great day to read

so one good thing about snowstorms is that you kind of feel entitled to a snow day. i took that liberty this afternoon, and finished reading the Shack (link to amazon down at the bottom of my blog...).

great book. the premise is that a guy has a terrible crime committed against his family, and is invited by God to spend the weekend with Him, hashing out the details of the devastation, and His love for the guy.

i read some mixed reviews. alot of worries about shaky theology. but i thought it was a very creative way to approach describing God. my pastor mentioned it in passing, and i think he liked it too. good enough for me.

go read it!

hundred percent

chance of snow. yep, march is going out like a lion.

so i'm going to concentrate on better days ahead. like the day i'm going to sew a cute summer skirt with this new amy butler fabric.





i'd like to think this will help me from being crabby today, but the verdict is still out on that one.

the great heist

i stole a bike last night. a really nice one. and i have to tell you, i got a pretty good adrenaline rush from the whole experience. perhaps i should explain.

i should note that the story REALLY began about 6 or 7 years ago, when i had a bike stolen from my apartment. then about 3 years ago, a 2nd bike was stolen from my back yard. i admit i am not really good at "locking up," so i guess i was on my way to learning a lesson the hard way.

then a little over a year ago, i bought my honey a bike. it might have been a big pipe dream, but he wanted one and said he would ride it. which he did for a little while, even though biking in SD in winter has a good set of challenges. unfortunately, the cute blue Giant bike i selected had problems. ALOT of problems. so many, it was rendered pretty useless by about mid summer, when i finally got sick of taking it to the shop.

in a quest to find a cheaper solution to the $400 dilemmma on our hands, i got him a really nice used Giant at a pawn shop. it wasn't exactly what Phillip wanted, but hey, it was a gift. only $150 too. i figured if HE did not ride it, perhaps i would. except that exactly 24 hours after the purchase, it was stolen. yep. right out from under us. because we forgot to get a lock for it right away (oh yeah, gotta do that in these parts, i guess). anyway, if you are still with me, that makes for 3 stolen bikes.

the next bike was a Specialized (pictured). bought AGAIN for Phillip who did not want to give up on the bike dream. Great bike, but he liked the Giant better. And to be honest, this past winter, he did not ride it much....it's been waaaaaaaaay too snowey for biking most of the time.

so, when he decided to get it out of the garage and lube it up a couple of weeks ago, i was impressed. maybe he really is going to be a bike guy. until. yeah. you guessed it.

the VERY afternoon he started riding it, he went to starbucks for some coffee and ALTHOUGH I DARN NEAR COULD NOT BELIEVE IT, somebody stole it. because he left the key IN the lock outside the coffee shop. only was going in for a quick cup o' joe, and who steals bikes at starbucks, land of the yuppies?

go figure.

so, story gets good here. last evening, we were cruising around the neighborhood for no apparent reason. well, i guess there was a reason, we just didn't know it yet. we drove by the local soup kitchen, which is maybe a couple of miles from both our houses. and OMG, there it was!! locked up with OUR OWN lock, outside the Banquet.

the heart started racing quick at that point, Phillip jumped out and yelled at me to drive to his apt. and get the spare lock key he had. i wanted to call the police, but he said no. i made him wait by the bike, and sped off.

i think i maybe broke a couple driving laws, but i got back pretty quickly. i was rarin' for a fight. i was really going to let the guy have it when he came for the bike, considering it was my FOURTH stolen bike. nobody gets four bikes stolen without becomming Rambo. even me. ha. unfortunately (I MEAN FORTUNATELY), it was not nearly as dramatic. Phillip (not wanting an altercation, apparently) just unlocked the bike, we drove about a block, loaded it up in the honda and went home! wow! what are the odds of that happening?!

funny thing is, the Banquet was closed that night. so whoever took the bike probably was parking it there for safe keeping, knowing it was stolen. who knows. it makes me sad that somebody needs a bike that bad, but honestly. DO NOT STEAL A BIKE FROM ME. because given the opportunity, i will steal it back from you :)

here we come horton!!

going batty

i cannot even begin to predict how nutso i will become if we ACTUALLY get the ten inches of snow that is predicted for this evening. seriously, people. it will not be pretty.

better day

ah. today is a good day, feeling much better than yesterday. as "luck" would have it, Carey and I are working on a project of which the subject matter is ... hope.

i find that when i am overwhelmed by the details and circumstances of life, i am usually not focused too much on hope. but the overriding life view that is always within my grasp is very hopeful. i know that life has meaning, a purpose beyond just the "stuff" we do every day. i know that God is the supplier of hope, the only real way to be happy in this world. i know that hope is real, and tangible, and that i have a lifeline to it.

so for those of you who saw my post yesterday, and were alarmed, i'm sorry. i didn't mean to do that to you. i am fine, just some things are out of my control, and i must be pryed away from the "control" button every time. i have given over today to hope. the hope that all is as it should be, and even if it isn't perfect, it's good.

here's hoping that you have hope in your day also :)

slight change in plans

so, putting in a new sink last weekend didn't seem like that big a deal. until we found out we had to demo part of the WALL to replace a huge 3' section of steel pipe that was corroded and rotten. so, in the midst of carefully picking off the UGLY GREY PLASTIC TILES THAT I HATE, i made a small suggestion that we simply demo the walls.

which we did. it made fixing the pipe very easy.


but NOW what do we do?!

:_)

cute.

this is one of the coolest news stories i have seen in awhile. i think the owners of this care facility must be the REAL angels.

(taken from keloland news website):

Snowfall Grants 97-Year-Old’s Wish

When people in Rosholt heard there was a snow storm coming this week, they were hoping the conditions would allow them to grant a 97-year old woman's wish.

Earlier this winter, Alice Anderson told workers at the Rosholt Care Center she has always wanted to make a snow angel. So they've waited all winter for a snowfall when it's been warm enough to take Alice outside.

Friday morning, Alice made her first snow angel, accompanied by a few friends.

Workers at the Rosholt Care Center say they are happy to help their resident's wishes come true. This is the same facillity that helped a 98-year old man take his frist modern tractor ride in September.

still.

still. snowing.

still. sicker than sick.

still. praying.


that by tomorrow i will be better and get to enjoy an Easter service with my honey.

getting sick of this guy

he has been around since the weekend, and is NOT WELCOME here!

amazing grace

so, i'm a little behind the times. but last night, i finally got a chance to see amazing grace.

then, when i went to bed i had a strange dream in which i was supposed to tell everyone about it! and the silly part is, i cannot remember what i was supposed to say! arrrrghhhh. i wish i could remember more, i really do. i know it had something to do with the TRUTH being true, even when we cannot see it at the time. through the whole movie, i was thinking about how abolishing the slave trade was so much like trying to ban abortion, the thing we are facing now in our country (the "politically incorrect" thing). doh. silly brain :)

anyway, it's a good flick if you have not seen it yet. i like british period films anyway, because they usually have a bit of humor. i guess i just like dry humor. although i usually am a bit more blatant when i try to be funny :)

the next film which is supposed to have some subtle references to the abortion issue is "horton hears a who" which of course has the famous "a person is a person no matter how small" line. perhaps my dream about it will be a little more clear!

us vs. the sink

or is it we vs. the sink?

at any rate, the wrestlin' match with the new sink happened this weekend. here's the score:

number of times to local handyman store: 3

number of times i wanted to send phillip home and hire a professional plumber: 2

number of broken items in process: 1 (broken ceramic chicken, don't ask)

number of swear words used: 1 or 2

number of bruised knees from bending on bathroom floor all weekend: 4

satisfaction with final product (and the plumber extraordinaire): 5 stars


schwew.

cough syrup and music

ah. there is nothing quite like "the morning after."

i am in a rock star / God-induced stupor today after the third day show last night.

love. that. band.

some of my favorite memories:

kristie swigging cough syrup between acts, as we ALL have some kind of "crud" in our systems from the long SD winter

phillip and i holding hands and singing together

mac powell doing .... everything mac powell does :)

praising God and true, genuine worship midway thru. NOTHING like being together with other believers and worshipping boldly

seeing my friend doug, who is battling cancer and was there to meet up with the boys in the band, courtesy of some string pulling by friends

watching a young guy SING his heart out with mac after being pulled up from the audience, and sure enough, he could sing very well, which made the crowd roar

anticipation of the next time...whenever that might be. kristie and i think "groupie" is on our list of things to be when we grow up


:)

not quite the kitchen sink

apparently, the nearly five year mark is when houses start to fall apart through and through. which is fine with me, because i want new stuff.

anyway, the bathroom sink is the latest thing to go. my water bill was actually double last month because of the dripping faucet! crazy.

this photo is bad, but you get the idea of the purchase we made. the very tiniest vanity i could find. i'm sure it's faux everything, but i thought it kind of looked vintage. we had to order it, and hopefully get to pick it up today.

oh. ps. kirsten, i just noticed i bought the exact same faucet as you. so, i guess we are sharing some homeowner milestones :)

happiness!

speaking of colored walls

i'm getting sick of my paprika ones in the kitchen. i was thinking of something significantly lighter. and maybe a touch happier. and slightly vintage. yet modern. and artsy, but not too weird. something that matches my stuff. and allows me to make cute, matching curtains.

anyhoo. i ALMOST bought some baked squash and spicey jalapeno to throw on the walls this weekend, and then i chickened out.

whattya think?

Three Days to Third Day!

(settle down, Lou).

martha rules

Leave it to Martha Stewart to be "man" enough to admit her error...which is why i love her!

here's what happened: in january, with the onslaught of winter hitting me full-force, i decided to order a subscription to Marth Stewart Living. just for the pretty pictures. no other reason :)

then, i waited. earlier this week, i finally got TWO issues at once, the february issue, which is lovely, and the march issue. unfortunately, i had already purchased the feb issue, and valentines day is long over. i was kinda bummed but let it go until TODAY, when the april issue came.

now that's too dang many magazines for one week. so, ticked off and prepared for a fight, i called customer service.

talked to a nice lady named adrienne who IMMEDIATELY apologized and said that sometimes people are double-whammied, but usually not triple whammied. then, she proceeded to extend my subscription by TWO whole months! so technically, i get 13 issues for the price of 12.

and, i have my weekend plans all mapped out :)

thanks, martha.

stressful day

NOT.

sneak peek

mixed messages

so, over the lunch hour, while i was eating at my desk (busy day!), here are the 2 websites i sought out. i think i need to consider the conflicting messages going on in my head :)

washin' dishes

this morning is a lazy one. i need to go shower for church, but first, i decided to make some bread pudding out of some old french bread that had to go.

yesterday, i went to one of my estate sales ... i get emails from a lady who has them about once or twice a month. i found a good stash of cooking magazines, a years worth of Cook's Illustrated, and a mag in really like called Cuisine at Home. $3 for about a dozen magazines. there are several recipes in there to try! woo hoo.

anyway, since i have started cooking so much, i have also been washing dishes quite a bit. no. i don't have a dishwasher. i'm sure i'd like one, but not enough to deal with giving up some of my precious cabinet space!

anyway, since i've been domesticated, i have figured out that you better wash dishes quite often if you cook alot. my mom told me that her home-ec teacher in high school said to fill the sink with soapy water WHILE you are preparing your recipe, then it's really easy to clean up. i agree. the thing is, i never know on the weekends what whim will strike me. so, i cook/clean up/cook/clean up/cook/ clean up all day long.

just this morning it hit me that i like looking at my dishes in the dish drainer. and no. i don't dry em. less germy to let them air dry! plus, i like looking at them!

here's to dish drainer art! happy sunday :)