Candice has learned to lick the bowl…among other things! Isn’t she a charmer?
Licking the Bowl
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Monthly Archives: June 2009
Phillip is 6!!
Happy Birthday, Phillip!!
An Attitude of Service
Today is the day that will always be remembered as the day that I didn’t install Mama’s air conditioner. Here’s the story.
Mama and I went to her apartment with three goals: to be there when the gas to her stove was turned on, to install her air conditioner, and to get her locks changed by the maintenance man.
I was really dreading putting the air conditioner in the window because I was going to have to do it by myself, and if you didn’t know this already, those things are pretty heavy!!
As I was getting ready to pick the air conditioner up, a man outside Mama’s window (and on the other side of a fence) said, “I’m the one who knocked on your door this morning.” Mama was shocked because she had not been there this morning, but he said there was definitely someone in the apartment. It turns out that he had his buildings mixed up!
When Mama mentioned that someone was supposed to change her locks this morning, he volunteered to do it right then. So, it was settled, and he would be in her apartment within the next few minutes.
As I bent over yet again to pick up the air conditioner, I said, “Hey!!! Maybe he can help me with this.” I still picked the air conditioner up to put it on a table that was at waist level, so I could set up the playpen for Candice where the air conditioner had been sitting (I’m sure I did this partly just to see if I was able to lift it! ;)).
Of course he was glad to help and did it with a smile. And he did not stop there! He volunteered to bring in a board and screws to tilt and anchor her air conditioner; he brought in an extension cord and adapter to plug it in; He volunteered to keep an eye out for items Mama still needed; and He offered to help with anything else we might need.
But the part that amazed me the most, aside from the “pleased to help you” attitude, was this. While he was putting in the new lock, I mentioned to Mama that she might want a surge protector for her computer. About an hour later, the maintenance man brought us one! I never asked him to, and he never said he would. It was a pleasant surprise!
This man has a dirty job that many would hate. But he seems to love it and could sure give some great lessons on how to treat people!
Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. I Peter 4:9
Tabetha’s Tweets 2009-06-07
- Watching possible spider bite on 3YO’s hand. It is red & swollen & has one blister in the middle with lumps around it. Suggestions? #
- @stretchmarkmama Funny. My kids are 1,3,5,7,9 until my 5YO ruins ruins it all by turning 6! Can you believe he’d do that?! 😉 in reply to stretchmarkmama #
- My “Mama” is waiting excitedly to meet her new companion, a solid white chihuahua puppy!! #
- Just got a message that said at the top in bold “Note: You will only see this box once” for the 2nd time! 😐 #
- If you haven’t watched Fireproof, it’s time you did!! http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/ #
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Are You Looking Up or Down?
It’s time for a personal confession. I have been unsatisfied with myself now for about five years. Normally one would think that as time goes by, those feelings of dissatisfaction would go away or at least slacken, but no. They have been getting stronger and stronger over that time period.
You see, the more I see how far off I am from what God wants me to be, the more dissatisfaction I feel. I now feel like it can only get better from here (at least I hope so) because I have been introduced to a new mentality.
You see, I am on a journey up a mountainside that ultimately leads to Heaven. I have no idea how far up the mountain I am, but I know I am not at the bottom. I know this for a fact because I am constantly looking down at all the places I have been.
When I take a wrong step, I am so busy looking at the footprint that I just left, that I am likely to miss where to take my next step to resume my hike up the mountain. In fact, I am very likely to make a circle around that single footprint trying to erase it, never realizing that I am making even more misplaced step.
The problem here is that I am focusing on myself. My thoughts are constantly, “Oh, I messed up…..again!” And let me tell you, I am a pro at messing up! But what I keep forgetting to consider is that God is used to dealing with professionals, and He happens to be a pro at forgiving.
Unfortunately, if you are looking down the mountain instead of up at the glorious Heavenly Father, who is the ultimate example, you forget what you are striving to be. You forget that the focus of life should not be “me, me me” but “God, God, God.”
Now I am working to change my focus from how awful I am to how awesome God is. And let me tell you, any God that can change me for the better is a pretty awesome God. That’s a tough job!
Are you making the same mistake I am? Are you looking down at all your mistakes, forgetting that you must look up the mountain to God in order to accomplish the things He has planned for you? It’s not too late to change your focus! Just give it a try and LOTS of prayer and dependence on God!
This is my submission to Robert Hruzek’s “What I Learned From a Mountain Top” group writing project.
Fireproof
Luke and I watched Fireproof tonight, and I absolutely loved it! I both laughed and cried and sat on the edge of my seat for a good part of the movie. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it! Here’s a little preview.
Tabetha’s Tidbit 2008-06-04
Ever scrape your fingernails on the metal dryer filter while getting the lint off? Tonight I discovered a way to prevent that from happening (at least most of the time). I took the dryer sheet that had come out of the previous load and used it to wipe the lint away. It worked like a charm!
Of course, if you don’t use dryer sheets, you would have to come up with another solution. Let me know what you come up with!
Unusual Find
As I mentioned before, Rhode Islanders like to have their unwanted items taken and nurtured by someone else; they don’t care who that someone else is. So they put it out on the curb for any passerby to claim.
Last week, I came across something that was a bit out of the ordinary! Some one had thrown their live flowers out! Believe it or not, some of these flowers are still alive and looking beautiful!
The Risk in Helping Others
Have you ever considered the fact that there is risk involved when you help someone?
Today at the pharmacy, I noticed a mom with her newborn. The straps of the baby’s infant carseat were loose enough that he could have come out of the seat in an auto accident. I had a strong urge to go over and talk to her and see if she would let me help her with the straps.
Let me point out here that I am not the type of person to walk up to a total stranger and ask them if I can help them with their baby. At least I didn’t used to be. 🙂
I got my nerve up to do it when the baby cried and she took him out of his car seat. Now I didn’t have to ask her to take the baby out.
When I walked up to her and started talking, she immediatly let me know that she did not speak English. I pulled on the strap of the empty car seat and motioned that they were loose and asked if I could fix it for her. She nodded.
After several adjustments and asking her to put the baby in to let me test the length, I was finished. I had to touch the baby’s arms to test the strap length, and that was the scariest part. I treated that tiny baby like he was made of porcelain because I was a total stranger to the mom and did not want to concern her in any way.
Fortunately she did not seem to be concerned, and the baby did not cry while I was testing the straps. There was risk involved, but to me, it was a risk well worth it! Now I can rest assured that her tiny helpless newborn will be as safe as possible in he car seat.
So, tell me. Do you think my actions were too risky? Did I do the right thing? Your input would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
Naturally Sweetened Tea
After dropping sugar from my diet recently, I had a hard time finding a hot tea that I liked. I tried tea after tea and couldn’t help but wonder how anybody ever could handle it unsweetened. Then I finally found one that was good and that actually had a semi-sweet taste to it.
The name of this wonderful naturally sweetened tea was Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea. After reading the ingredients, the only one that was unfamiliar to me that might possibly be sweet was roasted carob. So, I did a bit of research on google and discovered that, sure enough, carob is a naturally sweet ingredient that was a blessing to me in my unsweetened tea.
The funny thing is that I can drink and enjoy regular unsweetened tea now that I have trained my mouth to taste the slightest sweetness! You have no idea how big that is! Me? Unsweetened tea or any other drink? No way!!! Guess there are still plenty of opportunites in this life for surprise…and change! Thank goodness for that!!