30 Days of Happiness :: Day 14

Go to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

Proverbs 6:6-8

I kept thinking about these verses as Gabe and I stacked firewood today.

After a mini- tornado whipped down our street in the spring of this year, trees were down for blocks around. Knowing a wood stove is our main source of heat, a kind neighbor gave us two dump trucks full of wood; a pile of trees taller than Gabe, dumped right in our front yard. The massive work of making trees, 3 feet in diameter, fit in a wood stove has, of course, and, as always, fallen to Gabe. Needless to say, we have tremendous amount of wood for this winter. It is great to say that we feel really prepared for what is predicted to be a long, cold winter.

Today, I helped Gabe stack the cut wood. The wood, cut and uncut, is piled high, high on the north side of our house. It is a dank, damp, musty world over there where WAAAAAAYYYY too many slugs, spiders, pill bugs and earthworms for my taste. Also: slime, mold, muck and guck. But, you know what? Anything for my man, anything for my man. I stuck my hands into the yuck and I got up close and personal with some slugs.

What has been cut and stacked is about 2.5, maybe 3 cords. We still have at least that much, probably more yet to be cut.

A small portion of what still needs to but cut.

Oh yeah, there was this guy, too.

30 Days of Happiness :: Day 13

I have waited to write about this little bit of joy. I wanted to make sure it was going to stick before I got too excited about it.

I moved Adah into Elijah's room and it has been such a major blessing!!

We are all tormented by her sleepless nights. For months, she woke around midnight and would be completely unable to settle back down for 3, 4 sometimes, 5 hours. She would fuss and fuss, I would try everything under the sun to help her fall back asleep. Nothing worked. She would finally collapse from exhaustion after hours of misery. Only to pop back up promptly at 6:30 or 7 am. Torturous.

I was a wreck. After one particularly grueling night I determined we had to move her out of our room. After trying everything else, I wondered if it was me that was keeping her awake. Was my mere presence was causing her to want to be awake?

Whatever it was, I don't know... but THANK GOD, it worked! The first night I moved her in there and every night since has been bliss. She is sleeping through the night: no tears, no drama. Just sleep. For everyone. She was probably just as exhausted as we were. I don't know why I waited so long to do it. Huge Happiness! Besides the joys of sleeping well, I can read in bed at night again and Gabe and I really appreciate the privacy, too. All good stuff.

30 Days of Happiness :: Day 12

Today, I was able to help Gabe with work around the house.

Typically, I am unable to help because I am tending to the children and most of the work he does is so far out of my league that I would be more hindrance than help.

Today, however, Adah napped at just the right time; I put on some old clothes and got my hands dirty. I mowed the lawn and painted many boards that will be used for window trim. What I did was minor compared with what he did and does on any given day off work. Nonetheless, I was happy to be able to help at all: to, in any way, lighten his load; to help his day go more smoothly; to spend time with him; to be able to marvel, first hand, at all he accomplishes.

We are so close to being finished with the renovations on our house. We bought this house from an investor who bought it as a foreclosure. When we moved in, it was truly gross. Now, by the sweat of Gabe's brow, our house is actually quite cute. There are days, weeks even, when Gabe is ready to put a match to our foundation, walk away and never look back. I don't blame him. This is hard, frustrating, expensive work. And it is all hanging on a prayer that it will pay off for us. It is especially hard on both of us that every nail driven, every brush stroke, every success and failure rests on Gabe shoulders. He works 40+ hours a week, all the renovation work is done in time off.

Sigh. I will be really, really happy when it's all done. We've been at it for 3 years.

Anyways.....

For me, today, happiness is making Gabe happy.

*We are fresh out batteries for our camera so, I have no pictures to share.*

30 Days of Happiness :: Day 11

Elijah's growing up. This is a bittersweet happiness.

30 Days of Happiness :: Day 10

(she had something to do with it)

Happiness is finally locating the source of the stench in Elijah's room.

(Let's hear it for little victories, folks.)