It has been awhile over here, hasn’t it.

I don’t know if I have adequately expressed my gratitude for the little things as much as I ought to.  These are a few things I am grateful for today:

Larry put gas in my car, without me asking.
Kids are out for a healthy three day weekend.  HEALTHY!
The laundry is done, by LarBear, and I have just finished putting it away.
Kierstin carrying around a giant box of Crunch Berries and a bowl. 
Kimball is out jumping on a trampoline with his friends on this warm night.
2 new episodes of “The Office” that I get to lay in bed and watch with Mr. Ganson.
Spaghetti and meat sauce with warm french bread for dinner. 
Easter weekend with Easter treats and quiet remembrance of an Ultimate Sacrifice.
Peeps that blow up in the microwave.
My shoes are all magically back in their homes in the closet.  (likely a Larry elf project)
Red Impatiens are waiting to be planted in my back yard that is getting a soft makeover tomorrow morning.
A wonderful new cd by Rascal Flatts!  
1000 golf balls in the back of my car for the first man in  my life.
My best friends in my sisters and sisters-in-law.  I don’t know if it would be nearly as much fun without them.
Bare feet babies lined up on the bed upstairs watching a funny movie.
Moments to give thanks and recognize the little things, especially when the big things seem so big.

I hope that you are all enjoying the quiet of your evening wherever you are.

It’s almost midnight and I can’t sleep

So, I had a wonderful day.  I had important “meetings” all days long.  (Code word for day at the spa and getting my hair done.)  Best pedicure of. my. life.  Massage, pretty lovely but she was scared to death of my wicked scar and the rods they cover up.  Scared I tell you.  I zipped over to a new salon, which I now love.  The color is glorious, back to blonde.  The cut?  I am not so thrilled with yet.  I always have to wait a day or two and then see what comes of it.  So we shall see.  I just have a history of not liking this middle of the road length and the cuts and styles we do to hide the fact that we are trying to grow the middle of the road length hair out a bit.  I like longer hair, but I am as impatient as a 2 year old about it, well about a lot of things really, but I digress.  So.  I am blonde and relaxed and came home to yummy corned beef and cabbage for dinner and kids having done their homework.  Most of it.  I finished reading this darn book that Michelle gave me and I am happy to say that it did not end in the syrupee sweet way I thought it was going to end.  Indeed it did not.  Ended on a solid, respectable, happy note.  I like happy endings but I don’t always like the formulaic ending.  Alls well that ends well in fiction, right?  Well, let’s keep things a little…what am I saying?!  Of course I like a good sweet ending.  The vampire gets the girl!  And if that isn’t realistic, I don’t know what is.

Dangit!  I am not feeling the tired start to creep in as I usually do at this hour.  I know that it is because I did not watch “Grey’s” or “Private Practice” and in my head it is simply not a Thursday night if I haven’t, so I must need to go crawl on the couch and watch until I can’t keep my eyes open.  Why this darn insomnia!!!  Well, perhaps I will give in to my subconscious need to watch a little “Grey’s Anatomy” and then I the sleep will find  me.  Maybe.

Adam? Allison? Matt??? All so good!

Ok.  I am now a fan once again of American Idol.  Tonight was amazing and up until tonight I was a little irritated with the whole silly thing.  But Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Me.  I loved Matt right from the start.  And most of the performances were pretty good, although a few were terrible (Scott, Megan, Anoop YUCK)  And then came Adam.  My heart has been stolen by this beautiful cleaned up version of an incredible singer.  I know how ridiculous and juvenile I sound and I accept that.  I have been swept up in “Twilight” love today as well so this whole dark and dreamy thing Adam has going on made me weak in the knees.  Well, that’s over the top, but he was amazing.  And then if that wasn’t enough, ALLISON!  Oh wow that girl is fabulous.  I loved watching her.  It’s late and I should be heading off to bed where I will undoubtedly stay up to late again reading a book that Michelle sent my way that has become a little bit of a fascination for me.  But, I had to share as I just turned off my AI experience and no one here cares.  Actually, Kaden cared, but he had to go to bed.  :)  Hope all is well wherever you are!

Oh. My. Pressure Cooker of Stress around here today.

Pressure is building from one day to the next.  We, as most of the people I know, are struggling with decisions about the coming year and it all comes back to money.  Today we discovered that our taxes had not been paid on the house for the year.  You see last year it was paid through the mortgage company and we just thought it was that way again this year.  Um.  No.  $6000.  Anyone?  Needless to say it was a darn good thing the kids were at school when we made this crashing discovery.  Larry is a bit…well, bothered?  Oh I can’t come anywhere close to describing the defeat he is feeling today.  I am confident that we will work all of these things out and that I am grateful for the challenges that we are facing as it is forcing us to be very real about our finances and where we are going as a family.  These moments make you really look at what is necessary and what is indulgence.  We have been fortunate in recent years, and we are okay now, but not floating above having to really balance the checkbook anymore.  We have to come back to reality and balance the books and pay attention like most people do and I am actually glad to have that chance.  It may sound silly, but I want us to scale back and live more simply.  I want our children to see what it means to work and be grateful.  I want to teach them to be humble and to give back.  We have been indulgent and for that I am ashamed, actually.  Not beating myself up but sincerely aware of the lessons we are not teaching these children along the way.  So, we will count pennies and cut coupons and be grateful for the job he does have and the security we have been able to protect and for the good health we are continually blessed with.

I have been so saddened by the loss of Natasha Richardson this past week.  Each time I look at a picture of her or of her husband and children it makes my heart hurt a little.  Perhaps its the absolute shock of such an innocent day.  Maybe it is because she was so young.  I don’t know, but I know that it is indeed a tough loss and I do hope her family and anyone facing such a loss some comfort.  Sappy?  I know.  Sorry.

Well, what else?  I played in the dirt so much today that I am undoubtedly going to be very sore tomorrow.  SORE!  Oh, look at that.  It’s time to put the kids to bed.  Wahoo!

Larry is definitely home.

Good Spring evening all!  It is a delicious thing and I am anxious to get out there in the dirt and make help things grow.  I love to see everyone out working in their yards.  We came home from a short but sweet trip to San Antonio to see green popping up everywhere and this lovely pollen dropping on every possible surface.  It was great to get away for a quiet, video game free, other kid free mini-break.  It was also really nice to come home.  By way of update, it is looking more and more likely that we will head North.  We have decided not to sell our house, mostly because it represents security that we have never had before now.  Home.  When we finish this job we will come home.  Home has always been wherever we are as a family, and that is still true, but this home is more three dimensional.  Our children can recount memories for several years, learning to ride a bike, starting school, putting together a fractured family.  There are several reasons that I would like to move away, but far too many more that will call us back.  I am grateful to have that and to Larry for clinging to it.  He is more sentimental than one might think.  We are coming to the end of Spring Break and the beginning of lots of work around here.  Packing, patching, gardening, painting, packing some more.  And we still have to get that illusive “formal offer” from the Olympic Committee.  Let’s cross our fingers for this week!

Oh, if you need to laugh…

Oh, so guess what!  I have a sick Kimball again.  Well, it’s not the kind of sick that is keeping him from his pile of legos in the playroom, but it is keeping him pretty close to a bathroom.  (well said, I think.)  I am beginning to feel pretty sure that there is some sort of virus gnome hanging out in the “cave” here in our home (the space under our stairs lovingly painted for preschoolers that houses toys, and evidently breeds some sort of gnome).  He is tickled to death that he has been so successful at reeking havoc on the immune systems of my children on an every other day basis.  I am not sure that I understand the method to the madness, but this little gnome must not like me all that much.  With all of that said, we are home.  Now the good news is that after I realized what Kimball’s complaints over the last 18 hours or so meant for my determination to go to church, I went back to my bed while the children watched cartoons, or so I thought.  Now, here is the surprise, they closed my door and let me stay sleeping for nearly 3 more hours while they, mostly Kaden and Kyra, went about the house cleaning one room after another and keeping up with Kierstin.  When I did wake up and realize how long I had been sleeping, and it was a real surprise to me, I walked out to realize the efforts that had been made.  I must say that two things happened, one: I felt genuine surprise and gratitude at the thoughtfulness displayed by this action, and two: I realized that the gig is up.  They do know how to clean and are capable of doing it without the cattle prod and raised voice.  I am overjoyed to share that from this momentous point on, I now know that these “little” kids, aren’t so little anymore and will be taking on some additional responsibilities.  (You should almost hear the sound of angels singing in unison a chorus of joy right about now, I know I am.)

This brings me to a very funny find in my “blog surfing” yesterday.  As you know, I am a big fan of c jane enjoy it.   

In playing on her site yesterday, I was introduced to this woman:THE MEANEST MOM: About Me

If you want a good laugh and yet another blog to play with, you must read this entry.  I laughed out loud and found a kindred spirit in this delightful woman.  I am off to check on sick Kimball and make sure that Kierstin is actually…oh wait, she is not sleeping.  I just heard her yelling “MOMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!”  Oh that child.

Things I love right now

• Kyra just walked in and says “Mom, can you play with me?”  (yes, I am still typing.  bad mom?)
• Costco’s Chicken Fettucini Alfredo is cooking in my microwave for dinner (yummy and easy)
• My dining room table generally looks more like an art table than a place of eating and now is no different
• Kierstin fell asleep on my bed all wrapped up in my blanket and holding tight to Pooh Bear (no nap today)
• The rain has tapered off and left us with soggy wet everything.  The only drawback would be the muddy paw prints everywhere
• We are now officially on Spring Break (wahoo)
• This recipe from a woman I dig
• A full kitchen from a Costco trip in preparation for Spring Break and Larry coming home
• Larry is coming home in 4 days
• The weather is looking to be beautiful all next week
• This picture from Nicole
• This incredible song that Larry sent me in an email the other day stating it was our  new song
• Excedrin Migraine for the Jake/ Kimball loudness Spring Break crazy induced headache
• All the little flowers trying so hard to open up for Spring

Happy Thursday!

Well good morning all!  First,  you must take a look at the new link I posted over there for Bakerella.  If you need something to bake or just wish you could taste something wonderful, you must spend some time over there.  Excellent blog stalking material.  I did find her through Pioneer Woman, so I can’t take credit.  Well, what shall we discuss today?  It seems that we are all kind of on a hiatus from blogging recently.  I have set myself to writing many times and found myself quite incapable of sharing anything.  I am not sure why, really, just nothing seemed interesting.  I haven’t found any great recipes lately.  I have been pretty busy with normal everyday stuff.  I also feel as if I have woken up a little from what can only be described as feeling a little groggy for about a week or so.  Waking up from such stupor makes you realize how much you have to do.  SO, it’s all about laundry and organizing and mopping up after wet paw prints around here.  Oh, and Scouts and Activity Days and school assignments.  Playing with an almost 3 year old who has been so delightful these past few days, I have barely left the house unless something required it.  We are saving money, so that is the best thing for us.  I find that if I am dressed and in my car and headed out for any kind of $5 errand on a regular day I end up spending somewhere between $100 and $150 on things we rarely really need.  It is always such a mystery to me when that happens.  Gremlins I tell you, gremlins are responsible for that.  

Ok, Vancouver.  Well, as you may have heard, the economy is struggling.  The industry that Larry is generally able to have plenty of work in is struggling as well, a lot.  Many of his friends are out of work and there has been no sign of a comeback in sight.  Larry was offered a full time position with the Vancouver Olympics and we turned it down.  That was one year ago when work was still going well.  Cut to February of 2009 and things are simply not as promising.  Car companies that have kept Larry busy are canceling shows, banks are not having their big meetings which have also kept Larry busy.  So when they approached him again a couple of weeks ago we had to seriously consider it.  While there are currently no formal offers, it looks as if we will be packing up soon.  The list of things to take care of for such a move is LONG and I, being a list maker, should have started one by now and I just haven’t wrapped my brain around that list yet.  I know that there will be sacrifices made for us to make this journey but I do feel confident that it would be a an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us.  There is so much to see and do and learn and experience and that doesn’t even include the Olympics.  We hope to have a final decision made in the coming weeks, but for now we are cautiously optimistic.  It will be hard to leave our home and family and friends for that long, but blogging will be constant and pictures will be abundant.  I will share every little thing.  I think there could be a movie or reality tv show out of this Southern-ish family trekking up to Canada for a year.  Oy Vey!  (Jewish slang, yes I said it.)

So, for now, we miss Larry.  We are excited for the impending Spring Break.  We are soaked with days of rain and more coming.  But we look forward to 72 degree weather on the horizon.  It may take us a full week to dry out, but the sun will be welcome.  Sorry for the long lapse in blogging.  Have a great day wherever you are.

A little Vancouver trivia

So, as some of you know, we may be moving up to Vancouver for one year (ONE YEAR!!!).  We are keeping our house and will be back.  In this little process I have been interested in finding out more about the Vancouver area.  So, I just looked up weather patterns up there, just to see what summer is like.  And here is a direct quote:

Summer  Summers are hottest in BC’s interior, particularly in the south where temperatures frequently surpass 30°C (86°F). Nearer the coast, temperatures range from 22 to 28°C (72 to 83°F). Recommended clothing for both regions in summer is the same: shorts, short-sleeved shirts and light dresses in daytime and sweaters and trousers in the evenings.

Ok, so the high is 86???  Wow, that would be something.  I mean the average in Winter is around 41 degrees, which is a touch colder than it is around here.  I just love the idea of an 86 degree summer though.  You know, if anyone wanted to come visit us all the way up there, you would certainly be welcome.  Just a thought.

 

And I am not enjoying American Idol either.  Michael Jackson, REALLY!!!  Oh I thought I would just scream.  I think I could go until the finals to see who wins and not miss anything.  Maybe next week will be better.  :(

Great Quote from Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

“I come to you tonight with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we try to ‘accentuate the positive.’ I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. Now I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man or woman who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his or her course.
“What I am suggesting is that you turn from the negativism that so permeates our modern society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom you associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my wise father would say: ‘Cynics do not contribute. Skeptics do not create. Doubters do not achieve.’ “

“Be Not Afraid, Only Believe,” CES Fireside for Young Adults, Sept. 9, 2001