Words

Normally, we have a family meeting this time of year and talk about what we want to accomplish in the upcoming year ... the dreaded resolutions.  I've been thinking about it and trying to come up with something new.  This is going to be a big year for us - a high school graduation, oldest child moving away to college - how to capture all of it and make it a meaningful activity.

I think I have an idea ..

Not a list of resolutions

Just one word

One word that reflects what you want for yourself in 2012.

YOUR WORD

YOUR FOCUS
YOUR HOPE


Words can hold great meaning.  
They can be powerful and serve as a catalyst for change.


So we are each going to pick a word.
I'm going to laminate each word and place it on the fridge.
We'll do some activities during the year to keep the focus and visibility high.
What words will we choose?

Really?

Just when you think you have heard it all ... along comes Mr. Rominger, attorney for Jerry Sandusky.  Rominger gave a interview that contained this little nugget of wisdom.

"Teaching a person to shower at the age of 12 or 14 would sound strange to some people, but actually people who work with troubled youth would tell you that there are a lot of juvenile delinquents or people who are dependent who have to be taught basic life skills, like how to put soap on your body."

Well, thank you Mr. Rominger for clearing that up.  Makes perfect sense now!  Sandusky wasn't doing anything inappropriate ... he was simply teaching these young boys how to soap up in the shower. 

Mr. Rominger will be clarifying that genius statement for the next few days ... Personally, I am counting on Seth Myers to properly handle this during SNL this weekend.  Come on Seth ... this is SCREAMING for coverage as a "REALLY with Seth"!



Bricks From Heaven

My oldest got this recipe from her teacher at church ... and the teenage girls quickly renamed them "Bricks From Heaven."  She took them to school this week and the teenage crowd is still asking for the recipe.  We didn't get a photo, but feel free to give them a try!

1 roll (16.5 oz) chocolate chip cookie dough

1 C. old fashioned quick oats

Dash salt

2/3 C. caramel Ice Cream Topping

5 T. flour

1 t. vanilla

3/4 C. chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 C. semi-sweet baking chips (6 oz)

Heat oven to 350.  In large bowl, break up cookie dough.  Stir on knead in oats and salt.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the dough for topping.

In greased 9-inch square pan, press remaining dough mixture evenly in bottom to form crust.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until dough puffs and appears dry.

In small bowl, mix caramel topping, flour and vanilla until well  blended.  Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips over crust.  Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture.  Crumble reserved 1/2 cup dough mixture over caramel.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 10 minutes.  Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars.  Cool completely.



New Friends

I met a great young family this past week.  You may have seen us on Facebook asking for costume donations.  The momma in this family is the founder of the Princess Alexa Foundation. 

It is my general personal belief that the word "trial" is widely overused ... there are daily challenges or aspects of life that just don't rise to the level of a trial.  For me, I will be ready to use that word if a day comes that we have to spend 2-4 years fighting leukemia with one of my girls.  I think I came pretty close the day my Dad died, and I was in Argentina ... you could say that the world came crashing down on that day and it took a few more days to get it back together.  However, that would be nothing in comparison to losing one of my girls.

I was so moved by this sweet young family.  They took the pain of losing a child and have translated it into a working non-profit.  They use the fun of playing dress-up to bring a little sunshine into the lives of some really sick kiddos ... and I'm sure the parents of these kiddos enjoy those few hours every bit as much.  What an amazing example of using your super powers for good!

It was so fun to get to know them just a little bit and we look forward to doing more with their foundation.



Mini-Mean Girls

Miss M came home from school a little upset ...

Apparently, a group of girls were making fun of her for not having boobs.

WAIT ... WHAT?????!!!!!

This is fourth grade!

I mean REALLY!!

Really ladies ... What? You think you have gigantic boobs!

Really!

Really ... you do recognize that a push up bra doesn't actually mean you have boobs!

Really!

  How dare one of you not maintain her social status by rocking a push up "C" cup!  The nerve of some girls!

I mean really!

Your mothers ought to be smacked for ...

Buying you a push up bra in the fourth grade!

Encouraging such an emphasis on your body at ten years old!

Not smacking you every time a snotty comment came out of your mouth so we could eliminate this charming behavior before you really start to hurt the feelings of others!

1000 Words

What's that saying ... A picture is worth a thousand words.

This is what is left of my beater after an unfortunate encounter with a glass bottle of corn syrup.

This so perfectly sums up the past two weeks of fun!

Eight airplanes in two weeks while trying to coordinate Christmas and school activities and general life has been a kick in the pants.

So last night when I pulled the beater off and set it on the counter, my entire house just roared with laughter!  Good news is ... they finally have something to add to this Christmas list they have been hounding me about.  :)

Thoughtful Giving

It can be so difficult to identify the "perfect" gift.  I'm a big fan of finding something meaningful that can really be used for years to come.  This week, I heard such an amazing story of meaningful giving ... that I had to share.

One of my co-workers was turning 60 this week.  He arrived home on Tuesday to find a random truck parked in this driveway, blocking his way into the garage.  Like most 60 year olds, he is a little crankier than the average person.  He got out of his car and "lit into his wife" who happened to be standing on the sidewalk.

"Who owns the truck?"

"Where did it come from?"

"You better not have bought this thing!"

His oldest son came out the front door and asked him if he was ready to apologize for being an idiot.  Then he asked his Dad to look really close again at the truck ...

As he looked the truck over, a flash of recognition came over his face ... but it couldn't be!

This truck was purchased by his grandfather in 1962.

He learned how to drive in this truck when he was eleven.

His grandpa let him borrow the truck for his first date at 15.

The family sold the truck in 1980.

His son had spent about six months tracking down the truck, finally locating it in a barn in Texas.  He went to meet with the owners and explained to them the significance of the truck in the life of his family, until they agreed to allow him to purchase it.

His son spent the next six months working with a guy to have it fully restored.  He oversaw every detail .. from tracking down original hubcaps to the original paint color.

This week, his son parked the truck in his dad's driveway ... knowing full well he would be snarky when he came home and saw it ... yet also knowing that it would be one of the most memorable and meaningful gifts he had ever received.

After they took it out for a ride and everyone else had gone inside, my friend sat behind the wheel of that truck and just let the memories flow.  So many of his favorite childhood memories were somehow attached to this truck.

Next summer they are having a family reunion.  What an amazing opportunity to share this truck with another two generations of family members ... I can just see the little ones, lined up on that running board, listening to the stories about this truck and where it has carried their family.

It is not always possible to do something this grand, but this served as a solid reminder of the importance of really putting some thought into the gifts I give and looking for opportunities to do something truly meaningful and thoughtful.

Tis the Season

Tis the season!!

The first Christmas crafty moment has occurred ... so we are officially ready for it all to begin!

Few things are as relaxing as a few hours with a glue gun

and a couple of friends

and a little gossip

and some hummus!!

Original idea found via Pinterest ... 

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/2011/11/noel-sign/

Pink Out Day

Fairly regularly, I am humbled and reminded of yet another reason why I have not yet been nominated for "Mother of the Year" ...  The conversation went a little like this:

M: MOM ... I HAVE to wear red today!!!!!

H:Are you sure?

M:YES!  It is Red Ribbon Week.

H:Nope -- that's next week.

M: MOM, we are watching the video today to kick it off.  We have to wear red.

H: Hon, I already got the note from school and added all of your dress up days to the calendar.  Next week is Red Ribbon Week.

M: I know!  But we are kicking it off today.

H: Okay!  Go get dressed and come back so I can do your hair.

She comes back a couple of minutes later all dressed in pink.

H: Buddy, I thought you had to wear red today?

M: Yeah, I think I got confused.  It is not Dare, it is Pink Out.

H:  Are you sure you know what you are talking about?

M: YES -- they had signs up at school.  We're supposed to wear pink today .. and we can wear pink in our hair.

H:  I doubt that.

M: Seriously -- even Madison and Autumn had color in their hair this week.

H: Are you sure?

M: YES -- we can totally wear pink in our hair.

Despite the red flags going off in my head ... I remembered the new principal.  He is young and hip and has been doing a lot of new things with the kids.  So, maybe he really did say they could add color to their hair for pink Out Day.

As you can tell by the photos, we painted pink stripes in her hair.   She skipped out of the bathroom to put her shoes on.  A minute later, she returns with the look of sheer terror on her face ...

M: I remember where I saw the signs about Pink Out Day.

H: At school?

M: No .. it was at Primrose (her after school care).

H: Hmmmm (holding in the laughter)

M: I CANNOT GO TO SCHOOL LIKE THIS!!

H: You could always just rock it and tell them it is Pink Out Day.

M: MOM ... I looked at the dress code.  It says NO EXTREME HAIR COLOR.  Do you think this qualifies as extreme?

At this point, the rest of the family hits the floor and busts out laughing.  Extreme?  No, giant hot pink stripes are barely noticeable!!

We headed to the kitchen sink to wash out as much as we could, considering it was already 7:45.  First, we had to document this little fiasco!!  My little drama queen starts to sob while I was her hair ... " I'm such an idiot!!  I feel so stupid!!"  Her older sisters start telling stories about dumb things that have happened to them like totally missing the first day of school, falling down the stairs, etc.  Her Dad comes running into the room yelling about how it is Peach day and he has nothing to wear ... until we finally had her calmed back down.

She's sitting real quiet in the back seat while I drive her to school.

M: Hmm ... I just remembered something.

H: What's that?

M: Well, Madison and Autumn had a concert at School of Rock.  That's why they had purple and green in their hair.  Now that I think about it, I think they must have tried to wash it out because there was really only a little strand that was still purple and green.

H: Yeah, we probably should have figured that out before adding hot pink stripes to your hair.

M: So, can we put the stripes back in this weekend?  They did look cool.

H: Sure, sis.  Just so we're clear, you are 15 minutes late to school.  You are going to get a tardy and it is going to be okay.  No drama .. we are just late today and the world will continue to rotate on its axis.

M:  I know ... levels of panic!  This started as a 10+, but now I'll keep it at a 2.

H: Love you buddy.  Have a good day with your slightly pink hair!

Chocolate Waffles

We tried one of our Pinterest finds ...

Chocolate Waffles!!

They are super easy.  Just follow the normal directions on the back of a chocolate cake mix.  We went with Milk Chocolate so it wouldn't be too heavy.  Pour the batter into the waffle iron and let them cook.  Top with whipped cream and strawberries.

My girls LOVED them!! 

FDNY

We're going to pretend that I was organized enough to post this closer to September 11th ...

I got a phone call from Delta Airlines in March of 2000.  Apparently, I purchased their 3 millionth online airline ticket and had won a trip for four to the World Series that year.  I suddenly became a massive baseball fan as we watched the playoffs to see where we would be going.  Lucky for us .. it was the year of the Subway Series - Yankees vs. Mets.  It was our first time taking the girls to New York City!!

Statue of Liberty .. Central Park .. Broadway .. they loved everything.  You can tell by the photos, Rachel was in her "SUPERSTAR" phase of photo taking. 

This was pre 9/11 .. back when you could still hike it to the top of the Statue of Liberty and the twin towers appeared in photos. 

One afternoon, we were on our way back to the hotel when we saw a couple of FDNY firefighters outside trying to coax people into their new fire safety facility in Manhattan.  Jeremy and I were going to cross the street to avoid them ... when a really excited four year old took off running down the block and started to chat up the firefighters.  We ended up hanging out with them for over an hour .. playing dress up, learning about fires, coloring, etc.

 

We did not realize it at the time, but this company was one of the first responders after the planes hit the towers eleven months later.  These individuals displayed a level of courageousness that day that few people ever achieve and showed us all the true meaning of putting others welfare before your own. 

We will forever be grateful for a moment that was initiated by a smart little girl who recognized the fun of being a pretend fireman .. and we stopped rushing around long enough to appreciate these incredibly brave individuals.

Pinter WHO???

I have successfully avoided the Pinterest craze until this week!

Spending the past few days at home with Rach caused a moment of intense weakness and I decided to check it out.

This was the first thing I saw ...

... and now I am hooked!!!

Lessons Learned in a Hospital Waiting Room

I am a lessons learned kind of girl ... it has become a bit of a joke at my house because the phrase, "What can we learn from this?" follows almost every positive and negative event.

A couple of months ago, my 14-year old took a pretty serious spill on a 4-wheeler while visiting family in Idaho.  She was there with her older sister for a few days before heading to a church camp.  Generally, I'm not much of a "what if" or "crazy worrying" kind of parent.  Stuff happens with kids all the time .. falling and splitting a head open .. breaking an arm .. concussion .. crazy reaction to a bug bite.  All of which have happened at the homes of some of our favorite people.  I would rather have kids who jump in and are not afraid to try new things.

However, this one was a little different.  This one got under my skin a bit.  There were specific decisions made by adults that involved my Annie ... and she got really hurt.  Two months later, she is in surgery and the fun continues.  We have been required to tell the story to multiple medical professionals and each time they start with ...

How did this happen?

Was she wearing a helmet?

How fast was she going? 

Each time we answered the questions .. this little angry bug under my skin would bite a little bit harder.  I even got defensive and felt compelled to explain that we weren't there and would not have allowed her to ride without a helmet.

We had a "lessons learned" chat after this happened .. but it mainly focused on toys like jet skis, 4-wheelers, snowmobiles and how to safely enjoy them.  We talked about helmets, controlling your speed, how to properly take a corner, etc.

Her leg got infected and formed a large hematoma .. hence the surgery this week.  Living in Dallas comes with perks, like having two of the "Top 10 Children's Hospitals" in the country.  As we waited to check in, I started looking around the waiting room, which was full of children a lot younger than mine.  You could tell me looking at them .. this was not their first trip to a hospital.  I don't consider it a good sign when the nurse checking people in recognizes you and calls you by name.

After they took her back to the operating room, we moved to a larger waiting room.  I watched doctors come and take families back to conference rooms because the news they had to deliver was not appropriate in a fishbowl.  We watched families fall apart because something had gone wrong during the surgery.  The longer we sat there ... frankly, the dumber I felt.

We have never had a real health challenge with any of our girls.

I've never heard the words - leukemia or cancer or tumor.

They have never missed a year of school because of visits to specialists or hospitals.

I have never known that sheer panic that comes when a doctor walks into the room with that look.

We have known the pain that comes from losing a child.

We have been incredibly blessed.

Sometimes, the lesson learned comes a little while after the big event.

In a hospital waiting room, I learned perhaps the most valuable lesson of all ..

and I will be grateful.  I will be grateful that all it took was a surgeon and thirty minutes to put her back together.  I will be grateful for the health of my family.  I will be grateful for these little moments that remind me to let go of the things that bring negativity and focus on the beauty in my life.

Break Out the Pumpkins

Despite the fact that it was a balmy 106 in Dallas today ...

I'm ready to move on to Fall.

This crazy weather has until next weekend to get with the program

because the tubs are coming out!!

    



Denial

We are iPhone junkies at my house! 

All our phones sync daily and we have a master calendar of all important things. 

It is a long standing joke that if it isn't on the calendar, it doesn't happen.

Today, I posted an event to the calendar ...

June 5, 2012

This is the day my Lex graduates from high school.

One could safely assume I had a moment.

I'm starting a petition ...

There are so many AP tests, it is impossible to take all the classes in one year.

We should TOTALLY extend the senior year of high school to two years and allow the kids to get more college credits.

Anyone want to sign?

PLEASE!!!



Flunking the Modesty Test

My little fashionista came home a little bent from church a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently, she flunked the modesty test and wasn't too happy about it.

What was on this modesty test you ask?  The list went something like this ...

Clothes that are tight fitting.

Her response -- Well, we all know how I feel about my skinny jeans!!

Clothes that are sloppy.

Her response -- The second I walk in the door at home, I change into soccer shorts and a tshirt.  Doesn't get any sloppier than that!!

Skirts and Dresses that hit the bottom of your knee.

Her response -- The whole time they are talking, I'm staring at my skirt that hits the top of my knee.

Nothing strapless or tank tops.

Her response -- I TOTALLY wear tank tops sometimes.

Nothing too flashy.

Her response -- HELLO!!  There is hardly anything in my closet that doesn't have sequins, glitter or sparkles.

She dejectedly stated that the only saving grace during the whole thing was that she doesn't own a bikini.

While we all laughed .. and she got more and more irritated at why we could not comprehend the tragedy of this day .. I actually thought about how far she had come.

When my older girls were little, we did a modesty lesson at home.  I pulled pictures from magazines and had them decide what was appropriate and what was not appropriate.

Like this ...

  

Never focusing on the person .. just the clothing options and choices.  They LOVED it and talked about that lesson for years.  They also used the word "inappropriate" at times when I wished they knew how to whisper!

We attempted to repeat the same lesson years later with the fashionista around age four.

Her continued response to the less desirable choices was ... "THAT'S HOT"!!  No matter how much we tried, none of us could convince her that these clothes were anything but SUPER HOT!!

It would appear that a corner has been turned!!

Girls Day Out

Lucky for me ... Jeremy was present and remembered to grab my camera, or I would have spaced taking pictures of the day!!

Special thanks to:

RACHEL ... the signs were AWESOME!!

 

JANICE AND MARYN ... the food area was FABULOUS!!

  

BETH AND JILL ... EXCELLENT welcomers and entry!!

MEGAN AND KIM ... LOVED the outfits on the walls!!

ALL MY YW FRIENDS ... the zebra stripes and polka dots were GREAT!!

ALEXIS AND NAT ... FANTASTIC shopping helpers!!

  

  

 

Flowers

Living in a house of girls, we have a lot of hair stuff ... headbands, flowers, clips, products, etc.

I have learned that there are times when the outfit is just not complete with the perfect hair accessory!!  Our "Girls Day Out" friends were going to need a few of these!!

We started with this tutorial from "Make It and Love It', but we used buttons instead of the beads.

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/08/blog-post.html

Here are some of our favorites:

  

  

 

  

Girls Day Out

Girls Day Out ... It is like raiding your best friend's closet!

We had such an amazing day!! 

There are so many hours that go into an event like this and a fair amount of anxiety and we could not have asked for more!!

One of the first few times I was giving the "introduction" of what was located in what area of the room and how the "shopping" would work, I started to say:  "The girls will help you find your size.  You just keep an eye out for those things that are going to ..." and I paused slightly ... when the quiet girl in front of me finished the sentence ..."going to help me feel happy."

STRAIGHT UP BABY GIRL!!!

You shop until there is a smile on your face!

I spent a few minutes talking with a single mom ...

She has spent the last few months relying on a battered women's shelter to help her provide for her daughter and get back on her feet.

Last Friday, someone ran a red light and struck their vehicle.

She had to take the money that she had been putting aside for school shopping towards her deductible to get the vehicle fixed.

She talked about pouring her heart out to God for help.

Two days later someone handed her a flyer for the "Girls Day Out" and her prayers were answered.

We met a young woman and her little sister ...

Their family has fallen apart during the economic downturn.

Both parents lost their jobs and have since divorced.

She took three AP tests and received three perfect scores!!

I must have told her twenty times how crazy incredible that is!!

While we shopped, we talked about school and grades and college and the importance of an education to set the foundation for your life.

She talked about praying to God to help her family get back on their feet and maybe even back together.

She received a "Girls Day Out" flyer from a friend.

Two girls in foster care came in ...

Their foster mom has nine kids and according to them has the heart of an angel.

She was recently diagnosed with cancer and has been too sick to do much of anything with the kids.

She is terrified that she will die and the kids won't be taken care of.

The girls said she has prayed to God every day that they would find a way to get the kids ready for school.

Their social worker brought over a flyer for the "Girls Day Out" event and her prayers were answered.

So many people contributed to bring a little sunshine into the lives of these people and I am grateful for the opportunity to share a moment with each of them.

We watched them come in the front door ...

Shy and nervous

Feeling like they needed to show me a flyer so we would accept them in

Quiet and unsure

We watched them walk out that same front door

with a bag full of great finds

and a smile on their faces ...

and most importantly,

a light in their eyes and

a heart full of hope!

.

Bittersweet

So I made a LAME attempt at joining a book club that ended with me not attending a single meeting in nine months ... mainly due to traveling for work ... However, I did manage to read most of the assigned books.

Despite the appearance of nonparticipation, I'm going to consider this book club adventure a success!!

I read several books that I would not normally have picked up and really enjoyed myself.

This is the latest read ...

I read it straight in one day.

I teared up multiple times.

Such a beautiful story of friendship and loyalty and love.

The history of the Japanese camps during WWII is almost hard to believe.

Give it a try .. and let me know what you think!!

Girls Day Out

Okay my lovely cyber friends ...

This is our latest project.  We are hosting a free back to school shopping event for local teenage girls ... they live in shelters, halfway houses, or belong to organizations that try to keep young women engaged and off the street.

It is no secret that all the girls in my house enjoy a good shopping trip .. and we generally love clothes.

While clothes don't make you beautiful, it can be such a confidence booster when someone tells you how cute you look.

If anyone could use a boost of confidence and a smile, it is these girls!

We know that these girls will not have the opportunity to do a lot of back to school shopping, and so we are bringing the shopping to them.

Clothes

Shoes

Purses / Bags / Backpacks

Jewelry / Belts / Scarves / Hair Accessories

We are also working a few angles to get school supplies and personal hygiene items.

So if you haven't done any community service this year and are feeling generous ... this is a great opportunity!!