.....Chocolate Chips And Snickerdoodles

Your Coming and Going

2012-02-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

One more step towards independence was taken today. And I am having very, very mixed feelings about all of this.

Because somewhere in my mind, when I picture my son driving, I picture this:

And yet the reality is he looks like this:

Some lady, who I'm sure is very nice and thoroughly qualified, drove with my son for about 7 minutes and determined that he is ready to be out and about among all of us as a licensed driver!

Here's the nice lady inspecting my son's ability to use hand signals.

And here is my son showing off his parallel parking skills. Points deducted for hitting the curb during this parking job. And points deducted for hitting the curb when he backed around the corner. The lesson here? If you see this car backing around a corner, keep well away from the curb. And, yes, I was the crazy mother standing in the window taking pictures of this. And I just may have said out loud, "Oooh, turn sharper! Ooh! YES!" And complete strangers may have smiled and asked if this was my first time with a child taking a driving test.

Once the handsome picture was taken and we were back outside, with keys in hand my son informed me that since he was now a licensed driver, I was officially now just a passenger and no longer an instructor. Uh, no. We cleared that one up pretty quickly.

So, Mr. 90%-Passed-On-My-First-Try, be careful out there. Be wise. Another milestone, another reality check for your momma that you are racing towards independence. Very appropriate, and I'm glad for it. But remember to be gentle with me in this season.

And always, always remember:

"The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:7-8

I am praying this for you, that He will watch over your coming and going. You do your part, let Him do His.

Congratulations! (I think.) And I love you. (I know!!)

My Valentine

2012-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Three minutes is all I have to spread a little love to my Valentine...just in case you wander in here looking for a little love...

Just some recycled pictures, but behind these is all my love for you. You are my love, and you know that so well.

See you at 9:00 tonight, and I'll take it. I'd rather have an hour with you today than 24 hours with any other.

Happy Valentine's Day!
xo

Simply Good

2012-02-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those rare days when we actually had no plans! It felt so good to have the luxury of doing nothing or doing something. It was so pretty, we needed to be out in it, so after reading the paper and drinking the coffee, we headed out to walk around the lake.

Alex ran to the lake, Brenna biked behind him, but the rest of us rode in the car.

Wait, I have to go back to the drinking the coffee portion of the day:

Okay, really now? I just think that's about the cutest cup Starbucks has gifted us. I think it totally rivals their iconic red Christmas cup.

OH! And then yesterday, my man loved me so well with this:

Heart-shaped, cream-filled, chocolate-covered looooove!

One of the great joys of a long marriage is getting to a place of knowing how to make the other's heart skip a beat. And he knows how to make my heart happy. When I got up Saturday morning and saw that Brad had already made a trip to Lattin's and bought me this? Oh, I do love the way that man loves me.

Anyway, back to today. I finally, after over a year of watching this scene, captured a picture of one of the things I love:

Alex runs a lot of miles. Especially last summer. Most of them he runs with his cross country team. But there are a lot of long runs that he needs to do, and he does not like to do those by himself. So Brenna has put a lot of miles on the bike, with a backpack carrying her brother's water and an occasional house flyer they find on their run, and some money to stop in someplace and get a treat. They are cute together, and it's one of those pictures in my mind of this season of life that makes me smile. Brenna will start running with him some this summer getting ready for a little cross country season of her own, so this is a sight with numbered days. Glad I got a picture of it!

About half-way into our long walk, we met back up with them at the lake...

Brenna had to take care of her itchy feet, so Beth hopped on the bike and those two headed off to Wagners to buy a treat for after the run.

And the walk was so perfectly peaceful. We ~~endured~~ enjoyed a photo shoot, we saw some fun creatures enjoying their beautiful day, had one-on-one time with each of our girls, and got to talk and laugh and hold hands. A simply good day.

This heron was hanging out just off the path.

There were group of these sweet little baby ducks all over the lake today. They would dive down underwater, completely disappear for about 20 seconds, then one-by-one pop back up, catch their breath and dive back down. They looked like synchronized swimmers!

This mister and his little lady were having a little private time while the babies played nearby. Aren't they cute?

Then the mister took his little lady out (or down) for some fine dining!

Brenna tried to take our picture, but she took a sweet forever getting it just right and we couldn't take the brightness! After a few more failed attempts, we settled for this:

That's better.

Then the photographer wanted a shot of us with the Capitol Building behind us. We didn't realize she meant literally behind us. If you lean in and squint, you can see the very top point of it on top of my head.

A little repositioning and she got her shot. Phew.

A sweet day with my sweet family. Thankful, deeply thankful, for it.

Friday Smiles

2012-02-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Last night the girls were looking through old pictures, working on a project for school. We found so many that we laughed over. But none more than these:

I have no words to add to these pictures. But they sure make me smile!

Boredom Is Forcing Me To Stop At 8

2012-02-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

It feels like a make-a-list kind of Sunday. So I'm makin' a list!

1. The glorious weather this weekend was...well, glorious! The blueness of the sky, the warmth of the sun, the chirpiness of the birds? A gift! Brad and I had a lot of alone time this weekend, and we spent part of that time walking to Starbucks in the warm sunshine and having our first iced drink in quite a long time. 4 miles of holding hands and talking without interruption and dessert through a straw? Loved it.

2. I saw this quote on Pinterest and it spoke volumes to me:

Nothing quite like biting into a good-lookin' chocolate chip cookie only to discover it's raisins. Ewwww!

3. Today we ate Ugli fruit for the first time. We like to buy "weird" things and experience them together, things that the kids are curious about. So today we experienced Ugli fruit. They are indeed ugly on the outside, but very yummy on the inside. They are a cross between grapefruit, tangelos and something else and they grow in Jamaica. They remind me of a very sweet grapefruit, very very juicy. The lesson here kids? Don't judge a fruit by its skin.

4. My dear friend played a 109-point word this weekend. I felt an undeniable motherly-type pride. And then I felt challenged. I think she's got me in a corner on this one, but I'm proud of her.

5. As part of our alone time this weekend, we talked through a lot of vacation options for taking the trip Brad won. We haven't arrived on a final decision, but we are creeping oh-so-close. And it will involve warm water. And sand. And sun. And maybe even a beverage with a cute little umbrella in it.

6. I watched one of my top 5 favorite movies this weekend:

I love this movie. The whole ranting about indecisive people ordering coffee? Love it. The Shop Around the Corner makes me want to hang out in a bookstore. And it makes me want to read Pride and Prejudice and buy a bouquet of daisies.

7. The baking bug is working its way back into me. That's a good sign for me.

8. I played with the minds of my high-level 4th grade reading group on Friday and loved every minute. These are kids that are in the habit of knowing all the answers and wanting to get everything right. So for their test on Friday, I added a bonus question and asked them what color shirt I was wearing the day before. Oh, my. The look of panic that crossed their faces was priceless! You could see their wheels spinning, "What if we don't know??? How many points is that worth??? What happens if we guess wrong???" It's good for them to be thrown off a bit, and I had fun watching it.

I was going to do 10 things but I'm bored already and want to be done. So 8 it is!

73

2012-01-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

She would be 73 today. I find it hard to even imagine what she would be like at 73. That sounds so OLD. And in my mind she's so young.

It's been just a bit shy of 17 years since I've seen her. But more like almost 19 years since I've seen HER. She was so sick those last couple years. A shell of herself, a body and mind that was being slowly destroyed by a 23 year battle with a brain tumor. She fought that nasty thing so hard. She did not die from a brain tumor, a brain tumor had to kill her. A subtle difference, but her stubborn determination to live and not give up made it a fight that she did not back down from.

My last fully coherent conversation with her was on October 6th, 1994. By this point she was having very few days where she was alert and would even talk. And that morning, I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. It had been a long road to get pregnant, and I wanted so badly to share the news with her. We left the doctor's office and headed straight to her home, where she had at this point been in a hospital bed in the living room for two months. She had been completely blind for a long time, an effect of that nasty tumor. I gently shook her awake, praying that she would wake coherent and be having a "good" day. "Mom???" She stirred and said, "Oh, hi honey!" I was so glad that she knew I was there, and hoping she would receive my news with understanding. I told her the news. Her first questions? "Are you sure?? How do you know for sure???" I assured her it was true, we had just come from the doctor. And she got it. Fully. She shared my joy in that moment, just a somewhat skewed normal moment between a mother and daughter.

Later that evening, I arrived home to find a message from her on my answering machine. Now, it had been so very long since I had the simple pleasure of talking to her on the phone, even hearing her voice for any extended conversation. But this message was as clear as if the tumor was not a part of her. "Hi honey, this is Mom. I just wanted to see how you are feeling and see if it's okay if I tell people your news or if you want to tell them yourself. Call me back. Bye." I sat on my bed and cried. I kept the tape from the answering machine for a looooong time. Her voice, sounding so proud and joyful, was captured. I called her back, talked to her ever-so-briefly, and told her I had never felt better and that she could tell anyone (or everyone) she wanted. She wanted to hang up quickly after I told her that, she had people to call!

After that evening, she never mentioned it again. In the five months and one week she lived beyond that conversation, we never had one more about my baby or pregnancy. In fact, we had very few words exchanged as she slipped further away from us.

But that evening, was such a gift to me. I treasure it. For a brief moment in time, my mom was able to share my joy of my child. Her grandchild. I didn't even know yet that was Alex.

I miss her. I wish she could still be sharing the joy of my children. I wish she could sit in the audience and listen to Alex play. I wish she could sit in the stadiums and watch Brenna and Beth cheer. I wish she could sit at the dinner table with us and enjoy simple conversations. I wish she could spend time with Brenna and realize how very similar they are. I wish she could have been sitting front and center when each of my kids was baptized. So many wishes...

And I wonder what she would be like? She'd probably still love her tea every night. She'd probably still like to warm her back-side by a fire. She'd probably still have the same hairstyle. She'd probably still love to eat ice cream and popcorn balls and chicken legs. She'd be mightily perplexed with many of the computer uses today...Facebook? Makes me grin picturing her trying to navigate that. And Starbucks? She'd much rather have her Lipton tea bag in her mug. She'd surely be retired by now. I like to think she'd be travelling to Hawaii, knitting, reading, laughing, enjoying friends, church and family.

I know she'd love her family. Some things she'd wish were different, but maybe those things would be different if she were still here. She was a center hub in our family that we all were tethered to. Without her in the center, some pieces have not stayed tethered.

I would love to have her here. But I know where she is. And I know someday I'll be with her, and we'll get to share joy again. Together.

So, Happy Birthday, Mom. I hope you have a big carton of Black Walnut ice cream. Ice cream in heaven?? Why not! I miss you and I love you.

A Big Fish And A Standing Ovation

2012-01-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

This littlest one of mine...she is such a firecracker. You put a goal in front of her, and if it's important to her, she's on it. And she does not quit until she has accomplished what she set out to do.

Pulling teeth? Yes. She's mastered that. She went in for her regular cleaning recently, a day after removing a tooth that was, by their estimation, a year and a half early in coming out. And, yeah, the root on that tooth? I think it was still tickling her sinus cavity. I wish I had taken a picture. The hygienist said in 15 years, she had never seen a child remove a tooth with that length of a root. She got a little talking to about teeth having a reason for staying in until they are ready to come out, both from her parents and her dentist. For whatever reason, this girl loves to pull her teeth. Go figure. And once she sets her mind to something, she is immovable. Parental pride? My cup runneth over.

But when that determination and focus is applied in a positive way? Oh, it can lead you right into the path of a big fish.

A couple weeks ago, the invitation was opened from her band teacher to start testing on the scales. There are ten scales they need to pass. And each one they pass, they get a small, laminated fish ("scale" = "fish", get it??). Once you pass all ten scales, you get a "big fish".

Head to the wind, this girl buckled down and began mastering her scales on the clarinet. Today? She passed her tenth scale and brought home the big fish! So proud of her. First in the band to accomplish that in this school year. I think whatever bizarre musical gene mutated from her father and me has shown up in her as well as her brother. Will she work it and apply it in the same way? Time will tell. But for now, it's fun to see her excel at something! Way to go, Bethie!

In related news, this scale-conqueror's brother also had a proud musical moment recently. This weekend was the regional solo contest. Winning this sends you onto the state competition in April. He has been working on this solo diligently, had to switch accompanists for this date ~ that's a cool story with the punchline being he was accompanied by a gal I played soccer with for years and was such a small world connection ~ and really poured on the preparation in these last two weeks. And the result was beautiful. He played his heart out for an 18 minute and 42 second Mozart solo that just was a thing of beauty. The adjudicator was fun to watch as I listened. He followed along for awhile, and then about half way through he tossed the music aside and just leaned back in his chair with a smile and enjoyed the performance. When it was over, Alex got a standing ovation. Even though the the audience was half his family, a stranger started the ovation. And, of course, we had to join in! That guy came up and shook his hand and told him it was a pleasure to listen to. How nice! And then the adjudicator had some very, very flattering words, and talked about how much hard work goes in to preparing a piece like that. So true, and so nice to have that recognized.

And that performance was enough to send him back to state again this year! So excited for him!

And the pictures of this occasion?

this is the room he performed in, right before he came in. this is the moment I realized my camera may be a distraction and decided to not take pictures. see? I can restrain myself!

this is the sheet announcing he's off to state, just after it was hung up in the window.

and this the same sheet that I reached up high and pulled down for him to hold so I could take his picture. apparently that may have embarrassed him, but if the most I do to embarrass him is love him and be proud of him, we are doing okay! and I did put that paper back in the window.

I'm indeed proud of my little and big music makers! Big fish, little fish, winner, alternate, whatever...the joy is not in the winning but in watching the dedication and love for music!

Two Things

2012-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

I have two favorite foods right now that I cannot get enough of. I love them so. I am sitting here thinking of why I love them, and I really have no good answer for that. But I just L.O.V.E love them. So I thought I'd share them. And today is National Chocolate Cake Day...yet neither of these foods is chocolate cake. THAT'S how much I love them!

The first one I mentioned in my last post:

Cream of Wheat

Oh, I love it. I've never been a big breakfast eater, but I'm changing that. I now eat Cream of Wheat almost every morning. During my little health adventure, this and apple sauce was about all I could comfortably get down. And there are some nights I wish I could skip dinner and just have Cream of Wheat. Mmmm. I make the single serving microwave directions, add a tiny bit of butter, a teaspoon of sugar, and enough milk to make it the consistency I like. Perfection.

The second food is new to me. Well, prepared in a new way to me. I've had this food in so many different varieties: mashed, scalloped, pies, candied. And I now make them in a way that trumps all others. I will never make them any other way. My kids LOVE them and have asked me to make them this way for every holiday now.

What are they?

Roasted Yams

Oh, yes. I slice them in about 1 1/2 inch chunks or so, lay them out on a baking sheet, drizzle them with a little olive oil, sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper, and cook the heck out of them at 450. Probably about 20 minutes or so? I don't really watch the clock, I just cook them while the rest of dinner is cooking, checking them occasionally. When they are fork-tender, pull them out. They get all caramelized and oh-so-sweet. I'm not kidding when I say this, I reheated a couple for "dessert" one evening. And that is saying A LOT for a girl who really loves dessert. Sometimes I throw some other types of potatoes on there and cook them the same. Yellow potatoes, mini-potatoes, Yukon golds, whatever. They cook beautifully this way too. I wish I could pass one through the screen right now and have you enjoy how yummy they are. I'm going to cook some up tonight because now my tummy is whining for some...

My Storm Diary

2012-01-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have been so slacking off on here, I am going to do a fast-forward version of the recent past. Golly, I haven't even posted anything about Christmas! Oh, dear. Well, I guess I best just jump back in.

So for over a week we were impacted by beautiful, cold, scary, dangerous, slippery, icy, (did I say beautiful?) weather. I love to be snowed in. I really do. But I have realized that it is a lot more fun to be snowed in WITH power. Now we did not suffer. We have our gas fireplace to keep that room warm. We have gas hot water for hot showers. We can flush our toilets, unlike some. We could cook some limited food. We could drive to places with unlimited food. And we had some fun family and friend time. Here's the progression:

Saturday, January 14:

The snowfall begins! We get so excited about a snow event around here. You can see it in the eyes of my children...

On this evening, we were in Centralia for one of Alex's concerts. By the time the concert ended, snow was beginning to pile up and it was a slippery drive home.

Oh, but the concert! This young man had the joy of playing the contra bassoon!! Oh, yes, that deserves two exclamation marks if you are one who is excited about such things, which he is. The other bassoonist in this symphony played with the Seattle Symphony for 30 years, and texted Alex the week before the concert and asked him if he'd like to play his contra for this concert. He thought about it for about .00001 seconds and then texted back a big "YES!". They met a half-hour before rehearsals started so Alex could get a quick lesson on the differences in the instruments, and away he went. He had a blast playing on that for the day. And, no, Alex, we are not buying a contra bassoon. But he does look awfully handsome posing with this beauty:

Sunday, January 15:

The snow fell overnight, enough to bundle up and roll up some snowballs and a big snowman. I wish I snapped a picture of that snowman. They put sticks all around the top of the head, to be the "hair", and it looked just like Kramer from Seinfeld when they were done. We went to the grocery store on this evening and "stocked up" just in case the big storm came rolling in.

Monday, January 16:

A scheduled day off school, perfect for playing in the new-fallen snow! Friends came over and began the steady process of playing in the snow, coming in wet to warm up, drinking hot cocoa and eating. Rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. The "stocking up" I did the evening before? I meant it to stock us for more than one day.

Notice my sweet weeping pussy-willow tree behind the kids? Stay tuned.

Alex was suppose to play in a Martin Luther King event at Washington Center. Music had been written specifically for this event for an octet. The event was cancelled due to the weather...very disappointing.

Tuesday, January 17:

School closed! More snow fun! Time to leisurely drink my coffee and stare at the beautiful snow! More wet clothes, more snow fun, more cocoa drinking, more eating. And repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Wednesday, January 18:

Holy cow! It REALLY snowed overnight! We ended up with 14 inches of beautifully insulating snow, turning our world into a winter wonderland. Snowed in for real now. School closed again, even Brad's office was closed to patients. He worked from home while the kids played and played and played. And I leisurely drank my coffee, did laundry and laundry and laundry, enjoyed watching all the beauty.

And then in the middle of the night??? Poof, flash, BANG!, and then total silence. No power. We snuggled deeper into the covers and looked forward to the power coming back on in a matter of hours. Little did we know...

Thursday, January 19:

Powerless. Schools closed throughout Western Washington. Brad had to creep his way, slowly through the icy streets, to get to his office. They had power, fortunately, so patient treatment could resume. Lots of work for an IT guy during a week of power surges and phone outages. We missed him and wanted him home to enjoy the snow. He left work at 5:00 and said he would bring home dinner to our powerless home. He made it home at 7:45. Yeah, apparently when most of the county is out of power everyone has the same need to flock to the few businesses that have power. A burger and fries has never tasted so good as it did sitting on a big blanket in the middle of the floor by candlelight, with the gas fireplace blazing away.

We played "Words With Friends" the old-fashioned way. (Scrabble). Lots of games. Lots of reading. LOTS of sitting and staring out the window for me. I found myself being very much like a cat. I just got absorbed in the beauty of this, and watching the quiet world was so peaceful.

The kids bickered a lot, got snippy with each other. Everyone felt a bit out of sorts.

Friday, January 20:

Powerless. Schools still closed. Brad off to work. First thing in the morning, I layed down the law with the kids. There would be no bickering on this day. We would all be in too close of quarters to have any of that going on. And they really settled in nicely. I spent the morning taking down the Christmas tree (I know, it's a long story). Alex brought in a big box of Legos and the kids played with Legos for HOURS. Oh, a sweet flashback indeed. They were so funny, and we laughed and had a great day. Brad gave up at work and came home about 3:00.

This is the day the lack of vacuuming drove me nuts. I vacuum everyday. It's one of those instantaneously gratifying jobs that just feels necessary. And in taking down the Christmas tree, I had made a huge mess with artificial fir needles. And I was powerless to clean them from my carpet. Pun intended. I even tried to sweep the carpet, but to no avail.

And Alex began to master the art of cooking on a single propane burner. He first used it to boil water in the tea kettle so I could have something close to coffee and they could have their dwindling supply of hot cocoa. Then he made Cream of Wheat, which I adore so much. I don't know if I have ever talked about it here, but Cream of Wheat is one of my very favorite foods. I've become very affectionate with it during my recent health chaos. It's one of the only foods that I could reliably eat. Anyway, Alex, in an effort to make the water boil faster, added too much salt to the water, so it turned out nearly inedible although he loved it. Of course he did. Then he progressed to frozen chicken patties. Then stir-fried peppers and onions. Then he attempted to "cook" frozen cookie dough in a frying pan. They were more like fried cookies, and not good at all, but I love him for trying!

a valiant cookie effort!

And, oh, did it get icy and icky. Overnight, so many trees and branches just couldn't take the weight of the snow. And throw in a little wind to the mix...oh, what a mess:

Yeah, we have a bit of clean-up to do.

And this is my beloved weeping pussy-willow tree from an earlier picture. Everything else in this corner sprang back up after the weight of the snow was gone, but not Ms. Pussy-Willow. Brad has straightened her and we'll stake her up and see if she can survive. She even has tiny little pussy-willows defiantly opening on her branches. Fingers crossed.

On this day, Brenna jumped at an invitation to go stay with a friend whose power had been restored. We were a bit envious of the warm dinner and warm house and movie-watching and warm bed. Alex and Beth had a bit of boredom settle in once darkness descended on the house. Games no longer held any appeal. So they decided to sit in the van with the portable DVD player plugged in and watch a little Tom and Jerry. Yeah, this is how the Carlsons find entertainment in a power outage:

We went to bed a bit chilly. Warm and cozy under the covers, but you could feel the stinging cold on the tip of your nose. The house hit 52 degrees.

Saturday, January 21:

The great warm-up began. Rain moved in. Cold, cold, cold and windy. But the snow was falling off the trees in BIG chunks. No playing out in the snow today, too dangerous with all the falling ice and snow. And then, behold:

So thankful for these crews. What a job this week has brought them! I was giddy with hope and joy when I saw this truck out there. And then they left. I became a little discouraged, but still knowing we had it easy compared to some. Brad and the kids packed up some video games and a movie and headed off to Brad's office to pass a couple hours. I ventured out for the first time and went to get my haircut. And, of course, I returned from my haircut to what??? POWER!!!! Oh, was I a happy girl. I didn't even go further than the entryway. I set my purse down right there, got the vacuum cleaner and began vacuuming my house. And then I started the laundry. Oh, the glorious sound of a washing machine, a dryer, a vacuum. I was not meant to live like Laura Ingalls. No I was not.

Monday, January 23:

Back to school, with a 2-hour delay. Our building? NO HEAT, no phones. The heat was restored just after noon, and it slowly warmed. The phones will be out awhile, waiting on some part that blew out when the power came on. Still a couple rooms in our building with no heat, so the portable heaters are keeping us warmed. I thought it was kind of nice to have an altered day for the first day back, ease back in, let the kids get their excitement out. I lost track of how many kids said, "We had a huge storm last week!" "We got a lot of snow!" "Did you know we lost power????" It was all breaking news to them.

I work with two people who just go their power back on, bless them. They have generators, but still. Bless 'em.

Today was the first day we could let the kids outside, in a limited area. Snow sliding off the roof kept them totally in Monday and Tuesday. A partially fallen backstop, massive tree limbs down, and a lot of snow now keeps them limited to a small area. The natives are getting restless. The energy is building. They are like race horses loaded into the chute before a race. Antsy and ready to go.

Now just the clean-up is left. This weekend will bring lots of outdoor bonding time for this family, especially as we try to limit Brad. Oh, yeah...Tuesday he messed up his shoulder shoveling snow at work. Speaking of a race horse loaded into a chute...yeah, he doesn't easily take it easy.

Oh, my. I think I need to go ice my fingers after typing all those words. That's a bit too much for one post. But ah, it feels good to get just a regular 'ole post on here!

Back To "Normal" A Day At A Time

2012-01-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Snow day #2, and officially snowed in. Just for fun, me who does NOT drive in the snow, decided to see what it felt like to back-plow my van out of the garage through 14 inches of snow. It was actually fun, the whole 3 feet I drove before chickening out and pulling back in. Love the snowed-in feeling though. Love. It. Hubby's working from home, the kids and friends filling the house and emptying my fridge. Cozy, cozy, cozy.

And a lot of time to sit with my hot coffee and stare at the beautiful trees, heavy with snow, watching the dog try to forge a path to his potty spot, the cat try to make himself skinny enough to fit down the narrow snow-free path along the house. And in my staring at all the beauty around me, time to reflect on my last month.

What a doozy. To say my world was turned upside down for a time would be very accurate. Just in the last week I've come to a place where I can start processing it, trying to sort it out and make sense of it. I asked Brad recently, "What happened to me??" I don't have all the answers, but the bottom line is I am getting better, a day at a time. I'm creeping back to my normal. If I compare myself today to me 3 weeks ago? Drastically, radically better. If I compare myself to me 2 months ago? Not quite there yet. But I'm believing I will get there soon.

"Patient in affliction"? Trying. Patience has never been my strength, especially with myself. "Joyful in hope"?? That's returning. The joy is 95% back. "Faithful in prayer"? Oh, yes. Pleading, begging prayers that were sometimes just one word: "Jesus". Or "please". Or even "huh-uh". The beautiful thing is that He knew the meaning of everything I uttered in my bound state.

And the equally beautiful thing was the people who prayed on my behalf. Friends who lovingly, attentively, and faithfully supported me in the simplest of ways. They were a lifeline. To be able to send a simple text: "I'm really struggling," and that's all I needed to say.

And my sweet husband, who took such gentle care of me, who was so patient with me. The thing I find most comforting in this world, hugging my husband, I couldn't do. It makes no sense, but it felt suffocating, like my insides were even tighter, like I couldn't take a breath. And he understood. I wanted him with me, I needed him with me, and yet he was helpless to make it better. And yet his simple presence, his prayers whispered over me, his patient presence was my anchor.

And my kids were sweetly understanding, even while not understanding. They were patient, encouraging, loving, kind...I hate that they had to be all that, but I'm so proud of them for treating me with such gentleness when I needed it. They are good people.

I don't even know how much I want to share on here. I've struggled with not mentioning it, or telling it all. But to just hop back on and ignore such an impactful time in my life seems so shallow and insincere. Do I share everything about my life on this blog? Absolutely not. But do I write this as a scrapbook of sorts of my life? Yes. And I do want to remember this time, for me. I want to continue to figure this out and part of that for me is being able to reflect and process it.

It is such a long, tangled story. The bottom line is I have been deeply struggling with anxiety. And by anxiety, I don't mean being a little worried. I mean paralyzing, heart-racing, ending up in the E.R. anxiety. Medicated to get through the day anxiety. Losing 8 pounds (over Christmas!!) anxiety. (I've gained back 4, not to worry.)

My brother kindly analyzed me and I think really accurately diagnosed a root of this, and I know I have a strong family history of anxiety issues. Maybe I'll get into my feelings of the "why", maybe I won't. But for now, I'm unashamedly taking medication, getting lots of vitamins, getting my exercise, eating healthy...approaching this from every possible angle. I don't ever, EVER, want to go through what I've been through again. The compassion I feel for those who feel this or have felt it brings tears to my eyes instantly. It's a horrible way to live, and I don't wish it for anyone. If you read this and have no understanding of what I'm talking about or think it's "all in your head", give a little prayer of thanks that you have no understanding of it.

To those sweet people who loved and prayed me through this, I love you all right back, and I have prayed many times that the Lord would count every word of prayer said for me and bless you richly. I have learned a lot about who my friends are and how to be a friend to someone in need. I am so very grateful for each and every prayer, text, phone call, email...when I say they were a lifeline I really mean it.

That's enough for now. I'm done with this subject today and going to enjoy my family and the peaceful beauty around me.

"He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him..."

Isaiah 26:3

Saying Goodbye To 2011

2012-01-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

Well, well. I am sitting here on the 1st day of 2012, working hard at getting myself back to being myself, and decided that before it gets too further I should do my 2011 look back.

With the exception of the last two weeks, this has been a great, great year. These last 2 weeks? They've been tough. And I do not like to go out on a tough note. I've always tended to evaluate everything based on how I finish it, but I can't do that with this year. More on all that another time, but I'm not going to count the last 2 weeks in my reflection of the year. It would warp the data considerably.

But 2011? It was a good year. It was a year of shifting seasons, a year of confidence-growing, a year of contentment. Some years I've been eager to kick to the curb, some years I'm sad that they are ending. This year? Neither. Thankful for it, glad it was here, and glad that we get to start a brand new one.

Without further ado, here's my look back:

1. What did you do in 2011 that you had never done before?

Well, that's an easy one. I ran that pesky half-marathon! I broke through that glass ceiling I had placed over my head all these years! One of the best parts of that was all the training I did with Brad. He was such an encourager and it was a tremendous experience doing that with him. And the friends that encouraged me through the training, and the ones who came out and cheered me on that day??? Their support meant the world to me.

This is what I looked like after my first "long" training run!

And this is after running 2 hours and 4 minutes in pouring rain!

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions and will you make more this year?

Well, my answer to this is probably going to be the same every year. I'm not big into "resolutions". I'm big into goals, which I guess are pretty similar. But only on January 1st? Nah. I understand it's a good time to assess and re-think and have fresh starts and all, but really this is an on-going thing for me.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not personally close. I watched people I care for say goodbyes, and that always breaks my heart.

5. What places have you visited this year?

Well, we made our annual trip to Chelan, this year staying in Manson ~ one of the most delightful weeks. And Brad and I went to Portland for our anniversary.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Once again, this makes me go "hmmmm". I know I need to get plugged back in to a Bible study group. Once I went back to work, my morning choice was gone, and evenings are just so jam-packed. Thinking of how to make this happen!

7. What date in 2011 will be etched in your mind and why?

More than actual dates, there are moments: Beth's cheer squad placing 1st at their competition, Alex taking 3rd in state for bassoon, Brenna performing for the last time with her cheer squad (and taking 3rd place!), watching Alex play at Benaroya Hall with the All-Northwest group, watching Brad receive his employee of the year award, finishing the half marathon, to name a few.

8. What was your biggest achievement in 2011?

I would have to say the aforementioned half marathon. All my life, there are things that I've said, "I could never do that!". It was almost an instinctual response to something challenging. And even though I had run for a long time, it took me a long time to run a 5k in public, then a 10K at the end of 2010, and then finally, something I truly didn't know if I could do: the half marathon. The achievement was much more than the 13.1 miles: it was in quieting the voice that had so long said, "I could never...".
9. Did you suffer any illness or injury in 2011?

Yes, and I'm not done with it. And I'm not happy with it. It's ending soon, in Jesus' name! More on that another time.

10. What was the best thing you bought?

Oh, dear. That's always a tough one. I do love the new tile we bought for our entryway, and the closet organizer that started the whole floor make over. And I loooove the new garage door that Brad bought! And I love my new Gigi Hill bag that I bought myself.

11. Where did most of your money go?

Mouths and music.

12. What song will remind you most of 2011?

Oh, goodness. "Bring Night" by Sia, my girls' competition song that I listened to enough to last a lifetime, thank you very much. "A Shield About Me", a piano version has been soothing to me lately. I don't know if it will remind me most of 2011, but of this ending portion of it, yes.

13. What do you wish you would have done more of in 2011?

Being purposefully still.

14. What do you wish you would have done less of in 2011?

Trying to figure out people who perplex me. And assuming that it's me. Sometimes it really is them.

15. What was your favorite tv program?

I love The Middle and Modern Family, and always love House Hunters, especially the international episodes. And I'm quite smitten with The Duggars. I initially watched them and found things kinda funny and quirky, now I find it refreshing and endearing. (Once I mute the intro of the mom introducing all her kids, beginning with her wonderful husband.)

16. What was the best book you read in 2011?

Well, does a cookbook count?? I loved reading (yes, I read cookbooks!) The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She did a fun job of weaving her story in with her recipes, and it's just as much fun to read as her blog. And from there, my disheveled mind cannot remember any others.

17. What was your favorite movie of the year?

The Help. Hands-down, no contest, without a doubt. The Help.

18. What did you do on your birthday this year and how old were you?

I turned 42 this year, and I know we had 3 football games that day, and I remember that it was an overall disappointing birthday. Kind of an over-looked day. Aw, well. They can't all be grand!

19. What political issue stirred you the most this year?

Oh, my. A lot to be stirred by this year. The whole "Occupy ( )" thing I could go on and on about but won't. So many international issues...all our troops "coming home" but not really...so many. And the issue of education hits very close to our home and our bottom dollar, with me employed by the public schools and a child just over one year away from college...eek. The changes are a bit frightening.

20. Who was the best new person you met this year?

That would have to be the sweet Stacy! She is the mom of one of my daughter's best friends, and our relationship got rollin' when she innocently offered "any help" with the cheer season! She not only made my life way easier in the whole coaching area, but she has become a dear friend who is such a joy to be around!

sadly, this is the best picture I could find of us, other than the one of her sitting in my lap crying after our girls won! oh - and she's a brunette now! ;)

Okay, 2011. You've been good to me. You've brought lots of laughter, joy, and celebration to our home and our lives. It's been a pleasure knowing you.

And for 2012? I'm trusting for health and wholeness and laughter and joy and love and direction and guidance and peace. All brought to us by our loving Father who orders all our days. He's in the midst of each one, and there is great peace in that.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Merry (Almost) Christmas!

2011-12-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. To say my plans for this week were altered would be an understatement. But I know that bumps in a road are just bumps. And nothing is going to stop Christmas from coming ~ and I mean that in the literal and the spiritual.

I have decided to mail out New Year's cards instead of Christmas cards. And even that's a maybe. We'll see. But for now, I'm going to rest in the knowledge that Christmas COMES, and with the birth of Jesus came life, hope, peace, joy, promise and oh-so-much-more. I pray that in all our hearts is a deep peace and joy, one that can only be known because of a little baby's birth that we celebrate.

MERRY Christmas!!

Signs Of The Season!

2011-12-18T23:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, Christmas season, how I love thee. You are brimming with beautiful sights to behold.

Here's some recent and not-so-recent sights that bring that Christmas cheer to my heart:

Bless their little hearts. This was Christmas 1998. Brenna had just turned one, and Alex was three and a half. (Those "halfs" were a big deal in the single digit years!). We went to a beautifully decorated, festive business that we love, they even had live reindeer! So much fun! Right?! Brenna just fell apart. And Alex was stunned and not capable of smiling at the lady in the funny hat trying to take a picture of his screaming sister. This BROKE MY HEART! I hated it, and I never again in all these years took my children to sit on Santa's lap. Never. Again.

But now I look at this picture and it gives me the giggles. I'm so very glad I have this! Is that a bit twisted? I don't know. Maybe it's partly because I know these two little people have grown into perfectly normal teenagers who have suffered no lasting effects of this experience. At the time? Traumatic. Now? A memory I'm glad to have.

And last weekend was full of Christmas signs. Brad swam in a meet called "Rudolph's Plunge". It was a big flashback for me...sitting on those metal bleachers watching him swim and waiting for him to come up after his flip turn and then watching him win. Loved it. I didn't get the whole connection to Rudolph until I saw this picture:

And it reminded me of this:

So, yeah. Now I can see it. Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas.

And then we had the joy of celebrating Christmas with the Shipleys. It was a scrumptious meal in their beautiful...beautiful!...new kitchen. And just plain 'ole good times together. They are such a happy, bright spot in our lives, and we are so very thankful for them.

a teenagers favorite gift!

new earrings from Auntie Debbie!

here are the kids posing with Auntie Debbie. She skyped in from the Washington D.C. Costco parking lot.

Brenna's new hat and scarf from Auntie Debbie!

new slippers!!

and here we all are. these two people LOVE us in the truest, sincerest way. and we LOVE them right back. they are a gift to us, a blessing we hold dear.

Love, love, love this season!!

It's Almost Here!!!!

2011-12-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

A matter of hours now ~ HOURS!!! ~ until it is Christmas Vacationnnnnn!! I may be just a wee bit excited. On Wednesday, I may have noticed the time just after noon, and commented that the day was officially half over, which meant the week was officially half over, which meant that I was beginning to think I could make it to Friday. And I may have puzzled a couple little people with this observation. But it made me happy.

And now it's practically here, and I'm so relieved. Now I can physically check off things that are lingering on my mental list. The last two weeks have felt a bit like I'm on a merry-go-round that just won't stop. I want to get off. I'm dizzy. Things have been getting done, but barely. Dinners this week have been pathetic, and my sincere apologies to my family for that.

(Actually, I have a new thought regarding disappointing my family. It's actually doing them a favor. My son one night had politely thanked me for dinner when he left the table. I asked if he liked it, and he said it was okay, but really not his favorite. Translation: "I barely choked it down, and while I appreciate the caloric intake you provided me, I hope I never have to touch that to my lips again!" My response? "You're welcome." Yes, truly. Because if I knocked it out of the park every single meal, I would be setting an impossibly high standard for him to find in a wife someday. I have to leave a little wiggle room for him to find someone better than me, otherwise I'm setting him up to marry a woman who could never live up to the standard I've set in the kitchen. So my culinary flops are a favor to him.)

Anyway, back to vacation. I'm so very thankful to have one starting tomorrow afternoon. I want to get some baking done. I want to finish putting up my nativity sets. I want to sleep in. YES! Amen and hallelujah to not setting an alarm. Unfortunately, I've scheduled a crazy amount of dentist and doctor appointments next week to get them all out of the way without missing school. But still. I'm a bit excited about the whole sleep thing.

I haven't even ordered our Christmas cards yet. I'm pondering not even doing them this year. And writing a letter? I just don't know about that. I only know of two people who enjoy getting that.

I really want these next two weeks to linger. I don't want to hurry up Christmas and then wonder how it passed so quickly. I want to enjoy the little moments. I want to take the days slowly, and not rush from one thing to another. We have one more concert left this month, and I want to enjoy it.

Off to bed I go. One more alarm to ring before I can celebrate! I just may be in my jammies by 4:00 tomorrow afternoon, sipping some coffee. Seems like the ideal way to screech this crazy merry-go-round to a complete stop!

My Little Lady

2011-12-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

So this sweet little baby....

Is now this sweet little lady...

14 years old! I really am so surprised at how very much the same she is, though. All that sweetness is still there in such a big way. She is as much a joy now as she was the day they laid her on my chest while her daddy passed out across my belly. Oh yes he did. But that's for another day.

We had a great day with Brenna...she is a simple girl when it comes to celebrating her own day. She wanted chowder in bread bowls, which has become a birthday theme in 2011. And German chocolate cake. Mmm.

A new ring from her sweet sister,

A scarf and earrings from her sweet brother,

which she had to check out...

yummmmmmy cake!

there is a sweet story behind this: Brenna's first 4 months were very unhappy for her. She had a nasty case of reflux and was cranky and miserable. she cried and fussed in large quantities. I spent hours snuggling her and rocking her while she fussed, trying to soothe her. I would say into her ear over and over, "Brenna, Jesus is growing within you the beauty of a gently and quiet spirit..." SO many times I spoke that to her and over her. Years later, when Brenna was a toddler and clung to my hip, I casually described her as "shy". That person corrected me and said, "She's not shy, she has a gentle and quiet spirit!" WOW!! Yes, she does! And if you know Brenna well, you know how very true that still is today, and I believe forever. She is precious. So I made this sign for her, and after all the opening of boots and jewelry and clothes, she said this was her favorite present. See? Precious!

Then, of course, the annual visit from Santa through the neighborhood happened to fall right on her birthday again! Santa forgot to say Happy Birthday in all the excitement, but that's okay. We still were happy to see him!

On Friday, it was finally time for Brenna to celebrate with her friends. We didn't do a big party this year, instead just had her closest friends come home from school with her. She waited for the birthday biggie: piercing her ears! until her friends could come be her support. She was so freaked out about doing this, yet wanted to do it so badly. The whole way to the mall was a discussion of all the things that could possibly go wrong, how badly it was going to hurt...by the time we got to the mall I was ready to just hold her down and do it myself! (I kid.) (Kind of.)

The before.

The during.

The first cleaning.

The after. She did it!!

Beth came to watch the big show too, and to offer her encouragement ("Oh, Brenna, it doesn't hurt at all! Just do it!!!). While we were there, she picked out a set of rings for her and her sister that say "I love my sis". Sweet.

After the girls shopped for a couple hours (while I did a little shopping by myself and then sat in the food court reading and people watching ~ fun!) we went to Red Robin for some late dinner.

The picture of Brenna standing on the chair while everyone sang to her came out with weird eyes that creep me out, so this will have to do. A loooooved girl, this one. And I'm so glad she'll always be my little girl!!!

Favorite Things Friday #2

2011-12-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I know it's Saturday. But the days!! The DAYS!!! They are running together this week in a crazy way. I didn't even do a shout out to my baby girl's birthday on here! Then there was the birthday part-ay. Oh, I have some catching up to do. And I only have about 20 minutes until we are off for a busy day of Christmas celebrating with precious people and then off to cheer on Brad at a swim meet.

So, I will have to catch up tomorrow. But for the next 20 minutes, I'm going to pretend it's still Friday and I'm going to do a few more favorite things!

1. Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Cream Cleanser

I have no picture of this, but I love, love, love it. I use the version with the added anit-blemish control, but they have it in a couple forms. It is so very creamy and soft. My face feels clean but not dried out. Love it. (And when did they stop calling themselves OIL of Olay??)

2. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

Favorite. Lotion. Ever. I use this head-to-toe. Never greasy. Always soaks in and leaves you feeling hydrated but not smothered. Even Brad grabs a squirt of this!

3. Soft Jammies

I love all sorts of very soft jammies. Nothing quite like putting on some fuzzies and settling in for an evening.

I really love the Nick and Nora brand from Target. They are super soft, and in fun, bright prints.

I also really love the Karen Neuberger pajamas. Those are probably my favorite, and you can even find them at Marshalls if you keep your eyes peeled.

I would love to put on some new fuzzies and curl up to watch some cheesy Christmas movies right about now...

4. Have A Little Faith

This book, I do believe, will always be one of my favorites. It is a sweet, true story by Mitch Albom that will move you and inspire you. Loved it. The movie is currently playing on the Hallmark channel, and it was great too. But, as always, the book is always better. It's a quick one to read, but it left a long-lasting impression on me.

5. Mint Truffle Hershely Kisses

These are dark chocolate filled with a mint truffle. And the way I looooove them is in my chocolate-mint biscotti. Oh, Merrrrrry Christmas!

Now I am out of time, 5 minutes over actually, and gotta run.

Clean, moitsturized skin, cozy jammies, good book, chocolate mint biscotti...

.....these are a few of my favorite thiiiiiinnnnngs!

It's A Major Award...

2011-12-04T23:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's a major award, and fortunately it doesn't involve a leg lamp to display in our front window!

I'm proud of Brad every day. I see how hard he works, how genuine he is, how devoted he is, how totally committed he is, how loyal, how friendly, how kind...I could go on and on.

But this weekend he was awarded for being all those things by his company, whose employees voted him "Employee of the Year"!

The week leading up to it? A bit stressful for me. We had not planned to go to his office Christmas party because we just weren't sure what our plans would be for this weekend with Brenna's birthday. And we had to decide well over a month ago, and there was so much unknown we decided it would be easier to just say no.

Then, on Monday, I came home from work to find seven missed calls from Brad's office. I was so puzzled because I had heard from Brad during the day, and he knows when I am not home, yet all those calls...

In checking the messages, it turned out to be one of Brad's bosses, calling to talk to me about this party. I called her back, and she told me I really had to find a way, if at all possible, to get Brad to the party. She told me why, that he'd won this award and they wanted to present it at the party. You know what that meant for me? Keeping a secret from Brad and PRESSURE to try to act suddenly interested in going to his party, without being over-eager.

I started with the oh-so-subtle "We need a date! Will you take me on a date this weekend? A nice date where we can get a bit dressed up like grown-ups???"

He was quite willing, and told me the two places we had gift cards to, and wanted to know which of those places he could take me to dinner. (Mr. Romance, that's right.)

I said it was too bad we decided not to go to the party. He agreed (!) but said it was way too late to say we would go. I dropped it for the night, my mind churning with how I was going to lure him there.

THEN! The next day at work he sends me a text saying that a couple gals at work were giving him a hard time about now going, and he told them we probably could stop by after dinner and what would I think about that?!

What did I think about that??? RELIEF! So the plan was set, and now I just had to watch Brad go through a very stressful week at work, and not grab him by the collar and say, "It's worth it because you are the Employee of the Year!!!!!"

Saturday finally came, and it was such a great night. We went out for a fabulous dinner alone together. Loved every minute of it. I even said a couple times, "Are you sure you want to go to the party? This is so nice just being alone..." I had to make sure I didn't make him suspicious. Although that is a very un-suspicious man. (I could do a whole post about our dinner. I'll leave it at this: I fell in love with Cornbread Pudding.)

Then we headed over to the party just in time for the crazy gift exchange, a little mingling, and then the big (and very heartfelt and warm) speech announcing all this.

I'd love to have taped the speech they gave about him when they announced it, Brad's reaction, and his speech afterwards. It was so sweet. I looooooved hearing people acknowledge HIM, just the core of who he is. It wasn't about his technical skills, but all about his character. Everything I know, it's just so nice to hear other people honor and recognize those things.

And Brad's speech was pretty special too. He got a bit choked up, and gave a very heart-felt thank you.

The plaque is beautiful. And the other thing? They are sending us on a vacation! We got a very generous travel voucher to plan a nice vacation for ourselves. How incredible is that? It's something we probably would never do for ourselves, so to have this given to us is overwhelming. And, even though I know I'm immensely biased, I think he is so very deserving of this.

terrible phone picture, but it had to do!

I love him so much, and I'm so glad all those people who get so many hours of his time each day love and appreciate him too.

He's the real deal. He's pretty great. And I'm so proud to be his wife.

Favorite Things Friday

2011-12-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

"I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feeeeel, so baaaaad!"

I'm not actually feeling bad at all. Very tired, very glad for a Friday evening leading into a Saturday that I'm very excited for, but not bad at all. Just have been singing that song all day, and it made me start thinking about what my favorite things are. And since this is December and I'm in the "what shall I get for ( )" kind of a mood, I thought I'd just get on here and do some favorite things! Maybe you'll see something that will become your favorite thing! (Although many of these may not be present-worthy, they really are things I love!)

And the best part of doing favorite things? The LIST format. Love that.

1. The Centennial Elementary Winter Choir Concert CD.

This beautiful cd is my favorite right now for a couple reasons. One is that it is filled with the voices of a bunch of little people who make me smile every day. But most importantly is the beautiful artwork on the cover: designed by my beautiful daughter!! Isn't it lovely?

2. The Oral Breeze Shower Breeze.

Okay, stick with me. I consider flossing to be like interval training: go in fast spurts, then slow, then recover, the spurts...in other words, I'm inconsistent and irresponsible. But get me within a month of a check up and I'm a crazy regular flosser. Well, that doesn't work so well, and you get away with that less and less as my age goes up and up. So six months ago my hygienist suggested I try a water flosser. But this one goes in your shower, so any "over spray" that would thoroughly gross me out goes totally undetected and stays in the shower. I LOVE this thing! I LOVE it! When I went in for my check-up a couple weeks ago, she did a quick check to see if my measurements were better. The answer? The last time they were this good was 8 years ago! So I essentially got myself 8 years back! (Let me believe that.) The ironic thing is that now I love the heightened level of clean so much that I do this in the morning with my shower AND I floss every night! WHAT?! That's the power of the Shower Breeze, my friends. And it's also fabulous for anyone in any stages of orthodontics. Clean, clean, clean. It takes a bit to get use to due to the tickly feeling, but it's worth it!

3. Armani Diamonds Intense

My favorite perfume, and has been for a couple years: Armani Diamonds Intense. I love this. It's a fruity/floral. Or maybe a floral/fruity. But I like my smell, and Brad likes my smell. Good enough for me.

4. Mother's Circus Animal Christmas Cookies.

I don't know. There's just something about these little cookies. Every now and then they hit a sweet spot that nothing else could hit. And dress them up for Christmas? I'm all in. My son gushed the thanks when he saw that I came home from the store with these. He went on and on about how they are his absolute favorites. Why do I bother baking when "Mother" has it all taken care of for me?

5. Cuddl Duds.

Okay, I'm as serious as I will ever get on this blog. I LOVE these. I've lamented on here before how cold I am at work. c-c-c-c-cold. Shiver-me-timbers cold. And these Cuddl Duds? They have rocked (and warmed) my world. Today I wore the leggings under my jeans for the first time, and other than they are a size too big, they are fab-u-lous. Toasty warm, thin layer so you don't look all padded...I truly love these. They have all sorts of different types, so check them out. The title above is a link that will take you to their website where they are having 25% off and free shipping right now. I have the "Climatesmart" and love it.

Well, a child just called ready to be picked up and I have Costco shopping to do. I have so many more I thought I would get on here, but it will have to wait until next Friday...

"Snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes....Silver white winters that melt into Spring...these are a few of my favorite thingssssss!"

Unnumbenough, Muppet Style, And Other Dinnertime Entertainment

2011-11-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

My mouth is 50% numb and I am 100% unhappy about it. It's a long and painfully boring story, but I once had a bad experience with anesthetic at the dentist. Tooth numb? No. Throat numb? Yes. Panic inside me? YES! So ever since then, I get unnecessarily anxious about any dentist appointment involving anesthesia. So when I learned two weeks ago that I had a cavity under an old filling? Not happy. Today it was filled, unpleasant but uneventful. I was more numb when I got home than when they started working, so the unpleasant was all my anxiety plus little jolts of pain, but nothing to complain about in proportion to how much I unnecessarily wasted rapid heart beats over it. My heart was racing and I was shaking like a wet cat the whole time. So silly.

Anyway, my unpleasant moment in time resulted in great dinnertime entertainment for my family. I'm too numb to enjoy food without biting my tongue or cheek, but I sat at the table and chatted with my family. They made me smile over and over to see if I was smiling normally. They made me stick my tongue out to see if I could roll my tongue with half of it numb. And on and on it went.

Then Alex displayed his genetic gift of making his tongue into a clover. Brenna cannot do that, but Beth can. Beth can raise one eyebrow, a gift from both her father and mother's gene pool, but Alex and Brenna cannot. Brenna can wiggle her ears in a big obvious way, but the rest of us cannot, although I think I still believe I am doing it.

Now, going back a couple days, we took the family to see The Muppets this weekend. Hilarious. Hi. Lar. I. Ous. We had to explain dated references galore, and had to bring them into the whole Muppet loop when we left so they would understand it. I looked over at Alex a couple times and could tell he was a bit perplexed as to the whole puppet thing, but I think it was still fun for him. He'll really love it once we ~~make~~ let him watch some old Muppet Shows. Brad and I laughed and laughed and laughed. And I sang and sang and sang. Oh, that Ralph the dog! I forgot how cute he is.

Anyway, one of the great songs that I don't think has any words, but goes "Mana-mana; bum buta bum bum; Mana-mana; bum buta bum; Mana-mana; bum...." Are you hearing it in your head? Keep it there.

As we were displaying our genetic gifts, I tried to figure out the clover tongue thing, only to realize there was no way that was happening with my numbness. So I said, "I'll try again when I'm unnumb enough."

And can you hear what's coming next??! I began singing "Unnumbenough; bum buta bum bum; Unnumbenough, bum buta bum...." I continued to crack myself up for way too long with my accidental wit. Perhaps there was a little something extra special in that anesthetic they injected??

And as I type this, Alex is doing homework while whistling the Muppets theme song! Ha! Got 'em hooked!

And, before I forget this, I must add in my favorite Thanksgiving moment. Perhaps of all time:

On Friday, I cooked up the whole meal so we could have left-overs and turkey sandwiches. When I took the turkey out of the oven, I realized that I overcooked it a bit, and gave warning to the family. Brenna was very quick to say, "That's okay, I like the dark meat on the turkey best anyway."

Think about that one. Alex and I laughed and laughed over that one. During dinner, we held a turkey meat intervention and explained that "dark meat" was a name for portions of the bird and not a reference to how long the meat cooked. That is so very Brenna...

Hope you are enjoying some laughter with your family...it is so good to laugh together!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

May your thoughts of thankfulness come quickly, abundantly, and from a genuine heart!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

A Book You Must Read ~ And You Know I Mean It If I'm Blogging When I Should Be Sleeping

2011-11-21T23:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, I read one of the most captivating, lovely books this weekend. It is beautifully written, and a book I do believe everyone would love. And best of all, this book comes from a whole series of books, which means you can prolong your joy of discovery along with the main character. I will admit the main character is a little baby Polar Bear cub, but don't let that deter you. And I know I spend a lot of hours hanging out with kindergartners, but don't let that deter you either. Really, I mean it in all seriousness: YOU. MUST. READ. THESE. BOOKS. PERIOD.

Here's the back story (cuz you know I always have a story). Decorating day at The Christmas Forest was yesterday. Much more about that later...because it was a fun day and ended with a beautiful tree. Actually a lot of beautiful trees. But I'm a bit partial to one in particular. More on that another day.

Throughout the day, part of the fun is walking around and watching the other trees come together. It's fun to see the trees in various stages, see the ornaments in bunches before they are wired to the trees, get up close and personal to some of the fun stuff. One tree is very eye-catching because of the blue led lights, which I'm not a huge fan of, I must admit. But we stopped to see what they were in the process of creating. The paper taped to the floor in front of it said their tree title was "God Gave Us Christmas". Sweet! So I asked the designer what inspired that theme. She pulls out this book, and I was instantly smitten. This sweet little book is a momma telling her little one the story of Christmas, and it is lovely. THEN, she shows us her other stack of books by the same author: God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Heaven...Ellen and I stood there and got all teary-eyed, they are that good. They warmed my heart, made me want to hug a polar bear, and made me start to think I liked blue led lights. That's a powerful story, my friends.

So, if you have a little person in your life, you really should get your hands on these books. They would make a fabulous Christmas gift, especially with a little polar bear stuffy to go with it.

And, while poking around for information on the author, I saw that she writes for adults too! I will be checking out her books in the very near future, and will keep you posted! In the meantime, here is her website:

Lisa Tawn Bergren

Happy Reading!!

Monday Menu ~ It Is Monday, Isn't It??

2011-11-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Monday? I don't know. In many ways it feels like a Monday. So let's pretend for the next few minutes that it is Monday and I am back on track doing a Monday Menu! Thanks for playing along.

This is a staple for our Thanksgiving table. And I don't know why only Thanksgiving. I love it enough to put it in a regular rotation, and I'm going to try to remember that soon.

It's a great way to prepare sweet potatoes. Scalloped Sweet Potatoes. Mmm-hmm. That's right. And these bring a savory twist to a normally sticky sweet turkey accompaniment. I just can't handle those marshmallow drenched mashed sweet potatoes anymore. Sorry, these have ruined me forever. I may have a picture of these somewhere, but you know Mondays really fry my brain, and Survivor is on in a little bit and I really don't want to expend the energy to find the picture. But you need to imagine YUM and OOOOH and I MUST MAKE THAT and you have a perfect picture!

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes (I actually used yams, worked great)
6 strips bacon (get the good thick stuff from the meat counter, not that paper thin mass packaged nonsense)
1 onion, chopped (use a sweet yellow onion please)
2 1/2 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk (2% worked great, but it's a holiday so feel free to use whole. Calories/fat/cholesterol do not count on holidays)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese (grate your own block, it's much fluffier and nicer that the packaged pre-grated stuff)

Peel potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place potatoes in large pot of boiling water, cook for 5-10 minutes or until *just* tender. Drain well and set aside.

Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, crumble and set aside.

Add chopped onion to bacon drippings and cook until tender. Stir in flour over low heat and cook to a paste, whisking with a wire whisk to keep it from lumping. Add salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the milk and cook, stirring with whisk, until mixture thickens slightly.

Arrange 1/2 the potatoes on the bottom of an 11x7 baking dish. Sprinkle with half the bacon. Pour on half of the milk mixture. Top with remaining potatoes, then remaining bacon, then remaining milk mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 325 for 20 - 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. You can now turn on your broiler and brown the cheese for 1-2 minutes. (I highly recommend this step.)

**I increased everything and made this in a 9x13 pan, and had stuff really crammed in there.***

And, by way of a favor to you, let me remind you that Thursday through Sunday, Starbucks is having a "Buy One Get One Free" special on their holiday drinks from 2-5 pm. You must enjoy a Caramel Brulee latte. And be sweet and ask for extra sprinkles. Because the sprinkles??? Amen and Hallelujah. Or maybe the Peppermint Mocha? I do prefer mine with half the peppermint. I'd give that one an Amen. The Brulee? Amen AND Hallelujah.

Happy Monday, Wednesday, or whatever. Be kind to someone today.

Oh, What A Week

2011-11-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

I'm squeaking in under the wire in meeting my goal to NOT only blog one time a week! It's only been six days...and a jam-packed six days!

I am so excited to hurry up and get all my stuff done today so I can sit and watch a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie this evening, so in the interest of rushing into a couple hours of laziness I will do the ever-efficient list!

1. Monday evening was my first evening in a looooong time having no place to go! I think this was the evening that I truly realized cheer is mostly done for the year! Oh, boy, it felt so good.

2. Tuesday, Alex found out that he made the All-State Chamber Orchestra. A very exciting placement! All State/All Northwest alternates every year. His goal is to be in the All-Northwest Chamber Orchestra his senior year. This is a great step in that direction!

3. On Tuesday, Alex was also invited to be a paid bassoonist in a Martin Luther King event at Washington Center. Music is being written especially for this event, and they even are going to meet to professionally record it. Oh, my heart is over-flooding with bassoon excitement! (There's a sentence I never imagined I would say.)

4. Also on Tuesday, Beth's teacher made a special and spectacularly welcomed return to school for two hours. She is recovering from the first step in her fight against breast cancer, and we were all so very glad to have her back amongst us. She is a bright, joyful presence in our school, and we want her back where she belongs!!

This is how her classroom door was decorated for her return! Each of her kids and all the staff wrote on one of the Reese's Pieces!

5. On Wednesday, Alex's cross country banquet wrapped up his very successful season! He was awarded Most Improved Athlete (yes!), got his varsity letter and district certificate. Although the season ended, that boy has not missed a beat in the running. They are still going for runs after school and the boys have started a "Breakfast Club" in their coach's classroom every Wednesday. They cook up a full spread of pancakes, eggs, sometimes omelets...and they are scheming of how to sell their culinary masterpieces to earn money.

6. On Thursday, our elementary school had their Veteran's Day program. This assembly is unbelievable. Our choir teacher is an amazing Christian woman who believes strongly in honoring others, and it sure shows. The school walls are covered with stars, a star for every Veteran representing the families of our students. A reception, complete with food and photographs taken of veterans and their families, goes on in the library. The song of every branch of the military is sung, along with so many other songs and a moment of silence...over 60 veterans stood and so very proudly introduced themselves, their branch, and their years of service...everything from a couple World War 2 Veterans to men and women currently serving. The tears flow at this assembly, and this year, for some reason, felt extra tender. I tear up just thinking of it. Well done, Centennial Stars!

7. Later on Thursday, Beth had three of her besties come home from school with her to celebrate her birthday! Oh, did we have fun and make some memories. These girls danced, sang, ate, painted pottery, giggled, watched a movie, ate, slept a little bit, and ate some more. I adore these girls, and am so thankful for the friendship they bring to my daughter's life!

Painting some pottery...

...while momma relaxed with some liquid energy.

After they were all settled into their jammies and ready to watch a movie, we hauled them off to Limeberry for dessert in jammies!

8. Leaving the pottery painting studio, the girls saw the above mentioned teacher in a next-door hair salon, and FREAKED OUT!!! You honestly would have thought they spotted a rock star! They were jumping up and down, calling her name, waving frantically. So we got to go in and give her some extra hugs, which honest to goodness was as fabulous for them as every other part of the party!

9. Also on Thursday, I did something I have never, ever done in my whole entire life: I got a parking ticket! I truly did not even know there was a meter (or a kiosk or something) that I needed to drop money into. Someone asked me how it was possible that I have driven so long without getting a parking ticket. Well, because I avoid parallel parking downtown at all costs. I will walk BLOCKS instead of parallel parking. But on this night, I found an end spot that was so easy to slide my van into. And then I came out to the cute little yellow envelope tucked so nicely under my windshield wiper. I feel so very grown-up now!

Oops!

10. On Friday, Brenna had her end-of-year cheer party! What a sweet bunch of girls, and I will miss them cheering together. They had a ball going glow-in-the-dark bowling! Brenna was voted Loudest Cheerleader by her teammates. Which is just so ironic in so many ways!

Oh, Christina...thanks for a great year!

11. And the Fed-Ex man delivered my new bags today! Oh, the happiness! It felt like Christmas morning at my house today. Complete with bed-head, pajamas, and unwrapping crinkly-papered treasures!

Let's see...I am pretty sure I am all caught up enough. Now I can get some busy stuff out of the way!!

Birthday Sweetness for My Third Sweetie

2011-11-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

My baby girl...BABY GIRL...turned 11 years old today. Oh, this one makes life so much fun! From the moment she came into the world with great urgency until this very day, she has not wanted to miss a moment of life! She is a loving, tenacious, vivacious, compassionate, kind, adventurous, smart, funny, beautiful, thoughtful, creative, energetic, determined young lady. I love her so much!

Beth,

It is so much fun to be your mommy! You make things interesting every single day. You keep me on my toes. You love me with your words and your actions. You care deeply and love passionately. You are so very strong, and yet tender, tender, tender on the inside. You are quick to say you are sorry, and you are quick to forgive. You love to learn, love to ask questions, love to truly understand. You encourage and praise with great generosity. You have great compassion for people. You pray well and listen well. You praise and worship with great love.

You were made for great things, Beth! I'm so excited to watch you grow and mature into such a beautiful, strong girl. It is going to be so much fun to watch you chase after whatever the Lord has for you. You are so full of LIFE ~ what a joy!

Keep on praying, keep on praising, keep on loving!

I love you with all of my heart, and it is such a joy to be your mommy!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!
Mommy

Cousin Eddie's Skittles

2011-11-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

If you are offended by language, please ignore this post. But I really think you might get a good giggle out of this. I, at least, have been laughing about this all week:

The setting is a kindergarten class. These kids are hysterically funny, and they have no idea. This week, while they were working in their writing center, they were told to "make a list" after they had finished their worksheets. It could be any kind of list they wanted, just get some letters on a piece of paper, basically. I was sitting at that table helping one little girl and another girl at the table had the bright idea to make a list of her favorite candy! "Ooooh, great idea!" I told her. So she sat there for quite awhile, staring at her paper. Finally she asked if I would help her spell her favorite candy: Skittles. So I spelled it out one letter at at time while she hunched over her paper and oh-so-carefully wrote those letters. I was distracted with the other little girl struggling with those pesky lower case "t"s, so didn't get to watch what Skittle Girl was writing.

FINALLY she finished, and proudly held up her paper for me to see her "list":

Okay, it took more restraint and maturity than I knew I had to congratulate her on writing such nice letters and pretend my smile was because I was so proud of her. I need to also add that this sweet girl also is sporting a self-administered bang trim. About a 2-inch chunk of bang is missing right in the center of her forehead, and sticks straight out, adding to the cuteness of the moment.

Her teacher and I laughed and laughed and laughed. We both had the same picture in our mind when we read her list:

Happy Friday!

Catching Up

2011-11-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear. I have fallen so far behind again. And the reason I care is because I need to get this stuff in writing so I don't forget it. And the trouble with that is I'm starting to forget what I wanted to remember. And I haven't written it yet. And wasn't that a hot mess of jumbled words?! Welcome to my brain, friends.

I did enjoy walking through Safeway on Saturday and hearing an announcement over the intercom that they were having a special on their fall grande beverages: $2 after 2 pm all weekend. I do believe I may have left skid marks on those polished floors from where I spun my cart around the corner making a bee-line for the Starbucks counter. I ordered myself a salted caramel mocha with half the syrups and half the chocolate before my wheels stopped moving. I did not get on here to talk about that, but it floated through my mind just now. And now I see that Starbucks has their cups all decorated for Christmas today! Oh, that makes me crazy happy inside.

Anyway, my life has been full of cheer lately. So much cheer. Tomorrow night is our banquet, and then I am officially done. Tonight I am going to burn the 20 copies of our dvd that my sweet husband has spent hours putting together. I watched the final copy last night, and I got all teary-eyed. I told one of the girls today that the trouble I always get myself into is that I end up falling in love with each of these girls, spend a crazy amount of time with them, then I have to say goodbye. I already miss them. On Sunday they performed their dance at halftime of the championship game, a reward for winning first place at their competition. How cute are they?:

And Brenna cheered her final game with TCYFL on Sunday. She hopes to cheer in high school, so I can't say it was the last time I will ever watch her cheer, but you never know. It was so hard to believe that the same little girl who started this program as a very reserved, very quiet 8-year old has now grown into this very lovely, confident, composed young lady. Really, cheer has been so good for her.

Have you heard that country song "You're Gonna Miss This?" My throat is getting tight and this screen is getting all blurry just hearing that song in my head as I look at these pictures. Stop it! I'm pulling it together...

In other news, Alex's cross country season is winding down now. What a great year he had, thanks to a lot of miles pounded out on the pavement and trails. He maintained his spot on varsity (top 7) the entire season, a huge deal considering last year he qualified for JV (top 14) only in the last meet of the season!

The league meet a couple weeks ago went very well, sending the team off to districts. Okay, what a FUN atmosphere that is! The team had a very outside chance of qualifying for state, but they didn't come close. Their top runner made it in as an individual, huge accomplishment for that guy! As a team, they all ran slower than they hoped, but Alex finished 6th on his team with 18.09. He was planning closer to 17.30, but sometimes plans don't work out. They were all disappointed for a short time afterwards, but knew they had done the best they could do that day. And then they followed it up with a HUGE meal, of course Alex sent us a picture of his plate of food accompanied by "We have to come back here! They give you so much food!"

Team pic before the run.

During warm-ups. Notice anything special? Like how the flash is bouncing off their shiny legs?? Yeah. It pains me to admit this and put it in writing, but...these boys SHAVED THEIR LEGS for this meet!!! Sleeker, faster... I dunno. They actually had a spaghetti feed/shaving party the night before districts which Alex had to miss because of BAND! (I know, this story could be its own post, but I'm trying to bury it/document it all at once.) I thought we had dodged the shaving-of-the-legs bullet, but he took a lot of flack on Facebook from the guys. He caved. While I was off coaching Saturday morning, he decided to conform. Brenna walked into the bathroom to find her big brother sitting on the edge of the bathtub trying to figure out how to get all that hair off. Poor thing. She may never be the same after witnessing that. She did have to advise him on the right technique. He emerged with only 1 wound. And I will never speak of this again. Until next year when I may be subjected to it again.

And here's Alex, second runner in this picture, coming into the finish. Great season, hairless legged son!

And also, this last weekend, Brad swam his Monster Mile. He swam that mile in 20 minutes and 59 seconds, a personal best! He finished 4th behind two 15 year-olds and a lady his age who beat him by 20 seconds. He set the record last year at this event for males age 40-45, and broke his own record this year! Way to go (once again), Brad! :)

And last night, I had the joy of walking around with a 1980's aerobics instructor and a gaggle of her friends while they took candy from complete strangers. I dislike Halloween, I admit. Not a fan. Glad it's over, yet grateful for the Fun Size Milky Ways I got out of the deal.

She really looks the part! (Excuse Mady in the background. She's aerobically challenged.)

And this just struck me as simply gorgeous.

And, in news unrelated to any of the moderately interesting topics above, look what I recently became the proud owner of, thanks to a SWEET friend who loves me:

Can you see it?? My name is etched into the side of a 9x13 pyrex baking dish!! That is a gift spelled L-O-V-E. I do love it, and I love the girl who loves me enough to give it to me.

And in ever further unrelated news, I had a scrambled egg sandwich today that was absolutely scrumptious. If you find yourself craving egg salad, this is the fast way to go! Just scramble an egg however you like it, put it on bread with mayo and a little mustard and you would swear (though it's not necessary) that you were eating an egg salad sandwich. Made me miss Shelley, but it was yummy. There's my chronically absent "Monday Menu". Hope that will do for awhile.

Now I'm done.

Happy Bears

2011-10-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Such a happy day to be a Bear yesterday! The girls had their big cheer competition this weekend. A long day full of cheering, clapping, waiting, cheering, sitting, standing, dancing, sweating, smiling, waiting, cheering....and on and on it goes!

This day is the culmination of a lot of hours of work. For me, coaching 20 girls and teaching them a dance? Not an easy task. I had the joy - JOY! - of having a sweet lady join me this year. She made the sweet offer of "if you ever need any help....". And I jumped on it! It ended up being the start of a great friendship, lots of laughs, and a partner to share both my nerves/stress and joy with. Without her, this could have been a very different experience for me this year.

This was the moment we realized our girls won!

Beth's squad was prepared and just so cute and happy. Ya never know how it's going to go on the day, but I knew they were as ready as they could get. And yeah, yesterday? They ROCKED it! It was amazing to watch, and hearing the crowd love them and get into it just warmed me all over inside. When those 20 girls came running off the floor, Stacy and I hugged them and hugged them and several of us cried and we jumped up and down and high-fived and whooped it up in general. A pretty special moment to share with those girls!

Much, much later in the day it was finally Brenna's turn! Those girls...in their last year of this program! That alone put a big lump in my throat. And then to watch those girls go out and dance their hearts out...I'm so proud of my girl. Loved watching it and loved cheering for her. Such composure, such energy and enthusiasm, so much that I admire in a group of 13-year old girls! I love this group...

And in the end? Every single Bear squad took home a medal! I'm so proud of that, it's a reflection of a whole lot of work.

And my girls? My squad took 1st!!!!

Brenna's squad took 3rd! (First in my totally biased opinion!)

I have to say, I have a soft spot in my heart for every single on of those Bears. But these two Bears? They are my heart:

congrats to these sweet girls!

Monday Menu Late On A Wednesday Night Because I'm Craving Chocolate

2011-10-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

***I clarified the recipe below!!!

I am a bit worn out. I think I said that before, but it's worth saying again. Tonight was the big cheer dress rehearsal...one more thing checked off the list before life can settle back a bit. I'm looking forward to sitting down at the table with my family for dinner again most of all. I've been coaching four nights a week, and I am tired of the coming and going and going in different directions. Change is a-comin'!

In the meantime, I am craving - craving - comfort food. And I was comforted with food in a splendid way this week at work. For a recent potluck, one genius co-worker made this thing of beauty in a crockpot. It was CHOCOLATE (comfort food item #1) and it was made in a CROCKPOT (anything out of a crockpot screams "comfort food" to me). I have no picture of it, which I'm sad about. Because if I had a picture of it, that would mean that I had some in my house right now, which I don't.

But I'm going to make it soon. I'm thinking maybe Friday. Because, hold on...I think all five of us will be home this Friday night!!! At least that's what I know as of now. And Friday is as good a day as any to indulge in something warm, gooey and chocolate.

Don't wrinkle your nose up at it until you've tried it...

Chocolate Lava Cake In A Crockpot

1 Devil's Food cake mix (I'm going to use a chocolate fudge)
1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (12 oz.) package chocolate chips
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups water
2 cups milk

Spray the crockpot with non-stick spray.

Mix together cake mix, oil, eggs and water. Pour into crockpot.

Mix pudding and milk until smooth. Pour on top of cake batter.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the pudding.

Cover and cook on high for 2 1/3 - 3 hours for a 4-5 quart crockpot.

Spoon it up into a bowl, and just bliss out and relax. Then enjoy the rapid free-fall into a sugar coma.

Proof I'm Loved...

2011-10-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

So, if you noticed a couple days ago I actually devoted an entire post to a woeful tale of my lack of Saltine Crackers. Brad went to Costco yesterday without me, and this afternoon when I was looking for something in my pantry, this caught my eye:

Yep, a box of 455 Saltine Crackers tells me two things:

1. My husband reads my blog.

2. I'm loved.

Handsome Dude ~ Part Deux

2011-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Homecoming 2011 ended up being a two-part wonder for my handsome son. Last night was his high school's homecoming, and he went with a FUN group! As I started typing this, it occured to me that I never asked why they didn't go to the dance, but the plan from the beginning was to get all dressed up, go out for a nice dinner, and then just have a fun game night together. The plans came together in a very teenager-ish way. Although within the group they were paired off as "dates", it really was just a group of good friends who had a fun night together. A bunch of nuts, these boys are. The pictures below will testify to that:

The beautiful Melanie. Another small world, Brad and I went to school with her parents!

Good lookin' kids and all, but look at that glorious sky!

The boys in all their handsomeness.

Look closely...it's a wink-off.

Two things this picture doesn't show: the beautiful Capitol Building as beautiful as it was; how c-c-cold we were. Melanie's teeth were chattering!

The cross country boys showing their moves.

Melanie wanted this picture to show her beautiful hair, I guess!

Two things about the above picture: MY SON ASKED IF I'D LIKE TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH HIM!! (Pardon me while I wipe a tear.) And...I had come straight from coaching my cheer girls, and was on my way to one last week. Not that anyone but me cares, but I do not wear that jacket every single Saturday.

The group of parents kind of sort of followed them when they walked to the restaraunt, and it just so happened they were seated right by the big 'ole window. And I may or may not have gone up to the window and waved wildly so he would turn around so I could get one last picture.

And obviously I love my boy. And ya know, this boy loves his momma.

Is It Possible to Satiate Their Need For Saltines?

2011-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I am a bit perplexed. Again. I know, I am easily perplexed. It's the unfortunate side effect of over-thinking.

But here's the thing. I have been so cold the last few days. So. Cold. Our building has been that kind of cold that makes me chill to the bone. One day it was blamed on the work being done on our alarm system, therefor making "THE SYSTEM" not turn on. I'm beginning to wonder if we even have "THE SYSTEM" installed in the building at all. Because "THE SYSTEM" really is code word for "budget cuts and environmental responsibility has led us to the belief that lowering the temperature of the school results in better learning and higher test scores and few discipline issues." I'm not really quoting anyone, just my over-thinking brain. So I've shivered my way through this week. And I'm not fond of being cold. Or hot, actually. I prefer "just right".

And this has been a bit of a draining week. Okay, a lot of a draining week. I'm tuckered out. Conference week means "opportunities" to take classes in the afternoon, which means by this afternoon I will have worked 8 extra hours in my work week. Doesn't sound like much, but it feels like much. Add to that the peak of crazy this week and next getting my girls ready for competition, and whooooosh, there goes my week.

Now I've set the scene. I'm cold. I'm tired. I'm needy. When I get in such a state, I crave the comfort foods that warm me. Specifically this week it was tomato soup. Mmm-hmm. Tomato soup. From a can. Made with milk. The very thought of it propelled me through the day.

I came home and got my soup all ready. And while it was warming I sought out the proper tomato soup accompaniments. Saltines. And I do like to raise the normal saltine routine and use Keebler crackers...their name escapes me but they are cute little rectangles in a green box. They are buttery and yummy and perfect with my tomato soup.

Well, call me Old Mother Hubbard, because my cupboard was bare. Of crackers, anyway. I started to ask the question, "who ate all the...?" But I stopped myself, because it's really a rhetorical question at this point, one that my kids would mistake for a question they must answer and they would start blaming each other and talking on and on about crackers and then my soup would grow cold and my irritation would grow hot. And then I would hear the ultimate question back at me: "well, if you don't want us to eat them, why do you buy them??" And frankly they have a point. That's why I don't buy them on a regular basis. Because the whole cycle would continue as often as I bought them. My soup would continue to go cracker-less no matter how often I bought them. Because my kids will eat crackers and eat crackers and eat crackers. I have come to the conclusion through these years of parenting that it is not humanly possible to satiate my kids' needs for saltines. I'm putting it on the list of "Things That Will Be Positive About An Empty Nest". Yep, I will someday again have crackers with my soup.

A Post In Which The Pictures Really Should Do All The Talking

2011-10-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, the pictures tell the story well enough, I suppose. But I am not even going to pretend to kid myself: I have to use words as well. And yet I suspect that my words will fail to tell the story the way it's written in my heart. Because this little boy is indeed growing up. And I love it. I love it so much, watching glimpses of him as a man. I see this little boy wearing a tux several times a year. But last night was special, and it made me feel two things very strongly: first, I felt very proud. And right on the heels of that I felt very old. But mostly proud. And happy. And full of gratitude: that life is just so simple and good right now. And that he doesn't roll his eyes when I need just one more picture. And that he lets me run through the long list of "rules" about being a gentleman just one more time. And that he asks me what I think. And that he listens.

It is a long story how this sweet date came to be, and it doesn't really matter anymore. But I'm so happy that he got to take his good friend to a fun dance and have such a great time. The gorgeous and happy and smart and spunky girl on his arm is a lovely young lady. I grew up a few houses down from her grandparents (and dad, although I trailed a bit behind in years so don't have a single memory of him). When I picture her grandparents, I just picture such warm and loving and kind people, and I can clearly see her grandmother's smile in my mind. I was delighted, de-lighted, when I figured out the connection a couple years ago. Truly a "small world" moment. And when Alex decided that he was going to ask her to her homecoming? The delight was just as strong.

(See? I knew I couldn't just post pictures!)

Now for the fun night: so many stories.

(This would be a good time to rub your eyes and re-set your focus. This is a long one.)

The rented vest and tie to go with his tux? Beautiful compliment to her dress, horrible fit on the vest. We took it in to see if they could help make it fit better. Long story, but in the end, the lady said, "Don't worry, you'll look fine. It will be dark in there." I told her I didn't like that she said that. And she was wrong, wrong, wrong. He looked just as handsome as could be, even in the beautiful daylight!

First up was to go meet up with the group and meet the limo!

false alarm ~ this provided temporary excitement, but not their group's limo!

meeting up for the slightly awkward flower exchange. he wasn't entirely sure what he was expected to do, so after he got it out, he said, "Here," and handed it to her! Pretty cute moment.

McKenzie knew just what to do...

...errr, maybe not so much.

Mom to the rescue!! (And I LOVE this mom. She grilled my son the night before: "Do you have clean black shoes? Black socks? Did you pick up your vest and tie? I'm so glad you got your haircut, it looks much better!" He got a big kick out of it.)

Then it was time for the required picture posing:

All set to pile into the limo and head off for more pictures!

Next stop was a park by the lake to take some more posed shots:

And I Loooove the shots in between the posed shots. These two laughed and laughed...

Cute...

I love laughter...

One of my favorites:

Back in the limo to head for dinner:

McKenzie's mom followed them to dinner to "get a picture". But also to hop in the limo for a ride while the kids were eating!

After dinner they headed over to the dance, which apparently was a great time and Alex did his best to dance with her a bunch!

Then after the dance a group of them went bowling...a fun way to end a great evening!

Sweet friends had a fun evening together, and this momma loved every moment!

Merry Christmas!?

2011-10-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas! Well, in my house it is. This is Day 3 of listening to Jingle Bells. Over and over and over and over. On the clarinet. I think it's Jingle Bells, anyway. I just may need a little eggnog in the near future. For celebrating Christmas, you know.

So rather than fight the ambiance of my house, I'm embracing it. I must say it's a catchy little tune. And it really is one of the things on my "must do" list...to ride on a one-horse open sleigh through the snow. Well, it can be a four-horse open sleigh. I'd feel better if one horse wasn't solely responsible for pulling me around in the snow.

So as part of my embracing, I decided to play on pinterest while I listened to Jingle Bells. Sorry laundry. Sorry everything else that is waiting for me. You will be taken care of in time. In time for something. But my time right now is just going to be wasted a bit while I clear my head and get ready for Christmas. When I shut down pinterest, I was a bit surprised to turn around and see bright green grass where my Christmas mind expected snow.

I'd really like to go here and ride on that sleigh. Cozy, huh?

This has nothing to do with Christmas, but since it's not really Christmas yet, I can combine it in here, right? Love this.

Now my clarinet player extraordinaire has wandered into the room, music stand in one hand, clarinet in the other, to give me a "one person concert". Apparently she doesn't realize how well I've heard it all along. Time to go be an engaged audience member!

Let me be the first to wish you Merry Christmas! And Happy Festivus!

Apparently I'm Now A Weekly Blogger

2011-10-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to just accept the obvious: my blogging has been lacking. I know I'm going to regret not getting on here things I never wanted to forget, because I surely will forget them. But then maybe I won't remember that I forgot anything, because I forgot?? I don't know about that. I just know that I have surrendered to the crazy schedule, embraced it even, and let things fall that need to fall. We are eating a lot more thrown-together meals lately. I am doing laundry based on what we must have the next day, and some of it just sits for awhile waiting to be needed. But I know this craziness comes in waves, and I just need to ride the wave. It will calm. Or at least the wave will crash and I'll hop on a new one. I don't know why I'm talking about waves. Maybe because I recently saw Soul Surfer for the second time. Cried as much the second time as the first. And it confirmed within me the validity of one of my reasons for not being surrounded by only water.

Anyway, I'm going to ramble away in the form of a list!

1. Beth continues to plug away at the clarinet. I think she was a bit dismayed that she couldn't pick it up and immediately play along with the music in her head. But she's a pretty tenacious kid, she'll get there. If she chooses to go there.

2. In two months, I have had only 3 practices with all 20 of my girls. I have had no game with all of them there. It is a bit stressful to teach them this dance....oh, I'm not even going to go there, because I do feel my pulse pick up when I start to talk about it. But they are so doggone cute. If they can pull this dance off, they will make a lot of people smile. Mostly me.

3. The little people I get to hang around everyday and so funny. One little first grade boy told me, "I like how smooth you got your hair today. It looks much better than yesterday." Then he asked me if I got it that smooth by using "one of those things that can burn you". Sweet. Maybe he's the next Vidal Sassoon? I don't even know if I spelled that right.

4. Brenna is in 8th grade. I just have to say that from time-to-time so I will start believing it. Cuz I really picture that girl quite smaller than she is. She is doing a fantastic job in school, happily surprising me around every corner. Friends are calling her for math help! Wowzers.

5. Alex has retained his spot in the top 7 Varsity group for this entire season so far. I'm so proud of his hard work. He ran his first 5K in under 18 minutes last week. I mean really, now. His coach referred to him as "The poster child for hard work". That feels so good to hear, so thankful for where we've come together.

6. I now have to choreograph a dance for another squad on Tuesday. I'm now so far out of my box that the box has been hauled off with the recycling. I'm happy to help, I'm sorry to give up the mental energy and time. Temporary. It's temporary.

7. Today we met Alex's date to pick out his accessory package for his tux. Let me rephrase that. Today we met Alex's date to approve the accessories she picked out for Alex to wear with his tux. She is a beautiful, smart, spunky girl. Love her, and my little boy is going to look smashingly handsome in his jazzed up tux with this beautiful girl on his arm! I got a bit teary-eyed, yes I did. Oh, and she sent Alex a text letting him know that she wanted him to dance with her, not stand along the side and look awkward. How much do you love that? He replied that he would do his best! He'll do great. I will, no matter the craziness, take the time to blog all those fun pictures and stories!

8. I made a yummy, yummy pumpkin pull-apart this weekend that just warms my heart to remember. The smell of it cooking, the taste of it...it will have to be a recipe that I post soon.

9. I quite love the blustery weather that is blowing in and out. Very Fall-ish. I'm a big fan of the weather matching the season we are in. Hello, sweet Fall. Hello, apple cider. Hello, pumpkin bread. Hello, cozy blankets. Love it.

10. The Seahawks almost pulled off a beautiful thing today. They still made it fun. Win, lose, whatever. I love them.

11. The Amazing Race started last week. I saw a bit of it last week, now I'm listening but not watching. Now it's time to go watch.

12. The end.

Everybody Has A First Day

2011-09-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, against my daughter's wishes, I am going to share a first day she had recently. I need to share this. It cracks me up and hurts my ears all at the same time. We really could be a modern day Partridge Family. Well, that is if we would all get on-board with wearing matching velvet suits with ruffled shirts. And if I'd learn to play the tambourine. And if Brad would let me paint the van in pretty colors. And the sad part about this whole paragraph? My children will read this and have NO CLUE what I just said. Tragic. Note to self: have my children watch some Partridge Family over Christmas break. They'll watch anything that is accompanied by Christmas cookies and cocoa. Bribery? Yes.

ANYWAY, I must insert here that I have been on round-the-clock cold medicine since sometime Saturday. It's only helped marginally, but I'm growing rather fond of the fuzz inside my head. And consider this a disclaimer: anything that makes no sense or is rambling or jumbled is totally the fault of cold medicine. Unlike most days when the fault is just totally mine, today I have something to blame it on and I plan to use it!

Back to the first day story. One of the most exciting things about Beth entering 5th grade is that it is band time for the baby! After years, YEARS!, of going to band and orchestra performances and hearing hours upon hours of practicing going on in our home, she still wanted to play an instrument. I really thought by now the whole thing would be not the least bit appealing to her, but oh, no. She could hardly stand the wait. Clarinet. Oh, you are everything I ~~feared~~ thought you would be, and you are the fulfillment of Beth's musical dreams.
Let me just say, before I continue. Elementary band teachers? SAINTS!!!

Anyway, we have found yet another thing that sweetly displays this girl's tenacity. Oh, the determination. Whoa, Nellie. The following video was taken on Day One of the great clarinet love affair. By day 3, she could "play" six songs!

And by the end of day one, I was sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth (to various beats) as I listened to a clarinet, a flute, and a bassoon at various times throughout the day. Oh, and don't forget the saxophone. Can't forget where it all began, can we?

So, now you've been given the opportunity to hear a great musician on Day One of her journey to musical greatness! Everyone that has something they do well had a first day. Love to have captured hers!

What I Want To Do

2011-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Remember the days of having play date with your friends, or being out at recess with them, and having a conversation like this: "what do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" Well, if I was having a play date right now, and my friend asked me what I wanted to do, here's what it would be (in no particular order):

1. I want to go to my house on the lake, the one that is at the end of a long, quiet, tree-lined gravel road, fix a cup of coffee, and sit out at the end of the dock and just watch stuff. I'd like to sit and watch the leaves change colors. I'd like to sit and watch little ripples in the water. I'd like to listen to the birds talk to each other. I'd like to throw a rock into the glassy-calm water and listen to the splash.

2. I want to take an hour this evening and sit down with my personal chef. I'd like to review the menu for the next two weeks, highlighting the days in particular that I need dinner ready the second I walk in the door. I'd also like said chef to start packing my lunches for me, and to be a little more creative with the offerings. I'd also like the said chef to have an associate head out to the above-mentioned lake house and begin preparing for my arrival.

3. I want to put my kids' books away this evening, and send a note in to the teacher explaining that we decided to take the night off, and we need an extra week to complete the assignments, and that in the meantime we'd appreciate no more work being assigned so it didn't continue to pile up.

4. I want to go to the gym tonight, after I meet with my chef, and sit on one of those bikes that you can recline in the seat, put my book up on the bookholder, and peddle slowly enough that it doesn't interrupt my reading. And then walk out of the gym 20 minutes later and 10 pounds lighter.

5. I've read somewhere before that the Queen, THE Queen, has her bedding changed twice a day. When she gets up in the morning, the bed is stripped and fresh bedding goes down. Later in the day, she gets into bed and takes a nap. When she rises from her nap, the bed is stripped again and fresh bedding goes down. Doesn't that sound lovely? So I want to talk to talk to my people about changing my bedding more frequently. I also want them to start scheduling a daily nap for me. With fresh bedding.

6. I want to go to that cute little white chapel that is near my house at the lake. I want to sit inside that chapel, all by myself. I want to sit on a polished wooden pew, in a little patch of sunlight from the sun coming in through a stained-glass window. I want to listen to the sound of nothing while I'm there. I want to stare up at the ceiling. I want to wonder about all the stories that chapel could tell, if it could talk to me. I want to hear all about times hope had been restored within its walls. All the miracles that took place or began there. All the relationships that were restored there. All the marriages that began there. All the goodbyes that were said there.

7. I want to buy one of those old, yellowed cookbooks at the bookstore. One that had a hand-written inscription from a mom. I want to learn all about that cookbooks life. What kitchens had it lived in through the years? What meals had come from that book? Who had learned to cook at their mother's side while reading that book? I'm sure I could hear some great stories from an old cookbook.

8. I want to bake pies. A whole bunch of pies. I heard of the cutes ways of making pies in jars, freezing them to bake later. I think I will be trying that soon (for real!) and seeing how it works. But I want to bake a peach pie right now. I want to make "sticky pies" (spoken with a heavy-Texan accent) with all my dough scraps. Then I want to eat the sticky pies all by myself. Then once that has settled, I'd like a nice, warm hunk of peach pie. Maybe with my cup of coffee on the dock at the lake??

That's what I want to do.

A Wednesday Laugh

2011-09-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just saw this on Pinterest, and it made me laugh. Laughing is so good for the soul, good medicine indeed. So I thought I'd share it for two reasons: maybe someone will stumble into this that needs to laugh; and I now have it on here to pull up any time I need to chuckle again. I could say SO MUCH about this, trust me, but I won't. I have 30 minutes to get some work done for my practice tonight, and instead I'm poking around on Pinterest, thinking about making cookies, and chuckling at silly pictures. Welcome to my mind.

Here's your Wednesday laugh for the day:

I don't know what year this is from or from where. But I just have to add that her "not skinny" is looking like my goal weight.

Happy Wednesday!

The Cliff Notes Version

2011-09-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Too little time, so Cliff Notes to the rescue! The weekend:

*We had a thoroughly wonderful weekend away together. I got a text at work on Wednesday, Brad surprising me with news that he'd booked us a room in Portland and we were going away for the night. He told me he was working out all the plans for the kids. Sweet! It was so hard for me not to take charge of the kid portion, knowing that Saturday schedules are nuts around here. But he did a great job and I'm so thankful for the time we had together. Beautiful jacuzzi suite...quiet....alone. It was a lovely way to celebrate our anniversary! I packed in such a frenzy after a football game Saturday morning, I didn't bring even a hair brush. Left some important things at home, but we managed to do just fine. I didn't even bring my camera, which is extraordinarily unlike me. The only picture I took with the phone was the chocolate cake we had for dessert Saturday night. Scrumptious.

*The only downer of the weekend? An unfortunate run-in with the hand rail to a stair case in a parking garage that happened while the coordinator of the weekend was backing into a parking space. Crunch. Big crunch involving the trunk and bumper of his cute little car. Sickening feeling. A very unintended souvenir from our romantic weekend.

*And what is it with men and backing into parking spaces? I truly think it's a testosterone driven NEED in a man...don't get me started. We have talked about this for so long, and I've totally given up feeling any need to even discuss it. I just put my head down and don't look when he's backing up. So this situation unfortunately gives great fuel to my side of the debate. Geez, I could do a whole post on this topic. And I have a couple people in my life who get all worked up about stereotypes and they get very indignant about the whole thing. And I don't really care anymore. Sometimes stereotypes are accurate, sometimes they are not. Fair enough?

*I finally got to see Powells Books! I loved it as much as I hoped I would. It was worth the harrowing trip into the parking garage (different from the previously mentioned parking garage). Steep uphill, turning a sharp corner, and one lane for entering and exiting. The attendant assured us he never sent someone up when he knew someone was coming down. Aw, geez. Another topic that could consume one whole post! Back to books: amazing store. I spent two and a half hours and only saw one-third of the store. Never got to the "Rare book room" that I had hoped to see. The cooking section alone is amazing. Used books mingled in with the new, so there were very well-loved copies of Julia Child's cookbooks that were so fun to thumb through. Stained pages, well-worn corners. Loved it. Made me a bit sad to see cook books that had been written in and lovingly inscribed. I would love to know the story behind those books, what kind of life they'd led.

*We treated ourselves to a Fall drink from Starbucks for the road. When we hit the freeway and I picked up my cup, I noticed it felt a bit light. They had only filled it 2/3 full! Why do they do that?? Irritated me, for no other reason than I don't do those indulgent ones very often anymore. And when I do? Load 'er up!

*The girls went from last Saturday, cheering in the hot sun, 90 degrees and sweating, to this Saturday, Beth in pelting rain and wind, fingers turning purple...and those girls smiled the whole way through. Troopers. Then Brenna cheered 2 games in the drizzle (?), the last going into double overtime and leaving Brenna to "not really care anymore who won the game, just wanting it over." Been there, my dear.

*I watched just enough of the Emmy's last night to remind myself what a sap I am. I saw the tribute to all those who died over this last year. To see those faces...Mr. Cunningham? June Cleaver? Creator of my beloved Brady Bunch??? I will admit...set to the background of a beautiful song, I cried. Real tears came down my cheeks.

*Alex had set a goal for Saturday's cross country meet: to run a sub-18, on a 5K course. His time? 17:56! Amazing, young man! Number 5 on the team, still proudly sporting that hard-earned jacket!

*Cancer? I hate it. And I mean full-well to use the word "hate". It is a word that should be reserved for such a vile existence. Hate it. So sad for people I know...one who is in the trenches and needs a miracle, one that is just beginning the battle.

*Now it is time to head out into the week. I am very unprepared for another week to start. But that's okay. It will roll along with or without my pre-planning.

Simply Put...

2011-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes simple is the best way to put things. Tonight is one of those times:

Happy Anniversary to my sweet man. I love walking through life with this guy, and I'm so blessed to be his wife. He's all this and more:

Twenty One Years and goin' strong. And I love him more with each passing year. Love, love, love...it's a beautiful thing!

11th, 8th, 5th????

2011-09-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, when even my husband notices that it's been awhile since I've blogged, I guess it's been awhile since I've blogged! Oh, the flurry of activity that has been going on here. A whirlwind. When did September happen?? I know, it happened right after August. I know that in my head. Yet it somehow doesn't make sense that we are here.

And then we took a whole lotta crazy and threw in a very impulsive project that made the crazy look relaxing. But with everything going on, we sure have had fun. We've crammed so much fun into this end of summer, wouldn't trade it for all the relaxing in the world. Unless it was a private tropical white sand beach with endless iced coffee and no noise but the crashing waves and sleep - sweet, precious sleep at my beck and call...

All the recaps of the crazy fun going on will have to wait, because it has been requested that I blog about the first day of school! My kids were all acting very Nemo-ish yesterday and this morning: "First day of school! First day of school!" Oh, the excitement! It is contagious, ya know.

Have I mentioned lately that I really love this trio?

I cried last night after Alex went to bed and I was cooking stuff for breakfasts this week. I didn't boo-hoo in the overly-emotional way that I'm prone to do, but it was hard to swallow down the big lump in my throat, and I was unable to completely not cry. Because really now. This is all a bit much for my heart to process: a junior in high school. That sounds so much like "I'm almost done living with my mommy"-ish. And I'm wildly excited about his next steps and his future, I truly am. But to think that in the near future we will move him out of this house???? Ouch. And then there's my little Brenna Kay. That little girl is now in 8th grade??? And this time next year she will be in HIGH SCHOOL???? Double that ouch. And now the littlest one?? She's in 5th grade. My last year as a parent of an elementary kid. Triple that ouch. We have had a kid at the elementary school since September of 2000. And now this is it. I looked at Brad last night and asked, "How did we get here?" ZOOM!

I cried again this morning when Brenna left...looking so much like an 8th grader. And then when Beth and I got to school, I choked back the tears all morning. What sent me over the edge? Another momma that showed up with her 2 week old baby. A brand new baby can make me cry even if I don't know them. But seeing the measurable contrast of how not-baby my kids are? Amazing.

Beth with two of her good buddies heading in for the 1st day!

Finally back home, hearing all the stories and reports of the first day. And the verdict? GREAT! Beth: "Best day of school EVER!" Oh, my mommy ears needed to hear that. This one deserves a great year. She LOVES her teacher, and has gobs of friends in the class. Brenna: a great day too. Friends in every class. Lunch with all her good friends. Alex: fabulous day. Still trying to get his schedule fixed, so in the meantime he has to do double the homework so he's prepared for whichever class he gets in. But he didn't even really feel like it was a true first day. He's been with buddies all summer, he's been running with his cross country team all of August, so this felt like he just continued on, not starting new. In a good way.

And me? Blessed with my job. Not a single word of complaint from this girl! Loved seeing all the kids excited to be back, all the sparkly shoes, those little bitty kindergartners that are just irresistible, a little first grader getting lost from the bathroom back to his classroom, peeking into each window trying to figure it out...sweetness, another kindergartner deciding that not only would she take her sweater off after recess, but also her pants because she was just hot. They warm my heart every single day! CUTENESS! And I'm always aware of the fact that each of those kids is someones baby. And I want to treat them the way I want my own treated. Because whether they are 7 pounds and in a carseat or 170 pounds driving you around in the car, they are always your baby.

We celebrated our fabulous first day with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. Oh, me, oh, my. Yum!

So we are off and running into another school year! Looking forward to great things this year!!

Runnin' and Swimmin' and Cheerin'

2011-08-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

This was a jam-packed, accomplishment-filled weekend! I'm so proud of my family, and here's why: these events were prepared for with an intense amount of WORK! When I look at these two men and my two girls, I don't see just the day, but the days and days and days of work they have put into preparing themselves for these events. I love a strong work-ethic. Love. It. And it is especially deep in both the men that live in my home. They could both be poster-boys for the "Just Do It" campaign. They just do it without complaining and with a steady consistency. So, although I have tremendously strong mixed feeling about bragging on accomplishments, I have no qualms about bragging on these men: their character and their work ethic has earned a little pat on the back!

First up was Alex: running the Portland to Coast High School Relay Challenge this weekend. His team was made up mostly of his high school cross country team, with a couple others from different schools. Alex has been running this summer. He has logged over 500 miles. This relay involves a team of 12 people running 130 miles. They each take two legs, just over 10 miles each. Alex's first leg was a 7 mile run in the middle of the night on a 2 lane road with very little shoulder....I made the mistake of letting him show me the google map of his route before he left. Eek! As it turns out, due to a chaotic scheduling of start times, there was massive traffic from team vans trying to get to the exchanges, so he was never totally alone out there. I wish I would have known that as I was trying to go to sleep! He was very disappointed in the time of his first leg, he desperately needed to...use the facilities...the entire run. He lost about 2 minutes on that. But his second leg was much faster, and he breezed through it. Brad and I drove down to Seaside very early Saturday to watch the team finish. So much excitement! A neat group of kids, and I loved the camaraderie and support they showed to each other!

They load the team members into this chute when a race official radios in that your runner is on the promenade, then all the runners join in for the last several yards to cross the finish together.

official team photo

Alex sporting his "major award" sun glasses that he won at a booth

After eating a HUGE breakfast when they were done, one of the moms went back down to the beach to check in and see what place they came in...

this was the moment they learned they took 1st!

FIRST!!! Out of 50 high school teams, they finished first! 14 hours and 55 minutes! Big accomplishment, so proud of them.

happy, exhausted team!

On the drive home, Alex fell asleep before we were even completely out of Seaside and slept the whole way. At one point, he sat up, leaned forward and said, 'Hey! (mumble, mumble, mumble...)"

I said, "WHAT????"

To which he responds, "I SAID, do I still have to run any more???"

We assured him he was done and he could go back to sleep. I think he was asleep before I even finished answering him.

Sunday, it was Brad's turn. This was his third year doing the Park to Park Swim. It's a 1.4 mile swim across Lake Washington, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital. A pretty special tie-in for us, one that Brad swims with a mind and heart full of his daughter.

And this man was first out of the water this year!! He started a couple minutes after the start of wave 3, trying to avoid some of the crowd, and he passed everyone and emerged first out! So proud of him! Unfortunately, I had to stay home to be at the cheer stuff on time, so just Alex went. Alex took one picture. And the picture, although beautiful to behold, is not appropriate for this blog. For my eyes only. Pitter. Pat. Next...

Also on Sunday, it was time for the big football Jamboree! The girls were super excited, and they cheered so sweetly. I had 18 of my 20, and they did an amazing job. So proud of this bunch of girls!

Later in the day it was Brenna's turn with her squad. A smaller squad this year, but a powerful bunch! I love this mix of girls, and those that were there Sunday were all girls that wanted to be there, and it showed. Happy, peppy, loud and together: everything a cheer squad should be!

being cheerful

being pretty

being silly

And oh, boy, did everyone in this house sleep good last night!! Great weekend, great memories made! So thankful that we are following that up with a calm Monday. The days of summer are counting down, and we are enjoying the moments...

Five Question Friday

2011-08-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Oh, hang on! Two weeks in a row of these 5 Questions? I think I just started a trend for myself. A trend of taking very simple questions and totally overthinking them. Perfect.

So without any further rambling, I'll get right to the overthinking with maybe a bit of rambling thrown in. Just for fun.

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?

Define fun. For me, fun depends on the day. So let me think about what was fun in the moment. Oh, I did buy myself a running shirt with the cool "O" design. Really fun for me, and yet ironic since I now haven't run for two weeks. So I use the term "running shirt" loosely. Most all of my other purchases were for other people, namely three other people getting ready for the start of a new school year. But tonight I am purchasing movie tickets. For two. THAT will be fun.

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

Hmm. This is a hard one to think about. I go to a lot of musical concerts. A LOT. So I can sincerely answer that I would hands-down choose any concert that includes one of my children. Especially one that pays. And then beyond that, I just don't know. I'm not a big crowd person, and concerts usually involved crowds. But I do love music. LOVE music.

3. What is your least favorite and most favorite house chore?

Okay, my least favorite is doing anything that I JUST did. For example, I really enjoy cleaning my kitchen. The first time. But when I leave the room and come back 12 minutes later and step on crumbs and see something smeared on the counter. I truly enjoy cleaning my windows. So bright, so shiny. Then I walk by a window that was just cleaned and see a smear from someone leaning their nose/forehead into the window. Sometimes a child, sometimes a dog. Laundry, when I keep up with it, I love. But always, right when I am putting the last load into the dryer, one child will come out of their bedroom with an armload of clothes that had somehow escaped their first pass through when I told them to all bring me their dirty clothes.

My favorite? Hmm. I vacuum every single day. And I love the instant gratification of seeing the floor, even if ever-so-briefly, clean and in order. And I love to dust. And call me crazy, but I do love to scrub a toilet. Well, the toilets in my own house. And I love to pull laundry out of the dryer and smell it. And I love putting freshly washed sheets on my bed.

4. Would you prefer new appliances or new clothes?

I love to cook. I love gadgetry that makes cooking more fun. I love my oven so much. I love the faithfulness of my dishwasher. Pile her up, squirt in some soap, push a button, and she cleans all my dishes for me. How can you not show favoritism towards that? And I am not a good clothes shopper. I do not know what fits me, what looks good...I get overwhelmed and walk away very easily. And yet appliances are major purchases and clothes are not. So this is a toss-up. But the edge goes to appliances.

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo

Okay. I am so glad to have a reason to address this. I grew up in a household of Miracle Whip. My sweet grandmother loved Miracle Whip. My sweet mother loved Miracle Whip. I had sandwiches made for me with Miracle Whip. I honestly thought "Miracle Whip" was a brand name for "mayonnaise". The details are fuzzy. But I do remember a moment of conversion. I saw a jar of "Best Foods Real Mayonnaise" for the first time at someone's house. I remember being so disappointed, because it was not Miracle Whip. And I almost passed on it all together. This person explained to me that there were two kinds of people in this world: Miracle Whip people and Mayonnaise people. All this time, I had considered myself just a person, not defined by my sandwich spread. And then I tried it. And I threw myself with reckless abandon into the camp of mayonnaise people. I am a mayonnaise person. I've never gone back. Nev-ah! I will eat a dry sandwich before I will subject my tastebuds to the synthetic tasting twang of Miracle Whip. Miracle? Huh-uh. Mayo. Mayo. Mayo. Mayo.

Sheesh. That exhausted me.

Evidence Of the Attraction of Opposites

2011-08-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, these girls of mine. I'm pretty crazy about them. They have been the best of buddies since November of 2000, when I introduced them for the first time. Two peas in a pod? Maybe not so much. More like tomato and basil. Both fabulous individually, and go together beautifully. They have strings of similarity, but are extremely unique. Last weekend, Brad took the kids camping. When I talked to them from my ~~lonely~~ blissfully quiet house, I heard the excited story from Beth about the snake she found and played with for a couple hours. Yes, a couple hours. And when they came home and showed me the pictures? I saw the most beautiful evidence of both their oppositeness and their togetherness:

Beth showing off her snake. Notice the look of delight on her face. And Brenna was taking the picture, which was very brave of her, because...

...Brenna does not share her sister's love for snakes. I love the look on Brenna's face, as she tries hard to enjoy something her sister enjoys. A painful attempt.

Snakes and all, I love these two. (But I'm on Team Brenna when it comes to the snakes.)

Cats Fights and Sweet Temptations

2011-08-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I was awake from 2:30 to 5:00 in the morning. I didn't want to be. Long story. Boring story. I now should be in bed, relieving my burning eyes with the only thing that will soothe them: sleep. But my cat got into a HUGE fight in my backyard. They jumped a fence to continue the fight in the greenbelt. Then jumped another fence into our neighbors yard. Then onto my neighbors ROOF! Oh, my. The yowling and the tumbling across the roof...I think I will owe my neighbors an apology tomorrow. Maybe in the form of something baked. And so now I sit here hoping my cat will stand down and return home so I can assess the damage. He's a tough boy, I think he's fine, but I want to see for myself.

And I really wanted some dessert tonight. I got a little hungry. Then I started in with the craving. Then the cat fight. Then the thought that I should bake something tomorrow. Then more cravings. Then I wasted some time on Pinterest. And that's where craving and weakness collided into honest-to-goodness salivating. Take a look:

yes, please!

the genius of a S'More Cupcake. YES!

Chocolate No-Bakes. Mmm-hmm.

I typically shy away from chocolate/fruit combos, but this looks so fun and so yummy. Imagine it with a vanilla pudding dipping sauce ~ like a fondue! Yum!

And just to prove I'm not too narrow-minded when it comes to dessertness, this made me go "ooooooh" too! It's almost time for these! And they are not nearly as good with non-fat milk. Go for the 2%.

And I simply love this. I didn't so much find my big girl panties tonight as I simply do not have the above items in stock. And it's so late, I can't do anything about it.

And this is so sweet, I think I need to make myself this and have it in my kitchen. Sweetness without the calories.

And the cat came back just as I finished this! Yay! Nary a scratch on him that I can find, but his eyes are as wide as saucers and he is a bit on-edge. I think I'll head to bed and sleep peacefully.

Time Alone With All The Wrinkled Ladies

2011-08-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

This has been a beautiful weekend in my home. Beautiful silence. Beautifully clean. Brad has been gone the last two weekends, and I miss him terribly. This weekend? He took ALL THREE kids with him! Oh, sweetness. I was very purposeful to accomplish my list. And on my list? Nothing. Yeah, literally. Nothing. And I accomplished it. Well, I read. I cleaned without it being immediately messed. I slept soundly. I shopped for new jeans. (And left in disgust after only trying two pair.) And I watched a cheesy movie. And I watched part of the Seahawks. (I love the new coaching staff shirts, Seahawks. Nice call on that one.) And then I decided to peruse some you tube videos for some choreography inspiration. And I got distracted...SURPRISE!!! And I ended up watching Anita Renfroe videos. And I laughed and laughed. I found one I had not seen before, and I love it. I've noticed wrinkly-wrankly things on my body that are new, so I appreciated the sisterhood of this song. A must watch, and I promise you it will be stuck in your head:

Five Question Friday

2011-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

I totally intended to do these Five Questions Fridays, and then Fridays seemed to blur into Tuesdays and here we are. But these are always fun for me to read, and it's good right now to force my mind to think of questions other than those being asked by 10-year olds. So if you can handle the intellectual depth, hang on and forge ahead:

1. Do you close the bathroom door when you are home alone?

Well now. First of all, this question made me think how very rarely I am home alone. But when I am, uh...that would be a no. I'll leave it at that.

2. You have to walk around with a word on your forehead. That word describes you. One word. What is it?

Oh, geez. This kind of question always stumps me. I think too much about it, go too many different directions. Because really, I always feel a need to explain something. And then there is the confusion of what I'd want it to be yet know I don't hang on to that all the time, though I try. Hmm. But I guess if I had to choose just one, I would say this:

Loved

I know I'm loved by my God, my family, and my friends. And because I know deeply and certainly that I'm loved, I can be confident, content, compassionate, secure, peaceful, joyful. And all those things join up to define me. In a nutshell, though, it's all there because I know I'm loved. All the negative words that are so quick to jump to the front of the line? I'm seasoned enough to know those don't define me. See, I told you I'd think too deeply.

3. What store do you refuse to shop at and why?

No trouble with this one. You probably know the one. Lights so dim you think you look good, music so loud you can't hear the person you are with tell you it's not looking so good, cologne so strong your brain starts to get fuzzy, and pictures all advertising things that have nothing to do with clothes. Can't go in there. Won't.

4. If you participated in arranged marriages for you children, who would you choose for your children?

Oh, man. I began looking for perfect matches all the way back in our little Mommy and Me group. All the moms would talk about it, evaluating these chubby little toddlers as matches for our own. Sweet days. Now? Oh, dear. For my son, I want someone who is passionately, wildly crazy about him, even after she gets to know him. I don't know anyone I would choose for him yet. For my girls? I know a certain cowboy-in-the-making that would be the sweetest match for my oldest daughter. From toddlerhood, this pair has caught our eye. It makes me grin to think about it. But again, I want someone for her that is crazy for her and treats her the way she was created to be treated. Now, my lastborn? Definitely haven't met him yet. This is going to have to be a man that is up for adventure and loves to laugh. And he better hold that girl's heart with great strength and gentleness. And this question is much different to ponder when you have teens that when you have toddlers. For sure.

5. If you could pick how and when you die, would you?

Oh, man, for a girl that loves to plan and be organized, this tempts me. But I also know there is a good reason that we go through life with that mystery. But since we are talking IF, I would choose to be old, grey, and wrinkled, sitting on a porch swing holding my man's hand, then hear a trumpet sound and be walking in Paradise. Perfect.

Naps and Snacks

2011-08-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just attempted a nap. I failed. Why is it so hard to take a nap?? I am amazed at how some people can just decide to take a nap and they do. Brad can come home from work, sit down, put his head back, and go to SLEEP. Snoring sleep. Meanwhile I'm making noise cooking dinner, kids wandering in and out, and he SLEEPS. Doesn't work that way for me. I've tried. Today I needed a nap. Very little sleep to be had last night, due to someone's snoring sleep. Instead of getting any restorative sleep, I wasted a half hour trying. Not a fan of wasted time. Or of lack of sleep.

On a happier note, I have been such a good girl with my eating. I've had my 5 servings of fruits and veggies, and mostly veggies at that, every day for almost a week. Hey, that's a big thing for me. And I haven't completely banned sweets, but I've cut way back. I'm getting all my water in. And in three weeks I haven't missed one day of my vitamins! I'm doing the work, baby stepping to better health. Imagine how great I would feel with some good sleep!

So, in honor of my eating better, here are some things I've been enjoying:

*the green grapes at Costco right now are everything a grape should be. they are plump and sweet and firm and explode with freshness in your mouth. yum.

*Tzatziki Yogurt Dip with cucumber and garlic is a yum, yum, yummy veggie dip. I'm a little confused by the "yogurt dip" description, because the main ingredient is sour cream and it has zero protein, but it's still a yummy dip that makes it worth eating all kinds of veggies: carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, peppers...mmmm.

*Did you know you can make your own microwaved popcorn out of regular kernels? Using a lunch-sized brown paper bag! Just put 1/3 cup kernels into the bag, fold over the top and tape it closed (just one small piece of scotch tape will do). Use the popcorn setting on your microwave and the magic just happens. No oil necessary. No so-called "butter" that is in the store bought microwave packages. Now, after it's popped you can drizzle it with some real melted butter if you like. You can even sprinkle in 1 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon and shake it up to make snickerdoodle popcorn. Just heard that might be pretty good.

*I've been making salmon patties to keep in the fridge for a quick lunch or snack. They remind me of one thing my mom use to make that I liked, and are great crumbled over a big green salad or eaten burger style or just eaten plain. I just mix 2 (6 oz each) cans wild salmon, some crushed saltines (or some seasoned bread crumbs), diced onion, Johnny's seafood seasoning and a slightly beaten egg. Mix together well, shape into patties and cook in a non-stick pan a few minutes on each side.

*a salad with mostly spinach, some greens, chopped yellow peppers, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and a crumbled salmon patty = yummy lunch.

*Quaker multi grain hot cereal is a great jazzed up oatmeal. I love this stuff. More fiber, too. I know I'm not totally where I need to be, because I ate my first bowl of that and thought, "Ooooh, I wonder how oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies made with this cereal would be???" Then I had cookies on my brain all day. But none in my mouth, thank you very much. (Not that I'm forbidding cookies, just trying to not give in to every whim. But I will try those cookies soon. Gotta see how they'd be. Plus they'd be so HEALTHY!!)

*And my very favorite description of self-control comes from Beth Moore: Self-Control is not always "no", sometimes it's just "that's enough for now". Isn't that so gentle? I can say "that's enough for now" to myself.

I've found that one of my biggest pitfall to eating well is just not having the good stuff conveniently ready. The days get so busy, and all of a sudden I'm hungry NOW. I've never been one to slowly realize I need to eat. Once I'm hungry, I get a bit cranky and panicky. So if I have this kind of stuff sitting there ready to be eaten, I'm much more likely to grab that. Fruit washed and ready to grab. Veggies chopped and ready to eat. Something with protein sitting there smiling at me. This container idea from Real Simple caught my eye. The only potential trouble I see is my son, who would remove the entire tub as a pre-meal appetizer. It would have to sit in my fridge with clear rules. Like "touch it and you lose the ability to taste food for 14 days" or something like that.

Now I'm going to start blasting my music and see if I can summon up enough creativity to choreograph a wee bit more of my dance. Oh, I do hope this goes well...

Multitudes on Monday ~ Sitting Still

2011-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

The number of Mondays left in this summer is dwindling quickly. Too quickly. I want to slow them down and hang on to them. And sometimes simply slowing myself down to think of nothing but gifts I'm grateful for is the best way to slow down the Mondays. It makes me soak in the right now, instead of hurrying on with the next thing. Plenty to be done today, but to take the time to stop and do this lets me sit still in the moment. Ah, it's so good to sit still and appreciate:

438. A weekend with just my girls.
439. Big puffy clouds.
440. Warm sunshine coming through a sunroof.
441. Bursts of creativity.
442. A couple sweet hours of quiet and alone.
443. Ending a day having finished everything that needed to be done that day.
444. A new magazine sitting by my bed waiting to be read.
445. Finding a yummy veggie dip that is going to make the extra veggies actually enjoyable!
446. Grapes that taste as good as they look.
447. My boys having three days alone together.
448. That my boys are coming safely home.
449. Hearing my girls singing together.
450. Being able to ease my way into a day without rushing.
451. Sharing recipes.
452. A movie that is as good as the book.
453. Time with friends.
454. That a day can flip from chaos to calm in a matter of minutes.
455. Making someone else's chaos a little calmer.

Thoughts on Motivation and A Great Meal

2011-08-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, I have been trying to get back on the blog more frequently. When I last posted on Monday, I had every intention of getting back on Tuesday and finishing our vacation pictures. The days seem to take on a life of their own, demanding my time. These last two weeks have been too scheduled for what I think summer should be. But that has been what life has required lately.

We are six practices into the cheer season. My squad of 20 (20!!!) has learned 28 cheers and the first section of their dance. Oh, yeah, that time of year that I have to choreograph and teach a dance! So outside of my box. At the start of one practice that came on the heels of a very demanding cheer day, I sent a text to Brad that said simply, "Tell me why I do this.". His response was sweet and encouraging. And the bottom line of what he said was, "Because you love your girls." Yes, I do. My biological girls and these others that I spend six hours a week with. They are sweet, sweet, sweet. What a privilege to coach them, a privilege I don't take lightly. So, yeah, I'm tired. But it's worth it. And once all the other behind the scenes stuff is done, and all I have to do is coach my own squad, it will be much better. Unfortunately the timing of that will be right about when it's time to head back to school and work. Oh, well. I love my girls.

I finally made the decision to take a couple weeks off running. I got to the point that my knees ache so badly every night, and my body just hurts. It's so ridiculous to do something with the motivation of health and wellness and have it harm and hurt. So instead of running, I've gone back to a workout dvd that I LOVE and have MISSED! Oh, it beats you up in such a good way. My muscles hurt so much (in a good way) that I strategized when to use the bathroom to limit the number of times I had to get down and get back up. If you know what I mean you totally know what I mean. I've loved doing this workout. I feel stronger all over. But other parts of my body are responding less favorably to not running. And I hate that part. Why? Why does something that takes so long to achieve go away so very quickly?

So, the motivation I'm looking for is this: I am going to get S.T.R.I.C.T (hang around cheerleaders too long and you start to spell everything) with my eating. I'm going to give it a fair shot and see what happens to my body as it approaches 42. Things look very different lately and I don't like it. Vain? Yes. I'll own that. I had a loooooong talk with Brad last night about all this stuff, and I'll share more about this later. But I'm going to try some new things. I'm going to apply my discipline to some other areas of my life. I'm not too happy about it. But if I wait until I'm happy about it I may never do it. I roll my eyes and get irritated just thinking about it. But I'm going to do it anyway. I will stop short of changing the name of my blog to "carrot sticks and broccoli", but hopefully I will incorporate some new foods I choose to love into meal ideas that maybe you will like too.

Let's dip our toe in the water, shall we? No need to dive in head first. This dinner that we love is just a toe. A nice balance of healthy and unhealthy. You can choose the ratio to suit yourself. But it is so very easy and so very tasty.

Have you seen the bags of sweet mini peppers? Safeway has them, Costco occasionally has them. They are so sweet and yummy. My obvious sweet tooth is drawn to the sweeter veggies, and I love these grilled. Grab a bag of these, a package of smoked kielbasa sausage, some ripe tomatoes, and a sweet onion. And some skewers. See what's coming??

Just cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and pulp. Slice the tomatoes and onion into wedges. Cut the sausages up into decent sized chunks. Sprinkle all the veggies with a little Johnny's seasoned salt and some garlic powder. Then just start threading them onto your skewers. (If you are using wooden skewers, do soak them first so they won't catch on fire!) You can do any arrangement you like. Grill them, turning as necessary. Make a big pot of rice to go with this, a big yummy salad, maybe some rolls that you toast on the grill right before you eat....mouth watering. The tomatoes are so very yummy grilled. If you haven't done that before, you must try it.

So here we go. My mind is chewing on a lot of thoughts about health and it's pursuit and the motivation for it and the balance in the pursuit...so many thoughts. As I sort them I'll share them. For accountability.

And, a final thought....I saw "The Help" yesterday. I wish I had brought my camera. The four of us were the young, hot chicks of the theater. Yeah, I'm serious. Imagine THAT! Great company, great time away...and the movie? A MUST SEE! I really want to go see it again. There was applause at the end of the movie, and people sat and watched the credits. That good. If you haven't read the book yet, I'm disappointed in you. Go get it, read it, and then go see the movie. And bring a tissue.

Multitudes on Monday ~ Back At It

2011-08-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

My blogging has been lacking over this summer, but my gratitude has not. I've been still noticing the little gifts that are all around me. Still being purposeful to notice them. Still opening my eyes to what is continually right in front of me. But I haven't been actually listing them, and I want to. I want to see this through and start what I finished. Today I'll just start right back in where I left off. Though my time on the computer has been wonderfully limited, the gifts I'm so thankful for are as abundant as ever:

421. Watching a tiny, tiny bird land in the grass and scavenge for something, cocking his head sideways to look at me now and then, but not really caring that I'm watching.
422. Watching a gigantic crow try to land on the flimsiest of branches trying to eat the cherries off our tree, and thought that branch swayed up and down and made it very difficult for him to be steady enough to grab a cherry, it held.
423. The cool air first thing in the morning.
424. Worn out kids (the good kind of worn out).
425. Comfortable silence.
426. Fresh raspberries right off the bushes, hot from the sun.
427. Catching an unexpected glimpse of a beautiful sunset.
428. Time to be still.
429. Soft, squishy sand to bury my feet in.
430. Being able to completely ignore the clock.
431. Watching my husband and son be boys together.
432. Sights so beautiful you are left in awe.
433. Walking barefoot on grass wet from the sprinkler.
434. The smell of yeast dough.
435. The anticipation of reading a new book, even if it takes several days to actually start it.
436. Watching discipline develop in my kids.
437. Words of truth...spoken, sung, witnessed. Reminders of past answers and promises of future provision.

The Cutest Little Bluebell I Have Ever Seen

2011-08-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Beth has had a fun week of drama camp, and tonight was the big production! They have been working so hard to bring "The Selfish Giant" to fruition. It was an absolute delight. Initially I was mostly excited about this camp because it was going to keep her busy the week that her sister was gone, and I knew she would need the busyness. And from the first day, she was hooked on drama. The good kind of drama. Somewhere in the blog past I talked about "Pit-Pat-Panny", who is a hysterically funny character that Beth will break into every now and then. The latest appearance was on Brad's birthday, when Pit-Pat-Panny recruited her sister to join her in a musical number honoring the birthday boy.

Based on that, I should have known this girl would take to drama. And she has. She sang a duet, and delivered her one line spot-on! It was a fun evening, and I'm proud of this girl for embracing what she loves!

Singing The Laughing Song

Bluebell Beth and Peach Tree Maddy

And of course we had to celebrate the performance with a trip to Dairy Queen. Brenna is STILL gone, so Alex ate an extra blizzard in her honor.

Fun week, fun performance. And come Monday morning, my alarm is not going to wake me. Hopefully Pit-Pat-Panny will let me sleep in. Amen and hallelujah.

Have I Lost That Bloggy Feelin'??

2011-08-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Everything is a song to me right now. Even the title of this post. "Whoa, that bloggy feelin'. Bring back that bloggy feelin'..." Everything is a song because I'm in that crazy bubble of time right now...ordering cheer uniforms (done! "stayin' alive, stayin' alive. whoa whoa whoa whoa, stayin' aliiiiiiiiiiive"); collecting and assembling frustrating amounts of paperwork ("working 9-5, what a way to make a living..."); and finally, this week, starting cheer practices! And the music connection? Because I listen to a crazy, crazy amount of random music trying to find the right song for their dance this year. I listen to the music all around me, trying to find one that strikes me for a dance. Cuz I also have to choreograph this dance. And that's just not my thing. But I make it my thing. And the song is.....

Stray Cats "Rock This Town". It'll be fun. I have 20 girls this year. It'll be fun. Three nights a week for two hours at a pop. It'll be fun. I promise. (I'm talking to myself.)

These girls are truly so sweet. They have been patient with me this week. We slammed out 22 cheers in our first three practices. Uh-huh. Love them.

So, in an effort to get songs out of my head and get back my bloggy feelin' ("whoa, that bloggy feelin'"), I thought I would post some more interesting pictures that I would miss out on if I deleted things from my camera. They probably don't need much explanation.

When a 10-year old takes pictures of her dog:

When a hungry 16-year old makes pancakes:

When a curious cat climbs in the dryer:

When a mom finds it interesting that girls 3 years apart can share shoes:

When a 16-year old boy buys his momma some truffles as a gift when he's away at Silverwood, and that bag sits in the hot sun:

(The bag says, "Dear Mom, It's the thought that counts. Love, Alex")

And, yes, I still ate those truffles.

Okay, it feels so good to be back. Maybe I'll even get around to finishing our vacation pictures soon.

Why You Shouldn't Delete the "Bad" Pictures

2011-07-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

For some reason this year, I did not delete "bad" vacation pictures from our camera while we were on vacation. Well, there was the one time I took a series of burst pictures of Brad and Alex racing on the downhill racer. And when Brad and Alex got to the bottom, to the sounds of me "WOOOHOOO"ing, I realized it was not Brad and Alex. So I deleted those.

But I decided to just edit them out when I got home and could see them on the computer. And I'm so glad I did! We had some good laughs over the pictures I would normally delete. One of my big regrets of my scrapbooking years is how many pictures I "cropped" thinking I was enhancing them. I wonder now how much that seemed to be background noise at the time would be precious to see. I digress...

Anyway, we looked through these pictures and I realized quickly how much I would have missed:

I would not have captured the goofy look of a boy who just finished a 10-mile run of hills by eating a family-sized serving of cereal and a glass of chocolate milk. Silly boy.

I would have missed learning the crazy obsession one child has with zooming.

I would have missed looking just one more time at the beautiful sand. I want to dig my toes in that so badly. While drinking an iced coffee and reading my book.

I would have missed seeing a picture like this and remembering how my mom could not seem to keep heads into a frame. Most pictures she took came back with someone's head cut off.

Another example of my genetic disposition to cutting the subject out of the shot.

And, for whatever crazy reason, this picture just makes me smile with memories of splashing water and FUN!

And I would have missed the opportunity to show Brad why I don't race downhill in the lane next to him. See all that spray he creates? Yeah, right in my face too many times.

And this? I would have missed showing my children that anytime you take a vacation that results in you looking like this when you start the drive home means that you've been truly blessed with a fabulous vacation.

Another Year Greater

2011-07-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

The calendar is turning over a new year for my man today! Happiest of Happy Birthdays to you, Brad.

I wish you were doing this today:

Or this:

But instead you are doing this:

(Isn't that pretty much what you do all day????)

Get through your day, cuz you are coming home to this:

And this:

(Be thou clear: the KIDS not the watercraft. Sorry. Budget cuts, you know.)

And this:

(More clarity: the wife, not the Blueberry Hills.)

And lots and lots of this:

You are deeply, deeply loved. I think you know this, but a birthday is a great chance to make sure. You are LOVED! Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Being Playful ~ Part One

2011-07-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, my goodness. Almost a week has gone by since I posted about being still on vacation. How long ago was it that I was being still? It seems so long ago. The busyness came back in a flurry. Like throwing a bunch of feathers into a fan.

Well, time to reminisce about some fun. The good kind of busyness. The playful kind.

Oh, we had lots of playfulness during our week away. Really, it was all play. Even the relaxing was play. But the play play? It was bountiful.

I can't quite decide how to break up the replay of our play. So I think I'll be a bit random.

On the fourth, we were treated to a small, very small, parade right outside our door. These little kids were putting all they had into this parade, complete with singing "God Bless America" at the top of their robust lungs. And one particular little parade participant just cracked me up:

Is this not all things Americana? This flag-waving, soggy diaper-clad child was just a hoot, leading this parade with the confidence and authority of a child at least twice his age. I do wish you could see the view from the front, it was a sight to behold.

We walked through downtown Manson to feast on shaved ice. There is something very relaxing about being in the midst of people who are all vacationing. People are more chatty about everything and anything, walking slower is not an annoyance, and dangling your feet in the lake while eating shaved ice is considered the active part of your day.

If I have my thoughts right, this was the first dip in the c-c-c-cold lake! This was the first of many cycles of swimming in the lake, warming in the sun: rinse, repeat.

Sweet sisters:

Sweet trio:

Of course, never one to do things the easy way, Beth found a floating log and bobbed around on that instead of her noodle! It became an on-going comical sight of Beth bobbing on a log, Beth chasing a log, Beth grabbing a log, Beth chasing a log. Over and over and over.

Next it was time for the wave runner day! We had a perfect day to do this. We went out of Chelan a ways and played on the river. We chatted with the guy we rent from and asked where we should beach for the day. He directed us to an island that was perfect. We had a chunk of beach totally to ourselves, other groups were around the corner, but not visible. All. Alone. We had some views of homes that I drooled over a bit. Lovely, peaceful day complete with:

rock climbing

floaty lounging

more floaty lounging

wave runner riding

more floaty loungy and great conversation

fast wave runner riding

and some picture posing!

This post has taken me three attempts to get completed. My life is consumed with cheer uniform fittings right now, and I must get back to that. My mind sure loved the vacation break these pictures brought! More soon....

Being Still

2011-07-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

Time to head back to more vacation memories! This time away was so beautifully and perfectly what our family needed. We played hard, we laughed hard, we ate heartily, and we rested peacefully.

Resting peacefully. That is something I've always sought, and yet always struggled with. I want to have times of being still. I know how refreshing it is for my mind, how rejuvenating it is for my body. I know how healthy it is to let all the cares of the busyness of life fall away, to get the focus clear, to "be still and know that He is God". I purpose to do that, but I struggle to do that. My mind is always busy. Always making lists. Frustratingly, my most productive mental time is in the still of the late night or early morning, when I should be sleeping. I try to empty my mind and rest, but my mind loves to work things out when I should be sleeping. And it's really good at it, too. I've problem-solved so much during that time. I've been struck creatively so much during that time. And I've lost so much sleep during that time.

I know that the reason my mind works so clearly at those moments is that it finally relaxes. It goes still. So many times I'm wondering why I can't hear the Lord talking back to me, responding to my questions. Then I realize I just can't hear him over the chatter of busyness. There's loudness everywhere. Even in church. In my car alone, I most often turn on the radio. Why is silence the last thing I listen to when it sounds so very good? But that time of the night provides silence, stillness. I love it. I need more of it. Being comfortable in quiet is something I need to practice.

So this vacation, I went loaded with books I was eager to read. I set myself up to purposefully find stillness. I forgot to put my favorite beach chair in the van before we left, so we went to Wal-Mart and bought a new one. I parked myself on the beach in various places we went to, pulled out my iced coffee and book, and took great pleasure in it. I read less than I intended to, because I found myself just relaxing my mind. Reading a little bit, thinking about what I read. Soaking in the stillness. Absorbing the moment.

One of my favorite sayings is "Wherever you are, be there." I accomplished that fully during this week. I was there, in the fullest way.

This was my view in one spot. Below is the view I have above my head. This is what Pooh would call a "thoughtful spot".

Iced coffee, good book, poolside....perfect.

Full belly from Blueberry Hills, good book, soft sand, lake waves crashing at my feet...perfect.

Even Beth - BETH! - found some stillness. Perfect.

And Brad found some of that himself. Oh, did he need that. His last day of work before vacation was a 14-hour day. His first day of "vacation" he worked from home half the day. He left with a buzzing mind. He usually transitions quickly and smoothly, but this year it took him awhile. We were on day four when he said he felt like he was finally on vacation, and I had no idea. But he relaxed fully, and his face physically softened. You could tell he was rested.

Today is Brad's first day back at work. The busyness begins again, so this is a perfect day to reflect on the gift of being still. The playing? Stay tuned...

Makin' Music With A Master

2011-07-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

A very exciting day today! The story behind the story is a bit tedious and boring, but we are spending this summer looking for a new bassoon teacher for Alex. Perhaps someone to augment what he has, perhaps someone to replace what he has. Time will tell. When we were first approached about this, Alex sent out several emails to contacts he has made over this last year. As he was doing that, we looked up the bio for the bassoon players with the Seattle Symphony. Alex has a "shoot for the top" attitude, so he sent out an email to the principal bassoonist, and that led us to today: a lesson with the principal bassoonist of the Seattle Symphony! Maybe not the least bit exciting to most, but chill-bump-worthy-exciting to us!

I had the pleasure of staying through the lesson, sitting silently and taking notes. I took a couple pictures, but had to use a setting that would not click or flash, because apparently teenage boys are rather easily embarrassed by mothers clicking and flashing the camera during a bassoon lesson. Whatever. So my pictures are a bit crummy, but I was grinning like a girl staring at a waffle from Blueberry Hills while I took these pictures:

Alex wasn't hitting a bad note here, this is just a man who moves with the music, and I believe Alex was suppose to be crescendo-ing here!

Very exciting to see such opportunities come my kid's way. He's earned his way to this point, but it is such an honor to learn from this guy. Love it! I see some future trips to Seattle the rest of the summer.

Brad is still on vacation, so we decided to make a mini-day of it in Seattle. First stop? Dick's Drive-In for lunch! This is an oldie Seattle landmark, and about as basic as it gets. Plain 'ole yummy burger, fries and shakes. A jumbled mess of a parking lot, quick service, no tables to sit at. Drive away to eat, sit in your car and eat, or claim a thin strip of grass and have a picnic! If you choose option #3, you probably will be joined by a few crows hoping for some left-overs. Especially if one of your children throws a french fry to one as soon as you sit down.

Second stop? I'll save that for the end.

Next stop? Pike Place Market. I'm not a big Pike Place Market kind of girl. Crowded. The smell of fish. Crowded. And that fishy smell in a crowd. It's all a bit much for me. But we meandered around, the kids picked out something from a yummy bakery to take home, and they had a fun experience.

Then, as we were making our way to park on I-5, we pulled up to this sweet intersection:

Aw, the corner of Edgar Martinez Drive and Dave Niehaus Way!

And now for the second stop? Let's just say we'll be putting the kids to bed early tonight! Oh, wait. I guess you don't really put teenagers to bed. Let me try again:

We'll be hiding from the kids early tonight (!!!) so we can partake in this in sweet peace:

Yes indeed, we made a stop at Trophy Cupcakes for my favorite Triple Chocolate!!!

The rain started falling on our way home, so what to do? Jump in the hot tub as soon as you can wiggle into your suit!

While this is happening, and I'm blogging, my son is making dinner for the family. I showed him a recipe I thought he'd like, he volunteered to drive to the store for the missing ingredient (goat cheese) and try it for dinner tonight. I'm a little worried that his first step, in his words, was to "skin the carrots"...I think I'll just grab my book and prepare myself to enjoy whatever he turns out! Wish me well...

Where Shall I Start? Blueberry Hills, Of Course!!

2011-07-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have to say this straight up: I'm not much in the mood to post vacation pics here, because I'm not much in the mood to admit vacation is something to be summarized yet. I don't want it to be over yet. We even stayed an extra night because we weren't ready for it to end (more on that later). And we still weren't after an extra night. I actually cried as we pulled out of town. But it was so sweet while it lasted, and we are all so thankful for the time away. We crammed a whole lotta fun and a whole lotta lovin' into our week away!

And where do I start?

Not at the beginning. That would be too predictable.

Actually, where I'm going to start is even more predictable than the beginning.

Yep, I'm starting off with our time at Blueberry Hills! My favorite food experience. Period. This place just flat-out captured my heart a few years ago, and it's now become an annual pilgrimage I must make. I love the atmosphere. I love the relaxed state of the people, the surroundings and the food. Yes, the food is relaxed. I kid you not. It's like the waffles, the bacon, the peaches, the coffee... it all knows that this is a place to be relaxed. And aren't we all sweeter and just nicer to be around when we are relaxed? Well, so is this food. I love to just stare out at the surroundings. I love to stare at people while trying to not be obvious that I'm staring. People watching is primo when you are watching relaxed people. I love watching people eat their food. I have to refrain myself from saying, "Isn't that DIVINE???!!!" Or from injecting myself into conversations. Or from asking people if it's their first time, if they know the wonder they are about to behold. Well, actually, I do do that while I'm waiting in line. If I see someone brooding over the menu, I offer up my guidance. I gush about all the things I have sampled over the years, ultimately trying to convince them they will not be disappointed with any choice. Biscuits and Gravy? It'll make you cry. A happy cry. Eggs Benedict? You will shush everyone at the table and ask them to give you a moment of reverence. Pepe Scramble? (that should have a little thingy over the last "e" in Pepe, but I don't know how to do that.) That dish will make you so thankful to be a carnivore, so thankful that you may think it's Thanksgiving Day and put yourself down for a post-meal nap when you are done. And, of course, my beloved waffles. Oh. Oh, please. That Coconut Creme Waffle with Peach Pie Topping? That makes me acutely aware of each and every taste bud alive in my mouth. And so very thankful for each one. "Taste and see that the Lord is good...?" THIS is what He meant.

If you think I'm exaggerating, you need to go read this post from last year. I'm a girl with a devoted heart.

Here's a little temptation for ya:

Hello, precious. I miss you.

These two beauties know what is good and true in this life.

The only thing that kept me from crying over the last bite was the aching in my belly telling me that it could not handle anymore. As a disclaimer, Brad ate my bacon and had a couple bites of my waffle, but otherwise I totally ate the whole thing.

Alex went a little off our beaten path and had the BLT with Tomato Bisque. He LOVED it, and now I have to learn how to make that soup for him. I had a bite, and he's right: it's fabulous! Creamy with the perfect kick of spice.

(By the way, this boy ran 5 days of our vacation, and each running route took him past Blueberrry Hills. He'd come home each morning with a recap of the run, momma's ears perking at the part where "Blueberry Hills" came out of his mouth...)

The only thing I have to say about this picture is that I love this man so very much.

And then, no pilgrimage to Blueberry Hills will ever be complete again without a hug and a visit with Kari.

She's as pretty as her food is yummy!

This sweet girl is responsible for making the magic happen. She is such a hoot! We chuckled over one of her witty remarks long after we left: Last year she printed out a special menu for me, changing the name of the waffle to "Leanne's Coconut Creme Waffles With Peaches". She forgot to change it back, and accidentally printed out 100 of those menus. They still show up from time to time, and I had friends texting me last summer saying, "You are on the menu at Blueberry Hills!!" THRILLED ME! And I told Kari how I loved that I made my mark. Without a beat, she said, "And you didn't even have to lift your leg and pee on the building!" She's a gem.

Oh! And the pie!!! This year I shared my peach pie with the whole family. Pepe took Kari's recipe and knocked it out of the park again. You know Bob Wylie in What About Bob? The scene where he's eating the chicken with Dr. Marvin and his family? We were all Bob Wylie while we ate that pie. "Mmmmm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm..... Mmmmmm!"

The food was fabulous again, and we made more memories together. My sweet kids have a bit of a nut for a mom, when it comes to food. But I think in this case they are better for it!

More vacation moments to come soon. But for now, I think we'll just let this be. I'm now lost in happy thoughts of yeast waffles, coconut, almonds, peaches....

****AND! If you are local, Evening Magazine is going to be taping at Blueberry Hills next week! Keep your eyes peeled for that, actually I'll probably send out an alert when I see that it's airing!! ****

Consider Yourself Warned

2011-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hang on. Hang. On. Figuratively, if you are just reading this. And literally to myself. Double check my seatbelt. Take a deep breath. Exhale. And hang on.

Why?

The little man got his permit. He has officially, through some pathetically easy test and a vision test that he passed but gave us concern, been declared permitted to drive in the state of Washington. Oh, my. I don't want to hear about how easy this is going to make my life. I don't want to hear about how this may benefit me. I just want to sit in the "oh, my" phase for a bit.

I need to interrupt this to say that the vision test?? When they ask if the dot is inside or outside the box??? Pause. Long pause. "Okay, hold on. Ummm...." The lady repeats the question. "Well, I'm waiting for the dot to stop moving. There! Well, it's mostly outside but it's bouncing back and forth." The lady asks him to pull his head back, blink several times and try again. He tries again. "Okay, now I have to wait a minute. Yep, it's still outside mostly. Or, wait. Yeah. Outside, I think."

The thing is, the dot doesn't move. And it was on the inside. She suggested I take him to see an eye doctor because his eyes aren't working together. And they passed him to DRIVE! (The explanation being that he still had greater than 20/40 vision, so he's clearly seeing fine. Well then why do they bother with the other test???)

Anyway, back to the "oh, my" for the mom. I know he's 6'1", and he's old enough and he's a good kid and he'll do great, but geeze Louise. I'm just at a loss for words.

He's doing great. He really is. But just in case you are driving around the state, please watch out for a white Corolla and a tan Sienna. Please allow greater than the required personal space. Please drive safely around him. And consider yourself warned. There's a new driver out there. And he's very precious to me...