Weekend + Mother's Day Fun

Friday morning I drove my chariot to get a new battery.

OK, so it was Matthew's car and it was SO dirty that I couldn't see out the front window.  And, of course, it was out of windshield washer fluid.

But it was OK...I just hung my head out the window, like a dog, and drove on my way.

Whatever works, I tell ya.

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A sad sight, but this was kinda sorta my mood for the last few days.  We have been too busy.  And I am pooped.

Mother's Day...I slept in and we went to late church.

Not church late, but late service AT church.

And after, we went to Arby's.  It is 3 for 5, you know.  So I had my first beef n cheddar in probably a decade.  Or two.

And it was yummy.

Came home and checked the mail and voila!  A package from Holly.  

A Dom DeLuise movie...so sad that he died this week!

Drove a town over for supper with our clan-people.

And spent time doing what clan-people do...putting incredibly cute small children on top of my car.

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And yes, those are crutches.  Again.  And yes, my nephew is wearing what appears to be an apron.  Or two.

I'm thinking this boy needs to spend some serious time at my house this summer with my houseful.  And I'll go sleep at his.

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Knee shmee.

Can it be?  Again?

Yep...once again, this child of mine is injured.  Same knee.  Same injury.

 

He is sad.  And mad.  And hurting.  And frustrated.

And I don't blame him.

So tomorrow I'll be on the phone, making appointments that hopefully won't have him missing any school.  He's feeling like he'll never play again...poor kid.  

But he is strong and we'll get it all figured out. 

Yep.  We will.

Thursday

This is my first Thursday in years without Meals on Wheels...and it felt strange.  Very, very strange.

I went to the gym and then had my 3rd birthday lunch of the week.  Came home and hammered away, making pendants.  A friend offered to come and do my packaging and I said YES, PLEASE...and so she did.  

Can't beat free help.

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I did make her peanut butter cookies...and then baked some more for us.  They went fast...and two of the four of us don't like peanut butter cookies.

I'm not naming names...but I am licking my fingers.

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Today we celebrated siete de mayo...too busy on cinco de mayo, so I had to be creative.

Made some pico...

...and some guac.  

I also made enchiladas and was thrilled when friends came a knockin' at the door.  Fed them, drank margaritas, caught up on all things important and had a great time.  Love nights like this!

Got the boys in bed and that guy that I like so much (he's here in body, but his mind is elsewhere...is it summer yet???) and I watched LOST.  And are more lost than ever...what is up with that show and why oh why do I KEEP ON WATCHING IT????

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Making Lemonade

It's testing week, so I've been making real breakfasts for the boys...and this morning found a double yolk-er.

Ahhh....it's the simple things.

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Yesterday I had lunch with two old friends and my face STILL hurts this morning from laughing so hard.  And loud.  And long.

I love friendships like that...the kind where you may not see each other for awhile but just sit down and pick right up where you left off.  

I especially love when the competitive nature of women comes out.  At one point Sheila was talking about her knees and how they are 'bone on bone' and Amy answered with, 'well, I have bursitis in my...'

Hello?  When did you become, like, 70 years old????  I burst out laughing and didn't stop.  For hours.

Ladies, I am recuperating  and can't wait for the next time.

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They helped me see that I am flourishing right now.  Love that word!

Flourishing.

Basically, I am just overflowing with thankfulness.  I just had a birthday and I am loving being a woman in my 40's.  Very early 40's, I might add, but 40's nonetheless.  My boys are at really fun ages (though if you know me well...you know I have said that about every age!) and it's Spring and the garden is bursting into life and I have really amazing friends and my little business is thriving.

Flourishing.

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That being said, there are always speed bumps.  Matthew's car is dead and needs a new battery.  There is so much laundry that I cannot find the washer.  My floors are beyond disgusting.  There is no money for any type of vacation this year.  Again.  There is no time for any type of vacation this year anyway, thanks to basketball and college schedules.  My son is being woo'ed by places far away and I don't want him to be woo'ed by places far away, cuz I want him to stay close by forever, but I can't tell him that and have to just smile and nod and hide my tears.  He has his mothers wanderlust and for that I am thankful.  We have mice in our attic.  My new camera isn't working right.

But that is all part of flourishing.  Right?  

Today is an actual at home day for me.  I have some jewelry orders to fill and a house to clean and an episode of the Real Housewives of New York to watch.  I am going to make a simple roasted chicken for supper with nothing on it but olive oil and kosher salt.  I am still considering sides, but I am leaning towards risotto...plus there is lots of fresh broccoli from the garden.

Alex has a training session tonight and M is in music juries all day, so after all that we'll watch American Idol...still hoping for Danny!

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Twenty Things

20 Of My Favorite Things

(just in case you were wondering...)

1. Color- yellow.  and red.

2. Dessert-creme brulee. or anything vanilla.

3. Smell-freshly mowed grass.  and the ocean.  and a freshly bathed baby.

4. Flower-daisies.  and tulips.

5. Animal-cats.

6. Month-November...but I really like them all.

7. Beverage-cold, Fresca. hot, tea.

8. Pair of shoes-flip flops...the pretty kind.

9. Snack-bruschetta.  or guacamole with salty chips.

10. Song-christian...In Christ Alone.  secular...anything Bette.

11. Book-fiction...The Summerhouse by Jude Devereaux.  non-fiction...anything by Ina Gardner.

12. Fruit-fresh cut pineapple.  and strawberries.  and mangoes.  and blueberries.  I love 'em all!

13. Hairstyle-long, tucked behind my ears.

14. Piece of clothing-jeans with a summery green shirt.

15. Store to clothes shop-target.  clearance.  

16. Season-Autumn.  and Spring.  and Summer.  and Winter.

17. Hobby-making jewelry.  and Guitar Hero 3.  =0)

18. Thing to collect-dishes.  

19. Movie-Somethings Gotta Give with Diane Keaton.

20. Restaurant-local...Nick's.  chain...Maggiano's.

Why I Blog

In the year 2000, I read an article about a journalist who had taken to the internet and had created a web log....then shortened to 'blog'.

And I, being the joiner that I am, was intrigued.

I set myself up on the internet and became an official blogger in May of 2000.

I have always been a journal-er, a diary keeper, a writer downer of all things important to me...for as far back as I can remember.  So blogging was a natural thing to do.

My blog back then was about my life as a stay at home mom with 3 boys, one church worker husband and 2 pet guinea pigs.  

My life is much the same as now, though the guinea pigs have (thankfully) passed on to wherever guinea pigs pass onto and instead, we now have two cats.  I still have 3 sons, though one is away at college.  And, most importantly, I still have one church worker husband.

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We spent 3 months (well, actually it was 11 weeks and 5 days, so not quite 3 months) in Italy that year, pulling our boys out of school, buying a car over there (a really cute Peugeot, which we totally smashed up), and driving from one end to the other in a country that felt more at home to us than anywhere else we have ever lived or visited.

And I blogged the whole. entire. journey.

Back then I didn't tell anyone I had become a blogger, so many of those journals were cut and pasted into bulk emails that we sent home to a group of people who honestly believed that we were crazy.

And we were...so much so that we did it again 2 years later.  And I not only blogged that whole.  entire.  trip....but I filmed it, too.  

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But back to blogging.  The original server I was using back then was fine...not glamorous in anyway, but it did the job.  It held my thoughts and hopes and prayers and dreams and memories.

And one morning, 4 YEARS (yes, YEARS) into my blog, I sat down at my computer, clicked on my blog and it was gone.

Poof!

I cried.  I wailed.  (yes, WAILED) I called Michael at work.  I called the 800 number and waited 4 hours (yes, 4 hours) on hold only to have them tell me that they were sorry.  The server crashed.  And did you back it up?

Back it up?  Nope...it would've taken up too much (if not all) of my hard drive.   It was gone.

So I stopped blogging.

And then I realized that I blog for me.  That I missed it.  That whether or not it's backed up or not...that I blog because it is something I like doing.   So I started again.  

And here we are.

And yes, my blog is 'kinda' backed up.  Kinda.  Meaning, some of it but not all of it.   And that's OK.

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A Birthday Day

Saturday morning, Brian opened the front door and saw that we had been hit.

Cups of water on the front porch...

...and trees covered in white!

In our area...TP'ing is huge.  HUGE.  I must admit, I love doing it and have learned the best toilet paper to use (costco brand) and the how to get it way way up high in the trees (stand on the end and toss, underhand, up up up).  And yes, I have been caught and forced to clean up...but not very often.

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This was a definite 5th grade job with nothing over 5 feet high...can't wait until next weekend!  We know exactly who we are going to do next!

After clean up, there was some ping pong...the newest trend in our little house.

We then loaded up and hit the road for basketball.

My middle son, trying to be funny, asked if it was my 60th birthday.

Yes, it was my birthday.  No, I am not 60.  Yes, you can walk.

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I did feel like his team might need him, so we swung around and picked him up.

And this time, he told me 'happy 35th birthday, mom'.

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Presents?  Yep...and all in yellow.  Lots and lots of flowers and limoncello and a brand new panini maker!

We weren't home for long...Matthew had a concert, so off we went to the college.  And he was brilliant, I might add.

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Home to supper cooked by that guy that I like so much...I just sat at the bar and had a cocktail.  And talked.  Lots.

Nothing like a guy who cooks.

My very favorite pasta...YUM.

The true excitement happened after supper, when the cats brought me this for my birthday.  I was pretty sure it was a snake...which just gave me the willies.

Turns out it was a dead lizard...or so we thought.  It was very much alive.  And tail-less.  Ewww!

Time for cake!   My very, very favorite...italian cream cake.

Oh my.

And this morning?  The cats brought me the lizards tail. 

Almost more than I could handle.

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Dirty Floors

I never got around to doing the floors this week, which in a tiny house that is full of boys is kinda disgusting.

But even though I kept asking for a wife, she just never showed up.  And I was too busy at the bookfair.

So sad.

So this afternoon, Maggie and Mollie brought me a present on the already dirty, dirty floors.

Matthew had stopped home for a bit and was, for the record, NO. HELP. AT. ALL.

NONE.

Unless laughing is a way of helping, which it is NOT.  He so owes me...the next bird is alllll his.

Brian tried CPR.

Little boy=big heart.

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And then we had a rather short, but sweet,  farewell for the little bird that was.  

The End.