It Takes All Kinds

This evening I sat down to do my weekly mani/pedi (yes, I was pampering myself. I figured that every homeschooling mom needs one vice. This is mine. Salon quality, Walmart prices. DIY, baby.)and the tones went off. No surprise. It is pretty standard. Nail polish goes on, tones go off. So anyway, I was just starting my mani/pedi when our tones went off for the ambulance. I sighed, rolled my eyes, I am sure, and set aside my "Preppy in Pink" nail polish. I grabbed a light coat (remember yesterday's post?), put on my striped barn boots (rubber boots, Wellingtons, whatever), and headed out the door. I arrived at the fire hall, parked, grabbed my bag and ran to the ambulance. We were off.

After about 90 seconds on the road, I began to second guess who my driver was. We were careening around corners and bouncing over every bump. Quite unusual for the driver I had tonight. Arriving on scene in record time, I jumped out of the ambulance with my hands covered in a gorgeous blue latex free glove, my jump bag over one shoulder and clipboard in the other hand. I walked over to the little car at the side of the road, introduced myself, and began asking the pertinent questions. Only to find out this:

Driver A and Passenger B were driving down the road when Little Dog C needed to... potty..... Driver A slowly pulled off the road onto a patch of what appeared to be dead grass and Passenger B proceeded to take Little Dog C out to.... potty. Little Dog C finished its business and Passenger B and Little Dog C returned to the car. Driver A put the car in gear and applied the gas only to find that all three of them were stuck in the mud.... The little car would just not go anywhere. Passenger B called her husband who met them at the side of the road and Mr. Passenger B then called for a tow truck. Somewhere along the line, a Good Samaritan who was passing by decided to do their Good Samaritanly duty and call 911 to report the .... accident... that they had just driven by. At that time, 911 did their job and toned us out for the MVA. Hence the interruption to my mani/pedi and our manic drive down the bumpy road. Now, let me tell you: one of the things that we are strongly encouraged to do (after we establish SAFETY) is this - remain professional AT. ALL. TIMES.

Yeah. About that. I slipped today. When Driver A finally stated (and by finally, I do mean FINALLY. This was not the first piece of information that was given to me. If the shoe had been on the other foot, that would have been the FIRST piece of information I would have gotten across. But that is just me.) that there had been no accident, I broke. I admit it. I snickered. What else was I to do? I quickly pulled myself together, got my information for my paperwork, and returned to the ambulance so we could go home. Here is my plea to you. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have the opportunity to play Good Samaritan, could you pull over and find out if there was an actual accident first? That would be really helpful. This type of thing happens relatively frequently. It just isn't always this amusing. Ah well. Back to my mani/pedi.

It's Been Awhile

Today I woke up to see the sun shining brightly and to feel "warm" air! It's been so cold lately that 42° feels like a tropical heat wave... almost. The Spring-like weather has even prompted me to start the process of Spring cleaning. Yay! Spring cleaning means organizing things that don't ordinarily get organized. It also means putting away the snowmen. You see, I LOVE my snowmen. They come out the day after Thanksgiving, along with most of the other Christmas decorations, and they stay until Spring comes. I know we aren't quite into March yet, but I am ready. If the birds started singing, the grass turned green, and the flowers started blooming tomorrow, that would be ok! I am ready to plant the garden. Thoughts of fresh, homegrown vegetables causes my mouth to water. Yep, it is definitely time for the snowmen to be put away....

AHA!

Yes, it's been ages, I know... Batman keeps mentioning this to me every time he gets on the computer. So, here's proof I AM, after all, still alive and well.

I thought I'd share an "Aha! moment" I had this Sunday. In the sermon, the statement was made, "faith is our opportunity to shut up, believe, and do." He then went on to say that God is NOT interested in our "but's..." I sat thinking, and realized that Bud is the PERFECT example of this for me. In fact, this is the very thing that we have been working on with our firstborn child. That desperate need to have our own opinion or reason heard, no matter what mommy or daddy (or GOD) has said. Hmm.......

"But, MOM, I an not cold!" (when it is -5° F outside and he has been told to put on a coat), or "but, MOM, I don't eat breakfast!!" (when told to eat so he could take his vitamins before getting involved with anything else so we could leave on time).

God: "Go, (do)."
Me: "But, GOD, I don't have enough time/resources/talent, I'm too tired, I'm not brave enough, etc."

Sound familiar? I am sure that every one of us could put any number of excuses there. Meanwhile, God sits there patiently waiting for me to shut up, believe and do. Someday (hopefully bery soon) I will learn to stop having a desperate need to have the last word and I will do just that - shut up, believe, and DO.

Resolutions

Christmas is over, the New Year is just a couple days away, and this is the time of year that many people re-evaluate and try to make a fresh start. Time for "New Year's Resolutions." Batman and I are working on a couple, and most people have at least one. Some resolve to eat better, to lose weight, to get in shape, to live simpler, to learn how to knit and finish that washcloth you started almost a year ago, to finish that book you've been planning for - what feels like - ever. Some resolutions turn outward and might be to spend more time with your family, to help others more, to volunteer more, to be a better parent, to be a better spouse, or friend, son or daughter, brother or sister. Maybe it is to read your Bible more, or to pray more... What I have found is that most people, in their resolutions, are trying to be a better person. And when they fall short the first time, many people give up. So here are a couple things I want you to consider as the New Year approaches:

The first day of the year is, essentially, just a day. Nowhere does it say that you must eat right, or exercise, or quit smoking, or read your Bible starting ONLY on January first. Really, that isn't a law anywhere. Today is just as good a day as any. Why wait?

On January 5th or 6th, when you screw up and eat that greasy burger, or forget to pick up your Bible that morning, DON'T QUIT!! I sincerely hope no one is ruffled or offended because I said "when"... I have just been there, done that, and know enough about human nature to know that WE ALL SCREW UP AT SOME POINT. Look, if you were already perfect, you wouldn't be making a New Year's Resolution to begin with. So, WHEN you mess up, don't GIVE UP. Every single day is a fresh start. God doesn't work like that. He doesn't hang out in Heaven, looking down and say to us, "Nope, I forgave you for that only the first time you asked. You do THAT again and you are up a creek." No. Rather, He gives a clean slate again! Which is not to say that we get to keep on messing up on purpose just because we know we'll be forgiven, but there is grace. God sees the heart, and He forgives when we come to him and once again washes us clean. So, if God doesn't give up on us or deem us to be "unchangeable", why should we do that to ourselves? Each day is a new, fresh start, regardless of the burger we ate or the Bible we didn't pick up yesterday. And God is waiting with open arms for us to come running to Him and ask Him for a fresh start.

From our Family to Yours

Hands on

Knuckle touch.



















Solid.



















Punch.



















They do love each other. Really.

A Debut

Sunday morning Little #1 had his first public debut.... A cast on daddy's foot makes drumming a little difficult... Bud was our fill-in, and let me tell you, he did GREAT! Yes, I realize that, as mommy, I may be a little biased, but seriously, this ten year old did a great job! *applause, applause* Good job, Bud! This mommy is looking forward to your next session on the drums.