Some Days ...

Some days I can handle this parenting thing. Other days I'm a mess.

Some days I love having older children that I can talk to and reason with; engage in political, historical, economical, etc. conversation ... Other days I miss holding the little squigglers on my lap.

Some days I know how to respond to my daughter when she rejects me. Other days I want my curly sue to throw her arms around my neck again.

Some days I delight in the man my son is becoming. Other days I miss the smiling happy toddler he once was.

Some days I can handle being a mother. Other days I want to turn in my resignation.

Goalie Girl and Her Brother

Here's my girl ... playing between the pipes! This was a couple of weeks ago. But she's going to get another chance or two at a tournament in March.



Here's my boy ... loving every minute of it!

Mixed Up Memories

Grammy and Grampy (aka my parents) arrived this afternoon via the train. It was a much anticipated moment. We had to drive into DC to pick them up and that was fun ... really ... I mean it. It was. We drove past the National Christmas Tree and everything. It's from Vermont this year, so that glimpse was special too.



We arrived home to the comforting aroma of chili bubbling in the crockpot. All I needed to do was make cornbread and start rice for dinner. Which I did. It's my dad's birthday today. He's never been much for celebrating his birthday, but he gets a shy silly grin when we remember him and it's always been my job in the family to remember. I like that job. It's my princess joy.

We sat, ate, talked and laughed our way through dinner. And as we did, dinner yesterday came up. I'd made a childhood standard ... oven-fried chicken. I'd had it so often growing up, I really barely considered it above macaroni and cheese on the priority scale of entrees. But it seemed like the thing to make for dinner last night. So I did. Harumph. Ross declared it a meal fit for a king and has been whining ever since about my holding out on him for 20 years.

What. Ever. I relayed this story to my mother and she got a quizzical look on her face and said, "Did I make that before you left home?" Uh. yeah! About that time my father piped up with, "Hey, this chili is good, but I've never had it served over rice before."

This stopped me cold.

My father taught me to make chili. He taught me to use diced up stew beef or venison, depending on what is available at the time. He taught me to use a little maple syrup and other secret ingredients.

And he always. But always. Served it over rice!!

So we all fell out laughing at our mixed up memories ...

Catching Up

It's been far, far too long since I've posted anything here. Life's been far, far too busy and somehow chaotic. Not that I've actually gotten anything done, mind you. I just have a dizzy head.

Our Thanksgiving gatherings were joyous and fun. We had a grand time together and I'm finding those to be more and more filled with joy each time we have them. Here are a couple of pictures:

... And We'll All Have Excema!

The painting and cleaning continue apace.

Six days til Thanksgiving. Four days until the first arrivals begin. First my sister-in-law and her family (three daughters, one husband) next Tuesday. Then my brother-in-law and his family (daughter, son, wife and aging dog) and my mother and father-in-law on Wednesday (with RV). All will be staying in or around our house.

Sixteen people. In or around our house.

Yep.

For the last week or so I've been all itchy. At first, it seemed like poison ivy. But I don't go outside much and all the poison ivy around here is dead. And the first eruption was on my back. So ... it's not poison ivy. Then (the hypochondriac me) I thought it was my liver shutting down. Because of course everyone has liver failure in the normal course of their life. It took a day or so for me to remind myself that liver failure also includes violent vomiting and, um, yellow skin. It's not liver failure.

After much discussion with Jennifer, we've concluded it's stress-related excema. Wonderful. Not that I'm under any stress or anything.

This morning Ross was discussing the plan for the house (the remaining painting and cleaning) and how we're going to get it done without so much stress (read me ... yelling stomping and crying, or conversely sitting on the sofa losing all will to live) and with more happiness. John replied, "Well if we don't do that then we'll all have excema!"

Yeah.

And did I mention that the day after Thanksgiving every single known to me in-law is coming for a party. All 35 of them.

Deargodinheaven, what have I done?

How Many Women ... ?

I have received this e-mail forward from two separate women in the past four days. The two women I received it from do not know each other and are from completely different parts of my life. It's very funny because it relates to the fact that I have been on a rant lately in my house that no. one. can. throw. trash. away!!!! Some of you may remember my kitchen rant about the papertowel tubes that remained on the counter for several days. Yeah ... that. So, in honor of my friends ...

Q: How many women does it take to change a light bulb?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Woman's Answer: One! ONLY ONE!!!!


And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the darn light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP IN THE ENTIRE DAGGONE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL!!


I'm sorry. What was the question?

Player of the Week!

Whoooooooo Hoooo ... that would be my girl this week! I'm so dang proud of her I could just spit!!

Here's Coach's write up:

#94

This was not an easy choice because there were so many stand-out performances this week! But a goal was given to Lillie two weeks ago and this weekend it was apparent that Lillie had set her mind to accomplish it. Throughout the week, a new level of performance rose from #94 and it became apparent in Saturday afternoon’s game.

Lillie performed well as a first line wing, with a new command in puck handling and protection. Her growing capability gives our team a new line combination option and Lillie was asked to center our “Checking” line on Sunday. To say she was successful is an understatement: Lillie’s line shut-out the opponent; doing the job they were tasked with. Lillie Andrews is in her “breakout” season. Look for great things to happen!

She is doing so well ...

Hah! And now we know what she can do, we'll have to see if some of this doggedness, persistence and determination can transfer to her ... schoolwork!