7 Quick Takes: 06.27.09

1. Burning Gas, Burning Time. Two kids in two day camps in two different areas of town. I HATE it when I can’t go an entire week on one tank of gas. I filled up last Saturday and only made it to Thursday night. arrgg.

2. A BIG THANK YOU to Mary the Macy’s Bra Lady!! I went there to try on the bra that Tina recommended, but they didn’t have any, so I just told Mary what I wanted in a bra and she walked right over to the one I needed. Ladies, don’t you just LOVE bra ladies? My criteria? Full coverage, lightly lined, seamless, tshirt smooth and MOST importantly – side support. And the straps HAVE to be short enough. Bra manufacturers sometimes don’t realize that short girls (I’m 5’4″) need shorter straps. Way back before Oprah did her “bra show” I wore a 36C and I had quite a bit of “underarm fat.” After Oprah’s bra show, I sought out the Victoria’s Secret bra lady and discovered I was a 38D – and I had NO underarm fat. I looked like I lost 10 pounds just by changing my bra. Amaz zah zing! So what bras did I buy this week? Bali Concealers Beautiful Underwire Bra and a Bali “Passion for Comfort” Full Coverage T-shirt Bra which is a convertible (can criss-cross in the back) bra.

3. I am NOT crafting. I just have to paint some mats for the lyrics I framed for my master bedroom. Last week I mentioned that I wanted to frame lyrics. I found some frames at Kohls on sale for 55% off ($15 each)! I had printed the lyrics on beige paper, and the mats are beige – and the wall is beige. Boring and invisible. So I have to buy some acrylic paint at a craft store. Not a big craft store fan. Crafting makes me break out in clutter.

But. Back to the lyrics. FirstHusband came up with the song “I’ll Still Be Lovin You” which was sung at our wedding.

I mentioned last week that we were stumped trying to pick a second song to quote. After much listening, thought and discussion, we finally settled on the chorus from Jimmy Buffet’s “Changes in Latitudes”

It’s kind of a “before and serious” to “after and easy going” transition. It fits.

But you can see the reason I need to paint the mats, right? The look is much too . . . beige. I’m thinking red. I’ll post pictures after I paint. It should be easy. The mats aren’t beveled, just a straight cut.

4. Bought a DRESS. Actually, I bought three dresses. I don’t really wear dresses. But it is too HOT. I’ve been wearing long pants to church on Sundays and I sing in the praise team, so I’m up front, under hot lights. Melting. Last week, I prayed “THANK YOU GOD!” all the way home because we only live ten minutes away. I couldn’t WAIT to change! This week, I’m wearing this:

The other two are both cotton, probably too casual to wear for praise team. But they BREATHE and are so cool and comfortable. Well, as cool and comfortable as you can get during the summer in Florida.

5. eek. gotta run. Going to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a family event sponsored by FirstHusband’s employer! I’ll finish the list ASAP . . .

I’m BACK. Went to Animal Kingdom last night! It wasn’t as unbearably hot as we expected, thank goodness. We arrived in time to go on the sunset safari, which is a safari ride, well, at sunset. Very nice. Although, I had COMPLETELY forgotten that the ride was so bumpy. Eight weeks post-op was a little too soon for that ride. By the end, I was holding my abdomen with one hand and griping the side of the bus with the other. We saw some amazing animals.

Then a catered dinner INSIDE (think air conditioning) one of the park restaurants. Very nice evening.

6. What’s On Your Nightstand Carnival from 5 Minutes for Books.

The Novelist by Angela Hunt. From Publisher’s Weekly: “Jordan Casey is the pen name for Jordan Casey Kerrigan, grandmother and author of a bestselling adventure series. She agrees to teach a college night class on writing fiction and is challenged by an irksome student to ditch her formulaic approach and try writing something from the heart . . . As she writes, her desire to change her 21-year-old son Zachary’s chaotic life as a suicidal addict becomes an impetus for a story she wants to communicate about life, loss and second chances (told alongside mother and son’s actual plight). God, she believes, is the ultimate writer, complete with an outline for one’s life story—yet even the characters in the hands of a novelist have choices. Jordan’s reality and fiction alternate and finally converge as Hunt spins her tale . . .”

Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope From Publisher’s Weekly: “In a widely reported incident in 2006, Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak, students at an evangelical college in Indiana, and their families were victims of a ghastly mistake: the wrong girl was identified as the survivor of a car crash that claimed multiple lives. Only after five weeks, when the girl emerged from a coma, was the error discovered.”

These families are an amazing witness. One of those situations where God “works all things for good.”

arrgg. Gotta break again . . . finish soon.

Okay, I’m back. again.

Teenage Boys: Surviving and Enjoying These Extraordinary Years

Here are some of the highlights for me: “It is our job to assume full responsibility for what our kids are hearing. This is a huge leap from what most of us have been taught about communication. It puts the entire burden of communication solely on the speaker, not the hearer. In other words, the meaning of your communication is the response you get.” and

“Confidence comes from knowing, not just talking. Confidence comes from competence not from persuasion. If, in a loving and accepting relationship, you encourage your son to focus on skill building, confidence will come.

The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics includes: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, A Grief Observed, plus The Abolition of Man.

I’ve finished “The Problem of Pain.” It was my first complete reading of a C. S. Lewis nonfiction book. I’m officially a fan of C.S. Lewis. And the cool part is that I don’t agree with everything he says. I actually find him to be a bit of a bore sometimes.

But wow. He makes me think.

7. Bought my own copy of C.S. Lewis Signature Classics with a Barnes and Noble gift card. (I was reading a library copy) My book arrived Thursday. With a torn dust jacket. I actually bought a NEW copy of a giant book for more than $30 and it’s damaged. arrgg. The shipping box wasn’t sealed all the way and there was no packing material. Never ordered from Barnes and Noble before. Not impressed. Now I have to return the book, because if I keep it, every time I read it, I will be irritated.

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