Finally Friday!

My weekend has gotten off to a slow start I guess. It was rather humid outside, so I prefer being indoors unless at the pool. I thought about going to the pool for family night, but didn't want to go alone with just the girls and myself so we didn't.
We didn't have to do any yard work since it rained today--no watering necessary. Now I suppose I could have mowed & gotten out the weed whacker, but those are tasks that I do not really enjoy. I would much rather help Josh do them than complete them by myself.
We have plans for tomorrow. We need to do a little birthday shopping and then we will probably head to the pool (if it is sunny). I'm sure my house will have tasks that need completed as well. If I feel like getting up early, we will go to a few garage sales.

I can't believe that summer has hit the past July 4th point...it's flying by way too quickly. I love summer as it reminds me of being a carefree kid again. No school to worry about--just fun in the sun. See, when it's back to school time...it is for me as well...and this year will be both of the girls. We need lots of nice days so we can swim some more!

Creatures

We are in a battle against the plant destroying creatures that have invaded our property...namely our trees and plants. Yes, I am talking about the dreaded Japanese beetle. We have hundreds of them on the trampoline, and tons of them laying dead on the driveway and walkway. They are in the trees, and eating the plants they like...rose bushes, hostas, and other things.
Our solution for now...spread triazicide around the yard/flowerbeds and use a dish soap mixture to pour over the rose bush and the tree that we care about. (we don't care about the elm trees) Unfortunately, in America there aren't really any predators for these pesky bugs. We didn't really have issue with them last year, but WOW we have them for sure this year.

In other "yuck" news...we went to the grocery store to pick up just a few items this evening. While standing in line, I couldn't help but notice the very TOUCH/FEELY people in front of me. No details beyond that, however when the person doing most of the touchy/feely turned sideways a bit & it became worse from my viewpoint. You see, they had on a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. You know, the kind where you cut off the sleeves and it hangs down below the armpit. Fine if you are in construction/playing basketball/doing yardwork etc...AND if a female-- have proper undergarments on underneath. This person most certainly DID NOT have ANY thing on underneath. Thus, you can imagine the unsightly scene. Oh yes, that minor detail also gave away the fact that they were both females. It took longer than it should have since there was a debate as to whether WIC allowed you to "purchase" strawberry frosted mini-wheats. I guess they do not--I wouldn't have had a clue. The one female informed the cashier and myself (the only other person standing there) that "WIC is a godsend, yo".
I was happy to pay for my items and be done with that experience.

Today's little garage sale treasures consisted of:
1. a cotton blossom full-sized jar candle from White Barn Candle Co. for .25
2. a little cute jar of seashells from Gulf Shores (I've been there) for .10
3. a Gymboree dress for Kiki (2.00)
4. a Gymboree shirt and pants for K (3.00)
5. 3 pretty bracelets (two for me and one for my mom) for 3.00
Not much today, but that's okay.

Last Friday's finds consisted of:
1. a black bear which Aliyah loves (given to us by the people having the sale)
2. a set of holdbacks/hooks new in package for .50
3. 7 books for Aliyah for .70
4. item of the day....a brand new pair of Skecher's shoes for me...still in box with stickers/tags, plastic...$5.00 The price tag from the store said $59.99

There is one wall left to finish on the inside of our porch project. Following that is tile...then done!!

Thoughts

Well, once again I am thankful. Thankful for the little but big ordinary everyday things in life. Thankful for my little girls, my wonderful husband, supportive family members, sunshine, the luxury of living in America, work, the kitty cat who loves to see us come home, laughter, home, and oh so much more.

While thankful, I wonder how some people can be and are filled with so much hatred. Back a few months ago, I heard a song called "Dungeon Without Doors". Basically, it tells how when we are bitter and angry and hateful, we hold people inside our own dungeon. The dungeon doesn't have doors, but we hold them there thinking we are hurting them. Truth is, we aren't hurting them because they don't know that they are being held in our dungeon necessarily, but we hold them hostage there. The anger and hatred grows and instead of the person being inside that dungeon...it is really us. Until forgiveness takes place, we live enslaved to keeping that dungeon...keeping them in that dungeon and holding them/ourselves hostage. A sad place to be, but we have all been there...whether it be for a little while or for a lifetime.

Here are some of the words, written by Steven Canfield Jr. I wish I could find the arrangement and all of the words, but it is relatively new so it's not out there yet.
This is the place that I have made,
To hold the ones who’ve caused me pain.
But I’m the one enchained in hate;
I’m bitter bound with no escape.
And somehow in this dark soul place,
I’ve lost the joy of forgiving grace.
I’ve blamed my God who did no more
To shield me, in my dungeon without doors.
This is the place that I have made,
But I will rise and walk away.
Inside my heart I now see,
That I myself imprisoned me.
And somehow in this dark soul place,
You’ve found a way to show me grace.
You hold me close and show me more,
This dungeon, well it has no doors!
I am free to live unchained,
You forgave me, I’ll do the same.
Now joy is what the hurt is for;
This dungeon has no doors!"

A few other points on bitterness:
1. Bitterness is caused by the LUST for something God is refusing or the LOSS of something that God took away
.2. All bitterness is ultimately directed to God. (This is logical if you believe in a sovereign God.)
3. Bitterness…”The poison I make for someone else and then drink myself.”
4. Crises in life are expressions of God’s love. We can reject them via false expectations which result in hurt, bitterness, etc. or accept them as God’s plan.
5. Getting over bitterness requires confession and forgiveness.
Forgiveness requires Repentance.
I need to:. Allow the past to stand as history. Change my response to the past.. Choose to forgive those indebted to me.. Rebuild the relationship they broke.. Make the greatest investment where the potential for bitterness is greatest.. Give thanks

As much as I share that on my blog to you, it is something that I need reminded of--and often.
My friend told me the other day, "Forgiveness is a daily choice".

Opinion

So, I am going to pose a real & serious question...

What would you do if someone threatened you or a family member?
How would you know if things were safe after a threat?
Any other info you would like to add??

Whataweekend

So many ways I could describe the long weekend. Busy, fun, exhausting, work, cleaning, swimming, tiring....it could go on and on. All in all, it was great to have a long weekend. It was great to clear my head a bit. It did rain on the 4th, but that's ok...we took advantage and cleaned the house/did laundry.

I don't know how to describe today. I will say that I'm glad that we are going swimming this evening. It is "free" night at the pool this evening. The weather is warm enough and it is not raining. What a great way to "chill out".
Sometimes my head is a-whirl (is that a word?) with so many things...good, bad, discouraging, encouraging, positive, negative--it's one of those days. One thing is for sure, I am thankful. I am thankful for my sweet husband and beautiful girls--I am blessed. Another thing that I try to remember is we are healthy. We aren't dying of cancer or something else. Those things alone will turn the negative thoughts of a day into reason for smiles.

On a positive note, we have completed another project on our list and our pretty close to the completion of another. After that, we will put projects on the back burner in order to enjoy the rest of summer. The new floor tile can wait til fall or something.

Time to tend to the garden, the kitty, and the girls.

Another one?

Okay...this isn't typical of me to post more than once in a day...but I feel like a need to vent to someone other than myself.

This isn't the normal direction of my blog, but I will vent just a teeny bit. Here we go... I hate it when people say and do hurtful things. Why are they so mean? I know...the thing to do is ignore it, but I'm human. Sometimes, it's hard to ignore. The end. =(

I am reminded of the words of David... "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer". Ps. 19:14--that's one I need to definitely consider and put into practice myself more often.

Catch*Up

**Update...please see a few posts below to see my garage sale post. I wrote it a few days ago and just now posted it.

WOW--I've pretty much neglected online life for a week now. I've had pop-in visits every now and then, but haven't updated anything or read much for that matter.

I guess when summer comes, computer time gives way to swimming, yard work, housework, work, and whatever else clamors for attention. Now that I have begun a nice holiday weekend, I can update =).

Let's see...I took the girls swimming almost all day Saturday. We got some nice brown coloring on our skin and had lots of fun. Keirah loved the fountains, jumping in the deep pool, and watching Aliyah play in the water playground. Aliyah pretty much loved it all. She's part fish you know. I liked the "chill" factor of it all. For some reason, if you give me some water and sun in the summer (a pool or the ocean or a lake), I can relax and have a blast!

We originally had plans to spend the weekend of the 4th in Chicago this year, however...
Aliyah wanted to enter a coloring contest (a fourth of July one). She colored and was all excited about it. To tell you the truth, I thought it was probably one of her not-so-great ones and I didn't even want to turn it in. A few Friday nights ago, we spent a good 15 minutes trying to locat the place to turn it in. They were closed already and we put it in a slot. I reminded her that we don't always win, but she was satisfied that we turned it in and I figured that was that.
We had a call on our answering machine a couple of days ago and I thought they would say she got 3rd maybe 2nd at best...nope she won! Well, the prize is a 4th of July party thing at a local facility located on the riverfront. It is for a family of four and includes reserved parking and a primo spot for the fireworks, along with swimming, bouncy things and games for the kids etc... She was so excited. Me= surprised for sure! So, since it falls right in the middle of the weekend...and Josh works part of the day Friday...no Chicago this time.

Our projects are coming along nicely (when we have time to work on them).

By they way, "The Proposal" is very cute and I loved it!

I plan to begin posting my garage sale finds. They have been awesome this year. I may or may not post pictures though. I go to garage sales for fun from time to time--typically if there is a 4 pm sale or maybe a few on a Saturday morning.

Big weekend decision: where to go on vacation...I guess where isn't as much the question as what can we afford. We need some time away, however we tend to spend $$ on doing projects at our house. Who knows...we have to get it nailed down as it is coming fast. Aliyah is really hoping for Florida.

I have a lengthy to-do list for the holiday weekend. I can't believe the unseasonably cool weather we are having. I don't mind because it saves us money on the energy bill. However, it takes swimming out of the picture. It barely got to 70 today. Last week, it felt like 120 degrees!

Well, have a safe and happy 4th of July!!