Transfiguration

In church wondering why I am here. Wishing I'd listen to the voice saying, your kids are a mess, they are tired, let them sleep. stay home.  Walking around wondering, "What I am I doing? Am I doing the right thing? Can she walk all around? Should I bring her outside. Are people ok if she cries?"

As I was walking out a fellow parishioner stopped me and said, "Do you want help? Normally, I would say, "No, I am fine."  I am supposed to be able to take care of my kids right?  But instead i said, "Yes."  Yes. A simple word. "Ask for help." "Accept help!" Isn't that what everyone says to new mothers?  

Accepting help offered relief.

I had a few moments to connect with my older daughter, to calm her down and smooth the sourpuss off her face.  A moment to prepare myself for communion after being flustered most of the service.



I wrote the above paragraphs four years ago, and true to where I was four years ago, never got back to finishing it.   I remember exactly how it felt, and although I still have many struggles with my children in services, I am so happy to see that my internal dialogue has grown a bit.  Just a bit, but I am glad I didn't listen to that voice that wanted to keep my from services. 

DIY Screen Repair

(I wrote this post in 2015 and recently found it in unpublished drafts.  It is well timed as I have two screens I need to fix, and happy to have the reminder!)


I've been a fix-it girl since childhood.  I lived with my single mother and younger brother and I was the one who hooked up the VCR and video games.  As a teenager, my track coach took me under her wing and employed me, giving me odd jobs around her home.  Patching and painting the bathroom ceiling, replacing and painting shingles and raking and yard maintenance. I learned all sorts of things and all about materials;  kilz, spackle, patch repair tape and paint.   She told me that a woman needed to know how to take her of herself and her home.  It didn't hurt that my favorite TV show was MacGyver.  He was amazing and I wanted to be just like him, fixing everything with anything.

Fast forward to today and I've taken on my fair share of projects. I started with basic furniture painting, then stripping, refinishing, light tool use. I've moved into power tools now and owning a home means the options are really limitless.  I've painted shutters, doors, refinished cabinets, and built headboards, just to name a few.

Today, I finally became fed up with a screen in our front window that had holes and was a different color than the rest. I've never worked with screens before and had no idea how easy it was to fix.  I would have done it two years ago. 

A quick search revealed I needed 3 things since I already had an intact frame.

1. spline
2. spline tool (for $3.50 it is so worth it. a pizza cutter might work, but you're more likely to cut the screening and you'd have to start over)
3. screening

All of the materials (which could replace at least 4 windows) are less than $20 and the work took no more than 20 minutes. Other tools you will need:

1. scissors
2. sharp knife
3. Measuring tape

Steps:

Take the screen off the window. Rip out the old spline (the rubber tubing fits into a groove on the screen frame and holds the screening taut). Remove the old screening.  Take the new screening, measure the screen width and length and add a extra 1.5 inches on all 4 sides.  Cut screening.

Lay your new screen over the screen frame with extra screening hanging evenly over all sides. 

Take the spline and lay it over the screening above the grove in the frame.
Use the spline tool to push the spline into the groove.
Trim any unsightly overhanging screen.

Viola!