Flashback Friday

Today is a very special flashback/good memories/wishing-for-what-could-have-been. I'm a day off, but tomorrow is my mom's 70th birthday, a milestone she'll be celebrating in heaven. She's been gone almost 14 years, and I can hardly believe it. She is forever 56 in my mind, actually even a bit younger since her short time being 56 was filled with an illness that made her not herself.

I still miss her so much, and will until I see her again. I've so missed having her be a part of my children's lives. She would have loved them greatly, and they would have loved her right back.

What's sad about the passing of time, is that memories of people you love start to change. My memories of her use to be like watching a movie in my mind...all moving pictures with sound, etc. Now my memories are more like snapshots in my mind. The animation has faded. But there are some memories still vivid of who she was that will stay fresh as long as I choose to remember. So here are some fun memories of mom...

She loved black walnut ice cream. Ice cream in general, actually. When she got to the end of the carton, she would leave one spoonful in the bottom, so if someone asked her, "Did you eat all the ice cream?", she could answer truthfully that she had not eaten it all.

She loved to make popcorn balls on Friday night. She was not too fond of sharing them.

She was not known to be the best cook, but a few things she made very well. Caramel pecan rolls, Mississippi Mud Cake, peach pie, lasagna, hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, meatloaf, to name a few. Truthfully, there weren't a lot more than that. Her hamburgers were always painfully dry. She loved making stuffed green peppers, though she may have been the only one who liked them. Oh...and she made great Saturday morning breakfasts. Sausage, fried eggs and biscuits. Mmm.

She was a voracious knitter. Loved to fix herself her nightly cup of tea and sit down to knit. My all-time favorite Christmas present was a hand-knit sweater from her. She had made all the pieces and they sat in her knitting bag for a loooong time while she went through her surgery and subsequent illness. She eventually lost all her vision and couldn't finish the sweater. So instead she took it to a knitting shop, explained the situation, and they finished the sweater for her. Would not accept a penny for their work. I hope whoever that was knows what a precious gift that was. I've never worn it, because I'm so afraid something would happen to it. I hold it now and then...and just remember.

She grew beautiful roses. This was a love passed down from her mom. They were gorgeous, and one of the few times I saw her seriously, crazy angry was the day our yellow lab ate an entire rose bush from her garden. Ate it. All the way down to the ground.

One trait I especially admire about her is that she just did not speak unkindly about anybody. She always held her tongue, even when I knew it was so hard. She always looked for the best in people. She always found a positive spin to put on a tough situation. Even when she was very, very ill and life was getting very tough for her, I remember her saying, "Oh, I know so many people have it so much worse than I do." And she truly believed it.

She did not like complaining. I remember many times telling her of something I thought was perfectly acceptable to complain about, and her response would be, "Well, this is a great opportunity to practice forgiveness." (or patience or any other thing I needed to be practicing.)

One skill she totally lacked was athleticism. If you ever said, "Mom, could you throw me the ( )?" Whatever it was, as soon as the words left your lips, you immediately regretted it...and then ducked! She could be looking right at you, pull her arm straight back, and then shoot something off so far to the side it looked like it must have come from a mysterious third arm.

She left us too soon. I had so much more I wanted to share with her, so much more I wanted her to be a part of. But I know that she is in heaven. She had a heart for Jesus, she fully anticipated a life with Him when her life here was done. So there is peace in that. I wonder if there are windows in heaven. I like to believe so. I think there are moments so special that Jesus Himself must say, "Come here, look at this!" I have thought of that on the day each of my babies was born. My firstborn, just a couple months after she died. I needed that new little life. And I believe she celebrated with us. My second born, who came out looking so much like my mom it was difficult for me to absorb. A daughter. Finally, I was once again a part of a mother/daughter team. And my third born, a surprise to us, but such a gift. And the day I hurt more than I thought humanly possible when we thought Beth would be meeting her grandma way too soon, I think maybe she joined in with all those prayers, literally at the feet of Jesus, for her granddaughter's healing.

And here's the thing...prayer is just conversation with God. And she is in His presence in heaven. I believe that with everything within me. So tomorrow, when I am longing to make her a Mississippi Mud Cake and get her some black walnut ice cream and tell her Happy Birthday and that I love her, I'm going to trust my God to give her that message for me. I'm asking Him to tell her I'm thinking of her. Tell her I'm doing great. But to also tell her I miss her like crazy. Still. Always.

Maybe It's Me...

Today I had the unfortunate opportunity to drive - for quite awhile - stuck a few cars behind a school bus. This bus had a lot of stops to make. So we crept and stopped. Crept and stopped. Must have been an early release day for some schools, because normally I'm good at timing my route to avoid that. Not today. And I was in a hurry.

So, besides singing along to the radio and sighing a lot, I had some long moments to stare at the car in front of me. And it made me start to wonder... why do people "decorate" the back window of their car? I mean inside the car, like the dashboard to the back window. We've all seen the hand-knit afghan with stuffed animals. That car usually also has an "I (heart) cats!" bumper sticker. But the car in front of me today was a new view. She was all decorated for Valentine's Day. I so badly wish I had a picture to show you. The full length of the back seat, covered, with stacks of tacky silk roses. A white teddy bear holding a red heart on each end. On those hearts was written "I (heart) you". Me? Was this message for me? Who is she displaying this for? As much as I know, bumper stickers, window clings, and window decor is meant to be read by the person behind you. Well, I'm flattered, but I never met this lady before in my life! I wondered if perhaps her sweetheart had snuck into her car and decorated for her as a sweet surprise. Well, he clearly wasn't thinking if that's the case. Unless that's just her thing. Maybe he just couldn't take the stuffed cats anymore. Or maybe he, wisely, had nothing to do with this.

Maybe it's me. I'm always behind the trends in most...okay, all...areas. Maybe I just haven't been clued in yet that the new thing is to decorate your back window for the season/holiday. Maybe this is a step up from the antenna ball trend. If that's the case, I'm just going to have to be out of this trend. I don't have a back window sill in my van. Sigh.

Monday Menu

Here's another wacky idea, who knows if it will last...I will try to post a recipe every Monday. Tried and true, family approved. If nothing else, a good way to keep a record of these recipes for my kids.

With the weather so chilly, I thought a good start would be a favorite soup. My kids love this, and will even happily eat it as left-overs.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef (or chicken or turkey)
2 cans petite diced tomatoes, 1 with green chilies
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cans kidney beans (dark or light), drained
2 cans small white beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 small can sliced olives
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix

Brown ground beef. In large soup pot (or slow-cooker) combine all ingredients. Add enough water for the consistency you like. If you like it on the spicier side, add a can of diced green chilies. You can adjust the combination of beans to whatever suits you. Allow to simmer for 2 hours on the stove top, or 8 hours in a slow-cooker.

To serve, top each bowl with some grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and some crushed nacho cheese Doritos. Mmm. Also great with warm cornbread. An alternative way to serve it is to place a scoop of rice into each bowl instead of sour cream and Doritos. My kids prefer the Doritos, hands-down. But I like the rice...

Ah...this would also be a great Super Bowl Sunday meal!

Flashback Friday

I had an idea for "Flashback Friday" for a couple reasons. One is that I don't have an ultra-exciting life to blog about. Another is I stumbled upon a couple oldie-but-goodie pictures that have a great story. I found myself thinking how it would have been fun to blog about those things when my kids were little and continually giving me great stories to share. Well, it's never too late! My kids love hearing stories about goofy things they did, and they, hopefully, will enjoy seeing these stories documented here. So here it goes...

Come with me back to February of 2003, Beth was 2 years old. "Always into something" so accurately describes her. Still. On this particular day, Brenna was at preschool and Alex at school. Just me and Beth, hanging out at home. I was on the phone (dangerous time with a 2-year old in the house) and was so happy that Beth was staying busy with her toys and leaving me to my conversation. I continued to peek in on her and she would give me her cheesy little grin and keep playing. The last time I peeked, she had crawled up onto my bed, with her favorite baby, and was completely absorbed in trying to change the baby's outfit. Perfect. A few minutes later, I peeked into a totally different scene...

Brad keeps a jar of Eucerin hand cream by his side of the bed. His hands dry badly in the winter. Anyway, Beth had found that little jar, taken the top off, and proceeded to spread - thickly - Eucerin lotion all over her cheeks and hands. Now, to appreciate this story you have to understand something about Eucerin. It is like Crisco shortening. It sticks, and is greasy, and does not just wipe off. From my gasp, Beth could instantly tell that whatever she had done was not good. She got such a look of "Uh-oh" on her face...I had no other choice but to snap a picture before I began the long chore of cleaning her up. She wouldn't even look at the camera, which made for an even more priceless picture. Captures the guilt beautifully!



We wiped it off, rubbed it in, took a bath, rubbed it in some more, etc. Into the next day, literally, there was a whitish haze to her cheeks. Like a continually replenishing supply of face cream built into her cheeks. But, oh, was she well moisturized! Sweet cheeks.





And here she is, post-bath, reveling in the glow of moisturized cheeks and hands! Notice how the flash of the camera glistened off her rosy cheeks! And I think this is one of Beth's looks that really captures her "what can I get into?" zest for life. Happy girl. Happy life. I love her. And I like her, too. Her middle name is Joy, and she carries that name well! Thanks for the happy memory, Bethie!

Prayer for President Obama

So I'm a little behind the news, I admit. I was distracted with our r.. situation, exhilarated by the good report. But Tuesday was a big day for other reasons as well. No matter who is leaving or entering office, the inauguration is always an impressive ceremony. I love the tradition. I love the respect. And I loved Aretha's hat. Only she could pull that off!

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA was invited by President Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration. I loved his prayer, made me cry, and is a good reminder to pray for our new president and his family. He has a big job ahead of him. Here is a copy of Pastor Rick's prayer:

Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.
It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans—united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you—forgive us.
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone—forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve—forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.

"R Word" Update and Random Fun

We have exciting news from our fabulous pest guy, Evan. Today was our scheduled re-check of the traps, and they were empty and untouched! (If I could attach a sound bit, you would hear an operatic "Hallelujah!!!") So it seems as if we got 'em. We still will check again in 2 weeks, traps are still at the ready. And, Brad finished his hatch cover, which is an extra layer of protection to ensure no creature can enter our crawl space. Here is a quote on the service invoice from Evan: "New access hatch appears to be to NASA standards." That's my man.

Here's some random fun:

http://www.freerice.com/ is a fun game-play/charity combo site. You can go there and quiz yourself on math, vocabulary, grammar, geography, and other subjects. There are different levels for different ages, and for each answer you get right, the site donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. (Last year the site generated enough rice to feed more than 2 million people.) And, as my brother likes to say, rice is the perfect food for when you are in the mood for 2,000 of the same thing. Not to make light of hunger...gosh, now I'm going downhill fast. Onward...

Now for a fun joke:

You are on the bus when you suddenly realize... you need to fart.

The music is really loud, so you time the farts to the beat. After a couple songs, you start to feel better as you approach your stop.

As you are leaving the bus, people are really staring you down, and that's when you remember: you've been listening to your ipod.

This gave me quite a chuckle, because I got my first ipod last month. And I sing right along with it, which gives the family plenty of laughs. I'll have to be very careful if I listen to mine in public. Because of the singing, I mean.

Oh, brother...

This is a sweet story...and so unexpected. The girls have been gone for 2 nights, having a fun sleep-over with Auntie Debbie. One night is not bad, refreshing even. But 2 nights has felt long. Alex casually asked last night, "I wonder what Brenna and Beth had for dinner?" (I know, more food focus...) Of course, he did this in the midst of being totally absorbed in his video game, and there was not even a pause long enough for me to answer before he was saying, "Oh...oh, no...get him! That's so cheap!" Etc, etc. But at least a thought of his sisters fluttered through his ever-fluttering mind.

We are leaving in a few minutes to go get the girls. I went into Alex's room to "encourage" him to hurry up, and saw Brenna's fluffy long pillow up on his bed. I asked, sarcastically, "Did you sleep with that because you miss your sister so much?" He blushed a bit, got that "ah, shucks" grin, and said, "I don't know, I just grabbed it from her room on my way to bed last night." Then he pointed to the large stuffed dog and added, "And that's Beth's dog."

Ah...I love seeing glimpses of brotherly sweetness in him. I know it's in there, but sometimes it gets lost in the sibling-ness of daily life. He has always had a very special fondness for his little sisters, and I tell them often that they are so blessed to have such a great big brother. But he's also a very normal big brother, and will antagonize and frustrate them. A good reminder to us all that at the core, there is still a great love there!