The View From My Fishbowl

It made me cry. Giving hope to a person, no matter their circumstances, can change their life. How much more powerful when the hope we give is Christ and a new life in Him.

The Butterfly Circus: IMDB and Facebook

Every once in a while before I write a post, I’ll check my blog stats and see if there are any interesting links coming in. Sometimes there are criticizers who link to my skirt posts and if I feel like getting steamy, I’ll read some of what they have to say about me. Other times there are interesting search terms that lead people to this little old blog of mine. Some of these I’ve gotten used to, but every once in a while a new one will pop out to me.

Like —> fishbowl as therapy

Say what? What’s even more disturbing is that I am number 10 in the search engine this particular individual came from when searching this term. I don’t even know where to go with that.

This summer has been fantastic. Other than camp back in June, I’ve gone absolutely nowhere…which seems a bit strange for me. But the summer has been busy with projects, school, nieces and nephews, and all sorts of parties and get-togethers. We’ve had lots of fun, but now the summer is coming to an end. Several of my friends are headed off to various colleges across the country, so come September, it will be a bit different around here.

God has been so good to me. I say that in all sincerity. Due to our church’s fiscal year ending in August, we always have a business meeting and big annual report to go over…not just in terms of finances and property, but ministries and what we’ve been doing as a church. This of course lends itself to reflection, as a church, as a family, as an individual. God has been so good to us. We’ve gone through trials this year, but the lessons we’ve learned and the blessings He’s given in return for faithfulness far exceed the pain of the moment.

God has been so good to me. I do not take for granted the things He’s allowed me to see and do. I am continually amazed – every day when I think about it – how much He loves me and how much He does for me. I couldn’t ask for a better life.

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Psalm 107:8-9)

I’ve been thinking of this verse often. The longing soul is one that is desperately wanting something. The hungry soul is one that is lacking nourishment, failing in strength. God delights in satisfying the soul that longs for Him; He wants to take the hungry, starving soul and fill it with goodness.

A new Emma movie by BBC! I really liked the one with Gwyneth Paltrow, though…so it will be interesting to see if this one measures up.

My snazzy new glasses – dark brown facing out, aqua blue facing in. My eye doctor will be happy with me for wearing these more than my contacts, which usually get worn 16 hours a day!  Eyes need oxygen too!!!

While doing a search for “Make Hair Conditioner,” I came across a forum with a lot of tips and an instructional video. I love watching instructional videos (it’s addicting…), but was amused to find the video was for making your own AIR conditioner, not HAIR conditioner.

Even though not what I was looking for, I thought the idea was pretty ingenious. I might just have to try it one day, just for the fun of it.

I know I’ve been silent.

I’m off this week to teen camp, always a highlight of summer. Can you believe that the bus is leaving in six hours and I am already packed? There was a birthday party after church, then I headed off to the store to pick up a couple last-minute things, and home again to throw a bag together. It never takes long to pack once I get started, it is just taking the time to do it. I have a big bag this year. Some years I try to do a smaller bag of clothes, a bag of bathroom things, a bag of bedding, and a bag of my music. This year I opted for a huge bag that will fit it all in one. I’m cheating on some of the ‘natural’ stuff that I’ve been using, just because it is easier for camp to take the travel-size things. My skin won’t thank me for it, but I didn’t feel like taking a dozen bottles of homeade concoctions to leak all over my bag. Maybe next year.

So I bid you adieu. But as a way of offering an ‘olive branch’ because I know I’ve been neglecting you all, I offer you some links. Here’s some stuff I’ve found interesting over the past couple weeks:

1/10 acre of ground: 6,000 pounds of produce a year – Urban Homestead

Cute, cute, cute apartment – Small is the New Big

Scrumptious – Lemon Mint Granita

Lengthy Locks – New Dos

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me – Psalm 139

And now I’m off to catch a couple hours before the long week begins!

…or not.

Today was one of those perfect Spring days. The breeze with its edges of iciness, the sun with its fingers of warmth, the grass practically growing before our eyes. The front flower bed is overladen with yellow and white daffodils, all nodding simultaneously in the wind as if they are dancing to an unheard tune. I spotted several cardinals and robins, flitting through the trees with twigs in their mouths for their nests, singing their little hearts out. Every evening our yard is overrun with rabbits munching their dinner. If I walk out by myself, they stand still, watching me with unblinking severity. Should I walk by with the dog, they are gone in one bound, lost in the bushes and where the darkness of the brush meets the edge of the yard. The whole concert of a Spring day makes me want to pack up a book and blanket, head off in my convertible, and find somewhere to just sit and read in silence.

This post made me feel like I was back at my grandparent’s farm. I’ve been reading some sites and books lately about farming and such, and I really think I could see myself as a farmer or rancher’s wife. I know that is totally random and strange, but I’m serious! There is just something so intriguing about owning your own section of land and being totally self-sufficient upon it. (ie, having meat, dairy, vegetables, etc all produced on your land) Whether that would actually happen I highly doubt, but a girl can think about it, can’t she? My mom’s side of the family were all farmers in Missouri, and my dad’s family were all from Oklahoma/Kansas (cattle?). That all affected the way I was raised: big garden, canning and freezing lots of produce, sewing some of our own clothes. Even though I was raised on the East Coast, in PA Dutch country, I’m not exactly a city girl and I’m not exactly a PA Dutch girl either. I’m some weird midwest-suburban-misplant. Haha…sounds like a disease! Along the same lines, this book has been an inspiration to me. I’ve had it for over a year and I think I’ve read it through three or four times. The pictures alone are addictive.

My sis-in-law and I are all into making a lot of things completely from scratch. Dairy things like cheese, butter, yogurt, keiffer; personal items like shampoo, conditioner, soap; cleaning products…all that stuff. It’s tons of fun and any time we get together we have much to catch up on in telling about our latest experiments. While it is all fun AND practical, my goal is to figure out how to make those personal items and cleaning products from common grocery items (ie, baking soda, vinegar, oil, etc). Should I ever find myself living outside of the US, I don’t want to be dependent on special items being shipped to me to keep making those things. And besides, using those common items makes it very, very cost-effective. Someday in the future, I plan on doing some posts of what I’ve been trying and what I have found works for me. (No promises on the dates of those posts…although now that I’ve committed myself to it, I may find the motivation to do it!)

This is just a helpful list some of you home dwellers out there might consider.

First, my qualifications: We do door-to-door visitation at our church, so each week I knock on 20-40 homes. (We do this to offer literature, Bible studies, free CDs, etc, or just to try to engage people in conversation.) In short, I’ve seen a lot of front doors. Given the recent time change, we have moved our visitation times to the mid-afternoon or morning, which means that I am seeing a lot of doors in full daylight, rather than after sunset. (It also means that a lot less people are home, except for retirees and people who work from home.)

Second, my obsessions: Rather than list them all, I’ll just say that I am pretty particular about how I like things to be – orderly. I also appreciate when people use manners.

Third, my suggestions (just the pressing few off the top of my head, I’m sure there are lots more!):

1. Paint your front door more than one coat, especially if you are using a glossy paint. You would not believe the number of front doors I see that would look far better if they had been left alone with the old paint, than having a streaky, half-painted look. (This is doubly true if you are painting your front door red…and red seems to be the #1 choice for front doors in our area.)

2. If you work from home, don’t be mad at me if you answer the door. I’m sure that your time is very valuable and that you have much to do, but I know nothing about you, and thus don’t know that you are in the middle of your workday. Let me give you a tip – don’t answer the door! Just ignore me, and I’ll leave something on your door for you to pick up later and your blood pressure won’t even have to go up.

3. Hiding behind the curtains and shushing your children does not fool me. I can hear you and I know you are in inside. Point #2 goes for you, as well. I wouldn’t be in the least offended if you didn’t answer the door and eventually I’ll go away. Pretending you aren’t home just makes for interesting stories once I get back to the car with my friends.

4. Check your wreath every once in a while. This goes along with #1. Wreaths with an abundance of fake flowers and in direct sunlight begin to fade with time. Maybe you get used to it after walking by it every day, but think of the people who stand on your doorstep every day, waiting for you to answer your door. (Not just me, but the UPS man, the FedEx man, the postman, etc) Also, you’d be surprised at the number of front-door wreaths which have become home to birds, bees, and even bats.

5. Those dog-barking machines? They don’t sound real. ‘Nough said.

6. Answering the door in your bathrobe really doesn’t bother me. Answering the door in your bathrobe and then being embarrassed about it? – AWKWARD. If you are uncomfortable with me seeing you in your bathrobe, why did you even open the door?

And last, but not least…

7. A little kindness goes a long way. Screaming at me, calling me names, cursing at me – this does nothing except cause me to pull my cell phone a bit closer and probably just walk away. I would just as willingly go to the next house should you politely ask, and we would all have a more pleasant experience from the encounter.

Just some friendly tips…from someone who has been ‘on the other side of the door.’