I found this meme on Barbara’s Stray Thoughts and decided to borrow it. Feel free to join and let me know if you do. I’d like to see yours!
The ABCs of Me
Accent: Almost twenty years ago people used to say they thought I was from the Chicago suburbs. Now I have more of a lazy Southern-Midwest drawl.
Breakfast or no breakfast: Not often. Two mugs of coffee with creamer usually do it, although sometimes I will have some small protein.
Chore I don’t care for: You mean people like chores?
Dog or Cat: Both. One dog—Liberty (Libby) and one cat—Sidney.
Essential Electronics: My computer, my camera, my Nintendo DS Lite.
Favorite Cologne: Poison, Blue, Obsession, Opium
Gold or Silver: Silver if I have to pick—but I prefer mixed metals--brushed nickle, bronze, copper.
Handbag I carry most often: I’ve gone through a series of “cheapies.” Hopefully this fall I will find one “nice” one I love. I carried a Coach for years. I don’t like changing purses.
Insomnia: Often. Recently insomnia has been accompanied by hot flashes alternating with moments of freezing.
Job Title: Neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red herring, otherwise known as multitasking Mommy.
Kids: Two sons, Roo and Boo, ages almost 8 and nearing 11.
Living Arrangements: Duplex, Midwest suburb, Hubby works from home unless he is on the road.
Most Admirable Trait: Dogged determination.
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Thinking the world revolved around me.
Overnight hospital stays: When I was born, two for C-sections and one after a car accident.
Phobias: Severely claustrophobic, mildly agoraphobic
Quote: Joy is the great note all through the Bible. We have the notion of joy that arises from good spirits or good health, but the miracle of the joy of God has nothing to do with a man’s life or his circumstances or the condition he is in. Jesus does not come to a man and say “Cheer up.” He plants within a man the miracle of the joy of God’s own nature. –Oswald Chambers
Reason to smile: This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Lamentations 3:21-25
Siblings: One sister, four and a half years younger.
Time I wake up: Depends on how late I stay up.
Unusual Talent or Skill: Fairly crafty (although unable to master knitting) and often able to cook something if I’ve tasted it at a restaurant without a recipe—sometimes it takes a try or two.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Rutabagas
Worst Habit: Losing focus
X-rays: a few—once when I broke my elbow, once to see if I broke my back (thankfully it wasn’t), and after a car accident—of course there’ve been countless dental x-rays
Yummy Stuff: Chocolate, coffee, merlot, bread, cheesecake
Zoo Animal I Like Most: I love Okapis, followed closely by Tree Kangaroos, Red Pandas and Tapirs.
What is your alphabet meme like?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Rant About Zoo Goers
"Hey Rhino!! Turn around!! We want to take your picture!!" said a large, burly, middle-aged man.
(At a huge silver back gorilla) "Look at me sweetie!! Come on…look at me!" from a fashionably dressed woman.
Then there was the dad convincing his children to disobey the signs clearly posted.
That was just a sample of the grown-up idiocy Boo and I were witness to last week. There were the children in the school group roaring at the tiger, screaming at the monkeys and not sharing the pathways—but they were children. The grown-ups (and I am being generous with my description) in charge of them were mostly ignoring their behavior.
I know that zoos elicit mixed feelings from people. Some love them and some hate them and then there are people like me who really enjoy seeing the animals (I'll never be on a safari so it's my only chance) and know that for some species, zoos are keeping the species from extinction—but at the same time are saddened by the bars and cages and confinements. There isn’t a perfect solution.
But our hometown zoo is improving daily and our favorite zoo (about three hours from us) is fabulous about their exhibits and education. We are, for better or worse, zoo goers.
But there are days that I wish the humans were in the cages and the animals were free to roam. Boo and I had such a day on Friday last week. The zoo was packed with groups and families and the behavior was astounding.
After the San Francisco tiger incident at the end of last year I was amazed that people would continue to taunt the animals. I was saddened and confused why people don’t believe that rules apply to everyone, not just everyone else but them.
When we’ve visited zoos on days that crowds were low, I’ve noticed the animals appear generally calm and not depressed. The gorilla in question above looked very frustrated to me (not an expert—just my opinion)—the rhino was far enough away to just ignore the guy. But still—these are the reasons a lot of people don’t like going to the zoos in the first place.
These are creatures that our creative Creator made—for us to enjoy too!! But in this world of flashy entertainment, constant stimulation and loud excitement as a whole people have lost the ability to stand quietly and enjoy the majesty that the LORD made in the beautiful animals.
I think we’ve lost a lot.
(At a huge silver back gorilla) "Look at me sweetie!! Come on…look at me!" from a fashionably dressed woman.
Then there was the dad convincing his children to disobey the signs clearly posted.
That was just a sample of the grown-up idiocy Boo and I were witness to last week. There were the children in the school group roaring at the tiger, screaming at the monkeys and not sharing the pathways—but they were children. The grown-ups (and I am being generous with my description) in charge of them were mostly ignoring their behavior.
I know that zoos elicit mixed feelings from people. Some love them and some hate them and then there are people like me who really enjoy seeing the animals (I'll never be on a safari so it's my only chance) and know that for some species, zoos are keeping the species from extinction—but at the same time are saddened by the bars and cages and confinements. There isn’t a perfect solution.
But our hometown zoo is improving daily and our favorite zoo (about three hours from us) is fabulous about their exhibits and education. We are, for better or worse, zoo goers.
But there are days that I wish the humans were in the cages and the animals were free to roam. Boo and I had such a day on Friday last week. The zoo was packed with groups and families and the behavior was astounding.
After the San Francisco tiger incident at the end of last year I was amazed that people would continue to taunt the animals. I was saddened and confused why people don’t believe that rules apply to everyone, not just everyone else but them.
When we’ve visited zoos on days that crowds were low, I’ve noticed the animals appear generally calm and not depressed. The gorilla in question above looked very frustrated to me (not an expert—just my opinion)—the rhino was far enough away to just ignore the guy. But still—these are the reasons a lot of people don’t like going to the zoos in the first place.
These are creatures that our creative Creator made—for us to enjoy too!! But in this world of flashy entertainment, constant stimulation and loud excitement as a whole people have lost the ability to stand quietly and enjoy the majesty that the LORD made in the beautiful animals.
I think we’ve lost a lot.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What was I thinking?
I really had high hopes for last week. I had spent the two weeks prior cleaning and organizing and getting the items together for healthy lunches for on the go. I collected the supplies we would need and thought out a schedule (something I rarely do). I planned and mentally prepared. I thought we would be ready to face these four weeks of “on the go” with style.
What was I thinking?
I pictured dropping off an animated Roo at his classes. My mental image was of him confidently jumping into this new adventure maturely and without a backward look. Thoughts of meeting him at lunch time when I dropped his brother off included him giving my blow by blow accounts of his morning and eagerly awaiting the afternoon offerings.
I imagined idyllic mornings at the library (housed in a gorgeous historical building—lots of atmosphere) with my youngest son, Boo. I envisioned us working through his school work with ease, side by side; him doing his worksheets and reading willingly, nay—enthusiastically, anticipating his class at noon and the field trip following; me typing away (lots of blogging) on my laptop. I had a new laptop backpack so I could “blog on the go.” I just knew my Bloglines account would not have a single unread post in it.
Then in my reverie Boo and I would go explore the delights I had planned. And finally, exhausted, but happy, we would pick Roo up and the three of us would drive contentedly home to regale my husband with the highlights of our day. I imagined my husband and my sons and I all sitting cozily in our living room or out on the patio with time to spare just sharing our uplifting thoughts.
Yeah…uh huh…that was such a pipe dream.
We are not morning people here. And I am the worst. Scrambling to make lunches and wake the boys and put clothes together that match (for me—the boys have a dress code for their classes), trying to get out the door and dealing with rush hour traffic smacked me in the face on day one.
We were almost late the first day and Roo jumped out at the entrance, met by the security guard and I didn’t see him until lunch time. He had been apprehensive about a full day of classes and a large group of people he did not know. Monday was such an overload for him he didn’t have much time to think, but Tuesday I literally had to boot him down the hall to check his schedule and get in to class to warm up.
Then there was Boo. Sigh…
Boo is growing so I am going to attribute some of his behaviors to changes in hormones and chemistry, but he was not happy about anything. The library made him nervous. Actually I get that—it is in a very urban part of the city and there were some, well, some questionable people in the library, obviously there to get out of the heat and the elements. It was technically a “quiet zone” but there were lots of distractions.
Wednesday we stayed in the children’s area, but that meant I still had wireless but no plug in access and the battery on my computer doesn’t last that long—besides it didn’t matter. You know that dream I had of him joyously doing his school work—uh-uh, no way, not going to happen. I just put the laptop in my snazzy new backpack and focused on finishing worksheets.
He liked his Summer Intensive class. He is in with children mostly older than him, but did really well. And Monday I will say we had a nice time at the zoo. I let him use my camera and the novelty was good for a day. But Wednesday we went to the museum and he let me know in no uncertain terms he did not want to be there. The art made him “dizzy.”
Thankfully Tuesday and Thursday Roo was the only one who needed to go and Boo could stay home and just do his reading. That helped a little, but he was obviously missing his brother and really could not find anything fun to do. He was very helpful when I asked but nothing was as fun as it could be with no big brother to torment and play with.
Friday we went to the zoo again. I am going to write about that more in another post. But let me say, both Boo and I were amazed at the awful behavior of children and grown-ups there. Never assume people will be on good behavior.
Roo finally found his comfort zone in the latter part of the week. He made new friends and definitely learned new things. He is very talented and smart, but not always confident.
The week ended on a positive note, I guess—but not the way I anticipated. We found a groove. We will never look like a well organized family, but we made the best of it. I did get three days of walking in and some fun photos of Boo. Roo made some new friends, learned lots and was worn out (in a good way). And everyone liked the lunches. In fact the lunches may have been the high point…
Well, another week awaits—one down, three to go. Lets see how we do.
What was I thinking?
I pictured dropping off an animated Roo at his classes. My mental image was of him confidently jumping into this new adventure maturely and without a backward look. Thoughts of meeting him at lunch time when I dropped his brother off included him giving my blow by blow accounts of his morning and eagerly awaiting the afternoon offerings.
I imagined idyllic mornings at the library (housed in a gorgeous historical building—lots of atmosphere) with my youngest son, Boo. I envisioned us working through his school work with ease, side by side; him doing his worksheets and reading willingly, nay—enthusiastically, anticipating his class at noon and the field trip following; me typing away (lots of blogging) on my laptop. I had a new laptop backpack so I could “blog on the go.” I just knew my Bloglines account would not have a single unread post in it.
Then in my reverie Boo and I would go explore the delights I had planned. And finally, exhausted, but happy, we would pick Roo up and the three of us would drive contentedly home to regale my husband with the highlights of our day. I imagined my husband and my sons and I all sitting cozily in our living room or out on the patio with time to spare just sharing our uplifting thoughts.
Yeah…uh huh…that was such a pipe dream.
We are not morning people here. And I am the worst. Scrambling to make lunches and wake the boys and put clothes together that match (for me—the boys have a dress code for their classes), trying to get out the door and dealing with rush hour traffic smacked me in the face on day one.
We were almost late the first day and Roo jumped out at the entrance, met by the security guard and I didn’t see him until lunch time. He had been apprehensive about a full day of classes and a large group of people he did not know. Monday was such an overload for him he didn’t have much time to think, but Tuesday I literally had to boot him down the hall to check his schedule and get in to class to warm up.
Then there was Boo. Sigh…
Boo is growing so I am going to attribute some of his behaviors to changes in hormones and chemistry, but he was not happy about anything. The library made him nervous. Actually I get that—it is in a very urban part of the city and there were some, well, some questionable people in the library, obviously there to get out of the heat and the elements. It was technically a “quiet zone” but there were lots of distractions.
Wednesday we stayed in the children’s area, but that meant I still had wireless but no plug in access and the battery on my computer doesn’t last that long—besides it didn’t matter. You know that dream I had of him joyously doing his school work—uh-uh, no way, not going to happen. I just put the laptop in my snazzy new backpack and focused on finishing worksheets.
He liked his Summer Intensive class. He is in with children mostly older than him, but did really well. And Monday I will say we had a nice time at the zoo. I let him use my camera and the novelty was good for a day. But Wednesday we went to the museum and he let me know in no uncertain terms he did not want to be there. The art made him “dizzy.”
Thankfully Tuesday and Thursday Roo was the only one who needed to go and Boo could stay home and just do his reading. That helped a little, but he was obviously missing his brother and really could not find anything fun to do. He was very helpful when I asked but nothing was as fun as it could be with no big brother to torment and play with.
Friday we went to the zoo again. I am going to write about that more in another post. But let me say, both Boo and I were amazed at the awful behavior of children and grown-ups there. Never assume people will be on good behavior.
Roo finally found his comfort zone in the latter part of the week. He made new friends and definitely learned new things. He is very talented and smart, but not always confident.
The week ended on a positive note, I guess—but not the way I anticipated. We found a groove. We will never look like a well organized family, but we made the best of it. I did get three days of walking in and some fun photos of Boo. Roo made some new friends, learned lots and was worn out (in a good way). And everyone liked the lunches. In fact the lunches may have been the high point…
Well, another week awaits—one down, three to go. Lets see how we do.
Happy Father's Day
What Makes A Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author unknown
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author unknown
Friday, June 13, 2008
Just As I Am
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, tho' tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind-
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find-
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Words: Charlotte Elliot
Music: Woodworth
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, tho' tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind-
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find-
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Words: Charlotte Elliot
Music: Woodworth
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Who Knew I Had That Much to Say?
Post 500.
Wow.
What to say, what to say??
Let's see...shall I entertain you with "500 Things About Me"?
No! Wait! Don't click away!! I was only kidding!!
I knew this was coming and kept thinking that I should have some inspiring post for #500 but life just kept getting in the way of me thinking wise and deeply pondered thoughts.
Well since there seems to be no super post magically creating itself, I will just say thank you to everyone who has been so kind and gracious and made me feel like this blogging thing was more a conversation with some fascinating friends, than me just blabbing to myself online.
Who knew you could make so many lovely friends across the country and even around the world by peering at the screen and pecking away at the keyboard?
Wishing we could have tea party or koffee klatch around my table to celebrate. But I guess for now we'll have to share a "cyber-mug."
Looking forward to:
Always in Him,
Julie
Wow.
What to say, what to say??
Let's see...shall I entertain you with "500 Things About Me"?
No! Wait! Don't click away!! I was only kidding!!
I knew this was coming and kept thinking that I should have some inspiring post for #500 but life just kept getting in the way of me thinking wise and deeply pondered thoughts.
Well since there seems to be no super post magically creating itself, I will just say thank you to everyone who has been so kind and gracious and made me feel like this blogging thing was more a conversation with some fascinating friends, than me just blabbing to myself online.
Who knew you could make so many lovely friends across the country and even around the world by peering at the screen and pecking away at the keyboard?
Wishing we could have tea party or koffee klatch around my table to celebrate. But I guess for now we'll have to share a "cyber-mug."
Looking forward to:
Always in Him,
Julie
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Grains of Gratitude—The Late Monday Edition
We were supposed to clean the garage Satuday. Sounds like a great time, huh?No? I didn’t think so either, but was prepared to forge on and find room in the chaos. I never had visions of being able to park in there—just walk. But my husband did the unexpected, and offered an alternate plan. Would I like to take the boys to play miniature golf and to go visit a relatively new store I’d not seen yet?
Hmmmm…
Work—Play. Work—Play? Which one would I like?
Well the garage isn’t clean, that’s for sure. But we had a fantastic time with the boys. We’ve been promising either the driving range or miniature golf, but every time we’ve planned it in the last two weeks there’s been a wild weather and we’ve had to settle for games of Clue or movies.
Sunday? The garage didn’t get cleaned either. But we had a wonderful day, in spite of my hot flashes.
Last week was full of things to be grateful for. We spent a day at the Franciscan Mission Warehouse. The boys had so much fun the first time we went, that we decided to make this a recurring event. This will be one place for us to do service projects and we are so grateful for the opportunity. We sorted and packaged school supplies that will be sent to Nigeria and Tanzania. The boys were able to work and know that their efforts were for a good thing.
I am grateful we were able to get a zoo pass and a pass to our local art museum. We will use this all school year, but for the next four weeks it is important to Boo and I because Roo is going to be taking classes in a summer intensive program for about seven hours each day. Boo has a chance to for classes too, but it will be for just an hour three days a week. The program is a fair distance from home and with gas prices soaring I will not be driving back and forth. Boo and I will do school work in the a.m. but need to have some things to entertain us after his class. So we will be doing lots of art appreciating and zoo-ing. We will also be visiting friends and the farmers market. I am grateful the boys have this chance, and also grateful for the fun opportunities Boo and I will have.
There have been a couple sets of circumstances have been weighing heavily on my heart lately and last week I gained insight into two of them. The situations aren’t really improved or resolved but understanding has allowed me to hopefully be more patient.
This week will be a challenge for us as we transition from a very relaxed style of schooling with late starting days to a very fast paced and out of the house all day style of living. Thankfully it will only be for four weeks. I’m grateful for the opportunities, but I am sure I will be grateful when we finish too.
What are you grateful for?
Christine at Brady’s Bunch is the originator of Grains of Gratitude. She’s always got something to share that makes me smile. I’m grateful she had the idea!
I am going to be blogging from the library near the school the boys will be at. I will be trying to do some scheduled posting that Blogger offers. So if my times seem a bit odd--that's why. Trying to move into the technology age. Baby steps...LOL!
Sharlie came to my house.
Sharlie came to my house. (No, not Charlie. Sharlie.)
He brought a parcel of friends w/him. Bucko, Jacko, Izzy, Addie and some other strange characters. He was Boo's best friend.
He had a lot of pets. He had no bedtime. Sharlie was in his 20s and drove a car. He did extraordinary things that my five year old only dreamed of doing. My son spoke constantly of Sharlie’s exploits. Of course, Sharlie was only in my son’s imagination.
Why do some children have imaginary friends? Do they fulfill dreams that can only remain dreams for most children? Roo never had imaginary friends. He played imaginary games in which all the world revolved around him—but it was different. Boo joined him most of the time. But sometimes Sharlie had to be included and that was where things got a little dicey. Roo didn’t always like Sharlie’s rules. Boo of course thought if Sharlie said it, it was law. Hmmm…wonder why?
Funny, but I never heard Boo talk to Sharlie. I had an imaginary friend and I talked to him all the time—alone, in public, bedtime. (I of course don’t do that anymore. He left for foreign lands in about first grade.)
It was at the dinner table that I heard of Sharlie’s adventures of the day. How many fish Sharlie caught. How late he stayed up. How many kittens he had. How big his fish tank was. How fast his car went. Sharlie was the expert on boy humor also. Humor involving the things that get one in trouble (especially at the table). Sharlie also didn’t have to help his parents. I think he may have helped too much and they kicked him out. That was why he lived with us.
Sharlie moved in for long enough that I was wondering if he needed a plate and his own towel. But he disappeared as quickly as he appeared.
I miss Sharlie sometimes.
He brought a parcel of friends w/him. Bucko, Jacko, Izzy, Addie and some other strange characters. He was Boo's best friend.
He had a lot of pets. He had no bedtime. Sharlie was in his 20s and drove a car. He did extraordinary things that my five year old only dreamed of doing. My son spoke constantly of Sharlie’s exploits. Of course, Sharlie was only in my son’s imagination.
Why do some children have imaginary friends? Do they fulfill dreams that can only remain dreams for most children? Roo never had imaginary friends. He played imaginary games in which all the world revolved around him—but it was different. Boo joined him most of the time. But sometimes Sharlie had to be included and that was where things got a little dicey. Roo didn’t always like Sharlie’s rules. Boo of course thought if Sharlie said it, it was law. Hmmm…wonder why?
Funny, but I never heard Boo talk to Sharlie. I had an imaginary friend and I talked to him all the time—alone, in public, bedtime. (I of course don’t do that anymore. He left for foreign lands in about first grade.)
It was at the dinner table that I heard of Sharlie’s adventures of the day. How many fish Sharlie caught. How late he stayed up. How many kittens he had. How big his fish tank was. How fast his car went. Sharlie was the expert on boy humor also. Humor involving the things that get one in trouble (especially at the table). Sharlie also didn’t have to help his parents. I think he may have helped too much and they kicked him out. That was why he lived with us.
Sharlie moved in for long enough that I was wondering if he needed a plate and his own towel. But he disappeared as quickly as he appeared.
I miss Sharlie sometimes.
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