Timing is everything

I like to think of myself as a detail-oriented person. Most of the time. For the times I can't remember the details, I carefully write them down in my...handy-dandy...NOTEBOOK. (Sorry, when you live with a three year old, you never know what will pop into your head!) I don't pay attention to details that are not important to me. This has been a source of contention in our marriage.

About two months ago Phil decided to use a thermometer to monitor the temperatures in the fridge & freezer. He systematically alternated it between the two & kept careful watch on the temperature levels. He also expected me to keep a detailed eye on it too. But as I didn't deem it important enough, I didn't care to keep track of figures. When he asked if the freezer was staying at 10 degrees or if the fridge was around the 40s range, I just grunted a "uh-huh" hoping he would drop it. I kept the dials on the back of the fridge at 3 & B, and that was good enough for me. I started noticing things weren't as cold as they usually were & that the ice was slightly melting, but I attributed this to Phil messing with the dials, which were now set on 2 & B. He noticed changes too, but changes in his temperature levels. So he started asking questions...specific questions...and my disinterest in numbers & levels & details soon came to light. He was sadly disappointed I didn't share his interest in cooling temperatures.

Well, at around 10pm last night, all the details in the world didn't make a difference as our refrigerator's compressor seized up & ceased to function. There was no reviving it. Phil transferred as much frozen stuff as would fit in the fridge in hopes of keeping it cool until morning. This morning he went to Lowe's & brought home a new fridge.

I have to say that although his obsession with the temperature did drive me a little crazy, I am thankful that he was keeping a close tab on things. I'm also grateful that our fridge choose to kick the bucket last night rather than a week from now when we are in Virginia!

The moral to this little story? Even though details are important,

...timing is everything.

Unfinished projects

Anyone that knows me well, knows I like to keep busy. And not just busy with housework & raising children, but busy with projects - like painting, crocheting, sewing, stamping, scrapbooking, tie dying, you name it. The problem is that I'm notorious for leaving my projects half-finished. This drives my husband crazy. He also doesn't understand why I don't have time for doing paperwork, balancing the checkbook, & making phone calls for his business, but I do have time to crochet. Duh! Anyway...I have been working on a baby blanket for my cousin, whose daughter is now 18 months. The problem is, it's tedious work, it takes full concentration (you have to count stitches), and it takes a lot of time to get one section finished. I have been frustrated with it, so naturally, I started another baby afghan. This one I finished in a day & a half. I have no idea who it's for, but I'm certain it will come in handy someday. And besides, it has given me a sense of accomplishment & boosted my confidence so that I can begin work again on the other one. I wish I could be more like my sister-in-law, Ruthie, who faithfully labored for months to crochet an afgan for a friend, who has made her fair share of full-sized blankets...and finished every one of them! The last full-sized one I made took me 5 years, and when I laid the finished product on our bed, I could see where two rows had become one. I vowed never to crochet a big afghan again. I have a half finished painting of two lilies on my mantel that mocks me every time I am in the living room, cross-stitch projects have been neatly tucked away in some crate, and sewing supplies strewn all over my craft table. When I finally finish something, not only is there pride in the work I've completed, but there is determination not to start another thing ever again...until the next great idea comes along!

My boys

It's been fun watching & listening to my boys as they grow into their "masculine" role & as they play together. On Father's Day, they took over the TV with their dad & watched golf for several hours. It still cracks me up to imagine Daniel saying "Tiger Woods" in his east coast accent "TI-guh". A few days later they were still talking about it, so Phil made them each a golf club from some spare wood. Then last week he took them to see Jeff Burton's race car that had a picture of gymnast Shawn Johnson on the side. The boys made commentary while the girls watched the gymnastic nationals..."And there's Shawn Johnson." Yesterday they were driving their race cars (bikes) around the driveway, talking in their "manly" voices, "And Jeff BUH-ton races around & around...BRRRRUMMMMM." They can be the best of friends...and the worst enemies. This morning @ 7am, it was the battle of the words. We finally couldn't take it anymore & banned them from talking for 10 min. Silly the things parents do, but it worked. After moments of silent contemplation, they're back to getting along great.

Monday. monday...

...so good to me...

I won't tell you how many Mondays I have wanted to use that, but it hasn't seemed right...until today. Most Mondays are overwhelming and stressful for me - trying to get caught up from the mess & hectic schedule of the weekend. I usually take Sundays off, and I always feel like I pay for it on Mondays. But last night I took matters into my own hands. Phil wasn't too sure about working on the "Sabbath", but after only an hour of straightening up, he agreed it wasn't such a bad idea. It's wonderful to start Monday clean. Usually the clutter is everywhere & the counters are piled with dirty dishes & Sunday school papers. Something about starting Monday off on the right foot gives me a better perspective for my week.

If you say so...

Daniel: "Daddy, you know who's makin' the rain? It's water guns!"
Phil: "Who is shooting the water guns?"
Daniel: "Really tall people."
Phil: "Where are they?"
Daniel: "They are up on the roof! We can't see them 'cause we're inside."

On vacation...no place to go

Last Wednesday Phil got to a stopping point with work & didn't have anything urgent lined up, so he decided to make a trip to his folks' to finish siding their shed & spent some time with his Dad for Father's Day. He joked with our church on Sunday morning (while delivering the announcements) that when he decided to go, I packed a bag for him AND the kids & said, "Have a great time!" Haha. The truth is they were having VBS & Grandma had already invited the kids to spend the week there.

By 3pm on Wednesday my family left me all alone, with nothing but the Voth van for transportation. Let's just say - anywhere I wanted to go didn't sound worth driving that clunky ol' van around town for! So I pretty well stayed put. Shari spent a lot of time here - we textured the kids' bathroom & painted it. The color's growing on me, but I still think it's too dark & am kicking myself for not going w/ my instincts. Maybe some day I'll learn my lesson. :)

Yesterday we had a relaxing Father's Day. We had Phil's favorites: BLT's & beets for lunch, and waffles & white sauce for supper. His family eats white sauce over waffles instead of syrup, and our family prefers it too.

White sauce for Waffles:

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar

In a saucepan, melt butter. Take off heat & add flour, mix thouroughly. Return to heat, add milk & whisk/stir continually over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, add sugar & vanilla. Stir & serve hot.

Garage Sale

Last Fall I wrote a story about the phenomenon that is Garage sales. This past weekend, Emily & I had another one. Friday turned out to be a beautiful day, after storms the night before. By 2pm we weren't seeing too many "customers", so we closed up early & took the kids swimming, which was a wonderful reward for a hard day's work. Yesterday was just downright discouraging. We had a few customers trickle through in the morning, but after 10am...nothing. My grand total for the day was $11.25. The kids too were disappointed in how little pop they sold. It's no fun to sit out in the heat when no one shows up! They got so desperate, they offered the mailman a bottle of water. Phil later found that our signs had been pulled out from the ground at the entrance to our subdivision & that explained it. It also didn't help that the wind was blowing 100mph & that there were countless other sales in nicer neighborhoods. By 1pm we had called it quits & were all a little grouchy. In the past we've only done our sale on Saturday, so we were thankful to have done it Friday too, and have some profit to show for our work. After 3 years of doing this, I think we've reached the end of our "junk", although we might accumulate enough for another sale next summer, but I hope not! Still, selling some is better than nothing & it always feels good to declutter & downgrade.