Cat Feet Studio

In Which I Think About Putting A Wild Hare on a Plane and Flying Somewhere, Part 2

2012-02-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

So...where was I? You can read Part 1 of this post here. Either click on the link or just scroll down. The post is right below this one.

Oh yes. I was toying with the idea of jetting off into the clouds on a DC-10. Or maybe a 737 Airbus. (Have you seen of those babies close up? We are talking about a very large airplane.)

Okay.

So...

Am I going to look into?

No, if I follow my usual pattern.

But...do I want to live the rest of my life following my usual pattern? I think not. My usual pattern tends to keep me where it's safe and familiar. There's comfort in that, but I'm not sure I want to stay "safe and familiar" for the rest of my life. Call it a female mid-life crisis. Call it what you want, but in remaining "safe and familiar" there's no achievement, nothing to be proud of, no long term fulfillment, and very little need to grow and change and become a better, bigger, more productive person.

I quit a job a while back because, among other reasons, I felt like I was never home. (I've kicked myself over and over since, but hindsight is 20/20 and I learned a lot from that mistake. I should have stuck with the job for a while longer...but, well, it is what it is.) I understand that my first responsibility is to my home and husband. He is, however, perfectly capable of preparing his own meals on occasion and even knows how to use the washing machine if he has to. He can take out the trash and he knows how to iron. He can even feed the cat and prune the roses! And he doesn't mind doing those things if I'm busy or not around for some reason.

My kids will find that hard to believe...the part about him not minding, but he honestly doesn't. Don't get me wrong...I'm very aware of priorities and what my role is and is not, and I happily do all those things for him. If I didn't I'd probably hang out on Pinterest all day or something. It's not like I have regular commitments that need to be met, but he does. He works full time. He's at home, granted, but he's still working. The man writes three amazing sermons a week that take 10-12 hours of study each. He also runs a weekly men's discipleship class, and takes care of countless other church related things, offers pastoral counsel to people in person and over the phone, not to mention maintaining the house in good repair, taking care of the car and making sure all the bills are paid on time. He also works out twice a day (we both do) to stay healthy. He's a very busy man so the least I can do if I'm not working is take care of all the home stuff so he doesn't have to think about it. What else am I going to do with my time anyway? Blog?

...ahem.

But...roles change in life as circumstances change. Our lives are in a new season (hello empty nest!). I can stay in my old patterns of thinking and living, or I can step out in faith and pursue new or renewed interests.

Most flight attendants work 75-80 hours a month. That's right. A month. That's the equivalent of two weeks out of four. Less time than I was working before, but for days at at time, which would feel, again, like I was never home. Sometimes they have to crash for a few hours of sleep in between flights wherever they can find a place to lay their heads. Without seniority the schedules usually pretty much suck. And, really, is this realistic for me? If you know me, you know how much I like my sleep...in my own bed...with my own fluffy duvet! But all that aside, am I just entertaining pointless ideas or is this a dream that doesn't yet have feet? Sometimes I get tired of having big ideas and then giving them up for what's "practical." It's that old mode of thinking thing.

A few things I know for sure: I need to pray. I'm feeling a bit restless and I think working outside my home in some capacity would be good. I need to find the right job, and the right balance, and the mind of God! But regardless of what I do on the outward, the main thing is learning to break out of my usual pattern of thinking. Those old ways aren't wrong, per say, but they are no longer current or relevant to my life. Time to grow, to change, to learn, to find out how I can be a productive and contributing member of my family, my marriage, my church, and my community in this new season of life. Time to not be a "non-contributing zero." (Click the link. It's a four minute video. Hilarious.)

Time to pray.

In Which I Think About Putting A Wild Hare on a Plane and Flying Somewhere, Part 1

2012-02-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

(source)

When I was little I desperately wanted to be a flight attendant.

After I graduated from high school but before I became a Christian I thought about it again and decided against it. I would have (very much!) liked to do it but I didn't have the confidence. I felt at the time that the process was bigger and scarier and more intimidating than trying out for cheer leading had been when I was a freshman. That whole experience was awful. The comparison, the peer pressure, the cattiness of the girls, the feeling that I didn't measure up and never would and the fact that I wasn't "popular," and therefore someone to be looked down on, was too much for me as a freshman at age 14. It actually affected me deeply for a long time. I shouldn't have let it do so, but what can I say? Fourteen is a pretty impressionable and important age. My high school years where fraught with insecurity and my motto was "I'm in search of myself. Have you seen me anywhere?"

After graduation I felt like applying as a flight attendant would bring up all those old feelings of inadequacy.

So I didn't go there.

I went to California instead and lived in a near constant state of inebriation on Malibu beach and squandered my parents' very generous investment in my education.

Yeah, I really had it goin' on.

But that's another story for another time. Or maybe it's all better to stay forgotten!

source

Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I was thinking about going (back) to work. The thought of applying to airlines crossed my mind and I started to look into it but things took a different turn, one reason being that my son was still living at home and I felt a need to be home more than be flying the friendly skies regularly. So I went to work as a bank teller. That was a mistake, but that's also another story for another time. (I'm just full of stories!) I thought of the flight attendant thing as a wild hare anyway.

Fast forward to a few days ago. One of my neighbors came over with a gift for me. (So nice!) She picked up a calendar with beautiful pictures of Hawaiian flowers the last time she was in Honolulu. She is a flight attendant for United Airlines and flies the SFO-Hawaii route regularly. I didn't know that until she brought the calendar over. I had noticed she was out of town for a couple of days every two weeks or so, but I had no idea she was doing the exact job I had dreamed about as a child and again as a teenager.

We ended up spending all day with her getting to know each other. It was totally spontaneous and a lot of fun. When she brought the calendar over she asked about our church and what we believe and the three of us (my hubby, she, and I) hung out on our doorstep talking for about half an hour. I invited her in but she wanted to stay within sight of her own front door because she was expecting some sort of appliance repair man. We ended up going over to her place so we could all sit down and be more comfortable and she wouldn't miss the repair guy. We stayed for three hours drinking coffee and just chatting and talking. She is very interested in our church and we talked a lot about that but we also talked about everything under the sun.

I mentioned that if I ever went to work seriously, on a permanent basis, I thought being a flight attendant would be fantastic. I'd rather do something interesting other than little retail jobs or house cleaning or something--not that I'm knocking those things. They all have their place, and I've done them all. (I am thinking of starting a house cleaning business again...I could set my own hours!)

This lady worked on the ground for United Airlines for years and then started flying. I mentioned that at 48 years old, I think I'm too old to be hired to fly but she said, no way. She said she herself started flying in her 40's (and has been doing for at least 20 years) but I pointed out that she had already been working for the same airline, just in a different capacity, for over a decade. She said the airlines prefer these days to hire older people, even in their 50's, instead of younger. Lots of reasons, none of which are important here. She strongly encouraged me to look into it, and even mentioned a specific airline that would be good to work for, should I decide to apply.

I get these ideas in my head and then I realize they are a total wild hare and I go back into my well traveled mode of thinking and settle down. My well traveled mode of thinking it what is "comfortable" to the people who know me well. They know I get these wild ideas and half way entertain them for a minute but then they go by the wayside. (The ideas go by the wayside, not the people who know me!)

Here's the thing, though. When my neighbor was encouraging me my husband said...

get this...

"Hey! Well, there ya' go!"

Let me translate: "That's not actually a bad idea. Are you going to look into it?"

Whaaaat?

...blink...

...blink...

...blank... (not a typo. I was seriously totally blank in my mind, aghast at his response)

Did he just say that?

So there's the question: Am I going to look into it?

This post is getting too long, so check back tomorrow to find out if I'm looking into becoming a flight attendant or if it's just another wild hare of mine that will go away and then I'll calm down.

Note to my family and friends: No need to panic. No need to call your father (Brittney, I'm talking to you) to find out if I've lost my mind. It will all come clear tomorrow.

What Are You Listening To?

2012-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting here at my kitchen table, surfing the net. What I'm actually doing is putting off getting going for the day. It's just housework, a couple of errands, and a work out that's ahead of me today, but I'm feeling particularly lazy and not motivated to get moving.

So I surf.

And read email.

I subscribe to a couple of minimalist writers who "write to the inbox." This seems to be a new way of communicating with readers, as opposed to blogging. Interesting, and I'm not sure how that works exactly, but whatever.

In one of those inbox messages the writer talks about the need sometimes to just be still and listen. That's the extent of her idea of being refreshed and recharged, while my idea of doing that tends more toward prayer and listening specifically for direction from the Holy Ghost, but I like her idea of stopping the busy-ness for a while and literally just hearing your surroundings. So in the interest of playing along, I will do just that.

With my eyes closed, three things that I can hear this morning are:

1. Strains of jazz (Spyro Gyra? I think so). We have music on almost all the time these days. Nice.
2. The tap of my husband's fingers across his computer keyboard. Another sound that can be heard almost all the time around here! Love that.
3. The whir of the fan upstairs that blows the heat down into the living room instead of letting it collect at the top of the stairs and at the ceiling level.

If you stop and close your eyes for a minute and just listen what do you hear?

More importantly, what are you listening to?

There is a difference.

One is a physiological sensory function. The other shapes your life.

Road Kill

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Excuse the bad quality phone photo, but I need to ask a question. Answer honestly. Seriously, I can take it and I need to know.

Does it look like I'm wearing a dead animal around my neck? ...'Cause I'm not into wearing, you know, road kill.

Fur coats and leather jackets, fine. Road kill? Ummm. No.

So what do you think? Lose the road kill?

And Now, For the Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

2012-02-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

...but first, thank you to everyone who commented or otherwise entered this giveaway. It's been super fun for me to read your comments!

We, my studio assistants and I, have chosen a winner. You can see all the little pieces of paper in the bowl. There is a name on each one. I couldn't figure out a better way to do it. My comments aren't numbered so I couldn't use some kind of online number generator.

My assistant was very busy this morning, as you can see. Someone has to take the naps around here and she is the self appointed nap-taker in this family. When my daughters moved out someone had step up and take on the job! Besides, she didn't think she'd be able to choose the name out of the ~~hat~~ bowl without opposable thumbs. She has a point there, so I let her off.

I enlisted my other assistant to help me. It was no problem because he has opposable thumbs.

And the winner is...

....the winner is....

....

Michele! Yay! Congratulatons! (oops! I misspelled your name on that slip of paper...so sorry!)
You won with this comment:

Michele Aguilar said...

LOVE!!! I want matching umbrella and rain boots!

January 25, 2012 1:51 PM

Here's your prize. Kind of a Valentine's Day theme, but not over the top so you can use it all the time for make up, miscellaneous stuff in your purse, whatever.

The outside,

the inside,

and a closeup of the embroidery.

I hope you like it, Michele! Would you please email me at catfeetstudio at gmail dot com and give me your mailing address? I don't seem to have your email anywhere. Thanks! I'll get it into the mail for you as soon as I hear from you. And thanks again to everyone for playing along.

Giveaway Is Closed!

2012-02-01T07:29:00.001-08:00

My giveaway is now closed, and I'll announce the winner later today. Stay tuned!

Last Chance!!

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last chance to enter my "celebrate my 100th post" giveaway! Any comments left after midnight, Pacific Time, tonight, Jan 31, 2012, will not be entered in the drawing, so what are you waiting for???

Here's a little sneak preview of your prize, in progress.

Studio assistant not included.

Once again, here are the details:

Celebration of 100th post giveaway!

Comment one time per post on any post (even old ones) between now and January 31st, 2012.

Each comment good for one entry.

Give me a shout out on whatever other social media you use and I'll enter your name an extra three times. (Send me the link!)

I will do a random drawing of all entries on February 1st and post the winner's name, address, birthdate, and social security number...just kidding! I'll post your first name.

Please make sure I can contact you by email as well, so I can let you know if you win and get your mailing address to send your prize!

Open to all, including international.

So set off the fireworks, start the music and let the party begin! I've done over 100 posts...yay!!!!

......What? No fireworks?

If you aren't going to bring fireworks, at least would you bring cake?

Happy Things on Your Monday

2012-01-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is a happy thing: a dog who drinks Starbucks.
(via)

(Win something! Handmade by me! Go here!)

In lieu of my regularly scheduled post, I bring you this: Happy Things.

If you click on any of the pictures in the link you should be redirected to the original sites.

A Recipe That Will Make You Popular Because We All Know How Important It Is to Be Popular

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

(Click here for the giveaway!)

The other day I posted a picture of a Caramel Apple Cheesecake bar. Today, you are in luck because I'm giving you the recipe for this divine, delectable, delicious, deliriously decadent dessert. (Did you like all that alliteration? It's true...every word.) I get requests for this every time we have a potluck. If you take this to a potluck you will instantly become the most popular person there.

Those of us who are "popularity challenged" need all the help we can get!

Just kidding.

But it will make you popular!

I'll post the picture again, just to make sure you get the full view.

(via)

The recipe I used is here, but I'll repost it for you because I like to make your life easier like that! ;-)

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (I use whatever apples I have on hand)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

I don't have a print friendly version of this recipe so if you want to copy and paste it into your own document you can print it that way. Eventually I'll figure out how to do give you a print friendly option.

The other morning....

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

(Click here for the giveaway!)

....when I went out early this was the view across the parking lot where we live:

Normally it looks like this:

At least it didn't look like this!

(via)

Fog covering the Bay with only the tip of the tower of the Golden Gate Bridge visible.

The fog is beautiful and all, and I absolutely love living here in Nor-cal and wouldn't change a thing, but really, I'm a desert rat at my root level. I guess you can take the girl out of the Arizona-Sonoran desert but you can take the Sonoran desert out of her.

(via)

Sunrise at Saguaro National Park near Tucson.

Pursuing the Dream

2012-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

(Go here for the giveaway!)

Goals.

Dreams.

What's the difference? I've been thinking about that lately.

For example,

if I am sitting with my fork sunk into a piece of this

(find this image here)

while I'm talking about losing weight, then I do not have a goal of weight loss.

I have a dream.

Or if I say that I am going to hike the Inca Trail to see this

(find this image here)

while I'm sitting on the couch day in and day out, I do not have a goal to hike Machu Picchu.

I have a dream.

But if I'm doing a lot of this

(find this image here)

and this

(find the image here)

Oops! Where did you come from???? You're cute but you don't really demonstrate the type of workout I'm looking for. Looks like you need to a few more reps, dude.

I mean this

(find the image here)

and some of this

(find the image here)

then I have goals.

Goals to not only lose weight, but to hike the Inca Trail without having to be carried down in a body bag.

Dreams and goals are both good, but let's understand that they are not the same thing. Dreams are thoughts and ideas. Dreams can inspire and motivate us, but to truly pursue them, to turn them into goals and make them reality, we need to put feet on them and take them beyond being merely wishes and turn them into decisions. Lay the groundwork, do the research, learn, take

steps to actually make them happen. We need to take action, to do something, or we will wake up one morning realizing that we had lots of good intentions but no accomplishments. What's there to be proud of in that?

In Which We Had a Minor Flood, I Go For A Run, and I Am Not A Horticulturist.

2012-01-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

Go here for the giveaway!

So we've had a lot of rain. A lot. In one night. Not even the whole night. On Friday evening the skies opened and dumped more rain in two hours than we had all year last year it seems. Enough to flood the entire foyer of our church. Actually, the flood could have been avoided if the storm drains on the street outside hadn't been made "environmentally friendly." Apparently the city installed filters in the drains and the filters are lame and caused the drains overflow. I was under the impression that drains are supposed to, you know, actually drain. But no. I was obviously misinformed. Fortunately we didn't really have any damage, though the carpet is still soaked. This happened on Friday night and now it's Thursday. But whatever. We (the operative "we..." I actually mean the guys) cleaned the black street dirt out of everything (glad it wasn't sewage...ewwwww!) and used a shop vac to extract as much water as possible.

Meh...it's life. It will dry eventually.

My point in telling you that is to show you this:

The rain has turned stuff green!

The ice plants that cover the edges of the lagoon behind my house have suddenly gone from their sickly winter look to plump, green, full of water, and blooming.

Another view of the ice plants...I threw in some kind of water birds in the background for your viewing pleasure.

The bottle brush are also putting out blossoms. As are the dandelions....

This purple stuff (yes, that is the scientific term: Purple Stuff.) is just starting to bloom. There will be lots more purple in a few weeks. So pretty.

Even this jade is blooming. I've seen jade bloom, but not like this!

The crowing glory, though, is this (out of focus) tree. I have no idea what it is, being that I'm such an accomplished horticulturist and all. It had nothing, and I mean nothing on it just a few days ago.

And last, but certainly not least, is a collection, though it may be hard to see, of naturally occurring "unwanted silk flowers that still have their labels thrown over the side of someone's balcony and left to languish in the weeds at the water's edge." A common sighting around these parts. It's nicer when they are attached to a park bench.

All these are pictures I took with my phone on my jog yesterday.

Just to round things out here are a few more shots:

Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but the sky was brilliantly blue.

Kayaks parking for residents along the dock.

Someone's cat enjoying the beautiful weather. I may or may not have offered to scratch his ears and I may or may not have spent too long hanging out with him.

And lest you think things are too idyllic on my jogging route, I cross under the freeway which is a bit unnerving when the trucks rumble across. The whole things shakes. I guess it's that earthquake-proof thing going on.

And this, people, is a picture of my lily white legs after my run. The angle shows my calf all splayed out and looking huge. They may or may not be that size in reality. Let's pretend they're not, shall we? Let's pretend they are muscular and toned and tan, hmmm?

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I was up to yesterday.

Among other things.

Crows and Giveaways (I'm not giving away a crow.)

2012-01-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

~~Note: Scroll down in this post for a giveaway!~~

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Dust of Snow

by Robert Frost

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

I have always loved the work of Robert Frost, thanks to Mr. Gray, but...that's not a hemlock tree. And there isn't any snow. I always picture this poem having been inspired by a walk in the woods, but I wasn't in the woods.

Whatever.

Ok, ok, so the picture really has nothing to do with the poem. And it's poor quality as well because I took it with my phone. But it's a crow!

AND....

This is my 100th post!!! woohoo! Set off the fireworks, start the music, let the party begin!

What?

You didn't bring fireworks?

You don't have your playlist ready?

You mean...there's no party?

Does this mean I haven't reached a super-duper impressive milestone in bloggy-land? I'm actually behind the times and most people are looking at something like a gazillion posts instead of a piddly hundred?

*sigh* I've always been a late bloomer....

Ok. It is what it is. But I'm still doing the giveaway I promised some time ago! Leave a comment on this or any post (even my old ones) between now and January 31st and I will enter your name in a random drawing for a groovy and cool gift, the exact item yet to be determined (maybe a make up bag, maybe an infinity scarf, maybe a ????...but whatever I finally decide to make for you, I know you'll love it!). I will guarantee, however, that it will be handmade by moi, and the name will be drawn randomly. Each comment is one entry, but only one comment per post, please. Open to all, even international, though the mail will take longer to reach you. If you give me a shout out on your facebook, twitter, or other social media, let me know (send me the link!) that will be good for three extra entries.

So! To recap and simplify:

Celebration of 100th post giveaway!

Comment one time per post on any post (even old ones) between now and January 31st, 2012.

Each comment good for one entry.

Give me a shout out on whatever other social media you use and I'll enter your name an extra three times. (Send me the link!)

I will do a random drawing of all entries on February 1st and post the winner's name, address, birthdate, and social security number...just kidding! I'll post your first name.

Please make sure I can contact you by email as well, so I can let you know if you win and get your mailing address to send your prize!

Open to all, including international.

I Wonder if Cats Need Wellies

2012-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

It rained off and on all night. No storm, just a nice gentle winter rain. This means that I can wear my rain boots!!!

I love my rain boots.

I could have used these when we lived in Liverpool. I believe I would have called them "wellies" at the time, though.

I've had them for about two years but I still love them and they are still in pretty good shape. I have an umbrella to match. A girl's gotta match, even in the rain, ya know? (insert winking face here)

In other news, the cat went out early this morning; I let her out about 5:30 and apparently she hid under a bush until I let her in at 7:00.

Can you see her little wet kitty-prints?

I wonder if she would like some rain boots too....

...Probably not.

PS! I mentioned some time ago, but I can't find the post so I can't link to it, that once I reach 100 posts I'll do a giveaway. That means....

...wait for it.....

....that my next post will be my 100th! Woohoo!! Something fun on the way! ;-)

All images mine except cats in rain boots. Credit here.

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Something to inspire you.

About 20 minutes long, but so worth it!

The Butterfly Circus.

To Someone I Don't Know

2012-01-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

To the person who taped silk flowers and a pinwheel to the park bench:

I wonder who you are. I wonder if you are someone who is struggling with difficulties and you placed those flowers on the jogging path to get outside your immediate thoughts and remind yourself that the circumstances of your life won't always be a struggle. Or I wonder if you are someone who just likes to do little happy things for strangers.

Whoever you are, thank you. Thank you for reminding me that not everyone cuts people off on the freeway. Thank you for reminding me that not everyone is rude and miserable and looks away when I smile and say hello on my daily jogs. Thank you for reminding me that there are nice people in the world. (Not that I had forgotten, but some days it seems that nice people are few and far between!)

Thank you for making me smile.

I hope that whoever you are and whatever your circumstances you have a lovely day!

Miracles, Drawing Near, and Purpose

2012-01-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

A year of miracles, a year of drawing near to Christ. This is sort of the theme in our church this year, and I have added to that for my own personal life, that this year is a year of purpose. As in "to purpose to do something." Or "living with purpose." For so long I've wandered in and out of this interest and that hobby, and I find myself wandering in a wasteland of unfinished projects. Not only physical projects like quilts or stitchery or half finished garments stashed behind the sewing machine, but also...how to describe it? Intangible projects; specifically the regaining of my health and healthy body shape and size. Not that my health is bad. In fact, it's very good, but it won't continue that way if I don't get busy.

With all this in mind I have set some goals for this year. Not resolutions, but goals.

There is a difference, by the way. :-)

My goals include, aside from trusting God for His miracle power to work in and through my life, and drawing near(er) to Him ("...draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." James 4:8), to finish everything I start this year. For this reason, I have been reticent to resurrect the ole' blog here. If I'm going to do it, I need keep up with it. I know it's not a huge deal, but this issue of finishing what I start and being consistent is important to me and I intend to be mindful and live with purpose in every single area of my life. I am purposing to do this. I'm really not sure about the grammar in all of this, but I think I'm getting my point across effectively!

Anyhoo.

I'm going to give the blog some direction. I've never had much direction with it; it's mostly been an avenue of creative outlet for me, and it will continue to be so, but I intend to add a purpose to it this year. I will be posting pictures of our lives, if not on a daily basis then at least regularly, as one (of many!) ways to keep a connection with our daughter, as she lives in another state. As an aside, I thought about taking part in one of these "post a photo a day every day all year" things but I don't want to commit to something I may not follow through with...see above!

So without further ado, I give you a picture of what I am doing every week day at 6am.

Notice the bookmark...a gift from a dear friend. So pretty, and it folds over and has a small flat magnet on each side.

I get up at o'dark thirty and spend time in prayer and the word of God. I hate getting up, and I do mean hate, but once I'm up (and get caffeinated!) it's my very favorite time of the day. There's something very peaceful and satisfying about the very early morning just before the sun comes up. The day is filled with potential and possibility and I love that! The virtuous woman in Proverbs 31, the ultimate example of a godly woman, "riseth also while it is yet night..." Throughout scripture we are exhorted to rise early. Maybe I'll do a post about specifically about that. Not now, though, this post is too long as it is!

Untethering, But Not Going to a Tropical Island. Unfortunately.

2011-11-30T09:43:00.001-08:00

Recently tweeted by a great preacher friend of ours (a great friend, and a great preacher!):

"Christ promised LIVING WATER; Endless strength & faith. Life's demanding. Stay connected, never outflow more that you intake, You'll Crash."

With that in mind, I will be spending some time intaking, reconnecting, regrouping, refocusing, and enjoying my church, my family, and the Christmas season. I may or may not post for a bit. I'm feeling the need to untether a few areas of my life and slow down for a while. It's all good, just a season to spend more time offline than online!

I won't be going to the place in the above picture, however. At least not right now, although it seems like a great idea! Last year I was ready to skip Christmas because all the hype and commercialism was doing my head in, but common sense prevailed.

Catch you later!

Image credit

Shoe Leather, Mystery Pie, and Thankfulness

2011-11-25T21:11:00.001-08:00

Freedom From Want by
Norman Rockwell

A month of Thanksgiving, and I didn't even post on Thanksgiving Day! I didn't turn my computer on all day long. Instead I cooked and ate and spent time with family and friends..the perfect way to spend the day.

A friend sent me the following letter, written by her son who is currently working overseas. I asked his permission to post it here and he said, "Go for it!" He mentions the food they ate this year. I can SO relate! Our family spent fifteen years pastoring churches overseas and sometimes we just had to make do with what we could get. And you know what? Now, back home in America, those "make do" times have become some of our dearest memories and unite us as a family in a very personal and deep way.

The letter is a bit lengthy, but I think it's a great perspective on Thanksgiving. I have highlighted in bold what I hope you get out of this.

"Hey all,

"I may begin to wax poetic here, which feels a little odd for me since I've never really taken Thanksgiving all that seriously. One year when I was active duty and stationed (overseas) I had completely forgotten it was Thanksgiving. I just showed up to work like any other Thursday and thought it was weird the base was so quiet. It wasn't until leadership brought in a whole mess of food that I remembered which Thursday it was. With that kind of cavalier attitude toward turkey day, the introspection I'm feeling now is surprising.

"Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. Not Christian, mind you, because there are lots of Christians elsewhere in the world (for instance, those native to European countries) that don't really celebrate it despite a passing familiarity with the idea from our entertainment output to the globe. I read somewhere that the Pilgrims dug a lot more graves than they built huts, so there's certainly a predominantly Christian flavor to Thanksgiving- but never forget it's also ours as Americans. (This is also evidence to me that football is the REAL American sport, because we don't sit down to watch that perverted version of cricket that sissies call America's past time after we gorge ourselves. But that's a topic for another day.)

"So, from my deployed location, we paid roughly $40 for our buy-in to a catered Thanksgiving meal, and this is where you know certain dishes just don't cross cultures. Some guys here were pretty disappointed, to be perfectly honest. I say it was worth the money just for the story! Yeah, some of the food was terrible, but you know what? I'm really and truly grateful. My spirits are high, my coffee cup is full (as is my belly), and nobody's shooting at us. Just thought I'd throw that last bit in there for some perspective. So we had beef as tough as shoe leather (and for once, I'm not exaggerating) instead of turkey. Big deal! It had lots of rosemary, tasted ok, and wasn't yet another peanut butter sandwich! You just had to chew it more. A lot more. And the green bean casserole was more quartered mushrooms than anything, with green beans diced up like green onions- but it was tasty. And the pies...? Well nobody's really sure what's in the pies. We think those dark things are raisins, but even after eating it we question what the filling is. They don't taste like any apples or pumpkins we've ever had... And I'm laughing the entire time.

"I'll let the other guys gripe. I don't care. Because while I'll whine from time to time about suffering through poor internet service, the fact of the matter is we've got it pretty good. See, we get to LEAVE here eventually. And come on, after growing up eating so many Thanksgiving dinners at a fire station (his dad was a fireman before he retired), how cool is it to be chowing down in an aircraft hangar with some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world as a backdrop? So they don't know how to cook traditional American meals here. So what? I didn't know what the heck their space alien-looking fruit was until a day or two ago.

"I don't really know how to communicate what I'm feeling right now- I've eaten better meals in the states and been less satisfied. Was the food worth the money? Heck no! But I laughed and had a good time, and think it's more than worth it for the story. And when I look at the huge spread of not-very-good food, the fact is we still have a LOT. And that changes just outside the fence line.

"So enjoy your turkey day. Take real inventory of what you have (or in some cases, what you don't) and realize there's so much to be thankful for. As Americans we are really and truly blessed- and only the most selfish see it otherwise. Considering how "crappy" this Thanksgiving is here, I don't know that I could've enjoyed it more and I truly hope everyone who reads this gets a chance to truly embrace what Thanksgiving is all about, rather than just roll through an annual routine. God bless you, and have a happy Thanksgiving."

In Which I Am Thankful for My Family, and Point Out That Safeway Probably Won't Run Out of Food

2011-11-23T14:29:00.001-08:00

It's the day before Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. I love that Thanksgiving is right before Christmas. I think we would do well to set aside time purely for giving thanks and cultivating a grateful attitude before the ~~greed season~~ Christmas.

As a side note, and not really the point of this post, but I'm throwing it in:

I'm not a Grinch. Really, I'm not. I love Christmas and all that it means. I decorate, I do a Christmas tree, I cook and bake and I love the gift thing, family traditions, spending extra time with family and friends. I love it all, but underscoring everything during Thanksgiving is the need to remember that we are celebrating God's greatest gift to mankind: Himself. Jesus. This should set the tone for all we do in the upcoming weeks. Also...I stay out of malls this time of year and shop as little as possible. I hate traffic. I hate fighting for parking. I hate that the general population acts like all the groceries in the world are going to run out tomorrow, and that Target, Walmart, Costco, and Best Buy are all going to close their doors forever this afternoon. I hate spending money I have no business spending on cr*p that no one really wants anyway. (I do love it when I find the perfect gift for someone, but it doesn't have to be Christmas for that to happen!)

I really think we need to step back and have a look at what's really important in our all-too-busy lives. Jesus, family, friends, all the God has done, is doing, and will do. This, for me, is what's important in life. A food processor or a bottle of perfume under the tree a month from now won't go amiss, to be sure, but those things are just extras. We need Thanksgiving, the holiday and also in our hearts all year long! We need to remember Who gave us life and everything in it!

Today I am thankful that all three of my kids are here with us (two live here and one flew in yesterday) and that we will all be together as a family with some of our church family joining us for dinner tomorrow. After all the turkey is gone and the pies are reduced to crumbs I want to remember this year as a blessed year, one that we were able to spend together as a family, reach into the lives of others, let them reach into ours, and welcome a new family member, a son-in-law.

My kids doing what they usually do when they are
together: messing with each other.

Graduated!

2011-11-22T19:09:00.001-08:00

Thankful today for this!

Our son had to start high school again as a freshman when he was sixteen because when we moved from Europe there were problems getting his credits to transfer over. We decided to home school so he could work at his own pace and finish up as soon as possible. We used Christian Liberty Academy, the home school program with which we were familiar, having used it when all the kids were younger. He finally completed all the requirements and I received his diploma in the mail today! Woohoo!!!!!

Monday November 21

2011-11-21T12:26:00.001-08:00

Thankful that as of today my daughter (the one who just got married) officially lives in the same city as I do! Well....one town over but you know how these California towns are. One runs right into the next and you don't really ever know where you are. Now to get daughter number two to move out here.... (insert winking face and then quickly an innocent expression when she looks over)!

(I'm posting this picture without their permission but it's already all over facebook...)

This Just In!

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have 89 published posts. 90 as of this posting! (Actually I have 100 posts, but that includes drafts, which I'm not counting. Seeing that round 100 number is a landmark of sorts. It's not a lot when you compare to the "big blogs," but I'm totally happy with that. When I reach 100 posts, probably within a couple of weeks, I'm going to do a fun giveaway. I mentioned some time ago that I'm also doing a giveaway when I reach 25 followers. Not sure yet how I want to run these, and I'm not sure what the prizes will be, but I have some ideas! You're gonna love it, for sure! I want to say that I appreciate every single one of you who reads and comments! I know you're out there...I can see you on my stats! LOL

I'm thankful for you, my readers.

Let the Gluttony Begin. Or Not.

2011-11-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Our lives have been super busy lately between the wedding, traveling back and forth to Arizona, visiting with old friends, making new ones (hi Syria!!), returning home and preparing for company and holidays. I love every minute of it, don't get me wrong, but somewhere deep inside me is a desire for a simple uncomplicated life.

A life that does not require caffeine to be enjoyed.

I jest.

Sort of.

The American culture and society is consumed, and I need a stronger word here...maybe obsessed???...need something still stronger, with stuff. Gotta have more, do more, be more, get more, and do it now, immediately, yesterday. I think that somehow we as a culture measure our success and derive our identity from our stuff.

I did that for years. It wasn't something I thought about, but that drive to obtain stuff became a motivating factor for much of what I did and decisions I made.

Recently I have swung in the opposite direction. This is partly based in the fact that I'm tired of shlepping unopened boxes of cr*p around the world every time we move. For example, for how many years is my grandmother's china going to sit unopened, unused, and unloved in my succession of garages? I have memories of her and photographs that I cherish. Her china is not something I particularly like or would use, but I've kept it out of guilt. My change in thinking is mostly based in a desire to focus on what's truly important and not be distracted. I believe that the days until Jesus' return for His church are short and we simply don't have time to faff around with pursuits that take us nowhere as far as eternity is concerned. The important things boil down, as I see it, to two issues:

1. Our personal relationship with Jesus. Is He our Lord and Savior? Are we on our way to Heaven? Is He pleased with our lives? (I am lumping in with this everything that flows out of relationship with Him: maintaining a good marriage, quality parenting, committed friendships, etc...it all starts with Jesus!)

2. Our effectiveness in leading others to Jesus. Are we more concerned with the needs of others than with making sure our own needs are met? Are we telling others about Jesus and showing them how to be saved? Truly, salvation is the greatest need in any of our lives.

The two go hand in hand. Our relationship with Jesus is enhanced as we look outside ourselves to the needs, physical and spiritual, of others, and as we are evangelistic our personal relationship with Jesus grows.

With this in mind, I have been cutting out the unnecessary from my life. This is not a minimalist blog, and the unnecessary looks different for everyone, but my journey begins with getting rid of physical things that are of no use or value to me, including my grandmother's china and also about 50 pounds of excess body weight! --our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and we are responsible for our stewardship over our bodies...more on that in another post.

With all of that as a backdrop, I turn my attention today to food. Halloween always seems to be the beginning of the "food season." As my dad would say, "Let the gluttony begin!" Food is obviously necessary for our life and health, and of course it's a nice and often needed addition to any get together, but do we really need to junk out? I think not. Today I had coffee (with sugar), oatmeal (with sugar), more coffee (with sugar), lunch followed by a couple of brownies (with sugar) and you know what? I feel terrible. I'm not used to eating so much sugar and I seriously feel like I've been poisoned. At this moment I have acorn squash ready to bake and well seasoned chicken breasts in the oven. I'll steam some broccoli and we'll have a very tasty and healthy dinner. In the morning I'll probably have an egg on whole grain toast and more chicken breast with probably quinoa and black beans and veg for lunch. I know for a fact that this time tomorrow I will feel fantastic. (I also hope to get in a jog, but let's not get TOO ambitious! LOL)

Over the next several months to a year I hope to pare down my life in such a way that I am healthy, my home is a place of refuge and relaxation without clutter everywhere making anyone uptight (about breaking something, spilling something, or feeling overwhelmed by too much stuff), and my outlook and disposition are peaceful.

So! On that note, I am thankful today for healthy food that nourishes my body, not just feeds my sweet tooth.

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Written on 11/18/11, edited on 11/19/11 to add: I'm also thankful for being able to sleep in today. It's not often that I get to sleep until I wake up, no alarm clock. Yay! Of course the cat decided it was time for me to get up, but whatever. By the way, why do they just sit and stare at you while you are sleeping? Cats are weird.

Friday, Nov 18

2011-11-18T21:12:00.001-08:00

I published a post for today but I took it down because I want to polish it up a bit. For now I will simply say that I am thankful for healthy food, simply prepared at home. I ate way too much sugar today and I feel it! Bleah. The Pioneer Woman has recently posted about going completely sugar free for a while. Methinks it's not a bad idea.

2011-11-17T14:57:00.001-08:00

Thankful today for home made caramel latte. The perfect cozy pick-me-up on a chilly grey afternoon.

I'm nesting around here today. We emptied an old bookcase that was an eyesore and consolidated all my husband's books into one area, then carried the bookcase out to the garage to await advertising on Craigslist. I fixed a wall hanging that had been broken but jerry-rigged together on the wall since we moved, and I'm working on getting my guest room/craft room/office/whatever in shape to receive company over the holidays. I'm painting the furniture in that room so it all matches (we all know how important it is for the furniture to match...sheesh!), hitting up Freecycle, Craigslist, and Goodwill for a black floor lamp and/or something black that can be used for a sewing table/desk. I'm thinking about using filing cabinets with a hollow core door across them, all painted black, if I can't find anything else, but I'd like to avoid the amount of work that will take if possible. I'm kind of done with black paint for now. It makes such a huge mess! I've repainted a lot of furniture in my time, and it all turns out well, but I make a huge hot mess in the process every time. This time I discovered that the paint soaked through my drop cloth into the carpet in a couple of places...yikes! Luckily I caught it when the paint was still wet and was able to scrub it out with a washcloth. I paint barefooted because I step in it all the time, but I have to remember to wipe my feet before I walk on the carpet. Don't ask. I tell myself that projects like this always look worse before they look better, right?

I took a nice picture of my latte on the mantel with twinkly orange lights and dried leaves (very seasonal, eh?) and emailed it to myself so I could post it here. It's not showing up in my inbox. So...I uploaded it to my Picasa account. Not there. Either Verizon has a problem or it's a user error. That would be ummm....me. Haha! My Verizon service isn't that great these days, but the problem right now is probably the latter. My latte actually looks pretty much like the picture anyway, except for the twinkly lights.

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Back Home Again

2011-11-16T10:15:00.001-08:00

"Hey, it's good to be back home again...." What's that old John Denver song? Ok, so I'm dating myself. I'm not ashamed to admit I loved John Denver as a teenager!

Anyway, we're back in the saddle here. Well, sort of! After faffing around with coffee, lost keys, and loading the last of the stuff we were finally on the road at 7.45 am to drive our daughter's car home. She and her husband are on their honeymoon and will fly straight here in a few days. We arrived home about 8.30 pm. (I promptly slept for eleven hours.) Allowing for the time change between Arizona and California we made good time. We don't mess around when we do that drive. It's too far to waste time. We do it in one long straight shot, bringing sandwiches and snacks and energy drinks (Hello purple Monsters! Gotta have those!!) or just grab something fast and eat in the car. Yesterday it was almonds and coffee on the way out of town, Quiznos and purple Monsters in Blythe, and cheddar flavored chex mix in nowhere-ville California.

Yum.

Not.

Actually the Quiznos was pretty good.

Anyway, we grab some food, gas up, and hit the road. I usually drive the first half and then my hubby finishes up. We tried it the other way around once and it was not a good scene. Let's just say that waking up in the opposite lane facing oncoming cars is NOT a good idea! Granted, on that particular trip we had traveled overnight instead of starting out early in the morning, but sleeping while driving is probably not a good idea. Hubby is good for either shift, but I can only do the first one if we want to arrive alive.

Click this link if you wonder what we've been doing for the last week! This will also explain why my Month of Thanksgiving posts have been sketchy. I tried to post daily. I really did. There was just too much going on and posting from my phone was too much hassle. I was going to go back and clean up the ones I did but...nah.

My thankful post for today is associated with the link. I am so thankful for longevity, history, and heritage in the Kingdom of God.

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thurs nov 10

2011-11-10T10:48:00.001-08:00

thankful today for febreeze, baby wipes
and an awesome lady named liz at the bridal shop who helped us when the cat with the bladder problem decided the wedding dress looked like a litter box. not my cat by the way.details to follow next week...its all good now. still posting from my phone sol its all messy.

update from the phone:

2011-11-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

posting from my phone...painful. no caps, limited punctuation. i cant express myself that way. maybe its atually a good exercise for me, haha. anyway, today i am thankful that my daughter is a hair stylist...a good one. purely for selfish reasons i am thankful for that but i gotta be real. insert exclamation marks and smiley faces where appropriate. more tomorrow.

Aaaaaccckkk! I missed a day!

2011-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't do my post yesterday....but in my defense, I was traveling, and then attending my daughter's bridal shower. At the shower I caught up with some old friends. One friend in particular is someone I roomed with right up until the day I was married. (Hi Maggie!) As soon as I saw her I remembered so clearly the night before my wedding. I was freaking out in true bride style..."What am I doing???? I can't get married!!! What if he's the wrong one?" She and my other roomies talked me off the ledge, I got married the next day and seriously, have never regretted that decision for a second. Anyway, when I saw her at my daughter's shower it dawned on me that these old relationships are extremely precious, and I dare say not very common. Our lives are still closely intertwined after all these years as we see our own children through the same life decisions and journeys we undertook ourselves. I'm thankful for old friends.

I'm also thankful for new friends. I've met the lady who is doing the photography for my daughter's wedding. She is so sweet and so nice, and I'm thankful for her and her willingness to use my daughter as a guinea pig for her portfolio for her budding photography business! This lady has kids who are close friends with my kids so I'll be seeing more of her. :-D

Seems like the theme of thankfulness and friends and relationships is foremost in my mind these days!

So I've done a two-fer today...let's hope I can get online again tomorrow!

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Celebrate!

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

One week from today my daughter will no longer be Miss, but Mrs. (!!!) In light of this upcoming celebration, I want to share the celebration you see below. L.O.V.E. I.T.!!! I have posted this before, but in light of this Month of Thanksgiving, I want to repost it, and say that I am thankful for such an incredibly fun and joyful outlook on life! This video always makes me smile!

Today I Am Thankful For...

2011-11-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

...freshly brewed coffee. Lots of it. Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Thanksgiving Month: November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Home is where the heart is.

We have a fantastic relationship with our soon-to-be son-in-law. He stopped by just now with his brother and they are hanging out for a bit. Love that! Love that people feel at home in my home, and I'm thankful that my home is a happy place for anyone who wants to come over, and thankful that our family is expanding in such a wonderful way!
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It's Raining, and I Love It!

2011-11-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

I mean, what's not to love when you can wear boots like these?!!!Aren't they too cute for words? Love them! They are a "happy thing!" I wish I knew where to find them because I would buy them! They are totally me!

Rain. When we lived in England we had so much rain and grey skies that I thought I'd never be happy to see the rain again. I'm a desert rat at heart. I grew up in southern Arizona where the rain blows through in huge beautiful monsoon storms in the summertime and some gentle rain in late winter. That's it. Mostly we had dry hot weather and I grew to love it, though when the rains came though we got as excited as kids at Christmas. The weather in England was a novelty at first, but the constant grey and drizzle quickly grew old and downright depressing. Move forward eighteen years, and here I am in Northern California with beautiful, beautiful weather. Lots of sunshine, hot summers, beautiful fall color, mild winters. Perfect for me. This would, however, exclude San Francisco, where we lived for about a year when we first moved out here. For geological and meteorological reasons I don't understand, San Francisco gets a lot of cloudy grey chilly weather. Someone said that the coldest winter they ever spent was summer in San Francisco. So true! I'm sure I could find the quote if I looked, but if you really want to know where it came from I'm sure you know how to Google it. (I wonder how long it will be until "google" is officially a verb in the English language...) SF is too much like England! Some love it and the fog is beautiful, as is the city itself and I think it's an amazing place that I love, but I had enough grey to last a lifetime!

Anyway, back to my point.

Rain. It rained last night and it's still drizzly this morning and you know what? I like it again. Never in a million years did I think I would say that, but I do! I like the rain!

It's so much more satisfying to be content than to always be fighting against whatever life throws at you. Not that we don't contend for what's right, what's good, what's pure and lovely, but there is great gain in contentment.

So, bring on the rain in the Bay!

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Fig Trees and Early Mornings

2011-11-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

November 3rd. Day three of a month of Thanksgiving.

Today I was reading in the book of Mark (also found in Matthew) about the fig tree that Jesus cursed when it bore no fruit and the tree died. I was a bit confused about what this all means. Figs were not in season, yet Jesus expected the tree to bear fruit at that time.

Isn't that unfair? Isn't that unreasonable?

No. There is a lesson there for us. By the way, all scripture is given to us by God for our instruction and guidance and the answer to every single situation in life can be found within the pages of the Bible. Just thought I'd throw that in as an extra! :-) Anyway, there is a lesson in that scripture that my husband pointed out to me. God expects us to be fruitful for His kingdom, and there is no excuse for unfruitfulness. Even when, in our own minds or by our limited human understanding, we think that we have a good reason to sit back on our laurels and let someone else do the work, we are wrong.

But it's impossible for a tree to bear fruit when it's not in season!

Not true, because with God all things are possible, even bearing fruit out of season. Dare I say, especially bearing fruit out of season! God demonstrates His miracle power when things happen that are beyond our understanding.

I am thankful for God's Word that brings direction and help to our lives, and also gives us little nuggets of His character and who He is. I've been getting up daily at 5.30 to pray and read my bible and I have to be honest...it's tough. Some days are harder than others and I often just want to crawl back into bed (like today...it was raining and my pillows looked so cozy!) but I'm always, always glad when I'm up and at it. (I set up my coffee at night so it's ready for me in the morning...a little luxury to help me start the day at o'dark thirty.)

"...those that seek me early shall find me." Proverbs 8:17
"Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:11

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Life Is Never Dull

2011-11-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today has been super busy and hectic but I want to get in my thankfulness thought for the day before I hit the sack. I am thankful for so many things, but I'll mention that I'm actually very thankful for being so busy today! I'm thankful that I have enough going on in my life to keep me from ever being bored! Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all that is on my plate, but in the words of one of my old friends who doesn't blog (so I can't refer you!) "Well...life is never dull!" She says this in her charming Tennessee drawl in reference to being married to her hilarious and very adventurous husband. This is her philosophy on life too...that life is never dull, and she is someone who just loves life and everyone she comes into contact with. She is one of my favorite people to be with and I should add here that I'm thankful for her too, and will be with her this time next week! Happiness!

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I Just Wanted to be Sure of You

2011-11-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Happy November! Happy Thanksgiving month! This month I will be joining together with my friend Anne and posting daily about something I am thankful for. It may be a big thing with pictures and the whole nine yards, or it may a small one liner with no picture at all (thinking of the trip I'm about to take to my daughter's wedding...limited internet access other than my phone...yada yada), but one way or another, I think Thanksgiving is a very important holiday important to remember and our culture is rapidly forgetting.

Our society is way too caught up with stuff and materialism, especially where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area! I would like to take this month and not focus on the bling of Christmas, but focus on thankfulness, not only for where we came from as a country but in general. We must maintain a thankful attitude if we are to appreciate Christmas as truly an honoring of the birth of our Lord and Savior, not just jingle bells and presents.

Yes, I will be working on some Christmas ideas and gifts during this month. Three weeks in December is not enough time to pull together some of the gifts I would like to give this year (hint: they are coming out of my craft studio!) but my thinking is to focus on living thankfully.

So! With that as an intro, today, November 1st, I am thankful for friends. I am thankful for friends especially who are willing to overlook our mistakes, faults and shortcomings, and just love us, no matter what. Thank you.

Pouches! Cosmetic Bags! Cuteness!

2011-10-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm seeing some of these in my future:

Found 'em here.

Thinking I'll use some of these designs (I L.O.V.E this book)!!

First I need to clear the decks in my sewing room and finish some projects that have due dates. These pouches just might show up under someones Christmas tree, this year, so if you are someone to whom I give Christmas gifts, no peeking!

Some More Random Notes for Your Reading Pleasure

2011-10-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

A few more notes before the "big one." I am working on a long post to detail some stuff that's been going on, but it's not ready for posting. So...in the meantime...some more notes. I know you are thrilled, and thank for bearing with me and my sporadic/non-existent posting schedule.

*I won the book I wanted! It was sort of the grand prize of the drawing (see my last post) and I won it! Yay!!! Here is the image from The Jolly Jabber, the site that held the drawing.

I was after either the book or the pattern for the quilt shown on the right. So...I scored! Yay! And thank you to the Fat Quarter Shop!

*I have sunk (sunken? sunked? whatever) into a habit of sleeping all morning. I get up daily at 5.30 but I usually hit the sack again at 7.30 or so for about three hours. I need to be up at 5.30, so getting up later isn't an option, but seriously? Do I really need to waste the whole morning? What the heck??? I can't seem to get out of the cycle. I'm not over-caffeinated at night, but I'm not sleeping well. I'm one of those people who need eight hours, but I think I've got my circadian rhythm out of synch. Or something. Maybe one of those alarm clocks that slowly brighten the room to simulate daylight is in order. I didn't seem to have this much trouble in the summer when the sun was blasting in the bedroom windows early in the morning. Maybe it's just that I don't want to drag my butt out of bed when it's still pitch black outside. I mean, who does? But seriously. Gotta get my act together.

*I've been doing some long power walks lately for the cardio. Four and five miles. Want to work it into a jog. Feel great about that! Getting my act together on that front!

*Counting down now until my daughter's wedding. The whole thing still has an unreal, twilight zone (who else besides me is old enough--ok, so it was reruns when I was watching-to remember that?) quality to it. I can't really believe it's happening! Maybe I feel that way because she lives out of state and the wedding is taking place there. The preparation and anticipation levels are mostly amongst her friends there so it's not so intense for me here. Anyway, I'm making my dress, the wedding is in less than three weeks, and I haven't started it yet so methinks I'd better get cracking.

But for now...bedtime. 5.30 comes early.

A Few Things of Note

2011-10-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

*Blogger has this new thing called Dynamic Views. I want to check it out and see if I like it.

*It's hot here. Still. Bleah. We had a few days of rain and that was nice for a change, but now we're back to hot. I shouldn't complain because when I lived in England I loooooonged for this kind of weather. Daily. Every single day of the year. I'm a desert rat at heart. But still. It's hot and I'm tired of sweating all. the. time.

*I'm thinking about starting a house cleaning business. Nothing crazy, just getting a few houses to clean. We'll see. I'm doing my neighbor's oven as a one time thing, as we speak. I sprayed it this morning and I'll go back in a few hours and wipe it down. It has a self cleaning function, but she says she doesn't like it. (See above. It's hot. And self cleaning means a hot kitchen. Maybe that's why...) She's a real estate agent and always has empty houses that need cleaning. She said she'd hook me up with jobs if I want. Thinking about it...

*My son is almost finished with his research paper. Can you say "Finally!" Can you say, "I'm SO done with this school thing!" H'e'll be 20 years old in the spring, he's my last kid, and this research paper is his senior project from high school. Granted he had to re-start as a freshman at age 16 because we couldn't transfer credits from Europe, but....wow. Home schooling an-almost-twenty-year-old-boy-who-already-has-a-great-job-and-his-own-apartment-and-thinks-he-knows-everything-already-anyway is not my idea of a good time. Just sayin'. But he only has the bibliography and some formatting of the paper itself to finish up and then we hit "send." Nice.

*He just called me. He's decorating his bathroom in his apartment and called me on his lunch hour to ask about prices on shower curtains and stuff. What's too much, what's reasonable, where to shop. I guess he still needs his mommy for some things...

*I have a million and one projects lined up for this fall, crafty and otherwise, which explains my absence here.

*I won something! I have never won anything in a random drawing. My husband did one time...a trip to Hawaii! Seriously. We had a great time. But I've never won anything until now. I entered a drawing for a book and a pattern that I was going to order anyway, and I won! I'm not sure what I won yet though. Apparently it's a surprise. There are five prizes, two being the book and pattern. So we shall see what comes in the mail. I'll let you know what it turns out to be!

So...on that note, I'm off to check the mailbox!

Image credit

She Wears Purple

2011-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've created a new blog to run alongside this one, She Wears Purple. You can find a link on my sidebar. My recent posting schedule not withstanding, I plan to post to both of them. Maybe I'll combine them eventually, but for now I like the idea of having one blog dedicated to just daily musings about this and that, sometimes silly nonsense and other times more serious thoughts, and the other dedicated only to my Christianity.

Not that I separate the two in real life, by the way. My salvation defines everything I think and do and am, but I like to have my thoughts organized.

Ok...so I like every single area of my life organized. Ok, Ok! I'm over the top about my lists and organization, but God is helping me! ;-)

Hope to see you there!

Image credit

Great News!

2011-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

I could just repost my last short post where I begged off because things are busy.

I'll add to it though...my daughter extended her stay here by another few weeks! Yay! Still want to squeeze in lots of stuff but we have a bit more time to do it.

One of the things I want to do with her is hike to the top of Sweeney Ridge. The picture is the view from the top out toward the Pacific. I did not take this picture, by the way...image credit below. You can see both the San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west from the top. Good cardio on the way up, too! Always a benefit...

Also, my other daughter has a blog. She just started it yesterday, so please head over and say hello. You can click to it here.

Ok...that's it for now...I do want to get back here soon though.

Image credit

Places to Go, Things to Do, People to See...

2011-09-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of posting this week. It's my daughter's last week here for her last long visit prior to her wedding and I want to spend as much time with her as possible and also I'm pushing hard to get some work done for Into-Africa. So...see ya on the flip side!

Image credit

Shadow of the Almighty

2011-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been fascinated by the life of Jim Elliot for years. Recently I've been reading Shadow of the Almighty. I'm only about a third of the way though so far but I can't put it down. Can I just say...

Wow.

I cannot even express how convicting and inspiring his writings are.

Makes me search my heart to see what my motives are for everything I do and drives me to want to be all I can be for Jesus, who was and is and will be all He can be for me.

This in itself is amazing. That God would do such a thing for me.

And you.

And every single person who ever lived and ever will live.

Makes me realize that so much of my life is just fluff.

Pinterest? Fluff. 100%. Unequivocally and without a doubt, fluff.

Blogging? Fluff. For the most part. Some aspects of blogging can a great blessing and very helpful, (note: you might want to right click and open this link in a new tab or window because for some reason that site won't let you click your back button to come back here) and for that I am grateful but mostly it's fluff.

Exercise and eating right? Not fluff, so much, but profitable for only a little in light of eternity, as the scripture tells us in 1 Timothy 4:8. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. I love Elliot's take on fitness: that he wanted to keep himself healthy in order to perform his physical best on the mission field. He wanted to be prepared to do hard physical work in third world situations and be in strong health to facilitate the preaching of the gospel.

Jim Elliot focused everything in his life...and I do mean everything...around knowing God as intimately as possible this side of Heaven and writes continuously of his experiences as he reads and studies the Word of God.

Wow.

Read it.

Thank you Shanna, for giving me the book.

This all brings me back to the idea of focus, as I've mentioned in a couple of previous posts and will be exploring further. What should be the priorities of our lives? What is truly significant?

More later....

Image credit

Without Complexity: Part One

2011-09-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Read my first post about focus here.
When I wrote that post I didn't intend to make it into a series, but I feel inspired to do so with the following post and some others along the same lines that I have brewing. You can find links to all of the posts in this "Without Complexity" series at the side bar to the right.

My thoughts lately have been about living an uncomplicated life; about learning how to be an uncomplicated person. Our lifestyles as Americans have become way too complex and stressful. If the trends in many of the blogs that I read are correct, I'm not alone in thinking along these lines. We so easily lose sight of our purpose in the busyness of life.

I've been inspired lately to simplify the way I live. This includes everything from decluttering my physical surroundings to the way I think and process life. At the moment I am contemplating the issue of focus. This is the beginning. Are we able to focus on the important, or the task at hand and finish it without being bogged down and caught up in tangents?

My son unknowingly taught me a lesson recently. He was helping me edit and process some of my photos. We were uploading some of my images to his computer and I mentioned that I had other pictures on my flash card that he hadn't yet seen but would be interested in. They didn't pertain to our project, but I knew he'd want to see them nonetheless. He went straight to the images he was after for our current project and didn't even have a quick glance through the others. I silently noted his single-mindedness. We finished our project quickly and efficiently and moved on from there to other things. We didn't get bogged down, sidetracked or distracted because he was focused on the project at hand.

I find that I can waste much time being distracted. The things that capture my attention aren't wrong but they are usually things that keep me from finishing a project in a timely manner, or sometimes even from finishing at all. I've been susceptible to distraction for most of my life. I tend to flit around from here to there and back again and spend a whole day accomplishing nothing of any value. Value, of course, is subjective, but I can fritter away a lot of time with nothing I value to show for it. And more importantly, I can fritter time away with nothing of eternal value (value in God's estimation) to show for it. I want the testimony of my life in general to be that I pleased God and was productive in the things that matter.

In the past, and especially as a child and teenager, I often didn't complete projects that I started. My tendency has been to find the easy way and discontinue pursuits that required me to learn something new or perfect a skill in order to excel. Not that I haven't excelled at certain pursuits...it's just that I tend to stick with what comes easily for me and avoid challenges. This is another subject altogether: challenges and the growth that comes from rising to meet them. I won't go there for now, instead I will focus (!) on the subject at hand!

Focus.

I lacked focus. And apparently I still do. (See above paragraph!)

I believe that a short attention span in adults is usually a result of lack of discipline of the mind. The causes for this are myriad and the purpose of this post is not an expose on those causes. I'll save that for another time. Maybe. (Again! Focus!)

So. My focus for the present is just that: focus. Single mindedness. How to obtain discipline of mind.

The Bible tells us that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). It also tells us in another portion of scripture that the people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits (Daniel 11:33b) (emphasis mine). This means that the first key to doing exploits, or productivity, as I perceive it, is to know God. When I am double minded and vacillate between this and that my productivity is minimal. Productivity isn't the be all and end all of life, but I believe it's a critical element in maintaining one's dignity as a human being. So the key here is knowing God. The bottom line in all of life, really, is knowing God.

Photo credit: http://www.c4rlh.com/iphone/free-wallpapers/

To the Rude Shopper at Michael's: Seriously? Are You Really That Important?

2011-08-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm in Michael's yesterday. The place is pretty dead; a few employees stocking the shelves, only a handful of shoppers and one register open. No need for more than one. There is a couple slightly down the aisle from the open register, and one lady finishing up paying for her stuff. I'm standing in line...such as it is...with my purchase.

There isn't really a marked place to stand in line. People just kind of hang around and wait for a free register. (Methinks by Halloween time they should do something about that because of my experience yesterday, of which I am about to tell you. People can be pushy and demanding, especially around the holidays when they are in too much of a hurry to do all their stuff that's more important than anyone else's stuff, or more important anything else in life for that matter. Insert sarcasm font. Most people need to be told what to do and where to go. I'm sorry if I am insulting someone's intelligence, but I've worked in retail. At a craft store. During Halloween. I know whereof I ~~speak~~ write.)

Anyway, I'm standing there, minding my own business, not in any hurry to do anything or go anywhere, but finished in the store and needing to pay.

I can hear the couple in the aisle approach as they walk up and stop directly behind me, ready to pay for their stuff. They are talking about how the guy who owns Michael's got into a car crash and died (???? I have no idea about this) and generally chatting together. Ho hum. The lady in front is counting out her change. Bees are buzzing lazily.

No, not really about the bees, but you need to understand that the atmosphere is very quiet and relaxed and no one is in a huge hurry but just going about their business with no rush or stress.

Suddenly the woman who is part of the couple behind me jumps into my line of sight and says to me, rudely, loudly, and in an annoyed voice, "Excuse me but were were in line in front of you," to which I reply, "Oh, sorry. I didn't think you were in line, go ahead." My first cue that she was an angry person (or schizophrenic!) should have been her sudden shift in demeanor from chatting with her friend to indignation that I was in front of her. Her attitude toward me would have been more appropriate if I had turned around and slapped her across the face for no apparent reason. Seriously. Granted, I wasn't paying very close attention to her personally, and I certainly wasn't slapping her across her face, but it is entirely possible that she WAS in line and had stepped aside for a moment and I didn't realize it. No biggie. I apologize and step aside so she can pass in front of me but she continues to be argumentative and says that the lady in front of both of us could "contest" that she was before me.

I don't have the heart to tell her that if the lady "contested" her assertion that she was before me, then she would have been disagreeing or confirming that I was indeed first.

According to this source, the definition of "contest" in verb form is this:

To call into question and take an active stand against; dispute or challenge

Semantics. It's my thing.

But whatever.

I didn't tell her my whole mind, but I did tell her that I really couldn't care less if she went before me and to be my guest. My actual words were, "I really don't care. Go ahead." Then she turned on her heel and marched out of the store, (hello, schizophrenia!) leaving her bewildered counterpart to pay for their purchase while trying to hide from embarrassment.

I suppose I was a bit rude to her in return, but at least I didn't tell her what I was thinking....that I felt sorry for her if she felt she was such an important person that she had to barge into line in front of one person who had one item to pay for in a store that was anything BUT busy.

OK. That's really all I have to say. That's it. No point to this post, really. Nothing more to see here. Go back to your lives, citizens. (Name that movie.)

PS Follow me! Tell your friends! A fun giveaway when I reach 25 followers! (Small potatoes I know, compared to some fabulous blogs that have like millions of people reading them daily, but I'm not one to despise small beginnings!)

Image credit

I'm Back!

2011-08-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

(The image to the left is the home page of Into-Africa, a charity I support and love. Please feel free to click through and find out what Into-Africa is all about. Make a donation if you feel inspired to do so. Those of you who know me know that I almost never promote charities or ask for donations to anything in particular, but this is an exception! Into-Africa is run by a friend of ours and I totally and completely endorse what this charity is doing in the nation of Sierra Leone and other nations in West Africa. Truly exciting stuff, with eternally lasting effect!)

I'm back.

I've been doing a few things this past week:

Traveling to England and back for a funeral.
Planning and purchasing all the materials needed to make my daughter's wedding veil, requiring multiple trips to fabric stores and phone calls to locate trim that has been discontinued. Meh.
Changing my mind about how I want to make the veil and locating receipts for returns, including the discontinued trim.
Thoroughly cleaning my house and patio including digging out at least a zillion calla lily bulbs that have multiplied and divided on their own all over the beds in my patio. A previous tenant planted them and I can't get rid of them. They are evil.
Starting to plan all my fall sewing for gifts and holiday decor including Christmas stockings. This year I want to do new ones for all my fam and I'll be doing one more for my (soon-to-be) son-in-law! Love that!
Looking at a pile of sewing I need to do for fund raising for Into-Africa. (My sewing machine will be smokin' hot next week! I've got to get it finished and mailed. It's been so long since I made the commitment to do it that my integrity is on the line!)
Working out daily.
Eating carefully to fuel my workouts and provide energy but not over eating or indulging in things that don't accommodate my fitness goals. This actually takes more planning that one would think.

This is all a joy to me. Even the funeral. It was a family reunion of sorts, as the man who passed away was someone we've known for many many years, a member of a church we pastored in England. Sad for his family and those of us who loved him to lose him, but he is with Jesus and we will all be reunited forever one day!

I have been busy, it's all good.

Deluded. Maybe.

2011-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

I won't be posting for a bit...I'll be away from my computer until next week, but then I'll be back and I'll tell you about how things are going post two weeks notice!

I am deluding myself that my life is some exciting reality show that the whole world is interested in.

...

...

...

If I know I'm deluding myself is is still a delusion?

At any rate, I'll see ya'all next week!

By the way, why is reality TV so popular? Do we really have such lame lives that we have to find excitement in the trials and joys of other people's lives? Does this apply to certain types of blogs? Hmm.......

Please, Sir, I want some more.

2011-08-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Name that classic. A prize to the winner. Umm. Just kidding. No prize yet. But I am thinking about a giveaway drawing when I reach 25 followers! Stay tuned!

As promised, here is another out of this world quinoa recipe.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

Ingredients:
For the salad:
   1 T olive oil
   1 C dry quinoa
   1 3/4 C chicken stock
   1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
   1 whole avocado, sliced
   1 handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
   1/2 red onion, diced
   Several cloves minced garlic
   1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
   Small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

For the dressing:
   1 whole lime, juiced
   1/2 T olive oil
   1/2 t cumin
    salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the garlic and oil until garlic is golden. Add quinoa and stock, bring to a boil, turn down and simmer with lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare all the other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining ingredients and whisking briskly. Adjust salt as necessary.
3. When quinoa has finished cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add all the other ingredients except avocado and dressing and toss. Serve warm or cold, garnished with avocado slices.

Sometimes I'll top this with chicken strips, alternating with the avocado slices so it looks pretty.

Next time I make this I will try to remember to take a picture and edit this post to add it. For now, the above image will have to do. Its very similar.

I found the original recipe on PW's Tasty Kitchen site. Can't seem to find it now, though. Good thing I printed it!

Image credit

PS I'm working on figuring out how to post recipes in printable form. If anyone knows how to do that, I'm all ears!

Quinoa: a girl's best friend. Way better than diamonds.

2011-08-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Is that even said anymore? That diamonds are a girl's best friend? I hope not ...it's SO not true! I suppose quinoa isn't really a girl's best friend either...but it makes for a good title.

Anyway.

Have you ever eaten quinoa? It's a grain, grown mostly in South America. It has a very high protein content, for a grain. Here's some information from an oh, so reliable source. (This would be a good place to use that sarcasm font.) I could seriously live on the stuff. That is not written in a sarcasm font!

My soon-to-be son-in-law taught me how to cook it. Basically it's cooked like rice, but mine always turned out mushy until he showed me what to do. In the interest of paying it forward and community spirit, I now give you his method of cooking quinoa:

By the way, we don't measure the ingredients other than the quinoa and liquid, so you'll need to eyeball it all and adjust for your personal taste.

Basic Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients:
Lots of garlic cloves, I use about 8, but then I LOVE garlic, minced
Several T olive oil
1/4 C Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (available in most good grocery stores and health food stores)
1 T, more or less, of dried basil or oregano, or whatever herb you like
1/1/2 C quinoa
2 1/2 C water

What to do:
Sauté a bunch of minced garlic cloves (maybe 8?--enough for a couple of Tablespoons of minced garlic) in several Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until golden. Toss the Braggs and the herbs in there too. Don't let it burn. There are few things in life worse than burned garlic. (Slivered red onion is good here too. Or maybe some chopped red pepper; any raw veggie would be good added now.)

When the garlic is golden add the dry quinoa and immediately the water.

Boil this mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add any leftover cooked veggies you like. I'm thinking broccoli or chopped spinach, but whatever you like works, and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or so, checking once in a while to make sure all the liquid isn't boiled away too soon. You don't want to lift the lid too often though, because you want the steam to stay inside. Add more water if necessary in 1/4 to 1/2 cup increments. The quinoa is done when the outer ring around the grain separates from the grain itself and you can see the little circular rims clearly, like little tiny white...well...I want to say worms, but the visual for that isn't very appetizing. So try not to visualize that, but you need the outer rings to come away from the grain. You can refer to the image at the top of this post. It shows a bit of what I'm talking about.

That's it! Yummy by itself or with any meat. You can also poach an egg right in the quinoa before all the water boils away and it makes a delicious and super nutritious breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. Or snack.

I'll post another quinoa recipe tomorrow that is O.U.T. O.F. T.H.I.S. W.O.R.L.D.

Stay tuned!

Image credit (click on this and it will give you another recipe too!)

Fashionably Late

2011-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

I am late to the party....but I finally joined in. Lots of beautiful images and a fun place to keep track of things that are inspiring. Click on the icon to find me on Pinterest. I'm just getting started but it's a great way to ~~waste time~~ get inspired and save images of things you want to remember. (Icon also in my sidebar to the right.)

But be careful...it's addicting!

Thaaaaaat's all folks! I have websites to visit, images to pin and ~~time to waste~~, important things to do!

Image from pinterest.

Haiku

2011-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I think one of the reasons I love the poem Fog by Carl Sandburg is that it creates such a beautiful image with so few words. I love Haiku for the same reason. I think I'm a minimalist at heart. Really. I'll be posting about this soon.

I came across this recently and the post spoke to me on many levels. Please click over and enjoy.

Image credit: I found this image by doing a Google search for "fog"....not sure where it came from originally, but I imagine there are zillions of public domain pictures of the Golden Gate bridge covered in fog because I'm pretty sure the fog factory for the whole world is located in San Francisco.

Focus, and Focus Well

2011-08-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Sometime after all the dust of Christmas begins to settle and the New Year is on the horizon most of us look back at the previous year, take stock, evaluate, regroup and make some goals for the upcoming year. It's a good idea to keep these things in mind, maybe even in written form somewhere, so we don't forget them, and revisit them from time to time. Life starts to happen and even spiral out of control sometimes and we forget our goals if we haven't noted them somewhere.

With that in mind, this being a bit past mid-year, it's time for me to take another look.

This year, instead of making lofty goals that I may or may not achieve (probably wouldn't achieve if the truth be told, and then I would feel bad and flog myself and feel like a loser) I chose a word that would be my theme, the hinge pin of sorts, for 2011. My idea was that this word would color all the decisions I would make throughout the year. It needed to be something that would encourage me to continue to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (not physically, thank you very much! I've grown way too much in that regard and need to shrink! LOL). It needed to be something simple that would encompass the areas of my life that I wanted to address over the months of this year.

The word I chose was focus.

Where is my focus? Do I have clear goals and purpose? What is that purpose? Does it line up with God's purpose for me? Are the things in life that I'm pursuing furthering that purpose? What do I want to be doing in December of 2011? How have I been productive? What exactly has my life produced over the year?

I made a decision to simplify my life in any way I could, and dedicate myself wholeheartedly to whatever I was doing. The scripture tells us in Colossians 3:23, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men..." . I wanted every single decision I made, whether that be concerning my attitude, thoughts, or actions, to be purposeful and intentional.

This is a huge challenge here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's an area dedicated to materialism and commercialism. Culture and lifestyle here is a one hundred and eighty degree shift from living in southern Spain, the most recent place we lived prior to here. People in Spain enjoy their lives. They aren't caught up with 'stuff,' or making more and more and more money. They are generally content with what they have, they work to pay the bills and provide for needs, but they aren't running here and there and everywhere consumed with the rat race of life. It's a very relaxed, happy, family oriented culture. It's a much slower and enjoyable ritmo de vida. I can't speak for other areas of Spain, but where we lived, on the southern coast, right on the shore of the Mediterranean, people had a passion and love of life that I rarely see here. In the summer time the beaches were filled every day by mid afternoon. Folks took care of the necessary affairs of life as quickly as they could, and then spent the rest of the day enjoying being alive. They didn't have a lot of 'stuff,' and didn't feel a need for it. They weren't so consumed with making their way in life that they forgot to enjoy life!

What a sad legacy it would be to have lived all my life striving to do and have more and more and more, so much so that I forget what's really important. Am I enjoying my relationship with Jesus, or has what I do for Him become an obligation? Am I enjoying my family, or have I allowed so much selfishness into my heart that they irritate me? Am I noticing the small joys of daily life or am I too busy being busy that I forget those things? Are my friends more important than my stuff? What am I focusing on? To what am I applying myself?

Did I notice the way the edges of the clouds turn silvery pink right before the sun comes up? Did I notice the way my cat runs to greet me when she hears my car drive up (I know...she's a weird cat. She sometimes thinks shes a dog. She even plays fetch)? Did I enjoy the process of creating a healthy tasty meal or just throw something on the table so we could hurry up and eat and move on to the next thing? Did I help that young mother on the sidewalk trying to get her stroller over the curb and in the process meet someone new? What am I focusing on? I am guilty of letting all these and more totally pass me by, but this year I have been applying myself to focusing on the task and hand, completing it well, and living more in the present moment that wishing for something else.

I don't want to be so caught up in busyness that I forget to be content. That's really the issue right there. Is what I'm focusing on bringing contentment or is it making me wish for more and more and yet more? And do I focus completely on the current task and complete it well or am I so scattered that do a half job at everything? And perhaps the most important question of all: Is God pleased with the focus of my life?

'Cuz really, that's what life is all about anyway.

I'm not sure where the original image for the picture for this post came from, but I found it here.

Are you a follower?

2011-08-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Update 8/12: looks like the problem is solved. For now anyway!
Update again later: Ok. Maybe it's not solved. Meh.

Apparently Blogger is having some trouble with the followers gadget. If you are following me (and if not I'd love it if you would!) please be patient. Your picture will appear again under Followers eventually.

I hope!

Seems to me that Blogger is having several issues lately. Let's hope they straighten them all out soon!

Wading Through the Murky Waters of Gift Giving Etiquette...and Possibly Drowning

2011-08-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Updated to add a disclaimer: I wrote this post some time ago, before my daughter was engaged. She is getting married soon and she and her finance will be registering at a few places. It's a very practical thing to do, especially in this day and age when a young couple staring out has some genuine needs and often large financial roadblocks in the early days. It also relieves the person who genuinely wants to give a gift but doesn't know what to give. I get that, I don't have any problem with people who use registries, and I do use them on occasion for gift giving. Also, I'm sure there is a valid and legitimate counter point to everything you are about to read. My opinion doesn't change though.

I have a little pet peeve.

I don't like gift registries.

You know...when someone is getting married or having a baby and the shower invitation comes with a note that the the bride or baby's mother is registered at XYZ stores...and then you go to the websites and there are a million and one things the person has chosen that they want. It makes me feel that gift giving is an obligation. Sort of like if I don't give a gift from the list then my gift won't be appreciated or something. I'm sure that's not the case with most people, and most folks consider it a convenience to pre-choose what they want, but I just don't like the message it sends.

Side note: I'm not so sure that all this "convenience" we live by is such a good thing anyway, but that's something for another post.

I'd much rather put some thought and consideration into the gift and choose something I think the recipient would like. I'm all for gift receipts...though I suppose that does cause the recipient the possible inconvenience of having to make an exchange. I can't help but think that's better though. Most places offer a 90 day return window. 90 days! That's three whole months! Certainly one could find time within 90 days to make an exchange or at least ask a friend to go the store to get a gift card for later use. If I were receiving the gift I'd rather that my guests have the luxury of giving me what they want to, if they want to! It's so much more personal. The whole registry thing is almost like saying, "You and I both know you are obligated to give me a gift at this momentous occasion in my life. Here's a list of what I want because I'm not willing to run the risk that you might pick something I don't like. Make your choice." What's that all about? Since when is gift giving an obligation anyway?

I had a look a the registry for the baby shower I will be attending and noticed that the new mother picked out some cute stuff...much of it with a monkey/ jungle theme. I made a baby quilt with monkey themed fabrics in lieu of purchasing a gift from the registry. I did wonder, as I was making it, if she'll like it, but I can tell you, if it were me, I'd MUCH rather receive a quilt that someone took time and hand made rather than some store bought cr@p. I'd appreciate the love and effort and time spent because I'd know they were thinking of me, and that's worth so much more than any gift anyway.

That, however, is a little quirk of mine. I'm totally not into "stuff." I don't even buy souvenirs when I travel. I take pictures instead. "Stuff" isn't my thing, but the thought is very important to me.

The quilt is pretty cute, though, if I do say so myself. ;-) ...and practically speaking, one does need a certain amount of "stuff" when one is having a baby. Though not as much as one might think...but again, another post.

The family to whom this gift if going are dear friends, and I don't mean any offense by complaining about the registry thing. I realize it's convenient for many, and it's the way things are generally done, but seriously? I was blessed beyond measure with some of the cutest and most imaginative gifts I've ever seen when my kids were born. That wouldn't have happened had I registered somewhere.

Ok. Enough whining. I guess I'm just old school when it comes to this.

Image credit

The Ongoing Saga of My Quilty Obsession

2011-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Continuing in my current subject of all things quilty, I went on a reconnaissance mission yesterday. I had heard about a quilt shop located fairly close to where I live and when my husband asked me to do a freecycle pickup in that area I couldn't resist stopping to check it out. What a treasure! Loved it! I was chatting with the nice lady there and telling her I am teaching myself to quilt. I inquired about classes and was intrigued by the long arm quilt classes they offer. Apparently after a one day class I will then be accredited and qualified to use their long arm for $12 an hour. The lady there says that once I'm in practice I could do a queen sized quilt in under three hours. That's a HUGE savings on sending it out to be professionally quilted (something I don't like the idea of anyway...if I'm making a quilt I kind of want to do the whole thing myself. Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Only time will tell. I'm a purist and a newbie). It's also a huge savings in frustration of trying to quilt a queen sized quilt on my sewing machine at home. Tying a quilt is fine, but it's not always the look I'll be going for. So. Methinks a long arm class might be a good thing to put on my Christmas list. ;-)

What?

I know it's only August. I'm just thinking ahead.

Maybe once I get my shop happening I'll pop a few quilts in there along with the other things I plan to stock. Hmmm....the wheels are turning.....

I also picked up a copy of Doodle Stitching The Motif Collection by Aimee Ray. I've been eyeing it for ages and found it for a reasonable price that I was willing to pay. Yay for reasonable prices (and 40% off coupons too)!

I'm such a tightwad. In a good way, of course! ;-)

Image credit

Cat In a Quilt

2011-08-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

A cat in a quilt. What could be better? I have the cat already. Just need to make the quilt!

I know. If you read my last post you'll know I'm slightly obsessed with quilts right now!

Found the picture here.

Fifty Things

2011-07-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous quilt can be found here. Actually, the whole website is super duper inspirational for me. (See #15 of my list below!)

My husband turned 49 a few days ago. Some of his friends have already been ribbing him about turning 50. I'm looking down the barrel of 50 in a couple of years so this seems like a good time to make some goals. So! This is my list of 50 things to do by the time I turn 50. Not sure I'll get them all done, but I'm a list person and it gives me some focus. Focus! Reminds me...but I'll do another post about that and try to remain focused on one post at a time (haha!).... My inspiration for this came from this post.

1.Lead someone to Jesus.
2. Lose 50 pounds. At least.
3. Be able to run 5 miles easily.
4. Do my part to put us in a position where my husband and I can both quit our jobs and he can pastor full time.
5. If I still need to make an income then I want to do it by making stuff.
6. Finish the red, white and blue quilt I started for my son many moons ago.
7. Make a quilt for our bed.
8. Make a fall themed quilt.
9. Get all my photo albums scanned and saved electronically.
10. Organize all my digital pictures on my computer in a way that makes sense.
11. Get strong. See numbers 2 and 3. It's all related.
12. Be able to do 10 pull ups (chin ups) (again see 2 and 3 and also 11).
13. Make a string quilt. This may be one of the quilts listed above.
14. Learn how to free motion quilt.
15. Learn to quilt in general! (See numbers 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14!)
16. Lead someone to Jesus. (I know this is here twice. It's at the top and bottom of my list because it is the most important thing in my life, from beginning to end. Everything else is good and important to me, but people have eternal value, and that's more important than everything else put together.
17. .................................... --crickets-- ...............................

Ok. So maybe I can't come up with 50 things. That's a lot. This list is in no way complete even though I can't put my finger on more things I want to accomplish right at the moment. Also, I think if I add much more to this list I'll lose my focus. See my next post for my thoughts on focus! (Let's hope I post it sooner rather than later, as "later" seems to be my custom lately!)

Update! Between the time I started this post and published this post I gave my two weeks notice! (See #4) It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one. More on this in a future post as well.

Clearly I Need to Visit This Space More Often.

2011-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you neglect your blog and disappear for an indeterminate amount of time.

It disappears.

Sort of.

The pictures are gone and so is my background and who knows what else.

Not sure what's up and thinking maybe I'll shut it down and start fresh anyway. I have some ideas and inspirations so we'll see what happens...

7/26/11 Update! Not shutting down! Stay tuned.... :-)

9/2/11 Update! It seems that when I updated my Picassa account and deleted a bunch of old stuff that I didn't want to store there anymore that it directly affected my blog. Who knew? Ok...so I'm ...err... technically challenged!

Happy Things

2011-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Happy thing for April 17: Cats have a private entrance at the vet next door to our church. They don't have to use the same door as the dogs and other riff raff.

Is There Really a Point to This?

2011-04-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Ok. So what's the point, really, of this blog? I love reading other blogs and I love the idea of having my own, but this space just seems to flounder and I'd way rather read others than write mine. On the other hand I enjoy having a "web presence." I may reopen my online shop eventually and this blog is a convenient resource for that. So. Does this mean I should find a focus? I could write a craft blog or a mom blog or choose from any number of subjects on which to focus. I could just keep it as way to update far-flung family and friends. I could continue as I am without changing anything and continue to leave it on the back burner of my life or I could just shut the whole thing down altogether. Just musing and throwing around some thoughts.

Thoughts? Comments? Email me or leave a comment or something.

There is Great Need for a Sarcasm Font

2011-04-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Came across this recently and it made me laugh so I'm posting it here. Who can't use a few extra laughs!

Random Thoughts of the Day

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent an aggressive driver from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I wonder if cops ever get annoyed at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

In Which I Enjoy Life Instead of Continuing My Endless High Speed Rush to...Where Exactly?

2011-03-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I was privileged to post this on Carmen's blog but I wanted to post it here too in the interest of resurrecting this old blog! This version is updated and slightly edited.

Life is pretty complicated sometimes. Sometimes in this techno-fast-paced-gotta-set-higher-and-higher-goals-and-do-and-be-everything age I think we need to slow down and appreciate little things. Where, exactly, are we going so fast? And what are we missing on the way there? And when we get there will we be glad we're there? “Enjoying the journey,” is a phrase that I think is highly overused. After all, the destination IS important and goals are very useful things, but we do need to find balance; recharge periodically; assess priorities and enjoy life in general. Yes, the goal is important, but it's not ALL about the goal. Having said that, however, we do need to stop every now and then and realize that life is for living, not for rushing through until we collapse exhausted, just to get up the next day or week or month or year and start it all again. I've been thinking about simple pleasures...things we can do to make the load seem lighter for a moment while we continue on this journey called life. So here are thirty one simple pleasures, one for each day of the month. Little things...things that can be done with little or no expense. These ideas are easy and inexpensive. If we don't take time to smell the roses, pretty soon we'll forget what the roses smell like!

This list is in no way complete, nor is it in any order. Some of these ideas may appeal to you, others not so much. The point is, enjoy life! It's made for living!

1. Take a walk. Don't take your music with you. Just walk. Barefoot if possible, for half an hour. Breathe the fresh air and enjoy your surroundings.

2. Take a hot bath. With bubbles. And a book. And the door locked!

3. Sleep in. Take one day and just sleep until you wake up. No alarm clock, no nothing. If you have small children who are up early, this may be more difficult, but at least stay in bed until you feel like getting up. Maybe use the time to cuddle up under the covers with the littles and read a story. Or maybe cuddle up under the covers with someone not so little.... ;-)

4. Make a cup of hot chamomile and peppermint tea. Use two teabags, one of each, and leave the teabags in the cup. Or hot chocolate. Here's an awesome recipe!

5. If your coffee maker doesn't have a timer, get an inexpensive one used for lighting when you go out of town and set your coffee pot to start brewing fifteen minutes before you are going to wake up. Nothing like the luxury of getting up to freshly made coffee just waiting for you!

6. Stay up late into the night with a good book. (Don't do this right before you have to be up early for something, though!

7. Go to a local bakery and purchase 2 super duper exquisite indulgent cupcakes. One for you and one for a friend. Or make some. Chocolate lover's recipe here.

8. Color. Like when you were a kid. Get some crayons or colored pencils and a cheap coloring book and color. Don't worry about staying in the lines!

9. Spend 30 minutes in silence. Turn off your phone. Turn off your TV. Turn off your ipod. Turn it all off and enjoy 30 minutes of absolute total silence.

10. Have some old fashioned chicken noodle soup. Not just any old canned soup, either. Get a really good quality one. Or make some.

11. Put a couple of tablespoons of yummy flavored syrup in your coffee or hot chocolate. Hazelnut is amazing in chocolate, by the way! Make a cup for your spouse or friend or son or daughter or work colleague too. (Make your own syrup:http://catfeetstudio.blogspot.com/2010/04/some-calorie-laden-recipes.html

12. Call an old friend or relative you love but haven't talked to in a while and catch up.

13. Laugh. A lot. I read this somewhere (if anyone knows where it came from please let me know and I'll credit the source!), “Children laugh over 300 times a day whereas adults laugh only 15 times. This is because children laugh unconditionally while adults do so only if there is a cause.” Laugh as loudly and as often as you can. For no reason. Who cares if they think you are crazy!

14. Write a letter. A real one. On real paper. With a real pen! Add some doodles and little drawings and personalize it. Tuck in a tea bag or a couple of photos (yes, real ones! Printed on real paper!). Put it in a real envelope with a real stamp and put in in a real mailbox to send to a real person. I'm a huge user of email and I think technology is great, but there's just something about an old fashioned letter in the mailbox...and you never know...you just might get one in return!

15. Take your sheets and blankets off the bed and launder them in nice smelling soap and softener. Before you put them back on put something soft like an old comforter on the mattress under the fitted sheet. Then put the sheets back on and count the hours until you can snuggle down in your sweet smelling homemade feather bed.

16. Use a towel fresh, warm and fluffy, straight from the dryer when you get out of the shower.

17. Hold hands with someone. A child, a spouse, a friend, a grandparent. Human contact and touch go a long way in the well-being department!

18. Do a small random act of kindness for a stranger. Look around you as you are out and about. There are opportunities for this all around us all the time. Anonymously pay for the coffee for the person behind you. Help a harassed mother with a stroller to put her groceries in the car. Let someone go in front of you in line at the checkout.

19. Have fresh berries for breakfast.

20. Turn off the news in the car and listen to music you love. Don't listen to the news for a full day. The world will still function even if you aren't up to the minute. The news doesn't usually change from day to day anyway. If there is a major catastrophe someone will tell you.

21. Go outside at night and look at the stars.

22. Lie on your back outside in the afternoon and watch the clouds change shape.

23. Do something you've been putting off and check it off your list. Complete that pesky task and get it out of your hair!

24. Clear all the extra junk, stuff, trash, and knick knacks off your desk. File papers. Throw away spent pens and stubby pencils. Keep only what you need to use regularly on your desk. Put everything else within reach, but neatly away, out of sight. A clear workspace contributes to a clear and productive mind. (More on this in a later post!)

25. Make popcorn. Extra butter. You won't be able to eat it alone, because the smell of popcorn will attract people from miles around, so make a lot!

26. Leave the house ten minutes early in the morning so you won't be so rushed and stressed on the way to where ever you have to go.

27. Smile at a stranger. You never know what kind of day that person is having and a smile will brighten even the darkest moment. For you and for them!

28. Grow something. Mint or basil if you like herbs. Flowers in a pot. Plant a strawberry plant. Get a cactus or succulent if you have brown thumb (like me!) Anything. Inside or out. But plant something.

29. Get a pedicure. Pick a beautiful polish, even in cold weather when you wear closed toed shoes. When you take off your shoes at the end of the day your feet will look and feel gorgeous. Even if no one else sees them, you do!

30. Put your pj's on early in the evening, lounge around and be comfy.

31. Pick up a cheap bottle of bubbles and blow bubbles in a public place. Try to do it where no one can see you but let the bubbles float out where people are. Something about bubbles makes everyone happy.

32. And a bonus! Work out. Hard. Really really hard. (Obviously this will take longer than the ten minutes I mentioned at the beginning of this post!) Then take a long hot shower and let the water pound the muscles you've just used. Finish with a quick burst of cool water and you'll get out of the shower refreshed and raring to go!

Photo Credit

Good Things

2011-03-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

Not doing a lot of posting here these days, but I did start a new page...you can click on the "Good Things" tab right under my blog title. Check it out!

Here's a little sneak preview:

In Which It Becomes Apparent That I Am Not a Blogger. And a Recipe.

2010-10-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Not that it wasn't apparent before now...I am neglecting this space. Not sure what's up with that, exactly. I enjoy writing, and this is a good place to do it.

Whatever.

Since I'm feeling fall-ish and festive, I'm posting a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake/pie dessert. If you are visiting from Mom to the Screaming Masses...hello! And thanks for stopping by!

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 T milk

1 T sugar

1 1/2 C cool whip

1 prepared graham cracker crust

1 C cold milk

1 small can pumpkin

2 (4 serving size) pkgs vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t ground cloves

(can substitute pumpkin pie seasoning for the spices)

Mix cream cheese, milk, and sugar in a bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into the bottom of the crust.

Pour 1 C milk into a bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mixes, and spices. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Spread over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 4 hours before slicing.

I would like to figure out how to make the recipe "printable." I found a site that is very informative and I think that even I will be able to figure out how to do it, but I won't be doing it now...ummm...10 pm after a long day? No. So, for this one you'll have to copy and paste it. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Maybe next time I post a recipe it'll be in a printable format.

Oh yeah...I'm not a blogger. Maybe there won't be a next time!

(But probably there will be.)

Happy Anniversary to my Parents

2010-08-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary!

I want to take this...the occasion of your fiftieth wedding anniversary, to send a note to thank you for your example of constancy and longevity.

Having been married myself for 26 years I know that marriage is not always easy, but I also know that it's more than worth the struggles that it sometimes involves. Especially in a society such as today's, marriage is often thrown away for a "better" option. I want to thank you for demonstrating to me that longevity in marriage is the best option, as evidenced by your lives. You both have been an example to me over the years of enjoying each other, overcoming obstacles, staying committed to one another and loving one another for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; until death do you part.

What a joy it must be to be able to say you've been married for fifty years! What a privilege and joy it is to me to be able to say that my parents have been married for fifty years!

Congratulations!

Photo credit:
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-5021407-couple-holding-hands-in-shadow.php

I've gone visiting again!

2010-08-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm posting here today!

Photo credit: http://likethedew.com/2009/07/06/on-the-go-through-the-generations/

A Day in Pictures

2010-08-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Does this mean that fall is coming? The bites taken out of this by ??? must mean it's not poisonous...but I'm not going to break out the garlic and butter to find out!

I know I haven't been posting much besides these little snippets of my daily life lately, but I will...next week. Promise! You can see just my "Day in Pictures" posts all together on that page...click on it on the upper right of my sidebar.

A Day in Pictures

2010-08-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 19, 2010

A Day in Pictures

2010-08-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

A snipped, a slice, a tiny piece of my everyday life...

My husband has a remote controlled helicopter. It was a gift from our son for Father's Day or his birthday or something...or both! He loves it! I can always tell when he's taking a break from studying because I hear the helicopter buzzing around the house. It doesn't always stay in the air though...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

By the way, on this day, seventeen years ago, we arrived in England to pastor our first church! Wasn't that just last week? I looked away for a sec and seventeen years went by!

A Day in Pictures

2010-08-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

A snippet, a slice, a tidbit of some tiny part of my day.

I walked out the door to church yesterday evening with half a cup of coffee in my favorite mug. I finished the coffee before I went through the gate out to the driveway, and I parked the mug on the fence so I wouldn't have to take an empty cup in the car, then promptly forgot it was there until I went out early this morning before it was fully light. I already had this morning's coffee in hand but alas! I was not able to drink it out of my favorite mug! Now, however, it is clean, and awaiting tomorrow's coffee!

Monday, August 16, 2020

Heartwork

2010-08-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm taking part in an online writing course sponsored by the lovely Kate. I did the same workshop last month and discovered some "hidden treasure" in my heart that I wanted to record on paper. I had a hard time though, possibly because I'm not in the habit of writing regularly, not to mention really writing from my heart. This time around I'm working on getting my emotions (mostly about growing older) coherent in my mind so I can journal them. Though I guess that's all part of journaling...the coherent and the incoherent! Goodness knows that the emotions of a woman are sometimes the farthest thing from coherent!! Haha! Also, I'm cautious about what to share here, because this is such a public forum and I tend to be a private person about what's going on in the depths of my heart. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing but it is what it is.

Anyway.

I'd like to share a quote by Dr. Susan Love (surgeon and proponent of breast cancer research) that has made me think deeply about this season of my life:

As women, we're lucky because we are reminded in a very physical way that this is mid-life, so we can re-evaluate what we are and where we are going...It's very healthy to view menopause as a chance to recharge and rebuild.

This pretty much sums up what I believe concerning mid-life as women. I think we have many reference-point opportunities throughout our life to evaluate and re-evaluate, but menopause has to be one of the if not the most poignant. What a wonderful opportunity! A challenge, to be sure, but an opportunity none the less.

For me, it's a time when my two of my three children have grown up and moved out on their own to pursue their own lives and destinies, and my youngest is grown, soon to be moving out as well. I've looked at myself with myriad emotions and finally come to the understanding that I am not defined by my children. I am not defined by my husband. I am not even defined by myself!

By the way, away with all women's magazines, articles, and popular thinking that declare the need for "Me time!" and "I need/must have/ have to"....fill in the blank. Today's society and culture are super duper geared toward women placing themselves first. "If I don't take care of myself I won't be able to take care of anyone else." Rubbish. Not that we let ourselves go and don't guard our hearts and minds and emotions, and take care of our bodies, but this is a big subject for another post. I do plan to explore it, but not right this minute.

So.

I am defined by who God created me to be. That He created me, first to have relationship with Him, and then to be instrumental in helping others into relationship with Him. It has been so easy, for the twenty five years I've been raising children, to hide in my role as a mother. Motherhood is a wonderful, God-given role, specifically designed by Him for women. Mothers are vital and instrumental in the lives of our children on infinite levels, but one must continually seek first the Kingdom of God though the years of raising children and beyond. Part of this seeking first is that when one's life roles change, one needs to roll with those changes and not freak out! Menopause is a very interesting time because one's body is experiencing hormonal changes second only to puberty and in this chick it translates to a very emotional time.

So, with all that as a preface, I am taking part in this weekend workshop and discovering some truths about myself, my motherhood, my role as a wife, growing older, and my relationship with God.

I'll record as much as I can with pen and paper and share some of that here as well.

Hooping it up!

2010-07-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been bitten by the hooping bug. A couple of years ago I met Sara, the writer of one of the blogs I love. Her personal blog is here. Recently she was bitten by the bug and has started writing about it. She actually started a new blog dedicated to hooping...read it here. I was getting more and more inspired by hooping...it's great exercise and lots of fun, and very graceful to watch. Well. I'm not graceful, but maybe some day...with practice! I started looking it up on youtube and finding cool videos like this one.

I decided purchase a hula hoop...I wanted one that was adult sized but I couldn't find one anywhere except online, and they were a little pricier than I had imagined. I happened across a comment someone made on some forum or another mentioning making your own hoop, and after searching around I found this site and this one. "Great!" I thought...I just need some irrigation tubing and a coupler. Off I went to Lowe's and Home Depot but I didn't find what I needed: 3/4 to 1 inch tubing an internal coupler. Can this be so difficult to find??? Again I searched around online and came up with this. Obviously, that store is good for you only if you live near where I do.

Funny story...I walked into the Urban Farmer (see the link above) and asked the guy there for 3/4 inch tubing. Before I said anything else he said, "You're making a hula hoop?" I guess he's had some other hoopy (loopy? haha) folks in there before me! He hooked me up and for about $7 I made my own hoop. Perfect!

So! I have my own hoop and practice in my garage. I'm not ready yet for anyone to see me do it though, so you'll have to wait before I post a video! In the meantime, you can watch Sara here. I can only hope to be as good as she is one day!

Photo credit: http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/10/19/wendes-happy-hula-hoops

Down Time

2010-07-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sara wrote a great post. Click on her name to read it. Couldn't say it better myself. In light of Real Life, today has been filled with prayer and outreach, iced tea, home made poptarts, and laundry, pretty much in that order. This evening will be some sewing, maybe, some reading, maybe some hot tea later, and probably not a whole lot else. Down time.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's way past time to roll up our sleeves and fight to get our country back from the misinformed, unthinking, self-oriented, self-promoting people who want to make it into a socialized nation. Or worse. Our forefathers didn't give their lives for what's happening today. Some men are NOT more equal than others (read Animal Farm by George Orwell).

So...with that in mind, happy Independence Day! It's not just 4th of July...that comes around every year. Let's make sure we continue to celebrate Independence Day every year!

On a lighter note, Independence Day around here may or may not involve blueberry pie. And strawberry pie. And banoffee pie. Lots of the above. With plenty of whipped cream. And ice cream. Just sayin'.

Great weekend to all!

Photo credit:
http://www.jellymuffin.com/images/american/images/10.jpg

Break Out the Burgers. The Sun is Here.

2010-06-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to duck in and do a quick post because today is ahhhh--mazing!!!!

Here in the San Francisco Area we don't get a lot of nice days. Well...that's not exactly true, but typically, when the rest of the country is stepping into summer, we enjoy cold fog and gray drizzly weather. "Enjoy," being the operative word. Our nice weather usually comes in the fall, when everyone else is breaking out the scarves and quilts. I love that time of year too (from inside the warm house!), but I need warm summer-y weather in the summer when it's supposed be warm and summer-y!

I am originally from the southwestern desert. (Well, not originally originally, but that's not important. I was a kid when we moved from Chicago.)

I am a desert rat.

I hate cold weather.

So when the weather is like it is today I get so happy! Love love love it!!! It's 80 degrees, slightly breezy, not a cloud in the sky. Amazingly beautiful. The thing I like best about it is the scent in my backyard. Our area is surrounded by pine and eucalyptus and those scents mingled with the warm breeze is heavenly. Reminds me of camping trips when I was little. Good memories! I love the outdoors, and this kind of weather brings out all my dormant desires for hiking and camping and just hanging out outside.

I called some friends to come over for an impromptu barbecue this afternoon, but, alas, everyone is busy at such short notice. Oh well! That will not dampen my joy today! My husband and I will enjoy the day together with our son and bask in the warm sunshine, along with some burgers and potato salad later.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

I'm a simple soul, really.

Someone else is enjoying the beautiful day too.

Just a quick word....

2010-06-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

...I want to thank you all for sticking around. I AM around...I'm just working on some other projects that don't always include my blog. Projects like lots of sewing, working out, clearing out junk and stuff and generally decrapifying, and traveling. I will soon be getting things moving again though, including reopening my shop and writing more often. Just wanted to check in with ya'all and thank you for checking in with me now and then. Back soon!!!!
Photo credit: ummm...somewhere on the internet....

Entering Another Giveaway....

2010-06-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

I enter contests and giveaways. I like to win stuff! ...but only certain stuff, because the last thing I need is more "stuff" that I have to find a home for. But this giveaway....it's a good one, and I could certainly use the prize!!!!

Happy Places

2010-05-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

The world can be filled with so much misery and bad news sometimes that I often like to just surf around the internet on a quest for "happy places." This takes many forms but usually I go to blogs I'm familiar with for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I once put a few words into a search engine on one of these quests and came up with some very questionable sites. Very questionable. So. I have learned to be more selective! And careful! My latest quest turned up these gems:

Send some happy mail! Nothing like a real package or letter in the real mailbox! Email is great and stuff, but nothing beats a surprise that can be opened or unwrapped!

Make some summer sangria! This is a yummy fruit drink reminiscent of Spanish sangria, but without the wine. Love the fruit filling the pitcher!

And this...it speaks to me about being happy in one's own skin. Plus it's fun!

Photo credit:
http://www.art.com/products/p15329560-sa-i3697626/jim-dratfield-smile-and-the-world-smiles-with-you.htm

Random Thoughts About Nothing, Really. Skip This If You Have Anything More Important to Do, Like Clip Your Toenails.

2010-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Clearly it's time for a new post.

Clearly the muses have gone on vacation.

Again.

I have eleven drafts waiting to be worked on, but nothing grabs me.

In the past week I attended the baby shower, (Edit: I have deleted the post to which I just linked because I do not want to risk offending a friend--basically I'd been invited to a baby shower and was making negative observations about gift registries.) which was pleasant. I realized that I'm so not in baby mode. Mine or anyone else's. My kids are grown, but no where near making me a grandparent yet, so babies are the farthest thing from my mind and I discovered how disconnected I am from all things baby related. Also, I didn't know anyone other than the new mother and her mother.

Serendipitously, (cool word...wanted to use it!) I met a lady there who had lived in England before I did. She was actually the sister of someone attending the shower, didn't know anyone either and is also out of baby-mode, so we struck up a conversation. She and her husband were stationed in England and they also pastored there for some years, so we had some old stomping grounds in common. That was nice. My husband is actually there preaching this week so between having daily conversations with him and meeting her I'm longing for a visit. I thought I was way done with long haul flights, but...maybe not!

So. See? I am clearly lacking inspiration to write, so maybe it's just better if I don't. At least until the muses return. Maybe they went to England too.

I've Gone Visiting

2010-04-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

I'm posting over here today. See you there! :-)

Photo Credit:
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/index.php/2009/10/20/patriots-confirm-galloway-has-been-cut-also-send-te-michael-matthews-packing/

Some Calorie Laden Recipes

2010-04-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

A few recipes...because they are yummy (and to be able to link to from a possible future post! ...planning ahead here....).

Creamy Hot Chocolate
(4 servings)

1/3 C cocoa powder
3/4 C sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 C water
3 C milk
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 C half and half or cream

Combine the dry ingredients in a saucepan. Blend in the water and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Simmer and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir in milk and heat thoroughly until very hot. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add cream to individual mugs.

Amazing Chocolate Cupcakes

Use your favorite chocolate cake recipe to make cupcakes and add a Hershey's kiss to each before you bake. (I find it best to use baking cups for these...the kisses tended to stick to the bottom of my pan when I don't use the baking cups.) Just pop one onto each cupcake on top of the batter and let it sink as it will. Bake as normal and frost as desired. I like to use a rich ganache icing:

Heat together over medium heat: 1 C cream and 5 T corn syrup. Simmer for a minute or two and remove from heat. Add 2 t vanilla extract. Chop 8 oz by weight of semi sweet chocolate or use chocolate chips. I use Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet chips. Pour the warm cream mixture over the chocolate and stir well to combine until the chocolate is all melted and the whole business is glossy. Dip the cupcake tops into the ganache and let set. You can refrigerate the leftover ganache and dip into it with a spoon periodically when no one is looking! ;-)

Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this up when we lived in Europe and I couldn't find good old Campbell's. Now we like it better! Its super easy comfort food but maybe not the healthiest way to do it...

Use cooked chicken, pulled from the bone and chopped into bite sized pieces. Leftovers are great or cook chicken breasts or pieces specifically for this recipe.

Make a rich broth using water and chicken stock cubes or bullion crystals. For four people I use 4 to 6 C water and 10 cubes.

Cook spaghetti, linguine, or fettucini noodles. Drain. Add the cooked chicken and cooked noodles to the broth and serve with crusty bread and salad.

Home made Flavored Syrups for Coffee

Boil together 1 C water and 1 C sugar for 1 minute and let cool slightly. Add any flavor extract you desire. That's it! Add more sugar/less water for thicker syrup or more water for thinner syrup.

Photo credit:
http://www.hockinghills.com/shaws/recipes.htm

In Which I Return a Cheap Purse and Consider Becoming a Minimalist

2010-04-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Target, where I bought nothing. In all fairness, I was there to make a return, not a purchase, but I do need a replacement for the item I returned. This is the second time I've had to do this within a very short span! I'm sick and tired of the trash that is offered for retail at exorbitant prices.

To digress...

Lots going on in my mind lately. Thinking about simplicity, minimalism, what's really important in life materially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, what's not. How much "stuff" do I really need? Has my "stuff" become my identity? How would I cope if I lost all my "stuff" due to some natural disaster or other event?

I do a lot of reading about living simply, downsizing, minimalism and the like, and I am becoming temporarily introspective to a degree; re-evaluating priorities and decisions and even personality characteristics. Sort of New Year's in the spring in a much bigger way. I'm making decisions about the kind of person I would like to be for the rest of my life. (Mid life crisis? Maybe, but I think it's a good thing. My youngest child just turned 18, and I realized that all my children are adults now, and I still have my whole life ahead of me! Pretty exciting prospect!)

Heavy...I know. This was all precipitated by the breaking of my purse strap, the second one in as many weeks. I returned to Target, from whence the offending article came, only to find that I couldn't return it for the purchase price because it had gone on clearance and I didn't have the receipt. It had originally been a gift, but no gift receipt. So I ended up with a $5 gift card. I wasn't in the mood to argue and what could I do anyway? So. This brought me to a point of thinking about retail products, their quality, what's really important concerning my belongings, and did I really need to purchase a new purse right this minute.

I concluded that, no, I did not need to make that purchase. I do have other purses that languish in a closet. I don't use them because I don't particularly care for them, but they are functional. I did clear out a whole bunch of junk in my latest decrapification session, but I saved a few of those old purses. The decrapification thing is a slow process of letting go. I'm seeing a need for balance on the decrapification front, by the way. It makes sense to keep some things, while others need to go. The balance is in figuring out which is which!

So. The conclusion to this long and convoluted post is that I am further investigating what minimalism means to me, and learning to remove my focus from what's not important, freeing me to focus on what is.

Oh yeah. And since I do make bags and purses for sale, I should probably make an every day one for myself. The quality will be much better than retail trash, for sure! And while I'm at it, I think it's time to restock the store.

Photo credit: Me! That's one I made and sold, not one I bought! :-)

The Grand Scheme

2010-03-31T12:02:00.000-07:00

Came across this. It made me realize that the photo albums I have lost to mold and damp in my storage room are small stuff in the grand scheme of things. I felt like I'd lost memories in losing those albums, but really, the memories will always be there. Nothing can take those away. The rest is just stuff.

It is well with my soul. Still.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arfried/175820888/in/photostream/

A Story of Mr. Gray, the Water Balloon Incident, and Retrospect

2010-03-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago I was in 9th grade and Mr. Gray was my English teacher. He had a passion for the written word and imparted that to his students. Thus began my love affair with writing. The fact that I was also in love with the young and handsome Mr. Gray had nothing to do with it.

Really.

It didn't.

I swear.

Ok. Don't believe me, but it didn't.

Seriously. How could it? I still love all things grammatical but I'm SO done with Mr. Gray.

Fine. Obviously I can't convince you, so let's move on.

He assigned an essay, the requirements of which have long since escaped me, but I clearly remember the essay itself and the events that inspired it. I wrote a radical and scathing satire defaming one of the administrators of the school. I'm not sure I would have such boldness today, but life has a way of taming the wild beast within. I like to think that these thirty years have taught me something about compassion and concern for others. I like to think that I have learned that the circumstances of life mold and form personalities, my own included, but at fourteen years old I hadn't had much in the way of life lessons.
My essay detailed a series of events that began one Friday toward the end of the school year. We had a half day and that afternoon had been set aside for some sort of carnival on the school campus. The staff and students were in a partying mood. Several of my friends and I managed to engage some of the teachers in a spirited water balloon fight.

Alas, the dashing Mr. Gray was not involved.

Some of those balloons may or may not have been thrown inside the halls instead of outside on the grass (I'll never tell!) but we paid no attention to where, exactly, we were aiming and we were having a grand old time drenching each other.
School spirit, don't ya know!

Suddenly the sky turned dark and the air grew cold and we kids realized that we were alone, sans our teacher-accomplices. They had fled the scene and left us, holding the evidence, to face the dark and menacing presence of the sinister Mr. Haugh. Mr. Haugh was someone with authority over everyone, liked by no one. He was a large man, as wide as he was tall. Suffice to say he was not short. He had fleshy hands, droopy jowls, was mostly bald, and extremely out of shape. The poor man probably hated his job and was at high risk of cardiac arrest but we didn't think about those things at fourteen years old. We were just scared of him.
He was always scowling except now,when he looked down at us past his ample, pore-enlarged nose through his coke-bottle glasses with a grim self satisfied smirk as he turned the key in the detention hall lock.

We were incarcerated. Not innocent until proven guilty. Never mind that we had been caught red-handed. Never mind that the school janitor was probably, at that very moment, mopping up bucketfuls of water from the math wing. No trial by a jury of our peers. No nothing. Just instant incarceration.

"There will be, not today, nor ever, as long as I am assistant principal, a water balloon upon these hallowed premises." Mr. Haugh had spoken, and his word was law.

I was humiliated and mortified that I had to serve detention. Me! I was an "A" student! I was a good kid! I didn't associate with the usual riff raff that populated the detention hall on a regular basis. And the real kicker: we had been playing with the teachers, for crying out loud, and they all got off scot free and didn't come to our rescue! I was highly indignant at the injustice of it all. I duly served my time but I was incensed.

When Mr. Gray assigned that essay I went to town. I needed an outlet for my indignation. I told the story of that fateful day: the innocent joy and fun times had by all until the squelching of said fun times by the heavy and unreasonable hand of Mr. Haw. I thought about referring to him as Mr. Hee-haw but I decided that just might be stepping too far across the line and I didn't want to be hustled into a covered truck in the middle of the night and never heard from again, my outrage not withstanding. I was already nervous about Mr. Gray's response so I decided I could only push the envelope so far and no farther. I knew I could write well and that my essay was grammatically correct, but I was concerned with the content itself. My love for Mr. Gray was unrequited and didn't extend to actually KNOWING him as a person (and rightly so! Ewww!) so I had no idea how he would respond to my slanderous editorial. I couldn't help it though. My story was crying out to be written and I had no choice but to obey the muse and take the risk.

I like to imagine Mr. Gray grading our essays in the evenings in his bachelor pad (of course he had a pad; this was the 70's and he was a bachelor. They all had pads) over a bowl of Top Ramen. I imagine him laughing over mine. I imagine him laughing so hard that he had to stop and clean up the Top Ramen that he inadvertently snorted though his nose.

All right. So I flatter myself, but I really do think he must have enjoyed it.

Thirty years brings a great deal of retrospect. It brings a softening of the edges and a greater understanding of human nature. I hope Mr. Haugh was able to gain some measure of health and happiness in his life. I don't think he was really Mr. Haw. He was just Mr. Haugh, doing a job that no one else wanted to do. Maybe he was a little stiff, a little strict, a little too "by the book." Perhaps he was tired of high schoolers and their antics. He wasn't a young man at the time, after all. Maybe he was dealing with personal issues and our wild abandon of protocol was the last straw, as it were, for him that particular day. Or perhaps, unthinkable as it may be, we deserved to serve every moment of that detention. Whatever the case, I sincerely hope that Mr. Haugh was able to find joy and happiness during his lifetime, and if he is still alive today I want to thank him for some great essay fodder then and blog fodder now. The indignation and rage have long since faded and I want to thank Mr. Haugh for giving me a memory that still makes me smile thirty years hence.

I sincerely wish you all the best, Mr. Haugh, wherever you are. You had a job to do and you did it, and I offer you all due respect. Tardily, but respect and good wishes nonetheless.

By the way, I got an A+.

Photo credit:
http://photography.about.com/b/2008/06/13/fun-with-photography-exploding-water-balloons.htm

In Which I Determine That Purchasing Cleaning Products Makes Me Happy.

2010-03-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

So. I bought a new mop, Murphy's Oil Soap, new sponges, Bar Keeper's Friend, and a toilet brush. Obtaining these items has made me inordinately happy. What does that say about me? That I need to get a life? That I take house keeping seriously? That the doors on my kitchen cupboards need to be cleaned? That I have dirty floors and toilets? All of the above? Or maybe I just like to buy cleaning products.

Seriously, though, spring has sprung and that makes many of us want to clean up, and clear out the old junk. Lots of simplifying and decrapification (to borrow a term from...ummm...somewhere....???) has been going on lately and I'll be listing a bunch of stuff on Craig's List in very short order.

I'm also in the mood for lighter cooking and I'm in the process of cleaning every inch of my kitchen. My cupboards were never properly cleaned before we moved into this house, so I'm tackling them first. It doesn't help that my husband cooks a hamburger at about 1000 degrees for lunch every single day of his life. Word has it that Murphy's Oil Soap is the best thing for cleaning grease off the cupboard doors. You know what I mean...that sticky shiny stuff that looks totally gross and appears out of nowhere. Nowhere, that is, unless you have a husband who likes to cook hamburgers at exceedingly high temperatures.

Photo credit:
http://keepingitpersonal.com/author/leah/

Smile! You Are Beautiful!

2010-03-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when I was probably about sixteen or seventeen, I found some notes in my car. In those days, and in the town where I lived, we never bothered to roll up our car windows in the summer, never mind lock the doors. I had gone into some shop or another and when I came out a note had been placed on the driver's seat of my car that said, "Smile, God loves you." I thought that was kind of cool, and I did smile. I went on my merry way and stopped at another shopping center for another errand. When I came out I found another note on the same kind of paper with a smile-y face and the message, "Jesus cares." I have to admit, at that point I was a bit freaked out. I remember looking quickly around to try to see who had put it there. Who was following me?

Nothing transpired from those events...no one approached me, no one followed me home, nothing. Even though it was kind of freaky that they had followed me from store to store, I thought it was nice that someone had taken the time to tell me that God loved me. This was not something I was not familiar with at that time in my life. Two years and a lot of heartache would pass before I met Jesus personally and made Him Lord of my life. I can only conclude, to this day, some 30 years later, that it had to be either someone I knew who preferred to remain anonymous, or someone who simply had a heart to reach out to others but for whatever reason didn't want to go about it directly. Whatever the case, I have carried in my heart that memory and the little spark of happiness those gestures gave me for these 30 years. I seriously believe that it was in those moments that God began to deal with my heart and draw me to Himself, culminating with the start of a new life when I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour two or three years later.

This memory came back to me the other day when I came across this:

www.operationbeautiful.com

Photo credit:
flickr.com/photos/rayguntv/2306213245/

This'll put a smile on your face!

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Just for fun. Love this!

Five Little Things

2010-02-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Five Happy Things:

1. Getting rid of extra stuff on Craig's List and Freecycle.
2. A burst of super-high heart rate working out instead of a nap.
3. A perfect cupcake on a gray February day (it's true. Don't fight it).
4. Tea. Green. Ginger peach flavor preferably.
5. A real letter on real paper from a real person in the real mail sent through the United States Postal Service.

Early Morning

2009-12-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

I love the early morning. Since childhood it's been my favorite time of the day. I don't love that the early morning comes so early(!) because I also love to drowse late in my cozy warm bed. I wish the early morning could come about 10 AM.

But it doesn't.

Once I'm up, though, I'm up, and I'm always glad when I get going early. Some mornings are exceptionally beautiful! The weather is changeable here and it makes for a different sky every day. One day it's bright pink before the sun rolls over the horizon. The next day it's rainy and misty. What do they say? "Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in the morning sailor's warning"...something like that. Red sky in the morning portends rain, I guess. Some mornings the sky is a beautiful bright salmon color. God must really love creating with color. Just think of all the colors in in the world! Far more than in a 64 count crayon box.

The world is peaceful early in the morning, before the rush of the day. I love to step outside to breathe deeply of the fresh morning air and hear the birds stirring. The squirrels are busy, scampering up and down the pine trees behind my backyard, stashing their stores for the winter. Not that we get a whole lot of winter here on the coast, but God bred that instinct into them so they all do it.

The morning is still before the busyness and responsibilities of the day begin. I love to spend time in prayer early in the morning to set the tone for the day, and to ask God to be involved in every aspect of my life and decisions and activities. After a night of rest, I love having that time to rest in the Lord and bring before Him my concerns and issues surrounding the day...my day, and the issues concerning the lives of others as well.

A Blurb For My Favorite Blog!

2009-11-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a lot more bloggy reading lately than bloggy writing.

"No! Really?" I hear you exclaim, dripping with sarcasm. ;-) Seasons of life, you know, seasons of life.

One of the blogs I read is called Chickens in the Road.Suzanne writes of her life on a farm in West Virginia in a beautiful entertaining style with lots of pictures. (Pictures are good. I'm a visual kind of gal!) Her blog is always the first one I read and even if I'm busy and don't have time to catch up on my favorite blogs, I always find time for Chickens in the Road. It's a happy place! Reading there is like sitting down with a cup of coffee and having a chat and a laugh with someone who just loves life. Suzanne, if you are reading this, (dare I hope that you might be...I know you only have fifty million things to do every day!) I really do mean that.

Suzanne is participating in a contest to win a job as a "good mood blogger" for sam-E. They are running a contest to pick someone to blog for them daily for six months. Obviously, they want someone with a large readership because it's great advertising for them, but they also are looking for someone who writes well and has a "happy style." Suzanne's upbeat attitude toward life comes through every word she writes.

So. I'm asking you, my readers, all two of you (LOL), to please go here to vote for Suzanne. I would love to see her win this, partly for selfish reasons: I want to read more of her writing! I also know it would be a huge help for her to have this job. At that link you can see a video she has made of herself, and read a bit about her, but I highly recommend you visit her site too.

So, today. That's all I have! I hope to get some bloggy writing done next week. It may or may not happen. I will be out of town for the week to spend Thanksgiving with some dear friends, and I may be laughing too hard, staying up too late, and eating too many goodies to find time to turn on my computer. We shall see. If I don't get back here next week, have a Happy Thanksgiving. This is truly a season of thanks. Thanks=Giving. If our hearts are truly thankful, we will give. I'm keeping a running list of things that I am thankful for here. I love how keeping a journal of thankfulness is changing my general outlook on life.

On Thanks Giving

2009-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

So the mojo may be back, but it's taking me in other directions. Things have been pretty hectic, which is not unusual! The bread was only okay. Kind of dense and I wasn't thrilled with the flavor. I used several different types of flour in an attempt to make it super duper healthy, and it was, but the flavor was sacrificed. I'll keep working on it.

I have been thinking about thankfulness recently, with Thanksgiving approaching.

Thanksgiving.

Thanks plus giving.

Thanks. Giving.

Here's a thought: Giving should be a result of thankfulness. Not only do we give thanks, but because of our thanks we give. I am thankful for a Savior who gave Himself for me. My reasonable response should be to give (of myself, my money, my time, everything) because without Jesus giving Himself for me, I would have nothing and I would be nothing with a capital L. L for Loser. This is not self deprecating. This is a fact.

So with that I am compiling a list of things I am thankful for in another blog. You can see it here.

Photo credit:
http://gocanada.about.com/b/2007/09/01/the-best-places-to-see-autumn-colors-in-canada.htm

This post has no title because I can't think of one.

2009-11-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hello! Checking in after a long absence to let you know my mojo is back! ...And I'm glad. I was feeling mentally frumpy and scruffled*, uncreative, and generally not-able-to-get-it-together for the last few weeks, but the muses are returning and motivation in the area of all things creative, including blogging, is finally on the upswing.

Today is rainy and misty, which I love this time of year. I love crisp bright days in the fall too, but I'll take what I can get! Anyway, today was a good day for baking and thinking toward "home stuff." I made some cookies, per my son's request for Bible study tonight. He said, "How about some good old fashioned chocolate chip, kind of raw in the middle?" This is the kid who likes his pancakes literally oozing raw batter from the inside. So I made them. The cookies, not pancakes. Not sure about the "kind of raw in the middle" part, but they are definitely yummy and soft, not hard and crispy. Chocolate chips cookies should never be hard and crispy. Bleah.

I have lots of stuff piled up in the studio to get put together and post in the shop and I'm really looking forward to getting that done. Not in a "good-grief-I-wish-this-was-done-already" kind of way, but in a "looking-forward-to-the-creative-process-and-getting-my-hands-and-eyeballs-onto-that-yummy-fabric" kind of way.

In other news: I'm trying out a new whole grain bread recipe. Results to follow. Getting inspired for Christmas decorating. This is the first year in a long time that I am inspired to really do up the house. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is the first year in a long time that I've been eating right and exercising regularly. Does wonders, wonders, people, for the general disposition! More on that in my other blog.

*scruffled: a mental or physical state of being scruffy and ruffled in an agitated and annoyed sort of way. syn.: scrumpled.

Still Ironing Around Here...

2009-10-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

...see my previous post.

I've been thinking a lot about this blog and where I want it to go. Does it need a focus, or do I want to just leave it as is--a place for my miscellaneous ramblings?

There are so many fabulously written blogs on every subject under the sun, written by people far more knowledgeble than I in those areas. I'm interested in many things, and I know a lot about a lot of things, but I don't have any new revelations or knowledge to impart that isn't already out there somewhere. Not that I have a need to be unique, but I don't want to be redundant. Hence my leanings toward allowing my blog to sort of evolve as it will and simply be an exercise in creative writing in favor of devoting it to a certain subject.

And my shop...I would love to see it take off but for that to happen there needs to be merchandise, and traffic! Two out of two of those are seriously lacking. The traffic will come as I travel around the bloggy world and get my name around, and the merchandise will come as I get busy again at my sewing machine (see my previous post...again!) Both factors are on the back burner for now. Simmering, soon to be served, but not yet.

I mentioned that I put in my two weeks notice at work. I have one week left and it seems that my manager is going to get all he can out of me for that last week. I'm supposed to have only fifteen hours a week and he scheduled me for close to twice that. Not sure if I'm going to say anything about it or just let it slide, knowing it's my last week.

My point is this: my blog is going to have to be on hiatus for a little while longer until I can get myself under control and refocus on the important things in life. A reboot of sorts. Lots of areas of my life are slipping and it's because I have allowed myself to get too busy. I need to focus again on my daily prayer time, daily work outs (gotta shed this poundage!), refocus on my son's school curriculum and lesson plans, figure out what direction to take or not take with this blog, and generally get my house in order. I'll be popping in and out, and my plan is to get back to regular posting sooner rather than later, but for now I'm pretty much hit and miss.

Basically, it's time to reboot my life! I find I have to do that every once in a while and then things function smoothly! :-) Thank God for His mercies that are new every morning!

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."
-Lamentations 3:22-25

In Which I Iron

2009-10-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Aren't these old irons cool? (haha...cool...irons...get it? I didn't notice that until I wrote it.

Nevermind.)

Lots of stuff going on lately so I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like. I'm putting in two weeks notice at my part time job today...it was a decision that I was going back and forth on for a while, but I decided to do it for several reasons. It will free up more time for me to spend here, with you all, among other things! I won't wait the full two weeks before I post again, but please bear with me as I get my priorities ironed out! Thanks...you guys rock!

Photo credit:
http://www.crackerbarrel.com/about-decor.cfm?doc_id=66

A Proverbs 31 Woman

2009-10-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

Below is a copy of a great article written by a dear friend of mine named Donna who doesn't blog. She wrote it for a newsletter to which she contributes regularly, and gave me permission to post it here. It's a bit lengthy, but it inspired me and spoke to my heart and I wanted to share it here. Enjoy!

First Lady and Virtuous woman (Sue Abigail was never in the white house. Dolly Madison was the first one to live there in the early 1800’s.

A woman of valor who can find for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10-31 How many young men are looking for this woman for their bride?

In their book Her works Praise Her, Hasia R. Diner and Beryl Lieff Benderly Use the Sabbath Evening Liturgy as an introduction to their history of Jewish women in America. “She need not be beautiful, for ‘grace is deceitful and beauty is vain.’ Rather, she serves her family, and her husband ‘doth safely trust in her.’ “

Fortunately for John Adams our 2^nd president, Abigail was both beautiful and a virtuous woman. She exemplified the Proverbs 31 woman. David McCullough in his book on John Adams reveals much about Abigail as well. He said “Where others might see a stout bluff little man, she saw a giant of great heart, and so it was ever to be.” Her belief in him isn’t the only thing that helped him to fulfill his destiny. Apparently although she was consistently cheerful she also told John he was too severe in his judgments of people. In a letter to her before they were married he said of her that she “shall polish and refine my sentiments of life and manners, banish all the unsocial and ill natured particles in my composition.” She did have a “beneficial and steadying influence on him” I believe that a woman’s influence on her husband can make him a better man or it can cause him to lose his confidence and make him an angry man. John’s heart trusted in Abigail. Can your husband trust in you? What kind of influence are you having on him? Is it making him a better person?

Abigail Adams set an example for modern women to follow. David McCullough made this telling statement about Abigail. “He (John) prized the Roman ideal of honor, and in this, as in much else; he and Abigail were in perfect accord. Fame without honor, in her view, would be ‘like a faint meteor gliding through the sky, shedding only transient light.’ ” Isn’t that the ideal God desires for marriage, for us to be in perfect accord.

“She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” John and Abigail’s separations, lasting months at a time had become extremely difficult for her. In November of 1775 with winter fast approaching she wrote to John “I hope I shall not be obliged to spend it without my dearest friend… I have been like a nun in a cloister ever since you went away.” Yet she was determined that he play his part. “You cannot be, I know nor do I wish to see you an inactive spectator.” Abigail’s sister Mercy urged her own husband to resign his commission as a general rather than serve outside New England. But Abigail when Adams rode away on a winter day for another session of Congress in Philadelphia wrote to Mercy “I had it in my heart to dissuade him from going and I know I could have prevailed, but our public affairs at the time wore so gloomy an aspect that I thought if ever his assistance was wanted, it must be at such a time. I therefore resigned myself to suffer some anxiety and many melancholy hours for this year to come.” Abigail believed her husband’s abilities would benefit the country so she sacrificed her own desires and released him to his destiny. She spent many more years deprived of his presence and help on the farm before he finally retired. In the winter of 1777 she was pregnant and house bound by much snow with 5 children when she wrote to John who had been in Baltimore for months, “Posterity who are to reap the blessings will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors.”

Like the Proverbs 31 woman who “works willingly with her hands” Abigail was a hard worker. McCullough says Abigail “did her own cooking by the open hearth; she spun and wove clothes for their everyday use. McCullough said that though she had a sheltered and bookish upbringing, she was to prove every bit as hard working as he and no less conscientious about whatever she undertook. She rose at 5 in the morning and was seldom idle. All her life she would do her own sewing, baking, feed her own ducks and chickens, and churn her own butter.” And I thought my life was busy.

She provides meat for her household and portion for her maidens

When the war brought on rampant inflation and shortages of every necessity it made the day to day struggle increasingly difficult. But she scrimped and saved to stay free of debt. Instead of complaining she said “I believe nature has assigned each sex its particular duties and sphere of action and to act well your part, ‘there all the honor lies.’” I greatly admire her strength of character and spirit. In July 1778 she wrote to tell John that the baby girl they both wanted had been still born. Only a week later she reported in her letter to John” The corn looks well and the English grain promising. We cannot be sufficiently thankful to a bountiful Providence (God) that the horrors of famine are not added to those of war.”

John and Abigail both had a devout faith and Christian ethic. They were very much in love and remained devoted to one another despite years of separations. Occasionally Abigail accompanied her husband but the greater part of the time she did not. She stayed at home assuming all the responsibility of the farm and her family by herself. When they were separated she encouraged her husband in letters. Their many letters to one another give us great insight into their character today. Before reading this book I didn’t really understand what a very large role John Adams played in the founding of our country. He truly was a great man, but I wonder if he would have achieved as much without Abigail’s sacrifice, diligence, and encouragement. She was truly a helpmeet to her husband.

Reading about great Christian in history has brought a different perspective to my life that this narcissistic age does not afford, and I believe it has caused me to be a more well-grounded Christian. Look for some of the recommended titles in the sidebar at your library or online. They will enrich your life and your Christian walk.

Recommended Reading

Abigail Adams was an avid reader and could converse with the men of her day.

Reading is so important because it gives us a better perspective on life in today’s sound byte generation. Biographies of great women like Abigail Adams can inspire us to support and encourage our own husbands. I highly recommend reading biographies of great historical figures to your young children as well.

More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Arizona Women by Wynne L. Brown

This small book is a collection of short biographies and really an interesting read.

The Lost German Slave Girl by John Bailey

A fascinating true story depicting the people and culture of New Orleans in the early 1800's.

Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser

This is a fictional story based on her letters.

A is for Abigail Adams: An Almanac of Amazing American Women by Lynn Cheney

A children's book with short descriptions of women in American history.

Free Ad for Your Favorite Coffee Place!

2009-10-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

Aaaaacccckkkk! The electricity is out, which means no internet. I'm in S'bucks for now, and I have 20 minutes left. I hope the power is back on when we get home...I have a fridge and freezer full of food I'm concerned about. I JUST finished shopping for the week when the power went out. We've been having lots of rain and wind and I don't know if the weather has anything to do with it. It's been like that since last night, though. Well. Whatever. Here's hoping we're back in business soon!

In Which My Muse Goes on Vacation

2009-10-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

So. I have nothing. Nada. Zip. My muse must be on vacation. I'm so sorry...several of you have been checking up on me daily and I apologize for not having something groovy and captivating and entertaining for you. Not that I often do have that kind of groove thing going on, but hey! I for sure don't have it going on right now!

The moon looked amazing the other night. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was beautiful and super bright through a break in the clouds. Just thought I'd throw that in there to justify posting the picture because what's a blog post without a picture? Lack of content must be made up for somehow, even if it's in low quality pictures.

Sigh. I hope the muse comes back soon.

Same old stuff going on around here...working out, house-y stuff, some sewing and I have some inspiration for the shop, but I have yet to get that inspiration from my head to my sewing machine to the shop...soon though. I'm working part time at my local craft store to support my habit and because the fall season is fully upon us with it's assorted holidays things are picking up and I'm getting more hours. Still part time, very part time, but for this SAHM it's a big switch! Love it though. I have to prioritize and do a lot of mundane things like grocery shop when I would much rather take a nap but such is life. My hat is so off to wives and moms who work full time. I can't even imagine the kind of time constraints and pressures you are under!

So. The shefflera is behaving itself. I posted about the battle on my facebook page and a friend commented that maybe I should learn not to open an umbrella (tree) in the house as it usually causes problems of one sort or another. The new hat continues to fit well with no alterations, so far anyway. In other news my tomatoes and strawberries are putting out sets. What's up with that? I think they are confused. I doubt anything yummy will come from it though. It's getting too cold at night now, I think, though we are having glorious days. In yet other news, my son is preaching in church tomorrow morning. My husband will be away for that service and asked our son to fill in. It's not the first time he's preached the service, but it's the first time for a Sunday morning. He's a little nervous, but he's well prepared so I'm sure all will go well. I think it's good to be a little nervous sometimes...reminds us Who is in charge!

Anyhoo...just wanted to check in, and thank you for checking back. More to come soon. The muse must be here somewhere. She doesn't usually disappear for long. I just hope she hasn't gone to Hawaii or somewhere with sand, sea, and sun. I will be most jealous.