On hummus and faith

I sat across the table today from Leida, a beautiful, spirited Puerto Rican woman with 54 years of life experience. She's honest and she's fun...totally reminds me of my mom. Karis was along for the ride, and though I would rather have had a childless date, in the end my phone was a good babysitter. I'm not proud of this, but in a pinch, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse streaming through YouTube will quiet even the most restless 2 year old.

Over a sampler platter of tabouleh, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, kibbe, and falafel, Leida and I spoke about marriage, faith, and hope in the midst of suffering. In the end, Karis was stuffed with chicken (from Leida's meal not mine), my phone was covered in tabouleh juice, two packets of sugar were dumped in Karis' mouth and all over the table, a few booths scaled like mountains, and I was greatly encouraged. A momentary sacrifice of parenting for the long term benefit of my heart. Totally worth it.

Project shmoject

(Alternate title: Look, Ma, I'm crafty!)

I was talking with my dear sister a few weeks ago about blogging. She was showing me one of her favorite blogs she reads, thefrugalgirl.com. It's chock-full of useful information on baking, budgeting, repurposing furniture, household chores, and general thrifty living. Incredibly practical stuff for my sister, a newly married woman who is currently learning to build routines into her home life.

Well those thoughts got me thinking about this here blog space, and I wondered what I offer. In the end I figured I offer a little inspiration...perhaps. Practical tips? Rarely. I guess it's not really my thing right now.

That is...until today. Get ready for this:

I crafted today. (I know, I know!)

I found two packages of kitchen towels, each containing 3 different towels, by DwellStudio at Target on clearance for $2.48 each. I loved the designs, though I wasn't sure how the color scheme of brown and aqua would go with my current kitchen colors of red and white. But they were so cute and such a good deal that I figured if I didn't use them I could, at the very least, give them away.

True enough, they didn't go with my curtains and the color scheme I'd already established in the kitchen. So they sat on my counter for a few days, and I mostly ignored them, pouting because they wouldn't work. And then it hit me. They would make great curtains to replace my current ones. Sure, the current curtains were great, but these were looking fantastic, and I would always have my former curtains to return to if I wanted to change back.

A little ironing of the fabric to remove the creases...

A few packs of ring clips I purchased at Wal-mart...

And Voila!...new curtains!

And get this...the curtains were the perfect size! I turned the striped pair on their side to make them into cafe curtains for the window. And with the polka-dotted pair, I totally got lucky because they were just the right length to cover the random hole in my cabinet. They are nicely sewed on three sides with a cute strip of aqua ribbon on the fourth side, giving them a finished look. Long story short, people: Not a single stitch sewed! (contented sigh)

Ok, so maybe this project doesn't exactly qualify as crafty, in the sense of skilled sewing and general making of things with your hands. But I'll settle for the other kind of crafty, meaning cunning and tricky. Because I think getting two pairs of curtains, sans sewing, for the low price of $5 is both cunning and tricky.

Oh, and look who also got her a new pair of kitchen towels after all?!

Morning inventory

A lukewarm cup of coffee.

The last of the Neiman Marcus lemon squares (Mine, all mine!)

A baby dropped in front of me with urgent orders to put her clothes on. She's cold, I was told in no uncertain terms.

Words to live by, carefully written down with the hope that they'll stick to my brain and give me strength when I most need it, which happens to be nearly every morning.

Ridiculous

:: Do you see the blue ball in Karis' hand? Look really close. No? Well, I didn't see it either. In fact, I only "noticed" it while trying to wash her hands a few days ago. She had her fingers clenched into a ball, and when I asked her to open up her hand, she matter-of-factly replied, "I can't. Pluto's ball." She informed me it is blue. So after allowing me to wash one open hand and one clenched fist, she stepped off the stool, headed for the door, and then turned around and said in a high pitched voice, "Come on, Pluto. Let's go." I guess imaginary friends Marko and Blue are out and Disney's Pluto is in. And, apparently, she's his caddie.

:: While driving around town yesterday, a decal on the back of a minivan caught my eye. As I drove past, I read the words "Drop 3 sizes in 10 minutes". 10 minutes! TEN MINUTES, PEOPLE! Really??? So, in the same amount of time it takes you to walk the dog, make some toast, or check your email...3 dress sizes lost? Are we talking limb amputation or organ removal?? I've got no other words. Just ridiculous.

:: Yesterday's trip proved to be quite ridiculous all around. On my way back home from running errands, I passed a dog on the side of the highway with an alligator in it's mouth!!! An alligator!! I was driving at highway speeds so I didn't get a chance to safely ogle the spectacle, but it was a medium-build dog with a small, dead alligator in it's mouth!!

It immediately reminded me of the times as a kid spent looking for alligators on the side of alligator alley, the road we traveled to visit family in Miami. The road is aptly named as we often played the game of craning our necks to see who could count the most alligator heads floating above the surface of the canal that ran along the side of the road. So yesterday I smiled to myself thinking of some unsuspecting northerner who had just driven over the Florida state line a few miles away or flew into the airport mere minutes away. They have, of course, heard of the infamous Florida alligators, but they catch a sight of this and seriously contemplate turning right back around. Not the "Welcome to the Sunshine State" they were expecting.

Salty

In spite

She invited me into her "home" to sit at the table and chairs with her and dolly. I barely fit (blush) but dolly slid effortlessly into the high chair.

She gently caressed dolly and asked her in the sweetest voice if she'd like something to eat. Although dolly didn't reply (as far as I could tell), Karis read between the lines. She washed her hands and prepared a bottle.

I was in awe of her tenderness. At first I was tempted to take some credit, but if today's parenting were any indicator, Karis would have yelled at Dolly in the GAP "Do NOT take your shoes off", or in the parking lot "Hurry up", or in multiple public bathrooms "Don't TOUCH that."

In spite of myself she understands grace. In spite of myself I've been shown grace. I am humbled by that.

Lit

A faithful friend.

Yesterday's bloom.

My bedside.