“Fierce” toss pillows February 29, 2008

I’m tired of cleaning something up every weekend, so I’m going to make something this weekend, even though the top floor is still a mess.  Over a year ago I bought some fabric (75% off – score!) and some pillow forms with the intention of making some simple toss pillows for my living room.  We’re talking straight lines – not very difficult.  The fabric is a burgundy color with a micro-suede kind of feel.  Some of it has an embroidered, sequin pattern and some is just plain for front and back.  I started to cut the squares out, but I became so anal about making sure the pattern was perfectly centered that I became overwhelmed and left the whole project on the table for months.  Then I had to move and it all got thrown in a box.  And that’s where it is now.  My hope is that with very little work I will end up with some “fierce” pillows. 

I want to talk/type for a moment about this word – fierce.  There are two shows that have drawn me in with the clever use of full-day marathons: “America’s Next Top Model” and “Project Runway.”  Both of these shows use the word fierce extensively.  It usually appears in sentences like these:

“This design is fierce!”

“I’m sorry, but your look needs to be more fierce.”

“Look at my eyes – see how fierce they are?”

Usually the word is pronounced with an exaggerated sss sound at the end, and accompanied by a little toss of the head to demonstrate the emotion of fierce-ness.  The current popularity of this word has destined it for iconic status. Soon fierce will be just as tired and overused as bling-bling and You go, girl.  You’ll know this has occurred when your grandma starts saying it and Webster’s officially adds the definition to the dictionary.

Book Review: “The Horse and His Boy” by C. S. Lewis February 28, 2008

I’m in the process of rereading the Chronicles of Narnia.  It’s really like I’m reading them for the first time because I read them in elementary school and don’t really remember anything about them.  The only thing I remember is that I liked them, and that is still true.  I love reading anything that allows me to use my imagination.  I could say that I continue to read children’s books because I’m a children’s pastor and I want to stay on their level, but that wouldn’t be entirely true.  I read children’s books because I like them.  The thing that I found most interesting about “The Horse and his Boy” this time was the meanings behind the appearances of Aslan the Lion.  It is well-known that Aslan is the Christ-like character in these stories, and this gives great insight into the character of Christ.  In the story Aslan was a protector, guider, strengthener, and even a punisher.  Every time that Aslan interceded, there was a good reason for it.  Sometimes it was to personally aid a character in the story, sometimes it was to push all the action toward the ultimate goal, and sometimes it was to explain something that the characters did not understand.  But he did not always explain everything or even reveal himself right away.  Sometimes the other characters had to figure things out for themselves, or just trust that Aslan was doing the right thing.  What an amazing illustration for us.  If you have never read the Chronicles of Narnia, you should.  But don’t start with this one – I’m reading them in the chronological order of the story.  If you have read this book, tell me what you think.

Zooplosion! February 27, 2008

Here’s what I’ve been working on this week:

      

The next series in KidsPointe is called Zooplosion and includes 8 animal stories from the Bible.  For the first time we will be performing the skits ourselves, and this is going to be one of the puppets in the first skit.  This one is actually more of a set piece because it is so big.  My job is cool.

P.S. The elephant’s trunk is detached because it will be able to move when the puppet is finished.  I didn’t want you to think that you missed the Bible story where the elephant’s trunk gets removed while the lion and the ostrich laugh at him.

Jennifer Aniston is Just Like Me February 26, 2008

While I was stuck at home this weekend fighting away germs, I watched a lot of entertainment television.  I can’t watch this type of stuff every day because there’s only so much Britney/Paris I can take, but I tend to live vicariously through celebrities, and I need info.  Anyway, the show I was watching is hosted by a comic that was cracking jokes about Jennifer Aniston.  Apparently there had been an event where Brangelina and Jen were both/all in attendance, and a run-in was narrowly avoided.  I mean, didn’t Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split up ages ago?  Is this really still an issue for her?  This story led into a slew of jokes about Jennifer’s friendship with Courteney Cox and David Arquette.  The host said, “I wonder how many times David Arquette has walked into a restaurant and said, ‘Table for three, please.’ “  Then it dawned on me, does Jennifer Aniston feel like a third wheel?  Does she feel lonely?  She is just a person, after all, even if she is a celebrity.  All of a sudden I felt a kinship with her – maybe she is sitting by herself on her couch at this very moment, wondering what life has in store for her, hoping for great things, but not sure what to expect.  I’m not saying we should set up a prayer vigil for Jennifer Aniston or anything, but I thought it was an interesting perspective.  What do you think?

Older Posts February 25, 2008

Just thought I would give you guys the link for my original blog since I couldn’t connect it to this one.  It’s not very awesome, but it’s good for comparison, I guess. 

My Challenging Weekend February 25, 2008

No, there was no home improvement going on in my apartment over the weekend.  Instead I came down with the illness (a.k.a. the “crud”) that’s been going around the Corner lately.  I think I had a relatively mild case since I don’t think I ever had a fever, but I don’t have a thermometer, so I don’t really know.  I recognized the opportunity I had to catch up on a few things and used the time wisely.  I watched all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies (I hadn’t seen 2 and 3 yet), and I did some work on my secret dorky hobby (see my bio).  Yup, crashed on the couch without even the strength to put a toe to my new favorite toy – Dance Praise 2.  It’s the Christian version of Dance Dance Revolution; it comes with a pad that you have to “dance” on according to the arrows appearing on the screen.  I spent the whole week trying to get the program to work on my 5-year-old ancient computer, and when I finally get it to function, I can’t even use it.  Well, I have high hopes for my dancing skills this week.  I’m feeling a little bit better, so look out!  Don’t get too excited, unless someone smuggles a hidden camera into my apartment, you will never see evidence of this past-time on this blog.   But if you’re willing to embarrass yourself as well, you can come over and dance, too!

The Loves of my life February 21, 2008

Here they are:

I know you can’t really tell what these are from the picture, but they are the most comfortable slippers in the universe.  My sister got me a pair of brown ones for Christmas.  Every evening when I get home, the first thing I do is get these slippers on my feet!  They are the softest things ever!  You’re in luck because now they’re on sale, so click the picture to find out how to get them.  I’m not getting any kickback from the endorsement, but I am proud that I figured out how to do an image link, so click the picture!

I’m alive! February 20, 2008

Last night a friend and I went to Every Tuesday, the young adult ministry at Seacoast.  It’s a little bit of a drive from Moncks Corner, but since there is not much going on here, I have to branch out.  We’ve been to this service a few times, but we’ve never spoken to anyone other than the brief meet-and-greet time.  As I have mentioned, I’m trying to get out there and experience new things, and part of that is meeting new people.  You see, I’m reading this book that challenges you to meet five new people a week that you have an engaging conversation with and that by the end of the conversation have a way to get in touch with you.  I’m not sure why, but I have gotten to the point where speaking to a stranger just for the sake of conversation is terrifying.  As the service came to a close, we just stood there hoping someone would speak to us.  The closest I came to speaking to someone was watching my friend do it.  I was so mad at myself!  Why can’t I just talk?  They had made an announcement that people would be going to Chili’s afterwards to hang out, so I convinced my friend that we had to go.  After a few false entrances, we made it in and introduced ourselves to some people.  Total strangers.  And I lived.  I played my one foolproof card – master’s degree in puppetry.  No one can resist talking about that.  By the end of the evening we had met several new people, and most of them had only been to Every Tuesday a few times themselves.  And most of them were boys.  That helps.  Stay tuned for more pathetic accomplishments from yours truly!

The Clean House February 19, 2008

As you may have read, my weekend was a little crazy.  I thought that I wouldn’t have time to complete my weekend mission this time, but thanks to the extra day off, I did it.  (You go, Presidents!)  Here’s the proof:

    

I was up till 1am last night, but I did it.  Let me know what you think.

Salvation Morning February 17, 2008

Joy really does come in the morning!  I needed something good to happen today after the weekend I had.  The KidsPointe lesson today was about salvation, and the children were led to pray to receive Christ if they wanted to.  Several kids repeated the prayer aloud or raised their hands to say that they prayed the prayer in their hearts.  It’s always a good idea to confirm what’s going on in a child’s mind when this happens, but all the parents were told, and I think there were some genuine decisions going on.  Hearts are hearing and minds are learning, even when it feels like the message is getting crowded out with other noise and commotion.  Of course ten minutes later I had to rescue a child that was being held captive in the cabinet by an older child.  Oh, well, it was nice while it lasted.