Weeds

Sunday I preached a sermon in which I likened covetousness to a horrible weed growing in our lawn. You cannot pluck the weed out of the ground, you have to dig beneath it - where you find things like idolatry and dissatisfaction with God. (See here, here, and here.)

So imagine my surprise when, that very afternoon, I came home to find this bizarre growth in my backyard:


What is that? Let's take a closer look.


I'm going to have to think about that sermon a little bit more.

Our American Life

So, Cheryl got me listening to This American Life. She even bought me some "best of" CDs for my birthday. If you need a laugh this weekend, which I'm certain you do, take time to listen to this classic story about a high school fiasco. The analysis of what makes for a fiasco is also instructive. Did you have a garden variety "bad day" or was it a "complete fiasco"? This will help you sort through your experiences.

So I'm listening to another episode, which includes a story about a rock band touring the public library circuit. It takes place in my home state of Michigan, especially the U.P. Not many people know what U.P. stands for or that Michigan has one. And then I recall... I think my sister blogged, or I suppose emailed me, about this story a couple years ago...

Meanwhile, our American Life is a story all its own...

Each time the babysitter comes over, we have one less piece of furniture. When she started there were two couches, now currently the living room is down to two kitchen chairs and Cullen's toys. (There's good reason.) The closest thing to a couch is the porch swing. And someone just called today about maybe buying the porch swing. So it could be that next week that will be gone too!

The reason, by the way, is that we are getting new furniture. Cheryl's worked hard to find the best furniture at the best price, and I'm very thankful for that. It'll be here in about six weeks. But until then, our babysitter is probably being interviewed by Ira Glass...

Ira: So there's, like, no furniture in the whole house?

Melissa: NO! And I'm thinking to myself, like, the next thing I know there won't even be a porch swing!

Ira: Does the baby have a crib?

Melissa: Oh, yes, he's totally taken care of.

Ira: Well that's a relief.

Melissa: But I'm seriously like having to sit on the floor the whole time I'm there.

Wood and Wires

There are certain things that I can do around the house. These include:

- Replace electrical outlets, switches, and lights. With help, I did a ceiling fan too.

- Stain a deck, although Cheryl is still waiting on proof of this one.

- Make breakfast, for adults or babies.

- Pop in a DVD.

But I know my limits, and there are other things I can't do so well. These include:

- Add an addition onto the house.

- Build and install new cabinets.

- Create the perfect rocking chair.

- Appear on "This Old House," giving tips about how to use jig saw, scroll saw, or oscillating edge sander.

So tomorrow night I begin a woodworking class. It's my own experiment in whether median-age dogs can learn new tricks.

Let's see how long I last...

Cullen Swims On

For those who want to further analyze Cullen's swimming technique, here's some footage recorded during the Olympics this summer.

And the Winner Is...

The results of the contest last week are in! The question was whether Cullen should practice swimming, talking, basketball, or gymnastics. And the winner is...

Undecided!

What a great result as we celebrate an election year. It was actually a three-way tie, with only basketball losing out. (Note: Results are displayed to the right.)

Now that he's learning to stand up, perhaps some of you wish to reconsider your vote?

Where's Cullen?

Some of you may be asking this very question, since it's been a solid week since Cullen's last appearance - though as indicated by our last post, he is keeping busy!

The question of "where's Cullen" is one we have to ask frequently, as he sometimes gets lost among all his friends and toys. Can you find Cullen in the picture below?


Hint: he's wearing green. And if you stare at the picture long enough, over time, he comes into focus...

Practice Makes Perfect

As you can see, Cullen was very inspired by his time in Uncle Norm & Aunt Lisa's pool. He insisted on getting his very own pool, so he can do laps and get in shape.


It's not quite Olympic size, but Michael Phelps should keep a wary eye out for this little guy. Of course, what Cullen should practice is walking - to fulfill his ring bearer responsibilities next June. Duty calls, Cullen! Don't let destiny get in the way!


By the way, did you notice that Cullen never lets go of basketball (also not quite regulation size)? That's yet another tough choice Cullen has to make: practice swimming, walking, or shooting hoops.


Hey, it's an election year... why not cast your vote? See the upper right corner of the blog...