Goodbye nursery...hello little girl's room!

Because any wise woman knows that mothers are (almost) always right, and that following your mama's advice (almost) always leads to a good end, I am going to take my mother's advice...this morning she emailed me and said "...don't worry about catching up the blog, just begin again today-then you won't be behind!"  So here we are.  I'll stop stressing about how far behind I am and instead, just start with "now", and catch up (or not) as time allows!

~

Yesterday and today I have been repainting Abigail's room, which was decorated as the nursery.  Originally I had planned to strip the wallpaper, too, but Abigail intervened and begged to keep it because she likes it so much...so I didn't have to deal with that messy job!  Instead I repainted the baby-green upper half with a medium-dark orchid (Sherwin Williams 6556 - "Obi Lilac" from their Duration Home line...it's wonderful paint!).  Here is the project up until now...tomorrow we'll put her room back in order, and when my parents visit soon, my mom and I will start to add some special touches.

Before...

 During...

 The paint went on much lighter than I had expected...but the wet-to-dry transition was dramatic, and by the time I made it all around the room the first time, I was relieved to find the color I was hoping to see!  Look at the difference.

After!

A safe trip

On the way home from Florida, I was reminded of just how thankful I should be for every trip made safely, for every arrival at my destination without mishap or trouble.

We passed a raging inferno that was a car carrier, engulfed in flames from the tractor all the way back to the last cars on the trailer.  It was so hot that we could feel the heat on our skin inside our van as we hurried past.  This isn't the greatest picture; I just aimed the camera ahead of time and took the picture without looking because I was too focused on getting past safely.  There weren't even emergency vehicles on the scene yet when we went past.

On the one hand, it was amazing; David said he could see the metal melting and twisting.  (The driver was out of harm's way.)  On the other hand, it was sickening -- the destruction, the raw power, and the loss.  It was a good reminder, though, that our safety is a gift, not a guarantee.

I am thankful for the gas shortage

Yes, it's a pain not to be able to find gas. However, the current gas shortage has been a very good reminder to me that I should be thankful every time I go to a gas station and fill up...up until the last couple of weeks, it was a privilege I took completely for granted. After a fruitless search both Monday and yesterday, last night I arrived home with only 30 miles until empty, so the van was parked to stay until a gas station within range got gas again. It's a strange feeling to be homebound because of a lack of fuel -- I don't ever remember that happening before! I made my first call this morning just before five o'clock to try to find gas. At 6:15 I found one about ten or so miles away, so I grabbed a PopTart for the still-groggy kids (I had to get Abigail out of bed), books etc in case we were in line for an hour or more, and we headed down the road for our "adventure" (the kids thought it was grand excitement!). I was soon reminded again of God's mercy, even in the little details of our lives. As I drove by Kroger (who, when I called at 5 a.m., had reported still no gas), I saw the tanker truck starting to refill them, so I did a quick turnaround and was first in line for gas. The Lord not only provided me with fuel, He also gave it to me two minutes from my house, He spared us a long wait in line, I was able to get free air for my tires, AND I was able to get ten cents off the regular gasoline price with my Kroger rewards!!! I was also able to call Bruce (who hadn't left for work yet), so he was able to swing by and fill up as well. It was a sweet thing to share with the kids -- we have been praying that we would be able to find gas for Mommy's van, and so they were able to share in the excitement as we thanked God for providing for us. I am thankful for a full tank of gas, and I am also thankful for the reminder of God's work in our lives, even in the tiny, "insignificant" details. How much more can I trust Him with the "big" issues, if He cares so much about me in the little ones?!

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

A lesson I am still learning...

...to think before I speak, and most of the time, don't speak! But even for those of you who don't have foot-in-mouth-itis like me, even our thoughts are often mistaken or unjust. How many of us have thought, when we hear a kid screaming in a public place, "Discipline your kid, would you?!" or something to that effect? That used to be my knee-jerk reaction, until the Lord gave me two friends whose kids are either on the autism spectrum or have similar difficulties. It has been a wake-up call for me, not only to adjust my ungracious attitude, but I have also learned that not only do the moms of kids with difficulties not need rude looks or "helpful" comments, but they are usually exhausted and frustrated and feeling deeply the (obvious) disparagement from most of the people around them...and they could use a little encouragement and friendliness. This has been a very humbling but very valuable lesson for me to learn. My friend Heather recently shared an experience she had at a store and she gave me permission to re-post it here on my blog. I'm sharing the following excerpt in the hopes that we can all learn from it and spare another mom any more stress than she already has...a little food for thought. Heather wrote: "...I decide to get a gallon of paint for the downstairs bathroom. The man is talking to me. Joe is standing right there and decides to run. He turns the corner...I’m right behind...I turn the corner...He’s gone. I run up and down the aisles and no Joe. I was beginning to panic when another woman way down says..."I found him!" So I get him back to the paint counter, and Joe then begins to roll on the floor. He really likes shiny floors. So [he] is rolling and I let him. It’s better then trying to restrain him and him be screaming or have him running off. The man at the paint counter says, "How old is he? He should be learning to behave by now." So I say, "Well...Believe me...I wish I could get him to understand me to get him to behave. He’s 2 1/2, non-verbal, epileptic, has 4 heart tumers, too many brain tumors to count and we are waiting for him to be tested for autism, but yea...it would be nice if he would behave...believe me...I’m exhausted."