a blended life

This is going to be a bit of randomness since I don't have two brain cells to rub together right now. I've been fighting my yearly bronchitis/flu/garbage (whatever it is--I don't care, I just want it to go away). Here are a few pictures to entertain you today. Yesterday we went to an ice skating birthday party (try to picture me on skates with a temperature of 102 and wearing broken glasses and a seriously bad gimp suit. Now stop laughing.) I had a vision of a birthday present--a purse that I found on clearance, filled with homemade hair bows, wrapped in tissue paper and a purple tulle ribbon. Sounds perfect, huh? I got sick and the bows didn't happen (enter Mom and an emergency trip to a boutique for some bows). I got out the wrapping stuff and Hannah WAS GOING TO WRAP IT HERSELF. THANK YOU AND GOODBYE. Here's what we got: Whatever, Hannah. Then she dressed herself with her own version of a gimp suit and her hat on backwards: Honestly, I feel like a circus...

Today in church I was reading the Crayola color names whilst trying to make it through a slightly uninspiring talk (c'mon, you do it too). Wild Strawberry, Mountain Meadow, Eggplant. I stopped reading them when I got to this one: Pacific Blue. I had an instant movie in my head--images of the coast, the tides, crabbing, the beach houses, and our long drives there and back. My movie stopped in The Dalles, Oregon, where my grandparents lived. We visited that forbidden place more times than I can count, and almost always on the way to the coast. (I not-so lovingly referred to it as The Bowels.) I stopped the daydream at this point because today marks the 10th anniversary of my grandma passing away. She was a lot like me in many ways--not afraid to say exactly what was on her mind and always ready for an adventure. She had a tough life, but I admire her for being strong, for never giving up. I like to think that she is cheering me on and has carried me through these past few years. I ...

I posted a week or two ago about Leah and the struggle that I have with her. It's hard to really pinpoint what is wrong because I don't know how to describe what is wrong. Usually I'm the only one that sees this behavior. Luckily, my parents are now a part of the action so I know I'm not just crazy in thinking that she is out of control. I'm calling a therapist tomorrow-someone that I know and think will have some good suggestions. I don't have much to post about. We are in the bottom of a stainless steel bowl of the winter blahs, mixed in with a bit of start-of-semester stress. Throw in a few handfuls of sassy girls, burnt out headlights, early mornings and too many carbs....voila! You get a migraine. This is the time of year when I start dreaming about my beloved Northwest beaches and make spontaneous trips to Vegas (let it be known that I've only done that once or twice). Plus, I keep having a recurring dream that I take my kids to Disneyland. Just ...

A few weeks ago I was paralyzed with the prospect of free time. I got through the Christmas bustle, enjoyed a fantastically laid-back New Year's, and sent my kids back to school. This past week I've had more free time than I've enjoyed in months, maybe even a year. I had a list of things I was going to do--organize my computer/craft area, ... actually I can't even remember what else I was going to do. Here's what I accomplished instead: Sitting. I hardly even turned on the t.v. I just sat. Sometimes I wasted time on the computer. Sometimes I ate a few cookies. But mostly I sat.  It felt great, even if I do have a bit of guilt over wasting good time.

I decided on a short Christmas post for a few reasons. I don't have energy (I say that a lot, don't I?), but mostly there is one thing I want to say about the whole event: We had a good time. Brian took the girls this year on Christmas Eve and kept them until mid-Christmas morning. It was one of those realities of divorce that I don't think anyone is ever prepared for. Having my girls leave on Christmas was NOT part of my grand plan. I decided to choose a positive attitude, recognizing that the situation was not ideal but not totally devastating. My sister and her family came down and provided more support than they probably realize.  My dad put it well: There is a lot of love in amongst the three of us.  And I scored a pair of corgi socks. I have zero pictures of New Year's Eve, which is a shame since we had a great time. We made homemade Chinese food (SOOOO good), then we watched a slideshow of the year's pictures that I put together. I wish I was tech-savvy...