Trying New Things - Ole!

It is something I have always wanted to do. It seemed simple enough - surely I should try - and I did! I made homemade tortillas. I had been saving a recipe I got on a bag of flour a few months ago. I decided to begin to try new things. What's the worst that could happen? My family wouldn't have dinner - okay that would have been bad. The good news is it was VERY easy and kind of fun. Now if I had made them ahead of time, the "preparers" dinner wouldn't have been delayed (mine and Robert's). But overall I think I will try it again.

Of course I also wanted to know how to make it better. I found this YouTube video that shows how to make them AND how to make them in circles as opposed to my little ovals. So try it! What are you waiting for! Tortilla making video

Hmmmm what should I tackle next? Maybe laying tile!

Hi It's Me

This has been a week of the unexpected. As I write this I am sitting and watching it snow.....in Houston....on December 4th. The earliest snowfall in Houston's history I am told. For a San Diego girl like me it is still nothing short of a white miracle. The quiet of the snow falling brings a sense of warmth and a reflective mood to me today.

As my kids begin dating, I have been thinking back to when Robert and I first met. Meeting his parents and being introduced as his "friend" probably until we were engaged. His mom has always been "Pat" to me, never a hesitation. My relationship with his dad was a little more awkward - at least when it came to names - I don't know why.

After we were married and I would call his parent's house, I would announce "this is Karen calling" whenever his dad answered. If he called us and I answered he always would "hi, Karen it's me". I would reply "hi me". I always knew who "me" was.

As the years passed I slowly began calling him John and he would identify himself as same. John soon became "Grandpa John" and I got to witness him in a new role - that as grandfather. We would smile each time they would come to take the kids out to dinner or for an outing announcing to the kids before they'd head out the door "did you bring your money?". It was obvious to all that family and faith were the priorities in his life. He and Pat would always have flannel graph story presented every Christmas - it was a great tradition that spoke the priority of Christ's birth. It would always end with him reading from the book of Luke and a birthday cake to Jesus.

The snow was not the first unexpected thing to arrive this week. The phone call Thursday morning that John had passed away was the first. Though he has been battling Alzheimer's for years and we knew the day was coming soon - it still seemed too soon. I heard that my niece prayed Thursday that "Grandpa would have a great day". Little did we know that he would have his very best day of all - relieved of suffering and with his saviour.

Earlier this week we had celebrated the first Sunday of Advent. Our daughter reminded us the message was of comfort. Obviously God knew we would need this reminder this week.

John is now surrounded by the joy of being with those who have gone before and we have the assurance we will see him again. I imagine one day when God calls me there will be someone approach and say "hi it's me".

Romans 8:17-18 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Coincidence?

I'm not sure if God speaks to us about such things as flu shots - but today I think He did!

As an Asthmatic, I have to admit I have been a little anxious about the Swine Flu. This past summer we all contracted a virus that resulted in pneumonia for me that wasn't even the flu! How in the world would I respond to the Swine Flu?

I determined that I would get the vaccine early on, however there was a problem......no vaccine was to be had. My doctor's office even posted it on their website "no H1N1 vaccine". So I have made it my practice to check the site and call on occasion and, in the meantime, practice all those health tips they tell you to avoid getting sick.

Today I checked their site again to no avail, but the thought kept coming "you need to call". So I did and they just received their doses about a half hour before I called! Coincidence? I think not - so I am getting my shot tomorrow morning and I'm thinking maybe God is involved in flu shots.

Asking for Help

As I was in the store today I had an epiphany about myself. I don't like asking for help. I came into the bookstore, looking for a particular book. I gave a friendly "hi" to the salesperson who greeted me - but revealed nothing of my quest to her. Nope, I took it upon my self to find my book myself. And so I strolled and browsed and meandered and looked and eventually left - without the book. "they probably just don't carry it, I'll check Amazon at home" was my self-talk. What is wrong with me?

I don't think I am alone in this "I can do it myself" attitude. Am I? People like me must be a frustration to Customer Service Representatives who by nature want to serve the customer.....or do they? Maybe they are just pretending to be friendly and will be irritated by my petty requests. Perhaps it comes from times when I have asked where something was in a store only to have it pointed out directly in front of my nose. Who needs that embarrassment? Perhaps my "I can find it myself" attitude comes from an underlying suspicion of those seeking to help. Maybe I am spending too much time over thinking this!

When you get past all the excuses - I think it really comes down to an issue of pride. How often do I blow off offers of help because "I can do it just fine thank you" (or even better). Don't get me wrong, I have gotten better about it over the years - when I had our twins my doctor literally told me "you need to accept help when its offered". This was harder to do than I imagined, but I realized the wisdom in those words.

By not asking for or seeking help when I need it, I miss out on a connection - perhaps even one God has placed. I rob someone of the opportunity to serve. He is our help - but God uses people as his hands.

Maybe I should go back to the bookstore.

Psalm 121:1-3 "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber"

The Black Hole in Homes

The idea of a black hole or mysterious vacuum in the home is not new. We all wonder where the matching sock is and how it if two went into the washer how come only one comes out of the dryer - I mean really, where is it?

I have a new item that seems to disappear yearly - rulers. Ever since my kids started school, we would make our annual trek to the store to stock up on school supplies. Each year I would buy a ruler. Somewhere, somehow these disappear into oblivion.

"Mom, I need a ruler for school"

"I bought you one last year, where is it?"

"I don't know"

By my calculations I have had this exact conversation every September for 11 years. I should have bought them in bulk when they were in first grade and rationed them out. A nice thought, but in reality I know they too would be sucked into the black hole. "Where's that box of rulers?"

Perks

A perk, I am finding, of having children work in and around NASA is the cool stuff I have access to. Via Kristal I have a NASA t-shirt celebrating its 50 years (the fact that it was around my 50th birthday last year made it especially sweet). We also have some stickers from Space Shuttle missions that go up.

The coolest item now in our possession, (courtesy of Stephanie) is a photo of the crew from the latest shuttle mission....complete with autographs! Many offices I go into around Clear Lake have photos of astronauts on their walls. So excited to have a photo in my office now too!

Paying Attention

In light of my previous post, this is almost comical.

My daughter offered to make dessert - when anyone offers dessert AND wants to make it, I am all for it! I showed her the box which contained all the ingredients and she read the directions; I went off to do the myriad of things on my to-do list. I couldn't wait to eat the lemon bars.

After a short while, she emerged from the kitchen with a package in hand.

"Is this the crust?"

I look up briefly from my work, quickly examined the package and confirmed that it was the crust. Off she went and I went back to what I was doing.

"This doesn't look right!"

Came the next comment from the kitchen. The lemon bars came out of the oven and indeed didn't look quite right. I decided to taste it. Okay it REALLY didn't taste right! Then it occurred to me....

"when you mixed the topping did it smell really lemony?"

"no"

In my inattention I gave her the wrong advice. I assumed the package was the crust - it was not. Our lemon bars were made upside down with backwards instructions. The results were awful!

Fortunately, it was only lemon bars. It made me realize that when my kids ask me a question I need to focus on what they are saying, understand what they are asking, and pay attention to the details so I can give an informed and accurate response.