Why am I doing this?

Yesterday we began the work of painting Caleb's room. It was what we decided to do to celebrate the end of first grade (in May) and are just getting to now.

After the first coat of paint was put on the walls yesterday, I was helping Caleb sort through his 'stuff' - now piled in the hallway. (He had wisely observed that he had too much stuff - especially when it came time to put stuff away to be moved out into the hallway.)

Anna came up to me in the hallway and asked if she could help.

"Sure, Anna. How about you collect all the tinker toys and put them
in this?"
"Okay!" happy Anna who loves sorting heads off on the tinker toy hunt.
"Mommy, I'm done."
"Okay, Anna, do you want to help some more?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, would you please go through this pile of papers, and
anything that has anything to do with legos put in this pile?"
"Sure."
Contented Anna sorts papers.
Anna looks up.
"Mommy, why am I doing this?"
"Why are you doing what?"
"Why am I helping Caleb? He is never nice to me and I am being nice to him."
"Well, Anna. That's how Jesus tells us to do it. If someone is mean, we are supposed to be nice in return."
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Anna."
"That's wrong."

Can God heal a hard drive?

So, before we went away on vacation, my computer was really blitzing out. I am pretty sure that it was a hard drive issue, as were some local computer guys that I talked to. So the tower has been sitting on the kitchen counter for two weeks, waiting to be taken to the computer doctor (after a VERY unsuccessful and unhelpful three hours with Dell on the phone).

But then I remembered that I wanted to get all my addresses and favorites from this computer, so I plugged in in today to see if it would behave long enough for me to get my information. And as I began to work, I wondered if maybe God would heal my hard-drive.

Is this a heresy? Or is it just plain pathetic?

And why is it so incredibly debilitating to my personality to be without my computer? Maybe I need to get a dog?

Will keep you posted...

Google QOTD

"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better."
Andre Gide

good food to chew on... in between my Lime Tostitos.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

We recently had "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers" by Amy Hollingsworth recommended to us. I picked it up through interlibrary loan and began reading it this morning. I am having a hard time to not just read the whole thing through in one sitting, it is so pleasant. But Mister Rogers never did hurry through things, so I think I'll take my time with this book.

And I strongly recommend it for a good summer read.

Up for Air

The past week has been spent working on the kitchen. There have been moments of great enjoyment, moments of great frustration, and moments of immense impatience. Today all the work came together. The cabinets and the microhood went up on their new wall. All that is left to do is get a light and outlet done the electrician, and some small finish up touches.

The main thing is that we are no longer living out of crates and boxes. The cabinets were hung early enough so that Caleb and I unpacked and put away everything. So I feel like I can just enjoy the rest of the process of finishing up.

Caleb and I even had time to make cookies in our new oven! It's amazing how they cook when the oven works correctly. I had a really hard time believing they were done because the top wasn't almost burnt.

And I made tacos for dinner. Amazing how well meat cooks on a stovetop that cooks correctly. I felt spoiled... and then amazed at what we had actually been living with for the past year and a half. WOW!

The kids have been phenomenal this past week. They have learned a lot by watching me. And they have had a sudden harvest of creatively playing with each other... which I think both the stress and necessity of the past week have given them.

No pics up on the blog about this... I'm going to create a page or journal on our website to show the whole process and will post when it is up.

Overall, I'm very pleased and very proud of myself.

And I'm very excited to be coming back to the land of the living (if that's what you call being online) as the next week starts.

Tomorrow, I expect to indulge in some computer time, and to finish the pajamas I started for Anna and Caleb, pre-kitchen.

Kitchen Renovation

The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 14:1

I read this the other day (on the 14th) the day after I ripped out a bunch of my kitchen.

I wonder how I should take this?

I was cleaning through some files last week and found this cartoon. If my memory serves me, my sister gave it to me before we ever had kids. In light of our past year of dance lessons, I think it's pretty funny.

Ohh Noo Sudokooo

I've been told, I've been warned, I've been encouraged... Emily, you will really enjoy Sudoku puzzles.

I looked through a book of the puzzles at my Mom's house over this past weekend.... hmmm.. that does look kind of fun.

Then as I was 'quickly' picking something up at Wally-World, there was an end-cap display of Sudoku puzzle books for $1.

I tried one this morning. Then two... three... four.

I think I'm hooked. (Of course I'm still in the "very easy" section of the puzzles, too. I'll let you know how I feel when I'm upgraded to "Easy".)

Play-doh where??!

As I was loading my washing machine this morning I hear Caleb's panicked voice coming down the stairs....

"Mom!"
"What, Caleb?"
"I have play-doh stuck up my nose!"
"How did it get there?" as I continue to load the washer and marvel at his flair for drama.
"I don't know..."

So consider this a national security post. There appears to be an attack of play-doh pellets that will lodge themselves into spots where fingers spend any amount of time. You may want to close your windows and doors until this vile attack is announced as under control or over.

I was playing with Adobe Photoshop this afternoon, looking for something creative to do with Anna for thank you cards for her birthday. This is the 'photocopy' filter that you can use.

I'm becoming more and more infatuated with my kids this summer.. they are really so beautiful. How many times have I thought 'if I could draw I would draw that'... even their muscle sculpture fascinates me.

This picture is taken at Shaw's Wharf and Lobster Pound in New Harbor, Maine. We got to eat outside and look out at the Atlantic Ocean and Monhegan Island.