I Find It Odd...

I find it odd so many people find it hard to believe that I can/like to cook. No less than three people showed surprise at this fact recently. Now I don't claim to be a Julia Child (or Lady Boyd) or anything like that, but I'm a decent cook. I can understand Esther's surprise since we were only acquaintances until last weekend. I must have done a good job since she asked me for my cottage cheese loaf recipe. My grandmother told me this week that she is still shocked that my mom and I are comfortable in the kitchen. Though in the very next breath she told me all about how she was going to be cooking with my 5 year old nephew on Wednesday. And then tonight JH called and seemed taken aback that I was cooking dinner. Actually, I was heating up the leftover lentil chili that I made last night, but she still commented that I cooked at all. I find this really odd because she knows I cook for potluck all of the time. True, being vegan she has not tried 90% of what I've brought. Either way, I'm kinda miffed. Now the real question: With so many others around who like to cook, why is it so hard to believe? Is it because I don't have a family to cook for? Because I'm an accountant? Because I'm under 50? I can't have anything to do with being female.

Just Not Right

I understand that in our culture we put a lot of interest into the lives of celebrities. I personally like to look at photos of celebs. But today, with the death of Heath Ledger I have to say that it's gone too far. One of the websites (which will remain nameless) is posting streaming video of the police removing his body from the building in which he died. The caption says: "live streaming video from outside the Soho building were Heath Ledger was found dead today. Authorities are on the scene -- watch as the drama unfolds." Sorry, but that is just SICK!

Princess Party

I was a little bit nervous for this weekend because in addition to teaching SS, Saturday night I hosted a youth movie night at my place. This was a first for me. There were 9 kids and 6 adults. I had a blast and I think everyone else had fun too. I read a devotional to start the evening and then we started the movie and pizza festivities. The Pastor's wife made pizzas and I was on Popcorn watch. We went through 4 boxes! The kids chose Princess Bride and A Cinderella Story. It was nice to have a living room filled with laughter. I don't usually have hostess duties. In the past this was mainly due to the fact that I lived so far out from the rest of my friends (ie, Collierville, Weymouth...) and recently it is because I don't have a doggy friendly house. Someday I'll get my fence fixed, but that won't help with not having doggies inside. Anyway, it was fun playing hostess. My guests cleaned up after themselves so I didn't even have to vacuum! I would open my house for guests again in a second. Not only was it fun, but it's a good way to keep me on task with the house cleaning :). On top of that, I got the good news this afternoon that Ellie is ready! After only 24 days of waiting the part is in and installed. I'm going to pick her up in the morning.

Communication Breakdown

I just got a call from the service department of car dealership that has had my car since the morning of December 21, 2007. I guess my car is sitting "off to the side" and has been there for quite awhile. They called to make sure that I hadn't abandoned my car! I told them that yes, it is in for service and is waiting on a backordered part. I gave them my contact's name and the line that I was given about the part supposedly coming in tomorrow. How sad it that? I guess communication breakdowns are a fact of life in all industries.

Like Mother Like Daughter

Christmas & New Year's have come and gone. Both were rather low key and involved family and/or friends. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions anymore so I didn't make any. This is partly because I don't have a good history of keeping them and partly because you shouldn't wait until the new year for life change opportunities. Although when you take into consideration that I spent most of New Year's Day watching You Are What You Eat and The Biggest Loser while sitting on the couch, maybe I should've. :) This week was a big spending week for me. I finally broke down and bought a new laptop. They were having a special on all-in-one printers, so I picked one of those up for $30. I even treated myself to a 1GB RAM upgrade meaning I now have 2 GB (which was offset by the discount for re-signing up for internet which gets installed on the 18th) and a wireless router which was paid for with all of the gift cards I got for Christmas. All if this at no interest for 18 months! Don't you just love it when stores have those specials? Anyway, I called my parents to tell them the good news and discovered that without even trying I have the same laptop and printer as Mom! I guess I am my mother's daughter. This weekend will be a busy one. Since the Pastor is out of town, I will be teaching SS for the second week in a row. Per his request, I do start off the class every week, so I'm not really sure how much of a help it really is for him to do the lesson 3 times a month. Oh well. I also get to learn about laying tile on Sunday. That should be fun. Finally I need to get my house in tip top shape because I am hosting a movie night next Saturday (12th). I have a good start since I had a major cleaning session to prepare for my Great Aunt & Uncle's New Year's Eve visit. It's all about maintenance mode now.

Happy Holidays

I only sent out a handful of cards this year. If I missed you, please forgive me and print out the photo on the left for your fridge.

Love,

Kristy & O'Malley

(Pirate) Christmas Comes Early

Here is my pretty Christmas tree. I have a few more ornaments coming via LadyBoyd. She wisely once used the same colors as I do for her tree :).

Anyway, things have been rather hectic lately with 2008 Youth planning (I can't wait until the church finds a new leader; I want to be a helper not a leader.) and the 2008 Plan for work. I've started my Christmas cards and hope to have them all out by the end of the week. I also found time to help out with the Women's Ministry blanket making project. Two Sundays ago, I went to the church and was able to complete a blanket with two other accountants. Then I decided after prayer meeting last week that I would have time to make a blanket before the 12/8 deadline since I had Friday off. Well, it ended up that my Friday was just as busy as any other day, so I finished up the blanket around 11p. I did have a good time rocking out to Day Of Fire while tying the blanket. I don't think that I could do another full size blanket by myself in one day, but I think I could tackle a lap blanket.



Back to the point: Christmas has come early. On Sunday LadyBoyd brought over her husband to help me patch the hole in my kitchen ceiling. (I got a patch for Christmas. See the pirate-ness of it now?) And by help me, I mean that he did all of the work and I held the dustpan while he swept up. Then, last night Mom called to tell me that I would be getting a beautiful Irish Nativity set for Christmas. I had seen it in the catalog and forgot about it because I knew it was out of my price range and I had requested BB gift cards for a new computer. Well, the Nativity set got ordered not knowing that it came in installments so once it arrived there were some second thoughts. But Mom & Nanny loved it so much they are going to get it for me anyway. (I've been told that it will become an heirloom and that Mom is first on that list!) The last little bit of Christmas to arrive this week is in the form of information I received this morning. I can't really go into it right now, but this will make my life easier in the long run.

Feeling Festive

Most of you may know that I am not big on winter. There is all of that snow, gaudy decorations, and annoying Christmas music playing EVERYWHERE! When it comes to decorations I'm all about simple. No non-Christmas related holiday decorations--the simplest of all--is the norm. I enjoy a tastefully decorated tree (small white lights are preferred) and that is about all I can take. This may be my way of rebelling against the plentiful decorations I grew up with in both my mother's and grandmother's houses. They both decorate themselves and their houses for Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving (beware of the multiplying Pilgrims!), Christmas, birthdays, etc. Heck, if they could find the right decorations for Mondays, they would be all over it. I'm not saying that this is a bad way to live; it's just not for me. So when E sent me a picture on Saturday of her fully decorated live tree, I started feeling festive. I spent Sunday night dragging out the pre-lit tree I bought a few years ago. I got all of the ribbon and ornaments on in short order. I even hung a few stockings from the mantle. O'Malley was very intrigued by the whole process and is in love with the tree box (and that is the excuse I'm using for the fact that it is still in the living room). I even spent last night wrapping some presents for under the tree. So pretty! I tried to take a picture of my tree with my cell phone but it has some weird color issues. I'll try again later with my camera.

Thanksgiving Wrap Up

The family all met up in Maryland for Thanksgiving this year. To ease the stress for my Aunt & Uncle my immediate family stayed in a hotel a few miles away. I shared a room with my parents (they got the bed and I got the pull out couch) and my brother's family (left) got to share a king sized bed. As you can see the boys are getting so big. The oldest turned 5 on Nov 1 and the youngest will be 3 in Feb. They grow so fast. The one nice thing is that the boys always recognize me. I haven't seen them since the end of July, but D was the first to take my hand and draw pictures for Auntie Kristy! He even wrote out my Christmas list for me, Santa and all. We had fun just being together and eating. There was lots of eating to be done. I stayed an extra two days with N&P at my aunt & uncle's house after the rest of the fam left. I got to spend the day napping and reading. Heaven if you ask me. That last day really helped me to come down from all of the busyness of the holiday. Also, O'Malley was so happy when I got home. She's been all over my lap and spent the last two night curled up on my stomach at bedtime :)

To Hold Or Not To Hold?

So I thought I would try to get another mother daughter pic last night even though I was looking pretty rough. Something tells me that self portraits are not the way to go. What do you think?

A week later...

The once glowing tree outside my office is now naked. Most of the leaves came off in the nasty storm we had this week. On the bright side, the tree in my backyard is sporting nice yellow leaves. As for me, it just the norm. I have potluck this week and will be running between churches. Unfortunatlly, until they can get a youth leader this will be standard practice. I am heading down to MS on Sunday to visit E&J's new church. As E is aware, I'm having a bit of a hard time with the fact that she is not just switching churches but denominations. But I understand why she is doing what she is and am trying to be supportive nonetheless. Work is ramping up with all of the '08 Planning. Sometimes I wonder if it is even worth it as no one here usaully bothers to ask me and just spends anyway. It's pretty hard to hold back paying something if we've already committed to it. Also, the proposed office move next summer is leaving things in the air expense-wise.

Deep Thoughts Inspired By O’Malley Jane

All this week I have made it a point to wake up on time and have a morning devotional. This consists of a selection of chapters from the Bible (2 Kings 1-3 today) that go along with a reading in the HMS Richards’ Bible in a Year book while listening to the SoundScapes channel on TV and having O’Malley contentedly purring on my lap. This last part is a treat. O’Malley is very finicky about when she will and won’t sit on my lap or nap with me. There are times that I make this decision for her, but she quickly shows her distaste of being forced to do anything. This got me to thinking. I love O’Malley like no one else. I hate being away from her for even a night. I’m sure that those of you with spouses and/or children of any kind know what I mean. And I know that O’Malley cares for her momma. She likes to be in the same room as me even if she is no where near me in that room. While this is good, I would still like more from her. I would love it if she would sleep next to me every night and curl up on my lap or play the entire time I’m home. I must admit it’s been hard for me that she only sleeps on the bed when I pull her up for Sabbath naps and even then, I have to force her on the bed but once there she is ready to cuddle. So back to the thinking: This must be how God feels about us. He loves us more than we could ever love Him. He wants us to spend time with Him, but we want it on our terms. We like to spend our time our way. Sure we’ll come up in His lap for church and other worship events, but after all that lap sitting we get up, stretch our legs and run off to do our own thing forgetting that He is still there waiting for us, wanting us. Even when we have the best intentions, we somehow manage to hurt Him with are carelessness. (I relate this to how O'Malley forgets how much her claws hurt when we are playing and then I have to stop playing because she has torn a chunk of flesh from my finger. She doesn't mean to hurt me, it's just a part of her nature like sin is a part of ours.) While God doesn’t want to force us to spend time with Him, there are times that He puts situations in our life that remind us that we WANT to be with Him. Now, if only I could stop being selfish and place my will in God’s hands daily. I want to want a close relationship with God but I am horrible with follow through in all of the relationships in my life. Being a visual person, I wrestle with His intangibility--not hearing God and not being able to see the path that He sees for me. I can't just call Him up and ask for advice like I can with my friends and family. I can't hug Him to show my appreciation and care. I pray every day that God will make me want to be the person He wants me to be and show me how to do it.

Lookin' Smart

So I picked up something new today. Can you guess what it is? It's a obvious as the glasses on my face. Oops, I gave it away :) These new glasses do more than make me look smart. They are specifically for night driving and for when my eyes are tired from the computer or TV. They will hopefully correct my astigmatism enough to stop those crazy bad migraines that follow my weekly Doctor Who, Torchwood, and SciFi Friday marathons on Sundays. Because, really, what good is a Sunday without some British sci-fi? Brilliant!

Positively Glowing

I think it is safe to assume that fall has come to Memphis. The days are shorter and the nights are cooler. The view from my office window usually boasts nothing more interesting than a yellow generator, satellite dish, AC unit, and the neighboring building. Most of the non-evergreen trees in my view are sporting dried up red and brown leaves. But today I couldn't help noticing that one tree has gone from dull green to a radiant orange-red-gold. Every time I look up, I smile. Now all I can think about is curling up with O'Malley and some hot cocoa in front of a fire...

What's your Passion?

On Sunday we had a typically under-attended church business meeting to go over ways in which we could improve our church. There were many good ideas; it is just a shame that so few attended. One of the goals we came up with was to develop a program that will help to keep the youth/teens/pre-teens in church. I know that this is a problem for a lot of churches. I am not sure if we just don't have a lot of them in my local church--the fact that my youth sabbath school tends to have an average of 1-3 people each week is my basis for this--or if they are all hiding. Anyhoo, I was volunteered to work with the pastor's wife on this project. I know that this was brought about because I am involved in the youth class. But I have a secret: Ministering to the Youth is not my passion. I'm not really sure if I have a true knowledge of what my passion is, but at this point in my life it is not Youth. (I've been spending a lot of time up front at church and church related programs...maybe that is my calling? Scary thought.) Why then am I so involved? While it is not my passion, I still care. I believe that due to circumstances beyond their control the youth are often dumped on, ignored, or spoken down to. I have seen this at the Raleigh church with the former youth leader and his/my supposed assistant leader. That is one reason I stepped up and started preparing a lesson every week instead of just my one week a month. Thankfully, starting in November the Pastor will be leading the class more often than not. It will be refreshing to have a break. I kind of have a hard time relating to Youth. I don't have kids. I haven't been a youth for over a decade and when I was I went to boarding school. During high school and college I thought (and often still do) that Sabbath School class was one of the best parts of the whole church service so I don't understand their current mindset. I am trying to figure out what teens these days want/expect out of their churches. What do they like to do? Are they apathetic about everything at this age? Do they even know what they want?

A couple of firsts

Last night I did two things for the first time. One of which was turning on the heat in my house. I have two thermostats--one upstairs and one in the bedroom. As it is getting to be freaking wet and cold all of the time I really had no choice. I'm thinking that I may need to find a way to close up the huge hole in the bedroom wall (shutters or glass or something) to prevent all of the heat from escaping. We'll see what this change does to my MLG&W bill. If I have my way, a new water heater will be the next purchase instead. I can cover the cost with my gift card, but am not sure about the cost for install, delivery, & take away. Cross your fingers. The other first from last night was buying decaf coffee. "How can this be a first?" you ask. I didn't just buy a cup of decaf or some coffee singles. I bought a whole can of decaf coffee grounds. (On a side note: Dunkin Donuts ground coffee can now be purchased at your local Memphis SuperTarget. I can stop being a coffee mule!) Why on earth would I do this? Well, I like coffee for the taste, not the caffeine. I don't have any other caffeinated beverages at the house, so I figured I don't need regular coffee either. Mom is always mentioning that I should cut back, so I am going to try. Now if only we brewed decaf at the office.... Oh yeah, GO RED SOX!

Something to Think About

Most who know me know that I don't often go around quoting Ellen White, but this passage really struck me. In Sabbath School we are studying Israel's wanderings in the wilderness and their conquests of Canaan. The lesson plan provided by the church recommends readings from Patriarchs and Prophets for added insight. Since I am leading out, I'll take all of the insight I can get! (Side note: I once got an F in my elementary school Bible class. I never did like homework.)

In their contest with Og and Sihon the people were brought to the same test beneath which their fathers had so signally failed. But the trial was now far more severe than when God had commanded Israel to go forward. The difficulties in their way had greatly increased since they refused to advance when bidden to do so in the name of the Lord. It is thus that God still tests His people. And if they fail to endure the trial, He brings them again to the same point, and the second time the trial will come closer, and be more severe than the preceding. This is continued until they bear the test, or, if they are still rebellious, God withdraws His light from them and leaves them in darkness. The Hebrews now remembered how once before, when their forces had gone to battle, they had been routed, and thousands slain. But they had then gone in direct opposition to the command of God. They had gone out without Moses, God's appointed leader, without the cloudy pillar, the symbol of the divine presence, and without the ark. But now Moses was with them, strengthening their hearts with words of hope and faith; the Son of God, enshrined in the cloudy pillar, led the way; and the sacred ark accompanied the host. This experience has a lesson for us. The mighty God of Israel is our God. In Him we may trust, and if we obey His requirements He will work for us in as signal a manner as He did for His ancient people. Everyone who seeks to follow the path of duty will at times be assailed by doubt and unbelief. The way will sometimes be so barred by obstacles, apparently insurmountable, as to dishearten those who will yield to discouragement; but God is saying to such, Go forward. Do your duty at any cost. The difficulties that seem so formidable, that fill your soul with dread, will vanish as you move forward in the path of obedience, humbly trusting in God.

p. 437 (emphasis mine.)

Is it really that bad?

There are some times that you just have to laugh. My not-in-a-relationship status has been much talked about lately (I have not been on a date in over a year and a half). And not just by Nanny and my mom. My local married friends, all in good fun, are quick to point out any male with a wedding ring free hand. I often join in the fun. There have been a couple of "you should meet So-And-So" discussions and even get together attempts, but nothing has come of it. What I think is really funny--or is distressing the right word?--is that one of my youth class members has joined in the fun. The 15 year old called and told me that her neighbor had some questions about religion and wanted to know if I would talk to him. At first I thought it was one of her friends (a fellow teenager), but come to find out it was her single 26 year old neighbor who is looking for more than answers to religious questions. A little warning would've been nice :) I have yet to decide what I want to do with this situation as he is very anxious to start a relationship of some sort (friend, romantic, etc). So the question I have is: Is it really that bad to be single? I have spent more of my life out of relationships than in them. This is largely due to the fact that for some reason or another my relationships don't stick. I don't any long term relationships in my dossier and know that I haven't been in one serious enough to lead to love. I am comfortable being single and am quite versed in my independence. Maybe too much so. For the most part I know what I want, what I need, and what I think. This can be rather off-putting for some people. Don't get me wrong, there are many times when I think that a helpmate would be nice. But I want the person I end up with to be a compliment for me and my personality. I do not need anyone to "complete me." That is a Disney Princess idea that I consider harmful to all who embrace it.

Memories of Youth

As you may know, one of my guilty pleasures is reading Pink is the New Blog. When I read today's title, "Pip, Pip Hurray", I was overwhelmed with memories. As a child my parents had records of the Eric B. Hare stories. And yes, I do mean on vinyl. We had a combo 8-track/record/cassette player in our dining room. Anyway, when I read the title all I could think about was Pip, Pip the Naughty Chicken. I don't know the last time I thought of those stories. They were much loved and much played in our house. Something has to be said for hearing stories read by the author. Maybe I'll get some for Dean's upcoming 5th birthday or just get copies for myself for my ride to church.

Spoke Too Soon

That beautiful but dirty long haired black and white cat has not been around for several days. I've been keeping some dry food in a baggie in my car just in case it shows up. I noticed that once I started to put out food for the pretty kitty so did the neighbors on each side of me. This shouldn't bother me since the cat was really thin, but I admit to being a little put off. I wanted to be the one of take care of it. The cat would follow me to the door as if it wanted to come inside. I wish I could let it. My only hope is that someone else took pity on the cat and saw how good of a pet it could be and decided to let it into their home (the only thing that I wouldn't be able to promise this cat would be visits inside my home). I did try to see how O'Malley would feel about this new possible pet. I left the door open so that O'Malley could watch this new kitty through the glass door. There was some hissing from O'Malley, but I expected as much since they couldn't smell each other. Then she just watched this new cat eat and rubbed up against my legs to show the outside cat who I belonged to. On a side note, O'Malley been more affectionate since she saw the cat. She's back on the bed at night and even spent Snooze Time on my stomach yesterday morning purring so loud I almost couldn't snooze :)