Where's my Log Cabin?

Note: Not two hours after I posted this entry the Screechy Dryer kicked the bucket! And it's not even 3 years old. Of course we didn't extend the warranty last year - Heaven's to Betsy - what's next? I know, I know - I'm grateful that the dryer broke instead of the washing machine, and that our tiny town has a Laundrymat for the towel loads, most especially I'm glad we have enough chairs and rails in our home to air-dry everything else.

I wonder if I should refrain from posting about anything new that breaks down because it might be tempting Mr. Murphy to just add to the list.

Bring on the smock, the apron, and the rug beater! I’m ready to embrace my inner pioneer spirit. Anyone have a homestead I can have? I’m ready to say good-bye to technology once and for all. Or at least I feel like it is trying to say good-bye to me.

Over the past two weeks I’ve said good-bye to the Dishwasher (it’s leaking and warping the kitchen floor), the roof, which on further inspection has revealed a rotted rafter that will need to be sured up), and two of three vehicles. The keys to the Portable Swimming pool disappeared 2 weeks ago and even though we found someone super cheap that will reset the window for us we can’t find the keys to get it there. ( I suspect they are buried in the teenage boys room, but I’m not cleaning the dive and I'm not paying to get the keys replaced.) The commute car’s warning light came on and after a $100 inspection we are told we will need for fork over the mega bucks for a catalytic converter. For how much it’s going to cost you’d think they were converting our car into a Cadillac. So we are down to our huge gas-guzzling bus as our only form of transportation. I get nervous driving the beast around because it needs two bald tires replaced and the bearings fixed, all of which I’m sure will all fit into our new needs only lifestyle. NOT!

So Mr. Murphy – Your Law Stinks. Just when I thought we were out of our debt laden habits our home and property are conspiring against us with a sudden muck-load of repairs. And combine them all together and they are enough to set us back another year!

So in the meantime – we are back to washing dishes by hand – which isn’t all that bad because I actually feel I get them cleaner than our pre-historic dishwasher ever did. I’m trying not to drive too many places. And I’m praying the wet weather holds off a bit longer so that we can figure out what to do about that hole in the roof.

All of which leads me into my Focus for the Month of November. And after my whining it’s a focus that I really need - A Thankful Heart. For the entire month of November I’m really going to try hard to focus on Gratitude and Thanksgiving for the blessings which my family has had bestowed upon us. Yeah, we are going through a crummy $ patch, but who isn’t. And regardless there is way too much to be thankful for and it really doesn’t do me any good to moan and whine over all the bad things. So I’m going to try and live with Thanksgiving in my Heart every day of the month. Give service, love more, play in the leaves with my kids, simplify my extra activities, and of course feed my spirit. The only thing I won’t be feeding myself is the Thanksgiving food feast daily. I’ve still got that $100 lose the weight baggage bet and I desperately want to hit it before Jan 1.

So when things go south like the dishwasher I’ll just have invoke the Pollyanna spirit and be thankful that we still have hot water and 16 pair of hands that can all wash dishes. And if the gas-gussie get’s a flat I’ll have to be thankful that my hubby can ride the bus to work and that I’ve got two perfectly fit legs that can walk me to the grocery store. And I'm sure-as-shootin' grateful for the fact that I don't have to collect 'Cow Chips to heat my home'.

The whole Thankful Heart month has been bugging my brain for the past three weeks and I’ve a load of ideas I want to blog about but they will have to wait until my crazy sewing spree is at an end. I’m almost done. Cross your fingers and hope Murphy doesn’t break my sewing machine (Believe me I’m banging on wood for this one, forget the polite knock.) So help me if the machine dies I'm going to need a lot more help than Pollyanna can offer.

Then again if something can go wrong it will. Sigh!