Pardon the mess...

...while I re-arrange and give my blog a little make-over. I could spend so much time on here but must run. We're leaving the kids (and their tattling and complaining) to Nana and going on a date night. :)

Come back soon!

Hey, what do you think of the new name?

Oh, and one more thing. Can I just say that Jessica over at A Blog to Brag About is awesome!

Emily told me it's not good to brag. :D

Celebrating a Day Early

Today, my sweetie surprised me by coming in the door (with the kids) singing Happy Birthday. Here's what they carried in:
A beautiful bouquet of two dozen roses, my favorite chocolates, a balloon that Micah loves to run around the house with, two stylish umbrellas and a very sweet card (not pictured).

They smell wonderful.

When I asked why he was giving me my gifts today and not tomorrow, he said it's the only way to really surprise me. a huh. Sure.

He thought it was today. :) Okay, he wasn't sure if today was the 1st or not. So, at least he doesn't think my birthday is Sept 30. :)

Man Store Etiquette

Funny conversation with Lydia, my four-year-old:

L: Mommy, at the "Lady Store" I don't pick my nose.
M: Well that's good.
L: Only at the "Man Store".
M: {giggling} No, we don't pick it there, either. :)

My words have never tasted so...expensive.

Who out there likes eating humble pie? Eating your words is never easy or fun. Especially when it comes with a price tag.

Let me set the stage here. We live off Hwy 26 where the posted speed is 55mph. The signs do not say speed limit, only speed. Because it doesn't say speed limit, the cops are lenient and allow the flow of traffic to be around 60-65-which is regularly.

If you've ever gotten into a conversation with me about the speed limit and my driving habits on Hwy 26, you would hear me boast and brag that I have driven by cops with my cruise control set at 69. Cops with their radar guns out have never pulled us over. (They do ticket when you reach 70 and over...but that's for another post).

Okay, so last month I was driving along my familiar route down 26 and was asking the kids where they wanted to eat lunch. I sort of noticed a cop off the side of the road, but he didn't have anyone pulled over, so I didn't slow down. Another rule here in Oregon is that if you see a cop has pulled someone over, you must move into the other lane (when one is available) or slow down. The cop didn't have anyone pulled over anymore, but had his amber lights on. I cruise by at 69. Big mistake.

Bottom line is, I was supposed to slow down when I saw his lights on. Thankfully, he did not have the red and blue going because that would have warranted a steeper penalty. And, thankfully, he only cited me for speeding and not failure to yield to a police officer.

So, needless to say, I have set my cruise control right around 60 mph and you know what? I haven't lost time. Imagine that. :)

My Dearly Beloved

What would you think if you heard of a married couple who promised each other they would not tell anyone of their honeymoon, because of how horrible it was? You would probably wonder how long they lasted or dread to hear of their misery years later.

Well, I'm here to say that after eight years, those memories of my not-so-fun honeymoon have melted away into gratefulness and praise over the power of God.

On July 7, 2001 I made a vow to love, honor and cherish Douglas Ray Isaacson. After a whirlwind of a day, we were off to beautiful Hood River to spend a week of intimacy, joy and laughter in this quaint Oregon town. Our plans were simple. Spend the week at a Bed and Breakfast, play tennis, hike and just enjoy one another.

We did stay at a B&B, we did play tennis and we did hike. But, let me tell you, it wasn't full of romantic feelings. There was tension as we tried to figure one another out. There was anger at un-met expectations and there was fatigue from being forced to be up and dressed for breakfast by 9:00am every morning. I'm not opposed to getting up, but when you just want to sleep in and take your time, being told missing this free meal wasn't an option, makes for a grumpy new bride.

We fought about so many stupid things, but here's one that is quite comical now. Doug and I had gone up to Lost Lake on Hood River. On the way, I dozed and enjoyed some quiet time. Doug found a fruit stand on the side of the road and decided to buy some freshly picked black cherries. I hate cherries. Okay, I'll take a chocolate dipped maraschino cherry once in a while, but even then, I have my limits. So, Doug proceeds to eat the entire bag. Needless to say, his digestive system had much to say and he could barely stand himself. I was so irritated. This set the mood.

We get to the lake and decide to rent a canoe for 3 hours and venture out onto the water. Now, anyone knows that to really enjoy a canoe ride you must be on stagnant waters. This was my expectation. Lost Lake on Hood River is anything but still. In fact, I thought for sure we were going to tip. I made it clear (in a rather loud voice) that I did NOT want to get wet and I did NOT want to be in the canoe any longer. Oh, we had to at least get a picture of me with Mt. Hood in the background. I forced a fake smile then returned to speak very harshly to my dearly beloved and ordered him to turn us around immediately and get us out of this stupid contraption.

Poor Doug was probably shocked. What had he gotten himself into? All he could do was mutter out a few nervous giggles (which did not help the situation in the least) and try to get us turned around. Fifteen minutes later, we returned the boat.

As I sat waiting for him to join me for our hike around the lake, I realized how wrong I was and needed to truly ask for his forgiveness. Things were going so well. We had a real heart-to-heart. I apologized for my rotten attitude and disrespect and gently asked him to not laugh at me when I need his assurance of being there for me. It seemed to be a real success. But, then I did it. I kept going on and on and on about his shortcomings and what I needed out of him. Well, the poor man could really take no more. He said a few words, walked away and left me standing there. So, Doug hikes Lost Lake alone and I hike Lost Lake alone.

What a honeymoon. We told each other on the way out of town we were not going to tell anyone about our week.

Now, all these years later, we not only tell it, but tell it with a purpose. God has worked in our lives to show us that He created marriage for His glory and purpose. Marriage is not for our pleasure (though there is much to be enjoyed) but, to show the world a picture of Christ and His bride, the church.

I am more in love with Doug today than I was on the alter. And, I know as long as we are submitted to the changing work of God in our lives, we will live many more years growing in that love for one another.

The real solution to peacemaking is to see what the Prince of Peace did in our lives, then pray for the power to live that out with our relationships. When we see what mercy was bestowed upon us, it helps offer mercy to those around us. I know this is much easier said than done. But, I sit here testifying that nothing is too hard for God and He definitely works all things for our good and His glory.

Losing my mind

It's been said that when you become pregnant, you lose brain cells. I believe this is just an old wives' tale, and yet during pregnancy I find myself absent-minded and forgetful. Some would argue this happens outside of pregnancy for me-and I would agree.

Two things come to mind that show my loss in cognitive thinking (I'm surprised I can still recall them) =). The first was an email I sent out to the president of our youth soccer club with a question about scheduling and sent him the girls' DOB's so he would know what club they would be in. He replied back with this: BTW, are the DOBs correct ? 3-30-07 is a 2-year old; and 3-16-05 is a 4-year old. In which I replied: hahahaha...okay, I'm pregnant with our 4th child and I am seriously losing it. I then gave the correct DOB.

The other case, well, I really have no excuse. I'm just a ding dong. I have tried to reference a quote I read from our church bulletin several times now and I have goofed it up twice. And this has been pre and post pregnancy. I can't find the exact quote but the concept is that instead of the church stiff-arming the community, we need to run in, crawl over the rubble and be prepared to get a little dirty. All for the sake of proclaiming the change Christ has made in our lives in hope of growing the church. To those of you who know what quote I'm talking about, realize this is my paraphrase and interpretation.

Okay, well the problem is, the first time I referred to this quote, I was at our ladies Bible study and I said stubble instead of rubble. Funny is an understatement. I'm still chuckling out loud. That was weeks ago. Well, today, a comment made on a previous post pointed out that I wrote rumble instead of rubble. Good grief.

I think I shall move away from that word.

Rules

At the end of the message this past Sunday morning, we heard a very timely reminder that we as parents need to be aware of our children at all times while at church. I sat convicted as I have been too relaxed at times and have allowed my children to run in church. Once, my youngest had made it out the front doors and was brought back into me by another church member.

At lunch, we took the advice of our elder to talk with our children and remind them about the rules we have concerning church behavior. I felt it was profitable.

On the way home I overheard Emily telling Lydia some rules:

Emily to Lydia: "Don't let go. You can't run into someone. And Mommy, there's one more."
Me: "You can't run outside." (I assumed she knew I meant no more running by the front doors).
Emily: "No, Mommy, I'm telling her the rules of flying a kite."

Oy.

Well, not all was lost because the girls told Nana that they aren't allowed to run in church when she asked them what they learned in church.

Huh. Imagine That.

Spills, like, oh I don't know, spaghetti sauce for example, clean up much easier if you clean the mess before it hardens and sticks to your counter.

Can anyone say lazy?

It's clean now but I think it will take some time for my fingers to regain their natural dexterous skills.

My Cup Runneth Over

It is the end of another day. The kids are in bed, the dishes are done (thanks, Nana) and I don't have a pile of laundry on my bed waiting to be shuffled to the couch so I can have a place to sleep. I am so incredibly blessed. As I look back at the last couple of days, I'm reminded anew of how great my God is and how small I am. His loving kindness does not end and as He reveals Himself to me, I am in awe that He would choose to save me and not only redeem me, but continue to work in me with love and patience even when I mess up. There are many vessels and avenues God uses to sanctify me and the one He used today was my dearest friend, my husband.

My dear hubby is married to the worst person I know. I was gone last week from Thursday afternoon to Saturday early evening learning, laughing and crying with the ladies of my church as we retreated in beautiful Lincoln City, OR. This ladies retreat was built on the study of Titus 2. In this familiar passage, we are exhorted as women to love our husbands with a tender, passionate kind of love. A phileo kind of love. This is particularly hard because sometimes I get caught up in serving and miss out on cultivating tender thoughts and cherishing my Sweety.

Today was no exception and I'm not ashamed to show my sinful side because grace abounded more and the longer you know me, you'll see the sinful side yourself as I am still being molded and shaped to come into the presence of my great God and King.

Okay, so here's how it went. While I was away at the retreat, Doug decided to surprise me by adding some much needed cabinets in our utility room for added storage. We are simplifying our home and this storage is needed for the large supply of paper towel and toilet paper rolls we get from Costco-among other things. It will get things off the floor and behind clean, white doors. So, Doug installed the cabinets, cleaned the floor and waited with eagerness to show off his hard work.

His hard work was greatly appreciated when I came home from a sleep-deprived weekend. It looked so neat and clean and I was very impressed at his efforts. That was Saturday. Sunday came and went with godly conversations and heart-to-heart talks on what I learned at the retreat and how excited I was to put some things into action and even this morning we had a wonderful time of prayer together before going about our busy Monday. Then, I heard the bomb. Doug informs me that in his installing/cleaning frenzy, he failed to bring in several items from the utility room back indoors...out of the rain...Great, now my schedule is all janked up because of him.

Grrr! All the loving, warm thoughts I had for my husband were gone. The closeness I felt from prayer-vanished. I was livid. I'm out in the cold pulling in cleaning supplies, a pack-in-play, goodwill items that were in a bag, a silver-plated cake stand, shelves, and a bag of keepsakes that were baby cards and drawings from the girls. This is what put me over the edge. I didn't hesitate to tell Doug that his efforts were careless and reckless. I pulled them in, and sharply told my mom that they needed to dry out as she asked what she could do to help.

I remember specifically saying out loud, I do not want to forgive him. The Lord then asked, "What would you do if I said that to you?" But Lord you did forgive me. "So then, you must forgive Doug." I can't! Please help me, I say. Just then my friend Jennifer calls and I lament to her at how angry I am and yet how I desire to do what's right. It's hard I tell her. I know I need to forgive the way Christ forgave me but that's not some magic formula that works instantly. She was very wise to advice me to let it cool and pointed out that sometimes in these situations she has found that she has been at fault once she gave time to think about it. I quickly concluded that it wasn't my fault. I was out of town.

Now, you may wonder what the big deal is. So he forgot to bring in a few things. They dry, right? And so what if you lose out on a few keepsakes? There will be more. Well, I'd say to you that you have a lot more self-control than I do but that's slowly changing. You see, as I went to the table to see what damage was done I noticed that a.) the papers were bone dry and b.) this is the part where God really does a work in my heart...it wasn't my bag of keepsakes. It was garbage!! Yep. I lost it over trash. There were drawings in there but not ones worth keeping. I'm up to my eyeballs in precious scribblings from my children. What I must have seen was the colorful bag the cards used to be kept in and the decorative Build-A-Bear birth certificates that made me think it was a bag of treasure.

Oh, the shame of it all. Thankfully (and I don't use that word lightly here) I have a gracious husband who allowed me to sincerely apologize without making me feel worse than I did and two that I have a loving, forgiving, heavenly Father. He keeps His promises when I pray for Him to work in my life so that I become the wife he wants me to be.

How I love to end a day without shame. Without guilt. Confession is good for the soul.

Laziness

Okay, it's one thing for your laziness to affect yourself, but when that laziness affects those you love, well...it makes you feel terrible.

Such a feeling came over me this week. I took Emily, my five-year-old, to the dentist. This was her second time going in and they did x-rays this time around and found decay. I was bummed because I am the one who brushes her teeth. But we don't floss. So, sure enough she had a cavity at the back molar between the teeth. Had I flossed her teeth regularly, I'm sure she wouldn't have a cavity. She hasn't complained about pain and the hygienist said it's a very small amount of decay. I hate that word-decay. So, we headed off to Target and bought some ACT mouthwash and these great little flossers for kids. They're neon colored and are very easy to use. Mind you this will increase our bedtime routine by several minutes. But, I'm convinced the oral health of my children is more important than my time.

Here is a video of my little Micah Man(17mos) getting his teeth brushed:

Remember, floss 'em or soak 'em. Courtesy Chris Merkel. :o)