"Seven Stanzas at Easter"

By John Updike Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body; if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle, the Church will fall. It was not as the flowers, each soft Spring recurrent; it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of the eleven apostles; it was as His Flesh: ours. The same hinged thumbs and toes, the same valved heart that — pierced — died, withered, paused, and then regathered out of enduring Might new strength to enclose. Let us not mock God with metaphor, analogy, sidestepping transcendence; making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier ages: let us walk through the door. The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache, not a stone in a story, but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow grinding of time will eclipse for each of us the wide light of day. And if we will have an angel at the tomb, make it a real angel, weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair, opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen spun on a definite loom. Let us not seek to make it less monstrous, for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty, lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are embarrassed by the miracle, and crushed by remonstrance. Telephone Poles and Other Poems © 1961 by John Updike

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us;
and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may,
by thy mighty aid,
be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Third Sunday after Trinity
Book of Common Prayer 1928

• worked 50 hours
• ticked off a lady at Hancock's who used the adjective "smart ass" to describe those of us who were helping her
• was called "really pretty" by a little girl at Hancock's
  
• finished reading Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) and fell in love with Gilbert all over again
  
• started reading Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson)
• continued reading Tolkien: a Biography (Michael White)
• finished every bit of nasty paperwork associated with the upcoming school year--including my loan application and financial aid consent form
• finally finally finally sent in my thanks-but-no-thanks letters to University of Kentucky and University of Maryland
• painted my computer cart a disappointing green
  
• used the amazing new copier at the Crisis Pregnancy Center which duplexes, sorts, and staples the wad of papers one shoves in it
• found some fabulous deals at local thrift stores including a tea pot and a large glass canister ($3.19 for both) and a J. Crew sundress ($2.25)
• recovered my dining chairs
  
• am just beginning to understand the attitude of thankfulness
  

O GOD, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee;
Mercifully accept our prayers;
and because through the weakness of our mortal nature,
we can do no good thing without thee,
grant us the help of thy grace,
that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee,
both in will and in deed;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

1st Sunday after Trinity
Book of Common Prayer 1928

Modicum: a small amount or tiny bit

Her eyes searched his for one modicum of recognition but found none. He stamped his ticket, placed it neatly within the pockets of his billfold, and thrust himself calmly into the jostling crowd with nothing but 8:01 Bedford on his mind.

This Week I ...

• worked 44 hours
• continued to read Tolkien: A Biography (Michael White)
• started to read Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
• finished reading Babbitt (Sinclair Lewis)
• met a lovely girl named Heather at the library
• found an affordable three-shelf rolling cart for my computer!
  
• worked on a little something for my kitchen
• implemented a new tidying system for my terribly cluttered bedroom: every time I enter, I put away three things (no more and no fewer)
• took advantage of Tropical Smoothie Cafe's National Flip-Flop Day giveaway
  
• signed up for the summer reading program at the Central Library
• discovered I was calling a regular patron by the wrong name for months
• ate buttery-smooth cookies-and-cream ice cream at Bergey's with Mom and Kathryn
• witnessed the completion of Mom's book cart (more on that!)
• made progress on my furniture makeovers: prepared my dining chairs for painting and bought upholstery fabric; speared Dad's tire with my scattered upholstery tacks
  

As you can tell, I spend nearly every thinking minute on household touches and decor. I am so excited about settling into my apartment in North Carolina in just a few weeks. Everything is coming together.

This here is a lovely example of using free walls for conversation or reading areas--Leslie Banker of Rhode Island set this space up in her dining room, making use of this space with her classically simple loveseat (it is gorgeous, isn't it?). The paneled walls set off her collection of prints beautifully and the bright red tones enliven the rich neutral scheme. You can find her house tour at Cookie Magazine.

I was reading through one of my favorite design blogs, designsponge, and found this fabulous project for knotted trivets. Please take a peek at their site for instructions!

I think I must be librarianish, but I keep looking at our metal flat files at Regent and thinking what a lovely coffee table one would make--



Anything with drawers and labels catches my eye instantly, and I do think that a bit of this painted metal furniture can compliment a farmhouse-look interior. But perhaps that's just my own opinion.

I spent yesterday evening gushing over the gorgeous dresses from Shabby Apple, a clothing line designed with ease of wearing in mind--no camisoles or cardigans required for comfortable coverage. The classic design is worth every penny, too.

The Madison Ave:



The Broadway:



The Upper East Side:


The Midtown:


Imagine my delight when I saw that one of my favorite inspirational blogs is hosting a Shabby Apple giveaway for the darling Marseilles dress--click on the link below to see what an adorable dress this is!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

and while we're on the subject of charming dresses, look at this dress from one of my favorite blogs, wearinghistory:



Oh the colors! One of the very best combinations, in my opinion.

vintage+wedding+frock

Isn't Kathleen from Grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com inspirational? I love viewing her refashioned projects although goodness knows, I do not need to add anything else to my to-do list for quite some time! But look at her glorious refashioned dress--

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

--its delicate pintucks, lace, buttons, and transparency create an absolutely charming frock.

I love that Denmark resident Tracy Lorna Nors used floorboards to make her coffee-table top. (you can find more pictures of her lovely home via decor8blog here. Isn't this lovely?



If I were to make a coffee table, I would cover the apron with four-by-four inch pressed tin tiles painted in an antique white, perhaps in a single row design like this



or this



But that will all come later. Right now I'm just looking for an inexpensive wooden coffee table with decent proportions. I will keep scanning craigslist or my lovely local thrift stores for that.

I'll also need some sort of desk, but as I don't really like sitting at one (start to get antsy), I've decided to look for a rolling cart instead, something that will hold my printer at the bottom, my various accessories like cd-drive, cords, keyboard in a drawer, and my laptop on the top. When I am done with it, I can just roll it away, out of sight. Now, carts are expensive so I'm toying with the idea of finding an end table with two shelves or a shelf and a drawer (even better) and putting casters on it. It seems like that would suit my needs well. Something along the lines of this, your typical second-hand end table, only with wheels (and painted white, of course)--

a few more needs

My household furnishings are coming together as I get ready for the big move at the end of July. I absolutely cannot wait to put it all together--and put it all together in the appropriate amount of space. My own bedroom here looks like a warehouse, and I've also got pieces scattered throughout my parents' house and in the garage. But I've got the big pieces (sofa, side chairs, dining table, hutch, side table, wall unit, dresser, bed) and really only lack a few more dining chairs and a coffee table. I am so grateful for craigslist.

The kitchen, however, is quite understocked. I wrote out a list of what I'll need and phew! it's overwhelming. But I like finding that sort of thing and so will keep combing the thrift stores. Shall I write it out? Here goes...

*French press (Ikea 12-cup)
*teapot
*tea kettle (K)
*1 airbake cookie sheet
*2 half-sheet pans (K)
*dutch oven (P)
*casserole dishes--square + rectangle, preferably with lids
*4 sets flatware + extra spoons (K?)
*large mixing bowl
*medium mixing bowl
*reusable food containers (jars with lids, flat stacking)
*bucket with lid
*cutting boards--large + small

*measuring cups
*measuring spoons
*bamboo spoons
*ladle
*spatulas
*can opener

*2 square potholders (get batting Friday June 5th at Hancock's)
*dishtowels
*napkins (cloth)
*hand mixer
*food processor (K)
*vacuum
*mop
*mop bucket
*broom
*dustpan (?)
*fly swatter

*soap dispenser for kitchen and bath
*microwave?

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

...such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17;3:4-6a)

Is this not wonderful news?

Okay, so I just came across this bicycle--



Talk about riding self-fueled vehicles in style! I am so excited that my soon-to-be home encourages cycling much more than my home here. My apartment is only 7 minutes from my side of campus by bike. Now that's nice.

I have too many projects taking up space in my imagination--and closet, since that's where I keep my fabric stash. This list, I might add, does not include my 3 bins of alterations. Thus (I raise my right hand) my goal is to complete one alteration/sew-up every two weeks. And I cannot buy anything that needs to be altered (save hem length, since that's a given for shrimp-sized gals) until I conquer my stash. The End.

I spotted these beautiful home pictures on Susana Raab's website, and lo and behold, my two favorite pictures were taken in my favorite Southern author's home, that of Eudora Welty. I do think my kitchen will look like #11 eventually, and my living room? like #12. Go take a peek!

I found a most intriguing book when I was shelf-reading (a most un-intriguing task): The New Testament English Version for the Deaf. It was translated directly from the Greek into English that is more compatible with the syntax and thought patterns of the deaf. To illustrate, here is a passage from Romans 3:

But God has a way to make people right without the law. And God has now shown us that new way. The law and the prophets told us about this new way. God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this for all people who believe in Christ. All people are the same. All people have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory. People are made right with God by his grace (kindness). This is a free gift. (21-24)

Notice the short, strong sentences. When I visited Deaf churches a few years ago, I was struck by the strong phrasing and constant repetition used by the preachers as they taught their congregations the Word of God (as a fledgling student of ASL, I was certainly grateful!). Such techniques may sound awkward and elementary in written English, but in signed language, it makes sense and really is beautiful. I appreciate how the editors of this version of the Bible were mindful of that in bridging the two languages.*

*I think that some hearing people assume that sign language is simply English conveyed through gesture; ASL is, however, a completely different language with its own grammar, idioms, dialects (yes, dialects; experienced signers can tell which region a signer is from based on his or her accent). Thus most deaf/Deaf Americans are at least bilingual.

I found this intriquing blog called Grosgrain, written by a creative gal who describes herself as "an artsy craftsy, penny pinching, party planning, playdating, fashion finding, sci-fi loving, stay at home mommy who always keeps her sewing machine plugged in and loves all things cute!"

Instant connection, particularly with her "artsy crafty, PENNY PINCHING" side. Look back on her site for some fashion inspiration and tutorials on copying expensive ready-made clothes (like some adorable pieces by anthropologie). In addition to her how-tos, she also has many many giveaways, either of pieces she's made or of guest giveaways. I saw this wonderful necklace by Persimmon Jewelry which she's giving away, and I couldn't resist entering. Check it out here:

Persimmon Jewelry Kline Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!