The box

A poem I composed this morning when I saw this box created by my son:

One day, cleaning out my soul.

Nestled under my ego,

I found a pretty little box.

I held it in my hands

Wondering

What in here?

I don't remember this?

Where did it come from?

I opened it slowly, listening to the creak,

Surprised.

What beautiful treasures,

Pieces of my life.

Things that I couldn't let go of,

Memories now crystal clear.

I realized that these were pieces

I couldn't let go

So I tuck them away

In this box, protected.

Until I was ready.

Putting the box under my arm,

I left the cleaning 

For another day.

Ready to explore and share

My treasures.

The things you do for friends.....

I'm lucky that my friend does my hair,

Because I wouldn't sit still this long for anyone else.

Let's have some fun and make it straight.

Here's the dorkerama view 

And the finished result.

She's lucky I love her

Because that is the only time my hair is ever done and straight.

You probably can't see that it's straight, but it really is.

Funny, the kids didn't notice the difference.

Where's your hiding place?

My son is hiding his silver, and this very special knife.

He told me that he thinks it is made of gold.

It's nestled with silver dollars and a few pieces of pirate coins

Little boy treasures..

The problem is that I caught him using the knife

To hollow out the inside of one of my books.

Good news, I've already read it.

Bad news, what a mess.

Good Friends - Bluebird Day

Great day on the mountain

There's nothing better than sharing it with friends.

Watching them hit their groove,

Watching them laugh when you bust it.

You probably get sick of looking at the pictures,

I am not sick of taking them.

Insanity but fun

The first 5 kids for the weekend - all boys for tonight.

Then three were added and one little girl.

And tomorrow a few more to the mix

I love it,

the energy, the guffaws, the video games.

Some may call me crazy

But I'll do it any time, it's always a few adventure.

Art at the Heart

I love these classes,

The way the students come running in for their lesson

Huge smiles on their faces

Ready to give hugs

Because of excitement.

It's a little thing

But seems to make such a big difference.

Writers meeting

Meeting of the minds
I am privilege to great company
Empowering
Inspiring
Now get to work!

Violin

What causes you to drink?

The screeching of the violin?

The begging to practice.

Maybe both

Lets hope it is worth it!

Thought about it

Thought about it all day.
Pictured the jump, the landing.
Passed it over and over again
Wondering if I could do it.
Hit it
Airborne
Forgot how to land it
Oh well

Exhaustion

Ever had so much fun, that when it came time to eat--

Food tasted soo good.  Amazing.

And when you finally slowed down to smell the roses,

That was all she wrote.

Both of us.

Here comes the sun

You may already know, that I love the snow.

I'd taken being cold to sweating anytime.

It's been snowing all day, we've been out all day.

Skiing and enjoying time in the North Carolina mountains.

Hanging out with friends.

So this picture sums up how I am feeling.

Glorious.

Nailed It

Why doesn't anything go the way you picture it in your mind?  I had the great idea of having a few kids over for a Valentine's Day Cookie decorating party.  OK, so maybe I did see the idea on Pinterest, but I made it my own and I think we nailed it!

The boys came in the house and immediately broke one of my kitchen chairs wrestling.  I made the heart shaped cookies while they beat eat other up. 

Pinterest Pin

NAILED IT!

Then came the part where I hand make the different flavored icing, and they sit quietly and decorate the cookies.  The boys ran off with cookies UNDECORATED to go throw spring onions at each other, the girls sat and waited. 

Pinterest Picture

Oh man, did we NAIL IT!

I planned 2 hours of fun cookie decorating according to the Pinterest pin, the kids were done in 10 minutes then proceeded to wreck the house and they worked through their sugar high.

My son even bypassed the cookies and squirted the icing directly in his mouth.

But I wanted something healthy for the kids so I tried the Pin - Cheesy Cauliflower Bread.

Here's the pin.

And I SO NAILED IT!

Honestly, the kids liked and ate the breadsticks because I left out the part about there being cauliflower in them.

Now onto my next St. Patricks Day party.  Oh we are so going to NAIL IT!

At least there's beer involved at each of the parties, makes them much easier!

Miss you Dad

Today I was sitting quietly and a thought popped in my head - my Dad died today.  I remember this day clearly because after a long day at the hospital, a late flight home, I turned to my husband and said, "Wow, I almost forgot, Happy Valentine's Day."  The call came 2 and a half hours later.

"You just missed your grandmother, she was just here visiting with me," he told us when we went to visit him on Valentine's Day.  No one had the heart to tell him that she'd died 26 years earlier.  We were happy that he recognized us, that he was joking with us.  We hoped that maybe it was a sign.  I think she really did visit him, she was there telling him that everything was going to be allright.  Because as we left that night, he let us all hug and kiss him and told us all that he loved us and to "take care."

Here's my Dad, I miss him every day.  No one understands until they lose a parent.  It never leaves you.  That's it, I'm turning off the memories, and moving forward.

What is Valentine's Day

I pulled into the carpool line, car fun of balloons.

When they opened the door, two escaped.

The shout from all the kids waiting as they went away in the afternoon sun.

Life is all about doing something different.

About surprising those that you love with a quick,

Lunch,

I love you,

You mean so much to me that

I'll spend my time with you.

Remember that this isn't just a single day in the year.

It's a thought for a lifetime.

PS.  Can you find my child in there?

Let me call you Sweetheart!

How many different pins on Pinterest did I pin?

A whole board of Valentine ideas.

What did I end up doing?

What the kids are going to love anyway.

The ritual of passing around candy hearts on Valentine's Day continues.

He's asking me which one he should give to a little girl.

My heart skips, and I sigh.

Thank goodness I've given up candy for Lent, they may make it through the night.

Fat Tuesday

Sweet Temptation.

Today I hit the sweet buns, the type that go straight to my thighs.

Tonight I celebrate Mardi Gras with some friends at Hutch and Harris

Celebrate their 5 year anniversary.

For tomorrow starts Lent.

I'm giving up sugar.

Did you know I have a sugar addiction.

That I cannot pass a bowl of candy hearts without taking one - even at 530am?

This should be interesting.

The Perfect Conversation Heart-silence

It's that time of year,
If you are shy, simply use a conversation heart.
Unless you are my age and
Don't understand some of them.
I'll stick with silence,
And just put my arm around him.
No conversation needed.

Treebeard

This is Treebeard - who greets us on the lift.

On the Oz Run at Beech Mountain Resort.

It's been two years since we've seem him.

Glad to see him alive and well.

Max and I make up stories about him

As we ride the list to the top.

Bluebird day!

Beautiful day
When others don't think of snow
We are enjoying it.
This picture is two competitors
But best friends.
The Beat man has already won!

Our visitors

We have a family of mice visiting with us for the cooler temperatures.

Their nest started at the top of our firewood pile,

Moving down as the winter progressed.

We feel bad about pulling out the nest,

Then we wonder where the stuffing is coming

For the nest

Cushions in the garage?

Sleeping bags?

Well if it keeps them a little warmer 

As our log pile dwindles.

Then that's ok

A Writers Life

Great night with Winston Salem Writers
A Writers Life - author, John McNally
Great advice, interesting information
Inspired to write more and then I realize
I am living the Writers Life.

Temptation

I have an afternoon with my son.

He wanted to come to Brixx.

He ordered the mouth watering bread stix,

I sat and watched.

Remembering my vow to quit the bread, the sugar

and as I got a headache watching each bite.

I was silently relieved when the plate was finished.

What's your temptation?

What are you reading?

I'm reading two great books.

Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle

A great story set in a coastal town, told in a voice of local professor of NC State.

I enjoy reading the settings of the story, so much of what I remember when I was a kid.

Walking In This World is my inspiration reading.

I love reading things like this to keep me on track with creativity.

Not only do they show me that I'm not crazy

But I am not alone.

What are you reading?

Feeling sorry for myself

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The first run of the day yesterday, pick the hardest

Especially with fresh snow!

Well, the yardsale (wipe out) was epic,

the ski didn't release, so now this is a sight you never see.

Still running shoes.

I'm not going to freak out yet, the pain in my knee not too bad.

Just feel sorry for myself that I have to take a few days off,

RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation.

Let's hope this crap doesn't last too long.

I got that same run, the same skis, and the same determination waiting for next weekend.

Super Sunday

Amazing the we left over 8 inches of snow to nothing in Winston Salem.
But tonight is what is considered a holiday in my family
Super Bowl Sunday
We used to have large parties with a leg of beer And ribs.
It's much more subdued now but still fun to hang with family
Watch the game.

I've got some skin in the game
My team is playing.
Come on Ravens, lets go all the way!

Simple question?

Does this ski lift line make my butt look big?

Why I went to Sciworks with 62 kids

Field Trip and they didn't have to butter me up with the "Super Chaperone" sticker.

I would have gone anyway.

We sat in the Planetarium as the lights dimmed.

The stars in the sky making me wish I were on Beech Mountain.

Because it is the same view.

But as they illuminated the stars in the sky,

His little hand slid over to mine and held tight.

Yup, that's why I do it.

This moment, this very second will make the next two hours

chasing 62 kids around the rest of Sciworks worth it.