Monday, March 7, 2011

March 6: Lacquer Thinner and other wonderful aromas...






















Heaveno!

Ugh.

The house smells of lacquer thinner.  Think nail polish times A HUNDRED.  I finished stripping the bathroom cabinets today.  Upon advice from a friend, I took lacquer thinner to the cabinets with a really fine steel wool to help draw out the last of the varnish.  I sent Ali and momma out for the day so they wouldn't have to deal with the fumes, but oh, man, the thinner odor remains!  Icccch.  Oh, and it's now raining, so I can't open up all the windows and doors.  Good times.

The most fun of the day was the chemical burns from the varnish remover.  It soaked through my sleeve at one point, got inside my glove at another, and got on my let leg twice.  Oh and my chin.  You can't see it, but you sure can feel it!  Out of nowhere, this sudden burning begins, and you know you gotta get some water to it right away!  Good times.  As you can tell, I am not in the running for the world's handiest guy.  I have always maintained that I am as handy as I need to be, but that's it.  It's all good; I listened to two books on tape between yesterday and today.  That's good for my brain at least.

I had on one of those great industrial strength gas masks for most of the day, and at one point, as I was walking downstairs, I could smell this wonderful, sweet bbq chicken smell, which was weird since I was the only one home.  I looked and saw the patio door was open, so I figured my neighbor Nick must have been BBQ'in' up something good.  Except, next time I came down, and the door was closed, I smelled it again.  Mind you, this was a pleasant departure from the chemicals I huffed all day, with or without a mask. Then, it hit me.  The crock pot was out on the counter.  Was it quietly cooking away the whole time?  Sure enough, one of Ang's yummy chicken, black bean and salsa concoctions was simmering away.  Mmmm... hearty dinner after a hearty day!

Tomorrow, I work at a group home for abused teens doing music therapy with them, and it will be our third out of 6 weeks together.  I'll tell you, spending the afternoon and evening there the past two Mondays has reminded me of one thing; I was blessed as a child and a teen to have a loving family that never beat or abused me.  I am grateful for the time I get to spend with them, but it is such a drop in the bucket.  I am reminded how special the activities were for Ali at the Ronald McDonald House, even when they were just one day a week.  The fact was that even though the volunteers were only there for one day a week, different volunteers came every day, and that was so gratefully received.  Thinking of it that way, it's better that these kids get some fun and release through the power of group music making than none at all.  I hope they look forward to it.  Every little bit helps, right?

God night.

MARCH 7, 2001:  WHOOPS!

Well, I wrote the above last night, then tried to load a video using blogger's video plugin instead of a picture, but lo and behold, it not only didn't work, but the post didn't post!  I logged on tonight and saw Saturday night's post and was baffled!  Oh well.  Sorry about that!  Last night was to be the last nightly post before moving to this twice a week format and you got jipped!  I am hoping I can get the blogger plugin to work as I have a BUNCH of cute little short videos that I'd rather just post here than on youtube of Bella.  Man, I miss that little fire cracker!

Today was l-o-n-g.  In the office before 7 am, and still in the office at 10:45pm.  Had one lousy session, one okay session, and one GREAT session at the group home today.  That last session just makes me want to come back for more.  Teens I work with in behavioral hospitals and group homes are funny; they can be so great, and such a nightmare... and they can flip on a dime from one to the other.  They are so volatile.  I think that is the best word to describe them.  Sometimes I really lose my focus or cool inside and I have to SNAP right back to present, grounded, and connected, otherwise the group just falls apart.  It certainly takes a lot of mental energy to generate the group for 60 minutes with 6-12 teens!

Ali and Angelique baked a pumpkin pie yesterday, and today, they baked a ceramic mini tea set Ali painted from Cost Plus World Market.  What a fun store!  Ali was so proud to show me what she had painted today.  I just love when she shows off her art.  She is sooooooo passionate about art!  It is just a delight to watch.  My sister Tracy was an Art History major, and an artist who used to really do some really cool watercolors.  My dad seemed to have a knack for pencil sketching, like a comic strip style... and I loved drawing with pencil.  I never really dug color; I LOVED pencil.  Well, it's in our blood because Ali LOVES to paint or draw.  Back in her early years as an artist, when asked how daycare was that day, Ali would only answer in terms of whether they painted that day or not....

"Not paint"  were the first and only two words she would utter about the day from her back seat throne.

Well, that wasn't the case today.  Today, she painted.  And the beam she glowed was all the indication I needed. Oh yeah, the tea set is cute, too.... see above.

Remind me to tell you about the AMAZING conversation I had with my mom today about prayer... for Thursday!  :)  I need sleep!

God night.

13 comments:

  1. Now, my grandmother would tell you that to get rid of the smell, place a jar(they were farmers, used canning jars for everything..)of vinegar in the room(warning said small children not to drink it of course) and that should get the smell out.... or baking soda/ powder, whichever one it is you use in your fridge..do people still do that? I don't, but I know some do...can you tell I'm not like.. domestically inclinded?

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  2. Hi Tim! Hope all is well with you and your family!

    I just got back yesterday from a mercy ministry outreach to Latvia and will be catching up as soon as I can!

    Blessings,
    Jennifer, Sweden

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  3. I haven't read your blog for a 2 weeks, and I was so surprised by the news. CONGRATULATIONS for the baby. I sincerely hope that the baby will be EB free, but if not, the baby will have the best parents to take care of him/her.

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  4. Now you have taken on teenagers?!! You are officially my hero, lol! Of all age groups of the human species, teenagers can be the scariest...even when they DO come from a loving home! I have two teenage girls and sometimes... !
    ...sigh...

    Best wishes to you on that front and blessings all around the family! Happy Tuesday! :)

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  5. Hi Tim, I'm wondering if you know if the newest EB patient, Nicholas, has a caring bridge page or a website where we can follow his progress and be praying for him? Of course, it would only be with permission from his parents, but I find Dr. Wagner and Dr. Tolar's work so important and would love to pray specifically for Nicholas.

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  6. Hello Tim and Fam!

    First of all - your project - it brought to mind all that Bella must have endured - we know how it feels to have even one finger feel burned, and wow, we really need to get EB cured - fast!

    Second - the chicken sounds wonderful! As someone who is not so "skilled" in the kitchen, maybe your darling wife could be persuaded to do a guest post with a recipe? Yum!

    Thank you for the things that you do to try and make this world a more beautiful place - your family is very fortunate to be gifted in art and music!

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  7. I think that's why she likes coming over to our house...we always paint!

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  8. You are a brave soul.
    I have been considering painting our Island black.
    But, it will have to wait until my spring painting is done. We have a very thin layer of paint on all of our walls. You know how new construction is.

    Good luck with your project.

    Cheryl

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  9. I haven't checked in for a while and just read about your sweet surprise!! Congratulations!!! As for planning that's God's job. Sometimes we plan and nothing happens usually we do what we can and He does what we need. Best wishes for a healthy and happy nine and beyond!!!!

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  10. I'm chiming in a little later here, but I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on the pregnancy!!
    I still don't comment near as much as I read here, but I really appreciate this blog and you sharing your life here!

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  11. Congratulations on your pregnancy! Having a baby with or without EB is joyous. I am sorry that you have received nasty comments. I believe that we are children of God and I am so glad that this little spirit you are having gets to come into a kind, loving family. And life with EB and a loving family is better then being sent "healthy" to a family that isn't as loving. This baby is blessed to belong to you.

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  12. I just wanted to say congratulations on the pregnancy. What a wonderful surprise, I'm sure you sweet baby Bella is up in heaven right now letting this new little spirit know what a wonderful and beautiful family she is going to be joining. I'm so sorry for mean comments that people have left. Your blog has been an inspiration for me, you've made me count my blessings everyday and appreciate my 4 children even more.

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  13. We had to purchase a second "magna doodle" because Noah and Clara would "fight" over the one we had. Noah loves to draw and write on his and Clara loves to scribble. :) The best toy money can buy...at least in our house. :) Next on my list is a HUGE chalkboard for Noah and Clara to draw on...well me too. Love creativity in our house. I think a little crafting, drawing/painting is good for the soul. :) That is my long route to telling you....I love the tea set.

    Angelique needs to share her recipe! Sounds like a good one and I feel like I am in a rut with the slow cooker.

    Beautiful picture of "the girls". This is one of my FAVORITES!

    Sending my love to all and the sweetest of kisses to Ali.

    Denise WI

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