Mobile blogging app downloaded to my phone. Just testing it out. Next up? Posting photos to the blog from my phone...
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Random thoughts I've been having recently...
1. It's completely absurd, just how much I love letter openers. Seriously, hardly anybody sends letters any more so the only opening I have to do is usually bills. And fingers work just fine for that job. But there's something so satisfying about sliding that letter opener in between the gap of an envelope and sliding it along that top crease. And then you have that nice, neat slit in your envelope instead of an uneven tear all along the top. Yes, I know the envelope is going in the bin. It can't even be recycled because of the glue. But doing a job neatly with the tool intended is so, well, NICE!
2. That bit in a marriage ceremony when you are exchanging vows and saw "With my body I honour you." I have been thinking about that one a lot lately. How on earth do you "honour" somebody with your body? Honour, when used as a verb, is defined as:
to hold in respect or esteem
to show courteous behaviour towards
to worship
to confer a distinction upon
to accept and then pay when due (a cheque, draft, etc)
to keep (one's promise); fulfil (a previous agreement)
to bow or curtsy to (one's dancing partner)
I suppose we could go line by line on this one...
I will show respect to you with my body by not offering it to anyone else.
I will use my body to be courteous to you, by using it to work for you in appropriate and relevant ways.
I will worship you with my body (hey, the procreative act is sacred, right?).
I will confer distinction upon you by using my body to show affection to you, and only you.
I will fulfill my physical marital obligations to you with my body.
I will keep the promise of fidelity that I have made to you.
Do I really need to bow or curtsy to you? Maybe this one's a bit too literal.
So much is packed into this one little phrase. I'm pretty sure that the rest of the vows have multiple meanings as well. How many people really take the time to think about and analyze their wedding vows? How's that for some food for thought?
3.
Nope, I've got nothing else. But I think it's a step forward!
We've had a busy week. The days have flown by, and I can't believe it's already Thursday. It's a big day for my family back in Utah, and I am thinking of you all. Jace, I'm excited for the mail to come. Krystle and Blaine, I'm crossing my fingers for you. And our family here in England? Well, it's just business as usual.
The kids break for half-term this Friday, so we'll have all next week with them. I'm not working, so that'll be nice. We can all sleep late in the mornings (except for Dylan, who will no doubt continue to wake up at about 6am). We can have a few lazy days together and if I can get a bike by then, maybe go on a few family bike rides. We're too skint to do anything too extravagant, but we will all really enjoy spending time together as a family.
I should probably get back to work. I just wanted to get those thoughts down before I forgot them again!
2. That bit in a marriage ceremony when you are exchanging vows and saw "With my body I honour you." I have been thinking about that one a lot lately. How on earth do you "honour" somebody with your body? Honour, when used as a verb, is defined as:
to hold in respect or esteem
to show courteous behaviour towards
to worship
to confer a distinction upon
to accept and then pay when due (a cheque, draft, etc)
to keep (one's promise); fulfil (a previous agreement)
to bow or curtsy to (one's dancing partner)
I suppose we could go line by line on this one...
I will show respect to you with my body by not offering it to anyone else.
I will use my body to be courteous to you, by using it to work for you in appropriate and relevant ways.
I will worship you with my body (hey, the procreative act is sacred, right?).
I will confer distinction upon you by using my body to show affection to you, and only you.
I will fulfill my physical marital obligations to you with my body.
I will keep the promise of fidelity that I have made to you.
Do I really need to bow or curtsy to you? Maybe this one's a bit too literal.
So much is packed into this one little phrase. I'm pretty sure that the rest of the vows have multiple meanings as well. How many people really take the time to think about and analyze their wedding vows? How's that for some food for thought?
3.
Nope, I've got nothing else. But I think it's a step forward!
We've had a busy week. The days have flown by, and I can't believe it's already Thursday. It's a big day for my family back in Utah, and I am thinking of you all. Jace, I'm excited for the mail to come. Krystle and Blaine, I'm crossing my fingers for you. And our family here in England? Well, it's just business as usual.
The kids break for half-term this Friday, so we'll have all next week with them. I'm not working, so that'll be nice. We can all sleep late in the mornings (except for Dylan, who will no doubt continue to wake up at about 6am). We can have a few lazy days together and if I can get a bike by then, maybe go on a few family bike rides. We're too skint to do anything too extravagant, but we will all really enjoy spending time together as a family.
I should probably get back to work. I just wanted to get those thoughts down before I forgot them again!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Thoughtless...
Last week, as I was cleaning the bathtub, I had a thought that would have been perfect for a blog post. What was it, you ask? I don't remember.
For years, I have recorded all my random thoughts on this blog. I have poured my heart out to friends, family, and random people who stumble across my blog on the internet. And it has been cathartic and good. Now, I have these fleeting thoughts and instead of recording them, I forget them almost immediately. That's kind of bad. What happened?
I think part of it was that I found other outlets for my ranting. I have a few more friends now, and I see them on a regular basis. I also had just over a year of therapy, which helped me deal with some serious issues that had always been bottled up. The Prozac probably helped, as well. But mostly, it's a matter of exhaustion and the fact that I now access the internet almost exclusively through my phone and kindle. How I wish Windows phones supported mobile blogger!
Maybe I'll do a little bit of research on that this afternoon. That would make me more likely to put a few pictures up, as well. I know you miss those, mom!
Since I can't remember what my brilliant blog post idea was, instead I'll wax lyrical about the book I just finished reading for my book club. It was "The Book Thief," by Markus Zusak. I chose it simply because I had seen a trailer for the film and thought it looked really interesting. And I always prefer to read the book first. Typically, if it was deemed good enough to make into a movie, the book is great. Not always the case, I know. But only one time has the book been a disappointment compared to the movie. And that was "Fried Green Tomatoes," because I really wanted to pretend that the two protagonists were just good friends, and you couldn't do that when reading the book!
Anyway, back to "The Book Thief." I read it in just under a week. There were some nights when I couldn't put it down, reading for an hour or two in one stretch. I loved the fact that the narrator is Death, and I loved the fact that it portrayed WWII Germany in a different light. We learned about the "normal" German citizens, and the way that they suffered during the war as well. Their political and military leaders were, in some cases, absolute monsters. But the people were just trying to keep their heads down and survive. It's not a perspective that we think about very often, and I love a book that makes me think.
I also thought it was beautifully written. The words flowed. There were little snippets of German throughout, which was kind of fun. It also dramatically decreased the number of English "swear words" that you had to read (always a concern because of one of our book club members, Bea, who will stop reading the book if the language becomes a bit fruity).The descriptive passages were perfectly balanced between minimal and over the top (always a pet peeve of mine, and I always skip those passages if they are on the flowery side). And, not to be left out, I cried like a baby at the very end. Seriously, great book. Now I can't wait to see the movie!
For a while there, I sort of forgot how much I love to read. My time has been taken up with TV series, streamed on Netflix. But I've recently rediscovered how awesome books are. I will quite happily spend an hour curled up with a book instead of watching old episodes of "The Good Wife." I've even got a reading chair in the front room now, next to the book shelf with a lamp behind it.
In other news, Martin and I just tackled a huge project together. We reupholstered our sofa. We started on Wednesday, and finished the base of the sofa yesterday. It used to be a lovely gold color, but the kids changed all that for us. It had gone pretty brown. Plus, I have been wanting to decorate the front room with a base of gray and accents in heather colors. So instead of forking out £600 for a new sofa, we spent £45 on upholstery fabric from a market in Hull and borrowed my mother-in-law's sewing machine. Add to that the £20 we spent on a staple gun, and it's still a big bargain. I'm even considering button closures instead of zippers for most of the cushions, since we already have loads of buttons.
It's been hard work, and we're not finished yet. But it looks really good, especially for a first attempt. I've learned a few things, sewing-wise, and will probably want to re-do it at some point (shh, don't tell Martin or he will probably cry). But I'm proud of what we've done so far. It's already a big improvement.
Slowly but surely, my house is starting to look the way I want it to. And when it finally gets there, that's probably when someone will want to buy it!
So there it is, my weekly blog update brought to you courtesy of Beck Hill Motors and a computer that is stationary and already up and running. Nice, huh? More next week, when I will try to remember all of my brilliant (but apparently fleeting) thoughts and write about them instead of just filler.
Peace out!
For years, I have recorded all my random thoughts on this blog. I have poured my heart out to friends, family, and random people who stumble across my blog on the internet. And it has been cathartic and good. Now, I have these fleeting thoughts and instead of recording them, I forget them almost immediately. That's kind of bad. What happened?
I think part of it was that I found other outlets for my ranting. I have a few more friends now, and I see them on a regular basis. I also had just over a year of therapy, which helped me deal with some serious issues that had always been bottled up. The Prozac probably helped, as well. But mostly, it's a matter of exhaustion and the fact that I now access the internet almost exclusively through my phone and kindle. How I wish Windows phones supported mobile blogger!
Maybe I'll do a little bit of research on that this afternoon. That would make me more likely to put a few pictures up, as well. I know you miss those, mom!
Since I can't remember what my brilliant blog post idea was, instead I'll wax lyrical about the book I just finished reading for my book club. It was "The Book Thief," by Markus Zusak. I chose it simply because I had seen a trailer for the film and thought it looked really interesting. And I always prefer to read the book first. Typically, if it was deemed good enough to make into a movie, the book is great. Not always the case, I know. But only one time has the book been a disappointment compared to the movie. And that was "Fried Green Tomatoes," because I really wanted to pretend that the two protagonists were just good friends, and you couldn't do that when reading the book!
Anyway, back to "The Book Thief." I read it in just under a week. There were some nights when I couldn't put it down, reading for an hour or two in one stretch. I loved the fact that the narrator is Death, and I loved the fact that it portrayed WWII Germany in a different light. We learned about the "normal" German citizens, and the way that they suffered during the war as well. Their political and military leaders were, in some cases, absolute monsters. But the people were just trying to keep their heads down and survive. It's not a perspective that we think about very often, and I love a book that makes me think.
I also thought it was beautifully written. The words flowed. There were little snippets of German throughout, which was kind of fun. It also dramatically decreased the number of English "swear words" that you had to read (always a concern because of one of our book club members, Bea, who will stop reading the book if the language becomes a bit fruity).The descriptive passages were perfectly balanced between minimal and over the top (always a pet peeve of mine, and I always skip those passages if they are on the flowery side). And, not to be left out, I cried like a baby at the very end. Seriously, great book. Now I can't wait to see the movie!
For a while there, I sort of forgot how much I love to read. My time has been taken up with TV series, streamed on Netflix. But I've recently rediscovered how awesome books are. I will quite happily spend an hour curled up with a book instead of watching old episodes of "The Good Wife." I've even got a reading chair in the front room now, next to the book shelf with a lamp behind it.
In other news, Martin and I just tackled a huge project together. We reupholstered our sofa. We started on Wednesday, and finished the base of the sofa yesterday. It used to be a lovely gold color, but the kids changed all that for us. It had gone pretty brown. Plus, I have been wanting to decorate the front room with a base of gray and accents in heather colors. So instead of forking out £600 for a new sofa, we spent £45 on upholstery fabric from a market in Hull and borrowed my mother-in-law's sewing machine. Add to that the £20 we spent on a staple gun, and it's still a big bargain. I'm even considering button closures instead of zippers for most of the cushions, since we already have loads of buttons.
It's been hard work, and we're not finished yet. But it looks really good, especially for a first attempt. I've learned a few things, sewing-wise, and will probably want to re-do it at some point (shh, don't tell Martin or he will probably cry). But I'm proud of what we've done so far. It's already a big improvement.
Slowly but surely, my house is starting to look the way I want it to. And when it finally gets there, that's probably when someone will want to buy it!
So there it is, my weekly blog update brought to you courtesy of Beck Hill Motors and a computer that is stationary and already up and running. Nice, huh? More next week, when I will try to remember all of my brilliant (but apparently fleeting) thoughts and write about them instead of just filler.
Peace out!
Thursday, May 01, 2014
No news is good news...
He's home!
Martin is finally home from his holiday in Turkey. I'm so glad he's back. It's kind of funny, how much I missed him. We don't even see that much of each other when he's home, and it was a very busy week. But he still does so much for me and the kids. It was like heaven this morning, not having to get the kids AND myself ready for school and work. I got an extra 30 minutes sleep!
He showed us all his pictures from the trip, and it looks absolutely amazing. I've gotten used to a certain kind of historic look, and the places he photographed in Turkey look so very different and exotic. And the beaches. Oh my, the beaches. He says he wants to take the whole family over, and I want that as well. I know envy is a sin, but MAN I am a serious sinner!
I'm especially proud of my husband for setting a good example of our faith to his friends. He said he was so tempted to have a beer with the boys after they'd been on their bikes all day long. And that's saying something, because Martin has not had any problems with the Word of Wisdom since he was baptized nearly 12 years ago. I know it can't have been easy for him to stick to Coke. So well done, baby!
Pretty sad stuff going on at work. My boss's daughter-in-law was diagnosed with cancer a few years back, and they think it might have come back. She's currently in the process of scans and biopsies and is on Morphine for the pain. She is younger than me, and has two little boys aged 7 and 9. Elaine is doing school runs and swimming lessons, and she is very upset. Understandably so, of course. I just hope I can help out enough in the office that she doesn't get too stressed out about work as well. Fingers crossed.
So that's the news from 48 Fleetgate. Just one more tidbit--I am considering going back on the happy drugs. I've been seriously sad and tired for the last month or so. I'm going to wait until I've had my new Mirena IUD fitted, as it does have hormones and it has just about run out. So maybe the sadness is hormonal. But I may be back on Prozac in the next six weeks or so. Any thoughts?
Martin is finally home from his holiday in Turkey. I'm so glad he's back. It's kind of funny, how much I missed him. We don't even see that much of each other when he's home, and it was a very busy week. But he still does so much for me and the kids. It was like heaven this morning, not having to get the kids AND myself ready for school and work. I got an extra 30 minutes sleep!
He showed us all his pictures from the trip, and it looks absolutely amazing. I've gotten used to a certain kind of historic look, and the places he photographed in Turkey look so very different and exotic. And the beaches. Oh my, the beaches. He says he wants to take the whole family over, and I want that as well. I know envy is a sin, but MAN I am a serious sinner!
I'm especially proud of my husband for setting a good example of our faith to his friends. He said he was so tempted to have a beer with the boys after they'd been on their bikes all day long. And that's saying something, because Martin has not had any problems with the Word of Wisdom since he was baptized nearly 12 years ago. I know it can't have been easy for him to stick to Coke. So well done, baby!
Pretty sad stuff going on at work. My boss's daughter-in-law was diagnosed with cancer a few years back, and they think it might have come back. She's currently in the process of scans and biopsies and is on Morphine for the pain. She is younger than me, and has two little boys aged 7 and 9. Elaine is doing school runs and swimming lessons, and she is very upset. Understandably so, of course. I just hope I can help out enough in the office that she doesn't get too stressed out about work as well. Fingers crossed.
So that's the news from 48 Fleetgate. Just one more tidbit--I am considering going back on the happy drugs. I've been seriously sad and tired for the last month or so. I'm going to wait until I've had my new Mirena IUD fitted, as it does have hormones and it has just about run out. So maybe the sadness is hormonal. But I may be back on Prozac in the next six weeks or so. Any thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)