Recollections and looking ahead!

2010. I thought it was going to be a chillin kind of year. And for the most part it was. We had blips of excitement and tragedy but mostly we just chilled.


As I type this I recall some of the bigger blips.


Losing Pete suddenly in October. I still expect to hear him clip clip clip through the house as I move about. I think that tomorrow I will finally clean the entry window that is covered with the last of his nose prints. It's time. I think.


Nic struggling with 6th grade. I do not recall middle school being so tough. Maybe because my middle school was still my elementary school? Maybe because we live in a different time and place than 25 years ago. I don't know for sure but I do know that my kid is AMAZING and if everyone could just see that about him the world would be a better place.


Will Baker can play ball! He did this summer and with his team and great coaches he even earned MVP one game! He needs to believe in himself. If he could see some footage of his great plays perhaps he would SEE that he rocks!


Fred is very patient. I went back to work for a couple of months in the spring and my hubby supported me through it all. Even though he would rather I work a day or two a week. He supported me working 5 days a week for 8 weeks. What a guy.


Being away from "home" doesn't get easier. I still get jealous of my sister, brother, niece and nephews for being so close to my parents. I still wish we were all rich with enough money for quarterly trips north or south, depending on the weather. I have been wandering far from home for a dozen years but I still miss Indy and all the people that I love who live there.

Looking forward I can see great things. I am optimistic that this year will be rich with goodness for me and my family. My boys will continue to be successful in school and relationships. Fred and I will continue on our our path TOGETHER for better or worse. We will all strive to impact the world around us in positive ways. We will volunteer, pitch-in, set good examples and grow.

I am still narrowing down my OLW choice for 2011. It is proving a bit challenging as I have a lot I'd like to focus on this year. I will make my choice by Monday. It seems a proper day to commit and start the journey.

In conclusion I just have to go on record in print and say that I am feeling VERY BLESSED right now. My family is healthy in body and spirit. My marriage is strong. My kids are beyond amazing and LIFE IS GOOD. I do not take that for granted. I thank God for his provisions and I take some responsibility in the fact that we do things well around here. It's good for sure!

I really do have stuff to write about.

I just haven't prioritized the writing. I need to do better.

I just went back and read some stuff from 2007 and just had a blast walking down memory lane. It was fun to read about my friends K and S that I used to work with in Iowa and to read about all of the snow days we had back then. It was fun to look at pictures of my brother and his wife when they came to Iowa for Thanksgiving dinner in 2007 and we had a silly baby shower with just four people in attendance. Now that baby is almost 3 and has a baby sister. Time sure does fly.

So as I consider 2011 and set some goals, that may or may not be achievable, I think that writing should definitely be on the list. So it shall be. I am working on my OLW for the year and some resolutions. Tis the season. Stay tuned!


Image by Kristina B

I know this....

I just needed a reminder. I love Fred and my boys. Not because they keep good house, or cook great meals. I love them for who they are and who they make me. Seems like a good enough 500th post!

(Art by Stephanie Ackerman @ www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com )

You are kidding me right?!

Why should I expect that in 17+ years of marriage that the norm would change. Why do I think that someday he will become all that I want and nothing that I don't? Why?

I woke this morning to the noise of a lawn mower and snoring. The lawn mower was being pushed by Jose as he mowed the neighbor's lawn. It was a reasonable 8:45 or so. The snoring of course was Fred. When I heard the mowing it made me think that the neighbor to the left had his lawn mowed last night. Now the neighbor to the right was having his done. That impact me because I care that my lawn is gonna look REALLY ratty next to two nicely mowed lawns. Did I mention that the heat index today was suppose to exceed 105 degrees? Just putting that out there.

So I thought that I would go ahead and at least mow the front yard. The sun starts in the back so there might be a smidgen of shade in the front. I'll take what I can get. At about 9:30 I head outside with my bottle of water and do the best I can do mowing the fron year. I then grab the weed whacker and take on the rough edges to Nic's job of mowing the across the street neighbor's yard which he has done for the last two weeks. Fred hasn't taught him to use the weed whacker yet so I just did it myself. Maybe I haven't asked him. Who knows.

After the mowing I am HOT so I go in, take a shower and try to find some food that will make the shaking in my hands stop. Between not eating breakfast before I mowed and the shaking that I sometimes get from the vibrations of the weed whacker I am a hot mess. I try OJ and some cereal and am feeling more like myself.

Once I have cleaned myself up and eaten I make a call to a friend and see what we can plan for the day. As a family we have no plans until tonight when we are supposed to go to a cocktail birthday party in the neighborhood.

Well, my pal could stand to go to Sam's and so could I. I also could use a couple of new Cricut mats and she says she thinks that they are on sale at JoAnn's. It's a reasonable plan to lets us spend some time together while also serving our families by getting things that we NEED like TOILET PAPER, Axe deodorant, and NesQuik. Essentials!

Well, when I left Will was playing on the iPad in my bed, Nic was dressed and upstairs playing on the PS3 and Fred was getting in the shower. I specifically asked Will to try his best to make my bed when he got done since I couldn't very well make it with him in it! When I returned from my running about 2.5 hours later what did I come home to find?

My bed unmade, my children upstairs, probably gaming, maybe not. Fred showered and moved to the LR couch watching something on the iPad with the television on and NOTHING else done, moved or changed in my house. There were clothes in the dryer, clothes in the laundry room that needed hung up. There was a pizza box on the island that needed to be put in the outside trash. There are always things on the stairs that just get passed by time and again that I'm about ready to throw away. I decided to to just do what I could then take a nap. It had been an exhausting short day. I laid down for a few, maybe 30 minutes and was awoken by my husband joining me in our bed. He was talking all sweet and annoying me. He left with the iPad and went back to the couch.

I knew I needed to get up and moving and think about dinner. I headed to the kitchen starving because I never did eat lunch. I feel certain that no one in my house did. I grabbed a small bowl of Frito's and headed to the LR. Sat in silence while Fred played on the iPad then tried to start a conversation. That went no where. He was too engrossed. I was too po'd. I headed to put some stuff from Sam's away, went back the LR where Will was munching on some pretzels. I sat on the recliner with him. We started reclining. We tipped over. We laughed. The pretzels spilled. Salt all over the floor. Fred played on the iPad. Nic came down and helped clean up the spill. I grabbed the dust buster. Will turned up his show and Fred played on the iPad. I was mad. I grabbed this laptop and I felt the need to vent. Here's the venting. Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Hello there, remember me?

It has been WAY toooooo long since I have posted and I am sorry. If there is anyone left out there reading I think I may try to get back to updating more frequently. I do find myself with more time here and there and I just really need to decide how I spend that time. Sharing a bit of myself seems like a good enough choice. Last week I had the pleasure of spending some time with Grandma Mary, Fred's grandmother on his mom's side. She is 95 years young and is facing some challenges of late. She is an amazing person and is sharp! She was sharing stories of her youth as if it were yesterday. My memory stinks and I am still on the young side. I decided that in order to remember some of the most important moments in life maybe I need to document more. I am really slacking in the scrapping department, working on that too by the way, but the 'ol blog should be doable... If I choose to DO!

Well, we at the Baker house are in the throws of summer 2010. We have returned from our summer trip to Indiana and have even made it to Austin and San Antonio for a little staycation fun. We have a couple more items on the calendar for the summer but nothing too major. I am headed to the Texas PTA convention in Austin at the end of the month and Nic is attending a Junior Police Academy as well. WB is chillaxin in the best ways he knows how and will also be playing baseball this fall. We have some shopping to do to get ready for that commitment!

On our way to our first stop in Indy we took a detour to the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology campus. The boys were pretty impressed with Fred's college but were a little taken back by the condition of the Triangle Fraternity House.

Well, I think I will throw up a couple of cool pics from our trip to Indiana last week and leave it at that for now. I am going to work on composing some deep thoughts in my head to share in another post next week. Stay tuned!

Fred chillin with newest niece Caroline and the Jerry and Betsy Traub bunch! All 17 of us. This is the first time since we have all been married that we have all been together including our wonderful spouses. It was a great time and would have only been made better if it were about a week longer. There never seems to be enough time!

Simple Woman's Daybook entry...

I am thankful for.... blessings... so many blessings. Home, comforts, love, healthy kids, family, opportunities.

From the kitchen... No plans to cook tonight. I am on a little bit of a strike. Maybe I'll post on that later but maybe not.

I am creating... In my head I am creating a PTA membership form for 2010-2011. I need to get it out of my head and into the computer.

I am reading... "Love Ellen" by Betty DeGeneres. I am going to my first book club meeting next week to discuss "Sarah's Key" can't recall the author. Looking forward to that!

I am hoping... That this afternoon and evening go smoothly. School projects, meeting and potential weather in the mix make things exciting.

I am hearing... The sound of my dryer working on the second load of the day. Good progress!

One of my favorite things... Is a sign that hangs by my computer that says "May my home always be too small to hold all my friends." I think about that today because I had a desire to downsize my house today. Not that it will happen, just feels like a lot of unused space and places to drop things.... which leads to...

Around the house... There are LOTS of Hot Spots that need my attention. I am making a list and am going to ask the boys for some help today and tomorrow to get it under control before the weekend.

Plans for the rest of the week... Nic had a big project due today at school so I am anxious to hear how that goes. Will has his big living history project due Friday. We need to finish some things up for that tonight. I have a couple of meetings and I am waiting on some results from a Dr. Appt I had yesterday. Never a dull moment as much as I wish there were...

Ok, off to check mail, hit a Hot Spot then head to school for a meeting. Bring it!

In honor of NSD

1. Scrapper, card maker or both? Both, I have made more cards than pages in the last year or so because they are faster to get done!
2. How long have you been scrapping, making cards or both? I have been scrapping formally since 1998 but did it before it was "cool" back in grade school and high school. I have since torn all of those books up since most were dangerous magnetic albums.
3. Do you prefer to work alone or go to crops and classes? I go back and forth. If I am on a mission and prepare well a crop works for me. If I am messing around and lack direction I should do that on my own time.
4. What are your favorite embellishments? I am all over the place with that. I like paper tags, went through a metal phase and have a lot of ribbon I should be using more!
5. What is your favorite paper brand? I like Yellow Bicycle and American Crafts but will buy anything that makes me smile!
6. What is your favorite tool? My 12 inch cutter is my most used. My punches are probably my favorite.
7. What is your favorite type of ink? I like the Cat's Eye chalks for hitting edges and CTMH inks for stamping.
8. Who is your scrap idol? I admire lots of talented artists. Some are well known some are my neighbors and friends! (Lucky me!)
9. Is there something that you bought that you regret getting or never use? If I did I lost it in my house fire and didn't replace it.
10. Do you have your own scrap space or do you work in a shared area? I am very blessed to have a beautiful scrap space that I should use more often than I do.
11. Are you a chronological, reverse chronological or random scrapper? I used to be chrono but have moved to random and love the freedom and lack of pressure. That said I still harbor guilt about the unfinished years and hope to get back to them someday...
12. What is your scrapping style if you have one? I am simple but every once in awhile I try to kick it up a notch. Doing mostly "boy" pages I don't get too fancy and fluffy.
13. What is on your work area right now? I half finished page titled "A family that plays together stays together!" of a trip to an arcade and putt-putt place place.
14. What is your favorite adhesive? The purple one or the one that is on sale!
15. What technique have you never tried that you would like to? Sewing on my page with a sewing machine.
16. Are you on or have you ever been part of a design team? No
17. Have you even had your work published? No
18. Are you a consultant for any company? No but I have thought about it MANY times!
19. Do you subscribe to any monthly kit clubs? Nope, too cheap!
20. Do you have a minimal stash of supplies or are you a collector? Collector for sure!
21. Are you a sketch user, scrap lifter or do you come up with your ideas on your own? I go through phases where every idea I implement I have stolen/scrap lifted. I even have a book called "Lifted" Sometimes I surprise myself though and come up with a BRILLIANT idea on my own.
22. Do you participate in any online challenges? If so, which ones? No
23. Do you own any die cutting machines? If so which one(s)? I have a Sizzix Sidekick and a Cricut. We use the Cricut for school projects more than scrapping but I do remember that I have it sometimes.
24. Are you a Stickleser (is that even a word)? I have use Stickles a couple of times but always on a "girl" page or project.
25. What is your favorite scrapbooking topic? My kids of course but I have been doing some personal documenting so that people know about me when I have forgotten about myself.

10 things...

Stole/borrowed this from Living Proof Ministries Blog... Kinda fun!

What are 10 things -right off the top of your head- that we would know about you only if we knew you really well? 10 random things ranging anywhere on your personal map that make you a tad distinctive? Or just plain weird? Think quick! Don't go for deep. Go for quirky. Don't try to put them in any kind of order and don't make them long. Just type.

1. Foam gives me the heeby jeebies.
2. I can't drink Coke with ice without a straw. The ice hurts my teeth.
3. I have four major scars on my body and they all have stories that go with them (some are related)
4. There is a "right" way to load the dishwasher in my house.
5. I HATE to clean!
6. I LOVE clean bedsheets that have a hint of bleach smell.
7. I have 5 false teeth.
8. I have a desire to be a published writer someday.
9. My dream job would be working at The Container Store M-F from 9-2.
10. I believe that less is more in MANY aspects of my life.

Not too quirky and perhaps a little deeper than I thought. I am listening to the washing machine work as I type this and I found myself wandering to "cleaning" quirks. Funny how life leads me.

Happy Sunday!

Do I miss my religion?

So I wake up this Sunday morning and do not even consider taking my family to Mass. I hop on Face Book and realize that it is indeed Palm Sunday, next week being Easter and all, and I think about it for just a second. I dismiss it nearly as quickly. I wonder.... what would be the point.

Obviously an hour later the thoughts have not been completely dismissed because I am not blogging on the topic. So here are my random thoughts... try to stay with me. I am all over the place!

I have been Catholic since before I was born. I had some good Catholic years and most recently some bad Catholic years. Despite the good and the bad I think that I am still perceived as a Catholic because I have not committed otherwise. The height of my Catholic years were in HS and college and the lowest are my current state and a short period when we lived in MI when I was not connecting with my parish. As I type that I figure that is really the crux of my dilemma. So much of being Catholic is community and without a community to feel welcomed in and to invest my time, energy and talents in I am lost.

My Word of the Year is Stewardship and I admittedly am being a poor steward to my church these days. I will not say that I am being a poor steward to GOD because I think overall I serve him well. I pray, I do acts of service, I try to set a good example for my children. What I lack however is bringing them up fully in the church. Maybe I should be fired from my Godmother positions, not sure how others feel about that?

In addition to not connecting with my parish I have also been struggling with some Catholic catechism that I just can't swallow whole. I don't want to be an ala carte Catholic but I can not take the whole menu. In typing that I then should consider, is there a better church home for me. I have considered this before and in my own little mind I think there is no place that I will find complete peace with my personal goals and expectations of religion and the reality of any group.

Is there a church out there who is OK with birth control as a form of family planning? Is there a church out there that welcomes gay people who have faith in God? Is there a church out there that will enlighten my kids outside of services? Is there a church without scandal? Is there a church who holds to the belief that we are all going to heaven? I have lots of friends from Eastern and Western religions who have their own thoughts on heaven. I just want to see everyone there or to know that they are in their own heaven. I can't fathom that God will judge my friends based on their Sunday worship locations or if they worship at all. I believe that God will judge the person for their right acts Monday-Sunday and their personal beliefs in Him. Am I so far off?

As I type this I have more questions and so many fewer answers. I am struggling. I don't know how to celebrate Christ's Resurrection next Sunday with my family. Going to church seems like a stretch. We haven't been in a couple of months. Maybe I have turned into a ChrEaster Catholic. Do we still get into heaven? Will I see you there?

Their ears are ringing.

So Fred has been saving his Christmas money that he gets from his mom for a few years now. he has been wanting to purchase himself a toy. Not a real toy. A man toy. A handgun. Well this was the year. He had enough money. We live in a state with very liberal gun laws and he actually has a little time to spend on a hobby. He also has two sons who think that shooting is COOL!

He bought himself a cool handgun and took himself to an indoor gun range two weeks ago. He decided today that he could take the boys and go to an outdoor range. They took a couple of rifles that belonged to Fred's dad and shot them for the first time in many many years. The boys each took a turn or two and although their excursion was short I think they had a good time. They did decide that beefier ear protection would be necessary in the future. So tonight, I think that each of them would say that their ears are ringing just a bit.

On a personal note. I knew very soon after I met Fred that he had experience with shooting, hunting etc. It was never anything that I was interested in and while we were moving around the mid-west, growing our family and working hard he only spoke of this topic occasionally. Now that we have older boys who love to play army/shooting games with their dad. We are a bit more settled and we live in TEXAS! (Where the right to carry a weapon is acceptable in most all situations.) He had been talking about it much more frequently. We have guns in our home but haven't had ammo for said guns until quite recently. I have generally considered them more memorabilia and collectibles than useful tools or even a hobby. Fred bought this gun with his own gift money, taking nothing away from the family to do so. He deserves this hobby and I am actually a bit excited that he has something new to be excited about. He was so pleasantly surprised when he went to the gun club a few weeks back at how well he shot. He was like a kindergartner showing off his target to me! We could have hung it on the fridge if it were smaller.

I have had a hobby or two for as long as I can remember. I always had something to keep me busy on a rainy Saturday or a frozen weekend. The desire I have to create somehow now rivals his desire to shoot out. He has been faced with deciding the "value" of investing time and money into his hobby and thankfully has decided that his leisure warrants the investment. For that I am grateful. He deserves it and so much more.

Will I be running to the range with him in the near future? Probably not. But I will support his desire to get out and blow off some steam and perfect a skill and I may even join him sometime, just to take a photo or two to make into a scrapbook layout of course!

Back to work....

Well, just a few weeks ago I posted about how thankful I was that I had been given a choice about working or not when my kids were growing up. Well, at the time I chose to stay home for the most part and now financially contribute to the family beyond spending Fred's hard earned $$$$$$. When we moved to Iowa an opportunity to work at the school near the boys was offered and we needed the money to help us while we owned two homes. I worked full-time but kid-friendly hours and no one suffered too terribly much. (Maybe you shouldn't ask my kids about the suffering because they still recount that as an awful time in their lives.)

Well, moving to TX I chose to not work which worked out well since rebuilding my house and my household's stuff was practically a full-time job last year. Spring '09 I signed up to sub at the elementary school where the kids attend and worked just a few days. This past fall I subbed even more but still not too much and I guess that I did well enough because now I am subbing full-time for the next 6 weeks in the school office. It is VERY different than subbing in a classroom but I have a feeling that it will NEVER be the same day twice.

I am pretty pumped about working but am less than enthused about being at work at 7:15AM daily. I realize that many people do this daily and even earlier than that but Ugh! that was tough this morning. Will and Nic may pay a bit of a price and need to rise earlier too but they are old enough to understand the responsibility of the job and that me working will provide them with some benefits as well. Hopefully a win win for everyone in the family.

Well, I had my first day of many today and am happy that it happened mid-week. I have three days of work this week to get geared up for a full week next week, another full week and then SPRING BREAK! I may be around there until mid-April so that will be a stimulating way to start my spring! Guess I'll have to limit my spring cleaning to just evenings and weekends! (insert snide comments here..... If you know me you probably wouldn't believe that I spring clean!)

The staff at school all seem to happy to have me around to help. I get to see Will a few times a day and hopefully we'll even get to have lunch together on occasion. I have often thought that being a school secretary would be a great job within education so this will be a good taste of it with an early summer vacation. The sad part of the job though is that I will not be subbing with my kindergarten friends any time soon. Since I have accepted the longer-term spot I have gotten two requests and had to turn them down. I LOVE my kiderfriends and I hope that they won't forget Mrs. Bakery and how much I love hanging out with them!

Snow... do I miss it?

Texas snow on Christmas Eve 2009

As my friends out east struggle with feet of snow and my friends in Iowa are digging out of the drifts. My family in Indiana are also enjoying the "white stuff." We here in Texas are being told we might get an inch or two tonight. My boys are counting on a snow day tomorrow. They are desperate for the white stuff! We have seen more than usual here in TX this winter but still nothing near what we have averaged over the last 10 years or so.

Possible view of the backyard in MI or IA. Really a random pic from Flikr

So, I ask myself.... Do I miss having a real winter with snow pants, boots, scarves for everyone and an accessory dryer rigged by the fireplace? I think that the answer is a very honest NO!

I have never been a fan of extreme weather, which I do have to deal with here in the summer, but the two winters in Iowa and the six winters in Michigan were harsh. I do not miss that. I enjoy the milder temps, the grass, even though it's dead under my feet, and the occasionally sunny day tossed in for good measure.

Possible Texas summer temp.

So for my friends and family dealing with the blizzards of 2009-2010 I wish you luck and I admire your fortitude. As for me, I will enjoy the dead grass and will welcome a late start if Mother Nature decides that my kids deserve that.

Homework homework homework

All I can say is that if it is this hard now.... what do I have to look forward to? Not much!

So both boys have MAJOR projects due this week. Nic's is actually two projects about The Bull of Minos or Minotaur. Will is studying Blind Lemon Jefferson who is a historic African American Texan who was big in Jazz music in the 1920's. We divided and conquered as parents this weekend, each tagging along with a boy and encouraging them to focus, stay focus and make progress. This is not an easy task for either of us but it was made slightly easier because of the knowledge that we were both doing it. Not like I was off scrapbooking or he was off.... sleeping. (just considering possible hobbies attributed to each of us)

We gathered the boys up around 11 on Saturday and made a plan for the day. It started with a break, showers, food and prep work. Then Will got busy researching and writing and Nic did some work on the computer and made a shopping list. A little later he and I headed out to the dollar store in hopes of finding a $1 male Barbie-type doll. No luck so we headed to Target and found Beach Ken for just $5.94! We also grabbed a t-shirt for Will for Valentine's Day and a couple of hot dogs from the snack-bar.

With Ken in hand and a plan we headed to JoAnn's to look for some furry fabric. Minotaur is half man and half bull so we were going to make him hairy all over. We came up with some fabric and bought as little as we could before making one more stop. Nic and Will both needed new tennis shoes so we ran into the Sports Authority and satisfied one of their needs.

We headed home optimistic and Nic got straight to work. We pulled out some Crayola Model Magic left over from an earlier school project and set out to turn Ken into Minotaur. Well we hit a road-block when we realized that the Model Magic was not a good consistency after being stored and we needed more, fresher medium to work with. We hopped back in the car and headed to Hobby Lobby but not until I printed a couple of coupons, and picked up some brown Model Magic and some sculpting tools. Checking our separately we each saved 40% and spent a little more than $5 to complete the project. Whahoo!

We as a family, spent the rest of the night tweaking our dear Minotaur. Fred printed pictured of bull profiles, I tried to mirror a horn that Nic sculpted then we baked them to harden them. Nic worked on embedding red beads as his eyes and I found a shoe box large enough to accommodate the Bull of Minos Action Figure for safe transport to school. It was a learning experience for all of us and Nic led us through it all with his vision and our support. Good stuff.

Blind Lemon Jefferson was a name never mentioned in this house before. Will had actually chosen another famous AA Texan but had come to a standstill when it was time to draw a picture of the cowboy he had chosen. It seems that my son does not feel that he excels in drawing of cowboys and horses and cattle. I can see the hesitation. The particular historic figure he had chosen wasn't too stimulating a character either. We reassessed how far he was into the project and opted for a new famous Texan to research and share information about.

Who knew that You Tube had recordings of "See That My Grave is Kept Clean" circa 1926?! They do. Will took a listen and was amazed that this guy was considered a pioneer in the Jazz Music scene in Dallas. He wasn't too fond of the songs but the story was intriguing enough so we stuck with it. Will and Fred worked throughout the day writing sentences, designing a movie poster and talking about how to draw a guitar, musical notes and records. Of course Fred had to first explain what a record was.

Among all of that accomplishment Will and Fred also managed to get Will's hair cut and have lunch at one of Will's FAVORITE restaurants since moving to Texas, Dickey's. A little pulled pork sandwich would be good for the project manager and the student!

Well, all in all I'd say we worked really well as a team. Both boys did pretty good getting their projects to a good point considering the time they had spent on them. Will's movie poster is due in Friday and got a little more attention before the BIG game yesterday. He still needs to draw the guitar, musical notes and records but he has his title completed and the informative sentences written.

Minotaur is complete with loin cloth and a sword accessory. Nic spent some time tonight on the product launch presentation that will accompany his action figure and nixed my idea of developing some type of packaging. The shoe box will remain utilitarian for transport and will not market the contents inside. I suppose he may not want to advertise its contents to every student in the hall. Minotaur action figures could be hot items at Middle School.

Once all projects are complete I will post pictures. For now... Have a little to a great jazz musician and try to picture Ken as "Minotaur Man!"

Manic Monday... try to keep up.

So I have a LOT of stuff going through my brain right now. I think I'll put some of it out there for you to digest as you will... Warning... this is random and not meant to start any arguments or even discussions. I am just rambling in my own personal forum. Read if you want. Comment if you want. Do not think that I am judging anyone except my husband. I do judge him and I find him to be pretty AWESOME (most days)!

Today I had a To Do list made up with included some domestic tasks such as a little laundry, cleaning the master bathroom and making Nic's bed with the sheets that have been clean since Saturday. Other items on that list included doing a blog post and researching ordering ants for the ant farm that Will received as a Christmas gift. Additionally I needed to defrost chicken for a couple of dinners I planned to cook this week and a couple of other items like reading, scrapbooking and getting some envelopes to a friend who needed pink envelopes that I have and will never use.

So, that list of things to do was written in pen on a scrap piece of paper and was a guide to my day. When AESOP called this morning with an automated request for me to substitute in kindergarten I passed. I had that choice and I chose to say, "Not today thanks." When my friend called while I was watching some very low quality programming on MTV saying that she could use a ride to CVS to get some VERY important medicine I had a choice and I said "Yes, I'll take you but can I shower first?"

Once I returned from my trip to CVS, that included a stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond, 1/2 Price Books and a quick lunch at Panera I got to my laundry and bathroom cleaning and I even read the info about ordering ants. (I will write myself a note to do that in March when the shipment is guaranteed for 30 days. If I order from Nov-Feb my luck with the ants is my own.)

I tell you all of this to make a point about my life right now. IT IS GOOD! I am so blessed to have a husband who works very hard and provides so wonderfully for his family. I am blessed to have healthy children who no longer begrudge going to school, as they have in years past. I have a working car at my disposal that can take me and my peeps where we need to go when we need to go. Be it lunch or a medicine run or the necessary Sonic Happy Hour trip.

I have taken in a little discussion about SAHP not getting a tax credit available to parents of children in day car and it has just caused me to reminisce about my own ability to raise my boys at home and not rely on a day care to wipe their noses and change their diapers, although there were certainly days that that reality may have been welcomed.

I remember when we lived in MI and Fred was working in France for two weeks at a time I appreciated the day care at the gym to which I belonged way back when. I know that on more than one occasion, but certainly not daily, I did drop off the boys and went straight to the locker room and sat and read a magazine. I could have done this at home after all of their needs were met but it was nice to have them happy and well cared for while I got myself recentered. It may not have been the work-out that I needed but it was the respite that I required at the time.

I also recall, as recently as last summer, when my kids have begged me to put them in day care. They had friends who went and had a great time. A better time perhaps than my kids were having at that given moment. Of course I explained it away as not an option and in the back of my mind thanked God that it was not required.

I understand the need for day care in its many many forms. I applaud awesome day care workers and wish they were all awesome (for the sake if the kids involved). I respect a parent's right to choose day care as a necessary means of childcare when working prohibits a parent from caring for their own kids. I guess I do wish however that parents who choose do not work, to not partake in daycare get a little pat on the back, or cash in their pocket. No, I did not contribute to the economic standards of my family for many years but then again, had I chosen work outside the home, it would have changed soooooo much more. It is confusing for sure. But ultimately what I really want to say is that I am grateful that my husband and I made it possible for me to be a SAHM and I would not trade those nose wipings and diaper changes for ANYTHING!

As I get back to the rest of the items on my To Do list I think I will add one more, Thank Fred for putting us first and for supporting his family with his time and talents and love!

Tulsa Roadtrip!

So the whole time we have lived in TX we haven't really been anywhere. We have headed home to Indiana a few times but haven't really explored our new region. I would have expected to check out a bit of Texas first but this opportunity to go to Tulsa came up so we started there.

The premise of the Tulsa trip was taking my pal Sabrina and her kids to Tulsa, where she is from, to see her grandmother and some other family members. The kids had a four day weekend so we opted to eat up three day on this little adventure.

We got off to a good start only about 30 minutes behind schedule on Friday morning and I think I made up the time so nothing lost there. Our first stop was at a hole in the wall restaurant called Robertson's Ham. At this little shack we all enjoyed homemade ham and turkey sandwiches and bought some famous Robertson's Ham Beef Jerky for Fred!

After lunch we kept on heading North and got to Tulsa around 3. We checked into our VERY nice hotel and took a few minutes to rest and refresh before we met up with the first bunch of lucky Oklahomans that had the chance to enjoy our company. We had a YUMMO dinner at Carabbas and everyone left VERY full and happy. We headed back to our hotel for some swimming and some sauna time for the kids. Our effort to wear them out so they would sleep well.

It worked! Saturday we got moving around 9 or 9:30 and started our day out right at the all you can eat breakfast buffet that was included FREE with our room rate! Will looked like he was on the Atkin's diet with his plate full of BACON but hey, he's young and he doesn't like too many breakfast foods so he had to fill up on what he could.

After breakfast we headed out to meet Granny-Wanny. Yes, that is her proper name! Sabrina's grandmother was a beautiful woman who lives in a wonderful Franciscan facility outside of Tulsa. We could have gone to mass but we needed to visit for a few so we skipped. It was Saturday anyway. The kids were a little freaked out by the St. Francis statue in the lobby. He had his foot up on a skull. I couldn't explain it but am open to any info anyone can share. It reminded me of the serpent often seen at Mary's foot but the skull was new to me.

We stayed for just a bit with Granny then I cut out with the kids and left Sabrina to visit for a bit longer. The kids, all 4 of them, and I headed to the Oklahoma Aquarium. It was a fun trip that included touch tanks, that I was able to avoid due to full hands, and a walk through a glass tunnel while being surrounded by SHARKS! The kids had fun and dare I say... may have learned something! Not sure though, no test at the end.

After the aquarium we hooked up with Sabrina again and headed north to The Scrapbook Store where I of course found a few treats. The kids ate lunch in the car while we shopped quickly and no one even complained!

Once our purchases were safely tucked away we headed to see Sabrina's dad Bill and his wife Donna. I hooked up the DVD player that Sabrina bought her dad for his birthday and the kids and grandpa bonded over a movie while the ladies visited. After the movie a ROUSING game of Farkle was played by many and won by only one person. Sad thing is I can not remember who won. I do know who lost though!

After the Farkle Fest we headed back to the hotel for another night of swimming and once again the kids slept well. We got up and out at a reasonable time on Sunday and started our trip at Krispy Kream! The HOT sign was on so we all got a free donut to go along with our first picks. We headed south by 11 or so with our sights set on a sunnier Texas!

The trip home seemed to fly for some. Not so much for others. The seating arrangement had WB in the way way back and that did not set well with his tummy so we had a near miss with some motion sickness. We shuffled the kids and set off again. He seemed to recover quickly once he got a seat closer to the front. (I'm guessing he may use that to try to fly first class from now on.)

We pulled into the hood around 3:45 no worse for the wear. I think that we all had a fun time, got to see some new sights and the Crawfords were able to catch up with the family they love and miss dearly. It was a success in all respects!

Now where to next?

GLEE!

I LOVED this show this past fall and was a very faithful viewer. I seem to have my favorite shows every season and this was the TOPS this year. I am so sad that we won't get a new episode until April but am certain that it will be worth the wait. In the meantime I am wearing out my new Glee Soundtrack CD's that my BFF Denise got me for Christmas. Can you wear out a CD? Thankfully I am listening to them on my computer, MP3 and in the car so I am spreading the love between formats.

My favorite song is on Volume #1 track 17 "Defying Gravity" I currently have it on repeat in the van. That can only happen when the kids aren't with me but it is fun when it does. I try to hit that elusive high F! Not even sure if I could but it's fun to try. Will gets really embarrassed when I rock out in the car but I want him to remember my silliness when I am too old to be silly. That won't happen anytime too soon though so I hope he has a great memory.

I sincerely wish that this show was more kid friendly but it is not quite safe enough for my audience. The boys were able to watch one episode off the DVR but it still had some challenging themes in it. Hopefully the good themes of tolerance and perseverance were what the kids took with them. Maybe once the baby is born, the divorce happens etc we can consider the boys adding it to their watch list. Maybe...

Ok, enough of my babble. I am listening to the soundtrack now and it just makes me smile!

Happy Hump Day!

Monday

My family on New years Eve/Christmas 2009

Today I had a plan. So far the plan has been tweaked and added to and adjusted but it felt really good to have a plan. Even if it did need to be changed.

Fred just called to warn me that he would not be home at a reasonable hour. He had pretty high hopes when he left for work but now realizes that it's just not gonna happen. I am just thrilled that he took the time to call and give me the heads up! And, it's only 3 so I can put the defrosting turkey back in the fridge and adjust dinner accordingly.

One thing I just did that was not part of my plan was to pull some pics off my camera. I'll add a few to this post from December and I'm planning on a longer post with some pics from last week.

Jen and Landry having sooooo much fun bowling!
Hams? Oh yeah!

OLW art!

I did it! Between a little more rest, a trip to Target, lunch with Sabrina, vacuuming, cleaning sinks and making dinner I created this!

Not the best but it speaks to me and since my OLW is for me, I guess I am the only one that HAS to listen.

OLW 2010

It's that time again, time to select my One Little Word (OLW) for 2010. I checked over a couple of lists and considered revisiting a word from a previous year. I thought about re-upping on DO, my OLW from 2009, because I am not sure that I DID. But in the end I have chosen a new word.

STEWARDSHIP

One definition of stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted on one's care. I have been entrusted with LOTS of things and I need to work hard at taking care of these people and things to the best of my ability. I need to be a steward to my family, my finances, my surroundings, the earth, my own gifts and talents. The pressure is great but the reward is greater.

Last year I never did get around to making my visual reminder of my OLW and I think that is one reason the word DO got lost in the shuffle of doing, or not doing. I plan to get busy tomorrow making my visual reminder of my OLW. Look for pics by mid-week. In an effort to be a steward to my finances and my time I plan to create with items I have on hand and not spend too much time on this piece.