Last year, Melissa at the Inspired Room did this and I loved it.  Melissa is such a neat person.  She’s authentic.

I love Fall!!!!!  Fall inspires me the way summer or spring inspires others. 

And don’t give me that malarkey about, “But it means winter and colder weather are coming.”

Who cares?!?  Live and love where you are.  If you don’t, you’ll miss out on the best parts of life.

So, I’ll quit with the lecturing and get on with it.  I’m sure many of my 20 things will be the same as last year, but I still treasure them. If you’ve got a blog, join in!  If not, tell me in a reply.

1.  The smell of Pumpkin Pie Crunch baking – this will always be number one!  

2.  The warm colors that surround you when your in the woods.

3.  The warmth of the campfire on a cold morning with a cup of coffee, pancakes & bacon.

4. The smell of wet leaves after and autumn rain.

5.  When it’s just chilly enough to wear a turtleneck and sweatshirt but no coat.

6.  Cinnamon & Apple candles burning.

7. Fall decorations – leaves, pumpkins and mums

8.  Going to a pumpkin patch and getting pumpkin butter to bring home.

9.  The smell of apples in an apple orchard store.  Mmmmm. 

10.  Honeycomb – I don’t know that this is truly associated with autumn, but when I was growing up, we went to the same apple orchard every year and always got a jar of honey with honeycomb, so it goes together in my mind. 

11. A big pile of leaves to jump in – over and over and over again.

12. A weenie roast and hay ride.

13. The smell of my roast in my crock pot with carrots, potatoes & celery.

14. Chili & peanut butter sandwiches

15. The smell of anything baking – zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies – oh dear, I may have to make some of this when I get home. 

16. Carving pumpkins and baking pumpkin seeds to eat.

17. A really good  football game on a Saturday afternoon, wrapped up in blankets on the bleachers with a thermos of hot chocolate.  (I haven’t done this in over 10 years, but it’s a good memory.)

18. Getting cozy with the kiddos and hubby in the evening to watch a movie and eat some of hubby’s special popcorn that he makes.

19. Eating all the above mentioned foods – yes, I treasure eating.  Don’t mock.

20. Fall festivals and family time.

I think I could list more than 20, but I’ll spare you. 

I’d love to know what floats your boat about autumn. 

Gosh!  I even like the word Autumn.  Maybe it’s because it has the mmmmnnnn sound at the end and make me think of food. 

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

Addendum – Can you have one of these at the beginning?  Well, this is where it is going. 

I just recently discovered a wonderful new website for women.  What’s the name, you ask?   (in)courage   It’s running in it’s infantcy at the moment, but I can tell it will reach maturity quickly and bless all who frequent it.  It has already blessed me.  (possibly I relate to infants and small children better?)

So they are having a giveaway and you link a post about hope.  I felt my post was about the hope I have found in recent months.  Go check out all the other links to see how others see hope. 

Now, on to the post!

 

Once again, I’ve had good intentions, but no actions to back them up.  I just realized it’s been over a month since I’ve been here. 

It’s quite possible you have now given up on me for good.  In the off chance that you still have hope for me, I will continue on. 

I was speaking to a friend the other day – why yes I do have a friend – and we were discussing how life can sometimes deal us stressful situations. (I’m sure this doesn’t happen to you, but go along with me to make me feel better.)

Anyhow, at the time I was upset about having to take DD back to her dad’s.   She decided to move though I still feel that she should be with me.  I realize she’s a teenager and has lost her mind, but even so, the whole thing hurts.  I’ve known this was coming and did not expect to be overwhelmed with my emotions.  I thought I was prepared and could handle it. 

Wrong! 

Someone turned on the faucet and I simply could not make it stop. 

As I was talking to my friend I told her I felt kind of silly because it wasn’t as if I would never see DD again.  She, being the compassionate person she is, shared with me that she knows daily life can be just as hard as anything else in this world.  This is coming from a woman whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer before she was two.  Her daughter is now fine and dandy and as normal as a thirteen year old can be. 

Praise God.

I started thinking later about it all.  I was sharing with another friend and she agreed that the daily grind can definitely make you feel like you’ve been pulverized.

Isn’t that what grinding is?  Something get’s broken down and beat up and ground until it’s a powder.  I guess my first thought of something that’s ground is coffee.

Mmmmmm!

I can smell my favorite kind right now!

Then my mind wandered to the fact that when things are ground, it generally makes whatever the thing is a useable thing.  (Dear Heavenly Father, Please don’t ever let my high school English teacher see my blog and the gramatical atrosities I commit.  Thank you for your mercy and grace. Amen.)

What I’m trying to say is, it becomes transformed.  Coffee beans become aromatic coffee grounds.  There are minerals and herbs that become healing remedies. 

So then my mind wandered to, “I wonder if this is how God intends to transform us?”  We are indeed to be transformed into His son’s image and this doesn’t happen overnight. 

Now, I’m not saying God takes delight in beating us down everyday until we become who we are meant to be in Him.   Above all He is love and love does not intentionally hurt others.

I merely think he uses our daily, human circumstances to assist us in our transformation.  We are called to pour ourselves out to Him and let His presence fill us back up. 

So why is it that when I feel wrung out I turn to food or the TV or a friend or the computer?  I believe I may suffer from the same brain damage I claim my children do.  (Please do not tell them I said this.  Thank you for your support.)

Well, now I have empathy for God.  This whole parenting thing is hard enough with the four I’ve got – I can’t begin to imagine how he deals with all of us! 

I guess that’s why He’s God, and I’m just mom.

Thank you God for loving me enough to transform me – even when I think it’s painful.

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

Hey!  It’s September which means in my mind it’s Fall and you know how I love Fall!  Stay tuned for some good fall stuff!

It is one of life’s greatest mysteries – how many ways can a child delay going to bed?

This is close second only to why your kids can be at the far corners of the Earth, but if you pick up the phone to talk, they seek you out claiming life altering repercussions if you do not pay attention to them that very instant.

Last night was a circus at bedtime.  Truthfully, I don’t like bedtime at all.  We ebb and flow on having a routine, so most of it is really our own monster we’ve made.  However, what is so wrong with telling your kids goodnight after you’ve tucked them in and said prayer and actually expecting them to stay there?  In my mind, it makes sense. 

I know I stayed in bed.

Truly I did.

Just ask my mama.

Last night wasn’t that much different than other nights, it just seemed my children were more persistent and creative in their excuses.

DS#3 kept complaining that DS#2 would not be quiet. 

DS#1 decided that he had horrible allergies and needed medicine. 

Everybody wanted one more drink of water. 

Everybody suddenly had to go to the bathroom at the same time even though they had all been less than 15 minutes earlier. 

In between each episode I could be heard mumbling things like “No more!”  “This is ridiculous!”  “I said we’re done.”  and “For the love of  all that is good and holy AND my sanity, you must go to sleep . . . . NOW!”  Well, I guess I wasn’t really mumbling.

Ahhhhh.  There was silence.

Then five minutes later DS#2 gets up and says, “Mom, I can’t go to sleep.  I’ve tried really hard.  I’m scared that Godzilla might get me.”

Me, “Remember when we watched the movie Saturday that Godzilla lives in the ocean?  There are only corn and bean fields around us.  No ocean.  Now get back to bed before I turn into Momzilla!”

He squealed with delight and ran off. 

I’m so glad my children think I’m funny when I’m really on the brink of beating them.  It’s God’s little way of saving us both.

Have a terrific day!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

And aren’t you lucky that you get to hear more about our camping exploits? 

I can see the excitement on all of your faces. 

Really, I can.

So last night was our last night of camping this week.  It rained most of yesterday afternoon so DH and the boys were in the camper.  DH thought about going home with the kiddos because of the camper being a confined space and the boys being high energy, but they didn’t want to go.  He conceded to their wants and stayed.  They watched (I use this term “watch” loosely) movies and ate popcorn.  They also wrestled and spoke loudly to each other.  It’s hard to sit still when your a boy – or so I’ve observed.

I went down after work, when it had quit raining, and only had to give DH one nerve pill. 

No, not really.

I delivered dinner instead of cooking over the fire last night and then we went for a bike ride and walk.  We rode our bikes to a trail, parked them and walked.  You know what we found on our walk? 

Toads! 

The little critters were everywhere.  When we stepped, they jumped.  We may have inadvertently sent a few to Toad Heaven.  The boys thought they were in Heaven.  They couldn’t catch them fast enough. 

DS#1 found a medium sized one and decided it could be a date for the medium sized one he had at the campground.  Each boy carried a handful of toads the length of the trail.  At the end of the trail, we were at the lake, so DS#3 and DS#2 released their toads.  Not DS#1.  He was bound and determined to make it back to the campsite and give his toady friend a date. 

I asked DS#1 if he’d put the toads in a bottle again and he assured me he did not.  I did not ask DS#1 where they were if they were not in a bottle.  We found out a little later.

When we got back from our walk, the boys played with a family that was camping near us.  While they were playing, DH got a fire started so we could have smores.  You really can’t camp without having smores before bed – even if the sugar makes it a little harder to wind down.  It’s an unwritten must for us.

So, the fire is going pretty good.  We decide to invite the next door family to partake in our smore ritual.  Since it had been raining earlier, we ate dinner in the camper and had not used the picnic table.  DH went to take the toys that were sitting on the picnic table while I went inside to get plates, graham crackers, Hershey’s & marshmallows.  I came back out the door just in time to see DH pick up a Frisbee off the table.  When he picked it up, there was a mass exodus of toads.  I didn’t know that many toads could fit under a Frisbee.  They went in all directions across the table and I think I faintly heard Aretha Franklin’s “Freedom” coming from their general vicinity.

Maybe.

DH, “DS#1, I found your toads.”

DS#1, “Don’t let them escape!  They’re my friends!”  He frantically tried to gather them back up, but it was to no avail.

DH, “If they’re really your friends, you should let them go free.”

DS#1 didn’t agree, but let it happen anyway. 

We washed the table, our hands and had smores.

YUM!

A litte backtrack – while the kiddos were playing, DS#3 felt the call of nature.  What he did not feel was modesty.  He skipped the tree altogether and aimed at bugs in a nearby ditch, along the road, for God and everybody to see. 

I’m just comforted to know he doesn’t have any body image issues. 

It was now time for bed.  We got people in their respective beds.  DS#1 sleeps by himself.  DS#2 & DS#3 share a bed.  It’s the way it always is.  DS#2 wanted to know why DS#1 always gets the couch bed.   Why can’t he sleep there.  We said be happy, you’re fine where you are. 

The complaining continued.  We stood our ground.  If you start switching your routine, it throws everyone off.

DS#1 decided to weigh in with his opinion.  He got a bit flip and smart mouthed.  We decided he need not be so smug and switched.  We told DS#2 to go sleep where DS#1 was and DS#1 to go share a bed with DS#3.

It threw everybody off.

DS#3 wanted to know why he had to stay where he was.  DS#1 wanted “his” bed and it wasn’t fair.  DS#2 wanted his pillow and not to sleep with DS#3.  It all became very confusing and chaotic. 

The crowning moment was the complete and utter meltdown of DS#1 when he stated, “I don’t want to sleep where DS#2 does!  He picks his boogers and wipes them on his sheets!”

Me, “DS#2 used to do that, but I’m sure he doesn’t anymore because we’ve talked about how yucky that is.  You don’t do that anymore, right DS#2?”

DS#2, pause, pause, wait for it, “Well . . . . . . yeah, sometimes I do.”

DS#1 “Aaaarrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!  Seeeeeee!  I told you!”

OK – I don’t want to sleep with DS#2 anymore either.

Everyone went back to their respective places and all was right with the world again.  

A decree went out  stating that there would be no more switching of where one sleeps and no more picking of boogers and wiping them on sheets – your own or anyone elses.  The kingdom was once again at peace.

After all was well, DH and I went back out to the fire and enjoyed adult time.  We just sat and enjoyed the night.  In all the nuttiness, I truly can’t imagine another life that I would enjoy the way I do this one. 

I felt blessed.  I felt content.  I thanked God.

Have a great one my friends!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

My goodness!  I can’t believe I havent’ posted for over two weeks!  Please forgive me for my inconsideration and consistent inconsistency. 

Thank you.

Well, we’re back to camping this week.  It really is great to be out there during the week because hardly anyone else is.  The hubby and I like the seclusion.  It feels as if the whole park is for our family. 

Last night, when I went out after work, the little darlins’ couldn’t wait to tell me what they had been up to all day.  In the morning, they ate eggs and bacon that were cooked over the camp fire.  They then went for a walk and a bike ride. They walked down by the lake and road around the two camp grounds. 

The most exciting thing to DS#1 and DS#2 was that they found many mini toads.  DS#1 loves to explore and pour over any creature he can catch.  DS#2 generally goes along for the ride.  Near our campsite, there’s a ditch that is filled with water and mushy mud and many mini toads.  I think it’s where they hatched.  If I were to get a video clip and zoom in on it, you’d think you were in Egypt and the plagues were coming back.  There are seriously that many.  DS#1 always wants to keep the creatures he catches.   He puts them in empty water bottles and tries his best to recreate their habitat.  DS#1 needs to read up a bit more on the habitats of toads.

While the boys were excitedly relaying to me their story of the toads, DS#1 grabs a water bottle from the picnic table and thrusts it in my face.

DS#1, “Look at all the toads I kept!  I put rocks and water and grass in there for them.  I think it made them happy.”

As I’m looking at the bottle, I see several poor little toads bloated and floating.  I hope God shows me more mercy and grace in my passing.

Me, “Oh no honey.  Most of them are dead.  It’s really best to no try to keep the insects and animals you find.”

DS#1, “They’re not  dead.  They’re swimming around.  See?”

Me, “No.  They’re floating, not swimming.  Oh wait.  There is one that’s still crawling around.  I think you should pour them out over there in the woods.”

DS#1, “OK.” (in a forlorn tone)

So off DS#1 trots with his water bottle of floating toads and the lone survivor.  I watched him turn the bottle upside and shake them out.  Do you remember I said there were rocks in the bottom?  Well, my guess is that there is no longer a lone survivor.  If there is, he’s got a heck of a headache.

We discussed it a little more and that’s when DS#2 chimed in.

DS#2, “I had a toad in my pocket, but it got real sick and threw up.”

Ahhhh.  The precious lessons of childhood.  I’m sure we’ll always remember the toads tenderly.

After that, we took a bike ride before dinner.  We road around our campground and went to the other campground.  About two thirds of the way around, DS#1 stops.  Here is yet another shallow puddle.  I warned there would be no more taking of toads today.  He told me there weren’t toads in the puddle, but thousands of tadpoles.  We all hopped off our bikes to look.  By golly, he was right.  It was like a science lesson in front of us.  they were really neat to watch dart around.  They had the big body and tails.  We didn’t see any legs yet, but I bet there will be in a couple of days or so.  I don’t think there were thousands, but I would bet there were more than a hundred. 

Yes, they wanted to catch them too.

No, we didn’t let them.

I will not have the blood of  anymore toads, big or small, on my hands.  Not on my watch! 

I’m Baptist and believe in the right to life.  Even the right to a toad’s life.

One of the boys biggest pleasures when we camp and we’re alone, is their freedom to “pee on a tree”. 

Yes, it is a crass way to put it, but the word urinate doesn’t rhyme. 

Apparently, if you’re a boy, there are not many bigger thrills in this world than the ability to drop your drawers and relieve yourself on the spot.  I don’t claim to understand, but I do see the convenience of not having to stop what you’re doing to go to the bathroom. 

We were playing whiffle ball with some friends that came out to visit, when suddenly DS#2 & DS#3 were absent from the game.  We turned around to look for them.  We found them pretty quickly.  They were standing next to each other at the edge of the woods.  All we could see were their shining back sides.  I’m pretty sure they smiling from ear to ear though. 

And that is life with boys.  Well, life with our boys at least.

Have a great day!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

The family is camping this week at a camp ground down the road from us.  I go out for dinner and spend the night and get up and go home the next morning and go to work.  While it sounds strange, it’s working for me.  I get to leave work and go to a peaceful setting to be with the kiddos and hubster.  I also don’t have to deal with my “somewhat decluttered but not quite” house.   After last week’s garage sale I discovered I need to purge at least that much again.

De Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.

The last two nights we’ve had a raccoon visit our camp site.  This causes great excitement among the campers.  Last night when he came (no I didn’t really check the gender of the raccoon – it’s just easier to assign it one)  the boys were all excited.  DS#1 wanted it to leave us and our campsite alone.  DS#2 & DS#3 wanted to befriend it and take it home to make it a pet.  The latter was a big no go.  However, we did enjoy watching the raccoon try to take off with our Pringles and finish off DS#3’s cupcake. 

DS#3, “wwwwm, he’s so cute.  I think he’s just a baby.”

Me, “I think he’s more like your age.  I be next year he’ll go to Kindergarten.”

DS#3, “Raccoons don’t go to kindergarten.  They’re raccoons!”

Me, “They go to Raccoon Kindergarten.  How do you think they learn what they need to know?”

DS#3, “Really?”  (said with a look of awe and intrigue)

I just love playing with my kids minds.

Here’s a special little gem from DS#3 from last week.

My mom was talking to the boys about a family reunion we’d recently attended and they inquired about their grandpa not being there.  He’s in heaven.  During the discussion, they wanted to know if their daddy was a grandpa.  I’m happy to report he’s not to my knowledge.  Anyhow, she told them he would be when they got married someday and had children of their own. 

DS#2 “I’m not having kids!”

DS#3, “I’m not having kids either.  They might be evil and hit me on the head.”

Oh yes, we have a most loving and encouraging environment in our home.  We are blessed.

My mother questioned what we do in our house.  I told her  I pray a lot.

You’ll want to pray for us too after this next story. 

Last night I roasted DS#1’s underwear over the camp fire. 

No, there are no typos in the preceding sentence.

I discovered that DS#1 had had an accident and failed to report it to the proper authorities.  The last few weeks he has had an issue with this.  I don’t know if he waits way too long to take care of the situation or if there’s a problem we need to get checked out.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s the first one of the two. 

I had taken a change of clothes, but failed to take a change of underwear for the children.  I believed we were past this.  DS#1 certainly should be past this.  I believed incorrectly.

I had him changes clothes and he just had to be free in his shorts.  He didn’t object.   How could he?

I went back into the camper and washed out his underwear.  I wrung them out the best I could and then put them on a stick over the fire to try and help speed up the drying process. 

Once again, there a no typos in the preceding sentences. 

This created much laughter and chatter for the boys and my husband too.  DH simply stated that I’m not right.  I’m sure it will be a fond memory for the boys. 

I like to create warm, fuzzy memories for my family and I’m just sure this will be one of them.   Aren’t you?

Have a great day!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

Oh my goodness!  So this week in the entertainment industry we’ve lost Ed, Farrah and Michael.  These are big people and have influenced a lot of others. 

I believe just this last Halloween I posted the Thriller video  because it is a must at Halloween time.  I mean, come on, it’s not completely Halloween without it. 

Then there’s Farrah.  If you weren’t into her for Charlie’s Angels (the one season she was in it) then you had to admire her for her hair.  Her hair was iconic.  I think I would like to have iconic hair someday.  Maybe I would just like to have hair like her someday.  I’d have to grow it and dye it blond, but I can see it now.  I’m walking down the street, the wind blowing in my feathered hair and people stop in their tracks and stare.  They all whisper to each other, “She has hair like Farrah Fawcett!  Wow!” 

Yep, it’s good to have goals. 

Ed.  Well, I can’t say much about Ed because I was not one to stay up and watch Johnny.  I do think he did a bang up job on all those Colonial Penn Life commercials though.  He always seemed so nice and genuine.  I hope he was.

Seriously though, my heart goes out to the families.  It’s painful to lose those you love and I can’t imagine having to share it all with the world.  I can’t help but wonder if they had the peace of Christ in their lives. 

I’m pretty sure Michael didn’t.  He seemed like such a tortured soul.  I think it would be horrible to live that way.  I have no proof of this other than what I’ve seen in the media.  I grew up on Michael, loved his music, but we all knew early on he was searching for something to fill a void and was going about filling that void in an unhealthy manner. 

Regardless, I pray for the families and that they feel the presence of the Father comforting them. 

I will leave you with a Michael video and you all pray for the families too.  Remember there are kids involved and they will need extra praying over. 

Have a great weekend!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

Can you discern from the title that there might be a little bit of rambling involved again today? 

I’ll try to keep it to a minimum.

Really.

So I was all fired up yesterday.  I heard cheers coming from you – really.

Then reality hit. 

I went to Zumba last night and even though we live in the midwest, the temperatures we’ve been experiencing are a bit more like the Equator in August.  It totally wiped me out – but in a good way.  However, I was useless and defenseless against the desires of my flesh for the rest of the evening.  I gave into my fleshly desires and became a couch potato. 

I believe this is called brain damage.

Why didn’t I take my own advice and fall to my knees to pray for strength you ask?  (See above reference to brain damage.)  Also, it was like my backside had the world’s strongest magnet attached and it was attracted to the couch cushion.  Very strange.  Has that ever happened to you?

The next time I knock on my kids and what they’ve done that’s not so bright, remind me to humble myself because they have come by it naturally. 

So today is a brand new day.  Thank God for his mercies that are made new each day! 

What does today hold in store for me? 

I’ll have to get back to you on that because I’m not done consulting God in this matter at this time.

What I believe it holds in store is an all nighter to finish purging my house in order that I may a Jim Dandy of a garage sale this weekend.  I’m working for vacation spending money and I’d like to try the less is more theory in my home. 

If you’ve got too much to take care of, then you’ve got too much!  Get rid of it! 

Disclaimer:  this does not apply to children that reside within your home

Let’s start a new movement.  How about “Enough is Enough!” 

Well, that’s pretty unoriginal.

Hmmmmm.  Maybe “You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing.”

Another Disclaimer:  this does not apply to chocolate

Now, an apology.  Evidently this is not what God has in store for me or I would be coming up with some really clever name for a group that could unite the world by decluttering their lives.  I bet it comes to me tonight around 2am when I’m almost delirious from purging my house and lack of sleep. 

What’s that? You say you don’t think I’ll be up at 2am? 

Oh ye of little faith! 

Of course, maybe I’ll get it done before and be able to sleep. 

Sleep is my second golden calf.  Once you lose out on it, you just can’t get it back.  I find that totally unacceptable.  You would find me totally unacceptable if you were around me after I’d missed out on some prime sleep time. 

It’s true.  I’m not always perky and cute.  Just ask my mom and my husband and my kids.  One of them, I don’t remember which one, lost a hand trying to wake me up for what I deemed unnecessary in the middle of the night.  It’s not as bad as it sounds.  We found it, got it reattached and now you’d never know it hadn’t been there the whole time – but they all know the perils of waking mommy now. 

Well, I gotta go get at it!  Have a lovely day!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

Do you think I could win an award for the longest blog title ever?  OK, at least the longest blog title today?

I haven’t been here, but my mind has.  My mind has wondered here through numerous conversations with the kiddos.  Like when DS#2 asked me if I was ever going to not have to go to work before I was old, because old people don’t work you know. 

Then there was DS#3 telling me my stomach was like a soft fluffy pillow to him.  DH laughed.  I reminded him of our wedding vows.  The “til death do us part” part and told him it doesn’t say how death must come about in order for us to part.    I then told DS#3 that he most certainly was not working toward most favored child status and he should really rethink it.

DD is gone to her dad’s so I have nothing to contribute to her good or bad stockpile.

DS#1 was precious this weekend in helping a friend’s daughter that has a physical disability.  I didn’t catch him being good, but the friend did and told me about it.  A bunch of kids were in a bounce house and he became her protector from the other wild and crazy children around her.  He encouraged her and helped her get through it.  It made my heart go pitty pat and thank God for his tender heart.  Of course, later in the day he made one of his brother’s cry, but I guess that means he’s normal. 

I’ve also been thinking again about my path in life.  At this point, sooner than later, I’ll be 40.  I have a few more days than 20 months until I’ll hit that BIG 4 0.  There is something about that number that says to me I should have “arrived” at my life by then.  I’m having this innate yearning to get up off my behind, quit making excuses and just do what it is that needs to be done. 

What is it that needs to be done?

Well, there are several things, plus a few more.

First and most tangible, I need to get back on the Weight Watchers wagon and get to goal so I can stop paying them a monthly fee.  I’ve stagnated because I like to use food as therapy.  Think of how much thinner I’d be if I just turned to prayer instead.  Yep, it’s my golden calf.

Second of all, I need to quit living, and allowing my family to live, in all the clutter in our house.  I will never have a perfect house, but I can at least have one that’s picked up a bit.  It would allow us to breathe a little easier.  I always know what I want to do to decorate, but live by the “if, then” theory.  If I can get “this” taken care of, “then” I’ll do that.  “If, then” is not working for me.  Dr. Phil would be proud of this conclusion.  This can be accomplished in a month’s time, so I’ll get back to you on the progress.  Would you like to see pictures?

Third, I do have a desire to write and publish.  I don’t do it consistently.  I haven’t submitted anything.  I look and lurk on writing sites, but don’t act. Here I am going to have to refer to the beloved Nike slogan and “Just Do It!”.  I have also come to the conclusion that consistent doesn’t necessarily mean every day for hours.  I do think every day is good, but I can’t immediately make expectations for myself that will set me up to fail.  Do you ever do that?  Go with the all or nothing mentality? 

OK, break time.

Last Thursday I took my mom to have outpatient surgery on her hand.  We had to be there at 5am.  Ugghhh!  It’s a good thing I love her – and she amuses me.  She knows me well and I know her well, so we can pick on each others habits. 

One of my habits, or traits, has been that I’m not generally a morning person.  I am much more so than I used to be, but this was a bit much for me.  She wanted to leave at 4:10am. 

WHAT?  Are you kidding me?

Her reply, “I’m not like you Elizabeth. I like to get to places on time”

Thank you for the dig.  I’ll be sure to return it later.

She was so sure I wouldn’t be ready because it was so early that she threatened me.

She, “What time are you going to get up?”

Me, “Not any before 3:30.”

She, “I want you to call me when you’re up so I know you’re up.”

Me, “OK, fine.  I’ll sleep with the phone so I don’t forget.”

She, “If you don’t call me at 3:30, I’ll be calling your house.  How else will I know you’re up?”

Me, “You cannot call my house that early – remember all those people that live there and will be sleeping?”

She, “I can and I will.  If I were you, I just wouldn’t forget.”

Me, “Then give me until 3:35 because I immediately go to the bathroom when I get up.  I find I can go no place else without placing the flooring in peril.  It happens after 4 kids.”

She, “3:35 – and that’s it!”

Yes, this is the relationship my mother and I have.  Oddly enough, I find it amusing.

I made it,  you’ll be happy to know.  She really was in my driveway at 4:10am.

You know, when you’re up that early, it does something to you.  My mom and I have always found odd things funny and we did that morning too.   Well, she did.

There were many little moments I could share.  I’ll spare you all but one.

We got there on time and of course had to wait.  They called her name and we went back into her room.  An army of personnel started filing in and out.  She had an attending nurse, a surgical nurse, the dr. and the anesthesiologist.  They all came in to make sure she was of sound mind and knew why she was there.  She convinced them she wasn’t crazy, even though there was a minute where they questioned.

It happened with the anesthesiologist.  He came in and said, “Hi.  I’m Chuck the anesthesiologist.”  She immediately started laughing.  He was very big and did not look amused.  I said, “What’s wrong with you?”

She said she got tickled because when he said Chuck the Anesthesiologist she immediately thought of Larry the Cable Guy. 

Yes maam.  She said it to Chuck the Anesthesiologist.

And she didn’t stop there.

I kid you not.

She went on to tell him she bet he had lots of funny stories of what people do as they’re going under anesthetic.  She said she bet he could have a really funny stand up routine.

He was not nearly as tickled as she was.

I, myself, was tickled at this point but decided to refrain until Chuck left because he was such a big boy and seemed to be serious about his job.

He left, we laughed.  I told my mom that I am tickled pink to know that I can continue to cause embarrassing moments for my children well into adulthood. 

Are you lost yet?  Have you run out of bread crumbs?

I’ll try and wrap the rest of this up rather quickly. 

I’ve covered The Weight, The Clutter, The Writing and My Strange Relationship With My Mother (aka She). 

Finally, I just basically want to not quit so easily at the end of the day. I don’t want to just get by in life.  God knows I get run down and tired daily, but He calls me to more.  I want to look different than those around me because He is in my life.  Right now, not so much.  I don’t think you’d see any difference between me and someone who says they’re not Christian. 

No More my friends!  It may seem like I’m having a 40 crisis prematurely, but I sure don’t want to get there and have excuses for why my life doesn’t look different. 

This is going to be a verse I lean on from now until then: “Be diligent in these matters; give yourselves wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” 1 Tim 4:15 (NIV)

I really didn’t come around to this end in a smooth writing way, but it’s the gist of it and where I was going.  I’ll fill in the other parts later.

Have a great day brothers & sisters! 

Oh!  And just in case there ever is a Chuck the Anesthesiologist with a stand up routine, you can say you heard about it hear first!

Blessings & Hugs, Elizabeth

OK – so go read the post below and then come back to this link to read a devotional of Lysa’s.  I just can’t believe that we’re of the same mind – even though she probably wrote that months ago.  Of course, you may disagree about the same mind thing, but in essence it’s what I’ve been trying to say. She just does a better job. 

See ya!