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"Costumes" o' the 70s

Well, I guess it’s that dress up day again. Most of us will see lots of little ones today, all dressed up and ready for goodies. While I’m the first to admit that I’m not Halloween’s biggest fan, I do have fond memories of costumes and the candy that came our way.

Another type of “costume” came through my e-mail this week. Originally it was from someone who came across a big ol’ 1977 JC Penney’s catalog, complete with the dapper, fashion-forward getups of the day. The pictures almost defied description. My sister and I were laughing through e-mail (that’s possible, isn’t it?) about what we used to wear back then, too. I think we can all use a chuckle, so I’m willing humble myself (sigh). In honor of “dressing up” this week, here’s a fashion parade from the 70s. Ah, childish, blissful ignorance…

Although grinning, little did I know that I had just been chosen as the spokesperson for Grey Poupon-colored eskimos everywhere.

My sister’s plaid coat with its jaunty collar, topped with the ample cap, speak of a quiet elegance.

Remember how thick those polyester shirts were? At night this one stood up on its own in the corner of the bedroom.

And remember wearing fairy outfits to school everyday? …What–that was just me? Okay, you got me. This was a favorite dress-up outfit,

complete with floppy fairy wings in the back. This one shows my shock that I was actually allowed in the picture by the cool big girls, what with the gauchos, Shaun Cassidy album, Laura Ingalls outfit, and all. Ask me another time about why I have a boy’s haircut. (sniff)

I saved the best for last…David and his twin brother, Daniel. What confidence. What haberdashery. I’m sure they were quite the pair with the ladies of their kindergarten class.

When seeing this do any outfits of yours from this decade come marching out of the fashion tombs you’ve locked them in? Do tell. If y’all like this, we may just have to do an 80s flashback sometime.

Stream (or river or creek) of Consciousness

Off and on all week I thought about what the next post should include. I tried to come up with something deep and chin-rubbing-worthy. As the week went on, though, it was just too entertaining watching the brouhaha in the comments of the last post. I sat back, crossed my arms, and grinned with bloggish glee. (whatever that is)

And here we are at the weekend. This morning I had the treat of a mocha, so most of the day I floated around in caffeine-induced giddiness. The day was actually quite productive. Perhaps I should make more visits to the coffee house (but perhaps not)…it was a great day, and I’m in no mood to be somber.

So instead, I’m going to channel that caffeinaline (Can that be a word? Let’s say it is for now.) and let my mind wander. Christi’s blog today addressed a succession of various topics. Very nice read. I’m not going to be so organized. You’re invited to join me now on a float down the stream of consciousness…you may have seen this before, too. In school when teaching us creative writing, this was a technique used for sparking thought in which you wrote down whatever came into your head, no organization or editing necessary. Enough jabbering; let’s go.

-(Crickets chirping; brain silent, awaiting thoughts to pass by.)
-It’s funny to mute the TV and imagine what else actors could be saying.
-Their slogan is, “ABC Family…A ‘New’ Kind of Family.” Why don’t they just be honest and say, “The morals of what we show now are anything but ‘family,’ but we’re too cheap to change the station’s name because we’d have to change all of our stationery.”
-There’s actually a car dealership named “Sexy Super Cars” (El Paso)
-It’s funny and uncomfortable at the came time to be writing this post when I’m so tired…there’s no telling what might come out.
-“Jabbering.” Sounds like “jabberwocky.” That sounds like “Jabba the Hut” and wookie.
-That lady co-host on the infomercial is the same one we saw a year or so ago when Esteban the guitar guy was on then, too. Wow. It’s so sad that I know and remember that. I need to get out more often.
-What to do around here, though? Hmmm, small city…there’s ring-twirling contests, Balderdash, and eating wasabi macadamia nuts. I can’t believe I didn’t just bite into that first one. Talk about (Three Stooges sound) woohoo! Oh, no…I just referenced one of my sworn enemies– in a very strange way at that.
-We were just talking about how giving our dog physical boundaries within the house calms her down and she’s more content. Isn’t it comforting knowing that God gives us boundaries, too, so that we can rest and enjoy life within them?
-Mmmm. Pumpkin pancakes sound good right now.

Aaaaand on that note, I’ll wrap up the river cruise. Thanks for joining me in that experiment. =) By the way, my hands are twitching to edit what I wrote above. (sigh) Guess that’s the fare you pay to take that ride. Okay. That’s really over now.

On a different note, for some great recommendations for chilly fall evenings see what David wrote here.

I’ve had a request for a picture of our dog, Daisy. Here’s one of my favorite photos of her, taken a few months ago by my sister-in-law, Kara–a very talented photographer. Daisy has grown quite a bit since this time.

Liza's Tears

Poor Liza Minelli. No one wanted to see her trot out her rapping skillz. Instead, you pollsters chose the Gaithers doing Bon Jovi. Very intriguing choice! Well, I’m sure Liza will recover soon. By the way, some of you may know that she had a very funny cameo role in a few episodes of “Arrested Development.”

That’s about it for now, unless you can suggest other singer/song pairings. ….Hmmm?

Dishwashers and dark chocolate

Do you find that when God wants to teach you something, you’re reminded of it almost everywhere you go? No, that never happens to me, either. Actually, this week I’ve been nudged, encouraged, (hammered!) to look for simple reasons to be joyful and thankful. Things seem so much brighter when we look past temporary circumstances, don’t they?

In light of that, here is a short-ish list of some things for which I’m thankful (how do ya like that proper grammar? Impressive, huh?). As I write, in the back of my mind I’m hearing strains of “…these are a few of my favorite things…” You can thank me later for having that stuck in your head, too. Here we go:

• Fall mornings at Blue House, our local coffee house
• Friends
• Friends’ laughter
• Friends’ laughter with (at) me =)
• Curiosity
• Dishwashers
• New magazines
• Snuggling up with a fleece throw to watch a movie
• Office supply stores
• Forgiveness from God and others
• Velvety dog ears
• Dark chocolate
• David’s patience and sense of humor
• David’s patience with my sense of humor
• A child’s perspective
• Funny-sounding words

So, what makes you thankful?

For your new week…

Isn’t it amazing to know that whatever we are going through, He is our “mighty rock,” “salvation”…”refuge”? Not could be or might be–He is those things. Whatever troubles we are shouldering, we must surrender them to Him as you “pour out your hearts to Him.” May you find rest in Him alone today.

One more of my favorite passages from Psalms, the greatest book of poetry…