The good news,bad news and welcome to the neighborhood....woof woof

Our new home was inspected yesterday. So the husband calls asking if I want to hear the good news first or the bad news first. I dislike this question whenever asked. My brain goes to a distant land where rationalization lives....  Lets see good or bad, sad or happy, upset or ahh, all is well. I can make the best out of most stuff, trust me. Glass half full or half empty? Hey, I am just glad to have a glass:)

So, do I want the bad news first or last?
Sometimes Hawkeys bad news is my good news....
Hmm, not sure how this transfers to a home inspection though. It could work like this. Hawkeye says, "Honey, we have to replace the shower floor, there's a leak but the guy told me its only gonna cost 150 bucks." See this is bad news with good news included. He tricks me in this type of conversation.  His bad news, goods news is really my bad news...though it wants to be my good news.

Heres what I mean. I say..."Oh my, the shower floor is broken?!" Well, lets replace the complete shower, heck lets do the whole bath in marble, heated floors, soaking tub, roman shower, 5 1/2 shower heads. "Hey, lets get a tv and a wine cooler(?)... everyone has them!"
How much could it really cost?! I mean... really. He looks at me in disbelief..... " Its gonna cost $150 bucks" and leaves the room. What, What... hey, where ya going? Come back here.....

Or Hawkeye could say, " There's a gash in that kitchen cabinet door but I have a guy who can order us new one... gonna cost 150 bucks".
And I sweetly reply..."Well, in that case lets change all the cabinets. I mean it only makes sense. You know they will never match and so you may as well put in granite too and the floor, well...."
Hawkeye has left the building.... what, what?

Now... the real good, bad or otherwise interesting news....
As the men, Hawkeye included were inspecting the outside of the house, peering and kicking at the rotted out spindles of the outside railing... they began to hear a noise.
First a "woof, woof" the kind a medium to large size dog makes. It had appeared on the other side of the wrought iron fence. Hmm, my husband thought, a black Labrador.... Molly and she will probably be friends, eventually.
Molly is our 65 lb weimeraner who thinks most other dogs are just dumb and would rather eat them for a snack.
Yeah, its a great quality to have in your pet, especially while living in animal kingdom also known as Charles Street.  Seems most folks are not satisfied with one dog, when you can have two. One big and one small. Molly is angered hourly at what goes on outside her perch at the living room window, but back to the problem at hand... or foot.

Soon, there is more noise, commotion and something in pink scurrying on the ground near the labrador. Is it a ground hog, large rat or oops, its the neighbors other dog?! Something out of a taco bell commercial. Yikes! Then another one appears, and finally another....... hey, I cant make this stuff up.
Ahh, starting to see why this house has been on the market.

Hawkeye and Frank our Realtor exchange glances... they shake their heads.
So welcome to the neighborhood or the zoo and make sure you have all your shots.
Either way its starting to look like a Chevy Chase movie as Hawkeye is looking online for small fireworks that leave no remains....just kidding, I think.

Me, I'm still thankful to have a glass and a husband with a sense of humor.
Oh, and he told me its 66 degrees and sunny in Oz today. Really?! Hmm, still gray and freezing here. Maybe it is the Emerald City.......... nah.

The yellow brick road to the three rings.... oh JOY!

Its been an exciting week for the hubby and I.  We have been blessed again.... in surprising and creative ways that only the hand of God can deliver. God is good, in the big stuff and the little things that we sometimes hesitate to bring to him. He cares that much about us. No matter what our need or concern, he wants to bring us joy and remind us how great His love is for His children. 

A Joy....We spent Valentines day together .. a big deal and blessing considering we are usually 600 miles apart during the week. We enjoyed a great dinner at our new favorite little restaurant and spent 4 busy days together. 

The temperatures were beautiful all week, toping 77 degrees on our last day before heading home.

We didn't go anywhere fancy and we were not on Holiday. We were smack dab in the middle of the country, literally. OZ also known as Wichita. The temps and greening of the yards made me believe it just might be the Emerald city.....now where was that yellow brick road?

A Joy....We never found the yellow brick but we did find another brick, lots of them actually... that were bound together to make the most lovely home that will soon be Hawkeyes and mine.  We think it fell out of the sky just for us but no witch in sight. Hey! Be nice....

We prayed about a home, the right area and price and all that goes with creating a life that is good and pleasing. I prayed that we would be a blessing to our neighborhood and find a blessing in return.

Our terrific realtor and darling wife have made the process fun and we are thankful for them. They were more than a little surprised at out good fortune with this home purchase. We give God the glory as we feel He made it very clear this was the house for us.

The day before we left for Oz Hawkeye realized he had lost his wedding ring. He and Dan had been wrestling and also outside shoveling snow and he remembered he had put his ring in his shirt pocket. Yes, I told him you never take your ring off..... this was his third ring loss. Do I think maybe he is trying to tell me something? Does he ever listen to me? The answer is no to both questions.

The first two losses happened at work. You can't operate on people while wearing a ring. Just an FYI. So, out with the laundry they probably went.  They were both made of gold like any good wife would pick for her beloved.

The third ring was purchased in Greece last summer. Much care was taken in the choosing and sizing of it. Well, actually that could not be farther from the truth.

 I was in a little store and while I was at the counter making a purchase I saw this ring. I think it was sitting in a bowl of about 20 identical rings. I picked one up, eyeballed it, saw that it was about 7 euros and thought... perfect! I had no idea if it would fit or if Hawkeye would like it.

 I gave it to him while walking down the ancient street on that beautiful Island and said something like, "Here, see if you can hang on to this one." Romantic huh? He looked at it, slipped it on said he loved it! No, he is not very high maintenance and that's my good fortune.

So here we are, back from Oz walking down our driveway to take our puppy for a walk when I said something to him about being sorry he didn't find his ring. He has been really bummed about it. This is a guy who cant stand losing things and he has had a lot of practice at being upset about losing things.....:)

Another Joy....

The words are not even fully out of my mouth when he points to the ground and says,"and there it is!" WOW, we were thrilled and so joyful! He told me he had prayed about it. He was as joyful about finding this ring as he was about finding a home for us. I think that is pretty awesome and a beautiful picture to Gods love for us. It knows no bounds. Don't ever doubt how much God desires to show you the depth of His love. Thank you God for the joy and blessing of relationship with you and each other. What Joy you give us.

"Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Matthew 7:8

Phil Keaggy - Make You Feel My Love

Do we hear Jesus speak to us like this... or do we hum to a different tune? 

Is our song one of defeat and never good enough for God? What would that look like? How do we..... "be good enough" for God, the creator of perfection, love, grace?

That should be our first clue that we might want to download the song HE is singing to us.

A love song from Jesus..

When the rain is blowing in your face and the whole world is on your case. I can offer you a warm embrace,

just to make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows in the stars appear, there is no one left to dry your tears. I could hold you for a million years.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet. 

I would never do you wrong. 

I've known it from the moment we met. No doubt in my mind where you belong....

Dylan may have written these words but they are straight from Gods heart to yours. HE desires us to feel His love, which is a gentle and warm embrace. HE will dry our tears and hold us for a million years... and longer.

HE wants us to make up our minds and choose Him but as the song is a gentle love song so is His love for us. HE will wait.... 

Will we recognize him today?... Will we hear him singing His love song to us? 

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Kids Say The Darndest Things Art Linkletter 1959

Art Linkletter, dreads and stuff the son says ..........

Dan-"I wish I could chew like a dog."......  me-" Really? Why? They can't close their mouth and they have terrible table manners...... On second thought, I think you do chew like a dog."


Dan-"I wish I were black."............ me-"Hmm, who told you your not?"


Dan-"You know how all vans have that van smell?" ........ me-"Huh? No." That is just a weird statement Dan.


Dan-"I'm gonna grow dreads."...... me-"Really, cause you have the whitest bread hair I have ever seen. Just saying, sorry."


Dan-"I wish life had a soundtrack to go with it, playing in my head"...... me-"hmm, I think you are on to something bud, because it does and you get to choose it." ...... I LOVE this kid!


Dan- "We are all winners in our own hearts."...... me-"Yes, Dan I love that you said this years ago and have repeated it many times. It's true and you certainly are in my heart."


When he was a 2 yr old I would take his face in my hands and say, "Hello handsome" and he would respond with "hello Beautiful." Precious little blonde boy he was:).
and when he was about 5 he would say....
Dan-"I miss daddy Mark."........... me-"You didn't even know daddy Mark!"


Who was it years ago that said, "kids say the darnedest things?"  
Art Linkletter of course. 
Art Linkletter was born in 1912 and abandoned as an infant. He was raised by a preacher and his wife . Before his own death in 2010 he had lost a daughter to suicide, a son to an auto accident and another to Lymphoma. He certainly understood rejection as a child and pain throughout his life. And yet, he seemed to hang on to some joy in life. He had one of the most popular shows on T.V. , "Kids say the Darnedest things."


Out of the mouth of babes..........
So, when my 17 yr old babe says something, ridiculous or not, am I listening? 
Do I hear what he is really saying, in between the words he is willing to share?
Do I push him to choose Gods best for his life?


Am I the biggest encourager in his life? 
When I discipline him, do I remind him that it truly is because I love him, I believe in him and recognize God has given me a responsibility to be his mentor and not his friend?


I saw some proof this week when his facebook status said,  "Stressful day, but God and my moms love pull me through".

" You, fathers(and mothers), bring your children up in the training, and admonition of the Lord."

Ephesians 6: 4

What you put into your children's hearts today influences their character for tomorrow.

The true number of HOPE... on EBAY

This past Christmas I saw an antique cow tag, made of copper, used as a key chain. It was shiny and heavy and the perfect size for keys. 
The one I held in my hand belonged to a friend and the number read 21. She said her mom had given it to her years before on her 21st birthday. Light bulb moment.... I had a daughter who was 21, and a son who was not. Hmm, what number would he like? Maybe the number he always wore when he was participating in sports. 
The search began and I realized this would be tougher than I had thought. Evidently there were others out there who also thought these would make great stocking stuffers. 


The bidding wars would commence soon enough, but first finding the right numbers. I searched ebay and realized I would have to rethink my number choice. 
A thought..... I remind my kids(and myself) that they have an audience of ONE..... and no, its not their mom. Well, they can think of me next, right after they think of God.


They know who they belong too, who plans their steps and guides their journey. 
So, the logical choice was 1! 
Now, to find them. Finally I did and the bidding began. 


Just an FYI in case you are not aware, Christmas can be a dangerous time to bid for gifts, especially ones that begin to stir emotions in us. Yes, old, dirty cow tags seem to accomplish these feeling. Who would have thought?
I started to think of my kids and each time they would look at their keys( hey, we are talking multiple times a day) and think of their creator, God, maker of the universe and they would quickly bow their heads and thank him for their blessings.....namely, their mom who bought them the key chain:)


The bidding continued and quickly the amount I said I would pay... doubled.  
"Oh , no you don't. I will not be beat!!"I hollered at my ebay homepage!  But I persevered and no worries...... I won!

The tags arrived, one along with the chain evidently worn around the cows neck. Yes, I paid the shipping on that. 
I told my husband excitedly what had arrived and the story that went along with these little marvels. He looked at me like I needed a tag on my head that said, "she's nuts, lost it, take her away".
He decided he would help the poor woman and clean them up. He scrubbed and shined and the finished product was beautiful.
Finally they were wrapped and placed carefully in the stockings that were hung with care....okay, not really. They were draped over a chair high enough to keep away from the chocolate sniffing dog.  What stocking doesn't have chocolate in it?


They fell to the bottom of the stocking... did I mention they were slightly heavy? My son opened his, puzzled look on his face. The daughter laughed at hers...... no doubt stunned by her moms eye into the girls fashion sense.  She likes solids, classic, and expensive... ya know, the kind of clothes they don't put a label on, because after all, that would just be tacky.
And hey, this was solid, classic(?), no tags.. hmm, it was a tag and certainly expensive...... I had nailed them all! Well, three out of four, recognizing four could really be a problem.


The son thought it was cool and got the whole audience of ONE thing. He embraced it.  He is using his and I recognize it also doubles as a weapon. Did I mention it was a little heavy?
The daughter.... well,  I think her tag is in her room in a box. Gotta go look for it and maybe I will frame it and hang it on her wall.  I think I will get on ebay and look for a frame. On second thought, maybe not....


Do my kids know they have an Audience of One? Yes. 
Did they need the key chain to remind them? No
Does God give us visuals all throughout scripture and today to remind us of his majesty, his power, his truths? Yes.


Maybe I should have picked 316 for the tags. Wonder how hard that would have been to find? That is the true number of Hope. 
Lucky for us, this hope is not hard to find. God lays it before us and asks that we only accept him and love him. After all, he first loved us.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16

Bill Cosby - Chocolate Cake for Breakfast

Not too different from Adam blaming Eve for the Apple, is my favorite Bill sharing his children turning on him after he delivers chocolate cake to them for breakfast. We continually blame the other guy don't we?