And just one more thing...

because God said I hadn't had enough...I guess.
A kind lady backed into me as I left the grocery store yesterday afternoon...and then left! Kind folks, please don't do that to anyone. Take responsibility for your actions...whether great or small. Now...this kind lady (and her husband) are going to receive a phone call from a police officer because it is considered a "hit and run" because she left before info could be exchanged. It was a good thing that I carry my camera in my purse most days...her info was able to be tracked down.
No one was hurt. I didn't lose my cool...well, I got teary and shaky while I talked to my husband and he helped me remember what I needed to have. It was a teachable moment for Teddy...he wanted to know all the details of what was going on and what would happen. "Son, no matter what, always admit when you damage or break something...even if you didn't mean to do it! Don't run, don't hide...because..."I was explaining. He already knew where I was going, "Yeah, Mom, I know...be sure your sin will find you out!"
I was thankful...we were in a parking lot and speed really wasn't a factor. God protects us! And He always tests us!

A Fun Find!

We heard about this place from one of the guys at the shop. He told me, "Kari, you are gonna love it! It has three floors of junk...for pretty good prices...and even those are negotiable! I go there all the time when I have to replace doors and such for my rental units!" This place has anything from linens to door knobs, paint to Christmas decor, furniture to coffee mugs, computers older than dirt to boxes of tiles...and much more.

So...we had another mid-day date...lunch on the go and a trip to the junk store! We found something to help me redo my craft area!!!! No more mish-mash of dressers, shelves, and broken cabinets. I am de-junking and getting organized...in style...with sturdy, salvaged pieces from an office! I am excited. Ted is thrilled...no assembly required...just muscle.

I've Had Enough...

I do it all the time...in a hurry and end up filling the glass too full too fast...and stand there sucking air hoping it won't spill all over and make a mess...and relieved when it doesn't!
Which brings me to a thought...why can I never seem to politely indicate to others when I have had enough! And by others, I mean my children...which in turn affects my husband. Just quietly shut my mouth and let it go...till I can handle the situation nicely, calmly, and in the Spirit.
I stand there huffing in exasperation...why? Because...I have had enough! It affects ME.
It then spills over and makes a mess...not on the floor...but on the ears of my children seeping into their thoughts and feelings...and I feel like a sticky mess of a mother.
All of this following a weekend of good teaching, preaching, and encouragement.
I sit here trying to figure out why that happens...and then hear Alisa reading the verse from Proverbs 29:11 this morning and Ted's explanation..."A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards." "A wise person thinks before he speaks...he considers what he is about to say...Is it kind? Is it appropriate? Is it rude? Is it loving?"
I wonder if Ted was thinking "I hope Kari is getting this this morning." Oh...I sure was! If I didn't know better...it is the 29th...I would have thought he skipped around till he found that exact verse just for me!
I know in my head and believe in my heart that God never gives us more than we can bear... found in I Corinthians 10:13 underlined in my Bible...part of it in red!
But I find myself saying, "I've had enough. I'm done for today. It's too much some times. How much more are we going to be hit with? I'm tired." And so goes the lament... a foolish me...uttering all my mind...instead of keeping my mouth shut and taking time to ask the Lord to help me handle the temptation "...that is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able..."

So...I guess I haven't had enough...because I haven't learned how to handle the temptations in my life that God "all-know-ingly" allows. He knows what I can handle...when it is enough...
When will I ever learn to slow down, stop, pray, and handle things correctly...
or at least know when a sticky mess is just a few bubbles away from spilling over and keep my mouth shut?

"I just hate that alarm clock!" grumped Alisa.

I stifled a laugh...she looked so much like me and sounded so much like me...it was laughable! However, she was in no mood for laughing as she sat there glaring at me with her arms folded over her chest. I decided it was not the time to sing "This Is The Day...This Is The Day...that the Lord hath made...We Will Rejoice...We Will Rejoice and be GLAD in it..."
Some times...it is better to just walk away and not say anything at all! Maybe...tomorrow...we can offer her a cup of coffee! Works for me! And mine was sitting on the bathroom counter again this morning...now that is true love!
I must have looked like Alisa as I stumbled out of our room this morning...I just didn't express it in words.
Some mornings are harder than others!

It is a good day for a nap!

We planned, They cooked, We decorated, She traveled here, Ladies came...It's Done!

We enjoy the best food at our Ladies' Banquets!

I had Alisa's help this year with decorating! Now to brush up on spelling! (Lady Banquet. Only for ladies.)

Mary Boyd Alley came to be with us and share what God had put on her heart.

Grammy came to be with us and play the piano for the girls and me.

Our theme was taken from I Peter 2:21..."Christ left for us an example...that we should follow His steps"...IN HIS STEPS

Plans started last year with a great sale find on luau themed paper goods...a like for the poem Footprints...FREE gigantic sized flip-flops...borrowed decorations...a little ingenuity...and lots of willing hands!

We did our manicures and pedicures this morning...so we wouldn't have any chipped nails.

The girls had little bags with fun things to keep them busy while waiting for our food. Little did Ted know when he bought the Cricut machine how much I would use it...especially for church functions! A friend at church has several cartridges that made it fun!

The girls helped greet everyone with a lei.

The room was bright and cheery...even thought it was rainy outside!

Just a question...or two...and a comment...

Why is standing for right these days...wrong?
I guess there are many interpretations as to what is right and what is wrong. No one believes that we should take a stand for truth anymore. Everything is negotiable and tolerable. In the past...it has worked out real well, hasn't it?! We heard a message about one of those times last week...Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's choices cost him dearly...his children's choices, his wife, and etc. He chose not to live a separated life.
I think of Noah, Moses, Aaron, Daniel, and even Jonah. They all handled different situations...some with strength, some with fear, some with rebellion, some with grace...but they all stood out as leaders. They made a choice...they didn't straddle the fence...and God used all of them. I would love to sit and talk with these men...men used by God...and hear their testimony and their thoughts on what they would have done differently! Do they really care about what people think now? Would the repercussions really bother them now? "With eternity's values in view..."
So...why is standing for right...in many of the same circumstances, just a different time period and setting...wrong? Because it is "not popular" and it is hard! It is "not accepted" by the world. Since when is the world's philosophy and methods our measuring stick for what is right?
So...are we "whacko" for teaching our children to "do right till the stars fall"?! NO! "Right is always right, and wrong is always wrong. And we must learn to separate the two." And that is where we go wrong...to separate...if we would just learn from those who have gone before us...we would save ourselves from much heartache and loss...and we wouldn't be such stumbling blocks to others!

Gone...road trippin' with the love of my life...

Ted did not allow me to take his picture...so I got his leg! I also still hold the title "Queen of the Map"! We missed our exit to go south somehow!? but I figured out an alternate route that kept us moving forward...through a few more stoplights...and not that much more time...thanks, Rand McNally!

Our little buddy is a good traveller! He slept for most of the trip...and jabbered the rest!

Just in case you wanted to know...what the road looked like! They are just as bad south as north!

It is a real date...sort of...my little buddy is coming along too! It's a nice day for a drive. Have a sunny day!

The End...Eventually Comes!

Alisa has personally experienced this end! She has also apparently inherited my ability to fall, trip, stumble, or drop things without provacation. Agility is not one of my traits...and I share this gene with my daughter. Ted says we also do alot of fiddling around and ...well, never mind!

So many times, we tell our children to "don't do this...or that"...for example..."sit/stand still" or "don't run or you will get hurt..." Several times, these little loves have replied to me, "I won't get hurt, I did it before." or "I am careful." You get the picture?!
At supper the other night, Alisa happened to be sitting on her foot on the bench. Noticing that she kept bobbing all over, Ted asked her to sit still. She leaned over to remove the offending foot, but didn't notice how close to the edge of the bench she was...the next thing we saw was a taco waving in the air accompanied by the dramatic wailing of pain. It took her a moment to untangle herself and approach the bench to continue her supper.
Many thoughts went through my head as I watched all this unfold..."We have told you to sit on your bottom only about a trillion times!" "Told you so!" "I don't feel sorry for you when you don't obey." "You know you need to sit in farther on the bench!"...but the only thing I voiced was praise for her ability to save her taco...which was truly amazing since Chevy was under the table and she didn't move very fast rising! She got hurt...and that is when a Mommy's heart goes a little soft...and Daddy's just melts! We were all able to laugh with her about her ability to save that taco!
Oh the pains that we endure as we grow up...eventually, we will get hurt...when we don't adhere to the warnings and rules given to us...for our protection!

A Week of Fun for Grammy and Grampy

Too cute!

A fine looking family!

Caden whooping up on Grampy in Around the World.

Special memories with grandchildren!

That is something to make a grandparent's heart happy...spending time with the grandkids...oh, and their kids too!

Scenes through the van windows

A light green haze can be seen through the woods...ah...spring!

"That's a long way down to the river! I wouldn't want to fall over that wall!"

"Wow, it says 1910...were you born then, Mom? NO! Was Daddy? NO. Were we? UH, no."

"LOOK...that statue has huge elbows!" exclaimed Teddy.

"Quick...lift your feet, kids!" said Grandma Great with a chuckle, "You don't want your feet to get wet." This was fun to drive across...not sure why they did it this way...but the kids loved it...and Teddy informed us that our feet would not get wet..."We're in the van!"

How we spent the last day of our spring break...

sleeping in till the last minute allowed by Mom. Alisa was the last one up every day!

eating cereal for breakfast...and Mom even let us eat sugar cereals that she bought special because it was spring break!

taking time to run and play at a neat park that Grandma Great directed us to!

eating an ice cream cone with Grandma Great after our little afternoon sight-seeing trip.

dressing in summer clothes to enjoy the beautiful day with Grandma Great!

It's almost like being there...Not!

Grammy and Grampy are back from their trip to Michigan via the train. Grammy came over and got us all caught up on the activities of the week. Maybe she can email me some pics for me to post...or maybe I can go over and email them to myself...or maybe Mari will email me some...hee hee hee...Hi Dad!

At the end of my ice-chopper...and hanging on!

Teddy asked me yesterday, "Mom, will there be any snakes out today?" Inside my head...I hope not, I hope not, I hope not! Out loud..."Well, it is getting warmer which means the ground is getting warmer...oh it's possible."

Slithered right by my shoeless feet as my little buddy and I sat jabbering over Cheerios...I still get the shivers thinking about it...and am sitting with my feet tucked under me at this moment!

First snake of the season...snake 0 Kari 1

I will accept applause...most humbly...I didn't even scream! And I didn't give in when now the kids want to keep me from killing the snakes and put them in a bucket to keep. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

So...we are walking circumspectly these days...with the ice-chopper in view!

Busy...being outside!

Swinging and snacking! This little guy is learning the fun stuff early! He got the empty cone and the big kids got the filled ones...good thing he doesn't know the difference...yet!

Teddy tried..."I can get one end on but not the other...I think I need some tools." We (I) decided to wait for Daddy to help..."too bad Ash, you can't ride it right now." I am sure one of these days...given the right tools and training...Teddy will be able to "fix on" his sister's bike. I wonder if they will let him!?

The sun still shines through the cobwebs OR The view from down here

As I sat in my chair yesterday, I looked around the room and mentally said, "Thank you, Lord, for the home that you have given us. It is so comfy. It is a restful place." But then...I started noticing that it was a dusty place, the floor needed to be vacuumed, windows needed to be washed, and so on. WHEN...I looked up...I saw cobwebs in the skylights.

I am short.

My duster is too short.

The ladder is at the shop.

"Oh forget it...the sun still shines through and lights up the room!" I mumbled to myself, "Stupid spiders...always making a mess...where I can't reach." About that time I remembered a book we had growing up (and still have) by the title Be Nice To Spiders...blah, blah, blah...ok, God made the spiders and remember...He has a sovereign plan...spiders are part of His plan. If not for them we would be over-run with bugs...just like the zoo animals in the book.

Now I am choking on the previous thoughts...and I started thinking about how my life is like a cobweb. It would be more glamorous to liken it to the window...but that was the not direction my brain went. Cobwebs are pretty when the dew sparkles on it in the early morning sun...this would happen on the other side of the glass, obviously! A web is a wonderful piece of art. It serves a very important purpose. And yes, it may be an irritant to some...because the light of God's Son should be shining through it...whether it is dark and stormy outside or not! I need to be careful what I allow to get caught in my web! I have a choice...where the spider does not.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave...when we practice to deceive." This little quote also came to mind as I meditate on this whole idea. I don't want a tangled up web...I have enough going on without adding to my to do list! And not wanting to deceive...here is the truth...I have lots of little bugs (and some big ones!) that get stuck in my web...and sometimes, rather than learning and growing (I will skip the gory facts of what the spiders do to their victims) from "those bugs"...I let them "ruin" the pretty design of the web. "Well...there is nothing I can do...or not going to do that again!" I let certain things drive me to distraction somedays...and I don't know why(well, in retrospect, I do, but...). God can give me the strength and grace to deal with various circumstances. But yet, I end up in tears of frustration with "the whole day is ruined"...or..."why should I even try?" Oh...and those pesky little bugs...messing up my web (life)...and they are not always my children, (if you were wondering)! Sometimes it is the to do list, the errands, trying to reach out, you name it! God doesn't want me to live like that! So I keep trying and leaning and studying and walking and reading...all the while...still struggling...

I know that I do this because I have a husband who points those things out to me...and a Holy Spirit who convicts me...daily. I am thankful for a loving, forgiving God who continues to work a beautiful plan in my life...and He can create a new web (a clean slate) for me each day.

I have always been intrigued by the fact that I can knock all the cobwebs down and the next day...there they are again! Persistant...because spiders depend on the web...without it they will starve eventually. Their lifespan is not all that long. Without depending on God...I won't make it either. Without reading His Word...I'll starve spiritually.

A reminder to me...I only have one life to please God and I must keep at it till He calls me Home! I will only gain perfection when I reach Heaven...lately...my imperfections have been very visible...and thankfully...the sun can still shine around the bugs...inspite of the bugs!

NOW...what lesson will I learn from the layer of dust...hmmm?

Just a thought...

"He who seeks friends without faults stays forever without friends."

I don't know who said this, but I am thankful for the reminder! I am so thankful for the friends that I have...old and new, near and far, young and old, and so goes the list. It is always nice to know that there is someone "out there" that I can go to when I feel my world is upside down. It is comforting to know that there are people who have "been there and done that" and can help me handle the "theres and thats and whats" of daily life.
God's Word is there to guide me...but it helps to have "someone with skin" to lean on while I walk life's path! I was reminded today not to forget about the importance of friends...and being the right kind of one!

First Official Picnic of the Year

I wonder...if you blacken the outside of the hot dog and smother it in condiments...does it help you forget what they are made of? (the table is clean...that is paint from last year's mother's day projects.)

Cheerios for me please!

"Lunch tastes better outside!"

"Do I look cool, Mom?"

"You're a good cooker, Mom."

Thank goodness for the warm weather...fuel up and fly little birdies...fly high and far...please!

Tents...

are a great place to eat lunch!

never have enough room for everyone and everything you want to put in it!

make movie watching even more fun!

It is quiet and peaceful in our house...thanks to the great tent makers of the week! And here I was feeling guilty for not having great, expensive, exciting plans to keep them occupied on spring break...all they wanted from me...lunch and snacks!

This is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket...

the kids clean it out and leave only the grass and empty shells! I need to go find some chocolate just for me and hide it! I am tired of sharing right now.

Singing Mom's favorite chorus...take 562

I can't find the music for this song...and I don't know the author of the words...but what a wonderful truth! The girls know the words..."but we're afraid we'll forget."

**You will have to pause the music at the bottom of the page...or it will be a strange tune!**

Time is a great big, little thing to children!

Just taking time to be at home...and enjoy the goodies from all the "easter bunnies"!
We're off to make a tent! Lunch in a tent...always tastes better...or so they say!

"Make a memory with your children, Spend some time to show you care; Toys and trinkets can't replace those Precious moments that you share. Money doesn't buy real pleasure, It doesn't matter where you live; Children need your own attention, Something only you can give. Childhood's days pass all too quickly, Happy memories all too few; Plan to do that special something, Take the time to go or do. Make a memory with your children, Take the time in busy days; Have some fun while they are growing, Show your love in gentle ways."

Elaine Hardt, 1977