Over the Hurdle At Last!

What was looking like a basket full of Easter eggs just 2 days ago is now looking cheery and inviting...thanks to just 4 more (ugh!) trips to the paint store (to make a total of 8 now), some more money wasted on a few more 'no go' colors, and finally an afternoon of help from my friend Pam the artist. (Many thanks and kudos to you, PW!!!)

OK, so I had complained about the bad curb yellow in the hallway, which is where it all began. Not sure if it was PMS or what, but the yellow has really grown on me since my last post. Thankfully Pam agreed--nice warm yellow--no hint of curbs involved like previously suspected. Phew! So PW and I moved on past the hallway and then she saw my next dilemma--the freshly painted "terracotta" room turned out to be a 'beachy salmon.' OK, once again, not what I was going for. Pam says "Wow, you picked a humdinger of a color [to find the right shade of]...we have to fix this." So we piled all of her kids in my van and accomplished all but a drive by shooting as we snatched up every last available color swatch in orange-ish brown left in Hudson. We settled on one, staking all of our hopes on it. Bingo--love it!

Now we just learned it may take 2 months to get carpet in...can't believe we didn't think to order it early. Normally I'm such a planner. Well, what can you do? (Any suggestions?) Buy direct?

For today, I am just thankful to have the paint dilemma solved. Thank you, Lord! And Pam! FYI, the pictures below are the final product. (So if you're thinking Easter eggs, don't say it.) The blue and green room is the girls'. The terracotta room is the toy/tv room. I'm lovin' them both! And the yellow makes me happy every time I'm near it!

Prayers

Abby was praying for her little brother at bedtime tonight and her prayers went like this:

"Dear Lord, thank You for Nathan, he is...kind of a pillbox, but also...an entertainer, and um...I'm sorry that I whacked him today. Amen."

Paint Schmaint...I Give Up!

I've been to the paint stores 4 times in the last week and it's not over yet. I'll begin with that and back up...(prepare for a long read)

So we've been living in our town home just a few days shy of a year. So glad to be back in Hudson, but tired of having all 5 of us cramped into two bedrooms (with Nathan in the walk-in closet) while we finish the basement. There's no play area, and I've got bins stacked 3 high in the kids' room along the walls. Even when things are picked up it doesn't really look or feel neat & tidy. (I'm not a fan of piles and clutter.) And it's getting to me. I want to 'seek first His kingdom'-- not the stuff of earth. But I do have such a desire to make our home feel like a home. To feel settled, and for things to have a place.

We're nearing the end, though. Wade has done an amazing job and the next step (my only step, really) is to paint, and then it's just carpet and trim! Sounds simple. We've done the paint thing many times before. In fact, I counted 12 rooms I've picked colors for and painted, over the span of 3 'houses' in our married life. We've done every color of the rainbow: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, and browns. I've liked most of them. But occasionally I've picked some doosies. (SP?) Like the crazy green in my bathroom. Lime Rickey turned into Bright Lime Yucky. (I even had professional help choosing that one!) Anyway, back to our basement. We've got two bedrooms (one will be the toy/TV room), a wide hallway area, and a stairwell. Got the girls' room painted a pretty blue and green. Done. Planned on painting everything else a warm and cheery, yet muted, apricot yellow. A color I had seen as a backdrop at a furniture store . Somehow I ended up with a muted version of curb yellow.

I'm stumped. I had gotten all the color swatches, tried them in different lights, on different walls. Even got the big 8x11 sample sizes to compare. So next I went to Sherwin Williams for expert help. I don't think the guy there knew much more than I do about picking colors. After an hour of agonizing, using their light box (simulates natural/artificial lights) and chasing my children out from under the paint cans and greasy paint sprayers, I left with a quart sample of a beautiful blue that the rep talked me into, and I went to Wal-Mart to get the lighter yellow he recommended. Wade hated the blue. And the yellow looks peach on the wall. Back to the drawing board. So now I'm thinking terracotta for the toy room, but I just don't know for everything else. I wanted to avoid the beiges and neutral greens this time around. I like color. I like unique, but not weird. And we're not going to be here forever, so it has to look OK for resale. I've actually lost sleep over stupid paint colors! I think I may have found a few shades I like, but it pains me to think of wasting even more time and money. Man!

NOW I Get It!

Emily and I began her school day this morning with devotions. The topic was about God protecting us when we're scared. Emily is often afraid to go upstairs by herself. We (for like the millionth time) talked through how we can trust God to take care of us when we are afraid.

And then the light bulb went on. She got a big grin on her face and determined, "Now when I'm scared I will have God AND my Scooby Doo friends to help me!"......ZOINKS!!!

What's In a Name?

Abby came home from school yesterday and announced with excitement "Mom, I met a new friend today!"
"That's great!" I affirmed.
"AND she's one of my best friends, too," Abby added.
"Honey, that's awesome. What's her name?" I inquired.
"Oh I don't know her name," Abby answered--without skipping a beat.

Right. Silly me.

He's My Man

A while back my friend Nicole (one of my best buds from high school) did a post on reasons she respects her husband Pete. She inspired me and a couple months ago I followed suit, writing out a list for Wade. Thought I'd brag on him a bit and publish some of my list--Things I like, appreciate, or respect about Wade:

1) Your playfulness with the kids
2) Your passion for airplanes
3) You are so responsible to pay our bills
4) You take out the garbage and recycling every week
5) You can singlehandedly fix anything that's broken
6) You clean up after supper most days, giving me a little break
7) You teach Nathan how to be a boy
8) You plan awesome trips for just the two of us with surprise destinations
9) You always pick out terrific B&B's to stay at on our anniversaries
10) You are a social butterfly and can converse easily with almost anyone
11) You are handsome
12) Your love language is physical touch and you enjoy snuggling and giving hugs
13) Your mechanical ability surpasses that of anyone I know
14) You handle Abby so well when I am at my wit's end
15) You are physically strong (I especially love your big, strong, safe hands)
16) You are so adept at figuring out any house project, and completing it so quickly!
17 You call me often during the day and also tell me frequently that you love me
18) You are committed to providing for us
19) You are a highly skilled airplane mechanic, respected by both your co-workers and superiors for what you do. You make me proud!
20) You initiate time for us to pray, talk & read Scripture together

I keep thinking of more, and there are a couple more on the list, but they are for Wade's eyes only!

Happy Valentine's Day, Honey--I love you!

Anybody else want to brag on their man (or gal)? What are some things you appreciate about your spouse?

Poison Control Call #7, and Counting...

(This post is from a few days ago)

"Gooby (one of the love titles), what are you doing?" I asked.
"Doin' mess," Nathan answered.

Yeah. Nothing new. Just creating art out of his morning cereal. But that reminds me...last night Nathan added another reason to call Poison Control to the list. I was making supper (OK, and talking on the phone) and Nathan was getting his hands washed in the bathroom about 12 feet away. I know he's fascinated with the foam soap, but he was taking a little longer than usual. Well, all of a sudden I heard the unmistakable sound of my child gasping for air. I sent the phone flying mid-sentence when I saw the look of panic on his face as he struggled to get a good breath. I knew instantly he'd been eating the foam soap as if it were Cool Whip. The bubbles were clogging his throat so badly that he could neither gag them up nor take a breath in. After a good dousing drink of water he was fine. Burped all night, though. And has been burping all morning.

I talked to somebody today at Poison Control--they said, "Oh, you again." No, I'm kidding. (I was once again worried about oily substances coating his lungs--serious business.) No worries, though. The triclosan in it can irritate both the bowels and the airway, but no serious damage. Just lots of belching. Nathan finds it all amusing. I'm getting gray hairs.

Oh, Lord, please don't let there be a call #8!

Wilderness Fellowship

"I will take My children into the wilderness and there I will speak tenderly to them. I will restore their fruitfulness and turn their valley of trouble into a door of hope." Hosea 2:14-15a


This beautiful piece of Biblical poetry is the theme verse for Wilderness Fellowship Ministries up in Grantsburg, WI. (Check it out--it's a great & inexpensive place for families or couples to get away.) We had the privilege of spending this past weekend there with friends from church--some are longtime friends and some are newer friends that we've been enjoying getting to know. It was a much needed retreat for all! Grandma P. took the kiddos and we had a whole weekend to just play, hang out, and be kids ourselves. We went sledding (I got a bruise bigger than my hand) and snow hiking, and spent lots of time hanging out playing games as we kept warm by the wood burning stove. We stayed in "The Farmhouse" (pictured below) which has been refurbished & bunked all 17 of us. It was an an old fashioned treat, with no bathrooms and just an outhouse with a metal seat! (What a feat at -13 below!)

Many of us were commenting on how rarely we get away like that. And even more rare is a block of time like that with no agenda or schedule. I was feeling especially thankful for this time with friends and hubby, as there have been several seasons throughout our married life in which we didn't have many friends to walk through life with. Those dry and barren times make us appreciate the blessing of friendship all the more.

Thank You, Lord, for friends, and for beautiful places to share together. Thank You for laughter and snow, for trees and sunshine. Thank You for the warmth of a fire, and the warmth You put in our hearts as we treasure longstanding friendships and make new ones, too.

The "Worry Bug"?

Abby came home from school with a beautifully colored picture of a ladybug in her school folder. On it were these words: "If you can't do anything about it, give it to the Worry Bug." I asked Abby about it. She explained, "If there's something I'm worried about during the day ('like you dying while I'm at school,' was her example) I can just give it to the worry bug so I don't have to worry about it." Hmm, I see. The worry bug's going to take care of things. (I almost laughed out loud at how goofy this sounded.)

After listening, I asked if she could think of an even better plan for where to put her worries. "Give them to God," she answered. Yes, honey, and do you know why we do that? Because HE'S REAL! And He alone can give us peace from worry. Not a bug, not a golden calf, etc.

I understand the heart of what the school's trying to do here, and I don't at all want to open the door for slams on the public schools--truth be told we think Abby's school is generally pretty fantastic--but I must say I found it very sad that because God is left out of the picture, our children are given nothing secure to rest in and cling to--except a fictitious bug!

If nothing else, it was a good discussion opportunity for Abby and me. And if it comes up again in school, Abby's got a plan to share the fact that she'd prefer to give her worries to Jesus over a bug, thank you.

"Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." I Peter 5:7

Mushy Gushy

A while back, a friend did a fun post on nicknames. That got me thinking...

If mushy gushy, over-the-top nicknames for your children are any indication of your love for them, we must love our kids a lot. Here's a non-exhaustive list of some of the love titles we've used on our little monkeys:

1) Abby's: Abba-do, Do-bird, Abba-dooder-hooder-bird, (I said these were over the top) Baby Pumpkin Seed Face (my mom's), Crabby Abbinator, Monkey-Shiner from Caroliner, Schnoodle, Abba-dooby...(and my friend Jen insisted on calling her Peanut Butter in utero...)

2) Emily's: Gracia Baby, (middle name is Gracia) Gracie Girl, Emilady Lou, Rady-Roo, Ema-doozle, Emily-doodly-oozle, (complete with song tune to accompany) Boom-Boom Baby, Eminy-Schnicket...(Jen wanted to call her "Crunchy" in utero--but I had to draw the line somewhere!)

3) Nathan's: Nater-Putt, Bubba-Gump (he was a chubby infant), Gumpy, Gumper, Napers, Naperkins, Butt-bas, Romp-omp-n-stompinator, Crabby-crabbinator, Grabby-grabbinator, Pumpkin Head, Buddies, Ralph Lug-nut & Ralph-Nater (both my dad's). Oh, and my Grandma Sallie also called him Jeremy--we're not sure why; we think she thought that was his name.

All you parents out there...any cute (or even over-the top) nicknames for your little munchkins? What about when you were little...what did your parents call you?

God in the Detours

This was the title of Pastor Tim Haugen's sermon (re: link, podcast should be loaded soon) yesterday in Church. It spoke to my heart and seemed to be a direct continuation of What Kim Jeffries was teaching on at the women's conference the day before. (See my previous post on lamenting vs. grumbling.)

Where is God in the midst of pain? Many of us have asked that question. Especially when we don't understand how we came to be in the place we're at. We may wonder if God's forgotten us, or if life's seemingly random detours and obstacles are some kind of cruel joke that no one's let us in on. I imagine that the Israelites felt that way as they wandered through the desert. But Exodus 2:23-24 tells us that the "Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out... and God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant." Pastor Haugen reminded us God leads His people out of captivity, but that He doesn't always lead in a straight line. The Israelites could have had a much shorter journey to Caanan, but God led them on a much much longer path, a detour if you will--for their own good! If He had taken them on the shorter route, they would've encountered war with a people group they were not ready to fight against. (God knew that spending 40 years as slaves had left their battle skills a bit rusty!) He was actually protecting them but they didn't know it at the time.

God also wanted the Israelites to learn to trust Him. He wanted them to "learn to desire Him more than the blessings they sought from His hand." (Quote from Haugen.) This is what leads us to true freedom!

Have there been any detours in your life? Any times when you didn't understand what God was up to, but later you were able to look back and see God's faithfulness and goodness through it all? Having to move to Indiana was one such time for me, as was going through a time of infertility years ago. I planned on blogging about some of that...I guess I'll need a part II (or III)! More later...

Lamenting vs. Grumbling

This past Saturday I participated in an all day women's conference (complete with spa treatments!) at our church. The speaker was radio host/DJ Kim Jeffries. (Anybody remember her from KS95, 94.5 FM, back in Jr. High?) She became a believer a number of years ago and presented some wonderful teaching about our identity in Christ, as well as the stories our lives tell about God and who He is. She identified the difference between lamenting and complaining/grumbling.

Lamenting is all about crying out to God in the midst of our struggles. It's about being real and honest about our pain, but when we lament, we also hang on to the hope and belief that God is good will be faithful. As one friend put it, it means that while we acknowledge a painful situation, we don't camp on the negative indefinitely.

Grumbling, however, is camping on the negative. It involves complaining to the degree that we lose our thankfulness for what God has done for us, and we stop putting our hope in God--we stop believing that God is out for our good. (The Israelites were the example here.)

Lord, in my struggles, may I be one who laments and not one who grumbles! May I be real as I walk through dark valleys without painting a dark picture of God Himself. I can think of a number of friends who are excellent models of this. One such dear friend has been on bedrest as I type.

I think I'll share more about this in another post, but Kim Jeffries had us all do a helpful exercise to teach us how to "give a good report about God" in our difficult circumstances. Yes, I'll write more about that later! Stay tuned!

Measurements

Tonight Abby was using a string to measure stuff, namely the width of my arms. When finished she informed me, "Mom, your arms are bigger than Dad's." I murmured that maybe it was because I was wearing a bulky sweatshirt. She promptly went to re-measure. "Nope," she assured, mine were just bigger. Boy was I thankful to have that helpful and uplifting piece of information. Pilates anyone?