A Gift

I have fallen victim to my own stress. I have spent the past week being self absorbed, worrying over life's problems. I found myself asking "why do things have to be so complicated?" several times this week. Why can't I just get my way. The way I see it, if everything would just bend to my will, life could be so simple. But its just not that way, is it.
It is Sunday. I got up early to pick out the music I would play for church. I usually try to do this towards the middle of the week. Lately though, the beginning, middle and end of the week all run together. So, at 7am I was sitting at my keyboard rubbing the sleep from my eyes, trying to decide what I could play today. I hate it when playing the piano feels like a job.
While I was struggling with my piano music, Rex came dragging in. He had just gotten off a night shift and looked exhausted. We exchanged hellos and went over how both our nights had been. I could hear Kayelynn calling from her bed, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" I sighed. I had hoped she'd sleep longer.
I fed the kids and got Rex off to bed. I got the kids dressed and still had ample time to get myself ready. Trey and Kayelynn sense when I am running ahead of schedule. They take that opportunity to start aggravating each other. Every 5 minutes I broke up a screaming match and reminded them that Daddy was trying to sleep.
After preventing Kayelynn from feeding the turtle a whole bottle of food, getting Trey out (literally "out") of the kitchen cabinet, and then chasing Kayelynn through the house to retrieve a tube of lipstick, I returned to the bathroom to try for the fifteenth time to put my make up on. Kayelynn hung off my leg crying "bips, bips". (This means she wants lipstick on her lips)
I looked at my reflection and sighed. "Sunday....day of rest. That's a joke." I thought. I tried to shrug off my negative attitude.
Several struggles, fights, and hair pullings later, I had all of us in the car ready to head to church. We headed off on our two mile trek to church. I always make it a point to drive the gravel roads to our church. The kids and I both enjoy our leisurely Sunday morning drives.
This morning Trey announces: "It is a beautiful day!" I glanced at him and had to smile at his exuberance. This is the attitude I need, I thought. It is a beautiful day, such a beautiful day its like a gift. I felt my negative attitude start to dissolve. I didn't know that there were more gifts in store for me.
A woman at church had brought with her a box of jewelry. She was offering pieces to all the ladies in the congregation. She explained to me after the service that she had acquired the jewelry at an auction but then hadn't worn it much. I looked at what she offered and felt blessed. I found a gold necklace that caught my eye. The necklace was plain, a gold rope chain. But it something that I needed. Just that morning while getting ready, I had wished for a necklace just like the one I now held in my hand. I looked at the woman and thanked her. She gave me a smile that said "think nothing of it". It was a gift. A gift of kindness that again helped me find happiness in the simple things.
For the rest of the day, my eyes were opened to the simple joys of my life: the sounds of my children playing together while I cleaned out our old farrowing house, an unexpected hug from Trey, Kayelynn holding still long enough for me to braid a flower into her hair, a stolen moment alone with my husband. All are gifts to me.
I am most thankful for the act of kindness from that friend at church. Without that act of kindness, I might have missed all the other gifts waiting on me today. I put that necklace on before I ever left the church. Each time I felt it or saw it around my neck I was reminded of how a simple gift can change a person's whole outlook on life.
~thanks beverly~

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Kitchen Help

I haven't had a post for a loooooong time. But this is part of the reason. Its canning season. Both kids love to help with tomato juice production!

What Trey's saying now (aka Treyisms)

1.  I was thrilled to find a preschool version of the Little House books.  I enjoyed reading Laura Ingalls Wilder as a young girl and have always known that I wanted to share her pioneer world with my own children.  Trey was instantly absorbed in the story as I read to him.  This book we were reading mentioned Pa working hard all summer to gather and chop firewood for winter.  I took a moment to talk with Trey about how important that job was and how time consuming and physically hard it was to do.  Trey processed this and said, " Well, maybe Pa should use a chainsaw like Daddy does."

2.  The sink in our bathroom is taller than most.  I usually lift Trey up to sit on the counter when he brushes his teeth.   One evening he twisted too much trying to reach something and he almost fell off of the counter.  I caught him and lifted him up close too me.  "Mom," he said, touching my face, "you are like a super hero!"

3.  Trey often will ride the four wheeler with me through the pasture.  We check all the cows and look for any new calves that may have been born.  Some of our cows have names. (Bessie, Frosty, Mary Lynn, Custard, Snowball, etc.)   We recently had a pretty little, tan colored calf born that we named Butterscotch.  We make a game out of seeing who can spot which cow first. This particular night, Trey called out excitedly "Mom! Look!  I spy Hopscotch Butter!"

A Confession

Sometimes I go to a baby store for no reason but to touch the tiny clothes.

Bugtime Bonding

     Tonight Trey and I caught lightening bugs.

      I, quite possibly, had more fun than he did.  I have vivid memories of doing this same thing when I was a kid.  I didn't have the fancy bug cage that Trey's bugs have.  My bug container was a glass Miracle Whip jar with holes punched through the metal lid.  My sister, Erica, would have her own jar too.  We'd do our best to fill our jars.  I don't remember this as being a competitive sport.  We were very cooperative with these endeavors and would help each other to make sure we got the most lightening bugs possible. Then we would get to take the bug jars to our room at bedtime and watch the glow as we fell asleep.

     Trey and I had the same mission tonight as my sister and I had 25 years ago.  (small pause, because I feel really old after that last sentence.)  The mission started when I revealed to him my Dollar Store Bug Motel find.  Trey was very excited with his new gift and began searching for lightening bugs at about 5pm.  Finally, around 8, I spotted a lightening bug as I was working in the garden.  Trey ran for his Bug Motel as fast as his little legs would carry him.  The hunt was on!  As Erica and I would do so long ago, Trey and I began to run about the yard barefooted.  I'm not sure why lightening bug hunting became a barefooted past time.  I think it has something to do with how nice the grass feels to your feet in the evenings.  It is soft and cool and just the slightest bit damp.  Evening barefoot walking is like a refresher for your tired feet.  That feeling of the blades of grass between my toes is directly linked to memories of night searches for little glowing bugs.
     Some things about lightening bug hunting were different for Trey than they were for me.  Trey's  bug hunt took place in the daylight.  I remember running and stumbling through the yard as dusky skies turned dark.  The low lighting made the hunt all that more exciting to us kids.  I feel sad that because of the time differences now, Trey won't really experience playing like that in the dark.  Despite the amount of sunlight, Trey and I had a wonderful time running and laughing together, trying to catch lightening bugs as they began to flit around the yard.

     I know the Bug Motel looks empty but we did find about a dozen lightening bugs.  Trey put a leaf in with the bugs (in case they get hungry).  He told them each goodnight with the promise of freedom (to find their families) in the morning.  I positioned the Bug Motel on Trey's bedside table.  I tucked him in and kissed him goodnight.  The best part of the night was seeing Trey roll to his side and stare at the bug container with anticipation lighting up his face.
     This is his first night sleeping with bedside bugs.  If I close my eyes, I can almost see myself as a girl, rolling to my side, after being put to bed, to catch a glimpse of the lightening bugs' glow.

Yard work is rough

K learns about dandelions

10 Gross Things Kayelynn has done in less than 12 hours:

1.  Sat in dog poop.  (only 5 minutes after going outside)
2.  Tried to eat a booger off of Trey's finger.
3.  Stuck her fingers in her own poop.
4.  Picked up a dead bird and pushed it around in her stroller.
5.  Rubbed peanut butter on her face and in her hair.
6.  Let the dogs lick peanut butter from her face and hair.
7.  Let a piece of candy fall out of her mouth into the dirt then picked it up and tried to eat it again.
8.  Tasted a mothball.
9.  Peed in the bathtub.
10.  Drank bath water (after peeing in it).