My Exciting (?)....Adventure?????

As promised, here is what happened to me yesterday afternoon-----it's a bit gross and I've included two pictures that, while not totally gross, might not be good for the really squeamish...you have been warned........ :o)

It was a typical day of housecleaning. Nothing out of the ordinary, just catching up from the weekend. The tables in my livingroom are glass and so I had my handy bottle of glass cleaner and some paper towels and was busy cleaning those tabletops. When I turned from the coffee table, I noticed my front door (which is also glass) and decided, "Hey! I'll clean that while I'm at it." So I did.

When I finished with that, I noticed smudges on the outside of the door, so I decided, "Hey! I'll clean the outside of the door." Now, the door is a new door and the facing around the door hasn't been completed yet, so there is bare wood showing in places. Our house is older and so we are remodeling it a little at a time. I've cleaned the outside of this door more times than I can remember in the last several months with nooooo problems....until yesterday.

I'm wiping the glass and wiping the glass when all of a sudden I feel a slight pain in my right arm.
Ouch.

I look down to see a piece of wood sticking out of my arm!!! This piece of wood is deep, about 6 inches long and blood is gushing and spurting from my arm!!!!!




Let me take a moment here to say, I typically don't panic. I do really well in stressful situations and the sight of blood, even my own, doesn't really get to me, but.....

My knee-jerk reaction was, get this honkin' huge piece of wood out of my arm!!! So I snatched that puppy right out of my arm and then---have you watched those ER shows on TLC where blood is spurting out with every beat of the pulse??? Yep, that was happening to me and believe me, blood was going all over my front porch..everywhere!! My next thought was, "That could have been a bad idea..."

The only thing I had in to put over that spurting blood, was the paper towels I'd been cleaning with so I covered my arm with them and went in the house screaming at my son who was getting out of the shower, "ZACK!!! I NEED YOU NOW!!!!!" He comes flying out of the bathroom, cause he knows something is wrong...Mom doesn't normally talk like that.

By this time I'm in the kitchen and I'm telling DS to roll me off some more paper towel. He still doesn't know what the deal is until I remove the now saturated towels from my arm and blood is still doing the pumping thing out of my arm. A small panic from him and a call to his dad then finds me in the car being driven to the clinic about 6 miles from my house.

Oh, yes....I'm in a mess, but strangely no pain.

The result??

I had nicked an artery and after cleaning and accessing my wound, the stick went about an inch deep. I got a tetanus shot, antibiotics and three stitches.



Who says life is boring??????

Just Me and My Buddy....(And the Kids!!)

Oh what Moms will give up for their kids!!!

I have mentioned before that me and a friend of mine have a standing Girl's Day Out once a month. It's never on the same day. She and I have so many schedules to balance we could never schedule the same day each month. It's sometimes amazes us that we can even get out once a month at all!!!

This day is very important to us and sometimes it seems as if we have to move heaven and earth to make it come together. It's not that we do things that are just over the top fun and crazy....Most days find us getting a bite to eat....well, we always are getting a bite to eat....and usually we'll end up at Target and the Dollar Tree, for sure. Sometimes we'll go to the Thrift store and usually a Christian book store.

We just really enjoy the time out together. No hubbies. No kids.

Well, this will change today....

Today, R and I are on our way to Huntsville. It's about a 2 hour drive from our houses and she hasn't been there in, like, forever and I haven't been there in, like, forever...so we plotted and schemed. Planned and persuaded...and today's the day!!!

No husbands...no kids.....ooooppps....well actually, we have kids. 3 (possibly a 4th) to be exact.

R still has a son at home and both of mine are still at home. R also has a daughter who lives about and hour and a half away (she's where the possible 4th child comes in).

See, when our "precious" children found out we were going to a land with huge shopping malls, enormous thrift stores and food courts beyond your wildest imaginations....they ALL put in for the day off of work so they could go with us!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO US???!!!

Well, actually, they made us feel guilty....

You know that whining that ALL kids can do. Makes you feel like you NEVER let them do anything......

"Why don't we ever get to go to the super cool malls?"

"We don't ever get to go anywhere fun."

"How could you go without us? Won't you miss us?"

"Don't you love us enough to want us along with you??"

Oh....puhleease!!!....You'd think we were running away to another country....but it worked.

They're going with us.

And it's okay.......sort of....I guess.....

No really. These kids have grown up together and are more like brothers and sisters than buddies.

So..with that we're off!! Off to enjoy (?) a total of 4 hours in a van with teenagers singing and yelling and squealing and annoying their sisters and 4 different voices asking in unison, "Oh!!! Can we stop there??!"......and 'there' being 4 different stores.....

Think I need some chocolate and a Vanilla Bean frappacino from Starbucks.....(Didn't you know that's what makes Target even better????!!)

Signing off......2 Moms and a Van Load of Fun..........

I Found My Laundry Room!!!!

We've lived in our house almost 4 years, and I was pretty sure I remembered that when we looked at the house, it had a laundry room. Yes, I was certain of it. Problem was, I lost it and I needed to find it again.

There is this little room just off my carport that houses my washer and dryer, so that was the most obvious place to look. I can get to this room by going out the kitchen door to the carport and then into what I believe is my laundry room. As you can guess, it's incredibly easy to just dump things I don't have a place for out there. After all, no one goes in my laundry room but me and the kids...even DH doesn't go out there unless he HAS to. He's a bit claustrophobic and well...my laundry room scares him...

The weather was warm and wonderful and since I had been so lazy the last couple of days, I decided to redeem myself and do at least one thing productive. Clean out my laundry room.

I opened the door and took a good look around. I found that I had made a path from the door to the washer and dryer, and a path to a book shelf that holds extra food that won't fit in the kitchen cabinets (since I shop every two weeks).
I began at the book shelf and decided to work my way around.

I took one of those big, dark lawn and garden trash bags and began throwing away trash. Things that had gotten broken because they were laying in the floor, for the most part.

I found a basket that still held birthday party decorations, paper plates, bowls and spoons and forks. This party was 3½ weeks ago!!! I put the contents of the basket away and then put the basket up on the shelf it belonged on.

I then uncovered a laundry basket that held Christmas decorations!!! I've had those out of the house since the end of December!! Going through that basket I found things that I didn't want anymore, so I put them in a box to give to the thrift store and then I put the rest in a box to go up in the attic.

I found a 20 pound bag of bird food that needed emptied into the bucket I keep bird food in.

I found Christmas ornaments that I bought on sale to use as gifts for next Christmas. Then I looked at the shelf I normally store those type things on and saw that it was full of books and videos that needed brought back in the house. (I usually take stuff down to display my Christmas deco's..)

After taking the books and videos in the house, I put the ornaments away, along with the gifts I'd already bought for next Christmas.

I found more things that needed to go in the attic or given to the thrift store.
By this time I was about halfway through cleaning.

I came on around to the trash can, which by the way was climbing the wall....literally. I emptied it and made my way to the washer and dryer and the shelf over it which holds my laundry soap, bleach, fabric softener and such as that.

I wiped everything down..does your laundry room collect fuzz buddies like mine does??....and reorganized that shelf.

On around to the deep freezer and the shelf over it...maybe I should mention that DH put in floor to ceiling shelves to help keep me organized??...maybe not.....

On that shelf I moved things and put them where they should have went in the first place, wiped down the deep freezer and finally swept the floor...and it only took me 2 hours!!!!!!

I am so proud of that room now!! I actually put a load of laundry into wash last night and didn't feel like something was about to reach out and suck me in!!!

Now...on to the dresser drawers....!!! I think I have a dresser...at least I moved one in here almost 4 years ago.....

Blessings........

How Are You Feeling Today??

Are you finished with your Christmas shopping yet? I'm not. That is incredibly unlike me. In most years past, I've been finished for a couple of weeks now, and I can be found in the kitchen making goodies and being (for the most part) stress free.

I'm the lady who sends her Christmas cards out the day after Thanksgiving. (I'm still in the process of sending some even now!)

I did do very well, as I've previously posted, getting my extended family taken care of early on. The people I'm scrambling around for live with me!!

I've found myself wondering just what happened this year, and how can I prevent this from happening again.

I think the problem is..

1) I've neglected things. A stroll through my house will let you know that somehow things have gotten away from me...okay..they're out of control. Right now in the kitchen there are dishes in the sink, wrapping paper on the island, cookie crumbs in the floor. Come on into the dining room where you'll find empty pop cans on the table, a baby doll (Baby Jesus, actually, from last night's Nativity at church), a blanket (?!), a bag of corn chips and a roll of tape. On to the living room..which now that I'm looking at it, actually isn't too bad. Anyway, the ball's been dropped. No one has picked up after themselves and it shows.

2) I've been unorganized. I'm a huge list maker and it just hasn't happened lately. It seems as if too many spur of the moment things have kept creeping up and what I planned to do just kept getting pushed back until I had to do it and by then I was so stressed out that I rushed in, did what I had to (and it shows), rushed out and on to the next item to check off my list. I can be a bit of a perfectionist--which I've been working on--but it seems as if instead of trying to reach a happy medium, I've run off in the other direction!

3) Maybe, just maybe, I've been a little hard on myself....
Let's see, in the last 2 weeks I've been wrapping up some homeschooling projects with the kids, gotten sick, celebrated my 25th anniversary in the mountains with DH, celebrated my youngest's 16th birthday, helped the drama team get a performance ready on short notice...very short notice. These are things in addition to the "normal" everyday things...cooking, laundry, errands, cleaning...and including the extra baking that comes with the Christmas season! Maybe that's why I'm feeling like things are a bit out of control...

How about you?? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Does it seem as if everything is piling up on you and as if you're never going to dig your way out?? Do you feel that if one more person asks one more thing of you, you'll fall out in the floor in the fetal position, thumb in mouth, tears streaming down? Let me encourage you..

It really doesn't matter to your kids if there are cookie crumbs in the floor and a blanket (?!) on the table. It does matter that you bake more cookies with them and relax and enjoy the time with them. It does matter that you talk and laugh with them and make memories that will give them "warm fuzzies" when they are adults.

Maybe your hubby likes his house clean and organized, mine does, but I'm sure that if you'll just keep it manageable through the Christmas season and take the time to curl up beside him with a cup of hot cocoa and watch the lights on the tree and talk and enjoy his company, he won't mind the cookie crumbs or the blanket (?!) on the table.

What I'm trying to share with you--and myself--is that too often we as women think we have to have it all together all the time. In the process of trying to accomplish that, we often miss out on the things that matter most.

And I've saved the best for last--in the midst of all the frustration and chaos, when you feel overwhelmed and over scheduled, when you feel like no one cares how burdened you are....stop!! There is One Who is waiting with open arms to comfort you. He can take away your stress and give you peace. He can lift your burdens and bring the smile back to your weary face. His name is Jesus and He can slow you down, bring you peace and comfort and remind you that what really matters to Him is..... you.

"So I pray that God, Who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NLT

Suppertime Conversation

I am incredibly thankful for the conversation around our table at suppertime.

The one thing we've always done is eat supper together. As the kids have gotten older and started part time jobs, this has sometimes been a challenge, but as often as we can, we make sure and eat together as a family. If you're not at work, you'll be at home eating supper with the family...that's just the way it is.

At our house, the meal is seldom fancy. Last night it was tacos. The kids (and Beth's boyfriend) sat the table while I finished up the meal and Philip tried to collect himself after a long day at work. For me, it is very rewarding to sit down to the table after cooking a meal~no matter how difficult or simple~and look around the table at your family.

Someone prays thanking God for His wonderful blessings. You can always tell what kind of day the person praying has had. Sometimes the prayers are just blessings on the food~that would usually be our 15 year old, Zack. Sometimes the prayers are thankfulness for the accomplishments of the day and the food~usually me. With Philip and Beth though, the ones that work outside the home, the prayers will reflect their day and after "Amen", the conversation begins. Food is passed around and the conversation is always busy. It can be lively or serious. It can begin with a, "How was your day?"

Last night was no exception. Chris, Beth's boyfriend of 14 months prayed and the conversation turned to his upcoming trip this week to spend Thanksgiving with extended family.

From there it progressed to how Beth should approach her old boss about getting her old job back.

Philip shared about his day and the fact that it was a better than usual day.

Zack shared about his girlfriend getting her permit and needing to go to Birmingham to pick out her Christmas present.

Me...I mostly listened. I listened to the bonding. I listened to my daughter go to her dad for advice. I listened to Chris, who, when he first started dating Beth, thought our supper table sounded like chaos..."So many conversations going at once!"...interjecting his opinions and sharing the plans he has for his very immediate future. In the 14 months they've been dating, he's decided that when he has his own family, he wants it to be open and close like ours~how humbling...I watched as Zack and Chris "fought" over the shredded cheese and taco sauce.

I laughed as Chris pretended he didn't have a root beer for Beth when he came back in from the kitchen to get a napkin.

After our meal, as I was washing dishes, I listened to the rustling of the newspaper as my husband continued to unwind from his day.

I listened to the laughter from Chris and Zack as they cleared off the table and I enjoyed the conversation with my daughter as she helped me clean the kitchen back up.

Sometimes, I feel that we open up the most and grow the closest when we're eating supper. Why? I believe it's because we are all together at one time..not each going their own way. I believe it's a time when we actually are sitting down and we all have each other's attention. I believe it's because the TV is off and the telephone is ignored.

No, it's not as easy as it was to organize supper as a family as it was when the kids were younger, but I am so thankful that it was something we didn't leave optional as a new family. Now, almost 18 years later, we are reaping the blessings of making family..our family.. a priority.

If you don't already, start tonight eating supper together. You may have to eat a little later or a little earlier. You may have to fix something quick because of somewhere someone needs to be..or better yet, drag out that crock pot. You can have an awesome meal with little effort. Whatever you do, put forth that effort to sit your family down together one time a day. You will be amazed at how close your family will become!!

Blessings.....

How Did Chaos Find Me??

All I can do is beg for your patience.

Somehow......

1) Our drama team is learning a new drama. (I'm the "adult in charge")
2)Hubby decided the bathroom needed repainted
3)Rain set in..can't hang laundry out
4) Son woke up with big red eye...1 hour at the Dr....2 hours at the pharmacy...Pink Eye's in the house!!!!
5)It's after 4 and supper is still frozen
6) Couldn't do laundry (see #4)
7) No clean towels......must do laundry
8)Hubby gets paid tomorrow....need a couple of hours to work out shopping list (What!!!!??)

So you see, somehow chaos found me and I'm totally behind. I promised a shopping update, and I'm going to get it out but in all likelihood....it will probably be tomorrow or Saturday.

I want to share shopping and saving, but I also want to be the wife and mom God called me to be, so taking care of the immediate needs of my family must come first.

I will catch up soon.....I'm sure........

Blessings.....