Grains of Gratitude

Still painting! This is taking longer than I envisioned, but more has happened than I planned. Who'd'a'thunk it???

This week I am grateful for a husband who went out and ordered a washer and dryer for me!! Ones that work and everything. I am not an old fashioned girl. A washboard is NOT in my future. Laundromats have their purpose, but I am spoiled. They aren't fancy, not lots of bells and whistles, but they WORK. Yippee!!

Mousetraps. (I will elaborate later, but I bet you can guess why.)

A husband who EMPTIES mousetraps!!!

Neat, sweet and very patient people who work with my children (and hundreds of other children.)

Good friends for my boys.

Good boys.

Never being bored. There is never "nothing" to do. I am very grateful for my life.

What are you grateful for?

Are You Approachable?

No the painting's not done? Why do you ask--oh, I told you to. Well the taping and covering with plastic is started. I did 500lbs of laundry yesterday at the laundromat.

Did you know it is possible to read for two hours and not be interrupted except to move the loads from the washer to the dryer? No? I didn't either. It was a really cool experience. Except that it kept me from my plan.

The husband was home working. The boys stayed with him doing schoolwork. I went off, free as a lark to do laundry. Who knew it could be fun? Who knew?

Thanks for your prayers for Roo. He's still a little sore. We're cautiously watching. Parenting is oooooooooooooh so hard. I often question God and wonder why He trusted me with such precious gifts. I need to pray more.

So for a few minutes before I go make a terrible mess, I'll offer my odd thoughts and a quiz.

Blogthings is almost always entertaining. Often they have some quiz that hits a nerve or a funny bone. This particular one coincided with a post that has been rumbling around in my head for a while. The idea first:

I was thinking, if someone used their five senses individually how would I appear?

Touch--I feel like: a pillow for my kids

Hearing--I sound like: my mother, my sister, a broken record

Smell--I smell like: hopefully you won’t smell me unless you are very close and then it will be a little lavender and a trace of perfume

Taste--I taste like: I don’t know, but the dog licks me occasionally and so does the cat—wait, they also forage in the trash—that might not be good…bad one.

Sight--This was the sense that got me started thinking the most because...

I must look like: a store employee--people will often come up to me in a store and ask me if I know where a certain item can be found, or if I have tried Product X and did I like it, or what is my opinion on a certain item, or do I do beadwork and how would I recommend getting started?

Aisle 6, yes I like it, haven't used it, and I'd say don't start because it's addictive and there is no such thing as having enough beads. Oooops...

I obviously look like: a tall person who can reach the top shelf. This particular one blessed me because I have had people in wheelchairs and older people ask me to reach things for them. They chose me when I wasn't the only one in the aisle. That blessed me. I also had a mom who was considerably shorter than I was ask me and enjoyed helping her too. She said she thought they'd get mad if she started climbing the shelving or let her children.

And, even before children I must have looked like: a mommy, I've had lost children come up to me, one sibling approached me because her sister was stuck in the basket-type swing at a park, at my sons' activity I've helped with hair and lost items and entertainment--I used to keep a large variety of card games in my bag. This has always blessed me too, that children aren't afraid to come up to me.

And for all of my crotchety-ness I must look like: someone who will listen. People have told me startling things about their lives in what started as conversations meant to pass the time. Most recently I've heard about the loss of a parent and the loss of a son. This bothers me sometimes because I never know what the right things are to say. So I pray a lot, but never enough, I am sure.

I wondered about posting this. I was afraid it could be construed as more than it was--a look at my reflection in the mirror of others. Most often I feel like I come up lacking. More times than not I'm sure I've been a poor example of Christian love. But the times I've actually been able to provide something for someone else have always and undoubtedly blessed me more than anyone I might have helped.

Which leads to the quiz:

Are You Approachable?

You Are Very Approachable

You can talk to anyone, and it shows. People are eager to start conversations with you. You are open and friendly. You are willing to connect with almost anyone. While it's great to be approachable, there is such a thing as too approachable. Eventually someone will try to take advantage of you. Don't be afraid to say no or end an awkward conversation.

Are You Approachable?

So, are you approachable? And, if you are so inclined--how do others perceive you if they use their five senses?

Off to paint. Replacements for the dryer and washer are showing up on Saturday. Guess what I got for Christmas?

Slowly, Slowly, Slowly...

Things are moving along. Not at the pace that I would like, but this week also included four late-night-outs for me.

Just for fun (and probably because it is oooooooooooold) my dryer decided not to work. So this morning is off to the laundromat because, while I can hang many things to dry inside, I cannot do jeans and bedding. Thankfully towels had been done. Sadly the paint brush doesn't reach that far.

If anyone feels led, I am asking for a prayer for Roo. He is having some knee pain. Most likely growing related, but we are being careful with it. With his activity there is a lot of stress on knees, tendons and ligaments. He also doesn't seem to have the highest threshold for pain. He's a lot like his mother.

Off to load up the van. Hi ho, Hi ho, to the laundromat I go...

Whistle while you work and all that rot...

Links for the videos "Whistle While You Work" & "Heigh Ho." Sorry, not able to embed them--but click away if you want to sing along.

Because It Just Seemed Like the Thing to Do...

Blogging may be sparse the next few days. A severely crazy person Someone I had the bright idea to paint the boys' room ten days before Thanksgiving, right in the thick of Nutcracker rehearsals, in the car seven days a week...

So if you see me here, you have my permission to ask if I've accomplished my goals for the day. Likely as not, I will tell you, "No!" But feel free to ask anyway.

Pray for me. Pray for my children. Pray for my husband. We may or may not survive this.

Edit to add--Here is the finished project.

Sharing a Blessing

Soul Pockets shared the Premio Dardos award with me. What a sweet blessing. Her blog is a very comforting place for me to visit. She's got her hands full with four great children and still finds time to write!!

The award says:

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are :

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I don't know that I deserve it, but I will say, "Thank you!" and try to keep blogging my best.

Passing it on (and passing it back to a few who might have recieved it before) to some wonderful bloggers who bless me:

Right back to Soul Pockets!

Quite the Normal Life

Searching and Pondering

A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

Just Me

2 Peas in a Pod

Do You Weary Like I Do?

Be Not Afraid

Pastor Al

Liza's Eyeview

God's Grace in Practice

My Life as Annie

Brady's Bunch

Our Little Monkeys

Poiema Portfolio

Since Change is Such a Good Thing...

...I've decided to change my mind. I still have some things causing me much concern about the outcome of the election. I'm trying to teach my children that our actions make a difference. But what about our inactions? What about our silence? When is the right time to speak up? I ask them to make good choices, but then should I remain silent, rely on someone else to declare the obvious things going on? Many people are saying the things that need to be said. Do I just read their words and nod in agreement or do I do something? Anything?

Some interesting and thought provoking links and images.



With friends like these...

Other mind changing going on.

No thanks, we already do community service through our church. One more reason I am grateful for homeschooling. But how long will homeschooling remain legal?

A new holiday on the horizon? For the new leader of the world.

From bondage to bondage:

"About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier: 'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.' 'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.' 'From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.' 'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years' 'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage.

(I saw the above several places, but first at Christine's. And she had something else to say.)

Hope for all...well, almost all.

FOCA--Freedom of Choice Act Facts from Esther and From the Field of Blue Children (h/t to Soul Pockets for the last link.)

I was born before 1972, but this still haunted me when I read it.

Abortion has been compared to slavery. Jen at Conversion Diary contrasts it to the Holocaust. Is abortion a "human right"?


Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset days telling our children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.

Ronald Reagan


If I wanted socialism I could have left my country. If my country embraces socialism where will I go?

Grains of Gratitude

This week I am grateful for much safe travel. The boys and I are on the road seven days a week and on four of those days we have some young ladies joining us. I am grateful for all the traveling mercies we have received.

My boys have been so much fun to watch. Their energy inspires me and keeps me getting up everyday. I cannot imagine life without them.

There's a great guy who lives in my house and I am thankful he married me. Some days I certainly wonder why he did, but I am grateful he sticks around and is such a great dad and husband.

For this year that has flown so quickly. It's been a year of learning and joys and sorrows, but through it all the days have been blessed.

For my God who loves me and loves you and loves even those who seem to us unlovable.
Every day is a blessing full of things to be grateful for.

I'm abundantly and richly blessed!

I Will Sing of my Redeemer

Words by Phillip P. Bliss
Music by James McGranahan

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Refrain
Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

Refrain

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

Refrain

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Refrain

Listen to the songon Cyberhymnal.

What are you grateful for?

Gratitude for finding Grains of Gratitude near the beginning of my blogging at Brady's Bunch. Thanks, Christine!