What would we do if you lived next door?

to my daughter Nen (short for Lynnette)...on a snow day...

If you lived next door we'd have all kinds of fun today
First we'd have breakfast in our jammies and plan the day
Then we'd make a huge batch of yeast dough and set it aside to rise
I don't know if we'd make bread or cinnamon rolls or pretzels
or maybe try something new or that we haven't done in ages like
bagels or pita - did you know when you were little you would help me
make the circles of dough for bagels. Wonder why we stopped?
While the dough was rising we'd get out our craft supplies and admire each other's
stuff and talk about things we could make
like cards, and scrapbook pages and story blocks and this and that.
You'd tell me what you had recently read in Martha Stewart Living
and I'd tell you what I had discovered in the blogosphere,
we'd dream about the things we could do if we had all the time in the world
to be crafty.
Naturally we'd move from paper and doo dads to fabric and patterns,
maybe even pull out the machine and experiment with a quilt square or two.
Eventually it would be time to gravitate back to the kitchen and get a pot of soup simmering on the stove so the house could smell divine. We'd get that yeast dough all made up into something special and the baking smells would inspire us to make a fancy dessert for supper.
What fun we could have if you lived next door!

(PS - I didn't forget about you, Kayla - you'll be mine on the next snow day and of course, once you woke up you'd join in all the fun)

all iced in

We are covered in a sheet of ice today. I hear the major roads are fine but no one has been down our street yet. A good day to stay inside and knock some things off the "to-do" list.
Just got back from a short but crazy walk with the dog. It was either that or he was going to "pop" on my carpet. He did not want to go out and neither did I but together we slid down the hill and across the street to "take care of business" as they say. And what's better than to come in out of the cold to a bowl of soup! I've made five kinds so far this month - Split Pea, Corn Chowder, Pasta and Bean, Spaghetti soup and Chili. I'm trying to decide what is next - I love soup! And even better than soup is homemade bread to go with it. Yumm - all good things to do on a day that we are iced inside. (Yes, that is Zeke above, enjoying his bowl of soup!)
I have lots of projects to work on today and really don't know where to start. There are hundreds of wedding photos to get organized, the linen closet which is half-way cleaned out but could really use a coat of paint now that I look closer, Mrs. Beasley still needs to be fixed and we've added JH's stuffed tiger to the "Aunt Mary can fix it" pile. So truthfully I should close this blog and stop writing about nothing and get to work. Maybe next time I will post my "50 things to do before I turn 50" list. That should be motivating enough. Enjoy your snow day!

the empty nest

The last one has gone and the house is quiet-er. Not that she makes much noise when she is here but it just seems so empty when she leaves. I am a lucky mom! My kids all really like each other and they like coming home to us. Blessed would probably be a better word choice but isn't it all the same in the end? I was compiling a little list in my head while walking the dog this morning. It goes like this -

How I know the kids have gone:
1. all the blankets in the den are folded and piled neatly in the corner
2. i can once again see the floors in their room
3. there is milk in the jug
4. it takes 2 days to fill the dishwasher
5. I have to pick up towels off the floor and their beds are made
6. there are no cars in the driveway or the street out front
7. i start planning meals around vegetables instead of meat
8. no one eats bread or lunchmeat
9. i don't need to run to the grocery or target every other day
10. i have control of the remote
11. the dog and I have a lot to talk about

Thank you God for my precious children!

Protect them and guide them and keep them close to you! Amen.

enough said!
besides ...they'll be back before I know it!

Feeling like a Super Hero

There was a a knock on my door late yesterday afternoon. When I answered the door I was pleased to see my young friend and neighbor from across the street with a bag in her hand. She was wondering if "Aunt" Mary could fix a doll that belonged to her friend. Well of course, Aunt Mary would at least take a look at it. Turns out to be a Mrs Beasley doll from long ago in very poor shape. Mrs Beasley is almost torn in half - she's either been very well loved or the dog has had a turn with her. I should really say no but when a little girl tells a friend that she knows Aunt Mary can fix it well then Aunt Mary had better get busy and figure out how to do it! So wish me luck...this super hero is off to save Mrs. Beasley.........

2011 has begun

and I started it with a head cold! A grand mess and all "I want to do is sleep type cold" but I've gone to work and continued on to the best of my ability. So I really can't tell you if 2011 has been anything interesting or not. I did pick a word for the year after reading the idea on several different blogs. Sort of an intentional way of looking at situations and day to day events through a different lens. I am not going to tell you my word yet but I will tell you that the Scripture verse I chose to go with it is this : I am a new creation, the old has gone, the new is here (my liberal paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17) Eventually my word will evolve into ideas and journal prompts and pictures. If you google one little word you will find some blogs and even on line classes referring to the idea of using one word to sum up your goals or what you want for yourself in the new year. So if you chose a word what what it be?
Slowly our family has been drifting back to their lives and responsibilities. Nen is back to school with her hyper busy 2nd and 3rd graders - the husband gets to have a few more weeks to chill...oh I mean work, Mike is off on a retreat in the woods of PA with his Fellowship program (hope he's in a warm cabin) - maybe that will keep his mind off of being separated from his girl for 10 more weeks, the only one left at home is Kayla but only for a few more days and she has finally gotten off her duff and started doing a few things and seeing friends. I don't blame her - break is a good time to catch up on sleep and movies and baking...
JohnDear is back to work and back to coaching Varsity Girls Basketball and back to being gone more than home. I am adding more hours to my work schedule so I guess soon that is what I might say about me too.
So there's our start to 2011. I took the ornaments off the tree today (Step One) and looked at the Christmas cards again - still sitting ready with no envelopes addressed. and JUST DO IT screaming in my head. And started organizing pictures in photo software - always the beginning of inspiration for the next project. will let you know soon what that will be.
Happy New Year friends!