Helper Completer

A couple of months ago, Matt moved into a new office at his work. He wanted me to help him decorate it. I hadn't been to his workplace in ten years, but he really wanted my input, so he got the necessary visitor pass so that I could go. He took me there on one of our date nights.

I really had no idea what I was getting into, so I was heading in blind, with no preconceived notions of how to proceed with the project. I had no conception of how big the space was, or what items Matt already had to work with, or what his desires for the space were. We only had about an hour to get the project in a near complete state, as I would not be returning for any further decorating sessions.  No pressure.

To say I was a little shocked with what I saw when I arrived in his new digs might be a bit of an understatement. What I found was a museum of sorts. A very dusty museum of all the bizarre little chotchkies that my mother has given him over the years (we still love you, Mom!), all the little notes and cards our children have made him, every little "freebie" sales people have given him and some very outdated photos of our kids.

Two very sickly looking plants were amongst the timeworn objects. One plant was still in the original gift basket in which Matt received it, complete with very bedraggled decorative ribbon. I asked, "Who gave you this thing?"  He said, "You did--the last time I moved offices." (About eight years ago). The other plant was a severely overgrown monstrosity. Matt had jerry-rigged it with a big plastic lion that my mom had given him in order to keep the whole pot from toppling over onto his computer.

First things first. I went through everything.  All objects were scrutinized. I started a Goodwill pile, a "going home" pile and a garbage pile. Then we dusted the shelves and I began arranging items on them. I kept the things that had sentimental value as well as a few things that were pleasing to the eye. I suggested to Matt where to hang his many pictures, some of which were inherited from his grandparents (an etching of a hunting scene, a painting of a pheasant as well as framed photos of the town of Macduff). He got all of the pictures hung. An hour later, we loaded the boxes of culled items into the car as well as the plants, so that I could give them a much overdo repotting at home.

The next day, I repotted the monstrosity into the biggest ceramic pot I had. I was concerned that it would be too heavy for Matt's desk, but he said that it wasn't. His office has no windows, so the plants offer a bit of greenery in what otherwise would be a box of four white walls.


I then ordered some prints of recent shots of the kids and family outings, including Macduff Peak, and put them in frames. Matt was concerned about the huge blank wall at the back of his office, so we ordered a big map of the world from Amazon to cover that space. Incidentally, we kept the big plastic lion my mom gave him. I figured he could be a stand in for the Scottish Rampant Lion.All in all, I think we did pretty well. We got rid of a lot of junk, but still kept the place from looking purely functional and sterile. Matt wanted a more "professional" feel to his office as he now holds meetings in there, but he also wanted a few personal touches. I think we hit the balance. Matt is pleased with the finished project and I'm happy that he's happy. And, as an added bonus, we had our life lesson project for my Five Aspects Bible study the very next day. I was able to present my "lifegiver" project to the ladies as well as share about my bonus "helper-completer" project--the successful redo of Matt's office.

 

Happenings

We've been well occupied around here. In addition to the normal busy schedule, we found time to celebrate my dad's birthday. Chocolate cake and grandkids to help open the presents. My dad was in heaven.Matt took me out for a nice night on the town a week ago Saturday. I had a daily deal voucher that needed to be used, so we cashed it in for two 12 ounce smoked prime rib dinners for a total cost of $20. Can't beat that, plus we both agreed it was the best prime rib we've ever had.

My aunt and uncle came down for a visit. We spent a nice afternoon and evening together. They needed their "big family fix" (as my uncle put it) and we needed a good spoiling, so it worked out well. We also celebrated my father-in-law's retirement with a party fit for the occasion.
Matt went on a business trip to Washington D.C. He was able to visit Arlington National Cemetery again (first time here and here). This time he was able to see his Nana's name engraved on the back of his Grandad's headstone. He also saw Arlington House, which he missed the first time around.


This last Saturday, Matt fulfilled his civic duty as a delegate to the county Republican convention. He won't be heading to the state convention, for which I'm glad (it's a 3 day stint).

The next few weeks will be busy ones for us as we put on our annual Seder meal, attend a couple of family Easter gatherings and I wrap up my Five Aspects of Woman Bible study. Never a dull moment.

Happy: Fourfold

I'm reading All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot to the kids. Between Herriot's large vocabulary and his employment of dry English humor and different Yorkshire dialects, the book was a tough sell at first. However, I persevered, hoping the the kids would soon get hooked on Herriot's descriptions of animals, nature and his boss Seigfried's larger-than-life personality. They did. Now Paul is often found rolling on the floor in gales of laughter during our reading times.Grace and my father-in-law spotted this secretary's desk at Goodwill last Saturday (Grandpa had taken Grace out for a driving lesson and ended up in a few places he probably never visits--true grandfatherly love.) My Matthew took me into town to get a good inspection of the desk. I liked what I saw and Matt thought it was passable, so for $25, I became the proud owner of a very cute accent piece for my kitchen. I think it'll be functional, too. Paul already has plans to sort the mail daily into the different slots. The drawers will be handy for storing gloves and mittens or maybe even socks. Most of the time, my little boys think that socks aren't worth the bother, but maybe if they were located within a twelve inches of their shoes, they'd be more likely to be used. A mother can hope, can't she?
Sin Dawg by Dave's Killer Bread. Need I say more? But for the uninititiated, I will. I blame my mother for getting me started on these little logs of seedy, cinnamony deliciousness. My kids are addicted, too. I was too cheap to buy them for myself until Costco started carrying them as a two pack for a better price than Fred Meyer. Now I rarely leave Costco without Sin Dawgs. Evil, yes, but oh so good. Carb-o-licious.
A new clothes washer and dryer. Our other set served us well for many years, but after many repairs by Matt and a long line of repairmen, we decided to upgrade. We'd been talking about it for over a year, but finally chose to take the plunge about a month ago. After price comparisons at different stores all over town, we bought these at Costco--they beat out everyone else by a few hundred dollars. These beauties have been fabulous. More capacity. Less time for each load. Steam in the dryer. Two to three loads a day--no problem. Matt even installed a counter top for me, which has been so handy. Incidentally, we sold our other washer and dryer on Craiglist. Matt priced the set at twice what I thought he should have. Within seven minutes of the posting being published, we had our first caller. He came and bought the set, but not before eight other people called--one lady even said she'd offer us $50 more than the asking price, sight unseen.

Sweet Diversion

Things have been pretty dreary around here the last few weeks.  When Momma's down, everyone has a tendency to be down. 

Daddy took a detour on the way home from church Wednesday night.  He stopped at McDonald's.  "Ice cream!  Yay, ice cream!" Jude screamed (a little bird had let him in on the secret during church to bribe him into behaving).
Once the other kids caught on, hoots and hollars erupted from the back of the van. When we assembled in front of the ice cream counter in the restaurant, we realized we were the only ones in the store.  Sweet.  Crowd management is so much easier when other crowds aren't mingling with your crowd.
The assistant manager came over to the ice cream counter and proceeded to give everyone samples.  Once decisions were made, orders were filled, one by one.  Jude was first to be served and had the unfortunate experience of seeing the parade of treats all the others had chosen pass before his eyes before they were placed in the hands of the rightful owners.  Each new frozen confection elicited an "I want that," from a dejected Jude, who had chosen a very plain scoop of ice cream for himself.
I was the last to get my treat--a chocolate dipped cone.  This time, the assistant manager heard Jude say, "I want that!"  I proceeded to rip off a big chunk of chocolate from my cone to give to my boy (as any good mother would), but just then, the assistant manager appeared with a baby chocolate dipped cone, which he handed to Jude.  He was one very happy little boy, as were all the others.
It was so good to see my family smiling and laughing.  A bit of joy mingled in with the pain.  God is good.  (Thanks Floyd & Peggy for the ice cream treat!)      

The God of All Comfort

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 2 Cor. 1:3-5


Matt and I have taken refuge in this verse the past couple of weeks. I suffered another miscarriage and we are again walking a familiar path of grief. This is certainly not the path we would have chosen for ourselves, but we rest in the sovereignty of God and rejoice in the knowledge that our baby is with Jesus.


It is in times of intense suffering that we often feel closest to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a paradox. Pain brings joyful fellowship. The Lord is teaching me many many things about His character, not the least of which is that He is good, all the time.


We have been so humbled by the way the Lord has ministered to us through His saints the last couple of weeks. Old friends and new have brought so many wonderful meals, an abundance of flowers and words and Bible verses to encourage us. When my mother-in-law saw all the bouquets of flowers around the house, she said she saw how much we are loved.
Matt and I had an incredibly long day this past Tuesday. We left the house at 8 a.m. and didn't return until 9:30 p.m. I had another ultrasound that morning to confirm the findings of the previous week, then a follow up appointment with my doctor, then a long wait at the hospital for a D & C. My mother-in-law stayed at our house with the kids. She said the whole day was saturated with the Lord's peace. Matt and I, too, felt the Lord's presence all day. We were so grateful for a good friend who came to sit with Matt while I was in surgery. As he sat with Matt, his wife was delivering a beautiful meal to Grandma Dianne and the kids at the house. When I got home that night, I was so thankful to be able to hug my little ones and go to sleep in my big comfortable bed.

My parents and sister have visited and kept close tabs on me via the phone. My aunt and uncle have done the same. My sister-in-law (the one with 10 kids) made a couple of freezer meals for us and has called us nearly every day to offer to take the kids. The men at church have been fantastic about stepping in and taking over Matt's church duties. Everyone has been more than understanding when we've had to cancel our normal activities. We know that many people have been praying for us and these prayers have sustained us.

Even though Matt himself is grieving, he has covered me with tenderness these past few weeks. He has also done a very good job of explaining things to the kids. Obviously, no one wants to talk about death, but death is a part of life. The Lord has opened up many opportunities for us to talk to the children about God and His faithfulness.

Appropriately (and providentially), we've been studying 1 & 2 Corinthians in Bible Study Fellowship. Paul was certainly familiar with suffering and the words that he wrote to the church at Corinth through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit still have power for us today.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18
Related posts: A series written after the miscarriage I had a couple of years ago. Hard Lessons, Hard Lessons II, Hard Lessons III, Hard Lessons IV, Hard Lessons V.