Random Muses of Megret

There is a blogroll of people who take this thing seriously every Thursday, but I'm not sure I want to commit to that yet. I do, however, have 13 things to share today....things that have been on my mind this morning. THIRTEEN SIMPLE COMFORTS I LOVE 1. Waking up in the middle of the night to hear a pouring rain outside my windows. I feel so safe and cozy in my bed. 2. Walking outside to find temperatures much cooler and more appropriate for springtime than they've been lately. 3. The smell of a clean house combined with the scent from open windows, and on top of that, the feel of a breeze blowing through your home, waving the curtains with it. 4. The gumption to make up a batch of lemon cupcakes, and the satisfaction that comes two hours later as they sit, done, on the countertop. 5. The cute little spot on the back of Gardner's neck, a place I nuzzle into when I'm rocking him. (Dad used to call it "our cute spot.) 6. The feeling of an ice cold Coca-Cola goi...

The weatherman really messed up the forecast for today. Yesterday at lunchtime, he said today would be cool (as in 60 degrees) and drizzly all day long. It's only partly cloudy, and they're now expecting temps to rise up to 74. Storms and rain won't arrive until later tonight. Funny how quickly weather patterns can shift. There is just no forecasting it sometimes, and weathermen are, after all, human like the rest of us are. I have been reminded so much recently of my humanity....my inability to measure up in any shape or form. I have ideals in my head, but when it comes to putting them into practice, sometimes they die on the way from the brain to my fingers. Frustrating. I didn't get mad at the weatherman today, even though I completely rearranged my schedule for the rest of this week in order to be able to stay in today out of the mess. Instead, I remembered that he's human, and there are some things which he just cannot do. I expect him to give me an acc...

I love Tuesdays. I remember almost every Tuesday the lyrics and the tune of a Sarah Masen CD I listened to in college. I was trying to get into playing guitar back then, and Ken (we were only about 2 months into dating) made a notebook with all of her songs, guitar-tabbed for my learning enjoyment. Tuesdays are always busy days. I have fun, yes, but I stay busy. It's usually the day I prepare and/or freeze all of the food I've bought the day before at the grocery store....but today, I went this morning, so I had that as an earlier start to my day. It is also house-cleaning day. I also try to run any errands I need to run on Tuesdays. To top it off, I prepare our home (and usually some sort of dish) for our home group that meets here on Tuesday evenings. I tend to get caught up and bogged down in all of the tasks at hand. I have to remember to rest, too, in between my fits of frenzied cleaning and such. There are blue skies, birds singing, Gardner's sweet little qu...

Ken and I are currently sitting in the den enjoying "The Chronicles of Narnia." Well made film, I must say. We can't believe, either of us, how closely the landscape mimics what we pictured in our minds as we read the novels so long ago. I also realized tonight that Disney is finally releasing "The Little Mermaid" in DVD form this October. I am not afraid to admit that it is my favorite of them all. That, plus, Ken informed me tonight (via one of his design magazine portals) that Disney is currently working on putting up a cable channel dedicated to nostalgic Disney at its finest. Who knows what that will entail, but anything that uses "nostalgic" in its description has my vote. And speaking of well-made films....anyone heard on when M. Night Shyamalan is due another flick out in the theaters? It's time, I'd say.

Rather stressful day today. I thought that when I left the 40-hour-per-week workforce that my stress load would dramatically decrease, or maybe even fade away out of total existence. Wrong. Trying not to get overwhelmed. Hoping this coffee I just drank will help spur me along instead of making me even more jittery and flighty. Counting the minutes until I can call it a day, and let Calgon take me away. That's all.

Our first real stormy day of springtime. I am loving it. I ran all my errands yesterday so I could sit inside and meddle around today. It's nice. The cats are having a difficult time dealing. Ajala could be found earlier hiding behind the tail of one of the dining room drapes. Odyssey has found a receipt I put aside to keep and ripped it to shreds. Funny how animals get frantic when the weather changes. I am making a list of all of the things I want for baby....since it is a girl, there are things which must be added to the assortment, such as a frilly moses basket. This is going to be oh-so-much fun. I'm off to start some housework while Gardner naps. Good day for napping; he has the right idea. Maybe I'll follow suit. Nah, I've got way too much to do.

...Why does it take females (or most of them, if they're anything like me) days and days to pick out one single thing? Something made of paper that will be looked at for a month, then tossed away and forgotten? Why do cards always have to reflect exactly the personalities of those who we intend to receive them? Why must I always be so incredibly hard to please, and so incredibly detailed? And why, oh why, do I insist on getting the one thing I had pictured in my mind's eye, and nothing else? I should know that the only way I'll get exactly what I'm searching for is to walk into a shop carrying items that are designed by none other than me, myself and I. Oh, it's hard being a girl sometimes. Or maybe it's just hard being.....well, me.

How easy it is to be lazy. It requires no effort whatsoever. We revel in the moments when all seems easygoing, and we wish life were like that everyday. It isn't. There are hard times. There is hard work that must be done. We can take our restful days and apply the strength we gain within them to the upcoming harder days ahead. It's so easy to make excuses as to why we should be lazy. "I'm too tired." "I didn't get enough sleep last night." "It's too hot." "I'm pregnant...I have no energy." (Can you tell I'm writing from the heart here?) Read this today. Good stuff. "If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, 'I’ll do it'— just do it! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to l...

Easter slipped up on me this year. All of a sudden, I realize that the Easter stuff is going on sale at the stores. "But when is Easter....?" I wonder. Then I remember that it's in TWO days. Oh, wow. Thank goodness I didn't have to make any purchases this year. I decided against a pinstripe suit (or other dressy outfit) for Gardner this year. He had that last year, when it was okay to be a boy and be decked out in pastels (AND a velveteen cap with long bunny ears sewn into the hem)...but not this year. A simple short set will be just fine, and my pocketbook's very thankful. I didn't even plan an Easter party, although I was itching to. I get to enjoy two visits on Sunday with both sides of our families, and that is more than enough. Time with family's more important than party planning, anyway. I remember Easters past. The year Mom handmade our dresses...mine, hers, and my doll Pammy's. The many years I spent sneaking Easter candy in the ba...

Ken's been onto me lately about all of the hunting I've done online for free stuff. I'm not usually a scavenger for free deals, but for some reason, I go through spells where I really want bizarre refrigerator magnets and gaudy baby bibs to arrive for me, free of charge. What really annoys Ken , though, is the amount of spyware that ends up on our computer after said searches. I've assured him that I run SpyBot after each and every mission, but still, he's not convinced. Maybe once I get that ultra-sonic lightsaber grilling meat fork* in the mailbox, he'll change his mind. Maybe not. (*Ken, there is no ultra-sonic lightsaber grilling meat fork. I just said that in hopes that it might spark you to exude a bit of excitement for these endeavors, be it ever short-lived.)

Somebody needs to keep me away from glass objects. Yesterday morning, my dear husband was late to work because I effectively handled a vase of flowers in a haphazard manner, resulting in a shatter, a huge shard of glass into my index finger (of my right hand, no less). I am almost convinced that it needed stitches, but I didn't have time for that. Instead, I bandaged it very tightly and went on my way. It hurts like the dickens, but I know it will heal. This morning, as I was attempting to clean Gardner's humidifier in the bathtub, the glass soap dispenser I use (actually a vinegar bottle) overturned, and it broke into a million pieces. I spent the next 20 minutes washing out dish soap AND nuggets of glass....hope I got it all. Don't want to let Gardner step into that tub for a bath until I'm absolutely sure, which means combing it carefully with my hand (you can't see it with the naked eye), probably resulting in even more miniscule cuts on my already-sore app...

For anyone who needs a gift idea for yours truly in the coming months, this would make me giggle with glee.

I have had allergies since early adolescence. I never knew what caused them to start up, but all I knew was that come late March and all through April, I was miserable every year. I also had trouble later on in October. I never had any of those tedious, pseudo-painful tests done to see exactly which things sent my histamines roaring. I thought I might narrow it down, and I think I have. After a particularly ugly two or three weeks (complete with bloody nose each morning, and stuffy nose each night), I began to do my research online. What, exactly, is blooming right now in my region? I checked, and ah-ha.....the pollen count percentage is overwhelming from that of the mighty oak tree. Hm. Such a grandiose tree, beautiful and shady, strong and magnificent. Yet the gorgeous limbed structure causes me grief each and every year, causing me to always re-think whether spring really IS my favorite season. So much for prescription remedies. I was slightly burned by the whole Seldane in...

Thanks to my wonderful husband, Ken , for the sweet new look of the blogs I update. Me likey. A LOT. Had many bizarre dreams which kept me from sleeping a full 9 hours as planned, but I can't complain. Whenever one has a dream about getting into a 1980s-built hovering spacecraft and taking off into outer space (and also through the boundaries of time), one shouldn't complain too much. We're off in just a few to take Gardner to his 18-month checkup with Dr. Treash. Hate to, but we'll probably have to wake the little guy up. We had such a fun day yesterday, it was close to 9pm before we heard him finally stop singing in his crib.....

....having the windows all open on a warm spring day, waking up to chilly temps in the early morning, hearing those wonderful song birds at the first sign of daylight. Even now, the breeze is wafting through my hallway and down the stairs, carrying with it the smell of freshly-cut grass (our neighbor has been busy today). It's so gorgeous that I've convinced Ken to pick us up after work and take us on a picnic somewhere, to let us stretch our legs and enjoy this day of sunshine before storms threaten to overtake us tomorrow. (And thanks to everyone who prayed for my recovery. I am feeling better, and Ken and G are still in the clear.) (Stole this off of another blog, but I LOVE it, and it sums up today perfectly:) I meant to do my work to-day - But a brown bird sang in the apple-tree And a butterfly flitted across the field, And all the leaves were calling me. And the wind went sighing over the land, Tossing the grasses to and fro, And a rainbow held out its shining hand -...

I have been laying on my couch since 1:30 am due to a sudden and surprise visit by the stomach flu. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'd rather have the Beijing flu for an entire week than one of these things for 24 hours. It was a mild case, thank goodness, and I'm pulling out of it slowly...just a lingering low-grade fever making me feel achified. Thank the Lord, too, that Ken and Gardner still remain healthy. I pray they will continue to. So, my eyes hurt...no more computer for me this evening. I hope I can stay awake long enough to catch the new, thrilling episode of "Lost."

Ken and I both discovered (after marriage, incidently) that hospitality is one of our top spiritual gifts. We threw ourselves head-first into the hospitality ministry at New Spring , only to find ourselves physically burnt out within one year. Maybe the idea was a positive one, but the avenue wasn't quite the right one.... So we have recently made the focus of our hospitality efforts our own home. We host a home group here, and we thrive on the thrill of inviting over and sharing dinner with friends (and those we just want to get to know, or even just to make someone's week). I like to think that our home is a portal for the weary, a place where lonely college students or even just really busy families can come and unwind for a bit. God gave us this wonderful new home, and I am still speechless at how all of the details brought us here. It wasn't long before I felt the tug, tug, tug at my heart to open it up to others. God has shown me this week a couple of new opport...

There's nothing quite like going to a local town's "Spring Jubilee" when the first of warm weather arrives. Yesterday, some we and some friends took a short trek to Pendleton to visit their annual Jubilee. I have been going to this festival since I was a tot, and now for the first time, I let Gardner experience it for himself. Temperatures hovering near 80, sunny skies, breezy winds, a wide array of sights and sounds to enjoy, and a cup of cold ice cream....what better way to spend a Sunday? See pictures here .