Re-arranging Chairs on the Titanic May 9, 2011

That is what housework feels like sometimes. I changed the sheets on the guest bed, and while Ben, our youngest, will use it on the weekends when he comes home from college... Andy will be here next weekend with his animals. So, I was getting that spare room ready, too. Bedspread all washed, and lap quilts all done and folded on the toddler bed---which won't get used for another month, but I want to get ready.

Our house is so quiet now, and I got so sweaty trying to remove the dust from nooks and cranies... and trying to see the rooms through little eyes. Are we baby proof? Time to find the electrical plug covers. Seven month, David will be eight months when he comes here, so we need to re-think the cords and dangling things.

Bob helped me clean out the hall closet. It is now a cat haven. Complete with cat door. Kitty litter, and food and water bowls... Wish we had a cat perch to put in there. In cleaning out the closet, I was able to donate some old suits to Mission Arlington. Those folks are so friendly about taking anything. Even an old surge protector. And I got the magazines mailed to my Mother with the Filipino recipe I think she will remember from when exchange students visited our house when I was a kid. I know it seems silly to mail magazines to my Mom, but she knows I can get rather too creative with recipes---best to let her read it herself so that she knows I did not forget something or tweek it already. ha. I tried to help her over the phone with facebook today, but, she just wants to see recently added photos, and finds facebook not easy to navagate around.

Now for some Mother's Day observations: I want to remember celebrating early with Ben and his classmate from college. We went to Carrabbas on Friday when they were not busy. It was fun. A silly expense, but the food was good. So, on Sunday, Bob gave his Sunday School lesson, and then because Ben and his friend were all packed and ready to head back to collge, we just went to Whataburger for lunch. The onion rings were good. I thought Bob liked going there for the burgers, but he ordered a chicken sandwich. He was not impressed. How silly. Why order chicken at a burger place? I don't understand. When we got home, there was a pro-flowers box leaning up next to the car, and the phone was ringing---James from Afghanistan!!! YAY So good to hear his voice. We also got to talk to his wife, Amber on the phone, too, and we could hear Baby James.

I was nodding off at the computer on Sunday afternoon, so we took naps. Then we got to talk on the phone with the firstborn and his family in Alaska 6pm our time, which is 3pm and almost naptime for them.

So--for Mother's Day--I got to hug the youngest son, hear the other two on the phone, arrange two dozen roses in vases. (could not fit them all into the one that came with) and eat chocolate. And take a nap. Our pastor taught from Hosea for Mother's Day !!! What a brave man. And a lady that has been attending our church since she was a teenager told her motherhood story---barren until age 40, then twin girls. Those girls are now graduated from college, and one is married, the other to be married soon. And all without a word about her ex. That is what made it amazing to me. Since one of our sons tracked with the twins through junior high and high school, we know the story--and just let me say, that woman has a right to bitterness, but she chose not to go there. She chose to only discuss the positive. That was amazing.

All that is left is purchasing some art materials for our 4 year old granddaughter to use when she gets here in a month, and keep an eye out for pink sheets for the bed in case the Disney "Cars" theme on the toddler bed is just too small for her now. I went through the toys, and noticed that the blocks are marked 18 months, so no use getting them out of the wrappers unless our daughter-in-law approve. I culled through the Chevron car collection, and took off the small choking hazards, and pulled the pink and purple cars to the front. Our granddaughter may play with them like dolls as they have eyes and mouths, and their own claymation commercials, but the beanie babies will probably see more air time. And the Toy Story puppets. And the dinosaur egg. Maybe I can get someone to put new batteries in the elephant. I do need to move the books to a lower shelf, and de-clutter the shelf with the dvds.

I don't know if our granddaughter will get to stay and play here a month or more---we can hope. But, I know our daughter-in-law wants to find a house for rent close to her folks and grandparents in Houston. We just want to make them feel welcome as they move down from Alaska, and wait for