Grace in small thing, version 2, #4

I'm going to start posting my grace in small things post separately from any other post.

Today my grace is my family, and the safety and security I've been able to givve them.

Sorrows

For so many, 2009 was a hard and difficult year.  Jobs, houses, cars were lost.  People struggled.  We struggled with my husband being gone and his return, but mostly life was okay.  The last part of 2009 and first month of 2010 have shown me so much sorrow.  From our friends passing in October, so many more sad things have happened.  It helps to put your life into shocking perspective.

In December, a pediatrician in a local town was arrested on charges of child molestation.   The things that have come out are sickening and shocking.  Knowing that you've driven past that office, wondered about the crazy stuff all over, that brings it even closer to home. 

Right before Christmas, a young girl was abducted from her home where she lived with her aunt.  The aunt's ex-boyfriend, a known sex offender, took the little girl.  Police apprehended the suspect quickly, but it took them several days to locate her, and when they finally found her on Christmas day, she had been killed.  This hit everyone hard...she is the same age as PB, and from all accounts a happy little girl. 

There have been several attempted abductions in our school district in the last few months.  All have happened when children were walking home alone, either from the school or the bus stop.  Luckily, all the kids ran, yelled or resisted and were able to get away.  But it feels like a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off.  PB and Monster never ride the bus, as they go to school on the Air Base and I have to take them since we no longer live there.  But occasionally Bug has to walk a short distance from the bus stop.  She is 16, and almost an adult, but it still concerns me.  We've talked to our kids, and make sure our house is locked and the alarm set if we aren't home, or if they are home without us.  And we try not to live in fear, but are definitely more cautious.

And lastly is this little boy.  Ethan's dad works at the same agency as I do, and although I don't know him well, I can not imagine the hell he has been living for the last 14 months.  Unfortunately, it appears as if his time with Ethan is very short, and it breaks my heart. 

I read a quote on a pop bands web page recently that related to how fast our kids are growing up these days.  DDS and I have always tried to find a balance between allowing our kids to be children, while also instilling personal responsibility and an appropriate level of maturity in them.  I'm finding it harder and harder to allow them some of the freedoms they need to grow, wanting instead to shelter them here at home. It's not always easy, but I'm trying.

Busy little bee

In the last week, I've travelled to Baltimore, watched my husband look at a car while the guy selling blew up the motor, was overwhelmed at Barnes & Noble, got several DIY projects done here at home (a post coming about one of those), made breakfast for a week (recipe coming for this), made potato soup out of 15 lbs of potatos for work, went to bellydancing class, plus all the other things our life needs done daily.  I'm pooped.

Today we did a soup sale to raise funds for Haiti.  Our little section of 95 people managed to raise over $600...10 types of soup, donated bread and breadsticks, sold out in 20 minutes.  It was an awesome turnout with some delicious food.  And although it doesn't seem like much, it's something.

I've also started dabbling with learning code (finally...I know) so my site will hopefully begin to look better soon.  Maybe.  We'll see.

not a good start

Two weeks in, and my laptop is in the shop again.  I'm slowly dying without all my favorites.  I know there are places I want to check in, but can't remember them all.  My pictures, my photoshop, my itunes.  I'm dying. 

I have been using the time to work on my long time goal of learning how to redo my blog myself.  I really need a better looking blog design. I want to update my blogroll and make some changes, but I'm too poor (and cheap) to pay someone to fix up my hobby.  The sparse amount of money I get from this blog isn't enough to justify it at this time.

I was so cranky yesterday.  I have a post brewing about loss, and I kept trying to remember how blessed I am.  But it was really difficult.  Today was better, but I still felt the crankiness trying to sneak back.

We purchased a Wii Fit Plus this weekend.  I love it.  I love that I can get some exercise while having fun.  And the games aer pure silliness. 

And there is more.  But that's it for today.

Oh, blessing for today.

The ability and funds to have a nice haircut and order a pair of boots I've wanted for a while (on sale).  So many can't afford to have niceties, and I'm blessed that I can.

And the birthday/holiday frenzy ends for a few more months...

Today was my MIL's birthday.  My SIL was taking her out to dinner, and we joined them, then drug her over to the big box home improvement store, not telling her where she was going or why.  While there, we bought her a new dishwasher.  It was probably better than a diamond ring.  Hubby took it to her house and hooked up while I came home and got the kids ready for bed.  He said she jumped up and down and squealed like PB when it was all done.  That is the best money we've spent in a while.  It was nice being able to do something for a member of the family that has always done for us. 

Happy Birthday, Nana.

Grace in Small Things #2 - The joy a heartfelt gift can bring, and the joy you get from watching that other person's happiness.

cleaning out the old

We have been on a major decluttering kick around here for the last few months, and it's continuing on today. As the Christmas decorations are removed, there is a realization that there are some things we've outgrown. They don't fit with our decorating scheme, and they don't hold the meaning for me that I thought they did. So some will go on ebay, and some will go to Goodwill. And our house will be a bit less cluttered for it.

The outside decorations may take a bit to come down...it's bitter cold outside, and DDS is on his way to pick up Bug from the airport.

I've slept way too much during the last week. Apparently I needed the sleep, as I'm just now starting to not yawn my way through the day. Hopefully I don't wipe out this week of sleep too quickly.

I'm not resolved...but I'm counting my blessings.

So it's a few days into the New Year, and all over the internet people are posting their resolutions. This year, I'm not. I'm not posting, because I'm not resolving. I'm simply going to keep living life, loving my babies and my husband, and trying to live the healthiest and simplest life possible. This isn't anything new for me, so it isn't a resolution. It's the journey I chose several years ago, and sometimes I'm awesome at it, and sometimes I'm not. That's life, and I've learned to go with the tides.

The year of travel will continue. In the next three weeks, we will be in both NYC and Baltimore. We already have a spring trip to DC scheduled. DDS has to travel for work three or four times in the next 6 months, and we (or just I) may be meeting him some to explore new areas. I'm excited that our children are finally at ages to appreciate and enjoy exploring with us.

Projects will be completed, new projects started, days spent at home, days spent away. Every day I will awake and try to be the best person I can. Some days I will fail, and that's okay. My overall goal is to have more days that I succeed.

Happy 2010. I hope that we all enjoy each day we are given, and each blessing that falls in every day.

I'm going to modify my grace in small thing posting, and simply look for one thing...one blessing. And today, January 2nd, will be my first posting. I'm going to shoot for posting at least 4 a week, and if I manage more, great! My ultimate goal will be to have over 200 by the end of the year.

Today my grace is the ability to enjoy my family, and my friends. Bowling with my husband and youngest two kidlins was pleasant and fun. Then a night out with my friends that included good food and great conversation. That is a bountiful blessing!