A Little Girl Gets Her Boots

This little girl is part of a Romanian family I met.
They are homeless and the last time I saw her and her sister, they both had on only tiny, raggedy foam shoes. Now, thanks to money left over from our trip, and thanks to Marius & Roxana's big hearts, they both have new winter boots!

I just think that must make God smile.
I know it made me smile. :)

Looking for Something....?

 An Old Photograph, found in my Archives.

Care to guess exactly how old this one is?
{This is me, by the way! A while ago.... before-short-hair.}

Romania {Part 2}:Rose

The lovely Rose & myself. 

{a few notes first}

I have an admission to make: I've been procrastinating. As soon as I got off the plane, home & settled back into daily U.S. life again, the very thought of trying to collect together my stories, pictures, thoughts sent me crawling away mentally! That was because, even though I know in truth that my trip was only a mere 11 days (and there are much longer periods of time, for example years, that people go overseas for) ...to me, this trip was huge & very full. SO much happened! So many memories of faces, conversations, gestures, songs, words, scenes, and feelings are still...almost a month later...swirling in my mind.

Basically, I freaked myself out thinking that I needed sit down to write up a huge, long letter and blog post, showing all the pictures & detailing everything that happened, even down to the meals I ate! (I exaggerate things in my head too much sometimes...) and everything I learned, did, heard, saw and felt.

Now, while I'd still like to do that in a way, I'm going to do it differently: bit by bit. So if you'll be loving & patient with me, friends & family, I'll get all the important things out on paper (or screen) for you to read...but it's going to take me a little time. :)

{now onto the good stuff!}
    So to start, I'm going to highlight one of the neatest, loveliest things that happen to me on my trip. It's a pure example of God trying to make me smile with His love, and winning. :) That beautiful thing that happened is Rose. About one year ago, I was looking for new friends to follow on a book web world I'm a part of (called Shelfari) and I happened to come across this one girl's profile who immediately sounded like someone I would really be able to connect with. Her name was Rose. :) Turns out....she was Christian too, and near my age, and loves the United States as much as I love the country of Romania....which as it turned out, that's where she's from! 
We've been emailing, sharing books recommendations, and keeping in touch for about a year now often dreaming  together 'out loud' about "how neat it would be if we could meet someday!"
It was fun to imagine. :)

Little did Rose or I know....what God had in mind!
As soon as plans were confirmed for this mission trip to Romania, I emailed Rose with the news: I'd be in her home country very soon!!
   Ballistically excited, we tried to figure out how to meet up!  After a while, it didn't seem it was going to be easy to meet, since she lived some distance from the area were the team a& I were going to be. I almost gave up hope! :( But after some messaging, and and phone call (it was so amazing to hear my dear pen pal's voice for the first time!) things lined up. Rose took the train a whole 3+ hours to see me! We met up in Sinaia, and we had lunch together, walked around the town, and spent time talking. Her calm, sweet manner impressed me. :) Along with her beautiful English! And her HUGE love for Jesus. :)) The best part of her is her joy for God that radiates out of her.

   We were so lucky (blessed!) and Rose also got to spend the rest of the day with us all, and the night too, eating dinner and hearing our speaker & friends Becky Walsh, from Casa Shalom, talk. :) I don't really have words to describe just how fun it was, being with Rose! I wish she lived next door!

So, although my Romania friend, Rose had to leave early in the morning the next day, it wasn't before we got some good pictures together and had a chance to have some lovely conversations. I really cherish my time with her in my heart and thank the Lord for putting it all together for it to happen. :)

Rose,
I miss you already! And I hope and pray we will meet again someday!
God bless you abundantly over & over.
Love,
Your American sister,
~Hannah

Rose and my team members, Steve, Beth & Paul out walking before dinner.

Rose, surprised me by writing a blog post in response!
Go check out the rest of the story from her opinion
{Here}

I love Butterflies.

Buckeye Butterfly (c) heh

One of the many great things about working at a nursery: butterflies.
I literally see hundreds within a month!
(or maybe the same regulars, over & again...?)

So, while pruning the flowering bushes at work, I've often seen buckeyes, black swallowtails, tiger swallowtails, monarchs, viceroys, cabbage whites (white & yellow), brown skippers, commas, questions marks (and yes those are butterflies!), as well as painted ladies, and admirals!

 This is to say nothing of all the millions of little bees, bugs, flies, and moths hovering about too!

But butterflies really do make me smile. :)
They remind me that God cares about even the smallest,
most vulnerable things, like butterflies, you and me.

Rainy Day Things

Not much time for dilly-dallying lately....

especially with an international trip * coming up... 

....but I did manage to finally finish painting that living room....of my dollhouse....it's a buff color now, as opposed to that dreadful pink! Couldn't wait to see that go...

Next, it'll be either 'paneling' (with a new paint color!) or papering it...haven't decide yet. :)

I do know that I want to call it the "Rabbit Room" 

and it's going to be celery green...cream..&..brick red....

Like so!

Also, besides frantic check-listing for Romania, I've been working on some art.

I did this one (below) this afternoon....but please don't scrutinize it too carefully~! 

It's only marker, you see..... 

I think life is immensely more color-FULL than noticed. 

Happy Weekend, everyone!

* {Which got all paid for by the way!! Thanks, friends & family!}

Spent Time.

Life is made up of tiny things. 
Little events.
Small words here & there.
Every move, heart-beat, thought, and action adds up to our life, and what we make it.

I wish I could say that every little piece of my life has been well-spent or even, meaningful.
It hasn't.
Many times, I've tried very hard (ironically) to just 'exist'. Not do anything bad, but not do anything very good either. Unfortunately, there have been whole chapters of my short life spent that way...and it's definitely been a waste.

Breaking out of that safe 'slowed time' cocoon is indeed the hardest part of growing up, and moving forward in my life. As a kid, time was sort of a secondary thing to my day. The important points on the clock (lunchtime, dinnertime, playtime, nap time) were all that mattered...and that was okay, for a small child.

However, now I see that something should shape my day and give meaning to it. Now that I am well old enough to understand passage & importance of time, it also falls upon me to understand the responsibility that comes with living within it. It is not enough anymore for me to say to myself, "Well, as long as it doesn't hurt or hinder anyone directly, and as long as no one notices either...then I'm going go ahead to do such & such for X number of hours." That's a child's mentality, and hardly acceptable for an adult!

It's like this:
Whenever I hear someone mentioning the scripture about "redeeming the time"... I think of holding a check in my hand and going to the bank. Imagine if instead of being paid by a set hourly rate, we were paid based on how we used the time we worked. If you worked hard and well, you got paid well. If you slacked off, you got little or nothing. It would be a fair, but indeed harsh system!

I think that's how I should look at my days from now onwards; less as just 'putting in hours' and more as working as unto the Lord. Because really, He is the only one who always:

• sees what I am trying to do (all of it)
• knows what I could or should be doing
• and understands the whys behind all of it

Giving an account for my day....might just be a more sobering prospect than I thought.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  (Colossians 4:5)

Cheap Pleasures

Cheap Pleasures, originally uploaded by Diana827.

"That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."

We've been enjoying 'cheap', but rich pleasures like campfires, dancing, and music lately.... life is so good with God!

     We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa

   Though my dollhouse does not have a name yet (that'll come later I believe) he does have quite a presence in my room! The story behind it goes like this:

Mom was driving through our nearest small town, and while taking one of the short-cut back ways, she spotted a huge dollhouse! There he was, just sitting out in the elements, right on the side of the road ready for the next garbage pick-up! Well, yikes! we can't have that happening, said Mom. And she promptly picked the thing up & deposited it in the car (which I would imagine involved a whole lot more effort than I'm taking time to mentioned right now, because honestly that thing weighs more that I do!) 

So we acquired this thing actually almost 4 (or 5?) years ago now, back when Lizzie & I were still girls I guess you could say. :) And weren't we thrilled with what Mom brought home!   You better believe it. :) 

Many happy hours were spent painting, carpeting, rearranging furniture, hanging 'pictures', and playing in our dollhouse. (Ah, good memories!)

So.....several years later, and much time, dust, and cobwebs brushed off....The Dollhouse makes an entrance into my life once again. This time, he's going to stay in my very own room (as opposed to the storeroom) and he's going to keep me company on rainy days & give my plenty of opportunity for industriousness on many an afternoon.

I mentioned in this post that I have a dollhouse and that I was starting to work on it, remember? And showed a photo of some of the 'renovations' taking place inside it (viz. stripping of wallpaper, etc.) Well, I've been busy!

Here, take a peek at what I've been up to lately...

under construction!

( I was trying to build a ladder for the painting to be done ''on''...but it'll have to wait. ;)

the room, almost cleared, ready for painting!

here is my paint set up!

Yes, I made that roller. :) Isn't it dandy?

.....paint paint paint.....

The paint is called "Buff"...

can't forget the drop cloth! and open the windows please!

roll roll roll

The roller worked just fine, even if it is slow going...

Now the question is: do I paint the whole room this way, or go the easy route and use a bigger roller & brush?  Hmmm hmmm..... decisions. ;)

My Tumblrrrrrr

The new theme looks pretty awesome, dontcha think?

(:

Conversational Jumpers

I noticed something funny today: people who are what I call 'conversation jumpers'.
Do you know the kind?


You'll meet them and  everything ( your names, whatcha-doin', etc.) is hurriedly exchanged in a few quick sentences back & forth. Then, it's onto the strange, funny & amusing dance of conversation!
You'll say something as they watch you eagerly and try to look like they are listening intently (maybe they actually are, I don't know sometimes)... and then as soon as you pause for a just a tiny space of a few seconds....
 they pounce! Jumping into the conversation!  Just like their namesakes.
(Often how quick they take over the talking can take me by surprise.)
Okay, so then they rattle on & on.... dear things.... about this & that  or anything, nothing and everything! Whew!

Next, you may try to add something later on and start to form a sentence (hooray! maybe you'll get in what you have to say!) but just when you think you're safe.....in jumps the Jumper! And they go, "Oh! yes! Yes, yes, I know what you mean. It's like this one time I---"


And back and forth, on it goes. :) Until they tire (which seems to not happen to quick) or you excuse yourself.
Or....you can do what I like to do and just sit/stand there and watch their fast-paced word patterns and trains of thought ramble all over the place. It's kind of fascinating, really!

I don't know, I like to notice the odd little things we humans do & laugh at them.
Now, I don't mean laugh at those people doing it per se, but rather laugh at us, all humans. We are funny! And we do these funny things. :)
All part of the design I guess.
{Right, God?}

Charles Dodgson's Art

Maybe you know him only by the name "Lewis Carroll" (his pen name),
and maybe you don't know about him at all...

That's alright! Let me enlighten you about one of my favorite authors, poets, and photographers: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a.k.a. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland and the Through the Looking Glass tales & many others.

You may mentally chide me for even referencing it ( I would too!), but Wikipedia really summarizes it best:

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pronounced /ˈdɒdsən/ dod-sən; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ karr-əl), was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy, and there are societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and New Zealand.

 He really was an interesting person. I have read several biographies on him and what truly amuses me the most is just how widely all of his biographers differ in opinion on his life & person! You have everything from some claiming he was an insane, drugged-out pedophile all the way to saying that he was a genius and a saint! (Personally I don't believe either of those extremes.)

The fact that he was a mathematician is generally not known as well as his authorship. But he was indeed all those things--a man of many interests, if not many proficient talents. He was smart & witty, if extremely shy/reserved in person. He seemed to prefer the company of children rather than adults (which I can sometimes identify with quite well.) He found his lyrical, comical literary voice first through telling stories that baffled, amused and entertained his little friends...and then later the wider world.

One thing is for sure: if you are going to study literature, and especially English lit, you can't ignore Lewis Carroll. He left a mark on our world.

Now, onto the most interesting pieces of his history that I've been digging up about him...

...his photography.

In addition to being a poet, deacon, mathematician, & all those other things, Charles Dodgson was a photographer. In his time, I suppose he would have been considered just another amateur, but I think his work had a timeless, lasting & highly artistic quality about it. For a while, I couldn't seem to locate any of these photographs of his that were talked about so much, other than the one of Alice Liddell (the girl whose name & person inspired Alice from his books) leaning up against an ivy wall as a ''beggar child''.

But now....I am proud to say, I have scrounged up several more photographs that he took, and now, I present them to you here:

{Click to make some larger.}

Alice Liddell (right) and older sister Lorina (left).

Alice Liddell

young Alice Liddell

"The Beggar Girl" aka Alice Liddell

Alice Liddell as a young woman.

Self portrait of Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson.

Edith, Lorina & Alice Liddell (L to R)

Mrs Liddell, her girls, Charles Dodgson & another young friend.

Edith, Lorina & Alice

 

Are they not just beautiful? 

Looking at them makes me wish I had a old tintype camera to play with, and that I still had my film Canon SLR too! Ah, well. I still have my appreciation for the arts, my tiny Canon digital, and my love of photography. :) That's enough for now.

[Titled]

I hate titling things. Isn't it hard sometimes? I think it is, but I don't know just why that is.
Maybe it has to do with finality. Once you put a name on something
and slap a label on it...
              or punch in those last words up top...
              or finally think you've found those few, descriptive words that are just right...
...everything seems thrown up into the air! What you thought might be the "just right" mix of words to describe something overall...suddenly just won't cut it. It's not enough!

Just think about it. Think of a favorite book or essay or blog/blog post (of yours or someone else's) and how much you enjoyed reading it. How much it spoke to you, how much it said in that (relatively) small space of page or screen. It was a lot, right?

Now, try to remember the title of it.
Was it one word, a few, or a long phrase?
Examples....
A Far Country
Water for Elephants
"The Open Window"
"Information Overload"
'Cold War'


Very often, the title doesn't quite fit. Maybe the writer just didn't spend much time thinking about it.
However, sometimes whatever those few, special words the author, songwriter, blogger, or filmmaker chose do fit. And fit  absolutely, perfectly. So much so, the title itself becomes a direct part of what people remember about the piece!

Whenever I read any of Andree Seu's columns for WORLD magazine, I usually remember the title distinctly, in addition to the content. (Often, the accompanying neat illustrations are imprinted in my head very well too; but that's a whole another post.)
Titles have a tendency to define and characterize things. Just by mere association, or by the poignancy of the words. It's strange to think about it, but I would even go so far to say that the difference between a well-chosen title and a poor title is what makes or breaks many books, movies, songs, etc.

Hmm, and you know, names are very much like titles too...
Have you ever met someone with such a strange, wild, unusual name that you couldn't get over? Through no fault to them, it may have turned out to be impossible for you to get used to saying and hearing their name! (Much like an unwelcome nicknames are to ourselves.)

On the other hand, a beautiful or grand name inspires admiration sometimes. Which is funny because our given names are bestowed upon us, we don't have much of  a choice in the picking, unless we want to change them later on. Whether you are happy with how your 'title' describes you or not, you're stuck with it pretty much! And you become known by what you are name (or titled). Sometimes that is a very good thing, and sometimes it is not so well for us...

Thankfully, there is something interesting (and very different) about God and how He names us.
While we may have individual names with differing meanings, He calls all of his children very specific names collectively. Names like...

fearfully and wonderfully made  Psalm 139:13-14

His precious Bride Isaiah 54:5

crowns of Creation Hebrews 2:7

loved Sons and daughters 2 Corinthians 6:18

It is amazing, and strangely wonderful! To think that this mighty, loving, just, and powerful God of the whole Universe adores His creations: us. Even though He deserves all the greatest and best titles in the whole world...He takes time to name us, too. Each, by name, and as a whole.
Baffling, amazing and yet totally God's way. :)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
So, what about you? :)
What are you called? How do you think what you've been named has defined your existence? (Or how has it not?) What would you like to be 'titled' if it came right down to it?