A Rough Day and Remembering God's Blessings

Yesterday was rough.  At 9 in the morning Emma and I went out to shovel (Cal was sick in bed with the stomach flu) and I just had to measure it.  Nick was at work half an hour south of us and reported when I called that they had only a light dusting and some flurries.  But at home we had 7 inches!  When he left home at 6 he said it was just a few flurries and nothing on the ground which means that in 3 hours we had 7 inches of snow fall. Unbelievable!  Well, I wish I could say unbelievable but truthfully this is the way it is in Northern Indiana.  The weather comes to us from over Lake Michigan and all of this was lake effect snow.  

Welcome to Indiana :) 

I didn't mind shoveling aside from the fact that once we were done brushing off cars and mailboxes and shoveling walkways and driveways, you couldn't even tell we had done anything because it had snowed so much more. Great.  

Then I had to drop Emma off unexpectedly for her to attend the symphony with friends.  I saw multiple school buses in accidents trying to drop kiddos off at the same events.  The roads were ice covered and terrible.  

I realized I forgot to pay a bill the day before that was due. 

I remembered I needed to order Christmas cards from a place with REALLY expensive christmas cards who was offering free cards...only to see that the code had expired and I was late. 

I screamed at Calvin and then we sobbed together.  

My final crushing blow was melting something in the dryer.  I thought I had stuck it in with no heat but I guess I didn't and my item is ruined.  I called the manufacturer 4 times speaking with different departments but alas, they don't sell the replacement pieces seperately.  Or even have them at all.  A search on ebay and online produced nothing either.  So I sulked.  

Then I cried.  

Then I texted Nick "I've failed you as a wife and mother.  I'm leaving you all now,  Good bye." 

I'm thankful I've got the husband I have because Nick texted back "go do your devotions...now.  God always meets you in the bible right where you need."  

And of course he is right.  

Duh. 

And my day did get better because even though this could be bad...

 It brought this in the late afternoon, along with lots of hot cocoa breaks and laughing:

 There are times that it feels like God is practically shouting...

"I love you, Silly Goose!  See?  I told you I would provide!  Your patience pays off!  Just trust me already!"

And Monday we saw one of those times.  See these beauties?  These were the EXACT tiles I wanted for the fireplace front two years ago when we painted the living room.  But they are $16 a square foot.  We were shopping at Lowe's and I saw them sticking out behind some other piles of tiles.  (say piles of tiles three times fast...go! Bleh) They were on clearance for $3 a square foot!  There were ten squares of them!  So we loaded up the cart and hauled them to the front.  The edges were kind of ragged and Nick asked if they could knock off any more on the price.  The sales clerk took them down to $1 a square foot!  Unbelievable!  We looked when we got home and we might have to order one more sheet of them but other than that we have enough to do the entire fireplace!  How amazing is that?  Granted we waited two years but the patience paid off.  And if we end up needing 11 sheets, what originally would have been a $176.00 project will now cost us $26.00!  I just can't believe how amazing God's favor is!

My last piece of awesome-sauce news is that we have a legal team that is going up against our insurance company about Calvin...for what will be free for us!  I am so speechless.  It is just something we never could have imagined except in our wildest dreams.  It's a huge long story and I'm not sure how much of this I'm allowed to speak of but for now just know that God is providing.  And yesterday, through small glass tiles He reminded me again, that he is in charge of the little and the big.  It may not be my time or choice but He will always be there and is always working for the good of those who love Him.

So here's to today.  I'm so thankful that God's mercies are new in the morning.  I get a second chance!  May it be better than yesterday.  May we be able to block out the thoughts that we can't do this.  And May we be able to focus on the good rather than the bad.

Now go do your devotions...now!  :)

Here Kitty, Kitty

Last month we were surprised by two kitties. 

We put our sweet kitty Roscoe down on July 1st.  She had gotten so old and was in so much pain.  

Her death was so hard on us.  But my loving husband buried her with a nice headstone in our backyard and the kids are able to visit her...which they do often.  

Then July 3rd we went to Nick's parent's house and their next door neighbor was giving kittens away.  The kids had been playing with these kittens for a long time...they lived in a garage behind the neighboring house and were free to mosey around.  So we had thought we would get them kittens from there but we just hadn't planned on it being so soon!  

But alas in the course of three days we lost our favorite Roscoe Ann and gained these two newbies!  :)

 This is Stripe Whiskers.  Emma chose this kitty because it had a girl looking face, which ended up being a boy.  This cat.  Boy I tell ya.  Has like a Jackyl Hyde thing going on...nice one minute mean the next.  Oy.

And this is Otis Num-Num.  Who is actually a girl.  Surprise!  Another girl cat with a boy name.  I guess that is just how we roll around here.  This cat is also friendly but also kind of spunky...is that just a cat thing?

I thought we had our hands full with watching Roscoe for when she couldn't make it to her box or having to carry her but boy that was cake compared to these two.  They've broken a dining room chair, a lamp, 2 runners, and a crock.  So far.  Oh and a shoe that they completely chewed through.  They eat dog food like it's some haute cuisine that's all the rage and they ate a pound of raw hamburger when I was putting groceries away.  Seriously!  I've never had cats like this.  Not even with our crazy, insane cat when I was a cat named Norm!  who would literally jump over my bed repeatedly while I was trying to sleep.

So there's your introduction to our cats.  If you ever find us locked in the bathroom, scared of our cats, you now know why :)  Hopefully they'll mellow out...like in the next day or two!

The Ideal Day vs. The Everyday

In my mind I admit that I often romanticize what I how I would like our home to look and how I would like our homelife to be:

Classical music would be playing in the background, soft light streams through the solarium windows at all times. The house would be spotless.  I envision myself in an apron contentedly folding laundry as I look on at the children playing quietly together in the adjoining room. 

My husband would come home and everything would be better.  We'd practically dance around him, Little Women-esque upon his arrival. 

All would be right with the world. 

Errrrt-goes the record stopping suddenly.  For that is hardly how things are.  

Admittedly our home runs a lot smoother when Nick's not home.  And that makes me sad.  We're working on it, I'm praying about it, but it makes me sad.  For some reason it just seems like everythings' more chaotic when he gets home...ugh. 

I do wear an apron, but usually it's over my pajama top and some sweats I managed to throw on before attending to some disgruntled child who's mad again that I turned off their lights when they fell asleep.  How rude of me, I know!

Classical music does in fact play in our house and I love it...but when Nick's home we have a constant play-by-play and replay and instant replay and called play and re-re-re play of every sport known to the Western Hemisphere thanks to ESPN and SportsCenter streaming through the house...like, oh yeah, go team -whatever-is-playing, go!

 And things around here hardly ever run smoothly.  Let me fill you in on our last week...

Nick jumped a curb on the freeway.  I am carless worried about the money it will cost to have his fixed. 

Sans car, I'm stuck in the house with two kids. 

Still worried about the money.

Twice this week I needed the car which meant we had to wake our children up at 3:30 in the morning to take Daddy to work. 

He got to be at work while I got to deal with the two children who had been awoken at 3:30 in the morning.

My vacuum is in the shop. 

Nick told me to spend $50.00 on it...it's getting fixed but it's over $100.00!

My dishwasher is on the fritz!  On the fritz meaning I can't be talk on the phone in the kitchen when it's on because you can't hear me!!!

We got a "we're not paying this you dumb people" letter from the insurance on a doctor's appointment that they said they would pay for.  I'm confident it was a mistake, just nevertheless irritating.

Nick has had to work a lot of overtime.  He works 14 hour days so when he works he comes home, eats dinner that he will undoubtedly criticize, and then fall asleep on the couch...a real romance going on here folks :)

Nick yesterday described to me our home as being "nothing is the way I want it"...well thanks a lot mr. snotty pants

Yesterday I was driving by a gas station and saw gas had jumped over 20 cents!  From 3.77 to 3.99!  I rushed to a gas station and was so excited I found it for 3.76!!!  I was putting it into park at the pump when the digital board and pumps changed to 3.99!  SOOOO frustrating!

This morning I went to open the foyer door and the doorknob fell apart in my hand.  Again, dealing with it on my own because my husband is at work. 

Yesterday I had to cancel all of our plans and skip the library sale I've been looking for because I thought the kids had lice!  EeEEEEEkk!!!  So the nit combing had to be done and everything we own had to be cleaned. 

Okay, enough ranting.  I just wanted to show you how this week has been.  I feel lonely because Nick's at work.  He's grumpy, understandably, but I'm lonely and it definitely makes for a rub between us.  I don't usually complain too much but I wanted to show you that at times people go through valleys.  Through horrible times (although I can't say this is a horrible time, just an ick week).  But we press on.  We turn our sights to the Lord who is leading us through it all.  We're giving Him praise in it all. 

Because afterall, things could always be worse.  At the height of my lice-indused frustration yesterday was the word that tornadoes had demolished peoples homes in Southern Indiana.  And family members. And their hopes and dreams. 

Things can always be worse.  Things could always be better. But right now I am in the everyday.  I am going to have to choose to change my point of view and make the everyday the ideal day.  For someday our home will be as quiet as a tomb.  And I will miss the sticky handprints on the door frame.  I'll miss the goggled kids running around with swords.  I'll miss the everyday worries that helped build my faith in God. 

The ideal day of the older version of me is today's everyday...

"...She always faces tomorrow with a smile"

Proverbs 31:25b

The Message

So off I go to see!  As I'm hearing a play-by-play, someone apparently has been stabbed in the eye with a light saber...

Happy Saturday everyone!  Smile for tomorrow :)



I Have Returned

Lindsay here. I am back as promised. Whew what a whirlwind of a time. It seems kind of late to be talking about in February, but we had a fantastic Christmas and such a relaxing New Year's...how about you? Did you enjoy everything that happened? Are you still savoring your memories? I personally am still buying Christmas items on clearance. I came home Friday and Nick said "oh great more Christmas stuff." But at 90% off you can't go wrong. My one and only resolution at New Year's was to become more organized. I am by nature an organized person so the fact that my house has been turning into a wreck every day has been sending me into panic attacks. So I vowed to become more organized. Even doing simple things like cleaning off the refrigerator has helped me find my inner peace. Look around your house and see what you can do. I moved where I keep the produce and it has changed my life. Just simple things like that can be done.



Anywho, thank you for coming back to read the life and times of Lindsay. I hope you enjoy. And please leave me a comment or two...I missed you too!

Haven-making is a Serious Job

Here...read this, its wonderful! I can wait until you finish reading. I'll just sit quietly here....and hum to myself. are you done yet? Nope? okay. How about now? Nope? Still not done? How about....NOW? Well geesh silly, its about time! So do you agree that we should treat our jobs at home like actual jobs? I know I do. When I am at home I think it helps immensely to wake up early, get dressed and get things around that I need to have a productive day. For example I often times will get the kids breakfast made in advance as much as I can: oatmeal in the bowl ready for water, vitamins on the table, babyfood and spoon ready for the opening. Taking care of our homes really is the most important job. We need to take it seriously to make sure we are having serious fun. We need to make our home a haven for our loved ones. They should WANT to be at home. The other day Emma and I were away from home for a long time and by the time we were almost home she was saying that she wanted her bed and Calvin and Daddy. She was yearning for home and I loved that. Does your family yearn for your home? If not what can you do to make it more haven-ish?

I can explain...

So our computer has died. Crashed and burned. I know this sounds silly but please be praying for it. All of our pictures are on that stupid computer and I just want them back. I think my little heart will be crushed forever if we can't retreive our pictures. Not to mention the financial strain this time of year with "SURPRISE!" you have to buy a new computer. Nick went to turn it on the night before Thanksgiving and it was just a blue screen...nothing else. So I will write as soon as I can more about Thanksgiving and everything but until then please just be praying that we can get our pictures...I know I should have been backing them up but I was always just too busy. Right now I would just give anything for my pictures.

And....Break!

photo by sugaree_gd

Sorry if you've all been wondering where on earth I am...I've been on a bit of a blogging holiday. I will write after Turkey Day...promise. Love to you and yours

God is Bigger than The Economy

Let’s face it everyone, times are tough right now. Sunday we came home from a family event and Nick and I basically had a giant meltdown together. Nick and his brother fixed our car last week and now it is making a different funny noise: more money for that. We got home and saw things in our house that need done as well as things in our house that we would love to have done but there is just no extra money right now. I am having some medical tests done and silly old money is what I am worrying about with them: I hope we can afford this. But God is good and His love endures forever. I must remember that. I must. I know that God will provide for us. I know people who are going out and getting second and third jobs to survive this and yet I only work part-time. As hard as it seems in day to day life we really are blessed. Nick was blessed enough to survive the budget cuts of the city: apparently they think they really do need him! He has a job and I have a part-time job and we are able to pay our bills, put food on the table, diapers on our baby boy’s behind and heat our home. We aren’t short in our bills and we do have at least a tiny bit extra to call our own. On top of all of that if we ever do struggle we are blessed with a fantastic support system of people we can turn to for help. Plus we both have our health that if Nick and I needed to go and mow lawns somewhere, we could go and do that. I know that times are tough but we need to try our best to look at the silver lining to our economy cloud. God is bigger than our economy! He’s bigger than that big bill you may not be able to pay this month or the groceries you may be dreading to have to purchase. Lets not rely on good luck or budgets or anything else…lets solely rely on Him to work everything out for us.

Vacation

Vacation was amazing! We went to the Cabin that we go to every two years and had such an amazing time. Emma was old enough this time to know what was going on and had an opinion about things. It was so fun to be with friends and family and just relax. We took Emma on a pony ride and she had a really fun time; to my surprise she wasn’t scared at all! We ate at our favorite pizza place down there and had a wonderful meal. Afterwards this photo was taken of Emma and her Daddy, isn’t it precious?

A perfect fall day. Afterwards we decided to go to the Lodge and play some checkers and look who fell asleep…adorable!

Saturday my parents and sisters watched the kids so Nick and I could sneak away. We had a fantastic meal at one of our favorite restaurants, and we got to make a memory by getting completely lost on the way!

There was a new waterpark inside of the Lodge which was just so much fun for us and the kids. Each night when the kids were tucked in bed we left them with their grandparents so Nick and I could bond in the hot tub. Ah, just heavenly.

All in all we had a fantastic time. Nick’s mom let us drive her car so we’d have more room and because there was a part of our car needing to be fixed that we didn’t have time to repair before leaving. It was an amazing time and I will always cherish the time we had of getting to spend time together.

Happy week to you!

photo courtesy of examiner.com

Yesterday was my Aunt Jan's birthday and because I was such a slacker I forgot to post this. So Happy Birthday Aunt Jan! You are so much to so many people! You are an awesome Mom, a fab Aunt, a terrific friend, a sensational daughter, a perfect sister, and an amazing wife and homemaker. You are such an example for us younger generation wives to look up to. I love your wisdom and creativity paired with your sense of humor and no-nonsense-go-get-em-ness. I hope you had a fabulous time in Virginia Beach for your birthday! We miss you and love you and can't wait to see you soon! Happy Birthday to you!

What Season of House do You Have?

photo courtesy of pbase.com

I was reading an article in a magazine the other day that mentioned that some houses tend to be at their best during certain seasons. And as I am sure that you now think I am batty, allow me to explain. Some houses look their best with the bright sun of the winter mornings streaming through the windows while the summer suns causes only a dull glow to settle upon the house; some houses thrive in the summer with the position of the windows they do get spectacular light and the views of green are unheard of; some get fantastic views of the foliage changing to its vibrant colorful self and when you decorate your doorstep with gourds, pumpkins and mums, it looks like Martha Stewart dwells at your home. Finally we have to pay homage to those spring time houses…the homes that look as though they are bright eyed and busy tailed in the early months of spring; their spring bulb flowers are a crisp color burst against the warmth of the home. So thinking through this, what type of house do you have? In thinking about this I have to say that we have a summer house. One of the huge reasons I am thinking that is the season of our house is because of all of the foliage around us. We are so close to our neighbors here in the city but when the foliage on all of our trees fills in we don’t even have to close our curtains for no one to be able to see in. Its kind of like living in a giant tree house which is just amazing. I also love how much light our home brings in…which was one of the huge selling points for me. Our yard is also somewhat of an oasis in the city. When you step inside our gate there seems to be a hush that falls over the land. The man that lived there before us (and had the forethought to do all of this planting) did a great job because I never would have thought to plant everything where he did and how he did. So anyway, leave me a comment and let me know what type of house you have…I am curious to see what season has the majority.

Posting

I have had a number of beautiful friends let me know that their comment are not coming through. I think I have fixed the problem...I would love if you commented again...I miss my comments. Sorry for the mixups!

My Wednesday was Wonderful...kind of

So today we went to Shipshie, which for those of you who don't know is actually pretty far away from my house. We set out this morning and were supposed to meet my Gram and Aunt Jan there at 10 but ended up not leaving our house until about that time. Jaime came over to ride with me and thank the Lord that she did, she was such a big help! I think she was about to lose her mind though with all it takes to get two kids out the door with extra outfits and snacks and cups and at the last minute Calvin needed fed before we left. Exhausting. Then, probably about 3/4 of the way there, poor Emma gets car sick and pukes Oatmeal all over herself. You know who your best friend is when they are on the side of the road with you peeling puke clothes off of your kid. Thank you so much Maime! Back into the car, cleaned up and ready to go. By the way thanks to the EverGreen guy who stopped to see if he could help as he was the ONLY person to stop to see if two women with two kids needed assistance...what has our world come to? At Shipshie it was raining like none other so we only shopped the Mercantile which was so much fun! I decided to splurge and buy new sunglasses...they are more expensive than I spend on anything but Happy Mother's Day to me, right? You can see them here: I think I like them the best on Calvin but that's just because he reminds me of that old bald guy that used to dance on the Great America commercials...do you know who I am talking about?

After that we ate at Essenhaus which was fabulous as always! I got a chef salad with ham and soup, which was originally for Emma but she wouldn't eat it. Supper was followed by Peanut Butter pie and a cup of coffee...yum! Another Giada moment!

It was wonderful to spend the day with the girls! I am so happy my Aunt is back in town and it was fun with Jaime driving with me...we had such a blast!

One of the things I saw I really wanted to buy when I was out and about were candles. But I didn't buy any. I have a million and two candles at home and just about that many candle holders that makes it just seem silly to buy more. I love the way candles look and the way it changes the environment within the home. Whenever we go to Bean's house she always has tons of candles going and it always looks so nice. So I am going to try to light candles every night before dinner. Here are the candles I lit last night to disburse through the house:

I think it will create a relaxed atmosphere which I should be creating for Nick to come home to after a busy day.

MEAN MAN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Okay so I don't think that any of you know this man but I had to post this because it irritated me so much. Yesterday we went on a walk which was absolutely wonderful. On the way home however there was a man who had his van parked in his driveway so he was completely blocking the sidewalk. Now I understand if this happens when you are having a party or something and you are out of room to park...that's cool. But this guy could have pulled up or parked in the street...the options were endless, but instead he chose to park in the middle of the sidewalk. So as we were walking we came upon the blocked sidewalk. The man was out there with his daughter who was maybe four and she was standing on the sidewalk next to the van. From the opposite side of the van a little boy, maybe about 7 years old rides his bike around the van and accidentally knocks this little girl down. The mean dad who obviously can't park yells at the boy to get out of there and then decides he wants to yell at him, so he grabs him by the arm to stop. What a jerk! Then he is yelling at the little boy that he shouldn't even be riding his bike on the sidewalk he needs to ride on the street. So I kind of butted in and yelled at him that maybe he shouldn't be parking on the sidewalk, which you aren't supposed to do anyway. I mean none of that would have happened anyway if the man knew how to obey the rules so everyone could use the sidewalk. So anyway, this man lives on the block next to ours and you'd better believe that the next time I am walking my kids around the neighborhood and see their little four year old daughter riding her tricycle around on the sidewalk, I will suggest she ride in the street. Isn't that what he said? Shouldn't the rules apply to everyone? Because yes, I know if you are an adult you are supposed to be riding your bike in the street. Everyone knows that. But do we really expect our children to do that? Do they have to keep up with the flow of traffic as well? Should they learn the correct arm movements to signal turning? Didn't we all have to do that as children playing with our friends in bike gangs? So if you see this man please tell him he's not a very nice man. I have been worried about that poor little boy all day. He was probably scared to death and is going to ride out in the street now and get killed all because this man doesn't know how to park.