A BIG Little Book

I read this book for the first time several years ago.  It is a gem of a little book.  So simple in its message.  It gives you four simple rules to follow to live your life by.  Very thought provoking, but still a simple read.  Go check it out!

The BIG Clean-Up

I really don't have anything to say.  We had a BIG day of cleaning up around the house.  Mowed lawn, pulled weeds, cleaned house, chased Calum.  Calum did learn how to open the China cabinet, this BIG discovery lead to great enjoyment for him.  I must now find a way to childproof that one!  I now feel like a BIG sore muscle and am about to enjoy a BIG, cold drink!  Good Night!

A BIG New World

Calum is just realizing how mobile he really is.  He is no longer content with staying in the living room.  He now has the ability to move anywhere he wants.  He was just thrilled with discovering the entryway this morning.  The laundry room is super cool with the cat door...he is determined to figure out how to crawl through it.  He got himself over to the window in the dining room and discovered that we have a yard outside.  He was so excited to see the dogs outside.  The window sill makes a perfect chew toy.

It is so much fun to look at the world through his eyes.  He discovers something new everyday.  The way he approaches everything is so different than how the girls did everything, and they did everything different from each other.   I am having so much fun with him!

Shianne's BIG Game

Shianne had her best game ever tonight!   She decided that she was ready to pitch this season and that today was the day to start as pitcher in a game.  I could tell that she was nervous.  She looked really good in warm up.

It was then time to step on the pitchers mound for the first time.  Her first pitch was a strike!  Confidence building.  The smile on her face was priceless.  She walked her first 4 batters.  She was beginning to look defeated, then she threw three strikes.  Batter out!  Then, the next two batters were out!  Three strike outs in a row.  I do not think her feet hit the ground as she ran back into the dugout.

Second inning came up.  Back to the pitchers mound she headed.  She faced three batters and all three batters were out!!  SIX strike outs in a row now!!  When it was her time to hit, she got a base hit then stole home to score for her team.

Third inning.  The first batter hits the ball.  Shianne fielded it and threw her out at first.  Two more batters up, and quickly they were down!  GAME OVER!!  Riptide wins 8-1

Shianne was so happy!  Her smile just radiated from her face.  When it was time to present the game ball, Shianne owned it!!  She was so proud of herself and her great game.  This was just the confidence boost that she needed.  Congratulations Shianne!

A quick recap of the stats:

Shianne faced 13 hitters, 4 walks, 8 strike outs, 1 hit (who she threw out at first).  She also stole home and struck out once.  Riptide wins 8-1!!  FANTASTIC GAME!

A BIG Green Day

Today is Earth Day...a day to celebrate the Earth!  Nora Beth made a very cute comment on Tuesday.  She asked me "Mama, are we having a party for Earth Day?"  She knows my love for all things green and throwing parties, so why not combine the two.  My heart just beamed with pride.

Instead of throwing a party, we did do a small part to help the planet.  We went to the recycling station and took a whole van load of stuff in that cannot be recycled in our curbside recycling.  We stopped by a nursery on the way home and picked up a bunch of flowers.  We then came home and planted the flowers and showed some love to the garden by planting a bunch of herbs and peas.  Nora Beth had so much fun helping me dig in the dirt.  I have decided to not plant a large garden this year.  I am going to keep it really simple since we are planning on being gone for a large part of the summer. 

On the agenda for the evening is a whole bunch of ball games.  Both girls are playing at the same time.  Fortunately, both games are near each other, so I will be going between both.  Good thing Calum is happy being toted around!

A BIG Moment of Peace

After putting the girls to bed last night I went and pulled Calum out of his bed and brought him downstairs with me.  We just laid in bed and cuddled and nursed then fell asleep.  It was so wonderful to have that quiet time just with him.  My mind was not wandering, no mental talk happening.  Just fully present with him.  He is so cute when he sleeps.  Every time I moved, he would reach out just to make sure I was still right next to him.  We fell asleep together and the next thing I know, Lamar was walking in the room.  I was so happy to see Lamar, but sad that it was time to put Calum back in his bed.  Calum is growing so fast.  I want to have so many more of these moments with him.

A BIG Spring Indulgence

One of my favorite signs of Spring is the arrival of artichokes and asparagus in the stores.  I headed shopping this morning and could not pass up these perfect artichokes.  Lamar is not a fan, so I thought these would make a great dinner for us girls since he is still gone.

I steamed the artichokes and made a Hollandaise sauce.  The girls and I just devoured the artichokes.  I was expecting Nora Beth to not like them, but she just loved peeling off each leaf and dipping it in the sauce.

One of my clearest memories of my mother is sitting on the living room floor eating artichokes.  She taught me to peel off each leaf and dip it in butter. I am so happy that my girls enjoy them as much as I do!

So BIG

Calum is 8 months old today.  He has grown so much.  I refer to him as a little tank.  Today he discovered the tablecloth on the dining table and decided to see what happens when he pulls on it.  He has discovered a whole new world!  He is standing up everywhere and cruising along the furniture.  He is such a happy baby, full of smiles and giggles.

A BIG Weekend

I am sitting here in my chair trying to come up with the words to put down here to describe my weekend.  I am so exhausted that I can barely form a cohesive sentence in my mind, let alone type one out.  I have not slept well since Lamar has been gone and we have had back to back activities all weekend.

Saturday was a blur of farmers market, cleaning, softball and a night out with friends.  I made it through the day and then rushed to get ready for my evening out.  Lamar and I had planned on going together to this special evening out with friends, but with him being in Iowa, I had to find a new date.  Our friend Dave was happy to step into Lamar's shoes.

The evening was fantastic.  An Italian meal prepared by a chef in a private home.  The table was filled with friends, wine, food and laughter.   One of the first courses was carpazzio.  It was delicious!!  Yes,  raw beef was delicious!!  This goes against all kinds of my food rules.  I stepped out of my box and ate red meat and enjoyed it!! 

I had intended to take pictures of each of the courses.  But, after I finished this first course of polenta with prosciutto and asparagus, my stomach was on some sort of a culinary high that my brain became fuzzy and all I could do was allow all the happy flavors to dance in my mouth while being washed down with equally yummy wine.  Take my word for it...THE MEAL WAS DELICIOUS!!

Sunday was equally busy with brunch with friends, house shopping and then a baby shower.  Yes, I said house shopping.  Don't get any ideas, "Lamar is out of town, so she goes and looks for houses"   Really, I am helping a friend find a new house.  The laundry room repair this week was enough of a scare to me that I have no intentions of cheating on my house for at least 6 more months!

Nicole's baby shower was held at our house today.  Baby Brooklyn is getting so big.  Five weeks has gone by so quickly.  It seems like just yesterday that Calum was that small (OK, he was never that small) and now he is cruising along the furniture.

Now back to my exhaustion.  I am off to crawl into bed and hopefully get a full 3 hours of sleep before someone wakes me up!  Sweet Dreams!

A BIG Day of Tests

I have been searching all around for the right kennel to board the dogs.  We have had two negative experiences in the past that have traumatized my sweet Zara.  I am just blown away by the number of sub-par kennels that I have seen in the past few weeks.  Now today, I found the gem of kennels.  It is clean, the owner was fantastic, it is close to my house, reasonably priced and most importantly, the dogs loved it.  The only thing standing in my way of this jewel was the obedience test.  Now I had no concerns about Zara, it was Boba that I was secretly praying would be on his best behavior. 

Now picture the scene, me with Calum tied on my back, trying to wrangle two excited dogs on leashes all while trying to keep Nora Beth out of trouble.  I should have admitted my defeat right there, but no, I DID IT!  We survived and the dogs surpassed my expectations.  They passed with flying colors.  We have a kennel!!!

Coming off of the kennel high we are off to the next test of the day.  Today was the big Piano Festival that Shianne has been practicing for for months.  She has worked so hard to memorize her two songs and then perform them in front of the jury.  She was so nervous and she did wonderful.  I could just see the relief on her face when she was done.  She can now relax for the next few months of piano practice and move away from the song that she disliked so much!

My BIG Busy Day

I mentioned two days ago about how I am usually multitasking and doing several things at once.  This is so normal for me that I do not think about it.  I had a busy day today, here is what it looked like

5:45  Calum wakes up
Text Lamar, feed Calum and change diaper
Nora Beth gets up, then Shianne
Check e-mail
Get them breakfast, feed animals
Get girls ready for school
Take Nora Beth to School
Make Shianne lunch
Feed Calum and change diaper
Make myself breakfast
Take shower
Get Calum dressed
Take dogs to vet
Come home to find laundry room flooded
Feed Calum and change diaper
Clean up laundry room
Figure out where leak came from
Go to hardware store to get plumbing parts
Get Nora Beth from school
Make lunch
check e-mail
Feed Calum and change diaper
Put Calum down for nap
Do dishes
Clean kitchen
Wipe down all woodwork in lower level of house
Clean half-bath
Water plants
Move planters outside
Calum wakes up
Feed Calum, change diaper
Take Shianne to Amphibian class
Go to Costco
Pick up Shianne from class
Come home, make dinner
Clean up kitchen
Feed Calum, put him in bed
Put Nora Beth to bed (in my bed tonight)
Teach Shianne a new knitting stitch
Knit for 45 minutes
Take dogs outside
9 PM start blog post
Get ready for bed
Go to bed
Wake up three times during night for miscellaneous children or animals that need my attention
5:45 AM...it starts all over again

Now, keep in mind that during all these activities, the phone is ringing, kids are crying, dogs are running around, cat is getting into something that she should not be, a snake is caught, piano is practiced, someone is ringing the doorbell, and I still have to breathe!

This is just my day today, and it was a relatively quiet day!

The BIG Goodbye

We said goodbye to Lamar today.  He left for Iowa to spend a week with his parents to help them get ready for Vane's upcoming medical treatments.  He is always hesitant to leave me home with the kiddos.  He never knows what he will come home to...furniture rearranged, rooms painted, babies being born.  I did promise him this time that I would not give birth while he was gone!!!

We have a busy week planned while he is gone...softball games, charity dinner, baby shower, house projects and hopefully a day of nothing!

We will miss you Lamar...we promise to stay out of trouble.

A BIG Mess

Lamar calls me regularly during the day and always asks what I am doing.  For some reason, I think he believes that I just sit around all day doing nothing.  I usually respond by saying "not much."  The reality is that I am usually doing three or four things at the same time, I just do not think about it.  So much needs to get done each day.  Now that Calum is mobile, I have much more to do.  He has discovered the stairs, dog food, water bowl, cupboards, etc.  I can always see the path of destruction through the house.

The BIG "F" Word!

I had a much more appropriate post planned for today, but I must digress and just say the "F" word over and over.  That is the only word that I can really say right now.  There is a time when you are blindsided by information that floors you so much, the only thing you can say is IT.

F@#K.....F@#K..... F@#K.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am screaming it from the roof right now.  I want everyone to hear.  I want the world to wake up.  I want to put my arms around my friend.  I want to scream in unison with her.

For you, my dear friend, I am here.  I know you will appreciate my language, for I learned it from you.  Sometimes you just need to say the word when there is no other word that sums it up quite as well.  I am owning it.  I am saying it.  I am loving you.

F@#K.....F@#K..... F@#K.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A BIG Field of Tulips

I look forward to the Tulip Festival every year.  Tulips are my favorite flower and the girls just love to go see all the vibrant blooms.  We got lucky today and the sun came out while Lamar was home, so we headed over to Woodburn to look at the flowers.

Nora Beth was so excited to go down the big slides.

Lamar "wore" Calum for the first time today.  Calum was so excited to see all the flowers that he slept almost the whole time!

Shianne rode on a mechanical bull.  Well, let me rephrase that, Shianne was repeatedly thrown off of the mechanical bull!

And now, my beautiful girls!

Calum woke up at the end of our trip.

No trip to the Tulip Fest would be complete without some jumping in the mud!

A BIG Snack

Calum has discovered Cheerios and loves to snack on them.  I can put 10 in front of him, only one will make it into his mouth and 9 will make it to the floor.  Well, make it to the floor is not the right description.  I should say 9 will make it into the mouths of two very eager dogs.  This is the reason why we keep the dogs around...they keep the floors really clean!

My BIG Ball Players

Little League season has started and is in full force in the Lindsay home.  Both girls are playing.  Shianne is playing AAA softball and is on a traveling team.  Nora Beth is playing her first year of tee-ball.  With both girls playing, we have a practice or game on every day of the week except Sunday.  There are many days when both girls need to be someplace at the same time.  Also remember that we have ballet and piano every week.  I am putting the miles on the van right now!  Good thing Calum is so happy to just be out and about!

Nora Beth had her first game this week.  It was so cute to see her playing.  The kids are so funny to watch at this age.  We laughed the whole time.  Nora Beth is so serious about playing.   She has her purple glove and put sparkly stickers all over her batting helmet.  She must be bedazzled at all times!

The girls have grown so much.  Nora Beth has gotten so tall, although you cannot tell when she is standing next to her equally tall sister!

The BIG Twirl

This past weekend I hosted a trunk show party for one of my favorite local designers ZozoBugBaby.  Her clothes are just wonderful and exactly the kind of stuff that Nora Beth loves to wear.  Nora Beth had so much fun twirling on the deck today with her new skirt!  I can't wait for her to have her new dresses.

 

A BIG Blank

A BIG Blank.  That is what I am tonight.  I am so tired and have been going all day.  I am really looking forward to my evening of quiet, a glass of wine and my knitting needles.  This is what my current project is:

The pattern can be found here

They will look so cute on baby Calum as he is crawling through the house.  I am determined to get these done before he is walking!

Have a great evening...I am off to enjoy mine!

One BIG Headache!

That is what today is...one BIG headache.  I just can't seem to shake it.  I have a to-do list a mile long and all I can think of is how bad my head is pounding!!

My BIG Family Rant

This post has been a long time in the coming.  For those of you who know me personally on a daily basis, you know about this subject.  For me, it has been the big elephant in the room that I have been trying to ignore, but it just keeps getting bigger.  I can be quiet no longer.  I have to get this off my chest.

What is it about family relationships that are so difficult?  Why is it that the only thing a person may have in common with his/her family is genetics even though they come from the same place.  The nature vs. nurture argument.  Why is it you can do things to family members that would never be deemed acceptable in any other relationship?

I have mentioned in this blog before about our lack of family living in close proximity to us.  Well that is really not the truth.  My whole family lives within a 45 minute drive of my house, yet there are members that I have not seen or spoken to in years.

My family, like many others, has always had some level of dysfunction, but when it came down to it, they were there for each other.  This has changed over the years, most notably after the passing of my Grandmother.  Without the matriarch of this generation, the glue that holds us together is weaker.  We have all drifted away.  Gotten busy with our own families.

I was raised with a parent who was the "outcast" of the family.  Not willing to participate in any of the family activities.  I always hated this as a child.  I wanted to be involved.  I wanted to be surrounded by family.  I swore to myself as a child that I would always be around family.  Raise my children with a network of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. 

Over the years, there have been several incidents that have poked holes in the family foundation.  No one person is to blame.  Words have been exchanged.  I have tried reaching out, inviting people over, mending fences, but only to have the door slammed in my face.  Not once has this ever been reciprocated.  I thought family was supposed to be there for each other, forgive and forget and move on.  Pride, insecurities and jealousy have trumped love.

I have children that my family has never met.  I have a child who has been greatly hurt by this.  Two children who have no idea that I even have a family.  I was hoping that by reaching out to family while I was pregnant that a positive step would be made.  Nope.  There has been no interest in change.  Life is to short for this kind of crap.  Yes, I said it... CRAP!!!

So, where does this leave me today.  Hurt, angry, confused, lost...and stronger.  Stronger in the fact that I am even more determined to create a positive network of "family" for my children.  I have been forced to seek out a "chosen" family to fill a void.  Forced to tell my children stories of those that have come before us, of a family that once was and to create a new future for my children.

The BIG Nap

One of Lamar's favorite things to do is to take a nap with Calum.  Fortunately, Calum is more than happy to nap with anyone who holds him.  The boys were so cute.  I could even here both of them "snoring!"

Being a BIG Girl

Nicole came over today and let Nora Beth hold baby Brooklyn.  Nora Beth has been asking to hold her since Brooklyn was born 3 weeks ago.  Nora Beth was trying to be so careful and she did a great job.  Brooklyn never woke up from her sleep.

The BIG Grape incident

While grocery shopping on Sunday, I came across these little jewels in the produce section.  These Muscat grapes just called my name.  I normally avoid grapes since most are grown outside of the U.S. and I have a general rule of not purchasing any produce that is not organic or locally grown.  These were conventionally grown in Chile, they break my rules, but there was something about these grapes.  They called to me, my heart stopped when I saw their price and I had second thoughts.  About $12 for a small bag of grapes.  But then they just JUMPED in my cart.  I could not wait to get home and sample these.

I was lost at first bite.  These grapes were DELICIOUS.  Little jewels of sweet flavor that just exploded in my mouth.  We are big fans of Muscat wine, but I never imagined that the grapes would be equally delicious.  It makes perfect sense when I think about it, but I normally don't think this much about grapes.

I had a handful of grapes that evening, gave some to both Lamar and Shianne for lunch the next day and set these on the counter.  It was not long until I heard these grapes calling out to me again.  The next thing I remember, I am standing in front of an empty bowl.  Those grapes were soooo good.  I am even contemplating driving the 50 miles back to the grocery store just to get another bunch of these $12 grapes.  I called all my local stores and no one is carrying this variety.  Only this variety will do right now.  I wonder if Lamar would notice....hmmmm.....I feel a road trip coming on!

A BIG Month

I am going to do it...a blog post every day for a month.  I know what you are saying "Stacey it is April 2nd and this is your first post."  Well, lets just ignore that fact and go with the saying "I thought about it, doesn't that count?"  I had every intention to post this last night, but an invitation to enjoy a glass of wine with friends won out and then I was soooo tired when I got home, the past week of sleepless nights is really beginning to wear on me.  Yes, wine and sleep won, blogging lost, but I am here early this morning giving you 2 posts!!

The theme for the month will be "BIG."  Yes, that is a wide open category.  We have a lot of BIG things happening at the Lindsay home.  Check out NaBloPoMo for other BIG blogs this month!