Monday, May 17, 2010

Traveling in Style

Hi everyone, thought you might be interested in some edible art. I think this is the most fantabulous thing, and my little Sissy created it. This is CAKE people. I know, I know, it is astounding and I am so proud to say that the creator came from my very own gene pool.

If you want some fun browsing check out her other blog here and be ready for some wonderful, scrumptious eye-catching CAKES.

What a talent she is!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a bittersweet day to me.

I love being a MOM and raising my kids.
I love my own MOM and appreciate all the sacrifices she made raising us.
But Mothers Day also gives me the chance to look back on the things that I did wrong and wish I could have a do-over.

I wish I could be all things to all the people I love and cherish
But I can't
So I have to hope that they have forgiving hearts and accepting natures
and eyes that can see what I wish I were and not what I appear to be.

To all of you women out there that don't have your own children to mother
Thank you for mothering mine when I came up short.
Thank you for seeing what I may have missed
Thank you for buoying me up with your wisdom

Sometimes we aim high but miss the mark we were shooting for
Sometimes our views are blurred or obscured
But I believe, always our hearts want and yearn to be the best
Not for us, but for those that we care for and about.

I may be the one to care for those I have been blessed with
But they are my teachers
They make me be better
They lift me up and make me whole.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

The Nose Knows

I have been laying here awake thinking about random things, and out of the blue I start thinking about basements. Maybe it is because we are visiting my Niece in Tucson, where they don't seem to have any, but it just popped into my head.

I love the smell of a basement, I used to go down into my grandmas root cellar (that is what she called it) and just start inhaling. It is a comforting smell to me. It reminds me of home. Some people equate the smell of a basement with mildew or stale air, but to me it smells of the earth and life.

And then another thought came tumbling through the chaos, I love, love, love the smell of wet cement. Nothing is more serene to me then the smell of cement after a rain. I think it must be inherited because Sissy also loves the smell of wet cement.

I love that my memory is in my nose! My paternal grandparents died when I was quite young, but we had spent a lot of time with them up to that point, we even lived with them for a short time. Sometimes while walking around a lot of people I will catch a whiff of perfume from somewhere and I will feel my grandma close by. I don't know the name of this perfume or even if it is a perfume, I only know that my grandma becomes very near to me at times like this. For all I know it is my grandma, letting me know that she is still watching out for me and that she loves me.

I have been desperately wanting Spring to come....really, really, really badly have I wanted Spring to come, and the other night (or should I say morning) at 12:30 in the AM, we arrived home and I stepped out of the car and spring filled my nasal passages. I mean it came through the dark and the calm so completely that I had to stand and inhale for a full minute. I L.O.V.E. that my first full experience with Spring came through my nose.

This amazing sense of smell is a blessing to me in so many ways. It is one of the ways I can remember my little darlings so well. I love the smell of my little grandsons as they throw their little arms around my neck and tell me I am their 'best fwiend'. Every sense is awake and alert and completely, insanely happy at that particular moment. My nose is what keeps the memories connected for me. As I form each new memory, with each new hug, the smell says, 'Yes, you know this experience' and it is added upon, again and again.

What a blessing!
I am so grateful!


Friday, May 7, 2010


Family!

What a concept.

We spend our days running to and fro
fixing, getting, making, ya know
trying to reach the pinnacle....
the top...capture the brass ring!

And then
for just a tiny fraction of a second,
a glimpse of eternal joy, happiness,
and composed chaos
finds it's way into our homes
disguised as sticky hands or muddy toes
and musical laughter

In that brief moment
we see the truth,
the reality of our purpose

and it is
FAMILY!

sometimes we are blessed to
have the opportunity to
unite
to be one
to share the love,
the joy,
the frustration

I am thankful for the love
that enters the room with
every 3 year old or
every 10 year old
or every 13 year old.
Their light is abundant
and I am shown the true meaning
of joy!

We are the luckiest ...
wouldn't you say?

And it all began with my Mr Darcy and me!
I love you Mr Darcy!
I love you Sissy, Ry-boy, Josephus, Nicodeem
I love you Sease, Tae, Anya, Faisy, Kader-monkey, Ky, Kaysia, Ty, Addie and Rodan.

My cup runneth oer'