Ironing

So, today the girl tween found "new" clothes in her closet. (See, sitting in there doing schoolwork proved useful after all ;-) It's hand-me-downs that now fit. So, in a fit of industriousness, she cleaned older clothing out of her drawers and is ironing items that were not fit to be seen in. Yes, the child is doing all of this work. So I should turn into new clothing and beckon her to do chores, and she would run willingly to do them, right?

If I Got In My Car...

And drove until I ran out of gas, could I live there?

Well, the question didn't specify which direction I would be driving, so I will choose a direction. North. Could I live there? Definitely! (Especially if I didn't have to find a job...which since this is a hypothetical question, I will hypothetically have an unlimited funding source and not need to work!) North would put me somewhere in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or perhaps even in Canada if I didn't turn west in the U.P. Since the U.P and Northern Ontario are both favorite spots of mine...well, living there is a moot point ;-)

Interestingly enough, driving until he ran out of gas was exactly how my dh ended up in this state. He had $40, a car, and 4 bald tires...and when he ran out of gas, he was here. He stayed here everafter. Yay for me.

Amazing Hiccup Cure

Believe it or not, there's a cure for hiccups, and you probably have it right in your kitchen. Eat a spoonful of peanut butter. Amazingly, that's all there is to it! Both of my kids have tried it, and it works instantly. It's pretty funny, when they start hiccing away, to see them run to the kitchen and rummage in the drawer for a spoon so they can dive into the peanut butter bowl ;-)

Teaching common sense

Where has common sense gone? I have to wonder sometimes...although the "lack of" is job security for me and my dh! As we say, "There ain't no cure for stupid!" Anyway, I stopped at an accident last night. It was raining cats and dogs. To set the scene...the expressway has a crossover due to bridge construction, and there's a spot that collects water when it rains. It's clearly signed. Those yellow diamonds (ya know, WARNING signs!) that say "Water over road" do mean something. I think. Anyway, so this chick plowed thru the flooded roadway at 60 mph and spun out. She TOLD me the speed limit was posted 60 mph so that's how fast she was driving. Ummmmmmmmmm, right. That's where I wonder what has happened to common sense? Ya know, that little voice that whispers to you that perhaps you should slow down and drive in a prudent manner, as dictated by road conditions? Doi!

One good thing about those lacking common sense is that it affords excellent opportunities for us to teach common sense to our kids. We often discuss incidents like this, in terms of how a particular situation could be avoided, or what could be done differently. Hopefully by the time my kids are of the age of majority, we'll have drummed at least a shred of common sense into them and they'll actually REMEMBER what we've taught them!

How to completely surprise someone...

I don't do it often, but tonight, I did it. I pulled something off on my dd11! She was away for a few hours, and during that time, I arranged for her to spend the day tomorrow with her best friend. (Best friend lives several hrs away but BF's grandparents live 45 minutes away. BF is visiting grandparents this weekend...AND...my dh has a class to attend, in that same town. So, dd is riding over with him and spending the day with her BF.) Anyway, dd had no inkling whatsover that I had done anything of the sort, until BF called her and told her. The mild eruption that occurred in my house at that moment closely resembled activity at Mt. Redoubt at about the same time...perhaps those webicorders were really recording my dd, and not a volcano????

Anyway, ds6 and I get some quality time tomorrow. With only one child to educate, I may actually have time to breathe. What a thought!

Choosing where to live

"What are the most important factors for you in choosing which town to live? Some factors to rate are: weather, population, job market, accessibility, recreation, churches, schools, shopping, crime rate, etc."

Well, the HTML code for my prompt today got messed up somehow (I DIDN"T DO IT!) and it won't post correctly, so you get question only, no link today ;-)

Interesting question. I've never really had to choose where to live. When I left my childhood home, where I lived was dictated by my (now) dh's job. As a sheriff's deputy, he had to live in the county where he worked. After we were married, we did work together to buy 10 acres of wooded land and clear a spot to put a house on. We both liked the woods, and not having neighbors terribly close. Our main factors in choosing where to live was affordability of the land, being in the proper county, and the fact that we liked rolling wooded areas vs flat open acreages.

4 years ago, we moved again. We'd thought that perhaps it was time to move, since by then we were both commuting long distances to work and the kids were getting older and more involved in things that also required a commute from our old house. The blessing that happened was that the house next door to my parents...next door to my childhood home...went on the market, and we were able to purchase it! Our acreage shrunk and we're not in the middle of the woods anymore, but we now have a bigger house that works better for the size of our family, and a nice large yard to play in. I still look out my kitchen window at woods...it's just across the river now and I don't own it, but thats ok. It's still very quiet here, like at our old house. We're much closer to the places we need to go...church, shopping, kid activities, work. We're blessed to have my parents next door, and I know that as they age, it will be easier for me to check on them and help them with their needs.

The absent blogger re-surfaces!

suggested by throught the eyes of an everyday extraordinaire

"Let it be people, music, objects, or anything else, what inspires you in your life?"

Definitely music. Because of my gift of perfect pitch, I hear music very often. Usually it's multi-part harmony. Sometimes it's recorded music. Sometimes it's a little tune that I "hear in my head" and harmonize myself. Sometimes it gets stuck and I have a hard time getting rid of it...but that can happen to anyone. And sometimes it's so stuck that I still hear it over recorded music that I play to try to eliminate it, LOL.

Music has so many capabilities. It can stimulate or soothe...energize or relax. It can change your mood and help you release stress. It transforms our world from a dull, colorless place to a place that transcends ugliness. As a musician, I can express my very soul through what I play or sing. I can worship my God and Creator in music. I can stretch my mind as I think about the words I sing...about their meaning and how best to express that meaning. (That's something I'm trying to get better at doing...I'm a work in progress!)

Music is a universal language. I've played with musicians from all over the world. Musicians with whom I couldn't exchange a "hello" because of language barriers. Language barriers quickly fall when there is music, and instead, there is unity. Talk about fun!

My greatest wish is to be a musician in heaven after the Lord's Second Coming. I've not yet decided which I want to do first--learn to play the harp (surely it'll be easier in the perfect heavenly environment!) or sing glorious harmonies in that big perfect heavenly choir.

Blog Prompts

I found the wireless generation's answer to journal prompts, thanks to what she said too! This looks like fun...might get me blogging a bit more ;-) Check out mindbump in your spare minutes, and then make sure you blog one of their prompts ;-)

suggested by Gemma Wiseman's Greyscale Territory ~ Poetic songlines

"If you were a tree, what would you be and why?"

I would without a doubt be a sugar maple tree. Just look at this gorgeous tree. Full, leafy, colorful, very shady, and best of all, it bears a sweet secret. I love maple trees all year.

In the spring...well actually starting in the winter...as the leaf buds turn red and begin to swell, my backyard becomes better than Bath & Body Works! My dad taps sugar maples all around our properties, as well as at friends' homes, and makes his own maple syrup. I wake up in the morning with my house infused with that smoky, sweet scent savored by maple syrup aficiondos. All year long, my 4-Grain Pancakes are topped with REAL syrup. Syrup finds its way into lots of other things in my kitchen...cappucino, baked goods, and even our fingers and hair ;-)

In the summer, our sugar maples (and other maples too) are leafy and provide wonderful shade. You'll find us enjoying the cool respite as we read together or have a picnic lunch.

Fall is my other favorite season, when those same maples turn gorgeous shades of red, yellow, and orange before dropping their leaves. I love fall colors, particularly those of the maple.

Winter for the maples is a time of preparation for the upcoming "active" season. Even while bare, those maples are still beautiful when they're coated with snow and ice. Their branches provide roosts for birds (including wild turkeys) and animals.

The maple tree is useful year-round. I want to be like the maple. I want to be useful, comforting, sweet, and pleasant to be around. I want people to look forward to my presence, no matter when that may be. I want to be steady and consistent for those whom I love.

My "Before I Turn 40" Resolution

OK, maybe it's not a resolution, because those are meant to be broken, right? And I don't mean to break this. So, it's decided. It's not a resolution. It's a way of life. A change for the better. I can't let myself go any longer--and I can't give excuses and wait for other people (my dh, my children) to be healthy with me. If they want to, fine--if they don't want to, I'm not letting that stop me. I already eat pretty healthy, but exercise has been my downfall. I really enjoy bicycling. Always have, since I was a teenager. And I've decided that I'm going to ride again, for my own health and enjoyment. I'm trying to get at least a 30 minute bike ride on the Rail Trail every day that I can. I'm not setting a goal of so many days per week, because that just doesn't always work out. My goal is to ride every day that I can--THAT works for me. Sometimes I'm by myself...sometimes one or two children join me. Whichever way is fine with me. It's the time duration that counts for me now, not the distance I go (that 50 extra pounds behind me with a kid on a co-pilot shortens the distance, ya know ;-) I fell better for finally getting regular exercise. And I dare not hope...but...ya know, my pants and shorts feel a bit looser on me than they used to. Not complaining at all!

Now where's the cattle prod for my dh's behind? He's the one who NEEEEEEEDS the exercise, for his heart and his weight and a bunch of other things that would be improved. But I'm not letting him hold me back anymore. Yay for me!

Playing the trump card

Or, how to silence a child quickly ;-)

DS6 inquired of his sister how many American Girl dolls she needs to have, because after all, they ARE expensive, you know ;-) When I informed him that his Lego cargo train cost more than sister's AG doll and extra outfit that she got for her birthday, he had nothing more to say. You should have seen her smirk ;-)

On the Eve of A New Decade

To My Dear DD10:

In just a few short hours, your second decade of life will begin. How time has rushed by so quickly with you in its firm grasp! 10 years ago, you were leaving infancy and on the brink of exploring life and the world around you. Today, you stand at the brink of young womanhood, as you rapidly leave childhood behind. I'm thankful that you are right where you are. One minute you are happily playing with a doll or other toy, and the next minute you are the hyper-mature, mothering young lady of the house. I am loathe to see you grow up so quickly, yet I am glad that you allow me glimpses of who you will be when next you stand at the brink of a decade.

My wish for us is that we will remain friends in this next decade. I know you won't always agree with me or see eye to eye with me, but I hope that we can work through our differences and remain in love with each other. I hope that we can respect each other, and learn from each other. I know there are a lot of things you can learn from me yet, LOL, but there is also much that I can learn from you, if I remain openminded and keep an open heart. Remember that you can come to me with anything--a question, a problem, a dream, anything you want to share or need advice about. I will always love you, even if what you have to say to me is upsetting. We can work through any problem--but hopefully there won't be too many of those along the way!

Dear daughter, please remember that God is your anchor. Stay firm to His truths. Remember that He loves you and desires that you will be a child of His Kingdom. I gave birth to you, but HE gave you re-birth. You are more precious to him than you are to me, hard as that is to imagine.

Blessing for my DD

My dd loves to sing. She's in a children's choir and has been selected to be in the children's honor choir for the ACDA-MI convention, in October. We finally got the packet with music and schedule in it, and found that it totally fits with our being able to observe our Sabbath and her still being able to participate. The music is sacred. The fun activities are before Sabbath begins (Halloween party!) Should be a fun time. I think every kid should get to participate in a music conference of some sort in their lifetime--preferably more than one, in fact!

Is it wrong?

My kids are both in a stage production this summer. The play is entitled "Auschwitz Echoes." You can guess what it's about. Anyway, the night of the first read-thru of the play, they met me at my work with their scripts. One of my co-workers was saying she'd like to bring her kids to see the play. A supervisor was standing there, and he was just horrified that a) my kids would be in something with "Auschwitz" in the title; and b) that my co-worker would consider taking her kids to see said play!

This really set me to thinking. How can it be wrong to teach children about past history, in hopes of not repeating that history in the future? How can it be wrong to teach children that bad things have happened to good people, but that there were people who cared enough to try and help as many of those people as they could, even tho that perilous to them? It's amazing how society in general can think that kids need to go to school to "learn to deal with the real world, how to deal with bullies," and other things they're exposed to in school--yet heaven forbid we learn about something horrendous that happened in the past.

As for me and my kids, we've read some very interesting age-appropriate books about the holocaust, and Auschwitz, and we've definitely had good dialogue about what happened and why, and the fact that genocide still happens in the world today. I hope and pray that I am raising children who will grow up to abhor violence, and who will be gentle and caring, and who will care enough about others to maybe be involved in humanitarian efforts somewhere, someday.

Budding actors

My kids have a great opportunity this summer! They're cast members in a play called "Auschwitz Echoes" which is being presented by Give Me Shelter Arts Education, which is an organization that provides creative outlets for people with disabilities. The cast is mixed--some of the members have physical or mental disabilities, while others are from the community. There are a number of younger members of the cast, tho my kids are the youngest. DS6 had his first rehearsal today, and the director and cast were all over him. He IS cute, you know ;-) We'll practice at home--his lines are easy but he has a number of cues he needs to pay attention to for actions. I think it'll be fun watching it all come together, even if it does mean lots of sitting thru rehearsals between now and the end of August! The closest I've ever been to theater is playing in the pit orchestra, and of course, the rehearsing for that is much different from that of the people on stage.

I'm also perusing the library for children's books on the Holocaust and Auschwitz. I found a few in my first cursory exploration, but I need to get online and find more. I think my kids are starting to get a sense of what it was all about.

Yes, I do have a brain!

I'm just not sure where I put it ;-) This morning when I left HOME for work, I turned right. I'm supposed to turn left. I've been turning left all my life, to get to the town where I work. Right is the wrong direction ;-) I hardly ever even NEED to go right. Course, this coming Friday, HOME will become a camper at church camp, and I'll be needing to go right ;-) I woke up thinking about what to pack on the HOME on wheels, and obviously my brain just went flying right on over there with my body wanting to follow.

You'll be glad to know that I haven't screwed up at work today, despite the absence of a brain ;-)

Great Timing

Expanding on the "home in Jesus" theme.......

I sat down to read my Bible a bit 2 days ago. My Message Bible was already packed away to take to church, so I picked up my NIV and as I flipped thru it, I found something I'd forgotten. (I bought this Bible when I was in high school, when I needed a study Bible for school.) Anyway, it's a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I started looking at how that works, and realized that this is just what I need for my daily devotional time. I was blessed immediately by reading the chain on prayerfulness. I've been doing exactly what the Bible instructed about prayer--praying morning, noon, and night; praying every morning. I've had to pray a lot, LOL, to get my dh on board with God ;-) Anyway, in addition to my devotional book reading, and reading the book of Genesis, I'm going to read one of the study chains from my NIV each day. As well, I've gotten a pretty journal so I can write a bit about what blesses me from each chain as I read it. I could have written a page about prayer, had I had something pretty to write it in that morning, LOL ;-)

June NaBloPoMo=Home

Thought I'd give this month's theme of "home" a whirl. My thoughts for today have to do with being "home" with Jesus. I firmly believe that, just like any other friend, in order to have a relationship with Jesus, there has to be communication thru prayer and study. I find myself being more and more "at home" with Jesus, the more friendly I am with him. Thank goodness for that, because it makes everything else, especially in the physical home we have established, go ever so much more smoothly.

The Ultimate Heart Attack

One year ago today, my dh had a heart attack and had a stent put into his heart to open up a nearly blocked artery. The experience gave him a lot to think about, and a lot of time to think while he recovered. I've been so proud of the changes he was willing to make in his life. He started by giving up meat and following the kids and me in our vegetarian lifestyle. He's even willing to try new things (as long as it's not tofu, LOL!) and we've found some new tasty food items as a result. He's never been one to exercise, but he's been trying, and we've been able to enjoy many walks together. The experience drew him and our children closer together--he realized that he might have never seen them again had he died, and they realize that they came close to losing their daddy. My heart swells every time I see them enjoying each other.

The biggest change is his Ultimate Heart Attack, however. He began thinking about God more after his heart attack. He even got a Bible of his own--the first one he'd ever owned. I'd catch him reading it sometimes when he thought I didn't know it. He became more serious in attending church with the kids and me, and for the first time, was interested in participating in Bible study. For the past few weeks he's attended Bible meetings--his choice--and he's made the decision to follow God, and to be baptized and join my church. Today--the anniversary of his heart attack--is his big day. I'm so happy, to think think that the man I love will be following the Jesus I know and we will be walking together after all of these years.

New bridge

I've been promising ds6 that we'd go check out the new bridge under construction a couple of miles from our house. We finally made it today! We took a bike ride down the rail trail, went around the barricades and onto the "closed" portion of the trail, and got up close and personal with the construction site. My favorite part was how pretty it looks already! The rail trail will be routed underneath the bridge, and that portion has a pretty white stone facade with a nice arched "tunnel" for the trail to pass through. DS' favorite part was the fact that there are two cranes, one on either side of the river, and one of them was working! I'd love to be able to watch when they lift the segments of the span and put them into place, but that's probably a slow process and who knows when it will be. We'll have to ride down and check it out every now and then, anyway.

Very pleasant surprise

This weekend when I arrived at work to begin my night shift, a very pleasant surprise awaited me. I still have a job! LOL, j/k ;-) A couple of weeks ago I gave very brief assistance to a doctor who stopped needing assistance in locating his wife, who was experiencing a medical emergency at her workplace. He needed to know if an ambulance had been requested, and if not, what facility she might have been taken to. I rendered assistance, his wife was located at the ER, and he took off to be with her. I mean, if he was there 5 minutes, I'd be surprised.

Evidently he and his wife appreciated what I did, tho it felt like I did nothing! She brought me a very nice gift basket and thank you note. The basket enclosed a beautiful coral pink azalea plant, a spring-print dish towel and oven mitt, and my favorite kind of chocolate (how did she know!!!) This job can be such a thankless job, so it felt very nice being appreciated--even if I did nothing, LOL.