Gifts Are Simply Not Our Gift

“Did you know it was our anniversary?” That was the question my faithful husband posed to me as we sat down at a family picnic…obviously after someone had just congratulated him on 13 years of marriage. But before you get your undies in a bunch and start throwing insults towards him, let me tell you that I am not without fault. I have allowed "significant" dates and yearly celebrations to fall to the way side, because I perceive them as cop-outs. Take Valentine’s Day for example, one day out of 365 that most people expect something to happen, well pardon me for being high maintenance, but I simple expect more than that. I want to know I am loved more than one day out of every year. I understand the need to celebrate accomplishments within a relationship, but to do something “special” simply because of that one day, I struggle with significance in that. If I do receive a bouquet of flowers, a perennial plant, a card, or even a “date;” it just means more to me that it appears out of the blue and without prompting. Am I wondering if I am in the minority on this issue; so tell me how do you celebrate your Anniversary? What are your expectations for Valentine's Day?

"What’s up?" you ask.

As my enduring fans I know you are simply dying to know. Well, I am running like a mad woman, literally, training for the Grandma’s Marathon. Andi is kicking and cross jabbing her way into the hearts of the karate studio instructors. Jordan is relishing the fact she can wear dresses without tights, and I believe she has done so faithfully for the past two weeks. Dillon keeps us on our toes; she is so different from the other two, needing much more direct supervision, and constant reprimanding. But all-in-all, her cuteness keeps her out of the slammer. Josh is working, studying, and training for a state-to-state bike ride later this summer. In a nutshell, that’s what is up.



Oh, and I am creating character profiles (which is my blogger time consumer) for the book I am going to publish, someday. Anyone have any good names for a faithful house servant who simply does everything?

Annoyed by the Small Things

Recently, as I was sorting through a mound of laundry I became increasingly aware of the articles of the clothing I was turning right side out. And with each piece, I became a little more agitated, thinking that some people could be a little more considerate by taking two seconds to right these items before throwing them into the laundry. So I started tossing these items in a pile to prove a point and to allow the guilty party the opportunity to endure the consequences. Right?

Well, life right now allows me to be home during the days and work in the evenings. I use the term 'stay-at-home' loosely, because Josh says I do not actually stay-at-home, which has some truth to it. What this means is that Josh is stripping the girls' clothing and putting them into pajamas almost every evening. In the mornings I am removing their pajamas and putting them into clothes for the day.

Okay, back to JUSTICE…As I am separating the laundry, I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that the clothing I am tossing into the consequences pile, over and over again, are the pajamas and undershirts. Occasionally, I was relieved to see a shirt or a pair of pants, but when I thought about when they were removed it was I that hastily removed the garment and tossed it into the laundry basket. Not Josh. Talk about being annoyed by the small things. Even when it comes to laundry the guy is one step ahead of me. I definitely got a good one.

Family Chatter

Jordan: "Well, then I won't clean the toys in the living room until you turn on Arthur."
Mom: "I will not turn on Arthur until you clean up the toys in the living room."
Jordan: "Well, then I won't watch TV."
Mom: "Right!"

Andi: "If I were a worm, would you squish me because you loved me or just to see what would happen?"
Mom: "I'd squish you because I loved you." (Of course!)
Andi: "Well, I was trying to love it, but I squished too hard. Look what happened." (Poor worm, I hope you had a chance to tell your buddies to run!)

Dillon: Signing every sign she had learned in a two week period. And still throwing herself on the floor.
Mom: "Would you just tell me what you want."
Dillon: Stands up, grabs my legs, pulls me to her room and points to the crib, still repeating signs that make no sense.
Mom: "Do you want to go nighnight?"
Dillon: SIGH

Josh: "Did you lock the car door?"
Billi Jo: "Well, I think I did."
Josh: "You thought you did last night, too."
Billi Jo: "Well, did I?"
Josh: "No."
Billi Jo: "Oh."

The Slaughter House

Consider this a warning to the squeamish: this post contains images involved with processing meat.

Hunting season always brings the fear of, "What if...he really does shoot a deer?"

Unfortunately, Josh brought home two deer this season! So our garage once again turned into a slaughter house. Josh worked a couple of seasons processing deer and has slowly accumulated the tools deemed necessary to accomplish this task at home. For the two or three husbands that were forced into reading this post, now is the time to be jealous, very jealous. This year he got to pull out the over-powered motor to hook up to the way-too-big-grinder: power tools to process venison. A man will do anything to increase speed.

But let me tell you, I was beyond impressed. We accomplished in one night what has previously taken us an entire week. Josh was able to grind over 90lbs of venison in less than an hour while I struggled to keep up with wrapping and labeling. The sounds of the power tools, the hum of the bullet-heater as it increased the temperature in the garage to a comfortable 70 degrees, the whine of the motor as it spun the over-sized fly wheel on the way-too-big grinder, all helped to drown out the sucking noise as the venison entered the grinding shaft. Josh still will not confess the true per-pound-cost of the venison that fills our freezer, which should include the hotel, shooting range, and power tools, etc., but I am non-the-less pleased at the opportunity for us to bond, and I am certain James Dobson would agree: A couple who process deer together will stay together.