Had lunch at a wine bar with a wonderful friend.
I took Marie. We had the tortellini with alfredo sauce. Yum!
How about a little wine, Marie? (That’s the floor under our table … a view to where they keep the wine.) We just need a little music, eh? ;)
I just packed up and sent a box of clothes to my friend Karen in Florida. She gave me several boxes of boy clothes more than seven years ago. They were worn by her son, who is — dang — almost 15. I “met” him before he was born. Karen hired me just in time to cover for her maternity leave.
Here we are. Way back when.
She now has a younger son who can wear many of the clothes I’m sending back.
Some people don’t want to use hand-me-downs. I think it’s a wonderful connection with others. I’m always looking for connections. That’s why I was crazy enough to move to Iowa, to try and make connections with my relatives who live here.
Besides, getting hand-me-downs for my new baby felt like a big old Welcome to the Parenthood Club, which I was thrilled to finally join. I had filled out the membership application years before and it finally went through.
The clothes went from baby size all the way up to 7 years old. I remember thinking, wow, that’s so big. And now, my son has outgrown them. How did that happen so fast? Here he is in one of the last shirts he could wear.
I put red dots on the tags of all the clothes from Karen. I put a blue dot on the tags of clothes I got from my sister-in-law in Norway. Every time I saw those dots, I thought of Karen, my sister-in-law and their families. My son also got to borrow my nephew’s bunad. It’s since been returned, and my younger nephew is wearing it.
The girls also got some sweaters from my niece when she was visiting last year.
I love the connections. I enjoy remembering how small these other children were and seeing how big my children are getting. I enjoy being reminded of my special relationships with all of them. I enjoy marking milestones in connection with others.
I know some smart and funny people. My friend Bob, who lives in Washington, D.C., wrote this delightful ode to snow. Thanks, Bob! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Oh, the weather outside is flaky,
And my nerves are kinda shaky,
And since I’ve no place to go,
I am so sick and tired of the snow!
It doesn’t show signs of warming,
And the drifts are slowly forming,
The temperature’s way down low,
And I’m so sick and tired of the snow!
When I’ve shoveled it all at last,
And the driveway is finally clear,
The plow once again comes past,
Piling it all up to here!
It’s certainly not too pleasing
When melted snow’s refreezing,
And I really want you to know:
I am so @&#^ sick of the snow!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You think you’re driving anywhere tonight? Ha!
Crazy snow drift from the last storm.
January
Is this heaven, Kevin? No, heaven’s not this cold.
February
Super Bowl with the Obamas and us
March
It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day
April
I held you in my castle in the sky
May
Blossom in the tree you know how I feel
June
Things grow in my garden (I hope)
July
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
August
Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow, all it takes is a rake and a hoe
September
Howdy neighbor, happy harvest, may your forty acres soon be fields of clover
October
I wish jack-o’-lanterns hung from the sky and the seas were made of pumpkin pie
November
From the valley of the Jolly (ho, ho, ho) Green Giant!
December
How to build a snowgirl
The best of 2009: Dear ones in my life who know me and love me for who I am. Friends at the other end of the line (or across the table), willing to pick me up when I’m down. Love without conditions. Understanding without judgment. Empathy. Support. Kindnesses big and small. Generosity. Genuine interest. Warm hearts. All this makes everything worthwhile.
… a friend who gives you zucchini bread, still warm from the oven.
Hey. Still grateful here.
Just a little more than a year ago, we decided at the last minute to go to Norway for the holidays. My husband’s grandmother was gravely ill, and we hoped to see her one more time. (She died just a few days before we got there.)
I put out a desperate call to a bunch of blogfriends, asking if they would be willing to guest post in my absence. I was humbled with the response. I had guest posts for almost every day I was away.
So I’m still grateful.
For …
For …
Linda Jones for letting me blog at You’ve Got Your Hands Full.
Linda also gave me free rein to redesign the blog, which I did over my crazy summer. I had some hits and misses. A photographer promised the use of an image then wouldn’t return e-mails or telephone calls. So I scrambled for a suitable replacement, and I got something even better. I called on someone I knew, Kristine Freed.
With the help of Kristine and Sherilyn Brinker of Brinker-Freed Photographyand new mother-of-twins Kerrin Laari and her 5-week-old babies, Elise and Ian, I had a fabulous image to use on the blog.
None of it would have happened, though, without Jo-Lynne at DCR Design. She made the header and buttons, arranged and rearranged everything and even called me to give me a crash course in making my own changes. (Though I’m still fairly hopeless in that department.) I would have made a big announcement on the blog by now, but I’m having technical difficulties with Typepad, and I haven’t been able to sign on. As soon as I get it figured out, though, I’ll get something posted.
For …
For …
Citizen of the Month for a great experience, The Interview Experiment, and meeting two new blogfriends at A Juicy Life (now Notre Vie Juteuse since she moved to France) and The Would-Be Writers Guild.
For …
For …
Bob for his review of Final Salute.
For …
For …
Happy New Year.
I’ve heard so many people say about last year, “Good riddance!” and “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Yeah, 2008 sucked in many ways. Even so, I’m … grateful.
Don’t worry. I’m not going permanently smarmy. I have plenty of complaints and pessimism to last the rest of the year. But for now, I’m grateful.
In a year where losses piled on losses, I have so much. I have a wonderful husband who still loves me after all these years. I have three beautiful children. I live closer to the rest of my family than I ever have before. I have shelter, warmth, companionship and love.
Wishing you all of this and more … happy New Year.
