My daughter is awesome.

I love my kids.  Doesn't every mom?

But at 11 years old, I really think my daughter is awesome stuff.  God sent me a wonderful person.

She is quickly growing into a wonderful young lady, even though I wish that would slow down a bit.  She is responsible, bright, caring and helpful.  She has maturity past a lot of young adults twice her age.

I've worked on this, but have no idea really how much of it is any of MY influence.  I think she has great insight into other people and an empathetic heart that wishes to help others.

She has great expectations for life and I know God has a great plan for her.  I am blessed to have her in my life and amazed that God trusts me with her care.

I challenge you parents with tween children to look at them as adults, not fully mature adults, but at those moments when their really true selves shine through and you see the amazing person that will be there in just a few years.  You'll have new respect for your child.  Respect that they deserve now.

Really behind...

So I've spent a good part of the morning catching up on blogs that I haven't read in a while.  Mostly family, but they are witty and smart and I enjoy them.  In fact, I think everyone should follow, although I do realize that I may be a bit biased.

This reminded me of something.  What was it?  Oh yes, "I" actually have a blog.
I am the author of a blog.
Is it interesting?
My mind is fishing around for info.
Hmmmm....
Oh right.  NO it is not interesting, because I never POST anything!

Of course I think of this on the day that I should be packing, not sitting on the computer, as we are about to leave for a week for Spring Break and I will not have internet access.

So I'll do what I always intend to do and that is have a journal for the week and then hopefully I will remember that I am the author of a blog when we return and I'll write something witty.

Wish me luck!

It's hard to blog....

Really, there's a lot going on at my house and I won't get into all of that, but I am finding that it's hard to tell everyone something new and, in my hopes, be witty about it.

I've thought about it.  I have discovered, learned, tweaked, or changed something everyday due to new experience, but was it noteworthy?    To me, maybe.  But really, turning the toilet paper roll over the other way so that when the cat bats at it, it doesn't end up all over the floor, is hardly something everyone wants to read about.

So you may only learn something new, from me anyway, once a week or so.  :)  But I am going to continue in my quest.  I will learn to be better at this, even if it takes a year!

We all KNOW this...... but

It still gets me every year.

I put all the Christmas stuff away and then there it is.  Something I am sure I would never miss, but I did and now I have to dig out boxes to put it away in the right place.

I intellectually know that this happens. I know it from experience, but every year, it's like a new thing.

"Wow.  Really I missed that?  How did that happen?"

Well THAT was not exciting....

One of my favorite seasonal tunes to sing is "The Christmas Song."  I think that's what it is called.  You know. "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose."

They had some at the store today and I thought, hmmmm chestnuts.  I always wondered about that.

So we roasted them in the oven according to directions.  Well we must have gotten old ones or I did it wrong or something, because they were as hard as rocks!  Couldn't even eat them to see if they were good!

Yes we cut the shell and shelled them before trying to eat them.  It just was all wrong.

Really ruined my romantic ideas of "Chestnuts Roasting."  

Anyway, I may try that again next year with fresher ones?  

Maybe

Martha Rocks!

You know, I consider myself kinda crafty.  I love to sew, scrapbook, make "stuff."  I even turned a room into a craft room this fall, so I would have space to go wild in.  I LOVE IT.

However, I am feeling dumb.  I don't know how many people really use those EXPENSIVE magazine holders.  The ones that are really just hefty cardboard, but look nice.  They are around $10 bucks a piece!

I have been wanting some for some crafting magazines for ages.  I have tried to think of anything that could work instead.  Most boxes were too big, too wide, not deep enough, etc.  So I broke down and bought 3 whites one at Wal-mart the other day.  They had them for $5.  I'm thinking that's a great deal although it is just cardboard.

So after I do that and I'm all happy about organizing my magazines, so I can find what I am looking for, I am on the Martha Stewart website and low and behold, THERE IT IS!

Home made magazine holders.

Can you guess what they are?

It is so simple.  You will slap your forehead like I did.

Cereal boxes!

They are perfect!  I covered one with a black and white damask print wrapping paper that coordinates with the decor in my craft room and wa-la!  2 magazine holders!

A little disappointed with myself for not seeing that one.   O'well.  Lesson learned.

:)  Happy New Year!  May we all learn a few things, big or small.

Rayna

Knowing death is imminent is hard, but good, I think.

My Mimi, my 95 year old grandmother, is ill.  Good grief, is it a surprise?  She is 95.  She had never been admitted to a hospital until she was 89 years old. Both her children were born at home with mid-wives.  She's always worked hard and grew most of the food she ate, she was healthy.
Six years ago we found out she had cancer.  But a little radiation and it kind of went dormant.  The doctors said old age would get her first.  They don't know my Mimi!  She's still here and kicking, well and on dialysis and only weighs 83 pounds, but really she's feisty and kicking!
Recently she had a week stint in the hospital and ended up in a nursing home for rehabilitation.  Then at the hospital again on Christmas Eve.  Her cancer has spread.  It's to her lungs and liver.
If you know anything about cancer, that's bad.


So that's the background.  The learning comes from being at an age where you are just really starting to  lose a lot of people around you.  Some of them, not so old (my friend and doctor at age 61), and some pretty much at the end of their life.  My maternal grandmother was 90 when she passed.  She passed on my Mimi's 90th birthday, 5 years ago.  I couldn't be there and was not close enough to the situation (1500 miles separated us) to realize that the end was so near.  It was a surprise and I was saddened to not have been able to really say good-bye.  Although I did make sure that I had told her I loved her dearly, the last time I spoke to her.


Now I know.  I'm glad I know.  I think.  It's hard to know.  I cry a lot.  My kids are confused by that.  "Mom?  She's tough, what in the world is she crying about?"  I explained to my 11 year old daughter that that lump of old lady is MY GRANDMA.  She wasn't just an old, shriveled lady when I was young.  She was vibrant and busy and we did things.  "Like what?" she said.   So I told her. She understands better, but then I cried some more.


I feel like I should be doing something.  Anything.  But what?  You can't fix it. Nor should you really.  It's her time.  She's tired, not really having much fun any more and she's outlived all her siblings, even though she was the eldest, she's outlived most of her friends, one son and of course her parents are waiting for her as well.


It's heart wrenching, but still I'm glad I know.  There's some learning that will be happening!  I will make triple sure she knows how much she's loved and I will take her that cherry pie she wants and I will write down things until my hand crumples up, because I will learn all I can from her about our family before she can't tell me any more.  


In my opinion, a library of knowledge is lost when someone that old dies. Especially a library of information about their family and the things that happened during their lives.


So I've learned that I may be tougher through the bad stuff than I thought, that I love deeply and it hurts, but I'm okay with that.  It's worth it.  I've learned to take my chances when I can.  And I've learned that as upbeat as I usually am, my new blog may be depressing once in a while!