So the Sluggard Turns on Her Bed...

I love the early morning hours before the day kicks in to overdrive & strains my forward gears to their breaking point...but I am not a "morning person". Strange. I've always wanted to be. I just can't seem to follow through every morning the same. I get too tired by about the 3rd early morning that I just lay in bed sleepy-eyed until the first rays split through the blinds like a laser light show...and I've been known to watch that show all morning...

Well, I'm going to try to break from that old and unwelcome habit. I've always wanted to start my day before the world gets cranked up around here, so I've decided in my heart to take a cue from Nike & "just do it". Like most things in life, no one can do it for me. I just have to be...her comes THAT word...consistent.

That is my real problem. Consistency seems to be my downfall. I'm one of those "creative" types that loves change and gets rashy with routine. But I've found that is a fancy way to say, I'm lazy. Lazy, like a slug. Dragging my trail of inconsistency through the lives of my friends, family & various loved ones leaving only a mess behind me. Half-finished or barely begun projects, unreturned phone calls, unsent birthday cards...an unloving, ungodly mess.

See, what I've tried to mask as "creative impulses" was really just plain old inconsiderate-ness, laziness, inconsistency. Routines are established by God very early in the plan. Genesis 1:14, And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years..." Every day is like the one before it. The years pass in the same way as before. Seasons change in the same slow, steady rhythm. So if God sets up consistency in the very beginning, before even man, who am I to consider myself "creative" when I ignore that simple principle? Do I really think I'm more creative than God?

So let today start a new chapter in my life. Let my words be reliable, my actions consistent & my heart dependable. May I be someone others can count on. Lord, help me...

I love Love

This evening, I spent a short amount of time with some friends celebrating the pending nuptials of two. What a great thing to love and to be loved.

Happy Valentine's Day to all. I hope you each have someone to love.

Ah, peace...

I missed a whole month! What have I been doing??

Well, we had 2 kindergarten parties to plan & execute, numerous crafts, shopping for crafts & Christmas preparations. I joined Facebook & that sucked 3/4 of my freetime...that site should be regulated by the FDA...

Anyway, here we are in 2009. Wow. That sounds so strange. 2009...It's like a fantasy year or something. It's almost unreal.

Many things come to mind as I sit & ponder a new year. Will my children get good teachers in the Fall? Will we sell our house? Will we find the right place to move if we can sell? Will the economy pick up long enough for us to snatch our savings from the hungry mouth of Socialism?

So many questions that we can't possible answer yet. And still we are pushed onward. Last year, 2008, was such a wonderful year of growth & discovery. My daughters outgrew diapers & pacifiers completely. My marriage moved into a new phase of comfort & security. My spiritual life reached a plateau of peace. I'm ok not being the god of my life. That's huge!

I seem to be resting in the afterglow of bliss after the passion of burning up all the pain of the past. I have dealt with, forgiven & moved on. I'm ready to live! I can breathe. I can stand & I can move deeper into God's will.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the grace to relax in Your presence. Ah, peace. Sweet peace...

Fa, lala, la, la, lala, la, laaaaaaa...

Wow...It's the middle of December already...Where did this year go? Christmas parties to attend, gingerbread houses to make then eat, decorations to install, gifts to buy & receive, cards to send...Such a run-up to the New Year. It's quite exhausting, really.


Now is the time to break out in song while pushing your way through the hoard of anxious shoppers. What IS the "it" toy this year anyway? I don't have a clue so I'm sure my kids won't be getting it...the horror!


Oh well, at least they will have the love and adoration of their parents, grandparents and Aunt & Uncle.

Merry Christmas, ya'll.

Now, where's that Sweet-Potato Casserole??!

History is waiting in the wings...

I don't usually get "political". I'm not one to sit & debate policies for hours. But it's Sunday night, November 2, 2008. In a little more than 48 hours our nation will make a decision that will affect life as we know it in more ways than we can imagine. When the balloons have all dropped, the last ballot has been cast & the final confetti streams to the ground, we will either be poised to welcome the first black President or the first woman Vice-President. What a time to be alive!

God knows that this nation deserves judgment, but maybe He will be merciful & spare us once more "on behalf of the fifty".

I believe the "Cause Greater Than Ourselves" campaign represents the true heart of America. You may disagree with that and that is your right as an American. I'm going to volunteer my time & energy in the "battleground state" of Florida. I'm going to step out of my shelter & call folks that probably don't want to hear from me. But I'm going to do it because I think it's important to own my vote. It's necessary to sacrifice for freedom, no matter how small the contribution may seem.

I don't have a billion dollars to bankroll a campaign, heck I'll be scraping up the cash to put gas in the tank to get there & back. But I am going to give what I have for something I believe in. That's what makes America great. We, the people, give of ourselves for the "greater good" of our fellow Americans, even those with whom we have political differences.

So call the cell phone if you need me but please leave a message if I can't answer it. And when Tuesday gets here, by all means necessary...get out and VOTE!!!

Where have I been?

Oh my goodness! I have neglected you far too long. So many things have been going on in my life that I just pushe dyou right off the plate completely!

Let's see, I've pieced together some missing parts to my past that have helped me distinguish who I am. I have begun to develop a bridge of communication with my mother that I have always so desparately wanted to have. I have helped host a Grandparents' Tea for a group of 3 year olds. I've decorated 3 doors for Homecoming & caught a snake in the school bookstore!

In other news, we've mourned as a nation together another anniversary of the September 11th, attack. Sarah Palin has made history as the first woman on a national Republican ticket. Barack Obama has made history as the first African-American to win the Democratic National Convention's nomination for President. The national & world economy took a nosedive. Russia attacked Georgia unprovokedly & the world responded with sanctions and calls for immediate & unconditional withdrawal. My grandfather is back in the hospital again for pneumonia but is doing very well.

Wow. Life happens all the time, doesn't it? I'm so glad I'm here to see it all unfolding. Aren't you? Let's all bow our heads tonight in the midst of social unrest, political ambiguity & economic uncertainty & just thank God for the blessings we have.

"He is the same yesterday, today & forever." ~ Amen, and goodnight.

The Pinnacle of Motherhood

I did it! I have finally reached the top of the hill on the trek toward becoming the "Perfect Mom". I have accomplished something so extremely complex & delicate that I mystify myself...

I need to sit down...

I...can peel an apple in one long string!

See:

Please hold the applause.

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.