You Might Be the Answer to a Prayer

It hadn't necessarily been a rough week, but it had patches.  Just full of the general business, bits of discouragement, not enough good sleep, a few disagreements, a little too much noise, and a general feeling of overwhelm.  All the things that can weigh a person down pretty quickly.

I prayed about my attitude, I took it all to God.  I still didn't feel peace, and the cloud of grumpiness hadn't yet dissipated.

So I prayed more, this time I itemized. 

I think sometimes that helps to lay it all out there, maybe helps to process it, and realize how trivial some things are.  But I still felt a little...drowning.

My best dear friend called on her way home from a busy day at work, with her own difficulties, and I told her about mine.  Somehow just talking to her about it and knowing I wasn't the only one helped.  I started to say that I just couldn't believe praying about it didn't bring peace like it usually did...until I realized...I did have peace.  It had.

God HAD answered my prayers. 

He sent me a friend. 

Someone who called at just the right time, who knew how I felt.  I wasn't alone.  He had given me peace.

Sometimes we pray for a miracle, a sign, something big written in the sky.  But sometimes, it's right there.  As close as the air we breathe, maybe a verse in a devotion or a voice on the other end of the phone, a hug given at just the right moment, a smile in the middle of a cloudy day.

My friend had no idea she was the answer to a prayer, but I made sure and told her.  And then I said my thank you prayers. 

Did you ever realize YOU may be the answer to someone's prayer?  You have a place in this world, you have a place in others lives.  You never know when your smile or word of encouragement may just be the life preserver to another drowning soul. 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

The Start of Something Beautiful - Part One

As soon as we moved to our new house, we had to get started making changes.  Lots of changes.  But to start, new kid's rooms.

The entire upstairs was a master suite, while the two bedrooms downstairs were supposed to be for the kids.  This just seems crazy to me, not because our kids will sneak out while we are sleeping, but for safety & security's sake, for any late night knocks on the door or dog barking fiascoes.  We didn't want one of them hearing or responding to any of the above.

We moved us and our home office setup into one bedroom downstairs, with the kids in the bedroom across the hall together while the upstairs demo began.  They bickered, giggled, fought and pranked each other regularly, so we knew we had to hurry.  Things got a little ugly sometimes, but I think they did bond and maybe become closer friends.  I like to think that anyways, I'd rather not think they are scarred for life, ha.

Caught them getting along on the trampoline (which we did not set up properly and had to redo twice!)

I came up with a perfectly even plan, both had the same sized rooms, closets, and a very nicely arranged shared bathroom.  There was a long home office/play area across the backside of the house with their bedrooms on the front.  One look in the attic revealed this would not work, unless the furnace was moved and ducts reworked.  It was going to add time and money to an already tight time and money budget.  So we changed the plan.  It wasn't the plan we had in mind, but it would work just fine.  Funny how that happens, right?

Our carpenter/handyman got started, ripping out the enormous jacuzzi (along with it's stage it sat in), the gigantic and odd walk-in shower, endless tile, and loads of 16 year old berber carpet.  He framed in the walls, called his brother to help him with the drywall...and they both headed to another project!

Each tile is 12", this tub took up so much space!

This is the landing at the top of the stairs.

He didn't want to do the drywall himself and his brother had larger fish to fry.

After lamenting to probably everyone we knew, trying to find a replacement, many friends and family said they had done it themselves here and there, we could too!  We decided it couldn't be that bad.  We wanted it done quickly and to save some money so we decided to tackle it ourselves.  We watched a lot of Youtube, read a lot of This Old House, and asked a lot of questions at Lowe's and Home Depot.

Boy were we wrong!

It was time consuming, heavy, and all out hard.  I don't think either of us have ever physically worked so hard in our lives.  Drywall sheets are heavy, dusty, and give minuscule fiberglass cuts, scratches and splinters.  It's a pain to cut, a pain to get even and level (especially when the framing isn't straight!)...we were almost thinking plaster and lathe would be easier.

We spent every evening, weekend, the entire week the kids were at camp, and even sheetrocked in our sleep (not good dreams, for sure).  A friend showed us how to mud, tape and sand.  I'm going to be real with you, it was not pretty and we were beyond exhausted.  Think almost new baby tired, but not quite.  The baby was super heavy, but at least slept all night.

I had stripped the bed, we had taken a break and someone fell asleep just like that.

You can tell where we started, it's a little uneven and lumpy, but by the time we finished, we were pros.  I could probably win an HGTV mudding and sanding competition at this point!

Things you don't think about...no ceiling fixtures yet equals table lamp on floor to work after dark!

After weeks of drywall mudding and sanding, we were ready for paint and floors.  We were moving on and getting closer!  ...stay tuned for Part 2!

Oh!  And about this time, barn construction started.  And the backyard fence.  Both items took an inordinately long time, far longer than either contractor had told us.  At one point, the fence contractor said he could have had that barn finished three weeks ago...he had been working on our fence at least that long.  The fact that he didn't see the irony in this made it even funnier!  We definitely did not tell the barn guys what the fence guys were saying.

And as they say in the country..."Y'all come back now!"

"ya hear"...

Tick Bit Hen

My daughter came running in the back door with a chicken in her arms (this is nothing new) while I was cooking dinner.  Something was obviously wrong with one of our Wyandotte hens.  She didn't have a name at the time, we had 6 of them and only one was different than the others, as she had a pea comb (lumpy instead of the typical one that stands up).  Why I feel guilty about this, I just don't know, because these pretty ladies really don't like to be bothered (except for given treats). 

The poor hen's face...was not right.

Her face, mouth, and wattles were sooo swollen and dark red, and she was laboring to breathe.  Her eyes, usually almost flush with her face, were deep set and her cheeks were large.  Her wattles stood out angled, thick and hot, instead of hanging loosely like thin flaps.  They were much darker than her comb, which was completely normal.

She looked really really bad, the situation looked dire.

We wrapped her up in a towel (you know it's bad if she allows that), it just seemed to be the right thing to do, then sat her on my lap while Natalie searched online for what could possibly be wrong.  It was essentially the chicken version of the WebMD search.  You know the kind, it always points to cancer.

Fowl cholera, bacterial infection...all very bad things that mean imminent death and possibly flock destruction. 

As she's looking, and we're both starting to freak out a bit on the inside, I notice a bulgy blister on the hen's head.  Natalie looks up "blisters on chickens head" just as I realize it's a big fat tick!  We call them dog ticks here, they are gray and get very large and round (they might be called castor bean ticks elsewhere).

I pull the tick with tweezers, both of us laughing with relief, and we look up if chickens can have Benadryl (they can).  We give her some children's Benadryl (they'll eat bread dipped in anything), and before our eyes, the swelling starts going down and her color looks a little better.  She starts breathing normally, and then suddenly with a loud squawk, wants off of my lap.  We turn the impatient hen loose outside, she doesn't even look back as she joins her friends.  Natalie and I giggled with relief, thank goodness for Benadryl!

It took a good several weeks for her comb and wattles to go back to normal, but she eventually made a full recovery.  And while ticks are something chickens eat (read about that here), it's bad news when a tick turns the tables.

Ticks, it turns out, though small, are very complex creatures.  The have special ways of latching on, making them hard to remove and allowing them to stay attached for a very long time.  Their saliva has anticoagulant properties.  On a small animal like a chicken, a little goes a long way!

Along a Winding Path

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."  -Allen Saunders

I spent this week working with a dear friend I would never have met, for a good company I never would have worked for, doing something I would never have thought of doing had my career followed my plans.

My plans were interior design, and lots of it.  There's nothing like a quiet warehouse, painting walls and setting up a trade show booth while the kids are hanging out with the grands to allow a person a chance to think and look back.

Thinking about it, life feels a bit like a path.  We have an idea of where we want to go, but have no idea the bumps, dips and detours we may find along the way.  A lot has gone according to plan, but there are a few things that haven't quite, kind of like stepping in the unexpectedly deep puddle!  Allow a person some quiet time, and the mind really wanders.

Proverbs 16:9 has been on my mind lately, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (esv)".  In my younger days, I would have felt rankled by this verse, though now, it gives me comfort.  I now realize, just through life in general, that God really does know better than me and that he has our good in mind.  I think that even though some things that I have deeply desired and hoped for have not come to fruition, maybe my life has been sweeter for it.

I've seen many times how God's "no" to some things and detours around others have actually been his hand of protection and not a withholding of blessing.  It has been for my best interest, my family's best interest.  It's hard to see when you are walking through it, but much easier when you can stop a minute and look back.  Of course, many prayers have been answered with a yes, but it's the no's that really make us think...

Younger years dating matches that didn't work out, and then, the one that did.  And still is, 22 years running!

The office closure of an interior design job in my twenties, pushing me out of my comfort zone and into marketing, meeting a number of great friends, stretching my art muscles and opening doors I never thought to knock on (15 years running!). Hence this week!  (And the catalog shoot I got to style earlier in the spring! Talk about FUN!)

Selling the budget swallowing, money pit of a dream home which allowed for less stress, strain, and constant maintenance, gave us breathing room in many ways and allowed us to put away the hammer and saw.

Opening and closing another office location (husband's shop) ultimately showing us we didn't want to move, we didn't need another location, and that God still provides even though sometimes we tune him out and do what we want to do.

Losing my mom unexpectedly, which was all sorts of hard, but it did lead to a closer relationship with my dad and a deeper understanding (ie crash course) of what really isn't important and what is.

The complete feeling of "halt and desist" of building a house on family land later allowing us to buy  a house tucked away in the needed quiet, with plenty of space, privacy, and room to roam and relax.

If you find yourself feeling a little off the beaten path, not really sure how you got there or how to get back, keep these things in mind.  They've certainly helped me.

1.  Trust that God has this.  Proverbs 16:9 "...the Lord establishes his steps." We may make the decisions and mistakes, but they come as no surprise to God.  He knows where you are going, and maybe he's pointed you that way for lessons that will change your character.  I deeply believe any purpose he has for us will be fulfilled, we won't mess it up.

2.  Reflect.  Take a minute to look back sometimes.  Think of the good that has come out of the bad or hard, and the wisdom and friendships you have gained in the process.

3.  Relax and take a deep breath.  You may not feel you are where you are supposed to be at this point in life, but it's not a race.  And the people you feel may be watching you?  More than likely, they are worried about their own position, knee deep in the weeds.

And lastly, when you find yourself fretting, say this verse out loud...

"And we know that for those that love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

I Did Not Get Bit

I did not get bit.

It did get really loud at our place.  I think it was mostly noise coming from me, though there was sound everywhere.

Natalie sicced the dog and came running to help.  Graham grabbed Ranger and pulled him back in the house, he wanted to keep him safe.  Chris came running from the garage, wielding the simplest weapon, a shovel, and took care of the problem...

A BLACK SNAKE coiled in the corner of the coop!

Which had just eaten an egg and tried to unsuccessfully swallow a chick.

And I had just TOUCHED the thing by accident.

Poor chick.

I had gone in the coop just before dark, to count chickens and gather eggs.  It was too dark, so I brought the flashlight back from the house and propped it in a laying basket.  The coop was loud, as it always is at bedtime, with hens jockeying for roost position and ducks settling in.  Tonight, the month-old juvenile chicks were piled up against the door and even up in the nesting baskets.  It was shadowy down below the baskets, and I grabbed for one of the chicks nestled in the duck area.

My middle and index fingers touched it first, and instead of feeling the soft, warm fluff of baby feathers, it was cool-ish, smooth, and unyielding.

What the?

I grabbed the flashlight from above and....

Coiled up, it stuck it's tongue out at me and froze.  Noise came from everywhere.  I calmly and rationally left the flashlight shining on the snake, tossing nearby chickens away from the area as I ran to find Chris.

And that brings us back to the frightened children, husband with a shovel, and problem solved.  I really do hate to have to kill a nonvenomous "good" snake.  Snakes are only good though until they hurt someone or something you care about, no matter their benefit otherwise.

 Egg in it's belly

You may have seen bigger, but this is big enough for me!

Everyone is calm now, tucked in their beds, roosts, and baskets.  Bedtime prayers of thanks and requests for no more snakes have all been said.  All is well that ends well!