Profound Thoughts

"The key to being a good friend is to know when to Sympathize, when to Galvanize and when to simply keep your Mouth Shut."

~~Me. May 29, 2011

I thought that up in the shower tonight. I think up lots of profound thoughts in the shower. I also write a blog post every. single. night. In the shower. I do most of my best thinking and writing in the shower. Probably because it's the only time I'm ever alone. And quiet.

So that's my excuse for my recent blog silence. Now that Jamie's crawling and pulling up and scooting and practically walking, I have No Time to do more than think up the post. I take the pictures, but never download them. I compose the posts, but never write them down.

Also, my laptop died a sad and violent death. One day it was chugging along its usual faithful way and suddenly it started to hum loudly, the screen went all colored-y lines and wavy-ness and fizzzzzzz and it burst into flames! (not really that last part-- that was for dramatic effect). The loss of my laptop has compounded my lack of time and space to think. I can no longer prop myself up at the table with the laptop in front of my plate and furiously write while the children eat lunch. Or turn on an "educational" movie on the PC, for the kids, while I write a quickie post. Or take them to the library and blog while they read.

Nope, now I have to actually sit, in a desk chair, at the desk, my back to the children (warningwarningwarning!!) and use an actual mouse if I want to get any writing done. So. Basically, that never happens. Ever. But I really love my blog, so this isn't a lead up to a dramatic goodbye or anything, just your basic, run-of-the-mill excuse post-- trying to justify the waste of a place in your blogroll. And also to beg your patience and continued readership, which I treasure, despite my recent delinquency.

See y'all again soon, I hope!

SICKSICKSICK

I know I will be narrowly skirting all kinds of political turmoil in this post, which I don't like to do on this blog. BUT, when J shared this with me tonight, I couldn't help but post about it and release the rage valve a little. This is the Dark Side of Corporate Capitalism.

Remember this lovely Dove ad? This one promoting a healthy self-image for young girls? This one decrying the promotion of an unattainable and un-natural body image? The one that asks you to participate in the Dove Real Beauty Workshop For Girls?

That ad makes me want to go out and buy Dove products right now.

This next ad makes me want to go out and strangle me some sexist, misogynistic ad executives right now. (warning: offensive, check for little eyes looking over your shoulders)

And the sicksicksick thing???

They're both produced by the same company.

If corporations are "people," they are some sick, messed up people. "People" with some severe multiple personality disorders. Capitalism is not a flawless system. Faceless Multinational Corporate Capitalism has replaced the personal responsibility of small businesses in a community with a self-serving, profit-driven disregard for the message a given company is presenting. This allows Unilever to reap the benfits of promoting a healthy body image to young girls with its right hand, while at the same time its left hand is tantalizing young men with unrealistic female body images.

I cannot think that this is a good example of the ideal way for a society to engage in trade and grow its economy.

What would YOU do?

Now that I've pretty much planned out the interior of the house, I've started to turn my creative energies to the exterior. Not that I've actually finished doing everything on the inside. I've just thought it all up. I need a new "planning in the evenings when I'm to tired to actually do anything" project. And this is it. The front entrance to the house. In particular, that pesky little brickway that's not quite a patio, not quite a porch. There's no roof and no place to plant flowers-- which you wouldn't see from the yard anyway, because of the wall.

The only sure thing I've got is that I must have some bougainvillea growing on that wall. That's a given.

Here are the pics. Now, turn loose your creative juices and tell me... what would you do?














Oh, and I should point out that, in Florida annuals are not really an option. We don't have an irrigation system and I'm SO not spending the next ten years of my life watering. I need super easy, drought resistant suggestions. Also, lots of mulch, most likely. And bushes. But no cacti. After our last run-in with a cactus, I spent three days picking splinters out of Judah's hands.

For Papa Henry

Jamie, rockin' the Cow Couture

Jamie: No longer Silent

Jamie spent the first six and a half months of his life pretty much keeping his mouth shut and his head down. Judah is partially responsible for this. Perhaps entirely responsible. But lately, we've noticed, Jamie is starting to hold his own in the general chaos....

Things I Love 3

If only there was some way to capture and post the SCENT!!

Things I Love 2

Water Slide!!

The lines are fallen for me in pleasant places...

I'm writing today from my pool deck....

I can smell the gardenias just outside the screen and hear the sound of the water splashing. The kids just ran inside to put on their suits for a morning swim. J and I might get in a little later, once it warms up, and sit on the spa bench and turn on the massage jets. I've got a cup of coffee, a book and a plate of grapes. I can hardly believe this is my life.

The past year has been unbelievably rough. If you'd told me on New Year's Day, 2010, what the next sixteen months would hold, I don't think I would have had the courage to face it. I would have crawled back into bed and refused to come out. I would have gone home to Mama and tried to hide there. Not that she would have let me get away with that, but I'd have tried, anyway. We have gone through some incredibly testing times-- not nearly what some of our friends have faced, but still, the toughest we've had yet in our nearly-ten years of marriage.

And yet, I can say today with completely honesty, that I am so blessed. So grateful that the Lord has brought us here. Not just Here; this physical location, but Here; this place in our lives, too. I am so glad that this year happened-- with all its pain and sorrow, all the uncertainty, the upheaval, the insecurity, the leaving. Because along with all those things came growing, and stretching and (hopefully) wisdom. In a perfect world, a world without sin, we'd have all the growing and the stretching and the wisdom without all the suffering. But in this world, to get the one, one must endure the other.

And so, while I once again have no idea what the next year holds, for the moment I am at peace. Something tight and braced in my heart is starting to unfold and relax a little more. Today, right now, I don't feel quite so rigid. Despite the broken vacuum cleaner, washing machine and dryer, the dying truck, the sick husband, the stressful work schedule, the absent family, the distressing anniversary coming up, and the physical and financial worries still plaguing us, I'm starting to be able to open my eyes a little wider and look around and see the Lord's hand in all the troubles and the struggles. I pray that I am able to continue in that peace even through the storms ahead-- able to trust the Lord's plan in the future as I remember His providence in the past.

And seriously, how unbelievable weird cool is it that we have a pool? With a spa bench? And massage jets??? Whaaaaa??? Like I said, I can hardly believe this is my life.

Things I love

My kitchen window:



My coffee nook-- come on over and I'll make a fresh pot!



My flat-top stove:



My dining table...



...and the view:



disclaimer: the kitchen has not yet been painted, and there are some obvious repair needs, but you get the idea....

My Girl

She asks, "Mama, can we watch The Amazing Race together tonight?

"I don't think so, sweetie, I have enough dishes and clean-up to keep me busy till way past your bedtime tonight..."

She sighs and humphs out to the living room to play Battle for Wesnoth with Daddy, instead.

A few minute later she sidles back in and asks if she can clear the table for me, or rinse some dishes... Twenty minutes later we finish up the kitchen together and snuggle on the couch for our show.

"Wow, Sofi, we did that so fast! It's so nice to have help in the kitchen in the evenings. It makes my evenings so much more relaxing... thank you!"

She wiggles shyly, praise always makes her bashful, "Well, I was going to play Wesnoth with Daddy, but then I got to thinking how overwhelming it must be to face all this work every evening, so I thought I'd come help you instead."

She has such a soft heart. I pray that the hard knocks and growing pains of the next ten years don't harden it up...

In which you have to just imagine my cheesy Chinese accent...

Our server at the buffet the other night brought us our waters, pinched Jamie's cheeks, laughed at Judah and then exclaimed;

"Two Boy, One Face!"





What do you think? :)

I Been Playin' In Dah Watah, Grandad!

Time goes by soooo quickly! Remember this white-headed boy???












Just look at him now!

More of that amazing Florida RAIN

I just still can't get over the way it rains here. It rains like Judah cries when he's mad; with a VENGEANCE, and then is over oh-so-quickly, leaving behind a slightly watery sunshine.