Ancestry and Roots

My aunt started looking up ancestry stuff awhile back...

I can't say that I wasn't interested.  I remember doing the same thing on my dad's side of the family while I was in high school.  His family is more of English and German heritage, whereas my mom comes from Scottish/Irish descent. 

Needless to say, after our little Glen Laurel getaway, my mind has tended to wander in the direction of all things "Celtic"...

I even had someone from our lifegroup tell me that his boss' name is the same as mine but she demands it pronounced differently because she is a firm believer in her Irish backgrounds, or some other such reasoning...

This was quite humorous to me seeing as our name is not an actual Irish name, rather it is the American version of the name "Cailin" in Ireland, meaning lass or girl.  Therefore to "pronounce" it correctly would necessitate it being an actual Irish name...which is "technically" is not...

but I digress...

The direction in which my head was going, was just settling upon those European countries every once in awhile.  Italian Stallion and I finally sat down to watch the Sherlock Holmes movie that tagged along with us to Glen Laurel one evening last week...and I came across this book shortly thereafter:


and I started reading it...I became mesmorized by names such as Florilyn and Courteney and Gwenyth...and I was immersed in the history and land that Mr. Phillips eloquently developed. 

Italian Stallion and I have discussed the dream of going to Europe with the girls when they are older and able to appreciate it...to get a bigger sense of the world they live in...

This post really has no other reason except to express my random thoughts as I "talk" my way to a conclusion...

The fact that within books I tend to escape and become a part of the story is something of which I am quite aware in myself.  I had a discussion about this with Sweetpea lately. 

We have allowed her to read the first two books in a series that others might label unsuitable or "unchristian"...she is becoming similar to me, however, as she grows in her love of reading...she is learning to recognize quality literature, character development and storylines that are well developed.  She has always done well with realistic fiction...Fantasy has been more of a struggle...being "black and white" with her understanding of the world around her, she often struggles in trying to grasp meanings that are beyond her imagination...

Therefore, the fact that we have allowed her to begin this journey in a fantasy series, has definitely challenged her and caused her to grow...much to the point that she is frustrated that she must stop for awhile...until we feel she is able to handle the not only more complex storylines, but the "feeling" that is in them...

I know that there are those that books do not affect them in the same way...remember I said that I tend to "become" part of the story...therefore, when I read something, my mind "sets to think on those things"...I have discovered that IF those things that I come away thinking upon, are not true, noble, right, nor do they lead me in a direction of "lovely", then it's not good for my heart...plain and simple. 

That's how I explained it to Sweetpea as well..

Others may see that as ridiculous or immature...but for me...it gives me a gauge by which I choose to subject myself so that I may enjoy literature, but also be on guard for the things that are most important.  For Sweetpea, as she learns to determine where her heart and thoughts are drawn, we want to be able to guide her and help her discern whether a book is just a fun read, a learning journey, a thought-provoking mystery or something in which she has to put down and walk away from.

I enjoyed this unexpected treat of the From Across the Ancient Waters...it attracted me because of the Scottish references, but it was also a read that not only allowed a sweet escape of which I enjoy, but set my mind on things that were good and noble as well:) 

I'm not really trying to give a recommendation toward a certain book...my style isn't necessarily something that others may enjoy...namely one of my BFFs who thoroughly enjoys nonfiction from which she can learn...where again, I rather like to escape instead:) But to each his/her own:)  I suppose Jesus enjoyed both, as he gave many facts, but thoroughly enjoyed telling stories as well:)

Anyhoo...that's my two cents for the moment:)

Blast from the past...

I've had a little trouble lately coming up with things to write about...not for lack of things going on in my life, but for lack of concentration...

This week I've had awesome friends come to visit (love you Tricia), met with our financial guy, met with our tax person, gone to the library, cleaned the kitchen at least 3 times daily, went to Bible study, played in the snow, exchanged wrong size jeans, went to Target, inhaled lots of coffee, listened to my girls play the SAME song on the piano a dozen times a day, attempted to fit in another piano lesson (due to the aforementioned), celebrated my brother's birthday, prepared for a photography class, tried to figure out how to get my blog into a printed book form, searched in my basement for old photos, chatted ont he phone with clients and old friends...the list goes on and on...

So, in an effort to bring some humor and light-heartedness to today, I went in search of a post I wrote a long time ago...it is copy/pasted below...it makes me laugh...just because it's my life:)

Have you ever seen the movie UP?

Ya know when the dog is talking (yes, I know...dogs don't talk...he "talks" through a speaker thing on his collar...but anyway...) He's in the middle of a long discourse that would explain the entire situation of why the older gentleman and the young boy have happened upon him...all of a sudden he turns his head, "SQUIRREL!!!"

Yes, that's me...

Oh, let's sit down at the computer and start working on my bl..."LAUNDRY"...

My, there are lots of clothes to do today, I need to get a basket for the drier..."VACUUM"

Holy cow, the floor in here is filthy, good thing I got the vacuum out..."MIRRORS"

Okay, the mirrors are awful, how did the girls manage to get toothpaste all the way up here, I've got to get up on top of the sink to be able to rea..."BLEACH THE TOILET"

Whew, that smells much better, now I'll just scrub around the edges here and on the floor, I've got to move these ribbons out of the wa..."ORGANIZE THE DRAWERS"

Where did this come from? I think I saw a match to this in the kitch..."DISHES"

The dishwasher is full again? how did that happen? I just emptied it an hour ago...this is crazy, I guess I'll just start collecting the dishes from the office first..."BLOG"

Oh Darn...I didn't write my blog...and now it's time to make "DINNER"..."GET THE GIRLS OFF THE BUS"..."CHANGE THE LAUNDRY OVER"...good grief...

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

I almost missed the bus...AGAIN

So, time management is not my forte...

I know this...

my husband DEFINITELY knows this...

my children NEED to learn this...

I tend to believe in "efficiency" which translates into: "how much stuff can I cram into a small amount of time and still manage to get where I"m going without being toooo incredibly late?" See, I'm not all that affected by "lateness"...I rather enjoy "grand entrances"...much to the chagrin of the entire, rest of my family...

However,

This morning as I was:

cleaning the kitchen
packing lunches
making pancakes
making coffee
fixing apple juice cups
taking laundry out of the drier
finding a show for Little Munchkin to watch
warming up coffee in the microwave
trying to locate someone's boots
stomping downstairs in search of jeans for Peanut that didn't have holes in them
warming up coffee AGAIN in the microwave
listening to Peanut read her book aloud
signing Sweetpea's binder
getting vitamins
warming up the coffee AGAIN

I failed to watch the clock...or maybe I was actually watching the clock, but the batteries are going so it's kinda slow...but whatever the case...the next thing I knew, Sweetpea was already out the door to the bus stop and Peanut and I were still scrambling to find our shoes...

And then I heard the bus...and low and behold, it was out there...waiting...

bless her heart for running outside with me and not crying! She had to follow crazy Momma who was donned in her sweat pants and polka dot rain boots, white winter jacket and sunglasses...looking quite dapper if I do say so myself...

Because of my eldest's keen ability to "inform", she was able to let the bus driver know that we were just running a tad late and could she hang on until her little sister made it...

she did...Peanut got on the bus...Mommy dropped her COLD coffee in the garage and allowed all the other parents at the bus stop to feel quite good about themselves this morning!!

It's no wonder I needed a nap this afternoon...Efficiency people!!

Lies I have believed recently...

* I am overweight and need to either starve myself or exercise into oblivion.

* people are only nice to me because they're polite...they'd rather not really spend time with me.

* when people are subtly rude to me, they are actually quite upset with me and want to "stick it to me" in a way that doesn't make them look mean, but get still gets their point across.

* I'm only as good of a wife and mother, as it relates to how clean my house is.

*we will never retire...ever...my husband will have to work until he can barely walk and our children will never make it to college...

*3 pieces of chocolate can't do any harm at 11 at night...and if you add some coffee with lots of cream and maybe a few pretzels and nutella, it's STILL not going to do a thing to the scale in the morning.

*if it's 9am and I plan on trying to exercise, shower, clean the kitchen, make the beds, have a cup of coffee and check facebook...I should definitely be ready to get in the car by 10am.

*I can totally get at least 6 hours of solid sleep if I get to bed by midnight.

There were a few more rather degrading lies that entered my head as well...it's crazy how Satan likes to have haydays every once in awhile...:)  All is well though...I'm happy to say that I'm getting better at recognizing "lies" and seeing them for what they are...I suppose it also helps that I have a hubby who can call me out on it...and that I have 3 innocent faces watching me for guidance:) 

Some of those "lies" are just plain time management issues...of which I've had for forever (or so I've been told)...I rather like to think that I enjoy grand entrances (not being late:) 

Other lies have just been brought to my mind because my focus is off...

And others yet, may in fact be true...however, I have a choice as to whether I will allow them to determine my attitude, or better yet, my course of action.

I don't have all the answers yet...I'm just plugging along like everyone else. And, I'm learning to make better choices onto that which my mind settles...

And tonight, that would mean that I"m not going to eat that peanut butter blossom that is calling for me in the kitchen!!  woohoo...point for me!

Ode to my Brother

Today is my brother's birthday.  He's a Valentine's Baby...

He hates it basically...

But, I can understand...I mean, who wants to share their birthday with another holiday...? (If you want to call today an "actual" holiday, but that's another post in and of itself...let's not go there right now)

However, it behooves me, as the older (and wiser...ahem) big sister, to take this opportunity to bestow upon you the mentioning of the "qualities" that make him who he is:)  or at least, why I love him so much!

And though he will probably want to wring my neck afterwards, I'm pulling the Big Sister card...AGAIN...and will do it anyway.

And so I begin...

*cough, cough*

Don, my dear brother, I do love you so
though I pulled out your hair so long ago

we were called the "Old Man and his sister, Mean Ween"
but, Oh MY, we were cool...a super hero good team!

You took the back seat to my talent and  smarts
but, really, we know who stole all the hearts

You put up with much...yes, my"big sisterly" fuss
but you see the real me, and still don't throw me under the bus

I'll love you forever, knowing you're with me to the end
couldn't imagine a better brother and sooo blessed to call you friend...

So, my poetry isn't all that much, but the point is that I am so thankful for this day, some thirty-odd years ago...God knew what He was doing when He gave me a little brother...OH man, did I treat him rotten though...it's true, the pulling out of the hair...I bossed him around like none other...and he came back for more...that's the thing about him...no matter what, he loved me...I could throw so much "stuff" at him, (and sometimes still do:) but, he doesn't give up on me...ever...

He's the one that I talked to about marrying my Italian Stallion...he's the one that walked with me through all the ups and downs of our early life...We can be so alike at times and then completely different.  We can infuriate each other and turn around and tease and laugh until we cry...I guess that's what makes family sometimes...

What is amazing to me as well...is that with my "girls" and his "boys"...it's a whole new generation of relationships...and I'll be honest, it brings a smile and sometimes tears to watch them all interact...just so thankful...so, so thankful!

Happy birthday Don...I hope you have a great day!

I love you!

Being ME right now looks like...

*It looks like boiling hot water on a stove and pouring it into a bowl at 2am so that Peanut can try to calm down from coughing.

*It looks like devouring the 2nd and 3rd books of the Hunger Games series during private moments in the bathroom or just plain staying up too late.

*It looks like sitting on my hands and feet because they feel like ice ALL THE TIME and wondering if I have some sort of circulation problem because good grief, I'm COLD!

*It looks like folding laundry on the couch in my music room because the laundry room is too cold to stay in.

*It looks like drinking water out of my VERY cool lens cup.

*It looks like sewing LOTS of camera straps so that I'm ready for future photography classes.

*It looks like NOT watching Once Upon a Time because I feel like it's getting a bit ridiculous...because fairy tales aren't ridiculous at all right? 

* It looks like a lot of pizza and breakfast nights cuz Momma isn't wanting to cook.

*It looks like reading lots of Pinkalicious books and Half Magic to my girls.

*It looks like wearing lots of layers and old, old slippers...because did I mention that I'm COLD?

*It looks like driving a mini van that is filled with old french fries, empty cereal bowls with spoons, and masses of paper, trash and toys strewn all over because by the time we pull into the garage, I"m either too tired, or, you guessed it, too COLD to do anything about it.

*It looks like trying to come up with something other than cantelope and goldfish crackers for Little Munchkin to eat.

*It looks like having conversations wtih yourself in the mirror and wishing you had a voice recorder so that you could actually remember what you wanted to blog about in the first place.

*It looks like dreaming about Florida and floating down the lazy river in a bathing suit without flab hanging over the edge of the inner tube...key word here is DREAMING.

*It looks like staying up too late either reading, playing pinterest or editing photos...or doing laundry.

*It definitely look like doing laundry...my piles are calling me...

Thank you Pinterest...I think...

The time spent sitting in front of my computer screen into the wee hours of the morning has now increased due to a "sweet" little site called pinterest...

Where else can I waste more time but still feel like I'm getting something accomplished because I'm looking for "ideas"???...at least that's what I tell myself!

I felt somewhat justified during the upcoming "Valentine's" season due to the fact that I located some new ideas with regards to the valentine cards...

Here are the girls' cards for this year...

However, I've now decided that perhaps the cheap $2 box of cards next year is MUCH more cost effective than the $5+ I spent on suckers, glow sticks, photo prints and pure exasperation as we tried to assemble them AND their mailboxes before school the next day!

In other news...

*Italian Stallion is making progress on the basement...No, we won't make our "year" finish deadline, but maybe by summer?

*we still can't seem to figure out the whole "asmtha/acid reflux/coughing till she pops all the blood vessels in her face" issue going on with Peanut.  It's frustrating to say the least.

*the redistricting committee meetings are over for the elementary schools...I"m thankful that I got to play a part...partly because it reaffirms my feelings of not really desiring to go back into the classroom again...BUT, it reminds me once again why I love teaching in any capacity and enjoy working together with others toward a common goal.

*I really like weak coffee with LOTS of cream...preferrably white chocolate, french vanilla or bailey's irish creme...more of 50/50 of 40/60 ratio (heavy on the cream side)

*I just finished the Hunger Games book series...doubt I will be able to stomach the movies, but enjoyed the books...it had that feel of: "there might be some underlying lesson or theme going on, but we're going to wrap it up in teen sci-fi for fun"  It actually made me want more character/relationship development, as it centered more on individuals (one in particular) and how that effected the world around her.  It was really well written and I finished all 3 books in less than 2 weeks...

That's about it on the home front here...still haven't gotten out to purchase my voice recorder...MAN, I've had some great blog posts written in my head, only to completely go blank when I sit in front of the screen....so I apologize for the randomness ...

Hope you have a great weekend!