Home Help

I was recently asked 'What will you miss when as a missionary you go overseas and have to live on a reduced budget?' This person followed up their question with 'Obviously the butler will have to go!!'

Right now I have my own little 'home help' which isn't always as useful as it sounds! Yesterday when I said 'I need to clean the kitchen floor', Abigail was in the kitchen cupboard before I had a chance to finish my sentence getting out the Swiffer and was ready to go!

Today I brought the washing up from the basement and left it in the middle of the floor so I could put Naomi to bed before I tackled it. When I came back into the living room, Abigail was sat in the laundry basket with the clothes (clearly the most comfortable place for the task!) sorting it all out! No joke ... she made it very clear when I came in ... 'Mummy, this is your pile, this is Daddy's, this is Abi's and this one's Naomi's'. Admittedly they weren't folded, we'll leave that lesson for another day, but I'll take sorted for now!

It almost pains me when I'm cleaning the bathroom, in particular the toilet, to have to respond to her constant demands to do it 'all by mine own' ... with something along the lines of 'thank you but Mummy will do it this time'. Mummy would like nothing better than to hand over the cloth, put her feet up with a cup of tea and good book and leave her to it. How sad to realise that when she's old enough to get on with it her eagerness to help will probably be long gone!

One thing I was a little uncomfortable with when I first moved to Tanzania was that everyone had a house-'girl'. Someone to help out around the house with cleaning, washing, food preparation, cooking and maybe even some shopping. I couldn't even imagine why everyone would need one but protocol stated that we took one on at least once and week and anyway it cost next to nothing, even though I was paying double the going rate.

Looking back, I know that it wasn't long before I was won round to this cultural difference and fully embraced Maria, my wonderful house-'girl' who really looked out for me. Simple chores were harder and more time consuming. Laundry ... with no machine and shopping at the local market while enjoyable took longer leaving less time for household chores. While working at the school, teaching English and running some kids clubs, I would never have had time to sort out my little home at the time.

I have to admit I am looking forward to having that extra pair of hands around again when we move on from here ... especially with two little ones taking up so much of my time and rightly so! There is a chance we'll be returning to where I taught over 10 years ago and if so I'll be asking Maria if she has any time on her hands to be part of my family again (after all that's what she became). We're still in touch all these years later!

So, as far as 'giving up the butler' ... of all the sacrifices we have made to follow this path for the life of our family, that's not one I'll have to make!

Knit Wit

Knitting has made such a comeback over recent years. It's now the up and coming pastime of the most fashionable celebrities ... as well as the faithful old grannies!

A few years ago I read and loved The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. Some of my friends have loved it and some weren't so sure but I really enjoyed it. I'm sure there's been talk of making it into a movie ... but I haven't heard anything recently. I do remember sobbing at one point in the book (without adding any spoilers) ... however I was heavily pregnant and hormonal at the time!

I remember as a little girl being taught to knit by both my Nan and Betty, the lady who lives next door to my mum. Now 95, Betty used to knit blanket after blanket to be sent overseas and was very patient with me and my feeble attempts at perfection for such a little person!

The shop where I learnt to quilt here in Coshocton (Mercantile on Main) also runs other classes including knitting. A chance to get together with others, meet new people and learn something new, just like in the book I'd read. So I thought why not take advantage and learn something else when I might be more of a receptive learner than when I was young!

My best friend came and visited us here in Ohio in June 2010. It just happened to be the same time as the knitting classes ... so we signed up together and had lots of fun! We just learnt the basic stitches and a few little techniques and knitted some little swatches to keep for reference.

At the end, the teacher told us that although we hadn't actually made anything, we now had the tools with which to do that and gave us the pattern for some easy baby hats. Always up for a challenge and a chance to use my new found skill, I set-to and knitted some hats ... these are my first attempts, not too bad eh? Worn by babies worldwide!!

Just before Christmas I had a brainwave that I would knit Naomi a scarf ... in anticipation of the freezing cold weather in the first couple of months of the year. There is no picture, as it is still a work in progress but having not done any knitting since before she was born I've been enjoying myself. Now just wishing I had more time to experiment!

Do I aspire to be able to knit like anyone ... honestly ... if I could knit as well as my Dad then I would be pleased with myself! Yes, you read that correctly, MY DAD!!! He is an awesome knitter, unlikely but awesome!

Resolutions

New Year's resolutions?! Not in my house! As someone said to me yesterday New's Year's resolutions are there just to keep you busy in the first week of January!

I like to have things organised (although looking at my house right now you'd be forgiven for thinking that wasn't the case!) ... so I have a habit of reviewing things on a regular basis throughout the year and setting myself 'To Do' lists or goals for the big things as well as the day to day stuff. I guess I do that instead of setting big resolutions at the beginning of January each year!

Even on our wedding day when Bob Hunt preached on John 15:9-17, he managed to include the fact that Mark was the tall surfing dude and I was very good at organising things. Who sounded like the more exciting person?! Over the last few years though I have found that actually it is a positive trait and not something to cringe over ... especially when running a home with two little munchkins on a tight budget!

Admittedly my 'To Do' lists seem to be never ending, as soon as something gets checked off it, a couple of others things have been added. But my brain is like a sieve, without my lists hardly anything would get done because I wouldn't remember what needed doing!

I'm not an 'anti-resolution' person either ... after all it's about committing to a plan of action. I have committed to follow the path God has for my life. When I married Mark, I committed to be the best wife I possibly could for the rest of our lives. When I had each of the girls, I committed to be the best mummy I could be to them both. I know these resolutions will last longer than the first week in January. 

So, in the meantime instead of a list of New Year's resolutions that probably won't last very long, for this new day and this new year here is something a friend shared on Facebook today and is how me and God are going to get started together!! ...