What is a Fool?

The other night I came across something from Proverbs that has been ringing in my head:

“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” ~Proverbs 28:26, NIV

I realize this verse is the opposite mindset of the ever-popular (some would say modern) thinking of “believe in yourself” and “just trust in yourself”. At least that’s the philosophy that I’ve seen in a few kid movies & other popular shows. But then, what and who do we end up trusting? What limitation to self-confidence are we looking at? What is wisdom?

This verse also made me want to dig up other “fool” verses in Proverbs. Here’s a few (not all) to consider… the starred ones are my favorites — they are the proverbs I’ve reflected long on and have gained some understanding of it by applying it in my life, in the past:

*Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
*Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

*Proverbs 18:2 – “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”
*Proverbs 9:7-9 – “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.”
*Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”

*Proverbs 12:16 – “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”
*Proverbs 10:23 – “A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.”
*Proverbs 28:26 – “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”

Proverbs 18:6-7 – “A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”
Proverbs 26:5 – “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
Proverbs 14:9 – “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.”
Proverbs 10:21 – “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.”
Proverbs 10:18 – “He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.”
Proverbs 15:7 – “The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.”

This is just a short list. There’s so much more in the Book of Proverbs, and be sure to dig some proverbial treasure for yourself! I’ve found what Proverbs say about fools is interesting (some of them make me laugh, i.e. the beating verse mentioned above) and helpful in conducting my life in accordance to God’s will…. may God bless you and keep you. ~charlotte
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This guy already did an in-depth study of this topic — http://bible.org/seriespage/fool-proverbs-261-11

Holy smokes! October!

September sure did whiz by. Right when school started for Kayla (pre-K), the days are a blur and I find myself having a ridiculously hard time keeping our kitchen counter clear. Right now, it’s still a mess, even though I did clear it up a little yesternight.

I just still can’t believe it’s October! At the beginning of the month, a few days ago, our calendar looked pretty clear. Now, though, the month is starting to fill up! We’ve got school pictures for Kayla in about a week, a Pumpkin Patch fieldtrip, birthdays, dentist appointments, etc. On top of all this, I’m just trying to keep the kids healthy and cold/flu-free — the biggest challenge yet!

Tangent: last night, I thought to myself, that one of my biggest fear is losing my grammar skills due to daily usage on non-grammar verbage on Facebook. I think I’ve found the cure! I should just regularly blog here to keep my elementary grammar skills somewhat intact. I’ve got a teaching credential for goodness’ sake! Which I need to renew in a month or two.

That’s it. I just wanted to blurb a little here. Have a good one!

Car Wash and Yogurt

Hi everybody!

Oh man, it’s been so long, since I’ve blogged. What has the world come to? Actually, I notice that I go through certain phases of keeping myself creatively busy… if it’s not blogging, I’m making Youtube videos of my songs; if it’s not that I’m reading. And this of course, is in addition to and after keeping the house and raising the children. I’ve really gotten into the Youtube craze and fast becoming obsessed with it. Check my youtube stuff out if you’re bored and whatever…

ANYWHO, I’m at the car wash. I’m getting the van vacuumed and Armor-alled and outside waxed — pretty much the whole shebang. Why? Because I tried vacuuming the van by myself a couple of months ago, with Jonah in the car, and will NOT do that ever again! It was just way too inconvenient and mighty cumbersome. So that’s why I’m here at the car wash… the FIRST time since we got the van in 2007. All this time we’ve been getting an outside car wash next to the gas station (the express kind). But man, our van really needs some TLC (tender loving care) this time around!

On to yogurt issues. So Jonah, my 19 month old, has taken into yogurt! We just need to find a good kid yogurt that’s not too color crazy. When we saw that he was good with the Trix yogurt, with no allergic reaction, we gave it to him 3x a day. BUT he was pooping like paint (blue color)… naaaaasty. So we went down to 2x a day. Still looked like paint. Now we’re done with 1x a day, and it’s not as bad… but he is now pooping less. So I tried giving him the organic baby yogurts (VERY expensive); but he just gagged it out. He did not like it at all! Then I tried just plain strawberry banana yogurt from the store… and BEHOLD, he had an allergic reaction! That was very unexpected. So now we’re kind of stuck with this yogurt situation…. I would like to give yogurt 3x a day, but what kind? Suggestions anyone?

Peace! And have a good one!
~c

A Good Day

Today was a good day.

I used all the gifts God gave me, in all the time God gave me. That makes a completely, soul-satisfying, good day.

It’s funny how motivation pushes you to start and then finish. Today, I was motivated to record music videos of me and my songs (nothing professional-like, just me and the guitar). I have this tendency to not finish song I’ve started, so by recording it and broadcasting it on You Tube, it’s giving me the necessary push to complete songs. So the goal of the day was to do everything possible to secure a whole hour to myself in the afternoon.  But first, I had to work… then play. Each and every chore I faced today, I approached it with, “Do it now, so you’ll be free later!” and, “Just do a little at a time, and pretty soon you’ve done it all!”

So, after dropping Kayla at preschool in the morning, I came back home & attacked the kids’ laundry, which hasn’t been folded for a day or two then. The day before I was definitely less motivated. Well that laundry pile ended up to be 30 minutes’ worth of folding tiny things! “Do a little, do some…” and with each pile disappearing into their drawers, I saw the end in sight!

Then I thought to myself, since I was putting stuff away in their bedroom, why not charge head-on to their room with all the cleaning force in me?  Besides, I knew we were going to go back-to-school clothes shopping soon, so it was important to purge all the overgrown clothes. And, man, I came out with a whole, heaving, garbage bag’s worth! That wasn’t all of it, too!  The kids’ closet was no laughing matter. I had to take out dolls, gift bags, toys… anything that collected dust & the kids weren’t using. Then I dusted all the surfaces. Afterwards, I cleaned the book rack area (somehow all the books end up on the floor!) and vaccuumed their cozy, little cave out.

Where was Jonah during my cleaning madness? He visited me in the room from time-to-time AND was half-watching TV while undoubtedly making a royal mess in the living room.

Soon enough I had to breast-feed him (that’s his mid-day snack). Now that we’re going on Day 5 of no boob at night, Jonah’s become especially obsessed with snacking on it during the day. Ah, he’s compensating, I have to give the little guy a break.

Then it was time to pick up Kayla from preschool. So we spent about a half hour to get her and come back home, so Kayla can finish up her lunch (she rarely finishes her lunch at school) and Jonah to eat his own lunch. While they were strapped in their chairs, eating their lunch, and after gobbling up mine, I vacuumed the living room. That’s the most efficient way for me to vacuum, when they’re at the dining table!

Anyhow, after lunch (which took about an hour to complete), Jonah looked VERY sleepy, so I nursed him to sleep (while on the computer), while Kayla finishes her anchovies. She eats those things like how kids eat chips! THEN, put Jonah in crib, and I proceeded to get Kayla ready for her nap (milk; read 2 books; potty, wash hands & wipe face; then shhhh tiptoe to the room because baby is sleeping; tuck her in for a royal, princess nap; and finally, a “Have a Good Nap!” as I waltzed out the door.)

Then I went down the staircase and enjoyed a golden hour of making music. And during that quiet afternoon, I made three videos, back-to-back! I found my OLD songbook (dating songs from 2003), finally! Again, I made music! Ohhhh, it’s been a loooong time. It was just GOOD to sing my heart out; GOOD to sing it to the Lord; GOOD to spend time to just being nourished.

After that hour, everything happened pretty quickly. Jonah woke up at 3:00, waking Kayla up
with his cries. Dishes needed to be washed; dinner needed to be cooked (alfredo&diced tomato spaghetti & salad); Kayla needed to practice her name and lower-case letters (so I would write with a highlighter and she traces it after); Jonah needed to be occupied; the videos needed to be uploaded to You Tube; and guitar stuff needed to be put away. Unlike most days, though, I was unbelievably & completely pumped up! No coffee, just simply re-energized by my downtime earlier.

Dinner ready, started the kids’, and A. came home. And since the kids woke up early today, they were BOTH snoring by 8:40 pm, and A. and I had more than an hour to hang out! I showed him my videos; showed him the one video I successfully uploaded on You Tube; he told me about his day; we watched some Office; and we were even able to throw in a couple’s devotion in there! Amazing, ain’t it? 

Today was definitely a good day. Thank you, sweet Lord!

Three Seconds of Fame

A. on the news!

October 10, 2008

I know this is old news already, but I can’t help it! I just HAVE to mention it here somewhere in my blog!

“Charlotte! I think I’m gonna be on the news!”
“What?? How??”
“I was out at lunch with co-workers and got interviewed by Doug Kriegel today!”
(I’m cutting out the portion where I ask him who Doug Kriegel is.) “What??”
“Yea! There was a bunch of news people hanging around downtown and they were asking people how they feel about the economy’s downturn, what they thought about it. My co-workers pointed at me and said, ‘Hey, interview this guy!’ And so they asked me what I thought, and they liked my answer! So they prepped me to say the same thing on camera! Just watch out for me on NBC at 5 pm today, okay?”
“Wow! Okay! I’ll keep a look out for you!”

And so I tuned in that day to ABC, because I thought he had said ABC, and missed the 5 o’clock NBC news. But luckily enough for us, they replayed it on the 11 o’clock news at night and 7 a.m. the next morning. I got to see A. at the 11 o’clock news and K. got to see it, too, the next day! Too bad for us we weren’t able to record it straight from TV, but a co-worker friend took a picture of him when he spotted A. on the news!

When it was happening, when A. popped on the TV and gave his opinion (“I have to check my 401 account now, and make sure there’s enough…” or something to that effect), it was SO surreal! I remember thinking, ‘Hey, that guy has the same shirt as A.! Wait, that’s him! That’s him!’”

So I said it out loud, “Honey, that’s you! That’s you!” 
To which he gave me a huge ol’ grin.

Writing

I must love writing. Even when I don’t know what to write, I still want to write SOMETHING. Why is that? Maybe if I write a lot, something profound would emerge. Or not. The following is a short rambling tale of my flings with writing.  

I still remember when I began to write… really write. That is, writing with no concerns about form or correct grammar, writing for the purpose of becoming a little more sane afterwards, writing to clarify my tumultuous emotions during my teen years.

I started writing like that, unhindered, on yellow paper. For some strange reason we had a HUGE stock of yellow canary printing paper in the garage.  It had to be 7th or 8th grade, where the topics of my journalling were rants on unfairness with chores, crushes, and life in general. Those years were certainly my most miserable.

And then I turned 16. Somebody finally got me a real journal that year. Thanks to my good ol’ sis! I look back in the journal every once in a while and am amazed at the silly things I would get broiled about.  

Around the same time, I wrote a depressing poem, entitled Nightmare, or something like it, and naively sent it out to a no-name publishing company. For $40, I bought the anthology my poem was published in, just so I can have the satisfaction in knowing that I had something published somewhere. I really did dream of becoming a famous poet.

Maybe that was the reason I enrolled in Creative Writing back in high school. It became one of my favorite classes there, though the teacher wasn’t the best-liked at school. I still loved the assignments we were given. I think I still have the writing assingnment list of topics to write about from that class. Yep.

And maybe that’s why I never enjoyed Biology as a major back in college. Nothing to write about. Reports don’t count. What did I expect? Of course, except for the requirement in taking English as a University Core, there was no space to write creatively as a Biology major. I was in that major for 3 LONG years until I finally hit rock bottom in my grades and changed my major to Liberal Studies.

What a change!

Writing assignments were given left and right, and my G.P.A. started rising.  I was given a new pair of wings!

Even when I pursued my Master’s in Education, I chose to write a 100 page thesis, instead of taking an exam, or doing a project. Looking back, I should’ve just taken the exam, though. Writing a thesis and creative writing or blogging are TWO different things altogether. 

Blogging is definitely, a brave new world to me. Brave, because with each post I have to constantly ask myself to what extent do I disclose everything? Who will be affected in this world with the words I post publicly online? What is my limit, really? I think I’m getting an idea.

It still amazes me that I do have my own space to write, FOR FREE, and be published in an instant, for any one person to see, in the World-Wide Web. It’s almost overwhelming that there are GAZILLIONS of blogs out there just begging to be read.

Including mine.

Not Your Average Stars

Here’s the thing, compared to all the other chores that a housewife does, manually washing dishes is my favorite (let it be known that Aris and I don’t really believe in dishwashing). I love it only because I get to hear the soothing sound of water, feel the water rush through my hands, and clean something in the process. More importantly, my mind gets an actual, decent break anywhere between 5-15 minutes.

So tonight, while I was washing a mountain load of dishes (20 minutes’ worth), I was thinking about people in my past, particularly those same ones that I’ve seen on our T.V. not too long ago. I remember when I used to wonder if I would ever gawk at the T.V. one day and say, ‘Hey! I went to school with that guy!’ or, ‘Hey, I knew her!’

At last, at this point in my life, I can actually say that I have experienced that! Not once, or twice, but a few! And all are in my generation. For now, I will list just 3 here:

Reid Priddy is now an Olympic gold medalist (Beijing, 2008), for Men’s Volleyball. How cool it was to shake my fist in the air when I saw Reid pummel a few balls at the opposing team! And during the Olympics! What a rush! Well, I not only went to college with Reid, but I got the opportunity to play in a worship band of the Monday Night Fire service for the Campus Christian Fellowship we were actively a part of. He was two years my senior, worship-led and played guitar. He actually inspired me to pick up the guitar. I bumped into the group my sophomore year in college and jumped in to play violin. I never stopped playing in that band til I graduated there. 

Then, one night, I was watching news with Aris, when Eddie popped on the screen — on the news!  He was being featured for Models for Christ, and how there are models who get together to do Bible Study and such. How awesome is that! Plus, Eddie Kaulukukui plays Aladdin at the Aladdin show in Disneyland! Aris, and I and Kayla, had the pleasure of seeing him act and dance! And, he just released his very first cd album out! I’m so proud of him! I met Eddie in college — he played bass guitar, and in later years, worship-led with the guitar, at the same Monday Night Fire band Reid and I were in. I thank God for having the opportunity to be a part of the Servant Team back then. Those were undoubtedly, good times!

Now, Jenny Finch is also an Olympic medalist (Beijing, 2008), for Women’s Softball. I actually went to middle school and high school with her. But I mostly remember her clearly back in 7th grade, when she wore braces. We were in the same class, and she was always kind to me, which was a rarity when everyone else was picking at the me, the newest girl in my grade. Even then, the teacher who did our Phys. Ed. would raise his eyebrows whenever Jenny pitched a fast one. I think I actually saw her, on TV, as a guest star in a sitcom, or as a guest at an Oscar event. How out of this world is that!

So these are the three stars I’ve seen on actual TV – Reid, Eddie, and Jenny – and how I’ve seen them make their mark in the world, and how they graced my life somehow. May God abound them with grace as they continue to use the gifts He has given them, to be the history makers they already are!

inspired

it’s blogs like these (the ones linked below) that inspire me to try to write something significant on the Web.

abigails leftovers assures and comforts by showing that a mommy of 3 can indeed blog  up her life and shine them with her words to point it all to the extraordinary God who made it all happen. this one is more like someone telling her story and her reflections on the things of God…

fallenandflawed documents a person’s way and musings of living the Christian life, in a refreshingly witty prose. this one is more like reading an editorial, somewhat personal and somewhat scholarly to me. which is great!

be sure to visit their blogs and read what they have to say. it won’t disappoint.

Hello world!

since my very first blog (incharlottesshoes.blogspot.com)  got accidentally deleted by me,  i panicked immediately & opened a brand new blog, charlottesshoes, at eblogger.

after the fact, i was able to recover old posts from my first blog, so i created another blog, incharlottesshoes, solely for those posts. 

and i finally settled for this layout (or theme, as wordpress calls it). i think i’m good to go now!