wow, tuesday morning....

the days just fly, life is going by tooooo fast. And the perpetual underlying element of my days is being tired. Even with Camille mostly sleeping through the night, I somehow don't get enough sleep. This morning I thought it was 6:45, and I got up and went in the bathroom. I turned on the light, looked at my watch, rats, it was 5:45! Wait a minute, yay!....back to bed I went without even going to the bathroom. And would sweet sleep come? ha.....

So, here I am. Rosie has been out three times and hasn't peed in here yet, which is nice. She is also getting much gentler with the nipping, and the kids are warming up to her more. The cutest thing ever is little Charlotte Claire, getting a treat out of the bag, and making Rosie come and sit. And Rosie listens to her!

I did make cookies last night, but I didn't feel like doing the chocolate covered cranberries , so I just did chocolate chip. I doubled the recipe, used half shortening and half butter, and instead of equal amounts of brown and white sugar, I used 2 cups brown, 1 cup white. Then a bag of mini hershey-bar baking chips, milk chocolate, and a few cups of Nestle's chocolate chips. ( we buy them by the huge bag at B.J's)....I baked a few trays in time for them to have one before bed, hot and gooey. I put some of the dough in a glass baking dish because I didn't have time for more cookies, and the rest in a storage baggie in the 'fridge, for Joseph to eat. Not really, but I may as well just give him permission.

My dear daughter Emily wrote a very encouraging short story recently, and I asked if I could print it here. She is thinking about it. The basic message of the story: we have our time here on earth, and we need to get oil in our lamps. I can clean, I can dress this way or that, I can be on time, or I can be thrifty. Great. But faithfulness in the hidden, obedience in the thoughts, humbling myself before God, that will bring oil. I can't borrow from my husband, I can't grab some at the last minute when the trumpet sounds. I can only work on my salvation day in and day out to get those precious drops. It doesn't matter in the least what others think of me, if I have a reputation for being a good mom, or if I am all organized (thank God for that!)....it is the virtue I attain here in my daily life. The virtue is a result of faithfulness.

I had to take a break and go get the puppy. The kids took her outside without a leash, then the bus came and Rosie wanted to go to school. She was coming back to me fine, but then Sonja was a straggler, trying to get a day off I think. When Sonja went running toward the bus, Rosie changed directions and went with her. So I had to do what I try not to do: go out in the driveway with barefeet in front of all the kids on the bus. And Rosie was filthy. She must have been under a car. I carried her in and gave her a bath, which she was thrilled about. Too bad she is going to get so huge, it is kind of fun to carry her out in her towel, and sit with her on my lap and brush her out so nicely. She tolerates it, but when she gets bigger, I don't know.

Well, never a dull moment around here. I do believe that all things happen for my best, and that God never sends me too much. Now I shall go on with my day and be tested in these things.....