3 Graces From People I Love
1. Bret and I had a discussion the other day that could have evolved into an argument, and he dropped it before it was able to progress.
2. On the way to Syllables, I received a phone call from a friend I hadn't connected with in a while, and Jacob was content to be silent in the back seat during my conversation. He had been telling me a story and he quite graciously picked up where he left off after my phone call.
3. Sorting through all of Mom's old Red Cross paperwork (that Dad brought to me "in case I wanted it"), I was reminded of all the times when she nagged me about keeping good records. Then, I saw it as nagging -- now, I see it as her "having my back."
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
January 6
One Thing in Your Bag, Your Fridge, Your Heart
1. To be precise, this item is currently in the pocket of my jeans. But it is supposed to be in my purse, and it will be by the time I head out at lunchtime. I bought this new lip color last summer -- Maybelline's Super Stay 24-Hour Color in Always Heather. I love it, because it's designed for people like me. I am terrible about remembering to put on my lipstick, which is funny because lipstick is the one bit of makeup that my mom never left home without. Anyway, you apply the color with a wand like lip gloss, then let it dry for about a minute before applying the clear balm-like gloss over it. And it stays all day long. If your lips get dry, you just reapply the balm and voila, new lips! The other night Jessie and Bret went to the Father-Daughter Sock Hop hosted by our GS Service Unit, and I put some of the lip gloss on her. She loves to wear lipstick, but it inevitably smears and her lips are already full enough without the expanded lip lines. This was perfect, and the color looked great on her. It's amazing how just lip gloss, even with no other makeup, made her look so much more grown up. Sigh.
2. The last tiny bit of my annual Christmas toffee is in a little tin on the top shelf of the fridge. I don't think anyone else in the family knows it's there, and I'm not inclined to remind them. I wonder how long it will last ...
3. My heart is full. I have a full life and it is exactly how I want it. I may wish for more time or better organizational skills, but those are within my control and I'm working on achieving both. My heart is ... well, troubled might be the best word ... for both my boys. Jacob for his dyslexia and the frustration that he feels as a result. And Josh for his challenges at school. I want to get to the bottom of his handwriting and organizational issues. And I still feel guilt over not addressing the SI issues years ago, but right now the academic issus are outweighing it. I need to get going on the paperwork and see what we can learn before school's out, and to be honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it.
1. To be precise, this item is currently in the pocket of my jeans. But it is supposed to be in my purse, and it will be by the time I head out at lunchtime. I bought this new lip color last summer -- Maybelline's Super Stay 24-Hour Color in Always Heather. I love it, because it's designed for people like me. I am terrible about remembering to put on my lipstick, which is funny because lipstick is the one bit of makeup that my mom never left home without. Anyway, you apply the color with a wand like lip gloss, then let it dry for about a minute before applying the clear balm-like gloss over it. And it stays all day long. If your lips get dry, you just reapply the balm and voila, new lips! The other night Jessie and Bret went to the Father-Daughter Sock Hop hosted by our GS Service Unit, and I put some of the lip gloss on her. She loves to wear lipstick, but it inevitably smears and her lips are already full enough without the expanded lip lines. This was perfect, and the color looked great on her. It's amazing how just lip gloss, even with no other makeup, made her look so much more grown up. Sigh.
2. The last tiny bit of my annual Christmas toffee is in a little tin on the top shelf of the fridge. I don't think anyone else in the family knows it's there, and I'm not inclined to remind them. I wonder how long it will last ...
3. My heart is full. I have a full life and it is exactly how I want it. I may wish for more time or better organizational skills, but those are within my control and I'm working on achieving both. My heart is ... well, troubled might be the best word ... for both my boys. Jacob for his dyslexia and the frustration that he feels as a result. And Josh for his challenges at school. I want to get to the bottom of his handwriting and organizational issues. And I still feel guilt over not addressing the SI issues years ago, but right now the academic issus are outweighing it. I need to get going on the paperwork and see what we can learn before school's out, and to be honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it.
January 5
Something You're Reading, Making, Seeing
1. My list of To-Read books is getting longer by the day and I haven't taken much time to read for myself lately. Well, actually, for the past few months, when I think about it. I love books, love to read and am terrible about neglecting everything when I'm immersed in a good book. Right now most of the books I'm reading have to do with dyslexia, and I still can't seem to wrap my brain around what it's like for Jacob. I just started The Dyslexia Advantage by Fernette and Brock Eide. And I ran across The Inheritance by L. M. Alcott the other day. I can't remember much about it, so I'm re-reading it. As well as Uh-Oh by Robert Fulghum. But the main thing that I'm reading is Bret's first draft of his new kid-lit novel. Josh really likes it, so you never know -- maybe this will be the one that launches his career as a novelist.
2. I have a list of things I need to make today. Most of them involve Meyer lemons, since Leigh gave me a bag from her mother's tree and they only have a few day left in them. Lemon poppyseed muffins for Josh, lemon pound cake and perhaps some lemon curd? I'm a bit intimidated by the curd, but I want to try it. Oh, and I'd really like to try my hand at some home-made limoncello. Lemons make me happy. Just the scent of them restores my spirit and my mood.
3. Sitting at my desk, I look outside to the front yard. In August we had sod put down, and it made us so happy to have pretty, green Bermuda grass growing, rather than sparse Fescue and weeds. Now it's all dormant and brown, and you can still see some of the lines where it still needs to grow together. But by summer it should be gorgeous. Who knew something so simple as grass would make me happy?
1. My list of To-Read books is getting longer by the day and I haven't taken much time to read for myself lately. Well, actually, for the past few months, when I think about it. I love books, love to read and am terrible about neglecting everything when I'm immersed in a good book. Right now most of the books I'm reading have to do with dyslexia, and I still can't seem to wrap my brain around what it's like for Jacob. I just started The Dyslexia Advantage by Fernette and Brock Eide. And I ran across The Inheritance by L. M. Alcott the other day. I can't remember much about it, so I'm re-reading it. As well as Uh-Oh by Robert Fulghum. But the main thing that I'm reading is Bret's first draft of his new kid-lit novel. Josh really likes it, so you never know -- maybe this will be the one that launches his career as a novelist.
2. I have a list of things I need to make today. Most of them involve Meyer lemons, since Leigh gave me a bag from her mother's tree and they only have a few day left in them. Lemon poppyseed muffins for Josh, lemon pound cake and perhaps some lemon curd? I'm a bit intimidated by the curd, but I want to try it. Oh, and I'd really like to try my hand at some home-made limoncello. Lemons make me happy. Just the scent of them restores my spirit and my mood.
3. Sitting at my desk, I look outside to the front yard. In August we had sod put down, and it made us so happy to have pretty, green Bermuda grass growing, rather than sparse Fescue and weeds. Now it's all dormant and brown, and you can still see some of the lines where it still needs to grow together. But by summer it should be gorgeous. Who knew something so simple as grass would make me happy?
Friday, January 4, 2013
January 4
A Gift Old, New and Blue
Hmmm. I didn't read the list this morning so I didn't go through the day with these particulars in mind.
1. Last year Mema downsized when she moved into a new community, and she gave us some of her treasures. The bronze bust of William Shakespeare now greets people when they enter our house, and Granddaddy's Tiki Bar is in our newly tiled great room downstairs. When we were going through all the boxes in an attempt to organize the storage room in the basement, we ran across a huge box containing her silver tea service. I already have one from my own grandmother, stored neatly in its custom case. But I brought this one upstairs, spent an evening with the silver polish, and now it resides on a table (also inherited from Mema in the Great Purge) in my living room. Yes, it's a bit fancy for my house, and it takes up the entire table top, but I love it. It reminds me of the many dinners at their home, which were a huge treat for me when we lived near them in Miami, since I'd never lived in the same town as my own grandparents.
2. In 3 months we're going on a Disney Cruise over Spring Break. It was our big "family gift" at Christmas, and for my birthday Bret's mom gave me a spa treatment on the trip. I can't wait. It's going to be a fantastic trip for all of us, and I will quite happily spend some time in the spa. Last night Josh went exploring on the web site and informed me that the spa is directly above our cabin, so it will be about 100 steps for me to get there. Nice to know, I guess.
3. For Christmas last week my boys gave me a Willow Tree figurine. I already have a lot of the angels and family figurines, as well as the Nativity, but this is one of her new ones -- the Holy Family. It's not really a nativity, so I think I'm going to leave it out year-round. And unlike most of her other figurines, this one has color. Mary's robe is a beautiful shade of blue. I just love it.
Hmmm. I didn't read the list this morning so I didn't go through the day with these particulars in mind.
1. Last year Mema downsized when she moved into a new community, and she gave us some of her treasures. The bronze bust of William Shakespeare now greets people when they enter our house, and Granddaddy's Tiki Bar is in our newly tiled great room downstairs. When we were going through all the boxes in an attempt to organize the storage room in the basement, we ran across a huge box containing her silver tea service. I already have one from my own grandmother, stored neatly in its custom case. But I brought this one upstairs, spent an evening with the silver polish, and now it resides on a table (also inherited from Mema in the Great Purge) in my living room. Yes, it's a bit fancy for my house, and it takes up the entire table top, but I love it. It reminds me of the many dinners at their home, which were a huge treat for me when we lived near them in Miami, since I'd never lived in the same town as my own grandparents.
2. In 3 months we're going on a Disney Cruise over Spring Break. It was our big "family gift" at Christmas, and for my birthday Bret's mom gave me a spa treatment on the trip. I can't wait. It's going to be a fantastic trip for all of us, and I will quite happily spend some time in the spa. Last night Josh went exploring on the web site and informed me that the spa is directly above our cabin, so it will be about 100 steps for me to get there. Nice to know, I guess.
3. For Christmas last week my boys gave me a Willow Tree figurine. I already have a lot of the angels and family figurines, as well as the Nativity, but this is one of her new ones -- the Holy Family. It's not really a nativity, so I think I'm going to leave it out year-round. And unlike most of her other figurines, this one has color. Mary's robe is a beautiful shade of blue. I just love it.
January 3
Three Graces Overheard
This one was tough, especially since the kids went back to school today and I spent most of the day in solitude.
1. In the car on the way to Josh's orthodontist appointment, I told the kids that since our "babysitting experiment" went so well the other night (we went to a party and left Josh in charge since none of our regular babysitters were available), we might actually be ready to make it a more frequent occurrence. And since they'll be saving us quite a few babysitting dollars, we would put the saved money into a special jar -- and they can collectively decide how to spend it. Maybe they'll want to save it for spending money on vacation, or use it to buy an XBox -- they can decide. It will be an interesting experiment in cooperation, but I enjoyed listening to them debate the merits of each option.
2. In the car on the way home from the afore-mentioned orthodontist appointment, Josh was surly and snarly with all of us, but especially his sister, who was sharing the back seat with him. But even after he snarled at her and accused her of "enjoying his torment and pain," she didn't lose her temper and lash back. That was definitely grace.
3. I love to hear Josh say grace at dinner. His are short and sweet and to the point. There's food on the table, after all, and we'd hate for it to get cold. But they always end with "please bless us, everyone we care about, and even those we don't." It always tickles me, and he gives me dirty looks every time I giggle during grace, but I think he's gotten the real point of grace. After all, it's easy to ask for blessings for those we love, but we need to remember those we don't, too.
This one was tough, especially since the kids went back to school today and I spent most of the day in solitude.
1. In the car on the way to Josh's orthodontist appointment, I told the kids that since our "babysitting experiment" went so well the other night (we went to a party and left Josh in charge since none of our regular babysitters were available), we might actually be ready to make it a more frequent occurrence. And since they'll be saving us quite a few babysitting dollars, we would put the saved money into a special jar -- and they can collectively decide how to spend it. Maybe they'll want to save it for spending money on vacation, or use it to buy an XBox -- they can decide. It will be an interesting experiment in cooperation, but I enjoyed listening to them debate the merits of each option.
2. In the car on the way home from the afore-mentioned orthodontist appointment, Josh was surly and snarly with all of us, but especially his sister, who was sharing the back seat with him. But even after he snarled at her and accused her of "enjoying his torment and pain," she didn't lose her temper and lash back. That was definitely grace.
3. I love to hear Josh say grace at dinner. His are short and sweet and to the point. There's food on the table, after all, and we'd hate for it to get cold. But they always end with "please bless us, everyone we care about, and even those we don't." It always tickles me, and he gives me dirty looks every time I giggle during grace, but I think he's gotten the real point of grace. After all, it's easy to ask for blessings for those we love, but we need to remember those we don't, too.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
January 2
A Gift Outside, Inside, On a Plate
1. The big red dumpster that is taking up space in my driveway. Even though I backed into it last week, it has been a real gift for us. It is filled with debris from the basement pre-tiling demolition and purge, and it made our project much easier. I'm ready for the company to come pick it up, though.
2. My Christmas trees, which will be coming down this weekend on Epiphany. I love the family tree in the sun room, with the ornaments we've collected throughout our 22 years together. It's filled with ornaments made by the kids, as well as some from our own childhoods. Whenever we travel, we buy an ornament to put on the tree, and we love to reminisce as we hang them up every Christmas. And my "Angel Tree" in the foyer makes me so happy. When we bought this house, Bret bought me the tree for my birthday to put in the foyer. It's on the smaller side, but it's the perfect size to display all of the angel ornaments I've accumulated over the years. I also hang all the photo ornaments there, even though the kids don't always act like angels. Every time I come down the stairs, go into my office or in and out of the front door, I am welcomed by my tree, and it makes me smile.
3. I try to have a dinner date with Jacob after his Syllables session at least once a month. It's difficult, since usually we take Jessie with us, and Mondays are out due to Josh's Boy Scout meetings and Bret's BSF. But today we left everyone at home and went to Chili's for dinner, just the two of us, after Syllables. Chili's is one of his favorites, because of Paradise Pie (he's a boy after my own heart). While we waited for our meal, we played a game he'd just learned at Syllables and he was so proud to explain how it worked, before beating me. As we shared our Paradise Pie, he beamed at me and told me that he couldn't stop smiling because he was so happy we were on a date. And also because he had such a pretty mommy, and also that he really liked the shirt I was wearing. He's pretty good with the compliments -- he's not embarrassed to show affection the way his big brother is, and I pray that he stays that way. Unabashed love and Paradise Pie. Yum.
1. The big red dumpster that is taking up space in my driveway. Even though I backed into it last week, it has been a real gift for us. It is filled with debris from the basement pre-tiling demolition and purge, and it made our project much easier. I'm ready for the company to come pick it up, though.
2. My Christmas trees, which will be coming down this weekend on Epiphany. I love the family tree in the sun room, with the ornaments we've collected throughout our 22 years together. It's filled with ornaments made by the kids, as well as some from our own childhoods. Whenever we travel, we buy an ornament to put on the tree, and we love to reminisce as we hang them up every Christmas. And my "Angel Tree" in the foyer makes me so happy. When we bought this house, Bret bought me the tree for my birthday to put in the foyer. It's on the smaller side, but it's the perfect size to display all of the angel ornaments I've accumulated over the years. I also hang all the photo ornaments there, even though the kids don't always act like angels. Every time I come down the stairs, go into my office or in and out of the front door, I am welcomed by my tree, and it makes me smile.
3. I try to have a dinner date with Jacob after his Syllables session at least once a month. It's difficult, since usually we take Jessie with us, and Mondays are out due to Josh's Boy Scout meetings and Bret's BSF. But today we left everyone at home and went to Chili's for dinner, just the two of us, after Syllables. Chili's is one of his favorites, because of Paradise Pie (he's a boy after my own heart). While we waited for our meal, we played a game he'd just learned at Syllables and he was so proud to explain how it worked, before beating me. As we shared our Paradise Pie, he beamed at me and told me that he couldn't stop smiling because he was so happy we were on a date. And also because he had such a pretty mommy, and also that he really liked the shirt I was wearing. He's pretty good with the compliments -- he's not embarrassed to show affection the way his big brother is, and I pray that he stays that way. Unabashed love and Paradise Pie. Yum.
January 1, 2013
3 Gifts Heard
1. "Happy New Year" shouted in chorus by four children as December 31, 2012 became January 1, 2013. I think this was the first time my kids have all stayed up until midnight, so it was a new experience for them. Josh proclaimed the dropping of the ball at Times Square "anticlimactic" but they all had fun setting off fireworks and playing with sparklers, so I expect this will not be the last time for them.
2. The sweet sound of giggles as Jessie and her new friend enjoy just being together, whether it's eating dinner with the family, playing Just Dance on the Wii, watching a movie, giving each other makeovers or snuggling in bed sharing favorite parts of books with each other.
3. The sound of video games from the basement. After spending last week tiling the basement, we are all very happy to have a place where the kids -- and Daddy! -- can go to play games or watch movies without being in the middle of the living room. It's time.
1. "Happy New Year" shouted in chorus by four children as December 31, 2012 became January 1, 2013. I think this was the first time my kids have all stayed up until midnight, so it was a new experience for them. Josh proclaimed the dropping of the ball at Times Square "anticlimactic" but they all had fun setting off fireworks and playing with sparklers, so I expect this will not be the last time for them.
2. The sweet sound of giggles as Jessie and her new friend enjoy just being together, whether it's eating dinner with the family, playing Just Dance on the Wii, watching a movie, giving each other makeovers or snuggling in bed sharing favorite parts of books with each other.
3. The sound of video games from the basement. After spending last week tiling the basement, we are all very happy to have a place where the kids -- and Daddy! -- can go to play games or watch movies without being in the middle of the living room. It's time.
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