A Top Ten: It’s Like they Say, Y’all, The South Will Rise Again

Mar 29, 2010 | Baby Photos, Top Ten Lists

Did I ever tell you my undergraduate degree was in Broadcasting? That basically means if you want to be in front of the camera they do their best to spank the southern accent out of you before you graduate. I’ve been out of the South for almost five years now. So I’ve been practicing using that less-southern-accented dialect pretty much all the time over the past five years, in hopes that people will listen to what I say instead of how I’m saying it. (And in hopes that they can understand me!)

But you know, it really is like they say — the south will rise again. Not that I’m expecting the return of the confederacy although the current health care reform situation makes me wonder, but in my words and ways, the southern gets tired of being repressed and starts popping up when I least expect it. You can take the girl out of the south, but you can’t take the south out of the girl.

When the south decides to rise again, here are the top ten ways I see it surface:

10. I put on my Sperry Topsiders (translation: loafers appropriate for wearing on a boat) and the green polka-dot skirt my Mom bought me at Old Navy a couple years ago. The skirt has a matching pink and green belt, and that just feels as southern as the day is long.

9. I make biscuits from scratch and politely disagree with any guests who say they seem just like scones.

8. I call my Mom, Dad, or my friend Debbie who can make any three letter word have two syllables, and let my really, really southern accent drawl right on out!

7. I listen to a CD of Mexican music that reminds me of the Latino Radio Station I like to listen to when I’m home: Noventa y seis punto nueve, effe emme — la que manda en las Carolinas!!! (96.9 FM – the one that rules in the Carolinas.) Poor Hero Hubby.

6. I give my best effort to cooking nice crispy crispy bacon like my grandma used to. I use the bacon grease to try to make my green beans taste like my Mom’s. It never seems to work, though.

5. I bake any recipe I can find that calls for a stick of butter. Food Network + Recipe by Paula Deen = Good tasting stuff (& heart disease).

4. I let a y’all or two slip out in conversation and see if anybody notices.

3. I respond to a surprising situation with a “lawsy!” or a “gee-my-nary!” Gee-my-nary, Bear, how the heck did you get that off the counter? Lawsy, boy yer gone hurt yerself!

2. I don my cowboy hat and take the Bear for a walk around the neighbourhood. People sometimes stop to say “howdy.” No joke. Hearing somebody say “Howdy” with a South African accent is pretty darn amusing.

1. I dress the Bear up like this and we head to church. We need to get him some Sperry Topsiders, too!

He’s ready for the Sadie Hawkins dance with those Khaki Pants!

And I couldn’t be more proud…

even if his shirt comes untucked quick as a whistle.

Could somebody pass me a Cheddar-Bo-Biscuit?

xCC

Thoughts on New Shoes and Feeding on His Faithfulness

Mar 26, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories, The Good Word

I mentioned the other day that we were at an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of moment for the past few days. (We get paid on the 25th.) I was also talking about “coincidences” a couple weeks ago and how things come together way too often in my life for me to chalk things up to Mr. Chance any longer. And this Monday I had another one of those experiences that, here it is Friday, I’m finally getting a chance to write down and tell you about. First let me share a Scripture to explain why I want to re-tell this:

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

That was Psalm 37:3-4. So. It was an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of day Monday. The Bear had decided he was too cool for Sunday school the day before — meaning he wasn’t cool with getting left with the other kids in the babysitting area. Hero Hubs decided to walk him around outside for a while during church, and he spent pretty much the whole service doing just that. By the time we got home, he had little blisters on his pwecious little toes, and it was obvious it was time for new shoes. He had worn out the ones he got for Christmas with all the car-riding! But like I said, it was an end-of-the-fiscal-month-so-nobody-move-till-we-get-paid kind of week. And we wouldn’t get paid till Thursday.

The issue was, if we didn’t buy the Bear a new pair of shoes, he couldn’t go outside and ride his car, because he drags his toes to brake, and he’ll come home with bloody feet. But if he can’t ride his car, he is as bummed as the day is long. And that thought made me really sad. Going outside and riding his car is like his moment of freedom — and the boy’s a little Scottish, you know, he needs his F-RRR-EEEDOM!

So we were in a bit of a dilemma. But not for long. As we were discussing what to do about the shoe issue, I just happened to look at this card a friend had sent us a few days before that I had on display on our counter. And I just happened to notice something I didn’t see before. She’d put a sheet of stickers inside the card for the Bear, and I suddenly just happened to see some writing behind the sticker sheet, even though I’d read the card at least a couple times already. I picked the card up, looked behind the sticker sheet, and there she’d written us another wee note, and included $50. (THANK YOU, MY FRIEND!!!)

$50 will buy plenty of shoes for Bear Bear in South Africa — his next ten+ pairs!

It gets even better. On our way to buy the shoes, we prayed that the Lord would help us find them at a good price. Our finances are tight, so we were planning to be careful and make good purchases and make that $50 go a long way! So we shopped around the mall for ages and ages to try to find shoes that were the right size (challenge #1) and that weren’t a ridiculous price (challenge #2). Finally, we arrived at a store called Ackermans which has really cute baby stuff. They had a ton of shoes on their “Giveaways” (meaning decent sales) rack and I started hunting. Eventually, I found these adorable sandals (pictured below!) marked R19.00. Yes, that is 19 South African Rand. And in case you don’t happen to know the current exchange rate, ZAR19 is like $2.56!! Or £1.73!!! Or €1.93!!!!

There were several other pairs of the exact same sandals on the rack. I looked through them, and they were all marked R79.00. It was obvious we just happened to find a mis-pricing, but we asked the guy who was labeling and putting things on the racks, and he checked and said, “19 Rand.” So we were able to buy the Bear a pair of sandals, and a pair of trainers, on sale for R59.00, with a ton of cash to spare!!!

The thing about feeding on the faithfulness of God is that He works in different ways at different times. Sometimes it’s a check in the mail. Sometimes it’s a shoe on sale. Sometimes your brother reads your blog post and deposits money in your bank account!! But the faithfulness I want to feed on — the thing I want to chew on and remember over and over again, is that God is good and that He has come through for us — in different ways at different moments — but every time. That means I can trust Him. That means I can be at peace about tomorrow. Because the God who comes through for me is already there.

So I just happened to take a moment to share this with you this morning. I hope you just happen to be encouraged by it, and perhaps to believe that more often than we think, things don’t just happen. 🙂 Has anything special just happened for you this week?

Without further ado… BearBear’s new shoes!!

Here’s The (Practical Application) Sermon in a Nutshell: We’ve been recording testimonies of God’s goodness and provision in a special little journal for a while. Although we haven’t been writing them down nearly as often as we should, it is really, really encouraging to open that journal up and feed on God’s faithfulness in moments where we need encouragement. Perhaps you can start writing down things you want to remember, so you can feed on that faithfulness, too!

A Thank-You Note for G.C.

Mar 25, 2010 | Baby Photos

Dear G.C.,

Thank you so much for my new pajamas.

I love them and I feel like I can do anything in them!

And when I say anything,

I mean like, really, G.C., anything.

See how I can go?

It has cooled off the past few days and they are just snuggly-wuggly, perfect.

And now that I have my hairs all cut…

I think I’m a rather handsome boy in them, dancing to my laptop music with my new haircut and my new pajamas.

So thanks, G.C.! I like my ‘jamas and I love you lots.

xoxo, the Bear

First Words and Hair Cuts OR The Bear’s Headed to Yale

Mar 24, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories

It was a big day around here. For an end-of-the-fiscal-month-nobody-move-until-we-get-paid kind of day, it was a really big day.

One day back in February, the Bear came and sat beside me on the couch and pointed at my laptop screen and I decided to take that as a teaching opportunity. I created a new document and spelled out a few words: car, dog … you know, first word stuff, and read them to him, highlighting each one and changing the size of the font to emphasize each word as we read it. We went through the alphabet a couple of times and that was about it. I suppose I was feeling ambitious about him mastering the ability to read at 18 months.

We looked at the document again the next day, and then not again until today, when it sprang to mind as he was sitting beside me and I opened it. As soon as it hit the screen he looked and said “Car!!” I was totally flabbergasted, ran to the bedroom to interrupt HH with the important news that the Bear had just read his first word, and then returned to the living room to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

I highlighted some other words and we went through the alphabet and then I went back to car, highlighted the word again, and received another enthusiatic “CAR!” So. My 19 month old bear just read his first word today. And I try not to use this space to brag about him being extra special because that’s just annoying, but today, it’s good to feel like I’m doing something right, at least one thing, so please extend a little grace and let me share.

CAR!!!

Thanks, I’m finished.

Anywho, you’re probably really here for the news that I actually did it, and Goldilocks is no longer the wee Bear. It really was time. And I promise I didn’t wimp out and just trim his fringe/bangs again. See?

So here’s the before:

Man, it was hard to put scissors to those beautiful curls!!

Here’s the during:

We kept him occupied with Gerber Graduate Puffs and Veggie Tales during the procedure. (Thanks, Amiee!) I cried a little as I was nearing the finish and I thought about the fact that this is hair he’s had since the day he was born! I’m okay. Really.

And, drumroll please, here’s the after!

Grown up enough to comb his own hair now. Sigh.

The Veggie Tales kept him distracted whilst HH grabbed some more shots. Then the Bear let out a big sigh, got down from his high chair, and suggested picking up an application to Yale while we’re out tomorrow.

And that was our big day.

xCC

It really is time for a BearBear hair cut.

Mar 22, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories

We’ve been told. By friends and family. By you guys. By neighbours. By strangers who’ve made it apparent by asking how old my little girl is. I think this finally might’ve done me in — the Bear is going to get a REAL hair cut.

Here’s the slice of backstory you need: The new iPhoto, this awesome software that comes standard on a Mac has this really cool Face Recognition feature. After you tell it who a person is by tagging their face, it begins to scan your other photos to look for more pictures that might be the person you just tagged. After a while it seems to get pretty accurate. I have been really impressed when I look at a picture of myself that looks a lot like my Mom and it asks if it’s a picture of my Mom. It’s also looked at pictures of me where I look more like my Dad and asked if I’m him. I know that probably makes it sound less accurate, but trust me, you need to see what I’m talking about. It’s pretty impressive.

Since we’ve taken a gabillion pictures of the Bear since he was born, iPhoto has gotten pretty good at recognising pictures of him. Occasionally if we take a picture of another baby, iPhoto might think that baby is the Bear, until we tag the other baby to tell iPhoto it’s someone different.

I usually call home on Skype. Sometimes when I speak to my Mom and Dad they’re on Skype, too. But at other times, when I call them on their landlines or mobiles, I pull up a picture of whomever we’re speaking with so the Bear knows who he’s talking to. I pulled up a picture of my Mom for just this reason the other day, in the folder of pictures that have been tagged as her. And I noticed this additional “suggestion” at the bottom:

Yup. iPhoto thinks the Bear is his G.C. (Short for “Grandma Claire”). They really look a lot alike in that photo! Which means, if I’m honest, the Bear’s really starting to look like a girl.

I’m hoping to muster up the strength to give those goldilocks that are getting blonder by the day a wee trim…tomorrow.

Feel free to pray for me. (And HH! He doesn’t want to let those curls go — I think even more than me!) I’ll let you know how it goes.

xCC