One Part Inspiration...

Today is my Dad's birthday . Last year, we celebrated him in style. All of us made it home to make a big fuss - and what a great time that was! Of course, today I am reminiscing about that wonderful event and missing the immediacy of being in the same town. I wish I was closer so I could take him out for coffee [even though he doesn't drink coffee] . But I'm not. So instead, I will sit down for a few minutes and have a virtual one-sided conversation about him in celebration of this important day. Here are ten things about my dad. ..... The envelope please.... 10. When my sister and I were in our teens, my mother decided it was good training for us to make one or two meals a week. Even in those days, we didn't look ahead far enough to plan what we would make. We always thought that the idea would magically appear before us. As a result, we often made quiche. It was quick. And easy. Or we baked omelets (which is quiche without the crust). My dad never comm...

In our family, March is a month of birthdays. I count six on one hand. As each day approaches, I find myself thinking about the birthday girl/boy especially, and planning just the right way to celebrate their journey so far. Today, I am going to share a few thoughts about a birthday boy. That would be my husband. I met my husband when I had just entered my twenties. He was still a teenager, and although I thought he was terrible young, I could see that he was very charming. One of the first conversations I had with him was in at the dish pit, in the kitchen, at the Bible School (with the knife) we were attending. He told me how he and his friend had arrived a few days before Bible School, and booked a hotel which was right in the middle of the red light district of the city. I was shocked but he just laughed it off. As the term progressed, I found myself hanging out with him - as did many of the other girls. He and his friend bought a station wagon rust bucket which was a co...

Yesterday, I had a little extra time on my hands. I thought I'd treat myself to some 'me time' and see if I could spend my Christmas gift card for the home decor store. I was so excited to see how much 'bang' I could get for my 'buck'. I bypassed the gardening supplies. It still seems too much like winter to be looking for additions to the garden. Then I wandered over to the kitchen section. I briefly considered buying a new kettle. I managed to boil my whistling kettle dry the other week and it's looking worse for the wear. But then I decided that apart from aesthetics, it was still functional, so I moved on. I looked at the silk flowers and decided quickly that I am not adept at making arrangements and my gift card wasn't substantial enough to buy a 'ready-made' so I wandered away. My next stop was in the office supply area. This was my final frontier . I love office supplies. I love containers that make me look organized - you ...

The remnants of the vacation are all over the house. The suitcases are in various stages of unpacking all that was packed. The cooler sits waiting to be wiped down and put away for another day when we need to pack up the fridge. The GPS with "Angela's voice" is still programmed for "FIND VACATION SPOT" and every once in a while she blurts out "Recalculating" "At the earliest possible moment, make a U-turn." The answering machine is full, reminding us that all the obligations that we left behind are now in front of us again. The remaining homework can no longer be ignored. And yet...It's so good to be home!

I'm writing this blog post to avoid the inevitable. I am supposed to be getting ready to go on a family vacation. It is always a daunting task to pack up for a holiday. It is much easier to default to staying home. Whenever we go away, there's a cacophony of voices vying for attention in my head. The " I shoulds " stand up and shout": "I should get the dishes done before I go". "I should get that last load of laundry done so the kids have something to wear". "I should get out the cooler to pack up the food". Not to be out done, the " Don't forgets " holler :"Don't forget to put out the garbage" and "Don't forget that bill is due while you're away" and "Don't forget to pick up batteries for the camera". And once we are actually on our way, the " Did I's " raise their hue and cry: "Did I remember to turn off the stove" and "Did I take that rented D...

Well, as my mother would say "The captains and the kings have departed". The games were played, the junk food consumed, and the video was watched. The birthday party is now history. Of course, every birthday party brings back memories of the joy I got from planning and executing parties for my loved ones. [Some of them were more executed than planned] The best ones were a combined effort with my husband. It generally worked best for one of us to do the activities (my husband) and one of us to get the decorations and the food together (me). One of most memorable ones was the five-year old party where my daughter's guests enjoyed several stations of outdoor activities, including a complicated maze made out of hay bales. What took my husband several hours to assemble, took them less than a minute to cycle through with their trikes and bikes. "What's next?" they asked. Then there was the "Pirate Party" where I had the bright idea to bury 'gold'...

Yesterday was a day to catch up on projects which have been waiting in the wings. My #1 son and I worked together to get one room at a time cleaned up. When we came to the office, I asked him to set up the digital frame my daughter had given us for Christmas. I had a hard time understanding all the steps he went through, because he was so fast, and so adept, at plugging in all the right cords, and pressing the buttons, and moving the mouse around to download the pictures I had wanted to transfer. Click, snap, click, drag and highlight; all were done in a flash, and now I have the pleasure of looking at the pictures as I work at the computer. They are pictures from every stage of our life. Some of the kids when they were young, some of extended family, some of the farm, and our vacations. What fun it is to have them all in one place! I no longer have to wander all over the house to reminisce. There they are fading in and out as I type out my thoughts. As an added bonus, I will b...