The Hunger Games...

I found a bandwagon and jumped on. It was the Hunger Games one. I feel a bit superior in that, I have never even looked in the general direction of the Twilight wagon... oy vey. But the Hunger Games, I went for.
Of course, I read the book first, because...

I firmly believe you should always read the book first.

And I am glad I did. One of my pals, who also believes the above policy, we planned on hitting the movie once I finished her copy. It didn't take long, three days. I give the book 5 stars, and A+. It was a really good read. You were drawn into the characters, sometimes without knowing it. The heroine, Katniss, is not portrayed as some sexpot 16 year old. In fact, her looks are made little of, and her brain much. I like that. It made her beautiful in my mind's eye. Then there is Gale, whom we just like from the word go, because he is Katniss' friend and hunting partner. That leaves poor Peeta... what to say about Peeta. You come to love him in the book. The author does so with the proper weaving of her words, and as if she is knitting a blanket around you without you knowing it, but you like it, and appreciate it when she is done. That's Peeta. You don't even know you are rooting for him until the end.
This is a book for middle school mature kids or above. Its low on the teen angst, high on adventure. It is violent, but if you are a mom of boys like me, you will take bombs over boobies any day of the week. (That is not a widely spoken of motto, more of a silent rule, round the casa.)  The movie makers thankfully, saw fit to leave this as it was in the book, and not add in gratuitous and unnecessary sexual scenes. Thank you Hollywood. I hope all your box office dollars are speaking to you loud and clear on this count.

Now that is all I want to tell you about the book, because, well... I think you should read it.  I am purposefully leaving out lots of details.

The movie... was... eh. I liked it. It was ok. I would not like it AT ALL if I hadn't read the book. Without the book you miss so much of the thoughts that a character had that made you like/hate them to begin with. The casting was the first issue. Katniss and Gale were cast splendidly. Perfect even. But Peeta??? NO NO NO. Hollywood got him ALL kinds of wrong. First off, he was shorter than Katniss. I will just leave that there. Second, without all the detail of home life in district 12, you miss out on who he really is. In the book, he comes off as a bit cocky at first. You aren't rooting for him, he keeps you guessing... does he really love Katniss, or is he this smart about the games? The way he was cast, makes him more of a "lovable loser" type. In the book, you are hoping the teen crush angle is real, in the movie, you are like, "Go home to Gale!".  No chemistry. Boo Boo Boo. I felt like when I was watching The Help and kept asking if someone mixed up Mary Steenburgen and Allison Janey's scripts! Not the right guy for the part.

The highlights of the movie is Stanley Tucci. I've always liked him, and he does not disappoint in this role at all. In fact, the movie people should give him a bonus. Dear Stanley, please come to dinner at my house sometime. Ok? Ok. Thanks. 
You should also go prepared for cinematography that makes you a bit nauseous. Oh.My.Word. Blurry shots, shaking like an 92 year old with a camcorder. on a caffeine high. in a moving vehicle. Maybe I am not hip enough to get this new filming mode, and that's ok, I'm a nerd.  I was really glad I knew the final outcome, because the last scene was so poorly shot I had no idea who was who, who was winning, and gave up trying.

In conclusion, if you like Stanley Tucci, see this film. 

This:

Birth of a Book from Glen Milner on Vimeo.

Africa...

I seriously do not know how to start or continue or end a post or series of posts on my trip to Africa.  I know the words "it was life changing" sounds so cliche, but...

it.was.life.changing.

I went to visit our church's carepoint, that we sponsor through Children's Hope Chest. This is truly a GREAT organization to work with. If you want more information on sponsoring a child, or getting your church involved with HopeChest check out their website. They are the real deal folks.

Here is a copy of the post I wrote for our church's blog after our first day... I think it is a good place to start.

“It will change how you think,” I was warned. A visit to Africa will in fact, do just that. It happened to me today. We went to the CarePoint and enjoyed playing with the kids, singing, doing crafts, and taking photos (and if you know me, you know there were LOTS of photos.)
But what got me the most today was the home visit. We each paired-up with a member of the Discipleship Team and each took food to a home of child who visits the CarePoint. We got to meet the family member/caregiver and sometimes even the parent of a child who we sponsor.
I grabbed a bag of cornmeal and hit the dirt road with Deli. We didn’t go far before we met a woman and she opened the gate to her home. “This is not bad at all!” I thought. The house seemed large and nice. I was genuinely surprised. I even commented to Linda, the little boy who lived there how nice his house was. But then, we kept walking. Right past the house, toward what I really thought was a barn or shed of some sort. Surely this is not where they live. Well, it wasn’t. Only HALF of the “shed” was their home. This space could not have been more than 4-6 feet wide and 10-12 feet long.
We met Linda’s mother and she sat to chat with us. In addition to providing for Linda, she also feeds her two nephews. After we gave her the food staples, she beamed and simply said, “I prayed for this and I KNEW God would provide. Praise God.” She was happy and thankful, but she was not surprised.
I was moved beyond what I can convey with the written word. If my boys were hungry and the cupboard was bare, I would probably cry out, “Lord, why have you forgotten us?” This woman had no doubt that the Lord would take care of her needs. How easily I doubt him over little matters. I was convicted, encouraged, and embarrassed all at the same time.
On the walk back, I asked Deli, “Is it hard for the people of Swaziland to have faith because they have so little and are often hungry?”
Deli’s response, “No. The people of Swaziland are very faithful. They HAVE faith, BECAUSE they have so little.”

 This is Linda and his mother. The photo at the beginning of this post is him as well. He was quite the character really. Kept all of us laughing, and he was always smiling... despite his circumstances. I think Linda has a better grasp on the joy of the Lord more than anyone I know...

Miraculous...

this is a miracle you are looking at. a carry on only stuffed for 10 days in Africa.
I was pretty proud of myself until my Micah noted how "fat" it is and said, "they may make you check that at the gate".
Whaaaaaaat?!?!?!
That is wrong, just wrong. I've rolled and re-rolled and repackaged, and taken out.
Dear airline, if you are reading this please let me stuff my groovy carry in the overhead bin.

Sincerely,
pack rat Jude :) 

Suitcase Revelations...

So this week I was packing for an upcoming trip to Africa. (I am going with a team to volunteer at an "orphan care point" that our church works with through Hopechest.)  I was excitedly packing away until I realized that I was the ONLY person who was checking a bag. Huh? What? How in the heck are these others gals packing for 10 days in a foreign country with ONLY A CARRY ON??!?!
I soon realized that because we were taking lots of bins, bins full of supplies for orphans,the full time workers, etc. we needed every checked bag "credit" we could get. Basically, me taking a suitcase was going to cost my church $200 extra baggage dollars. Were my creature comforts worth that?  I thought, "YES!"... but after thinking and thinking, and yes, feeling like a real heel for being the sole taker of a checked bag, I decided to give the carry-on only a go.

I never thought of myself as "high maintenance" until that day.

I like my hairspray, my gels, my lotions, oh, and let's not forget pocket size lysol, and handi-wipes etc. What about my perfume? My shoe spray (no one likes stinky feet!) and my blow dryer, my blow dryer HAD to fit.
Suddenly I realized... I really like my "stuff" that makes me look like "me."

I didn't want frizzy hair.
I wanted to rub my special lotion into my heels at night.
I wanted to smell nice.
I wanted sparkly teeth.
I wanted my feet to not stink...

I had a realization. It happened when someone said, "It will be ok Jude, the kids at the carepoint don't care what we look like."

Oh. They don't? That was when I realized the fatal flaw in my totally me centered packing. Those kids want to be loved. They thrive, THRIVE off playing with us, hugging us, sitting in our laps, and sharing a smile.  They come to us in dirty clothes. They often haven't bathed in days or longer. Their heads are mostly shaved, even the girls, for health reasons. They don't have mouth wash, or loofahs for exfoliating, or special lotions. They are not trying to match the right shirt to their skirt to look more flattering. Yet... they are often full of joy and happiness. I found myself wondering... how?

Because they get it.
 They know happiness is NOT found in the outer person we see.

It made me question, how much of my outward appearance is there to overshadow and cover up the real me?  Do I hide behind uncracked heels, sanitized hands, and coiffed hair? Is my perfume trying to cover up the stank that would be my raw humanity? I am speaking metaphorically of course, but really... are these kids happier because they live in such a bold "here is what I am" way, that it allows them the freedom to be more honest and real with their creator and hence, with other humans?

What if I was stripped bare, would you still love me?
With frizzy hair, unshaved legs, and smelly armpits?
Stinky feet, dingy teeth, and dirty clothes?
Do you know what my eyes look like with no mascara? 

Christ lives in our hearts, not our gel bottles.
If the outer Jude is altered, or uncomfortable, can I still find joy and strength?

Or am I dressing up the temple in order to hide its corruption?

Just some random, and albeit "waxing eloquent" thoughts on this impending trip. I am trying to not let the outer appearance rob me of my inward happiness... and I freely admit, that is hard. Very hard.  Especially hard when you are packing all your beauty needs in "One quart size ziploc bag."

Signed,
Your High Maintenance Friend,
Jude

Sweethearts Dinner

For Valentine's Day we always stay in. ALWAYS. It started when we were living in NY, back in 1997, and despite Micah being sick, we felt compelled to go out for dinner, simply because the calendar read "February 14th." After a long wait, and an intensely crowded restaurant, I vowed, "never again."... and we haven't.
We stay in and as the boys have gotten older, I try to make the day special for us as a family. A "fancy" meal, special dessert, and little gifts at the table for all. I like doing this for my boys. Here is this year's set up...

I have been hoarding these little jars and candle holders for about 2 years... that's right, 2 years. But, now that I've used them, I can officially be taken off the line up for that show "Hoarders".

This year I also decided to make a heart garland out of old book pages and cardstock. I punched hearts whilst watching Downton Abbey, and then sewed them together. I may or may not also have been saying, "I'm sewing! I'm a seamstress!". (if you don't know the happiness that is "What About Bob" you will not think that is funny. Ok, even if you know that movie, you may still not be laughing. Whatever.)
Twinkle lights were strung as well, which made Alden ooh and ahh and proclaim, "Oh mama, that is bootiful! Good job!" Worth.Every.Penny.

We set the table and had a little gift bag for each boy containing goodies, and fun things. The toppers are just doilies and my beloved washi tape. I washi tape anything I can these days. Its sad what thrills your soul once you admit to being a nerdy mom. Which I am.

One of the gifts for each boy were a set of these photo books. (They are tiny, 2.75x 3.75.) But they weren't really for them... Remember when I told you all about writing letters to my future daughter in laws?  Well, I explained to the boys that they could keep one of these, but the other two would be set aside for their future wives. (Alden led the way with giving back all three saying, "No, I want you to keep all of 'dem for my wife, OK?" 

We had a lovely dinner with some of our favorite foods, and laughed and enjoyed just being together. Of course, we hauled out some new desserts for the occasion as well. This cake forced me to go where I have never gone before... the world of home made frosting. My mom makes amazing frosting, but I have always gone the duncan hines route. Well... no more. This frosting was really easy and really good. As was the cake. Believe me, if I can make this, anyone can! The boys LOVED it.  (PS I just looked for the site where this recipe was. I can't find it. Maybe it was my one hit wonder. Dang.)

Since Alden couldn't have the cake, and I am not a huge chocolate gal' I also made these. My friend Corey made it look so easy. It wasn't. The dough was really hard to roll out, and I am in awe of her perfectly made ones. They were good, but not as easy as your good ole' chocolate chip cookie ya' know?  (PS I will be making them again though, can you imagine how AMAZING they would be with my beloved trader joe's lemon curd!?!?!)

And that is that. Another Valentine's Day is in the books. I love these wild boys and am glad that at least for one day of the year I get to insist of flowers, hearts, pink and lovey dovey stuff.