Poem

Here is a poem I love. Written by a 9 year old.

Snow

Snow is in the air,
It tickles my tongue,
Now there is sun and
I am done.

Snow slowly starts
melting away.
What bliss it was
to be carried astray
in snow.

-AB, age 9

I ask as people are running around in shorts on this 70 degree day, is it too much to ask for a little snow?

The Family Guy Christmas

Ok, my husband loves the show The Family Guy. Watches it all the time. Much like I used to watch Sex and the City all the time.
Anyway, the show is starting to grow on me. I saw an episode the other day that pretty much summed up the Christmas experience for moms, to a certain extent.
Basically, Christmas is total chaos. The dad accidentally gives away all the Christmas gifts and there is a major accident involving the dog, Brian, the oven and the fire extinguisher. Lois, the mom, retains her calm demeanor throughout until she tries to clean up the mess. Her daughter mentions they are out of paper towels. Lois goes off the deep end. She yells something along the lines of "YOU THINK THIS CHRISTMAS SPIRIT JUST HAPPENS???? I WORK SO HARD IT COMES OUT OF MY BUTT!!!" Then she runs off, takes the star off the tree in the town square, and gets shot with a tranquilizer gun.
All I can say is, I hear ya Lois. I feel for you Lois.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving for me always means family, friends, cooking, cold weather and lots of food. A not-so-common tradition that began with my sister is to eat cold pumpkin pie the morning after Thanksgiving for breakfast. Even if it sounds strange, it is truly delicious.

For the first time this year, I celebrated Thanksgiving while on vacation in a hotel. I have never even had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, much less at a hotel in a tropical climate. I worried about this for quite some time and even thought I'd have to cook a full-on Thanksgiving dinner upon my return home. I have to say, though, once we were seated oceanside and I ordered a maitai, I was OK with it. Really, I was.

The other day I happened to make pumpkin pie sans the crust. I got home from my run this morning and was looking for breakfast. I suddenly remembered my strange tradition and had the tastiest breakfast. Yum. For those who doubt, don't knock it until you try it!

Holiday Craziness

As I begin, (yes, begin...we were traveling over Thanksgiving therefore I am now just BEGINNING) my holiday shopping, I wonder how it will all get done. I also wonder when the stress will really kick in. So far, I've only ordered stuff online. I'm already a little overwhelmed and I haven't physically gone anywhere to shop yet.

Each year I take on too much...too much shopping, baking, decorating, preparing and socializing. It's my way, as I love this time of year and I value our family traditions. I also love sharing this time with family and friends.

The desire to make it all happens stems from many things, not the least of which was the year my daughter didn't get what she wanted for Christmas. I can still recall the disappointment in her voice, and it has been YEARS. Painful, it was. She got the item the next year, but I'm still reeling from the incident.

I'm sure other parents out there feel the same pressure, especially in a financial crunch time. I guess we need to focus on the spirit of the season, not the craziness that goes with it. Despite that, I'll still end up making at least 14 batches of spritz cookies. My family and friends will undoubtedly be happy ;)

I'm Spelling Impaired

I'm a terrible speller, and I really want to be a good one. I have always wanted to be great at spelling...especially since my best friend in third grade, Tracy Geers, won the district spelling bee. My sister Sue got second place in the fifth grade division. I also love the movie Akeelah and the Bee. Sometimes I even feel I can channel Akeelah and imagine myself as an extraordinary speller.

I think there is something inherent about being a good speller, either you got it or you don't. I guess I'll have to make up for that shortcoming in other ways...perhaps with being an extraordinary baker?

(Notably I only had one misspelled word in my first draft. Not bad for me.)

Separation of Church and State

I recently heard that a Roman Catholic parish priest in Greenville, South Carolina has been denying holy communion to any parishioners that voted for Barack Obama.
As a non Roman Catholic christian I find this terribly offensive and I dare say, even unchristian. My interpretation of Christianity includes, amongst other things, welcoming everyone to the table. This would include people of all age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and political beliefs. As some might say "we are all God's children". Apparently, that doesn't ring true if you're a parishioner at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Of course it doesn't surprise me terribly because only Roman Catholics (as opposed to all baptized Christians) are welcome at the communion rail in any Roman Catholic church. I always found that odd and exclusionary, as Roman Catholics are welcome to our communion rail. Sigh.

Hurry up and wait. Now!

So this is something that is, at this very moment, aggravating me. I planned particularly well today, covering all my bases for the approaching event for which I am currently in a holding pattern. Phone calls were made, things were written. I am in no way at fault for this delay.

As the day went on, it became one of those "hurry up and wait" days. I sit here, blogging, somewhere fairly far from home, bored to tears. I should be dining with my family, perhaps at home or one of our favorite spots. This is after I've checked my email (11 times) and Facebook (12 times).

Sometimes days like this are your fault, but other times you can't avoid them. It truly amazes me that no matter how hard you try or how well you plan, so much of your life hinges on the actions of others.

Thank goodness for the Internet...