B's poem

In the ocean blue,
Sea creatures we welcome you!
And as you grant our wishes,
We award you with treats delicious
So in the ocean blue,
Sea creatures we welcome you!

first haircut

After being told by several people, and then finally the vet, that Kip's hair was "kinda long", I started seriously looking around for a decent groomer. Which was when I learned that the reputable ones I might maybe perhaps trust were a) really really far from where I live and b) cost a mint.

So -- lightbulb moment -- I decided to trim her myself. The thing is, I never had a problem with Kip's scruffy look; I actually like her like that. And I've always been pretty conscientious about keeping her clean and brushed, so she doesn't have any mats or skin issues. But I had to agree with the vet that giving her a trim would cut down the increasing tangles, and help her keep cooler and drier.


Me? Too long?

No look, really?

Sigh, ok, if you say so.

And so me, who had only ever had to deal with Labrador/Alsatian/Beagle types in the past (read super easy grooming issues), got myself a dog trimmer.

This is what we ended up with:

While certainly not professional-groomy-perfect, I think it's okaaay, and I have to admit she looks neater and cooler (in the less warm sense). Well practise makes perfect they say (and saving 100 bucks each time certainly doesn't hurt)!

Tam and Nine

A postcard perhaps?

R and her Sailor Ghost..

.. waiting to go out.

R and Tamsin discuss what to play next.

a pure heart

"See now that ye love one another" (1 Peter 1:22). Obviously, this love is not a wild plant that will grow of itself. It is there in the heart by a divine planting, but it must be cultivated... The human heart must be cultivated; we must work on it. We must pray, search the Word, obey, believe and humble ourselves, opening our minds to the incoming Holy Ghost so that we might cultivate and see that we love one another.

How? "With a pure heart." No other kind of heart can love purely; because for the heart to love purely it must love unselfishly. Unselfish love does not exploit its object and it does not ask anything in return. That is so lofty that the modern world knows little or nothing about it.

This true love is to be demonstrated "fervently." God hates everything that is halfway. He hates half-minded people... "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (Jas 1:8)...

Then Peter talks about being lukewarm. Is a bottle half full of something or half empty? Is lukewarm water half warm or half cold? Is a half Christian a half sinner and half Christian? I do not know, but I do know this: God will sweep the whole business out together. He will have nothing to do with half stuff. Did He say we are to be full unto the half fullness of God? Never. For God to say a thing like that, He would not be God. Filled unto the fullness of God, He said, not unto the half fullness. God has nothing to do with half-full things. He gives us a whole day, not a half day; He gives us a whole personality, not a half personality; a whole mind, not a half mind; a whole salvation, not a half salvation. And He expects our love to be a whole love, fervent and not half cold. "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:16).

Think it over. See that you have purified your soul by believing the truth through the Spirit unto one thing, love of the brethren. See to it that love goes to work and you really do love each other fervently out of a pure heart.

(A.W. Tozer, Living As A Christian -- Teachings from First Peter)

R does not think Meg should go to a new home.

Meg

Custom order. Intriguing green fabric with rain cloud.

R and her new Roro

portrait

Father in Heaven who lovest all,
Oh, help Thy children when they call;
That they may build from age to age
An undefiled heritage.

Teach us to bear the yoke in youth,
With steadfastness and careful truth;
That, in our time, Thy Grace may give
The Truth whereby the Nations live.

Teach us to rule ourselves alway,
Controlled and cleanly night and day;
That we may bring, if need arise,
No maimed or worthless sacrifice.

Teach us to look in all our ends
On Thee for judge, and not our friends;
That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed
By fear or favour of the crowd.

Teach us the Strength that cannot seek,
By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under Thee, we may possess
Man's strength to comfort man's distress.

Teach us Delight in simple things,
And Mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And Love to all men 'neath the sun!

(From Rudyard Kipling's The Children's Song)

The only kid in ballet class with a winged heart on her head.

So B finally cut her hair. About 5 or 6 inches' worth. But no one noticed.

sailors

R and her Sailor Ghost.

(You can have your own Sailor Ghost here)

cryptic, profound truth

Today while waiting outside the supermarket with B, we see a little girl about 4 years old playing with the ATM there. I say to B, "Look, that little girl is doing what you and R like to do -- pressing buttons like crazy".

And B replies, "That's the point of kids".

And now R wants to keep Tig. (I said no). (For now).
(The adorable top is from a lovely lady at Ginger Ale Shop)

Tig goes for a walk

He's always up for adventure :)
(Available here)

do a dance of joy

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:1-3).

not bad for a 2-year-old

Masterly painting technique and choice of colours :)

Tiggy

There was this tiger who woke up one morning and just felt great. He just felt so good, he went out and cornered a small monkey and roared at him: "WHO IS THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL THE JUNGLE ANIMALS?"

The poor quaking little monkey replied: "You are of course -- no one is mightier than you."

A little while later this tiger confronts a deer, and just bellows out: "WHO IS THE GREATEST AND STRONGEST OF ALL THE JUNGLE ANIMALS?"

The deer is shaking so hard it can barely speak, but manages to stammer: "O great tiger, you are by far the mightiest animal in the jungle."

The tiger, being on a roll, swaggered on up to an elephant who was quietly munching on some weeds, and roared at the top of his voice: "WHO IS THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE JUNGLE?"

Well, this elephant grabs the tiger with his trunk, picks him up, slams him down; picks him up again, and shakes him until the tiger is just a blur of orange and black, and finally throws him violently into a nearby tree.

The tiger staggers to his feet and looks at the elephant and says: "Man, just because you don't know the answer, you don't have to get so mad".

This fellow makes me really happy -- he has such a good attitude, he's so cheerful. He's all the childish joyousness of parties, carnivals and fun fairs :)
(Tiggy is available here)

Getting some fresh air. In the shop now.

B has decided she doesn't want to cut her hair. For now.

sailor ghost

I love anything nautical. And striped. And smiling.
(Sailor Ghost is available here)

Several googly-eyed Roros get ready for their new owners.

"it shall be life"

Thus, if there are afflictions, there are also comforts: great consolations, great chastisements. There is a comforter, and there is a chastener. Every man must taste of death: every man must taste of life. It shall not be all bitter nor all sweet for any. It shall be life. The unseen ministers of a stupendous equity have their eyes and their hands about every man’s portion; ‘as it is written, he that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.’

It is the same earth for all; the same earth for the dead, great and small; dust to dust. The same earth for the living. ‘Thorns, also, and thistles shall it bring forth,’ and God provides the flowers too.

(J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Wylder's Hand)

~* the shop is up! *~

The Bikbik & Roro shop is up! Well, the skeleton of it is anyway (technicalities sure are a chore). With God's help it shall be officially open in the next few days (weeks?), with a few Bikbiks and Roros :)

Mrs Harriet Maybell-Winthrop

OK, I don't really know her name. But wasn't she a beauty?

having a great life

The other day a nice customer service lady at one of the major clothing companies was emailing me about my order, and in closing she wrote the usual, "Hope you're having a great weekend".

It was a routine, standard courtesy and I don't think she expected any response from me, but on the spur of the moment I decided to write this back:

"YES, I am having a great weekend really. I've been enjoying myself with my kids, spending so much fun time with them, shopping, eating well, and then having a lovely peaceful home to return to to rest and relax. I am so blessed!

I realise as I get older that it really boils down to one's attitude, doesn't it. like, you could choose to fixate on something that you think isn't right in your life and let that get you down, or you can choose to rise above it and be grateful for all the blessings you do have.

more and more I see that it is wasteful to think that you'd be happy when such and such happens.. like you'll be happy when your knee stops aching or when you've gotten or done whatever.. you have to choose to be happy NOW, whatever your circumstances, and not waste any time worrying or fretting about the future or what you cannot change.. being happy and content really has to be a conscious choice one makes".

I apologised if that was too much information, but explained that I had been contemplating life a lot lately. Now I didn't expect any response from her (except perhaps a mental rolling of the eyes at her end), but this is what she wrote back:

"You are so right. Life is way too short to get caught up in the little things. Thank you for sharing that. I needed to read that and be reminded. It really did make my day".

Honestly, I felt SO happy when I read that. You just never know when, how and to whom you can be a help and a blessing, however small.

latest distraction: cat vomit

Sophie contemplates the results of her sensitive stomach and unnecessarily rushed eating.