in case.

Just in case I am missed.....
tomorrow's Monday
the first day of the crazy week I have been
afraid of.
in the morning we will go to the LSS to teach the last Kid's Camp class
(I think I may have to take my little boys, hmmmm....)
and
Finish Darby's 4-H projects (not MY projects, but stressful just the same)
Meet with anesthesioligist for next week's surgery (I tried to do this over the phone...no go)
VBS in the evening
Wah.
Baby's crying.
Goodnight, tiny blog audience.
Sleep tight.

I don't have time to look up a verse - maybe you could give me one just this time :)

my kitchen window garden.

Today I shined my sink. Hot soapy water & bleach, then dried it and buffed it to a shine. It smells wonderful. It looks beautiful. It makes me happy. I'm easy.

Then I started my kitchen window garden. I didn't plan it or anything, it just sort of "happened." I like when things like that "just happen" because the perfectionist in me doesn't usually realize what's going on until it's all over.

All I was going to do was cut some sunflowers from outside. Perfect timing because the gladiolas are just done blooming for the year.

Then Jolie and Cody brought me some of those pink and purple flowers (I forget what they are - wonderful perennials that require no maintenance at all) and a few marigolds (the marigolds I planted to deter rabbits from my garden before the little rabbit family took up permanent residence there).

Darby picked me some purple clover on her way to mail Kelli's "David" LO (do photo swaps usually take this long? I'm guessing they don't - sorry!). BTW, the purple clover means someone needs to mow, but whatever....no complaints here, I'm just glad things are growing again after the drought.

There are a couple of leftover gladiolas up there, too.

All of this in my kitchen window in my special little bottles. Unplanned and completely imperfect.

Makes me happy. :)


"I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,"
says the Lord your God.
Amos 9:15

naptime.

I just put Corey down for a nap.
He gets so disappointed - heartbroken? - when I do that.
Like I have rejected him
completely.
The sadness usually only lasts a minute or so.

And I thought...
wouldn't it be cool
if someone carried me to my safe,
clean,
comfy bed
and lay me down
and whispered night-night...
and then they quietly left me to rest for just a little while
in a cool,
familiar
room?
That person might whisper
to another person
on the way out
that they hope I fall right to sleep
and have a good nap.
And if I didn't go right to sleep,
if I cried and fought the sleep that I needed,
that person would hold me
for a few minutes
and kiss me and
rock me in the special
brown chair
next to my bed.
And I would feel so loved
and comforted and safe...
and sleepy...
and I would rest.

What if someone did this for me?

It would be lovely.

Jesus tells me to rest in Him.
Better even than just physically being comforted,
I can lay my burdens
and
failures
and
frustrations
on Him and he will make my load
easier.
He comforts my soul.


Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

avoid the chatter.

I've been thinking about this lately. And then here's this verse. It speaks a lot to me because I believe that the bible is absolutely true. Those who don't share my belief, well, this wouldn't mean much to them. Okay.

I have been really using that "ignore" button on the Two Peas message board lately. Whoever thought of that is a pretty smart pea. :)

Avoid godless chatter,
because those who indulge in it
will become more and more ungodly.
2 Timothy 2:16

a good sign.

Inside out underwear.

This is a good sign that Cody has obeyed me when I asked him to please try to go potty even though he preferred to wait ("I already went today. Not now, Mama.").

Right now it's inside out. Underwear worn backwards is also a good sign.



May the words of my mouth and
the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalms 19:14

48-plus hours.

It's not all that long if you think about it that way. I'm going to be gone for just a little over 48 hours. And I'm supposed to have fun. I am planning to have fun. I will try to have fun. Fun.

But I am Mama and Mama is supposed to be closer to her babies than 3 hours away. Okay, so that doesn't even sound all that far. Three hours. Not far.

So, I'm not going to be gone very long and it's not that far away. What's the big deal then? Well, something tears at my heart to think of leaving. To think that someone might need me. Or I might need them. Or I might need Doug. He's the only person on this planet that understands me. What if I am misunderstood?

And then there's the whole safety thing. What if something happens to someone while I'm gone? Or what if something happens to me? It turns my stomach to think of my kids growing up without me....

One time a very wise friend reminded me that God is just as much in control of my life whether I am on the ground or in the air (the fear of bridges thing). My being in control is an illusion. Whether I am in Chicago at CHA or here in our little house out in the corn, God is taking care of my family and me.


I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you
on the palms of my hands...
Isaiah 49:15-16

mama, these are my favorite worms.

So far, since we've been back from our Texas trip, we've found 3 baby bunnies, 2 frogs (toads?), and 4 huge, juicy earthworms. These were Cody's favorite worms. "Mama, these are my favorite worms." Actually there are many, many worms beneath the surface of our garden, but these four are by far the healthiest. Can you believe we didn't name them?

And one more garden note: My garden is pitiful, but looking better. The weeds are still looking like they are winning, but they are not. Today Doug came out and weeded it with me. He said that most people would view it as a lost cause and plow it under. But he loves me and he knows how important my "garden rescue" is to me, so he helped.

Pulling weeds. And more weeds.

Locating the surviving vegetable plants and carefully working around them.

Killing bugs.

And gently covering up those baby bunnies who are living in a nest in my gladiolas. I have a fence to keep rabbits OUT of my garden. And a sweet little nest made of rabbit fur and carefully chosen pieces of other fluff inside my garden that houses three little baby rabbits...and I am assuming a mama rabbit as well.

Why does it make feel so good to know that the mama feels that her babies are safe there? I love that she chose my garden.

It feels very sweet.


He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11

summer stuff.

Last night, we had a frontal something-or-other that brought a slight drop in temperatures and dry air. It was awesome. We took a quilt and sat out in a cool breeze while the kids caught lightning bugs and chased the dog while Corey screamed at all of it and thought he was playing, too.

This morning Jolie found a big bird's nest on the ground. What a treasure! She is really proud of it. One might think she made it. But, no. I hope no one was planning to lay eggs in it...because it's inside now.

Then {the icing on the beautiful-like-it's-supposed-to-be-in-Illinois-summer-at-last cake} Jolie and Cody brought me flowers from outside. They are beautiful and add so much sweetness to my kitchen and my day. I put them in water in some of my pretty little bottles that I have just for flowers like this. I find the bottles at garage sales and thrift stores - old glass pharmacy bottles, mostly. Just so pretty.

I'm exhausted. Just so lacking in sleep. But so appreciating summer today. I think I'll go water my garden.


The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
ISAIAH 58:11