Still Crazy After All This Year.

2009, please don't go! Was it something I said?

I am a little sad that this decade is closing. Our decades go too fast, like everything else in our lives.

My sentiment and love for lost decades began on December 31, 1979. My folks had friends over for New Years Eve, I don't know if you'd call it a party though. We were in our beds, Renee and I. We couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the noise of the grown-ups, maybe it was something else. But I remember as clearly as if it were yesterday, Jim coming into our room. He probably came in to tell us to settle down but he ended up on his knees at our bedside telling us something like:

"You have lived your entire life in the 70's. That is all over now. You have a brand new decade right now and whatever you remember in your life was in the decade that is now passing. The 80's are here!"

It was one of those moments that I sort of took a mental picture in my head and it stuck with me. I think he was inspired and hopeful about the new decade. Or maybe it was the New Year's Eve liquor. Either way, it was a tad doomsday, but mostly something positive and enduring that always stayed with me. He had this way of highlighting the greatness of a moment [he always did that with the Olympics too.] I guess it gave me sort of a grand global perspective that I needed and appreciated. It also made me feel hopeful. Kind of like I do right now.

I do miss the 70's, they were so much fun. In the decade of childhood, being a kid was fun.



Yep, you are looking at the original Barbie Townhouse in that bottom middle photo, that elevator was such a marvel; an extraordinary feat of engineering!

Happy New Year!

Found Today: Two Gems.

One. On living in the moment:

One day some people came to the master
and asked: How can you be happy
in a world of such impermanence,
where you cannot protect your loved ones
from harm, illness or death?
The master held up a glass and said:
Someone gave me this glass;
It holds my water admirably
and it glistens in the sunlight.
I touch it and it rings!
One day the wind
may blow it off the shelf,
or my elbow
may knock it from the table.
I know this glass is already broken,
so I enjoy it -- incredibly.

-Achaan Chah Subato


Two. On growing our children:

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?

We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.

You may become a Shakespeare, a Michaelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?

You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.

-Pablo Casals

My Running Man.

He ran 20 miles yesterday!



Can you read the display? It says:
Distance: 20.01 mi.
Time: 3 hr 12 min
Calories burned: 2771
Avg. heart rate: 155

I remain in shock and awe.

It was kind of tough this time because he says that his Christmas day diet did not aid him in his conditioning. He told me that the last two miles he could hardly feel his legs. Damn! After plenty of time spent stretching, massaging, and doing a bit of yoga, I am happy to report that he is feeling just fine today.

In a couple more weeks he will go for another max, 22-23 miles I think. I'll continue to brag keep you posted!

The Little Angels That Could.

Merry Christmas! I hope you had a warm and wonderful day. We sure did. It was nice and sweet and easy. I wanted it to be slow but it passed very quickly just like all of December has!

I want to share with you a couple of short videos. Last night at the Christmas eve children's mass, three of my children had parts in the nativity scene. Emily thinks she is too old for such things now. Boo. Although Eva had a few issues with her costume and her overall well being before the mass, she pulled it out and played her part beautifully! Hey, at least it was not as painful as last year when Wyatt fell on his face and dropped the flaming incense at the feet of our priest. And certainly not at all horrifying like the year Emily played Mary and Sarah pulled the fire alarm!

Eva was the youngest participant. Take a look, Sarah and Eva are angels and Wyatt was Joseph. I love it.

5 Girls + 1 Boy = Joy.

I'm pretty sure the first few hours I had my nieces here they experienced mild culture shock. I took them to my in-laws home where Tony's family was celebrating Tomasa's [my mother-in-law] birthday. We left there and took them to mass with us. A big group from our church then went caroling around the neighborhood.



They gave out candles and we had a posada [a candlelit ceremony performed as a song that symbolizes the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born] in Spanish and English. To me it was beautiful.



I love this next picture of Sydney, she is such a pretty girl [and yes, she is exactly as sweet as she looks].







After the posada, we had tamales and hot chocolate there. I really enjoyed it, I think the kids enjoyed running around outside in the dark, oh and also the buñuelos, sweet bread, cookies and candy!

Emily and Allison made us all breakfast in the morning.



Wyatt didn't stand a chance with 5 girls, pobrecito!

Bonus: Sydney watched all of them for us so we could go out to dinner with Carmen and Oscar! Thank you Sydney!

Renee came to get her girls yesterday morning and she brought Starbucks! Thanks for that Nay, and thanks for letting me enjoy your sweet beautiful girls for a couple of days. xo.

Adventures in Sacramento.

With my family, we skated in downtown Sac. It was cold, but the sun came out from time to time.



I don't think he minds me telling you, but Jim is 74 years old. He was once a pretty good skater, so he tells us! Kidding! I know it's true. I remember seeing him skate when I was really small, like 6 or 7. Anyway, he laced up for the first time in many decades. He looked a little wobbly the first time around the rink but after that first tentative lap, he was floating like a butterfly. He surely impressed us all! I guess you never forget; proving the old 'like riding a bike' adage. When it was time to go, the kids got off the rink without too much of a fight, but Jim? He refused, he whined and he pouted and finally he gave in and took off his skates. I thought I saw a tear in his eye, or maybe it was just a twinkle.

After the skating, we headed over to Chevy's on the river for lunch and it was really good, the kids even behaved! At lunch, I had an idea. I asked if Sydney and Allison could come home with us. Renee said yes, and just like that my tribe of small [although Sydney is as tall as I am and Emily is close] people increased from 4 to 6!

To be continued...

Family Time.

We spent a good part of last weekend at my folks'. We were so disappointed that Tony could not get away from work, but we headed up north without him. It's always good to be at mom's. My kids love it and never want to leave. A few messages...

Merry Christmas Nana and Papa! Thank you for a wonderful Christmas dinner and all the goodies you bestowed upon us. We love you so.

Renee, if I got to spend every day with you, that might [maybe] be enough for me. I love you sis.

Jimmy, you're not on the internet but mom can pass this along. Merry Christmas! I hope it's loads of fun for you and Chase. I love you little brother.

I Believe in Grandmothers.

About five years ago I picked up these two frames and put my grandmother's photos in them for our Christmas tree. It was a small but a very meaningful tribute for me to do it. This year I could not find Granny's [Eva] frame.

I stayed up to finish a few things last night after everyone had gone to bed and I was thinking about Granny and it being her birthday today. I had already checked it a few times but late last night it occurred to me that I needed to look in our now empty ornament box one last time. I said to myself, "Granny please tell me where you are."

And there it was, at the bottom of that lonely box wrapped tightly in tissue. I was so relieved to find it! It felt as if she was with me at that moment and that I was meant to put her up there beside Meme [Theresa] on the eve of her 89th birthday.

I loved those beautiful ladies both, so much.

Small miracles.

I believe.

Oh what fun it is to...

ride

win a love-ly give-a-way! Hey!

I entered a giveaway contest from an amazingly talented artist, and I won! Her name is Sarah Ahearn Bellemare and she makes these beautiful collage pieces that are just dreamy; a real treat for your eyes. I found her blog through her art about six months ago and I entered her giveaway last week. It was for a calendar that she makes and sells in her etsy shop that feature her artwork in each of the 12 months on a cute little clipboard.



It's so pretty in pictures but much more so in real life, as I found out when my package arrived in the mail yesterday. *Squeal!

She also added all these special little touches, I had to open it layer by layer so carefully and savor all the sweetness of it!



She sells these calendars and also prints of her work in her etsy shop. Her prints are really beautiful and affordable too! Go Sarah! I hope you have a fabulous 2010! I'll definitely stay tuned to see what pretty things you create in the new year! Thank you for making my December even more full and fun!



jingle bells, jingle bells...

Determination Baby!

I wanted to shout from the rooftops weeks ago when he hit 10, and 12, and 16! But now 18 miles! WOW! I took this picture at the university.

No, I'm not following him around, it's just that he can't carry enough hydration with him so he calls us when he needs more liquid. We got the call around 12 miles. Emily used to ride her bike with him and carry extra bottles, but after about ten miles, she dropped out.

His stats for this run:

Distance: 18.02 miles
Time: 2:39:58
Calories burned: 2,486!!!

With the nearly three hour run and all the stretching and preparation, it's almost a half-day event for him to run this far. He did this 18 mile run in light rain the whole way.

I know! Who does this? Do you know someone?

If you haven't guessed, he's training for a marathon. I think he is on month three or four of his preparation. He could have run a half-marathon by now with his training to this point but he hasn't. A marathon, for those of you who forgot like me, is 26.2 miles so he still has a way to go but he is so darn determined, I know he will make it!

Is it easy for him? No. He works hard! He is focused and persistent, especially with a goal like this. He pushes himself. He gets up between 4 and 4:30 most days to go run and he is usually at work by 7. He has a foot problem and sometimes a shoulder issue, but he works it out.

He isn't registered for a marathon, or a half yet but he sticks to his training. There are several of them around the state each month. In two more weeks he will do 20 miles and then he will hit his max at around 22-23 miles before he attempts the really BIG run!

GO Tony! Your so freakin' awesome I can't stand it!

'Tis The [Busy] Season.

Hello there! I'm still here, just can't find any extra hours in the day to get it all done. Are you feeling that way too?

In just one week we have done all of these things:

*taken a [late night, freezing, mile long walk in a dirt field in the town of Ceres by torchlight] Journey to Bethlehem. We were harassed by Roman soldiers and eventually found the holy family in a stable. It was beautiful. This photo is us waiting in line to start the journey. They took us in groups [families] of 30. Did I mention it was cold? It was cold.



*the downtown Christmas parade

*a birthday party

*a party where I had too many of these:



...and took a lovely picture of my elf-looking self in the pretty bathroom.

[Bonus: I got to wear the same dress I wore to my in-laws 50th, you are not experiencing deja-vu, you saw it already on facebook just about a week ago.]

*Emily's Christmas piano recital

*Sunday mass on Sunday

*mass for the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday

*Christmas caroling at the retirement home with our Girl Scouts

*award ceremonies at school

I have also been:

*journaling my days of December in hopes of completing an nice album for the month

*fretting over what to give teachers and leaders [we have nine wonderful ones, including nursery school, piano and girl scouts].

*working on PTA stuff

*decorating the tree and getting the house Christmas ready

*dreaming of New Year's Eve in Monterey

*donating as much as I can find

*getting our angel tree gifts and gift exchange gifts ready

*wanting to make more wreaths and coptic journals but not making the time

*missing friends and extended family, hoping and wishing for time with them

and even more things on my calendar in December...

*Family Fun night at the school tonight, should be fun...

*CCD Christmas practices and program

*nursery school Santa Celebration this weekend

*a performance of the Nutcracker

*a well anticipated weekend trip to my mom's

Can someone please just tell me how to freeze time?

About the 20th, things will begin to slow down and I hope I will be at home with my kiddos enjoying the memories of all that has been this busy December. Heck, maybe I will even get to make wreaths and journals! What a whirlwind it is. It's already the 11th and I find that so hard to believe. We have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to blink.

It's hard to keep the focus on the true meaning of Christmas but I'm one mom trying. It makes everything so much more beautiful. The sights and smells of the holiday are more wonderful and the lights are more twinkly when I see Christ's love in my children's hearts. They're not perfect kids, but they are spectacular in my eyes. I hope that perfect love is a gift that they always take with them wherever they go in life. *Sigh*

I do love this month, I love the fullness of my calendar. I know it doesn't last, I know it will pass and I will have rest time and family time and it will all be worth it.

I hope you are enjoying your busy December too. xo.

Looks Like I Made It!

I found this beautiful wreath made from book pages and had a burning desire to make one of my own. It was really easy and really inexpensive too. After only a few hot glue burns, I got the hang of it and finished it in only a few hours on a rainy day after Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. Sarah had a friend over for the afternoon and Tony took the rest of my kids visiting relatives. I sat with my coffee and whatever was on TV and enjoyed the relative peacefulness of the post-holiday wonder.

I even inspired my friend Kim to make it too! She saw it hanging on my wall, loved it like I did, and she actually bought the supplies to make 8 of them for Christmas gifts! I probably spent five dollars and that's only because I did not own a glue gun and had to purchase it. If you love it as much as I do, let me know. I would love to make one for you. If you want to have a go at it for yourself, the tutorial is at Living With Lindsay who put together a very excellent tutorial and made it easy for me. I found it via Paper Crave.

I'm thinking I would really like to make one out of sheet music and hang it near the piano. One with colorful pages, like from an inexpensive or dollar store children's book would be nice too.

I made it!

It's Not Thanksgiving Anymore...

"Mommy, it's not Thanksgiving anymore because they started Christmas!"
- Eva

It sounded much sweeter when she said it the day after Thanksgiving! Actually, I believe "they" started Christmas the day after Halloween but I have not paid them much attention. Until now.

[Bear with me, I promise my next post will put me into the current month!]

Thanksgiving was really good. We had it at my house this year, a first. Our thinking was that if we had it at my house, my sister Alicia, who has not been coming for the holidays would be able to come with her family and we could all be together for the first time in many years. My nephew Jake has some serious allergies to animal hair and they can't risk spending time in homes that have pets. I am pet free, so it was the perfect solution!

So the plan was set into motion, but then it fizzled out just a tad when Renee told us that her in-laws were in town staying with her for the week and although Renee invited the two of them as well, they turned us down flat. So we had a great Thanksgiving even though Renee and her clan [and brother Brad too] were very much missed from our day.

Alicia and her husband Brad along with my nephew Jake [he's 13] and niece Hannah [she's 9] drove the long way up to spend the holiday with us. They live about 3-4 hours south of us in Paso Robles [if you don't know California think Cal Poly or a bit further south the Santa Barbara area]. Mom and Jim and Jimmy and Chase came from [north of] Sacramento and we just soaked up the sun and had ourselves a beautiful Thanksgiving day. We even fought off the onset of turkey induced comas and opted for a walk to the park, which was brilliant. And pretty. And fun.

Between Alicia and my mom, I hardly had to work! They did everything! Alicia even added her Greek spaghetti to our menu and it was super yummy. Thanks Alicia for coming so far and spending so much time with us, you always make everything fun! And thanks mom, you always make everything memorable, and delicious!


Just one more November quote from Eva:

"you like me because I play with you and I help you cook the cookies and I help you cook the cake and you love me."