ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS...

You know what I'm talking about. I'm referring to one of those embarassing moments that happens but can't be helped.

Today while at work, I stopped in the ladies room to do my business. It was a busy time of the day and only one stall was open. The stalls are just like in your typical public restroom-metal doors and metal walls, each attached to the other. I took the last available stall and when I went to close the door, it slipped from my hand and slammed shut. This caused all the doors and walls to rattle and shake as if an earthquake had struck. Of course, it made a horrendous noise (because as everyone knows, everything echos in a public bathroom).

I was so embarassed.

I did my business and like any self respecting person would do, I hung out in my stall and waited until every last person had left the bathroom. Even though I knew most of the other patrons wouldn't know which door had slammed, I couldn't take the chance. I had to save face.

I'm still chuckling about how silly it was.

I’m Invisible...

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking,” Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m Invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more, Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Pick me up right around 5:30, please”

I was certain that these were the hands that once help books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going… she’s going…. She’s gone!

One night , a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of –style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.

My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “to Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read the book, And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths which I could pattern my work, no one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for the work they would never see finished. They make great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it

And the workman replied, “Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride


I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving. “My mom gets up at four in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the lines from the table cloth” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add; “you’re gonna love it here”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

I hope you all recognize yourselves as builders of Great Cathedrals!

~author unknown

This was shared with my by a wonderful friend, Shanna (little_man_james) and I thought it was worth sharing with others.

SHOWING OFF...

I'm pretty proud of the work that I've learned to do with pictures. I wanted to show off a few more items I've created.

Some I like a little more than others but this one I like the best because it has one of my favorite subjects in it:



This is the one I wore for halloween:

If you'd like to have one of your own, email me and I'll be happy to make you one.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

I'd just like to say how much I'm thankful for those that I have in my life. I am so lucky to have my wonderful husband and my 2 boys. I'm thankful to have my mom (who's doing all the cooking today) and her husband. I have my nieces in my life and I like to think we're very close. I have both of my sisters and their sig-others.

I have many friends that I adore and am so happy to have them in my life. I also have all the wonderful people here in the internet.

I love you all and I look forward to sharing the Christmas holidays with you.

BITCH, BITCH, BITCH...



I just can't stand......myself! I'm having the worst possible PMS that I've ever experienced. I blew up at Bubba yesterday (although, I believe he deserved it to some extent) and Dear Hubby says he doesn't want to be around me.



I don't know whether to blame it on the new brand of birth control pills the doctor put me on 2 months ago or the fact that I can't have my usual package of Ho Ho's. Giving up my PMS Ho Ho's because of being pre-diabetic has been difficult. Heck, giving up all my favorite things has been pure horror.



I've recently switched from Coke to Coke Zero. I gave up my sweet tea. I've been really watching everything I eat yet I feel like crap. And you'd think that with giving up these things, I'd have lost a pound or 2 but NOOOOOO!

It's no wonder I'm so crabby.

NEW APPLE PRODUCTS...

We were sitting around last night talking about what new products Apple could create. Here's a few we came up with:

iGlow = a lamp
iSee = a pair of glasses
iShit = a toilet
iClean = a wash cloth
iFarted = air freshener
iBuzz = Apple's own brand of beer
iWipe = toilet paper
iSuck = a straw
iAss = butt implants for those without a rear
iStick = tape or glue
iWrite = a pen



As you can tell, a few of them are a bit "out there" but we got a good chuckle out of the entire conversation.

**I couldn't remember all of them so I'll add more as they come to mind