My Life- it's as fun as puttin' lipstick on a squirrel

December 2, 2018 We are running early for church. We NEVER run early. I should have known right then that God was up to something. We gathered our stuff and loaded up the minivan. We decided to stop at our bank before church to make a deposit in the ATM.  That's when I saw him. I was driving towards Great Bridge and he was walking away on the other side. A quick look to the rear view mirror, red back pack. A guy in dirty winter wear , walking in the rain with a red back pack.  Inside my head, I heard the still small voice. Turn around and see what he needs. No, I thought, I need to head to the bank. We got to the bank and Bryan hops out to make the deposit. Here I sit in the driver's seat. Wrestling with God while Cora sits happily unaware in the back seat. God is all over me telling me to double back and find the red back pack.  Bryan hops in the car. I tell him, we are doubling back. God wants me to go find the red back pack guy. Bryan says he did not see him. ...

So, I read this great blog called:  Juggling the Jenkins . One day on her facebook page the chick says: Looking for submissions... Submit your story of recovery and I will put it on my facebook page and then in a small book she is putting together from all the stories she receives. Proceeds from the book will go to... So I did it. I sat down and banged out my heart for about 15 minutes. Did a quick spell check and sent that sucker to her. Here is THE STORY!  One day I open up my email and there it is. I'm gonna post up your entry tomorrow. Well, the alcoholic in me is all " yerp, that's right! you are gonna be famous". . . bahahahahahaha The anxiety-ridden side of me is like "yeah dumbo you just told the NATION that you are a drunk! " Then the alcoholic and the anxiety ridden side get in a fight because it's a recovering alchoholic to be exact and I stand back and let them duke it out all the while laughing at myself...which I do  a LOT! So it poste...

I have been home educating Cora for about 3 years now. I tried unschooling, I tried replicating school at home, I tried Heart of Dakota curriculum. ALL bored her to tears. Then I stumbled upon a book called For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.   In this book, which I annihilated with a highlighter, she speaks of a woman named Charlotte Mason. I remember my first year of homeschooling. I wrote that name down on a list to "research" . That list sat for 2 years. Then I did research. I found a woman who thought that nature study was important. Being out doors was important.  My favorite quote (well , one of many) is:  Never be within doors when you can rightly be without--Charlotte Mason So off I went in search of everything I could find. I went to a large conference in KY. I purchased books, like the Charlotte Mason Companion  and listened to pod casts from A Delectable Education  and quite frankly I fell in love. With short lessons and...

Sometimes in the our household all the stars fall in line. The dogs are fed. Everyone has been out. The guinea pigs and rabbits are resting. The hermit crabs are well "hermiting". The tortoise is doing his usual thing with his pet rock and the girl...well....she spends the night out! YES! The holy grail of parenting...the sleepover. Then you add this....the company Christmas dinner and BOOM you have a DATE night.  I do my makeup, my hair, dress like an adult...Bryan puts on some extra essential oils and changes his shoes (more on that later) and out the door we roll!  Last night was THAT night! I even thought ahead to bring our two angel tree kid wish lists so we could do a little retail therapy later after dinner!  So we had a GREAT dinner at the local Japanese Steak House. We saw new babies and old friends. We ate. We laughed. We ate. I met new people. "Peopleing" is hard sometimes for me, as I sometimes experience social anxiety. Back in the old day...

Church. Open Doors. Lights. Shades. Locks. Words all running thru my mind. Add in Motel 6 and there ya have the title of this blog.  I will explain all this hopefully in this quick post. I got hit this morning with the idea of churches being open to all, available and a safe place.  Then I thought a little harder, as the coffee kicked in and thought. Am I, as a Christian, open to all, available and a safe place?  ouch.  Case in point. I have been known to stop for homeless. pets. people. anyone. Give them all I got. The hat off my head. The bible off the seat. You name it.  The other day traveling thru Downtown Great Bridge. We saw a man in a white button up shirt and tie walking toward the ATM. As we did our banking , he turned and started back the way he came. When we finished up our drive thru biz...we found him once again walking on this sweltering day.  Bryan: let's pick him up. He needs help.  Me: NO! we can't put him i...

It seems that our family has never just been in the normal range. There always seems to be something going haywire. But I have noted over my last 4 1/2 decades of living that neither is anyone's family ....normal that is. What is normal. pinterest? heavens no. Straight A students with crest white smiles? negative Mom's with make up just right and clothing from this decade? Never Normal is a house that is a home. Hairballs in the corner. Rings around the tub from dirty tired children that played outside all day. Normal is one sock that never gets matched but we don't give up hope and keep it around. Normal is sand in your trunk that you never got around to vacuuming out from two summers ago. Normal is the ring of the doorbell and the crash of bikes hitting the driveway as friends arrive at the exact moment you sit down to eat....the kids can play in a bit. Normal is an empty guinea pig water bottle and a dryer that cut off hours ago and a sink full of dis...

dear daughter, yes you. the one who does not want to be my daughter anymore. I get it. I truly do. The neglect and the abuse you were raised in . . . well they make this easy for you. It's easy for you not to trust me and Dad with making decisions for you. It's easy for you to not trust that we love you or care for you or would give our lives for you.     What is not easy for you is to understand just how much we do love you. We love you enough to let you go. We hear your voice loud and clear. I have scars to prove that I have heard your rage. But the Father has asked me to write this letter of forgiveness. I am slam sold out to Jesus and when he asks ...I say Yes Lord.  So here goes. I forgive you. I forgive you for biting me, slapping me, scratching me, hitting me, saying false statements about me and most of all I forgive you for yelling awful things at your little sister. I forgive you  and still love you just as the Father loves you. I will pra...