So it has been an incredibly busy week. We spent Thanksgiving Day with my family which included breakfast, dinner and playing at the park.
Thursday evening we drove up the NE to spend the weekend with the Hubby's family.
While we were in NE, 3 1/2 hours from home, I got a call Saturday night that said my dad was in the hospital. Fighting down my immediate urge to drive back that very evening (he was not, after all, in critical condition), we stayed until Sunday afternoon before heading home. The Boy did not nap in the car as I had expected him to which caused the trip to seem longer than it actually was. And when we finally did get home I had to wait until my sister had finished nursing her newborn before we carpooled up to the hospital.
Walking into his room the first thing I noticed was that my mom was sitting in bed with him. It seemed the most natural thing in the world that instead of using the chair she wanted to be close to him, to give (and receive) that physical support. I almost cried.
It is now Tuesday and my dad is heading home. Want to know who's driving him? That's right, my mom, who has been by his side ever since this morning and as much as was physically possible the last few days.
Sometimes my parents drive each other crazy (as is natural for people who have been together for more than 30 years). But seeing how they care for each other is an encouragement that I take with me into my own marriage. Love and commitment to the good of the other person is the basis for relationships that stand the tests of time, kids and hospital stretches.
Last year for my birthday I posted a list inspired by a friend of mine called "30 by 30". Today being my 29th birthday I figured I ought to update and see how things are going.
1. Read 20 new books (not including children’s books which I can easily go through 5 at a time)
- This started out really well and then my child went mobile. I've done several but probably not 10 - which means I have some catching up to do!
2. Read 10 classics (I’ve realized how many of these I own compared to how many I’ve read and it’s rather embarrassing)
- Um. Yes. I am behind.
3. Finish organizing old photographs into albums or scrapbooks
- I'm very close! Well, much closer than I was which is happy.
4. Get rid of all those shirts that I keep saying I might wear someday but never do
- Did a little bit but the full culling has yet to happen.
5. Learn to follow a sewing pattern
- Not a pattern yet, but I am learning more about my sewing machine and trying new projects.
6. Learn to walk on 5’ peg stilts
- These have not yet been completed so I have not had the opportunity yet.
7. Try 50 new recipes (this so far is going better than I thought it would, but I don’t know how that’s going to change when I have a toddler)
- Still going well, although some weeks are better than others. I am sure I have hit nearly 50 already so now it will be how many total I can do!
8. Design and create my own costume
- Done!
9. Learn to crochet
- I completely forgot this was here.
10. Direct Godspell
- I thought I had my chance this spring but things did not work out. We shall see what the future holds.
11. Perform in another stage show
- Technically this did happen - I played drum for a dance show out at festival. Not exactly what I meant when I made the goal.
12. Take a dance class
- Not even close yet.
13. Learn 3 swing dance aerials to do with my husband
- This sounds like fun, I should do this.
14. Simplify my life by getting rid of STUFF– I’m not sure yet what measureable to put on this to know whether or not I have succeeded
- It has begun.
15. Take walks at least 3 times a week – not sure how I’m going to do this in the winter time, maybe become a mall walker mom during the cold months?
- Walking more than nothing but less than I would like.
16. Set up a will/custody documents for J should anything happen to me and the hubby
- This would be a nice thing to have.
17. Spend time at least once a week with a friend
- Yup.
18. Maintain an active prayer journal
- Completely forgot this was here. I should do this.
19. Lead a Bible study
- Not yet.
20. Read through the Bible completely (haven’t done this since Bible college and it needs to happen again)
- Did part of this with my husband, need to keep working on it on my own.
21. Buy a house (yeah, I’m not totally optimistic about this one, but I can try)
- Working on it.
22. Memorize 30 Bible verses
- If I keep up with the Bible Study memory plan at church this will be done.
23. Memorize 3 sonnets
- Nope.
24. Get to know the ladies at my church better (ie: be more sociable)
- Working on it.
25. Clean out the garage enough to consider getting a deep freeze
- My husband is amazing with the work he has put into our garage but the lead we had on a deep freeze has dried up. We will keep looking.
26. Consistently maintain an active blog
- Not as consistent as I would like.
27. Stick with cloth diapering
- Not a problem. We use disposables occasionally but for the most part the cloth diapers are working out wonderfully.
28. Teach a sign language class
- Oh, this sounds like fun! Have I done it yet? Not in a loooong time...
29. Travel to a state I’ve never been
- Well I went to CA...technically I have been there before but I was just a toddler and I didn't remember it - does that count?
30. Feel organized – if only briefly
- Not really, but some days I feel hints.
Today was my birthday. I am 29. More on that later. It is late and this old lady is ready for bed.
Growing up, my mom made the BEST scalloped potatoes: cheesy, soft potatoes accompanied by ham and, later, broccoli. I could never understand why she added the broccoli - I felt it interrupted the basic purity of the dish.
(Now that I am a functioning adult with a husband and child to cook for I understand the need to get veggies in whenever and wherever possible. I don't always succeed, but I understand why they are important.)
Last night I made...a dish. I hate to call it scalloped potatoes but that is what the recipe I used called it. Um. Well. Instead of making up a cheese sauce and pouring it over the potatoes this recipe told me to layer the potatoes, cheese, cream (milk) and butter. I figured they would meld in the oven and become something similar to the creamy goodness I knew as a child.
(Minus the broccoli because Dear Hubby won't go near the stuff.)
When the dish came out of the oven (after having been left there an extra 25 minutes because the potatoes were still raw) my hopes of creamy childhood goodness were dashed.
Nothing had melded. Everything was still separate. The cheese was mostly melted but it refused to adhere to the potatoes. The milk was still...wet. I thought it would absorb or evaporate or something!
Distress.
Next time I try scalloped potatoes I will look for a recipe that makes the cheese sauce up ahead of time.
Come to think of it, perhaps I'll just ask my mom.
This past weekend was filled with family, friends, food and my son face planting on the concrete outside our front door.
Let's start with Friday: J spent his first night away from Mom and Dad with his Aunt Abby. Apparently it went exceedingly well because she offered to have him over on a regular basis. I could get used to a night alone with my hubby once in a while...
So The Man and I went out and stayed up late and slept in till 8:30 on Saturday morning (yes, with a toddler this is sleeping in for us). I was just waking up when my dad called. Hubby and I got dressed and met him for breakfast in a little diner where we were the youngest people in the room. Then it was over to my dad's house so Hubby could help him with the car and I went clothes shopping with my mom and sister. Hubby and I did grocery shopping and headed over to Aunt Abby's for lunch and to meet back up with My Boy.
All this and it was only 1pm.
Home again, home again - Hubby worked on organizing the garage while the boy napped and I puttered around. The garage looks FABULOUS. I am so proud of all the work My Man did in there!
We were supposed to go see a show that night but I had such a terrible headache my dad convinced me it would be a bad idea and fed me chips and cheese and a margarita instead. It actually helped a lot and I was able to go to bed Sat night without my brain pounding out my ears.
Sunday morning we had our usual couple of people for breakfast and just as we were about to leave My Son pushed up against the screen door as is his wont. Except this time it hadn't gotten latched and he pushed straight through and went down a step face first onto the concrete. We were late to church. He looks like he got into a fight but he is alright and probably won't scar from the episode. I was very concerned at first because he scraped up around his eye but the eye itself was fine which was a relief.
So then after all that my family (mom, dad, 3 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, 2 nieces and 1 friend) joined us in our little house for lunch. It was wonderful and loud and I loved it and I loved when they all went home and we sat in the quiet and watched Doctor Who while J slept. Then we got to see more people for supper and friends joined us after for games and my sister stayed late and talked and I went to bed happy and exhausted.
I love my family.
I love my church.
I love my friends.
I love food.
I love how our bodies are designed to heal after trauma.
