The Little Things

I've been having trouble being positive lately. So much new and so much responsibly...too much. So I've been way too negative. I've decided that I need to pay attention to the stuff around me that is good. So here's a list to help me remember. And to give you a little insight into my world.
1. I-Phone - We don't have any Christian music stations here and having that little thing in my pocket where ever I go helps my attitude to have positive music with me. Super funny how excited I was to get this thing but now I don't have anyone to call and nothing to put in my calendar. So funny ;-)

2. Ajax dish detergent - The washing machines here are kinda tricky. Have to get the stains out before the clothes go in the wash. All my stain stick stuff is on a boat. But I've found dish detergent is working wonders!

3. High speed Internet access - Had no idea how to use the tricky washing machine. My husband couldn't figure it out either. If you know him you know that it is almost impossible to find something he doesn't understand. So now I've got something. Didn't have an instruction booklet to the tricky washing machine so I found one online. Yippee!!

4. Bath time - we are stuck in this apartment without a car on a rainy day. Thank the Lord for the ginormous bathtub in this place. The kids were in there for 45 minutes this morning!

5. Coffee - no explanation needed there. However, no coffee pot so I am learning to love instant.

6. Plastic - furnished apartment has only glassware. Not a good combo for a 2 year old. So I found some for super cheap. There were like 10 cups for about $2. Need all of them because the only dish washing machine here, is me.

7. Disinfectant wipes - even if this place is directly out of an 80s catalog and perhaps that was the last time it was cleaned, at least the stuff I've wiped down (pretty much everything) is clean.

8. Spray disinfectant - looked at a couple of stores only to be told "we don't have that here." No such thing as Lysol in this country. Anywho...used an entire can in one day. Sprayed everything...I mean everything. Did you know you could disinfect carpets?

9. The smell of clean - after an 11 hour day of washing sheets and blankets (unmade all the beds in the furnished apartment) and spraying or wiping down everything, it actually smelled good in here.

10. Little princess dolls - who knew the toys in the check out line in Target would give my daughter (and son) hours and hours of entertainment.

11. Siblings - thank the Lord they like to play together. I'm not that much fun. ;-)

12. Boxed wine - went to a wine tasting event at a store here and the best was a box of Sangria. Sad...but true.

13. Fruit snacks - awesome friend sent me a huge box. You would have thought my kids had just had Christmas. They were so excited!

14. Crazy differences in food
- they don't refridgerate eggs...so weird ( I mean different, unique or interesting)
-on the labels calories are often listed as energy...interesting.
-you can by milk in a bag...literally a plastic bag
-most every thing can be bought in mini-size

15. No one knows me - I wear the same clothes two times in a row. I paint my toes funny colors. I let my hair air dry. I've even walked out the door with out eyeliner...GHASTLY I KNOW!!!

16. Wide sidewalks - we walk everywhere. So it is super nice when the sidewalk is wide enough and I don't have to have my kids walk single file.

17. Little verses - Sometimes the smallest verses pack the biggest punch. Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." So big for me right now. I feel I have a huge battle. A battle against sadness, loneliness, anti-creativeness (what do do with the kids), bitterness, judgment and entitlement. I feel like I'm not being still. I'm running around trying to make the best of this situation. Finding kids for my kids to play with, finding household items to make my life simpler, finding activities to keep me busy, finding ladies to chat with to keep me sane. When really I should just be content. Content with where and when God has put me.

So to my bitterness at where and when I am, I say, "Eh..." and attempt to pay attention to the little things.