Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Project Update

The boys room is nearly complete.  A few shelves to put up which will then provide a place for the remaining detritus littering the old bedroom.

My dining room hutch is painted and awaits a coat of wax.  I should be able to get to that today.

Shelves in the garage are complete and look great!

Once the boys' old room is empty, it will need a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.  Ideally we would like to paint it the color Abby chooses before we move in her bed and dresser.  It sounds reasonable, don't know if it is doable.

Once Abby's room is complete and she's moved in, Ellie's room will need a makeover - clean, paint, organize.

I'm still hoping this can all get done before classes begin at the end of August for Hannah and Ellie.  I'm looking forward to having time once again for reading.  At the moment, I currently have no brain power to follow a story.  I simply allow my brain to petrify as I check Face Book, emails, blogs, and play Solitaire.

Eyes to See

On Sunday, the Gospel reading (Luke 11:1-13) was Jesus teaching the disciples to pray.  He gave them the words of the Lord's Prayer, then told them a parable, then a promise, then compared evil earthly Fathers who can give good gifts to Our Heavenly Father who will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.

It is the promise that my eyes were opened a bit more this time.  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." This comes in teaching the disciples to pray.  After Jesus has given the words to pray, and telling a parable about persistence, then this promise, followed by how evil fathers even give good gifts to their children.  This promise of asking and seeking and knocking isn't about my own individual worded prayers, but about the Lord's Prayer.

I should be that impudent neighbor asking, seeking, and knocking.  The Lord's Prayer isn't to be prayed once and check it off the list, but to be prayed constantly.  Morning, Noon, and Night, and even in between.  In it Jesus teaches us to pray for what is needed most, and "how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

How simple it all seems when God opens our eyes to see. What should I pray? The Lord's Prayer.  How often:  Without ceasing.  But won't that tire and bother God the Father?  No!

Friday, July 26, 2013

A Picnic in the Rain

The Plan for Thursday, July 25th:

Leave our home at 1pm to drive to Spring Green, WI in order to attend the 7:30pm viewing of Hamlet. Hannah, Ellie, our friends Andrew and Mindy, David, and I also packed a picnic supper to eat in the scenic area surrounding the outdoor theater.  After the three and a half hour performance we were going to drive all the way back home, arriving approximately 4 or 5 in the morning.

The Reality:

We left on time, had a nice drive visiting with our friends.  It rained the whole way, but I told them I had checked the weather and it said rain for WI wasn't to start till Friday.  We arrived at APT and it wasn't raining then, so we took our picnic lunch and sat at a picnic table under one of the trees, spread out our supper, and began swiping at mosquitoes while trying to eat. Then the rain started, so we ate while holding umbrellas.

But there was still a good hour and a half before the play was to begin, the rain should slow down, or at least be light enough that the show would go on.

Nope.  It continued to rain, getting harder at times, slacking off at others.  We ventured on up the hill, waiting under the porch like-structure of the gift shop, concession stand are along with all the other attendees to see if they would start on time or wait to see if the rain would pass.  Then, the speaker crackled and the announcers voice said they would hold the start as their meteorologist said the radar looked as though the rain should move along and the play could go on.

A second announcement some time later gave the disheartening news, "The show will be cancelled as the optimistic outlook has changed."

Big sigh.

Along with everyone else, we walk back down the hill, not discussing the lovely performance of Hamlet, but instead how disappointed we were about not getting to see the play.  We began our drive back home after 8pm and therefore arrived home four hours earlier than our original plan.

The tragedy?  Andrew's favorite Shakespeare play is Hamlet.  We had told him and his wife how wonderful this theater is and they were so excited to come with us to see.  But, due to the rain, he won't get too.  The remaining performances of the season do not work with his schedule.  And, frankly, I'm not sure it will for ours either.

Big sigh.

Well, we at least had an enjoyable visit with our friends who didn't mind us taking them four hours away for a picnic in the rain.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Are You Starving?

On Sunday, July 7th, I was fed.
On Tuesday, July 9th, I was fed.
On Friday, July 12th, I was fed.
On Sunday, July 14th, I was fed.
On Wednesday, July 17th, I was fed.
On Sunday, July 21st, I will be fed once again.

6 times in two weeks the Lord's Body and Blood was placed into my mouth for me to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of my sins.

Also in those same last two weeks I have been blessed to be immersed in God's Word.  From July 9th through the 12th, I attended multiple services each day with approximately 1400 others at the Higher Things From Above conference held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.  From July 15th through July 18th with about 100 other attendees of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN.

I did not realize how much I was starving until I was fed so abundantly.

I'm always telling my kids to drink more water even when they are not thirsty.  By doing so, their bodies will be craving more water, which is good and healthy for them. These two weeks has shown me that being adequately hydrated in God's Word and with His Body and Blood is very similar.  By being fed, I want more.  I crave the spiritual food that will make me strong unto salvation. May God, my gracious heavenly Father, continue to do this good work in me and sustain me through the times of fasting, and bring me and all believers into everlasting life.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Summer - Watch Out For Dominoes

Last summer was great.  It was hot, and practically every day I took the kids to the pool.  They swam, I read.

This summer is quite different.  It hasn't been nearly as hot, I've yet to go to the pool with the kids (they are quite thankful their Aunt and cousins take them), and last week was the first time I picked up a book to read.

Why the big change?  Because this is the "Summer of Getting Things Done."  All those projects that have piled up are being tackled.  And like dominoes, lead to another falling onto the list.

David is busily building shelves for our garage.  Over halfway done, we have found plenty to fill what is already built, and more that needs to go on the new ones which hopefully will be completed tomorrow.

You might wonder where all these things were before the garage shelves were built? Some on the floor of the garage of course, but some in the storage room of our basement.  That room was the first to fall of our domino-line of projects.  David needed more room for brewing supplies, and the storage room was the perfect place.  I'm completely happy to encourage this tasty hobby, so make room we did.

The things to fill the new shelves are coming from the "toy room."  They are the toys the kids no longer play with, but can't bear to sell or give away.  They are content to store them in the garage, just in case the Duplo Legos or Lincoln Logs or Thomas the Tank Engine call their names.

The toy room will be converted to the new bedroom for the boys.  The boys' current room will be given a fresh look as Abby's room, and Ellie will finally have her own room which she has dreamed about ever since Hannah got hers.

Not only do we need to move some of their old toys to the garage we needed to come up with places for the toys they still play with - all the games, all the PlayMobil.  We looked around and came up with a plan that involved new Ikea bookshelves for the school room, reusing the old school room shelf as a game shelf, and a new Ikea cabinet for PlayMobil.

See how the dominoes fall?

I also wanted to paint the porch and my china hutch this summer.  But amidst all the dominoes, David and I left for a few days in June to attend the CCA Symposia.  We missed the last two conferences and this year chose to not bring the kids.  It was wonderful to go back, listen to good theology, attend two beautiful Divine Services which fed us with Christ's Word, body, and blood, and to eat at the best custard shop anywhere - Kopp's.  After getting home from Wisconsin, I did go buy the paint and was able to paint the porch.  The china hutch is still waiting its turn.

This week started with Strawberry Day and our friends arriving in the evening.  They will leave Friday morning to continue their vacation.  Next week is Higher Things - Hannah, Ellie, and I get to go.  The week after that is the CCLE conference which I attend by myself.  While I'm off attending conferences, David and the kids will be keeping my mom company.

After all that, we will still have plenty of projects to finish and hopefully not too many more dominoes will fall onto the list.  Because if they do, this will go from the "Summer of Getting Things Done" to the "Fall of Getting Things Done."  Although that has a better ring to it if I'm referencing dominoes.