Good Intentions

This is the story of how Christmas decorations, laundry detergent, and a slow computer culminated in a late night misadventure.

This story began almost a month ago, but I had no inkling it would end up like this. Not long after Epiphany, we spent a happy Saturday putting Christmas decorations away. One of my children was feeling extra diligent and blessed us by putting the Christmas decorations away up in the attic above the garage. Ski was pleased that all was done. And all was very happy until this past week.

While Ski and I were laying in bed, drifting off to dreamland, there came a loud and sudden noise. It was not a burglar kind of noise, so we were brave and went to check it out. We opened the door to the garage to find part of the drywall attic floor hanging down. I quickly surmised that our helpful child had not set the boxed upon the rafters and had instead set them on the floor. This had caused the floor to cave in. Two boxes fell, one was precariously perched, and plastic tote hung by its rim.

Ski thought about tackling the problem this weekend, but his work load demanded some attention so the hole remains.

This afternoon, I was quite tired so I ended up taking a very long nap in my room. After the kids had gone to bed, I decided that I needed to delete cookies. Some of my children, who are compelled to cause me distress, tend to gunk up my computer with bad cookies. I don't know where they come from. And they download unnecessary things when they play their computer games so my computer ends up being slug-like. It frustrates me no end when this happens. But I cannot fix it during the school day and on the weekend, I forget. So tonight it crossed my mind to work on solving the problem once again.

Even though my eyes were blurring while looking at lists of cookies, I wasn't too sleepy. Ski went off to bed and I had planned to be finished when....I heard a LOUD crash.

Fearing the hanging tote with our Christmas ornaments had finally fallen, I opened the door to the garage. To my relief, it was only the large piece of hanging drywall that had fallen. I know that sounds really funny. Well, I thought, at least Ski would not have to saw it down. I walked closer and spied a bottle of laundry detergent on the floor. I store my detergent on a shelf next to the ladder to the attic. I didn't think much of it, but as I picked it up, I realized it was a dripping mess. There on the floor was a GIANT spill of laundry detergent. I got a box and a sponge and tried to sponge up what I could. It was at least half a bottle!!! Oh my!!! It was an enormous pile of goo! What a mess!! I finally got most of what I could into my container and headed to the kitchen. While I was washing my hands, I almost knocked the container of detergent onto the floor. I had thought about throwing the detergent away, but decided to pour it into the bottle. Silly me....I was more tired than I thought. Instead of placing the bottle in the sink, I put it on the counter and then I stuck a funnel in it. I overflowed the funnel sending detergent down onto the counter and over part of my dishwasher. I finally finished that task and then headed back to the garage.

The thing about cleaning detergent is....the more you scrub, the messier it gets. It began foaming and it was still gooey. Yuck!! I finally gave up and threw a box on top of the spot. I'll deal with it tomorrow!! I was so thankful that the detergent was unscented. I hate nothing more than the detergent aisle in the grocery store so I don't think I could have survived working with this mess for long if there was an odor to it.

Now with my luck, my child who doesn't like chores will suddenly choose to do chores tomorrow a.m. and we will have to take a trip to the er for a fall on my soapy mess.

There must be a lesson in this, but at this late hour, I can't find one.

Date Night Misadventures

Tonight was another one for the record books.

Plan #1: Our usual night out is on a Thursday. This week, however, things were different. We had a friend offer us the chance to see a preview of a movie. So, we planned to go tonight instead. But things did not work that way. Somehow, we never got the information that we needed from our friend. But since Ski is a planner and had already planned to go out tonight, he stuck with that plan.

Plan #2: Ski thought about going to a new place that he had heard of. Unfortunately, that place happens to be closed on Tuesday nights.

Plan #3: I have seriously been craving Middle Eastern food. We ate at a wonderful place in town once so Ski decided to go there. It is way out, but so worth the drive. We finally got there only to find that it was no longer there. It had vanished and there was no sign of it at all. SUCH a disappointment!!!

Plan #4: Try another place en route to home. I directed Ski to where I remembered it and I either did not remember clearly, or the place no longer existed.

Plan #5: Try a place listed on the GPS. We headed there and it was not longer there. It was now a Shomars.

Plan #5: Try another place on the GPS that sounded interesting. It was. In fact, it was a bit too interesting for Ski. It was Eithiopian cuisine which we would have tried, but it was a tad pricey and I felt the setting was slightly creepy. I'd rather have a recommendation from someone for that place.

Plan #6: A noodle place. We drove there, walked up...it had just closed.

Plan #7: A Mexican place. We weren't sure what the prices were and decided that if we were thinking about that, maybe we should just drive closer to home and try a Chinese place.

Plan #8: Chinese. Friends had mentioned this place as having large portions and good prices and good food. Finally we had success. It was pretty good food. The portions were very large and prices were good. The ambiance...Ski wasn't fond of it (her seriously would not have liked the Eithiopian place!!). The music was REALLY funny. It was really jazzy versions of 70s and 80s music. It was hysterical. It reminded me of the German movie that we saw recently that was mostly set in Japan.

Then to top it off....I have been knitting a scarf. Between plans 3 & 4, I asked Ski to stop by A C Moore so I could pick up another skein. I have been in two other A C Moores recently looking for this stupid yarn. At the last one I visited, I asked a clerk for help. She looked at me and kept walking and I had to talk fast so she would half stop and talk to me. She wasn't any help anyway. Tonight, once again, I was disappointed. Yarn in every color but the one I needed.

So we talked a lot on our date, but between the last two plans, the conversation lulled and consisted more of "watch out!! Did you see that guy" and "I hate how people drive around here." And all the way home, I lapsed into a Chinese accent which I do very well.

Last week, I learned that Harris Teeter was having super doubles this week. I was disheartened because I knew I had done most of my shopping and therefore had little money leftover. But God always surprises me.

Yesterday, we had stew for dinner. This is rare because Iz is allergic to beef. I had bought fish for Iz for this night, but had unexpectedly served it to his sister. This necessitated an errand to the store. I routinely buy fish at Harris Teeter because they have a reward program....and their fish seems a bit fresher. So off I went. I found that they still had some trout (our favorite) left that was on sale. I decided to spend more money than expected so I called home to ask Ski if he could check my balance. I was using a different account for this trip, but I wanted to know if there would be extra in my other account. Now I was in for s surprise. I had much more money than I had thought.

You see, when I shop, I overestimate each visit. I round my totals to the next ten and try to keep a running tally in my head. This way, I don't have to write everything down as I go and I have never over spent. But I last did my shopping on New Years Eve. I was in a hurry and wasn't keeping track as well. When I thought I had spent too much, I stopped. I had not checked the account since.

So my first surprise was a small surplus. Ooooh!!! Now I could do a little super doubles.

But first, back to my fish. I bought three fish. One for that night and two for us later. Mmmmmm..... This brought my total for the fish club to over $35. Now I had a $5 credit at the store. That would come in handy with super doubles!! So last night I spent a bit of time sorting and planning.

When I hunt for used books, I don't stress and worry, but have come to see that the books that I find are those that God has provided for me. I have been to a sale where I have found treasures that others have overlooked and I have overlooked treasures that others have found. Likewise, I have seen the same thing happen with me and food shopping. I have a firm belief that the Lord enables me to find bargains and deals so that I may more abundantly provide for my family. I know many would disagree. It is all coincidence. But you won't be able to convince me otherwise.

I found everything I was looking for. I had a trunk full of groceries for under $20. I made two stops to do it, but at my first stop when I had a bunch of bags worth of groceries for around $10, the lady behind me commended me for my good work. I did put a little work into it, but time and time again, I see where God has just blessed me abundantly with bargains and deals. I never share what I spend on food anymore. I have had one too many people balk at the amount. But my cabinets, fridge, and freezer are always full and we have never lacked. Even when I didn't coupon, I had more than enough. Many years ago, when it was only Ski and I, I had only $30 for two weeks of food. I will never forget how God supplied for all of our needs for those two weeks. Since then He has never let me down and has continued to overwhelm me with His goodness.

When people see all of our children, one of the things they always say is, "Your food bill must be astronomical." I just laugh with a little twinkle in my eye.....

Bread and Discontentment

For those who do not know, Iz has been eating wheat since before Thanksgiving. This is a major step for all of us. He has been doing well for the most part. That has taken me by surprise. Adding wheat to his diet has opened up a whole new world to me in cooking. But with it comes new responsibilities. First and foremost, I now must make bread for him weekly. This is because I have not been able to find any safe store bought bread for him other than the gluten free bread that he has been eating up until now.

Today, I noticed that the bread needed to be made once again. I am not good at making bread. In fact, I kind of stink at it. No, I don't stink at it....I am a LOUSY bread maker!!! I have tried about five recipes and each one disappointed me. Last time, however, I had a success. So today when I noticed I needed to make some bread, I was a little less apprehensive than usual. Everything was going well. I normally use my Kitchen Aid and this has helped me tremendously. When my bread was in the kneading stage and whirling about in my mixer, the bowl suddenly tilted sideways and flew out from under my mixer. This was NOT supposed to happen!! So, I unlocked my mixer, raised the head, fixed the bowl in place once again and made another attempt. Once again, my bowl flew out from under the machine. Realizing that the mixer was not my friend today, I took my dough and went off to the table to knead. It is amazing how easy it is to knead when you are angry.

For the rest of the evening, I found myself wallowing in unhappiness. While quickly borrowing a friends' bowl showed that all I needed was a new bowl, this still did not make me happy. I have Christmas money that would cover the cost of the bowl. But that makes me even more unhappy since I had plans for that money. I am so angry because I am so discontent with the situation I find myself in.

It is funny how one little incident just sends ripples of discontentment through my heart. I start mulling and thinking about all the things I see that are wearing out, or my children have mistreated, and that leads to personal responsibilities I have that are calling me from outside of my home and the pressure I feel from them. I find myself regretting things that I shouldn't. I find myself getting angry at people who lack care and sense of responsibility. I find myself saying things I shouldn't. I think about the teapot I bought for my birthday and used only once before a careless child broke it....and how it is still not replaced. Sigh.... And what is more shameful is that the teapot incident occurred YEARS ago.

What I would normally do is every time I look at that stupid useless bowl that needs replacing, I would once again take the dive into discontentment. But I think this will be my goal...

When I see my bowl, or paper towel holder, or the things that remind me of my discontentment, I am going to try my hardest to think on the ways in which God has blessed me. And as I make my bread by hand until I finally get that new bowl, I will try my hardest to be thankful and think on how good God is and how faithful He is to me even when I am so unfaithful to Him.

Entreaty to the Skibums

After seeing many instances of requests for votes for person X as a number one Packer fan, I feel the need to give you a warning.

If you give this person your vote, no matter how nice she is or how much you like her OR no matter how much Ski thinks she is cool because she is a Packer fan..... Well, let me just say that you will put your life as a Skibum at risk. Let me explain...

As a Skibum, you should know that there is only ONE number one Packer fan in your world. That is Ski. In case you are not aware, he only roots for the Panthers because Mr. S and Mr. M convinced him to. Yes, he has a few other reasons, but he needed convincing.

As you know, Disney World (or Land or anything associated with it) is Mecca. Remember Mecca? Well, if there was a place that Ski wanted to go that wasn't Disney, it would be to the Frozen Tundra. He is a Cheesehead if there ever was one. Have you seen those yellow shirts? I mean, you all know how to say that name on the back of the jersey. Not many other people can say that!! And have you heard how many times he has been riddled over that jersey?!?!? The man loves the Pack!!

I think that for as long as I have known him, your father has been a Packer fan. He liked the Packers before Brett Favre came along. I still remember watching the "Minister of Defense" and it was bittersweet when he retired and then came to play for the Panthers. The green and gold are so indoctrinated into the family as the Packers colors that when Iz saw the Univ. of Oregeon football team today, he got all excited about the Packers since he was only looking at the colors.

We all make sacrifices -- especially when we love someone. Someday, when you are all off on your own, Ski and I will head north and pray for snow as we watch the Pack in Lambeau Field. Do you know how cold Wisconsin is in the winter?!?!?!