Smell the Onion

Oh my goodness.  I could spend eight billion dollars on stuff for
my kid.  Someone stop me!  Seriously.  I had a ball
getting her easter basket ready.  Got called a bad mom several
times because said basket contained no sugar.  In fact, it
contained no edibles at all.  She, however, still seems to love
me. 

Last year this time I had like 10 dollars total to spend on an easter
basket, and being as it was her first easter, I had to purchace the
basket and all the trimmings as well as the actuall stuff to go in
it.  This year, I went a tidge bit overboard, but I don’t
care.  She got three books, a sesame street dvd, new flower
stickers, and four scarves to play with.  (Bought the first at
Wal-Mart, scoured Searcy for more that weren’t a billion dollars, and
finally wised up and got the other three at Goodwill.  Yay for
frugality.  I washed and ironed them (in point of fact, I washed
and Sarah ironed) and no one was the wiser.)

I call this “Maya with Scarf”

She’s also getting a hand puppet, though it’s going to be a belated
easter gift, as I haven’t ordered it yet.  (Actually, I’m ordering
two…one for now, and one for her birthday or something…don’t tell
Tim).  Here they are:

The hippo is way cool, because it is actually two puppets.  A tiny
one for a tiny hand, and a big one for a mama hand.  Yay.

My mom made Maya a beautiful easter dress out of her own wedding
dress.  I think it’s the neatest idea and it looked so lovely on
my lovely girl.  See for yourself.

                                             

Anyhow.  It was lovely to see Brook and Mike and Lo and Jena.  Big loves to all.  Happy Wednesday.

A lady from church called me two weeks ago and asked if I could be
on a committee that would be in charge of the newsletter for
the South Baton Rouge Christian Childrens Foundation.  ( www.sbrccf.org
if anyone’s interested)  At that time, I knew next to nothing
about the foundation, but it sounded good, and interesting, so I said
sure. She called because she remembered me saying, seven months
ago when we met, that I had an English degree.

The truth is, I really only ended up with the degree because I
couldn’t really think of any better ideas.  English seemed like
the best choice because it is one of the few academic areas that I ever
showed any  promise in, and also because I had the most hours
already accumulated in writing and literature classes.  Also, and
of course, I enjoy writing and reading more than I enjoy a lot of
things.  (Ha ha!  Do you get the irony in an awfuly
constructed paragraph about choosing English as a major?)

The truth is, had I not gotten the husband, child and subsequent
degree, I’d probably be sleeping on a piece of yellow foam inhabited by
bedbugs in Tanzania somewhere by now.  So, Africa, or
Motherhood–either way, the degree seemed somewhat perfunctory. 
But, here I am with it. 

And it turns out it might be useful after all.

I have been considering recently how very much time I just fizzle
away doing nothing of even immediate importance–not to mention eternal
importance.  And seriously, why am I here…so I can watch the
seventeenmillionth episode of Oprah?  Get the mail for the
sixhundreth time?  Vaccuum and go to the post office, and nap and
peel potatoes? 

Please don’t misunderstand me, I adore my role as a mother and wife,
and I am quite sure that fufulling those roles is exactly my purpose
for being right now.  But I am also quite sure that I am much much
too lazy, physically and intellectually.  My eyes are glazing over
and I am missing many opportunities this life and my God would afford
me. 

So, back to the newsletter.  I need to be more useful, and I am
thankful that since I had not been pursuing opportunities to be so,
that this one was sent UPS to my door. 

Would that my eyes were opened to the good works God has prepared in advance for me to do. 

I think it is time for some updating.  I was dwaddling out of
spite–only two comments on my last entry?  And about something so
dear to me, too.  Dang, people.  Big raspberries to you all. 

Anyhow.  I’m over it.   

The zoo was, as you have
probably ascertained, quite lovely.  Well, the zoo itself wasn’t
exactly awe inspiring, but watching Maya chase goats, etc.
was.   I shall post a few pictures of my own whenst I get
around to it. 

I have recently discovered a place I like to be–the nursery.  I
have been harboring the desire to start a container herb garden for
over a year now, and last week, on a particularly dreary day, I had a
sudden sense of urgency about it–and a sudden burst of energy. 
So, Maya and I went out in to the drippy day to the only nursery I
could locate–the one we drive past every time we go to the grocery
store.  There is something about being in amongst all of that
green and oxygen that is quite refreshing–especially in the middle of
such a big ol artificial city.  They had fountains a-gurgling
everywhere, and Maya and I walked up and down the rows of vegitation,
me reading the little tags with names and touching the leaves and her
in the sling on my back, just watching , watching.  I finally
decided on a modest start–I have no experience with planting, growing,
harvesting, etc, and although one would think that a little patio
garden wouldn’t be too hard, if I’m unsuccesful, I don’t want to have
killed a lot of things.  I chose a greek oregano plant, some
thyme, some sage, and some lavender (green dentata).  The thyme
and sage live together, and the oregano and lavender got their own
terra cotta pots.  I got them home and (after much to do) potted,
and now they sit, sentinels of my scrubby patio.  If you come
visit me, after awhile, I shall feed you things seasoned by my very own
grown herbs. 

In other news, there will be an additon to our household come
October.  I am *not* pregnant, but a girl I know is.  She
works in the front office of our apartment complex, and she’s due in
August.  When she has to go back to work, I’ll be caring for her
child full time.  I am oh so very excited. 

That’s it.  Loves to all.