Bed Bugs, Prayers, Blessings, and Silver Linings

I was looking for a way to help a family this Christmas. I really wanted to do something nice for someone else because my life was going so great I couldn't believe my good fortune.

Then we bought a used couch from a consignment site on Facebook and I got bed bugs. Not exactly the Christmas present I wanted. :)

Bed bugs are invasive and very expensive to get rid of. Yay me.

As you do, you start to freak out about how you are exactly going to pay for such an expensive thing 2 weeks before Christmas. Forget the Grinch, the bed bugs are trying to steal Christmas!

So I did what I always do when I start to freak out and consider the merits of drinking. I prayed. I prayed to find a way to pay for this.

Someone is looking out for me because not only is the exterminator giving us a screaming deal, but my work has picked up and Scott signed 4 new jobs yesterday. Woo Hoo.

Other people are looking out for me too. I know too many amazing people. (Is there such a thing?) People that bring you lunch and dinner and laundry soap because you somehow went through 2 bottles while washing EVERY SINGLE ITEM in your house and still ended up short. Or, they send you a ham that will be delivered 5 days before Christmas. Mama loves her ham!

Not quite sure how or why I deserved all these great people, but I am super thankful to have them in my life.

So, I am doing what I can to see the best in this situation.

1. Have you ever taken the time to wash everything in your house? You should. Sure it's a lot of work, but you find yourself thinking "do my boys really NEED 40 shirts?". Time to purge!

2. The kids mattresses probably needed to be replaced anyway. This was just the kick in the pants that I needed.

3. I always wanted to be one of those people that is obsessively cleaning their house all the time. This has forced me to become that person. It's kind of nice. Exhausting, but nice.

4. I took the time to empty every drawer and every closet and vacuum/wipe them down. Keep in mind that I have owned the boys' dresser for about 9 years. I don't think I have ever done this. It was gross. I put clean laundry in there? Yuck.

5. I always wanted to live a minimalist life. I kind of like my bedroom with next to nothing in it. I think I will keep it that way.

6. I swept and mopped under all the beds. There were some monster dust bunnies under mine. Eek!

7. I have been meaning to put our "permanent storage items" ie: Scott's baseball cards in a better, sturdier, plastic container. Like, I have been meaning to for about 12 years now. Just imagine how tidy my closet will look when everything is in clear plastic containers that are tightly sealed instead of cardboard boxes with tons of writing a loose tape on the sides.

8. I have been meaning to clean out the garage. But, hey, it's the garage. No one cares. I care!

9. I ate a root beer float yesterday. When's the last time you had a root beer float? If the answer is more than "last week" you are missing out. Eat one. So good.

10. I finally broke the 30 pound mark. I sat at 29 for so long. Nothing like stress cleaning and laundry to help shed another 3 pounds and break the barrier!

As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."