Still living. Yes. It's hard to enjoy life when it's racing by so fast and working a person so hard, but we're managing.
Just today I prayed out loud, "Lord please come back. NOW." That extreme reaction was triggered by my insensibility: I brought Oliver into a second hand store that was quite literally stacked from floor to ceiling with mystery for his little sparkling eyes. Imagine being a miniature person - there he is, all three feet of him, thinking surely the Lord did come back and now here's heaven. Pretending is his favorite passtime, so I can only guess what was going on in his wild head. I made him fold his hands so he wouldn't touch anything - I had to think quickly of an alternative to putting his grubby paws in his pockets as he had none. He told me, "But Mom, we're not praying." We left after some attempted browsing without breaking or buying anything...surprisingly..we're a wicked combination. Whatever was I thinking?..
Progression on the house is happening, it just seems like a turtle slowly plodding. We're hoping to move in soon, waiting to have a working bathroom. It may seem petty, but earlier this spring, in our excitement that we may actually live in this house someday, we rushed in. Fools do that. We had the brilliant idea of staying the night at the house. There's insulation, what more could you need? Hm, let's think. A TOILET. Since that sleepless, frigid night that involved a flat air mattress and a trip to the old fashioned outhouse at 3 in the morning, I put my foot down. No more slumberless parties until there's no flashlight or purell required in the wee hours.
We've also been busy on a much lighter remodel at my parents' house in Deerwood. It's turned out fantastically. When I readapt to the blogging way of life, I'll post a link - the house is for sale, so tell all your friends.
Lots more happening, but I should catch some Zzs while they're still floating by. I'll post pictures soon.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Mused and amused
One blog a month = wicked boring, but reality.
This morning at 6:30 I smashed up my car. Still waiting on word of whether or not it's totalled. A little about this car: it's been a thorn in my side since I drove it off the lot. It's a grand car- attractive, fast, loaded... just unnecessary for a car of mine to have all these attributes. When buying the car, as we were talking with the salesman (stereotypical used car dealer, btw), God was speaking to my spirit telling me this wasn't a wise choice. It was too late for me by that point though. My heart was lost to it. I had been dreaming of this charcoal 2000 Passat wagon since the first time I clamped eyes on it a few weeks earlier. My heart wasn't open to truth and wisdom, it was open to greed. I love cars. My brother Ise had me playing car-naming games since I was a tot, but the best thing I had owned until last June was a '96 Jeep Cherokee (a '90 Geo Prism preceding that. Jealous?). Wasn't it time for me to live the dream? Here's the thing about the dream -- the summer of 2008 was a high rolling summer for us with buying a house and a car... but looking back it was the most miserable time in my life. I had mono, which was more burdensome than anything I have ever experienced, twisting my body and my emotions into a mess. A major piece to the misery puzzle was trading in a perfectly functional, reliable, faithful old Jeepster for a newer, more attractive model...fully equipped with a 6 disk changer, leather/heated seats, and a monthly payment. Oh the foolishness of me.
Andrew and I are currently involved in a Bible study that's teaching us what the Bible says about money. "Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the Ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength." 1 Chronicles 27:11, 12
So as we learn God's principles in handling money, we're seeing how doorknobbish some of our choices have been.
In brainstorming about how to humbly get ourselves out of this vehicle pickle with as little humiliation as possible, we thought the best way would be to total it and use in insurance money to buy something smaller and cheaper - a Geo, perhaps? So, this morning as we were driving into town, we made up this whole scenario of how our car could get totalled without any injury. It involved a grocery store parking lot, an old guy who didn't know the difference between 'D' and 'R', said old guy backing into our parked, passenger-less car, and an explosion. *The old man in this story was not harmed in any way. Ironically enough, just minutes after relating this story to my sister Anna via cell phone, I'm suddenly in and out of a major washout on a gravel road, not sure what just happened, wondering where the airbag shot my phone off to. Mission: accomplished...accidentally.
This morning at 6:30 I smashed up my car. Still waiting on word of whether or not it's totalled. A little about this car: it's been a thorn in my side since I drove it off the lot. It's a grand car- attractive, fast, loaded... just unnecessary for a car of mine to have all these attributes. When buying the car, as we were talking with the salesman (stereotypical used car dealer, btw), God was speaking to my spirit telling me this wasn't a wise choice. It was too late for me by that point though. My heart was lost to it. I had been dreaming of this charcoal 2000 Passat wagon since the first time I clamped eyes on it a few weeks earlier. My heart wasn't open to truth and wisdom, it was open to greed. I love cars. My brother Ise had me playing car-naming games since I was a tot, but the best thing I had owned until last June was a '96 Jeep Cherokee (a '90 Geo Prism preceding that. Jealous?). Wasn't it time for me to live the dream? Here's the thing about the dream -- the summer of 2008 was a high rolling summer for us with buying a house and a car... but looking back it was the most miserable time in my life. I had mono, which was more burdensome than anything I have ever experienced, twisting my body and my emotions into a mess. A major piece to the misery puzzle was trading in a perfectly functional, reliable, faithful old Jeepster for a newer, more attractive model...fully equipped with a 6 disk changer, leather/heated seats, and a monthly payment. Oh the foolishness of me.
Andrew and I are currently involved in a Bible study that's teaching us what the Bible says about money. "Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the Ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength." 1 Chronicles 27:11, 12
So as we learn God's principles in handling money, we're seeing how doorknobbish some of our choices have been.
In brainstorming about how to humbly get ourselves out of this vehicle pickle with as little humiliation as possible, we thought the best way would be to total it and use in insurance money to buy something smaller and cheaper - a Geo, perhaps? So, this morning as we were driving into town, we made up this whole scenario of how our car could get totalled without any injury. It involved a grocery store parking lot, an old guy who didn't know the difference between 'D' and 'R', said old guy backing into our parked, passenger-less car, and an explosion. *The old man in this story was not harmed in any way. Ironically enough, just minutes after relating this story to my sister Anna via cell phone, I'm suddenly in and out of a major washout on a gravel road, not sure what just happened, wondering where the airbag shot my phone off to. Mission: accomplished...accidentally.
Friday, February 27, 2009
SOOO 2.
"Because God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
So even though Olives makes me feel like I'm losing my mind, I love him.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Progress!
tree
treats
toftnesses
kaspers
Merry Christmas!...uh...my record keeping skills via blog are disappointingly belated. I miss having my computer at home. (I'm even easily forgetting how slow and tired that machine was, only having fond memories of my time punching away at its keys.) But here I am, online at last, though momentarily.
Short, sweet update: our Christmas was great, New Years, too. Next week Oliver will be two. Our house is coming along swimmingly - not speedily, but swimmingly. We're loving the snow and ice, but there would be little chagrin if summer came tomorrow!
Vocab word for the day -- 'skulduggery'. It means mean trickery. I found it while searching my dictionary for a word that I've learned doesn't exist. What a score!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Merry Christmas to All!
'Twas 3 days before Christmas and all through the house...everyone's snoozing but me. I'm thinking of all the things I could - no, should - be doing at home, as I sleep the air out of an inflatable bed at Mom and Dad's.
Anna and Luke got in last night amidst the blizzarding blizzard, so Oliver, Andrew, and I joined the welcoming/slumbering committee.
Oliver has been at Bubba (my dad) and Mama's (my mom) since Friday night. It was due to this fact that Andrew and I went to the most amazing movie ever Friday - Fireproof. Now, I'll give the disclaimer that it's not the most professional acting (makes sense since they were all amateurs with the exception of Kirk Cameron). And the videography isn't going to win any awards. HOWEVER, the message of marriage is so beautifully conveyed I cried. I don't tear up easily, but I became a reincarnation of Old Faithful, gushing at least five times throughout the film. This doesn't have much to do with the season of Christmas which is so heavily upon us, and that's highly unusual for me to blog about something not acutely Christmas this time of year. It was that good people. I interrupt my regularly scheduled Cheermeister writings to bring you good news of great joy - marriage is a wonderful covenant designed by God and sometimes we just need to be reminded of its goodness. That sounded pretty Christmassy, right?
Let's get to the real issue of today, though (I know you thought marriage was a real issue..). Anna, Sally, Megan, Josie, Hannah -and I!- are singing in church this morning at Mom and Dad's church in Pierz. You know that Carole of the Bells performed by animals? The chickens and goats clucking and bucking their hearts out for Jesus...? I can't help imagining myself as one of the barnyard carolers. The rest of the girls could qualify for an angel choir if the angels were holding try-outs, but I'm more on track with what's on the ground with the shepherds, not in the air above. Moo, Baa, La La La... I'll let you know how it goes...
Anna and Luke got in last night amidst the blizzarding blizzard, so Oliver, Andrew, and I joined the welcoming/slumbering committee.
Oliver has been at Bubba (my dad) and Mama's (my mom) since Friday night. It was due to this fact that Andrew and I went to the most amazing movie ever Friday - Fireproof. Now, I'll give the disclaimer that it's not the most professional acting (makes sense since they were all amateurs with the exception of Kirk Cameron). And the videography isn't going to win any awards. HOWEVER, the message of marriage is so beautifully conveyed I cried. I don't tear up easily, but I became a reincarnation of Old Faithful, gushing at least five times throughout the film. This doesn't have much to do with the season of Christmas which is so heavily upon us, and that's highly unusual for me to blog about something not acutely Christmas this time of year. It was that good people. I interrupt my regularly scheduled Cheermeister writings to bring you good news of great joy - marriage is a wonderful covenant designed by God and sometimes we just need to be reminded of its goodness. That sounded pretty Christmassy, right?
Let's get to the real issue of today, though (I know you thought marriage was a real issue..). Anna, Sally, Megan, Josie, Hannah -and I!- are singing in church this morning at Mom and Dad's church in Pierz. You know that Carole of the Bells performed by animals? The chickens and goats clucking and bucking their hearts out for Jesus...? I can't help imagining myself as one of the barnyard carolers. The rest of the girls could qualify for an angel choir if the angels were holding try-outs, but I'm more on track with what's on the ground with the shepherds, not in the air above. Moo, Baa, La La La... I'll let you know how it goes...
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Finer Things
Andrew, a cabinetmaker to the core, is a creative genius. I've had the good fortune of working with him in his wood shop lately, and what a treat it is. His current engagement is a houseful of cabinets for a beautiful new farmhouse.
I used to get impatient with Andrew's perfectionism in his work, but the more I work along side him, the more I realize how important - prodigious - it is to get everything just right. If people knew how much foresight - preliminary drawing, meeting, thinking - and talent was involved in their 'heart of the home,' they'd wonder at how a cabinet maker could part with a piece he's invested such thought and soul in. I'm always in such a rush, wanting to see the end product. The pretty part. No one's going to see what's under it all, so why does it matter if we sand the inside? Why do we only plane a thirty-second of an inch off, when our goal is to make it a half an inch thinner? Can't we just burn 'em all through once and get it over with? These are a few of the questions I plague Andrew with. Sending those 100+ pieces through the sander multiple times bores me. By the way, are all those screws really necessary?
And then I recognize the parallel -- this is just like my life. I spend so much time in front of the mirror primping and curling and crimping and pulling...but what about the inside? I know I don't want to walk out of the house looking like I just rolled out of bed (there's nothing scarier, just ask anyone who's seen my bed head), so I prioritize LOOKING good before I head off to wherever it is I'm going. But what about BEING good? The condition of my heart will outweigh the condition of my wardrobe if I meet a homeless person who doesn't track current trends (my bed head being the exception here. I'm pretty sure anyone would turn tail and run if they were exposed to that).
Yesterday at Bible Study Fellowship the teaching leader spoke on contentment. We're studying the life of Moses this year, and we've arrived at the point where the Israelites begin their complaining. Bitter water, no food, no water again... It hit me with the hammer of conviction. The whining of these former slaves started a mere three days after God had PARTED THE RED SEA, and it's so easy for me to mock them. But my faith in God is usually that conditional, too. As long as I can see His hand, I'm fine. But as soon as He allows trials in my life, I panic. I become discontented. I grumble. I doubt.
The advice I was given - a grand piece in the puzzle of our contentment - is to list five things you're thankful for each morning while you spend time with God. Today I'm thankful for:
1) Coffee in the morning
2) Andrew's work
3) My buddy, Oliver
4) Jesus
5) My sister, Anna, who's home for the weekend!
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7
I used to get impatient with Andrew's perfectionism in his work, but the more I work along side him, the more I realize how important - prodigious - it is to get everything just right. If people knew how much foresight - preliminary drawing, meeting, thinking - and talent was involved in their 'heart of the home,' they'd wonder at how a cabinet maker could part with a piece he's invested such thought and soul in. I'm always in such a rush, wanting to see the end product. The pretty part. No one's going to see what's under it all, so why does it matter if we sand the inside? Why do we only plane a thirty-second of an inch off, when our goal is to make it a half an inch thinner? Can't we just burn 'em all through once and get it over with? These are a few of the questions I plague Andrew with. Sending those 100+ pieces through the sander multiple times bores me. By the way, are all those screws really necessary?
And then I recognize the parallel -- this is just like my life. I spend so much time in front of the mirror primping and curling and crimping and pulling...but what about the inside? I know I don't want to walk out of the house looking like I just rolled out of bed (there's nothing scarier, just ask anyone who's seen my bed head), so I prioritize LOOKING good before I head off to wherever it is I'm going. But what about BEING good? The condition of my heart will outweigh the condition of my wardrobe if I meet a homeless person who doesn't track current trends (my bed head being the exception here. I'm pretty sure anyone would turn tail and run if they were exposed to that).
Yesterday at Bible Study Fellowship the teaching leader spoke on contentment. We're studying the life of Moses this year, and we've arrived at the point where the Israelites begin their complaining. Bitter water, no food, no water again... It hit me with the hammer of conviction. The whining of these former slaves started a mere three days after God had PARTED THE RED SEA, and it's so easy for me to mock them. But my faith in God is usually that conditional, too. As long as I can see His hand, I'm fine. But as soon as He allows trials in my life, I panic. I become discontented. I grumble. I doubt.
The advice I was given - a grand piece in the puzzle of our contentment - is to list five things you're thankful for each morning while you spend time with God. Today I'm thankful for:
1) Coffee in the morning
2) Andrew's work
3) My buddy, Oliver
4) Jesus
5) My sister, Anna, who's home for the weekend!
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7
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