Real Men Wear Tights

Nope...it's not Halloween, but Jeff and I are decked out in costume! We attended a "Mystery Dinner" at church tonight...the purpose was to meet and mingle with other church members and invite people who are new to the church to experience fun fellowshipping in a non-threatening environment.
I was assigned the character "Tinker Bell" and Jeff was given "Peter Pan." He was NOT overjoyed at the prospect of wearing tights and a feather in his cap!
Boy oh boy, it was a chore to convince Jeff to wear my friend's green running tights but he finally caved. It was good for more than a few laughs, that's for sure!
He yelled, "This is indecent!" after running down the stairs to show off his attire. I about died of laughter. He threw on a pair of boxers and a belt over the tights to cover up you-know-what!

My friend, Jada, looked fabulous as Alice in Wonderland! It was such a fun evening, a very inventive way of getting to know other people. I suggested we host more social events at church and my associate pastor exclaimed, "Great idea! Do you want to head that up?" I did my best to duck that responsibility! I've got enough on my plate!

Flowers & St. Louis

Jeff rushed into our home after work last night, holding this beautiful bouquet of flowers arranged in an equally beautiful vase. He exclaimed, "Dearhart! These are for you!" Naturally, I was touched. Jeff never brings me flowers for no reason. I'm lucky to get a potted plant. So I thought he did something wrong and was trying to make up for it by buying me flowers. He acted insulted and asked, "Can't I bring flowers to my wife whom I love so much?"
After a few minutes of gushing over how gorgeous they were, I asked Jeff where he got them. "Nowhere special," he said. Naturally I was suspicious. Finally, he broke down and said he felt bad. He took them from the station--they purchased the flowers for the Air Show that he's working at this weekend. "But I had to lobby to get them for you!" he insisted. My husband is a piece of work.
I haven't been blogging because I've been beat with house cleaning and working. So here are a couple of pictures from our trip to St. Louis. We celebrated my birthday early because we didn't have to watch the kids last weekend.

We dined in the Hill, St. Louis' Italian district. This section of town boasts many great restaurants but this was my favorite: Trattoria Marcella. We ate a stuffed artichoke for an appetizer. Dinner comprised of lobster rissotto and shrimp pasta. Yummy!
Of course Jeff was thrilled to take a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery--for his second time around. It was actually quite interesting.

This is Jeff looking at the prohibition exhibit. It's quite an impressive plant and it wrapped up in the hospitality room, giving all participants two free glasses of alcohol. I stuck to the soft drinks and pretzels.

Maid in Peoria

I haven't been blogging lately because I've been cleaning. And organizing. And cleaning some more. I'd rather have the flu than clean but we're putting the house back on the market and I'm crossing my fingers that the third time is a charm!
I included this photo of the dining room because it's a room that's given me great joy in recent times. Tonight Keith and Amber came over for dinner and games. What a blast! It struck my heart for the first time, really, that deep friendships have the potential to bloom within the context of family. Of course when your blood mingles with another there's always a connection but sometimes we can take family for granted and not really make a deep personal investment. I want to make an effort to be a true friend to my family members and invite them into my heart and home.
Well, it's midnight...Jeff is dozing off...and I've got to work on an article. Bye for now!

C.O.E. Compatibility

Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This weekend I took a glass fusing class at the Peoria Art Guild. It was such a blast to exercise creativity with other women. I also learned something about the science of glass fusing as it relates to marriage.
Glass makers test the compatibility of their raw products before the fusing process takes place. They rate the glass according to their COE, or Coefficient of Expansion. Different types of glass expand and contract at various rates under fire. If an artist pairs one piece of glass that changes with great speed at a high temperature with another piece of glass that demands a slower melding process, this will create stress cracks and may lead to the shattering of the piece after it cools.
I find the same holds true in marriage. There's bound to be a clash if one partner is required to change at a rapid pace while the other person is not. Compatibility can be a tricky concept when it's fleshed out. In pre-marital counseling, pastors encourage couples to test their compatibility concerning their faith, personality differences, family history, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and educational differences. We're bound to feel differently about a variety of factors.
But I find that if two people have the same foundational values and focus on the same vision for their future, it's possible to circumvent any minor incompatibilities they'll have to learn to endure. Because when the hard times befall us and we're under fire, we'll have to cleave to those foundational principles of faith and living out our lives for the Lord, to fuse together and strengthen one another so we don't fall apart in the stress cracks.

Make-Up Fun

I just finished reading "Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul" by Stasi Eldredge, wife of Christian author John Eldredge. Her premise is that every woman was once a little girl who dreams of being swept up in a great adventure, of being a beautiful princess.
As long as I can remember, I've always loved playing dress-up and experimenting with make-up. I was captivated by the idea of transforming into someone feminine and regal. This week while I was clearing out my closet, I collected a bunch of make-up I never use and zipped them up in a fancy make-up bag I'd never have a need for.
I planned on giving it to a church friend but when I showed it to Laney, she expressed interest in it and exclaimed, "Even tomboys like playing with make-up!" I was surprised that she was so fascinated by the lipsticks, perfume & eye shadow I put in the purse. She said she wanted to invite her neighborhood friends over to play with her new make-up kit.
We always have what she calls "girl talk" before she goes to sleep...and she asked me to put eye shadow on her. So I did and explained how it's properly applied and how to blot lipstick and mix lipstick colors if one shade is too dark and one is too light. It was pretty fun! Of course, she's way too young to be wearing make-up, but she looked like a knock-out when our make-up session was over and it's fun to play. This is why I've always wanted a girl!