If you were wondering what it's like to live in a house full of boys, just click below. Disclaimer: No children were harmed in the making of this video.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Kids says the funniest things.....
Last night in Awana, one of the girls in our class really made me laugh. Someone mentioned the date February 2nd, to which this girl (who will remain nameless) remarked "Oh, that's Groundhog Day"! I was highly impressed that she knew the date of this obscure holiday, so I commented to her, "You must be a highly intelligent girl"! She replied "What does intelligent mean????" Case in point.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Some recent pics...
A little fun in the leaves....
Hey, there's actually floor on the floor...
Karen and I sharing a good cuppa joe. Starbucks Verona Decaf, of course!
All of my boys at Vasquez Rocks on Christmas Eve.
Vance and my Dad at our Annual Hanukkah celebration. Aren't they both so cute???? I''m liking the beard on my Dad!Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Catching up on things....Grab a cup of coffee, you'll be here for a while!
I have been sad not being able to blog. I have missed not being able to chronicle the events of our family. Since my last post, we have done so many wonderful and exciting things. Here is the condensed version of the beginning of school through the present:
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
The boys had fun at various homeschool fall events, including a dress up party at the park. Austin was a Marine, and Luke and Vance were dirt bike dudes. They played various classic picnic games, such as the three legged race and a pie eating contest. They had a blast!
Thanksgiving was spent at Karen's house with my Dad, where Rich deep fried his very first turkey in their new propane deep fryer (which, by the way, has become quite an addiction for all of us, as you will see soon). It was quite a spectacle to see! Rich donning his headlight and his huge tongs, dropping the bird down into crispy bird heaven....Oh, if you could have tasted it. Quite possibly the best turkey I have ever eaten-moist on the inside and crispy on the outside...are you getting hungry? Early the next morning, we embarked on a Thanksgiving camping trip out to Mojave with the Harasicks, Berggrens, Tubbs, and Brooks families. We recreated the Thanksgiving feast the following day, complete with, yep, you guessed it, two more deep fried turkeys and a plethora of yummy side dishes brought by each family. Green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls. Need I say anymore? And did I mention the onion rings? Yep, the deep fryer strikes again. Oh, and deep fried pickles, too. You heard me. Now we're talking. We had a lot of fun riding around, eating, and just being together with friends around the campfire.
DECEMBER
December was filled with holiday festivities, traditions, and celebrations surrounding the birth of our Savior! We spent an evening with our dear friends, the Rens, walking their beautiful neighborhood with cocoa and cider in hand (thanks Adrienne, that hit the spot!) looking at beautiful holiday lights. We bought a fresh REAL Christmas tree, which in my opinion, is the only way have a tree (haha), and brought out our box of treasured ornaments to garnish the tree. Dave's Aunt Claire in Tennessee has sent us each a homemade ornament every year since I married Dave, which means 5 new ornaments every year. They are so beautiful and meaningful to me. We also have bought the kids various ornaments over the years, so each child really enjoys placing their own personal ornaments on the tree (and I enjoy watching them fall and be placed back on several times...) I gave Dave a break on putting up house lights this year due to our hardwood floor project (more on that later). We were graced by beautiful music as usual at our annual Christmas concert at Grace Church, and Dave's Mom and Step-father Dan joined us for that. It's truly an amazing tribute of music to the Lord. I just love all the TRUE Christmas music. I could totally live without jingle bells and Santa Clause coming to town. What's the deal with that, he has never come to my town, anyways.
The following day, we had our annual Hanukkah celebration with my Dad, complete with the traditional meal of brisket and latkas (for the gentile, those are potato pancakes). My mom always used to make the brisket and my dad the latkas. Since my Mom passed away, my sister has taken over doing the meat, and I must say, she is doing an amazing job. It was delicious! The latka process is all part of the festivities, as each member of the family "rubs" a potato or two into the large Tupperware bowl. We essentially use a metal cooling rack with small squares to "grate" the potatoes. Then you add grated onion, flour, and eggs (my Dad knows how much of each ingredient), and fry them in oil. Served with granulated sugar (my choice of toppings), sour cream, or applesauce, they are truly the centerpiece of the meal. And we only eat them at Hanukkah each year, making them an even more unique and special treat.
Christmas Eve, we hosted Dave's family, including his three brothers, their wives, and Dave's Mom, Step-Dad, and Dad for our annual Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. I served stuffed pork loin, mashed potatoes and gravy, a cold green bean, almond, and blue cheese salad, and rolls. We all had a wonderful evening, and the kids, as usual, cleaned up. And I don't mean the house. Earlier that day, we took our traditional family hike (the five of us) at Vasquez Rocks, the kids' pockets stuffed with snacks from their stockings (which we always open on Christmas Eve morning).
Christmas Day was different this year. We spent the morning as a family at home, and then in the early afternoon, we went to Karen's house, went to see National Treasure at the theater, then went back to Karen's for a casual dinner and stocking stuffer exchange. That was so much fun. This is the first time we have spent any portion of Christmas day with them. They previously went to Rich's mother's house for Christmas day, but Rich's mother recently passed away, so they had no plans. This will definitely be a new tradition. We had a wonderful time. The boys had so much fun picking out stocking stuffers for each member of my sister's family, and even more fun wrapping them. They truly learned how much of a blessing it is to give to others.
The next day, since Dave had some extra time off work, he started installing our hardwood floors. It's a lot of work. We began in the kitchen and worked our way into the entryway and dining rooms, which are now complete. It's a tedious process of picking out patterns, cutting boards to fit, measuring, numbering, then gluing the boards down. We chose Brazilian Cherry, which comes not only in random size boards, but also quite the variation of color. So I am the design expert (without the expert part), picking which boards go where, and Dave is the installation expert (with the expert), measuring, cutting, and gluing. Oh, and did I mention the prepwork? YIKES! I am so pleased with the product so far, and look forward to the finished project! My husband gets an amazing steak dinner when it's done (and I will continue to supply the Monster energy drinks (huh, Nancy?) for however long I need to!
Then we hit our heads really hard and thought it would be fun and adventurous to go dirt bike camping in the desert for the New Year's weekend. Hello???? Anybody home????? Apparently the lights are on, but NOBODY was home! It was f....f.....f....freezing! We went with the Berggens, Tubbs, Harasicks, and the Nardones, who stayed in our trailer with us. The kids didn't care that it was freezing, the moms retreated to the heated trailers to knit scarfs (or potholders, if you are Karen, haha!), while the dads rode and also stood outside in the freezing cold and wind frying some amazing food for us (I told you there'd be more deep fryer stories). We had the best fried chicken on the face of planet earth, and I am NOT kidding! Oh, and funnel cake to die for, with whipped cream, sugar, strawberry sauce-a little slice of heaven if I must say so. Rich ROCKS!!!! Thanks to him for all his hard work. What a delicious trip it was, despite the fact that our trailer almost FELL OVER in the wind. Good grief! But it was fun, anyways. It's always fun being with my family and greatest of friends. Which brings us to....
JANUARY
Now we have begun the new year. Back to school, back to work for Dave, back to reality, and back to the floors! We are working on finishing the hallway, and then the living room will be last.
Dave and I decided to move Vance into second grade, as he was unchallenged and bored with the first grade curriculum. He seems to be doing much better, and is now actually learning things he didn't already know before. He's so smart. I am so thankful to be able to homeschool my kids and be with them. I am reminded fresh that it's not so much their education that I am focusing on (that will happen regardless), but their character. I told Austin the other night, if he never becomes succesful, gets married, or has children, all I desire of him is that he follow the Lord and be upright before Him. After all, eternity is much longer than this life on earth.
Well that sums it up. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures until I get my computer fixed. But at least I have my stories! More to come (at least in text form)!
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
The boys had fun at various homeschool fall events, including a dress up party at the park. Austin was a Marine, and Luke and Vance were dirt bike dudes. They played various classic picnic games, such as the three legged race and a pie eating contest. They had a blast!
Thanksgiving was spent at Karen's house with my Dad, where Rich deep fried his very first turkey in their new propane deep fryer (which, by the way, has become quite an addiction for all of us, as you will see soon). It was quite a spectacle to see! Rich donning his headlight and his huge tongs, dropping the bird down into crispy bird heaven....Oh, if you could have tasted it. Quite possibly the best turkey I have ever eaten-moist on the inside and crispy on the outside...are you getting hungry? Early the next morning, we embarked on a Thanksgiving camping trip out to Mojave with the Harasicks, Berggrens, Tubbs, and Brooks families. We recreated the Thanksgiving feast the following day, complete with, yep, you guessed it, two more deep fried turkeys and a plethora of yummy side dishes brought by each family. Green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls. Need I say anymore? And did I mention the onion rings? Yep, the deep fryer strikes again. Oh, and deep fried pickles, too. You heard me. Now we're talking. We had a lot of fun riding around, eating, and just being together with friends around the campfire.
DECEMBER
December was filled with holiday festivities, traditions, and celebrations surrounding the birth of our Savior! We spent an evening with our dear friends, the Rens, walking their beautiful neighborhood with cocoa and cider in hand (thanks Adrienne, that hit the spot!) looking at beautiful holiday lights. We bought a fresh REAL Christmas tree, which in my opinion, is the only way have a tree (haha), and brought out our box of treasured ornaments to garnish the tree. Dave's Aunt Claire in Tennessee has sent us each a homemade ornament every year since I married Dave, which means 5 new ornaments every year. They are so beautiful and meaningful to me. We also have bought the kids various ornaments over the years, so each child really enjoys placing their own personal ornaments on the tree (and I enjoy watching them fall and be placed back on several times...) I gave Dave a break on putting up house lights this year due to our hardwood floor project (more on that later). We were graced by beautiful music as usual at our annual Christmas concert at Grace Church, and Dave's Mom and Step-father Dan joined us for that. It's truly an amazing tribute of music to the Lord. I just love all the TRUE Christmas music. I could totally live without jingle bells and Santa Clause coming to town. What's the deal with that, he has never come to my town, anyways.
The following day, we had our annual Hanukkah celebration with my Dad, complete with the traditional meal of brisket and latkas (for the gentile, those are potato pancakes). My mom always used to make the brisket and my dad the latkas. Since my Mom passed away, my sister has taken over doing the meat, and I must say, she is doing an amazing job. It was delicious! The latka process is all part of the festivities, as each member of the family "rubs" a potato or two into the large Tupperware bowl. We essentially use a metal cooling rack with small squares to "grate" the potatoes. Then you add grated onion, flour, and eggs (my Dad knows how much of each ingredient), and fry them in oil. Served with granulated sugar (my choice of toppings), sour cream, or applesauce, they are truly the centerpiece of the meal. And we only eat them at Hanukkah each year, making them an even more unique and special treat.
Christmas Eve, we hosted Dave's family, including his three brothers, their wives, and Dave's Mom, Step-Dad, and Dad for our annual Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. I served stuffed pork loin, mashed potatoes and gravy, a cold green bean, almond, and blue cheese salad, and rolls. We all had a wonderful evening, and the kids, as usual, cleaned up. And I don't mean the house. Earlier that day, we took our traditional family hike (the five of us) at Vasquez Rocks, the kids' pockets stuffed with snacks from their stockings (which we always open on Christmas Eve morning).
Christmas Day was different this year. We spent the morning as a family at home, and then in the early afternoon, we went to Karen's house, went to see National Treasure at the theater, then went back to Karen's for a casual dinner and stocking stuffer exchange. That was so much fun. This is the first time we have spent any portion of Christmas day with them. They previously went to Rich's mother's house for Christmas day, but Rich's mother recently passed away, so they had no plans. This will definitely be a new tradition. We had a wonderful time. The boys had so much fun picking out stocking stuffers for each member of my sister's family, and even more fun wrapping them. They truly learned how much of a blessing it is to give to others.
The next day, since Dave had some extra time off work, he started installing our hardwood floors. It's a lot of work. We began in the kitchen and worked our way into the entryway and dining rooms, which are now complete. It's a tedious process of picking out patterns, cutting boards to fit, measuring, numbering, then gluing the boards down. We chose Brazilian Cherry, which comes not only in random size boards, but also quite the variation of color. So I am the design expert (without the expert part), picking which boards go where, and Dave is the installation expert (with the expert), measuring, cutting, and gluing. Oh, and did I mention the prepwork? YIKES! I am so pleased with the product so far, and look forward to the finished project! My husband gets an amazing steak dinner when it's done (and I will continue to supply the Monster energy drinks (huh, Nancy?) for however long I need to!
Then we hit our heads really hard and thought it would be fun and adventurous to go dirt bike camping in the desert for the New Year's weekend. Hello???? Anybody home????? Apparently the lights are on, but NOBODY was home! It was f....f.....f....freezing! We went with the Berggens, Tubbs, Harasicks, and the Nardones, who stayed in our trailer with us. The kids didn't care that it was freezing, the moms retreated to the heated trailers to knit scarfs (or potholders, if you are Karen, haha!), while the dads rode and also stood outside in the freezing cold and wind frying some amazing food for us (I told you there'd be more deep fryer stories). We had the best fried chicken on the face of planet earth, and I am NOT kidding! Oh, and funnel cake to die for, with whipped cream, sugar, strawberry sauce-a little slice of heaven if I must say so. Rich ROCKS!!!! Thanks to him for all his hard work. What a delicious trip it was, despite the fact that our trailer almost FELL OVER in the wind. Good grief! But it was fun, anyways. It's always fun being with my family and greatest of friends. Which brings us to....
JANUARY
Now we have begun the new year. Back to school, back to work for Dave, back to reality, and back to the floors! We are working on finishing the hallway, and then the living room will be last.
Dave and I decided to move Vance into second grade, as he was unchallenged and bored with the first grade curriculum. He seems to be doing much better, and is now actually learning things he didn't already know before. He's so smart. I am so thankful to be able to homeschool my kids and be with them. I am reminded fresh that it's not so much their education that I am focusing on (that will happen regardless), but their character. I told Austin the other night, if he never becomes succesful, gets married, or has children, all I desire of him is that he follow the Lord and be upright before Him. After all, eternity is much longer than this life on earth.
Well that sums it up. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures until I get my computer fixed. But at least I have my stories! More to come (at least in text form)!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Testing 1,2,3....
Well, let's see how this goes. It's definitely been a long time since I have blogged. I can't believe Christmas is already here. I am going to post a pic of the boys that we took for our Christmas card this year. If my computer cooperates, then I'll post again in more detail to catch everyone up on the happenings in the DeShong home!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Out of Order!
Sorry folks, but my computer has been on the fritz and it won't allow me to post anything on this blog. I am furiously typing before the window will just shut down, as it has on me everytime I have tried to post! Stay tuned, I will try to post as soon as we figure out this whole computer issue!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Fairmont Fair 2007
A highlight event at our church is the annual Awana Fairmont Fair. Our kids participate in the Awana program, as mentioned before, and the clubs put on a classic carnival style fair every year, filled with game booths, fair food, prizes, and lots of fun for very little money.
Last night, our family went down to church to help with the setup. Dave was helping to build the booths, and the boys and I helped paint the signs that went on each game booth. It was a lot of fun! I received the ultimate in complements (if you want to look at it that way). Someone asked if Luke and I were brother and sister. Yes, you heard it right. Brother....and....sister. Are you kidding me? When I told him we were mother and son, he looked at me with a blank stare and said, "Well, I knew you were related, because you look so much alike!" OK. Whatever!
Today, we went to the fair, and had a great time working in the booths, visiting the booths, winning prizes, and eating an extremely healthy lunch. Oh yes, I just love nachos. Yum! The boys ate nachos. And popcorn. And candy. And snow cones. And soda. And soon, we are going to ask them to actually go to sleep???? We'll see how that goes. They even helped their Awana leaders by working in their game booths with them. And Vance and Luke also helped Dave and I work in our booth, as well. They are such sweet helpers.
All in all, a lot of fun was had by all. It is such a joy to be a part of our wonderful church. We are truly blessed by all that goes on inside and outside of its walls.
Last night, our family went down to church to help with the setup. Dave was helping to build the booths, and the boys and I helped paint the signs that went on each game booth. It was a lot of fun! I received the ultimate in complements (if you want to look at it that way). Someone asked if Luke and I were brother and sister. Yes, you heard it right. Brother....and....sister. Are you kidding me? When I told him we were mother and son, he looked at me with a blank stare and said, "Well, I knew you were related, because you look so much alike!" OK. Whatever!
Today, we went to the fair, and had a great time working in the booths, visiting the booths, winning prizes, and eating an extremely healthy lunch. Oh yes, I just love nachos. Yum! The boys ate nachos. And popcorn. And candy. And snow cones. And soda. And soon, we are going to ask them to actually go to sleep???? We'll see how that goes. They even helped their Awana leaders by working in their game booths with them. And Vance and Luke also helped Dave and I work in our booth, as well. They are such sweet helpers.
All in all, a lot of fun was had by all. It is such a joy to be a part of our wonderful church. We are truly blessed by all that goes on inside and outside of its walls.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Out of the woods....Literally!
Well, officials have declared that Santa Clarita is now at no risk of being damaged any further by these horrific wildfires. Our neighboring communities have lost several homes, and that is literally just around the corner. Streets I drive often. God has sovereignly kept our family and all of our friends in this valley safe from harm. Some of our friends reportedly had fire as close as 100 yards away from their homes, but have all returned after evacuations to find their homes still in tact. God is good. By the way, God is good if the house burned down, too.
I forgot to mention one detail that we are thankful for. The truck is now running! After a two-month engine rebuild and some rough edges to smooth out, Dave got it running...just in time to leave in case of fire. How do like them apples???
I intend to put up a video of the engine starting (I know, it's exciting stuff), but the cable to download my pictures is, yes, you guessed it, packed up in the trailer! We are slowly putting things back where they belong and returning back to normal life, if there is such a thing! We are even having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Life goes on....
I forgot to mention one detail that we are thankful for. The truck is now running! After a two-month engine rebuild and some rough edges to smooth out, Dave got it running...just in time to leave in case of fire. How do like them apples???
I intend to put up a video of the engine starting (I know, it's exciting stuff), but the cable to download my pictures is, yes, you guessed it, packed up in the trailer! We are slowly putting things back where they belong and returning back to normal life, if there is such a thing! We are even having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Life goes on....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Fire....Close to Home
For those of you not living in our immediate area, several (around 15) wildfires broke out in Southern California simultaneously on Sunday, creating a state of emergency over 7 counties. It is an incredibly treacherous situation here. Included in these fires is the Agua Dulce Fire, which traveled down into Canyon Country, one of our neighboring communities. Yesterday, it started making its way into Saugus, just about 1 mile from our home. As neighborhoods north of us were being evacuated, it became apparent to us that we must prepare to leave. We figured we should start packing up before it's too late and we are rushed out. Better safe than sorry, I always say. So we hitched up the trailer and began filling it with important documents, boxes of pictures, and other important momentos. The boys thought they should bring everything they own, and began to pack up the sheets on their bed even! (Let's just say we had to do some sorting out)! Being raised here in Southern California, wildfires have always been a threat, but I have never gotten to the point of actually starting to pack things up. We watched the news over the course of yesterday afternoon, and thankfully, the fire began to move away from us and evacuations were being lifted. With the Santa Ana winds, extremely low humidity, and the 90 degree heat, however, we are still in danger of flying embers, which have already started countless other fires in the area. So we are ready if we need to leave, althought it's unlikely at this point.
You know, it is these "big life issues" that I have no trouble with. In the big things, such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of a home, etc, I tend to find my heart calm, trusting in God, patient with the outcome no matter which way it goes. I found myself saying yesterday, "it's just a house". Big things remind me that I cannot control the circumstances of life. I would be in desperation if I thought I could do even the slightest thing to change or alter the events that will occur. To know God is to know He is the one in control. He rules this universe and orders every detail. He allows all things, good and bad, according to His purposes. It's the little things I struggle with. Why did the milk get spilled again? Why is there gum on the pants? Why do I always find dirty clothes on the floor every day? Why can't the boys just sit quietly and do their schoolwork? Why...why...why? But God orders the big things as He does with the small. I struggle with thinking that I can control and order the events of my day. What folly! In my own strength and ability I can do nothing. Then I tend to get the frustrated, impatient, controlling attitude, wondering why things aren't going MY way. I need to be content with how God has planned my day, and not try to plan it on my own. It's OK to have a general plan, but I need to truly be content when that plan goes off track.
With all that said, we are thankful to still be in our home. I am thankful for a husband who takes care of us. I am thankful for my sister who is standing by ready to receive us if we have to leave. I am thankful for the countless firefighters and officials who are tirelessly working on our behalf. God is faithful!
You know, it is these "big life issues" that I have no trouble with. In the big things, such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of a home, etc, I tend to find my heart calm, trusting in God, patient with the outcome no matter which way it goes. I found myself saying yesterday, "it's just a house". Big things remind me that I cannot control the circumstances of life. I would be in desperation if I thought I could do even the slightest thing to change or alter the events that will occur. To know God is to know He is the one in control. He rules this universe and orders every detail. He allows all things, good and bad, according to His purposes. It's the little things I struggle with. Why did the milk get spilled again? Why is there gum on the pants? Why do I always find dirty clothes on the floor every day? Why can't the boys just sit quietly and do their schoolwork? Why...why...why? But God orders the big things as He does with the small. I struggle with thinking that I can control and order the events of my day. What folly! In my own strength and ability I can do nothing. Then I tend to get the frustrated, impatient, controlling attitude, wondering why things aren't going MY way. I need to be content with how God has planned my day, and not try to plan it on my own. It's OK to have a general plan, but I need to truly be content when that plan goes off track.
With all that said, we are thankful to still be in our home. I am thankful for a husband who takes care of us. I am thankful for my sister who is standing by ready to receive us if we have to leave. I am thankful for the countless firefighters and officials who are tirelessly working on our behalf. God is faithful!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Busy, Busy, Busy
Life is busy. There are always things to do. But sometimes we have seasons that occur in this home in which it seems we will never have a quiet moment. This is one of those seasons. In fact, I have attempted to post an update on this blog on several occasions, only to have something more important that needs to be done take precidence.
Comparatively speaking, we are not "busy" people, as are some other families. We are not the "go to soccer, to karate, to sheep shearing lessons, to underwater basking weaving, to the grocery store, to pick up Johnny, to drop off Lisa, to stop for dinner, to stop home and drop the groceries off, to pick up the kids, to drop dead from sheer exhaustion, wake up and do it all the next day" people. I cannot live like that. Some days are like that, don't get me wrong. Like today: School, laundry, off to PE at the park, to the dentist for two "complicated" extractions, and then back home. But we have purposefully made the choice to not be running around people, because we enjoy the simplicity of life at it's minimal activity level. After all, there are always things we delight in doing that keep us busy enough, such as Sunday church and Wednesday night youth ministry, along with our homeschool group's activities.
But even so, life is still so busy right now. There is a long list of "to do's" around here, which all seem to be knocking at poor Dave's door all at once. The truck is still saying "Get me to run, please", the flooring in the garage says "Install me", the kitchen cabinets are arguing with the floors, demanding "no, we come first, we WILL be fixed first!", "no, Dave, you must first spend 8 hours a day with me," whines Dave's job, "Daddy, could you fix my bike", "Dave could you fix the leak in the toilet", "Dave, Dave, Dave"! Poor Dave! At one point, it will all calm down, but for now, there is work to be done. It is hard for me to keep a proper perspective when life gets overwhelming. I tend to crave the order that once characterized our home. It's not the way I like it. I am walking on bare dirty concrete, the house does not appear clean or ordered. Visually, it bugs me! I just want everything to be back to normal! But I am learning that in the busyness of life, there is one constant. God is always the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is always faithful, always merciful, always sovereign. And He wants me to delight in Him, no matter what my circumstances may be. It's nothing deep and theological. God is simply God, and He never changes. It's my stinky attitude that changes, demanding that things go my way. I need to love the road I'm on, not just look for the destination. Enjoy the process of repairing cars and homes, extracting teeth, living in dust, and enjoying the God who gives us these priveleges. They are, indeed priveleges that are bestowed upon us by a gracious God. It is a privelege to be given the means and ability to repair our vehicles and our home. It is a privelege to have dental care. To have an education, and activities by which the children can learn and grow. Thanks be to God for the busyness of our life. Perhaps after Christmas it will all calm down.......
Comparatively speaking, we are not "busy" people, as are some other families. We are not the "go to soccer, to karate, to sheep shearing lessons, to underwater basking weaving, to the grocery store, to pick up Johnny, to drop off Lisa, to stop for dinner, to stop home and drop the groceries off, to pick up the kids, to drop dead from sheer exhaustion, wake up and do it all the next day" people. I cannot live like that. Some days are like that, don't get me wrong. Like today: School, laundry, off to PE at the park, to the dentist for two "complicated" extractions, and then back home. But we have purposefully made the choice to not be running around people, because we enjoy the simplicity of life at it's minimal activity level. After all, there are always things we delight in doing that keep us busy enough, such as Sunday church and Wednesday night youth ministry, along with our homeschool group's activities.
But even so, life is still so busy right now. There is a long list of "to do's" around here, which all seem to be knocking at poor Dave's door all at once. The truck is still saying "Get me to run, please", the flooring in the garage says "Install me", the kitchen cabinets are arguing with the floors, demanding "no, we come first, we WILL be fixed first!", "no, Dave, you must first spend 8 hours a day with me," whines Dave's job, "Daddy, could you fix my bike", "Dave could you fix the leak in the toilet", "Dave, Dave, Dave"! Poor Dave! At one point, it will all calm down, but for now, there is work to be done. It is hard for me to keep a proper perspective when life gets overwhelming. I tend to crave the order that once characterized our home. It's not the way I like it. I am walking on bare dirty concrete, the house does not appear clean or ordered. Visually, it bugs me! I just want everything to be back to normal! But I am learning that in the busyness of life, there is one constant. God is always the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is always faithful, always merciful, always sovereign. And He wants me to delight in Him, no matter what my circumstances may be. It's nothing deep and theological. God is simply God, and He never changes. It's my stinky attitude that changes, demanding that things go my way. I need to love the road I'm on, not just look for the destination. Enjoy the process of repairing cars and homes, extracting teeth, living in dust, and enjoying the God who gives us these priveleges. They are, indeed priveleges that are bestowed upon us by a gracious God. It is a privelege to be given the means and ability to repair our vehicles and our home. It is a privelege to have dental care. To have an education, and activities by which the children can learn and grow. Thanks be to God for the busyness of our life. Perhaps after Christmas it will all calm down.......
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