My Yesterday

Yesterday, I went over to my friend Michele's house. Her sister was in town. She's a massage therapist. She brought her reflexology chair out and I got to be the lucky client. Oooh, the wonders of having an hour of hard, healing work put into your feet. Awwwww! I wasn't home too long before I had to do piano lessons...only 2. Short day for me. I was no more done then I had to run out the door to pick up the sitter. I literally brought her & my kids back to my house, unlocked the front door and said, "Good Luck!" and I was off again. (This is how the week goes when your a single parent....no splitsville....Bruce is working out of town.)

I walked into Ultimate Nails in Loehman's Plaza 10 minutes early. Picked out my Big Apple Red nailcolor and planted my toosh in the massage chair. This was the most intense massage chair I've sat in I think....it shook the bejeeez out of my girls and the belly fat they comfortably shade....But, awwww....it was heavenly. Not long after my LLL friends arrived. We caught up on the happenings over the course of the last month since we met over pedi's and mani's....Is there anything better, really?

Then we crossed the lot to Jack's for a yummy salad....and a few, ok, alot of garlic fries....SOOOO good. We chatted some more. Then ended up at the yogurt shop across the street to finish off the night.

When I got home the kiddos were all tucked in and fast asleep. The sitter left. I was alone!!! I can't describe how exciting that was for me!!!! What to do....I rented Mamma Mia on pay per view but fell asleep before I got too involved. I awoke at about 12:30 realizing that as much as I love being alone in the quiet during the daylight, I'm terrified of it in the middle of the night. I'm a girl that needs a man in her bed. But, that's a whole other sizzlin' post. I wasn't about to let my joyous day end in terror!! I did what any smart girl would do...I pulled that cute little Cameron right out of his bed and put him in mine. The joy of my day was complete with a little bedtime plead to God above for safety and protection throughout the night and my sweet little boyfriend to spoon. Hmmm....I love my life.

Valentine's Day Belated

Here is my lovely new fondue pot, courtesy of East Bay Restraunant Supply.
It is adorned with Bruce's manly arm.

This year I planned a surprised date for Bruce & I....everyone in my club planned dates for our hubbies. The rule was that it had to be something neither one of us have ever done. After much research & thought, I made a reservation at East Bay Restaurant Supply. We did a cooking class where we learned about, made & ate FONDUE!!! We tried alot of stinky cheese. I thought it was dreamy....Bruce, not so much. He had a good time although he thinks fondue is alot of work for a not so great meal. I schooled him on the fact that fondue, stinky cheeses and such are among the most romantic foods on earth...He's not buying it. I would think that a girl from Red Bluff would be less likely to be attracted to this type of eating then a native Sacramenten. The truth is...Bruce is way more Red Neck than me!! So, he'll stick to his corn dogs and sunflower seeds while I enjoy my Gruyere & Brie. Thank you very much! Preferances, or should I say differences, aside....we had a wonderful date together. Here's a few pics to enjoy....Aren't you jealous?

Here is the lovely couple making fondue with Chorizo, jack cheese & peppers. Tasty Stuff!

Some Christmas Cheer

I now know if I ever have any true devastation in my life, alerting my friends and family via this blog will not do a thing for me....Cameron has regained his place in my heart as the king of whatever he wants to be the king of. Something about how cute is or something. I've been so busy with stuff that I hadn't posted my LLL happenings, which I've been dying to do. (I like everyone to know that you need to be in a great LLL club to really be a cool person.) We had our holiday breakfast...tons of waffles w/ creme freche, jam & berries;tons of baked yummies, chicken apple sausages, & hot chocolate. We had a very fun gift exchange. I came home with the most charming homemade sign from the ever-so lovely Molly.

It was just a blissful morning. Then, yesterday, we went to The Chateau at Carmichael Park to carol for the residents there. We sang for about a half hour. Our children handed out homemade gifts to each resident. We were happily surprised to see Spencer's kindergarten teacher there visiting her mother. We had no idea she was there. I'm so sad to say we didn't take photos...I played the piano and a few of the kids performed vocal & piano solos. Oh, it was so enjoyable. This is the best tradition in the world....(I say that alot! Traditions are just all great!) This one really is amazing. It's a little stressful after being at church for 3 hours and being at the piano for so much of my day(I played a ton at church that day.) but when we leave our hearts are so full of joy for bringing Christmas cheer to these people. I thought about my Grandma. She was in a godforsaken home for a very short time and I will be very upset about that for along time. But, doing this year after year somehow relieves me of some of that. Thanks my LLL ladies for all the Christmas cheer that your brought back to me!!! Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Favs Vol. 4

A few years back I started the tradition of the Gratitude Tree during the month of November. This is another LLL thing. I ask everyone who comes into my home during the month to write something they are grateful for on a leaf and then hang it on our tree. And then at Thanksgiving dinner, I have all who are gathered together write on a leaf. We read the leaves together and have so much fun laughing and feeling thanks. I'm so sad my tree will soon be put away until next year.

Honestly...October has Arrived

It's the 1st of October, finally! I've many fun things to share. Last October, we took the kid to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. This has become a beloved family tradition. It's so festive and quaint. You go and enjoy hot cider and pumpkin pie. The kids play on the many attractions. We take the train ride through the acres and acres of land. And, we pick pumpkins. Going back to last year, the kids each picked a small pumpkin to keep and then Bruce & I picked out a huge pumpkin for the whole family to enjoy. We went home, carved them up and had a great time. Little did we know, that sweet little Spencer, had some plans of his own to grow pumpkins the next year. Fast forward to a few months back...Bruce was out in the front yard and noticed a strange squash like sprout. We discovered that a pumpkin patch was growing. When we brought the kids out to see our discovery, Spencer said,"Um, yeah guys. Last year when you told me to throw away the pumpkin seeds I didn't. I planted them in the yard so we could grow pumpkins." He had that "you all are dummies" tone in his voice. So here we are...we have a wonderful pumpkin patch to enjoy. Now that October is here, we can pick them!Yeah!


My next October favorite has to do with my Live, Laugh, Love Club. Each month we have a value that correlates to the holiday in that month. October is Halloween. We wear costumes or disguises to have fun. However, in real life, we tend to wear similiar disguises without always realizing it. We may be dishonest or hide who we really are or how we really feel because it's uncomfortable or because of other fears. Hence, we teach the value of honesty in October. It is, of course, about not lying or stealing or cheating. It's also about being honest with ourselves and in our relationships. We do a take-home tradition each month. It's a little activity that becomes a family tradition but also aids in teaching the monthly value. We use these adorable pumpkins. You have 2 kinds. The happy face and the sad or "disgruntled" face. You have a discussion with the family about allowing each other to share our honest feelings, especially in situations that are difficult. It could be when you did something wrong and need to own up to it. It could be if your husband hurts your feelings and you're afraid of his reaction if you tell him. It could be that you have a hard time sharing intimate feeling vocally and you feel the need to tell a loved one how much they mean to you and need a little help. Whatever it is good or bad, you pick the pumpkin face appropriate for the situation. Give it to the person you need to be honest with. Receiving the pumpkin is the clear signal to sit down, open your heart and mind, and KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Give this person the respect and opportunity to share their honest feeling understanding that this is hard for them. You can put the pumpkins in a cute fall bowl or jar. It doesn't matter. We do this activity every October, all month long. Honestly communicating my feelings has been a struggle for me most of my life. It's one of the most important things for me to teach my children and so it is my favorite of all the months. Here are the cute pumpkins, this year made by my fellow Live, Laugh, Lover and friend, Molly.

Last, the project that we did as a group last night was so cute. We got the idea from our dear friend, Martha Stewart. They are clipboards, a cute system for decluttering and displaying those incidental papers...Misc. artwork, photos, lists, etc. I will be hanging mine in my kids bedroom. Presently, all 3 share a bedroom. So this will work out nicely. They are so simple to do. If I ever want to move them to a new home, I can easily cut and glue new paper to back them with so they will match any decor. Molly gets credit for these too. She was our lovely hostess last night. (The risotto was amazing, too!Thanks Molly!)

I wish all of you an October full of treasured family gatherings and traditions, great food galore, and a new resolve to always be HONEST! Much love to my friends and fam!

T-

I Love My Friends

Last night I had my monthly Live, Laugh, Love club. We went to Roxy...oh so delicious! I had the best short ribs ever...We laughed & cried & laughed some more. I've always been a person that didn't have many girlfriends. I had a few, maybe 1 or 2 really close friends that I did everything with. After I got married, it changed. I then had tons of "friends" but not 1 friend that really knew me and was there for me. Over the last several years it got better but with moves and lives moving forward, I've come full circle back to feeling like I'm friendless. My true friend, Felisha, can go on for hours explaining why this is and why it's hard for me. The bottom line is that I'm a yellow...you've got to read that book! Anyway, last night I was reminded that sometimes I need to remember that friends come in many ways. They may not all be a lifetime friend. In fact, I think very few if any are. But each one is a blessing in our life for that time. It's still true that I'm sad that I don't currently have my one best friend that I confide everything to here in Sac so we can be 2 needy friends together...however, I am so grateful to have friends all around me that can brighten my day regardless of the frequency of the visits. I love you all, friends!!

Lucky Us, We Have Each Other

Last year we started our first St. Patrick's Day tradition. After dinner, we have cake with green frosting for dessert. We sit around the table and take turns completing the sentence, "I'm lucky to have my family because....". I take a picture for our St. Patrick's Day album and record each family member's response. Here are the responses from this year:

I'm lucky to have my family because.....

Me- they provide me with lots of happiness.
Bruce- I always have a best buddy around.
Spencer- they make me happy.
Taylor- because I love my family.
Cameron-No words, just a great big grin!!