And so it begins...

Hi, everyone.

I know, I know. I've been off again for a while. And by a while I mean something like 6 weeks. So, who knows who will actually read this. But, anyways, here it is.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel the pressure of the holiday season roll around and land with a big thud on my doorstep. For those of you who don't know or don't have in-laws, it is really hard to orchestrate 3 family gatherings and get everyone together and please everyone and not have a mild stroke in the process. Josh and I are already discussing Thanksgiving plans. I mean, really. Thanksgiving already? When did the summer end? I don't seem to remember giving permission to the 80 degree days and humidity to vacate the premises. Nobody listens to me. It's just not right. I'm kinda funny sometimes. The world should really sit up and pay attention. Summer should have stuck around for another month or two at the minimum.

Now. As for the fact that Halloween is a few weeks away, we had a bit of costume drama in our household. You have to understand that I don't typically order things from catalogs or over the Internet, but we still get all those catalogs in the mail. Who doesn't, right? And Lexy loves to help me get the mail and to put things in the recycling bin (after all, Elmo recycles so it must be cool, right?), so when we get the mail together she gets to take all the junk mail and catalogs to look at and dispose of properly.

Number One Mistake. Letting Lexy have the Pottery Barn Kids catalog with the Halloween costumes in it. All I heard from the middle of August for 2 weeks was "I want to be the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite." Seriously, what 2 year old remembers that they want to be an owl for Halloween 3 weeks later? She should have moved on the Fancy Nancy or Angelina Ballerina seeing as those are huge in my house right now. But, no. "I love the owl. Mommy get me the owl". Pitiful. So, I gave in and called to order the owl costume. Mommy of the year award goes to me. Number Two Mistake. I waited a few weeks too long. I should have started planning Halloween in January when all the really excellent moms do their shopping and know exactly what their kids are going to like and want. I'm not sure what I was thinking. They are all sold out. Everywhere. Even in Canada. They don't even have the next size up. Not in the stores, warehouses, outlets. NO WHERE. But, "Mommy, I want the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite."

Again, Mommy of the year. I decide, ebay. Someone must have ordered this for their child and had the "I don't want to be a stupid owl" reaction from their precious and adoring child.

They are selling on Ebay for over $100.00. For a Halloween costume for a 2 year old. They will wear it for an hour max. Will they play with it later? Not so much. It's not going to become their favorite toy that they sleep with every night. It's just not going to happen.

Lexy is going to be a bee.




Love to you all,

C-

p.s. Thank you for your patience with me. Check back here and there and there will be posts. I promise.

And if you're wondering about the Finn-dog. He does have cancer. A stromal sarcoma. Bad news. Good news: He is expected to have ZERO recurrence. The oncologist thinks he'll be fine. We just get to spend a fortune on ultrasounds, x-rays and follow up exams for a year until we hear we're totally out of the woods. Meanwhile, he's back to his happy-go-lucky self. Annoying the heck out of me by sitting on the back of my good formal sofa. Brat.

Molars

Hi, Friend-lies.

It appears that my sleepless night last week wasn't due to the cold that I thought Lexy was getting, but in fact those nasty 2 year old molars. I broke down after 6 days of low grade fever, runny nose and cough and took the kid to the doctor on Memorial Day. God bless my doctors office for being open on a holiday. Seeing as I work on the next day it made me feel so much better to take her in myself and not send her with my mom. Lexy was great with the doctor, other than she wouldn't open her mouth to get anything more than a glance at those evil teeth making their way in. Needless to say, runny nose and cough are all allergy related (yea Lexy for inheriting my allergies and not Josh's stong immune system) and the fever and general blah-ness around her nap time and all evening = large pointy things shoving their way into my babies mouth. Bad teeth. Bad bad teeth.

But. When lovingly medicated with Tylenol Generic or Motrin Generic, the kid is 100% normal. And even without it she is still pretty darn great. I've got a good one and I know it. So. There was a slight hiatus from posting and hardly any time spent of Facebook for the last few days and it was really nice. I finished 2 books, lovely light summer reads and have moved on to the third. Read Karen White for free, fun, enjoyment, and some easy reading to move yourself aside for a little bit. And enjoy these. This is my light, ease, fun, and enjoyment.



(yes, this one is a little older, but I just uploaded it and it is flippin' cute, okay?)











By the way, we did that about 30 times. After running in a big circle around the front yard (through the sprinkler). Why is it I don't have a better waistline and better looking arms?

Love to you all. Splash!

C-

The Empty Easter Egg

Dear Friends,

I hope you had as wonderful an Easter (or passover or whatever you celebrate) as I did. We had a great day taking Lexy to church, watching her have an Easter egg hunt and dyeing Easter eggs with the neighbors and a yummy lasagna dinner with the parents and one of our good friends, Jason. Exhausting but good. I am wiped out. I decided I didn't want to cook this year and that a lasagna would be easy... until I had the brilliant idea to make the sauce from scratch instead of using premade. It would have been easier, but it wouldn't have been as yummy. In my humble opinion it was super-good.

I wanted to share an Easter story that you've all probably heard at one point or another, but it's a big part of my childhood and for me Easter wouldn't be complete without it. My pastor when I was growing up, Rev. Dr. David Campbell, would tell this story every Easter at the children's service. I would look forward to it every Easter. So, I've found a variation of the one he told and am reposting it here. I hope you like it as it's made my Easter complete.

Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. Still, his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's elementary school. At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn.

His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy irritated his teacher.

One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Teresa's for a consultation. As the Foresters sat quietly in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students!" Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Foresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why spend any more time trying? As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy." From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy 's noises and his blank stares.

Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loudly enough for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris's face turned red. She stammered, "wh-why, that's very nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller!" The children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy. He just listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy 's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here. "A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and turns into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that is new life, too" little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My daddy helped me!" He beamed. Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy 's, she thought, and, of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!" Time stopped. When she could speak again. Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then his Father raised him up!" The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, ...................all of them empty.

God bless and I love you all,

C-