03-21-08

Tonight I informed Xander that he was going to help me make rice krispie treats. He wanted to know why he needed to help. It reminded me of that story about the hen who couldn't get any help and then didn't share her bread. He got on board pretty quickly and asked if he could sample the first finished treats. He has never tasted homemade ones, he was pretty excited. He also made a bigger mess than if I had just done it myself. But I don't like to bake alone. If you can consider melting marshmallows baking.

Rice Krispies facts:
-Known as Rice Bubbles in Australia
-Has been produced by Kellogg's since 1928
-They are made of rice grain kernels that are cooked to form very thin walls. When the cereal is exposed to milk or juices, these walls tend to collapse suddenly, creating the famous "Snap, crackle and pop" sounds.

I took a vacation day today, and got everything on my home to do list for the week done today, so now I get to relax all weekend. My birthday weekend. With nothing besides church that we HAVE to do for the next two days. Oh, and paint eggs, I guess, but they are boiled and ready to go. Yippee!

03-20-08

It was fun driving through town tonight seeing the churches lit up, the stained glass shining.

Today is Maundy Thursday. In the Jewish tradition, Passover. In the Christian tradition, the last supper. I learned tonight that Maundy is Latin for commandment. Jesus gave us a ritual to follow with communion, and a commandment to follow to love others as Christ first loved us.

Here I am enjoying rock soup in the fellowship hall before our communion service in the sanctuary. Pastor John talked to us about how the allure of upward mobility tugs at us, but Jesus modeled downward mobility. I'd say that we blurred my table mate to protect the innocent (since she did not want her photo taken!), but really the camera was just on scenery mode! Oops! We'll see how amused she is...

03-19-08

Here I am! This is me! In the middle of my week...

Why? Why not?

This is the view of myself that I see the most, I thought I'd share.

03-18-08

Their fragrance is driving my allergies crazy, but I sure love the blossoming plum trees on our street. They just go on for blocks.

Longview is a planned community. These neighborhoods didn't just sprawl into existence, they were purposefully designed. These trees were planted many decades ago, and are still actively maintained by the Parks Department. The trees are not removed unless there are health or safety issues that are determined by the arborists as being beyond any other alternative.

The City of Longview site says "So, stroll through our tree-lined streets and see why Longview is such a great place to live, work and play." And that is just what we did tonight after dinner, take a brisk stroll around the neighborhood.

He that planteth a tree is a servant of God, he
provideth a kindness for many generations, and
faces that he hath not seen shall bless him.
- Henry Van Dyke

03-17-08

Just call me the Post It Note queen.

Today I had to make transparencies to take to Seaside tomorrow to share financial results with the team. I only do it once a month and our multi function copier is smarter than all of us combined, so I started the hunt for the sticky note with my cheater notes. I didn't realize I had accumulated so many little yellow messages! Payroll system problems, phone conversations, short term things to remember, and... copy machine instructions.

I did organize this pile and the near matching pile at my phone after snapping this photo. But I know it will look like this again soon, because I like to hang on to them a few days to make sure the issue is really resolved.

Happy Monday. Happy St Patrick's Day. Happy Post It Note Day (OK to celebrate every day).

03-16-08

Today was Anastasia's day to shine.

First, she performed with the church choir this morning, and did an outstanding job.

Then we immediately headed to the Children's Museum in Portland, where she entertained the little kids from church who joined us. The kids are way too old for the children's museum now but they were both troopers. We borrowed six year old Archana for the afternoon and three other families attended. Anastasia went the extra mile keeping track of, entertaining, and watching out for the kids. She kept me sane today, without seeming to lose any of her own sanity.

Her gift of singing/performing and her heart for little kids are so special. But it is even more special that she is willing to share them with the rest of us.

03-15-08

We should have more chocolate fountains in our lives.

Today my church hosted the Gorgeous Gals Galleria, an art show and fellowship time for women. There were between 90 and 100 women there. We sipped sparking cider from plastic champagne glasses and dipped yummies in the chocolate fountain. We got hand massages and learned some sign language. We heard a talk about how important touch is and how amazing our hands are. We were challenged to get outside our comfort zone to use our hands for good.

It was a wonderful event. And as co-chair, it is wonderful to have it behind me too. One weekend whirlwind event down, one more to go.


P.S. Our theme was Our Hands... God's hands, and the paper tulips in the photo were made by rolling up cut out handprints. Cool, eh?