Krissa's Ramblings

10 AM

2012-02-06T15:52:00.005-06:00

Day 5 is fairly self-explanatory. It is a sleepy Daly as the lock screen of my phone at 10 AM.

A Stranger

2012-02-06T15:42:00.004-06:00

I am a fairly shy person when it comes to strangers. My classic line is, "My parents trained me so well that even 30+ years later, I still don't talk to strangers." I knew getting a picture of a stranger for the February Photo-A-Day challenge was going to be just that, a challenge. These days I spend most of my time at home, at work, or commuting back and forth so running into a stranger is not a common occurrence. Additionally, Day 4 was a Saturday which meant that my main tasks for the day would be church and homework in the evening. Now I usually take the free ride and carpool with my parents for the 50 mile ride to church (I know that seems excessive, but I enjoy getting to see all 3 of my living grandparents each week), but my mom was sick and Dad had been up all night with her. Since I was slated for my first public outing as the new church treasurer--giving the offering call--I couldn't forgo the trip and visit a closer church. But, I digress. Since I know the majority of the church members at least by sight, I couldn't snap a pic there. In the end I decided to go with a shot of the driver in the car behind me as I was about to turn into my neighborhood.

Hands

2012-02-06T15:38:00.002-06:00

The inspiration for Day 3's photo was hands. I was thinking of taking a picture of Daly's paws or a close up of Titania's polydactyl pretties,but forgot to do so before leaving for work. In the end I chose to share a picture of my hands as they often are in my cold office--gloved.

Words

2012-02-02T17:09:00.001-06:00

Here is my picture for day 2 of the Feb Photo A Day challenge. It is a photo of one of the texts I am reading for school. It is about Strategic-Focused Pastoral Counseling.

A (P)Interesting Thing to Do

2012-02-01T16:45:00.004-06:00

A couple of days ago while browsing the wonderful time-suck that is Pinterist, I came across a fun looking Photo-A-Day guide for February. I would have probably forgotten all about it if a friend hadn't emailed me this morning encouraging me to do it with her (and her fans out in radioland). But with her encouragement, I've accepted the challenge. Additionally, since my blog is kind of on the slim side, I've decided to upload my daily photos here for anyone who may stumble upon it. (Of course, that is all based on the assumption that someone other than myself checks out my blog occasionally.) Anyway, Day One is "your view today". I was hoping to get a pic of the Boston skyline that I see everyday on my way in to work, but the soupy fog that lingered during my commute blocked it today. So, instead, I give you a picture from my 3rd floor office office window. I usually keep the blinds closed due to glare on the computer screens, but today I parted them for a few hours. Without further adieu here is my view of the Mass Pike, trees, and one of the other radio stations here on radio row.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

2012-01-21T07:46:00.001-06:00

Since I first woke up to Daly having a middle of the night seizure in mid-November last year, I have become hyper-alert to the noises she makes during the night. I wake to sounds of her drinking copious amounts of water, eating her dry food, shoveling around in the litter box, and playing obstacle course in the wrapping and tissue paper laden closet. I've also awoken to her having two more seizures. This morning, around 5:30, I heard a new sound. I couldn't place it but knew it was a sound that involved Daly. I quickly turned on the bedside light and turned towards the sounds. I was greeted by Daly squirming her way out of my dresser drawer! I had left it cracked open and she took advantage of the cave-like comfort it provided.

Thinking Ahead

2011-12-22T16:39:00.005-06:00

As 2011 is wrapping up I have spent some time thinking about the last year and what I would like 2012 to look like. This year was full of experiences—both good and bad—that I had little control over. A couple examples are losing my job in Memphis, house drama, the death of O’Malley, Daly’s epilepsy, the birth of my niece, and a renewed closeness both with and to my family. I have had some wonderful opportunities this year such as attending my first ever Pink Party in New York City, meeting new people, advancing in my studies, and the adoption of Titai into our clan.

I have also seen myself grow more anxious and discontented; things that I do not want to carry into next year. So instead of resolutions for 2012 I have decided to start a list of goals and action items for 2012 that I expect will transform as the days, weeks, and months go by. This list is a mixture of things I want to reduce in my life and those things I want to nurture and grow. Each item should be something that I can directly impact; something that happens because of my choosing. While some things are a variation on resolutions gone by, the reasoning behind them is different. Other items are a result of themes that seem to keep popping up in my life. Here is what I have so far. Let me know how they compare to what is on your list.

Goals and Action Items for 2012

1. Warrior Dash with LadyBoyd - September 2012

- Cardio & Strength training is needed.

2. Reduce Negativity

- Consistent quiet time for devotions and reflections

- Limit contact with negative people

- Limit amount of time/effort spent complaining/discussing/dwelling on hurts/wrongs which not only contribute to my own negativity but to that of others as well

- Exercise (for endorphin release)

3. Declutter

- Physically – reduce possessions

- Monetarily – reduce spending and debt

- Diet – eat more whole foods, less processed foods

- Emotions – along with reducing negativity, setting time aside for journaling/blogging

Extracurriculars

2011-11-28T13:36:00.005-06:00

As can be readily seen my attempt to blog every day this month has been less than stellar. While my blogging as been lax, life has been anything but. Outside of the normal working days, my extracurriculars have gone into overdrive. On the first of the month my new niece was born and on the 20^th was the shower. My current class, Systematic Theology I, is kicking my butt. The reading is very difficult and my memory retention these days is not what it used to be (as my quizzes are showing). I had a quick trip to Memphis to pick up the kitty that has since adopted my mom. The dynamics between the two cats has been less than ideal. To top it all off Daly had two seizures in less than two weeks which resulted in two middle of the night emergency vet trips (Tufts in Grafton is amazing!), lots of tests and expenses, and a diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. She started what will become a lifetime dependency on anti-convulsion medication this weekend. Thankfully, she is still as cute as ever even if she is shaved in some funny places Daly’s epilepsy is pushing me to find an apartment closer to work as soon as possible. She has to be given her medication every 12 hours and since stress is a contributing factor to seizures, having her and Titai live in separate homes will reduce the stress for everyone involved. Unfortunately, I am now more anxious for her in addition to trying to cope with the new levels of anxiety that have come as part of my move back to Massachusetts.

My goals for the upcoming month are to (start and then) finish my paper on the Theology of the Doctrine of Creation a little early, register and pick out my classes for next semester, have my house in Memphis prettied up enough (new carpet, etc) to get rented out before the end of 2011, find an apartment closer to work, and move (with Daly). Of course I have little control over the Memphis items, but have signed on with what appears to be a good property management company so I’m praying that it goes according to plan. Not being able to have any impact on what is happening is quite frustrating for a mild control freak like me.

Daly

2011-11-15T20:57:00.001-06:00

Here is my sweet girl. She's had a hard time adjusting to the new feline in the house. Daly is such a scaredy cat that at times her attempts to flee from Titai's presence are amusing. But she is forever and always my baby girl.

Still Searching

2011-11-14T21:17:00.002-06:00

I am still searching for the cure to my sinus and throat issues. The fever seems to be gone but the running sinuses and scratchy, burning throat are a constant. I've ruled out an uptick in allergies with the addition of another cat as last night they were still bothering me and I stayed at a friend's house. I'm hoping that two cups of the Sleepytime Throat Tamer with honey will help tonight. Of course cuddles with Daly are on the menu as well.

Accomplished

2011-11-13T22:21:00.001-06:00

Feeling very accomplished tonight. Even though I am still fighting sickness I decided to join my friends for breakfast and a study hall. I was sad that I missed the sleepover. (Mom was worried about my pallor and lingering sore throat due to my history of strep so we had a date with Urgent Care last night. Good news is that it isn't strep. Bad news is that I just need to wait it out.) Thanks to the prodding of my friend P, I picked up bagels and made my way to the morning after party. What a nice treat to see friends from NH, NJ, and ME.

I even got enough reading done to write up my discussion board and take my quiz. Thankfully I got 100% on the quiz. I totally credit the study notes that were provided. I should've used them last week. Lesson learned.

Surreal

2011-11-11T20:49:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had one of those moments that you think of as only happening on TV or in the movies? It happened to me today. I had just left my office building and was walking towards the street to cross over to the parking garage. My hands were tucked in the pockets of my buttoned up grey pea coat with the brisk November wind streaming across my face. I was listening to the sound of my high heeled boots on the pavement, thinking about my life and wondering if some of my recent decisions were the right ones as I know many of my past ones did not turn out as expected--not necessarily for the better. Walking in the deepening darkness I was suddenly struck with the thought that at that moment I was living out a scene in an Adele video.

Has that ever happened to you?

Slacker

2011-11-11T11:52:00.003-06:00

I have been slacking off with regard to my NaBloPoMo duties. It is amazing how far behind you can get when travel and sickness make it onto your agenda. (Not to mention a fairly boring life filled with commutes and fighting cats.) I am finding it very hard to believe that today is Friday. I'm also behind in my reading for my current class, Systematic Theology I. That is some difficult reading. I am a girl who prefers plot lines and character development, so reading about types of criticism, theology, and philosophy and how they are interact is very slow going. But I must carry on since I have a quiz and discussion board posting as well as my research paper topic to submit this weekend. This morning I also realized that I've been slacking off on my coffee drinking. The last cup of coffee I had was Monday morning just before hitting up the airport to come home. This is surprising because, while I've givien up coffee at various times in the past, I have fallen back into my 2-3 cup a day habit. Darn you, free K-cup coffee at work! I started to notice that if I skip my coffee on Saturdays, then a mild headache starts on Sunday. Never a good thing to be so reliant on any substance except for air and water. But due to greatly disliking airplane coffee and then being sick for two days, coffee was just not on the menu. Though yesterday was my first day back at work, I was still feeling icky and opted for Green Tea with honey. Same with today. While I am not going to be so bold as to say that my love affair with coffee is over, I think it is time to make it a special treat and not a daily fix. Wonder how long my determination will last?

Comfy

2011-11-10T20:23:00.004-06:00

Titai is adapting quite well to her new surroundings. She is soaking up all of the attention and is very good about not advancing when Daly notices her. Daly's anxiety is kicking in and she will stare, growl, hiss and run away when she sees her new sister. Hopefully, it will not be much longer before they can tolerate each other without the sound effects or bushy tails. I'm currently getting over my usual seasonal transition sickness that takes over my throat and sinus. I was out of work for two days and am having a hard time keeping track of what day today is. If only I was better about not procrastinating on my reading homework. I'll be cramming theology this weekend.

Weekends

2011-11-06T22:48:00.001-06:00

There really isn't much that is better than just doing nothing with friends knowing that they expect you to be only what you are. It is that feeling of relaxedness. The ability to just be yourself without the stress of being "on" and the feeling that no matter what you say or do you will remain unjudged and loved for who you are. The ability to vent about the frustrations of being a responsible grown up knowing that they too refuse to live a life of ignorance by choice. How I've missed this.

Titania: a polydactyl purring queen

2011-11-05T00:41:00.001-05:00

It seems like Titai remembers me well. She came running across the room when I called her to come to bed. It is nice for all of us to hear her purring a mile a minute. I hope she is just as happy when we go home. It will be a very bittersweet and weepy goodbye for all of us.

Trying something new

2011-11-03T20:28:00.001-05:00

Since I decided to try to post every day this month and this month has been super busy already, I just downloaded the Blogger app. So I am doing this post on my iPhone while listening to Wil Wheaton read Ready Player One. Of course I should be reading my homework and packing for this weekend's visit to Memphis. I am making a quick trip down to bring back my dear friend Titania - a beautiful 13 year old cat who never adjusted to family life with a now 3 year old human and a couple of dogs. I am honored to be trusted enough to adopt her and anxious for her to accept us and the move.

NaBloPoMo

2011-11-02T15:23:00.004-05:00

Since I have once again been sorely lacking on the blogging front, I think it is time to participate in the annual NaBloPoMo like I have in the past. As per usual, I'm starting a bit late. But I have a good excuse. In addition to being without power at home since Saturday night (if you are keeping track that is 4 nights and 3 days, and counting), we also welcomed a beautiful new addition to the family. My brother and SIL had their little girl K yesterday morning. The fun part of this is that she was born on her older brother D's 9th birthday. I was able to stop in at the hospital for a few minutes to meet her and help my brother and his wife change baby K's diaper. And it was totally a 3 person job!

Here's hoping that when I get home from my intro to belly dancing class sometime after 8:30pm tonight that we will have power restored. We are the only street in our neighborhood--that I noticed anyway--to still be without power. And since we have electric heat and there is snow on the ground, it is making for a very chilly house.

What is Your Love Language?

2011-10-13T10:15:00.004-05:00

I recently took a short quiz online to help determine what my love language is. It turned out to be pretty right on. The results echo what I keep saying in regards to one of the reasons behind my singleness: If you can't make me one of your top 3 priorities, then don't bother. In the past I've noticed that what hurts me the most is lip service that is never backed up. As this has happened repeatedly, with a few different people, I'm very sure that the behavior is not one I tolerate and will not put up with. I don't want to hear that you want to spend time with me; do it. Don't cancel. I don't want to be an afterthought. Ever. All the gifts in the world won't make up for it and I will remember it as you making a conscience decision not to make time for me. I don't want to be "squeezed in" when you find it convenient. Even in my friendships, I'm the most content just hanging out. Of course, hanging out watching something sci-fi related is always a good thing. Love Language Scores: 6 Words of Affirmation 11 Quality Time 1 Receiving Gifts 8 Acts of Service 4 Physical Touch Quality Time

In Quality Time, nothing says "I love you" like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes you feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed activities, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

Five Things I learned this weekend

2011-08-08T14:05:00.003-05:00

Having a +1 membership card is a wonderful thing. I’ve been wanting to see the Chihuly exhibit at the MFA and decided this was the weekend to go for several reasons; it was the last weekend of the exhibit and it was free to all BoA card holders. But when the T pulled up to the stop, we were told that the line was around the block to get in. And it was raining. Hard. Thankfully the friend I went with has an awesome dad who gave her a +1 membership to the MFA for Christmas. So instead of waiting for hours in the long, wet line we went right in. It pays to be a member.
Just hearing the voice of my friends back in Memphis (and their little ones) makes me smile and want to hop on a plane. How I miss you all.
I was overwhelmed at the menu from a vegan Thai restaurant. I’m not used to having so many options.
Vegan/Veggie “shrimp” is disgusting.
I am a little crestfallen when I realize that my cat wasn’t curled up at my feet at all the previous night. But seeing her jump around in circles at the sight of me in the morning almost makes up for it.

My Spring & Summer Reading/Listening List

2011-06-15T11:18:00.004-05:00

I realized today that I have gone through more books and audio books in the last two and a half months than I have in a long time. Here is a list, to the best of my recollection, of what has been occupying my brain these days. (I’m only including books that I read in their entirety and not the ones that I only skimmed for class.) Thanks go to Audible.com, the Leominster Public Library, and my brother for most of the list.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke – Nancy Atherton

Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed – Nancy Atherton

The Tent – Margaret Atwood

The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown – Audio Book

Naked Heat – Richard Castle – Audio Book

My Life in France – Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme

The Gargoyle – Andrew Davidson – Audio Book

Stuff – Randy O. Frost and Gail Stekeet – Audio Book

Across the Nightingale Floor – Lian Hearn – Audio Book

Dune – Frank Hebert – Audio Book

Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult – Audio Book

Fever Dream – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child – Audio Book

Gideon’s Sword – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark – Audio Book

Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job – Robert Sutherland

The Traveler – John Twelve Hawks – Audio Book

Additionally, I’m in the middle of the following and should be done with them shortly:

West with the Night – Beryl Markham – Audio Book

This Fine Life: A Novel – Eva Marie Everson – Kindle eBook

Best Friends Forever – Jennifer Weiner

I checked out the next two Aunt Dimity books from the Library to read on my Maryland trip for my cousin’s wedding at the end of the month and will be downloading some new audio books this weekend. What do you think should be on my reading list next?

Time Goes By

2011-06-02T21:25:00.005-05:00

It has been two months since I left my life and independence in Memphis to move back to my old job and into my parents’ house—I house I had never before called home. There is a strange sense of déjà vu. Many of the faces at work and church are the same. But they are different. Five and a half years does not go by without leaving a trace. I am still floundering; trying to find my way. Most of my days are filled with work, 80+ mile round trip commute, lots of audio books, and family obligations. I’m taking the summer off of school to try to get settled. Not so sure that it is working. There are still a lot of unknowns: when/if my house will be sold to my friends, how much it is going to cost me when it does sell, and how long I will have to live in the guest room until I can afford to move out (hopefully closer to work). I’m not a big fan of the unknown and am impatiently waiting for a glimpse of the information needed to point me towards what is next.

Today is the one month anniversary of O’Malley’s death. I miss her dearly. She was so sick and weak, but held out as best as she could for me to get back to her. Such a brave girl. I stayed with her through the end; watching the light go out of her eyes and heard the death rattle after the vet’s needle gave her relief from her pain. She was cremated and I have her ashes in a small cedar box on the dresser with the handwritten sympathy card from the vet who only got to meet her twice. I pass by, pat her box, and think fondly of my special, temperamental feline. She is missed. I can tell that Daly gets a bit lonely. She sometimes paces the hallway or circles a room wondering where “sister” is. This last weekend was her first time alone for more than a day. She was very eager to have me home and I was eager to cuddle up to her. Maybe when we find our new home she will get to be the “big” sister…

O'Malley's urn, certificate of cremation, The Rainbow Bridge, and the card from the vet.

Statistic

2011-04-25T15:58:00.008-05:00

Since my last post there has been a lot of change in my life that has left me feeling very much like a statistic and reeling in the wake of so much uncertainty. In February I was notified that I would soon be joining the ranks of those who had been downsized. While this wasn't a total surprise considering the lack of economical upturn at my office and some other trends I had noticed, it was still a shock that it was happening now. I was just a few weeks shy of my 11 year anniversary with the company.

A few weeks later (while still working), I found out that my beloved cat O'Malley was diagnosed with GI cancer. She had been having health problems since October and it just seemed like one thing after another--long lasting double ear infection, severe constipation & vomiting, and a resurgence of her gum disease that called for a good teeth cleaning. When the lymph node in her neck refused to go down and her weight continued to drop we did a lymph node biopsy. I got the news I was dreading: Her lymph node tested positive for cancer. O'Malley, estimated to be about 11 years old, has been with me for the past 9 years. It was just the two of us for the first few months in our new home of Memphis. She's been my comfort in times of great stress and sorrow. She's been my constant companion when I felt the most alone and unsure. And now, she had been given a terminal prognosis: just 3-6 months. Since chemo would not get rid of her cancer and only extend her life a few months but with considerable discomfort, I decided that I would honor her aversion to all things vet/needle related and treat her with steroids to help manage the pain. Now, two months after hearing the news on February 21, 2011 she is shrinking before my eyes. My only comfort when I trace her protruding spine and haunches is that she continues to purr defiantly and maintains an impeccable grooming schedule.

After much thought along with ever changing scenarios and after a short time of unemployment, I accepted a job transfer that would bring me back to Boston. Due to the short notice (just over a week to relocate back to New England) and the small issue of not only owning a house in Memphis but being woefully underwater, it was decided that I would join the ranks of the Boomerang Generation. Moving in with my parents is quite an adjustment. This house has never been my home. It has been almost 20 years since I lived with my parents full-time because I lived with my grandparents for a year before starting high school at a boarding academy and then off to college and out on my own. These first three and a half weeks have gone by quickly. It almost doesn't feel real yet. The lack of personal space feels like I'm on an extended family visit. The long week days of leaving the house before 7a and not getting home until over 12 hours later mixed with weekend visits to friends and camp give the impression that this is just a place to rest my head at night and do laundry. I feel no ownership of the room with a twin-trundle bed I sleep in--until recently, a playroom for the grandkids-- surrounded by piles of my belongings and framed photos of my nephews.

There is still a lot of uncertainty to be worked through including the possible sale of my house and consequentially how long I will need to remain a Boomerang Kid. As families are always a complicated mess of loving each other and yet being some of the most frustrating people to deal with, the other pressing question is: how long before it all implodes?

Super Simple, Yummy Stew

2011-01-15T12:09:00.004-06:00

This stew is very forgiving. I was missing several ingredients, but it still turned out great. At least my roommate and her friend told me so. I served it with homemade rosemary & garlic pita chips (just add some rosemary and garlic powder to olive oil and brush on pitas when baking - 7 minutes in a 400* oven).

Moroccan Red Lentil-Bean Stew

(from A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell)

1 TBS olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp saffron threads, crushed

1 TBS hot water

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1tsp dried rosemary, crushed)

1 tsp fennel seeds

6 cups vegetable stock, heated

1 15-oz can white beans, drained & rinsed

½ cup dried red lentils*

½ cup basmati rice

1 tomato, cut into ½ dice

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBS tomato paste

Salt, pepper & tobasco sauce to taste

(Note, I didn’t have all the ingredients. I left out the saffron, tomato paste & tobasco, used 2 cups veggie stock and 4 cups water with a veggie bouillon cube & 2 packets of brown GW broth—all unheated, half a can of diced tomatoes w/ green chilies—undrained, and added extra curry powder & cumin. It still came out nice and yummy.)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the saffron with hot water and set aside.

Add the curry powder, cumin, rosemary & fennel seeds to the Dutch oven; stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in saffron mixture and the vegetable stock, beans, lentils, and rice. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentil and rice are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in tomato, chopped cilantro and tomato paste. Season to taste. Garnish individual servings with springs of cilantro.

It will thicken nicely for leftovers and is just a good the next day.

*Substitute brown lentil for red and increase cooking time to 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Cursed

2010-12-01T00:57:00.002-06:00

I am going through one of those phases where nothing seems to be going my way and disappointment is at every turn. This has been going on for longer than I want to admit. I will admit that many people have it a whole lot worse—lost jobs, homes, loved ones. I seem to be plagued by a bunch of little things: major flight delays (basically entire days wasted), unexpected car repairs, an anxiety ridden cat on anti-depressants, another sick cat who after more than $1K in medical costs is still without a diagnosis and is not back to her old self. And that doesn’t even begin to touch on the rest of the issues I am working through in the personal, professional, and spiritual realms of my life at the moment.

I often joke that somehow my Karma got screwed up (just don’t ask me how). Unfortunately, I don’t really believe in “true” Karma so that excuse won’t work. The other fall back explanation for times like these is the idea that I am being punished for something. But that won’t fly either because I do not subscribe to the theory that God points His finger down and punishes us like that for our sins (besides, if you’ve ever met me than you know I’m sweet and innocent—once you overlook my high school and college years, that is). Yes, there are consequences to everything we do. And I fully acknowledge that I do my fair share of things I shouldn’t; some I am sorry for and some that I really am not “ashamed” or sorry for doing at all—even if I should be. And no, I will not tell you what those are.

But back to punishment. I can see how easy it is to jump to that conclusion. Haven’t Jews, Catholics, and various other religions promoted their God’s "punishment” as a way to keep people in line? As a way to explain hardships? And if the hard times, the times of chaos, or uncertainty and flailing about in life were a punishment by God then I might be more agreeable to them. I would deserve my unhappiness and lack of the fulfillment of my heart’s desires. There would be a reason—a logical, rational explanation. A clear consequence for my “unholy” thoughts or actions. But no. we don’t get to wrap life’s frustrations into such a neat package all tied up with the pretty red bow of God’s wrath. Nope. We just get to question everything in the hopes of getting an answer or even the slightest hint that we are on the right track for things to get better—even if it is only our attitude that changes. So until that happens, I’ll be sitting here going about my days wondering when/if it will ever be my turn for things to go my way or if I screwed it up with past decisions and bear a curse of my own creation.

From the Mouth of Pam...

2010-09-24T20:28:00.004-05:00

This was written by my friend Pam Cromwell. It is very moving. What words come to mind when you think of breast cancer? Pink, Strength, Bald, charity walk? The list goes on ...

I myself have always just thought one word - DEATH.

Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 3.5 breast cancer. This may not sound too unusual especially due to the fact that 1 out of 10 women seem to become diagnosed with cancer. But what made it unusual was that I was only 6 months away from turning 30. Cancer doesn't run in my family at all and besides going to the doctor once a year for a cold, I had never been sick.

Needless to say, my world was turned upside down. Hands down, it was the most humbling experience of my life. I did the normal treatment pattern which included chemotherapy, radiation, and even a mastectomy on the side where the cancer started. I did everything that I was told by the doctor and signed up for every medical study. But the one thing I did not do was become identified as someone with cancer. After about a year of treatment, I was declared cancer free.

Due to various reasons, last year I logically decided to have preventive surgery to remove the other breast. I did not want to have anything else to do with cancer ever again. Well, last year, when I had the preventive surgery they found the cancer came back just as aggressive, and mestasized to the bones. My stage was upgraded to Stage 4. Now, there are a zillion other things I would rather be upgraded to - car rental, flight or even hotel - but not Stage 4.

After this news not only did I lose control I lost my identity. For the past four years, I had been doing everything I could to be known for everything else but cancer. But something had to change, and since I couldn't change the cancer I decided to change myself.

Nowadays, I have chosen to embrace being identified as someone who is living with Stage 4 breast cancer. If there was a button, I would wear it. Why? Each new person I tell my story to means there is one more person who will learn that the face of cancer has changed. They will become aware and hopefully keep the momentum of helping fund research initiatives. Unfortunately, the reality is we are years away from a cure. And for my case, it's hard to find a cure when you do not know the cause. Realistically, doctors are now focusing on my quality of life, and overall body health.

This October, I am yelling from the rooftops that I am LIVING with Stage 4 breast cancer. To some, that statement may sound like a contradiction but to me it is simply the reality. I am currently working, studying, traveling, paying darn taxes, laughing, and the list goes on, all while a major battle is going on inside my body.

I'm sharing this with you because I want you to know that the face of cancer has changed and will continue to change. Research needs to be taken to the next level. But in the meanwhile it is not just about fixing cancer, it's about embracing change in today's world to accommodate people like me, who refuse to be identified simply as someone who has cancer but rather someone who is living with cancer.

- Live, Laugh and Love for the Cure. Next month my friend E and I are doing a 5K walk for Breast Cancer Research. If you would like to donate to our team, Pink for Pam, please click here. Thank you.

Thought For the Week

2010-08-20T23:31:00.004-05:00

**SPOILER ALERT**

Here is what I came up with for tomorrow's joint SS program. If you are going to be there, please don't read this yet as I don't want it spoiled for you.

It’s Going to Get Worse Before It Gets Better

When I came home from vacation all that my cat O’Malley wanted to do was be with me. She would sit on my lap, sleep on my bed and even come into the bathroom with me. One morning she woke me up (by purring loudly and lightly taping my face with her paw) at 4:30a because I was sleeping on my side and she needed me to change positions since she wanted to curl up in the crook of my arm. While I very much enjoyed these cuddle times with O’Malley, I couldn’t help but think that something was wrong. She is not usually an affectionate cat and very much enjoys her solitude. One morning I noticed a little buildup in her ears and decided to get her checked out. Oh, the fight she gave me! By the time she was in her carrier I had a nice scratch on my arm and I was getting dirty looks through the mesh lining. But she wasn’t scratching trying to get out. She was resigned to her plight and hunkered down for the ride. She was quiet for the entire 3 block ride.

Another struggle commenced when it was time for her to get out of her carrier. But O’Malley was soon in the arms of a new-to-us Vet Tech on her way to have her claws trimmed and get all of her readings done. When they came back O’Malley was wrapped up in a towel like a kitty burrito. As she handed over my furbaby, the tech told me not to worry: The blood on the towel was hers. O’Malley had muscled through the nail trim (which she won’t even let me do) and her temp taking, but drew the line at having her ears checked and bit the vet tech. Turns out O’Malley was suffering from a very bad ear infection and was in a lot of pain. She hadn’t cried once and would still purr loudly, but her increased affection for me over the course of the previous days was her way of letting me know she was hurting. Don’t we do that with God? We spend more time in prayer and meditation when things aren’t going well for us. We seek God and his comfort when we are hurting. And He is there for us.

But sometimes feeling the security of God is not enough to heal us. Going to the vet didn’t fix O’Malley. We have to fight every day when it is time for her morning ear cleaning and her twice daily ear drops. In order to give her the medicine that her body needs, I have to restrain her and make my own kitty burrito. Sometimes I have to chase her around the house to back her into a corner in order to get her ready for her medicine. When God is trying to direct us on a path that will bring help and healing we often fight against Him. What God is asking not only isn’t fun, it’s distressing and uncomfortable. He may have to chase us like He did Jonah. But there is a purpose.

James 1: 2-4 explains that the goal of trials is a more mature character. The cancer of sin that is so deeply rooted in our hearts is not easy to remove. The chemo, radiation, and medication needed to bring an individual into remission from cancer do so much damage it is often said that the cure is worse than the disease. The cancer spreads and there is a new area of our life that we need to focus on. We get comfortable with our fight against sin and start to slack off on our treatments. A missed devotional here, skipped Prayer meeting there. We think that no one will notice and often they don’t. But then the skipped meetings become the norm. And if no one noticed you were missing, than you might as well just sleep in and skip church too. And no one will care if you spend Friday night cleaning your house and catching up on Facebook games or going out to dinner with friends. But God knows. He cares and He notices that we are missing from His life. And He wants us back whatever the cost. Our sin-cancer has flared up and God is standing by with the Hope of Jesus ready to start again the painful process of removing our desire for sin.

Romans 5:3-5 also tells us that suffering leads to perseverance and hope. Sometimes, like Job, our suffering is not for our betterment. It may be for others to see and know that we understand THEIR suffering. We can be a support to them and show them that God still cares. My friend Pam has struggled for years with breast cancer and was recently told that she was no longer in remission. She now goes to Philly every month for treatments. The special thing about Pam is that she is one of the most upbeat, God-praising people I know. She does not ask God “Why me?” Instead she asks “Who can I witness to? Which other cancer patients and their families and friends can I share the hope and goodness of God with?” Her fight with cancer has helped her share the Hope of Jesus with those who may not be reached by anyone else.

Whether we suffer to mature our characters or to be able to share hope with others, we know that we do not suffer alone. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reminds us: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

May “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” be with you this Sabbath day.

Eating for One

2010-06-30T20:57:00.003-05:00

I like to cook but find cooking for one to be a bit boring. Most nights I throw the food pyramid to the wind and scrounge up whatever I find in the house. Mac & Cheese with canned tomatoes mixed in, check. Cheese quesadilla, check. Granola bar, check. But sometimes, like tonight, I get it right. I boiled up some small red skinned potatoes (skin on) and mashed them with some Earth Balance butter, sour cream, black pepper, dill, and cumin. While the potatoes where boiling away I steamed the head of broccoli I bought in an attempt to make myself eat more healthy. Next up, I pulled a roll of chickettes out of the freezer and fried some up. Here is the end product. I not only got dinner tonight, but two batches of leftovers so I have lunch for the rest of the week.

I Made That

2010-06-10T10:21:00.004-05:00

(I posted this at Memphis' 1Thing blog earlier and though it would fit nicely here as well. ) Once a year, usually around Mother's Day, I invite the youth group from my church over to the house to make some crafts. We've made scented lotions, chocolates, soaps, etc. This year we made lip balm. I got the recipe from my herb loving mom who makes some for stocking stuffers at Christmas time. This is a quick and easy project that will help keep your lips protected all summer long.

Honey Lip Balm (makes 16 -18 containers)

4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil

3 ounces grated or shaved beeswax (or beads)

1 ounce honey ½ capsule Vitamin E, 400 IU or 1 ounce Vitamin E oil

A few drops of essential oil (Optional, I used peppermint)

Chopstick or wooden spoon

18 small bead storage jars

1. In a microwave or top of double boiler, melt the beeswax and oil together using a Chopstick or wooden spoon. Do not boil. If the mixture starts to boil remove from heat and allow to cool. (You can remelt it) Once the beeswax and oil are blended, stir in the honey. Then pierce the vitamin E capsule with a needle, squeeze out half of the contents, and stir in. Add in any essential oil you want at this point and stir in. Pour the resulting mixture into clean containers with tops. (I found it cooled very quickly, so pour it immediately before it has a chance to thicken too much.)

2. Let the lip balm sit at room temperature for 48 hours until it arrives at the proper consistency for spreading. You can carry a small container of lip balm around with you during the day, but you may find it keeps better in the refrigerator overnight.

I like to add a couple drops of essential oil for variety. Peppermint is cool and soothing. Lemon or orange taste good. You can add food coloring, but I like mine natural. Use your imagination and make a fun label for your products. Small plastic bead containers with screw-on tops work well for this if you can’t find lip balm holders. They make great gifts!

Company for Dinner

2010-05-18T00:08:00.001-05:00

O'Malley has some stomach issues so it is quite common for me to come home to some new piles of chunky cat vomit (due to her gum disease, she doesn't do a good job chewing her dry food). Today I was trying to figure out why it looked so strange. Upon closer inspection, I saw that a whole family of ants had found a new buffet. Since O'Malley made her mess in the middle of the room the ant trail was quite long. Needless to say, I quickly drove to Rite-Aid and picked up a can of Raid for ants. It was quite satifying to see them die on impact.

Potlucking It

2010-04-21T22:23:00.012-05:00

One of my favorite dishes to make for potlucks during the spring and summer is my mom's 7 layer salad. The original is served in a large see-through bowl (I use a punch bowl) and has the following layers:

1 head of lettuce (or 2 1/2 romaine hearts) chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 large bag of frozen peas

2 cans of sliced chestnuts

4-5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 small bunch of chopped green onions

Spread a large jar of mayonnaise on top (like frosting)

and finally, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top

You need to wait a couple of hours before eating for the peas to defrost. They keep the mayo cold so you don't need to worry about it staying out. As the peas defrost and people dig into the salad, the mayo thins out and makes an amazing dressing.

Since people seem to enjoy the 7 layer salad I thought it might be worth trying a vegan version. I have several vegan friends and thought that they might like to enjoy all the yummy goodness.

I decided to make it red, white, and green. Here is what I came up with:

1 head of lettuce chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 large bag frozen peas

2 cans sliced chestnuts

2 chopped red peppers

1 container of grape tomatoes - cut in half

Almonnaise* spread over the top like frosting

small batch of green onions, chopped and sprinkled over the top

*I made a double batch of the almonnaise the night before and used apple cider vinegar. I found the vinegar taste to be a bit overpowering and will try reducing the vinegar by one tablespoon. The mixture was very loose at first, but it thickened up nicely overnight in the fridge.

I think that the original is the best, but the vegan salad came out pretty good. It just needs a little tweaking. If anyone has a good vegan mayo recipe, please let me know.

The Day is Dying in the West

2010-04-06T12:03:00.005-05:00

While my pastor and his family were on vacation I offered to help out facilitating their Sabbath evening Bible study (5p-7p). I was looking forward to it since I've never really lead out in a guided Bible study like this. Unfortunately, none of the members of the study showed up on either of the two weeks that I was supposed to fill in. I found this disappointing. Each week I waited an hour before I decided it was time to head home. But this week I was feeling a bit restless, so I took to the road and went exploring. I'm not usually one to just drive aimlessly around so it was an adventure for me. I ended up following Macon all the way to Fisherville, TN. What a beautiful little drive. It just so happened that the sun was setting as I was heading back. I don't remember the last time I was able to just sit and watch the sunset. In the winter I'm stuck at work and the rest of the time I'm usually too busy with grocery shopping, watching TV, or any other number of activities. It was the upside down cross pattern in the clouds that grabbed my attention. I'm fairly certain it wasn't an airplane trail due to the angles and thickness of the clouds, but even if it was it was a great end to the Sabbath. Luckily I had my camera in my purse. Here are a couple shots for your viewing pleasure.

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-30T15:54:00.005-05:00

The days are getting longer and the roads are lined with blooms. This afternoon when I went to change the church sign I noticed that there were some beautiful pansies and flowering bushes (I'm really bad with flower names) that were begging to be photographed. Too bad my camera batteries are dead. I'll have to fix that tonight. Here is a sampling of what Memphis is showing off these days. They are from the entrance of the Memphis Botanical Gardens. I snapped them as I was running to the airport after setting up for our job fair. Hopefully this Sunday will be nice and I can spend some time soaking in the Vitamin D.

Refreshing

2010-02-26T20:04:00.003-06:00

DISCLAIMER: This post represents my personal opinions, beliefs, and sometimes struggles with the idea that if something is marketed as "Christian" it is safe for me and should be accepted. It is not meant as an attack on anyone who may believe differently. I've noticed that I've become more sensitive to song lyrics--especially lyrics on Christian radio stations. There are two songs that come on K-Love and I am compelled to change the station. Unfortunately for me, these are two of their "top songs." The majority of the Christian believers out there will have no issues with these songs, but since these songs are focused on dead people waiting for us in heaven I can't condone them. I hold firm to the belief that the dead don't go to heaven, but wait in a sleep-like state until the Second Coming (belief number 26). Matthew West's song "Save A Place For Me" is asking for the dead loved one to basically save him a seat in heaven. The second song, Steven Curtis Chapman's "Heaven Is The Face" is a little more subtle. While the majority of the song deals with his memories of his daughter the line about his daughter grabbing his hand to lead him to Jesus is the one that bothers me. It's because these two songs are all over K-Love that it was so refreshing to hear Mark Schultz's song "Love Has Come" about us meeting our lost loved ones at the Second Coming and the joyous reunion we will have with Christ. It is rare to hear a distinctly Adventist position on general media. It is quite refreshing.

Thought for the Day

2010-02-24T12:06:00.001-06:00

Thanks, Mom, for showing this to me today. Psalm 86 (New International Version) A prayer of David. 1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life— men without regard for you. 15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

January's Ice Storm

2010-02-21T23:06:00.006-06:00

I'm a little late posting these pics. So sue me :)

O'Malley just loves the snow (It's her New England roots). Daly refused to go out.

The ice weighed down this branch. It is usually above the fence.

Sticking Up For Others - A Biblical Calling

2010-02-06T21:36:00.003-06:00

This topic is something that I have been thinking about for almost a year now. Here is what I presented this morning for the joint Sabbath School program. “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 'Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And the LORD heard this.” (Numbers 12:1) A little background: Moses had just appointed 70 elders to help him govern the unruly Israelites. Miriam was not part of that decision and was not considered for the position of elder. Miriam felt neglected, slighted by God. She was a former slave—hated by the Egyptians. She chose to lift up herself by bringing down Moses’ wife. Miriam was the instigator, her name is listed first. She publicly scorned Moses’ wife based on her place of birth, her culture, and her skin color; all of which she had no control over. Miriam also scorned Moses for his decision and brought Aaron along for the ride. But she didn’t stop there; she spoke against the one who gave Moses authority—God. She didn’t feel that He recognized her importance. God likened this to being spit in the face and publicly punished her with temporary leprosy. Miriam truly felt slighted. Those feelings were very real. But her response was wrong. Throwing a temper tantrum and saying “If I’m not happy, you shouldn’t be either” is not the way to go. Why not? Galatians 5:14-15 tells us “The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” We need to find another outlet for our feelings. As Christians we are to “...rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2:1) But Miriam was a stumbling block to Aaron. The term “stumbling block” comes from the Greek word “skandalon”, where the words scandal and scandalous come from. Skandalon literally means a baited trap. This is an intentional act made to trick or trip up someone. Here is a more recent example of someone being slighted. My nephews Dean and Luke like to play Uno. Dean, 7, likes to win so he cheats. Everyone knows that Dean is a cheater. It’s the first thing my brother mentions when anyone new plays with Dean. Luke is almost 5. Luke adores his older brother and looks up to him. He wants to do everything that Dean does. When they play Uno Luke has 3 options: ignore the cheating, cheat back, or voice his displeasure and call Dean on it. Luke has decided that he won’t let Dean get away with cheating. He calls him on it. If Luke cheated back, he would be just as bad as Dean. But what if he just ignored it? He sees it and stays silent. He becomes an accessory to Dean’s cheating. Our legal system says that “An accessory must generally have knowledge that a crime is being, or will be committed. A person with such knowledge may become an accessory by helping or encouraging the criminal in some way, or simply by failing to report the crime to proper authority. The assistance to the criminal may be of any type, including emotional or financial assistance as well as physical assistance or concealment.” (Italics are mine.) The bank robber’s get-away driver is just as guilty of murder as the robber to shot and killed someone. When we refuse to stick up for someone, we become accessories to their sin and commit a sin of omission. James 4:17 tells us “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” This is not the same as sins of ignorance (like Abimelech taking Sarah as a wife in Gen 20:1-7). Abraham committed the sin of omission and dragged Sarah into it by only telling a half truth. Abimelech committed a sin of ignorance because he could not be held responsible for not knowing that Sarah wasn’t married. Why did Abraham lie? He was fearful. What if sticking up for someone or doing the right thing harms you or your image? “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:4) It can’t always be about us. We are to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We are to represent Christ on Earth. Matt 18:6 warns “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matt 5:21-22 takes it a step further: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca [good for nothing],' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.” That doesn’t bode well for those of us who have sibling rivalry in their closets. Too often we look at each other as a gage for our actions. We tend to fall to the lowest common denominator. If so-and-so can do x, than I can, too. Or if so-and-so leader doesn’t bother doing x, then I don’t need to either. For example, at work I pick up the recycling. I ask that everyone break down their cardboard boxes. My co-workers are pretty good at this. But, if one person doesn’t break down their box then the next 3 people won’t break down theirs either. As Christians we need to keep our focus on God and not those around us. We are told to warn, encourage and be patient with others (I Thes 5:14) not to look to them for what actions are acceptable. If someone was being physically beaten instead of being slandered would the decision to stand up for them be so hard to make? What if it was a child being hurt instead of an adult? How different might the Good Samaritan story be if the hurt Israelite was a hurt child—a victim of abuse by its parents or family? Are we not all children of God? When we see someone hurting we have the responsibility to act. When we see someone hurting someone else through words or actions we have a responsibility to act. Even when the person being hurt isn’t present, we have a responsibility to stand up for them. Is it only the responsibility of leaders or those in authority to stand up for others? No. Sometimes the leaders can be the problem. We only have to look back to the Catholic priest abuse scandal to see leaders taking advantage. “Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.” (Jer 12:10) Jer 23:1-2 goes on to say “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD.” People often develop a skewed view of God if they were physically or emotionally abused by their parents or someone they considered to be in authority. We are told to keep watch over the flock (Acts 20:28). We know that God does not wish any to perish; therefore all people are His potential flock. Ezekiel 34 gives a warning to the church and its leaders about the need to lift up and encourage others. We should not tear anyone down. “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?” (Eze 34:18-19) When we tear people down or refuse to stand up for them because it might make us look bad, we are showing a false image of God. We are muddying the waters of Life for those wanting to drink. God knows our hearts. He knows our secret motives and weighs them with our actions and words. When we dwell on negative things, on being slighted or on getting revenge we are more likely to cave in to temptation to act on those feelings and bring others down with us. Therefore we should abide by Paul’s council in Phil 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Just a Little Late

2010-01-22T10:11:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that I've only been back home for a little over 2 weeks. It was great to visit with family and just chill for a week. We spent a lot of time on the road--driving to Avon to check out the fully restored Enchanted Village at Jordan's (twice), going to the Natick Jordan's to check out Avatar in their IMAX 3-D (and wait in an obnoxiously long line even though we pre-purchased tickets), heading to Stoneham for church both weekends, meeting up in Saugus for Poppy's pizza birthday (he turned 80!) at Leaning Tower, and fighting Route 2 to go to work for a day at the Boston office. And that doesn't factor in the trips out to eat at Mae's and Jon's Pizza, trips to the ABC, and all the other errands life throws at you. Thankfully, my parents did most of the driving so I was able to finish up a couple of books and this little beauty for my friend. Pink and green were her wedding colors so I thought she would appreciate it (and I was right).

Here are some pics of the crew that went to the Enchanted Village. The first trip was with my cousins, Aunt & Uncle and my grandparents. Round two was with my nephews and brother and sister-in-law. We decided that since Santa wasn't using his chair, we could. Also there was a strange art piece on the ceiling of upside down invisible people in white. It was a bit unnerving at times. I of course had to take a shot of the twins one for E&J.

Poppy didn't seem to mind. The polar bears were animatronic as were all of the "people" at the Enchanted Village sets.

They are such good posers.

Still in love after all these years.

New Favorite

2010-01-12T11:02:00.003-06:00

I promise to do a Christmas and New Years wrap up post this weekend (spoiler alert: I as asleep by 11p New Years Eve). But I just had to share a pic of my new favorite shirt. This belated Christmas present came in the mail yesterday. It was designed by my friend L just for me! Are you a little jealous?

Quiet

2009-12-22T13:54:00.004-06:00

Things have been fairly quiet on the home front with the exception of a very loud, very late (but fun) night hosting the church Youth for a candy making night on December 12th. I learned a dishcloth pattern and have made a set for each of my grandmothers for Christmas. Nana gets the yellow and Nanny's is a light blue to go with her blueberry themed kitchen. I finished the last one yesterday. Now I'm focusing on a scarf or two and finishing up my shawl.

My adult Sabbath School programs for the month have gone well. I'm happy to say that at least one person each week makes a point to say that they enjoyed the program and got something out of it. That is what I work towards. I get anywhere from 10-30 people for the 9:30-9:45a program. Since there was some resistance to the idea of doing a sanctuary program before breaking out for the lesson, I'm pleased with the turnout. I try to make the programs unique and put my spin on ideas when I can. And I do love visual aids and handouts.

On December 5th I talked about family traditions and brought in some Shabbat candles and a Challah recipe so that anyone who wanted to start a new Friday night tradition could. (As a result of my research, I've actually started lighting two Shabbat candles and say a short prayer when I get home from work on Friday nights--I leave just before sunset, so it's already Sabbath when I get home--to set the mood for Sabbath.)

The next week I spoke about the commercialism of Christmas and how we should focus on family and quality time instead of presents and money and shopping. I handed out the following Christmas Pledge: “Believing in the true spirit of Christmas, I commit myself to: Remember those who truly need my gifts. Express my love in more direct ways than gifts. Examine my holiday activities in light of my deepest values. Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends. Rededicate myself to spiritual growth.” --Unplug the Christmas Machine by William Morrow

Last week I dealt with our responsibility to show compassion and tangible care to those in need. My theme was based on James 1:27 and Ezekiel 34:8 and dealt mostly with shut-ins, sick, aged, widow(er)s, and single parent families. I brought some blank cards so that those who wanted to could write a short note of encouragement to someone who may be feeling forgotten.

I'm thankful to have the next two weeks off to recharge and think of some more topics. I'm hoping to find some inspiration from my parents' church and the antics of my nephews.

Done!

2009-11-30T22:23:00.002-06:00

This is it. My final post for November. I made my goal of 30 posts in the 30 days of November. Now I can go to bed each night and not try to stay awake to post. I'm not sure what December holds (except a trip to the auto shop to possibly get a new alternator), but I do plan on putting up my nativity tomorrow. I'm not doing a tree this year since I won't be around for Christmas.

A Stitch in Time

2009-11-29T19:48:00.005-06:00

I spent a good part of the day learning a new knitting style: intarsia knitting. There were about eleven of us at Yarniverse. Our teacher was an amazingly patient woman named Charlotte who used to work for Vogue Knitting Magazine. She wasn't fond of my loop cast on (as it can result in very loose row) and showed me a knitting cast on. It took a couple of tries but I finally got it. I only got about two-thirds of the way through the first group of colors before class ended. But once I got home I was able to take what I learned and add on the final 3 colors. Here is what the completed project is supposed to look like: And here is what I've done so far. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I hope it will go quickly since it's on size 15 needles. The finished shawl is supposed to be 60". (I'm just over ten percent done with 7" so far.) I don't know if I'll be able to give this one away.

Day of Rest

2009-11-28T20:42:00.004-06:00

This morning I woke up early and was able to take my time getting ready. (As this is not usually the case since the snooze button and I are really close, it was a treat.) This set the tone for the day. I was able to fit in my devotion book reading and some Bible reading while eating breakfast this morning. For the joint Sabbath School I gave the history of the hymn "Now Thank We All Our God" and then opened it up for people to share their sentiments of thanks. I was grateful to see that most everyone had something to share. There were only two kids that showed up for Earliteens and they offered to join with the small Junior class so that I could hit up the adult lesson. What a nice change. After church I went over to check in on Ti-Ti who I am cat sitting. We had our Sabbath dinner together then snuggled while I worked on my circular knitting project for Christmas and watched Dave Salmoni and his work with the African Lions. I think Ti-Ti was into the show as she made sure she could see the TV when she was balled up in my lap. I rather enjoy hanging out with Ti-Ti as she is much more affectionate than either of my girls. There was one strange thing that happened both last week and this. Both weeks, right before going in to the sanctuary for the joint Sabbath school I had someone (a different person each week) exclaim, "I didn't think you'd be here today." You would think the fact that my name was in the bulletin both weeks for announcements should have been a clue. I know that I usually go away for Thanksgiving, but I'm always here the Sabbath before Thanksgiving. And I told anyone who asked that I wasn't going out of town this year for Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what to make of the fact that people think I would bail or not get coverage for those tasks I'm responsible for. I take my commitments and responsibilities very seriously. The only time that I've had to miss Sabbath school was when I was sitting in Urgent Care and even then I made it to church. Having people flake on their responsibilities is one of my pet peeves. I hope that I would never do anything so selfish, inconsiderate and rude. It borders on insulting that some think I would do such a thing.

I Did It

2009-11-27T22:04:00.003-06:00

After a couple of weeks of debating, I decided it was time to dye my hair. It's been about three years since I last colored my hair. I'm not ready to commit to a permanent color, so I went with a 28 wash one. I couldn't find the right shade of dark reddish auburn that I have used in the past (or as Nanny calls it "Street Walker Red"), so I went with the next best thing: Midnight. I had forgotten how nice freshly dyed hair feels. I'm thinking this color will go over better than the pink spray in I sported back in October for a couple days. Then again, my mom told me that she thinks black is in poor taste and just looks fake. I disagree since I have dark eyebrows and brown eyes. Wonder if I'll miss my greys?

Feasting

2009-11-26T20:28:00.004-06:00

Since I had a solo Thanksgiving I decided a taste test was in order. The two vegan loaves up for the challenge were the Field Roast Grain Meat Co.'s celebration roast and the Quorn Turk'y roast. Here they are in all of their packaged glory.

I decided to bake the Quorn loaf and to cut a couple of slices of the Field Roast to heat on the stove top. The Quorn loaf reminded me of a roll of chickettes when I placed it in the oven. It browned up a little and cut easily once the protective film was removed. (You are supposed to cook it with the film on. I only got a small fingertip burn taking it off.) Honestly, I was not fond of the taste or texture of the Turk'y loaf at all. I could barely eat one slice when it was drowning in mushroom gravy. You may be surprised to know that the reason I disliked it was because the taste and texture reminded me too much of meat. I'm going to see if my former meat eating friends would like the rest of it. (I'm a vegetarian since birth and really dislike the texture of meat. I want my fake meat to taste fake! It should be it's own dish.)

The Field Roast was stuffed with a sausage-style mixture. This was more flavorful than the Quorn loaf. But again, I found it tasted and had a texture a bit too much like meat. I was able to get through one and a half slices with mushroom gravy; two full slices was a bit much. I will keep the leftovers and see if they work in a sandwich tomorrow.. I'm not sure that I would buy it again for myself, but could deal with it if someone had bought it to serve at a dinner I went to.

The highlight of the meal was my mashed sweet potatoes (just a little salt & butter) and the Martinelli's. I ended up not making the stuffing as I didn't notice until I got it home that it listed cooked chicken and chicken stock in the ingredients.

So the results are in: Quorn Turk'y Roast - I don't think you could pay me to eat it again. Field Roast Celebration Roast - It's ok and I could eat it again, but it's not something I would rush out to buy again. Cream Cheese Patties - I should've just bit the bullet and made a batch; by far the best Thanksgiving entree out there.

To the Nines

2009-11-26T20:13:00.003-06:00

After I finished Thanksgiving dinner I spent the rest of the day watching the James Bond movie marathon on TV and finishing up scarf #9. I decided not to use the whole skein and make it a bit on the shorter side because I really wanted to be finished before heading to my knitting class on Sunday. The pattern is the American Moss Stitch.

Getting Ready

2009-11-25T21:54:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow is not just Thanksgiving. It is the second Thanksgiving that I've ever spent without my family (the first was during college and it was with my sister-in-law's family) and my first ever solo Thanksgiving. I've done many Christmases and Easters by myself but never Turkey Day. Since it's just me and knowing that this will be the menu next month for Christmas dinner, I'm forgoing the standard Cream Cheese Patties w/ McKay's homemade chicken gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, mashed rutabaga, mom's stuffing and pumpkin pie. Instead I'll be making some Stove Top stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, with some canned whole cranberry sauce (I can't stand that jelly stuff) and pumpkin pie ice cream. And I'll be having two entrees. Since we've always made our own Thanksgiving entree, I've never tried any of the pre-made loaves that are available. I've heard less than stellar reports about the Tofurkey version, so I'm trying the Field Roast Celebration Roast (1 pound) and the Quorn Turk'y Roast. I'll be sure to let you know tomorrow which one I preferred and which one had to be slathered in gravy. Wish me luck!

Picture Perfect

2009-11-24T22:23:00.002-06:00

Last month the city installed some fancy schmancy red light cameras at a few choice intersections. I've driven in other cities with them, but was never bothered by them. These cameras take two pictures each time they are triggered and are set up to showcase the rear license plate. I see the point of trying to reduce the number of cars running red lights. Most people who speak about the dangers of red light cameras bring up increased accidents due to fear of being ticketed and shorted yellow light times. But what is really getting to me is the brightness of the camera flash--it's distracting in the daylight and blinding at night. The lights don't take in to account the legality of right turns on red and so the blinding camera double-flash goes off often. The flash is distracting it doesn't matter if it is for your right light or the line of cars that you are passing. Now, I understand that I have an increased sensitivity to bright light as a result of my Lasik. So my question is: Is it just me or does anyone else find the red light cameras distracting?

Change of View

2009-11-23T22:42:00.003-06:00

With all of the Twilight madness going on, it got me thinking. I have no desire to read the books or watch the movies, but that would not have always been the case. Growing up I was all about R. L. Stine's Fear Street series and Christopher Pike books. The few times my brother and I got along was when we were watching scary movies--Nightmare on Elm Street marathons, Alligator. When high school rolled around, I was reading V.C. Andrews and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Then I got hooked on Buffy, Angel, and Charmed on TV. But over the past several years things have changed. While still a fan of sci-fi (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Stargate), it's the alien and "future tech" shows that grab my attention--with the small exception of Harry Potter. I'm no longer sucked in by the vampire, demon, or otherwise undead variety. Scary movies only appeal to me if they are of the mystery/thriller genre. I don't have the stomach for horror or slasher movies anymore (even if they have a young, smoking hot Johnny Depp in them). I barely have the stomach for CSI and have had to take Criminal Minds off the DVR list. I still like police shows like Castle and CSI:NY. They seem more character driven and less gruesome. Does this mean that I'm growing up or growing soft?

Wish It Was a Sunday

2009-11-22T21:22:00.004-06:00

Today was a rather low key day. Instead of marking any items off of my "to do" list, I lounged with the girls. I made some nutmeg and cinnamon pancakes (Daly was excited to get a small piece with peanut butter on it) and settled in for a day of DVR watching, knitting and having my lap be a cat bed. As you can see below, Daly was a big helper. I'm about half way done with my ninth scarf--a Christmas present. In the next couple of weeks I hope to learn to make some dish clothes from my friend J.

Waiting

2009-11-22T13:02:00.004-06:00

I missed posting yesterday, but had a nice Sabbath rest and Saturday night just hanging out. I wanted to share a poem that my friend read yesterday while she was leading out the joint Sabbath School for me. Hope it speaks to you, too. Waiting Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried. Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate, And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait!” “Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply. “Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard? By FAITH I have asked, and am claiming Your Word. “My future and all to which I can relate Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to WAIT? I’m needing a yes, a go-ahead sign, Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign. “And Lord, You promised that if we believe We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry: I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!” Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.” So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?” He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine, And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun. I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run. “All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be, You would have what you want—but, you wouldn’t know ME. You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint; You’d not know the power that I give to the faint; “You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair; You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there; You’d not know the joy of resting in Me When darkness and silence were all you could see. “You’d never experience the fullness of love As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove; You’d know that I give and I save… (for a start) But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart. “The glow of My comfort late into the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST. “You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ Yes, your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true, But, oh the loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you! “So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see THAT THE GREATEST OF GIFTS IS TO GET TO KNOW ME. And though oft may my answers seem terribly late, My wisest of answers is still but to WAIT.” --Author Unknown Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow

Shorabat Addas

2009-11-20T18:50:00.007-06:00

I like to try different kinds of ethnic foods. I credit my dad for this since as a submariner he was always sure to hit up the local food joints when he visited a port. He refused to go into the touristy restaurants, often eating from street vendor carts. Even in his retirement, my parents frequent the "Mom and Pop" style Thai, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean restaurants. So when I passed a bag of red lentils in the store, I had to take it home with me. (I don't have a lot of experience cooking with lentils; just a lentil soup or two. Someday I'll learn to make a yummy lentil loaf.) Tonight was the night to try the red lentils. I decided to play it safe and use the recipe on the back of the bag. I halved the recipe since it's just me and I wasn't sure how I'd like them. I should've done a full batch. Here's the recipe. It's really simple. Shorabat Addas (Lentil Soup) 2 cups dry red lentils

8 cups water or broth (I used water)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric or paprika (I used turmeric)

1 large onion diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbs olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Juice of one lemon

2 bouillon cube of choice (I used G Washington Golden packets)

Wash lentils. Combine with water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Cover for 20-30 minutes, sirring occasionally. When lentils are tender, add dry spices and bouillon to the pot. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Then add to soup mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and stir. Garnish bowls with parsley and paprika. Serve with lemon wedges on the side (if available). Serves 6.

Wisdom of Meerkats

2009-11-19T22:20:00.005-06:00

Back before I downgraded my satellite service I used to watch Meerkat Manor on Animal Plant. Very often I would call my mother on Friday nights and we would share our take on Flower's daily dramas. So it was only a little surprising to find the book Wisdom of Meerkats in the package my mom sent me this week. Nestled between two Styrofoam boxes containing new pieces for my Irish Nativity was this little book full of meerkat photos and inspiring quotes from a vast array of people--Mother Theresa, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Tori Amos, William Shakespeare, etc. Here are some that stood out to me: "Sleep is the best mediation."--Dalai Lama "Always do right--this will gratify some and astonish the rest."--Mark Twain "Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was." --Dag Hammarskjöld "Minds are like parachutes; they only function when open." --Thomas Dewar "A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart."--Goethe "The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character." --Margaret Chase Smith "Waste not fresh tears over old griefs."--Euripides (The picture in this post is one I took at the Memphis Zoo during my birthday trip this summer.)

Always the Case

2009-11-18T22:12:00.001-06:00

I don't know what it is about me but I have the worst luck when it comes to picking checkout lines. If I am in what appears to be the shortest line there is usually a "special" situation with the person in front of me. It could be that the customer is untrustworthy and has to double check the 80 item receipt after checking out and then disputing the can of tomatoes that rang up as $3.99 and not the $3.98 that is on the sticker. I'm also often behind a check writer. I don't understand why you can't already have the check made out--minus the total--while being checked out. Tonight I was behind the girl who left her credit card in her car and had to send her friend out to get it. Does that ever happen to you?

Cirque Dreamin'

2009-11-17T22:55:00.006-06:00

Tonight I went out on the town for dinner and a show. If you are ever planning to see a show in Downtown Memphis, try eating at The Majestic Grille. They have a great selection and are reasonably priced. They even have a special pre-Theatre dinner menu that of course I could not order from. I got a wonderful flatbread pizza and their key lime pie shooter for dessert (it's pie served in a shot glass and it was nice and tart). My only complaint was that my flatbred was the one with "Artichokes, leaf spinach, garlic olive oil, feta, mozzarella". Apparently, it also came with surprise chunks of chicken. Thankfully they were large enough to pick out. Next time I'll be sure to ask for my vegetarian dishes to be meat free. After dinner we made our way to the beautiful Memphis Orpheum. I've seen several live events there (theatre productions, ballet, concerts) and am always awed by it's beauty.

Thanks to the chill in the air I was able to suspend my disbelief and enjoy "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" which is their Christmas show. It's premise is familiar--ornaments come to life and dance, do acrobatics, swing from ropes and ribbons, juggle. But don't dismiss it just because you've seen that other "things come to life when someone dreams" live performance. There is really no comparison. Except that they both feature some good looking men in tights (tight tights!). I recommend seeing them both as often as you can. You can never go wrong with a Cirque show. If one is in your town, please consider changing whatever plans interfere and have a babysitter on standby. If there is not one in your town start looking for flights. There is always one in Vegas.

Finally

2009-11-16T22:12:00.002-06:00

Tonight I finally finished the Crafting for Charity scarf I started November 8th. It's blocks of red and light grey with sections of both colors in between. It's the first time I worked with colors separately and I don't really like how it turned out. It's also a pain in the neck to weave in all of those ends. It will be awhile before I would a dual color pattern like this again.

I also finally got the first of my two post days!

Difficult

2009-11-16T13:59:00.004-06:00

I didn't realize just how boring (uneventful) my life was until I committed to NaBloWriMo. Finding something to write about every day for 30 days is becoming quite difficult. Since I'm a single girl living alone with two cats (not enough to be a crazy cat lady--I checked) I don't have any roommate, boyfriend, or children drama. I live too far away from my family to get caught up in their drama. My work as an accountant is rather boring to most people (and sometimes to me). Maybe I need to pick up some more social activities. There is no way I'd do anything like speed dating although I'm sure a wealth of blog writing opportunities would open up if I did. Any thoughts on things I could do to spice up my blog? I still have 16 posts to go. I'm going to see Cirque Dreams tomorrow night. That's a start.

Nothing

2009-11-15T18:50:00.002-06:00

Today was a do-nothing day. I successfully did one load of laundry and got an uninvited wasp to leave the house. I was not able to get rid of yesterday's headache. Hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Because I Said I Would

2009-11-14T20:44:00.005-06:00

I don't feel like blogging today, but since I committed to NaBloWriMo I guess I have to. The reason I'm feeling out of it is because I had another ocular migraine (mine are of the one-eye varity) today during Sabbath School that morphed into a headache migraine during church. It is still lingering 8 hours (and one nap) later. I got my first ocular migraine just after my 30th birthday and then went a whole year before my next one. And now I've had two in the last 2 months. If you've never had an ocular migraine, know that they aren't painful, just annoying. It's the blind spots (kinda like when you stare up at the sun), and wavy lines that really get to me. My dad's mother said that she gets them every time she gets a migraine. Mine aren't that predictable. Sometimes they bring migraines, sometimes it stops with the vision disruptions. Today it brought a headache. And now I'm going to bed with a nice damp washcloth for my forehead in the hopes that I will wake up migraine free. (Note: I did see a retina specialist during my first ocular migraine and go back on an annual basis. At this point in time medication is not recommended. I also have a history of severe stress headaches going back 15+ years that has not been able to be treated with medication--I have a high tolerance to most pain medication (also genetic). I'm stuck with "grin and bear it" for now. If it gets worse or the frequency continues to increase dramatically, I'll get it checked out again.)

Tastes Like Fall

2009-11-13T20:58:00.004-06:00

One of my family's favorite fall meals is corn chowder with cornbread made from scratch. After hearing from my mom that corn chowder was on her menu last week, I just knew it needed to me on mine this week. When I got home this evening I set to work chopping and measuring. The chowder was finished and the cornbread out of the oven just in time for me to head out to the very last Extreme Faith nightly meeting. I left the cornbread on the counter with some foil on top, covered the soup and left it on the stove so it would be ready to eat when I got back. When I got home two hours later I realized that I had left the burner on medium! Thankfully it only thickened up the chowder (the recipe--listed below--does say to simmer before serving) and didn't burn down the house. Here is the super simple delicious recipe I use.

Corn Chowder (from Nanny, Mom, Nana Johnson)

Serves 4-6 people

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 potatoes, diced

salt to taste

2 cans cream style corn

1 1/2 cans evaporated milk (soy milk and/or coconut milk also work if you want to go vegan)

Saute onions in oil. Add potatoes and cover with water just to the tops. Add salt. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add corn and evaporated milk. Add a pat of butter if desired (it's always desired by me). Simmer and serve!

I Made That

2009-11-12T21:47:00.003-06:00

Last month I ventured into the world of stamping and card making. Stamp Club meets once a month and at my first class we made two cards (I can't show pics since they've been sent out already.) Tonight was my second class. We made holiday gift tags. I had fun learning to emboss and even tried a bit of coloring in on the black embossed postal stamp tags. Here's a look at my handiwork.

Making A Difference

2009-11-11T15:44:00.006-06:00

Many companies these days are having annual Make A Difference Days. Mine is no exception. In the nine years I've been with the company each market has done their own project. Some of the ones I've done are organizing books for a prison library mail program, cleaning up various parks and zoo gardens, and sorting toys for a local charity. This year we teamed up with the Wolf River Conservancy and worked to clear privet in some of the protected areas around the Walnut Grove Lake area. It was fun and rewarding. (It also was a reminder that I do not like yard work.) Here are some pics from yesterday's MADD.

Beware of Radio employees wielding sharp tools

This is Lovett Lake where my group was working. We had to cross this little bridge to get to the privet.

Privet

Deer tracks from the night before

Vintage

2009-11-10T22:13:00.002-06:00

Tonight I'm exhausted. I spent the morning at our annual Make A Difference Day (I'll update on that later, too tired now) and had to rush home after work to shower before heading to the Extreme Faith meeting. After the meeting I taught a woman how to knit and chatted with the Pastor and his wife for about an hour. But since I'm committed to NaBloWriMo I knew I had to write something tonight. So I dug up a couple pictures from earlier this year. This is about the closest my girls get to each other and only on the rarest occasions.

Almost Christmas?

2009-11-09T15:10:00.005-06:00

I'm sure that you, like me, have seen all of the Christmas decorations that have been filling the stores since September. The fact that Christmas is one of my least favorite holidays doesn't help matters. Don't get me wrong, I like gifting and getting gifts and get the whole "Christ"mas idea. But I dislike most Christmas music (some radio stations have already gone to 24 hour Christmas music), the big tacky decorations, the mobbed stores, crazy traffic, traveling, and the cold weather that usually signals the Christmas season. This may be due in part to the fact that Christmas has never been a big holiday for our family. We usually get together at Thanksgiving and New Year's. Since too much family in too short a time can be a bad thing, Christmas is usually a more quiet, non-extended family time. I've spent many a Christmas curled up on a couch alone watching the Godfather trilogy or sleeping in. This December 25th I'll be navigating airports. How about you? Do you like the thrill of the season?

That being said, I have started my Christmas shopping. I always try to get a few things in October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. So far I've purchased some beautiful handmade cards to send out (I don't think that I'll have a photo in my cards this year as the girls won't sit still anywhere near each other without an outbreak of claws and hissing.) and a few presents. I have my gifting list started and am waiting to get some of the items. I'm working with a cash budget again this year and don't think I'll have a problem sticking to it. But that means I have to wait for paydays to buy things. I've started my knitted gifts (1 down, many more to go) but need to work on my melt-and-mold soaps and chocolates pretty soon. What's your Christmas plan?

Latest and Greatest

2009-11-08T22:30:00.005-06:00

I know that most of my last few posts have been about my knitting. Sorry to disappoint, but this one is too (I don't have much else going on). I started two scarfs this weekend. One is for a Christmas present and is a fun new stitch. The second is my try at knitting with blocks of colors. At our knitting group today I got some pointers and discovered that because of the colors I'm using (the same dark red and light grey as the scarf I finished last week) I need to have a transition section at the color changes. I'm also still working to get the stitches count working so the transition section isn't wider than the rest of the scarf. Here is my little one Daly modeling today's progress.

One more down

2009-11-07T22:42:00.003-06:00

Today was a pleasant Sabbath. The joint Sabbath School trivia was a hit and there was only one student in Earlieens so we did some more trivia. After church I came home, watched the Contemporary Christian music channel while I ate and took a short nap (2 hours is short) on the couch with O'Malley. For some reason she won't come up on the bed at night, but has to be on my lap downstairs. It was worth napping on the couch to cuddle up with her. Tonight I worked the sound for the Extreme Faith meetings and finished my seventh scarf. This one is made with double yarn--dark red and light grey--and a random pattern (is that an oxymoron?) of knits, purls, stockinette and reverse stockinette stitches. This one is going to the church Crafting for Charity project. I'm hoping to learn how to knit in blocks of two colors tomorrow. One of these days I'll start on the scarfs I need to make for Christmas gifts.

Same Ol' Same Ol'

2009-11-06T15:58:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure why, but things have been feeling monotonous lately. It seems like all I do is get up, go to work, go to one of the Extreme Faith meetings at the church, knit, watch about an hour of TV to wind down, read for a bit (just finished a collection of short stories) and go to bed. I don't remember the last time I had a social event to go to or spent a chunk of time just socializing. I did go play games at a friend's house last Saturday night, but I got there late (had to hit up the Extreme Faith meeting first) and was so worn out from the week that I only stayed for about an hour and a half. I've been feeling the itch for one of those all night girls nights out at a club or diner. But since my clubbing and bar days are pretty much behind me and the majority of my friends are worn out at the end of the day themselves (kids, pregnancy, school, family, work, and husbands can really take a toll--or so I've been told), I don't know when it would happen. The fact that I am not comfortable in party settings--I don't talk to strangers--doesn't help matters. As a self-proclaimed homebody, I'm usually quite content to sit at home and chill. But these days being a carefree single gal with a vacant social calendar just isn't what it used to be.

Night Cap

2009-11-05T20:25:00.004-06:00

Today was one of those slow moving days that drags on as you stare at the computer screen with aching eyes for hours. Thankfully it was also a rather productive day (a necessity since it was the last day of the month end close). But the best part of the day is right now--curled up on the couch in my PJs with a fleece blanket sipping a vanilla-soy-milk-based hot chocolate having my lap act as a cat bed for O'Malley and Daly sitting nearby waiting her turn for my lap-bed.

Crafting for Charity

2009-11-04T22:34:00.005-06:00

As I've mentioned before the Women's Ministry department of my church is making scarfs and blankets to give out at various shelters and halfway houses in the Memphis area. Our goal is to make a total of 65 scarfs. The last count, back in October, was 30 completed scarfs and I know that a few of the ladies have finished scarfs at home that just need to be added to our stock. This means that we are about halfway finished. That's pretty good if you ask me considering that we started in July. To help motivate us to get knitting or crocheting we've displayed them on the baptistery wall. It's an amazing sight.

Section 1 close up.

Section 2 close up

Section 3 close up

And here is the scarf I finished Sunday morning. It's my 5th scarf for Crafting for Charity but my 6th scarf ever. I'm currently working on scarf #7 which is also for the church project. The rest of the scarfs that I'll be making for Christmas will probably be started sometime around Thanksgiving.

NaBloWriMo

2009-11-03T12:05:00.005-06:00

Some of you may know that November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo.) You will also know that I am not nearly ambitious enough to even think of attempting to write a novel in 30 days. Heck, I probably couldn't write a novel in 30 years. But today I saw something that I think I could accomplish: NaBloWriMo. The idea behind NaBloWriMo (National Blog Writing Month) is to post a blog entry every day of the 30 days of November. Thankfully there is no blog length requirement. If you look over to your calendar you will notice that I am getting a late start (then again, I've always been a bit of a procrastinator) so I will try to make up for the two days I've missed with a couple of two blog post days to keep with the 30 blog entries in 30 days. If you think that this is something that you might be interested in, head over to their website and sign up. Who knows; it might just be fun. (And yes, this counts as post #1.)

Morocco

2009-10-21T15:46:00.007-05:00

Since I've been back from vacation for three weeks now, it's about time for me to update the blog with some of the trip details. I was able to spend 5 days in Casablanca, Morocco with my mother's parents. Nanny & Poppy and I had a wonderful time. The long plane rides (about 11 hours from Boston to Morocco via Paris) were broken up a bit with movies, sleeping, and reading. Needless to say we were a bit cranky when we arrived and were waiting in line to pass through customs.

From Morocco

The innumerable people returning home from their Ramadan pilgrimages to Mecca that morning added to our frustration. After what felt like ages but was probably only two hours, we were met at the airport by our friendly taxi driver and headed to the hotel for some Welcome Tea and a nap.

From Morocco

Thankfully we adjusted fairly quickly to the four hour time difference (5 hours for me) and were able to enjoy all of the sights and sounds Casablanca has to offer for those in their late 70s and their granddaughters. The first day was full of browsing in the Old Medina and bazaar and getting our bearings. We also made plans to visit the Hassan II Mosque (the 3rd largest in the world) the next day (Friday, the Muslim Holy day). What a beautiful place! I wish that we had worked out our timing a bit better so we could've gone inside--it's an open mosque, both women and non-Muslims can tour it--for one of the scheduled tours.

From Morocco

Next we took a taxi across town to the El-Hud lighthouse. It is not a tourist attraction, but it was one of the most peaceful places that I think we went to. Then again, there was so much calm and beauty in the country that the entire trip was peaceful. (The leisurely meals and daily naps didn't hurt either.) I had to take this pic for my lighthouse obsessed mother.

From Morocco

On Sabbath we walked down to the post office to mail some postcards and hung out at the local park. The afternoon was full of people watching and soaking in the sun. I also started to notice the stray cat population. As much as it pained me I held back and only took photos. I didn't want to run the risk of bringing back some Moroccan Cat Sickness to my girls.

From Morocco

Sunday we took the train to Kenita and Rabat. My grandparents used to live just outside of Kenita so it was a nice homecoming for them. A lot had changed, but the downtown streets were still recognizable 58 years later.

From Morocco

We spent most of the day in Kenita and by the time we got to the King's Palace in Rabat it was closed! Thankfully we had one day left and once again boarded the train to Rabat on Monday morning. We were able to walk to the Palace and take some pictures, but since it is a functioning government building we couldn't go in.

From Morocco

The last time my grandparents had been to the Palace the Sultan was receiving his annual payments from the Berber tribes. The Palace at that time was in the middle of the desert. My how times have changed. I didn't even see any sand! We also took some time to see the Unfinished Mosque and the Mausoleum of Mohammad V. Unfortunately, our luck held and the mausoleum was closed in preparation for the King's visit.

From Morocco

All three of us stayed in the same hotel room for the duration of the trip and as was to be expected we had our frustrations with each other.

From Morocco

But all in all we had a wonderful trip. I would go again in an instant!

From Morocco

To check out all of the wonder pics, (if you haven't already done so on my FB page) just click on the this pic to take you to them.

From Morocco

Quote of the Day

2009-10-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart.” --C.S. Lewis

September

2009-09-03T13:32:00.003-05:00

September is gearing up to be a very busy month for me. Thankfully I have Monday off to work around the house. This weekend I'm going to be going through all of my clothes and seeing what I will be taking with me to Morocco. That's right, I no longer have to be jealous of my grandparents. I'm going with them! But before I go, I will have to find a way to fit in everything else that is going on this month: leading out the joint adult SS program & teaching the earliteen SS this week, hosting the Young Adult Bible Study on the 11th, leading out in the joint SS program (one of our new members is giving his testimony, so there won't be too much work for me on that one) & teaching earliteens on the 12th, hosting the earliteen/youth movie night on the 12th, participating in the school fundraising Putt-Putt game on the 13th, Church board on the 14th, School Board on the 17th, drive several hours up to and chaperon for the Young Women's Retreat weekend. That of course doesn't include the regular Wednesday night prayer meetings & church sign changing, packing for both the retreat and the Morocco trip which includes a night's stay in Boston each way, work or naps. Don't worry I'll take lots of pictures on both trips and am looking forward to the vacation portion of the month. I've already got a few books set aside for the flights. Wonder if I can bring my knitting needles on board?

The Ghost River Trail Video

2009-08-27T15:13:00.001-05:00

The Wolf River Ghost River Trail

2009-08-27T14:35:00.011-05:00

Growing up my family loved to go canoeing. We spent countless Sabbath afternoons floating down the Hampton River in Virginia looking for wildlife. Just about every summer we would make the trip up to the family camp in Maine where all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins canoed down the Little Androscoggin River with our grandparents. I’ve been in Memphis for four years and still go up to Maine every summer for a father-daughter camp & canoe weekend. But I’ve never been canoeing in Memphis and being a transplant never thought that the two went together. So when my co-worker, Classic Hits 94.1 FM WKQK’s Brad Carson, invited me to join him for the Wolf River Conservancy’s Media Canoe Trip down the Ghost River Trail, I jumped at the chance. The WRC works to conserve and enhance the Wolf River corridor and its watershed as a sustainable natural resource. Believe it or not, the Memphis Sands—located on the Wolf River—are the source of Memphis’s drinking water. We met up at the Bateman Road Bridge parking area and were then shuttled to our special launch point. The standard Ghost River trip is a 9 mile ride from La Grange to the Bateman Road Bridge. But in their infinite wisdom, the WRC let us launch from their private site which cut the trip down to 4 miles and would take us through several different eco-systems including swamp, lake, and marshland sections. According to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s website “The Ghost River section of the Wolf River received its name from the loss of river current as the water ‘flows’ through open marshes and bald cypress-water tupelo swamps. Blue trail markers show the way for paddlers through the disorienting maze of willow, cypress, tupelos, and stunted pumpkin ash.”

Bateman Road Bridge Bateman Road Landing Site--This was our meeting place and where we finished. Brad is ready to go!

The entrance to the Ghost River Trail didn’t look like much and if it were not for the blue markers I would’ve sworn we were going the wrong way and a dead end was just around the corner. There were some tight turns, but Brad and I made it through into the marsh and swamp areas. We made several pit stops along the way to learn the history of the Wolf River. Since I hope that someday you will take a guided trip on the Wolf River, I won’t spoil the stories for you but will tell you that Davy Crockett pops up. One of the most beautiful sections of the trail was Spirit Lake. It is here that you realize the vastness of nature. We could have spent hours just taking it all in. But since we were in a group—near the back, but still with the group—we trekked on to our dinner spot on the beach. A veggie wrap perked me up while Brad enjoyed the sesame chicken. We both thought a second helping of the brownies was just what we needed to finish up the final mile of the trip.

If I was on my own, I probably would've gone to the right and wrote this off as a dead end. Now I know better.

These little blue markers were a big help. They were on almost every tree when you first enter the Ghost River Canoe Trail.

The last mile was a little bit tricky as the current was much swifter than we had seen all day. But watching the sun just beginning to set and paint the bottom of the blue sky in shades of pink is not something I will forget anytime soon.

I'm ready for my next trip down the Wolf River.

Groovy Baby

2009-08-14T15:00:00.001-05:00

Honored

2009-08-03T11:55:00.004-05:00

While this was a very busy and productive weekend for me with my first joint Sabbath School presentation, the MJA work bee, and finishing up my third Creating for Charity scarf, I am a bit saddened that I wasn't able to go up to Boston this weekend to see my grandparents honored. In recognition of their years of ministry service--well over 5 decades--their church is sending them on a vacation to Casablanca, Morocco. They lived in Morocco during the first years of their marriage and haven't been back since. They were truly amazed, shocked, and thankful to their church family. I'm a bit jealous that I'm not able to go with them! Below is the ministry bio that my mom wrote up for the service. It is a blessing to be a part of this family.

Ministry of Leo & Lois Poirier

The Poirier’s pastoral ministry spans a journey of approximately 50 years in the Southern New England Conference area. It’s an unlikely story; beginning with a young altar boy at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Leominster, Ma, who eventually, through the influence of his Christian wife, Lois, became a Seventh-day Adventist minister and chaplain.

Lois and Leo met at the Whalom Park Roller Skating Rink when they were teenagers, and Leo had just joined the Navy as a Communications Technician. They continued a courtship by mail and saw each other occasionally when Leo returned home on leave. Though their religious backgrounds differed, they were both dedicated Christians, each trying to convert the other to their own church. In spite of obstacles, they were married in 1950, each still praying for the other’s change of faith. Leo was assigned to the Naval base in French Morocco, Africa, and had to leave his new bride behind for several months, but eventually she was able to courageously join him overseas. They lived off the base in the village with the locals and had many interesting adventures while in Morocco, including the discovery on what was supposed to be the beginning of a European holiday, that Lois was too sick to travel. That discovery ended up becoming their daughter, Maureen!

During their 5th year of marriage, by now stationed on the island of Guam, Lois was able to convince Leo to attend one of the meetings of an evangelistic series at her church. He occasionally enjoyed the radio sermons of H.M.S. Richards, SR, who she explained was from the same faith. Capitalizing on his interest in history, she invited him to the lecture on prophecy and the falling stars in 1833. He was hooked, and with further studies into Biblical truths, he was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church at the end of the series. Not long afterwards he felt impressed to leave the Navy to become trained in the ministry and eventually become a Navy Chaplain to lead other servicemen to Christ.

The Lord had other plans for Leo and Lois. Leo did complete his Theology degree at Atlantic Union College, and while there, their son Tim was born. In 1957, Leo was assigned as an intern to their first church district -the Boston Temple and Everett churches. They then went to Andrews University Theological Seminary in Michigan to obtain his Master’s of Divinity degree. By this time Maureen was 8 years old and Tim was 3. Leo also worked full time as an electronics technician and Lois kept teacher’s children in their home to try to cover expenses.

After attending the Seminary, they were hired by the Southern New England Conference as Assistant Pastor for the Providence, Wickford, and Burrillville churches in Rhode Island under Elders James Haywood, then Jack Clarke. While preaching in the Wickford church in April of 1962, Leo suffered a stroke from a cerebral aneurysm at the age of only 32. This was a life changing event with a long, but miraculous recovery that God would use to redirect his ministry. A year after his stroke, Leo recovered enough to pastor his own churches in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Canaan, Ct, for 3 years. Lois’s talent was for children’s ministries, and she especially enjoyed leading the Kindergarten Sabbath School. It was there that Leo discovered that due to his stroke, his dream of reentering the military as a chaplain would not be realized, and wondered what other plan God could have for him.

In 1965 the family was transferred again, this time to Connecticut where they pastored at the Plainville, Middletown, and Meriden churches. Leo was ordained as a fully credentialed Minister in 1966. Then, in 1968, Leo received a call from Chaplain Walter Kloss to become his associate hospital chaplain at New England Memorial Hospital in Stoneham. Now Leo & Lois knew how God would use his illness to minister to others in a unique way.

During his ministry to countless patients, families and church members, Leo was also a leader in obtaining and instructing Certification in Clinical Pastoral Education in New England and served as President of the Adventist Association of Chaplains. He remains an adjunct professor for Atlantic Union College off-campus classes. He also received his Clinical Social Worker’s License. Lois worked per diem at NEMH and again nurtured children in her home to assist with Maureen & Tim’s Adventist school tuition. In 1990 Leo had cardiac bypass surgery, and 2 years later he retired from then named Boston Regional Medical Center after nearly 25 years of Chaplaincy. But he didn’t quit working! Instead he answered a need in Williamsburg, Virginia, for a temporary Chaplain at the Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital for a year. Upon returning to Stoneham, he became a per diem family counselor under Dr. Mirna Aeschlimann’s Pediatric practice and was also requested by the local Protestant Ministerial Association to become the part-time Chaplain at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital; a position he has continued to hold for the past 15 years.

Throughout Leo’s ministry, he has performed many baptisms, weddings, funerals, and baby dedications, as well as pastoral counseling, prayers, Bible Study, and preaching, for both the Adventist and non-Adventist communities. By his side, Lois has consistently used her gifts of empathy and encouragement for shut-ins and others needing visitation or assistance, and joyfully caring for her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandsons, Dean & Luke. In every place of ministry they have been blessed and supported by so many loving friends and gratefully acknowledge how God has led them each amazing step of the way.

PS. Here's a look at finished scarf #3. It's the longest one I've done--used about 300 yards of yarn--and took just over a week.

Crafting for Charity Update

2009-07-27T13:55:00.003-05:00

I seem to be getting the hang of this whole knitting thing. Last Thursday (7/23) I went to Yarniverse and learned how to cast off and weave in the ends. Here is a look at the finished project, my first eco-friendly scarf. It kept .6 plastic bottles from a landfill and took about a week and a half to finish. Wednesday night I started my second scarf. I didn't have as much yarn in my skein as I had hoped, so it's a little shorter than the first but still works. I used larger needles (13s) so it only took me about 4 days to complete. I just need to weave in the ends once I get the proper tool.

And here is my 3rd scarf. I started it on Sunday afternoon and was able to get a lot done while hanging out and playing Wii with LadyBoyd and friends. I should be finished by week's end even though I plan on making this a longer scarf.

I think I'm about ready to make scarfs for some of my friends and maybe learn some more advanced techniques. We'll just have to wait and see.

Weekend in Words & Photos

2009-07-19T22:52:00.005-05:00

On Thursday evening E, J & I ate a quick dinner that consisted of Whole Foods sushi and then made our way across the parking lot to see the new Vatican approved Harry Potter movie. We got there early so we could find three seats together. While most everyone else was playing on their cell phones waiting for the movie to start I did what any other self respecting 30-something would do: I put on my glasses and started knitting. Below is a pic of my progress taken just before I went to sleep on Thursday night. (BTW, great movie; can't wait for #7.)

Friday evening was spent studying to teach the earliteen SS lesson, making ice cream, and knitting. In preparation for Saturday night's Ice Cream Social, I borrowed E's ice cream maker and tried my hand at Avocado Ice Cream a la Alton Brown and a Vegan Butter Pecan. Here is photo evidence of what got accomplished Friday night. If you make the Butter Pecan, I recommend using half of the vanilla that the recipe calls for. I found it a bit overpowering. But it might have been just me since I got compliments and there was none left over.

Who doesn't like green food? I know that some people were a little bit skeptical of avocado ice cream, but I think that they ended up being pleasantly surprised. And besides, I have to shake things up every once and awhile. There were some leftovers, but I put them to good use in an avocado milkshake on Sunday.

And finally, here is the status of my knitting as of Friday night.

Saturday brought rest, busyness (teaching SS, doing announcements, & children's story) and the church social. I was happy to see that quite a few people came out for the festivities and sampled the ice cream. Most people left before the games started but a few of us stuck around. There was a nice group of us who brought our knitting/crocheting and worked on our projects while socializing. This is what I ended up with by the end of the night.

After such a busy week I decided to play hermit on Sunday. I slept til 10a, made breakfast, and settled in to a day of laundry, DVR watching (yay for Eureka, MI-5, Royal Pains, Mission Impossible 3, etc), and knitting. I don't feel so guilty watching so much TV anymore now that I can multi-task. Here is my almost finished scarf. I'm down to the last couple of yards of yarn in the skein and will have to stop soon and wait to meet up with S so she can show me how to finish off the scarf. I should be starting on my next project sometime this week. I'm going to try for a larger needle size and some bulkier yarn. I might even be really geeky and check out Yarniverse.

She's Crafty...

2009-07-13T14:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a long but fruitful day. The Women's Ministry group at church started a Crafting for the Homeless/Halfway House residents project. There was crocheting, knitting, and fleece blanket/scarf tying. Since I tied a few blankets last year and once knew how to crochet (and by once I mean about 20 years ago--dang, that makes me feel old!), I figured it was time to learn to knit. I brought along my newly purchased needles and yarn and was ready to learn! It wasn't nearly as easy as I had hoped. It took me a little while to catch on when it came to getting the loops from one needle to the next. But after a bit of practice I was ready to start my scarf project for real. Since I was using small needles and a thinner yarn, I found some great yarn make out of recycled plastic bottles, I went with 35 stitches. Somehow that morphed into 37 stitches by the time I was ready to head home. After a couple of hours at home, my stitches numbered 42. I have no idea how that happened. I did discover a hole and when I tried to pull out the stitches, I couldn't put them back on the needles. So I did what anyone who had spent 4 hours on a project would do, I unraveled the whole thing and started over. After another 2.5 hours, I was back to where I had been before. Here is a view of my progress: Knitting Day 1

This pic shows a little more detail.

This one shows the beautiful Forrest Green color

Home Again

2009-06-28T20:18:00.009-05:00

It’s been almost a week since I returned home from vacation and over a month since my last blog post. Guess it’s time to update. First the bad news: Unfortunately, I never got to wear my pretty green and black ball gown. My escort to the fundraiser ball cancelled a couple of days before the event. Thankfully I was still in Memphis so I did not needlessly lug my gown to Boston and I was able to make the trip without having to check my luggage—the gown was to be my carry on. I was quite bummed by this turn of events and am flabbergasted that to this day he does not see the gravity of the issue and thinks that I am overreacting. (In my defense, this was at least the fourth time he has cancelled on short notice with no real plans to make it up to me. Excuses and apologies abound, but nothing comes of it. Sorry if I find it necessary to be near the top of the priority list. Oh wait. No I’m not.) With the exception of the pre-vacation let down, the trip itself was fun. I got in late Thursday night. On Friday, I went to Pickety Place with mom and my SIL.

On Friday evening my parents and I went out to eat at Bangkok Hill, one of our favorite Thai restaurants, and were welcomed with open arms by the lovely owner, Mae. If you are ever in the area, you must go. I highly recommend the Drunken Noodles with Tofu.

On Sabbath we went to SMC for church and then a potluck hosted by a couple in my parents’ Sabbath School class. Since I was no longer going to the MFA black tie event there was no need to rush back home, so we took our time fellowshipping with friends and eating some great food (and yes, I did end up falling asleep in their library and taking a little nap). Dad took off on his motorcycle later that night to head to Maine and I met him up there on Sunday. It rained most of the trip, but it allowed us time to visit my cousins’ families and my aunt & uncle who live near the camp. And since it was good reading-by-the-fire weather, I got halfway through Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged; just don’t ask when I will finish it. It finally stopped raining on Tuesday, so we were able to get in at least one canoe ride.

I also got to take a spin in my uncle’s homemade sidecar rig. He drove me out to the main drag and then I drove him down to the restaurant we were going to for a late breakfast. I must say that Uncle Frank is a brave man. Dad drove back to MA Tuesday night and gave me a night alone at camp. It is so peaceful up there. I wish it was closer. Nothing beats falling asleep by the fire and waking up to the view of the pond out the front windows. I took my time driving back Wednesday and drove Mom to work on Thursday so I could see her new office and meet her friends there. Friday was a wonderfully lazy day capped off by going to SNEC’s camp meeting to hear Barry Black (you may remember that I read his autobiography in 2006). He is one of the most well spoken and charismatic speakers I’ve ever heard. His three talks were full of substance; no feel good fluff here. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak, go. I even suggest getting the tapes of his sermons from camp meeting. Even though I was disappointed not to get Red Sox tickets this trip, it allowed me the opportunity to go through the NAD Women’s Ministry Leadership Training, Level 1 on Sunday. Considering that my pastor’s wife didn’t even know that this program existed, I consider myself lucky to have been able to attend. Later that evening we headed back to the campgrounds for a concert put on by Steve Green. The highlight was the two songs he did with the K-6th graders from Browning. The fact that my oldest nephew was on stage with him doesn’t make me biased does it?

The next day I flew home. It was a long day of delayed flights, barely made connections, and lost luggage (my larger carry on wouldn’t fit on the first plane, so it got checked and missed the connection). I was just grateful to be able to sleep at home with my girls instead of getting stuck in Atlanta. Vacation is always a good thing, but it’s nice to be home.

New Dress

2009-05-17T21:51:00.001-05:00

Here is a sneak peek at the dress I'll be wearing next month at the MFA gala. It's strapless, so ignore the small straps keeping it on the hanger.

From Misc

It's Like Bubble Gum

2009-04-29T22:09:00.015-05:00

This month marked the 30th birthday of my good friend E. A few of us decided that she needed to celebrate the start of her fourth decade of life in style. The first surprise was a visit from her mom. We had been scheming for weeks. Mama C flew in late Wednesday night (a few days before her actual birthday) and stayed at my place. The next day we made a pit stop at the wonderful Dunkin' Donuts and headed to work. I told E that I brought her a coffee and donuts and her mom! She was speechless.

The next surprise was the party on Saturday afternoon. Since E's birthday was on Easter weekend she'd asked for a bunny cake. Little did she know that our dear friend LadyBoyd was slaving away on the most awesome bunny cake ever. And since it was Easter after all, a carrot cake accompanied it. Have I ever said how much I love LadyBoyd (and her cake skills)? E has a small obsession with kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, Rachel Ray, and all things cooking related. So, we (LadyBoyd, R, & I) came up with the perfect gift: a Taste of Italy cooking class at the local Viking Cooking School. It was a test of patience for E since she had to wait until last night for all the action. It was a lot of fun. The mouth-watering menu consisted of grilled portabella mushrooms with herb butter, herb and cheese flan, pan seared veal with fennel tomato sauce, herb pasta, and almond cake. We all worked together on the meal.

Reading the menu before starting the chopping.

Having a little fun at the mixer.

Food processors are fun!

Dinner's ready!

My favorite part of the meal was the herb cheese flan. I've always been a fan of sweet caramel flan, but this light, savory flan we made is without comparison. I will be making it again even if it's just for me and the cats. And since I learned how to make it, I had to try the veal. Sorry to report I wasn't impressed. Being a vegetarian (more out of habit than the whole PETA angle), I wasn't happy with the lack of flavor or the texture. Just like the time I tried filet mignon at the meat palace, the texture reminded me of (please don't laugh!) old bubble gum--lots of chewing, but no bubbles. But all in all we had a blast!

Cheers! Here's to your 4th decade, E!

Jasmine

2009-03-30T23:01:00.002-05:00

The Jasmine blooming on the mailbox out front.

See You Next Year

2009-03-30T22:29:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that my little Daly is already a year old. I remember anxiously awaiting the news of her birth and then waiting another 7 weeks for her to be weaned. How much difference a year makes.

The first pic of Daly and her little mates Getting bigger, but not yet weaned

8 weeks old: Finally got to bring her home

My long sleek girl the night before her birthday. She's not a kitten anymore!

And so it begins

2009-03-12T20:10:00.005-05:00

I've been fighting with my home warranty company for over a year about a leak from my shower that drips into my kitchen. I finally got them to agree that a valve needs to be replaced (this is not the main problem, just a minor one), but it was up to me to open the wall. On Tuesday I borrowed a husband (thanks Chris) to take out the double vanity and part of the drywall. Here is the fruit of that labor. I'll let you know how it ends up next week.

Year of Evangelism - part 2

2009-03-09T11:12:00.003-05:00

As promised, here is the prayer part of the Prayer & Fasting handout that I worked on. From what I could tell, the presentation I made on Sabbath was well received. I was also pleasantly surprised at the amount of people who stuck around and participated in the prayer walk that we did around the church building.

A Short Guide to Prayer

It is common to have prayer without fasting and you can even fast without prayer, but when prayer and fasting are used together a whole other level of communion with God can be reached. During this Year of Evangelism, it is important not to neglect the opportunity being given to ask God’s blessing on the series and programs that are being presented both locally and around the country. Paul encourages Christians to “pray without ceasing “(1 Thes 5:17). One way everyone can take part is with purposeful praying. Below is a list of a few ways to incorporate purpose driven prayer into your day.

· Appointment Prayer – Every member is encouraged to stop and pray at 7am and 7pm every day. These can be quick one sentence prayers asking for God’s blessing on the upcoming evangelistic series. Pray not only for the leaders, but those who are making a decision about coming to the series as well. Just imagine, our entire church spread out all over the Memphis metro area in prayer at the exact same time! · Trigger Prayer – Think about committing to pray throughout the day each time you see a specific trigger. The trigger you choose is up to you. If you do a lot of non-highway driving you may want to stop and pray at every red light you come to. If you are in an office, you might want to choose a specific time trigger. Consider praying each time you notice the clock repeating numbers such as 10:10, 2:02 or each time you check your email. Your trigger should be something that you can easily come across and will serve as a reminder to pray throughout even the most hectic day. · Prayer Partners – Find someone who will pray with you over the phone or in person. You can also serve as an accountability partner for each other. You may also want to write down or email prayers throughout the day to encourage one another. · Prayer Walk/Drive – Pray as you walk or drive around a neighborhood for those living and working in the area. Take your time to stop and observe the neighborhood for specific needs. For example, if there are toys in the yard pray for the children in the home; if you come across a business pray for the customers and the financial needs of the business.

The Year of Evangelism

2009-03-06T11:18:00.002-06:00

The Seventh-day Adventist Church (of which I am a member) has dubbed 2009 the Year of Evangelism for the North American Division. This means that every church in North America is focusing on bringing people to Christ and enlisting every church member. There will be seminars throughout the year as well as other friendship based activities for sharing. One of the things that churches throughout the country are doing to support the work of evangelism is through prayer in fasting. I've been asked to help spearhead this initiative in my local church. Below is the handout I worked on about fasting. One on prayer will be forthcoming.

A Short Guide to Fasting

Complete fasting traditionally refers to a period of time when someone willingly goes without food and drink—with the exception of water. (The morning meal, breakfast, is to literally “break fasting”.) The basic idea of a religiously motivated fast is to do without something that is a major part of your life for a set amount of time and for the specific purpose of humbling or afflicting our souls (Leviticus 16:29) in communion with God. As a result, fasting is not limited to just denying yourself food. In fact, a complete fast is not something that all people can do. Some individuals have medical conditions which make fasting for several days detrimental to their health.

Another option is a partial fast. One example of a partial fast is intentionally leaving certain foods—such as dairy, meat, highly processed or fast food, etc—out of your diet much like the Catholic tradition of not eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Other types of fasting that can be done in conjunction with or in place of a dietary fast could involve abstaining from watching television, surfing the internet , sexual relations, shopping, working, hobbies, or any other activity which may distract you from fully focusing on communing with God.

According to the Bible fasting was done both individually and communally. People are recorded as fasting on many diverse occasions such as to ask for God’s favor (2 Samuel 12:16-23), to ward off crisis and ask for protection (Esther 4:16), to mourn a death (2 Samuel 1:12), to ask for repentance (Jonah 3:5, Psalms 69:10), and to ask for the revelation of God’s will (Acts 13:2-3, 2 Chronicles 20: 3-4).

The Bible also mentions the misuse of fasting. A couple of examples can be seen in Acts 23: 12-14 when a group of Jews made an oath to fast until the death of Paul. Another is mentioned in Jeremiah 14:12 when the nation fasted in mock repentance. A fast is not a hunger strike neither is it a way for us to convince God of our plans, but a way for us to hear to God. Remember, fasting is a humbling of oneself and should not be used to show spiritual superiority as was the case for the Pharisees (Luke 18:12).

For more information about fasting:

Exodus 34:28, 1 Kings 19:8, 1 Kings 21:27, Nehemiah 1:4, Matthew 4:2, Matthew 6:16, Matthew 9:15, Acts 9:9, Acts 14:23, 1 Samuel 31:13, Ezra 8:21-23, Ezra 10:6, Deuteronomy 9:9-18, Job 33:19-20, Psalms 102:2, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 11; 27-28, Joel 2:15, Isaiah 58:2 http://www.spirithome.com/fasting.html http://www.new-life.net/fasting.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1537/story3.html There are also several books on the topic of Christian fasting.

Photo Stories

2009-01-20T13:21:00.005-06:00

Like the proud mama of two beautiful furbabies that I am, I thought I'd share some pictures.

Since she was born in March of 2008, this was Daly's first Christmas. She took advantage of the new areas to explore that the Christmas tree provided, as seen above. This is probably how she got the hole in her cornea. At least that's what O'Malley would have us believe.

This morning I awoke to snow flurries. As you can see it actually stuck. Daly was sitting in the bedroom window and trying to figure out why there was white stuff floating around. So, I decided to let the girls out to enjoy the first (and hopefully last) snow of the year.

O'Malley, being a New England born lass, was right at home. She sniffed out the holly trees and put up quite a fight when I decided it was time to go back inside. Next, it was Daly's turn. This is the first time I have ever let her outside. Once she got to the step she was mortified to find out that I closed the door behind us. She started crying like she was on the way to the vet to get her eye stained again.

She did venture off the step very briefly. When I knelt down to get a pic, she jumped (literally) at the chance to get off of the cold ground. She quickly made her way up my leg and onto my shoulder, crying all the way. That was our cue to head back inside. Something tells me my Memphis born girl won't be begging to go outside anytime soon.

So Soon?

2008-12-29T16:57:00.002-06:00

I’m a little surprised that this is happening so soon. I had expected it to happen sometime after I had children; or even after I’d gotten married (since I am getting a late start—assuming I start at all—on that one). No such luck. I feel like I’m too young for this to be happening. The signs were all there, but I refused to see them. It wasn’t until a friend’s husband, a navy corpsman, made a comment over Friday’s Christmas brunch that it hit me. My friend E, the accountant, seconded his observation. How could this be? I’m a single girl, just 30 years old. And yet, it’s undeniable. I’m turning into my mother! And here is photographic evidence:

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T21:53:00.002-06:00

It's That Time of Year

2008-12-05T22:51:00.006-06:00

I knew it was coming. There's a chill in the air. I've started my shopping. I even plugged in and turned on the electric blanket last night. And now I have my tree up. I came home (after a very long 4 day work week) tonight to a box of goodies sitting by the front door. My WIR Secret Santa sent me lots of Christmas goodies which got me in a festive mood.

I also pulled out my Irish Nativity. As you can see, this is only part of the set. The shepherds, goats, more lambs, another angel, donkey, and the little drummer boy are still at my mom's house. (Nanny started the subscription for me so all of the items ship to her.) I was able to look them over Thanksgiving day and am quite pleased. Now I just need to convince my mother to ship them out to me before Christmas! And imagine my surprise at the three nails poking out of my mantle. Back when my parents came for Christmas in 2005, I had purchased three stockings. True, it's two years later and they've never been used. But I do have a stocking for all of the house's residents. The fact that the other two are quadrupeds and have slightly more fur than I do is irrelevant.

One and Only

2008-11-20T10:27:00.004-06:00

A devil-eyed Daly, an indifferent O'Malley and a wonderful view of the inside of my nose. Is this really destined to be our Christmas photo for 2008? It just might be.

Melancholy

2008-11-11T13:36:00.003-06:00

I can’t put my finger on the cause, but today is a melancholy day. It is likely an assortment of things: Take one part SAD, two parts fond memories of friendships which have been lost—those intentionally lost mingling with those which have faded with time, sprinkle in seeing the motherhood of my friends followed with a dash of holding their precious young ones. Top with your choice of a backlog of unused cleaning days, an overabundance of nightly church expectations, a lack of social commitments, and no work out days. I have all of the above available.

Enough Said

2008-10-16T23:39:00.000-05:00

Weekends Update

2008-10-14T13:25:00.004-05:00

I know I am long overdue on reporting back on the Women's Retreat from the end of September, so I will start with that. On Friday afternoon, Sept 26, S and I made the 4 hour drive to Indian Creek Camp. I had never been there before and was pleasantly surprised at the ease of the trip. My favorite part of the drive--aside from the pit stop in Jackson to get some Dunkin Donuts coffee--was the rolling hills as we got closer to Nashville. I almost forgot that I was in Tennessee and not New England. We got to the camp just in time to get settled and make our way to dinner. The weekend was very refreshing and uplifting. I enjoyed the energy our speakers brought to their topics. One of the reasons why S was wanting to go this particular weekend was that she had known the main speaker, Lynn Ortel, several years earlier. And of course due to the incestuous nature of the SDA community, I had a connection to her as well. Lynn, an AUC alumni, is friends will my family in Maine. S and I wrapped up the weekend with a School Board Seminar at the conference office which was much more interesting and informative then I was expecting. I even managed to stay on my meal plan for all of the breakfasts and lunches and come home the exact same weight as when I left. As you can see from my previous post, my relaxing and refreshing weekend was followed by over a week of sickness. Once I realized that this wasn't a simple cold, I went to the doctor and received a beautiful Z Pack. With the exception of a lingering dry cough and an outgoing voicemail message created on a sick day (my voice always changes when I'm sick), everything is back to normal. So normal in fact that Saturday night I hosted a group of 5 teens and tweens for a movie night at my house. We watched the classics--Uncle Buck and The Goonies. It was a bit strange to see Josh Brolin on the Today Show talking about his latest movie this morning. All I could picture was him wearing sweat pants under his running shorts.

Sickly

2008-10-03T14:22:00.002-05:00

I had a great time last weekend at the Women's Retreat. (I'll do a post about it this weekend. The speaker went to AUC with my Aunt Winnie. Yet another example of how incestuously small the Adventist community is.) Then on Tuesday I started feeling a little sickly but still made it out to Avenue Q with LadyBoyd and her hubband. I don't remember the last time I laughed that much--the car ride home was just as amusing as the show. By Wednesday the sickness had hit. Massive sore throat, sinus pressure and inflamed vocal cords which make me sound like a grown up. I had to leave work early on Thursday and am taking a half day today. I don't even want to think about all of the house work that needs to be done this week before I open my house up for another Teen Movie Night on the 11th. Hopefully with enough water and cat hair this cold won't stick around. On a good note, I weighed in today and I'm down a total of 9.2 pounds since I started doing Nutrisystem. Now if I could just find the energy to get off my rump and walk. I can't let the MOANers down!

Weekend To Be

2008-09-25T14:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight I will be gearing up for a weekend away. Laundry and packing are on the top of the list. Once I dig out my sleeping bag and slippers I'll be halfway packed. I'll also need to bring along my main dish foods for the trip. No, this is not a romantic weekend away (I don't see that happening in any near future scenario.), but a weekend away nonetheless. Tomorrow I will be driving to Podunk, TN* to the KY-TN Conference campgrounds for their Women's Retreat. The theme this year is Worship with Abandon. I have only been to a young adult retreat so I'm looking forward to this new experience. I'll be driving up with one of my friends from church and once the retreat wraps up we are heading down to the conference offices for a school board seminar. I don't expect Sunday to be as stimulating. Maybe I'll be surprised. *Name has been changed to more accurately describe the town. According to wiki, the population is 367.

The Week that Was and Is

2008-09-19T10:11:00.003-05:00

This has turned out to be a good week after all. I was worried on Monday when my budget got blown out because Commerce hasn’t quite figured out that I shouldn’t still be paying for a cancelled policy. True, the cost was minimal and I was able to cover the budget variance with savings, but I did have to put off registering my car for another two weeks. It appears that I will have to take things into my own hands and not rely on my insurance guy’s confirmation. In addition, I was asked to add a third hat--running sound and burning CDs--to my already scheduled announcement and children's story duties at church tomorrow. This can only go well, right? As the week wore on, I saw my lawn being mowed by a local pathfinder (I pay her for this, but it was still a nice surprise to see her come out one evening after school without being asked.), received my brand new silver digital scale and my new food shipment from Nutrisystem—mashed potatoes how I have missed you. This time UPS left my 30 pound box at the back door so I wouldn’t have to wake up any earlier to pick it up. Wednesday night prayer meeting was an uplifting study of “Prayer” in the Bible and last night’s school board meeting was drama free and only an hour and a half long. We got out so early that another member and I were able to hit Starbucks—which is usually closed by the time we get there (they close at 10p)—for a tall non-fat no whip pumpkin spice latte and some good conversation. Other than the small Starbucks indulgence, I’ve stayed true to my meal plan and even managed to not cheat when I took the staff out Tuesday morning for breakfast at Brother Juniper's. If only ordering one fried egg over easy and a bowl of grapes is not a testament to my new found will power I don’t know what is. I’ve only worked out once this week, but am planning on at least walking some today. The fact that my shiny new scale told me this morning that I’ve lost 7 pounds (6.6 to be exact, but hey, that rounds up to 7) in four weeks is a real motivator. Look out size 10 jeans, here I come!

Labor Day

2008-09-15T14:57:00.006-05:00

My mom finally figured out how to email photos from a CD (she goes to Walgreens for a photo CD because she hasn’t quite figured out how to download them directly from her camera to the computer) and sent these my way. On Labor Day Mom and I went for a stroll at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Our first stop was their herb garden. You could tell that this garden was in the middle of being redone as the majority of the herbs were overgrown and dying. Mom was still able to identify all of the ones still alive and many that were past their prime. (Note to self: stay away from bee balm, but try to find some lemon balm to plant inside the house.) My favorite sections were the Japanese Garden and the Serenity Garden. The Japanese Garden had a beautiful red bridge that crossed over a koi filled stream. Due to my fascination with the fish (as evidenced by tattoo number 8), I promptly went over to the fish food machine and made my way to the stream's edge. I have never seen koi this large or in this great of a number. Of course the fact that many had a bright cobalt blue coloring didn't hurt. There was a mad dash for us once the food hit the water with many of them catching the pellets before they even hit the water. The Serenity Garden held true to its name. The serene water fountains and lotus flowers were tucked away under wood awnings. We took some time to just relax and listen to the water and birds. I may have to consider an annual membership.