WHAT A DAY!!

Today has been one of those days if it could go wrong it just might. Things were to begin later at work than usual so I redid my day to include a trip to the bank to get $ for a couch deal we made Saturday at a yard sale in my daughter's neighborhood. Must admit I was quite smug this morning thinking of all I had gotten done by 9:30 (because I was WIDE AWAKE at 5 - Lord help me, I'm becoming my mother). I knew this was a day of great accomplishments and that I could get all my stuff done and be home from work by 1 at the latest while fitting in all my hours. My living room would be finished and I'd have a great dent in the kitchen and dining room this afternoon before I cooked dinner. I had the day "all figured out".

Sooo, I take my oldest son to work with me to work on shelves and we drop off movies to the library, run an errand to the church, hit the bank to get the $ for the couch. I was so psyched to get this for her family. My daughter had just redone her whole home in beautiful warm colors and this would be the perfect fit for her living room. Not to mention I was so excited that my daughter was sooo excited to get this for her home as a Christmas gift. I was going to haul off her old couch Saturday after she finished painting her home to make room for the new one but told her we best wait to be sure she had something to sit on in the meanwhile. (Thank you Lord for wisdom!) My fabulouso sister was going to help me at work today so I could get back home quick today to work on the house. Went to work, got labels a moving and work a rolling for my mom and John Russell and then went to pick up the couch for Cindy to only find out the lady I made the deal with had sold it to somebody else although we had made a deal for me to come pick it up today. I was sooo bummed! Not to mention, I hate time stealer's too. I would've never fit in the bank and trip to Cindy's around working hours to make a longer day out had I known she wasn't going to hold her part of the deal. Well, at least I got to see my beautiful grand babies for a minute and my daughter's cute decorated home (for Christmas).

I'm driving back to work and would you believe, clunk-clunk, the insides of my door fell apart as I rolled my window down at the drive-thru for my ice fix from Sonic. (Can't drown my sorrows in chocolate but I can do sonic ice and it's less than a buck.) Now my door only locks and doesn't unlock. My husband will have to take apart the whole door to see if he can get the assembly back together. Last time I had a dealership fix that it cost me over $400!! And that was with "the family deal!". I yi yi. My door lets you out but you can't get in :).

I get back to work and realize our cell bill came in that should've been ~$200 for our whole family and it says a whopping $925...so we spend an hour with the phone company trying to get it straight and we're not there yet. Call home and kiddos are doing good (of course, I find out later that's because they decided to veg out!!). At last, I finished my work and should've told my mama I didn't have time because now I'm 3+ hours behind getting back home to the kiddos but noooo, not me, I volunteered to go to her house to turn off her window heater that she thought she'd left on (but didn't)and hit a poor raccoon on the way. My son John Russell and I were yelling at it "run, run" (as if it was really listening) as I was hitting the brakes but still had a ka-thunk and "aw darn" before the poor guy could make it.

Get home and to my utter dismay, my home is still a disaster because I'm in the middle of trying to get it all painted before Thursday (what was I thinking???) and now I'm too totally exhausted to even think about getting back at it today. Not to mention my usual productive kids were slugs today and I think I have "symphis pubic dysfunction" this pregnancy because I can only do so much at a time and my bones hurt so bad I have to sit for a bit. What homeschooling mom of 7 with one on the way, who runs a book business and does children's church has time to sit? The temptation to load up on chocolate or carbs was definitely there but then would've had to turn in sorry levels to the dr next week when I show the doc my gestational diabetic readings that I turn into my appts every other week. [And since when is 42 so old you have to go to a high risk doctor every 2 weeks along with your regular doctor every 2 weeks. And since when can doctors justify making you sit for 4 hours a visit as if your time isn't as important as theirs. But that's a rant for another day. Although I'm now a big Favre fan - they said he was too old too in his field too!!!]

So now I'm in my p.j.'s while my 9 year old daughter just finished cooking yellow rice and black beans for the troops (yum) while I work on my cell phone bill trying to figure out what in the world happened. I'm seriously considering of applying for a bail out from the govt. It's working for everybody else. I hear Atlanta even has their hands out. I don't feel like actually restructuring my bills when I could just get the the money handed out to me.

But God!! The best thing is that although this day is in so many ways shot - I have happy, healthy children, a great marriage, my thanksgiving is all planned out and paid for, we have money coming in to pay our bills, and Lord willing, I know I will begin tomorrow very optimistically with grandiose plans of finishing my work, painting, housecleaning, sewing my middle daughter's Christmas dress with a pleasant attitude and fabulous, helpful children. Did I mention I'm sure the birds will be singing happy around our home, Christmas music will be playing in the background with the aroma of fresh cookies and banana bread wafting through the house. (Hey, if we're going to dream let's do it big!!) More importantly no matter how bad things seemed, I serve a God who loves me. I know that I know that I know he loves me unconditionally. What more could I ask for? I thank Him and praise Him for another day and for the ability to go to bed tonight in His perfect peace no matter the circumstances. The Lord is good and His love endures forever!!

Fantastic Weekend

What a great weekend I had. I spent Sunday afternoon at my daughter Cindy's and we finished up making lots of jars to sell for Christmas (and for Christmas gifts). You can check out our store at www.TheHandmadeHoliday.etsy.com. We'll be adding little girl Christmas dresses and princess nightgowns, pinecone wreaths, candles, other types of jars and more. Check back often. It's been a lot of fun and it's always great to spend time with the family!

Now I need to get busy and finish up work so I can get school done early with the children.

Let's embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving this holiday season!! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever!!

Get Out and Vote!!

I'm unsure how a Christian can vote for any candidate that doesn't support life but especially a candidate that has no problem with partial birth abortion. Put all other political ideals aside. Whether you believe in socialistic or capitalistic ideals, do you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are you willing to put a price on life? Willing to look the other way while babies are killed and mother's lives are affected, so the economy may get better? Willing to look the other way so that you can get more money from the government? Willing to look the other way so you can get health care, education or any other item that may be swaying your vote enough to ignore the rights of unborn children?

"Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption." ~ James Garfield

"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all." ~ John F. Kennedy

"The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism.... It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world,and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn." -George Washington.

"And if we now cast our eyes over the nations of the earth, we shall find that, instead of possessing the pure religion of the Gospel, they may be divided either into infidels, who deny the truth; or politicians who make religion a stalking horse for their ambition; or professors, who walk in the trammels of orthodoxy, and are more attentive to traditions and ordinances of men than to the oracles of truth." - Samuel Adams

"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams