What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Raincheck (AND: a CONTEST!)


What does a girl do when the rain has been coming down for practically a week straight (or was it a MONTH?!?) and all your 'in-between', not-too-cold, not-too-stifling pajamas are awaiting the opportunity to actually be CLEANED and dried on a clothesline that ISN'T dripping? You wear big sister's knee-socks. It works surprisingly well, and frankly, has me wondering why leg warmers ever went out of style.

Speaking of rain~ remember the outdoor picnic I was preparing for that was s'poda be tomorrow? You know....the one I spent this week cleaning the house for? The one that caused me to traumatize my children and husband until 10:00 pm last night at Walmart? The one that has consumed my thoughts for months now? YEAH....that one.

I called it off.

WHY?!?!? Because tomorrow it is supposed to rain cats and dogs. Drench the world. The thunder is gonna roll and the lightning strike. Or so they tell me...

So~we rainchecked it until next Tuesday which

1) allows me to put off all the food prep that was supposed to be on the agenda for today. (good)

2) Forced me to call a gazillion people on the phone this morning. (that's bad.)

3) Will give me time enough to figure out a 'crafty' thing for the kids to do~making bookmarks, methinks. (good)

4) creates problems for some who were planning to come (bad)

5) requires me to somehow (I know not how) keep this newly clean home looking as it does now for a WEEK while still being a good Mama. (how? HOW, I ask?!?)

6) Allows me to blog. (good or bad, that depends on who you are asking)

Ironically, today is the sunniest day it has been in ages. Sunny and bright, and I called everyone cancelling due to rain....hmmmm. craziness.

In other news:

Adele' had her hearing test which played out much the same way as the last one. The audiologists machine doesn't work well with babies (says she, it has only actually WORKED a handful of times) and again, it picked up too much "noise". Whatever. She and I were both frustrated with it but likely, her moreso since she spent so much money on the machine. The results of the appointment were this: the audiologist said "You are on your fifth test now and some of those tests have shown hearing in one ear. Adele' is babbling and seems to be thriving and is very observant and responsive. I woud say just let it go for now. I can't keep bringing you here and not give you answers so why don't you just wait until she is about 2 or so and if you notice a problem bring her back. At that time we can do different things to test her hearing and we will be able to get more conclusive results."

She was very casual, not at all concerned, and not worried. Though I have been feeling those same things, when speaking to people, I was beginning to feel a sense of guilt and urgency. But she is a PROFESSIONAL and her professional opinion was very....FREEING. Liberating. and refreshing.

That is our Miss Adele's story, for those interested.

And now....to celebrate my unanticipated free blogging moment (with nothing to actually blog about because all I have been doing lately is cleaning, planning, cleaning, planning) : I will share 10 weird things about myself. Let it be known I am limiting the number to 10 because there are too many weird things about myself to list. I am weird. Plain and simple.

1) My eyebrows are practically non-existent but of the hairs that are there, my left brow actually points up in the corner. Weird. Freakishly weird.

2) A man from my old church said "oh! You have chipmunk ears!" and I never forgot it. I knew my ears were small but....CHIPMUNK ears?!?

3) I have a paralyzing fear of death. Death of my children. Death of my husband. And my own death full of pain and misery.

4) I pretend I am on a cooking show when I am in the kitchen. I've done this ever since I can remember, but now I have an audience in the form of children. When Corynn first noticed, she would ask "WHO are you talking to, Mama?" Now she just chuckles. They think it is a riot.

5) When I am doing the laundry, I always deeply inhale at least ONE of Matt's shirts. They smell SO good and I catch his scent even when he is at work.

6) I wipe the sinks down when I am going to the bathroom. It's the only time I can remember to do it.

7) My children often ask me to "read a story out of my head" in the car when we are travelling somewhere. Translated, that means make up a story. Usually, the stories are jagged and painfully void of interest (hey, it's harder than you think!) but the children soak them up like they are straight from Anderson's lips. But this past week, I think I found one that could actually pass as a childrens book! And I am going to try. which leads me to number....

8) I have always wanted to be an author. I'd like to be a writer of several different genres and it all started with my Opa, who was also an author. Though I wonder if this counts as weird?

9) When I was growing up, when asked what I wanted to be when I grow up I would reply "I want to be an author and a Mama. to TEN children. People would chuckle and say "is THAT right?!?" The weird thing is....the only thing that has changed about that statement is the limit I put on it.

10) I rarely paint my fingernails but when my toenails aren't painted, I feel naked. Seriously.

Thus concludes the self-inflicted limit of 10 weird things.

Which makes me wonder....do I have any weird readers out there?!?

You know what? I think this calls for a CONTEST!

Leave a comment saying one weird thing about yourself and the WEIRDEST will get a prize! (I don't know WHAT yet, but I promise it will be good!) I'll leave the contest open until Sunday night at which time, I will pick a name so I can get the prize mailed off on Monday.

20 comments:

Mrs. Bowen said...

Adele is so cute :) Thanks for keeping us updated on her hearing. Glad to hear that the PROFESSIONAL wasn't concerned. That always makes us feel better, doesn't it?

OK, a weird thing: I used to do this quite a bit as a child and even sometimes now, mostly to entertain my own kiddos. I run my index finger along the length of my nose and pretend it's a snow skier doing a jump. Yep, a little strange.

Have a good day!

Mrs. Bowen

Lovely Little Flowers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lovely Little Flowers said...

Rain? What is that? I live in Arkansas and it is slowly becoming a dessert!!!

Weirdness?
Let's see - there are SO many weird things about ME:
This is probably not that weird unless you are around me alot but my husband thinks it's freakishly weird...I have an elephant sized memory - of strange events. i.e. I remember what I wore to my 4th grade field trip to the zoo. The birthdays of ALL my family members (I have a BIG family). I can tell you the names of obscure actors or actresses while watching a movie.
I recall things or events that most people can not remember i.e. church events - where/when did we go? What did we do? And in all reality I probably could tell you what everyone wore to those events!
I guess it is a photographic memory. The only bad thing is I can't remember important things like when to pay the water bill - is it on the 10th or 11th of every month? HMmmmmm?

Amy Holland

Leah Spencer said...

When I was a little girl, I liked to chew on my dirty sweaty socks. Yeah, take off a sock that I've been wearing all day, stick it in my mouth to moisten, such and chew on the flavor.

I promise... I don't even WANT to do it now!!! :) I figured it's akin to some pregnant women wanting dirt or something. Maybe I needed more sodium?

MameyJane said...

I think it's hilarious that you pretend you're a cooking show host. I'm gonna try it sometime and see how my family reacts. :)

Weird--I'm 28 years old and my Dad still clips my toenails. The bad thing is we live two states apart and I only go home about every 2-3 months. My husband is usually threatening to cut my toes off completely by the time we go for a visit. :) :)

Rosemarie said...

Hi Rebecca,

I so enjoy reading your blog. I've lurked here for over a year now, I think. Just in case this is any way helpful, I wanted you to know that my son also had failed hearing tests. In fact he didn't pass any as a baby. The initial test were thought to be due to the fact that he was delivered so quickly (two pushes...that was it). However, even over the course of the first year and a half, his hearing tests came back odd. He clearly could hear me though. I gave up after a while and today, he hears perfectly. He did have hearing issues due to fluid in his ear which resulted in tubes 2 years ago. He's had extensive testing at a top knotch audiology lab and he hears perfectly now!!!! Your Adele may have perfect hearing as well. I'll be praying for it.

And now, a question. How do you handle your fear of death? I suffer from the same thing. For me its even turned into panic attacks as a result. Just wondering if you have anything you do to keep it in check. As a Christian I know I SHOULDN'T fear death....and yet I do, which brings an awful lot of guilt.

Sorry for such a long comment. Have a blessed holiday weekend.

- Rosemarie

Wendy said...

Ill keep this short since it is embarassing too. Ive always wanted to artificially inseminate a cow...you know long gloves and all...(My college room-mate had a farm, and she did it...why cant I?)

Unknown said...

Weird, huh?!I feel like I am a weird person but can't put my finger on anything specifically weird...especially with all the very weird things posted!!! :P One thing that my sisters and I do is talk to each other with quotes from movies...especially the Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea series and Pride & Predujudice...it's pretty hilarious and we get some...you guessed it, pretty WEIRD looks! I am sure there are other things but I just can't think of them!
:P

Bonnie said...

I looked at the post title and thought it said "red-neck". I couldn't IMAGINE what on earth you were posting about!

Weirdness is what makes us unique, and heres mine:
When I was little, used to try to get whichever of my sIblings was a baby at the time to suck on my arm, so I could pretend I was nursing. I could also frequently be found with a balloon or blanket or stuffed animal up my shirt pretending I was pregnant (just like my mom usually was!)

So sorry you had to reschedule your exchange, but hopefully it will be dry next week. Watch, it will be sunshine and blue skies all day today for you :0P

Bonnie said...

P.S. I'm glad the hearing lady isn't concerned over Adele's ears- Praise the Lord!

Chris said...

That is wonderful news about Adele! It's always such a relief to be validated by the "professionals".

I'm such a weirdo, it's hard to pick one thing. How about this one? I always can be caught "typing" whatever I hear being spoken. It doesn't matter if it's on TV or if it's people talking, my pastor's sermon. My fingers are typing away in space.

I don't know though, the toenail one is pretty weird!!!

alltheposts said...

This is weird, this is really weird, and I know it. Ever since I was a little girl, about the age of 6, I have had a phobia of Lionel Richie. I remember being at the store with my mom and sisters and seeing his records and hearing the songs and getting really scared. Every time we would pass the music section I would put my head down in the cart and try not to look, just in case I might see his album or poster, and I remember feeling like his eyes were following me even though I couldn't see him. I have no idea where it comes from but to this day if I hear or see Lionel Richie I get a shiver down my spine and goosebumps on my arms.

Girl Scout Mama said...

Okay, I have several weird things about me but I'll just share one. Everytime when I am in a car and we see a snake in the road dead or alive I lift my feet up off the floor boards. lol! My husband laughs at me. I don't know why I do it I guess I think the snake is going to come up through the floor of the car.

Peggy said...

I love this post! And I am so glad you are at peace with Adele's testing!!!

Now to weirdness. Okay, I hate to admit our family falls prey to many of the already mentioned "weird" things listed. We just like to call them quirks. You see we are a very quirky family. My biggest weird thing is I have freakishly short middle toes which happen to be either missing a joint or its formed out of cartilage. See I bend it backwards just as easily as forwards. It freaks most people out when I show them what I can do with it. (Think bend backwards at a right angle.. I love messing with the teen girls at Tae Kwon Do, they squeal..)

Karen said...

Thank you for your encouraging words on my blog about my babys hearing. We are all doing well with it too. We went through another round of test the other week and like you they had trouble with it because of the age of the infant. For such a short test it took hours because my baby kept moving around. But they eventually got a few done. He failed the first 2 but passed the last 1. I was so surprised and very skeptical. But I will take it and that is enough for the state to stop sending me letter requiring more test. So we will test again when baby is bigger and for now I will spend my time kissing his sweet ears rather than worry about them.

Jerelene said...

Rebecca, I'm happy to hear that they weren't worried...She sure is beautiful!!
Wow, there's lots of wierd things about me..I'm OCDish..so here's one..I absolutely can't sleep on the bed until I completely straighten all the wrinkles (if there are any) out. I have to lay on a perfectly smooth sheet...Even when I'm exhausted, I still stop and straighten the sheet before getting in bed.
Have a happy weekend!
Love, Jerelene

Liana said...

the toenail one really has to win - hands down.
LOL
Looks like I won't have to share any "weirdness" since I can't top that one :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Aunt becka,

This is not for the contest but it is funny to read others so i thought that i would tell you something weird. A friend and i where walking to school to go catch the bus for our class trip, and i was waiting on the corner for her, and a squirrl was walking on the telephone line above my head, so i thought nothing of it until it falls on my head and scrambles down my side and runs off. Now i am sooooo scared of them that i can't walk under telephone lines or trees when one is over my head!! :( so embarrassing!!!

samantha :)

Jthemilker said...

Wendy... You ARE weird! But I actually considered doing that for a living once...I have always wanted a Brahma Cross. Rebecca... Nice contest. BTW-Wendy wrote you a ltr on her blog. That's kind of weird.

Jthemilker said...

PS. My weirdness is that I eat my dessert first, although I don't think that's weird...just smart. You might not have room for it at the end!