Because Hope, Glory and Wonder Abound

3 Gifts for Christmas

2011-12-12T14:38:00.001-05:00

Last year, my husband and I decided to start a new Christmas tradition. We would only give our son 3 Christmas gifts, symbolic of the Wise Men’s 3 gifts for baby Jesus – gold frankincense and myrrh.

My cousins follow this tradition and I have read on blogs about others celebrating Christmas in this way. One blog explained how the parents taught the symbolism to their children. Gold is for a want – that big item they are longing for. Frankincense is for something spiritual that will help develop their character like a Christian CD, DVD or book. Myrrh is for something practical like a new outfit or snow boots. For older kids, I think it would be a lot easier to emphasize these meanings; for little ones everything is fun, practical and educational.

Limiting ourselves to three gifts should help keep the house from being overrun with toys, our budget in check, and keep our son from expecting a ton of toys for Christmas – taking his focus off the real meaning we want him to understand and appreciate.

All was well with my son’s Christmas list, until my husband decided he wants to buy our son a train set. This is great after all trains run in the Higgins’ blood and right now the kid has “Train Brain”. However, this meant I was down to picking out two from the list! I had a little freak out. Suddenly limiting ourselves to just three seemed impossible! Whose idea was this anyway? Why torture myself? Can I just spoil him rotten for his birthday in February? Can I wait till February? And what about stocking stuffers like toothbrushes and socks?

The truth of the matter is I am really excited to have new toys in the house just as much as my husband is really excited about getting him a train. I have grown a little tired of stacking boxes, cars that talk, and “chew toys”. I am ready for Legos, tools and workbenches, castles made of blocks, and choo choo trains that really “choo choo.” Mostly we are excited because our son is getting to that stage where he knows stuff, and he is interested in things like trains and dump trucks. He is just so much fun!

I had to take a deep breath. Working on this article forced me to reevaluation this new tradition and then wrestle what I really want to do. My husband and I decided on this tradition but it should not be a burden or an idol. It should not be a source of guilt if I decide to fill his stocking with a bunch of toothbrushes and socks bumping him up a few more gifts. Feeling guilty defeats Jesus’ purpose for entering this world…

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

Giving three gifts in keeping with the Wise Men’s three gifts is a boundary not a commandment so we don’t over indulge or overspend and so we can teach the true meaning of Christmas without Jesus being crowded out by a mound of gifts. It’s a way to treat our son and not spoil him. It sets a precedent so he doesn’t grow up expecting more but rather is content with just a few.

My husband has found the perfect train, and I mustered up some restraint and think I can wait until his birthday in February for the other toy I had in mind. I did decide to give myself the freedom to stuff his stocking with little necessities like socks, toothbrushes maybe a coloring book because seriously what kid has been spoiled at Christmas by too many toothbrushes!

Compassion Gives a Future

2011-12-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

I received a letter from my Compassion International Child this week. I have watched -from afar- this Indian boy grow up. His sweet melancholy little 5/6 year old face won my heart almost a decade ago. He has grown into to a tall, smart looking teenager. He said in his letter this week, " I have six months more in school. After my school I am willing to study computer engineering in the college." I was moved to tears.

My sometimes meager, sometimes hard earned funds have helped a poor boy in India have a future. What an honor to be apart of his life. Now he not only has the chance at college but he knows Jesus too.

I guess once he graduates we will no longer be able to write to me; I will have to wait until Heaven to meet him. What a sweet time that will be.

The Turkey Song

2011-11-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

The Turkey Song

A Turkey sat on the barnyard fence,
And he sang this sad, sad, tune,
Thanksgiving Day is coming!
Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble
And I know I'll Be Eaten Soon!

Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble,
I don't like Thanksgiving Day
Gobble Gobble Gobble Gobble,
I would like to Run Away!

For as long as I can remember, The Turkey Song has been as much a part of our family's Thanksgiving as the turkey or pumpkin pie. I always looked forward to Grandpop singing it. On Thanksgivings when he was not eating with us, singing the song without him just seemed kind stale even sacrilegious. This is our first Thanksgiving where no one will get to hear him sing it. Though if I know my Grandpop he will amuse a host of angels with his crooning.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for so many years of listening to my Grandpop sing at the dinner table. I am also thankful that I got to record him singing this song for the last time so that my Walter will never be able to forget him. Thanks for the memories Pop. Gobble, gobble, gobble.

5 Kernels of Corn

2011-11-23T23:43:00.000-05:00

I picked up The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel today to brush up on my Thanksgiving history. The true poignant bits of history are so often lost. Instead we now hear all about the big bad Englishmen taking over the Native American's land. For the record, the land the Pilgrims settled on belonged to no one - anymore. The tribe of Indians who had lived there all died a few years before the Pilgrims landed.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite bits of history about Thanksgiving. An influx of more people from England - with no supplies- forced the people of Plymouth to ration their food. All winter long each person was given 5 kernels of corn a day. This is what they survived on. How? Only by God's grace.

On the 2nd Thanksgiving, least they forget how God helped the colony survive on 5 kernels a day the 1st course of the 2nd Thanksgiving meal was - a plate with 5 kernels of corn. A reminder to be thankful in lean times and even more so in abundant times.

Down with Dishdrainer

2011-11-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

Who knew that a stainless steel dish drainer could have so much power? We moved in September and I was appalled at the dust under my bed. I kept thinking, “If my Gram saw this I would be mortified.” She is the kind of homekeeper who washes the windows because its time to wash them not necessarily because she can’t see through the dirt anymore!

As we have been settling into our new place, I am trying to establish better homekeeping and cleaning strategies so I can be a little bit more like my Gram. (Even at 90, I think she will always work circles around me.) I made up a chore sheet for myself of all the things that need to be done. There are things that I just don’t think to do to maintain cleanliness until it is obviously dirty. The reason Gram’s windows aren’t really dirty when she cleans them in the spring is because she cleaned them in the fall – not 3 years ago! So I am working on it, which brings me to the dish drainer.

I should preface by saying I don’t have a dishwasher, so a dish drainer is a necessity right?! Yet, it’s ever presence on my counter has always felt a little like a black hole sucking in any attempt of uncluttering my counter. I also hate the way the tray collects water. There is always slime growing and rust spots on the tray because when I would think to clean it the sink was full of dirty dishes or the drainer was full of clean ones.

In our new kitchen, I gained more cabinet space but I lost counter space. So that dish drainer became an even bigger big black hole and I felt like I was being sucked into everyday. I would glare at it while I tried to conjure up more room for meal preparation. Until one day it occurred to me, like someone spoke from the glorious heavens above. “Why don’t you try going without it?” Could this be sheer brilliance? Could this be the answer to my counter space woes? So I emptied it, cleaned it and stashed it up high. Then, marveled –seriously marveled at the acres of open space I saw. I laid down a towel, started washing dishes, and then I dried them and put them away. Now my goal is to go to bed with no dishes in the sink or on the counter.

Between the dish drainer and the dust bunnies I feel liberated from a cluttered counter and motivated to tackle dirt and dust before it tackles me – just like my Gram does.

If you need something to help you get your butt into gear I highly recommend moving! It will reveal all those dusty critters or you might just want to clean under your bed. If you are feeling like your own black hole is sucking you in, whether it’s a dish drainer or a hall closet just make a change, put it away, clean it out, or purge. Do what you have been wanting to do and have been putting off. Then, just see if making a change in that area doesn’t act as a catalyst to other areas of homekeeping.(More on that later)

Or you could just go visit my Gram…

Projects Done

2011-10-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

So I am working out my new cleaning and organizing system. Feeling very proud of myself that I don't have to scold Walter for touching the shower curtain when he takes a bath. I am feeling so motivated that I actually worked on a several projects and I am feeling mighty proud of my accomplishments this week.

This week is bedroom week so while the little monkey played in his room I dusted which brought me to the yard of fabric I just threw over the dresser while unpacking. I decided this is only 4 simple straight lines, I will pull out the sewing machine, put up the gate and sew right outside of his room. Worked like a charm and took no time at all. Project: Done.

While the machine was out I figured I would go ahead and hem a king size blanket I cut down to fit our bed. It was like a red fuzzy albatross around my neck now ... Project: Done! No picture. A picture doesn't do justice to the satisfaction of having that finally done.

Later on that day, I started working on a little pumpkin project which I found here. So many times I see really cute projects that I know I could do but I just don't take the time so much easier to surf the internet...but because I am feeling highly motivated... I have 4 patchwork pumpkins to keep or give away. Although in this picture it looks like I may end up with 3! This project took me a couple days to finish completely.

A couple weeks ago, I bought a HUGE box of organic apples from an Amish farmer. I am not sure it is any cheaper than buying organic in the store but at least I won't have to remember to buy it for a couple months. 7 pints of applesauce to be added to the other 12 I did in 2 other batches over the last 2 weeks.

I thought I would try some apple butter too while I was at it, and now I have 7 half pints (oh that reminds me of Laura Ingles - but I digress). Unfortunately, the apple butter really didn't make the oatmeal I had for breakfast any more palatable. Maybe it will be better in Cream of Wheat as my husband calls it. I prefer to call it by its rightful name, Farina.

Well before you start turning green with envy ;-) please note my sink is full of dirty dishes and my bed hasn't been made in 2 days.

Next weeks project won't be nearly as fun it involves bank statements and Quickbooks...

The Prequel Review

2011-10-17T00:04:00.000-04:00

I can't help myself. I have to critique more fully Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
with more than just a post of disappointment on facebook.

First, I must set the stage. In part 3 of the Anne of Green Gables series, The Continuing Story of Anne the movie could stand alone as a good enough movie. For the Anne fans, who have read the books and love the story of Anne the way the author Lucy Maude Montgomery writes it, the movie really was a travesty. Still I watch it from time to time because I love seeing Anne and Gilbert even if the storyline is completely NOTHING like the book. In the books, Anne & Gilbert's kids were involved in World War 1 not them -apart from being concerned parents. If Kevin Sullivan the producer wanted to do a movie on World War 1 and Anne sticking to the book Rilla of Ingleside would have thrilled us Anne fans beyond measure. Alas, he just makes up stories and calls the characters Anne and Gilbert. It is a disgrace really.

Then, there comes the Prequel. The actress who played Anne was adorable and she did nice job. However, the storyline was ridiculous and insulting. I would swear that Lucy -the creator of the Anne character- is spinning in her grave.

The movie is supposed to be what happened to Anne before she came to Green Gables. The movie upends everything we know about Anne. Most importantly, Anne was not orphaned at 3 months when her parents died of the fever. Her father accidentally drove her mother into a ditch and she died and he was blamed. Anne was a 7-9 years old at the time. Then. all this junk went on and she was bounced around ended up living with this rich lady Mrs. Thomas until she died. It was all so ridiculous and not worth writing about.

The thing I find insulting though is that secret letter's belonging to Marilla were found hidden under a floorboard in Green Gables. Among the letters was a letter from Walter Shirley, Anne's father where he writes that he has fallen on better times and would like to know about Anne and maybe see her. Marilla never told Anne about the letter. Really?! Marilla would do that!? Deny Anne access to her father! Not even a deathbed confession. Marilla would never do that to Anne. She would never be that dishonest. She would not be dishonest. Marilla was a pillar of honesty and truth and strove to do the right thing. It is what she taught Anne. So for "them" to write this drivel into the movie and smear the character of Marilla just so Kevin Sullivan can put out another Anne movie that is not really about Anne at all but really "unAnnes" the whole storyline it just infuriates me.

The movie wasn't even a good enough stand alone movie. The acting was weak, the storyline weak, things were brought up and then not developed. Anne repeated lines from the original movie that just seemed so weird to be used again in a different setting. If you are going to write a whole new story about Anne's life come up with original dialogue too. It was such a disappointing movie on so many levels. Compounding the disappointment that as good as the books are "they" still won't just make the books into movies (shows). It is what real Anne fan's want to see -the books come to life on the screen.

So if you want to torture yourself watch the movie, but I can almost guarantee you -the Anne fan- will be disappointed.

My New View

2011-09-28T16:36:00.000-04:00

So we no longer live in the treehouse. Now we kind of live in a meadow. This is our new evening view. Each night brings a lovely sunset.

We have "Oreo" cows in our backyard. We have a constant breeze blowing and thus far we can't smell the cows. Our new neighbors don't moo the kind of moo sound I am teaching the baby. Sometimes they just sound more like elephants. We still like them though.

Our new space is more spacious which is nice because we can spread out more with the stinkbugs in stead of being right on top of each other. I have gotten rid or a lot of "stuff" and could probably get rid of a lot more, but I almost have a place for everything.

We are definitely enjoying our new place. I am also enjoying my new craigslist china cabinet. Sometimes I just like to lay on the sofa and look at the silver trims and crystal glisten under the lights.

We are so thankful that God revealed this new view for us.

My Freezer

2011-09-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

So I cashed in two 8th grade savings bonds and bought a freezer. I had almost exactly enough to pay for it but I suspect in the end that won't be true because Uncle Sam will want to collect his portion of my interest. Who knows how much he will want. I wonder if it will work out to me wishing I had just been given $25 on graduation day 23 years ago...

Anyhow, I have a freezer now and spent a couple weeks filling it with pre-cooked meals, ready to go in the oven meals, several ears of corn and 25 pounds of peaches.

Then, hurricane Irene came on the scene. I spent my days praying for my freezer and its contents. I bought extra bags of ice and filled water bottles so it would be filled to capacity and hold in the cold. Thanks be to God, my freezer was spared from any power outages! What a huge sigh of relief to know I didn't have to enact one of my plan B,C or Ds if the power went out.

I couldn't help but think of all the people who weren't so lucky and just had to toss their freezer contents. It made me sad to think of all the time and money lost. Certainly make me think the next big purchase should be a generator just in case we aren't so lucky with the next storm!

Toy Nostalgia for the Cousins

2011-08-10T16:37:00.004-04:00

This winter I went through a little toy nostalgia. I fondly remembered these little guys to the right... I asked a couple of my cousins and they remembered them too. We figured that if we looked hard enough they could still be found in our grandparent's basement!

Sure enough while I was staying with Gram last week for a couple days, I hunted them down and was pleased to see they still have their "getupandpop". They have lost a little suction, so they pop before you can take cover. Part of the fun back then was waiting with thrilling anticipation for those unknown seconds of delay before the "pop" would happen. The fun now is that they still pop at all after probably 40 years!

So for kicks here is a little video of my fun in the patio with pop ups from bygone days. Cousins, if you want to play with them yourself .... go in the pantry, find the Reynolds wrap stockpile, look down and they are in a bucket on the floor. Little warning though, don't try them on the freezer because they like to land behind the freezer! I learned this the hard way - twice.

Grandpop's Eulogy

2011-07-14T13:17:00.000-04:00

By the grace of God and the prayers of his people, I was able to say the following at my Grandpop's funeral service on July 8.

I missed the bus to high school one day and knew I could count on Grandpop to take me so I ran home quickly called and asked. He shows up in his blue truck. He’s driving along at what feels like a snails pace. The whole time I am thinking, “can’t you drive just a little faster?”

And then he precedes to take route 130 instead of 295. Now I am thinking, “You would take the longer, slower way…,” He said something about how he liked this route better. Of course I couldn’t say anything! I was just thankful he was taking me. I can’t help but wonder if he did it on purpose though so I wouldn’t miss the bus again. I don’t think I ever did!

The whole way he was telling stories though, you could count on him to have a story or a song and he was always ready to teach something. Some of the things he has taught the grandkids through the years …

Never end a sentence with a preposition

The importance of saving money

Foods to avoid that are high in cholesterol

How to properly use a handsaw

A glass of red wine everyday is good for you

Don’t say “ain’t” !

How to hold a pencil properly

How to extract honey and what centrifugal force is

How to change a tire

Don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty in the garden

Always remember names of people you meet

Never keep your hands in your pockets

How to catch a toad

The importance of composting

And “you get no bread with just one meatball” (I did my best to sing is like him.)

Practically everything that came out of his mouth was laced with instruction or history from the light fixtures in the patio to helping you pump up your bike tires.

I hope and pray I can half as good a job teaching my own son as Grandpop has done with all of us.

A Little Thinner

2011-07-03T20:59:00.001-04:00

"Each year our ranks grow thinner", this is said each year at the Gibbstown Memorial Day ceremony followed by the list of those veterans who passed away during the year. Today, the ranks are a little thinner. For my dear Grandpop, who so faithfully served his family, country and fellow man for nearly 90 years has gone on to his eternal reward.

I think he lived well and loved well for all those that didn't get the opportunity to live out their dreams like get married and have children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. He helped to form the local VFW Post soon after he was discharged and worked hard to remember his fallen comrades. It was his idea to rename the streets in town during Memorial Day week after the deceased, " a means of keeping Veterans names and sacrifices in our memories."

He is at long last with the 18 fellow soldiers who were his friends and neighbors. Perhaps they were standing by to welcome home a fellow comrade.

We who are left behind will miss the way he was forever correcting our grammar, or his willingness to feed our pets when we were away, or sing funny songs at the dinner table, or bicker with Gram over every little thing. We'll miss his stories and his ability to remember in such detail. I especially will miss his hands. He had the nicest hands so soft and smooth and spongy even though he was working in the garden up until just a couple weeks ago.

Someday there will be no more World War II veterans left. All those grandpops and great grandpops will answer the final call. May their "great grands" never forget to honor their memory or remember the sacrifices they and their fellow comrades made.

I came across this poem by an unknown Civil War poet, he offers the same sentiment:

Each year some dear familiar face to memories keeping we consign
Each year some comrade takes his place among the shadows in the time
And thus the living ranks grow thin Ah few must be the years at most
Before we all are mustered in to serve among the silent host. Someone posted this wonderful tribute to our town's fallen soldier's.

A Little World War 1 History

2011-06-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

I use to have a 101 in 1001 days list. You know a list of things I wanted to do in 1001 days. I think I made it a little less than halfway through my list before my 1001 days ticked away. I have continued to occasionally scratch items off the list. One week in March, I scratched off a good one that has loomed over me.

91. Learn the basics about what started World War I.

My dad pulled a book off my husband's bookshelf that I had never noticed before:
A Pictorial History of the World War 1 Years by Edward Jablonski

"Pictorial" called to me. Give me just the basics. Give me pictures. All of the sudden I was engrossed. ENGROSSED and shocked. WOW the more I learned about this war the more I was shocked and appalled with myself for not knowing!

First off, I could never keep straight who was fighting who.

Central Powers: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria
Allies: France, England, Belgium, Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Serbia and many others

Now before I go any further. I have to tell you about another book I read a couple weeks before I read the pictorial history book. Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe von Trapp

Agathe was Captain von Trapp's oldest daughter and she was always a little miffed that the movie did not accurately portray her family. She eventually came to terms with the fact that people loved the movie and its message about family and God etc. Regardless of the fact that that they actually took a train out of Austria and into Italy when they left the country. They didn't walk through the mountains to make their escape from the Germans. The Captain was also an Italian citizen so the Austrians couldn't force him into service -yet. There were many other discrepancies.

A proud daughter wrote and praised her father for his important work during World War 1. He manned a submarine. I thought little of this as it was just Agathe's accounting. So as I am reading the pictorial history I realized that the von Trapp was commanding a submarine that was sinking British & French steamers with civilians on them! This is the danger of not knowing history! Her father was an enemy of America and its Allies and I didn't get it. It greatly disturbed me! I wish I had read the books in reverse. Reading about Agathe's account of history with more knowledge of World War 1 would have enabled me to really understand things and not be so easily swayed into how wonderful Austria was.

Now granted Captain von Trapp eventually came to America and he didn't want to fight with the Germans during World War II so obviously there was some change in convictions and loyalties. The point is had I not read the pictorial history, Austria would have continued to be - as it always has been- just this country where the von Trapp Family Singers originated.

When in fact it was they - the Austrians- who really started World War I.

They had wanted to start a war with the Serbians. The Serbians wanted to be their own country or something. So when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot it gave them a perfect reason. The assassination was carried out by Serbian terrorists and not the Serbian government. However, that didn't stop the Austrians from declaring war. The next thing you know Germany is invading Belgium and pushing toward France. It was a war that didn't seem to have a really good reason to be happening and nobody wanted to admit it and no one wanted to end it. They just kept drawing in more countries and sending more young men to die.

There is so much to this war. So much to history we should know.

In the end, which really wasn't an end at all, it was just the ceasing of hostilities aka Armistice Day.
That was another thing that was new to me. I didn't know the war didn't really end. They just stopped fighting.
According to wikipedia over 16 million people died in that war. That's 1.75% of the total population of the earth at that time. That doesn't include the wounded.

On one of the last pages of the book was this quote that really tied it all up for me.

Some German delegate at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919, asked Georges Clemenceau, the French Prime Minster, "I wonder what history will have to say about all this?" Clemenceau said, “They will not say that Belgium invaded Germany.”

May Americans always know this and so much more.

I just took out from the library The Pictorial History of World War II by the same author...

'Tis the Season for Savings Bonds

2011-06-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

'Tis the Season for savings bonds otherwise know as graduation time.

I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I opened up my graduation card and found a savings bond. 30 years to full maturity seemed like such an eternity to a 14 year old with a pimple in her ear. Oh, yes one of the memories I have of my 8th grade graduation party is the popping of my ear pimple. But I digress...

So I have 4 savings bonds brewing and bursting forth into almost mature bloom. I can't recall speculating how I would use them if they ever matured without me forgetting where I put them. There was a time about 9-10 years ago I considered cashing them in to help pay my way to Italy. We decided to count every coin in the house instead.

When my baby received a couple savings bonds I really got to thinking, "What will he use these for? A down payment on a car, or an engagement ring, towards a trip to Italy or Sweden." Hopefully he won't have to use it to just pay some bill. I feel that a savings bond ought to go toward something special after all you have waited a long time to use it.

I am leaning toward cashing mine in before they reach full maturity because frankly I am afraid the U.S Government won't have any cash left or will decide to keep more of my earned interest. Seriously for a kid waiting to spend money that isn't quite there to spend yet is hard work! I deserve every penny -interest and all but I know I won't get it all.

So I decided a little while back then when I do cash them in. Something very adult. Something that will go with me through the decades - I hope. I will use the money to buy an appliance. So when I look at I can say to myself, "See what patience will get you!" I can't tell you what I spent the cash gifts on 20 years ago, but I will remember what I bought with my U.S.Savings Bonds.

So I am leaning towards a freezer! With an extra going toward a china cabinet but we'll see.

Much like the Turkey Hill Ice Cream bucket we don't always know how something will be used when it goes forward with us into the decades but it kind of fun to watch and see...

Always Searching

2011-06-07T14:58:00.000-04:00

Been on a vacation from rental searching so much so that I forgot I drafted the post below.

The more things change the more they are still the same.

So I am married with a baby and have been on a search. Sure I found my husband or rather he found me but looking for a new rental sure does feel like an online man search. I swear I am having flashbacks to all that craziness...

the frenzy...
the uncertainty...
the looking for a needle in a haystack...
the temptation into something that is not a right fit...
the waiting...
the multiple daily searches on the various websites...
checking again just to see if something new was posted in the last 5 minutes.

It is exhausting.

I ebb and flow from taking it too serious to not serious enough. Though I tend toward the too serious! I need to find that happy medium of looking and putting myself out there through networking and trusting God to bring the right thing along at just the right time. Instead of all the craziness of searching that I am Oh so familiar with and Oh so don't handle well.

When I was single and stuck in the rut of searching like a hamster in a wheel, I knew I had to work hard to keep my brain in order. I had to surrender and be ready at the same time. No woe is me frame of mind allowed! Because I know the right frame of mind is when good things happen. So I am trying...

The Ice Cream Bucket

2011-06-07T14:46:00.000-04:00

It is kind of interesting to me how objects can take on a new life of their own as they age.

Take for instance this Turkey Hill ice cream bucket.

Turkey Hill put out these special buckets in the mid-90s. I kept it because it had quilts on it and I thought it might be "collectible" someday. It's a nice sized bucket because back then they sold buckets of ice cream and not these tiny itty bitty cartons. It's proof of the fact that food manufacturers keep downsizing the size of the bucket and up-sizing the price of the product. But I digress...

So for the last 15 years or so I have kept my pink sponge curlers in this bucket under my bed... that is until Baby got a hold of the bucket and the curlers. The curlers got a new home and the bucket was actually headed for the recycle bin. But the Baby liked it so much I decided to keep it and give it a new purpose in life.

The Baby likes to put it on his head. He puts stuff in it and takes them back out. Sometimes he tries to put it on his head with stuff in it! He carries it around. He chews on the lid. He takes the lid on and off. He bangs on it like a drum. He loves this bucket! What I find so fascinating is that once upon a time a teenage girl decided to save a simple ice cream tub to keep stuff in it, never thinking that someday her little boy would have so much fun playing with it!

In Memorial

2011-05-27T20:43:00.007-04:00

The unofficial start of summer arrives this weekend. For me Memorial Day is more than hotdogs on the grill and a day off.

In my home town remembering started on Monday, May 23rd when a couple men went around and "renamed" the streets in the center of town.

We remember the men from town who died during WWII and Vietnam by renaming the street closest to their family's home or their home. George Synder's aunt and uncle lived at the end of Oak Street. It is such a special way to keep their sacrifice in the forefront of our minds as we drive down the street during Memorial Day week.

I have my Grandpop to thank for instilling in me the importance of remembering. These fellas were his childhood playmates. He remembers them well and has always taught -by his actions- the importance of remembering those lost. For as long as I can remember, at noon on Memorial Day I have gathered with my parents, neighbors and fellow townspeople at the war memorial outside of the police department and we remember specifically our 17 men who died in World War II and 1 in Vietnam.

I have watched in pride as my Grandpop, also a WWII vet, set up for this VFW Memorial service and made sure everything ran smoothly. I teared up when Taps was echoed by a distant trumpeter. I listen attentively as names are read off of the veterans who have passed during the year and as a bell is rung for each one. Often I knew them. At the end, my aunts and whatever cousins are around get their picture taken with Grandpop and his sisters in front of the memorial. To me this is what Memorial Day is.

This Monday my baby boy will get to attend for the first time. He will probably cry during the "21 gun salute" but I hope over time to instill in him the importance of remembering those who gave their all and also those veterans who have diligently kept memories alive by honoring their fallen comrades.

Farmers Market Time

2011-05-20T15:55:00.004-04:00

The Amish and local growers are back in town bringing with them produce of the season.

Friday we picked up succulent strawberries and luscious looking lettuce.

I am looking forward to Fridays from now until November. I will eat my way through all those beautiful fruits and veggies of the season! From strawberries to butternut squash ... yum.

Fan into Flame

2011-05-19T09:29:00.006-04:00

It is decided I am going back to my old Bible.

My good old underlined and highlighted with life and struggle Life Application Bible. I got it in college and it is underlined with intention. I pulled it out this morning and what moved me back then is moving me now. Now, when I feel distant, out of sorts, alone and weak. I have felt like a reoccurring train wreck and I shouldn't feel this way. I have been through worse struggles, situations and emotional states of mind. I made it through God's well thought out lesson plans (with His help!) and learned well enough to ... pass to the next thing... by applying what I read!

I have felt a little like the Bible I have been using the last few years coming apart at the seams on the outside and not doing anything about it on the inside to fix me. There is a shocking lack of underlining and that's not because there has been a lack of trial and struggle or pens but more a lack of leaning, reading and delving into the Word for hope, sustenance and assurance of God's provision.

This morning I read...

(From the old Bible) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands for God gave not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self control.

The Life Application says "stir up the gift of God" that works too because I have been sedentary.

Thanks 2 Timothy 2:6-7 I really needed a stirring, a good old kick in the pants.

So this is what I need to do.

I need to fan into flame the gift of God. I need Him to stir up the gifts He has put inside me.

Starting with spending less time sedating my worries with Swagbuck games and solitaire. I believe God gave me the gift of writing but I have had nothing to write about because I am not delving into the Word of God. A few paragraphs before bed is not enough to grow or maintain past growth let alone produce anything that might cause reflection or revelation or encouragement for me or anyone else for that matter.

I am weakened by or just too weak to research rentals, face calling a health insurance company or staying home all day with no errands to run because gas is too high to take a daily "field trip". I am not exercising my spiritual muscles, I have laid aside the full armor of God. I am a flabby spiritual couch potato and have no one to blame but myself!

So cue the Rocky Theme Song it is time to get back in shape!

2011 Goals Update

2011-03-28T13:32:00.002-04:00

So far this year...

DAILY
Drink water - struggling with this one
Take my vitamins - I should be ashamed of myself
Listen to a different CD everyday and purge the ones I don't want anymore - slowly working on this one.
Read to the baby - half and half.
And
Get dressed by 11am - hit or miss

MONTHLY
Blog at least once a week - failing but I have a few ideas brewing. Having ideas help.
Read a book a month - Success - read 2 in one month! Stay tuned
Complete a craft project a month - completed a scarf to be donated to a worthy cause.
Ebay something once a month - sold one item this year.

Musical Memory Lane

2011-01-14T14:02:00.003-05:00

So I am successfully doing one of the things on my goals list for 2011.

I am playing not one but sometimes two CDs a day. I randomly pick a couple CDs and the Baby and I listen to them throughout the day.

Most of the music is old school Christian music going back to the days when Audio Adrenaline and Out of the Grey were topping the Christian music charts.

Earlier this week it was Mitch McVicker who was in the car accident that killed Rich Mullins - gosh nearly 15 years ago. Can it be that long ago? I remember he died on my brother Louis' birthday and I was thinking of my brother and heard on the radio about the accident... Needless to say listening to music that is 15 years old and practically from another lifetime brings back memories of high school and college and the years following. Followed by googling all these old musicians to see what they are up to now. Because frankly the only group I keep up with is Third Day.

Anyhow, today, it was Eli and his "Things I prayed For" and its funny how I still remember the words to these songs! I can sing right along and my baby must think I am nuts!

Another oldie but goodie by Eli is "That's all the Lumber" in this video its sung by Ceili Rain. (It is a better video than any I could find by Eli.) I remember the words and the same little excited thrill still happens inside me when you get to the end of the song when the guy finally "get's it."

The old songs still have it. They renew and inspire ... thoughts from memory lane and also thoughts of the future as I teach my son to love the old music, learn the words and hope and pray he will live them too.

On the Band Wagon

2011-01-05T15:37:00.003-05:00

I was feeling very uninspired to come up with any 2011 Goals or Resolutions like everyone else seems to be doing in the "Blogosphere". The best I could come up with is to be out of my PJs before 11am. Failing already. The bulk of my laundry are pajamas.

One blog I looked at asked all these abstract questions probing into your psyche. I've got no time for that!

Then, I found my inspiration here! Great idea I will use a journal book instead. Anyhow this jump started my idea maker so that now I have a list of Goals. Besides getting dressed by 11am.

I even created a Daily Log to help keep me accountable:
DAILY
Drink water
Take my vitamins
Listen to a different CD everyday and purge the ones I don't want anymore
Read to the baby
And
Get dressed by 11am

MONTHLY
Blog at least once a week
Read a book a month
Complete a craft project a month
Ebay something once a month

Well see how it goes.

Christmas Shells

2011-01-05T09:55:00.002-05:00

The last few years we have been doing Christmas dinner differently. Usually we would do a turkey dinner and/or ravioli. Lately, we pick something that's a treat that we don't normal have like veal or prime rib.

This year it was veal cutlets and stuffed shells. I made the stuffed shells because I can't eat regular ravioli neither can my mom or brother. Making stuffed shells seemed a lot easier than making dairy free ravioli.

So this is what I did for my Christmas Stuffed Shells.

Pound+/- of ground meat (I had veal but it smelled funny so I had to pitch it and used turkey)
A Bag of frozen spinach
Onion
garlic
Mashed potatoes
egg
bread crumbs
salt & pepper

I cooked the meat, added all the other stuff to it and then stuffed the cooked shells with the concoction.

It was so easy after I got over the sorrow of the spoiled veal and after my neighbor provided me with more mashed potatoes -because I had less than I thought.
The baby took one of his 2 hour naps (PTL) and I got them all done Christmas Eve.

We smothered it in sauce and called it Christmas Dinner.

I am excited to try them again maybe making them a little bit more like pierogies next time hmm potato, onion and spinach - yum!

Fruit of my Grandparents

2011-01-03T15:37:00.009-05:00

I wrote the following for my grandparents for Christmas. My Pop suggested I have it patented... well I don't know about that but I can self publish ;-) and share with the world just how wonderful my grandparents are!

As you near 90, I think of all the years I have been blessed to have you in my life. Now that I have Walter I think of all the things I want him to learn from you, inherit from you, and value like you do. Here are just a few...

I hope he learns the value of a compost pile.

I hope he learns and develops the skill and patience to produce something

whether its tomatoes, honey, wine …

I hope he is generous with his loved ones and those in need.

I hope he can tell a good story and include a song in it too

and appreciate a good story when he hears one.

I hope he works circles around everyone else.

I hope he has a mind for remembering details (names, birthdays, dates, faces) because people feel respected & loved when you remember their name etc...

I hope when people hear his name they only have good things to say.

Changes in Waiting

2011-01-03T14:52:00.002-05:00

I saw an e-Harmony commercial today and I thought of the 2 couples I know who got married thanks to e-harmony. I wondered to myself, "Does it still work for people? I have been out of the online dating world for 4 years now. Can you believe it FOUR years!?" It hardly seems possible.

Here I am finally married and the mother of an almost 11 month old and I am still waiting.
I waited for years for it all to happen and now that I have my Walters there are just new things to wait for.

The baby and I went to the laundromat today and along the way I was looking at the houses with for sale signs and wondering what the property taxes are. You see now I am waiting for a house with a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and a real bedroom for my fairly light sleeping baby. We are just waiting for the right time for us and researching the best places to look. I drive by houses and wonder are you the one? Reminiscent of dinners out with friends wondering whether the new guy might be the one... Now I wonder what will my house be like? Will it be brick or stone or icky 4 inch vinyl siding? Will it be new or old? Rancher? Laundry room on the main floor or the basement? How far will it be from my parents? Will there be a church nearby that we can agree on? Will I like the neighbors? Will there be neighbors?

It must be just a matter of the human condition that we struggle with always wanting more or different. Or maybe it is a woman thing... or maybe just a Lizzy thing. I shutter to think what I will be wanting after we finally do get a house. I am exhausted just thinking about it. Exhausted because of the patience I must exert to not get overly anxious waiting. (Something tells me the next thing will involve some kind of tropical trip.)

On many levels waiting for a house can't compare with waiting for a husband. All the hard work is already done! Having waited so long for him, is helping me to wait more patiently now. Unfortunately, I think my husband thinks I am not being nearly patient enough.

I think on laundromat day my patience is running much thinner. I indulged in a little home searching when I got home but decided blogging was a better use of my time with the baby napping so well. Laundry day gets me down because its such a stinking hassle - loading unloading, quarters, strange clientele... Then, I remind myself it could be worse. I could be washing in a dirty river or bringing water back in a pot balanced on my head to wash my things.

In life there is waiting, there is no way around it. Waiting for husbands, babies, nap time, a house, a day off, a vacation, a new idea the list goes on and its always changing.

Cooking What's in Season

2010-11-16T08:58:00.012-05:00

Look at this lovely display of display of seasonal vegetables!

Since I was going to the Farmer's Market every week, I wanted to cook my way through the season by cooking what's in season. This meant making things for the first time. Believe it or not I never made applesauce. The last few weeks I made applesauce once a week for the baby.
I also made him a butternut squash and found it to be pretty tasty so I looked for a recipe for hubby and I. Butternut squash soup... It was thick and hearty. It was savory and rich. It was great with croutons sprinkled on top or just with buttered crusty bread.

There was butternut squash risotto with baked tomato topped gourmet mini burgers, fried eggplant and leftover broiled zucchini...

I discovered this recipe last year and it is super yummy, chicken rolled up with turkey bacon, tomato paste and fresh basil from my porch garden. Skewered alongside the chicken is the the aforementioned broiled zucchini.

A slightly different gourmet mini burger with fresh lima beans from my dad's garden. Most of the zucchini and tomatoes we ate this summer came from his garden. Thanks Dad!

I was having a yen for leeks. I just thought leeks and potatoes would go good together and I made this up as I went along.

In October, my in-laws came for a visit as well as hubby's 2 friends so I pulled out all the stops and made - for the first time - Jeanie's Jewish Apple Cake. Yum!

So many lovely yummy concoctions, so fresh from the fields. Not pictured... fresh pumpkin bread - who needs Libbys? Cooking pumpkin is a snap. Acorn squash... sweet potato casserole... roasted cauliflower...

Turnips. I have only had them once while in Ireland 10 years ago, I ate what I was told were turnips but they tasted more liked mashed potatoes smothered in butter and cream. I should have tried making that recipe, instead I tried this caramelized diced nonsense. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. No wonder my mom never ever made them. I'll never try turnips again. They are truly dead to me! I tried though and part of cooking my way through the seasons was to try new things.

Now winter is upon us and the Farmer's Market is pretty much done until May. In the meantime, we will enjoy frozen mangoes from Trader Joes, Kiwi from New Zealand, and blueberries from my dad's freezer!

P.S.
I'll get you the recipes I used but only if someone asks!

Mommy Bloggers

2010-10-22T09:02:00.003-04:00

So I just don't get the whole Mommy Blogger sub culture. How do they have time to put together posts, beautiful websites and pictures?!
Do they have bigger play pens than me?
Do their children sleep longer?
Do they have more than one computer? Because I have to fight for this one in the evening...
Or maybe their computer is in the playpen...
Do they have a dishwasher? Seriously I have dishpan hands!
Do they have husbands who don't mind their children's pictures being posted. The most you'll ever see on here is a part of my boy's body.

At this stage in my life, I only have time for money saving tips, but today I came across an "box" for this site for Muthering Heights on Money Saving Mom. I was intrigued because of its play on words with Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -one of my favorite classics. This Muthering Heights website is just so beautiful. I love the banner and all the graphics, they are just so beautiful. So what does mean? I guess I just like beauty but I am certainly still learning to mother and save money for that matter. And I guess I am just not too inclined (nor is my husband for that matter) to share every jot and tittle of our lives like mommy bloggers.

But I have an idea. Something is brewing and I just need a little time...

Nap Time

2010-10-21T15:26:00.003-04:00

Everyday I both dread and cherish nap-time. I dread it because unless we are in a car - I get a fight. It is unfortunate for me that my son has inherited my not a good napper-ness. Not only do I get a fight I don't get long for all my efforts at the most40 minutes. Whereas most babies his age are suppose to nap for an hour and half twice a day. I am lucky - really lucky- if I get 2 at 30 minutes.

My mom, who said she would never wish my inability to nap well on me in regards to my baby boy, says I was a cat napper. She said without fail, I would fall asleep at 11:50am and then the noon Dupont lunch whistle would blow and wake me up. I was bright eyed and ready to go again.

So I have come to dread nap-time because of the awful fight. Its either tears and fussing or feeling guilty for rocking him -yet again when he should learn to fall asleep on his own.

I cherish nap-time because there is so much to do that's easier done when he is asleep! So now he is a sleep its been a whole 12 minutes and I chose to blog with my time. Every nap-time though I think to myself ok I have a list of things to do. Do I make calls, do dishes, start dinner, make babyfood, eat something, mindlessly read cnn.com and get miffed at the comments people make on the articles, do I go through emails, blog, write for pleasure or journal or just sit down for a few minutes put my feet up and read without having to retrieve the baby from chewing on a cord or climbing up a bookshelf.

All the while I wonder, "How much time do I really have, if I leave my room and walk passed him will the woosh of my movement be enough to wake him?" "Might he really sleep longer than 45 giving me time to really get into something like a quilting project?"

20 minutes asleep. Blog entry almost done. What next? I think for starters a PB&J sandwich...

My Treehouse

2010-09-09T19:25:00.005-04:00

The sun dapples on my sofa and casts shadows of leaves. The baby has always been intrigued by this. I chose not to put curtains up on all the windows when I moved in because it would obstruct the view of the tree just outside the windows. Look out any window and you can trees and picturesque-ness. I just love where I live.

So I guess you can call it a revelation or a "Duh!"when I walked into the living room yesterday and realized why I liked the room so much... well our apartment for that matter. The green leaves of the maple amassed against the window swaying in the breeze met me and I said, "It feels like we are living in a treehouse!" My husband said, "Duh!"

I guess this is why on even very fine days when it seems a shame to be inside I don't feel like I am missing out on that much if I stay in. The windows are open the breezes are blowing and the trees shadows are dappling on the sofa and it almost feels like I am outside.

It is funny because I was always envious of my cousins' treehouse and here all along -well at least the last 2+ years- I've kind of been living in one.

My Treehouse views...

Call Me Nostagic

2010-08-26T15:09:00.005-04:00

Once my little boy could sit up I couldn't wait to introduce him to my old Fisher Price Chime Ball.
I went into my parent's hot attic to hunt this old memorable toy down. I think he likes it.

So call me nostalgic but the next thing I wanted for him was the crib activity toy my brother and I used in our crib and playpen. Unfortunately, we couldn't find that in the attic. So I looked to ebay. That was a bit of a saga, I won't go into but after cleaning with a toothbrush my boy has his own 1973 Fisher Price crib toy which he is currently enjoying. They just don't make anything like this these days or at least nothing I could find.

Based on the price these toys were going for on Ebay, I must not be the only nostalgic 30something parent wanting their new baby to play with the same toy they used when they were young.

A Peachy Saga

2010-08-26T14:36:00.006-04:00

I have heard,"Its a great year for peaches. They like it hot and dry." We have had both heat and little rain. So of course this baby food making momma wants her boy to have the delight of delicious peaches. However, peaches are on the "Dirty Dozen List*" and so I have been apprehensive about feeding him peaches and unsure if I could really afford organic peaches.

In my comings and goings to different Farmers Markets, I have been inquiring with the farmers about just how chemical free their peaches are. They always say the same thing. "We don't like to spray but it is practically impossible not to." Nevertheless they have convinced me that their peaches are cleaner and safer than any conventional peach from the store. And we have been enjoying them.

The other day I was talking to a neighbor about all things organic and he mentioned he had some peaches from the orchard on the property that we live on. Duh, I look out at these abandoned peach trees every time I do dishes. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to at least inquire about them. Later that night, he gave us a shopping bag full of peaches - about 30 total.

You can't get anymore organic than an abandoned peach tree! And free too!

Because the weather has been so ideal for peaches this year these untended peaches are beautiful! Certainly not perfect, he did have to pick around for really good ones, but they were sweet and luscious. We made fruit smoothies, ate them fresh, I pureed them for the baby and now have 48 peach cubes in the freezer. I also made a lovely peach bread which I shared with my neighbor. (I added some unsprayed raspberries for a little extra something. They weren't free..)

As I looked out at the orchard peeling peaches through out the week, I just couldn't help but stand in awe over how God provided for me in such a big small way. He saved me money that's for sure but He also provided us with something pure that I can feed my son knowing the only pest control used on these gift peaches were his own created nature.

It is just peachy how God provides for us and sometimes in the most extraordinary and simple ways.

* Dirty Dozen List -Most Contaminated

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

Sunday Mornings

2010-08-15T09:55:00.003-04:00

It is Sunday morning, the baby is exploring and learning how to sit up on his own. He woke up from his nap cranky and we missed our window to go to church. Instead, he is reaching for things that interest him and then chewing all over them. I have a mix of praise music playing. I have been listening to to it over and over again all morning. It is the best of the best, the ones that drive me to lift up my arms in worship. The ones that make me tear up. Its the music that I listened to when I was pregnant and overwhelmed with thankfulness - or felt I should be more thankful. Some of the music is old and reminds me of Sundays long ago...

Sundays long ago, I rose early and drove 45 minutes to get to my singles only service. Those days were sometimes more frenzied and full of rant than full of worship. The focus more often than not was what new guys were there and why weren't the regular guys ever asking any of us out. Or what to do if one of them had! Sometimes it seems like yesterday and sometimes a lifetime ago.

I do miss the weekly fellowship of the girls. I miss the passionate way Lauren sang (she sang one of the songs on my mix.) But I don't miss the constancy of my guy radar always being on. It was exhausting. The times have changed, so many of us "graduated" from the group and it is as it should be. Many of us are married now and have the babies we longed for. We have changed and grown, drifted and moved.

I hope we will always remember those Sunday mornings and the really important parts of them - the music we worshiped to and the true friends we made and keep all these years later.

Sundays are just different now now, our radar is more for keeping little hands out of places they shouldn't be but the music can still be the same. The music can take us back to the best of those times and how they shaped us and make us all the more thankful to the One who shaped us. One who moved us from one kind of frenzy to another!

The Farmers Market

2010-08-13T16:05:00.003-04:00

My baby is 6 months old now. In preparing for him to start solids I have been trying to buy more organic foods -particularly the "Dirty Dozen." I also thought I should get into going to Farmer's Markets because many of the local growers are technically organic just not certified by Uncle Sam. I don't need that costly USDA seal, an Amish Farmer's word is good enough for me.

There are multiple Farmers Markets in the area so I have my pick of the town or the day.

They are quite popular and so is the importance of buying pesticide free produce. So I am not the only one interested in keeping my family's food wholesome and safe!

Being there (I've been to 2 different markets) just felt right and a little daunting as I get the lay of the land. It felt so "Old World" seeing people arrive with their baskets to fill full of lovely tomatoes and green beans. This is the closest a non-grower can get to having a garden overflowing with fresh ripe vegetation.

I just kept thinking this is the way it use to be. And evidently, the way it will continue to be.

I had my mental list of what I wanted: peaches, a cantaloupe and a grass-fed whole chicken. A quart of perfect green beans caught my eye "chemical free" the sign said. Perfect for my baby!

The other really nice thing about being a Farmer's Market shopper you can enjoy the progression of the season as fruits and veggies come in and out of season. The markets will go through November and I am already envisioning piles of acorn and butternut squash coming into season in the coming weeks. Eating what's in season is a satisfying natural way to eat. I am enjoying it more this summer. Last summer, all I wanted was canned peaches and cantaloupe. My first trimester had me swearing off anything green. So I am savoring zucchini, tomato, green beans etc all the more this summer.

Tomorrow morning off to try another Farmer's Market need more peaches, hoping for some raspberries...

I am hooked on Farmer's Markets.

This is it

2010-08-13T16:01:00.002-04:00

My new design.

I like it because it is both whimsical and real.
Hope, glory and wonder can be both whimsical and real.
We can find hope, glory and wonder in the whimsical and real.
So I think it works.

Now to blog more faithfully. It is important that I write because the writer in me is buried under diapers and dishes.

A More Whimsical Design

2010-08-05T15:28:00.000-04:00

What do you think of this one?

Update Needed

2010-08-03T10:27:00.003-04:00

I decided that I needed a real update. So I am working on a visual update as well as a wordy one.

How do you like this layout?

The Times

2010-05-11T09:34:00.003-04:00

Driving out to my friend Brandy's a couple weeks ago, I couldn't help but think about how the times have changed. We first met in 1992 during our first days of college. Here we are 18 years later still getting together.

When we were in college email was just starting. At times, I thought it kind of weird to email someone who you would later see at the dining hall and could easily tell them whatever it was that was in the email.

I remember one of my roommates staying up to the wee hours of the morning or however late the computer lab stayed open so she could be in a chat room. Most of us just had word processors in our dorm rooms... not enough to chat with!

In the summer, my little group of friends use to write each other letters - real actual letters on pretty stationary. (I use my stationary for "To Do Lists" now.) One roommate use to get creative and make envelopes out of pretty magazine pages. Brandy and I often passed around "Pass it on" cards, sometimes enclosed in a letter, or stuck on someone's door or book. This was my favorite one:
This week marks the 14th year since we graduated college both of us Elementary Education majors. Now both of us are Stay at Home Moms putting our education to work on the most important children ever.

What has happened in 14 years for us and our circle of friends? Marriages, babies, lots babies, - some awhile ago some just months ago. Sadly we've witnessed a divorce. We've followed the dreams of friends who have gone on to be a missionary and a IVCF staff worker.

We now use email instead of letters. We can't imagine life without cell phones, yet we had lives without cell phone 14 years ago!

Now we have Facebook. Sometimes I wonder what a difference an animal like Facebook would have made if we graduated and known we could easily keep in touch through that. I do think it would have made a difference.

Still its nice to think back to the summer days when I would write a juicy -hopefully witty- letter to Brandy and others about my day or week. The fact that I was apart of something so bygone-ish is a precious treasure. Those letters held together friendships much the same way that email and Facebook do today.

The times have changed. Technology has changed. Friendship that continues!

The Hula Hoop Plan

2010-05-08T18:32:00.004-04:00

Its pretty pathetic how much TV I watch, even though I only really have 3 channels. Sometimes I get a good idea though. Marisa Tomei was on Ellen espousing the wonders of losing weight and toning your muscles with the oh so simple hula hoop.

Well shoot I can do a hula! Seems a brilliant way to work the baby belly, thighs and over all core.
So I went down to my local Wal-mart and picked up a hula hoop.

I am trying to do 10 minutes a day and already I feel like the blubber is melting away. I have sore muscles which mean something is working and its fun. I have discovered that if it is too cold or windy outside -as it has been- I can hula on my bed.

Who knows maybe I will look into breaking a record...

Ok so I just looked into breaking a record. I think I would need a babysitter for several days to pull off a stunt like that. So I think I will just stick with shedding pounds and toning muscles.

I will keep working on it and hopefully by fall I will be able to fit into all the pants that don't currently fit. In the meantime, Thank God for drawstring capris!

Popping Up

2010-05-08T18:14:00.002-04:00

Baby and I were walking around Winterthur toward the end of March. I was catching a look at all the March flowers that waited patiently under 3 two foot blizzards this winter. It fills me with wonder how a sprout on a mission is not stopped by a mound of leaves. Spring just pushes fall out of it's way - as it has every right to do when March rolls around.

Tax Day - Tea Day

2010-05-08T18:10:00.003-04:00

Our Little One went to his first tax protest on April 15th. He even carried his own sign.

Drips

2010-03-16T19:43:00.005-04:00

I had an amazing domestic revelation this week. Being home all day with my "little" Sumo wrestler has given me time to take stock of well - domestic stuff.

I have come to the conclusion that it is drips that make messes.

Olive juice drips on the counter while making a salad.
Tomato sauce drips to the floor while serving dinner.
A potato peel drips to the floor leaving a brown mark.
A jelly knife drips on the counter will jamming up some toast.
Eating cookies without a plate results in drips of cookie crumbs.
Drips of water make wet socks that require new socks - thus making additional laundry unless I wear wet socks.
Slow diapering results in a loose "fire hydrant" that leads to a new change of clothes and another reason to pull out the Lysol spray cleaner.

Now I see it is the drips that do it, it amazes me that I never noticed this phenomenon for what it is and that a drip can do so much damage to a would be clean kitchen etc. It only takes a crumb or a splatter to mar what was once considered clean. It only takes a tiny drop of a mess to invite the ants in for dinner.

I think if I could harness the drips in my life I would spend less time scrubbing the floor. If I could catch it before it falls, use a plate, place the knife in the sink or use a cutting board instead of the counter I wouldn't be so constantly at war with my countertops.
If I could just get rid of the drips... I might be able to nap when baby naps. Or harken into other areas for domestic revelation like the best way to organize a cabinet ...

Like a Good Neighbor

2010-03-16T19:28:00.003-04:00

No one can deny I grew up with really great neighbors. Mary and Charlie always had a seat for you on their porch. John F. and Charlie had these great Crab fests, all the kids would watch as they got the crabs in the pot. John G. played his Big Band music that drummed its way into our yard. Jeanie still so sweet always has that missing ingredient. I could go on and on about Sonny & Diana, Lisa & Brian, my aunt and uncle.

There is nothing like a good neighbor who will help you shovel out of the snow with their snowblower, or lend you an egg when the chickens aren't laying, or won't complain about the chickens in the backyard. I sure do miss it. I could use a good neighbor these days.

I have been out of my parent's house for 6 years now, I've yet to come across neighbors like my old neighbors at my 3 different houses. Someday when we are finally settled in our own home I hope we will find neighbors with a welcome mat on their porch. Maybe I will become the Jeanie or Mary that the neighborhood kids will reminisce about when they are in their 30s.

In the meantime, there is an apartment open next to me and downstairs from me and I am praying for something like a good neighbor.

That Clever God

2010-01-30T18:20:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking how clever God is that he made pregnancy for humans only 9 months.

When you finally get to 9 months pregnant you are so uncomfortable. It takes an earth mover to get you out of bed to pee for the 4th time in 4 hours. Your back hurts and you snore now. Your pelvic bones ache in a way you've never experienced, making crawling into bed or your car really painful. If the table is tall enough, you sit at a table to eat while straddling your legs because your belly is too big for the table -most unladylike... Your maternity clothes are too tight and they all have stains on them from dropping food on your belly. You stand to eat because you can't sit at the table and you can't even sit on the sofa with a lap desk - because your lap is gone... and people keep saying "I didn't think it was possible for you to get any bigger" or "no baby yet?!"

To think at the beginning whenever I thought or read or watched labor I CRIED! Now I pour over the labor chapters hoping to remember everything and consider this "light reading." And I am like bring it on! I want my ankles back. I want my lap back. I want my baby!

God surely knew what he was doing when he planned a 9 month gestation because much longer and the population might have never grown. He gets you to the point where you are so ready for whatever kind of pain labor will be.

-5 days to due date, ready when you are Baby.

Spring for a Second

2010-01-13T18:52:00.002-05:00

Driving home the sun was setting behind me. It was a giant orange orb settling down in the western sky. The sky was full of reds and oranges and pinks and it reflected on the trees in front of me for just a brief period of time. This reflection of light caused the trees to look as if they were about to burst into their spring red buds. You know that red haze that means soon those little buds will burst forth into a green haze and finally lush green leaves. What a splash of color among the reality of gray middle of winter trees that look like they have no life in them.

And as I made my way down the road, the sun slipped lower and with it the reflecting light on the trees and it was back to the gray of winter. I felt blessed to have caught this glimpse - this reminder that spring is right around the corner.

The Pink Chair

2009-12-21T16:21:00.005-05:00

The pink chair is a hand me down from my old job. It really is the shabbiest thing - there I admit it.
But I love this chair! There are those who want me to at least have it reupholstered. I am not sure.

How many times did I plop down on this chair in Jim's office and pour out my troubles with work or life... usually more life than work.

Jim would offer words of wisdom and counsel. The pink chair is symbolic. It is a testimony of wonderful counsel I received while sitting in it, whether from Jim or the others there. I changed -in my head and heart - for the better. How can you cover that up?

Perhaps I will start with at least covering up the arm rests. And go from there. Perhaps its new use - that as a place to feed baby will inspire a new color ... until then pink and shabby it will remain.

No Donkey huh?

2009-12-21T16:02:00.003-05:00

So I have been thinking a lot about Mary making the trek with Joseph to be counted in the census. My thoughts comprised whether she had a certain look or a certain way she said "Joseph" that let him know that she needed to "go" again. I mean you go a lot when you are 9 months pregnant!

I mentioned this to the pastor I work with saying it must have been difficult getting on and off the donkey at 9 months pregnant too and of course multiple times because she had to "go."

He said no where in the Bible does it say that Mary rode on a donkey at all. I read all the Christmas scriptures there is no donkey! Just one of the many assumption made about Christmas. I mean how many movies depict this? How many Christmas greeting cards picture Mary sitting side saddle on a donkey with Joseph leading the way?

So maybe she didn't have to get up and down maybe she just walked the 100+/- miles. I am not sure which was worse. Miles walking on sore swollen feet doesn't sound fun either. To be sure she didn't have my fabulous -albeit stained- Easy Spirit shoes! Donkey or not, surely Joseph was a sympathetic travel companion for this heavy with child woman who probably needed to stop to visit an obliging rock or bush more than once.

A friend told me when she was pregnant during Christmas that she saw Christmas from a different perspective. I had have to say the same. I have thought about more than frequent urination while traveling. The carols we sing about the infant Jesus touch my heart differently now. It is refreshing to see Christmas from this different perspective. I suspect that I will see Christmas from a different perspective next year too.

Hormones and Shoes

2009-12-02T19:01:00.003-05:00

I have been known to cry over Hallmark commercials. My husband thinks I am ridiculous. To be sure, over the course of the last few months of had my moments of crying over ridiculous things and some not so ridiculous things - like shoes.

There came a point a couple weeks ago where my shoes just didn't fit anymore. So I had to find something in a brown shoe that would fit my fat feet!

I was at the outlets in Lancaster and I came across a shoe that would work. But in the end, I decided to wait and see if I could find something better. Wow, did I find something better!
I saw an EasySpirit store and decided to check out what they had.
They had this beauty...OK maybe not the most beautiful shoe but it quite possibly the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. So you can imagine my utter despair when I dropped a piece of cauliflower cooked in chicken thighs on top of one of them. I cried. I cursed. I wailed to my husband, "they are the only shoes that fit me and they are ruined." Did I mention I cried.... for 3 days. I was just sick over these shoes. We tried baking powder, Dawn, Shout, a sponge, a toothbrush...

And in the end, I have a slightly imperfect shoe. The dye is a little washed out. But they are still just as comfortable as they ever were and I hardly notice the discoloration now. Honestly, they turned out much better than I feared.

I still can't believe how emotional I got over these shoes though. Something like hormones took over any sense I had. But I guess you'll have that sometimes.

Leaping Through Stress

2009-10-27T19:58:00.002-04:00

Leaping through stress, I wish I could say that was the verb I am living right now. My action verbs right now are more like dwelling on stress, listing stressors, and praying for solutions for my stresses. Ok so I am praying but I can't say I feel like I am making much headway just yet.

I compiled a list yesterday of 15+ stressful items. Some piddly and supposedly easy to solve others that will require the movement of God's provision - probably at the last minute!

Driving home tonight, I was thinking I need some kind of vacation.
Then someone spoke up with its little hand or foot and this verse came to mind.

Luke 1: 39-45 - Mary Visits Elizabeth
³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

I thought to myself, "Huh maybe the little leap I just felt is what Elizabeth felt when Mary and the invitro Jesus showed up at the door." To be sure any leaping I felt is being caused by stress -not the incarnate Jesus- but it was also a little mental vacation. I felt that I could relate to this woman in a different way, and I could imagine that what I have been feeling she had felt too. Momentarily, I felt like I had leaped out of my own stress and into some new perspective and felt just a little bit refreshed.

Always Blooming

2009-10-27T19:43:00.002-04:00

I have watched these flowers for the last few months. I sometimes felt like they were living in their own little alternate reality like Narnia - always blooming, never dying.

Even when all the other flowers around it faded and died this clump of flowers never stopped blooming. Now I suppose the landlord's mother could have cut off the deadheads before I ever I had a chance to see them. But I don't know for sure.

I have deeply enjoyed their happy bright, bright yellow, the unblemished petals and the way they stand out among the crowd as if to say, " I am picture of perfection - enjoy me." So I have.

A Glimpse of the Slots

2009-09-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

On vacation this year we went to Howe Caverns. It was a highlight on an otherwise kind of frustrating holiday. When your trip revolves around driving steam cars that go back to 1913 to 1923 you have to expect breakdowns. So you have to expect... frustration too. But for Howe Cavern day, we took a regular car because it was a pretty long drive.

Like most caverns there were stalagmites and stalactites and a cool 55ish degree temperature. Howe Caverns has something I never saw before and the tour guide saved the best for last.
It was a glimpse into the place I long to go. I believe the guide called it the "Winding Way" but it looked just like a gray Slot Canyon.

Oh how I long to go to Slot Canyon. This tour through the cave was like a glimpse of the Slot Canyon. It wasn't warm and sunny and bright or colorful but it has the striations and the waves. It has the curves and the feel of moving along through a tunnel -long ago carved out by moving water. It was really quite exhilarating!

Boasting

2009-08-27T18:29:00.004-04:00

I am trying to read through the Bible in chronological order. Its taking a while. I always get stuck in Jeremiah. It was probably 15 years ago the last time I attempted it. Here I am slugging my way through it again.

Jeremiah 9 was just full of wailing, desolation, and sin hardly inspiring until I go to this:

²³Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might,
let not the rich man boast in his riches,

²⁴but let him who boasts boast in this,
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD who
practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Can there be anything more inspiring that inspite of our sin, desolation, and tears we have a God who understands and know us. He practices (the NIV uses exercises) steadfast love, justice and righteousness. And he delights in in exercising love, justice and righteousness on us. All this right there in Jeremiah... I guess I will keep reading.

Images of Summer

2009-08-27T17:48:00.002-04:00

The Couple
A couple times now, I have come to an intersection at the same time as them. Who is "them"?
A tall, gray haired couple holding hands and huffing at good clip up an incline. He has a Santa Claus beard and wiry, fly away hair. She always wears a kilt and a plaid shirt that doesn't remotely match. I always wait and let them cross the street first. I watch them and smile and I can just hear my friend say, "Bless their heart. Aren't they just precious." And they are.

Dad's Fig Tree
For years my dad has struggled with fig trees. In our area they require a lot of tender, love and care. He gave it amply but often received no fruit for his efforts. Now -finally- he has a fig tree that is so large. It looks to be budding with more fruit than he will know what to do with. I recall the bowlful of figs presented to us nearly 8 years ago when we were in Italy. I don't know if they will be comparable but its nice to see he is about to get some reward for all his work.

The Perfect Pool
I took a dip in the pool one day last week. It was delightful and refreshing and crystal clean. The temperature was perfect. That's a first for me and this pool.

The Peach Smoothie
With the removal of my useless blender-ing appliance and the receiving of a new one from mom's yardsale find, we have been enjoying peach smoothies. I froze the peaches for this purpose. I mixed them with apple juice and an occasional kiwi. They are perfectly sweet and coldly refreshing. Not to mention highly nutritious.

These are just a few images from my summer thus far. No pictures, you just have to use your imagination... particularly when imagining "them".

Saying a Final Good Bye

2009-07-16T18:15:00.005-04:00

The twinkling Christmas lights on the porch gave a feel of festivity and welcoming home. The green and white beckoned me to enter. I remember the first time I walked in. I knew immediately I was at home.

Not the kind of home that comes with parents and remnants of childhood still up in the attic and in the backs of closets, but a new different kind of home. A home so full of history, its a wonder the walls don't talk. A home this seems to hold you in the palm of its hand and wraps its walls around you like a blanket. A home that nurtured despite leaking pipes or peeling lead paint. I felt so blessed and honored to become a part of the ongoing history.

Then there were the others living in the house. They offered so much to the experience of this special home. Wonderful, witty and vibrant women who loved candlelit dinners on the porch, snuggling up with cats and cozy blankets while watching PBS and offering words of wisdom and comfort when life outside the house got tough.

It has been over a year since I got married and moved out of the house, I have at times deeply missed this home and my friends. I still had a key partly because I just couldn't give it up and partly because there were still remnants of mine there that I might need to get one day. But I gave up the key this week and said a final good-bye to the house. You see those wonderful women I lived with are moving on. Its almost tragic to think of them not being there and of my home belonging to someone else.

I can't help but wonder did that glorious, nurturing, in the palms of His hands feeling always belong to that house or did it descend on the house 8 +/- years ago when a handful of recent college graduates needed a place to live and God opened the door of this home... His home for all of us however short or long our stay. Regardless of how long, I hope the feeling continues for the new tenants or owners so they to can know the joy and honor of living in such a home.

No matter where I live and no matter who lives there this home will always be in my heart.

Vicariously in Italy

2009-05-27T17:33:00.003-04:00

One of my former students found me on Facebook a couple months ago. He had come across this picture I sent to him years ago of me "holding up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He wanted to let me know that he was going to Italy for a 6 week semester.
I was more than thrilled to hear from him and even more thrilled to hear his news! Having been single for so long, I had the great opportunity of doing a lot of traveling and I desperately wanted my students to see the world too!

So he is there now enjoying all the sights, smells and tastes of Italy. I living vicariously through him by reading his blog and Facebook updates! As his old teacher, I am filled with unspeakable pride when I see the skill with which he writes and the insight and imagery he uses to enable us to be there with him. I am just so glad that he is getting this experience. It is the fulfillment of my longheld desires for my students - to see God's world and explore of much of it as they can.

Springtime at Longwood

2009-05-13T20:13:00.004-04:00

I've been averaging 1-2 walks a week at Longwood and it is amazing how they keep it ever changing. There is always something new popping out. One thing I love is the sweet fragrance that permeates the pathways. Sometimes its like you are walking through a perfumery. In some places, you just catch a whiff of sweetness as a breeze blows and then it is gone.

The colors are vibrant, they feel even more vibrant when they stand all together.

My dress blows in the breeze and brushes past the tulips...

So I will keep taking my beautiful walks... I can't say that I am losing the pounds I want to but at least I am not putting more on!

First Pie

2009-05-13T19:47:00.004-04:00

I have never been much of a pie person. I prefer a quick bread made of old bananas and baseball bat size zucchini. For years my friend told me pie dough is easier than I think. So with my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer and last years blueberries I set out to make a pie for Easter dessert.

I used a recipe from the Williams and Sonoma Pie cookbook. It called for 4 cups of blueberries but I only had 3. Undaunted I decided to supplement with the apples neither of us were eating.

The mid-way results... I tried not think of the shredded apples as anything but shredded apple. Because it kind of looked like worms...

The finished product was attractive to look at as well as eat. For a first attempt, I'd say I was well pleased. Dad and Hubby enjoyed their slices too. I am looking forward to fruit season. I am dreaming of strawberries, cherries and peaches and if I can find a way to make coconut custard without dairy I'll be one happy pie making fool!

Tax Tea Party

2009-04-16T19:54:00.002-04:00

I went to a tea party yesterday... a tax day tea party. I was planning to go to town anyway for a massage. Then, I found out that there was a tea party planned for the corners of State and Union in Kennett Square, PA which was exactly where I was headed! So I figured I would try to do both.

As luck would have it, I had time before my appointment so I joined in with the protesters. It was raining but people didn't seem to mind they just put clear plastic bags over their protest signs. We waved tea bags, American flags, and a "Don't tread on me" flag at the cars as they drove by and many people honked their cars horns in solidarity. For as liberal as this area is I was impressed by the turn out and the honks. A good 50 people were there.

It was a beautiful sight to see these die-hard Americans protest our governments spending and taxing habits. We pay too much. When I think of all the things I could do with my tax money... and when I hear about all the things they spend on that are really behind the scope of what our fore fathers envisioned for government.... It is staggering and kind of depressing.

I felt proud to be American yesterday standing in the rain with people who have also feel they are Taxed Enough Already.

Beautiful Exercise

2009-04-16T19:48:00.002-04:00

I have been stopping at Longwood Gardens after work to walk. It has been glorious. Each time I go I find some new delight popping up or blooming. Last week, there were pools of purple flowers growing in the grass. If you didn't get there on the right days you missed out. Today they were gone because the grass was newly mowed. Going there makes exercising a beautiful thing.

Stunning News

2009-04-02T19:39:00.002-04:00

With the last post in mind...

I heard marvelous news this week, news that has left me breathless and excited. In the wonder of the news, I want to spend some time reveling in the God who made it happen and not just what happened. This is a subtle perspective shift but I think it may result in more adoration directed to a worthy God.

I rejoice with a friend who I quoted here 2 year ago. She is at long last engaged. The prayers that have been prayed over the years for these dear woman are beyond counting. As much as I am happy with the results/answer, I so want to adore God who listens, comforts and with great mercy bestows just because it is in His nature.

I rejoice with a dear couple who have had multiple miscarriages but have this week reached a pivotal point - the 2nd Trimester! If all continues to go well, they will have 2nd son in October.
So I give adoration to God who inspires perseverance, who comforts heartache and has such abundant grace and mercy.

God's Grace and Mercy can there be anything more stunning and exciting and breathtaking?

It can (and should) be the headline news everyday. News that never gets stale and always makes your jaw drop.

A Trip with Tripp on a Perspective Shift

2009-04-02T18:54:00.007-04:00

I watched this video clip of Paul Tripp today... it was like a trip out of my frazzled, frustrated and cranky day. (anything in quotes came from the video)

He talked about the "dirty secret of the church"... that the church is full of people with fear, doubt, anxiety and disappointment all that stuff the world has. Christians don't have it together that's clear when I look in the mirror. And why? because of where we put our focus and where we "run to".

When we run to anything other than God, "who is always with us" we will only find disappointment, fear, anxiety, bitterness, frustration etc...

When we experience those things it is clear we have lost our balance and forgotten what we need to always remember that "God is always with us."

The end of the video was most moving to me, he speaks of the tragedy that people say, "God hasn't become this thing that stuns me. That leaves me breathless and leaves me excited."

What a poke to the heart that is. I am ashamed that so often I am not stunned, I am not breathless and I am not excited by God. And, when I am stunned, breathless and excited its because of what He has done not because who He is.

Speechless Again

2009-03-26T17:34:00.002-04:00

I was saddened to hear about that private plane crash in Montana. Seven beautiful young children -gone- along with their parents.

Then I read here... (you can read it yourself but I will summarize)

The plane crashed next to or in Holy Cross Cemetery near Butte, Montana. In this cemetery, there is the Tomb of the Unborn. A memorial to all those children aborted in our country.

The irony is that 9 of the people on the plane were directly related to of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation....

I won't judge its not my place but I can't help myself from standing wide eyed and draw dropped at this news.

On some level, this reads like a page out of the Old Testament where some wicked person/nation is disseminated in God's wrath. It looks like God has exacted justice/punishment/consequences in such a tangible way. It reinforces in me that I never want to be in the hands of an angry God or God who has just had enough.

I feel there has been a paradigm shift within myself. A shift into a deeper realization that God means what He says. He means business. He knows what He is doing. And who are we to question or doubt how He chooses to punish or bless humanity.

I continue to feel stunned and speechless yet with a renewed sense of "the fear of Lord".

I can only hope the Feldkamps find comfort and repentance and that somehow this tragedy will be used to end abortion... somehow that only God can control and fructify.

Concidences... I think Not

2009-03-26T17:18:00.002-04:00

From CNN: "Connie and Donald McCracken were watching CNN one evening last week when they learned of the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury. Immediately, their minds turned to their 7-year-old daughter, Morgan, who was upstairs getting ready for bed."

Morgan got hit in the head by a baseball 2 today earlier and seemed fine. The night they were watching the news about Natasha is the night Morgan got a headache. A headache became severe very quickly. With Natasha in mind the McCrackens took Morgan to the hospital. The neurosurgeon got her in the nick of time. Morgan did indeed have the same injury that Natasha had. (Full story here at CNN) Thankfully, she has survived.

If I were Liam (Natasha's husband) I would feel like at least some good has come out her death. I would imagine its like the bittersweet knowledge of knowing that deceased loved one lives on in the people who were helped through organ donation. Their loved may be gone but their heart, liver, kidneys etc live on. Natasha may be gone but will more people wear helmets now when skiing? Will more people seek medical attention when they get hit in the head? All thanks to Natasha and her freak accident...

I can't help but wonder what lies in store for young Morgan. What will she bring to the world?
Its no coincidence she is still with us. It was all perfectly planned.

Knowing and believing that leaves me a little speechless. Not the first time this week.

Sweet Peas

2009-03-19T20:02:00.007-04:00

I love how Longwood Garden with all its elaborate and planned out gardens has carved out a little alcove for the Sweet Pea. A long time favorite of mine, I've planted them along the fence at my parents house each May for years. Whenever I sniff them I think of the Keats' poem I happened to memorize ...

Sweet Pea (Delicate Pleasures)

"Here are sweet peas, on tip-toe for a flight With wings of gentle flusho'er delicate white, And taper fingers catching at all things To bind them all about with tiny rings." ~ Keats

It continues to tickle me pink that they have filled what could have been an empty barren passageway into this special side stage of delight! And I indulge in the sweet scents each time I have been there the last few months.

On Relaxation

2009-03-19T19:59:00.002-04:00

How is this for stating the obvious?

"When you are always tense, tensing less is relaxed."

Profound... not my quote but it really resonated with me. So much so I felt I had to blog it ;-)

Fresh Insights

2009-03-19T19:39:00.002-04:00

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." -- Psalm 37:5-6

Does my righteousness shine like the dawn?
What is my cause? Because God is ready to make it shine like the noonday sun!

Seems to me I have read Psalm 37 a zillion times, after all it contains every single person's most bittersweet verse: ^"4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Lord knows I waited a long time to see one particular desire of my heart fulfilled. I would say that my righteousness and my causes rank in there somewhere. I just can't say I have given it too much thought lately.

There are still desires both fleshly and spiritual that I still long for. These other verses really struck me with fresh revelation this week though. They have been reverberating around in my head as I wrestle items that would seek to wreck havoc with my righteousness and trust.

Tonight I was tempted to cry myself silly as I wrestled something to ground, but what will that do to my already congested head!

Instead I'll just adore rather than wrestle. Shine Jesus Shine forget any woes is mes you heard earlier from me.

Stringing Things Together

2009-03-03T22:05:00.004-05:00

About 3 years ago I met with a woman for some counseling. She was instrumental in helping me slay some demons. One of the verses she had me focus on was Psalm 84: 7

They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

We both knew I needed strength to do what I had to do. I would try to visualize what it would look like to go from strength to strength so that I could live it out.

Even after the "demon" was successful slayed there were still residual effects that had to be dealt with over time. Now, I am looking back and reflecting on what God has done in these past 3 years. I am seeing how "strength to strength" have been people. God has strung together a series of people who have offered tangible strength, wisdom & expertise.

I am abounding with wonder and thankfulness over the way God strings things together as I go from strength to strength and He works His wonders and answers my prayers.

Birds, Birds, Birds

2009-03-02T17:53:00.002-05:00

Driving home from work last week, I noticed what looked like a lot of birds. I was amazed at the sheer number. That is until I got a good look at the sheer number. There were so many birds it was like a black ribbon in the sky stretching on for MILES. When I say miles I mean miles! I drove for a good 10 minutes and the birds just kept coming. They were coming as if they had been released from a cage -maybe a cage called winter? Then, I started driving in a different direction and I couldn't see them anymore.

I happen to tell the pastor about my amazement over the birds and he said he has seen them before. Sometimes they'll sit in the trees around his property. He agreed there are a lot of them! He thought it was ironic or rather providential that I brought this story up just before he was about to work on his sermon. He opened his PowerPoint slide to this verse Matthew 6:26:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

So many birds and yet God knows them all.

I saw the birds again later that week in a completely different area. So I guess they get around. But I was drawn back to the verse the pastor brought up. In the light of some of the things I worry about why do I bother? All of those birds are in his care surely I am too...

The birds also reminded me what this blog is really all about - drawing attention to the small things that really aren't that small. Those amazing things that we get glimpses of that remind to notice what is around us because hope, glory and wonder do abound in this world.

Leftover Ramblings

2009-02-20T20:04:00.005-05:00

We love leftovers for lunch because frequently they look like this...

That's a nice looking lunch of leftover isn't?
Hubby emailed me, "Looked so good I photographed it."

I appreciate the appreciation because I do put a lot of thought into what I will make during the week so that we can be sure to have leftovers... leftovers that hubby can enjoy and my co-workers drool over. ;-)

I made this 6-7 inch long bottom round roast last for 11 meals! We had it with pierogies and then I made stroganoff with pasta. Good stuff... I am even learning to write down the recipes that come out good.

Now if only I had a dishwasher to keep up with all my leftovers.

Together Again

2009-02-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

In July 2006, my neighbor Charlie passed away. He was a fixture in my life. He let me use his little greenhouse to start my seeds back when my green-thumb was young and energetic. My deep love of hollyhocks started in that greenhouse -long since torn down. In the last few years of his life, you would frequently find him sitting in an old lawn chair under an oak tree. He was usually napping. It grieved me deeply when the chair was removed. I still picture it there when I drive by and remember him and then think about his wife Mary - who was still hanging in there.

Mary always knew what was going on in the neighborhood. Their porch was the place to be in the evening. I'd just go and sit for awhile or until the mosquitoes got too bad...She was always asking me, "So how's your love life?" And she really wanted to know. She really wanted the answer to be a good one. I was so happy to finally introduce her to my love while she could still appreciate the news. She's been pretty frail and went senile after Charlie passed. It wasn't something I could bare to see. I wished she could be at my wedding and to see her dance as she once promised, but she was too frail to come.

Monday, Mary passed away too. Its sad because know era is ending but it is so good to know that Charlie and Mary are back together again. Its been hard to see them apart for so long.

Abounding Thanks

2009-01-06T22:41:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I get to bogged down by logistics and how things will work out. And sometimes I get flustered when I need to communicate with people about the logistics I am trying to work out in my life. And sometimes I get upset when the logistics I have been trying to work out aren't working out.

And then I cry a little. And sometimes I cry a lot.

Then, somehow the logistics work themselves out. So much so that they are even better than anything I could have planned. And I know its God and I wonder why I got bogged, flustered and upset.

But, I get over it choosing rather to continually bask in the better outcome and abound in thanksgiving for working out logistics in my favor and for my own good.

Everyday Food

2009-01-06T22:22:00.002-05:00

For 4 years, I ate lunch with one fabulous cook. At least I think he was good, I only sampled a couple things over the years. He explained in detail how he made each dish and everything always looked and smelled fantastic. I was never much for recipes. I usually made things up as I went along. But thanks to my lunch buddy I acquired a respect for the recipe. He introduced me to his 2 favorite sources of recipes... Williams and Sonoma and Everyday Food. I have become a fan of both myself.

Williams and Sonoma has produced such sweet creations as pecan pie made with maple syrup and the tasty concoction percolating in the crock-pot as I type.

Everyday Food is like a box of goodies for me. When it comes in the mail, I curl up on the sofa and slowly leaf through the little magazine looking at each pictured dish trying to decide, "is that something hubby and I would like to eat?" Then, I will turn the corner of recipes I want to try. I actually tried a lot of recipes and repeated the recipes too.

The books were piling up and so I came up with a quick reference plan for looking for a favorite recipe or when I need to be inspired. I stuck a post-a-note on the back of the magazine and listed the recipes that interested me + the page number. Its been working for me.

Everyday Food is keeping us well fed.

Decorating

2008-12-17T23:31:00.004-05:00

I have tried not to cover the house in red and green and holly. Isn't amazing how we can squeeze snowmen and candles into places we would normally not ever put stuff. All in the name of holiday decorating...

To feats of decorating success I have had this Christmas are my swag and my Tiffany bowl.

One Christmas I fell in love with this idea... I was at friends house for Christmas Eve and she had lights and glass Christmas balls hanging from an evergreen swag and they all hung over the living room windows. I have tried to duplicate her masterpiece - minus the lights because there is nowhere to plug them in. Notice the little snowman hanging on for dear life!

Last Saturday, I went to a craft show looking for something Christmasy for our coffee table. I saw a few possibilities but nothing that made me want to spend my future house money on. So I came home empty handed. But when I started decorating the next day I came up with this creation using the Tiffany bowl we received as a wedding gift + Christmas balls + a few sprigs of the tree that were cut off. And what do we have a ? a colorful bowl of found items that didn't cost me extra. Gotta love that!

To Tinsel or Not to Tinsel

2008-12-17T23:01:00.006-05:00

Sunday we bought our first Christmas Tree together. I was more excited than Hubby... I carefully laid out all the ornaments that I would put on the tree. This is the first Christmas tree I have ever decorated all on my own and I quite liked the freedom to dress it up just as I wanted.

The results are mostly red, white and silver. I am still asking the questions though do I tinsel or not?

I hung one of my favorite ornaments. I have had since I was a baby. For the last 3 years, I have been unsure where to hang it. I planned to hang it on my roommate Christmas trees but when I thought about the fact that on Christmas Day I wouldn't see my little angel on a swing I decided to bring it back home to my parents. But now I have my own home and my own tree and I will actually be able to enjoy my little angel on Christmas Day even if it isn't on my parents tree. So here she is...

Sometime I wonder why do we go through all these trappings -Christmas trees, cookies and presents- they really don't have anything to do with Jesus' birthday. And I highly doubt that Jesus was even born on December 25th. Nevertheless there is some thing nice about the warm glow of the lights and the shiny red balls that make a drab day pretty special. Not to mention many of the ornaments hold special memories or remind me of special people.

... The question still does remain to tinsel or not to tinsel...

neverfindout.org

2008-11-03T18:24:00.004-05:00

neverfindout.org

2008-11-03T18:18:00.001-05:00

Quintessential Italy

2008-11-03T18:07:00.004-05:00

This has always been one of my favorite pictures taken in Italy. I took this on my way to Mount Vesuvius.
I recently realized our new printer is also a scanner so presto scano. I can finally post it.

The woman was hanging wash and yelling down to someone walking in the street. Which to me is the quintessential Italian way! I don't think she was yelling at my for taking her picture though. I tried to be discreet.

Late Bloomer

2008-10-16T23:48:00.001-04:00

I have always been a later bloomer. Somehow even at my age, I still keep finding areas of my life where I still haven't opened up or changed.

Recently, I was visiting a favorite creek and it was a very different experience than the last time I was there when I walked in the water in my socks. I found rest in this spot but was little a disappointed that I couldn't recreate the exhilarating romping good time I had years ago. It was a case of too tired, not enough time or extra socks.

I did catch this nice shot and it kind of reminded me of me. Seems to me, it is a late bloomer or to be more exact a late changer. Things change and some things stay the same or take longer to change that seems to be a fact of life. And everyone who knows me knows it took a long time to "change my name." I still seem to be a little green in some areas when it comes to be a wife. Sometime I look at my finger and see that wedding band and wonder "How did this happen?"
I think it will sink in eventually just as I am sure those green leaves will be changing colors.

The View

2008-10-16T23:46:00.001-04:00

It started off as a drink of water and then grew into a flower. I was so intrigued by the view I ran for my camera and tried to recreate what I saw. I think I captured it well. I suppose it was a moment of seeing things from a different perspective and finding emerging beauty. Not only did I notice the flower but the lovely way the sun was reflecting in the water. In the end, I was glad I noticed and took the time to appreciate this wonderful glimpse.

Of New Jobs, Hard Things and Pumpkin Sorbet

2008-10-01T17:14:00.003-04:00

New Job
Tomorrow it will be 1 month since I started my new job. It is going really well. There are definite difference but a lot of similarities too. I was well received and I like to think I jumped right in to the job. I have learned more about Excel in the last few weeks than I ever thought possible. I had no idea it could do some of the things it does and sometimes its capabilities scare me. What alarms me even more is how quick people are to say "Oh we could make an Excel spreadsheet and blah blah blah...." I am told it comes from being around so many DuPont chemical engineer types.

There is no denying that I am happy about the shorter work day and the shorter commute, but I do miss my old friends.

All in all I am happy that God has put me in this new place, I am being challenged and inspired.

Hard Things
Things like Excel can be daunting. There are plenty of other hard things I have had a hard time tackling and sometimes just been too afraid to tackle. Lately, I have found my self doing something I never thought could or would happen. And I am faced with the decision, loose hold of the wonder and amazement that I have actually mastered or overcome some hard thing or take it all for granted soon forgetting that once upon a time I couldn't do... Excel, pump my own gas and the list goes on of hard things... I am trying to hold on to that wonder - that sense of gratitude as I tackle new hard things.

Pumpkin Sorbet
Yes, its that time of year again. Time to experiment with sorbet recipes so I can try and recreate the frosty pumpkin pie without a crust I was blessed enough to partake of last fall. I have been making all kinds of sorbets this summer such as peach, plum, strawberry, and pear with Riesling. There is still no Pumpkin recipe out that satisfies me so I had to create a recipe based on a super easy peach recipe I found that doesn't require simple syrup -which is always the thing that holds me up.

Result: I am getting closer. Overall I am pleased with it but I will keep trying to perfect it.

Dancing Bride

2008-10-01T17:04:00.003-04:00

So who knows where I have been for the last 2 months but to make up for being AWOL... have a look at this video - It might just turn your head!

Milestone Mileage

2008-08-10T12:16:00.005-04:00

I have racked up a lot of miles in the last 3 months. So I was able to reach this Mileage Milestone a lot quicker than if I was commuting a reasonable distance to work.

It was with great excitement that I anticipated the turning of my mileage to 100,000. Really I am serious, I was like one on the edge of her seat! I had planned on you using me cell phone camera to document the event -because I forgot my camera.

Fortunately, Jeremy summer intern extraordinaire needed a ride to the mechanic. I asked him to bring his camera because by my calculations I knew we would be on route 476 when the "turn" took place. I was so thankful for his keen photography skill that caught this monumental occasion in a digital snapshot so that I can fondly look back to the day my dear Honda "Billy" turned 100,000 miles. Billy now has reached the point in its life where a $600+ timing belt is now right around the corner hence its name Billy short for "Responsibility" fulfills its name.
I am glad that not only did I have some to take the pictures but that I had someone there to celebrate with. Thanks Jeremy!

Hope on Youtube

2008-08-06T09:11:00.006-04:00

It's amazing what you can do when you go get "help". So I have finally learned to post a youtube video! This is Marina Micalizzi and Kira Dutzmann performing at Project Dance NYC 2008 to Sara Groves' "It Might Be Hope."

I have been listening to Sara Groves for the last 2 weeks. This is the only video I found with the song I like. These 2 girls did a lovely job. (Though I have no idea who they are!) I find it somewhat ironic that they performed this 5 days before my wedding. Something I have been hoping for for a long time.

I am finding the need for hope and desire for it to be just outside my window or on the other end of the phone has not diminished now that I have a dear husband.

Our hopes change but the need for it doesn't.

P.S. Maybe now I can figure out how to post a video from the camera. You might get to see the Dancing Bride

Rumble Seats

2008-08-01T18:39:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time we had a couple posters of antique cars hanging up in our cellar. One of them had a rumble seat. I always wanted to ride in a rumble seat. This spring I finally got the chance...

Isn't nice when these little childhood wishes come true?

Friday with Quilters

2008-08-01T18:09:00.005-04:00

After I finally found the quilt shop I was looking for, I started to mill around looking for the piece of fabric I have pictured in my mind -a perfect shade of Robin's Egg Blue with speckles of brown.

Instead of found this lovely piece:

This might work but it is still not exactly what I am looking for. So I decided to only get a "Fat Quarter."

It was near to closing time and the shop owner and one of the workers started to pull out fabrics for a new sample quilt.

Now one of my most favorite things to do is pick out fabrics for a quilt. There is something so invigorating and artistical about pulling fabrics off shelves and out of boxes and saying: "Ohhhh yes they go together perfectly!" (And this is what I was hoping to do when I found the perfect Robin's Egg Blue)

And that's exactly what these 2 women were doing! So I subtly wiggled my way into the process and before long the 3 of use were pouring over bolts of fabric and experimenting with different ideas for the needed 6 fabrics for the quilt.

They listened to my opinion and ultimately choose 2 of the fabrics I pulled out. So I am anxious to stop by in the next week or so to see the completed project.

In the meantime, I might pull out my box fabrics and see what I have that matches my lovely blue and brown.

Since I got married...

2008-07-04T13:38:00.003-04:00

Since I got married...

I have only made pancakes once, but I have used my new waffle maker multiple times.

I have doubled the amount of laundry I do, but I am fortunate Walter doesn't require ironed clothes for work.

I have racked up 2040 miles in 34 days driving 68 hours to and from work.

And after living in Pennsylvania for 4 years of college and almost 4 years in Wayne and Havertown, I have finally started to pump my own gas! Yes, I decided one day when I was on "E" and no where near a full service station that since I was a married woman I ought to learn to pump my own gas. And so I have.... since I got married.

Distilling Trust

2008-07-01T17:58:00.003-04:00

I have spent much of the afternoon crafting cover letters and submitting resumes.
I could be wearing a T-Shirt that says:

“I rather be Blogging!”

I don't know where any of my applications will lead. I can tell you, I hope one will lead to a good paying job that only takes 20 minutes or less to get to rather than 60!

I am distilling what trust looks like after you get married. And I am finding that trust looks differently these days. I trust God through Walter and I trust Walter through God.

The Body of Christ ...in China

2008-06-26T10:44:00.005-04:00

We have had Chinese University Professors visiting with us at the church. They have toured around all the historical sites while staying with Christian families and listening to lectures on Religious freedom in America and Christianity. I worked through the details of the schedule, making sure they had a place to sleep. Sure there were some snafus like I forgot to order them boxed lunches to take with them for their departure to the next city. So I ran to Wawa and ordered turkey hoagies... I got to sit in on one of the lectures with the pastor - which was really just stories of his recent experiences in China. I emailed him after everyone had left:

“I gotta tell you I was so blessed listening to what you had to say to the Chinese. It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture when you focus so much on the details: Plane departures, confirmation #s, hours in a day etc. The thought occurred to me that someday I will get to heaven and I will see the fruit of all those collective labors. I helped make your schedule so you could get to the place God planned you to be so you could plant a seed. So someday I will see the results of all the seeds planted from your seeds. So I may not be planting seeds myself but I have been getting the farmer to the field. It was good to see that with fresh eyes. The body of Christ at work….”

His response to me:

“This is what Jesus was talking about when He said that not even a cup of water given in His name will lose its reward! All of our collective efforts make His ministry here on earth possible. Every task matters. As Francis Schaeffer used to say, “There are no little people.”

So maybe it wasn't so much the pride of working for a prestigious man but the honor of working for a humble servant of God and knowing that's not my part in the body of Christ anymore that has me feeling weepy (coupled with moving away from my friends). What I do have to look forward to is all the eternal glories of all the people rescued into family of God because I helped one man get to China, France, Africa, Spain, Phoenix, Florida. And his work multiplies as each person he plants a seed with goes forward with their own new seeds.

And so I will miss being apart of something so big and glorious.

Confession, Mourning and Redemption

2008-06-25T17:18:00.004-04:00

Last week I handed over the reigns. I will no longer be assistant to the senior pastor. I found this to be a challenging task. I guess I never realized how much I liked the power of working for a "prestigious" man. (Even though he is extremely humble.) I lost my power. I realized that I had had secret pride because of my position of power. Rarely, did I brag on my boss -but I liked the idea that I had boss I could brag on.

I repented of this pride.

Then, I started to mourn the prospect of leaving my job completely. Being uprooted from the place that has been my home, haven and occasional headache for the last 4 years. Not seeing the people who have poured into my life at work or being near to my friends and former roommates has been suffocating me.

I have been weepy for days.

I have almost always worked in a meaningful job. Either working with children in some capacity on in my present job at the church. I may end up working in a "secular" job and not able to contribute to the cause for Christ as I have been. But God has reminded me of the fact that where ever I end up working in the next few weeks or months I have a special reward waiting for me someday. And maybe my contributions will just be different in a new place.

I'll post the specific of the "redemption" separately.

Salmon Cakes

2008-06-18T08:45:00.002-04:00

One day my old roommates were busy in the kitchen mixing up a bowlful of pink meat. "What are you making?" "Salmon cakes. Do you want one?" one said. "Sure I'll try one." I replied and proceeded to eat the most delectable seafood dish ever! It was like a little piece of heaven in my mouth! They quickly came the house favorite and the "one" dish I could rely one to make for company.

But salmon in a pouch (that's what we used) is not that cheap. Walter and I wanted to make up a batch for lunches this week. We saw that the canned salmon was on sale half the price for twice the amount of meat in a pouch. SO we bought 4 cans!

I opened one can and it was all watery and then I saw its spine and I about hurled. This explains the tapered shape of the can. This also explains what the can means when its says "Traditional Style." They cut up a fish and stick the whole slice of fish in a can! I was completely grossed out. Walter had to pick out the bones. We now have a ton of them in the frig. but the joy of eating them has been diminished by the intimate knowledge we had of the fish before he got crumbled up and mixed in with eggs and mayo.

I'm happy to post the recipe if someone asks... just whatever you do buy the salmon in a pouch unless you have a thing for fish bones...
It may be a while before I feel an urge to make them again

Honeymoon Highlights

2008-05-29T23:33:00.006-04:00

We went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina. We enjoyed ourselves. I of course loved all the streams and creeks in the Smoky Mountain National Park. I think Walter liked the cable TV best!

This is about the only way I can get Walter to have his picture taken. He is so stubborn!

This is the bear we saw. That was the coolest thing that we saw. I real live bear in the woods... you don't get any wilder than that for this suburban girl!

Then there was the Biltmore Estate... which brought grandeur to a whole new level for me. What an incredible construction!

Wedding Pictures

2008-05-29T23:22:00.008-04:00

Here is Carrie my life long friend and her daughter Riely. Riely did actually manage to make it down the aisle despite being an unpredictably 16 month old!

There I am in the grass looking pensive...

Carrie and I are in the Prayer Garden. The was really perfect - because it was overcast we weren't squinting at the sun!

Daddy's Little Girl Dance - only we danced to Moonlight Serenade because whenever I hear that song I think of all the times I danced on my daddy's toes as a little girl.

My mom took all these pictures. Hopefully when I get the professional ones back I can post some. We are really excited to see what the pink tree photos end up looking like. The photographer laid on the ground and looked up and Walter and I with the pink petals all around. I think it will turn out really cool I just hope our faces end up looking good too!

Peach Cookies

2008-05-29T23:06:00.002-04:00

These Delectable Morsels where provided for the shower by my cousin Lorraine. She is famous for making these lovely Italian Cookies and thanks to the wonders of the Internet I found a nice story and recipe that I can paste - here.

The recipe looks pretty similar to how I have heard Lorraine explain them. Someday maybe I will try them.

My Shower

2008-05-29T22:38:00.007-04:00

I need to play a little catch up because important events have happened... very blog worthy events and I have just not had the time or energy or Internet connection. So....

On March 1, my mom and friend Carrie hosted my Bridal Shower at a Tea Room. It was an absolutely lovely day. It was everything I could have ever hoped for in a Bridal Shower - there were NO corny games!

We had tea, finger sandwiches and little pastries. There was lovely music playing in the background and all my female family and friends were gathered together. What made it even more special for me is that everyone was asked to where a hat. (Because I collect hats and love to wear them.) So it was fun to see everyone in hats. Some where old some were new some where borrowed. Everyone seem to enjoy themselves - even those who are in general Bridal-Showered-Out!

I arrived in a green hat - because it was cold out that day.

This me, my matron of honor Carrie and my mom. I am in the hat Walter's mom sent for me.

Mom and here good friend Dianne. I came home exhausted. I couldn't believe how tired I was but I was so happy. I talked about how wonderful my shower was for days!

Some of the other really special things that happened during the shower...

My friend Nancy came all the way down from Hoboken!

My aunt Roz gave me a pin cushion that belonged to Grandmom Mary. She is my cousin's other Grandma but she was like my own too. I loved her dearly. So it is nice to have something of hers to remind of her spunky practical ways.

And cousin Lorraine made peach cookies... more on them next

Die Hard Dancing

2008-05-06T12:43:00.003-04:00

They might eat me for lunch if they find out this picture is now on my blog. Let's hope they don't see it...right away. Thanks to Monica, Joe, Lauren, Kat, and Don they were my die hard dancing buddies at my April 26th wedding. When everyone else had left and the tables had been cleared the DJ was still playing. So we danced and danced till I finally told them I couldn't dance anymore and let them go home!

More to come on the wedding -for those too curious to wait - in a few simple words: elegant, perfect weather, pink trees, pink flowers, lovely people and a wonderful husband for the new Mrs. Higgins.

Wedding Eve

2008-04-25T09:06:00.003-04:00

Well, my dress is hanging in the attic. I walked up there yesterday to get something and I said to myself, "That's my wedding dress." And I almost got choked up.

My room here at the house is almost empty. I am sitting on the floor with the computer and my leg is falling asleep. I only have my bed, computer, some clothes and toiletries left. I still have a bit within the house that I need to go through and pull out. All the rest of my stuff is at Walter's mostly all unpacked and in its new place. It kind of weird.

The rehearsal dinner is tonight. Uncle Tom and Aunt Pat should be flying right now. Gene, Amanda and Marco came in last night. All but 4 of my family members will be there tomorrow. They are all so excited for me.

Sometimes I still can't believe it. But then I say to myself, "Don't insult God by doubting His work here." That's been helping!

Violets for Jeanie

2008-04-25T08:45:00.003-04:00

For the last several years, I have brought a little bundle of violets to my 2 dear old neighbors - Jeanie and Mrs. V. I guess I started doing this traditionally because Jeanie mentioned one day that when she was growing up there was a plot of land that was loaded with violets. However, I think the first time I did it, I did it just because I wanted to bring them flowers. So I have made it a little tradition.

This spring, as I have been busy with Walter and wedding preparations I haven't been back to my parents as much. But I would see the violets at my house and think of Jeanie and Mrs. V. Yesterday, I was outside at my dad's and I spied the violets and automatically started picking them -with Jeanie in mind.

I gathered them up and knocked on her door. She said with what looked like a little mist in her eyes that she had been to visit Mrs. V. (who is now quite senile) just that day and was talking with her about how every April Elizabeth brings us violets. She had said that she guessed they wouldn't get them this year. Jeanie isn't sure if Mrs. V. remembered me and Jeanie tried to explain to her that I was getting married this weekend. I had always hoped that Mrs. V would be there to dance at my wedding. Alas, she is not strong enough to attend. But somehow I know she will be there in spirit.

Sometimes we do things and they seem so small maybe even bordering on corny. Then, you find out just how much small things are appreciated by the people you do them for and it makes you glad that you took the time to do it year after year.

Hope in India

2008-04-18T09:11:00.003-04:00

I have a fascination with India and I at times grieve over the injustices of women there. I got involved with Shared Hope International which works to rescue women caught in sex trafficking. I wish I could do more than send the occasional check...

Last month, they sent out a picture of a beautiful, smiling, young woman. On the back of the car it said:

"No one smiled where Sunni was held captive in the desperate brothel district of Mumbai, India. But today, thanks to your generosity and the healing hand of God, Sunni is not only smiling... she's in love! Sunni will be married in April - a dream she never thought would come true."

And I thought to myself as I got all choked up, "Sunni I am getting married in April too and I use to think it would never happen for me." And I was amazed how this far away Indian woman who was rescued from a brothel !! could be used to remind me that April weddings happen all over the world. Dreams come true...

April 21, 2005

2008-04-14T22:34:00.003-04:00

I was looking for inspiration. I found this from my prayer journal for April 21, 2005.

"... I thought today especially after my walk yesterday (near where I work) I really want to get married in April. I really love April. The light green colors as trees are coming back to life. The pink petaled trees, the swirling pink petals in the air. The goldfish in the pond. The pink petals resting gingerly on the water, the fish and petals moving to their own current. It was poetry in motion.

So I'd really like to get married in April. I've never had much of an opinion about my wedding... But there is something about April that inspires trust. We don't have to worry about the flowers of April forgetting to bloom. They happen whether we worry about it or not. There is something so nice about waking up one day and the grey have become green, yellow and pink.

I am getting sleepy but I am so thankful about how beautiful this spring has been it has truly ministered to my diseased soul."

I had forgotten that I ever thought that April inspires trust. How interesting because I needed to be reminded of that.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

2008-03-31T23:05:00.002-04:00

Well at least Brandy is wondering...

From my lack of blogging you would think I have been busy. Yes, you could say that you could also say that my poorly set up computer desk is just not conducive to wanting to blog late at night when I am finally home from work, fed, errands run and mind wasted on American Idol or House.

So what's new? A new TV came in the mail this week. The girl taking my place at the House in May bought a new one. It is the best picture I have seen in years! Walter said we couldn't get a new one, but then he hasn't seen this one. I think a new TV would solve his static problems.

Lately for me, its like Christmas everyday! Its fun to see who sent RSVP cards and sometimes there are boxes from Bed, Bath and Beyond!

On March 1 my mom and Carrie had my family & friends Bridal Shower. (I will post pictures another day.) On March 26 the ladies at work threw me a shower. I am amazed at the generosity of people. Both showers were a great blessing to me.

On St. Patrick's Day, (the anniversary of our 1st Date) we went to get a marriage license. It actually took us longer to find a parking spot than to get a license to get married! We had our final session with the pastor. Then, we took my car to the shop because Walter was afraid my tire was about to blow. We were fortunate that the mechanic could take care of it that day. We took the train to Philadelphia to buy wedding bands. Gold is high these days so its not a good time to buy gold rings. Later that night we went to the place we had our first date - Ruby Tuesdays.

I am starting to feel the pinch of last minute things. I have decided not to worry about where Walter's parents will stay. He said that it was their responsibility - this is good for me.
I need to choose songs for the ceremony. I am hoping their will be some nice pink flowers in bloom for the reception centerpieces and that the weather will be nice.

Walter and his dad got new suits today. That's a weight off my mind. I have also begun to move my things over to his apartment. Over half of my books are there and most of my hanging clothes. My mom and I spent most of Saturday cleaning the apartment from top to bottom (Walter is out of town) its squeaky clean and Murphy oiled, windows were glistening and all dust bunnies had been properly sucked up.

So that's what has been going on. Oh yeah, I am looking for a new job and looking forward to seeing the dentist on the 8th. To be honest, I am looking forward to the dentist more than I am looking for or forward to finding a new job!

For all the "stresses", decisions or changes that are soon to be taking place I much rather have them than not have Walter or the pleasure of marrying him.

Surrounded

2008-02-29T22:52:00.004-05:00

I have faint memories of being surrounded as a young child. Surrounded by Weeble Wobbles, coloring books, Playskool's Sesame Street, and dolls while watching T.V. I could never just sit still and do one thing.

As you can see from the picture, things haven't changed I am still often surrounded! Only this time it wasn't Weeble Wobbles or even my grown up "toy" -quilting. This time its all the little enclosures that go into wedding invitations!