Happy Eliza Doolittle Day

  I was reading news articles on NPR today when I stumbled across the one whose title was wishing me a happy Eliza Doolittle day!  Being the fan of classic Hollywood that I am and the huge fan of Audrey Hepburn that I am, I of course stopped immediatly to read on.  Afterall, if there was a day devoted to celebrating one of my favorite characters of all time, shouldn't I be aware of it?

"In Act One of My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl learning to speak like a lady, fantasizes about meeting the king. Of course, because it's a musical, she sings:

'One evening the king will say, 'Oh, Liza, old thing - I want all of England your praises to sing. Next week on the twentieth of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day.'"

- Marc Acito, author of the article Speak Up And Celebrate 'Eliza Doolittle Day'; NPR

Mr. Acito really got me thinking when he provoked readers at the end of his article to "think before we speak".  How often is it that we fail to articulate ourselves well?  Living in the south, as I have for the last ten year of my life, I have noticed my movement from utter shock of the language to employing the language almost daily.  In fact, I suppose I probably use "y'all" just about as much as some valley girls use "like".

Anyway, this is just a really interesting article that is much more enjoyable to read than the latest news on the war, the oil spill or God forbid, more politics.  Ugh.  So, if you're like me and just want any old opportunity to celebrate something, celebrate Eliza Doolittle Day.  Whatever it is that Eliza means to you, celebrate.  For me, her character was about overcoming adversity, abject poverty, oppression, ridicule, rejection, and much more.  She had a dream to one day speak like a lady.  No matter the obstacles, she persevered through them with class.  No one ever told Eliza chasing her dream would be easy.  But...chasing her dream made her who she is.  God wouldn't have given us the ability to dream if God didn't intend for us to do so.

HAPPY ELIZA DOOLITTLE DAY!!

Some Christmas

I'm a sucker for a good Hallmark movie.  There is no denying it.  I just love them and they almost always bring me to tears.  This is certainly no exception during the holiday season.  This morning, I watched a new movie called Christmas in Canaan featuring Billy Ray Cyrus...yup, the undisputed achy breaky mullet king.

I was really moved by the story of overcoming adversity, both racial and financial.  It confronted the loss of loved ones and the promise and hope of things to come.  It genuinly pulled on every heart string.  But there was one thing that really stood out to me during this season and it's represented in the title, 'Some Christmas.'

In the movie, there is a scene where Billy Ray can't afford to give his family much of anything for Christmas.  Times have been tough and crops are not selling for what they were.  He has six mouths to feed, four children to raise and he's doing it all as a single father.  Through all this adversity, he refuses to let Christmas go by, rather, he commits to giving his family 'some Christmas'.  He knew what things they had been wanting and admiring.  He took pictures of these items, ad clippings, and wrapped each one.  What he told his family is that though he couldn't afford to give them what he wanted, he gave them what his heart wanted to give.  It was 'some' Christmas and it was all from his heart.  I'm not going to spoil it by telling you the rest.  Watch the movie for yourself and discover the gift within it.

Some Christmas.  How many times do we give just to give instead of giving from our heart?  How many times do we ignore the blessing of a gift that came to us from someone's heart?  How often have we fallen in our lack of gratitude, in our spoiled expectations, in our scoffing at the appearance of cheapness?  What if we didn't expect anything to come under that tree at all?  Would what we get then be celebrated and cherished and loved?  Think back to some of the best gifts you've ever received.  Why did they mean so much?

The best gifts I've ever received are labeled as 'best' because they came from someone's heart.  They weren't gifts just to give me something.  They were handmade, or heart found and/or love filled.

What if we woke up Christmas morning and discovered that every present had been replaced by a piece of paper.  On each paper was an image of something we 'really' wanted to give the people we loved?  Would dad get another tie or would he get peace?  Would mom get another crystal vase or would she get joy?  The best gifts are the ones in our hearts.  These are the ones that last.  What if all of the gifts we gave came out of what our heart really wants to give?

This Christmas, I plan to add "Some Christmas" under the tree.  Besides presents and ribbons and fancy packages, I want to add hope and peace and love and promise.  I don't want to just give something someone can get themselves, I want to give something God has given to me.  So as the commercial Christmas begins to fill our homes, may we all think to put "Some REAL Christmas" in there as well, some Spirit of Christmas.

The movie was based on a novel co-written by country music artist Kenny Rogers.

Billy Ray's new song, which isn't half bad, that was featured in the film.

Fa, la, la, la - A Christmas Carol - Not to Remember

Last night, Ham, Hubs and I enjoyed a Family Date Night.  When we added Ham's grandma and papa, it became even more fun!  We started with a nice meal at the Elephant Bar and then headed over to the mall to visit Santa.  Ham was so excited and we had prepped him up (big time) for what to expect when meeting Santa so he wasn't too shy.  None-the-less, Ham was still VERY shy.  He did manage to tell Santa what he wanted...barely.  "I want a Buzz Lightyear," he said so softly the poor old Santa could barely hear him.  Then, being the fabulous Santa that he is, he takes Ham's hand and says, "Well...what about Woody?"  Boom...Ham smiles, ice is broken.  We didn't get much of a smile for the photo as so many people were watching, but Ham couldn't stop talking about how cool it was to see Santa.

After Santa time, I got to do a little shopping, which was great because Santa's helper gave me a 20% off coupon to Gymboree and I got to add that to the already amazing 30-40% off sale inside Gymboree.  This girl got deals, y'all!!!

Then off to see A Christmas Carol with Jim Carey.  DDUUUDDDEEE!!!  DO NOT TAKE YOUNG CHILDREN TO THIS MOVIE!!!!!  I had not been warned.  I thought it looked cute, it was Disney, it was animated, it was CHRISTMAS, but I was SOOO very wrong.  The Dickens story is still as timeless as ever and I love the story.  The imagery and graphics in the movie were amazing and totally awesome.  BUT...it was darn right scary!  I mean, I kept elbowing Hubs because I could not figure out what in the world they were doing with this movie.  I think I prayed the whole way through that it wouldn't scare my kid, but he was in a popcorn coma so I think he generally survived it although he did sleep in our room last night, but OMG!!!  Outrageous.  It's just Tim Burton "ish" scary.  Totally threw me for a loop.  I guess I'm going to stick with the Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol from now on.  And...I must be honest...confession time here...it SCARED me.  Anyway, it wasn't all for naught as Ham really understood the story for a 3 1/2 year old.  Even my parents were astounded by the production.  Of course my dad recalled being a kid and how scary he thought the Christmas Carol was back then.  "I never really found it scary dad," I told him.  Come to find out, it's because the only version he'd let us watch was the Mickey Mouse one.  ;-p  Gotta love parents.  Live and learn.

Ham at the Elephant Bar

 

Ham and Mommy (aka Freddae', aka me) at dinner

 

Ham with Santa.  We got this much of a smile because Santa starting tickling him.

Good work, Santa!

~ My Project ~

This is my office.  This is my office on Christmas.  This is my office

due to the affects of a long, crazy, semester at seminary that is

quickly coming to an end with finals, projects and papers.

This is my office which has now become the household "junk drawer".

This is my office which has no functionality whatsoever.

This is my office which needs my help.

These are photos of my horribly embarassing yet 'representative of my life' office

which I have chosen to share with you as a motivator to tackle this project

on my "To Do...NOW" list.

Stay tuned to see how long it takes me to take this office and in the words of

Tim Gunn, "Make it Work!"

* The following is not for the weak of heart or successfully organized maidens.*

Proceed with Caution!

 

 

I promise, there is a couch under there somewhere.

 

At one point, this was a desk.

 

Oh the horror and shame!  **Head hung VERY low**

Of Twilight and Tweens

About a month ago I stumbled into my hair salon. I was weak and vulnerable all due to some excessive root visibility and I was in desperate need of a coloring. I wasn't strong enough to know what was happening or to even stop it. She may have even anticipated and planned for my arrival. It was a simple day that morphed into the beginning of a very intoxicating relationship. It was the catalyst of long nights, early mornings and an overstock of recorded television shows just beckoning for my attention. I didn't see it coming and I was so paralyzed by bad hair that I was unable to resist it. It - was a book. I thick, black, 500 page, stylist recommended book.

You see, I went in for color and came out with much more. While my color was setting, I pulled an academic book from my handbag and began to read. My stylist had this book that she couldn't put down and she asked if it would be okay if she were rude and read while waiting. I told her it was perfectly fine. No sense in straining ourselves in small talk when we were both deeply rooted in our texts. As we reconvened for the styling, she began to tell me about her book. She asked if I had ever heard of the Twilight series and I told her no. I now know how odd that must have seemed because apparently I was the only person on planet earth (vast exaggeration) who hadn't. More over, I was probably one of very few people who hadn't read all four books that make up the series by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn).

She said it was a book about vampires and teen romance. STOP! Stop right there...I don't do vampires. It's not my thing. I prefer to be able to sleep at night and I have learned that you don't feed the beast that is my over active imagination unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences and when it comes to things to horrify me in the night...I was not prepared. She kept talking and I had kinda tuned her out after the "v" word. I mean really, me, a Jane Austin type of reader, waste my precious personal time which I rarely get any of anyway on a book on teenagers and vampires. NOT!

Then something happened, she started raving even more. And this woman is well, not someone I would pick out as a vampire fan. I mean she's a mom of two little ones, owner of her own hair salon and always has her head in more mainstream romancie type of books. She tells me not to shoot it down. "Give it a try," she says. "Trust me," she continues, "you're going to love this." I'm horrified a bit as this woman has been doing my hair for over three years and she thinks I, of all people, will enjoy, not to mention, read, this book. Well, just to be polite, I ask her what the name of the book is and who the author is before I leave. I sweetly smile and wish her the best and I'm outta there.

The next thing I know I'm buying Twilight, the first book of the four. I make a covenant with myself that if things gets hairy and heads start spinning I'm putting it down and selling it on Ebay. Nice idea, but I couldn't put the stupid thing down. It possessed me. Let me just tell you...ADDICTED. I can't tell you exactly what drew me in the most: the great writing, the modern day Romeo and Julietish storyline, the image I had of vampires being totally wiped away or the suspense. It didn't matter, I'm hooked.

Then, oh dear Lord then...there is the movie. My sister-in-law is a huge fan of the darker side of books. I love murder mystery and suspense (my inner CSI and Law and Order girl must be entertained), but she takes it to another level and loves the spooky stuff too. So, I knew she was going to love these books. That and she's probably the only other person I know my age that reads as much as I do. Let me just tell you how much I cherish the fact that she reads.

Anyway, our husbands took us out on a date night last night. We had amazing German food and then went to the movies to see this book of ours come to life. I must tell you how many laughs we got at ourselves as I think we were the oldest people there by FAR. Teenagers and tweenagers were peppered everywhere and with that the loud, obnoxious screaming for this hunky vampire was inescapable. We felt like teenagers again. Here we were like giant dorks watching a teenager movie on a Friday night. SWEET! We are so cool.

Who cares!?!?!?! The movie was great. I mean, it wasn't the book, but it was great. It wasn't horror, gore, head spinning stuff which was fabulous for me because I just can't stomach it. But, it was a darker love story. It's a love story. Period. One forbidden love. Two star crossed lovers...who by the way, DON'T have sex. Yeah...a book about teen love that doesn't promote sex. Now, I'm only 60 pages into the 700 page book two, but so far...just the good old fashion kissing.

So, as this story of a brooding teenage vampire addictively draws me in, I will keep you updated. But I will tell you, this is good and I can see why it's not just a hit amongst the teen crowd. A lot of adults are reading these...apparently they just aren't brave enough to take on the movie scene. Here's a suggestion if you want to see the movie...um...rent it, or wait awhile. Late Friday night movies come with lots of screaming teenage girls Leonardo DiCaprio and Titanic style. Seriously...it should come with a tranquilizer.

Not Just A Bunch of Kung Fu-ey

Kung Fu Panda

Last night, my little family went to the grocery store to grab up some grubbage when my little Hambone decided that he must have the "Pana" movie. Well, he behaved incredibly well during the hideously boring task of grocery shopping, so mommy gave in. We had seen it together when it came out in the theatre, but, well, you know, movies are always different the second go around.

The first time you see a movie you see whats on the surface. The second time you start to get the 'real' message being portrayed. The third time, you start to find all of the movie production "fu-paws." (Sorry, I had to).

Once we got home and put everything away, we ate dinner and then watched "Pana" together. And this time, I mean I REALLY watched it. There is a scene between the two masters where the wise turtle tells his counter part something very profound. He tells his counter part that his mind is like the water. When it's agitated, it becomes hard to see. But when there is peace, one can see clearly.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since. Before I met my husband and son at the store, I had some church work I was attending to. Something happened there that really set me off. I mean, I was angry, disappointed, frustrated, hurt...did I mention angry. And then the fact that I was angry made me angrier because I know I'm not supposed to be angry but I can't help but be angry so now my anger is going into warp speed and frankly, it's one big angry mess. So then, when I sit down and watch this 'childrens' movie, I get this message about peace.

Look, its not that I don't want peace, I love peace...look for it every day. It's just that the situation was raw and, well, I'm human. I didn't act out on the anger I was just trying to work through it and this jolly ol' Pana movie made it make sense. God really does work in mysterious ways and certainly meets you right where your at...even in a Pana movie.

The lesson I got from this is that sometimes life takes us by surprise and not always in a good way. It's when the winds of chaos start to blow that the waters of our minds get agitated and when agitated, no one can see clearly. I'm not the only one who has had this problem. I seem to recall a situation between a certain guy named Jesus, a boat with some 'dudes' in it and a stormy sea. When the waters became agitated, the men cried out for Jesus's help and there was that little thing Jesus said. Oh yeah, "ye of little faith."

When I let my mind get agitated, I need to reach for Jesus in hopes of peace. My faith must be in that it will all be okay. I will not sink, even, as in the song below, the flood starts rising. I need to come before God with a spirit of peace, and a mind of calm waters. When I let the anger and agitation go so I can see clearly in peace, I will find my answers. They are always there. God is always there. My savior is always there. It's what I do with my free will, my mind, my waters, that's paramount.

Amazing what one can learn from a little Pana movie.

The Love Dare

This past Friday was a great evening for me. Hubs came back from Houston on Wednesday evening and for the first time in well over a year, we were able to go out on a 'date night'. Hubs took me to my favorite German restaurant and then we went out for a movie; we went to see Fireproof.

Let me preface this by telling you about Tuesday. On Tuesday, I went to a local Christian book store to pick up a Bible Commentary and a book on writing tools of Exegesis. Yeah, crazy weird word that no one has ever heard of unless you pursue a degree of some sort in religious or theological studies. Anyway, I'm a window shopper. This store is one of my favorites as it has some of the most beautiful Christian decorations in it and my heart always feels warm when I leave. Well, as I was walk back towards the books I made sure I swung past the decorations and gifts. On my way, I stopped suddenly at a display for the movie Fireproof - the new Christian movie in theatres. There were several things at the display: trinkets, jewelry, the book for the movie and then there was this plain and mysterious brown book. I picked it up, looked at it briefly, put it back and walked away. Strangely, I was pulled back to the display and back to that book. I picked it up again and opened it reading a bit on the inside. It was called The Love Dare and was about marriage, strengthening your love relationship with your partner and doing it in a Christ centered way. Interesting. But, I put it back. As I started to walk away again, it was as if I hit this solid pane of glass and couldn't move any further. I stopped, left my cart, went back, grabbed the book and threw it in my cart.

When I got home, I looked at it a little further and as God always does, it was a message I needed to hear and God was getting through to me. The Love Dare is a 40 day challenge to improve your marriage, even if it is going strong. It focus's on love, patience, kindness, selflessness...and much more. The book was a main focus of the movie Fireproof, and having not seen the movie, I was without that extra content, but just the same, I knew I needed this book. You see, the further I grow in faith, the more I'm challenged, the hotter the fire gets and the more resistance the world gives me. Many of the people who I consider my spiritual advisers or sounding boards have told me this would happen and to keep going. I never knew it would attack my marriage...but it has. I love my hubs dearly, but we're human, we're flawed, and things haven't been easy lately for many reasons. It's just been hard; brutally hard and we've been failing each other. It's of course, in these times that the horrid "D" word gets tossed around and your marriage, not to mention your heart is nothing less then broken.

On Thursday night, I sat down with hubs and showed him the book and we talked about it and decided we would do it together. Though we read at night, we read for the next day, so we started day 1 of 40 on Friday. Friday night, we went to see Fireproof and it all came alive to both of us. Couples of all ages and stages packed the tiny theatre until there were no seats left and by the end of the film, everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE was in tears. This movie is the real deal. All pastors should sponsor a night out to this movie or once released, sponsor a night in at the church to show this movie to couples. The main character is a fire chief and he talks about how in a fire, you are to never leave your partner. The rest of movie goes on to show that is true in your marriage also. That when the heat is on and the fire is raging, you NEVER leave your partner. That's when it gets dangerous. I'm not sure what the future will bring. What I am sure is that we have nothing to loose by give not just love but God a chance in our marriage. I have prayed for months that God would come into my marriage and move mountains. I now know God has heard my cries. We are on day 3 and so far, so good.

If there is anything I can ask today, it is that you find your way to this book The Love Dare and you find your way to this movie, Fireproof. Even if your marriage is on the last thread and divorce seems imminent, please try one last thing. If hubs and I have nothing to loose, then neither do you. And if your marriage is going strong and good times are here for you, don't think you can't benefit from this too...because challenges are just around the corner. Fireproof yourselves now, before it gets too hot.

God bless all of you and your marriages. If your heart is breaking, know that God is always with you and you are never alone. And divorce doesn't mean God stops loving you. It doesn't mean you're loved any less or that you're lesser of a person. You are just as important as the person next to you. We are to love God first and then our neighbor as ourselves. But remember, in order to love our neighbors as ourselves, we must first know what it means to love ourselves and we learn that from truly, deeply, unequivocally loving God.

If you've seen the movie, read the book, are doing the Love Dare, or have any other insight, please share them with me and the readers who follow. We would be blessed by your thoughts.