Haunted Birdhouse

Here's a photo of Madison and her haunted birdhouse that she built this morning.  You can see a few things from this one photo, the first being that she's done a LOT of these little projects at Lowe's.  Seriously, we're nearly out of room on the apron there.  The one we're sort of really proud of is that big circle at the top of the apron.  It's made up of six individual patches, each one representing a different Avenger project over the summer.  But below that, there are over twenty - maybe thirty - projects that she's done over the past few years.  This morning when she showed up at Lowe's, that was a bit of the talk, as there were a few others who were pretty impressed with her collection.

Now for the birdhouse.  Yes, this is a haunted one.  We're not entirely sure if birds will care one way or another about it being haunted.  This in itself may be the start of a scary story about an unsuspecting pair of cardinals wanting to make a home in a new abandoned birdhouse just outside.  Little do they realize, the birdhouse is haunted!  At night, they hear the terrifying, ghoulish squawks echoing throughout their new home - soft at first.  And then they hear the story of how that creepy old blue jay used to live here until he died under mysterious circumstances.  Still, one cardinal is determined to stay - those are just old ghost stories, right?  Or are they?  And what's up with that spectral mist floating overhead, the one in the shape of a recently departed bird?  Things take a turn for the worst when a loud squawk is overheard, one that sounds like, "GET OUT!"

But I digress.  These are not the things that make this a haunted birdhouse.  What make it haunted are the clever stickers Madison placed all over the thing.  Also, she build this one nearly completely by herself, hammering the nails in completely and placing the correct pieces of wood where they should be.  She's definitely becoming a pro, which is more than I could say about myself!

The rest of the day was work for Daddy, and piano for Madison, with some drawing thrown in for good measure.  Daddy got home earlier tonight, and together, we watched "Book of Life," which was in fact a pretty good movie.  What we really liked about it was the presentation of Mexican culture, and a little bit about the "Day of the Dead."  Which really needs a more friendly sort of name, doesn't it?  I mean, it's just one word away from "Dawn of the Dead," which brings up all kinds of nasty imagery.  How about we change the title to "Ancestor's Day" or "Heritage Day" or "Day of Remembrance?"  Get right on that, people.

Mommy made Daddy some tea tonight that was just fabulous.  It was decaf, dairy-free, almond milk chi tea.  Which is what I've been reduced to as of late.  Seriously, the diet I am currently on cuts out dairy and caffeine.  And is therefore brutal.  My life is a dark room.  One.  Big.  Dark.  Room.

But with everything, it could be worse, right?  At least the writing continues.  Mommy is doing much better than she was earlier this week, as she continues to heal, and Madison is doing well also.  In fact, Madison hasn't been terribly sick in quite some time.  We're pleased and blessed about this - it's perfect timing, really.

Cirque du Soleil tickets are on sale now.  We'll go, but we aren't getting tickets just yet.  Regular tickets - regular ones - are a mere $135 per ticket.  No joke!  Remember when these regular tickets were $55 per ticket?  Okay, I do.  But I'm older.  Don't we get a Cirque "veteran's" discount?  What I don't get is the pre-order sale.  It actually costs more to buy a ticket earlier.  So we wind up buying tickets at the last possible moment, which is what we'll do again.  Crazy.

We're still reading our time-travel book each night, along with some Bible, of course.  Along those lines, here's the second devotional entry for our game-night-themed series coming up.  It's about the game of "Twister," a game that all I have to do is say, and I start thinking that Weird Al song in my head.

"Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go." Joshua 1:9 NIrV

     Right foot, blue!  Left hand, red!  Have you ever played a game called "Twister?"  This is the game that gets everyone all tied up in knots!  Everyone is on a big floor mat covered with colored dots.  The spinner spins, and here it comes:  you have to put your left foot on a yellow dot, behind another player, just barely in reach.  Can you do it?  Will you fall over trying?  And when will everyone stop laughing?
    Twister is a really fun game that stretches us out into some odd positions we'd never thought possible before.  And that's the fun of the game, doing the unexpected, and watching everyone else trip over each other to do the same!
     There are times in our lives where we'll be asked to do something unexpected.  Maybe you'll hear a small voice in your mind, asking you to give someone something.  Or perhaps you'll feel like you need to invite someone to church.  In our walk with God, it could be almost anything.  It's almost like God calling out, "Right hand, green!"
     At these moments, you might be tempted to look up to the sky and say, "Wait a minute.  There's no way I can do that!"  Because like Twister, you'll feel as if you're being stretched too far, trying to keep everything in balance.     But unlike the game, God knows you can do it - because He is there with us every step of the way, even if it is left foot, red!  He wouldn't ask you to do something if He didn't already know you could do it!  So if you know it's something God wants you to do, stretch out and try something new - and don't be afraid to fall.  That's the fun of life, doing the unexpected through all the twists and turns!