Good Friends and the Good Life

So, it is official. I do NOT have cancer! Its all over after a follow up mammogram in December! Found out last Thursday, and then on Friday as I was leaving school, my best gal pal here called to say that she thought we all needed a night out to celebrate. Well, her husband had access to a Hall of Fame Suite at The Ball Park At Arlington for the Rangers game that night. Holy Moly! Maybe you guys get out more than me and live a little larger, but I have never been to any event in a place like that. We had reserved numbered parking next to the stadium. When we got to the suite we couldn't believe it! It was beautiful! The food was unbelievable and beautifully presented, and the view and amenities incredible!!! A concierge at your service to bring you anything that you wanted that wasn't already beautifully prepared for you before your arrival. Then, there is my FAVORITE part....your own, quite lovely, private bathroom en suite. We had to show our tickets to 4 different people at 4 different elevators and check points just to be let on the level where the suites were. I guess I sound rather unsophisticated what with all of my wonderment with the luxury of it all, but I was amazed. And spoiled rotten - if this is how the other half lives I need more friends with ties to that half. Will a Rangers game ever be so fun again? Sure it will, but I will really miss that private bathroom and the air conditioning!

So, here is the only picture that looks remotely printable from Easter. Why is it that it is always so cold Easter morning that you can't wear the adorable dress you bought? Under that white cardigan is an adorable retro dress reminiscent of Donna Reed, but with cuter shoes.

I was going to try some clever segue with the Donna Reed description to my next thought. It isn't working. So let me just move on...

Check out that picture. Do you see a sign on my head? Does it say, "yes, I'm a right wing conservative and you should certainly talk to me about all of your prejudices and narrow views of family values!" I'll give you that we, on the outside, appear to be the quintessential traditional American family. Yes, my children go to Catholic school. Yes, I am lucky enough to be able to choose to be a stay at home mom. Yes, I am lucky enough to still be married to and in love with the first man I married. And, yes, I cook dinner most nights (certainly less than I used to though!) and think I have a pretty good handle on my kids. We even make it to Mass about 95% of the time. ( I seriously hope my dad the deacon isn't reading this!)

HOWEVER, I choose to live this way. This does not mean that I think everyone or anyone at all should choose to live like me. I am not a SAHM because I think it is what God wants me to do or because I think my children will be better people because of it. I do it because I am fulfilled by it and think I am pretty darn good at it. The fact that I believe in my Catholic faith does not mean that I think Catholicism or Christianity are the only right answers. Most of the time, I'm not sure that there are right answers. So, please, if you see me on the tennis courts or at he soccer field do not assume because of how I live my life on the surface that I am going to agree with your holier-than-thou, fox-news-watching, sometimes hate filled opinions on how right you are and how wrong anyone different than you is. In fact, you will likely find me shockingly open minded and then you will give me dirty looks and it will be uncomfortable for both of us. So, please, just ask me about the weather next time.

Broccoli and Rain

I was making dinner tonight, and as I pulled the baby broccoli from the fridge I heard a little voice. It was Grant of course. Observing the forthcoming broccoli he said, "mommy, I can no eat broccoli today----it's a rainy day!"

A stance he maintained solidly through dinner until he realized that if you can't eat broccoli on a rainy day, then you certainly cannot eat ice cream on a rainy day either.

I guess you can't blame a boy for trying.

The Brilliance of Disney Songwriters

Paige used a quote from Mary Poppins in her last blog entry. I watch Mary Poppins almost daily. Someone in my house has an addiction and incessantly dances around like chimney sweep. If I knew how to put something on You Tube, I would put a clip of the dancing there so that you could laugh too. Anyway, since she quoted Admiral Boom, I feel the need to share the quote that keeps me from going nuts seeing and hearing Ms. Poppins every day. Girls, raise your glass to the Disney songwriter who penned this line in Sister Suffragettes...

" Although we adore men individually, we agree that as a group, they're rather stoo-pid"

My First Meme

Yay! My first tag for a meme. I am very late in getting around to it though. Sorry El-e-e!
Here goes...


Three Things That Scare Me
1. roaches
2. flying
3. failure

Three People Who Make Me Laugh
1. My husband
2. Susan
3. My kids (can I count them as one?)

Three Things I Love ( it would be to cheesy and gushy to say my husband, right?)
1. truly great food - doesn't matter if it is down-home or haute cuisine, I appreciate greatness in all of its forms
2. uncluttered counter space and a shiny kitchen sink
3. my bedroom furniture

Three Things I Hate
1. closed-minded people
2. incompetency
3. raw onions and tomatoes (yeah, that makes 4 things, whats it to ya?)

Three Things I Don't Understand
1. people who cannot throw things away
2. why Bill Maher was taken off the air for what he said and why Rosie gets to stay
3. the religious and ethnic hatred that creates situations like those in Darfur and many places in the Middle East.

Three Things On My Desk
1. my coffee (decaf Starbucks with vanilla)
2. my camera waiting for me to download pictures
3. the plate that, until I just now finished it, held the slice of carrot cake I called breakfast

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now
1. enjoying my Sunday morning coffee
2. lamenting that I had cake for breakfast
3. writing this post, duh

Three Things I Want to Do Before I Die
1. have a house I LOVE complete with furnishings and a tasteful interior design that reflects me
2. help people less fortunate than myself
3. become more comfortable with the idea of dying

Three Things I Can Do
1. make beautiful desserts
2. clean a kitchen at warp speed
3. I'm not telling you! use your imagination!

Three Things I Can't Do
1. keep my house clean all the time
2. kill a roach
3. buy the clothes and shoes I would like to

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To
1. Miles Davis
2. your intuition
3. people with opinions different than yours

Three Things You Should Never Listen To
1. People who make you feel badly about yourself
2. People who talk out of their ass,know nothing about what they are talking about, and are never willing to say "I don't know"
3. Whiny, miserable people who want to drag you down with them

Three Things I'd Like To Learn
1. how to better fold a fitted sheet
2. a foreign language
3. how to play golf

Three Favorite Foods (really? only 3? don't know if I can do this one!)
1. perfectly sauteed fish
2. a fabulous creme brulee
3. there is NO way to pick only three! My mind is swirling to the point of dizziness thinking of all my favorite foods!

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid
1. Captain Kangaroo
2. Mister Rogers
3. The Smurfs

Three Things I Regret
1. Caring too much about what other people thought of me in high school
2. the rest of my regrets are probably all tied up in parenting or in how I handled myself amongst the crazy in Japan or they are too personal to share on the world wide web.

There, I did my first meme. I cheated a little though, is that okay?
Anyone else want to play along?

My House is Mine Again!

I think I am a pretty gracious hostess. I love to cook, nurture, entertain. The catch to that would be that I am somewhat of an introvert. One must be mindful here, that, by introvert I do not mean that I am shy or withdrawn or keep to myself. Apparently introvert and extrovert are more accurately defined by how you "recharge your batteries." You know, when you have had a crappy day and all you want to do is....well, extroverts want to get a group of girlfriends and head out dancing or to a party; introverts want to curl up in the quiet with some trashy tv or a good book. I am the latter. With a week of house guests and non-stop activity there were no batteries getting recharged. Now, though, I spent yesterday doing absolutely NOTHING. Seriously, nothing. Something I should have considered doing the day after surgery. More on that mental illness of mine some other time.

My nieces (and their parents of course) arrived Thursday night. We had dinner and then the kids got some time to play before we all tried to get to bed at a decent hour. The next morning we were all up bright and (too) early to caravan to Austin to see Nana (great grandmother). It was a thrill for her to have all of her great grandchildren in one place. She has never even met my youngest niece. Driving 3 hours each way with 6 kids in tow, though, took its toll on all the parents. So after a very late dinner we all crashed. Next day found me up early watching the SNOW fall. Um, hello...snow in Fort Worth in APRIL???? What the hiz-ell? while watching the snow fall I boiled 36 eggs and then headed out in the snow to finish my last-minute Easter dinner shopping. Then I rushed home to cook as much as possible before the girls arrived to dye eggs and head to the stockyards for dinner and the rodeo. The rodeo was a blast! I can't believe I'm saying that, but it was. Except for the last two riders in the bull riding...that was not fun. Not fun for them, and not fun for me to watch. WHY why why would anyone do that??? Scary dangerous business I tell ya. Easter was great. The only bad part was the beyond bizarre homily. other than that, it was a relaxing, fun day filled with egg hunts, yummy food, tennis, poker, and lots of candy and wine.

Monday was busy getting the kin folk to the the airport and the house as ready as possible for my parents since it was my last chance before surgery on Tuesday. Oh, and Monday means The Bachelor, An Officer and a Gentleman. What a crack up! All you military gals would laugh your heads off. I would love to be the commentator or host for this show. I have some great ideas for challenges for the bachelorettes! More on that every Tuesday from now on.

So, I survived surgery and anesthesia was not so bad. In fact, the best nap I've ever had. Felt better than I expected the day after. Should have taken it a little easier though, I think. Surgeon told Rich she thought it looked good and nothing to worry about, but will give us pathology on Wednesday when she checks my incision.

Nice visit with my parents. We ended up doing a lot of shopping because my mom got a call for an interview in DC (but no time to go home first) so she needed a full interview ensemble. Ann Taylor saved the day. And, my Dad turned the big 6-0 while here, and the kids had fun giving him a hard time about that. Oh, and my mom did all, yes ALL, of my laundry! thanks mom!

Time for life here to return to normal. Pictures coming soon.

Procrastinating

That's what I'm doing. I should be running around like a crazy cleaning machine preparing for my sister in law and family to arrive tomorrow. I just can't seem to get motivated to do so. I am so going to hate myself in the morning. Too many chores and errands and not enough time. Same at all of your places too? I bet so.

Surgery is re-scheduled for next Tuesday. So, SIL and girls here for Easter (Thurs thru Monday) Connor gets his spacers for braces on Monday. I have my surgery on Tuesday. Rich leaves Wednesday afternoon as my parents arrive to stay until Saturday. And, Saturday is my Dad's 60th birthday.

The Atlanta clan wants a real Texas experience so we have box seats at the Championship rodeo on Saturday night. Somewhere amongst all the fun I need a little time to get Easter Dinner prepared. Rich got called in to fly, so I'm trying to be two people at once for a few days. He will be back for Easter and probably for the rodeo so I'm happy to take what I can get.

Oh, and did I mention that I am in the middle of kicking the caffeine habit? Holy Crap! I won't lie, it is kicking my arse. Maybe I should have tried to start this after all my house guests have come and gone. Too far to turn back now though.

If any of you know how to create some extra hours between 7 and 4 tomorrow please let me know. I could really use some extra time to get it all done. You know, all the stuff I should have been doing today instead of falling prey to my vanity with waxings, hair cuts and pedicures. Vanity or necessity? I'm going with absolute necessity. If you had seen my hair you would agree.

Okay, I'm getting back to work now. Sorry for the disjointed thoughts. Too tired to be succinct and orderly. But, we're all caught up now.

If you need me Ill be in the kitchen. Happy Easter to all! Hope the Easter Bunny hops over to visit you and yours.