Clean Slate Sunday: 4.11.10 edition

Wow. What a beautiful Sunday. Both the kids were gone overnight, so I woke up to a quiet house. Got up and had a leisurely breakfast. Did some writing.

I really love my kids, but I also really appreciate waking up peacefully and in my own time instead of a) to an alarm clock, or b) to kids screaming "MOM!! He stole the remote from me!" or "MOM? Can I play a game on your computer?"

It was a gorgeous day from beginning to end, from the morning hours when the dog and I took our stroll and I chuckled at the dew dripping off her nose, to the evening when the kids and I enjoyed dinner sitting outside with my in-laws and watching the sun go down.

Life is good.

While I think of the week ahead and try to make a mental to-do list for myself, I am preoccupied by thoughts of a good friend who is struggling right now. I don't know every detail, but I know God does. I frequently stop to pray for her and hope that God, the world, her family, whoever she needs to, will offer her a clean slate. And I hope she allows that and embraces it and knows that she is loved.

Sometimes we need to go back to step one. Start at the bottom and work our way up again. Ground zero. Repair the foundation.

Wipe the slate clean.

May the week ahead be filled with blessings.

You had me at 'Free'.

I love you, Barnes & Noble. I loved you before, but my cup overfloweth when you sent me an e-mail alerting me of your on-line sale.

Buy two, get one free.

On bargain books.

With free shipping.

There is one thing on this earth I love more than a new book, and that is a new book purchased from the bargain bin and shipped right to my door. Heaven!

I suppose I could have ignored the e-mail like I do so many others from retailers, but summer is coming and I look forward to plucking a book from the stack on my way to the beach or on vacation. Even sitting outside on the deck, feet propped up, with a book on my knees is luxurious to me. I plan to do it a lot this summer.

So I bought six books - three hardcovers and three paperbacks - for $26 and change. That's basically the retail price of one current bestseller. And at less than $5 per book it's cheaper than a combo meal at Burger King and (depending on the company) much more entertaining.

What makes you feel rich?

What real, tangible thing makes you feel like you've made it? Like you're living the high life?

For me, a couple of things come to mind: being able to go to the grocery store and get everything on my list - and maybe even a few extras - knowing that I have plenty of cash in my wallet to cover it. That, and paying bills as soon as they come in the mail.

There are other things that remind me we have a good life, sure. But nothing else makes me feel the way I feel when I can mark off every item on my shopping list without having to worry about what it all costs. Oh, I'm always aware of how much I'm spending and I always shop frugally, but to me there is a huge difference between having to count every penny as I drop items into my cart and not having to.

What makes you feel rich? What makes you feel like life is good?

Have you ever thought about it? There is no right or wrong answer. It's just a thought-provoking discussion I've had with friends. I was reminded of that discussion this week as I pushed a cartload of groceries out of the store to my truck and it felt ... just ... good.

What makes you feel secure? What thing or action outside of family and friends and relationships and love - because hopefully we all have those - makes you rest easy knowing that everything is OK, at least for today?

Do Not Disturb.

I bought a new candle today for the sole purpose of lighting it and smelling it in all its "island getaway" goodness while I soak in the bathtub.

You know, to relax. De-stress. Let the water wash away all my cares for a half hour or so.

Am I the only one who feels like it's work to actually take that "relaxing" bath?

For one thing, the tub needs to be cleaned. It has been used more for rinsing out the mop bucket and hand washing delicates than for actually bathing in lately.

(I know what you're thinking. We have a separate shower for that.)

And then there are the kids. They need to be in bed and securely on their way to dreamland before I can count on having any time to myself.

The telephone? Easy. I can turn it off.

Dog? She'll snooze in her crate.

Front door? Locked.

But I don't have any bubbles. Hmph. I'll have to rummage through the bathroom cupboards and see what I can find.

And I'll have to steal elder child's boombox to play some relaxing music.

On second thought, I don't feel like cleaning the tub. Maybe tonight's "island getaway" will be accomplished with the new smelly candle sitting next to my favorite chair while I read a good book.

Maybe sipping a rum-flavored drink, too.

Focus, Jen. Focus.

All Steve needed was a replacement part for the travel trailer. It cost less than $100. We would stop at the RV shop, he'd pick up the part he needed and we'd be heading home.

Simple enough, right?

Pffft. Not when he parks next to the prettiest darn 30-footer With An Outdoor Kitchen I've ever seen.

"This one's on special," the salesman says. "Just worked up the cost for someone."

I took a sip of my gas station coffee.

"How much?"

And that's when it all unraveled.

Fortunately we came to our senses pretty quickly.

Well, after about 30 minutes of checking out other trailers and talking about options and even hearing a payment schedule on the Beauty With An Outdoor Kitchen.

Payments. We have enough of those already, thankyouverymuch. We've already taken a couple of steps backwards in our journey to debt freedom. It seems like as soon as one payment disappears, it's not long before another monthly obligation pops up to take its place. It's time to get things back in focus and make good use of the momentum we've gathered this spring.

Sure, the extra space would have been nice when the kids and I go to visit Steve during summer vacation, but who really needs an extra fridge and sink and counter space on the outside of the trailer anyway? That's a luxury we just can't afford right now.

We are very fortunate to have what we have.

And I'm going to keep telling myself that this summer when, for the zillionth time, I am sweeping away the trail of sand from the door of the trailer to the refrigerator.

We do not need an outdoor kitchen ... We do not need an outdoor kitchen ...

Clean Slate Sunday: Easter 2010 edition

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

I'm lovin' Easter. What a blessed day. The weather has been beautiful, the smell of all the spring flowers at the Easter Vigil this morning was overwhelming (in a good way), we had breakfast with the folks at church, coffee with my parents afterward, then dinner with Steve's family this afternoon. And the Easter Bunny was especially good to the kids this year.

All that, and God's promise of eternal life, too. We are blessed beyond measure.

Steve has worked diligently this weekend to ready our travel trailer so he can take it to Pennsylvania when he heads back to work on Monday. Setting up in a campground will be a little cheaper than staying at hotels and will feel a little more homey.

I feel like I've been wandering around here like a lost puppy this weekend. I look around and see so much to do and I'm not sure where to start. I've chosen to just let it all go and enjoy having my family all together. I'm confident that once we get back into our routines - the kids back in school and Steve back to work - I will pull it together and find my focus again.

I've got a lot to get to this week. Spring break is over, so now begins the countdown to summer vacation. Much to do before school is out!

Here's to another busy, productive, blessed week.

Home sweet home.

I was exhausted - EXHAUSTED - last night when we got home from vacation. Do you know that kind of exhaustion when you are awake but not really conscious and you try to hold a conversation with someone but you stumble all over your words? That kind of exhausted.

We had a wonderful time.

The weather was beautiful.

Sam and Rachel spent as much time as I would allow in the hotel pool. They both had new swim masks and snorkels and it didn't take long for them to master the business of snorkeling. I watched a lot of this:

Which is much quieter than their usual pool play and took some getting used to.

We got to eat lunch with Steve a couple of days, and one of those days he drove us up the bumpy, muddy coal-mining road they use to access the job they're on. Holy hills, Batman! The pictures I took on my cell phone just don't do them justice. But man, is it beautiful out there. Even with the trees still bare and very few spots of green peeking out here and there, those hills, the humongous chunks of shale jutting out of them, and the little creeks trickling down through them are absolutely awe-inspiring.

The kids and I enjoyed walking around downtown Indiana, PA, and doing some window shopping. More than once we stood on the sidewalks and stared up at the big old buildings, soaking in the city's history. We also visited The Jimmy Stewart Museum.

I bet you didn't know film star Jimmy Stewart was born and raised in Indiana, PA, did you? Neither did we.

It was neat to find this out, though, because Sam happens to be a big fan of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" and therefore was quite interested in checking out the museum. Once we got there I, being thoroughly distracted with paying the gentleman at the box office and not completely dumping the contents of my purse, totally missed the sign alerting us of the ban on camera and video usage. So I took one photo before Mr. Box Office kindly pointed out the "issue with copyrights" and asked me not to take any more. I obliged.

The one photo I got is so sweet I had to post it, though.

My apologies to the Stewart family. I'm not trying to make money off Jimmy's image; my kid just really likes this movie. And after visiting the museum, now we have a list of other Jimmy Stewart films we want to check out.

More than anything else, I think this trip did wonders for me and Steve. It just feels good to wake up next to each other in the mornings (like "normal" married people!), to have some backup in the parenting department, to eat dinners together, to be able to look forward to seeing each other at the end of the day and being a part of each other's routine. Who would have thought jockeying for space or who gets to use the bathroom sink first would ever feel like a privilege? We sure do appreciate any time we can spend together these days. 

Steve has the weekend off, too, so we all traveled home together yesterday. Poor guy. Traveling with the kids takes a bit longer than traveling alone. Need I say more?

Tomorrow is Easter. Time to celebrate and spend some quality time with family and friends.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!