The Top Five Material Things I Wanted as a Child, but Never Received.

As a child I remember there being certain things I wanted desparately, but was not allowed to have for one reason or another. Some because they were too expensive, others because my mom thought they were in poor taste. Well, this is a dedication to all those things!

The number one thing I always wanted was a pink Barbie Power Wheels Convertible. Now, before I was old enough to ask for any such thing, they got me a black and red Power Wheels Four Wheeler. In doing this, they made two fatal errors. One, they underestimated my wimpiness, as I was completely terrified to drive the thing. Two, they underestimated my girlyness, as I was convinced it looked like a boy's car. A couple years later, I laid my eyes on one of these pretty things for the first time. I asked for it repeatedly for birthdays and Christmas. They were convinced I would never play with it since I didn't pay with the four wheeler. Eventually, and much to my dismay, I got too big to drive one. If I ever get a Mustang convertible, I think it might be hot pink.

The second thing on my list would have to be the Barbie Dream House (I was very much a Barbie girl). I'm pretty sure that if I could have a real house now, I would want it to look just like this, only in a different color. I'm not sure why I never had one. Most likely, it was too expensive. Surely they knew I would have made good use of it. I played with nothing more than I played with Barbies. On the other hand, not having one forced me to be more creative. I used to take every book off my shelves and stack them creatively to "build" a house for my 50-some Barbies.




Number three on the list would be Jelly Shoes! Every other girl I knew had them in multiple colors. I begged and pleaded (oh, how I pleaded) for just one pair. Surely they weren't too expensive. You can get a pair now for just $5. They must have been even cheaper then. I seem to remember Mom thinking they were tacky, they would make my feet stink, and they would turn yellow from foot sweat. While these things are true, it didn't stop me from wanting them. In fact, since they are now back in style, I recently purchased a pair. I've not yet worn them because I'm saving them for an upcoming "Let's Go Back in Time" party.


Number four is now impossible to find. I always wanted a pair of leggings with the lace on the bottom. At the time, the ones I wanted weren't Capri length, they were like shorts to wear under a matching mini skirt. I remember people having them, and I distinctly remember them being worn on Full House and Clarissa Explains it All. Again, I have no idea why I wasn't allowed to have these. Mom must have thought they were tacky. On the other hand, she did allow me to wear stirrup pants, and I think those are far worse. Both of these are back in style now. I hear that if you've done a style once, you shouldn't do it again. Since I wasn't allowed to do these the first time around, I wonder if I could get away with it.



Number five is Umbro Shorts. I have no idea if these were popular everywhere, but at Sherman Elementary School, they were all the rage. I remember my friend Suzanne having tons of them. They were so cool and comfortable. Of course, the only reason I remember how comfortable they were is because I would borrow hers when I stayed at her house. I seem to recall them being pretty expensive.


It should be said that I was going to make this a list of 10 things I wanted, but I could not think of 10 things. That should tell you how spoiled I really was! I never did without anything I truly needed, and I had more than enough clothes and toys to make a little girl happy. I knew that my Mom and Dad loved me more than anything, and did their very best to care for me and make me happy. They still do!

Multiple Choice- Life

We've had some fairly big decisions in front of us lately. After looking at our many options, and many possible solutions, and praying very fervently, this is what we have-

1. Buy a house now, or keep renting?
a. Use what you have saved towards your down payment, buy a small starter home.
b. Keep renting for another year, save more money, and then buy a house.
c. Quit looking all-together until you are completely done with school, and continue to save.

2. Since it is the desire of both of us that I be a homemaker (or perhaps working part-time), should I continue in my selected area of study, or switch to a program where I could finish in a shorter time period?
a. Suck it up, and stay where you are (take note: it is an excruciatingly difficult program (and would require four more years of study before I could practice as a Speech Pathologist),but one that I like at the end of the day).
b. Switch back to your former major of Speech Communication, and be done as soon as possible.
c. Take time off until you figure out what you really want (risk: at my current level of motivation, I may never go back).

There is a third question dealing with Kyle's potential return to graduate school, but he would need to weigh the options for himself. I don't feel comfortable sharing them, since I'm not sure he even knows what he wants.

I think I have mostly resolved these questions in my head, but I still need to keep praying. I could use some prayer from your direction as well! These decisions will need to be made in a somewhat timely manner, as the return of school shall be upon us shortly.

take note of something we should have learned in 3rd grade.

you're: contraction of "you are," often followed by the present participle (verb form ending in -ing)

your: second person possessive adjective, used to describe something as belonging to you, nearly always followed by a noun.

It's one thing to make a typo, it's another thing to consistently misuse them.

The Place to Be!

In case you didn't already know, the Carbondale Farmer's Market is THE place to be on Saturday mornings. It is a great place to get the local flavor (figuratively, and literally). I often run into people I know. The first time I went, I felt an instant sense of community.

You can get tons of fresh fruits (it's currently the hight of peach season in Southern Illinois), vegetables, flowers, and baked goods. There are usually a few arts and crafts booths as well. Today I saw jewelry, pottery, and wood crafts like homemade birdhouses and a porch swing. I also saw a lady selling homemade, organic dog treats.


In addition to the Farmer's Market, another great place to be on Saturday mornings is Lipe's market. The Lipe orchards are lovely. I dearly love to go on days when Mrs. Lipe is working. She's probably old enough to be my great-grandmother, and she's one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. Just the sight of her makes me smile. I had the pleasure of buying a loaf of her homemade zucchini bread today. Every fall I get my mums from there. It's the best place in town!

All of this is best topped off with a little drive down Boskydell Road. It's a nice, scenic drive. I love the sight of the "Little White Church in the Dell," that is, Boskydell Baptist Church. The rolling hills and sunshine are just what I need sometimes to relax. If you follow the road all the way, you'll end up on Giant City Road. Kyle and I will sometimes make a big loop down through the State Park to add to the scenery, go through Makanda, and make our way back up US-51. If you're in Southern Illinois, and you're up for a scenic drive, I highly recommend this one!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful and peaceful weekend.

MySpace vs. Facebook

I love Facebook. If you are my friend, you probably already know this. So, this post is probably skewed and biased. I use MySpace simply because some of the people on there don't have Facebook, and I want to keep in touch with them. Ever since I've been on MySpace, I've noticed a trend. Not only are the ads on MySpace more raunchy than on Facebook (not to say that Facebook ads are wholesome), but the way people seem to "behave" on MySpace is much different. People say things and put pictures up on MySpace that they don't put up on Facebook. They post bulletins with dirty titles. You're nuch more likely to see the half-naked mirror-picture of someone.

On the other hand, because it is more raw, people seem to be more honest. They admit when they're on there because they're lonely or bored. You see their true emotions, and their true behaviors. I am left with few doubts about someone's nature and character after spending a few minutes looking at his or her profile or bulletins on MySpace. Perhaps I am judgmental and jump to conclusions too quickly.

Overall, MySpace feels much darker to me. I am often disturbed by the images I see there and the things I read. I have not yet determined a reason for this darkness. Maybe it has something to do with MySpace lending itself to be a little more expressive.

Perhaps this is only my experience. Tell me, those of you who use both, have you experienced the dual personalities of other people who use both? Do you agree that, in general, people behave differently on MySpace than on Facebook?

Tastiness (Oh, Happy Day)

There are few things I adore more than a piece of fresh bread, or a hot roll slathered in honey butter. I think I would even choose it over *gasp* chocolate. Sometimes my desire to go to steakhouses is just to eat the rolls and honey butter (I don't even eat steak). Well, today, my dear friends, I am a very happy girl. When I stopped in to Kroger on my lunch hour, I found that they were stocking precious little tubs of Country Crock Honey Spread. Now, I have tried other store-bought kinds. The consistency is never right. Country Crock, however, got it just right. It's perfect.
I'll be making bread all the time now just to have an excuse to eat this stuff! My husband, who has a deeply-rooted love for breads of all kinds, will have no complaints for sure. Hooray for carb-overloading!

Mahaney Ladies on Homemaking

Over at the Girl Talk blog, they've been having some fantastic lessons on homemaking the last week or so. I do hope you find it as encouraging and instructive as I have. Happy Monday, everyone!

G.K. Chesterton on Homemaking

Special Report: John McCain is Old. Crazy Old.

John McCain: Crazy Old? | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Baby Kisses

These are my cousin's baby girls giving baby kisses. Don't you just love it? I know that my husband and my friend's husband love it when we give them big, slobbery baby kisses- right guys?

Worshipping Our Pets

Animal Behaviorists? Aromatherapy for pets? Anti-anxiety medication for dogs? I found this to be more than a bit absurd. I love animals, and I cannot wait to have one. I do, however, hope that I do not get caught up in this mindset. There are real people with real problems. They are starving, sick, hurting, impoverished, and in desperate need to know God. I think that makes our "pet worship" seem completely silly and sinful.

Why I Haven't Blogged All Week

It's totally consuming.

Happy Independence Day!

That's right. That's my real hair. The Smoky Mountain Resort Ministry team went ALL out in 2006, and we brought joy to the streets of Gatlinburg. It was awesome. It was definitely one of my favorite Independence Days.

What are some of your favorite memories on the 4th?

Enjoy your freedoms today. I would challenge you to go read your Bible outside, or talk to someone about what God is doing in your life. Remember that it is under the authority of Christ that we are truly free, and by his mercy we can speak of him openly here in the U.S.A.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I've watched this show on Fox several times. I'm convinced that they only allow stupid people to go on it! Such people really struggle to answer questions like "What ocean borders Washington state?" Come on! I've heard of people watching it overseas and making fun of stupid Americans. As if we don't already have problems with our image as Americans, let's make a TV show that highlights our ignorance!
I really want to go on the show. I think the questions are fun. I get very frustrated watching it, though. Maybe I could play easy trivia games at home somehow.

Pixar does not disappoint with WALL-E

Who doesn't like robot love? Okay, some people probably don't. If that's you, fear not, for WALL-E is so much more than two robots who love each other. It also contains the story of humans who have been forced to leave Earth due to building waste levels making it uninhabitable. They've been surviving on a space station for 700 years.
My favorite line from the movie was from the captain of the space station- "I don't want to survive, I want to live."
Every Pixar movie contains some sort of hidden social commentary. You will find that this one, however, is not-so-hidden. You will laugh. You will think. You will enjoy.

Watch out!

I've got a new power tool. It's a sander. It's awesome. I'm going to start sanding everything. I started with my table.
It was a dull, icky wood.

Now it's a sleek, shiny black.

Now it just has to dry and be lacquered. Soon we'll have a functional kitchen table and the junk piles will begin again. Hooray!