Household A-Z

Valerie had this on her blog. Feel free to join in....

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like? Sometimes. Depends on if I still have "nice" clothes on. I end up tucking towels in the waistband until I look like some bizarre kind of tribal leader. I have a couple of Grandma J's aprons. But my newest one is lime green pinafore style...with 1950's Cool Cats on it.
Baking – Favorite thing to bake - Whatever's easy. I prefer Cooking.
Clothesline – Y/N? No...but hangers on the edge of the gutter works in a pinch.
Donuts - Have you ever made donuts? YES! Pillsbury buiscuits, hole out of the middle and fried up and tossed in sugar. My mom used to make these every morning before church.
Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day- make the bed. Well. ALmost every day :)
Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze? No. Linus and I don't freeze that much...
Garbage Disposal – Y/N? Yes. Love it. Love grinding up the orange and lemon rinds in them. It makes me feel powerful -- and I do my Mr. Obvious impressions while it's running.
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource? Just one? Books, TV, internet...friends.
Ironing – Love it or hate it? Dread it. But once I'm in the thick of it -- it's not that bad.
Junk drawer – Y/N? Absolutely. But I'm whittling it down to organized chaos. Then I need to tackle the junk garage and the junk storage shed.
Kitchen – Color and decorating. Avacado green walls and cottagy-kitch. Oh. And a lovely picture of a cemetery I took while writing my Masters thesis in England.
Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking? 1) Tangible evidence that I did work. 2) clean house + Fresh laundry + baking cookies = good smells and comfort
Mop – Y/N? Thank God for the Swiffer!
Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine? People still wear nylons?
Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check? Both. Depends on what I'm baking/cooking. Pizza open the door -- mereingues look through the window.
Pizza – What do you put on yours? I can go for anything but anchovies and hot peppers. Cartman likes pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers. Meat, vegetables and fungus.
Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Lately I've been outside, blowing soap bubble for Linus.
Recipe card box - No. I'm always pulling them out and losing them. Now all my favorites are being glued in a book. That way I have LOTS of room to add my notes about who likes what/substitutions, etc.
Style- What style is your house? It's a little, gray cottage, originially meant to be a summer home for the wealthy of Columbus, built in 1928. One Saturday a guy stopped to tell me he grew up in the house. Showed me where the outhouse used to be in the backyard. I love modern plumbing :)
Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N? No. They are just play things for Linus -- and hair attractors.
Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland? Toxic Wasteland. That would be a good name for a band.....
Vacuum – How many times per week? Usually once a week...
Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week? People do laundry every week? I do about 8-10 loads a month, and they might all be in one week or they might get spread out.
X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off? I LOVE lists. I am a list queen. I found post-its that have a to do list chart on them. They fit nicely on my "master" list
Yard – Y/N? Who does what? Unfortunately, I'm responsible for both inside and outside of the house. I keep up on the flower beds and patio, but I hire Bob next door to mow it. It's the best $10 bucks I spend each week.
Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed? I try to be done so I can chill out before going to bed. But the last thing I usually do is cuticle oil and hand cream. Hands work so hard all day, they deserve some pampering. Oh...and then Linus gets some snuggle time.

So much to say...so little time

No I haven't forgotten all of you. Thanks for asking. Spring is always SO busy at work, and with less people in the office and the same amount of work, there just hasn't been the time for the frivolities of blogging. **sigh**

Things are good though. Thanks to all who called, wrote, sent cards and or gifts, or blogged about my birthday. It was wonderful, thank-you. Cartman tried to get tickets for "Flight of the Conchords," but, long story short, we didn't make it. I did get many wonderful meals out of my friends though, and much laughter was shared. I love birthdays. I'm going to love some more birthday cake when I get home tonight and watch the last night of competition on 'Dancing With the Stars' Who else loves guilty pleasures? ahhhhhh :)

Anyways, there are lots of good posts rolling about my head. I just need to sit down and get them out. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later. Although, I do have to jet off to the Carolinas for a week to visit Doc Loveshack. I'll be back after Memorial Day. Hope you survive without me until then.

Oh. And my exclamation point doesn't work anymore. I wore it out being excited about things. oh well.

Why I'd like to lay on the couch all day today under my blanket.

1. The weather
2. Sampson
3. It's Mother's Day

It's the middle of May. I'm not asking for 90 degrees and full sun, but 52 and rain is just way too much.

Sampson was my other dog. He only really liked me...and then only part of the time. He was part shepherd and part crazy. But I loved him anyway. I never worried about anyone breaking into my house when Sampson was around. Last Mother's Day, Sampson got loose and ended up biting the neighbor's grandson. The grandson is fine. As a responsible pet owner, I believed the only thing to be done was to have Sampson put down. His aggression was overwhelming him and this wasn't the first biting incident. I know it was the right thing to do, but Linus and I still miss him.

Lastly, it's Mother's Day. I have a great relationship with my mom -- she's amazing. AND she believes that this is a silly holiday that was made up by the card companies, so she doesn't expect anything. BONUS. Although, I did buy her an ankle bracelet about two months ago as an "early" Mother's day gift. She loved it.

But, it's also the first Mother's Day without Grandma J. I miss her alot. My peonies are budding out, and I can't help but think of who's worthy enough to get the first bloom this year. Traditionally, that was Grandma J's honor. She was so strong for such a tiny little thing. The night Grandpa died, I spent the night with her. She cried and asked how she could ever live without her best friend. She found a way and lived for more than a decade after his passing. The night she found out that Macular Degeneration was going to rob her of her sight, she sat at my kitchen table and cried in her Cashew Chicken. She told me she was scared and she didn't want to be blind. Ya know what? I personally, never heard her complain after that night. Her life continued to be full and vital, right up until her death. I miss her enthusiasm for life. I miss her ability to call a spade a spade. I even miss her duck-waddle style of walking.

One of the things Grandma was always thankful for was her kids. It's hard for me, today of all days, to not flip that coin over and look at the other side. Today, I'll call my friend B. up in Vermont. She and her husband have been trying for eight years. Their China adoption has been pushed back from 18 months to 3-4 years. Their hearts are heavy.

Mine too. Last night Cartman called to tell me good-night. He's out-of-state visiting his mother. We talked for about 45 minutes, and the subject of Mother's Day came up and I just lost it. Poor guy. He didn't know what to do. If me crying over not having kids doesn't make him run for this hills, I don't know what will. I can't stand going to church and hearing all the tributes to "mother"...and all the mom's with flowers and gifts given to them by sticky little hands. Mother's day brunches and Mother's day sales. Blech. I can't go anywhere without being reminded of what my life doesn't have.

So, if you're missing your mom, grandma, or anyone who fulfilled that need in your life today, my heart is with you. And if you're aching because you have been denied the privilege of parenting, for whatever reason, my heart is with you as well. As for me, I'm taking my sad heart and going back to bed to listen to the rain.

Batter up!

I surprised my nephew and my brother last night by showing up at C-man's first little league game of the season. Sixty-eight degrees and fresh cut grass...it was a perfect night for a game. I wasn't the only one thinking that! Parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles all were on the sidelines -- some had even brought picnics to share.

As I watched my brother pitching to these kids, I couldn't help but remember cousin V's blog from last week. It was titled "Did Jesus play little league?" You can read the whole thing here, but to summarize, she was asking some honest questions on whether or not extra-curricular activities interfered with being raised as a Christian. The catalyst was this quote:

I’m not trying to say that it is necessarily wrong for children to play organized sports. My point is simply this: Being a member of an organized traveling baseball squad at age ten doesn’t add a single day to one’s life. In fact, many of these activities get in the way of much loftier pursuits. People turned boys into men and girls into women for most of recorded history without dragging them around town with their tongues hanging out in an effort to keep up with their overachieving, undereducated, theologically illiterate peers as they try to win trophies that will eventually gather dust in a basement somewhere.
If I teach my son to keep his eye on the ball but fail to teach him to keep his eyes on Christ, I have failed as a father. We must refuse to allow trivial, temporal pursuits to interfere with the main thing. Making the team is a tremendous achievement; however, it must be put in its proper perspective. No sports endeavor will ever be as important as becoming a man or woman of God. ~Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith, p.20

I felt so judged when I first read that, and then I got really steamed. And I don't even have kids. So, I let it percolate for a bit, so I could come back with fresh eyes and see if I missed the point. I'm not sure I did, but I think I did discover why I don't agree with Mr. Baucham's opinion.

He deals with the extremes. I acknowledge he starts out with it's not, "necessarily wrong" for kids to play sports, but than he rails on for an eternity (yes, I'm exaggerating) about why it is wrong. He paints the picture that anyone who participates in sports are loud, obnoxious morons. This implies that those who don't participate are refined, mature, educated and somewhat better.

There are two things to realize about extremes. The first is there is always another side. I know some parents who do seem to overdo it with their kids when it comes to sports and such. On the other hand, I know other families and individuals who have no life experience outside of church, homeschooling/Christian schools and church sponsored activities. From my vantage point, both scenarios can be harmful. Just as the actions of a child with no moral guidance may be mean and hurtful, a child with only education and no practical experience may become judgmental and equally hurtful.

The other thing to remember when dealing with extremes, is that there are always exceptions. Within either group, the over-involved and the non-involved, you're going to find people who are excelling and people who are failing and need to find a balance. I suspect that most of us fall into this need to find balance.

Now I don't claim to be a theologian. I'm just me trying to put it all together. I think I have these ideas down pretty solid though

1) Part of living a Christian lifestyle is actually trying to embody the characteristics of Christ. Being Jesus on two feet in this world -- showing compassion and love -- agape style.
2) Everything in life is to be done with worship in your heart.
3) It's not an accident I'm here -- born in 1974 in Marion, Ohio. God chose for me to live during this time -- to use the resources at my disposal to advance the Kingdom.
4) Speaking of which -- growing the Kingdom. Because surely, if you've truly tasted grace and forgiveness, you couldn't keep it to yourself, could you? Even if it's not the politically correct thing to do?

I wish I could ask Mr. Baucham why sports, or any extra-curricular activities, can't be used as a vehicle to re-enforce these Christian values? Can't friendships be built on a ball field? Can't you swing a bat with joy in your heart, even if you're not good at it? And why, oh why, if God chose for us to live during an era where there is time and opportunity for evangelism, should we not take advantage of it?

It was on the news the other night that a soccer game between two of the "better" school systems in Columbus ended in a fist fight. It was especially distressing as one of the parents involved was a cop. As I watched the story on the news, I couldn't help but wonder, did any of these people know Christ? Who better than someone who truly loves God to step in and show how to gracefully handle conflict resolution? Could you imagine what would happen in this world, if all of us were out there, involved in our schools and communities, making a positive difference instead of, "not taking our eyes off the ball," as Mr. Baucham puts it.

My sister-in-law shared a story the other day, about one of my nephews. He was riding home on the bus when one of his buddies came over to sit with him. This is a buddy he had gone to school with, played ball with and went to church with. His friend asked him point blank if he knew Jesus as his personal savior, and my nephew honestly replied no. His friend talked to him a while about it and my nephew thought about it. Then, the two of them bent their heads and prayed for my nephew's salvation, right in the middle of a school bus ride home.

So did Jesus play little league? Not during his lifetime. I'm fairly confident about that. Mostly because Little League wasn't founded until 1939 by Mr. Carl Stolz (I had to look it up). Maybe a more accurate question is this: Would Jesus play little league if he was born today? If it meant reaching out to someone who was lost, like my nephew, I think the answer is yes.