Pink will make it okay...won't it? With a lime green pinstripe. You know, something subtle. Flashy just wouldn't work for a mimivan mama on the go. Speaking of go.... I have been going and doing all week...for the birthday girl. Sweet 16. Our baby! Tonight the festivities begin .....again.
Back hoe Bob does it again!
Car in shop....birthday frenzy....lots of sweet 16 friends for food and fun.....what's a mom to do? Rent a snazzy minivan! Oxymoron....I think so. Yet, I'm practically on line to get one for me! Come on! I can fit wveryone...kids, dogs, cats, skis, ebay, groceries, beach toys, friends, babies, arts and crafts, gardening supplies........and much more. Look at the room in this thing! I'm drivimg a school bus.....and I'm loving it! Who EVER will believe me? Who? AND I'm not even kidding! It's awesome! Uh oh.....there goes the neighborhood. Do you think they have them in piink?
Wow. What a sunset! Even with all of the snow it's nice to see the days getting longer. I have my markers...Grace's birthday, Claire's birthday in February, Biff's mom's birthday in February......then spring!
Please note : Biff sitting under the fire extinguisher. We stopped into Starbucks for some time together. Anything for romance. Even if just a moment. We have fun together....even in Starbucks....not the most intimate....but the moments are special....just being together is good.
What an event....Back Hoe Bob sent his son first. He wrestled and pulled that car with his big truck and...... nope. Another neighbor had been here with his Golden Retriever earlier. He stopped back to check on me. Bastille, nothing. He had asked another friend to stop by with his 4 wheel drive. Tugged and tugged with Back Hoe Bob's son. Nope. We had some very determined folks working on my little mix up.
#1 son left and would come back.
#Neighbor offered suggestions and had to go.
# Neighbor's friend finally threw in the towel.
# Biff arrived
# My friend stopped after driving Grace home...as a favor
#BACK HOE. BOB APPEARED!
After AAA sent a truck that would not be able to tow me, I had to think fast or leave the car until Spring. I called Biff en route from Massachusetts. We both had the same idea....Back Hoe Bob!
"Simplify Your Life," was the CD playing in the car when my car came to a halt. I began spinning my wheels....literally. Was this simplifying? I think not.
As I sat waiting for the AAA Towo Truck to arrive I realized the irony of my situation. There I was with 2 Golden Retrievers in the back seat of my car waiting for their walk at our local farm. Waiting for AAA, waiting for my friend to arrive with her English Springer Spaniel who had run off and couldn't be lured into the car, waiting for my phone to ring with Grace desperate to pick her up immediately followed by T.J. with his same request a different time.
The initial plan was to take the dogs to the beach where they could run off leash. When my friend's dog was lolligagging about the Connecticut countryside, we decided to delay our puppy playdate by 15 minutes. As I drove to the beach, after dropping my outgiing e-bay packages down at the mailbox for our letter carrier to collect, stamping some mail, hustling the dogs into the car, breathing a sigh of relief for getting all of the bumbling, fumbling treasures on their way, I began my drive ti the beach. My friend called. She was exhausted from her game of hide and seek/tag.
That was when we considered taking care of ourselves first by stopping for a quiet moment ar Starbucks...and then considering where to take the dogs for a shorter walk.
Then, ever the loyal dog owner, I suggested a shorter walk at the farm followed by a Starbucks moment. Agreed.
Moments later, I was at the farm taking in the peaceful surroundings. I paused to enjoy the snow covered hills and decided to venture out to the community garden via the dirt road covered with snow and some ice. There were tire tracks from earlier visitors so I barreled over the ice and snow to get up to our usual parking spot. I rolled right along until I couldn't roll any further. That's when I decided to click into reverse and back down the driveway to park. Sailing right along, I was surprised when the car slid off to the side into deeper snow and ice.
Stopped to surprise a birthday boy thatki we've known since our Boston living. Grace was just 6 months old when she began her friendship with baby Camden at baby swim class. Our families share so much of the joy in each others ' lives. We treasure the connection and family like fun......birthday celebrations, kid milestones, school events, summer living, skiing and we love and respect what we have together. So genuine. Truly caring for each others' family. Kids respect kids and grownups respect grown ups. All of the kids have fun relationships and respect t for the grownups. All of the grownups care and love all of the kids.
Lots of fun and a great visit!
Stopped to surprise a birthday boy thatki we've known since our Boston living. Grace was just 6 months old when she began her friendship with baby Camden at baby swim class. Our families share so much of the joy in each others ' lives. We treasure the connection and family like fun......birthday celebrations, kid milestones, school events, summer living, skiing and we love and respect what we have together. So genuine. Truly caring for each others' family. Kids respect kids and grownups respect grown ups. All of the kids have fun relationships and respect t for the grownups. All of the grownups care and love all of the kids.
Lots of fun and a great visit!
Vineyard Vines is one of Grace'sl favorite stores...this a beach girl. Her 16th birthday is at the end of the month....so everywhere we go in Boston, she has lots of birthday hints and suggestions!
Boston. Kat and Grace met me in Anthropology, one of my favorite stores that inspires my creativity. A few years ago, I went into another Anthropology store with my twenty something, traditional, classic, conservative, ultra-prep niece.... as we looked around and I pointed out some beautiful bohemian, yet with classic lines and rich colors....that's when Claire said, "Who ARE you?"
All Claire has ever known is the prepster, classic, traditional, conservative, tailored aunt who loves happy colors. In Anthropology, she was baffled by me and my groovy side, the artsy me!
While checking many of the splendid colors, styles, textures in the creatively coordinated displays, I was awestruck by something that glistened on the table. I sipped my Starbucks venti coffee and took it all in....that's when I dropped my Starbucks venti coffee cup, the lid popped off and the Starbucks venti coffee was in a puddle at my feet! Kat and I giggled....and my Grace looked at me. Kat and I had that nervous laughter. Grace had a look of horror on her face! With her eyes, Grace shouted, "Who are you?"....just before she bee lined it to another area of the store!
Who am I? Still someone who mixes it up! Still creative. Still traditional. Still conservative with a twist. Still open to new things. Still trying new things. Still seeing beauty in everyday people, places and things in nature and art. Still me.
Do you mix it up and are you open to beauty outside of your box? "Who are you?" Do you know?
Kay's here with Grace tonight for a sleepover. They had a nice boy over to watch a movie too. Things are changing. I love how they talk so honestly and laugh all together. I gave them the family room and I enjoyed some time in the living room
Grace, Kat and I stayed up for Saturday Night Live. We chatted and had some fun. Kate and Grace rolled into a tumble trying to get the other's blackberry.
Even sleepovers have changed since cell phones have arrived. These kids do make me laugh.
Absolutely beautiful in the sunshine...Daisy and Fitzy were like sled dogs!
Grace was off to the city today with Biff's sister Cee. T.J. left with Biff yesterday for a Navy Lacrosse camp for the weekend.
I stayed home to be here for Grace this weekend.
After I walked the dogs through the snowdrifts in the woods, they leapt and bunny hopped and jumped and trudged...me too....we were all exhausted.
After a cup of coffee and some quiet time to think....... of the many choices available to me, with a day all to myself...solo..me...alone....on my own....I decided to make a huge commitment. This may be hard to believe but I chose to stay home to clean and scrub and mop and scour and do laundry and vacuum.
Did you faint? Yup. It's still me. Just a cleaner, fluffier me. Oh sure, there were so many more glamorous choices out there today. So tempting!
But no. I had the house to myself. Different than any other day, I had no interruptions...no calls from school, no visits to the gym or the grocery store. No calls from friends to walk the dogs. No need to shop....we have too much stuff.
With that in mind, I had a dream...a flash of inspiration...a moment of truth....a badge of courage...I cleaned for 4 hours!
I am exhausted. Our house is back to liveable. Until we're all here again...then it will be moments...just moments and the kitchen table will have mail and the foyer will have backpacks, the bathrooms will run out of toilet paper, shoes strewn all over at the back door.
It will feel like home. I love our family even though we're not perfect. I love our family BECAUSE we're not perfect!
This is the tree that came into our home as a little lesson for Grace and T.J...since they didn't come with me an Biff to cut down our tree. It was bare amd rather bedraggled and pathetic at first glance. It was the perfect remedy for our crabby and resistant Grinch-like, moody teens that day! They snapped right out of that when we showed them the real tree. They were just like little elves from that moment on. I painted and dressed and bedazzled that tree with sparkled and tinseled and sequined and glittered an glistened that tree. Just as our children sprang back into the spirit of Christmas , this tree sprang to life and gave us all peace and thw ability to laugh at our less than charming side. The tree gave us calm where there may have been a storm. There was abundant beauty in thi tree's simplicity. It has been a peaceful reminder. We have all found it to be calming with the little white lights, different from our colorful traditional tree trimmed with special ornaments, reminders of family and friends and Christmas' past. What a gift this Christmas season has been. The traditional tree has been down for awhile.....this tree is still standing....it still sparkles. Do we have to take it down? Maybe later. Not today.
