Cherries

Monday, November 24, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is going to be a short work week so make the most of the days you are working otherwise you'll come back to work on Monday and have to face an even longer list of things to do.

Over the weekend we went to the ski and snowboard show in Sacramento and also to the Mountain Mandarin Festival here in Auburn. We had fun and enjoyed seeing so many people out spending money. Both events were jam-packed with people who seemed eager to spend but not so much on retail items, there was more cash flowing to the vendors selling dip mixes, fresh bread, and other kinds of gourmet food items. In talking to many of these vendors, they were selling out of their inventory. I see this as people getting back to basics and the homemade gift. I know I like to give homemade food items to my friends and neighbors and though it's certainly not cheap, it's less expensive and more meaningful. On another note, it's becoming more clear that we have a wide open market to sell our gloves. We spoke with the three vendors who had children's products for sale and all three are interested in talking this week about selling our gloves in their retail stores. One woman in particular said, "It's about time someone woke up and realized we need gloves made for little hands. That's why I only sell mittens. Call me next week." Cool, huh?

I hope you have many family and friends to spend Thanksgiving with and I look forward to hearing all about your holiday next week. Today's motivator has been used here before, but the timing it just perfect this week. "If thank you is the only prayer you say, it will suffice" Meister Eckhardt.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Bee Happy Today!


Happy November 17th!

Today is happy because I got to wake up with Dave. Dave has been gone since last Tuesday and wasn't suppose to be home until later today. While we were on the phone yesterday, he commented that he was finished working and just hanging out in his hotel room because the day was designated for family. It was an easy conclusion that he should catch the next plane home and not spend another night away from us. Mason and I put things in high gear and got the house cleaned, put our Thanksgiving decorations up, and put clean sheets on our beds. Before we knew it, we were all snuggled up on the couch planning what kind of fun thing we could do today. Riley was the first one to greet Dave at the door. This was his Halloween costume and though he doesn't like clothes, he likes to make his people happy. How can you not smile seeing my Riley dressed as a bee?

I suggested we take a short drive and see some of Mother Nature's handiwork with the fall foliage. Dave probably wants to just stay home, and Mason wants to go to Chuck E. Cheeses! Ah, back to all the normal stuff that makes me so happy to be a part of this loving family.

What did you do this weekend? Jot me a note and let me know! Better yet, log on to my IW blog and join Lisa A. and I in our gratitude journal. I was right, there really are benefits in sharing in what we are grateful for. Have a great week and make sure to stop and appreciate the next brilliant display of color in the trees and bushes all around you.

The Other Great Shot


Monday, November 10, 2008

Moving Chairs

Happy Veterans Day!

I have so much to share with all of you that I have to pick and choose. Yesterday was our seventh wedding anniversary and we shared little celebrations all weekend long. The best part of all our celebrating is how much we laugh together and though Dave and I share our own little funny moments, nothing compares to how much Mason makes us laugh.

As it is with all kids, Mason has a hard time sitting still and often won't sit properly in a chair. He'll sit sideways, slouch down, or turn around to lean his front on the back of the chair, and rock it on the back two legs. Last week after numerous scoldings to sit still AND properly in the chair, he lost his balance and fell. I hurried over to make sure he was okay, and as moms do, I scolded him again for not listening to me the all the times before he fell. In true Mason form he stood up, held his hands out in front of him and said, "Well, mom, you shouldn't buy chairs that move!" "What?! Chairs that move? Let's stand here for a moment and see if the chair moves again." I said laughing through my tears. What tears was Kathy crying you may be asking yourself, well they were the tears that were squeezing out of my eyes because I was talking while trying not to laugh. we stood there for a few more seconds and Mason finally gave in that the chair probably didn't really move, but he was sure he didn't tip the chair over either. He told me he would look into it and get back to me.

On Thursday, I was living one of those hectic parenting moments when I got to see what talent my son really has. I was making dinner, unloading/loading the dishwasher, clearing the kitchen table when the phone rang. It was Dave wanting to use his drive time to talk about some time sensitive issues we had to make decisions about. Mason was playing in the living room and at that moment, the television seemed really loud. Apparently it wasn't that loud because while on the phone, I heard the sound of Mason's head hitting something (once you've heard that sound, you know it), followed by a short cry and then the long, deep breath, that comes before the loud cry that the whole neighborhood would be hearing momentarily. He managed to get up and walk over to me while I was going to him to see the black, raised bump on his forehead. Now this is not really out of the ordinary for people with kids, but how it happened just may be. I hung up the phone, turned off the stove, and grabbed the ice pack from the freezer.

As we sat on the couch together and I held the ice on his head I asked him what he did. I'm going to do my best to paint this picture, but nothing will recreate him showing me what he did. "I was being the cop and I was being the bad guy. When I shot myself like this (he shows me how he made a gun with his hand, pointed it at himself and fired), I flew backward to die and hit my head on the rocking chair." He explained in his still crying voice. When he came back to the couch to continue icing his head, I asked him why didn't he know the chair was there. In that moment he looked up at me, black bump on his head, red wet eyes, and said, "Maybe that chair moves, too."

I hope this made you laugh today. I'm still laughing at the thought of moving chairs, and his ability to be so in the moment he could throw his body with that kind of force on a wooden chair. Have a great day and find something funny each day this week and laugh!

The Big, Black Bump!

This is a few days later, but still shining!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween Weekend

Happy November!

What a crazy-busy weekend we had! Friday was Halloween and we did the usual haunts for trick or treating, and thankfully, we finished the after dark trek just before the rain started to fall. We made the most of Friday night by driving to a Halloween party hosted by one of Dave's coworkers.

Saturday started early when you consider that Friday night didn't end until early Saturday morning. Mason and I went to a kid's craft expo where he got to make several Christmas gifts for family and then we went to spend the afternoon visiting with Ken and Dahlynn. You might be thinking, "Wow, what a full weekend you had." and you would be right, but it's not over yet. After dinner, Mason got to go play with Kain and Taylor while Dave and I got to go play poker. Dave placed third and won a few bucks. Again, arriving home after midnight, the idea of an early start for Sunday wasn't all that appealing. Good for us, we had planned Mason's birthday party for the afternoon so we didn't' have to hurry. We got the house picked up and because it had rained so much, had to adjust our outside party plans to inside. I baked some leaf shaped cookies and let the kids decorate all they wanted to take home. We had cake, sang happy birthday, opened presents, and after a bit of visiting, called it quits for this holiday weekend.

As I sit here with a fire roaring, I think about how grateful I am that I'm living this life. A loving husband, a happy son, pets, friends, support, the list just goes on and on. Thank you to those powers that be and all the people that make it real. Happy Monday!

Today's Motivator: If you expect too much, you might be disappointed. If you don't expect enough, you'll never have the best! Where will you set your expectations?