My Children's Rooms

I am suffering the consequences of allowing Sweet Baby M and the Big D to become uncontrollable messes. Their rooms are both so bad. Jim has hit the ceiling and of course we all know who suffers the wrath then....Me. It is so hard to force them to clean them up and keep them that way. Sweet Baby M has SO many clothes and the Big D is just sloppy. There are not enough hours in the day to keep this all running like a well oiled machine AND deal with the unexpected. If somone has the answer, please fill me in.
Signed,
Defeated in KS

RIP Timothy

This sweet little baby, whom I have named Timothy, flew into a window today and perished. I saw him fly into the window and drop to the ground and quickly went over to see if he was just stunned. Unfortunately, he was dead. Because I didn't want anyone to just kick him to the curb or sweep him into the trash, I picked him up and wrapped him in a kleenex in my purse. He rode around to lunch with Tia and I and on our plethora of pressing errands while lying in repose in the back of my car. Now he has been carefully placed on a Sweet Life doily and laid in his little coffin. Poor little Timothy will be laid to rest tomorrow morning in the flower garden. Perhaps we will bury him in front of my statue of Jesus holding his heart (which is my FAVE statue) and say a little word. Wouldn't it be nice if Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal flitted in for the funeral (they live in the neighborhood, you know) and since he is a dignatary in the Catholic church being a cardinal and all.
This is in memory of little Mr. Timothy.

A Bird Came Down the Walk
by Emily Dickinson

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad, --
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.

The service details are below:
Private Service for Mr. Timothy Sparrow
Saturday, August 22, 2009
7:00 a.m. (daybreak)
Family only
Birdseed breakfast to follow.

GOOD BOOK

I just finished reading such a great book. It's "Home Safe" by Elizabeth Berg. I have read another of her books..."The Year of Pleasures" which I also enjoyed. I like her style of writing. It flows easily and her thoughts are so similar to just what I was thinking. I like that. Sometimes I like to read books that jar my mindsets and make me think but for right now, this was perfect.
I must say...I love the cover. It's a bluejay sitting on a large egg. So simple and yet so perfect. The main character is a 59 year old woman with a daughter she is always trying to "mother" and the daughter doesn't like the mothering so much. I can relate to that. She is also a writer. She writes mainly fiction but I love that she makes up stories about the people she sees in her life; the old woman at the bus stop, the waiter, the cabbie.
I think that is what I loved most about my previous job. I got to write about people's lives as they were living them. Got to explore who they were and what made them tick. If you were lucky, the person you were interviewing actually let you see their insides. What made them tick. For lack of a better word...their soul. That was such a gift and a responsibility. You had to be careful to represent exactly what their essence was without reading your own likes and dislikes into it.

I miss writing. I thought maybe this blog would placate that need but it really doesn't. Unfortunately, I feel about this blog kind of like I feel about scrapbooking...if it's not perfect, I don't want to do it. I'm trying to get beyond worrying about it and just keeping it as a sort of journal but I always have the desire to clean it up. To delete things that I don't like and change things around. I need to commit to a set time to just write each day and let it be. I have so many ideas rattling around in my head...I'm just lazy about putting them on paper.

Back to Blogging

What a week we've had! Between Maggie not having a car (minor accident), getting everyone ready for school (Monday) and Jim's VERY early work schedule (getting up at 4:30!) it's been a big week with not alot of free time.
School starts tomorrow and hopefully everything will stabilize a little. I'm ready for the routine again. I have a lot of projects planned (closets and the like) and can't wait to get started on it all.
My biggest challenge is planning out all my meals really well and shopping efficiently so I'm not continually at the store. Both my kids need breakfast and then something Maggie can take to have mid morning. Both need lunch packed (as does Jim) and Maggie needs something to munch on between school and volleyball practice. She needs a lot of little meals all day. Planning dinner is easy, it's all those other things to keep everyone fueled up.

I thought we might have a great jeep ride today to blow all the cobwebs out of our brains...but alas...this is what it is doing right now.

Monotonous Monday

I wish this post wasn't called Monotonous Monday but alas, it is. I just can't get excited today about a new week. For one thing, it is now the final two week countdown to school for the kiddos. Ugh. I like having them home and hanging out for summer. Soon we will start the whole huge year of homework and volleyball games and rushing to get to school, rushing to pick up from school, rushing to volleyball, dinners on the run, rushing home to fall in bed. My only consolation is that at least this year I won't be working and will have more time to keep everything together at home and everyone well fed and happy.

So much has changed for us this school year (Jim's new STRESSFUL job, Maggie's Senior year, Daniel's new school) that I think it will be wonderful to be at home during the day to focus on keeping our home base as stress free as possible. They all need a comfortable place to take a breath and I'm hoping home will be that this year.

Now for some random thoughts:
*I'm wondering if my hair can wait two more weeks until my peeps are back in school for color. Probably that is going to be PUSHING it.
*I want to get rid of my hideous mini blinds that are EVERYWHERE in this house. I want to replace them with matchstick blinds but it seems overwhelming. I guess I just need to jump in, measure and price them.
*If I die of the swine flu, I beg of you (my family and friends)....just call it something else. I can't imagine anything worse than forever being remembered as having died from "the SWINE flu". It's gross. Just say I died of a virus.

I'd best get to the never ending laundry pile and I also forgot to run the dishwasher last night before bed (double darn!) so need to start that up. Baked Spaghetti for dinner tonight (super easy!) and I'm still scanning in slides (more on that in another post). Here's a preview pic though. This is an old slide of me when I was about three years old at Avila Beach in California. I think my arms look freakishly short for my body. My arms aren't too short now. It's weird looking. Maybe it's just the perspective the picture is taken from but it seems strange.

Saturday

Shadow is INSANE this morning. It rained in the night and I think it has affected his brain! He's running through the house like a madman...all 60 lbs of him! He's not happy outside and so is barking endlessly but he's not real happy inside. It's not a pretty sight and the only thing that is keeping him calm right now is a big glob of peanut butter in his Kong. It's a momentary peace.

What a week we've had! Got both kids enrolled in school. Whew! Sweet Baby M has a full load of classes this semester plus volleyball plus college prep. She is going to be a busy girl. We still need to find a couple of pairs of jeans for her but in the school shopping found these coach shoes. Not quite this pattern...she got the ocelot but I'm too lazy to take a picture and I couldn't find the exact on the web. Actually they are nothing like this...they have laces but just squint and imagine.

They look so cute on her. We also found the darlingest dress for Homecoming in November. It is one she looked at for prom back in April but it was just too spendy. Well, lo and behold, it was on sale at Von Maur for about half off. She grabbed it up and we bought it and it is hanging in my closet encased in plastic to await it's debut. Not really the things she needs to start school but with that Von Maur you have to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.
She will probably want to go to Deb's in the mall or Gordman's for jeans...they always seem to have her size (tiny!) and fit her well in both the waist and hiney. She is the hipless wonder. She also needs a few cute t's to perk her up and a new backpack/schoolbag/carrying case. Whatever's cool for Seniors to carry. Ha!

The Big D is all enrolled in school too and we have most of his supplies. We have his new shirts and just need pants. He is going to love his new school and I hope he is very happy there. I think he will be. He doesn't require as much as his sister!

I'm not ready for it to be two weeks 'til school starts. We've had a good summer and I don't want it to end. Once they start school I have to figure out lunches and schedules and what to do with MYself. Ugh!

On a random note...when Shadow wants something or is bored he has a high girly bark but when he's mad he sure sounds like a big boy. Right now he is lying beside me licking the kitchen cabinets...so sanitary! He's a big lug of a mess. Poor little Pup pup and Tiki are still tucked in tight in bed with Jim.

It's a rainy day here today...all my plans of jeep rides and garage sales are probably going right out the window. I did find this little Kate Spade gem at a sale last week.

The gal wanted $8.00 and it was like brand new. I couldn't resist and simply paid full price. Took it to Von Maur to authenticate it and comparable Kate Spade's are going for $175 to $250. Yikes! I've carried it a little and I like it but it is PETITE. I still love this big bad boy the best...my sweet black leather Coach. It's huge and I can stuff everything in it including a notebook and calendar. I just can't fit my camera in it. I need a cute camera bag.


Guess that's all the rambling I can do this morning. I need to jump in the shower and start the day and wake up all these sleepyheads!

The Big D

If I wasn't this child's mother and already in love with him...I would fall in love just looking at this picture. Is this a handsome boy or what? He's so sweet too.
Although Sweet Baby has me in a lather just because of her Senior Year...this boy is still in my evil clutches for at least five years! Bwah ha ha ha! Thankfully he's only going into 8th grade. I'm sure I'll feel differently when he enters High School next year but this year I only have to deal with the trauma of Sweet Baby and her inevitable emancipation.

He is so good and while I'm sure he does a multitude of naughty things that I have no idea about...I just see all his good traits. I love living in denial! He truly is a good kid, though. I absolutely adored him on sight and he attached himself like a monkey to me for two years solid. I wouldn't have changed that for the world. No one gets my humour like Big D. He would DIE if he heard this but he is very much like his Momma!

NEW MUSIC!!

I love, love, love my blog and especially my music feeder. The songs on my music feeder are my FAVES especially now that I have limited "Oklahoma" which was beginning to annoy me. I thought it was a fave but upon repeated listenings OVER AND OVER it is not. It's just mildly amusing.

Sweet Baby M

This shall be the post in which I admit my insane behavior and slightly psychotic bend. I am UNDONE by Sweet Baby M starting her Senior year of high school. I can't take it. I cry every time I think of it and sometimes even when I don't think of it outright, something reminds me of it...and I cry. I am not going to make it through registration, let alone the first day. When did she grow up? Wasn't she just kicked out of Kindermusik last week (for marching too exuberantly, no less)? Didn't I just leave her in Kindergarten yesterday? I thought we attended her Freshman orientation last night? Where did all those years go? I try praying about Sweet Baby's Senior Year and just end up crying...so I have to say "Lord, you just have to handle this without me", I try talking to friends about Sweet Baby's year and can't even get the words out, I don't even want to think about it.

Sweet Baby and I have designated this the "Year of Sweet Baby". That means that starting in September...life must revolve around her desires. So, September we are having a State Fair Fandango..in which I will let myself be drug to the State Fair which I hate and spend hundreds of dollars entertaining my children with fattening fair food and overpriced rides. October will be the Horribly Haunted Halloween party. November we will celebrate Thanksgiving on the beach in Florida and more importantly my darling child will turn 18! December (I almost can't type at this point) will be Sweet Baby's LAST Christmas as a high schooler so we are going all out with an old fashioned theme in which Sweet Baby's dear father will have to face climbing on our steeply pitched roof to hang Christmas lights. On and on it shall go until we reach Spring Break and her Senior Trip which we will celebrate in New York City and then on to her graduation....wherein I shall be melting in a puddle of tears at the Coliseum or whatever venue they decide to have the graduation in. When she was a toddler she promised me she would stay my baby forever and she has broken her promise.

My fave singer, Brad Paisley, has a song "I Thought I Loved You Then" which I have changed to suit my own purposes...which I know BP would not mind because I am such a devoted fan. Everytime I hear this song I think of my Sweet Baby M.

I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
And 3 weeks later in the pale moonlight taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way (this is the part that kills me!Someday my baby will be a Mommy)
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray (I hope I'm dead before that)
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say and I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...

This is so incredibly pathetic...I can just read the words and I'm bawling. It's going to be a heck of a long year.

Our First Case!

Update: Sweet Baby M's boyfriend was NO HELP which really peeved me. He's going to put the word out on text to all his peeps...see what they can flush out. Don't you love the police lingo. I KNEW all those marathon hours of watching Law and Order CSI, SVU and all the other L & O entities would serve me well. Now if I could just figure out how to recreate that music they play on my blog! Dang..I wish my partner was Elliott Stabler (L & O SVU) instead of Tia. He's SO gorgeous. He would have my back if trouble went down, Tia would probably pee her pants. Oh well...I have to settle for my dear little friend Gwendolyn Snoop. Back to the chase.


The Snoop Sisters are in business. We have our first case..The Case of The Vanishing Wallet. This incredible glass artist, Scott Hartley, had his wallet stolen from his OFFICE yesterday. Unfortunately he was on his way to the bank to make a deposit.
This man is one of the neatest people I've ever met. I met him while doing an interview for the magazine I worked for. He is an incredible artist, a sweet person and his WIFE! I am in love with his wife just through Facebook! She is a hoot! They also have a darling family consisting of a handsome son and two sweet girls who have special needs. They DO NOT deserve this.

That said, Tia and I are on the case. I will be interviewing Sweet Baby M's boyfriend as he attended the same school as the suspect SAID that he attended. He was ballsy enough to come in looking for a job! and then went on to steal the wallet out of the front office. We need this kid's name so we can pass it on to the police. They have his fingerprints as he stupidly touched a lot of the glass pieces in the showroom.

Isn't Scott's work absolutely beautiful? You can find him at Infinity Art Glass in Benton, Kansas. He's an amazing artist.

These two dear ladies are the Snoop Sisters. Their names were Ernesta and Gwendolyn. Ernesta is the frumpy one and Gwendolyn the more svelte and stylish one. Aren't they wonderful? Don't you just love the one on the left in the hat? That one would HAVE to be my BFF, Tia and I'm sure I'd be destined to be the frumpy one on the right. We are the modern day equivalent of these two dear souls. Snoop Sisters 2009! Whilst (I adore using whilst any chance I get because I think it's completely underused) we were driving from our fabulous lunch at Taqueria La Paisa yesterday, we came upon a huge police shakedown at the bait shop on 21st street. We decided we need a police scanner so we can keep abreast of what's going on around town. The ultimate Snoop Sister scanner. Then Tia remembered a cute old police car (although I don't think it was THIS cute)

for sale downtown. We decided we need it for our new Snoop Sister jobs if only for the siren and lights. Since we will be busy listening to the scanner...wouldn't it be awesome if we could have HER

as our chauffeur? She was the chauffeur in the original Snoop Sisters show. She might be dead...I'll have to check that out. Doesn't she just look like her name would have been Gert or Hazel or Myrtle? Some old fashioned name that NO ONE names their children anymore? She looks like she doesn't take any flak off anyone.
Then Tia thought it would be best if we had some sort of uniform...perhaps a cape.

This cape was too fabulous not to mention but might hinder our easy entrance and exit from the "scene of the crime" so we thought we would opt for something a bit less dramatic, but yet still classy like this shorter model.


I think we could use this as a ministry opportunity. Kind of unofficial chaplains. Yep...I think this is going to be our one-big-thing.

The Crime Spree Continues

Mom, I tell you...I'm completely innocent. Look me in the eyes. I look completely innocent.

 

Mom, do I look like the kind of pup that would do ANYTHING bad? Mom, I love you, Mom.

 

Hmm...must be some mighty big termites. Either that or Shadow needed a little fiber in his diet.

 

Poetry Sunday

Who couldn't love this:
Sea Fever by John Masefield
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

That poem just makes me think of Pismo Beach and the smell of the ocean. It's my all time favorite poem.

Anything by Edgar Allen Poe is fabulous. He is the master of suspense of all time. His poetry grabs you at the first line. Who can't help but love The Raven and of course, Annabel Lee? Just reading the words on paper your mind can't help but picture poor Annabel in her horrible sepulcher by the sea.

When I was a little girl I had a book called "A Child's Garden of Verse" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It included so many wonderful poems and there is a version now that has illustrations by Tasha Tudor. It doesn't get much better than that. Her illustrations are the best ever. Can you ever look at the moon the same again after reading this....

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.

The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.

But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

Bennett Spring, MO

Truly Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Missouri has to be one of the most charming places ever. Built around a natural fresh water spring, the Niangua River which flows off the spring is icy cold in the hottest of weather and crystal clear. It is also filled with trout. The State Park is mostly unchanged from a very '40's looking lodge and cabin type park. The dining hall includes a huge fireplace and rustic timber ceiling. It is very charming.

This is the picture I love most...my sweet husband fly fishing...major studly!

Good Book Alert!

This is one book by Sarah Mason. She is a British author of major Chick Lit which I usually hate (chick lit, not British) but I really love this author. The books are full of British humour and colloquialisms which make them utterly charming.
I found them at my local public library (where ALL GOOD BOOKS come from!!!) and I'm sure you can find them there too.

Family Reunion

We are here! Lake Pomme de Terre (aka Potato Lake) for the Hans family reunion. Be back Sunday!

Scones!

Complete breakfast yumminess! This morning I made Cream Scones for the kiddos for breakfast and they thoroughly enjoyed them with strawberries and whipped cream. I think they make the perfect summer breakfast.


Cream Scones

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (76 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) whipping cream or milk

Glaze:
Cream

Preheat oven to 375* and grease baking pan. Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter. Mix egg, cream and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Knead until combined. Roll out and cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter. Makes about 10 - 12.
Bake 15 minutes or so.

Slice berries and sprinkle with sugar. Delish!

The Lilies by my Garage

Earth laughs in flowers...Ralph Waldo Emerson

Magazines

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this magazine. I love magazines in general but I've honed my love down to a few faithfuls that I just can't do without. My fave of all times is Country Living UK. I am not all that fond of the American version of Country Living but the British one...oh, it is delightful!
So many of my favorite magazines have ceased production (Hallmark, Mary Engelbreit, Country Home, Cottage Living) but there are still some goodies on the market.

Mary Jane's Farm is a really neat magazine that includes alot of How To's within the pages. The articles are more in depth than you usually find. Interesting stuff like how to keep bees, vintage campers, etc. It's very much focused on organic and is used as a bit of a vehicle for Mary Jane Butters (its founder's) business but still it is a good publication. And how could you not love someone named Mary Jane Butters...I mean, really.


I like Southern Living MOST of the time. It has interesting articles and AWESOME recipes but sometimes the articles are too short and it feels like they settle for a lot of small bites of information. I think the layout of this magazine is a bit crowded and overdone...


that said...the most beautiful magazine I've ever seen is...

this one. Life: Beautiful, is just a quarterly publication but it is absolutely stellar. It's printed on heavy, matte stock and the photography is breathtaking. It has a religious bend so it's obviously a niche publication but since I am religious...I love it and that's all I care about.


I do love my magazines and the hardest thing is getting rid of them. I have stacks that I say.."I'll go through and discard." Who knows if I ever will. I love going back and reading them all over again in their entire form.

Get Your Kleenex Ready

My Montage 7/7/09

Click on the link above and turn on your sound. I love these kids! You do have to close my window after you open the link to hear the sound right.