Switched at Birth?

One Proud Mama.

That's me. A proud Mama. My 14-year old son never fails to amaze me. Last night was the 8th Grade Honors Program at his school and he finally received the long-awaited for All Star Award. This is an award given to students who maintain all A's or all A's and B's throughout the school year, have no absences or tardies, and no office referrals. Let me tell you the irony in his getting the award this year.

Every year from 1st through 7th grade, he has maintained all A's. No B's. Just all A's. And he has always received the President's Award for that achievement. But he has never gotten the All Star Award. (There has always been some illness or injury that has required missing a day or two from school.) So, in 8th grade, he earns his first B (two actually). And what does he receive? The coveted All Star Award. Imagine that. And he has now come to the conclusion that it is better to maintain A's and B's rather than all A's.

So during the awards ceremony, after he gets his President's Award, I kind of sit back, relax, start daydreaming about what's for dinner; just generally stop paying attention to the ceremony. And I'm half way paying attention to the teacher about to present the next award as she goes on about this wonderful kid and all of his wonderful attributes - his leadership skills, his dedication, blablabla.... - and then she ends with "...and I'm going to miss his smile." and I thought, hey, that could be John Allen. And guess what? It was!!! He was awarded the Fine Arts Award for Strings!!! And guess what else? The Strings teacher had wonderful things to say about him. But I don't exactly know what she said, as I missed it while daydreaming about dinner. But I didn't miss my son, walking across stage, beaming ear to ear with his adorable smile, receiving his Award. And there was one Mama in the audience with tears in her eyes.

Well, lo and behold, surprise again when at the end of the ceremony he received the All Star Award.

All I can say is I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments. He was so deserving of the awards he received.

I sometimes wonder if this child was switched at birth.

the babies are here!!!

Look at these precious angels!! My great-nephew, Wallace, and my great-niece, Virginia, born on April 13, 2010, weighing in respectively at 5 lbs. 13 oz. and 5 lbs. 5 oz. Are these not the sweetest little ones you have ever seen????

today's Etsy find

I love this necklace by Lau from Hong Kong! Isn't it sweet? Visit her Etsy shop for this and other great jewelry pieces.

almost Easter.

They are hope.
Tiny feet, tiny hands, they are hope.
Naked littles, fuzzy, soft and gentle,
baby blue, baby pink, pink, pink.
To think of them, my heart sings and fills to burst,
tiny feet tiny hands naked babies.
Soft and gentle,
rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye.
where have you been tiny ones?

So, it is almost Easter and with it, Springtime! Doesn't that always bring about thoughts of Easter baskets filled with sweetly colored eggs, and little fuzzy spring chicks freshly born? Easter, truly the time of renewal and rebirth, will be especially significant for our family this year as we await the arrival of our own little spring "chicks". My nephew and niece are expecting their first born. And their second born! A boy. And a girl. And our family, well, we keep peering into that Easter basket waiting for the first cracks to appear in the eggs. Waiting. Patiently. Patiently. Patiently waiting. And as the clock tick-tocks away the minutes, the hours, the days until their birth, I am sucked backward in time to the birth of another Spring baby, one who brought this same excitement and joy to our family nest - the birth of the father of these babies-yet-born. My sister's son. My nephew; the first baby who stole my heart. And it is only now that I find the significance in something written about him years ago:

M. M is Easter. I don't know why. He was the first born child of us children. He is sacred. He is an honor. He is Easter chicks and eggs and all pastel colors in a basket. He is softness and honesty and all that is right with the world and yellow ducks and hope. He is hope. And chirping birds, and springtime around the corner. Freshness. Winter is over and thank the Lord! here comes springtime. M.

one snoozin' little doggie

did you know?

It is against the law to whale hunt in Oklahoma.
(imagine that)

friends

I hope the day will be a lighter highway
For friends are found on every road
Can you ever think of any better way
For the lost and weary travelers to go

Making friends for the world to see
Let the people know you got what you need
With a friend at hand you will see the light
If your friends are there then everything's all right

It seems to me a crime that we should age
These fragile times should never slip us by
A time you never can or shall erase
As friends together watch their childhood fly

(Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
From the soundtrack Friends)

Laura

I talked with my best friend, Laura, today on the phone. It was the first time we have spoken in two years, and I was afraid our friendship was waning. But as friendships go, we picked right up where we left off two years ago, and our friendship is intact. I indeed feel "everything's all right."

Okay, so how can you NOT talk to your best friend in two years? How can you remain best friends when you have not talked in two years??? Well, all I know is I don't think either of us has had much free time on our hands. And shit happens. And before you know it, shit has taken over your life. I honestly have not had (made) time for friends in the past couple of years. And it sounded very much as though she hadn't either. But I'm vowing to renew our friendship. Because, remember? My word for the year is smile:)

Tomorrow I will post something I wrote about Laura several years ago. I have to dig it up... until then... go hug a friend!

(Photo: Friends Terri, Kathy, Laura, Lynn - bestest buds since childhood)

birds

This is today's Etsy find, original watercolor by artist, Christine Lindstrom. I love her watercolors! You can find her work at mai Autumn at etsy.com. Flitter on over. And take your paypal card:)

Another of her watercolor birds:

tossing and turning...

After having a vanilla latte at 10:00 last night, unable to sleep, my thoughts got caught up on my many imperfections and I was especially drawn to the fact that I have never mastered anything in my life. I have gone down a lot of streets, both career-wise, and hobby-wise, trying this and trying that, but never stuck with any one thing long enough to declare myself a "master" of anything. On the other hand, the few things I have stuck with - marriage, parenting, friendships - I haven't truly mastered. I do believe that as a wife, a parent, a friend, I will always be learning and adapting in these ever-changing life relationships, and will never feel as though I have completely conquered them, nor do I want to. So, I suppose that is the way it is with anything, be it a job, a craft, or a relationship.

It's like this: On day one of my marriage I didn't know much about what it meant to be a wife. I had some ideas, of course, but looking back on it, you could say the ideas weren't exactly on target - actually, they were way off target. Way, way. And after getting over the disappointment of not being treated to a candlelight dinner every night and learning that yes, sex can become a chore, I had to learn how to wife. And I didn't, after 10 or 15 years into my marriage, decide I had mastered the wife thing and declare myself an expert wife. No, I am constantly learning and relearning how to be a wife. And I will continue this until the day I die. So it is with a job/craft - you don't learn it, become good at it, then sit back and declare yourself a master. You continue to learn and become adept; it is a process; it is continuous and infinite. Which leads me to the conclusion that to master anything, you must continue it your entire life. If that is the case, I will never master a career, will probably never master a hobby; but when I die I will have mastered wiving, parenting, and friendship - the only things that are important anyway.

So I can stop judging myself so harshly about starting things and never "finishing". Because, I do finish. I just think that it doesn't appear so to others. The key is that I do something (job, hobby) long enough to learn all I want to learn about it. Then I go on to the next thing that intriques me. My philosophy is "life's too short", and I don't want to die never having tried the things I want to try. So, ultimately, my concerns all lead back to relationships - not jobs, not crafts - but concern over "what others think". And I really should not care what others think. No, I'll just stay true to myself, thank you.

Smile, It's a New Year

What better way to start the new year than with a new blog, resolving to share more of my self this year. My word for the year is Smile - setting the tone for 2010 to have more fun, play a little, and stop taking life so seriously. I hope to continue the journey begun last year of simplifying my life , finding joy and beauty in the every day, and being mindful of it all. For you, a smile, and a Happy New Year!