I spent the morning looking out the window waiting for the rain to stop. Being tired of the confines of the house, I craved a new environment. Finally it went from raining to drizzling. According to weather.com it was going to drizzle from 3-5 p.m before it started raining again.
That was my chance!
“Meredith, you wouldn’t let a little drizzle get in the way of fun, would you?” I asked. “You’re as bored of the house as me, right?” “You don’t mind a little nip on your nose as long as your ears are warm, right?” “Okay, then, let’s go.”
We bundled up, got the stroller out of the garage, and headed for Starbucks. Starbucks has got to be the best place to go on a rainy day. We have a really cool one here in Broad Ripple, too. It has a large sitting area with lots of windows, a fireplace, a couple of leather couches and four large, comfy chairs.
I got an extra-hot venti peppermint white mocha – extra-hot so it would stay warmer longer and venti because (I always have this conversation with Kevin) why would you get anything else? The economist in me realizes that the larger the drink you get, the less you are paying per ounce. Or, maybe it’s just that it’s bigger and I like it. (Heh, heh, heh.)
Meredith and I had a lot of fun today at Starbucks. She was an angel for me. Of course, the cookie helped tremendously. We sat for about 45 minutes, I read the paper, and Meredith stared at two ladies, apparently school teachers, who were grading papers.
Now I’m back home again … looking forward to the next drizzly day.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
My Daughter Thinks She Is Picasso
Meredith has now entered the “artist phase” of toddlerhood. All parents who are reading this will immediately know what I mean.
Because my daughter now thinks she is Picasso, I have stopped giving her pens, pencils, or crayons unless she is under strict supervision. She has drawn on several walls, pieces of furniture, on her clothing, and once while I was in the shower she drew all over the toilet. They are very nice scribbles. But that’s besides the point.
This morning I gave her a piece of paper and said, “Okay, you can only draw on the paper, Meredith, not anything else.” I was planning to watch her carefully while she drew but then got distracted. Now she has these beautiful lines of ink all over her khaki pants.
What was I thinking?
In other news, my little girl has been singing a lot too. (She must be destined for the arts, right?)
Usually we have no idea what she is singing – it’s an assortment of random notes and syllables. But on Sunday Kevin said, “I think she’s singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” We listened closely and, sure enough, she was singing “wi-wa star, how I won-ah [and then something unintelligible].”
We sang it back to her and she smiled, knowingly, and then continued singing. SO CUTE!
Because my daughter now thinks she is Picasso, I have stopped giving her pens, pencils, or crayons unless she is under strict supervision. She has drawn on several walls, pieces of furniture, on her clothing, and once while I was in the shower she drew all over the toilet. They are very nice scribbles. But that’s besides the point.
This morning I gave her a piece of paper and said, “Okay, you can only draw on the paper, Meredith, not anything else.” I was planning to watch her carefully while she drew but then got distracted. Now she has these beautiful lines of ink all over her khaki pants.
What was I thinking?
In other news, my little girl has been singing a lot too. (She must be destined for the arts, right?)
Usually we have no idea what she is singing – it’s an assortment of random notes and syllables. But on Sunday Kevin said, “I think she’s singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” We listened closely and, sure enough, she was singing “wi-wa star, how I won-ah [and then something unintelligible].”
We sang it back to her and she smiled, knowingly, and then continued singing. SO CUTE!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Mr. Poll Inspector
This year Kevin volunteered to be a poll inspector. The poll inspector is the one who runs the poll at a particular precinct and has to handle all the problems and be the “bad guy” when it comes to telling people they can’t vote and why. They prefer to have lawyers run the polls, because often other lawyers show up and make legal challenges. But you don’t have to be a lawyer – the basic criterion is that you’re a strong-willed person who is able to stand up to belligerent people and confidently call the shots.
The three people I know who best fit this description are my husband, and his two parents. All three of them, incidentally, are going to be poll inspectors this year.
After attending a training session yesterday, they all came back literally shaking from fear at what they are going to have to do. All three of them have been specifically selected to run the polls in “high fraud” areas. And all three of them confessed that they are terrified.
When it comes down to deciding if a person can vote, or if a ballot must be set aside because it doesn’t meet the legal requirements, there will be a panel of three judges – the poll inspector and two others – one republican and one democrat. Interestingly, they couldn’t find enough republicans to sit on the panels (their precincts are in heavily-democrat areas) so Kevin and his parents are going to have two democrats on each of their panels. In other words, they are going to be outnumbered.
But, like Kevin said, the panels are not about partisan politics. “The goal is to ensure that there is a fair election.” Here’s hoping that the other panel members agree with that.
This is going to be a very interesting election year. For them, because they are facing a huge challenge. For me, because I get to sit back and watch.
The three people I know who best fit this description are my husband, and his two parents. All three of them, incidentally, are going to be poll inspectors this year.
After attending a training session yesterday, they all came back literally shaking from fear at what they are going to have to do. All three of them have been specifically selected to run the polls in “high fraud” areas. And all three of them confessed that they are terrified.
When it comes down to deciding if a person can vote, or if a ballot must be set aside because it doesn’t meet the legal requirements, there will be a panel of three judges – the poll inspector and two others – one republican and one democrat. Interestingly, they couldn’t find enough republicans to sit on the panels (their precincts are in heavily-democrat areas) so Kevin and his parents are going to have two democrats on each of their panels. In other words, they are going to be outnumbered.
But, like Kevin said, the panels are not about partisan politics. “The goal is to ensure that there is a fair election.” Here’s hoping that the other panel members agree with that.
This is going to be a very interesting election year. For them, because they are facing a huge challenge. For me, because I get to sit back and watch.
It's What You Offer
We’ve been having a lot of company lately. Because of this, I’ve been learning a lot of important lessons on keeping things simple when I entertain. I like for everything to be perfect when people come over. This is often a pride issue vs. a hospitality issue.
Last week we had the largest sit-down-dinner party we’ve ever had. There were 18 people and I was planning to serve soup. It suddenly dawned on me, as I was setting the table, that I didn’t have enough matching bowls for the largest table. This really, really bothered me!
Can you believe it? Think of all the people out there who don’t even have food for their bellies and here I am stressing about not having enough matching bowls. I was already upset that the only tablecloth I had to fit our table (when both leaves were in it) didn’t exactly match my plates. But, now, this!! I turned to Kevin and pleaded with him to let me run to Wal-Mart and buy something cheap, as long as everything matches. He told me “no” that no one will care but me and it’s not about matching bowls, it’s about Christian fellowship.
I knew he was right. So, I continued setting the table, with mismatched bowls. And, when all was said and done, no one really did care and we had a marvelous time of fellowship!
I remember back to the time when Kev and I were in Philadelphia for a friend's wedding. We stayed with perfect strangers. Their home was small and humble. Despite the fact that they didn’t possess very much in the way of earthly goods, they openly and lovingly shared the things that they did have. I was incredibly blessed by their example.
Often I remind myself of this family whenever I feel my pride seeping in.
It’s not about what we have, it’s about what we give.
Last week we had the largest sit-down-dinner party we’ve ever had. There were 18 people and I was planning to serve soup. It suddenly dawned on me, as I was setting the table, that I didn’t have enough matching bowls for the largest table. This really, really bothered me!
Can you believe it? Think of all the people out there who don’t even have food for their bellies and here I am stressing about not having enough matching bowls. I was already upset that the only tablecloth I had to fit our table (when both leaves were in it) didn’t exactly match my plates. But, now, this!! I turned to Kevin and pleaded with him to let me run to Wal-Mart and buy something cheap, as long as everything matches. He told me “no” that no one will care but me and it’s not about matching bowls, it’s about Christian fellowship.
I knew he was right. So, I continued setting the table, with mismatched bowls. And, when all was said and done, no one really did care and we had a marvelous time of fellowship!
I remember back to the time when Kev and I were in Philadelphia for a friend's wedding. We stayed with perfect strangers. Their home was small and humble. Despite the fact that they didn’t possess very much in the way of earthly goods, they openly and lovingly shared the things that they did have. I was incredibly blessed by their example.
Often I remind myself of this family whenever I feel my pride seeping in.
It’s not about what we have, it’s about what we give.
Fondue Revelations
Thus far I have been blissfully ignorant about the spiritual state of my fellow MOPS friends.
No longer.
The “mentor mom” – a designated older, more experienced woman – in our larger MOPS group invited our small group to her house for a fondue party last week.
As I was happily devouring my chocolate, the mentor mom, Mindi, started asking us to share where we are in our walk with God.
The first lady shared about how she attends church most of the time and that she knows she needs to go more often. She was not raised Christian.
My good friend Kristi, who invited me to join MOPS, and I were sitting together on the couch and we were the second and third people to share.
Kristi and I shared similar things … about our Christian background, God’s working in our lives, that we know we have a lot farther to go, and we’re grateful for God’s faithfulness. Yada, yada, yada.
Then the discussion took a turn with one woman expressing her objections to Christianity and that she has thought about it, and all roads lead to heaven, and that it’s all about “searching inside yourself and being a good person.”
Then, our group LEADER, said, “Yeah, I’m pretty much in the same boat as you.” She said that she doesn’t really think it’s important to go to church and has no desire to read her bible. She seemed a little more open to Christianity than the first lady, though.
I realized, when I joined MOPS, that there would probably be quite a few non-Christians but I guess I always thought that our group leader, at least, would be a Christian.
Every time we meet, we pray and we use Christian terminology. I guess I just assumed that all the ladies at my table were believers. This was a wrongful assumption.
One thing I really appreciated about the fondue discussion is that all the ladies were open and honest. There was no pretension or façade. This is the best starting point possible.
I’ve been praying for opportunities to be a salt and light for Christ. I guess God has now given me what I asked for. I just pray that I don’t blow this opportunity. It would be easy for me to find excuses – I have transportation issues that prevent me from getting to know people better, or “I’m so young” compared to most everyone else, or the mentor mom would be a better person to share, etc., etc.
Sigh … No more blissful ignorance. Now, what am I going to do with this newfound knowledge?
No longer.
The “mentor mom” – a designated older, more experienced woman – in our larger MOPS group invited our small group to her house for a fondue party last week.
As I was happily devouring my chocolate, the mentor mom, Mindi, started asking us to share where we are in our walk with God.
The first lady shared about how she attends church most of the time and that she knows she needs to go more often. She was not raised Christian.
My good friend Kristi, who invited me to join MOPS, and I were sitting together on the couch and we were the second and third people to share.
Kristi and I shared similar things … about our Christian background, God’s working in our lives, that we know we have a lot farther to go, and we’re grateful for God’s faithfulness. Yada, yada, yada.
Then the discussion took a turn with one woman expressing her objections to Christianity and that she has thought about it, and all roads lead to heaven, and that it’s all about “searching inside yourself and being a good person.”
Then, our group LEADER, said, “Yeah, I’m pretty much in the same boat as you.” She said that she doesn’t really think it’s important to go to church and has no desire to read her bible. She seemed a little more open to Christianity than the first lady, though.
I realized, when I joined MOPS, that there would probably be quite a few non-Christians but I guess I always thought that our group leader, at least, would be a Christian.
Every time we meet, we pray and we use Christian terminology. I guess I just assumed that all the ladies at my table were believers. This was a wrongful assumption.
One thing I really appreciated about the fondue discussion is that all the ladies were open and honest. There was no pretension or façade. This is the best starting point possible.
I’ve been praying for opportunities to be a salt and light for Christ. I guess God has now given me what I asked for. I just pray that I don’t blow this opportunity. It would be easy for me to find excuses – I have transportation issues that prevent me from getting to know people better, or “I’m so young” compared to most everyone else, or the mentor mom would be a better person to share, etc., etc.
Sigh … No more blissful ignorance. Now, what am I going to do with this newfound knowledge?
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
“Tonight she said she loves me … what a pity to part …”
Tonight my little girl told me she loves me for the first time. Kevin was getting ready to put her to bed and he told her to give mommy a kiss and tell her I love you. (He always says this but she never follows his direction.)
But, tonight was different! She said “love you!” and then she wrinkled her nose and smiled with both her mouth and her eyes, showing that she really meant it.
My heart melted. Right there – like warm butter on hot bread. It was wonderful.
I was especially surprised that she said “love you” today, of all days, because today I was an especially bad mom. I was very impatient with her and found myself getting angry at her when I was trying to make dinner and she kept walking between my legs and the counter and pushing on my legs so I would have to move away from what I was doing.
Seriously, it took me like twenty minutes to chop one onion for dinner tonight! You know Rachael Ray’s 30-minute-meals? Well, Rachael obviously doesn’t have a one-year-old. If that were the case, they would all be 90-minute-meals.
Anyway, I’ve never told my daughter “no” so many times as I have today.
So, why did she pick today to say “love you”? I have no idea. But I’m really glad – because I really needed to hear that today.
But, tonight was different! She said “love you!” and then she wrinkled her nose and smiled with both her mouth and her eyes, showing that she really meant it.
My heart melted. Right there – like warm butter on hot bread. It was wonderful.
I was especially surprised that she said “love you” today, of all days, because today I was an especially bad mom. I was very impatient with her and found myself getting angry at her when I was trying to make dinner and she kept walking between my legs and the counter and pushing on my legs so I would have to move away from what I was doing.
Seriously, it took me like twenty minutes to chop one onion for dinner tonight! You know Rachael Ray’s 30-minute-meals? Well, Rachael obviously doesn’t have a one-year-old. If that were the case, they would all be 90-minute-meals.
Anyway, I’ve never told my daughter “no” so many times as I have today.
So, why did she pick today to say “love you”? I have no idea. But I’m really glad – because I really needed to hear that today.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Fall Break
Since it’s Kevin’s fall break this week, we’ve been taking advantage of rare “free time” and filling it up with all sorts of activities – Brown County State Park, the zoo, Holliday Park (which has to be the coolest park I’ve ever been to, with the most gigantic playground area I’ve ever seen and numerous wooded trails), and two bonfires / hot dog roasts. One wonderful thing about the eastern half of the U.S. is that you’re allowed to have fires in your backyard!
It’s been nice to have Kevin around more than his schedule ordinarily permits. Although, now, it’s pretty much back to business-as-usual since he has a lot of reading for class on Monday.
Last night I went to a friend’s house to learn how to make egg rolls and fried rice. Our instructor was a really sweet, perky Korean lady who lives on the 8th floor of the tallest building in Seoul. She’s here in the U.S. temporarily while her daughter attends a Christian high school. (I guess they don’t have those in Korea.) Anyway, she said the funniest things – like she had a hard time telling all the white people apart when she first got here because we all look the same. And she was so happy to see that I drive a Hyundai which is, you know, a Korean-manufactured car. I asked her if she ever makes any American food and she said yes, spaghetti, only she likes the white sauce.
Anyway, it was fun. I think I’ll make the egg rolls again which, surprisingly, weren’t very complicated.
It’s been nice to have Kevin around more than his schedule ordinarily permits. Although, now, it’s pretty much back to business-as-usual since he has a lot of reading for class on Monday.
Last night I went to a friend’s house to learn how to make egg rolls and fried rice. Our instructor was a really sweet, perky Korean lady who lives on the 8th floor of the tallest building in Seoul. She’s here in the U.S. temporarily while her daughter attends a Christian high school. (I guess they don’t have those in Korea.) Anyway, she said the funniest things – like she had a hard time telling all the white people apart when she first got here because we all look the same. And she was so happy to see that I drive a Hyundai which is, you know, a Korean-manufactured car. I asked her if she ever makes any American food and she said yes, spaghetti, only she likes the white sauce.
Anyway, it was fun. I think I’ll make the egg rolls again which, surprisingly, weren’t very complicated.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Football and Pie
Well, dear readers, since I’m sure you’re all chomping at the bit to hear an update on my fantasy football team, I will provide one for you.
Here’s how it’s gone so far …
The first week I agonized over which people to play … and I LOST the game.
The second, third, and fourth weeks I completely ignored my team. What can I say? I forgot until it was too late.
Interestingly, even though in two of the games some of my highest-scoring players had byes, I WON all three of those games! (What does that say about fantasy football, huh?)
Last week, the fifth week, I decided I’d better not press my luck and switched some players around. I happened to win that game too.
So, basically, I’m in second place right now in my league. Yeah!
I’m sure this good fortune won’t last forever but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!
__________________
Okay – one funny Meredith story. We had guests for dinner last night. I had baked an apple pie and it was sitting on a counter ledge near our microwave. I was in the kitchen getting ready for supper and realized that it had been strangely quiet for the past two minutes.
I looked over and spotted Meredith with her little hand in the middle of the pie! She was busily scooping out pieces of apple and quickly gobbling them down. Her face was a mess.
I hadn’t realized she could reach the pie. My little girl is getting so TALL!!!
Here’s how it’s gone so far …
The first week I agonized over which people to play … and I LOST the game.
The second, third, and fourth weeks I completely ignored my team. What can I say? I forgot until it was too late.
Interestingly, even though in two of the games some of my highest-scoring players had byes, I WON all three of those games! (What does that say about fantasy football, huh?)
Last week, the fifth week, I decided I’d better not press my luck and switched some players around. I happened to win that game too.
So, basically, I’m in second place right now in my league. Yeah!
I’m sure this good fortune won’t last forever but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!
__________________
Okay – one funny Meredith story. We had guests for dinner last night. I had baked an apple pie and it was sitting on a counter ledge near our microwave. I was in the kitchen getting ready for supper and realized that it had been strangely quiet for the past two minutes.
I looked over and spotted Meredith with her little hand in the middle of the pie! She was busily scooping out pieces of apple and quickly gobbling them down. Her face was a mess.
I hadn’t realized she could reach the pie. My little girl is getting so TALL!!!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Oh, Drama ...
Drama follows me wherever I go.
Yesterday Kevin was sick. So, being the good wife that I am, I decided at 4:45 to change the menu and make him homemade creamy chicken and wild rice soup.
I grabbed my wallet and the toddler, got the stroller out of the garage and started running (literally) to get to the grocery store and buy the items I needed for supper. The grocery store is 1/3 of a mile from our house.
I made record time, bought three items, and headed home – again, I was running to be able to get dinner on the table in time.
I put the stroller back in the garage, bolted the garage (it’s an old house with a detached garage), and went inside.
I put Meredith down and started making supper. When I looked at the ingredients list, it dawned on me that I had left the groceries at the store!
I quickly called the grocery store to confirm that they were there, grabbed Meredith again, got out the stroller and started flying (literally) to the store.
When I got there the guy bagging the groceries burst out laughing, “Ma’am you were racing outta here so fast. I tried to catch you but you were GONE.”
By the way, dinner was on the table at 6:30 p.m.
Not too bad, considering.
Yesterday Kevin was sick. So, being the good wife that I am, I decided at 4:45 to change the menu and make him homemade creamy chicken and wild rice soup.
I grabbed my wallet and the toddler, got the stroller out of the garage and started running (literally) to get to the grocery store and buy the items I needed for supper. The grocery store is 1/3 of a mile from our house.
I made record time, bought three items, and headed home – again, I was running to be able to get dinner on the table in time.
I put the stroller back in the garage, bolted the garage (it’s an old house with a detached garage), and went inside.
I put Meredith down and started making supper. When I looked at the ingredients list, it dawned on me that I had left the groceries at the store!
I quickly called the grocery store to confirm that they were there, grabbed Meredith again, got out the stroller and started flying (literally) to the store.
When I got there the guy bagging the groceries burst out laughing, “Ma’am you were racing outta here so fast. I tried to catch you but you were GONE.”
By the way, dinner was on the table at 6:30 p.m.
Not too bad, considering.
List Freak
I am a list freak. It is the only way I can get things done. I have a “general” list of things I need to accomplish in the near future and then I have sub lists of things I need to accomplish today, in the next 42 minutes, etc.
“You know, you really should use Microsoft Outlook’s ‘task’ feature,” Kevin says to me last night. He noticed my desk covered with scraps of paper and sticky notes containing a myriad of items for me to accomplish.
He had earlier suggested I use Outlook’s calendar. I protested for a long time and then finally succumbed. Since doing that, my life has never been more organized. I went from having a calendar “in my head” to having one on the computer, where I get electronic reminders in advance of important dates. I love it!
Anyway, today I decided to take the suggestion about the task feature. I put all of my random to-do lists on my computer.
Can I just say that I’m already hooked?! My desk is clean and my to-do list can be organized in numerous ways. No more messy scratch marks or losing important pieces of paper.
The only problem is I might spend so much time tweaking my computer lists (because it's fun and I like it) that I have less time to actually DO the things on the lists.
“You know, you really should use Microsoft Outlook’s ‘task’ feature,” Kevin says to me last night. He noticed my desk covered with scraps of paper and sticky notes containing a myriad of items for me to accomplish.
He had earlier suggested I use Outlook’s calendar. I protested for a long time and then finally succumbed. Since doing that, my life has never been more organized. I went from having a calendar “in my head” to having one on the computer, where I get electronic reminders in advance of important dates. I love it!
Anyway, today I decided to take the suggestion about the task feature. I put all of my random to-do lists on my computer.
Can I just say that I’m already hooked?! My desk is clean and my to-do list can be organized in numerous ways. No more messy scratch marks or losing important pieces of paper.
The only problem is I might spend so much time tweaking my computer lists (because it's fun and I like it) that I have less time to actually DO the things on the lists.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Not Happy
When we moved into our rental house six weeks ago we were surrounded by these tall, beautiful trees. One tree in our backyard was especially beautiful. It was a large sugar leaf maple. I could hardly wait until it turned beautiful colors (probably in the next few weeks).
Three days ago I saw red plastic ribbons tied around three of the trees. The next day some workers came in a large truck and started sawing off the branches. Pretty soon the trees were whittled down to stumps. The only tree left standing was the maple.
I thought that was the end of it until yesterday when they returned and started chopping away at some more trees on the side of the house.
And I have just discovered something horrible! Right now they are working on that beautiful maple tree too.
Are they planning to cut down ALL the trees??? Good grief!
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not an extremist environmentalist who is ready to throw her body across a bunch of trees in order to save them. I realize there’s a time and place to cut down certain trees. It can be responsibly done (and trees replanted) to produce things useful for humans and it can be done where trees are a nuisance or danger to humans.
But I don’t understand the sense of cutting down all the trees on our property in a period of three days. This is the problem with renting – you’re not ultimately in control of your property, your landlord is.
Right now the guy who is cutting down the trees is right outside my window. I loathe him! Here is a picture so you can loathe him too. Thank you.
UPDATE – The guy (the evil one) saw me taking pictures of him!!!! He moved his little “car” thingy right outside my window and held up a sign that he had written that said, “Can you please e-mail me pictures at [insert e-mail address]?”
He then yelled out (loudly enough so I could hear through the window) that he has three boys and they love to see pictures of him on the job. But he rarely ever gets pictures of himself on the job. So, he would appreciate if I would e-mail him pictures.
So, what was I supposed to do? I took a few more (with him smiling back at me) so I could send them to his boys!
I guess it’s not his fault that all our beautiful trees are getting chopped down. It’s the landlord who ordered it done. And he is only doing his job, after all.
But, then again, that’s like saying the SS men couldn’t be blamed for anything – it was all Hitler.
Okay, I still think he’s a very bad man. Even if he has three cute little boys waiting for him at home.
Three days ago I saw red plastic ribbons tied around three of the trees. The next day some workers came in a large truck and started sawing off the branches. Pretty soon the trees were whittled down to stumps. The only tree left standing was the maple.
I thought that was the end of it until yesterday when they returned and started chopping away at some more trees on the side of the house.
And I have just discovered something horrible! Right now they are working on that beautiful maple tree too.
Are they planning to cut down ALL the trees??? Good grief!
Don’t misunderstand, I’m not an extremist environmentalist who is ready to throw her body across a bunch of trees in order to save them. I realize there’s a time and place to cut down certain trees. It can be responsibly done (and trees replanted) to produce things useful for humans and it can be done where trees are a nuisance or danger to humans.
But I don’t understand the sense of cutting down all the trees on our property in a period of three days. This is the problem with renting – you’re not ultimately in control of your property, your landlord is.
Right now the guy who is cutting down the trees is right outside my window. I loathe him! Here is a picture so you can loathe him too. Thank you.
UPDATE – The guy (the evil one) saw me taking pictures of him!!!! He moved his little “car” thingy right outside my window and held up a sign that he had written that said, “Can you please e-mail me pictures at [insert e-mail address]?”
He then yelled out (loudly enough so I could hear through the window) that he has three boys and they love to see pictures of him on the job. But he rarely ever gets pictures of himself on the job. So, he would appreciate if I would e-mail him pictures.
So, what was I supposed to do? I took a few more (with him smiling back at me) so I could send them to his boys!
I guess it’s not his fault that all our beautiful trees are getting chopped down. It’s the landlord who ordered it done. And he is only doing his job, after all.
But, then again, that’s like saying the SS men couldn’t be blamed for anything – it was all Hitler.
Okay, I still think he’s a very bad man. Even if he has three cute little boys waiting for him at home.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
"I can't believe you did that."
This is what Kevin told me when I gave-in to Meredith and spontaneously bought her a doll she wanted at the grocery store.
Yesterday was the first time I’d ever done that. But every parent does it at least once in their life, right?
Meredith wasn’t demanding about the toy. (If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bought it.) She was simply joyful to have discovered it. She saw it hanging up by the milk aisle (strategically placed where mothers are going to be shopping with their children, I’m sure) and she fell in love with it. I’ve never seen her so happy to find a toy in my life. I let her hold it (that was my first “mistake”) and she clutched it tightly all throughout the store.
When it came time to check out, I looked at the price and it was only $3.99. So, I bought it.
We work hard for our money and we might as well spend it on making our daughter happy, right? Anyway, that was my logic.
To justify this to Kevin, I decided to tell him that God told me to buy the toy. (How can you argue with that?) And here is proof – when we got home I noticed that the doll (a cheerleader) had an “M” printed on her t-shirt. I hadn’t noticed this until AFTER we got home. This is proof positive that this doll was meant for our little girl.
In the end Kevin didn’t really mind that I bought it. We both now think it’s funny – we have this cheap, blonde piggy-tailed doll to add to our toy collection. But Meredith likes it and that’s what matters.
Oh, yes, and I biked to the grocery store with Meredith in the trailer behind me. There’s a grocery store very close to our house (three-tenths of a mile) but it’s tiny and not well stocked. So, I decided to bike to the one that’s over a mile away. The trailer holds a lot of stuff so I can nearly buy a week’s worth of groceries if I do this.
Biking to the “big” grocery store wouldn’t have been a big ordeal except there were places en route where the sidewalk ended and I had to bike either on the grass or on the busy street. Since I had the baby in tow I opted for the grass. It was one of the hottest days we’ve had since August and by the time we got home I was sweating like a pig.
If I keep up with this biking business (which I probably will since we’re down to one car) I’m going to have the nicest legs in town.
Hmmmm ... Maybe our second car dying was a blessing in disguise!
Yesterday was the first time I’d ever done that. But every parent does it at least once in their life, right?
Meredith wasn’t demanding about the toy. (If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bought it.) She was simply joyful to have discovered it. She saw it hanging up by the milk aisle (strategically placed where mothers are going to be shopping with their children, I’m sure) and she fell in love with it. I’ve never seen her so happy to find a toy in my life. I let her hold it (that was my first “mistake”) and she clutched it tightly all throughout the store.
When it came time to check out, I looked at the price and it was only $3.99. So, I bought it.
We work hard for our money and we might as well spend it on making our daughter happy, right? Anyway, that was my logic.
To justify this to Kevin, I decided to tell him that God told me to buy the toy. (How can you argue with that?) And here is proof – when we got home I noticed that the doll (a cheerleader) had an “M” printed on her t-shirt. I hadn’t noticed this until AFTER we got home. This is proof positive that this doll was meant for our little girl.
In the end Kevin didn’t really mind that I bought it. We both now think it’s funny – we have this cheap, blonde piggy-tailed doll to add to our toy collection. But Meredith likes it and that’s what matters.
Oh, yes, and I biked to the grocery store with Meredith in the trailer behind me. There’s a grocery store very close to our house (three-tenths of a mile) but it’s tiny and not well stocked. So, I decided to bike to the one that’s over a mile away. The trailer holds a lot of stuff so I can nearly buy a week’s worth of groceries if I do this.
Biking to the “big” grocery store wouldn’t have been a big ordeal except there were places en route where the sidewalk ended and I had to bike either on the grass or on the busy street. Since I had the baby in tow I opted for the grass. It was one of the hottest days we’ve had since August and by the time we got home I was sweating like a pig.
If I keep up with this biking business (which I probably will since we’re down to one car) I’m going to have the nicest legs in town.
Hmmmm ... Maybe our second car dying was a blessing in disguise!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Two All-Day Cooking Feats
Although I’m a huge fan of 30-minute meals, there are some things in life that are worth spending all day to make. Today is the second time in three days I’ve spent all day cooking one thing – first it was apple sauce and now it’s tamales.
Last Friday Kevin’s mom invited me over to try my hand at making apple sauce and canning it for the winter.
Laura is the first person I’d ever met who knows how to can things. Since moving here, I’ve discovered that everyone else in the region knows how to can too. It must be a Midwestern thing since none of my friends or acquaintances in California know anything about canning.
So, in order to become a true-blue Midwesterner, I must also learn to can.
After spending the day boiling and squishing apples, and completing the canning processes, we now have 30 jars of applesauce between the two of us. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and don’t have pictures. But the jars did look very nice all lined up on the counter. It was quite rewarding to see the fruit of our labors (literally)!
And then, today, I’ve taken it upon myself to make homemade tamales. This is really just a test run to see if I can make them for Christmas gifts (in lieu of cookies – I figure people might like to have dinner dropped off at their door instead of more sugar, although in my opinion a little more sugar never hurt anyone). [grin]
As a kid I remember our Hispanic Neighbors bringing us homemade tamales every year in December. I love this Mexican Christmas tradition! They are so yummy.
If I can figure out how to do it without totally botching it up, I’d like to invite some friends to come over in December and help me.
So, anyway, right now I have the pork loin boiling with garlic and onions and the dried corn husks are soaking on the countertop.
The Kitchen is emitting a very pleasant aroma. I can’t wait!
Last Friday Kevin’s mom invited me over to try my hand at making apple sauce and canning it for the winter.
Laura is the first person I’d ever met who knows how to can things. Since moving here, I’ve discovered that everyone else in the region knows how to can too. It must be a Midwestern thing since none of my friends or acquaintances in California know anything about canning.
So, in order to become a true-blue Midwesterner, I must also learn to can.
After spending the day boiling and squishing apples, and completing the canning processes, we now have 30 jars of applesauce between the two of us. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and don’t have pictures. But the jars did look very nice all lined up on the counter. It was quite rewarding to see the fruit of our labors (literally)!
And then, today, I’ve taken it upon myself to make homemade tamales. This is really just a test run to see if I can make them for Christmas gifts (in lieu of cookies – I figure people might like to have dinner dropped off at their door instead of more sugar, although in my opinion a little more sugar never hurt anyone). [grin]
As a kid I remember our Hispanic Neighbors bringing us homemade tamales every year in December. I love this Mexican Christmas tradition! They are so yummy.
If I can figure out how to do it without totally botching it up, I’d like to invite some friends to come over in December and help me.
So, anyway, right now I have the pork loin boiling with garlic and onions and the dried corn husks are soaking on the countertop.
The Kitchen is emitting a very pleasant aroma. I can’t wait!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Double Standards and a First Friend
They say your kids will do what you do, not what you say. This is true for us.
We constantly tell Meredith to NOT write in daddy’s school textbooks. This is one of her favorite pastimes lately.
The problem is she sees daddy making notes with a pencil in his textbooks every day.
So, if daddy can do it, why can’t she?
Needless to say, Kevin has many beautiful pencil drawings in his textbooks, done by none other than artist Meredith.
_______________
Meredith has made her first “friend.”
Until last night all other children in her life were referred to as “baby.” But, now, she calls another little girl at church by her first name, “Becca.” And she says Becca’s name with such excitement and joy, too.
This morning we asked Meredith if she had fun with Becca last night. When she recognized the name, her eyes lit up and she started chuckling.
It makes me so happy to see my daughter make a little friend.
We constantly tell Meredith to NOT write in daddy’s school textbooks. This is one of her favorite pastimes lately.
The problem is she sees daddy making notes with a pencil in his textbooks every day.
So, if daddy can do it, why can’t she?
Needless to say, Kevin has many beautiful pencil drawings in his textbooks, done by none other than artist Meredith.
_______________
Meredith has made her first “friend.”
Until last night all other children in her life were referred to as “baby.” But, now, she calls another little girl at church by her first name, “Becca.” And she says Becca’s name with such excitement and joy, too.
This morning we asked Meredith if she had fun with Becca last night. When she recognized the name, her eyes lit up and she started chuckling.
It makes me so happy to see my daughter make a little friend.
Progressive Dinner
It’s really hard to avoid the sin of gluttony at a progressive dinner! We had a great time Saturday evening, starting with appetizers at our house, and then moving on for three other courses at other various homes.
The morning of the party I decided to make flowers out of some radishes. I had never done that before. I enjoyed the attempt at being creative and artistic. It’s good to indulge the right side of my brain now and then.
Oh, and by the way, the circus was amazing! My favorite parts were the acrobats and elephants. And what mother in her right mind would ever allow her son to be a tiger tamer?
The morning of the party I decided to make flowers out of some radishes. I had never done that before. I enjoyed the attempt at being creative and artistic. It’s good to indulge the right side of my brain now and then.
Oh, and by the way, the circus was amazing! My favorite parts were the acrobats and elephants. And what mother in her right mind would ever allow her son to be a tiger tamer?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Random Things
I have a child who hates the computer. Or, better put, hates it when I’m on the computer more than I have to be to get my daily work done. Therefore, I don’t blog as much as I used to.
Aunt Shannon has her right now, actually. They went to run some errands together. And tonight, when they get back, the three of us are going to the circus!
I’ve been on the Ringling Bros. website umpteen times to look at the clowns, lion tamers, and the people who get shot out of cannons. I’m SO excited.
______________________
Recently overheard from Kevin: “I really don’t like traditional law school. I thought I would but I don’t.”
He tells me that the Socratic method is “overrated.” (This is something he was looking forward to but, after experiencing it, he thinks is dumb.) He tells me that it’s nothing like standing in front of a judge in open court. Basically, he says, it’s all about the professor trying to prove his point, ignoring any legitimate argument the student may have, and trying to make the student look stupid. He said he learned a lot more about how to be a good lawyer by bantering back and forth with his boss Jim Mason at HSLDA.
______________________
My last MOPS class featured an interior designer who said something I disagreed with at the very beginning. Therefore, I found myself tuning her out for the rest of the class. This is bad, I know.
______________________
Last night we got a call from Kevin’s parents and then met up for ice cream. And on Tuesday night we had his grandparents over at our house for dinner. These are things that we couldn’t do in Sacramento. It’s nice to be able to do more “family” things.
______________________
It’s been really cool and crisp here lately, definitely evoking a fall feeling. I have a pumpkin sitting outside our door and that has helped me to get into the fall mood.
It’s been a while since I’ve experienced this type of fall weather, encompassing certain sights, smells, and feelings. It’s been since 2002, to be precise. That’s when Kevin and I were first married and living in Virginia.
Because I haven’t experienced this “fall feeling” since I lived in the Old Dominion, lately I’ve been flooded with memories from that time and place in my life.
I love Virginia and always will. But I think part of me probably romanticizes it a little too much. Those years were very good.
Aunt Shannon has her right now, actually. They went to run some errands together. And tonight, when they get back, the three of us are going to the circus!
I’ve been on the Ringling Bros. website umpteen times to look at the clowns, lion tamers, and the people who get shot out of cannons. I’m SO excited.
______________________
Recently overheard from Kevin: “I really don’t like traditional law school. I thought I would but I don’t.”
He tells me that the Socratic method is “overrated.” (This is something he was looking forward to but, after experiencing it, he thinks is dumb.) He tells me that it’s nothing like standing in front of a judge in open court. Basically, he says, it’s all about the professor trying to prove his point, ignoring any legitimate argument the student may have, and trying to make the student look stupid. He said he learned a lot more about how to be a good lawyer by bantering back and forth with his boss Jim Mason at HSLDA.
______________________
My last MOPS class featured an interior designer who said something I disagreed with at the very beginning. Therefore, I found myself tuning her out for the rest of the class. This is bad, I know.
______________________
Last night we got a call from Kevin’s parents and then met up for ice cream. And on Tuesday night we had his grandparents over at our house for dinner. These are things that we couldn’t do in Sacramento. It’s nice to be able to do more “family” things.
______________________
It’s been really cool and crisp here lately, definitely evoking a fall feeling. I have a pumpkin sitting outside our door and that has helped me to get into the fall mood.
It’s been a while since I’ve experienced this type of fall weather, encompassing certain sights, smells, and feelings. It’s been since 2002, to be precise. That’s when Kevin and I were first married and living in Virginia.
Because I haven’t experienced this “fall feeling” since I lived in the Old Dominion, lately I’ve been flooded with memories from that time and place in my life.
I love Virginia and always will. But I think part of me probably romanticizes it a little too much. Those years were very good.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tailoring God
I found the article below to be highly intriguing. I thought about cutting a few paragraphs to paste here but, in the end, decided that the entire thing is interesting, and I couldn't butcher it.
Where do people come up with their view of God? Have they been taught? Have they researched it on their own (using the bible or who knows what else)? Or have they just pulled a few fanciful ideas out of a hat, based on what sounds right to them?
Your God is likely supremely different from anyone else's God
by Jerry Large
Some folks like to say everyone worships the same God. But we know that isn't exactly so, and now we have a description of how American conceptions of God differ.
The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion and the Gallup organization recently finished a study that went beyond the usual questions — "Do you believe in God?" and "Do you go to church?" They tried to dig more deeply and find out how people see God, how they see themselves in relation to God and how that affects their ideas and behavior. What they found is that when Americans say "God," they are not necessarily talking about the same deity.
The researchers asked 29 questions about God's character and behavior, sifted through the answers they got from 1,721 participants and identified "two clear and distinct dimensions" to people's ideas about God.
Those are God's level of engagement and God's level of anger at human sins. People see God as engaged or not, angry or not. The four combinations of those two traits yield more information about the believer than the usual denominational labels.
Americans see God as engaged and angry (a god who is involved in world and individual affairs and who metes out punishment for bad behavior); engaged but not angry (involved in individual lives and the world, but behaving benevolently without anger); disengaged and angry (withdrawn from intervening in human affairs, but unhappy with the state of the world and likely to punish bad deeds in the afterlife; or disengaged and not angry (a god who set things in motion, then went fishing).
Basically what we have are lightning-bolt God, smiley-face God, bummed-out God and whatever, dude God. The researchers assigned them letters: A (authoritarian), B (benevolent), C (critical) and D (distant).
The combination you choose says more about you than about God.
The researchers found "a clear disconnect between how the media and academics identify American believers and how they identify themselves."
Few people use the term "evangelical," for instance, even when they belong to churches that have "evangelical" in their name. But when the data are organized by type of God, it's clear which groups people belong to.
Only evangelical Protestants showed consistency in their political views. "They agree with conservative agenda items and disagree with liberal ones." They tend to believe in an authoritarian God. Other groups crossed political lines depending on the topic.
It didn't matter whether people were Catholic, Protestant or Jewish; what determined their views on a number of topics was the version of God they believed in.
A Catholic who believed in the authoritarian God was as conservative as any evangelical.
They also found that women leaned toward more engaged versions and men toward less engaged. People with lower educations and lower incomes also tended to believe in a more engaged God, who answers prayers. Most black people believed in a more engaged God. Southerners tend toward an authoritarian God, West Coasters are more into a distant God and Midwesterners lean toward the benevolent God.
Interestingly, not a single black person in the survey claimed to be an atheist. Asked whether they believed without any doubt that God exists, black Protestants were the only group in which 100 percent said yes.
Black folks overwhelmingly believe God is not happy with people's sins and will tan hides when necessary in this life or the next.
The survey was full of stuff you might not know: It found that 3.7 percent of the black population is Jewish, compared to 2.6 percent of white Americans.
Everybody's got a model of God to suit who they are. People's religious views reflected their income, education, gender, race and age.
People 18-30 are about three times more likely than people over 65 to have no religious affiliation. Americans are becoming less tied to denomination.
Americans overwhelmingly say they believe in God, it's just that folks have different ideas about who God is and what God wants from us.
The differences have social and political impacts. Who we vote for and which programs we support all affected by the way we see God, including the small portion of the population that filled in "atheist" on the survey.
On abortion, allowing gay people to marry, military spending and social programs, a person's description of God corresponded with his or her political stand.
If the government were going to back a religion, which version of God would it push? Looking at the survey will remind you why separation of church and state makes sense.
People have a bad tendency to talk past one another, using the same words to mean very different things, which leads to misunderstandings and makes it difficult to put conflicts to rest.
This survey gives people a clearer idea of what their neighbors are talking about when they bring God into a conversation.
Where do people come up with their view of God? Have they been taught? Have they researched it on their own (using the bible or who knows what else)? Or have they just pulled a few fanciful ideas out of a hat, based on what sounds right to them?
Your God is likely supremely different from anyone else's God
by Jerry Large
Some folks like to say everyone worships the same God. But we know that isn't exactly so, and now we have a description of how American conceptions of God differ.
The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion and the Gallup organization recently finished a study that went beyond the usual questions — "Do you believe in God?" and "Do you go to church?" They tried to dig more deeply and find out how people see God, how they see themselves in relation to God and how that affects their ideas and behavior. What they found is that when Americans say "God," they are not necessarily talking about the same deity.
The researchers asked 29 questions about God's character and behavior, sifted through the answers they got from 1,721 participants and identified "two clear and distinct dimensions" to people's ideas about God.
Those are God's level of engagement and God's level of anger at human sins. People see God as engaged or not, angry or not. The four combinations of those two traits yield more information about the believer than the usual denominational labels.
Americans see God as engaged and angry (a god who is involved in world and individual affairs and who metes out punishment for bad behavior); engaged but not angry (involved in individual lives and the world, but behaving benevolently without anger); disengaged and angry (withdrawn from intervening in human affairs, but unhappy with the state of the world and likely to punish bad deeds in the afterlife; or disengaged and not angry (a god who set things in motion, then went fishing).
Basically what we have are lightning-bolt God, smiley-face God, bummed-out God and whatever, dude God. The researchers assigned them letters: A (authoritarian), B (benevolent), C (critical) and D (distant).
The combination you choose says more about you than about God.
The researchers found "a clear disconnect between how the media and academics identify American believers and how they identify themselves."
Few people use the term "evangelical," for instance, even when they belong to churches that have "evangelical" in their name. But when the data are organized by type of God, it's clear which groups people belong to.
Only evangelical Protestants showed consistency in their political views. "They agree with conservative agenda items and disagree with liberal ones." They tend to believe in an authoritarian God. Other groups crossed political lines depending on the topic.
It didn't matter whether people were Catholic, Protestant or Jewish; what determined their views on a number of topics was the version of God they believed in.
A Catholic who believed in the authoritarian God was as conservative as any evangelical.
They also found that women leaned toward more engaged versions and men toward less engaged. People with lower educations and lower incomes also tended to believe in a more engaged God, who answers prayers. Most black people believed in a more engaged God. Southerners tend toward an authoritarian God, West Coasters are more into a distant God and Midwesterners lean toward the benevolent God.
Interestingly, not a single black person in the survey claimed to be an atheist. Asked whether they believed without any doubt that God exists, black Protestants were the only group in which 100 percent said yes.
Black folks overwhelmingly believe God is not happy with people's sins and will tan hides when necessary in this life or the next.
The survey was full of stuff you might not know: It found that 3.7 percent of the black population is Jewish, compared to 2.6 percent of white Americans.
Everybody's got a model of God to suit who they are. People's religious views reflected their income, education, gender, race and age.
People 18-30 are about three times more likely than people over 65 to have no religious affiliation. Americans are becoming less tied to denomination.
Americans overwhelmingly say they believe in God, it's just that folks have different ideas about who God is and what God wants from us.
The differences have social and political impacts. Who we vote for and which programs we support all affected by the way we see God, including the small portion of the population that filled in "atheist" on the survey.
On abortion, allowing gay people to marry, military spending and social programs, a person's description of God corresponded with his or her political stand.
If the government were going to back a religion, which version of God would it push? Looking at the survey will remind you why separation of church and state makes sense.
People have a bad tendency to talk past one another, using the same words to mean very different things, which leads to misunderstandings and makes it difficult to put conflicts to rest.
This survey gives people a clearer idea of what their neighbors are talking about when they bring God into a conversation.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Wild Beast at Church
We’re working on getting Meredith to sit still and be quiet in church. She’s starting to do better – we’ve gone from one or two minutes to about ten minutes. Then, it’s off-to-nursery time.
We’ve been doing the typical things, like bringing books for her to look at while we’re seated. But now that she’s recognizing more objects and saying what they are, this isn’t working out so well.
Yesterday morning we handed her a book that happened to have a tiger on the first page. She opened the book and said, “Tigah! ROOOAAAAARRRR.” (She actually makes a very scary-sounding roar.)
Needless to say, I don’t think we’ll be bringing that book to church any more.
Just when we were wondering if it was worth it to take her in church for such a short period of time, she started coming to us (at home) and wanting us to sing with her from our church’s Psalter. Often we see her at home, sitting by herself with an open Psalter, softly singing random notes.
This is a good (and cute) reminder to us that our daughter needs to be in the church service – even if it ends up being only a few moments – learning to corporately worship God from an early age.
Incidentally, one of her newest favorite words is “bi-bah” (bible). She picked up on this after watching daddy read his bible in the mornings. The only problem is that she now thinks that EVERY large book that doesn’t have pictures in it is a bible.
Therefore, all of Kevin’s law books are now “bibles” and she happily declares this whenever she sees one! We’ve tried to tell her different but she just won’t have it.
Her other favorite words are “ace you” (thank you) and, just recently, Kevin taught her to say “attaché.”
He taught her this because she was constantly calling his book bag a “purse.” This, of course, was a severe affront to his masculinity.
Meredith’s favorite song right now is Ring-Around-the-Rosie and she often sings “ashes, ashes,” plops herself on the ground, and bursts into giggles. She also loves This Little Piggy and she’ll take her own hand and run it up her body, saying, “Wee, wee, wee.”
Meredith is our little buddy. She’s very playful and makes us laugh all the time. How we love her!
We’ve been doing the typical things, like bringing books for her to look at while we’re seated. But now that she’s recognizing more objects and saying what they are, this isn’t working out so well.
Yesterday morning we handed her a book that happened to have a tiger on the first page. She opened the book and said, “Tigah! ROOOAAAAARRRR.” (She actually makes a very scary-sounding roar.)
Needless to say, I don’t think we’ll be bringing that book to church any more.
Just when we were wondering if it was worth it to take her in church for such a short period of time, she started coming to us (at home) and wanting us to sing with her from our church’s Psalter. Often we see her at home, sitting by herself with an open Psalter, softly singing random notes.
This is a good (and cute) reminder to us that our daughter needs to be in the church service – even if it ends up being only a few moments – learning to corporately worship God from an early age.
Incidentally, one of her newest favorite words is “bi-bah” (bible). She picked up on this after watching daddy read his bible in the mornings. The only problem is that she now thinks that EVERY large book that doesn’t have pictures in it is a bible.
Therefore, all of Kevin’s law books are now “bibles” and she happily declares this whenever she sees one! We’ve tried to tell her different but she just won’t have it.
Her other favorite words are “ace you” (thank you) and, just recently, Kevin taught her to say “attaché.”
He taught her this because she was constantly calling his book bag a “purse.” This, of course, was a severe affront to his masculinity.
Meredith’s favorite song right now is Ring-Around-the-Rosie and she often sings “ashes, ashes,” plops herself on the ground, and bursts into giggles. She also loves This Little Piggy and she’ll take her own hand and run it up her body, saying, “Wee, wee, wee.”
Meredith is our little buddy. She’s very playful and makes us laugh all the time. How we love her!
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