Triple the fun . . .

I still can't believe how far behind I am on the blog.  We celebrated triple birthdays on Wednesday night of the long Thanksgiving weekend . . .way back in November of 2012.  We've always celebrated and had double the fun with twins but now that we have Lauren in the family, we have triple the birthday fun!

I made my first ever homemade German Chocolate cake.  I used Grandmother's (Mark's mom's) recipe and I must admit that I was proud of myself.  It took me several hours to bake the cake and make the filling to go between the layers and then to make the icing but it was so worth it!!  I'm excited that Lauren loves that cake because it is my favorite!!  Grandmother had never shared the recipe with me.  When I would ask, she would say, "that is my hardest cake to bake."  I emailed my sister-in-law in Delaware and asked her for the recipe and so it was a surprise that I made it . . .and it tasted really good!!  I actually felt like an accomplished "baker."

I also made Laura's cake but it was easy.  She LOVES Funfetti cakes . . .buy that cake mix, mix it up, bake it and put the icing on straight from the container!!

Grandmother baked a cake for Glenn.  She made her homemade pound cake with homemade icing . . the kind of icing that you have to cook.  I've never made that kind of icing before.  Glenn loves that cake!!  (so does Mark!)

We invited the family over for dinner that night and it was so good to have everyone around OUR table. 

Missing . . .one middle-aged blogger . . .

I have missed blogging so much!!!  I have tons of pictures and lots of words floating around in my head but I have been lacking TIME!!!  I think this is the longest I have ever gone without blogging since I first started the blog.  You may not have missed me, but I have missed this outlet. 

So why haven't I blogged?  What have I been doing?  I've been putting one foot in front of the other since Thanksgiving.  Each day, I've prayed for the strength to make it through the day . . .and God  has been good.  I've been busy and I've been stressed and I've had some fun (pictures of fun to follow later) and we've spent time with family over the holidays (and that was good!).  We've been a part of some incredible worship services at Trinity UMC. 

But why haven't I had time to blog?  Well, let's see what we can gather just from these pictures.  The pencils in the background behind the glass of wine (which was purely medicinal - I promise!) were from one of our Tuesday night sessions (no - there was no wine involved in our Tuesday night young adult sessions) . . .this was after we had washed the dishes.  The pencils were from our spiritual gifts assessment which was very interesting - my top three are hospitality, teacher and something about knowledge (I like to study the Bible and stuff in order to share it with others).  Funny thing - Mark, Laura and I all  have hospitality as our number one .. .and our daughter-in-law, Lauren has it in her top three also!!  We need to get Glenn to take the assessment.

 I've also been on a mission - 1200 of these beaded crosses before the beginning of Lent.  Don't ask why.  Just be surprised.  I didn't have to make all 1200 - wonderful committee headed by a dedicated church member made about 900 and I made only about 300.  They were oddly comforting to make.  You can still see pencils in the background!!!

 We posed for a picture for a video - act surprised about that one, too!!

But most of all, I haven't blogged because of my job!  Thank goodness, I LOVE my job.  Yesterday is the first day since before Christmas where I could actually SEE the top of my desk - any woodgrain at all.  We had a HUGE confirmation class of 67 students - 6th graders!!  Part of my job is to get all of them and all of their info, etc. into the church database. . . and make them each a membership card . . .and a nametag . . .and write their name in the BIG book.  In addition to those 67, we also had quite a few adult members join in January . . .which means all of the above for them also - in addition to writing their former churches to arrange the transfer of membership.  What a blessing, right?  Yes - isn't that amazing?  We had more new members in January than many small churches have in worship!!  In addition to all of that, we had a snow day where we left work early and arrived home late.  We have been short two or three co-workers on and off this month due to sickness.  I had to set up my giant excel spreadsheets for 2013.  We are working an Emmaus walk in February and team meetings have begun on Saturdays . . .I've cooked a meal or two for others . . .and there just hasn't been time to sit down at the computer and gather my thoughts.

BUT last Sunday's Sunday School lesson was on the discipline of Simplicity from "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster.  For some reason, that lesson made me want to blog - to take the TIME to blog.  I know that my blog is not widely followed.  I don't have thousands of followers . . .I have 24 :-)  but sometimes I need to just stop and write my thoughts and think about what is important.

My family is important and our friends are important and my relationship with God is important and I blog about all of those things so that I will REMEMBER!!

So . . .hopefully, I'm back.  I've missed you.

Boo! Wait . . shouldn't that be Merry Christmas?

yeah yeah yeah . . .I'm just a little behind . . .just a couple of months. I sure do miss having to make Halloween costumes. I NEVER thought I would say those words back in the days when I was slaving over red felt as I made a power ranger costume or pink slinky material that kept sliding off the sewing machine as I stitched a princess costume. Or wait . . .how about the year I made a Zorro or Vampire or something or other black cape for Laura's boyfriend who was six feet five (or more) inches tall? That was the biggest cape ever!!!! I miss it. Dang!! I miss it!!! This year, I had to borrow my friends children just to take a few pictures. This is the little girl of one of my friends . . .she is not dressed in her costume but she was Cindy Lou Who (is that how you spell her name?). Her hair is perfect!!  She came to visit us in the office and she was a willing subject for me and my camera!!!

I LOVE this one . . .(below) look at those eyes.  Kristi - you have some pretty kids!!  I know you are proud!!

Can you guess who this is?  Indiana Jones himself!!  He came to visit us in the office and his whip made realistic sounds and he was quick to show us.  He had the leather jacket and the hat and the whip and the bag!  He was a great Indiana Jones!!!!

This is his little sister.  She was a cute pumpkin.  Don't you just love that hat?  It just makes me laugh every time I see it!!!  I've said it before - I love working with all of these young parents because they bring their sweet babies to see us in the office. 

Here is a picture of Indiana Jones and his serious face.  He was all business in this one!!

Here is Miss Pumpkin without her pumpkin costume.  She was too hot and got rather fussy but was rather happy when mama took off the costume.

We had the grand total . . .drum roll please . . .of TWO . . .yes, count them . . .TWO trick or treaters and I almost missed them!!!  I was just pulling into the driveway from work and they were walking back home.  I don't believe I have ever seen a pink batgirl before but our next door neighbor sure made a cute one!!!

She and her brother were our only trick or treaters.  When our kids were little we had tons of trick or treaters.  Seems sad to me that we only had two this year. 

Isn't he a cute buzz light year??

Later in the evening, our door bell rang and I was so excited because I thought we had more trick or treaters . . .but I opened the door and it was the mom and dad and teenaged daughter from across the street.  I tried to give them candy but they wouldn't take any.  They said that they were out walking from house to house and they were treating the neighbors.  They had home baked goodies and they were tied with ribbon and they had a nice scripture card on them - nothing pushy - just nice.  They know that we are Christians and they know that we host a Bible study in our home each week and we talked about that and about the fact that another neighbor hosts a weekly Bible study, too (thank goodness it is on a different night!!).  They didn't even say anything about the fact that they were treating the neighbors because they were Christians . . .as a matter of fact, I didn't notice the scripture on the card until after they left.  Isn't that cool?  What a neat way of sharing their faith without being all in someone else's face.

Anyway . . another Halloween has come and gone . . .the year is flying by!!!

Oh we're so wild so wild about the wildcats . . .oops!

Wrong team!! My high school team was the wildcats. This team is the Patriots!! I was in the colorguard at my high school so when my niece, Grace signed up for her high school band, I was excited!!! I was finally able to make it to one of her games at the end of October. The husbands were at the farm so I met Alice at the stadium and enjoyed the game through half time (yes, I left after half time). To be honest, I did not do a lot of football watching . . .though the Patriots were playing better than our Auburn Tigers played this year. Alice and I chatted a lot and I ate a Chick Fil A sandwich from the concession stand - yes, they sold chick fil a sandwiches!!! I did a lot of people watching. That is always the best part!!! I also took a lot of pictures. I was excited to practice using my new big lens again. It is amazing that you can be sitting on one side of the stadium and take a picture and it look like you are right on the field. Doesn't take much to make me happy!! 

I was trying to be discreet with my camera.  My niece is shy and quiet.  She isn't like me - loud and noisy - so I wanted to respect her and not embarrass her.  I want her to like me not hate me.  I kept trying to take pictures by aiming around the people on the row behind us.  This one is pretty good.  I guess I could have cropped out that lady's arms.  Oh well.  This is the south - look at how much jewelry that lady has on at a high school football game.  Don't you love it??

Just thought I would snap a few pictures of the players and cheerleaders.  I won't bore you with all of them.  The team colors are red, white and blue but since it was October and breast cancer awareness, the cheerleaders had pink pom poms (at least that is what I'm guessing).

The band has four drum majorettes and two of them (I think that is correct) go to our church.  One of the Trinity girls made the Army All American band which is a huge honor and she will be playing on the field . ..well, I just googled it so I could tell you where/what game/parade and I can't find it but I promise it is a HUGE honor and she is going to be playing at something really important.  She plays the flute and has been playing in our church orchestra for years.  She is very talented.

This is another way that you can tell we are in the south.  We have huge dance lines and this high school is known for their dance line.  Little girls start training from preschool to be a "spangle."  A friend of ours told about her daughter seeing the Spangles in the Christmas parade as a little bitty girl and being fascinated by them . . .and she is indeed a spangle now.

Grace is the last one on the row on the right (I think).

Here she is the last one at the back of the picture - right there in the middle.

Here she is - last one on the row on the right.

This is Laine - Kevin and Linda's (friends from Sunday School) daughter .. . .who just happens to be the little girl in the story above who quivered all over when she saw the Spangles in a parade.  I think she was about 18 months old!!!

I've always had a thing for the drumline and they have a great drumline.  I always loved going to drum and bugle corp competitions back when I was in highschool!!

They have a huge band.  I think a third of the high school is in the band . . .then about a third is on the football team so you only have about a third to attend the games along with the parents.

This is a better picture of Laine.  I don't know if you can tell . . .but the girls have on lipstick that matches their outfits.  It is some shade of Mac lipstick and it has some sort of glitter that is "food grade" in it and that lipstick matches perfectly.  Once again . . .only in the south.  I love it. 

It was a fun night and I hope to go to more of the games next year. There is just something about Friday night football in Alabama . . .the smells, the sounds, the music - makes for a good night!!

our hearts are broken but yet we know . . .

Life is so hard.  We have cried many tears since 12:09 on Sunday morning when the phone rang.  When the phone rings in the middle of the night it is rarely good news and this was no exception.  We received word that our sweet friend had died unexpectedly in an accident in her home.  I was looking through some of my pictures tonight and came across this one of Butch.  Look at her smiling face.  She is on the left in the red shirt.  She and her daughter, Mary hosted a shower for Glenn and Lauren in December 2010 and this picture was taken that night. 

I want to tell you a little about Butch but I don't even know where to begin.  I've been trying to think of my first memories of her and I think it was back when Mary was in college and Butch and I were in a weight loss/Bible study group together at church.  I remember liking her a lot.  Over the years our friendship grew and our families intertwined.  I was right in the middle.  Butch was 15 years older and Mary was 15 years younger.  Butch was like me (Mary, too).  We are loud and we laugh a lot and we talk a lot.  When Laura and Glenn were six years old, Mary started babysitting for us.  Butch and Mark's momma were off on some trip together . . .somewhere around the world . . .perhaps in Egypt . . .climbing a pyramid.  No, really.  They were.  Mary babysat for us until we didn't need a babysitter anymore.  She would put our kids in the car and head off on an adventure.  Our kids adored her.  They called her "miss mary."  So our families now had a multi-generational friendship.

Butch was so generous.  She was generous with her money and she was generous with her time.  She was chairman of a circle for years . . .until all the little ladies died off . . .and she was MUCH younger than those little ladies.  That was her ministry at the time.

oh my next memory of Butch was another circle memory.  I was in the "young mother's" circle which meant we were a daytime circle and a nursery for our children was provided.  If you don't know what a circle is . . .it is a group of United Methodist Women that meets monthly.  Butch was not a young mother but she was keeping her brother's young child and she needed a nursery.  I loved getting to know her even more.  Once again she was giving of herself . . .keeping her brother's child.

Butch gave freely.  Just Sunday afternoon . . .hours after she died . . .I was baking a cake and I said to Mark, "Butch gave this measuring cup to me."  Might sound trivial but touches of her are all around us.  She was always thinking of others.

Butch loved Jesus.  Butch loved Jesus so very much.  We were so blessed to be in the same church family and even in the same Sunday school family.  Butch drove Mark's momma to Bible study every Wednesday night.  Butch was always giving of herself.

I started writing this post days ago . . .I still can't write enough . . . I still hurt . . . I know this post is rambling and probably makes sense to no one but to me . . .and maybe some day not even to me . . .but Butch loved to dance and I know that Butch is dancing with Jesus.

My son, Glenn and I had a conversation this week about heaven.  We talked about whether or not we will actually know others in heaven.  Of course, neither of us really has an answer to that question.  I know on a theological level we probably won't know others . . .but this week, I've needed comfort.  This is the same week that my momma died and was buried many years ago - way back when I was 15 . . .there is that number 15 again.  I wonder if Butch met my momma this week.  I hope Butch shared with her that I grew up into a woman who loves Jesus.  I hope they can be friends in  heaven . . . .another link.

Our hearts are broken . . . but we know she is with Jesus.

one of those days??

do you ever have "one of those" days?  You know . . .you wake up . . .you KNOW without a shadow of doubt that you have so much for which to be thankful . . .you know you are loved . . .you know you are forgiven BUT you are just sad.  Do you ever have "one of those" days?  I'm having one today.  I'll be fine.  I'm a "glass half full" person.  My number one strength is positivity.  I'll be fine.  But for the moment I'm sad.  I just am.  I feel like I'm losing a friendship and I don't know how to fix it.  Most of my blog posts are about the fun things that I get to do as a middle-aged mom but sometimes . . .sometimes . . .life is just hard.  That is all there is to it.  Sometimes life is hard.  I think that I always thought that by the time I was "whatever age" I am, there would not be days like this.  Of course, I knew that there would be REALLY sad days.  You know about those kinds of days . . .the days where a close friend dies or someone loses a job.  Those are supposed to be sad days but I don't think I thought there would be days where I would be sad just because I couldn't fix something.  The situation may not have anything at all to do with me.  I often have to remind myself, "This is not about me."  Everything in the world is not about me.  I know that.  I have learned that fact in my "whatever" years I've been on earth.  But sometimes it feels like it is about me and I don't know how to fix it.  Did I say something?  Did I do something?  Does it have anything at all to do with me?  I've tried to "make amends" if amends even need to be made . . .since I don't know if it is "about me" . . .I don't even know how to go about fixing it. 

for the friends who read this and for my sister - I'm not going off the deep end.  You don't have to call me or text me.  I might not even answer because I don't really want to talk.  I'm really ok.  I'm just sad.  I felt like if I sat down and typed out these words, it might be cathartic.  (ok I'm already chuckling a little - just looked up cathartic to make sure I was using it correctly and had spelled it correctly -- the word fits!!) Sad will pass.  Sad will indeed pass (chuckle).  I'll get busy in a little while working on my sunday school lesson and I'll feel the peace of God wash over me.  I'll go out in the sunshine and smile at the pharmacist as I pick up my prescription.  I'll pet the kitty cat and as I hear him purr, I'll feel better.

but for now . . .for right now . . at this moment . . .maybe for the next few hours, I am sad.  plain and simple.  I feel like I'm losing a friend and I don't know how to fix it.  I'm just sad. do you ever have "one of those" days?

Whose da boss?

My plan was to update the blog at least once a week . . .yeah yeah. Life just keeps running so fast and I'm always running trying to keep up!!

Boss's day was Tuesday, October 16. We combined our resources and bought a gift for Ann and we told her not to make lunch plans. Sweet Mary didn't keep our secret and spilled the beans about lunch . . . so it wasn't a surprise but it was still fun! We have lots of great restaurants in Birmingham and one that is a casual dining place - not too expensive and one of my personal favorites is Tazikis. They have great greek salads and other yummy foods and they have a dish called "Friday Pasta" that is really yummy. In the past, you could only purchase it on Friday but it is so popular that you can now get it all weekend (and if you have them cater an event or dinner, you can get it during the week!!) It is made up of chunks of chicken and balsamic dressing and ziti pasta.  Yummy!  I don't remember the name of what I ordered that day but it had chick peas in it (I love chick peas) . . .but they forgot the chick peas . . . so the waitress brought me a little cup of chick peas!! 

We loaded up into our cars (everyone fit in my car except Amy and she decided to ride alone and listen to her music!!). Kristi was able to meet us there and Phella came and answered the phones in the office so that we could all go. I think Ann felt appreciated and we sure do appreciate her. I've worked for some crazy people over the years and Ann is indeed a kind and fair boss. She puts up with a lot of crap from all of us and she still loves us!! Here is the group (minus the one behind the camera!) waiting on lunch!!  See the take out container on the table?  Ginger purchased strawberry cupcakes from her friend for our dessert.  (left to right - Ginger, Mary, Ann, Amy, Donna and Kristi)