road trip!!!!

We are goin' to Oklahoma! Now, I have been to Norway and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and to Florida and to Washington D.C., and to Ohio and to Delaware and to Connecticut and to Toronto, Canada, and to Ottowa, Canada....and to Vermont. But I have not been to Oklahoma. So I am excited....and I am excited to see Benjamin, and to see him graduate from Boot camp. But the driving 23 hours in the car down there and 23 hours back...blah. ouch. It is so much more economical to drive there though, since plane tickets are around four hundred bucks each. Then we would have to rent a car there, and with a hotel costs, it would just be too much. So Road Trip it is....

Sonja missed the bus this morning. So she is playing dollhouse with Charlotte Claire. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, and "BUS!!, but then she had to put her boots and coat on, it drove away. She was elated! She said, "Sorry, Mommy!", but she couldn't help but smile, because she knows I don't drive kids to school who miss the bus. The trip in the big van would not only take a whole gallon of gas (which New York so pleasantly taxes to the hilt, it is well over $3 a gallon right now)(I know, I know, for Canada and Europe, that is a bargain...). And I would have to wake the girls and buckle them in...I just don't do that. If they miss the bus, they have to stay home, poor kids.

Yesterday, Sam was looking through the cupboards grumbling, "When did Mom go shopping? There is nothing to eat!" The boy obviously doesn't know the true meaning of "nothing to eat", when there is no fresh fruit on the counter and the chips are gone, then to him, there is "nothing to eat". The truth is, I am not magic. I cannot keep everthing everyone wants in the house all of the time. Always eggs, always bread, always milk, always bagels, always oranges or apples or bananas, always yogurt. Just can't do it. I do know that the refridgerator is looking empty. It IS getting that time, that time to go shopping. I went on Friday, but not for tons of groceries, although I did spend $89. Last night for dinner we had chicken, marinated then roasted, with tossed salad and Mirielle's home made bread, hot out of the oven. Plus some spinach, cooked with garlic in olive oil, then steamed and sprinkled with pepper and lemon juice. Oh, that was good. I really want to buy more fresh spinach. Anyway, we are not starving. Just running low on milk and produce and running out of the main staple, cereal. But we do have some oatmeal.

Mirielle made a batch of chocolate chip cookies last evening. She only bakes a few trays at a time, and tells the kids they can have TWO, no more. She is a wise girl. She knows what happens when too many cookies are baked. Abigail was here for dinner...she always brings some leftover dinner home for her lunch the next day at work...I sent her with a few cookies, too. Emily and her are on such different schedules, they don't see each other much. I am just glad they live so close by....I love seeing them.

I really shouldn't be sitting here, but I am. I like to write. But my computer is what my kids would call a Crapshack. That is their word for something ....like my computer, or our van, or when the house gets messy....anyway, my computer turns off whenever it feels like it. Just turns off, no warning. And, the battery no longer charges, so the computer has to be hooked up all the time to the fussy cord which disconnects when wiggled in the least. Some days it turns off like three times while I am trying to post one little post. And of course it doesn't just restart speedy-quick, no it takes it's sweet sweet time. But I put up with it, because a new laptop for Mommy is not even on the list, let alone near the top.

We cleaned the living room very nicely yesterday. I also cleaned the burners of the stove, and the stovetop, and the stove and dishwasher and refridgerator fronts....the dratted chrome finish on appliances is very very stupid....one drip of water, and there is a streak....fifty drips of water, and that is what our appliances look like. Plus the handprints. I mean, on the 'fridge, there is a handle. There's one on the freezer door, too. So why would anyone's hands even touch the front of the refridgerator? The kids have no idea why, either. Because I have asked them. They just look at me like: 1. I am crazy. 2. I am making a big deal out of nothing. 3. They totally understand, how can the OTHER kids be so slobby.....

Anyway, keeping our house nice is a losing battle, but one that I fight anyway. For now. One of these days I am going to just give up, then they will see how much I do around here and appreciate me. I threaten this sometimes. It doesn't phase them.

Rosie-The-Bad-Dog got out this morning when the bus came. She is still out there. I know I should go get her. Too bad I couldn't just open the door and call her...but, ha, she would just laugh at me. And run away.

Hmm...I think I perhaps need an attitude re-adjustment this morning.

That is one good thing about writing this blog. It is written in proverbs (4:23), "Above all else guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life." I think that when I sit here and just write, truths come out, and this helps me. I obviously have many things to work on, spiritually, and I see my lack when I write. As far as "earthly" things go, I just have to endure day by day, and take care mostly of the spiritual things, then the other things will fall into place. It does me no good to resolve to be more organized, because that is like getting chocolate milk from a cow or water from a stone. But when I am following Jesus on this way of victory over sin, then I can find my complaining, my lack of thankfulness, my envy, ect. When I am faithful within, and purify myself in these things, then it is good. I get light over living for myself, I get strengthened to be a sacrifice, I have a reason to go on each day. (Prov. 29, v. 18)"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Things fall into place. We all know the verse the verse in Matthew, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and these things shall be given to you...."

And now that I have my sermon out of the way....I shall answer the question.

No, this doesn't necessarily help me be more organized. But it helps me not to give up on everything. It helps me go on each day. I just somehow think it is hilarious that ME, Della, has all these kids and that people assume that since God has blessed me so, that that I MUST be organized. As if THAT is the key to happiness and contentment and peace, and is what makes the world go around.

So....it is hopeful!