Simple thoughts on Sunday

I don’t normally post on Sundays. I try to take the day as a true day of rest and focus on my faith and my family.

But I know I have been rather absent around here the past few days and lest you begin to wonder what was going on I thought I’d share a few tidbits.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, Big Girl has been ill with a stomach thing. It’s still going on and I think we are headed back to the pediatrician on Monday. My thoughts are wandering down paths I don’t want to wander, like bacterial intestinal bugs and ulcers and the like. I want some answers and I really want my baby to begin to feel better.

We had big plans for Saturday that were put aside so that we could stay home and let Big Girl recuperate some more. However, life had other plans for us and we ended up at the children’s immediate care facility for Little Bit on Saturday afternoon! She is sick with a UTI (she gets them frequently – so fortunately we knew what it was pretty quickly) – the doctor said the cultures were “off the charts” – Lovely.

So, I now have two sickies and a worn out hubbie (he worked 60 hours this past week) and so I made the decision that we would all stay at home today and rest. It’s been a quiet day for us. I’ve done some cleaning (mopping and dusting) which is really therapy for me and helps me think things through while I work. SuperMan has watched movies and helped me with folding laundry. He needs the rest. The girls have played Barbies and watched movies, too.

As Sunday winds down, I’m wondering what next week will hold. Hesitating on putting together a meal plan until I know a little more about what Big Girl’s tummy will tolerate and thinking about what work commitments I might need to shuffle to take care of her.

This is just one of those stages of life – one of those times when I am thankful that I’m strong and resilient and that my momma taught me well about caring for others. I’m happy to nurse my girls and nurture my sweetheart. And I’ll be happier when they are all running amok in a few days and I’m pulling my hair out because they are all nuts. (which is our version of normal)

So, if you don’t hear from me, know that my focus is elsewhere and that I’ll be back soon.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Here’s to all of you – thank you for visiting my blog this year, for replying to my posts, sharing your thoughts and kind words, for caring about following my silly stories about my family and for trying out my recipes.

It’s such an honor to know that you care and that you enjoy reading my ramblings…

Merry Christmas to all of you
from all of us.

Riding the train to Christmas Crazy

Sorry for the absence of posts this week. It has been rather hectic around here – wrapping up the work world for the year (I’m off now until after Christmas), final week of school for the kids, preparations for our trip to Mom’s and our church group Christmas party, baking, shopping, wrapping and all the other minutiae of every day life – laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

It’s enough to drive a girl a little crazy.

I’m sitting here on my first day of my vacation, enjoying a bowl of homemade granola (a most awesome recipe I must share with you soon) and making list after list of things that must be done before the party, before we leave, before Christmas.

I’ll admit, I’m a little overwhelmed.

I’m starting to think about what things I can just strike off the list without even doing them… how can I calm this crazy down just a little?

I will continue to ponder this…

but right now, I must go put on my makeup and head out for the day. Errands await and there’s not much time before I pick up the kids and the crazy resumes!

The countdown begins…. one more week to go!

I can hardly wait –

I’m like a kid at Christmas –

Are you going?

Be still my heart.

The Muppets!

My most favorite characters in all the world.

The Plight of the Widow in Zambia

It is awful enough to contemplate losing your spouse and being left alone to raise your children… it is almost inconceivable to contemplate what happens to widows in Zambia.

Please take a minute to read and to consider how you might help.

The plight of the widow in Zambia

As I am learning more about this situation, my heart feels compelled to DO – to figure out what I can do, blessed as I am, to ease the plight of these women who lose not only their spouse, but their belongings, their homes and their helpmeet. It is tragic and heartbreaking.

To learn more about wiphan.org, please click through. There are many ways one can support the organization.

Menu Plan Monday

Busy, busy weekend – but an awesome one.

SuperMan’s birthday was Friday – we went out on a date night (you can read more about that here)

I got to see my brother and two of his best friends on Saturday (haven’t seen him in 2 years! he lives on the west coast and we just haven’t been able to swing a trip out there or here in a while thanks to the economy.) and I got to spend lots of time with my mom. Doesn’t get much better than that.

That was us after dinner on Saturday evening. I asked him how we got so old… neither of us was quite sure. Man, he looks a lot like my dad did when he was that age…

We also brought back some old furniture that was at my mom’s lake house – things that we’re going to restore and find uses for here at home, including this

an old glider-rocker that used to be on my grandmother’s front porch when I was a child. I remember many hot, sticky summer nights spent sleeping on that porch when it was just too hot to sleep inside (no air conditioning). My brother and I would listen to the big trucks rolling down the highway and giggle and whisper for as long as we could stay awake without getting fussed at by Grandma.

I can’t wait to restore it and put it on my back porch for my girls to do the same one day.

I also brought home this

which is an old table from my GREAT-grandmother’s kitchen. We have the “naugehide” covered chairs, too. I can’t wait to restore them and put this puppy to use. Lots of happy Saturday mornings were spent at this table when I was a girl.

So, we are getting back to “normal” today – including planning our menus for the week. I really, really need to go grocery shopping as I’ve been cooking out of the freezer for the last two weeks and we are out of fresh veggies and the like as well.

Here’s what I have planned so far:

Monday: Bourbon Chicken with Rice & veggies (trying a new recipe)
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken or maybe this new recipe – Chicken Yakitori
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: SuperMan and the girls are on their own as I’ll be in the mountains on a girls’ weekend! Scrapbooking & relaxing.

How about you? Hop on over to orgjunkie.com for some great menu ideas.

Friday adventures

We’re hanging out with family this weekend – SuperMan’s birthday was on Friday and so we’re celebrating with our family.

This picture was from our birthday date night dinner:

His fortune cookie – “You are a happy man.”

We have found this little “hole in the wall” Asian restaurant that is very close to my mom’s house. It’s run by a husband and wife team. That’s it. Just the two of them. She waits tables and does the appetizer service. He does the main cooking and sushi prep. The food is excellent and we always really enjoy our visits there.

I Don't Know How She Does It Poster From there, we went on to the movies to see “I don’t know how she does it” – a new movie with Sarah Jessica Parker (I love her) about a working mom trying to juggle a major career opportunity and two small kids. Her husband gets a huge opportunity for his business at the same time and they are running crazy trying to make everything work.

I sat there thinking “This is my life!” (well, minus the multiple-times-a-month airplane trips, but I’ve done that before, too) It was very well done in terms of representing what most of us modern moms deal with on a daily basis – juggling our commitments to our husbands, children and careers and never really feeling like we’re doing all we can for any of them. Sara Jessica Parker is cute enough to pull off some of the challenges of this world without appearing “preachy” or as if there is a moral to tell in the story.

There were several laugh-out-loud scenes, like when she sends the wrong email message to the wrong person … but I won’t spoil it for you by telling you the details.

Go see it. It’s worth it. Trust me.

Little Bit also had a big adventure.

She decided that she wanted to get her ears pierced. So, we took her to the store and I couldn’t believe how brave she was! My sweet baby – she’s not a baby anymore…

Here she is holding her sister’s hand for bravery. They apparently had a deal that her big sister would stay by her side the entire time and hold her hand if she went through with it.

“Ow, ow, ow”

Such a beautiful girl. I was so proud of her – and I’ll admit, I got a little choked up looking at her being so brave and strong.

Today, I get to see my brother, whom I haven’t seen in almost 2 years (since before my surgery) and his best friends. They’re hanging out down by the coast and doing their annual fishing trip. I can’t wait to see them and spend a little time together.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend – I’ll be back on Monday with more adventures, pictures and (hopefully) the weekly meal plan. Smile

No Menu Plan Today

I have a little tummy bug today – the thought of planning meals – and of food in general – is making me a little queasy. So, who knows what we will do tonight for dinner (SuperMan? Any ideas?) but I am hoping to be back to my old self tomorrow and planning out the rest of the week’s meals.

Right now, I’m just headed back to my ginger ale and remote control. Ugh.

That’s all I have to say about that.

I don’t know what happened today

Well, I do know, actually.

Work!
And more work… And ferrying kids to school… And a sick Big Girl who needed TLC.

So, I’m sorry about not having a post for you today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better!

But I do have a picture to share:

The girls spotted this overhead on the way to school. When I got home Buster was very distraught at the Hot Air Balloon Monster that was over his yard!!