Priorities. . .

I woke up this morning with a list of things to do.  Toilets need scrubbing, floors need mopping, the sheets I washed yesterday need to be put back on beds. . .

As I was finishing the morning dishes I looked at my six year old sitting on the couch watching a show, and I thought, soon she will be big and not care about spending the day with me.  So I wiped my hands and sat down by her.

"Signe, what do you want to do today?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?"  She asked me.

"What would make you happy today?"

She thought a minute.  "Can we do a project?"

"Yes."

"Can we do a sewing project?"  She started to really perk up and then her eyes lit up. "Can we make my Alexander Doll a new dress?"

When I said yes she got all kinds of excited and helped me look through the fabric for the perfect dress material.  Then she drew me a picture on the chalkboard of how she wanted it to look.

So while I cut and sewed, she cut and glued. . . a new princess crown for her doll, to go with her new dress.

Then we ate lunch, with Maggie (the doll) pulled up in a chair next to Signe, in her new outfit of course.

And I still need to clean the bathrooms, but the delay was worth the big squeezy hug and the very pleased "I LOVE it!" that I got from a happy six year old.

Bowling and Humble Pie. . . Err, Pizza

Most couples have a weekly or monthly date night.  We don't.  We catch lunch on the fly when the kids are in school and Rob happens to be working from home.  Usually it's accompanied by an oil change or a trip to Walmart.  I can't remember the last planned, babysitter scheduled date Rob and I went on. . .I think it was last summer, or at least last fall.  I even won a trip to Astoria with a hotel stay and dinner--two months ago.  We are still trying to work that in.

But we did start something fun--Family Date Night.  A few weeks ago Rob decided we are so busy we are forgetting to give our kids a good time.  We don't take a lot of trips and we don't do a lot of spur of the moment "fun" things.  We have zoo passes that we use like twice a year and OSMI passes that see as much action--usually when we have out of town guests.  And of course the girls are signed up in a plethora of activities--dance, tennis, piano etc.  But that really isn't the same as going out for a good time as a family.

Our first adventure in family date nights started promptly after school on Friday two weeks ago.  This worked out great since I volunteer in Signe's kindergarten class and could simply gather them up after school and head out.  We swung by home and picked up Rob and gave the girls two options: The Mall and a new outfit + dinner (which was actually my preference because I needed lotion from Bath and Body Works, and Makeup from Nordstrom) OR Alice in Wonderland 3D movie. . . yeah, I lost.

It was really fun, despite Signe's nerve inspired reservations. All the way up the wait line prior to getting into the theater she kept informing us how she actually didn't really want to see it after all. But in the end she loved the movie.  And since they picked the movie, I picked dinner. . . Thai.  Ohhhh and it was good.

So last Friday we had to keep the tradition alive.  My day went something like this:

1. Get up and edit the paper of a fellow student before class (despite the week it had been sitting in my inbox)
2. Rush to class--which was meeting at the Water Education Center--for a lovely tour of a water treatment plant (Stream Monitoring--darn missing lab)
3. Drive home for lunch and other misc. quick activities.
4. Head to the girls' school to volunteer in Signe's class.
5. Zoom home to pick up Rob and my camera equipment.
6. Go take pictures of a family in our neighborhood.
7. Head to Big Al's (FINALLY) for an early evening of bowling and pizza.
8. Pick up Redbox movies on the way home (one for the girls and one for us).

***I did all this while ignoring the fact that in two days I had two papers due on two books of which I had only read half of one!***

Now comes the humble pie part. . .

Bowling is super fun, but we don't go that often.

Rob gets really competitive. . .

. . .but doesn't really deliver.

I can say that, because I don't either.

We tend to get strikes or nothing. . . go figure.

And, it is true that both girls used bumpers. . .

But there is really no excuse,

for losing to a six year old.

That's right.

Signe won. . .

. . . she beat ALL of us.

It was a proud moment for her.

Especially since she started the evening saying "I know how to bowl, but it just isn't that fun."

She has since changed her tune.

At least we had pizza to console ourselves with.


Have you done anything fun with your family lately?

(Excuse the grainy pictures--it was rather dark in there.)

In Honor of Our Fathers. . .

"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes." 

           

            ~Gloria Naylor

We have reasons to be particularly grateful for our fathers this year.  My dad has made several trips to help us with construction projects and given much advice.  Plus the girls love it when he teases them, just like he teased me and my siblings growing up.  

Bob is always willing to help us out when we have furniture or appliance needs and he is quick to express pride in all our achievements. . .  and when we visit, the girls love for him to take them on bike rides and to the pool.

And of course, Rob is essential to the happiness of our family.  He gives us everything and often says, "Anything for my girls."  I hope he doesn't realized one day that the three of us are definitely getting the better end of the deal.  

At school Hannah wrote a letter about her dad:

The most fun I ever had with my dad was when we went to Lagoon for a daddy daughter date.

I'm just like my dad when I play Punch Out on the wii.

I'm proud of my dad when he learns a new song on the guitar.

If I could give my dad one thing it would be his dream home with a pool.

(I have to note here that the dream home with the pool is really a certain nine year old's dream!)

I like working with my dad when he is building the tree house.

Some of my dad's favorite things are listening to talk shows, laying down and watching TV with us, barbecue pizza, and playing punch out with us.

I love my dad.

Signe also answered questions about her dad:

What does dad say a lot?

He sings: "You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey."

What do you like to do with Dad?

Pretend wrestle

What is Dad's favorite color?

Black and blue

What does Dad like to do?

Listen to Dave Ramsey and play Punch Out with us.

These girls know their dad!  And they know he loves them as much as we love him.

Happy Father's Day

Holiday Traditions

About this time of year, when the rain has started and the temperature has dropped, and the trees have gone from vibrant to barren--dropping the leaves to become soggy and forgotten in the early winter wetness, I start to get holiday fever.  I have a lot of holiday traditions that require planning ahead.  Two must be started in November.

The first, one of my favorite traditions, are my paperwhites.

I plant them every year in November, because they take 4-6 weeks to bloom--just in time to compliment my holiday decor, which will be going up the weekend after Thanksgiving.

You see, I decorate in red, white and silver.  So the delicate white bloom of the paperwhite brings an ethereal quality to my Christmas decor.   Their whiteness a touch of purity and hope amidst holiday glitz and bustle.

I plant them in anything I can find, urns, pitchers, interesting pots. . .and I place them about my home, nestling them in between metal snowflakes and glass reindeer.  It has a really lovely effect. . .so long as you don't get caught off guard by the smell.  

Paperwhites have a very distinct aroma that is strongest immediately following the opening of the bloom.  The first year we planted them I had been doing some decorating and I had nailed up some frames on a wall with a gas line.  Rob was convinced I had hit one.

Not that the smell is bad, really, once you know what it is.  And it does fade, but it is something you should be aware of when planting them on every surface in your home.  Even with their unique odor, I think they are beautiful and well worth it.

The second is our family calendar.

Years ago before I became a member of Rob's extended family, they had a family calender that was printed up each year.  Somehow, shortly after we were married the honor of creating the calendar was passed to me.  I taught myself photoshop making those calendars.  And for years I printed them on my computer and bound them with my own wire binder.  But in recent years I got smart and started sending them to a local printer.  

The calendar is filled with pictures of Rob's extended family with little captions to remind everyone who's who--with that many great grandkids it's hard to keep track.  The pages hold everyone's birthdays and anniversaries, and the back is packed with every way imaginable to contact everyone--perhaps this blog address will makes its debut there this year.  

This week the pictures started rolling in.  So next week the work begins.  The idea is to complete it by December and get it shipped out to arrive in time for Christmas.  And always, always, Rob's grandma would have a message in the front for all her family.  For she was the instigator of this family tradition.  And she loved it.  When she passed away last January every one of the family calendars were proudly displayed at her funeral for all the family to laugh and cry over--remembering the years of joy that she had presided over.  

This year it will be dedicated to her in loving memory of the legacy she has left behind. . .5 children. . .19 grandchildren. . .28 great grand children.  This is one tradition greatly appreciated and worth the effort.

Crazy Dreadful Wonderful Life

It has been an eventful weekend full of the predictable and the unpredictable. Both of which have caused me to better appreciate what I've got.


To start, it was Rob's birthday, and his parents came to visit. Rob's brother also moved in with us temporarily this past week. During our weekend of celebration we rescued a lost blind Yorkie in the dark and rain--after nearly hitting him on the road-- and returned him to his very grateful owner.


My not so little brother turned twenty-nine and my older brother (the one I adored--still do actually-- and was very nearly physically attached to from birth to at least five) fell off a roof and broke his back. He will heal with time and therapy, but it opened my eyes to how fragile our lives are and how little control we sometimes have.


I have come to realize that it's when things go wrong that you suddenly realize how great you had things. Not that I haven't realized this past year how lucky and blessed I have been. As my life has seemed so unaffected by the things that others struggle with, I have often said to Rob, "It worries me when things go so well. It can't last forever."


And nothing has gone wrong. . .at least not for me specifically. So does it count when you learn to appreciate what you've got from others misfortune? I feel a little guilty, like I need to give back to make up for my life going so well.


I am a firm believer of positive thinking. That you can be happy no matter your circumstances if you choose to be. I know people who have proven this theory. But I don't think I can really claim to be one. Because it is easy to choose to be happy when there is much to be happy about. I can only hope that when I need to be, I will be as strong as I like to think I am.