never know what could be.

I have come down with the creative bug again. The itch in my veins to do something artistic. Just 14 seconds dinking around etsy will do that to me. I would like to discipline myself to sit down and think of something cool to do.. and then do it. The second half of that charge always seems to find itself problematic. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.. although I did find enough time to watch some stupid movie on network television tonight. I need to organize my basement first. Basement=place of creative hijinks. And then go crazy.

I am considering offering myself up to lead an ATC class through community education. Even cooler to have a "community art building" where art classes and clinics and work space could be had. But that is a pipe dream. But a com ed class... that may be doable. I'm just always a pint short on follow through.

those ladies and their carts.

I am a sucker for those old ladies who give out the samples. I'm usually not an impulsive buyer. I come in with my list, organized by isle, and pretty much stick to it. But if one of those white-haired cart wheeling ladies lures me in with a promise of a tasty nibble and then starts going on and on and on and on about how delicious the fish is... how utterly tasty the bread is...how they've never had a produce quite as sweet. and then proceeds to give me the 74 year backstory on the product. How easy it is to prepare. Where it's located on the shelf. How great the price is. How they just love it. How it's the healthiest food known to man... I pretty much end up buying it. Not even because I really want a pound of talapia... but because I want to make them feel like they are doing a good job.... almost like charity.

(Similar to the homely little neighbor girl who came to my door last fall and sold me an $86 serving of soup for a school drive... a soup that I never did end up receiving by-the-way. Or the little kids and their lemonade stand. Malls need to replace all those slick young men behind the kiosks trying to pawn off expensive lotions with little old ladies. "Would you like to try my $93 an ounce hand cream? My husband just died. I eat all by myself every night. You would like a squirt! great!" Who would have the heart to not make eye contact with them and slide over against the wall as you walked past?)

Back to the grocery store. How can I say "no" and just walk away after she's talked to me so long? What if that's what she's gotten all day... people using her for a snack and walking away. To bare the guilt of rejecting someone. Hmmm.. I think I just stumbled upon a much larger issue. {Mentally assessing}... yes. A reacuring theme in much of my life. Something I may need to work out later.

Enough physcho-analysis for one day... I need to find a good talapia recipe.

come along on the playschool bus.. come along with us..

It's that time in my life... time to think about preschool. A friend gave me a "cheat sheet" of most of the pertinent information... time, days, price, fees. And while I think Zachariah would love it. The thought of taking him someplace to only get back in the car about an hour later to pick him up again.. twice a week for a year... one year old in toe... Does NOT sound fun. He has his CBS class which he loves. That is almost 2 hours. They sing, do crafts, have a Bible story, play and of course there's social interaction. And he plays with his friends for almost two hours on Friday mornings. And he has Sunday School for and hour and a half. So why do I want him in preschool.
Social interaction. check- he's already getting.
To be in a situation where he learns how to learn with other children. check--I think he's already getting that in CBS and sunday school.
Learning things he will need for school. I can teach him those things.

I'm leaning on holding off and reassessing the situation next year. Since there are two complete school years left before he's of age for kindergarten. If I knew he wouldn't just love it there wouldn't still be this battle in me. Having to fork over a bunch of money a month may be the final tip of the scale.

things I love about grocery shopping.

one. My local grocer plays thee best music.

two. I get to feel very classy getting meat from the meat counter. Nothing says "I'm important" like a little white paper wrapped meat package. Or rather "they're having a great sale" if you happen to see it in my cart.

three. The cozy feeling when putting away my groceries.. that we will not starve this week.. but instead eat lots of tasty things.

Just workin' through this mom thing as I go.

I always intended on just letting Z potty train on his own. I think that's the best method.

But yesterday I thought... "okay. you are a smart boy. ALL of your friends are in their superhero undies. lets just give this a whirl and see what happens."

So I started the morning having him put on his new little undies that have been folded up in his drawer for months. At first he threw a tantrum. I calmed him down. Told him he was a big boy. I listed all of his friends that are now in undies. "Isaac using the potty. Lauren uses the potty. Zeke uses the potty. Damien uses the potty. Rory uses the potty..." And gave him a pep talk. Told him how proud I was of him. And he changed.. just like that.. he got excited.. and listed all of his friends and how they use the potty.

I asked him constantly if he had to use the potty (something I really didn't want to do.. see my initial goal above) but he always said "no". The only time he wanted to was before nap of course.. so that he could stall. He went through SEVEN pairs of pants. He never once initiated going. Advocates of this method said that that's normal... that after a few days they get it. So I'm going to try for a few more days and hope he catches on like everyone claims. I would LOVE to not have to buy diapers for two.

We'll see...

habitually a non-finisher

Okay. I don't seem to finish anything. Not a good quality. But that's the fact of the matter thus far in life.

Two weekends ago I sewed up this little girl.



I had true intentions of clothing her the next day.. and then I got sick. And she has been sitting there... on my sewing machine.. naked... (not counting her striped stockings).. for two weeks. And I've lost the gumption to finish. I wouldn't be surprised to come down some morning and find that she has grown tired of waiting for me to take her out of immodesty and sewn herself a dress.

the wonderful Word.

This year in Community Bible Study we are going through Genesis. This week is all about chapter 24. What a wonderful chapter.

It's all about Abraham's most trusted servant being sent back to Abraham's home town to find Isaac a wife. His servant is such a great guy... totally devoted to Abraham and totally trusting in the Lord and worshiping Him at every chance he can get.

And God hearing the servants prayer and leading him.

And Rebekah being such a servant and offering to water this strangers camels and "running" to do it.. not doing it begrudgingly or wishing that he would have asked someone else. I'm sure I wouldn't have acted as humble.

And then finding out that God had chosen YOU to be this mighty, rich guy's wife.. out of no where! It's like some reality show time a trillion! You were just doing the daily water run like you've done so many times before and blam!.. life changed. I'm sure it was hard leaving home for the unknown. I can only imagine all of the feelings and thoughts running through her mind on the 500 mile journey to see him... "what if I would have told this guy no?" "I wonder what my husband is like!" "will he like me?" "how is my life going to be different" "I can't believe God chose me!" "Why me?" "This is so exciting.. so scary!!" "I miss mom!"

What a great story.

dontcha know

My significant other and I took in a movie the other night. One of the previews I saw was for a movie staring the squinty-eyed renee zellweger as a business woman sent to New Ulm, Minnesota and her follies as she leaves sensibility and embarks on the frozen tundra of uncoolness. How is she going to last?? Everyone has deep Scandinavian accents, wears Nordic sweaters and plaid and eats a steady diet of casseroles. The houses are dimly lite, the snow banks are taller than a full grown man and she falls for harry connic jr who is of course in full beard.. okay they got that part right. She shows up at a factory in high heels and all the factory works give each other quizzical looks... really hollywood??.. we're so out of the loop that we question high heels? I have done enough traveling to know that every mall in the united states... honolulu.. la.. rochester minnesota.. looks the same.. old navy, the limited etc etc etc. Americas Test kitchen, based out of Maine, has a whole cookbook of casseroles... so it's not just us! And besides.. I wouldn't even know where to find a nordic-type sweater if I wanted one... okay... menards maybe??

Juno took place in the EXACT same area... atleast I didn't feel like a backward moron after watching that movie.

The significant other thought it looked funny though. So maybe I'm being a little dramatic... gotta run the hotdish is burning.