Free Writing for Free Stuff

I'm at a loss for good content today.

How about a little free-writing.

You, not me.

Here is your question (borrowed from BraveWriter April 2010-Archives):

Tell me in 15 words or less....

What was the longest time you waited for someone or something? Why did you wait?

Come on, I know you wanna play. Maybe I'll even throw in a giveaway prize.

How about a cupcake crochet pin cushion?

Or...an applique hand towel?

You can double you chances and enter twice if you link this post on your blog or send a link on Twitter.

Be sure to let me know your prize preference in your comment.
Comments will be open until tomorrow (June 22) @ noon.
(Must be within the US and Canada, and have a valid email address to win!)

Random thoughts from Kellie's Brain...(5th ed. with links)

In the last 24 hours I have been to our local library eight times.

Since Monday I have been there fourteen times.

Just thought you might want to know. (How's that for random?)

Last week I said I would make my Friday posts short and sweet, and start linking up to other blogs or articles I have found interesting. So here they are:

#1 - For my peanut butter/chocolate fans I give you this exciting bit o' news. I am already wondering what wonderful Christmas morsels will be made with these babies...of course, when I find them I will certainly test them, for blogging purposes of course.

#2 - What are you doing for Father's Day? I am going to make my husband grill his own supper (he thinks fire and meat is the perfect holiday), while I set the table using these. I figure that eating hamburgers and potato chips will seem so fancy with fun folded napkins.

#3 What? Are there people out there who don't brush their teeth twice a day?

#3 - For three years I have said that I will make these Tote-able Towels. This may just be the year....

#4 - In five years of blogging, I had a "first" today. I was "recognized" at the gym by another mom. "Recognized" might be stretching it a bit because when we lived here the first time, her girls attended the school where I taught music. I had never met her before, but I did remember her sweet baby (who is a big girl now!)

She let me know that she had recently read my blog (she found it through a mutual friend on Facebook). She told me that she had been encouraged by a recent post. I was so glad she told me... and I have been thinking about it all day.

Why?

Well, because in my haste to get ready to go this morning I had accidently grabbed an old pair of yoga pants that have shrunk through too many washings (to say I looked ready for a flood would be an understatement.)

I hadn't showered and my eyebrows haven't been waxed in forever. Having just finished a very sweaty Zumba class, I was headed into another weight lifting class looking, well, sweaty.

In the grand scheme of things, I was not at my best.

Or was I?

It is my greatest desire to keep things real here. To be an encourager to those who walk the same road as a mother, a wife, a friend... a woman.

Every blogger hopes that that day will come when some "stranger" tells you they read your blog. You hope that it doesn't happen when you are in grocery store screaming at your kids, or when you've just walked out of the doctors office after a pap smear.

But those things are authentic, they're real. At least they are in my life.

I'm grateful that I could experience that moment in authenticity, because at the end of the day, its not about me.

So if you are a reader, and you happen to see me screaming at my kids in the frozen food isle, come on over and say "Hi!"

You'll totally make my day.

Trip or Vacation?

Since the birth of my children vacations have sort of taken on a whole new meaning.

Gone are those days when I can travel with my bottle of water and a couple of magazines. Gone are those days when the “snack” thrown in my carry-on was a pack of Trident gum and a Powerbar.

Here is a short-list of what must be packed when going on a family trip: Goldfish crackers, the favored blankie, Cheerios, two thousand books, juice boxes, a couple of movies, Nilla Wafers, eight pairs of shoes, a cooler of drinks, clothes for warm weather, clothes for cool weather, extra blankets, wipes, paper toilet seat-cover things, and duct tape (cuz you just never know when you might need some duct tape).

And that’s just the stuff I pack for my husband.

Of course, after all has been packed and we pull out of the drive-way, there will be at least one opportunity to turn back around because someone has to tinkle (although she didn’t have to when you left the house); but it’s all-right, because The Planner and Packer (that would be me) has forgotten her toothbrush and she wasn’t about to admit it.

Honestly, we have enjoyed some amazing trips over the years.

A few of the most memorable have been:

When we went to Montana and stayed on a working cattle ranch.

We’ve been to Yellowstone Park, where we waited for almost an hour to see Old Faithful Geyser.

I'll never forget driving all morning to get a glimpse of consistent history. I wanted the kids to see what I had seen so many times as a kid. Of course, right as it spouted up in its faithful glory, a helicopter flew over and hovered nearby. The kids, would not taking thier eyes off that chopper. Why look at a water spout when a chunk of machinery is hovering above?

We have been to the Atlantic ocean on Christmas day.

And Washington D.C.

When we took the kids to Mt Rushmore (specifically) for a nighttime lighting ceremony, The Girl (who was three at the time) didn’t like the dark, so she cried in fear until I took her inside the museum...before the lighting began.

We took them to the Great Smoky Mountains in early spring 2006. When we got there it started to snow. The snow was falling so hard by 8pm that we hauled our pajama’d selves to the car and found a hotel down the mountain. The next morning we found the tent had collapsed with the weight of the snow.

That following summer we decided to try our luck again and went back to that same campground.

What we didn’t know is that August is yellow jacket season. We stirred up a nest while hiking. We all got stung, The Mister taking the brunt with 26 stings.

Good times. Family vacations.

Right about now you may be thinking me the most pessimistic mother in all BloggerLand, but that’s far from the truth.

In all these trips there lies one common theme: we came home tired, but we came home happy.

I had prepared and planned for a picture-perfect vacation, but what we really desire as a family are the trips.

We love the company. The conversation. The prolonged chunk of time in togetherness.

We love the quality that comes with quantity.

Sure, there were bees, snowstorms, messes, and lots of work (cause you can’t leave the title of “mom” back home), but there were also quiet moments of skipping rocks across the pond; roasting marshmallows over a fire; carrying a sleepy child to his sleeping bag at 6:30pm, cuz he’d run himself ragged.

I'll never regret those memories of reading fire-side with The Mister when our little campers went to bed, or the early morning coffee while watching the sunrise.

I'll forever be grateful for the truly good things that are born of the stings and storms in life.

It’s the hard parts of a trip that make the good parts a vacation.

As Erma Bombeck said,

“A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, 
experienced with discomfort 
and remembered with nostalgia”

*this is a rewrite (with added pictures) of a guest post I did for DandelionDayz in July of 2008. 

While I Can

~I woke up this morning to a very early thunderstorm...and a ten year old Girl in my bed.

She wasn't really afraid.

She just likes any opportunity to climb in bed with me.

There will be a day when she won't do that anymore.

So I'll take it when I can.

~ The Boy ran errands with me last week.

While walking through the parking lot that twelve year old took my hand.

He wasn't worried about being seen by his peers, or feeling that weird pre-teen ambivalence.

There'll be a day when he won't do that anymore.

So I'll take it when I can.

~ The Girl asked her Daddy if she would push her on the swing.

He was tired and it was muggy outside. The mosquitos were in full force.

But he looked at me and said, "There'll come a day when she won't want me to push her.

So I'll take it when I can."

~ I spent so much time looking forward to the day when they would walk, and talk, and play, and learn, and love.

Its here.

And its not enough.

So I'll laugh, and listen, and linger.

I'll pray...pray I don't let too many opportunities to spend time with them pass me by.

Cuz there will be a day when we can't do that as easily anymore...

...so I'll take it when I can.

The secret to happiness is not in having what you want,

but in wanting what you have.

~Barclay Goldmsith

UPDATED: Scathingly Brilliant Idea

***UPDATED***
For some reason, the same ebook I got for free three weeks ago (for the Kindle App) is now $7.99!


I am sorry! I should have checked (or had this idea when we could've all gotten it for free!) 


If you are still interested, let me know! I'm still gonna read it.

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

Or maybe a just so-so idea....

I found the ebook "Every Thought Captive" by Jerusha Clark for FREE at Amazon.

I downloaded it and have been reading it when I can.

It's very good so far, I've read the first two chapters.

Is anyone interested in reading this with me? We can read it and post about it sometime at the end of July?

Let me know!

Out of the Gutter

Success!

We have clean gutters.

Although I have to say, I thought this added a sweet and decorative element to our humble abode:

The Mister did a fine job. The hardest part was moving that crazy ladder. We almost broke two windows in the process, but all is well that ends well.

I survived standing in the bushes where wasps and snakes live.

At one point I said, "What am I supposed to do if this ladder starts to tip over?"

"Get out of the way and pray" was his answer.

I didn't just hold ladders this weekend, I also was able to pick veggies from my garden:

Jalepeños, cucumber, chive, sweet pea, basil and a tomato (that wasn't quite ripe but had been broken off by a careless farmer during the watering process.)

I also finished my first crocheted afghan:

(Truth be told I finished this the beginning of last week, but I wanted to give it to the baby-mama before posting.)

Mondays are always filled with weekend clean up so I am thinking about making my Monday posts short and ending  with "links".

Here are the links for this Monday....

You can get your mind out of the gutter with this post: Getting Wise and Empowered - Finding Balance


You can remember that we no longer have to live in the gutter with this post: Guilty - Lift My Noise

And in anticipation of Father's Day...this one has no bearing on the "Gutter" theme but it IS fun to do with the kids:

 Formal Greeting Card - Family Fun

Happy Monday!

Poolside Post: Fridays and Chainsaws

"What day is it?"

The first four words out of my mouth this morning.

I was amazed when The Mister said it was Friday.

This week flew by.

Currently, I am sitting poolside listening to the happy sounds of many, many children enjoying the pool. The smell of chlorine and sunscreen hangs heavily in the humid air.

There is something about the sun hitting my back (and that cool breeze that whips up every so often) that just feels weekend-y.

Speaking of weekends, we have an exciting one planned.

We are going to clean our gutters.

Yup.

We actually have pine trees growing in our gutters. We think that may be an indicator that they need some attention.

The Mister purchased himself a mack-daddy ladder last month, and my job description for this weekend is to "supervise and make sure there are no on-the-job injuries."

Also known as: "holding the ladder."

I am not going to mention that I thought we should hire this job out. Nor will I mention that we live in a two story house that is very high.

I am confident that The Mister will do a fine job, it's just that... well you know... it's a two story house with pine trees growing out of it, and for some reason I tend to turn into a hovering nag when my husband does dangerous stuff.

He seems to like the danger of cutting down 80ft trees that have beetle rot, or building tree houses that require him to use a chain saw while climbing on a home made scaffolding.

Men. They are such weird and wonderful creatures. I can't understand this need for danger.

Of course, he can't understand why I need more than eight handbags, and honestly I cant explain that one either. Its just the way it is...

I'm fairly certain the gutter clean-out will not require a chain saw, which brings me comfort, but my man likes that chain saw just about as much as he likes me, so you never know....

Happy Friday!

Long Way Home

There is nothing new under the sun.

Recently I read a book titled Stepping Heavenward: One Women's Journey to Godliness by Elizabeth Prentiss.

Originally written in the late 1800's, this fictional account of a young girl named Kate, is profoundly applicable for women today.

Its written in diary format, but is full of amazing wisdom and grace. So much so that I have marked my copy with pencil, and dog-eared the pages, to near ruin.

Truth be told, I've read this book at least four times over the course of 12 years. Each time gleaning new thoughts and understanding.

I wanted to share a little something I picked up this time around...

(In this scene Kate, now in her mid 20's and a longtime wife and mother, has brought her own mother to cheer up Miss Clifford, an affluent and ailing neighbor who has not ever known God. In an effort to help her  be less self-focused, Kate's mother is teaching Miss Clifford how to sew.)

Mother showed her how to hold her needle and arrange her pattern...

"Make the object of your life right," I heard Mother say at last, "and all these little details will take care of themselves."

"But I haven't any object," Miss Clifford objected, "unless it is to get through these tedious days somehow. Before I was taken ill, my chief object was to make myself attractive to the people I met. And the easiest way to do that was to dress becomingly and make myself look as well as I could."

"I suppose," said Mother, " that most girls could say the same. They have an instinctive desire to please, and they take what they conceive to be the shortest and easiest road to that end. It requires no talent, no education, no thought to dress tastefully; the most empty-hearted, frivolous young person can do it, provided she has the money enough. Those who can't get the money make up for it by a fearful expenditure of precious time. They plan, they cut, the fit, they rip, they trim till they can appear in society looking exactly like everybody else. They think of nothing, talk of nothing but how this shall be fashioned and that be trimmed.

"But I never cut and trimmed," said Miss Clifford.

"No, because you could afford to have it done for you. But you acknowledge that you spent a great deal of time in dressing because you thought that the easiest way of making yourself attractive. But it does not always follow that the easiest way is the best way, and sometimes the longest way round is the shortest way home."

This excerpt stings a bit for me...in a good way.

It encourages difficult questions of myself:

In what ways do I assume to take the shortest and easiest way, even when that way is not true?

In what ways do I allow culture to define who I am?

How do I allow fear to drive me to wasteful thinking? wasteful action? wasteful spending?

What is my chief focus?

It feels good to process these things. Its also refreshing to know that although the course of 150 years says we are struggling with the same issues, we can be victorious, because the Truth stands higher, deeper, wider, ...and is available for all who will take the long way home.

So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed 

and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 

let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, 

without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, 

or trying to be something we aren't.

Romans 12: 5-6

(MSG)

* For those who would like more information on True Campaign click here.

La Vida Lunch: Rest

Its lunch time.

I'm not eating anything fancy today, just a turkey sandwich with lettuce and provolone, dry; with 5 of the biggest strawberries I have ever seen (on the side of course.)

The lunch of champions...

...Or lazy lunch-makers like me.

Its been a great week.

I've had just enough to do to help me feel accomplished at the end of each day, but not so much that I feel as if I've carried a burden.

I've been back to the gym several times (which makes me happy... its a sickness, I know.) I've made granola for my ravenous swimming-eaters, tackled the ever growing laundry issue, and todays goal is to clean my bedroom and bathroom.

This is all monotonous, boring stuff that you don't really want to read about.

However, I am exceedingly grateful for this boring, turkey sandwich, fold-the-same-pair-of-tighty-whities, kind of week.

I am grateful for this little house in the woods, the food that I eat, the clothes that I wear.

I am grateful that I am healthy and strong. That my body ("flaws" and all) is healthy and fit and capable of folding, running, playing.

I am grateful for a small moment to remember what contentedness feels like ~ its peace, its strength.

I know it's easy to be content in plenty.

There was a (short) time years ago, when I had to learn what it was like to be content in want.

Yes, it's easy to be content when your belly is full and your heart is happy.

But I am grateful all the same.

I think sometimes its not plenty or want that makes me forget that I am satisfied with my lot in life.

Its busy-ness.

Its the lack of still, quiet, moments.

Its the rushing through all things.

Its being out of breath... and forgetting how to breathe.

This morning I read my favorite of all Psalms: 116.

Over the course of my life, I have read this chapter over, and over, again.

This morning one verse stood out above all the others...and lingers in my heart as a sweet fragrance, a reminder...to be grateful.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you. 

Psalm 116:7

Summertime

Its here.

My favorite time of year.

Summer.

I don't mind the heat. I don't mind the humidity (although it's murder on the hair.)

I love flip-flops and Popsicles. Watermelon, swimming pools, trips to the beach.

Fireflies, eating outside, staying up late.

Hanging out with friends, reading good books, enjoying the moment (as it will pass all too quick...)

I love it all...

I received an email last week entitled "100 Things To Do This Summer", but I dumped it in the trash bin.

Today begins the official day of summer here at the La Vida house and I plan to do three things this summer: spend (quantity) time with my friends and family, sew and craft until my hearts content, and remember my love for being in the kitchen.

I don't need 100 thing to do, I do them all year, but those three things listed above...well, I've missed those the most.

This morning I am raising my coffee mug in a toast:

To summer!

(clink!)

Sugar and Yarn

Hello!

Life here at the LaVida house is full, but good.

I thought I would just show you a little bit of what I have been doing in my office:

Working on an baby afghan for a friend.

Making some calorie-free cupcakes (pincushions):

And filling monogram orders (oops!, forgot to take pics of those!)

Today and tomorrow I will be working on a cake for a baby shower this weekend. It's a tea-themed shower and I'm excited to try a new cake design, and super excited to celebrate a new baby!

I am looking forward to spending a good chunk of time in my office this summer crafting and creating. There is so much to do, and so little time!

Oh and one more thing....many of you have asked about CowTales. I was introduced to CowTales last August when the Island Girls met on Whidbey Island.

If you haven't had one of these, and you are a caramel lover, go get some, they are de-lish.

Also, since I can't seem to stop typing this morning, head over to this blog that is all about candy.  I love to read his candy reviews. (Have aI ever mentioned here that I have a small sweet tooth? All right it's more like a large molar, but anyway...) After reading this post I have been trying to get my hands on these gourmet gum drops, but Whole Foods has been completely sold out.

My dentist is so sad.

All right, I have to run, but tell me: What is your favorite candy? No sweet tooth? What do you eat for a "treat"?

Poolside Post: Memorial Day

I couldn't think of a better day for my first poolside post of the summer season.

Before I continue, I want to sincerely thank those servicemen and women who have fought for our freedom, forsaking their own lives. And while we're here, a big thank to those who continue to fight for freedom.

We live in the greatest country in the world, but it doesn't come cheap.

Today, the LaVida family is enjoying a day of R & R. We are sitting by the pool, reading, and generally enjoying a day without to-do lists and agendas. Later we are going to enjoy things that always feel like a holiday to us: meat cooked over flame, potato chips, and quite possibly ice cream sundaes.

We are also eating copious amounts of Skittles and Cowtales candies, because tomorrow is the day when my little "brace face" will be getting serious in her orthodontia journey. After today, there will be at least 24 months without chewy, sticky, and hard foods.

(My kids of course think they have hit the mother-load because the only time we ever have free-for-all candy feasts is Easter and Christmas.)

I plan to enjoy this R&R day to its fullest. This week will be full as I tie up loose ends, and prepare for next year. I have one more week of personal/homeschool organization, several meetings, and a few embroidery orders to fulfill, and then I will be able to officially call it summer!!!!!

Well, it looks like a storm may be brewing. I better get some pool time before they kick us out for storms! I hope you have a fun and restful holiday!

Fruit

It's come.


The day I have been waiting for since late February: Fruit.


(Or veggies.)

Of course hard work is still required, but seeing the fruit makes ease of toil.


One of the things that was hard for me as a gardener this week was pruning.

The tomato branches had grown too heavy for their stakes and were slumping under their own weight.


My tomatoes and zucchini had grown so full and thick that the sun wasn't able to shine through, causing the under-leaves and young fruit to wither and rot.

This was especially true for the zucchini.


You see, growth is a good thing, but pruning makes the plant healthier-- more fruitful.

It was painful for me to cut out the limbs and leaves, and yet, I know that the benefits of such discipline will yield a greater crop.


I'm learning so much from my time in the garden. The fruit I gather this summer will not be limited to what I can pick and put on a plate.


I am harvesting fruit that no one will see, but will sustain me through the year. It will carry me through those cold, wintery months when the smell of the earth and the warm humid air will be a memory...and a longing.

I will remember to prune the branches of my days and weeks, so the Sun will shine clear down to the dirt and keep my roots from rotting.

I will remember that it's OK to cut out branches that look and seem life-giving, but are really weighing things down, causing the whole plant to bend with the weight...

Yes, the fruit of the garden has come...But my crop is far greater than the eye can see.

"So neither he who plants
nor he who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth."

1 Cor. 3:7 - ESV

Sit Right Back and Hear a Tale

I am back from my first camping trip with the Girl Scouts.

There was rain, and thunder, and out-houses, and wet clothes, and all the things that make a great camp-out.

There were many adventures.

Take, for instance, this picture:

This would be me, in the Bogue Sound off of Emerald Isle, in murky water where real-live creatures live.

As in creatures of the scary kind: shrimp, pipe fish, and crabs as big as my face. Oh, I forgot to mention sting rays, and sometimes sharks...but only "little" sharks that don't eat suburban soccer moms who drive white mini-vans.

I made that last one up. Sharks actually can eat suburban soccer moms, but only when provoked by a big green net hungry.

Anyway, this picture was taken as I was fretting about what would happen if I fell in the water, rendering myself fish food, or worse, getting completely soaked. Seconds before, my eyebrows were furrowed in consternation. When I realized my photo was being taken I quickly gave my best I'm-not-worried-at-all-about-falling-in-crab-invested-waters smile.

But you know what?

I would do it all again. In a heart beat because....

The kids had a blast...

Playing in the surf...




And catching wildlife....

We all loved learning about marine life and the coast of this great state we have the privilege to call home.

It was a great way to start our summer vacation.

The only way this trip could be better is if I had a way to make the large mound of sea-smelling laundry disappear. Maybe next time.

***In the interest of due credit, all  photos in this post were taken by our troop leader, M. Lewis.

Island Adventure

I'm about to set out on a beach-camping trip (as in sleeping-in-tent camping) with the Girl Scouts.

It's raining as I type.

It's supposed to rain on and off for the next 48 hours.

I'm not worried about that though.

What I was worried about was how I was going to get my coffee fix in the mornings.

As luck would have it, I am not the only one who needs a java jolt to function each day, and rumor is that we will have electricity at our camp site.

So I'm bringing my Keurig.

Yup, I am.

I mentioned to another mom that I could bring it and her eyes lit up like a Christmas morning. I don't know her too well yet, but I am pretty sure we're gonna get along. You know what Girl Scouts and coffee have in common? They both are a catalyst to "make new friends!"

So when you see on the news that the coast is full of stormy weather, don't fret. We've coffee! We'll be OK!

It's all about survival my friends.

If you were going camping on an island with 10 preteen girls, what would you take to survive?

Bloggy Business

I'm trying to set my new computer up so that I can blog from anywhere...my office, the deck, or poolside.

Don't let that last one fool you. My life is not glamourous. Its just that swimming season started this week and I know I will be by the pool. A lot.

This post will be my first official post with my new BlogPress app. Which means I can draft to the blog without copy/pasting from the notepad, which proved to be very difficult in the last two posts.

While we are talking of boring topics such as my typing skills, or lack thereof, let's also talk about blog readers - the ones that help organize the blogs you read such a Google Reader or Bloglines, not you the actual reader.

I had recently been convinced to switch my blog settings so that if you read posts in a reader, or on Facebook (hello Facebook friends!) you wouldn't have to click over to read the full post; you could just read it in its entirety right on your reader.

Although I was skeptical, I tried it for two weeks.

If you were happy about my switch, I have bad news, I'm switching back.

I'm doing this for two reasons, one is that I have a Sitemeter that tells me who is visiting, and second, I like to "hear" from those who read (in the comments section.)

I was hesitant to switch because what I had predicted would happen, happened: my visitors and comments went down exponentially.

When readers read from feed-readers (say that ten times fast) I don't get a record of who is really visiting my blog. If you talk to bloggers they will tell you that the numbers aren't important, but lets be honest, bloggers write so people will read.

I don't put faith in numbers, but when the comments are low, it helps to know people still visited.

Do I hear an amen?

I will confess that if you have a blog that can be fully read in the reader, I am less apt to click over to your site, and consequently les apt to comment. Or sometimes it's because I get sidetracked by a bright shiny object. However if I am forced to go to your site to read the full post, I'm probably going to comment, since I am already there.

On a side note, and since we are talking about commenting, it's not that I don't want to comment on your blog, it's just that sometimes, if I don't feel that my comment will add anything of value, or if your are reviewing a product, I probably won't leave a comment.

Not that I mind if you review products, its just that you can find a blogger reviewing product under every URL, so its hard to come up with something original to put in the comment box. I'm just sayin'.

On to the next thing on the agenda....

You may be asking yourself why I don't advertise, or do product reviews? (I have an email box full of companies that want to send me everything from jewelry to luggage to review on my blog)

It's actually a matter of personal conviction. I don't often do reviews, or have advertisements in my side bar, or solicit sponsors. I have always chosen to keep my blog free of these kinds of things.

I can see the value of blogger product reviews (not to mention the great swag that I could gain), but I have always kept an arms distance because when I have opportunities to write to about things that are important to me and to ministry, for example TrueCampaign, you know that I am sharing my heart.

These opportunities may never come (again), and I'm OK with that, I would rather have a very few opportunities when I my voice can be distinct, than to speak in a time when I have to shout to be heard.

On the flip side, you may not care one iota why I don't review, blah, blah, blah...but now you know.

In the meantime, I blog because I enjoy it, and I've met some amazing people along the way.

So that is the bloggy business. Meeting adjourned.

But before you go, tell me: do your prefer reading blogs in the reader, or going to the blog? What makes you comment more? What makes you want to run screaming, taking your comments with you?

I know this post may have hit below the bloggy belt, and you might unsubscribe. Before you do, at least say goodbye!

Happy weekend!

People Who Need People

My heart has been full over the past few weeks and its been hard to put words to the feelings...but I'm going to try.

I have been keenly aware of the impact of "people" in my life. People that I feel so grateful to know.

Many of them would never even know the impact they have, or have had, upon my heart. They would have no clue as to the profound ways they have encouraged me to persevere, to think differently, or to try new things. They don't know how they have been a catalyst in the molding and shaping of the woman I am, and the woman I am becoming.

I spent time tonight going back through the archives of the blog, and I realized that many of the posts I've written have been influenced by those who walk(ed) through life beside me.

Then I read some of the comments you and others have written in response to these posts. Those comments have encouraged me, enabled me, and gave me something to laugh about when I needed it. You have shared your struggles and your joy. You have commiserated and cheered, and I am just so glad to know you through this crazy community we call the "net".

I am not certain why I felt like I needed to write this except that often times we don't get the opportunity to say thank you to people who influence us.

It's been said that it takes a village to raise a child. I am so grateful that while I was growing up, and now as I raise children of my own, I have had my fair share of strong, brave, smart and beautiful women who have, and still do, influence my life (both in this community and in my "real-life" community), and I am exceedingly grateful.

~~~

I'd love to hear about someone who has influenced you. Was it a teacher, a neighbor, a friend in college?

Whirlwind

I had no intention to take a week off from blogging.

But I did.

Last week was so tightly packed with all things wonderful that I really didn't
have time to think.

First I took in a show with The Carpoolqueen and The Girl. We went to see Wicked: The Musical and I've been singing the music ever since (humming it in my head as I type.) It was truly amazing- as good as anyone said it would be.

Then I celebrated 15 years of marriage to that wonderful man whom I am privileged to share life with - the good, the bad, and all things in between. We celebrated with an Italian dinner. A far cry from that Italian meal I made for him 17 years ago that involved take-out lasagna from Olive Garden and a bottle of Boone's Farm I "borrowed" from my Dad's bar. (The wine had been a gag gift to my dad for his birthday. I didn't know it was cheap wine. Apparently The Mister didn't either, we drank it with ease. Young love is tasteless.)

On Friday I hopped on what was to be a "quick" flight to Tucson for the weekend. A dear friend was to be married at sunset on Sunday. I wasn't going to miss it! But a gully washer that passed over Dallas threatened my journey, which included a four hour trip to Houston and a slumber party in Dallas.

I am grateful for that impromptu night.

I have a friend who has a history of bailing me out of tough spots. Becky, the "Ant Ranchers Wife" (as she has been known around here) has seen me through many tight-spots, so she was the natural one to call in a moment of need. When I realized I was stuck for the night in Dallas I called her and said, "I'm getting a hotel near the airport, do you feel like a slumber party?"

She didn't take time to say "yes!"

She through essentials in the car, stopped at my favorite store for tortillas and chocolate cookies, and made it to the airport in 53 minutes, although she lives over an hour away.

She then proceeded to treat me to a night in Dallas as if I were the Queen of England. She got a room at the Gaylord (i had planned to stay at Comfort Inn) and then paid for room-service dinner while I sat on the bed in a jet-lagged stupor.

It was such a fun evening and I am so grateful to the Ant Rancher and his Wife for giving up their Friday night so I didn't have to spend a night alone.

Becky, you are dear to me and I love you much. Thank you for everything. For loving my lavishly, and being a friend through thick and thin. Next time dinner (and chocolate!) is on me.

It goes without saying that my arrival to the desert was one of gratitude. I don't think I have ever been so grateful to see the mountains, to feel the dry air on my skin.

I had less than 48 hours to visit my parents, my brothers, and their families. I also had to go shopping with my mom, eat Mexican food, drink a Piña Colada eegee, shop for a dress with my sister-in-love, celebrate my Dad's birthday, and drop-by a graduation party.

All before the big event: The Wedding - more on that tomorrow.

It was truly a whirlwind weekend. So fun, but too fast.

Meanwhile, back at the La Vida house, The Mister was able to get his hands on my combined Mother's Day/Anniversary gift (which had been on back order). I am typing on it right now, which is why this post has taken approximately way-to-long to type. I am almost embarrassed to tell you that he got me an iPad. Which is why there are typos all over the place. Well, at least I can blame them on the computer now.

To say I am spoiled rotten would be an understatement.

So I just won't say it.

Happy Tuesday after Mothers Day!

I know I am two days late, but Happy Mothers Day!

This week is chock-full o'activity and I have 15 minutes to type at you....here I go!

My mother's day was wonderful.

I got up, had coffee, watered my plants and generally enjoyed quiet all morning.

I'm not ashamed to tell you that I do not go to church on Mom's Day.

Why?

Well, I get up at a very early hour every single morning.  Even on Saturdays because there is always a game, or project, or something going on.

Plus, I'm no spring-chick, so sleeping-in tends to be elusive.

Anyway, I am ALWAYS going, going, going.

For the most part I don't mind, but on Mother's Day, I take a day of rest. I don't have to be preened over or served or coddled. I just don't want to have to rush.

The kids slept in till after nine, so I enjoyed three solid hours on the deck in the chilly morning. I read and then I painted my toenails pink. The Mister offered to make me breakfast, but not being ready for anything more solid than my pot of french roast, I declined.

My generous and fun neighbor, Helen, was puttering in her exquisite flower garden so I meandered over (still in my pajama's) to give her a Mother's Day hug. As we chatted she was cutting blooms from the bush that were bigger than life, making a bouquet.

I didn't realize it was for me.

Sometime later that handsome groom of mine left to teach his Sunday school class. Eventually I made myself an egg with a side of toast and blackberry jam. Oh, and hot coffee. There must always be fresh hot coffee.

I enjoyed breaking my fast with the sounds of a North Carolinian morning, under the shadow of my rose and peony bouquet.

Won-der-ful.

Later I opened my gifts.

This is my surprised look. The card has a picture of my gift which is on back order. Details to come.

We ate leftover pizza for lunch, and headed to the strawberry patch to pick 12 pounds of strawberries.

I specifically picked the patch that was close to a Sonic (we don't have one near our home) and we all had cream-slushes.

Then I came home, put my pj's back on, and sat myself down in my deck chair and called my mom. We talked at length about everything and nothing. We planned what we will do together next weekend. (I'll be in Tucson for 48 hours for a wedding.)

Then I crocheted while watching The Wedding Planner, my iPod propped up on my knees.

The kids played in the yard, while The Mister finished the treehouse.

Everybody made themselves their own dinner. We call it a FFY night : Fend For Yourself.

I rested, felt loved, and kept my family close.

It was a magnificent day.

Hooker of the Crochet Kind

Its been a full week here at the La Vida house, but last night I was finally able to sit for a minute.

After the kids were in bed and the dishes were done I had two options: 

      1. Log on and catch up on a weeks worth of unread blogs in my reader.

      2. Sit on the couch and catch up on two episodes of Glee while working on crochet.

I chose number 2.

Back in the day I used to babysit a little girl who had to have like 354 random things with her when she went to bed at night.

I sort of felt that way as I gathered supplies last night.

I had to have my bottle of water, my good scissors, my latest crochet book from the library, a plethora of hooks (minus the ones that were left sitting by the computer table and on my bedside table...I have a little problem with starting many projects at once), and a sampling of yarns from my office. (I had to bring what I wanted into the T.V. room because I don't have a DVR in my office.)

You might say, You know Kellie, they sell bags to carry around your yarn and supplies.

That would be true, but if it's in a bag, then I can't see it. 

I have a tendency to forget what I have if I can't see them all laid out.

Its a sickness, I know.

Today I thought I would give you a pictorial of my crafting compulsiveness when it comes to crafting and vegging all at the same time.

As a side note, the red and white roses I made on accident last weekend. The Mister and I were watching TV and I was just practicing, you know - single crochet here, double crochet, there - when all of a sudden I looked down and it was a rose!

I was thrilled!  I thought I might be a crochet savant! 

Unfortunately I have been unable to make it happen again.  Which is such a drag.

I'm hoping to get some more done this weekend...it should be a nice easy one, before we gear up for another wild and crazy week!

What are you up to this week?

Happy Friday!

Garden Tour for Garden Friends

By the end of this summer you are going to be so sick of hearing about this garden.

If you live close enough I would bribe console reward you with fresh veggies, but the rest of you just have to persevere, you just have to listen in the name of La Vida love, and know that you are a friend of the garden.

Before we walk in the garden I did want to update on yesterdays post .

First, I did not get an iPad. They are REALLY cool, and I would love one, but they are pricey.

Just like most of you, we are in the middle of paying for orthodontics, new curriculum for next year, summer camps, and swim team (I won't mention that I am a little bitter that I bought the "new design" team-suits last year, in a slightly larger size, so as to use them two years in a row--- and they changed them again this year.) so I'm not sure if I see an iPad in my future....someday.

Second, apparently Fuddruckers declared bankruptcy , and all the corporate-owned franchises were closed. Which means we may still stumble across an independant FR franchise here and there, but the picking may be slim.

Third, and please don't unsubscribe if this offends, but I've had the Five Guys Burger and Fries. I was unimpressed. I just thought that the hamburger wasn't any different than say a Wendy's. It was maybe a step up from Burger King (although, in the interest of full disclosure I haven't eaten at either of those establishments, or any other fast food burger, for a very long time. So what do I know?)

And can I just say, that if all establishments would serve french fries like the Chick-fil-A waffle fries, or the crinkle-cut they serve at eegee's in Tucson, then I would be content.

The truth of the matter is this: I am not a burger aficionado, but I haven't met a potato I didn't like.

Ok, how in the world did we get on this topic? Let's move on....

This is my garden this morning:

It's growing well. I lost a bell pepper plant yesterday but I have several others, so I think its OK.

Tomatoes and tomato seedlings (so I always have a rotation of growing toms to keep my salads happy.)

Beefsteak tomatoes in the back, cucumbers in the middle, bell peppers in the front, Marigold along the side to attract good bugs and repel the bad.

Speaking of bugs....last weekend I was feeding my plants when I was confronted by a big bug that looked like this:

Photo Credit 

I bravely screamed in horror, and made The Boy come collect it and take it elsewhere.

The next day, there was another one. I sprayed it with Cayenne spray and it went away.

Turns out my fear overzealousness should have been glee, because apparently this monster beetle eats the bugs that eat gardens.

Unfortunately, he took his peppery self and went and told all his little Black Caterpillar Hunter friends, and they've blacklisted my garden as a safe place to dine.

Bummer.

(I'm really resisting the urge to go into a diatribe on how the worst part of gardening are the critters and creatures that crawl, so let's look at another picture.)

Those big ol'e leaves are zucchini. Here is a look at the underside:

Never in my life did I think I would be writing about the underside of zucchini. 

Early this morning I finally got my watermelon and cantaloupe bed finished, filled, and planted. That white thing in the middle is my ant killer concoction: equal parts sugar and borax.

If you are a friend to the ants, I'm sorry. Ants are not friends of the garden.

There are other pictures of my herbs, sweet peas, broccoli, lettuce and jalepenos, but this post is beginning to feel a lot like a slide show shown by an old aunt that nobody really wants to see.

So my friends, I hope you enjoyed your tour today.

Where's the Beef?

We had a "tragic" event in the La Vida house last night.

It wasn't so tragic for me, but I'm not sure my husband will get over it.

You see, my Mister is a loyal man. Not just in marriage, but in friendship, at work, at play.

He knows what he likes, and he sticks with it.

This is true with restaurants as well.

And his favorite place to get a burger?

Fuddruckers.

Now, let me tell you that his love for Fuddruckers runs deep. He has loved a 1/2 pound burger-medium well- with-lettuce-tomato on toasted bun for more years than he's loved me.

However, his love grew to even greater heights one Saturday afternoon thirteen years ago. We lived in San Antonio. I was five months pregnant with my first-born, The Boy.

Back then I wasn't a meat eater. As a matter of fact I hadn't eaten meat for over a decade (with exception of that one time I was at a Sunday afternoon BBQ with my church choir friends. That's the infamous day I had three sips of a margarita and FORGOT I was a vegetarian... but that's a story for another time)

Anyway, The Mister will tell you that living with a new bride that refused to put meat in spaghetti sauce or cook tacos with ground beef, was a little trying for a meat and potatoes man.

The things you put up with for love.

He was long-suffering (for 18 months at least), until that wonderful moment when I thought I had the stomach flu, but was actually pregnant. Oops.

One morning, after months of morning all-day sickness, I woke up hungry.

Very hungry.

I was certain that the only thing that would satisfy my hunger was beef. So at 6am in the morning I rolled my burgeoning belly over, looked at The Mister and said with a seriousness I'd never known, "I need beef. Today."

And we sat and watched the clock until it read 11:00a.m.... cuz he knew that the Fuddruckers down the road would be open for business.

That day he heard the angel's singing, and I've been carnivorous ever since.

As a result, we have dined in Fuddrucker's establishments across the country: Los Angeles, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Tucson, Washington D.C., and a several places in between.

When we moved to North Carolina in 2005, he was happy to find that we were within 10 miles of the only Fuddruckers in the three large cities that make up this neck of the woods.

Last night he came home from work with his mind set on a burger. So we all piled in the car and headed out.

You can imagine, given this history, how he felt when we pulled into the parking lot and found it empty.

Well, actually, there was another family parked in the lot, looking at the plywood that was covering the doors. They sat in a stupor, shaking thier heads, with tears in their eyes.

The Mister was speechless.

I thought I might have to drive.

I quickly decided on another restaurant, and through the course of the evening I realized he might be going through the stages of grief :

Denial:

Maybe they're renovating.

Guilt:

I've had meals here almost once a month for two years! I've had meetings here, and date nights with you, and shared burger's with family and friends... I guess it wasn't enough....

Anger:

This is ridiculous! That wasn't just a favorite restaurant! It was the only place I could count on a decent burger!

And then, as we sat down at the new, unfamiliar, restaurant, he went into the next phase - 


Reflection, loneliness and silence: 

I was asking him questions about his day to start conversation.

He would only give one word answers.

Soon we were sipping lemonade and he entered the final phase:

The Upward Turn and Acceptance.

This is when I made my swoop.

"Hey, since we're out, how do you feel about going to the Apple store and checking out the iPad? Mother's Day is just around the corner!

{Insert cheesy grin}

Cuz nothing say's  let-me-console-your-grieving-heart more than let's-look-at-$500-gadgets i don't really need.

I know, now you can see that he married me for my sweet and compassionate ways. I've tried so long to hide it.