Acceptance

I have come to accept that I will never be finished with the laundry.

When I think I'm finished, I discover Himself's unpacked suitcase. It refills the hamper completely.

I have come to accept that my socks will never be completely matched up.

When I think they're matched up, I discover that Missy stole a few from the laundry pile and put them in her bed when I wasn't looking.

I have come to accept that I will never be a size 3 again.

Thank God.

I have come to accept that my home will never be magazine perfect.

When I get it even close to this, I fuss to my family and make everyone uncomfortable instead of letting them live here.

I have come to accept that my family is not perfect.

When I turn my critical eye to them, I become thankful that they don't turn critical eyes to ME and I remember Grace.

I guess Grace is the key to all acceptance - letting everyone be exactly where God has them for the moment as He works HIS good and perfect will, not mine.

Grace on you.

At Our Farmer's Market . . .

There's a small orchestra playing!
The local high school orchestra was out there playing to raise funds . .. for. . . something.

I have to say, I have become disillusioned with our Farmer's Market. The prices have become RIDICULOUS. My little Scottish Heart just flares up in outrage when I see what they want to charge me for a basket of green beans!

My friend Janet B told me a of a produce place near her home. We left the overpriced fruits and veggies and headed over there.

The minute I walked in the door, I was at home.

Now, the produce was not polished and pretty, but the prices were fantastic! I was willing to pick through the veggies to have affordable food. The place is run by Hispanics, so I saw all the foods that are so familiar from my Southern California upbringing. Instead of paying $2.50 for ONE avocado, I paid $1.00 for THREE!

Looks like I have a new Saturday shopping place. =)

Speaking of Food

Himself was out with Ty on Sunday night, so here's a little meal I threw together. This would fit solidly in the category of "Things Himself Will Not Eat so Don't Even Bother."


Salmon Patties and peas.

I figured out how to make them correctly and they came out great! The first time, the salmon wasn't pre-cooked. I found canned, fully cooked salmon at Costco and bought some. I mixed one can with saltine crackers, two eggs, salt and pepper, then I sauteed them in olive oil.

Mom, they tasted just like yours! At last!

The Day I Stopped Hating Wal-Mart

I received this email from my Mom. The woman having treatment, plus her husband, were with my Mom when Dad died.

J left this morning, we had a good visit and Monday we took W for her second Chemo treatment. Afterwards we took her to Wal-Mart to the Salon and had her hair buzzed. It had been falling out and her head was so sore, it was time. I couldn't believe the operators there. I went in and told them what was going on and we needed someone to cut and buzz her hair off. The operators, three of them surrounded her, one held her hand, other one worked on her and the third one prayed. The customers were so gracious about the operators stopping their working on them, they too surrounded us and after it was over, everyone hugged W (customers too) and then they clapped for her. They wouldn't take a dime either, said that is what they do. They sure moved up a notch or two in my book.

Mine too, Mom. At least the one in a little town in New Mexico.

She's Pretty Handy

When I married Himself, I didn't know how to cook.

I knew how to make a salad and set the table. Those were my jobs at home at supper time! When I married Himself, I didn't know a thing about cooking dinner and, may I just say it? The man liked to eat cooked food.

I mean, when it would get too hot outside to fire up the stove or the oven, my Mom would place one of my favorite meals on the table - lunch meats, cheeses, liverwurst, crackers, olives, pickles, and radishes or green onions. We'd smear the crackers with mayo and sit and chat while assembling our light dinners.

When I married Himself, I put the same spread before him and he devoured it. Then he folded his hands and asked, "So, what's for supper?"

The one thing that saved me was the recipe cards my Mom ordered for me. Each month I would receive a variety of recipes, complete with pictures, ranging from salads to desserts to main courses. I learned how to cook from these cards, which means I cooked with all fresh ingredients.

About two years into our marriage I was at the store one day and spotted a box of Hamburger Helper. I remembered my Mom making it once or twice and it was REALLY easy, so I brought some home and made it for supper.

He.

Flipped.

Out.

The way he tells it, his mother made it all the time and I was to never let it cross our threshold again (I still haven't to this day). His Mom tells him that his memory is exaggerated because she really didn't make it that often. I believe her!


All this to say, I wanted to make sure Ty, Kelly, and Glenna knew how to cook before they left our home.



I knew that I could never ingrain hundreds of recipes into their brains, so I taught them basic cooking skills and a few family favorites, then I taught them how to correctly follow a recipe.





These are photos from a little something Glenna threw together the other night, known as Chicken Picata. It has fresh lemon slices, capers, and fresh chopped parsley in a wine sauce.


Fresh asparagus, sauteed lightly in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Here, she got a craving and made some pico de gallo from the Pioneer Woman's book:
Oh, I'm loving this. I can leave dinner plans with her and it turns out so well!

As my dearly departed Dad would say, "She's as handy as a knob on a door."

Yum!

My Mama Loves Me

After a couple of years of fighting with a broken one and then not having one at all, my Mama called me on my birthday and said she wanted me to have this:
Kenmore. Elite. With Ultra Wash.


We once again cannot walk through the kitchen when the dishwasher door is open, nor can we open the freezer.
Who cares!


Here I am, listening to the purr . . .
It's such a beautiful sound, and my counters have been cleared and clean every moment since it arrived.


Thank you, Mama!

Sometimes

Sometimes, when Himself is out of town and you decide to be spontaneous by eating out with a Glenna, you just may see something like this:

It's definitely worth a change of plans.

Random Leftover Photos

I was clearing out my iPod and found a bunch of random photos that I meant to post. Some go back to August.

Glenna's first day of school!

I have pictures of her siblings on their first school days. They're also wearing back packs and school uniforms! Only difference is that they're 5, not 15. =D Yay homeschool!

Kelly wanted to try on my glasses:

This is her with first cute haircut. Her hair is even shorter now!

I think she looks like my Mom in the 60's. I have a photo of Mom in a bathing suit wearing dark glasses like these. Because she's in a bathing suit, I won't post it. I can hear Mom's sigh of relief all the way from New Mexico.

Brothers are the best source of cool t-shirts. No lie.

Dinner date with friends! Ended at a frozen yogurt place for dessert:

Funny egg chairs. They're the complete opposite of anything I would ever want in my house!

The daughter who was supposed to be doing school was doing this:
I bought those to clean with around the house. I came home and found this. Hardee har har, Glennaviere.

Did I already post this?

Well, too bad! It bears repeating! GO BOLTS!!!!!

Thanks again, friend Jim!

It's Kind of a Big Deal

On Sunday, all my children and a certain Brown-Eyed Girl gathered to watch a momentous occasion:

Glenna's baptism!

It had been raining for two days but we were determined to continue with the baptismal service. The rain stopped for the service, then continued after!

Glenna understands that baptism does not cleanse her sins or bring her salvation; only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is able to do that. Rather, she chose to identify herself publicly as a Christian, through baptism, and will strive to follow Him all the days of her life.

Glenna with Pastor Ron H., who has now baptized all three of my children. =)

Baptism is kind of a big deal, which is why I was fully prepared to record it with my iPod. The problem was, I had taken video of the Country Bear Jamboree and the Tiki Room, so my disk space was too full! This is all I was able to capture:

Yeah, not really on my game there.

I love you, sweet Glenna, and I'm so grateful to know you are choosing to serve the One who loves you even more than I do!

Marvelous

The weekend after my birthday, Kelly went on the Women's Retreat with me for the first time!

Here's us:

We have a woman who goes around snapping candid photos of everyone. I told her she could take a photo, but on my terms! This was actually taken with my iPod. Still waiting for Mary Ann B. to mail the good ones to me.

This was taken after we had gone swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, showered, and fixed our hair. Hah!

Ok, Kelly no longer has to fix her hair. She has this adorable haircut and she just shakes it out after the shower and it's fabulous. If my hair was that short and I just shook it out at the shower, it would frighten young children.

The retreat was wonderful and the speaker was excellent. I loved that Kelly was able to connect with so many women at our church! I think it really helped the transition from high school to college. Every time I looked around the room to see where she was, she was chatting with someone else. I love the ladies at my church!

Looking forward to Glenna's first retreat in a couple of years!

My Birthday

Himself went to paint for some friends of ours and took Glenna with him. Rather then stay at home with laundry and chores on my birthday, I decided to head to the Park!

It's so great being a cast member. I packed a lunch and put it in the Space Mountain Break room. I ended up eating there and chatting with my friends. =)

Here's my Mom moment:

I was trying to click a photo of me on the rocket, but the camera was reversed on my iPod and I clicked a photo of myself instead. I laughed so hard when I did this!

Now you can see what I look like when I'm trying to see something up close. I have to peer over the top of my glasses.

I took my time to wander in and out of shops, and also to see things I don't normally see when I'm with a group.

These two ladies were campaigning for Women's Suffrage:

If only women's lib could have stopped there, huh? ;-) Right to vote, equal work for equal pay. The End.

This sweet guest was meeting Aladdin and Jasmine for the first time, and she brought her Duffy with her:

I didn't need to stand in line to meet them, so I grabbed this photo as I was walking by. I heard Aladdin ask the girl where she was from and when she said Tokyo, he exclaimed, "Ah! Tokyo! We fly there all the time by magic carpet. We love it there!"

Next, I had to see this:

Birds, birds, everywhere!

The Enchanted Tiki Room. After the movie Aladdin came out, they refurbished this to include Iago, the obnoxious parrot from the movie. I am happy to say they made it over once again and it's now exactly as it always was! You can hear the beaks and wings clicking, and the flowers still sing. Ah, nostalgia!

I absolutely loved this when I was a little girl:

The Country Bear Jamboree! More specifically, it's the big fat bear singing, "There's [twang!] blood on the saddle, and [twang!] blood on the ground! And [twang!] blood all around . . . " My Mom remembered the time when I was a little girl and we were going to see the Country Bear Jamboree. I was just the right height that my elbow caught in the turnstile as we were walking in. I cried! She claims it ruined my elbow ever since (I can hold it out at a most disturbing angle). Actually, Mom, it was the other elbow that got caught.

Speaking of my Mom, the best part of my birthday was when she called me. We talked for a long time and I didn't care who was around me or where I was! I miss you Mom, and I loved chatting with you in the middle of Disney. I wish you were with me! I love you! The signal started to poop out and we hand to end our conversation too soon.

I also got a sweet voice mail from my Sister-in-Love, Mary Ann, who sang to me and called me beautiful.

And my son called.

And my daughter sent a message and said she'd call me later.

And it was wonderful.

After this, I met up with my co-worker, Lindsey, and her husband. I managed to secure some fast passes and we went on a few rides together before I headed home for my date.

My date!

Himself took me out to dinner, to Season's 52. We had this chile relleno appetizer that was to die for (scraped the plate clean) and then I had a shrimp dish. I also had the little dessert shooter - pumpkin pie. Delish!

Not a normal birthday, but a good one!

Stats

Name: MrsJLW

Age: 40-something

Event: Made and ate lamb chops for the first time ever

Result: Now will fearlessly order lamb chops at a restaurant.

Conclusion: YUM.

=/

A text message rips through my sound afternoon slumber.

Himself: Who's going to drive you home tonight?

Me: From where?

H: No. The song. From the 80

M: I was napping. Who's gonna plug your ears when you scream?

H: Who sang that

M: I don't care. It's an 80's song.

H: I don't care either