Walk by Hello: Making Friends with Crazy

14 February 2010

Making Friends with Crazy

The past few days have been well...crazy. Besides ice storms and the like our only working vehicle died right before we headed out to grocery shop. Our street being almost completely vacant for reconstruction means there was virtually no one to help. Enter trusty car battery charger (thank you in laws), except I failed to read the instructions to charge it upon receiving. So while I waited for the charge I poked around and thankfully found an electrician working on one of the houses and he and his co worker kindly gave me a jump, thereby getting themselves mired in the mud that is our side yard...

Upon waking yesterday morning a ho hum load of laundry became a vicious flood, invading kitchen and dining room, covering bathroom floors and spewing up food from the shower drain. I was surprised at my own response, standing calmly by while watching a recreation of Old Faithful from my toilet...

I came back out to the kitchen to find Adam gleefully gliding on the pools of soapy water. I just had to smile and then we laughed. Now there is a HUGE ditch in our backyard where they had to uncover our pipes and expunge (sp?) all the gunk from them and more work left to be done bright and early Monday morning.

One of the hardest lessons I have learned from this year as a solo trapeze artist is that crazy is never too far away and I can't let it get me off course. In fact its an almost constant companion with three little ones under 5 and a husband thousands of miles away. I used to rage at the havoc it caused, cry and stew and whine and complain and life stood still while I tried to win. But in the end you can't really fight crazy, you just have to make peace with it and keep on keeping on...

3 comments:

Mel said...: Oh Sarah ... I'll be praying harder!; February 14, 2010 at 1:49 PM
Jennifer said...: Sarah, totally loved the post and thankful God provided help!!! Love you.; February 14, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Deanna @ oneagleswings said...: Great perspective as always. What a good reminder. I am not a 'solo trapeze artist' but crazy still seems pretty nearby on some days.

I'm praying for you too, and thankful to hear of all of the wonderful things that you have learned in this year without your beloved at home.

God uses everything in our lives to teach us, doesn't he?; February 15, 2010 at 10:33 AM

Pecan Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.

For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.

When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.