Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Response to the Call

I have a lovely college roomie.  Well, 7 lovely college roomies, but this post is about one of them and her blog this week.  Katie (whom I generally call by first and last name..but won't, because these are the interwebs and there are creepers out there.) wrote up this post two days ago about a refugee family living in Indianapolis.  I immediately commented and then called her.  The family has nothing.  As in, NUH-THING.  And, yes, I meant to yell that.  With a broken heart she called out to all her blog stalkers and interweb friends for help.

The response: overwhelming.  Because of the amount of donations she will be helping several refugee families in the apartment complex with basic necessities, like soap, coats and under garments. How awesome!

I am amazed at how a response to the Lord's call to "learn to do right, seek justice, encourage the oppressed,. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:17) is blessed!  I also find it breath-taking the number of people she has talked to with the same mindset.  "I have all this, but I didn't know where to take it.  I just want someone who really needs it to have it."  It's almost as if God were preparing people for this to happen.  : )  I love God - He's so cool.

So, for the next couple days I have dubbed myself the Southside Donation Driver.  Wanna help??  Send me an email and I'll gladly collect your donations and get them to Katie.

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:11, 12

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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Dear Peanut

You don't know me yet, but you will.  You'll call me (unless you create some awesome-tastic new name for me) Auntie Em.  Hopefully you'll want to come spend your Spring Break with me when you're in Middle School.  You and Sesame can play, but I'll take you to do some special things - just us.  We'll stay up and color and giggle and, if your Momma says it's okay, I'll take you to get a new outfit for school.  You see, you are a very special little girl.  You are my niece.  Auntie Em has only ever always wanted three things. First, to get married to a strong Christian man.  Second, to be a Momma and raise her children to know the Lord.  Third, to be an Aunt like her Aunt Becky was to her, and, trust me, that's a high bar to try and hit.  I am so glad you are finally here.

Your Momma and Daddy love you so much.  You'll have a great time learning all about ballet and baby dolls from Momma.  I have no doubt your Daddy will make sure you are well educated in all things geek. But most of all, your Momma and Daddy will take you to church and introduce you to the coolest dude of all, Jesus.

Do you know what Jesus did for you, Peanut?  He died for you on the cross, taking all the bad stuff you've done, and will ever do, and erased it.  If you believe that Jesus did this, died and rose again, you'll live forever in heaven with Grammy and Grandpa and Momma and Daddy and Uncle Conrad and Auntie Em.  Hopefully your cousin, Sesame, too.  But there's more to it than that.  You get to live this awesome life for Jesus!  You get to tell all your friends about him and do all kinds of things that show how much he loves you!  Isn't that cool!?

You are such a blessing and a gift Peanut.  I cannot wait to get to hold you and tell you stories!  What adventures we will have!  We'll build tents and paint pictures. You and Sesame will be best of buddies.  I think you two might have to be Batman and Robin for Halloween one year, even though you are girls.  :) And, most importantly, I'll keep you well stocked on hair bows and accessories!  : )  A girl needs her bling!

You are loved.  You are a miracle.  You are God's.


I love you Peanut.

Auntie Em
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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Random.


Husband took this.
Our expressions confirm two things:
1. I am most certainly her daughter.
2. We look even more alike with both of our hairs cut short
3. My daughters genes are nowhere near short on facial animation

Okay.
It confirms three things not two.


Sesame's dog, Amos, never leaves her side these days.


I don't know why.
Sometimes, when she's playing by herself, I hear her talking to Amos.
No, really!
She says, "Amos, boat bee doo hi mo."
She moves him around and everything. 


They're kind of best buddies.
Like an imaginary friend.
Only, he's physically present.
Not so sure about his mental faculties though.



The other day she brought him into the bathroom.
"Amos, bath."
She said.
"No," I responded, "Amos already had his bath."
She scowled at me and said, 
"Dirty. Shoo-Wee"
"No," I said again, "I already washed his hands and feet."
She eyed me up and down.
"Amos, sit."
she said and promptly placed him on the potty.



Someday they'll go on more adventures.
I'm content to have their adventures be limited to having tea parties
writing letters to family
and 
eating snack together.
Notice that list does not include bath time.
No baths for Amos.
That can only end in tears.


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Saturday, September 18, 2010

A Saturday Morning.

So.
This morning I woke up intending to make coffee, shower, dress Sesame and leave for a city 2 hours north of here.
What did  I end up doing???

Cleaning my entire kitchen counter off.
That's right.
The whole kitchen is evacuated.

Why???

I went to make coffee and found ants.
Not just a tiny trail as the song states.
It was more like, "the ants go marching 50 by 50, 
ew get them out of my kitchen hurrah, hurrah
the ants go marching 50 by 50 
Ah! they're crawling all over me I'm moving out of the house! hurrah hurrah!"

Seriously.
My kitchen was clean too.
I cleaned it yesterday.
With bleach.

So
I moved everything to my kitchen table


Sprayed the backsplash/wall area with raid
blocked the area off for all furry creatures and 
fuzzy headed little girls




Went to McDonald's drive thru for breakfast
carried the coffee pot upstairs



(because, let's face it, who can handle an ant invasion on a husbandless Saturday morning without coffee!)
turned on Elmo,
and let Sesame zone out.

I let her zone out so I could itch my entire body.
Ants, especially in droves, make me itchy.
Almost as much as the word lice.
Ew.

Ten bucks says your itching now too.

You're welcome.

My plan is to attack the area with bleach, and vinegar, and Jack Daniels alcohol, and any other kind of product that could possibly kill, destroy or annihilate the ants.
All during nap time of course.

The last thing I need is Sesame helping clean with Raid.
Disaster much?

When husband arrives home, we're calling the Terminex man,
or, whomever you call these days.
Because,
again,
ew.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Sonflowers.


"I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.


I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.


Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.


Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.


Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.  In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant."

Psalm 143:5-12
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Wordless (almost) Wednesday

Here is a new favorite photo of mine:


Why?  I really can't explain it.  She's just so expressive and this is a new(er) face.

Also, I love this photo:


Perhaps because this is one of the few items I have sewn for Sesame successfully. (Unlike her shirt last fall)  Or, perhaps, just because her chubby legs are adorable and I can imagine what expression is on her face.

What's your Wordless (almost) Wednesday look like?
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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

At what age...

...is finger-painting appropriate?  I ask because I'm almost certain that 19 months is too early for such a crafty activity.  Right?  I mean, you would have to be C-R-azy to attempt such an artistic event with a person of such midget-y stature.  Who, in their right mind would give their toddler, not yet two, finger paint?!

Puh-shaw.


I really did think she was ready for it.  I even considered putting our play dough mat down on the floor, or moving the easel to the kitchen.  Which is not carpeted.  I thought to myself, "That's silly, I'll be right there with her!  What could possibly go wrong!?"

Ahem.


Let me tell you what could go wrong:


1.  The phone could ring.
2.  In the time it takes you to get from the easel to the phone (4 large steps...I repeat...4 large steps away) you could turn around to find



cobalt blue and yellow paint - on the floor (near a grotesque arrangement of Homer hair.)
And



A large spoon covered from scoop to handle with the same assortment of colors.  Where did she get the spoon? No one knows.  Maybe Homer has a secret stash of all my missing flatware and socks.

Seriously folks.  3 seconds.  three.


3.  Upon realizing all of these items are covered in paint and strewn about, you might shriek "NO!," frighten said finger-painter, which cause here to dive into her blankie, leaving it mottled with yellow and blue as well.

4.  You might then end up covered in paint yourself while wrangling said child up to the tub.




Let me enlarge this a bit so you can see...


5. You might find that in your hurried state to submerge said Sesame into the tub, you failed to see the mass of T.P. deposited on the floor of the tub.  Which, after being soaked, turns into tiny shreds of floating toilet paper.  In the bath tub.  Where you are bathing your daughter.



Awesome.

All in all, the paint was washable and came out of every surface.  Except for Sesame's nose.  I think there's still a fragment of blue hiding up there.

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