Getting Ahead of the Holiday Crunch

The holidays are upon us, whether we like it or not. Like you, it seems to surprise me every year despite the fact that I absolutely LIVE by my calendar. When the kids were little I was busier with the little things and had to micro manage their lives. Now that they are older I've had the luxury of getting ahead on some things better. Mind you, I'm SO not perfect on these things, but there are a few that I have a grasp on. Here's my list of things that are easily taken care of ahead of time- whether you're hosting a crowd or traveling, or both!

Things you can do well in advance of holidays:

• Do your Costco run early-buy all of your toilet paper, paper towels, canned goods, extra butter, etc. at this time. Also buy a few things to keep in your freezer for those "Oh crap, I forgot about dinner" nights: lasagne, pot pies, etc. If you have to go back for fresh meat or perishables it will only be a few items and the trip will go much faster than trying to get it all done during the last minute rush, when you also have a house full of people that you would rather spend time with instead of standing in an hour long line to check out. 
• Shop online for gifts and have them sent to your destination. You can usually add "Attention: Your Name" somewhere on the mailing label so that the resident of your destination will know to put your things aside rather than opening them and spoiling the surprise. Do it early, save the emailed receipt in a special folder in your email so that you can make sure each one arrives before you do. Do this as soon as you finalize your gift list so you don't forget something or have to figure out how to travel with an odd-shaped gift or have to pay double shipping to get it to where you need to go.
• Do a deep cleaning of your house early. Lift the pictures and tchotchkes when you dust so when you are putting out your holiday decorations that you don't find surprises! This helps because you can do a quick swipe/vacuum just before company arrives rather than realize at the last minute that you can't remember the last time you scrubbed the toilet. I speak from experience here. Ahem. 
• Shop NOW for special items for holiday parties or performances. I used to get so frazzled when a teacher would send home a letter about the kids needing a white shirt, or black pants, or whatever, for the holiday concert. I try to shop early for those items that I know that they (or I,) will need so that they can be washed, ironed, and set aside for the special day. This also eliminates the inevitable "OMG HOW CAN THEY BE OUT OF THIS!" moment when you have to run all over hell's half acre looking for a size/item that you have to have. 
• Wash/iron your linens early. Do you take pride in setting a gorgeous table? It's so much easier to do it when you already have them laundered and ready. Take an evening to catch up on Grey's Anatomy and iron while you watch, then hang in a closet. 
• Don't forget to take stock of what you have on hand before you make your shopping list. Do you always have mimosas on a holiday morning? Do you keep champagne and orange juice on hand always? Or do you need to grab some? What about the butter? Holidays always require extra so buy it now and toss it in your freezer. It won't go bad and you'll have extra when Aunt Carol forgets it for her super special secret recipe.You can freeze fresh cranberries too! Remember to look at the full list of food/meals to be served and grab what you can early.
• Order holiday cards NOW. It's easy to address envelopes, write a letter, and stamp them later. It seems that choosing the photos and designing the cards takes way longer than anything else, and if you're behind on that they may never get sent. If you have little ones they can help with the stamps, folding letters, and stuffing envelopes, too.

What have I forgotten? What do you do early to avoid the crunch?

Being a Kid

We all have memories of being a kid. Some good, some bad, but mostly we just remember 'things'. Amirite? I was lucky enough to have a great childhood; I know some aren't as lucky. I wanted to share some of the random things that I remember from being a child. I suppose some of them will feel quite tame nowadays, but hey! that's what happens when you're getting closer to 50. Ahem. I grew up in Southern California and in the mountains of Colorado, so some things might be specific to those areas but I'll bet there are many that are universal, especially for someone around my age.

Things I remember from my childhood:

• We lived on a cul-de-sac and I remember riding bikes long into the evenings, especially in the summer. The greatest part of this memory, though, is that we would practice 'tricks' on our bikes. Standing on the seat, not holding the handlebars, that kind of thing. And, of course, no helmets.
• Watching the fireworks at Disneyland from the corner next to my house.
• Having a crush on the neighbor boy who was a few years older than me. 
• Playing "Pong" on the tv in the basement and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world that we had a video game in our very own house.
• Not having cable and needing rabbit-ears to get even a passable signal way up in the mountains. We watched scratchy tv for so long that I was even used to the static!
• "Party line" telephone lines. We didn't have one, but many of my friends did. That certainly put a damper on talking on the phone for hours for us as teens. 
• Getting a box of Twinkies (or similar treat,) was a BIG DEAL in our house, and saved for a special occasion. Certainly not an every day thing. 
• I thought that disco was the coolest thing/music EVER, and wished I was (more than) a few years older so I could go to the bars and dance like that. 
• I lived about a 1/2 block from my elementary school and don't remember my mom ever walking us to school. (I'm sure that she did at least a few times when we were in kindergarten, but I have no memory of it.) Granted there were at least a half dozen of us from the same cul-de-sac all walking at the same time, but still. (And that's totally ok!)
• We didn't have a cafeteria or hot lunch program at my elementary school. A few days a year we would have a special lunch day that you could pre-order McDonalds. Later, after moving to Colorado, I loved being able to buy hot lunch. Hmmm. Now that I think about it, maybe that is where my dislike of sandwiches comes from!
• One time, in the winter when the mornings were still dark, I thought someone was following me as I walked to the bus stop. Turns out it was just the paper guy doing his route. 

What random things do you remember from your childhood? Share them in the comments!

Random Acts of Kindness

We all need kindness in our lives. We all have, at minimum, a smile to give. But what little things have we received that made us smile? What things do we give that make an impact, small or large?

We all need new ideas in our repertoire. I'm going to share a few of the things that I try to do on a regular basis but this post is about YOU. Please share, in the comments, the little things that you do for others that cost you little to nothing and make the day or world a little brighter for someone else. If we share our ideas, then put them all into practice, maybe, just MAYBE we'll all be happier tomorrow, and the next day, and so on, and so on.

My (not exhaustive) list of smile-inducing things:

• Buying coffee for a friend
• Making my kids blueberry muffins on a random school morning
• Making dinner for a friend/family when they are "in the weeds"
• Giving the homeless guy or gal not just A dollar, but enough for a full meal, or that hotel room that they need for the night so they can sleep well and get a shower, etc.
• Doing a chore for my husband to lighten his load
• Buying a candy bar from the kid selling them outside of the store for their soccer league 
• Holding the door for someone
• Letting someone go in front of you at the grocery-whether they look like they're in a hurry or just have a single item
• Write a hand written note to someone and send it by USPS
• Sharing flowers from my garden with a teacher/friend/elderly neighbor, etc.
• Welcoming my children's friends into our home unconditionally.
• Saying hello and smiling at someone who you do not know

What would you add? Share your ideas in the comments, then share this post on social media so we can all come back to it and get fresh ideas to brighten the days of those around us! (Full disclosure-I never ask for people to share my posts, but this one is important. We all really, really need to smile.)

The Musical One

One of the greatest pleasures of being a mom is getting to watch your kids find their passion. #1 is all about the music. All kinds. I am so impressed with how thoroughly he pursues this passion. If it was up to him, he would play his saxophone 8 hours a day. This is the third year that he has been in the marching band and while he isn't as passionate about marching as he is about jazz or composing, he does enjoy it. And, he has just enough competitive spirit in him that he really, really wants to win. Early this season he came home from practice saying that this year's show could be really good-He was right. Their show is based on the movie Coraline. (I've never seen the movie, so if you have, you may understand the color guard portion a little better than me.) The music is outstanding and the character in the marching, the moves, and the 'visuals' is just so compelling. Please forgive the crappy video quality from my phone, but I hope you enjoy their show. They use the whole field, so there is usually stuff going on outside of my shot, and I'm not sure how the music will sound, but I really wanted to give you a peek at what my boy spends a crazy amount of time on. Oh! And by the way, he is marching a tenor sax this year, not an alto. He wanted to get good experience on a tenor to develop good sound. This performance secured their spot in the finals next weekend. Only 12 bands of over 20 qualify for finals and they qualified in 6th place. We're so proud!

Enjoy!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

What the World Needs Now

via GIPHY

I'm tired. And weary. Puppies fix that.

A few words of truth for today...

Ephesians 4:31- Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil-speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And BE KIND to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (emphasis mine)

1 Corinthians 14:33- For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.

Galatians 5:22-23- But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW. (emphasis mine)

Romans 12:9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

Romans 13:1- Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
13:3- Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good and you will have approval of the same.

1 Corinthians 7:19 Keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

1 Corinthians 13:5- (Love,) does not behave rudely.

And finally, from Romans 3:23- for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Election Night Yumminess- Tri Tip French Dip

I won't talk about politics here but I had to share with you my tasty triumph today! I had some thin cut Tri Tip Roast in my fridge that I had to use today and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. After cruising Pinterest I came upon this recipe for a Crock Pot Tri Tip. I used that recipe as an inspiration, my tweaks are below.

Crock Pot Tri Tip French Dip Sandwiches

2-3 pound Tri Tip Roast (mine came from the butcher in 3 thin pieces)(Her recipe above used a regular, non sliced roast.)

Rub with: (mix well before rubbing on meat)
4 teaspoons dry mustard
3 teaspoons ground pepper (I used 4 and it was a little too peppery for me.)




In Crock Pot, Layer:

One sliced medium onion,
Add meat
Another medium sliced onion (If you aren't as fond of onions, you could use just one, divided for under/over.)

Liquid:
I used 1 large Knorr beef bouillon cube with one cup of water (boil water, then add cube), but one cup of any type of beef bouillon would certainly do.
Pour over meat and onions

















Cook on High for 2 hours,  (I turned the meat at this point to get the top piece into the juice,) then turn to low for another 3 hours, or more if you're using a full roast (not pre cut). I took the meat out at that point, chopped it, and added it back to the liquid.




We served on soft bollilo rolls from our grocery store. I dipped mine in the au jus and it was delicious! My #2 loved this so I'll certainly be adding it to the regular rotation.

Variations:

You could easily add cumin to the rub, then shred the meat, and use in tacos or burritos. Most would probably add garlic. What other variations can you think of? Share them in the comments!

The Let Down

After the excitement of the last 4 days, today was a total let down. No HG to chat with over coffee, no other family members stopping by. No planes to catch. Y'all, I'm tired!

We kept the secret of her arrival from #2. She came in on Thursday, the day of his final freshman football game, against her alma mater. He hates secrets and surprises. Heh. Except he also didn't have much of a reaction. Jerk. Although during pregame warm ups, he did look at her in the stands and smile and laugh. I guess that's about as much as we'll get out of him. It was a fun game-his team won their league with a 9-1 season!

Friday was a lazy day, but a busy night. We had coffee and talked, and talked. Then in the evening we went to get #2, ate, delivered him back to his school for the varsity football game. Then! Went to #1's high school to watch his marching band play at the varsity football game. Then! Went to get #2 and his girlfriend, took them to get ice cream, then took her home. We were pooped.

Saturday started lazy too, and thanks to HD, it was tasty as well! My niece, and brother in law and sister in law came to see HG and we all had lunch together before #1 had to leave for a marching band competition. Later in the day we went to see them perform (she had never been to one,) and went to dinner before HD had to go to work all night.

Holy cow I'm tired just writing it all out and I haven't even detailed Sunday yet. (Another day!)

It was such a treat to have her here! Her brothers never get enough of her, and neither do we.

Sidenote: We missed her husband this weekend but I'm not sure he missed us. He was in Moab, camping with a friend!

One Heart

I have the distinct pleasure and rare honor to be at the initiation of my niece into my sorority. The only woman in my family younger than me to go to college and pledge a sorority, (so far.) If you were in a greek organization you know how exciting this is! I'll take some pictures and possibly share them with you later this month. It is going to be a long day... I have to fly to another city early, spend the day, then fly home in the late evening. No matter. It's worth it. Have a great day, y'all!

Love is....

...HD bring home donuts for a house full of people after he has worked all night and is just getting into bed as the sun rises.

He's a good guy.

Friday Night Lights

I think she had flashbacks of being a cheerleader all night.

Still fun.

I'll be a little scarce for a few days...

... because this happened today. She came to see her brother play football. And she'll get to see the other one in Marching Band.

It was a good day.

Not Only Mine

I wonder, is it only me? No, it's really not.

2016 has taken so many that we love.

We've mourned music greats from David Bowie, to Prince, to Glen Frey, among others. And actors from Alan Rickman to Abe Vigoda (for real this time!). And other beloved figures like Nancy Reagan, Harper Lee, Pat Conroy, and more.

Point being, it's been a year of national mourning. But not just in the public arena either.

Many of my friends have lost beloved pets. Missing our furry friends is heart-breaking. They fill a 'comforter' role in our lives that other things just can't fill.

But this is the thing:

To date, including myself, there are 11 women in my life that have lost our fathers this year.

Let that sink in, would you?

E.L.E.V.E.N.

Simple math, y'all. It's averaging one beloved daddy a month. Women from all stages of my life: elementary school, high school, college, blogging. And every time I open my computer, or answer the phone to hear of another one, my heart breaks all over again. For them, certainly, but for my other friends and also myself, all over again.

That's not counting the moms that have gone, darn it. Or the men that I know that have lost beloved parents.

If you've lost someone close to you, I am so so sorry. 2016 has been hard on you, too. Like I said yesterday, It's just such a heavy burden to bear. But please know that you are not alone. There are others out here that are bearing that burden, too, and would love to talk about it. We're going through the same things. Reach out when you need to. Pray. God knows how heavy this is.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" Matthew 5:4

It isn't just some mystical comfort that magically comes down from the clouds. God sends us people! Others that are going through just what we are can be such a comfort. One of my friends from high school lost her father not long after mine. I reached out to her privately and we have begun a months long conversation about this grieving process that ebbs and flows. In September we had a good cry over the beginning of the NFL season. Girls crying over football? Yup. We both would call and text our dads on Bronco's game days and their death leaves a 16+ week gap in our year of connecting with our dads.

God sent her to me because she knew EXACTLY how I would feel, when few others would. That is how God comforts the mourning.

Would you let Him comfort you? Cry out to Him. He understands and will send you what you need.

Edited to add: 12. 12 daddies. I just can't. But He can.

3 Posts? Oh 2016, I'm so glad you're almost over.

I just realized that until today, I had only posted all of 3 times so far this year. 3 Posts. Sorry. I continually say that I'll post more but don't. While I have no excuse for the beginning of the year, since April, I do.

On April 5th my father passed away. He was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2012. He had a successful surgery, 9 long months of chemo in 2013, and was clear for a couple of years after that. He, my mom, and aunt took a "bucket list" trip in April of 2015- a Panama canal cruise. In January of this year he started chemo again for a couple of 'spots' that his oncologist wanted to zap before they got too big, but he didn't tolerate the treatment well. My family visited for spring break last March since he was feeling so crappy. He entered the hospital on March 24 for fluids to help rebuild his strength. It didn't, and he passed a little over a week later. (If you would like to read more about my father this is his obituary.)

The death of my father has been a crushing weight to bear. It is the first time that I have lost someone this close to me. He was such a great father. I always knew that he had my back. He always told me that I was beautiful. He was proud of my husband and my children, and made a point to have a relationship with each of them, right where they were.

I was so blessed to have him. My wish for you is that you have a man in your life, whether it's your father or a father figure, that is just like him. He was loving, social, funny, but most of all generous- with his love, his money, his time, and his home. What a great example.

I could write more, but there seems to be something in my eye.....

Coming to a blog near you....

NaBloPoMo 2016 is here!

And just like every year before, I'll be here. Sharing my best, my worst, and probably more drivel than you will care to read.

Join me anyway.

If you're so inclined, follow the link on the image on the right for more information about NaBloPoMo. You can also enter to receive a free pass to the BlogHer conference in Orlando next June, if you're interested. (Aah! A topic that I can blog on this month!)(You'll have to stick around! No spoilers here!)

Will you be participating? Let me know in the comments if you are. I'd love to come read what you have to say and lend support. Blogging for 30 days during a month with a BIG holiday is hard, yo.

Also, let me know what you want me to write about. I always love suggestions or questions. I'm mentally amping up for tomorrow! See you then!