What Was I Thinking??

Perusing my blog this morning, I was looking through the "Edit Posts" list and found a draft.

 

The dangers of "ISM" I evidently intended to write a post on the subject. The problem is, I didn't leave myself a clue as to the subject matter! I have no idea what "ISM" is or why it's dangerous!

 

My first response in a situation like this (or most any situation, really) is "Google it"! The top three results are....

• Institute for Supply Management (Doesn't sound dangerous or interesting)
• Independent School Management (Upon closer inspection, I'm pretty sure it's SPAM!)
• International Solidarity Movement (Although certainly dangerous and probably interesting, doesn't look like something I would write about)

So, what was I thinking?? Was it Ferris Bueller's speech in the shower about isms?

"Not that I condone fascism, or any ism for that matter. Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon: "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the Walrus. I could be the Walrus, but I'd still have to bum rides off of people."

Awesome movie & brilliant line, but I don't see how I can expound on it. goo goo g'joob

I guess we'll just chalk it up to Instantly Supressed Memory and move along....

The Biggest Loser

I was watching The Biggest Loser last night (don't judge me!) and one of the "final four" said, "If I can do it, anyone can do it!"

Well, yeah - anyone who gets to spend 6 months secluded on a ranch with a personal trainer, 24 hr gym, stocked kitchen, and a million dollars to shoot for!!

What about the rest of us?

Now, I don't begrudge these people their time there, the resources they have on hand or the prize money...they earn it! One man started at over 500 pounds! I say if you have the opportunity, go for it!

Here's the deal... I am 45 years old, 5'3", and 150 pounds. I smoke, drink too much Dr Pepper and spend waaaayyyy too much time on the computer! I'm unhealthy. I live on a small farm on 13 or so acres, own a treadmill/clothes rack, make a moderate income and have a loving supportive family. What's up??? Why is it so hard to make healthy choices??

I need to lose 25 pounds. It's easier to take a "vitamin" for appetite suppressant than be disciplined. It's easier (not to mention cheaper!!) to make the same old "comfort food" than plan and prepare healthy alternatives. It's much easier to lay down and watch tv or get on the computer than to go for a walk or use the treadmill.

I need to quit smoking. I have a drawer full of Nicorette and an electronic cigarette on my desk. It's still easier to sit on the deck and smoke. It's easier to give in to the craving than tough it out.

I guess the question is how bad do I want it? There are things that I don't give in to. It's easier to stay home than go to work, but I love my job and need the money, so I go. It's easier to let my kids have their way than to argue with them, but I love my kids and want them to be disciplined, well-rounded, productive members of society, so I don't give in. It's easier to be lazy than to cook and clean, but I love my family and want them to live in a healthy, comfortable environment, so I push forward.

Wow. I love my family, my kids, my job so I do what's necessary - not easy. Do I love myself? Do I love me enough to tough out a nicotine craving to save my life? Do I love me enough to choose the treadmill and a salad instead of tv and a bowl of cereal? Do I love my family enough to love ME?? The Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself. I guess if I don't love myself, my neighbor is in trouble!!

I'm not saying I'm ready to quit smoking, start exercising, change our eating habits and schedule a spa day (well, maybe the spa day wouldn't be so hard!) but I am learning that in order to be the best wife & mother I can be - I have to be the best ME I can be! My family is worth it and so am I!

Maybe I need Jillian here to scream at me to keep going!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: 9/11/2010 I quit smoking! One down....

Whose fault is it anyway?

"It's her fault we couldn't get on the computers."

"Why is it her fault?"

"We didn't have our cards, and she wouldn't let us log on."

"YOU didn't have your cards, so it's her fault?"

"We always got on before without our cards!"

Ok, let me get this straight....You somehow were able to get around the rules for a while, and then had to follow the rules, and now it's someone else's fault you didn't get what you wanted??

This seems to be a recurring theme around our home lately. I didn’t get my reading done because Dad said I had to rake leaves ...it’s his fault. I don’t have any socks because Mom didn’t do laundry...it’s her fault. I lost my temper because my brother wouldn’t give me the remote ...it’s his fault.

So, whose fault is it when things don’t go our way? Parents? Siblings? Spouse? God’s?? Things didn’t go my way and YOU’RE the reason! Hmmmph!

Well, let’s break this down and see if we can come up with a solution.

What is it you want? Is it reasonable? Is it possible? Is it right? You have to be specific with your desire. What is the end result you‘re looking for? If you want to get on the computers at the library, that’s perfectly acceptable. If you want to get on them without your card, that won’t do. The rule says you must have your card...not just know your number. So, you can have what you want, you just have to go about it the right way. No blame, no excuses, everyone’s happy.

What if what you want is up to someone else? I want the remote, but he has it. I want to play instead of read, but mom won’t let me. I need a job, but they won’t hire me.

Again, what is it that you want? Is it reasonable? Is it possible? Is it right? Do you want the remote or do you want to watch the show you’ve been waiting for? Is it reasonable to want that? Is his show over? Is there another way - possible compromise? How about the reading deal? Why not read first and then play. Everybody’s happy! And, as far as the job, if they won’t hire you - why not? Do you need more education? More experience? Do you need to start farther down the ladder? Don’t give up on what you want, just find a way to make it happen without blaming the world for not getting it!

These boys are quickly becoming young men. We don’t want them to bust into the world thinking it owes them a living! It’s easy to blame others for our shortcomings. It’s much harder to have patience, skill and reasoning ability. The result, however, is oh so worth it!

A day in the life....

When was the last time you walked down your hall and saw your son's bedroom door laying on the floor? Mine was 2 minutes ago!

I hear this pounding and thudding coming from the other end of the house. With two teen-age boys, I MUST investigate. There they are, hammers in hand, sprawled out on the floor with the door underneath them! "It came off the hinges, mom." Hmmm... wonder how that happened.

I'm thinking this can be a learning opportunity. Carpentry? Home repair? Team work? Industriousness? Nope. Patience! Not their learning opportunity, MINE!

They saw a challenge (door just came right off the hinges!), found a solution (hammers & nails) and set out to conquer. Isn't that what I want for my sons? To be able to see the challenges in this world and find a way to meet them? To work together in a time of crisis? To fix the flippen door when it "comes off the hinges"???

I now hear power tools....what can I learn from THAT????

The Calf

Those of you who know us, know that we have a very small farm. Well, more like a farm-wannabe. Those who know us also know that we don't eat anything with a name. So, "the calf" was destined for the freezer. That's why we bought him, that's why we feed him, we have no problem with that.

Well one evening, Carpenter comes back to the house after feeding and heads to the laundry room. "Do we have any rubber gloves?" "Uh, yea." As I'm digging out the extra pair of Playtex Dish Helpers, he's in the medicine cabinet searching for the petroleum jelly. Uh oh! He tells me the calf is down as he's putting his boots back on. Half out of the desire to help him and half from a morbid curiosity, I pulled on my muck boots too.

I run down there with him and the poor thing is lying on his side stiff and bloated. He's dying. My job is to hold the flashlight and stay out of the way. No problem. I really don't want to go into detail about what he did with his supplies, suffice it to say it didn't work. Off and on over the next 15 minutes, the calf would get up and kick at his stomach and lie down in obvious pain. We had a call in to our vet, but he was on an emergency farm call and we were waiting for him to call back. Obviously the good doctor deemed a horse in labor with breach twin foals a tad bit more important than a calf with gas.

I asked Carpenter if he wanted me to call Grandma and ask her what to do. My children lovingly refer to their grandma as "Witch Doctor" because she knows everything about home remedies and old wives tales. Well, Carpenter said, "No, she'll just tell me to poke a hole in him." We've heard the stories of Grandpa running cows in the alfalfa who would bloat up. The hands would have to ride alongside and poke them in the sides to relieve the pressure. Oookaaay....now what?

Carpenter would press on his tummy, the calf would grunt and his eyes would roll. He was dying.
I said, "Ok, I'm gunna go Google it." Nothing else was working! I have to admit that usually, that's my first course of action. With a world of knowledge literally at my fingertips, why would I waste time and energy wondering what to do?? So, I'm just pulling up sites that will impart wisdom upon me about calf bloat and the phone rings. It's Carpenter from the barn. "Just come back with the peroxide." Oookaay...

I get back down there and the poor little feller is just lying there, much thinner, eyes in the right position, but really weak. Carpenter poked a hole in him. He said he felt around for the right spot, turned his head, said "Sorry fella" and pushed his knife in. (Yet another use for his Leatherman!!) Anyway, he said it sounded like a huge balloon deflating and stuuunnk! I asked him how he knew what to do. He said he felt around under his ribcage and found the stomach - hard as a rock and poked there. I asked if he was afraid. He said "The calf was dying. I either had to shoot him in the head or poke him in the belly. I chose the easy one."

So, today the little guy is freely roaming the barnyard, his name is Lazarus and we can't eat him.

Makin' a list & checkin' it twice

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to be thinking about Christmas. The time of year that we celebrate Jesus' birth by giving gifts in honor of Him.

In our home, we make as many hand-made gifts as possible. I have the kids make a list of all they want to make for. Then they list ideas of things they can make.

Princess is making jewelry this year out of polymer clay. I'll post pics when she gets some pieces finished.

The boys are working in wood. The youngest was out in the shop busily (and secretly) working on my gift. He spent most of Saturday and some of Sunday measuring, cutting, gluing & nailing.

Unfortunately, he cannot wait to give any more than the rest of us! Sunday evening he had me close my eyes while he put my gift on the living room floor.

It's beautiful!

He used the cedar scraps leftover from our deck to build me this gorgeous planter.

He got the instructions from a woodworking book on our bookshelf. Followed the directions and viola!
He was so proud of his work. Couldn't hold a candle to mama's pride though!

Don't tell the rest of the family, but I think they're getting one too!

Their Very First Pomegranates

When I was a young teen, there was a pomegranate tree in the church yard close to our school. We would sneak over there at lunch and swipe one! (shhhhhh)


It has recently come to my attention that my three youngest kids have never had a pomegranate! I decided to remedy that this weekend. Even though they were quite pricey ($1.50ea) I bought 3 of them from the grocery store.


Seeing those juicy jewels and smelling that tangy sweetness made my mouth water! Brought me back to those Jr High days in the churchyard.

The kids loved them! It was quite an experience.

Princess was prim and proper, taking care not to mess up anything but her two fingers.

The boy was hesitant at first, but didn't have a problem getting messy.

The youngest dove right in!!

Such a simple pleasure. I'm going to keep my eyes open for new things to try. Pomegranates should be on the top of everyone's list!

Finishing up Summer

Spittin' seeds off the deck.

Talking about fishing.

Remembering Summer.

Preparing for Fall.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Fall Projects....

We have been enjoying this wonderful Fall weather and taking advantage of beautiful days.

I decided to "remodel" our old pink garden shed and came up with this:

Princess painted flowers on the side and Carpenter built a potting bench that I will mosaic.

Carpenter and the boys had two old trampoline frames and made me a greenhouse frame. Plastic and benches are next.

My first try at mosaic was with a concrete paver and a broken baking dish! Here's the result:

The welcome and birds used to be a door hanging that didn't survive the fall. :{

Virtually all of the above materials were recycled, repurposed or already sitting around. The paint was left over from previous projects, the greenhouse frame and mosaic materials were repurposed (I did have to buy a small bag of grout) and the lumber, buckets, etc were picked up from around the place. We will, of course, need to buy plastic for the greenhouse, but all in all they were cheap projects!

Maid Service

As I plunked the clean clothes basket down in the hall between the boys' rooms, I hollered, "Maid Service!". Among the bleeps and buzzes of the playstation, a voice exclaims, "Cool!"

Cool? What about "Thanks Mom" or "I'll get it"?

Cool??

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...Ecclesiastes 9:10a

Yes, that includes laundry. And dishes. And toilets. And vacuuming. Making my home clean and healthy - with all my might.

Equipped with the tools of my trade, I tackle the world I live in with a vengeance! Killing germs and fighting grime like a Superhero! Making sure my family has clean clothes, clean dishes, and a clean environment that they will dirty, mess and destroy so I can do it again!

A person can go to Salary.com and calculate how much money you would make at your job as a mom/homemaker, but I don't want to know. It's too depressing.

My benefit package far outweighs any salary I could make! Not the least of which is this:

Twenty minutes after I dropped off the laundry in the hall, the boy comes to me in the kitchen and hugs me tight. "Thanks for doing my laundry, mom".

Cool!

They earned their badge!

Well, after learning the basics, pouring over recipes, making a menu and shopping for ingredients, they came up with this:



Breakfast -
Blackberry Fritters
Hot cocoa mix (Excellent! Will use this recipe again!)


Lunch -
Taco Nachos with the works (took some to the Carpenter at work!)


Supper -
Salisbury Steak w/Gravy
Seasoned Potato Sticks
Seasoned Greenbeans
Cheese Biscuits


Dessert -
Blender Milkshakes (with NO ice-cream! Yummm)


It was all very nice. Not only did they prepare and serve each meal, but they cleaned up after each session as well.




Job well done, boys!
You've earned that badge!

Setting the Table

My good friend Sheryl gave us a book called "The Young Man's HandyBook: Preparing Your Son on the Homefront"

We are working on our Cooking Badge.

Today those boys - those tree climbing, goat roaping, squirl shooting, chainsawing boys - set a beautiful table!

They've been taking turns with their sister doing dishes - with no grumbling, I might add. And they've been a huge help in the kitchen! We'll be cooking the rest of the week and they'll earn their badge on Friday.

Home

Well, we are back on the farm now and everyone is so glad to be home! Everyone has their room back - their stuff back -- their little piece of the world back.

Carpenter and the boys have been spending blissful evenings in the new shop with sawing, hammering, drilling and country music noises drifting into the air. I'm pretty sure hearts will be swelling as handmade Christmas presents are passed out this year!

Teenage daughter is back in her green and pink sanctuary down the hall. She's appreciating it more these days after being in the "room off the living room" at grandma's for six months. Muffled sounds of Casting Crowns and Barlow Girls are vibrating behind her door.

I am in heaven. I feel blessed beyond measure. I felt wonderful being able to help out mother-in-law when she needed us, but being back home soothes my spirit. We have all learned to appreciate what we have. Circumstances change - sometimes with less than a moment's notice - and we are all learning to love what we have at the moment, but hold it loosely. Be content in all situations and be ready for what the Lord has for you next.

Computer Frustration

I am sooo frustrated with techno-nonsense!!



My old computer had it's modem fried so I gave it to the kids for school. It has Windows XP and will support my older printer/copier/scanner.



My newer computer has Windows Vista and will not 'talk to' my printer/copier/scanner.



Old computer has Print Shop where I make personalized family calenders for Christmas.



New computer has Print Shop, but will not 'talk to' new printer (only from Print Shop. Works fine everywhere else!).



I sat down this evening to work on calenders, turned on old computer and there is a message. "Operating System Not Found" Excuse me?? It was there when I left!!



No matter what I tried, the Operating System was no where to be found. GRRRRR!



I have searched every piece of round plastic we own, looking for an operating system! Any system will do!



I searched among the computer cds (what do we need 6 AOL cds for? We don't even USE AOL!!), music cds (Oh, that's where the 4-Him cds are!!) and all our dvds. No Windows nuthin!



The kids are ticked. After all of my nagging for them to watch what they're doing, I'M the one who crashes the darn thing!



I'm thinking we're very close to going back to pencils & paper, dictionaries & encyclopedias!