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Change, stinking change.

...Closing on our new house on Tuesday at 1pm.

...I am packing.

...Our hot water heater went out.

...I won't call the landlord because our house is literally that bad.

...I took a cold shower this morning and it took my breath away.

...I am now at work.

...Freezing.

...Today it is raining. Hard.

...I have lots of pictures of this crazy move.

...But my computer at home is packed.

...So no pictures.

...I have two animals sick and on medication.

...I am not in a good mood.

...

Think fast!

In my office, just above my computer, but below my monitor, I have a small dog, an elephant, and a cross.

See?

They are just little things, but I have collected them in one fashion or another and each of them mean something to me.

A co-worker came in my office to discuss something of fake importance and while leaning over to look at my monitor, picked on me about leaving my childhood behind and certainly out of my office.

Hmpf!

Without skipping a beat I pointed to the dog.

“See him? That is my reminder to remain loyal. And the elephant? To never forget who is eternally loyal to me. And my cross? To remind me of His ultimate sacrifice for all of us.”

Ha!

I suppose now it means that. But also, the dog is just oh so cute. Elephants are my favorite thing ever. And that cross never made it back onto another chain after that other one busted.
But, sure. I’m always thoughtful, super thoughtful.

Or…just quick on my feet.

Not me Monday!

The idea for Not Me Mondays came from MckMamma’s blog carnival. You can check out more about her blog here.

As for me, I most certainly did not wake up in the middle of the night to a soggy puppy that urinated all over his kennel. If I did find a pee covered pup, I would certainly never blot his feet with a paper towel and deem him clean. Wiping with a paper towel is not sanitary and I would never believe it to be so.

I did not get unnecessarily irritated at my husband who was mowing because he did not hear me calling for him. Surely since he was mowing, I would never expect him to hear me yelling or see me flailing my arms at him to alert him. And since I was not even irritated, I most definitely did not get red faced when the said mowing man turned a corner causing loads of grass to fly in my direction. Being covered in grass clippings from the thighs down would be hilarious if I were to find myself in that situation. That would never upset me.

I also would never shave my cat bald. If I were to shave him, I would never shave only the parts of the cat that had matted. I would shave him all over so that he does not look ridiculous. Since I always brush my cats daily, I would never end up with a matted then shaved, then patch worked cat.

Who does such crazy things to their animals and their husband?

Not me!

And as for this picture:

That is most definitley, most assuredly, NOT ME!

It was also not me choosing the longest line in the grocery store so that I could read the magazines for free. I have such a busy and fun filled life, that I simply do not have time to read about Jon and Kate plus 8 while running my errands. Certainly I do not do such crazy things as peruse these gossip magazines in place of getting home quicker. I would never do such a thing.

And finally, since I always throw my produce into the compost as soon as it starts to go bad, my husband certainly did NOT contemplate what I was doing in the kitchen with the grapes. Since I wouldn’t have been in this position in the first place, I would have never heard him ask me, “Baby, do you think if you leave grapes on the counter long enough that they will turn into raisins?”



Nope, I did NOT hear him say that to me!

I want to be…but I am not.

I want to be a doctor. So that I can help people and make the mega money. (Yes, in that order.) But I don’t want to sit through school, nor work those hours.

So I am not.

I want to be a sinner at times. I am human and am tempted by many sins and some of them are quite enticing. But I don’t want to lose sight of my God.

So I am not. (or try not.)

I want to be “Super-wife” to my husband. So that dinner would always be fresh, homemade, and warm right at 6:00pm. But I have too much feminism in me to be a true Martha Stewart.

So I am not.

I want to be an activist for rape victims. So that women’s lives are enriched and healed. But I always seem to fill my days with other doings.

So I am not.

I want to be a runner. So I can feel the pavement pounding underneath my feet and I constantly move forward closer to my fitness goals. But I walk the dogs instead.

So I am not.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you are seeing some of these during your weekend:

To be pregnant or not to be…

What is it about getting married that gives everyone around you, even those you do not know, the green light to ask about children? Seriously!

I have only been married just shy of two months and I am already getting irritated! People, puh-lease! I have been asked by co-workers, people who have assisted me in changing my name at the social security office, in elevators, on the phone, over e-mail, and more. It never irritates me when it’s a family member, but the social security lady??? C’mon!

What if I had just lost a pregnancy? What if I did not want to have children? What if I was pregnant, but was waiting to tell? What if we want to adopt? What if we are trying? What if we have yet to make our minds up about our family plan? What if we decide to wait for several years? What if God has a different plan for us? What if Scott and I are unable to have children?
Whatever our what ifs may be, they are ours. It pains me to think how many women must go through this all the time. If we do wait for several years, I can only imagine the flow of questions.

So far I have come up with the following come backs:

“Actually, we are trying tonight!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint, but my husband is a registered sex offender. It’s in a child’s best interest to stay out of our home.”

“E-gads! Children! Please do not curse in my presence!”

“Oh! Is that the next step we should be taking now? Thank you for letting me know!”

Of course I will never use one of those. But it is fun to think about.

For now I will continue to smile and say,

“I guess we will see what the future holds when the future arrives.”

The parable of the pencil

Pencil Parable

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish. Perhaps it will enable you to be thoughtful each time you use a pen or a pencil and to feel encouraged by your thoughts.Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Enjoy!

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

I'm lovin' it.

Did the McDonald's song just play in your head? That's exactly what my title to this post did to me. Sigh. Yay commercials.

Have you hiked Humpback rocks? Humpback rocks, is, well, it rocks!

Located in the Blue Ridge parkway at mile marker 5.8 it’s one mile up to the top. One very steep mile. There are a lot of benches along the way to greet weary hikers.

And when you get to the top. Oh! You literally see nothing man made. How often is that true in today’s world?

Look!

Also, near the trail is Humpback Mountain Farms.

This is a recreated farm from the 1900s .

The farm is open year round but in the summers, the buildings are open and staffed. The staff is costumed in period specific clothing and they demonstrate farming skills from back in the day.

This whole experience is so much fun. And the cost…nada, zilch, zippo!

You get what you pay for

In an effort to save money to purchase our home, we cut everything we could possibly cut.

Literally.

We turned off our cable, our internet (gasp!), we ate every dinner at home and brown bagged every lunch. The phrase, “I need…” was scrutinized for truth. Every. Single. Day.

In one month we saved more money than I would have ever thought we would have been able to. It was freeing, enlightening, and fun somehow. I am very proud of our accomplishments and hope to keep a piece of our new found SUPER frugality with us.

But I never cut back on the pet food that I buy. Yes, I buy the “expensive” food. No, I would not be got dead with Ol’Roy® in my pets bellies. Ever.

And I do not believe that buying cheaper food saves you money.

Why?

Cheap food will more than likely lead you to an expensive vet bill. The ways that this can happen is another blog entirely.

But let’s break this down:

For example’s sake let’s pretend that Fido’s food is made of three ingredients – chicken, corn meal, and beef. No matter which dog food you buy, these three items are the key ingredients.

So why go with the expensive brands?

The cheaper brands may use these three ingredients on a consistent basis, but the price for these ingredients fluctuates with changes in the market.

One week corn meal may be sold at a killer price. Cheap brands stock up and put more corn meal in their food. The next week chicken goes on sale and the recipe shifts. Yes, this means pet food producers are able to keep their prices down, but the quality of the food is constantly shifting. The only guarantee you have is a full dog belly. You may purchase the same brand steadily, but the nutritional building blocks of the dog food are not uniform from bag to bag.

Now let’s say that the expensive food’s recipe is 30% chicken, 30% cornmeal, 40% beef. No matter what the markets yield, this food will be made the same way each week. The ingredient amounts are driven by the nutritional need for your pet and not the financial need of your wallet. Of course there are a million pieces to it, but the biggest selling factor for me is uniform recipes, no matter what.

Ahh, sweet consistency.

There’s an airplane in my living room!

While watching the movie Miami Vice, Scott pauses the movie and points to the screen,

“Elizabeth! See that antennae on the plane above Jamie Foxx’s head? That’s part #??????. Each part costs $1500!”

Then he presses play.

Okay Scott. I love you.

Stop and listen to the roses!

Stop and listen to the roses. Yes, I said listen...not smell.


Last week I woke up without my voice. If I truly tried, I could utter sounds, but the searing pain in my infected throat was enough to deter me. I slept in, drank lots of tea with honey and waited to feel better. I waited and I listened.


When someone speaks to me, of course I always listen. The natural flow of conversation always depends on both parties listening to be able to form a response. It’s natural, it’s normal even to listen. But what about true listening?


Listening. Not forming a response in your head, just listening to the words and meanings being spoken to you. Not shouting a greeting to a neighbor while walking in the neighborhood, but listening to her hum while gardening and simply waving a hello. Not talking on my cell phone while driving, but listening to the cars pass and watching the road intently.


Listening forced me to slow down. I relished every word Scott said about his day and I listened. I appreciated the rain falling on my roof as I listened to it beat at my windows. When the sun came back out, I ventured onto the porch and I listened to the world come back alive with the coming of the sunshine.


I think God is most present in my life in my quiet moments. Being forced into silence gave me time to think on my quiet times. How fleeting and rare they seem to be. Why do I not stop to listen more often? Are we not called to do so?


The bible commands us to, Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:1. This is our cue. To stop. To listen. To feel His presence, His appeal.


I remain humbled by my sick day. I cherish the lesson that presented itself. But reflecting later, I realized that the lessons are always going to be there; set in my life for me to stumble upon. But if I am not listening to my God, then I will not “hear” the lesson itself.


So slow down my friends and listen to your roses.