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ever?

Do you ever do this?

Do you ever shake up the bottle of orange juice and then open it and then have to do something else and then come back in a few minutes and FORGET that you have already shaken the bottle of orange juice AND opened it (although you DO have this tiny red-flag feeling that you can't quite put your finger on but you ignore it, big mistake) so you pick it up thinking "I am so glad I have a brand new bottle of Orange Juice. I love orange juice in the morning" and you shake it and orange juice goes flying everywhere because the lid was on there but open?

Yes. This morning. I did that. It did make a mess. I handled it well. I was so proud of that.

Oh, and then do you ever do this?

Do you ever take a shower at night and go to bed with wet hair and wake up looking like Moses coming off the mountain (thanks, Kelli) and think "who cares? I'm not going anywhere" and then your sweet husband calls and says he's going to be late and can you meet him at the mall to take the girls to ballet and so then you go to town looking like a homeless person?

I really need more self discipline. I need to make myself look presentable in the morning even if no one but my kids are going to see me all day.

No picture today. Sorry.



Make sure you got clean underwear, she always said, in case you get in an accident & I always figured that'd be the least of my worries, but now I'm older & I see there's a lot you can't control & some you can control & clean underwear is one of those you can. For the most part.
B. Andreas

priorities.

With all that I have to do, please don't ask me why I decided to reorganize all of my ribbon.

It does look pretty, though, doesn't it?

I think my sweet husband is a little overwhelmed by this display of ribbon. I kind of don't blame him. The problem is, if I can't see it, it may as well be gone. It's just the way I am.

And it makes me smile.

I don't know who that guy is on TV. Almost all I watch is the Food channel and he doesn't look like he's cooking...life is so full of mysteries...



The Lord is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
Psalms 145:13

18 words.

"Go sit on the couch and see if you see anything disgusting that we can do something about."

Eighteen words. One of those sentences I never ever thought I'd say to my child.

A sweet friend called the other morning to say that she was bringing me lunch. She wanted to visit me and get caught up on life. Yay!

But even at it's cleanest, this house is a horror. Boo!

So we did some picking up and stashing....and then the sentence. Because, truly, there are some things here that we just cannot do anything about.

Except leave. And one sweet day, we will do just that. Yay.


I have told you these things,
so that you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

open wide your mouth.

Yesterday at the park we had an ice-cream party with the 4-H group. I really didn't want to go....foot still hurts.

But THEN I thought - pictures! A photo opportunity changes everything. Sore ankle and all I packed up the kids, drove through Mc Donald's (yuk), and met Doug at the park and had an afternoon of 4-H kids and pictures.

In other news, I started physical therapy today. Ouch. For 30 minutes I had a person making me do all the things I have tried NOT to do for the last 10 days. Point, flex, turn in, turn out, push, pull. Now it's really sore, but it will probably be uphill from here.

Oh, and by the way, all the other people at the PT place? In shape. Rehabilitating from sports-related injuries. Fit. Strong. Skinny. Not making faces in pain, even though something probably does hurt. And then there's me...a slug. Making faces as a skinny person named Mimi tortures me by making me point my toes. Yes, my injury is also sports-related BUT the sport was 27 years ago when I was also fit, strong, and skinny. Next time I will at least have all of my kids so I can say, "All this fat - a badge of honor - from having 4 babies."

Who am I kidding? I have got to get this weight off. I've had my last baby. My last near-100-pound weight gain. I've gotta get moving.

After the physical therapy is over.


I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open with your mouth and I will fill it.
Psalm 81:10

trouble.

In the Kingman kitchen.
Cody: Daddy, what are you making?
Daddy: I'm making trouble. :)
Cody: Ewwww! I don't eat trouble!
Smart boy.


Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

got that foot up.

For the last 10 years I have not:
ice skated
roller skated
snow skiied
bungee jumped
sky dived
you get the picture.

I avoid stuff that has obvious potentially painful consequences. Whenever something like that comes up I say "no, thanks" because I don't want to end up on crutches or paralyzed with 4 kids.

Not really much of a sacrifice because I'm a big chicken and no daredevil. I'd say no to driving over bridges, too. But then I'd never get home again.

So how is it that my kids are running wild while I keep my foot elevated and my crutches nearby?

Twenty-seven years ago I had an horseback riding accident and now I am dealing with it again. Surgery this week because when I was twelve years old, I didn't plan ahead to having four kids at home.....some things cannot be prevented, I guess.

Nothing funny here today. Just a fat foot and a Mama who is doing the bare minimum to keep little people alive and nourished until her foot heals.

And maybe a little scrapping.


Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21

**Edited To Add** I wrote a semi-poem about it.
I don't usually share my poems,
you'll see why.

MY SWELLING ANKLE
I can actually feel it getting fatter.
swell
swell
swell
it tingles
fluid going in
not coming out
the bandaids get tighter
totally conflicted with whether to do mom stuff
or keep it up.
so I do both and it swells

you really CAN use too much baking soda.

Need I say more?
Wah.
My cake.
My big surprise that only Jolie knew about and boy was she so excited to keep that secret from everyone else until after dinner.
It FLOODED out of the cake pan and into the oven.
Twice the baking soda does not = twice the fun.

I figured out what I did.
I was doubling my 1/2 teaspoon measure (in my mind).
But I actually doubled the ONE teaspoon.
Amazing stuff, that baking soda.

I'd rather move than clean all that out of the oven.
(But I'd just like to move anyway, so that's not anything new...)
Ugh. I was gonna make some other stuff in the oven after it came out!
Wah again.

Friday nights used to be so different.


He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

too busy to be famous.

Again, I have decided not to enter a contest that I would surely win if I just took the time to prepare an entry.

Okay, first. I am kidding about saying I would surely win. But surely you already knew that. Surely.

Second, this isn't the first time that I have realized that if I am to busy to prepare even a quick entry, I am too busy to be "famous" if I won. So MMM will have one less stellar entry in their stack of wannabe Masters.

I am conflicted about this because it's more fun on call day if I have entered...except for the time I entered the Mara-mi album contest and they had NINE COUNT 'EM NINE prizes and I still got ignored....that wasn't very exciting...but I digress. (Isn't this whole thing basically a big digression?)

I do plan to enter the Chatterbox contest. I love their papers and I love to do meaningful writing. (Yes, I realize that my desire to write meaningfully isn't just super obvious today, but trust me on this one.)

{an aside} It seems I am feeling quite parenthetical today.

So, anyway, no MMM for me.


Today's verse reminds me of that very beautiful song, "Held." It is one that was sent to me this week as an encouragement. Thanks, Holly!!

So don't worry, beacuse I am with you. Don't be afraid, because I am
your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you
with my right hand that saves you.

Isaiah 41:10