just one glance…

one very quick quick glance!!

As it might follow that without a lingering stare, one could conclude the blue polka-dot valances and holdbacks look rather nice, right? And maybe (just maybe) even compliment worthy??

But I cannot pat myself on the back; and neither should anyone else. Because even though there is something commendable about trying to make your own curtains, the end result should be the true judge of whether the effort is meritable. And in my case, it is not.

For starters, I didn’t set out with the ambition to make my own curtains. The need came about after realizing window coverings could not be located ANYWHERE that would have a complementing blue to pair with the comforter set I so frugally purchased on overstock.com (those stripes with supposedly very basic colors of pink, blue, green, and yellow were all off-shades and very tricky to match). Next in reason for the thumbs-down rating is the quality of fabric I used. The only suitable blue I could locate came from a twin sheet set I found at WalMart. The material the sheets were made of was so cheap and thin that I had to line them with thick black felt to keep them from looking translucent hanging on the window; and when I tried to smooth out the wrinkles, areas of it actually melted and stuck to my iron. Yet all that didn’t matter to me anymore, I had been hunting high and low for almost a year now for anything that would suffice and I was desperate; plus I couldn’t beat the purchase price of $7. But now on to most pathetic part; the sewing! I own a sewing machine, I know how to thread it and get it ready to go, but I do not really know how to use it. I have seen folks doing lots of prep work that entails marking and pinning the fabric before the actual sewing begins, but I pretended all those time consuming steps were not necessary. Well I wish I could pretend I had no mishaps… That big white pole that runs through the valance to hold it up, well one of my first attempts didn’t include an opening to allow for that. Rats! Rip apart and start over was the tune I was sewing to as I realized too late on too many occasions that certain pieces should have been sewed together before others and certain pieces shouldn’t be sewn at all to others. But after many do overs, the sewing part was finally considered complete. Luckily with all their ripples and ruffles, I feel that the curtains were a very forgiving item to sew; one won’t be able to easily tell how un-straight the seems really are and how uneven the edges. Still there is definitely a back (bad) side and a front (not-as-bad) side to the finished result. The chosen front side doesn’t have nearly as many mistake seems running across the fabric (or brown singed spots from the iron), and it is also the side that has the painted-on dots. Yep, all those polka dots are painted. Because the only sheets I could find that would work with the colors in the comforter set had polka dots, I figured I needed to complete the look of the room with polka dots on the windows.

So there you have it; all the reasons why you should not get too close to these things. It is only from a distance and a quick glance that one should take notice. And the same type of look should follow with regard to the wall hanging too! Because if you look more than a second at that attempt at craftiness, you will see why it is fitting to hang above my attempt at valances.

Do you see what is wrong with the wall plaque? This was what I made for Dee and Gracie when they turned one. I finished it the night before their birthday party, certain that all was correct. But it was my rain-on-my-parade brother who immediately pointed out the error when it was opened.

‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ is the jingle I know and have to think about often when spelling many words. It is too bad I don’t know the one about ‘g’ and ‘h’ (is there one?) Grrrr…..my spelling is really really poor!! But it turned out to be not that big of an upset because everyone said I should leave it as it; something that would be completely unique and something that would remind the girls of how “special” their mom is. ‘Special’ mom, ‘special’ wall plaque, and now ‘special’ valances!

Stay tuned for future words about my ‘special’ bread : )

vomit + broken shop vac = a visit to church (using providential math to see the good)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

As time marches on to the tune of uncertainty, emotions chime in and out with unsteady beats. The melody of hope is often interrupted with sporadic spurts of sorrow and despair. Tears and anger chime in and out, creating an unbalanced harmony in our home. But through it all God allows a comforting chorus to echo in our hearts, mainly that He is in control and we can trust in His plan for our lives.

The verse in Romans above is one that is bringing me much comfort during this period of unemployment. To understand there is a bigger plan and a greater purpose offers much consolation. And even though it would be a relief to claim that this ‘good’ is for us in terms of worldly prosperity, I know there is something more significant in the midst here. It is for God’s good and His glory to which all things work. I am reminded of so many past instances where God used the unpleasant to orchestrate something better in the end. To think on those circumstances, and see the ‘good’ that came out of them, helps me have hope that these present hard times will be used in a mighty way.

Without this perspective, it would be hard to see how the undesirable act of cleaning up your own child’s throw up could ever be a factor in any sort of equation with a gratifying outcome. But it was. Not too long ago, Halle had an upset stomach that led to an ejection of a spewing yuck all over her bedroom carpet. But when the shop vac was pulled out to be of assistance in the vomit removal process, it was found to be ‘temporarily out of service.’ Oops and uh-oh for me as the diagnosis turned out to be FEMALE operator error; the broken state was due to a lack of proper storage and cleanup from the last time it had been used (coincidentally in cleaning up another child’s throw up). So one can see that things are not looking good for the culprits at play here (the throw up and the wife who last used the shop vac…). But after several phone calls to nearby neighbors, a shop vac was discovered. And it was upon the retrieval of a working device that a conversation with the owner was initiated; and that ultimately led to an invitation to accompany our family to church. In the end, it was not necessarily our good that came about because of these troublesome scenarios, but the good of a family that has been able to visit a great church on several occasions because of our unfortunate events. And I know that behind the scenes here and now, God is at work for a good that I wait with expectation to see!!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Romans 11:36)

yogurt in my coffee and water into wine

Over the last couple of years I had really been on the lookout of ways to cut back on grocery spending. By experimenting with less expensive alternatives and adapting new habits in all aspects of food and drink consumption, we were able to stay within our $90 weekly allowance for groceries, toiletries, and household products. It was great to see how just making little adjustments here and there really added up in the long run to save money.
these are a just a few examples of what we would opt to buy or do over other options.
2lb blocks of cheese rather than pre-sliced or grated cheese
bags of rolled oats rather than boxes of individual packets of oatmeal
dry beans rather than canned beans
lettuce in bulk rather than bagged salad
homemade salad dressing rather than bottled
baking own bread rather than buying loaves
making our own yogurt
boxed wine rather than bottled

With the above changes, shopping was going smoothly and it was rarely a stressful thing to stay within the budget. But now there is tension again around the area of spending. The unemployment situation means Rob is without the company-expensed lunch everyday, and needs to eat at home for all three meals. So in terms of food, a new dilemma has surfaced as we have to buy more and spend less.

Coffee and wine are both areas that we have determined to not rule out; it pleases us to consume both. And while coffee itself is not very costly, how we ‘doctor’ it up is. The coffee has to be sweet and creamy to be enjoyed (by me at least). So the other morning, when I was pouring my not-so-cheap half n half into my cup watching the color change from dark brown to a much paler shade, I was wondering what else I might be able to use to create this same effect. I do have a bit of lactose intolerance, so milk is out (I don’t know why half n half works for me, it just does. So does yogurt. I have no stomach issues with either of them.) I was thinking, hey yogurt is really creamy… perhaps it might work as a cheaper creaming agent here. And the next morning, without any hesitations, I willingly scooped out two big spoonfuls of plain yogurt into my coffee and began to stir. I know you are thinking GROSS! But desperate times call for desperate measures. I stirred and stirred, but could not get the clumps to go away. The yogurt was reluctant to dissolve, the coffee remained a dark brown, and hesitations were present. But I’ll stop there before I give the ending to that money saving idea and move onto the next one.

It was a story in the Bible that prompted another experiment that might prove itself cost friendly in the area of wine. Now if we could get to see regularly the miracle of Jesus TURNING water into wine, the cost savings would be huge! But since that is not a something we will get to witness, what about POURING water into wine???? It would definitely last longer.

But sadly, as if you couldn’t have already concluded just by the sheer notion of the two, neither methods will be ways we’ll be adopting in our daily lives with regards to wine and coffee. The coffee with yogurt was absolutely disgusting and inconsumable, I was forced to throw it out and brew another pot. And even though the diluted wine wasn’t awful, it definitely made the experience unenjoyable. So it is back to the drawing board as I need to come up with new ways to cut costs yet still try to enjoy what we eat and drink.

ummm…. he doesn’t have any money

I love it! You spend time deliberating much over the words to use with your children when trying to explain weighty matters, making careful mention of key points, clarifying with much detail what is going on in ways they can understand; all with the hope that the light will go on in their little minds and everything will be made clear. But what their true grasp on things really amounts to always seems to be revealed in public places and in innocent humorous ways.

Rob left Wednesday morning to spend some retreat time at a friend’s ranch out in Fredericksburg. He followed some advice to remove himself from the distractions of searching for jobs, posting resumes, checking budget and all other burdens he feels he needs to take care of because of unemployment. He knows that time alone in God’s word and in prayer and fasting need to be first in his priorities. Whatever he sets out to address right now, all that requires his attention and action, need to come out of a foundation built on God’s guidance. So off he went…

When I explained to the girls his leaving, I told them how daddy really needs to be praying for God’s direction on what should be done because he doesn’t have a job. I have been trying to help them realize how important having a job can be. “Daddy works at a job, he receives money for his work, and money allows us to stay in our house, buy food, and live comfortably…” I want to be honest in telling them that it is a scary thing to not have a job and to wonder how we will be able to live the way we are used to without making money. But! God is good, I say. He wants us to depend on Him, to trust Him, and find hope from Him in all circumstances. And that is what daddy is doing right now, spending time with God to receive those things so that he will be able to lead our family in the best way.

So when a friend noticed and asked about Rob’s absence at a birthday party last night, Gracie quickly offered up what she was certain to be the short and sweet of the answer. “Ummmm… he doesn’t have any money”

I guess I have more explaining to do…