Where's the Unpause Button?

I know that I'm pregnant and all but I am really sick of having my brain be on "pause" today. I had to go back into my house THREE times before I ran my errands this morning because I couldn't manage to make it out the door with everything I needed the first time.

It would have been pretty funny to watch, if I wasn't the one experiencing it. Thankfully, my children have gotten used to "scattered brained" mom and it didn't phase them at all. Sigh. This too shall pass, right?!

Is Your "Hut on Fire"?

I received an email from a good friend lately. I thought I should share it in case if any of you are feeling discouraged and could use a little lift. :D

WHEN YOUR HUT'S ON FIRE!!!!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Just a Dreamin'

I love where I live. I love how close we are to freeway access, but how far we are from any dangerously busy streets. I love that we are near just about any store that I would like/need to go to. I love our neighbors! I love our backyard. I love almost everything about our house. However, I do find myself wishing that we could change some things and add other features.

Here is my list of "Dream Improvements":

1. Mudroom - Anyone with children will know why this would be a wonderful room to have.

2. Wider rooms- Our house is fairly narrow. I think that two feet added onto the front and back of the house would make a HUGE difference. There are only so many ways that you can rearrange furniture in a narrow home.

3. Top Floor Laundry Room- Our bedrooms are upstairs, our "laundry room" is downstairs. It didn't seem like a problem for awhile, but now that I am pregnant and I have a bum knee I find that the situation can be rather daunting.

4. A Dining Room- Our kitchen table barely fits in the kitchen. It would be nice to have a room just for eating so that the kids would be less inclined to sneak around the corner with their food and try to eat in the living room.

5. New Kitchen Cabinets- We have a dishwasher that is "portable" and hooks up to the sink. I dream of one day being able to build it into new cabinets (It is full sized and fairly new) and of having more cabinet storage than I know what to do with.

Those are my major dreams concerning the home. In the meantime, we will go on enjoying being in our home. After all it is the love that makes a house a home, not the actual structure.