Enjoying the simple things

What's in a name

2012-02-01T15:14:00.005-05:00

When I was 10 years old, my mom gave me a silver ring that was a band of laurel leaves. She told me that in ancient Greece they awarded the Olympic victors with a crown of Laurel leaves which was the meaning of my name, victory. I always loved how she told me that. I felt extra special that day.

Just last week at the basketball game a lady working the concession stand asked Blair what her name was. After Blair replied, the lady looked at me and said that I must be Charley's mom and commented on what fun names we give our kids. I am asked quite often about how we've come up with our children's names. And just in case you're wondering, here's how their first names came to be...

1. Belén Thérèse: Belén's first name is Belén Thérèse, (like Mary-Kate) only I could never get anyone to say it fully which drove me nuts so I went along and shortened it. It is a Spanish name which, my late mother being Mexican, always wanted to use but never did so I let her name my first baby. (Unless it turned out to be a boy and then we'd have to think of something else.) It means Bethlehem and Thérèse means Harvester. People have not always been shy to tell me that her name is "unusual" but I love it and more importantly, she loves it and likes being the only Belén around and being known by one name.

2. Charley: One of my best friends, Tracy Tyler, gave us the name. Long before I had my 2nd baby, we were talking about names and she said she loved Charley, for a girl. I remember she said it sounded like a fun, crazy girl running all over the house name. So when we were expecting baby #2, I asked her if we could use it if we had a girl. She was so happy and said, "Oh my gosh, yes!!!" It's the diminutive form of Charles meaning free man, or in this case for a girl, free or strong woman/womanly. People always ask if her name is short for anything and she happily says, "No, it's just Charley."

3. Reese: Long before any famous Reese's, (besides the candy) there was Reese Kahler. He was one of Jon's best friends from our highschool. When Jon was the new kid in school and entered in a place with long established friendships starting from Kindergarten, Reese handed Jon an invitation to his 14th birthday party. There he introduced him to all his friends and they all went on to be best friends. Reese became a Kindergarten teacher and died suddenly in 1999. His whole class was at the funeral with drawings in hand of their beloved teacher. Jon gave the most beautiful eulogy. And 20 years later, those friends still get together for a weekend of golf, fishing and all sorts of male bonding. The name Reese means Running. When we go to the Hershey factory tour, he's been known to score extra candy because of his name.

4. Blair: I have always loved the name Blair and wanted to name a girl after my dad and oldest brother. When the baby was being born and the Dr. said, "We have a girl!" I knew I had my chance. Jon loved it too and so little Blair it was. Her name means Field. I love to hear her name because it always reminds me of home. I want to take photographs of her in a beautiful field this summer.

5. Trae: I knew I wanted to stay true to the less-common, being known by one name, name but I was stumped. I had a girl's name chosen but no boy. We thought of using another family name but it wasn't working. Then one day I was going through a vintage French dictionary and ran across the word, Trae, which means three. I liked it. So I ran it by Jon and we both agreed if we had a boy, which would be the third boy in the family, his name would be Trae. He is now known by Trae-man and often introduces himself as such.

And there you go - more than you ever wanted to know about my kids' names!

How about you? How did you/do you decide on names?

Mash-up of topics

2012-01-30T11:12:00.012-05:00

Has it really been over a week?

It has all just escaped me. It's been so busy. I didn't even get to sit here once and write about all the things that were on my mind. A lot of things have taken a back seat to the job lately. That's why I am taking most of the day off to catch up on all my domestic duties (translation: the house is a wreck) so I'll just highlight a few topics from last week and mash 'em all up.

Family: We were able to see Belén play basketball at a home game which was great. She scored 3 points. Jon forewent his bowling night with the guys from church to see it. I didn't ask him to.

Blair and I mother/daughter double dated with friends to see Beauty and the Beast 3D. Blair declared it was the best date ever. Pretty much was.

Charley went to an 8 year-old's birthday party. The girl's birthday request was to go to McDonald's and have Charley over. She's a hit.

Reese is back in school. He was out a whole week with a high fever. The neighbor girls are happy. They've been knocking on the door ever since.

Trae-man is still the same. So much fun.

I am editing my brother's book. I think he has a best-seller there.

Personal: I squeezed in time for a facial. It was the first time ever that I've had one and I am SOLD! Have you had one? I know I'm late to the party but it was fabulous. That must be how the other half lives.

My hubby bought me this book. It's totally design inspiring. I take it all over the house with me so when I have a minute to sit and look through it, it's right at my fingertips. It gave me the boost I needed to get working.

I made a quick stop at the Thrift shop. It's been ages (for me anyway) but I scored a really cool side table. All the way home it smelled like fresh paint and gave me a headache (translation: it made me high.)

NFL Football playoffs: The games were really good this year but I was hoping for the Ravens and the 49ers in the Superbowl. Actually I was hoping for the Seahawks and anybody...at least there will be some good commercials.

Local/National Headlines: Joe Paterno, the long-time head football coach for Penn State that was relieved of his duties a few months back - If you don't know about it, you can read the interview that he gave just before he died. I think the bottom line is that although he probably truly regretted not doing more, he washed his hands of it once he told his superiors, plain and simple. If you knew of an incident so vicious, involving someone that worked for you, and then saw him still on the job and working with a charity that helps underprivileged youth, some of the most vulnerable of all, wouldn't you go to your superiors and say, "Hey, what's up with that? Why is he still around? What's happening with the investigation? What did you do with the information?" The program, not the victim(s), was protected.

The latest debate: I hear a lot of sound bites but no explanation on how they are going to implement changes. Just HOW are we going to pay for all these things they are promising? Does anyone else wonder that? Everybody keeps leaving that part out. Speaking of pay, we filed our taxes and the exemption for a dependent child is huge this year. This could be the last year for the current tax rate structure which has been in place since 2003. It might not be worth it to work as much as I do and just go back to one income. We'll see what happens in November.

Pets: I took our sick dog to the Dr. and now she's back to her crazy self. I should have become a Veterinarian; they charge a small fortune. It's worth not having her gnaw her paws off anymore, though.

Professional: I have been helping to put together this Ladies Night. It's proven to be a lot of work but should be fun. Come, won't you?

Behind the lens: I'm still working on the latest photo session from the Train station. I've lined up a real live bunny and some chicks for Children's Easter portraits. That should be interesting. I made it clear that I don't want to keep them, just borrow them for a day. I want to explore doing pet photos this year. First up, Alpacas! Again, that should be interesting. Do they spit? Or is that a Llama?? I forget.

Have a great day!

Thought for the week

2012-01-22T19:50:00.002-05:00

A message that spurred a shopping spree

2012-01-21T07:15:00.003-05:00

A week or so ago I messaged the hubster to tell him I used his debit card to order something from one of my favorite stores. (They suckered me in with 20% off and free shipping!) I told him this because we have had troubles with fraudulent charges on our account which always involves trying to explain to someone at a call center what is going on and finally putting a stop on the card and being issued another... And I was too lazy to go upstairs and get my card.

His reply to my message was, "Happy Valentine's Day."

My reply to his reply, "In that case, I'll be ordering more."

And so I did...Happy Valentine's Day to me.

See a theme here? I kinda like stripes.

That's the fact, Jack.

Have a great Saturday!

Don't make me go all caps on you

2012-01-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, I really do have a couple craft/design posts coming, really, but I feel I have to say this since I keep reading those "guilty" mothering statuses on Facebook. And then I made the mistake of watching the bit on Anderson Cooper where a woman called stay-at-home moms "lazy" and I didn't feel the SAHMs defended their position very well. Some of their silence could be taken as agreement. Really, it's 2012 and we're still debating that?? Whatever.

Back to the guilt - So what is everyone feeling so guilty about? That you cannot measure up to your own demands? That you cannot measure up to a neighbor who seems to have it all together? Who is putting this pressure on you to be that perfect mom? I have been a mom for almost 17 years now and since then I have been told that there is no such thing as a perfect mom. Have you heard that too? If so, who is spreading this rumor to the contrary?
And to whom are you comparing yourself?
Where is this SuperMom that everyone seems to think exists? She seems like the Sasquatch of suburbia to me. I would like to meet her.

Bottom line: Guilty feeling mothers - you gotta STOP thinking this way! It's self-imposed and we have to stop it or our daughters will grow to think the same way.

I've met some good moms, sure, and I have friends whom I admire and are good moms but I don't think they are perfect moms. I think the mothering they do works for them. And that is where I think women should be: doing what works for their family and being the mother that fits them, their personality, their lives. (Unless of course this involves being mean. And when I say "mean," I really think abusive but that's a whole other story.)

I don't think we could ever get to all that we want to do and in the way we want to do it. Restrictions on time and money contribute to that so we've got to pick and choose and be happy about it. Let the guilt fall and leave it there.

By my mom's own admission, she had plenty of imperfections. I knew that. But guess what?? I didn't care. I don't even remember them anymore, really. Nudging me awake at midnight on a school night to get hot chocolate at Shari's restaurant is one of my favorite memories of her. Just she and I out and about. Giddy from being tired, we'd laugh and laugh about stuff and then would laugh about laughing so hard. A "perfect" mom probably would've made her children get their rest for school the next day. I am so glad she wasn't a perfect mom.

So remember this: Your children love you despite what you think of yourself. Don't continue to waste your time worrying about whether you're being a perfect mom to them because frankly, you're not. But you're better, you're their version of a perfect mom. And theirs is the only version that really matters.

I'm done wagging my finger at us now. :)

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And because we like pictures with our posts, here's a picture of my horses (2nd picture.) Mine was the black one. The Midnight Champion was his show name but I just called him "Middy." Star Countess was my sister's but we just called her Star. She was a diva. (Horse not sister.)

The house where I grew up is in the background on the hill between the two horses. There I was raised by imperfect people who loved me a lot.

A winter girl

2012-01-18T07:08:00.009-05:00

Dear Charley,

While your hair and your name tend to set you apart, it's really your concern for those that need extra care, respect for others and love for your family that will always get you noticed. You are a quality person. You could be taught in the finest academic institutions and go on to have the most prestigious career but without you being a quality person, it would be useless.

I hope you continue to recognize, use and enhance your God-given strengths. Charity is not something so easily given and for most, it's a learned behaviour. But for you it was given when God kissed your head and sent you on your way. You are a lucky one.

I love it when a person from your school will ask me somewhere, like at the grocery store, "Are you Charley's mom??" and when I say yes, they say, "Oh, I looove Charley!"
I tell them we feel the same way. So do your brothers and sisters. They love you forever.

Forever - I never tire of thinking in those terms. I hope you don't either.

Happy birthday, Charley.

Love you, Momma.

With Belén and me, 1 hour old, Texas

5 months old, Utah

14 years-old, Pennsylvania

I want to know - a parenting post

2012-01-16T10:57:00.004-05:00

What do you think of people who go on and on about their kids?

The reason I ask is because I just received an e-mail about the Rotary Club essay contest and how this would be a great thing for the youth of my church to enter. The first thought in my head was, "Of course! It's a great community event, Belén placed in that a few years ago." And then the thought hit me that no one ever knew that. I guess I never said anything. And then I remembered that Charley won the Dare essay contest as well, and no one knew that either.

So the question is, when do I announce these things? (besides 3 years later here on a little blog) Or do I even need to? Am I doing them a disservice by not making a more public statement? But I know my daughters and they would absolutely say it was no big deal. So for whom am I making an announcement? Do I want people to think that my kids are really great or do I want people to think that I'm really great for having kids make these accomplishments?

Really, do those types of things matter? Am I just over thinking this all?

They are nice but we tell our kids that their actions speak louder anyway so their best accomplishment would always be that they are polite people who know how to speak with adults.

And so, those other accomplishments are just enjoyed over a molten, chocolate lava sundae, without any fanfare. I don't even think we could locate the awards anymore. I'm sure they are in a box somewhere.

BTW - I actually have some craft projects almost done! The schedule has not allowed me to get them done as quickly as I wanted but today the kids are home and I don't have to go out so much. I better get a move on!

Quote for the week

2012-01-15T11:44:00.001-05:00

Just move forward regardless of the world.

~Joseph B. Wirthlin

One liner

2012-01-13T06:47:00.006-05:00

If you're happy, tell your face!

(That's the only thought I got.)

Busy schedule this weekend but I've changed my hours around and how I go about doing things so that time that I thought eluded me? still here. I just need to work a little smarter, not harder.

(Okay, that's two thoughts.)

Have a great day!

The everyday

2012-01-12T12:47:00.003-05:00

Last night I had a dream that Jon was speaking to the grocery butcher in a British accent. I looked over at him in a "what the heck are you doing??" look. So then he was talking to all sorts of people and he said he was from Surrey. Then a few friends of ours walked in and I had to distract them from hearing him. So how would you analyze that?

We put up the drywall and mud & taped the bathroom after our cutting-through-the-water-line fiasco. I hope we can completely finish by the end of the month. I decided to put a paint treatment on the ceiling so I just added more work for myself. Reveal to come later. How do you feel about ceiling stripes?

I've been working on putting together a Ladies night for work and it's busy. It's going to be really fun but all the computer work left me with a 2 day headache. There will be a chocolate fountain at the event, you should come!

I have two kids with fevers of 102.7 but you wouldn't know it because they are so happy still. Maybe it's the medicine.

Blair & I were flipping through the channels and we saw a commercial for The Bachelor. No thank you and the bachelor looks like he's 12. Blair asked why they were skiing without clothes because, she said, when she went skiing it was cold. I said it was because they're dumb. Is there a better reason?

Belén has her learner's permit so we are having fun letting her chauffeur us around. I could get used to a chauffeur, for real. On James...

Funny notes

2012-01-09T07:37:00.002-05:00

I love it when simple products make me laugh like these notecards from Sapling Press.

Quote for the week

2012-01-08T04:57:00.007-05:00

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday Finds

2012-01-05T12:51:00.006-05:00

I love all things vintage pennants, varsity letters and other collegiate memorabilia. Over the years I have seen so many great items and have stashed away a few for myself, like my dad's high school letter he earned playing basketball. Lucky me, it's an "M" and in one of my favorite colors, orange.

I have found some nice pennants along the way also; one of my favorites is from our local high school from 1934 which got me looking for other area high schools. Then the other day I came across this wool throw and I wasn't even looking for anything - I was just looking. It was $5.00 but when I went to pay for it, it just happened to be 50% off. My lucky day - twice. I think it was probably a lap blanket for Football games. You know those Booster clubs!

After a quick dry cleaning, it now sits at the end of one of the boys' bed.

Thanks, Manchester-whatever-you-are.

New Year's Day

2012-01-01T21:06:00.006-05:00

We dined on a hundred mile special delivery takeout and played a new board game that tested our trivia knowledge, but mine was more like testing how well I could guess. :) We sang karaoke until our voices were hoarse and laughed at song choices for each other.

We ended it with a big finish by tag team singing to Bohemian Rhapsody complete with head banging and bringing it home by singing all together. We rang in the new year by counting down the ball drop on Times Square and blowing our horns at midnight.

It was loud and kids were dancing everywhere. A perfect night.

I hope yours was too. Lots of good things to come in 2012!

Got your party hats?

2011-12-31T12:02:00.007-05:00

We are so looking forward to a brand new year, are you? I think it's going to be a fun one. Jon and I have dubbed it our "break out" year.

No matter what, we always manage to have fun but honestly, for us, 2011 just had one too many stresses. We're all for bidding it adieu and kicking it to the curb.

Here's to a fun celebration tonight and a shiny, prosperous, healthy new year!

Thanks for reading along. You are the best!

Joy for every girl and boy

2011-12-29T08:40:00.006-05:00

Lots to tell this week, but first, scenes from a Christmas morning.

Complete with carolers

Last minute flowers

2011-12-23T15:57:00.003-05:00

The good thing about being a last-minute Christmas shopper is that most everything is on sale. Last night Jon and I went shopping and most of the items were a quick & easy find as well. There was only 1 thing that we couldn't find but made a suitable substitute. And because of the sales, we came in under budget. Me likey.
We even scored a deal on our tree because we were late getting that up to. There's a silver lining everywhere.

Poinsettia's were all discounted as well so I brought one home and plopped it into a McCoy thrift store pot. I felt bad that they were looking on the droopy side. Although I love red, which is one of my favorite colors, I decided to go with the creamy white/yellow. I figured if I can keep it alive all year, that color would work through all the seasons. Has anyone ever kept their Poinsettia all year?

Maybe if I get this pot, or create one like it, it might have more of a reason to live. Cute isn't it?

Wreath rescue

2011-12-20T15:26:00.011-05:00

I really haven't done much for Christmas by way of decorating this year. Time just escaped us. But we did put up the tree and opted for a smaller one this year so the ornaments would stand out a bit more. Next year I'm going back to a larger one since it is now overpowered. I said I wasn't going to buy any this year, but I lied. I bought a few.

I still need to get the kids their ornaments for 2011. I add one every year for each of them so that one day I can present them with their box of childhood ornaments for a tree of their own.

Since I didn't make a swag from the branches that we cut from the tree, I needed a wreath for the door. A quick trip to a thrift store did the trick. I picked up a sad, misshapen wreath for $3.00.

Aww, poor thing.

After de-thrift store-ing it, it looked good as new.

Using what I had on hand, I grabbed some ribbon, a pick that I use on Christmas packages and a pair of old child's skates that I bought at a flea market for a dollar.
After 5 minutes and a little tying here and there, I had a simple, vintage wreath.

The End

A weekend away

2011-12-19T07:35:00.002-05:00

An anniversary weekend in DC...

On Friday night we went to dinner at the Rio Grande. Just Jon and me.

I was smitten with the oversized pottery there. Oh and the food was good too.
Saturday morning we bundled the kids up, hopped on the Metro and went to see the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington and to watch the changing of the guard. They were mesmerized. We all were.

Trae at the eternal flame where he jumped the chain and tried to make a beeline for the fire.

Saturday afternoon (our anniversary) we shipped the kids back to the hotel and Jon took me to the National Gallery and the Hirshhorn. I was in heaven. I had a perma smile the whole time we were in the Gallery. This is the only DaVinci in the Western Hemisphere.

At The Hirshhorn we saw the Andy Warhol Shadows exhibit. That was pretty cool too. Some of the other sculptures and art, we deemed, were done on some bad acid trips.

Afterward we went to a street vendor, ordered hot dogs and pretzels and toasted ourselves to 18 years.

Some others paintings I liked:
Snow in New York, American, 1902

Agostina, French, 1866. I love her.

Jon admiring some work. I love him.

The Beach at Villerville, French, 1864

The Bedroom, Dutch, 1658-1660

3 year-old view, American, 2011

Out with the old...armoire

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am sitting amidst a ton of stuff.

I recently sold this armoire. Well, gave it away is more like it. Every craft item, fabric scrap and yardage, buttons, frames, vintage paper, other ephemera and memorabilia that was housed within it is now sitting on the floor.

I hated to part with it but after much consideration, I really didn't need it anymore. When I weighed what kind of family heirlooms really matter to me, it's not the furniture so much. I have other things that 1) take up less room and 2) bring me more happiness to look at, feel and remember where it came from and how my mom displayed or used them.

It will also be easier to pass those things along to my kids. And honestly, antique furniture will always be up for grabs. They seem to have about a 7 year cycle or so. But my grandma's candy dish she received as a wedding present will not be something that can be replaced. Those are the heirlooms that matter most to me.

As for the armoire, it has a new home in a Pennsylvania farmhouse getaway just waiting for guests to hang their clothes for a weekend's stay. And I couldn't be happier about that. Now all of the items that I have to figure out what to do with, well, that's another story.

Print away

2011-12-12T09:50:00.007-05:00

An unusually busy week left me with little time to get to anything that I wanted to do. This week I am looking forward to actually bringing in some Christmas flair to the house. I remember when I used to bring out all the boxes after Thanksgiving dinner and we'd decorate all night. Time this year has escaped us.

I bought a wreath for the door the other day and when Trae saw it, he screamed, "Mom, there's a Christmas ring in the back seat!!" They are ready for the festivities to begin so I'm setting aside today to get things going. They are so patient with me.

I have lots to tell but Christmas decorating beckons. So in the meantime, enjoy this site of free printables! They come in rather handy, enjoy!

Advice to avoid, #1

2011-12-10T15:12:00.008-05:00

Right after I had my 1st baby, I was told that I should probably cut my hair to a short length because I wouldn't have time to get ready, much less tend to a long hair style with a new baby in the house.

I thought they were on drugs. And the thought of cutting my hair off gave me flashbacks to the time when there was a little miscommunication with a hair stylist I saw in 7th grade. She took my hair from just over the shoulders to just over my ears, a short layered look. Everyone said I looked like Paul McCartney.

Anyway...I wondered how in the world a baby could take up sooo much time that basic personal hygiene would be tossed out the window. It's not like a shower and washing & drying your hair takes hours upon hours. Start to finish - maybe 45 minutes, tops? And as I found out, there was always plenty of time to get ready for the day even without going short. And the baby - she just hung out with me, smiling and cooing the whole time and hummed along with the dryer.

So, avoid the advice that you'll never have time to primp and get pretty once kids come and you should cut your hair all off so you don't need to spend time on it. Not true. Some of your best hair days are still yet to be.

The color of 2012

2011-12-08T09:23:00.008-05:00

Tangerine Tango is the official new color for 2012.

I like it.

But I bought a big flower pin in Texas earlier this year in the same color

so credit goes to Texas for being ahead of the fashion game.

images: Forever 21 and H&M

When a simple project goes wrong

2011-12-06T10:43:00.003-05:00

So a simple, 30 minute project blew up in our face over the weekend. Does that ever happen to you?

I was at the computer finishing up some photo editing when Jon started looking in the tool/home improvement closet. Then a few minutes later he asked me to open the front door and up the stairs he came with the old bathroom sink and vanity. I thought this was super cool. I was going to have my nice, new vanity installed. I was glad this was going so quickly because I still needed to get ready for our dinner out with friends.

He called me in to take a look at the vanity and its placement. It was a go. So he began to drill into the wall, using the template left by the old cabinet. The vanity wasn't sitting right because nothing in this house is square so he made an adjustment and started to attach the vanity to the wall again. Suddenly, we heard a hissing sound as if we just disturbed a snake living in the wall. The sound was fairly soft and then became increasingly loud.

Our realization was reached at the same time: We just drilled right into the water line.

Jon bounded into the other room to shut off the water. Unfortunately when the room was carpeted, the door to the water valve was obstructed by the thick carpet. So Jon had to break the door to get to it. Finally it was shut off and we began to assess the new problem.

But in order to do that correctly, half of the wall had to come down. So while he made a trip to buy plumbing supplies at True Value, yours truly got to the demo. With every hit of the hammer against the wall, I was thinking that a labor intensive drywall project was now planned for sometime during my busiest week yet. Luckily, that thought restrained me from taking down the whole wall which I had ripped up and cleaned before he returned.

After a few hours of watching and helping Jon re-work the plumbing, I was finally able to get into the shower and to our friend's house by 6:45 so all was well. We told them of our fiasco and they told us theirs so we feel better that our boat has really good company.

Quick craft - sewing pattern bows

2011-12-02T00:48:00.009-05:00

When I wrapped up the hostess gifts for Thanksgiving, I forgot to tie on the best part - the bow made out of old patterns. I love making these. Easy, easy.

And since I didn't think about a tutorial, really, I'll just hit the main points but you can see it's not hard. at all.

1. Go get a pattern. They're between .25 - .49 cents at the Thrift shop and there are always a bunch so go nuts.

2. Lay out the pattern and cut a portion down to the size of the bow. I double folded mine for extra fluff and made it 9X12 inches.

3. Fold it accordion style, however narrow or thick you want each fold.

4. Pinch the center and tie with a pipe cleaner.

I just used what I had on hand which was a ribbon but a pipe cleaner (chenille stem) works much better so don't forget those while you're digging around for patterns at the Goodwill.

5. Trim the edges. Here I rounded it to make it more of a flower but you can cut it into a point or trim farther down on the sides to separate more of it.

6. Gently pull out the layers and twist a little to create your bow and there you go - easy, inexpensive and completely custom.
Then, your friends will ooh and ah at your creativity. And they may even call for the "bow woman" to help them out over the loudspeaker at a department store.

Voilà

Linking to Fingerprints on the fridge

Just a Girl

Today's creative blog