Only on Covewood

Hey guys! I am, yet again, ashamed of my apparant lack of blogging skills. I think tonight's post will more than make up for the weeks that have gone by.

Today was going pretty well, all things considered. Merle went in to work at one, so we had most of the morning to spend together. We did come to the exciting decision that we are going to re-carpet the house. I love the carpet that is in here now, and it's only five years old. However, the acquisition of a certain canine named Coco has changed the current look and smell of the carpet. You know our track record with trying to do updates to the house, so don't get excited until it's actually done.

Anyway, enough about that. I was able to meet a friend from years past for lunch, and that was fun catching up on what's been going on with each other. I went to Wal-Mart (without kids, I might add!) and got to just look around. That's a big deal for me! Then it was time to pick up the kiddos. So we got home and everyone got snacks and a drink, and it was time to just hang out. So I put the chicken for dinner on to boil, and we went out in the backyard. Have you ever put chicken on to boil and forgotten about it? I should have just called it quits then, but I trudged on. See, the stove I cook on is the ORIGINAL stove that came in the house. It's from 1979, has burners and is mustard yellow in color. It cooks great, but looks like a beast! So the chicken boils over and goes all up under the burner. It pools up and starts stinking under the burner. Okay, enough about that. You feel my pain.

So my brother, Matt, and his wife, Valerie, come to eat dinner with us. The kids love having them come over. The boys were in the backyard playing and we were inside talking. It registered in the back of my mind that Collin kept coming in and out of the house, but that is nothing out of the ordinary, so I didn't really pay any attention. The next thing I know, Collin is screaming, "There's a fire! There's a fire!" I will never forget how my heart stopped in that instant and I pictured the worst. I run out to the backyard, and there is a nice grass fire burning away.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? CAN YOU JUST SEE THIS???

Here's what happened. Collin has discovered the Bic lighters that I use to light candles around the house. He took one, unbeknownst to me, out to the backyard and proceeded to set a leaf on fire. He says hedropped the leaf and it caught the brown winter grass on fire, and quickly spread. The trips inside and out were an attempt to put out the fire with cups of water. I just started screaming for Matt to help--I truly was so panicked that I didn't know what to do. Valerie quickly got the hose hooked up, and we got the fire out. It was so scary because all I could think about was what if Collin had been in the house with the lighter and set a piece of paper on fire? It could have been so much worse, but it was very scary as it was. Of course I disciplined him, and it didn't take much because he was really scared when he saw how bad the fire was. I made him call Merle and tell him what he did, and that was hard on him also.

So the drama from the fire is over, and we all troop back inside after surveying the damage one last time. Valerie says, "What is that rattling noise?" We go in the kitchen to investigate (I was ready to blame the dryer for the sound!) and lo and behold!!! Coco is on the stove, finishing off the dish of poppy seed chicken that was left over for Merle to eat when he gets off work!!!! This evening, nothing went right. Everything that could go wrong, did. And all I can sit here and do is thank God for the patience and the grace that he gave me to deal with this crazy night. Isn't He amazing?

Enough for now...you know that if it takes me a long time to post again that when I do, it will be well worth the story!!!