red light - green light

I feeling like blogging about my vacuum cleaner. I am not sure how you feel about that but I am going to do it anyway.
We have a vacuum that is not my favorite. Vacuums are supposed to suck dirt out of the carpet and make the floors look nice. Ours does that but it also does more. It gets me in trouble and puts me in a bad mood.
There are 2 little lights on the base of it - one is green and one is red. The red one shines when the carpet is not yet clean and the green one means I can move along. I don't think I like the vacuum telling me what to do - maybe that is the problem. And when my husband is watching, he doesn't like it if I move to the next spot when the light is still red. I have thought about putting tape over the lights so I don't have to look at it while I am trying to use it. Seeing that red light gives me a D.R.A.!
So many times in life I wish I had little lights to direct me. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a little green light go on when we were trying to make a decision to know if it was right or not? Should I exercise more? (green light). Should I try to get more sleep? (green light). Should I buy the new shirt I do not need? (red light). Should I choose to have a good attitude in a stressful situation? (green light). Should I worry about something instead of praying about it? (red light).
Those are all very obvious answers but do I actually take the time to ponder what color the light would be when I need to make a decision? And there are times when I am searching for a light because I don't know what the right answer is. I am thankful that God sees the big picture and knows all the right answers.
So I will vacuum and when I see the red light - I will try to smile.

It's the little things...

I have the windows open and if my laptop didn't need to be plugged in, I would be sitting outside. It is overcast but a beautiful spring day. The grass is getting green. The flowers are starting to come up. The trees are budding. Spring is here!
Another sign of spring is the robin. They have been here for a while and now we have moved on to the next expected arrival. We are watching for the orioles.
My husband just called me a few minutes ago to ask me if I have been watching out the window this afternoon to hopefully catch the first glimpse of one of our orange and black feathered friends. We have fresh juicy oranges hanging outside so they can have a snack after landing in our yard. They need it after completing their long flight from somewhere south. No sign of them yet - but we are ready.
While looking out the window I just saw a squirrel climbing down one of our many bird feeders. We have a lot of squirrels and obviously this one is "new" to our yard. He has just experienced the "Yankee Flipper". My husband thought it would be fun to have one of those bird feeders that twirls around when a squirrel gets on it - so he bought one a few years ago. During that time we have witness several squirrels spinning around and getting flown off. It is quite funny to see. The one I just saw was not a disappointment and it has definitely been a highlight of my day.
I am glad that I can enjoy the little things in life.
I am glad that my life is not so busy that I can't stop and notice the buds forming on the branches or take time to hang oranges in the tree. I am glad I can sit and watch out the window to see spring slow creep back in after a long winter and most of all - I can watch a squirrel experience the "Yankee Flipper".
I am so blessed.

peanut butter and jelly

I have a bigger sweet tooth than my husband.
He reminded me of that this week when I was making him a P B & J sandwich and he told me not to put too much jelly on it because then it would be too sweet and he would not enjoy it as much. Then he exclaimed "I just don't like things as sweet as you do!"
He has never been into desserts much. When he was growing up they didn't eat them very often. I always had an abundance of yummy treats to choose from when I was younger because my mom is good at baking things that are VERY delicious. I have been trying to eat sweets with more moderation lately - which is not easy.
There is nothing wrong with me liking sweet things and my husband liking the salty stuff. We are all different and unique and that is what helps keep things balanced. We can crave different things and still enjoy being together. I don't mind buying less ice cream than I'd like to - and keeping the cabinet stocked with a bag of chips. And I will continue putting less jelly on his sandwich even though it is dry and boring that way!

Easter

It is Easter!
I am working on making my jell-o for our family lunch tomorrow. This jell-o is one of my signature dishes that I am asked to bring to many family functions. I don't cook or bake very much so I stick to the things that I am familiar with. It will be served along side ham and turkey and many other yummy side dishes. We will not be short on food that is for sure! My mom just sent me a picture of her decorated lamb cake which is another family tradition that makes us all smile and miss grandma Ethel.
There is also a buzz in the air about Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets and jellybeans and chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps.
Easter..... Easter??
Last night after hanging out with some super good friends - we went to church to see the movie "The Passion". It was my husbands first time seeing it - my second. I was again brought to tears watching all that happened to Him that Good Friday so long ago. Jesus went thru all that for me. He loves me and His wounds are my HOPE!
That is Easter.

my life this week

What do I have for you this week? hmmm. Sometimes I wonder if I should be doing a blog because my life just really isn't that interesting. Mainly for these 2 reasons - I spend a lot of time at work and a lot of time at church. Those 2 places are not are usually full of excitement.
Work was exciting this week though because one of my coworkers decided to go from part time to full time. She is a tremendous blessing to me and I am excited to see her there more hours, learning, and doing, and fitting into the "team".
But, more exciting than that was church yesterday. I had the opportunity to sing with the worship team. I have not done that in a while and it was so much fun. It brought my worship to a level that it has not been to in a while. It gave me a little glimpse of what heaven will be like!
Other than that my week was full of birthday parties and making birthday cakes and spending time with good friends. I also twisted my ankle and bruised my kneecap , practiced with the worship team, sent another package to Indonesia, ordered some shirts for work, finished our taxes, watched a little March Madness b-ball, made fajitas and saw a woodchuck in my back yard. Life is good!