Is My Crazy Showing?

Have you seen this?



Earlier this year my mom and I found this very entertaining sign at a Nordstrom store (she bought it).

I love it.

Love, love, LOVE it!

And truth be told, that's what I thought of this weekend.

This Saturday we had a rather (wonderful yet) full day.

We raced off to the Santa breakfast, which was a lot of fun for the kids.  A magician performed, Santa came for a beautiful photo op, and a far larger brunch than I'd ever attempt to undertake myself  was served- complete with a pancake bar Buddy Elf would be delighted to find.

(You know Buddy Elf from the movie Elf?)

I was puzzled all day long why I hadn't noticed before that day that my dress length was odd.

I know all the kids are wearing those "up and down" dresses where they're shorter in front and longer in the back.

It was weird to me that mine was the opposite- longer in front and shorter in back.

I chalked it up to buying it in a discount store and rolled with it.

All

day

long.

Through the breakfast,

a basketball game,

a meeting

and then on to my husband's work Christmas party.

It was at that party that I was discussing how odd my dress was when one smarty-pants proposed that I check the tag.

Huh.

I checked behind my neck.

Smooth,

no tag there.

Checked along the V-neck line.

Oh.

Crap.

I'd worn my dress backwards

ALL

DAY

LONG!

Did I go switch it around?

Nope.

I laughed at myself, poured myself another adult beverage,

then tucked my crazy back in and rolled with it.

Some days are like that.

Sometimes it feels good to laugh at yourself

and not take yourself too seriously.

My Favorite Day of the Year

I have to say my very favorite day of the year is not Christmas

or Thanksgiving

or my birthday

or my anniversary.

My favorite day of the year is the day we keep the kids home from school, dress up, and visit Santa at the Nordstrom in downtown Seattle.

I love it.

I love seeing my kids so excited and nervous about their moment with the big guy.

I love watching their faces as we drive into the city, ooohhing and aaahhhing over the big buildings and busyness of a city.

I love how foreign it is to them to be in a busting downtown.

I love driving through a city I loved living in.

Remembering what restaurants were my favorites. 

The landmarks I enjoyed passing. 

Driving routes I drove when I felt like I belonged in the city.

And I love eating the best hamburger, hands down, at Red Mill.  A magical place where they have a sign saying no cell phones.  Where they don't take credit or debit cards.  Where the lines are worth it.  Where the pile of bacon is insane and mouthwatering.

This year was pretty remarkable.

Yes, we had to worry about getting our broken (yup, yet another broken appliance in this household) dishwasher repaired-the repair lady was able to squeeze in during our dinner hour between Santa and concert.

But we had a fantastic surprise, Elsa was excited to wear the dress she picked out months ago for the big trip to see Santa. 

And she wore it the whole time in Seattle.

I think she even relished the compliments she received.

Maybe she relished being a pretty little girl, if only for a short time.

After Santa we took a different route from downtown to Phinney Ridge (location of the wonderful Red Mill) and happened to drive by the Freemont Troll, so he was added to our favorite stops.

It gets easier the older the kids get.

Maybe one year we can add a trip to the Ferris wheel.

Another we could stay over night.

Yet another we may go to up to the top of the Space Needle.

To top it off we ended the day watching Sarina perform a little group solo in her band concert.

(Elsa had switched into the camo pants and hat for the occasion...)

What a blessed life.

I am so very lucky.

Thoughful Kids

Last night, while I was hovering over our leaking dishwasher (yet again!) and cleaning up dinner, Carl was secretly working on a project.

A project for me.

He wanted to surprise me so I helped him as he needed with minimal glances in his direction.

I will never regret the love and energy I pour into my crazy little munchkins. 

It is so nice when they show their love in such a thoughtful way.

Lael is my middle name.

This makes neglecting mopping floors, washing windows, organizing closets, and wiping down baseboards worthwhile.

There will come a time when I will have a tidy house, when there's a place for everything and everything in its place.

But for now, I'm grateful for the explosion of clutter that seems to be an expression of our lives.

I'm a lucky mama.

People Matter Part 2

I love this, and it dovetails beautifully with how I was feeling about my post "People Matter More Than Anything, I Choose to be Grateful."

I think it's beautiful, I don't care if it's fact or fiction, it's a lesson to us all...

 

Posted by Debbie Saporta on her facebook page:

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly wh...en told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.”

She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said: “Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

Dog Beath

I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but our black lab puppy is really a cat in doggie clothes.

I swear it.

I've never before seen a lab that runs away when you call it so you can pet it.

I've never before seen a lab that hops up on the hood of a freshly parked car.

What?!

She's skittish and prefers her own space.

But my Charlie's working to break the ice.

He patiently lays as close as he can get to her before she sneaks a safe 10 feet away.

It's taken a year but he's worked up to sharing her bed with her every now and then.

The other day I was sitting on the couch and heard him talking to her in his sweet, still high pitched- but happy little voice.

"Ollie" he said,

"your breath smells like mama's."

Funny and offensive at the same time.

I've seen what that dog eats when she's wild and free outside.

I've seen how she bathes herself.

I knew sometimes I have stinky coffee breath, but what?!

He didn't mean to be mean.

There's a very high probability that Charlie would take it as a compliment.

"Your breath smell's like mama's."

I won't lie, that stung a little bit.

People Matter More Than Anything, I Choose To Be Grateful

I think I might be growing up.

A little bit at a time.

I'm learning to control my reactions.

I'm learning to choose my perspective on the events that happen in my life.

I'm learning to see the positive in every scenario.

I'm choosing to be grateful.

I'm choosing to see that I am fortunate beyond words.

I have a husband I love more and more each and every day. 

No matter what happens, I find him to be my source of strength and inspiration.

I have a mom who leads by example, how to be a loving mother- who nurtures me even though I'm an adult with my own children.

We all need nurturing, I don't care how old you are.

I have siblings that I love even though I don't get to spend as much time with them as I'd like, I know they love me as much as I love them- even if we don't get to show it regularly.

I have beautiful nieces and nephews, each wonderful individuals (and one we get to celebrate really really soon!)

I'm grateful I have four wild and crazy children with an insane level of energy.  Those little people have challenged me, yet enriched my life far beyond measure. 

I love the happiness and joy the exude.

I am constantly entertained by them.

I'm also grateful for our challenges and hardships.

They have helped us to grow.

They have helped us to recognize what we value in our lives.

I'm learning that I value people over possessions.

People over appearances.

People over self-gratification.

I have so many friends near and far.

Such a big, and wild, and crazy family, near and far

And I'm so grateful for each and every person- friend or family.

The people I see often and those wish I could see more.

Whatever happens in my life, I know that I am blessed beyond measure.

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to stop and reflect on this and know in my heart that I am one of the luckiest people on earth.

A little preview of our Christmas card...

People are what matter.