I just nearly got my eye poked out by my brother, and here he is, wounded because he thinks I don't trust him just because I tried to evade his unruly harrassment! Well, what would YOU do if your great hulking brother was jumping up and down lunging at you like a giant golden retriever from across the table, yelling at you to be still while he picked something off your face? I honestly thought he was going to pinch my nose. I would think that would be an undesirable situation for anyone, and that any normal person would do everything possible to escape it. As any sane person might, I escaped and took refuge in the bathroom. He chased me. "Just be still! You have something on you face! Just...Cassie! You don't TRUST me?!"
Trust him? TRUST him? Of course I trust him, in general life or death matters, that is. But to pick things off my face? We're talking about the kid who once put a pinch of grated cheese in his mouth, slobbered all over it, took it out of his mouth, and shoved it violently into mine! I reminded him of that.
"Cassie!" he wailed, "That was FIVE YEARS AGO! Talk about bearing a grudge!" I'm not bearing a grudge. To think. I don't hold grudges; I've forgiven him. But who wouldn't be a little skiddish about violent facial attacks after an atrocity like that?
Now my whole family thinks I'm some kind of paranoid freak, just because I don't like getting poked in the face. I feel like an alien in my own house! I said, "Well, what would YOU do if somebody were jumping around in your face and you thought they were going to pinch your nose while the whole time they kept insisting they just wanted to pick something off your face?" (And to fully understand the situation you really have to know my prankster brother) Dad said, "I'd say thank you." Ok, well, he's bigger than I am. And bigger than Connor. And bigger than most people would want to pick lint off his face, therefore quite able to defend himself from unwarranted nose-pinching. But, then, Mom and Mattie agreed! Ack!
Connor was crushed in spirit, and kept insisting that I didn't trust him, which I didn't think was true. He's a great brother. If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't be willing to get in the car with him when he drives. (But I am.) And really, the touchy-feely stuff is wonderful...but do we have to get violent about it? A little warning is all I ask. Maybe slow motion would be good. :)
P.S. For the record, Connor has never pinched my nose, or attempted to do so, to my memory (which, as you may have noticed, is uncommonly keen when it comes to such aggrievances).
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Let it be to Me as You Have Said
Well, Christmas has come and gone. I woke this morning to a white sky full of rain and was happy. The traffic will subside and the parties will cease. I enjoyed giving and recieving gifts, but I'll admit, I'm glad that the stress of it is over. In a way, it seems that it all went so fast, and there wasn't enough time for candle light in the sanctuary and pondering "Oh Holy Night."
"Long lay the world, in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope..."
I know there's no reason why we can't adore Him all year long, but there's just something sacred about this time of year. The stars are clearer, the lights are warmer...
Yesterday was a pleaasant Christmas day (which began at 7 am with a great clatter down the stairs), At one, we went up to Grammie and Paw Paw's for other festivities, including a long lunch, a long visit, a long dessert, a longer visit, and several roudns of coffee. Even though my cousins live next door, I rarely spend time with them, and hadn't realized how I'd missed them! So it was a nice visit.
Around suppertime we came home and watched The Nativity Story. I hadn't seen it before. The movie was really thought provoking, and really brought the characters of Joseph and Mary to life. It makes you look at things from a new angle, of how it possibly could have been.
It both scares and amazes me that God requires so much out of His children. He chose Mary for a task that demanded her reputation, her body, her hope for the future, her willingness to be put to shame and pain, everything...and with one quiet assent she abandoned herself completely and recklessly to God. Without knowing what she was in for. Crazy. Am I brave enough for that? At the rate I'm going, I think I'll be willing to be killed for Christ's sake before I can come to terms with enduring embarressment for Him. It's those little things...the speaking out, making a phone call, walking across a room.
Well, I know somewhere inside that He's called me to a life of "hardship and blessing" as Pastor Bud so aptly put it when he prayed for me a few weeks ago. It could turn nastier than meeting new people at church. I don't know what it looks like exactly (at all). I guess God is God enough that He can demand everything from us, yet Man enough to bear every weakness and danger with us. I love the Person-ness of who He is. When I think of the possiblities of pain in my life, I want to shrink back in fear, but his love is so irrisistible and tantalizing that I'm powerless to escape. He's so cunning to create this wall around me, to hem me in so that in the end I'm flung back in desperation...on Him. It's almost like He's tricked me, and yet, I have to admit, I'm glad. Very Glad.
In the end, what can I say? He is God. I am His creation. So, it's like David said, in Psalm 116...
"Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones
Oh Lord, truly I am your servant
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant
You have freed me from my chains."
Let it be to me as you have said.
"Long lay the world, in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope..."
I know there's no reason why we can't adore Him all year long, but there's just something sacred about this time of year. The stars are clearer, the lights are warmer...
Yesterday was a pleaasant Christmas day (which began at 7 am with a great clatter down the stairs), At one, we went up to Grammie and Paw Paw's for other festivities, including a long lunch, a long visit, a long dessert, a longer visit, and several roudns of coffee. Even though my cousins live next door, I rarely spend time with them, and hadn't realized how I'd missed them! So it was a nice visit.
Around suppertime we came home and watched The Nativity Story. I hadn't seen it before. The movie was really thought provoking, and really brought the characters of Joseph and Mary to life. It makes you look at things from a new angle, of how it possibly could have been.
It both scares and amazes me that God requires so much out of His children. He chose Mary for a task that demanded her reputation, her body, her hope for the future, her willingness to be put to shame and pain, everything...and with one quiet assent she abandoned herself completely and recklessly to God. Without knowing what she was in for. Crazy. Am I brave enough for that? At the rate I'm going, I think I'll be willing to be killed for Christ's sake before I can come to terms with enduring embarressment for Him. It's those little things...the speaking out, making a phone call, walking across a room.
Well, I know somewhere inside that He's called me to a life of "hardship and blessing" as Pastor Bud so aptly put it when he prayed for me a few weeks ago. It could turn nastier than meeting new people at church. I don't know what it looks like exactly (at all). I guess God is God enough that He can demand everything from us, yet Man enough to bear every weakness and danger with us. I love the Person-ness of who He is. When I think of the possiblities of pain in my life, I want to shrink back in fear, but his love is so irrisistible and tantalizing that I'm powerless to escape. He's so cunning to create this wall around me, to hem me in so that in the end I'm flung back in desperation...on Him. It's almost like He's tricked me, and yet, I have to admit, I'm glad. Very Glad.
In the end, what can I say? He is God. I am His creation. So, it's like David said, in Psalm 116...
"Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones
Oh Lord, truly I am your servant
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant
You have freed me from my chains."
Let it be to me as you have said.
Monday, December 24, 2007
My Brother Wants to Upgrade Me
Well, I keep thinking of things I want to say, so I just keep posting. Hanging around my family is sometimes just...funny. Once I finally realized I could laugh at my siblings instead of gripe at them, life got a lot better :)
Last night, while I was playing Rummy with Mom and Connor, we got into a thought provoking conversation (no, we really did!). Consequently, I wasn't paying much attention to the game. I just kept staring at the cards saying, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking," which may or may not have been a lie; I'm still deciding. Finally Connor just said, "You're so slow. We need to upgrade you." !
A few evenings ago Ethan woke up from a nap and Connor got a nice flannel shirt for him to wear, because we were going somewhere. But Ethan insisted that he didn't want to wear it. "Why don't you want to wear it?" Connor asked, bewildered. "Why can't you pick out something decent?" Ethan asked back.
Also, one of Ethan's recent favorite movies is "The Princess Bride," so later, when Connor and Ethan were sword fighting, he parried Connor's blows and cried, "There is something you don't know about me- I am not hand-lefted!!" Talk about intimidation tactics.
Last night, while I was playing Rummy with Mom and Connor, we got into a thought provoking conversation (no, we really did!). Consequently, I wasn't paying much attention to the game. I just kept staring at the cards saying, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking," which may or may not have been a lie; I'm still deciding. Finally Connor just said, "You're so slow. We need to upgrade you." !
A few evenings ago Ethan woke up from a nap and Connor got a nice flannel shirt for him to wear, because we were going somewhere. But Ethan insisted that he didn't want to wear it. "Why don't you want to wear it?" Connor asked, bewildered. "Why can't you pick out something decent?" Ethan asked back.
Also, one of Ethan's recent favorite movies is "The Princess Bride," so later, when Connor and Ethan were sword fighting, he parried Connor's blows and cried, "There is something you don't know about me- I am not hand-lefted!!" Talk about intimidation tactics.
Fictionary Answers
Well, I forgot to post the answers to the "Fictionary" questions. If you haven't read them yet, skip this post and read that one first. (It's two before this one)
Haruspex: b (the diviner)
Tradescantia: c (any of a genus of American herbs)
Varuna: d (a god who supposedly maintains natural and moral order in the cosmos)
Julia, you guessed the exact ones I guessed! (Except that I didn't guess "haruspex", I picked it out of the dictionary.) That is a really fun game.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to all!
Haruspex: b (the diviner)
Tradescantia: c (any of a genus of American herbs)
Varuna: d (a god who supposedly maintains natural and moral order in the cosmos)
Julia, you guessed the exact ones I guessed! (Except that I didn't guess "haruspex", I picked it out of the dictionary.) That is a really fun game.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to all!
The Battle of the Bee
Danger lurks in unlikely places, at inopportune times, in unwelcome sources. This afternoon, while I was rinsing the dishes my Mom had washed, we both noticed a bee floundering in the suds at the bottom of the sink where she'd stacked the dishes.
"That bee picked a bad place to hang out," Mom said. In a bout of foolish compassion, I just flicked the struggling insect out of the sink with a spoon and went on my merry way, humming "What Child is This" festively, albeit mindlessly, and forgetting all about the wet bee.
After finishing the rinsing, I left the kitchen to start something else. Not fifteen minutes later I heard shrieks coming from the kitchen. I thought Mom had burned herself, but it wasn't just one yell; she kept up the repeated cries of distress that finally merged into one long wail of misery. When we poked our heads around the corner to see what the commotion was all about, we saw Mom jumping aroudn in the kitchen accompanied by her own chorus of indian war whoops. On reaching the kitchen, we found her sitting on the floor- crying- slathering both feet in globs of baking soda paste that oozed onto the floor in snowy puddles.
"That bee!" she wailed. "That bee had the nerve to sting me twice. Bees aren't supposed to sting people in December!!!"
The stripey culprit was waddling around on the floor, so I grabbed Ethan's plastic sword and brandished it, dealing the bee several mortal blows. When its guts were satisfactorily smooshed out, I cleaned it up with a paper towel and we (Mattie, Ethan, and I) stood around looking at our mother awkwardly. We aren't used to seeing her cry like that. (She saves her tears for worthier causes, generally.) She was just mad, mostly. And the stings were extremely painful. After a while, the tears turned to laughter, and she sat there laughing about it. Then, not knowing what else to do, Ethan and Mattie got a Christmas pillow off the couch and she layed back right there in the middle of the kitchen floor, apron on, feet caked in baking soda. Mattie and Ethan promtly fetched pillows for themselves and layed down on either side of her. Yes, it was funny looking. And yes, I did join them after a few minutes, only, the wood floor didn't prove to be very comfortable.
We're all just glad that the injury occurred after the pies were finished :) Mom's feeling somewhat better now, although it hurts to walk, since the bee stung her on the bottoms of her feet. Ouch. You never know what a day holds, huh? That incident may be the last of my Mindless Compassion for Dangerous Insects.
"That bee picked a bad place to hang out," Mom said. In a bout of foolish compassion, I just flicked the struggling insect out of the sink with a spoon and went on my merry way, humming "What Child is This" festively, albeit mindlessly, and forgetting all about the wet bee.
After finishing the rinsing, I left the kitchen to start something else. Not fifteen minutes later I heard shrieks coming from the kitchen. I thought Mom had burned herself, but it wasn't just one yell; she kept up the repeated cries of distress that finally merged into one long wail of misery. When we poked our heads around the corner to see what the commotion was all about, we saw Mom jumping aroudn in the kitchen accompanied by her own chorus of indian war whoops. On reaching the kitchen, we found her sitting on the floor- crying- slathering both feet in globs of baking soda paste that oozed onto the floor in snowy puddles.
"That bee!" she wailed. "That bee had the nerve to sting me twice. Bees aren't supposed to sting people in December!!!"
The stripey culprit was waddling around on the floor, so I grabbed Ethan's plastic sword and brandished it, dealing the bee several mortal blows. When its guts were satisfactorily smooshed out, I cleaned it up with a paper towel and we (Mattie, Ethan, and I) stood around looking at our mother awkwardly. We aren't used to seeing her cry like that. (She saves her tears for worthier causes, generally.) She was just mad, mostly. And the stings were extremely painful. After a while, the tears turned to laughter, and she sat there laughing about it. Then, not knowing what else to do, Ethan and Mattie got a Christmas pillow off the couch and she layed back right there in the middle of the kitchen floor, apron on, feet caked in baking soda. Mattie and Ethan promtly fetched pillows for themselves and layed down on either side of her. Yes, it was funny looking. And yes, I did join them after a few minutes, only, the wood floor didn't prove to be very comfortable.
We're all just glad that the injury occurred after the pies were finished :) Mom's feeling somewhat better now, although it hurts to walk, since the bee stung her on the bottoms of her feet. Ouch. You never know what a day holds, huh? That incident may be the last of my Mindless Compassion for Dangerous Insects.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Boffo Bluffing Balderdash
Well, Grandma left this morning, and it was sad to see her go. I miss her hugs. She gives the best hugs in this hemisphere, or the other one, presumably (so warm and safe and tight, like she isn't planning to let go any time soon), and I realized this week that it's probably because she doesn't get to give them often enough.
While she was here, we did get to spend some special time together. Last night we played "Fictionary", the homemade version of Balderdash. (You look up words in the dictionary and players have to make up their own definitions, and then guess which definition is correct). I love this game. I think last time we played (back in June) I posted some defintions, and I thought I'd do it again. So, put your thinking caps (er, guessing caps?) on, and be ready for a few laughs...
What is the true meaning of "Haruspex"?
a) the genus of which the long-eared hare belongs to
b) a diviner in ancient Rome basing his predictions on inspections of the entrails of sacrificial animals
c) one of the lower mountain ranges
d) the shade or covering for a gas lamp
e) dust and other small objects that make up the ring or rings surrounding a planet
f) a type of chickenpox that comes with hairs on the spots.
What about "Tradescantia"?
a) a law of motion
b) the name of a planet yet to be found
c) any of a genus of American herbs
d) term used for trade routes during the 14th century
e) items eligible for marketing
f) the lack of substantial trade in a country
And last of all, "Varuna." Mattie is very proud of her entry...I bet you can't guess which is hers :)
a) a machine that simulates tornados within a controlled environment
b) an African mammal
c) a type of prism
d) a god responsible for natural and moral order in the cosmos
e) an atoll able to sustain plant life
f) Rachel Ray's best friend
Truth to be revealed in the next post...
While she was here, we did get to spend some special time together. Last night we played "Fictionary", the homemade version of Balderdash. (You look up words in the dictionary and players have to make up their own definitions, and then guess which definition is correct). I love this game. I think last time we played (back in June) I posted some defintions, and I thought I'd do it again. So, put your thinking caps (er, guessing caps?) on, and be ready for a few laughs...
What is the true meaning of "Haruspex"?
a) the genus of which the long-eared hare belongs to
b) a diviner in ancient Rome basing his predictions on inspections of the entrails of sacrificial animals
c) one of the lower mountain ranges
d) the shade or covering for a gas lamp
e) dust and other small objects that make up the ring or rings surrounding a planet
f) a type of chickenpox that comes with hairs on the spots.
What about "Tradescantia"?
a) a law of motion
b) the name of a planet yet to be found
c) any of a genus of American herbs
d) term used for trade routes during the 14th century
e) items eligible for marketing
f) the lack of substantial trade in a country
And last of all, "Varuna." Mattie is very proud of her entry...I bet you can't guess which is hers :)
a) a machine that simulates tornados within a controlled environment
b) an African mammal
c) a type of prism
d) a god responsible for natural and moral order in the cosmos
e) an atoll able to sustain plant life
f) Rachel Ray's best friend
Truth to be revealed in the next post...
The Sewing Bug Bites
I'm happy to report that I have finished Ethan's knight costume! After the glich with the lining, I feared it was never to be. Actually, no, I never feared that exactly, but it was a headache trying to get that figured out. I now know that it is impossible to turn the lining of a garment inside out through only the arm hole. I know this is true, and I have witnesses.
The costume is by no means perfect, but I was very happy with the turnout, considering the Major Problem and my very meager sewing skills. I'm so thrilled to start being able to sew on my own, and to complete a project! I feel like I'm so lazy and undisciplined that I never accomplish any of the things I want to do, but right now I CAN SEW, so I AM GOING TO SEW.
The sewing bug has certainly bit me. We "happened to stop by" Hancock's while running errands with Grandma, and I impulsively bought five yards of pink and purple (but not obnoxious) flannel to make matching pj pants for Mattie and I. The pattern looks easy, and there is no lining, mercifully. The fabric was 50% off too, so what can I say?
The costume is by no means perfect, but I was very happy with the turnout, considering the Major Problem and my very meager sewing skills. I'm so thrilled to start being able to sew on my own, and to complete a project! I feel like I'm so lazy and undisciplined that I never accomplish any of the things I want to do, but right now I CAN SEW, so I AM GOING TO SEW.
The sewing bug has certainly bit me. We "happened to stop by" Hancock's while running errands with Grandma, and I impulsively bought five yards of pink and purple (but not obnoxious) flannel to make matching pj pants for Mattie and I. The pattern looks easy, and there is no lining, mercifully. The fabric was 50% off too, so what can I say?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
