{SQT} Thanks and Cake on Friday

Back in the saddle, and coming ‘atcha with a full plate of takes. Let’s hit it!

1. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on Wednesday’s post. The words had been brewing for some time and after a rough Tuesday, I just had to type it out. I don’t like to look like a complainer or someone seeking attention; my gist is taking this life I’ve been given and sharing it in a positive and often funny way. But the truth is there are a lot of Tuesdays. However, after sharing my heart, I can tell you honestly, Wednesday was so much better. You can tell when tons of people are storming heaven on your behalf.

In the midst of feeling sorry for myself, I’d completely overlooked the significance of Wednesday’s feast until Micaela commented, and I was like duh.

Today is the solemnity of the Annunciation and I was just meditating on how big God asks our “Yes” to be. These aren’t little things God asks of us, but rather life changing, earth shattering things like accepting and caring for a whole human life that will change the course of history in the world. You say yes every day. Even when you say no and have to apologize, you end up saying yes.”

To everyone else who commented, I do plan on responding personally because each of you helped so much. Whether you’re a special needs parent or not, it’s okay to admit that what we do day in and day out is hard and we need God, and we need the support of one another to get through those tough times.

2. Then I saw that Mary posted and I was all emotional because it was like so much of her post was written just for me that day.

I said yes twenty-two years ago when God blessed Jerry and I with our daughter. Like Mary, we had no idea how the story would end but trusted that God would get us to where we needed to be.
Well, that may be stretching it a bit. Actually…that’s stretching it a lot. Think a taffy pull on speed.
We had no clue, but we loved her and we made the decision to fight for her and for our family to remain intact. We made mistakes. Many, Many mistakes along the way. Our faith wavered and we cried out to God time and time and time again begging Him for relief or healing or whatever we needed in that moment.
He gave us what we needed each time, until he didn’t.
I take that back…sort of. He didn’t not give us what we needed. He gave us the strength to survive what He needed to happen next. …
I am not a saint. I am not a super strong person or anything like that. I am simply a mother who found myself facing a situation that I felt completely unprepared for when Courtney’s seizures began. Jerry and I had no clue how to proceed but we knew we had to try our best to help our kid.
So for better of for worse, we did what we could. Each day a choice had to be made to make the best of whatever came our way or to give in to the fear and anxiety that hovered just above the surface of daily life.
Some days we chose fear but thankfully most days we chose hope.”

Cue waterworks.

The lesson is folks, trust and say yes.

3. Next time I’m feeling down on life, I’m going to remind myself that Mr. T has a new TV show coming out with THE BEST TITLE EVER.

‘I Pity the Tool’ will air on the DIY Network: I KID YOU NOT. 

The week keeps looking brighter.

4. I’ve received some request for a Quick Takes Template a la Conversion Diary, so based on Jen’s model, I’ve fashioned a template you can drop into the HTML of your post to make linking up a snap. In the words of the great Fulwiler herself (but updated with the correct code):

1. Click on this link.

2. Highlight everything and copy it.

3. Paste it into the HTML editor on your blogging platform. (To get to the HTML editor in Blogger or WordPress, click on the tab at the top of the new post screen that says HTML.)

That’s it! If you’d like to download the text file to your computer for future reference,  just right-click on the link and choose “Save Link As…”

The template includes links to each individual take. Just click on the number and it will take the page directly to that spot.

Let me know if you have any problems!

5. We’re coming up on the homestretch of Lent! Yay Easter! Yay spring! Yay school break! Our second trimester (from January to March) is always the hardest. Between winter weather, less daylight and Lent, it’s a long twelve weeks. Whatever materials are still being used in the homeschool by this point are definite keepers. For a family that’s usually lax in the science department, we’ve made tons of progress this trimester and there’s a lot of enthusiasm for learning more. I credit a few key resources:

 

For the days when I. just. couldn’t. even. the kids begged to watch Nova Science Now. We’ve watched the original Nova series but we much prefer the format of the ‘Now’ shows. Three seasons are free on Amazon Prime. We’ve completed various science badges on the DIY website and we all enjoy reading the Basher and Tiner books. The Basher books are just fun, and the Tiner books are a good fit for our history minded family.

6. This is my current favorite song, though I’m not necessarily a huge fan of Hozier. If Lucifer wrote a ballad today about his seduction of Eve, it would be this. Obviously the singer is enamored with a particular innocent woman, but only so far as he is able to corrupt her. It’s haunting because the melancholy melody indicates the singer, even if successful, will derive no pleasure from his conquest. That is Satan, dragging us down with sin for no other reason that to make us as miserable as him.

7. My favorite Flashback Friday song would have to be this one by Cake because their music completely confuses the kids every time it plays on the radio. Their faces literally contort and they ask “How old is this song?” “What is with his voice?” “Why does he want her to wear a long jacket?”. And I think back to when I would ask my parents about songs from their youth. “What does she want to ask Alice?” “Is that guy supposed to be Tarzan? Why do we care that a lion sleeps tonight?”

And the think the video is especially appropriate given this take’s subject matter. 

Do you have a favorite Flashback Friday song? Science book? Mr T character? coughcoughB.A.Baracuscoughcough Share them in your takes and link up below!