Help, I've fallen off the face of the earth

...and I can't get up! :)

I haven't stopped blogging for Lent intentionally, it just seems to be a time for me to sit and ponder instead of letting it all hang out.

But I have a quiet hour ahead of me, and it's Sunday, so I thought I'd say hello! Sunday being noteworthy only because if it were any other day I'd feel *guilty* for resting and chatting. :)

A few weeks ago we let a house go by us without making an offer. Hardest thing I've done in a long time! I felt the house was perfect, and we could afford it, but it was just more money than we thought we should spend. Sometimes it's very hard to be different, to live by your convictions, isn't it. The house backed to a field with cows. COWS! In our silly suburban subdivision. OK, I'll stop, because I'm starting to miss what I never even had. Offer it up!

Dh is struggling more with pain right now, I'd love if you could say a few prayers on his behalf.

Today I "rested" by hacking a man-eating bush in half. :) We have this large bush that grows like crazy right next to our driveway and eats little children as they go by and paint jobs off cars if we don't trim it regularly. Trouble is, it's very "leggy" and you have to cut it back so far that only sticks are left when you are done, and no leaves! It looks horrible right now, but hopefully in a few weeks will green up. I find it very mentally restful to be outside with the earth and it's fullness, so I hope God forgives the muscle work I did. I *need* mental rest much more than I need physical rest right now.

I'm trying to work out a daily schedule/routine. Schedule more than routine. I read something very wise that said (very roughly paraphrasing) - don't make changes to something due to emotions if you made the decisions in the first place with more mental clarity. It was referring to making a schedule when you are in your right mind and after much prayer. If you believe, as my dh does and I am more and more beginning to, that your family should run by a schedule, pick a time when you are emotionally stable, determine your overarching goals for your life, and prayerfully make a schedule according to those goals, then DON'T break it for the willy nilly! Of course don't be a slave to it (i.e. if you need to see a doctor or your dog gets loose and needs to be chased down, do it), but don't just say every other day, "Hey the weather is nice/I have the sniffles/my husband looked at my funny this morning/oh woe is me" and throw the schedule out the window forever. Looking at myself when I say that, LOL! I am SO guilty.

I'm also trying to make a schedule for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. I am so OVER the constant, "I want this for lunch, no, I want THAT! Can I have ice cream for snack?" from the peanut gallery. Because the older two girls make most of the lunches (theirs and a younger sibling) I was leaving it up to what they wanted to do, but it is too chaotic and creating selfishness and whining. Enough. The hard part for me will be making sure I have those things in sufficient quantities each week!

I got brave last week and made a call to have a free orthodontic consultation. I had braces for years as a child, and wore my retainer at night until I was probably 21 at least, but my teeth have shifted terribly and I hate smiling now. It's hit the point where my bite is different I know that can cause (and probably is causing) teeth clenching, headaches, and gum receeding. So hopefully soon I'll be able to smile without embarrassment soon. I've gone from thinking it's a vain splurge to understanding it's for the health of my whole head!

Well, that was my hour, in between pouring drinks, getting snacks, kissing boo boos, and listening to a very endearing 3yo boy!