Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Weekend Hodgepodge

Weekend Report...

Friday, I finally called my phone/DSL provider to complain that the phone service/DSL were fuzzy, crackly and skippy. They said they'd send a technician out to check the problem Saturday afternoon and that someone needed to be there. But Friday afternoon 23 mentions that the repair vehicle was in the driveway and I opened the front door to see the technician clinging to a ladder attached to the side of the house. We chatted. He said that our outside wires were old and easily squirrel compromised and that was probably the problem. That they'd get on it. Great. That freed up Saturday afternoon since Saturday morning was going to be busy. Friday night, after returning home from a Mr. Habitat contest featuring Rob's co-worker, 23 mentions that the internet didn't work. I tried the phone. No signal, no dial tone, no nothing.

Saturday 23 and I helped out at a ladies event where we canned apple pie filling, made caramel apples and apple slaw. And a big mess! (Apple slaw...tasty stuff. Shredded apples and carrots. Then dress with lemon juice, olive oil (almost equal parts but go heavier on lemon juice to cut the overwhelming olive oil taste) salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cumin. Good stuff.

We get home and 23 makes homemade granola. YUM. (recipe to follow sometime) while I retrieve phone voicemail messages from the internal system...the phone system that still doesn't work. There was a message from the phone company telling us that our problem had been successfully handled. Really? So I called and reported all of the above...and finally, it's fixed as of Sunday afternoon.

Then add about seven other things that need to be done and completed before Monday morning begins and I'm behind in doing everything that requires a computer.

And headed for New Mexico soon. So. I'm scheduling a ton of blog posts so I can not even think of computers while I'm gone.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Happy Birthday 24

Happy Birthday, 24.

I have no clue where the days have gone.

Wasn't it just yesterday that I barely saw you as they whisked you away from me to work on you? And the twelve long hours before I could hold you and could finally see your sweet little face up close. How serious you seemed as you looked up at me. I wonder what you were thinking.

I hope you knew, even then, that I love you more than life itself. And that God loves you even more than I do even though that seems like an impossible.

Today, I hope you know how very proud I am. Not just because you are mature and wise. I am proud of you because you will climb rocky hillsides to reach the high road and then you will walk it even when the low road is so much easier to navigate. I'm proud because your friends range from small children to folks who get Social Security checks. I'm proud because you want to see the good in situations and people. I'm proud because your inner beauty is breathtaking and lights up the outer beauty and turns your smile into a megawatt glow that is a lighthouse to people who are currently unable to see or feel the sun's rays. I am proud because you choose to seek God and His wisdom...even when the "wisdom" of the world or your experiences goes against God's wisdom and seems so much easier.

I'm proud of you for being joyful and crazy funny in a world that is often dark and scary and without hope. I'm proud of you for getting kicked by those you love but for loving anyway. I'm proud of you for being willing to offer God all of your hopes, dreams, heart and life. I'm proud of you for being quick to listen, forgive, believe and trust.

You, my beautiful and amazing daughter. bring joy into my life and your friendship blesses me beyond what words can express. I hope that your birthday is a tenth as special as you are because if it is it will be very special indeed.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ 10 Things

...that make me happy. Dedicated to Plinky the website that suggests filler for bloggers with toast for brains.

Ten Things that Make Me Happy.

Not in any specific order, just as they pop into my head.

1. My family. Clearly, they are not so random and would appear in the top two... I love spending time with my family. My kids are amazing. I like them, I love them, they make me laugh and make me proud. My hubby. He's my soulmate. I've loved him in one form or another since I was fourteen.

2. My faith in Jesus. Okay. It doesn't always make me happy. Often it rips and shreds and demands that I behave not as I feel but as I know I should. But in the long run. That does make me happy. I hate having things that I need to take care of, people to apologize to yet again, and knowing that I spent time in the potholes of the low road. And He has given me the road map to avoid those pot holes...

3. My friends. Every one of them adds to my life. From my Mom to my daughters, and my blogging friends to my Sunday hug buddies. People enrich my life.

4. My pets. There is either a spike in blood pressure when they are driving me crazy or a warm body to curl up with when I've had a bad day.

5. My house. It's so not done. And hardly ever something I'd want photographed. But it is ours and it has become a home. Full of warts and creaks and cobwebby crevices.... along the lines of the people who live in it.

6. My location. I've been to the blue ocean white sand beaches, tall, pine-covered mountains, climates that barely change, and cities that don't do a lot of sleeping. I consider Iowa to be home, and absolutely beautiful. There is nothing that beats a bright blue Indian Summer October sky. And if it happens to be an off day in Iowa, change is just around the corner.

7. Beauty makes me happy. Whether a song, a flower, art, words, a person's heart, a hug. They are all beautiful and they fill my soul. Art. Not all, of course, but people using their creativity to try to demonstrate emotion through the beauty of song, pencil, paint or words. Yes.

8. Laughter. And laughing with someone else, being on the same page. Enjoying the ridiculousness of life.

9. Courage. People who stand up and do the right thing, no matter the cost. A happy tinged inspiration.

10. Love. It encompasses and pulls all of these elements into something that can't be defined by words. But it makes the deepest, deepest part of me happy.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Surprised by Worship

Surprised by Worship: Discovering the Presence of God Where You Least Expect It
Travis Cottrell
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (September 28, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310330351


Description

Surprised by Worship is a book for all adults, regardless of age, who suspect they are missing much of the joy of the Christian life, being distracted by the pain, fear, and anxieties of life in the trenches. Building on an amazing introductory chapter written by Beth Moore---a blogger with 41,850 unique monthly visitors, Travis Cottrell explores biblical and modern-day examples of people who are experiencing life's travail, who bring greater meaning to their lives through spontaneous acts of worship. God's goodness is predictable. His mercy is dependable. His ability to work in every moment of our lives, leading us to Him, is unfailing. But often in those moments when we are distracted by great distress, we don't see or acknowledge God's presence and provision. It's at those times that worship can be our greatest resource, bringing us the hope, strength, even deliverance we so desperately need. It may be a startling headline on a web page, an unhappy email from a friend, a near miss on the freeway, or a scary diagnosis from the doctor. In every circumstance, God's voice can be heard, especially in those moments when we never expect it that worship is most meaningful.


My Review:


I wouldn't have picked this book up. It arrived in the mail for review and I hadn't requested it. I wouldn't have requested it. My need-to-read pile of books is huge, and what can you say about worship that we don't already know? And my heart is soft enough. I will raise my hands. And I can't get through Blessed Be Your Name without weeping.

So. This book sat on my table, awaiting a pile to be assigned to. My daughter picked it up, read me a quote and it intrigued me. But then she put it down and moved on. We went to a Beth Moore conference and worshiped with Travis Cottrell. Just a man, good voice, nice worship time, but just a man. I still didn't pick up the book.

Then I tripped up in my walk of faith. And I plunged into regret and conviction. And as I wept through the process of being forgiven and hopefully eviscerating my bitter attitude, I opened the book. And it touched me. And ministered to me. And it surprised me. Less than 200 pages, it speaks to attitudes, it speaks to the heart as it shares stories of a fellow traveler's journey. Will it change your life? Don't know. Are you hurting? Do you have issues with worship? Do you feel dry? Do you want to explore another area of your faith? It could. For me, it was a sweet surprise at a perfect time.

AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Time....Lack....Computer....SLOGGY.

Come back later. Maybe both will have resolved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Must go to work! Must be responsible adult. Must avoid flinging lap top like cheap frisbee.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Man vs Tools.

My creative brother strikes again.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Quirky All the Way Around

I am becoming obsessed with collage photos. I guess it is because I can take in or relive a whole experience in just a few long glances. Does that say something about my attention span? Anyhoo. I made a little photo album for Rob of his Wyoming trip. And then decided to do a collage.

I'm picturing my hallway loaded with 8x10's of where we've been and who we are. Hmmm.