Words

If my memory is accurate, and trust me, that's a big 'if,' my first blog was about 'words.'

I'm no wordsmith, but I do enjoy words. I like learning new words, and, most recently, looking closer at words I thought I knew. That happens when you work with kids and they ask a lot of questions about the meaning of words. My college student also throws new words at me.

Just today I had to look up 'requiem' and 'precocious.' I've heard them over the years and had a feel for their meanings but couldn't give an actual definition. With all our great computer tools, looking up words is no longer a laborious process. I have a computer utility for looking up words where all I have to do is highlight a word on the screen and do a ctrl-right click to get definitions, synonyms and other info. Handy for checking spelling, too.

My big brother and I were discussing some of our favorite words last week. 'Conundrum,' 'anomaly,' 'belligerant.' (I used my handy utility on that one to check my spelling - good thing, too, 'cause I had it wrong.) Even yesterday our family was discussing words that end in 'meter.' and how they should be pronounced. Specifically multimeter. Actually this is difficult to write about since I don't have the symbols used in pronunciation guides. So, just think about all the words you know that end in meter and the different ways they are pronounced.

In this political season there have been plenty of words for me to look up. That reminds me of the following story...

Part of American political lore is the Smathers "redneck speech," which Smathers (a politician) reportedly delivered to a poorly educated audience. The "speech" was never given; it was a hoax dreamed up by one reporter. Smathers did not say, as was reported in Time Magazine during the campaign: "Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in wicked New York. Worst of all, it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, habitually practiced celibacy."
The Smathers campaign denied his having made the speech, as did the reporters who covered his campaign, but the hoax followed Smathers to his death.

Those around children will know this...Confusing similar words can be cause for a snicker or two, and I'm not talking about a candy bar! Mercenary for missionary, forgotten for begotten, are the first to come to mind and still bring a smile when I remember the incidents.

And to close with a little humor...
A new monk arrived at the monastery. He was assigned to help the other monks in copying the old texts by hand. He noticed, however, that they were copying copies, not the original books. The new monk went to the head monk to ask him about this. He pointed out that if there were an error in the first copy, that error would be continued in all of the other copies. The head monk said, 'We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.' The head monk went down into the cellar with one of the copies to check it against the original. Hours later, nobody had seen him, so one of the monks went downstairs to look for him. He heard a sobbing coming from the back of the cellar and found the old monk leaning over one of the original books, crying. He asked what was wrong. 'The word is 'celebrate,' not 'celibate'!' sobbed the head monk.

Celebrate, always celebrate!

Yet Another Sunday Evening

Another week has come and gone...

• There are more leaves on the ground and less on the trees.
• The weather is blessedly cooler most of the time.
• I was blessed to have not one, but two dinner evenings with my Bible Study Ladies
• Flu shots are being advertised everywhere (and I got one - my first!)
• We gave out candy at Halloween Hoopla in downtown Greer yesterday
• Apple Cider is back in the stores (now we're just waiting on Eggnog!)
• The presidential election is fast approaching
• Abbey has started her Christmas wish list
• and so much more... I absolutely love autumn!

Saturday morning my mother-in-law Vera, Abbey and I went to see High School Musical 3. We really enjoyed the movie and Abbey was ecstatic. As a family we don't generally go to movies in the theaters. We buy the DVD when it comes out instead.

It must be in the air but I'm feeling restless these days. I want to 'go.' Go to the mountains, go to the beach, go on an adventure, go somewhere I've never been or back to a favorite spot. I have a long list of projects here at home and I want to 'go' at each of them. Then I don't know where to start and that urge to 'go' - anywhere - really kicks in.

I'm fortunate that I do have quite a few things on my plate these days that I'm excited about. Maybe too many. I love the work we're doing in the kids' homeschool studies. I'm excited about my weekly 'Daniel' Bible Study and group as well as our Life Group that meets weekly, I found a Women's One-Year Bible and Journal with a daily reading from Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs, I'm learning about digital scrapbooking, I'm working on getting ConKerr up and going here in the upstate, I'm still trying to learn to sew and my Mary Kay business is needing extra attention with the holidays fast approaching. Does anyone know if the kids have any clean socks??? Dinner? Uh-oh...it's still in the freezer. And finally, I don't understand why houses can't clean themselves. Girls, please bring those babies over to see their Grandma and GrandDad!

Have a happy and memorable week...

Please Welcome My Guest Blogger...One of "Those" Moms

I recently asked my daughter, Elisa Richards, to write a guest blog entry here. I was so pleasantly surprised when she agreed. You can't imagine how much admiration and love her dad and I have for her. She is a beautiful, incredible young woman and now a proud new mother, too.
SW


One of “Those” Moms

So here I am, and who would have thought that I, Elisa Richards, would turn into the one thing I was sure I’d never become. Well it’s quite interesting what a charming guy can change about strong, independent working women. Especially when that very strong independent working woman carries him 9 months plus some days, feels each time he kicks (and swearing that he will be grounded a week for each rib that is bruised), feels each hiccup he has as he bounces around in her stomach, and then goes through considerable pain just to hear his cry for the first time.

That’s obviously what happened to me. My son has turned me into one of “those” moms.

I remember when my husband and I were at our birthing class for Zachary, we had to go around the room and tell the other pregnant couples about ourselves. We had to tell our name, the sex of the baby, our due dates, and one of the most interesting things about pregnancy. All had to participate. Some people had the typical boring answers like, “seeing the baby in the ultrasound,” or “feeling the baby move.” Well when it got to my husband he said something that wasn’t so typical… He explained that it was nice to know that Krispy Kreme was open until midnight. (I wonder how he knew that one!) Well then it came to me, and my response (which of course is a big part of this blog blurb). The most interesting thing about my pregnancy was realizing it wasn’t as easy as I had imagined and that it is actually pretty neat if you take away the morning sickness, the chubby figure, the aches and pains, the fact that everyone knows you “did it”, and of course the blood work.

You see. for the longest time I believed that pregnant women went overboard complaining about fatigue and being lazy. I quickly learned that wasn't the case. Sure, some women milk it for all it’s worth, but overall it isn’t all that easy either. You do get perks like being able to eat whatever you want and people catering to you and not letting you lift things or stress yourself. That's not always as easy as it sounds; if you’re like me, you worry about shedding those pounds and hate having to get help with things, much less having to rely on others to do things for you!

Pregnancy is a very unique period in life and no two are ever the same. It is fun and scary all at the same time. Anyone that has been through it can tell you there is nothing else like it. Everyone has stories and helpful tips. What’s funny is that now I’m a part of “that club.”

The big shocker is that I remember before I got pregnant, in fact throughout my whole life, I honestly never wanted kids. My husband and I almost didn’t get married due to being unable to compromise on the issue. Turns out he won. Not that I would change it for anything. My son is only 3 weeks old and has already taught me so much about life and myself. Things I never would have stumbled across due to my own selfishness or the path my life was heading down.

I’m assuming that because of that very stubborn “I’m not ready for a kid” type thinking that during my pregnancy, I wasn’t yet one of “those” moms. I didn’t let the pregnancy overtake my life. I think I had a good balance between everything. I went to work every day and did what was needed, (in fact I worked until 2 days before my due date.) I still had a social life, I cleaned, (my husband is the cook) I even helped with a push mower on the lawn! Mainly I tried not to let the stress overtake me. What I didn’t do was make a bee-line for the baby department or overdo things in his nursery. I didn’t watch all those lifetime specials either. All of that, however, was pre-baby.

Now during my post-baby time I probably tend to overdo things. The biggest culprit for me is pictures. In fact I think just in my cell phone I have over 300 pictures stored. That’s roughly around 15 pictures a day. 15 pictures that I not only take for myself, but that I also send to others in my family. I send them things like “on our way to doctors office” and “first bath at home.” Of course everyone needs to see his “going to surprise daddy at work,” pictures. It’s also very important that everyone see random weird faces and videos. What can I say, my son is my passion in life. I understand now about the security of knowing he is safe, the heartache when he cries and you can’t fix it, and the joys and fears of being a mom. Not just any mom either… one of “those” moms. It’s official… my Uncle who is definitely one of “those” uncles, has welcomed me with open arms to the “dork” club. You see a dork, in this respect, is something special. It means you care about something so deeply that you are a dork to it. =) Don’t try to understand it. Either you know it or you don’t.

So, I just want to give a shout out to all “those” parents and family members out there who know, and have beautiful kids to show off on your diaper bags, desks, or cell phones. And, also to “those” people who know they are better people because of the children in their lives.

I am glad to be one of “those” moms - the kind I used to feel sorry for, until I realized how empty life was before I met that charming guy.

*******************************************************************
P.S. Lest you think me unfair, Shannon has had the same invitation to guest write here, but so far, has turned me down

The Fabric Of Our Lives

T-Shirts...They're used as a layer to protect us from the cold in the winter. Shade bare skin from the sun, light, (transparent when wet!) covering during the summer heat. Wonderful to throw on for housework, washing the car, cleaning out the garage or washing the dog. They're comfortable and really grow on us (hopefully in sentiment and not from lack of personal hygiene!). Did I mention I was Baptized wearing my t-shirt from the Peter Pan play that Christopher was in and Kenneth directed?

T-Shirts...Concert Shirts, Political Shirts, Team Shirts, Band Shirts, Humorous Shirts, Shirts That Support a Cause, Vacation Shirts, Souvenir Shirts, Tie-Dye Shirts, Protest Shirts, Company Shirts, Church Shirts, School Shirts, the list goes on and on.

T-Shirts, more than any other single item, come closest to telling the stories of our lives. Many babies go home from the hospital sporting shirts stating that they are 'the little brother' or 'the little sister,' and the collection has begun. You can bet there will be a corresponding t-shirt for every age, thought, sport, activity, super-hero, performer, 'his,' 'hers,' 'Stupid,' 'I'm With Stupid," cartoon character, club, organization, school, team, fund-raiser, etc...

So, hey, next time you go to grab that favorite 't' or throw a load of them in the washer, reflect for a moment and you'll probably see your life from the perspective of your t-shirt collection!

Music I Love...

Abbey and I were on our way home from some appointments yesterday afternoon when a song on the radio caught my attention (radio? yes - my IPod was in the kitchen - I always forget it there). When it was over I had a big smile on my face and was thinking what a cute song it was. Country, of course. I can still understand most of the words in country songs. The song was "Waitin' On a Woman," recorded by Brad Paisley.

Here are the lyrics...

Sittin' on a bench at West Town Mall,
he sat down in his overalls and asked me
"You waitin' on a woman?"
I nodded yeah and said "How 'bout you?"
He said "Son since 1952 I've been waitin' on a woman.
When I picked her up for our first date I told her I'd be there at eight,
and she came down the stairs at eight-thirty.
She said 'I'm sorry that I took so long, didn't like a thing that I tried on.'
But let me tell you son she sure looked pretty.
Yeah she'll take her time, but I don't mind, waitin' on a woman."
He said "The wedding took a year to plan. You talk about an anxious man!
I was nervous waitin' on a woman."
And then he nudged my arm like old men do and said,
"I'll say this about the honeymoon, it was worth it, waitin' on a woman.
And I don't guess we've been anywhere she hasn't made us late.
I swear, sometimes she does it just 'cause she can do it.
Boy it's just a fact of life, it'll be the same with your young wife.
Might as well go on and get used to it, she'll take her time,
'cause you don't mind waitin' on a woman.
I've read somewhere statistics show the man's always the first to go,
and that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready.
So when it finally comes my time and I get to the other side,
I'll find myself a bench, if they've got any.
I hope she takes her time,
'cause I don't mind waitin' on a woman.
Honey, take your time,
cause I don't mind waitin' on a woman."

Ok, so I guess the secret's out - I'm late quite often. Although, (and you know there's always an 'although.') I am doing better these days. When I make appointments I enter them in my calendar 15 minutes or so earlier than they are - but I don't do it on all of them. That way I never know if I have leeway built in or not. It really has helped.

Anyway, back to the subject this evening...'Music I Love." Man, oh man. This is a biggie. My "favorites" list in ITunes has exceeded 600 entries. I love music. Particularly the emotional, gut-wrenching stuff. Old, new, country, blues, adult contemporary, doesn't matter. I even downloaded a song tonight that plays on a commercial for Norfolk Southern Railroad. But just in case you think me particularly odd...they did have it available for download on their website...so there! I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Music to me is a truly emotional thing. It affects me physically. I'm sure certain chemicals are released or something stimulated or whatever, whenever a good song comes on. My mood is easily changed by music. Normally I wouldn't try to explain this - I always assumed everyone reacted the same. But...nope. Kenneth is not overly fond of music in general. He has some he likes but nothing to get excited about. He does have fun collecting ringtones, though. But, as you can see, this is a big difference in our personalities. So maybe not everyone is like me with their music.

I suspect it's how I feel about music that makes me dislike music videos in general. I like having my own take on a song...not some video producer's. Perhaps the song-writer had something completely different in mind when he wrote the song - or the performer - without music videos we can all be happy. When you throw a video in - all bets are off. The video version is what sticks and very often ruins my image of how the song could have been depicted visually.

For years, and years, and years I could never have come up with just one favorite song. Recently, though, I've narrowed it down. But hey, all that could change...in a moment, an hour, a day, next month, next year...or all of the above.

Tonight I'm chilling out to this baker's dozen...

• Moondance by Michael Buble'
• This Used to Be My Playground by Madonna
• Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood
• Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's
• More Than a Memory by Garth Brooks (or its writer, Lee Brice, a South Carolinian!)
• What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts
• Like We Never Loved by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
• Paris by Faith Hill
• Is It Over Yet? by Wynona Judd
• I Survived You by Clay Aiken
• Do the Walls Come Down by Carly Simon
• Jessie by Joshua Kadison
• Letter Home by Wendy Waldman

You know the saying about not choosing a book by its cover? I tend to do that with songs. It's funny how a song will get my attention if it has certain words in the title...

• Rain (this should probably get two spots), Snow, Clay
• Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, town
• Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall
• Beaches, Roads, Sand
• Moon, Stars
• Dreams, Footsteps
• Airplanes, Jets, Trains
• Jesse/Jessie

Ok, phew...I think I'm emotionally exhausted! According to my list I've lived a lifetime in the last hour or two. Time to call it a night...with a lullabye, of course.

Drop someone a note this week...how 'bout a love note?

I hab a code...

I truly believe the common cold just doesn't get the respect it deserves. I think that's why it's often mistaken for flu. I know it amazes me that a lowly cold can make me feel so terrible. Surely it must be something *worse* than a common cold!

As a mother, I'm thrilled that my kids can usually throw off cold symptoms pretty quickly and with a minimum of discomfort. It is humbling, though, that they barely slow down with a cold while I'm hoping someone got the license number of the truck that hit me.

It gets even better when both adults in the house have a 'code' at the same time. Kenneth, though, is a far better trooper than I. He keeps going and going. Me, I go to bed. Cold medicine combined with my major wimpiness and I can sleep for about 3 days or so. Ken, on the other hand, he cleans out the garage.

We also have personalized ways of being sick in our home...

Christopher, with a mild illness, is convinced he's dying of some rare, horrible disease. He prefers to camp out on the couch or in our bed where he can watch tv. By 2:00 or so he's usually 'cured!'

Abbey curls up in a ball, wrapped in blankets and stays pretty quiet. It's the only time 10-minutes can pass without her declaring she's hungry. She loves the fact that we prescribe her favorite food...chicken noodle soup. She has me feel her forehead and back regularly to check for fever, and her stuffed animals are usually perched all around her.

When feeling moderately ill I'll break out the peanut butter and crackers or cheese and crackers. I've never really thought of it as comfort food, but apparently it is. Soda, tea, water - doesn't matter. I keep a drink going at all times when I'm sick.

Well, it's been about 15-minutes so it must be time for my nap. Oh, and could you pass the tissues please?

Have a great (and healthy!) week.

ConKerr Cancer...A Case for Smiles

A number of weeks ago I mentioned I would soon have some news to share here. Well, it took a little longer than I expected, but that's okay, I can share it now.



I have become Regional Coordinator for "ConKerr Cancer...A Case for Smiles." What is that? In its simplest terms it's an organization that provides cheerful, brightly colored pillow cases for kids with cancer and other chronic illnesses any time they are admitted to the hospital.



A Regional Coordinator makes contact with a local hospital to get permission for the program. From that point on the job is to always promote the program, recruit volunteers, donations, etc. It's a program that truly benefits all involved. The pillowcases are so easy to make even children can participate. This is a wonderful chance for families to participate in community service.



I urge you to visit http://www.conkerrcancer.org/ and check out the website. Make sure to view the video with Cindy Kerr receiving an award from Martha Stewart for her work with ConKerr...




Finally, think of ways you can help by either volunteering, donating, spreading the word, or anything that will help this cause.



And finally...

This effort was started by a woman named Cindy Kerr. When her son, Ryan, would enter the hospital due to his cancer, she would always have a new pillowcase ready for him to brighten his room, and hopefully, his spirits. Ryan lost his fight with cancer in March 2008. It was Ryan's wish that ConKerr would not only continue, but grow to the point that evey child entering the hospital would have a pillowcase waiting for him.

Have a terrific weekend!

Rainy Wednesday Night in October

I love this; listening to the rain while sitting on my sofa, laptop in place, enjoying the quiet. Kids, husband and cat all asleep and me sitting here wondering (yet again) why it's taken me so long to update 'Musings..." Ok, well, nothing to be done except to write...



A great way to start the week... I'm excited to share that Sunday evening, I was baptized! It was a wonderful evening. Elisa spoke so sweetly on my behalf and left me teary-eyed. I was so happy that most of my family was there (including Kaitlyn and Zachary), as well as many church members, folks from our life groups, and our pastors. I don't think I mentioned that my son, Darrell, even wore a shirt with buttons! And they were buttoned!

In celebration afterward (of the baptism, not the buttons) we had an old-fashioned ice-cream social. Multiple long tables lined up with ice-cream churns filled with some of the best home-made ice-cream I've ever had. This was also a chance to show-off the babies to all those who prayed for them for weeks. Afterward we all went to McDonald's for a quick bite to top off the ice-cream.




Hmmm....Speaking of McDonald's... it's not exactly a favorite of mine, but it occurs to me that it's often been in the picture at memorable times. Following baptism, anytime we had a family member in the hospital, when I was in labor with Christopher, and the last place Elisa ate before heading to the hospital to have Zachary. I even remember having lunch with Ken at McDonald's on Sept. 11, 2001 - they had a television on in the corner with the breaking news of the World Trade Center crashes. While not exactly the 'Golden Arches,' Shannon and her date even went to Hardee's drive-thru on prom night (she wasn't crazy about the fancy restaurant food). I guess there is a lot to be said for convenience...





Look closely and you'll see one very proud Grandad!

...And my terrific husband.

Wednesday night raindrops... (sounds so much nicer than 'bullets')

• James Taylor (I love James Taylor!) recently released a new CD titled 'Covers' where he does songs previously recorded by other artists. Favorites of mine include Suzanne, Wichita Lineman, Summertime Blues and On Broadway Good stuff!
• It is incredibly awesome to see my daughter and her husband parenting their son.
• A Woman Scorned??? It's so funny to see baby Kaitlyn, 2 months old, show 'attitude' when she sees her mom, Shannon, holding baby Zach!
• Back to the future... I love having Shan & Elisa interested in repeating things they remember from childhood. Shannon and her cousin were 5-months apart. They had matching (actually contrasting) 'My First Christmas' outfits. Shannon mentioned she wanted something similar for Kaitlyn and Zachary. Elisa found adorable outfits for them in appropriate boy and girl models. I think she also got her first lesson in Economics 101...you can dress boys cheaper than girls. Kaitlyn's outfit still needs tights and shoes to complete it! Ka-Ching...
• Our son-in-law, Rob, called this evening looking for information on buying good coffee. Preferably strong. Ha! Seems to me they really should market a brand specifically geared to new parents! Something like "Star-I haven't slept in a week and if this will keep me awake I'll pay you big-Bucks" Well not quite...we'll get marketing to work on it.

It's time to call it a night. So, if you're not eating at McDonald's or dancing in the rain then I hope you're warm and toasty and being lulled by the sound of the rain on the roof.

G'night.