Bringing Good Home

Earlier this evening, when logging into my Imperishable Beauty site to write a post about Murphy’s Law, I noticed there was a new version of WordPress out. Having a fresh backup and not thinking anything of it, I updated before typing my blog post.

I typed and typed and tweaked and tweaked. Then I went to view my post and see it in all it’s sparkling new post newness.

But there was nothing there.

Oh, there was title. But there was nothing IN the post. In fact, there was nothing in ANY of my posts. Or on any of my other pages. Just lots of titles and a sidebar.

Every. single. lick. of. my. content. was. gone.

As I mentioned, I have a backup, so I wasn’t all THAT worried. But I have no idea how to RESTORE said backup. And that can be a problem.

It all worked out though.. a few deactivated plugins later, I have my content back. Though no auto-signature or comment editing. I’ll have to add them back in one by one to find the offender.

But after I got it all working again, I sighed a sigh of relief and then I thought: “WAIT - I was writing a post about Murphy’s Law when everything went haywire.”

Now that’s just funny right there.

What an amazing nine days of R&R! It was soo good to see my family, and get away for a little break. While we were down there my dad fixed the air conditioner on my car - because my parents are the best, and because it didn’t work, and because they’re the best! So the ride home was very nice and fairly uneventful but not boring. Here’s our travel highlights:

We stopped at a gas station before we left to check and fill the tires, which had a sign in the window that read “We do not except Exxon gas cards.” I wished I had carried my camera in hand to snap a shot, but considering that I left my cell phone on the counter in the restroom and had to go back in for it, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t have that with me, too.

We bought and tried chocolate flavored Skittles, which the kids liked, but I didn’t care for. It was chocolate. And I didn’t like it. That’s saying a lot.

Later, we went through the drive thru at Taco Cabana - my first Taco Cabana experience - and I unwittingly ordered a Burrito Ultimo, thinking it would just be a burrito with everything on it. I was astounded by the size of the “burrito”, which was the size of a small dog and stuffed so full the tortilla couldn’t close - which to me rules it out as a burrito since a burrito by definition is wrapped and enclosed. Nonetheless, the Burrito Ultimo proved impossible to eat while driving. Now you know. So do I.

At one point I almost, ALMOST, got run over a by an eighteen wheeler who was passing me but decided to pull back into the lane just a little too soon. No joke. Fortunately, God was protecting us, and fortunately I’m so paranoid when eighteen wheelers pass me that I had the eagle eye on him the entire time - so the second I saw that he was pulling back over and his back tires were about even with the middle of my car I compensated. Still, it was a little nerve-wracking but I’m pretty sure his double tap on the brake lights was an apology so no hard feelings Mr. Truck Driver. Just be more careful next time.

My two year old slept most of the four hour drive! That’s always a good thing. I woke him up when we pulled into a gas station for a pit stop, where we saw a dead tarantula on the side walk. My son thought it was cool,.. which I guess it kind of is, sorta, maybe a little.. but if it had been alive that would have been another matter entirely.

At the same gas station, the restrooms didn’t have a door, just one of those hallway things which turns so you can’t see in - you know what I mean? I’ve decided that people who design those things don’t actually have two year olds themselves. Little Prince didn’t realize he could have made a break for it so he didn’t try, but if he had realized…

On the road trip I taught Princess how to play the alphabet game, which she really enjoyed. I let her in on all the tips I learned as a child playing the game.. If you get stuck looking for a “J” a Junction sign is bound to pop up eventually. Road work signs are great places to find “W’s. The best place to find “Q”s are Bar B Q places and the best place to find “Z”s are pizza joints.

So that pretty much sums up our journey home. We arrived at our place between ten and ten-thirty last night. It was too late and we were too tired to unload so I left everything in the trunk except the toiletry kit with the toothbrushes and we went to bed. (I confess, I didn’t unload the trunk today, either, but I will HAVE to do that tomorrow - everything is clean though, so that’s a help. On the other hand, it is packed quite full.

I really did enjoy the vacation, SO, SO, much. Later, I’ll share more about some of the stuff we did. You’ll see.. It was the best vacation - just what I needed!

No. Well, yes. Well, sort of.

I’ve been busy working on a new project and the first part is finally finished!! I’ve created a page for it - okay, it’s technically a blog. But it is NOT a blog that I will blog at regularly! I’m not THAT crazy! I’m only going to use it to post each part of the project.

And in case you’re wondering what that project is, well, go check it out. Faith. Family. Home. School.

Sound familiar? Yep, that’s our homeschool name. Well, without all the periods. I added that for emphasis.

And the project? It’s a really awesome home school tool - if I do say so myself.

So check it out and then tell me what you think. There. Or Here. It doesn’t matter.

You can see how loyal a friend I am, even to bloggy “friends” whom I’ve never met. Robin and I have both entered some photos in a photo contest by Nikon for a chance at winning this really awesome camera. I told Robin about it, and then I entered some as well.

Now we both have a handful of photos in the gallery.

• You can see one of my photos here, and then you can go from there to each of my other submissions: No Looking Back

• You will find one of Robin’s photos here (and then find the rest of her photos, too): When Stephen learned how to fly

Technically, the voting stage hasn’t begun yet. I’m a little fuzzy on how it all works and whether or not it matters how many views each photo gets during the submission stage. But as far as I can tell, between July 21st and July 24th, the judges will select 120 finalists for the public to vote on beginning July 25th. It’s possible the popularity of a photo may influence the judges. (Just in case it wouldn’t hurt to run over and make a bunch of clicks. ) Definitely, if either one of us makes the finalists it will be a matter of popular votes.

If either one of us makes the finalists,… I will let you know!

Now, if you feel the urge to share this with your friends, now or later if we make the cut, then by all means.. Go Ahead! You have my full permission - and Robin’s too! (Ok, I didn’t ask her but I KNOW she won’t mind based on what she wrote in her post.)

I will be flattered, excited, and otherwise Giddy if you consider this share-worthy.

I will be excited, giddy, and jittery if one of my photos makes it as a finalist.

I will be flat out UN-CON-TAIN-ABLE if I win!! I’ll be bouncing off the walls. Like a two year old hopped up on sugar and caffeine.

So check them out now, and I’ll let y’all know whether either one of us makes the finalists or not.

* * * * *

In the meantime, you may be asking yourself.. “Self, now isn’t this the same person who doesn’t post pictures of her kids on her blog??”

Why yes, it is.

So now you’re asking yourself. “Self, what’s the difference between this and that?”

Well, now, lemme ’splain.

People can do really CRAZY stuff with Photoshop. You can make a pretty girl look like a guy, and vice versa, and make anybody look like a pin-up model.. imagine what the sickos could do with a picture of a pretty little girl.

That being said, I’m not comfortable posting pictures of my children online. I don’t berate or judge anyone else who does, I’ve just decided (along with my husband) not to do it myself. I also use a photo-sharing website that doesn’t share my photos with search engines. Maybe I’m paranoid. Maybe I’m not.

But when it comes to pictures displayed with Flash (like they are for the Nikon contest) - well, you’ll notice there’s no “right click, save as” for Flash. Meaning, no download and save to some sickos computer.

So now you know.

* * * * *

Now as I was saying: Get over there and check out our pictures already. Enough chit chat.

My husband is far from perfect.

That may seem a bit harsh of a statement considering this is Father’s Day and all! Today you’ll find all sort of tributes to amazing husbands everywhere. But humor me for a moment..

It is true that my husband isn’t much for romantic gestures. He doesn’t really care for going out on dates and doesn’t get why giving flowers is appealing.

It is also true that he’s not big on long conversations and he’s really picky about his personal space - sometimes even with me.

My husband is not a morning person. He doesn’t wake up with sweet words or anything remotely resembling a smile. In fact, you’re better off keeping your distance for, oh, a good twenty to thirty minutes at least.

My husband is a picky eater, a picky clothes wearer, and sometimes he’s just downright picky. At times it can make him a bit difficult to live with. Other times it’s a bit humorous.

So, yes, I don’t have the perfect husband who makes me breakfast in bed or takes me out dancing and dining.

But you know, when he does do something romantic - it’s usually something big and it’s always very special. One time when I was pregnant with our second daughter, he came home from work and told me to get dressed up because we were going out. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but he had already arranged childcare and all I had to do was come along for the date. It was very special.

And even though my husband doesn’t care much for long conversations, he’s usually willing to listen. Quite often I’ll keep him up late by talking instead of falling asleep while he listens and contributes and asks questions from time to time.

Plus, even if he’s super protective of his personal space at times throughout the day, he always cuddles up to me before he can go to sleep. Always. When I’m gone, he has to hold my pillow - how sweet is that?

And yeah, he’s not a morning person. Shucks, neither am I. The fact that he needs a few minutes to really wake up means that I get a few minutes to really wake up, too. Can you imagine if I married someone who woke up insanely early whistling a tune while I peeled one I open and begged my eyes to focus on the numbers on the clock and pleaded with my brain to interpret them? Um… yeah.

And as far as being picky goes… he IS extremely picky. There’s no denying that. And sometimes it makes things more difficult. But at least I know what to expect. Most of the time I’m not caught off guard and I’m able to anticipate his reactions in advance. Which is good because I don’t like being caught off guard. I mean, who does? But think about this too… This man who is quite possibly THE pickiest person I have ever met… picked me more than ten years ago and asked me to marry him. How about that.

So there you go. My imperfect husband. MY imperfect husband. I love him so, imperfections and all. And, I’m not so perfect either. I have my own issues. My hubby could write his own version of this post, to be sure.

By the way, I believe that God led me to my husband and brought us together. Through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer,… “what God has joined together let no man separate.”

My imperfect husband.

My perfect match.

Happy Father’s Day, James. I love you.

There are a ton of things we will never understand about God’s plan, like “Why did God create black widows or scorpions?” or “Why did God create the terrible twos?” My question for today is: “Why, oh why, did God create poison ivy?!” As far as I can tell it serves no purpose. If I’m wrong, please correct me; I’d really like to know.

I’d like to know because I’m one of those unlucky ones that react to the urushiol oil in it. I’d like to know because last summer I dealt with it several times, and now I’ve got my first batch for this summer. On the back of my knee. Where it, you know, bends.

Lucky, lucky me.

Fortunately I’ve been through it enough times to catch it early and get some Ivarest on it which helps with the itching which helps with the scratching. Trust me, you do NOT want to scratch it. It makes it itch more. It makes it blister more. It just makes it worse.

And by the way, have you ever tried to walk around without bending one leg? Not only do you look funny, but it’s really hard to do! Especially with small children. It’s difficult to sit down on or stand up out of a chair while keeping a leg straight. It’s nearly impossible to crawl in bed and get your feet under the covers without bending your knee. I tried. It was not elegant or graceful.

Oh and if you’re wondering - it usually takes a couple to three weeks to go away completely. Yeah. That’s all. Only that long.

Pft! Pshaw! Is that all? Well then… Who needs to bend their leg anyway?

Ahem.

Perhaps God created poison ivy to teach us patience…

You might be one of them.

But I’m okay with that.

I didn’t grow up with the desire to bake or sew. I wasn’t into gardening or anything remotely close to homemaking, cleaning or organizing.

Now I find myself drawn to each of these. It’s thrilling to bake bread from scratch, make my own soap, grow our own vegetables, organize my home and even sew on occasion for special products. Granted, I’m still new at a lot of these, but I really enjoy it and I want to keep it up and get better at it.

I find myself thinking weird things like: “Wonder how you make your own crackers?” So far I’ve learned to make a lot of things to save on the cost of their store-bought equivalents - like granola bars, french fries, hamburger buns, egg nog, and hopefully soon yogurt. I’m not the best cook, but I just keep doing it anyway.

I also enjoy staying here at home, being the keeper, spending days in and days out here with my family. I like organizing and de-cluttering, keeping order around the house. I’m not going to lie, I don’t particularly care for washing dishes or mopping. But I do like that I have the opportunity to stay home and be a housewife - and I don’t find it demeaning or degrading or de- anything. To me, it’s a high calling. I’m not the best at that either, but I just keep working away at that, too.

Even with all that on my plate, I also enjoy homeschooling our children. It takes a lot of discipline and work. But I love it more than I can explain. In fact, I adore our children and love having them to care for and train and raise. They don’t always make it easy, either. Yet there’s nothing like a mother’s love is there? In fact, I’d even like to have another. Some people say I’m crazy just for that.

I also love my husband, and I don’t have a problem with the word “submission” because I don’t see it as being defined as “doormat,” “servant,” “puppet,” “opinion-less,” “zombie-like” or “ignorant”… but rather I define it as “gladly serving under the leadership of.” I’m not always good at that, sometimes I screw up, but I don’t have a problem with it at all. It’s something I strive for.

I love God most of all. And sure, there are plenty of people who’d say I’m crazy for that. Some people, even other Christians, might look at me like I’m some kind of off-the-deep-end nut, because I completely believe that God is in control of everything, everything that happens is by God’s plan, everything that happens can be used by God for my spiritual good, and no matter what happens I will always trust in God for everything.

If you wrap that whole package up together, I guess I might come off as a little strange to some. Maybe you don’t get it. Maybe you do. I hope you do. But maybe you don’t. And that’s okay.

Raise an eyebrow if you must.

Just know that I don’t regret or dislike a single moment of it. I’m not brainwashed or brainless or backward.

I am, though, happy. Loved. Complete.

I guess what I’m saying is, that if this is what “strange” is… then sign me up.

Today I went over to my MIL’s house and finished an apron for Drama Queen. She helped me pick out the fabrics and colors. She really likes it and its really cute on her.

However, on the way home one of the ties got stuck under the booster seat and broke!!! Here’s a picture of the front (these images can be enlarged by clicking):

I’m still a fairly novice seamstress, and this is the first time I’ve messed with rick-rack, so it’s not that great but overall I’m happy. It’s also reversible:

The back side is pretty plain though, so I’m thinking that maybe it needs some sort of appliqué heart or something. Since I now have to replace the waist ties, might as well take care of that, too, while I’m at it. Don’t you think?

So I guess I’m not really finished yet, huh?

Tackle It Tuesday hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom.

After the response I got with my last giveaway, I’ve been inspired to add a new item to my Etsy store - a do it yourself kit for making homemade, green, eco friendly, affordable laundry soap. It’ll come with full instructions and cost comparisons. You can read more about my soap making experiences here and here.

Look at these! I mean, how beautiful is that? Doesn’t it just warm your cheeks, make them glow, give you the chills? Honestly it makes me feel giddy.

And they were FREE. A gift from my sister-in-law as she cleaned out her storage shed. She had extra storage bins - and she thought of ME. *sniff* See? *sniff* That’s love right there.

Of course I instantly starting counting off on my fingers all the many ways I could use them. Last week I replaced the two shoe bins in the girls closet with these four.

In case you’re wondering: YES, they are labeled, and the girls ASKED me to do it. Girls after my own heart.

I’m taking the old purple ones for myself, to replace the white ones over the washer and dryer so that they can go in Little Prince’s closet. I mean, really, does he need purple ones? I think not. I’ll just take those, thank you.