pretty please EVERYONE!?

Help us on our quest for books!
I know there are a lot of people who read my blog that NEVER comment. It is really easy to comment, you can even do so anonymously and you won't have to create an account or anything.

Anyway my request is that you send me a comment that contains a list of books that are the best books you have ever read. Some of them maybe you come back to thinking about even years and years after having read them. My husband and I both absolutely love books and reading, and our goal at some point is to have a ton of books (as in literally!)...and one of those sliding laders and all, you know? Okay, anyway...so send me books, well send me a comment of a list of books that you think our library should contain! It is easy to find books, but it is hard to know before you have read them if they are any good...

In our yurt (several years down the road) we the entire thing to be lined with wall to wall bookshelves, a couple of nice south facing windows and a nice fire. Shelves and shelves of books, doesn't it just sound like a dream!? For us it is, please help us on the conquest. Thanks a million!

(begging, begging....please?)

my house

today we showed our house for the first time. i am not sure how i feel about it. i spent 2 hours before they came running around like mad. now i am worn-out and curious as to if they liked it.
does it matter?i like it...but they are the ones that would buy it, so now it does matter. i hope it looked okay.

daydreaming again.

I cannot stop thinking about this guitar...I have tried...and tried...but it is almost like an obsession. If you saw it in person and were at all interested in purchasing a guitar at the time, you might feel the same. It is made in Canada. The body is made from unvarnished wild cherry. the neck is sliver leaf maple, the top is solid cedar...it is so beautiful, and the sound is the best I have ever heard. I find myself itching to go back to the store and strum on it's magical strings again, but then maybe the spell would be even stronger and I would not be able to let it go ever again.

It is an Art& Lutherie, and it is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen, the most beautiful guitar I have ever heard.

new blog: made in spanish.

I just started up a new blog. Yes, another one! oh, goodness...
I am in the process of realizing just how important it is that I impart my bilingualism to my children. The blog is: Made in Spanish. My goal of raising bilingual children.

The blog is in Spanish, but along the sidebar I have a computer translator for any of the English speaking folk who want to meander over. I will issue a WARNING!: the computer translator is sometimes pretty inaccurate, so keep that in mind, it is a computer and not a person so it translates literally or something, anyway I tried it and saw that it does make quite a few mistakes. But it should give you the general idea.

The reason for blogging in Spanish is that because I have absolutely NO exposure to Spanish right now, and if I am trying to speak it on a regular basis...I need to think in it, write in it and be immersed as much as possible. So, it won't only be stuff about my kids and the process, I will write in Spanish, because it is a language I love...so it should be fun!!

Today I began my mission of speaking to the boys in Spanish...jackson laughs, he thinks I am making up a language because that is what he does a lot. I will get the kinks figured out, and that is why I have a blog for it. If you know of anyone who is interested in blogging about bilingual issues send them my way. I'd love to talk with people even if they are not working with the same language pair (Spanish/English).

Wish me luck! I have resisted this long enough, the time will never get any better.
HERE WE GO! AHHHHH...Que Dios me guarde.

langston hughes opens myopic eyes

Words Like Freedom

There are words like Freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say.
On my heartstrings freedom sings
All day everyday.

There are words like Liberty
That almost make me cry.
If you had known what I know
You would know why.

Bible Belt

It would be too bad if Jesus
Were to com back black.
There are so many churches
Where he could not pray
In the U.S.A.,
Where entrance to Negroes,
No matter how sanctified,
Is denied,
Where race, not religion,
Is glorified.
But say it-
You may be
Crucified.



Children's Rhymes

By what sends
the white kids
I ain't sent:
I know I can't
be President.

What don't bug
them white kids
sure bugs me:
We Know everybody
ain't free.

Lies written down
for white folks
ain't for us a-tall:
Liberty And Justice--
Huh!--For all?

-Langston Hughes

The Panther and the lash: Poems of our times

I am captured by Langston Hughes, he is a man who writes poetry that could rock you even if you didn't agree.

This is what poetry is for, to create a movement in a place where stagnant waters gather. I wish that we all could say racism and hatred were just things of the past...but we can't, because they are not. When we grow to understand one race more accurately then we begin to separate and distort (many times extort) another. Fear of the unknown should not grip the way it does, for the unknown is just beauty waiting to be seen. This beauty cannot express itself through our knowlege of the way things should go, but we need to grasp the understanding that it is amazing and created by God not to be seen and classified through our myopic eyes. But through His eyes...Then we could see the anointing in it all, that really...God chose to make us all different because he does not see things through our tunneled minds.

Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger

Oh, my. If you have not read this book: Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger, you are completely missing out. READ IT. Not for me, for you. Even if you have read Salinger before...that is not a valid excuse, you will not encounter an even-close-to-decent-excuse, so give up. I promise that you will like it, or even love it...


this is not a choice...it is a "must read or your head will pop off kind of book"!

So I guess you know what you must do now.


let's not test it.

tell me what you think, maybe some of you have read it already?

design and create: dress

I have designed and created my first dress. It is all one piece and I did not use a pattern. I am not good at patterns, I always think that it would be better if this...or if that...I guess I really like doing my own thing. So this shows my own thing full force. I made this dress! yay! I love wearing it because it was made exactly for ME. I pinned it on and figured out the measurements that way, it worked well and I am completely enjoying my finished product.

It's a bit funky, but that's the way I like it.

push 'em up and cheer as they fall

Brittney says: "I'll kill my kids!"
Brangelina is not getting along.
Pres. George W. Bush has a scratch on his face and therefore that means that he was drunk and got into some type of intense fight, probably with his wife, maybe with two of his wives.
Is JLo pregnant?? What about the Hanna Montana role model?
Katie Holmes wonders who the father of her baby is, It can't be Tom!

We give them money, we watch their movies...we live through their multi million-billion dollar purses, wishing to look like them, act like them and get what they do. Of course, we think we are actually better than them, deeper people, we have learned harder lessons, and worked for a living.

I would argue we are jealous, we wish we had what they did, that people would turn around at Safeway to admire our shoe choice or hairstyle. We want to be admired, we want to be liked, we want people to know us, we want to not be lonely, we want to have more money, have more fun, eat at nicer restaurants...we will always want more.

So, we push them...we grab their hair and pull them with our cameras into the limelight and then throw them away when we realize they don't really have anything more than we do. We push them up and cheer as they fall. We are so happy that have found faults, that they get divorced, their kids die, they get fat, say something stupid, or are very lonely...because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

The hardest thing for me is the kids, the kids of these people. A while back there was a famous father that called his young daughter a pig on the phone and that was everywhere.What about Brittney's two kids, they are loosing a mom, maybe they never really had one. Anna Nichole Smith's little daughter was fought over for months, her mom is dead, it would have been better if the baby didn't have any money...she may have ended up somewhere were she'd be loved.

Whatever, I don't know who to blame...I am just saying this is all really sad, and I wish it didn't happen.

Powells, Edgefield, Bistro

Oh what fun it is to ride in the car all the way to PDX kidless and with B! It was so much fun. We visited the Nists (although I forgot to take pictures), we visited Powell's Books, and hung out with Ellyn and Andrew and Co. for her birthday Par-Tay at Chopsticks. Then we stayed at Edgefield (which I completely do not recommend, ask me and I'll tell you if you are interested), and we went for breakfast and then back to Powell's. Yes, it is fun stuff to get a day away from home and chaos in order to sit back and not have to constantly multi-task unless we choose to. But by the end of the trip we are always super-thrilled to get home and see our two little bungerboys.

@The Black Rabbit
Restaurant (Edgefield)
@ a bistro by Powell's for brunch

a tidbit

God's Kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of power.
-1cor.4:20

Anyone can talk about power, about love, about wrong and right choices that should, or should not have been made. Talk is cheap, is another one. True... so cheap-actually free.

The cost of power is much greater, it consists of doing what others just are talking about, it is loving, giving, reaching, letting go, living, and giving up an image that you are the "it".

Power is what I am promised, why do I settle for empty words...

all over the world in NY

Has anyone seen this project? It is called NYChildren and is a picture of one child from every nation on the earth living in NY city (including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan and Queens). The photographer is Danny Goldfield , and he is amazing....he takes candid shots of these kids and their raw beauty is truly captured.
What impressed me is that he lets the kids do what they are doing, he captures kid moments, and not kids doing what an adult thinks they should do for a photo shoot. The ones that I enjoyed the most are the ones of these international kids throwing fits, or really not looking happy about being payed that much attention to...they are just really good photos, of really real kids. They have taken pictures of 151 countries since their beginnings in 2004 and are searching for the rest. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Check it out!

bouldering women's final world cup 2005

This is another thing that makes my palms sweat and my body flinch as I watch, much like parkour...but is actually more something that I would be able to do....I love watching this!!!! watch it and tell me if you think you'd like to do it too.
I picked the women's bouldering world cup because I am a woman and this is one sport at which women can do really well because of the lower body weight/height and smaller body structure. Thank God!

a modern belief in foot binding

I am a modern day believer in foot binding for one purpose, or one that I know of that I would sacrifice my feet for. That one reason is rock climbing. If you want to be full-on hard core you need to also believe in the modern day practice of foot binding. I just bought some climbing shoes (Scarpa Reflex, the ones in pic) and I was actually conservative in how much I will accept the pain of it all in order to loose the weakness of my toes. Let me explain, many climbers recommend getting shoes that are a full two sizes smaller than you actually feel comfortable in. This is what I found on Sizing rock climbing shoes:

These shoes are designed to fit very tight, often uncomfortably so. The toes should be slightly to very curled for performance in edging. There should be one to two fingers width between the laces/straps for stretching. The heel should also fit very tight so that the shoe cannot slip off when heel hooking.

This makes it so that you cannot put your full weight on your feet, but they are designed and bought that small for a purpose. You see, your toes are not strong...so in the foot binding for climbing mentality you scrunch your toes up underneath your foot so that you don't put all your weight on your toes and therefore loose your footing.

I am excited to move on back to C-town where I can climb since that is one of my sports of choice. I will try and figure out a way to make it the most cost effective possible, but we'll see. What I love doing is indoor, I am a mom and wife and even before any of that I still am not willing to risk my life on purpose in any kind of sports activity. I enjoy what is known as "bouldering" -here is a wikipedia definition for you:

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large boulders or artificial man-made boulders. However, it may also be practiced at the base of larger rock faces, or even on buildings or public architecture (see buildering). Bouldering is a style of climbing emphasizing power, strength, and dynamics.

I fell in love with this while at OSU and now that I have undergone the baby-carrying, kid-bearing stage of my life I am ready to begin getting my fitness level up again. I never wear uncomfortable heel-y shoes , or those with insane-o pointy toe pain-causing designs(ie check pics below) ....or do I?? I guess that to me this is the price of beauty, and beauty to me is a good swift climb exhibiting power, strength and insane grip.

Uhm...not dressed like these girls though, but I am guessing their shoes are probably more comfortable.

a house

they used to cal it "revelation"

my revelation:
the more i realize that my purpose is not myself,
the more satisfied and fulfilled i am by what my purpose is.
meaning:
if you are concerned about your purpose, and what that is and what it should look like...quit looking at yourself and you'll see it.

they used to call it "revelation" when God showed you something that was beyond what you already held to be true. they might consider "revelation" to be too spiritual now, but for some reason even though before I thought the term was a little odd... it full on describes the situation when God pours something into you that you had no way of gaining through learned wisdom. a revelation is a shift, insight, not just something that you learn, but something that is powerfully divine. just a taste of the potent nectar that is to come.

yerba mate

I have been drawn into the mate society. There is not really an official one, so maybe that is not really accurate...but when someone begins to drink mate they will carry their little gourd around with them wherever they go and thus belonging to something...but I am not sure what.

Yerba Mate is a type of tea, some compare it in taste to something between green tea and coffee. The traditional way to drink it (with the gourd and straw or "bombilla") is said to be the best way for the nutrients to be released and absorbed. I mainly do it this way because it is so fun. I love the little gourd containers and different bombillas that you can use, some are insanely elaborate.

According to Mate for life : "Yerba mate is a tea-like beverage consumed widely throughout South America. Is is made from the dried leaves of the "IlexParaguariensis" – an indigenous holly plant.

The native people of Paraguay, the Guarani Indians, refer to it as "the drink of the gods." Since pre-Colombian times, the Guarani have gathered the leaves to use them in their folk remedies and as a stimulant and restorative tonic.

It was first introduced to European settlers when the Jesuits brought Christianity to Paraguay in the 17th Century. They quickly adopted the local custom and yerba mate became known as "Jesuit Tea."

All my live I have not been able to take the effects of caffeine. It is hard on my stomach, but the main reason is that the stimulants are to harsh on my mental state. hahah! Yes, drinking a caffeine loaded late or mocha have not really been an option for me, so I always have to make sure (multiple times) that the coffee Batista knows that I did order decaf.

This yerba is amazing! I can drink it throughout the day, even right before bed and it does keep me alert and gets my mind activate but I dose off immediately once I get to bed. This is because, "mate contains xanthines, which are alkaloids in the same family as caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in coffee and chocolate. Mate also contains elements such as potassium, magnesium and manganese." (according to Wikipedia).

As for evidence:
"Researchers at the Free Hygienic Institute of Homburg, Germany, concluded that even if there were caffeine in mate', the amount would be so tiny that it would take 100 tea bags of mate' in a six ounce cup of water to equal the caffeine in a six ounce serving of regular coffee". (Quoted from the FAQ at my mate world)


There is a good article called, Confessions of a Reluctant Yerba Mate Drinker


What do you think of Einstein and his yerba gourd?

meatless product review

Here are a few products that we have tried...two good, one not so much.



Costco carries Don Lee Farms now, which I haven't really heard about until I tried the Veggieballs. They are pretty good, they definitely DO NOT taste like meat, but are very easy to enjoy. The boys love them. They are made of veggies, nuts and mozzarella...very yummy. They do melt very fast, and kind of fall apart so you can't mess with them much. I usually heat some up for lunch and the boys eat them up.

I bought the Veggie Patties from this same brand, but haven't made them yet, so I don't know what they'll be like.



I really liked this "soyrizo" which is a meatless take on chorizo a very common type of sausage meat in Spain. You take off the outer casing. So, it is a lot like the texture of ground beef or really ground anything. I scrambled it up with some eggs and it was amazing! It would be perfect in chili as it has a little bit of spice to it. I recommend this meatless product, I found it at the Safeway here in Lebanon so I am sure it is pretty common.



The second is one I really did not like, and will not buy again: Smart Deli Bologna style veggie protein slices. I did not like these. If anyone has tried the other varieties of this brand let me know either way if you liked them or not. Tell me if I should give them another shot...but I really didn't think these ones tasted much better than smoked, salty rubber. yuk.

If you have some good meatless products that you really like to consume...let me know I'd love to try them!

daydreaming

what do you daydream about?

In kindergarten one of the things the teacher told my mom is that I would sit and stare out the window while she was trying to teach the class something. From my seat I remember just tuning the world out an concentrating on whatever I wanted to. This is a trait that is still strong in me, I dream...daydream about things that I am interested in. At different times in my life I dream about different things, here are the present things that I think about during the day when I should be concentrating on the more practical.

*i dream of playing the guitar really well, spontaneously. * i dream of life lived in a yurt, with land and what that would look like.

*silk yarn, alpaca yarn, and knitting pretty things.
*books.
*my garden and what I will plant this year.









*getting into shape by rockclimbing at least 3 times a week...that would be a dream.


SPAIN, my homeland...kindof.

*growing and harvesting as much of my own food as possible
*PARKOUR!!










*family hikes...when we can hike for miles, and camp and backpack and the boys are able to help with the load.


*growing my boys the way God wants me to, and having them be surrounded by others who are doing the same.








*beautiful long dreads...















*giving my God all the glory "soli deo gloria": only give God glory

*charismatic/passionate leaders...and more beautiful dreads




wandering in far away lands, no time restraints, no jobs to get back to, just living with the people, learning languages, sharing, enjoying, while bringing Christ...mostly I dream of the Amazon and those tribes, or Peru, New Zealand, Kenya, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Australia...

nature...forests, jungles...the amazon.

passion, peace, enjoying my journey,
meeting fun people, practising hospitality,
enjoying differences, living with each breath,
working for what really matters

.

and much much more.....