This post was inspired by latteya and the gift she gave on Mother's Day.


I'm a mom. Yep, that's me. My Mother's Day wasn't centered around me, me, me, though. I think I'd feel awful if it had been. There was another mom that deserved it more.

This year was hard on us. At church, they passed out gifts and said prayers. So many got up to talk about their moms. We sang Amazing Grace, which was my MIL's favorite hymn. Joe did all right. But when three women got up to sing a song about a mom praying for her children, he broke down. I held his hand and he fought it back, but it was hard on him, and likewise hard on me.

"Hug your mom!" they said. He didn't have a mom to hug. But that's okay, because at church they handled this well.

Yet later…

I'm amazed more and more each day at how cruel people can be, how thoughtless and selfish. The writer in me, that side that people like to make fun of every chance they get, spent the day and now the following days in awe of the way people take life, family, and friends for granted. It makes me sad.

I'm sure the reason I see this so well right now is the pain was revived for the day, fresh and overwhelming. As Joe hurt, so did I.

Later that afternoon, while at my mom's, we went outside to play ball with our kids. My mom and dad sat outside and watched, and laughed, and cheered us on. I had Joe pitch to me overhanded—my but he can pitch! LOL. I got a good hit though!

I think it turned out all right for him. He laughed some and hugged me a lot.

But, see, that's what Mother's Day is about. It's not about gifts and anger, pouting over what you didn't get, complaining that he forgot. No, it's a celebration of life and love.

You never know if that loved one beside you will be there the next year to celebrate. But if, God forbid, they aren't, wouldn't it be better that you're left with sweet memories full of laughter?

We know all this, yet we forget it so easily.

Whatcha gonna get your mom?

What do you want?

In general:
Less cancer.  I'm sorry to be so blah on this glorious day, but in the last two years I've lost five very well loved people to cancer.  In 2006 I lost four and in 2007 I lost one.  I'm hoping 2008 will be the year cancer doesn't touch me or my loved ones.

My personal life:
I want many more days of laughter and a lot less days full of needless stress.

My writing life:
In 2007 I worked harder than I have ever worked on getting my stories out to the world.  My resolution is to continue this and also back off from myself and stop being my worst critic!  I want to forgive myself for past mistakes and remember that to err is to improve!

Reading goals:
I need to read more, period.

Happy New Year to all my online friends!  Without you I'd be making this writing journey alone!

Did everyone come out all right?  And I don't mean did you get everything you wanted. lol.  I mean did you survive?  Are you moving on your own yet, or still stuffed and comatose?

I went for a ride with my dad on his motorcycle yesterday evening.  Yes, on Christmas.  Yes, it was cold.  Yes, it was stupid.  I do stupid things all the time.  When we made it back to my mom's I was a block of ice and could hardly climb off the bike.  The gloves I had on were summer gloves and designed to let air through, not keep it out.  My hands were a ghost-white and absolutely refused to function.  My brother had to unhook  my helmet strap and my husband did the honors with my gloves.  Then I told my legs to move and somehow they obeyed, not that I could feel them or anything...

I had a seriously cramped holiday and while I enjoyed it, I'm glad it's done for the year.  Of course, I realize many still have more celebration this week and then of course, there's the New Year.  I don't party till I drop for the New Year though.   For the last couple of years, I've been right here at my desk when midnight chimed.  I said a quick Happy New Year to the air and kept right on typing. I imagine I'll follow through with this new tradition this year.

Anyway, here's to hoping everybody had the holiday they hoped for!

Nephew's birthday (finally)
Pick up hidden presents from Mom's.
Buy  the ingredients needed for Christmas Eve get-together.
Buy the ingredients for Christmas breakfast (a family tradition my husband and I started our first Christmas together)
Make sure everyone's outfits for the family/friend gatherings are clean and ironed. 
Locate and put up in a place I can remember the girls' hair bows and/or barrettes.
Make sure we have plenty of clean towels.
Pick up dog's Christmas present.
Remember to set the alarm Saturday night so I get up for church.

I think that's all for now.

1.  (this is really a reminder)  Four-year-olds consider dough and sprinkles to be the last letter in FUN.  (And n means--no rules)
2. They don't clean up very well.  (And I mean this in both ways.  The 4yr old doesn't clean and he doesn't like to be cleaned.)
3. If I make deformed cookies, then I get to eat them! 'Cause the kids won't decorate them!  *G*
4. Battles over the color yellow always end in me screaming and vowing never to do this again.


And then, thank goodness, I turned on the Roomba and came in here to post.  lol.

As I'm sure I don't have to explain, this is why I'm slow reading my friends page these days:

It's the last week of school.  Shopping, parties, programs, charities, charity events, singing, picture taking, eating, drinking and laughing.

Deep breath... Laundry, searching for the red hair bows, remember that we have to eat tonight, you take this one there, and I'll take that one there.  Meet back at home, shove food in face, answer cell, grab cordless on the way out the door.  Get in the car, realize as the cordless goes dead that it's not my cell.  And so on and so forth.

My daughter's class sang Angels Among Us at the second grade program today.  I promise there wasn't a dry eye in the place when those kids finished.

Leisa and I found an advertisement for having your dinner finished in only an hour.  We both agreed that it's not Thanksgiving if you don't spend all that time cooking. *G* 


I'm off to the store for those last minute things then to the kitchen.

P.S. I'm not telling where I stashed the special dessert.

My husband and I did ours last night.  Crazy, crazy, crazy.  And we all know it will only get worse.  So I was wondering if anybody does the day after Thanksgiving shopping?  I don't.   I did go one year and it was enough to keep me home since then.

Thanksgiving decisions: 

Every holiday my husband and I end up bringing or supplying meat and veggies.  I never take or prepare a dessert whether this holiday celebration is at my house or someone else's.  I think the reason for this is because most people would rather make a dessert and somebody has to provide the other stuff.  It might as well be me, huh?

In prior years, as leftovers were parceled out, we were given our meat and veggies.   I would beg a piece of pie or cake and would receive just that.  Now this might not seem so bad, but usually I'm busy with being hostess at these events and don't have the time to indulge in such things as desserts and aside from that I like my sweets too.  I only allow myself these things on the holidays.

But I live with three kids and a husband.  I never would get my pie or cake.  This still seems a bit whiny and you're right.  But when you see whole cakes and pies carted off into the cars of family and friends and you're stuck with the leftover greenbeans... yeah.

Year after year, holiday after holiday.

I know it would be simple for me to head to the kitchen and whip up a pie or cake but I'm tired.  I just spent all this time planning, shopping, cooking meat, and then cleaning up only to watch all those goodies go back to their owners' homes.   And it's just not the same thing anyway.  A leftover dessert has had time to be dreamed about, looked at, drooled over.  You've had time to argue over whether or not you really need another piece.  There is a relationship built between you and the leftover holiday desserts.  I am deprived of this every year.

So, I reheat my leftover greenbeans, turkey and dressing, and I think about how good a slice of this or that would be afterward.  I then am overcome with this burning jealousy that so and so is getting their dessert after their leftovers.  I mean everybody gets meat and veggie leftovers and we all know why.  Desserts are special though!  So of course they are smuggled out in secrecy.

This year I have decided I am making a dessert for Thanksgiving.  I explained this to my dad last night.  He doesn't understand my problem, but of course, he always has left over dessert.  He doesn't know what it feels like.  I have also decided that I'm going to 'forget' my dessert on my kitchen counter when I take everything else to my mom and dad's.

I think this is a great plan.

I hope everyone has a great holiday with plenty of food and celebration! For my friends not celebrating the 4th, eh, I say celebrate anyway!   Have a good 4th where ever you are!