Miz Woody's Place

If children live with ridicule,
they learn to be shy.

If children live with encouragement,
they learn confidence.

Do you remember this poem?

It rings true because we’ve all experienced at least a part of what the author describes.

I was about 8-9 years old. My aunt was visiting from out of town.  Mom and Aunt Judy were in the kitchen doing motherly things. I don’t remember why I had a jar of mayonnaise in my hand. I do remember that I dropped it and it smashed in a gooey-glassy mess .

My mother spat, “Just get out of the kitchen.”

Aunt Judy said, “She’s old enough to clean up her own mess.”

Mom replied disgustedly, “No she’s not.”

I slunk away, humiliated.

Fast forward 14 or 15 years: incident with mayo is completely forgotten. I’m bustling around in my own kitchen and I drop a full carton of eggs.

Gooey-crunchy mess.

I become lividly angry.

Darling Husband, wanting to spare me, comes in and offers to clean it up.

I shout, “No. I’m old enough to clean up my own mess!”

All the power of that humiliation was still there, just waiting for an incident to remind me that I was clumsy, powerless and don’t deserve to be with the grownups.

Why am I telling you this?

Two reasons:

1.  Watch your words.

Never underestimate your power to build up or tear down your child’s confidence, trust, sense of worth and desire to be around you.  All it takes are a few ill-chosen words.

“No wonder I never take you anywhere.”

“Can’t you do anything without whining?”

“What is the matter with you?”

2.  Leave your parents’ words behind.

When you do dredge up those hurtful memories, do not wallow in the pain,. Do not feel sorry for yourself or blame your parents for their mistakes. Instead, re-think the situation.  You are no longer a child, so you can see the matter in a new light.

I can look back at the mayo incident and say,

1. Mom was probably tired and stressed from having company (who knows how long that visit was?)
2. Mom id not have the benefit of hearing Dr. Dobson, Dr. Laura, Dr. Phil, etc.  All she had to go on was the parenting she received.
3. Most of all, she did not tell the truth. I was capable, I was a good kid, I was worthy.

Now, when those old feelings come up, I can say, “Nope. That wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. I am capable, and worthy. “

I move on in confidence.

You can too.

Blessings on you!

Marilyn

I simply love looking at interior design sites and magazines. To be strictly honest, it goes much deeper than that: I’m actually addicted…badly addicted. But enough about me.

I recently came across a site by the same name as a “family magazine.” There was a nice little design article about children’s rooms and bookcases. It showed four or five different kid’s rooms with bookcases featured. The lovely photos were paired with the usual sprightly comments about the accessories shown and where you could buy them. So far, so good, right?

Is it just me, or does $4,000 seem a tad high for a chair in a child’s room? Perhaps I’m too fussy, because it did look stunning next to the mid-century-look bookcase (a mere $560.) Still, I have to wonder about the bone china lamp.

Not $4,000

It kind of makes you wonder: what kind of families is this family magazine trying to reach? Tori Spelling was on the cover. Maybe that should have been a clue. I don’t know.

Do rich kids not have pillow fights or turn cartwheels in their rooms? Or, is a broken designer lamp (a) disposable and (b) something the maid cleans up?

Perhaps my favorite you-gotta-be-kidding item was a $2,000 Tulu rug. Turns out a Tulu is a natural fiber shag carpet made in India by native tribal people (whom, I’m betting aren’t getting any $2K a pop for them.)

These you can wash!

I once had a remnant of 70’s shag carpet in my kids’ room. I can tell you from experience that when your toddler and four year old both start spewing flu-related fluids, your shag carpet will definitely be a disposable item. Surely, even Tori Spelling would think twice before putting a $2,000 version in a child’s room. Don’t you think?

Or, maybe it’s just me.

© Marilyn Woodard 2009

The United States faces a shortage of doctors in rural areas. FOCA is about to Make it worse. This legislation threatens pro-Life doctors with jail if they refuse to perform an abortion.

Below is a copy of my letter to my senators and congressman concerning the Freedom of Choice Act.

Feel free to share it with your own representatives in congress and to pass it along to your friends.

Dear Senator,

Please vote against the so-called Freedom of Choice Act.

This act is blatantly anti-Life, anti-freedom, and inhumane.

I understand it contains a provision to deny parents the right to know that their child will have, or has had, an abortion.  Aside from any personal convictions about the sanctity of life, this provision assumes that the state – NOT a parent – has primary responsibility for the care of minor children.

Further, I understand that it denies doctors the right to refuse to perform abortions.  Since when does the Constitution of the United States allow the government to deny human beings the freedom to follow their own conscience?

If you plan to vote for this, you need to publicly explain why you think the above abrogations of God-given rights are good for the people of Indiana.

Denying God-given rights is the business of fascists, not the Congress of the United States.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Woodard

Barack Obama Promises to Sign FOCA

The Freedom of Choice Act is not about freedom.

It takes away your right to know that your minor daughter has chosen to get an abortion. How can you be free to parent your daughter if the federal government takes away your right to know?

President Obama has sworn to sign this bill as soon as it gets to his desk.

This is about:

• your freedom
• your family
• your rights
• your child’s health
• life and death

Do as you see fit.

http://www.fightfoca.com

Money is tight this year. Much more so than many of you have every experienced. Are you freaked out?

I’m betting that, if you are freaked, or even just a little stressed, it’s because you are worried about what you are going to give. You probably haven’t given much thought to what you will or will not get.

If I’m wrong, and you are worried that you won’t get the latest wii-phone (do they have that , yet?) or X-Box…you’re probably here by mistake. But read on, anyway. It will probably work your grey cells in a new way – might even improve your e-game scores.

I just read a post on twitter.com (that’s a “tweet” for those in the know) by a lovely woman whose twitter handle is “Reflective”.

She said the best Christmas present she ever received was a homemade doll.

photo courtesy of teresia at Flickr.com

Her mother made it for her one year when money was really tight.

She still has the doll, lo, these many decades later – and she is still comforted by the love that went into making that doll.

So, for those of you who are concerned about what you can give when your purse is empty – and even more for those who can buy all they want – ponder this a moment:

What can you give that will leave a legacy of love that will last as long as the recipient’s memory?

When it’s all said and done, the memories are what matter.

Blessings on you!

Marilyn

Shabby Victorian Christmas by Miz Woody
Two weeks before Christmas and my tree is not up. This is actually pretty traditional at our house. Part of the reason is that the kids are too busy with school to notice Christmas is approaching. Part of the reason is I’ve been sick and can’t muster up the energy to decorate.

Fortunately for my creative side, virtual decorating takes very little energy. Hence, I was able to fantasize a whole new Christmas decor and share it with you, my gentle readers.

I found some really beautiful vintage Christmas pictures.  They were created back in the early days of the 20th century – probably when your great-grandmother was a child.

A most unusual artist created these. Her name was Jesse Willcox Smith. Today no one would think it odd, but in her day a single woman making her living as an illustrator was pretty radical. She was much sought after as an illustrator of magazines and children’s books.

I’m so glad these pictures – from a book of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” – have survived.

I have shown them on my site, Creating Great Homes, AND have created a downloadable PDF that you can access through the CGH Store (listed on the left  under Resources.) The actual size of the images is much larger in the PDF.

Downloads are free for site members.  You can get a one-month trial subscription for $1, OR, right now I’m running a Holiday special that is a really crazy subscription price.

Or, you can just go to the store and buy the download.  In any case, I hope you enjoy seeing these charming works by a pioneering American female artist. Blessings on you!

Marilyn

I’ve always loved a blue and white color scheme. I recently watched that classic Christmas movie, “Holiday Inn”, wherein Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas. The two random things came together in my head and ~ Voila!

I’m Dreaming of a Blue & White Christmas by Miz Woody

I have recently discovered Polyvore.com. This is a really fun way to shop online, save an item from a webpage without bookmarking the entire site, put your Christmas, birthday or wedding wish list on your blog or social site.

I got all excited about a beautiful bed made of branches and tried to imagine the room it would go in, which led me to wonder how many other twiggy items I could find. There are quite a few: more than I put in my Set (the official Polyvore term for a collage or dream board made on their site.)

If you are ga-ga over one of these items, you can click on the picture and be taken to the site where it is for sale. How cool is that for putting on your wedding page? Great Uncle Harry doesn’t even have to go to Bed Bath & Beyond and look up your registry items. I hate traipsing round and round the store with 14 pages of printouts in my hand, trying to find the items on the list. If I hate it, I bet your Great Uncle Harry hates it!

So here are my lovely Nature – ish finds. Enjoy!

Bough-ery by Miz Woody

Photo courtesy of mike-filion at flickr.com

Do you know someone who might lose their house to foreclosure?

For a lot of people the deadline is Dec. 31 – right around the corner.

I know a guy that can help them sell their house and get the price they

need…on eBay!

He’s the only guy that teaches how to do this. If you’re interested, you

can listen to a FREE call tonight, Thursday, November 20, 2008.

The call is Thursday night, Nov. 20 at 9 PM Eastern Time.

The number to call is 218-936-4700

The pass code is 822937#

Rhea Perry is going to interview her son, Drew, who became a

millionaire after figuring out how to sell houses fast on eBay.

If you can’t listen tonight, we can figure out a way to get a recording

of the call to you.

Rhea and Drew are hosting a 3-day hands-on workshop to walk
you through setting up your auction so you can list your
house on eBay.

Bring your computer and your tech kid and they’ll help you do
it on the spot.

Folks are already registered and ready to go and space is
limited so if you want to sell your house fast, plan now to
join them on Dec. 12-14 in Huntsville, Alabama and they’ll help
you list your house on eBay.

Get all the details on the call Thursday night.

NOTE: Members of www.CreatingGreatHomes.com will get a

major discount to the class. It takes about 5 minutes to join and

save a ton.

This class has gone together in a big hurry, so, to get the discount,

email CreatingGreatHomes@gmail.com and let them know you

just joined and want to go to the class. We’ll get the registration

information to you.

If you know someone who needs to sell a house before the
end of the year, forward this note to them. You may help
them save more than their house.

That call is TONIGHT, Thursday, Nov. 20 at 9 PM Eastern Time.

The number to call is 218-936-4700

The pass code is 822937#

Blessings on you!

Marilyn