Orange Blossom White Tea And Other Lovely Things.

Mmmm, can you smell it?  The sweet, warm, fragrance of my Orange Blossom tea from Timothy's.   It has a fragrance that fills my upstairs and makes me smile.  A little bit of sugar stirred in and I have a moment of bliss.  I don't normally like orange flavored things. Except I've found a couple I do.  This tea is one, and a dark chocolate with candied orange peels is another.  Different.  Sweet, tart, silky smooth and light. 

I had a moment of complete contentment today.  Am still enjoying it now actually.  My feet are propped up on a rubbermade tote. My girls are in the basement happily playing together and the puppy is asleep. 
I'm home.  The sun is shining.  My lilac bush has buds on it!  The kitchen is mostly clean.  The laundry is caught up.  Schoolwork is done for the day.  Content, I sit here. 

I'm sitting in my favorite pink chair.  Once upon a time it was a lovely chair.  Now it is simply my favorite chair.  I have two exactly alike, but this one is closer to the electrical outlet and so it's my favorite because of my laptop. 

Earlier today I posted asking for help on another forum.  My oldest has inherited her mother's inability to think. LOL, no I mean it.  She is proficient at finding answers spelled out in books, at regurgetating the words written in response to questions asked.  But ask her to answer a question that requires thought and not simply repeat information and she freezes. 
For a moment I felt failure keenly.  She can't think.  Panic and memories of being in college and not knowing how to give the professors what they wanted because it wasn't simply giving back facts found in the texts hit me full force.  Followed quickly by a desire to make sure she does know how to think.  But HOW?

So I asked other moms who homeschool their children.  These wise women overflowing with years of experience and knowledge.  They would know.  They could spell it out for me and tell me how to make this right. 

They did.  They told me they too have this problem with their children.  That their children also stare at a blank page when asked to write, and weep. I'm not alone.  She's not an exception.  This is normal and can be overcome with time and doing. . . .guess what? Exactly what I am doing! 

Thank you, God for the internet, for homeschool boards where I can quickly hear back from those who have been there, done that.  Thank you for honesty in answering and no pretending perfection!  Thank you for orange blossom tea and other lovely things. :)

Space to Stuff Ratio equalization attempt #406

It's probably higher than 406, but I'm not counting so that's the number assigned to this attempt.  I am so tired of stepping around, over and beside things that do not have a home or are simply out of their home.  What is WITH my need to collect clutter and not want to give it away?  GRRRRRRR  And worse yet, I've got four other people who do and feel the same.  I did not marry this house and this is "for worse" so I want out! *grin*

We want a dog.  Well, the girls want a dog and I've decided it's a good idea to get one now, although today I'm wondering if I'm totally NUTS!  We have a house so full of stuff there's rarely an empty space and do you know what happens if I manage to create some?  Someone puts something IN it.  We all have this need to fill in the spaces.  What is with that? 

Today I've worked in my own room and in my girls room that the two younger ones share.  I'm not even close to done in either.  It seems to me it's one of those never done things.  I get it *done* and it's undone before the week is out.  I believe it's largely because there is just too much stuff.  But how to choose what to keep and what's gotta go?  I understand emotional attachment to stuff.  The desire to keep it because it's yours and you like it! But really folks?  When the child can't sleep on her bed but sleeps on top of stuffies on the bed, and those toys fill two small white garbage bags??? That's too much.  When the drawers and closet are full but there's still two baskets full of clothes (for two kids) that's too much.  When the closet basket is full of shoes, there are shoes on the floor and shoes in the entryway, that's too much. 

So last week we had a talk, again.  We talked about honoring God and respecting him by taking care of what he's given us.  I told them I will be requiring them to choose some things to give away.  *gasp*  The younger two think this prospect is especially hideous, tears ensued.  But see the above!! 

We can't bring a puppy into a home that is dangerous.  I can't fathom cleaning up after a puppy AND four other people in this house. Not. Gonna. Fly.  So clean it is.  I can make the girls clean.  I can even force myself too, but how, oh someone please tell me how, do I get my husband to?  I think it might be a lost cause.  I guess I'll just keep putting his stuff on his side of the bed.  I do wish the poor man had a garage to put his tools and toys, etc. 

For a moment I fantasize of a larger space, closets! A linen closet, and a pantry cupboard too!  Two closets in the master bedroom, and room for the dressers for each of us.  A closet in the entryway large enough to hold our coats, and an entryway large enough for us all to stand in at the same time.  Bliss! But I know us, we'd just fill it up and stack boxes on the edges (toy room, cough, cough!). 

So once again I'm back to attempting to not horde (OH HELP! Please, not that!) and to be content where I am.  I will work hard to get rid of things we like but don't need so we can enjoy our home.  OH, and I am very very thankful for the sixth pantry cupboard that will hopefully be put together tonight and in my laundry room creating a place to store sheets, blankets and maybe even cleaning supplies! Whoohoo! Thanks to my very mechanically inclined, good at putting things together husband for that. 

Flipping The List

Every once in awhile I hear something that affects me profoundly.  Even less often I am moved to the point of deciding it's time to change and then DO!  Today is one of those few and far between moments.  Today I've had it! And that's a good thing.  It's one step in the right direction and one more finger letting go of my grasp on what I call mine. 

I've been thinking about it for months, what I just did.  But it's taken me awhile to get here.  I'll tell you where here is soon enough. Let me tell you the whole thing.  Tim and I? We're in the "Stupid Kids" category as Dave Ramsey calls it.  God's kids he loves but shakes his head at the way they act.  It's mostly me. I'm the spender. I've talked about this before. That's not new, I won't blather on about it.  Suffice it to say once again, and hopefully this time for the last time we are on our way to getting out of the "Stupid Kids" category and into the "Thatta Girl/Guy, I see potential, maybe I can use them afterall" category.

I've been listening to Andy Stanley at home instead of going out to church the last 3 weeks.  Today I listened to the 6th sermon in his series Balanced.  And it got to me.  I'm still fighting it all the way.  I have to admit my fist is still pretty firmly grasping and "Mine!" said in the tone of a toddler is in my heart, but I'm renouncing that.  Starting with Heart 2 Haiti and sponsoring a child.  I've been wanting to do it since the earthquake.  Felt led, but tried so hard not to let emotions rule me.  Well, tonight as I sent the e-mail I even had a qualm of "you shouldn't do this." But you know what? Yes, I should! WE should.

It's $35 and one more child. I wish I could sponsor 10. I wish we could buy more for them. Help more. Make a trip there.  And ya know what? Maybe in the future we will be able to.  I'm working on flipping our list.

What's the list?  The list is the top 5 things on which we use the money God has given us.  Here's how Andy put it.

1. Spend (Me)
2. Pay back debt (Me)
3. Pay taxes (We)
4. Save (Me)
5. Give (God and others)

He's so right! I knew this, but I didn't really KNOW, if you know what I mean.  I hadn't thought of it as putting God last.  Andy pointed out that God thinks in percentages.  Jesus watched the widow put in her coin and was amazed by it, pointing out the hugeness of her gift.  In dollar signs it was so much less, but in percentages it was everything!  Andy challenged his listeners to figure out their percentage.  How much are we living on?  How much are we giving to others? 

He read from Malachi, that beautiful plea from God to test him and see! The promise was given to the nation of Israel that he would open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessings.  That promise is related to a truth, if we will honor him, give to him freely and put him first.  That's what it really is, a heart thing, not a money thing.  Then, if we put him first He will do great things in us.  Doesn't mean he'll make us rich. Not with money anyway, but if we let Him he will use us, work in us.

It is my desire to be changed.  It is my desire to know God and honor God and I'll be honest it seems like there's a big huge brick wall between. I sometimes wonder why other people can experience God in such a real way and yet I feel like a kid watching a tv show.  This just might be part of the solution. 

One finger at a time, one debt payment, one cash budgeted expense at a time, one gift to a charity, to the church, to help someone else instead of myself/my family we are going to work on flipping our list.  What a beautiful gift it would be to give our children a legacy of giving, a legacy of honoring God with ALL he has blessed us with and not focusing on what we want and don't have but instead looking to see what else we can give.