Why Not Sweet Tea!!

      


             So obviously, I really like a freshly made glass of sweet iced tea. The funny thing is, living on the west coast, no one makes a good glass of tea. Much less a sweet tea. Sure McDonald's started serving it here and we do have a Chick-Fil-A near us now. Neither make a good glass of fresh tea. Yes, sometimes it is still hot from brewing but, it tastes like the bottom of a burned coffee pot. You know when you get coffee from the bottom of the pot and especially if someone left it on too long. It tastes cloudy and burned. Same with Tea.
             You would think that when I go out to a restaurant, I would order tea. NO. I hate it out. It tastes like dirty water at best and like dirty dish water at worst. And if you don't sweeten it with an artificial sweetener, your not going to get it sweet because every southerner knows, you can't dissolve sugar in iced tea. You put the sugar in while the tea is hot.
             Why the rant? I have been meeting a couple of ladies at a Starbuck's for a meeting every Monday night for about 5 weeks now. Do you know they have NOTHING worth drinking there unless you drink Coffee? Seriously. Their iced tea is yucky and then they try to fluff it up with juice in it. Really? And their hot tea is terrible. Really, I have tasted Vegetarian dishes that were better. And I'm talking about the ones with that white congealed stuff that squishes when you bite into it.
               I went to Peet's one time thinking they would do better. Peet's is the conservative of the coffee houses around here. You know they don't play the weird music and their cups are actually called, small, medium and large. They at least sell good hot tea. (Jasmine Downey pearls, super good and healthy too). And you could make good iced tea from there selection. A good English Breakfast would work. But, again the iced tea they make in the store tastes like... thick. Not full bodied mind you. Thick. Like you could chew it. Also, a bit like a dirty pot was used. And the juice thing in the tea... What is the point! Drink a glass of juice or lime-ade for goodness sakes. That isn't TEA!!! You don't have to be a 2 year old to order a glass of lemonade. It is O.K. to order that.
               Then you order water in a restaurant and they serve you tap water. O.K. I'm in a restaurant that I am actually looking down at the menu and not talking to someone in a goofy hat, can't you open a bottle of water! We all know water is the best thing to drink. So why do the waiters always give me a nasty look? I will pay for the bottled water. Why the attitude about water? I went to a brunch with some moms. The waiter  approached us as we were standing and talking and asked if we would like something to drink? (this was a flat price brunch. Tip included.) He eagerly brought the mimosas and coffee. My water? I got snubbed. "If you'd like water, there is some on the table. You can get it yourself."
              I would love to get my favorite drink out and about. I would love to splurge and get a sweet tea at a drive through or a tea shop while I'm out. Instead, I get a hankering for some tea and I have to head home and make it myself. No splurging there. Well, think of the money I'm saving.
               O.K. I'm done with my midnight rant that will matter to no one except myself.

The Blessings Are Overflowing.

       

            There are so many things in my life that 20 years ago I never would have thought I would do or be able to do. Some I am proud of, some I am still stunned. I had such a small vision of what I wanted to do with my life. I have fulfilled what I wanted to do, I suppose. I just hadn't thought of all that goes with it. When I dreamed of my life, this is where I went;
I wanted to be married to a man that adored me. Check
I wanted 2 kids. Check. Well, double check that one.
I wanted a boy and a girl. Check, check, check and ... check.
I wanted to live in a big house with a yard and a garden. Been there done that. Now I am moving on from that.
I wanted to stay home with my kids and raise them. Well, got that one covered and then some.
I wanted to be the mom that was home all day to bake cookies for when the kids came home from school, have a nice dinner, etc. Use that time during the day to get things done so I could be with my kids as they needed me when they got home. Well, curve ball number one. And it is a doozy!
Homeschooling changes that one enormously. I may have been too attached to the one where I stay home with my kids...

             After all of that life didn't seem to factor into my ideas of what it would all be like.
I never thought I'd have 4 kids. Or homeschool. That was for weird people. Freaks. I never thought I could have survived, much less, thrived through all we have been through in our marriage.
My husband and I look back over our 20 years that we have been together and we can easily see where God's hand has been. We can look at the "tapestry" and see the beautiful colors ALL weaved together. The dark sad times with the joyful happy times. Woven together are so pretty.
I always wonder about the stretching times. The times when you feel like God is just asking too much. I mean does HE really not get that I haven't had enough time to get my husbands underwear washed yet? And there is a funky smell in the bathroom that I haven't bleached out yet. There are dinners to cook, curriculum to decide, hiney's to wipe, and all of the other practicals  that keep a family of 6 just treading water. Not to mention, but we must to have, any joy, just that,... joyful things. Going to the beach, walks in the harbor, playing catch with the boys, watching the boys football games, teaching the littles to swim. These things take up time that is necessary as well.
            Then HE hits me a ball out in left field. Really. Not one I expected. I am now on the board of my homeschool group. I'm sorry, doesn't having 4 kids exempt me from being asked? Doesn't that job belong to someone with one, MAYBE 2 kids? Well, this year, God said, "NO!" It is my turn He says.
I pray often that God will send me a burning bush like Moses to make it pretty clear the direction I am supposed to go. I have ignored and justified my way out of not following God's prompts before. Well, it hurts in many ways when you are praying for God to use you and you choke when HE calls. HE makes you realize it would be much easier to just do the difficult task HE asks then... NOT. Either He will give you a swift kick in the back side or worse, HE will find someone else and pass by you the next time. "I guess that one can't be trusted to be given any responsibility."
           Well, as the offer was made to lead this group, I sat prepared to give my regrets and apologies that there was no way I should even be  expected to do the job she was asking.
         Then there it was. The burning bush. Right there. I think I even started to laugh a little and said under my breath. Well, there it is. The burning bush. Even my husband, whom I pray with often, said as I repeated all that the person who asked me had said to me, "Well, how's that burning bush looking to you?"
Which was funny because he also was prepared for me to say no. Remember, he is still waiting for his clean underwear.
            That is when my mind started to go into a state of shock. As e-mails and phone calls and meetings start taking place to frantically get some things done before the school year started for most of us, I started wondering how I could hide from it all. "WHAT HAVE I DONE!!" Really. There aren't any spare moments that are around, unless I stop sleeping (which is what I am doing to write this). Really, I do my daughters hair often while I am going potty myself. (TMI sorry).
             Then we go to church, and the last few weeks it has been brought up that with much a servant is trusted, much a servant is given.

Matthew 25:23

New International Version (NIV)

   ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
              So the more I am willing to give as far as serving my time, my understanding is that means the more time I should be given. I really need to give lots of time then.
                 I so many times get a visual of my life. I have my hands cupped together and God is pouring oil into them. I am trying so hard to not let any of it out of my fingers to hit the floor. I can't do it. HE is pouring too much, too fast. Funny, because there are several places in the bible that to show wealth  or abundant blessings, it says my cup runs over .

Psalm 23:5

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; 

   my cup overflows. 
It talks about something running over. And oil was traded and was an important commodity in bible times. They used olive oil for so much. To have much olive oil, was a sign of wealth. My visual is incomplete. The rest is this: as I start to panic and feel like I just can't do it all. I can't be expected to DO EVERYTHING! How can I keep all of this together and not spill any of it? I know they are blessings but, how can I hold on to it all? That is when I realize, HIS hands are cupped under mine. I'm not supposed to do it all. HE will. IF HE  blessed me with something, HE will take care of it. I just have to make sure that I put HIS things first. And he will do the rest. 
                So as I count my blessings (love that song. I sing it often to myself and my kids), I realize HE is there to count them with me. God is going to bless me as long and as big as I am willing to keep following his burning bushes. If HE makes it burn, He'll make sure I can do it. 
                 NO the 17 year old me would never have been able to do all that I am and have done. But, 17 year old me, wasn't asking God for burning bushes and counting blessings. 17 year old me has learned a few things. Thankfully. 

Psalm 23:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.

Thank you Lord for the oil that overflows. 

Cupcakes

                 I had a very long week. My oldest went away for Junior High Camp. That alone made it difficult. Not all of my chicks in their roosts.... Something felt askew all week for that alone. Then I found out someone that had claimed to be a "dear " friend is threatening to sue my husband's company, my 4 year old lost his second tooth (somewhat traumatic for him), my second son fell on the blacktop and road burned his knee pretty bad, bled a lot. It is still weeping the next day. My mom had to go check in my 83 year old grandma to see if she can still live alone. I was presented with information about part of my family I thought I would never know (And didn't realize how sad I had been to not know it). THERE WAS A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE!!! (It's dead now!! AAAHHH..) I have joined my homeschool groups board and am working feverishly to get so much done for a big meeting we are having, to share what will be happening this next year, and trying to show some people that I truly think we need to move in a direction with the group but, am getting resistance due to cost. Vision doesn't include cost. God will cover the cost if the vision is HIS. We have the ability to test this. (sorry tangent). I have made calls this week to people I hadn't talked to in years. And kinda wish it were still that way. I have to line up all of the curriculum for all 4 of my kids before school starts back up. I am having trouble with  science. I don't really like to teach science. It can be messy. And sometimes too detailed. I love history. Can we just do history all day??? My garden is dead. RIP. I've done laundry all day. Ugh! I hate laundry. My house is cluttered with stuff in places it shouldn't be. I have boxes in my living room that need to be unpacked. I was going to finish unpacking. There never seems to be enough time. I don't know where to put it all anyway. My landlord is taking 4 weeks to replace the half open blinds. Everyone can see in. I just want to do it myself. Went to 2 meetings at night this week. The first one went until 10:00 p.m. I usually am in my jammies and cuddly on the couch by then. That was tough. Got a lot of work done though. The other one was awful. The lady talked too much about herself and it was BORING! Don't tell my kids I said that word. It's a bad word in my house. I'll have to scrub the floor or something. Oh yea. I already do that. I miss my cleaning lady. She was awesome.

                It has been a long week. I am feeling low. And tired. 

                My friend comes by this evening while I was on the porch with my husband talking about the day. And brings me a box of CUPCAKES!!! Really. Cupcakes. Vanilla with cream cheese frosting. They are beautiful. And they taste heavenly. Really. We skipped dinner. We all ate cupcakes. We really did. That is a true friend. One that brings you a treat just because. And when she said she was free for all of the kids to play (she has 4 as well), I said, " Oh. I'll be stuffing and addressing 130 envelopes to send out for the homeschool meeting." She says, "I'll come by and help." WHAT!? Did you hear what I said? Addressing envelopes. That isn't fun. She heard me. That is a good friend. I think I love her.                     Cupcakes.... ummm. I think there might be one or two left. Maybe I should go have another half. 

               Thank you friend, for the cupcakes. That was just what I needed today. I think it will be a great weekend. 

Tinker Bell's Gifts or Talents

            I have an odd habit that my husband pointed out once, that when I read anything or watch a show or movie, I am always looking for the God message in it. Weird, huh? Really, I see messages of Christianity and God in so many books and movies. I think some call it world view. Scooby Doo teaches you to really stop and scrutinize what others tell you. To never take anything for face value. That may be a mask and someone trying to do something in a way that isn't out in the open. There might just well be alterier motives. This is what I teach my children. There are messages both good in evil in everything around us. Some intentional and some, not so sure.
           Have you ever seen the movie Tinker Bell? I know it seems like a funny question to ask an adult but, really it is a good movie. It is all about how Tinker Bell came to be. If you know anything about fairy lore, you know fairies are born when a baby laughs for the first time. What you learn in the movie is how she became a tinker fairy and truthfully how she struggles with her gift or talent. Not to give away the movie but, after she is born, Tinker Bell must "choose" her talent. Funny thing about choosing is that she doesn't really choose. The talent "chooses" her. Or it is what she is born with and this is how she finds out. She doesn't really even want to go towards the hammer. It follows her and glows "brighter then anyone else's gift ever glowed!" Now comes the beginning of the dilema, she now catagorized as a tinker and she must go with the other tinkers. She is less then thrilled. The two tinkers are well,... dorky, geeky. She would rather go be a garden fairy or a water fairy. They are pretty and their talent is "useful".
             She spends so much of the movie rejecting her talent to go after something she thinks is much more glamorous. She tries many different talents and flops terribly at them all. Yet, you see she is overwhelmingly gifted in tinkering with things. Making things work. Even when she "runs away" to be alone she ends up tinkering with something trying to fix it. It is something she is just drawn to.
             I wonder, am I a tinker fairy? Do I possess a gift from God that I don't think is important enough or glamorous enough? Do I reject the talent that is right at my finger tips all day long? This is a good question for us all to ask. I asked my kids. I made them think about how do we discover our talents? A glowing hammer isn't going to appear out of thin air and circle us to tell us we should be a contractor. But, we do things everyday that tell us what our talent is and what gifts God has blessed us with.
            Don't be discouraged if your talent is organizing or cooking. Maybe you are an encourager. Are you really good at make-up? and hair? We have been taught in church the last couple of weeks that God doesn't bless us with gifts and talents to make our lives happy and comfortable. Not to bless ourselves. We are given those talents to bless others.
           Tinker Bell finds out, and so do the other fairies, that tinker fairies are one of the most important fairies. Everyone needs the tinkers. It may seem like a non-luxurious job but, it is so needed to make everyone else's life run smoothly. Tinker Bell finally understands that her gift is a blessing and she is proud that she is so good at it. She saves the day with her many tinkering abouts. The sad part for Tinker Bell was, she wasn't going to get to do the glorious job. She had to stay back and continue to tinker while everyone else went to far away places to do their jobs. It seemed she was missing out on the spotlight.
             God needs all of us. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with  Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:12 We are all needed. All of our "parts" or talents are important. If everyone was a garden fairy, nothing would grow. There would be no water, or light, no bees to pollinate and no tools to help you plant. 
             Be proud of the gift you possess and figure out how to use that gift to the best of your ability. Be a Tinker fairy and be proud.