(This is a picture of some of our famous Spokane Lilacs, which I took while walking along the river the other day, heading towards another cathedral in town to check it out.)
Anyone who's been reading this blog for any length of time knows how much I want to be able to take care of my home and yard, and how miserably I fail at being able to do that. Well, Keith was home on Thursday night, and I was, too, unexpectedly, because praise practice was cancelled. He made a long list of everything that needed to be done (vacuum, sweep and mop, clean the bathrooms, etc) and assigned a task or tasks to everyone in the house (except for my mom and the little kids).
Anyone who's been reading this blog for any length of time knows how much I want to be able to take care of my home and yard, and how miserably I fail at being able to do that. Well, Keith was home on Thursday night, and I was, too, unexpectedly, because praise practice was cancelled. He made a long list of everything that needed to be done (vacuum, sweep and mop, clean the bathrooms, etc) and assigned a task or tasks to everyone in the house (except for my mom and the little kids).
(I encountered these lovely cheery little daisies while on my way to another cathedral at lunch the other day, the same day I took the picture of the lilacs.)
The cleaning streak lasted... Friday night and all day Saturday, we worked our tails of and accomplished so much! My bathroom has never been so clean, not since the house was built, probably. A large portion of my time was spent looking for a tool in my husbands tool chest in the garage. After much searching, I finally found a socket wrench that would fit the nuts on the shower door handles, so I could take them off to be able to clean off the hard water stains that have graced the doors since many years before we moved in, I'm sure. Anyway, it's gleaming now, and hopefully we'll be able to stay more on top of it now.
Michael and Rebecca were keeping me company while I was working in the yard the other day, and I was able to snag this cut photo of the two of them. I hope they'll always get along at least as well as they do now, or better. Unfortunately, they've been fighting more lately, taking after the example set by their older siblings. Sometimes I retreat to my room to get away from the constant state of world war III, which my friends tell me is normal, but which drives me crazy none the less. Most of the time I just tattle on them to my husband and he takes care of the problem, for that situation at least. Like I said, thank God for my husband!
Here's a picture of one of the towers of St. Al's, another cathedral in the area. I had mentioned to a friend that I'd gone to Lourdes Cathedral, and they said that was a beautiful church, but that St. Al's should definitely be visited, too. So the next day I ventured out to go there, and snapped this photo as I was coming up on the church from behind it. One thing I love about Catholic churches is that they provide a comfortable way to kneel and pray.
Here's my daughter, Linnea, who will be turning 14 next month. My, how time flies!
Today I have a whole room full of paperwork to sort and try to get put in the proper places. I also have some home courses in insurance continuing education that I need to get through. I'm not looking forward to this very much, but it needs to be done. I'm hoping to get through all of this today and tomorrow, but we shall see.
God is good!
10 comments:
Hi Mel,
Well this is a fun post, so much to see and hear about. Your picture of the lilacs is so well done, quite the eye!
Ye gads! keeping up with the yard!
I have created a monster! When I was younger and had more time and energy I would spend hours in the garden, now I have nearly become a slave to it. I have tried to eliminate most all of the annuals and just try and keep the perennials alive.
Great shot of the daisies, put there by Christ just for beauty's sake. I like that.
Great photo of Michael and Rebecca, they are cute as can be!
They are at such a great age, I love to be around children that age, completely disinterested in being cool, fashion, and no attitude, just alive to have fun.
So good.
Wow, that cathedral looks beautifull, try and sneak some pictures of the inside I would love to see it.
Linnea looks so grown up in that picture. She fits right in with all the beautiful pictures, she's a daisy!
Thanks for this great photo journal, you should make Joseph proud :)
Fred
Hi Mel,
Such beautiful pictures...my, you have a talent! I love the lilacs too, we are having a terrific year for them in MN too...they are almost in full bloom and just gorgeous! I don't envy you all the work around the house, both indoors and out but I am glad you can now just reap the benefits for a while! Hard work does pay off. Your children are beautiful too!
I also just LOVE the pictures of the cathedrals you post. I was in Spain 13 years ago now and just loved visiting all of the Catholic churches to see the beautiful buildings. Keep up the great picture taking, I'm loving it!
God bless you!
Trudy
Hi Mel:)
This is a wonderful post using lovely photos to back up your narration. The gorgeous photos supplements your story so beautifully.
The photo of the flowers took me by real surprise with their amazing beauty and lovely colors. They are truly singing the praise of God without expecting anything in return. They are glorifying God’s inscrutable wonders and unfathomable wisdom. Sometimes I wonder, when I see such lovely flowers, whether the paradise is here on earth and we are missing out on all the beauty lying around us because we are filled with other mundane cares and worries of livelihood.
Now coming to your little children Michael and Rebecca, I find them as enchanting and breathtaking as your flowers. I always think of William Wordsworth when I see such beautiful darlings who said that little children have divine spark in them. The divinity that slowly fades as we grow up. This is the time to enjoy them Mel, forget about their fights. That is part of their divinity. I understand for a working mother, you would like to have some peace and quiet when you reach home. But when they grow up, you will miss all this commotion which you dislike now. They will become serious and you will find it difficult to get their attention because they will have their own things to do and their own friends and you will be out of their dream world.
I wrote a separate post under the heading-WHERE ARE MY LITTLE CHILDREN GONE. I miss my little children very badly. Now they are all grown up and they don’t need me. They can support themselves and take their own decisions. There was a time when they were all over me and just like you I wanted peace and quiet. But now I miss that commotion and the attention I got from them terribly.
Linnea is growing up into a very beautiful young lady. I know she wants to make a mark in this world. She has the determination, dedication, will power and intelligence coupled with breathtaking beauty. She will conquer the world one day. Please let me know when her birthday comes closer so that I will get an opportunity to wish her. I am one of her great admirers.God bless her.
I like the photo of the cathedral. It looks fantastic with the lovely sky in the background.
What Keith did, reminds of the post I wrote about Japanese 5S. Knowingly or unknowingly he followed that work method and got everything done ship shape. He is a great administrator and manager with practical wisdom. I wish both of you all success and happiness along with your wonderful children.
I think I will have to stop now.
I enjoyed reading this post tremendously.
Wish you a bright and beautiful day Mel:)
Joseph
Hi Fred,
Thanks for the kind words about the photos... Yes, I can tell by your pictures of your garden that it must be a lot of work. I haven't planted a single flower since moving into our house two years ago, and just keeping up with the weeds that grow all by themselves is more than a full-time job. I have to say though that I'm really beginning to love working in the dirt. :)
You're right, the little ones are still at a very cute age of innocence. I'll post some pictures of the inside of St. Al's sometime in the near future, okay?
Linnea is a daisy, you're right, but then, so are they all. Yesterday I went to her school to watch her do a presentation about what she wants to be when she grows up... She wants to be a wildlife biologist here in Washington State, working with the Dept. of Ecology. She's really gung-ho about it. I wonder if she'll follow through? She'd be good at it, there's no doubt about that.
Thanks for the wonderful comments, Fred. Your comments are always such a huge blessing to me. :)
God bless you!
In Christ,
Mel
Hi Trudy,
I'm glad you're enjoying the pictures... I'm trying to get better about taking them, sharing them, and sharing the stories behind them, so your comments are very meaningful and encouraging to me. :)
I'm slightly envious (in a good way) that you got to see all of those beautiful churches first-hand. Someday I'd love to take a trip to Europe for that very purpose.
God bless you, too! :)
Hi Joseph,
I think I had more fun reading your comment than you had reading my post! You invest so much time and though in your comments that I think if all of the comments you've left on all of the various blogs you've visited were compiled in one place, they'd probably fill a delightful book. :) A book that I would very much like to read!
I agree with you completely about God's glory and wonder and wisdom being displayed in the flowers, and in the beauty of all of Creation. I pray He'll give us eyes to continue to see and appreciate the beauty He's so graciously surrounded us with, and give us hearts full of gratitude for it all.
I remember your two posts that you speak of, the one about your children, and the Japanese 5S one. Both were wonderful and I've remembered them and they've changed my life. I try to live by those 5S principles in every possible way, and am trying to enjoy the time with my children on purpose, overlooking the challenges and difficulties as much as possible. When I'm tempted to run away from the difficulties, I remember your words of advice, and they help me to gain a new perspective.
God bless you, Dear Joseph!
With fondness and affection,
Mel
Hi Mel:)
Greetings:)
Your suggestion to assemble my comments in one place is a good ides. Probably, I can start a separate blog on my comments. It should be quite interesting. Many thanks for the idea:)
In the meanwhile, can I have your permission to use the photo of Rebecca and Michael in one of my future posts?
Best wishes:)
Joseph
Isn't God wonderful - and you are in Spring! How lovely are those pictures :-D
there is never enough time in the day for everything and we do what we can when we can. I once asked what my husband remembers most of his mother while growing up. he said that she was always cleaning. I think that is sad and refused to be that way for my son. we took time to play, walk, hike and talk and I hope he will remember me that way. We have so precious little time on this earth.
We to have "cleaning parties" a necessity of life but try to make them as fast and fun as something like that can be.
your children are beautiful. and your daughter that is turning 14 looks a lot like you.
are you taking insurance classes too?? I didn't know that.
Hi Joseph,
Yes, you may use the picture of Rebecca and Michael, or any other pictures of mine, any time you want! Thanks for asking! I keep checking your profile to see if you've started that blog of comments... I truly hope you will do that someday, as your comments are priceless. :)
Hi Danielle,
I'm so glad you like the pictures, and yes, isn't Spring wonderful? :) It seemed like we waited and inordinately long time for it this year, which makes it all the more delightful.
Hi Laura,
Good suggestions! Yes, I am a licensed insurance agent for the purpose of being able to help my husband when he gets really busy. It's definitely not my passion or calling, but I like being able to help him out whenever possible.
God bless you all! May you each have a very beautiful day! Thank you, as always, for your comments. And I'm sorry it's taking me so long to post replies these days. Someday that will get better, I hope... :)
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