Under My Lid.

The rain, it is a'falling and my sanity level is a little too.

Is it possible to feel the smallest bit trapped in one's favorite place in all the world {home}?

For me the answer is
"Yes, it is".

We already built tents, played dress up, colored, stomped in rain puddles, watched a Diego DVD (twice), and had a short-lived 'quiet time'. And it's only 3pm. I heard the familiar knock of  Mr. Inn Sanitee (say it fast) rapping at the door of my mind, and knew I needed SOMETHING to keep the children occupied, even if just for the normal 10-minute attention span, or else I just might answer 'the door'.

That's when the old classic standby came out of the cupboard:.

I broke out a few of the new containers as a special treat...thinking that MAYBE, just maybe, today would be the dawn of a new era. Perhaps on this dreary week day the Play-Doh colors would return to their containers as the solid color they came out as.

Today was not the day.

With the brief space to ponder anything  I had at the moment (see picture above...and that's just the kitchen table. Gratefully, my lens isn't wide enough to capture the rest of the room!), it occurred to me that humanity holds a similarity to this funky little doughy invention, especially when the colors are inseparably mixed.

How we appear on the outside may resemble someone else...our 'lid color' might be similar to someone else. Yet when the lid is peeled back, the inside reveals various hues swirling around the once-prominent color, casting a layered, varied version of what was advertised on the outside.

In other words, while we may share a common personality or passion with our cousin or best friend, there is no cookie cutter human out there....we each have our own unique 'color blending' going on, some parts pretty, other parts - not so much.  The round barrel of bright pink dough might have bits of blue (the circumstances we were born into), lots of lime green (the environment in which we grew up) and yellow (the light in which was cast in which to view ourselves)...plus a host of other colors/significant life factors.

It is rarely - if ever- as simple as 'What you see is what you get".

No matter how neat and promising our outside 'containters' are...EVERYONE has their own bit of color blending. You just have to get beyond the 'lid' to know it. {Speaking of 'Messy', there is a blog authored by three women who I hold in deep admiration. I can read their words and take their advice quite easily because I know they are women who have come through their own uniquely fierce battles...and have emerged victorious. If your heart could use a little refreshment today, I would encourage you to visit

"Messy Friends".

I was grateful for the little bit of insight that my old childhood favorite craft afforded me, as it is just a rare occurrence that I think anything more than 'HELP me God, get through this day!!!". I just thought I'd pass it along for whatever it is worth. Do or dispose of it as you please!!

{{As I am typing, it is supposed to be 'quiet time'. I feel my blood pressure rising as every 2 minutes a child will come and ask me for a 'nak' (snack) or water or to help them make a bridge.Seriously. Get. Away. From. Me. That's what I want to say. Come on...if you're a mama, don't pretend you've never thought this. Please do not deny that you have felt claustrophobia in the cozy confines of your own home sweet home, no matter how large the square footage may  be. We love our children more than ourselves, but sometimes we need to hide from them!! Even if just for 30 seconds!}}

Here's to embracing ALL the colors found under our lid...and realizing that the One who created us delights in bringing all those colors together a BRILLIANT way.