I turned 50 on May 8th. That was easier to type than I thought it would be. My husband spent the days between my birthday and Mother's Day doing dishes and laundry for me (he took a few days off of work - just for me!) My family took me out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, which is spendy so it remains a once or twice a year thing. We had a terrific time and I'm so thankful for each of them. I am so blessed.
Mother's Day was very nice as well. Todd made blueberry pancakes and presented me with a platter of pancakes shaped into the word "MOM" - very clever. I got cards from everyone and then I was lead out into the front yard, where a magnolia tree stood waiting for me. I had been admiring the few magnolia trees in our area and Todd thought I'd like one on our property. I was so surprised and pleased! Can't wait to get it planted. Again, I feel so blessed to have this family. Thank you, Lord!
Happy Birthday to all the May birthdays that I know are out there! It's a great month to celebrate.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
He Won!
Happy news! Chad was one of three winners of the essay contest he entered! His was a 30-page essay on Palestine and Israel, failed attempts at peace, the players, and so forth. Each winner will receive a nice cash prize. We are so happy for him and very proud of his work. I am still so amazed at his continued good fortune at this community college. It's been a good fit for him and I am thankful. Chad definitely has a talent for writing - hopefully it will serve him well in whatever field he chooses to pursue.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
First Blog for 2013
Spring is here! Spring break for Chad. He's had a very good year at college so far. Todd has spent many weekend hours on the largest of the concrete counter tops for the kitchen which we finally put in place last weekend. (Oh, yes, remember the kitchen remodel, a work-in-progress.) It's beautiful and I'll put up a photo when I can. Time has slipped by so fast since last fall. Not much time to blog (obviously). So nice to have warmer days finally, will help us get through all the rainy days to come. Chad has entered an essay contest at the college, at the suggestion of his writing teacher. It would be cool if he won! I hope to blog again soon, especially if I'm inspired to write something more than an update!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Post-Election Post 2012
With the election over (finally!) things seem relatively quiet around here. We spent so much time talking about everything related to the presidential vote, as well as state and local elections and measures. When the big night arrived, I traced a map of the U.S. from one of those educational placemats we have (those are such terrific reference tools) and gave it to Carmen. While I cooked dinner, everyone sat in the kitchen by the radio and, from 4:30 on, we listened to the election coverage. When the polls finally began closing and each state's results were announced by NPR (National Public Radio), we wrote it down and Carmen colored each state the appropriate color (blue for Obama, red for Romney). It was a loud, tiring, exciting and, finally, melancholy evening. By 9:30, we were done and turned off the radio. We missed Mr. Romney's speech but that's o.k. I heard some of it the next day. Anyway, we learned a lot and had a great time. Todd was done by 7:00 and went off to watch Star Trek. The kids and I stuck it out and I think Carmen wanted to stay at it until the Florida polls closed, bless her heart. We used the Internet to find out what the radio didn't provide. All in all, it was a good evening, another historical event and a great way to get the kids interested in politics.
We have a child in our family with political aspirations and I want to do all we can to encourage it. I don't care if they ever actually run for a position (although that would be cool!) but we need our young people to care about these things. They are, after all, our future, however repetitive that may sound. And when I get excited about something, they are more likely to join in. What a blessing. I just found out that two teenagers in my husband's extended family are doing drugs, with all the family problems that causes. That makes me all the more thankful for the relationships I have with my kids. And thankful for the kids I have.
So, now, as we heard on the radio yesterday, we look forward to the 2016 election. Who might run? Chad and I had just talked about the head of the CIA this morning. He had looked promising, we both surmised, but hearing tonight that he resigned has changed that (we won't go there in this post right now!)
Like Mr. Romney said he would do, we will (continue to) pray for our country and our leadership. They need it.
We have a child in our family with political aspirations and I want to do all we can to encourage it. I don't care if they ever actually run for a position (although that would be cool!) but we need our young people to care about these things. They are, after all, our future, however repetitive that may sound. And when I get excited about something, they are more likely to join in. What a blessing. I just found out that two teenagers in my husband's extended family are doing drugs, with all the family problems that causes. That makes me all the more thankful for the relationships I have with my kids. And thankful for the kids I have.
So, now, as we heard on the radio yesterday, we look forward to the 2016 election. Who might run? Chad and I had just talked about the head of the CIA this morning. He had looked promising, we both surmised, but hearing tonight that he resigned has changed that (we won't go there in this post right now!)
Like Mr. Romney said he would do, we will (continue to) pray for our country and our leadership. They need it.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Change of Seasons (Reluctantly)
We spent two weeks getting Chad situated at the local college. Two classes this time but it seemed to take forever before we were done. And then, for the icing on the cake, we received a bill in the mail, saying we owed the tuition on one of the classes with a $50 late fee slapped on to boot! It seems that when we registered for that class, the clerk forgot to run our credit card. Fortunately, the staff I spoke to about it straightened everything out and waived the late fee. We began our first day of school the last week of September and that has been going well, slow to start as I am still figuring out where we need to fill in gaps and order some new things. But, really, right now I want to remember what my kids did this summer.
Chad and Alec each entered something at our county fair this year. Chad entered a Lego creation and won first place in his age group. I was very proud of him as he is not usually interested in this kind of thing and winning was icing on the cake. Alec's creation was made out of recycled materials (which was the category he entered) and he won first place in his age group, then went on to win Reserve Champion. He was beaten out of Grand Champion by a cookie jar-type object made completely our of deer bones (ugh!) It was, um, interesting and the guy who won was nice and very happy to win. Alec's creation was a diorama of the Titanic ship, showing it in its glory days on the water on one side and how it looks now, under water and covered in algae, including a mini sub floating nearby. His diorama showed the ice berg with the damage it did just before the Titanic started to sink. Creating miniatures is a hobby of Alec's and he's really very good. His current interest in the Titanic has lasted all year and winning with this art project was really special. I am proud of both boys.
Carmen sent in a caption for an elephant to say, as it was leaning on its hind legs against a tree. The magazine, Nature Friend, was holding this contest and when Carmen came up with her caption, I told her to go ahead and send it in. Weren't we all surprised when she was one of the five winners! There it was, on the back cover of the magazine. She was very, very happy and I, of course, was very proud and pleased for her. Alec entered a drawing of his "Dream House" to a contest that Highlights magazine was having and we were all amazed that his was one of twelve chosen! When I encourage my kids to enter contests, it's with the expectation that there are a lot of entries so winning is not probably, just possible. What fun to see them both have something published! I know how fun that is to see my words in print (however small an item!!) and I'm so thankful and pleased that they have had that opportunity (and, o.k., proud!) What I take from this is that I need to encourage them in their writing/drawing skills, to continue to improve both for the fun and pleasure it brings but also perhaps to make a living at someday.
Chad and Alec each entered something at our county fair this year. Chad entered a Lego creation and won first place in his age group. I was very proud of him as he is not usually interested in this kind of thing and winning was icing on the cake. Alec's creation was made out of recycled materials (which was the category he entered) and he won first place in his age group, then went on to win Reserve Champion. He was beaten out of Grand Champion by a cookie jar-type object made completely our of deer bones (ugh!) It was, um, interesting and the guy who won was nice and very happy to win. Alec's creation was a diorama of the Titanic ship, showing it in its glory days on the water on one side and how it looks now, under water and covered in algae, including a mini sub floating nearby. His diorama showed the ice berg with the damage it did just before the Titanic started to sink. Creating miniatures is a hobby of Alec's and he's really very good. His current interest in the Titanic has lasted all year and winning with this art project was really special. I am proud of both boys.
Carmen sent in a caption for an elephant to say, as it was leaning on its hind legs against a tree. The magazine, Nature Friend, was holding this contest and when Carmen came up with her caption, I told her to go ahead and send it in. Weren't we all surprised when she was one of the five winners! There it was, on the back cover of the magazine. She was very, very happy and I, of course, was very proud and pleased for her. Alec entered a drawing of his "Dream House" to a contest that Highlights magazine was having and we were all amazed that his was one of twelve chosen! When I encourage my kids to enter contests, it's with the expectation that there are a lot of entries so winning is not probably, just possible. What fun to see them both have something published! I know how fun that is to see my words in print (however small an item!!) and I'm so thankful and pleased that they have had that opportunity (and, o.k., proud!) What I take from this is that I need to encourage them in their writing/drawing skills, to continue to improve both for the fun and pleasure it brings but also perhaps to make a living at someday.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Helpful News Indeed
My Mom's condition continues to be foremost on my mind. My sister, Connie, and I talk at least twice a week, and when she visits my Mom at the care center, she calls me so I can talk with Mom. My mother is not herself and it's been very difficult to speak with her. I had been under the impression that she was, well, basically losing her mind as she was totally confused and speaking nonsense. Since then, I have been told it is mostly the medication she is on that is making her so loony. With that hope in mind, it was so wonderful to talk to her yesterday. She was pretty much herself again, oriented to time and place, talking and asking about my kids, a lot like normal. What a relief that was! Apparently, it was nearly time for her pain medication which is the main culprit for her confusion. I was fortunate to catch her at the right time. She is also making progress as far as walking some and sitting up more often. Her pain is also less. I know there will be good and bad days ahead but every good day will definitely give us hope for her complete recovery. And thank you for the kind comments, my friends!
We spent last Friday at the annual kite festival in Long Beach, Washington. We look forward to it every year, especially when it happens to be warm and not too windy, like it was Friday (not our usual beach weather, for sure!) The beach is full of colorful kites with competitions for stunt kite flying and things like that. We took some photos (see below). After walking the boardwalk, we went through the small town, visiting a local coin dealer (a hobby of ours) and ending up at a place to ride go-carts. Chad took a spin around the track and looked quite pleased with himself. We have attended this festival every year since we moved here, except when Chad was just 3 weeks old (I wasn't up to it!) and it has always been a fun family time. Except for that one year when Alec was just a toddler. We were out in the sand, among the kites, with Alec a few feet ahead of me. Suddenly, a kite bigger than Alec came crashing down a few feet ahead of him! It stuck into the sand like a huge sword. I grabbed Alec lightening-quick - everyone around was so startled and glad he wasn't hurt. I think I spent the rest of the day thanking God for sparing my small son. Since then, we mostly stick to the boardwalk, sometimes flying our own kites along the edge. But never again will I venture out where the big kites are - we learned our lesson that day.
It may be the longest beach in world (that's what the sign says) and it's awesome to see it covered in kites. This is just a slice of beach. It was voted America's Best Boardwalk more than once.
I loved these rows of frogs, can you see the blue crab in the lower right corner? We also saw caterpillar balloons the size of diesel trucks.
Carmen and I swam with an orca ...
Alec shows just how much he's grown this summer. Carmen didn't like the sun in her face. The orcas were good about posing for us, though.
Chad, taking the lead. Didn't crash once (unlike his mom when she was a kid!)
We spent last Friday at the annual kite festival in Long Beach, Washington. We look forward to it every year, especially when it happens to be warm and not too windy, like it was Friday (not our usual beach weather, for sure!) The beach is full of colorful kites with competitions for stunt kite flying and things like that. We took some photos (see below). After walking the boardwalk, we went through the small town, visiting a local coin dealer (a hobby of ours) and ending up at a place to ride go-carts. Chad took a spin around the track and looked quite pleased with himself. We have attended this festival every year since we moved here, except when Chad was just 3 weeks old (I wasn't up to it!) and it has always been a fun family time. Except for that one year when Alec was just a toddler. We were out in the sand, among the kites, with Alec a few feet ahead of me. Suddenly, a kite bigger than Alec came crashing down a few feet ahead of him! It stuck into the sand like a huge sword. I grabbed Alec lightening-quick - everyone around was so startled and glad he wasn't hurt. I think I spent the rest of the day thanking God for sparing my small son. Since then, we mostly stick to the boardwalk, sometimes flying our own kites along the edge. But never again will I venture out where the big kites are - we learned our lesson that day.
Friday, August 17, 2012
And So To August
O.k., let's recap ... Chad is now 17. He had a nice birthday, getting a trip to the Oregon Zoo out of the deal, as well as a battery for his car (courtesy of his father). His car, a 1966 Volvo Amazon, is sitting quietly in our driveway, awaiting the day when it can roar to life. It needs some work and Chad needs his driver's license so the Amazon will have to be patient.
Todd turned 1/2 century. We all spent the day in Portland, where Todd bought clothes for me at Nordstrom. It's what he likes to do. We had a good time together, Portland was warm so we enjoyed some summer there. We had dinner at the Nordstrom cafe, which we love, and had Sees' candy for dessert. Todd got a box of his favorite candy to go. And he doesn't look a day over 49!
Todd and I have now been married 24 years (and 11 days). We had a nice anniversary, lunch at a favorite restaurant overlooking the Columbia river and went for a drive afterward. Surviving this kitchen remodel has definitely been a marriage challenge. It's a good thing I'm so flexible. Don't tell him I said that.
The bad news is that my Mom's situation has definitely changed, for the better and for the worse. For the better in that my sister and my Mom are now over the problem that I mentioned in my last post. But my Mom spent several days in the hospital last week, and is now in a nursing home, with no real certainty that she'll ever go home again. Big sigh. My sister, Connie, has gone above and beyond what any of us could have done to take care of my Mom. This is the first time in her life that I've seen her be there for my Mom (and Connie is 63!) In some ways, you could say it's Connie's turn, as my other two sisters and myself have each had our time of caring for Mom at different times in her life. I'm just so thankful she is able to do all that she's done for Mom and I tell her so every time we talk. In fact, I've never, ever talked to Connie as much as I have in the last month. My Mom fell and fractured two ribs as well as L6 in her spine. She's been in a lot of pain but seems to be doing better this week. It will take a long time for her to heal. There are a few other health issues as well. We pray for her every night. A long road ahead.
Todd is working on the pantry ... well, actually he removed the pantry and it's just an empty space at the moment. I still haven't posted any photos. This summer turned out to be busier than I expected. It's hard to find time to blog. But I have found time to bake with Carmen - she's fearless in the kitchen. I love it! She gives me courage, actually, as I have little confidence in the kitchen. We made apple pockets (like turnovers) and she was so proud. She's bookmarked several recipes in some of our cookbooks that she wants to try in the future. It's so fun to have a partner to cook with!
Todd turned 1/2 century. We all spent the day in Portland, where Todd bought clothes for me at Nordstrom. It's what he likes to do. We had a good time together, Portland was warm so we enjoyed some summer there. We had dinner at the Nordstrom cafe, which we love, and had Sees' candy for dessert. Todd got a box of his favorite candy to go. And he doesn't look a day over 49!
Todd and I have now been married 24 years (and 11 days). We had a nice anniversary, lunch at a favorite restaurant overlooking the Columbia river and went for a drive afterward. Surviving this kitchen remodel has definitely been a marriage challenge. It's a good thing I'm so flexible. Don't tell him I said that.
The bad news is that my Mom's situation has definitely changed, for the better and for the worse. For the better in that my sister and my Mom are now over the problem that I mentioned in my last post. But my Mom spent several days in the hospital last week, and is now in a nursing home, with no real certainty that she'll ever go home again. Big sigh. My sister, Connie, has gone above and beyond what any of us could have done to take care of my Mom. This is the first time in her life that I've seen her be there for my Mom (and Connie is 63!) In some ways, you could say it's Connie's turn, as my other two sisters and myself have each had our time of caring for Mom at different times in her life. I'm just so thankful she is able to do all that she's done for Mom and I tell her so every time we talk. In fact, I've never, ever talked to Connie as much as I have in the last month. My Mom fell and fractured two ribs as well as L6 in her spine. She's been in a lot of pain but seems to be doing better this week. It will take a long time for her to heal. There are a few other health issues as well. We pray for her every night. A long road ahead.
Todd is working on the pantry ... well, actually he removed the pantry and it's just an empty space at the moment. I still haven't posted any photos. This summer turned out to be busier than I expected. It's hard to find time to blog. But I have found time to bake with Carmen - she's fearless in the kitchen. I love it! She gives me courage, actually, as I have little confidence in the kitchen. We made apple pockets (like turnovers) and she was so proud. She's bookmarked several recipes in some of our cookbooks that she wants to try in the future. It's so fun to have a partner to cook with!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
