It's 12:24am.

I have not had more than 5 hours of sleep per night all week.

I have not finished any of the homework that's due Monday.

I have not planned the Sunday School lesson I'm teaching tomorrow morning.

I have not written a decent lengthed email in days.

I have not written anything in days.

I have over 900 unread items in Google Reader and over 100 unread, non-spam emails to attend to.

I have eaten a ridiculous amount of Tastykakes today.

I have had a very packed, yet very wonderful weekend so far, and I expect tomorrow to be the most packed and most wonderful yet.

I have no cell phone for the third week running.

I have to be awake in a mere 5 hours.

Again.

The Greatest Play Doh Recipe Ever

Ok, now seriously. How many of you still love to play with playdoh? Don't be shy, I know there's plenty of you out there....

I made a HUGE batch of playdoh for preschool yesterday, and it occurred to me that the recipe is fairly simple and playdoh is undoubtedly amazing, so it might be nice to share this amazing recipe with y'all. And don't think it's just us crazy preschool teachers that use it. I've made this playdoh on rainy days while babysitting and I've even incorporated it into Sunday School lessons! I'm telling you, this is one of those life-long bits of knowledge that everyone should just know.


The Greatest PlayDoh Recipe Ever

-- 2 cups flour
-- 1 cup salt
-- 2 cups water
-- 2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
-- 4 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix ingredients together in large pot. Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until think dough forms. Knead until smooth and add food coloring as desired!
I typically make a double batch, FYI.

Enjoy!

Interview with the lovely Edge

The Rules of the Interview:
1. Leave me a comment saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I'll email you five questions, of my determination not yours!
3. You update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


1. What are the most outrageously mismatched socks you've ever worn?
OOOH, excellent question! There have been some doozies, but I'd have to say that the most outrageous (and also my favorite) are the knee-high socks I wear with knee-length skirts. The two craziest combos are probably my CRAZY BRIGHT YELLOW argyle socks which have HOT pink, ELECTRIC blue and LIME green accents paired with a brown sock that has BIG blue and green polkadots. Another favorite combo, though, was a blue, white and purple polka dot knee-high with my new Christmas socks -- bold red and green stripes and oh, yes, they light up on the side when I walk :)


2. If you had to choose between meeting C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein for lunch, who would you pick?
Ugh. First of all, I have to say I would be incredibly thrilled if either of them agreed to meet me for lunch, but also incredibly nervous!! I can't imagine actually EATING in front of either one, especially considering I can't seem to get through a meal without spilling something and getting some unsightly food stuck in my teeth. Oh, trauma.
I think C.S. Lewis. I've read more of his books, and I have WAY more questions to ask him.

3. What movie are you most looking forward to seeing this year?
*confession*...um...movie? (What's a movie?) I have to admit that it's been a really, really long time since I've gone to a movie theater. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (yes. #3. So this was truly years ago.) That being said, we also don't have cable TV which means I have no idea whatsoever of what kind of movies are even out there to begin with!
So, new movies aside...well,ages ago, Very Best Friend promised me we would watch Dead Poet's Society, (which I have never seen but have heard enough teasers about it to think I would enjoy it) together, and I intend to hold her to that promise. I am really REALLY looking forward to that!

4. What book have you read lately that should be turned into a movie?
Gossamer, by Lois Lowry, is one of my all-time favorite books. Though it's not a new book, I re-read it lately and I would LOVE to see that as a movie! Actually, her Giver trilogy would be three incredible films, too.
I also recently read John Grisham's The Last Juror, which was unbelievably better than I thought it would be. I picked it up due to a recommendation and fully intended to dislike the book, and though it centered around a dark theme, there were parts that were brilliant and positively hilarious, and I found myself completely hooked!

5. Mac or PC?
PC! Only because I've never had or used a Mac and I don't do well with change.

If there's anyone out there who hasn't done this meme yet, feel free to comment!

Just Keep Swimming...

Life is overwhelming. Plain and simple. Often we find ourselves consumed by situations and, more than anything else, we just want OUT! It's so easy, when we feel like we're completely surrounded by "yuck", for our prayers to focus on ending suffering or showing us a way out of a stressful situation. And yet, I think sometimes God gives us these tough times in our lives so we can learn just how determined we are; so we can see how much strength and endurance He gives us.

TWO FROGS IN CREAM

A poem by T. C. Hamlet

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,
Or so I’ve heard it told;
The sides of the can were shiny and steep,
The cream was deep and cold.
“O, what’s the use?” croaked number 1,
“Tis fate; no help’s around.
Goodbye , my friends! Goodbye, sad world!”
And weeping still, he drowned.
But number 2, of sterner stuff,
Dogpaddled in surprise,
The while he wiped his creamy face
And dried his creamy eyes.
“I’ll swim awhile, at least,” he said.
Or so I’ve heard he said;
“It really wouldn’t help the world
If one more frog were dead.”
An hour or so he kicked and swam,
Not once he stopped to mutter,
But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,
Then hopped out, via butter!

Right where you are

11 Jan 2009
8:25pm
In Search of Truth


“The love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
~1 John 4:9


O truth-seeker
Why do you wander?
Searching for something
You’ll never find?
Inventing a goal
You think might be somewhere
Creating a path
And walking on blind?
Yesterday’s trends
Yield not the answer;
Tomorrow’s hypotheses
Won’t take you far.
You see, truth-seeker
That which you search for
Has long been discovered;
It’s right where you are.





God meets us where we are. It's so important to remember that God isn't some faraway, unreachable being, but rather a close, personal, intimate Savior who is right here, waiting for us. We don't need to look far to find Him, because He's already revealed Himself to us -- through Jesus, through the Bible, through every moment we live and breathe. So often we convince ourselves that we need to find God, that we need to find truth, that we need to find the purpose of our lives. The problem is that sometimes we get so caught up in our searches that we forget about God altogether! We don't need to go searching for the truth or the meaning of life because we've already found it -- it's here, in Christ! How comforting it is to know that God's already given me everything I need to know Him, to trust Him, and to grow closer to Him.
The world will tell us we don't have enough; that we need to go and find more, more, more. And yet, God has given us all that we need; what more could there possibly be to find?

For the love of random, unedited poems that just flow...

15 Jan 2009
10:15pm

This Is Me

Snowflakes in my hair
Stars in my eyes
Dreams in my heart
Worries on my mind.
Voices in my head
Polish on my toes
Pencil in my ponytail
Freckles on my nose.
Music in my ears
Bracelet on my wrist
Chocolate in my mouth
Tension in my fingertips.
Wandering imagination
Devoted soul to Christ
Tears of joy and sorrow
This is me, this is my life.

Thought for the day:

"all which isn't singing is mere talking
and all talking's talking to oneself."

--e. e. cummings

Sing praises to God today! This might very well be the furthest thing from your mind as you struggle to make it through another gray Monday, but believe it or not, we are called to sing praises to God! Don't let your day be consumed by grumbling and "talking to oneself"; instead, make a conscious effort to sing and praise God for all your blessings.


"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy!" Psalm 33:3

I know what I want for my birthday!

So, according to GoogleTrends, the current most-searched term in the U.S. is Portuguese Water Dog. (Side note: I'm assuming it's because rumor has it that the Obamas are considering adopting one. But seriously, people? Why on EARTH do we all care so much what kind of dog is going to live in the White House?! Sad that America has nothing better to do than Google potential First Dogs.....) And yet, I suppose I'm just as guilty, because, not knowing what this thing is, I naturally jumped on the bandwagon and decided to find out.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUSNESS.

Is there anything more adorable than THIS?!?! It's like a chocolate lab (I've always had a major weakness for chocolate labs...) and a yorkie poo (another favorite) and my own dear Bichon Frise all rolled up into one fuzzy wuzzy bundle of puppy joy!



So maybe I can understand all the fuss after all.

I can practically feel my brain cells oozing out of my ears

Snowyness and icyness transformed my busy weekend into a form of house arrest. Even church was cancelled this morning! I'm sorry to say that I spent the morning sleeping in, being lazy, and playing an absolutely ridiculous amount of Whack-A-Penguin (high score: 322.9. Unfortunately, Lil Bro's was 331, and that drives me MAD!) and The Game Called Bob (high score: 1980. YEAH!).

Goal for the afternoon is to do something slightly more mentally stimulating.

Ideas?

Just being my usual, informative self....

[from The New York Times]

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
by Tara Parker-Pope

Maybe you should be eating more beets, left, or chopped cabbage. (Credit: Evan Sung for The New York Times)(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2008.)

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.



Um....yeah. I like pumpkin seeds...and...well...that's about it...
Does anyone know what Swiss chard is? Or what turmeric is? (I'm assuming the former has nothing to do with Swiss cheese and the latter, quite frankly, sounds almost dangerous. Ick.)