1. Writing/blogging
2. Eating waffles made by MR in her new Christmas gift waffle iron. Let me tell you, all waffle irons are not made the same. New waffle iron made the best waffle I have ever had in my life. Truly.
3. Watching episodes of Lost. Obsessed. Which also leads me to say, thank you masters of technology media and entreprenuership for the invention of Netflix. Marc Mathews even said, "Netflix is worth every penny." He really did, I swear. This from the man who uses his iPhone *only* as a phone and email receptacle (although he recently discovered the weather app).
4. Making rolled, stuffed flank steak from the Williams-Sonoma catalog. Not nearly as good as it sounds and a lot of work. However, it did force me to learn how to butterfly a flank steak (I watched a video on You Tube -- I'm such a geek) AND cooked leeks. I am 44 years old and I have never used leeks in a recipe. FYI, leeks are super-yummy.
5. Sleeping in a bit.
6. Selling a house (yeah!).
7. Exercising in the basement (here's my new winter biking regime with treadmill running. I ride my old bike on the trainer for 45 minutes while watching an episode of Heroes -netflix of course, I ride in different gear for each character as they come on. I think it might be like a spinning class except I've never been to spinning class). Yesterday I had time to watch Heroes, I mean bike, AND then run on the treadmill after I finished my bike ride when I found out it was a snow day. Then I took a bubble bath. It was like an indoor triathalon.
8. Dream of Spring
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Oh the irony
Why, I wonder, are the only two available magazines in the waiting room at my dad's doctor's office Plane & Pilot and Golf Digest?
Is there something wrong with stocking a good Vogue or People? I was counting on catching up on some celebrity gossip!
Is there something wrong with stocking a good Vogue or People? I was counting on catching up on some celebrity gossip!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
To resolve or not to resolve...
Here’s my problem: New Year’s Day is quickly becoming the distant past and I still don’t have a resolution. I just finished reading a great little book called My Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble to Improve Himself by A.J. Jacobs. A.J. Jacobs is an editor at Esquire Magazine and a “humorist” whose most recent book is comprised of ten hilarious experiments he undertook for one month -- things like practicing Radical Honesty, outsourcing his life to India, obeying his wife in all things (I loved that one, she did too) and living George Washington’s code of conduct.
Reading a book like that at the New Year really puts into perspective NOT having something in mind for a New Year’s resolution. Normally, I’m an avid embracer of resolutions and ever-conscious of making changes to improve my life. I have, in my day, made vows to keep my desk clean, exercise regularly, give up diet Coke, use reusable grocery bags, track my work mileage more consistently, make a to-do list every day, not gossip, write thank you notes immediately…. Okay, I have a long list of resolutions I’ve made over the last 40+ years -- some I’ve put into practice with New Year’s, others I work into a Lenten theme and I’ve even been known to practice radical life changes with Advent - when I need an extra boost to do things like make a regular time for writing and/or prayer (sometimes the same thing). Some of the above list I’ve actually accomplished -- for example I never forget my reusable grocery bags and I exercise at least 5 times a week. Some of my resolutions I haven’t kept – my desk is perpetually messy and I love Diet Coke. With baby steps and a regular practice though, I believe you really can change a behavior if it’s important to you.
Since I hadn’t been able to dream up my own resolution for this year, I decided to ask my husband if he was going to make a New Year’s resolution. I’m not above stealing somebody else’s great idea. Marc said, “I don’t do girlie things like resolutions.” Really? Resolutions are girlie? “Yeah, only women make New Year’s resolutions”. For a few seconds, I considered asking if he had any resolution suggestions for me, since I am a girl, but I had a sudden flash of the myriad of ways he might offer up for me to improve as a wife. I figure I’m better off not asking questions about things I don’t really want to know.
Mostly for curiosity’s sake, I thought I would ask my children if they had any New Year’s resolution ideas for me. We were in the car (of course) at the time and Mary Rollins suggested that I could do a better job of learning song lyrics if I was going to continue to sing out loud at anytime in 2011. Will followed up with the thought that perhaps I could resolve not to sing at all. On a side note, he also thinks his sister should make the same resolution.
So, here I am, January 5 and still pretty much resolution-free and pretty much certain that this might be the after-shock of my 2010 policy not to send Christmas cards. So for 2011, I hereby resolve -- Not to Resolve. I’ve decided that sometimes you just need to let things go as they are. I promise to remain open to possibility and recognize the value of change, but I think I shall accept that there might be enough on my plate without undertaking any self-improvement quests, humble or not. Maybe next week, I’ll feel differently and decide that I need good rousing dose of self-improvement but I’ll save it up for Lent. For today, I’m going to be at peace with the person I am and enjoy a Diet Coke at my very messy desk.
If I do change my mind and come up with a REAL resolution, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m going to keep singing but maybe, just maybe, I’ll try to get the lyrics right.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/05/1587751/to-resolve-or-not-to-resolve.html#ixzz1ABKUHa8D
Reading a book like that at the New Year really puts into perspective NOT having something in mind for a New Year’s resolution. Normally, I’m an avid embracer of resolutions and ever-conscious of making changes to improve my life. I have, in my day, made vows to keep my desk clean, exercise regularly, give up diet Coke, use reusable grocery bags, track my work mileage more consistently, make a to-do list every day, not gossip, write thank you notes immediately…. Okay, I have a long list of resolutions I’ve made over the last 40+ years -- some I’ve put into practice with New Year’s, others I work into a Lenten theme and I’ve even been known to practice radical life changes with Advent - when I need an extra boost to do things like make a regular time for writing and/or prayer (sometimes the same thing). Some of the above list I’ve actually accomplished -- for example I never forget my reusable grocery bags and I exercise at least 5 times a week. Some of my resolutions I haven’t kept – my desk is perpetually messy and I love Diet Coke. With baby steps and a regular practice though, I believe you really can change a behavior if it’s important to you.
Since I hadn’t been able to dream up my own resolution for this year, I decided to ask my husband if he was going to make a New Year’s resolution. I’m not above stealing somebody else’s great idea. Marc said, “I don’t do girlie things like resolutions.” Really? Resolutions are girlie? “Yeah, only women make New Year’s resolutions”. For a few seconds, I considered asking if he had any resolution suggestions for me, since I am a girl, but I had a sudden flash of the myriad of ways he might offer up for me to improve as a wife. I figure I’m better off not asking questions about things I don’t really want to know.
Mostly for curiosity’s sake, I thought I would ask my children if they had any New Year’s resolution ideas for me. We were in the car (of course) at the time and Mary Rollins suggested that I could do a better job of learning song lyrics if I was going to continue to sing out loud at anytime in 2011. Will followed up with the thought that perhaps I could resolve not to sing at all. On a side note, he also thinks his sister should make the same resolution.
So, here I am, January 5 and still pretty much resolution-free and pretty much certain that this might be the after-shock of my 2010 policy not to send Christmas cards. So for 2011, I hereby resolve -- Not to Resolve. I’ve decided that sometimes you just need to let things go as they are. I promise to remain open to possibility and recognize the value of change, but I think I shall accept that there might be enough on my plate without undertaking any self-improvement quests, humble or not. Maybe next week, I’ll feel differently and decide that I need good rousing dose of self-improvement but I’ll save it up for Lent. For today, I’m going to be at peace with the person I am and enjoy a Diet Coke at my very messy desk.
If I do change my mind and come up with a REAL resolution, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m going to keep singing but maybe, just maybe, I’ll try to get the lyrics right.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/05/1587751/to-resolve-or-not-to-resolve.html#ixzz1ABKUHa8D
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year 2011
Well...Nutcracker/Advent/Angel Tree/Christmas/New Year season is.over. Whew. It was fun. It's back to school on Monday and back to our regularly scheduled programming. Okay, not fully back, ballet doesn't start back until January 10. THEN, it's back to our regular programming.
Happy 2011! I promise I'll really be back soon...
Happy 2011! I promise I'll really be back soon...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
In the bleak mid-winter
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.-Christina Rosetti (1872)
What if it were always winter and never Christmas?
Merry Christmas, dearest darlings!
Monday, December 20, 2010
What would be nice today...
That was the morning prompt that I sent my little writing group today. My goal in sending it was just the simple thought of what you could do that would make today a nice day. I was hoping to send my friends a little nudge to make them write down (or just think about) at least one thing that they knew they could finish today. It might be exercising, it might be getting at least 4 presents wrapped, it might be hanging the picture in your son’s room that was taken down two weeks ago when his room was painted, or perhaps it was even finally removing the un-carved pumpkin that never found its jack-o-lantern soul from the front porch. It would be nice today if I could...
I think sometimes we all expect a little too much of ourselves. The overwhelming feeling of being ever on a treadmill and always moving without actually getting anywhere can be just plain discouraging. So, I decided this morning to write just ONE thing I had to accomplish that would allow me to be able to look back when I got in bed tonight that I could say, “well, at least I got that done!”. As it turned out, over-achiever that I am, I jotted down a mini to-do list of about five things which by the way included something involving both a picture and a pumpkin. If those got done, I could call it a day and a nice one at that.
At the end of the day, here’s where I am on the list. I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill AND I got several very important work items done (including showing property and setting up my new iPhone e-Key – by the way to whomever put the instructions for that behind the cutting board in the kitchen, you are not my friend). In addition, I have finally cleaned my kitchen from last night’s family gathering, washed sheets, made beds, drove my parents to doctor appointments, picked up my parents from doctor appointments, helped Mary Rollins find an ugly Christmas sweater for a youth group party (tip for finding those: Grandma’s closet, total treasure trove of amazing options), picked up two boys from the mall (that took an HOUR), dropped a boy off, picked up another boy for a sleepover, learned that my parents think there’s nothing wrong with putting strawberry syrup in milk that’s gone bad to make it more palatable for drinking. Oh yeah, did I mention I went to buy some milk for my parents at the grocery. I also threw away a perfectly good frozen pumpkin…so sad. I really wanted to get the pumpkin seeds out but wise daughter said, “Mom, let it go”. No longer is a pumpkin mingling with the Christmas décor.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you start your day with achievable expectations. And, sometimes you can even make a blog post. Total bonus!
So what would make a nice day for you?
I think sometimes we all expect a little too much of ourselves. The overwhelming feeling of being ever on a treadmill and always moving without actually getting anywhere can be just plain discouraging. So, I decided this morning to write just ONE thing I had to accomplish that would allow me to be able to look back when I got in bed tonight that I could say, “well, at least I got that done!”. As it turned out, over-achiever that I am, I jotted down a mini to-do list of about five things which by the way included something involving both a picture and a pumpkin. If those got done, I could call it a day and a nice one at that.
At the end of the day, here’s where I am on the list. I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill AND I got several very important work items done (including showing property and setting up my new iPhone e-Key – by the way to whomever put the instructions for that behind the cutting board in the kitchen, you are not my friend). In addition, I have finally cleaned my kitchen from last night’s family gathering, washed sheets, made beds, drove my parents to doctor appointments, picked up my parents from doctor appointments, helped Mary Rollins find an ugly Christmas sweater for a youth group party (tip for finding those: Grandma’s closet, total treasure trove of amazing options), picked up two boys from the mall (that took an HOUR), dropped a boy off, picked up another boy for a sleepover, learned that my parents think there’s nothing wrong with putting strawberry syrup in milk that’s gone bad to make it more palatable for drinking. Oh yeah, did I mention I went to buy some milk for my parents at the grocery. I also threw away a perfectly good frozen pumpkin…so sad. I really wanted to get the pumpkin seeds out but wise daughter said, “Mom, let it go”. No longer is a pumpkin mingling with the Christmas décor.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you start your day with achievable expectations. And, sometimes you can even make a blog post. Total bonus!
So what would make a nice day for you?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A Hope Center morning
Snow. Beautiful snow Monday morning, still and silent, and even with the inconveniences of no school, it was a morning reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell Christmas card.
And cold. Bitterly cold.
I confess, it was not with a fully joyful heart that I left sleeping children in bed yesterday morning to deliver the Christ Church Angel Tree gifts to the Hope Center for men -- our homeless shelter. But two friends and I had agreed that this was the day and 9:30 a.m. was the time – the only time that fit our busy schedules for the day and week. I left several early morning messages with Heather, our Hope Center contact, trying to determine if with all the snow it was still a good morning for our delivery for them. Hearing nothing, Priscilla and I decided to head out anyway. As I pulled out of the garage, my phone rang and it was Heather. This morning was fine, she said. She had a long-standing meeting so she wouldn’t be available when we got there but she had left word at the desk that we would be arriving at 10 a.m. Then she apologized for being a bit frazzled and said, “Remind me again what your church is bringing.”
“Cold weather things – gloves, hats, sweatshirts, long underwear for 75 of the men plus we have several new coats as well.”
“Oh yes,” Heather said, “the items for our Christmas party at the end of the week. Thank you SO much!” And then there was a silence for a moment. “Do you think your church members would mind if we didn’t wait to give them out? If we used them today? I have men standing here at the desk waiting for anything warm that might come in. It’s so cold and normally it’s not this cold until January. With this weather…”
I really didn’t think anybody who brought those gifts would mind.
“Your gifts couldn’t have come at a better time. We’ve been desperate for long underwear. Your church is such a blessing to us.”
I’m home now and warm. MR and Will had been sledding while I was gone and I was a little bit sorry that I hadn’t taken them with me to help deliver the packages, but frankly, there wasn’t room in my car, or Lissa’s or Priscilla’s with all the packages our church had been so incredibly generous in providing. I am thinking about how grateful I am to have been part of our Angel Tree and what a small but meaningful difference we made. Today you helped keep someone warm. Today, when it was so desperately needed, we got to be God’s hands. I heard one man say as they scrambled to help unload my car, “oh my, she’s even got stuff on her front seat!”
Of all the gifts that will be given this Christmas will there be any better?
Sunday 25 gift cards were delivered to Moveable Feast, today at noon, we’ll deliver gifts to the children and families of Harrison Elementary. And, we will share with them much-needed gifts that you provided. If you’d like to help deliver to Harrison, please let me know. In the meantime, thank you my friends for being Angels.
 |
| Gifts for the Hope Center and Harrison Elementary |
I confess, it was not with a fully joyful heart that I left sleeping children in bed yesterday morning to deliver the Christ Church Angel Tree gifts to the Hope Center for men -- our homeless shelter. But two friends and I had agreed that this was the day and 9:30 a.m. was the time – the only time that fit our busy schedules for the day and week. I left several early morning messages with Heather, our Hope Center contact, trying to determine if with all the snow it was still a good morning for our delivery for them. Hearing nothing, Priscilla and I decided to head out anyway. As I pulled out of the garage, my phone rang and it was Heather. This morning was fine, she said. She had a long-standing meeting so she wouldn’t be available when we got there but she had left word at the desk that we would be arriving at 10 a.m. Then she apologized for being a bit frazzled and said, “Remind me again what your church is bringing.”
“Cold weather things – gloves, hats, sweatshirts, long underwear for 75 of the men plus we have several new coats as well.”
“Oh yes,” Heather said, “the items for our Christmas party at the end of the week. Thank you SO much!” And then there was a silence for a moment. “Do you think your church members would mind if we didn’t wait to give them out? If we used them today? I have men standing here at the desk waiting for anything warm that might come in. It’s so cold and normally it’s not this cold until January. With this weather…”
I really didn’t think anybody who brought those gifts would mind.
“Your gifts couldn’t have come at a better time. We’ve been desperate for long underwear. Your church is such a blessing to us.”
I’m home now and warm. MR and Will had been sledding while I was gone and I was a little bit sorry that I hadn’t taken them with me to help deliver the packages, but frankly, there wasn’t room in my car, or Lissa’s or Priscilla’s with all the packages our church had been so incredibly generous in providing. I am thinking about how grateful I am to have been part of our Angel Tree and what a small but meaningful difference we made. Today you helped keep someone warm. Today, when it was so desperately needed, we got to be God’s hands. I heard one man say as they scrambled to help unload my car, “oh my, she’s even got stuff on her front seat!”
Of all the gifts that will be given this Christmas will there be any better?
Sunday 25 gift cards were delivered to Moveable Feast, today at noon, we’ll deliver gifts to the children and families of Harrison Elementary. And, we will share with them much-needed gifts that you provided. If you’d like to help deliver to Harrison, please let me know. In the meantime, thank you my friends for being Angels.
Friday, December 10, 2010
You forgot my water...
I'm shopping for Angel Tree today (which will shortly be a separate post) and I get a call from the middle school from Will who says, "did you put a water bottle in my lunch today?".
I realized I had not (please note that I NEVER forget this and why I did is a semi-complicated story in which Will has some accountability).
So, he says, "where are you?".
"I'm across town at the mega-Kroger in Beaumont shopping for Angel Tree."
"So can you leave and bring me a water bottle?".
"Ummmmmm....no. Are you crazy?"
"Seriously, Mom. You won't bring me a water bottle?".
I realized I had not (please note that I NEVER forget this and why I did is a semi-complicated story in which Will has some accountability).
So, he says, "where are you?".
"I'm across town at the mega-Kroger in Beaumont shopping for Angel Tree."
"So can you leave and bring me a water bottle?".
"Ummmmmm....no. Are you crazy?"
"Seriously, Mom. You won't bring me a water bottle?".
Thursday, December 9, 2010
some postlings at Bluegrass Moms...
Hi my darlings...I have some new postlings on the Bluegrass Moms blog. Please feel free to make comments there also. And, to my faithful readers here, any suggestions on how to manage both spots? Isabug, anyone?
xoxo--g
xoxo--g
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
On getting ready...
I love Advent. I love the whole idea of Advent being a time to get ready to celebrate the mystery of Christmas. It's the time in the church when the colors change from the ordinary-ness of green to the majesty of purple or the peace of blue. A time to wait for the wonder of Christmas. And while we wait, filling the days with decorations, present shopping, gift wrapping, parties, nutcracking and cooking. As well, as a quiet moment or two for reflection. I love Advent because unlike Lent, it's not so serious after all we're getting ready to celebrate birth not a death. And, not that I don't deeply value Lent but Advent is such an expectantly happy time when we can all be together on the road to Bethlehem.
Over the weekend, I did most of my Christmas decorating. We still have our real tree to put up. We're redecorating the family room so the living room is full of that room's furniture and there's no room for the tree but most everything else is more or less out and almost everything is in a place.
I like to think of Christmas decorating as a part of our preparations and looking at our decorations is a great visit into the land of memories. Growing up, I can remember the boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations that we had at the Williamson house. I vividly recall some of my favorite decorations as a child: three wise men my mother had made out of coke bottles brilliantly clad in exquisite velvet robes with carefully crafted felt, bed and sequin faces sitting on a nest of fiberglass "angel hair" and and entire Christmas village that was erected under the Christmas tree that I set up every year. I particularly loved a white swan that sat on a large round mirror to look like a pond. An electric train, that never ran in my lifetime, wrapped around the town and it took hours to arrange everything in its exact place under the tree and in our living room. In my memories it took all 5 of the Williamson children plus my dad to get the job done. As a teen-ager, I think I did the decorating all by myself as the youngest child. My older sisters were married with their own homes and my brothers didn't get into the decorating. But, I couldn't wait for everybody to come home and the house to fill with people.
Today, the Mathews are waiting expectantly for Christmas and the gift of family and our house is ALMOST ready to welcome them. They won't come in one huge bunch like when I was growing up. On Christmas morning it will be just us four -- our little family we like to call it (we're looking forward to that -- our sweet Christmas morning) but over the next two weeks we can't wait for the arrival my BFF Stacey (Friday) and of the Selby girls next week. All I can say is "yeah, yeah, yeah!"
So, there's probably no real point of this blog post except to say, I love getting ready to celebrate Christmas and I'm so thankful that wonderful friends and family are coming to visit. Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!
Over the weekend, I did most of my Christmas decorating. We still have our real tree to put up. We're redecorating the family room so the living room is full of that room's furniture and there's no room for the tree but most everything else is more or less out and almost everything is in a place.
I like to think of Christmas decorating as a part of our preparations and looking at our decorations is a great visit into the land of memories. Growing up, I can remember the boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations that we had at the Williamson house. I vividly recall some of my favorite decorations as a child: three wise men my mother had made out of coke bottles brilliantly clad in exquisite velvet robes with carefully crafted felt, bed and sequin faces sitting on a nest of fiberglass "angel hair" and and entire Christmas village that was erected under the Christmas tree that I set up every year. I particularly loved a white swan that sat on a large round mirror to look like a pond. An electric train, that never ran in my lifetime, wrapped around the town and it took hours to arrange everything in its exact place under the tree and in our living room. In my memories it took all 5 of the Williamson children plus my dad to get the job done. As a teen-ager, I think I did the decorating all by myself as the youngest child. My older sisters were married with their own homes and my brothers didn't get into the decorating. But, I couldn't wait for everybody to come home and the house to fill with people.
Today, the Mathews are waiting expectantly for Christmas and the gift of family and our house is ALMOST ready to welcome them. They won't come in one huge bunch like when I was growing up. On Christmas morning it will be just us four -- our little family we like to call it (we're looking forward to that -- our sweet Christmas morning) but over the next two weeks we can't wait for the arrival my BFF Stacey (Friday) and of the Selby girls next week. All I can say is "yeah, yeah, yeah!"
 |
| One of our favorite ways to count down the days until Advent. Oh look...it's a Nutcracker. |
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Bluegrass Moms Blog
You can finally find my BluegrassMoms At Home in the Bluegrass blog at Kentucky.com under featured bloggers. It's actually not going to be entirely a duplicate of this blogspot blog as I'm not sure the whole world wants to read about Williamson girls.
Williamson girls...
I don't know about you, but I think we need to meet this girl! Wonder if she plays Scrabble?
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