Yard Makeover

This week I had the pleasure of helping a friend rehab some very overgrown bushes in her yard. It was a sweet time of visiting, working, and laughing as we took turns falling into bushes and piles of debris. We also enjoyed getting some hands-on experience in the art of pruning while discussing recent church sermons regarding how the Lord prunes each of us for our own good so we can be healthier and more productive. I’m so thankful for my friend who never fails to challenge and encourage me whenever we spend time together… whether it’s a peaceful family dinner or an exhilarating pruning session!

Before and after...

Aaaahhh...

Almost a month later and I'm finally starting to feel settled! Of course I still haven't found the iron or my B vitamins, but all in all the unpacking process has only been slightly more frustrating than the packing process. : p

The one thing we didn't count on was the extreme disarray in the office/craft room. See, our other home had a ton of fabulous built-ins and we no longer have those so we're making do with one tiny desk and one file cabinet. Fortunately yard sale season is almost here (not holding my breath though as it snowed 4 inches here a week ago!) so I can find a cast off dining room table of some sort to use as a two sided desk with some extra workspace. Oooo, this would make a good before and after post, ya think? : )

I have to say though, that the blessings of being in our country home FAR outweigh any packing/unpacking blues. It's been such a joy to see the kids riding their bicycles along our 1/4 mile driveway without having to hover out there because there might be cars or pedestrians, or strange dogs, or what have you. Not to mention the fact that we can now actually do a unit study on stars and the night sky because we can actually see it! The quiet is absolutely lovely, as are the birds, coyotes, distant neighbors, etc. My thanks to a mighty God that provides such wonderful things to enjoy!!

Whew!

Coming out from behind all the boxes just for a moment to say that my opinion of packing has not changed. Nope... not one bit. Don't get me wrong, I am excited beyond belief to be moving into our home in the country finally, I just wish it didn't require packing. Sigh... the amazing thing is that we've moved twice before and I still haven't managed to pare down much. I'm constantly getting rid of stuff, but more just seems to seep in under the cracks in the doors. : ) Of course it's all "useful" stuff designated for homeschool projects, crafting ideas, or some other task. So my question then is... why am I having to pack it all??? Shouldn't it have all gotten used by now? I'm beginning to understand the resistance many folks have later in life to leaving the home they've always lived in. What an ordeal... sheesh!!

All that said... can I just say how thrilled I am at the idea of being out in the country again?? No more nervous monitoring of the kids while they ride bikes in the alley or play in the front yard. No more shushing them for the neighbor's sake when we're out gardening and they're spraying each other with the hose and squealing at 7am on a Saturday. Oooo, and my favorite part at the moment? We get to have chickens!!! Has anyone checked the price of eggs lately?? Yikes! So, bring on your good chickening tips!

Well, back to packing!!

Looking for a project...

With the bonnet's done, I'm eyeballing some yarn that I picked up the last time my mom was in town. It's soft, lucious, and warm. But... what to do with it?? I'm thinking of some sort of shawl, but don't know whether to knit or crochet it, use both yarns at simultaneously, or work some sort of color pattern.

Lest you think that I've found the Fountain of Time (who really cares about the Fountain of Youth?), this is to keep my hands busy while listening to audio Bible and books for my quiet time in the morning. I hear things much better if my hands are busy, and stumbled across this method of working/listening a while ago. Very Shaker-like: Hands to Work, Hearts to God.

Plus there's something special about having things around the house that I've made while listening to Bible teaching, all I have to do is look at a piece and all the memories of what I learned while working on it come flooding back. I suppose it's kind of like having my kids draw pictures while listening to the books I read aloud for school. When they tell me about the picture, the story we were reading is all woven in, even if the picture wasn't directly from the story. The complexity of the mind is truly a mystery!! Glory to God!

First I'll Be A Mother...

I'm still thinking about my isolation post from yesterday and chewing on what else I am to learn about hospitality and such. I remembered a poem I saw years ago and thought it was very applicable to my current state of mind...

Our Home
Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere
For smears are on the windows, little smudgies on the door
I should apologize I guess for toys strewn on the floor
But I sat down with the children and we played and laughed and read
And if the windows do not shine, their eyes will shine instead
For when at times I'm forced to choose the one job or the other
I want to be a housewife, but first I'll be a Mother.

This seems to embody a common struggle for many of us. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating caring for your children at the expense of being a Godly wife, being a good homekeeping rolemodel, etc. It's just that I think often my kids see me strictly as a "manager" of our home and not a "mom". Does that ring true for anyone else? How do we find that balance? I was reading in a newsletter recently that the largest impact a mom had on her grown son was the simple fact that she was *there*. Not meaning emotionally available, or supportive, but physically *there*. Are we being careful to be physically there for our children, or do we operate on the principle of "Well, they're being quiet so I'll leave them alone and do what I want to do."

Again, don't get me wrong, I do this... often! But, I was given pause to think the other day when I sought out my kids and they were all playing nicely with the dollhouse. When I sat down and joined in, they were shocked! They didn't know I knew how to play dollhouse so well. And as I thought about it, I realized that I have pretty much counted on siblings to play with siblings, where as I was an only child for a long time and my folks played with me a lot because I had no one else.

So, I'm looking for balance. I know we shouldn't seek to be our children's everything because then they have no need for God, and we need to be modeling healthy marriages and habits, but how can we be careful not to lose what it is to be a true mother in the midst of it all? It's often easier to be the "manager", but somehow I don't think there are grown children out there saying, "Gosh, the thing I remember most about my mom is how regular she was at cleaning the bathroom. It's had such a positive impact on my life."

Any fellow balance seekers out there? Anyone already attained that balance that would like to shed light on the process? I'd enjoy hearing some success stories or some "not to do's" if you have them.

Isolated...

Why do we feel the most isolated, when we are the most "connected" that we have ever been?? This was one of the questions posed at the mom's group that I attended Tuesday. Our culture is more wired up (internet, Cable TV, cell phones, text messages, etc.) than ever before, yet we are more lonely, depressed, and isolated than ever. This is something that eats at me and weighs on my heart. Whatever happened to just stopping over for coffee? Why do we feel the need to call ahead to each others homes before visiting, and are afraid to just swing by? I'd just like to go on the record as saying that I rather enjoy unexpected visitors. It shows me that they are there to see me and not my home, they expect me to be in the middle of things and don't mind helping or tagging along, and it teaches me to be flexible, welcoming, and patient.

Our lives are so scheduled now that we leave no room for the unexpected. Where will this leave us at Christ's return? Scripture says that we know not the hour of his arrival. When it comes, will we be found waiting and watching for Him, or will He find us stuck in our schedules, kids obligated to everything age-appropriate, too busy to take time out for coffee with a lonely neighbor who just "stopped by". I know that I don't want that to be me, but I'm confronted with how little I'm doing to keep that my focus. I often don't invite other moms over because the house is a wreck or I feel like I've fallen behind in schooling the kids, or a hundred other reasons. No more!! I've decided that this trend in my immediate social circle won't change unless I take steps to change it for me. There's a great quote by Leo Tolstoy:

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

Well, I'm starting with me! Life is too short to end up at 40 with no close friends to laugh with, cry with, celebrate with, struggle with, and all the other things that God created relationships for.

So, who's with me? I need a banner that reflects my resolve. "Unconditionally welcome", "Intentional hospitality", I don't know... those sound a little pretentious. Surely there are others of you that this issue speaks to who are more creative than I am. Any ideas for what the name of this movement should be?

Integrity Update

Today's return went very smoothly, despite the long Saturday lines. The same folks were working the service counter, so they all gave me a befuddled stare as I approached the counter with two more sinks. After explaining the latest development in our sink adventure, they were convinced that I must have benefited from some kind of Post New Year's Eve Bash warehouse packing. We all made notes to make sure to place orders around the holidays in the future so as to benefit from this corporate syndrome. ;)

Alas, all good things must come to an end...

The very helpful gal explained that our safest bet was probably just to cancel the entire order and she issued us a refund in the form of a gift/cash card. We will use this to place a new order for the correct sink online. However, she said to wait and that if we were to get the correct sink in the next day or two to just bring back the cash card and she would give us actual cash and we'd chalk the whole thing up to customer service. So... maybe this isn't the end of this story... but I know two things for sure -- 1) my integrity is safely intact, and 2) that the service counter folks at our local warehouse store will forever call me "the sink lady"!! :)

Integrity for $200 please, Alex...

Ever been the accidental recipient of someone else's mistake? Did you just accept it as "good fortune" and move on, or did you make an effort to make sure everything was straightened out?

We received a shipment that was supposed to contain the simple, but elegant, hammered copper sink that we ordered for a bathroom in the home we're building (a splurge item, I admit). Much to my surprise, when I opened the box... correction, when I opened the box within the box, both of which were completely stuffed with those obnoxious styrofoam pellets. Grrrr, you know the ones... they get all static-y and you find them for days on end, hiding under all your furniture and stuck to your shirt, hair, and even the dog!

So, I open this box/puzzle and find two sinks. Hmmm, packing slip only says one, we were only charged for one. What gives? Well, after a brief thought of how nice a copper sink would look elsewhere in the house, I figure I ought to give the warehouse a call. So I do, and who picks up but someone that I know. Now I have no choice but to do the "right thing", right? Yes, I should return one at my earliest convenience... sigh... alright. I try to find solace in my sparkling integrity, while gazing ever so slightly longingly at the second sink.

Today I returned one sink, they all had a good laugh, were quite taken aback at my honesty (that's a really sad testimony of our culture, but I digress), and thanked me for taking the time. When I return home, we get another box that looks suspiciously like the one the two sinks came in. Hmmm. We open it up. Yes, indeed it's another sink although this one has a different design to it. We look at the packing slip. It's not our name. Ah-ha! Factory mix-up. No, wait... this person only ordered one sink like we did. Now we're dying with curiosity. An online search of sink styles from the warehouse reveals that the three sinks (2 in the first box - 1 of which I returned, and the 1 from the second box) are of two different designs, neither of which we or this other person ordered.

It seems we inadvertantly placed an order for one simple hammered copper sink from Random Copper Sinks-R-Us. So, back to the store we go, with one amazingly strange story... hope they think it's as funny as we do!

Update to follow...