In our family...

In our family....we do second chances...we do grace...we do real...we do mistakes...we do I'm sorry (and I forgive you)...we do loud really well...we do hugs...we do family...we do love.















Sunday, August 15, 2010

A little bit of this & a little bit of that…

I know most of you live where it is hot and humid all of the time compared to what it can be here in Minnesota. So I’m pretty sure you will not feel sorry for me when I complain about how hot and humid it has been here these past few weeks. I think this is one of the hottest summers we have had in a long time. Heat + hormones do NOT mix well. All I want to know is how do you women in my same shoes deal with it? I feel sorry for you!

All I want to so is lock myself up in a freezer until winter comes! I think this is the first time EVER that I have looked forward to fall and winter. :)

Thankfully it started cooling off last night so we could enjoy a fire and make smores with the kids. And today is amazing with a nice cool breeze. Hurray for getting to shut off the A/C and opening windows! Perfect sleeping weather.  Perfect for drying the clothes that needed washing. As I was taking some of the clothes off the line earlier I thought how blessed I am to have this. It not only saves money but the clothes smell so good.

I heard somewhere recently that a clothes line can bring down the value of a property. Really? I’ve also had people tell me that they would never hang clothes on a line outside because that would be a sign of being poor and that it looks redneck. Really? Personally I love it and you can call me a poor redneck all you want. :)

All I know is I am going to enjoy the coolness while it lasts! :)

We have also had a lot of storms…just about every day it’s been raining and making the humidity that much worse…one’s we have to go in the basement for and floods our back yard…which the little’s were extremely happy about the lake in our backyard because it gave them opportunity to swim. Yes, I know this sounds very redneck, as my daughter so happily pointed out to me, which my reply was “At least we have happy redneck kids.”

Don’t they look like happy redneck kids? 

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I love my redneck kids! :)

They were not too happy when it was gone the next day. Thankfully this has been the worst of our damage and we’ve been kept safe while some have not been so lucky.

My grandson has climbed aboard the potty train recently and with the help of the little’s has done a great job. On Friday as I was getting ready for work, my grandson came upstairs from sleeping and little man says to him. “Do you want to go potty with me?” Of course he wanted to and as I heard him going potty, I could hear little man saying “You are such a big boy. I am so proud of you.” It was so sweet to hear them. It then  got quiet for a couple of minutes…which most of the time is not a good thing…quiet + 2 little boys can = lots of trouble… and then the two of them came to me and my grandson says, “Grandma I have underwear on!” Little man had taken him down to his room and put underwear on him! He turned and hugged little man and said “Thank you for helping me be a big boy!” Isn’t that the sweetest thing ever?

Melted my heart. My redneck heart that is. :)

Remember a while back when I wrote about the issues I was having with my husband due to my weight gain? I know some of you felt it was wrong of me to write about this here. I am deeply sorry that what I wrote offended you. Still, I am not sorry I wrote it. My husband is an amazing man. I found out that he is not perfect and I needed to deal with this issue. My writing it out here, helped me to get out something that I had been keeping hidden inside and it was killing me. Your wonderful support and encouragement really helped me. It helped me to be stronger and not just sit back and suffer. Which in turn changed how my husband was acting towards me. Which has resulted in us working through things. I am still as crazy about him as ever and know I am very blessed to have him.

Yes, he knows what I wrote and he understood why and it helped him to understand why I was hurt. I just want to say thank you again for being my sounding board and allowing me to be vulnerable with you.

As many of you said in comments to my last post which contained pictures of the 4 grand's, I am blessed. My heart overflows with the love the 4 of them bestow upon me. They are every bit as crazy about me as I am them and they make sure I know it.

Add my amazing husband, and 5 incredibly loving kids and their significant others to this mix and I seriously cannot fathom what it would be like to not have any single one of them.

How could I ask for anything more?

Not for one second can I take what I have for granted in this big fat redneck life of mine.

My heart cries out for my step daughter to get her life together so that she and our other grandson, that will soon be 2, could be a part of all of this great love.

Could I ask that I no longer have to play “mommy” by raising the little’s? So that I could be doing what other 48 year olds are doing? More and more the answer is no. After 4 years, I’ve grown accustomed to this role.

When little lady hugs me tightly and then grabs my face and says, “ You’re my bestest mommy in all of the world and I love you all the way to the far far moon and back.”, how could I not?

I hope that whoever surrounds you in your life, that you don’t take them for granted for a single moment. I hope that you hug them and hold them close, even if it’s just in your heart. We never know when it’s our last day with those we love so please take time to embrace them and appreciate who they are to your life!

Until next time, hugs & love, Lori

 

14 comments:

My Aimless Infatuation said...

Don't worry about what other people think just hang those clothes out if it makes you happy. Property value? I think yours would have to be pretty high if it was based on all the love in your home. I always look forward to your post's and this one was great. Have a good week and give hugs for me (underwear?)How precious was that?

Unknown said...

Oh! I love what she says to you. That is so beautiful. More beautiful than any quote I have ever read. I adore that. And I love that you relish your role. God gave you a gift.

Brian Miller said...

i am glad you and your hubby are working better together...and good job on the potty train! i would rock a clothesline...and not worry about it at all...

Jeannie said...

I am loving the heat - my pain is far less than when it's more moderate. So far, hormones have not made the heat too hot - although my face is sweating a lot... I can live with that. I don't think I'm having hot flashes at all. But I've seen many women suffer with them.

Our neighborhood is supposed to be exclusive and clotheslines were banned 20 years ago. However, with all the recommendations to lower hydro use, I don't think the ban is still in effect. I've seen a number of lines going up and would gladly put one up myself. I don't see anything wrong with them. It's LAUNDRY!!! People wear clothes. They get washed and need to dry. Although there were no issues when I was young, I could see people not wanting their underwear hanging in public now - undergarments used to be white and functional- Now, they say a lot about a person... I'm surprised that folks would think hanging laundry would be redneck rather than green these days. I love the smell too.

I think you are amazing loving the littles and I would do the same. It's not a task I would ask for but I could never turn it down. Heck, I couldn't turn away one of my kid's pets if they couldn't keep them.

Buckeroomama said...

It totally melted my heart what your little man did for your grandson. SO sweet!

I love the smell of sun-dried clothes, not so much the stiffness, but I definitely LOVE the smell. And I love the idea that you save on electricity when you do that.

Katherine Schultz said...

What a beautiful blog you have here - i am so glad i found it.

And such cute photos! I love them, thanks for sharing :)

Stop on by my blog at www.thoseblissmoments.blogspot.com if you get the chance - id love to hear from you.

Have a very happy and blessed day,

K xx

CiCi said...

Who cares what "they" say, clothes on the clothesline is economical and give the clothes a fresh smell. I have a load on the outside clothesline today myself. I am glad for you that you have some cool weather right now. We don't have cool but it is not as high temp as it has been so that is good. I for one am glad your husband read your post about how you were feeling about your weight and how wonderful that you and he are working through a difficult time, working together is how it is supposed to be in a marriage. Hugs to you both.

shortmama said...

That cracks me up that people think a clothesline is redneck. I think its a sign of not wanting to heat up your house and saving on electricity!

Ash said...

last summer was worse for me because i was pregnant in the hot and humid hong kong weather. i'm going to aim for a winter baby next time. hehehehe

thanks for your comment on ash's blog.

~ash's mum
(i'm following you :))

Brittany said...

We have the best kids EVER! :)

Together We Save said...

Oh such a great post!! Looks like lots of fun!

Liz Mays said...

I never heard such a thing about a clothesline. I should think it might depend on what you were hanging out there, lol. I wouldn't hang out undies while showing the house, that's for sure!

I'm glad your blog post opened up some needed dialogue with your hubs. That's a good thing!

Michelle said...

That's the best blog post I've read all year. :-) To see those wonderful little faces, so happy and growing up so fast... I can't get over how big they are geting since the last photos I looked at!!

And I'm thrilled to hear you and your husband are working through things. I once read a thing on marriage that has always stayed with me. Can't remember who wrote it. :-\ Anyway... "whoever" said the reason marriages fall apart is that so many people think marriage is a chest full of gold and treasures. What it really is? An empty chest that you both have to fill with treasures (love, commitment, humour, compassion...) over the years.

Sounds like you two are putting in a lot of good stuff together. ;-)

Michelle said...

Oh and another quote that keeps me sane. It made me laugh the first time and it still makes me laugh. This one was said to me by a tiny bird of a woman I met when I was engaged. She'd been married 50 years. :-)

Meg's words of marriage wisdom are...
"Some mornings you'll wake up and look at him across the table and think... 'who ARE you? ...but it passes."

LOL