Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Why I Have a Complex....

When I first moved to this country God gave me a wonderful friend named Trish. Our families are pretty similar. We both have the same style of child training, we both homeschool, we share the same theology, similar likes and dislikes, but there it ends because what you are about to see is NOT what I do....

Trish makes funky pillows.
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And blinds.
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She recovers her couch.
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She picks berries and stocks her fridge with homemade jam.
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She plans, plants, and picks from her garden to can for the long winter.
But wait, there's more....
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She scrapbooks. Not just forward, but backward--to 1974.

And...
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You just saw the family scrapbooks, these are the individual scrapbooks for each kid. Ethan is nine. As you can see, Trish has his scrapbooks ready to roll through age seventeen because she plans ahead. And now they will all match.
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Feeling inadequate yet?
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Here's Kaleb's. And Josh has his own too. Trish has three boys, all about one year apart.
It took my body two years between kids just to get back to normal. Wait, did I ever get back to normal?
You're not going to believe what's next....
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Guess what Trish is doing here?
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She's making homemade Poptarts.
I know, I know.
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It's only a matter of rolling out and cutting 36 rectangles of dough..
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Assembling a variety of toppings....
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Spooning it carefully on....
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And baking them just so.
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Voila!
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You can do all this because your house is clean and organized, your homeschool books for next year are bought and stored, your school schedule for next year is planned and color coded, your favorite recipes from all your cookbooks are catalogued on your computer and your menu's are planned, and an top of all this you can also volunteer at church, lead a ladies bible study, visit shut-ins, have missionaries over on furlough, redo the church nursery, and not get mad that your kitchen floor is plywood and has been for some months because you are saving up for a new one.
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I would be depressed. But God tells us not to compare. So I'll just be glad I know her. I've got her on video so you can know she really exists.
That's my best friend.

5 comments:

Trisha said...

NOW I'm tired.:0) It doesn't seem like so much when I live it. Thank you for reminding me about the things God has given me. :0)

Still Enjoying the Journey said...

WOW! Thank you for sharing your friends gifts with us ... and thank you for reminding us to NOT compare. I soooo wish I had a quarter of her talents in home making ... oh wait. Im' NOT supposed to compare ... Trish, I want a room in your house in glory! ~A

Brad and Melissa Mellette said...

haha! it's soooo true!

Angela said...

and the cherry on top....she makes her own mayonnaise too! :)

Betsy said...

Melissa,
You have been blessed with a friend who can be such a godly example of discipline.
It is so good to have friends that can encourage us and stimulate us to love and good deeds, sharpen us and build us up.
You and Darlene were two friends that did that for me, in ways you don't even know.
Just press on, excel still more and more, knowing that it is God who is at work in you, making you like His son.
We all have different strengths and gifts. I can see some of yours in this blog.
You glorify God with your life.
Love you,
~Betsy