Stress

I am most stressed when my senses become overwhelmed. And it seems to happen more quickly and more intensely in this small space.

A recipe for a massive headache:

The television is too loud {hearing}

The dirty dishes are in the sink, on the counter, and on the stove. The clean dishes are sitting in the sink drain waiting to be put away, the laundry is in a basket on the couch, waiting to be folded and put away. {sight}

My back hurts or someone [an almost 3 year old someone :D] is climbing on my back {touch}

The odorous dog has come to sit on my lap and I need to go take the garbage out. {smell}

In this small efficiency, clutter gathers more quickly and there is no escaping noise or smells.

Lesson #6: Clearing away clutter makes my house feel cleaner and more spacious.


And then there are the times when my senses are overjoyed:

The sunset is streaming in through the open windows as dusk descends on the beach {sight}

Lyli is singing {hearing}

and dancing {sight}

The dog comes to sit in my lap {touch}

Dinner is simmering on the stove {smell}

And my husband comes home from a long days' work. We sit on the porch and laugh about life. I enjoy the taste of homemade lemonade and love overwhelms my heart.

Life is good.

Happy One-Year Chick-fil-A Anniversary, Ben!

Yep, that's right. Ben has been working for Chick-fil-A for one year today. WooHoo!

We love this company. We love that they are God and family and community oriented. We love that they close on Sundays. We love that they sponsor college sports. And we both cheered when we noticed that Chick-fil-A sponsored the movie Fireproof. (A Christian movie about marriage starring Kirk Cameron. It's fantastic. You must see it.)
My husband is my role model in many ways, but especially when it comes to perseverance. No one can match him in stick-to-it-ive-ness.

Way to go, honey! I'm looking forward to many more years with my Chicken-Man!

My First HomeMade Journal

I made a journal!

Here is the bookpress my Dad made for me. Isn't it beautiful? I adore it.

Hey! It looks like an actual book!

Ta-Da!

It lays open flat and the pages are lined to record beautiful and plain and happy and angry thoughts.
All of your thoughts are important enough to write in a pretty journal.

And here is my first-ever home-made with-my-very-own-hands journal.I used a shirt for the cover. Can you see the black & white beads?

Merry Christmas, Heather!
Lots of people are getting these for Christmas this year from me.
They're frugal and cute and useful.
(Let me know if you'd rather have bath salts or homemade granola, everyone). ;D

Considering Lyli

Two year old Lyli was running on the beach along the edge of the water. I, her loving mother, was following behind, my footsteps heavy on the sand.

A lady passed us and smiled at me. "She's so cute!" She exclaimed about my daughter.

It took a moment for me to return her smile. My frown had become entrenched on my face.

Why was I frowning? Was it such an inconvenience to frolic on the beach with my baby girl? Her joy of freedom and sun and sand shined in her smile. Her breathless laughter floated across the sand. Why wasn't I laughing? Why wasn't I smiling? I had lost my joy.

A stay-at-home-mom's work is never done. I wake with my daughter, stumbling around, trying to find the remote control with sleepy blurry eyes. I turn on Elmo hoping to distract my bouncy bright-eyed child while I locate the coffee. The day is filled with tasks and chores and email and reading and learning and shopping and cooking.

But when someone asks me, "What do you do all day?" I cannot find the answer. Most of my time is spent cleaning up messes that my daughter and dog have made. Mindless menial tasks that keep me from accomplishing anything of importance.

And at the end of the day, all I have to show for my 20 hours of nonstop motion is my happy healthy family-- asleep in our clean, organized efficiency apartment.

Lesson #5: (note that I have not yet mastered this one)

Relax and Enjoy the Time You Have Been Given.

Before the Reality Comes the Dream

I want to be a writer. Although, as the technical definition of "writer" is "one who writes," I am a writer. I just don't get paid for it. Yet.

I've been a writer ever since I turned twelve and realized that pen and paper was a terrific outlet for all my teenage angst. At first, I wrote poems and short Christian prose. Then, at thirteen, I wrote a novel. Ok, it wasn't actually a novel. But it was a book. And I did submit it for publication. I mailed three manuscripts (this was pre-internet for us). I remember standing at the tall counter in the post office trembling. I sent it to DoubleDay and Random House, I think... I don't know. That was many years ago. And I can still quote the single rejection letter I got, "Sometimes what authors think is great is not the same thing publishers think is great." At the time, I cried and fretted and threw it away before anyone could witness my rejection. Now, I am sincerely grateful for the person who took a moment to write a short note of encouragement to a girl with big dreams. [I'm sure it included encouragement at the end, I just can't remember what it was.]

Fast forward to February of this year. I turned 28. And it dawned on me: whether or not I finish my novel, I will still turn 29 next year. In other words, stop waiting for life to begin. It has begun. And it will continue on with or without you. So get moving, Lainie!

And I did. I wrote 45,000 words (actually 45,500 hehe) and started letting friends and family read it. Ugh! Judging by their responses, it wasn't ready yet. But I didn't know what was wrong with it. After all, this was my baby, my finished product. In my mind, it was perfection.

So I took an internet writing class. And began checking out books and websites with writing tips. And I am learning SO much that my mind is totally exploding. I have a special journal just for stuff I learn about writing. Hopefully this will help me keep all my newly learned material in one easy-to-access place.

And now, I am about to begin again. Yes, indeed, I am going to write the whole thing again. And make it better. And slightly longer, as most publishing companies (I am finding) like longer novels. [Not sure why. If you know, please comment the answer.]

And that, my wonderful bloggy friends, is lesson #4

if you live in an efficiency, and don't have extra money to spend,

you realize that life is precious and finite.

And, if you don't want to remain in said efficiency forever,

you get off your booty and get to work.

Blessings,

Lainie

I Love BUMC (our church)

Our pastor, Jerry Sweat,is writing short devotionals for us every weekday of 2009. And they are really great. His purpose is to provide a way for us to spend a couple of minutes each day in God's Word.
His devotion for September 23rd really spoke to my heart:

edevo for September 23, 2009

Set Back or Step Up?

Scripture:

Some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. I Kings 17:7

Observation:

Let's go back and get this straight. For several generations, the people of God and their kings had wandered from God. God calls Elijah to proclaim a drought in the land. God said he would provide for Elijah in the Kerith Ravine. While the plan was a little odd, it was God's plan and Elijah faithfully obeyed God and God was faithful. Our passage today seems to simply communicate what happened - the brook dried up. It's not even hard to figure out why: There is a drought in the land! But here is the issue: Elijah did exactly what God called him to do! And because of Elijah's obedience, the very provision God had given him "dried up". There are times in your extraordinary journey of faith where you will walk in obedience and still experience disappointments or unexplainable "dips" in your life! Most of us have been taught to believe that when you obey God...everything gets better...and it does! But it doesn't mean that life is always easy. In fact, sometimes doing what God calls you to do leads to complications, misunderstandings, and struggles. Sometimes, it appears that you thought you were on the same page with God and then something happens and you feel like God left you. The brook dried up! Maybe it is a medical diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, you get laid off from your job, a business partner betrays you and leaves you with nothing? Sometimes you can do exactly what God wants you to do and find yourself in difficult places. This is reality. If anyone has ever told you that you would never experience difficulties or struggles in your faith or there must be something wrong if you follow God and a door closes...they were misguided. As we will see - God knows what He is doing.

Application:

If you are living in obedience and experience the drying up of some God-given dream or future today, don't immediately dismiss God. Instead...listen up! Sometimes God allows "set backs" in order to "set us up" for the next big step in our extraordinary journey of faith!


Prayer:

God, I can't always explain "why" certain things happen in my life. My first tendency will be to believe that I've done something wrong or that You have left me. Remind me, O Lord, that if I am walking in obedience with You...I can trust you...even when the brook dries up. Help me to listen up! Help me to trust Your heart even when I cannot see Your hand. The temporary set back is leading to Your next "step up" in my journey. Amen.

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I hope you have been blessed by this as much as I have.

-Lainie

I Make Soap

Back when we lived in our house, I made soap for my family. Now, in this limited space, it isn't so easy. But I have just enough ingredients for this batch and one more, so I thought I'd go ahead and make some. When the ingredients run out, I guess we'll use Ivory.

Always wear protective gear. In addition to the goggles and gloves, I wore an apron. I had a close call awhile back with lye in my eye. I was fine, but really scared. Now I always take a moment to "gear up."

I put 16 oz. of Great Value (WalMart brand) Olive Oil and 16 oz. of Coconut Oil (found some for cheap at snowdriftfarm.com) in a pot and heated it until the coconut oil melted. Then I set it aside to cool.

I measured 12 oz of water into the big white bowl and 5 oz of lye (Sodium Hydroxide) into the little plastic bowl.

Then I grabbed the water, lye, and wooden spoon and went outside to mix it. Always add the lye to the water, stirring gently and constantly. Never add water to lye.

And leave it outside or in a windowsill to cool. The fumes are toxic, but, more than that-- they stink!

When the oils and lye-water cool enough that you can hold your hand to the outside of the pot/plastic bowl without getting burned, they are ready to mix.

I put a towel on my washing machine and pour the oils into the food processor. Then I turn it on and add the lye water through the spout. It takes about ten minutes for it to "trace."

This is the best photo of a "trace" I could get. Basically, if you take your wooden spoon and drag it through the mixture, it should leave a lumpy trail behind it. If not, the soap isn't ready. Keep mixing.

When it traces, you can pour the soap into molds. I got these at Michael's, but I saw some cheaper ones in Hobby Lobby the other day. And you can get some really cute molds, too. They have angels and seashells... but we just got basic bars. (I pour some soap into a small sauce-pot with pour spouts, then use the small pot to pour into the molds. Trying to maneuver the huge bowl at once is too tiring and difficult to control.

And here is my finished product! I let them sit in the molds overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap. They need to cure for about two weeks, then they are ready to use. And it smells SO good!