Making it Up As I Go

Are you ready for summer? We are.

She would wear this everyday if I’d let her. She won’t be so eager once she starts swim lessons, but that’s a fight for another day. Our “summer” starts in a couple of weeks- preschool ends and swim lessons start- I’m excited. I love our preschool and the fun things we do with our friends for adventure days, but it will be nice to just have time to be outside and play. (Of course, seeing as I have to have everything organized, we still have a “schedule” for the summer – lots of pool days and park days and beach days and adventures. But it’s a lot more open  than the non-summer months have been.)

I really think my Auntie (and my favorite Uncle and cutie pants cousin too…)  should come visit me for a weekend (at least) and go to the beach with us…. I’m just sayin’….

I really feel like I should be heading to bed, it’s late (for me) but I totally scored today and took a 2 hour nap, which I think may doom me for falling asleep at any normal time. But who knows, maybe it won’t.

I’m reading some really interesting books right now- Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa, which is fascinating- I’ve not read much about her before; and Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life by Margaret Kim Peterson, which is hands down one  of the best books I’ve ever read. It looks at the spiritual implications and ramifications of homemaking and housekeeping, and as  my dearly loved Brandy expressed about it- it’s extremely validating. Peterson puts into words so many things I’ve felt, and explores connections that I immediately recognize as truth.  My favorite part so far – when speaking about the scripture in  Matthew about feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, and “as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” :

“There is a tendency, I think, on the part of those of us who are well fed, clothed, and housed to imagine that the needy people to whom Jesus refers in Matthew 25 are people we don’t know- the sort of people who are served at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, at which we ought therefore to volunteer at least occasionally. But housework is about feeding and clothing and sheltering people who, in the absence of that daily work, would otherwise be hungry and ill-clad and ill-housed.”

Isn’t that stunning?

Oh, and this too:

“God’s own presence with his people is mediated through dwelling places and domestic activities. In the book of Genesis we read of how the Lord appeared to Abraham as he sat at the door of his tent beside the oaks of Mamre. God’s appearing took the form of a visit from three strangers whom Abraham and Sarah welcomed by preparing and serving a meal of bread and meat and curds, and as they welcomed these strangers they welcomed God himself and became recipients of God’s promise and blessing.”

I love it.

Truly a random thought- did you know I never actually learned to type? Like I never took a class or anything. I just wrote hundreds of papers in high school and college and by the middle of my freshman year in college (I’m fairly sure), my fingers had the muscle memory from all the hunt and peck. I have no idea how fast I type now, but it’s not too shabby. Like I said- random.

We just started watching Modern Family- it’s cute. And we’re catching up on Doctor Who, which is fantabulous. I love that show. Not at all convinced I’m going to love the new Doctor, but I thought that about David Tennant too, and I absolutely adore him.

Ooh, I’m also reading poetry by Kay Ryan, current U.S. poet laureate, and absolutely LOVING it. I’m not huge on poetry- it has to hit the right tone for me- but she’s awesome. Snarky, smart, slightly biting- perfect.

Polish and Balm

Dust develops

from inside

as well as

on top when

objects stop

being used.

No unguent

can soothe

the chap of

abandonment.

Who knew

the polish

and balm in

a person’s

simple passage

among her things.

We knew she

loved them

but not what

love meant.

So lovely.

I bought new sandals. They’re awesome and my toenails are painted red in their honor.

I really want another s’mores cupcake like the one B brought home for me the other day. It was super yummy. And it had toasted marshmallow frosting.  That’s just awesome.

I really don’t want to plan out dinners for the next week. Anyone have any great ideas of new (fairly easy) recipes I can try?

I’m running out of random thoughts, so I will tie this up with some cuteness.

All I will say about the contents of that cup is that while it should have kept her awake, it did not. Thank goodness.

She is not, in fact, re-inacting the Monty Python Silly Walks sketch, although I can see how you’d think that.

Really, I think this is the absolute cutest, to die for picture ever of all time:

Grandpas are just the best.

Hopefully that was sufficiently entertaining and didn’t bore anyone to death.  I think I may be ready to fall asleep. And I want to get my booty out of bed tomorrow morning and do some yoga, so I better get to it.

What’s going on with you?

It was pointed out to me this evening that I haven’t posted in a while. And it always slightly disappoints me when I go to my regularly scheduled blogs and there’s no new post, so…..

B was gone to Ireland for a week and a half, 8 days, somewhere in there. He’s back now, which is lovely. I missed him. The girls missed him. We enjoyed the fact that we live in the future and have the equivalent of video phones, except without the accidentally answering it with your hair in curlers. Wasn’t that always the fear about video phones? And it was before answering machines, so the idea that you could JUST NOT ANSWER THE PHONE wasn’t a possibility? Wow I’m kind of rambly tonight.

While he was gone I:

watched a lot of movies set in the 1920s (including but not limited to: Being Julia, Gosford Park, and The Cat’s Meow),

worked on some projects which I will not detail here as they are intended for a couple readers of this blog,

hosted both an Oscar party and a jewelry party (both great fun),

skipped on over to Santa Cruz where we visited beloved friends, bought wonderful things (including a pair of foxy boots that make me look like a space pirate- seriously, just add a jaunty cap and I could be piloting a dirigible), and went to the beach. The girls LOVED it. We need to do it more often.

did NOT finish Positive Discipline for Preschoolers, which I feel like I’ve been reading for YEARS now,

went to bed early a bunch of nights. It’s tiring doing this mom thing on my own!

But now he’s back- hooray! And just in time for my birthday, an occasion on which I was thoroughly and gorgeously spoiled. I received not only awesome rag doll Alice in Wonderland toys, but also a new Haunted Kindle! which I’ve decided should actually be officially named The Haunted Kindle. The original haunted Kindle (lower case h) still works fine, but is a little “janky” as B puts it, and has it’s personality quirks. It will have a loving new home (not on a lovely farm with lots of room for it to run…) and I will enjoy the razor quickness, longer battery life, and overall slickness of The Magic Haunted Kindle of Doom, complete with swanky pink case.  All the books are moved over, and I will continue trudging through Positive Discipline for Preschoolers.

In other birthday news, this post really rings true for me.

And speaking of posts that ring true, this one is amazing. (The comments are amazing too.)   I’ve been thinking a lot recently (inspired by lessons and things, not life tragedies) about how so many things that happen in life happen because we’re living in an imperfect world and sometimes that just sucks, and that most of the time the horrible things that happen are NOT God’s will, but that if we turn them over to Him, He will sanctify them for our good and make them part of a positive process for us.  And that’s so much better than holding on to bitterness and anger over them, because there is no positive process there.  Anyway.

And speaking of thinking about things, I’ve been thinking lately about how we don’t receive more knowledge until we do something with the knowledge that’s already being offered to us. And how sometimes (many times?) our definitions and assumptions of how things work get in the way of our seeing the way they really do work. I’ll write more about this later, I think.

And with no sneaky segue,  can I just sa that daylight savings time is killing me? I just thought I’d mention it. I will not mention how my children are doing with it for about another week or so. Or maybe never. Don’t want to jinx/mess up anything. Let’s just say there’s a yin/yang element to it.

My cousin just had a baby girl who is currently in the NICU (I think), please extend prayers on her behalf (the baby and the mama. And the daddy. And the grandparents and uncles and aunts for good measure. And the little sister of the baby).

I think that’s it for now. I’m tired and going to bed.

Goodnight.

Oh goodness. I was about to go to bed when all drama erupted. Let’s just say that if you’ve told a little girl that she isn’t supposed to get out of bed, but that if she needs to pee in the night that she can call you and you’ll come get her, you need to have a contingency plan for what happens if you don’t hear her.  And I will pass along the wisdom of said same little girl, “When you have all your crys in you, it feels all frusterating. But when you get all your crys out, it feels happy!”. Do with that what you will. Just keep in mind that getting all said crys out can take upwards of 15 minutes.

Goodnight.

Some bits and pieces from life recently:

My new favorite band is Rock Sugar. A rock band stuck on a desert island in 1989 with only the 80’s pop cd collection of a 13 year old girl…  Absolutely hilarious and awesome.

Men’s moguls was KILLING me last night. Seriously, the Olympics has some kind of spores or something ( as my brother used to say about Harry Potter) – I don’t care in the least about men’s moguls, but I was on the edge of my seat  screaming as those last 3 skiers went down.  And did you see the US guy totally biff it toward the end there? B totally caused that.  He gave it to the universe, and the universe gave it right back.

We’re getting a new couch! B used his day off today and went and picked it out while we were busy with preschool- total surprise. We get it in a couple weeks. Woo hoo!

I have Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance stuck in my head. It will. not. leave. I won’t link to it so as to save you from the same fate.

I’ve been thinking about this post about girls and sports (and the drive to win vs. being “nice”) a lot over the last couple of days, especially in light of the Olympics and an interview I watched with the women’s mogul gold medalist, who talked about how it made her sad to have taken the gold from the Canadian who almost won.  I don’t know that I’m coming to any conclusions, especially since I never participated in competitive sports of any kind.  If anyone has any insights and wants to talk about it, I’d love to.

And now, some pictures!

Valentines girls

Tiny loves Pooh bear. I believe she currently has 6 stuffed Poohs.

She also loves dancing.

and is apparently considering following in her namesake’s shoes, playing the role of an updated Eliza Doolittle in an as yet unscheduled performance of My Fair Baby.

Z loves posing.

I believe that’s all that’s going on at the moment. I have a baby blanket to finish, and a large number of projects to start and finish. I need to write them all down so I can get them going and done.

What are you up to?

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis: A gorgeous little kid’s story about a penguin named Edna who decides to look for “the something else”- something not like the white, black, or blue that make up her days and nights (the ice, night, and water). It’s short, the art is lovely, and it contains such a wonderful lesson about widening your horizons to look for truth.

Wheat Thins Flatbread Tuscan Herb flavor: My new favorite food. Seriously, so so tasty. Z even likes them, and she doesn’t eat “herb-y” things.

The Cricket’s  Orchestra by Meaghan Smith: I’ve been listening to this album non-stop all day. It’s part 30’s big band, part rock-a-billy (only 1 song’s worth), part blues, part some other things I’m too lazy to think of. Lots of piano, lots of instruments, and a gorgeous old school sounding voice.  It’s total and utter Maryanne music. And it’s only $5! What do you have to lose? I mean, other than $5? It’s SOOOO good.  Listen to Heartbroken (my favorite) at the link.

The Vintage Pearl’s personalized necklaces: I got these for all the women relatives this year for Christmas. The quality is great, and they turned out truly lovely.  Now to get one for me!   (Actually, I’m looking at this one, (with “connect”, of course) but that’s another discussion entirely!)

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids: This book is amazing. It’s so inspiring, and exactly what I needed to be reading right now. The main concept is that kids are bombarded with too many toys, too much information, too many activities, too many choices, and that by simplifying in all of those areas and introducing more rhythm and routine into the day, they will better thrive (and so will parents and family life). Instituting even a couple of the suggestions have made a world of difference in our house.

That’s all I’ve got for now- what do you recommend today?

There are posts from me all over the internets today.

My brilliant photographer friend Jessica asked me to guest post about Z’s photography at Momshots.

My friend Hilary started a new blog about weight loss, and I’m contributing posts about my love/hate relationship with Jillian Michaels, I mean, my attempt to work out throughout the year.  Check it out here.

And there’s a new post up at Modern Day Martha about our balcony garden.

The prolificness can’t last, so enjoy it while it lasts!

I’m having one of those weeks when it seems like an understanding is coming, growth is on the way, if I can just sort out the thoughts in my head.  These are some of the lampposts lighting my way:

“Perhaps the greatest indicator of character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed, for example, in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward. If such a capacity is indeed the ultimate criterion of moral character, then the Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable character.”   From this amazing talk by Elder Bednar

“Your brightness is my darkness. I know nothing of you and, by myself, cannot even imagine how to go about knowing you.  If I imagine you, I am mistaken. If I understand you, I am deluded. If I am conscious and certain I know you, I am crazy. The darkness is enough.”  -Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk.  I originally read this as being about an inability to really know other people, and typing it now I realize it’s actually probably about an inability to comprehend God, but it’s opened up some interesting thoughts with my interpretation.

I thought I had more, but I don’t. That’s it for now.

when you get up in the morning, read something, and it changes your life? (Well, maybe not life exactly, but certainly puts into words things you’ve been thinking and feeling?)

That was this this morning.

I think it may have broken my brain. I’m going to be thinking about it for quite a while.

Go here.

Read it.

That is all.

There’s a huge giveaway going on at my other site, with 4 really cool prizes to be won. Get on over there and check it out!

Click here to go there.

Go!

There’s a giveaway happening on my other website today.

Not the gigantic giveaway coming up soon, just a smaller one.

But the prize is awesome.

Go check it out.