A Note for HiveRadical

I promise I'm not ignoring your comment!

I've been taking time to reflect on your post and think about it. I'm finding it very difficult to put my thoughts into coherent sentences that actually convey my feelings on gender roles in our God-given purpose.

I do believe gender has a role to play in our purpose. I believe God did very well creating me as a woman, since the way I think is different from a man. A man and a woman compliment each other on thought processes, and make a great pair when trying to find all angles of a situation. I believe that God blesses marriages between a man and a woman, and blesses that marriage with children to continue our species and create new followers of Christ to fulfill His purposes. I don't believe, however, that EVERY person is destined to marry and have children. Some people God has slated for other tasks. Even then, their gender might play an important role in their task. A woman usually possesses some form of a nurturing nature, which I believe is God-given. A woman that does not marry could be purposed instead for the role of caring for the sick, or ministering to those who need a maternal figure in their lives to lead them to Christ.

I told you I couldn't put a coherent thought together on this. Re-reading that paragraph just let me know I'm not explaining my views very well.

Ugh.

As far as my thoughts on marriage goes, I believe God created us male and female not only in physical body but in mental body as well. I've always liked a saying from my first marriage class: "What if God created marriage not to make you happy, but to make you holy?" A marriage that is Christ-centered would definitely encompass the realm of gender roles, and learning to accept and understand (even if you don't agree with) those that operate differently from yourself. It's almost essential to learn this Christ-like lesson to keep a marriage together (God's will for 99.9999...% all marriages).

There I go rambling again. I'm going to go think some more and I'll try to explain it better later.

IKEA Haiku

IKEA divine
Affordable super-swank
You beguiling tempter!




SO...

I went to IKEA today for the first time. I got so many ideas for my home, and they have so many things there that are not only cute, but reasonably priced. I could really get into this. I'm so glad it's so far away.

But I will have to make another trip soon to get the new light fixture I want.

Princess Dresses

I was extremely surprised to find out which of my daughter's dresses she considered princess dresses. The ones that make her feel pretty, like a princess. I figured it would be the dress-up dresses, like her Swan Lake dress or her fairy dress. But I found out that there are certain characteristics that make up a princess dress, and they put some dresses I wouldn't have imagined higher on the list than others.

Characteristics of a Princess Dress

As Told by My Daughter

And Translated by the Pumpkin Princess

1. The dress must have adequate color. All princess dresses must contain interesting colors. While pink is the preferred color, purple, other pastels, and red are also acceptable.

2. The dress must be girly. Sequins, glitter, and tulle earn bonus points.

3. Length. The longer the better. Interesting hemlines, like in fairy dresses, make the dress more appealing. While short skirts on princess dresses won't exclude a dress from making it to the princess dress category, they won't be as high up on the list of favorites.

4. Accessories. Any dress that has matching shoes, tiaras, wands, purses, fairy wings, or other accessories instantly get bumped up a notch on the scale.

5. Spinnability. This is the most important characteristic of a princess dress. When the princess spins, the dress must accommodate her image of a true princess skirt's ability to flare like a Spanish Dancer. This is why the handmade garage-sale Fourth of July Dress in my daughter's collection ultimately gained the number one spot in the heirarchy of princess dresses, even over her Swan Lake and fairy dresses.

So do you see why we're starting her in ballet lessons in the fall?

Death by Toothpicks

Another story of the antics of my daughter.

You know, I just love having a curious, smart, creative three year old. It reminds me how much I love it when I walk upstairs to find that she's dumped all my toothpicks out onto the loft floor (after scaling cabinet walls to get them from the spice cabinet, of course).

After I cleaned all of them up, it was movie time. So I decided to watch a little bit with them. I set it up, went to sit down, and...

Suddenly searing pain was shooting up my hand. I didn't know what it was, until I tried to get my husband to fix it. When I pressed down on the fluffy couch armrest to show him, what came out?

Toothpicks. My couch was suddenly the Hellraiser couch. I think between me and my husband we fished out around 40 toothpicks that were painstakingly nestled and lodged in our couch. And I am the proud bearer of four puncture wounds to the left hand that hurt really really bad.

I'm glad she didn't decide to pincushion the seat, too.

Bahh!!!

I've been tagged again! This time by the illustrious Leah!!!

Five weird facts:
1. I was bitten by a baboon when I was in Girl Scouts.
2. When I eat, I start with the thing I least like and finish with the thing I like most. I eat all of the item at one time and then move on to the next.
3. I have scars on the bottom of my right foot from where I was cut by a mussel shell my junior year of high school. I spent the first two weeks of band camp in a foot wrap with crutches.
4. I have a fascination that borders on slight obsession with studying Christian marriage, and why a truly Bible-based Christian marriage is different from a secular marriage. I read every marriage book I can get my hands on and study it... religiously... haha!
5. I am one of the few people I know that not only gets along with her mother-in-law, but is very good close friends with her. We talk on almost a daily basis. If I go three days without talking to her, I know something's happened.

I tag Jill, MsD, Heather, Stephanie, and sekondstory!