The Horrifying Case of Chippy the Chipmunk

For about 3 months now, we have entertained a chipmunk who thought our home was his. We have encountered a handful of sightings. At first the only person who saw it was my 4 year old son. He’s not prone to lie but when you hear your child say there is a chipmunk in your house, you don’t tend to believe him. I quickly realized the truth when I saw the cute little disgusting rodent scurry from the bathroom to the kitchen.

I would say that I am a pretty brave person. Doing a one and a half off of a spring board…no sweat, getting bucked off horses…a breeze, giving birth 4 times…been there, done that. But when I see that furry little creature in my house, you better believe I was on top of the closest chair in 3 seconds flat!

I feel ashamed to say that I had my husband put out Decon. I am the first one to teach my kids about taking care of God’s creatures, I promise. But the thing was in my house, scurrying about while we weren’t home or asleep. Say it with me “eeeewwww!” For all you PETA people, don’t fret. Evidently chipmunks are smarter than mice because it didn’t touch the Decon. And I thought it got the hint too because we didn’t see it for a long time….until this last weekend that is.

It all started while we were lounging around on Sunday afternoon minding our own business. We were watching football when my son (same four year old) screams, “Chipmunk! I saw it again!” It ran from the computer room to the t.v. room.  By that time, I had become accustom to random Chippy sightings so I didn’t freak out too bad. Standing up on our recliner isn’t freaking out…it is, um, just being cautious. Anyway, it ran back into the computer room. We were safe. Or so we thought.

About an hour later. Brad screams "Ok, everyone in here! We need to catch this chipmunk! It just ran to the middle of the t.v. room while I was sitting on the couch!" I've never been on a battlefield before, but I have a feeling it was a lot like our living room that night. The couch was upturned and a barrier was formed in between the computer room and the t.v. room by using anything we could find. Kasey stood behind the barrier to make sure it stood strong. MyKaila sat on top of the piano (I don't know what her job was), Keagen and MyKenzie were in the computer room ready to capture the thing when Brad scared it out of the corner. I courageously stationed myself on top of the sidetable in the t.v. room holding the lid to a trinket box. I'm sure we were a sight to see; all of us in our jammies and in our shoes (mine were lovely dress shoes) because we didn't want the chipmunk to run across our bare feet.

Brad shooed the horrific creature out of the corner and thus began the battle. He ran to the barrier, we screamed. He ran toward the piano, Kaila screamed, he ran towards Brad and the kids, they screamed (don't let him tell you any different either!). Around and around he went until he ran back into the corner. About that time my brother-in-law, Jeff, walked into our dining room....and I screamed! Apparently we didn't hear him knocking because we were screaming so loud. Jeff thought someone was being murdered so he walked into the house to investigate. Little did he know, he was walking into the crusade of the century! He probably thought I was crazy because all I could do was look at him and half laugh, half cry, "I can't do this, I can't do this!" General Brad boldly told me to pull myself together and man my station.

About that time the terrifying monster decided to come out of hiding again. The screaming resumed. Finally, our dog decided to join up and do her part. She jumped in the middle of our barricade and grabbed the beast and stunned it! Meanwhile, MyKenzie let her cat in and she immediately grabbed it and took off with it. MORE SCREAMING! Although, I had thought about killing the thing in the past, I really didn't want it to die, especially a cruel death of consumption...I promise!  The cat was not going to give up her dinner and the only thing I could do at that point was to shoo her outside. Sadly, the poor chipmunk didn't make it. And even more sadly, we didn't capture the whole ordeal on video...we would have taken the cake on AFV for sure.

Usually my blog contains a provoking thought or a lesson learned, so here it goes... beware all you chipmunks. You don't wanna mess with this family! And if you find yourself scurrying about in my house....be afraid, be VERY afraid!

Beautiful Imperfections

As I was mopping my floors today I glanced up at my kitchen windowsill. The paint is peeling and it could use a good scrubbing. At that point, I did what the majority of women do when assessing their house; wonder what other people must think of the sorry looking windowsill. But just as quickly I smiled to myself because I love that window. I love that the paint is cracked and peeling. We live in an old farmhouse that is easily 100 years old. There are things all over the house that attest to it's age. But you know what? That is my favorite thing about it! Can you imagine the things this house has seen? Back in the day, there were probably cows, and pigs and chickens. The barn was probably stacked to the beams with hay and straw. Kids were born and raised, generation after generation by strong women who knew how to run a house without the luxuries of dishwashers and electric stoves. The worn windowsills are just one example of how beautiful imperfections can really be.

I thought about my own imperfections. I am a wreck. I may not have peeling paint, but I do have a lot of blemishes. I use to set up my own rules and laws for myself to make sure I was towing the line. I knew we were called to be like Christ and Christ was perfect so I wanted to make sure I was perfect too. The problem was that perfection is impossible for us humans. I would snap at my husband or be too impatient with my kids and spend the rest of the day in a self-induced prison of guilt. It was a vicious cycle; always trying but never getting there.

It wasn't until someone told me that God loves me just the way I am, flaws and all, that I began to understand just how much He cares for me. I used to think I was only good enough if I was a perfect mom or wife. I thought I had to be the perfect daughter, the perfect friend. When I messed up I thought God was mad at me and turned his face from me. I have slowly learned (why does everything have to be a process?) that I am beautiful to him all the time without exception. The days I get moody and snap at my husband? Beautiful. The days when I get frustrated at my kids because they almost missed the bus? Beautiful. The days I don't feel like doing the laundry? Beautiful! 

Now don't get me wrong, He doesn't want me going around treating my friends and family poorly. Not at all! But I have discovered that when I give myself the freedom to mess up and be ok, I give others that same freedom. We are all a bunch of imperfect people who deserve the freedom to mess up, learn from our mistakes and move on with life.

I have to tell you; I am loved, and I am beautifully imperfect!



Book Corner

I love to read. As a mom of 4 kids, reading allows me to rest and recoup (even if it is only 15 minutes a day).  I am a fiction girl through and through but I will pick up a good "how to" every once in awhile. Book Corner is my way of sharing my love of reading with you. I will review a book and let you know what I think just in case you are looking for a good book to read. I would love to hear your comments and reviews also, so please take advantage of the comment section below the post and tell me (and blog world) what you think!


The first book I've chosen to review is a children's book called Gabby, God's Little Angel written by Sheila Walsh and illustrated by Marina Fedotova.

This was a very sweet book that has several pieces of biblical truth throughout the whole book. It is centered on Psalm 91:11 "He has put his angles in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go."

Gabby, an angel in training has been sent to watch over Sophie; an adventurous girl who needs a lot of protection. Gabby quickly finds out just how hard it is to be a guardian angel when Sophie goes horseback riding. After a close call, Sophie is thankful that God loves her so much that he sent an angel to watch over her.

This book is very well written. I love how Sheila Walsh (author) reveals Gabby's fun-loving personality through the written word. She talks just like my daughter does when she is excited. Gabby is sweet and innocent and a joy to read about. I think my favorite part of the book is it's illustrations. The details are amazing! Gabby truly is a doll in her gold dress and rosy red cheeks. My daughter and I loved flipping through the pages taking in the beautiful drawings.

I would definitely recommend this book for little ones. It would be a wonderful addition to any home library.

Enjoy!

Please note that I was given this book for free in order to review it.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is a very special day for me and my husband. We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary! Every anniversary is special but this one means so much to me. Not only are we celebrating double digits, the fact that we have stuck it out for this long (through many trials and hardships), but this last weekend my wonderful husband surprised me with a vow renewal ceremony!

He planned for 2months, contacted everyone special to us (including people who we have lost touch with or haven't seen in a long time) and invited our whole church without me knowing. I admit, I became a little suspicious about a week ago but never did I realize it was going to be this big, this intricately planned, this wonderful. He worked with the staff at our church and planned a "End of Summer" event as a cover up. Then he planned a Women's Ministry Meeting to get me away so he could get everything done (and so I would dress up).

So after the meeting we went to the church for the End of Summer event. Except no one was outside. Someone said they were going to start out in the sanctuary. So after going to the restroom (I drank lots of water at the meeting :) we walked into the sanctuary. As soon as I walked in, I was given a beautiful bouquet of flowers by my mentor and friend and was lead to my dad who was waiting for me in the back of the center aisle. Everyone was looking at me! As I was walked to the front of the church I saw the bridal party- some stood up with us the first time like our wonderful friends who drove 3 1/2 hours to be there, 1 was a great friend who didn't come into my life until a couple years after our wedding, and 4 were my beautiful children. I cannot tell you how special that was to me. And then I saw my husband to be...er...husband to be again;) And my heart melted. I couldn't believe he did all this for me! I will never cease to be amazed at this man's heart and his desire to express his love to me and make me happy.

The ceremony was wonderful. Our two pastors (and great friends) officiated. We took off our rings and recommitted our vows to each other. I even had to giggle at the "for richer or poor" part. We have been through the ringer financially but even as I type this, tears are streaming down my cheeks because I am the richest girl in the world. I would choose to do it all over again because I know that we are who we are and have the marriage we have because of all those hardships. We have grown up together (literally and figuratively) and God has blessed us so much along the way.

Back to the ceremony, like I said, this thing was intricately planned...from the picture slide show going in the background to one of my closest friends playing our song on piano as I walked down the aisle (which I have to admit I didn't even hear because I was a little in shock). My beautiful and extremely talented sister sang the very song she sang at our wedding, and yes, I cried both times around. He even had the guest sign our sign-in book from our first wedding!

Afterwards we made our way outside and had dinner (which my wonderful parents catered) and had fun talking and mingling and celebrating. It went so fast and I was exhausted at the end of the night, but wow, what a night! I will never forget it as long as I live. I have to honestly say, this time around was so much better. The first time I was 19, had a baby, and had no idea how to be married. I was selfish, and thought that a marriage was suppose to be self-serving. Needless to say, we had a rough first couple of years! This time around I could confidently stand up and express my love for him and my commitment to him. I want to do everything I can to make him happy. I can't begin to describe how much we've grown in ten years. I keep thinking that if it can be this good now, I can't wait until the 20th!

Brad, thank you so much for surprising me with a 2nd wedding. I loved every second of it. I am so glad you chose me 13 years ago at that football game and stuck by me through thick and thin. Every night just before I let sleep find me, I thank God for giving me the best guy in the world. I am truly blessed to be your wife. I know that God shows His unfailing love for me through you. Every smile, every hug, every whispered "I love you" before we fall asleep is a reminder of God's goodness in my life. May we never stop growing, never stop trying, and most of all never stop loving.

Always and Forever,

Sara

Here's to 10 years babe! I love you Truly Madly Deeply! Speeking of our song...click here



Playing in the Rain

As I sit here, I can hear the make believe banter of two 4 year olds as they play outside. It is a wonderful sound for a few reasons: first, they are outside! (I'm a mom of four, I don't have time to lie :) and secondly, they are being boys. God did something pretty special when he created boys. From the womb they are born, with a mysterious ability to turn any object into a weapon, they love to puff out their chest and act tough, and they love their momma something fierce and are willing to do ANYTHING to protect her. Those are just some of their qualities that set them apart from us girls. Did I mention that the boys are currently playing in the rain? You see, it has been raining for two days now and to a four year old, that is eternity. So when they came to me asking if they could go outside and play I couldn't bare to tell them no. So I let them play in the rain.

As I was washing dishes and watching them from the window above my sink, I was reflecting on the truth of that. How many of us have had a season of rain in our lives? It might of been a downpour and then it was over in just a few short minutes, it could have been a day and the sun was back out the next day, or it is still steadily raining today. For me, I have gone through times of depression when I feel like I will never have another sunny day again. Others have lost loved ones and go through a time when the sunny days can quickly become cloudy with a thought or a memory of the person lost. Those who are suffering from long-term illnesses hope and pray that the rain will stop and the sun will peak through the clouds. Broken relationships, financial hard times, children going astray; we've all been there.

What if we chose to play in the rain? Don't get me wrong, it doesn't sound very fun at first. Your clothes get soaked, you can get muddy, your bicycle seat is wet, etc. But as I watched the boys play outside I realized that sometimes you need to get a little wet to have fun in the rain. They are soaked from head to toe but that isn't stopping them from playing in the sandbox or swings. They are riding their bicycles and jumping in the water puddles. They are having fun. Right in the middle of a rainy day, they are having a blast.

If you are going through a tough time right now, look for water puddles that are blessings in disguise. Look for ways to have fun, reconnect with a loved one or your Father, take time for rest and relaxation. Enjoy a cup of coffee, or a good book. Or literally go for a walk in the rain! You may see that it makes those rainy days not so rainy anymore. And like all seasons of life, the rain will be gone and in it's place, the sun will be shining bright.

Keagen and Drew playing in the water puddle.



Until next time...

A Mom's Gotta Do What a Mom's Gotta Do

Do you ever feel like you are constantly yelling/nagging/pleading with your kids to clean their room? If you do, you are not alone. With having 4 kids, our house could be spotless. The counters are free of dishes, the laundry is folded (I wish I could say put away but that would be lying), the floors are swept, and the toys are put away. And then the kids get home. I am going to risk sounding like my mom and dad right now and compare them to little tornadoes that leave trails of destruction everywhere they go. -Mom, stop laughing, its not funny.- 

So here's my dilemma: I know they've had a long day at school. I know that they are probably exhausted and need to be able to relax for a little while. So I put off the cleaning until later and, well, we all know that later never comes and what is left are rooms that are layered a few inches high with toys and clothes (and smell a little funny if I'm being honest :)

Then the thought of cleaning is overwhelming to them AND me, so we avoid it even more as the mess gets even worse until we have a get together or a babysitter coming and we are FORCED to clean. By that time, it takes a good part of the day to get it done and we are at each other's throats before it is finished.

Today, I had a bit of an epiphany. I am a mom, I am allowed to have epiphanies about cleaning ;) I thought to myself, "I bet I could make it a little fun. And if it is a little fun then they would be more apt to do it and I would be less apt to nag." Ok, so it's not rocket science, but when you are living life 100 miles an hour (see previous blog) you don't always have time for creative ideas. There's a mom shouting AMEN right now I can just feel it! 

So I decided to play on the competitive nature of my boys (and the little boy I babysit) and make it a contest. I assigned each boy a color (for example, Kasey had blue because he was wearing a blue shirt, Keagen had red because he was wearing red and Drew had yellow). They each stood at the bottom of the stairs and when I said "go!" they each ran upstairs to their room and picked up only that color. When they were done they had to run back downstairs. I timed each one separately with my cell phone's stopwatch and after each one was done I went upstairs to check and make sure all of that specific color was picked up. If they missed a toy I would add a second to their time. The winner got to pick out a snack and a movie for all of them.

And you know what? It worked! They each had a blast! Their room isn't spotless BUT you can see the floor. Kasey, the oldest boy, said to my surprise, "we should do this more often!" So there you go, a creative idea to get the room at least a little picked up without nagging or pleading.

Just thought I would share this idea with my blog peeps. Have a great day!

Here are the boys:  Kasey who is giving the thumbs up, Keagen who is pretending to be a baseball player and Drew who is giving a great big hug to his bestest friend!

Until next time...



Just One of Those Days

Do you ever have those days when everything seems like it going wrong? If you answered "no" I would like to gently ask you to come back down to earth. Because the reality is we ALL have those days. Now, you may not be as overly dramatic as I am (I would NEVER admit that to someone face to face) and think that the bad days are not so bad. Honestly, I am usually an optimistic person. The skies are always blue, the cup is half full, yada yada yada. But when I am having one of those days I am just downright pessimistic.

Every little thing that could go wrong, does. For example, this last Tuesday was our last day of Bible Study. I was running a tad late, which immediately stressed me out. I had to go to church set up all the tables, decorations, table settings, coffee, kids stuff, and the list goes on and on. As I was arranging the tables and chairs I smashed the tips of my fingers between two of the chairs. Can you say OUCH?! I persevered though! I kept going (while still running behind and stressing out a little more by the second). But things kept going wrong. Not huge things; just little snags that  became huge tears in my self-confidence and self-composure. Pretty soon I was a walking geyser ready to explode into tears at any second. And admittedly I did....a couple of times. Miraculously Bible Study went as planned and the women really enjoyed the morning as I had hoped.

I wish I could blame my emotional roller coaster on this one issue that was beyond my control....or better yet on being hormonal, but I couldn't. The only reason I was stressed to the point of tears was ME. I wanted to be superwoman! You know with the mask, knee high boots and accessorizing cape? Just kidding. I wanted to be the kind of superwoman that thinks she can do all things and be all things for everyone. I was so wrapped up in doing, going, making, baking, talking, drawing, cheering, cooking, and don't forget the cleaning (whew that's a lot of verbs!) that I forgot to take a few moments to rest, slowdown, and regroup.

I heard once that we need to set up margins in our lives. Consider a piece of notebook paper for a second. You know those red lines on both sides of the paper that my 2nd grader chooses to ignore? Those are margins. Those margins are set up to tell us when to start and when to stop. It forces us to leave a little room on the paper for blank space. Imagine what it would look like if those lines weren't there. It would look like my daughters written reports, with sentences running from edge to edge with no room on either side. It would look very crowded and very messy. That's what our lives look like when we don't have margins. When we don't set up those red lines in our personal lives we become busy people who don't know when to start or stop. Our lives become chaotic and stressed to the max leaving less and less room for blank space (aka, rest, relaxation, and regrouping). We just go, go, go and pray that we remember everything we have committed to along the way.



I realized something else that my lack of margins hurt: my ability to reach out to the people in my life and to nurture the relationships that God has blessed me with. I was so busy that I didn't have time for lunch with a friend or a quick phone call with my Grandma. I couldn't slow down enough to encourage people that needed encouraging or pray for people that needed prayer. In essence my doing for everyone became very selfish. I was wrapped up in me and what I needed to do at that moment.

I learned something these last couple of weeks. I may not be able to control the business of the day, but I can set up margins. I can say no to things that will make my plate too full. I don't have to be superwoman (capes aren't very flattering anyway) and most of all I need to take each day one step at a time and remember to breathe.

I will leave you with a very cute, very funny, very encouraging song that makes me smile every time...you could say this could be my anthem. Enjoy!

This is the Stuff

Until next time....



This is totally what I would look like if I was Superwoman ;)