Enough-ness

One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. ~Luke 12:15


'Tis the garage sale-ing season and I like to participate in both ends of the deal making...that is I like to go out and hunt down that treasure as much as I like to sell my old stuff and make a little money. I need to qualify my last statement, though, by saying that I'm not one of those die-hard garage salers who are out there every Saturday at the crack of dawn. Really, I only go a couple of times a season and I've learned to go with a mission in mind.


This coming Saturday I am having my own garage sale with a dear friend and neighbor. As I'm preparing for this sale I am being ruthless (or at least trying to be) in cleaning out, purging, getting rid of stuff. I have a couple of questions I ask myself about my stuff.

1. (and this is one that you always see in magazines) Have I used this in the last 6 months to a year? I mean if it's been in storage for that long and I haven't had a need for it, do I really think I'm going to need it in the future?

2. Do I have more than one of this item or do I have a similar item I like better? I mean really, how many cheese graters do you need? Just one, to use when you grate the cheese.

3. Why am I holding on to this item? Is it sentimental? Is it a collectible and I think that I would really post it on ebay? Will I really repair it (if it needs repair)? Sometimes I hold on to things because of the person who gave it to me or because a similar item was appraised highly on The Antiques Roadshow. The trouble is I never look at it and it's just taking up space...in a box...in a garage...with limited storage. And if it's been in my garage for any length of time and still hasn't been repaired then chances are it will never be repaired. At least by me anyway.

These can be awfully hard questions to answer. Our culture does measure our success and value too frequently by the kind of and amount of things we own. We accumulate to show how well we are doing or for memory-sake. But in the end...it's just stuff...and you can't take it with you.


For example: Husband and I were in the garage yesterday pulling out a few things when we came across his Mom's old wooden tennis rackets. I'm not really sure how we ended up with them but they are rather nostalgic looking in their wooden brackets.


"Do you want to keep these?" I asked gently. Knowing that they may have some sentimental value to my husband. He pondered them for a few minutes, I'm sure running through some memories.


"If you want to keep them I'm sure I could think of some kind of nice way to display them for you..."


Finally he said, "No, I don't have any real use for them, I don't want them displayed, they are just taking up space out here and I can't take them with me."


Then there is the concept of enoughness. Recently in Our Daily Bread there was a story about author Calvin Trillin's wife, Alice, who believed that... " 'after a certain level of income, the government would simply take everything.' She thought there should be a limit on how much money people were allowed to keep for themselves. Writing in the The New Yorker, Trillin said of his wife, 'She believed in the priciple of enoughness.' "


While I don't hold with Alice Trillin's particular brand of enoughness I do understand what she is getting at. We mostly don't need all that we have.


So the biggest question I ask myself as I purge or as I go garage sale-ing is this:


4. Do I really need it? Whatever it is. Sometimes the need for an item is because of its usefulness, like a bookshelf. Sometimes the need is emotional, like the pair of soup bowls I bought once because they reminded me of my Grandmother. Sometimes the need is decorative, as in I'm going through a decorative phase that I know is a phase and I don't want to spend a lot of money on it or be emotionally attached to it (thus making it easier to get rid of later).

So there is the concept that my husband holds to of not being able to take it with you and there is the concept of enoughness. Both worthy of my consideration as I both buy and sell.

Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ~1Timothy 6:8


Oh, and by the way, here's another use for your cheese grater. Ever get melty cheese stuck to the bristles of your dish cleaner brush? Put a little dish soap on the brush and run it over your cheese grater under hot water. The cheese comes right off the bristles!


For more Works For Me Wednesday tips head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

...and this is why I'm limping.

Everydayness

It has been awhile since I've felt I had anything worthwhile to add to the list at Works For Me Wednesday. However, recently I have been meditating on and trying to put into practice the concept of everydayness and I thought I would share it with you.


What's everydayness? Well for me it is doing some of the basic things we all must do every day. They are things that don't necessarily have to be done every day but are a lot less daunting if they are done every day. If you are any sort of procrastinator you will likely understand what I'm talking about. Or if you have ever, in your entire life, put off doing something, you will understand what I'm talking about. It's that moment when you are wading through the MOUNTAIN of laundry when you realize that if you had only done a little everyday it wouldn't be taking you ALL day to do it.


As a habitual procrastinator this is a big concept for me to get my head wrapped around and lately I've been heard to go around mumbling, "Everydayness, just do a little everyday." as a way to remind myself that it's a lot easier that way.


The following are a few areas I am currently or planning in the near future to implement the concept of everydayness:


Laundry: I know that when you are the Duggars doing laundry everyday is a given. But when you only have a family of four it's usually not as urgent a task. Especially in our day when we have multiple outfits of clothes. However, telling a procrastinator that she doesn't have to do laundry everyday is not a good idea because I'm she's likely to put it off until the last pair of underwear have been worn. So I have been making every effort to do at least one load of laundry every day. Sometimes, if I am really caught up, I will take everything that is in every hamper in the house and do it all together but recently I've just been doing everyone's laundry in rotation. At most, all anyone will have out of their closet and needing to be washed will be three outfits because on the fourth day they will get their laundry done. And then one day a week I do a load of towels and sheets. Do things this way also alleviates a pile up in my rather miniscule laundry area.


Dishes: "Well of course," you say. "dishes get done every day!" But I ask you dishwasher owners out there...do you run it even if it isn't full? I'm not talking about if there is only one plate and a couple of glasses, of course don't run it then...but what if there are four plates, a dozen glasses and mugs, some bowls and silverware and maybe one pan? Wait or wash? I wash. Why? Because it takes a lot less time to unload a dishwasher like that than one that is fully packed. Thus allowing me more time to drink my coffee and blog in the morning.

Receipts: I don't keep a paper check registry anymore. In fact I haven't for years. Not since we purchased Quicken. And since I'm using less and less checks the debit receipts really pile up sometimes, because it doesn't seem worth my time to sit down and enter just one receipt. However, like laundry, telling a procrastinator she doesn't have to do something right away is like...like...well like the underwear analogy before. It gets put off. SO, if there have been ANY purchases at all on a particular day I have been trying to enter them. I also miss a lot less and keep better track of our spending this way. I haven't quite mastered this yet as I don't go out and spend money every day (not an everydayness I plan on taking up).

School Records: I don't talk a lot about our homeschooling but it is happening and I'm terrible about keeping up with grading and recording. It gets done...eventually, but it's usually one of the laundry pile moments (notice how everything relates back to the laundry?). Currently I'm working on wrapping up grading for this school year, but as I do so I'm trying to implement some new strategies for keeping up with this next school year. Among those is the concept of everydayness. Do it every day...grade that math, every day.

Devotions: This is an indispensible everydayness for me. It is when I can pour out my heart and renew my strength in my Lord. My time with Him allows for change in my attitude and in my heart. This in turn makes me a much nicer Mommy because I'm not relying solely on myself for patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control (to name just a few). They are fruits that come from His Holy Spirit.

These are just the areas where I am currently applying the everydayness concept in my life and in our home. They happen to be where it is currently most needed. I'm sure as time goes on and these things truly become every day habits I will see that there are other places where it can be applied. Everydayness works for me, maybe it will work for you too. (Especially with that laundry thing.)

For more great tips and ideas head over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Got Milk?

This is every Oreo lover's dream. Check out this story.

We're Havin' A Heat Wave...

It's been a little warm here the last few days...as in 95 degrees plus. I refuse to look at the temperature after that because lets face it...hot is hot. This is a little unusual for us this time of year. It's not normally this hot for at least another month.

Heat like this brings out interesting fashion choices in some folks. On Friday the kids and I were at the mall having lunch and people watching. There weren't a lot of people there but the ones who were....were....well interesting.

There was the forty something lady wearing a bikini top under a lacy crocheted vest and sporting a belly button piercing. She should NOT have been showing off that much belly, trust me.

Then there were the myriad of under dressed teenage girls and the old hippies in brand new tie dye from head to foot...I'm serious. Head. to. foot.

I think the one who made me do more than a double take was the young mom pushing a stroller in 4" stiletto heals, a black strapless cocktail dress, and a pony tail. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I always find people watching a very entertaining activity. I sit and wonder about what these people with wildly different fashion tastes are really like. Why do they dress the way they do? I mean what makes you wear a black cocktail dress in the middle of the day at the mall? With your kids in tow?

I was thinking of making this a post about modesty but for some reason (even though I am sometimes appalled at the public's growing lack of modesty) I find myself more amused at the variety of people and their tastes. I think it is in fact a great tribute to God and His infinite creativity. Apart from being a twin there really are no two people alike. Even if you are a twin or look very similar to a parent or sibling and maybe even share similar tastes there is still going to be something that makes you quite different than them.

I'm glad. I'm glad that there really no two people alike. I am thankful that we are each unique. I pray that every person would know that they are especially fashioned by our loving Father. I pray that I would be able to show that and tell that to people I meet. Even the mom in her cocktail dress and stiletto heals.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. ~Psalm 139:14

Friday's Feast - 191

It's Friday Feast One Hundred and Ninety-One...actually it's only my second but enjoy anyway! *

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home?

The closest million plus city to me is about 6 and a half hours away....*I admit to revising this answer since first posting my Friday Feast...I was a little uncomfortable giving a specific about my location.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

Other peoples secrets? I would rate myself a 9.8 (hey, I'm not perfect)...my own I tend to be less tight about...I'd give myself a 7 for keeping my own secrets.

Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

Well it is naturally straight and fine, currently the length just brushes my shoulders...the color? Well, let's just say that it is the natural blonde I was born with...okay but now I have to enhance that...er...a little...heh heh....

Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I would consider myself a fairly courteous driver. I maintain with the flow of traffic. I sometimes get a little impatient with other drivers but I don't tend to do anything to irritate them...as in I'm not aggressive.

Dessert
When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Last September when I had to tell a friend I wouldn't be able to go on a trip. Plane tickets had already been purchased etc., etc., etc. I felt horrible about it. It made for a really lousy week.

Well thanks for dining with me. Now go check out some of the other feasts going on!

Life At The Speed of Light

Today was Daughter's seventh birthday. As she smiles at me, one snaggly tooth, hanging on by a thread is all I can see.

Today Son wanted to know if he is taller than me. He is.

How is it that the baby boy I just brought home from the hospital is taller than I am? How is it that his Grandmother now mistakes him for Husband on the telephone?

How is it that the baby girl I just brought home from the hospital is missing teeth and amazes her Sunday School teachers with her reading ability?

When did this all happen?

It seems only yesterday I was wondering when I would ever be done with diapers, ear aches, sippy cups and Winnie-the-Pooh. Today I woke up and found myself explaining how to take care of acne and listening to sound effects from the latest video game.

I miss Winnie-the-Pooh. I miss sippy cups. Okay I don't miss diapers and ear aches all that much but I do miss chubby little fingers patting my cheeks and babies who fit in my lap.

I am proud to see them growing and learning and becoming outstanding people. I love the joie de vivre of Daughter and the dead pan humor of Son. I love watching her go out and take care of the chickens, plant a flower and run to her Daddy when he gets home. I love seeing him work out the next story line for a stop motion short and devour a good book in his tree fort. I can't wait to see where these interests lead and how God will use them for His glory.

I just have to savor it all. I have to take more pictures. I have to write down my memories before I can't remember.

Oh, that it would go just a little slower.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Christian mother's love contains

A gospel all its own,

Because the King of love has found

Her heart an ample throne.

~Crawford

Whom can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her;

So she will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

~Proverbs 31:10-12

My Grandmother and Mother, virtuous wives and mothers.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many daughters have done well,

But you excel them all."

~Proverbs 31:28-29

My brother and sister and I in younger days, when Mom was doing her hardest work for us.

Thank you Mom, we rise up and call you blessed.

(By the way that's my son whom my sister is holding.)

Fiddling Around

So what do you think of my picture header?

I love vintage pictures...I love this picture....I'm just not sure it's me..ya know?

I'm open to your opinions, just please be kind. :)

And the color...is the color too much?

Maybe I ought to go back to the other....

Oh, can't decide...

Let me know what you think.

Where To Start

Heth over at From Under The Laundry Pile was mentioning that, when Spring finally bursts out in all its glory, she is hard pressed to stay inside and do inside house chores. I feel much the same way. The warm sun, the smell of rich, moist earth, are like a sirens song, strong and sweet, wooing me to them.



Yesterday I succumbed to that sweet song and began a project that I've been longing to get done since the day we moved into this house four years ago. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cool. I even have a tan line arm on my arms. (Note to self: wear sleeveless blouse next time!)



I'm not going to go into too much detail about the project. Basically I've been wanting to reclaim a planting bed from the over grown lawn. It involves digging up sod that's been there for who knows how long, judging from my aching muscles I'd say it's been a. long. while. On the flip side though, the sod is great for my newly established compost pile!



Anyway!....I digress...my point about all of this is that, even though I was enjoying myself outdoors and getting a lot done, I kept thinking about things like laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, dinner, messy bedrooms and dusting. (Not dishes though! I've managed to keep up with the dishes!)



I also kept thinking about all the little projects I need to get done around the house this summer like, painting, reorganizing cupboards, shampooing carpets, reorganizing Daughter's room and preparing for next school year.



Then my thoughts turned to all the projects that need to done on the outside of the house. Painting, building a chicken coop (yep, we changed our minds about that), gardening, stacking wood, etc., etc., etc. I should mention that I do not have to do all this alone, but as keeper of the home I do feel it is my duty to keep things moving along.



Oh where to begin, where to begin, where to begin?



How do I get it all done?



Can I get it all done?



I hadn't really prayed about all this except to send up a quick prayer asking the Lord how I was going to get it all done.



Then this morning I read Heth's blog and was encouraged that I'm not the only one who faces such conundrums.



Finally, the Lord spoke directly and specifically in my morning Bible reading:

Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

~Proverbs 24:27 (NIV)



That was pretty straight forward... and I was once again in awe of my Lord. He cares so deeply about every aspect of our lives. He cares that I need help in organizing my life and He is faithful to answer when I ask for help. I've probably read that passage more than once or twice in my life and thought nothing of it, but today it was specifically for me.



Wow.

***************************

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

~Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV)

Friday's Feast

Welcome to my first feast! Enjoy!

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?
The Bugs Bunny-Road Runner Hour...beep beep!


Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?
Well, we just got chickens so I don't really need to pretend. LOL! They are named Elizabeth, Samantha, Molly and Gladys. I named Gladys. Doesn't that sound like an appropriate chicken name?

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
It's about an 8.5 since there are very few special occasions that I need to get dressed up for.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?
Most often Christian Contemporary, but I also like Blue Grass. On our drive to the Grandparents this Spring I made the kids listen to Vivaldi. Loved it!

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?
About a month ago. It was only $.33 at IKEA. It was battery operated and I planned to use it in my bedroom but it ticked so loud I took the battery out.

Click here for more Feasting!