Crocs for Kids

Kids in Burundi don’t have footwear, and that puts them at risk for parasites and worms. The infections that can be gained through the feet can lead to malnutrition and slow cognitive development. So CROCS donated 40,000 pairs of shoes! Yay, CROCS!

Food for the Hungry Canada looked after shipping, which cost of $40,000. They have $21,500 to raise yet. Consider partnering with them by calling 1.800.667.0605. Check out their blog for more info on this project (and the other amazing work they do):  http://cfhiblog.blogspot.com/

Awesomeness

Two new shirts by Threadless that I like.

Swan Kick

& Forever Friends.

Deodorant

I really wish I was in the habit of putting it on everyday. I rarely sweat, and when I do, if I’ve shaved, it rarely smells.

WELL LATELY, I have been sweating and it has not been sunshine and daisies.

Maybe I will put my travel-sized deodorant into my giant purse and carry it around with me.

MOREOVER, I need a new purse.

Not because my current one isn’t sufficient, but because my current one does not have COMPARTMENTS OF ORGANIZATION. And that, after the millionth time searching for keys, can drive you insane.

That is all.

Deodorant. I am not immune to stank.

ClearPlay, eh?

Apparently, there is technology that edits movies for you.

Here is the list of things you can have removed.

It either skips the scene or mutes the language, and you can control what you want filtered out (if you don’t want to hear OMG but don’t mind seeing illicit drug use, you can do that).

It’s called ClearPlay.

That’s a cool technology. After all, if I could edit movies to remove the gratuitous sex scenes (and it’s ALWAYS gratuitous – let’s face it, these people RARELY need to be having sex so early in their relationships), I would.

But where would District 9 be without Vickus’ South African F-bombs?

What’s odd? Other than the censorship?

Their list of movies that they have filters for.

Hannah Montana needs to be filtered?

What’s wrong with 17 Again?

Moreover, what is LEFT of The Watchmen if you removed the violence and sex(ual organs)?

It Came From Within

by Andy Stanley

I am reading this book. It’s as fun as it looks, but not in the way you might expect from the cover art.

You cannot be in fellowship with the Father and out of fellowship with others over something you have done. The two go hand in hand. Confessing secretly to God or to a priest is no substitute for confessing openly to someone you have wronged. God values relationship and considers restoration a priority. Often, that requires confession – not just to God, but to the offended party.
Part of walking with God is making that call you dread making; setting up that appointment you know will be incredibly awkward; writing that letter that you should have written long ago. It means humbling yourself, owning up to your part of the problem…
when you swallow your pride…something remarkable happens. Guilt loses its foothold in your heart, and the power of sin is broken in your life.

(he goes on to explain that if you admit to doing X to the person you sinned against, you’re a lot less likely to do it again, especially if you know you’d have to admit to doing X again – therefore “breaking the cycle of sin”).

My green thumb is limited

I keep two plants alive.

A kalanchoe, and an ivy plant.

These are HEARTY. One is a succulent, and one grows like a weed. Which means my sporadic watering doesn’t kill them.

The key, though, really, isn’t to guess. It’s to google. When my kalanchoe plant began to drop its flowers, I looked up what to do next online. I would’ve never thought in a million years to cut all the flowers off, trim the thing back, and then place it in the dark (this stimulates the flower to grow back). And by dark I mean, not a closet, but not on the window sill. Low and behold, the plant blossomed again, and I brought it back out into the bright light. I just can’t remember now if I’m supposed to water it a lot before I place it in the dark and water it little in the light, or vice versa.

I also need to figure out what to do when my flowers outgrow their pots. (I don’t want to buy a bigger pot).

Moral of the story: Google don’t guess.

Neck Hurts

Need new pillow.

(I bought an IKEA pillow and you can’t return pillows, apparently. Why did I assume I could ne’er go wrong with IKEA?)

UPDATE: I took the pillow out of the case it came in, and slept on that last night (the caseless-pillow, not just the case). It’s memory foam, and the case, I suspect, was designed so that there would be airflow since memory foam doesn’t tend to breathe. But oddly enough, without the case it is not like a rock at all! It used to feel like I was resting my head on something that just didn’t give an inch. But it’s so much softer now! Going to bed last night was kind of exciting because it was actually comfortable. I think. I’m not totally sure, I’ll have to give it a few more days. My neck still feels stiff this morning, but I can’t tell if that’s because I didn’t have enough support, or if I’m just getting used to a new pillow. ARG.

REAL or FAKE?

This is what I grew up knowing a macaroon to be:

This is what I discovered macaroons to truly be:

I have been living a LIE.

Good morning

I woke up at 5:30 this morning because I had been hit in the face by my husband (accidentally, in his sleep).

I was understandably perturbed.

Me: auuuh!

Him: Wuh?

Me: You woke me up. You hit me.

Him: sorry.

Then I get up to go to the bathroom. It’s five in the morning and our toilet is running. He went to bed at 11 pm. The toilet has been running for six hours. I make another sound, “uggghhh.” I hear mumbles from the bedroom in response. I think he wants to know what’s wrong. After removing the back of the toilet and adjusting the chain so that the plug actually plugs, I shuffled towards the bedroom again.

Me: “Toilet’s been running all night.”

Him: “Hnng.”

I go back to the bathroom and use the toilet. I go back to the bedroom and crawl into bed.

Him: “Why you hit me.”

Me: “I didn’t hit you.”

Him: “You slapped me.”

Me: “No I didn’t! I just made a noise because you woke me up by hitting me.”

Him: “You punched me.”

Me: “I’m pretty sure  I didn’t.”

Him: “Yes you did.”

Anyway. Not sure what really happened. But needless to say, I have trouble falling back asleep.

Then I fall asleep and  have this dream:

I walk into the kitchen, and the stove has been left on all night at 400 degrees (not by me). The metal container that holds our cooking utensils has been left over the burner that has a hole in it to let air escape from the oven. There are blue flames coming up from each of the other burners, which have no coils in them. The whisk is slowly melting, sinking into the container that holds it. I turn the tap on and start throwing water on the stove, as much as I can manage to splash from the running tap.

I had other nightmares that I’m pretty sure involved the end of the world, somehow. But anyway. that was my morning.

St. Francis

St. Francis
by Kristene Mueller

(this is the fourth song of hers I’ve transcribed. I find it…helpful).

There is a love hidden inside your borders
Waiting to be free just waiting to be free

There is a hope hidden inside your borders
Waiting to be realized just waiting to be realized

So keep hopin’, St. Francis, you’ll be a free man yet
You’ll see the sun shine again over your city streets

There is a love hidden inside your borders
Waiting to be free just waiting to be free

There is a hope hidden inside your borders
Waiting to be realized just waiting to be realized

So keep hopin’, St. Francis, you’ll be a free man yet
You’ll see the sun shine again over your city streets

Keep hopin’, St. Francis, you’ll be a free man yet
Though darkness covers your sleeping love, it won’t last.
Cause those who wait upon the lord will renew their strength
I know that those who wait upon the Lord will not be put to shame
Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength
I know I know
Those who wait upon the Lord will not be put to shame

So we wait, so we wait
For the sun to shine
So we wait, so we wait
For you to come

Keep hopin’, St. Francis, you’ll be a free man yet
We’ll see the sun shine again over your city

Listen to her album Those Who Dream here.