My Dear Jane

I never watch TV or movies during the day because I don't want my kids seeing or hearing things that are not appropriate. However, I do make an exception on laundry day. Laundry day isn't necessarily the day that I wash all our dirty clothes, but it is the day that I sit down and fold the four or five baskets full of clean clothes that I've already washed. Because this is such an automatic, mundane task, I have to have something to engage my brain. And so, out comes the chick flick.

But like I said before, I can't watch just any movie. It has to be clean. My favorite has been "Ever After", the Cinderella story with Drew Barrymore. I just adore this movie. My kids have seen me watch it so many times that when it comes on, Logan asks, "Is this the one where they throw the book into the fire?" As a matter of fact, it is. But Cinderella has now been replaced.

I now have copies of my favorite book-turned-into-a-movie. I have "Pride and Prejudice". I sit and fold my laundry while Keira Knightley plays Elizabeth Bennett on my TV. I just love this movie. I've seen it so many times that I can beat the characters to their lines. When I am in the kitchen, I watch the 6 hour BBC version with Colin Firth. See, in my kitchen I have a TV/VCR combo so my Keira Knightley DVD can only be enjoyed in the livingroom. But whether I am folding laundry or washing dishes, my beloved Jane Austen keeps me company.

I have to admit that I like Keira's version better. In the BBC version, Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Collins are so over the top they are more like caricatures. And while I'm not crazy about Keira's version of Jane and Matthew MacFayden lacks the presence and severity of Colin Firth, I still prefer the newer version.

Honestly, I would watch any version of "Pride and Prejudice". I love the way they dress, the way they talk, the way they adhere to all things "proper". And I love the way the movie is actually made. I'm a big fan of sweeping, uncut takes and the new version has so many great scenes like this, most taking place at the balls. Watch it just for the camera work. And the music. You can't forget the music.

My children sometimes roll their eyes and complain, "This one AGAIN?!" and sometimes they sit down and watch in spite of themselves. I don't mind either one as long as they don't interrupt my Jane Austen fix.

Yes, I Ask For Directions

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person. I keep up (somewhat) with current events, I can hold a conversation and not sound too much like an idiot, I can do basic math without having to count on my fingers and toes. But somehow I always manage to make myself look like a complete moron. I wish I had someone else to blame for this but it's my own doing.

I have a somewhat good sense of direction. If I drive someplace new, I can almost always find my way back out and can find my way there again next time. But on occasion, my brain cells turn off and I find myself driving around town in the complete opposite direction of my goal. I'm not lost. How can I be lost when I usually know exactly where I am? I am, however, nowhere near my intended destination and not always sure the best route to take to get there.

I wish I could say this rarely happens but this is me we're talking about. It happens more frequently than I would like to admit. I don't mind asking for directions but I usually resort to my own personal GPS--my mother. She's usually in front of a computer and can Mapquest my location for me. It's very helpful.

The only problem with this is that I will never be able to convince my mother that I am a capable, independent adult who can take care of herself. She knows me better than that. Just today I left her waiting for me at a restaurant for more than 30 minutes because I thought I knew where I was going. Even though all the signs pointed in the other direction (literally), I went the way that made sense to me.

Hmmm. I may have just discovered the source of my problems. This wouldn't be the first time that I've noticed things make sense to me in a way that no one else seems to get. Maybe if I just start doing things that DON'T make sense, I won't get lost. But then, where is the fun in that?

Tooth Fairy

The Tooth Fairy visited our house last night. Sassy lost her top front tooth in the middle of the night on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. She put it in a special box under her pillow but she was very concerned that the Tooth Fairy might not come...just like last time.

You see, we have a somewhat unreliable Tooth Fairy. Sometimes she shows up when expected, sometimes we have to leave her a note telling her that we do indeed have a tooth for her, sometimes we have to leave the tooth in a different spot so she can find it. If this was a paid position, she would have been fired long ago.

I assured Sassy that the Tooth Fairy would come this time and I even meant to set an alarm so I could remind Miss Fairy but of course, I forgot. Luckily, I check on the kids every night before I go to bed. So last night at midnight as I was heading upstairs, it clicked. I called the Tooth Fairy and sent her into action.

Normally it would be as simple as finding 2 quarters but my dear daughter had a different request this time. She wanted the Tooth Fairy to bring her "some little things instead of money". Not an unreasonable request I thought. That was before the Tooth Fairy found herself scrambling around the house trying to find some little trinkets that not only would Libby like but that she hadn't already seen. She combed through the office and craft room and then moved upstairs to the dreaded craft closet.

This closet holds treasures of all sorts, certainly something suitable could be found in here. The problem? The light in the hallway doesn't work, making it next to impossible to see inside the closet. Although, even if she could've seen inside, she knew it was a near impossible feat to even find anything in there without causing a catastrophic avalanche that would no doubt wake every person in the house.

It was with some stealthy maneuvering and not a few whispered prayers that Miss Fairy finally came up with a few baubles for Sassy. They were placed with care under her pillow and the tooth was taken away. With a sigh of relief, the Tooth Fairy climbed into bed at 12:35am, waiting to hear the excited sounds of Sassy discovering her treasure in the morning.

The best part? It's 10:45 in the morning right now and she hasn't even looked under her pillow. Go figure.

Finding the Rhythm

In today's sermon, it was mentioned that life has a rhythm. It's true. Life does have a rhythm. I think everything has it's own rhythm or pattern. It's the pace at which you go through life, it's the routine of how things are done. When I think about the rhythm of my life, I get exhausted. We live in such a fast paced world, everyone hustling and bustling to go there, accomplish that, get this done. When do we get a chance to slow the pace and appreciate what's around us?

A rhythm is steady, it's constant. It brings to mind a metronome. A metronome is a devise used by some musicians. It's purpose, according to Wikipedia, is to set a consistent tempo. This gives the musicians a guide, a lead, a rhythm to hold to. By listening to the steady ticking of the metronome, a musician can stay on beat, match the rhythm and compose a soaring piece of music.

Wouldn't it be great if we had such a thing for our own lives? Something that set the pace for us? Instead, we feel like we're running three beats behind. It's like following someone's footsteps who has a longer stride than you do. At some point, you're going to have to double your steps in order to keep up. That's where we spend most of our life, running double time.

Somewhere along the line, we've stopped listening to our metronome. We can no longer hear the steady, consistent beat that's been set for us. God has set that tempo. He has given us a beat, a pattern to follow, a rhythm to march to. His rhythm isn't rushed, it isn't forced, it never makes us quicken our steps in order to catch up.

It's time to clear out all the background noise, to put away all the other devices we've been setting our rhythm by. Clear the way to make a space for the metronome. The pendulum has never stopped swinging, it's an unending beat, an unwavering rhythm.

Listen for it.

Listen. Find God's voice, His rhythm. Then match your life to it. Fall in line with that tempo until the steady ticking can be heard in every room of your life. Use it, build on it. Compose a masterpiece to that constant, beautiful, rich tempo. Set your life by that holy rhythm.

Dress Rehearsal

When I was looking to change my blog page, I came up with a great title--"Dress Rehearsal". Unfortunately it was already taken, but I thought I would share with you what it was going to say.

Someday the lights will dim, the curtains will go up and it will be my turn. I will be on centerstage in front of an audience of one. The One. The only one that really matters. In the meantime, I will make mistakes, I will flub my lines, I will fail to hit my mark. But none of that matters because it's only Dress Rehearsal.

Under New Management

Isn't that what stores always post when they change things up? Someone else has come in and changed the signs and the paint schemes but really it's the same store on the inside. Well, that's what's happened to my blog.

I watched "Julie & Julia" the other night and I was inspired to get back to blogging. I was also guilted into finishing unfinished projects. I first started a blog as an exercise in writing. I figured no one was likely to read it but it would give me an outlet for all the random thoughts swirling about in my head while I worked on my writing skills. Well you know what happens. Life. I went from visiting blogs and facebook every day to trying to remember to check my email once a week. I make no promises that I will be anymore faithful, only that I will try.

Are my blogs filled with humorous anecdotes and observations? Have I gone through touching experiences that you can relate to? Do I have wisdom and insight to share with you? The answers to these questions are "no, no and yeah, right".

I write purely for me. I write about life in the way I see it, which I'm discovering is a little bit skewed from the way most people see it. And I crack myself up if no one else so I'm not too concerned with being funny.

So here it is, the new and improved blog from yours truly. I may blog several times a day, I may forget to blog for a week. I write to an unseen audience and hope you enjoy the ride.

Yes, I'm Still Here...For Now

I have been chided for not keeping my blog updated (you know who you are). I find it a little amusing that during the time of year when I typically have nothing going on, I can't seem to keep up with anything.

Summer is my lazy time of year (well, lazier than usual :) ). We don't plan any vacations, we don't get away. We just went on our first camping trip of the season last weekend and summer is almost over. I feel like summer is my time to hibernate.

If that's true and I have been in hibernation mode, I can feel spring creeping up on me. Fall is just around the corner which means I will soon have no time for sleeping or relaxing or spending an afternoon catching up on Facebook. My beloved stories that I'm writing will be pushed to the side and my unread novels will just have to stay that way. There are far too many things calling for my time.

It 's almost time to start school up again. Along with homeschooling the 3 kids comes co-op. This semester I will be teaching two classes as well as accompanying Logan to two classes. It's only one day a week but it's amazing how much energy it saps from you.

I also have my usual slate of craft shows. During this season, craft shows are our livelihood. After the kids are in bed, I retreat to my cave and work, typically until midnight or 1am. Everything we sell is handmade and I have to make sure I have enough stock to last to December. Whenever I can, I also slip in a few hours during the day. Most of the time I enjoy it, but again, no sleep.

This year has an added bonus. My husband and I are in charge of our church's missions auction and dinner. It's a very big task but we feel so strongly about it that we couldn't NOT do it. It happens to fall at the end of October. The time of year when I am usually in my cave anytime that hubby is home and can take care of the kids.

Those that know me know I won't be seen for the month of November and only sporadically before and after. I always laugh when December comes and everyone else starts to feel the pressure and stress while I am grateful for the downtime.

I will do my best to keep up with my blog now that summer is coming to an end. And my movie blog as well since I have a whole page list of movies that I want to discuss. But just keep in mind that if I haven't written for awhile, it probably meant that I chose sleep over blogging!