The Last Few Days

I am pretty sure that there is life outside of high school basketball, but I haven't been able to find it.

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Wednesday was a home game, which means snack bar duty for me...and also means I don't see Brian all day long.  I leave before he gets home from school and am finished after he is in bed at night.

I.Don't.Like.That.

But I sure do like watching my #35 play.  His dad does, too...and had to do quite a bit of juggling (including letting students lead a rehearsal) just so he could be there.

Excited after a big block...so fun to watch!  

Snack bar money...we're loaded!  OK, so not really...but every little bit helps the program, which in turn keeps our costs down.  Costs a LOT more to rent a bus now.  Notice the heart picture of my girls on my desk?

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Thursday, I sat in the sunlight and made jewelry/filled orders.  Valentine's Day is coming!

I love these pendants with the little copper rivet..charming!

My practice one from my riveting class...I wonder who it's for?  

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Friday was Brian's concert.  Oh my...I sure do love this stuff!  Hard to take a video when  A) you are short and  B) you have tears streaming down your face.

So, so cute!

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Plus, more basketball...this time an away game, but still in our town.  As of now our team is 20-1, with their only loss being to a sophomore team during a summer tournament game.  Pretty cool.

Jae, the man on the right of Alex, was his 1st 'real' coach from 5th - 7th grades.  He was there during the broken thumb and broken ankle and broken knee cap...in the days when Alex was a tornado wearing tennis shoes.  He kept telling Alex to remember who taught him everything he knows.

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Let's see...it's now Saturday.  Saturday!  I finally spent some real time in my garden, which had just a few weeds and some pretty dead tomato plants.

While not much better, it is 3/4 of the way cleaned up...plus I planted broccoli and cauliflower.  I've got my summer seeds ordered and will start them next month so they'll be ready to plant in early May.

Came home and made BLT's for lunch with homegrown lettuce from my neighbor Ann's garden.  YUM.  I have enough of her arugula left to make a salad with supper tonight...next winter I am so growing lettuces.  Can someone remind me, please?

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MidWeek

Amish friendship bread starter.  First off, I highly doubt there is anything amish about it...I mean, do the amish bake with instant vanilla pudding??  And second...there is absolutely NOTHING friendly about receiving a bag of this stuff, which sits on your counter fermenting while you stir it and feed it and pray it doesn't explode.  

BUT.

It makes really good coffee cake...vanilla pudding and all.  

And today is the day I get to bake.

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A sad, sad farewell to the most used small appliance in our house...in fact, I am pretty sure one or two of my boys shed a tear over it's passing.  I had no idea panini makers cost as much as they do, so we will be panini-less for awhile.  Darn.

Supper last night was small...Alex had a team dinner, so it was a table set for 3 after Brian's basketball game.

Quick and easy...baked eggs and fruit salad, and sadly...no crostini.  

Brian looking old.  Uh-oh...it's happening to him, too.  Stay my baby forever...

Alex came home last night with new shoes.  Here we go again.  I love that he marches to his own drum...remember the pink high tops?  He likes to start a trend and as soon as someone copies him, he's on to something new.

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I am off to meet a friend for coffee...MUCH NEEDED and then have a few errands to run.  Matthew is moving dorm rooms (such a blessing!!!) and needs a few things, so I'll hit Target and the grocery store.  Brian has an afternoon class at school (chess) and Alex has a game.  A home game, which means snack bar for me and a long, long night...but a fun one, too.

Supper will be at the snack bar for all the boys...my girlfriend and I are usually able to sneak out for a margarita during the JV game.  Perfect.

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Monday

Nothing beats flowers in a pitcher on the table.

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It's been a trying week, but the clouds are parting.

As they always do.

My girlfriend told me last week that whenever God closes a door, He always opens a window...but it's that time in the hallway that can be quite annoying.

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I spent a day at home today.  Brian was in school;  Alex was home and spent his time between xbox and playing football outside.  I'd like to say that I accomplished something (other than booking a flight for Colorado...nothing sounds better to me than tea at the dushanbe tea house, so come early March and I will be there for a few nights!!!) but alas, I watched P.S. I Love You, played on Facebook, and worked in my garden for a bit.

Tomorrow I have to drive to LA for a board meeting and have to present my ideas for the summer expansion they are hoping for, as well as my ideas for where the money will come from.

Sure hope I can figure something out by then.

The best part is that my sister-in-law is taking the train out to lunch with me.  And I cannot wait.

As for tonight, that guy that I like so much is back to working Monday nights preparing for the upcoming master works concert.  My cough and I (yes, it is still hanging on to me like a leach) have some champagne chilling and will pop it open while watching the Bachelor.

Sick and wrong, but then again I am a closet watcher of The Real Housewives of OC....especially since I really am a housewife in the OC.

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Sunday Stuff

Back to back games, followed by a little ice.  And a little pizza.

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Alex's team won by tons, which was actually a blessing in disguise...all the 1st string players started and had to be pulled out after a few minutes, so there they sat at the end of the bench hanging out.

Sunday morning.  Winter.  Southern California.

Can't get anymore perfect than this!

Church, followed by Arby's.  Sometimes you just have to mix it up a little.  Oh, and Brian...who doesn't like Arby's btw, ordered a chicken sandwich without mayo.  Cuz he doesn't like mayo, either.  And...Arby's charged us 30 cents to make a chicken sandwich minus the mayo.

Strange.

And next door to Arby's?  The $1.00 Book Store.  Full of $1.00 books.  Rows and rows of $1.00 books.  M, Bri and I went crazy.  Alex had his iPod.

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Home to plant hydrangeas in a wine barrel.

In the dead of winter.

I finally loaded up my Christmas present...a Butler bag.

Love, love, love my Butler!

And tonight...short ribs, hot fudge pudding cake, and a little entertainment.

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More Stuff

Winter is settling back into southern California...the rains came during the night and I can't get enough of that smell.

Though I could live without the wet cat smell.

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I had school this morning...yep, you read that right.  School.  I'm taking a metalsmithing class at the community college and spent a few hours this morning learning all about riveting silver and copper, which will help in my jewelry making. 

It was actually quite riveting (hehe) and I can't wait to try it at home, but I need to buy myself a riveting hammer first.

So maybe next week.

Met my girlfriend for lunch and walked away feeling so blessed to have girlfriends...especially the kind of girlfriends that you can just talk about anything with no matter what and laugh and cry with.

Blessed.

Home with just enough time to switch the laundry and unload the dishwasher, then walk outside and be swept away in a chariot by a handsome prince.

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So that guy that I like so much picked me up and off we drover to Huntington Beach, where if I didn't love my little house on my little street in my little neighborhood so much, is where I would want to live.  But we weren't there to admire the charm, we were there to watch our #35 play ball.

And then.

And then.

And then.

And then, he went down.

My #35 dove for a ball and went down.

And didn't pop right back up.

And when he did, he was limping.

Which, if you know his history and who he is and how he plays, then you know what a big deal that is.

I sat in the stands and watched and waited and he limped and played until the coach took him out a full 2 minutes later...which in basketball time is for-ever.

He has a goose egg on his leg (it's not his knee....whew) and he, of course, says it doesn't hurt...but it's iced and wrapped and elevated.  

And I just made him mad when he asked if he could go out and play football with the neighborhood boys...and I said NO.

Time for wine.

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Bread For A Week

Today was bread day.

French bread day.

Made the starter last night and today kneaded and let rise and kneaded and let rise and finally baked it all off...just in time for Alex and 3 friends to show up on the scene.  After playing football.  Which means they were STARVING.

I hid 2 loaves but the rest, sadly, are gone.  Eaten in the blink of the eye, but that does mean that they liked it.  So much for my idea of baking enough for a week.

They also ate pasta and meatballs and are now playing xbox...no school tomorrow or Monday for the high school.

I am going to curl up and watch the rest of Lost from last night.

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Wednesday

Today.

PTA flyers corrected, copied and put in teachers boxes, floors done at home, a quick run to the grocery store and filled the 4 necklace orders that came in.  

And then?

I fell asleep.  During the day. 

I am not a napper, but my cough and I...we seem to do everything together, feel so much better now that we are well rested.  

Brian arrived home with his friends in tow...they are currently skateboarding around the neighborhood.  But first?  They gave a little outdoor concert.  I should have had them open a case to see if anyone would drop money in.

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Alex has now completed 4 of his 5 finals...he's off the hook as far as a basketball final, so tomorrow morning he gets to sleep in and go to school late.  Only science is left and he's been studying hard.

No games until Friday and Saturday, so I'm enjoying having normal dinners at normal hours....even if it is for just this week.   Dinners that don't involve a 5lb can of nacho cheese sauce.

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I have been cooking...last night was a throw together frittata with roast chicken, red peppers and pesto.  

The night before that was roasted veggies...

...and a few chickens.

Sorry...blogger is scrambling my pictures again...but a neighbor was taking this chair to goodwill, so Brian offered to take it off their hands...cuz he likes to collect things.

And yes, it requires a helmet...especially when your brother pushes you (and the chair!) down a hill!

Back to cooking...tonight is meatloaf night because meatloaf is very presidential.  You know...from The American President?  And buttered noodles.  And succotash...cuz for some really odd reason, I have a family of lima bean lovers.  For reals.  

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Bumpy

I am not sure if I have shared my verse for 2009 yet...I like to have an 'annual' verse (or verses) that I feel God has led me to for one reason or another.  A verse I can tuck in my back pocket, so to speak.

One year it was a simple verse from Ps 46...Be still, and know that I am God.  Simple verse for a simple year?  Nope.  It was a year when I felt as if my faith was tested over and over and over.  God just kept leading me back to that not so simple verse...and I learned that year what it meant to be still in Him.  

Another year, my verse was from Isaiah 43:18...a year where I learned to let go.  Not an easy thing for me to do.  But in the end, I did.  Yet another year?  Isaiah 45:2-3...that was a rather smooth and peaceful year.  If there is such a thing.

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This year, I kept stumbling across these verses from 1 Thess 5...be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Wow.  

There are some powerful words in there...words like always and continually.  

And it is interesting, but I am already needing this verse.  More importantly, someone I love is being tested and all I can do is sit and watch.  I can't undo or fix or make better...and I am struggling with the joyful always, but not the pray continually.  The praying I've got down...but am I praying the right prayer?  

I am having trouble finding the joy in this situation, especially when this person that I love so much is hurting so very much.  I can only take what I know and believe...in God's will.

 In each.

 And every. 

Circumstance.  

Here I Am

Summertime in California.

In January.

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It's strawberry season and I can't get enough...and I love that they are grown right here.  Just trying to do my little part in supporting my local farmers...Though I still like my pineapples from Hawaii and my prosciutto from Italy.  Just being honest.

We've had lots of basketball and to date, Alex's team is 17 - 1.  Their toughest games were this week and they won both.

We also co-hosted the team dinner this week and by co-hosting, M and I showed up with a tray of cookies.  Anything for a title, I guess.

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We have known this other family for years...the boys played soccer together back in 3rd grade even, but are just now getting to re-know them after a few years of not seeing each other.  Laurie and I are running the whole snack bar together, which is making it less painful for me.

Anyway, the team dinner was at their house and OH.MY.WORD.

Best backyard EVER.

And I took not a single picture of the yard that could easily fit like 10 of my houses in it...but the best part?  They get it.  As in get what life is all about...so it was just fun to sit and talk and watch boys play basketball and get injured as they scrimmaged the coaches.  

It was fun.  For reals.

In between Brian's game and Alex's games and a team dinner, M and I needed a breakaway.

In a big way.

So Friday morning we started at our favorite chiropractor, who has been working on putting M back together after a season of conducting.

Got on the freeway and were for once, going in the opposite direction of traffic.

Stopped for gas, which is sadly creeping up again.  Knew it was too good to last.

And then found ourselves at the happiest place on earth.

We strolled Main Street.  Just us and the NAMM people...remember last year when we saw Stevie Wonder?  Same convention, new year.  We don't have tickets this year, but will always remember last year as the year that we discovered Gabe Dixon and his little band...and saw Stevie himself, of course.

But Friday was just about us.  We admired pretty flowers.

Grabbed a coffee and watched people.

Dreamed of making our backyard look like this:

And rode on over to Tom Sawyers island.  Just because.

Walked over the bridge to nowhere...which did get us to the other side.  With wet toes, I might add.

Floated on back and ordered a monte cristo sandwich...easily the most unhealthy thing you could ever order.  And most yummy.

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Still hoping someone will invite us to eat here, where I am pretty sure they do not serve monte cristo sammies...or do they?  We'll probably never know...but that is OK, cuz we have a picture of the door.

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And for the 1st time ever, I experienced a not so clean disney bathroom.  The band-aid is from the really, really cute yet painful new shoes I wore this week and yes, I still have the snowman on my toe.

Home by 1:30pm so I could begin the set up for the snack bar.  Doesn't look like much, but trust me...it involves big muscles and some knowledge of short order cooking.

One I have; the other I don't.  You can guess.

It is now Saturday morning.  Brian is at practice, Alex is at open gym and Matthew is somewhere in northern CA on his wind orchestra tour.  He comes back on Sunday but will then move back into his dorm...and I miss him already.  Funny how that happens.

We have absolutely no plans for today, so I am actually going to cook some real food and we are all going to eat together.  At the table.  Like I like us to do.  Not sure exactly what that will be yet, but I have an outside freezer packed to the gills, so the choices are endless.

Blessed.  So. So. Blessed.

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More Hot.

Yesterday was basketball for the smallest shrub in our family, and we were there (of course!) to cheer him on.

His team is the Beavers and they remind me of the movie The Sandlot.  Our coach is a high school girl (who at the last game wore 3 inch spikey heels) and this week didn't show, so a dad stepped in.  It's just a little rec league near our house and it's not very organized...but Brian is having fun and that is all that matters.  Plus, they only lost by 30!

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And sometimes when you are feeling low about losing, you need a new book (Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3) and a family trip to Nick's.  Nick's helps everything.

Except crazy big brothers.  

A little pizza, a little wine, a little eggplant parmesan...equals a happy, happy car ride home.

The weather here is still HOT...we're looking at high 80's again today.

Ugh.

I will say that it makes me think about my summer garden, so I have been ordering seeds like crazy.  I cannot wait to start my tomatoes...lots and lots of tomatoes.  I'm actually going to put some plants in tomorrow...just a few, and see wether they hold out once winter really comes this way.  

Can't hurt to try.

This afternoon Alex has an away game, so we'll all go to that.  Matthew is actually up and out...wind orchestra practices today and leaves in the morning on tour.  M is back in his office, too, so that leaves me and the cats.

Love my cats.

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We're out of OJ and 1/2 and 1/2, plus Matthew needs some breakfast stuff for his dorm, so I'm going to head to Costco.  I also ordered a jewelry stand from Pier 1...on clearance for $4.00!, so I need to go pick that up.  Supper tonight will be on the later side after the game, but will be burgers on the grill and a big salad...most likely eaten outside in the back yard. 

Crazy!

HOT

It is 5:28pm and 85 degrees outside.

In January.

And I am making a pot roast.

In the oven.

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Sunday

This morning was church with just the 6 of us...M and I, the boys and my cough.

Who I am getting mighty tired of.

This was our last Sunday as a family of 5...Matthew heads out on tour this week and moves (officially) back into his dorm on Sunday.  We always do some sort of lunch after church...usually In n Out, but after last time there was just no way.

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But they still begged.  And pleaded.  And begged some more.

And Brian's little head way back there just cracks me up!

No In n Out...instead we went to Pacific Star.  A true diner in every sense of the word, with really awesome burgers and really sticky floors.  

And really great...REALLY GREAT pastrami sandwiches.  And fries that taste all greasy and salty and like the chicken nuggets and fish sticks were cooked in the oil too.  Come on...you know you miss that!

Everything is now quiet.  M is watching football with his eyes closed.  =0)  Matthew is out with Jenn, Alex is watching the game at a neighbors house and then they are coming here for supper and Brian is outside pogo'ing with all his friends.  

We're all around for supper tonight, plus a few extra's, so I'm going to make a big pot of gravy and meatballs.  It's HOT here...in the 80's.  Where oh where is winter?