I am not overtly frou-frou girly about much. Oh, I have my moments; I paint my toenails in the summer, and have recently started enjoying some different types of jewelry in addition to wearing my wedding rings (which is generally my only adornment). But I don't wear make-up most of the time, my usual "uniform" is either jeans and a t-shirt, or jeans and a sweatshirt, hair in a ponytail, and Birkenstocks. I catch snakes and lizards, am not scared of mice, and used to enjoy studying martial arts prior to a nasty car accident that has rendered my right hip largely immobile beyond normal walking angles.
But there is one thing....I am inexplicably freaked out by spiders and bugs. It is a true phobia -- most especially of spiders and, wait for it -- grasshoppers. Yes, grasshoppers. Completely unfounded, and ridiculous, really, but there you have it. I am terrified of them. I have thrown up when one landed on me. I know in my head that this makes no sense whatsoever, but I have never been able to even let a ladybug or firefly land on me.
Ironic, since I love gardening.
I know that bugs and spiders play a valuable role in just about everything on the planet -- not only are they part of the food chain for fish, birds, etc., but they also help break down rotting vegetation, aid in the spread of seeds and pollination itself, and some are "good" predators that keep the bad ones off of your flowers and produce. I just can't stand the little crawly things. I can look at them, but if they ever land on me, God help them -- and anyone's eardrums in the near vicinity. It is not a conscious thing, but I apparently emit a shriek loud enough and high enough in pitch to start all the neighborhood dogs up in a barking frenzy.
So, imagine my delight in discovering a little surprise in my breakfast yesterday. My husband made oatmeal and dumped some frozen blueberries into it...but didn't check over the berries or rinse them before dumping them into the oatmeal. Things were going well with the breakfast until I went crunch on something. "Hmmm," I thought, "those blueberry seeds are harder than usual...and --long? What the--?" and spit out a piece of shell, complete with leg. The rest of the bug that was left came out quickly.
I don't know if I'll be able to eat oatmeal for a while now.... I know there are many cultures worldwide that consider certain bugs to be something of a delicacy, and who eat them with great relish and don't generally die from ingesting them. However, the culture I was raised in is not one of the aforementioned ones, and this combined with my phobias just about did me in yesterday.
Let this be a lesson to always, always rinse and pick over any produce before ingesting it. Eschk!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Are You Ready For This?
Are You Ready For This?
We're moving to Texas in March.
Surprised? We sure are.
With Z getting out of the Army, he has been applying for anything and everything he can -- both in his field, and literally anything else, including at a furniture store and a factory. There just ain't anything local. Nada. Zip. All those jobs that were "guaranteed" just one year ago when he started looking have vanished thanks to the state of the economy, despite his "brilliant" resume by industry standards.
Z has been working odd hours, 24-hour shifts, etc. for the last six years and has very firmly decided that he absolutely will not work anywhere that won't give him Sundays off. He has been frustrated with his schedule not allowing him to be more active in our current church, and was really looking forward to the next chapter where we could spend a lot more time doing various projects and activities where needed.
Money is certainly not everything, we realize that even as young as we are. In fact, he did turn down an $80K/yr job in Atlanta. It required a lot of international travel to places one really does not need to be right now, and when he would be home it would be a 24-hr schedule that rotated throughout the week. No, thanks. Not only would it continue to mess up our family life, but would still prevent being active in a church.
But -- the doors have been opening in Texas, which was not anywhere in our thoughts or aspirations.
Texas? Really????
The only things I know about Texas are: it's a big state, it could legally secede from the union (and is the only state with this right), it gets really hot in the summer, it has a couple of large cities, and it's pretty much scrubby brush once you get past Dallas/Ft Worth area. Oh, and they have cows, one type of which is the mascot for a rather well-known university. Well, and I know a couple of people that live there/used to live there. But it has been made more and more abundantly clear, in too many odd ways that can be listed here, that this is where we're being led to.
Z has two positions available, and a possible third and fourth to choose from once we get down there. The first job he has: we are helping to start a church plant geared towards the needs of some of our war veterans who are returning from abroad -- and their families who have been left behind during the deployment. There really isn't anything in the area to minister to these people, which is astounding given the sheer volume of our troops that are in and out of this location routinely. The divorce rate and suicide rate has been astronomically increasing among our military members and is currently at its highest level, ever. This is in large part because of the stressors related to our service members' missions, and inadequate resources for counseling this sort of situation either before they leave or when they return. The old standby just isn't cutting it any more -- war time, like it or not, has to have a different response than the one given in a time of peace -- although the ultimate instruction manual that really helps people (the Bible) remains the same, of course. Of all places that should want to help, it should be the church, right?
Z will get a part-time paycheck from the church until it is established -- and is guaranteed to be able to be more active at church since it's his job! God hears your prayers, truly, although He has shown once again that He answers them in ways you don't expect sometimes. To supplement the income, Z has a final interview for a engineering position with a particular company on Tuesday -- in the words of the manager, "because they have to get that formality out of the way". We'll know more in a week or two once we get the formal letter from the company.
So, Z has landed at least one position in Texas, and we are leaving our house and home at the beginning of March. We're heading out, not completely sure what we'll find when we get there, but know that somehow everything will be taken care of. It's the most terrifying thing, with a weird calm assurance woven into it.
It is truly bittersweet. OUR plans were to stay here, and enjoy where we are currently at. We bought a house, we have made some very dear friends here that we'd love to grow old with, have made investments in local pastimes, shops, the elementary school for A... Ultimately, though, as the now-famous quote intimates, "It's not about YOU." We want to do what God wants more than we want to stay here, as nice as it is here.
I am going to miss my mountains, though. We are going to be in the eastern half of Texas, which has a distinct lack of mountains.
But, I suppose one up-side is that they have Sonic drive-ins there. The closest one to Z and I right now is about 4 hours away, and we have made passing comments throughout the last 6 years that we really miss them. Me for the Cherry Limeades, and Z for the chili cheese tots (also known as coronary in a cardboard tray).
I'll post more info as I get it. I've had no less than 10 people ask me this week if I will keep blogging. Yes, I'm going to continue blogging after we move, although there will be a hiatus while the computer is unhooked and on the truck. I don't own a notebook computer, and don't imagine my CPU would get WiFi inside a moving van. : )
We're moving to Texas in March.
Surprised? We sure are.
With Z getting out of the Army, he has been applying for anything and everything he can -- both in his field, and literally anything else, including at a furniture store and a factory. There just ain't anything local. Nada. Zip. All those jobs that were "guaranteed" just one year ago when he started looking have vanished thanks to the state of the economy, despite his "brilliant" resume by industry standards.
Z has been working odd hours, 24-hour shifts, etc. for the last six years and has very firmly decided that he absolutely will not work anywhere that won't give him Sundays off. He has been frustrated with his schedule not allowing him to be more active in our current church, and was really looking forward to the next chapter where we could spend a lot more time doing various projects and activities where needed.
Money is certainly not everything, we realize that even as young as we are. In fact, he did turn down an $80K/yr job in Atlanta. It required a lot of international travel to places one really does not need to be right now, and when he would be home it would be a 24-hr schedule that rotated throughout the week. No, thanks. Not only would it continue to mess up our family life, but would still prevent being active in a church.
But -- the doors have been opening in Texas, which was not anywhere in our thoughts or aspirations.
Texas? Really????
The only things I know about Texas are: it's a big state, it could legally secede from the union (and is the only state with this right), it gets really hot in the summer, it has a couple of large cities, and it's pretty much scrubby brush once you get past Dallas/Ft Worth area. Oh, and they have cows, one type of which is the mascot for a rather well-known university. Well, and I know a couple of people that live there/used to live there. But it has been made more and more abundantly clear, in too many odd ways that can be listed here, that this is where we're being led to.
Z has two positions available, and a possible third and fourth to choose from once we get down there. The first job he has: we are helping to start a church plant geared towards the needs of some of our war veterans who are returning from abroad -- and their families who have been left behind during the deployment. There really isn't anything in the area to minister to these people, which is astounding given the sheer volume of our troops that are in and out of this location routinely. The divorce rate and suicide rate has been astronomically increasing among our military members and is currently at its highest level, ever. This is in large part because of the stressors related to our service members' missions, and inadequate resources for counseling this sort of situation either before they leave or when they return. The old standby just isn't cutting it any more -- war time, like it or not, has to have a different response than the one given in a time of peace -- although the ultimate instruction manual that really helps people (the Bible) remains the same, of course. Of all places that should want to help, it should be the church, right?
Z will get a part-time paycheck from the church until it is established -- and is guaranteed to be able to be more active at church since it's his job! God hears your prayers, truly, although He has shown once again that He answers them in ways you don't expect sometimes. To supplement the income, Z has a final interview for a engineering position with a particular company on Tuesday -- in the words of the manager, "because they have to get that formality out of the way". We'll know more in a week or two once we get the formal letter from the company.
So, Z has landed at least one position in Texas, and we are leaving our house and home at the beginning of March. We're heading out, not completely sure what we'll find when we get there, but know that somehow everything will be taken care of. It's the most terrifying thing, with a weird calm assurance woven into it.
It is truly bittersweet. OUR plans were to stay here, and enjoy where we are currently at. We bought a house, we have made some very dear friends here that we'd love to grow old with, have made investments in local pastimes, shops, the elementary school for A... Ultimately, though, as the now-famous quote intimates, "It's not about YOU." We want to do what God wants more than we want to stay here, as nice as it is here.
I am going to miss my mountains, though. We are going to be in the eastern half of Texas, which has a distinct lack of mountains.
But, I suppose one up-side is that they have Sonic drive-ins there. The closest one to Z and I right now is about 4 hours away, and we have made passing comments throughout the last 6 years that we really miss them. Me for the Cherry Limeades, and Z for the chili cheese tots (also known as coronary in a cardboard tray).
I'll post more info as I get it. I've had no less than 10 people ask me this week if I will keep blogging. Yes, I'm going to continue blogging after we move, although there will be a hiatus while the computer is unhooked and on the truck. I don't own a notebook computer, and don't imagine my CPU would get WiFi inside a moving van. : )
Friday, January 23, 2009
Happiness for A Buck
I keep hearing people say that a dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. While this may be true, one dollar has given immense pleasure to my little girl.
I found a pink dress-up skirt in the dollar bin at Target -- I snagged it. It had Miss K's name all over it: two different pinks, sparklies, and enough material to be "froofroo" girly.
Sure enough, the next morning when I gave it to her, she LOVED it. K promptly dubbed it her "ballerina skirt" and has worn it pretty much non-stop now for the last two weeks. And I do mean non-stop. We wear it to the bus stop to drop off and pick up big brother...much to the amusement of the other mothers and the drivers on the road that pass us. We wear it to the store....we wear it to sleep in...the only thing we can't do it take a bath in it or wear it to church, but K would do it in a heartbeat if we'd let her.
She is also getting plenty of exercise, because she is dancing through the house. She solemnly informed her daddy the other day, "I don't know what it is....but I have just got...to...dance!" And started jumping and twirling around, smiling so big I thought her cheeks were going to pop off.
Here she is, with the $1 skirt, over her jammies:
Pensive:
Dancing for joy after a busy morning of rearranging all the movies in the entertainment center:
And, cheesing it:
I found a pink dress-up skirt in the dollar bin at Target -- I snagged it. It had Miss K's name all over it: two different pinks, sparklies, and enough material to be "froofroo" girly.
Sure enough, the next morning when I gave it to her, she LOVED it. K promptly dubbed it her "ballerina skirt" and has worn it pretty much non-stop now for the last two weeks. And I do mean non-stop. We wear it to the bus stop to drop off and pick up big brother...much to the amusement of the other mothers and the drivers on the road that pass us. We wear it to the store....we wear it to sleep in...the only thing we can't do it take a bath in it or wear it to church, but K would do it in a heartbeat if we'd let her.
She is also getting plenty of exercise, because she is dancing through the house. She solemnly informed her daddy the other day, "I don't know what it is....but I have just got...to...dance!" And started jumping and twirling around, smiling so big I thought her cheeks were going to pop off.
Here she is, with the $1 skirt, over her jammies:
Pensive:
Dancing for joy after a busy morning of rearranging all the movies in the entertainment center:
And, cheesing it:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Refocus
A lot of my posts lately have chronicled the craziness that is the H-- household, and its various stresses. Some triumphs, some continued challenges. There is a distinct lack of acknowledgement of the huge amounts of blessings that present themselves in the midst of the chaos, though, so I thought I'd take some time today to list a few:
The sun is out today. It may be 4 degrees, with a windchill of -12, but the sun is shining for the first time in weeks. We have had clouds with or without precipitation since just after Christmas, so an actual sunny day is fabulous!
We have a vehicle that still works and gets us whereever we need to be.
I have a wonderful husband who works hard and deals with a lot of junk at work to provide for his family. He is also a good Christian man who has his responsibilities and priorities in order and acts in his family's best interests, even if it means some sacrifice on his part. This in and of itself is probably the biggest blessing I have been given.
I have two great kids -- both of which present their own challenges to the job of parenthood -- but both of which really are good kids. My son is very sweet, and my daughter is too, when she's not being mischievous. They make me laugh several times a day at something they say or do.
I have a great dog, with blue eyes who is nice and big and fluffy. He has the absolute softest ears, and I love to rub them. It's a great partnership, because Mischa loves for me to rub his ears too.
We have a fairly snug house that keeps the elements outside and us comfortable on the inside.
I have a bathroom that works, inside the house. I know people that live out in the country that still use an outhouse.
I have a piano, and have been enjoying writing more music. I have five more songs that are in various stages of completion, and it's always a joy to tinker around and discover new possibilities.
Dr. Pepper. God Bless whoever invented the stuff! That is my one vice, I have a can nearly every day if it's available. And since my husband likes it too, it generally is in the house.
My picture window in the living room -- it's like an ever-changing art display, with its own frame. I can see the mountains and watch the seasons change on them. They start fall and winter just before we do, and you can see the colors changing gradually down the hill before our trees start changing. Then it reverses in spring and summer, and while we're enjoying full-fledged spring the new leaves are just starting to creep back up the mountains. Fascinating!
We live in a small community -- which brings with it a nice, old-fashioned style Fourth of July celebration and a very low crime rate. Yet we're within 10 minutes of any amenities we would want, in a larger town of about 70,000+.
We have a fantastic church family, which have been (and still are) a support base for us mentally, emotionally, and at times fiscally and physically when the need has arisen.
I have the ability to pick up a $3 bunch of flowers at the grocery store when we have a little extra. That seems like such a little thing....but how amazing is it that we can get fresh flowers when it's 4 degrees outside with snow on the ground? I'm glad we live in modern times and in the country that I do, to have this ability.
Speaking of, I am also blessed to live in the U S of A. Despite all its current problems, it is still one of the best places to live out there. I have enjoyed living in other countries, too, but I'm glad this is my home.
There are other things, of course. Every day brings its own special highlights and joys, woven in the middle of the normal chaos. But these are just a few.
The sun is out today. It may be 4 degrees, with a windchill of -12, but the sun is shining for the first time in weeks. We have had clouds with or without precipitation since just after Christmas, so an actual sunny day is fabulous!
We have a vehicle that still works and gets us whereever we need to be.
I have a wonderful husband who works hard and deals with a lot of junk at work to provide for his family. He is also a good Christian man who has his responsibilities and priorities in order and acts in his family's best interests, even if it means some sacrifice on his part. This in and of itself is probably the biggest blessing I have been given.
I have two great kids -- both of which present their own challenges to the job of parenthood -- but both of which really are good kids. My son is very sweet, and my daughter is too, when she's not being mischievous. They make me laugh several times a day at something they say or do.
I have a great dog, with blue eyes who is nice and big and fluffy. He has the absolute softest ears, and I love to rub them. It's a great partnership, because Mischa loves for me to rub his ears too.
We have a fairly snug house that keeps the elements outside and us comfortable on the inside.
I have a bathroom that works, inside the house. I know people that live out in the country that still use an outhouse.
I have a piano, and have been enjoying writing more music. I have five more songs that are in various stages of completion, and it's always a joy to tinker around and discover new possibilities.
Dr. Pepper. God Bless whoever invented the stuff! That is my one vice, I have a can nearly every day if it's available. And since my husband likes it too, it generally is in the house.
My picture window in the living room -- it's like an ever-changing art display, with its own frame. I can see the mountains and watch the seasons change on them. They start fall and winter just before we do, and you can see the colors changing gradually down the hill before our trees start changing. Then it reverses in spring and summer, and while we're enjoying full-fledged spring the new leaves are just starting to creep back up the mountains. Fascinating!
We live in a small community -- which brings with it a nice, old-fashioned style Fourth of July celebration and a very low crime rate. Yet we're within 10 minutes of any amenities we would want, in a larger town of about 70,000+.
We have a fantastic church family, which have been (and still are) a support base for us mentally, emotionally, and at times fiscally and physically when the need has arisen.
I have the ability to pick up a $3 bunch of flowers at the grocery store when we have a little extra. That seems like such a little thing....but how amazing is it that we can get fresh flowers when it's 4 degrees outside with snow on the ground? I'm glad we live in modern times and in the country that I do, to have this ability.
Speaking of, I am also blessed to live in the U S of A. Despite all its current problems, it is still one of the best places to live out there. I have enjoyed living in other countries, too, but I'm glad this is my home.
There are other things, of course. Every day brings its own special highlights and joys, woven in the middle of the normal chaos. But these are just a few.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Morning Surprise!
We have had quite the morning of surprises today.
First, it snowed enough that all the schools were closed. Snow Day! When I was out early this morning, I noticed that the car tires had left interesting tracks over our rocky driveway. This looks like a floor from a childhood home in Florida; tile with bits of other stuff thrown in, minus the ridges of course.
Unfortunately for my son, he is not going to be able to enjoy it because he started having a stomach bug in the wee hours of the morning....which I didn't realize until he came into my room, upset, and climbed into my bed under the covers with me. I sleepily reached out to give him a hug and snuggle with him and woke up in a hurry. Yuck. Gotta love mothers; no one else would touch throw-up, poo poo panties, or places where the dog has gotten sick.
Speaking of, our dog has a vet visit today. He was also sick overnight, and it doesn't look really good. We are praying that it's just a reaction to some medication he was put on recently, but we'll find out.
Miss K is loving it; every "sick day" or "snow day" we have movie time in the morning, and she gets to sit on the couch with her (dry) Cheerios and munch while we watch TV. It's a special treat, and keeps her from harrassing her brother too much when he's not feeling well.
First, it snowed enough that all the schools were closed. Snow Day! When I was out early this morning, I noticed that the car tires had left interesting tracks over our rocky driveway. This looks like a floor from a childhood home in Florida; tile with bits of other stuff thrown in, minus the ridges of course.
Unfortunately for my son, he is not going to be able to enjoy it because he started having a stomach bug in the wee hours of the morning....which I didn't realize until he came into my room, upset, and climbed into my bed under the covers with me. I sleepily reached out to give him a hug and snuggle with him and woke up in a hurry. Yuck. Gotta love mothers; no one else would touch throw-up, poo poo panties, or places where the dog has gotten sick.
Speaking of, our dog has a vet visit today. He was also sick overnight, and it doesn't look really good. We are praying that it's just a reaction to some medication he was put on recently, but we'll find out.
Miss K is loving it; every "sick day" or "snow day" we have movie time in the morning, and she gets to sit on the couch with her (dry) Cheerios and munch while we watch TV. It's a special treat, and keeps her from harrassing her brother too much when he's not feeling well.
Monday, January 12, 2009
I Got One!
A couple of posts ago I lamented that my camera batteries had died, so I didn't get any pictures of the iced trees. I didn't even bother to check the camera, so imagine my surprise today when I turned it on and it said I had a picture in the archives.
Apparently my camera had just enough juice in it the other day to snag this shot before it protested and shut itself off...it's not great, but it's something! You can enlarge it by clicking on the picture; I like how the woods look behind our house, minus the unfortunate sun spot.
Apparently my camera had just enough juice in it the other day to snag this shot before it protested and shut itself off...it's not great, but it's something! You can enlarge it by clicking on the picture; I like how the woods look behind our house, minus the unfortunate sun spot.
A Plug for Polly
Z and I are very fond of Polly Jones' artwork. Polly was a member of a church we attended some years ago, and we purchased a piece of her artwork shortly after Z and I got married. My family has since moved to Maryland, and she and her husband (who is also an outstanding artist) have moved to TX -- but she has a site on Etsy.com where she puts her fabulous pieces up for sale.
Please note that I am not an art critic, neither do I have a good working knowledge of the art world's lingo. This is just something that I like and wanted to share it with the rest of you, in my own words.
Polly specializes in contemporary still life paintings. She uses a variety of media, techniques, and subjects -- but all of her pieces are unique and fantastic. I like her extravagant use of vibrant colors. I also personally really enjoy her works that employ water and how it refracts and alters the appearance of ordinary objects -- and she seems to like to use water in a lot of her projects. Some of her works are subtly 3-Dimensional, adding visual punch to already beautiful pieces.
Here is the first piece that Z and I bought from her, a while ago (the tan around the edges is from the wall, not the painting):
And this is the second piece that we will acquire in March (it's already paid for):
I have had her site posted on one of my sidebars for some time now. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to check out her Etsy store here: PollyPainting
Please note that I am not an art critic, neither do I have a good working knowledge of the art world's lingo. This is just something that I like and wanted to share it with the rest of you, in my own words.
Polly specializes in contemporary still life paintings. She uses a variety of media, techniques, and subjects -- but all of her pieces are unique and fantastic. I like her extravagant use of vibrant colors. I also personally really enjoy her works that employ water and how it refracts and alters the appearance of ordinary objects -- and she seems to like to use water in a lot of her projects. Some of her works are subtly 3-Dimensional, adding visual punch to already beautiful pieces.
Here is the first piece that Z and I bought from her, a while ago (the tan around the edges is from the wall, not the painting):
And this is the second piece that we will acquire in March (it's already paid for):
I have had her site posted on one of my sidebars for some time now. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to check out her Etsy store here: PollyPainting
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