Its not just the name of my new niece, but its also the name of the blanket i made for her.
here are some pics. Love it!
Oct 22, 2011
Ramona
Its not just the name of my new niece, but its also the name of the blanket i made for her.
here are some pics. Love it!
Sep 26, 2011
Jun 22, 2011
Im a dork
Im a dork, I know it.
I sometimes call it creative, but really thats just being nice to myself, Im a dork
But i love it.
I always seem to have a growing list of projects to do, i never seem to actualy make any of them, but as the summer beggins, so does my embroidery project list.
Summer, here its usually too HOT. But it has its nice cool days to make for some fun.
Swimming, lazy days, dr. pepper and no bake cookies. umm good.
I sometimes call it creative, but really thats just being nice to myself, Im a dork
But i love it.
I always seem to have a growing list of projects to do, i never seem to actualy make any of them, but as the summer beggins, so does my embroidery project list.
Summer, here its usually too HOT. But it has its nice cool days to make for some fun.
Swimming, lazy days, dr. pepper and no bake cookies. umm good.
May 25, 2011
Joplin, Missouri - May 22, 2011
BEEN SCARED AND BATTERED
MY HOPES THE WIND DONE SHATTERED
SNOW HAS FRIZ ME,
SUN HAS BAKED ME,
LOOKS LIKE BETWEEN 'EM THEY DONE
TRIED TO MAKE ME
STOP LAUGHIN', STOP LOVIN', STOP LIVIN'
BUT I DONT CARE!
I'M STILL HERE!
- James Mercer Langston Hughes
MY HOPES THE WIND DONE SHATTERED
SNOW HAS FRIZ ME,
SUN HAS BAKED ME,
LOOKS LIKE BETWEEN 'EM THEY DONE
TRIED TO MAKE ME
STOP LAUGHIN', STOP LOVIN', STOP LIVIN'
BUT I DONT CARE!
I'M STILL HERE!
- James Mercer Langston Hughes
May 9, 2011
A couple of hundred years ago,
Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success.
Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today.
This is the man who discovered electricity.
You think more people would listen to what he had to say.
I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it has a lot to do with fear.
Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision,
because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo?
The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine.
He who hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we hadn't been told.
We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day.
Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves.
We have to make our own mistakes.
We have to learn our own lessons.
We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore.
Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant.
That knowing is better than wondering,
that waking is better than sleeping,
and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying
Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success.
Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today.
This is the man who discovered electricity.
You think more people would listen to what he had to say.
I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it has a lot to do with fear.
Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision,
because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo?
The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine.
He who hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we hadn't been told.
We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day.
Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves.
We have to make our own mistakes.
We have to learn our own lessons.
We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore.
Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant.
That knowing is better than wondering,
that waking is better than sleeping,
and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying
Apr 20, 2011
Thinking
Im thinking of buying a house.
It makes me feel so very grown up.
But, Im so very very excited about the idea.
Now.
As I start this process, this blog will probably focus on house buying
I cant wait to post pictures,
share ideas,
post more pictures
So wish me luck!
Megan
It makes me feel so very grown up.
But, Im so very very excited about the idea.
Now.
As I start this process, this blog will probably focus on house buying
I cant wait to post pictures,
share ideas,
post more pictures
So wish me luck!
Megan
Mar 23, 2011
Los Rojos de Ultramar- A Review
"the Reds of the Sea"this is the translation of the title as i would put it. It has a simple meaning.
The book proved to be a interesting read, with much information on the post-civil war Spanish life. Not of those left in Spain. But of those that had to leave, who were on the loosing side of the war.
It intrigues us, to know how the loosing side survives. and i think this is what makes the book. its that interest to see how the rest of their lives are lived out.
the book is a bit repetitive in parts.
the author has a certain view of the world and he tries very hard to transmit these undertones to the reader with out just coming out and saying them, he gives the clues enough times to allow the reader to come to the conclusion.
the author has a certain view of the world and he tries very hard to transmit these undertones to the reader with out just coming out and saying them, he gives the clues enough times to allow the reader to come to the conclusion.
though this repetitiveness should not dissuade anyone from reading the book,
on the contrary, its just one man's view of what happened,
and it should cause us all to look at other opinions
and that is what this book caused in me
a desire
a desire to know more about the war that in world history gets over shadowed by world war II.
a war that brought a dictator into a country over over 25 years.
a dictator that at the end of his life gave back the country to a monarchy
a country that now has pretty much undone as much as they can of his dictatorship
the book, as far as i know, only comes in Spanish,
and it was a great read to get me back into the language,
i recommend it.
Mar 14, 2011
things I want
There aren't many things on my: "I want this" list. But those that are have been a source of inspiration. I keep looking for affordable versions of these items that I like. Their original cost is just too much for me to spend.
The first, a french market basket. Gotta love it, for spur of the moment picnics, swimming in the river, reading and knitting in the park, an infinite array of possible things to carry in it and take to.
The second, a lovely long dress. I like this one because the colors are amazing, and the crossing across the front is fabulous. Being that i am only 5'2" i question myself on wanting to wear a long dress, but it can be done, it just needs to be the right one. I do have some weddings in the late spring so it will be a good occasion to wear it.
I love flats! i think that they are the best shoes ever brought into fashion. These combine the flats with the feel of gladiator sandals (which i also love). I keep hoping ill see some here locally. I mean, someone other than antropologie has to make them right? i guess i can dream.
What i like about these three items, is that i can combine them and they make a perfect ensemble. Feb 10, 2011
Sharing...
I wrote this the other day as i was doing my daily devotions. It made me miss classes and sermons that made the Bible real, and not just "stories". We tend to just read it like its fiction sometimes, and not real people or real events.
I wasn't going to share it, mostly because its not that great. But i figured, why not? I don't think many people read this blog anyway. For those of you who do, enjoy.
Matthew 26: 6-10.
A woman, shy and quiet,
walks into a room full of people, her head down, trying not to attract attention.
She knows she is not wanted here,
that people who do notice her quickly turn away as if looking at her would make them less.
She carries with her a jar,
she hugs it to her body,
trying to cover it with the sleeves of her simple robe,
its a beautiful jar,
if people saw her carrying it they probably would think she stole it from a rich woman.
Because,
looking at her, her hair, clothes and the way she carries herself,
they know she could never afford or deserve such a jar,
and the lovely scent it carries inside is not meant for such a low degraded woman such as herself.
The people know her,
she walks around the same neighborhood as them,
always looking down, never confident enough to look people in the eye.
Murmuring and whispers always follow her were ever she goes,
lovely laughter dies down when ever she enters a room,
and she gets a silent cold treatment, and stares as she walks by.
Men stare her down, from head to toe,
thinking they can intimidate her, she simply keeps walking.
Trying to ignore the burning in her stomach,
because she can only imagine what they are thinking behind their cruel eyes.
She keeps her eyes low, yet eager, searching the crowd, looking for HIM.
the one person she has been looking for.
She has heard of him, he is whispered about also,
he is looked at as an outcast as well, men are intimidated by him yet ridicule him.
Women wont even look at him but are in awe of him
and they have heard hes crazy.
And yet crowds follow him, were ever he goes.
But she knows better.
She has heard the stories of his miracles, of the things he has done.
Though people change them and make them sound like they are fake,
she knows deep in her heart that he is real.
just like the little jar in her hands, so special, yet no one notices.
Then she sees him,
her eyes light up and hope comes to her face.
She cares not what the crowd around him will think,
she pushes her way through,
she can almost touch him.
She reaches out her hand to tap his shoulder,
slowly her courage fades away and her hand stops mere inches from the tattered linen material,
that once was probably white,
but is now a dingy gray from being washed.
Just as she starts to take her hand back,
she feels his eyes turn to her,
the eyes of the crowd follow his line of sight.
everyone is looking at her,
and she just stands there foolishly with her hand outstretched,
the other clasped around the jar.
But the kindness in his eyes, and the so very subtle nod of approval
allow her muscles to work again.
She takes of the lid,
and the scent of fresh clean goodness fills the air,
covering the rank smell of human bodies to close together.
She grabs the jar with shaking hands
and pours a little over his hair, then on his hands and finally on his feet.
She takes a piece of cloth and wipes away the excess from his forehead
as it drips past his ear onto his clothes.
The crowd shifts,
and she realizes what she has done,
her hands tremble as they try to hold onto the jar,
she looks down to the ground as the shouts start in the back of the room,
from the side she entered and moves slowly to were she is.
She can feel the anger of the people,
hear the cries from deep in their throat.
She tries to move out of the way,
but the crowd keeps her in the middle of it all.
Terror comes over her as she is pushed and pulled,
the empty jar falls from her hands and hits the ground with a cracking sound.
He stands up,
the gentleness and peace in his eyes seem to calm the crowd
as he looks out at the masses of people.
He bends over and picks up the jar,
the big piece and each little piece that has broken off.
He takes out a piece of rag and places the pieces in it.
He looks up, the men around him say something to him,
she is now to far away to know what they said,
she strains her ears to hear his reply.
But the crowd just as eager as her to hear his words,
push her back and she hears not what he said.
Near the door now she looks back once more.
The Messiah!
her heart cries out, and she knows her heart is true.
She stands there a moment,
and the crowd follows him to the next place,
to see what other things he will do.
As they all walk away there is a figure, just as tall as she,
she hopes its him, though its just a boy.
In his hands he carries a rag,
a rag covering something, he looks her in the eye,
hands her the package, pauses a moment,
then he too follows the crowd, follows the direction of the noise and dust.
Her hands are trembling and she tries not to drop the package.
She tucks it under the arm and runs away from the noise,
away from the city, out to the field with the big tree.
She hides behind the tree, were no one can see her,
as the sun touches the horizon and turns the sky orange,
she sits on the roots of the tree,
draws her knees to her chest,
takes a deep breath and opens the rags,
she can feel through the material but wants to see it with her own eyes,
the jar.
Small, whole, beautiful.
and in her heart she knows that she too was broken from the harshness of the crowd,
their anger breaking her to pieces,
yet the touch of HIM,
brought her back together: small, whole and beautiful.
I wasn't going to share it, mostly because its not that great. But i figured, why not? I don't think many people read this blog anyway. For those of you who do, enjoy.
Matthew 26: 6-10.
A woman, shy and quiet,
walks into a room full of people, her head down, trying not to attract attention.
She knows she is not wanted here,
that people who do notice her quickly turn away as if looking at her would make them less.
She carries with her a jar,
she hugs it to her body,
trying to cover it with the sleeves of her simple robe,
its a beautiful jar,
if people saw her carrying it they probably would think she stole it from a rich woman.
Because,
looking at her, her hair, clothes and the way she carries herself,
they know she could never afford or deserve such a jar,
and the lovely scent it carries inside is not meant for such a low degraded woman such as herself.
The people know her,
she walks around the same neighborhood as them,
always looking down, never confident enough to look people in the eye.
Murmuring and whispers always follow her were ever she goes,
lovely laughter dies down when ever she enters a room,
and she gets a silent cold treatment, and stares as she walks by.
Men stare her down, from head to toe,
thinking they can intimidate her, she simply keeps walking.
Trying to ignore the burning in her stomach,
because she can only imagine what they are thinking behind their cruel eyes.
She keeps her eyes low, yet eager, searching the crowd, looking for HIM.
the one person she has been looking for.
She has heard of him, he is whispered about also,
he is looked at as an outcast as well, men are intimidated by him yet ridicule him.
Women wont even look at him but are in awe of him
and they have heard hes crazy.
And yet crowds follow him, were ever he goes.
But she knows better.
She has heard the stories of his miracles, of the things he has done.
Though people change them and make them sound like they are fake,
she knows deep in her heart that he is real.
just like the little jar in her hands, so special, yet no one notices.
Then she sees him,
her eyes light up and hope comes to her face.
She cares not what the crowd around him will think,
she pushes her way through,
she can almost touch him.
She reaches out her hand to tap his shoulder,
slowly her courage fades away and her hand stops mere inches from the tattered linen material,
that once was probably white,
but is now a dingy gray from being washed.
Just as she starts to take her hand back,
she feels his eyes turn to her,
the eyes of the crowd follow his line of sight.
everyone is looking at her,
and she just stands there foolishly with her hand outstretched,
the other clasped around the jar.
But the kindness in his eyes, and the so very subtle nod of approval
allow her muscles to work again.
She takes of the lid,
and the scent of fresh clean goodness fills the air,
covering the rank smell of human bodies to close together.
She grabs the jar with shaking hands
and pours a little over his hair, then on his hands and finally on his feet.
She takes a piece of cloth and wipes away the excess from his forehead
as it drips past his ear onto his clothes.
The crowd shifts,
and she realizes what she has done,
her hands tremble as they try to hold onto the jar,
she looks down to the ground as the shouts start in the back of the room,
from the side she entered and moves slowly to were she is.
She can feel the anger of the people,
hear the cries from deep in their throat.
She tries to move out of the way,
but the crowd keeps her in the middle of it all.
Terror comes over her as she is pushed and pulled,
the empty jar falls from her hands and hits the ground with a cracking sound.
He stands up,
the gentleness and peace in his eyes seem to calm the crowd
as he looks out at the masses of people.
He bends over and picks up the jar,
the big piece and each little piece that has broken off.
He takes out a piece of rag and places the pieces in it.
He looks up, the men around him say something to him,
she is now to far away to know what they said,
she strains her ears to hear his reply.
But the crowd just as eager as her to hear his words,
push her back and she hears not what he said.
Near the door now she looks back once more.
The Messiah!
her heart cries out, and she knows her heart is true.
She stands there a moment,
and the crowd follows him to the next place,
to see what other things he will do.
As they all walk away there is a figure, just as tall as she,
she hopes its him, though its just a boy.
In his hands he carries a rag,
a rag covering something, he looks her in the eye,
hands her the package, pauses a moment,
then he too follows the crowd, follows the direction of the noise and dust.
Her hands are trembling and she tries not to drop the package.
She tucks it under the arm and runs away from the noise,
away from the city, out to the field with the big tree.
She hides behind the tree, were no one can see her,
as the sun touches the horizon and turns the sky orange,
she sits on the roots of the tree,
draws her knees to her chest,
takes a deep breath and opens the rags,
she can feel through the material but wants to see it with her own eyes,
the jar.
Small, whole, beautiful.
and in her heart she knows that she too was broken from the harshness of the crowd,
their anger breaking her to pieces,
yet the touch of HIM,
brought her back together: small, whole and beautiful.
Jan 20, 2011
Ask not
As with the MLK post, this comes from Google bringing to my attention the fact that today is the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy's inaugurational speech.
Id never read/heard the whole speech. But people (including my very un-knowledgable self) know it because of the phrase: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". This sentence, in an of itself is pretty iconic, though we can miss its true context if we don't see what comes before, and what comes after it. I believe that if we do, we will know the "whats" that Kennedy speaks of.
There are three other sentences that caught my attention as I read this speech, the first is: "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich". Yet still today the rich have their needs and wants over indulged and the poor continue to struggle, we do not see it as a responsibility of a free society to change this, on the contrary, we see our freedom as an excuse NOT to help. We say to ourselves "why should I? I'm free to do what ever I want, they are free as well, I'm not the one holding them back" How ignorant and selfish we become, when we do not help the least of these, I believe Jesus had something to say about "the least of these", but then again we don't tend to do what HE told us to do. Oh how foolish we are.
The second quote is: "(The) common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself". All of which we expect our government to take care of for us, and since we do, we don't tend to worry or do very much about it; well probably every four to eight years or so when we are called to cast a vote. Biblically, where do we stand? I can bring to the front verses like: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, to which we add, unless he attacks you first then you can attack him back, (did you not pay attention in kindergarten, its always the kid that hits back that gets in trouble), we are called to care for the poor and diseased, but we once again answer, I pay my taxes let someone else do it, or I guess someone else must be doing it, i haven't meet any poor people lately, OPEN your eyes, the poor are all around us. Diseases, not just physical but also of character are spreading. And war, well now a days we usually forget we are at war. I mean, it has no effect on our daily lives, we hear about it on the news and it doesn't even register anymore.
The third is probably my favorite, it comes immediately after the "ask not what your country..." part but i bet that not even the people who heard the speech on the day it was given really heard it. It says "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
And so America ended up with this "hero" complex that we have not been able to shake off. Like the Beatles sing "we all wanna save the world". And since we do we split the world into three categories: the ones being saved, the ones being saved from and the ones doing the saving. Ironically, the ones being saved don't always ask to be saved, the ones being saved from never thought they were doing anything wrong, and the ones doing the saving are the ones that get away with murder. Ohh! what a tangled web we weave.
Let us all, brothers and sisters in this world, truly come together for the freedom of man, but freedom from what? Ahh! the true question is being asked. To which I answer simply: ourselves.
Because in ourselves we create our own condemnation, we sin, and its all over. Ohh to have been Adam and Eve before the fall. But yet, here we are, thousands of year later, and we still have that special something that Adam and Eve had before the fall, its our relationship with Christ, his death for us, it untangles the entrails of ourselves and brings forth this glorious redemption. We are made new, we are free! and what do we do with our freedom, sadly we forget about those still enslaved.
So let us not forget, let us see the poor and by such save the rich, let us overcome the common enemies of man and work together to bring about the freedom of man.
Id never read/heard the whole speech. But people (including my very un-knowledgable self) know it because of the phrase: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". This sentence, in an of itself is pretty iconic, though we can miss its true context if we don't see what comes before, and what comes after it. I believe that if we do, we will know the "whats" that Kennedy speaks of.
There are three other sentences that caught my attention as I read this speech, the first is: "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich". Yet still today the rich have their needs and wants over indulged and the poor continue to struggle, we do not see it as a responsibility of a free society to change this, on the contrary, we see our freedom as an excuse NOT to help. We say to ourselves "why should I? I'm free to do what ever I want, they are free as well, I'm not the one holding them back" How ignorant and selfish we become, when we do not help the least of these, I believe Jesus had something to say about "the least of these", but then again we don't tend to do what HE told us to do. Oh how foolish we are.
The second quote is: "(The) common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself". All of which we expect our government to take care of for us, and since we do, we don't tend to worry or do very much about it; well probably every four to eight years or so when we are called to cast a vote. Biblically, where do we stand? I can bring to the front verses like: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, to which we add, unless he attacks you first then you can attack him back, (did you not pay attention in kindergarten, its always the kid that hits back that gets in trouble), we are called to care for the poor and diseased, but we once again answer, I pay my taxes let someone else do it, or I guess someone else must be doing it, i haven't meet any poor people lately, OPEN your eyes, the poor are all around us. Diseases, not just physical but also of character are spreading. And war, well now a days we usually forget we are at war. I mean, it has no effect on our daily lives, we hear about it on the news and it doesn't even register anymore.
The third is probably my favorite, it comes immediately after the "ask not what your country..." part but i bet that not even the people who heard the speech on the day it was given really heard it. It says "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
And so America ended up with this "hero" complex that we have not been able to shake off. Like the Beatles sing "we all wanna save the world". And since we do we split the world into three categories: the ones being saved, the ones being saved from and the ones doing the saving. Ironically, the ones being saved don't always ask to be saved, the ones being saved from never thought they were doing anything wrong, and the ones doing the saving are the ones that get away with murder. Ohh! what a tangled web we weave.
Let us all, brothers and sisters in this world, truly come together for the freedom of man, but freedom from what? Ahh! the true question is being asked. To which I answer simply: ourselves.
Because in ourselves we create our own condemnation, we sin, and its all over. Ohh to have been Adam and Eve before the fall. But yet, here we are, thousands of year later, and we still have that special something that Adam and Eve had before the fall, its our relationship with Christ, his death for us, it untangles the entrails of ourselves and brings forth this glorious redemption. We are made new, we are free! and what do we do with our freedom, sadly we forget about those still enslaved.
So let us not forget, let us see the poor and by such save the rich, let us overcome the common enemies of man and work together to bring about the freedom of man.
Jan 18, 2011
Once again some thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr. (i know im a day late)
A couple of years ago I was introduced to a speech given by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. during the Vietnam war (here), which in my heart became a comparison to the current war we are in (yes folks we are at war!, i think i a lot of the time we forget). Today I am once again looking (un-biastly, which I know is hard for a lot of you) at a speech given by Dr King, this one is entitled "Paul's Letter to American Christians" .
Oh! Christian, that you would take up your cross, bring forth the life that you have been called to. Let not your burdens hold you back, let not your failures intimidate you, stop over thinking and analyzing and start DOING.
Link to Martin Luther King Jr's speech "Paul's Letters to American Christians"
There is a 1900 year gap between Paul and Martin Luther King, and now a 55 year gap between Dr King and us now, in this moment of 2011. Goodness how the times have changed, and just as King says in his speech, we have made many advances, though where has it left us morally as a country? Has our moral and spiritual developments kept pace with everything else?
He speaks of our technological advancements, capitalism, segregation in the church both racially and denominationally. He brings these things to the table to be seen in a eternal perspective. These things that in 1956 were at the heart of the speaker, the eyes of the nation, and the pulpits of the church.
The speech is ended in an exhortation to LOVE; and before I loose you because the first thing that comes to mind is SEX, let me bring back a lesson in Greek that many of us learned in Jr High youth group (but have not been able to truly comprehend until now that our hormones aren't crazy!) the LOVE he is speaking of is not EROS love, but AGAPE love, love unconditionally, love in spite of our failures, love that makes us do crazy things even though we have thought them through logically, love that builds, love that endures. Love for those who do not deserve or have earned it. This is what we are called to.
Oh! Christian, that you would take up your cross, bring forth the life that you have been called to. Let not your burdens hold you back, let not your failures intimidate you, stop over thinking and analyzing and start DOING.
Link to Martin Luther King Jr's speech "Paul's Letters to American Christians"
Jan 17, 2011
and then we begin a new year
I was ready for 2010 to be over. Usually at the end of the year i make a picture montage to show what the year was like, this year, i was just ready to be done with it, no looking back, only looking forward.
I don't know what 2011 have in store, and that is a glorious feeling. It almost feels like a new book is starting, not just a new chapter, but a whole new book.
I do have a list of "fun" things i am hoping to accomplish this year. Things like camping, seeing the grand canyon, traveling to a new city, going home and visiting old friends, climb a considerable mountain.
Another big goal for 2011 is to develop my Etsy store more. I need to get some creative juices flowing for valentines day things. There are also other holidays that needs some advanced though.
This is all for now, we still have 348 of the year left, lets make good use of them.
I don't know what 2011 have in store, and that is a glorious feeling. It almost feels like a new book is starting, not just a new chapter, but a whole new book.
I do have a list of "fun" things i am hoping to accomplish this year. Things like camping, seeing the grand canyon, traveling to a new city, going home and visiting old friends, climb a considerable mountain.
Another big goal for 2011 is to develop my Etsy store more. I need to get some creative juices flowing for valentines day things. There are also other holidays that needs some advanced though.
This is all for now, we still have 348 of the year left, lets make good use of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)