Mopping in the middle

Do you ever find yourself waiting for the optimum time to mop? I do this all the time...
      Used to, I would do it after the kids were in bed, but anymore I'm too tired by then and always promise myself "tomorrow".  We are 10 people living in under 800 square feet (and that's counting the loft), so it's a challenge to have the floor clear enough to mop. Now sweeping...that happens 10 times a day. Give or take. But mopping just seems like one of those chores that I like to do super thoroughly and it's hard to find that perfect time to move everything enough to be "thorough". So I usually end up spot mopping and consoling myself with false promises. However, this weekend a sick little boy and a batch of baby chicks sort of forced my hand. I made up a batch of mop water and just started mopping right in the middle of the chaos. I mopped around people and under feet. I mopped under furniture and moved buckets. And every few minutes I had to shake the excess grass and wood chips out of my mop. ( I had already swept at least 4 times immediately prior to mopping.) By the time I was done my floor was decently clean. Not perfect, but sanitary at least. And I was reminded yet again that life is what happens while you are busy making plans. There is never a perfect time to mop. Or sew. Or write that thank you note. Or make that call. Or read a story to your toddler. You just have to do it. And do it in the middle of the mess and noise that makes up our lives. Because those are the things that make it lovely ( and clean😉) and worthwhile.
Happy mopping!

( ps. This is still Jessica, I just sometimes use Ed's profile because I'm too lazy to switch users. 😊)

Seeing God in the puzzle

I love jigsaw puzzles. I love that you can take a mess of jumbled up little pieces, and bring logic and reason and a little creative thinking to it, and it turns into something cohesive. Beautiful.
  We have quite a few 1000 piece puzzles, but, because of our small space, I haven't been able to figure out how to work on one without it taking over the house (another puzzle:).
Until now.
I've finally hit on a working solution, and it has made me so happy. It's the little things, y'all! I realized that if I used several stacking puzzle trays ( aka old lasagna pans lined with paper). I could stack them inside a small lidded tote and put it under the bed when I have other things to do. But then I can pull them out and work on them easily when I have a bit of time. And the kids can join me too. Maybe. If I'm not being too OCD.
 Anyway, I happened to have some time today, and  I'm currently working on this amazing one that is an Eye-Spy puzzle of mixed up vintage board games. Very cool. So I was working on this one area that seemed almost complete but there was a piece that I could tell was supposed to fit and it just wouldn't go anywhere I tried it. I finally gave up and had moved on to another area when I stumbled across the piece that made that little picture all fit together. And it struck in that moment how much we do that with God. Events in life, or even parts of the Bible, just don't seem to line up or fit together. And it's because we are missing some of the "pieces". We won't see it all here on this earth, but sometimes...every once in awhile...God lets us have another piece of the puzzle that puts things in perspective. I know this is not a new revelation. It's been said many times before. But it was a sweet reminder that whether or not what I'm seeing makes sense right now, it will one day.
 And in the meantime...we just keep putting together the pieces God has already given us.