Friday, May 20, 2011

me mE ME

Words I hate:
  1.  Blouse
  2.  Trousers
  3.  Toe head (in reference to white haired babies...PUKE)
  4.  Necking
 
Random Weirdness:
  1.  Originally I wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist (doing nasty autopsies)
  2.  I hate wool and other like fabrics.  They set my teeth on edge and I compulsively meditate on the    scratchiness until my brain is strained and I talk funny.
  3.  I had a pathological fear of elevators and would walk 28 stories at outings (with luggage) when I was young just to avoid the claustrophobia of those metal devils.
  4.  It used to be a dream of mine to be covered in polyurethane and used as a coffee table when I died...that is, if my first dream of spontaneous combustion didn't actually happen.
  5.  I have OCD in a grocery store that tells me which product to pick up...sometimes it's the one in the back on a shelf of 400 things.  ugh
  6.  The only thing on this planet that grosses me out are silverfish
  7.  I like having a 'word of the day'

Word I Love:
  1.  Bibliobibuli
  2,. Wonky
  3.  Macabre
  4.  Pantaloons

Places My Family and I Want to Explore:
  1.  Beaches of Bali
  2.  India (nowhere specific)
  3.  Africa (everywhere including Nigeria since we have family from there)
  4.  Greece
  5.  Iowa...just kidding
  6.  Pakistan oh wait they already found Osama Bin Laden
  7.  Slovakia
  8.  Vietnam
  9.  Kosovo
10.  Swiss Alps
I guess pretty much everywhere except China... and probably not Uzbekistan either.

Things I am easily amused by:
  1.  The fact that when one spells 'Osama' the computer auto fixes it to 'Obama'   hmmm
  2.  When a product that obviously has cheese in it is advertised..Now made with real cheese!   Well what the heck was in it before?
  3.  I like how when one googles 'Osama found'...google automatically assumes that one means 'in 2011'   you mean they think they 'found' him other times too....?   interesting
  4.  Snorts in giggles and anomalous laughter

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Mechanical to Human

"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."    -Ezekiel 36:26

  What happened to the days when all of our food was *organic,*  our government wasn't corrupt so corrupt, and peoples words meant something?  What happened to us being neighborly and helpful instead of thinking the world of only ourselves?  Where did those days go and why all the imposter's? 
  Everything is so off kilter that we no longer know right from wrong.  We have corrupted our government with over regulating everything and a 'due process' that judicially outlives the original problem.  There is so much red tape and so many hands slapping it up, that it distracts from the red hands.  This world isn't in need of more *activists* or  advocates.  Everybody has a cause nowadays.  What we need to do is lay down our causes and slap ourselves into reality! 
  People complain... If only our government...If only my family....Why is the FDA allowed to...If only the church wouldn't have...We all have endless blanks that we could fill in quite colorfully.  Yet I think that all of these modern day 'concerns' are part of a larger strategy.  And that strategy is an antiquated one...blame shifting.  I'm not discrediting the fact that there needs to be a dramatic shift in our culture, I just think we can drown ourselves with finger pointing instead of waking to the realization that we allow ourselves to be distracted with all of the things our government is doing erroneously or the mind numbing games that are played.  We forget that it is only ourselves that are at fault.  It all starts in our own heart and minds.  Standing up for our rights and being educated will always be beneficial.  I just think it has gone far past necessary and straight into an era of being defined by our causes. 
  I know people who say they want peace and disagree with all of the 'right things', the humanitarian things, yet the violence and strife in their heart still exists.  It's not just about what we stand up for in speech, but also in action.  And actions tell a lot more about a man than what comes flying out of his mouth.  We need to inform ourselves of the problems and strategies of this world, there is merit in having this insight, but it seems that has overshadowed what it truly important and that is simply the heart and soul of this world. 
  I don't care more about the chemicals in my food than my actual neighbors.  Yet it seems so many of us are focused on that so much that we overlook the people behind the problem, and the redemption that is so needed.  All of the problems of this world can be solved simply with the love and heart of God.  Our beliefs and motivations flow out of our heart.  We don't need a change in policy...we need a revolution of the hearts of mankind.  Because no matter how the policy changes, it will relentlessly go downhill if our hearts are not forever beating synchronously with God's.  He is the answer to everything.  He is the way we can be good stewards of our bodies, the earth, and our food.  He will help us re prioritize, and in that, redemption is born. And in turn, there will be a new world order that cannot change by any mans hands!


As water reflects a face, so a mans heart reflects the man          -Proverbs 27:19
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope that he has given to those he called - his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance    -Ephesians 1:18
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life            -Proverbs 4:23
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil that is stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his mouth his heart speaks  -Luke 6:45

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Strength of a Woman

Many women have been inspirational in my life...too many to give the recognition they are deserving of.  These are just a few who are intelligent, poetic, strong and selfless, and who have made the world a little more beautiful through their giftings and their love for mankind.   I honor them.

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."
-Zora Neale Hurston

"My main interest, to be very frank, is to solidify the judicial system."
-Dr. Louise Arbour

"Together with the works of Mercy, feeding, clothing, and sheltering our brothers, we must indoctrinate."
-Dorothy Day

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Momma T.

"A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted."
-Billie Holiday

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Inspiration, Magic, and Whimsy!

falling models (seriously I still can't stop laughing!)


my affinity for accordions


Vincent Olinet

face meets ball 
profound graffiti art 
freakish hummingbird moths

old portraits and class

 paper heads!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Mishapen Mama

  With Summer forging quickly ahead, I have realized that it is time to get our swimwear in order.  Through the 10 pounds and 2 inches that Israel has packed on from last summer, he is in obvious need of new trunks.  River will dispensibly need his first little pair of trunks as well as my husband whose trunks are worn too thin for wear.  Which leaves me. 
   I'm typically not focused on all of my body's quirks and puckers, but after having child # 2, my body is inevitably different than it's ever been.  After having Israel, I weighed my pre baby weight when I left the hospital (of course I only gained 22 lbs with him too).  I had a little pooch that slimmed down within a month (another reason to thank God for breastfeeding!), and that was that.  I was back to normal.  Now, however, things are a lot different.  Although my weight, in number, is the same as before, I find my problem is with elasticity!  Things just seem to be arranged a little differently.  Now, I more closely resemble a Picasso painting; parts being scattered here and there, asymmetrical and all.   It still doesn't really bother me, it's just going to be more of a challenge to find something that's flattering to my post baby body.
   I have a love of anything vintage, so I found some cute suits that would be very classy and also very flattering to my infinite changes.  So here they are...can't wait to get in that lovely summer water and feel the warmth of the sun hugging my neck. 

trunk like bottoms for more coverage 
high waist for the post baby belly button 
more bottom coverage for the saggies  

    No matter how my form has changed, I will still do as Walt Whitman advises and 'Celebrate myself.'  I encourage all of you other mishapen mama's to do the same.  Beauty is first inward, working itself out.  So be in love with yourself and feel beautiful and no matter how mutated you are in comparison to the past, know that you are not defined by how you look and be grateful to the life that bestowed  these new alterations.  :)
 

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Reading in the Raw


  Lately my husband and I have been trying to break Israel's habit of being naked.  He's never totally naked, more like underwear naked.  It's not that we even think it's that big of a deal, he is only 7.  We just don't want him to be 15 and dominating the house in his skivvies.  Needless to say, it's a good time to teach him some household etiquette. 
  I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say that he undresses any time we are home.  He could wake up and get ready for the day, run some errands with me, come home, and when the front door is almost closed, he will be standing there naked.  I'm actually impressed with his timely undressing.  It is the only thing that he does quickly.  His clothes shoot off like fireworks on the fourth of July...shades of denim and grey cotton hit the ceiling with a liberating BOOM!
  Well today we were all ready to head outside and enjoy the wonderful weather when I noticed Israel and River laying beside each other on the floor.  Taking advantage of the opportunity to go downstairs and throw some clothes in the dryer, I cleared the area of knives and broken glass shards that could've proven dangerous and  ran downstairs for literally 3 minutes.  Upon walking back into the room I find Israel reading to River, who are now BOTH in their underwear (or diaper).  I could not stop this sweet moment of hilarity for anything.  And the funny thing is, that Israel wasn't trying to be funny, he just thought it was high time to get rid of the pants...and that he did!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The American Dream: A Slow Disease


 As a citizen of the United States, I can confidently say that I am very happy to have been born and raised here.  There is an element of disaster and hardship that I feel I have had the privilege of dodging simply by birthright.  That of course, means everything to me.  That is a point of clarification I wanted to make before I say what it is that I feel needs said.
  This country was founded upon an anthem that says we are all deserving of our lives, our liberties, and our individual pursuit of happiness.  I couldn't agree more.  But along with this pursuit that we have the privilege of chasing, we also have the scary ability to define what liberty and happiness are, and that, most times, is the culprit to our growing problem of greed, violence, and undue ownership.  We have subjectively, and selfishly defined what it is that we are entitled to. That mindset will always lead to the deification of personal boundaries, liberties being skewed, and power being corrupted.  It also leads us to empirical living.
   There is so much propaganda that desensitizes our capacity to think outside of what we are being told.  These tools are being used in media, art, film, and radio.  Subtlety acts as a leaky faucet...until next thing you know, the buckets overflowing and we're all drowning.  Our greed and accumulation of wealth has distorted our thinking in such a way that we cut corners and pretty soon, we have even distorted and scandalized our life preservers to the point that they do not function at all as they were intended.  But nobody knows that until our boat is sinking and we breathlessly reach, only to have our hopes of life dashed. 
   We have become parasites to our own opinion.  Our lives slowly bleeding dry.  Opinions and questions are becoming our doctrine, while love and truth are shoved bleeding out the door.  Nothing is a matter of truth or error anymore...we call it 'perspective.'  And few of us know that we have even taken a hiatus from the life we were purposed for.  Like coming out of a deep sleep, it's only in the waking that you truly realize you ever drifted off to sleep to begin with.  We need to wake up, and live outside of slumber.  We need an alarming clarity of life's purpose and intentions. 
    We honestly need to reestablish some objectivity and silence the lies that lead us to over consumption, making a name for ourselves, relying on democracy as freedom.  We actually unknowingly operate out of a monarchy, where God is the King of Kings.  He is the only reason there is freedom and can be the only way to freedom.  If you leave that job up to the constituents of a democracy you will never eliminate the heart that lusts after gold and silver, the appetite for our own applause.  Our hands are tainted.  Checks and balances were supposed to be our safety net from all of these possible ensnarements.  Yet the scale is still uneven.  We have begun to steal from others to even our own scales.  An injustice we call freedom.
   There are so many people who have given their lives for a country who will not give her own back in reciprocity.  There are those who kill out of regimes that inaccurately promise freedom.  These people bruise the earth from under the ground.  Their burial plots are planters for more hate to grow. 
   We need to be a people who are not after self-interest, but the interest of everyone. We've got to realize that we are not here to live or fend for ourselves.  That the 'American Dream' isn't at all what it was meant to be, and the proof is the road of disparity that we have been travelling.  It's time to ask God what our lives are for, to come under His identity, to be nameless and faceless, and ignore the trends of this world.  To bring down a powerful empire.  To demand justice and freedom FOR ALL.  To let the King of Kings establish our lives, hand us our liberties on a golden platter in front of our enemies, and to become the happiness we are all searching way to hard to find.  To become the solution, no longer contributing to the slow disease America has become.