Things have been a little off around here, it's true.
Today was more of the same.
My guts are wrenched for the pain and loss a dear friend is suffering.
It's the sort of thing that makes you look at the world through different-colored glasses than usual, and let me tell you, they're not the rose-colored ones that people like to talk about.
You just sort of shake your head and you don't understand. You know that nobody ever understands the hard stuff, but you still feel like you need to try. And it doesn't work.
Sigh.
Some good news, though - Andrew and Chris are in Orlando for the Florida State Technology Student Association Conference. Kids from schools all over the state come and compete in a wide variety of events. Andrew's in three events over the next three days, and in his first event, the Multimedia Presentation, he is a top-10 finalist! That means he had to put on a navy blazer and a TSA tie and be interviewed. We won't know his final placement until Saturday, but it doesn't really matter to me. I think it's fantastic that he's already done so well. I mean, it's one of those things where you aren't really surprised, but it's still surprisingly awesome.
DAILY BLISS: a nest full of baby mockingbirds in my front yard - i think it's the same pair that nested there last year. i'm loving the sweet little hungry noises they make!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Public Interest Announcement
Toward the best interest of my reading public, (all three of you) and so that you know it is not always homegrown-tomatoes-and-sewing-success-and-knitted-goodness around here, please take notice of the following announcements:
1) I have saggy, dark circles under my eyes as of about two o'clock this afternoon
2) I hate my job and I'm not sure how to gracefully get out of it, or even when I'll be able to
3) #2 makes the majority of my waking hours subject to unbidden daydreaming
4) #3 makes me less productive than I should be
5) I am very tired. I found myself sitting on the sofa today, with an hour and a half at my disposal. I could not, however, seem to coax my body into action. My body just sat there, leafing through old issues of InStyle Magazine that were passed on to me today and noticing dresses that it liked while my mind shouted, "What are you doing? Get up and cross something off that insurmountable list!"
6) I just wandered through the Super Wal Marts, listening to Kings of Leon on my iPod, for a two-weeks-overdue grocery trip (not that old mommies grocery shopping at Wal Mart is probably what they're after as far as an audience goes). I managed to leave there having purchased only one dinner's worth of groceries but spending over $100. Granted, we were out of almost every imaginable toiletry item. But still.
7) It's all good. Not hitting rock bottom or anything. Just feeling "bleh."
DAILY BLISS: balmy, breezy, nighttime, Florida spring air
1) I have saggy, dark circles under my eyes as of about two o'clock this afternoon
2) I hate my job and I'm not sure how to gracefully get out of it, or even when I'll be able to
3) #2 makes the majority of my waking hours subject to unbidden daydreaming
4) #3 makes me less productive than I should be
5) I am very tired. I found myself sitting on the sofa today, with an hour and a half at my disposal. I could not, however, seem to coax my body into action. My body just sat there, leafing through old issues of InStyle Magazine that were passed on to me today and noticing dresses that it liked while my mind shouted, "What are you doing? Get up and cross something off that insurmountable list!"
6) I just wandered through the Super Wal Marts, listening to Kings of Leon on my iPod, for a two-weeks-overdue grocery trip (not that old mommies grocery shopping at Wal Mart is probably what they're after as far as an audience goes). I managed to leave there having purchased only one dinner's worth of groceries but spending over $100. Granted, we were out of almost every imaginable toiletry item. But still.
7) It's all good. Not hitting rock bottom or anything. Just feeling "bleh."
DAILY BLISS: balmy, breezy, nighttime, Florida spring air
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Beets!
We pulled up our beet harvest today - our weensy beet harvest.
Granted, we planted them a bit late in the season, and the small hands that planted them put them in the dirt in a slightly crowded jumble.
But there are nearly enough greens to serve with some corn bread and black eyed peas for a dinner and there are nearly enough stunted, tiny beets for a colorful, roasted-root-veggie side dish to accompany some chicken or something equally nice.
And that's enough.
I'm not ready for Big Harvests and Adventures in Canning.
This is how little girls harvest beets - delicately and gently, caring for each wispy root as though it were still needed:
And this is how boys harvest beets - efficiently and in large, muddy clumps, never caring whether a tender leaf is bruised or torn:
These are among the first edible fruits of our gardening. Though it's a only small bit of food, it's exciting - even for 11-year-old boys who try very hard not to be genuinely excited about much. We are learning something nearly every day and now, as our tomatoes and peppers and beans, peas and cucumbers grow and bloom. I can hardly wait for August and September to get here. That's the next shot I get at really planting some stuff! From now until then, it's mostly okra, black eyed peas and squash, from what I understand (which I did go ahead and plant this weekend).
DAILY BLISS: evening coffee & the fun possibilities of paint chips
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Some Good Stuff
I haven't been here in a couple of days. That's not like me. I know it's not like a few days between posts is a huge time lapse, but for me it is. I guess I just haven't felt like writing anything. I'm tired and I'm having more trouble handling some of the stress in my life than I want to admit. Heck, even admitting that I have stress is difficult for me. So, it's hard for even me to find the good things in life sometimes. And I don't like to write about the crappy stuff. It doesn't help that much.
But I've been amassing a stack of good stuff over the last couple of days and I think it's about time I sit down and remember the little things.
Friday night, I had big plans. I had actually cancelled some long-standing plans to make room for the big plans. And the big plans fell through. Not the kind of fall-through where you have advance notice, just the silent kind of fall-through. And at 6:30 Friday night, I really needed something to cheer me up. And one of Emma's friends' mom called me up to invite my girl and me to see the new Hannah Montana movie. Hannah Montana is something we really haven't gotten into. It's not that I have anything against her...it's just that I tend to omit brand names from our life wherever possible. But we partook of the pop culture phenomenon that is Miley Cyrus and we had such a great time. And I didn't even hate it. I hear that she's kind of a fan of my brother's band. Admittedly, that bumped her up, like, 8 notches of cool in my book.
So, Friday night was rescued.
Then Chris and I stayed up way too late catching up on all of our TV shows online that we'd missed while he was out of town.
And you know what else is good stuff? Sleeping in. I slept until 9:00 this morning! Uncharacteristic of me, but totally necessary sometimes. It seemed I especially needed it.
I made some vegan pancakes this morning that were actually tasty (my unfortunate allergy to eggs and intolerance of dairy makes bread-y food a little tricky and I've found that searching for vegan recipes usually saves the day for me). And we spent some time in our garden weeding and watering and picking a few of the first tomatoes.
We went out to run a few errands and stopped by the nursery where we bought all our tomatoes. I was a-huntin' for some okra, as I hear it grows well over the summer and now is the time to get it in the ground. I actually had three holes to fill in our little patch of veg. The guy there recognized us and when I picked up the dragon's tongue bean seedling I loved the most, he just threw in the rest of the seedlings he had on hand for free! There were only four others left and they needed to get into the ground. So, hooray for a nursery that knows me and for free plants and wonderful advice! Since I needed to put them out somewhere and since our lettuce is pretty much done for the year, I dug it all out when we got home and started a little bean patch. It hasn't been all sunshine-and-success in our garden, but I think we're off to a great start. He's got some miniature watermelons and cantaloupes that will be ready next week and I think I'm gonna have to go get some. Dang. I'm hooked.
We enjoyed a dinner of BLTs, with the L and the T coming from our very own garden, and a yummy popcorn concoction containing chocolate chips, toasted coconut and banana chips while we watched The Princess Bride with the kiddos. That was momentous! I think they both really liked it.
Sigh.
A day full of the good stuff is what I really needed, and I'd say I got just that. One more night of solid sleeping should set me back right, I think.
But I've been amassing a stack of good stuff over the last couple of days and I think it's about time I sit down and remember the little things.
Friday night, I had big plans. I had actually cancelled some long-standing plans to make room for the big plans. And the big plans fell through. Not the kind of fall-through where you have advance notice, just the silent kind of fall-through. And at 6:30 Friday night, I really needed something to cheer me up. And one of Emma's friends' mom called me up to invite my girl and me to see the new Hannah Montana movie. Hannah Montana is something we really haven't gotten into. It's not that I have anything against her...it's just that I tend to omit brand names from our life wherever possible. But we partook of the pop culture phenomenon that is Miley Cyrus and we had such a great time. And I didn't even hate it. I hear that she's kind of a fan of my brother's band. Admittedly, that bumped her up, like, 8 notches of cool in my book.
So, Friday night was rescued.
Then Chris and I stayed up way too late catching up on all of our TV shows online that we'd missed while he was out of town.
And you know what else is good stuff? Sleeping in. I slept until 9:00 this morning! Uncharacteristic of me, but totally necessary sometimes. It seemed I especially needed it.
I made some vegan pancakes this morning that were actually tasty (my unfortunate allergy to eggs and intolerance of dairy makes bread-y food a little tricky and I've found that searching for vegan recipes usually saves the day for me). And we spent some time in our garden weeding and watering and picking a few of the first tomatoes.
We went out to run a few errands and stopped by the nursery where we bought all our tomatoes. I was a-huntin' for some okra, as I hear it grows well over the summer and now is the time to get it in the ground. I actually had three holes to fill in our little patch of veg. The guy there recognized us and when I picked up the dragon's tongue bean seedling I loved the most, he just threw in the rest of the seedlings he had on hand for free! There were only four others left and they needed to get into the ground. So, hooray for a nursery that knows me and for free plants and wonderful advice! Since I needed to put them out somewhere and since our lettuce is pretty much done for the year, I dug it all out when we got home and started a little bean patch. It hasn't been all sunshine-and-success in our garden, but I think we're off to a great start. He's got some miniature watermelons and cantaloupes that will be ready next week and I think I'm gonna have to go get some. Dang. I'm hooked.
We enjoyed a dinner of BLTs, with the L and the T coming from our very own garden, and a yummy popcorn concoction containing chocolate chips, toasted coconut and banana chips while we watched The Princess Bride with the kiddos. That was momentous! I think they both really liked it.
Sigh.
A day full of the good stuff is what I really needed, and I'd say I got just that. One more night of solid sleeping should set me back right, I think.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Face of Fear
Emma was in the spelling bee yesterday at school. She and another boy won their class tournament, and yesterday both classes of each grade competed to determine who would represent the school at the regional spelling bee.
My poor girl has inherited a few of my
Second, she has a stringent, perfectionist standard for herself. Flaws in other people? No problem. That's what grace is all about. Flaws in one's self? Ack. Panic.
Third...you know what? That's all for now. We're gettin' a little too pers'nal.
Anyway, she choked last year during the spelling bee and misspelled an easy peasy word. And she sobbed and sobbed.
I absolutely understood.
When she won the class tournament this year, she did not tell me. I didn't know anything about it. I got an email from her teacher that started out with, "I'm sure Emma already has told you all about it, but..." And I had to tell her that, in fact, I hadn't heard a peep out of her on the subject. And when I asked Emma about it, she screwed her face all up and said she didn't want to do it.
Of course, I knew why she didn't want to do it.
And of course, like any mama should, I made her do it anyway. Not in the dragging her feet and screaming sort of way, but I told her she should try and conquer this thing. And we discussed worst-case scenarios (and the truth behind them): barfing on stage (everybody will just be worried about you), misspelling a word (heck, all but one are going down that way), being the first to misspell a word (well, somebody has to be first, and if it's you, won't you be relieved it's all over?) and other such niceties.
She agreed to participate, trying to bargain with me the whole way - what if she won? Would I make her go to regionals too? And I said we'd cross that bridge when we got there.
So, she did it. She came in second place, which should be a relief, right?
Nope.
Tears.
Utter devastation.
And on the surface, it would seem to be disappointment associated with loss.
But she's my girl, and I knew better.
She had misspelled an easy peasy word again. She's embarrassed to misspell something so easy in front of everyone. And mostly, she's mad at herself. She's mad that she couldn't beat the stage fright beast. She's mad because she knows she can out-spell most everyone in the room, including most of the adults. She's mad because she wasn't able to prove it.
And I understood.
We went to a private corner and I dried up her red, wet cheeks. I tried to offer some silver-lining platitudes. But they weren't enough.
Then she brightened up and said, "Well, at least I was the top speller in my class."
You know what? That kid is going to be okay. My silver linings were not good enough, but she was able to find her own.
PS: aren't her new bangs cute?
DAILY BLISS: sigh. my honey is back home. even without all the other wonderful things he brings to the table in this relationship, i'd keep him around just to have somebody else make my coffee in the mornings.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Suspension
I ended up working at home today, which is probably a good thing. We still didn't have our computers and stuff all up and running in the office (after we were struck by lightning last week), so I brought all my stuff home, opened my windows, turned on some good music, and...
got distracted.
It's been cloudy and breezy all day and the promising scent of rain floated through my windows. It called me out to my porch for a bit. It was just a tiny minute, but it was so nice. I talked to a dove and said hello to a Papa Mockingbird.
I talked to my brother and to Julianna. I did laundry and dishes. I deconstructed a dress that needs re-constructing. And, I mean, I got my work done too, mostly.
And with all that, I still feel like I'm in some state of suspended animation. I'm waiting for my honey to come home. I'm waiting on some decisions about what to do with my kids over the summer. I'm waiting to see what will come of my job situation. So, no matter how much I get done, so much feels undone and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.
I have a few more tasks to accomplish before bed tonight. I don't even want to tackle them. Maybe it's just that I don't think they'll make me feel any more accomplished, what with all the big stuff out there, waiting to be solved.
The rain loomed and flirted with my parched lawn all afternoon. It finally burst out at the most inopportune moment - Emma and I were on our way in to Publix to pick up a chicken. The wind blew my skirt up and around in many embarrassing ways as I tried to hold onto it with one hand, struggling to keep the umbrella in the other, simultaneously sheltering my little one from the fierce onslaught. She squealed and I screamed and the boys who were gathering errant carts smiled at the two of us.
I'm not worried or stressed about the undone things - yet. But when they do all come tumbling together, I promise to squeal loud enough for all to hear.
DAILY BLISS: open windows
got distracted.
It's been cloudy and breezy all day and the promising scent of rain floated through my windows. It called me out to my porch for a bit. It was just a tiny minute, but it was so nice. I talked to a dove and said hello to a Papa Mockingbird.
I talked to my brother and to Julianna. I did laundry and dishes. I deconstructed a dress that needs re-constructing. And, I mean, I got my work done too, mostly.
And with all that, I still feel like I'm in some state of suspended animation. I'm waiting for my honey to come home. I'm waiting on some decisions about what to do with my kids over the summer. I'm waiting to see what will come of my job situation. So, no matter how much I get done, so much feels undone and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.
I have a few more tasks to accomplish before bed tonight. I don't even want to tackle them. Maybe it's just that I don't think they'll make me feel any more accomplished, what with all the big stuff out there, waiting to be solved.
The rain loomed and flirted with my parched lawn all afternoon. It finally burst out at the most inopportune moment - Emma and I were on our way in to Publix to pick up a chicken. The wind blew my skirt up and around in many embarrassing ways as I tried to hold onto it with one hand, struggling to keep the umbrella in the other, simultaneously sheltering my little one from the fierce onslaught. She squealed and I screamed and the boys who were gathering errant carts smiled at the two of us.
I'm not worried or stressed about the undone things - yet. But when they do all come tumbling together, I promise to squeal loud enough for all to hear.
DAILY BLISS: open windows
Sunday, April 19, 2009
No Loss
Hi there. Guess I went MIA there for a little bit. I left you on a bad note, but it's not been all that bad since. I mean, it's been a really tough week - one of those weeks when random things pelt you from all directions. And I'm tired and I just didn't feel like I wanted to say anything nice. But we did other stuff too.
I worked on a few sewing projects and Andrew attended his first youth group lock-in. Emma and I got haircuts and we dog-sat for my parents who were out of town (it seemed like just everyone was out of town this weekend).
But I finished a dress that was giving me serious trouble. It should have been a simple dress. No lining, just bias trim for the straps, circle skirt...lots of fabric, but super easy. Only, I made the size I measured myself to be and it was way too big. So, I had to remake and re-remake it and I finally got it wearable today. It has sweet little bows at the shoulder
and the ultimate twirly skirt.
And I danced by myself to my favorite start-over-fresh song - Bandits by Midlake.
Did you ever want to be overrun by bandits;
to hand over all of your things and start over new?
while we were out hunting for food
our house was being robbed
I caught an apple and she caught a fox
so I caught a rabbit but she caught an ox
so upon our return, we found everything gone
which for us was no loss
and we started over
with a rabbit and an ox
DAILY BLISS: playing Uno with my kiddos
I worked on a few sewing projects and Andrew attended his first youth group lock-in. Emma and I got haircuts and we dog-sat for my parents who were out of town (it seemed like just everyone was out of town this weekend).
But I finished a dress that was giving me serious trouble. It should have been a simple dress. No lining, just bias trim for the straps, circle skirt...lots of fabric, but super easy. Only, I made the size I measured myself to be and it was way too big. So, I had to remake and re-remake it and I finally got it wearable today. It has sweet little bows at the shoulder
and the ultimate twirly skirt.
And I danced by myself to my favorite start-over-fresh song - Bandits by Midlake.
Did you ever want to be overrun by bandits;
to hand over all of your things and start over new?
while we were out hunting for food
our house was being robbed
I caught an apple and she caught a fox
so I caught a rabbit but she caught an ox
so upon our return, we found everything gone
which for us was no loss
and we started over
with a rabbit and an ox
DAILY BLISS: playing Uno with my kiddos
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Last Straw
So, usually I try to keep things fun here. Even when I'm blabbing about stress, I try to find the light side of things. Mostly, I just try to be honest.
But today, I'm pissed at my boss. And I think, in spite of the state of the job market, I'm looking for something else.
I work for a pastor. But, he's not like any pastor I've ever met. And I don't mean that in a good way.
I have tried to find something that I respect about him. I have tried to stand behind part of the ministry there. I haven't been able to find anything to stand behind.
And yesterday, he lit into a family at the church and said,
"You can take the trash out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the trash."
Honestly.
He told me with disgust that he doesn't touch the girls' head to bless them when the family comes up for communion because their hair looks greasy.
So, these poor girls have grown up in church being the only children that the pastor doesn't touch to bless.
There was definitely more to the conversation and I really don't want to relive the whole thing here, lest I fall into the trap of insufferable gossip that waits for me every day at work.
I'm so angry that I have itchy hives and even a nice glass of wine has not helped me much. I'm going to check out my bath tub and see if that does the trick. I know that seems a wee bit over-reactive, but it's more than the single instance. It's the build-up of such injustices over the course of the last few years. Needless to say, that's it.
I'm done.
It may take a couple of weeks to find something else, it may take a year. But I'm done. And I hope I don't say something stupid in the meantime that gets me fired.
I think it's different in a secular work environment. Maybe you could even further narrow it by saying it's different in a non-church environment. But a church - a pastor? The expectations are different - you expect to find a heart that has mercy and grace and seeks justice, that, oh, I don't know, atempts to treat others like the "least of these."
I've heard it said that the expectations shouldn't be different for a pastor (in comparison to, say, a manager). But I've heard it said by the same people that they'd better get their reserved parking space. I've seen the same people put on their clerical collar so they get better treatment at restaurants and the Post Office.
And I'm ready to spend my time in a place that reinforces my cynicism a little less.
DAILY BLISS: a leaf burn in the orange grove - smells so nice!
But today, I'm pissed at my boss. And I think, in spite of the state of the job market, I'm looking for something else.
I work for a pastor. But, he's not like any pastor I've ever met. And I don't mean that in a good way.
I have tried to find something that I respect about him. I have tried to stand behind part of the ministry there. I haven't been able to find anything to stand behind.
And yesterday, he lit into a family at the church and said,
"You can take the trash out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the trash."
Honestly.
He told me with disgust that he doesn't touch the girls' head to bless them when the family comes up for communion because their hair looks greasy.
So, these poor girls have grown up in church being the only children that the pastor doesn't touch to bless.
There was definitely more to the conversation and I really don't want to relive the whole thing here, lest I fall into the trap of insufferable gossip that waits for me every day at work.
I'm so angry that I have itchy hives and even a nice glass of wine has not helped me much. I'm going to check out my bath tub and see if that does the trick. I know that seems a wee bit over-reactive, but it's more than the single instance. It's the build-up of such injustices over the course of the last few years. Needless to say, that's it.
I'm done.
It may take a couple of weeks to find something else, it may take a year. But I'm done. And I hope I don't say something stupid in the meantime that gets me fired.
I think it's different in a secular work environment. Maybe you could even further narrow it by saying it's different in a non-church environment. But a church - a pastor? The expectations are different - you expect to find a heart that has mercy and grace and seeks justice, that, oh, I don't know, atempts to treat others like the "least of these."
I've heard it said that the expectations shouldn't be different for a pastor (in comparison to, say, a manager). But I've heard it said by the same people that they'd better get their reserved parking space. I've seen the same people put on their clerical collar so they get better treatment at restaurants and the Post Office.
And I'm ready to spend my time in a place that reinforces my cynicism a little less.
DAILY BLISS: a leaf burn in the orange grove - smells so nice!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Best Kind
Old friends are just the best kind of friends.
I know I've said it before, but my friends in school were almost all boys. Kris (whose wife Mary is a friend here on this blog) and I were best of friends starting in the 7th grade and Shane came along soon after. Jayson (whose parents are now Andrew's English and Science teachers) and I went to prom together one year. Becky joined up with us sometime around 9th grade or 10th, maybe, and helped me take care of these fellas - we gave them all funny nicknames and committed sundry other crimes against them. And Shawn kind of came into the fold around the time that I was leaving those boys for the man who is now my husband.
Tonight, I got to hang out with my boys and their Best Girls, my Becky and all of our children! What a treat! My husband seems to remember that it has been some 10 years since we were all in the same room. If you include Becky in that number, it's been even longer.
Our number has definitely increased since then. Some of us have taken the Biblical mandate of "be fruitful and multiply" very seriously. There are 12 children between us all!
We'd planned to meet at a park and enjoy eating dinner outside and just letting the kids run, but the weather didn't cooperate. We had so much rain today, which was wonderful for my tomatoes but not so much wonderful for a picnic. It's okay, though, we just moved our gathering into this indoor play place that's full of giant inflatables and arcade games. We got no complaints from the kiddos on that one.
It's really cool to search the faces of all the little ones in the room and find glimpses of your dear friends as they were so many years ago.
Thanks go to Kris for working this all out. He always did like to be in charge of things. That used to kind of piss me off because I like to be in charge of things. But now, I'm so glad that he doesn't mind being the Organizer of Great Fun.
DAILY BLISS: A late supper of toast and chocolate annnnd....no fewer than five people stopped me today to tell me they *loved* my dress! Of course, I'm talking about my Easter dress. The one I made.
I know I've said it before, but my friends in school were almost all boys. Kris (whose wife Mary is a friend here on this blog) and I were best of friends starting in the 7th grade and Shane came along soon after. Jayson (whose parents are now Andrew's English and Science teachers) and I went to prom together one year. Becky joined up with us sometime around 9th grade or 10th, maybe, and helped me take care of these fellas - we gave them all funny nicknames and committed sundry other crimes against them. And Shawn kind of came into the fold around the time that I was leaving those boys for the man who is now my husband.
Tonight, I got to hang out with my boys and their Best Girls, my Becky and all of our children! What a treat! My husband seems to remember that it has been some 10 years since we were all in the same room. If you include Becky in that number, it's been even longer.
Our number has definitely increased since then. Some of us have taken the Biblical mandate of "be fruitful and multiply" very seriously. There are 12 children between us all!
We'd planned to meet at a park and enjoy eating dinner outside and just letting the kids run, but the weather didn't cooperate. We had so much rain today, which was wonderful for my tomatoes but not so much wonderful for a picnic. It's okay, though, we just moved our gathering into this indoor play place that's full of giant inflatables and arcade games. We got no complaints from the kiddos on that one.
It's really cool to search the faces of all the little ones in the room and find glimpses of your dear friends as they were so many years ago.
Thanks go to Kris for working this all out. He always did like to be in charge of things. That used to kind of piss me off because I like to be in charge of things. But now, I'm so glad that he doesn't mind being the Organizer of Great Fun.
DAILY BLISS: A late supper of toast and chocolate annnnd....no fewer than five people stopped me today to tell me they *loved* my dress! Of course, I'm talking about my Easter dress. The one I made.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
He Is Risen Indeed!
I love that traditional church Easter greeting:
Person 1:"He is risen!"
Person 2: "He is risen, indeed!"
It's how my mom woke us up every Easter morning and it's how I wake up my kids on Easter morning too. When Emma went to bed last night, she asked me not to forget to say it in the morning. I assured her I wouldn't forget.
It was nice that the kids got to go to bed last night, because I pretty much did not.
I don't know why I am compelled to continue thinking and behaving as though I were a stay-at-home mom who has time to make things. I guess I am reluctant to let my life's circumstances steal the things that bring me joy. So I insist on having them, even though I don't have time for them. My husband lectured me about that this past week, which is big. He doesn't ever say things to me like, "You worry me when..." or "I don't think it's a good idea if you...." but he did this time. He told me I need to sleep sometimes. And he's right, but I just didn't obey last night. I had an Easter dress in mind for myself and for Emma, salad to cut up and blackberry biscuits to put together, and life didn't give me time to get to it until late in the day yesterday. And since I didn't purchase back-up dresses and we don't regularly attend a church that requires much more than pajamas on a Sunday morning (so we don't have church dresses in our closets), I had to buckle down and make the dresses. All in all, I'm glad I did. It was a real exercise in creativity for me.
I made Emma's dress out of an old dress shirt of my brother's and a yard of half-priced quilting cotton.
I kept the button placket and let it run down the back of the dress, inspired by one I'd seen on a crafting site. There are lots of other cute ways to do the same type of trick, like this and this.
I really liked the little ruffle I added on the sleeve. The Little Miss was pleased, and that's what counts.
And mine? Well, I made it out of a thrifted sheet. That seems to be a really great way to get a bunch of soft cotton in pretty prints at a really great price. It was a big hit at church this morning - all the girls I know all came up to me and asked me breathlessly if I'd made it. I breathlessly told them that, yes, I had. And one girl said I shouldn't tell everybody it was made out of a sheet, that they'd never know if I didn't say anything. But that's a little problem I have - I say everything to everybody.
So, hey. Guess what? I made my Easter dress out of an old sheet with pretty bluebirds on it! Mindy took some pictures for me so I could show you the dress, and I can't decide which one I like best, so I'm going to show them all to you, 'k?
We went to my grandma's church this morning with the whole family - my parents, my sisters in law and one of my brothers (the other one's on tour with his band right now). That was really nice (The rest of our own church spent the mornings with their own families. I love that doing church the way we do allows for that sort of thing). I was doing just fine and enjoying the worship until the choir started singing and I very suddenly missed my grandpa terribly. He sang in the choir for so many years and his exuberant baritone was easily recognizeable over the rest of the singers. I cried. There are still moments when the loss of my grandpa is so fresh.
We followed up the church service with a really nice lunch (ham, homemade bread, strawberry, asparagus, and pecan salad, lots of fresh fruits and veggies) and a little egg hunt.
Andrew's a little big for that now, so we let him hide the eggs. I'm not sure what we'll do next year. It's odd that our kids are old enough that our celebrations and traditions need to start changing. Sigh. It really does go by so fast.
This is how we do egg-huntin' in Polk County:
The Redneck Easter Bunny likes to hide eggs in pickup trucks.
One more thing. I finished my aunt's shawl! I blocked it Saturday and unpinned it in time to take a picture or two before I send it north to her. My husband is going to be on the road again for the next couple of weeks, but he'll be stopping in at my aunt and uncle's house, making it very convenient for him to deliver the shawl in person. I'm really pleased with how it came out.
Do you remember the fiasco this project was at first? I'm so glad I switched patterns. This one has tiny beads throughout - just a little bit of glamour, just like my Aunt. Click on the photos for bigger images, if you want, and you will be able to see the beads.
And I'm including this picture because of the face I'm making in it. I smirk a lot, but I don't think I've ever seen an actual picture of it. My Wii Me has a smirk. And I look just a little bit like, "Yeah that's right. I made this. In your face."
For those of you, my friends, who are Believers, I hope you had a joy-filled weekend of remembrance and celebration. And for those of you, my friends, who are not, I hope you at least got some chocolate eggs!
Person 1:"He is risen!"
Person 2: "He is risen, indeed!"
It's how my mom woke us up every Easter morning and it's how I wake up my kids on Easter morning too. When Emma went to bed last night, she asked me not to forget to say it in the morning. I assured her I wouldn't forget.
It was nice that the kids got to go to bed last night, because I pretty much did not.
I don't know why I am compelled to continue thinking and behaving as though I were a stay-at-home mom who has time to make things. I guess I am reluctant to let my life's circumstances steal the things that bring me joy. So I insist on having them, even though I don't have time for them. My husband lectured me about that this past week, which is big. He doesn't ever say things to me like, "You worry me when..." or "I don't think it's a good idea if you...." but he did this time. He told me I need to sleep sometimes. And he's right, but I just didn't obey last night. I had an Easter dress in mind for myself and for Emma, salad to cut up and blackberry biscuits to put together, and life didn't give me time to get to it until late in the day yesterday. And since I didn't purchase back-up dresses and we don't regularly attend a church that requires much more than pajamas on a Sunday morning (so we don't have church dresses in our closets), I had to buckle down and make the dresses. All in all, I'm glad I did. It was a real exercise in creativity for me.
I made Emma's dress out of an old dress shirt of my brother's and a yard of half-priced quilting cotton.
I kept the button placket and let it run down the back of the dress, inspired by one I'd seen on a crafting site. There are lots of other cute ways to do the same type of trick, like this and this.
I really liked the little ruffle I added on the sleeve. The Little Miss was pleased, and that's what counts.
And mine? Well, I made it out of a thrifted sheet. That seems to be a really great way to get a bunch of soft cotton in pretty prints at a really great price. It was a big hit at church this morning - all the girls I know all came up to me and asked me breathlessly if I'd made it. I breathlessly told them that, yes, I had. And one girl said I shouldn't tell everybody it was made out of a sheet, that they'd never know if I didn't say anything. But that's a little problem I have - I say everything to everybody.
So, hey. Guess what? I made my Easter dress out of an old sheet with pretty bluebirds on it! Mindy took some pictures for me so I could show you the dress, and I can't decide which one I like best, so I'm going to show them all to you, 'k?
We went to my grandma's church this morning with the whole family - my parents, my sisters in law and one of my brothers (the other one's on tour with his band right now). That was really nice (The rest of our own church spent the mornings with their own families. I love that doing church the way we do allows for that sort of thing). I was doing just fine and enjoying the worship until the choir started singing and I very suddenly missed my grandpa terribly. He sang in the choir for so many years and his exuberant baritone was easily recognizeable over the rest of the singers. I cried. There are still moments when the loss of my grandpa is so fresh.
We followed up the church service with a really nice lunch (ham, homemade bread, strawberry, asparagus, and pecan salad, lots of fresh fruits and veggies) and a little egg hunt.
Andrew's a little big for that now, so we let him hide the eggs. I'm not sure what we'll do next year. It's odd that our kids are old enough that our celebrations and traditions need to start changing. Sigh. It really does go by so fast.
This is how we do egg-huntin' in Polk County:
The Redneck Easter Bunny likes to hide eggs in pickup trucks.
One more thing. I finished my aunt's shawl! I blocked it Saturday and unpinned it in time to take a picture or two before I send it north to her. My husband is going to be on the road again for the next couple of weeks, but he'll be stopping in at my aunt and uncle's house, making it very convenient for him to deliver the shawl in person. I'm really pleased with how it came out.
Do you remember the fiasco this project was at first? I'm so glad I switched patterns. This one has tiny beads throughout - just a little bit of glamour, just like my Aunt. Click on the photos for bigger images, if you want, and you will be able to see the beads.
And I'm including this picture because of the face I'm making in it. I smirk a lot, but I don't think I've ever seen an actual picture of it. My Wii Me has a smirk. And I look just a little bit like, "Yeah that's right. I made this. In your face."
For those of you, my friends, who are Believers, I hope you had a joy-filled weekend of remembrance and celebration. And for those of you, my friends, who are not, I hope you at least got some chocolate eggs!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Another holiday weekend, filled with the crazy running that holidays cause around here. Been busy, going to stay busy.
But I'm glad this year for the quiet time of reflection that Good Friday can be in a small church. I'm surrounded by people who are stressed out over choir songs and sermons and lilies and other trappings of the celebration and who forget to sit down and breathe in the beauty of these days in Christian history that we are celebrating. We had a small church service tonight, with communion.
Later, Chris and I recalled the perks that come with being the Easter bunny! WooHoo! I do like candy.
There is crazy crafting going on in an effort to be dressed finely for Easter Sunday. We shall see how it all comes out.
DAILY BLISS: almost finishing my Easter dress!
But I'm glad this year for the quiet time of reflection that Good Friday can be in a small church. I'm surrounded by people who are stressed out over choir songs and sermons and lilies and other trappings of the celebration and who forget to sit down and breathe in the beauty of these days in Christian history that we are celebrating. We had a small church service tonight, with communion.
Later, Chris and I recalled the perks that come with being the Easter bunny! WooHoo! I do like candy.
There is crazy crafting going on in an effort to be dressed finely for Easter Sunday. We shall see how it all comes out.
DAILY BLISS: almost finishing my Easter dress!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dee-lish
We just had a really yummy and simple dinner, so I thought I'd share it with you. I mean, as a recipe. Obviously, you can't all come to my house and eat the leftovers. And even if you could all come over, there aren't any leftovers. So, you know, here's a honey mustard chicken recipe with orange-sauteed snap peas:
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. dijon mustard
1 T dried dill or 2 T fresh
1 orange, zested
1 lb. fresh sugar snap peas (or more if you want - they're really yummy!)
1 T oil
coarse kosher salt
Mix together the honey, mustard, dill and 1 t. of the orange zest and coat the chicken breasts with it.
Now, the recipe (one of those cards that you get in the mail from some recipe-subscription company as a teaser) calls for whole, cut-up chicken. I don't like that stuff as much. They suggested using the broiler to cook boneless, skinless chicken so I thought I'd try it. I found that their suggested time was pretty far off, and they didn't say high or low broiler temp either, so, I used my broiler on low and it took about 20 minutes, flipping once to get both sides nice and caramelized. Of course, cut into one of the fat ones to check for doneness - or use a meat thermometer if you're all technical.
While the broiler is heating up, snap the ends off the pea pods, and heat up the oil in a skillet. Once you put the chicken under the broiler, add the peas to your skillet and juice that orange that you zested earlier, right over the peas. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and the rest of the orange zest. Sautee the peas until they're bright green and crisp-tender. By then, the orange juice should have reduced to a nice, syrupy consistency and started coating the peas. If it's too watery, just remove the peas and continue to reduce the juice, then pour it over the peas.
Et voila! A tasty, easy supper.
PS: If you aren't a chicken eater, at least try the peas. Trust me.
I'm a little bleary-eyed today. It's my busiest week at work for the whole year, including the week before Christmas. No other week contains as many worship services that require various publications and special requests from parishioners. I'm kind of zombie-ing my way through the rest of this evening and hoping I can stumble through tomorrow. Good Friday, I'm sleepin' in.
Listening to: The Avett Brothers, The Greatest Sum & Souls Like the Wheels
Daily Bliss: Two new magazines in the mail! Now, if I could just find the time to read them...
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. dijon mustard
1 T dried dill or 2 T fresh
1 orange, zested
1 lb. fresh sugar snap peas (or more if you want - they're really yummy!)
1 T oil
coarse kosher salt
Mix together the honey, mustard, dill and 1 t. of the orange zest and coat the chicken breasts with it.
Now, the recipe (one of those cards that you get in the mail from some recipe-subscription company as a teaser) calls for whole, cut-up chicken. I don't like that stuff as much. They suggested using the broiler to cook boneless, skinless chicken so I thought I'd try it. I found that their suggested time was pretty far off, and they didn't say high or low broiler temp either, so, I used my broiler on low and it took about 20 minutes, flipping once to get both sides nice and caramelized. Of course, cut into one of the fat ones to check for doneness - or use a meat thermometer if you're all technical.
While the broiler is heating up, snap the ends off the pea pods, and heat up the oil in a skillet. Once you put the chicken under the broiler, add the peas to your skillet and juice that orange that you zested earlier, right over the peas. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and the rest of the orange zest. Sautee the peas until they're bright green and crisp-tender. By then, the orange juice should have reduced to a nice, syrupy consistency and started coating the peas. If it's too watery, just remove the peas and continue to reduce the juice, then pour it over the peas.
Et voila! A tasty, easy supper.
PS: If you aren't a chicken eater, at least try the peas. Trust me.
I'm a little bleary-eyed today. It's my busiest week at work for the whole year, including the week before Christmas. No other week contains as many worship services that require various publications and special requests from parishioners. I'm kind of zombie-ing my way through the rest of this evening and hoping I can stumble through tomorrow. Good Friday, I'm sleepin' in.
Listening to: The Avett Brothers, The Greatest Sum & Souls Like the Wheels
Daily Bliss: Two new magazines in the mail! Now, if I could just find the time to read them...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Funny
I just got a phone call from my honey.
He was laughing so hard.
He said he'd just overheard something so funny that he had to call me and share.
What could it be? My husband doesn't get tickled that easily about things.
He'd overheard an elderly couple snipping at each other.
She said, "See? You never listen to anything I say."
He said, "I do remember you saying something about it, I just didn't remember what."
And Chris snickered a little more.
Then he told me that he's pretty sure that's what we'll sound like when we're old.
I snickered too. Because I think he's 100% right.
He was laughing so hard.
He said he'd just overheard something so funny that he had to call me and share.
What could it be? My husband doesn't get tickled that easily about things.
He'd overheard an elderly couple snipping at each other.
She said, "See? You never listen to anything I say."
He said, "I do remember you saying something about it, I just didn't remember what."
And Chris snickered a little more.
Then he told me that he's pretty sure that's what we'll sound like when we're old.
I snickered too. Because I think he's 100% right.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Recap
We had a nice weekend.
Chris' birthday was Saturday. I don't think either of us ever imagined being 35. We don't feel like we're qualified for such an advanced age level. But we celebrated in a low-key manner, appropriate for my laid-back honey. He requested waffles with homemade strawberry syrup for breakfast. I was happy accommodate. Then we took the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. It was so much fun! We laughed through the whole thing. I mean, Stephen Colbert as the president? C'mon. That's funny stuff.
We, unfortunately, had to attend the funeral of a friend's dad on Saturday afternoon. It was hard to watch this strong, Godly family go through such a loss. But it was a moving celebration of the good, faithful life this man had lived.
And Chris' big birthday party at my mom's house was just as low-key as everything else we'd done that day. Just a mess of good Mexican food (my mom makes the best refritos ever!) and a homemade strawberry cake with lime glaze - also a special request. My hubby, he doesn't ask for much. So when he asks, I always make sure to work a bit of magic for him. I think I overheard my sister-in-law remarking on the lack of celebratory accessories - there were no balloons or big present boxes or special cake plates. But after many years of being suspicious that he was secretly hoping for big celebrations, I have finally accepted the fact that my husband prefers his birthdays to be simple. That makes it so much easier for me, too.
We spent Sunday afternoon finishing up our garden set-up. All but three pepper plants are now happily hanging upside down in our back yard. We have way too many tomatoes and a few cucumbers, some peppers and some beans. We'll see how it all goes...so far, so good.
DAILY BLISS: a moment yesterday when I realized that the quiet of a Sunday evening at home had drawn all four of us into the living room with books and sketchbooks at once - a peaceful moment of family togetherness
Chris' birthday was Saturday. I don't think either of us ever imagined being 35. We don't feel like we're qualified for such an advanced age level. But we celebrated in a low-key manner, appropriate for my laid-back honey. He requested waffles with homemade strawberry syrup for breakfast. I was happy accommodate. Then we took the kids to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. It was so much fun! We laughed through the whole thing. I mean, Stephen Colbert as the president? C'mon. That's funny stuff.
We, unfortunately, had to attend the funeral of a friend's dad on Saturday afternoon. It was hard to watch this strong, Godly family go through such a loss. But it was a moving celebration of the good, faithful life this man had lived.
And Chris' big birthday party at my mom's house was just as low-key as everything else we'd done that day. Just a mess of good Mexican food (my mom makes the best refritos ever!) and a homemade strawberry cake with lime glaze - also a special request. My hubby, he doesn't ask for much. So when he asks, I always make sure to work a bit of magic for him. I think I overheard my sister-in-law remarking on the lack of celebratory accessories - there were no balloons or big present boxes or special cake plates. But after many years of being suspicious that he was secretly hoping for big celebrations, I have finally accepted the fact that my husband prefers his birthdays to be simple. That makes it so much easier for me, too.
We spent Sunday afternoon finishing up our garden set-up. All but three pepper plants are now happily hanging upside down in our back yard. We have way too many tomatoes and a few cucumbers, some peppers and some beans. We'll see how it all goes...so far, so good.
DAILY BLISS: a moment yesterday when I realized that the quiet of a Sunday evening at home had drawn all four of us into the living room with books and sketchbooks at once - a peaceful moment of family togetherness
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Oh Boy!
One of my favorite children's books is becoming a movie!
Of course, it doesn't seem to hold true to the plot of the book. Ha! As if you could even ascribe a plot to the book. I just love the idea of the town of Chewandswallow, in which all of the weather is food. Anyway...here's the trailer:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Regular Day
Today was just a regular day.
That's not a bad thing, I guess.
I had to go to work early to meet a deadline. Bleah.
But once I picked up the kids from my mom's house, we came home. I took a bath and laid around the house. I'm so tired out after the last week.
We went outside and picked the first of our lettuce for a big dinner salad.
Chris came home from work and we chopped up so many yummy veggies. We sat down at the table and enjoyed eating what we had grown.
We drank the water that Emma and I brought home from Hot Springs
and lingered around the table, hoping this out-of-the-ordinary week would last just a little bit longer.
DAILY BLISS: hanging with my son - boy did I miss that kid!
That's not a bad thing, I guess.
I had to go to work early to meet a deadline. Bleah.
But once I picked up the kids from my mom's house, we came home. I took a bath and laid around the house. I'm so tired out after the last week.
We went outside and picked the first of our lettuce for a big dinner salad.
Chris came home from work and we chopped up so many yummy veggies. We sat down at the table and enjoyed eating what we had grown.
We drank the water that Emma and I brought home from Hot Springs
and lingered around the table, hoping this out-of-the-ordinary week would last just a little bit longer.
DAILY BLISS: hanging with my son - boy did I miss that kid!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
All-Girls Road Trip, Part 6
We are home.
Phew.
Four generations of girls took a road trip.
I found it funny that each of us manifested our back-seat driver issues in our own special ways. Nobody is born a back-seat driver. It develops over time, largely in response to the specific male who sits in the driver's seat.
My grandma was constantly thinking we had missed exits or were on the wrong highway. She followed the signs meticulously. Because my grandpa was always making wrong turns and getting lost and running out of gas.
My mom always made sure that I was in the specific lane she wanted me to be in because my dad zones out and misses his exits all the time.
I asked my mom every hour or so if she was okay or if she was tired. Because my husband has drifted off to sleep at the wheel before.
Just an observation.
Emma and G-ma kept each other company in the back seat the whole way.
My hope is that Emma made many memories over this time that she can keep with her forever. Memories of her G-ma caring for her and being interested in her games and stories.
A lot of our drive home looked like this:
No kidding - we woke up to flash flood warnings this morning. But, no matter. We were determined to make a few stops that the boys never let us make and just enjoy the ride home.
We stopped at an antique mall
and at an outlet mall.
And we managed to run into this shifty character at a Cracker Barrel in Valdosta, on his way home from business travel:
We are glad to be home, of course, but so glad to have taken this incredible trip together.
Phew.
Four generations of girls took a road trip.
I found it funny that each of us manifested our back-seat driver issues in our own special ways. Nobody is born a back-seat driver. It develops over time, largely in response to the specific male who sits in the driver's seat.
My grandma was constantly thinking we had missed exits or were on the wrong highway. She followed the signs meticulously. Because my grandpa was always making wrong turns and getting lost and running out of gas.
My mom always made sure that I was in the specific lane she wanted me to be in because my dad zones out and misses his exits all the time.
I asked my mom every hour or so if she was okay or if she was tired. Because my husband has drifted off to sleep at the wheel before.
Just an observation.
Emma and G-ma kept each other company in the back seat the whole way.
My hope is that Emma made many memories over this time that she can keep with her forever. Memories of her G-ma caring for her and being interested in her games and stories.
A lot of our drive home looked like this:
No kidding - we woke up to flash flood warnings this morning. But, no matter. We were determined to make a few stops that the boys never let us make and just enjoy the ride home.
We stopped at an antique mall
and at an outlet mall.
And we managed to run into this shifty character at a Cracker Barrel in Valdosta, on his way home from business travel:
We are glad to be home, of course, but so glad to have taken this incredible trip together.
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