The View from Here

Mary in the Kitchen

 

It’s time to put to rest the notion that I can’t cook. Of course I can cook! I grew up in a poor family with three hungry brothers. I raised three children and a husband! It’s just that, well, things happen. A few calls to the fire department, a couple of trips to the emergency room with bloody fingers, a few less-than-perfect meals because your head is in a book, and people start saying bad things about you. Pretty soon your children make jokes and write blogs and you have a reputation on Facebook.

In the early days of my marriage/parenting I really cooked. I made bread and birthday cakes and holiday dinners and dishes for church potlucks. But let’s just say that “great dishes” were few and far between. I don’t have to be hit in the head to understand where my talents are and they aren’t in the kitchen. Over the years I’ve learned that frozen foods and mixes are my friends! “Assembling” meals is something I can now do quite efficiently, but my children hardly refer to it as cooking.

And apparently from the evidence of these photos it also took me a while to learn how to clean and arrange a kitchen! I should probably be ashamed to post this one where it looks like a tornado struck. In my own defense I think I had a small kitchen and I was in the middle of a big holiday dinner. Lol  (and, YES! I have a shirt on under that robe!)

Anyway, if you are cooking for Christmas, be sure to have the phone handy just in case. You never know who you might need to call.

Shared Joy

 

I love to paint. I haven’t taken out my easel in years, but I know where it is. I know it will wait for the day when I don’t have quite so many other obligations and I’m seeking the joy that only comes from the process of transforming a white canvas. Perhaps this summer I will take it out and paint my view. I’ve been thinking about that red barn for quite some time.

My grandmother gave me a paint-by-number set when I was about nine. Do you know they still make those? Saw them at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and I was absolutely transported in time. I stood there and stared at the horse scene for so long I was afraid someone would call the manager. But I know that is one of the pictures I painted as a child!

I got two painted surprises in the mail last week. My granddaughter, Taylor, who has been painting since she could hold a brush, sent me this amazing acrylic scene. I hung it in my office where I can see it each day. And each day I see something a little different in it. It is the work of a child and yet there is so much maturity and control in the style. The colors were chosen just for me. It makes me smile! And I hope there was joy in the process. A painting after all, is a gift of feelings.

My cousin paints. Several other family members have painted at one time or another. And I have many friends who paint. Barbara sent me a Christmas card last week with one of her paintings printed on the front. It is a remarkable watercolor and I hope to share it with you soon. However, I want to ask her first and I know she is preoccupied at the moment. Her husband is having a biopsy tomorrow. Please pray for him.

Also on the prayer list for the next two weeks: my cousin’s son died this weekend, my brother is having heart surgery Wednesday and my friend MJ’s daughter-in-law is having heart surgery on the 29^th. And continue to pray for Suzanne as she recovers and heals so she can have another knee replacement.

Be happy and healthy!!

 

A fine line...

I’ve heard it said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Well most of the folks in our family have walked that line very cautiously for generations. We’ve had a few laughs about it and more than a few sessions of therapy. Karen sent me a little ornament this year that says it best. So if you think your family has problems and you are dreading the holiday dinner, or the Christmas Eve get-together, or whatever, rest assured that I understand. I seriously doubt that you could tell me anything, ANYTHING, about anyone in your family that I couldn’t match, or trump, with someone from ours. That’s the hand we were dealt.

However, I’ve also realized over the years that we are an extremely gifted group. Along with the problems of alcoholism and addictions and depression and unpredictable behavior, we have been given creativity and intelligence and the gift of gab. Our family has created six generations of writers, artists, musicians, gardeners, seamstresses, chefs, and craftsmen. We’ve even allowed a few politicians, teachers, nurses, and attorneys to sit at the table with us.

I suppose the genetic package anyone gets must have some flaws. Otherwise we’d just go around feeling proud and invincible all the time. And if I had to choose a combination I think “genius, artist, crazy person” is probably as good as any. At least our family is certainly interesting!

Our family is our gift from God. We may not always like them. We may never understand them. But we know that when the going gets rough we can pull together and find strength in numbers and comfort in shared experiences.  We can put aside our differences and do whatever needs to be done. There are members of my family I’ll probably never see again except in a hospital waiting room or at a funeral or wedding or graduation. We have separate lives and very separate values. But we will always be family. God planned it that way.

A Hope of Spring

 

Two things happened this week to remind me that I will be okay. This too shall pass. Winter will annoy me and make me uncomfortable for a few weeks, but when it is over I will glory in the wonder of spring.

First of all, our amaryllis bloomed! It amazes me each year to watch the bulb burst forth with such beauty just as everything outside is dying.  I was tired of our traditional red one so I chose something a little different and I’ve been waiting anxiously to see it. And it has three more buds!  

 

Second, my first spring catalog arrived!! Yeah. Even though my photography isn’t that great you can still see the big 92 on the front. That’s 92 new plant varieties! It will take me weeks to read about all of them. And if you have never ordered from Bluestone Perennials I urge you to try them. I’ve never been disappointed by a plant I’ve ordered from them. Always healthy and happy! And their prices are reasonable. The great thing about catalogs is that you don’t get the same old plants that everyone is buying from the big box stores. I’m especially pleased by their Echinacea varieties. And if you don’t know what to order they have pre-planned gardens.

I know that the next few weeks will bring more catalogs and I can sit by the fire planning my garden. A hope of spring is all I need to keep me smiling through the cold.

Yes, I know I’m a big whiner. I have no right to complain about “winter” when it will be 68 degrees tomorrow followed by a week in the fifties. I feel sorry for those of you who have months of snow ahead. I know that pretty flowers and catalogs won’t be enough compensation for you. I can only say that there is still some property available just down the road. Not too late for you to move! J

The Coolest Elephant Ever...

We finished our Santa letters yesterday and here is my favorite:

Dear Santa,

Thank you for everything! I like gold stars and presents. I want a pillow pet and a robot and then I can control him. I can push the button. And a big pool. And I hope you bring me the coolest robot costume ever!

Love,

W

Well, the UPS man brought me the COOLEST ELEPHANT ever! Thank you so much to Karen, Ann, and Taylor! The girls suggested that I name it Tinny because it is actually a metal watering can. However, I decided to name her Tennie, because I actually had a great-great Aunt Tennie! lol

Too Much

What is wrong with people?

Honestly.

Christmas brings out the best and worst.

This week I’ve seen some of the latter and I don’t like it.

First off, let me just say that I’m not pleased with our food drive. I upsets me each year that there is a class prize (cookies) given to the class that collects the most cans. I’m personally opposed to teaching my students that every good deed will be rewarded. As a protest, I not only do not inform my students of the contest, but I don’t count our cans. Each year someone comes around and asks me how many cans we collected. When I say “I don’t know”, they stand there with a perplexed look and open mouth while I tell them gently that it doesn’t matter to us. But that is a minor detail compared to the worst part.

I noticed a rusted can in the bin so I checked the expiration date on it. Two years ago!!! Tossed it in the trash and then out of curiosity I have been checking cans each day as I do hall duty or wait for my children to return from special classes. More expired cans. Dented cans. Dirty cans. People!!! Do we think that because someone is poor they will want to eat tainted food? And before we jump on the Oklahoma wagon I’ve already checked and confirmed that this is happening in other states.

Please. Let’s not teach our children that charity is giving to others what we don’t want or wouldn’t eat!! As a lesson in giving, read Franklin's Christmas Gift . I read it to my students yesterday and we discussed it at length.

Now let us jump to the other extreme because Mrs. Maurer has also been writing letters to Santa as my students dictate them. I’ve only written six, but between them and the whispered secrets of parents, I know that some children are not only getting too much stuff this year, but totally inappropriate stuff!!! What five-year-old child who cannot remember to wash his hands, sit in his seat, or leave his classmate’s paper alone NEEDS his own television and DVD player in his bedroom? Or a BB gun? Or a four-wheel ATV? Or a cell phone? Or an i-Pod? Or a laptop? Besides that, I know some parents are bankrupting their household budgets to provide this stuff! Let’s try to keep a little perspective and remember that the kid will want to eat in January!

Oh, and I had my first request yesterday for “the internet”. A sweet-faced little girl said, “I want Santa to bring me the internet so I can play games!” Thank goodness she also wanted a doll and a real dog!

We just have a few short days until Christmas. Let’s get it together people. Straighten up and start thinking. You’re giving me a headache!

No Blog Today

This morning:

Made coffee.

Wrote out a little "to do" list for Gary. He works 10-7 today.

Fed the cats.

Fed the fish.

Uploaded photos to WalMart so I can pick them up after school. (Children are making photo frames for parents.)

Updated the Caddo website with a new business.

Posted Christmas Tree Center photos to my kindergarten blog.

Answered emails. Made a lunch date with a friend.

Gathered cans for food drive.

Called in a prescription for after school pickup.

Stuffed an envelope with recipes for Megan.

Five minutes on Facebook...okay ten minutes, honest.

Now it is 6am so I must have breakfast and get dressed! later...

Bad Elephant...Bad

It seemed like a good idea. I wanted my great nephew, Noah, to have an elephant for Christmas. He is such a little doll and he’s worked hard at perfecting his elephant sounds and he raises his chubby little arm up for a trunk. An elephant that moves and/or makes sounds would be perfect for him!

Off I went to WalMart to find one!

Fisher-Price came to the rescue with “Shake ‘n Go Elephant”. I wasn’t thrilled with the elephant sound, but close enough. I knew Noah would love the fact that it makes ANY noise and it moves. After each little trumpet squeal the wheels spin and it takes off. What fun!

 

I was pleased that the batteries were pre-installed. However, I was a little concerned that I couldn’t find an off switch. I suspected that a noisy elephant might pose a problem for the post office.

Then I figured it would be okay as long as the elephant was packed well and no one shook the box very much. I wrapped it in bubble wrap and then wrapping paper and then cushioned the inside of the packing box with more paper. It seemed okay, but just to be safe I wrote on the box, “This box contains a child’s toy that makes noise when shaken.” Good thinking. Patted myself on the back for that one!

Off to school yesterday morning. The elephant trumpeted his little song as I carried the box to the truck. Well, okay, I did have it upside down. Put it on the seat and it stopped, but I could still hear the wheels spinning for about 30 seconds.

Drove down the driveway and every time I hit a bump in the gravel…you guessed it…trumpeting and wheels spinning. Told myself it would stop on the highway and that most postal workers drive on the highway, not bumpy gravel driveways. Right?

That crazy elephant trumpeted all fifteen miles to school! I don’t think it shut up more than five minutes until I parked in the parking lot.

Well, I sat there in the truck for a minute and imagined a scenario at some far off post office in Utah where the authorities had the box surrounded by homeland security officers. Even after they tore it open and verified that it was indeed just a child’s toy they would probably still track me down at school and arrest me just for wasting their time!  I decided to take the thing home and take out the batteries.

After school I had to get some more paper and packing tape at WalMart so I stopped by the toy department and looked at the elephant’s brother on the shelf. Gave it a little shake and the sound wasn’t any better. Couldn’t find an off switch. No clue on the box.

Went home and unwrapped the box. Unwrapped the elephant. Took off the bubble wrap. The whole time the silly thing is trumpeting and spinning. Took it out of its packaging. Low and behold—the OFF switch!!--on the bottom, just out of reach because the elephant was tied so closely and tightly to its packaging. If I had known where it was I could have turned it off with pencil. Anyway, Hallelujah, I made it stop trumpeting and spinning!

I didn’t even bother to wrap him again. I just threw a little bubble wrap around him and put him back in the packing box. Off to Utah with you, naughty elephant!

So…Noah.  You are getting an elephant for Christmas. Don’t be fooled by how quiet he is when you take him out of the box. Once you turn that switch on, your mom may be saying bad things about your Aunt Mary. I just wanted you to have an elephant for Christmas. It seemed like a good idea.

 

P. S. Happy Birthday to Karen!! No baby pictures...at least not today. :)

Great Memories

What better way is there to really get into the Christmas spirit than to drag out old childhood photos to embarrass your adult children?

I love these! They are actually slides. Many are in terrible shape and I didn’t take the time to edit them a lot. I really need to do that during the break and try to get some decent photo copies made so my children can have these to treasure.

In the meantime I will share them with you and then listen to my kids say, “Honestly, Mom… why?” lol

 

Shopping

“I’m sorry, I thought this was my mother.”

That was Karen’s reaction yesterday when I answered her “what did you do today” question.

My answer was “I shopped all day”.

Anyone who knows me knows that shopping is on my amusement list somewhere between going to the dentist and getting the car serviced.

However, Christmas shopping is different. I don’t mind shopping for other people, especially children.  And holiday shopping is as close to enjoyable as it gets.  I just don’t want to drag it out. I’m good for a couple of days, early in the season, and one in December. Thankfully yesterday was our “shop ‘til we drop” day and we are finished. Wrapping and packing today and then a trip to the post office tomorrow. Done.

Gary is always a good shopping companion if I’m polite. He loves to shop!! We were in Books-A-Million yesterday and I picked out the one thing I went in search of, browsed through the clearance rack for a couple more items, and asked him if he was ready to go. “You’re always rushing me!” was his reply. “No, no,” I said, “I just wanted to know if you were waiting for me, or if you want to look some more.”  He just rolled his eyes! LOL Apparently I hadn’t used a convincing tone or perhaps he just knows me too well after thirty-seven years. He looked for about ten more minutes and then we moved on to the next destination on my list.

Yes, I carried my Christmas shopping list with me! Have to do that in order to keep track of gifts, batteries, wrapping paper, etc. I can’t keep everything in this old brain.

Oh, I must say that Gary’s shopping style did work to my advantage yesterday. That’s why we are such good friends and such a good team. Our differences complement each other. We went to Blockbuster to get a gift certificate and so of course I just headed straight to the counter and picked one off the little rack in front of it and handed it to the clerk. I looked around for Gary, who had the cash with him, and he was at the movie clearance rack! I asked the clerk to wait and I went over to see what he was doing. I was baffled because he had just been to Blockbuster on Friday to pick up a movie and I know for a fact he couldn’t have done that without looking through the clearance movies. Just as I asked him what he was looking for I spotted an old movie that I love and haven’t seen in years! I think Gary actually smirked, just a little, as I took it to clerk. Lol

We finished off our day with something I really do like- working with children! We handed out tickets at the annual CCA Children’s Party with Santa. You can read about it on my Caddo blog.

Have a great day!