pensieve.me

The lamest turtle pick-up line ever: "You're SOOooo prehistoric...!"

A snail's-eye view of the one who beat the hare. 

More Wordless Wednesday here and here.

Helpful, EASY tips if you have to iron (and OH, how I hope you don't!)

1. Wanna avoid the flakey white stuff that accumulates on your clothes when you use spray starch?  Let it soak in just a few seconds before ironing and it won't be a problem.  Seconds DO matter in this case.
2. Iron on the "wrong" side of the ironing board--the larger square end.  You'll cover more surface area in a shorter amount of time and be done in a jiffy.

...not that I know the above from personal experience or anything ;).

Is there ANYONE else on the planet who hears God speaking through "SHOW TUNES"?!

Open a new window,
Open a new door,
Travel a new highway,
That's never been tried before...

The hundredth "thing" on my "100 Things" post was a very cryptic mention about "shift in my blog". 

Even I didn't know exactly what that would come to mean.

What I did know was that I wanted to write with greater intention.  When I began blogging almost three years ago, I remained anonymous for over six months refusing to share my URL with anyone, but oddly, always writing as if I had an audience.

Before you find you're a dull fellow,
Punching the same clock,
Walking the same tight rope
As everyone on the block.

In January, I decided to allow advertising on my sidebar in the hopes of gaining some return on my time investment.  My plan was to offer prizes to readers for participation in contests or carnivals.  The truth is unless I pursue my own sponsors, I don't generate enough income for that.  Instead, I decided to sponsor a Compassion International child; "Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name" for $32/month?  It's a start (and better stewardship of the little I earn in advertising).

I also withdrew to a large degree from my on-line community, not because anyone had done anything "wrong", but because I realized the need to guard my time better.  Early on, I was a VERY committed commenter and didn't miss a post from my favorite bloggers; over time, that became consuming and I realized it was not the best use of the limited time I had to write/blog. 

I would be lying if I didn't admit that losing readers--not hearing from people who had become friends--wasn't painful, but I fully understand the reciprocity of blogging.  It makes me REALLY appreciate my readers now, because I realize I'm not giving back as much as I used to, not in "that" way anyway.  Your comments, thoughts and emails are paychecks to me.

But I digress--oh, dear!  I'm out of time and can't finish this post!

The fellow you ought to be is three dimensional,
Soaking up life down to your toes,
Whenever they say you're slightly unconventional,
Just put your thumb up to your nose.

I did NOT plan on writing any type of a cliffhanger, but if you're interested in finding out just what God has been saying through Auntie Mame, will you please check back in tomorrow?  Kids need me, dinner needs fixin'...and I've got to get off my blasted computer! 

Forgive me: sometimes the high school cheerleader in me resurfaces in the most unlikely of places

"Come on, come on, you know you'll have a GOOD time,
Come on, come on, you KNOW you'll have a good time--
Cruuuuise with us!  Hey, cruuuuise with us..."

WHY.in.THE.WORLD this chant is sing-songing in my brain is well beyond my powers of reasoning, but as I sat down to write a post to invite you to join this month's Poetic License it was begging--YES, in my spirit, BEGGING--to jump onto the page. 

Cheerleading is poetry in motion, no? 

Well, here I am in all my high school glory, circa 1980, hair hot-rolled and shellacked with half a can of Rave hairspray--an avalanche couldn't undo that do!  These tools were necessary in order to maintain my perfectly-feathered coiffure while doing herkies and toe touches, a skill that hasn't quite followed me into my 40s (<---click only if you want to laugh AT me, not WITH me!).

But I digress.  We're supposed to be talking poetry.  I promisepromisePROMISE this is NOT classic "bait-and-switch" and me uploading pictures of me wearing a short skirt is NOT false advertising. 

Pensieve's Poetic License is back, and lest you've wondered where it's been, I've moved it to the LAST week of the month rather than the first.  Click the button for complete PPL details; in short, it's a fun exercise designed to stretch you a bit creatively, even if you haven't written poetry since, well...high school! 

This month's theme is..........BACK TO SCHOOL!!  See?  The picture DOES fit the theme!   To make it even wilder and crazier, THERE IS NO REQUIRED POETIC FORM--I'm leaving it up to YOU!  Fancy haiku?  Knock your socks off! Have an affinity for Italian sonnet (not to be confused with an English sonnet)?  Buono fortuna! Want to get my attention?  Limericks do it every time. And if you want me to fall in love with you, move to Utah, convert to Mormonism, become a polygamist and MARRY YOU??  Well, you're out of luck, but if you write a Pensieve?  I will love, cherish and admire you forEVAH.

Get crackin' people--invite your readers to join you because I have missed Poetic License so much I want to read a thousand back-to-school poems!  Or a few less.  Write yours anytime between now and Thursday; THEN, my own back-to-school poem will be posted along with Mr. Linky for you to link yours.  Even if you don't (yet) have a blog, write one and post it in comments.

Can't wait!  See ya then!!

She's not your average girl*Pensive Pensieve, Part Two

When she was mere hours old, I knew she was brilliant and destined for Great Things:  she latched on and nursed without difficulty.

It's laughable to me now I based her whole future on the basic human instinct to survive.

I also knew I was The World's Best Mother when she easily potty-trained before turning two.  All it took to strip that title was the subsequent births of my sons.

These are just two of the lessons I learned early on that confirmed what I suggested in my previous post: You can't assume all blame for [your children's] failures and inadequacies any more than you can take full credit for their successes and natural God-given giftings.

On the day of her birth, my father-in-law (the most Godly man I know) handed me a torn strip of paper.  All it had on it was a scripture reference--"Rachel was beautiful and well-favored, Genesis 29:17b".

It was prophetic.

Much deeper than skin, Rachel's beauty exudes from her heart. She's not the sweetest young woman I know, she's not even the nicest...and goodness gracious, she's certainly not perfect.

But...she's innocent, pure in heart and...well...rare. Her standards and convictions inspire me, make ME want to be a better person.

She’s had a ravenous appetite for books since age eight.  Her shelves are weighted with volumes of her favorites and sometimes I "borrow" from her library. A few years ago I noticed something curious: some of the words in her books were whited-out. It didn't take long to realize she was censoring profanity.  We never asked her to do this, and it's not as if the books she read were littered with excessive garbage. Not long ago, she explained: "If I see those words they just get stuck in my head, so I'd rather not see them in the first place."  Simple enough...and an admirable standard.

Last week, I overheard a conversation between Rachel and my husband. He was going over our family budget with her and as he explained how mortgages work, she was flabbergasted--the concept of interest over 20 or 30 years scrambled her brain.

But her response absolutely exploded my heart.

"I'd want to live in a smaller house," she began.

At first Tad thought she was self-conscious that our home is larger than her closest friends' homes.  She clarified, however, offering the simple logic that a small home was less expensive.

"That way I'd have more money to give to people who need it."

Wow.

After attending a leadership camp and reading the book "Do Hard Things" this summer, she's been pondering the "hard things" she can do.  She returned from camp with the lofty ideal of sponsoring a Compassion International child with money she earns from babysitting; her best friend is going to contribute to the monthly expense.  Together, they have the dream of visiting their child next year.   

She joined both the cross country and track teams at school last year, and though she's always at the end of the pack, she never gives up. She may not be a gifted athlete, but is doubly-blessed with determination and commitment.   

Rachel is not driven by status symbols or brand names, she doesn't chase boys, and secrets in her care are closely guarded.  She's always loyal to her friends.  One  recently told me "Rachel will be the friend who helps me stay on track."  She's been championing the underdog since she was 10, and when she disagrees with us, she'll calmly defend her position.  She's quite the debater.

I'd love to take credit for all these things, to give you a formula for successful parenting you could cut-and-paste onto your own children.  Although we've certainly prayed for her and trained and guided her along the way, I think the person my daughter is becoming has more to do with how God created her than anything else.   Though I still see my role in her life as "mother", I've been surprised by our developing friendship; I thought that aspect of our relationship would be years down the road. 

Rachel is a sophomore...we have her at home for three more years, less, really.  Already she is craving independence and in small ways, testing her wings.  I’m thankful for this because I know those wings will serve her well. They are beautiful wings, you might even say well-favored.

But it’s not quite time for her to fly.  Not yet.

For now, she's grounded.

:)

* Post title inspired by Barlow Girl's song "Average Girl"; they rock a thousand different ways!

Sing a rainbow

Red and...

yellow and...

pink and...

green...

Purple and...

Orange and...

Blue.............

You can sing a rainbow...

Sing a rainbow...

Sing a rainbow, too.

"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth."  Genesis 9:13-16

Perhaps one of the most taken-for-granted indulgences offered by Invisible God is His gift of color to us; He certainly could've created a world in shades of gray had He wanted to.

Instead, He gave us promise...a pledge...His covenant...in the form of a rainbow.  Unbreakable and everlasting, it's a miraculous demonstration of His love for humanity.  That remembrance is clear indication of color's significance in the economy of God. 

Oh, my, consider this:  color is so important to God, when He created man, He created people of color!  Because we're created in His image, and our skin color is not homogeneous, color must be inherent in who God is!  Is your mind blowing?  Mine is.

When was the last time I thanked God for "color"?  Ummm, that would be never.   Never before have I thought how dull creation would be devoid of it, never have I imagined a world confined to black and white.

Today, I'm praising God for the richness and magnificence and diversity and delightfulness and beauty of the colors that envelop me.  May I always see it with the clarity and appreciation for it God has impressed upon me now.

Initially written for Carmi's Thematic Photographic at Written Inc., I returned to add thoughts on color for Scribbit's monthly Write-Away contest.  Michelle always offers engaging themes which are among my favorite to write--why not try YOUR hand this month? 

Happy Birthday and an unlikely friendship

He had me at "hello".

Although I don't remember visiting his blog first, I must have, based on his first ever comment to me.  It's amusing to me now that post discussed my faith and my kids; out of respect for my Christian readers, he eventually stopped commenting to those type posts, out of concern that those who didn't "understand" him might be offended.  During my first year or so of blogging publicly, he was one of the sharpest, wittiest and snarkiest commenters in my sphere.  When I followed his comments elsewhere back to his blog, I camped out, fascinated, and read every post he had written til that point--this was before I knew stat counters could track that activity and I looked like a stalker.  Ummm, I guess I WAS a stalker!

A surprising friendship evolved between two very different people, and though we don't have a lot in common, a regard for each other's intellect and perspective allowed us to appreciate one another, in spite of our differences.  Underneath a crusty, curmudgeonly and often-time profane exterior, lies a sweet, thoughtful, smart man.  Because he understands "who" I am, it has touched me when he's asked me to pray for others when he felt they needed it.  I was also much amused when he was disappointed? surprised I didn't look like Delta Burke; must've been my Southern accent :).

I'm thankful to have gotten to know him through blogging, and though we don't read a lot of each other these days (more so, COMMENT...he's shamelessly addicted to Plurk now, and though I know I'm missing some entertaining conversation, I just.won't.go.there!), gmail chat keeps us in touch.  It would've been a shame to have missed out on this atypical friendship in my life--there's only one Willowtree.

Happy Birthday, Peter; thanks for making me work to figure out just HOW MUCH OLDER YOU ARE THAN ME (his age is equal to the last two numbers in the year he was born) and I hereby give you my personal award for Favorite Australian Blogger EVAH. 

I do know how you love those awards ;).

 

Creepy, but I still don't believe in psychics...!

If you have time to read only one of my posts today, don't read this pretend one, please read this real one.

If you have time to look at both, it's just a little too bee-zar how well this shoe fits!  Or is it just a case of "one size fits all" or "sisterhood of the traveling pants"
phenomena?

HT:  Karmyn, Dreaming What Ifs

 

What Robin Means

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Sk8er BoiFriday's 40 PC, #15

Apparently, I'm much like a newborn babe, but instead of getting my days and nights reversed, I don't know what day of the week it is, which is actually not anything like a newborn babe, but I think you get my drift regardless.

If you can follow that stellar introductory sentence, consider yourself a linguistic savant.

A gentle reminder found its way to my inbox letting me know I had yet to post a Friday's 40 picture.  Oopsie!  While part of me would like you to believe it was intentional, the truth is with kids back in school, I'm slowly returning to routine, but in so doing, I simply forgot. 

My heart is touched that anyone would notice, so I chose an extra special picture in hopes that several would join in at the last minute.  This is yet another sculpture in the Bluff View Arts District of Chattanooga, and my response is below; it's not original, but it's what I think every time I see this guy.  Gosh the artist captured his movement perfectly, don't you think?

Details for Friday's 40-words-or-less Photo Challenge are here, but in short, all you're doing is copying the photo to your blog with a verbal response (be it a caption, a poem, or just stream of consciousness thoughts stirred from the image; it doesn't have to be literal, just what comes to mind when you see it).  You're welcome to pick up one of the F40 buttons to accompany your post, and though you don't have to link back to PENSIEVE, a photo acknowledgment is appreciated :).

He was a sk8er boi she said see ya later boi.
He wasn't good enough for her.
Now he's a superstar slammin on his guitar
to show pretty face what he's worth.

(Avril Lavigne, Sk8er Boi)

 

Why, thank you...thankyewverymuch!

You know it's six shades of back-to-school-after-summer-vacation whacky when I fail to thank-by-posting some awesome bloggers who've shared a little Blog Love with me.  And to add major insult to injury?  I CAN'T FIND TWO OF THE NOTICES IN EMAIL to go back and add them to this post!  I've searched my emails but to no avail :( (if you were one of the sweetpeeps who blog-blinged me and aren't mentioned here, would you a) PLEASE forgive me and b) let me know so I can add you to this post?).

First, thanks to Jeanie in Paradise for telling me she thinks I'm smokingly brilliant (or something close to that ;).  Please check out her link for full details and I'd like to pass it along to:  Velveteen Mind (my "boss" and publisher for Blog Nosh Magazine) and Mrs. Fussypants Guide to Life (my soon-to-be boss after the re-launch of Blissfully Domestic).  Both of these ladies have created wonderful ezines, have promoted them well, take care of their editors, and write entertaining blogs of their own.  Another "Brilliant" in my estimation is Anna, Anna Carson Photography (NOT my boss but my photography mentor).  I learn by her example.

Next, I got a fun surprise yesterday from Alyssa (Life from my Laptop), the "I love your blog" award; that one, I hadn't even yet seen.  Trista (The Pumkin Patch) also snuck one to me :).

I could give this to the 300+ blogs in my reader, but narrowing it down to the seven I'm supposed to (check out full details at Alyssa's link), I'd like to award to a few new bloggers (Shelly W., Life on the Wild Side and Peculiar, How Do We Get There From Here) a few OLD bloggers (Pamela, The Dust Will Wait and Swampwitch, Anecdotes, Antidotes & Anodes), and a few of my faithful Poetic License and/or Friday's 40 Players (Karisma, Karisma & Kids, Amber, Imperishable Beauty and Brandon, Words of Redemption). 

Last but not least, remember when I told y'all I was for sale to the highest bidder?  Looks like the winning price was $1,275.00, give or take a decimal point.  The artist, Kay Crain, found a picture of me in a bikini on the world wide web and asked permission to paint the portrait.  If you have vintage photos from the 50s & 60s, she'd be interested in talking to you.  If you're as fortunate as me, she might just paint an extra canvas for you as thanks for granting permission! 

Thanks again, and be sure to click the original presenter links so you can find out the long and short of passing along the blog-bling to others in your sphere!