May 31, 2013

The Music (Wo)Man

This week started with music and it's going to end with music. My youngest daughter plays the Alto Saxophone and she marched in three Memorial Day parades on Monday. Yes, three. That's the joy of living in a small town. Our high school is regional so they marched down streets and through fields playing and listening to dedications for hours.

But tonight, she will don her long black dress to sing and play in our annual Pops Concert. I was at the school earlier in the day helping set up. This is the music departments annual fund-raiser, so we have all baked, decorated, and cleaned so all will be beautiful for tonight's performance. She will get another workout tonight as she switches stages between the three bands she plays in and the risers she stands on to sing. (She'll even add a cool tie to her ensemble when her jazz band is the center of attention.)

School activities are starting to wind down, but not before they make sure every single student has had their fill. Banquets, concerts, marching practice (for graduation), scholarship night... I get dizzy looking at my calendar this time of year. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm looking forward to another wonderful performance.

Wish me luck. I have to refill water pitchers during intermission. Let's just hope I don't run over any toes with my flight-attendant like cart!

Have a wonderful weekend!

May 10, 2013

What My Mother Has Taught Me

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I would share a few things my mother has taught me that I rely on again and again.
  1. If you don't have anything nice to day, don't say anything at all. I'm not a big fan of gossip or idle chit chat, so I've learned to choose my words wisely and sit back and listen before offering a response or opinion.
  2. Make people feel at home. My mother is a consummate hostess. She always has too much food, she knows everyone's favorite drink, and she'll wait on you hand and foot. I still need a little work in this area.
  3. Always show up early... never keep people waiting. I was taught that if you were on time, you were late. Unfortunately, this means I do a lot of waiting myself.
  4. Say "please" and "thank you". These words are magic. I followed in her footsteps and these two words were some of the first my children learned.
  5. How to make a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. If I don't make her sage and onion stuffing each year, it just isn't Thanksgiving.
I'm still learning, but I think I've learned a lot.

She brought me countless drinks of water in the middle of the night without complaint. She would rub my tummy or my head when I was sick. I can still see her sitting in my high school auditorium knitting while I rehearsed another song or a scene. She drove me to singing lessons and any and every school event without making me feel as though I was putting her out.

Thank you, mom.

What I hope I've taught my own children so far.
  1. You can never say "I love you" enough. I tell them this at least once a day.
  2. There is no such thing as spoiling a baby or a child with too many hugs and kisses. I don't care how old they are.
  3. I learn as much from them as they learn from me. My girls are a lot smarter than I was at their age. Their poise and maturity astounds me sometimes.
  4. Family is the most important thing. The rest of this stuff is all filler. I will not die wishing I had spent more time working on a project or making more money.
What has your mother taught you?

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

May 9, 2013

The Perfect Mother's Day

Whenever my children asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day, I always responded with, "Peace and quiet". Why? Three kids, two dogs, and a husband who makes just as much mess and noise as the rest of them was reason enough. But I find that I really don't want peace or quiet these days. I want to be surrounded by my familythe mess and the noise, too.

My day would start with a breakfast I normally wouldn't treat myself to; something sinful and delicious (like my grandmother's banana bread muffins). I would read hand-made cards filled with vibrant marker-colored words and cute little stickers even though my children have graduated way beyond the crayon stage of their lives. And then I would simply enjoy their company. I want to hear stories, be asked questions, and bask in the sunshine on the back porch while we laugh until we can't laugh any more. I want to hold on to the day and have it stretch into the next.

Mother's Day is just another day that reminds me of how lucky I am.

My grandmother passed down this recipe to my mom, and she passed it down to me. I know I've featured it before, but this recipe bears repeating...

My Grandma's Banana Bread (Muffins)

2 large or 3 small ripe bananas (The riper the better.)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add liquid ingredients (eggs, vanilla, and shortening) one at a time incorporating the ingredients together as you go. Add the bananas and mix until combined, but don't over mix. Fill muffin tins three quarters full and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes, or bake into bread and cook for 1 hour. Optional: Add fresh blueberries. Or top them with blueberry jam. Or raspberry, or...

This post was written for the Nerdwallet Mother's Day Your Way contest. To enter the contest yourself, check out Mother's Day Your Way.

Thank you Nerdwallet for selecting this post as an honorable mention!

May 7, 2013

Prom!

 
This past weekend, my oldest daughter attended her senior prom. We spent weeks looking for the right dress, shoes, bag. We practiced make-up looks and hair styles. She broke in her shoes by wearing them around the house. She had her ticket, her list of must-haves for the evening, and I had plenty of film for the camera. However, there were a few last minute things we, ummm, forgot. We made a harried phone call to the local florist just days before begging for a wrist corsage and boutonniere. And then another to a local nail salon. All was well. Until the big day...

She was late! (Yes, you were.) She had all day Saturday to primp and fuss. But instead, she just chilled out in her room thinking about the night ahead. Tucked away in her room, I checked in on her twice to see if there was anything she needed. I knew better than to check any more than that as her nerves were a little frayed. I paced and kept myself busy with yard work, but by 5:00 I was beginning to panic because that was the time we scheduled to start doing her hair. I set up the hair station. (The dry run we held earlier in the week proved to us that her hair would take a solid hour to do.) I checked the clock: 5:15. I made sure the curling iron was really ready. By 5:30, she sauntered down the stairs. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late! Is everything ready?" Sheesh. You would have thought I was going instead of her. Without comment, I started on her hair. By 6:00, one half was done. She started to text her date to coordinate pick-up. She uttered the words "oh man" several times. Her sister got in on the act and started to fill her purse with all of her must-haves. I kept my lips sealed and kept curling. By 6:30 the troops had arrived and I was putting the finishing touches on her hair. She panicked and ran upstairs to dress. I ran up after her to spray her hair and insert some jeweled combs.


 
All was well in the end. She came down the stairs looking like Cinderella and received the appropriate response from her date. The cameras started to click away as I took more than 30 photos of just about anything they did. And that's when we realized the flowers were still in the refrigerator. (You can see the shot above of her orchid and rose wristlet.) So the cameras started their clicking all over again, and before we knew it, they were on their way.


 
No, the yard didn't look as pretty as it should have this time of year (The leaves are just peeking through and the grass is taking its time coming in.), but as the sun was starting its decent, the couple looked just wonderful. It was a beautiful night. "Okay, enough photos. It's time to go."

P.S. I asked her if she would like to read this post before I published it. Her response: "Don't you need to get my permission now that I'm 18?" I decided to exercise my 1st amendment rights.