Jean Stockdale...

Not Me Monday!

I did not go out of the country for 2 weeks and leave a load of wet laundry to sour in my washer. No, NOT ME! NOT ME! 

Several years ago Craig and I had the choice privilege of traveling to India to teach at a Bible conference. As the date of departure drew near, life began to spin wildly out of control. It become increasingly chaotic on all fronts. Without going into overmuch detail, suffice it to say we were in a tough season of life. Craig’s mom was quite ill. I had a book deadline looming. We were rearranging our upstairs to create office space to accommodate the growing needs of my teaching and writing ministry. Life with Craig and I has always had an undeniable element of pure craziness. This time, we would have to back up just to get back to crazy! 

Sidebar: Anytime I am going to be away from home for any length of time, I like to wash and dry all the wet kitchen and bath towels to avoid the risk of mildew. In the South, even with the air conditioner running, we are plagued with pesky mildew from the unbelievably high humidity. On this particular trip I added my bed linens to the load of towels so we would have a nice fresh bed to drop into when we returned home from a long and tiring trip. 

Gathering the basics for our trip proved to be extremely difficult as we juggled the demands life was piling on us. We finally managed to get a semblance of what we needed crammed into our suitcases. A stark realization settled in on us. We could not possibly get to everything. Some things would simply have to wait until we returned in 2 weeks. We grabbed our pitifully packed bags, headed out the door with a hugh sigh, jumped in the car, and headed to the airport to catch our plane. 

My friend, Renae Terrell, works with me in the ministry. Our offices are located in the upstairs of our home. Our sons, Jason and Dawson, operate the family landscape business out of an office which is located on our property. On the first day after our departure, Renae noticed a mildly unpleasant smell emanating from our laundry room. She wiped down the counters and took our the garbage, assuming she had removed the source of the smell. On day 2, she arrived at work. The offensive smell remained and was moving towards being rank. On day 3, the stench nearly took her breath away when she opened the door. Unable to locate the source of the awful smell, Renae was convinced we had a dead mouse in the wall between the laundry room and the kitchen. She called Dawson down to the house and asked him to help her locate the origin of the horrific odor. As the two poked around in the laundry room, Reane randomly opened the lid of my washing machine. Yuk! Wet linens. Soured. Rancid. Mildewed. Stinky. 

I had gone out of the country and left wet clothes in my washer to bake in August, a month notorious for (outside) temperatures that top 100 degrees. Scorching outside temperatures combined with the humidity we are famous for here in the South, created a perfect petri dish environment inside my dark, dank stainless steel tub of my washing machine. 

Surely I did not got out of the country for 2 weeks and leave a load of wet laundry in the washer. NO, NOT ME! NOT ME! If I had, the smell would be unbearable. The towels and linens would be ruined. A funk would got on those linens that could never be defunk-ifed! NO! NOT ME! NOT ME! 

For more tales of NOT ME MONDAY, click here to go to My Charming Kids. Better yet, write your own blog about your NOT ME MONDAY and link to my McLinky. Stop by every Monday and join in the fun!

Wordful Wednesday

On our recent trip to Beijing, Craig and I walked through a beautiful garden in the middle of the cosmopolitan city to a lookout. Once we reached the top the view was stunning. As we sat on a ledge to catch our breath and take in the view, this lovely couple approached. So very elegant looking. So stately. He was shuffling and a bit stooped. He used a worn cane but his gait was deliberate. She was elegant and a bit regal. She carried herself with dignity. They walked in step, side-by-side. She was resting her hand on his arm - as I would suppose they had done for a number of years. 

They attempted to tell us something. We did not have a translator and we could not understand. They held up their fingers-signaling to us. With twinkling eyes, they pointed to each other. What were they trying to say? Was it how long they had been married? Was it how old they were? We could not tell. All of us laughed as we realized the meaning of what they wanted to say was lost in a language we did not share. They motioned for us to take their picture, then bowed politely, and waved good-bye. 

So very different from us, and yet so very much the same!

If you would like to read some more Wordful Wednesday, click here and go to 7 Clown Circus.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails!

NOT ME MONDAY!

I told you that I would reveal what this entree was. Perhaps you have already guessed. Here is the picture in case you have forgotten.

Snails! I was served snails on my recent trip to Asia. The idea is to pop the little guys in your mouth, suck out the little bugger, and spit out the shell. I did not eat the snails. Not me! No. Not me!

For more Not Me Monday tales of adventure click here and go to My Charming Kids. Enjoy.

A Local Eatery Experience

One of the great things about traveling, is the opportunity to be exposed to other cultures. Meeting the people and observing their manner of life intrigues me. As a confirmed people watcher, I love to absorb as much of the "local flavor" as possible. It fascinates me to see how diverse, and yet how very similar, the world is. On our recent trip to Asia we got to go to a local restaurant. On the ground floor was a series of aquariums. Each one contained a local delicacy that could be ordered up, cooked, and served. Here is a sample.

Eels. That's what I'm talking about. Eels. Or maybe this.

Bullfrogs. Really?

Really I do not know what most of this is, but you could get it. Stir-fried. Stir-fried with vegetable.

Or all of this that you could hold. If you were in the mood for poultry, you could get pheasant or dove fixed just the way you liked it.

It was an awesome trip, despite the fact that some of the food was not to our liking. Even still, we managed to eat well, see some wonderful sites, meet some precious people, and return home with a renewed appreciation for just how wondrous this world really is!

Wetter Than Wet

When we got off the Great Wall, we were soaking wet. Very wet. Wetter than wet. And this is what we looked like:

Thanks to the very kind gentleman that shared his umbrella. He covered his wife and me and stood in the rain. Thanks to the kind people that gave Philip a plastic rain poncho. Thanks to Philip for letting us make fun of him for putting it on backwards and sideways!! Philip, you are a good sport on so many levels!!

The Food

Craig is terribly allergic to seafood and fish, so we were concerned about what he would find to eat on our recent trip to Asia. Turns out there was plenty for him to eat. Each culture has unique foods attached to it. One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing the culture to the degree that we can. 

Here we are at lunch with Philip and Lillian Morrison, Christi Brawner, and Laura. Philip and Myrana Hardee and Jeff Brawner were with us but not in the pictures. This seems to be typical of restaurant eating. Family style food is set out on a lazy-susan styled table and you dig in. You are not given a dinner plate, rather you scoop your bite out of the main plate and eat over a saucer. This double-dipping method was modified by this American group!

We had rice (without salt and clumpy so you can eat it with chopsticks-very good) cucumbers, Kung Po chicken, chicken and veggies, beef and peppers, tofu and veggies, chicken and pea pods, and greens. We had Diet Coke with our meal. It was delicious.

Craig managed to learn to use chopsticks.

It is not as easy as you might think.

I used my soup spoon to eat most of the time, although I did learn how to use chopsticks. It is a very slow way of eating for me. Tomorrow I will post our experience eating at a local restaurant. This one catered to tourist so it was not as authentic, but the food was good and it was located in the middle of a Jade Store. Eating and shopping - good plan.

High Finance in Beijing

Shopping in the market of Beijing is a cultural experience, as well a an exercise in high finance. Craig and I were gathering some souvenirs from our trip to Beijing. Craig was able to download an application on his iPhone that converted yuan to American dollars. The Chinese vendors had calculators to show how much something cost in yuan. Even if they did not speak English, it was possible to make a purchase and negotiate a fair price. High finance in Beijing!

I bought my Chinese silk fans from this young woman and her little brother. Are they adorable, or what?

Below is a picture of Craig and one of the merchants haggling over a chess set. This was our 3rd visit to this vendor as we considered whether to buy it or not. The price was steadily going down as Craig's interest waned. Craig really was not sure if he wanted to buy the chess set and we did not want to carry it until we were ready to head back to the hotel. In the States we have a rule, "If you break it, you buy it." The Chinese have a rule also. "If you touch it, you must negotiate." 

These merchants are determined sellers. They could even be described as aggressive! As I was stopping to look at a leather purse, I looked around for Craig. I was shocked to see Mr. Stockdale wearing a leather coat. Two women had put Craig into a leather jacket, against his will, and were negotiating a price, even as he was trying to explain he was not interested and was only waiting for his wife! Aggressive, I say. Aggressive. Anyways, here is the picture of the chessman and his customer. Merchant with calculator. Craig with iPhone.

The merchant's job is to convince the buyer that the item is perfect for the you. He is (or it appears this way from my limited experience) willing to say just about anything to close the deal! Frankly, I am such a soft touch that I am willing to buy into it immediately. This is why I do not do the negotiating. Craig and I agreed on a code word before we ever started shopping. It would let Craig know what I really wanted and what I didn't. Once Craig "cracked my code" he became "The Negotiator." High finances in Beijing!!

This is the chess set in question.

It is beautiful. Look at the clasp. This is what sold me!

To make his point, the merchant began to raise his voice. At one point, when Craig was driving a particularly hard bargain, I think the seller may have called Craig a seriously bad word! But I assume this is all a part of the dance. The merchant convinced Craig that this was the chess set that would make his life complete. He even "talked him in to" taking two. The merchant wanted Craig to take note of the workmanship. The pieces were made of carved cow bone. Seriously, is that a selling point? I am not sure. But this was important for us to understand. It is what drove the price of the set. Handmade. Cow bone. Must have!!

Beautiful, isn't it? So this is what cow bone looks like up close.

Negotiations were struck. The merchant implied Craig was bankrupting him but congratulated him on driving a hard bargain! (Since we own a small business, we can understand and sympathize with these merchants!! We are considering employing some of their tactics. We are praying about it!)

When we arrived home, sadly one of the pieces was broken. Look closely. Does this look like cow bone to you?!!?! Or does it look suspiciously look like resin plastic?

High finance in Beijing!! Seriously. High finance.

I did not get taken advantage of in the market. Not me!r

For more fun stories, check out My Charming Kids. Blessings.

Shopping in Beijing

I am not one who just loves to go shopping. Spending the day strolling through th mall to shop makes me want to poke my own eye out with a rusty fork. I am not a good bargain shopper. I almost never find a good deal. I have "buyer's remorse" whether I buy the item or not. I am not great about putting items together. I tend to buy off the mannequin so I can see who the outfit is supposed to go tohghetr. 

Frankly, one of my least favorite stores to shop at is Wal-Mart. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not giving a bad report about this retail giant. I am just saying that I am not  a big fan of Wal-Mart. The parking lot is huge, the aisles are narrow, the lay-out does not seem logical to me, and the mass of humanity tryng to press through the store slows down the whole process. 

During our stay in Beijing, we stayed at a Days' Inn Hotel. One night we walked 2 blocks from our hotel in Beijing. This is how shopping is done in China.

Prices are negotiated. Tempers flare. Voices raise. Unseeming pronouncements are vehemently made on your family's fine name as the fair market value is established.

The pace is maddening. The noise level is deafening. People are moving fast between the booths in the market.

Shopping in Beijing is not easy. So the next time  you pull up to Wal-mart in its air-conditioned building, with ice-cold water, and shopping carts, coupons, and ATMs . . . think about the Beijing mom who is shopping for her family on the other side of the world!

"High Stepping in Heavenly Places"

During our recent trip to Asia, we arrived at our hotel bone weary and totally confused about the time change. My iPhone (that's right-I have a ton of technology that is being totally wasted on me!) has an app called World Clock. We could keep up with the time at home and abroad. I found it was best not to look at it. Anyways, we were in the hotel lobby visiting with the Hardees who were traveling with us. 

The lobby had WiFi and we were able to get a call off to home. The four of us were curled up on the couches visiting. Craig slipped off his flip-flops because his feet were swelling abit from all the air travel. 

When he took the call he stepped away from our group so he would not disturb our conversation with his cell call. He was sitting just down from us, with his bare feet and all.

Now it was about 1:30 am because we don't have good sense. We got to sharing about the sweet things God had done in our lives and we kept talking, even though it was WAY past time to be in bed. This may have something to do with why I am so tired, but I digress! Anyways, one of the bell-men came over with a pair of hotel slippers in his hand. He quickly opened them and slipped them on Craig's feet!

Now we are still not sure if he was trying to make Craig comfortable or if it is inappropriate to be sitting in the hotel lobby without shoes. Whatever it was, we all got way to tickled over it because it was WAY TOO LATE to be sitting up talking.

Here is my spiritual application. It does not matter what is on your feet, as long as you are High Stepping in Heavenly Places. Ephesians 2:6 says God has raised us up and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus! So, I invite you to walk with me in heavenly places, where we are seated in Christ. Blessings.

Thanks for the Memories!

Here are a sampling of the pictures we took on our recent excursion. Our hotel was a mere 2 blocks from this. It was the most beautiful place I have seen. The architecture is stunning, the people are so precious, and the sheer number of people is staggering.

These were street vendors just a few blocks from our hotel room. It was so exciting to experience a bit of the cultural differences. And NO we did not eat any of the things we saw, although some of it looked good. We ate some fruit that I have never even seen before and it was great. Oh the memories! More posts will follow. Blessings and thanks for stopping by!