I had a wonderful weekend (it's not even over! We still get to have a bonfire tonight and go out to eat after church tomorrow! Butch is home after a week of being gone and life is good!).
The only thing I didn't get to do but really wanted to, was to meet my sisters at a restaurant for the 34 year old's birthday.
It started out on Thursday night as I sorted all of our books (school and pleasure reading). It's always fun to have the time and energy to sort. There is something very fun about finding books you didn't know you had, sorting books into subject categories (I always wanted to be a librarian), and dusting and cleaning spots that haven't been touched in a while.
I got up on Friday morning to a clean house and got the kids all ready for a visit with Paula and her two kiddos. They all stayed here (so, with my 6, her 2, and cousin's daughter to help sit, and her brother to play with Matty...there were 10 kids in my house all day!) while Paula and I went to the tea party.
Tracy has all of the relevant links.
Bocker and Weazy went home with Paula for a sleepover! She didn't use them for target practice or anything out thar in hintersville so I had to pick them up this afternoon, after all. On our way home (she was gracious enough to meet me halfway) we stopped at Menard's. I'd been meaning to get some new handles for my bathroom sink and some other misc. things that need repair/refurbishing.
I saw the Larson Doors display and sighed.
See, we've had this issue with our door handle on the screen door for months and months. It's one of those things like when my oven didn't work where it doesn't matter how inconvenient it is to NOT have that thing...it's even more hassle to actually try to fix/replace that thing. I simply do not have time to order parts (especially on the phone, that's just a joke with kids in the background) or the money to replace expensive things.
My door handle had snapped off the little tongue thing in the fall and the door still stayed closed sometimes but would fly open in a stiff wind.
It's been REALLY windy this year.
Oh, who am I kidding? It's the windiest place in the world around here all the flamin' time. Chicago ain't got nothin on us! Anyway, we would just grab a belt, strap, misc. piece of string and sort of jam it closed in the door. It was a cheap, simple rig that made do for many months (although, it wasn't ideal if you were outside and had to get in!). I finally ordered the correct parts from the company (after taking it apart, bringing it to the store so they could see what kind it was, and losing the part I brought to the store) but they sent only part of the assembly (the part I threw away by accident wasn't included) and the other parts needed to be ordered by phone (heeheehee, yeah, right!).
SOOOOOO, today, I waltzed in the store, fully expecting to just buy the whole, dang thing (50-60 bucks I don't really have) just to keep the front of our house from looking so white trash, like it has for months since the storm. The roof was re-done last week, the siding will be done next week, the windows will be replaced sometime in Oct., I think, and I want to re-paint the porch, and spray paint the outside lights (I bought some spray paint today, too).
I found the part I needed on a display and hoped against hope that SOMEONE would be able to help me. I walked around the display about 4 times in spacecase land and couldn't find ONE person who looked like they worked there (which is odd for Menard's, they are usually jumping all over themselves to help you). I was just about to give up, thinking it just wasn't in the cards for that day...
WHEN WHOM SHOULD I SEE, BUT AN ANGEL IN A BLUE SMOCK (cue the sound of angelic choir singing aaaaaahhhhhhh!)!!!
He listened to my girly lament about which parts I needed and stuck his knowing finger in the air, turned on his heel, and came back with a box of the whole assembly and said something like, "Here you go, you can just have it.".
I said, "So, how much is it?"
He looked at me and said, "Like, DUH, I said you could JUST HAVE IT, crazyperson!"
Heh heh, he would never say that, even if he was really thinking it.
I GOT THE WHOLE DANG THING FER FREEEEEEEEE!!!!
We chatted a bit about blogging, Catholicism, and hope.
Ooopsie, I forgot to mention that I actually know that guy. He was the EMHC in this post and he blogs sometimes at The Catholic Trenches. He's studying to become a deacon and is a member of our parish. I'm not going to name him because I want to appear mysterious and exotic...I mean, because it might embarrass him... but his name rhymes with "Spike" and he has a beard, a nice wife, and two boys. I never knew he worked at that store for a living but I sure am glad he does!!!
I don't care if people think that it's a petty thing that maybe God shouldn't be bothered with...but I call that (and also my meeting Kimberly earlier this week) one of my "God moments".
Oh, I know it isn't anything as wild as an "inner locution" or a "vision of Mary, smiling down on me" but it's all I need to know that God is with me and there when I need Him.
NOW, I can open my door whenever I want. I can shut it and it will STAY closed. I can pull down the glass today (what a day for it!!!) and shut off the air conditioner and let the beautiful breeze flow through the house as I think about how the screen (which I haven't been able to use since last fall) filters out the bad (bugs, leaves, mice, solicitors) and lets in the GOOD, fresh air.
Amen.
