Meme with Boo

Boo, age 6-1/2 (3 years ago) - answered these questions while wearing his birthday suit.  He's a little more modest now.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
We always have to go to school and church

2. What makes mom happy?
When I sing

3. What makes mom sad?
I disobey her

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
By tickling me?

5. What was your mom like as a child?
I don’t know

6. How old is your mom?
49

7. How tall is your mom?
(Looks around the hall) I’ll be right back (brings back yardstick)   You’re 36”

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Go shopping

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Bible study or (work at) Liberty or shopping to buy me some toys

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
What does famous mean?

11. What is your mom really good at?
Playing Sorry

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Not good at tickling

13. What does your mom do for a job?
To protect me.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Korean noodles!

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
When you win a game.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? 

You would be Francis (Eww!  It's that whiny badger!)

17. What do you and your mom do together?

We go to the grocery store and the playground

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same colored skin.  Mine’s a little darker but we’re still the same.

19. How are you and your mom different?
You wear glasses and I don’t wear glasses.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

I just know.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

He’s your husband

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Aunt Brenda’s house

23. Moms favorite movie? 

John & Kate + 8 (Up until this time, he'd never seen a movie.  And this was back when John & Kate were cute and nice!)

Happy Hangers

I have found a new love: FLOCKED HANGERS!

They are really the best things since sliced bread. They have a thin plastic profile which is flocked with a velvety material giving a soft texture and firm grip on your clothes.  {Think "The Last Supper" hanging in the dining room at your Aunt Mary's.}  Especially these days with such plunging and/or wide necklines, my clothes were always sliding off their hangers.  And being slightly OCD-ish {what architect isn't, right??} I couldn't stand seeing 5 different kinds of hangers in my closet, depending on the neckline and fabric of my clothes

These ultra-slim flocked hangers come in all sorts of great colors, shapes and accessories, available almost anywhere, including online.  The kind I bought are actually supposed to be hung on each other in a cascading pattern - see the little hooks?  But I'm going to use the hooks for matching belts or scarves.  They are also very reasonably priced; I got 18 for $9.99 at TJMaxx.  See?

It's balm to my OCDish soul!

Memphis, Tennessee

Ernest C. Withers
American (1922–2007)
I Am A Man, Sanitation Workers Strike, Memphis, Tennessee, March 28, 1968

Funny Friday

Boo got a science experiment kit for Christmas.  Not from me, mind you.  I can't think of one mom who would purposely buy their young son anything that has the word "experiment" even near it. 

But trying to be the encouraging mom, I kept mum, and even sounded enthusiastic about how "cool" it was.  Although I am adamant that I never lie to anyone, ever, there are times when we as moms (and wives) must dig deep into our purse of emotions, where down in the corner near the gum wrapper and lint, if we look carefully, we'd find a scrap that means "I'm happy you're happy" and play that card.  And I did.

So in the interest of mother-son bonding, we did the experiment:

I would show you the next photo, but I was too busy picking up all those wet, brightly colored crystals from my Momeni rug.

Wordless Wednesday

Flirtive

"He's flirting," the young mother would say about her 2-year old son.

That always struck a chord with me. The wrong chord.

I always thought that's what young women did with males to {harmlessly} get their way.  Access to a closed office, a drink, and the potential for S3X but never S3X.  Just the little juice of it.  When a man flirts with a young woman, there was always danger there.  Lurking, furtive.  An older woman, a woman old enough to be the man's mother or even grandmother, it was to harmlessly get some approval; to send herself back a time before she learned how lascivious men were.  See it all as harmless and innocent.

When I search "flirt" clipart, this is what I get:

Perhaps English being my second language turned first-cousin, I never fully understood the nuances of it.  Flirt. Why would a second meaning of flirt be used on a baby?
 
Though it's not visible to the naked eye, there it is:between the f, l, i, r and t are the naked letters s, e and x.  Do you see it?

How strange to associate a word like that with the affections of a child.

Or is it just me?

2011 - A Year in Pictures

A YEAR IN PICTURES

From January 2, 2011

to December 31, 2011:

*************************************************************************
JANUARY
His favorite things: drawing and keem:

FEBRUARY
We made a trip to Pittsburgh to see Dave Garrett, the violinist, in concert at the Benedum:

I made some online friends into real life friends at the SolNal party in the Harrisburg (PA) area:

>

and so did Boo:

MARCH
Oma and Boo's excellent adventure.  Yes, it was cold.

APRIL
Suddenly, Boo seemed lanky and  not such a little boy anymore.  Happy and sad.

MAY
I love being near enough to The Shore to go for quick trips.  We had such a get-away over Memorial Day weekend, thanks to some dear friends.  We were grateful for our time, but it was tainted by a stressful summer of work for my dear husband.  But lucky for me, he stayed handsome throughout, cuz y'know that's what's really important:

JUNE
Nothings says "Summer!!" like picking strawberries!

...and then eating them!

...and the boy turned 9:

Going back I'm even impressing myself at everything we did!  We were blessed to host a Pastor from Canada (by way of Australia and Mississippi.)  Rohan Crown, who works in Lethbridge, BC, quickly became our friend...anyone who likes sushi can't be all bad!

JULY

Wow, we were busy last summer!

AUGUST
Thanks to the continued benevolence of my brother, Semoon, we get to enjoy Cape Cod!

If we're really blessed, we even get to see them, too.

SEPTEMBER?  School, of course!


First day of Fourth grade:

Wasn't Kindergarten yesterday??

...and my friend and I started an online thrift store: gogo thrift:

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER
..and on that day a child was born.

I look forward to a 2012 of more writing.  I appreciate everyone who has seemed it fit to read my ramblings.  Blessings to all of you!!

New Year Resolution

About 35 years ago, I made a few Resolutions because, y'know, in the US of A, that's what we do.  Not that my immigrant family did, but y'know, everyone else.  Of course, I promptly forgot them and when I did remember them, promptly ignored them.  And of course, I don't recall what those Resolutions were.

But this year, I do have a resolution.  No 's.'  Resolution.  Just one:

I will write more.

The reason I've been writing less are varied:

1. I've slowed down on the passionate issues that had been percolating in my heart these many years.  Having dumped my varied and sundry thoughts here on blackbelt oma, this very blog has, in a way, lead to its own demise.  
2. I've been putting whatever little writing energy I had into being a contributor at my friend's blog, All Things Chic.  In my twenties, I was fabulously fascinated by fashion and all things worldly.  (Including men, but that's another post!)  I knew all the designers and even supermodels.  I knew the histories and traits of the luxury goods lines.  Having grown up in a little Appalachian city, I drank that stuff up like a Bedouin.  I think growing up in a post-industrial (Conrail) city of rusty rail cars, suffering the not-so-slow death of downtown and the onslaught of strip malls, I longed for beauty and design, which I found in these material goods.   I am no longer very interested in or invested in fashion, but continue to care deeply about design.  I wouldn't be telling the whole truth if I didn't say I have fun shopping and coming up with outfits.  I've written some posts I'm really proud of, in the contribution to society catagory, but, now that my friend Jo-Lynne won't be a part of All Things Chic, I'm going to hang-up my Contributor status so I can divert my energy to this blog.  However, don't be surprised if you see me as a guest blogger on her Musings site!
3. I've started an online thrift store on etsy called gogo thrift with my besty (link also at right.)  It's not going to make us into Steve  Bezos but it'll give us some "mad money."
4. Facebook.  Aaah Facebook.  I love you and I hate you.  Need I say more?

So, for all of my hundreds of followers (ahem) be on the lookout for a resurgence of brain dumps, here at blackbelt oma, by blackbelt oma.

Oh okay.  I'm busted.  I've said this before.  But THIS time, I mean it!

About Me

If you could set aside all your concerns, if you didn't have a child tugging for attention, if you didn't have a job to go to and weren't exhausted, I mean.  I'd tell you where I've been, where I am, where I hope to go.  And what I bought on sale.

God adopted me as an heir to the Kingdom through Jesus Christ.  That is first and foremost, and defines who I am. And will be.  I'm glad He is purifying me because there is nothing I can do to help Him.  No amount of prayers, fasting or exercising can purify me but the sacrificial lamb of Jesus Christ.

Check out my posts with the label "More About Me" for... umm, more about me.