Fly on the Wall- April!

Hey friends!  Welcome to the April Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 11 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on.. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Wha?? Oh yeah!

If you were a fly on the wall at my house this month, this is what you would have witnessed:

Cast:
Me
The Man
A., the eldest (daughter, 19)
C., The middle (son, 14)
J., The youngest (son, 8)
Henry and Lila (our dogs )

The Laundry:
The man: (folding clothes, looking flustered) "Is this your shirt or A's?"
Me: "It's mine."
The man (holding up unmatched socks) "Are these yours or A's?"
Me: "Those are A's"
The Man (holding up bras,  then throwing them down.) "Yeah. I'm not doing this."

*

A: (hearing the dryer "music" that signals the cycle is finished) "Mom, that song on the dryer stresses me out."
Me: "Why?"
A: "I always feel guilty...like I have to take care of it before you do."
Me: "Well then, get up and go get it."
A: "I don't feel THAT guilty..."

The Dogs:
Lila, the huge beagle, has decided to sleep at the end of our bed. It takes her about three tries to actually reach the top. I figure she can stay, since she's worked so hard to reach the top... and the fact that her ginormous belly keeps my icy feet warm.

Me: (needing my sleep, man) "For all that is holy, PLEASE stop snoring!!"
Both the man and Lila wake and stare at me for all of three seconds. They both roll over and go back to sleep.

Me: (waking later) "What in the WORLD is that awful smell? What did you eat?"
Both the man and Lila wake up. Same stare, same result.
I need my own room. For some odd reason, I think both Lila and the man would be okay with that.

*

Me: (holding half of a flip-flop and a bone) "Henry! This is the second pair of shoes you have ruined! THIS is a bone. It is okay to chew. See? It smells like gravy. THESE are my good shoes. You. Don't. Eat. Them!"
J: "Mom, it's probably because your feet smell like 'Beggin' Strips."
C: "Or Snausages."

In the Kitchen:

J: "Mom, I set the table so it looks like we're in a restaurant."
Me: (noticing the silverware wrapped in napkins and the place mats lined up) "Hey that looks nice. Why did you set it up like a restaurant?"
J: "At the restaurant, you don't have to clean up after dinner."

*

J. had to create a recipe at school. He printed off two copies and put one on my open cookbook on the counter. It was for "Bacon Pasta." After listing the ingredients, "Bacon and pasta", he gave these directions.
1. Fry the bacon in a pot.
2. Boil them noodles. Stir well.
3. Spice it up. The end.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, people.

This month, your five "FLY"senses would have:

Smelled: Bacon Pasta and Wet dogs
Felt: my wrath after finding chewed shoes and poop that wasn't outside.
Saw: Scratched doors from the still-new dogs. They look like what you'd imagine people in coffins (who aren't dead) would leave. I think those marks are from the dogs. Who doesn't try to claw their way out of this house every now and then?
Tasted: McDonald's (on the nights we weren't eating Bacon Pasta) and apparently, my shoes.

and finally, heard:
The man: "Michele, Is it ironic that you used a Hershey Bar as a bookmark in 'The Hunger Games?'"
Me: "Nope. It's just the wrapper. I ate the chocolate. I was 'hungry'."

Thanks once again to the Fly's creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, aka "The lady who supports everyone", for hosting this challenge! Would you like to join in the next FLY challenge? Click on the FLY button on my side bar. Karen will hook a blogger up.

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go do it! Tell them I sent you. You know you want to...

Baking in a Tornado                                 

Just a Little Nutty                                     

follow me home                              

Stacy Sews and Schools                   

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                             

Menopausal Mother                         

Moore Organized Mayhem                 

The Insomniac's Dream                                  

The Momisodes                                      

Tiny Steps Mommy                                 

Outsmarted Mommy                              

The Rowdy Baker

I hope you find a moment this weekend to smile, my friends.

-Michele

Day Five of Forty: Blogging or Reading?

I read an incredible book by a woman named Ann Voskamp. I had never heard of her, but instead found her in an Amazon search of "being at peace now". The book's title was, "One Thousand Gifts." Something about the cover (a girl holding a nest with two robin's eggs in it) touched me and I was reminded what I was looking for: that simplicity. I knew the irony of ordering yet another book, but I did, which just shows how badly I was wishing for a little calm; a little time to breathe.

Admit it. Whether we have due dates at work, play-dates at home or errands to run, there is hardly any time for women to take pause and realize the good all around us. This book was about that.

First of all, the prose of this woman was insane. I don't know if it was because she was writing about what I'd been looking for or that she was just another mom looking for life's answers too, but I felt every word she used. I'm not kidding, this book spoke to me from the first page.

I find it pompous to try and tell you what to read. Please don't think I'm doing that. My opinions of reading are very personal. This is not a college course and I certainly appreciate everyone's personal interpretations of books.

This can be somewhat of a thin line though, because I don't mind at all telling anyone if I loved a book (or not). Still, I would never be as bold as to say, "This book changed my life! It will be the best read of your life! All your dreams will come true if you also read these words! GO! Run like you never have before, and purchase this book. You'll find it on the shelves under "Miracles!" You also won't hear,"Sure, pick up the book, it will make a lovely doorstop.." Nope.

Howevah,

This book did strike a chord with me. The author describes a life full of terrible loss and ingratitude towards the world. Even as she was older, Ann lived her days as if she were numb. It all turned around when she started writing down small things she was grateful for. As she continued on, she started to work toward a goal of being thankful for 1000 things. Obviously, there were things she chose like her husband and kids, but beautifully simple things started showing up too, like watching bubbles pop while she was doing dishes, or the way the moon shown bright when it was full. It was gratefulness like this, that also strengthened her personal relationship with God. With each entry, Ann became more and more grateful for the little things she already possessed. It helped her understand the gifts of grace as well as the strength she needed when coping with immeasurable grief.

I closed the book with tears, and with hope that I too would find that gratitude in my everyday life. I know it's there; I nod to it every now and then, but have never quite broken it apart so that I could gaze over it; so I could savor it and acknowledge every bit of what I am blessed with.

No, this isn't a book review. It is me sharing with you how much I needed someone to remind me of the things I should be thankful for, even in a room all alone. I read a sign on Pinterest (where else?) that resonated with me. It said, "If you woke up with all the things you thanked God for yesterday, what would you have?"

I know many of us have different beliefs. The book may not be for your path, but it does give all of us some common ground: The reminder that there is absolutely nothing wrong with finding gratitude in every part of our lives.

I'm not sure if I'm suppose to be blogging on Sundays during Lent, but for these next few, I'm going to share with you some "little things" I'm thankful for. Just the opportunity for me to put them out there is going to help me every time I start pouting about all the silly, unimportant things in my world. How about five things?

Please, share with me your thoughts. Leave me a comment of something small you are thankful for.

Here are mine:

1. Being able to feel the warmth on my face from the afternoon sun. If you close your eyes and sit in just the right chair at just the right time, You can feel summer-like heat on your skin. It's marvelous.

2. Listening to the clicks of a computer keyboard behind me, because it proves that my youngest is feeling well enough to build rooms on "MineCraft."

3. I'm thanking my stars for my Keurig machine, which pumped out apple cider and tea over and over for the many sick members of my family. Oh no, I'm not forgetting the Carmel coffee either..Mmm

4. The pure excitement I feel when I visit a previous Blog post and see a new comment.

5. The fear I overlooked this evening to pick up the phone and gab with an amazing Kindergarten teacher, who is also my mother-in-law. I despise the phone, but never the conversations.

Happy thankful Sunday, friends..