My oldest sis

Since she never reads my blog, I feel safe in saying the my oldest sis had a birthday today! Doesn't she look like she is having fun, turning 42!

Here she is, opening her gift from all of her sisters...next to her hubby, Dave.
And then...she is in pure joy, knowing she can go shopping!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIA!!

Maria Can't Stay

It was a great moment in history...Maria came to see how my house turned out.

Although she tried, it still ended with the phrase..."Well, I can't stay..."

Just some pretty things..

I love the phlox. It doesn't last very long but really makes for some great splashes of color!

This phlox is special...I rescued it from a clearance rack at Lowe's, half-dead and I think less than half-price! I bought it a few years ago and it really was all brown and dead. That makes me love it even more.

I may kill every indoor plant I own, but outside there is more hope!

East...over?

It's hard to believe it's Monday all over again (okay, now it's Tuesday...I fell asleep before finishing this post). And the end of one, at that. What started out as a rotten rainy Monday, ended with the beautiful blue sky and a crisp spring evening.

Easter weekend was a busy, full weekend. Softball and baseball practices, errands and chores...dinners with friends.

I was touched by the kindness of those in my life, since the weekend turned into one filled with friends and family!

Saturday I was blessed enough to have a great dinner with friends from my church small group. Another friend was invited, who happens to be Jewish, so guess what? It wasn't just Easter we were celebrating, but Passover as well. Thus, the name of our holiday sort of became "Eastover" so everyone felt included! My zealous applause to those who cooked, you can see from the picture that it was not only presented beautifully (I have a fine appreciation for presentation) but it tasted so amazing! I loved it! Gourmet meals are my specialty but it always tastes better when someone else cooks for you! My contribution was a shrimp and goat cheese salad. Somehow the shrimp and goat cheese disappeared before the rest of the salad, but that was the fun part!

Sunday brought an opportunity to serve at a new "sister" church of ours - it was their first official service and they were offering breakfast to the community. Although we ended up smelling like bacon for our own church service, it was fun having the chance to meet some new people and participate. And finally, Sunday afternoon I was blessed again with friends who invited me for lunch, and as a bonus, my sister and her family were there! So I enjoyed time with them as well, since I rarely get to see my own sis!

So, it was a great weekend...we have a busy week this week with baseball and softball every night. Next week I will be preparing for the onslaught of 8000+people coming to our store for our big spring collectors event. I hope it doesn't rain!

An update on our spring...everything is really beginning to bloom. There is actually green on the trees and the underbrush and the smell of flowers everywhere!

Ian's first official baseball game is Friday, and Megan's softball game is next week. Here we go!

Sweet innocence

There is a small list of things that are high on my list of those special things in life. Blue sky, matched with 75 degrees and a light breeze. Music playing in the background, music I know the words to. Ocean breezes. A cat nap. Friends. Being spontaneous. Seeing the world from a different perspective.
Watching my own children sleep.
But even over the top of all of that are those moments that you catch your child sleeping, and both of their arms are up over their head. To me this is freedom. Not a care in the world. True restful and trusting sleep. It doesn't happen often...but when it does, I am reminded of a peace like no other. I have pictures of the kids when they were babies, sleeping in this state. I cherish them.
The weekend brought about some changes in my family that I wasn't expecting. I wasn't ready for them, not necessarily yet. But that is the way that changes come, and we have to embrace them and see what is next.
Without going into great detail, it marked the end of some innocence in my youngest. Things she knew but didn't have confirmation for (as to the truth about certain characters in this world). Things she didn't know that had to be explained. Things this world has shown her...through what channels I am not sure, but it's out there, more than we moms want to admit.
She was angry about some of it, surprised by some of it, and disappointed in me for "lying" to her. Since it all occurred in one night (thanks big brother!) it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for the 3 of us! Although it all had to be said at some point, somehow I thought it would be later!
Either way, over the next couple of days, I was questioning how it all happened, wondering if I did the right thing, worried that her intelligent mind would be corrupted. Saddened by her loss of innocence.
And then...I found her that very next night, exhausted as I felt, asleep...with both arms in the air...and just for a moment, I was reminded that her delicate innocence is still there... it's just in a different form, and everything would be just fine.

Spring could be springing...?

Ohhhh finally. Yes, I think it might be safe to say. I know, I know, we had a mild winter...yada yada yada. But to this girl with an itch to travel and intolerance for cold, dreary days, and long nights...these are welcome signs that I have survived one more winter in Ohio.
What, you say, a tree with no leaves? how is that a sign of spring?
Wellll at my house, and this should surprise noone of the blatant oddity, my little pin oak tree in the front yard is a sign of hope. Unlike most trees in central Ohio, come fall it does not lose it's leaves. (LOVE that, as I hate to rake!). Now, the downside is, in the winter it makes you feel colder when the wind blows (which is often on Heatherview Lane) and rustles those dry leaves.
But the upside is that when those dead leaves finally fall off around April, it's only because there are buds forming where those dead leaves were hanging on. Underneath is a new leaf, and I just love that for many reasons...but mostly, a sign that spring is coming, almost here...it's safe for green to return.
Another sign, the daffodils, that survived their first year at my house with the late season snows falling on their tender blosssoms. Thanks to my good friend Cindi who gave these to me in the fall, and I must have taken a desperate few minutes to plant (since I totally don't remember doing so!). Because now I am really enjoying their buttercup color and yearn for spring even more!
The grass greened up almost overnight this week, and mowing season will now be in full swing. Great thanks to my next door neighbors who just mowed today. You know what that means. In that sense, it's keeping up with the Jones's.
Of course, after a chilly weekend, we are expecting 70's this week, but we'll just enjoy it.
PS for those I haven't talked to, Melissa and Ernie and the girls are moving come June...he took a job in Kansas City and the company will buy their house if they don't sell it in 60 days.

A busy week!

Wow, it doesn't pay to take vacation when you are in the corporate world! Once again I was reminded of why I have so much vacation time to use! I just can't get away!! This week I thought I was going to drown. It was a bit frustrating to begin Monday with a pile of work you thought you were going to be able to hand off to your new assistant...but she changed her mind and didn't take the job. About mid-week I was going to lose it after I interviewed one more candidate and again, they were just not the right fit. I almost changed my mind and gave her a chance, but right then I spoke with someone in the company who is looking for a change...and it's someone I have always liked and does her job well. Stay tuned, this could be the hope I am looking for!
My work review was due this week and I stayed up until 3AM to finish it, only to find the next day that I had used the wrong final version from last year to write responses to goals and objectives. Well, I was able to get it done because a meeting was cancelled that day. *Whew*! Either way, it was a bit disheartening to reflect on 2005. I am glad to see it gone. So many awful things it was hard to write too many positives, but I tried.
The kids started baseball and softball practices this week. It will be another exciting season and I am sure later I will post pictures of their new teams.
The biggest news is that Ian got glasses! Here he is after just putting them on for the first time. Of course, not to be outdone, Megan had to try them on as well. She WANTS glasses, it's a fashion statement, MOM!
He is actually quite nearsighted from what they are telling me. Always the skeptic in these kinds of things, I tried them on for myself, and they seem like exactly my prescription was before. But, I can't say anything since Ian gave thanks to God at dinner that he could see better. !! Besides, he looks like quite the handsome fellow in them, don't you think?

Just a few more!

This is the World War II Memorial. It was beautifully done and the most recent addition that I am aware of. Worth taking a look.

Here it is! Coming in for a landing! People were running, rushing to see if our nation's leader was going to step out at the White House. The questions were buzzing - is it him? Does anyone else ride in it? Can you see him when he gets out?
I thought this was a neat shot of the Jefferson Memorial at night. You could smell the cherry blossoms in the fresh spring air.

The Awakening

Three goofy kids hamming it up in the hand of "The Awakening".

A spontaneous trip!

It was a cold and rainy spring break, and the clouds billowed as if it might snow...
Well, not really, but it sounded like a Charlie Brown book, right?
It was spring break. The kids and I started cleaning out closets, the first item on our list of projects. Me included...ICK! The phone was ringing, sometimes both my cell and the home phone at the same time! I had to send files and make approvals and clean out my work e-mail because it would get full from one day of inattention...arrrrggghhhh!
I was going CRAZY. I just wanted a break. The kids deserved me for a day or two!
So...Tuesday night, Steph and I decided to run away with 3 of our 4 children - my 2, and one of hers! What was close and we could still get a hotel for, and one of us could play tour guide? Washington, DC! (A very BIG thanks to Steph for being spontaneous and a great tour guide!)
The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the weather was great. Megan did not remember having gone when we were coming home a few years back from the Outer Banks, when it was over 100 degrees in the shade.
It was fun! We toured the Capitol, went to the the Natural History Museum, visited the monuments - Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln, WWII (new since I had been there), Korean War (that was so cool!), and Vietnam. We toured the Botanical Gardens. And, as a special treat - the President himself came in for a landing, right on the White House lawn, as we were gawking at Marine One flying low over the Washington Monument. Well, we thought it was him, anyway...
The Awakening was such a neat thing to see and something I would have never found without Steph's fantastic knowledge of the area! We rode the Metro into town , about a 40 minute ride. Oh....lest I forget, Ian met a reliever from the Nationals Team as we visited Union Square!
At the end of an exhausting day (yes - we fit 99% of that in one day), the kids even had a little pool time at our hotel in Woodbridge, booked not even 24 hours before. :) Spontaneous travel, you know I love it!
So, Friday we treated ourselves to the Potomac Mills mall and some relaxation before heading home. Definitely back to the grind this week!
PS - Congratulations goes to MOMMY DEAREST for posting her first comment, ever...good job!

And let's not forget...

The bathroom! Though this picture doesn't show it all, you get the general feeling of warmth...

Trying Again!

Okay folks, this is round two. I'm not really sure why, but I can no longer be the owner of the last blog site I started...I think it has something to do with forgetting passwords and other such trite pieces of knowledge.
So, in this process I have learned that, contrary to my own belief, a BLOG is for one person to write, and others to read and comment as they see fit (thank you big sis for that bit of instruction).
Now, in order to post a comment, you have to log in as a blogger and post a comment. That is the only way it will save. I say this so that some of you will not be frustrated and try again. If you don't succeed...
Anyway, as usual, life is a whirlwind! Good things have been happening all around me and it's exciting to see what tomorrow will bring, rather than dreading it. As a quick update...my dear friend Pat and her friend Joyce so joyfully adopted my home and stepped right in to make a huge difference in how I feel when I get home each day. It is amazing what a change of scenery can do for someone. And just having someone understand what I am dealing with on a regular basis is comforting. Though we are still a work in progress, you can see how much warmer everything is! I am so grateful to them and for their help and guidance, and for just doing it! And to Maria's friends George and Rhoda, who came and hung new light fixtures, which really changed the atmosphere. Thanks to all because I could have NEVER pulled off something like that. These are amazingly gifted and talented people who have generously come to my rescue!
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, and then came the kids' spring break. Though I thought I could spend the time at home doing projects...well...I am going to end here so that I don't go on and on....so more about a surprise trip on the next post!