habit- 19 november

just the right kind of Saturday- waking up slowly, football radio on the internet, baking, clean up, basketball, a quick hello, supper from the crock pot, ready for Sunday.

"the perfect way"

     Do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain.
     There are two things we can do when that happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.
     God loves Karel- even more than you do- and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy. Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way.
from The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.

(oh the pearls in this book! My oldest kids are reading it as part of their 20th Century history studies and if you haven't read it, don't wait another day!)

habit- 18 november

for a good part of the day, I felt like I needed to be held together with duct tape too. By afternoon, we both were back up to speed.

habit- 17 november

baking pies is never a chore. never.

habit- 16 november

I really don't know why anyone would have cranberries out of a can...

habit- 15 november

we cheered and the time went by in a flash. it seemed like a good hurdle to get past.

habit- 13 november

being a soccer mom, well, it can be complicated, as much because of the parents as the girls...

habit- 12 november

I think we'd all be as happy if our best buddies came over for to spend the night.

habit- 11 november

shhh... don't tell. It was medicinal. :-)

habit- 10 november

It takes a while, doesn't it?

habit- 9 november

sometimes it is hard to know the right thing to do.
sometimes, though, it is not hard at all.

habit- 8 november

the musty, dusty smell of fall arrived in an envelope in the mailbox and we all smiled. thanks, friend.

habit- 7 november

a thorn in the flesh- the only consolation is listening to the sermon while folding.

Puente Internacional

It takes about 10 miles and 15 minutes to cross the Rio Grande River and be in Reynosa, Mexico from where we live. Going to Mexico is fast. It takes about 10 miles and a minimum of one hour to cross the Rio Grande River and be back in Texas. Crossing the bridge back into the US is slow.

We pay the toll on the Mexican side of the bridge, 24 pesos or $2 and immediately choose a lane. My husband swears the far right lane moves the most quickly, because at the other side of the bridge, the lanes fan out and traffic disperses more efficiently. I like the right lane because we can see over the bridge. On a Sunday afternoon, traffic moves at a slow crawl, if at all.

There is a sign on the bridge that says in Spanish and in English,
No Loitering

Sale or Purchase of Items is Prohibited

Penalties/Fines
No Pedestrian Traffic Allowed

That sign makes me laugh.

We haven't finished paying the toll before the first guy wants to wash our windshield. Before we cross the bridge we will be asked to

have our windshield and windows washed,

and have the car buffed.

We will have the opportunity to buy

chicharrones (fried pork rinds),

sunscreens for the windows,

water,

jewelry,

popsicles,
stuffed dolls,
garden statues,

pumpkin seeds and peanuts,

cell phone holders,

fresh fruit cups,

hammocks,

crucifixes,

hats,

candy and gum,

Mary statues,

bread,

and Smurf dolls.

And a blind man led by a lady,

two different men with only one leg,

a man in a wheelchair,

and a lady with a baby

will have asked us for money.

I smiled at one man, and he relentlessly followed us, convinced we needed him to wash our windows.

We leave the windows up, or the products come in. We shake our head "no" incessantly.

And we inch our way back to the crossing and back into the US.

habit- 6 november

The sweet man complimented me on my singing. I had to confess. I am quite sure that it wasn't my voice he was enjoying.

Advent calendar give away!

Go over and look what they are giving away over at Amoretti! It's an advent calendar from the shop at the Bodleian Library at Oxford.

No Santas, no snowmen for me.
I'll choose an advent calendar or a nativity scene every time. :-)

habit- 5 november

"Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"

I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country."
Psalm 57:8-9 (The Message)

habit- 4 november

at the end of the week, all I really wanted to do was rest.

habit- 3 november

so many nice things about the day, but really, the biggest laugh came when I saw my friend's head dash in front of the camera...
:-)

habit- 2 november

they were the nicest surprise of fall yet.
(although finding clearance candy was pretty good too...)