Mission: Not Impossible

Last night, MP and I did something crazy. We sent our kids off to my MIL’s house to spend the night and we went out to dinner. We ate ribs. And corn nuggets. They were good. Now on to the crazy part…..

During our meal, we discussed an opportunity that we’ve just been presented: a Ug*ndan Mission trip. For a week. In September. 2011. Um, you guys, that’s in Africa. It’s like, eight (8) thousand (,000) miles away. And it’ll cost about $3,500. That’s three (3) thousand (,000.00) five (5) hunnerd (00) dolla dolla billz, y’all. What to do? Pray. Fundraise. And for everything else, there’s Visa. I kid. But not really.

Yes, we can see and feel the Lord working through us right now. It’s unexplainable, but our spirit was been moved for orphans. It’s a terrible epidemic here in the States and while we are saddened about the US orphans, our heart is literally broken in two for the orphans of Ug*nda. See, in the US, being an orphan is not a death sentence. In the US, we have government assistance programs like Medicare and Medicaid. We have free healthcare, food-stamps, WIC, and CHIPS. We have free education though grants and scholarships. We have government funded Foster homes. We even have Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

Q. You know what Africa has?
A. Squat. And typhoid.

On this Good Friday I was reminded of this: We live in the greatest country in the world. In 2009, this country donated approximately $25 billion for foreign aide.

We live in a country that, in 2010, spent the following:
$11.4 billion on medical supplies and over the counter medications
$19.53 billion on food
$14.11 billion medical care
$3.65 billion on grooming

For our pets. I tell no lie. That’s an estimated $48.69 BILLION spent. On our pets. And it was estimated that we’ll spend $50.84 billion in 2011. OMG. Say it with me, ON.OUR.PETS. When children everywhere are hungry. *guilty*

We live in a country where we like to boast about Amendments and the “right to bear arms”, yet we deny our freedom of religion. We get mad when the “gubment” wants to mess with our healthcare or raise taxes. We protest against protesters and we got fighting mad when the “Tanning Bed tax” went into effect. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about, and yet we have no “Tea Party” fighting for God in our schools. We live in a country where we pick and choose which part of the Constitution we can say aloud. We pick and choose the Amendments and Bible verses that best accommodate our needs and then we justify our actions to ourselves. For Peet’s sake, we live in a country where our PRISONERS have more freedom that most free citizens of other countries. And yet so many of us take it for granted. *guilty*

Regardless, the US has been blessed immeasurably. God has poured out His favor on us, Sodom’s undeserving sister. I say this to myself because I have been so selfish with our “stuff”. We’ve been called to act. That’s a fact. Yet, I ask myself, “What if I just don’t? What if I like having extra money and extra time? What if I don’t want to share my family or our wealth or our resources? What if I consider vacations and deer camp as necessity rather than luxury? What if I’m not ready to give up more of ME for someone else?”

Ezekiel 16:49-50 *blink*gulp*blink.blink* I don’t like the answer.

MP and I have reached a place in our lives where we cannot sit idle any longer. Not when we know we’ve been commanded to act. And certainly not while knowing that so many children suffer. Like, these children seriously consume me. I cannot work without thinking of them. I cannot speak without speaking of them. I cannot love on my own children without wanting to love on them too. I have never wanted to hold and squish and love and kiss on a little black child so much IN. MY. LIFE. It’s borderline insanity, really. But you guys, they need love and if you know me at all, you know I’m all about showin’ some LUB! And great hair. But I digress.

So, what is the purpose of this post? Well, prayer. Pray for our safety. Pray for our kids. Pray for Africa. Pray for orphans of the world. Pray for the USA. Pray about your role. As Christians, we are ALL called to aide orphans and widows. It’s right there in the bible:

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah 1:17

And again:

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

See? I told you so. But, “What can I do?” you ask. Oh, my friends, that’s easy:

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”  2 Corinthians 8:12

The Lord only asks to do what we CAN do. For some, that’s GO. For some, that’s PRAY. For some, that’s GIVE. I only ask that you pray about your role in God’s divine plan.

MP and I would truly appreciate your prayers right now. God is so good and has called us to take action. For that reason alone, we can’t NOT go. We are willing and able. The timing is right. The selfish part of me says, “What about my own kids?” I’m ashamed to admit that I almost said no to this trip because I would miss them so much. I told myself it was because I loved them so much that I couldn’t leave them for that long. However, this morning I was convicted about my selfishness. I was quickly reminded of these verses:

“ Then He said to them all, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take us his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

“Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family. Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.”” Luke 9:61-9:62

I realized I need to go BECAUSE I love my children enough to be faithful to God’s call. Ouch.

Please understand that this post was not intended to be a guilt trip. Or even a pan-handling letter; however, donations would not be declined. :) But if my words made you feel convicted, then good. SINNER! I kid. I pray that this speaks to your hearts. I pray that by this, I am using my God given talent as a tool for God’s glory and that He would be lifted up. And it is my sincere hope that you are all moved to action.

Please check out our friends at http://www.sixtyfeet.org/
Email me at usillypickle@comcast.net

In Him,
~cp

"Make 5 Dinners in 1 Hour"

Recently I have discovered the blog entitled "Make 5 Dinners in 1 Hour" or http://www.5dinners1hour.blogspot.com/. I don't know if that attached the link or not because although I am super cute, computer savvy I am not. Regardless, I highly encourage you to check it out. Lately, I've been feeling the pressures of the "full time wife/mother/employee-hood" and it just doesn't seem like there's enough time to get everything done. Personally, I blame the weather. Ever since Spring sprung, I just wanna be outside, playing, and not inside, cooking, cleaning, or grocery shopping. Plus, I'm lazy so there's that to consider....

BUT! I discovered this site week before last and I am currently on week 2. You guys, the food is really, really good, relatively healthy and the kicker? My husband AND kids have liked everything thus far. I even ate MEATLOAF for the first time IN MY LIFE! Bonus: It has made grocery shopping so easy that it almost seems criminal. I still take my coupon binder about once a month and stock up on everything I can, but this new system is working really well for us.

Seriously, request a free trial week from her and lemme know what you think!
~cp

State of The Union

Not getting political, like at all- I didn't watch the speech. But I will say that great words are just that.. Words. To make a change, it will require ALL Americans to put forth effort. Mainly, I believe, "the Christians". No, it may not be fair, but neither was the life of Christ. I just think we are called to higher expectations. Also, speechwriters are highly paid. Just FYI.

~cp

Short and Sweet. Like me.

I'm typing this from my phone because I kinda just wanna see if it works. What?

I wish you could all see in my living room right now. Not stalkery or anything, but maybe just a peep. MP is sitting next to me on the couch, Netflix-ing a movie from his ipod touch. Brogan is reading digital books on the ipad, laid out like a princess. Swaid is lying on the floor watching the hunting channel..seriously. He loves the hunting channel. And "flootball". If cartoons aren't available he always ALWAYS asks for hunting or flootball. With an "L". And I am syncing Brogans ipod touch on a laptop while simultaneously Facebooking and blogging from my Android. Its almost too much to take in. Even for me.

The Day that Wouldn't End

Yesterday was a pretty eventful day for me. It started at 1:45 AM when I was awakened by a violent smell. No kidding. No noise. Just a smell. Immediately I knew that I should have let both my dogs deal with the winter weather outside AS NATURE INTENDED. But no, I felt bad because dude, it was 19 degrees. After cleaning up their mess(es – PLURAL!), I began mopping my floor at 2:00 AM. TWO! You guys. I should have prefaced that by saying that we do not own twee little yappy dogs – NAY! We own two very large Labrador Retrievers. And very large Labrador Retrievers produce very large excrement piles. TRUE FACT! You can quote me.




Stupid dogs.



I was finally able to get back in bed around 2:30 AM, but could NOT shake the smell that, I swear, had permeated my cilia. It was so strong that I got out of bed AGAIN at 2:45 just to make rounds and check my slippers because I would have bet a blonde hair of my eldest child that I’d missed a pile. I had not. Finally I was able to go back to sleep for a brief moment before our 5:30 AM alarm clock sounded. Woo. Hoo!



Stupid poo.



Upon waking at 5:30 AM I noticed I had a slight headache. You know the kind. It was more irritating than painful, so two Advil and a cup of coffee and I was set! Or so I thought. By 11:00 AM, I felt bad. By 12:00 PM I felt worse. By 2:00 PM, I became “That Guy” at the office - the irritating one that whines about everything. At 2:15 PM my head hurt so bad that I literally became nauseated. I ended up leaving work two hours early. And by 3:00 PM I swore I was having an aneurism. It’s funny now, but I was seriously concerned. Good sense told me, “Self, you’ve had nair a lick of water today and you have some sinus issues- I predict a sinus headache and maybe dehydration!” I prescribed myself like a gallon of water and Tylenol sinus and climbed in bed. I woke up 1.5 hours later and felt much better!



Stupid sinus pressure.



That was as productive as my day got. I nursed a headache. I guess I said all of the above to justify my not exercising, cleaning, organizing, reading, feeding my fish, or bathing my children last night. I mean, the kids DID eat dinner, so I feel pretty good about that.



Stupid chores.



Tonight, I hope to run at least 1-2 miles, clean the bedrooms, finish laundry, and cook something. But I’ll settle for clean children and a book.



Stupid over-achievements.

Progress

I confess that lately I've been obsessing about what to make this blog. For awhile it was all about my kids. Then it was about me. Then it became about couponing. And now here we are today. For some reason, I felt like it needed a specific "theme" in order to be a good read. I just realized (today) that this is not true at all. It's MY blog. About MY life. And I intend it to be just as random as I am. Question: How many of you can say that you've actually questioned why people don't write haikus anymore? Ok. Well then, how many of you can confess to doing so WHILE DRIVING ON ICE TO WORK WHILE STILL WEARING YOUR BROWN WOOL LINED HOUSE SLIPPERS TOGETHER WITH YOUR BLACK DRESS PANTS, LOOKING A HOT MESS, AND FEELING NO SHAME? No. One.

I hate balloons.
I love sparkly things.
I seek out good deals.
Free things excite me.
My kids are cute.
I feel complete.
I listen to 80s hair bands
...And Rap.
I love to run. For fun.
I run to a Disney soundtrack.
...And Rap.
I'd like to lose 10 pounds
...but apparently not enough to really try
I like sweets
...And pickles
...And coffee
I don't like vienna sausages
Or oranges
I read really fast.
I talk even faster.
I love to cook.
My Ideal date night is dinner and a movie at home.
I smell really weird combinations, like coconut/armpit in our work elevator a lot of the time.
In hindsight, I should take the stairs.
I hate to smell cigarette smoke.
I love to smell wood burning
...And pipes.
I have a passion for Abused women and children.
I adore my husband.
I am content.
I am not jealous.
I am quick witted.
I hide behind humor sometimes
...because I am shy
I am a good judge of character.
I want to write a book
...But I do not have a subject
I'd rather be thought of as funny than pretty.
I am a terrible correspondent.
I secretly hope you all enjoy this.

Score One for The Home Team

So while everyone else in the world is focused on Oregon (& their awesome jerseys) vs Auburn (SEC,#1, blah, blah, blah), I'm just sitting here stoked about the fact that I'm getting into a routine. Tonight I accomplished:

Room cleaned: kitchen
Exercise: ran 2 miles
Alone time: read Matthew 1-3
Cooked: loaded potato soup and Mexican corn muffins. I also made and froze four (4!) ziplock freezer bags of soup for later. We ate all the muffins ;)

Tomorrow I plan on running 2 miles, cleaning bathrooms and cooking bow tie lasagna. But not at the same time. And I pinky swear to wash my hands.

~cp

Snowpocalypse 2011

Well, this is entry numero dos in the year of “Oh-Eleven”. Sure, we’re ten days into it, but whatever. BEGGERS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS. Anyway. Not a whole lot going on in the world of Puckett lately. OK, so that’s not true. We ARE under a “Winter Advisory” and that’s been pretty exciting. Folks headed out on Saturday in HERDS pillaging every grocery store and dollar store around. I think people actually fought over some potted meat at WalMart, but I can’t say for certain. I wasn’t there. I CAN say that while I do agree with taking necessary safety precautions, I vehemently do NOT agree with charging old ladies with your wobbly cart and arm wrastlin’ them for Spam. I just don’t.

So, I mean, Happy New Year and errythang.

In years past, I’ve always made resolutions that, while made with good intentions, never quite made it after day one. I always broke them around lunchtime. On New Year’s Day. They were bachelorettes in tacky dresses and weird tan lines that never got a rose in episode 1 and then cried about missing out on their ONE.TRUE.LOVE. So THIS year, I’ve decided not to make any resolutions at all. I think I’d just be setting myself up for failure if I did and let’s be honest; I have too much respect for myself for that nonsense. So, rather than decree a host of unattainable falsities, I decided that I will just try to be better at everything I do. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG. In my mind I’d envisioned things like, “I’ll clean one room a night so I don’t spend all weekend cleaning house” or “I’ll blog every day come heck or high water” or “I’ll bathe the kids every night”. They all sound like great ideas, but when your body is formed entirely of coffee, charm, procrastination, and sparkles AS IS MINE, it tends to make even the best idea fall flat. It’s like I baked up bread with no yeast is what I’m saying.

See, I tend to start projects and not finish. Despite all my good intentions, I have the stickability of a booger. You know, it sticks for awhile, but eventually it dries up and flakes off? I have toddlers so I can totally use that analogy without guilt. I know boogers. Fortunately, there are a few exceptions to which I am fully committed:

My God.
My family.
My job.
My friends.

(I’d like to add “My health” to this, but I’d be lying to you all.)

Unfortunately, they are not always in that exact order. This is what I hope to establish this year: Order to My Life. I want to learn to seek God with everything that I have and not with what’s left at the end of the day. I want to be the wife and mother that my family deserves. I make to get back to couponing again and preparing homemade meals with love. I want my work life to be a shining example of Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters….” I want to make an effort at strengthening my existing friendships and maybe even branching out to make new ones. I want to improve my health by establishing a healthy lifestyle. Now, I don’t drink or do drugs, but my sedentary lifestyle and my love for all things candy isn’t conducive to good health. It’s just not. Plus, I spend an awful lot of time with my kids and for my mental well-being I need to learn to take time for myself. Please understand that this is not meant to sound like a bad thing – it’s wonderful! My kids are awesome! My kids are the poster children of GOOD! KIDS! – But I do need some time to myself. And time with my husband. I also need a hobby; i.e.: running, blogging, photography, ice fishing in Minnesota, etc. Now I’ll confess that it’s a coin toss as to whether or not that hobby will stick (Like a booger), but I need to at least try. I mean, one can only take a certain amount of Barbie dolls and Elmo in a day. That's a fat lie too- I could play Barbies ALL.DAY.EVERY.DAY. It's in my nature, but Elmo? That's where I draw the line. Plus, if you've ever met my kids you would understand that my spending 15 minutes to myself each night would not socially impair or scar them for life in any way, shape or form. They are independent; more so, from me than I am of them. They would be just fine.

Wish me luck!
~cp