Stylist Needed!

Please! Are there any stylists who need to do some volunteer work??? If so, please contact Cindy Sheehan. Look at this! Yes, pink and brown go well together, but not hot pink and camel! And now, the walking advertisement for moisturizer and sunblock - Bridgette Bardot. Yikes - I'm heading straight for both bottles right now!

Burdens and Lessons

Does God put people on our heart for their benefit or our own?

I used to think that a burden for someone else meant that I should be doing something for them. Praying, bringing a meal, sending a card, a phone call... These are good things and probably necessary. And I think that the answer to the question above is "both." Someone needs something I have to offer, and I should take away a lesson too.

"Sweetie" was an acquaintance. She had moved here from another state with her husband and child. It seemed that she could use some friends and probably a church. The circumstances of our lives were similar enough that we should have become friends. But it didn't happen. I invited her to my house but she didn't have a car. She didn't want me to come to her house. I offered to pick her up & take the kids somewhere but she wasn't interested. I invited her to the beach but she wanted her child to have a good nap. I invited her to a Ladies Night at church, but she was too tired. I invited her to a mom's get together, she wasn't interested. I brought her a meal when she was sick. I called her whenever I thought of her - figuring she needed someone to talk to like I did. I tried to commisserate over shared difficulties (lack of sleep, budgetting ideas, good deals at our mall). I learned quickly this was a mistake. Anytime I opened up, she would use it against me later. I tried to share God's blessings with her but somehow she made me feel bad or even guilty about it. So I made space. If she wants to talk, she has my number. If she wants something to do, she has my number. If we see each other, it is easy to be friendly; forgiveness has healed the knife wounds in my back. And I still have that burden for her - I still pray for her.

Is this how God feels when we reject Him? Is this what Christ felt on the cross? Of course I'm not comparing this little situation to His incredible sacrifice. But on a daily basis He offers His hand, His patience, His grace, His strength, His wisdom, His omniscience. Too often I don't see it. I have to come to a hurdle and then ask for it, when I could've taken Him up on the offer first thing in the morning.

It may sound ridiculous to some, but this is where I'm at. The lesson I am learning from this is 1) forgive, 2) forget, 3) stop throwing pearls into the mud, 4) when Help is offered, receive it gladly! The last one is so very practical! Offers of help came from every which way when Nina was born. People even showed up at my door asking if I would like a break and could they take Will to the park. Friends brought food. Someone covered my church responsibilities. I still get offers for help, but my pride has returned. Most days I could use a hand. Who wouldn't? :) But I am still learning to receive help.

Who Am I?

I was talking with a good friend a while ago and telling her how one of my neighbors might be my next really close friend. I was a little shocked when I realized it because she is not someone I would normally pick to be a close friend. Acquaintance, yes. Friend, yes. Really good friend? I should preface this by saying that it's nothing wrong with her, it's just that she is really different from the mold I thought all my close friends fit into. She is quieter, she thinks before she speaks, she is artistic, she is independent. Most of my close friends are loud, off-the-cuff, in-your-face, active, passionate. Some of them would call themselves "choleric" from the old temperament test we all took about 10-15 years ago. And most of these friends I would not have picked as close friends, I was forced to learn how to relate and a friendship blossomed later. As I shared this with Good Friend, she started laughing and asked how I see myself. "Easy," I said, "quiet, introverted, takes a while to warm up, honest but tactful...." I stopped because she was laughing so hard.
"Are you serious?" she challenged me. "I don't see you that way!"
Unfortunately our conversation didn't go much longer because children needed us on both ends of the phone.
I began thinking about all the words I had used to describe myself. Most of them were labels not adjectives.
For instance, here are four adjectives to choose from. Pick one and only one. Which one would you pick to describe you?
Friendly
Faithful
Funny
Forceful
I picked "Friendly" because I am not usually funny (although I try), I am faithful, I am almost never forceful but I really like to make people feel at ease if I can.
But then there's these choices:
Unpopular
Uninvolved
Unpredictable
Unaffectionate
I can't pick one. Normally I would say "unpopular." I am almost always involved in something (or too many things), I am fairly predictable and I have made great strides with being affectionate. Hmmmm.
Just my thoughts.... I'm trying to to label myself anymore and just be myself and let my friends be themselves. I'm going to try (really hard) not to over analyze my friends - who they are and why we're friends. So for now, here I am and I know who I am! I am a daughter, wife and mother. I am a person who enjoys baking, cooking and creating things. I am thoughtful, even if my thoughtfulness doesn't quite make it into action, I sincerely think about my friends and try to help. I do too much. I think I like having a martyr complex. I am artsy; I have good taste in colors and decorating. I am a good listener; I am a good friend. I calm down by venting. I love to play with my children. I enjoy small adventures. I hope someday to enjoy gardening, both flowers and vegetables! I hope to pick up scrapbooking again soon. I love my family. I love my close friends. I am selective with my friends and I will be loyal to those people.

Good Outside Pictures

Why "How I Met Your Mother" Rocks:

1) it appeals to a core purchasing demographic- young single adults ages 18-35
2) Cobie Smulders is believable as a yuppie enjoying life
3) Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious as the "playa" we all know but don't admit to
4) Alyson Hannigan - 'nuf said
5) the writing is great, but it really is the actors that pull it off
6) with Friends gone, there is literally NO competition for my attention or the space on the TiVo 7) the world will always need a sitcom that young adults to relate to, this one fills a void Joey couldn't
8) almost perfect scheduling - still in the "family hour" so there's no language to worry about and any innuendoes, while vague, are still funny
9) more perfect scheduling - wedged between CBS's solid sitcoms King of Queens and Two and a Half Men
10) the flow is all about story-telling, not about watching a drama unfold. It may be jumpy for some, but it feels like a conversation with a bunch of friends - all trying to tell their story on top of someone else yet all equally interesting.
11) closure from "Ross & Rachel". It's been almost 2 years since we watched their relationship finally solidify. There has been no one else to root for, to hope for, to wonder about. Now we all wonder "who is Ted going to end up with?" "Who is 'your mother' from the title?" We all get to root for Ted, just like that brother or friend who remains single & no one understands why.

THIS is why "How I Met Your Mother" rocks and should stay on the air as long as possible. But please, please, please don't move it to Thursday night!