Ten Minute Job

(NOT!) I removed the doorbell from the front of the house in order to repair it. No luck. But I noticed the aluminum siding was awfully dirty, so I borrowed the neighbor's pressure washer to clean the area. Then I decided to take off the shutters to wash behind them. Then I noticed that the paint was pretty faded. So I decided to paint the house before replacing the doorbell. And then the shutters needed painted to better "pop" from the freshly painted house. Now that doorbell looks just right!

9 . . . 1 . . . ?

I kept my finger hovering over the "1" on my cell phone as I watched in horror and amusement at Mr. Backdoor Neighbor's rainstorm antics. Perhaps annoyed that his second-story gutter was not draining properly, he donned a Carhart hooded jacket, put up his extension ladder against the side of the house, and despite the wind and rain, climbed to the level of his first story roof. There he found the end of the clogged downspout from the second-story gutter and poked his electric leaf blower into it. The burst of air from the leaf blower forced water and debris to spout upward and out of that downspout. It took three blasts of air to do the trick before Mr. Backdoor Neighbor descended the ladder to a safer and drier location. I can only wonder why he couldn't wait for the storm to end before using an electric power tool in the rain. Mr. Rellim says you can't judge a man until you've lived with his wife. So, I guess you shouldn't really judge a man.

Say What?

Quinn didn't help prepare lunch today. He announced that "working in the kitchen is women's work" and that he had more important things to do. Mr. Rellim proclaimed, "No more Dick Van Dyke for you, young man!" Funny. I would rather have him spouting gender-specific roles in a non-PC manner, than repeating the disrespectful musings of current TV sitcoms.

Kicking Myself

I can't believe I didn't buy this antique brass floor lamp at the garage sale down the street. It was only one dollar. A SINGLE BUCK!! Why didn't I buy this??

Doesn't Hurt to Ask

Quinn rode his bike to the hardware store to buy a shutter screw for me. While he was there, he asked the clerk if he could borrow a set of allen wrenches to tighten up his handlebars. The hardware clerk consented. I'm wondering if we could borrow an extension ladder for a few hours. . .

Texting, toileting, talking. Some teenage girls can do it all.

Spring Break?

So far, it's a lot of house cleaning and tree trimming and cabinet painting. BUT - I did go to a nearby nursery and pick out a new plant. Baby Tut. I love it!

So Long, Confidence

I had just finished getting ready this morning when my son walked up next to me and put his hand on my stomach. Patting it lightly, he said, "I hope you don't mind if I touch your 'baby bump.'" I wanted to say, "I hope you don't mind if I punch you in the head." But I didn't. Instead, I instructed him to go find his Easter basket.

Trade

A second-grader earned enough "tokens" at church this month to purchase a new Bible from the rewards store. He was so excited about it that he hardly paid attention to the lesson as he flipped through the chapters, asking me how to pronounce certain words. At the end of the service as I helped him gather his belongings to leave, I noticed that he did not have his new Bible.

"I traded it for a box of candy," he told me. Initially, I laughed and made a joke of it with his father (who was not amused, by the way).

Now, I'm thinking how easy it is for all of us to compromise in order to experience immediate gratification. The disciples slept while Jesus prayed in the garden the night before his crucifixion. But they were tired. Peter denied Him. But he was frightened.

I'm going to try to read my Bible more. Even though I'm busy.