a little progress

Pics of the work we've done on the hallway! Martin is the king of wallpapering and I'm the queen of painting stairs and spindles. We have 90 spindles, I've painted 40 so far.

Christmas Snapshots

Christmas stockings.


Best Christmas present reaction.









Christmas Exercise.












Christmas Nap.










Christmas Cuddle.











Christmas Nieces (in New Orleans).

Laura's latest!

Wow, y'all. Great news from Laura's corner of the world. She's been cast in the next Tim Burton feature film, Sweeney Todd. It will be a musical and so Laura's talent will be fully out there. Yay for her. Well done, as the Brits say.

Playing the lead is Johnny Depp (apparently he sings! or will very soon) and Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha somebody somebody (the Borat guy -- eeew). How fun, making a film with Johnny Depp - one of my favorites. Tim Burton is also one of my favorite directors. Sounds like a win, win, win, win situation. I don't know the name of Laura's character, but she plays Johnny Depp's crazy wife. It starts filming in January and will be released by Christmas 2007.

Martin is such a proud papa. And I'm thinking that I have a year to get in shape just in case I get to go to the premiere! :)

Cows Don't Lie

It's such a bold statement, isn't it? It should actually read "Cows Can't Lie".... because I believe they're inherently good, unlike humans. ANYWAY, I mention these cows because I learned something from Jorim while we were driving through the "downs" (what we call rolling hills) of Isle of Wight. Apparently, when it's about to rain, cows will clump together and lie down in the grass. And you know what? It's true! I've seen it time and time again, even today, right before it rained. And even while Annie and her mother, Cathy, were visiting, we saw the cows, laying down, in a group....and it rained.

I should also mention that on the same day we saw the weather forecasting cows with Annie, in a group, lying down....just down the road there was another herd of cows....standing.....and spread out across the field. Confusing, since it DID rain that day. So either the standing cows were dumb or trying to deceive us (which they don't do because they're good cows). I wish CS Lewis had written a book about this.

I'm not sure why they don't have "cow-cams" so we can watch them instead of the hit or miss weatherman.

the missing Chang triplet

I keep saying that Jonathan Chang looks like me. Here's proof. You be the judge. That's a newborn picture of me at the hospital. We could be twinkies!!!!! He just needs a little gel in his hair :)

I showed these pictures to Martin and he said "wow, that's amazing". Ya' never know, maybe one day we'll have little Asian babies running around too!

Nigella Bites

I bet you've seen her on the telly. Nigella, the gorgeous, curvacious cook show host. She uses this fabulous curved chopper thingy that you use with both hands and rock it back and forth. It looked like so much fun, I had to have one. So I have it hanging on a hook in the kitchen. (I have used it a few times, too)

Today, I was cleaning near this treacherous gadget and I accidentally sliced two fingers on my right hand rather deeply. Martin came to my resuce and praised me for being brave while he bandaged me up. He's definitely got the gift of encouragement. Since he was working on renovating the bathroom, I decided to try to fix dinner left-handed. I am NOT a lefty, I'm a righty. But it was quite funny trying to chop an onion and boil some rice...sounds easy, but there's a bunch of rice on the kitchen floor that says differently. I was such a clumsy left-handed oaf, I made myself chuckle several times.

It actually hurts to type, so that's the end of this blog.

one point for England

I told Martin I would put this little story on the blog....

I needed some stamps so since the post office is located just around the corner, I walked there from our house. I tucked some cash into my pocket so I wouldn't have to carry my purse. I got in line, bought some stamps, mailed some letters and walked home. When I got home, I noticed that I was missing a £20 bill from my pocket! Eeeks...that's about $40 :) So I didn't mention anything to Martin and slipped out again to retrace my steps and look for the money. But, being England, it was a rather blustery day and I was sure that the money had either been blown away or picked up by some lucky person. I looked around the post office floor, looked under a bench, near the garbage can...no money.

So I walked back home and found Martin and confessed. Confession is good for the soul. His immediate response was "Did you ask the people behind the counter if the money had been turned in?". I said "pssshhh, of course not, there's no way someone would do that!". He was convinced that it would get turned in. Paul also asked if someone had turned it in and I had to admit that I never asked. I mean.... would you?

Martin walked back to the post office with me and walked up to the post office lady :) and told her that his wife had lost £20 in the post office. Her exact words were "She did, by jove?" with a wonderful lilt to her accent. And she asked me to describe it and I told her it was folded up into thirds. Then she reached behind the counter and handed it to me with a big grin on her face.

On the walk back, Martin had the cheesiest grin on his face and had an extra bounce in his step and was so pleased with himself and his country....he even said "go England". I had to admit, it was a glorious moment and when we got home, Paul and Jorim also felt a surge of pride.

I congratulated them all and had to repent of being the jaded, cynical American.

Common Books of Prayer

I asked for recommendations on a book about prayer. These are the ones that came through. I haven't ordered any yet, but have to decide which ones to start with. If you end up reading one and loving it, let me know!!!!

1. Power Through Prayer - E.M.Bounds
2. How To Pray - R.A.Torrey
3. The Prayer Life - Andrew Murray
4. Praying Hyde - Francis McGaw
5. The Practice Of Prayer - G.Campbell Morgan
6. The Practice Of The Presence Of God, Letters and Conversations from Brother Lawrence
7. Teach Me to Pray (about Andrew Murray’s books)
8. Too Busy Not to Pray – Bill Hybels
9. The Arena of Prayer – Ben Jennings
10. John, Chapter 17
11. Intercessory Prayer - Dutch Sheets
12. Possessing the Gates of the Enemy - Cindy Jacobs
13. Prayer Shield - C. Peter Wagner
14. Beyond the Veil - Alice Smith
15. Authority in Prayer - Dutch Sheets
16. All the Prayers of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer
17. Prayer – Olive Wyon
18. Prayer, Does it Make Any Difference? – Philip Yancey

I'm going to start with the Yancey book since it seems like an easy, straightforward read. But then I'll also check out Andrew Murray since he seems to be the most recommended.

random Englishness

In the spirit of blogging just for the sake of blogging, here's a random post for ya. We Americans speak the same language as the British, but it's just a little bit different and therefore can be a whole new language. I listed "our English" first, then "their English" ;)

baking soda = bicarbonate soda
parking lot = car park
aluminum = aluminium

(they added an extra "i" for some reason)
snow peas = mange tout

(said with a French accent....by far the strangest one)
maple bars = iced buns
tourists = holiday makers
garbage can = rubbish bin

(or just bin...which is what I call it now)
saran wrap = cling film

(Martin even says it with an Indian accent....filim)
ground beef = ground mince
thank you = cheers (sometimes)

This is my favorite one and I haven't had enough guts to say it yet without feeling like I'm trying too hard to be British. But one day, I'll say it freely

back yard = garden

living room = lounge

bathroom = toilet or loo

sofa/couch = settee

television or tv = telly

gas = petrol

corn = sweetcorn

(nobody ever says just corn)

"teasing you" = "taking a Mickey"

(there are subtle nuances to using this that I still don't get)

"it doesn't matter or "I don't care" = "I'm not bothered" (best pronounced bah-vud)

(this one is my second favorite and I say it to make Martin laugh)

Well, that's a start. I have to go for now. Jorim is cooking spaghetti tonight and he is stressed out...so will go and give him a hand.

my future new sports car

I'm awake for some reason at 2:36 am. I've been sleeping like a champion for months and months and months. But I'm awake. Which is a shame, because usually Martin snores and I have to wear ear plugs ...but tonight he wasn't. What a missed opportunity for peace and quiet while sleeping.

Anyway, so I'm blogging because I've been convicted by all of you goody two-shoes bloggers who are so diligent and perfect and committed to it. :P

Since all of my pictures are either still on my camera or trapped on our other broken computer, this was all I could find. It's from Ebay and it's the car that I'm shopping for. A 1994 Nissan Micra. They don't have them in the States. But it's perfect for island driving on narrow streets with really expensive petrol. It'll be my new white sports car to replace my 1994 Nissan Sentra.

Sometimes God gives us just what we need and sometimes that's good enough.

Cheers!

Greetings from the lovely and sometimes sunny Isle of Wight. We're into our second week here and things are still going at breakneck speed. Our second wedding (aka "blessing") and third reception is this Saturday. All of Martin's family from Liverpool will be there as well as everyone Martin has ever know. I think there will be around 100 guests there. So, the wedding dress gets a second round! I think I'll be ready to sell it after that.

Anyway-- I don't want to tease you with a short blog, but it's coming up on midnight here and out-of-town guests are arriving tomorrow, so I have to go.

After our wedding, there will be a wonderful 10-day honeymoon in Spain, given to us as a wedding gift. So, no blogging for a couple of weeks, but I promise to post more details and photos of our new life here soon. Here's one to start you off...the front of our house!

More coming in a coupla weeks, hang tight!

Martin (aka Mardy)

Here he is! My fiancee', my future husband, the man who is stuck with me for the REST OF HIS LIFE! Our new life together begins on April 15th at 6:30... please make our joy complete by joining us. Can you tell that I've been looking at wedding invitations? If I don't blog much between now and the wedding, please forgive me.

My plan is to blog like a blogging fool once I move to the Isle of Wight. Until then, keep me in your prayers because figuring out how to change everything in my life is keeping me more than occupied and a little bit frazzled.

Love to all!

Just when you thought I would never post anything new

I'm the worst blogger in the world. I know this. I've accepted it. BUT things may change because I got a brand new, spiffy, ever-so-tiny digital camera today. Early Christmas from sisters and Mom. I think this will help me tell my story in pictures rather than words. So, brace yourself for some new, exciting posts. And thank you for not giving up on me.

Mom and Katrina

Update on Mom and her whereabouts after Hurricane Katrina. She and her husband, Dan, were able to stay in their home in a rural area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Their home suffered no severe damage. Praise God! However, since my mom and Dan both work in casinos that were wiped out in the storm (Mom is a restaurant manager and Dan is a blackjack dealer).... they had no jobs. Just this week, they found new jobs in Baton Rouge at a casino there. They are grateful for new jobs but feeling out of sorts that they have to leave their home and move to a new area.

And in Baton Rouge, my friends there report that the population has doubled. My friend, Laura, said that instead of taking 10 minutes to get to her local Target, it takes 30 minutes because of the traffic. I'm bracing myself for what it will be like the next time I visit Louisiana.

My sister, Michel, and her family are settling back into their home in New Orleans. They also suffered no major damage to their home. Their kids are back in school and Michel is able to commute to her job in Baton Rouge, which used to be in downtown New Orleans.

I still have not absorbed the enormity of the situation. As I watch footage on TV, all I feel I can do from thousands of miles away is to pray. Thank you for your prayers for my family too.

they got me

My friends are pretty clever. Alisa and Mo are in town visiting from Virginia and I thought we were just popping in for a visit with a friend, but it turned out to be a surprise birthday party for me.

Can I tell you, I was clueless! I knew NOTHING!

What a great time it was, having so many of my favorite people in one place at the same time!





Look, even Pastor Chris was there! And Jason! And Amy! Annie was a sneaky planner!
















My first pair of Rainbow sandals!
One can never have too many pairs of flip flops.












Hanging out at the jacuzzi.

Lay Counseling

I'm not so good at blogging, I've found. I have alot going on, but not many pictures to accompany my life. So since I'm a visual person, I feel bad not including a picture so I don't blog.

Except for right now. I have 8 minutes before my Thursday night class starts. It's a 30-week class, every Thursday from 630-930. It's a Lay Counseling class and it's provided for free through the Saddleback Pastoral Care ministry.

Tonight's my third week and we're learning about Honesty. If you have any questions about that topic, I'll be happy to answer them after 930 tonight. (pacific standard time, of course).

Family Update

The last I heard was that Mom and Dan are going to stay with my sister in Memphis. There is no way for them to stay at their house any longer without water. Food is unavailable, even at the stores that are open.

My other sister, Michel, and her family will be making their way towards Covington. This is a town just north of New Orleans. It's likely that this will be where they live permanently. Schools in New Orleans are gone, so her daughters will most likely be enrolled at school in Covington.

Mom and Dan were both employed by casinos, so we'll have to see where they end up getting new jobs.

Mom is safe

I can breathe. We've gotten word that Mom is safe, in a dry home, with a generator. Praise God! The last 24 hours has been very hard....not knowing, not hearing, only seeing photos online of the devastation. Grandma is accounted for as well. We've heard from all of my family members in that area, so hopefully I will get some sleep now.

What a nightmare this whole thing is. Keep praying!

Kiln, MS

Still no word from Mom. I found a small clip on MSNBC of aerial footage of Bay St. Louis, MS which is a town just a few miles from Mom. It's completely wiped out. It's where I attended jr. high and high school. Gone! The reporter said that the eye of the storm passed directly over Bay St. Louis. My mom lives just a few minutes north of this town in a place called Kiln, MS. I did a Google search to see if ANY info came up and found this quote from Brett Favre (of the Green Bay Packers), whose hometown is Kiln, MS. It wasn't good news, but at least it was news. I'll take what I can get.

"Earlier telephone calls from relatives informed Favre that several trees near his mother's house had been flattened by winds and that police were stopping attempts to visit the area some 50 miles from her home with indications it might be weeks before people were allowed into the area.
"I hope they are OK but with each minute that passes I worry," Favre said. "I would hope they could get to a phone but I know there are other issues. Everywhere is flooded. They don't have electricity. It's 100 degrees."
"In my gut I feel they are OK but in my mind I begin to wonder.".

My sister, Michel, will be making her way from Baton Rouge in that direction tomorrow or the next day. We've heard from the sheriff's dept that the roads are impassable in "the Kiln". But she will do what she can to get there in the next couple of days.

Katrina

It's a strange thing to see your hometown on the news being ripped apart and drowned from a catastrophic hurricane. Being in California, I feel so helpless to do anything. But I've been praying hard.

My mother, Germaine, lives on the southern coast of Mississippi. She and her husband, Dan, drove north to Vicksburg to try to evacuate but couldn't find a vacancy in a hotel, so drove back home. Nobody has heard from her yet. The eye of the storm would have passed almost directly over her home. I'm choosing to believe that she is just unable to make contact with anyone due to lack of electricity and phone lines. But it's really, really hard to not know if she's OK. My grandmother, Vera, is also unaccounted for. She is in a nursing home in the same area as my mom.

My sister, Michel, evacuated with her family from New Orleans to Shreveport and they are all fine. They've been told that their home is OK as well.

My other sister, Jeane, lives in Memphis and went through the weakened storm last night and lost electricity but that's all.

Friends in Baton Rouge are all accounted for, praise God!

Prayers for my mom and grandma would be very much appreciated! Will try to keep you updated on this blog.