Manic Monday: Shower

Yeah, I know it's not Monday. But to that, I say, Whateva!

1. Although I have been to a few baby showers in my years, last month, I attended the first one where the mother-to-be was not in attendance. Was she in the hospital having the little munchkin? Nope. She was stuck 9 hours away in the airport, where her flight had come in late, so she missed her connection. She stayed overnight with her family, all of them wearing the same clothes for two days, and caught a cab to the zoo!
We, at the shower, ate fruit kebabs and baby shower cake and talked the afternoon away.

2. I love rain! I do understand that it can get tiresome, but even when I lived with overcast skies (even if only in the mornings) for many days of the year, I still liked it. Yes, I was initially thrilled that the skies were overcast and peaceful, the rain was coming down making everything fresh and clean. I laughed and smiled and screamed, "hooray, it's raining!" After three straight weeks of that, though, I did find myself yearning for some sunshine. So, to you who think I don't appreciate a nice hot sunny day, I do love them too!!! (else I might not be living in sunny hot west TX)
My cousin, Clancy, was just asking for some sunshine for the summer, since they have had rain, rain, and more rain for summer break so far. Here, for you, is a dramatic reading of our exchange...okay, not really a reading...unless you read it dramatically out loud in front of your own computer, but the following really is a relation of our conversation, via facebook and blogs...
"As one who has sunshine for months now...I'm ordering you to enjoy your rain! You'll be sweltering soon enough. Breathe it, frolic in it, jump and dance in it! The sun will be there to stay very soon!"
"Hard to frolic and dance in rain when it's 50 degrees and raining, but I'll do my best! It was a pajama day today... except for about four hours, I was in my PJ's and reading all day."
[see...pj's almost all day...how can that be wrong?]
"50 degree rain just makes it more invigorating!!!!"
[and yeah, i was kidding...a little]
[and in reply to her 5 fabulous things about the rain, I said...]
"Plus...natural filter for amazing pics! Glad you enjoyed it in some kind of way! (I still say you could send it here and I would dance and laugh in it...and then I would read a book on the patio and listen to it and breath it!!)"
You see, I love it! I love the way it makes me look at the world and the way it makes me feel! I love it's look and feel and the smell is euphoric!
(and in her defense, she loves it too, but would like just a tad bit of sun to play in in the summer, don't we all!)
My parents helped instill the love of a good thunderstorm. With my mom, we would sit at the front door with blankets on and jabber the storm away. After it let up a bit, we got to play in the gutters! Yeah, sounds gross, but it was beyond fun! We just ran up and down the street splashing in the rain puddles and gutters to our hearts content. That is a joy that makes my heart do flips!
My dad loved any and all nature, so rain or shine, our camping trips rocked! My sister, Sibyl, recently put "Smell of Rain on Sagebrush and Juniper" on one of her 5 favorite smells on facebook, and I can't help but think of those camping trips where we woke in the morning to bacon cooking in a cast iron skillet over a campfire that had been burning for an hour, built by my dad who had already been up for two or three hours, and hiked around and went fishing, all in the rain.
My parents are amazing!
(and showers are great!!)

Manic Monday: Warm

Sweet arms embrace me

Welcoming me in my home

Love and Peace abide.

I've always loved this picture.

Manic Monday: Trip

When we first moved here, we knew that we would need to make some adjustments. It's a much smaller town than we are used to, and, admittedly, I have yet to make some of those adjustments (okay, most of them). I have been resistant, both consciously and subconsciously, which might take a little away from the small town feeling, but I tend to be defensive about it.

One thing I won't give up, is my trips to the "city." It's not huge; the population (of the combined metro area of the nearby cities, really) is about 255,000. But it's an improvement to me over the 10,000 in our little town. Initially, I thought I could just make really good lists and minimize by trips to the stores. Save money, save gas, save time...it sounds good. But in reality, I like my trips. I like the drive over. I like the time there. I like my friends, I like the stores, I like the parks, I like the sense of normalcy.

When I realize that I feel I have to "visit" normal, I feel guilty about not just being happy with the small town time while we are here. I want to take the kids to lessons in the city, rather than here, because they are better. I don't want to just accept this other view of 'normal.' In theory, I easily accept that I don't have to love everything all the time, but actually feeling okay about it takes more effort.

Come to think of it, a trip to the store is definitely warranted today. I need some new mascara, and I'm pretty sure Aidan wants to play at a new park today.


For a little less of my guilt trip version on the word "Trip" today, check out Mo's Manic Monday.

Manic Monday: Bird

The bird outside our backdoor.

I can't say I'm thrilled about the mess that is to come, but we haven't brought ourselves to take down the nest. Our trees aren't big enough yet, so they found somewhere else to nest.

A few years ago, we actually had some swallows nest in our dryer vent tube, so this definitely wins out in our minds. However, we're probably going to get it down soon so that she can nest (and lay eggs) elsewhere. We would like to avoid dive-bombing birds when we head out to play on the slide.

Manic Monday: Waffles Revisited

After reading all the Manic Monday posts on waffles today, I decided that was our dinner. I'm not a "big breakfast" kind of gal. I prefer cereal. So, if we have pancakes, waffles, french toast, sausage, bacon, frittatas, etc... it is for dinner, not breakfast. Since Dustin is working tonight, it was a good breakfast for him to wake up to.
As a side note, we didn't actually have whipping cream on them for dinner...just for the picture...although Allie did use that whipping cream for dipping.

Manic Monday: Waffle

The Waffle Stompers I never had.

When I look back on my pictures from High School, Jr High, and even elementary school, it is impossible not to laugh at some of the ridiculous outfits that I thought were totally cool. There's something to be said for a timeless and classic look. If you choose that route, you will not usually look like the outrageously dated one in photos. Of course, it was school. We all looked the same. Peg-legged pants, jeans belted at the waist, shoulder pads...and then not, flourescents, thick and baggy, thin and tight, flat hair, puffy hair, we weathered them all.

There were some fashions that I always wished to wear, but never did. I was a floater in school usually. I kept friends from every random group and never really belonged to any of them. Sometimes I felt like dressing grungy (yes, this was an actual "fashion"), sometimes preppy, sometimes dressy, sometimes sporty. I usually had something in my closet that I could change up and make into the look I was going for, but the one look that I never could manage to "throw" together was the goth thing going on at the time. I didn't own any clothes that could have fit that genre, and since I wasn't "goth" I couldn't justify spending money on them. So, I just sat back and admired my friends' waffle stomper black combat boots, long coat, and black lipstick. Granted, it isn't really a look that you can wear one day and pretend that it's just another regular day. But still...I always thought it would be a fun look to sport.
I think Hot Topic is definitely getting my business this year for Halloween.

(For more interpretations on the word of the week, Waffle, check out Mo's Manic Monday meme.)

Manic Monday: Fire

When I am on fire, my blog suffers. I have stayed busy elsewhere and my poor blog sits on the back burner...the really back burner, maybe of a whole different stove. In my defense, I was actually going to post yesterday. After a busy day, I finally got around to posting and my laptop wouldn't connect to the internet. Let's just say I had a whole new fire burning inside...one that screamed and threw mental tantrums that I couldn't have my end of the day internet escape. Oh well.

So, on to the actual post...

There are really so many ways I could go with this, so I chose just a few and I'm going with Polly's dictionary...with multiple definitions.

Fire:
1. Aidan: Gaelic: Little fire; warmth of the home. My busy 2-year old. He truly is full of warmth. Sometimes his little fire has a bit too much fuel, but his sweet spirit is even bigger.

2. Although I don't have a very long list of work experience, I have never been fired. There are moments that I wish for vacation time, but hopefully I won't be fired from my current and most important job. I love it. It's my mom job. Some days, I think I deserve to be fired, but luckily, my clients (AKA my husband and kids) are forgiving and give me lots of second chances. I love them with all my heart and soul!

3. Excitement, passion.
On Saturday, I had a lot of this. I took off (on a whole day of vacation from my mom job) with friends from church to go to a meeting, followed up with play time. I enjoyed some great speakers who reignited my passion for planning and financial control. This is already something I have a pretty firm handle on, but I love to feel the fire of the control of it all, and I love sharing it with others.
After talking about good budgeting, we went to a totally budget concious movie..."Confessions of a Shopaholic". LOL Incidentally, if anyone wants to see it, I'm your movie buddy.
Then we went shopping. It's something that excites me. What can I say ...well. Nothing, really.


As always, more fire chat can be found at Mo's Manic Monday.

Manic Monday: Wear

Everybody's Free (To WEAR Sunscreen)

I thought of a lot of things to say about 'wear', but I remembered this 'song' that I watched and thought it was just what I needed to hear today. Maybe you will enjoy it to!




In addition to sunscreen, here's something I would LOVE to wear...at least once.
I was watching the Chocolate Runway Challenge on Food Network and was amazed at their beautiful creations. Seriously. These dresses weren't on the the episode I watched, they are just a sample of a chocolate dress. You should try to catch the Challenge, (Feb 12 at 7) though. My favorites came in 1st and 2nd place...beautiful beadwork made entirely of chocolate! Although, if I'm wearing sunscreen, it's probably not a proper occasion for wearing a Chocolate dress. These would be separate events...most definitely!

Click here for more 'wear' fun at Morgen's Manic Monday.

Manic Monday: Cloud

My head isn't usually in the clouds.

In fact, it was a miracle that I happened to have a picture of just clouds.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I took these pictures during Alex's football game. I paid attention most of the time, but these just struck me as "cool." Alex didn't think it was very cool that in the middle of his football pics, there were these clouds. Oh well!

Click Here to see and read more thoughts on clouds! Mo's Manic Monday!

Manic Monday: Snow

See what others are saying about SNOW over at Mo's Manic Monday!

I keep saying that I miss being closer to family and that I miss the mountains and the changing seasons. I do...it's just that I don't really miss the cold. I'm not a happy camper when I'm cold. I really don't like the snow having so much control over what we do. Maybe I just want to be the one in control, but when people can't go out because it's too cold, or the roads are too dangerous, I feel like rebelling against mother nature. Not a smart move as it's clear that she's the one in charge.
A few years ago while visiting family for Christmas, we held off on our return home because of the icy roads. We waited and waited. When we finally had to leave, we drove into a storm and rolled our car. So, we visited family for a few days more while we waited on repairs on our totally damaged car.
I grew up in the snow, so I know how to handle it, pretty much, but I just don't like the inconvenience.
I mentioned in a previous post, Sledding Texas Style, that I do love to play in the snow, I'm just not the hardcore brave-it-out-when-your-ears-and-nose-are-falling-off types.

Things I Love About Snow:
Snowmen!!!
SnowAngels
Snowflakes
Sledding
Snowboarding (even though I pretty much only fall)
Bare Tree Branches blanketed in white
Snowballs
Christmas

Things I Don't Love About Snow:
Cold
Dangerous
Dirty Slush
Wet toes
Scraping the Windshield
Power Outages

I've always said I wouldn't mind if it snowed only on the grass and trees, but not on the streets and sidewalks. I got my wish! (okay it's not exactly snow, but it did stay on the grass!

This is what happens when you leave your sprinklers on auto and it freezes overnight.

Yes, it covered the entire lawn!

Manic Monday: Office

My children have grown up loving their principal. The first time I heard about Mr Campbell was when my first grader came home telling me that he went to his office today. I couldn't imagine what he would have done wrong, but he assured me that everything was fine. He was invited down to read his report because it was "done so nicely." It was a mini-mini-mini research paper that the class did. He wrote about the komodo dragon and drew a 1st grade perfect picture.
Future trips to the office included random drawings for children to have a group hot chocolate with him in his office, reading their favorite part of their current book with their peer group, and a lucky few even got to have lunch with him.
Mr Campbell also visited the classrooms and talked to the teachers and kids in the halls. All the kids thought he was awesome.

I grew up dreading the Principal's office. All it took was a reminder from friends that if the "duty" caught you (the on duty teacher watching over recess), you'd be sent to the office. Only the worst kids went there.

Looking at the difference, I think Mr Campbell's way is better. Our peers behaved out of fear, while my children and their peers behave because they want to rise to his expectations.

Now, we are in a new school where the vice principal is the only one they really see and no one wants to see her. My kindergartner doesn't even know that she has a principal. I think they have some work to do.

Manic Monday: Cell

testing, tiring time
rest in sight; gaming awaits.
drudgery instead

I'm the meanest mom on the planet. Deal with it.

Today after school, my children and I were out in the garage, cleaning, organizing, dusting, sweeping. After benchmark test in school, I knew that the older ones were looking forward to coming home to their video games, despite it being a beautiful day. Unfortunately for them, the cell phone bill arrived today.

Ever since we got the additional phone for "emergencies" and "staying in contact with parents after sports" our cell bill has been crazy, thankfully not as bad as the first month. So, instead of video games, we swept out the garage, put the Christmas boxes up in the attic, cleaned out the car...

Yeah, they thought I was evil. Sadly to say, we did have other activities in the evening, so my evil plan lasted less than an hour before I had to make dinner and get off to basketball practice. And, helpful husband only went along with it all to show support, but was clearly wanting to show off to dear son on the computer game, which they did later in the evening.

Don't worry. Mean mom is back tomorrow afternoon to have them finish vacuuming the car and consolidating a couple of boxes of play things. Mwahahahahaha!

Manic Monday: Tradition

In the tradition of children everywhere, there comes a time when satisfying curiosity's call is more rewarding than revelation after a lengthy anticipation. Some learn from the first incident and favor anticipation in the future. Some continue to seek instant gratification.

When I was 8 years old, my sister and I couldn't wait for the rest of the family on Christmas morning. We sneaked out and by the light of the tree, peeked at our gifts. Santa had given us both a beautiful jewelry box containing a necklace bearing our own birthstones. We quickly and quietly made our way back to bed and joined the rest of the family in the living room at the prearranged time. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I happily exclaimed my joy over the necklace before I opened the box with the family. I was one of those who decided that from then on out, I would choose anticipation; sitting and talking in the bedroom wondering at our new gifts was just more fun. (Also, I felt awful that I had ruined the surprise for my parents.)

As far as I know, my children have been curious, but haven't tried to peek...until now.

Alex has always been calmer and more patient. He enjoys the excitement, the gradual build up. The 'not knowing' makes it more exciting when it finally comes. He occupies himself with other thoughts and interests. However, he has a way of "coming across" information very easily.

Aimee is a seeker. Although she is getting better at impulse control, curiosity still gets the better of her on occasion. After her satisfaction, her conscience is restless, so we are usually in on the secret.

At Christmas, their inquisitive minds warrant a little extra care on our part. In a more careless moment this year, Aimee saw something she shouldn't have, and she just "happened" to add the item to her Christmas list. Usually, hiding is the hard part, as our lists are rarely found by our children because of a tradition of mine.

Our holiday tradition is the Christmas gift plan, written in code. The code changes from year to year and at times, it is indecipherable even to the writer, me. Our code was tricky enough this year that our surprises weren't compromised until Christmas morning (I'm pretty sure they peeked.)

Here's our code...let me know what you can figure out.





Manic Monday posts can be found every Monday at Mo's.

Manic Monday: Tree

When we were first married, we went out and chopped down our own tree. It was too tall, so we ended up using just the top part. It was one of the funniest trees we ever had. We have also bought them from the store, but for the past 6 years we have had an artificial tree. I have to admit that it is definitely time for a real one again. Allie, my 5 year old, asked me this year if it was close enough to Christmas to "put together the tree."

As always, it takes me hours to get the lights up...the children were a little impatient and decided to make a tree skirt for our tree while they waited.

After days of partial ornamentation, we got on the ball and got most of the ornaments up. Our completed tree.

For more 'tree' posts, visit the Manic Monday headquarters.

Manic Monday: Candle

On Christmas Eve, one of our traditions is to turn off all the lights in the house; using only the Christmas tree lights and our Christmas candles, we sit around the tree and read the story of the first Christmas and sing Christmas carols. There is something truly peaceful and calm about the soft light from a candle that quietly ushers in the spirit of Christmas love.

Original Christmas countdown candle photo, courtesy of Martin Geisler.

More 'candle' posts at Manic Monday.

Manic Monday: Lights

What would December be without light?! One of things we do every year is drive through town listening to Christmas music and looking at the beautiful Christmas lights. I remember one year when we drove to a city 45 minutes away and checked out this house that had ice scuptures lit and my dad poured us all some hot chocolate out of his work thermos (totally special, huh?!) We loved it and looked forward to the drive to see lights every year, so I've continued it with my own children.
We had some favorites that we made it a point to see every year, and now that we've moved, we have to find some new favorites. We were all totally impressed to find that, even in our tiny town, there is a family that has gone to great lengths for their light display. They have winter, Christmas, and religious themed shapes and have it all set to music, which you can tune on your radio. This year, they even have bleachers so you don't have to sit in your own car. We found it the other night (yeah, we don't read the paper, so what others knew, we actually happened upon...lol) and we are most definitely going back! These houses are so much more fun to see in person and they actually encourage you to walk through the driveway during the show!
They have a few diffent songs that are included in the 10 minute program, but this is the first one.



Apparently, our neighborhood is a little control-freakish because we were looking at our covenants and we are only allowed to have whitle lights. We may try to sneak in a few red ones, but our lights (if we actually get them up) will be much more muted than the computerized display.

The most important light of Christmas is the light we give to each other, through kindness and service. Whether you are one who feels that this is the light of the Christ, the light of life, the light of friendship, or the light of nature, this is the light of the season. It shines forth in every kind smile, every act of service, the sparkle in every child's eye, and each light on the tree. Our life, just like the season, would be very dark without this light.

As always, more 'light' themed posts are over at Mo's Manic Monday blog!

Manic Monday: Shopping

I have to admit...I love shopping. Until I moved so far away from the mall, I wouldn't have admitted my small addiction. But honestly, this past year everyone in my house has had a significant change in wardrobe. I'm not able to pop over to the mall to cruise the sales racks on a regular basis...or even walk the mall. I don't get to put a few things on hold and come back the next day after I've checked out prices and choices elsewhere. I still manage to get it in sometimes, but not as often as I'd like.

Last Christmas, I ended up doing the majority of the gift shopping online. This actually works out well because I usually find that whatever I want at the store is gone. I like the prices online and the availabilty. I still want the store experience for some of the fun, but for holiday shopping, online can't be beat!

So...do you like holiday shopping? Do you like shopping at other times of the year better or not as much? Are you a fan of the online?

As always, you can find more blog chat about "shopping" over at Mo's Manic Monday!

Manic Monday: Harvest

1. We had a pretty good sized garden when I was growing up. I don't have one right now, but I still love fresh produce from the garden. Of course, when the summer came to an end, we had to be sure to get everything we wanted picked and inside before the frost. I remember one year we had tomatoes lined up on newspapers downstairs in our basement. Maybe it was an early frost, maybe it was a shorter growing season, but there they were, ripening and waiting to be made into salsa. My mom even bought tiny salt shakers so that we could eat tomatoes ... we snacked on them with or without salt. Yum!

2. I grew up in an agricultural area, so there were lots of farms around. The only farming experience I have is one year our friend (a farmer) opened up the fields so we could "glean" them, or pick up all the potatoes that had been left behind. I remember it took a long time and I didn't even do much work. Thanks mom and dad for all the yummy potatoes and your hard work!

3. The Law of the Harvest: You Reap What You Sow. If you plant an apple seed, you won't be harvesting peaches.
I look at my job as a mother, and the seed that I plant for my children. Even when we don't think that our kids are watching and even when we don't think we are making a difference, they are watching and they are learning.
This is sometimes easier to observe in someone else's kids, rather than your own. You see the mannerisms that they pick up from their parents, the way that they speak, they way that they walk and talk. Of course our children have their own spirits, their own personalities, their own independence, defiance, and ideas, but as parents, we have a few years to help them develop into the best people they can be.
That job, as a cultivator and nurturer, giving my children the proper seeds planted in their minds and a lot of hard work to get them to grow properly, until they start to decide which ones to cultivate on their own, is something I try to keep a top priority. And hopefully, I don't trim the wrong branches or allow the wrong one to keep growning. I hope I can give them support when they need it and not too much support when they don't, so that they can grow tall and strong.
It's hard work and I love it.

Alright so...country isn't usually my top choice of music, but I love this song and it fits perfectly!



And be sure to check out more thoughts on the harvest at Mo's Manic Monday blog!

Manic Monday: Season

"Season" Graphic courtesy of Jannagraphics.

"Because We Don't All Get A Second Chance"

Winter, its biting cold and piercing wind, was finally at an end. The sun, not yet persuasive enough to encourage the grass and flowers, felt warm and safe, thawing my core. As I stretched and reached, I felt strong. I could tell that I had grown, in both body and spirit. The season of rest had awakened within me the desire to stand firm and not be affected by the changes of the world. It was to be my year, my season to shine.

I worked more than I ever had and earlier than in the past, earlier than those around me. I welcomed the sun; I absorbed all that she was willing to give; still she left me yearning for her touch. At the end of the day, she fled, to grant me time to build. I spent these hours enriching my self from the earth; all that she offered me was never enough.

But it was. They both held knowledge beyond my own., and with their help, I had achieved the first part of my goal.

That spring, my buds were the first to arrive and I was the star that I had dreamed. I stood proud when I heard how beautiful I was and my spirit soared to know the pleasure that I gave them. The joy and elation that the sun had rained upon me in those early days exploded deep inside and I was pleased to be the benefactor now.

When the others joined me in their show of color, I was already green, and so continued to reap the attention I so needed.

The days became warmer and then hot; my beauty provided peace and comfort. I continued to draw nourishment from the sun and the earth until, as always, I felt autumn approaching. The others still appeared vivid and fresh, but in my haste to shake off winter's frigid coat of white, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the spring. I forgot to notice the small changes in the earth as it basked in the new warmth. I forgot to savor the sensation of every part of me strengthening from the nutrients of the earth. I forgot what it felt like to breath the scent of newness and freshness that covers the earth. In my eagerness, I became singulary-focused and lost sight of the big picture.

I froze in my growth. I would stop it all. I refused to succumb to the call of autumn. Although I enjoyed the new change and colors, I wasn't ready to let go of summer; I held onto her warmth. I held onto the season that I had missed. I ignored the crispness, gave no attention to the earth as she changed her offering and prepared herself for the coming days. I hadn't gotten my summer; I would take it now.

I stood strong and green while the others changed. I mocked them for their weakness in allowing the seasons to change them at will. My will was stronger, my determination set. I would enjoy the moments I had missed.

The day of the frost proved that even my strength and resolve was no match for nature. In my resistance, I once again missed out. I lost the beauty of autumn. The time to change had passed and I was now bare like the rest of them...without the colors that I so loved. I grieved for my loss and for my naiveness.

Yes, the sun and earth held knowledge beyond my own.

I was too busy being what I thought I should be to enjoy just being me.

I will ever more immerse myself in the uniqueness of each season. I will savor. I will bask. I will see. I will breath life.

Check out more thoughts on "season" at Mo's Manic Monday.

Manic Monday: Bounty

Light and peace await with open arms

if only we will allow ourselves to see

the bounty that surrounds us and give thanks

for everything that completes us.

sun.moon.mountains.sea.blue skies.calming rains.changing seasons.food.water.home. family.love.music.dancing.amazing body.photos.kids.babies.mom and dad.sisters.brother. husband.marriage.home.massages.smiles.good books.clean sheets.peace.safety.security.