Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Rainy Day Ramblings

pickupI noticed something yesterday.  I took a pickup like this to town to do my grocery shopping instead of

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         (These are just google images of the two vehicles.) Is it just me or do people notice vehicles? I don’t mind driving old, not-so-pretty vehicles as long as they get me from point A to point B okay.  My cut-off is when the vehicle attracts the attention of the local cop like the last time I took the Jeep out because the license plates are still out there in the snail mail world somewhere. So I took Lance's and found out that new and nice means something to people. I guess I am a little fuddy-duddy, but methinks folks put a little too much stock in looks.


Nice rainy day today.  I stepped into Northwoods Craft and Gift this morning to buy a roll of white crocheting thread.  I suggested to the lady behind the counter that we get to enjoy a nice rain today.  She said, “Enjoy?” I assured her that yes we will enjoy it since rain is what will green things up.  What wrong with rain? I love a rainy day especially in the spring. You can about see the grass turning green hour by hour!


Elv and I have decided that the old metal shed out back must go!  It’s heavy enough to bring a good scrap check and it is ugly!  We thought we would just turn the check into a shed-in-a-box or something. We also planned to take pictures of The Tub, the old red boat, and put it on Craigslist for sale. In the meantime Delvin got wind of our plans and wanted the boat for his family use, so Elv suggested they trade… “I’ll give you The Tub and you give me your old covered trailer for storage.”  Elv and Delvin do this sort of horse trading all the time.  They trade time for goods, time for time, goods for goods and tool use for tool use…whatever.  Almost never does money change hands…we won’t say why that is but I personally believe that is ONLY because they don’t have that on hand, usually.  There is a certain saws-all that goes between our two places that I cannot remember who owns. I ask Elv now and then and he tells me but I keep losing track because when Elv wants to use it he goes over to Delvin’s and gets it and then when Delvin wants it, he comes over here and gets it.  They don't even bother calling unless they’ve lost track of who has it.  Anyway, the storage trailer is perfect for storing the valuables that were in the ugly metal shed and Delvin’s children are ecstatic about owning The Tub. We hope they have just as many happy evenings of family fishing as we enjoyed over the years.
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Sunday, April 24, 2011

The More You Look, The More You See.

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This is true for watching nature, looking closely at a flower, or even tackling a clean-up job.  The same is true for our relationship with our Savior.  Our life- long perusal of His Word and our endeavor to live righteously in the Spirit constantly reveals His holiness and our unworthiness.  Even in our worship we delve deeper and deeper into the riches of His goodness. Seeing Jesus never becomes old hat when we are truly taking time every day to look for Him.
If this doesn’t seem true for you; please slow down and consider an eye exam.  There is an Ananias for you, too. The scales will drop off and you will see.  Acts 9.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Second Saturday In a Row…

That some of us are still sick.  Being sick helps me to remember that health is a gift.  A gift is something you just get for no special reason.  You have no control over how they come, who gives one, and when you will get one.  Despite all the healthy fads out there; I suspect that good health is a gift in pretty well every sense that I have just listed.
Sickness also helps me to appreciate the ability to work.  When work is denied me; I see it laying around everywhere, making my fingers itch.  The lawn needs to be raked clean of acorns, stray sticks, trash, and dog finds of all sorts.(I keep seeing a deer skull out there. Sometimes it is bleaching in bony motionlessness in the sun by the mailbox and other times it is staring blankly at us near the patio just quietly waiting for Jack to come toss it around or carry it to a new location.)   The ceilings in our house need painting very badly.  The walls in this living room need a coat of washable paint.  I DID scrape the inside and scrub the outside of the glass on our stove doors…my fires are beautiful again. Work is a privilege that was created before the curse and I can’t wait to have it back.   
Because this flu lasts so long being sick helps me to empathize with people who have chronic conditions. Every morning I drag myself out of bed and ask if today I will be better than yesterday! And everyday is NOT better.  Now I am confident that the flu can only last so long…maybe 14 days or so at most, but some folks get up every morning and face the facts that Day 14 is somewhere way out there….maybe in Heaven. I think I understand more clearly why they have to work on not being discouraged.  It is really depressing to feel badly day after day after day.
Now I have just proved to you how sickness can be a good thing.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pussy Willow and Lace

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The Pussy Willows are out/blooming/in evidence. So now we have a down payment of spring in hand.
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And I have discovered how to combat wasting time being sick.  This crocheting project is just the thing.  Anybody need a large table doily? The husband and son are impressed: husband that I am not bored, and son that I don’t have stiff fingers. Value is such a relative thing!
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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Projects and Messes

Charlotte asked me this question.
But I want to know, how did you do projects like that when your kiddos were small? Till I make sure my men are fed, have clean clothes, and habitable living quarters; there's not much time left for painting projects. Which makes me depressed, because it takes FOREVER to get one completed! So what's the answer?
I want to hear from others, too.  Here’s my thought.  You can’t do a home redo project, sewing, or painting without having a mess.  Projects and Messes go together like cake and ice cream, pancakes and syrup, camping and fishing, pencil and paper, boys and girls, or red, white, and blue.  If you plan to do a project; prepare your family for the messes part of it.  You simply can’t do all the normal dailies and expect to still have time to create. My mom always said this as she launched a new home project, “It’s gonna get worse before it gets better!” in reference to messy floors, stacked up furniture, or undone dishes.
Okay, over to you. What do you do?

Friday, April 15, 2011

Kitchen Project 2011

This post is for Lisl and Jenny and my mom and anyone else who cares about painting and home redo projects.  This was a major undertaking for us, both in labor and in decision making. Jenny, they say that imitation is the sincerest compliment. I guess you will know what I mean.  
To start with, we have been putting this job off for three or four years due to weddings and other projects.  The squeaky door gets the oil and there were plenty of other squeaky doors around here. Besides I was dreading it horridly.
I spent hours poring over paint cards and internet inspiration galleries searching for the colors and ideas that I needed.  Valspar, Dutch Boy, Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore and Co. all have good information for seekers like me.
And prayer…okay I admit it, I was scared of this project.  I wanted it to be good when we were done, and I wanted to love the new just as we loved the old when IT was new.
If we had known that it was going to take the greater part of five days to redo our kitchen; we would have all turned tail and ran.  I’m glad we didn’t know.  I was guessing it would take us three days at the most.  I was wrong!
All of us but Elv have decided that it is good…a success.He says it's okay.  Elv’s reticence is due to the memory of having to sand many layers of enamel paint off his mother’s cabinets long ago.  The dominant color was green not unlike the color I unwittingly chose for our cabinets. (Still rolling my eyes,. How could I?…I PRAYED about it!) Elv is being as polite as he can be.  I hope that one day he can get past the green and  see what we see and enjoy it.  
DSC00016 Lance helped us by taking off all the doors on Monday and by taking me to Menards to buy paint. Thanks, Lance.
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Take a good look at the old. It used to be nice and beautiful.
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DSC00018 All of the contents of the kitchen covered the table and much of the dining room floor space.  It’s a terrible way to try to cook and eat!
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The old border came off slicker than a whistle with a razor blade, some spray to wet the remains and a pancake turner.  Frances knew the tricks to that because she helped Jenny do the same.
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Frances painted all day Wednesday and then went to bed early in the evening with the flu. Amy stepped right up to the plate.
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Here are the colors: Chocolate River, Washed Green, and Wheat Straw.
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At first we thought that the brown was too much!  I painted two walls of it on Tuesday, slept over it and took the plunge and painted the other two walls on Wednesday after all.  We had plenty of paint to paint two walls one of the other colors.  Yeah, decisions!
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This is for you Jenny. Thanks so much for your good ideas. It’s almost as nice as yours, don’t you think? And thanks to my patient family this week while the house was bombed and the meals sketchy.  Thanks for your wonderful help, girls.  And Margie, you too, I sure needed the boost you gave me at the beginning when I thought I was going to lose courage and run. 
And a special thanks to my dear husband who puts up with my brainstorms and supports me in doing them by trusting me and letting me try them out.
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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sickness

   There has been plenty of sickness at our house and among our church families this winter.  Looking back I realize that we had two bugs here in October.  That was the beginning of a winter of poor church attendance but doubtless more prayer for each other.
   Without sounding depressing I'll just state the facts as they happened.  Following the October illnesses; one of the men in our church began to suffer from dizziness.  We tried to figure out how long it had been exactly, but last Sunday was his first time of being in church since the first Sunday in January when he came only because a brother's meeting was scheduled.  Meanwhile a mom and her daughter are being treated for a long and lingering Lymes Disease illness.(A long odyssey of much prayer and waiting and antibiotics.)
   Then in February the viruses hit our church family.  One of our ladies said that she lost count of how many Sundays it has been since the whole family was in church together.  And each family has a similar story.
   In our house we are now on our third virus event since the end of February.  Elv is running a consistent low grade fever and has a rattle in his chest. I'd be hauling him off to our favorite Physician's Assistant first thing in the morning if Brad and two others from a different family didn't have exactly the same symptoms.  It still seems like it could be "secondary", but we'll wait and see for a couple days here yet.
   We're all praying that everyone heals up soon.  When we all get well and when the two traveling families return we could possibly all be in church together for the first time in months by the middle of May.  I'm praying that it is  Mother's Day.
  No, I don't have anything profound to offer as a lesson learned or what God's plan and purpose might be for all of this.  We're praying.  If you care to; we would really appreciate your prayers, too.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Sunday Afternoon Domesticity


 Perfect Sunday afternoon: reading and doggy breath in your face. You might say that I find enough dog hair to clean in other people's houses that I clean. I really don't think I should have to at home, do you? I don't get terribly much support on this right now.
 Lance was NOT impressed with sharing his Sunday afternoon napping space with Jack.  He threatened to get up and leave the room if Jack didn't.
 But Jack felt fairly comfortable with staying especially since Frances and Elv kept aiding and abetting his presence.  I told Jack to get his nose out of the air for the picture, but he declined as you can see.


 Eventually we got rid of Jack...before Clark's came.  Elv was feeling pretty mellow evidently; so he allowed Benny to have a hand full of his ice cream.  It was the price he was willing to pay to win Benny's good will as opposed to bursting into tears at the sight of Grandpa's face.

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