Life sux ... sometimes

Since hot hubby is on holidays he decided he would make lunch for us today. So he added all the ingredients to the baking dish finally pouring the flour in last, as the recipe dictated. As he  stirred the mixture he realized there were things crawling in it. We had a pantry invasion, weevils had infiltrated the flour, sugar and just about every other thing they could in the pantry.

I’m grew up in the school of “Waste not want not,” so having to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of food was quite annoying. In the grand scheme of things, if that is the worst thing that happens in 2012 then I will be having a stellar year. It’s easy to get upset about things going wrong and to get a “Why me?” attitude. Here’s something I wish I could delete from the Bible, “In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous-I have overcome the world!”(ISV). Not “might” or “occasionally” have trouble but you will have trouble. That sux, but bad things are an inevitable bi-product of living.

The true tragedy is not in the tragedy but if we don’t learn from the experience. From crushing tragedy we can learn how strong we are, that even if the unthinkable happens our lungs keep filling with air and the sun will rise. The pain may always go with us, but we learn that we can survive day to day and breath to breath.

So when the weevils of life attack, look for how to survive, and seek a silver lining.

The good thing about the weevils happening today were-

1. Hot hubby was home, his dish was ruined by the invaders, he was so enraged by the intrusion that he had to eradicate them himself. So first silver lining, I didn’t have to clean out the pantry.
2. The pantry is clean, after a year of collecting clutter.
3. One of the most exciting things, now I have a reason to go shopping, the pantry needs restocking!

If your life is suxing today, I hope that it is a learning and growing experience for you.

Capturing imagination

I was never going to be "one of those mothers" who sits their child in front of the television. Now that I am a mother, I would do many of the things I vowed never to do, just so I can sit on the toilet without a toddler in my lap. Munch has been watching Cars 2, the introduction has a car suspended above the deck of a ship. She's been gesturing and using her baby talk to explain to anyone who will listen how exciting the scene was. Every miniature car is being suspended in the air, it's really captured her 21 month old imagination. 
Being captured by a vision can be a powerful and life changing thing. In Steve Jobs autobiography by Walter Isaacson, Jobs talks about being inspired by Joseph Eichler's vision to build quality affordable housing. That vision led Jobs to want to build quality affordable electronics. So the seed for Apple computers was planted. Even if you're not an Apple fan, you need to admit that it is the quality and innovation of Apple that keeps PC honest and prevents them from financially pillaging consumers. 
Vision, dreams, captured imagination are what inspires us to greatness. It's the vision of raising functional adults who contribute positively to society that gets the tired mother out of bed. It's the dream of owning a home and raising a family that makes the laborer stick to a job. It's the captured imagination of doing great things after graduation that keeps the student sitting exams.
Proverbs 29:18 has been translated as "Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18KJV)," prosperity gospel preachers like to tell you that this is about having dreams and aspirations for your life. That's not in the text but it's a nice sentiment and an uninspired life is an unlived life, so foster your imagination and chase after great dreams for your life. A better translation of Proverbs 29:18 (NIV) is "Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint," people die or cast of restraint without a revelation of God in their life. Without God giving us inspiration, life can be dry and unrewarding.
Munchie may grow up to become the designer of the first levitating car after being inspired by Disney's Cars 2, who knows?
I pray today that you will recieve a revelation of Gods love and a vision of how important your life is in this world. Dream big, be inspired and share the joy.
By Susan Magaitis
Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)

All good things...

I’m eating the candy canes off our Christmas tree. It’s a sweet and sour moment, sweet because it’s the final taste of Christmas 2011, but sour because our next festive season is almost a year away. This time of year can be anticlimactic, the Christmas trees are re-boxed (or pity the thought cast away), Christmas lights are put in storage, Santa hibernates and the new years resolutions tend to wear off. The end of the Christmas season is sad, the cheer seems to evaporate like cheap perfume.
Inevitably it’s said, “All good things must come to an end.” I disagree, yes the feasting, blinding light displays and exorbitant spending must come to an end. They are not necessarily a good thing, if we ate like it was Christmas everyday, biggest loser auditions would have to be held in Olympic stadiums around the country. If we kept our light displays on year round we’d be broke come March (not to mention the effect on the environment!). If Christmas spending didn’t cease, we couldn’t enter our home for the clutter of socks, jocks and DVDs that we watched once and won’t think about for another decade!
The good thing about Christmas is family and friends, it’s strangers cheerfully greeting you in the street and sales clerks being happy to see anyone, even those of us who still can’t get back into our pre-pregnancy clothes and are looking a little shabby. They are the things I really love about Christmas and those things don’t have to come to and end, we can enjoy those year round. I’m not going to finish all my candy canes, I’ll save some to savour through 2012. Take the “good” things about Christmas with you, because all good things don’t have to come to an end, not if we choose to take them with us. 
By Susan Magaitis
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 NIV

It's a monotonous life

There is brown splatter in the toilet I just cleaned. There's more dishes in the sink and ironing in the basket. Do you want to know the secret of creating matter in a void? Wash all the laundry and leave the basket empty, the next time you open the basket it will be half full of the most putrid smelling matter (aka  my husbands workout clothes). Some days the monotony of being a "home maker" drives me to the brink of madness. It doesn't matter how many dishes I wash there are always more dishes. It doesn't matter how much laundry I clean there is always more laundry. It doesn't matter how many clothes I iron there is always more ironing. It doesn't matter how many meals I cook there are always hungry mouths to feed. It doesn't matter how much I clean the house it still looks like a bomb has hit within an hour of completion. For example, just as I finished mopping the floor the cat vomited the better half of a bird onto the clean tiles. The constant repetition of these tasks makes my brain itch. I can't help thinking if there isn't a better way to live life.
Whenever there's a big lottery draw, I daydream about how wonderful life would be if we won. Sometimes I'll surf the real-estate sites and imagine how great it would be to have our own home and not be paying someone else's mortgage.
In the daydream I imagine telling Hubby we won, then buying a beautiful home, furnishing it and painting Munchie's name on her bedroom door. That's where the fantasy ends, I never think beyond that. Why? Because I know after that I have to clean the house, do the laundry and cook dinner. Life would return to its normal monotony. There'd be no point in hiring someone to do it because with time whatever I do to replace it will eventually become routine and be just as brain numbing.
Don't believe me? Solomon was the third king of ancient Israel, at the height of his reign he was one of the richest men in history. He built amazing structures, fought heroic wars, and had over one thousand wives and concubines. Despite being the guy everyone wanted to be Solomon wasn't filled with joy, this is what he wrote, "I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind....I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless....I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere" ( Ecclesiastes 1:17, 2:1,4-11 NLT). Pretty depressing if you stop there but even more depressing if you read verses 12-23 of Ecclesiastes 2.  
Solomon eventually comes to an encouraging conclusion, he said, "I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God." (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Continent and gratitude turn the monotonous life into a wonderful life, which ultimately is a gift from God. Being content with paying our landlord's mortgage and grateful for hubby's job, a healthy baby, for dishes in the sink and even the toilet splatter make life joyful. A family and home are a gift from God and though the upkeep of these things can be boring at times, I wouldn't exchange them. 
I Hope you find joy in the monotony today.
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24

Against All Odds

If you're a plant in casa de Susan, odds are you will not live to tell the tale. I'm a bi-polar gardener, I get excited and will repot, splint and water plants like mother nature preparing for Spring. Then I lose interest and the plants are cut loose to fend for themselves.
Occasionally against all odds a few plants survive. Eight days before Christmas (the day before I left to go interstate) I replanted some basil in "my garden"  (a styrofoam box).  When we got back after Christmas the basil had flourished to Edenic proportions.
Despite being neglected, left to fend for itself and used as make shift litter box the basil managed to grow to maturity with God's help. He provided the sun and rain and the basil took off growing like a teenage boy. 

Yesterday, I cut some off and made tomato, basil and bocconcini hors d'oeuvre, Delicious! (thanks Mad and Valita Reynolds for the recipe, check out Valita's blog for craft ideas, you won't regret it). Even when things weren't ideal they still managed to fulfill their purpose.

Your life may have started out the same way as my basil, neglected and left to fend for yourself. There may have even been days when you felt the universe was using your life as a make shift litter box.
But You are much too special to let that steal your purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the image of God, though life may not be ideal you too can flourish and grow to maturity with God. He'll provide what you need even against all odds.

In Memory of those who did not survive, venus fly trap, horribly deformed carrots, egg shell alfalfa, magnolias, you deserved better. I'm sorry.

Psalm 139:14 - I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full.

About completing legal documents

I've filled out my daughter's passport form three times now.  I like to think I have average intelligence.  I have a Bachelor of Arts, sure it's only in Theology, but I  managed to pass exams in ancient Greek, Hebrew and even English. I can't be a total dunce! The passport application still seems to be getting the better of me, I keep filling it out wrong and having to do it again.
I'll admit to partial liability.  I don't like reading the instructions. It stands to reason that these applications should be idiot proof. My parents who speak limited English managed to procure passports (granted they did read the instructions). So being a native English speaker with average intelligence I like to think I can fill out a simple passport form without needing to pour over the manual. My philosophy has not yet led to success however.
The other reason I am filling out the stupid form again is due to the ambiguous wording on some of the questions. Case in point, "Name of the mother at the time of her birth." At the time of whose birth, mine or the baby's? Is this a politically correct way of asking for my maiden name? Confused? I was! So after misunderstanding that question I get the joy of refilling out the form because you can't use white out on a government document.This kinda thing would generally drive me into the arms of a double cheeseburger, but it's a new year and I'm trying to be a good example to my daughter, or at very least maintain some semblance of girth control. So instead of focusing on the problem at hand, I'm focusing on the great places we will be able to go once I finally manage to lodge these forms. My little cherub's first passport,  aww she's growing up so fast! So I will persevere with completing the paperwork and hope that it will bring us many exciting adventures. 

I pray that if something is getting the better of you today, that you will find a way to not only rise above it but to totally conquer it, even if you need to read some instructions.

Romans 5:3-4 NLT
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Moments Alone

I love it when Hot Hubby takes the baby. The house is my personal playground, I can eat icy poles without little hands clawing at my legs. I can watch DVDs  that don't start with a catchy jingle that'll be stuck in my head all day. I can type on my laptop without the mouse being clicked a thousand times.

It's these moments of solitude that keep me sane, that help me focus and ultimately make me a better mother.

Hope that you get a few moments alone today too.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10