GROSS.

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The Wal-Mart in town?

Totally Ghetto.

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But there is no excuse for the

mind behind this arrangement:

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The donut shelf touching

the live, goldfish tank?!

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I never thought the sight of Ho-Ho's could make me gag.

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LOVE LETTERS

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Shouldn't we all send and receive

more notes like this?

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*sigh*

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PLAYING HOUSE

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*Rachel Meynder's Blog Header

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I've been meaning to bring up the blog of Rachel Meynders for awhile now. It's my favorite. She's a hip, LDS, stay-at-home mother of 2, in the Portland area. Her blog makes me happy for several reasons:
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1. She paints such a beautiful, honest picture of what young, every-day family life is really like. It's not always easy, fun, or glamorous (think along
the lines of baby barf and laundry) ...but she still manages to find joy, humor, and artistry in even the simplest of situations.

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2. She can make me laugh, smile, cry, sigh, or think deep thoughts. I like the mix of silly and significant.

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3. Rachel gives depth and distinction to the homemaker's life that I appreciate in this cynical society of ours.

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4. I love how she can transform the mundane into something truly entertaining. Like, the shoes she wore to the grocery store? Or last night's
dinner? Somehow, she totally makes me care.

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5. I like her pictures. They're unique. Often times, they have the ability to tell the entire story or convey the overall mood without any words whatsoever.

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6. She's creative. She'll occasionally post fun crafts, recipes, etc.

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7. She keeps it simple, short, and sweet.

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8. She blogs every day. I like being able to count on the fact that she'll have something new and different each time I check up on her cute family.
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I thought I might as well pass it on to you fine people. Hurry and check out the blog HERE now! I bring it up because Rachel is going private on Sunday. If it looks like something you'd like to stay in touch with...leave her your e-mail for an invite. She's super chill about it. As she said in her last post:

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"Let me know if you want in on this action! Whether I know you or not. (don't feel weird if I don't, we all blog stalk.)."
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I see blogs of note, give out 'awards' to other blogs that they deem worthy of recognition. I experimented with an award button that turned out kind of pretty, I guess. I just couldn't find a way to word it that would appear in any way, I don't know...desirable. I mean, I do not have a blog of note. Why would anyone want to advertise that they've been acknowledged by little 'ol me??

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I mean, seriously.
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So, sorry Rachel. No fancy award. Just know:

I think your blog is pretty darn cool.

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THE TALE OF TWO BRAINS

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Andrew was assigned to watch this video for his Family Relations class. He enjoyed it so much, he called me in to watch it with him that evening. Basically, I laughed til I cried. I recommend watching this with your spouse if they're around. It'll make it even funnier.

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I love the way this dude illustrates what goes on in my head with the buzzing, emotional strings...connected...to...EVERY-THING! I couldn't have explained it better myself. It's impossible for me to stop all the buzzing and connecting and emoting going on ALL THE TIME! I swear, being a girl is utterly...exhausting!

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As for Andrew and this "nothing box," I'm not so sure. He goes stark crazy doing "nothing." If he has nothing to do, Andrew'll start pacing the house like a caged animal. But as for the boxes not touching each other...holy cow. My man is definitely a one-track-mind kind of guy. He'll become obsessed with one idea until it is resolved and put away forever. Whereas for me, because everything is so interconnected, I don't think I could focus on only one thing, like, ever. I tried once. My brain nearly exploded.

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Can anyone relate?

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*If you're interested, check out the other clips by this guy on YouTube.

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ODE TO TREE

When we first moved into this house, there was a beautiful, leafy tree in our front yard {See picture of our house on sidebar -->} . I liked having the shade, a pretty view, and a place to hang my bird feeder where I could watch it from the window. But strangely, that next summer, leaves on half of it decided not to grow. And another summer later: not a single leaf. Our tree was dead.

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It got to the point that every time a heavy windstorm ripped through this valley (not an uncommon occurrence around here), we had to move our vehicles from the driveway so falling branches wouldn't crush them. We finally saw that it was time to say farewell to our tree.

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Ironically, the same day it was cut down, we were dragging a Christmas tree into the living room. It was surprisingly sad to look out that window, to see...nothing. And we had big plans for that tree! Christmas lights were eventually going to be wrapped around the trunk. I was going to read in its shade over the summer. And I have no idea where to put this bird feeder now.

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But do you wanna hear the really sad part? We'll still have to rake leaves in the fall. Our neighbors across the street, have what I believe to be, the largest tree in the state of Idaho. And for some unknown reason, the leaves don't ever land in their yard. Every single blasted one, after dancing in the autumn breeze, lands softly on our lawn. Does anyone have a GIANT fan we can borrow?

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THOUGHT OF THE DAY

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Andrew and I attend church in the Hinckley building on campus. I found the quote below, on the door of a professor's office. It got me thinking about how polite society tends to encourage downplaying our personal strengths...especially when we're being recognized for them. For example, how many times have we been given a compliment only to argue with the giver over its validity? But after reading this quote, I'm pondering the art of balancing self efficacy with arrogant pride. It seems like such a fine line.

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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

--Marianne Williamson
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I was curious about who Marianne Williamson is. After some research, I found she was a woman pastor of a "New Thought" church. Basically, she believed God to be a "force"-- a love that flows in and through everything--rather than an actual being. Also, Jesus Christ is not the literal Son of God or Savior of the world, but an enlightened teacher who was able to successfully tap into this "force". From what I could gather, they believe that prayer is more of a positive thinking thing then a talking-to-a-concrete-father-in-Heaven thing. They're also real big on natural healing through the mind. She has since moved on from this church to put her energy into a successful self-help book business.

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In Dec. 2003, Time Magazine is quoted as saying:

"Yoga, the Cabala, and Marianne Williamson have been taken
up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to
Christianity."

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I think it's funny that TIME probably meant for a belief in God without obligation or accountability to sound like a positive indication. But doesn't that make it sound so...unsubstantial? Worldly? Ridiculous? I don't know. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that she's the epitome of a, "philosophies of men mingled with scripture," kind of thing. And with that said, I still like the quote. I guess, I just was hoping for your thoughts. I mean, I "play small" all the time around others, just because it's comfortable and safe. But is it necessarily right?

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SIGH.

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DINNER:

Peppermint Icecream and Brownies

Oh, don't look at me like that.

I'm an adult. I can eat whatever the heck I want.

And besides...it has been a BAD DAY.

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I miss Andrew.

Parent Teacher Conferences Thurday.

And a little disorder known as ADHD (not mine).

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