Okay, so I spent every Thursday in June stressing through a sewing class. I thought I'd signed up so I could learn how to sew. Turns out God made me do it to teach me some patience. What a sense of humor He's got. My instructor, an 80 y/o lady who's been sewing since she was 10, wasn't exactly the best adult instructor. Her preferred method was the "figure it out yourself" approach. When asked questions, she made me feel like a complete imbecile. How could I possibly be unaware of what "easing it in" meant. Uhhh...do you really want me to tell you what I thought easing it in meant? No. Turns out it just means to squish material together gently so you can cover your bad job of cutting the pattern, but you have to do it in a way so the material doesn't look squished. Go figure. Why wouldn't I have known what that meant? Honestly. My instructor even told me my ironing capabilities were lacking. Hello? I went to a military school? I was in the military for a few years...I know how to iron. I can take creases out and put them in. I rarely iron my "regular" clothes, but if I have to do it, I do it well! Hmph. I just about walked out of the class on that one.
So...you can imagine my surprise when I actually learned and finished a dress. I was even more surprised when it fit and didn't look completely junky. Even better, I already started a new project and have all my pieces cut out. I'm so impressed by my own motivation. I think it hails back to a former boss who liked to nit pick on all the things I did wrong...I just listened to Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" over and over and over again. Yes, I like Christina. She has questionable morals in her songs, but the woman can sing!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
In God We Trust
Our family went to The Journey church (NE location) in Raleigh, NC yesterday. The pastor spoke right to my husband and me with his sermon on waiting for the Lord. We are going through a time of testing, and we're getting antsy about things. We are used to evaluating problems and putting the best solutions into action ASAP. So waiting on God's timing is hard for us sometimes, especially when we're waiting for financial answers.
The pastor reminded us that our decisions have major impacts not just on us in the here and now but on everyone around us in the future. He also reminded us that God is our loving Father who has plans for us. Just because we can't see the plan doesn't mean He doesn't have one. So...we're praying harder, studying the Word a little more closely, and doing our very best to trust and obey.
My husband and I had a conversation about what hearing God is like. It's hard to distinguish between His still small voice and those sneaky solutions that we come up with that lurk in the background. It's also hard when we don't feel connected. Our minds know what's going on, but our hearts just can't get into it. Being a Christian is all about trust! Sometimes, trusting God is hard because we can't have a visible one-on-one conversation with Him and just hash out details. But that's where grace and faith come in, right? :)
Truthfully, it's been easier to trust God since I became a parent. When I think of how much I love my kids, I realize how much more God loves us. It's amazing. There's so much I would do for my kids, and yet there is so much more He would do for us! Thanks, God!
-Many thanks to the mounds of laundry to fold that gave me time to muse on this.
Domestic Goddess out.
The pastor reminded us that our decisions have major impacts not just on us in the here and now but on everyone around us in the future. He also reminded us that God is our loving Father who has plans for us. Just because we can't see the plan doesn't mean He doesn't have one. So...we're praying harder, studying the Word a little more closely, and doing our very best to trust and obey.
My husband and I had a conversation about what hearing God is like. It's hard to distinguish between His still small voice and those sneaky solutions that we come up with that lurk in the background. It's also hard when we don't feel connected. Our minds know what's going on, but our hearts just can't get into it. Being a Christian is all about trust! Sometimes, trusting God is hard because we can't have a visible one-on-one conversation with Him and just hash out details. But that's where grace and faith come in, right? :)
Truthfully, it's been easier to trust God since I became a parent. When I think of how much I love my kids, I realize how much more God loves us. It's amazing. There's so much I would do for my kids, and yet there is so much more He would do for us! Thanks, God!
-Many thanks to the mounds of laundry to fold that gave me time to muse on this.
Domestic Goddess out.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sewing Class
I signed up for some escapist time in the form of a sewing class. From 6-9 pm for the next month's worth of Thursdays, I'm meeting with my inner Martha. Actually, after I figured out that basting did not involve poultry, I was pretty good to go. We made some 70s-type aprons. They're crazy looking. Instead of a skirt-like covering, this apron has pant leg coverings. They're wild. I came home and showed them to my husband, who asked me why my class taught me how to make chaps. Very feminine, flower-patterned chaps. Oh well. At least I got to choose the pattern for next week. It's a nice dress that I've chosen a green linen fabric for. Hope it turns out.
In random thoughts today, I find "savings" at stores remarkable. For example, I spent $45 at Kohl's today. According to my receipt, I saved $65. Has anyone ever actually bought anything at full price? There, at least? I can't recall ever seeing anyone picking up a full priced item in that store. In fact, it's hard to find a full priced item in Kohl's. There's about one rack of regular-priced stuff and 50 of the reduced priced stuff. Do we really save as much as we think we do? I doubt it. But still, it's smart to be as frugal as possible. Even eBay isn't as much of a deal as it used to be. Hmph.
On the happy side of today, the Dow finished higher than expected today. In fact, it was positive for the first time this year. The media will surely proclaim today as an historic day...they can all get over it. They get excited about everything. They're worse than kids...small, cranky kids who don't like being told they're wrong.
Domestic Goddess out.
In random thoughts today, I find "savings" at stores remarkable. For example, I spent $45 at Kohl's today. According to my receipt, I saved $65. Has anyone ever actually bought anything at full price? There, at least? I can't recall ever seeing anyone picking up a full priced item in that store. In fact, it's hard to find a full priced item in Kohl's. There's about one rack of regular-priced stuff and 50 of the reduced priced stuff. Do we really save as much as we think we do? I doubt it. But still, it's smart to be as frugal as possible. Even eBay isn't as much of a deal as it used to be. Hmph.
On the happy side of today, the Dow finished higher than expected today. In fact, it was positive for the first time this year. The media will surely proclaim today as an historic day...they can all get over it. They get excited about everything. They're worse than kids...small, cranky kids who don't like being told they're wrong.
Domestic Goddess out.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Two Year Olds
I was doing some rush cleaning yesterday for a meeting my husband was hosting in the evening. As I whirled through the main floor of our three-level house, I kept tripping over my 9 month old (who hates vacuum cleaners) and my 2-year-old (who can't get enough of them and loves showing them to her sister). I thought as many happy thoughts as I could, but I ran out of them pretty quickly, so I started analyzing my oldest daughter.
She is a study in Jekyll and Hyde. Seriously. We'll be happily scrubbing the bathroom down together singing some Mary Poppins tune at the top of our lungs one minute. The next, she's lying face down in my bed with all my covers over her, crying at the top of her lungs. She won't speak to me or even look at me. If she says something, it's all gibberish. The only way I've successfully distracted her from these tantrums is by talking about waffles. She has the same penchant for waffles as I do. :)
For the record, she does a REALLY good job of scrubbing the toilet. The key is to take the brush away from her before she gets bored. Otherwise, she decides it's time to make mashed toilet paper in there, and you can imagine what that looks like in the toilet and on the floor.
I love her, I really do, but sometimes she drives me nuts. I'll ask her to do something, and she'll take her happy time doing it. I think the military was bad for me when it comes to that whole "instant obedience to orders" thing. That doesn't go over too well with two-year-old kids, I guess. I think it's my fault she dilly dallies, though. Sometimes she'll ask me for something very nicely (that is, she says "please"), and I'll get up to get it for her and get side railed by a few small things that leads to my own dilly dallying. I've got to work on that!!!
Something that fascinates me is how well she understands Spanish. I very rarely speak to her in Spanish. In fact, I only do it when I am frustrated with her and want her to do something now. So imagine my surprise when she seemingly understood everything at the bilingual story time at the library this morning: colors, shapes, alphabet, simple movements, etc. Amazing.
...There were a couple of other interesting points about my two-year-old, but I can't remember them now.
What is interesting is this whole czar business in the government. Last time I checked, we were a democratic republic who fought a civil war for states' rights. WHY is the government getting into everything? Has nobody noticed that the higher up authority goes, the more red tape is used to fasten everything? Why isn't there an outcry on this?
I am not particularly fond of our leadership right now...not because of their political party or their color or even their past decisions. I'm frustrated about their decision making processes. Does anyone really think that bailing out companies who have been dying since the 70s is a good idea? If so, why? Capitalism=survival of the fittest. It's a great system because it forces companies to create products that are worth buying. There's a preference for foreign-made items because of their quality.
Can you imagine how much greener the US would be (regarding money and the environment) if GM, Ford, and the other American vehicle companies had been left on their own to develop good cars???
That's about as far as my musings took me before it was time to start making dinner. I know I could rant more effectively if I had my husband here to conduct a same-sided debate with! Hope your musings get you through your rough spots in the day!
Domestic Goddess out.
She is a study in Jekyll and Hyde. Seriously. We'll be happily scrubbing the bathroom down together singing some Mary Poppins tune at the top of our lungs one minute. The next, she's lying face down in my bed with all my covers over her, crying at the top of her lungs. She won't speak to me or even look at me. If she says something, it's all gibberish. The only way I've successfully distracted her from these tantrums is by talking about waffles. She has the same penchant for waffles as I do. :)
For the record, she does a REALLY good job of scrubbing the toilet. The key is to take the brush away from her before she gets bored. Otherwise, she decides it's time to make mashed toilet paper in there, and you can imagine what that looks like in the toilet and on the floor.
I love her, I really do, but sometimes she drives me nuts. I'll ask her to do something, and she'll take her happy time doing it. I think the military was bad for me when it comes to that whole "instant obedience to orders" thing. That doesn't go over too well with two-year-old kids, I guess. I think it's my fault she dilly dallies, though. Sometimes she'll ask me for something very nicely (that is, she says "please"), and I'll get up to get it for her and get side railed by a few small things that leads to my own dilly dallying. I've got to work on that!!!
Something that fascinates me is how well she understands Spanish. I very rarely speak to her in Spanish. In fact, I only do it when I am frustrated with her and want her to do something now. So imagine my surprise when she seemingly understood everything at the bilingual story time at the library this morning: colors, shapes, alphabet, simple movements, etc. Amazing.
...There were a couple of other interesting points about my two-year-old, but I can't remember them now.
What is interesting is this whole czar business in the government. Last time I checked, we were a democratic republic who fought a civil war for states' rights. WHY is the government getting into everything? Has nobody noticed that the higher up authority goes, the more red tape is used to fasten everything? Why isn't there an outcry on this?
I am not particularly fond of our leadership right now...not because of their political party or their color or even their past decisions. I'm frustrated about their decision making processes. Does anyone really think that bailing out companies who have been dying since the 70s is a good idea? If so, why? Capitalism=survival of the fittest. It's a great system because it forces companies to create products that are worth buying. There's a preference for foreign-made items because of their quality.
Can you imagine how much greener the US would be (regarding money and the environment) if GM, Ford, and the other American vehicle companies had been left on their own to develop good cars???
That's about as far as my musings took me before it was time to start making dinner. I know I could rant more effectively if I had my husband here to conduct a same-sided debate with! Hope your musings get you through your rough spots in the day!
Domestic Goddess out.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Intro
So, I used to be in the military. I used to work long, long hours. The kids were in daycare for 12+ hours a day, on average. I hated it. Not the military. Just being away from my babies. So when my contract ended, I didn't renew it. Now, I am a different woman.
I'm a housewife and full-time mom. I hate cleaning, but I love being around the kids. End result: sort of messy house with pretty happy kids. Much happier me and husband. Life is good!
The point of this blog is to share my random thoughts while cleaning. I think like spaghetti, a whole mess of thoughts connected and mixed up into a random whole. These things keep me entertained while I get through the not-so-fun parts of the day.
First example: Why, oh why, do cleaners have to be so toxic? Honestly. I lost lots of nose hair and brain cells in my first month of cleaning on a regular basis (instead of only the weekend). If "they" can make bleach smell like flowers and lemons, why not the shower cleaner too? Has anyone else ever nearly asphyxiated in the shower? I thought I was going to pass out the first time. It was horrible.
However, I've been readying a lot of "green cleaning" books lately, and the problem will be solved as soon as I run out of the toxic stuff. I'd rather just use it instead of dumping it to poison other stuff or go through the hassle of finding a hazmat dumping station. Check out "Green Cleaning for Dummies" and "Go Green, $ave Green". Great tips, and they don't make you feel like a jerk for not being greener than Kermit.
Okay, have to cut my husband's hair now.
Domestic Goddess out.
I'm a housewife and full-time mom. I hate cleaning, but I love being around the kids. End result: sort of messy house with pretty happy kids. Much happier me and husband. Life is good!
The point of this blog is to share my random thoughts while cleaning. I think like spaghetti, a whole mess of thoughts connected and mixed up into a random whole. These things keep me entertained while I get through the not-so-fun parts of the day.
First example: Why, oh why, do cleaners have to be so toxic? Honestly. I lost lots of nose hair and brain cells in my first month of cleaning on a regular basis (instead of only the weekend). If "they" can make bleach smell like flowers and lemons, why not the shower cleaner too? Has anyone else ever nearly asphyxiated in the shower? I thought I was going to pass out the first time. It was horrible.
However, I've been readying a lot of "green cleaning" books lately, and the problem will be solved as soon as I run out of the toxic stuff. I'd rather just use it instead of dumping it to poison other stuff or go through the hassle of finding a hazmat dumping station. Check out "Green Cleaning for Dummies" and "Go Green, $ave Green". Great tips, and they don't make you feel like a jerk for not being greener than Kermit.
Okay, have to cut my husband's hair now.
Domestic Goddess out.
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