Our Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a family who lived in a white house upon a hill. This family was very happy. They played and worked and went to school and played some more. This family was very happy. They painted their barn and traveled to California and put in a brick sidewalk and traveled to Key West. This family was very happy. They went to baseball games and honor programs and orthodontist appointments. They played their instruments and listened to music and played their instruments some more. This family was very happy. They attended weddings for loved ones and went on a cruise to Mexico and one of them even traveled to Costa Rica. This family was very happy. They worked hard and spent time with family. One of them was even chosen to attend a special conference in Washington DC. They lost one dog and gained two new ones. They even welcomed a new addition to their extended family! This family was very happy. They knew that each one of them and those that they loved were what really mattered the most in the world. They knew that everything else was just extra, "icing on the cake". This family was very happy because of friends and family like you!

Christmas complaints

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love Christmas! So what's with the title, you ask? Although I really enjoy the holiday season, there are a few things that get under my skin.

First of all, what is with the holiday decorations, music, and even those people standing out in front of the mall with their little bells--all before Thanksgiving? Can't we enjoy Thanksgiving instead of just skipping right into Christmas? I think we should actually take the time to focus on the things that we are thankful for instead of rushing into the hustle and bustle of gift-giving and receiving.

Second of all, there is the pressure I feel to buy everyone and their brother a gift. How meaningful can this be? Shouldn't a gift be from the heart? Shouldn't I be out and see something and say, "Ah-ha, wouldn't so-in-so love to have this? It would mean so much to them...it would match perfectly with their set of..., this looks just like her..., I know he mentioned wanting one of these..."ect.etc. It takes the fun and sincerity out of it when you are staring at your list and you are down to that difficult in-law or aunt with nothing by their name. I haven't a clue how to remedy this. (or maybe I do, but just haven't the nerve to do it yet) Oh, and gift certificates are the worst. That is just like swapping money. No thoughtfulness involved in that one.

Third of all, there are those damn retailers. They just keep on offering more and more cute things, that I just have to have, every year. OK, so maybe this one is my fault.

Now, since I am trying very hard to be a more positive/thankful person, I will list some of my favorite things about the holidays:
Christmas cards--Yes I love sending and receiving them!
Christmas parties and family get-togethers
Christmas goodies--Cakes, cookies, and candy
Gift giving--I love to see someone's face light up when they open something they really like
A nice fire in the fireplace
Decorating Christmas trees
Christmas music--by Christmas day my kids are begging me to make it stop
Hearing my children read the Christmas story aloud
Christmas lights
Christmas movies--especially Miracle on 34th Street
No school!
Traveling to the mountains

I hope you are geared up for the Holiday Season! Remember Jesus!

Is it just me?

Is is just me, or has anyone else ever deleted an entire post on accident? Hmmm....that is exaclty what happened to me yesterday. I actually had written about a specific topic. Funerals. Then with one click of the mouse, gone! Oh well, life must go on. Maybe I'll try the funeral topic another time. Moving on...
I guess I have books on my mind today. I will share with you a few of my favorite titles. I would love to hear from you some books that have gotten your attention and/or really changed the way you think or feel about life. So, if you have time send them on over. Thanks

Some of my favorites:
A Thousand Days in Venice DeBlasi
Tales From the Bed Estess
Mister God, This is Anna Fynn
Honeymoon With My Brother Wisner
Truth & Beauty Patchett
The Glass Castle Walls
The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo Huntley
Leaving the Saints Beck
Dearest Mother, Dearest Friend Marshall

These are the ones that come to mind at this moment. Enjoy!

Poetry

OK, so I've never been much of a poetry fan. That being said, Screaming Mommy (http://screamingmommytoy.blogspot.com/) has posted a poem and B.A. (http://www.blogger.com/profile/13318216 ) commented on it and yada, yada, yada...
So anyway, there is one poem that I came across last year that I really like. I originally heard it quoted in a movie. I was so touched by it that afterwards I had to rush to my computer and look it up. It is a poem by EE Cummings.


i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)
i want no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
ee cummings

What better description of love can there be than to "carry their heart" in your own?

Boys and Messes

Boys and messes...I know, I know there are probably thousands of entries on numerous blogs about boys and their messes. But what I want to know is why they do it. Do they just think someone else will clean it up? Do they just not care if they live in filth? What could the answer be?
As the mother of 2 boys, 12 and 13, I find that messes come pretty often. Take, for example, this afternoon. I decided to run some errands leaving the boys, as well as two of their friends (I realize that this may have been my first mistake), at home alone. After being gone for awhile I called home to check on them. They said they were making smoothies. Hmm.... I asked what they were making them with, to which they answered "stuff." This immediately made me suspicious. "Stuff" can be anything. I cheerfully said, "Well, just make sure you clean up after yourselves." When I returned home 20 minutes later, my kitchen was not as I had left it earlier. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but nonetheless I unleashed the fury. The sugar canister was on the counter, along with a lot of stray sugar crystals. The base of the blender was on the counter with some unidentified substance covering it. Dirty glasses and straws accompanied this mess. A big, sticky mess on the floor...which I found out was whatever they had blended and then spilt. They "tried" to wipe this up using every dishtowel in my drawer. Did I mention this mess was dripping off of the dishwasher and cabinets? And this was "cleaned up" to them. Hmmm...
I don't know. Maybe boys just don't think!
Of course they lived and I still love them... At least they tried to clean it up! And I would lots rather them be in my kitchen making a mess than out getting into trouble.

Where to begin...

Well, this is something new for me. I guess my simple life has gotten so simple that I find myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. The only thing that I really know about blogs is that I like to read them. So bear with me if these first few days are a mess.