The Girl and The Orange

Once upon a time, there was a little girl...

and an orange.

The girl picked up the orange.

She played with the orange.

The girl, loved her orange.

Then, the girl became interested in her toes.

She tired of the orange and threw it down to the earth.

Poor orange.

Ode to the Alphabet Blog

Alphabet Blog, Alphabet Blog

When life was draining, you weren't a time hog.

Patiently waiting for each new letter

You never pressured me for each post to get better

You accepted my ramblings, you accepted my coos

you even were ever accepting of the strange, odd truth

Where I would have let Blogspot wane to the side

you filled my thoughts with the next letter in line

Oh Alphabet Blog, I'm sorry it's done

Perhaps we'll meet again, You were so much fun.

Z is for Ziploc

Did you know that Ziploc is in the dictionary?

Okay, I know, I'm busted. I was looking at Z words in the dictionary. I had this last letter left and I needed a boost to complete my alphabet blog. Sue me.

Still, Ziploc is in the dictionary as a trademarked product. Weird, wild stuff. I guess it makes sense. I would expect "Kleenex" to be in the dictionary. It is. The word ziplock is also in there as a real word for a sealing plastic bag.

When I went to Russia to visit and help resident missionaries, we brought ziplock (varying brands of plastic sealing bags) for the American missionaries. They aren't in the stores over there. I was told they will go as far as washing them and reusing them several times. I must admit, I don't blame them. I probably use them everyday. And, if I ever run out of them, you can be sure they are at the top of my shopping list as a must-have.

Thank you Mr. Ziploc (or whoever invented the first self-sealing plastic bag)! I love you magnificent twentieth-century, indispensable invention.

Y is for mommY

I don't care at all if you think that this manipulation of the alphabet blogging is lame. Today my 19-month-old daughter said, "Mommy." She has been saying Ma and Mama and sometimes even Mom, but today is the first day she said... Mommy.

There is something so yummy and delightful about hearing a little baby call you Mommy.

I love the letter "Y!"

X is for Xanthous

Xanthous. Xanthous. Cool word.

This could be considered a cop-out on the letter "X" except that yellow is my favorite color! It is light and cheery and beyond earth. It glows down on us from the sun far away. Yellow is vast and comforting.

Yellow is sunshine and joy. Scrambled eggs and butter. Macaroni & cheese and lemonade.

Also, as the xanthous sun has shown down on me over this summer, my hair has become more and more xanthous.

;-)

W is for Wii

The Wii has become a staple in our family.

The kids' grandmother stood in line, outside a Best Buy store, in the winter cold, at the break of dawn to acquire it for them one Christmas. (If she only knew how much we'd come to love it and rely on it.) The games started simply with Paper Mario and Wii Sports. The former for the kids, the latter, perfect for the whole family.

My husband and I used to bowl with the kids once in awhile. That was always fun. We later found ourselves sneaking in some rounds of bowling while the kids were at school.

Wii began to acquire many games over time as my husband and I scooped up used copies from Blockbuster for cheap.

When I was pregnant, I admit, I let the Wii system become the boys' babysitter. I had all-day sickness for three months and I was much more concerned about my survival than their eyes, brains, or future.

Once the baby came, I again allowed it to become their babysitter. "Shame on me!" I say with no conviction.

Anyway, the Wii has remained a vital part of our family. It even came on vacation with us to our little cabin, though I am glad to say the kids did not ask us to hook it up until 4 days into the vacation. Way to go boys! Then we all bowled and the kids went on to play the latest Super Mario game, which we hid in our suitcase to surprise them with.

Sometimes we're strict with time limits and days off, especially during school. But, honestly, this summer was kind of a free-for-all.

I have to say my favorite part of the Wii is hearing my 9-yr-old playing Lego Rock Band, belting out the likes of "We Will Rock You" or "Picture to Burn" from the loft upstairs. That is pure joy!

V is for Vinegar

Vinegar is sour. It smells bad. Who on earth would like vinegar? I do.


First I loved vinegar as a crucial ingredient to my mom's cucumber salad recipe. It's so simple. Cucumber, onions, celery salt, Miracle Whip, vinegar, sugar (dill if desired). Yum! Without the vinegar it would be a flop.


At my 100+ year-old house, we did not have a dishwasher. We renovated the kitchen 3 years ago and added one. I thought this was my saviour. Not. The dishes came out with white splotches and streaks and film every single time, no matter what rinse agent or detergent I tried.


Then, one day, my friend Ann told me about putting vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher. I really thought this sounded ridiculous, so I didn't try it for several months. Still, after those months, the dishes has the same problems. I was disillusioned and so very disappointed.

Then I remembered the vinegar idea. It felt like my last hope. I dumped around (eye-balled it) 1/4 cup of vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher, waited for the cycle to run it's course and...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." The angels sang. My dishes looked beautiful. Not spots. No streaks. No white hue. Clean, through and through.

Hip, hip, hooray for vinegar, no dishwasher should go without.

U is for Ultrasound

Who knows why I am writing about this, since I have no experience with it. Well, not "no" experience. I did have one ultrasound a long time ago. That's it. One in my entire life. I don't really remember much except that I hated the huge drink I had to have ahead of time, subsequently having to pee forever, while I waited for the technician to come and she never did, until she finally did and pee was welling up behind my eyes, and I waited longer than I can possibly make this sentence run on! -deep breathe-

I have been pregnant 6 times, and I've only had one ultrasound, which was 6 years before I ever became pregnant in the first place. I has a fluid-filled cyst that grew to the size of a grapefruit and was removed via laparoscopy.

All of my pregnancies have been handled by a midwife who allowed me to forgo all unnecessary ultrasounds. And since all of my last four pregnancies have been healthy, there was no need. (My two first pregnancies ended before an ultrasound was even thought of.)

I hear many, many mothers talk about the wonder of the ultrasound; the excitement, the sex-foretelling, the solidifying of reality. Oddly, or not, I have never felt like I missed out on anything. Not seeing a somewhat nondescript grainy image on a monochromatic screen might be amazing to some, but my babies and I were just fine without it.

T is for Tea

(That is phonetic fun! Say it out loud: "T is for Tea!" Haha.)

I used to be a tea fanatic. Other than water, tea was my drink of choice. Add a smidgen of honey and I was a happy girl.

Somewhere along the way, sometime after baby number three took over every last minute of my day it was replaced with coffee. Coffee has a way of giving you a swift kick in the rear, while tea calmly boosts or sooths the soul. I didn't have time for tea anymore, I think. (To be honest, I don't even remember the switch, those days are a bit blurry in the recall files.)It's been coffee for many years now, with the occasional tea when I needed a change or a leisurely, cozy drink.

I've been having mild stomach issues lately. Maybe indigestion, nerves or a self-diagnosed stomach ulcer; perhaps h.pylori associated. And, just about everything I read on the ever reliable Internet suggests that caffeine can irritate things. DRAT! Or so I thought.

I was a bit headachey these last two days without my caffeine, but my stomachs been better. And now I find myself longing for my once forgotten cup of tea, with a splash of honey.

Instead of taking coffee to work tomorrow, I will take tea. Green Chai. That's been a favorite for a long time.

Perhaps it is time to introduce my baby girl to tea with Mommy. My boys have all had tea parties and special "tea moments" with me. Sometimes we have all gathered around the table and talked over tea. Other times I've had special one-on-one "tea talks" with my boys.

Tea has been an important part of our family life, which all originated with my Mom sharing her love of tea with me. It's time to regard tea once again.

S is for...

Saxophone. My oldest son is entering middle school this year. Music is required for the students (YES!), so he needed to decide where his interests lie. He tried cello and viola and trumpet, sax and clarinet and decided unequivocally that the saxophone was his instrument. He really is very much like his Dad, so I was not surprised, considering that was his instrument of choice as well.

In fact, our son will be playing that very same sax. It was in our basement for around twenty "ahem" years, so it smelled like mildew and mold and ick. The music shop is pretty much taking it apart and scouring it with Comet, so the instrument in this picture is our "Sub" sax, as my son has affectionately named him.

S is for Shaylee. My baby!!!!!! Wanna see how gorgeous this baby is?

S is for Sherri. I miss you sis! Eight-plus years without her. It still hasn't sunk in.

S is for Simple. Come on people! Let's not complicate things. Keep it simple. I'm a simple girl.

S is for Sunflower. I've seen some tall and beautiful ones in my days. This one was in my back yard several years back. It was supposed to be 4-6 feet tall. Hmmph. Sassy sunflower.

S is for Spaghetti, which is on the stove, so I better go.

S is the first letter in my last name and a simply, sumptuous sounding letter... sssssssssssssss... S.

R is for Road Trip

I love road trips. Especially when it's me and my honey.

We've driven from Oregon to Wisconsin, from Wisconsin to Oregon; Milwaukee to St. Paul, St. Paul to Milwaukee; Milwaukee to Atlanta, Louisville, Springfield, and Denver; Las Vegas to L.A. and Las Vegas to Bend, OR and back.

I got to drive from Vermont back to Wisconsin, alone. With the kids, we drove round-trip to North Carolina, and with my sister, brother-in-law, mom and step-dad, my hubby and I drove to see my sister in Prince Albert Saskatchewan and back (That was some adventure!).

Road trips are awesome! My husband is the main driver and I am the navigator and educator. I love watching the map and pointing in various directions, informing others about what is near. I consult my travel books to add trivia facts about all the surrounding features that are nearby, yet unseen. And of what is seen, I investigate until I am certain of what it is, then share said trivia facts.

Of course we stop plenty of places to explore, but it's just as fun to return to the car and hit the open road. It's one of the beauties of living in America. This vast, beautiful land is at our fingertips, so long as we have a car and some gas money.

Q is for Quiver

Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them... Psalm 127:5 AKJV

My quiver is full, I think. We have four children. I really can't imagine my life without them. When I try, I can only see self-indulgence and boredom. What would I do with myself? I've never been good at keeping myself challenged. I like to take the easy route too many times. That's not to say I don't often get inspired to excel, I do; just not enough.

*However, my kids keep me on my toes. My character is challenged. My resilience is tested. My patience is a well exercised muscle.

Soon, I expect to be more and more cognitively challenged as my children progress in school. I already referred to references to "remember" things I once knew to help my 5th grader with homework. Now he will be in middle school. I'm looking forward to remembering algebra and American History, etc.

When I was little, I knew I wanted to grow up and be a mom. I also knew I wanted 3 children, close in age, which happened to be just the type of family I grew up in; until I was a teen, my little sister arrived. Lo and behold, we had 3 boys right in a row, then we added a fourth child after a several year gap.

My quiver is full. My quiver is fun. My children all have goofiness, like me, which I treasure. They are all creative and smart in very different ways. Being a mom is like digging through a never-ending treasure chest. Each day has new, beautiful things to discover. (Lest it all smell like roses, see above. *)

Life is good.

P is for Posey

P is for Posey

A posey is a small, hand-held bouquet popular in mid- 19th-century Victorian England as an accessory carried by fashionable ladies. Composed of mixed flowers and herbs and edged with a paper frill or greens, the arrangement was sometimes inserted into a silver filigree holder. When supplied by an admirer, a nosegay became a vehicle for the floral "language of love"-e.g., a red tulip was a declaration of love; a sprig of dogwood returned by the young lady was a sign of indifference; a variegated pink meant that she rejected her suitor's affection. This variety of bouquet has enjoyed periodic revivals.

Source: Dictionary.com

Wow! I thought a posey was a type of flower. Instead it is the amazing social tradition. Reading about it just makes me want to put on a floor-length dress, put my hair up, and head off to the neighborhood ball. (I like to imagine that all 19th century neighborhoods included a mansion of generous and gorgeous young brother and their parents all searching their own party for the love of their lives.)

It seems like no one would ever use a posey again to signal their level of interest in an admirer. Wouldn't it be easier to send a text? But where is the romance in that?

I beckon you all to host a neighborhood ball, having all men send a posey to the woman/girl they admire. Then the women get to insert their "signal" flower. How fantastic, whimsical and wonderful is that?

Wishing you a happy gala!

O is for Oatmeal (and Oreos)

Oatmeal is a staple we have in our house at all times. My hubby doesn’t eat it, but the rest of us do. It is a smooth and creamy comfort food.

Oooo ya…. And Oreos. There is another comfort food that begins with “O.” I have a particular problem with Double Stuff Oreos.

Anyway, oatmeal is supposed to lower your risk of heart disease, right? That’s what major oatmeal companies claim. Do they mean with or without the added sugar and artificial flavor? I love the maple and brown sugar flavor. Is that still good for me? Sometimes I feel like I’ve eaten a candybar after a morning serving of oatmeal. Still, it is yummy and warm and gooey. My kind of food.

(And let’s not get into the Oreos… or maybe we should.)

N is for Nana

The kids “Nana,” my stepmom, took us on vacation this week. It’s an adorable old log cabin on Kangaroo Lake. There are lots of fun things to do here; fishing, paddle-boats, RC boats, swimming, bonfire, games, etc. Endless fun for a family of six.

The best part of this vacation, however, has been our fun with Nana. She even swam so vigorously with the boys that she hurt her back. She is relentless when it comes to whooping it up with her grandchildren.

She makes up funny stories and feeds them junk food( (and fruit too.) She also had her cuddly, adorable and lovable mini-Yorkies with her (Desi & Lucy.)

The only bad thing is that Nana will only be here until today and we’ll have to enjoy the second half of our vacation without her. I’m sure we will have fun and make many awesome memories, but Nana will take her spark and unique zest for life with her.

Thanks for the great vacation Nana, but most of all, thank you for your love and presence. We love you.