Zoom

Time goes fast in my life. I don't set out to have a busy schedule and then boom...I am off and running with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Sometimes I feel like I am pretty balanced, and then realize that the laundry is going to take over our room if I don't put any away. Not sure how come time is so hard to grasp.

I have been spending a fair amount of time in the last couple of days getting things prepared for my Pampered Chef party this Friday. It looks like there will be about 20 people coming, from all different aspects of my life. I love having people over and introducing them to one another and watching different people connect.

Maria's Birthday

I have a fourteen year old daughter. How did that happen? I have a hard time believing that she is only 18 months from her permit, 2 years from her license, 4 years from being a legal adult....and the list goes on. I find parenting a balancing act. How to have the appropriate limits for the different ages and what freedoms to allow and when? There are no easy answers, because it is different for each child and certainly is always changing since they are always getting older.

I finished reading People of the Book today and it was a very well-written, compelling story. I did not know what to expect but I was very pleased that I found and read this book. It is neat to think of the history of items and what went into them being created and what they have lived through. I thought this book did a very elegant job of tracing the history of the creation of a book. I read certain books such as this one and am amazed at how a writer can craft words and ideas together to create such an enjoyable read.

Wedding!

Today was a first Ken and for our house....a wedding. I met Holly through playgroup last year and tonight she and Mark got married by Ken at our house tonight. Congratulations! I was going to post a picture but realized they are all on their camera...I just have the video.

We then went out to Indian food and celebrated with good food and conversation. I am so blessed to have people like this in my life.

James also went to his first storytime at the library. Miss Denise is the one who does the lapsit storytimes....just like when Maria and William were little ones. Nothing like a bit of deja vu.

Cardio Tennis

The third class at the health club. This time it was Cardio Tennis. Huff...puff...wow, what a workout. It was fun being outside and running around on the court...makes me want to get a program going with some kids. Of course I would need to remember some of the exercises that she had us do...but something I will let percolate in my mind.

I just organized all of my random recipes that I have printed off the internet, gotten from friends, or torn out of magazines. The amount of time I spent looking through the huge stack of random papers was getting frustrating, so I put them all in plastic sleeves and did a rough division...drinks, breakfast, breads, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts. I need to go back through and divide these categories into smaller chunks, but at least it is now manageable again. I realize how much more I have been cooking for my family recently. That makes me feel good.

I love spell check...it would be very embarrasing to see my posts without spell check being utilized! My older kids are in a spelling bee at the end of the week and William is quite the natural speller. I often ask him how to spell word when I am stuck. Amazing how everyone's mind is wired a bit differently.

Off to do some typical chores....I am pretty thankful that I can do them. I have the physical capabilty of doing them, I have a house that needs tidying, I have enough clothes that I can do laundry and let it stack up, I have a bed that needs to be made, I have new towels that need to be washed, I have books and schoolwork and paperwork that need to be put into their proper places, I have a shower I can take a long, hot shower and listen to the radio, I have knitting I want to do as long as the urge to read doesn't overtake me, I have sooooo much to be thankful for.

What's Your Word?

What's Your Word? I read about this on some different friend's blogs and took the quiz. My word is:

"You see life as an amazing mix of possibilities, ideas, and fascinations. And sometimes you feel like you don't have enough time to take it all in. You love learning. Whether you're in school or not, you're probably immersed in several subjects right now. When you're not learning, you're busy reflecting. You think a lot about the people you know and the things you've experienced."

Right now what am I in the middle of? Knitting a scarf for William, putting together a group camping trip for June, preparing for 3 of my 4 bookclubs that are meeting this weekend, thinking about what to do in my garden (anyone want to come and weed/prepare soil/prune/plant with me?), organizing a field trip on February 6 and I am sure there are other things too! But, I hear James waking up for his nap, so time to go to him and put these other things to the side.

Sympathy

I now have sympathy for Dan on the last season of Amazing Race. While I did not have $1,000,000 at stake, I certainly managed to have just as much trouble following simple directions with my arms and legs. Today was the second day of my free trial class at Diamond Hills Sports Club and today was the Kardio Kick class. While I enjoyed the class and it certainly got my heart pumping, my form and technique left a bit to be desired. I am glad that no one was filming me and putting it on You Tube.

Blast from the past

Playgroup was today...and it turned into a fieldtrip! We were sitting around talking and at the end three of us ended up loading up my van with car seats and headed out to IKEA with our little ones. Things are definitely more fun with friends. It reminded me of going places when Maria and William were little.

Earlier in the day, Ken had sent me an email with this Subject: "It's amazing what one can find on the internet" and there was a picture attached.

Lo and behold, a picture of me from about 20 years ago!