Normal Life....

Barbarians, Chatting Teenage Girls and my husband wonders why he has back pain.

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For a Latin class project my son dressed as a Barbarian today. He also took in Port Derby and Sage Derby cheese for his classmates to sample. Who would have thought Latin class in High School could be so much fun!

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My daughter and her friend really are chatting online to one another in this photo. Her friend is translating her text into French and then my daughter is out loud responding to what her friend has said. Kids these days! How can people think they aren't creative!?

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And lastly, my husband and daughter are playing Wii tennis. And he wonders why he has back problems?

:)

...today is...

Reminiscing souls are always aware of important dates...even if they don't acknowledge them to anyone else.

Dads...

As I walked into my in-laws house for the first time I distinctly recall that familiar smell of a pipe having been smoked.

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Deep, rich, smooth...the potpourri of tobacco residue; soaked into the cloth of the chairs, the fibers of the carpet and the slivers of wood in the panelling.

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Upon occasion my own father would smoke a pipe. I recall it being on special occasions - but I don't remember what would qualify as special. Maybe the cost of pipe tobacco made it a luxury. When we cleaned out my mom's house I found my dad's old pipe stand and Humidor. On last Father's Day I bought some tobacco and my husband and his dad shared the moment above. My FIL hasn't smoked in 22 years. He says if he found out he had a terminal disease he take up the habit again.

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Dads are so important. My dad was my first love. He died when I was 21. I think every young girl can recall her first love and mine being my dad was not unusual. My dad was my hero. He could do anything at anytime. He was a jack of all trades: the handyman, chef, gardener (mowing staff until my brother took over), the money source, bill payer, driver (not chauffeur though - mom mostly did that), emotional supporter, funny man, cheer leader, proud parent, dream encourager, etc.

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My life came to a halt when he died. I felt like I lost so much in one fell swoop. I am a lucky person though. My dad could never be replaced, but a substitute was able to fill his shoes. For the past 23 years I have been able to still have that "dad relationship." My FIL and my dad never met. Had they, surely they would have been good buddies. Similar souls...on earth to be there for me. Even better for me was that my MIL is awesome too! Again, my mom could never be replaced, nor would I have ever wanted that, but my MIL was an additional bonus. How many others get to have two sets of parents to count on? Too few in my opinion.

Pay it Forward

Here's a chance to get a surprise from me, on a surprise date, in the next 365 days. (I'm responding to this prompt from http://twoboysandabeagle.blogspot.com)
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Here are the rules:
1 - Leave a comment on my blog that says you want to play. First three folks to comment will get a gift! (If I don't know it already, let me know how I can contact you.)
2 - Do the same thing on your blog!
3- If you don't have a blog you can still participate, just leave me a comment saying you want to play.
The first three folks who leave a comment will get a surprise from me at a surprise time in the next 365 days!
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This is for real. You should also check out my friend's blog. Be warned though, enter at your own risk; she is a Supermom. She can bake ANYTHING, make ANYTHING, is truly as sweet as honey and has a wonderful, caring, big heart. I don't think she ever sleeps, she has two boys, a beagle, a husband, volunteers out the wazoo, is a flight attendant and a first grade reading teacher. She's kind of like a pied-piper of daughters too. More than one young lady I know has been willing to leave her own mother to go and live with my friend! :) She'll make an awesome MIL some day.
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I'm sure the men in her life don't really realize how lucky they are, but all her friends know how lucky we are to have her as OUR friend.

Sweetness...and Stevie Wonder

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Truly a girlie holiday...don't be fooled by that. It is a holiday that women, who start at a very young age, have this romantic idea of what the day should be like.

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We expect our prince charming to shower us with treats. Treats of either flowers, jewerly, or chocolates. Depending on the female...maybe all three. And we expect our prince to be able to read our mind.

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Totally unfair. But, that is how it is.

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Years ago I realized that my prince needed a little guidance. He is not a romantic soul. Never has been, never will be. But, he is my prince and there are so many other things I love about him. He is my rock. He has been told I expect a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day. It doesn't have to be huge... and I don't have to share with anyone. My children have now been added to that list of individuals who need to be told what I expect. I started a week early on them. My question was, "Have you made a valentine for your sweetheart yet?" My fifteen year old, not interested in anyone was shocked and asked for whom? My reply was direct...ME!

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Referring back to my 'earth muffin' post, I do not want my children to feel like they have to spend money on me. I would rather have them make me a card. They need to spend a moment or two just thinking of me (or whoever else for that matter). It's that act of spending a few moments not thinking of themselves that I am striving for. A teaching moment you might say.

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In the end I did get a homemade card from my son. It has a photo of Sammy Hagar on the front and it says something like, "I might not be him but, Happy Valentine's Day!" My son currently has this awesome hair style that he knows reminds me of my favorite SH. It's hard for me to resist touching his curls! I LOVE this card!

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My husband bought me a wonderful box of chocolates. You can see them in the top photo above...bottom right hand corner. They are heavenly! I will savor them eating one a day for the next seven days. No sharing.

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My daughter made me a poem:

How Much I Love You

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I'm stating the obvious

Like how I love you

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Here are some examples

of my little riddle:

If I'm dancing a jig

Then you are my fiddle

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If I am peanut butter

You are the jelly

If I am a fat person

You are my belly

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If I am an orchard

You are the berries

If I am a sundae

You are the cherries

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Well, a riddle's a riddle

A rhyme is a rhyme

And I really don't know

Just how much time

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It would take me to tell you

Something I do

And this something is showing

How much I love you!

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Happy Valentine's Day Mom!

Love, MK

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In the end I had a perfect Valentine's day. I had my family home, all together for our meal; no extraciriculars this night. I made homemade lasagna with bread, baked garlic, salad, grapes and red wine. We ended our evening watching our favorite tv show together...LOST...while eating the heart shaped Boston Cream pie I made in the afternoon.

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In addition to reminding my family how much they mean to me, I also was reminded by some special friends that they care. In the top photo, beside my box of chocolates you can see the homemade treats that I received. Chocolate heart shaped eclairs, turtles, cookies, and chocolate dipped coconut balls. All treats from incredible ladies! In the second picture I gave my friends these homemade 'sweet text cell phones'. The third picture shows my daughters, more age appropriate treats for her buddies. Mine had gum while my daughters had button candy. See, girls NEVER tire reminding others that they care.

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Stevie Wonder?

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I felt my father smiling down on me yesterday. While I was out buying a few groceries for the evening I noted the music that played at the store. It was one of those few pop songs of the day that my dad commented on back in the early 80's that he liked. Stevie Wonder singing his song, "I just called to say I love you". See, the romantic in me started creeping out. I felt love from above smiling down on me.

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Life is good.

Q. How can you tell when it's cold in Southern Indiana?

A. Heater Hogs appear!

This also signifies another six weeks of winter.

Funny!

I'm sure so many of us can relate to this!

Thanks Speed Bump. :)

Becoming an Earth Muffin

Help! I think I am becoming an Earth Muffin!

Yesterday I finally bought "green", reusable bags for my groceries. I've been eyeing them for the past several months. I've been torn between buying the reusable bags versus having the paper bags to recycle my newspapers in. I decided when I run out of brown bags I'll have to think of another option for my newspapers. Heaven forbid I should drive them, loosely gathered, two blocks away to the closest elementary school. They have a bin there and get a small amount of cash for the paper recycled. Maybe I will be forced to adopt that habit. Another Earth Muffin trait...helping others as I take care of the environment in this world!

I all ready check everything I buy - What number is the bottle it's in? What is it's packaging like? Can it be reused or recycled? Recycling while on vacation!

I should compost, but I toss stuff out to the birds and deer instead. I get that from my grandmother who fed everything to the animals. She was the prehistoric, first Earth Muffin in our family and an original.

I know there is more I could do to become an even better Earth Muffin. I'll keep working on what I can handle. What do you do?

Check out http://www.freerice.com/ daily. You can have fun and help feed the hungry. Spread the word! Hook your kids on this site. They won't even realise they are working on improving their vocabulary while becoming Earth Muffins in training.

:) Lisa

What makes an aunt an Aunt?

Just trying to figure the answer to this one out.

Over the weekend I was in a situation where I am clearly the Aunt yet was not addressed that way. Now, I was fine with it. It's not like I live close by and/or am talked to with any frequency.

It was only when someone who is clearly NOT blood, nor even close to being the Aunt was refered to by the parents as...tell "Aunt--------, hi" in my presence.

Kind of makes one pause and go, hmmm.

I am sure what was meant was because my sibling grew up with the illusion that this person was their aunt that their child should also have that same illusion. It just made my heart a bit sad.