Michael's Impulses....

I asked Michael to stop and pick up some milk last night on his way home. He agreed. He walked in the door and admitted to "impulse shopping" and promised to do better next time. ::snort:: I LOVE flowers - what a nice, totally unexpected treat....they make me smile every time I glance at them.

Friendship - "Bearing One Anothers Burden"

I know I talked about this a bit when we were walking through the waiting period of our last miscarriage. I am convinced that most simply don't know how to "be there", to weep and laugh with a friend and not try to "fix it". I read the book this quote is from years ago....and it is a good one... the book contains powerful thoughts on joy in the midst of terrific emotional pain. I really should review this book. I thought of giving it away last week - but I've highlighted it. ::snort:: I keep thinking of a couple of women who this book may minister to...still praying about which one to give it to - or maybe I should buy more copies.

I've also been thinking a lot about friendship and what God means for us to be for each other in relationship in the body of Christ. Thumbing through this book, I found this quote. It says it so well....THIS is the type of friend I want to be for others...and the type of friend that I pray God brings my way (and He has been faithful to do so).

"Did you ever take a real trip down inside the broken heart of a friend? To feel the sob of the soul - the raw, red crucible of emotional agony? To have this become almost as much yours as that of your soul-crushed neighbor? Then, to sit down with him - and silently weep? This is the beginning of compassion." Jess Moody quoted by Carol Kent in *When I Lay My Isaac Down - Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances* p 83.

CINDY - in regards to your comment on the Freezer Challenge....

Please talk your freezer friends into making ME some meals!!! We can put them on dry ice and mail them here...wala...freezer filled...I'll go to the pool!

Let me know if this will work! ::snort::

Freezer Dreaming

Well - I suspect that my hoarded freezer money will instead pay for 6 more months of insurance...well REALLY it will pay for another extended family thing that has come up and the insurance money will pay for insurance. Ah well - it's defrosted...maybe in another 6 months I'll have freezer money again. ::snort::

I am glad I looked, and I'm glad you all shared your opinions - thanks.

~INDUSTRIOUS MONDAY ~

I tried to find an "m" word that would work....ah well.

Quote of the Day: "Mine, HELP! Mine!" Stacia states, as she puts on several pairs boys' underwear and a bra....she has decided to quit wearing diapers today. THIS is the help she offers with laundry.

Curves....and my wrists hurt.

My goal this week is to get my pantry/freezer ready for the upcoming school year. I should also pay bills, work on Jamin's portfolio, order curriculum, and something else that I can't remember.

I got a group Shop Natural order together and FINALLY sent. We are ordering every two months now, so there was a bit of a learning curve. I still need to figure out how I'm going to divide the shipping cost. I had added 10% to each order but our group order is over $2,500 and we don't need THAT much for shipping. LOL

I pulled out all the 7 gal buckets of grain from the pantry, consolidated, vacuumed, cleaned shelves, and put it all back together. This didn't help my wrists.

We got a call from Tricia inviting us to go to the pool...but I said, "no"! ACK - can you believe it? I said no to fun, so that I could work!!!! I felt bad all day for not going to the pool......but then good about the progress made on our projects. I called Tricia late in the afternoon and she understood. I really couldn't go as I was in the middle of defrosting the beast and had food in the coolers in the heat....

The first place to begin with the freezers was to DEFROST the BEAST and to clean the other two out. Before:

All the food was loaded into coolers....

We made a list of what we have. I organized the upright as best as I could.

We decided to use the fridge/freezer in the garage for frozen smoothie fruit, bread, nuts and such. LOOK what I found in the freezer....can you read the box on the bottom left, Liz? Other than the chocolate, this is our crunchy fridge. Jamin baked bread. I now have 6 loaves in the freezer.....and another 4 will be ready to go in by bedtime. There will be 7 loaves of 7 grain and 3 loaves of Italian.....

I froze two flats of strawberries and they are in the freezer of the newly cleaned and organized "crunchy fridge". This fridges holds our milk and produce. LOL

We ate something for dinner. Mike didn't get home until well after 8:00. I'm trying to get Stacia down and waiting for Cy to get home from work.

FREEZER UPDATE

I SWORE last time I defrosted the beast that we'd buy a new one before I did it again.....but I'm not sure we will.... We've begun to look at freezers. We've always had a chest freezer (21 cu ft) until we bought this one used. It's about 16 cu ft and isn't big enough. But I LOVE being able to get things out of the freezer without leaning over the edge and needing to be pulled out by my ankles.

We aren't 100% sure which type to get. Chest (energy efficient) or Upright (MUCH easier for a short woman and children to use).

At Sears the gentlemen tried to talk me OUT of buying a freezer. He told me that no one buys them any longer. He told me that folks only buy enough groceries to make it to the next week. He tried to sell me a HUGE computerized $2000 fridge. I told HIM that I already OWN two fridges and need a FREEZER. The biggest they had was a 19.5 chest or a 20 upright.

The chest freezer had a new selling point. It is full of these plastic compartments and baskets. Does anyone else have one like this? Does the plastic last? Does it make it a LOT easier to use a chest freezer? I really did have trouble with the 21 cu feet chest freezer.

But the real selling point... is that this particular freezer comes with a few ounces of organic meat....

Family Fun Gone Awry Part 2.

Quote of the Day: "If a man's nose runs, he just sucks it all back up and the snot goes into his brain. A man's brain is filled with snot." ::snort:: ::gasp:: ::gag:: Michael informs me that Zander is not the best spokesmen men have ever had.

Fully drugged, I went through Sunday. Migraine is now at a dull roar.

10:45 - Traditional Service and Fellowship

12:30 - 1:30 - Lunch at BK

1:45 - Gospel Service

4:00 - home and ready to head to Neon Jungle and then Coldstone for some family fun

4:25 - Michael is called to the base for an "emergency"

(We may never get the older two young men coordinated with Michael's time off. ::snort::)

Michael told me to go ahead and take the kids golfing and he'd catch up with us.

Neon Jungle...

Zander's unique golfing stance

Walking the mall - went to check out freezers at SearsColdstone...

Home to play Lord of the Ring Trivia on the big screen....

Michael just called and is heading home. My computer is still not working....now THIS computer's delete key has worn out. ::snort::