soccer nut

This is it!
We're gearing up to party tomorrow night.
Whilst I sit here typing away, there are things to do.
So I'll be brief.

The theme is soccer and I say it every year,
always going back on my word...
"I am not going to make the cake this year."
Inevitably, I did.

Cake and I do not get along.
But I absolutely refuse to pay $25+ for a cake.
Mine are passable and oddly enough,
the kids always act like I'm some sort of cake baking prodigy.
I am not - I repeat, I AM NOT a cake decorator,
nor do I long to be or acquire any more skill
than I already have in this field.
Although, I was a little more prepared this year,
picked up some tips off of America's Test Kitchen.
So all in all, it wasn't as difficult and we had only minor issues.
Which were easily fixable.
So no complaints.

My idea came from here.

Yes, hers is GORGEOUS!

But, No.

I don't do fondant.

And while mine is mediocre,

mind you,

it works for us. 

birthday bliss

Saturday night we celebrated the man's 5th birthday and it was a blast.  We carried out the whole pirate theme and had his favorite meal - pancakes, sausage, bacon, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, orange juice, milk, coffee, hot chocolate and some soda.  The weather was perfect, cool yet sunny.  I had given up my desire for warm weather, I found peace and contentment in the fact that there was no rain.  Clouds loomed overhead, but I didn't care. We were all snuggly inside.  I had decided, coffee and hot chocolate put ease to the cold and it did.  Inside, the carport was warm with the many small bodies and affectionate friends that had gathered to celebrate our son.


I only checked the weather once Saturday and left the rest to the Big Man Upstairs.   I trusted He would take care of it and He came through.  I had worried for nothing (isn't that always the case, I worry when He's got it all covered.)   So, I spent the entire day Saturday in praise of the wonderful weather conditions.  And, I didn't fret when I had to leave the man's game early to bring home a pale and weak K, who got sick just as we pulled in the driveway.  (She showered and thankfully, she was fine afterward and for the rest of the day.)  As I gaze outside now, I am thankful for the rain. Thankful that He held it off until our little party had wound down to the last few guests. 

You probably expected to see photos of our party, but ya know, throughout the entire epoch I didn't even think about my camera, not once.  There have been times when I felt regretful, guilty even, that I didn't catch precious moments "on film".  But after it was all said and done, it didn't bother me one bit.  I have learned, sometimes you must live in the moment and immerse yourself in every last second of joy and tenderness, and not feel guilty about it.  And that is exactly what I did.  There are times when I can't stand to stay behind the lens for all of the excitement happening in front of it.  I adored watching the minis delight in each other as they played.  Only for minutes, did they stop to devour their food and return to their fun.  I too, relished the time I spent with family and friends, deep in conversation about life as a mom, life in general and all things in between. 

It always amazes me, how enthralled I feel when we're entertaining.  Surrounded by the people we love, all having a fantastic time, immersed in conversation and good food.  I never want it to end, but eventually, we all get tired, our minis wear out, and it's time to clean up and put everyone to bed.

Thank you, Lord, for a terrific evening spent with loved ones.  It couldn't have been better. 

it's all YOU

Lord, I prayed that you would hold the rain.

I never prayed that it wouldn't be too cold.

What ever will I do?

I've planned outdoor activities.

The forecast says FIFTY-FOUR DEGREES.

It'll be warmer in Illinois even.

I'm currently expecting SEVENTEEN minis.

I am praying for sun and warmth now, Lord.

How will I ever pull this off?

Lord, I'm praying that you'll take this worry and grant me peace,

that you will make this work and ease my insane mind.

Tomorrow will be trying.

I have errands and cleaning.

Prepping and setting up.

I will not check the weather by the hour.

I'll pray all day long without ceasing.

I'll storm the heavens for good weather.

Am I asking too much?

All the while He says, "Be still and know that I am God."

And "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in Him."

So, Lord, I am putting my trust in you.

It's in Your hands and I'm just gonna carry on as planned.

I'm waiting on YOU to see this through.

pirate eye patch in seconds

In preparation of the party this weekend, I had "stuff" to make.  Eye patches being one of them 'cuz you'd be a scallywag of a pirate without one.  So, I had an example to go by, but you know me, I veered off on my own path for simplicity...

My supplies included...

• scissors
• black felt
• elastic "thread"
• cardboard stencil (shaped like a triangle with rounded corners)
• and of course, white thread

I got straight to work using my stencil with the black felt, just cutting around it...

I measured and cut 12 inches of elastic "thread" and tied a knot at each end.

Then, starting on the lower corner of the patch, I sewed a long stitch around to the upper corner...

This is when I laid my elastic thread down and sewed back and forth, back and forth over it a few times to insure it would stay put and continued on to the next corner where I attached the other end of the elastic thread, finally, sewing all the way around.

See how the thread has been secured?  And I've sewed all the way around?

Clean it up by snipping off any long threads and voila!  You have an eye patch or 16!

My apologies, my pirate wasn't present for modeling.

And so it is

The man turns 5 today.  His request for chocolate chocolate chip muffins for breakfast was fulfilled, complete with candles.  The big party will be this weekend.  I'm hoping for awesome weather and fun times.  I'll spill the beans and let you in on our special dinner plans...a complete breakfast for dinner meal - pancakes, sausage, bacon, maybe eggs?, bananas, grapes, oranges, strawberries, OJ.  It's his absolute favorite and he ordered it, so it's what he'll get. 

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he couldn't think of a single thing.  And, because his cowboy boots were too small, they were handed down.  So, I mentioned a new pair of boots and he was all over that like white on rice.  Boot'Vil now calls and he wants to spend some of his cold hard birthday cash on whatever speaks to him at Toys'R'Us because he recently got a birthday card and coupon from them in the mail.  So, that's our plan for tonight.

This man, who is a sweet child of God, incredibly independent and strong willed, determined, extremely loving and an amazingly observant boy, I do love him so. 

~He rocks my world to the nth degree.~

He is a lover of wheels, anything with wheels; his favorite color is blue; he's a hot-natured boy who hates sweat pants, loves zip-off shorts and Spider-Man socks; he tells me often how much he loves me and follows up with the biggest hugs ever and hard, wet kisses; always notices when I've painted my nails and makes sure to compliment them; loves to swing from ropes in trees; never passes up a chance to ride in heavy equipment, on four-wheelers and tractors; makes dirt bike tracks in his sand box; despises nasty looks from his sister and loves to wrestle.  He loves sports.  Tee-ball and soccer are his current sports.  He's a fantastic driver and learned to ride his bike without training wheels this past summer.

He's very precise and somewhat-of-a-perfectionist.  As a baby, he was a biter and impatient.  While he's still young and impatient, he never seems satisfied with what he has, always wanting more.  I hope one day he will be content and every chance I get, I remind him to be thankful for what he has.  He is generous though, donating old toys and things that don't hold his interest without a second thought.  Most of the time, he thinks he knows the best way of doing things, but he is open to suggestions if and when he fails.  It's been exciting to see him grow and change.  I anticipate him developing into a strong, determined, passionate young man full of hopes and dreams, relying on God.  And I pray that his cup runneth over.  I wish to encourage, nurture, inspire and guide him.

~Happy Birthday tiny man!~

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!


*And also, a very Happy Birthday to cousin, C.A.!

Pirate birthday party prep

Our weekend was chock full of mad, crazy running from here to there, there to here and back again, but I'm not gonna elaborate on that.  What I did want to share was our birthday preparations for the man.  The 3-Day is quickly approaching so I'll be away that weekend, and I'm starting to feel like it's crunch time.  In past years, we have done plain and simple ol' "family parties" with mainly just grandparents.  (And with K, it never fails that she always wants to have a sleepover, and that's easy too.)  This year, we're doing an all out kids pirate party!

Invitations are being mailed...

I always have handy some blank postcards that I use with "The Print Shop" software and I love getting free fonts to go along with the occasions.  Lastly, I found a catchy pirate-themed birthday poem.

I brainstormed the pirate bean bag toss idea when I saw this one from Sew Woodsy.   We had a perfectly square piece of plywood laying around that I spray painted white.  Then, I free handed the pirate face from some clip art I found on Google images and we all did a little painting on him.  The bean bags, I sewed using some scraps, then filled them with dried corn from our garden.  Now, I just need to put the finishing touches on him, cut out his mouth, and sew some more bean bags...

You can't have a pirate party without some fishing!  I bought 3/8"x48" wooden dowels at Lowe's, sawed them in half; sewed up some fish using fabric scraps, felt, and magnets (also found at Lowe's).  With the help of painter's tape, I spray painted the rod "handle" black and used a drill to make a hole through the top of the dowel where I inserted the string.  I attached a nut on the other end of the string to "hook" the fish.  And voila! you have fishing poles and fish for little people!

My plans for dinner ~ halved hot dog pirate ships with toothpick pirate flags, an applesauce island, and vicious piranhas swimming on a sea of blue plate are crumbling to the ground as the man wants to have his favorite - pancakes and sausage.

So, instead of sulking and persuading, I'm gonna take some other ideas and run with them.  Sorry, they're a little difficult to explain without visuals, so some other time.  I'll try to keep you posted as we get closer to party day!

the view from here

As I sit here at my desk, which is normally cluttered and messy, with papers strewn here, there, and everywhere, I cannot love the view more.  My mother, God bless her, gets a cake every year for my birthday - my favorite, no one else here will touch it.  Once in a while, the man will take a bite, but it is solely mine and today, that just tickles me pink.

That, and the fact that there are some special events coming up soon and I'm so excited to do some inviting that I can't stand myself.  I'm praying about this.  Praying it'll all come through and that it'll be a blessing.  ~ Keeping my fingers crossed ~

thirty-two

While it lay heavy-laden with dew.

I stood staring,

astonished and unmoving.

Sheer splendor.

Today is my birthday.

So, I decided to come out from behind the camera.

I didn't get all dolled up.

No cute outfit,

no makeup.

I showered.

In preparation of taking the munchkins to school.

I was busy.

Washing clothes, filling the dishwasher.

A mother's chores never end.

So, even though I hate having my picture taken.

I took a few.

In honor of my day.

The night is young...

Presents...

Love the shirt...

Cute bow...

Twister...

Nothin' but fun!

Primping or Prepping?

primp (n.) [primp] (primped, primping, primps)
- to groom yourself, somebody, or something in a fussy way

prep (n.) [prepped, prepping, preps]
- preparation for an activity


 Today was a half day for K.  Threw me off a bit, not so much that I couldn't get back on.  I flitted from room to room straightening up.  It's the day before the big day.  I am used to be somewhat obsessive when it came to events and such.

primp - At one time, I wanted everything completely perfect...clean sheets on all the beds, carpets cleaned, dogs bathed, everything in it's place, every square foot polished and spotless.

I have since moved on from that notion. 

prep - Understanding that children don't notice dirt, they're just too busy (OK, unless the dirt is really bad) and if adults do, they should realize that maybe something happened during the course of the day that prevented everything from getting done.

While stating this, there is a little part of it that still lingers inside, that makes me want to clean like some kind of freakish animal.

Today, I find myself busy, relaxed though.  While in the basement, I stopped and sat down for a minute at the puzzle table, delighted when I put a few pieces in. 

Content that I was assisting our general population, I, then,  grasped the reality that time waits for no one and proceeded with my chores.

I even stopped this morning to watch a dust particle glide by.  These small gifts catch my eye, a bright smile graces my face and I feel as if I'm glowing of joy.

Yesterday, I couldn't have been happier to receive a card from my friend P in MN.  I had been wondering how she was doing.  She wrote...

Dear MK, -
First of all I would like to wish you and your family - including your mom - a very blessed and healthy new year.

I also wanted to thank you again for all your prayers and words of encouragement - they really did help me a lot as I (we) faced the diagnosis and thought and finally the actual surgery.  I am feeling stronger every day.

I also used your words of encouragement to get through this past week when my father passed away after a cancer diagnosis and hospice care.  I know that my dad is with God and is no longer suffering.  So again "thank you" you really helped me through a rough time. 

Love P

I picked up a card yesterday, so I sat down last night to write her.  I reminded her to delight in the small things...a front row parking space, a ray of golden sunshine, the sweet song of a bird outside the window.  These minute God-given gifts are, sometimes, the only thing that get me through days when it feels as if the world is on my case, gleefully bouncing up and down on my shoulders, trying harder and harder to bring me down.  Instead, I give thanks to my God for these tiny miracles.

"...and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God."  Ecclesiastes 3:13

Happy Friday all!



A tribute to K, ten at last

Today was my K's tenth birthday.  We didn't have a big celebration, just gifts and after church, a 3 hour Just Dance 2 marathon. 

 

Nana brought over ice cream cake. Yum!  And we made cupcakes for school tomorrow.

The big party's next weekend - the all-girl-drive-you-nuts-birthday-sleepover with grandparents included!  I tried to get out of it this year, but commercial parties are just so expensive and if you read my last post, you know that won't be happening.

I really am old-fashioned.  For instance, why do you have to give a goody bag to each kid as she leaves? 

1.  Was it not enough that they spent the night at your house?  trashing it all the while. 
2.  Fed them meals?  plus snacks and drinks?
3.  Not to mention cake and ice cream?
4.  And popcorn in fancy containers?  popcorn littering the living room furniture and floor.
5.  Entertained them with nail polish, movies, board games, music?  while the electric bill sky-rocketed from every single light being on "because we need them all on MOM."   Sure you do.

Shouldn't these party-goers just appreciate your gracious hospitality and the fact that you're insane by pick-up time?

When my brother and I were kids, we had parties that lasted a couple of hours or so.  Then everyone went home, happy they'd come over to play and gotten to eat birthday cake and ice cream.  If there was a sleepover, it was two or three girls tops.  We will have a total of 8 girls here next weekend!

Everything is such a production these days.  Don't get me wrong, I love entertaining, but geez, sometimes the cost of all this hoopla is downright outrageous.  So, with my newest sewing skills, K and I've made a few of these as gifts and for ourselves...

One for the man because he would feel left out without one.  One for K because she saw the man's and didn't know that I was going to surprise her with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner.  And we're getting ready to make a couple more for some other special girls. Virginia Cavalier colors, ya know.  Yep, that's how we roll here.  Ha, unless you're a spineless Tech fan!  Sorry, that'd be C.  We had to explain to K the other day, that UVa is a school for medical doctors and lawyers and such.  They don't have a veterinary medicine program, but Tech does.  Ugh, the thought, makes me shudder!

No, the banner's nothing spectacular but, you have to understand, I bought a sewing machine mid-Decemberish and up until that time, I've never used a sewing machine.  Didn't even know how to turn one on!  Well, not now, baby!  I'm becoming a sewing enthusiast.  So, I'm not that great at it yet, but I'm learning.  K and I couldn't be more excited to be taking sewing classes!

It all started here.  I saw this post and thought, I want to make that!  Christmas was nearing and in my husband's family, the kids draw names.  It just so happened that K got the baby of the family.  So, it was our destiny to create one of these softie dolls!  K and I went to Joann Fabrics.  We selected our materials when the lady cutting the fabric asked what we were making.  Typical small talk for the surroundings we were in.  So, I went into this spiel about the doll and I laughed when I said, I really have no idea how to sew, this will be interesting.  It was then, that she said, "You need to go over and talk to April."  April, the store manager of the Viking Sewing Gallery, mesmerized me with the 3-month old Husqvarna-Viking trade-in, she'd just gotten in.  A "starter" machine, for the beginner, that came with three 2-hour classes that you could repeat as often as you wanted.  If that wasn't me, I didn't know what was!  So, in 30 or 45 minutes, she showed me how to use it.  I brought it home, set up a sewing table in the basement and we went to work.  Three dolls later, we had perfected it.  OK, almost.

When we exchanged gifts, K opened the present for her baby cousin, the biggest smile shot across that baby's face and my eyes began to tear.  I can see that moment and that smile as vividly now as if it were just hours ago.  It just so happened that my sister-in-law had been searching for a "homemade" doll and thought the price of somewhere around $40 was a little steep.  There we were soaking up a twinkling instant of pure delight just seeing this child's face light up.  It was beautiful!

And as always, I've gotten off the subject.  Back to the reason we're here today...

I am excited that K is learning to sew.  I'm excited that I'm learning to sew!  I didn't have that opportunity when I was younger, my mom was a divorced mother of two trying to make ends meet.  There was no time for sewing, except for the common button repair.  So, I'm proud to see her make a simple banner.  Proud that she is interested in learning to paint and for her new love of Bob Ross' shows.  Proud that she has a love for reading, that she checks out a library book and within hours is finished.  Proud that she gets excellent grades.  Proud of her playing soccer.  It's exciting to see her bloom into this extraordinary girl, talented, bright and full of promise.  I hope that we can continue to offer her opportunity after opportunity to learn something new, that she may one day become a well-rounded, diverse individual with a love of many things.  I hope to nurture her, to encourage growth and development, and teach her to thrive as a strong Christian in this crazy world.  I hope her cup runneth over with family and friends who love her.  I wish her all of the happiness in the world and may you always see your glass as half full.  To this marvelously beautiful, remarkable, timid ten year old girl that I can miraculously call my own, I LOVE YOU K!  (You're now a decade old!  Sounds old, huh?)

~ Thanks to my friend, D for sharing her collage idea.  It's the perfect icing on the cake. ~



Santa gibes.

"What have you done thus far?"

I put up the decorations,

I'm listen to the music night and day!

Whatta you want from me, old man?

"Have you started on the shopping?"

No!

Leave me alone!

I'll get it done.

"Waitin' 'til the last minute, eh?"

No. No, I'm not.

My weekend is jam packed.

Give me time, old man!

"You better get on it lady,

time's awastin'."

What the heck Santa?!

Cut a sista some slack.

(No, I'm not a grinch.  I do love Christmas.  Not for the presents, of course.  I am most thankful for the fellowship and, yes, you guessed it - the food.  Oh the FOOD!  Anyway, I just can't get it in gear to do the shopping.  To add to the seasonal chaos, K and I have not figured out what we're doing in the way of a 10th birthday party - which is in early January, I might add.  It must be planned before Christmas otherwise, I am a crazy mess and I refuse to do another stinkin' sleepover with eight or more giggly girls up until all hours of the night.  I kid you not, the last one, they were up until almost 2 in the morning and that's when I put the smack down!  "Listen up, chicas!  Either you sleep or I call ya mamas and it won't be pretty, I can promise you that!"  There was a hush over the crowd and I didn't hear another peep until 7am the next morning.  Or maybe it was C that laid down the law.  I was so tired, I don't remember.)