I AM PHENOMENAL.

Lana shared this with me and Elaina recently and it is amazing.  I've never heard this poem by Maya Angelou and it is beautiful.  Just beautiful.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me. 

It all fits in with Karen's recent post about what defines beauty.  What defines YOUR beauty?  What do you see in others (as you go about your daily business) that makes you stop and say 'wow - that person is beautiful' ?

LYNSEY ADDARIO ... "It's What I Do"

I am deeply fascinated by all things photography.  Both of my parents have a love for the camera and I think it fostered a mutual desire to use the lens to capture what is going on around me.

I have also long had an obsession of sorts with newspaper photographers.  Recently there has been quite a bit of coverage relating to all matters concerning the reporting of news and the photographic images that go along with them.

First, the very famous photo of Samar.

During the Iraq war, the rest of us around the world relied on newspapers and news stations to keep us up to date with the latest happenings.  We heard about violent foot patrols and read about tragedies and deaths ... but until you see a photo like this, it doesn't seem to really set in or ring true.

As is stated in the article, because the country was dangerous for photographers, there were not many photographs of the Iraq war that hit a nerve.  The article goes on to discuss Samar and her life since the war.

(I had no idea that Mr. Hondros - who photographed Samar - was asked to leave his assignment after those photos were taken due to military rules)

In April of this year, New York Times photographer Chris Hondros, was killed in Misurata, Libya -- while on assignment.  One other photographer was killed and two photographers were also wounded, all working beside him at the city's front lines.  The piece on his death was moving.  Chris Hondros'  blog is also quite amazing.

Equally as inspiring and moving?  The follow up piece written by the Editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller.  Keller talks honestly about what our nation's media owes the people of the country and what risks should be taken to ensure that our insatiable and sometimes grotesque hunger for shocking news is fed.

Covering conflict is perilous for anyone — reporters, local stringers, the drivers and interpreters we depend on — but photographers are more exposed, in at least two senses of the word. They need a sustained line of sight to frame their photographs; a reliable source is never enough. And they cannot avert their eyes; they have to let the images in, no matter how searing or disturbing. Robert Capa’s famous advice to younger photographers — “Get closer” — translates in combat to “get more vulnerable,” both literally and emotionally.

Then there is Kevin Carter.  He shot this photograph while on assignment in Sudan.

After this picture made its way onto our laptops and television screens, Carter was asked "what happend to that child?"

Carter didn't know.

He had simply captured an image ... (which, according to another photographer, the child was not alone or in a menacing situation, as there were adults nearby).

Mr. Carter committed suicide just a couple of months after receiving the Pulitzer Prize ... receiving an award ... for this photograph.

“Sometimes we fail our own moral compass, our own emotional compass,” Greg Marinovich said (fellow photographer). “Kevin [Carter] was a bloody warm, generous and fantastic guy, and I’m surprised that he didn’t pick up the kid, just to make himself feel better.”

***

In March of this year, New York Times photographer Lynsey Addario was freed from captivity in Libya, along with Tyler Hicks, Stephen Farrell and Anthony Shadid. (more about their ordeal)

Some comments to this story about Lynsey's capture included words like “How dare a woman go to a war zone?” and “How could The New York Times let a woman go to the war zone?”

Lynsey's response?  

To me, that’s grossly offensive. This is my life, and I make my own decisions.

If a woman wants to be a war photographer, she should. It’s important. Women offer a different perspective. We have access to women on a different level than men have, just as male photographers have a different relationship with the men they’re covering.

In the Muslim world, most of my male colleagues can’t enter private homes. They can’t hang out with very conservative Muslim families. I have always been able to. It’s not easy to get the right to photograph in a house, but at least I have one foot in the door. I’ve always found it a great advantage, being a woman.

People think photography is about photographing. To me, it’s about relationships. And it’s about doing your homework and making people comfortable enough where they open their lives to you. People underestimate me because I’m always laughing and joking. That helps. They let their guard down.

I try to do women’s stories when I can, but I don’t want to be pigeonholed as just a women’s photographer, because my interest is in covering the whole story — and human rights abuses and humanitarian issues. Ironically, I don’t think I saw more than a handful of women the entire time I was in Libya.

I will cover another war. I’m sure I will. It’s what I do. It’s important to show people what’s happening. We have a unique access to what unfolds on the ground that helps our policymakers decide how to treat certain issues.

Speaking of soldiers and the frontline ... did you happen to read the article "After Coming Home"?  It's the final article in a series following the First Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan

A snippet ::

For a year, they had navigated minefields and ducked bullets, endured tedium inside barbed-wired outposts and stitched together the frayed seams of long-distance relationships. One would think that going home would be the easiest thing troops could do.

 The whole series can be found at the New York Times.    The video is quite long (10 minutes) but there are some great the photos are amazing and it's worth a poke around.

There is a lot to digest here.  If you stuck with the whole post, what say you? Did anything strike a nerve?

I AM FROM ...

I am from propane tanks, from fresh milk and cream.  I am from the open outdoors.


I am from the bending willows, from the rolling hills and the abandoned farm house.

I am from liver and onions.  I am from honey off the comb, miniature train sets and exploration.


I am from the cacti, the milkweed, the bullsnake and the corn on the cob.


I am from fireplaces, raising chickens and stubbornness.  From the Cornelius branch and the Smith roots and the Desler tree.


I am from the adventurous and the calm.  I am from the dirt, the land, the created.  I am from the artistic, imaginative, carefree and uninhibited.


I am from 'you will always be good enough' and 'don't stop trying'.

From not understanding why he left.

I am from Christianity and reading Luke Chapter 2 on Christmas Eve.  I am from Sunday mornings and communion.  I am from Wednesday night awana and youth group.  I am from contributing my musical piece during the offering.

I'm from the center of America and from Danish, German, African, Cherokee, graham crackers, puppy chow, genealogy and the family tree.

I am from bells ringing in supper time to collecting dinner from our garden.

I am from sarcastic tongues and experiments and learning lessons that go on too long.

I am from camping under the stars and traveling across the states with them.

I am from the HE that worked magic with electronics and from the HER that worked magic with cross stitch, rice/sugar and seedlings. I am better because of them.


I am from the raw eggs in the eggnog to who started the fire and why.  From the rooster to the treehouse.  From the farmhouse escapade to the cross country skiing.

I am from saying my goodbyes in the wheel well of the Scout.  I am from waterbeds and heat that comes from the floor.  From cat scratches, wet dog snouts and a sense of wanting more.


I am from cottonwoods and sun tea.  I am from home learning and home growing. I am from effort, motivation, continuity and love.

I am from HER insistence that once you leave, you are strong enough to not go back.

I am from willing myself to prove that I deserve to have a place.

I am from pride.  I am from history.  I am from lace wedding dresses, artful memories of before the accident and praying before every meal.

I am from weeping willows, train yards, curly hair, mixed backgrounds, photographs and greased pig races.


I am.

First read from Mary (fellow Nebraskan) on her blog ... originally posted HERE .. but maybe originally-originally posted HERE?

I would highly encourage you to write your own "I am from" post.  Take your time.  Savor the prompts a bit ... it was meaningful (and a surprise!) for me.

MY PRINCESS ...

SEE THE WORLD - READY. SET. GO.

the "see the world" meme  

(if you're new here ... click on the button image above to learn about this meme and find out how to participate. We'd love to have you!!)



It's my turn to answer first 

(and if you're a regular reader of my blog, you may be thinking that I have gone and lost my mind.  Chalk it up to summer boredom and more time on my hands to completely bombard your inbox and reader with post after post after post!)

SEE THE WORLD :: where do you MOST want to go?

Italy is calling my name. Oh, is it calling my name.

I still want to see Egypt (once all of the drama calms down) and I truly think East Africa has a special place in its heart for our family.  

I have yet to touch feet in Thailand, China, Scotland (to name a few).

I also haven't yet seen the Grand Canyon.  That should be on my list, and I'd like to go BACK to see the White Sands.  

Where do I NOT want to go should be the question.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ::

People in my circle that challenge me.  A Husb who believes in me, doesn't put up with status quo, who follows his heart and lets his moral compass guide him.

Children who ask me to give more. Friends who ask if I'm "ok" and family who encourage and support our time overseas without guilt attached.

I WISH I HADN'T SAID ::

Give Me Rope

I WILL COMMIT TO ::

Continuing my regular communication with friends and family from back home.  Even if it seems mundane, I will pen, craft, photograph and preserve memories for my children.  I will commit to my marriage.

I NEED ::

For people to understand me.  Homemade lemonade.  Freshly cut grass, reeses pieces and something to cure my boredom. I need my bed to be free of littles and peace in the bathroom.  I need desperately to grow something from seed and have it blossom.

YOU SHOULD READ ::

What moving abroad does to a teenager

and

Rapping on my windows

 

I MISS ::

Oh boy.  This is a whole post on its own. It would take over with teeth.  I am in a bit of a "I miss home" funk ... so instead of going into all that on THIS post, I'll go with :

cigarettes

steamed crablegs with butter

mowing the lawn

gardening

running outside

I WISH ::

That you would know just how important YOU are.  That those close to you need you to be the person YOU are - right at this very moment, not the person you THINK they want you to be.  Maybe I'm talking to myself?  I wish that more people understood that life is too short to screw with things that do NOT matter.

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ::   

That I smoked for 20 years (just quit for good in April).  That I prefer camping to posh hotel vacations.  That I only wash my hair once a week.  That I would rather shop thrift stores than 5th Avenue.  I have more tattoos than fingers on one hand.  I yell at my kids too much. I am a snooty white wine drinker and will turn down a chardonnay and refuse Indian wine.  

That I used to pack DAYS in advance of a trip, now I throw items recklessly in a suitcase and shrug, saying "whatever". That I run, but do it run SLOWLY.  That I was homeschooled as a child.  That I have played the piano for over 3/4 of my life, yet I don't let the keys grace my daily existence even though I have a baby grand in my living room.

*** Your favorite (at THIS moment) video/song

1.  A blogger you would be lost without


 Mae Sixteenth
 My hero.  She inspires and quietly, gently challenges me on a daily basis.
She's also the genius behind my blog design and the button for this here meme.  It's cool, huh?


2.  A blogger you respect ... just cuz

Miss Britt
 
Currently on an RV tour of the U.S.A.  I'm envious!

3. A blogger in your geographical area

K** from India With Love

Here in Delhi for a one year stint as a paid volunteer.  Loving her journey.

4. A blogger who has no idea you exist

 Kat @ I love Life

She is just cool.

5. A blogger who has the complete opposite type blog as you

 El hada de papel

home grown amazing-ness

6. A blogger who you would love to meet

Karen - Chookoloonks

You guys read Karen, right?

7. A blogger you've already met (but didn't know before blogging)

MARY - The Eleventh

Thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mary shortly before we took off for Delhi.


8. A blogger you knew PRIOR to blogging

Yo Mama Morris
(Yo Mama has no internet right now.  THE HORRORS!
however, I have login/password information for her, so I'll hack into it and post for her. FUN!)

9.  A blogger who inspires 


Melody Ross  
(Melody is on a no social media break over the summer, 
so I doubt I'll get participation from her)





10.  A blogger who says it like it is


Kirsty at 4 kids ... 20 suitcases ....



Love her take on life as an expat!





11.  A blogger who is doing amazing things in the world


Taylor @ Destroy Normal

Do not count your day complete until you've read more about Taylor.

What's Next ?

If you're inspired, keep that little button going! Go to the original post so you can copy/paste the questions into your own blog post.

Then pick some bloggers that match the above criteria for YOU.  

(Let them know they've been "hit on the shoulder" and tagged)


{{then link your post back here}}}

Please people -- tell me I'm not ridiculous for doing this ... play along??

Maybe it's a bit too much ... maybe there is one too many questions or you can't think of bloggers to fit the bill... you don't have to answer EACH prompt.

There are amazing people out there in this world of ours.  Both in the physical world in our various locations, and in the blogosphere world.

I think we can all stand to be a bit inspired by others ... and this is my little attempt at sharing some of that with you.

You have until July 31st to link back here and see how far this little blog-o-sphere really reaches ... humor me?

Ready. Set. Go.

Link up!

SEE THE WORLD ... an experiment in a meme

I love this song ::

Maybe because it's catchy?

It's inspiring.  It's simple.

It's honest and ... have I already said it's catchy?

"Hum along, bee bop your head along and sing with finger snaps" kind of catchy

See the world

Find an old fashioned girl

And when all's been said and done

It's the things that are given, not won

Are the things that you want

SO ... on to the point of this post.  There are tons of "nominate a blogger" and memes going around (by the way, meme apparently rhymes with theme and is not pronounced me-me).

Anywho, I'm going to start my own.  Cuz life is too short to wait to be nominated for someone else's meme.

the "see the world" meme  

The Rules?

Blog and share your answers to these questions ::

SEE THE WORLD :: where do you MOST want to go?

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ::

I WISH I HADN'T SAID :: (hint - link up to a post that has been controversial or that you just wince a bit when you think about)

I WILL COMMIT TO ::

I NEED ::

YOU SHOULD READ :: (hint - link up to a favorite blog post you've written!)

I MISS ::

I WISH ::

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW :: 

THEN (you still with me?) link up in your post with the following ::

*** Your favorite (at THIS moment) video/song

1.  A blogger you can't live without
2.  A blogger you respect

3. A blogger in your geographical area

4. A blogger who has no idea you exist

5. A blogger who has the complete opposite type blog as you

6. A blogger who you would love to meet AND

7. A blogger you've already met (but didn't know before blogging)
8. A blogger you knew PRIOR to blogging
9. A blogger who inspires
10. A blogger who says it like it is
11.  A blogger who is changing the world


(the point is that those you've "linked up" will then be encouraged to reciprocate and continue on with the 'see the world' meme)


((please use the See the World button on the sidebar  -- it's under my label cloud -- when you publish your post and share it with those you've linked up))


(((we will have a handy inlinkz way to link up to this original post ... won't it be fun to see where people come from in response?  Either that, or I'm totally foolin' myself!)))


((((now i'm feeling all claustrophobic with these parenthesis and super self-conscious and wondering if this is just downright silly?)))

Get yerselves ready, people.

I'll post my answers and my blogger links tomorrow.  The Linky Tool will be ready for you tomorrow ... so if you're bored and need something to do ... or just REALLY love this idea, get started on it now!

You'll have until the end of the month to participate.

Do me right, friends!

TYRA COLLETTE'S SPEECH

I am completely, 100% addicted and obsessed with Friday Night Lights.  It relives things for me a bit, having grown up in the Midwest ... and raising my children during the early days in a similarly "casted" movie set.

Based on a book, then turned into a movie, I am hooked on the television series on DVD ... and having just finished Season 5, am now in mourning !

Recently, one of the characters was writing a college application letter and I just loved it ::

Two years ago, I was afraid of wanting anything.
I figured wanting would lead to trying and trying would lead to failure.
But now I find I can't stop wanting.

I want to fly somewhere on first class.
I want to travel to Europe on a business trip.
I want to get invited to the White House.
I want to learn about the world.
I want to surprise myself.
I want to be important.
I want to be the best person I can be.
I want to define myself instead of having others define me.
I want to win and have people be happy for me.
I want to lose and get over it.
I want to not be afraid of the unknown.
I want to grow up and be generous and big hearted, the way people have been with me.
I want an interesting and surprising life.

It's not that I think I'm going to get all these things, I just want the possibility of getting them.

College represents possibility.
The possibility that things are going to change.

I can't wait.

Really ... even though Tyra was speaking about college representing these possibilities, don't you think that any choice to explore, redefine, take a leap also represents those possibilites?

Carrying on with the school speech theme, I'm WAY behind the times in JUST now hearing Amy Poehler's commencement speech to Harvard's Class of 2011.

Seems that for everything that Tyra wanted in her college application letter, Amy has the advice to back up her desires ::

Be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. No one is here today because they did it on their own. ...take your risks now. As you get older, you become more fearful and less flexible...

You never know what is around the corner unless you peek. Hold someone's hand while you do it. You will feel less scared. You can't do this alone. Besides it is much more fun to succeed and fail with other people. You can blame them when things go wrong.

Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your "always" and your "nevers." Continue to share your heart with people even if its been broken.

When you feel scared, hold someone's hand and look into their eyes. And when you feel brave, do the same thing. You are all here because you are smart. And you are brave. And if you add kindness and the ability to change a tire, you almost make up the perfect person.

So if the general theme is wanting more, experiencing more ... and doing it with a crew of folks that you trust .... what are the practical steps to accomplishing that?  Short of reading a bunch of self-help books, watching you-tube videos of life coaches rambling on about how to take the next BIG step, how do you get from wanting it, to achieving it ??

I saw this quote recently via Real Simple ... and I like it.  Thought it doesn't 100% fit with this post, I think there is some truth to the concept that you have to make sure you are nurturing yourself (mother or otherwise) so that you truly CAN offer the best of yourself to others.

“If you aren’t nurturing your self, what kind of mother can you be, anyway? ”

― Sandra Scofield

ON LINKING UP ...

Ok -- this is totally a "has nothing to do with India" post ... but it's important to me.

I'm not an artist.  I create stuff all of the time with my kiddos, in my journal, when I doodle ... but no one will likely ever see it, let alone pay for it.

However, I have long been a believer in giving credit where credit is due ... this applies to the little things and the big things.  It applies to the art world and the real-every-day world.  It applies to saying "thank you" when someone else's name should be mentioned as well.  It means you should always ... ALWAYS give appreciate to those that helped you accomplish something.

Kal is an amazing artist and creative soul and I've long loved her blog.  Recently she had some stuff going on with uncredited work of hers being splayed about the internet.  Won't get into all of that, but DO want to turn you on to the new project of hers, LinkwithLove.

It's all about giving credit where credit is due -- and although I think Kal's thing is more about the art world ... I 100% believe it also should be more applied to blogging as well.  

Read more about Kal's thought process and the birthing of this project.

Once you've read that, please consider helping her along in her desire to reach 100,000 "likes" on the LinkwithLove Facebook page.

If you want to read more, the LinkwithLove blog is a good choice, or you can feel to check out Kal's pinterest board or the LinkwithLove pinterest board.

Link up, but do it with love!

(ok - I do have to admit that I am not very good about doing research before I pin to my pinterest boards ... I joined it ages ago and it's always just been a place for me to keep a mental to-do list for myself ... I need to get better at trying to dig for the source before I pin it, eh?)

((If you want an invite for Pinterest, let me know. It's pretty life changing.  Well, that and the new way to view your google reader.))

QUICK "THIS IS COOL!!" POST

I wish I could make up a quick and fun flow chart (I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do this, but I'm too lazy to google it) for this post.

(If the answer to any of these questions is no, just close your tab and don't bother reading ... this post will likely just annoy you!)

Do you read numerous blogs?

If yes, do you use Google Reader?

If yes, you MUST check out the "How to Use Google Reader in Real Format" post.

Seriously.  It is life changing (if you're a blog geek like me).

You know how google reader just shows you the text of the post ... and takes forever to load the photos that are attached to that post .. and how it kind of deters you from wanting to leave comments on those posts?

THIS changes everything. 

Trust me ... follow the steps that Keli so easily lays out for you ... and then experience blog reading like you never have before!  (and as you click through each blog, it marks "as read" on your google reader.

It took maybe 2.3 minutes to do this, and more than half of that time was me reading every word of her post so I didn't mess it up, but seriously - it couldn't be easier.

Beautiful.

One word ...

Participating in a 52 Photos Project ... and although I'm jumping in late ...

 ... this week's prompt was to choose one word that describes you ... and then photograph it.  

I was unable to come up with one word that described me.  I'm in quite the funk lately with several issues and when a word (I assumed we should choose a positive word) would come to mind, I found myself immediately discounting and negating it for many reasons.  Though I know that I have many positive traits and strengths, I'm not feeling them at the moment.

I went through a journal that I've recently started to create in the hopes that it would help me determine "the word" that I would use for this week ... and I just couldn't do it.  I ended up self-doubting, criticizing myself (boy, is that dangerous when you start to knock your own self down to the floor) and just being all out mopey.

I was also unable to figure out any creative ways/places to see any of the words that I was supposed to be coming up with for this project.

SO ... in the end I emailed a handful of my good friends, the women that know me the best -- and asked them to help me out with suggestions for this theme.

End result ??  A photograph of the word that was repeated a couple of times by different friends ... Adventurous ... on a backdrop of where I was born.  I've come a long way baby .... literally.

DIVA DINNERS

Whether you live as an expat with someone cooking your meals for you, or do all of the work yourself, you can't deny that having someone ELSE source the weekly list of recipes would be a huge help, right?

I have dabbled in my fair share of weekly menu planning ideas, processes, sources, but may have found the perfect combination of what our family will be using from here on out.

Enter Dining Diva Dinners.

The website is a bit difficult to navigate, but since I first found this blog, she has added archives, and the page on which the archives are located are the only thing you need to get started.

Archived weekly menus are listed to the right on THIS page.

What I like about what Susan has done ::

First, the recipes have been tried by her family.  They aren't just collated from the many recipe websites.

Secondly, she does pretty much ALL of the work for you.  With each week of recipes, she also creates a shopping list AND a prep calendar, showing what things need to be done the night before, etc.

Third, the majority of the recipes feature things that we can find here in Delhi, and the recipes are simple enough for Shanti to follow without much input from me.

Lastly, she includes some true comfort food recipes, as well as an "impress them" recipe each week ... perfect for when you're entertaining AND just need to feed those kids' bellies.  

Here are some of our favorites so far ::

Blue Cheese Butter (topping for steak)

1/4 C butter

2 T chopped green onions (or chives)

2 T crumbled blue cheese

Combine all items, blending well.   Just before serving, spread blue cheese topping on steak.

 

Grilled Salmon

Marinade:

1⁄2 c soy sauce 

1T minced garlic 

2T honey 

1tsp ground ginger 

Small onion diced or 1tsp onion powder 

Salt and pepper to taste
16-20oz salmon

(Serves 4)

Mix together all ingredients for marinade. Put in a plastic bag and add salmon. Marinate for 30 minutes, 45 max. If you do much longer, it gets too strong.

Pesto Cream Sauce

4 oz cream cheese, cubed 

1⁄4 c milk 

2T pesto

Cook cream cheese and milk in saucepan on medium (2-3 min) or until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Stir in pesto.

 

 

 

 

Take a look around ... and then start your printer to work!  Her easy excel OR PDF downloads are easy as can be ... 

What do you think?  Do-able for your family, your kitchen, your time?

ON WEARING A RED DRESS ...

Heard of the Red Dress Club?  Nope, not the Red Hat Society ... and not the Pink Hat ladies either.  The women behind the Red Dress Club exist to join writers (of any gender) together (Ann and Tracy, do you SEE this?  Cool!).  

Their explanation behind the concept :

The Red Dress Club

(a virtual writer's society)

The Red Dress Club was created as a place for writers to gather, exchange ideas and learn something about the art of storytelling.

We welcome any and all writers, regardless of level - anyone interested in writing has a place here. We are also open to writers of all genres: Fiction or non-fiction. Fantasy, young adult, chick lit, memoir - there are no limits.

You don't have to join to participate in the club. We have two weekly prompts. Tuesday we have a fiction/non-fiction prompt, called Red Writing Hood. You write your piece on your personal blog and link up on our site Friday. Our memoir prompt, RemembeRED, comes out Friday, and you link up on our site Tuesday.

Feel free to comment on any of our other posts on the site. We bring you guest posts from published authors and others in the writing industry, a weekly featured blogger and posts from The Red Dress Club hosts on writing.

Why The Red Dress Club? We were inspired by a blog post by Jenny of The Bloggess about a red dress - thus the name of this blog.

Jenny wrote:

"I want, just once, to wear a bright red, strapless ball gown with no apologies. I want to be shocking, and vivid and wear a dress as intensely amazing as the person I so want to be. And the more I thought about it the more I realized how often we deny ourselves that red dress and all the other capricious, ridiculous, overindulgent and silly things that we desperately want but never let ourselves have because they are simply “not sensible”. Things like flying lessons, and ballet shoes, and breaking into spontaneous song, and building a train set, and crawling onto the roof just to see the stars better. Things like cartwheels and learning how to box and painting encouraging words on your body to remind yourself that you’re worth it."

For many of us, our Red Dress is our dream to become a published writer. Maybe we just need a little extra motivation. We'd love it if you'd take out your Red Dress and wear it proudly at our Club!

I have been dabbling in thoughts of getting serious about writing.  Exercising my brain to get better, write with a purpose versus just writing down what comes out of my head.  Honing my speaking skills while writing, etc. ... 

Some of my gal pals in Delhi have decided to start a similar thing as the Red Dress Club, but in person ... in real life.  

I think the RDC may be the perfect warmup to that over the summer.  

What say you? 

Do you write for yourself?  Do you want to write for others?  Do you want to log your adventures, struggles, frustrations and goals?  Would you rather ramble and spew, or be more concise and logical in penning your thoughts?

Is it worthwhile to journal or write for your family?  Do you see the value in that?  

ON GIVING ... AND SHARING

This is a out-of-the-ordinary post ....

Tsh ... on the opulent ability to give

This isn't about religion. It's not about whether you take communion, or bend a knee on Saturday afternoons, or pray to a "she" ... cross yourself after a prayer, raise your hands when singing a song, or don't go to church at all.

This is about having enough ... and sharing a bit of what you have.

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If you're so inclined, also take a look at Love Drop ... pretty powerful stuff going on in the world.

What are YOU doing to make a difference?

This post comes to you out of a moment in my soul when I feel that I personally, am not doing enough.  I find myself sitting in a very posh and comfy chair.  One that kicks out to give my feet a moment to breath.  In an air-conditioned room.  With a healthy family.  With more ... more than we could ever need to survive.

We will do our part ... and I'm reaching out to you ... to also do yours.  Whether it be in the United States, or with Kiva, or with a missionary, or with an established organization like Red Cross or Compassion International ... or with S-O-M-E-O-N-E.

Chances are ... you have it better than someone else does.  And you could help. 

Need suggestions on how to help?  Need suggestions on where your $10 could better be spent than at McDonalds?  Email me.

CLEARING OUT THE CLUTTER

I have added a new "label" to the Delhi Bound blog.  (A label is something that helps YOU find the content you want.  It is displayed on this blog over to the right.  The larger words/phrases are the ones that have the most written content).

That label is "has nothing to do with India"   

Feel free to just skip over this post if you're reading Delhi Bound because of all of the exciting experiences we are having, all of the wonderful vacations we're taking and all of the amazing volunteer opportunities we are given.

This is simply a post about all of the crap that I have accumulated, collected and stored in the past years of living this life.

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Naomi Seldin wrote about 20 great ways to create clutter and then there's this equally interesting article about the simplicity of your possessions fitting in all of six boxes.

I feel like on constantly on two very different quests when it comes to matters of possessions and "stuff."  

On one hand, I have always been a pat rack. Because this is just 'part of who I am', I often give myself a bit of extra leeway when it comes to continuing my mindless collections of crap. I love thrift stores and garage sales ... and always think that I'm more creative than is realistically possible when it comes to repurposing found or shared items.  If something has a broken strap, I say "I can fix that" or if a nightstand is in bad shape, I think "I'll just sand it down, re-stain it, add some decoupage and use it in the bedroom."  

Yea right!  Most often, those "projects" end up in a pile somewhere, most often in the middle of our living space, taking up room, taking AWAY from the visual aesthetics and even the functionality of our home.

On the other hand, a life of less clutter majorly appeals to me. When we moved from Ohio to Delhi, the task of packing, sorting and purging was time consuming and sometimes painful.  We relegated some of our things to the storage unit (where it has sat, untouched and unseen, for two years), watched the Salvation Army truck haul two truckloads away, set many a sad, weary piece of furniture at the curb on garbage day, and split up our pantry among some close friends.

(If you want to read more about our packing/shipping process, read here)

I thought that we had adequately purged the house of the unnecessary things and really had in mind that the new house in Delhi would be ... less cluttered.

Joke's on me.

I have accumulated more CRAP in the last two years then I thought was possible.  The thought of purging this house - and I mean properly PURGING it - is exhausting.

Today I counted 48 stuffed animals residing in the kids' bedroom.  There are probably thousands and thousands of Lego pieces (although at least they are all in one central place!).  Way too many cases of movies on DVD take up space on a bookshelf in the living room.  

Bags (plastic, canvas, paper, fabric) upon bags upon bags spill over the wire shelving in the kitchen.  We have board games that we will likely NEVER play (since the reality of Family Game Night is fighting, arguments and whining).  I have more running gear than I will ever use (especially since it's been months since I've said hello to the treadmill).  

Anyway, you get my point.  

In mid-January, I "purged" the house and took several large boxes to the AWA Thrift Store.  In late February, I did it again - overwhelmed by too much stuff.  The middle of March, I somehow found three large trash bags of things spread around the house that we really did NOT need.

Here I am in early April and as I look around the bedrooms, living space and play room, I am again reminded that a purging needs to happen ... and maybe this time a REAL one?

I'm tempted to try a suggestion I read about long ago.  You take several cardboard boxes and write a date ONE MONTH in the future (i.e. a box done today would be labeled May 5th) on the side with a sharpie.  You fill ALL of the boxes with random STUFF that you possibly could do without, but can't quite let go of at that very moment.  

You then seal the boxes and put them in a closet somewhere.  Mark on your calendar that same date (May 5th) and then ON that date, simply take the box(es) to your local thrift store.

Do not open the boxes, do not give in to temptation. 

If you're like me, you just read that and thought ... if you got the dang box filled and subsequently SEALED in the first place, why not just take it right then and there to the thrift shop?  I guess maybe it gives you the opportunity to sit with the fear that you are getting rid of something you may need in the future?  I don't know ... even as I typed that, the whole concept feels a bit silly.

That reminds me of the suggestion about your clothes.  Perhaps you've heard this one?  Flip the hangers the opposite way of how you normally hang them.  Mark a date six months in the future (depending on how often the weather/seasons change where you live).  Anything that is still "flipped the wrong way" after that six months goes immediately in a donate pile.  The thought there is that if the hanger is still flipped, you haven't worn it in six months, and therefore you don't need it.

Think it would work for you?  Are you a packrat?  Do you have too much clutter in your house?  Which room gives you the most fits when it comes to too much stuff?

Any brilliant suggestions for me as I work towards less clutter and more productiveness and simplicity?