Effortless Effervescence

For November 23, 2009:

Outside my window…
It’s overcast and blustery. Still not COLD, but we’re definitely progressing through fall and swiftly approaching winter. I’m trying not to pout too much over how night falls so early now; I’m trying to remember to just enjoy bundling up at home and letting my body hibernate a bit. (Especially since this winter I’m using all my energy to grow a little human being!)

I am thinking…
Of all I still need to do for Christmas (so many presents to make!)

I am thankful for…
The wonderful man I’m married to.

From the kitchen…
Not much. I’ve been focusing on needlecrafts so much lately that I haven’t been doing any fun cooking or baking!

I am wearing…
The brown Dockers slacks I bought for about $10 a few months ago, and a plum-colored shirt.

I am creating…
Christmas gifts! Hopefully this week I’ll be able to tear myself away from my yarn stash and work on some ornaments I’ve got in mind.

I am going…
To see my in-laws up in PA for Thanksgiving. We leave Wednesday afternoon, and I am so excited!

I am reading…
First-Time Mom: Getting Off on the Right Foot from Birth to First Grade by Kevin Leman. Dr. Leman is a well-known Christian author and speaker whose advice never comes across as preachy. He’s funny, practical and sensitive (First Time Mom allows for all kinds of moms - single, married, biological and adoptive) and I highly recommend his work.

I am hoping…
That our dogs get along with the Pennsylvania dogs this weekend!

I am hearing…
My friend who’s on the phone getting directions.

Around the house…
It’s a mess. I won’t lie! I only have so much energy right now, and I’ve been channeling it into crafting, so things like sweeping and mopping have been low on my list of priorities. When we get back from PA, I really want to put up the Christmas tree, so maybe I’ll do a good deep-clean before we do that. (Or maybe I’ll just do a quick once-over and call it a day!

One Two of my favorite things…
Right now, peanut butter and yogurt! Lately I’m hungry ALL. THE. TIME., so I try to keep lots of quick, healthy snacks around. A few saltines with peanut butter or a cup of yogurt knocks down that OMG SO HUNGRY feeling and keeps nausea at bay.

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Laundry, pack, and craft.

From my camera…
My two most recent crochet accomplishments!

A cotton knapsack for my niece Bella; I’m making one in pink for her sister Kate!

A rainbow beer cozy - one of a pair I’m making for our friends Annette and Kay.

Seven Quick Takes is all about collecting random thoughts that, on their own, wouldn’t make a substantial blog entry, but gather together make something silly and wonderful. If you’re looking for new & interesting blogs to read, check out the other Quick Takes links over at Conversion Diary.

Take 1: Jennifer’s Quick Takes last week made me laugh so hard I cried. I beg you, PLEASE go read her about Trucknutz. It’s just so much comedic awesomeness I just had to share. Go on, I’ll wait.

Take 2: Back now? Great. I just wanted to let you know that on Monday evening (9/28) I’ll have been smoke-free for two months. Yaaaaaay!!! Interestingly, last night I dreamt that I smoked a cigarette. I’m happy to report that it tasted disgusting. I don’t know WHY I smoked it (and even if I did, dream logic is super weird, so knowing the why could very well just confuse me even more) but apparently my subconscious realizes that lighting up right now would be seriously unpleasant.

Take 2.5 How odd is it that I was able to TASTE in my dream? I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything during REM sleep before.

Take 3: This past Wednesday was the first “official” week of the Boundaries Bible study that I’m participating in through Reality Church. I LOVE the ladies in my group (it’s a chicks-only study) and I’m enjoying the material, but I still have the weirdest feeling about it. This probably has a little to do with the fact that the last time I jumped into church fellowship with both feet it ended rather badly. I think it’s quite fitting that the first Bible study I’m participating in after YEARS of avoiding churchiness is about setting limits with myself and others, because my lack of boundaries is one of the reasons I ended up in a cult. So although I’m pretty sure I’m on the right track spiritually, I am a little uncomfortable. But Jesus never promised us that the Christian life would be comfortable, did he? No.*

Take 4: AVON Calling! I’m challenging myself to work a little harder at my “second job” as an AVON Independent Sales Rep, so I want to take a second to point my loyal readers to my AVON e-store. I’m not saying you have to buy stuff from me to be my friend, but you know, it helps. (I’m kidding, of course!**)

Take 5: On an AVON-related note, yesterday I hung twenty product sample packs on doors in my neighborhood to let folks know that I’m “open for business.” At one of the houses I visited, I had a chance to say hello to the gentleman who lived there. He was courteous, but seemed a little shy and lonely, and also appeared to be ill. I’m trying to devise a way to reach out to him that will come across as neighborly-in-a-welcome-way not neighborly-in-an-annoying-and-creepy-way. He has a dachshund who was NOT happy to see a stranger coming up the driveway, so maybe I’ll stop by sometime with doggy treats. Do you guys have any other ideas?

Take 6: To celebrate our first anniversary, Jon and I spent last weekend at a friend’s house in North Carolina with my brother and his girlfriend. We cooked out, we ate oysters and clams, we boated, we drank wine - all in all, it was the PERFECT way to mark our first year as a married couple.

Take 7: Furbaby Update! I can’t believe how our kittens and puppy are growing. Last week I took them to the vet and found out that the kittens have quadrupled in size (they weigh four pounds apiece now!) since they came to live with us two months ago, and Anastasia has more than doubled in just four weeks - from 5.6 lbs to 12.8. Yikes! It makes sense, though, when you consider how much these little monsters eat.

Ana and Milo playing tug-of-war. It’s a typical older brother/baby sister relationship - Ana just ADORES Milo and is constantly bugging him. Sometimes he’s totally into playing with her, and other times he lets her know in no uncertain terms that she’s getting on his last nerve! He’s getting better about being her buddy, though, which makes me very happy.

Randall, chilling, and A.C. being so cute it’s just not even right. Randall is staying true to his snuggle-bug personality. Sometimes he doesn’t want to be held because he’s in the middle of playing (and he plays ROUGH!) but most of the time, if you pick him up, he starts purring immediately. He’ll squinch his eyes up and smile and let you kiss him about five hundred times. I love it! A.C. is still the adventurous one - not really into cuddling unless it’s her idea, and constantly on the move.

When I took the kittens to the vet, I had them re-tested for FIV. I’ve been saying I’d rehome the kittens immediately if they tested FIV negative - I’m a bit overwhelmed by the expense (not to mention the copious amounts of urine) of so many animals - and, well, the tests came back positive. I believe that things rarely happen for No Reason At All, and I’m starting to feel that maybe God wants us to have all these animals. Yeah, yeah, yeah, some folks might think I’m a little cuckoo because I look for signs from God even in my pet’s lives, but I don’t think it’s too far out there. God created these animals, and I’m sure he’s just as concerned with their welfare as he is with mine. I believe God wanted them to have long, happy and healthy lives and that he wanted to bless me with two delightful little friends (seriously, aside from the urine issue, it’s impossible for me to have a bad day with these guys around). It’s the little things, y’all, that make me so wonderfully happy every day. And realizing that God cares enough about two little furballs to coincidentally put them into a loving home helps me to trust God to provide for all of my needs.

* There ought to be a clause about that in the Baptismal Covenant.
** Mostly.

I missed last week’s Seven Quick Takes because I was still on vacation and the ‘net connection in the hotel was soooooooo slow and we were doing soooooooo many things. Tomorrow I’ll be on the road AGAIN, this time heading for a destination that has NO internet connection (the horror, the horror!). I figured I’d better peek into Smooch-land TODAY, because I don’t want y’all to forget me, or be wandering lost in boredom and sadness because I didn’t take the time to write something silly and mundane brilliant and thought-provoking.

Take 1: If you’re wondering how our vacation was, the answer is WONDERFUL. My husband Jon and I had a ton of fun with Jon’s little boy, who just turned five. He is the cutest thing on two legs and a bundle of giggles. I really enjoyed spending time with him and his mom’s side of the family, and seeing a part of the country I was completely unfamiliar with. Did you know that Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas? Of course, its population is about one-fifth the size of Virginia Beach, VA, where Jon and I currently live, so “large” and “city” are relative terms.

Take 2: Are you wondering where we’re going this weekend? We’re going to Bentleyville, PA, where my husband grew up and where his grandparents, aunt and uncle still live. The grandparents have decided to let go of their full-sized Ford van in favor of a smaller vehicle with a smaller gas tank, and they asked us if we’d like to have it. Jon responded with an ecstatic, “YES!” because neither of our vehicles (he drives a Chevy truck and I drive a Beetle) is good for road trips. Since my in-laws are going up to PA anyway for a school reunion, Jon and I decided to tag along with them and drive the van home. I am super excited about seeing Jon’s grandparents, but also super overwhelmed by all the traveling. Next weekend? I AIN’T LEAVIN HOME FOR NOTHIN. So there.

Take 3: While in Fort Smith, we visited a delightful little used bookstore called Book Ends, where I scored a great find: The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage.

I read the book in about ten hours, because it was just THAT. GOOD. It’s the story of Annie Knowles, whose husband Michael is an OB/GYN targeted by a violent pro-life group because he volunteers at an abortion clinic on the weekends, and whose lover Simon Haas is once-famous, now-nearly-ruined artist whose wife’s hold on reality is precarious at best. I’d call this book a study in marriage and humanity and tricky ethical dilemmas, as well as an absorbing page-turner. I especially have to give Brundage two-thumbs-up for creating characters who pushed out of the boundaries of their stereotypes (the bad boy artist, the desperate housewife, the workaholic doctor).

I also picked up The Story of B by Daniel Quinn, which isn’t nearly as absorbing, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to be. If/when I finish it, I’ll let you know if it was worth the effort.

Take 4: More about books! (Yeah, I’m slightly obsessed.) While browsing at Barnes & Noble last night, I came across Why We Love Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. I read a few pages and was absolutely BLOWN. AWAY. by the author’s insights. For a long time, I’ve been saying that I love Jesus but I hate a lot of his followers, and how hard it is for me to go to church, and blah blah blah… well, when the introduction of this book reminding me that the church is Jesus’s bride, and talking smack about someone’s wife (even if she does kind of deserve it) is not a good way to be a friend to that person. It occurred to me that Jesus knows the church isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t me he doesn’t love it, and doesn’t want me to be a part of it.

I wish I’d had a few bucks to spare yesterday, because I REALLY want to read the rest of that book. Eh, maybe I’ll do what I saw other patrons doing when I worked at B&N: set up camp in the comfy chairs for a couple of days and read the whole book without buying it!

Take 5: My friend Bethany just started selling Pampered Chef, so I’m hosting a party to support her (and hopefully get some fun freebies for myself!). Aaaaaaaand of course I have to pimp her website, because I’m sure she’ll get sooooo much traffic from the 4 people who read this blog, LOL. So if you’re in the market for a nifty new garlic press or cheese grater, then please show my girl some love.

Take 6: My husband and brother were in charge of dinner last night, so I went to the library with Chrissy, my brother’s girlfriend. When we returned, we found the two men clustered around a pot of boiling water, frowning at the directions on a box of Suddenly Salad. Jon turned to me with an utterly perplexed look on his face and started asking panicked questions: “What’s a tablespoon? Do we have vegetable oil? Where is it?” I said, “Do you want me to take care of the pasta salad and you guys just worry about the burgers?” Oh, how they rejoiced! I know there are many men out there who would probably throw ME out of the kitchen, because their culinary skills are so evolved my little brain cannot even comprehend the deliciousness of the food they prepare every day. These men? Do not live in my house.

Take 7: Keeping with tradition, I shall make my seventh take an audience-participation question. If you had 20 dollars, and you HAD to spend it on someone else, who would it be and what would you buy? I’d like to buy a gift for a couple I know who just got married last weekend. The husband is a kid I’ve known since he was a scrawny little 12-year-old helping us out during my old church’s building project; now he’s all grown up and the youth minister at his own church. If I had the funds, I’d by Love to Love You by Bill and Pam Farrell, which is one of the best relationship books I’ve ever read.

Okay, so the Seven Quick Takes is supposed to be posted on Friday, but because I was so busy yesterday getting ready for our trip, I barely touched my computer and therefore didn’t get a chance to post any amount of takes, quick or otherwise. So I’m breaking all the rules and posting them on Saturday. Mwahaha!

Take 1: I did a damn good job of getting ready yesterday. I did four loads of laundry, packed about a million books to read in the car (I know I won’t read them ALL, but I like to have plenty of variety to choose from), wrapped my stepson’s birthday presents (he is so spoiled - I hope he’s as delighted with the gifts as I am!) and packed my and my husband’s bags. The one thing I forgot? My copy of Julia, of which I have only FIFTEEN MORE PAGES to read before I’m done! Blast! Now I have to wait until we get back to Virginia Beach to find out the ending. I’m reading the book b/c a good friend told me it’s the scariest book he’s ever read. I think it’s definitely disturbing, but not TERRIFYING. Actually, the story is a LOT like The Ring, which is probably why I don’t find it all that scary. I guess the idea of an evil girl-child killed by her mother and coming back from the dead to inflict more and worse evil is becoming canon. *sigh* Not that the devil child thing isn’t an INTERESTING archetype, it’s just… old.

Take 2: Speaking of horror movies & books, I’ve lately been thinking about how many scary movies feature insane asylums. I guess it has something to do with how “othered” the mentally ill are. Many of them cannot advocate for themselves, they are misunderstood and their loss of control is fearful to so many people who don’t even want to think of being OUT of control, and so they are portrayed as a dangerous and morally bankrupt caricature. I’m not necessarily offended by these media representations, but I am fascinated by them. It just goes to show that what frightens us is often the most mundane things, like insanity.

Take 3: I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Macbook giveway from Moonfruit? No? Well, where have you been? Hiding under a rock? Interesting aside: twice today people have offered me a free, new laptop case. Is this a sign that I need to buy a new Macbook? Or even better yet, that I may win the Twitter contest? Because I would be more than okay with that.

Take 4: Since I didn’t have Julia to read in the car, I finished Reasons to Believe by John Marks. I have to say that the ending was VERY powerful, and I respect Marks for his integrity - he does not believe in Jesus, he doesn’t believe it’s possible that a good God exists at all, allowing us to experience so much suffering, and so whenever he encounters an evangelical Christian who wants him to make a decision and get saved RIGHT NOW, he refuses to pretend, refuses to go through the motions just so someone else’s conscience will be assuaged. Yet, like many of the people he interviewed, I am perplexed by the fact that he just CANNOT believe in God. I mean, I know that the world is full of suffering, and it pisses me off and confuses me too, but I’ve never taken that as proof positive that God isn’t real. Maybe that makes me small-minded? I don’t much care. Though my conclusions about God and the universe and the meaning of life are different from Marks’, I still really enjoyed his book and have to give him two thumbs up for it.

Take 5: Last night, after packing until midnight, I watched He’s Just Not That Into You with my brother’s girlfriend Chrissy. I’ve been wanting to see this move since I first heard it was in the works, because I LOVED the sobering, tough-love brutality of the book. The movie was good, but the ending was a cliched happily-ever-after, and the WHOLE POINT of the book was to scare women straight off that unrealistic bull. Don’t get me wrong, I DO believe in happy endings, but I also believe that mixed signals are usually very clear signals that HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, and the screenwriters seemed to think that compromising that message was necessary just so they could fit into the romantic comedy mold.

Take 6: Because of the many hours of packing and the late movie, I did not get to bed until just before 3 a.m. I woke up at ten past 6 this morning. So far I’ve only had a thirty-minute nap in the car. I’m probably just running on adrenaline fumes at this point, and that’s okay. I’ll sleep good tonight.

Take 7: And now for the audience participation part of the show - what’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? (Yeah, I kinda stole this from a recent LiveJournal Question of the Day. Whatever. As if there’s anything new or original on the internet any more.) I’ve only ever stayed up all night long once, to complete a work assignment. I have skated through MANY days on just two or three hours of sleep, though. It is not something I care to do on a regular basis any more.

K, y’all, have a lovely weekend and be good!