War of the Mouse

I recently bought some of my favorite cookies and realized I never shared this story with you all.

The story of the evil mouse.

When we went to go camping this year, I loaded up the camper with lots of good things to eat and drink.  I mean, if you are camping, you need certain things.

And those certain things always involve the food we never usually buy.

The first morning I awoke in my cozy camper, my mom and I decided to make pancakes.  When I got into my cupboard, in my giant bag of chocolate chips there was a hole.

A giant mouse hole.

It dined well on chocolate chips.

I immediately went on a cleaning rampage and had that camper gleaming spotless.  That mouse wasn't getting any more of my food.

Stinking mouse.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed over to my mom's campsite to visit and share my conquest over the mouse. 

As I was sipping my coffee, I looked down.

Mouse

Turd

In

My 

Coffee

I started to gag.  I spewed the coffee from my mouth and dumped all the coffee out on the ground.  I jumped around and may have uttered curses from under my breath. 

Well played, evil mouse.  Well played.

My mom was on the phone at the time and could not figure out what possessed her laid back daughter, me, to act like that.  Then she took pity on me and made me a pot of coffee at her camper.

(We camped with three coffee pots.  Apparently we all need coffee too much to share.  How I love my family.)

Through this process I was texting my sister in law who was still to arrive to the campground.

She only laughed at me.

For a few days later, we seemed to call a truce, that evil mouse and I.  I assumed wrong.  It had not traveled to other campers, it was just laying in wait for me.

It is evil like that.

It ate my cookies.

I have these Dutch cookies that, ironically, The Farmers Wife sent me.  You have to find them in the ethnic isle at the store and it makes me feel very cultured to purchase them.  The lovely added feature of these beyond yummy goodness is that they sit perfectly on your coffee cup, getting all warm and gooey and then you dunk them in your coffee and...

Bliss.

The mouse ate them.

No one came near my camper as I scrubbed the camper down AGAIN.

It was the day before we left.  Everyone steered clear of me as I tore through that camper sure I could hear that mouse giggling.

The first thing I did when I got home was have S1 set traps in the camper.  I placed dcon in the camper.  I layered the thing with fabric softener sheets (It had been prior, just so you know.)

I laughed with joy at the thought of the mouse pulling one on me never again.

As I put away my silverware in my unused silverware drawer that night, I leaned closer down.

Mouse turds.

My reaction was not a joyous one.

Mice.

I hate them so.

Well, except the Cinderella kind.  But THEY would have made me new Stroopwaffles.

And that is the mouse story, be that as it may.

For added entertainment, want to glimpse my text to my sister in law as she was headed out to us?  She giggles over them still...

Me - I forgot soap. Plllllleeeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeee bring me a bar of girl soap.  Thanks.

Her - I don't have girl soap.  I only have zest. Want that?

Me - No Zest.  Thanks.  That is the only sap I have strong feeling about. Dove or Olay. Please and Thanks.

Me - Did you get my message?  Zest is fine. I will even sing the zestfully song! It's Irish spring I detest so greatly.

Her - (Your brother) hates that kind to.  I grabbed you one!!

Me - You rock.  Thank you!!

Me - Bring dcon by the tons. I have been infested. They ate my chocolate chips. I am freaking out!!!!

Her - Raccoons?

Me - MICE!!!!!! In. My. Camper!!!!!!  This has NEVER happened!!!!!

Me - I am currently furious and cleaning.

Her - From the campground?  Thats just wrong.

Me - Which is why I am freaking out.  And it's a mean one.  It put a turd in my COFFEE and I did not see it until I had drunken some.  You can understand my hatred at the moment.

Her - The way you put that made me laugh even if its not really funny.

My sister in law.  I love her so.  And I am glad she loves me so. 

Camping With Diaper Diaries.

I just mopped myself into my computer desk just to blog to you.

Really.

I would take a photo for you but my phone is in the kitchen and I am here at the desk and I would have to re-mop my floor if I went to get it and I'm grateful for all you readers and all that but, well, I don't feel like re-mopping right now.

Bur, really truly, I did mop myself into a corner and what was in that corner?

My computer.

Sometimes my brilliance is astounding.

Anyhow...

We just got back from camping.

We camped for seven full days with my mom and her dog Maggie, my brother, Dan, his wife, Ginger and my adorable nephews Levi and Hunter.  My sister was supposed to show but she was camping elsewhere.  My dad came out to visit us and my aunt was there three times.  Jake took a vacation day and camped three days with us.

No shower incidents occurred...you all are evil for hoping that they would.

We did, however, camp next to Pirates.

I kid you not.

And we had an entire cooler filled with crawdads and a turtle...because doesn't everyone?

Just like doesn't everyone take their pet bunnies camping with them?

I also had to wage full out war on a mouse.  So far the mouse is winning.

But one of the best parts of the trip was that Diaper Diaries came along camping with us.

Didn't you know she loves to camp?

in fact, she made this button for us all.....

Oh, this says she does not like to camp....

Okay, here is the story behind that.

While camping, Diaper Diaries posted a blog and since I did check my email on my phone (love the iphone, especially when my computer has no internet connection), I read this blog post on which she stated why camping is NOT a vacation.

Every time I walked to the bathrooms, I giggled.

In the shower, with my mom in the shower next to me, she hollered over the not sound proof wall, "I'm not feeling like I am on vacation" and when I looked down at my flip flopped feet standing in the shower that I understood what she meant.

But we did have a GREAT time.  A wonderful time.  

And when I arrived home, I took a shower with bare feet.

It was glorious.

I'll fill you in on the camping trip as soon as I can...I have much to share and other things I need to write too...so maybe I'll just toss some camping posts out in the next week or two.

What are your thoughts on camping?

Camping

When you read this, we will be heading back from a full seven days of camping.

You know what that means.

I have lots of posts coming up for you.

The boys like to pack on their own now.

It always is enlightening.

Take S4, for example.

The backpack is all his clothes, his soap, toothbrush, towel, beach towel and toys.

The suitcase?

It is FILLED with stuffed animals.

Seriously.

July is our month to camp.

And even though it is the END of July now - how did THAT happen - we all relate to this comic strip I copied from Cohagen Chronicles.  That's us.

"It's July?  It's our camping trip? How can this be?  How can summer be almost over?  WE MUST LIVE UP THIS CAMPING TRIP!!!!"

I am sure we will.

I am sure we are in for lots of adventures and funny stories - let's hope that embarrassing one does not occur this year - and funny moments.

Like when S4 wears his water goggles and grins like this.

Stay tuned.

Give me a bit of time to unpack.

And get over the shock of how much laundry I have to do.

And then let the stories roll. 

Camping in 44 Degree Weather

It has always been an idea I thought fun...go camping, our favorite thing to do, the week we got out of school.

My brother bought a camper, eerily like ours, and we decided to do a quick weekend trip before our annual big camping trip later this summer.  For weeks when we would greet each other it would sound much like this, "Hey! Just a little bit longer and we are going to be camping!"

The day before we left for camping found me, the mama, sick as can be, in bed.  Misereable.

S1 and S2 came to the rescue and cleaned the camper.  They did a surprisingly good job for two boys who have never cleaned a camper before.  The day was cold, dreary, rainy.  We held out hopes for a better tomorrow.

Friday, the day we left for camping, dawned dreary.  And then it began to rain.  It was even colder than the day before.  When I shut the door to the house, our floors were covered in mud.  On the way to the campground, it began to pour.

My brother, who had arrived just before us, forked over the five dollars for the most pitiful bundle of firewood - but it was dry - and we couldn't get that campfire started fast enough.  Bundled in our winter jackets - WINTER jackets - we ate the food I had brought along in crock pots.

Because my husband had figured I would just get filthy muddy setting up the campsite, I had not showered before we left for camping.  I arrived that grubby you get from throwing together a camper after being sick in bed the day before.  So we drove down to the showers that were either not very warm or it was so cold outside that the water couldn't even compete.

It was fast shower.

When we got back to our unheated camper, I dove into bed.  I had made our bed with thermal sheets, two of the thermal blankets my sister in law had made us and the thick quilt that we had gotten for the bed.  I was afraid my hair might freeze so I pulled the blanket over my head.

It was 44 degrees.

The morning dawned sunny.  I didn't want to get out of bed before it was fifty, but it didn't reach fifty and I needed coffee so crawled out of my surprisingly toasty warm bed and into my winter coat.

The day warmed as it went on.  And, really, we were so happy to be camping we just got to being more happy than cold.

 My little nephew, Hunter, wanted to play in the dirt in the worst way.  My brother and his wife gave in.  It wasn't long after that the he began WALKING!  Woohoo! It was so much fun watching him play this weekend!

 This is my handsome hubby and Chloe, the Pomeranian of my sister in law that I may love greatly.  She is the sweetest little dog.  See how little she is?  She will stay that size, a forever puppy right there.  And when Jake said, "Ah, what a sweet puppy," I had to snap a picture.

 S2 spent a great deal of time napping.  We assumed it was because we were all exhausted, recovering from a busy end of the school year.  We realized later that S2 was indeed sick.  Poor boy! He got lots of cuddle time from his Daddy though.

 For entertainment in the afternoon, S1 set out some doritos, sat in his tent with his nerf gun and waited for the crows to come in.  Apparently it is easy to entertain him.

Here is S4 with the other Pomeranian that my sister in law has, Ellie Mae.  While Ellie wanted to play, S4 or some other child was usually carrying Ellie Mae around...a live stuffed animal to cuddle.

 Jake takes our cooking of food over the fire very seriously. He is amazed we don't get sick when he and my brother are not around to take care of the cooking of meat.

At four in the afternoon, the campground offers special activities for the kids staying there.  As you can imagine, there weren't very many people staying in a campground in June when 55 was feeling like a heat wave after the 90 degree weather we had the week before.  Jake took S3, S4, my three year old nephew and my three year old niece to their fishing pier to fish as the park activity.  They arrived home fishless and unscathed...except for Jake.  Rebeka had to go pee and he was the only one there to take her.  He didn't offer to take the little kids fishing again.

While Jake had the little kiddos fishing and S2 was asleep and sick, my brother took S1 fishing.  They were gone a good long time.  But if they were catching fish like this, I can see why.

 S1 was just as proud as could be with this 19 inch bass.  We took a bunch of pictures and then he let it go.

 So, if you go fishing in the lake this fish is in, you may catch it again.  But we won't tell you where the lake is.  He wants to catch it again.

Even though S2 spend most of the weekend like this, and it was chilly - no, downright cold - we had a great time.

There is something about sitting around a campfire with those you love with no agenda.  And it DID warm up nicely.  Sunday, when we left, we were all in t-shirts again.  Because it was cold, I didn't take very many pictures.  I did have my mom snap this one as we were about to pull out of the campground.  Never mind my tangled hair.  I ran out of conditioner.  I will spare you the amount of time it took for me to comb out when we got home...or the amount of no more tangles.

While Jake taking all the little kiddos fishing (he is brave and we loved him for it) could have been the funniest story of the trip, it wasn't.  It was S1.

As we sat at the camp fire, we watched a racoon meander very near us, and S1 came up with his brilliant idea.  He found the cheap marshmallows wadded up pretty good so he wadded up bits of marshmallow and stuck them on trees.  Then he took an uneaten hot dog and strung it up on a little rope connected to the awning.  He laid bread and marshmallows all around him, then he sat in his tent with the flip cam and just waited.  

He didn't wait long.  This video was taken as Jake and I were headed out to shower.

When we returned back to the campsite, one raccoon scurried up a tree next to us and peeked out, one ambled out of view and who knows what was under the camper.  I just dove into the camper to be safe.  In the middle of the night, we realized the raccoons had found the bacon grease we were saving for fire starter in the morning as a huge ugly fight broke out. That S1 slept through.

It was a great weekend, well, other than freezing (but we survived!) and S2 being sick.  He is still sick, poor boy.

It was a great kick off to our summer vacation.

Ready for More Camping Stories?

As you read this, I am headed home. I am writing this and scheduling its arrival to your computer on the day I am headed home, driving my champagne colored suburban with white knuckles over roads with no names as I haul our long camper home from a long week of camping that will have seemed too short.

And I hope we have had no camper issues, no suburban issues, no animal attack issues, no shower issues....I hope we have just had a wonderful time.

Because when I get home, we have very little time before school starts and I just despise that S word.

And, also, to be honest, I hope we have a wonderful time camping because preparing for camping is NOT fun. Not at all.

The idea of camping is grand. That is what spurs you on to load half your house in a camper smaller than your living room, to figure out how you can pack enough underware and still have some when you return home, to make sure you have every loved stuffed animal, enough mini marshmallows for the marshmallow gun fights, enough books in case you dislike one you brought with you or in case you love it so much you read it all in one day, enough food...good gracious, let there be enough food to keep the boys fed!...enough water to survive 90 degree temps, enough "fun" stuff in case it rains.

Enough of everything, pretty much.

But when we go to leave, the boys will no doubt cry and say they did not have enough time.

And I will sniff with them because leaving for camping makes me grouchy and short with them, and then for seven glorious days we have fun and tease and tell stories and eat junk and play and swim and enjoy each others company.

And then we come home.

And the camper has to be unpacked, and the laundry has to be done, and the dinner needs to be made and, well, REAL life crashes in.

But I wish there was a way to make the feeling of camping last long after we return.

Either way, you are still probably guaranteed some great stories. I mean, it is US we are talking about here. Me, the four boys, Hubs for the weekend, one dog, my mom, her dog, my brother, sister in law, Jr, E-girl and a bunch of visitors.

And racoons. The racoons have been counting down for our arrival.

I'll fill you all in just as soon as I get the laundry going, the food cooking and the coffee brewed.

We Went Camping...The Incident

The three older boys had gone to take a shower together. My sister came back to report to me how S3 had been standing in the shower room, realized he needed to pee, ran naked across the public hallway, into the men's restroom, peed, ran back across the hallway and back to the shower room. She informed me I needed to have a talk about proper etiquette with the boys. S4 heard this story and was more than ready to round up his brothers and set them on the couch and the proceed to call me in to tell his brothers the rules of showering at a campground. It was basically this, when in the shower room, you do not leave the shower room unless you have clothes on. No naked boys leave the shower room. Period.

Shortly thereafter S4 and I headed out to take a shower. On my way there, I came across Egirl who was camping with us and S1 and S2 taking Josie for a nightly stroll. “Hey, swing by to pick up your brother so I can shower all alone,” I told them.

I showered S4 up, dressed him and then peeked out the shower room door. No one from our group but a good ten people were waiting for the shower. I told S4 he was just going to have to wait, set him on a dry towel on the little bench and stripped down for the shower.
I was just rinsing the last of the shampoo from my hair, step one in taking a shower, when I opened my shut tight eyes to get more soap I was shocked to see S4, standing at the door, with his head hanging out looking around.

So, just to give you an accurate picture in case you aren't totally with me here......

I am completely naked.

When I opened my eyes I was looking directly toward the hallway that held ten or so complete and total strangers.

S4's head was in the door way so there was no way I could just slam the door shut. However, I don't think he knew what happened the way I yanked him back and slammed the door so quickly.

Somehow, I finished showering, quickly, and pulled all my clothes on. I told S4 he could now open the door. Guess what? The door was too slippery, he couldn't get it open.

Now.

The t-shirt I was wearing read “Just Another Day in Paradise” (thanks KE) as I kept my eyes to the ground, my hand tightly holding my happily chatting away son, and beelined out of the public bathroom area.

I was so concentrated on getting out of there that I don't know if there was anyone in the hallway or not.

We have a few more shower rules now........

We Went Camping...And I Packed Black Heels

Why yes, I do have black heels packed in the camper......

Just because my mom has all the faith in the world in me to pull of insane situations, we went camping on a Praise and Coffee night. I do not miss Praise and Coffee if at all possible because, well, it's Praise and Coffee.

So while my sister and Baby Back up, GM and Jr and Egirl (GM's cousin who is family) my mom and her dog Maggie watched my four boys and a dog (just one, Sadie got sent home. She has a Bolt like super bark, and other campers don't appreciate such things I found out), I climbed into my camper wearing grubby shorts and a sweaty shirt and emerged wearing my best jeans, a black silk tank, a blackish grayish whitish scarf that I KNOW is stylish because it's the Miley Cyrus brand at Walmart, and black heels.

Do you know how many looks you get when you walk in black heels over the paved drive to the poison ivy lined wooded trail from one campsite to another?

A lot.

Heels are fun to wear in the woods, I found. You just feel like you are playing dress up. So I had a picture taken, I mean, it was too funny. That dressed up CAMPING???? The girls begged me not to show it to the world.....so I won't. Because I love them that much. But, I am framing it. Believe me!

So I wore the heels and fancy scarf so I could arrive late to dinner with Sue, Lorilee and Alison so I could giggle and learn and laugh and have fun before I was late arriving with Lorilee (the guest speaker) and Alison to Praise and Coffee so I could stick around to hear an amazing story so I could chat with a bunch of women so I could help Sue pack up so I could head back to the campground, past hours, to find my way in an unlit darkness.

Unlit, full moon, fog, in the woods. It looks cool on Twilight. It's not so fun when you are all alone in black heels in the middle of the night (11:30).

I was sure I would be locked out. There was a big sign that read “GATES CLOSE AT TEN”. Driving in, I seen one car drive out..I was sure that would be the gate keeper. I had packed two flashlights in the suburban, and wondered that, if necessary, would my heels work as a weapon to defend myself from raccoons and coyotes? They weren't spiky heels, and I'd hate to loose them, being as cute as they are, but, if it was necessary.....

All that for naught. I arrived to open gates (the beach closed, not the campground, at ten) and my two oldest boys awaiting my return, keeping the campfire going for me.

Although, trudging thru the woods in the dark in my heels being followed by raccoons would have been a WAY better post.........though I am glad I didn't live that.

Much much much more on that Praise and Coffee next week. It was THAT good.

(Here is Praise and Coffee's Newsletter. Enjoy!)

We Went Camping...Beach Photos

Sometimes people ask us how on earth we could ever camp so long. One year we went for ten days straight. And we never leave the campground. This trip we just were gone Thursday to Monday but we just can't bring ourselves to because the most wonderful lake that I know of is there.

This photo was taken just as a huge storm was coming in while we were there. But it is one end of the beach to the other and gives you a good idea of the beauty.
Here is Jr, who figured out how to steal everyone's drinks. He was fascinated with the straws. He loved that we all left our drinks and snacks at his level....these were some of the greatest days of his life, I do believe.

Here is Baby Backup. She isn't really the baby anymore, but I can't resist calling her that. She gained this name because S4 couldn't say her name when she was born. I thought the idea of the girl being my "back up" was cute too. The name stuck. Hubby only calls her Backup.

S1 and Jr. Notice the tonka truck in the background. KE stopped out with her kids while we were there, which made me and the boys exceptionally happy, and she videoed the beach to prove to her husband that there is no mistaking where WE are on the beach, and that NO ONE spends the day near us.

When we are all worn out from swimming and sun, HOURS are spent just trying to catch the tiny minnows...as well as the big fish...that come swimming up to shore.

Every day is spent with a view like this. How could you not want to stay here all day?


To my dear Montana friends...you have no trees, you have no lake, you do not fish. Visit us here in MI and we will spend a big part of time here, because you can enjoy all three. Thought of you the whole time we were here!

We Went Camping...Campsite Photos

To better understand how it was when we were camping, here are some campsite photos for you. Beach pictures will follow.

Here is my Mom's adorable little camper. It even has a little wood stove in it. SO cute! See why it gets so many looks? Next to it is my sister's and Baby Backup's tent. Notice the woods behind her....raccoons love that area. They were especially fond of my sister....but more about that later.Here is GM and Jr and Egirls tent looking toward our campsite. Really, I wish I had gotten a better pic of just the TOYS at our site but I forgot about it, which is hard to believe since I was stumbling all over them every day.Out campsite and the main place to gather. Notice our food tent to keep raccoons out (it didn't work), the boys tent, our camper (that I backed up all alone...sorta, my Dad directed me. And he is a great director. And it was my FIRST TIME backing it up. Thanks, Father dear!)Here is Hubby teaching Egirl how to cook. Notice the hovering S3 and S4. They were sure they would starve. We ate every meal cooked over the campfire. Here is S3 and Jr working on making ice cream. We made it, but it was rather soupy. Great for a shake malted sort of ice cream drink thing. I think we needed to stir more, but Hubby wasn't there to crank it for us or tell us when it was done.

GIANT marshmellows my Mom found made very yummy s'mores. The boys could overlook the pink color for the yummy gooeyness of it all.

Here is Baby Backup sporting some rocking reading light glasses.

The boys, not really ready to go home yet.

We Went Camping....Getting There

As I type this post to you, I am hunkered down in a camper with no internet available at all. I am technologically cut off. Because I am vacationing.

But I did bring my wonderful present from my super intelligent hubby, my little accer laptop. And with it I am pounding out a few camping highlights for you.

Only a few. And it's hard to choose just a few.

Really.

Our camping stories could be a reality show. I'm not even exaggerating.

We camp in an old camper, that is large enough to cram all six of us into it. But usually it is just me and the dog. My boys have left me for a tent. They love the tent. My hubby works and doesn't get any time off but Sunday's and an occasional Saturday. So I have a queen sized bed and a stocked fridge and a tiny little bathroom that has a toilet that works. It's rough to have that time alone, I tell ya.

But getting to the campground. Oh my. If anyone has any tips at all to getting a never fully clean house clean enough to feel one can leave it behind plus clean a camper so that you can trash it by the time you pack enough stuff for six people to live in it for five or so days without ever leaving the camp ground (this includes every bike, every tonka truck, every tractor, etc that the boys own on top off bikes for everyone to ride INSDIE the camper) all while celebrating a son's birthday and taking care of another puking son and do with with joy and calmness, call me. I need to know your secret. Because I loose it. I blow my top. I stress. It. Is. Not. Fun. EVER. And that is putting it ever so lightly.

Then, me, with four boys and two dogs and no hubby pull a camper loaded to the roof behind my John Deere license plated suburban behind my Dad and Mom who have a 1949 restored Panel truck pulling the cutest ever little 1953 Vacionette camper that turns everyone's head and gets lots of thumbs up. Behind me is GM, my sister in law, in my brothers red pick up with the camo windows.

No one notices us. Just Dad.

Which is fine. Because I have to concentrate on driving. Because I have four boys asking me “are we there yet?' and two dogs sure they need to give me directions as I haul a swaying camper down some of the narrowest, curviest hilliest roads in the county. The roads we take, they don't have names. Seriously. I always check. I say “we go down the road that only one vehicle can fit on and there is a swamp on either side and the road is paved but it should just be gravel” and the people say “oh, I didn't know people used that road” and I say “what's it called?” and no one knows.

But we arrive. My Dad reminds me to breathe. I literally peel my fingers from the steering wheel, we jack the camper up to make it somewhat level, the boys empty a camper in such a way you would think they were finding long lost always longed for treasured presents with every sand filled tonka truck and bike. It's sorta like a boy version of Mary Poppins magic carpet bag, if that makes any sense.

And anyone who has the camping lots next to us, well, they stare at us. And wish they could blink themselves back to their quiet home.

Let the camping fun begin.

Want to Go Camping With Us? and Rockin' Worship

We are back after a week of camping. It took us a week to get ready for camping leading up to camping and then the week camping and now it’ll take two weeks to recover! But it was worth it, we had a blast. And the benefit for you all is that while I have been away I have been thinking a million times “ohhhh, this is going to make a GREAT blog!” So hooray for all of you…you all get to go camping with us (well, sorta)

But right now I have laundry to do. Four boys plus seven days equals much laundry.

Here, however, is a little story for you…

S4 has taken it upon himself to make up new songs. Tonight we were eating dinner and he says “want to hear my new song?”

He begins singing (he would sing the song whether we wanted him to or not) to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Get Rhythm”

“Get roundin’ so you can get some tacos
Get roundin” so you can get some tacos
Get roundin’ so you can get some taaacccooooooossss”

My husband begins singing the real words to “Get Rhythm” to which S4 begins to cry “DADDY!!!!! Don’t ruin my song!”

Oh no, we would never do that.

I’m off to drink more coffee…..I’ll be needing a lot. Here is the story Sue posted over at Praise and Coffee while I was gone…enjoy! Hey, don’t forget to visit http://www.praiseandcoffee.com/ I can’t rave enough about her blog!

Rockin’ Worship

I had to clean my porch. Well, let me start farther back than that. We live in a very old farmhouse, and the front of our house is an old porch that the previous owners remodeled with windows to connect it as a room of the house. It has no insulation, it slants toward the door, it has no electric and it is my second favorite room in the whole house. The reason I fell in love with the house in the first place. The ceiling is robin’s egg blue and I painted the trim super bright yellow when we moved in and the floor is chipped dark blue. Everyone loves my porch.

We used it as a mud room this winter for the first time. It was a little odd to take a cute room and make it into a ‘drop’ room but it worked. And it has stayed that trashed drop room since winter and it was well past time to clean it out. It was so nasty I ended up just taking the garden hose into the porch and spraying it down. It was gross. Dirt I didn’t know existed came pouring out.

I took everything out of the porch, cleaned it and brought what I needed back in. It’s all cute again with two rocking chairs just waiting to be rocked in and chat with someone special. Our youngest was exceptionally impressed with the rocking chairs. “Come sit wid me!” he said to me, rocking back and forth.

“I really need to keep cleaning,” I’d say, but I did think he sure looked cute in the big rocking chair. I kept to task and soon S4 was rocking again, “Come sit wid me, Moma. I got you a piddow.” And sure enough, he drug the pillow from the couch to the rocking chair for me.

“Oh, okay,” I agreed and sat in the other chair. He rocked away with a smile.

“This nice, Moma,” he told me.

And it was. It was sweet rocking there with my little boy on my clean porch. I had been so busy putting it back together that I hadn’t realized just how nice it was to just sit there.

Later in the day I was frantically getting around for the Praise and Coffee night. I was so late! I hurried out the door without dinner; I made it too late to help out, too late for a sandwich but in time for coffee. Which I needed because I was so tired from all the work of the day.

Trinity FTL was playing and I had been looking forward to this day. But as they began to play I just kept thinking of all the busyness of the day, the things I had left undone at home, the things I had yet to do when I got home. And while the music was unbelievable great, I wasn’t ‘feeling’ it.

All the sudden the sun came thru the window and shown brightly on me just as Sue was praying for the Holy Spirit to be felt in this place and they began to play a Kari Jobe song I most love. It was one of those “frozen in time” moments, surreal. And I thought of my little boy sitting in the rocking chair asking me to sit with him. And it was like God said to me, “Are you going to give Me any of your time?”

And just like I had used the hose to clean out the ick of the porch to get to that moment where I could enjoy some special time with S4, God just hit me then, showing me all the ick that was blocking me from truly worshipping Him.

I cried. I don’t cry in public and I stood there and cried.

Thank you, God, for giving me a son to show me more of You! To show me how to have a “rockin’ worship” moment with You.