Spring Fresh

In the last few months when I put Kona's collar on I noticed that she smelt perfumey.

I couldn't figure out what was going on...or how we lucked out getting a dog whose odor was "spring fresh."

But I figured it out recently...I was doing laundry and Kona came over and stuck her head in the Dryer...I wasn't really paying attention to her but when I turned around I saw that she had pulled the fabric softener sheet (that I had just thrown into the dryer) out and placed it on the kitchen rug. Then she used her teeth and paws to smooth it out and make it flat on the the ground. Then she proceeded to roll around on it...Making herself spring fresh! Then she tore up the sheet, again using her teeth and paws, and then left the remains all over the kitchen floor. Too bad she can't learn to pick up the scraps and place them in the garbage that sits two feet away. Of course I haven't yet figured out how to get my 2 kids trained on how to do this, so I might be pushing it with the dog.

This knowledge solves a mystery in our house. It turns out Kona has been sneaking up stairs.

When I do laundry I take the clothes fresh and warm from the dryer and then I take them upstairs to the guest bedroom where I fold them and then put them away. When I get super busy the clothes sit on the bed for a couple of days. I was trying to figure out how in the world those fabric softener sheets would manage to get downstairs and shredded on the rug. Now I know...She was sneaking upstairs (she is usually confined to the kitchen and living room) and bringing her "ode de doggie" sheets to the kitchen.

As if laundry and pet ownership weren't already a thorn in my side... the dog stealing my fabric softner might be the final straw...

I shouldn't complain...this is a great improvement from rolling in poop.

It Starts!

The second day of March and I couldn't be happier!

Wanna know why?

Because Spring is on the way!

How do I know this? Because the Daffodils have already popped up...everything else is still sleeping but these sweet colorful blooms are a happy promise of the warm days to come!

In celebration I better go shave my legs and paint my toe nails...It's been a long winter.

Capri's! Shorts! Flips Flops! I have missed you!

One Year

It was one year ago today that we pulled up our Texas roots and headed east. I thought I would record this day not in my words but in the words of a song from the musical "Rent" and, more importantly from the Word of God.

To my Arizona family - I cherish you.

To my Texas Family - I miss you.

To my "new home" family - I am thankful for you.

You are each gifts in different seasons of love.

Seasons Of Love -

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets In Midnights -

In Cups Of Coffee

In Inches - In Miles

In Laughter - In Strife

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?

How About Love?

How About Love?

How About Love?

Measure In Love

Seasons of Love.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys To Plan

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure

The Life Of A Woman Or A Man?

In Truths That She Learned

Or In Times That He Cried

In Bridges He Burned

Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out

Though The Story Never Ends

Let's Celebrate

Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love

Remember the Love

Remember the Love

Measure In Love

Measure,

Measure Your Life In Love.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3: 14-17

May the Lord Make your love increase and overflow!

1 Th 3:12

In Love,

Kellie

Four Whole Years

I can't believe that the Winter Olympics are over!

How sad I am that it will not be until 2010 that I get to sit on the couch and watch the exciting game of Curling.

That game is amazing. It really gets my adrenaline up to watch a sport that the commentators described as a cross between a game of chess and shuffle board...All while wearing attractive bowling shoes which slide easily on ice.

It was just so exciting.

What will I do for the next four years?

Intervention

Well, the first step is to admit you have a problem...So let me explain...

Two weeks ago today my friend came to see me and she came bearing gifts. She came with cute little toys for the kids and she brought me something that I wanted to ask her for before she came but knew that there was never any need to ask...She would bring them: Flour tortillas from Central Market/HEB.

There is actually a funny story about how she got to the store at closing and had to beg a clerk to smuggle her some (any!) tortillas for her poor friend on the east coast who was going through CM Tortilla withdrawal. If you live in her town and see her ask her about the "Tortilla Caper" ...Its actually quite funny and proves that I have great enablers in my life!

Anyway, she came over with 6 dozen tortillas (wrapped individually by the dozen) and her famous homemade "Salsa Caliente". As a side note I think she named it this just for me because she knows about my salsa pet peeve... (there is a BIG difference between salsa and hot sauce- and it irritates me when I make salsa and people say "nice hot sauce...", but I digress)....back to my sweet friend...for a self proclaimed white girl from Indiana, she makes some mean "salsa caliente".

So we get home from the airport and I opened one of the tortilla bags and start handing them out to my kids for snacks. I put the other 5 packages in the freezer. I had half-jokingly said that I was going to ration them and make them last until I could get back to Texas myself....

What a lie that was.

And here is my trouble...

There are only 6 tortillas left in the package that is currently open and only 1 dozen left in the freezer... I could have a panic attack over this situation...but luckily there's medication for that.

OK...That might be an exaggeration, BUT everyday this week I have had a bean burrito for lunch except yesterday when I ran out of beans and rolled up a cheese stick and nuked it instead. This afternoon I suddenly had a cheese aversion... So I scrambled an egg (with some of Bec's Salsa Caliente--which has done wonders for the residual congestion left over by the flu!).

My kids have resorted to eating tortillas for breakfast and I have let them eat them...Because after all we have DOZENS in the freezer!!!! What was I thinking?

When it comes to tortillas I am a failure at rationing.

So it's likely I won't need a Tortilla Intervention...Because from the looks of the tortilla hungry people in this house I will be going cold turkey in about 48 hours.

Maybe I'll hide the last bag of tortillas....What they don't know won't hurt them.

The Best Medicine

It's been a bit of a long month. It started out with major anxiety issues. Then I got the flu. And this last week my heart is heavy over the sudden loss of the dynamic youth pastor at our church in Texas. Although I didn't know him well my heart aches over the loss that my church family is experiencing. However in the middle of a more difficult month I am reminded of the amazing gift we have been given: Laughter.

I read an article about the importance of laughter this week and how critical it is within the context of family. It talked of how laughter brings people together and allows people a respite from a life that is sometimes more hectic than funny.

Laughter is particularily important to children who need it to feel a sense of belonging and well being. It reminded me of the times when my family in Arizona gets together and laugh over those family "legends" that seem to get more and more ludicrous with the passing of time. And now that we have kids the stories are even better.

My kids love to laugh. For instance, a couple of weeks ago we were all sitting at the dinner table and The Girls's lips were red and swollen because they were chapped. I had just bought her and The Boy new chapsticks and had told them not to loose them. The Girl was complaining that her lips hurt and I asked where her chapstick was.....To which she responded without words but with a look that said "I lost it within the first hour you bought it."

The Boy then pipes up and starts in on how she should be responsible for her stuff and that "Mom had said to keep track of the Chaptick".

To which I replied, "Oh yeah?, Where is your new chapstick?"

"Um, I lost it?"

This is when The Girl, who had just taken a sip of water, burst out laughing and showered her brother with the contents of her mouth. That's when we all started laughing...And cleaning up.

Every night since then The Girl has retold the story laughing (with The Boy) like it is the funniest thing that has ever happened.

Yesterday The Boy came home from school and asked if we could get online and find a website that has to do with a gorilla named KoKo. He wanted us to send money to her foundation because "gorillas may become extinct". I told him that we could look at the site but that we probably wouldn't be sending money. Of course he asked Why? I told him that his Dad and I like to give our money to charities that help people. With tears in his eyes he reached over so I could hug him. The Girl, my 6 year old animal rights activist, who was sitting on the counter licking peanut butter off a spoon, starts indignantly asking me questions: Don't you care that the gorillas are going to be extinct? Do you know that means that there won't be any more gorillas? If we don't send money to help save the gorillas who will?

This was all in a build up to the final blow (or so she thought). With a slight smile on her face she says:

"What if Kona (our dog) was a gorilla? Would you send money in then?"

I burst out laughing...And fortunately so did The Girl. I think he new he should probably laugh at this moment, in the event that my answer wasn't favorable.

Save the gorillas...as if i didn't live with two monkeys.

M.I.A.

For those of you who are worried....I am still alive.

I have spent many years avoiding the flu shot because after all I "never" get the flu.

Well next year I will be the first in line along with all the old people waiting for the flu shot because I now understand what the "flu" really is.

Today is the first day that I have been out of bed since Sunday...When they say that the flu knocks you down from out of no where...They aren't joking. I was fine on Saturday and on Sunday I was sick, sick, sick.

Unfortunately, it couldn't have come at a worse time. My sweet friend flew all the way in from the Lone Star State and we spent most of her vacation parked on my couch; with her bringing me glasses of water with lemon and coaxing me to eat toast. She got to listen to me hack and sniffle and sneeze all while trying not to breathe the same air.

The weekend wasn't a total loss.

We did get to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner (which was yummy) and there was a lot of girlie bonding that proves when two good friends come together over chocolate it doesn't matter where you are, or how sick you are, or how long it has been since you have last seen each other--friendship takes the crumbs in life and makes a cheesecake.

Don't Blink

There was an ad in a parenting magazine that I found when I was pregnant with The Boy. It was a black and white picture of a beautiful baby with big eyes. The words on the side of the picture read like this:

31,536,000 seconds.

525,600 minutes.

8,760 hours

365 days.

1 birthday candle.

Don't blink.

I cut that ad out and placed it on the fridge before I even gave birth to The Boy and whenever I would open the fridge on a sleepless night, or during the day when realities set in on how parenting is (mostly) hard work, I would see that ad and it would remind me that life is precious and it will certainly go quickly so enjoy it. I eventually pulled it off the fridge and put it in his baby book, but it made such an impact on my mind that I think of that ad often...especially in times when I start to believe that things will never change...that we will always be struggling with a certain issue (i.e. - sleepless nights, diapers, learning to read...it goes on and on!)

Today we celebrated The Girl's 6th birthday and it seems hard to believe that 6 years ago today I accidentally pushed snooze on a 5:30am alarm and the hubby and I were almost late for the scheduled birth of our second child! Of course nothing could've happened till I got to the hospital...But we felt a little guilty. That would NEVER have happened with the first baby!

3,153,600 minutes later and here we are.

This weekend will be filled with Princess parties and cake and ice cream and the prayers of a Mom and Dad that time would slow down...Just a bit...But just in case...

...Don't Blink.

I Can Bring Home the Bacon

Well...Just a small slice of bacon....

It is amazing how this world revolves so much on the "Who you know" principle. Such is the case in my life.

This time last week I was doing pretty much the same thing. The Wednesday schedule includes my laundry, cleaning the bathrooms and sweeping and mopping (although I usually push this last chore off until I can no longer take the look (or feel) of my kitchen floor.

Today I am sitting at home in blessed silence after spending three hours teaching music to 4 year olds. And if you think pre-school isn't a high risk job, then you have never spent thirty minutes with 10 pre-schoolers with wooden rhythm sticks in their hands.

How did I get this job? Well it all started out with the kindergarten class Christmas party...Although we have to call it a "Winter Party"...I volunteered to play my guitar and sing some Christmas songs. Little did I know that another parent in the class would remember that I played guitar when the music teacher at her school quit last week...And she would call me. I would tell her that I have never taught music before and although I can play the guitar I usually don't choose to play in public. This is when she told me that 3, 4, and 5 year olds are not really public.

So last week I interviewed (for the first time in almost a decade) and this week I can suddenly add "Pre-School Music Teacher" to my resume. Of course this is right on course with some of the other crazy (but very true) things I could put on my resume. For instance: ICEE drink promotional bear, or tap dancing Foley's bag (for a grand opening), and my all time favorite-- Nanny to Vegas on a highjacked plane. Sounds like a country-western song.

I think this little job will be fun, relatively easy, and put a little pocket change in my cute little handbag that matches my shoes.

If my blogs are a little more infrequent it's cause I am getting used to the schedule...Or I have been rendered unconscious after a serious exercise with Rhythm sticks...But hang in there I will return! I am sure that hanging around with Toddlers 9 hours a week will bring lots of blogging material.

La Vida Dulce!

Never A Dull Moment

When you live with a kindergartener there is really not any day that goes by that you don't have a good laugh. Sometimes those laugh are born out of a need to do something other than cry. Sometimes those laughs are rip roaring belly laughs that make you glad you get to be a first string player in the game of parenting.

In kindergarten you know your letters but you haven't necessarily learned to use them in words. My kindergartener can read a few small words like: me, hit, or to. She has not mastered bigger words such as: Diminutive expressions are often superior.

Occasionally she will look for things to spell. For instance she wanted to write a story about a hyena name Pinduly who is the main character of one of her favorite books. She likes to look at the title words and then copy them in her own journal. The world of words has now been open to her...Although if it doesn't rhyme with 'cat' she usually doesn't have a clue what she is spelling.

So when she came home last week with hurt feelings and a sad look in her eye I wondered what was going on. She told me that she had been in the painting "center" in her class and when the teacher took her art work down she laughed and then she showed it to the teachers assistant and she laughed too. Honestly, I kind of blew it off by changing the subject and , ashamedly, offering her a chocolate chip cookie.

However when she got home she cleaned out her back pack and opened her beautiful piece of art. Austin took one look at it and burst out laughing, which didn't help the situation. I took a gander at the entertaining illustration and began to explain to The Girl what was going on. She then joined her brother on the floor in a round of raucous laughter.

One of the great things about the kindergarten classroom is that it has labels for everything from the pencil holders to, yes, the bathroom where on the door hangs a plaque with bold letters spelling:

T-O-I-L-E-T

Another fit of laughter came this afternoon. The Girl was looking peacefully pensive. I asked her "What are you thinking about?"

To which she honestly replied, "My future husband."

Finally (although not at all the end), last night I had made enchiladas for dinner. The kids aren't always happy about enchiladas but occasionally I choose to make what is pleasing to a grown up palette and the kids have to eat it because they can't cook.

She then looked at her enchiladas and said she didn't really like them. To which a told her that I was sorry but to eat it anyway...

She was quiet for several minutes as she poked at her food with a fork.

Then she burst out with a sentence that I hope I remember if I am ever served a meal I don't particularly like:

"I can't believe baby penguins eat their mother's throw up!"

She then proceeded to eat her enchiladas.

The days may be tiring. They may often be tedious. They are almost always routine.

But they are very rarely dull.

Bloggers Block

I do all the right things....

I take vitamins, I exercise, I wash my hands more than people with OCD...and yet I have caught another case of the sniffles.

This would be the 4th time I have caught a cold since August...

Let me make this announcement:

I DON"T EVER GET SICK!

I don't have time.

But apparently this year is the exception.

And when I don't feel well I have trouble writing.

And breathing.

And sleeping.

But let's think about some good news....

I am again an Aunt.

I have a new niece who was born a week ago. She is precious!

More good news...There is chocolate ice cream in my fridge...It's good for the throat.

Reputation

In October my friend Jen gave me a gift bag full of birthday gifts. This was one of them:

Then for Christmas my friend Lara sent me this:

Then this morning I was talking to Lara and she say's in reference to the beginning of our friendship: "I remember thinking to myself 'Man!, that girl drinks a lot of coffee.'"

Well...I had an epiphany this morning! After I got off the phone with her I went to pour another cup of coffee and next to my pot was the little wall hanging pictured above.

It occurred to me that it isn't entirely my fault that I am a large consumer of that awesome warm decoction...

I have a lot of good friends!

I'll Take The Raisin Bran..Hold the Raisins

In August I had decided I was going to clip coupons in an attempt to shave off some of the expense of feeding my family. I really gave it a valiant effort and did keep up with it until December 1st. It just doesn't work out for our family...I ended up buying a bunch of food that my family doesn't ever eat, and although it was fun to come out of the store having saved 50% off the total bill it didn't make sense because much of that food was left sitting on the pantry shelf.

For instance, sometime in early October I bought a box of Raisin Bran. The kids turned their noses up and the Mister said he would stick to his old Cheerios stand-by. So the job of consuming that box was up to me.

Here's the deal, I actually enjoy Raisin Bran...I just don't like the raisin part. It isn't that I don't think raisins are a fine source of iron and fiber, and blah, blah, blah...I just don't care for them. So the task of eating Raisin Bran became a chore because I would pour cereal into my bowl in little bits with one hand, while picking out the raisins one-by-one with the other.

As I sat at the table eating and reading the cereal box I thought it was ironic that in big letters splashed across the top it said "25% More raisins!". Yes, I know...why couldn't they do that with Lucky Charms when I was a kid...It would have been fabulous with 25% more marshmallows.

So, Raisin Bran , although a bargain at $1.50 (after the store card and coupon) ended up taking a lot of space on my shelf, and in the long run wastes precious resources...just think of those poor depressed grapes that get picked out and thrown away!

It has taken me 3 months to get through that box of cereal because one of the requirements of breakfast is that it should be quick and E-A-S-Y . It shouldn't require too much thought, to many gadgets or to many "steps". Oh...and it should also taste good, be nutritious, and make me not feel hungry until noon.

Unless there is a coupon for Pop-Tarts (with a strong cup of coffee). Then the rules change.

Random Poll

Every once in awhile in TX I would come to coffee with a "Random Poll" Question. For instance I was curious once if my friends washed their feet every time they showered or only once or twice a month. This led to some silly conversation, but also helped me to know who I was going to borrow shoes from...Although it turned out that nobody else in my circle of friends have enormous feet like me.

I miss the "Random Poll" and decided I could incorporate it into La Vida Dulce.

Today's Random Poll was brought on by my son this morning when he asked for breakfast. He wanted a bagel cut in half and toasted....but he only wanted the top. This was OK...Because The Girl only wanted the bottom half.

If you have to split a bagel with a friend which half do you take, the top or the bottom? Maybe you prefer an English muffin? Do they have differentiated sides or all sides created equal?

Once You Start You Can't Stop...

I was thinking this morning...

I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner, then sprayed it with leave-in-conditioner, added mousse to the roots and hair "goo" to the ends, I am told this will make my hair shiny and supple, not dry like straw.

After the application of the hair product I put moisturizer on my face, applied under-the-eye cream, concealer, and lip balm, an attempt to keep my face moist. Then I realized that my hands, elbow and arms were dry, so it was time to find the lotion.

After completely drying my hair I had to spend 15 minutes just putting away all the stuff I had to pull out. It seems the older you get the more creams and lotions it takes to just keep you from cracking. I am not talking about warding off wrinkles here...I am talking about just looking "natural". This of course is the winter-time routine...the summer one is worse because it requires sunscreen too. It never seems to stop.

During this entire routine I was thinking about the year I was in 6th grade and asked my mom if I could shave my legs. She consulted that Woman's Handbook that women have in their heads (but of whom no one owns a hard copy) where it says that after a certain age you may tell your daughter she can shave her legs, but as a women of the human race your are required to give this warning: "Once you start, you can't stop."

There are many other things that must not be in the handbook, because they have caught me by surprise. I think I should write an entire section for the Woman's Handbook that has a chapter like this:

Warnings on getting older: The 30's... Every part of you will get dry. You will be required to purchase all sorts of face creams and potions just to keep you from shriveling like a raisin. You may buy these products in any smell according to your preference but be warned...some smells don't mix. It will take you 2 hours to get ready from start to finish unless you forget to dry your hair and go out with a wet head. In which case you will have a really, really bad hair day. When you reach your 30's your hair is tired so you must use product that makes it look....well...younger. Oh, by the way...Once you start you can't stop.

Also in this book:

Chocolate: A Staple Through the Ages: You were given chocolate as a child when you didn't appreciate it. You ate it through your teen age years when you actually had too much moisture in your face and it gave you acne. In your 20's you learned about the emotional value of that precious commodity. But now, in the teachable 30's, you know...Once you start you can't stop.

There are many other chapters we could add to the 30's section of the Womans Handbook. But at this point I have only 3 years tucked under my belt in this catergory...and I have a long list of things that always need doing...for example the never ending pile of laundry that must be faced today or I may have to send my sweet family to school and work wrapped in paper towels and scotch tape.

Laundry...yet another thing that --Once you start you can't stop.

The Closet Cleaner

I wish I could confess that I am the best housekeeper in the world.

I do like a clean house, and there are some things I do "just so". I could tell you my housekeeping efforts are all about having a beautiful house that is pristine and always clean... but just between you and me, it's more about power! and control! (said gleefully with a look of intrigue... and perfectly waxed eyebrows)

How do I know this? Well, I remember the day (not so long ago) I came home and that sweet man of mine had rotated the silverware holder to the right 90 degrees, just so you didn't have to reach way into the drawer to grab a butter knife: "It's hard on the hand"says he.

I wouldn't say I had a conniption, but I wasn't real sweet either. I vaguely remember saying something about the kitchen being "mine" and "how would he like it if I came to his work and re-arranged his desk?"...I did eventually acquiesce and see things from his point of view...but it took a couple of days to not mutter under my breath when I went to make toast.

He would also say I have "laundry issues." I would call it "organization". I would say that they have to be folded a certain way so that all those clean, fluffy towels all fit into the cupboard correctly, and also, they should be color coordinated... so when you open the linen closet it looks nice. Because you never know who might knock on your door at any minute and run up the stairs and open up your linen closet in need of a towel folded the "right" way.

It doesn't matter that under the towel shelf (in that same closet) is the blanket shelf, which is overflowing and a complete disaster (not to mention not color-coordinated). It is so out of order that you have to push really hard to get the closet to completely close. However, for some reason in the winter months, I can let this go...mostly because that shelf is on eye level with my children who decide each night that they are cold...and each morning they re-decide that that blanket didn't work, and should try out a new one. Somewhere in "the mind of Kellie" I decided if a task looks too hard to gain control of the best course of action is to simply ignore it. Maybe someone will magically appear and clean it...or maybe one day you will accidentally make your coffee way to strong and have a caffeinated surge of energy that creates a "fantastic idea" to get those blankets back to it's color-coded glory. Of course these things always lend itself to more work...Cause you can't possibly just do one shelf...you'd have to organize the whole thing...this is why it is best to just ignore it.

However somethings you can't ignore...even if you try real hard. Yesterday I cleaned the fridge. Something had died in there. I had waited a couple of days in hopes that the box of Arm N Hammer would do the job I hired it to do, but there wasn't enough arm to hammer that stench. I couldn't find anything that was causing this odor, but when I was done it smelled more like a fridge-a-daire ought to...

This morning the coffee was so good I was glad I made half a pot. I always make a half a pot, but usually only drink 9/10ths of it. This half-pot habit is from the good ole Texas days when 4 out of 5 days of the week I would share that pot with a friend. After I drank the coffee (which is really only three cups worth) I had a "fantastic idea."

Honestly, it was planted there by one of my Texas coffee "regulars" when she mentioned yesterday that she had done a complete overhaul of her downstairs but still needed to get to organize that dreaded under-the-stairs-closet.

The closet under my stairs had needed to be cleaned out since the day after we unpacked the moving boxes almost one year ago. It had become the place I threw things that I didn't want to deal with, from arts and crafts stuff and unopened bank statements (yikes!) to that one afternoon last year when we came home from the last day of school with two huge brown paper bags filled with the contents of a 7 year olds desk...quite frankly I am surprised we didn't have a stench there too.

Why is it that projects always seem so fun when you start? But when you get that closet unloaded and out on your family room floor you begin to wonder why in the world this idea sounded so "fantastic". I found myself having thoughts like "This is some great Spring Cleaning...too bad spring won't be here for another three months, by then you will have to do this all over again."

I separated all the crayons from the markers and pencils and gel pens and put them in separate boxes and got out my label maker machine and labeled each box accordingly (this didn't work so well when the kids didn't know how to read). Nobody actually reads those labels but me....but it makes me feel hopeful, plus when people come over it gives the appearance that your organized. Even though the truth is if you open the door any other day you are taking your life into your own hands.

Now, three hours later, I have completely re-organized the arts and crafts closet/storage unit/pit. It took me so long that the coffee buzz had worn off and I had to start in on the Diet Coke to finish.

Now, for about two hours before anyone comes home I can sit there and enjoy how everything is in it's place. Color-coded, labeled, and may I say, oh-so-beautiful. Of course this is alot like a wedding or a thanksgiving meal: what took hours to fix can be (and will be) undone so fast you can't see it happening with the naked eye.

Hmm...do I feel like re-arranging that blanket shelf...

Nope, it smells fine and I can still get the door closed...I'll just ignore it.

Happy New Year

Whew! The last of the Christmas boxes have been put away for another year!

I seem to be suffering from a bit of writers block. Of course it could be because I am still busy trying to think of resolutions to make for the New Year...Or maybe it is because I can't type and try to fold laundry load #7 of 2006 at the same time.

I will tell you a story I have saved for such a time as this...

One day last summer on a warm afternoon I learned I must always choose my words wisely. Even if only in a quick and informal conversation.

I was talking to my neighbor and her college aged daughter. I had just purchased a new pair of shoes. When we were talking she mentioned that she wanted to find some new shoes for the beach. This is where I burst out a statement that I will never again do in public: "I just bought a new pair of thongs for $15 bucks at Costco!"

My neighbor and her daughter looked at me with eyes that told me something was desperately wrong...except it took me a few seconds to register what it was...this is when I practically shouted "Flip Flops! Flip Flops! I bought a pair of Flip flops!"

Christmas on the Beach

My mom had never seen the Atlantic before so we packed up on Tuesday and headed for the beach. It was relatively warm (61 degrees) but obviously too cold get a tan for New Year' s Eve. The weather didn't stop the kiddos from getting wet!

On Wednesday morning we got up early to watch the sunrise...having grown up near the west coast where the sun sets on the ocean it was fun to see the sun rise on the ocean.

As I was sitting on the 5th floor balcony of our hotel room, watching the sun rise and drinking coffee a bunch of dolphins came to catch some breakfast. They were incredibly close to the shore! It was amazing!













La Vida Dulce!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Many merry Christmases, friendships, great accumulation of cheerful recollections, affection on earth, and Heaven at last for all of us.

~Charles Dickens

Our Christmas Story - Part 3

We've taken a trip to the past and future...but what about today?

Let's start with a story...I found this story but it did not give the name of the author. Please note I did not write this story!

Christmas in Prison

During the time when trouble with the Communists was first beginning to be a problem in China, two missionaries were returning from a preaching trip when they were captured. It was Christmas Eve and they had been hurrying, hoping to spend Christmas Day with their families. The captors stripped them of all their belongings, including their Bibles, and put them in a small room together, forbidding them to speak to each other. The men did not know whether they would be allowed to live through the night, whether or not the captors would kill them, and they worried for their families who did not know where they were. The night passed and early on Christmas morning, one of the men had an idea. While the guard was looking the other way, he pulled bits of straw out of his mattress and spelled out the word "Emmanuel." His friend looked at the letters and his face lit up. Emmanuel - God with us. God was with them even in prison. This communication lifted the men's spirits and they were able to wait out the remainder of their imprisonment in peace and joy. After the men were released and reunited with their families, this Christmas became their most memorable. They had learned that the importance of Christmas is not that we are with our families - although that is wonderful - but it is that God is with us - God sent His Son to earth to be with us.


This story encourages me! Christmas carries so much emotion and sometimes those emotions, (although very real when we're feeling them!) can side track us from the truth of Emmanuel - God with us.

Like Christmas 6 years ago. Being 8 months pregnant we couldn't travel to Arizona but I wasn't sad about it because we were celebrating our first Christmas in our new house (and first home) and I knew that my parents would be coming to see me when the baby came. The Boy was a cute as could be. I was carrying new life! Life was good! The emotions I felt were joy, love, and cheer! We can add those to our list from Part 1.

But sometimes those emotions aren't always happy.

Like the year when I was 18. We had had a family crisis that brought 17 years of Christmas celebration with extended family to a screaming halt. That year my parents, brothers and I celebrated Christmas alone. At the time, I felt responsible for all the ugliness that resulted in this separation. And although I felt grateful that I wasn't completely alone that Christmas the emotions I felt that year were fear, rejection, loneliness, and grief. And I assume that my family had similar feelings. That year the emotions would not allow me to see past my circumstances.

How I wish I knew then what I know now. I wish the 33 year old Kellie could go back to that 18 year old and say: "Emmanuel! Kellie. God is with you! God is with your family! You have a future!"

Do you know someone who needs to hear that this season?

Perhaps it is you?

Maybe your circumstances are awesome this year. For instance things are going well for my little family this year. We anticipate my parents’ arrival this weekend and things at the moment are going very well (and I can't resist saying I have a new baby nephew who is just perfect!)
However, I know that I could have remembered "Emmanuel-God with me." When I was trying to find a parking spot among those crazy Christmas drivers!

Perhaps we might remember "Emmanuel- God with us." when we travel long distances with small children and the family pet. Maybe it's when we are relating with family members who are a little more difficult.

I don't know where you are "emotionally" this year...some may be filled with joy and excitement and some maybe struggling...but we can be comforted when we remember:

Emmanuel. God is with us.

He was there in our past.

He will be there in our future.

He is with us now.


Two days ago I gave a definition for a baby. Here is a revised definition:

The Baby King

He was born in a stable, the smallest member of the barn. He was born there at the perfect time, to make love stronger, the home assured, the past forgiven and the future worth living for.

He is Emmanuel. - which means "God with us."

Matthew 1:23

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Story - Part 2

Christmas Future – Our Home

I love it that through scripture we can take a trip to the past, to gather hope for the future!

Yesterday our definition for a baby was that “he makes the past forgotten and the future worth living for”. Today we will see that the message of Emmanuel, Jesus, the baby King, is that “He makes our past FORGIVEN, and the future worth living for.”

The infant Christ gives us a future worth living for because when we make a choice to believe that he is the Son of God, who was sent to free us from sin, then we will get the privilege to someday celebrate His birth in heaven, God’s home, sitting at His table, sharing Christmas with Him face to face!

Home…another word we can add to our list of words that describe what Christmas means to us.

You’ve heard the words, “I’ll be home for Christmas…If only in my dreams”. As my little family has literally moved across the country in the last 10 years I have had to re-think and re-adjust my concept of “home”. When someone asks me where I am from I sometimes struggle. I am an Arizonian by birth, I love Texas, I am raising two little natural born Texans, and I have a growing love of the Southeast. Home to me is where my family is…but even that is hard as my family is scattered! Home is a soft place to land. For me that’s being in the presence of those whom I love. What if my parents no longer lived in Arizona? Would Arizona still be home?

I have come to realize that home is a place of heart. Here is what helps me when I struggle with the concept of Home:

“But our citizenship is in heaven.” Philippians 3:20

God’s Word says that for those who choose to believe in Christ our citizenship is in heaven. Arizona is where I was born, but it is not my home. When our family moves on from our little corner in the southeast my heart will break. I will grieve as I did 9 years ago when my parents dropped us off at the airport bound for Texas. I will feel “homesick” as I still feel now for Texas. But this baby called Emmanuel gives me, and you, a future worth living for! And it’s bigger than Arizona…and if you can believe it…it’s bigger than Texas! (Do I hear an Amen?!)

The future worth living for is eternity in God’s home.

We can anticipate a grand Christmas with Christ because right before he was about to be arrested, beaten and crucified he speaks to his disciples and says:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

John 14:2-4

Christ is saying, “Trust me!” There is a future for you!” Our future promise: Emmanuel- God with us!

When we choose to believe that that sweet baby King is who He says He is we become royalty in Him. He gives us a future worth living for in heaven, where we will celebrate His birth and life and sacrifice with Him!

It is OK to anticipate and look forward to it! As a matter of fact is meant to give us great encouragement. We can learn from Abraham, known for his great faith in the Lord. He was asked by God to leave the land of his father. He packed up his family, left the only home he ever knew and lived life believing God was who He said He was. And in the book of Hebrews we are reminded that Abraham anticipated the day when he and his family would all finally live in their true “home”.

… for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. - Hebrews 11:10

The idea of anticipating the future reminds me of the first 5K I ran. My friend Jenifer and I were very excited. The weather was perfect, the adrenaline was pumping and all was going very well. Around the first mile we finally had an even pace and we felt good. All of a sudden a boy around the age of 15 realized his shoelace were loose, so instead of running to the side of the road, he squats down right in front of me to tie his laces. I had to do some split second thinking and hurdled this youngster! Then at about the second mile I realized that buying new running shoes three days before the race was probably not the best choice I had ever made. They were starting to rub blisters on the bottoms of my feet. But we ran on. Having a third of the last mile left I was beginning to get really tired. About this time Jenifer started to really pick up her pace. I, not wanting to be dusted, picked up to keep up! I say, “Goodness Jen, you really saved your energy for this last bit didn’t you?” To which she replied, “No. Actually, I am getting pretty tired. But I know that finish line is just around this next corner.”

This little 5K race packed big lessons for me. Jen kept the end goal in mind. She let it encourage her, motivate her, and helped her to finish strong. Isn’t life just like a marathon? Everything is great and things are going just as we had planned; then suddenly we have to navigate over unexpected hurdles. Sometimes we make choices that cause “blisters” in life, things that may cause a little (or a lot!) of pain, and we have to live with the consequences of those decisions. Sometimes we just get tired, and we want to quit. But this is when we must remember our future! Run with the future in mind!

We can run the race knowing that because of Christ we have an assured future.

We have a place to call home!

Christmas Future – An eternal home where we will live the

face-to-face reality of:

Emmanuel. God with us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow: Christmas Present!

How The Christmas Story ...

...Becomes Our Christmas Story - Part 1

If we were asked to give one-word descriptions on what Christmas means to us, the thoughts or themes that come to mind might look like this:

Peace, Family, Hope, Love, and Traditions

Just to name a few.

I also have a few one-word descriptions that pop into my head as we approach this exciting time of year. I will be adding them to our list as we go along.

As I sat down to pray and study for this devotional I began to have a Charles Dickens sort of theme begin to run in my head. I began to reminisce about the joys, and sometimes heartache, of Christmas’ past. As I studied I began to get excited about Christmas Future. Yet I am also aware that this is December 2005, it is important to be grounded and truly living in the present.

One of my very first thoughts (that I will add to our list) when I think about Christmas is: Baby. This has always been a focus for me because I have had a great love for babies for as long as I can remember! Growing up we had a very small manger scene that I used to play with. It had glass figurines of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. My favorite piece of that manger scene was always the baby Jesus. There is just something incredibly hopeful, sweet and new about a baby.

I found this definition about babies:

A baby is a small member of the home that makes love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, the bankroll smaller, the home happier, the clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

If you are a parent you know this is true! Mary and Joseph could probably shake their head in agreement with this statement and yet they knew that this baby King, named Jesus, was a promise fulfilled by God.

Which bring us to:

Christmas Past - Emmanuel God with Us

I love the book of Isaiah. I often find myself there in times when I need encouragement. Perhaps this is because Isaiah was known as the prophet of redemption. He spoke of Christ’s birth long before He was born. God used Isaiah to foretell the future of what was to come. In Chapter 7 we see Isaiah encouraging Ahaz, the King of Judah, whose enemies are plotting to over throw him. God has told Isaiah that this plot will not be carried out but Ahaz must stand firm. The Lord says to Ahaz in verse 10 of the Seventh Chapter:

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,  “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

Here we see that God is saying: Ahaz! from the depths to heights I am with you!

Ahaz refuses to ask. But God in his perfect plan and mercy gives him a sign anyway. Through Isaiah these words are spoken:

“ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” –Isaiah 7:14

This is the fun part…Now we get to flip to the bible to Matthew 1 and take a peek at how the future for Ahaz and the house of King David is to perfectly unfold.

18 this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Emmanuel. God with us.

God’s Word is trustworthy. We can believe Him. When we see things that were predicted in Scripture past, it is always fulfilled in the future. I love the richness of the words of God that we have just read. It reminds me that long before Christ came as a tiny babe we can see God had a plan. It was not hidden from Ahaz and his people- nor is it hidden from us. God’s plan of salvation was born in a stable. So that plain, unroyal people like you and me could approach him and receive the gift that came in swaddling clothes.

This baby King, the Son of God, grew to be a man who would offer us the greatest gift…Himself. He would willingly die to save us from our sin, and rise from the dead to give us a future; to prepare a home for those who believed that his gift was real.

So that we might always know Emmanuel – God with us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow: Christmas Future!

School Teachers Aren't Paid Nearly Enough

I feel a little frazzled.

I have just returned from the Holiday Parties at the kids school.

I am now drinking Diet Coke in an attempt to calm my nerves. (You know it's an addiction when you drink it to feel "normal")

There is nothing like volunteering on one of the most crazy days of the year. The kids are already wild with excitement. Then a bunch of the "fun" parents think it's really cool to load them up with sugar and then see how many of them can explode from all the sugar generated energy. (today the sugar was served in all forms-- from candy to Mountain Dew! What were they thinking?) All while the teachers have these looks on their faces that are somewhere between cheer and pure exhaustion.

This afternoon I will peel The Boy down from the ceiling and look forward to the next few days of hanging out together before all the holiday excitement begins. Tomorrow we will bake!

On a side note, a couple weeks ago I was asked to speak for the Woman's Annual Christmas Party at our church. I put together a little devotional about Christmas. I thought I would post it in three parts, over three days(starting tomorrow) here in the blog. I hope you enjoy it.

OK...now I feel much better...writing a little bit and drinking Diet Coke...so much cheaper than therapy.

You Know Your Old When....

...your son comes home from school a little disappointed with a toy that he received from the class "goodie box". It's a key chain with a small Rubik's Cube attached to it.

Actually, the "goodie" pick on Friday is a "blind" grab of sorts. It's part of the good behavior reward system. You manage to stay out of trouble all week and then you get to pick out of the goodie box, only there is a catch: you can't see what you pick. And what you pick is what you get.

This week he picked out a pink bracelet, and a girl in his class picked the key chain. They traded to save themselves the embarrassment of unfortunate picking.

The Boy was still not thrilled.

After school, when he gets in the car, he says with little energy "look what I got from the goodie box."

I say, with excitement "AH! A Rubik's Cube!!! Cool!"

And he looks at me with a look that is a cross between disbelief and wondering if he has all my DNA.

I say, "Those were very popular when I was a kid."

To which he answers, "What is it?"

"It's like a puzzle"

Then after he twists and turns it for awhile he says "Does it come apart?" (this is where I realize that, yes, the DNA is all there)

What I Say: "Yes, but that's kind of like cheating."
What I think: (Actually it's kind of hard to take them apart...it's much easier to take the stickers off and place them back in order.)

"So this was a game you played when you were a kid?"

"Yup. Everyone had a Rubik's Cube." I even had a Chuck E Cheese one.

"Wow. "

Silence.

"Was this in the old days when all those TV shows were black and white?"

Kids.

High Noon on Wednesday

It is 12:07 and it is 28 degrees outside.

Need I say more?

Tamale Time: A day in pictures

7am: After cooking the meat in the crock all night I stumbled down the stairs to chop it up and give it some flavor. Notice that I do not yet have that First Morning Coffee look yet...










8am: G. grabs an apron and learns the finer points of masa making.













Next year she is going to make them and I am going to stay in bed.
















Do not miss the irony in this photo...although you cannot see the rest of this breakfast table, I am the ONLY one sitting at it making tamales. The hubby was upstairs resting from his eventful Friday (for another blog), the kids were outside (except when Austin stopped in to take this pic). Why is this ironic? Because I spent many years dissapearing during the rolling of the tamales. But at least I was on the phone.




And 2pm: The finished product!


La Vida Dulce!

The Trials of a Pet Owner or If you are a Dog Lover...Look the Other Way

When I started this blog I had no idea that I would spend so much time writing about the family pet.

Kona, our (once) beloved dog, is about to find herself "lost" (if you know what I mean).

Now, before all those animal activist that I call friends get their britches in a wad, Kona is alive and well....and whining at the door to the office as I type. But my feelings for this dog are starting to wane.

What would the doggie experts say?: She runs away because she wants friends. She rolls in poop because it is fun. She brings in pinecones and leaves the crumpled remains all over the living room because she needs something to chew on. She sneaks food off of people's plates because she was never sent to obedience school. And she runs all over you because you let her walk in the door ahead of you too many times and now she thinks she is the Alpha dog. What she needs is firm training, gentle love and a good rawhide bone. By the way, this is all your fault.

What do I say: She needs some swift action with an electric collar.

Last night she ran away again. She was gone for several hours and then came home, by way of the neighbor who brought her home on a leash. She was covered in poop. She spent the night kenneled up...looking very sad and smelling like...well, you know.

At 9:30 this morning in 33 degree weather (by the way, that is VERY cold) I took that little pooch outside and she had a bath. Of course everything outside has already been winterized so I had to uncover the water spout, find a hose in the garage, and find the spray nozzle. My hands were purple, my teeth were chattering and now my house smells like wet dog.

Quite frankly, pet ownership is a pain in the rear.

A Mother's Pride

In motherhood there are sometimes opportunities to make you feel like you are doing a good job being a mother.

If your a mother you know what I mean.

You spend minutes, days, weeks and years teaching them so they will be wise and knowledgeable. And that moment comes quickly and unexpectedly.

It's that moment when your kids does or says the right thing... and you, for a brief shining moment, can act like it was all because of your fine parenting skills.

It's a moment that the angels sing and you have to wipe a tear of happiness from the eye...

This moment happened just this morning on our way to school.

The Boy was trying to tell me about a gift he might buy his teacher. He couldn't think of quite the right word so he asked "What is a high heel?"

The Girl, with great excitement in her eyes says "It's a shoe!!!".

The Boy says " No, that's not what I was thinking of."

The Girl says "Was it a pump? A sandal?"

"No...."

"Was it a clog? An open toe?"

"No...."

"A boot? A mule? Mary Jane's?"

"Cut it out! It isn't a shoe! I am not thinking about shoes, OK?"

The Girl's reply:

"Well I am ."

That's my girl.

Those Darn Commercials

I have to admit I am a sucker for commercials and ads.

There is a Hallmark commercial out this year...they get me everytime...

To see the one that has got me this year go to www.hallmark.com

Under the Crown Stores column click the "commercial" link; then click the "Now and Then :Featuring the Christmas Plate" commercial.

It's too much...
















On a less weepy note:

We are so thankful here...Thanksgiving was great. We baked and cooked and walked and ran around the yard and enjoyed a warm(er) day of 62 degrees! We played Uno and the Cranium Family fun Game and ate about 2.3 pounds of the 19.5 lb. bird I made! (We will be eating turkey for a while.) We all watched a movie and then tucked ourselves into bed for a well earned slumber.

















La Vida Dulce!

Thanksgiving Eve

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Not only is it the Mr.'s Birthday, but this is the day that I love! All the preparation before the BIG DAY! I spend a good portion of the day baking and preparing for tomorrow. I am already listening to Christmas CD's and my house smells of Garlic and yeast rolls.

But the BEST part of this day is that today is the day that I get to get my Turkey drunk.

Yes, I intoxicate my turkey...And this makes me giggle every year. I make a joke of how soaking in a beer brine will help the turkey to feel less pain as he slowly cooks tomorrow. My long enduring husband, who has heard this same joke for 10 years, will smile like he has never heard it before and play along saying, "Yes, Honey, I am sure he will like that MGD as his last 'Hurrah'....only probably not as much as I would have enjoyed it." (Happy Birthday Honey!)

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Tree's, Being Lost, and Long Underwear

It is officially cold.

Literally overnight all the trees dropped their leaves. Last Saturday we spent about 3 hours sweeping the area around our house and raking up the yard, pushing leaves into the "woodsy" part of the yard. We felt so accomplished until Wednesday... when a large of gust of wind came through, followed by a little rain. When I woke up on Thursday the trees were completely naked and our yard, driveway and deck looked as if we hadn't swept since last Spring!

This "shedding of the leaves", if you will, means only one thing...it is cold. And this desert rat has a tough winter-time reality to face...I am going to freeze my keister off.

Unfortunately this has effected my poor children. The Kindergarten teacher has had to send a note home to me, not once, but twice because "we still go to the playground on cold days, please send your child to school with a jacket". The second note said "You don't live in the desert anymore, between October and March it will be frigid here (even if there is an occasional "warm" day). Your kid needs a jacket so that she doesn't go outside and turn purple and have to be sent to the nurse to treat frost bite. What kind of mother are you anyway?"

I am exaggerating...but that second note did get my attention.

On Saturday my running buddy and I went for a run at 7:00 am. It was 27 degrees. I actually had to put on long underwear, running pants, gloves, two shirts, a running jacket and a "keep-your-ears-warm-headband-thing" and I was still so cold that running was actually enjoyable....mostly because my legs were so chilled that I couldn't feel them. It was like running with a spinal block. The only downer was that my friend and I almost broke out in a sweat trying to communicate with each other... our lips were numb. It is very hard to run when you can't talk. We managed to talk but it was slow...we ran 4 miles but the conversation was only about 2 miles worth...

Which bring me to another crazy seasonal changing problem. Every time the season changes, the landscape changes, and I end up getting lost and having to find my way through a new city all over again. Thankfully we are rounding out through the last season of change before we start our second year here. So I will now know what everything looks like Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall. At least now I have friend here who has lived here all her life and doesn't mind me calling her in a pinch. I like to think of it as a "Win-Win" situation. I get to where I am going and she gets a good laugh for the day. These (weekly, or so) phone calls go kind of like this: "Hey, I am trying to find out where the Jacket Store is to get an acceptable coat for my daughter who is currently at school turning purple... I thought I could find it without my Mapsco, but because all the leaves have changed and fallen to the ground all my landmarks have been changed...where the heck am I going? By the way, is it always so cold this time of year?"

So, if you don't see a post for awhile it's either because my fingers are frozen and i can't type, or I fell over during a run and can't get up because I look like a Stay-Puff Marshmallow in all my winter running gear (and having frozen lips can't call for help) or I am bundled up in my queen sized, "cookie monster" blue, heating blanket,turned up to DESERT HEAT HOT...and will be there 'til March.

New Alarm Clock

Now that the temperature has gotten close to freezing each night we have a new boarder in our house. He sneaks in through the outside vent holes that lead from the outside into the attic above our garage. Then he squeezes himself between the tiny two inch crack that lies between the attic pull down door, that sags (just a bit) from the ceiling. His name? Mr. Mockingbird.

We don't mind housing birds at all. As a matter of fact we have the sweetest pair of wren's that make the eves of our front porch into there fine casa each night. They fly in around dark and place there little beaks into the corner (we think there might be issues because they sleep in separate corners) and sleep til dawn promises to break. When I get up in the morning it is often before the moon has set, yet that sweet couple has already started their day....the early bird you know...

But back to Mr. Mockingbird. This bird is not as quiet as the Wren couple. As a matter of fact, when the mocking bird is outside he mimics the sounds of the other birds in the neighborhood which is beautiful and melodic. But the sound he chooses to mimic in our closed garage at precisely 6:15 each morning is the exact sound of a car alarm...and I am being very serious.

We laughed the first morning. How fun is it that it can mimic the exact sound of a car alarm? But on the weekends we are not amused. Now, not only does it sound off and let us know that it is awake and ready to be let loose, but it perches on the window sill inside the garage and watches the door to see if I am awake and going to come out and open the garage. I know this because I get up and watch him through a window that looks into the garage. This bird is no dummy. He points his beak up into the air, takes in a deep breath, sounds his alarm loud enough for people in Florida to hear and then looks over at the door with a look in his eye that says "I should only have to do this once."

He's got me trained.

But in my defense, I make him wait until I have poured my cup of coffee.

The Story of Being 33

I have found emancipation in being 33! It's made me daring and brave.

For instance, when I went to a restaurant the other day I didn't order the same thing that I have ordered since I was 10 years old. As a kid my parents would laugh at me, and make bets with each other over what I would order. Inevitably I would order the Turkey Club (no Mayo), where upon I would receive my order and proceed to pull out the bacon, the middle piece of bread and the ham (which by the way...why, when it is called a turkey club, do they insist on putting in ham?). This routine made my "turkey club" a dry Turkey sandwich.. So, when I ordered my lunch the other day and branched out from my usual order I thought to myself--Must be the "33 Factor".

This is true with others things as well. For my birthday my mom gave me a gift certificate for some shoes I had been looking at: they are Red, a little funky, and I love them. I haven't owned a pair of red shoes since I was like 5... So two days ago, I was wearing jeans and a maroon shirt and I thought to myself --These red shoes don't exactly match what I am wearing. But then I decided, I am 33 years old...who cares?

Well today I made another 33 year old decision...

I am going to make tamales for Christmas.

I know, I know... My dad will say "You always managed to find something else to do on the weekends we made tamales." And yes, I have a history of bailing...there was even that one year when I was dating that sweet man of mine; He came over to help with the tamales and I managed to sneak away. My Brother will say "Is this such a great idea? Do you not remember that year when you burnt 12 pounds of the Masa?" (note: the masa isn't supposed to be cooked until the tamale is already rolled with meat and placed in the pot to be cooked together!) My mom will laugh and say, "Make sure you get it done before we get there to visit. The mess is amazing....and I know messes. We have made tamales for 30 years together... plus, I raised three kids." My youngest brother will say "Cool. Send me some."

Maybe this decision comes from being 33, or maybe it comes from a desire to establish traditions in our home that creates a place of belonging and creates a centerpiece where stories are born. It's a fact that parents want to give their kids what they never had, and I am no exception. But being 33 also makes me think that I want to give my kids what I did have...traditions.

So, look for the blog sometime around Christmas when I write about my first attempt at tamale making. Having grown up in a house where tamales are a tradition, it is common knowledge that where there are tamales being made, there's always a story!

A Letter From The Dog

Master,

Kellie and I have talked about your great frustration over my intense need to roll in poop. I know this causes you a great deal of anger and I am sorry. Per my conversation with my co-owner, your beloved wife, we will do our best to keep on a leash so that I am not tempted to run away (although I have a compulsion that I cannot control...since I am a canine...and although I am exceptionally bright, I am a little lacking in practical matters).

However, there are a number of dogs that run around our large yard (which, by the way, I thank you for) who tend to do their own business...and although I have agreed to the leash terms I cannot guarantee that I will never be tempted roll in disgustingness when it is lying around our acre.

Also, in my conversation with that lady who does her best to keep me fed and watered, she mentioned that she hates it that she had a tiff with you first thing in the morning and had to send you off to work in such haste. She sincerely hopes that you will forgive her.

Sorry for annoying you so much. I will try harder to be "man's best friend"...which I know is hard when I have "Ode de Feces" behind my ears.

Your pet,
Kona

PS: Early this morning I had a bath and am now bright and shiny, if not a little cold, and sitting in my kennel in the garage awaiting your homecoming. If I could I would have the paper and your slippers ready for you upon your arrival....but alas, I have been told that you have neither a subscription to the weekly paper nor a pair of slippers. I will make note of this and add it to my Christmas shopping list this year.

PPS: The Mrs. says she loves you...

Camping

This weekend we took the kids camping. The four of us and some new friends from church went camping in Central NC. Someone told me that North Carolina is God's country and after this weekend I am inclined to shout: I Believe! I Believe!

On Friday we loaded up and met our friends, a family of 8, and headed for Hanging Rock, NC.

After a fairly long, but beautiful, drive we arrived and my breath literally was taken away...and without trying to be dramatic (as some have accused me of being) I felt weepy. I could hardly believe that there could be so much color on the tree's! The photographs can't really give you the full picture of the awesome view.

The weather was amazing. We are experiencing a very late Indian Summer and the weather was perfect - warm in the day and chilly at night.

I really do love camping but must admit I was a little concerned about spend two nights in a tent, sleeping in the cold, eating food over a campfire with 8 children and three other adults, all while wearing no make-up and wearing camping clothes. But it was one the most fun and relaxing weekends we have had in a long time.

There something to be said about sitting around a campfire in the afternoon and doing NOTHING...thinking things like: Do I want to go for a hike and burn off the smores, cookies, hot dogs and chips from last night? Or do I want to sit here and talk with my friend about everything and nothing in particular for 2 hours (while eating something) because I never sit around and do NOTHING? Or should i say, I never sit around and do NOTHING legally. Meaning that I can choose to do nothing around here, but it always hangs over my head so I can't enjoy doing nothing....kind of like the days so long ago when I should've been doing my homework...but I digress...We had a lovely time and got to experience the fall leaves and it made my little family happy.

La vida dulce!

Disclaimer: Dad, I know you may have a thought or two about the attire of my youngest child...Although I am still loyal to my UofA heritage, when in Rome..... ;)

October

I can't believe my favorite month is already over! Although it was incredibly eventful!

As a kid there was a song that I heard on my Mom's Barry Manilow record...and yes I do mean vinyl...that I always think about when October is over. I looked up the words on the internet and the fact that it is even more sappy than I remembered makes it even better!

When October Goes

And when October goes
The snow begins to fly
Above the smokey roofs
I watch the planes go by
The children running home
Beneath a twilight sky
Oh, for the fun of them
When I was one of them
And when October goes
The same old dream appears
And you are in my arms
To share the happy years
I turn my head away
To hide the helpless tears
Oh how I hate to see October go
I should be over it now I know
It doesn't matter much
How old I grow
I hate to see October go

But on the flip side...I wish you could see the leaves here. They are amazing. And trick or treating last night, it was actually cold, with dry leaves on the ground that rustled when we walked, and the smell of all the pumpkins and candy...it was very fun.

PS: Don't judge me 'cuz I have a soft spot for Barry...I can't help it...I was brain washed as a child. My Mom also listened to Willie Nelson, Barbra Striesand, and Anne Murray...and (just between you and me)I love them all too!

Country Living

We always dreamed of having a home in the country where our children would have the luxury of spending most of their time out doors instead of in front of the TV. And we are grateful that we are living that dream in an amazing way....

We have enjoyed sipping soda's on the deck and taking short walks over to the lake. We have listened to the wind blow through the pines and listened to the crickets chirp happily at sunset...

But there has been trouble around our friendly woods...

There is a large family that lives here in the country with us. The nasty Poison Family. They looked harmless enough...honestly we really hadn't even notice them, but they are there... hiding, and lurking about. Through reliable sources we have found they are completely, undeniably, unscrupulous and sneaky. They are despicably mean and they have a tendency to bite.

They are three little "Untouchables" by the names Ivy, Oak and Sumac. And they have overtaken our acre...and my firstborn child.

I was a little bothered when I saw them hanging around the driveway, but now they have messed with my baby...the war is on.

We won't be defeated! NO! We won't back away. We are ready and armed with "Weed-B-Gone" and Prednisone!

We are taking back our yard if it's the last things we do!

A Happy, Happy birthday!

After having Jen in town and celebrating my birthday last weekend, I feel like I get to have a birthday two weekends in a row!

Today I am officially 33 years old and it was a great day...

I got to spend the day with my favorite man, shopping and hanging out. We had lattes at Starbucks, bought red shoes at REI, ate a yummy lunch, picked up the kids, had pizza for dinner and had my fave cake...Baskin Robbins ice cream cake: chocolate mint chip/chocolate cake flavor.

It was a great day...

I got lots of amazing gifts...but this was the best...

In the early morning darkness, dimly lit by a small lamp, wrapped in a blanket, drinking coffee, and reading at my little desk I heard a little one come creaking down the stairs. It was The Girl who was still warm in her cozy fall-time PJ's and shading her eyes from the light. She says "Happy Birthday, Mom" in a sweet quiet voice...she crawls into my lap for a minute then hops down and the says she'll be right back. A few seconds later she comes back with a piece of paper in her hands and announces, "Here's an early birthday gift for you..." and I reach out to receive the paper when she leans over, gives me the sweetest kiss on the cheek and quietly scampers out of the room, paper still in hand.

Precious.

I also heard from many friends. How fun is it to come home from doing all that fun stuff and hear voice messages from people all over the country including new friends right here in town.

Have I mentioned it was a great day?

Someone asked me why I liked birthdays so much. She didn't really like birthdays...cuz it means you get older. My thought was that I love birthdays because it gives us a chance to be happy for someone, to be thankful, to be encouraged and to give a gift.. Whether it's a phone call, or a visit, or a kiss on the cheek. But what I said was "I grew up in a home where we enjoyed celebration. I like to celebrate."

And now I look forward to next years birthday...

On this day next year my family and i will be celebrating like never before...

'Cuz my youngest brother is FINALLY going to tie the knot with a gal we all think is pretty cool.

364 more days...the countdown is on.

Pride...The Root of All Botched Eyebrows

There is a biblical saying that goes like this: Pride goes before destruction...Proverbs 16:18

And let me announce that it is always good to have a little bit of humility before one waxes her eyebrows.

About a year ago I decided that I was tired of paying someone almost $20 bucks to remove unsightly facial hair. I mean really, how hard can it be to put hot wax above your eyeballs and strip away unwanted strays...or in my case large strips that look like the gigantic, black, furry caterpillars my kids find in the yard....my face actually feels lighter afterward...some people take off their shoes when they weigh themselves...I wax my brows. But I digress....

I had been doing pretty good, if I don't say so myself (which is precisely where I got myself into trouble).

Today, I was in a rush. And I had been doing so well. I thought myself a pro...

Confession: I was beginning to think I could do this on other people...not anybody I know. Just some people I saw on TV or when I people watch at the mall, etc.

I now know why people actually go to school to learn this stuff and get paid big bucks to do it...plus then you can blame someone else when people ask why you look surprised in one eye all the time.

Oh well...the good news is that they most definitely will grow back...Do you think the Uni-brow will ever become fashionable?

Things I'm Grateful For...

I am known as a lover of "little" things. I love babies. I love coffee beans. I love a small price tag (like the running pants I bought on clearance at Target this weekend for $3.50). It doesn't take much to make me happy and often these "little things" fill my heart with gratitude that sometimes feels like it might be too much for me to heave around in this small chest of mine (no pun intended).

Like this weekend...I realized how much I like curbside drop off at the airport. And although i do not like the circumstances by which this curbside drop off became pretty much a mandatory thing...I have to say I am grateful that I do not have to walk my visitors to their gate and sit and wait for them to board the aircraft, and then sit and wait for it to take-off...as we used to do in the "old-days" when everybody and their brother was allowed to enter the airport terminal.

I love curbside drop off because in a world that has become so aware of things like "denial" and "pain avoidance" I can drop off my visitors at curbside and avoid all the feelings that go along with saying goodbye...and get away with it.

By the way, if this blog was entitled Things I Hate....saying goodbye would be top on the list.

This weekend, my sweet friend Jen came to help me celebrate an early birthday (also a "little thing" that I really do love!)

We had the greatest time doing "little things"... we did a little relaxing, a little shopping, a little eating, a little hiking, and most importantly, a lot of talking. Oh, and went to a real movie theater and saw a movie...which is a little something we always wanted to do in TX but never felt that we had the time...

So when you come to visit and I take you to the airport and I do a "Drop and Run" at the curbside of the airport...you can know that I miss you already...and can't wait til you come back.

Laundry

I think I may have invented a new extreme sport.

I have just spent the last two days doing nothing but laundry.

Literally.

well, I did do other things but I literally did laundry...hauling, washing, drying, folding, (some ironing), hanging and putting away. I have sore muscles and lost 2 pounds....

Extreme Laundry...it could happen.

Kills Bugs Fast

This morning, after the kids were off to school and I was in the middle of some serious oatmeal eating and reading the paper on the internet, I notice something scurry across the foyer. After a second look I realized that a huge (about the size of a dime), black spider was hurrying off to find someplace nice to build a nest and have lots and lots of baby spiders in my home...my first reaction was to holler for my seriously brave bug killer...my 8 year old son.

These are the times when I seriously consider homeschooling... that way I won't ever have to worry about being alone in the house with insects...or worse...Arachnids. But I was brave and found a nearby shoe and killed that spider in one hard swat and then I cleaned up the mess...which is also a gross task that he readily takes care of (and I might mention that my sweet, brave boy will not very often pick up after himself until he has killed a bug...then it is fun to clean up and inspect the fresh kill).

After this exciting adventure, and a few minutes of nice thoughts about the advantages of having a cool son, I thought that maybe I would blog about it...but then decided not to, in the event that someone may not know of my bug "issues" and think less of me.

But I was wrong to think I could hide such a flaw.

The Boy came home today and said that his class had written a book and everyone in the "whole school" was going to read it. He was so excited to show me his copy of this book. It was a photo copied copy, neatly bound with staples down the middle to make the spine.

The book is called "Helping With The Jobs". And it explains what everyone in the class does to help their parents at home. Some said they helped with laundry, some said they cleaned their room. One little boy said that he helped his Dad with the goats! After about 20 pages I asked The Boy when his page would come up...he said it would be soon...

The very last page of the book read:

The jig is up. I am afraid of bugs and I use my children to kill them.

Rabbit Rabbit!

In eighth grade I went to school with a girl whose family had a tradition to wake up on the first day of each month and race to see who could say "Rabbit Rabbit!" to each other first. Whoever said it first got some sort of prize. I think it is funny that I can't remember why or what they did this for but I still think to myself "Rabbit Rabbit" occasionally on the first of the month...weird.

Well, speaking of rabbits who are fast runners...You all have heard the story of the Tortoise and the Hare...

Just by the fact that my fingers are typing this blog you can assume that I have made it through the 10K. I actually did pretty well...for someone who is not a rabbit. My goal was to run the entire course...without walking. And I did meet that goal. My running partner and her two friends wanted to run it in under an hour. My goals were not that high! I just wanted to finish! At the last half mile or so the others decided to go ahead and try to make their goal of less than an hour and quickened their pace. So the last 1/2 mile I just kept going along... Slow and steady (think tortoise). But I didn't too bad. I made it in 1 hour and....drumroll please....1 minute. Not too shabby for this "jogger" girl. My running friends made it in just under an hour and met there goal as well. Of course this was a "club" run with only a handful of "non-club" members (that would be us!). The club is fairly serious with true "runners" who took this run like a stroll in the park and in under 40 minutes! And let me tell you when that 70 year old lady passed me by with nary a bead of sweat or a breath too long, I was humbled... and yet encouraged!

But I wasn't dead last...and I didn't walk.

But now after several weeks of training...I am walking for the next week! This ole' turtle needs a rest!

What Was I Thinking?

I have been running for several years now. Since The Girl was born. And I ran for exercise off and on throughout college...mostly during that first year of dating my sweet husband...he was a runner so I wanted to impress him...the things we do for love.

But it occurred to me that I have actually paid 20 bucks to run in a 10K (6.3 miles) this Saturday. And this morning when I woke up I thought to myself "What were you thinking?!"

Homemaker Perks

To satisfy the curiosity of those (most of whom don't even know this blog exists) who want to know what I do now that the kids are in school for 7 hours I want to announce what I am doing right this very minute!

Right now it is 2:15 in the afternoon. I have done 45 minutes of yoga/pilates; a load of laundry; stuffed, stamped and mailed 75 letters for my Mother's business I; ironed my husbands karate outfit; ate a peanut butter sandwich; studied the material for two bible studies I participate in; called my mother; talked to two Texas friends; let the dog out...twice; figured out what's for dinner and got it half prepared; packed two snacks (for the kids) and the current book I am reading "SisterChicks in Sombrero's" for the carpool line (where I will "park and wait" everyday for 35 minutes); showered; dressed; and now blogged.


This all happened after all the things I did between 5:30-8:30 this morning trying to get two children to school on time. And before I start my Tuesday night "stuff"...

I am not bored. I am not lonely, I do not sit and watch soap operas all day. In fact, I love what I do and I my job description hasn't changed one bit. I still do all the things I did before with two children in the home (only there's a little more stuff to do now since we all have homework, and lunches to be made, and after school classes to get to....etc). Except now it is quieter and I get more done in less time. Which brings me to the subject of "time".

The best thing about being a stay at home mom of school aged children is that I now have time to do my job well.

Time is what is what everyone wants...and as a homemaker "time" is a perk of the profession. I love it and don't feel guilty about it, and I pray everyday that I will use my time wisely...which means: "No, I will not keep your kids three days a week, or clean your house, or do all the things you don't like to do, but because you think I have nothing to do without my kids at home you didn't think i'd mind."

Want to know another perk ...right now it is 2:30 pm I am eating a bowl of Breyer's mint chip Ice cream.

So the truth is sometime I DO sit around at home and eat the proverbial "Bon- Bons".

And, for the record... they are awesome.

La Vida Dulce!

Anticipation

The kids have been asking for homemade cinnamon rolls for over a week now. So this morning I got up and spent three hours measuring, kneading and waiting for dough to rise(all to the tune of "are they ready yet?" over and over again )...But The Girl's wait was much longer....When she found out they were FINALLY going in the oven she ran to the living room, got her chair and planted herself in front of the oven door, so as not to miss them when they came out.

I sneaked (snook? Snuck?) this picture.

It starts!

I was warned that the smells would change. They said the very feel of the air would become different. They were right.

Fall is coming, and you can feel it. The smell of fall floats from time to time in the breeze. I suddenly feel like baking. I begin to start hankering for soup, and bread that has pumpkin or ginger in it. The geese are noisily making their return. And of course the leaves are turning...red, gold, deep brown.


Seasons...they are pretty cool.... La vida dulce!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I haven't posted in awhile because it seemed weird to write...I like to write about two things; things that are funny and things that I can complain about in a funny way. With all the gulf coast news I haven't felt funny, and I haven't felt like complaining because I have so much to be thankful for.

Yesterday while I did homework with The Boy, I told The Girl to color, to draw something that she learned in school or something that she was thinking about. She drew this and said:

"I can't stop thinking about all those people and that hurricane. It makes me sad."

Me too babe..Me too.