Ratatouille

Just watched Ratatouille for the first time....love it! It will be added to our collection!

Entermissions 2010

We had our missions conference at church last weekend and it was great! Friday night kicked it off with what we called a Concert of Prayer. All around the worship center were tents representing the different continents of the world. After an awesome time of singing and prayer everyone moved around from one tent to another to pray for different things mentioned on the tables under the tents (families serving there, ministry needs, etc.).

Saturday morning we had brunch with the missionaries present as well as some via skype. It was neat to hear all that's going on in their lives and have some Q&A with them.

Saturday night was probably the highlight of the whole weekend. Imagine finding yourself in the middle of an international street market with vendors everywhere. The crowd was crazy. But the food was great! All through the evening we had a silent auction. Then we closed the evening with a live auction with auctioneers and everything. All the proceeds went to missions - 80% to Missionaries, and 20% to our two churches we started in Tampa and in DC.

What's really funny is some of the items being bid on were baskets that the small groups put together. Each basket was unique in that it was themed. One was a family trip basket, so it had all kinds of snacks for the road, travel games etc. We won a basket called a Sacred Romance basket with some really awesome chocolates, a really nice set of sheets, and a book that looks great.

We also bid on one of the high valued lots. There were about 5 or 6 high dollar items that were reserved for the live auction. Some were solely for funding missions projects like paying for Bibles for a people group in India. It was so neat to watch how people were giving generously for these projects! The other projects were service projects, one which we actually won! We won the Knock-Out-the-Honey-Do-List Basket. It's a half-day's worth of work from five guys in the church. That's going to be great!

Here are some pictures from the event for you to enjoy. They aren't in any particular order. This posting is long enough as it is. Just take my word for it...it was great!

Lessons from a Paint Can

Who knew how much I would learn from a can of interior super white latex semi-gloss paint? Let me begin with this morning when I was leaving work. I don't usually leave early, even when the opportunity comes my way. Every so often, I am asked if I would like to leave early and I most always decline so I can get more time on the clock. Well, today I was asked if I wanted to leave before lunch and I accepted. I knew Ashley had a lot on her plate today so I figured my coming home early would allow her more time to get things done. I wanted to lighten her burden, so I figured that for once it wouldn't be too bad if I left work early.

Well, as I was literally pulling out of the warehouse parking lot I call Ashley on the phone. She answers the phone in a relaxed tone of voice, but within just a couple of seconds I hear this terrifying gasp. I mean, one of those someone-is-seriously-hurt gasps. I immediately thought one of the kids was injured. Well, come to find out, no one was injured, but Micah had just dumped a whole can of paint on our bedroom carpet. Ashley was doing a great job of managing the daily stress level, but this one event threw her stress meter through the roof. We quickly ended the phone call and I couldn't help but praise the Lord for letting me get off early - right in time to help Ashley out when she needed me the most. Micah had paint all over him, all over his clothes, and all over his hands which also meant it was in his mouth because hands and mouths stay connected in our house for some strange reason. It usually takes about half an hour to get to and from work, and I got home in 20 minutes.

Lesson #1 - The Lord provides what you need with impeccable timing!

Before I let you in on the next lesson I learned from this incident, let me back up a bit. I know there must be a few questions on your mind right now, like, how did Micah get to the paint can, and how did he get it open after that? I finished a bathroom remodeling project on Saturday and by that evening I was pretty frustrated with the project. In fact, I had a very bad attitude about it and the rest of our projects around the house. I don't know why I was so angry about it all, except to say that my pride had certainly gotten the best of me. My work wasn't perfect, therefore I felt like all the projects were failures. Well, in my frustration, I left the lid sitting on the can but did not hammer it closed (you can't just close a paint can with your hands usually). Well, the kids were sleeping and I was so done with the whole thing so I just left the can sitting on the carpet with the lid barely on it. Not exactly the smartest too in the shed, but I seem to manage somehow.

Lesson #2 - There are negative consequences to our sin.

I was mad and upset, which by itself is nothing more than an emotion. Anger is not a sin. BUT, we most often sin when we are angry, and this scenario was no exception. My pride had gotten the best of me, so I refused to put the lid on the can in my indignation.

So, what did we do with the paint on the carpet? Ashley had the bulk of it up by the time I walked in the door. She used our wet/dry vac to suck up the majority of the paint. The she doused the area with water and sucked it up again. After most of it was up we used our lightweight carpet steamer to basically shampoo the carpet where the paint was spilled. To the untrained eye, the spot will probably never be noticed. But to me, it is a huge, bright white spot reminding me forever to deal with anger quickly before it begins to control me. Okay, so the spot really isn't noticable, but I certainly will never forget it. And Ashley, knowing full well why the lid wasn't on the can, and why the can was on the carpet of all places, has declared that she loves me still and wasn't mad at me. She says she was too glad for me to be there right then to be mad at me.

This is certainly a day we will never forget. Thank you, Lord for using a can of paint to teach me more about you!

Saturday's Snow

Abigail and Daddy were the only ones willing to brave the cold for a morning sledding adventure. Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of our time together. The first run didn't go so well. The second one was pretty successful. I absolutely loved it! We had some good father/daughter time out there. I hope we keep the tradition going every time it snows, even when she's 16! I loved warming up by the "fire" together. I could have fallen asleep out there, it was so peaceful.

Nathaniel joined us later for some good snowball action. He's absolutely fascinated by snowballs. And even the neighbors came out for some sledding. We had a great time. Enjoy!

I love Friday!

Why do I love Friday? Let me see...no need to set alarm for 2:45 am for work. No need to get in bed before 8 pm. Friday night is pizza night. If I can hang long enough I'll grab a cup of java and snuggle up to my honey for a movie. Right now we're in an intermission of Little House on the Prairie. I'm so thankful for the work, but I'm also very thankful for the weekend away from work and home with my awesome family.

New Blog for us to follow...check it out!

Hello, blogosphere...I have just signed up to follow a blog of my brother Josh Reed and his terrific crew. Check out Team Reed at joshandjacelyn.blogspot.com

Finished Product

The reupholstering project is complete! We've already sold it at this point, but here are pictures of the finished product! Didn't Ashley do a great job with the couch! We posted it on Craigslist Friday evening and it was sold by Saturday morning. This was a big blessing for us. I'm very impressed with my wife!

(BEFORE)

(AFTER!)

Men Will Be Boys

More Jumping Beans Pics

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

Abigail is 4 years old and we can hardly believe it! Abigail Faith was born on February 8th, 2006. I know her birthday was two days ago, but this is my first opportunity to get all the pictures together. I'll put these in sequence of the day. We had a very good time together. Abigail said it was her best birthday ever! Enjoy!

Definitely a first!

Washed cars today. There was still snow on the ground, too. I had to get the salt off the vehicles. There wasn't as much as I expected. But I guess I'm not terribly surprised since NCDOT didn't exactly do much salting. I'm not bitter...honest.

Has anyone seen the cushion?

Okay, so phase one of Ashley's big project that she has been working on is almost complete. What's the project? Reupholstering a couch. Well, the whole project involves reupholstering a couch set - love set and sleeper sofa. She started with the love seat. It was smaller and pretty straight forward. The larger couch has the sleeper sofa, so that will bring some new challenges. I will probably disconnect the bed from the sofa prior to the makeover. Here are some before-and-after pictures. Then I will answer the question in the title, "where is that cushion, anyway?"

In this picture you can probably see why this set was free. Notice the chunks missing? This set was a craigslist special. The only thing we had to pay for was the material and staples. But as Ashley always says, "Think potential!"

We systematically took each piece off. Each section was stapled on, so the removal process involved removing all the staples from the frame. While it wasn't terribly difficult, there were a lot of staples. Ashley labeled the pieces so she would recognize the pieces once they were off.

(Don't be fooled by me in the pictures. I helped take staples out at first, but after that, it was all Ashley.)

After pieces were off, Ashley used each piece as a template for the new fabric and then stapled the pieces back on the frame in reverse order. Ashley used my pneumatic stapler to affix the staples. A little overkill maybe, but it was so much easier to use than a manual stapler. The only problem was having to run the compressor every so often. It can be quite loud when it's running. If we were working on it while the kids were sleeping that meant taking the compressor outside and running it. Ashley was a little intimidated by the tool at first, but now she's a pro! We just pity the person who may decide the reupholster the couch after we're done with it. It may be an impossible task at this point.

I do not have final pictures yet, but in the next picture you can get an idea where Ashley is going with the new design. One of the snags she ran up against, though, was she could not account for all of the cushions. There should have been three for the love seat and four for the sofa. One was missing. After searching all afternoon for it, Ashley found it. Where was it? Take a look at this picture.

Somehow we didn't realize the pillow was in the frame when we stapled the last piece of fabric to the bottom of the love seat. And as I mentioned before, the fabric wasn't coming off. So we were able to reach in through the cracks and pull the cushion out. We cracked up laughing. I asked Ashley if we had any kids in there. We should make sure we keep the cat away from the next couch project! He may not fit through the cracks!

The above picture gives you a peek at the new look, but those pictures will come once the cushions are finished. Stay tuned!

Overtime

Well, I put in over 16 and half hours of overtime this weekend. I'm not the only one who's working overtime, though. When I spend more time away from home, Ashley spends more time flying solo during the daily grind. Micah must have some teeth coming in or something because he has been quite a handful in recent days.

Work has calmed down quite a bit. Things are back to "normal" (if there ever was such a thing). Let's just say I'm very glad not to work with the unorganization and chaos that the weekend first shift crew has to deal with week in and week out.

One thing that I realized yesterday that I hadn't fully realized up to this point is that I am getting older. I went sledding yesterday with the kids. Our backyard is great for it! What I found is that after about an hour or so, I was absolutely worn out. I wanted to go down the hill over and over again, but I didn't want to climb back up the hill. That was the hard part. I was so worn out I took a nap when the kids napped. Boy it was fun, though. My favorite part was when Ashley and I went down the hill together. We had the best time. I know the kids were wondering when their turn would be, but they just had to wait.

One thing I would love to be accused of some day is that I spend too much time with my kids. It seems like all I ever do these days is work. Either for WalMart or on some project for the house. But, my kids are a great project. And even though there isn't a direct deposit in my account from the time spent, I know it would still be a very wise investment.

Day of Rest? I don't think so.

Well, it was supposed to be a day of rest and fun with the family. It was a beautiful day. The sun was bright. The skies were blue. There was a blanket of snow still on the ground (and the roads I might add - thanks to NCDOT). I was up, had breakfast with the kids, and were making plans for all the things we were going to do for the day. The kids wanted to play with more snow in the sinks, so I put on my boots and gathered some snow. I was just coming back inside when Ashley handed me the phone. It was work on the line. They needed me again. Our hearts hit the floor (mine hit the snow since I was still outside at this point). I couldn't believe it. Another day of work (day 6 to be exact). Another day of Ashley and the kids being at home without Daddy. Another hard struggle and unorganized execution of what should be fairly easy tasks. So, was my Sunday a restful day? I don't think so. BUT! Today should be much better! Work will not call today, and if they do the answer will be, "I'm sorry." Besides, I have to go in tomorrow. I'm not going to work 10 straight days.