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Happy Saturday!
Today’s quote is from a motivational speaker: “You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”
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A matter of life
Joel Osteen?
Sounds like Zig Ziglar to me.
If I win, maybe a digital hot chocolate to enjoy in the Wisconsin northwoods. I don’t drink coffee.
Can I ask y’all a question? Would you be embarrassed to let someone in your house right now? Since my son has started bringing home friends from the neighborhood, I’ve had a couple of the kids make remarks about my house not being clean enough. It’s not perfect but I try to make sure everything is clean for at least five minutes once a week. In other words it’s all new dirt. But I have trouble believing these kids homes, most of who have multiple siblings and working moms, are any better. I’m getting a little frustrated. Am I suppose to set my son in front of the TV for four hours a day so the house is spotless for the approval of a six year old who may barge in any time. I’m also paranoid about what they are telling their parents.
Kbells, wow, it’s hard to believe kids would even care. Maybe they’re used to their mom apologizing for the state of her house and they think that’s what a person is supposed to say!
And no, I wouldn’t want someone to drop in on me now, or most of the time. If I finish today’s list, by the end of the day my house should be semi-OK, but it is never perfectly tidy.
kbells- If you saw our house, you would not worry. Perhaps your neighbors watch too much TV, seeing the ever spotless houses. Or their working mothers hire a maid service to keep things up. To me, I would rather visit a house with the “lived-in” look, than something from Better Homes and Gardens.
KBells,
Yes. I’ve been too tired lately to care, and we haven’t had anyone over on a regular basis since we ended our Sunday evening small group Bible study due to my husband’s work schedule.
We had company for Thanksgiving, and I tried to clean up a little. Occasionally my husband brings a friend or two from work over with him. I sometimes say, trying to sound joking, that they are welcome if they promise to ignore the mess.
I wonder sometimes what the adults think but don’t say. But I can’t imagine kids saying anything about it.
Wow! I wonder at children saying this also. I would wonder why? Most homes are not clean every minute of the day. In my mom’s time (50’s and 60’s) it was expected and lots of homes had parlors earlier than that just for visitors. Guests didn’t roam the house. Then came the recreation rooms of later times, so that a more formal living room was always ready for company. Now we have great rooms. How they are kept clean if you have little ones is beyond me. Size of a home has a lot to do with this also. The bigger the home, the easier to have places to put things.
I have no children, but there are still times my home is in disarray for various reasons. If one is baking up a storm, rearranging a closet,doing a hobby, etc, there may be a mess. We recently had company that only gave us a half-hour warning. When they arrived the woman laughed and asked if I had to run around and pick up. My husband had cleared the kitchen table off, a major catch-all here, while I was occupied with other things. The only people I know who are always ready for company have no children or are impossible to live with IMO, or have such big homes they have special rooms for all messy endeavors, or they do nothing but watch tv themselves.
Next time a child says that, maybe you should tell them to not come over without an hour to clean up. Or maybe you should suggest to whatever child of yours is this child’s playmate that they can do some chores instead of playing. It is not up to mom only to clean up after everyone else. Everyone needs to help keep up. I know, I know, that is often a better theory than a reality.
Okay, I feel better now. I need to just chill. I don’t want to turn into my aunt who had plastic on her living room couch.
“Or maybe you should suggest to whatever child of yours is this child’s playmate that they can do some chores instead of playing.”
I’m working on that.
KBells, I meant to include the child who says something to also do the chores with your child. That would larn ‘im.
Mumsee- There is a fresh cinnamon roll awaiting you on the WV thread for 1/11, #58. Hands off, Paula!
Also my apologies to Pauline are there for accusing her of taking the half roll I left for mumsee the day before.
Pauline #9 I like that. Most of the time they leave the house a bigger mess.
Peter L. wins! Zig Ziglar is correct. Please enjoy your digital hot chocolate…
(just scrape off the whipped cream if you don’t like it…)
~~@0)
Zig Ziglar? Is he the motivational speaker that lives in the van down by the river?
Well, thank you, Peter L! That was delicious. And I am not one to complain, as you know, but it sure was small. In fact, if I did not know better, I would think it was just the very inside of a cinnamon roll. almost like somebody came along and took the very end, then a bit more thinking it would look better, and then a bit more, until there was very little left. Cheryl D was seen in the area..
KBells,
Kids say things and like somebody mentioned, it is probably how they think they are supposed to talk. Just love them and let them know they are welcome, encourage them to pitch in on the chores, and your house will become a home of welcome. The people are more important than the place and if you let them know that, you can point them to the One.
kbells…I know I have suggested this before and I sound like some sort of zombie when it comes to this but check out Flylady.net. Everyday she sends out little “missions” for you to do. You spend a week 15 minutes a day in a different “zone” of your house. Every Monday she encourages you to “clean around the edges”. That means you feather dust the furniture as quickly as you can, vacuum the center of the rooms and mop the floor. She encourages you to take no more than an hour to do this. If I am remembering correctly there are 5 zones in your house. Master bedroom, kitchen, living room, dining room - entry, and one other room. The week you are in the master bedroom you throw away everything that is in or on the nightstands that don’t belong there. Sometimes in the kitchen you are encouraged to take an old toothbrush and clean around the sink taps, but it is never anything obsessive compulsive. I sometimes think if I had found her earlier, I might still be married. George and I were like Oscar and Felix from the Odd Couple and I’ll only give you one guess as to which was Oscar!!!!
Other than that—don’t beat yourself up. In a hundred years which will matter more, your child and his offspring or no dust bunnies under the bed?
Don’t mess with Texas. Two Dallas cops have been fired after a night of drinking with a country musician. I’ve never heard of him, but there’s a country singer of some success named Steve Holy. He lives in Dallas, and recently he and a friend were at a Greenville Avenue bar when he saw an off duty cop he knows. He went over and said hi, and the ODC introduced him to a couple other off duty Dallas cops. After a night of drinking, they all went back to Holy’s place to play foosball. At some point, the original cop who had introduced the other two to Holy left. As the drinking went on, the two cops began to challenge Holy’s claim that he’s a country music star, growing more and more belligerent. Eventually they pulled out guns and told the men to lie on the floor or they’d blow their heads off. It’s a pretty wild story. One of the cops is 48 and the other is 25. They’re both recent graduates of the academy. I know booze make you do stupid stuff, but this story makes you wonder about the type of men attracted to police work. If you go to dallasnews.com, you can read the story and listen to the 911 call.
I know of one college age guy that regularly comments on the cleanliness of the home he is visiting. Well, shall I say, he used to comment.
Most of the homes he visited were your average homes- not yucky messy, but clutter piles here or there or a few dishes in the sink. One time he commented on the cobwebs in the vaulted ceiling. the hostess proceeded to hand him a broom and thanked him for noticing and getting them down. There was a room full of people and we all laughed.
He truly did not get that his comments were rude. He tends to speak without thinking. After several people informed him that his verbal observations were a bit rude, he began to settle down a bit.
#13 Night train,
That brought a smile to my face too as the rather large sized salesman pulled up the waist of his pants.
#16 Night Train,
I used to say cops are like preachers. Some cops have the wrong kind of God complex and some preachers the right kind.
Both can act pretty weird when drunk and it can be difficuilt to tell which ones have what God complex when they have guns in their hands
Now I just say some cops think they are \ god and some preachers know they aren’t.
Peter V- I think our B.D. had too much caffeine today and is confused as to which one of us guessed right (and I didn’t even try!) I believe this is for you:
Peter L. wins! Zig Ziglar is correct. Please enjoy your digital hot chocolate…
(just scrape off the whipped cream if you don’t like it…)
~~@0)
NOTE to Lynn- There are now three of us with the same first name on here: myself, Peter V and Peter Leavitt. I would think the other two would be insulted if you thought us one in the same.
Remember this: I am the Chiefs fan, Peter Leavitt is the intelligent one with the last initial L, and I really don’t know much about Peter V.
I have a friend who keeps a spotless house except for places that she either can’t see or can’t reach easily like the top of the refrigerator. More than once I’ve seen her hand some tall, tactless man a rag and make him clean off the top of her frig because he made some comment about it. Her motto is, “I can’t see it so it doesn’t bother me. If it bothers you, clean it.” I personally tend to fall somewhere north of slob, well into “lived in” territory (and I don’t have husband or children to blame either!)
kBells: The next time a kid says something like THAT about your house, try this line:
“The last person who said something like that ended up as the bag in my vacumn cleaner. He is about worn out and I’m looking for a new bag. I’m glad you are here.”
Zig Ziglar? Is he the motivational speaker that lives in the van down by the river?
ROTFL — only if he’s 35 years old and thrice divorced…
If it makes you feel any better, my Christmas tree is still up.
Our house is slightly cleaner than usual–a college student doing a local internship with GE for the semester moved in with us last week, so I have a little motivation to do better!
Here’s a prayer request:
Karen and Mark share a Chemistry post at Calvin College, and have three school-age children.
Thanks.
Thanks, Harris, for letting us know. Praying.
Night train and others:
Never ever ever have booze and loaded firearms in the same room. Some sober mean dudes become lovable pups when you get them liquored up.
Some sober nice guys get drunk and become violent bullies. I dont worry so much about cops with a god complex. The only thing worse than a cop with a Gestapo complex is a cop with an SS complex and both of those complexes can emerge after you add alcohol.
Two unrelated news items:
The decayed remains of the female marine and her unborn 8mos baby were found. They were in a shallow grave/trench in the backyard of the fellow the dead gal had accused of raping/inseminating her. The suspect is now on the lam. He wrote a note to his wife saying the dead gal committed suicide and he merely buried her.
Item #2:
In the 30s the USA had a home-grown fascist movemt. They were called the Silvershirts. Their national HQ in the USA? Asheville North Carolina!!
Sawgunner,
Asheville is home to all sorts of odd folks, but it’s a beautiful city/area! It’s one of my favorite places to be.
Then is more good news on the success that is Iraq. Sadam’s party is being resurrected. Aren’t cha glad we invaded? Thanks Bush. You did it to us again.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22623291/
Sawgunner- I can attest that Asheville is home to all sorts of odd folks- it’s where I live =).
I truly love Asheville. I love the people. I love the culture. I love the authenticity. You don’t have to wonder who the liberals/ conservatives are- they tell you on the bumper stickers on their cars. You don’t have to wonder who is a witch or a pagan or a wiccan high priestess or a southern baptist. Trust me- you will know.
I haven’t met any fascists,yet, and hopefully I won’t. Of all the odd people I have met here, most haven’t been hateful. I like that.
If you want to come visit- i’ll take you around and show you the sights.
Speaking of dirty houses…
I used to wish my wife did a little better job on the house cleaning. She simply wasn’t taught how as she was growing up, so much of it just isn’t done. (And yes, I do mop, sweep, dust, wash dishes, and clean the bathroom occasionally - I’m not a totally insensitive jerk, just a partially insensitive jerk!) She has kept the place neat, and recently we’ve had the money to buy furniture, so she has decorated a bit. I’m enjoying it. In fact I enjoy it more with the perspective of the following event:
One day, I was called to a house to do an estimate for cabinets. When I got to the house, the owner was in the garage with his son cleaning out a mildewy mass of junk. As the owner led me through the door, I was hit with a strong odor of dog. I was led through the kitchen where there were spots of “stuff” all over the floor. In the study, where I was to measure for bookcases, there were piles of books, papers, and electronics.
And covering everything in the house was a thick layer of dog hair.
I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I never called the man back with his estimate, and never again complained about my wifes housekeeping.
30, 32:
Trust me–I have only heard good stuff about Asheville. I can find it on a map even though my knowledge of North Carolina is limited mainly to Fayetteville and the 82nd.
Speaking of map IQ, someone needs to tell Lynn Vincent where New Mexico is (see the map on page 64 of the 12 Jan issue) Oops!
Does anyone in Asheville even know who William Dudley Pelley was? Does Galahad College still exist?
I prayed Harris. Please keep us updated.
God bless Karen, and her family and those of you who are praying and holding them close to your hearts.
Here’s an interesting case involving a conscientious objector claim filed by a Christian who claimed while in the service to have come to realize that war involves “complete separation from God”.
The First Circuit decided that the Army’s denial of her claim was without merit.
Is the theology sound?
Was the Army wrong and the court right?
http://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?n=07%2D1090&s=MA%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&d=34917
SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2008
Happy Birthday Karen O!
I pray the year ahead will be full of God’s best gifts - His love, His peace and His joy. May He also give you His strength and grace in all things.
Enjoy this day - so thankful my world has been blessed with your life!
Well, this is never easy to write …
My wife’s dear friend Karen died this morning (3 a.m.); septic shock. We got the phone call 6:40 or so. The call — well, you knew what it was at that hour; at that hour you always know what it is.
There’s a picture on the kitchen table: my wife and Karen out at a Lake Michigan sunset, talking while the kids play. It’s almost unbearable.
Karen leaves behind her very loving husband Mark, a high school son John, a middle school daughter Carolyn, and a dearly beloved son, Joel, in elementary school.
The speed, the suddenness of it all has us stunned. Time for church. Gotta go.
Harris,
My sincere sympathy to Karen’s family, your wife…all of you!
How very difficult and sad.
#37 Presumably if a person really was a conscientious objector he/she would not VOLUNTEER to be in the all VOLUNTEER armed forces.
I read a similar incident. A gal writer for one of the Ivy League newspapers went to visit a relative who was a midshipman at Annapolis. The Ivy reporterette chronicled her impression of the campus. She wrote ominously about how thoroughly militarized, regimented etc the academy is.
Ya think?
By the time I got back here yesterday, my hot chocolate had gotten cold. Hopefully even though it was mine, Peter L went ahead and drank it.
Oh Harris we will all keep this family in our prayers.
Thanks Harris.
My sympathy, Harris, and prayers for all of you, esp. the children. So hard for adults to understand, let alone the children.
Strange and scary things have been happening lately. In the past few months, I have had two friends nearly die, be on ventilation and dialysis from illnesses which sounded much like Karens - Harris’s beloved friend that sadly died. One got a difficult case of strep in the finger and one got staph in the finger.
One had a bad case of chapped hands and the strep entered there, the other used to bite his fingernails and the staph entered at the nail. Both had surgery where their entire arm from shoulder to finger was cut open and the last stop gap antibiotic used to kill it. Both were in the hospital for a couple of weeks and it took a couple of months before their arms could be sewed back together for final healing.
These kinds of illnesses were unheard of even a few years ago. Both feel lucky to be alive today but our prayers were answered more positively for us then.
Mea culpa. I got on this morning, did not read the last several posts, then posted my flippant comment about virtual hot chocolate. Now as I get on to see what is going on I see my comment as being totally out of synch with the most recent part of the thread. I apologize.
Harris my sympathies to you and to your wife and to Karen’s family. Especially the three children. May God give all of you who have been left with a hole in your lives strength to get through the next days and weeks and months.
Harris, I sorry to hear about your friend.
I found out today that the lady I always sit next to in church is in the hospital. She had been battling cancer for as long as I’ve known her and things don’t look good. Her name is Janice.
MiM, I’ve learned that unless I want to hear story like yours to never ask a service person to excuse your house. It starts with, “Oh this ani’t nothing, you should have seen the house I was in last week.”
Harris, I am so sorry. Mark and the children and you and your wife are in my prayers.
Harris, I am sorry. What a sudden, difficult loss for everyone. Friends are never recognized as “official” grievers, but I know this will be hard on your wife as well as on the family.
Kbells,
If you’re still reading this, I heartily endorse Kim’s recommendation of flylady.net. It’s helped me get a grip on maintaining my house, as well as letting go of wanting things to be perfect. Flylady also encourages you to see cleaning as a way of blessing your family and yourself - whether or not they notice or agree.
BTW, separate from Flylady, I made a huge step forward with keeping the house out of chaos when I started expecting the kids and their friends to pick up the toys they were finished playing with.
Harris,
So sorry to hear of the loss of your family friend. Sudden deaths are such a shock. We’ll be praying for your friends family.
Recently I read about deadly bacterial infections that can kill within 72 hours. You can read about them here:
http://www.rd.com/content/methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus/
I’m wondering if your friend/s had this type infection. Llama?
Harris,
I’m so sorry about your friend. You and your wife must be heartbroken.
I will continue to keep this family in prayer, and you and your wife too.
God bless and comfort all of you.
Okay I just checked out Flylady. It might work.
MIM,
MRSA seems to be a significant thing but then when I hear medical people talk, I wonder if it is blown out of proportion or just catching on. It seems to be running rampant but that might just be the news. I don’t know what to think.
There were some cases of MRSA around here, including at the schools my sons attend. The leader of our small group is a doctor, and when the subject came up he didn’t consider it a grave threat. Something to be careful about, of course, but nothing that was likely to get out of control.
Thanks Pauline, that is about where I thought it was. Be aware, take precautions, don’t live in fear. Kind of like the Christian walk.
Hi every one!
I haven’t been around in a while, but it’s good to be back!
Hi Liz,
Welcome back, where have you been?