Happy Birthday, Tammy!

Dear Friend Tammy is having a birthday today. I am taking some flowers over later today, so SHHHH, don't tell her. Because of the PTA convention this week I didn't get to see her on Thursday, my usual day. So I thought I would drop in and visit today. It is a little difficult to get beyond the treats, books, or candles for a gift though. She can't eat anymore (now has a feeding tube), and can't smell very well (uses a CPAP mask 24-7 now) and can't hold a book to read it (no muscle control in her body anymore). So flowers it it. At least she can look at them and enjoy the colors and the link to the outdoor world. Happy Birthday, Tammy!

Go Cougs!

You are still thinking about those really fat jeans, aren't you? Sorry. That was a disturbing image.

Well, to add to my week of follies, I got a parking ticket at BYU yesterday. I attended school there for 5 years and I get a ticket on the first morning of PTA convention?! Figures.

I suppose when I am only on campus once or twice a year, I ought to pay more attention to the required permits for each of the lots. Apparently, they have changed some.

I have always parked in the same lot, the same row, in fact, for the years I have attended convention there and have never had a problem. This year there was a new sign at the entrance; I didn't see that.

Well, I doubt they will confiscate my 17 year old graduation degree...but with the use I have given it I may not be worth the cost of the ticket. You never know.

So today I head down again, but promise to park in the "park and ride" lot and use the shuttle (that didn't run early enough yesterday) to avoid the Rent-a-Cop on parking duty today.

Hoist the Sail, Mateys!

Funny story, really.

A few weeks ago I got a tip from my coupon group about a 50% off code for Lane Bryant's online catalog being liquidated--everything was clearanced already, plus a code! Yippee! Well, LB is the fat lady store I frequent locally anyway, so I took a gander at the 'all sales are final' jeans.

Well, for $12, including the shipping, I could get the jeans I liked in a tall cut! Wahooo! So I ordered them and happily imagine what non-flood pants would feel like.

A couple days ago, I checked online to see where my wonderful order was in the world, and it dawned on me that I ordered jeans using the Levi 501 method--you know, waist x length. I ordered my fat lady jeans using the number that is actually my waist measurement. But didn't Lane Bryant use standard women's dress sizes? I usually buy a 14 or 16 or 18 at the store.

My thoughts now began to wander, at speed-walking pace.

Yesterday my wonderful, bargain, fat lady package arrived and lo, and behold, my fears were confirmed! I had ordered a pair of Omar the Tent-Maker jeans. They are size 38 T rather than 16 or 18! If I had a boat, I believe I could set sail.

I laughed about it--after feeling REALLY stupid for a bit--then realized that I couldn't buy that much denim for $12, so I still ended up ahead in this bargain deal. Now I had a main sail of fabric to make into a denim quilt.

In the meantime I look like a Jenny Craig "after" photo. Good thing I'm really not. Otherwise, those big jeans might actually have fit. Yikes!

A Life Lesson from Wanda and Darryl McPherson

Can you read this? It is a comic strip called Baby Blues and is it written and drawn by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman. It is the day to day life of the McPherson family: Parents Darryl, Wanda, and kids Zoe , Hammie and Wren.

Wanda asks Darryl: "Do you ever feel totally unqualified to be a parent?"

Darryl answers: "All the time."

Then after thinking a moment, he continues: "In fact, the only time I ever felt qualified to be a parents was before I had kids."

I feel like that sometimes too. I think that we all must at some point. The minute you get it figured out, life has moved on and you are still two steps behind. That doesn't stop us from trying again the next day, but I think it would be really nice if we could get a progress report from God on how we are doing. Then we could see an evaluation and work harder where it counts. Living our lives in the trenches, it can be hard to keep the proper perspective. I think a progress report would help us do that better.

If You Build It...

The weekend gave an opportunity to show off the shelves the Genius Golfer has been building for me. They fill one wall at the end of our family room. It is 2 parts book shelf and 1 part entertainment center. It is made of hickory and has made our house smell of polyurethane for weeks. We are still airing it out.

The Girl helps GG put the three sections together.

Adding the shelves.

Load in some books, have The Boy watching TV, and there you have it!

There will still be two more shelves above the TV, he tells me, and also some cabinet doors on the bottom portion to hide the DVD and video piles. We'll see about that.

Sadly, I already think I need more shelves in the bedroom and my office space. I just love books too much. And we have many of them. I just can't get rid of books. At least now I have a place to (begin to) put them.

Weekend Update

I survived the long weekend--long in duration, not in vacation. We had a lot to get done, and it all went well. Many thanks to my parents for their ever-loving, work-a-holic, roll-with-it, reassuring-conversation-filled help. They made the weekend for me.

We had the whole fam-damily here on Sunday afternoon following a sweet and tender ordination of The Boy to be a deacon. We had a luncheon set up in about 30 minutes and fed a lot of people croissant sandwiches, salads, and fruit. We used the patio for the first time in a long time and it was perfect.

The best part? Mother's Day was the secondary reason for getting together.

That fact alone made Mother's Day this year one of the best I have ever had. I didn't feel the pressure about being a perfect mother only that I had 40 people to feed just after church and everyone brought something that helped to feed the multitudes.

Watch for the post tomorrow where I'll show the nearly finished entertainment center that Genius Golfer built for our family room. We got to put books on shelves on Saturday. (Thanks, Dad!) It is lovely.

Thanks for the good wishes for Mother's Day this year and I am delighted to tell you it wasn't a day to despise this time around. It actually turned into a wonderful day.

Thanks for What You Do Anyway

I saw this on the news a year or two ago and this week someone sent it to me again. It is worth another watching.

As you go about the day today, just know that some of what you might hear in church honoring mothers is about you, but not all, and that is OK. Some of what the commercials try to sell us about mothers is true for you, but not all and that is OK. A portion of the things that you do might get recognized by your family, but not all, and that is OK too. Mothering is just what you do. Even without the promise of a peaceful, relaxing, "Love at Home" kind of day today. And definitely without the achievement of one of those perfect Mother's Days. And that is OK.

If it helps, I know what you do and I love you more for it. Thanks for the mothering you do everyday.

Happy Mother's Day!