If you give a mama some super glue

If you give a mama some super glue

she will successfully fix a ceramic dish.
 

She will fill so accomplished and the little vial of super liquid in

her hand will make her feel very powerful.
 

She will feel so powerful that she will set out on a mission

to fix other things.
 

On her mission

she will find a broken drawer in her daughters room.
 

She will unload all the clothes and put the drawer on the bed

next to the nightstand with the ipad and a fruit snack wrapper.
 

She will use the fruit snack wrapper as a safe place to lay the potent

vial of glue after she fills the holes in the cheap dresser drawer being

careful to avoid the ipad.
 

She successfully fixes the drawer and once again feels very accomplished.

She puts the lid back on the glue and loads the clothes back in the drawer.

 

 

While she is on the floor loading the clothes into the drawer she will

notice a basket of clothes that need to be put away.

 

 

When she puts the clothes away she thinks that
 she might as well make her daughters bed.

 

 

When she makes the bed she sees the clutter on her desk,
so she straightens her desk and picks up her trash.

 

 

While she's going to put the trash in the can she thinks she

might as well pick up all the trash in the room.

 

She goes to the nightstand and picks up the fruit snack wrapper (a.ka. safe place to lay

the krazy glue stick) and a post it note and scrunches them up in her hand.

 

 

While she has all this trash in her hand she sees the ipad, realizes it needs to be charged

and decides to take it into the office on her way to the garbage can.

 

While going to plug in the ipad she see a sticky splotch on the front of it

to which she instinctively swiped with the loose pinky finger from the hand

holding the garbage.

 

 

The sticky splotch on the ipad case hardens

Her finger goes numb and the post it note sticks to it!!!

 

 

She removes most of the post it note, leaving a chunk behind on her finger

and tries to use hot water to wash off both her finger and the ipad case

 

The hot water made a hardened mess on both finger and case,

 leaving a condescending dot of hot pink post it note stuck fast to her finger

 

Being careful to type without her sticky post it dotted pinky finger,.
She googles how to remove sticky glue -

to which she was advised to use finger nail polish remover

 

 

She uses the nail polish remover and has some success with her finger but not the ipad case,
removing most of the glue but taking away some of the finish on the leather

 

 

 

Scratching her head over what to do next she looks up and sees a picture of her husband,

owner of the ipad, and wonders if he'll be smiling like he is in the picture when he sees the ipad case?

 

In the picture he is standing next to her daughter, seeing her daughter

 she contemplates taking the ipad back to her daughter's room and letting her take the blame.

 

Underneath the picture of husband and daughter is her bible,

Seeing her bible convicts her of her evil (albeit brilliant) plan.

 

 

 

Next to her bible is her laptop with the google search on the screen

Showing a second method - using Vaseline.

 

 

 

She uses the vaseline on both finger and case,

finger is getting better but case is still wet and she's not sure about it

 

 

 

While waiting for the ipad case to dry she thinks about how humorous all this is

and sits down to write this blog.

 

While writing the blog she replies to a text message

and sees there is still Super glue on her finger.

 

Seeing the Super glue on her finger reminds her

that she didn't finish fixing all the things she wanted to fix

 

 

She goes back to the drawer for the Super Glue...and sees the post it note! 

She makes a note that she better pick up some steaks for supper....just in case!!

This is my town -

My kids have reminded me a couple of times this week how great our town is!  All three of them have been on a lot of adventures this summer and have seen lots of towns.  It's good to know they appreciate Our Town. 

 Inspired by their rekindled love of the place we call home...I sat out at dusk tonight to run an errand several miles away.  I grabbed my camera on the way out, rolled down the window on this gorgeous 74 degree day and took some shots along the way!!  (Nobody was injured in the shooting of these pictures ...I promise!) Here's a glimpse of My Town from my car window....(If I could put this to music I'd choose Montgomery Gentry's song My Town - you're welcome to hum along as you take a look!)

 

This is so typical of our area....An Amish buggy followed by a man on an motorized wheelchair and his wife follows on a three wheeled bike. 
 

Flowers planted along the fence line....lots and lots of different flowers - who thinks of this stuff??
 

I've always admired this Amish garden - didn't realize until I downloaded this pic that there are some children playing in the background!!  What a treat!
 

The Cock of the Walk and His Lady!!
 

An Amish Schoolhouse...very quiet on a Saturday!
 

This shot was taken at the family farm - where Joel's brother lives - sheep are just so peaceful!


I think my kiddos are right!  I love this town - especially in the summer!  Home sweet Home!
 

Lessons from the pig pen!

It’s that wonderful time of year again.  Time to start working with the 4-H projects. This year’s Hannah’s going totally solo.  Solo meaning she doesn’t have the expertise of older brothers along the way…just the help of an enthusiastic time deprived dad and a “I’m not really interested but will do this cause you want to” mom.

 

The fun began last night when the first tears of the season were shed in Uncle Jerold’s pig barn.  The pig is cute at this point – still young, little and bright eyed…..and very curious! 

 

Covered in the Stench that only pigs can take the pride in owning, we led said piglet out so Hannah could get better acquainted with him.  Dad had pointed out the pile of manure by the back door where the pens had been scraped and cautioned Hannah not to let piglet in there.

 

It doesn’t take a mental heavyweight to figure out the math on this one.  Frisky Piglet + fresh pile of slick manure = a slice of piggy heaven!  Of course, that was the one spot Piglet wanted to go to and dad kept telling Hannah not to let him go over there, encouraging her to use her guiding pipe to keep him out.  One wrong slip in the slime and you’re surely to get a lame pig and a good portion of baby back ribs!

 

So, on his third trip to the slime and Hannah’s third lame attempt of keeping him out – dad raised his voice!  Now, depending on who you were in the barn at the time, the definition of dad’s raised voice could be interpreted differently.  To Hannah it was out and out YELLING deducing her to tears, and a screaming tantrum about how she doesn’t like being yelled out and how the PIG IS A PIG – What do you expect and so on.   To dad – it was constructive parenting and measures used to save the pigs life.  To Uncle Jerold it was the sweet reminiscent sounds of days gone by when he used to compete on the same battleground with his daughters.  To me it was the all too familiar sounds of the beginning of 4H season.  And to the pig….well….it was just the sound of escape while he meandered around the feet of a crying girl, a consoling dad, an encouraging uncle and an eye rolling mama. 

 

The ride home in the truck was equally as fun as dad explained in great detail the fine art of being “coachable” and learning to take a raised voice now and then and how his yelling was out of concern for the pig not because he doesn’t love her or is mad at her and how in life there will be times that people will try to correct the things you do and they may raise their voice and blah, blah, blah, blah,….Hannah was sobbing uncontrollably by this time, still clinging to the fact (in her mind) that dad had yelled at her, not really hearing any of the value of what he was saying and then bursting into a  tearful rendition of “I MISSS NIC”!  At this point I was thinking….Wow – grilled cheese sounds good for dinner!

 

We all showered and gave kisses and I love yous before bed time and once again – all is right in the land of dysfunction.

 

Of course,  I am of the firm belief that in all situations there is a lesson to be learned and this time was no different.

 

Besides the obvious of don’t let the pig go in the poop lest he gets hurt….there are lessons to be learned from our “stinky” yet short time in the pig pen.

 

Lesson one – If you’re tempted to go play in the poo (do something you shouldn’t) don’t ignore the gentle tap on your snout trying to steer you away.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says:  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 

Hannah was trying, although feebly, to steer piggie away from the “sin” a.k.a.poo.  God’s touch, I know, isn’t as feeble as Hannah’s was – but sometimes when tempted – it feels feeble. We might know it’s there – but the temptation is great and we don’t obey and keep on walking.  God provides a way out!!  Awesome!  Just as Joel came and showed Hannah how to really keep the pig from going in the poo; God also gets provides a way with us.  We and the pig – need to listen and heed the push!

 

Lesson two – Correction should humble us not hurt us.  If Hannah could only have seen dad’s correction as a life saving tactic for the pig at the time she wouldn’t have had her feelings hurt.  Sometimes we get corrected harshly and it bites a little – but we have to learn to be humbled by it – admit our mistakes, work at correcting them and not be bitter toward the one who corrected us.

 

Lesson Three – great things rise up out of the poo!  Eventually, piglet will become a big strong pig who knows Hannah and her touch and will be familiar with her guidance. Win or lose on his county fair run – he will show Miss Hannah much about hard work, discipline, responsibility and well, how to take a little constructive criticism in life!  All those tough things we’ve been through in life do the same. Like this quote I found today says: 

 

Great moments are challenged by adversity, that builds character & forms a respect to the true value of life.

Unknown quotes

 

Who knew you could get so much from an evening in the pig pen!   Now go have yourself a grilled cheese!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Happy Place!

Someone recently posted this pic on Facebook.

The second I looked at it I was instantly transported to my Happy Place! I took in a deep breath because I was sure I could even smell the little guys in the picture.  A mixture of leather, sweat and fresh air; there’s no other smell like it.   I should know - I’ve smelled it many times over the last twenty three years.  I smell it when I linger in my man’s embrace after he has spent time with his third love – coaching a baseball game (Jesus and me are first and second loves, ya know), and especially on the two little boys in my past who the boys in the picture remind me so much of. 

 

My happy place is our first home up on the hill with my two little guys playing a two man baseball game out in the back yard.  Dressed out like these two, with full gear, and a freshly raked “mini diamond” they created out by the barn those two little guys could play all day long!  When one wasn’t there the other played by himself – throwing the ball up – whacking it hard and running the bases – being sure to slide into home!  Ah memories!!! 

 

As the snow piles up today I find myself visiting my happy place a lot!  Wishing for spring…baseball…seeing my boys…and the hope of summer on the horizon! 

 

Where is your happy place?  Claim it and go visit it often!