Such a Time As This

Faith, Hope, & Love

An Unexpected Day {A Cautionary Tale About Natural Gas In Your Home}

An Unexpected Day

 A Cautionary Tale about Natural Gas in Your Home

 

So today didn’t go as I expected it to go.  I guess that is true with much of life.  As we woke up, my husband commented that my schedule was very full today as we were expecting delivery people and had other appointments (well checks for the kids and errands to run).

 

Last week we decided we needed to buy a new washer and dryer.  We actually decided to buy two dryers, because the new house we bought just happens to have hookups for washer and dryers in two places.  We had brought with us one set – but we didn’t realize we needed a gas dryer when we moved.  So, we decided to donate our electric dryer and to buy two new dryers and one washer.

 

When we found out last week that we had to wait a full week for our new units, I was a little bummed because we have seven kids who need clean clothes.  Yeah, did I mention that these kids only had a few clean outfits left?  Well, we decided to make due with the little bit of clean clothes we had left and made it the six days until installation.

 

How the day Began

This morning the guys came to install the machines.  It all started out ok, really.  We needed to replace one washer and dryer upstairs and to install a new dryer in the downstairs mudroom.  About an hour after they left I figured I should start washing some kids clothes.  So, I ran upstairs to throw some clothes in our front loader.  When I got to the room I walked into a large puddle on the floor.  I stood there for a second wondering why there was water all over the floor.  And then I heard it.  A slow and steady drip, drip, drip.  I called for hubby and when he checked it out he quickly realized that one of the water hoses on the back needed to be tightened.  However, because we just moved, he didn’t have the tools he needed to repair this.

 

Problem # 1

I then decided to run to the downstairs to throw the clothes we were washing down there (did I mention that we hadn’t done laundry in a week – yeah, we had tons to do) in the dryer.  About 30 minutes later, my little 6 year old asked me if any of his pants were dry (at this point, he was still wearing his PJs).  I quickly opened up the dryer to find that although it was fluffing the clothes – they were soaking wet and cold.  At this point we called the installation team to come check it out and to come fix the water leakage upstairs.

natural gas

Problem Solved?

A few hours later, all seemed to be well.  The guys came out again and realized they needed to tighten up the seal around the hot water tubing in the upstairs washer.  Problem solved.  They made their way downstairs and after a few minutes figured out that the gas line hadn’t been turned on behind the dryer unit.  They ran the dryer for a minute to make sure the heat was working and then they went on their way.

 

Hubby quickly decided to leave it running because there was still a huge amount of little boys clothing to dry in the dryer.  I ran upstairs to get ready to go to the grocery store.  My 10 year old daughter and I had realized that in all the commotion we hadn’t remembered to prepare anything for dinner.  I figured I could go pick up a rotisserie chicken and some veggies and quickly make it.  As I made my way down the stairs, I smelled something that didn’t seem right.  I thought I smelled natural gas.

 

Something’s Not Right

At this point it was evening, and my 12 year old son was outside mowing the lawn.  Hubby was out there helping him.  All the other kids were watching him, somehow mesmerized by our new electric lawn mower (more on that in another post!) so I decided to head out with our baby and daughter.  I yelled outside that I was heading to the store, but as I walked back through the mudroom I realized the smell was starting to become overwhelming.  I quickly ran back outside and mentioned to my husband that I was going to turn the dryer off.

 

Part of me was hoping that this was just a new dryer smell.  But I couldn’t deny that it smelled quite like natural gas.  Oddly enough, this was the first time hubby and I have owned gas appliances.  In fact, the only reason I knew what natural gas smelled like was from a leak in my house when I was in high school where I smelled it in our basement and asked my mom what that odd stinky smell was.  She realized that the pilot light had gone out on our hot water heater and called the gas company.  So, as I walked through the laundry area, I stopped the dryer, and then we drove a  few miles down the road to the grocery store.

 

Is this Natural Gas?

As I hurriedly grabbed a chicken and some potatoes, I took out my phone and dialed my sister.  I knew she had gas appliances and figured she would know what to do.  As I spent a few minutes talking she asked some questions that seriously disturbed me.  “Could I have a natural gas leak?”  “Could the guys have punctured the line?”  “Was there a problem with the new dryer?”  I felt my heart sinking as she presented any number of scenarios.  And the worst part was none of her scenarios were, “This is normal for a new gas dryer.”  Her husband then got in on the conversation and asked if I was certain I was smelling gas.

She directed me to go back home and see if I still smelled it.  So, with what little groceries I had in my cart, I swiftly moved through the checkout and out the door.

 

What Should We DO?

When I walked back through our mudroom door, I smelled that all too familiar smell.  My husband was now inside but wasn’t sure what he was smelling. He wasn’t sure if it was natural gas or new dryer smell because he has some problems with his sense of smell.  I think the whole thing was frustrating him because he just wasn’t sure how strong I was smelling it.  I immediately went out to the back yard to get some fresh air.  It was then that my sister and her husband called me back.  As I explained what was going on, they mentioned going to ask a neighbor for help.  I hung up and walked nearby to a neighbor that I thought might be home.

 

Thankfully, not only was our neighbor home, but she knew exactly what to do.  I had no idea prior to this, but she happens to be the director of emergency services in our area.  I asked her if she has gas appliances and she immediately walked with me over to my home.  Stepping one foot into the house she told me she was going to dial for help.  She called the fire department, who arrived just minutes later.

 

They instructed us to leave the house with all of our children and pets and stay outside until it was safe.  We did, and as we were waiting, the paramedics came.  They asked if any of us had been experiencing any headaches or other health problems.  They ended up checking me out for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and other problems that can arise from too much exposure to natural gas.  Thankfully, I checked out ok and was able to join the rest of my family in our yard.

 

 

The gas company representative showed up soon after and was able to detect where the leak was coming from.  Early in the day, when the installation people were out, they hadn’t installed the dryer correctly.  They had barely hooked up the gas hose- most likely they used their hand to try to tighten.  It was about to fall off completely and it wasn’t sealed or tightened properly.  It didn’t cause a problem until they had come back out in the afternoon and turned on the gas.  So for the past hour and a half to two hours we had gas leaking out of the back of the dryer and into our home.

 

So Thankful

This story could have ended with a not so happy ending. My children, husband, and I could have suffered health problems as a result.  Our little dog was at risk for getting very sick (or worse).  Or, our house could have exploded if the gas met a flame or spark.  So, as I quickly realized, natural gas is nothing to play around with.  If you, like me, are new to gas appliances, don’t take any chances.  I’m so thankful that our neighbor knew exactly what to do to protect my family from being harmed.  And I’m also extremely thankful for the firefighters and paramedics that came right out. They were able to turn off the gas and inspect the area and to check us for health issues.

 

I’m grateful that my kids were outside with my husband nearly the entire time, so their exposure was minor.  I probably got the brunt of it because I was trying to figure out how serious this smell actually was.

 

Please learn from my mistake!  To find out more about what to do if you suspect a gas leak, click here.

 

 

A Brand New Beginning

A Brand New Beginning

 

I’m sorry friends.  I truly am.  As I sit here to write this, I think about the last three months and see that I was trying to do my best.  As a mom, as a wife, as a homeschooler, and as someone who was living through a major life change.  I was trying to juggle so much.  One thing I didn’t do my best at was being a blogger, a writer, and connecting with all of you.

 

I never dreamed it would be this long.  That moment in April when I hit publish on my last blog post seems like an eternity ago.  It was a crazy a week of Spring cleaning.  So much was happening and our house was in a frenzy.  I needed to buckle down on housework.  Baby Pip was only 3.5 months old and I needed time.  Time.  I had so little of it to spare.  It started when my husband’s quartet and my chorus both had competitions in back to back weekends.  All of our kids travelling with us for two weekends in a row.  Then when we got back home from that second trip, I just needed space.  Space from the world.  I took a break from my personal Facebook page for several weeks in that time, too.  I dove head on into our Spring cleaning.  There was so much I wanted to share with you and now there still is.

 

We started with getting rid of tons and tons of kids clothing.  Clothes that were outgrown, out of season, and not loved.  We had so much but it borderlined on too much.  So, I took two covered bins – one of the girls and one for the boys.  I began to sort by season and saved any Christmas and winter clothes that could be used next year. Someone once told me that long sleeve dresses are perfect for winter, but I didn’t realise until now, that I took that so seriously. I must have dug out 13 dresses in total, why does anyone need 13 (very similar looking) dresses. So I started throwing the excess clothes in bags to give away.  We made it down to 7 casual and play clothes for all the kids 10 and up (plus a few more dressy clothes).  I ended up doing 10 outfits for the kids 6 and under (plus a couple of dressy clothes for church).  The rest went to people who needed it.

 

Next was the books.  We got rid of books and curriculum that were no longer needed or loved.  I ended up selling most of it to a curriculum store near where we were living.  It is hard for me to say goodbye to things but it feels so good to remember that these items are just “things”.  They were taking up so much space in our home.

 

Then as the Spring was churning away, during one of the busiest seasons of life I have ever experienced, my husband was offered a job.  A job we were thrilled about.  It was quickly followed by a mix of emotions because it would mean we would have to leave the city we had lived in and loved or nearly for our entire married life.  But this move, this adventure, was prayed over, and we felt certain it was the answer we had been waiting for.

 

So over the next few months we stored some items in a storage unit, sold others, and got our house ready to show.  During that time we also decided to fly to the new city to look at housing.  At the same time, my daughter was in her very first musical, school and co-op were winding down, and we were trying to juggle keeping the house clean, showing the house, and finding a new place to live – STAT.

 

So to put it mildly, the last few months felt like a whirlwind.   I feel like I haven’t had time to catch my breath.  We praise God for wonderful friends who helped us through the packing of our truck, some even bringing meals over, and bathing us in prayer.  Thankfully, over the past week we have gotten settled in our new home in Chicagoland.  There is so much I want to share with you, dear friends.  So much.  Please check back soon, because before my hiatus I had begun to work on a post about motherhood, and I want to share with you about our travels this Summer, how we finished out our homeschool year (with some awesome curriculum reviews) and even more importantly some updates about our baby.

 

This is a brand new beginning.  I can’t wait to share it all, but for now I must get back to unpacking.

The 8 Best Games That Will Make You Think

 

The 8 Best Games That Will Make You Think

 

 

Games can be awesome tools that help you and your kids gain knowledge.  They can make you smarter.  They can increase critical thinking skills.  They can even help with homeschooling.  Games are tons of fun.  Here are 8 games that will make you think!

 

 

games that will make you think

(Contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.)

Love games with the kids #timeline #homeschool

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1. Timeline– 2-8 players, 15 minutes.  The ultimate history game!  This simple game consists of a set of cards each with an invention on one side and the year printed on the opposite side.  The goal is to put the cards in order to create a correct timeline.

 

On your turn, you place the card where you think it belongs. When you flip it over, you will find out if the date is in the right order with the rest of the cards on the table.  If you get one wrong you need to discard that card, get another one, and wait until your next turn to try again.  Whoever lays down all their cards first is the winner.   This game teaches critical thinking, deduction, and history.

2. 10 Days In Europe Game– Ages 8+, 2-4 players. This is one of my favorite games.
Back several years ago when my daughter was only 6 and my 2nd son was 8 we started playing this game.  Within a few months of playing this once or twice a week they had every country in Europe memorized.  It was amazing.  I couldn’t believe it.

At first, the game was hard to play (for all of us – not just the kids).   The rules are simple, the strategy is not.

 

The board is a colorful map of Europe.  You are given 10 cards – each with either a name of a European country, ships, or specifically colored airplane.

 

Each card represents a day of a trip – a 10 day trip.  The mission?  To use all your cards (or new ones you pick up from the pile) to create a trip through Europe.  You can start in any country but once it is set on a day the only way to change a card to a different day is by using your entire turn.

 

That is where the strategy comes in.  You must decide from the beginning where you are going to place your 10 cards (you only get one at a time – so you have to do the best you can with what you have been given).  The ships are labeled by which sea or ocean they travel in, the airplanes are colored so they can only be used to travel to and from countries that are the same color.

 

This is one of my favorite games that will make you think.  I love that this is a geography and strategy game.

3. Ticket To Ride – Ages 8+, 2-5 players, 30-60 minutes. This is another geography based game.  This one is a map of the USA (although they do make a Europe version, Switzerland, India, and others).  The board is a map of the USA – you are given 3 cards that are mini maps.

 

Love this game. #strategy #geography #homeschooling #familyfun #boardgames #tickettoride

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These maps show you where you need to go to get the most points.  If you complete the routes on your maps you get the points, if you don’t complete them, you get them deducted at the end of the game.  You are also given trains and train cards (colored trains).

 

It is your job to match however many trains you need to go between two cities (according to the map) with the amount of train cards you have.  Don’t have enough? On your next turn you can try to grab them from the pile.

I find this game teaches specific cities in the USA, where they are located, and reading maps and directions.  We allow our kids to play at different levels.  For instance, our oldest has autism and other special needs.  It is very difficult for him to decipher what is on his route cards.

 

We have allowed him to play just by collecting the cards he needs to run trains from one city to the next.  He loves playing this and it still teaches strategy.  This game is simpler than it’s European counterpart which I like when playing with younger kids.  Although we enjoy that version, as well.

 

 

4. Wits & Wagers Family – Ages 6+, 3+ players. We got this game for Christmas and it quickly became one of our all time favorites to play as a family.  The game takes less than a half hour to play and it is for ages 6 and up.  Our 6 year old, 9 year old, 12 year old and 14 year old all love it.  It is a game based around statistics and wagering. Ultimately it is a game of logical thinking.

 

The game is played in two parts.  First a question is read.  Your goal is to guess the correct answer.  Once everyone writes their answers on their own card.  The cards are revealed and then everyone gets two guesses as to who has the correct answer.  You can put your “big” meeple on one and your small “meeple” on another – or both on the same one.  Whoever comes closest without going over the answer is the winner of that question. However, whoever guesses the correct answer also gets points.  

 

Playing #scrabble in the afternoon with the big kids … #homeschooling #spelling

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5. Hasbro Scrabble Crossword Game – Ages 8+, 2-4 players. This is a classic and we LOVE it for teaching spelling.  Our 12 year old son has dyslexia and this has helped him expand his understanding of words, spelling, and has even helped his vocabulary!

6. Axis and Allies 1941 Board Game – Ages 12+, 2-5 players, 2 hours game play. We have been playing this game for the past 6 months.  This game board is the map of the world circa 1941.

games that will make you think

 

There can be 2-5 players and each player is one country -or more- (but if you have more than one country then your 2-3 countries have to be part of the same team).  This is a game about WWII and you are either on the side of the Axis or the Allies.  It is a game of war, geography, and strategy.  My 12 year old son loves it.  It has helped him develop his critical thinking skills along with his knowledge of history (specifically World War II).


7. Monopoly Board Game The Classic Edition – Ages 8+, 45-60 minutes game play, 2-8 players. I’ve been playing Monopoly since I was a kid!  This is a favorite game of my oldest son.  I love that he has learned to play it because it teaches how to count money, adding, and strategic thinking. 

 

Love playing chess with my boy. #momlife #momofboys #chess #chessmoves #homeschoolinglife #homeschoolingmiddleschool

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8. No Stress Chess – Ages 7+, 2 players. The ultimate strategy game.  Chess can be used to teach logic, strategy, and patience (a lot of patience).  This particular game of Chess (called No Stress Chess) is a game for beginners on one side and for experienced players on the flip side of the board.  You can choose to use the cards (which explain how the pieces are moved) or play without for the more classic version of the game.  This version is for ages 7+ (but even my 6 year old plays).

 

 

So, I’ve shared with you the games that will make you think.  What do you think?  What are your favorite games you can use to teach your kids (and you)?

Plan to Love {will you accept the challenge?}

Plan to Love

 

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7

 

Time.  We only have so much of it.   This gift that seems like an infinity when we are young.  As we grow older, I think we realize that it won’t last forever.  This gift can run out before we want it to.  Time is a gift and at times feels like the enemy.

 

This week my extended family lost a friend to cancer.  Two days later my blogging family lost another to a house fire.  These losses, these losses came as a shock to us.  How quickly time can fade from us.  James writes, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” James 4:14

 

I spent the greater part of last week trying to contemplate this.  Trying to grasp it.  Trying to understand how frail we all are.  How this life is a gift.

 

I shared with you last week about seeking your purpose.  I mentioned how we each have a role to play on this journey of life.

 

But, I can’t help but wondering, what if it is so much more simple than that?  What if it isn’t some complex problem to solve or this ambiguous idea we need to be in search of.  Maybe it isn’t so confusing after all.

 

Tuesday morning it all seemed to come into focus for me.

 

I had been searching for something and I think that I’ve found it.  It’s something that has been here all along.  It just seems my eyes had to be open to see it.

 

It was then that it hit me: If time is the gift we’ve all been given, what if love is the gift, the offering, that we are able to give back?

 

Because love never runs out.

 

It never disappears.

 

It conquers all.

 

My head was spinning with ideas and understanding.  As the Bible verses that we had memorized came flooding back to me.

 

We need to love.

 

We need to love our husbands.

 

We need to love our children.

 

We need to love our neighbors.

 

We need to love our church family.

 

We need to love our friends.

 

But we also need to love the others, all the others.

 

The people in other neighborhoods in our communities.

 

The people who live downtown.

 

The people who live in other parts of our state.

 

The people who live on the other side of our country.

 

The people who live in the other side of the world.

 

We don’t do these things to earn our way into Heaven.  We don’t do this to earn favor or to earn grace.  No, we do these things because of what our Lord and Savior has already done for us.  He was sent here as perfect love.

 

Jesus commanded in John, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12

plan to love

And then in the book of Matthew, when the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

 

So we do these things not because we are good.  We don’t do these things because we want to prove we are Christians.  We don’t do these things to prove a point.

 

We do these things because our Lord has commanded us to.  We do these things because he loved us.

 

We do these things because we are filled to the brim with His love.

 

We do these things because this is how we worship God.

 

Paul writes, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1

 

We also do these things because we have faith.  And we know that true faith means stepping out and letting God guide us.  

 

James 2:15-17 says, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  

 

We have been given a beautiful gift.  It is the gift of time.

 

What are you planning on doing with it?

 

Today begins a new journey for our family.  We will be choosing to use our time more wisely as we plan to deliberately love others.  Over the next few days and weeks I hope to share with you what we are doing and what we plan to do.  If you have suggestions please send me a message on facebook (see below).

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Such a Time as This

Cute DIY Baby Shirts and Bibs with Cricut Explore Air 2 {Tutorial}

Cute DIY Baby Shirts and Bibs with Cricut Explore Air 2 {Tutorial}

 

So, if you’ve been following along with me the last few weeks, you’ve read all about what the Cricut Explore Air 2 can do.  I even shared my last project: DIY Homemade Notecards. 

 

(Contains affiliate links.  See my disclosure policy.)

diy baby shirt

I love using the Cricut Explore Air 2  and I’m realizing just how crazy awesome this machine is.  It can really do as much as you can imagine and create.

 

As I was playing around with it today, I realized how much I enjoy making projects that need some handwritten or drawn component.   I love to draw, so this hobby is an awesome combo of drawing, graphic design, and making clothes for my kids (because I sometimes sew, too!)

Cute DIY Baby Shirts + Bibs

 

Today, I decided to try to make some customized shirts and bibs for Baby Pip.

 

Scotties have been my absolute favorite breed of dog for a very long time, I decided to hand draw a Scottish Terrier on a piece of white paper.

cute diy baby shirts

Here are the step by step instructions to make a cute shirt and bib for your baby.

 

First take a  picture of your drawing and loaded it to your computer.  (Or you can use mine  click here: Scotty Dog Best Friend or here: Scotty Puppy Love.)

 

After opening up Cricut Design Space,  hit the “Upload Image” button if you are using your own picture.

 

Locate it and click on it.  Now all you have to do is clean it up.  Erase any stray lines from the back ground and save it as a “cut” project.  Simple.

 

After the picture is loaded, you can add text with Cricut Access Fonts and then make sure to highlight your layers and weld and attach them together.  This is a super simple process but one that I almost missed my first time around.  This allows your image to print exactly as it is laid out.

Ok … so now you have your image and text.  You are ready to cut out your images.  Simply take your Cricut Iron-on Paper in the color of your choosing (I used black) and place it liner down on your Cricut mat.  (Hint: The liner is the clear glossy side.)

 

Set your machine dial to “iron-on”.

 

The awesome thing about Cricut is that it will cut through the Iron-on but not pierce through the clear liner.

cute diy baby shirts

IMPORTANT: When looking at the screen, don’t forget to click the mirror-image button.  If you don’t do this step, your words will be backwards once you iron it on your fabric. 

 

Follow the steps on the screen.  It will tell you to push the insert button and then the “go” button.  The button you are to push will flash on your Cricut Explore Air 2.  This is a totally awesome feature.  They really take the guess work out of it.

cute diy baby shirts

It only takes about a minute to make the cut.

 

Next you will need your weeder tool.  That’s the one that looks like it has a sharp hook metal end.  Use that to remove the negative area.  (Like the insides of letters).  You can also use your scissors to cut around the edge of your image – only leave a small border so you don’t cut too close.

 

Finally, you are ready to finish your project. With your iron set to the highest setting (cotton/linen setting), first, iron the part of the fabric you will be using (this step is BEFORE you place your image on the fabric.)  Note: Do NOT use steam.

 

Take your image and place it down so the glossy liner is facing up.  You will be able to see through it and it will look exactly like it will once it is ironed on.

 

Next, take a towel or piece of fabric and put it between your image and your iron.  With your iron on the highest setting iron for about 30 seconds.  Now flip the fabric over (be careful to keep your image where it is on the fabric).  Now iron again the backside of your fabric.

cute diy baby shirts

Let it cool for about 5 minutes.  Gently peel away the liner.  If it seems to get caught, you will need to iron for a few more seconds.  Finally, you need to let it cool again and then peel.

Ta-Da! You did it! You just made some cute customized baby shirts & bibs for your sweet little one.

 

cute diy baby shirts

Here is an easy printable instructions you can keep with you when you are making your iron-on baby clothes. Just click the image to download the free DIY Baby Shirt for Cricut Instruction PDF printable.

cute diy baby shirts

To use my Scotty Dog Print for your DIY Baby Shirt click here: Scotty Dog Best Friend or here: Scotty Puppy Love.

You can find the tools, paper, and machine to make this project at cricut.com.

Supplies I used: Black Iron-on Paper, Scissors, Weeder Tool, and my Cricut Explore Air™ 2 machine, plus t-shirts and bibs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.