We live in the Midwest, which means that we’re some of the folks enduring the heat wave.

In years past, we’ve just used fans to keep cool, and if it got too bad, we might take refuge at someone’s house for the day. Each year though we get a little more “soft”, and finally this year I put in a request for a window air-conditioning unit on the first floor AND the second floor. Maybe it’s that I’m getting older, maybe I’m losing my sense of adventure and hardiness, or maybe I’m just turning into a great big baby. Whatever the excuse, I don’t care. I’m grateful… for air conditioning!!! With only two window units for the whole house, we aren’t able to keep things freezing cold. However, the air is dry and the climate is so tolerable. Sometimes I start to scold myself for being wasteful of our resources or not being creative in managing the heat. But almost as soon as the critical thoughts start to enter my head, I immediately block them out and just bask in the cool air. I don’t care what my frugal side wants to say. I’m grateful for the air coniditioning!

My dear sister, Joyce, is right now, as I type, at 10:38 on Wednesday morning, at the hospital.  She found out yesterday that the tiny baby that has been alive in her womb for several weeks had died.  She was so excited about this baby.  It has been difficult for her to conceive, and many times she has been disapointed by false hopes.  So when she found out that she was definitely pregnant, and when she saw the baby’s heart beating strongly during two different sonograms, she thought it was safe to get her hopes up.  We had so much fun talking and dreaming, shopping for maternity clothes, discussing possible baby names, and doing whatever it is that sisters do when one of them is pregnant.  I even found myself thinking that I was eager to get pregnant again.

Yesterday when I talked to Joyce by phone, and then as we sat and talked over coffee, I found myself realizing how ungrateful I am for the blessings God has given me.  I take for granted the babies, the diapers, the craziness.  I prayed that God would help me to see with new eyes just how fortunate I am.  And I prayed for my sister that she would be comforted as only He can comfort.

It’s been a lot of fun to be thinking about specific things for which I’m grateful. But through this exercise, I’ve learned something about the way we think. We feel like we should say we’re grateful for things we’re not. The Scripture tells us, “In everything give thanks…” and I’m sure that there is great merit in thanking God for things that are unpleasant to us. In fact, often I am not grateful for things that I should be thanking God for. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always thought it would be so neat to have curly hair. My hair is as straight as can be, with only slight hints at being wavy when it’s humid outside. Mostly, it’s just straight. So when I met Michael and realized he had naturally curly hair, I thought that was so cool! Of course, his curly hair frustrated him most of his life, until he joined the Air Force and realized that shaving his head made the curls go away! Read the rest of this entry »

Is it ok if I post a second time in one day? I just had a thought and decided to pop online and share it with you.

As I’ve been doing stuff this morning (clearing the table, putting away tools, serving toast & sprinkles, heating up my coffee), I’ve noticed that my muscles are aching just a bit. I’m grateful for aching muscles, and I’ll tell you why!

For the last two evenings we’ve been working on our kitchen project. Michael has been working on wiring, and I’m his new assistant. Since my sister Joyce (his usual assistant) is newly pregnant (Praise God!), she is taking a short break from construction duties and I’m stepping in. So I’ve had the opportunity to drill holes in studs, hammer in staples over the wires, and go fetch whatever tools are needed. My biggest talent is when it’s time for clean-up! Anyway, all of these things use muscles I don’t normally use, and I can feel it. Every time my muscles ache, I remember working with Michael. We work so well together and we really enjoy one another’s company.

Last night my sister had my younger children over for a few hours so Michael and I could work uninterrupted. (I have yet to figure out how caring for preschoolers is any less stressful for a pregnant lady than contruction work is! Still, I’m grateful for the help!) We worked hard and by the end of the evening we were filthy dirty. But new wires were run and new lights worked! So we got all cleaned up and then sneaked out at 9 pm to get a late supper at Culver’s.

As I notice my aching muscles, I keep remembering all these pleasant things. So, I’m grateful for the reminder. Thank you, Father, for giving us reminders!

Since I suggested yesterday that we look around and be grateful, I decided to try to list one thing each day for which I am grateful.

I have a shop vac in my kitchen! It’s such a wonderful tool to use to clean up all kinds of messes! If YOU don’t have a shop vac in YOUR kitchen, I feel sorry for you. However on earth do you cope??? It’s perfect for cleaning up spilled sugar, crumbs from the bottom of the bag of chips, sawdust from last-night’s building project, bits of plaster that fall from the ceiling, and even the pile of crud that I sweep up but don’t want to bother putting into a dustpan. I must warn you though, a shop vac has a lot of power! More than once I’ve heard a rattling swooshing sound and have had to turn off the vac to rescue things that shouldn’t have been so foolish to be sitting in the way. The noise of the vac scares the baby, and the dog knows to get out of the way. Maybe they are each afraid that they’ll be the next victim!

Once my kitchen is all remodeled and perfect, I must confess, I think I’ll miss the shop vac. There’s just nothing else like it.

I picked up a book at a sale. It’s one I would have paid full price for several years ago, but I decided to be frugal and I passed it by. Imagine my delight to get it for a dollar in like-new condition! It’s called “Mega-Cooking” by Jill Bond. While I’ve been pouring over her ideas and suggestions for putting away meals in the freezer for those days when I don’t feel like cooking, I came across a comment that just jumped off the page. I’ve been mulling it over and decided to share it with you here. Here’s what she said:

“Don’t bemoan what you do have. Don’t covet what you don’t have. Just get on with it. That sounds good and easy, but I know it is work for some of us. Our attitude is our biggest problem.
What did me a world of good was to live in a third-world country for two years. Alan was stationed in the Republic of Panama. When I saw how whole families lived in refrigerator boxes and my maid could feed her family off of my throw-aways, I soon realized how rich and spoiled I was.”

I’ve been thinking about all the things that we think we must have in order to live happy, fulfilled lives. For some of us that might be air conditioning during these hot summer months. Others might think they must have certain housing conditions, certain foods, certain creams or soaps or lotions, certain haircuts, or certain friends in order to really even be at their minimum comfort level. However, it’s just not true! We can make do with so much less than what we have, and we can do it with a cheerful heart and a grateful spirit.

So you don’t have air conditioning and it’s 100 degrees outside? What are you going to do about it? Sit and moan and complain and drive around in your car so you can have cold air blasted on you? Or can you be creative in your ways of keeping cool? You can rest during the hottest part of the day. You can sit outside in the shade. You can play in water with the kids. You can use your brains to figure out ways to work with and around the heat.

So you don’t have money in the budget for the newest clothes and shoes? That’s ok. Wear what you have. Wear it with gratitude in your heart. Check out second-hand stores. Be willing to accept hand-me-downs from friends who are cleaning out their closets. And most of all, realize that there are more important things in life than the latest fashions.

So your house isn’t in the up-and-coming neighborhood in town? You live among people that make you nervous? You hear things through your windows that you wish you could shut out? Consider why God has placed you in this neighborhood. Take a second look at your neighbors and see the good things you’ve been too busy complaining to notice. Take a second look at your house while you’re at it. Does living where you are enable you to save money for other things? Does your humble home hold many precious memories for you? Can you find ways to live more efficiently and with less clutter?

One more thing. Do you find yourself getting frustrated with the children milling all over your house? Has God given you more than you think you can handle? Do you wish that God wouldn’t be quite so generous in sending along these “blessings”? Well, consider just for a moment the women you know who would love to have a child. They pray and beg God to open their womb and allow them to bear a child who will suckle at their breast. Other women wonder why God only allowed them to have one or two children. Every month they wish that God would allow them to have just one more child to hold in their arms. So, take a deep breath. Take another look at these children. Notice those chubby hands, those curious faces, those sweet high childish little-boy voices that all too soon will be deep and rumbling. Kiss those baby toes before they grow into big hairy stinky teenager toes.

And to the women who have a quieter house, find God’s gift in that as well. You have a freedom that is not granted to women with many small children. You can rest and explore and serve God in ways that other women envy.

It’s so easy and tempting to constantly be wishing for the next thing and to take the next step up. It’s in our nature to desire perfection. God made us to live in Paradise, so it’s hard to be content where we are. Someday we will join Him again and live in the perfect environment. Until then, we can find the beauty right where we are. We can be grateful for every little thing. We can take joy in the little luxuries that come our way. We can make do and be creative with what we are given right now.

Join me today as I look around and find lots of things to thank God for!

The lazy days of summer are upon us.  Each day sort of runs into the next.  Just yesterday I realized I was writing “June” as the date.  Oops.  I guess I’m a month off.

So how do you manage your summers?  Here, things are a bit quieter as we don’t have so many evening obligations.  My Bible study group is taking a break.  The kids’ Wednesday night activities are done.  So our evenings are more relaxed, along with our days.

Some people ask if we’re done with school yet, but I don’t think we’re ever really “done”.  School and learning happens all the time.  But specifically, I have a few goals for our days during the summer.

Each day I want to have our Bible reading and our hymn study.  If that’s the only thing that happens “academically”, I’m happy.  After all, that should be our first priority anyway.  The other things that are important to me are music practice, daily household chores, and some reading for those who struggle at reading.  Other than that, we’re not worrying too much about the academics.  Those things sort of take care of themselves, in a way.  I suppose I’m starting to sound like an “unschooler” in some ways.  But I can’t help but think that my son will learn a lot more about electricity as he sits with his dad pouring over a pencil drawing than he ever would learn with me going through his workbooks.  If we can seize the moments in our everyday lives where the kids want to learn, they’ll surprise us with how eager they are.  Isaac’s math skills have improved greatly as he’s been saving up for an iPod.  His dad said he’d match his money, so the whole time Isaac was saving he was multiplying by 2 or dividing by 2.  Laura knows more facts about birds than any person should know.  :-)  We have some bird books, and as we watch our pair of sparrows out front in their nest, we learn and read and follow along with what they’re doing.  Luke is so eager to learn to read better so he can do more stuff with his computer games.  So I try to make regular times for him to read to me.  Amelia just doesn’t know what it means to not do things, so she’s plowing along without any help from me!  I half expect her to learn to read without my help.  She’s really a character!

So, if your summer is looking a little “slow” or isn’t exactly what you hoped it would be, take heart.  There may be more happening than what you realize!

I got up, when I didn’t feel like it.
Got dressed, when I didn’t feel like it.
Went outside and swept the street, when I didn’t feel like it.
Planted some of my new flowers, when I didn’t feel like it.
(got them on clearance at Walmart for 8 / $1 !!! Woo hoo!)
Was kind to the children, when I didn’t feel like it.

and now,
I’m feeling quite satisfied with myself, and feeling like I’m having a good day already, even though I haven’t really felt like it.

I still don’t feel 100% on top of my game today so far, but I’m learning that one can have a good day no matter what one feels like.

How about you?

Watch the Webkinz!

The gift from my mother-in-law certainly made sense. After all, we collect toy lions for Judah, and this toy lion was very cute. I read on the tag that a person could register this toy online and gain access to various games and activities online for the next year. Well, no doubt this was a lame attempt at entertainment, but I’m a sucker for a web address, so I sat down and typed it in. After entering our code, choosing a name for our creature and establishing a password, we were in. And that’s where the kids took over. They sat down and started playing around and having a blast! I could hardly tear them away from it! The games were cool. The site was totally kid safe. The activities caught their attention.

Now the kids ask every day if they can play on the Webkinz site. They work to earn “Kinzcash” to buy things for their internet pal. They feed him, play with him, decorate his room, and argue over who’s turn it is next to play on the site. I knew it was getting out of hand when my own dear hubby sat down to play some of the arcade games. He actually looks pretty cute playing the Webkinz games.

Now each of the children want their own Webkinz pal. One pal just doesn’t spread thin enough to keep everyone happy.

Laura wants the unicorn.

Isaac wants the tiger.

Luke wants the gold & white cat.
Amelia wants the pegasus.

Mike wants the frog.

Judah has yet to play on his cool Webkinz site, but he seems to like the stuffed toy that gets tossed to him now and then.

I’m not sure yet if I like the affect the Webkinz toys have on my kids. So far there’s been nothing objectionable, other than the addictive nature of them. But maybe I can use that to my advantage, requiring various responsibilities to be done before playtime is allowed.

I’d be interested to hear about your experience with Webkinz!

P.S.  (update)  Guess what???  When Michael returned home from his trip to Virginia earlier this week, he brought a Webkinz pal to each of the children.  What fun!  The kids have had a blast playing online, and I’ve used that desire of theirs to my fullest advantage.  You’d be amazed how quickly chores get done when computer time is at stake!