After going to the opened back door at 8:00am and belting out, “JASON! JASON!” Livia settled in my lap this morning while I read the newspaper. On the front page, she finally located our neighbors.
“Jason!” she said, and pointed to a small pic of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq. Mmm, y-e-a-h.
“Nae Nae?” she questioned, while pointing at Cindy Lange-Kubik’s photo near the bottom of the page. I found myself saying, That kind of looks like Renae; and then upon closer examination, Uh, she doesn’t look like Renae at all, but okay…
Touching the colored picture of Marg Helgenberger, native Nebraskan and a star of the tv program CSI, I asked Liv, “Who’s this?”
“Mama.”
What a sharp, observant two year old I have. What can I say? It’s good to be a celebrity.
There is sad news in Lincoln today. A 30 year old pregnant woman, hit by an intoxicated driver on Mother’s Day, was taken off life support yesterday. She was a drug/alcohol counselor at a recovery program in town and had received her license as a mental health practicioner just two days before the car accident. Her baby was delivered at 7 months gestation and is in stable condition at St. Elizabeth’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); little Jadyn weighs 2lb, 12 oz. My heart grieves for this family — for the father who is entering parenthood on his own now and for this teeny little girl who will especially miss her mom on Mother’s Day. Please pray for the Luebbert family and, if you are able to, donate money to cover the baby’s medical expenses at a local Union Bank.
In other news regarding premature babies, Fox’s Pizza Den is holding a fundraiser all day Saturday for St. Elizabeth’s NICU in honor of the owner’s daughter who passed away there a year ago. The owner’s wife recently gave birth to a healthy, full-term baby and now they’d like celebrate their first child’s memory. So here’s the deal… Buy pepperoni pizzas for you and your friends tomorrow for $7.99 a pie — and support the “baby hospital’s” care for their littlest patients.
**I can’t help but post this sweet baby picture of Livia, taken by my Uncle Steve a few days after we brought her home. I loves my baby!
Shannon started the Works for Me Wednesday idea and I’ve enjoyed reading tips from other women. (Though, I must confess I become overwhelmed with tips quickly and can’t read very many in one sitting.)
My tip for the day involves a cheap, odor-friendly, and environmentally-healthy way of cleaning your tub: I use dollar shampoos to do the job. Shampoo is designed to strip grease from your hair — and it does the exact same thing in your bathtub. Go ahead and give it a whirl. It will leave your bathroom smelling nice and your tub looking sparkly clean.
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I’ve been getting a kick out of reading the labels on my shampoo bottles, especially the one that insinuates I can escape reality by sudsing my hair follicles. Here’s a little quiz for the rest of you. By the info on the back of the bottle, can you identify which shampoo is 1) the cheap, tub-cleaning one? 2) the moderately priced one? and 3) the expensive, purchased-while-on-sale one?
a. “Thoroughly cleans, while adding volume and fullness. Leaves hair noticeably softer, smoother and more naturally vibrant.”
b. “Come clean. A rich, creamy lather takes shine and softness over the edge. Escape reality, experience the fragrance. Become a Moisture Maniac. Indulge your craving for brilliant hair.”
c. “____ Shampoo combines the light, fresh fragrance of aloe vera in a formula with honeysuckle, Vitamin E and gentle cleansers to nourish and restore the natural beauty of all hair types. Treat yourself and your hair to the long-lasting beauty and fresh fragrance of Aloe Vera.”
The subject line of a recent email read, “Trusting God with Your Adopted Child,” and it struck me as a very true hope/desire for those of us who have gone through the adoption process. But the “trusting God” part applies to way more than the future of your adopted child. It applies to the future of your biological child, to the present and future bond of your marriage, to the hard conversations you need to have with your friends, to the health of your physical and emotional self, to the commitment of your community, to the daily grind in the workplace, to the future of your church, to the day-by-day sacrifice of self.
Trusting God is hard. H-A-R-D. There’s nothing at all easy about believing that God loves you and knows you intimately… and then choosing to put faith in Him. Parents who have adopted children struggle sometimes with the messy reality of broken families. What should I tell my child about her birthmother? What kind of relationship should I allow? Should I let her know she has half-siblings? So on and so forth. Trusting God through these questions means praying almost constantly for guidance and wisdom in these issues, and then that word again, trusting that He’ll walk you through each day and supply the answers as He sees fit.
Like I said before however, the trust issue comes forth in every aspect of life. Every single person I know struggles or has struggled with some intense issue. Brothers going off to war in Iraq, pressure and major conflict with coworkers and bosses, strained relationships with mothers and fathers, poor self image, trouble completing major projects, alcoholism, depression, death of a loved one, divorce. There is relief in the struggle in that you don’t have to go it alone. Trust in one greater than yourself, in the God who created you, knows you, loves you.
Psalm 56
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
What a difference a year makes! Who is this sweet pudgy baby???
Or, an open letter to the drivers who think drive time equals phone booth time:
Dear Drivers on Your Cell Phones,
I know your conversations are important. I know the cell phone is easy to use and that it seems utterly convenient to have your all-so-necessary conversations at this particular moment in time. I know it seems ridiculous to suspend your intense desire to TALK for a few more minutes while you’re doing something as insignificant as driving.
But here’s the deal. Driving is not insignificant. Commandering several tons of vehicle while battling it out with other folks on the road is not a task to take lightly. If you were simply driving on the highway, going one direction for long periods of time, go ahead and have that conversation. But for the love, people, PUT YOUR CELL PHONES DOWN and FOCUS ON DRIVING while you’re in town. You simply cannot pay attention to that upcoming lane merge, the four way stop sign, or even a typical red/yellow/green stoplight while you’re chatting non-stop about the clothes you just purchased from the mall. Pull over to take a call, stop in the McDonalds parking lot to place one.
Be courteous to your fellow drivers on the road because, really, you’re just not that good of a driver while talking on the phone.
(To read Common Courtesy, check out Megan’s blog.)
Does anyone else think Chris was robbed (ROBBED, I tell you!) last night? I wanted to mock Paula Abdul for crying, but oddly enough I felt the same way. Whatever!
I don’t get why everyone loves Elliot. I should be rooting for my fellow diabetic (I hear he uses an insulin pump like me), but I wouldn’t buy an album featuring his style of music, so he doesn’t appeal to me. Katherine reminds me of Linda Ronstadt in many ways. She’s got an amazing voice, though she’s lacks consistency, IMO. Taylor I’ve loved from the beginning. Call him cheesy, or a one-hit wonder, but I like the guy and would definitely listen his to one of his albums. Chris was a cool dude, in his own rocker way, and consistently presented himself week after week on Idol. I’m sad to see him go.
Anyone else watching this crazy talent show?
I need a nap and I need to clean, but copying Lindsey’s Shuffle o’ Fun is so much more enjoyable on a Saturday afternoon. The deal is that you set your iPod to shuffle, then answer the questions. I didn’t cheat on any of the answers (as tempting as it was), however I did go through the list twice and picked the more sensible of the two shuffled titles.
How am I feeling today? “A Fine Romance” [Ella Fitzgerald, Forever Gold]
Will I get far in life? “Such Great Heights” [Iron & Wine, Garden State]
How do my friends see me? “Ants Marching” [Dave Matthews Band, Under the Table and Dreaming]
What is my best friend’s theme song? “Crazy” [Sommer Waite, Pass in Front of Me]
What is my theme song? “Primavera” [Santana, Supernatural]
What is the story of my life?”Complainte De La Butte” [Moulin Rouge]
What was high school like? “Sovereign Grace” [Sandra McCracken, The Builder and the Architect]
How can I get ahead in life? “Little Did I Know” [Over the Rhine, Drunkard’s Prayer]
What is the best thing about me? “Fair Phyllis I Saw” [John Farmer, Olde English Madrigals]
What is today going to be like? “Wildwood Flower” [Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line]
What is in store for this weekend? “Introduction to Romeo” [Romeo + Juliet soundtrack]
What song describes my parents? “It is Well” [Jenny Nelson, Tell Me a Story]
Describes me? “The Grabbing Hands” [The Wiseguys, The Antidote]
How is my life going? “Do You Feel Loved” [U2 Pop]
What song will be played at my funeral? “Wake Up Dead Man” [U2, Pop]
How does the world see me? “Final Storm” [Lucy Simon, The Secret Garden]
Will I have a happy life? “You Are My Sunshine” [Norman Blake, O Brother…]
How can I make myself happy? “He is Exalted” [Eden’s Bridge, Celtic Worship]
What should I do with my life? “Simple Man” [Almost Famous soundtrack]
Pecan Bars
(taken from the Southern Living Cookbook)
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c butter or margarine
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 c dark corn syrup
1/4 c butter or margarine, melted
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 c chopped pecans
Combine flour and 1/3 c brown sugar. Cut in 3/4 c butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture evenly into a greased 13×9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes.
Combine 1 c brown sugar and remaining ingredients except pecans, beating well. Stir in pecans. Pour filling over prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until firm. Let cool, and cut into bars. Yield: about 2.5 dozen.
