Friday, March 28, 2008

Advice

I've had a lot of advice lately, from well-meaning friends, most of whom have NO clue whatsoever. I've often said that unless someone has walked in my shoes, they have no right to tell me what I "should do".

Last week, however, the wife of one of my pastors called, just to tell me she and Pastor G. were praying for my family. I shared with her my frustration with people, again well-meaning, who were giving me advice about what my husband and I should do about a certain, very-private, family situation. Her words to me...follow the lead of our heavenly father. If He lays it on my heart to follow a certain path and take specific actions, then that's the road we should take; different people have different paths in life, goals are accomplished in different ways, and no one way may be the "right" way.

I appreciated that advice more than she may ever know.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Not again

Snow? Again? The forecast is calling for 3-7" of snow tonight and tomorrow morning. We've gotten more snow this winter than I ever remember getting since I moved here from sunny southern California in 1977. It's been good, on the one hand, because it means we haven't had as much rain, and I like the snow much, much better than rain. But enough already, it's almost April...I'm ready for some sunshine, blue skies, and warm weather. Please?

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mary, Mary, quite contrary....

For my friends with gardens, that the deer around here LOVE to munch on!

check this out:
http://besidethestream.com/

Monday, March 24, 2008

a mouse in the house!

I caught a mouse.
In my house.
With my own two hands. Well, with my own two hands and a jar and a magazine.

Last Friday evening I was in my kitchen when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash across the kitchen floor. I did a double take and realized it was a mouse. Naturally, I screamed, jumped up onto the kitchen counter and hollered at my son to come and take care of it.
He chased it around the kitchen and ended up throwing an afghan on top of it.
Like that's going to do a lot of good.
The mouse ran under the refrigerator and didn't dare come back out.
I texted my husband and told him to bring home a mouse trap.
Now just so we're clear on this...we own storage units and mice are NOT good things to have around storage units. Customers get a little annoyed when they open up their units and mice have made nests out of their favorite recliners. For that reason, we keep lots and lots of mouse/rat traps. BUT, they're not the ones that snap and kill the mice. They're square, black, plastic boxes with one-way entrances and no exits. THAT'S what I wanted him to bring home. But he didn't.
He did, however, see the mouse later that night, running across the kitchen floor and into a small opening under one of the kitchen cabinets.
Which brings me to today. As I was in my kitchen, making bread pudding, being the domestic diva that I am, I again saw the mouse skittering across the floor. Only this time he wasn't moving so fast. In fact, he was downright slow. Kinda loping along.
Is it even possible for a mouse to lope?
Anyways...I chased him into the living room and he ran...err...loped behind my desk. I ran to the other side of my desk, and he turned around and went back the other way and back into the kitchen. I grabbed an empty jar out of my recycling bucket, and a magazine, and tried to trap him in it, but he was headed for the same spot under the kitchen cabinets that he had disappeared into the other day.
Fortunately, I was able to block his path with the magazine and scoop him into the jar.
I gotta say...he's the cutest little mouse I've ever seen.
I really don't like mice, but this one is different. He's just so cute. He has big black ears and is really tiny. I don't think he's a regular mouse.
Well, I took him outside and dumped him in the bushes by the lake, between our house and the neighbors. I hope he doesn't find his way back into the house.
Oh, and sorry Mrs. Keiburtz...I hope he doesn't find his way into your house, either!

I just really wish I'd taken a picture so I have proof, cause my hubby's never going to believe this!

Someday I'm going to have to write the story of when we had rats. Ay yi yi.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

He is Risen!


He is Risen Indeed!



Saturday, March 22, 2008

Jambalaya

Saw this video over at River Bend Ranch...and I just love it! It's guaranteed to make you smile.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Soccer?

I went and watched my son and son-in-law play soccer Sunday afternoon. One fight, two red cards, half a dozen yellow cards later and they lost their game 3-0. Soccer has changed a lot since my son played in middle school.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

randomness

1. the preparation for a colonoscopy is much worse than the actual procedure, which is actually kind of cool to watch on the tv monitor; once you wake up, that is.

2. it's much less stressful driving around a child who no longer has a driver's license, than it was worrying about where he was all the time.

3. though very few people know it, i have an extremely generous husband.

4. i'm hooked on american idol this year, and survivor, and biggest loser. What's up with that?

5. far too many of my friends work, thanks for the ride, Andrea!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Creative Journal

My new obsession? Creative journaling! aka visual journaling...
I've never been real artistic. I think it comes with my obsession for details and organizing. My gift is administration, and somehow being artistic just doesn't fit in with that.
HOWEVER! I came across several blogs recently that talk about creative journaling, and my oh my, do I love it!
Basically, you take a journal, cover the pages with paper, paint, ink, stamps, and whatever other crap you have on hand! (excuse my french!) You can write in it, although I usually don't...I usually just cut out words from magazines, papers, whatever, or use stamps to print words that express my feelings that day. I'm becoming obsessed!
Anyone need any ideas for gifts for me and here you go...gift cards to JoAnn's or Michael's so I can buy more craft and paint stuff!
Here are a couple links to blogs that inspire me:

the altered page
the land of lost luggage
and
rebecca sower's weblog


One last thing...my pages are NOT even close to theirs...but maybe someday!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

It'll be okay.

I had a terrific day yesterday. I spent the morning running errands and then took off in the afternoon and drove to the beach. The rain cleared up just before I got to Long Beach. I parked my car and started walking down the beach and the closer I got to the water, the flood gates opened and the tears came pouring down my face.

I'm tired, I told my heavenly father.

Tired of worrying...about kids, grandkids, finances, my marriage
Tired of the stress and the toll it's taking on my life
Tired of my life being such a flippin' mess...

The sun came out from behind the clouds and warmed me to my core.


"It'll be okay" He told me.

How is it that God is always there? Why does He love me so much? It's beyond my comprehension.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Defrosting time

Twice in the last week I've tried to cook crepes for dinner...with strawberries. Twice I've pulled out containers of frozen strawberries and twice I've had to throw them away. One time the berries were soft and mushy and had no flavor what-so-ever. The other time, they were covered with freezer burn and after letting them thaw it was obvious they were no good. What's so frustrating about this is that one of those containers was full of berries that I had frozen. They were Spooner berries! and on top of that, there are at least two more containers in the freezer that are probably no good either. Argh!

The strawberry season here in the Pacific Northwest is pretty short. A few weeks is about all we get. Spooners is a local berry farm who puts up a stand in our small town. I'd have eaten those berries fresh in a heartbeat, had I known they were going to go bad in the freezer! Obviously, there's a technique to freezing berries that I am unfamiliar with.

I guess it's time to clean out the freezer and see what else is in there. I HATE wasting food and the freezer is in dire need of being defrosted anyway!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Joy for the day

Today we went and ate dinner with our good friends Scott and Tracey. We bbq'd steak and had steamer clams and baked potatoes! yum yum! It was better than eating out at a restaurant, and made twice as nice by the great company!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

gas

I am absolutely flabbergasted at the cost of gas. This week I filled up my car twice, at a cost of over $50 each time. One day I actually saw the price of gas go up $.03 from the time I drove into town and passed the Chevron station, to the time I drove home a couple hours later. When I filled up my tank two days ago I paid over $3.50 a gallon.

I drive a 2001 Chevy Blazer. It gets 17-20 mpg. I've been trying, really hard, not to drive so much and to stay home more, but it's absolutely impossible to stay home all the time. In fact, I've actually had
more appointments and things I've had to go to that are out of town than I usually do. (and I'm not talking hair appointments here!)

I've contemplated selling my car and getting a different one, but frankly, money-wise, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I'd get maybe $5000 for my car and then pay...how much for a different one? At least $10,000, and I could get an extra 10 mpg? I figure I'd save about $1600 a year on gas, but I'd spend at least an extra $5000 for the car. That means in 3+ years I'd break even. If I bought a more expensive car, which frankly, I would probably have to, it would take me even longer to get my money back.

No, the best solution to cutting back on gas expenses is to just not drive as much. Which means, frankly, that I'd better get my bike and my walking shoes out, and start using them for some of my local errands.

On the good side, besides saving money on gas and helping the environment, I'll also save $42.00 a month in health club fees! (which I never use anyway.)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Joy

I'm going to take a hint from Brittlee's blog and name my joy for awhile! Today? I'm going to The Painted Plate with my dear friend Andrea (who just so happens to be Brittlee's mother-in-law!) I've been looking forward to it all week...thanks so much for thinking of me Andrea! I think I'm more happy about spending time with my friend, than even doing the painting!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Changes

I read this somewhere today, although I can't remember where!:

"if we can't make the changes in our own lives that we want, how can we expect to change others?"

That's a good one and something I am going to strive to remember!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Apple dumplings

Anyone who doesn't read Confessions of a Pioneer Woman simply MUST read her blog! It is so funny, it's almost always my first read of the day. I also tried one of her recipes the other day, for apple dumplings...they were delicious! (yes, for those skeptics out there, I really DO cook! I don't know how that rumor ever got started...)

p.s. i would only use about half the mt. dew the recipe calls for, mine ended up being quite runny and i had to pour quite a bit of liquid off after they were done cooking.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

holding on!

Not a whole lot to say lately. Just trying to hold on and get through the days. Today I went to Barnes and Noble, one of my very favorite places to go. I bought three new books, which I probably didn't need, but couldn't resist. I'm off to take a bath and start reading, another one of my favorite things to do!


Monday, March 3, 2008

Pride

This is something my counselor (gasp!) told me:

PR
IDE = SIN

See what's in the middle of pride and sin?
I

Something to think about.


Proverbs 16:18 (The Message)

18 First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.