Whoever you are,
there is some younger person
who thinks you are perfect.
There is some work
that will never be done
if you don't do it.
There is someone
who would miss you
if you were gone.
There is a place
that only you can fill.
~Jacob M. Broude~

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Okay, so it's been a few days since I've posted. I think I've been trying to convince myself that posting right now is a waste of time, since there are so many other pressing issues (i.e. packing!). . . but I need to vent a bit, so here it goes . . .

The Good. Yesterday Wayne was informed that he would have to switch over to the afternoon shift for an undetermined amount of time while the company is training a new guy on the day shift. So now he leaves for work at 2:20 p.m. instead of 5:40 a.m. and works until midnight rather than 4:00 p.m. This means that I am able to drive the boys to school in the morning, pick them up at lunch, take them back after lunch, and the only time I have to pick them up "by foot" and struggle to get them home in this bitterly, nasty cold weather, trudging through the snow, is at the end of the school day. We can all handle that. One more good thing about this change in hours is that when the lawyer calls upon us to sign our real estate documents, we'll be able to get to the appointment without Wayne having to take time off from work to do so. We're grateful for that.

Another good thing that happened this week was when God answered a family prayer in a very obvious way. I love it when prayers are answered so obviously, because it's such a great teaching moment for the boys to see God at work in the day-to-day events of our lives. Here's the story. On Tuesday we had a lot of snow here and after work, Wayne got stuck in the parking lot. One of his bosses helped push him out. Prior to this occurring, he called to inform me that he was just about to leave for home (he didn't want me worrying because of how bad the roads were). So, fine. I knew he'd be home shortly and he got home within a reasonable amount of time. When he went to take his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, it was missing. We called the number, hoping it had mysteriously relocated itself somewhere in our house, on our sidewalk, or in our car, but we couldn't hear it ring. Wayne concluded that he must have lost the phone right after he called me, as he was trying to get the car unstuck. Wayne was pretty upset at the thought of his cell phone being buried in the snow, never to be found. Or worse yet, crushed by the snow plow which was just about to start plowing as he left the parking lot. And since we've got a little more than 2 years left on our contract, it meant we'd have to purchase another phone, which we hadn't really budgeted for at the moment.

So, at suppertime after the boys prayed to thank God for the food, I added my own prayer for all to hear, requesting that by some miracle the cell phone would somehow be located. Wayne went to work the next morning and took my cell phone to use in case of an emergency. He called me when he got to work and sadly reported that he couldn't find the phone in the parking lot. I called SaskTel and let them know what happened and they immediately disconnected the service.

When Wayne got home from work, he informed me that the person plowing snow the night before found his phone! And it is still working! We were definitely praising God with that news! It was wonderful for the boys to witness this little miracle. God cares about us so much that He even answers prayers about a cell phone! God is good!

The Bad. Since Wayne now works evenings, I am housebound every night except on weekends. (We only have one operational vehicle at the moment, which Wayne uses to get to work). Not a huge deal, since my boys are usually sleeping by 7:30 p.m. but there are times when I have stuff to do in the evening that doesn't involve the rest of the family (i.e. getting together with my friends for coffee, etc.). And this means that Wayne is pretty much sleeping until noon every day, and then he's only got an hour or so before he has to head off to work again. Not very conducive for packing up his stuff in the garage. But this weekend we'll be working hard at doing some intense packing.

My other bad stuff involves the logistics of moving. This whole move is stressing me out big time! I feel like for the past week I've been on the phone for a large part of the day, every day and arranging for this, arranging for that; getting quotes for services and talking to the lawyer and bank personnel. I'm grateful for e-mail and I use it whenever I can in order to avoid making a phone call when it pertains to some business-related stuff. With e-mail I can just get to the point and wait for a response. I feel like there isn't as much time wasted with the idle chit-chat, umms and ahhs, and "Can I put you on hold?" nonsense.

Now, The Ugly. What is ugly, you ask? Well, that would be my house. There is junk everywhere. Every room has been turned upside down. But despite all that, there isn't as much packed as I had hoped would be packed by this point in time. We get possession of our new place on December 8th . . . we move all our stuff on December 16th . . . the new owner for our current home gets possession on December 20th. So there's not much time left and it seems like time is whizzing by. I don't like that. I wish time would just stay still for a week and then I'd be able to get all this packing done without having to P-A-N-I-C!

What else is ugly? That would be me. Not in the literal sense, as in my appearance . . . what I'm talking about is the inside of me. The person I am these days. I'm feeling very overwhelmed, stressed out and ready to plead insanity at any given moment. Unfortunately, all of this ugliness comes out in ways that I'm not happy about. My poor husband and boys get the brunt of my anxiety, and despite my efforts to stay calm, cool and collected it's not always easy for me. There, I admitted it. I'm struggling to cope with this move and I concede defeat. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm overwhelmed.

In order to better cope with my stress level, I've decided to tackle this packing ordeal in baby steps rather than looking at the big picture. Changing my perspective has helped somewhat. And on Saturday I am treating myself to a massage, which I know is going to help. Just the thought of it is helping.

Did I mention that I have the greatest husband and sons? Yes, I do! Despite all the crap I've been dishing out, they continue to tolerate me. Actually, tolerate isn't the correct word. They continue to love me. They wrap their loving arms around me and let me know it's okay. They're trying to do everything they can to ease my load, even when I don't acknowledge their efforts. They are coping so well with this whole moving process and I should be the one setting an example for them - giving my problems over to God instead of (once again!) trying to get by on my own strength and power. When will I ever learn my lesson!?!?!

Okay, I feel better already. Like I've said before, it's amazing how typing out my thoughts can relieve so much tension. My fingertips must be the focal point of my body's stress release mechanism.

That's it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have only Good to report.

Happy Birthday, Alaska!

6 weeks old

8 weeks old

7 months old

8 months old

Alaska is our puppy, born to my other two dogs, Sasha and Harpo on November 24, 2006. Our "parent" dogs have had 4 litters together in total, and Sasha has given birth to 23 puppies, with only one still birth in all of that! She's an amazing "mommy" dog and since I've been able to average about $325 per puppy, she's brought us a lot of extra income. This income has helped to replace my loss of income as a result of not working outside of the home.

Raising dogs has brought many challenges (by the time the litter is 6 weeks old, I've cleaned up more puppy poop than you can imagine!). And they can be noisy. Each litter has been different in the way that they've behaved. Our first and last litters were the best puppies in that they were the most contented puppies. Our second and third litters were more challenging (Alaska came from the third litter).

The time of year the puppies were born played a big part in how successful we were at trying to sell them. Based on my personal experience, and having had one litter in each of the four seasons, the puppies that were born in summer and needed homes in early September sold the quickest and easiest. The puppies born at the end of November (Alaska's litter), which were ready for sale at the end of January, were the most difficult to sell. I actually ended up giving away two of the puppies from that litter, plus we kept Alaska for ourselves. We were planning to keep a puppy from a litter at some point, and it just made sense to keep one from litter #3, since January is a hard time to try to sell puppies.

It's hard to believe that Alaska is already ONE. She's been a great dog so far, and we love her to pieces! She's got lots of personality and is playful, fun and energetic. And for the most part she is obedient. We're still having chewing issues, but by her next birthday that should be under control. Alaska didn't grow to be as big as her parents, which is what we were hoping for.

My puppy-raising days are over for the moment. But once we settle in at the acreage and my memory starts to fade as to all the work that puppies can be, I might consider raising puppies again. Probably not Bichon Frises, but perhaps something else. Sasha's days of puppy-bearing are over and I don't really intend to breed Alaska, but we'll see what the future holds . . .

I love my dogs!

P.S. We're in negotiation with the current owner of the acreage regarding the dog that resides there now. Her name is Cooter, and she's a beautiful amber-colored Coonhound. When we went to check out the acreage back in September, she followed us all over the yard and I immediately fell in love with her. When the owner asked us if we'd consider keeping her, it was a no-brainer for us! Of course we'll keep her!

Kindergarten

Here's my baby getting ready to head of for his first day of Kindergarten (this was two months ago). Last night I had the privilege of attending a Kindergarten Conference with my son. This is what the teacher in our school does for the first "parent-teacher" interview. It was an interactive time for myself, my son and 3 other kids from his class, plus their parents and the teacher. We went to 5 different "centers" and made observations about our child's learning progress and capabilities. The teacher met with each parent/child group at the different centers to chat with the parents and quiz the child on their knowledge of certain things. The different areas observed were putting together a large puzzle (done together with the 3 other kids); cutting/coloring objects; matching/rhyming pictures and words; math and number skills; letter recognition/printing/"reading". We also got to check out some of the work the kids do in class and observe them in their classroom setting.

Prior to this conference, we had no real concerns about our son. And he did great! But I always find it enjoyable to watch my kids in their educational setting. This is where they are "who they really are" when mommy and daddy aren't around. My son was pretty hyper when we arrived, and was practically bouncing off the walls. The teacher informed me that he's been attentive in class and this "bouncy" boy isn't how he normally is. Thank goodness! I'm glad he was so excited to go to the conference, though. Obviously he's enjoying the school experience (aside from being away from me . . . it took him until the beginning of November to finally get over my leaving when I dropped him off for Kindergarten. There were many, many tears shed by both him and myself - not in his presence (just in the privacy of my own home)).

Hopefully once he starts his new school after Christmas he'll adjust equally as well. He's going from a class of 24 to a class of 9, so that should prove to be interesting. I think the smaller class will be better for him. It won't be as overwhelming to be with 8 new kids as it was to be with 23 new kids when he started out his new year.

Now I must go and keep working diligently on my packing. Yuck! I'm not enjoying this. . .

Mission In Motion

Despite my attempts to start packing during the day yesterday, my efforts were futile. My husband always calls me on his way home from work to let me know "where he's at" and just to check in. Fortunately for me, this is the time of day where he and I can talk without getting much interruption from the boys. We communicate a lot during these "I'm on my way home" phone calls. Yesterday was no exception. I was so down-and-out when he called. And so frustrated. And so disappointed in myself over the fact that I hadn't accomplished much of anything throughout my day. He was very encouraging, though, and helped me feel better about my day and it just felt good to have some adult talk.

After putting the boys to bed (which was another long, frustrating ordeal), I decided to get into motion and start packing a few things. I actually accomplished packing up the entire living room! I was so impressed. Now the room looks stark and bare, but that's what this whole house is going to look like eventually. Obviously I haven't dealt with the furniture yet, but anything that could be packed away from the living room is now packed away. One room down. Only 8 more to go (plus closets).

Today I'm sure I'll be on the phone all morning again, making more appointments and arrangements pertaining to moving. This mission is in motion and it's going to continue that way. I'm going to make it happen!

The Dread, The Avoidance and the Procrastination

Yes, we have sold the house and now really need to get into gear with packing. But alas, not much has happened. Our weekend wasn't overly busy (hmmm. . . what did we do this weekend???) but it seems that nothing got accomplished. (Nothing) aside from the mess that's been created by my boys, who have now gone back to their old ways with the toy scattering, mess-making techniques that I had put to a halt while we were trying to sell the house. I figured, well, they had to be restricted from this mess-making for 3 weeks, why not let them let loose? Wrong idea! Now the place is somewhat of a catastrophe. I go into their bedroom and it's a mess. I go into the living room and it's a mess. I go into the dining room and it's sort of a mess (I clean it up prior to meal time so that I can set the table). I go into the bathroom, where there's an even bigger mess! They decided to be scientists and took red food coloring, Q-tips, hair products and water, mixed up their potion and spread it all over the counter top. I was not a happy mom when I made that discovery! The playroom and office are also a mess. The only room that is neat and tidy right now is the master bedroom, because I just finished dealing with it.

I am feeling rather overwhelmed. I'm still not over my illness . . . I have to rest for at least an hour a day in the afternoon so that I can make it until after suppertime, at which point I'm exhausted all over again and I just want to crawl into bed. But I don't. There's too much to do, and it seems I can accomplish more after the boys are in bed, so then I end up staying up later than I should and the cycle begins again.

I DREAD the packing and moving. I'm looking forward to setting up at the new house. If I could just fast-forward through the packing, the loading, the moving and the unloading, I could live with this quite nicely. I've been AVOIDING the inevitable. This packing must be done. There's no way around it. But a PROCRASTINATION gene has emerged (normally this does not exists - I'm usually a take-action kind of person, but not when it comes to this).

Okay, so enough yakking. I need to get into action. The irony is that in order to start packing, I need to clean and tidy up the house first. I'll feel much better once the house is clean. I also need to take a shower and get myself looking presentable. I find that if I feel better about myself, the whole world is a happier place. Yesterday I spent most of the day on the phone setting up a new mailbox, a new phone number, talking to people at the new school, talking to people at the current school, calling the bus-driver organizer guy . . . too many phone calls! And today will be no different. I've got more calls to make in order to ensure that our move is successful.

The title of my blog is, MISSION: KIM POSSIBLE! So I better go!

SOLD!

Since November 17th was the day for our buyer to have all conditions removed, and with almost absolute certainty that the deal was proceeding successfully, we headed off to Fuddruckers for what we hoped would be a celebration supper. (Fuddruckers is one of our favorite restaurants). As we were waiting in line (a very long line) to order, we received the call from our realtor to make it official. Our house is sold! We were almost jumping for joy right there in the restaurant. Now, I can say it. HALLELUJAH!

We're all letting this soak in. After supper we went to The Home Depot to check into some paint colors for the interior of the house. I love checking this stuff out, but it's actually becoming a bit overwhelming to think of all the choices I have for colors and making sure everything is going to look great once I've finished my painting projects. I'm so excited. Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming.

Tomorrow reality will set in as we start on some heavy-duty packing. I'm not looking forward to it, but it must be done. Possession date for the acreage is TBA, but will likely be around December 8th. Wow! That's soon!

Dove Evolution

I grew up striving to look like the models in magazines. This carried on well into my twenties. I worked through lots of self-esteem issues during my years at Bible School and Business College, and eventually came to terms with who I am and what I look like and finally accepted myself for the way God created me.

When I saw the video clip entitled "Dove Evolution", I was relieved to know that what I had been striving for all those years was unattainable. Click on the link to campaignforrealbeauty.ca to find out what I'm talking about. It's astounding. No wonder there are so many women in this world with a distorted self image. The "people" we see in ads and on covers aren't even real people! They're artwork.

Have a beautiful day, all you beautiful "real" people out there!

HOUSE Fixation

The Cast from House

For once I'm not going to be talking about our house. Not our current house, not our future house. I'm going to write about one of my favorite T.V. shows, House, starring (from left to right in the picture) Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, Hugh Laurie, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer and Lisa Edelstein. Boy, I hope I got that all right. That list was from memory, based on watching the show every week, seeing the names of the actors flash on the screen momentarily. There aren't many shows of which I watch the "intro" to each week. But for some reason, House is one of them. I like the music and the way that the pictures and music flow together. Some shows just have better intros than others.

There is something strangely alluring and intriguing about this show. It's a medical show, where the doctors specialize in diagnosing mystery illnesses. And I really enjoy medical shows. But it is the interpersonal relationships and personalities of the characters that I find most intriguing.

The main character, Dr. Gregory House is a very insensitive, tell-it-like-it is ALL THE TIME, kind of person. As a diagnostic doctor, he's brilliant. But as a person, he sucks. Nobody really likes him, and the one friend he does have (Dr. James Spencer), is constantly challenging him on his relational skills, or lack thereof, as well as his questionable medical decisions and practises, which creates another dynamic I find interesting.

For some people, the reality that someone like Dr. House actually exists is probably hard to stomach. But, unfortunately there are people like him in this world. People who are emotionally stale, their hearts surrounding by such huge walls that you feel like you're never going to break through them. They don't appear to have an empathetic bone in their body. They may be very intellectually sound, but are unable to achieve much relational success. Sadly, people like this do exist. I do know someone with these tendencies. Fortunately for this person they've accepted Christ and so they are not as harsh and hard line as Dr. House, but I have to wonder what their sensitivity level would be like if Christ were not in their lives? I don't think they realize they come across as being insensitive and uncaring. This is just "who they are" and they don't reveal the empathetic and sensitive side of God's nature that some other Christians do.

I know personalities have much to do with how we "come across" in the area of empathy. Some people are just gifted with being more merciful, caring and compassionate than others. I myself did not score high on my spiritual gifts test in the area of Mercy. That means I have to make that much more of an effort to be caring and concerned for those around me who are hurting. Just because I wasn't given this spiritual gift doesn't mean I shouldn't strive towards being a caring person. I want to be a caring person. I want my children and husband to see a caring heart and attitude exemplified in my life.

Having said that, there are times, I must admit, that I wish I could be a little bit like Dr. House, in the sense that he can tell it like it is and get away with it. Sometimes I think I was taught to be too guarded in my opinions, for fear that I will lose a friend, get fired, be unlikeable, not be considered "Christ-like", and the list could go on and on. But there are times that the truth must be spoken, and when done in love it's appropriate. I'm very grateful for a friend with whom I have this kind of "say it like it is" relationship. She's my best friend, and we know that we can say anything without having to be guarded all the time. Yes, the truth hurts. But someone needs to tell us for our own good. I am so grateful I have her in my life.

My tangent will now end. If you haven't seen House, and you like medical drama, check the show out. It airs on Tuesday nights (varying times) on Global. Last night's episode was particularly thought-provoking.

MAXIMUM ANXIETY ALERT

Today was our home inspection on the house we currently live in. I was told by my realtor that it would be best for me to not be around for the inspection. He said many of his clients have "messed up" sales because of the fact that they "volunteer information" to the home inspector which he didn't really need to hear. So, today I had to leave the house for almost 3 hours while this home inspection was taking place.

I was told that the home inspection would run from 10 a.m. - noon. But when I got home at 9:10 a.m. from taking the boys to school, the home inspector was already setting up shop and so I had to dispose of the dogs (temporarily)and I went out for breakfast to a local restaurant. Have you ever eaten alone? It's kind of a weird experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it, actually. It was nice to sit and try to relax and not think about what was going on back at the house. For anyone who's ever had a home inspection done on their home, you may be able to relate. Our house is 28 years old, so of course it has some flaws. And just because someone has shown enough interest in our house to give us an offer doesn't mean they won't change their mind after the home inspection. I've been quite nervous and anxious about everything going on here this morning, and I'm relieved it's all over.

We haven't received confirmation that the home inspection condition has been removed. However, our buyer's real estate agent informed our real estate agent that there are no major concerns and that the deal will be able to go through. I'm not going to say Hallelujah just yet, because nothing is official. And I don't like to get my hopes up until I officially see all signed documents pertaining to legal things, such as the sale of a house.

We've got our interim financing in place, which is a relief. I've always wondered what happens with the whole money thing from the time you take possession of your new home until the buyer pays you for your home. Does this make sense? I couldn't see any logical way around this aside from the fact that our possession date for the acreage would have to be the same as the purchaser's possession date for our current home. What a nightmare that would be, trying to move out and move in all in the same day. No, I don't want to go there. So, anyways, this interim financing is the solution to this "money in limbo" issue. Thank goodness it exists.

This is all becoming more real. Now if only my husband could get the engine in his truck put in so that the truck could actually be driven out of the garage. He needs help with this, but seemingly is having limited success at finding it. Hopefully he meets a new friend soon with a degree in mechanics.

Maybe by tomorrow I can report the good news that our house is officially sold!

We're All Dreaming (and losing sleep because of it!)

This is a picture of the house on the acreage we are "so close" to calling our own. It's hard not to dream and plan about living there. The conditions for the sale of our home are to be removed by Friday. That's only 4 more sleeps! I hope I can make it through the next 4 days. Sleep is something I'm feeling deprived of right now, and part of the reason is because I'm having trouble falling asleep. Instead of drifting off into dreamland like I should be, I'm "planning" in my mind all of the changes I plan to make to the interior of the house on the acreage.

The kitchen cupboards are currently a baby blue with white knobs, etc. Painting the cupboards will be my first project. I like the color blue, just not for my cupboards. What I have planned for a color scheme may sound worse than baby blue to some people, but I'm going to keep my kitchen's color scheme a secret and I'll post "after" pictures of the kitchen once I've completed my painting.

I've been searching for bedding for the new bed that we recently purchased (we don't have it yet . . . we don't get it until we move out to the new place). I've got some specific ideas about how the master bedroom is going to "end up" but it's a bit of a challenge trying to find bedding at a semi-reasonable price to match what's going on in my mind as far as color scheme goes. We've never had really good bedding before. Oh, yes, we've had "bed-in-a-bag" bedding (two different styles since we've been married), but the quality was somewhat to be desired. Now that we're making this big change in location, we thought that the decorating in our bedroom should actually be front-and-centre for once. Therefore, we're buying high-quality bedding and giving lots of consideration to paint colors, etc.

The boys have been dreaming too. . . tonight they were having a hard time falling asleep because all they could do was talk about the acreage, and their plans for their rooms, and everything else that they could think of to avoid falling asleep. Did I mention that it was 11:55 p.m. before they fell asleep last night? Well, it was, and that's because of my insistence upon us all taking a family nap. That will teach me. Thank goodness there was no school today, otherwise I'm not sure how well they would have been functioning in their role as students.

So, off to bed I will now go and hopefully I can fall asleep quickly and easily. I'm supposed to be getting lots of rest right now in order to recuperate from my illness, but I haven't been doing too well in that department. I've got 2 school days this week where everyone is in school (Ty's in Kindergarten, so he doesn't go every day), so I'll be able to catch some naps on those days, I hope.

Good night, sweet dreams!

Family Nap Time

Today is what I would consider to have been a "Family Day". We went to church this morning. Tyrone helped his dad usher, and he even got to wear an "Usher" pin. He helped hand out bulletins, greet people, hand out the Friendship Books and even handed out the offering bags. I was so proud of him. He's struggling with being in Sunday School, so we decided that he could at least be doing ministry instead of just sitting in the chairs on Sunday morning. He's really excited about helping out his dad. So I guess for the rest of November, our church has its youngest usher ever!

After church we enjoyed a very delicious lunch supplied by my friend Bobbi. She heard that I've been sick and so yesterday she brought over some baking and lasagna. It's all been delicious. I was so encouraged by her servant heart.

After lunch it was time for everyone in the family to have a nap. There are times that my boys just don't get enough sleep, and it catches up on them. They become louder, more hyper and more "fighty" than usual. These are sure indicators that they are sleep-deprived. So we all had a sleep and now as I'm typing this, 4 hours after waking up from the nap, the boys are fighting again. I suppose bedtime is now upon us.

After nap time was over, we watched a movie together and then the boys helped me wash up lunch and supper dishes (I washed, they dried) and they've been playing quite nicely since then, up until now. Now the fighting has started and I must sign off so that they can get to bed.

Tomorrow is a day off from school and I'm babysitting for my best friend for a large part of the day, so hopefully everyone can "keep it together" long enough that there are no injuries or mental breakdowns.

Every 1 in 10 is a Winner!

"God guides us, despite our
uncertainties and our vagueness, even
through our failings and mistakes . . . He
leads us step by step, from event to
event. Only afterwards, as we look back
over the way we have come . . . do we
experience the feeling of having been
led without knowing it, the feeling that
God has mysteriously guided us."
Paul Tournier

Today we "conditionally" sold our house!

Late yesterday afternoon our house was viewed by a single guy in his mid-twenties, looking to purchase his first home. He was the 10th person to view our home for potential purchase. Despite my overly powerful feminine bathroom consisting of lots of pink and a lot of "crazy" daisies, he gave us an offer. I'm thinking pink must have some sort of power, since most of my house has an underlying "hint of pink" in almost every room. He's probably already thinking of ways to change all the femininity abounding in this house . . .

Our house went up for sale on October 24th, so that means it was only on the market for 19 days! Not bad for November. Our purchaser's conditions will be removed by November 17th, and then we can finalize our possession date for the acreage. It will likely be on or around December 13th. That means we'll have one week to move our stuff from our current home to the acreage, since the new owner gets possession of our place on December 20th. I can't believe I'm actually writing this. Mine and Wayne's dream is so close we can almost touch it.

Thank you, God, for bringing us this buyer. Thank you, God, for perfect timing. Thank you, God, for the snow you sent this week, which made our back yard look more pretty. Thank you, God, for lessons taught and lessons learned. Thank you, God, that you are all-powerful and in total control of our future. We are so blessed!

HUSBAND plus WIFE (minus CHILDREN FOR THE DAY) equals MUCH-NEEDED DATE!

Last night I took my boys to their grandparents' house for a couple of days. That means my husband and I get one entire day together without the boys around. Oh, the joy, the bliss, the wonder. This rarely happens. Since today is the official "day off" for my husband in lieu of Remembrance Day, he and I are both home at the same time without any kids around! Yippee!

Please don't get me wrong. I love my children. I already miss them like crazy. But I'm sure all of you "married with children" individuals out there can attest to, days like these are a welcomed blessing every once-in-a-while.

Wayne and I both have projects to complete today. Me, thoroughly cleaning the house. Since I've been so sick I haven't really had the motivation or energy to accomplish much aside from making the beds and doing the dishes. Hopefully I don't over-extend myself today. I plan to work in mini-stages and have breaks along the way as I'm cleaning. A realtor is coming through late this afternoon to show the place, so I really want to make a good impression. And Wayne is attempting to reconstruct the engine in his truck so that we'll have a second vehicle again (we've been without one since March of 2005). He also has been "assigned" by moi to shovel out our sloped driveway. This is a bit of a daunting task . . . one that my health wouldn't really allow me to attempt earlier in the week.

We had a HUGE amount of snow 2 days ago, which I was actually hoping and praying for. (Sorry, I know there are those of you out there who absolutely detest this weather, but it was bound to happen sooner or later). I think the snow makes our back yard look more appealing. So hopefully this will make potential buyers like the place better.

So, after our projects are complete, we will be going on a "date". I'm so excited. I'm not sure exactly what we're doing yet, but that will come to us as the day progresses. Right now I don't really care, as long as I can spend time with the love of my life.

Time and Eternity

The present is the point at which
time touches eternity.
C.S. Lewis

I was really encouraged by this quote today. In all reality, my struggles and failures, mistakes and hard lessons are all part of God's bigger plan for me, which is an eternal home in Heaven. We are living in God's eternity already. "Today" is where God's eternity and my reality have met face-to-face. How is what I'm doing "today" going to affect my eternity for "tomorrow"?

I'm going to spend some time reflecting on this today, even though sometimes this concept makes my head spin. We live in a world full of expiry dates, which makes this "eternal" concept difficult to grasp.

The one thing I do know, however, is that God promises this glorious eternity to those who choose His gift of salvation. And that makes me rejoice!

And the Diagnosis Is . . . ?

So, I went to the doctor yesterday to plead my case for some sort of treatment. He listened, and this is what he told me: "I'd be stupid to not take you seriously and withhold treatment from you. It's been 10 days and you're condition is worsening." I was so grateful! That's the good news. I'm on medication to alleviate whatever is causing my illness. And this medication (Azithromycin) must be pretty powerful, because I only take 6 pills in total, starting with 2 last night, and 1 a day for the next 4 days. Then I'm done with meds, as long as I'm feeling better. If I'm not seeing any improvement in my condition by Thursday (tomorrow), I have to go back for more tests. I've already noticed an improvement in how I'm feeling, just by taking those first 2 pills. So hopefully that's a good sign of what's to come.

Now the not-so-good news. Upon examining me and assessing the symptoms, the doctor conlcuded that I either have strep throat or mono. Mono! I just about died when I heard that. I hadn't even considered that as a possibility, but it makes sense. When I was in high school I was get tested for mono every few months. I had chronic tonsilitis, and once my tonsils were taken out at the age of 18, the mono tests ended as well. Go figure. But in light of how I've been feeling in general over the past couple of months, this totally makes sense. Mono can be in your system for quite some time before it's diagnosed, and given what I've researched so far about this disease, I won't be shocked if the test comes back positive. Unfortunately I won't get the results until late today or early tomorrow, and then we'll go from there. I have a friend who was diagnosed with mono last year and she's still not 100% herself. I really hope the test comes back negative, because right now I don't have time to "rest" the majority of my day away.

Unfortunately, the doctor is more convinced of the mono diagnosis than strep. All I can do is pray that whatever the news is, I will follow doctor's orders to overcome the illness.

One of the following bacterias has invaded my body. Which one?
That is TO BE DETERMINED . . .

Mononucleosis BACTERIA:

Infectious mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is a viral infection causing high temperature, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. Infectious mononucleosis can be contagious if the infected person comes in close or intimate contact with another person.

Streptococcus Pyogenes BACTERIA:

Strep throat is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes. (Most sore throats are caused by a virus & are associated with colds & flu.) Common symptoms of strep throat are sudden sore throat, high fever, fatigue, & swollen tonsils/lymph nodes. Symptoms of colds/flu that are usually not present in strep throat are cough & runny nose. Rapid diagnosis is important for 2 reasons -- First, unlike colds/flu, strep throat is readily treatable with antibiotics & second, several serious complications can occur after prolonged, untreated strep infection.

Dang! I Missed a Day of Posting

My plan was to be on top of this blog thing and to post every day. But yesterday my day went by and I didn't manage to get to my post. I've been really ill the last couple of days and sleep and rest has become my priority. Last November I suffered from Microplasmic Pneumonia, which doesn't affect the lungs so much as it does the bloodstream. So I lost 7 lbs. in 5 days, I couldn't eat, and my body ached so much that I could barely move.

A week-and-a-half ago I saw a doctor to have them assess my condition. I had a really sore throat and bad cough and cold. I was told it was just viral and that I should get rest and drink fluids. The doctor did, however, take a throat swab to test for strep, since I had it in the middle of September. She thought the strep may not be completely gone and was flaring up again. But the test came back negative and so I guess she assumes that this is still viral. I haven't been back since.

Although my cough and cold has subsided quite a bit, my sore throat just keeps getting worse. It hurts so bad right now that it's affecting my ability to move my head and neck. I remember feeling this way back in 1995 while I was working as the secretary at Simonhouse Bible Camp in northern Manitoba. I couldn't even move my head off the pillow, I was in so much pain. The director insisted that I see a doctor and my illness turned out to be strep. Within a day of taking antibiotics, I was doing much better. I didn't want to relive that pain over again, but here I am in the thick of it. So now I'm debating what to do. I feel like going back to the doctor and insisting that they take another throat swab as well as do the blood work for Microplasmic Pneumonia. I heard that if you get pneumonia once, you will always be more susceptible to it in the future. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I'm really not feeling like myself and from what I can remember of how I was feeling back in November 2005 I am feeling similar. I don't like to be the person who "runs to the doctor over every little thing", but both strep and pneumonia are nothing to toy around with.

In all of my physical weakness, I think I've finally given our house issue over to God completely. I just realized last night while I was soaking in a nice, hot tub of water, that He's really trying to teach me something and I'm not getting it. Now that my physical strength is gone, I'm at the point of totally surrendering this whole thing over to Him. Hard lesson. But it's the only way. He is in control and not me. There's nothing more I can do that I haven't already done. Thank you, God, for loving me so much, that although our future is unknown to us, you do know and you're already there taking care of everything.

The Return of Pepe LePew

The skunk that originally sprayed our dogs was caught in a skunk trap the following morning after the incident. We were so relieved. We were able to let our dogs roam free again in our back yard without having to "supervise" their every move.

Well, that bliss all came to an end when our neighbor came over after we got home from church to inform us that there is yet another skunk living in her yard somewhere. She's very frustrated by all of this, as are we. The town we live in is doing nothing to help and we're all just getting fed up with having to put our children and pets into potential danger and discomfort because of the town's lack of action. She's already paid for 2 skunks to get trapped and I don't really think it's fair that she should have to pay for yet another. The town gave her their one-and-only skunk trap to use, but all it is is a piece of PVC tubing that is supposed to "lure" the skunk in. As if! For the 2 skunks that have been caught, she hired her own pest control company, but it's getting to be an expensive necessity. She's planning to talk to town officials on Monday and hopefully they'll be able to reimburse her for part of the expense, since their trap has caught nothing.

On a positive note, our house doesn't smell so "skunky" anymore, for which we're glad. We get the occasional whiff, but overall it's much better than it was a few days ago.

I'm Sensing a Theme

The Jordan River

Lately this whole "Trust in God" theme seems to be overtaking my life. This is good. Obviously I'm supposed to be learning something here.

The latest example of God trying to use others or another situation, etc. to remind me to trust in Him, happened last night at my church during storytime at Club J. Club J is a once-a-month club for kids aged 5 - 9 that my church runs. I handle the registration aspect of Club J, and I also lead a group of kids around (K - Gr. 2) to their evening activities, consisting of crafts, games, storytime, Bible memory and snack. Unbeknownst to me, the theme for November was "Trusting God." I didn't know this until story time/memory verse time. The verse was Proverbs 3:5:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

The story was about Naaman, who was told by the prophet Elisha that in order to cure his leprosy he should wash in the Jordan River seven times. Of course, despite Naaman's initial disbelief that this could actually cure him, he obeyed and was healed. He trusted and God's promise was fulfilled.

It's so easy for me to want to "take matters into my own hands" and not trust God for the outcome in any given circumstance. Fortunately, I think with everything that's been "preached" to me this week in subliminal ways, I might be catching on to this whole concept. Our house hasn't sold yet, but I'm sensing a wave of peace taking over me rather than the storm of anxiety that recently has been engulfing my life.

"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:6

Oh, Stink!

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION:
1. Which of the following animals do not belong in a friendly neighborhood in small-town Saskatchewan?
a. Sasha, a beautiful Bichon mommy
b. Alaska, a beautiful Bichon puppy
c. Harpo, a beautiful Bichon daddy
d. Stinky Skuny, a horrible, terrible, awful invader

a) Sasha b) Alaska

c) Harpo

d) Stinky Skunky

___________________________________________________________________

(Answer: d) Stinky Skunky)

Last night before I went to bed, I let my 3 dogs out to the back yard just like I do every night before I go to bed. It was about 11 p.m. when most of the neighborhood is already sleeping. Within 1 minute of putting them out, there was a HUGE commotion at one of our side gates. I called the dogs, but they didn't listen. They were so worked up over whatever it was they had discovered, they were ignoring my desperate pleas for them to come back into the house. At first I thought they were freaking over my neighbor's cat, but it didn't take long to realize what was really going on. The smell. The stench. The horror. They had discovered a skunk and that skunk was not impressed. It sprayed all three of them.

With all the commotion Wayne got out of bed, grabbed his flashlight and headed out the door to corral the dogs in. By this point my puppy Alaska was already at the back door with a pathetic look on her face indicating she was panic-stricken by what was going on. Sasha and Harpo followed close behind, and they too looked unhappy with the outcome of this ordeal.

So, here I was, at 11:10 p.m. searching for anything tomato-based. I conjured up a mixture of tomato soup and tomato sauce and began the process of dealing with the problem. All 3 dogs had their tomato shampoo, followed by 2 more shampoos of the stuff I normally use when I bath them. As you can see by the pictures, my dogs are normally pure white. Well, not after the tomato bath. They all have a sort of orange hue to accentuate their features. Hopefully that will eventually work its way out of their hair. I may have to give them another bath today to try to whiten them up a bit more.

I've always been under the impression that using a tomato-based product on your pet after it's been sprayed by a skunk is the best way to get rid of the odor. Even Zooboomafoo promoted this method in one episode. However, when I was searching for a picture of a skunk to use in this post, I discovered the following article at Wisegeek.com (excerpts only. The original is too long to include):

You have probably heard that the best way to get rid of skunk odor is to wash your dog – or if you’re really unlucky, yourself – with tomato juice. This is an old wives' tale which does not work. The only thing worse than skunk odor on your dog is the combined smell of skunk and tomato juice! Here are some of the best ways to remove skunk odor from your dog.

Immediately wipe off your dog with paper towels to remove fluid that hasn’t soaked in yet.

Two effective products are Earths Balance - Skunk Free and Petastic - Skunk Odor Eliminator. You should consider having these on hand before your dog gets sprayed. Skunks are nocturnal animals, so it is likely that your dog will be sprayed at the most inopportune time, such as a chilly spring evening just as you are about to go to bed. These late night encounters mean that your local pet store which carries these products will probably be closed. If you are planning to use these products, do not use any other methods before or after application because they will interfere with the activity of the enzymes that remove skunk odor, causing them to be ineffective.

You can use Listerine or any other antiseptic mouthwash. Apply the mouth wash to the affected areas, let it soak for a few minutes and rinse. You can repeat this as necessary. Another remedy to make yourself is as follows:

1 quart of hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of dish soap

Combine the ingredients at the time of use. This solution works to remove skunk odor because of a chemical reaction initiated immediately upon combining the ingredients. If it sits for too long, it will become ineffective.

Apply the mixture to the affected areas, let it set for about five minutes and rinse. If you need to repeat the process, you must create a new solution, as the chemical reaction quickly expires. Avoid getting it into your pet’s eyes, nose and mouth.

Dealing with a dog that has been skunked is a miserable experience. No matter how horrible the skunk odor that emanates from your dog, keep in mind that he was only fulfilling an instinctual curiosity. Your dog is probably suffering from this encounter more than you are; being sprayed by a skunk, especially in the eyes, is very painful, not to mention that a dog’s sense of smell is much keener then that of humans.

I'm not sure if I totally agree with this article. I used the tomato product and it seems to have worked. And if it didn't there's nothing I can do about it now, because the article states that If you are planning to use these products, do not use any other methods before or after application because they will interfere with the activity of the enzymes that remove skunk odor, causing them to be ineffective. So I guess we'll all have to just live with my horrible mistake of not using the correct concoction.

What I'm finding to be the worst thing about this now is my paranoia. I don't really want to let my dogs out to the back yard anymore, especially when it's dark. I do not want to re-live this experience over again, and neither do they. But they need to go outside to do their business. I think I'll be going out with them for a while to "supervise" this activity. As much as I dread doing that, I think I dread the skunk spray more.

Our neighbors already have a skunk trap set out. They told us a couple of days ago that they had caught a skunk which was living under their deck. But they didn't tell us there was another one! (I actually don't think anyone knew until the encounter with my dogs). Hopefully "Stinky Skunky" was caught overnight and this nightmare can end.

Our whole house smells like a skunk. I'm hoping this smell will dissipate over time. If anyone has any suggestions about removing the awful smell from the air (and I don't mean using an air freshener - that just "masks" the odor), please let me know.

I thought I was having a bad week already. It just keeps getting worse.

Trust is . . .

Trust is giving up what little I have in strength and power so
I can confidently relax in His power and strength.
Gloria Gaither

So yesterday I was talking about my trust issues regarding the sale of our home. This morning when I went to flip over my little stand-up booklet entitled, "Quiet Getaways - A Daily Journey Toward Peace" the above quote is what was on the November 2nd page. I guess God's trying to tell me something by way of this little stand-up booklet. This isn't the first time that's happened. It seems that whenever something "big" is going on in my life and I'm needing some major feedback from God, He uses this booklet to speak to me. This happens when I read my Bible too, but I'm always amazed and thankful when inspiration, encouragement or affirmation appears in my little booklet. I'm often tempted to peek ahead to the next day's "message" but stop myself from doing that so that I don't ruin "God's message" for me for the next day.

I've got a daily turn-the-page recipe booklet too, but it doesn't inspire me as much as my devotional booklet does. I wish it would, because tonight I am at a loss as to what to make for supper!

For Sale Forever?!

---

Our house has been on the market for 9 days now. We've had 7 showings, plus an Open House which brought in approximately 10 people (4-5 couples). The Open House couples appartently were interested. But 3 days have now gone by and nothing has come of their so-called interest. I personally am getting very tired of having to keep my place in pristine condition, ready to show it at any time. We're not selling our home privately . . . we have a realtor working for us and he's doing a great job. And I do get several hours notice before a showing. But I am just tired. I've been sick for 5 of the 9 days we've had the place on the market, and now my boys are getting sick too. We've got 3 dogs that we take out with us when a realtor brings clients in, which means we either pile into our car (evening showings only because my husband has our car during the day) or go to the park. The park thing worked great last week because it was nice outside. Now it's getting cold and my kids (and dogs) aren't too happy about spending 30 minutes "playing" when it's chilly out.

I know 9 days isn't a long time, but with how "hot" we were told the market is out here, combined with the number of showings we've had, we thought we'd at least have an offer by now. The purchase of our acreage is totally dependant upon us selling our home unconditionally by November 24, 2006! I know that's still 23 days away, but we need to have a firm offer in soon in order for them to remove any conditions they have to make this a done deal by November 24th. This is all very stressful and I just want it to be over and done with.

Of course, this all has to do with trust. I know God is testing me on this. He's promised that he "knows the plans he has for (me), to give (me) a hope and a future . . . " (Jer. 29: 11 etc. very paraphrased). But I'm starting to have a difficult time with this. Our realtor says our asking price is not the problem. The fact that I'm keeping it neat, tidy and clean are a big plus. But there is an "architectural" feature that seems to be holding people back from wanting our home. You see, we have a raised deck in front of our house, not in the back. We did not make it this way. This is how it was when we bought it, and there's nothing we can do about it. If there was some way to change it, we would, if that is truly the reason people are not bringing in offers. It's frustrating. Wayne, my husband, has been very encouraging through this all and keeps telling me that "the right people will come along." I guess he's right. BUT WHEN??!!?? I'm the one who is seemingly most-affected by this. I have to keep the house in order. I have to leave with the kids and the dogs. I'm the one with the trust issue. Ahh, the trust issue. Yes, that's what this all comes down to. I know this in my mind, but I'm struggling to give this over to God. I'm trying. I try so hard, but then negativity sets in and that, together with my cold, sore throat, aching head and body and lack of sleep makes this all to much to bear sometimes.

You know what, though, it felt good to just get that all out and allow frustration to be relieved through my fingertips as I typed. I'm growing in this whole area of trust and God is using this experience to form me into a better person. Patience is a virtue but right now I guess I wouldn't be considered very virtuous. I've got to work on that.