Gettin' crafty

I couldn't decide what to get my mom for Christmas, so I decided to make something. For not being a particularly crafty person (in the literal sense, at least), I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

Now let's see how it travels to OK.

For anyone who may be interested, I got the idea from this site. There are lots of other fun uses for these easy rolled flowers as well. For the record, after traveling all over Goldsboro looking for fabric squares, I ended up buying an eighth of a yard of four kinds of fabric from a quilting shop, and I have plenty left over.

Almost a white Christmas

Irony is...

driving 12 minutes out of the way to the Wal-Mart outside of town to avoid crazy crowds only to discover that they closed their doors 2 minutes before I pulled into the parking lot. Well, at least I managed to avoid the crowds.

Please send help immediately

3 days of baking + 10 recipes(2 w/melted chocolate) + 2 packages sent - 0 dishes washed other than what needed to be reused for new recipes = 1 disasterous kitchen

But getting my 2 packages mailed off 5 minutes before the post office closed for Christmas was worth it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The best (male) cat I've ever had

I never had a male cat until we got Diego 14 months ago. I was somewhat hesitant to adopt a male cat because I had heard that they generally have more behavioral problems, like marking inside the house. Come to think of it, one of my former roommates, Leah, had a male cat. He peed on my bed, and Justin had a front row seat courtesy of our webcams. I was temporarily out of the room talking with Leah. She eventually gave the cat away to someone who could give him a good outdoor home.

So Justin and I both had our reservations about bringing a male cat into our home, but we had been wanting a cat for awhile when Diego was born in a neighbor's carport. So, we took a chance. And he was perfect. He never had a single accident, his presence helped keep our anxious beagle calm whenever we left the house, and he left us smiling and laughing on a daily basis, even when he tried to swing from our curtains in all his kittenish oneriness. I understand that some people don't care for cats in general. Personally, I think if you fall into this category that it can only be because you have never met a cat that breaks all the typical stereotypes...and there are many.

Diego was one of them. And his nine lives were much too short. We found him by the side of the road, hit by a car, last Friday morning. I don't know if I have ever grieved so much for a pet (Justin would say the same), but Diego was truly special and his loss so completely unexpected. There are so many things I miss about him on a daily basis. I might share some of them with you in the near future. They'll make you laugh (or at least chuckle). I pinky swear.

A great start for a Monday morning

There is something about videos like these that make me almost indescribably happy. I hope it brings a little joy to your day, too!

Election day humor

I may not be brilliant (or even close) when it comes to politics, but at least I know that Keynesian does not equal Kenyan. On the other hand, I did have to look up Keynesian, which happens to mean a person who believes in John Maynard Keynes' ideas that governments should intervene to help their country's economy. For those of you who are, strike that, were ignorant like me, consider yourselves edumacated. And have a good laugh at other people's expense when you watch this video. :)

Yum

By the way, this recipe has been a hit around here.

Hot chocolate cookies. Brilliant!

Enjoy...

For your reading (and contemplating) pleasure

This post about Lot's wife and the dangers of looking back particularly struck me today. (The post is from Bring the Rain, so those of you who follow her blog may have already seen/read it.) The past month or two in particular I have been struggling not to look back longingly for what could have been. This post was a good reminder that God is first of all concerned with our obedience in moving forward--simultaneously fleeing from sin while also growing in wisdom and trust in God's will--and that, as an added bonus, where he's asking us to go is also incomprehensibly better for everyone involved.

Sometimes it's just too hard to look past my own nose. We can't see the big picture, but we can have faith in its beauty, knowing the One who painted it.

What a gift. What a promise.

Keep on keepin' on, friends.

Please accept this video as an apology for my last post.

This one will be worth your time, I promise. I love Bob Newhart.

Why yes, I have too much free time. Why do you ask?

Parsley's Tale: A Tragedy*

Once upon a time there was an herb named Parsley. His life was pretty predictable, and one day Parsley started to feel down about his ho-hum life. He decided that maybe if he got some more direct sunlight instead of sitting on the kitchen window sill, maybe, just maybe, he would perk up a little. That's where his short, formerly predictable life went terribly, horribly wrong.

Parsley hadn't been sitting outside for more than a day or two when an unexpected and unwelcome visitor took notice. Lily, a furry giant, invaded Parsley's inviting home...

flattening Parsley in the process. His roommate Basil could only watch in horror. By the time a sympathetic human took notice and chased off the furry giant, Parsley had been critically wounded.


So he moved to a higher spot where the furry giant was less likely to invade and where he could either die in peace or make a miraculous recovery. But there was one thing Parsley (and the sympathetic human) simply had not counted on...

A bigger, more persistent furry giant named Diego, who determined that Parsley looked like easy prey and helped himself to a little snack. Until the sympathetic human came along.

Rest in peace, Parsley.

The End

*"Tragedy" carries a double meaning in this story. The author promises not to subject readers to more stories that will induce eye rolling, nausea, or decreased IQ. Thank you for humoring said author.

Help SouthCoast

Hello friends,

Some of you all may have already seen this through my Facebook page (or through Leah), but if you haven't, would you consider lending a hand?

My good friend and post-college roommate Leah McBride is in the running for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Do Good for the Gulf Grant! She started the SouthCoast Design/Build Center in MS a little over a year ago. The Center brings in architecture and interior design students each semester to help design and build houses for people who lost their homes through Katrina. It's a great program that could really use the financial support since it is still in the early stages. In fact, Leah and the other staff there have worked without a salary for the past year! $50,000 would go a looong way.

So how can you help? Well, the top 10 finalists receive grants, and finalists are determined by voting. You can vote every day from now until the end of August. You can only vote for one entry per day, but you can vote for up to 10 entries. And you can sign up through Pepsi (you have to give an email address, but they don't send you a thing), or you can vote through Facebook. There are a few hundred contestants, and as I said, the top 10 receive grants. SouthCoast is number 22, which is awesome and amazing, but it's been holding steady there for a few days. I'd love to see it move up in the rankings. And while you're at it, vote for other worthy ideas too! But you can vote for SouthCoast here:

gulf.refresheverything.com/southcoastdesignbuild

Even one vote will help, but if you vote multiple days, even better!

Thanks so much for reading, considering, voting, showing some love. And while you're at it, buy a Pepsi to help fund more worthwhile projects too!

Annnnnnd....

I'm free! No more work for a little while.

Time for a New England vacation complete with an unexpected lunch with my oldest friend, Katherine, and her baby girl, who just happen to be vacationing in Rhode Island this week. I love it when things like that fall together. Fun fun.

We're going to be driving through at least seven different states (including Vermont, one of the four states I have yet to visit) and Canada during this trip. Our plans kind of fell together at the last minute, and actually, almost all of the places we will be visiting will be new to me (and some of them new to Justin as well), so I'm really looking forward to some new adventures.

Oh how I love a good summer vacation! What exciting trips do you all have planned?

One project down...

And one really tedious project to go. This is a project I have had every summer and one that rarely holds my attention for more than an hour. My parents are coming next Saturday to visit for a week, and this project is due a week after they leave. Must focus!

I have to say, not having FB does help, but I still need to grow an attention span. And if you're reading this and have a blog, you should update a lot between now and mid-July so I have an enjoyable means for distraction. ;-) Just sayin'.

Christmas plans

It's looking like I'll need to make plans for Christmas.

By myself.

Boo.

Question for the day

Yesterday as I was driving home, I pulled up beside a Student Driver car. I was the third car in my lane. The Student Driver car was the first one in its lane. The student and instructor were calmly sitting in their car, two and a half car lenghths behind the white line at the light.

Why does this happen? Isn't the instructor there to "instruct" the new driver that she should pull up to the line? Or is that just too much for a new driver to handle? Hmm...

Bonus question for the day:

Why have I just dropped off Lily at the vet for the THIRD time in one week? She's getting to be one expensive girl, and if she and Diego don't start playing nice, we might not even be able to keep her.

Sigh.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Reunions, Facebook, kittens, and other matters

Hi.

It's been a while.

I don't have much to say that's coherent, but I thought it was about time for an update.

My husband is home. And it is good. We spent Memorial Day weekend in TN, and now life is about to get very busy for the both of us. Justin is leaving me again just for a few days this week and then he's going to start the somewhat long and involved process of becoming a "lead" (that's my made up term, not the official term) pilot (as opposed to just a co-pilot). He's also working on his final master's class! Yeah, I know. My husband's awesome.

I have 200 hours worth of work to do (hopefully) in the next 5 weeks. That's a lot. If I work at the pace I worked this week, I'll never make it. This was the final straw that meant...

I deactivated my Facebook account. It's remarkable really how few emails I get when I don't have Facebook to send me updates. I have to admit, this makes me a little sad. But, I shall pick myself up and learn not to find a sense of validation in who is emailing/Facebook-ing me... I hope.

Actually, deactivating a Facebook account is fairly laughable. All I have to do is sign back in and, without so much as a confirmation email, everything is right back where I left it...history, friends, wall posts, and all. I guess there's a more complicated process I could go through to actually delete my account, but I haven't decided for sure if I'm coming back. I'm too dependent on it, the privacy concerns worry me, and this month I just don't have the time to keep up with it. And if I don't remove my connection to it altogether, I will continue to check it every day--multiple times a day. That's just inevitable when I work on a computer all day and am looking for distractions. On the other hand, if you are reading this, I will miss FB for keeping up with you.

Another kitten adopted us. Just before Justin came home. And Justin said we could keep her. :) After paying the bill for getting her spayed and vaccinated, though, Justin is beginning to have second thoughts. Meet Tiger Lily. Lily for short. (We considered naming her cricket because she "sings" all the time with this little trill that makes her sound kind of like a cricket.) Right now she is missing half of the hair on her belly, but this is her the night she showed up on our porch.

Who could resist that beautiful calico face? Not the Cooks, that's for sure. Once she recovers from her surgery, I'm not sure how much she'll stay outside and how much she'll be in. She's learning to get along with our other pets and has already scratched Eddie on his eyeball once. Good thing it wasn't too deep. Still. Poor guy.

Well, I think that about sums up life for us right now. I might disappear into a work-induced fog for the next month or so, but if I don't post for a month, well, what else is new, right?

Feel free to send me a note every now and then to ease my FB withdrawls. :-)

Ugh

I am in such a weird little funk today, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. My only guess is that it must be a case of the post-traveling, home to an empty house, doldrums. I really wasn't expecting them this time around, though, because Justin will be back home SOON! But, it's unmistakable; I am feeling quite blah today.

I had such a fun little trip to Dover and DC, filled with kiddos and great friends! I came to be best buds with Laurel (and really wish I had a picture to post--she is such a free spirit and was not afraid of me in the least...unlike most kids, haha); had a great time catching up with Kaylie, Phill, Rachel, and Jill; and then I got to briefly meet Sophia Jane on the way home. Remember my friends Matt and Ann who caught the garter and the bouquet at our wedding and then got hitched? They just welcomed Sophia Jane into the world on Cinco de Mayo.

And she is gorgeous and perfect. And so is her mama, who does not at all look like she just spent the last nine months carrying a child in her belly. You'll just have to take my word for that one, but those of you who have seen Matt and Ann's pictures know that that's the truth.

So now all I need is a big ol' helping of patience, prayers for volcanic ash to stop hanging over the Atlantic already (because even if it doesn't affect us, it is keeping more than a few of our friends apart), and the motivation to stop procrastinating and get to work already so that I have no distractions when my man comes home!!

...

Is it next week yet?

Question...

Do croutons and chocolate chips count as dinner?

Overcomers

For all of you who have shared the pain of a miscarriage with me (too many--I am reeling), for all of you who, regardless of the reason, need a little hope and reassurance that grief doesn't last forever, I just want to share this post with you. It made me cry...in a good way. God is so good. He does so much more than we could ever ask or imagine.

"In this world you will have trouble." Period. That's all there is to it. No room for argument.

But there's more. Thank God, there is more.

"But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.

Self-discipline...or the lack thereof

A few years ago I decided to give up chocolate for Lent. I had always told myself that chocolate seemed like a silly thing to give up for Lent. After all, it didn't seem very probable that chocolate and spirituality could be linked. But I was on a binge of doing things that scared me--and the thought of giving up chocolate DID scare me. So I gave up chocolate for 40 some odd days, and I discovered that I did not break into seizures if I did not have chocolate on a daily--or even weekly--basis.

But this year I'm thinking that maybe I should make giving up chocolate for Lent an annual thing. For one reason and one reason only. My favorite candy of all time.

When I was in high school and college, there was a limited edition Blue Bunny ice cream that would make an appearance on the shelves every so often. It was, and still is, my gold standard for ice cream. When that ice cream was in stock, I would down a gallon (that's two containers of ice cream, people) a week until it disappeared off the shelves again a month or so later. Fortunately for my waistline and unfortantely for my taste buds, I haven't seen that ice cream in years. Cadbury mini eggs have a similar hold on me. I can easily go through a bag every two days until they go off the shelves. When it comes to these babies, I have no self-restraint whatsoever. And they've been around long enough now that I don't think I'll see them discontinued any time soon.

It might be time to take drastic action. Not just because I might gain 50 lbs by Easter but because regardless of whether chocolate and spirituality are linked, I'm fairly certain that God's a fan of self-discipline...and not so much a fan of gluttony, whatever form that may take.

What's your food-realted weakness?

Well hello, March

Just like the fluctuating temperatures you are sure to bring, so are my thoughts toward you this year.

Tasty, tasty

I feel so reassured knowing that I'm among fellow Pioneer Woman fans. Still, whether or not you're a fan, while I'm thinking about it I just wanted to make sure that I also proclaimed my love for Tasty Kitchen, the recipe collection site PW began six months or so ago (kind of like allrecipes only better, and getting even better by the day). While you don't necessarily know what you're going to get with allrecipes, Tasty Kitchen is chock full of recipes posted by people who operate their own food blogs. Of course, this isn't true of every recipe, but still, I've found it very hard to go wrong with Tasty Kitchen. The site isn't quite as easy to navigate as far as search features go, but that hasn't bothered me too much. What I particularly like about this site are the daily featured recipes. I don't always know what kinds of things I want to make on any given week, so I like to check out this feature most days to see if something strikes me. Narrowed options are good. In my case, very good.

Go forth and make quality recipes. You're not likely to be disappointed.

Obsession?

Last night, I actually had a dream about Pioneer Woman. She wasn't just in my dream, my dream was about her. And I really couldn't tell you what she was doing. It involved sketching murals and leading a crowd of people. I don't have dreams about people very often. This was very odd. I just hope this doesn't mean that my fascination is morphing into obsession. I'm really just not that kind of girl.

But, I did learn this morning that she's having another word nerd quiz tonight. Maybe my dream was just a sign that I might actually finally win one of her quizes.

Maybe?

Hey, a girl can dream.

Thank you so much for your prayers

I feel like this is probably too much information, but I know some of you would like an update. Let's keep things vague and just say that I'm certain the worst is over. Last night was miserable and particularly so because Justin had his own problems to deal with--he had been sick in bed all day and all night before. Fortunately, though, and for this I am SO grateful, I was not sick with Justin's illness on top of everything else. As far as where to go from here, I'll keep having appts to have my blood taken until there is virtually no trace of the pregnancy hormone, and then we can move on. Justin's taking another all expenses paid 75-day vacation to the sandbox exactly two weeks from now, so I'd really appreciate prayers that we can enjoy the last of our time together before he leaves too.

Thanks so much to all of you, and if there's any way I can pray for you, please let me know so I can return the favor!

Why oh why...

...do examine room clocks have ticking second hands? Especially when patients are sitting in there alone for 20 mins.

FAIL.

Praising God through the storm

This morning I want to share something very personal with you--which I didn't think I would share (at least right now), but I feel like it's very important for two reasons. The first is to pass along a heartfelt warning, offered with a prayer that someone else will be the better off for it. The second (but not least) is to glorify God and publicly thank him for his grace, of which I am so undeserving. We are all undeserving.

Well, now I must have you really wondering what I could possibly have to share that could be so personal. Just this: I'm going through a miscarriage. I was "diagnosed" last Friday but am still waiting for my body to go through the actual process. I would be 11 weeks this Friday. Now, I know that not everyone who gets pregnant immediately after going off birth control has a miscarriage. There's no scientific evidence proving a correlation; however, I know the same thing happened to at least one other friend of mine, and (I now know) that some doctors speculate that a correlation does exist. I'm sure I would have learned this if I had paid attention/done my research, but I didn't, and here I am--wondering if waiting a month would have made a difference. You can do with that information what you wish, but if that's news to just one person who reads this, then I pray it makes a difference.

Which brings me to my other reason for this post. I think the one thing that is carrying Justin and me through this time is Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." If we did not have our hope in Christ, and if we did not believe that God will use this circumstance for good--this circumstance that never would have happened if this world were not a fallen one--I know that there is NOTHING ELSE that would get us through this. Sure, we'd live to tell about it, but we would have no hope. And I can't imagine what that would be like.

Part of believing that God will work this out for good is being thankful that I can now relate and minister to others who have gone through or will go through this situation. And that's another reason I'm posting this here. I am so grateful to the women in my life who have gone through this, were open about it at that time, and have been willing to relive their experience to walk with me through mine. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It would have been so much harder to believe that I was alone. I want to be brave enough to let others who go through this much too common experience know that they are not alone.

Most of all, I want to be able to encourage others, no matter what their circumstance may be. In the midst of our hurt and our disappointment, Justin and I have joy because we know that we serve a God who is sovereign and good, and not just good but who is good to us even though we are undeserving. A God who creates life and, in this fallen world, takes it away, whether it be in the womb or at age 111. A God who sent his son to die for us and to redeem us from our sin if we will only believe and turn to him. A God who gives us eternal life with him and, I believe, with the child I never got to meet on this earth. Oh, praise God for the hope he has given us in Jesus!

Thank you for your prayers during this difficult time. I'm praying that you all are blessed with the joy of the Lord today.

This morning I'm reminded that I am not a "winner"

Oh, it's a sad start to Monday morning. It's my own fault, I suppose. Have I mentioned that I love Pioneer Woman? She's funny, she's compassionate, she posts lots of no-fail recipes, and she's an Oklahoma gal. What's not to love? Oh, and she has giveaways. A lot of GOOD giveaways. Which I do enter, but I never win. First of all because she can have 10-20,000 people enter any one giveaway. Secondly because I'm A LOSER! And I don't say that with a shred of self-contempt. I just never win anything. It's okay. I've (basically) accepted my place in the world.

Some of her giveaways involve quizzes on individual subjects. This past week she's posted a couple vocabularly quizzes, and she always tells her readers exactly what time these quizzes will take place. The first person to answer correctly wins the first place prize, and then more winners are randomly chosen to receive a lesser prize. Far fewer people enter these types of contests, too--closer to 4,000--so the odds are better. I entered the first quiz, but I didn't make an effort to be the first commenter. My theory is that it's easier to be a random winner than the first place winner. Some of those people are fast! At any rate, nothing came of that quiz. But PW posted a second quiz, and this time I enlisted Justin as my accomplice. We got online as soon as the quiz was posted and answered the questions together as fast as we accurately could. (And yes, this did involve Google. Who wants to know? Did I mention that first prize was a Kindle and the "lesser" prizes were something like $75 to Amazon? Exactly.) Fourteen minutes later, we posted our answers.

And now we come to the sad part. Sad because I am not enough of a skeptic. During the quiz all comments are hidden until the winners are announced. So last night before bed we checked to see if the winners had been posted. They hadn't just yet, but comments were slowly being revealed. I looked at the comments, and...wait for it...my comment was the very first one! And it seemed that the only comments that had been posted thus far were the ones that had all the correct answers. So hope was born. False hope. And I went to sleep.

At five o'clock this morning I woke up and my brain demanded answers. I got online. All 3500+ comments were up. Mine was number 557. Commenter #4 had been announced as the winner. Reality laughed in my face. The natural order has been restored once again.

If you're a "winner," you should definitely check out some of Pioneer Woman's giveaways. If you can't beat 'em, delight in someone else's success. Why not one of you?

A baby blog

I've added a new blog to my sidebar--something shara--which has been termed a "baby blog" by its author and my talented friend Sharalee. It's a baby blog because it was born just today. Welcome to the world something shara!

Sharalee is, dare I say, a multifaceted gal. College roommate. Running buddy. Blossoming photographer (definitely way past budding). Jewelry maker. Lover of kittens and edgy self-portraits. Always the capacity to surprise.

Sharalee agreed to be our wedding photographer 2 1/2 years ago. It was so nice to have her there both as a friend and as someone willing to say, "Okay indecisive people. Let's try this pose." Naturally she took some incredible pictures, and then she went above and beyond with the time she put into editing.

Now Sharalee is a full-blown entrepreneur. In addition to her photography, she makes and sells fun, flirty, and emo (multifacted, I tell you) bottlecap jewelry and a smattering of other accessories. You can check out her store here. And if you're a photography buff, I know you'll enjoy Sharalee's new blog. Check it out. Share some blog love.

Humor and faith

Don't know if any of you follow Stuff Christians Like. I did for a while and then kind of stopped reading the blogs of people I don't know (with the exception of the four listed on the sidebar). Even though I stopped reading it, I still think the author, Jon Acuff, is incredibly gifted at using humor both to expose our "acceptable" sins on the one hand and to really pass along an infectious joy in knowing and living out the gospel on the other hand.

I saw today that Jon used his blog to raise $60,000 to build two kindergartens in Vietnam, and I found that pretty stinking impressive. Even more impressive was that the original goal of $30,000 was met in 18 short hours. Wow. I just spent at least an hour reading through his posts about raising the money (the posts started last Nov.), and his words of joy and surprise at watching God at work through those who donated really lifted my spirit today. Many of the donations made were just $1, $,5, or $10. I encourage you to visit Stuff Christians Like if you ever need a good laugh. I also encourage you to think about how you can stretch out $1, $5, or $10, whether it's giving to Haiti relief, donating to some other cause, or giving money or food to someone you see who needs it. If Jesus can feed 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and some fish, you can be sure, too, that he can do some pretty amazing things with just a few dollars. I ignored the chance to give to someone who needed it yesterday, and personally, I am on the lookout for another opportunity...

Why hello there, audience of three :-)

Okay, so I do actually plan to post a little something now and then. Today, I just want to record a few small inspirations. Congrats to my friend Katherine (who judging by the comments on my last post isn't even still checking this blog--hehe), who just welcomed her first little one into the world! Aurora Jane is already a little beauty and I can hardly believe how much life can change in one day. Okay, maybe that inspiration isn't so little. Who's next? Haha.

Justin and I watched Julie and Julia the other night. While I found it rather over the top in many ways, I now have the desire to track down a Julia Child recipe...and to learn a few tried and true cooking techniques. Which makes me want to ask if any of you have any quality recipes/cookbooks to share (not necessarily a la Julia Child, just something you've recently discovered or rediscovered). After Thanksgiving, I decided to try turkey pot pie to make a dent in our turkey leftovers. I've never been much for carrots, celery, or peas, so I really didn't expect to like turkey pot pie that much, but Justin and I both fell in love. Well, as much as one can fall in love with food. It's really more of a casserole than a pie. The filling is topped with a peppery cheddar biscuit. Major yum. And Justin gave me a food processor for Christmas so now it's even easier to make! You can check out the recipe for yourself here.

Well, I think that's all for now. Baby steps, you know. One last question to leave you with: Anyone make any New Year's resolutions this year?

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

Anyone still out there?


Any point in attempting to start updating again?

Thank you. You've been a beautiful audience.

Oh dear.

Now I've really lost you.