Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Little Clarity

Do you suffer, like me, from never really knowing what is most currently PC on how to refer to one another's skin types? We're suppose to be color-blind but why aren't we also hair-blind, gender blind, stage-of-life blind? So far I haven't heard anyone get corrected over something like, "You know who I'm talking about, the neighbor at the 5th house on the left, who is also the only blue-eyed person on the street". If God carefully crafted each one of us the way He did then, really, what's the big deal? I love our differences and think we should respectfully celebrate them!

Onward. Just what color am I? What would you call our German-English-Swedish-Irish-Creek-originally from the Fertile Crescent-American family? I now know, thanks to a "for sale" sign Joshua put on his stomach last night.

 

UT fans, you no longer have to paint yourselves for a football game because many of you are, indeed, already orange. (By the way, the red is the blood and the white is the bone). So now all I'm left wondering about is why he only costs $90,000.99, and if I might need to lay off the self-tanner a bit.
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Monday, March 23, 2009

Save The Sticks!

 

In the weeks that followed the massive ice storm we had, there were bonfire-sized piles of tree limbs parked by every driveway. It was wild. I kept thinking that there must be something practical for us to do with all this. Surely we're not just going to burn it all. Did you know that Chicago gives their citizens free mulch from sources like that? Anyway, laying in bed one night I had an epiphany. At least two lucky sticks were going to get their big break! (Well, a second one, I suppose, since they already had a 'big break').

Since I not-very-strategically put my picture up first, you figured out what I did with them. Thanks to nature and cheap shower curtains, this whole window treatment ensemble cost less than $50. And now, an empty set of kitchen windows that I was never very happy with makes me smile every time I walk through!
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Friday, March 20, 2009

Pocket Treasures

I recently read on my friend Ashley's blog about what she found in her little girls pockets while doing laundry and I thought, "What a great posting idea"! It's always a great mystery what I'll find and, as a matter of fact, the very next day, these are the items I pulled out of just one pocket of Joshua's:

 

He told me I could throw out the coffee beans but he really needed everything else.

And he's not the only one I have around here....

 

After getting permanent chapstick oilings, tears in material, and occasionally going over budget over 'mystery' items, I've learned the hard way to make sure I always inspect Greg's pockets too!
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

"The Tyranny of the Urgent"

That's the name of a book I heard about on the radio this morning. I was listening to my most beloved former pastor, Dr. Adrian Rogers (now with Jesus), talk about time. Time. Unlike most other commodities, we can't buy it, save it, borrow it, lend it or go back and retrieve it. It's a great leveler -- we all get the same amount of it, yet, it always seems like someone else has more! Have you ever met someone who was so busy they had nothing to talk about except how busy they were? That's been me at times. I think it gave me the false feeling of being important. But what is important? I confess I am a listy person. I write out things that must be done that day because I am otherwise very scatterbrained. And, sometimes (don't laugh at me), I actually have to write PRAY! READ YOUR BIBLE! Why? Because, as Dr. Rogers said this morning, sometimes the urgent elbows out the important. Some might say that's doing it just to cross it off my list. Maybe, at times. But I've never had a day go sour that I didn't first seek Him and let Him take care of all those other things (Matthew 6:33).

In light of this, I had to laugh the other morning when I got up and found this on the kitchen counter -- right next to my list.

 

I don't know if you can read it. It's Joshua's list and it boils down to this:

1. Snuggle with Mom
2. Visit Grandma & PaPa
3. Watch tv
4. Go to school
5. Play
6. Go to church

With the exception of watching tv, I'm likin' it! Of course, my favorite is #1. Hopefully his tyrannical urgent doesn't elbow out his "important" anytime soon! I could take a lesson....
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Emerging From The Cottage

 

Forward warning: Kocians and Rovenstines, I totally apologize for the following post as I believe you don't get spring for another 6 months or so. And, Boultons, as you are actually entering autumn on the other side of the hemisphere, I'm pretty sure you're not feelin' it anyway.

It was absolutely beautiful this weekend! After hibernating all winter, at the beginning signs of spring, my street turns into circa 1960. The kids flood the yards, sidewalks and street. Moms bring out the lawnchairs in the driveways and sip their tea and chat (right, Renee?). And Dads start throwing balls, brushing up little sports for spring sports. I love it! Pretty soon opening the windows for mild, fresh air will have added to the cacophony the sound of lawn mowers and the aroma of grilled chicken and burgers. Ooh, I'm killin' myself! Drop by sometime and we'll treat you to spring -- retro style!
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Scrapbooking

 

Do you scrapbook? How many times have I heard this question and shamefully had to answer, "No". It's always scared me a little. It seemed like such a commitment to put that picture, that way, on that colored paper, with that decoration, on that page. What if I don't like it THAT way in 10 years? What if my daughter-in-law looks at it someday and thinks I had cheesy taste and I was way too nuts about my baby? Imagining the kitchen conversation she and Joshua might have, ("So that explains it all - you're a total mama's boy!") I would hate to be a source of future marital conflict.

Well, my sister-in-law, Becky, booted me off the cliff last week when she invited me over for a scrapbooking slumber party. She thinks nothing of this and graciously held my hand through the foreboding start-up process. (Becky has the unfair advantage of having a little girl and, thus, anything she does will be considered absolutely adorable and everyone will forever be ok with this). Anyway, we got started at 8:00pm and I finished my first page at 3:00am. Seriously. We actually had to go look up the E*trade baby commercials on the internet just for a laugh break once or twice because I was so nauseatingly nervous.

Since then, I've kinda gotten hooked. My dining table is heaped with scraps and books and my family is encouraging me to bravely continue on. Joshua even took a picture of me holding the scary book:

 


Truthfully, some of my apprehension may have been the sentimental journey I knew scrapbooking would take me on. Sorting through those pictures, there's no denying that time is going, going, and eventually will be gone. Yep, that gives me a pit in my stomach. It also makes me very, very thankful that I got to take this journey at all. So, yes, future daughter-in-law, I may be too nuts about that baby but don't worry -- I'll graciously hold your hand through your first scrapbooking steps too....
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Scrapbooking

 

Do you scrapbook? I've heard this question so many times and, to my shame, I've had to answer "No". It always scared me a little. It's such a commitment to place that picture, that way, on that colored paper, with that decoration on that page. What if you don't like it THAT way in 10 years? What if my daughter-in-law looks at it and thinks my taste was cheesy and I was way too nuts about my baby? Imagining the kitchen conversation she and Josh would have, ("So that it explains it all - you're a total Mama's boy!") I'd hate to be a future source of marital problems.

Well, my sister-in-law, Becky, booted me off the cliff and invited me over for a scrapbooking slumber party last week. She thinks nothing of any of this and held my hand very graciously (Becky has the unfair advantage of having a little girl and, thus, anything she does will be absolutely adorable and everyone will forever be ok with that). Anyway, we started at 8:00pm and at 3:00am I finished a page. Seriously. We had to go look up the E*trade baby commercials on the computer for a laugh break a time or two because I was so nauseatingly nervous.

I hate to say it but, since then, I've kinda gotten hooked. My dining table is 'a table of scraps' and my boys are gently encouraging me to bravely move forward. Joshua even took a picture of me holding the scary book:

 


You know, if I were real honest, some of my apprehension may have been the sentimental journey scrapbooking takes you on. There's no denying that time is going, going, and eventually will be gone. Yes, that gives me a pit in my stomach. And, future daughter-in-law, yes I am way too nuts about that baby. But don't worry -- someday I'll very graciously hold your hand while you venture into your first "scary" scrapbook....