Job Update

I sent Christine (Beth's job coach) a text a couple weeks ago asking for an update in the job search. She sent me a long reply so I started reading it out loud to Beth and Chuck. We were all sitting at the kitchen table:

"The Chocolate Co. isn't going to work due to payroll issues..."
"Starbucks is doing away with their lobby attendant position..."
"McDonalds wasn't a good experience. Manager was very rude..."
"Schools are getting out so students are applying..."

And on and on. 

I wasn't even thinking about how Beth was responding to all this and all of the sudden, she leaned toward me and threw her arms around me. She was crying.

Oh, I felt horrible! I stood up (with her still draped on me) and just held her while she cried. 

It just broke my heart.

The next day I went to my boss and asked if I could hire Beth. I do the hiring for my department but wasn't sure if there would be an issue with me hiring a family member to work directly with me.

No problem at all. Hire away!

(I can't remember if I've told you that I already checked with the state and with Beth's case worker and they both said I can find her a job without having to go through them.) Once my boss said yes, there was no stopping us.

I asked Beth if she wanted to work with me or if she wanted to wait for Christine to find her a job. "Work with you."

So I took Beth to work with me to show her what exactly she'd be doing. Our weekday preschool was on a field trip this week so she wasn't able to do the actual job but I walked her through the process. I gave her my keys and she was unlocking doors, checking each classroom thoroughly... I think she's gonna do great. I even introduced her to a few of the other custodians and they were excited to have her on board.

This is going to boost her self-esteem, help her lose weight and give her a sense of purpose. She kept checking her 'fitbit' and showing me how many steps she had taken.

Next week she'll come in and do the actual job so I'll keep you updated!

Sunshine, Dinner Time And Audition Results

Linking up with Rebecca Jo from Knit By God's Hand

We've had a lot of rain lately so I'm thankful for the beautiful sunshine we had yesterday!

I'm thankful that I'm getting closer to finishing that den. I don't like to start a project if I can't finish it right away or at least in the same day. So this has been a test of patience for me!

The baby birds are growing so fast! They really fill up the nest now!

 

This picture's a little blurry so I just went out to get another one and as soon as I opened the door, I saw this...

Must be dinner time!

But the one thing I'm really thankful for is... I sent Beth a text at about 1:00 and asked her if they had posted the cast list yet and did she know if she was in the show?

What are you thankful for today?

What We've Been Up To

Last week was just amazing. I'm sitting here just staring at the screen because I don't know how to describe it. Our time of prayer and fasting was powerful and I'll be spending weeks digging deeper into everything I read and heard.

Plus I was so busy! It's amazing how much time there was because I wasn't on the computer all the time. It's scary how many hours I spend on this thing.

Spring is all over the place here in the great northwest! 

 

Remember the nest in the wreath on our front porch?

The birds hatched and you can see their tiny beaks!

I had Beth clean out her fridge and we defrosted her freezer.

 

I'm in the middle of painting our den. It was Diana's room and she had painted it green with a black stripe. It looked really cool but I'm repainting it with white and yellow and it's been quite the job painting over the darker colors! 

Before

 During, with gray primer

 

I was at work every day this last week preparing for Easter services. I helped the custodians clean and set up rooms, plus there were landscapers, window washers... this was my first Easter being in this position of Supervisor so there was a lot to do!

 We all went out to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch today. I don't remember ever being there before and oh my word, it was SO good! 

Then Sharaya and Allie came over and we played Mexican Train and Sharaya hid some eggs in the backyard for Allie to find.

 

Then Sharaya went grocery shopping while Allie and I played with her legos. We laughed so hard!

 

 I missed you all and thought about you so much last week! I'm glad to be back and will spend the next few days getting caught up on your posts.

I hope you all had a wonderful week!

"And Now Here She Is, All The Way From Seattle Washington... !"

She told me she would watch the concert tonight and that I could record her! I went downstairs at one point and she said it still had a ways to go before her song came on. Then a couple hours later she sent me a text, "it is getting closer to the music"

(When I first started recording she put her hand by her face so I wouldn't be able to see her, so I stayed where I was to help her feel more comfortable and just got the side view.)

It was 3 1/2 minutes long and when I tried to email it to my computer, it said the file was too big. I'm not very tech-savvy and it didn't tell me how long it could be so I just got the last minute or so. Her big finale! You can see her plant her feet to get ready to hold that long note:

 

Please pray for her tomorrow, Monday at 2:15. They have more auditions next week so they'll post the cast list on the 24th. 

We'll keep you posted!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our church is having a time of prayer and fasting starting tomorrow, to prepare our hearts for Good Friday. A time to set aside all the distractions that can keep us from the Lord, that takes up so much of our time every day. It just helps us focus more on the Lord and the sacrifice He paid on the cross. So I will be off social media for a few days. 

I hope you all have a blessed week as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord!  

Way Off Broadway

All Aboard is putting on a show in July but everyone who wants to participate has to audition.

They're calling it the Way Off Broadway Variety Show and Beth's audition time is this Monday at 2:15.

She's planning to sing Bring Him Home from Les Mis. But it's the version from the 10th Anniversary Concert at Royal Albert Hall. It's a really difficult song to sing but she's pretty good at holding that last note. We were in the car the other day and I was amazed at how long she held it! "Wow Beth that was really good!" 

She just beamed. 😊

She practices all the time and every day she'll text me, "I did hold the note mothera!" I tried to get a video of her singing it but she didn't want me to record her.

Maybe as the concert gets closer. 

Showers - Inside and Out

Link up with Rebecca Jo at Knit By God's Hand

I've realized lately how thankful I am for my loofah!! Every time I take a shower I feel like I'm getting a massage. It's so relaxing!

I don't have a green thumb at all but a couple years ago I planted some tulips in pots and put them on my porch. Now they're blooming and I love seeing them every morning!

  

I'm thinking about everyone in the Midwest as you're getting more snow this week. Seattle is getting gray, dreary rain but I'll take it, especially since it's the middle of April! I can't believe some of you are still getting snow! Stay safe as the storm rolls through.

Mama bird has built another nest in our wreath and there are 3 little eggs! Our front porch is alive with spring!!

Sharaya and Allie joined us for lunch on Sunday, then Sharaya went grocery shopping while Allie came over to our house and we played Mexican Train. Family time is the best!

   

Do you play board games?

What's your favorite?

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

Have you ever felt busy but haven't really been busy? That's kind of how it's been for me this week. I haven't been on the computer much because I've been doing a lot around the house, plus I've been at work every single day, but it's not like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. (Do chickens really do that?!)

On Saturday I went into work to check on a few things and was told our trash dumpster had been half filled with mulch. What?! Sure enough. There's nothing we can do about it at this point so I hope the refuse company actually empties it!

  

I also need to get our maintenance guy out there to trim a few branches so we can close the lids.

Sharaya and Allie spent spring break in Palm Springs, CA! Sunshine, blue skies and a pool! I was a little more than jealous. They met up with the same friends they went to Paris with and spent one day hiking in Joshua Tree National Park but other than that, they spent their time lounging by the pool. A true vacation!

 

I'm trying to teach myself sign language. It's something I've always wanted to learn and I get started and then I stop. For a long time I've felt the Lord has wanted me to learn it, through conversations with people and different circumstances, you know when you know you're supposed to do something? I've had this book by Elaine Costello (you can tell it's well loved) and it not only lists signs by category: Things, People, Food, etc. but there's also an index that alphabetically lists every word. I LOVE that! 

The last few weeks I've been sitting in the deaf section at church but there's no way I've been able to keep up. I know a few words and can sign them when they're in a song, but mostly I just watch. I'm really excited to learn this time around!

 

Our Sunday school class has been pretty quiet lately. Only 3 or 4 students each week. I need to contact the other families to see how they're doing. But, there have been no screaming outbursts. No calling the paramedics. Sometimes quiet is good.

Today they spent a lot of time reading. Teacher Rebecca (in the jean jacket) sat on the floor with one of our students looking for books about dogs. I had some soft music playing in the background and it was so peaceful. They're all on the autism spectrum and I think they just really enjoyed the quiet and the stillness of the room. 

It really was a good day.

Have you learned something new lately?

Is there something you want to learn?

 

Shopping, Work and It's Ours!

 

 Link up at Knit By God's Hand

I got to spend a couple of hours at the mall this week. There are so many new stores I'd never seen before! Do you have these where you live?

I got to work on Tuesday and was immediately greeted with, "Both large coffee makers are broken." Thankfully the company sent out a repair man right away and he fixed them both!

(I have no idea how this could even happen!)

Chuck and I took a walk on the Burke-Gilman Trail on Monday. The weather was beautiful and spending time with him is always one of my favorite things!

I asked Beth to check the mail today and she brought in the title to my car!! We paid it off last month and now it's official!

Mine, all mine!

Do you shop at your local mall very often?
Are you a 'always have a car payment' kind of person?