Working and resting

We got so much done this week! Of course, getting things done is Jon's way of telling us he loves us, and a chance for him to do what he loves--work with his hands. I need only mention something in passing, and pretty soon he's on it. I finally commented on the heat last week, so this week he put in the A/C, and sheared Daisy:

She gets embarrassed easily, so if you come over, don't mention the chopped up hair job. I'm sure she's much cooler. I think there was about 10 pounds of wool on her.

I canned up some tomato paste:

And crocheted some soakers:
They are much cuter in reality--they have a sparkly halo on them.

Kristine has been doing some wonderful coloring (Nana, Grandma, Emily and Jenna should be receiving some of those masterpieces soon) and one day last week she took the box of crayons and threw them over her shoulder:

She said "I meant to do that."

And a few minutes later, she did it again:

Last Saturday, we went out and spent a lot of $$$ at Menards, and this is what Jon did with what we bought: Before:

After:

Before:

After:

He tore out that disgusting toilet and room-hog ugly sink, sanded down the nasty texture on the walls, took off the pitiful panelling, and put a layer of sheet rock mud over everything that needed it. Then he put in the new WHITE toilet and pedestal sink. It feels so roomy in there, now. We bought the heating coils for the floor, and we have the tile and all that stuff, so that's the next deal. We still need to figure out what in the world has to be done with that big black pipe that stands almost in the middle of the room from floor to ceiling before we can put in a shower, so we're going to have to call a professional (!) for an opinion, at least. The walls still need to be sanded down again and painted--Jon wants white, and I think I'd be happy with anything other than yellow! And then the ceiling itself needs to be painted, too (it's still yellow).

And finally, the kitchen sink: Hooray, hooray. No more dripping, ugly faucet. No more spray attachment that won't turn off--you know, we had some pretty funny times with that thing--and no more disgusting crud that won't stop coming and coming out from around the base. This one has a spray option right on the faucet head, and it comes out to reach where ever I want it, AND it goes back in. That funny thing on the left of the faucet is my soap dispenser! Amazing--what will they think of next! And this one was one of the cheapest ones available (I don't think they even make and sell the one we took out!), so if you are thinking of changing your faucet, you can be sure it will be a pretty nice deal.

Kristine also passed her swimming lessons level 1, and is signed up for level 2 in July. She was pretty proud of that. They gave her a certificate listing all the water skills she now possesses, and she's read it over to me a few times and, I'm sure to Jon, pointing out the ones she's especially proud of, and also the ones she didn't realize they were keeping track of.

She started Tball, and is really enjoying it. She was a little nervous at first, until she realized she was supposed to run, and throw the ball overhand and hit the ball as hard as she could and learn to catch with a glove just like she's seen 'baseball guys' do. And, I think the fact that there is a little competition is really a plus for her. I'll have to get some pictures up next week.

I know this sounds incredibly busy and a lot of hard work, but have you noticed that when you've put in the hard, physical labor that the physical rest is so much sweeter? I was out weeding the beans this morning thinking about how restful it was. I was in the hot sun, and in the mud with sweat dripping down my face and back, but I was resting. And it was lovely. I think, sometimes, that the idle busy-ness of 'vacationing' or even watching TV tires the soul so much more than producing something with your hands to your own satisfaction. I have been reminded lately to 'do it heartily as unto the Lord', and realized that it didn't say 'if you do...' but 'whatsoever you do'. Implying that there isn't much time that I shouldn't be doing. Not in a busy way--rushing and worrying--but in a mindful, prayerful, hearty way that allows the Holy Spirit to move in me through the work.

We've been slogging our way through Hebrews at church for the last 6-8 months, and we've come to chapter 12 (finally!) and it talks about discipline, and running the race--not just to run, but to win--and setting our eyes on the goal. One of our pastors was saying that though the word 'discipline' makes us think of punishment and pain and hard work, that the point of discipline is not rules and regulations and deprivation, but freedom. Freedom from the things that get in our way of us attaining that goal. If we discipline ourselves, it frees up time and energy and resources because we aren't wasting the time and energy trying to get that short term 'prize'. And, he said, in being disciplined as a lifestyle, we find ourselves rested and always ready for whatever the Lord would have us do and say.

I'm afraid I haven't explained it very well, but it was such a revelation to me. Maybe I'll have some more understanding to explain it better later.

And, I'm afraid, that's more than enough for this post. I'm off to bed.

Whew! The first week of swimming lessons is over. We almost didn't make it...I scheduled the 9AM lesson(too early for us), and we've been running and running and still barely making it on time. Something always happens, you know, to impede speediness(this morning I broke my big 2 quart tea pot while it was full of boiling water and loose tea. I need to mop the floor and inside of the bottom cupboards again.)

Anyway, here's Kristine's accomplishments of the week:


Last year the diving board was something of a nemesis; but this year, she's jumping off as if she's done it all her life.


She's swimming a lot quicker from one end of the pool to the other. Last year she was always the last one to arrive, and often had to be towed by the teacher. Now she's almost always the third or fourth out of ten. And using all of her arms and legs. Not chatting so much. She's pretty proud of that.

Another thing she's pretty proud of is that she's undressing and showering and dressing all by herself this year. In past years, I've done it for her thinking I could keep her on task rather than gawking at all the other little kids gawking at her (it usually didn't work very well, and I was crabby by the time she was dried and dressed and ready to go). This year I decided she needs to learn to do it herself. And she's doing great! Slow, but steady dressing completely under her towel (LOL where did she get that modesty?)--I should get a picture. She told her sweet Papa the other day that it's really hard to stay under that towel, but she'd rather do that than have all the little boys (under 5 years old) stare at her (!). I guess she's growing up a little.