Party of Five

It's finally happened...and now that it has, the pressure is on - in a really big way! In case you don't know my history of contributing / helping with the family Thanksgiving dinner, let me briefly fill you in. (Most are chronicled on this blog if you'd like to read for yourself.)  I get to be the "responsible" one who brings the cool whip, the napkins, the 2 liters of soda, or the dinner rolls.  That pretty much sums it up each year.  Not that I have minded, it takes a lot of pressure off to not have to come up with something completely amazing and perfect that would fit in with the delicious feast prepared for us each year.  Still, it makes me wonder about my own cooking abilities sometimes. A few weeks ago, it hit me that I really needed to take lessons from Momma D. on her mastery in cooking her fantastically fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.  I may have mentioned on here before that she did attempt this with me...once.  But it's what she does with tho...

I survived.   It was my daughter's first slumber party, and I survived it.  Beyond that, it was an "American Girl" themed birthday slumber party, so it was ultra-girly...and I survived it.   Girls showed up with overnight bags, sleeping bags, their special doll friends, and their special doll friends' clothes.   There was A LOT of pink and purple, flowers, butterflies, and stars.  A LOT of stars seemed to be surrounding us everywhere!  I wanted this party to not only celebrate this beautiful girl turning eight, but also to celebrate her girl friends - to encourage these wonderful girls in a time when they are so often pushed to grow up before they are ready.  That's not to say I was going to treat them to an evening of Dora the Explorer to keep them young for as long as possible, but I did want them to walk away from this party knowing how incredibly special they are. Where there weren't pretty things decorating the house, there were 8 year...

I've been called cold and heartless.  I call MYSELF cold and heartless.  I received this notation on my persona when it was discovered that I don't turn into a blubbering fool at movies like "Old Yeller".  Who doesn't cry over the death of dog!  I don't.  I never cry in public, or at least that anyone will see.  I suppose this makes people think I'm cold and heartless. I asked Mr. D. last night if I was heartless.  The conversation streamed from a general "annoyance" that I was beginning to feel with the numerous references to September 11, 2001 that were beginning to pop up on TV, my facebook & twitter feeds, and in general conversation.  Photos of the towers with the words "Never Forget" and "We will always remember"...I was getting annoyed. You're beginning to agree with the heartless description, aren't you? Before you begin leaving ugly comments, let me explain myself. On September 11, 2001, I (as many...

I'm having one of those mornings. It feels like it could turn into one of those days.  But I refuse to believe that this feeling is going to last all day.  I think it's just hitting me hard because I'm sitting here in a quiet house with nothing to do but think about what it was that put me in this mood. (And no, it's not sentimentality over my kids going off to school.  Don't you all know me better then that by now?) I'll survive.  Tomorrow I'll (probably) be fine.  But for today, my mind wants to shut the world out, shed a tear (or two or three), eat a pan of brownies and have a big ol' pity party. I think I'll just eat the pan of brownies. And then I will go indulge myself in the love of a new baby girl who one day, when she's old enough to talk, may very well call me "Aunt Candy" And for now that's enough to make me smile. Okay, that AND the pan of brownies.

The past few days, my girlfriend has been going through the joys of "early labor"...but when you're bringing a baby into this world, labor is labor, and it doesn't matter at what stage of it you're in.  It's the craziest, worst, and most anxious feeling all wrapped into one anticipated moment - that moment when you introduce your child to the rest of the world. The past few days, my girlfriend (not the same one) has been packing up her son's bedroom in preparation of his leave for college.  Her "little boy" was born just 6 months before Mr. D. and I were married, so I've seen this boy as a newborn, and all the way through including his graduation party last summer.  I can't believe he's grown up enough to be living on his own.  And didn't he learn that he's breaking his momma's heart by leaving home? Both of my momma friends are having life-changing weekends. My momma friends keep me humble.  It doesn't matter ho...

I'm a thinker. I think about ...everything. Okay...maybe once in awhile, I over-think things too. But really, for the most part, I just like to think. If I'm meeting with someone, I'll think prior to the get-together about how it may go.  I'll rethink the entire get-together on my way home. I'll think of what I did say...and usually also, what I should have said instead.  (Told you I sometimes over-think!) Last night I watched a movie that kicked my thinker into high gear. Blue Like Jazz  began as a book, that I was highly encouraged to read almost 8 or 9 years ago.  At that time, unfortunately, I couldn't possibly have began reading a new book, so it was quickly set aside in my brain.  The title, however, stuck with me. Last night, Mr. D. mentioned that he had heard of a new movie that was out on DVD that "sounded good."  The title? Yep.   Blue Like Jazz. I'm not even sure how to explain this movie.  A Christian movie?  e...

Hello old friend.  It's been a few weeks! I was finishing off my "40 in 40" thing, then actually TURNING 40, and fighting  advocating for my children ... all of that was exhausting to say the least.  But now I have a handle on being a 40 year old woman, the school board came through for my children (on this one issue, at least), and I have the itch to start writing again. Of course, there's the genealogy thing (also known as my obsession)...and I have a number of projects open in that arena right now between finishing up my Daughters of the American Revolution application, my Gallia County ancestor application, Mr. D.'s ancestors, the two Buffalo friends who asked me to look around, maintaining my Paulding County, Ohio website, and of course, writing more on my own ancestors.  I need to micromanage my genealogy time I think. The monkey children are heading back to school....soon.  But I know this final week of summer vacation is going to drag at a sna...