Ending Radio Silence - Part 2

Home projects are a family affair around here. And we're... unconventional... OK, so I guess I'M the one who's unconventional with many of my management practices.

In this episode, wanted to get a good idea of what we needed to do to prep the house, so I grabbed a piece of chalk and the nearest piece of wall and started writing. The kids helped.

Chalk comes off most paints with just a sponge and a bit of water. Use the idea at your own risk.


I'm pretty tall, so all I typically need for painting is a small stool.



Beth's youngest brother David saw room for improvement on my idea, so he set up the scaffold. Lots of room for movement- much more efficient than my idea.



Beth's next-oldest brother Will could NOT be outdone by his little brother, so he showed us all how it was to be done!


And here's the finished product. This is the same corner in which I was standing on the stool.


P.S. Want a white board but don't want to spend the money to get a big enough one to use? Use dry erase markers on a window or a mirror. Done one the cheap. Yeah!

Ending Radio Silence - Part 1

For those of you out there keeping score at home, I haven't posted anything about rearranging the house for quite a while- about three months, in fact. The reason is that we've been working on a long-term project. But, it has finally... well, finished isn't exactly the right word, but we've reached the end of the project.

So let's go back to March of this year and catch up. The last post of this series will be the longest because so many of the project pieces came together within the past couple days.



Story Time:

Once upon a time we had an enormous computer desk.


Beth and I were both in school and we used the computer a great deal, so it was the central part of... well, the entire house.

Then we got a great deal on what I liked to call the Bailey Family Receptionist Desk.


It was even larger than the first one! This thing could hold 2 monitors, 2 laptops, a printer, a KVM, 3 computers, a trash can, 2 drawers of files, 2 drawers of supplies- the works! But good gravy, it took up just about half of the house. So we downsized.

Enter the Executive Desk.


We wanted something still large enough to hold files and the computer, but now we had a flat-panel monitor so it didn't need to be so deep.


Enough is enough- we're going minimalist. We commissioned the two best carpenters in the house (Will and me) to make a simple desk.


No frills- no drawers, no cable drop holes, no Murphy Bed. It's sturdy, fairly stable and very low-maintenance. But most importantly, it's tiny. It's about four feet wide and about sixteen inches deep, so it fits between the couch and the wall.

Oh yeah, and it only took a weekend to create.

Miniature Golf Is A Serious Sport

Beth's post about our recent Miniature Golfing Trip to Myrtle Beach told only part of the story, so I thought I'd... embellish.

Seth demonstrates his commitment and dedication to the sport with his stance.

David, while deviating slightly from the serious image we golfers typically portray with his pink ball, demonstrates an admirable level of concentration in this challenging finishing putt.

Beth's Dad (Grandaddy) is the epitome of concentration. As Seth is being stalked by a ferocious dinosaur, he is keeping his cool and lining up his putt.

I had two recorded Holes In One during the game and this would have been my third, if I had nudged it a bit harder or if the wind had remained constant. I took the wind into account using my handy dandy slide-rule, but Mother Nature isn't as constant as I am.

More juicy details:

• Grandaddy stomped us all royally the first round. He was only a few strokes over par and more than 5 strokes better than any of the rest of us. Grandaddy was the best overall because he was both accurate and precise (he only deviated by one point between rounds and stayed very close to par in both). I'm appalled that my darling wife would have the audacity to laugh at such a fine specimen of a golfer as the Magnificent Grandaddy.
• I came back in spectacular form (if I do say so myself) to beat everyone by 1 or 2 strokes the second round. I won the title of the Most Improved by making up 9 strokes between the two rounds.
• Seth and David both dominated their respective age classes.
• Seth was the only other one in the crowd who had a recorded Hole In One.
• David was heroic in saving my borrowed hat from certain peril. The wind took it but David, leaping across the raging creek in a single bound, caught it before it got to the outer fence. Such gallantry!

And that, my friends, is something MUCH closer to the real story.

It's Alive!

Thank you, my loving, supportive public. Your prayers and well-wishes have been rewarded.

My little tree (Tree 2.0) has survived the harsh South Carolina winter. Go ahead! Laugh it up! It almost thought about snowing a time or two. Sorta. We even had snow days. (Sure, there was no snow, but school was canceled nonetheless.)


Behold! Green things sprouting out of the branches. It's alive! It's alive!


The other tree that I tried to transplant was just too traumatized by the move, so I'm going to have to remove it.

Fun with kids

One of my favorite Jack Handy quotes is "The face of a child can say it all- especially the mouth part of the face."

A few nights ago I was putting Carolyn to bed. In the middle of her prayer, she sits up and says, "Wait, I gotta bless somebody. Mom told me about... Never mind, I don't remember."

I then escorted Carolyn to her bed, tucked her in, and leaned over to get a hug. I had shaved my head just a few hours before. She reached her arms around my neck and said "Good night, Daddy. Where's your hair?"

Carolyn is very much like her Grammy (Beth's Mom). We saw Grammy the next day and the first thing she asked me was, "Rob, where's your hair?" I forgot it in my other pants.

One morning I heard the kids playing in another room. I heard Seth say, "Get in the bag." At first I was concerned- kids and plastic bags don't mix- but I decided to keep listening. He kept insisting, "Get in the bag," and I heard Carolyn disagreeing. It sounded to me like he was telling Carolyn to climb into his sleeping bag. He then stuffed a balloon into the sleeping bag and said, "There, see? There's a balloon in the bag. It's a party. There's a party in the bag. Get in the bag." I was grateful that I was in another room so that they couldn't hear my laughter.

Dream Big? Maybe

OK, all you great comment-leavers out there. Warm up your fingers and get ready to drop some thought in my comment section. Please- I'd love some guidance here. Ground rules: you can't echo someone else's comment. Be original.


These are mostly unorganized thoughts, but they have a point and they have a common theme- I'll get to those two things soon.

I. By small and simple means are great things brought to pass
Story: About 2 years ago I found Beth's old Rubik's cube in Seth's toybox and decided I was going to figure it out. I worked at it at random times (while my code was building at work, when my computer was rebooting, when I rode to and from work with someone, etc). After a few months of practicing for far less than an hour a day, I had it. And from there I learned how to solve the 2x2x2, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5. All from minutes a day.

Story: I love to read, but with 4 kids I seem to have less and less time each year to dedicate to reading. I started listening to books on CD that I got from the library. During the past 4 years, I have "read" nearly 2 dozen books during my commute to and from work and church activities.

Moral: It's amazing what you can accomplish with simple, repeated effort.


II. Career
Thought: Jared and I were talking about work and our available career paths. He and I both have talked about wanting to pursue higher degrees so that we can teach and help people. Some look at higher degrees as portals to prestige, income, or flexibility in schedule. Others want to make a difference- make their mark on the world. We stayed on that last concept for a while. Jared tossed out this thought like a lawn dart that intuitively finds- and punctures- the sprinkler system: What is the source of our sense of accomplishment?

Unanswered questions: Are we living someone else's dream? Who are we listening to that tells us we have succeeded? Are we deciding that for ourselves? How much do you have to earn/accomplish/be in order to be "done"? Why?


III. Eternal Perspective
Monologue: Many things we do in this life will have eternal consequences- eternal importance. What job we hold or what career we build, however, will probably be just a detail. But in the meantime, while we're still in our lives, making money is a huge deal- having your family end up on the street is a bad thing.
Our relationship with Heavenly Father is supposed to be #1 in our lives. But with work draining 9 hours a day (plus 2 more for commuting)- it sure doesn't seem like He's getting His fair share. There must be some way to put the Lord first while still giving work the lion's share of my time.


IV. Wrap It Up
I'm actually not going to point out the common theme. I'll leave it all out there and let you figure out what it means to you. That's more important than what it means to me.
The point, though, is that how we use our time can prove to be critically helpful or critically damaging.


V. Leave the Loose Ends Untied
Is it okay to dream big? Maybe- if you can be "moderate in all things". Is it okay to float through life with no dreams or plans at all? Maybe- if you make good choices. Where's the line? Nope, sorry- no answers to that one here. Does this whole thought group make you feel unsatisfied and a little uncomfortable- maybe even a bit lost? Yeah, me too. That's why I wrote it down.

Your turn.

Shiver (Try This)

I got this through Facebook, but thought it would be fun to post here. I'm not going to "tag" anyone formally- just do it if you want to and pretend I tagged you. It's fun!


Guidelines:
1. Put your iTunes or Windows Media Player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person who tagged you


IF SOMEONE SAYS, “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel


WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Something More - Train


WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I'll Be There - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Another Park, Another sunday - The Doobie Brothers


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Push - Matchbox 20


WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Pienso En Ti - Chayanne (I think about you)


WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
We Will Rock You - Queen


WHAT IS 2+2?
Gone - TobyMac


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Lake of Fire - Nirvana


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Wishing It Was - Santana


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Children In Bloom - Counting Crows


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
The Streets - Jay-Z


WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Daylight Fading - Counting Crows


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Hello - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes


WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Just You 'N' Me - Chicago


WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Situations - Jack Johnson


WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Dreams Be Dreams - Jack Johnson


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
American Beauty Rose - Frank Sinatra


WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
In The End - Linkin Park


HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - The Temptations


WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Lying From You - Linkin Park


WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Then I Did - Rascal Flatts


WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Wildflowers - Tom Petty


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac


WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith (Hahahahahahah!)


DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Disease - Matchbox 20


IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Supposed to Be - Jack Johnson


WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Brand New Song - Reel Big Fish


WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Shiver - Coldplay