Cinderella...

Don't you wish life were a fairy tale?  I do, because then animals could talk to you, make you pretty dresses and help with chores.  Instead, they just scare you! 

I was told this might happen.... warned by the neighbors.... even my dad said it happens in Iowa....  MICE.

Seriously?!  A mouse in the house is NOT what you want to see at 9pm at night.  I texted my mom and told her I was like Cinderella and was going to name him Gus so that I didn't freak myself out even more.  It worked for a little bit... then we found him AGAIN.  It didn't work so much this time.  Matt went through his normal routine of tearing the place apart, vacuuming, cleaning etc... all while I stood on the couch- Yep, that's what I did.  No luck though- Gus Gus had escaped through whatever hole he had found.  So what's a person to do?!  WALMART.  Yep, 9:45pm and off I headed to walmart....  this is what I came home with.....

**About 10 traps... all that were left (again, people up here know this happens-- it's due to the farmers plowing the fields and the mice have no where to go-- common... but NOT pleasant)
**Peanut Butter... crunchy... Matt read that they like crunchy best... poor guy doesn't stand a chance
**Kit Kat and Sparkling Grape juice.... for me... for my sanity... so I can pretend I'm Cinderella and that mice are helpful and friendly.... :)

 You might be wondering why Matt didn't go to the store.... easy answer... I wasn't going to chance seeing Gus again by myself.  Matt had to stay home and tear apart closets so we could set our traps.

Here he is preparing the traps... ALL of them... I don't care.  Like I said, most of the traps were already sold out, I would have bought more- this is a common thing, so it must mean we're in for a couple rough weeks with all the plowing going on....

Anyways...  on the way home I heard Francesca Battistelli's song "This is the stuff"... the chorus goes:

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

It's things like a small mouse that make me CRAZY!  In Texas, it was scorpions. In Kentucky, it was the dogs chasing groundhogs- UGH.  And yes, many people don't have to deal with these things, but for whatever reason I do.  Again, it's not what I would choose, but somehow-- even in a little mouse-- there has to be a reason for God allowing things.... I will probably never know, but it does give me a little hope that God puts us through things, little things, so that we come out with more trust/awe of Him.  Maybe that's just crazy, but I hadn't heard the song in MONTHS and it just seemed right at the time.  In reality, I am SUPER blessed.  And yes, the house is an old farm house, so really, what can you expect?!  BUT, it's very nice and we're VERY blessed to have the space, the low cost and the safe area for our kids.  It's those things I need to keep in mind... on top of the fact that Matt will clean and tear things apart for me late at night so that I can be reassured that Gus is not anywhere in sight :)  Love him!

**Oh and Matt may have seen him in the garage, so he may not be in right now-- no sign anyways... and I keep the dogs close by ... just in case... :)  They better be good for something!