Things I'm Geeking Out About May 15, 2014 Edition

I don't keep up with this blog as much as I should.  There. I said it. I'm a bad blog mother. But I'm hoping that since we're basically besties, you guys will overlook this due to all the chaos currently going on in my life. So... are we cool? Okay, good. whew. Basically, I just want to share some things with you that I'm geeking out about recently. Here goes:

1. Meal planning (am I a grown up, or what?) I found this fabulous site: PepperPlate.  It lets you store recipes, make grocery lists, etc. Oh and did I mention? It's FREE.
2. This video. Can I just marry one of them? Please? Preferrably Danny Jones. Sigh.
3. Julep's new Plié Wand. Real talk: I'm right-handed.  As a result, my right hand nails always looks like garbage. With the new Plié Wand, they don't have to. From one girl to another, check it out!
4. LearnVest. An easy way to set up a budget for yourself, track your spending, and set goals. Also, another FREE app.
5. Am I the only one obsessed with 2048??? Please say no.  That way I don't feel like such a loser for constantly coming back to it. I. Can't. Stop.
6. Once Upon a Time!! As if this show didn't already have me Hooked (pun totally intended), now they're bringing in Frozen next season?? I'm definitely on board.
7. Doctor Who... I basically never stop geeking out about The Doctor. I think it's time to finally admit to myself that it's my favorite show. EVER. I ♥♥ it.
8. Food snobs can skip this one, but... Pizza Hut's Ultimate Cheese Lover's pizza with Alfredo sauce.  If you're like me and struggle with heartburn sometimes, it's a nice change from the pizza sauce. Give it a go!
9. Birchbox.. Why can't I quit you? Because you're awesome. That's why. Birchbox sends you samples of quality beauty products, so you can try them and see what you like. And there's a good variety of products in each box.
10. UK Edition of Harry Potter. Did you know there's a difference? I only found this out recently.  I picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on half.com for a steal! (Also, did you know in the UK there are adult versions of Harry Potter? Never fear. I looked it up and there's no mature content. It just has a more sedate cover, so adults can carry it without feeling ridiculous... All I'll say is that real fans don't care if they look ridiculous. ;) )

What are YOU geeking out about these days? I'd love to know. :) Leave me some love in the comments.

♥Rebekah

From Where I Sit...

“Your cat will never threaten your popularity by barking at three in the morning. He won't attack the mailman or eat the drapes, although he may climb the drapes to see how the room looks from the ceiling." ~ Helen Powers

Cats are funny creatures.  I have a cat.  His name is Charlie.  He is a tiny little thing and doesn't weight more than ten pounds.  He has the most adorable little furry face.  He catches mice (when he wants to), ferociously pounces on moths (and sometimes eats them), likes to roll around on peoples smelly shoes (not sure why that is...), and generally just sit around looking fabulous. In short, I love him.

This will probably sound unrelated, initially, but I recently moved.  I am living with a friend of mine, about 10 minutes (okay, not even ten minutes) from my parents house.  The change of pace has been lovely for me. But my roommate has two small Pomeranian dogs... Okay, now it comes back to my cat.  I left my cat at my parents house because I wasn't sure if the dogs would be able to handle me AND my cat all at once.  So, I moved in by myself with the promise of bringing Charlie at a later date.

That date finally arrived! A week and a half ago, I moved Charlie in with me. It was quite an event. He hid under the bed and wouldn't come out, at first.  Then he came out and walked around in the dining room 'til one of the dogs barked his way and then he couldn't get out of there fast enough!! 

So for the last eleven days, I have been watching these two polar opposite species butt heads. Banjo will sniff his way into my room and peek under the bed, at which point, Charlie will hiss and Banjo will run out.  It's like a routine by now.  A dance where each one knows the steps by heart.  But I'm noticing little changes that make me hopeful that at some point, the lion and the lamb will lie down together.

For example, yesterday Banjo sauntered into the room and Charlie meowed, but remained under the bed and there was no hissing! Whoa! Then later, Charlie ventured out into the dining room.  I told him (because of course he understands me, right?) "You better watch out.  I think you probably don't want to go out that far." and he must have understood me because no sooner did the words cross my lips than he hightailed it outta there! haha Lolo's the smart one in this case since he just sits back and watches.  Or maybe he's just not brave because he rarely comes into the room where Charlie is.  He stands by the door and sniffs occasionally, but other than that, he keeps his distance.

That's not much progress you might say, but it is progress nonetheless, so... I'll take it. ;)

I was a Public School Kid and I'm Proud of That...

Growing up in Christian circles there always seemed to be a certain stigma about kids going to public school (It's still there). When I was in high school (*public*high school), I remember hearing from the pulpit about how evil public schools were. How they were just a breeding ground for sex, drugs and ungodly music. How if your kids went there, they would be barraged with offers of drugs and/or cigarettes. Every kid was in a gang and Evolution was taught in every class.

This view does not seem to have changed in the fourteen years since I graduated from high school. (You didn't know I was that old did you... ;) ) Just last year I sat in the nursery at my church while two ladies (who had no idea that I went to public school) discussed at length how they would never send their kids to public school because they wanted them to have a "real" education, where they wouldn't be confronted by worldly temptations. (On a side note, one of these same ladies had previously told me about her sister doing marijuana with kids from their Christian school, so take that for what you will). I just sat there quietly, not partaking in the conversation because I knew these ladies would be embarrassed if I spoke up that *I* was a product of this institution of the devil... Awkward.

I just want to state something here and that is this: I was never offered drugs. I was never even offered a cigarette. No one ever made inappropriate advances at me or tried to get me to join a gang. And no, no one was having sex in the hallways... (Sorry, couldn't resist a little inside joke haha) The truth is I could have been involved in some of these things if I had wanted to. But my parents raised me better than that. Those things and people are there if you look for them but I *chose* to surround myself with people who weren't involved in those things.

I *loved* high school. I was in the choir, and guess what... We sang secular music, but we also sang Christian music and music by classical composers like Vivaldi. And guess what else... Our school had a Bible study. Yep, that's right and you know what, even now at some school functions, they pray.

My parents were (and are, yes my brother is still in high school) very involved in everything we did. They looked over our schoolwork and there were times that my parents were uncomfortable with something and they would arrange with the teacher for me to do something else. I wasn't forced to do something that my family wasn't comfortable with.

Maybe there are some schools out there that are all the things the fundamentalist preachers like to harp on, but my school wasn't one of them. Was it perfect? No, of course not. There were (and are) issues that arise from time to time. But that can be said of anyplace.

So you can say that I'm a horrible person or that my parents didn't care about me because they didn't send me to a Christian school, but the truth is my parents did the best that they could for me and I love them for that and when it's all said and done, I'm very grateful for the quality of education that I received.

I ♥ This!

Lord, Give Me Patience, but Give it to me Now!!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase "Good things come to those who wait." or "Everything good is worth waiting for." Those type of phrases.  I am not necessarily arguing against those words of wisdom, but I just need to say . . . It's hard to wait!!

There are several things lately, that I've been waiting on and for.  On the outside, I may appear calm and patient and in many ways I am (patient anyway, not gonna try and claim calm lol).  You see, throughout my life, I have always had to wait for things.  I have never had things handed to me.  I've had to work hard.  It has not always been pleasant or easy, but it has taught me that I can make do without things.  So, even though I do not enjoy waiting, I guess you could say I am used to it.

Today, I was thinking, "Okay, Lord, if you're trying to teach me about patience, I get it!!  Let's move on to something else please!!"  And then I chuckled at myself.  Just the fact that I am having this conversation with God shows that I have actually not yet learned the lesson of patience that He wants me to learn.  You see, I'm already eager for God to commence with the instant gratification and leave off from the waiting game.  The Bible says:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." ~ Isaiah 40:31

God has a reason that He wants me to keep waiting, so I will keep waiting.  I will use the time given to me to "renew my strength"; to prepare myself--mentally, spiritually, emotionally--for whatever it is that is coming my way--good or bad.  God already knows what it is and He is asking me to wait so that I will be best prepared.  He is ready to prepare me for it.  God knows exactly what I need and why I need it.

"One day at a time"  The older I become, the more this makes sense to me.  It does us no good to worry about tomorrow.  We need to worry about today.  Do what is necessary for today and tomorrow will take care of itself.  God gives us grace sufficient for that day.  He knows just what we need.

I can't help but be reminded of The Lord of the Rings.  (By the way, if you're unaware of my geekiness, then you've obviously never read my blog before) ;)  But it's something that Gandalf says early in The Fellowship of the Ring.

"A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins.  Nor is he early.  He arrives precisely when he means to."

The same can be said of God.  Maybe His timeline doesn't match ours.  But that doesn't mean he is late or early.  Whatever God does is good and right and His timing is perfect.  So much better than ours.  Our finite minds cannot see all ends and sometimes we cannot see how something in our lives can possibly be for our own good, but God sees what is coming and He knows better than we do.

So maybe you're sitting there and you're thinking "I am soooo tired of waiting.  I'm ready for my life to begin."  Well, you know what? I think someone once said "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."  So go on out there and start doing what you know to do.  Maybe you're waiting for a significant other.  Maybe you're waiting for a better job.  Maybe you're waiting for God's healing hand on you.  Maybe you're waiting for better times all around.  Just keep taking it one day at a time and praying and asking God to guide you and make the path clear for you.  He will lead you, if you let Him.  

One thought I wanna leave you with is this.  "God wants the best for your life."  Just remember that.  God loves you and wants what's best. Carry that thought in your heart and you will have a smile on your face. :)

Shows I Loved as a Child

♫ Picture pages, picture pages, open up your picture pages.  Time to let Bill Cosby do a picture page with you ♫

Does anyone else remember that little song? I used to watch Nickelodeon every day as a kid and Picture Pages with Bill Cosby was one of the things I loved.  I think it's time I make a list of these things and see if there are others out there who remember these long ago first favs of mine.  (These are not in any particular order)

1. Rainbow Brite:

 I LOVED Rainbow Brite.  I used to beg my mama to give me a "side ponytail" so I could be just like her!! I remember getting Rainbow Brite sheets for my birthday when I was 6 years old.  Wish I still had them.

2.  Belle & Sebastian:

  

This show was . . . EPIC!! I remember loving it so much.  It was about this boy (Sebastian), who lived in the Alps, and his huge dog (Belle).  I think this dog is the reason I want to own a St. Bernard.  I mean, seriously, with a dog this large, if your car breaks down (as mine often does) you've still got a ride to work!

3. Rose Petal Place:

 

Okay, so I confess. I can't remember if this was a tv show or just a doll that was out during the early/mid-80s.  But I remember I thought she was so cool and I wanted one.  She smelled like roses, if you can imagine. lol

4. Pinwheel:

Did anyone else watch Pinwheel? It was just one of those little Nickelodeon shorts.  I can still remember the words to the theme song!

5. The Little Prince:

This was a show I watched every day.  I just thought it was a great show.  It wasn't until I got older that I was introduced to the actual work by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which I now also love.  The show was about this Little Prince who lived on a tiny planet where he spent his time cleaning tiny volcanos and taking care of a very persnickety rose plant.  He would use his net to catch shooting stars as they passed by his planet and they would bring him to earth where he would have adventures.  Much loved by me is this old, lesser-known cartoon.

6. David the Gnome:

I remember watching this and Maya the Bee during the summers when I would go to visit my Mamaw.  I enjoyed this one a lot.  I'm trying to remember did Tom Bosley do the voice of David for the American version? Anyone remember?

7. (The afore-mentioned) Maya the Bee:

Another great Nickelodeon show!

8. Gummi Bears:

There's no other way to say this except that this show was the BOMB DIGGITY!! I loved this show.  I can still sing all the words to the theme song.  I also remember my brother, Eric, had a Tummy Gummi stuffed animal.  Just a teeny bit jealous of that. :)

9. The Bozo Show:

I remember being so excited when we first got cable.  I was 5 years old and my mom said "We're going to get cable and when we do, you'll be able to watch The Bozo Show." It only came on WGN and at the time we were living in TN and it was not a local station for us.  I remember thinking how I wished I would be an "at-home" winner for the Grand Prize Game.  Sure would've loved one of the Schwinn bicycles.  I still, to this day, cannot hear Schwinn bicycles without thinking of The Bozo Show. :)

Is it just me or are cartoons/kids shows not this awesome anymore!?  I feel sorry for the kids now who are growing up in the age of reality tv and shows like Hannah Montana.  They are missing out on some of the coolest shows ever!  Did you watch any of these shows? What do you remember about them? If you watched different shows, what shows did you watch? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

~ Taste the Rainbow ~

This is a rainbow cake.  I want to make (and eat) one.  I don't think I even need to say anything more. :)