Apr 29, 2012 |
I have no post for Sunday because Saturday was spent getting my daughter ready for Prom!
Actually, she got herself ready. She’s very good with a make-up brush and curling iron. So I just entertained my Mom as we waited for the end result. Then I drove her over to her friend’s house for photos, and then they left for the Prom.
They had to check in an hour before the buses left, for security checks. Then they rode down to L.A. to an Arts Center for dinner and dancing! It will be a two-hour ride back in the middle of the night. Once they reach the school, a group of them will be going to the local All-Night Denny’s for a (very) early breakfast.
I’m so excited for her. She attends a small school where there are no Proms. So when her best friend asked her to go to his, it was a no-brainer. What a great experience they’re having! She knows some of his classmates, too.
They’ve been best friends since junior high, when he accidentally knocked her head into a locker. The next day, he was overly apologetic and from that incident, they became instantly inseparable.
They both graduate this year… in just a few weeks! I’m glad they’re able to have tonight before life might start taking them in different directions.
They have far too much fun together, as you can see from the photos.
I can’t wait to hear all about it. That is, after she wakes up tomorrow afternoon.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 15, 2011
My posts this week have been short and focused on two things:
First, I’m working overtime to finish the rough draft of my cookbook. Tonight I plan to have it finished to send it off to my editor for review and finalization. It’s really exciting, to think that soon my dream will be a reality.
It’s just a little cookbooklet; nothing fancy, nothing great. But it’s mine.
And now I’m faced with questions like should I set up a second website, dedicated only to cooking, or only to the cookbook? How do I monitor sales? Should I establish a PayPal account? This is all new territory for me, and I’m feeling a little wow’d by the whole process. Excited, though; not anxious.
My second focus has been the weather. We never did get that big storm they said we would. And then out of the blue yesterday, we’re told to prepare for yet another winter storm coming in tonight. Well I don’t believe them.
Yeah, sure. It would be nice to get that snow they talked about last week. But we’re not supposed to get anything now except some high winds and a few raindrops. Which means we’ll prob’ly finally get that snow.
So I’ve been a little negligent in my posting; and I hope you’ll forgive me. Because when this week is over, I’m going to devote quite a few days of writing to holidays and Christmas posts. Things like, the history of Santa Claus. How I decorate my house. Easy cookie ideas. And maybe a fun little story or two.
Well that’s it. That’s what I’m up to this week.
What’s on your plate?
Dec 8, 2011
I’ve been around the Blogging World for a while now. I’ve met some great new blog-friends (Andrea, Jenn, Ariel, to name just a few). And through my tours of other blogs, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I pay attention to what attracts me and what doesn’t.
And I’ve come to a better appreciation of my blog. It’s not odd at all to think of it like a child or a job or both. This Blog is my Baby; growing, finding its way in the world. Making mistakes, gaining strength.
And every so often, realizing what we’ve already subconsciously known.
My Blog can be broken down to what I call the Four F’s: Faith, Family, Food, and Fun. And those are the four main factors I look for on other blogs. Granted, under each category are sub-categories: How God works in our lives, familial anecdotes, recipes, writings, party planning, daily life…
So you can see how even fine-tuning my Blog to the Four F’s isn’t really as simple as that.
But I’m grateful that I have the flowchart. So in the coming weeks, I’m going to fine tune the presentation. My blog will be easier to navigate (I hope!), and easier to look at.
Now this is where you come in: I’m looking for feedback. What do you want to see? What can I do without? What are your ideas, suggestions, thoughts on my Blog, and how can I make it better for you? Visually? Readability? Blog post ideas? Categories? I recently made some changes. Do you like them? Is it easier or harder now to leave comments?
I look forward to hearing from you. Let’s get ready to start 2012 with a Better Blog. Whadya say? Wanna help? I hope so.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 27, 2011
Like some of you, I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving. I’ve still got leftovers in the fridge and a few decorations needing to be put away.
I’m usually quite on top of these things by now. I usually have my Christmas tree up, the stockings hung, the decor set. Usually.
For that last five years or more, it’s been tradition that on Thursday we eat at Mom’s house; and on Friday she comes to our house to help decorate. Then we relax with some cheese and sausage and whatever new Christmas DVD I’ve purchased. On Saturday, we get in some much needed R&R, and by Sunday our routine is fairly back to normal.
While I try not to be a control freak, I am admittedly an admirer of stability and scheduling. So when one of my brothers decided to surprise us by driving down from his new home for Thanksgiving weekend, he and the rest of the family who knew in advance were slightly concerned with my reaction.
Well, I am here to say, first and foremost, that I’m here. So there’s that! I must admit, it was really fun for me to say, “Schedule scmedule” and just hang out with the family. We ate, played cards, ate, watched some football, ate, chatted a lot, ate, went out on Black Friday… oh, and I think we ate a little.
I kept up with the important things: daily blogging, writing, cleaning the house, things like that.
But I really enjoyed noticing that I was okay with the impromptu activities. Actually, to be honest, I was more than okay. It was fun. Completely spontaneous, and even more so. Because once we were out and about, we just kept going. It was just really fun.
Even after my brother left this morning, I embraced the whole spontaneity thing and we did something never done before: we watched this year’s Christmas DVD before putting the Tree up. How wild am I?
We still haven’t put the Tree up; we’ll prob’ly do that tomorrow. But if we don’t, I’m okay with it. Really okay with it. Because that’s not what matters. Keeping a schedule isn’t always what matters.
It’s the memories of all the surprises of this weekend. It’s the togetherness we don’t often have. The making plans for next year (which, by the way, is not the same as making a schedule… who knew?!).
If my Tree doesn’t go up for another week, I’m okay with it. Because I know what happened in its place.
And whether my brother coming home for Thanksgiving becomes a new tradition or not, at least for this year, he did.
That’s worth more than my Schedule Shmedule. Don’t you think?
Nov 17, 2011
As I write this, I’m preparing for a Girls Night Out with the Dot and our Second Family.
We’re going to do what has now become a tradition: we all get together for the midnight premiere of whatever spectacular movie is being released. Tonight, it’s Breaking Dawn, Part 1.
And I’m so stinkin’ excited.
Now, I haven’t read the books. I don’t really know how it will end. I know enough. It can’t be avoided when the instant media posts all the spoilers and traps and rundowns… and I live with a teenager who chats it up with her friends. But still… I don’t really know how it will end.
That’s only part of the fun.
Another part is, well, being with the VIP and Second Family. The VIP is my best friend, Julie. “Best friend” sounds so Junior High, though. Our friendship is so much more than that. As close as we are, we keep ourselves so busy we don’t get to see each other but once or twice a month, and even then distractions like family and chores and schtuff like that tends to interrupt. We can talk for two hours on the cell phones, and the only reason we hang up is because the batteries are going dead.
Then we call each other back within five minutes just to say, “Oh, I forgot to tell you…”
I love her kids like they were my own. And they love my daughter like she’s theirs. We’re so close, that when my daughter and I have a serious discussion and I reach for the phone, she says, “Mom, please don’t call Julie now.” But I do. I get her feedback. I treasure her advice.
Julie introduced me to the delight of jalapenos in my popcorn (boy, that’ll clear out any sinus issues you may have!), and the neccesity of Isabella (my KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer). Yes, I name my appliances… what? Is that weird?
Her oldest is my Second Daughter. Our girls are twins, separated at birth and by five years. Elisa is the role model I would have chosen for Hannah, but I didn’t have to. They met at school and became friends long before I ever met Julie.
Turns out our worlds collided several times before we finally figured out we were supposed to be friends. I was the consultant at a scrapbook party they attended years ago. Julie was the choir director at my church for a few months when I was toying with the idea of re-joining. Our kids know the same people.
The week after I met Julie at bunco (we had no idea we’d met before), she saw me again at the high school football game and came over to chat. I was so embarrassed; when she left I had to ask my daughter, “Who was that?”
Julie always has a story to tell, always has a prayer to offer. She is, in her own words, “fiercely protective of family and friends”. And always, always, always corrects me when I place myself in the “friends” category. No, she corrects. Family. Always, always, always Family.
Julie keeps me grounded. I’ve learned to slow down, and when in doubt, call her first. Especially when it comes to our kids. Because I, too, am fiercely protective. But that’s not always what my daughter needs. Julie’s taught me to step back and breathe. And talk more, act less.
And that’s why I love her them. They keep us grounded. They keep us involved. They keep us in the family. No matter what.
That, and we do so much together. We don’t spend every day together. But the moments we do have, we make count. Like go to midnight movie premieres. And laugh at the same things. And watch sports. (Okay, I’m not quite as much into hockey as they are, but I’m learning. Go Maple Leafs!). Julie even rooted for the Yankees this year. That’s a big deal for her!
I look forward to these Girls Nights Out.
We don’t have to get all dolled up. But we will. Because it’s fun.
We don’t have to pretend to be anything we’re not. They love us anyway.
And the best part of tonight will be, we each have our favorite Guy Character. So there won’t be any competition (I’m all about Carlisle, just in case you were wondering).
Just a lot of great togetherness. Girl chatter like we haven’t talked in ages. And jalapenos in the popcorn.
What are friends for?
