Snow Dreams

8 Things I would do  if I were snowbound tomorrow

After much hype and speculation, we are finally getting a little snow.  Can’t help but fantasize about what it would be like if we got a sizeable snow- the kind that sort of shuts everything down- and then it was gone the next day…..

1.  Read read read read.  I’m reading What is the What and about halfway finished with that, and three quarters of the way through The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I’d love to finish those and start on one of the books in my stack.

2.  Bake and cook- Nothing better than steamy windows and good smells and a nice snow outdoors.

3.  Take multiple naps. 

4.  Do some scrapbooking!  Haven’t done any in months and months and could really use that time to push through that wall that has kept me from doing it.

5.  Check my facebook often to see what everyone else is doing.

6.  Watch a movie with my kids.

7.  Watch that U of L game!

8.  Maybe make some Valentines?

Rest in Peace Bill

I’ve mentioned before that I make it my business to know the people I do business with.  It makes life so much more interesting.  I have shopped for the last 15 years at the same grocery store.  Years ago, before I even started shopping there, it apparently went through a period of mismanagement and became known as Dirty Kroger, and the name has never left them.  Years of remodels and management changes and state of the art additions later, it remains known to all of Louisville as Dirty Kroger.  That said, DK (as I will call it) has got to have the most tenured staff of any grocery in town or maybe the world.  Their employees start young and retire from there, their blue vests heavy with service year pins.

For as long as I have shopped there, they have had a “bag boy” named Bill.    And when you picture a bag boy, I’m thinking you are not picturing Bill.  He was short, had a huge scruffy beard and a head full of wiry gray hair that he combed back into a pompadour.   He was friendly enough, but not a big chatter and fairly conservative with his smiles as well.   But the man could bag some groceries.  He knew how to pack a bag old school, by the books.  Never had to worry about your pears getting bruised or your bleach coming open on the ride home if Bill was your bagger.    He would tell you, “Don’t forget your pop is on that shelf under your cart” and it sounded so threatening that you didn’t dare forget.  He was serious about his bagging. 

Several years ago  I learned a little about Bill’s life off the clock.    A friend was looking for someone to do a sewing job for her and was given the name of someone and when she showed up to take the fabric- it was Bill!  Once inside, she learned that Bill’s hobby when he wasn’t packing bags was to make doll clothes and his apartment was filled with elaborately dressed dolls.   He made prom dresses too.  I once saw one of the other baggers there, a teenage girl, show up in the middle of the afternoon in a formal with a hoop skirt  and sashay down the bread aisle headed for the meat department to show Bill how she looked in the dress he had made for her to wear for the prom.

Bill got sick at work Tuesday and someone drove him home.  He went to bed and died that night in his sleep.  I was surprised to hear that he was 73 years old,  standing as he did all day every day.    The store seemed just a little less colorful tonight when I was there.   Bill took his duties at Dirty Kroger very seriously and he will be missed. 

Wednesday Link Love

I’m ready to start thinking about gardens, aren’t you?  And aren’t these stitched pieces gorgeous?!

These would be fun just about anytime, but especially fun for Valentines Day.

I would have loved to have been on William’s guest list!

I’ve kind of passed out of the baby shower stage in life, but this and this  make me want to have one, or to be invited to one!

Here’s a fun idea if you have a flickr account.

I just love these felted bluebirds!  Isn’t this guy the sweetest?!

In my hometown of Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby, you are likely to see gallopalooza horses all over town.  But in Katharine’s home town of Liverpool, look what you might see!

Hope this shows around town sometime soon.

I’d like to have a whole backsplash of these beautiful tiles! And a garland of these at the window.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking of this post since I read it.  And oh how I would have loved to have given a new home some of May’s treasures!

 

Your Mission: Should you choose to accept it-

So, here it is.   Who’ll give it a go?   When S was in her first couple of weeks of college she and some of the girls in her dorm made a trip to the laundromat on the town square.  While they were there, an elderly woman stopped in, pressed some quarters in each of the girls hands, told them all to do well in school, and left.  I love that woman!  What could we do with just a little change?

 

Music Monday

This is my sweet beautiful talented precious son. So, yeah, the lips and music are not in sync.....he was playing around with his webcam.....but it's so beautiful. And I"m not just sayin' that because he's mine.

Her Majesty

This beautiful princess is my friend Sophia.  The photo was taken on New Years Eve- some of her girlfriends had helped to get her all dressed up for a royal entrance into the adult party room.  She is pure sunshine, a great lover of all animals, and was born to be a princess.

This morning just as church was starting I passed her a copy of this photo.   I was so taken with the way she studied the picture.  She looked so hard at it for so long and I would give anything to know just what she was thinking.    I hope it made her heart catch as she thought, “I am a beautiful princess!”

Had it?

Over tea yesterday one of my friends mentioned this tea, so of course I had to seek it out last night when I was shopping.

It’s great, and smells good too!

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.

Catherine Douzel

The Best

What is the best 15 minutes of your day?

Well, for me, it’s certainly not the first 15 minutes of the day! And it’s not the 15 minutes before I get off work, although that might be a close second.

I can only account for about 7 of my favorite 15 minutes of the day. They begin as I crawl into bed- first I get all of my pillows in their various configurations, a sad acknowledgement of my age I guess. Once I lay down and get perfectly situated, I pull the quilt over me. I decided a long time ago that I want to, whenever possible, fall asleep smiling. I’ve made that my habit, and the smile sets in just about the time I get that quilt tucked in all around me. I like to picture each of my family members sleeping in their little beds at college and home and DH hard at work. That’s usually about as far as I can remember, with the next 8 minutes filled with a slow, slow falling into some carefree world.

When the girls were little, they had a tape of lullabies that they fell asleep to every night. We had a ton of bedtime rituals, and one was that I would stay with them until they fell asleep, the two of them nestled side by side in their double bed. Each of us had a favorite song on that tape- S’s was Child of Mine by Carol King (which we played at her adoption party, even though she was 12 by that itme!), K’s was If I Didn’t have You, also by Carol King. MINE was Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Dreamland. I think I like it because it reminds of my favorite part of the day. What’s yours?

Sun goes down and says goodnight
Pull your covers up real tight
By your bed we’ll leave a light
To guide you off to dreamland
Your pillows soft your bed is warm
Your eyes are tired when day is done
One more kiss and you’ll be gone
On your way to dreamland
Every sleepy boy and girl
In every bed around the world
Can hear the stars up in the sky
Whispering a lullaby
Who knows where you’ll fly away
Winging past the light of day
The man in the moon and the milky way
Welcome you to dreamland
Every sleepy boy and girl
In every bed around the world
Can hear the stars up in the sky
Whispering a lullaby
Who knows where you’ll fly away
Winging past the light of day
The man in the moon and the milky way
Welcome you to dreamland

My heart

For every love, there is a heart somewhere to receive it.

Wednesday Link Love

 

I loved this MISSION.  Had hoped K and I might do a few spots this week, but alas we never got around to it…be sure to check out the video.

Ackkkkkkk   How adorable are these?!!

I’d share a room with Hagen, wouldn’t you?

Made these this weekend.  They were as easy as they sound and more delicious than I expected!  K is going to make them for a kiddos party she’s hosting on Friday.

Gotta try these.  I’m wondering if they would be too wobbly to sit up and act right.  Well, worth a try.  Next time we eat 6 oranges at the same time, I’ll whip some up.

Yep, got to give this a try.  There is always a nice selection of rusty cookie sheets at my favorite thrift store.  Used to be a nice selection of them here until my mother gave me nice new ones.

I’m not even sure how I found my way to this blog, but it’s lovely if you love books.

OH, how beautiful are these?!

There are so many beautiful images here.  I added one of mine (brandon6)

Not that I would ever go to this much trouble, but someone like my friend Beth might.

Some absolutely beautiful images of Haitians taken in a happier time.

Fun story from my friend Suzanne.

Music Monday

I never tire of watching this, and love the song.

Ten OTHER Things Martin Luther King Said

Bowls of Light

There is a Hawaiian folk legend that says that when a child is born they are given a bowl of light. As they live their lives, stones are added to the bowl when they have impure thoughts or actions until the light becomes less and less visible BUT at any time, they can choose to turn the bowl over and empty the stones and start over.

My husband works in a group home for boys who for a number of reasons need a home and a fresh start, and Bowls of Light seemed a fitting name for the bowls that he and the boys made in their pottery studio this fall. The sales of these bowls have been put toward the fund to create a full pottery studio there for the boys to work in.

Tonight I cleaned my desk off, and I have placed one of the bowls here on my desktop to remind me of the abounding grace of turning my bowl over and starting anew and to remind me to not let my light grow so dim before I come to my senses sometimes.

Something very simple that you can do right now

I know that we are all looking for ways that we can be of help to the people of Haiti. 

Please take a moment to read this plea for help and in a matter of minutes you can hopefully make a difference for all of the children in Haiti who already have families waiting for them here in the states.

Hard to sleep tonight

I have never really cared to travel,  happy to sleep in my own bed each night and read of the world through other’s eyes.  I have made exactly one trip out of the United States in my lifetime.  That trip was to Port Au Prince, Haiti.  I was an 18 year old suburban middle class white girl off on a mission trip to build a school.  I had never even flown in an airplane at that point of my life, and had never been away from home for more than 2 weeks.  Just catching the plane and leaving was a huge step for me. 

From the airport in Port Au Prince we took a brightly colored tap tap to the villa where we were staying.  It was dusk as we drove through the narrow streets of Port Au Prince and on either side of the tap tap , close enough to touch them,  were tin shack colonies where people everywhere were bent over fires preparing an evening meal.

That trip from the airport was probably a 2 or 3 mile trip, but from start to finish, that trip was  a million miles long for me.   While I did return from Haiti a couple of weeks later , the million mile trip was one way.  My heart was cracked open and laid bare on that day and every decision I have made about life since then has been made with a heart broken open for a hurting world.

The media has left nothing to our imagination over these past few days.  Whether it be in news reports on the radio or pictures on the internet or in newspapers, each of us have been exposed to the images of the dead, piled in parking lots and on the sides of roads.   Each one of those bodies were fearfully and wonderfully made, each hair on their heads known and loved, each of them someone’s cherished  child, each precious in God’s sight. 

It is estimated that prior to the earthquake there were already over 300,000 orphans in Port Au Prince.  It is hard to even imagine how many more orphans there are now.  Please pray for these children and for the agencies trying to serve them with little to no resources. A simple internet search can connect you to a number of these agencies.   The good folks at the Party of 5 blog have one suggestion at their site:  http://johnson-mccormickfamily.blogspot.com/    You don’t have to look very far to find other agencies who are already hard at work to bring some relief to the families there- our family has chosen to support Doctors Without Borders, but you can find all kinds of other ways to contribute.  If you are thinking you want to send some support, do it now.  

Tonight my heart, broken and made irreversibly  tender on a road in Port Au Prince,  aches for this little country and a tragedy that I cannot explain.

Wednesday Link Love

Oh, wouldn’t this perk up your lunch on one of these freezing days?

Well, better yet- just go here for lunch…..and dinner….and a lazy week.

Now here is a garden I might be able to stay on top of…..

Oh, I miss having little girls to make/buy sweet little things for!

A fun thing to do with resolutions- yours or your family’s.

A nice little printable in case you don’t have a 2010 calendar.

I don’t get it. It makes no sense to me, the girl who loves tiny houses……but it’s sure fun to look at it.

So, what unusual collections would you be able to add to this? I have a number of “collections”, believing that if one is good, several is even better.

Ain’t this the truth?

What I would do

I’ve been thinking about Andrea’s post all evening and her question- What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

I’d say yes the next time I’m asked to preach

I’d start making a business plan to someday open an art club like this or this.

I’d go back to school.

I’d call myself an artist and really do something!

So, what would YOU do?

Sunday Senses

Just this weekend-

I heard- my son and three of his friends do an amazing benefit concert on Friday night, enjoyed a shuffle on the iPod for a couple of hours in the car yesterday, a beautiful prelude by Kate this morning in worship, and we sang the most beautiful song! This song, Song Over the Waters, was like a song I would dance to if I were a dancer. I’m not even a clapper or a swayer, so we’re safe to assume I will not be doing interpretive dance anytime soon, but this song begs me to bow and sway like a willow! God, you have moved upon the waters, you have sung in the rush of wind and flame; and in your love, you have called us sons and daughters, make us people of the water and your name.

I saw- my son walk through the door from college (which continues to make my heart sing every time) and my daughter dropped safely back at her dorm (which never gets any easier!) , hills and trees and farmland that looked like snow had been painted on with a brush , AND best of all, Shameka and I saw two foxes trotting through a pristine snowy field. It was one of those things that you see in an instant as you are flying down the interstate, and it’s so amazing that you want to do a u-turn to be sure you saw it, knowing though that the instant is gone.

I tasted- homemade chicken and dumplings tonight in a toasty kitchen on a cold winter’s night. I used this recipe and it was very good and very easy, and perfect with K’s blueberry muffins she made this afternoon.

I smelled- a wonderful vanilla candle when I came in tonight. It was after dark and it did my heart good to come in to see a little candle glow. I rarely miss lighting a candle or two each winter’s night, and love the way their simple glow adds such warmth to the room.

I touched- warm towels to fold, a warm velvety shirt that DH found in the back of my closet Friday that I had forgotten I even owned, the hands of DH and K- back to just the three of us around the table at grace time.

8 Things

So, my oldest daughter is going to New York tomorrow for her first time ever. She’s going by Amtrak with a group from her college to do some service projects and will be there for five days. I’m soooooooo excited for her! She’s going to be very busy, and these are-

8 Things I hope she experiences while there

1. She got a new coat for the trip, a really cute sort of swingie coat, and I hope she feels sharp wherever she goes in it. Of course, we were so worried about her being good and warm while there, and the weather there this week is shaping up to be considerably warmer than here at home!

2. She’s seeing Wicked and I hope she falls in love with stage productions, and that it will become a lifelong habit to see good plays whenever she has the chance.

3. She will be delivering meals to persons with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses. I hope that one person that she delivers a meal to looks her in the eye in such a way that she never forgets them.

4. She will be preparing meals in a soup kitchen. May she overcome her total disdain for all things culinary and pour some love into whatever she does there.

5. She has a free day- I hope she sees as many things as she can on that day.

6. I hope she discovers that there are kind and friendly people anywhere you may travel.

7. I hope she gets to know her classmates better and is even happier to be their friend than before they left.

8. I hope the days feel long to her and fast to her mom, as I look forward to her safe return.

One Year!

One year ago today using this very template, and with this entry I fulfilled my New Years resolution and started this blog. Never mind that it was my resolution from 2008, AND 2009. Or that it was on my Mondo Beyondo list in 2007! It’s rare that I carry over an unfulfilled resolution from year to year but this was one I really had the desire to try. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was to get started or I would have surely started sooner. I have made new friends in the blogging world and even met a couple of them in real life. I’ve learned things about myself I didn’t know, and so have you. So, thanks for meeting up with me here from day to day, for your generous comments, your wit and wisdom that you put into your own blogs, and for bearing with me as I learn. There are still things I don’t understand- like what it means to be a follower, but I’m learning! I’ve used Smitten Blog Designs the whole year and been very pleased with their offerings and the ease of use. I’ll close the year out with the poem I started with, one that still brings me joy.

Sometimes -- Sheenagh Pugh

Sometimes things don't go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail,
sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.

A people sometimes step back from war;
elect an honest man; decide they care
enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen: may it happen to you

~ Sheenagh Pugh ~

Wednesday Link Love

Dear Hanne- May I come take a nap at your house?

Aren’t these the sweetest sweetest little bears?

If you are at least my age, you will remember these with fondness. If you are younger, you will be taken with their sweetness too. Who doesn’t love paper dolls?

So, you’re turning over a new leaf for 2010? Need a visual?

I truly love this wreath! And it has my word on it! Welcome!

A sweet story of struggle and grace from Amy, my hero.

One of my friends has a very ambitious goal for 2010. Check her out!

How cute is this?! Break out the champagne!

Now messy- I can do messy.

So far no snow!

ReWind

Today's weather forecast of potential snow has we Louisvillians all atwitter. We're hesitant to commit to anything beyond today because of the threat. I will sleep with one eye open all night tonight I'm sure. Having never lived anywhere but Louisville, I saw things with new eyes one day when I was driving around some folks visiting with my company who were from New England. Snow was predicted, and as we drove around we saw salt trucks everywhere, poised and ready. My guests thought that that was hilarious, and I realized that much of the world functions pretty much as usual in spite of snow. Anyway, I'm always amused at how much we hype it up before it arrives, which never fails to remind me of this witty essay by E.B. White.

Word Up

I spent a lovely year with LESS. It was a year of shoring up and hunkering down and it made a good companion.

This year my word is WELCOME-

Welcome new experiences! Welcome into my life, friends old and new! Welcome, each season! Come right on in, all you things I’ve never tried before. I will welcome and embrace the changes my life will face over this year, not the least of them being a totally empty nest. Welcome again and again to God’s spirit.

First order of business is to find a suitable mat- my own manifesto that our home and my life are open. Today I put my light in the window. Come on in.

I have to say that had I thought of it, I really really really like Ali Edwards word. And now I have the idea to have a small charm made (or make myself) for each of my words thus far to add to each year.

I love Beth’s word too- a word I would do well to sit with a spell myself!

What word would you choose for this great year of 2010?

Christmas Reads

I was fortunate to get lots of good reading material to start the new year out with.

South of Broad

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

My Life in France

What is the What

I didn’t really get What is the What as a gift- what I got as a gift was this!!!

What is the What is my first book to purchase for my Kindle. I’m loving it! (the book, and the Kindle!) Thanks Sister!

Less

A year ago I chose the word Less as the word I wanted to live into for 2009. My goal at the time was for:

Less strife, less sadness, less meetings, less avoidance and denial.

Less stuff, more harmony in our house.

Less busyness, more quiet time for my heart to soften and grow.

Less concern about checking things off my to-do list, more living in the moment. Less need to control, more surprises.

Okay- less internet time, more sleep!

I tried really hard to keep my word close to my heart as I walked through the year, checking in with it from time to time to see how I was doing. I really did make a space for “less” in my life and am grateful and better because of it. Stay tuned for my word for this new year……

Kitchen Christmas

I was lucky enough to receive several things I had really been wanting for my kitchen for Christmas this year.

First off, a cast iron bacon press. I see flat bacon and Cuban sandwiches in my future!

And an apple peeler! Next fall I will be able to get apples by the bushel at the Farmer’s Market to make into apple sauce.

My friend Terri sent me two of the most wonderful dishrags that she had knitted.

And a grill pan. The Pioneer Woman has one, so I had to have one too.

And as a follow up, I did make the cinnamon/bacon rolls that I linked to yesterday, and I really liked them. The rest of the house was about evenly split on whether they were great or not.