The Wonder of Crayola

Gotta love it! MESS FREE!

On a recent trip to Florida, a whole new world was opened up to me, and holding the key was a delightful 4 ½ year old (because, as I quickly figured out, being 4 ½ is MUCH different from being just 4!) by the name of Paige. Paige introduced me to the wonderful world of Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Finger-paints, to which I will be eternally in her debt! On my trip, I had the opportunity to spend a serious amount of playtime with Paige and her twin brother Andrew who are the niece and nephew of my good friend Della. I will comment later on the rigors of entertaining twins, but for now, I must tell you of my experience with these amazing products!

The experience began, simply enough, with Paige declaring that it was time to color. We’d already spent a good part of the morning building a Linkin’ Logs tower to house our horses and their food, and it was time to move on to something else. As we approached the coloring table, conveniently positioned only 18 or so inches from the ground, I noticed that they had some of these as yet undiscovered products at the table. I exclaimed interest and Paige—always the little teacher—gave me a tutorial on the magic of Color Wonder. For those of you who don’t have the opportunity to peruse the coloring book aisles on a regular basis, I will explain. Color Wonder markers are specially designed to work only on specially treated Color Wonder paper. The markers are all white and, as you color, the colors magically appear on the page! The markers are labeled so you know what color you’re coloring with just in case you didn’t want to color the grass purple—but that isn’t always a big deal to a 4 ½ year old and I must say, we had some purple grass!

Another interesting characteristic of this paper—as Della helped me to discover! Good ole, Della! Never one to leave any stone unturned!—is that you can’t color outside the lines. I guess only the picture printed on the page is treated, because she tried and it only left a wet mark on the page. I’m sure someone is out there thinking that such a feature only stifles the child’s creativity, but for a rule-follower like me, I thought it was GREAT! (Notice I said that Della had to show me this—because it never occurred to ME to try to color outside the lines! That’s why we’re such great friends. Della is always making me color outside the lines—and then I’m sure that sometimes she wishes she never showed me the coloring book in the first place!)

But I digress, back to the story. Paige sagely informed me that the markers only work on the Color Wonder coloring books. She then broke out the big guns—the finger-paints—and the real adventure began, for the finger-paint is simply a tray with little pots of what seems to be petroleum jelly—but petroleum jelly it is not! The finger paint works in the same way as the markers. You get a little glob (not too much, I was instructed) on the tip of your finger and simply paint on the page and the color magically appears. Then Paige told me that you could just wipe the excess on your clothes when you want to change colors. How convenient! Let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience for this boring ole’ adult! Once I got home, I couldn’t wait to get some of my very own! Oh, Crayola it is you that’s wonderful! Yet again, you’ve filled my world with such color and beauty. I thank you from the bottom of my color-drenched heart.

Yay, fingerpaints! 

he's just not that into you: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys

I have just finished reading he’s just not that into you: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. Some people may consider this book just another in that long line of relationship books that makes ridiculous claims and, ever the cynic, I was ready to attach that label myself. But I must say that it was a good read. There are no earth-shattering revelations in the book but I think that’s what I liked about it. The truth—there in black and white—with a little wit and creative writing thrown in for effect. It all seems so clear when you’re reading about other people’s ridiculous situations—because it’s always easier to evaluate someone else’s life than your own. This is a little quote from the book jacket:

Reexamining familiar scenarios and classic mindsets that keep us in unsatisfying relationships, Behrendt and Tuccillo’s wise and wry understanding of the sexes spares women hours of waiting by the phone, obsessing over the details with sympathetic girlfriends, and hoping his mixed messages really mean ‘I’m in love with you and want to be with you.’

I’m not in a relationship at the moment, but some friends and I were discussing the book last week so I decided to see what it was all about. I must say that I identified all too well with some of the situations it covers. And I think guys are right—we (women) make them (men) seem much more complicated than they really are—and we (women) have the right to expect something more than a half-hearted commitment and a lazy attitude. If a guy is truly into you, he will make the effort, overcome the hurdles, get over his issues, treat you well, etc, etc, etc. And if he doesn’t—you’re better off without him. Yes, ladies (and gentlemen), at 29 years 5 weeks and 2 days, I am on yet another, “Who needs men—I’m perfectly happy on my own” kick! (But I think I am gonna get a dog.) So ladies, read em’ and weep—and then laugh a little (because the writing is really good) and learn to believe that you’re worth more that the half-hearted crap some semi-interested guy is willing to dish out, because you are.

Disclaimers: The book does assume some relationship situations that I do not personally endorse and the language can be a little risqué at times—it was written by a writer and a consultant of Sex and the City, for crying out loud! But if you can see past all of that, they make some very good points.

a slight obsession

I must admit that I am ever so slightly obsessed with Consumer Reports. It isn’t enough to know that a friend has some such electronic device and really likes it or some car dealer says I’m getting that car I have my eye on at a steal. I must—MUST—have the unbiased opinion of the good-hearted people at ole’ Consumer Reports who care enough about me to painstakingly rake each piece of equipment—each new vehicle, each herbal supplement or dieting technique, etc—over the proverbial coals. Because THEY approach every object or theory they test with the thought, “Hmmm, how can I break this?” I love that! I need information set before me in practical terms that I can understand. Yeah, Dell’s probably gonna tell me I need the computer with the most memory and gadgets, but Consumer Report’s gonna tell me that, if all I’m doing is word processing and surfing the net, I can get by with something much less expensive--and they'll actually give me tips on what to buy. And friends can tell me the same thing—and of course I will take their cherished advice into consideration—but I’m probably gonna go with whatever my ole’ pal CR says because, as we’ve already discussed, they’ve done their best to ruin whatever they’re testing so they know quality when they see it! As I plan to be making a few rather large purchases in the weeks to come, I will keep you updated on what my research uncovers and what CR says! I know you’re all waiting with baited breath!

love is a decision

This was something I wrote just after my nephew was born. In having the recent opportunity to spend some time with David--now 19 months old and as precious as ever--I decided to revisit some of those past journals. (When I figure out how to post pics, his will be some of the first!) This is probably the most profound of those writings, and in so many ways a thought that I needed to revisit so badly right now.

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Love is a decision. I never realized that more fully than on May 17, 2003, as I drove the thirty minutes from Lafayette to Opelousas, Louisiana. You see, my nephew was born the night before. The event had been greatly anticipated and now David Kyle was here. And I was so in love that I could hardly stand it. It took everything in me not to travel as fast as my little car could handle. I had never been so in love with someone I had never met! My thoughts were all for him. My attention was focused on this one human being and it almost seemed that, in those moments, my existence was validated by his. As the euphoria began to wear off (although it hasn’t completely yet!), I began to think more on the subject of love—more specifically, my love of others and my relationship with my God.

I have realized that my love for God should be the same but to the ‘nth’ degree. But it rarely is. Instead, I find that a new baby is much easier to love than the God who created me. And my love for His creation is not where it should be, either. It’s easy for me to love the people who are like me—the people who encourage me and get my sense of humor. The people who like my ideas and show appreciation for what I do for them. But I hold myself in reserve. I wait to see who is worthy of my love. I sit in judgment. I evaluate the motives of others, conveniently excusing my own. I arrogantly scoff at the arrogance of others.

I remember one time when I was probably 12 or 13 years old, I’d had a fight with my sister and my dad made me sit in my room and read 1 Corithians 13. I didn’t get it the first time—I was still too mad. But he made me read it again . . .and again. And I can’t remember if I ever fully “got the point” that night, but I know that, even now, I return to that passage on a regular basis. Stop and read it for yourself. It wipes away all of our disguises. It takes away all of our excuses. It gets to the heart of the issue. It is so easy to be the complete opposite of everything that those verses say love is: impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, prideful, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, keeper of other’s wrongs, etc. Paul uses such extreme examples but that only furthers his point. If those mighty acts—done without love—gain nothing, how much less are all of my petty “accomplishments”?

The daily grind can be deceptively numbing--nothing overwhelming happens from day-to-day, but all of a sudden, I look up and I realize that I'm miles from where I should be spiritually. It is easy to let human nature creep in, especially when we are tired and overwhelmed—and no one is immune! But in the midst of it all, remember Peter’s words: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:8-11) Make the decision to love today.

A blog is born

At long last, here it is. A blog of my very own. No longer will I have to utter the words, "If I only had my own blog." Now that it's finally happened, I'm not quite sure what to say. Beginnings are scary, so I guess I'll post this and quickly write a second post of more substance because it feels strange to write about anything else but my first post IN my first post. Stay tuned!