So I Was Just Thinking

Flowers have been used to symbolize many things for centuries. The orchid is considered to be one of four noble plants. Because it grew deep in the mountains, it was compared to scholars who had transcended the greed and fame-seeking of the secular world. Orchid growth is affected by everything from elevation and light to humidity, air movement and nutrition. When I looked up how to care for this "delicate" flower, I realized that this is a flower I would probably kill in just a few days. In my search for a more disciplined life, I came to an understanding about myself. I like my laid back life. I love that I am not always worried about menus and shopping lists. My children are healthy and happy. Yes, my house is less than tidy, and my flowerpots outside are less than tended, but I am happy. So as this year of searching for discipline is nearing an end, I will begin thinking about what it is that I would like to work on next year.... I have two more months to think about it. ...

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The weather today couldn't be beat. After dance lessons, I just had to take the kids to the park. That's when I realized, I can't remember the last time I took James to the park. To my defense, our park is not the nicest park in the world even if it is a very big one. For this reason I drove to another town to go to the park. When we pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, James looked at me as if to say, "Is this for real? Do my eyes deceive me? Are we going to play at the park?" Once he realized it was okay, he immediately ran to the jungle gym and began going up and down the slide. I followed him around taking pictures, listening to him interact with other kids. I had to giggle when he asked a little girl her name and was quickly given the brush-off. (Get used to it, kiddo. Girls are fickle.) A little help please? I can do it mommy. Even Cait got in on the fun. James was a little nervous at first. Then he began to have a little fun. After some fun a...

I am home with my sick child. After a round of the Game of Life with a four year old with the Flintstones in the background, one can tend to get a little stir crazy, especially when your day is usually spent engaging 10 year olds. I decided to take a break with a little snack and went to the pantry where I pondered the benefits of high fiber cereals and the like when I spied this: Doesn't it look yummy? I can't wait to break into it. Wait a minute....What is that rattling sound? Well, I'll be. Who does that? So disappointing.

We have been studying about Vital Connections at church this past month. It is something that I think about often. Today, I am thinking about it even more. I use Google Reader to let me know when most of the blogs I follow post something new. Sometimes I take the time to read them all. Other times, I am so busy that I have to hit delete and just get on with the rest of my day. When I do, I wonder what I am missing. Recently, I decided to click the "Next" button at the top of my blog to see whose random blog might show up. This can be a good or bad thing. I found a site that had a bunch of anime pictures. Not being interested, I hit the back button and tried again. The blog owner must have had a way to capture who passes by because he left a simple "Thank you" note on my comments. Unfortunately, when I went back to see who I visited, it took me to something rather unsavory, so I deleted him from my comments to prevent anyone who visits my blog from accidentally enco...

I have been playing with Fireworks photo-editing tools, and this is how it came out. I used a picture that James took of himself. That's all. Enjoy your Sunday.

At 4:30 in the morning, the last thing I want to have to say is, "Honey, do you smell that?" But say that I did. One of many things I inherited from my mother is a strong sense of smell. It makes it hard to just walk through life blissfully unaware of the unpleasantness that may surround me. AND it often wakes me in the middle of the night asking, "Do you smell that?" I suppose it may come in handy one day should there ever be a fire or gas leak. This morning, however, was not a case of life or death...at least for me. My outcry went unattended. My husband who is the locator of all things stinky assured me that there was in no way any source of stinkiness in house, so I as a good a loving wife accepted his odor report and went on with my sleep. Unfortunately, my darling loving husband does not have the odor detector that I have, so after he left for early morning Bible study, I went to wake my son to get him ready for school. That's when it hit me...that strong ...