spt

seems like the may photo challenge was a big hit! (have you ever seen so many beautiful blue eyes?!?) i love the range of photos and thoughts that were shared each week. i am thrilled to see so many new names and faces appearing each week!! i will be the first to attest that my current state of sleep deprivation is singularly caused by excessive blog surfing...

it was such a relief (for me) to have a month's worth of challenges already out there. i found i had more time to think about my own responses. i also found i had more time to work on my general photo composition skills. and while my photos didn't always feature my *face,* there was always a part of my *self* in there (hands, toes...) are you remembering to put a part of your *self* in your spt?

a new month is upon us, and i am ready with four new challenges. i hope you enjoy them!


photo courtesy freefoto.com

in the U.S., we are in the charmed time of early summer, between Memorial Day and Independence Day. school is winding down. the pools are open. the grills are fired up. we linger longer in beds made up with crisp cottons. and freshly bathed children smile up at us with sun-kissed cheeks before dreaming of strawberries and picnics and fireflies. it is a magical time of year.

we have the chance to honor our history during this time of year. to remember how our nation came to be. to remember those who have lived and died to protect the things we hold most dear. no matter what country you call home, there is opportunity here to celebrate every homeland. every nation.

i hope you will recognize these challenges - they are all borrowed from patriotic songs. and there is so much room for creativity within these lyrics.

tuesday, june 3rd the emblem of the land i love
tuesday, june 10th the twilight's last gleaming
tuesday, june 17th my home sweet home
tuesday, june 24th stars and/or stripes forever

photo courtesy slrobertson.com

see YOU next week!

spt

something blue

look at that blue sky and that blue pool.


what? you say you need a closer look? well, here you go!


are YOU blue today?

rite of passage

(daybreak)

this morning, as i lounged with coffee and caught up on some essential reading, i found these words by dear amy. if you have not already visited her corner of momentary madness, please let this link lead you there. amy has this way with words. she really got me this morning.

jack served an acolyte for the first time in church today. (An acolyte can assist in worship by carrying a processional cross, lighting candles, holding the Gospel book, holding candles or "torches", assisting a deacon or priest set up and clean up at the altar, swing incense or carry the incense boat, hand the offering plates to ushers, and many other tasks as seen fit by the priest or acolyte warden. - from wikipedia) in our Epispocal church, acolytes are typically at least 10 years old. they have recently extended that responsibility to 7 - 8 - and 9 - year olds. jack jumped at the chance to attend acolyte dinners/training, and i was thrilled that he was interested. we have, together, battled an apathy regarding Sunday School this year. he was so keen on taking on this new responsibility, yet i prepared myself for this first Sunday, this first opportunity for him to shy away from his commitment. but this day dawned and he was calm and focused, ready to assume his new role.

(i love this photo of my dad's hand guiding jack.)

jack's responsibilities included carrying a cross in during the processional, holding the Gospel during the reading, carrying the cross back out. oh, and of course, sitting still for an hour and 15 minutes. ah, amy, there was plenty of opportunity for that sky-high enthusiasm to be curbed. i *calmly* took my seat during Prelude and Fugue in C (who doesn't love a good Fugue first thing in the morning?!?) and ran through the service in my mind. or, rather, i ran through the opportunities for mistakes. i glanced back to see him lining up with the clergy, and the first leaden lump rose in my own throat. my little boy. taking his place among so many others before him (myself included.)

amy's words took hold. from this point forward, there was nothing i would be able to do ensure that jack would remember everything. that he would remember to stand in the right places. that he would, please-oh-please, hold the Gospel steady during the reading.

(jack and grampie, prior to the service.)

the Gospel for today was Matthew 6:24-34. the entire lesson is one of my favorites. and despite the fact that i often collapse into totally inappropriate giggles when they read "consider the lilies..." (thank YOU, monty python), i remained pious as jack tried in vain to hold the heavy Gospel steady. i'm sure the lector had to resist reaching out and holding the book himself. but they survived it, the two of them. and so did i.

i was a nervous wreck. and can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? of course, the answer is no. and i'm left reminded that this wasn't really about me, after all. of course, i will need to be reminded of this again.

photoless phriday - the "don't be alarmed" edition

1) don't be alarmed... i am NOT directing another show!! however, i am THRILLED that i was cast as The Cat in the Hat in our summer production of Seussical! theatre is actually a tremendous stress-reliever for me. what makes this especially fun is that both jack and matty will be on stage, too! oh, the places we'll go...

2) don't be alarmed... it is a three day holiday weekend, and i am NOT (fingers crossed) going to work. as of now, my weekend will include family projects around the house, taking in a show at the park, a good, old-fashioned cookout and a true national holiday, with all three of us home from school and work.

3) don't be alarmed... we do not often eat strawberry shortcake for breakfast, but these strawberries were truly too beautiful to wait until dessert!! last saturday night, some of the guests at the hotel were preparing the floral arrangements for a Sunday wedding. they made the most gorgeous topiaries out of, you guessed it - strawberries!! when i walked into the room where they were working, i was totally overwhelmed with the sheer berriness of it all. they were kind enough to send me home with a pint. my consolation for having to work until midnight on a saturday was waking up to such a decadent breakfast!

4) don't be alarmed... i WILL find time to get around and read everyone's *something borrowed* posts. hopefully, part of this weekend will include some serious blog-reading (from my bed, on my new [to me] laptop.)

5) don't be alarmed... i am currently working on june's spt theme. it was so relieving to have four weeks worth of challenges already created, i've decided to try something similar for next month. stay tuned...

have a FANTASTIC weekend! if you need me, i'll be right here. on the bed. sipping coffee. in my pajamas. all. weekend.

eight IS great

5.20.2008

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

(from "The Blessing of the Hands," revised)

we've made it another year.

for so many reasons, quite possibly the most difficult one yet.

but we are here. today. stronger than ever.

reading last year's post brings tears to my eyes, knowing now what we didn't know then.

but we are here. today. stronger than ever.

(i love you, matty! looking forward to another summer...)

breakfast of champions

 

if it is strawberry season in your town, get out there and get some!! look what jack and i had for breakfast the other day...

spt

oh my gosh, is it tuesday already?!?

as is the theme of my life this spring... i feel the need to borrow some TIME!!

556

total time 32:15

it is definitely hotter. hotter than the last time i ran. over a week ago...

weird shoulder pain today, which was really only alleviated when i ran with my arm pointing straight up in the air. so, you know, i ran through the pain. but i'm glad you now have a visual of what it could have been!

i'm up to something...

care to guess what it is?

spt

something new [to me]



i received a new [to me] laptop over the weekend. (how funny that both my *something old* and *something new* posts had something to do with keyboards...)



now, if i can just get the new [to me] wireless router up and running!! (don't you just love the look of frustration concentration on my face?!?

happy mothers' day!!

penpal?

jack is thinking about starting a blog. and since i am all about encouraging creativity in our youth, i think he might be ready. someday. like when he's 21.

but anyway, we were talking about "blog friends," and how you make "blog friends," and it turns out that his main reason for wanting to blog is to make friends with someone from sweden.



i feel certain we can find a swedish penpal, and i'm thinking that this is a much safer option than letting my seven year old (and his blog) loose on the world wide web. so i am turning to you, blogosphere, to help me out here. anyone have family or friends over in the Great Kingdom of Sweden? i'd be thrilled if you could "introduce" us. send me an email if you might be able to help out!

this just in

michelle duggar is expecting again.

photoless phriday

let's see what kind of trouble i can get into when i don't have to worry about posting an spt challenge...

you've got your *wordless wednesday.* ladies and gentleman (ahem, warren), i give you *photoless phriday,* my take on *five for friday.*

1) i am currently topless (see how much trouble i can get into when there are no photos?!?) seriously - i have no spring/summer tops!! all of the tops i love are sweaters, which don't do me any good when it's 82 degrees out. at some point, i thought i might try to challenge myself to wear one of my cute skirts every day of may, but i soon came to realize that i had nothing to pair them with. i am so fashion challenged!

2) matty is working on my mother's day present right now. it involves our yard, and i couldn't be more thrilled. typically, when asked what i would like for a gift, i demure. what could i possibly need? what more could i want than my family's health and happiness? well, i can tell you what i wouldn't pick: hair dye (Christmas 2007), a weightloss book (Valentines 2008). there's really no way to graciously receive either of these gifts. i can't wait to show you the yard project!

3) every dinner i have eaten this week has involved marinara sauce. i can't begin to explain how this happened. we're having tacos tonight. i can't decide if that's a relief, or not.

4) tomorrow morning, i will be simultaneously picking up roadside trash (our adopt-a-highway project) and playing 18 holes of golf (Montessori fundraiser.) yeah, i'll let you know how that turns out.

5) i have been blog-crawling and soaking up every detail of Blog Party 2008. i really, really, REALLY want to meet all of you wonderful people!! with your ribbon covered computer keyboards and late-night Q & A sessions!! and ribbon wrapped cupcakes! and canadian truffles in pizza boxes! and a canadienne sneaking through the hampton inn, with her super-sleuth sister-in-law! i seriously had a very vivid dream that i WAS there, and it was every bit as fun as i imagined it would be.

5a) if you are secretly reading my blog from norcross, GA or durham, NC, why don't you pop in and say hello?!?

don't forget your challenge for next week: something new. happy mother's day to you all (or to your spouses!)

566

i was just saying i needed a race to plan for. i've got some small things in the works. i need a reason to get out there and run (because apparently, my motivation is totally linked with shelling out registration money. go figure...)

at the 10K last month, just before the start, i bumped into a woman i know who i hadn't seen in about a year. quick, idle, before race chatter. and that was the last i saw of her.

until the end.

she must have finished about 40 minutes ahead of me. but as i approached the final 1/4 mile, there she was. "can i run with you to the finish?" and i was inspired. and moved. and tearful.

post race conversation was minimal (due to a lot of emotion on my part.) and in my finisher's euphoria i mentioned that i was really planning on a 1/2 for the fall. i have really not said this aloud to many people.

and that was it. and then. an email. some questions. my responses. and then.

there is someone else who is going to run this race with me. someone who is a better runner than i. oh, and did i mention her husband is in, too? two runners. counting on me. pushing me.

and so, my 1/2 marathon. in november. count me in!

wordless wednesday

 

spt

something old

kranich & bach manutfactured pianos from the late 1800s until 1981.


although the detail on this model makes it decidedly less Victorian, and more art deco (which makes it decidedly more lelly, if you're interested).



the serial model on my piano places it's birthdate solidly in the mid-1920s.



it is old. it is showing it's age. someday, this old girl will have the makeover of a lifetime. the original (albeit lackluster, and sometimes painful) ivories will be replaced. i'll have her tuned (again. and again.) and i will make her sing. more often than i do now.

dear candidates,

i know you've been on the road for a long time now. i tuned in to your campaigning and debating at the end of december. i've followed you from state to state to state. i (along with several thousand north carolinians) have waited patiently for our primary.

i know you're tired. i know you hoped this late primary would have been a foregone conclusion. but, guess what?!? it isn't!! it turns out these may primaries are actually going to count for something.

i think i could have gone either way here. policy for policy, *shell game* for *shell game,* i was happy to have two candidates to consider this morning. however, the deal was sealed for me at approximately 1 pm last saturday, when you called me. i know, i know it was a recording. but i liked the message. and i liked feeling connected. (i got nuthin' from your opponent.)

so, when it's all said and done, and the votes are counted, i hope you know that your phone call swayed me. you were able to connect with this voter on a very personal level. so, thank you.

(it was pretty cool when your husband called, too...)

in search of...

desperately seeking confident female to lead and nurture small family. must be able to juggle full time job outside of home as well as full time daily mundane within the home. ability to create tasty dinner from boring pantry items a must. an eye for creating welcoming and eclectic home decor essential. community involvement required. must welcome overtime, and be able to produce creative expressions of self into wee hours of the morning. this position has been vacant for some time, and family is eager for position to be filled.

desperately seeking...me??

570

41:00
not much more than 2 1/2 miles.
but, at least it was something. at least i did something.

i am underhydrated. i have overeaten. i've been lazy. i need a race! i need something to pin my training to (that is not 6 1/2 months away...) i need inspiration, motivation, fear!!

41:00
i'm a slug.

spt - the merry month of may

if you've been stopping by amuse-bouche during the past month or so (and, thank you!, if you have), you've probably noticed a trend in my blogging. it's sort of become *all spt. all the time." this is a time of year for me that is extremely busy, and i'm so thankful that i have spt, which prompts me to visit my own blog at least twice a week.

so i'm really excited to try something new with spt this month. today, i'm going to issue the challenges for the entire month of may!! maybe this will free me up to blog about some other things going on in my life?!? who knows? maybe i'll continue this trend into future months? who knows? what i DO know is that i'm really excited about this month's challenge.

may means *wedding month* to me. and, no, this challenge is not going to be about weddings (unless you want it to be...) this month's challenge is simply:



tuesday, may 6 something old
tuesday, may 13 something new
tuesday, may 20 something borrowed
tuesday, may 27 something blue

take it literally, take it figuratively, but by all means, make a commitment to complete all four challenges for the month of may!