Is there no end to the crafts?

Just as I think that I have seen every craft imaginable, something new comes along. Just when I think that there is nothing new to be seen in the arts and crafts world, something new comes along. And just as I think that I have made all my choices in the crafts world and am done spending money on new crafts, SOMETHING NEW COMES ALONG!!!

I just discovered this interest new craft and had to share it with you. It really is quite interesting. I may have to try one just for the fun of it. They are Temari Balls. From the web site: "Temari has become a creative art form of breath-taking splendor. It has survived the thousand years because of its endless design potential and creative possibilities."

Ash Wednesday

Leon and I went to our church's Ash Wednesday service last night. I have not really observed Ash Wednesday in the past. I was certainly aware of it and it was a part of our church calendar, but aside from that I didn't really pay too much attention.

I understand the discipline intended when you give something up; but always struggled a bit with what that had to do with spirituality.

I was very inspired by the service at our church last night and have committed to attempt to use these 40 days of lent to examine my spirituality and how it fits into my life. Our pastor gave such a wonderful message; communion and the ashes were meaningful; and the symbolism and tradition was comforting. I am so glad I went!!!

Memories (and a funny story)

Upon returning home from Indianapolis, I have been meaning to write about a memory I had while I was helping out with Abby.

One of the things that I did while in Indy was to deliver Abby to and from preschool. The process has clearly been planned out by the preschool teachers and the parents are expected to adhere to the rules for drop off and pick up. I was instructed by Carrie exactly how to proceed. Once I pulled into the back parking lot, I unhooked Abby from her car seat. She crawled up into the front seat and I pulled into the line of cars which wound from the back parking lot through to the front parking lot as each car unloaded it's precious cargo. The teachers come out and physically take each child from the car and they are taken into the church for preschool. The parent, or in my case, grandparent does not have to get out of the car at all. At the pickup time, the reverse happens, the child is physically put into the car, then I pull into the back parking lot and fasten her into her car seat.

There is something inherently satisfying about dropping your grandchild off for preschool. Since I only had to drive up and someone else took over, I had time to really appreciate the feeling. I'm not sure if the feeling comes from stepping in for that short time and experiencing her day; or if it has to do with the feeling that here I am, involved in her life and being the grandma dropping off my little one while mommy is home with a new baby. I think it also had to do with the normalcy of preschool and the gifts which both Abby and myself are able to enjoy. At any rate, I had the luxury of remembering back to when my girls were little and a funny story that I feel I must share.

This particular story is about Lissy and a particularly difficult morning that we had before school when she was in elementary school. I will just take a guess and say about 3rd grade. Difficult mornings often consisted of not agreeing about much of anything, which could include clothes, breakfast, chores, after-school instructions or any combination of these things. So this morning, Lissy and I just absolutely clashed, which ultimately resulted in tears and anger and starting both our days in awful moods. I went off to work and she went off to school still mad at each other for some very insignificant reason ( I assume all mothers and daughters experience this.)

I got to work feeling very regretful and sad that I had allowed both of our days to start out like this. So I decided that I would call her at school to tell her to have a good day. I called the school and asked to speak to her and they allowed me to do that. She was called to the office and when she picked up the phone and said 'Hello"; I began my heartwrenching, sad story, telling her that I was so sorry and that I loved her; that I wanted her to have a good day; that she meant the world to me; that we would not have any more mornings like that again (even though we did) and on and on.... When I was all done with my 'I'm so sorry' speech, I hear a little voice say "Who is this?" So I reply, well who is THIS? The little voice says "This is Melissa St____ly".

Okay I just poured out my heart to the wrong Melissa. So with some semblance of dignity, I tell this other little girl to please send my Melissa to the phone. I managed to work up another good "have a good day" message for my Lissy , but it just wasn't as good the second time.

As Lissy and I talked about it later, she says that when Melissa St__ly came back to the room, all she said was "I think it's your mom".

Back to veggies

Well, I have a confession to make. I just got back from Indianapolis and I wasn't very good in my WW program. Now granted, as one WW friend said, "life happens, move on"; but there is still all that time that I could have been losing and instead probably gained. But today, I am back on the wagon, have been on the treadmill and made a beautiful vegetable salad this afternoon.

We went to church this morning and stopped at the Andersons on the way home. They have really good, really reasonable produce, so we often stop on our way home. They had a sample salad with all kinds of colorful vegetables and a dressing. It was really pretty and looked really good, so I decided to try it at home. Here are a couple of pictures of how it looked. We got a really good strawberry viniagrette dressing and as the little Campbells girl says -- Umm Umm Good!!!!!

I bet a little bit of fruit would be good in it too, strawberries or mandarin oranges. Just thought of that - maybe next time. Also, Leon put a little bit of goat cheese on his.

The Dalai Lama's rules

I was doing some surfing the other day and came across the Dalai Lama's rules for living. I have a lot of respect for this religious leader and think he probably has discovered the secret to serenity and peace. We all have stresses and chaos in our lives and perhaps he does not. He certainly is well taken care of and probably does not have many worries. But nevertheless, I found his rules to be a very good goal to work toward. I thought I would share and it is always good to read them again. Perhaps I should send them to the Israeli's, Palestinians, Taliban and all other warring peoples.

Dalai Lama’s 18 rules for living

At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living. Since word travels slowly in the digital age these have only just reached me. Here they are.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
   1. Respect for self
   2. Respect for others
   3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it