A Houseful of Boys!

Home Again

2012-02-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

The boys in my little house on my little street love smoothies in the morning...but I am pretty sure they aren't as glamorous as some people's smoothies.

A splash of orange juice, a handful of frozen berries, half a banana and a few fresh berries blended all together. Nothing creamy in there, thankyouverymuch.

As for me...I like my fruit whole much, much better. I'm kinda weird like that. But seriously, is there anything better than a really crisp, juicy apple?

Yesterday morning was Bible Study and after a very brief 'wanna ditch and go to breakfast instead?' thought while in the parking lot (gotta love temptation....sigh) we went on in and it was fabulous. As always.

And after? Bento boxes and girl therapy.

The perfect Tuesday.

Well, sort of.

My oldest got sick on tour...so sick that he couldn't travel home with the group and had to stay behind. Ugh. What is it with our family, Las Vegas and food poisoning? Poor thing. All is well and he'll soon be on a plane home. Weighing less.

That guy that I like so much IS home (and off from work the rest of the week!) and I happily relinquished my spot in the middle of the bed and the cats are back to being banned...like they listen. Gotta love cats.

Today?

Time to get our garden ready for Spring.

=0)

Needing to Chill Out

2012-02-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

This has been a long week. And, wait for it, it's only Tuesday.

=0)

In my defense, that guy that I like so much skipped town (with 50 college students) and there's just something about him being gone over a weekend that makes it feel like it's not a weekend at all. And time just seems to move sooooo slowly.

But he comes home tonight and so this is kinda sorta like Friday. At least to me.

I've been grumpy. I met a friend at Marmalade's for breakfast, but lo an behold and sadly so...it's shut down. Just like most restaurants at the District...but oh, how I will miss the granola pancakes (purchased with the buy one, get one free coupon) in front of the fireplace.

So we hopped across the way and sat in the sunshine and I had a sugar free raspberry mocha in a big 'ole mug. Yummy.

And then? Ugh. I cried for a solid hour with my girlfriend. Not just a sniffly cry but an ugly cry and she, being the kind of friend that she is, cried right along side me. And she had nothing to cry about.

=0)

The bottom line? My job has gotten SO bad that I almost can't handle it. And she listened and listened and listened some more. June will be here soon. Right?

So then I came home and dug around my paint collection for any color already owned paint that could cover up the daffodil yellow I once painted the laundry room...and lucky me, I found some chocolate brown. Milk chocolate brown.

I got as far as a test patch and I like it...with white shelves. Now to unload everything and get started with the primer.

Sunday morning was rough in every sense of the word. The drive to church has suddenly become hard...the 30 minute drive that used to be all about us being all together is now about us being apart. And I'm not handling it too well.

Brian dawdled. I got angry. I sped, got a ticket and told Brian it was because he dawdled.

My mothering these days?

Not good. Not good at all.

=0(

Oh, and in a funny twist? My job (that I don't like so much) has me working with cops...and one of them 'fixed' my ticket. For reals. Pretty sure it's God's way of telling me to 'chill out.'

So, I'm trying to have an attitude adjustment and find the good, rather than dwell in the bad.

My job will end in June and financially, that will be ok. Two weeks after Easter we will once again be worshipping in the same place, at the same time...only this time it will be 3 blocks from our little house. That guy that I like so much comes home today and is on Spring Break the rest of this week. Yippee!

All will be well.

Deep breath.

=0)

He's 22!

2012-02-27T07:30:00.001-08:00

Twenty two years ago, I became a mama.

So thankful.

The boy who cried EVERY SINGLE DAY of kindergarten is graduating college soon.

Time flies when you're having fun.

=0)

Happy Birthday, Matteo. Happy Birthday.

(Mama loves you. Lots.)

Cookie Brownie Madness

2012-02-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

That guy that I like so much is away and I am here with too much time on my hands. Sigh. I've had a pretty productive day, though...I cleaned out my closet and painted a test patch of wall in my laundry room. Goodbye daffodil yellow; hello milk chocolate.

And in between? Hours watching the Hallmark Channel and playing on Pinterest.

Anywhooo....there's a recipe floating around there with a name I don't like but sounded so wickedly yummy yet bad for you that I had to make it. But I changed the name to Cookie Brownies because, well, I have a 13 year old in my house and while I can't control words used outside of our little house, I can control them inside. Because I'm the mom.

But the girl who created these? Genius.

=0)

So, you spread a roll of cookie dough in a pan and then top it with double stuffed oreos. Laugh a little while you are doing this because it just seems so....wrong. Yet right. Yet wrong.

Then, mix up a box of brownie mix. Continue to think to yourself, 'this is SO bad' the whole time you are stirring. Bad as in good. Pour that batter right over the top of the cookies and smooth it out.

Throw it in the oven and bake it for 30 minutes...and only 30 minutes. It's gotta be still ooey and gooey because the the person who came up with this said so. And I believe her.

Resist the urge to dig in right away. Let it cool just a bit and then scoop it into bowls.

And oh my.

OH MY.

It is yummy. Beyond yummy.

Trust me...it's very, very worth it.

=0)

Cookie Brownies

(original recipe from HERE)

1 box chocolate chip cookie mix, made as directed on package. (I used a refrigerated roll of dough)

1 package double stuff oreos

1 box brownie mix, made as directed on package

Preheat oven to 350. Spread prepared cookie dough in a 9 X 13 pan. Top with a single layer of oreos. Pour brownie batter over the top. Bake for 30 minutes...the top will looked cooked but it should still be gooey underneath. Cool slightly, scoop into bowls and pray that your sons invite friends over to eat it so that you don't eat it all by yourself. The End. =0)

Whizzing On By

2012-02-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Somehow this week has whizzed (that word...whizzed...it just makes me laugh for some pathetic reason!) right on by. I was actually shocked this afternoon when I realized that it is already Thursday. Not that I've accomplished anything this week...in fact, I've felt kinda sluggish and grumpy (AND I have the mother of all cold sores on my lip...too much info?) all week. Oh well.

I made a lasagna earlier this week and have been eating it for lunch every day since then. And I still like it. I'm weird like that...I can watch the same movie over and over and over and the same with food. If I like it, I can eat it again and again until one day, well...until one day I can't.

I drove to LA late, late at night to pick up the prodigal son from his trip back east. He liked the school in Boston a lot (New England Conservatory)...Philadelphia (Temple) was ok. Grad school decisions are easier on the parental unit, that's for sure. We listen and nod and smile.

I'm still struggling my way through James, but LOVING our discussions. And snack time.

=0)

Gas prices. Oh my. $4.05 last time I filled up...that same station was $4.35 this morning. And I drive a gas guzzler...a PAID FOR gas guzzler. That Vespa is sounding better and better and better.

My kitchen is my very favorite place to be. It's not big. It's not fancy. It's just...I don't know. Me. It's my happy place especially when the sun streams in through the window.

Suddenly Lent is here and I couldn't be happier. I love Lent...I love the time for growth and focus and spiritual renewal. My fig tree agrees. Every branch is bursting into life. Every. Single. Branch. There's gonna be figs until the cows come home...which basically means forever since my town doesn't have a cow in sight.

=0)

How is your week going?

A Strong Cord

2012-02-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was blessed to gather with some of my favorite peeps for brunch at my neighbors. It was Monday...the end of a full and busy weekend and the start of what I knew was going to be a full and busy week.

But Monday? Plenty of time for some girl time.

=0)

I love hosting parties. Love...love the planning and the prepping and the whole energy that having people I really like in our little house and garden brings.

But as much as I love hosting, I love being a guest. I get what it takes to set a pretty table and make the food and clean the bathroom that the people will be using...but to be able to walk in and just 'be' is so lovely. And relaxing. And fun.

This group of woman, as different as we all are, are so much alike in the big ways. We love God. We love our families. We struggle with the things wives and mothers struggle with and over the years have gotten to that place where we can just be real and share and laugh and cry and share our worries and share our joy.

Ecclesiastes 4 talks about what we think is the power of two...of if one falls down, the other will help them up, if two lie down together they will be warm, if two are together they will not be easily overpowered. We then learn that it's not about two, but three...that if God is a part of the two then the two become three. And three is not easily broken.

I have always thought of those verses as wedding verses...and they are. They were a part of ours. But as I was sitting at my girlfriends table, eating delicious spinach quiche and drinking tea and listening to my friends chat away, I kept thinking that those verses aren't just for marriage but that they are for friendships, too.

And the reason we can be real and just be us is because our cord is strong.

=0)

Those few hours on Monday morning have held me all week...all the problems at work and worries about my boys and and the fact that I miss that guy that I like so much (and he is here, in town...but working SO much that it feels like he isn't in town) that it almost hurts, well, those few hours just fed me for the week.

Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

I am so thankful.

=0)

What's Been Up This Week

2012-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

Yeah, he looks like his dad...but his personality? All his Mom's. And once again, sorry Mom for my teen years. I get it now.

=0)

Chocolate chip pancakes on a Saturday morning and my absolute new favorite...oatmeal pancakes. I had a bunch (as in 50 or so...no one eats the original flavor out of the giant Costco box) of instant oatmeal packets and just added a bunch of them to regular pancake mix. With berry syrup? Perfection on a plate.

Also last Saturday...the Laker girls were at the gym. Alex and his best friend (since kindergarten!) just had to go...my boy's flat top cracks me up. He's going for 5 inches...I'm choosing to not say a word in the hopes that the novelty will wear off and he'll cut it.

Repeat after me...it's just hair. It's just hair. It's just hair.

They scored brother points by getting Brian an autograph.

My bible study is doing the new Beth Moore study of James. It's intense, in a good way intense. There are different levels and one of them is to write the book out by hand as we're working our way through it. The other? To memorize the WHOLE book. I will say, scripture is so powerful when read out loud...so I've been doing just that lately.

Our final basketball game...a CIF game, was Wednesday night and our boys lost. And it was OK...because as they said after, 'you gotta lose at some point'.

I absolutely adore all these boys...it's unlike anything I can put into words. The parents are my friends and the boys are like brothers...it has been pure joy to see them each and every week. Of the 8 seniors, 7 have been on the same team since 4th grade. Considering the fact that we've played year round, roughly 48 weeks a year for those 8 years...well, it's been a big part of our life.

I will miss it so much.

And my boy? He declared (and what's scary is that everyone listens) the day after a 'ditch day' so they could all 'hang out, eat cartons of ice cream and watch The Notebook'. So that's what they did...too funny!

=0)

I am happy that it's Friday!

What are your weekend plans?

Auditions

2012-02-16T15:14:00.001-08:00

Sometime between the time when normal people go to sleep and normal people wake up, I climbed in my car and went to pick up my oldest from his college.

It was dark. And cold. And there was a police car on my street which kinda freaked me out...I mean, why was there a police car on my little street?

I don't usually drive at 4 something or another in the morning and the world is a very interesting place at that hour of the day. Quiet. Still. Lonely.

It made me thankful for warmth. My little house is just that...little, but it is warm inside. And anything but still and quiet and lonely...even when all my males are sleeping.

I spent the whole drive to Matthew's college dorm praying for those who are cold. And don't have a roof over their heads. Or food in their bellies. We (meaning me...and my boys) often (sadly) take that for granted...and when I do remember, it makes me feel ashamed.

Picked Matthew up and drove to Los Angeles, where he and his four trumpets (all different, but that's all that I know about them!) boarded a big plane (while it was still dark) to the whole other side of the country where he is continuing his grad school search.

Not sure how to pray for all of this (aside from safe travels) so I just pray for God's will be done. For His guidance in where my flock will end up.

But still hoping it'll be close. That whole commune idea? Sounds mighty fine to me.

=0)

Happy Love Day

2012-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day arrived right alongside a lovely winter sniffly sneezy watery eyes cold.

Hooray for me.

=0)

I decided to hibernate today and watched movies while doing laundry and catching up on some work...hoping that maybe one lazy day might make this cold get bored with me and move on its merry way. It ended up being truly glorious...aside from having to blow my nose every two minutes.

I did make supper...chicken cacciatore, which I stuck in the crock pot and let simmer the day away. Our usual tradition is to do a special breakfast...even on school days, but with teenagers that doesn't go over quite as well as it did when the boys were younger.

Sleep trumps donuts. It's a boy thing. Another boy thing? I told them they could eat dessert first and there was much gnashing of teeth and roaring of roars and grumbling of words. Turns out boys don't want dessert first...they want MEAT. And bread. And then dessert.

How many girls would turn down dessert first?

=0)

I, along with every other human in the free world, made Ree's Pot de Creme from her Saturday morning cooking show last weekend. And let me tell you...this recipe is THE BOMB. I served it in martini glasses (I made 5 and it was too much, not that anyone complained...but I think it'll make 8 perfect servings) and this will now be one of my 'go to' desserts after any party we have. It's that good AND easy...the kind of easy that saves your sanity when throwing a party with the bonus that it tastes like you spent hours making it.

Love.

=0)

And Just Like That...

2012-02-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

...it's over.

=0(

(the boys went retro...LOL! Alex is #25, in front.)

The thing is...I get music. Band. Drum and Bugle Corps. Theater. Choir.

I get all that. And it's a blast.

The whole sports thing? Kinda foreign to me...or at least it was until I gave birth to my middle boy. It has been SO MUCH FUN...as much for him as for me. The first time he played basketball in 4th grade we knew he had some talent in that skinny little body of his, but who would've known it would evolve into years of sitting in gyms and traveling and deep friendships?

Not me...but what a fun ride it has been.

=0)

Last night was Senior Night...the very last league game for Alex. We got to escort him onto the court and then cheer him on to a win. Of the 8 seniors, 7 have played on the same team since 4th grade...and being crazy, dug out retro (as in the 80's) uniforms and played in the shortest shorts I have ever seen. Too funny. They are headed to play-off's next week, so we do have at least one more game...whew.

And Matteo? I'm bringing my basketball cheering to your senior recital. Gonna liven up the crowd. Be warned.

=0)

Man Oh Man

2012-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Take a rather large and in charge flank steak, ask a boy to pound it thin (boys plus meat plus heavy hammer equals a good combination) and stuff it with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and garlic. Roll the whole thing up and tie it with string, brown it in olive oil and then bake it in your favorite gravy (also known as spaghetti sauce) for a few hours.

Slice, serve with pasta and watch grown men weep. Trust me.

Sunday was the SuperBowl and on the way to my bro/sis in-laws I made sure to fill my brain with football information. Basically, I found out who was playing, who the quarterbacks were and who the half time show was gonna be.

The important stuff.

And then once there, I sat myself by the guacamole and chips and only moved every time a commercial came on.

And I can tell you this...one of the teams playing won.

=0)

My oldest came with and broke bread with his cousins...

...and watched the exciting game through his eyelids.

=0)

Monday night...my middle boy and his team became league champions.

Cool.

=0)

Tonight?

Rain. Baked pasta. A glorious night home. Slippers. A DVR full of shows.

=0)

Happy Monday!

2012-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Meet Maggie.

She's purrrfect.

=0)

Meet Matthew.

He's pretty special himself.

=0)

Happy Monday!

=0)

Hanging At Home

2012-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

I left my voice in the gym last night...cheering my son and his team on to yet another win. Pretty sure I lost my hearing from my own screaming, too.

It's how I roll.

That guy that I like so much is puttering in the garden, feeding things that need to be fed and planting a few new flowers for me to look at outside the kitchen window. The plans for today? None.

My oldest is having a big audition up north (not that he lives here but I love how he lets me know what he's up to...most of the time!), my middle is at practice and my youngest is grounded from going outside into the sunshine and is doing a really great job of letting me know just how annoyed he is.

Happiness and harmony.

=0)

(Alex is known as Flat Top)

As for me, my pink toes and I are still hanging in our pj's. And it's noon. That IS happiness and harmony. If only I could block out the heavy sighing of my 13 year old as he moves from one room to another with his head hung low. So. much. drama.

How about you...what are your weekend plans?

Round Three

2012-02-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

That guy that I like so much and I played a bit of hooky this afternoon and drove off into the sun for lunch at one of our favorite lunch places. And we just might have split a split of champagne, too. In the middle of the day.

=0)

We needed more than a split of champagne today...turns out our lunch was a planning session as to how to deal with our youngest, child #3, who was snotty. To a teacher.

Oh no, he di'int.

Well, he did. And he's busted. And in his defense, not that he has one, but it was a sub and the whole class had a little too much fun that day. But hello? If your whole class jumped off a bridge, would you follow?

Busted.

I'm not sure if the way we handled it would be something we want to remember. You'd think the poor kid had robbed a bank or somethin'. Oh well...pretty sure it won't happen again (the snottiness that is, not the bad parenting thing...it seems we are gettin' better at being inadequate, tired, worn out parents) and he can add this to the list of things to discuss with his therapist when he gets older.

Is it Happy Hour yet?

Other than that, lunch was lovely. Just two people who fell in love and were blessed with children. Thankfully, champagne at lunch is just fine. Very, very fine.

=0)

Big, big game tonight. Pre-game routine is always the same...a double wrapped, double meat Chipotle burrito followed by a power nap followed by a salami sandwich. With mayo. Not sure how he manages to run up and down the court without barfing, but he does.

At least two of the three seem to be sailing on smooth waters.

Sigh.

Feeling Normal

2012-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Last night was a rare (as in we have ONE this WHOLE week) night at home for that guy that I like so much and I. The younger two were at practice and let me just say, having another driver in the family is a HUGE blessing...but that guy that I like so much and I? HOME.

(chicken vesuvio)

Just as I was serving up supper, in came our oldest with his basket of laundry. He seems to have an inner antennae that alerts him to his mama's cooking and he always times it just right. He's got brains, I tell ya. Soon after, the others returned home and we had one of those fun family dinners that make up for all the not so fun family dinners...the ones where someone is in trouble or mad or bothered.

The ones where our mealtime turns into life lesson time rather than the relaxed and happy environment that it should be. Or is that only at my house?

Anyway, we all ended up sitting at the table for over 3 hours...boys were on laptops and iPads looking up basketball stuff and college stuff and movie stuff and I was reading my Rome travel book (you know, in case the money tree blooms) and it was loud and crazy and fun.

Not bad for a school night.

(the leaning tower, brought home from Italia)

I got so much done yesterday...all the laundry plus phone calls to 97 crossing guards (for reals) plus a workout plus cooked a big pot of gravy and sausage plus a stock up trip to Target and then a family dinner?

Felt good.

Felt normal. And I like normal.

This morning began with 'crack of dawn still dark and cold outside' work phone calls. Sadly, that's normal...and I just said that I like normal.

Gotta take the good normal with the not so good normal...right?

=0)

Commencements

2012-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of Alex's last semester of high school...or what we hope will be his last semester of high school. Fingers crossed...you never know with this one.

=0)

My other two are also in the last semesters of their respective schools...something that guy that I like so much and I have talked about a lot over the years. About what a big year 2012 was going to be in our little house on our little street.

The graduation year. And now it is here. Weird.

It's kind of exciting in a way...yet kind of sad, too. They're all growing up, these boys of mine. Yet another life stage. A good one at that.

I've often told my boys that it's part of my job to give them something to talk about with their therapists...and I think I have succeeded. I'm so proud.

=0)

We've been talking about hosting one big graduation party but not one of the boys want one...we've been telling them that this party is really for us (feel free to bring gifts...we need a blender. and a toaster. and forks, because for some reason most of ours are missing) in celebration of 'no more lunches'.

They roll their eyes. As usual.

A college graduation. A high school graduation. A confirmation AND an 8th grade graduation.

Whew. Doesn't that call for a party???

So then we got the wild idea that instead of a party, maybe that guy that I like so much and I will steal away for a vacation. And then we laughed, because the money tree out back is not blooming quite the way we would like it to.

But it's fun to pretend sometimes...isn't it?

=0)

Yesterday in SoCal?

82.

A walk on the beach and lunch with one of my besties...I love winter.

=0)

Say Cheese

2012-01-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday. Multiple people. Multiple churches.

One lunch out after.

One Papa. Three brothers. One girlfriend.

And one Mama wanting a picture to remember the day by.

My oldest? He's the dark haired kid/grown-up/rule following peep in the middle. Point a camera toward him and he smiles. No grumbling...he just loves his mama so much that he smiles to make her happy. He's perfect, that one.

=0)

My middle boy? The one on the left? Sigh.

He is ALWAYS smiling and ALWAYS laughing...until I want to take a picture.

One picture, baby. That's all mama wants. In the meantime? His older brother smiles on.

Matthew then tells his girlfriend to ignore his younger brother...to not laugh and add fuel to his fire. It's useless.

OK. Two out of three ain't bad. Right?

Poor Breanne. Matthew smiles on. Papa threatens no food. Mama sheds a little tear. Youngest brother, sitting directly across from him? Laughing hysterically.

I am thankful for digital cameras...whoever invented them had a son like mine. I believe that with my whole heart.

They're crazy, but I love them.

Lots.

=0)

Ten Things From This Week

2012-01-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

1. work was a nightmare this week...so. many. problems. My favorite was having to go and break up a picnic one of the crossing guards I recently hired was having on a corner. Why, I asked her. Because, she said, the sun was shining and I felt like it. And then she offered me a cookie. In exchange I offered her a drug test.

2. lunch with a friend at the food trucks. Sweet potato fries make everything better.

3. Alex spent some of his Christmas money on a handset for his iPhone. He kills me. He walks around talking on it and people just stare...too funny.

5. A 5 mile hike on Friday morning and I am SO sore...but there's something about a long hike with a friend that just grounds me. So much cheaper than therapy...and more fun.

6. A very special date with that guy that I like so much. We had brought a wine (a brunello!) home from Italy for our 25th anniversary and never got around to drinking it, so we brought it with us last night to The Bungalow...a really great restaurant in Corona Del Mar. We sat on the beautiful outdoor patio by the fireplace and had a most amazing meal...followed by a walk around Balboa Island. It was one of those dreamy evenings that we needed. So blessed.

7. Alex's current basketball picture from the paper. And yep, he made the basket. I love his happy face!

8. The gentleman sitting near me...well, he needs new socks.

9. One of my very favorite things...a huge hunk o' parmigiano reggiano cheese on the table after supper. The norm for us is to sit at our table for an hour or two every night...just hanging out and munching on little bits of cheese while listening to Frank and Dean and Nat and Rosemary and Judy.

10. Matthew has a concert today, so we are going to that. Alex is at practice and Brian has team pictures. In between, mountains of laundry and a Costco run because we (well...not me) somehow managed to blow through 6 gallons of milk and 36 eggs since last Friday. Not even sure a farm would be able to keep up with my houseful of boys!

Happy Saturday...what are your weekend plans?

Winter Time

2012-01-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Winter in southern California is an interesting season. Last week...COLD (as in the low 40's at night) and rainy. This week...80's. Our grass stays green all year (we steal water from NorCal...but we're worth it) though most of our trees do shed their leaves.

It's rough, but I can deal.

Today, after a SUPER icky day in the life of crossing guards (in the real world I am in charge of the crossing guard programs for alotta cities...everything from the hiring, training, payroll, scheduling, therapy and gulp, firing) because HELLO...you shouldn't be late on your very first day, I met a girlfriend for a quick coffee...and oatmeal. Peet's now sells oatmeal, complete with almonds and dried blueberries and I have to say that it is AMAZING. For reals.

Guess where I will be tomorrow?

One of the things with my job is that I listen to people complain ALL DAY LONG. At least I am paid for it...when my boys complain, no one gives me a dime.

=0)

So far this week...two whole suppers at home. I think that's a record during basketball season. There's a big (REALLY big!) game tomorrow night and then we have a whole weekend at home. A whole weekend. I'm close to hyperventilating just thinking about it...in fact, on Saturday I might just stay in my PJ's all day long.

Doesn't take much to make me happy.

=0)

Supper tonight...chicken piccata. A Tyler recipe and a staple in our little house on our little street...I don't use veal and instead use the 'chipper chicken' (can you guess that movie???) and I also don't measure anything because it is just too much work. But this recipe? You can't mess it up.

Promise.

=0)

I've Missed You

2012-01-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Hello? Is anybody here? Hello?

=0)

Been awhile, that's for sure. Basically, if it's not eat, sleep, work or cheer for a basketball game then it just hasn't made it's way in to my schedule. Which basically means I have no life right now.

I did sneak in a visit to IKEA last week...I mean, a house without candles is just that. A house without candles. And a house without candles is just boring...which makes me laugh because the last thing I'd say about our little house is that it's boring. But without candles it is, hence the trip to IKEA.

Following that?

And if at IKEA during breakfast hours, splurge on the $.99 breakfast...and where oh where is the cent sign on a keyboard? Anyway, it's cheap yet yummy, especially if you happen to have a Sidney Sheldon book in your purse. Which I did.

Basketball continues. The fun part is when former teammates verse each other and then go out for a burger after. I love that about teen boys...beat each other up on the court and then break bread together. Who cares what side you are on...just pass the ketchup, please.

We could all learn from that.

(Alex, 2nd from the left. These boys played together in elementary school!)

That guy that I like so much had a date night with our oldest and our youngest after a recent game...a four-way date that included a pizza at Nick's. And a bottle of wine for the over 21's, which means my oldest is part of that crowd.

Weird.

I mean, I'm still like 27...right?

Saturday Matthew had an audition for the masters program at a major university a few towns away...he walked in, played a few notes, was cut off and told thankyouverymuch. Ouch. The upside of the day...spending time with my beautiful niece who is a student there. The other upside? Today Matthew was accepted in to a program at a different school...exciting! Still more auditions at other schools, but it's lovely to have one in the bag and to know that without a doubt, a Master's degree is happening.

Cool.

=0)

I've missed you!

=0)

Randomness

2012-01-17T06:54:00.001-08:00

1. I love three day weekends.

2. That guy that I like so much, after having a very deep conversation with the lime tree about the amount of limes it doesn't produce, punished it and chopped off a very large limb.

3. I walked outside, saw the large limb and proceeded to (in a calm manner) have a discussion with that guy that I like so much that might have included the words 'you're crazy'.

4. Things then got real quiet around here for a few hours.
5. See the lemon tree? Shaking in it's boots. Or roots.

5. I cooked. Lots. It felt so good to have the time to not just make a real meal but to be able to sit down and eat it...not that I had everyone all together at one time. But that's OK...I fed a boy or two at every meal this weekend.

6. What did I cook? A pasta dish with sausage and eggplant in it (a family favorite...meat for them, eggplant for me), chicken stuffed with a sausage stuffing and braised low and slow in a bottle of chianti (perfect garden party food...), and something else I can't remember. So nice to eat sitting down. Did I already say that?

7. TV this weekend: Bridges of Madison County, Golden Globes, and an episode or two of House Hunters.

8. Oh, and the tail end of Miss America.

9. Seriously? Pop-ups for Miss America that say things like 'her favorite food is french toast?' Really????

10. I could go on and on but I am going to refrain. But it's not easy.

11. This is one of two of the most perfect cats in the world.

12. This is one of two of the most perfect cats in the world.

13. This is one of two of the most perfect cats in the world.

14. Last night...cheese. Champagne. Radishes with kosher salt.

15. If you haven't dipped a radish in kosher salt, then you really should. It's yummy.

The best part about this weekend is that I feel rested and ready to face the rest of this short week...after all, we only have 3 basketballs games, various practices, a choir rehearsal, a grad school visit, bible study and work.

Ready. Set. Go!

=0)

Playing Hard

2012-01-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been exciting ones around our little house on our little street.

It's basketball season and the high school team that Alex is on....well, this group of boys (the majority of them anyway) have played together since elementary school. The players are like brothers, their parents are our friends and their games are the majority of our social life.

And this season? This final season?

We're all having a ball. Literally.

Alex has worked so hard and been overlooked time and time again...and refused to allow us to get involved. His reasoning was that if he was going to succeed, he was going to do it on his own merit and not because his parents called the coach. We (reluctantly, gulp) agreed to stand back...watching him overcome injuries and surgery and rehab and a new position to play and then a five game in season suspension, consequences from last year, all of which resulted in losing his starting spot. Most would have quit. I would have.

But this kid of ours didn't. I asked him last night (after watching commentators talk about him on TV) why he didn't just give up when things seemed darkest. His answer? 'God didn't want me to. It's as easy as that. He kept telling me to not quit.'

=0)

Being named to the Dream Team? Cool. Being on TV and in the paper? Cool. Watching my boys' faith not just stay steady but to grow through the process of darkness and dawn...well, that's beyond cool.

Way beyond cool.

In the meantime...our youngest, the 8th grader, is loving the high school student section where he is (thankfully!) watched closely by his older brothers best friends. Brian is SO ready for high school...better fasten our seat belts!

=0)

This journey that we are on...whew. Exhausting. Trying. Scary. Overwhelming. Sad. But now? Now we're just having fun.

It's been a long time coming, so we are just going to run with it for awhile.

=0)

Annie Sloan

2012-01-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Annie Sloan is my BFF.

Or at least her paint is. I'm telling you, this stuff is AMAZING.

My kitchen cabinets?

Annie Sloan in primer red with black wax. Not a day goes by where I don't stop and thank her for creating such fabulous paint.

Got beadboard that you want to paint?

Annie Sloan is the answer.

On top of the armoir my brother-in-law custom built for us (live in northern CA and need a cabinet maker? Call Andrew!) there sits a wooden basket between the cute black clock and the vase we brought home from Italy. The one that looks like an urn.

It didn't look like an urn in Italy. It looked like a really pretty piece of pottery. In America? Still pretty...we just tell people it houses Uncle Vito.

=0)

In the middle of these photos...lunch break. Butternut squash ravioli with brown butter, sage and pine nuts...left over from last night. Lucky me.

=0)

Anyway, back to the basket. With Annie Sloan's paint, you don't need to do any prep at all. Just paint whatever it is, as is. The other thing? It only needs one coat and that one coat dries super fast. It'll feel weird...dry, like a chalkboard.

Steps two and three? Wax. First the clear, followed by the black. It gives whatever you are working on a lovely aged look.

The finished product? A little punch of color!

Just part of a really wonderful day where all I did was laundry, paint and cook a pot roast.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Back to the real world tomorrow, I guess...but that's OK.

Unless I find something else to paint.

=0)

Our Weekend

2012-01-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

A brief run down of our weekend, starting with an overly exciting basketball game on Friday night. And yes, I just might have become one of THOSE mothers...the kinda sorta borderline obnoxious type of mothers who just might kinda sorta yell and scream and threaten to take down a ref if he calls a foul on her boy.

Not that I'm admitting to it or anything...but I'm just kinda sorta throwing it out there. And while I'm at it, I might just kinda sorta admit that it's kinda sorta fun to let it all out. Kinda sorta like therapy.

=0)

After the game, feeling both full of energy and utterly exhausted (with absolutely NO VOICE left) we needed nourishment. Big time. ZPizza has the most amazing pizza...I highly recommend the Morocco Aubergine. Pesto, grilled eggplant, mozzarella, feta and pine nuts.

YUM.

Saturday morning was the annual 1/2 marathon through our neighborhood...it's run by our high school athletic department which means the high school athlete parents get the honor and pleasure of working.

My job? Oversee the seniors in handing out shirts and goodie bags. The problem? Frequent coffee breaks.

Gotta love teen boys. The simple task of taking flattened boxes to the trash becomes an ordeal.

Saturday afternoon, the prodigal son returned home from his adventures far, far away.

Is Las Vegas considered far, far away?

He cracks me up...check out his socks. I asked if he was channeling his inner Donnie Osmond...his response was, 'who's that?'

Cheryl, I have failed...my son has no clue who your boyfriend is.

=0)

Sunday morning we began our new life as a split church family...Matthew and Brian headed north to Long Beach for church/confirmation while Alex and I left our house at 8:37am and pulled into the church parking lot at 8:39am.

My heart was heavy but we were welcomed so warmly and with open arms. Yet another new chapter for us to add to our book.

Lunch was at home, made by Brian. He's become an expert pastrami sandwich maker...sizzling pastrami topped with swiss and coleslaw and mustard on rye bread. He has definitely secured his sleeping space with no thought of eviction for the next little while...which I am sure calms his 13 year old heart. Don't want to stress him too much...might interfere with his sandwich making.

Later in the day...a gingerbread cappuccino while sitting in the garden. Calm and quiet, though frequently interrupted by the hoots and hollers of my houseful of football watching men-folk.

Sunday night supper was the first with all my boys home since Christmas dinner...tacos, including shredded pork and homemade guacamole and a bazillion other toppings. Plus a margarita, or two, for the parental unit.

Matthew re-enters dorm life tomorrow...hard to believe it's his last semester!

How was your weekend?

The Past Week

2012-01-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks to iPads, modern day parents will never hear that age old phrase of 'are we there yet?'

Works for wives, too.

Movies, Tiny Tower, Words with Friends, oh my!

My neighbor and her beau. Young love. Nuthin' like it.

=0)

Week 1 of the New Year slammed us back into reality with work, school, and basketball. I hiccuped when it came time to suppers...everyone seems to need to be somewhere by 6pm and so we were doing the 'grab and go' thing I dislike so much.

I complained to a neighbor that I couldn't seem to pull it together...the next night there was a knock at my door and there she stood with SUPPER.

I wept...and then we feasted!!!

Breakfast of champions...smoothies! At least I'm starting them off right, so it's not an all out failure food wise.

Our little tree left our little house thanks to the help of our not so little middle boy. Those boys sure do come in handy!

The inside is completely void of Christmas while the outside is still lit up in all its glory...I love to light all the way to Epiphany, the day the Magi made their way to visit baby Jesus.

Basketball. Alex said last night that it feels so strange to know this is the end...after playing since he was 8. It has been so. much. fun. League begins today and then whoosh! and it'll be over.

The upside?

Real meals at real times.

That guy that I like so much in his new gig. Here we go again! I will miss his warm body next to me on Sunday mornings but when God calls, well, God calls.

How was your week?

Breathe

2012-01-04T22:24:00.001-08:00

So far this year I have cleaned out my closet (and found LOTS of new...well old, but I had forgotten about them so they were new to me again), cleaned out under the bathroom sink (truthfully? I was in search of cold medicine and it was in the waaaaayyyy back) and took down all the inside Christmas decorations.

(8:30 am work meeting...waiting)

I've also roasted a couple of chickens, sketched out my plans for my summer garden, painted a pot and watched Jillians 'Get ripped in 30 days' video no fewer than 5 times.

Just watching the thing tires me out and I figure I am burning more calories watching that than I do watching regular TV. And thinking about exercise is almost just as good as doing it.

=0)

(8:50am work meeting...still waiting)

One of my boys has made a pretty major career decision and another is being gifted airline tickets for his birthday (during a month where I am robbing Peter to pay Paul) so he can audition at all the fun and exciting places he has been blessed to get auditions at for grad school. Yet another is 13 and easy, peasy punkin pie. So aside from the fact that a whole bunch of scary lights came on in my car (hoping Peter or Paul or possibly Mary can come through on this one), all is well and 2012 is up and running.

And I am breathing in and out.

My word for 2012? Breathe. Not just breathe, but breathe deeply.

In and out, one deep breath at a time.

(9:15 work meeting...STILL waiting)

We've got lots of new and big happenings happening this year...an 8th grade graduation, a high school graduation, and a college graduation. Whew!

I'm going to breathe through all of it...breathe deeply through all of it.

Remind me if I forget?

=0)

The First Day of the New year

2012-01-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

Last night we wandered down to our friends house a little bit before midnight. It was kinda sorta creepy outside...a thick fog had settled over our neighborhood and it was damp and dark and quiet.

The weather seemed fitting of my mood. I was actually feeling anxious...rushed almost, to say farewell to 2011. It was just time for some closure...and time to begin anew. Our friends had had a rough year as well, so together in the fog, we kicked it to the curb as we drank champagne and sang songs from musicals.

Corny. Yes.

Fun. Yes.

Today, the first day of the new year, we hung out at home working our way through all the Star Wars movies. We've got the sniffles and the coughs covered and if I were you, I'd avoid us like the plague. Breakfast was 'eggs in a basket'...a favorite of all my boys. Lunch was who knows what and supper was ham with baked sweet potatoes. We have so many sweets in this house that are all going in the trash tomorrow, but for today I just put everything on the kitchen counter and let everyone go to town.

A mom sponsored binge.

=0)

Welcome, 2012. Welcome.

As for me and my houseful of boys, we're excited to get to know you.

=0)

A Year In Review

2011-12-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

January:

Brian plays basketball while Alex looks on...recovery from knee surgery was long. (7 months!) And no fun. But patience pays off.

The lime tree loves winter.

Gas prices...manageable.

Sweet potato fries with hummus...from a food truck!

February:

I immerse myself in the life of Esther and will forever be changed.

Tomatoes are planted.

Matteo turns 21!

Our fig tree blooms.

March:

Brian has his jaw locked shut for 16 hours a day for 6 months...poor baby.

Rain. Lots and lots of rain.

Business blossoms.

Grandma visits.

Drivers Ed for the boy in the middle.

Suppers under the heat lamp.

Our family is shaken to the core. Hope seems far away. Friends hold us together...and we will forever be grateful.

April:

Life continues. Christ has risen and we are all forgiven.

Easter lunch.

Stitches (and a concussion) for Alex.

H1N1 (swine flu) for Brian.

Lots of walks around our lake.

May:

Matthew solo's. Beautifully, I might add.

That guy that I like so much has a birthday.

I have a birthday. Cakes galore!

I get an award from work...and then get laid off. And then rehired.

June:

We (that guy that I like so much and I) celebrate 25 years of marriage.

The fig tree explodes with figs.

Matthew marches his last season of drum corps.

Alex keeps us on the go with his basketball schedule...and shaves off his hair.

Homemade pasta.

Our house is full of boys for the month...and constantly out of milk. And bread. And cereal. And clean towels.

Lots (yet never enough) of bruschetta!

July:

Brian performs on trumpet with the city youth band.

Matthew leaves on his final tour.

The cousins visit.

We travel to Lake Tahoe and play in the snow...in July!

Gas prices...ouch.

August:

Alex has his Senior pictures.

All the (elder...I am sure they'll appreciate that word!) Busch siblings together...oh, the stories!

The fig tree...night after night we pick from you and you never run out! (because you can NEVER have too many figs!)

BLT's with our very own tomatoes.

Just like figs, you can never have too many suppers in the garden.

Matthew returns home for a whole 2 days and then moves back to school.

I travel to Chicago, see Paul McCartney at Wrigley, handle some business, spend time reconnecting with people I love and feel God...so blessed!

September:

Our little house on our little street gets a new (not visible to the naked eye...sigh) shade of yellow.

My boys, all together for a Sunday at church.

Grilled pizzas with proscuitto and figs.

We steal away to the mountains to pick apples.

The kitchen seems to be in a constant state of garden party recovery...but that's ok.

That guy that I like so much and I go swing dancing at Disneyland...and decide that maybe the lessons at the Senior center didn't get us quite up to speed.

Brian turns 13!!!

October:

Supper at the beach, conveniently timed at sunset.

Jonah helps me realize that our life interruption is really a divine intervention.

Halloween and no costume...mom to the rescue.

Jury duty? Seriously? Turns out to be fascinating and interesting and kinda sorta fun.

November:

Alex becomes borg. (and has an ear infection.)

Autumn on our little street.

Beignets at the beach with my boyfriend.

Carciofi alla romana.

Matthew comes home for turkey.

So Cal puts on a mighty fine cloud display.

Alex, gulp, turns 18!

December:

Alex plays some great ball...so thankful!

The grandparents visit.

We conquer Las Vegas...or rather, Las Vegas conquers us.

M and M and M...Michael, Michele, Maggiano's.

Jesus is born. All is calm. All is bright.

New Years Eve at our friends with the most amazing Tres Leches Cake followed by It's A Wonderful Life...just the way a New Years Eve should be. (minus the worrying for the older boys who are out. sigh.)

2012? We're ready for you!

=0)

Happy New Year, everyone!

A Little Trip to Vegas

2011-12-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

The good: Traveling with Alex's basketball team. Fun families!

The bad: The day after hosting Christmas? Crazy!

The good: All my boys together on the trip there.

The bad: Gilligan style...the 4 hour drive became 7 hours, thanks to every single person in southern California deciding to travel to Vegas that day, too.

The good: Our boys (with MY boy being the high scorer!) win a big game, defeating the state champions.

The bad: I miss the big game because Brian gets food poisoning and quite literally barfs for 9 hours straight. Poor thing. Let's just say that I will NEVER again use a hotel ice bucket without first lining it with a plastic bag. And you shouldn't either.

The good: Christmas in Vegas is pretty cool...all those fancy schmancy hotels all gussied up.

The bad: People, people everywhere...including one very bad person who stole my friends wallet and charged thousands in the one hour it took for her to realize and cancel her cards.

The good: Buffets. An all suites hotel. The Wizard of Oz slot machine that went crazy when I won 2,000 pennies! Maggiano's take out. Books on an iPad.

The bad: Realizing that this season in life is winding down and coming to an end. The smell of smoke in my hair. The smell of smoke, period.

The good: Brian recovers! The fountains at the Bellagio. Salt and butter NY pretzels.

The bad: So many cool things to see...not enough time. Having to miss dinner reservations at Rao's. Losing a big game by close to 30.

The good: A safe and quick and easy trip home.

The bad: After listening to Alex cough all the way home, we drive straight to the DR. Hello, bronchitis.

It feels good to be home.

=0)

Mary

2011-12-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's the morning of Christmas Eve and I am sitting at my kitchen table listening to the sounds of my three boys banter back and forth over who is going to eat the last cookie on the counter (for now...gotta ration the Christmas cookies) and as typical for me this time of year, my thoughts are on Mary.

Jesus' mama.

I keep thinking about her...holding her head high when telling people she was pregnant in a time when getting pregnant out of wedlock was just not cool. I'm pretty sure she (and Joseph) lost friends and family members over this. Holding her head high, knowing that she was different.

But her story...it was really just beginning.

Even though this baby was going to change the world, Mary still had to go through pregnancy...and then at the point when she was so close to birth and probably really uncomfortable, she had to travel. People needed to be counted, pregnant or not, and she had no say in the matter.

Onto a donkey she climbed for the journey.

And Joseph? I picture him as being quiet and loving and calm, yet probably a little stressed...his wife (that he probably didn't know all that well) was REALLY pregnant. And then going from home to home looking for a room to stay in when they arrived in Bethlehem? They must've been tired. And cold. And achy. And just done with the whole travel thing.

But their night...it was really just beginning.

Into the barn they go...and then? Was all really calm? Giving birth isn't a walk in the park...it's hard work. I'm sure the night was long as she labored and pushed her baby out.

In the end, it wasn't just a Savior that was born...but her very own baby. The love she must have felt in the dark of that night for that little baby, for the Savior, was what anyone who has held any child (birthed or not birthed) they love has felt. Add in the feeling of relief that the journey was over, that the pregnancy was over.

They swaddled him and rocked him and held him and loved him, knowing their baby was going to change the world.

The real journey...it was just beginning.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Is. 9:6

A Really Good Pizza

2011-12-18T07:50:00.000-08:00

This week our school hosted a big tournament which meant that every day from the hours of 4pm - 10 pm were spent at the gym helping out. I am feeling it all winding down and while I felt that way while Matthew was in high school, I also had the knowledge that he was going to keep on performing. But for Alex? He's decided that after this season he wants a break..and we all get it and accept his decision, but at the same time will miss seeing how crazily fun it is to watch him on the court.

But first?

Thirty more games over the next 8 weeks or so. Bring. It. On.

=0)

That guy that I like so much and I stole away for a little shopping trip...which actually turned into a little lunch out and a little visit to the Mac Store (my laptop is sooooo slow and sleepy...) and not a whole lotta shopping trip, when we rounded the corner and saw that Crystal Court, which is by far my favorite place to drool, is now about to get 100,000 times better.

And to think that I thought it was perfect already. Sigh.

Saturday found us in Placentia for (wait. for. it....) a basketball game and after? REAL CHICAGO PIZZA in the state of California. We got some really great eats in this state of mine but sometimes you just want a taste of your past....a taste that reminds you of a place that you love SO much and is a part of who you are and where you come from. A taste of pure joy and happiness without a $400 plane ticket...though that $400 plane ticket is still SO worth it to me.

Hello, Tony's Little Italy in a strip mall in Placentia...and thanks to the Chicago friends who told us about you.

We'll be back. Promise.

Today is going to be a church going, prime rib cooking, cookie making, movie watching, laundry folding, game playing, hanging out kinda day.

Love those kinda days.

=0)

Food Season

2011-12-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for food. Lots and lots of food.

=0)

Last weekend we hosted our 16th annual Christmas party for that guy that I like so much's students...the annual party where we take one 1200 sq ft house and fill it with 50 college students.

One more time. 1200 sq ft. 50 college students.

It's loud and crazy and loud and fun and did I mention loud?

The crazy part? I cook all the food...my feeling is that they eat in the cafeteria (which is excellent, by the way) all school year and it's nice to spoil them with some home cooking. Plus, I like to cook. Lots.

The very first year we hosted this party I learned a very, very big lesson in what to do and what not to do. BIG LESSON. That first year I cooked for days...complete with a turkey and a ham and a road beef and ALL the sides that go with all those things. I was stressed and miserable and when the party time arrived, that group of students (who didn't particularly like my husband...he was the new guy after all) came, ate and left in record time.

I cried.

It was a complete FAIL in the party department.

Enter Year 2. I scrapped the whole cooking for days thing and chose to do what I do best. Italian. Yep, it means lots and lots of meatballs but it also means everything can be cooked ahead of time in disposable pans and I can be an unstressed participant at the party.

Every year I do the EXACT same party food wise. Baked rigatoni, meatballs, italian sausage, caesar salad, garlic bread, hot chocolate and cookies. My boys (the ones who live here) are a HUGE help to me and in recent years? Friends who volunteer to serve the food and others who have offered to bring desserts. Life savers.

Now, instead of coming and eating and dashing out the door, we often have to push them out because we are old now. And tired.

=0)

Every year, I think back to that first party. We were SO young (16 years ago!) with only two little boys...one of those little boys is now a senior in college and is one of the students at the party.

Time just keeps marching along, doesn't it?

Meatballs

2 1/2 lbs ground beef

2 cups Italian flavored bread crumbs

4 eggs

1 cups milk

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp each, garlic powder and onion powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp kosher salt

Mix everything together in a big bowl. Scoop (I use an ice cream scoop) out onto a lightly oiled baking sheet (I use broiler pans) and then roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and then drop into a pot of gravy (normal peeps call it sauce, I guess) to finish cooking. Makes 20-25, depending on how big you make them.

For our parties, I double this recipe FOUR TIMES for a total of approx. 200 meatballs.

Because...

2011-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

...I can't seem come up for air (something about a bazillion basketball games, hosting the hospitality suite at the tournament, working a day job, running a business, feeding 50 college students, feeding my family, being kind and loving and calming to one child, being a drill sergeant to another child, being a fun mom to a third child AND being a wife), so I thought I would leave you with something ADORABLE.

=0)

Friday Into Saturday

2011-12-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Friday morning began with me working a street corner, not something I do often which is unfortunate because I look SO attractive in my bright yellow vest and big red hat. Not to mention the ginormous stop sign.

Jealous?

=0)

(a new project...more to come!)

After I worked, I shed the vest (and the hat and stop sign) and went to Mass at the church next door. I absolutely love Catholic churches...I've spent lots of time in them in the last few years because Catholic churches are always open and you can just walk on in, have a seat and pray away.

And this Lutheran girl has needed lots of quiet church time this year.

Speaking of which, that guy that I like so much told a pastor recently that I loved to go pray in catholic churches because they are always unlocked...the pastor got kinda defensive saying that it would never be a problem to go into the church office, find the secretary, have her scramble around to find the keys to unlock the sanctuary for an hour or so so that one could go in to spend time. Yep, cuz I wanna go thru all that?

Anyway, I went to Mass and it turns out it was a Mass for the nuns, which I didn't realize until it was too late. So there I sat, just me and 20 or so nuns, and all I could think was that I need to make a 'habit' out of reading the sign before barging on in.

Enter a serious case of church giggles.

=0)

(Balboa in the morning. Paradise.)

From there...Costco, the grocery store, the bank (to try and figure out why every time that guy that I like so much uses his debit card it says 'call service center' and now every time I write a check it says the same thing. And no one knows why. There's money in the account, shockingly, but we can't seem to spend it. Hmmm...a sign, perhaps? Anyway, their advice is to close our account and re-open a new one...ugh) and then home to finally take a shower.

Last night was a concert, followed by prosecco and a wickedly good brie with some spiced nuts.

Seriously...you need to try these. I am having a love affair with chipotle chili powder...sprinkling it on everything for a little extra kick.

YUM.

(those green olives? castelvetrano. find them. buy them. weep for joy.)

This morning, my house is a wreck...we've got 50 students coming for supper tomorrow night and stuff is EVERYWHERE. For now, though, that guy that I like so much and I are sitting on the couch playing on our laptops while watching the food network. He made me a gingerbread latte and stollen for breakfast...the most perfect Saturday morning breakfast ever.

Can we just sit here all day?

(yeah. his nicer than mine.)

I guess we can't.

He has two more concerts today and I have to cook for a party. All stuff we like to do, but still...it would be so much funner (that's for my grammar friends) to just hang out all day long in our jammies and watch Christmas movies.

What are you up to this weekend?

My Senses

2011-12-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

Seeing:

Our little Christmas tree all lit up. Sunshine, streaming in through filthy windows. List upon list on the counter...got a bunch of people to feed this weekend!

Hearing:

Skateboards on the ramp outside. Christmas music...my very favorite is Windham Hill's December. The washer and dryer, working overtime today.

Tasting:

Mini burgers, sweet potato fries and an iced cold beer tasted soooo good last night. That guy that I like so much and I stole away for a much needed date...a little easier now that Alex is driving.

Smelling:

The inside of the high school gym. There's nothing like it. My boy is back after missing the first five games of in season play. He was so happy and played so well...I'm thinking, Sherlock, that my boy is back.

Feeling:

Peace. So much to do yet I feel peace. (Remind me of this peaceful feeling in a few days, ok?) Also hunger. Chili for supper...not my favorite but a definite crowd pleaser. We eat ours over macaroni...made necessary when my boys appetites grew and our budget had not.

=0)

O Christmas Tree (Stand)

2011-12-06T00:14:00.000-08:00

The tradition of buying a Christmas tree for our little house on our little street has evolved over the years. We've cut them down ourselves. We've ordered them and had them delivered. We've taken the whole family, most of the family, and once I think it was just me on a year where we just couldn't eek out the time to do it all together.

My favorite years? The ones where it was declared by someone (a very special someone at that) that it should be a boys outing. I think the actual someone who suggested it also tried to sell it by saying that not only would they be able to pick out the best tree ever for mama, but that mama would be waiting when they got home with hot chocolate loaded with mini marshmallows.

They'd step out the door and I would do that happy dance....the happy dance of being all alone for a little while in my little house.

Sadly, that tradition didn't last long.

This year it was just me and Brian, driving over the river and thru the woods (or up the 405 to Harbor) to Home Depot (conveniently located next to the shoe store, the barber and In n Out...one stop does it all!) where we searched through mounds of trees for the perfect one.

OK, so it was the first one we plucked out of the pile...but it was perfect. Short, but perfect. Or maybe everything seems shorter next to really tall boys?

They trimmed it all up for us and we threw it in the back of Alex's little pick-up truck, which is actually my little pick-up truck because Alex has not become one with a clutch yet, and drove our little tree home.

And after watching Brian drag it into the backyard I happened to notice that her trunk was just a tad, ummm, BIG.

Now years ago that guy that I like so much invested in a fancy schmancy tree stand that he has loved...you fit a cup on the bottom of the tree, plop it into the stand and from there you can easily adjust the tree with a little push of a button.

He LOVES his tree stand.

Problem this year? Miss Short and Stout's trunk wouldn't fit.

So out came the back up stand, found deep in the depths of junk land, and the next 30 minutes involved a lot of screwing of screws, cutting of branches, sweating of brows and muttering of words.

At one point I wasn't sure who was gonna win...that guy that I like so much or the tree.

=0)

But in the end we have a sweet little Christmas tree.

Emphasis on little.

=0)

Bummer

2011-12-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

The pole.

Minimal damage.

My car.

Not so minimal damage.

Repeating to myself, "it's just a car, it's just a car, it's just a car..."

Also repeating to myself, "you were an idiot for upping the deductible to $1000, you were an idiot for upping the deductible to $1000, you were an idiot for upping the deductible to $1000..."

23 hours with a drivers license. A record in our house.

His brother was kind enough to wait 18 days after he got his license.

The third will either be a charm...or a bike.

=0)

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-27T20:39:00.001-08:00

Our holiday week began in such a lovely way...pizza and red wine at Nick's with our good friends, laughing and sharing life stories. I am so thankful for not only the roots which are growing deeper and deeper here in southern California, but also for the branches that have grown...branches that represent friends and family and jobs and a really pretty little backyard.

I have struggled a bit with what I am thankful for this year. True, there are the usuals...health and life and love and protection, but for the first time in my life there has been something bigger that has been brought to life.

I am thankful for forgiveness. Thankful for 2nd (and 3rd and 4th) chances. Thankful that while we may only have one life to live, we have a life full of 'do overs'.

Pretty sure that is our new family motto...you get a do over, but this time, how are you gonna do it better?

This year in the food department I tried quite a few new things...PW's mashed potatoes (made a day ahead and AMAZING), these sweet potatoes (added lots more brown sugar and cinnamon and butter) and Alton Brown's method of cooking a big 'ole bird (didn't brine...just followed his cooking method and for the first time ever, didn't stuff the turkey...and probably never will again).

All in all, given the fact that from start to finish our meal lasted all of 18 minutes, I think it was a success.

=0)

I was given a mere 48 hours with all three of my offspring all together under one roof...48 short hours in which to drive them all absolutely crazy.

Good thing I'm talented at cutting to the chase. My oldest was rolling his eyes before he even stepped in the front door. I just keep reminding him that my mother drove me crazy, her mother drove her crazy and so on and so on.

It's. My. Duty.

Sadly, for me, he doesn't even bat an eye anymore. Come on...what fun is that?

The day after Thanksgiving, that guy that I like so much found himself back at Nick's, this time picking up pizza's to go. I just couldn't face another dirty pot or pan, another stick of butter, another grease spattered stove.

Couldn't do it.

I am now declaring the day after every holiday a no cook day for the cook in the house.

All in favor?

=0)

Through The Tunnel

2011-11-20T17:18:00.001-08:00

That guy that I like so much and I had the most perfect morning planned.

A little drive.

A little walk.

A little chat about the light that is always at the end of the tunnel, even though sometimes it seems really far away...and other times seems so bright and wide open that you know clearly which direction to head.

A little beach time.

The beach at wintertime is my favorite, followed closely by the beach at summertime and the beach at springtime and the beach at falltime.

A little (or a lotta) love on a plate...hot beignets with maple syrup and mounds of powdered sugar.

And just in case you were thinking that this was the far too perfect, insert 100 million work calls that I recieved THE WHOLE MORNING. Calls I had to take. One crossing guard crisis after another. I'm in a tunnel job-wise right now and while I am sure there is a speck of light at the end I can't seem to focus my eyes on it.

OK, it's not that bad...but it was on Friday.

=0)

But seriously, if you live in southern CA....take someone you really like and go have breakfast at The Beachcomber. Order the beignets.

And turn off your phone.

You'll thank me.

Know What?

2011-11-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble keeping up...but tomorrow?

Tomorrow I am playing hooky.

=0)

BUT, it's not tomorrow yet.

Today? Well, today is overly full.

I had a 7:00am meeting, which was actually an evaluation. I was totally stressed about it and it went fine, but didn't finish and so the rest will take place this afternoon. The good news? I am so over it and found myself praying with all my might that I would get fired.

Sadly? I don't think that is going to happen.

In between? I volunteered at Brian's school for 3 hours helping with the vision/hearing screening.

Know what? I really like middle schoolers. I just 'get' them.

And then? I popped home for 45 minutes and had lunch with Alex. Kinda crazy that this child I have prayed over SO VERY MUCH has found his footing. God is good.

And now? Back to work to discover my fate. Ugh.

(it's really not THAT bad.)

Really.

=0)

Sunday

2011-11-13T16:23:00.001-08:00

Thick cut bacon, drizzled with maple syrup and sprinkled with pepper, baked until sticky AND crispy.

Artichokes, stuffed with bread crumbs and pine nuts and fresh mozzarella and olive oil, baked in a smidge of white wine until tender.

Espresso with one heaping teaspoonful of sugar and a pumpkin candle on the side...not pictured, a hallmark movie on the tele.

And my verse for this coming week:

...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

1 Tim. 6:11

=0)

How was your weekend?

Needed

2011-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I was woken up by a very, very tall person in the middle of the night.

I screamed, waking up that guy that I like so much and startling the very tall person who was waking me up.

I'm calm like that.

Alex was sick.

Almost 18, very, very tall and having a bad, bad ear ache...and what did he do? He woke up his mama because he needed his mama.

HE. NEEDED. HIS. MAMA.

He has been one of those kids that bypassed all the common childhood illnesses...but before you say anything, he has had his share of the 'things':

Broken bones. Plural.

Stitches. Many.

Staples. Plethora.

Surgeries. Multiple.

Common colds. Only a handful.

Ear infections?

THREE...including the current one.

The poor guy, all 17 years and 50 weeks of him, was in agony.

And he needed his mama.

After doing the mama thing (lots of meds and a few prayers), he was back asleep...and so was I, but the rest of the night was that kind of sleep where you sleep with one ear open. Just in case.

I didn't mind a bit...and thankfully, he's feeling a bit better today. Needing a bit more TLC than usual, but that's OK with me.

This job of mine...as Alex's mom, is secure.

=0)

All these pictures?

A Friday night, pre-ear infection, dinner party. Toasted bread soaked in olive oil. Pot roast. Risotto. Homemade, by a talented 13 year old baker, chocolate chip cookies.

And, not planned by me but the perfect addition...rain.

=0)

Firing Shoes

2011-11-10T23:10:00.000-08:00

This morning I had to put on my firing shoes. Ugh. I don't like wearing my firing shoes because they mean I have to, well, fire someone...and I would rather do just about anything else than fire someone.

I am not meant for this.

Raising boys? Yes.

Cooking supper? Yes.

Lighting candles and making things pretty? Yes.

Telling someone their life as they know it is over? No.

My firing shoes? Back in my closet. Buried. Where they belong.

When this job is over...they're goin' in the trash.

=0)

For supper last night that guy that I like so much made margaritas and I made enchiladas. They are totally unauthentic enchiladas, but they fed a crowd of hungry men-folk with no complaints.

Though the following was overheard:

"Wow, Mom. Your enchiladas aren't normally good. These are!"

=0)

The mornings have been soooo cold here...like 40 some degrees cold, which for us SoCal peeps is FRIGID.

I had to leave at dark o'thirty this morning to met my boss and midway through complaining about how cold I was, I looked up.

And saw a glimpse of heaven.

Tonight was simple.

Pasta with sausage and broccoli.

X-Factor.

A fire in the fireplace.

I like simple.

=0)

Mama Bear

2011-11-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

I can thank my car and the Del Taco drive-thru for supper last night...gotta love a huge bag of tacos for $10.

A boys dream when the papa is working late and the mama is tired.

I spent much of my day involved in a snarky email exchange between myself and the commissioner of the basketball league. I don't like snarky emails when I receive them and I don't like them even more when I send them...and I am guilty of sending them today (but only after receiving them...does that make it any better?) which gives me a stomach ache. The low-down? Brian is now team-less and I am a very mad mama bear. Don't mess with mama bear. Mama bear gets real ugly, real quick and mama bear does things she regrets when something is happening to one of her cubs.

I did remove the words 'low life' and 'scum bag' from the emails I was sending.

So there.

This instinct to protect, at all costs, reminds me of the shepherds and their sheep. They protect every single one of their flock...even the wayward ones, foregoing time for rest until each one is huddled down safely for the night.

Us mama's...we are each the shepherd of our own flock. But we're not doing this alone because we are still part of a bigger flock...and MY shepherd is still watching out for me. And He let me know last night (by giving me a stomach ache and a very bad case of 'guilt-itis' when I hit 'send' on my last incredibly rude email that will now be out there for all eternity and probably caused this poor, rather rude man, loss of sleep last night) that I was a wandering sheep.

And I tossed and turned ALL NIGHT LONG. So this morning, I got up early for my quiet time and sent off an apology for my rather rude behavior.

Within two minutes, my phone beeped in reply.

"Noted."

Noted? THAT'S your reply? How about a "thanks for your kind and thoughtful email. All is forgiven. And by the way, Brian is now on a team?"

Sigh.

I need an attitude adjustment.

And some chocolate.

Thankful

2011-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

Thankful...for a never ending magazine supply thanks to my sis-in-law, especially now that the weather is cooler and I'm curled up in bed under a blanket earlier than usual. Just when it starts to get shorter, she brings more over. Who doesn't love free magazines?

=0)

Thankful...for a lovely supper last week. That guy that I like so much is working tons right now and has so many night time concerts/recitals/rehearsals, so I'll take what I can get.

Thankful...for a job. Even when I have to train crossing guards in the pouring rain.

Thankful...for salted caramel mocha's. Non-fat, of course. A splurge that is worth every single sip.

Thankful...for the Aunties. They met Matthew's girlfriend for the first time on Sunday...I am still laughing at Aunt Jill hugging Brianne and telling her, "it's ok. I don't have head lice anymore."

Life is too short to have a boring family.

=0)

Thankful...for my oldest. He's a smart cookie. A bit dramatic, which I am sure he gets from his father. The big brains come from his mother.

Thankful...for nutella panini's. Joy spread between two slices of bread and toasted until warm and ooey and gooey. Best eaten for breakfast. Or lunch. Or supper. Or anytime in between.

Thankful...for basketball. Brian's turn this weekend in a school tournament. Fun to see all the parents. Not fun that there was no place to sit.

What are you thankful for?

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

That guy that I like so much and I were anti-Halloween back in the day when we were the perfect parents...back before we had children of our own and were still in the stage of judging all other people's kids and discussing how we were gonna do it better.

What can I say...we were young. And un-informed.

=0)

And then, as so often happens when you plant your feet so firmly on the ground in a decision you've made, the ground moved.

Halloween became HUGE in our family.

We began hosting big parties on Halloween...soup parties followed by trick or treating and candy binging and hanging out late into the night parties. Year after year of fun with friends...and then something happened. The children grew up and started developing lives of their own, the parents got older and more tired and eventually, our annual party drifted off to sleep.

This was the first year in 21 years that we haven't had to take a child out trick or treating. TWENTY ONE YEARS. Crazy!

This year I fed a group of rather sorry costumed boys a big chili dog supper and sent them on their way...without a parent in tow.

And then we did something cruel. Fired up the barbecue and grilled ourselves some steaks, baked some potatoes, roasted some asparagus and opened a bottle of red wine.

And feasted. And handed out candy. And reminisced. And relaxed.

And gloated, just a bit.

Gloated, that is, until the 13 year old was up all night barfing after binging on too much junk food.

Should've gloated less.

=0)

A New Season

2011-10-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

It happened the other night.

I knew it would, as sure as the sun rises and sets...but that doesn't mean that I was any more prepared for it.

My baby...not just any baby, but the baby I prayed for for years before he was conceived, well, he shunned me.

Shunned.

I should have been more prepared for it. I mean, he is the 3rd of mine to go through this...and like his brothers before him, I know in my head that this is only temporary.

But still.

It caught me off guard.

I saw it unfold as if in slow motion, too. The middle school band was performing with all the high schoolers and he was surrounded by friends. I watched my 13 year old laughing and joking and having such a fun time and then talking with the cute little blond girl and her friend and I should have known.

But I forgot.

"Brian! Brian!" I called out, trying to get his attention.

And then it happened. The slight nod of his head, the unspoken universal signal that says, 'PLEASE don't talk to me in public!'

I know that it is only temporary before he swings back around, like his brothers before him.

Maybe it was only a one time thing?

Or maybe it is the beginning of that separation that has to take place in order for a boy to begin to grow into a man...the beginning of the time when he feels the need to not tell me everything that is going on.

But then, as sure as the sun rises and sets, he climbed into the car and asked for ice cream...which I, as sure as the sun rises and sets, said yes to. Because one thing I've learned from his brothers before him is that those stolen little moments in the car, those detours through the drive-thru, are some of the sweetest moments we can have.

And so we enter a new season...not a bad season, but a different season.

A growing up season.

My head is ready. My heart is not.

Free!

2011-10-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

Jury duty.

Over.

The pantry in my house.

Empty.

(Brian, on the right, and his buddy...before the dance.)

Boys in my house.

Slobs.

Cats in my house.

Neglected.

Laundry in my house.

Piled high.

(Saturday morning chocolate chip pancakes. LOVE.)

Mama in the house.

Happy.

A little behind, but happy.

=0)

Still Serving

2011-10-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

Serving my country (haha) as Juror #9 is the strangest thing ever...it's like having a giant peep hole into someone else's life, which is just a tad bit awkward. And kinda cool all at the same time.

But most of all...it is exhausting sitting there all day long.

I've got my eye on the prize, though...and that prize is the $15 a day that my state pays me to be there.

=0)

(parmesan fries and a Spaten at The Counter...both half price during Happy Hour!)

The lesson I am learning in all this is that I need to relinquish some control...a lesson that for me, is one in progress.

Asking for help? Not one of my strong suits...but one thing I've realized is that I am so often blessed by helping others and that by allowing others to help me it blesses them, which in turn blesses me.

Does that make sense?

(a most amazing chicken sandwich with pineapple salsa...YUM!)

Anyway, I am thankful. Thankful for a friend who took Brian to the dentist. Thankful for a friend who delivered some jewelry orders. Thankful for a friend who sends me 5 bazillion text messages to read during the breaks.

=0)

In the meantime, I sit...and in between all the parts I need to pay attention to, there are huge long breaks where we (the jury) can't talk to one another or move other than to stand up and stretch.

So I'm taking advantage of it. I've made lists...lots and lots of lists. Christmas lists, Thanksgiving menu lists, home improvement lists, menu plans for the upcoming weeks, grocery lists...you name it and I've got a list going for it.

And while it's been interesting...I am SO ready for it to be over.

=0)

Jury Duty

2011-10-19T20:26:00.001-07:00

I am currently Juror #9.

Because obviously God thinks I don't have enough on my plate.

The 'random' computer picked my name and into the courtroom I went.

Not just the courtroom, but straight up to the jury box. They interviewed me and I proudly stated that I support the American judicial system; however, I enjoy supporting it from my home where my children and all their laundry lives.

I also stated (and my father-in-law just might want to stop reading here) that if everyone just stopped talking so much, we could be in and out of here in an hour and on our happy way. That 3 days of 'he said, she said' is crazy...I'm a mother of a bunch of boys and the one thing I try and teach them is that it is not all about them. That the good Lord didn't put them on this planet alone, but with other people, so swallow your pride and move on.

I thought that would get me off.

Instead? They slapped me on that jury faster than the speed of light.

Whatever.

Some people totally dig this stuff...though I have a feeling that those people aren't trying to figure out how to get kids to the dentist and orthodontist and the eye doctor while sitting on a jury.

And how am I going to get Brian to the dentist on Monday afternoon...and takers? =0(

I have to say, it is quite fascinating to see how our judicial system works.

I also have to say that if this were on TV, we would've been in and out of there in 2 hours, including commercial breaks.

Instead, it'll take a week. Or more.

It's SO hard to not shout out, "SPIT IT OUT and MOVE ON!" while sitting there...instead, I chew gum like a a crazy woman.

(took this right before they confiscated my phone)

I am trying to embrace this disruption in my life...though it is not easy. I keep thinking about everything I am missing...home, my boys, work...but for some reason, God wants me to spend an awful lot of time sitting.

So I am sitting.

=0)

Ups And Downs

2011-10-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

My day today was a roller coaster.

Without the cotton candy.

Just ups and downs so drastic it made my stomach hurt.

(pumpkins at the market were $2 each! My neighbor and I stocked up!)

LOW:

We found out on Friday when trying to book an appointment for his behind the wheel test that Alex's driving permit had expired four months ago. Let me repeat that: FOUR MONTHS AGO, Alex's permit expired and we had no clue...which means that he has been driving for FOUR MONTHS without a permit.

We're good parents. Aware. On top of things. Smart.

HIGH:

This morning we went to the DMV on a Monday morning in Southern California with about 8 million other people so that he could retake the test. Turns out we had fun, just me and him, chatting about really strange stuff for two hours.

And, thankfully, he passed.

(she has her Fall make-up on)

LOW:

A call from my work about a mistake I made. It was a mistake. I apologized and fixed it. No one was killed or put in harms way or sued...but the phone calls about the issue kept coming. As did the insults.

LOWER:

I was then told that 'these things happen when you hire incompetent people.'

Meaning ME.

Yep.

Swallow THAT pill.

(an american version of panforte...YUM)

HIGH:

Macaroni and cheese. And not the kind from the box.

HIGHER:

A visit to Sonic for a diet cherry limeade with a real cherry and a real lime in it with their really fabulous funky ice.

(so many new things to list in the shop!)

LOW:

The engine light in my car. On. Of course. Cuz we are rollin' in dough right now and can afford every single thing that is coming our way. Not. Even. Close.

HIGH:

Every evening, that guy that I like so much and I have been walking around our neighborhood, wine glasses in hand. We always end up pausing in front of our little house, all 1282 square feet of it, and thanking God for such a happy little house. It's not big or mighty, but it's us.

(boy cousin love)

HIGH:

The X Factor. We are LOVING this show.

Dear Simon Cowell,

I am sorry to tell you that I am happily married but if ever I am not, please marry me.

Love, Me.

LOW:

Baseball keeps pre-empting it.

(the leaves are turning!)

HIGH:

It's Autumn, baby!

=0)

Happiness From The Last Week

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vin Goat. A cheese shop in Corona Del Mar owned by a friend of that guy that I like so much and all I can say is...GO THERE. We had the best picnic ever thanks to Hans. Please visit...and try the orange aged gouda. It's life changing. For reals.

Our mantle. Purty. Too bad the picture is blurry.

Black kitty parade on the front porch.

Afternoon espresso with three very little spoonfuls of sugar. And a small piece of fig and honey bread. Helps make mama more human. Who says the witching hour is just for little children?

Aunt Joanna and Brian. Love. And wow...he's gotten tall. Or she's shrunk.

That guy that I like so much got a new iPhone and keeps telling me how iHappy he is. Personally, it's been a tad bit iNnoying at the amount of time he's spent asking his new girlfriend questions.

=0)

Pretty sure she doesn't do laundry, so my place in his life is secure.

=0)

Stressful Day

2011-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

I had a teeny tiny melt down today in between a really phenomenal bible study (involving Jonah and a really, really yummy pumpkin desserty thingy that was served at snack and wasn't in any way more important than the word of God but did leave a lasting impression) and the arrival of my nieces and nephew for a little playtime and supper.

I'm caught up in a strange work situation and in between my bible study/pumpkin heaven and family supper night (involving a massive meatloaf and homemade mac n cheese) there were a ton of very, very rude phone calls.

All directed toward me.

After the last one involving a creepy guy who kept calling me 'hun' (and excuse me, but I am NOT his 'hun'...I am his BOSS, which I don't normally throw around but in this case it's true), I just kinda had a weepy moment.

It felt good.

=0)

Tomorrow is a new day...one that will involve even more people calling and telling me off and I plan on handling it better than I did today.

I love that cell phones have an 'ignore call' feature.

=0)

And now all I can think about is that pumpkin dessert...I overheard that it is pumpkin and a cake mix and a few other ingredients.

I need one. Badly. I don't want to make it myself...I just want one to show up on my doorstep. With cool whip, please.

Pretty please?

=0)

And just so you know, my little house on my little street...all gussied up with her new coat of paint, is NEVER this clean.

Lots of BIG boys live here you know.

=0)

Living In LaLa-Land

2011-10-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

My week was going along swimmingly until the call from the school came informing me that one of the children I not only carried inside me for 36 weeks, but hurled my guts out 6 or 7 times a day FOR THAT WHOLE TIME was not doing well in one of his classes.

Sigh.

I mean, come on. Mama had JUST finished telling someone how well my boys were doing an hour or so before the phone call came. Life was good and I was at peace living in lala-land.

I like living in lala-land.

It's my happy place.

No one is grumpy there and everyone has a smile on their face and no one has gray hairs on their heads that are unwanted or bad grades or dirty dishes in the sink and salted caramel mochas from Starbucks are calorie free.

Oh well. Welcome to real life.

Weekends highlights included two basketball games, a play, a concert, a dinner party, church and more laundry than you would think would be humanly possible to accomplish.

And one pan of pumpkin stuffed shells that had me (and 2 of my 3 menfolk that live with me) weeping with joy.

YUMMY.

One boy didn't have any appreciation for them. He's the same boy that told me that he's heard about this really cool thing...spaghetti in a CAN, and how come all his friends get to eat so many cool things like that?

He's the same one who will tell you, without an ounce of hesitation, that when he grows up he wants to be a boss.

And I tell him, without an ounce of hesitation, that when he is grown up and a boss that he can eat spaghetti out of a can...just like all the other kids.

Win, win.

=0)

Watching The Sunset

2011-10-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday night following a beautiful concert, we (that guy that I like so much, my oldest son and the amazing composer) headed down to the beach for a little supper.

Or a lotta supper, depending on which person was eating.

=0)

Sunset at the beach is one of those breathtaking, beautiful things in life that we (the peoples who live 6 miles away from it) take advantage of far too infrequently...something about the timing of that whole sunset thing that coincides with husbands arriving home from work and children who have reached the witching hour and mothers who are thinking of nothing more than a martini and a hot bath.

Something like that anyway.

I always wonder when watching that big ball of fire that is provided to give us warmth and light...how when it lowers and lowers itself until it is just sitting on top of the water, how that moment is so quiet and beautiful, how one cannot believe in God?

Our conversation that night was all light and fun in the beginning...everything from real estate prices in Indiana vs. California to raising free spirited children to traveling the world with young children.

But by the time dessert rolled around things changed. Not in a bad way, but in a thought provoking way that has me still thinking two days later.

It began with a simple ' have you seen the face of Jesus?' question...a question I was able to answer pretty simply.

Yes.

In that guy that I like so much, who works so unselfishly.

In my middle son, who has such a servants heart.

In my girlfriend, who is always there with a smile.

In my niece Sophie, who gives the best hugs.

In my girlfriend, who hangs with her students during lunch rather than hiding in her office.

Seeing the face of Jesus around me is pretty easy if I slow down long enough to look for it.

But then came the next question.

"Have you BEEN the face of Jesus lately?"

Whoa. Was I the face of Jesus while I was frustrated with my boys about their wet towels on the floor? Was I when I called the driver in front of me this morning (who WAS going too slow, by the way....) a not so kind and loving name? Was I when I grumbled (again) about our financial state? Was I when I chose to watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills instead of finish my bible study?

Nope.

But that's where grace comes into play, I guess. God doesn't need me to be perfect...He just needs me to be aware.

=0)

How about you? Have you seen the face of Jesus lately?

Saturday Morning

2011-10-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

This morning when I woke up (after a night of the strangest dreams I have EVER had...what DID I eat last night???), it felt like Autumn.

Like, totally.

The windows in our little house on our little street were wide open and the air was chilly and fresh and clean. That guy that I like so much, who I think still lives here after arriving home late last night, was already gone for a long, long day. My youngest was sound asleep which meant that the whole quiet house was all mine.

=0)

Muffins seemed fitting...pumpkin muffins, with chocolate chips in them. I'd like to say that they were homemade but Trader Joe's does it SO well...but I can say that they were home 'stirred'.

How's that sound?

=0)

It's so easy on quiet mornings like this when the early day sun is shining into the house to stop and listen...it's as if the light is saying 'all will be well'.

And I cling to that hope like the ivy that is clinging to my little stuccoed house.

Like glue.

I need reminders of this...not just when the sun is shining, but also when the skies are grey and cloudy. Reminders that the sun is still there behind the gloom and doom...that even when we can't see the light, or feel the warmth, it is always there.

ALWAYS.

It's a concert weekend for that guy that I like so much, as well as doing a clinic of some sort or another and the hosting of a guest composer. In other words, that means he won't be around much at all for the next few days.

Boo.

On the home front I have one teen who is arguing his point for going to an upcoming concert (and I can assure you that it is NOT a choral concert) at a small theater in LA. On a school night. An hour away. One that a bunch of his friends already have permission to go to and I am the final hold out. And my teen...well, let's just say that he would make a fine attorney.

The other teen is hanging out with friends at a festival in our town, hopping from one food stand to another. He got out of the car this morning with his saggy jeans and a beanie on his head and all I could think (after telling him to pull up his pants) was, 'here we go again...'

Have I mentioned how much I love free will?

=0)

As for me...not much today. The grocery shopping is done and the house is picked up...it just might be a hallmark movie kinda day. I've got a pumpkin baking for a new recipe that I am trying for pumpkin ravioli...smells pretty good in here!

=0)

How about you...what are your weekend plans?

My Three Sons

2011-09-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning.

All three together.

One mom, just trying for ONE good picture.

=0)

Last Weekend

2011-09-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just need to repaint your house.

At least that is what I (somewhat stupidly) tricked myself into believing this weekend.

=0)

We've evolved from September Leaf to Mountain Gold to Indian Autumn..all fancy names for YELLOW.

They all look exactly the same but they make me very, very happy. And that new Behr paint WITH primer already in it?

Worth the extra few dollar's.

As for rehanging everything back on the walls?

No time.

No energy.

Can't find the nails.

And then there was Blog Sugar. Definitely a step out of my comfort zone, talking to people who I had never met in real life but had met online and learning more about blogging...and more about blogging with purpose.

And it made me question lots. Does my blog have a purpose? And does it need a purpose? Can it just be what it is...a little blog written from my little house on my little street or should it become more? Or is more simply too much?

Welcome into my brain. Fun, isn't it?

=0)

It. Was. Inspiring.

Love when that happens.

And that cupcake topped with a doughnut?

YUM.

=0)

A Disney Date

2011-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday involved one guy and one girl on a date...a 'let's escape from home without children in the backseat' kinda date.

A Disneyland date.

=0)

It was cloudy. It was crowded. It was Halloween-y. It was perfect.

We had grand plans for our evening...first up, Star Tours.

LOVED it.

So will my chiropractor.

Next up, the mother of all corn dogs.

Yummy.

And finally?

Swing dancing.

And here's the thing. We are REALLY good swing dancers.

Seriously.

=0)

OK...so we thought we were really good swing dancers. I mean, we are...in our little house on our little street. But in public? Not so much.

I'm thinking our next set of lessons should be somewhere other than the senior center.

There were some fancy moves happening on that dance floor...time for us to learn to jitterbug!

Think it matters that I have two left feet, no rhythm and serious issues with who is supposed to lead?

=0)

This Week On My Camera

2011-09-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

I am hoping that next week is my week for pulling it all together...one can hope, right?

=0)

Part of my new job is doing crossing guard stake outs, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and always in the wee early hours of the day. It's fun and I like it...but I am struggling with some parts of my job. More on that later...

In Bible study we are studying Jonah and I am loving it. Love that at this moment I am dealing with my own personal Ninevah and am just maybe running from my calling...but my calling doesn't pay money and is that really where God wants me to be when I need to make money?

So is it God's call or my call? That is the question...

=0)

Lunch after with the neighborhood girls...a group that bless me and pray for me. And (thankfully) shared my watermelon salad cuz there's only so much watermelon one person can eat.

There's something to be said about an avocado burger.

But I'm speechless.

It actually made up for the group of SUPER grumpy teens I was with at the time who did NOT want to go with their mama apple picking but the mama didn't care and made them go anyway...and guess what?

They. Had. Fun.

And that burger? YUM.

My oldest.

He's a man now.

Can someone please tell me how my little pickle got so old without my permission?

And then there's ginormous boy.

Hello? He was listed as 'failure to thrive' people. Can you tell?

=0)

Last season of basketball happening here...he's decided not to play after this year. Lot's of big decisions being made, but in the end he needs to make them...and I'm proud of him.

The things one learns along life's path...my new one? A plate of veggies on the dip when everyone walks in the door STARVING and supper is not quite ready.

Only took 15 years or so.

=0)

Well everyone, how was YOUR week?

=0)

(thanks again, Jeanett!)

Apple Picking

2011-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

That guy that I like so much was gone for the weekend with his college students and I am settling in to my new reality...a super quiet house.

Now, I LOVE me a super quiet house during the weekdays. That seems normal to me. But weekend quiet? That's a whole new bird.

So I painted.

=0)

On Sunday the boys that still live in my little house on my little street and I drove kinda far away to church so we could listen to that guy that I like so much's choir.

And after...we drove into the hills to pick apples.

I will say...it was hot. As in, HOT. 90 degree hot.

Isn't it Autumn yet?

The boys, well, they weren't thrilled to be going. Even after feeding them HUGE burgers and fries and sodas, they continued to grumble.

In fact, their dad had to throw out the 'DON'T ruin this for YOUR mother!' statement...which totally cracked me up.

I wasn't too worried...I knew it would happen. Full bellies, fresh air, lots of room to run (just as important for teen boys as it is for toddler boys) and suddenly the smiles were found. And the rotten apples, which are (supposedly) fun to throw at each other.

Sigh.

=0)

We came home with TONS of apples and I have bowls of them all over the house. OH, and the most amazing pie ever...is there any better smell than that warm appley, cinnamony smell?

On the way home the boys totally crashed in the backseat, so that guy that I like so much and I even got a date out of the deal.

Bonus.

=0)

This Week, from my camera

2011-09-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

I can't keep up.

=0)

Desserts for one of that guy that I like so much's choirs. I made all the cookies, had them cooling on the counter and ran to the store to get a few things...in the meantime, enter Alex and a bunch of his friends. HUNGRY friends.

Lesson learned...always put a note on things you don't want eaten. Lesson #2...don't EVER leave freshly baked cookies on the counter and run to the store. Lesson #3...find the joy in the whole thing and be OK with baking second batches of everything. They're just cookies after all...

=0)

Bible study began this week, too (Jonah, this time around...I'm excited!)...but with that comes precious girl time with a friend.

Throw in a cucumber lemonade and a caramelized onion, fig and gorgonzola tart and, well, life is complete.

These boys...each of them responsible for a few of the grey hairs on my head (mine is in the back seat who you can't see), are true friends. Since KINDERGARTEN. Having moved tons as a child (7 different schools in 12 years), I love this.

My new job has me working from home more, but every so often I am out in the field training crossing guards to be...well, crossing guards. Good ones.

=0)

This is one guards corner...check out that view. Amazing.

Laguna Beach, early in the day. Ocean at your back, hills in front.

Yes, please.

Late night snack of champions...pizzelle and nutella.

(can't add anything to that except a big 'ole SIGH.)

Thanks, Jeanett!

What was YOUR week?

The Lime Truck...Again. And Again.

2011-09-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you've been catching The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network, but my favorite food truck guys are in it.

We've been stalking the Lime Guys since their beginning days and are probably some of their biggest fans...they're just really cool guys who make and serve the most amazing food. In a truck.

I'll be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled with the way they are choosing to portray themselves on national TV...but then I wonder what I would come across like, so who am I to judge?

Their food?

Still amazingly awesome...though I am looking forward to the day when they start varying their menu a bit again (boys...please bring back the roasted beet salad. And the arancini. Please? For me?) and also start showing their smiley faces again.

It'll happen. I know it will.

In the meantime, we had tacos last week. Not just any tacos, but shredded pork that cooked for 9 hours...with roasted peppers on the side that were salty and kinda spicy and kinda sweet.

YUM.

I will say that since appearing on the tele, their lines have trippled...so I guess people don't mind the green headbands and purple pants and kinda rude comments.

=0)

Still rooting for you Lime Truck...hope you brought home the big money!

=0)

Quiet Weekend

2011-09-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

In the last week we've been reintroduced to schedules and structure...I'm not complaining because for as much as I thrive on the freedom that summer brings, I also like the routine of having regular supper times and bedtimes.

I have a dual personality.

=0)

I remember when my boys were small and I would day dream about quiet and would relish in those moments where I could sneak in a quick afternoon espresso or tea or diet coke...but even now that my boys are big, I find it is just as important to take those moments and just be.

To recharge. Refocus. Say thanks.

Saturday morning a storm rolled through southern California...a THUNDER storm (we don't have thunder out here. I KNOW...isn't that weird?) and as I was huddled on my couch with a blanket listening to the majesty of it, I had to laugh when the warning came on the television.

Us SoCal'ers can be a tad bit dramatic.

=0)

Once the storm blew over, that guy that I like so much and I hung out in our little garden playing cribbage and sipping cocktails...we had boys milking this weekend for every second they could as it's the last one before real life knocks us for a loop (basketball season starts next weekend!) so they were in an out. And in an out.

We both worked lots...me, inputting school and sports and work schedules into my computer calendar and that guy that I like so much preparing a big lecture on Berliotz (whose music gives me goosebumps), but it was nice to be sitting outside and working on stuff at the same time.

And throwing in a game or two of cribbage...and yeppers, those were really our hands! I didn't notice until just now... =0)

This week...my little house on my little street needs a scouring. I am training lots of new crossing guards this week, making cookies for a rehearsal tonight, figuring out how to stretch the groceries until payday, removing the old tomato plants from the garden and also taking a moment here and there to enjoy a coffee in the backyard.

And just be.

A Little Date

2011-09-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

That guy that I like so much was able to end his work week early (the boys spent the day at the water park) so we climbed into his car, put the top down and headed up PCH to Belmont Shore.

Sounds fun, eh?

In reality, we were both actually super grumpy so it started out kinda ugly. There wasn't a smile to be found. I'm blaming it on low blood sugar, a shattered full jar of pickles on the kitchen floor and a free spirited teen...not necessarily in that order (but close).

=0)

So first up...lunch at Le Creperie in Belmont Shore.

I actually veered from my normal crepes and had a croque madam...which is now my most favorite thing there. SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME...and worth every single calorie.

In the midst of lunch, happiness and harmony reappeared and all was well in the land.

Love how that works.

=0)

After, we hung out in the bookstore where each of us got lost in our own sections. Music for him. Gardening for her. Travel for both.

One quick stop on the way home for a new wand for that guy that I like so much...he gets paid to wave that stick around, after all.

Wand? Baton? Same thing.

=0)

And that was that. Back to real life. The floor was still sticky and the teen was still free spirited, but my blood sugar was once again in a normal range which made everything seem a bit more manageable.

Thankfully.

=0)

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T10:34:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting on my couch, trying not to look towards the kitchen where the counters are piled full of dirty glasses that all need to be washed by hand.

Whose idea was it to use the all those glasses that don't fit in the dishwasher?

=0)

In between dinner out with friends on Friday night and the above after party kitchen mess, we grilled pizzas for our own little family.

One was topped with steak and gorgonzola, arugula and shaved parmesan...but my new favorite? Mixed cheeses (goat, asiago and fresh mozzarella), fresh figs, proscuitto, and arugula.

Oh my. Tell me...would you eat that?

Today we're hanging out at home. Aside from washing all that glassware and scraping some wax off the patio from a bunch of drippy candles last night, there is not one thing on the docket for day.

Bliss.

Last night we had friends over for a party in our pretty little garden...an end of summer party, but also a reunion party of sorts. It had been awhile since this particular group had broken bread together and lots has happened in all of our lives, so this get together was healing. And good. And fun.

It's interesting how friendships evolve. Some fade away but others last through earth shattering events and I'll be the first to admit, I'm not one to let too many people into my friendship circle. I've got my core group...some live far but are a simple phone call/text/email away; others I see on a day to day (or week by week) basis.

And some that have faded away end up coming back into light again and you wonder why they ever faded away in the first place.

One word. Blessed.

=0)

Happy Labor Day...I hope you are enjoying your long weekend!

=0)

Just A Bunch Of Stuff

2011-09-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

1. I wear a lot of black. I like black. It goes with everything and I am such a fashion nightmare that even I know that you can't screw up with black. Right?

2. I eavesdropped on a conversation between Alex, my 17 year old, and that guy that I like so much...they were discussing what Alex had read in Revelations the night before. And to quote him, 'Dad...it's nice to know that God has my back.'

(grilled veggies drizzled with olive oil, balsamic and basil)

3. I love Danielle Steel novels. There, I said it out loud. I like that they are predictable...they start out fine, have a tragedy and then everyone lives happily ever after. And I love that I can read a whole one in a day or two.

4. OK...while I am at it, I love Bachelor Pad. Smut TV at it's best. Drives that guy that I like crazy and yes, it does go against everything that I believe...but it is SO entertaining!

(grilled bread topped with goat cheese and olive oil)

5. I wear old fashioned hard contacts. It's so convenient to be able to pop one out, spit on it, and then stick it back in your eye without a mirror...though I don't recommend doing this right after eating. That would be gross.

6. I use the phrase 'you people' a lot when talking to my houseful of boys...things like, 'you people are driving me crazy' and 'you people need to stop wrestling in the house' and 'if I catch you people drinking out of the milk carton again...'

(the perfect summer meal!)

7. School starts in one week. Yep, we're STILL on summer vacation. It's actually kinda fun and while I am ready, I'm not. In fact, I'm kinda mourning this year knowing that next year will be a big year of change for us.

8. I love jigsaw puzzles and want to work on one. Badly. Unfortunately, there is no spot to leave one out in our little house on our little street because we, well, live in a little house.

(chocolate croissants and an asparagus frittata)

9. Nutella was put on this earth to make me happy. I believe that wholeheartedly.

10. My youngest (who will be 13 this week) asked me to make a necklace for a girl he likes and he wants it to say 'angel' on it. Lord help us as we raise boy #3 through adolescence. (FYI, it isn't happening. The necklace, that is. Unfortunately, adolescence is inescapable...)

(Nick's...where everybody knows our name.)

11. The above picture? A pizza from Nick's, which is HEAVEN in pizza form.

=0)

Summer Is Ending

2011-08-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

The door to summer feels like it has slammed shut and even though my younger boys are still in the lounge around all day mode (school starts on the 8th and 9th of September for them), I am back to work.

And I'm having trouble managing my time...I'm only paid to work a certain number of hours and what I need to do is just stop when that period of time is up.

One of the few cons to working from home.

We are approaching that time of year that I love so much and I've been in the mood to cook things that go in the oven for a few hours...the kind of things that are almost always served with mashed potatoes. Or homemade bread. Or dumplings or noodles. Or any other thing you can think of that causes one to add a little extra padding to themselves because it tastes oh so good.

=0)

But we're not quite there yet. For one, my freezer still has ribs and brats and strip steaks in it and two, I am just not ready to lose my outdoor dining room. I love it so much back there and even though we have a heater, it's not the same as those warm summer evenings.

she's gonna kill me. =0)

Brian has had the most incredible (and expensive!) summer ever...a month of music summer school, skateboard camp, basketball camp, the pools and beach and water park and skateparks and six flags and just plain 'ole hanging out with friends.

This week? There's nothin'. Absolutely nothing and he is bored. Totally, utterly bored...but I'm not feeling too sorry for him. He's had fun and now it's time for boredom.

He'll live.

Alex on the other hand...well, he's living life to the fullest. I can't believe I'm about to have another senior in high school...

he's gonna kill me. =0)

Next week will find us back into some sort of routine...the boys will be back in school, which means bedtimes and breakfasts on the go and (gasp) homework. But for me it also means the return to bible study and some girlfriend time and floors that stay clean for a few hours during the day.

I like clean floors.

=0)

How about you? Happy summer is ending or no?