Two years ago when we moved into our house we decided that we hated the beige/gray color we had painted our living room and hallway, which make up most of the walls in our house. So I grabbed some of the stain we had left over from staining our trim and rubbed it on a small part of the wall to see if we like it. We did. I started applying it to the entire wall and we like it better and better. Well I got one wall and down on side of the hallway finished and then like many of my projects it got put aside. I was busy with work and Hanna, and then I was pregnant and could not be around the fumes, and I had little babies in the house that could not be around the fumes either. Are you following me? I didn't want to do it and found any and every excuse not to. I hate painting and anything related. Well this week something snapped. I decided that it was ridiculous, and it was time to finish. I put Hanna and Tucker down for a nap, closed their doors, opened windows, put on my gloves, and went to town. And guess what? I finished! It only took me three days during the kids' nap time and I was done. I felt even more ridiculous for putting it off so long when I only took me about 5 hours total to finish. And it looks amazing. Here are a few pics:
I love it. It looks so much better than the original paint, and it looks a million times better than when it was part way done and just sitting. Mission accomplished and it feels good.
-Power-
In this instance I am referring to actual electrical power. I don't do power outages very well. I panic. I think about how limited it makes us, I worry that it will be off for days, I worry what the kids will need or want that I won't be able to give them, I panic about not being able to flush the toilet- Yuck!, and I get so bored so fast. In short, I fall apart. Dave teases me because we are really set up pretty good for a power outage, but I still freak. Well yesterday, just after Dave left for work, the power shut off. It was just me, my two kids, and our dopey but loving dog. I went into panic mode. I made warm bottles and got milk out for Hanna so I would not need to open the fridge for a while. I put the kids in warm clothes, and got out a flashlight for the bathroom. Then I realized how stupid I was being. My parents live just five miles away and their power was on a different circuit. I could just go to their house because odds are they would have power. Then I looked out at our diesel powered truck and realized that it had not been plugged in and there was not way it would start. Great. At this point Hanna was asking me to watch Curious George. I realized that I actually had a golden opportunity. I didn't have to vacuum or clean the bathrooms. I just had to play with my kids and wait for the power to come back on. We had the best morning! We played toys on the living room floor. When that got old I set Tucker up in his high chair with a graham cracker and Hanna and I went to town coloring. We colored all kinds a pictures in her care bear color book, and Tucker found a thousand different places on his body to mash slobbery crackers into. I am GRATEFUL that the power went out yesterday and allowed me to make that fun memory with my kids.
-Patience-
Patience is a virtue. Or so they say. I always thought that a virtue was a gift from God that we were just given. Either a virtue is something you have to work at and develop yourself, with God's help of course, or patience is not actually a virtue. I guess it is also possible that I just wasn't given that specific virtue, and I have to get it some other way. Regardless, I am still working on it. I was told that having kids would teach me patience, another lie. As far as I can tell becoming a parent has taught me how much patience I do not possess. But it is something that I am working on everyday.
These are somethings that I have found helpful:
-Every morning I pray for patience and understanding.
-I remind myself to try to find the root of the problem before becoming impatient (this one usually applies when Hanna is standing at my feet whining).
-I am trying to keep myself and my house organized so that I am not stressed about things not pertaining to the problem at hand.
-I take in all the good things, and there are countless good things, about being a mother and log them into my memory permanently.
Here are just a few pics of the good things:
Tucker playing on the floor while gibbering away about Dadda.
Both of the kids buried in the cart of groceries. It is hard to take them both grocery shopping, but we did it and I could still see every one's head (even though the picture does not show Tucker). Sometimes are harder than others but this day we had a lot of fun and even enjoyed the crazy looks we got from others.
Sleeping babies- there is nothing sweeter.
Hanna helping herself to Tucker's walker. At this point she had not thought of how she might get out.
-Keeping the TV off during the day. I was amazed at how much this helped my patience, but I no longer have to compete with the stupid thing for my kids' attention and I don't have to compete with the extra noise.
-One of the biggest helps for me this last two weeks has been a few blogs I have come across and been following. I believe these were an answer to my prayer. The first blog is for my cousin Trent. Trent has Sarcoma cancer and is literally fighting for his life right now. The blog is about him and his family, their fight, their faith, and their experiences. You can read their story here. Also any prayers on their behalf would be very much appreciated. The second blog is two people I went to high school with, but never really got to know. Their names are Patrick and Ashley. You may have heard their story, many have. A few summer's ago their beautiful daughter Preslee passed away after a tragic accident. The blog is about Preslee's fight for her life, her parent's grief when she was taken back to live with God, and their grief as they press forward with life. You can read their story here. These two families are amazing. Their spirit literally pours from my computer as I read. I am devastated by their trials and grief, but so uplifted by their thoughts, and testimonies. I have really been taught about what is important and not so important in life. At first I felt guilty that these families were having to go through these trials so that I could learn a lesson. Then I decided that God wanted to teach me things through them and if I didn't learn what He wanted me to learn that would be a greater insult. So thank you, Rasmussen's and Sullenger's, for being willing to share with me so that I might be a better wife, mother, and person.
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