well, shut my mama mouth!!!

oh, i sure needed to read this devotion today........... this afternoon while at work i was "writing" a post in my head about something that happened. it didn't have anything to do with washing dishes. and i didn't get mad. i was very calm. it was all about time. or rather not taking the time. not spending time. time that is now forever gone.

on the way home from work i think the Holy Spirit spoke to me & said, "don't write any of the stuff you were going to write. just shut your mama mouth & let it be"!!

so--i'm gonna shut my mama mouth............. & just let you read it! and read to the end because i have a comment at the end.


Proverbs31Woman
September 30, 2013

Me and My Mama Mouth
by Karen Ehman

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:26 ESV)

The other day my son, a smart preteen, was up to the challenge of washing the dishes. He didn't give me an attitude when asked. He wasn't disrespectful. He didn't drag his feet. So why was I battling the urge to harshly point out how he was doing it all wrong?

Because he wasn't doing it my way.

He started with the grimy pots, then moved to the plates and silverware. Finally, he had to bubble up more water to spit-shine the glasses. While working, he stacked plastic cups in a pyramid.

Irritation welled up. An unkind reaction was itching to come out. I could easily have let my momma mouth take over: It uses way more water to wash the dishes in that order. Plus the water is filthy now! Stop playing with those cups while you work. You're so slow.

I wanted to be a control freak. I wanted to fire off the unkind words hidden in my unspoken thoughts: The only way to do the dishes is my way. I see different as wrong. I interpret a preteen being a preteen—with a slight distraction of fun—as "slow."

But when I unload on junior, or anyone, it has the potential to damage our relationship and plant mental seeds of his mom's view of him, whether verbalized or implied (lazy, wasteful, distracted, and slow). It does not, as Proverbs 31:26 states, come close to resembling a woman who "opens her mouth with wisdom and speaks with kindness on her tongue."

It's better if these potentially frustrating scenarios play out differently. So let's replay that scene with a Spirit-controlled response.

As I see my son doing the dishes, I can make a mental note to explain how to do it next time in a way that will save water, money, and time. I can praise his efforts, keeping in mind his age and abilities. I can acknowledge his unique method. I saw the clever way you stacked those dishes. You always make work fun.

I can ask myself questions that will help keep my mama mouth in check. Questions like: Does it matter now or will it matter tomorrow? Will it affect eternity? Is God trying to teach me something? Can I pause and praise instead of interrupt and instigate? Is this really an issue that needs addressing? Am I being a control freak? Do I need to let it go?

The interaction wouldn't damage; it would nurture. It would be wise. Kind. And there would be no lost time, regrets, or need to call in the United Nations peace-keeping forces for intervention.

This mama would be less control-freakish and more Proverbs 31-womanish. It might not come easily—trust me, it usually doesn't—but with the Holy Spirit, it is possible to speak with kindness.

Dear Lord, may I purpose to temper my words with Your Holy Spirit as I interact with my family today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Respond
Think of an incident from the past where you did not use your words in a way that was kind or loving. Revisit the situation. How could you have spoken in a way that would honor God? Could you have used a different tone of voice? Word choice? Timing?

Power Verses
Psalm 139:4; Psalm 37:30

Taken from Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living by Renee Swope, Lysa TerKeurst, Samantha Evilsizer and the Proverbs 31 Ministries Team. © 2013 by Proverbs 31 Ministries. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.



what's that song by cher -- "if i could turn back time"........."i'd take back those words that hurt you & you'd stay....i didn't really mean to hurt you....i didn't want to see you go, i know i made you cry"

next time, i will spend the time.

i promised him.......

.....that we'd go walking as soon as the homemade granola was done baking.

so.......

at 10:30 10:32 at night......

he's already rung the bells about 5 times -- that's my "signal" that it's time for a walk!!! (i don't know what the heck's on the bottom of that door!! i'll have to check that out tomorrow!)

here we go!!!!

he's just a LITTLE BIT excited!!!!!

ya make a promise -- ya keep a promise. even if it's to your dog!

just a typical saturday.....

got my exercise today -- mowed the front & back yards, pulled weeds in 1 flowerbed, played with the dog, chased a frog around the house. the INSIDE of the house!!!

he came in with me when i opened the back door. i chased him around the living room with a broom & plastic bowl. (both of which i just happened to have in my hands when i came in the door.) i don't know which one of us was more scared!!!!

finally got him back out the door.


i might be a country girl, but i don't want frogs IN my house!!!!!


here are some pictures i took to blog about, but never got around to it-----
cooling off on a hot day:

our other dog kristi loved to chase the water from the hose or sprinkler. geronimo has always been afraid of it. but last saturday he played in the "mister" sprinkler & loved it!!

last saturday i cleaned the garage. i didn't take any "before" pictures -- you don't want to see the mess it was in!!! how does it get like that???? i always put stuff away......!!!!!

i organized all the paint on one set of shelves; organized the tools all on another shelf. rearranged the peg board wall so i could hang my barbed wire instead of just having it lying on the ground. (i do have one bunch still lying on the ground, but it's off & out of the way now. (not laying right by my car door like it was before!!!!) i think the hanging bunch is going to stay right there as a decoration -- ya gotta have a nice decorated garage!!!!!

that jewelry cabinet is a "side of the road" find (from the neighbors next door!!!!!) that i'm going to do something with soon!

the wagon got moved to the garage when i rearranged the front porch. it's been in the backyard, the front porch, & now in the garage.........for now!

last saturday i also fixed the pallet dog house. he kept getting his chain caught on the slats. (he didn't have this problem with the other chain we had which was one of those heavy duty plastic/rubber/something coated wire "chains". but he kept chewing on it & chewed right through the wires. twice.) he HAS to be chained because if he wasn't, he'd get into big trouble, dig his way out or jump over the fence. he has a link chain now, it's more sturdy -- he won't chew through it, but it gets caught on things a little easier. like on the slats of the pallets. i had some pallets that were "finished" on the edges so i put one on the "roof" & dismantled another pallet to fill in the gaps so it's a nice solid "roof"/sunbathing surface! i fixed up the sides & front & now he can't get caught up on it. and it's a lot more "rainproof" too!

it might be a little "redneck", but heck, it was totally free & it works!!! there's no way i'm spending $500 + for a "cheap" dog house that he might not even go in! he loves this one, uses both the inside & the topside. he's happy & so am i!!! i'm thinking about painting his name on the front!!

so much more room!!!!

so that used up another 4 pallets which means i have only 3 pallets & some boards left from the 23 pallets i had last christmas!!!! oh -- my friend joyce has 1 in her garage for me!!!! good, because i have another project in mind!!!!!

last saturday i must have had lots of energy because i ALSO finished painting the pallet lawn chair!! (& all this was AFTER painting my friend's bathroom friday night!!!!)

so glad to have THAT finally done!! i re-stuffed & sewed the chair cushion too!!!

WHEW!!! i'm tired just thinking about all that!!!!! i think i'll go to bed now!!

preview of my next project

tonight on the way home from the nursing home i thought of my next project!!!

when i repainted my bedroom i took down the wallpaper border. i like the "freshness" of not having border clutter the walls. but since i had border up when i textured the one wall more than a decade or 2 ago, i had a gap of untextured wall where the border had been.

kinda hard to see......but it's there & i seem to look at it a lot! probably no one else would even see it, but i do!

i can't do those arrows & words on pictures like some bloggers do -- so you'll just have to squint to see it!!!

i can see it pretty good, can you?

i don't want to put any border up, but i did think of a "what i think is going to be a cute idea" --

-- and it involves 2 of my favorite things:
pallet boards & doorknobs!!!

i can't wait to get started, but it's too late tonight!!!!!

my friend's bathroom

last weekend i painted my friend's bathroom.

she's an artist. i'm a painter.

here are some of her masterpieces hanging on her dining room wall:

here's her bathroom before i started:

the wallpaper was in good shape (even though she's lived with it for 17 years & it was there before she moved into the house so no telling how old it was), so she didn't want me to take it down, just prime over it & paint with texture sand in the paint. she chose a light pink color & they colored the primer the same color. she originally picked a very very white pink & i said "i like the next one up" & she said "no, i want it very faint" & i said "it's your bathroom!"

she & her husband went away for the weekend & when i got to her house friday night i noticed she had not got the lightest selection, but the one above it.

the room with the tub & toilet was already textured so i just primed & painted it. they tinted the primer to match the paint & it was a pretty bold pink & i knew she wasn't going to want the pink that bright, so when it came time to put the paint on the walls, i tested a small area. yeah, i knew she wasn't going to want it THAT pink, so i mixed the pink with a gallon of white. that toned it down to a nice light pink. i thought it turned out nice.

i also painted the ceiling, woodwork & doors, & vanity white.

a funny thing happened while i was painting the ceiling in the room with the sink.

(i SWEAR i don't make these things up just for my blog!!!!!!)

it was about 1am, i'm up on the ladder painting away, the house is quiet, i'm a little creeped out because i'm in someone else's house, with the window bare & feeling like there are people watching me, when i hear a crash! it sounded like glass breaking. my heart started beating 1000 miles per minute. i jump down off the ladder & think "oh crap! {i don't think i said crap, i think i said something else!!!} someone has broken into the house! my phone is on the kitchen table. i have no way to call 911 & nothing to protect myself with! dear God, if they kill me, please let me die quickly!!!" WHY do things like this have to happen when i'm alone at someone's house???

i went into the bedroom & saw the towel bar lying on the bed. i picked it up, looked down the hall, saw nothing, heard nothing (except my rapid heartbeat!), walked down the hall, looked into the living room. didn't see anything or anyone & all the windows looked fine. they have a glass door in their kitchen that goes to the garage. (that's scary enough as it is!!!!!) glass wasn't broken, but it looked like there was a note on the door. that really scared me because i thought "how did someone get into the garage to leave a note? the door was closed." now i'm really scared, but everything looked ok, so i go back in the bathroom & finish painting that ceiling at RECORD SPEED!!! you never saw anyone paint a ceiling so fast!!!!

i cleaned up & left about 1:45. but i had to go out the side door & walk to the front (they live in a patio home, door is on the side, garage door is at the front). before i opened the door i prayed, "dear God, i KNOW you are with me & will protect me. please Jesus, walk with me to my car & get me in it safely. if anyone's out there, protect me from them or let me die quickly & painlessly. amen"

i got to my car, locked it right away -- after dropping the keys TWICE while getting in!!! when i got home, my heart was still beating fast!!!

the next morning when i got back over to their house i went in the tub room to see how the paint looked. she has this tub mat that looks like clear plastic stones. the night before it was hanging on the towel bar in the tub. that morning it was on the floor of the tub. THAT was what fell the night before & scared the living bajeebers outta me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the door between the 2 rooms was closed & at 1am that falling mat sure sounded like breaking glass!!!!! all i could do was laugh!!!!!! and they say God doesn't have a sense of humor!!??!! He sure tested my faith that night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(the "note" on the garage door was a flag sticker that's been there forever & i have seen every time i've gone over there because i always come through that door!!!! but i SWEAR that night i couldn't remember that fact!!!!!) (like what would a "note" from the killers say, "hi, we've come to kill you but we're not going to do it right now, so we just left you this note to tell you that!"??????!!!!!!)

that primer is pretty bold!

pretty pink

saturday i painted the walls & woodwork -- here's a picture of the vanity partially painted - look at the difference between the old white paint (on the door) & the new white paint (on the vanity & door trim).....

here's the final product -- light pink is very hard to photograph.

and the "before, just as a reminder

she called me monday to say she loved it!!!
she called me on tuesday to say she thought it was TOO pink & she wanted me to paint over it with a lighter pink.
she said her husband loved it. i said i loved it, but it was HER bathroom. we both told her to "live with it" for a few days & she still felt the same way a few days later.
she called me on wednesday & said she got the lighter pink paint & when could i do it?

i went over friday after work & painted over the 2 rooms. it was lighter. it was still pink, but way lighter. when i got done, she said she LOVED it & it was EXACTLY what she wanted.

i haven't seen it dry -- i hope it turned out nice. she told me at church sunday that it was perfect.

i asked her what color she wanted me to paint it THIS weekend.
she punched me!!!!
(not literally, just figuratively!!!!!)

you need somethin' painted? i'm for hire!!!!

a letter to my daughter

dear suzanne,

honey, i love you VERY MUCH. (i love your dog too -- remember that point for later.) i'm happy you're home from college for the holiday weekend. i hope you have a fun day with your boyfriend. i was going to spend the day laying out, reading on my "pallet lawnchair." i'm still going to do that, but it won't be as comfortable as it was yesterday.


keep reading.....


every morning i look out the kitchen or bedroom window when i get up to check on my your the dog. this morning i looked out the kitchen window & didn't see a dog on the end of the chain. so i opened the back door to see where he was.

THIS is what i saw:

THIS is why i have told you a
MILLION times

that GERONIMO

MUST

be chained at ALL times unless you are with him!

he CANNOT be left alone!

he WILL get into trouble!


BIG TROUBLE!



he came running right up to his "masterpiece" piece of work.

here he is, so proud of what he had done:

here he is getting yelled at for what he had done:

he knows when to hang his head in shame.

here he is crying about what he had done:

(he MIGHT be laughing about how much FUN it was tearing up that cushion, but i PREFER to think he's crying.)

and here he is giving me a hug, even after being yelled at:

cost of a lawnchair cushion: $50
hugs from a (bad) dog: priceless

maybe you & justin can find a sale on lawnchair cushions today!

love, mom

p.s. i know it was ME who left the cushion on the chair. (that is not the point of this story.) HOWEVER, my the your dog is SUPPOSED to be CHAINED. he has a 20' chain that enables him to move freely, within BOUNDS, & not get into trouble. he needs to be connected to that chain so he doesn't get into things he's not supposed to get into, ie lawnchair cushions, mulch in flowerbeds, etc.

don't buy a cushion just yet -- i haven't looked at it closely, but i think i might be able to stuff the stuffing back in & sew it up.

i'll let you know.

love, supermom