Our September

 It's been stupid hot the last week.  The picture above is of Nick and Sid swimming.  It seems crazy that we are still swimming in central IL and it's the last week of September but it's hot enough that the water is a refreshing treat, especially for Nick since he's in XC.  Overall our September has been uneventful and that is a good thing.  Jay is not playing a sport this season which is good and bad.  It's good because it has freed up some time for us, but bad because I still go back to what I've always said about Jay, he's at his best when he's busy in a sport and managing school.  Right now he wastes a lot of time on line looking for a truck.  He is participating in his small group that he's been involved with since 6th grade and he's taking private basketball lessons, and he's "forced" to attend Nick's meets since he doesn't have any games or practices.  As you can see from the picture below he's less than thrilled about it.  Teenagers!

 Yesterday was Nick's home XC meet and it was a hot one.   Sadly there was no shade for Nick and he was drenched at the finish line.  My aunt Karen drove from Springfield to attend the meet. It's always a treat to see and spend time with Karen. 

Since our schedules are a little quieter we spend a lot of time at home, just the four of us.  Sometimes I wonder if other families feel and face the same challenges we do.  Our house is designed in such a way that when we are home, we are all together in one room.  My boys aren't video game nuts so they rarely spend much time in the basement playing video games.  During this time of year they spend a lot of time outside but when were inside, we are all together in the living room.  Yesterday I had had it with all the togetherness and went to my office to read.  It's just a lot of together time!  And when things break, which is a common occurrence, it just makes things more stressful.  This weekend Nick broke Mike's drill.  We knew it would end bad when we heard Nick yelling not so nice things from his fort.  Then our freezer door won't open all the way.  Then Mike set up a new TV cabinet and he hates the way the living room is set up which is prompting him to reconfigure the set up.  We continue to face issues with our internet which has only escalated.  All of these are small things.  I call them thorns.  They just kind of dig at you and annoy you but in the grand scheme of life they aren't that big of a deal.  After all, the state of Florida and Texas are still dealing (and will continue to deal with) the effects of major hurricanes that devastated their communities in the last few weeks.  Not to mention the horrible earthquake that hit Mexico City this past week.  The message I'm getting theses days which I equate to what the Holy Spirit is telling me is I just need to "be" right now.  I need to be happy and content with the blessings I've been given. There are so many unknowns with us right now.  We question if we should stay in our house.  We question if this business is really where Mike needs to stay.  We question that if he does stay in the business and we do stay in this house then do we build a building and really make a go of this business?  Where will the boys be in two years?  Jay will be graduated and Nick will be starting high school.  What will my life look like in 5 years?  These questions can keep me up at night but I've learned it's not about me and I don't have any control.  Right now I'm trying to not despise the divine delay.

The Hoco Proposal

Last week this boy came up with a plan.  The only part I played in this plan was driving him to the store to buy the poster board and then driving him to the gas station so he could buy the bag of Skittles.  What is amusing is I never asked him a single question.  On the day he bought the Skittles, it was his best friend, Aaron's, 16th birthday.  Since I wasn't asking questions, I assumed Jay was buying Aaron the Skittles.  Shows you what I know, ha!  On Saturday night Jay had Hope over.  He apparently asked her during the movie they were watching!  So cute!  The next morning I asked Jay if I could ask two questions.  He hesitated but agreed.  I asked if she was surprised, the answer was Yes and since Hope goes to a different school I asked Jay what hoco they were going to and he said he was taking her to his homecoming.  Truly this was a small glimpse of Jay's maturity.  He came up with the idea on his own and he executed it entirely on his own.  The only reason he needed me to drive him was because he can't drive.  A lot of people say these elaborate hoco proposals are ridiculous and there was a time I agreed, but I've changed my mind.  Kids these days are so "plugged" in with their phones it's a gift when they engage with face to face contact and that is exactly what these proposals force them to do.  In Jay's case he first had to get over his fears of asking someone (trust me this is huge for him), then he had to think of something thoughtful and creative.  Then he had to take the initiative to get it done which required him to get to the store, and then make the poster.  Granted, it was an easy poster to make, but it shows thought was put into it.  Then Jay had to think through how and when he'd ask her.  Hence why he had her over on Saturday night.  Jay and Hope sat with us during dinner, conversated and even lingered after dinner for more conversation.  Not once did either of them check their phones.  The two of them were a breath of fresh air! 

Zip it

Jay is 15.  He's got a dry sense of humor, he loves basketball, he tolerates school, and he hates it when his mother asks too many questions.  A few years ago I could tell my barrage of questions was starting to annoy Jay so I limited myself to 5 questions per day.  I also remember his complete rejection of me in third grade.  Yes, I am still bringing that up.  It was because of that rejection I realized I would have to change my entire idea of what I thought my relationship with Jay would be like or what it should look like.  It was more important to me to have a relationship with Jay on his terms so I did what most mothers do, I changed my thinking and over time I've changed my behavior.  Jay would probably vehemently deny I've changed anything, but I would point out to him that he's only 15.  He's a bafoon!  Wait and judge me when you're 40 and you've been married nearly 20 years with kids of your own.  I make it a point to not ask Jay too many questions and to keep my distance.  He offered to give me a hug and kiss on the cheek the other day if I took him to Taco Bell.  I jumped at the chance.  Those small and yes pathetic moments help sustain me.  Many of the books I've read lately about teenagers have the same common theme, engage in conversation with your teen, but do not offer an opinion of your own.  I go back to what I blogged about in late May.  I stand on the advice my friend, Sarah, gave me; bake, hug, show up, repeat, but I'd like to add that zipping it is also really good advice.  Homecoming is coming soon.  Jay mentioned this week he needed me to go to the store with him so he could get poster board so he could work on his homecoming proposal.  I happily took him, zipping it the entire drive.  I never asked what his proposal would look like or the most important question being who was he going to ask!  Instead I pulled out my wallet, paid for the poster board and kept my mouth zipped - no questions asked.  So, here it is a day later and I still don't know the skinny, but I'm okay with that.  Jay will tell me when he's ready, on his time and his terms.  Until then, I'll keep it zipped. 

Our current situation

 It's been a long time since I blogged about the business.  Mike's business is doing well.  I read a statistic recently that was staggering.  Some 60% of people over 40 are miserable in their jobs.  Isn't that sad?  I am not one of them and neither is Mike, but he would have been had he stayed in his prior job.  People approach me all the time, with anticipation in their voice, "Does he just love it?"  Here's the truth, he likes it.  I think Mike is open to any new opportunities that might come his way, but for now Cornerstone is very busy and with that comes steady income which is always a plus.  As with any business there are challenges, but I had a conversation with Mike in the last few weeks that spoke volumes to me.  At this point he's getting a lot of referrals and new business.  I can tell you I would have failed at this endeavor months ago.  I'm an organized person but I could not keep all the balls in the air that Mike has to keep going.  I asked him if it was stressing him out, after all, if he goofs up, it's on him (and costs him money).  He said that it didn't stress him out, that there is not a pit in his stomach which is something he carried with him in the years leading up to his departure from his prior employment.  I've posted these pictures of what our garage, driveway and shop currently look like.  I don't do it to complain.  I am reading the book of Numbers in the Bible.  Trust me, the last thing I want to do is complain as my daily reading reminds me of the Lord's tolerance for people who complain.  Ha!  I post these pictures so that maybe one day, when and if we get a building, we can look back at these pictures and say, "Remember when?"  I know another angle of this process is the learning process for Mike, which really is between him and God.  If anyone would have showed me these pictures 4 or 5 years ago, I would have denied that Mike would have let projects "overrun" his shop.  But in this particular situation, he has no choice.  He is utilizing every square inch we have.  The first picture (above) is of a play house that isn't quite finished yet and a float for a parade.  Hey, we make it interesting around here. 

 I took this picture a few weeks ago.  This is a dishwasher.  We now have two toilets surrounding it.  Soon, Mike will install of these lovely items and they will be out of our garage, until the next items roll in. 

 This is a TV cabinet that Mike is working on for us.   He has a table set up in back of it for shelves he was making.  Oh and in front of the cabinet are the boys' four wheelers.  Oh and on the ceiling are three kayaks.  Let's just say that when the boys go fishing, I stay out of the way as everything has to be moved around and the last thing we need is the kayaks falling on Mike's works. 

 Here we have cabinet doors that Mike stained for a customer, stacked up in the back of our garage, against a grill.  And we haven't even made it into the shop yet. 

 Here's the shop.  Mike has something on the floor which he was using to make window boxes.  I know enough to know it's not wood because I've learned you can't lay wood flat on a concrete floor.  The moisture will warp it.

 Here's a barn door he made.  It's stacked against another one of his "working" tables in the shop. 

 Here's more wood on the floor.  This wood was okay to leave on the floor because it wasn't being used.  Mike need it for the measurements.  It's like playing twister in his shop. 

And my last picture.  It just shows again that every square inch is utilized in his shop and everywhere else for that matter.  God is good!  I am thankful for the steady business.  I am thankful for Mike's health.  And recently we attained two additional lots that are right next to our house.  If and that's a big if, we ever build a building, we will put it on those new lots.  I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it because honestly this is Mike's thing.  I know there are days when Mike wonders why he is doing this, he questions what this is all for, but he never complains.  This man works harder than any other man I have known - truth!  He works for significantly less money, no benefits, and to have a day off is a gift.  He has sacrificed time with his children, vacations - all the "normal" stuff that most men get to do and make big money going to a 9 to 5 job.  I tell him all the time how proud I am of him.  Mike has handled this with strength, humility, confidence and sheer determination.  The rest we are leaving in God's hands. 

Labor Day weekend

 I'm late in blogging about our Labor Day weekend.  The weather the last few weeks has been incredible.  It's been sunny and cool - unheard of for early September.  I feel half guilty writing that because Texas has been pummeled from Hurricane Harvey and now Hurricane Irma is barreling in on South Florida.  Anyway, on Friday night my mom, Kim and I decorated signs.  We really enjoyed it.  It was a fun thing for the three of us to do together. 

 Nick did not have a XC meet over the weekend.  The Ausili's came out and Nick invited his friend, C.  I know I've said it before but my boys sure do have nice friends!

 The boys spent most of Monday working on their forts.  Nick's is a work in process.  I swear folks could set up camp in Jay's.  He has a desk, a fire pit, tiki torches and a wood rack.  It's quite a set up. 

XC Pics

 As I blog this morning it is Labor Day weekend.  I'll post pictures from our weekend later.  Last week consisted of several XC meets for Nick.  Nick isn't loving XC (as I had hoped he would), but he isn't complaining either.  He misses the sport he loves, football, but doesn't dwell on it.  My bet is my boy will be back playing football next year.  At least I gave it a fair shot at trying to introduce him to XC.  On a positive note, Nick does recognize the benefits of XC, he really likes his coach and he loves the social aspect of XC.  The picture above is Nick and his friend from pre-school, K.  K's mother and I can't wait until these two are seniors because we have pictures of them back when they were three! 

 Nick and his best buddies, Jake and Noah.  Jake and Nick are running together and Noah came to Nick's meet this week.  Nick, like his brother, sure does have some good friends. 

My Aunt Karen and Uncle Kerry came to Nick's meet this week.  Karen took this picture of Nick.  Going into next week Nick has one meet during the week and one meet next weekend.  It's another filled week of XC meets, work and taking Jay to his basketball lessons, but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way!