Gettin' Hot and Steamy with My Carpet

I tell you, that rug was so dirty, the MPAA would have rated it a strong R.

Prime Time

It's done.

Yesterday morning I got the go-ahead from Jim and we began priming all the new walls in our house. He had taped and worked up to his elbows in joint compound for days, textured the night before, then generously stuck around with me to finish the prime coat, before getting out of Dodge and going to Grandma's for a day so I could have the house to myself to finish the thing. a. he hates painting, but can handle the primer because it's quick and doesn't have to be perfect. b. I hate letting someone else paint my house, but die inside with primer coats- so little instant reward and all. We're a good pair.

Surviving on only diet soda, guacamole and chips and totinos pizzas, I worked for 16 hours and finished all the painting in my house, with a 2 hour window in there where I sat down to eat the guacamole and watch Bride Wars. I digress. Now it's just trim, putting flooring down, super cleaning, and finally then we can put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

I went to Poland in college on a missions trip. On the morning we were set to begin painting a new youth center, I had picked up my roller not five minutes before an old Polish man looked over at me and mumbled something snide-ish to the man next to him, who could speak English. Noticing that I saw Old Polish Man talking sideways about me, the interpreter kindly explained that OPM wanted to know if I'd ever used a paint brush before.
"Yes, I've actually painted quite a bit," was my reply, along with a positive head nod for the non-English-speaking in the room.
OPM turns to him and says, as was interpreted to me a minute later, "What, for painting her fingernails?!" This was accompanied by a mimic action of "painting" his own knotty Polish hands, in an effort to mock my girl power.

Every time I paint I think of that man. He's also the one who taught me the Polish words for "wheelbarrow", "fire" and "slug". And for those precious gifts of language, I thank him. Dziekuje.

But he was totally wrong about the painting. I kick doopa at that.

551

Things that make this season hard:

I am working full time in addition to my still current and best job at home.

Our house has been pulled apart and barren of pictures on the walls and the comforts of a clean cozy space since the first week of March, leaving a constant film of Sheetrock dust and wood splinters to keep up with.

I do everything I used to do in a full day in half a day.

Did I mention how hard and sad it is to be away so much?

Everything is a little more complicated and in general, life is just not as comfortable and neat as it used to be.

Reasons I am thankful for this season:

I have the perfect job, in and out of my house.

Our home is getting transformed into all the things we've needed it to be since we moved in a year ago. Wait, did I mention I'm getting a butler's closet?

Since my home is pulled apart and everything's down off the walls and most of the stuff is put safely out of reach from the mess and construction, I get a clean decorating slate to start over with when it's HALLELUJAH finally done.

Being away so much breaks my heart. But I'm grateful for the brokenness. Everything and everyone is more precious to me now. My Jesus, my husband, my kids, our wonderful home, friends, hobbies, everything. You have to get turned upside down a little every once in a while, to remind you how valuable every thing is.

My time with all those things above is even richer now, and I feel freer to enjoy them void of the extra worries I used to tack on to them. Because I have no time for things that don't matter. So I am learning to put the kibosh on them and just kick back more.

Water may as well have been turned into wine, to see our money and resources lasting as long as they are- we are no more in need of God's provision than we were months ago, but it's a blessing to see Him providing in fresh ways, in lieu of constant paychecks.

My kids absolutely love having Daddy home all day, and wouldn't have it any other way.

And Daddy is proving again and again all the things I already knew he was- fantastic at 1000 things, not the least of which, being a rock star husband, father, and dishwasher.

This is my 551st post. Appropriate. Because that's how many hours it will take to get this renovated casa clean.

Thanks for sticking around to read from time to time, though there certainly hasn't been much for the reading lately. All the house projects should be done within the next two weeks or so, and then once things on the ship are shape, I bet I'll have a lot more time for this writing and picture-taking gig, the one I love and miss so much. And of course that means I miss all of YOU too!

Just Shoot Me

What Cows Do on Weekends*

We totally saw it. It was great, you know, as far as Tween movies go. Way better than I expected. And the songs are still in my head. You can judge for yourself whether that's a good thing...or a bad thing. We had some church in the morning, ate at the Perkins across the street for Easter dinner (we're talking easy here, I'd worked the day before). So, back to what I was saying...we had some church. We go to church in a movie theatre, see?

OK, so again, then we walked over to Perkins, then walked back over to the theatre to see Hannah Montana. Then we went home. And took naps.

Then we hung out, and after bedtime, Jim and I went out on a date, and Uncle Brian stayed home with our sleeping kids.

We ate some Sonic, then saw Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D. At the same theatre. We like to support that one. And even after the Sonic, in the name of supporting them, we got $6 nachos. They were good. It was the first time I've had nachos since the time Jim and I ate nachos at a sports bar before seeing The Pursuit of Happyness when I was pregnant with Hudson, and I travelled to the bathroom 3 times to vomit. I hate that movie.

The nachos: the girl was all, "Do you want cheese in a cup, or on top of the chips, or in a cup and on top of the chips?" (She was being really serious). I was all, "Um, of COURSE in the cup and on top of the chips." So awesome. Totally worth the $6, as much as any movie snack can be "worth" it's price. Definitely too much chips for one, and just right for two of us. And hello extra fake cheese. Thank you, Carmike.

And after seeing the second 3D movie to leave me dizzy and nauseous, and after Jim seeing his first 3D movie to leave him the same, we firmly agreed to never see one again. Our vision thanked us. So I still ended up getting sick despues de nachos, but no problemo, they weren't to blame. So getting those again.

*do you get it?! Ahem.

Resurrected

Today we remember His blood. For us. In three days, we remember that even death couldn't hold Him.

And I praise God that because of that horrible cross, because of a Light greater than any darkness,

today death doesn't hold me.

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Piano Lessons

We Woke Up

to flowers and bagels and personalized place cards

a different one for each of us

each with a note insideand wait, did I mention these?

And I can't fail to mention how awesome he is at keeping the sink looking like this...

There are so many reasons I love to keep you around. Love you babe.

Perfect

As I was preparing dinner this afternoon, I opened up the microwave (which I haven't seen for a couple of days) with the intent to defrost some chicken stock.

I saw this.

It's much worse IRL peeps. Mind you I'm not home much anymore.

I kid you not, I actually let out a loud and sudden GASP!

Jim, who was nearby, commented that it is in perfect condition for Hot Pockets.

If you don't get what he means, watch this.