A Mellifluous View

I can't stand it!

2008-11-19T10:17:00.002-07:00

Today, while Roger and I were on our date at Barnes and Noble, I stopped at a table with familiar characters...the Peanuts.

And there sat a Charlie Brown Christmas game. Every 3rd square on the game board said "Happy Holidays" and no where did it ever mention Christmas except in the title. There was also a box with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that you could decorate along with other Peanuts Christmas stuff.

So, what's wrong with that?
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a lament about the commercialization of Christmas and a calling back to what Christmas is all about--JESUS!

Why don't the marketers actually WATCH the movie?????

I can't stand it....I just can't stand it!

Snow, I tell you, Snow

2008-11-14T08:59:00.002-07:00

Such joy in my household today! The snow isn't sticking to the sidewalks yet, but Christmas has already been mentioned, and they are ready to play outside. :)

Wet

2008-11-14T08:35:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, a small home project went awry....and I ended up wet. Roger is very knowledgeable, and I trust him to do home projects at our place. He methodically checked and rechecked everything. I would sit and watch under the sink, and he would slowly turn on the water. I'd pound if there was even a drip....and he'd head back up to tighten some more.

I was putting the kids to bed, so Roger wouldn't be up all night working on the project. I went to put on my pajamas...and I said to myself, "If I put these on, I'll end up wet." I blew it off...and headed downstairs ready for relaxation time and bed.

Well, on my way down, I heard some words from Roger that I rarely hear. And I knew right away that I needed to turn off the water downstairs...but I had never paid attention to how to do that. So, instead, I got to kneel under the sink and be the boy in Hans Brinker....only instead of a hole in the dike, I was plugging the hot water valve with my finger as Roger ran down to turn it off. It was just a small oversight on his part, and he had it all fixed quickly, but we did have water all over the kitchen floor and seeping down into the basement.

So, I got to clean up the water in the basement, thanking God that I had put our Christmas decorations in plastic tubs, and this morning it's dry, and my biggest concern is if R2D2 (our 3D 18 inch high puzzle) made it.

No home project ever goes as planned, but I'm so thankful for my husband who fixes each problem at home with his logic and intelligence. Knowing how hard he works for us makes me not really mind being a little wet.

ZZZZ

2008-11-06T10:51:00.002-07:00

We were talking about hibernation today...reviewing what Trina was learning at school this week. So, I asked her some questions.

What kind of animals hibernate?

T--A ladybug

REALLY, I never knew that. What else

T--A bear

Do humans hibernate?

T--NOOOOOO! Well, maybe Dad!

Quotable Quotes

2008-11-01T18:53:00.002-06:00

Roger has all these cool quotations that he has collected, and I wish I did. I'm sure I've read thousands of books and watched thousands of movies, but I don't have any quotations written down. Hmmm.

What's your favorite quotation?

The compliment

2008-10-29T09:56:00.006-06:00

I'm getting my hair cut today...and I've found that you always get compliments on your hair right before you get a cut.

Yesterday, I was pulling my hair up in a clip, and I asked Trina's opinion on it. She said, "it looks like Padme"

So, question is....which Padme hairdo do you think she meant?

Actually, it was this one...*whew* I was worried for a minute.

Sparklers

2008-10-28T09:06:00.002-06:00

What is a sparkler?....its something pretty, but short.

When I see good ideas, I often ponder...is this a sparkler? Will this last? For how long?

Maybe its normal for some things to have a life cycle. For Bible studies to come to an end, for chore routines to stop working, for a weekly time to input financial info into the computer to get set aside. Life changes, so other things have to change.

But how do I turn a sparkler into something more like the Olympic Torch? How do I make something beautiful also something consistent in my life? I don't love routine. I may not love change, but I don't love stasis either. I find things that I want to endure, but they rarely do.

Last year at this time I had my house cleaning under control. This year...not so much. And it was better then, so how do I get there again (besides getting off the stinking internet?)? My kids had a chore routine, and they thrived on it...why didn't it last? My exercise and quiet time routine in the morning worked...why is it so hard now?

How does an inconsistent person learn consistency? And for how long can she keep it up?

What about Jay Cutler?

2008-10-22T16:05:00.002-06:00

We were talking about politics a little in the car today. I was telling Trina that no matter who wins, something different will happen. Either we'll have a female VP(Please Lord!) or a darker skinned President (not bad in itself, if it were someone else!). Trina had previously noted that none of our Presidents had darker skin.

And Alex's response?
What about Jay Cutler?

Well, buddy...Jay's not old enough yet...and as much of a leader as I think he has the potential to be for the Broncos, I just don't think that after Monday night's game that Jay is on my short list...this year.

I gave in

2008-10-18T11:40:00.001-06:00

I signed up for Facebook last night. My sis assures me that although it seems time consuming at the beginning, it actually will not suck my life away after I get settled. I hope she's right.

Sweet lunch date

2008-10-16T17:22:00.002-06:00

Today, my sweet daughter took her brother and I out to lunch. Wow!

Yesterday, she decided that she wanted to go to Burger King for lunch. We did not have any more "eating out" money left, so I told her that should would have to pay for it if we went.

Today, I told her she would need $10...3 dollars for each person (not sure if its fair, but I told her she had to pay for us all if she really wanted to go) and then some for tax. So, we went upstairs and we counted out the money. I reminded her that she wouldn't be able to spend this money on ice cream which is something she had been saving for...but she decided it was worth it.

We drove to the restaurant, and we talked over the menu...kids meals for each kid, and a burger and dr. pepper for mom.... My only sadness about this was that the kitchen and front counter were having such a terrible time, that we didn't get to count out the money again. Bill for lunch $9.97. SCORE!

She seemed very proud. I know I sure was. We enjoyed our food, and it was so much sweeter knowing that we were learning about life at the same time.

well

2008-10-12T04:11:00.002-06:00

Its 4 in the morning, and I'm awake. I've been up for a while now. After a week like I had, I really don't know if its my brain wanting me to work through some things, the fact that we plugged in our waterbed and I'm feeling warm, or God leading me to pray. I've tried the prayer time, but I feel so scattered. Maybe its a combination.

I did have a swell time last night. A bunch of youth leaders and some of the elders at our church disguised ourselves and "hid" at the mall. The students had to walk the mall and try to find us. It was a full night at the mall...since we had rather cold weather outside. Sitting for 2 hours trying to look inconspicuous is harder than you might think.

My outfit was not too different...I was trying to blend in. I went and got my hair styled, so that made it interesting. I wore makeup...which my family decided they didn't really like much. Hopefully I can post a picture that Roger took...but I better not wake him now. ;)

The purple dinosaur

2008-10-03T17:57:00.002-06:00

(No, I'm not talking about Barney....)

At Alex's favorite park, there is a purple dinosaur that has 2 seats....its like the little cars and little animals you find at most parks....its on a spring so you bounce on it and make it sway forwards and backwards. Well, just about every weekday, after I drop off Trina, we go to this park and part of the experience is riding the purple dinosaur...together.

When you are a parent, you are invited to do things you never thought you would again...and you have the choice....will I participate with my child and have fun with him or do I act "too big" and refuse. In the past, I probably chose the latter a little more, but lately, I'm swallowing my pride and just relaxing and having fun.

Part of the story is that there is a small horse nearby the dinosaur and every day, Alex finds the horse while out for his daily dinosaur ride, decides it is sick, gets off the dinosaur and feeds it medicine, and then remounts the dinosaur. Sometimes I'm then asked to ride the horse, but usually we finish the story both riding the dinosaur.

Well, if you know me well, you know I have an innate ability to feel when I am being focused on by a camara. The digital age...and perhaps my own age, have lessened this to some degree, but I'm looking at the camara in nearly every picture I am in....including today, when 2 young men in red ball caps took a picture of me sitting alone on the purple dinosaur.

I'm greatly disturbed by this. I'm not sure if its because of my pride, the sick minds of people, or the fact that I have pegged them as not the nicest young men. But if you run into any random pictures on the internet of a woman on a purple dinosaur...and you think it looks like me....um...well...don't tell me.

Clutter

2008-09-29T11:15:00.003-06:00

When I look around my living room, I see all kinds of clutter. It's not trash necessarily. Maybe it's a misplaced toy or a paper from school that's on the floor. Maybe its a receipt I need to shred or something left behind by someone close to me. Eventually there is so much I feel overwhelmed. Where to start? How do I get to some of the things I really need to do with all of this STUFF in my way?

And it reminds me of my heart.

Yesterday, my mind was so full of stuff, it was hard to wade through to sit down with the Lord and just focus on him. I kept seeing the big decision that needs to be made here or the person I need to touch base with there or the thing I should have said and didn't. There was my football team's loss and my husband's weekend plans that didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped.

And there was conviction...despite the clutter or maybe because of it.

Now, how do I wade through all of it to attend to the important things the Lord has laid before me?

I can't do anything on my own...neither clean my house nor my heart. OK, Jesus, I need Your help!

The newest pony

2008-09-27T11:26:00.001-06:00

Drano Dash---A super pony who unclogs your sink

OK...so this random quote came from my kids and me discussing the names of the "my little pony" series.

I wonder what color drano dash would be?

Sept 22, 2004

2008-09-23T11:17:00.002-06:00

a plane crashed on a strange island. Little did I know, the people on the plane were already Lost.

We had fun watching the first half of the Lost pilot last night. I can't wait until 2009 when I'll have more mysteries to obsess about and more character development on this fantastic show.

(Wo)Man Vs. machine

2008-09-20T16:46:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm frustrated with my dishwasher....

I don't believe that a machine meant to wash my dishes should require me to pre-wash my dishes. If I want to rinse them off, I might as well wash them by hand.

So, in utter frustration today, I took apart my dishwasher...not completely...but enough to realize how gross it is. And now I'm running it with a cup of vinegar to see if I can get the silly thing to DO ITS JOB!

Stay tuned!

Only at my house

2008-09-16T18:53:00.002-06:00

my 3 other family members are watching Return of the Jedi to the soundtrack---they are listening to the CD of the soundtrack and watching the movie. How geeky is that?

3 words

2008-09-16T09:19:00.001-06:00

that sent a sickening chill down my spine.

Beverly
Hills
Chihuahuas

please look away...I may lose my lunch

within

2008-09-10T16:28:00.005-06:00

So, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of a church within a church. A smaller body of believers who function somewhat independently but are a part of a larger body.

First, every church building in America hosts a church within the Church.

Second, when a biblical community is functioning well, it is going to become a church within a church. It is going to meet the needs of community members--caring for those connected to it. I see this in my Sunday School class. We are bound together by common beliefs, we meet together, we meet each other's needs, and we have leadership to guide us. We are still a part of a larger body...Grace Chapel. So, what binds us to GC? Our common beliefs, our dedication to the same mission, the resources GC provides for us. Many of us attend the larger church service--so we get the same messages and can theoretically talk through those messages.

So, is there a problem with this concept? Is it wrong to have a church within a church?

Or more importantly--How can any such entity with its own identity stay connected to the whole? By submitting to the elders of the larger body and connecting through the vision and mission of the larger body, it is both possible and exciting to see smaller bodies unite to be one larger body.

41-14

2008-09-09T11:49:00.002-06:00

The Faiders are crying in Jokeland....they were annihilated by the Broncos last night...41-14!

One of my favorite parts about living in metro-Denver is being at the grocery store on game day. There were 10 or more people...not counting Trina and I...who were dressed in orange and blue. Hometown Spirit makes me smile.

MNF

2008-09-07T14:10:00.003-06:00

Looking forward to a satisfying game on Monday Night. May the Broncos play their best and use the Raiders as they should be used.

Monday Can't Come Soon Enough

2008-09-06T08:59:00.002-06:00

Broncos Raiders - Monday Night Intro
by kmonty27

Please note...this video is rated PG for language and for absolute hatred.

GO BRONCOS!!!!

Hypocrisy

2008-09-05T15:55:00.002-06:00

OK...at the last minute...I gave in an signed up for the Fireproof contest on Klove. I guess I will leave it up to God...maybe He wants me humbled. With my sweet uncle undergoing cancer surgery in LA this month, I'd hate to miss out on an opportunity to see him. Or at least that's my current justification.

Skype

2008-09-01T10:41:00.002-06:00

So, at the behest of one of my best friends in the world, I have now got skype. And I'm anxious to try it out by calling her but I have 2 problems.

1--she lives in Peru and therefore is not celebrating Labor Day today
2--I still don't have her Skype name

MLE--Please call or write or blog or something.

Better late than never

2008-09-01T09:12:00.002-06:00

We watched Facing the Giants last night. I know I'm late to the party, but that movie was really, really good. It made me think, and now I'm thinking how I can prepare my fields for God's rain. If you haven't seen it...ok, you probably all have...but if you haven't, its worth finding.