busy busy busy...

Okay, not as busy as I used to be, but phew, it is busy around here sometimes. We left early to go pick Mrs. Ashley at the airport yesterday so we could go to The Faraway Mall We Have Never Been To. Mirielle and I, Margaret and Evelyn, and the two little princesses, Charlotte Claire and Camille. We didn't buy a stinkin' thing, but we looked. I found a really pretty sweater, but even marked down and 40% off it would have been twenty bucks. Nah, I don't need it that badly. The little girls got to play in the little play area for a bit. They are not Mall Kids, so their eyes were huge. They went up and down the escalator in J.C.Penney, that was the highlight for them.

After getting Ashley, we went to lunch at Wendy's. The princesses had never been there, so they were delighted. Char said, "This is a REALLY NICE kind of McDonalds!" They got chocolate Frostys, which were way more appealing to them than their burgers or fries. I got a side salad (25 calories, and I used about a fourth of the dressing, for another 20 calories), and a five piece spicy chicken nuggets, which I ripped up and put on the salad (240 calories). When I wrote down my daily total, I also included an extra hundred to account for the bites I took of Camille's burger and the slurp I sneaked of her Frosty. And the huge drink of Evelyn's chocolate Frappe from McDonalds on the way home. I was good there, I just got a coffee.

Oh yeah, I had a few fries, too. If you like fries, and who doesn't, the new fries at Wendy's are out of this world. They are "natural cut", and just so yummy. I did have a few, but I used my "wait and they will eat them all up" approach, and it worked.

We got home, I grabbed my swim bag and Jonathan, and off we went for a quick swim. Mirielle was making waffles with rasberries and whipped cream for dinner, so I just skipped out. We got back just in time to leave for a meeting about the grill we run at church conferences. There is a May conference coming up at the end of the month. It shall be a busy month. This weekend is my niece's wedding, for which I am making a few hundred cupcakes and the cake. Paul is leaving on Sunday for the week, for work, and I have to do tons of shopping for the next grill. I usually just get the candy and the soda, but my brother, who usually does the rest, is busy with the wedding and cannot get the other things....

And, we are having the big party here in June, and things have to be done. I can't count on Paul doing too much, he is super busy with work. He will be going away again in June, too. So...this morning I gave Joseph a nice little pep-talk about helping do a few things around here between now and the second week in June. Pressure, I hate that feeling of so much going on. But what can I do? I can fight against the spirit of anxiety, fight to be at rest. What gets done, gets done. Today is the day of salvation. Yes, there are things to do, things to think about, but when I start getting weighed down by the cares of this life, I need to stop and take control of my worries. Because by nature, I am a worrier!!! If there is something to worry about, I shall be the first one to worry about it. But to give in to that is in direct contrast to God's promises. Jesus said that the very hairs of our heads are numbered, and not a sparrow falls from the sky without our Heavenly Father knowing about it. He said to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us.

One moment at a time, one day at a time.

This morning while I was taking my walk with Rosie, I remembered to thank God for being so good to me. I remember not too long ago begging Him to have mercy on me, and strengthen my knees so I could walk and get into shape. I prayed and prayed. This morning as I walked, I realized how much better my knees have been. I have been able to walk, day in, day out. I am so very glad for that. For all the complaining I do about taking these walks, I am actually very thankful that I am able to go on them. This morning was so beautiful outside, it was easy to think of God. The day is cloudy and not just overcast, but foggy. Misty and foggy. Where the road goes through the woods was simply magical....the undergrowth is flourishing, the trees have their leaves, there are wild flowers and weeds and tall grasses for Rosie to munch on. Critters scamper away as we tromp through, we only see the occasional squirrel. Walking clears my mind and relaxes me. I am thinking that perhaps I should start getting up earlier and going a little farther.....

The sink is full of dishes. There are dirty pans. The laundry room floor is gaining some cushioning, blah. The floors need sweeping and mopping. The counters need cleaning off, and there is a load of light colored clothes on the couch. The top of the dog cage is turning into a catch-all, and the computer table has some growing clutter issues. The books on the shelves are turning horizontal.(why is harder for kids to put them back the right way?) The shoes by the door need to be straightened and shelved, and there are towels hanging on a few kitchen chairs (Jon's and mine from the pool). Who will do all this work? Me? blah.

And, I am leaving in a little while to have my Strictly Because Of Family History Breast Sonogram. Honestly, I feel a bit quakey about this whole thing. But God knows the beginning and the end of all things, I need to leave His job to Him, and trust that He sends everything, EVERYTHING for my very best.

I need to go take a shower and wash my hair and do a few things around here before I go...isn't it funny how I sit here with my feet up drinking my coffee while I complain about all the things I have to do?