We didn't make it to church tonight. We're just too sick. Matt, anticipating this outcome, set aside a few ashes to use for a little Ash Wednesday service here at home tonight. (He's the one in charge of getting the ashes for church, so he can do that.) I had planned on soup supper for dinner tonight. Instead, I made tacos.
While we were eating, the kids began talking about the t.v.
"Daddy, the t.v. isn't working. Why isn't the t.v. working?"
"Because I called the President and told him to turn off our t.v."
"You can't just call the President!"
"You can when you want your t.v. turned off."
"Little kids need the t.v.!" "Yeah, we need the t.v. to entertain the little kids!"
Then Daddy asked Elizabeth if the electrician had come to do the wiring for the septic. "Yeah he came, but the t.v. stopped working before that."
Looks like we'll have some 'splainin' to do tonight. In fact, I just heard Daddy say, "I said, we will discuss it in a minute." I'd better go join him.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Unplugged
Most of my family, including myself, are sick. Really sick. I've been fighting a cold for almost a week now and each day I feel worse than the day before. Joel woke up screaming last night at midnight. He was holding his ear and saying, "Owie! , Owie!" I gave him some Advil. When we got up this morning, his ear was draining. Poor baby. I took him to the doctor's instead of going to Bible study.
When I got home, I had two men to feed (septic tank workers), a messy house and enough "to do/to be at" items on the rest of this week's docket to make me weak in the knees. After changing messy diapers and getting things relatively squared away around the house, I settled down for a much-needed quiet time. I slept hard for and more than an hour.
When I awoke, I glanced at the clock and realized it was time for Rachael Ray to start cooking. "After a day like today," I thought to myself, "I need a little t.v." I pushed in the power button. Nothing was on the screen except white snow--on every channel. Oh yeah. How quickly I had forgotten my lofty Lenten idea--giving up t.v. Matt's been wanting to pull the plug on the t.v. for a very long time. I still wanted the option of watching Rachael Ray cook and seeing the big eyes of the big winners on Antiques Roadshow. Matt thinks most all the t.v. programs these days have "very little redeeming value." I agree, but I still wanted the "just in case I'm sick or I have 3 littles all by myself" option of watching the tube. Kind of like the "security" of holding on to that one last credit card.
I talked to a friend this past weekend at a mother/daughter retreat that Gracie and I attended. She said her family had finally taken the plunge and "unplugged." She said her kids were more content and her home was, in general, "much more peaceful." Sunday morning while I sat in church it came to me, "Turn off the t.v. for Lent." I told Matt last night he could turn off the t.v. if he wanted. I thought he would do it after Ash Wednesday services tonight. I thought, "On the way home from church, he'll probably explain to the kids that we've made the decision to 'unplug'."
This afternoon's vain attempt to get a t.v. fix was a deja vu moment. Five years ago, I told Matt the Lord had told me we were to get rid of cable t.v. (something he had wanted to do for a long time). I was in my first trimester with Lydia and horribly sick. I called Matt that day at work and asked him why the t.v. wasn't working. "You told me to cancel cable," he said. I literally pitched a fit. "I meant AFTER I was feeling better! How do you expect me to get through this pregnancy without the Food Network or HGTV?"
"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell." Mark 9:47
This afternoon I read about a homeschool mom who keeps a spiral bound journal open in a public area in her home. She and her kids write down little "graces" the Lord shows them throughout the day--a way to cultivate gratefulness. So I decided that I would replace the t.v. with a journal, a journal of gratefulness for the abundance the Lord shows us each and every day. My first entry will be "Thank you for a red-haired girl practicing her piano so diligently."
(For those of you wondering, we will still have DVDs to watch, but this will force us to be more disciplined and choosy about our t.v. watching. For my part, I doubt I'll have any great desire to watch another episode of "Daniel Boone" :)
When I got home, I had two men to feed (septic tank workers), a messy house and enough "to do/to be at" items on the rest of this week's docket to make me weak in the knees. After changing messy diapers and getting things relatively squared away around the house, I settled down for a much-needed quiet time. I slept hard for and more than an hour.
When I awoke, I glanced at the clock and realized it was time for Rachael Ray to start cooking. "After a day like today," I thought to myself, "I need a little t.v." I pushed in the power button. Nothing was on the screen except white snow--on every channel. Oh yeah. How quickly I had forgotten my lofty Lenten idea--giving up t.v. Matt's been wanting to pull the plug on the t.v. for a very long time. I still wanted the option of watching Rachael Ray cook and seeing the big eyes of the big winners on Antiques Roadshow. Matt thinks most all the t.v. programs these days have "very little redeeming value." I agree, but I still wanted the "just in case I'm sick or I have 3 littles all by myself" option of watching the tube. Kind of like the "security" of holding on to that one last credit card.
I talked to a friend this past weekend at a mother/daughter retreat that Gracie and I attended. She said her family had finally taken the plunge and "unplugged." She said her kids were more content and her home was, in general, "much more peaceful." Sunday morning while I sat in church it came to me, "Turn off the t.v. for Lent." I told Matt last night he could turn off the t.v. if he wanted. I thought he would do it after Ash Wednesday services tonight. I thought, "On the way home from church, he'll probably explain to the kids that we've made the decision to 'unplug'."
This afternoon's vain attempt to get a t.v. fix was a deja vu moment. Five years ago, I told Matt the Lord had told me we were to get rid of cable t.v. (something he had wanted to do for a long time). I was in my first trimester with Lydia and horribly sick. I called Matt that day at work and asked him why the t.v. wasn't working. "You told me to cancel cable," he said. I literally pitched a fit. "I meant AFTER I was feeling better! How do you expect me to get through this pregnancy without the Food Network or HGTV?"
"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell." Mark 9:47
This afternoon I read about a homeschool mom who keeps a spiral bound journal open in a public area in her home. She and her kids write down little "graces" the Lord shows them throughout the day--a way to cultivate gratefulness. So I decided that I would replace the t.v. with a journal, a journal of gratefulness for the abundance the Lord shows us each and every day. My first entry will be "Thank you for a red-haired girl practicing her piano so diligently."
(For those of you wondering, we will still have DVDs to watch, but this will force us to be more disciplined and choosy about our t.v. watching. For my part, I doubt I'll have any great desire to watch another episode of "Daniel Boone" :)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sumo Baby
Behold The Sumo Champion Wrestler;
A massive gourd and holder of the title.
Many have tried, but none have beaten him;
A fact that is particularly vital."
Defer! Defer!
To the sumo champion wrestler!
Defer! Defer!
To the champion, to the champion
To the champion sumo wrestler!
(Lyrics from the Veggie Tales movie, "Sumo of the Opera")
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Busy
Matt and I painted our bathroom Monday night. We went to bed at 11 p.m., then got up early yesterday to put on a second coat before the men arrived. Jude has been sleeping terribly (even more terribly than usual) and I finally realized the antibiotic hadn't done its job of getting rid of his ear infection. Today we got another round of antibiotics to treat not just one ear, but two. No wonder he (and we) haven't been sleeping. I told Matt that if a doctor examined me, I was sure he would declare me legally dead.
Lots of work is getting accomplished around here, though, as evidenced by all the guys who come in to ask a question, then go out for a bit more work, then come back in to ask another question. The installation of a revolving door on this house might be in order. And I naively thought that none of this would disrupt my daily schedule.
Our friend Wayne from church was finally given the go ahead to get started on the new septic system/drain field, which he did on Monday. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the ball rolling, but thankfully we won't have to pay for this job as the septic system failed before we moved into this house.
We've been through this process before at our old house and we haven't been looking forward to it. We're especially disappointed that even though we tried desperately to save one of our big maple trees from having to be cut down, we weren't able to do it. The tree roots would interfere with the new drain field, so the tree had to be cut down. The kids were thrilled with the excitement as Wayne's chainsaw ripped into the trunk. When the tree finally fell, it was gushing sap. I was pretty sad about the whole thing, but the loss of a tree is better than not having a working septic system.
Wayne also tore out some overgrown shrubs and a couple of dead trees. Today all the tree branches that won't be cut up into firewood were chipped. Wayne is great about including Paul in as much work as possible. Paul announced to me tonight at the dinner table that Wayne let him put some limbs into the chipper earlier today.
I shuddered as my brain went into hyper "Mommy Alert! Mommy Alert! Child in Extreme Danger!" mode. I wasn't here today when the "incident" occurred, otherwise the"incident" wouldn't have occurred. Wayne was just telling me yesterday what a relaxed mother I was. CORRECTION--I'm not THAT relaxed. Really though, Wayne is very good about making sure the children are safe while he works and I have the utmost confidence in him (at least I think I do :). Most of the time, Paul was made to stand up against the house while the chipper was running.
The bathroom is coming along nicely. The guys have been battling the flu, so things got slowed up a bit. Everything will pretty much be completed by Friday. The tub may not be here by then, but everything else should be done. The shower was reinstalled today. We ordered a new basin, but we were able to save the old shower walls, so we were happy about that.
Yesterday we had a surprise visit from our missionary friends who will be returning to Guatemala next month. I just invited them right into the chaos and we all sat down at the kitchen table and had tea together while all the kids played outside. After they left, the kids and I loaded into the van and headed to the restaurant to meet Matt and about twenty other family and friends for a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law.
I was able to get the Bible study this morning, albeit a bit late. Our friend Lorie even stayed with the kids longer than usual so that I could get Jude to the doctor after Bible study. The Lord is so gracious in providing for all of our needs. The Bible lesson today was about Moses moving all the Israelites through the wilderness. The principle was about how God is a God of order and that as Christians, our lives should be orderly as well. I haven't felt very orderly lately, but if God can get 2 million+ people organized, I ought to be able to to the same for my little family. I'll add that to my "to do" and prayer lists and in the meantime, rest under the shadow of His wings. "But you, O Lord, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head." Ps. 3:3
Here are some pictures chronicling some of the happenings of the last few days:
Wayne cut down the stump that was next to our back porch. Yeah! It's been an eyesore for me ever since we moved in.
The big tree on its way down.
The kids on the downed tree.
The girls playing "prairie" yesterday. Wayne asked them who was Mary and who was Laura. Then he pointed to Lydia and said, "I know who Nellie Olson is." I thought she kinda looked liked Carrie, but I know her personality is more Nelliesque ("my way is the best way"). Good thing she's so darn cute.
Paul (a.k.a. Davey Crockett in the woods of Tennessee)
Jude after his big sister Lydia got to him. "Look, Mommy, Jude likes wearing these goggles!" As if he had a choice in the matter.
Lots of work is getting accomplished around here, though, as evidenced by all the guys who come in to ask a question, then go out for a bit more work, then come back in to ask another question. The installation of a revolving door on this house might be in order. And I naively thought that none of this would disrupt my daily schedule.
Our friend Wayne from church was finally given the go ahead to get started on the new septic system/drain field, which he did on Monday. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the ball rolling, but thankfully we won't have to pay for this job as the septic system failed before we moved into this house.
We've been through this process before at our old house and we haven't been looking forward to it. We're especially disappointed that even though we tried desperately to save one of our big maple trees from having to be cut down, we weren't able to do it. The tree roots would interfere with the new drain field, so the tree had to be cut down. The kids were thrilled with the excitement as Wayne's chainsaw ripped into the trunk. When the tree finally fell, it was gushing sap. I was pretty sad about the whole thing, but the loss of a tree is better than not having a working septic system.
Wayne also tore out some overgrown shrubs and a couple of dead trees. Today all the tree branches that won't be cut up into firewood were chipped. Wayne is great about including Paul in as much work as possible. Paul announced to me tonight at the dinner table that Wayne let him put some limbs into the chipper earlier today.
I shuddered as my brain went into hyper "Mommy Alert! Mommy Alert! Child in Extreme Danger!" mode. I wasn't here today when the "incident" occurred, otherwise the"incident" wouldn't have occurred. Wayne was just telling me yesterday what a relaxed mother I was. CORRECTION--I'm not THAT relaxed. Really though, Wayne is very good about making sure the children are safe while he works and I have the utmost confidence in him (at least I think I do :). Most of the time, Paul was made to stand up against the house while the chipper was running.The bathroom is coming along nicely. The guys have been battling the flu, so things got slowed up a bit. Everything will pretty much be completed by Friday. The tub may not be here by then, but everything else should be done. The shower was reinstalled today. We ordered a new basin, but we were able to save the old shower walls, so we were happy about that.
Yesterday we had a surprise visit from our missionary friends who will be returning to Guatemala next month. I just invited them right into the chaos and we all sat down at the kitchen table and had tea together while all the kids played outside. After they left, the kids and I loaded into the van and headed to the restaurant to meet Matt and about twenty other family and friends for a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law.
I was able to get the Bible study this morning, albeit a bit late. Our friend Lorie even stayed with the kids longer than usual so that I could get Jude to the doctor after Bible study. The Lord is so gracious in providing for all of our needs. The Bible lesson today was about Moses moving all the Israelites through the wilderness. The principle was about how God is a God of order and that as Christians, our lives should be orderly as well. I haven't felt very orderly lately, but if God can get 2 million+ people organized, I ought to be able to to the same for my little family. I'll add that to my "to do" and prayer lists and in the meantime, rest under the shadow of His wings. "But you, O Lord, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head." Ps. 3:3
Here are some pictures chronicling some of the happenings of the last few days:
Wayne cut down the stump that was next to our back porch. Yeah! It's been an eyesore for me ever since we moved in.
The big tree on its way down.
The kids on the downed tree.
The girls playing "prairie" yesterday. Wayne asked them who was Mary and who was Laura. Then he pointed to Lydia and said, "I know who Nellie Olson is." I thought she kinda looked liked Carrie, but I know her personality is more Nelliesque ("my way is the best way"). Good thing she's so darn cute.
Paul (a.k.a. Davey Crockett in the woods of Tennessee)
Jude after his big sister Lydia got to him. "Look, Mommy, Jude likes wearing these goggles!" As if he had a choice in the matter.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Big Boy Joel Bob Turns 2
Joel turned two today. He's the main source of entertainment for our family. His personality is really starting to emerge. He's got quite a sense of humor and loves nothing better than to get his siblings laughing. He's an absolute delight, even though he is finding a bit more trouble lately, which is par for the course for a little guy his age. We celebrated Joel's big day by eating lunch with his godparents after church today. Then Grandma Jane, Grandpa Tom, Auntie Em, cousin Raphaella and friend Bob came to the house to help us sing "Happy Birthday." Joel spit on his candles to extinguish them. He must have thought it the most appropriate course of action since he was wearing the fireman hat he got as a present.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Day
Today we spent our Valentine's Day in a most romantic way--we painted our bedroom together. When Matt put the first strokes of paint on the ceiling, I panicked, believing I had chosen the wrong color. "You'll love it, Melissa." (Translation--"This paint is custom-colored and non-returnable--the decision has been made.") When I started cutting in the walls, I panicked again. Once one wall was covered, however, I relaxed. I like it much better than sponge painting and wall paper border.
I told Matt it looked like caramel, he said it looked like butterscotch (that's his favorite flavor.) "You say 'tomato,' I say 'tomahto.' " After a time of letting all the kids have a turn with the paint roller, we shooed them all out so we could finish the job. We hardly talked at all. I think that's how you know you truly love someone--when you don't have to fill the silence with words.
My friend Julie delivered a basket filled with seven homemade caramel apples, Valentine candy and caramel chex mix to our house about mid-morning. It was a really neat surprise and a life-saver for me since I hadn't planned anything at all for the kids for Valentine's Day.
We didn't have to worry about dinner preparation after painting all day because we met for our monthly extended family dinner at Matt's parents' house. It was a great way to end Valentine's Day--surrounded by a big loving family.
Here's Lydia enjoying a caramel apple (the caramel part, at least):
I told Matt it looked like caramel, he said it looked like butterscotch (that's his favorite flavor.) "You say 'tomato,' I say 'tomahto.' " After a time of letting all the kids have a turn with the paint roller, we shooed them all out so we could finish the job. We hardly talked at all. I think that's how you know you truly love someone--when you don't have to fill the silence with words.
My friend Julie delivered a basket filled with seven homemade caramel apples, Valentine candy and caramel chex mix to our house about mid-morning. It was a really neat surprise and a life-saver for me since I hadn't planned anything at all for the kids for Valentine's Day.
We didn't have to worry about dinner preparation after painting all day because we met for our monthly extended family dinner at Matt's parents' house. It was a great way to end Valentine's Day--surrounded by a big loving family.
Here's Lydia enjoying a caramel apple (the caramel part, at least):
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Big Egg
Even though our chicken flock is now very small, the three hens seem to be producing fairly well, especially for winter time. We're getting two to three eggs a day. Today Paul brought in this egg, likely a double yolker. I'm sure the hen who laid it let out a few cackles during the process.
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