Two Mowers are Better Than One!

I really enjoyed myself today...even though I was doing something that is most certainly not enjoyable for me.

We have really been slacking on our yardwork (cough4monthscough). So, today Kevin was going to tackle it alone even though the idea of it was overwhelming. I told him that I hated that feeling and offered to help him. He said that I didn't have to do that (he knows I loathe yard work), but I know that sometimes a big job is easier to do if you have someone else there. Kevin agreed and suggested that I run the mower while he goes along behind me with the leaf vacuum. It still took us almost 3 hours, but it looks much better today. We still have to run the weed eater/edger thing against the wall, but it's almost there.

There was just something nice about being able to be a help to Kevin. He often seems like he can do everything by himself. He later said that there is no way he could have finished it today without me. That made my heart happy. I guess I can be a helpmate even in the yard. xo Kevin!

In the end it was all worth it. Now the yard looks like this:

Oh, the rain!!!!

Benjamin and I had talked about having a rain play day this week. We did this at the end of the summer last year and had a blast. A few weeks ago when it was raining, Benjamin remembered. The problem was that it was 40 degrees outside (that is downright arctic in Texas!). Today when it started raining I knew what we would do!

So, after Olivia went down for her nap, I walked over to Stephanie's...in the rain! *gasp!* I rang her doorbell and she came to the door all groggy. I woke her up from her nap. Uh oh. I simply asked her to come and play in the puddles with me. Now, if you know Stephanie, you know that this is a perfectly normal sort of request. If you don't, well, you are missing out! She went back inside to do something, leaving me to doubt this idea for a nanosecond. Then she came right back out and rolled up her jeans and we were off!!

Sure, it was weird for the first 30 seconds. We kicked water on each other and the children looked at us kind of strange, but, I guess, they quickly decided that we were SOOO cool! Then it was an all out water battle. We had water guns, buckets, pails, cups, tea pitchers, water bottles, and bubble containers. Stephanie was the first to lug out the 5 gallon bucket...which she promptly threw right on me. It was hilarious!!

We went over to get Laura. I didn't know if she would join in or pack her family back up and move as quick as possible. She was cooking dinner, being responsible, didn't play in water, blah blah blah. Guess who was out there with us in no time?!? Yup! Laura! Her son even ran around in a long rain slicker and goggles. Again, hilarious. Bless her heart, she's stuck with us now. That is as proper an initiation as any, I'd say!

Before we knew it Sherene, Eliana, and William were out with us too. William was in his little fireman rain slicker an was spraying us with a dinosaur water gun. Sherene wasn't going to participate either, but we enticed her with the 5 gallon bucket. That was the cream of the crop vessel today! Pretty soon, she was wet too!!

I think both Stephanie and I had wondered what the neighbors would think, and I think we were both pleased to see that they thought it was such a great idea that they had to join in too!

We had a blast! It is probably one of the best days that I can remember in this neighborhood. When everyone went home, my heart was so full it could have burst!!! If any of you are reading this, thank you!! Thank you for being willing to be different even if it seems like the weird thing to do. You brought such a joy into my life today. Stephanie, your prayer was answered again. You were "stupid for Jesus" and you blessed me beyond belief!! Laura, I'm so glad you're here! Sherene, be careful, we may come for you more often. 8-)

I would be remiss if I did not say that I did see this as another outpouring of love from the Father. I noticed as we were playing that the pollen was floating on top of all of the puddles. Tonight I thought about how the pollen is so very troublesome for some of us. It brings discomfort or even serious pain. But, it is a necessary part of spring...of bringing about new life and beauty. Yet, at the right time, the rain comes and washes it away. So, perhaps that is cheeseball, but it works for me. I am so thankful for the simple, albeit cheeseball, lessons that I am learning lately.

I'm thankful for the love that God is pouring all over me lately. I feel like I've been struggling and struggling and now He is flooding me with love!! And that is how I felt with this rain today. I keep thinking of this song by Michael W. Smith that says:

And only You, the Son of man
Can take a leper and let him stand
So lift your hands, they can be held
By someone greater, the great I Am

Healing rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Oh, the joy!! Oh, the rain!!!

I cannot even think of what to title this post. We saw this video at church yesterday and I just sobbed. It is almost exactly my life before I came to God. It is hard to watch, but it is SOOO worth it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA I especially love the part at the end when Jesus dusts her off and then goes on dancing with her again. **sobbing again!** I have watched it a few more times since and have found something else that is very touching. If you'll notice, at the end, Jesus is pulling her to Himself..like with a rope. When it becomes clear that she cannot get past these bad things by herself, He throws down that rope and just rushes right in to save her! WOOOO!!

Benjamin and property tax woes

Today the children and I are riding in the car to go visit Kevin for lunch. In front of us is one of those "Wide Load" signs on a large truck. On the truck is, in my opinion, something that looks like the bottom half of a barn. You know, like if you have a muffin and you pull off the top and all you have left is the "muffin butt?" It was like that. It was old and rotting.

Benjamin says, "I'm glad that isn't our house."

"Me too," I respond.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Benjamin declares, "Well, that's what happens if you don't pay your taxes. I guess they didn't pay their taxes."

LOL!!! I love that kid!

Toy Story ruined it for everyone!

It was very sad for the sweet baby. She was lying in the box so quietly waiting to be removed and loved on by my little Livi.

I tear open the box and go to hand the baby to Livi only to find the baby bound to the box with a plastic tie around her neck. While thinking that is a wee bit disturbing, I remove the tie, pat myself on the back for a job well done, and try to remove the baby again.

Oh no!! I discover that the baby has her chubby, pink little hands and feet tied up as well. I yell, "Don't worry, little baby, I will free you from your cardboard prison!!" My timely removal of the baby was hindered by the fact that the bad guys at the plant had twisted the little ties 4,651,651 times per limb and then secured them with a little plastic bar! After 7 hours of sweat and minimal swearing at the bad guys, I freed the baby!! Yay!!

I wracked my brain to try to figure why such measures were necessary, and could only come up with this....TOY STORY! That's right. They ruined it for everyone. We cannot leave our presumably innocent toys free in their boxes any more. No! This is not your parents' generation of toys. Look at what toys these days do when left rattling around in their boxes!

Gang violence! Drive by shootings!

Evil plans to take over the cities!!

Evasion tutorials.

Frightening, no? We should all thank Mr. Plastic Tie Man for protecting us from these clandestine toy gatherings. Thank him for tying every toy, whether it be an innocent baby or an unassembled plastic grocery cart, firmly to its container.

I will rest better tonight.

My need to stockpile

I thought that I'd post a bit about my need to stockpile things. I have to be careful to not go overboard. I have, many times, blown our "Consumables" budget because of my need to have full pantries and freezers. A few weeks ago I finally talked to Kevin about it, and last night I talked about it with a dear friend. I want to preface the rest of this story by saying that my parents have, in recent years, both accepted the Lord and are working through their problems!!! He is so amazing! I grew up in a family full of addicts: drugs, alcohol, pills, you name it. My parents spent most of their time gone. I was responsible for my 2 younger sisters. We never had any money. When I say "any money" that is exactly what I mean. I remember fishing quarters out of the sofa in order to have lunch at school. We also went through long periods of time where there was no food. I don't mean that we didn't have any food that sounded good. I mean that our shelves and refrigerator were EMPTY. Sometimes our neighbors would bring things over when our parents weren't home. I also remember that our clothing was quite terrible. I often went to school with shoes that had the soles flapping. My jeans were almost always too short. I got picked on a lot. I swore that I would never let these things happen to my children! So now, I tend to buy more food than we need and more clothing than we need. I cannot bear to think of my children being hungry or shabbily dressed. I realize that they are not, but somewhere in the back of my mind is this fear of "what if..." I also realize that this is something that I am going to have to hand over to the Lord and trust Him to help me work through. I'll freely admit that this is something that I have a very hard time. I also recognize that there are so many people in the world who have so much less....or nothing at all. My husband used to remind me of this often and, for some reason, it would infuriate me. I would tell him, "But we aren't them!" Oh, how miserable I feel for that attitude. So, here is the redeeming value in all of this mess. I have been blessed with a hard-working husband who earns a good salary. I have been blessed with the brains to know how to stockpile things. I have been blessed with (and by) a God who has given me the realization that my previous thoughts were unhealthy. I have been blessed with full pantries, cabinets, freezers and most importantly, a full (or filling, if we want to be completely honest) heart. And, oh, how shameful it would be to not share these blessings with others!! Lately, I find that I desire to give these things away. I have made packages from my "stash" for several people. I can tell you that it feels much better to be able to give these things to others than it does to horde it all for my own family. Interesting how God works, isn't it? I believe that God is doing HUGE things in my life right now, and I think that being able to talk about this is a great step for me. I tend to keep these sorts of things to myself lest I be vulnerable and get hurt. But, I find that He is showing me that He has allowed me to go through these things because there is a greater good to it all even if it is uncomfortable in the moment. One thing that I love about all of this realization (and don't think for a second that I love it all of the time) is that I feel so much lighter inside. It's like one weight after another is being lifted. Well, there you have it. I can be serious, but it certainly doesn't come to me as easily. So, now you can read about my great coupon deals and know that, for me, it is so much deeper than, "Hey, I got this for free."

I'm officially an old lady

(Don't worry, I won't be offended if you can't bear to read the whole thing) 8-) Not in the 4'5", gray-haired, can't drive, Metamucil, cat-loving, "where's my teeth," "back in my day," sort of way. No, it is far worse. I now liiiiiive to get my Sunday paper and my Wednesday grocery fliers. I frantically cut coupons on Sunday evening with my arthritis friendly scissors (even though it is carpal tunnel that I suffer from...but, work with me!) Then I match up coupons to sales and special bonuses and VOILA....I'm a coupon-loving stockpiler!!! Seriously though, I have been doing very well. I have saved a lot of money, and I feel quite proud of myself. I am so excited about this! My husband, who does not really "do excited," is pleased as well. This is what my hallway closet looks like right now.... Now this may not look like a lot, but these 3 shelves contain: 27 bottles of shampoo, 7 bars of soap (there were 7 more, but Kevin was allergic to them), 4 body washes, 19 regular sized tubes of toothpaste, 4 tubes of travel size toothpaste, 2 toothbrushes, 2 boxes of Bandaids, 7 deodorants, 4 boxes of tissues, 12 rolls of toilet paper (in addition to the 12 rolls I keep next to the toilet in the bathroom), 6 rolls of paper towels, 1 package of facial cleansing cloths, 4 packages of baby wipes, and 462 diapers of various sizes...and a partridge in a pear tree. Oh, add to that the 226 diapers that I couldn't fit in the closet and have stored under Livi's crib... Those things are expensive!! I stock up whenever I can. There is a spreadsheet that I found on this site (http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/) that gives you a price to beat for each size/brand of diaper. I still won't buy diapers unless it is less than their price. Now on to my kitchen. This is what the pantry looks like... So, guess what the cereal of choice is at our house. My sweet husband says that if there was only one choice of cereal in the world, he'd want Cheerios. Since I know that I will be buying them anyway, if they are on sale and I have coupons, I grab some. A few here and a few there....and there you go. Also on the top shelf are Fiber One bars and a variety of other granola bars. I keep these around for days when we are running short on time in the mornings. Benjamin can eat them in the car on the ride to school. There are also, I think, 16 boxes of fruit leather that I found at a salvage grocery store in Louisiana. They were out of date, but I figured it is dried fruit, what can it hurt? I got a case for Stephanie too. None of our children have perished, so I guess it is okay. These also tag along with us on the way to school. Oh, and see the foil on the bottom? Stephanie and I got that 100% free. Our store coupons+Walgreen's coupons+Walgreen's sale=free! Now, a few disclaimers.... 1. You do have the cost of purchasing the newspaper. I purchase 2 of the Dallas Morning News double editions. This costs $6 total. It is SOOO worth it! 2. There is also the cost of driving (I TRY to make all trips in one outing if I can). My friend, Stephanie, and I have been going together, so that saves gas too. 3. There is quite a bit of time involved initially, though I see the time getting shorter and shorter as I learn more. Stephanie and I work together on finding the sales so this also makes it faster...and significantly more fun! 4. There is an inital cost if you are going to play the CVS or Walgreen's game. This can be as small (what Stephanie did) or as large (what I did..but only $14) as you want. You can read about that here (http://tinyurl.com/5wdygf) and here (http://tinyurl.com/5tfce9) However, this pays off HUGE!!! I'm going to post about my last 2 outings when I get the chance. If you're still reading, then Great!! And Laura, if you're reading, Stephanie and I will get you yet! (evil laughing)

And the award goes to.....

....Kim Bulgrien for Most Inconsistent Blogger of the Year!! (applause)

Me? Oh, you shouldn't have. But, I prepared a little speech, you know, just in case. (clearing throat)

I'd like to thank God for the fingers I have which allow me to type this blog.

(fake sobbing)

I'd like to thank my family and friends for faithfully checking on my nonexistent blog. I'd like to thank my husband for not rolling his eyes at my fickleness with my short-lived blog excitement. I'd like to thank my friend, we'll just call her Fephanie Storringer, for encouraging me to write on it again.

And last, but not least, I'd like to thank the Academy....because everyone else does...

So, here we go again......