Sunday, June 3, 2012
Another one in the books
So cool this year to have so many different families donate their *stuff* for the cause. We literally had to keep setting out and pricing right up until the last few hours. And, as usual, as soon as you set something out or move it around, it sells! Love that. Our many, many heartfelt thanks to friends and family for all of your help. This is absolutely a community effort, and one of our favorite times of year. We topped $3000 this year for the first time!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Right in the middle
The end-of-the-school-year special one-on-one restaurant dates kicked off tonight: Jesse took me and chose The Olive Garden (recently opened in Richmond). He was the best dinner date. It kind of dawned on him about 20 minutes into our time together that he really did have my full attention and no one to interrupt him, and he grabbed hold of the conversation and ran with it. I asked him a few questions when we got there about his favorite part of the year so far, and what he was looking forward to this summer. When there was a lull when we were starting to eat, he got this totally serious look on his face and said, "So, mom, what would you say is the best year of your life?"
Love that boy.
Just a very small sampling of the topics we touched on: Italy, salad dressing varieties, Eric and my life before kids, grapes and wine making, cousin Evan the-absolute-cutest-smartest-1-year-old-in-the-world-today, Christianity, siblings and their quirks, that fettuccine does not necessarily mean alfredo, the proper relationship of the napkin to the meal....and on and on.
He kills me.
He's right in the middle of the pack - a position which has taught him patience, perspective, and more patience.
He's right in the middle of boyhood - halfway between new baby and that age they call "adult". He promised tonight that he'll always be my boy.
Best line: The waitress asked if we were ready to order and he so politely explained exactly what he wanted to her, so politely answered her questions, and so politely asked if the salad had tomatoes and if she could please leave them off.
Me (when she left): You did such a nice job ordering and speaking clearly and kindly to the waitress, Jess. Good job!
Jesse: I know. The whole time in my head I was like "Wow, I really sound like an adult right now."
Love that boy.
Just a very small sampling of the topics we touched on: Italy, salad dressing varieties, Eric and my life before kids, grapes and wine making, cousin Evan the-absolute-cutest-smartest-1-year-old-in-the-world-today, Christianity, siblings and their quirks, that fettuccine does not necessarily mean alfredo, the proper relationship of the napkin to the meal....and on and on.
He kills me.
He's right in the middle of the pack - a position which has taught him patience, perspective, and more patience.
He's right in the middle of boyhood - halfway between new baby and that age they call "adult". He promised tonight that he'll always be my boy.
Best line: The waitress asked if we were ready to order and he so politely explained exactly what he wanted to her, so politely answered her questions, and so politely asked if the salad had tomatoes and if she could please leave them off.
Me (when she left): You did such a nice job ordering and speaking clearly and kindly to the waitress, Jess. Good job!
Jesse: I know. The whole time in my head I was like "Wow, I really sound like an adult right now."
Monday, April 16, 2012
Things You Find in Kentucky
Shapes in the clouds...
Beautiful nieces...
Interesting choices...
Personality...
Old railways on perfect spring days.
Beautiful nieces...
Interesting choices...
Personality...
Old railways on perfect spring days.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
7 Things I Don't Buy
(in the spirit of Money Saving Mom)
This seemed like an interesting thing to think about - what don't I buy that helps our budget and what are others not buying that might help me? My list, however, may reveal more of my contrarian side than I want. =)
No particular order...
1) New towels. All I can say is, put good towels on your wedding registry. And look around at auctions and you will end up with boxes of near-perfect towels from an estate sale for $1. However, if perfect looking matching towels are important to you, skip this one.
2) Mixes. Whatever the threshold is after which it makes more $ sense to make from scratch than it does to buy the mix has been passed. No brownie, muffin, pancake, pizza, bread, etc. mixes here. (occasional cake mixes for a recipe!) Lots of flour, though.
3) Organic ________. I have lots of friends that do, and I am absolutely all for choices. Paying a lot more for organic blueberries in January that were shipped across the country (world? who knows where?) doesn't float my boat.
4) Cable.
5) Manicures/Pedicures. My breed - farmer's daughter/pianist/mom - doesn't tolerate soft pretty hands well. And I'll deal with my own feet, thankyouverymuch.
6) New vehicles. We did, once, and were cured of that illness forever.
7) Youth Sports Team Photo packages. If we had banked the money saved every time we say "no thank you" to Package #32 or Deluxe Individual playing cards or photo buttons (would I wear all 5?), we could be on a beach in Hawaii right now.
What are YOU not buying??
This seemed like an interesting thing to think about - what don't I buy that helps our budget and what are others not buying that might help me? My list, however, may reveal more of my contrarian side than I want. =)
No particular order...
1) New towels. All I can say is, put good towels on your wedding registry. And look around at auctions and you will end up with boxes of near-perfect towels from an estate sale for $1. However, if perfect looking matching towels are important to you, skip this one.
2) Mixes. Whatever the threshold is after which it makes more $ sense to make from scratch than it does to buy the mix has been passed. No brownie, muffin, pancake, pizza, bread, etc. mixes here. (occasional cake mixes for a recipe!) Lots of flour, though.
3) Organic ________. I have lots of friends that do, and I am absolutely all for choices. Paying a lot more for organic blueberries in January that were shipped across the country (world? who knows where?) doesn't float my boat.
4) Cable.
5) Manicures/Pedicures. My breed - farmer's daughter/pianist/mom - doesn't tolerate soft pretty hands well. And I'll deal with my own feet, thankyouverymuch.
6) New vehicles. We did, once, and were cured of that illness forever.
7) Youth Sports Team Photo packages. If we had banked the money saved every time we say "no thank you" to Package #32 or Deluxe Individual playing cards or photo buttons (would I wear all 5?), we could be on a beach in Hawaii right now.
What are YOU not buying??
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
There is no "safe" place...God is my place
God is our refuge and strength;
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam; and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam; and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
"L"...is for the way you look at me
Did you know February is the month of lluuuuuv? No, not because of that holiday - which is just perfectly A-OK because we justify making heart-shaped cookies and heart-paper-chains and other things that cheer up this gray month - but because E and I first met in person on Feb. 18. I know, I know...call us sentimentalists...I don't care. It works out well for me because E hates store-created holidays like Valentines Day and Sweetest Day and Mothers Day and...you get the point. But by the time the hype hits it's peak on the 14th, and he sees heart-shaped cookies arrive in the kitchen, it triggers a memory switch in the engineer brain somewhere and he relishes completely ignoring that holiday and remembering our "18th" in some nice way.
Anyway. One of the kids was looking up quotations for an assignment today and I completely rabbit-trailed and found some great ones on husbands. I hate the trend of "jokingly" putting down men/husbands and how they are all made to look like buffoons on television. How, exactly, does being critical encourage them? Yeah, not so much. Let's treat them like we appreciate being treated - with respect always, with praise for all they do, and forgiveness that comes easy.
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
"No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity, but I know my husband and I know he can be trusted."
-- Elsa Einstein
Anyway. One of the kids was looking up quotations for an assignment today and I completely rabbit-trailed and found some great ones on husbands. I hate the trend of "jokingly" putting down men/husbands and how they are all made to look like buffoons on television. How, exactly, does being critical encourage them? Yeah, not so much. Let's treat them like we appreciate being treated - with respect always, with praise for all they do, and forgiveness that comes easy.
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
"No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity, but I know my husband and I know he can be trusted."
-- Elsa Einstein
"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person"
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