It's not about the dressing up and getting candy. Heck, I can do that any day. ;-) It's that now we have put Traditions in place. And they must be respected. First it's the trip to the pumpkin patch to choose the best carving pumpkins and I always make them pose behind the cut-outs. (They were much more willing when they were ...
Archives for October 2007
The Human Condition
It's tempting as a blogger to write about every single little detail of my life. And believe me, I know I totally over-share enough as it is. So I won't go into the gory details of my recent medical tests (which involved a microscopic camera used to look down my throat and I'll be honest, I was tempted to document the procedure, but I ...
Finding my smile
Organization for us visual folk is quite a challenge. I really like to see every option available to me. I was kind of ashamed of that until I finally realized that I am this way because God created me this way. (You got a problem with that? Take it up with Him! =D) What "way" am I?? I like color. ...
Why we just can’t get along
See that sweetly innocent look? Meet The Cat Bastet. Sometimes known as "the black one." She hates me. No. Really. Hates me with the heat of a thousand suns. (or maybe I'm just projecting because I'm the one who hates her? Hmm. . . food for thought.) Anyway, she's really high-strung. And a drama queen. And she hisses at ...
El Cuarto de Tula
Amy here. Since these fires have started, I've wondered what it would be like to get THE CALL. Being the cocky girl I am, I knew that I would not be faced with that moment. I had no idea what I would take. It wasn't going to happen . . . Yesterday while I was at work the phone rang, it was mom, "Mija, you have to go ...
“Use the Force, Luke!”
First of all: WE ARE OKAY. There is much more smoke in the air today and lots of ash raining down and we can still see plumes of black smoke from where we are. But our home is NOT in any immediate danger. We haven't had any personal losses for which we're incredibly grateful. Thanks to all of you who have expressed ...
Old wives tales and the media
"Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.Red sky at night, sailor's delight." Old wives tale?At 5:00 pm this evening the sun looked like this: No delighted sailors here. =(Looks like we're in for another long night here in Orange County. Apparently the (drive-by) media thinks so too: (long, hot sigh.) ...
Ain’t no sunshine
Eric took this photo from our backyard this morning. It feels just like it looks. Apocalyptic is the word that keeps coming to mind. The fires in Southern California are still raging. Again, we are not in immediate danger, but the fires are burning all around us. It is an understatement to say that the "air quality is ...
What would you take?
Adam sent this to me yesterday via his phone with the message: "3 blocks away." I recognized the intersection immediately. My friend, Kristen lives at the end of that street and yes, they had to evacuate their home and are safe and staying with friends. (Thank you, God!) The story is the same all around us. My nieces in San ...
It was so much easier when they were little.
Back then I just had to worry about feeding and clothing and bathing and nurturing and kissing boo-boos and keeping the cat from being choked. (=D) Today there are fires burning everywhere in So Cal. Everywhere. There is a layer of ash on everything outside and we have been told to keep our windows shut tight. I don't think any fire ...
Learning to say “I love you”
It's funny how our roles have reversed. I worry about making her meals and making sure she eats. I help her dress.I take her places. Yesterday we spent hours at Armstrong's Nursery. (I think I inherited my love for gardening from her.) We walk and examine every beautiful bloom. We are admiring the pictures of the bulbs and deciding together ...
Drama Mama
I did the math.(probably because I had math on the brain this week. =D) I have been a Drama Mom for twenty-two years. (I know. I've probably been a Drama Queen for much, much longer, but that's not important right now. =D) And I still clearly remember the moment Amy toddled across the stage in a tutu and wings as an angel in the church ...
Because I live in a Parallel Universe (in which ninety is the new fifty)
I often get asked these two questions: "Do you still have family in Cuba?" and "Have you ever been back?"The answers are yes and no. In August of 2002 we hosted a family reunion here in Mission Viejo. Three of my mom's four siblings were able to come - two of them traveling from Cuba and one from Miami. There ...
Portrait of a tortured artist
My life is busy in the best possible way. It is busy with people and projects. Some of the busyness is imposed from the outside, but every now and then I go on a creative bender and my life gets crazy-busy. (are there support groups for this??) I homeschool my two kids and I cook and I scrapbook and I blog and I design and I just ...
Aren’t I the lucky one?
I write a lot about my husband. And he truly is as wonderful as he seems. But let's just give credit where credit is due, shall we? He has become the man he is today thanks to this amazing woman: To my sweet MIL (mother-in-love =D), Nancy: Happy, Happy Birthday and . . . THANKS! "For the mother is and must be, whether she knows it or ...
Math inferiority
I am an Artist.Right-brained.Creative.Spontaneous.Random. My kids are all those things, too. They are also comedians. (Jon added the theory of relativity when he saw I was taking pictures - cracked me up. =D) But part of educating them means doing left-brain functions, like math. (heavy, heavy sigh) My friend Pam is a Math ...
