Last night, before we put JBelle to bed, DB was asking her what she’ll remember about being eight. She was tired and little punchy so she kept rattling off holidays and such but as I laid there listening to her, I knew exactly what I would remember about her being eight years old:
her first week at a sleep away camp
shopping with her for her first articles of a significant piece of underclothing & the physical changes in her that I’ve witnessed all year long
she still believed in Santa Claus
her first choral concerts
the way her passion for books & reading really took off
her love for her school teacher & how much she missed the teacher when she had to go on maternity leave
the year she became a vegetarian & how she’s remained committed to that choice
she still played with dolls (absolutely adores her American Girl Doll, Kit)
how her independence & responsibilities grew but she still needed hugs and reassurance and “the soft place to land” of her home environment to steady her
I don’t know what nine will bring. I know she’ll continue to grow and change and it will be just as exciting and fun to witness and participate in as eight was. Each year is a big year in it’s own way and nine will be no different. It’s her last year of elementary school. Last of year in the single digit age numbers. But there will be many first as well like her first time she’ll get to go to church camp.
So, my dearest JBelle, while I’ll miss many of the aspects of eight, I look forward to seeing what nine will bring. I look forward to seeing you grow and mature and learn many exciting new things. May your wonder and curiosity never be satisfied. I’ve watched as you’ve learned to keep those friends who treat you well closest to you and I hope you always show such discernment for the company you keep. I know many of the things about this world don’t make a whole lot of sense. Why people say the things they say and act the way they do. Your innocence is so precious right now and while I’d like to shield you from much of the ugliness, I know you’ll encounter it eventually. So when you do, I hope you always remember that I’m here to answer your questions and hold you whenever you need it.
And finally, I hope you’ll remember that if I’m not here to listen to you, answer your questions and hold you, God will be.
I often find myself rather intimidated by the thought of posting here after I’ve gone so long without writing. Even though I know I owe nobody nothing in this space, I still feel a bit guilty when I spend time harboring my thoughts in my head instead of expounding upon them for all the world to see. Twisted, I know.
I’m currently in a place where I have a lot to say but no desire to say it. Of course, saying that, I’ll probably end of overloading this blog with posts. Sort of like opening flood gates. But I am feeling the need to converse. I thrive on interaction. Which is probably why I hang out more on Facebook and Twitter. Conversations, brief as they may be, happen on a more regular basis. But that has been part of the problem, too. Brevity. There’s too much to explore within the limits of 140 characters or less.
The last few years have been quite exciting for me. Blogging brought some really wonderful people into my life and I have relished in and enjoyed those relationships. But lately, I’ve been missing some old friends. People I’ve not seen in years. Friends whose presence in my life I took entirely for granted and didn’t really know how much they meant to me until we were separated by time or distance or both. I long to sit with them and talk and reminisce though I wonder if time and distance will have marred the relationship. I certainly hope not.
There’s also an uncertainty floating around here, so intense and heavy that it’s become part of the decor. Wondering what each day will bring, hoping for the best, fearing the worst. And it’s everywhere. Not just in our home but all around this city, in our churches, schools and communities.
School is ending and summer is beginning. As usual, the summer looms in front of me, vast and unfilled and hot. I wonder how we’ll get through it. A couple of months from now, I’ll wonder where it went. Endings and beginnings.
When I was kid and Mother’s Day would come around, I remember wanting to get my Mom something. And I remember asking my Mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day and her birthday (which is like a week later) and she would say the quintessential Mom thing, “I don’t want you to get me anything. Just being with you is gift enough.” I always thought she was just letting me off the hook since she knew that I only had $0.18, a rock and some lint in my wallet.
But now I’m the mom and I’ve fielded this question from my own kids and my answer is the same. Not because I know they only have $0.18, a rock and some lint in their wallets but because there’s nothing they could give me that’s better that the gift of themselves.
However…if someone else wanted to give me some fabulous gift, say a well-known website for moms like, oh, I don’t know…5 Minutes for Mom (you know how much I <3 them right?) then I would be more than willing to accept a token of their appreciation, or rather their sponsor’s appreciation!
Well hello, May? (Checks calendar.) Ah, yes it’s May. You’re feeling an awful lot like November. I don’t usually think chili for a May evening’s dinner but today’s dreariness and cooler temps have me in the mood for some warm comfort food which, in my book, equals chili. So, I’ve got this recipe simmering on the stove and all the trimmin’s for it at the ready.
And tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! I totally forgot until I checked out Rachel’s Moutherwatering Monday post – homemade guacamole…droolz. I’m going to have to make another trip to the grocery store so that we can have yummy Mexican goodness for dinner tomorrow.
Thanks to One2One Network, I got to attend the Nashville performance of the Yanni Voices tour last Wednesday night! I was very excited about this concert because Nashville’s own Leslie Mills (who, you’ll remember, came to my house last month and performed for a group of bloggers) is one of the Voices on this tour. All four Voices are wonderfully talented and the show boasted an amazing group of musicians. From the “Voices” and the musicians to Yanni himself, the amount of talent in that room was mind boggling!
I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I’m not very familiar with Yanni or his music but if you had asked me to describe it before Wednesday night I would have said, “kinda like elevator music?” But now? No way. I now have a whole new appreciation for his music. It rocked and it moved me.
The show was high energy, sensual and compelling. I was never bored because each set just got better and better.
Yanni’s “Voices” all have been inspired to put lyrics to his music. My favorite, and yes I’m a bit biased but, was Leslie’s song, “Before the Night Ends”.
If you are in one of their tour cities, you should consider attending the concert, you won’t be disappointed!
I’ve been a little absent from Mouthwatering Mondays. Sorry. My cooking has been hit and miss lately and I’ve been relying on several old standbys. It’s challenging to cook for my family right now. JBelle is being a rather picky vegetarian and GMan is just being plain old picky. I like trying new things but there’s not much that has been acceptable to their palates. Today’s recipe is no exception which is why I made it just for myself!
The fabulous Rachel inspired me with her grilled cheese post today. In fact, I have put the ingredients for her sandwich on my grocery list because that is one good looking grilled cheese sandwich! Grilled cheese is my all time favorite kind of sandwich. Most of the time, around here, it’s just regular grilled cheese. But every now and then, I have ingredients on hand for something a little more special. I love using sourdough or rye or pumpernickel or a really hearty/nutty bread. I like using a variety of cheeses, my favorites being Munster, pepperjack and Havarti.
Today, I had at my disposal, sharp cheddar & monterey jack cheese. I also had some pimentos. So I whipped up a small batch of pimento cheese, spread it on my regular, 100% whole wheat sandwich bread and had a grilled pimento cheese sandwich for lunch! Delicious!
There’s really no hard and fast recipe for the pimento cheese. I just grated enough cheddar & monterey jack for one sandwich, added some mayo and pimentos to taste. I wanted my sandwich to have a bit of a kick to it so I added a few dashes of Texas Pete hot sauce and some fresh cracked pepper.
Just enough to make one sandwich
Pimento cheesy goodness!
My mouth was certainly watering as I waited for it to cool down enough to inhale it in about 4 bites!
I published an article from a guest author this week on Wedded Bliss that I just keep thinking about. The author, Wendy Strgar, is the founder of a company called Good Clean Love. Her company makes intimacy enhancing products that are also “green” or eco-friendly. I found out about her company from the blog, The Fun Times Guide to Living Green, which is written by Nashville resident, Jeffrey Davis. When I read about Wendy and her company, I became an instant fan! And then when I contacted her and she sent me some articles she’s written, well, I was practically smitten!
But back to the article. Wendy writes about what she calls, “the five percent rule”.
Someone told me a long time ago that if you can change any area of your life by a consistent five percent, the effects will be remarkable. … This 5% rule applies to our personal ecosystems as well. The smallest of changes in how we communicate in, show up for, and think about our relationship can and does alter its course.
So often we think that we have to make big changes in our lives to see a difference. But really, it’s the little changes that can make a large impact. Getting up a few minutes early each day, taking a little extra time to set aside items for recycling rather than putting them in the trash, cutting out one unhealthy item from your diet each day, drinking one more glass of water, planting an extra kiss on your husband before he walks out the door for work, sticking one little note into your child’s lunchbox, smiling at your neighbor. It takes just a little bit more time but each of those makes a difference either in your life, your family’s life or the world around you.
GMan was recently whining one morning about something, I wasn’t even sure what it was he was whining about so I said, “What are you whining about?” He stopped, sighed and said, “Nothing.”
Ah! So he admits it!
Then he immediately followed that up with, “That’s not whining, that just me trying to wake up!”
Well, I did it. I went 40 39 days without eating sugary foods like brownies, cookies, cake, pie, candy, donuts, cokes, sweet tea, lattes, milkshakes, etc, etc. No, it was not easy. No, I really didn’t feel better while I was “fasting”. I did lose a few pounds, that was nice. Yes, I craved it every. single. day. Yes, it did get a bit easier after awhile but it was never easy and never very far from my consciousness.
This week I’ve been enjoying many of the things I had abstained from. I had brownies for breakfast on Sunday morning, oh yes I did! I’ve had real coca-cola, a Rolover (chocolate & caramel latte) and a cookie from Fido, Samoas (Girl Scout cookies), sweet tea and “taxes” from the kids’ Easter baskets.
I was told by born & raised Catholics that my choice of Lent abstinence was rather ambitious. I agree. But I gained some insights from it.
It’s encouraging to know that I can do it. I don’t have to eat sweet things, I can say no.
The profound never occurs the way we think it will.
Next year will be different! For one, I’ll pick a singular something to abstain from, not an entire category! I think I’ll also try some of the traditional observance like abstaining from meat.
Thanks for following me through this exercise of faith. I hope in some small way, it was helpful for you, too.
So, my dearest JBelle, while I’ll miss many of the aspects of eight, I look forward to seeing what nine will bring. I look forward to seeing you grow and mature and learn many exciting new things. May your wonder and curiosity never be satisfied. I’ve watched as you’ve learned to keep those friends who treat you well closest to you and I hope you always show such discernment for the company you keep. I know many of the things about this world don’t make a whole lot of sense. Why people say the things they say and act the way they do. Your innocence is so precious right now and while I’d like to shield you from much of the ugliness, I know you’ll encounter it eventually. So when you do, I hope you always remember that I’m here to answer your questions and hold you whenever you need it.
I often find myself rather intimidated by the thought of posting here after I’ve gone so long without writing. Even though I know I owe nobody nothing in this space, I still feel a bit guilty when I spend time harboring my thoughts in my head instead of expounding upon them for all the world to see. Twisted, I know.
When I was kid and Mother’s Day would come around, I remember wanting to get my Mom something. And I remember asking my Mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day and her birthday (which is like a week later) and she would say the quintessential Mom thing, “I don’t want you to get me anything. Just being with you is gift enough.” I always thought she was just letting me off the hook since she knew that I only had $0.18, a rock and some lint in my wallet.
Thanks to 
I published 
But back to the article. Wendy writes about what she calls, “the five percent rule”.
GMan was recently whining one morning about something, I wasn’t even sure what it was he was whining about so I said, “What are you whining about?” He stopped, sighed and said, “Nothing.”
