I have a great Life…
healthy kids, successful husband, comfy home, and lots (too much) food in the pantry…
I have always tried to give back by serving others in either a volunteer capacity or just lending someone a hand…
Before you think I am this wonderful Saint let me mention that not always were my motives probably true. Looking back, I think that in my 30’s a lot of what I did was more about validating myself as a stay-at-home mother than being a good Samaritan…
So, here I am in life…
Just turned 46 with my oldest in college, my middle child beginning high school, and my youngest definitely not a baby anymore. No longer do I need or require validation for who I am or what I spend my days doing. I am beyond caring what others think about me on a superficial level. Yes, I am feeling pretty darn good about myself.
My daughter’s gymnastics accident caused a lot of ripples in my family’s life. And, one of those ripples has been to cause me to look at my life…
Making me take a hard look at why I am doing what I am doing.
I want to stop reacting to life and start acting upon new challenges.
I had a really difficult phone conversation today when trying to get someone to understand that I do not want to continue being the sole person leading an organization which I worked with last year. I have tried unsuccessfully to find a replacement but to no avail. It is a worthwhile organization, but I want to spend all the hours that it takes from my life and invest that time in something else that will not be such a source of burden and frustration.
I became so frustrated during the conversation that my raised voice took on a teary note. She used guilt and questioned the effort that I had put into the position. She manipulated my words so that by the time the call ended I was believing that I was making this into too big of a deal. Why was I saying that the position took too many hours? She said if I had led the right way then it shouldn’t. And the kicker is that it is a student group at my son’s elementary school. So, to top it off how could I disappoint those kids?
Wow…
How can I be the bad person when I was willing to serve last year and devoted 100 percent to doing the job well? Hey what about the other parents who never stepped up for 5 minutes? I’m not asking for a pat on the head just don’t make me feel badly when I did go above and beyond, but now want to step aside.
I’m not sure what purpose I have in making this today’s blog post. I am not fishing for compliments about what a good person I am. Or how right or wrong I am in not wanting to give my time to that organization anymore. I guess I just want to put this down in writing while the feelings, doubts, and frustrations are still fresh and raw. I always tell my kids when they suffer pain at someone’s hands to remember how they felt and never be the cause of someone else feeling that same way.
So, here I sit backed into a corner. If I walk away, then I am selfish, but if I stay I am stuck putting in hours doing something I don’t want to do.
I guess I just want a written reminder of how wrong it is for someone to make me feel that way…
And how wrong it is of me to allow myself to be placed in that position.
Lynn Stevens was one of my Halloween Nut Cup Swap partners…
Each participant chose whether they wanted to go with a traditional Halloween color palette or an ivory/muted one…
Lynn certainly didn’t hold back on the traditional colors and items that she placed in her cup…
Her package was a joy to open…
And, I enjoyed finding Lynn’s blog through the swap which is now a regular one that I like to visit…
I entertained this past week at a noonday luncheon.
So, I spent this morning washing all the vintage linens that were used on each table…
I love mixing and matching the various colors and soft textures from these priceless objects and creating comfy surroundings for my guests…
(source…MARTHASTEWART.COM)
And, with all the downtime, I finished this really great book…
Best way to spend a Saturday in my opinion…
For this nut cup, I went with a mini peat pot cut down and accented with fluffy crepe paper ruffle and spider rings glittered in Martha Stewart’s beautiful Halloween colored glitter….
Base coat of midnight black with polka dots created from a beautiful old vintage book page…
Love the simplicity of this one…
I’ve gotten to know Tabitha through her blog, Creative Wings Boutique, and also through our mutual friend, Hope.
She hosts a number of swaps and this Halloween one sounded fun.
We were assigned two partners and photos below are of one of the nut cups I made. I am not good about just making two of the same for a swap with multiple partners. I get bored if I do that.
I especially loved this one as I used a recycled yogurt cup as the base…it made me feel environmentally friendly and creative at the same time…
BONUS!
I had geared up back in August to begin blogging again earnestly but a few days after I wrote my first post my 15 year old daughter, who is a competitive gymnast, called from the gym and said she had fallen while doing a skill on the balance beam…
She’s been doing gymnastics for over 10 years and as there is with any sport there have been injuries. So the fact that she was calling me and not her coach did not alarm me about the fall.
But the situation changed quickly.
Ambulance to the hospital…
neck brace…
Minimal hand strength…
Loss of balance…
Diagnosis of a severe concussion and possible spinal cord injury…
It has been over 8 weeks since that night and after long days in dark rooms and hours of physical therapy, I am relieved, grateful, and blessed that my daughter is back at school, regained most of her hand strength, no longer has constant headaches and neck pain, and was even cleared last week to begin her gymnastics comeback.
The past two months have given me a new perspective on life…
the fragility…
the beauty of each new day…
purposefully living…
And, to all of you that are my Facebook friends who read my posts and took the time to comment and even to just “like” my status…
Thank you…
I’m conflicted about her being back at the gym, but have been assured by her neurosurgeon who consulted with colleagues including ones from Indianapolis’ phenomenal Riley Children’s Hospital that she is at no increased risk of injury than any other athlete. And, she wants to return to the sport. She’s scared but determined to regain all the skills that have become rusty or more difficult with her time away.
So, it boils down to having faith or allowing my fear and worry to win…
But, I guess that is true with most of life…
My house is in absolutely chaos as Summer winds down and the new school year begins…
Swaps not started…
Accounts not balanced…
Carpets not cleaned…
But amongst it all, I make sure to keep a little corner of my kitchen as a constant reminder of each day’s beauty and hope…
My husband is a firm believer that one must always have something special to look forward to…
It makes the days that are challenging a bit easier to bear through he says…
This is my “something to look forward to”…
And, it is quickly approaching…
However, I know there are still spots for Rachel’s event which is becoming a not-to-miss tradition for many of us…
For more information, go here
If you have been reading along, you know that today is the third day of the new school year…
New schedule is kicking my rear…
So, low key day at home but spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen bulk cooking chicken for this evening’s pasta meal, tomorrow night’s casserole, and a few bags to put in the freezer. Also made 2 batches of brownies to take to Oldest Son’s fraternity house tomorrow along with a new yummy dessert that I will tell you about tomorrow…
Do want to share tonight’s dinner recipe with you…
But first this disclaimer…
I purchased a new camera and have been playing around with it. So, I used the macro mode tonight for the photo below and I think it makes the food look pretty slimy and a bit gross when actually it was easy to prepare and tasted fabulous…
Asparagus Pesto Pasta
adapted from April/May issue of Taste of Home magazine
In skillet, sauté 1 pound of sliced chicken breasts in olive oil. Once thoroughly cooked through, remove chicken to a bowl and set aside. In same skillet, sauté asparagus until tender. Stir in 1 cup whipping cream and 1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce. Add back in chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over cooked penne pasta with a green salad.
Trying a new product line from ava anderson.
Beauty care and household cleaning products made without chemicals…
So, far am liking the eye cream and the moisturizer that I am using at nighttime. The antibacterial liquid is working well too and can be used to spot treat acne. Only thing is that it feels a bit sticky for the first few seconds after it is applied, but after that initial feeling it is great.
Also purchased a lipstick and gloss and have worn it a few times, but finding it just doesn’t last very long…
Only household cleaning products I purchased were the glass cleaner and an all-purpose cleaner.
Was a bit surprised by how small the containers were for the price paid. And, truthfully for a lot less I can make my own glass cleaner using vinegar, water, and adding in something “scenty”.
Plus, I am a Lysol girl and just can’t stand the idea that my counters aren’t disinfected well, which is what I am feeling about the household cleaner product.
Alarm rang at 6:30 a.m. and the day began…
High School Freshman and Sixth Grader headed off ready to tackle the world…
Loads of laundry, quick lunch with friends, dinner in the crockpot, pan of Rice Krispy's ready for afterschool snack, and a quick shopping trip this evening for additional school supply needs…
Back-to-School Lemon Pork Chops
Layer in crockpot the following and cook on low for 6 hours.
Boneless Pork Loin (I get mine sliced and use about 6)
1 Lemon sliced in 1/4 inch slices
Chopped Onion to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Ketchup
Serve with mashed potatoes as the sauce makes a delicious gravy.
Beautiful day here with temperatures in the 70’s and a sweet sunny blue sky.
After church, spent a bit of time trying to finish this book which is a pretty tough read. My friend, Laurie, recommended it to me and she warned me that it takes a little time to get into it…
Next we caught a matinee of this funny movie…
And then on to the pool for a few hours of imagining that Summer Break is not ending tomorrow…
Finally followed by our traditional Cheeseburger Sunday dinner complete with tator tots and watermelon…
And a little weeding in the front flower beds that are pretty crunchy due to the absolute total lack of rain we have had this Summer…
Not sure what tomorrow will bring once the two youngest head off to school. The oldest doesn’t return to campus until Tuesday so I imagine I will not have much exciting to report tomorrow except for loads of laundry and last minute errands for items he remembers he needs…
So bittersweet wrapping up all the togetherness and all that brings and beginning this new chapter…
The end of our Summer Break is fast approaching.
This past week was packed with all the tasks and adventures that we had not yet fit into the past several months.
My little guy has spent the last several days recovering from what might possibly have been swine flu.
The oldest son wrapped up his summer-long work commitment and began another one as a leasing agent for the next couple of weekends as IU students move into apartments (I’m proud to say that he is the most popular male babysitter in Bloomington. He couldn’t even take all the jobs he was offered and passed the opportunities along to a couple of his buddies who turned out to be pretty darn good babysitters as well——families with all boys LOVE having boy babysitters and it has been an extremely lucrative opportunity. So moms share that info with your teenage sons who are looking for some extra cash).
And my daughter has spent hours every day at the gym working with a choreographer on her new floor routine for the upcoming competitive season.
I finished this fabulous book…
Worked on finding the perfect image for this swap…
And, spent today with my daughter at a wonderful spiritual retreat that I will share more about in the near future.
Dinner consisted of grilled chicken, sweet oven-baked carrots, homemade macaroni and cheese, and slices of juicy watermelon shared with a full table of family and friends and lots of laughter followed by a road trip to a nearby yogurt store that we had learned about this week where we overindulged in frozen treats as we watched Olympic runners race for the Gold Medal.
It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings...
Cannot get enough of this show…
Stealing away every little bit of time I have between running kids here and there as they enjoy the last days of Summer…
How sad is that…
Last days of Summer and it is only August 2nd…
Crazy…
