what's been up at the white house

uno - i have one addition to yesterday's list of reasons why i just might possibly have a touch of the depression: if your friend's husband happens to see you while you are outside checking the mail and asks how you're doing and you start crying, then, yes, that could be a sign that you are in a not-quite-right emotional state.

not that that's ever happened to me. nope. not me.

and this isn't the current state of my kitchen:

nope. not mine. there's no way i would let a mess like that accumulate. never. 
  
dos - even though it's true that i've been a bit blue/down in the dumps/downcast/gloomy that hasn't stopped us from doing some fun things around here. it might have stopped us from doing the dishes. but dishes smishes, i always say.

tres - we made love bugs, as found in an article in highlights magazine. i cannot find the exact link - sorry! harrison saw the idea and wanted to make them. i happened to have everything on hand so we got out the supplies and put them together last saturday morning. even jeremy got in on the action. they are just a paper heart glued or taped to a tongue depressor.  then draw a face or glue on googly eyes and tape on some kind of antennae. both harrison and graham were able to complete every single part of this project by themselves!

we took turns putting on a puppet show, which entailed turning the couch and the curtains into a stage...

cuatro - we've been doing quite a bit of reading! i have a new obsession...

books by chris van dusen. it all started when i began looking for winter/ski themed books to check out from the library. i stumbled upon learning to ski with mr. mcgee, which is a fantastic book that both boys loved reading again and again. the back cover of that book listed other "mcgee" books that i knew i just had to read as well. and the library also had king hugo, randy riley, and the circus ship. i love them all! the illustrations are beautiful, the stories draw you in, but the best part is the rhyming poetic way the stories are told! HIGHLY recommend these books!

cinco - we've been able to be an encouragement to others... 

"dear chloe, i hope you get better soon."

we put together a get-well present for a friend who was just released from the hospital after a crazy, scary bout of croup/stridor. harrison needed help spelling chloe's name, but he wrote the rest of the card all on his own. i love watching his handwriting and his spelling improve! it's amazing how kids learn this stuff!

we rejoiced with a friend who's husband has been looking for a job! he got one - a better one than he could have imagined - an answer to prayer! and through it all we watched them maintain such faith and have such peace!

we tried to be supportive of friends who are just now beginning the process of evaluation and treatment for their own son's developmental delays; speaking encouraging words - life giving words - and just letting them know we are here to walk beside them through it all. it's not much, but sometimes, it's just enough.

here's what all this teaches me...

even in the midst of sadness, there is joy. even during times of trial, there is peace. even when you don't feel loving, you can still BE loving. even when you are discouraged, there is still the ability to be an encouragement to others.

for these opportunities i am thankful.

because being a blessing to others really ends up being a blessing to ourselves.

and seeking out the fun things, the good things, the silly things, the opposite of the dirty-dishes-still-in-the-sink things is really what makes the days here at the white house a little bit brighter.