Birthday Musings

Today is my birthday.  My wonderful friends and family wished me an awesome, blessed, fabulous, fun, fantastic day.  Even the Illini gave me a big shocker gift in a win against Indiana.  But the best thing I received this year was a card from my husband.  It says:

Picture this:

You and I, years and years from now, 

cruising along some coastal highway with the top down,

stereo blasting, the wind whipping our hair.

Whatever we want to do, we do it.

No agenda, no schedule, nobody else to worry about.

We travel the country, buying silly T-shirts and sending postcards,

stopping at tiny roadside cafes in search of the world's best blueberry pie.

No hurry. No rush.

Relaxing in the comfort of a lifetime of companionship.

You and I . . .

lovers, friends, partners on this road of life.

I am blest, and I had an awesome, fabulous, fun, fantastic birthday.

cindy

Christmas Is Approaching

Like you don't know?  I'm trying to stay stress free, but it's not so easy. I'm using this time to teach my children about the preparation for Christ's second coming by helping our neighbors who are in need. There have been so many opportunities through angel trees, Toys for Tots, etc, but it can be exhausting. I've given up some of my time, especially with my blog. I can say, though, that it's been rewarding.

Now comes the hard part-convincing the kids that they can do with a little less this year. I've told them that with so much charitable giving, there is less available for them. No problem, Mom, Santa Claus will still come through with the big stuff. (sigh) It's not so easy, but I have a little time to figure it out.

So, for those of you who continue to read my blog, please bear with me. I promise to have some new projects and other interesting things to say soon. In the meantime, enjoy your Christmas preparations even more by buying or making a few extra things for those who might not feel the love through a gift or kindness just for them. Isn't that what Christmas is about anyway?

cindy

A Chain of Thanks

This was a project we first did last year on Thanksgiving and we're going to repeat it this year.  It was very popular and so easy to do!  Here's my directions from last year:

Start with some autumn color construction paper cut into 1 1/2" wide strips:




Provide a strip to everyone gathered at your Thanksgiving table and write why you are thankful:

Collect the strips and create a chain of thanks:

My kids had a great time doing this with grandma and grandpa.  Later we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dessert.  They usually have a lot of people over for Thanksgiving, including many friends.  Even though we didn't know many of them, people were happy to share their thoughts of thanks with us.  It brought a great meaning to Thanksgiving.

After making our chain of thanks, we hung it on our Christmas tree to remember to be thankful during the holidays.  It added a sense of continuity to the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Have a thankful Thanksgiving!

cindy

Men's Gifts - Etsy Finds

Last week I posted some ideas for unique Christmas gifts for women you can find on Etsy.  This week I found some cool items for the man in your life - husbands, fathers, sons, even friends and co-workers. This is just a sample of some of the items, but there are many more in lots of categories.  Without further ado, here we go:

Leather Messenger Bag

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Retro-phone I-Phone Dock

                              Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Cufflinks With Swiss Watch Movement

Customized Kindle Cover

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

cindy

Back in the (School) Day

At the risk of looking really old, I've been thinking back on my high school days in the '80s.  It's September now, and I'm reminded of all those Friday nights when we went to the football games.  I went to a Catholic high school in southern Illinois and we didn't have our own football field, so we used the stadium of the big public school about 5 miles away.  (For those of you still in Belleville, that's my best guess.)  I specifically remember those games as a freshman, because we didn't have cars or rides from anyone but our parents.  God forbid our parents would drop us off at the stadium - NOOOOO.  We would have them drop us off about a mile or two away and then we would walk down West Main Street.  Now that I think about that, we were kind of stupid because that was a long walk and sometimes it was cold.

Back in the day, we wore big hair and clogs.  I was never too much into the big hair thing, but I did have clogs.  You know, backless shoes with wedge heels.  Our heels were never that high, but they were wooden and made a lot of noise when you walked.  I can also remember how much my feet hurt at the end of the day - my heels from walking on a wooden block and my toes from scrunching them to keep the clogs on.  But as my mother would say "Beauty knows no pain."  (Although I definitely don't remember her saying that about those clogs.)

Yeah, we went through some weird clothing trends during my high school years.  I started high school at the very beginning of the 80s and went off to college toward the end.  We started with the "preppy look."  For most of you who were born after my high school years, that consisted of plaid skirts (preferably pleated), long knee socks and loafers.  You could wear a button down blouse with a ribbon tie at the collar, with a muted sweater over the blouse.  You could always wear clogs instead of loafers.  By the end of high school, we were teasing our hair and getting "punked out" with the big shirts/sweaters, bright colors, leg warmers and leggings.  Yep, we wore some crazy stuff.

I remember my freshman year at Homecoming.  We had a parade down West Main Street and every class (freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors) also had their own floats on flatbed.  Everyone used wood forms, chicken wire and tissue paper flowers to make figures for the float.  I made so many of those tissue paper flowers, my fingers were cut up by the floral wire we used to keep them together.  (See, even then I was crafty!)  The freshman float always looked pretty sad.  I remember that year the seniors made a giant Pac Man eating a player from the other team - impressive.  That year at football games, we saw the appearance of a new mascot - the Crusader.  Here was a guy dressed in armor (yep, the real thing), riding a big white horse and carrying a banner.  It was very cool.  We never knew who the Crusader was until the last pep rally of the football season when it was revealed to be one of our school priests.  Oh man, was he awesome!

Yep, the 80s were a very strange decade.  We saw the birth of MTV and music videos, very crude video games (remember Pong?), crazy fashions and awesome music.  I was there and I wouldn't change that for all the world.

Go Althoff Crusaders!

cindy


I'm participating in the SITS Girls "Fall Back into Blogging" this week.  

Chance Encounters

A friend of mine lost her teenage son to leukemia today.  I haven't spoken to this friend - ever.  I've never met her in person.  Yet I've known her for over 9 years and have been there during many of her major life events - bankruptcy, divorce, her son's diagnosis, bone marrow transplant and now his death.  If that seems strange to you, you probably aren't a blogger.

I met my friend online over nine years ago when I was a SAHM.  We both sold children's clothes on Ebay.  There was a big group of us - women in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Washington and Ohio.  During Hurricane Katrina, we were online with one of our friends who was in Slidell with her two kids waiting for her husband before she evacuated and another who fled to Florida during her third trimester and returned to find nothing left of her home in Port Arthur.  There are many other stories, including my own, but you get the idea.  Blogging wasn't quite as popular then as it is now, so most of our conversations took place in a chat room format.  Eventually we created private chat rooms, especially for one particular friend, because she always seemed to draw the trolls.

It's really hard to explain to someone how you can be so involved in the lives of people you have never seen in person.  Sometimes I can hardly understand it myself.  Yet today I find myself in tears, worried about how she will make it financially.  I worry about her loss of faith during her son's illness.  I'm not sure how she can make it without leaning on God.  I'm also worried because her son was her life.  She is disabled and doesn't work outside of her home, so it's going to be a lonely place for her.

I do know that she has plenty of friends around the country, just like me, and we are all praying for her tonight.  Many of us will send her cards and a little money or a gift card to help out.  I just hope and pray she will reach out to at least one of her friends who, like me, have never met her in person.

cindy

Awesome Girls' Night Out

Last night three of my very dearest gal pals enjoyed a fun night at Applebees courtesy of a certificate one of us received to celebrate their "Girls' Night Out".  And celebrate we did!  Two Cosmos, two Bahama Mamas and four peach sangrias later, not to mention a yummy dinner, we were having a rollicking good time!  I was having such a good time I forgot to take pictures!

The highlight of the evening (and there were many) was creating our "princess" aliases. (Even big girls have dreams of princesses.)  So to Princess Starlene DeLauria, Princess Leah Charms and Princess Lorelei Grace, thank you for a lovely evening.  Who needs high tea when Applebees makes killer Cosmos?

cindy (Princess Penelope Calliope)

Chance Encounters

Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of one of my dearest friends.  My friend is one of the kindest people I have ever met, with an infectious smile and a warm hug.  I was intrigued to discover the people who raised this very special person.  I was not disappointed.

Her dad is a character.  No, really, a character, someone bigger than life.  He's a big guy with a huge personality.  The best description I can offer is that he is the ultimate Texan.  He knows everything about oil and Texas history and other interesting topics and he's not afraid to share it.  He's one of those rare people who can be a big personality without being a big ego.  KWIM?

Her mom is a sweet, nurturing woman.  She doesn't say too much, but it's not because she's shy or doesn't have anything to say.  It's because she is a listener, and a good listener at that.  She looks right at you when you talk and is genuinely interested in what you have to say.  She's proud of her daughter, but more importantly, admires her as a person.

As interesting as these people are, that's not why I was so fascinated with them.  What is remarkable is how my friend is the perfect combination of both of her parents.  She's a wonderful listener, compassionate and sensitive.  At the same time, she has a smile as big as Texas and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.  Wherever she goes she fits in and charms everyone in the crowd.

As interesting as it is to see the physical resemblance among children and parents, it's so much more enlightening to see the "inner" resemblance.  It brings a whole new facet to a dear friend and I'm privileged to have experienced that chance encounter.

cindy

Unlimited Shopping Spree!

Well, not exactly.  Today I visited a very busy mall the day after Black Friday with two eight-year-old girls, my daughter and her friend.  Maybe it was a little crazy, but a super opportunity to use a little creativity to enjoy a "girl's day" without spending money at an upscale mall.  Before we went in, I gave the girls $1,000 each to spend any way they wanted.  That is, I gave them each a paper with $1,000 written at the top.  We were going on a pretend shopping spree!

We visited every store they wanted and picked out things each wanted.  We wrote them down and subtracted the amount from their $1,000.  First stop was The Disney Store where they spent the most money.  They love those stuffed animals!

Next stop, Build a Bear Workshop.  Kenzie actually did have some money, so she bought a bear.  Otherwise, the spree continued.

Those stops left us about $800.  But there was still shopping to do!

We found a great kiosk with gorgeous (and expensive) hair accessories.  We had to try them out:

We checked out the Toy and Hobby shop and Paradise Bakery for a few sugar cookies.  Then Mom picked the next store - Brookstone!  That set each of us back about $200 - wow!

 They have some awesome stuff!

Our last stop was to visit the big guy to share our lists:

What a great time!  We each finished with about $600 left over and had a nice restaurant lunch.

On a serious note, this was a tremendous learning experience for the girls to spend "their money" and realize they are a little more frugal than they would be with someone else's money.  It also allowed us to enjoy window shopping without feeling we wanted "something".  It gave us moms a much needed hint on the Christmas lists.  Best of all, it was so much fun - I don't know who had more fun - me or them!  We will definitely do it again!

Happy shopping!

cindy 

Links in a Chain of Thanks

Although it's always special to spend time with friends and family feasting on turkey and joining together, sometimes it's hard to remember why we gather on Thanksgiving.  This year we're going to start a new tradition that will help us remember.

Start with some autumn color construction paper cut into 1 1/2" wide strips:

Provide a strip to everyone gathered at your Thanksgiving table and write why you are thankful:

Collect the strips and create a chain of thanks:

You can use the chain to adorn your Thanksgiving table or save it for next year.  It can also be a good addition to your Christmas tree to tie the holidays together.  This is a great activity for kids.  It's so easy to prepare (think about giving the paper to the kids during the morning when you're trying to cook), and it teaches children to think about the spirit of this American holiday.  You can also use the chain to ring your table and thank God for your blessings just before dinner.

Have a thankful Thanksgiving.

cindy

First Things First

It's not going to happen this year.  I am not going to run like a mad woman doing for the sake of doing.  I will have a meaningful holiday season.  These are my mantras as the Season looms like an approaching storm.  Notice I capitalized "Season" as if it is a threatening entity instead of the joyful and spiritual time anticipating the coming of the Kingdom.

First things first


I will not be making gifts this year.  In previous years I have made many of our Christmas gifts, especially for extended family.  I love being able to do this, as I firmly believe a handmade gift is more meaningful and personal.  However, without more advance planning, creating items at the last minute can result in sloppy gifts that are made at a time when I should be enjoying the holiday season.

First things first


I will carefully plan and purchase gifts using online resources, especially considering so many of our family members live out of state.  The free shipping and discounts I expect to see in the next week should work well with this plan.  (Just writing this has resulted in several great gift ideas.)  If I can get that done soon without mailing or wrapping, I can focus my attention on family and home.

First things first


I will make a concerted effort to get the Christmas decorating completed by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.  In the past I have dragged out all of my Christmas decorations only to gradually put them up over a long period of time.  That has deprived us of the cozy Christmas home we expected because it was cluttered with storage bins and packing paper.  If it's not done by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, we will have a more simple cozy Christmas with fewer decorations.

First things first


I will get the Advent calendar out before Advent begins and fill it with quotes from the Bible preparing for the coming of Christ.  I will set up our nativity and populate it each evening with a new character in an effort to teach my children about the time and place where Jesus was born.  I will involve my family in decorating our Christmas tree together with ornaments that reflect our memories of times and places we have enjoyed together.

First things first


I will not focus too much on the things and tasks I need to do, including the items mentioned in this post.  The most important thing about Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas is to enjoy time with family and friends in joy and charity, so things and tasks are less important.

First things first


cindy

Harvest Fest

While in other places fall is well underway, in the desert it takes a little longer to feel fall.  This year for us fall actually coincided with the Fall Festival at the kids' school.  Some Fall Festivals have been in shorts and hot, but this year was the first day to pull out jackets and maybe long pants.

Whether you're in Arizona or anywhere else, Fall is a great time for a festival, carnival, party, whatever.

You can climb the walls; or

Play some video games in a truck; or

Get your hair sprayed red; or

Tag a few friends, or even

end up in jail.  Where else could you do all that?  Best of all, festivals are great places to spend time with special friends:

cindy

State Fair

A couple of weeks ago when the kids were on Fall Break, Kentster took them to the Arizona State Fair.  Yes, the State Fair here is in October, because you couldn't bear to be out in the heat too long in the summer when other states have their state fairs.  Along with our two kids, Kentster took Kate's kids (Songs Kate Sang).  He wasn't too enthusiastic because the temperature was projected to be in the high 90s.  Again, it is October.

Petting zoos, ferris wheels, big slides and bumper cars

I, unfortunately, had to work.  I love the pictures, though.  It was really a grand day!

cindy

RIP AMC

O.K., I'll admit it.  I'm a soap opera junkie.  I come by it honestly.  I can remember being 4 years old watching Vicki on "One Life to Live" changing personalities like some people change their mind.  My grandmother and brother were to blame for that addiction.  In 1970, I can remember "All My Children" and "Young and the Restless" starting.  My sister was addicted to both initially, but by the time I was in my early teens, I was hooked.  I remember Phil and Tara, Greg & Jenny and Jesse & Angie (the first time when they were in high school).  I remember Nina and Palmer Cortland and his big Doberman Pinschers that he let loose on Nina's mother Daisy. 

Best of all, I remember Tad.  Tad the gorgeous cad.  He was a force of nature.  You didn't know whether to love him because he was so adorable or hate him because he was such a jerk.  Mostly he was outrageous - like when he slept with his girlfriend's mother!  And Erica - what can I say?  No tough issues were taboo - abortion, rape, homosexuality, minority couples, interracial dating, miscarriage, HIV/AIDs, adoption and suicide.

For those who don't watch soap operas (or specifically AMC), Friday was just another day.  For those of you who have been watching soap operas over the years (especially AMC), last Friday was a day of mourning.  All My Children is no more.  All those wonderful characters we loved to watch for over 40 years - gone.  It feels like I've lost a whole town of dear friends. 

Daytime soap operas are a breed on the verge of extinction - "Search for Tomorrow," "Ryan's Hope," "As the World Turns," "Santa Barbara," "Guiding Light" and now "All My Children."  By the beginning of next year, my Grandma's favorite "story," "One Life to Live" will be history too.  I know many people ridicule soap operas as bad story lines or bad actors, but those same people are more than happy to watch "Desperate Housewives" or "Glee".  Daytime soap operas are so much better - a new show everyday, no reruns and no 13 episode seasons.

For me, those shows represent memories.  My grandmother and I had nothing in common, but when she came to visit, I could always watch One Life to Live with her.  My sister and I laid out in the sun over the summer with a tiny black and white TV watching Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital.  When I was in college, you could go into any dorm lounge or the student union and watch All My Children with a group of complete strangers who laughed, cried and heckled the show with you.  I made some great friends in law school over chicken salad sandwiches and All My Children in the small lounge next to the cafe.  Even my husband watched AMC for a while in the Kent Bogart days.

If AMC reappears online, I will be there.  Heck, I may even be able to watch it at work.  If not, it was great to live in Pine Valley, even if it was only for an hour a day.

cindy

Siblings

My kids are so lucky to be close.  Close in age, close in size, close in time spent together.  They share many of the same interests, like hanging out in bed watching TV:

They really enjoy spending time together, except when they're fighting.  Sometimes it's hard to tell which one is happening at any given moment.  Although they are 23 months apart (he's older), they look like twins because he's a bit small and she's a bit big.  They love to go on vacations:

and enjoy the holidays together

Although they do argue and yell at each other, they love to wrestle, play, make videos and just hang out together.  They especially love to laugh:

As they get older, I really hope they continue to enjoy each other's company.  I know that's going to be tested as they get into the adolescent and teenage years.  Goodness knows, that happened to me and my younger sister as we hit those ages.  (A big "shout out" to my little sister who may be one of the few people to read my blog regularly!)  Kentster and I remind our kids that when we're gone they have to be family for each other.  I hope when that time comes (a LONG time from now), they can see each other as friends.  Who knows?  Maybe they'll even continue to enjoy watching YouTube videos on separate laptops simultaneously!

cindy