Evaluate My Plate

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. If I'm not "momming" (which--come on--should really be an action verb) I'm working or trying to keep the house picked up and the floor decently clean enough for a crawler, then I'm trying to keep getting things how I like them in the house bit by bit with all these projects being pushed to the side.

Last Monday I did a lot of work-work (the kind I get paid for) and by Tuesday morning I was beat. I did something I don't think I've done since last November.

I put a movie on in the morning.

And sat on the floor with Tatum playing and actually watched most of it. And drank my coffee.

While it was hot.

It was a nice break.

I normally don't have the TV on during the day, and only put on a Praise Baby when someone who's short is rather fussy and I need to get something done. I don't like the idea of the TV being a babysitter and don't buy into that "it's an educational program" bull for one minute, but sometimes a girl just needs a break. God bless the makers of Praise Baby.

So what did I watch?

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness with Ingrid Bergman

Aaaaaand I realized that my life's not so busy as I think.

If you've never watched this movie, its a great one. Yes, men, it's even in color!

Its about the missionary Gladys Aylward, whom I read about when I was in 5th grade and that made me want to be a missionary in China.

That's not looking like it's going to be the plan, but it raised the bar in my mind of what one person is capable of.

This woman was deemed "unqualified" to go to China as a missionary.

So she saved up, week by week, and paid for her own ticket to take her. By train. Through Siberia. During political unrest.

Alone.

Once there she and her mentor opened an inn where they would tell the traveling mule teams stories during mealtime. Stories about Noah's ark and baby Jesus.

Through a course of events she becomes the foot inspector for the region, unbinding the feet of little girls. She began taking in children, adopting them into her life and heart. 

She walked into a prison riot unarmed and stopped it by talking to the prisoners.

And when the Japanese invaded she led over 100 kids through the mountains to safety.

One part they left out in the movie happened when she faced a fork in the road. The Japanese were coming one way, but she didn't know which road they were coming on.  It was cold, the kids were starving and she had to make a choice.

She prayed, spun around, and took the road she was pointed at. It was the higher road, and later they looked down and saw the Japanese troops on the lower road.

This gal had a lot going on.

It's a great movie and actually stays relatively close to the true life story of this remarkable woman...its on Netflix if you care to watch it.

All that to say that my plate didn't look quite as full as it did before. There was always room for one more kid in her house and one more story to tell and one more person to love on. 

So I evaluate my plate. Figure out how I can love more, do more, give more.  I've been blessed with so much, and know that because much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).

But it was nice to stop for a minute and watch a movie in the middle of the day :-)

These two know how to stop and enjoy something. Like a family of mockingbirds flitting around the backyard.

Yes, Roy has paint on him.

That's fallen off my priority list...just making more room on my plate...

Mobility, Mamas and Mud

After too long a hiatus here is the return of the weekly pic!

41 Weeks old!!!

This picture was before this face:

She is so mobile now! She gets where she want to FAST! And she's standing for 5-6 seconds at a time and lowering herself to sitting from there...it won't be long before she's walking!

We here in Okie Homie had a great Mother's Day.  I was assured Matt would be on baby duty so I could sleep, but he thought I'd want to greet Tatum first thing in the morning...it being Mother's Day and all...

We went to the zoo and enjoyed the baby elephant and the tiger cubs and each other.

And yesterday...oh, yesterday was a D.A.Y.  Well let me back up...last week while driving to work Matt's tire tread peeled off on the freeway, and we ended up having to get him all four new tires.

Two weeks ago we backed into an old, beat up parked car and made a 2" dent.  We could have driven away, but we stopped, knocked on their door, gave them our info and prayed they wouldn't worry about it. 

Not so much.

That, plus our address change (we moved 4 miles!) raised our insurance $30 a month.

Then yesterday morning, Matt noticed a small stream coming from our side yard. 

I called the City's emergency dispatch at noon, explained where the leak was, and waited.

I also called our Home Warranty, and found out that because the  leak was outside the walls of the home, they didn't cover it. 

Fast forward to 7 and Matt and my Dad are starting to dig to find the leak.  The City shows up at EIGHT (after 3 more phone calls), looks at it and basically says its not their problem since its above the water meter.

Thanks.

We can't shut the water off inside the house because the inspector forgot to put that on his report and it's rusted tight, so my Dad and Matt open the water main and shut off the water (without telling me...while I was making dinner...and kneading bread...).

So we're stuck with this leak that is in this small area that neither the city nor our warranty covers...it's up to us.

So Matt digs, and my brother digs a bit and my dad digs a bit and our neighbors show up and dig a bit.

And I'm making focaccia bread inside, thinking I'll give the loaves to my parents and neighbors as a thank you.

Right before I pop the bread in the oven I feed Roy and step outside to check the progress. Coming back inside...BOTH loaves are gone.

That dog ate both of them.

Don't worry, he's paying for it today (as am I) with uncontrollable flatulence.

BUT...

the men fixed it.

It was a muddy, wet, dirty, stinky job but they did it and saved us $400!!! I am so proud of my hubby!!! 

And that night we got to take showers and run our dishwasher, thankful for the gift of flowing hot water.

Dave Ramsey says Murphy comes in threes...insurance, tires, water main busting...I hope we're done!!!

OH, and did I mention that I was stressed and all I wanted was a warm cookie but didn't want to do the dishes from it, and talked myself out of going to the store for them...only to get home and find our neighbors had brought us a plate of the BEST chocolate cookies I have EVER tasted. WARM.

God is good...all the time.

Week 38...39...Where Did The Time Go?

Since we bought our house we've been working nearly around the clock. I've been pulling 18-19 hour days at first painting and then unpacking and now just keeping up with a baby that crawls faster than you can believe! On top of working, and cleaning, and budgeting around this new-found thing called a mortgage!

I really think God should have just rounded that 24-hour day up to 30.

I did take pictures of Tatum's 38th week!

She is crawling all over the place! Once she got the hang of it she was off!

Then we had a series of expressions:

And then we had a little photo session a few days later so I guess this sort of counts as Week 39?

Mama got a little happy with the actions in Photoshop...

Other than that, the big news for us was my parents graduated from college last Saturday!!!

My mom was honored for her research project and my dad became a member of Phi Beta Kappa (correct me if I'm wrong on the name, Dad)! And I'd like to point out my mom would have too if not for her grades from college 30 years ago...so see kids? You never know when  flaking off in school will come back to bite you!

I'm so proud of them! 

A House Redeeemed

The house we bought comes with a bit of a sad story.  The couple that lived here got a divorce, and have a young daughter.  The whole house felt, at first, dark. 

I fell in love with the layout of the house, but knew right away that everything needed some lightening.  The rooms were dark, muddy colors. Even the main living area is a dark orangey/pinky//tan (we discovered it was a burnt sienna color first, and think they only did one coat of tan to try to cover it...bad idea).

The house is naturally light, with lots of eastern and western facing windows. We wanted to bring the light back inside, as well.

Cue the song, "Leeeet the sunshiiiine, leeeet the sunshine in!"

No, the TV and the rocker didn't stay there...I just don't have updated pics...

Our bedroom was another place that felt dark and dingy.

We originally were going to go with the peacock blue used in the laundry room, but thought it might be a bit overwhelming in such a large space so we opted for the same color as the living room.

Don't you worry, though.  Those extra gallons of peacock went somewhere...you'll just have to wait for that, though.

The kitchen countertops turned out better than I hoped--I love them and would do it again in a heartbeat! What a $70 facelift!

And no, we're not going for a "feathered" effect on the backsplash.  We'll be using a paintable wallpaper that's textured to look like pressed tin...

But that's after we get the rest of the cabinets painted...

We've still got a lot to do, but we've made a considerable dent.  I feel like this is a house redeemed.  Scrubbing away the bad memories, the bitterness, the hurt, and covering it over with a fresh beginning. Filling this space with love and opening it to be a place of fellowship.  This is not our house, its God's, and we're just making it ready for Him to use.

On a side note: we are never ever ever ever ever ever ever getting a cat.  I know there are clean cat people...but this house didn't have one of those.  There is cat hair E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.

And I'm allergic.

Its not a fun combination.

A HUGE thank you to my parents and brother who've spent countless hours painting, trimming, scraping, cleaning, scouring, laying contact paper, and watching Tatum.

That's all the energy and patience I have for tonight...each of these pictures has taken about 5 minutes and I desperately need a shower!  I know I've skimped on the weekly photos for two weeks, but I've been pulling 18-20 hour days and am so sore it hurts to sit down! If I can find the fabric I bought weeks ago I'll have one tomorrow!

Little by Little

I can't tell you how many times Matt has said this over the past two weeks.

Have we really owned our home for two weeks?

A lot of changes have been made...

From a boring laundry room like this:

snooze...

To a vibrant room like this (NOTE: the cabinet doors will go back on when we get our hinges and knobs in!)

Aren't those machines just gorgeous???

And our bedroom has gone from a muddy green...

To a cheerful, buttery yellow...(baseboards and window sills still to be done...)

And the kitchen? 

Ooooh the kitchen.

We're in Phase 1.5

First we painted the cabinets (well, we've still got the cabinet doors to do so we're a long way from done, but this at least we can move into).  Then we painted the walls.  Finally tonight we began the process of painting our countertops.

Yes, you read that right.

We're using a Giani Granite Countertop kit in Bombay Black, and tonight I scrubbed and scoured and wiped those countertops until they shone, then applied the first layer of primer.

This is before:

This is with the cabinet bases and the paint done..

And here's with the first layer of primer halfway dried (and all the cabinets and the breakfast bar covered in plastic).

It felt gutsy making that first stroke of black on that light laminate...

This is me thinking, "I hope I know what I'm doing!"

And of course this blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of either Tatum or Roy.

Or both.

Tatum still makes this face when she eats food. But she keeps on eating it...so...I guess she likes it?

Roy has loved the venture into finger foods.  Lots of little puffs get dropped on the ground for him.

I have a feeling Tatum is his new favorite.

Today I was in her room packing up her clothes, and she was playing on a quilt on the floor. When I heard her squeal in laughter I looked down to see Roy laying with his back to Tatum and her sidled up to him...systematically pulling his hair out.

I think he's considering it penance for the diaper episode...

If You Leave a Dog Alone...

If you leave a dog alone...

He's going to think you're not coming back.

If he thinks you're not coming back,

He's going to panic.

If he panics,

He will dig in the trash.

If he digs in the trash,

he will find the only poopy diaper that's been in there in over a month.

If he finds the one poopy diaper that's in there,

He's going to want to pull it out.

If he pulls it out,

he will want to drag it across the house.

If he drags it across the house,

he will want to shred it.

If he shreds it,

he will want to roll in it. On the carpet.

If he rolls in it (on the carpet),

it will get in his fur.

If it gets in his fur,

it will get in his collar.

If Dad comes home to find this mess,

The dog will be sent outside.

If Dad tries to clean it up,

he will use a vacuum.

If Dad uses a vacuum,

it will clog.

If the vacuum clogs,

Mama will have to clean it out.

And vacuum.

And go to the store for carpet cleaner.

And mop.

And insist on giving the poop-crusted dog a bath.

If Dad gives the poop-crusted dog a bath,

Mama will want to cut his nails since its been way too long and the water will make them soft.

If Mama tries to cut his nails,

the dog will wrench his paw away and Mama will cut wrong and the dog will bleed.

If the dog bleeds,

he will track blood all over the freshly mopped house.

If he tracks blood all over the freshly mopped house,

Mama gets to mop again.

If Mama gets to mop again she will decide to drag a comb through the dog's hair to check...

and she will find more poop on the dog.

If she finds more poop on the dog,

Dad gets to give the dog another bath.

If Dad gets to give the dog another bath,

Mama gets to clean the shower.

If Mama gets to clean the shower,

at the end of a weekend of severe weather,

long nights with several heart-pounding wake-ups,

a teething baby,

and after a day of a day of cleaning,

and painting,

and vacuuming,

and mopping...

at 1:15 in the morning...

she will want to pull her hair out and scream.

But she won't.

Since that would wake the baby.

So, moral of the story?

Don't leave the dog alone.

Either that or sedate him.

Burnin' Baby

Want to know how to maximize your calorie burn while painting?

Wear a baby, baby.

If painting burns about 200 calories an hour, babywearing burns about 200 calories an hour, and nursing burns about 500 calories a day...I should be invisible by the end of next week...