Thanks, Fay!

Today in the Southern US , we were graced with a prolonged visit from Fay...Tropical Storm Fay. She arrived sometime last evening & hung around all night, like a wet blanket. A really, REALLY wet blanket. And as the morning broke through, she continued her assault on all that is (was) dry.

Oh well, at least GA & Northern AL got some much needed rain. Unfortunately, she left the front door wide open & now Gustav is heading our way. Ah, the joys of the seaside lifestyle!

Tom Gaston Road House

I saw the perfect house for us today. It is beautiful!
Here are some photos:

The garage - notice the shelves? Already has built-in places to store stuff! (photos taken from the doorway of the house/utility room) - the door in the photo goes onto the back porch.









The utility room - shelves & a sink













The kitchen - lots of storage, a huge breakfast area & a window seat - PLUS a desk area for storing all the clutter that usually ends up on our island.












The island in the kitchen has big deep drawers on one side and there is a lazy susan in the corner next to the stove - I like those features!












The living room & master bedroom have beautiful built-ins too.

Rr is for Room MOM!

Well, school started last Monday (hence the absence of my blog entries for the past week...). Both of my girls started and I get to realize my life-long dream of being a "Room Mom". Yippie!

So far, I've sorted 9 billion pages of soon-to-be-completed 3 & 4 years old school work, filled out menus on 2 mornings & dropped off 30 paper sacks that were generously donated by the neighborhood Cracker Barrel. And that was week one. This is GREAT!!

Maybe I'm crazy, but I just LOVE being able to help folks, even in the tiniest ways. Now I get the chance to help AND spy on my kids. What could be better!??

Ok, I need to go. I have a fresh stack of pages to sort, then I suppose I should feed these 3...Ah...I love my life.

Bunco!

Okay, so I'm a goober. I don't care. I played Bunco tonight & L-O-V-E-D it! I even got 2 Buncos! Yay, Me!

My sweet neighbor so kindly invited me & some friends to her immaculately kept house to enjoy some no-kids-and-no-men girl time. It was great! I highly recommend it!

This is a super short post because I'm exhausted...Ah...sweet sleep...come to me now...ZZzzzzzzz...

Mia's Top Ten Marital Bliss List

This evening my darling husband & I shared a romantic meal over candlelight, reminiscing the past 8 years while our wonderful neighbors cared for the 2 angelic fruits of our love. It was very sweet.

Earlier this afternoon I went to a bridal shower. There the hostess asked us to offer our advice to the Bride-elect for making a marriage work. That was comical!

Last night there was a wedding between 2 people that seemed full of all the most wonderful plans for a future full of nothing but joyful marital bliss. The groom & his attendants had ties & cumberbunds in their favorite team colors & the "favors" that they gave away were cups & shakers (pom-poms) of said favorite team. That reception was a hoot!

With all the nuptial love in the air, I thought I'd lay out the top 10 things that I have found make a marriage "work". Now we have only been married 8 years so we're still relatively newly-wed, but we have faced some tough stuff together. We've come out stronger & more determined to last through the ages.

I hope these thoughts help you keep your marriage at the top of your priority list.

10. Never say "always" or "never". Rarely does one ever do a thing "always" or "never". Give your spouse the benefit of the doubt.

9. Fight fair. The Bible says that love "keeps no record of wrongs". Keep the discussion on topic. Don't dredge up past failures or misunderstandings. No below the belt hits.

8. Arguments should have resolution as their goal, not "winning". Don't try to punish or "one-up" your spouse in an argument. Everyone loses that way.

7. Find something you share passionately OUTSIDE the bedroom.

6. Laugh often.

5. Enjoy your spouse & accept their weaknesses. We're all sinners in need of grace.

4. Sex...need I say more?

3. Your marriage is between you & your spouse, not your mother, best friend's cousin's neighbor's dog groomer. Don't let someone else's opinion of your spouse sour your relationship. Let the truth reign in your heart & home.

2. Your marriage is not about you...or your spouse. Marriage is supposed to represent the relationship that Christ has with His church. Jesus doesn't gripe & grumble or complain or nag us into following him. Neither does He respond to that from His church.

1. Keep your focus on God. God's love is like a magnet that naturally & un-oppressively draws you to your spouse. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness".

One of "those" days...

So today started off poorly before the rooster crowed. Actually, the day started, right as the day started. I awoke just after midnight sick to my stomach. My body ached from head to toe. My "stump" throbbed as if recently slammed in a door.

In addition to the pain, I had a couple of scenes running simultaneously through my head. The first was of an inevitable confrontation between me & the prosthetist in town. This "run-in" was part of the source of my stomach ailment, since I hate confrontation. However, I had dropped it off over a month ago to have a joint replaced & have not heard from them. When I called a couple of weeks ago I was told that "it takes time" and that he "would call me" whenever he got it done. Seriously? I'm supposed to wait around for them to fix a problem while the new leg I recently received (via UPS - click here for full story) is in need of "tweaking"?

I felt as if I was in the right & should be told EXACTLY what was going on with my leg. But I never did call today. I just felt uneasy about the whole thing. I felt I needed to consider my words before I called so I didn't go off half-cocked & stir a hornet's nest that didn't need to be disturbed. The Bible says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1 NIV). I needed to find a "gentle answer".

The other part of my stomach ache was that my brother was flying into a town nearby & I was supposed to go pick up my nephew for a few days while my brother did some work. Now I love my brother & adore my nephew, but relations with my bro have been...hmm, how shall I say this..."strained" in recent years (click here). I honestly did & didn't want to see him with equal amounts of desire. I'm just not sure how to relate to him. It seems everything I say or do is wrong and I still have no idea what I did to cause this rift. I've asked him but he tells me nothing...as if I should just "know".

Anyway, I couldn't sleep last night so I got up & got on the couch. I lay there until my husband got up at 4:30. Then I made him breakfast & lay back down on the couch. I dreaded putting my leg on all day but my "good" foot & my shoulders ached so I drug my wheelchair in from the garage & wheeled around the house all day.

Well, I say all day but it was really only about an hour or two. I lay on the couch most of the day. I tried to get some work done but only managed an hour. I let the kids (my 2 and a neighbor's child I keep) run wild for the better part of the morning. I finally drug myself off the couch about 11 'ish to make some lunch. Then I brought the wheelchair in, wheeled around helping the kids clean up their relatively unsupervised mess and then, around noon:30, I got a shower.

As I dried off & prepared to don my leg I prayed again (I had been praying all morning) for God to help me not hurt long enough to face my brother & his offspring without giving them an inkling that I wasn't 100%. I like to let him believe I am just fine & don't bother letting him know that I hurt...constantly. It seems easier that way. I don't cry as much. I mean, if he knew & didn't care, that would really hurt.

Oh well. This story does have a happy ending. God answered my prayers. The pain is minimal & I still have the leg on (about 7 hours now).

P.S. I wish I had a "crippled" friend that I could talk to about things like residual limb blisters & infections, but I don't. So I will put it out here for you, the bloglings to interpret & hopefully offer suggestions...or sympathy. I really just need a hug today...

Happy Anniversary!

Well, we made it past the 7 year mark without the proverbial "Itch" affecting either of us. Hallelujah! Today is the anniversary of one of the greatest events in my life, our wedding. Eight years ago today, I said , "I do" to the most wonderful man ever. And you know what? I still do.

So, in celebration of this momentous occasion, I want to cook him his favorite meal, have the kiddos bathed & groomed and erase everything from his "Honey-do" list (well, maybe "reschedule" them) prior to his arrival from a long day's work. I say I "want" to because the way the day is going, I'm not sure I'll even get the veggies defrosted. Probably another frozen pizza night.

Hey! That may just be about the most perfect thing we could have. When we were newly-wed, we would share a Totino's pizza for dinner. You know those? The ones that I can eat in one bite now? Yep, we'd SHARE it. Right down the middle. Ha, ha! I think maybe I'll pull one (and just one) out tonight & see what he says. Chances are, my perfect man will smile graciously and suggest soup & a sandwich to go along with it.

No matter what we have, I know we will enjoy it...together. As we bow our heads and our 3 year old sings her prayer of sweetness over whatever we have on the table, my husband will grab my hand & together we'll thank God that He brought us together. Our kids will giggle as Daddy winks at Mommy. Then the 5 year old will smile & say, "Kiss her, Daddy!"

And he will...

Thank you Jesus, that you love me so much that you not only gave me this wonderful family, but most importantly, you gave your blood for me. As excited as I am about another year of wedded bliss, I am humbled to think of the plan into which you have unfolded and are continuing to weave my life.

Thank you.

T minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Next Monday brings with it a breath of fresh air that is not typical of Monday mornings. School begins that day. While some are dreading the arguments that will undoubtedly ensue over homework, misplaced backpacks and filthy gym clothes left in a vinyl bag in the back of the car for 2 weeks until the smell knocks one down upon opening, I and my children look forward to Monday with great joy and anticipation.

For my children, they are excited to go to school so they can meet new friends & have some fun stuff to do. Quite frankly, I think I bore them by now. Stay-at-home-moms? Where's the glory?

For me, as this will be the first year of "real" school for my little wonder-lings, it's my first go at "Room Mom". While some cringe at the thought of bearing that title, it has been one I have to admit that I have coveted for years. The very idea of having the honor of assisting my children's teachers in their duties, in any way needed, seems to me, sweetness...plus I can spy on the little boogers without raising suspicions!

I met the teachers last Thursday & brought home the first of my tasks, page-sorting. For those unaccustomed to the very glamorous life of a "Page-Sorter", please, allow me to elaborate. First, you gather into your spindly little arms, 25 of the thickest workbooks made (might I remind you that my oldest child is 5...). Then, as you struggle under the weight, you put them in your car & carry them home...to struggle under the weight to bring them IN the house.

Next, as you drop them to scatter where they will, you decide that this (wherever they land) is the best place to handle the page-sorting job. Then comes the tearing, and the turning, and the putting together of like pages into neat little stacks of 25. Simple, right? Did I also neglect to mention that there are over 150 pages per book? yikes...

Nonetheless, I've completed my chore of love & am getting the little darlings ready to return for another batch. And since I can't possibly wait until the first day of school, I got the teachers' email addresses so I can make sure I am meeting their needs...[stalking?]...as well as possible.

Please pray...