What's the Purpose of Your Home?

Here is a response from my sister to one of my posts. In that particular post I was wondering if it was possible to love your home too much. Having moved over a year ago, Mike and I are still thrilled with having our "new" house (p.s. I have got to write sometime on the blessings on owning a relatively small house - think less cleaning, BIG TIME). So here is my sister's wise response, and I thought it worth posting.
"I remember the same feeling when we bought a house. It was so exciting, and you get everything set up just how you like it that you wonder if you like it too much. Just how much money, time, effort, thinking, planning is justifiable for a house, a shelter from the elements?

I thought about it a lot, and I really think --- like everything else that we plan for and spend time on --- we just have to make sure it's not all about our own comfort. God certainly doesn't mind us having a cozy, practical, comfortable home, but He does expect His children to live for others, and that's what we can use our homes for!

A good goal is to try to always have an open door for anyone who needs it. Be a hospitable host and make everyone feel welcome! It's actually a lot harder than it sounds, because sometimes we just feel too tired and too busy to have guests, but Jesus spent His life in service to others, and we can use even our homes in being a blessing for others."

Making Friends

If you are a judgemental person, you must not have a whole lot of friends. Who wants to be friends with someone who is critical and makes judgements about people constantly? The more I think about it, the more I believe being judgemental kills a lot of possible friendships. So do you want friends? Don't be judgemental.

Why I Blog

(Reader discretion advised. This is a rather mish-mash post with some thought put in it, but a whole lot of rambling going on as well.)
So, why do I blog? For me the reason why I blog is because I enjoy writing. I am by no means a gifted or professional writer, but I've always enjoyed it (hence the degree in English!). I also like the idea of reading what I write years later. I have a terrible memory, and blogging allows me to remember events that I most certainly would forget! Some day, it will be funny for me to read what happened on Mother's Day, or I will be able to laugh at the time I had to get Juliet in trouble for saying "stupid".... I especially like to poke fun at myself while I blog - life's too short to take yourself too seriously. Also, blogging allows family members and friends to see what is going on in my life as well as Mike and Jules. I also blog because I like to write about things I'm thinking about - from what color to paint your toe nails, to the New Calvinist Movement. And yes, I have full approval from my husband on everything I write. I've long been wanting to get that statement in, so now I finally have the opportunity. I am of the opinion (I've got lots of them), that I never husband-bash - I just tell the truth with some color- and Mike has assured me that I have never offended him. Well, that's out of the way. Are there blogging dangers? As with anything! Some dangers are:
1.) It is tempting to make your life appear better or more perfect than it actually is (personally don't think I have a problem in that area).
2.) Obviously time can be a factor
3.) I've heard the term "spiritual posturing" thrown around to describe some blogs - a person can write all about their spiritual experiences - perhaps to the neglect of actually practicing godly living. Although, in our dutch "let's not get too personal" culture, I don't think openness (especially with regards to spirituality) is such a bad thing. And, I might add, it is easy to read a person's blog and be overly judgemental...
Things to keep in mind while blogging:
1. Motives. Motives. Motives. Why am I writing this? Is it to create a fuss or am I writing this because I actually am wondering about something?
2. Avoid being reactionary. Whenever something irritates me, I try to wait a month or two before writing about it. I've avoided writing some pretty dumb posts.
3. Be honest! It's so refreshing.
And lastly, some positives of blogging!
1. Guess what? Blogging can help develop relationships. There are people in our church that I now know more about because they blog! Blogging can help people to develop connections in church communities which maybe wouldn't be there before.
2. Blogging can be a creative outlet - photography, writing, crafts, etc. Endless opportunities to showcase one's talents is now available.
3. As I said earlier, most people probably blog to keep in contact with family and to let them know what's going on in their lives. Blogging can be a nice alternative to facebook which is somewhat impersonal.
That's all folks!

That Little Red Matchbox Car - the Cause of it All

I didn't see it coming. I came home from grocery shopping this afternoon. In my hand I had a matchbox car bought specially for yours truely, Jules. I was in the checkout line, and seeing that the cars were on sale for .99 cents, and spying an old-fashioned red one, I impulsively bought it. (I don't mind dollar impulse purchases). So I brought it home and as I held it out for Jules, I waited for a delighted smile. It came and I felt rewarded. Mike, who was holding Jules, looked down at her and said, "Say 'thank-you' to Mommy." (Mike is the polite one in the family who has taught Jules to mind her P's and Q's). Jules looked at me and simply refused to do so. After much remonstrancing, she still shook her head and refused. A simple matchbox car became something much more; it had become a battle of the wills. Without going into much detail, it took my little dear an half an hour to finally say "Thank you" to her mother for her little red car. By the end, I was ready to start bawling too. At one point, I said to Mike, "Maybe she has forgotten how to say "Thank you!" Or maybe she doesn't know what we are asking her to say! Or maybe..." Yes, I was grasping at straws but thankfully, we managed to stick to our guns (okay, that's a bad analogy to use here). I said to Mike after the whole episode, "You know, this disciplining stuff can be just as hard on the parents as the children."

VBS Memories

It's been a busy week! Why? VBS was this week. I have to say though, this was by far the most enjoyable VBS I have ever been involved in due to a number of factors. All I can say is, having people play games with the kids during their snack break is a HUGE improvement over supervising and coming up with games yourself! It really was a blessing. I actually had time to mosey on down to the kitchen, pick out what donut I was going to eat (very important), and leisurely help myself to a good cup of coffee. Unheard of! Secondly, having an efficient side-kick is wonderful. I don't think I could ever teach a class in the future by myself. And thirdly, going on vacation the week before VBS was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to prepare for crafts in advance! There was no helter-skelter the Saturday night before VBS. All was taken care of. The program on Friday night wasn't without its thrills, either. I don't think I've heard a thunderstorm like that in a long time! Every two minutes or so, there was an enormous bolt of lightning and a thunderous crack overhead. I was waiting for the steeple to get hit but was continually reminding myself that there was one of them new-fangled lightnin' rods up there (at least, I think there is). Yes, the lights went out just to add to the drama of the evening. After a minute or two they went back on....much to the relief of the teachers and the dismay of the kids. But the kids all did a fabulous job with their recitations and songs and I consider myself blessed to have been able to be a part of it all. Yes, this was a VBS to remember!

Sewing

Well, folks, I just whipped up a pair of curtains for our playroom in under an hour! I am so excited! I didn't follow any pattern in particular - just measured a little and hoped for the best. Doing little projects along these lines always fills me with immense satisfaction. I don't think I will let my sister and mom look too closely at my "masterpiece," (they will see a number of...interesting techniques) but considering I haven't sewed in a long time, I'm quite proud of myself. Now that I've got the sewing bug, maybe I will tackle some pillows for my livingroom!

What, me a SORE LOSER???

I had an emotional meltdown in my backyard today. No, nothing traumatic occured. It wasn't even one of those emotinal rollercoaster days that most woman have every once in awhile. Alright, I admit it. I lost playing crouquet against my husband. Didn't I tell you before what a sore loser I am? Today I found out how pathetic I can be. It was another one of those beautiful nights. After dinner, Mike convinced me to play a game or two of crouquet with him. It wasn't too hard to convince me since I was in the mood and last time I played against him, the games had been tight (although he won, two to one). So, when Mike suggested we play, I was game. I lost the first match and was a little bummed, but Mike convinced me to play a second. Hurray! I won that second match, so of course Mike said we HAD to play a rubber match. (Personally, I am of the mind that if you both won a match, why play another game? Everyone is happy, you both won a game, and no sore feelings result. But this doesn't work if you are married to Michael D.) Anyway, so the rubber match ensued. I was doing okay, but then Mike sent my ball sailing off into the bushes and basically that was the beginning of the end for me. Then, when I was losing already, he sent my ball sailing across the yard in the opposite direction. Well, I was history after that point. I watched him hit the final post in triumph. When he came rusing to my side to give me a triumphant hug, I wasn't in the mood. I regret to admit that I had a complete emotional meltdown. It was embarrassing. I knew in hindsight that I would be more than embarrassed. I knew Jules was watching me with wide eyes. I knew I was behaving in an utterly ridiculous manner but I just couldn't seem to stop. I was so MAD I simply didn't care. It took me an half an hour to admit that I was acting like a sore loser and that I was sorry for my poor behaviour. I think I am going to ban playing crouquet from the list of games to be played with my husband (Risk and Settlers are on the list as well - I've learned from past experiences). Do any other ladies have...difficulty playing competetive games with their husbands?