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

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Chatty


In which blogdom utters in surprise "She LIVES?!?!"

My computer is still wonky and I don't think there is any hope for the likes of it at this point.  Just when I finished my "camera fund" I have to begin a "computer fund."  argh.  Nevertheless, I want to blog so I am taking a giant leap of faith that the computer will play nicely, not shutting down before I get to blog.  A BIG gamble, let me tell you.  The current time frame between sudden shut downs is about 4 minutes.  And you know how chatty I get--- 4 minutes ain't much.  But maybe if I save it every 3 minutes, I can beat the system?  We shall see.

One of the biggest tragedies of not being able to blog easily (or well) is that these last three weeks have been some of the most excited, busy weeks of our entire summer.  So much we have done, so many pictures I have taken.  About 20 minutes ago, (after the second random shutdown of the afternoon) I tried to get the pictures off of my camera (Matt said he thought he had fixed the computer problems, so I had hope) only to be told that I didn't have enough memory left to save that many pictures.  Guess how many were on my camera?  From three weeks?  Any guesses?  426.

426 pictures that I would love to share with you but can't.  Do you see how agonizing this is for me?  Here is a rundown of a few major happenings these last three weeks and a bit of jabber on the current goings-on.  I am chatty, I know.  Pictures forthcoming, someday.  I hope.

What has happened in the last three weeks?

~ Matt took a day off and we went to the fair as a family and ate cotton candy.  And when I was putting Judah's shoe on him (for the twentieth time!) Adele' wandered off and got lost.  When I found eventually found her, I wanted to just go home and never see a fair again.

~ We lost an 8 year old and got a nine year old.

~ We lost a one year old and gained a two year old.

~ Matt and I marked our 10 year anniversary two different days and two different ways, with a treehouse and boat.  Both were divine.  

~ I had the last yard sale of the season and earned $108.00 to go toward school books, which I still have not bought.  (Now that I have some money, it will happen THIS WEEK!  Not that I can stall any longer anyway.)

~ Thanks to members of the family who shall remain unnamed, we often have several dozen eggs that fall through the cracks as to  how old they are.  I, on the other hand, ALWAYS mark the dates; which is why it is so horribly cruel that I was the one to bear the stench of a rotten egg bomb blowing up on me.  It was the NASTIEST thing I have ever endured (and I have endured many a nasty-thing.  TRUST ME.)  Oh.my.goodness.  You have NO idea.  (gag.)

~ I started to re-do the school room.  The goal was to get it done before school starts but I have had a few major setbacks.  The biggest being~ when I tried to paint over wallpaper, the wallpaper peeled onto my paint roller.  So I peeled a layer of  wallpaper off and then another layer and then another layer and then it started chipping away at sheet rock.  I tried to paint over it, and it didn't work.  More wallpaper pieces would come off.  It was in tears that I realized as I worked into the morning, that I would have to get creative with that wall.  Either spend more money to re-sheetrock, spend more money to put up paneling or spend more money on more wallpaper.  But I don't WANT to spend more money.  So I am going to try something entirely different.  I am scrounging up all the old maps I can find and I am going to paste them up all over the wall.  (Anyone have any old maps, by the way?!)  It will either turn out amazing or horrendous, and I am not sure which at this point.  Wish me luck.

~ I made soap for the first time ever.  It stunk.  (NOT in a good way.)  I think I might have used rancid essential oils or something.  (They were old.)  But even still, I had great fun and I learned it was far easier than I have worked myself up to assume.  I am excited to get going with it.  I have lye and coconut oil already ordered.

~ We hunted and hatched our own Monarch butterflies.  That is always so thrilling.  I love August just for monarchs.

~ Our house currently stands on only two solid sides--- the other two have huge holes in the basement foundation wall.  The house is piled up on two sides with dirt mountains and then deep dirt caverns, exposing the foundation and the embarrassed, holey cinderblocks left standing.  We have the crazy and daunting task of re-doing two sides of our foundation and somehow living in it, open and exposed, with four bouncing children until it is done.  Daunting doesn't seem to quite cover how I feel about this.  

~ We have two picnics coming up- poor planning on my part- because now, instead of beautiful green grass and pretty flowers they get dirt mountains and deep dirt caves.  

~ I got two amazingly long letters in the mail IN ONE DAY, one included handmade goodies (swoon) and I haven't been able to make my feet touch the floor since.  Does it make me a loser that I love snail mail that much?  If so, I totally am.  A loser, that is. THANK YOU LEAH!  THANK YOU AMY! for making my day.  Heck, my WEEK!

~  Thanks to a school room vomiting wallpaper, pencils and books from Friday, a yard sale on Saturday, two birthdays on Sunday and a foundation repair on Labor Day (and into the unforeseeable future)...this house is in a state of mass pandemonium.  Don't judge me.  And NO SURPRISE VISITORS- do you hear?!?  And oh yes-  let's not forget the dead skunk somewhere over in the field which is saturating our upstairs with skunk stench as we speak.  Lovely.

Now would be a good time to visit someone....will anyone take in a poor, struggling and overwhelmed woman for a week or so?  Have mercy on me!

No seriously....PLEASE?!

:-)



13 comments:

Unknown said...

HAHAHA...ahem. Cough. This would be a very funny post if I didn't feel so bad for you! WOWSERS!! Thank goodness hiding among the broken computers, dirt mounds, and messes you have those purple flowers! EGADS! Those are GORGEOUS! I'm so glad the post office got that letter to you JUST in the nick of time! YAY! :) Love this post! I feel like I have no blogging time right now...and today we started school...so even less time...in fact you are the blog I peeked at in my 5 free minutes here! :)

Hoping your computer shapes up!!!

Blessings!

Bonnie said...

Yes! Come see me!!!! I'm totally serious, we can park my parents camper in the drive, since we're kinda low on space, and you and children can visit. Really, truly, you wanna?

Marlene Bibby said...

Hop in the van and drive to Indiana. You are always welcome, and Jean would love it!!

Mari said...

If you can get your hands on some old National Geographic magazines, they usually have a map in them. If you lived closer to Baltimore, I would suggest you venture into the city any Saturday or Sunday and visit The Book Thing of Baltimore which gives away books and, the last time we visited, had tons of National Geos and lots of out of date travel books (10 years old or more) which would supply a lot maps. If you don't get enough maps, could you hang a couple second-hand sheets on the wall, tack them down, and hang whatever maps you do get on the sheets (or whatever material you have).

Bonnie said...

Okay, so I went back and actually *read* the entire post instead of my quick skim. Seriously, how do you manage to make money at yard sales? I price everything cheap, arrange it nicely, don't sell broken junk, and still don't manage to sell anything. Frustrating.

I suggest spelunking and mountain climbing as picnic activities.

I love Mari's idea about tacking up sheets, or what about scrapbook paper? (Didn't you pin that idea?) Or extra quilts hung up? I'm just trying not to be jealous that you *have* a schoolroom, peeling paper, gouged walls and all.

I'm sorry about the egg bomb. (but I laughed. I'm sorry about that too)

Yay for monarchs! (we missed this year, since baby was due and I didn't want the poor things to die in a jar because no-one was home to set them free)

My greatest fear was that J. would wander off at the fair when he was with my parents, but he didn't. My kids are (thankfully) not prone to wandering, but where tractors and my tractor loving JB are concerned... So thankful Adele was recovered. DId she even know she was missing?

Started school yesterday. I Can. Do. This.

And if you come visit me, we can go to Lehmans (a reason to come visit me of it's own :-> ) and buy essential oil for cheap(ish) and make soap together. You already know, and I want to learn beyond the handmilled kind, 'kay?

Tootles~
Bon

P.S. obviously you saw the profile pic on the small computer screen because I look horrendous, but yes my hair is different. Shorter and showing it's natural wave/ curl, thanks to kind-of-expensive-but-worth- it curling gel.

Rebecca said...

Amy~ the timing could not have been more perfect! Thank you!!

Bonnie~ yes, I wanna.

Yes- you CAN do this! Remind me of that in a few weeks, kay?

Yes~ she Adele' knew she was lost. When I found her, she had found a woman and had asked "Where is my Mama?" and the woman was keeping her there so she wouldn't keep wandering. When she saw me, she glued herself to my leg and began sobbing. SO not fun. My heart pops into my throat just at the thought of it.

I think your hair looks beautiful-mine has this weird wave but not bonafide curls. (Oh HOW I WANTED CURLS growing up...) Which is why I often wonder how Corynn got these perfect ringlets at the bottom of her hair.

Mrs. B~ you mean Jean Marie still likes me, even after meeting me in person?!?

Mari~ Matts' parents had a ton of National Geographic maps in their attic- I might just have enough! Thanks for the suggestions!

Bonnie said...

That poor little Lamb!

Leah T. said...

You KNOW that you and your family are welcome to come for another visit ANYTIME!!! We miss you all so much.

I'm sorry your computer is giving you such fits. I had forgotten that you mentioned it in a previous post so I was getting a bit worried.

Happy Anniversary!!! And Happy Birthday to Corynn and Judah!! I'm sure they had a wonderfully special day. :)

Hooray for yard sales and making some money for school books and for making soap for the first time!

I'm glad the letter and goodies arrived. I've already thought of so many things I should have written in the letter. Oh well, more to add to the next one. ;) I'm glad to have had a part in making your week. :D

I hope your idea for the school room works and I hope the foundation holds out for you while you work on repairing it.

As for surprise visitors, I drop by in a heartbeat to help you with your overwhelming projects and to fellowship with you. And as I said at the first, you're welcome to come "hide out" with us for a few days whenever you have the opportunity/inclinations. (((Hugs)))

Mari said...

Glad to help with an idea, if not the hanging! I've always thought they had interesting maps, especially the ones from centuries gone by. They're educational, so perfect for the schoolroom.

When I was 6 or 7, I got lost at the local amusement park. I was found by my family about an hour later just riding the rides in Kiddie Land (must have been wrist bands because I'm sure my Mom would not have trusted me with tickets). My exasperated Mother asked me what I was doing and why wasn't I worried about being lost. I told her I knew she would find me so I just stayed in the same area (which was on the other side of the park from where I left them, but we won't talk about that). My sisters were mad because I was riding while they were wandering and looking...

Leah said...

My, you have had a lot going on!
Come to my house! Please? I have all my soap making supply stuff just sitting in my closet (um, for about two years now...) waiting for you and me to make some soap together. It would be therapeutic, really. For both of us. :)

Katie Moore said...

Hi,

I just had a quick question in regards to your website. If you could email me at your convenience that would be great!



Thanks,

Katie

Rebecca said...

Leah T~ that letter could have gone for EVER, I love reading letters so much!

Mari~ smart girl, you!

Leah~ why do you have to be so blasted far away?!?!?

Katie~ I'd be happy to, except I do not have your email address! Leave it for me, kay? :-)

Full of Grace said...

Sorry about the whole computer thing. I know how difficult it must be not to blog and post photos like you you to be able to..