Monday, June 30, 2008

Signs of Summer - Part 3

Garage sales! I cannot resist a good sale and this past Friday I stumbled upon a great one. We found this gem...a Zurg costume! Max LOVES this. He puts it on everyday, despite the fact that our home feels like the inside of an oven. I'm sure I'll have plenty more treasures to post before summer's end.



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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Signs of Summer - Part 2

Playing at the park: another tell-tale sign that summer has arrived. Max was thrilled to find such "huge" slides at this newly discovered park. Gus enjoyed the merry-go-round and loved trying to climb up the slide (more than he did going down it). The only bad thing was that most of the equipment was too hot to play on. Is it wrong to wish it was just a little cooler?




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Signs of Summer - Part 1

Can it be true that summer is finally here? Indeed, it's true...and I've got proof: summer haircuts! I took the boys to U Village to get the cuts & they both did great. I was shocked how well Gus did, considering the first time I took Max there he cried super hard and had to sit on my lap. Gus went straight to the firetruck chair & never seemed even slightly concerned. After haircuts we enjoyed a snack outside by the fountain. I'm SO happy to have summer weather. Finally!



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Friday, June 20, 2008

Where's Your Hope At?

I have a sign in my front lawn that says 'Obama for President'. I've never had a political sign in my yard before. I'm not much for politics, to be honest. I didn't even buy this sign. It was a gift. In the pouring down rain, my neighbor came to my door, sign in hand and gave it to me. I was touched and I put the sign out, mostly as an act of love to her although I do support Barack Obama in this election. But because of this sign, I feel that I am held to a higher standard this election. I feel as though I've opened myself up to questioning from those who want to know why I support Obama or what it is that made me decide to do so. It's a new level of responsibility; one that I didn't ask for, but that I am willing to accept. With that said, I feel I should put my thoughts out there about what happened yesterday.

When I woke up, I found a video from Obama in my inbox explaining why he is rejecting public financing of this election and instead choosing to raise funds privately. He explained that the system was broken, full of loopholes that allow special interest groups to pour unlimited funds into campaigns. He said he wanted to reject that money and instead fund his campaign with money from regular, everyday people. An astounding 47% of the money he raised in his early campaign came from people who gave less than $200. He had over 1.5 million unique donors. He has used the internet to fuel a grassroots campaign that I have found to be inspiring and a true demonstration of democracy. So I should be thrilled that he is now taking on the idea of public finance reform, right? Wrong.

So why does his decision bother me? It's simple...he went back on his word. A year ago he pledged to accept public funds for the general election and now he's changed his mind. He's spun it as a noble cause, noting that he's rejecting over $80 million in funds. But I'm not naive...it's simple to see that the real reason he's doing this is that he stands to raise unprecedented funds with his internet campaign and he won't be bogged down with fundraising. It's a bold, intelligent move and he knows that campaign finance is not a make-or-break issue for most voters. In fact, after a few weeks, this will blow over as debates about the economy, the war in Iraq, oil prices, the environment, etc. heat up. This decision could essentially win him the election because we all know that those with the money have the power. I think we all know that he made the right decision in terms of what is best for his candidacy. But he still went back on his word and he still let me down.

Obama's campaign talks a lot about hope, something I truly believe in. And here's the thing...if my hope were in Barack Obama I would be feeling pretty lousy today. In fact, if my hope were in any one person, I would be let down over and over again, probably on a daily basis. No one, not Barack Obama, not my husband, not my parents or my pastor or my closest friends, can offer me unlimited hope. No one can promise that they will never disappoint me and if they do they're lying, because we all make mistakes. We all choose our own comfort, power, needs over others at some point. We disappoint each other. We hurt one another. We lie. We go back on our word. And if you're pointing your finger at Obama right now, you'd better take a good look at yourself first. I'm not saying he isn't guilty of making a selfish decision, I'm just saying there's guilt in all of us and I know I certainly can't cast the first stone.

So where does this leave me? I have a sign in my yard that publicly declares my support for a man who let me down yesterday. Do I take the sign down? Absolutely not. That sign is an outreached-hand, a welcome mat to my neighbors. That sign tells them that even though we have our differences, we still have something in common, a cause, an ideal that can bring us together. And I still support Obama, even when he lets me down, precisely because my hope isn't in him. And maybe when my neighbors are let down and feel hopeless one day, they'll ask me why I'm not. As Christians, we can get so caught up in the politics of life, in regulating morality, in secondary arguments that are meaningless without meeting, knowing, loving Jesus. That's where my hope lies...in Christ. And because of that I can forgive a man for disappointing me. My hope doesn't hinge on man's actions; it is firmly rooted in the work that was done on the Cross so many years ago. That's where hope is and that is where you'll find me, Obama sign and all.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Snoqualmie bound

All 3 of the men in our household have nasty colds which means no one is sleeping and everyone's a little on the grumpy side. I was going a bit stir-crazy yesterday and decided we all needed to get in the car and take a drive. I packed up a picnic & we headed to Snoqualmie Falls--the perfect distance...the boys got naps and we got a little peace and quiet. It was a gorgeous day and we found a lovely table in the sun and enjoyed a delicious lunch. We then headed to the lookout to see the falls. Max was a bit nervous as they were roaring pretty loudly, but he was a good sport. Gus was fascinated and was trying to get over the fence--my little daredevil! After taking in the beauty we headed into town with a mission to find an ice cream shop. We succeeded and Max enjoyed a yummy cookies-and-cream treat. The boys slept again on the ride home and we all agreed we felt much better after getting a little fresh air and rest.




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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Tim Russert: 1950-2008

I was heartbroken when I heard yesterday that Tim Russert had died suddenly. I loved him, particularly after reading 'Big Russ & Me'.

Mr. Russert, you will be missed...


lovely, lovely

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Gus is walking...


...can't you tell?

my treasures

here's a look at the goodies i brought home from the farm chicks show.






The last photo may need a bit of an explanation since you can't really see the whole thing. It's a beverage stand...the part you can't see has a bottom shelf. The top opens up to a cooler, which is what you're looking at. The piece was made by the sweetest old man named Don, from Temecula, CA. He goes out and helps people tear down old fences, then he repurposes them into things like this. The fixtures are vintage...the towel holder in the center there and it's hard to make out, but there's an old-fashioned bottle opener just to the right of the towel holder. There's an old handle on the top of the chest too (which Don told me he got in trouble with his wife for using because it was expensive & she had another idea for it...boy they were a cute couple.) They even invited us to their barn show in November & said if we had an RV we could park on their property...4 acres in wine country...quite tempting I must say!

The Farm Chicks really know how to put on a good show. We had an absolute blast & can't wait for the next one!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sew Busy

I've been slowly teaching myself to sew. This week I made a sheet set for Max's bed and a nursing cover. The nursing cover is like the "Bebe au Lait" style you can get at Nordstrom, with the boning so you can peek at your baby while still staying covered. I have 12 (!) pregnant friends, so these little covers will be a great money saver come shower time! My next project will be my hardest yet, a reversible tote bag, found here. Hopefully it'll turn out. I'll keep you posted.



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