We’re Puzzled

This morning Mags and Liam had lofty ambitions. They had found an old 1000 piece puzzle moldering in sawdust down in the basement and they were going to put it together. That ambition lasted about as long as it took for them to pull all of the pieces out of the boxes. They were defeated before they began.

Which got me to thinkin’ about lofty ambitions…and the like. I’ve always been easily discouraged by seemingly BIG tasks. It’s so much less daunting to bite off small pieces. But I also want them to learn the impossibly hard lesson: delayed gratification.  Ack!!! Delayed gratification is the bane of our existence! Isn’t it? Waiting? It’s awful, torturous stuff! It’s how God toys with me when he’s bored…not that He ever gets bored. He’s phenomenally busy. I get that. But, every once in awhile I wonder if God’s sense of humor runs along the same lines as my own sense of humor. Wouldn’t that be scary and slightly disheartening? Do you think he laughs when we fall down? I know I sure do. I’m thinkin’ he’s a better person than I…but still…sometimes I picture him in a heavenly recliner eating popcorn and laughing ( not in a malicious way of course) while I squirm and try desperately, in vain to be the one in control of my life.

All of that long winded mess was meant to work this thread around to my solution to the puzzle dilemma. They wanted to solve a puzzle, remember? We had to make a Wal-Mart run anyway. Because, naturally, we found out last night that Liam needed black gym shorts for his basketball pics today. I got Mags a 100 piece puzzle and Liam a 250 piece.

They have been working on them here and there all day. I’ve told them that puzzles aren’t meant to be done in 5 minutes. Or even 15 minutes. Not everything has to be done right away. Some things are worth savoring, and puzzling over.

And it makes finishing so much sweeter!

I love you all!

PURGE!!!

I have decided purging is an acquired skill. Like golfing, or writing… you must practice. Preferably repeatedly. I am a master “purger”. After careful thought, I’ve concluded that my ability to throw things away comes from having moved 237 times in my short life. Well, ok, possibly not 237 but a lot!! And we are NOT going to even get into the "my short life" aspect. It's kinda short. Maybe.  A little...Moving on!

The Evidence: Born: Illinois moved to Columbus (apt), from apt to house, still Columbus. Columbus to Gastonia, Gastonia to Lincolnton, Lincolnton to Westerville (to house, to apartment to house again). Then comes marriage, move from Westerville to Urbana.

Aside: Eww, don’t ever move to Urbana. Urbana has absolutely nothing going for it. I mean no offense to anyone who may actually live and love there. But, I gotta tell ya, Urbana did NOTHING for me.

From Urbana (thank GOD) to Cardington. Granted, I did not have to do the actual packing for several of those moves. But, trust me, I did enough of the packing to be real darn good at it.

The Conclusion: I swore that when I moved into this house I would NEVER move again. Enough is enough. How many times can one person box up their life and shift it??

I guess, potentially once more…so, I find myself going room to room. Cupboard to cupboard. Holding items up thinking : “Would you move it??” And then inevitably throwing it in a box for the Salvation Army. When it comes to moving, I am a minimalist. The Salvation Army is going to make out big in this situation, whether we actually end up moving or not. Because my “purge”/nesting instinct is now in full effect. And I just have to ask you…

Why have I been keeping this for 7 years??? I thought it was so that if I ever needed a chip basket on Easter it would be perfect!! Nevermind that we are always out of town on Easter. It’s a specialty item, right? What if I need it and don’t have it?

GONE!!

And this…

is just a shame. Half of it is gone now too.

And WHY????

did I have so many little medicine cups??? You would think they are worth their weight in gold the way I have clung to them. Hoarding them in every drawer in the kitchen. But, no more…I got rid of all but two of them.

I figure in the end, if nothing else is accomplished and we don’t move…

My home will be pristine and completely clear of clutter! And that is a good thing!

I love you all!!

Home is Where The Heart Is

You will never guess what I’ve been up to this week. I won’t string you along. I’ll spill it…I’m virtual house hunting. Jon has been hunting down permanent job leads in both Columbus and Charlotte…there’s one big problem. There aren’t any jobs in Columbus. Nada. Nuffing. He has a couple possibilities already in Charlotte. Apparently, the job market is stronger there. So, I am in a very interesting position. You see, if I’m completely forthcoming…I would LOVE to live near Charlotte. After all, my family is there. And it’s warmer there. And occasionally in the winter, the sun makes an appearance there. What is not to love about that??

Well…Jon’s family is NOT there. Despite all the in-law cliches, I love my in-laws. They are awesome!! And of course there’s Mason. Mason, however is a teenager now and comes to spend the weekend with us roughly quarterly. We could fly him down as often as he wants to see us. All our friends, DEAR FRIENDS, beloved friends, are NOT there. We have put a lot of intentional effort into rooting ourselves in this wonderful, tight knit community. THAT is what is NOT to love.

So, in the back of my mind…I’ve always fantasized about living in North Carolina again. Daydreamed about sunny 70 degree days in February. It seemed to be just that. A fantasy. I never seriously considered moving. Moving the kids away from their friends and school. Moving all of my SCHTUFF in boxes. And boxes. And boxes.

And boxes. Did I mention I’ve moved quite a few times in my life? And that i HATE MOVING!?!?!?! And boxes.

So, in the true spirit of His contrary, omniscient nature…God has landed us here. In this place where I feel that I need to start browsing the internet for a new home. Close to Charlotte.

In a way, I’m exited. Unfortunately, at the same time I’m terribly anxious. And apprehensive. And relieved. Relieved because one of the reasons I never considered moving…I didn’t want everyone to blame me for it. I always knew if we moved to NC (or SC as we are now considering) it would be solely because I wanted to live there. So I never asked…not seriously. I didn’t want my WANT to be the ONLY reason we uprooted our family. It’s too much to ask and I know that. Now, if we do ultimately move south…it will be because that is where Jon could find a job. I can be happy and excited because it’s not me, selfishly asking my family to give up their lives so I can live in the sun, near my daddy and my mommy ;). It’s what we need to do, not what we want to do.

In light of all that…I found THE house. The perfect house. Location ~ awesome, house ~ awesome, proximity to Charlotte ~ awesome. And it only needs minimal work to be everything I want in a home ~ namely red paint in the kitchen.

This is the house:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/545-Canopy_Clover_SC_29710_1115275984

Please pray with me that if this is God’s will for us everything goes smoothly. And we KNOW that it’s God’s will for us. And that this house will still be for sale! ;)

Love you all!

Good Comfort Grub

We are slowly settling into a routine here without our rock. I say slowly because time seems to crawl with Jon gone. The last 3 days are the longest 3 days I can remember in ages.

I’m getting everything done ok…but I am kinda in a funk. Like I’m just going thru the motions. Constantly praying for patience ;). Which is being answered…because I haven’t so much as yelled at the kids yet! I know, amazing, huh? That is partially due to the fact that they are all still eager to be helpful. I’m enjoying this phenom while it lasts…I don’t imagine it will last long!

The webcams have been a HUGE blessing!! Jon talks to the kids every morning while they eat their breakfast and every evening before they go to bed. The drawback to the webcams: Jon knows I have only done my hair one day since he left. It’s just more effort than I can convince myself to make to get dolled up for a teleconference! Hardly conducive to making him miss me!

I’m sharing a link to a recipe today:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/soups/chicken-and-dumplings-2/?nr

I made these Chicken and Dumplings for supper tonight and a miracle occured. ALL THREE KIDS LIKED IT!! Not a single one complained or bulked. No one left the table hungry refusing to eat what I’d prepared. In our house, that is an unparalleled success!!!

I love you all!

One BIG Dog

After years of wondering, waiting, anticipating even! Last weekend, we were finally introduced to the most vicious dog known to mankind.

NOT!! Despite their best efforts to instill fear, we were eager to meet Jeb at long last. Now, I know my daddy don’t lie. So, I’m sure that at some point this sweet puppy has done SOMETHING to deserve his formidable reputation. But I gotta tell ya. The Jeb I MET was a jem!!

He was initially muzzled, just in case. Can’t you see how Mags fears him?? And him being the ferocious monster that he is…he took everything the kids dished out.

He was very attentive, but don’t fear…he didn’t want to eat Mags.

He adored them, they were a veritable fountain of milkbones. Never let it be said that Jeb doesn’t know which side HIS bread is buttered on. Milkbone suppliers are to be tolerated, loved even.

And played with! They played keep the tennis ball away from the grubby kids for ages. Round and round, under and behind they chased him, teasing him that  they were going to take away his tennis ball if they caught him.

Mags was completely taken in…she is in LOVE. We tried to smuggle him into the van when we left…but Dad and Anne were wise to us…so long, Jeb. We miss you, you vicious thing you!!

Love you all!!

If They Can Build It…

…they will come!!  Over the weekend we went to the mall / Build-A-Bear Workshop to use the gift cards the kids received, ahem, for Halloween. Yes, we probably SHOULD have made it sooner. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Fact is, we hadn’t and in typical God fashion…that was for the best! The kids agonized over which animal they wanted to build.

Did Maggie want the horse or the unicorn? Did Liam want a wolf pup or a camo bear? Ugh!

When they had finally made the BIG decision they waited patiently while this nice lady stuffed them. She was really great with the kids. I don’t recall her name…but all the staff at the Concord Mills Mall Build-A-Bear store were great!! They appeared to enjoy their jobs (whether they actually do or not).

After stuffing, the kids had to do the silly little dance with the heart they chose for their bear/horse.

Jon put the hearts in for them…a little token…a piece of his heart with them, while he’s gone.

It was very sweet…as you can see, Sam was nearly overcome.

It ain’t easy looking cool in Build-A-Bear workshop. But, he managed it like a pro. Then he took me for a new pair of shoes.

Love you all!!!

New Computers!

In anticipation of Jon moving to Charlotte he and I went out and bought twinkie computers…with webcams of course. I am LOVING my new Dell Laptop and thought I’d share a few thoughts.

The webcam quality is not great, or possibly even good…but it will suffice. The thing I am most pleased with (aside from the sweet pink color) is Windows 7. I LOVE it!!! I never used Vista, we went from XP to 7…so I don’t know what we missed. I do know that from what I have heard Vista got a lot of bad press. Windows 7 is awesome though. I am extremely visceral and I love the look of it. In addition, it has so many nifty features that it may take me a year to figure it all out. I just found though that there is a blog writer feature built in. I’m using it to write this post and then I’ll see how it translates. It’s basically an editing program in which I can write my blog then send it to blogger, I guess. At least that’s how I think it works…so far so COOL!!

We decided to go with Dell because our desktop is a Dell and we’ve had real good luck with it overall. I will keep ya’ll posted as I familiarize myself with the computer on how it’s going. I may never go back to a desktop again though!

Love you all!

Surprise!!!

Well, I think if you need to fear a Garrett invasion you've already been warned. We are headed south this weekend. Jon starts his new job in Charlotte on Monday and as luck would have it...the kids don't have school Monday. SSSOoooo...we are escorting him down. I feel the need to cluck around him and get everything settled. Cause he's a man, and therefore, however unfair it may be, I see him as incapable of settling in and making things homey and comfortable without my help. True, my mother is there, already nesting for him...so maybe it's a tiny bit self-serving. I mean, seriously, it's supposed to be like 60 degrees there this weekend. Hello? Wouldn't you go? AND...I get to see my family! We are going to see Mom and James, see Steve and Carolina's new house and go to church with them Sunday morning. And of course go see Dad and Anne. It's a lot to cram into 2 1/2 days, but I'm game. Love you all!!

Good News/Bad News

I have good news...Jon has been offered and accepted a job. A job that pays just a bit more than the one he lost last year. I also have bad news...it's only for 6 months and it's in Charlotte, NC. It's going to be a very interesting 6 months...

Eat Snow!

Ah Fruit of my Loins...WHAT are you doing??? I may never understand this boy. He has spent literally HOURS outside already today. He bundled up in longjohns, 3 sweatshirts, jeans, 3 pairs of socks, 2 pair of gloves, snowpants, a coat and a hat and trundled out the door. Gone for almost 3 hours. He has trekked from one side of the yard to the other countless times. In addition to attempting to shovel the driveway with a tonka bulldozer, build a snow fort and pulling out the wagon. At the wagon, Mags decided she'd go out and join him. She was sold on the wagon idea, obriously. He's her sled dog.

Then for some reason, unbeknownst to me, they decided to fill the wagon with snow. First with her in it. Then she got out to help.

Which only lasted a few moments before she too dove headfirst into the snow.

I strongly suspect they were eating it, without looking like they were eating it. I tell them all the time not to eat the snow. And they knew I was watching, snapping pictures. So they'd bury their faces in the snow and come up with snow around their mouths like a milk moustache and I'm sure had I yelled out "Quit eating that dirty snow" they would have said "We aren't eating it!"

They were quite the cute picture though. Believe it or not it's is snowing now too. We have lots and lots of the stuff! It's beautiful! And I suspect it is keeping things a touch warmer here than they are in the Carolinas! We'll call it insulation.

Love you all!!

Careful What You Wish For

Well, I am on an emotional roller coaster as of right now. Jon has 2 jobs possibly on the table right now. Isn't that awesome? Just what we've been praying for since May huh? Well, not quite. One of them is a 6 month job in Charlotte, NC and the other is in Buffalo, NY. You've heard of backhanded compliments? I'm thinkin' this situation would be a "backhanded blessing". Either way, the pay would be more than he made at Chase. And we have to think about the bills, ya know? Or this one would be an easy NO from Jon. He's somewhat attached, in case you didn't know. I am not, not so much. One of the things I'm wondering is if he does this thing, will he grow more independant? Will I grow more dependant? How will it change the dynamics of our relationship? Or will it change them at all?
I also have to wonder, is it God's will for him to be away from his family? Is that why he gave him 8 months at home with us? Is it in God's plan for us to move away from here? I love it here. My kids love it here. My biggest concern is that these jobs are temporary. No future. So, in 6 months we're in the same situation we're in now. And if a future does develop? I suppose without too much heartache I would be willing to transplant my family to NC...after all, most of my family is already there! But Buffalo??? Aye aye aye. That's a much more difficult decision. And my poor kids are adamantly opposed to moving at all! This place is all they've ever known and they are happy here.
I don't know how it will affect Jon being that far away all the time ~ for that matter I don't know how it will affect ME! I know I can handle it. I have several friends who's husbands work in other states/places. If they can do it, so can I. But, I must admit, basketball and baseball seasons suddenly look very daunting! And how in the world will I sleep? We may have to get that German Shepard pronto. Maybe I could just borrow Jeb for 6 months.  He would keep us safe!

Whew, I feel a little better just spewing...pray for us please. We need God's will to be very clear for us in this instance! Love you all!

Not Now Honey, Mommy's Obsessed

Ok, I have a confession to make. I am spending WAY too much time on the computer. Maybe wireless high speed internet wasn't the best thing since sliced bread. For that matter, maybe sliced bread wasn't a good idea either? Hunks of bread work much better for soups and stews. But, I digress. Jon has me hooked on this really stupid game called Jewel Quest Heritage. It's a puzzle type game and it's stupid because I've been stuck on the same puzzle for 2 days. I'm a woman obsessed. I think I spent 22 1/2 hours playing it today. Well, Ok, not really. But a lot. A lot of time. It has to stop. It's now almost 10:30pm and I'm taking a break from it because I'm SO FRUSTRATED!!  Jon and I are watching the Longhorns beat the Tide, well, I hope. Just like I always pull for the Big Ten team, I always pull against the SEC. And we are waiting and hoping for a snow day tomorrow. We are currently only under a level 1 emergency. I'm not sure a level 1 will suffice...we need a level 2 for a certain cancellation. So when I tucked Sam and Maggie into bed tonight (Jon tucks Liam in, he's a Daddy's boy) we added "snow day" to our prayer requests. Maybe if they're home I won't spend the whole day playing that STUPID game!!!!!! I love you all!

Prayers Please!

We just found out yesterday that Jon's mom Kay has a lump in her breast. She has battled and beaten breast cancer before, a few years ago. The plan, according to my informant, is a double mastectomy. Please pray for her!!! We would be very pleased and gratified by a miraculous healing, but would happily accept the mastectomy being effective as well! Kay is a beautiful woman inside and out and the best mother in law I could ever have possibly dreamed of! We're not ready to let her go yet!!! SO...LOTS of prayers please!!!

Well Pooh!

Bad start! Do over! It's Sunday, January 3rd and I still haven't worked out. My Christmas tree is still up and we didn't make it to church on the 1st Sunday of the New Year. I think I need a do over. You know what they say about good intentions. I've been horribly lazy this weekend. I'm just so tired...too much busy brought me low. On the bright side, I'm hoping that since I've been resting since New Years day I won't get sick. Every year, I get sick after the holidays...presumably because I get run down. So we'll just say that this year I'm attempting to preempt the illness ;)

Despite my poor, lazy beginning...this year I am going to work out more, and make it to church more and read my Bible more! I'm going to yell at my kids less ~ well...I'll try anyhow. I'm going to keep baking, but I'm going to eat less of it myself! I'm going to do better, more or less!

What are you going to do??

Love you all!

Happy New Year!

Well, the holidays are over. I'm kind of torn...between sadness and exhaustion. On the one hand I hate for it to be over. On the other, I'm too tired for it to continue! The kids go back to school the day after tomorrow. I think I'm going to wait until then to take down the tree. Today was such a relief. We had no plans, no
obligations, nothiIrng to do, nowhere to go. I can't remember that last day like today! I laid on the couch all day in my pajamas. Alternately reading and snoring. It was terribly restful. Tomorrow, we have church and then it will be back to the grindstone.
Yesterday, we went to Jon's eldest brother Jim (and his wife Julie)'s house to watch/celebrate the Rose Bowl. That was awesome!! Go Bucks!!!!
Love you all and more to come soon. I just thought I'd do this while I sit on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune...