The End Of 2015

Apparently I took the month of December off from blogging...
All I can do is promise to do better next year.
In my defense, December is a crazy busy month anyway, and it takes longer to do things with Cheetah than it does alone.
That's the number one thing I've learned this year; to adjust my estimate for how long things take.
A brief recap:
I actually did well with getting Christmas presents purchased in a timely fashion this year. Granted, most of them were purchased online. I only made two forays into the humanity thronged stores this year and one trip was really brief once I realized normal stores don't sell suits for the tall, skinny person that is my baby brother.
Specialty store for him.
And bless me, I got Rocketgirl's present mailed in time for it to arrive by Christmas. That was a Christmas miracle in and of itself.
We also mailed Christmas cards to friends and family - something we haven't done in years, because why would we, we look the same relatively - and they should have arrived before the holiday too.
As per our usual, the Sunday before Christmas was our special musical sacrament meeting. I try to diversify; not ask the same people to do the same things year after year, and sometimes it brings surprises.
Sometimes it's a dud.
This year it went well for the most part. I do not know what to do about the Young Men and Women. I can't get them to sing loud enough for the first row to hear no matter what I do. The viola piece was good, Tarzan's piano solo was wonderful and the finale was excellent. (I might be a little biased, it was my second brother, singing "The Holy City.")
Christmas itself was lovely. Cheetah wasn't entirely sure what to do with the wrapped presents but he loved each one once it was open. Especially Mommy's muffin tins. He happily played with those for 20 minutes or more.
We went out to my parents' for the afternoon and dinner; it was good to see everyone and have the time removed from obligations and requirements.
Tonight is New Year's Eve and old fogeys we must be because Tarzan and I are sitting at home on the couch watching a movie. We will be drinking some Martinelli's though, so it's a party.

This is me and this is how we're ringing in the year.

Thanksgiving 2015

As mentioned last year; it's a whole new ball game.
I know it's cheesy but it's true, being a parent changes you and makes you look at things differently. (At least it has me.)
It's been a good year, crazy in some parts of the world - crazier in others - and this country sure ain't perfect, but our little lives are good. We are blessed and we try to bless others. It's all anyone can ask really.
These might be a bit of a cheat but it's my blog, so there.
I give you my three kernels of thanks:

1. I am thankful for Tarzan and Cheetah. Yes, they're in one entry. They are my family. The one I helped create and am charged with nurturing. I am thankful they are mine and are, respectively, so supportive and accommodating.
2. I am thankful for health. Mine, Tarzan's and Cheetah's. It's one of those things we can easily take for granted but I hear a lot of horrible stories about and from mothers with sick babies and hospital visits, teething nightmares and complicated births. I am thankful we are all healthy and able to work as needed.
3. I am thankful for the Gospel. The world is insane and people make poor choices because they don't know, or don't believe, in a different way. I am thankful I have been protected from many horrible actions and subsequent consequences because of what I have been taught and know to be true.

I whine a lot on this blog so I am also thankful for this opportunity every year to publicly write down and publish some of my many blessings.

This is me wishing you and yours a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Veteran's Day 2015

Today is Veteran's Day.
In the past I have written a few heartfelt posts about my memories and family involved with military service and world conflicts.
We've visited cemeteries, paused for a moment of silence, and watched war documentaries as tribute.
This year, though I didn't forget what day it was, this year Tarzan, Cheetah and I celebrated a little differently.
And that's part of the privilege of living here in this country, part of being protected by the many lives spent to keep us from dominion and oppression.
We can celebrate how we wish.

This is me, thankful.

Every Day Brave

One of the Sunday morning traditions Tarzan and I loved from when we were young is listening to Music and the Spoken Word. (I swear Lloyd Newell has been the voice of the show forever, though according to the link it's only been 25 years. Who did we hear before that?)
This morning was a special broadcast for Veteran's Day, dedicated to the service men and women who have fought for the liberties we enjoy.
One of the songs sung was called 'Because of the Brave.'
And the chorus is "...we are the land of the free, because of the brave."
The choir - of course - has a lovely, full sound and the sentiment is very moving. It got me to thinking beyond the physical borders. This land is blessed by Heavenly Father because of covenants made with righteous people who lived here long ago. Possession of and ability to live in America is granted to those who keep those covenants.
We who live now are responsible for maintaining those promises if we want the protection and blessings to continue.
It won't be because of the military personnel that freedom fails.
It's the simple, everyday bravery of all the people that will keep America free.
The bravery to choose the right and keep the commandments of God.
To keep the Sabbath Day holy, to vote, to be kind, to read the scriptures, to share, to honor the sanctity of marriage, to be honest, to not be greedy and covetous, to love one another.
It is our every day behavior - and bravery - that is the hinge of freedom in this land.

This is me and I need to be braver.

The 4th Revisited

It would seem that the fireworks that are sold in abundance in our neighborhood are of an inferior quality compared to those that Tarzan remembers from his youth.
The sparklers we purchased fizzed hot and then out so fast there was no writing names, shapes or even letters with them.
So no cool pictures of that to show.
Instead I give you our Independence Day dinner of...haute dogs. We made everything but the actual hot dog ourselves.
First I present a Chicago dog:

With homemade buns, relish and pickles and the tomatoes were grown right outside the window.
There was also an Indian dog:

With a mango chutney and grilled onions, also made here.
The obligatory coleslaw:

And then we let the seven-month-old play with the matches:

This is me and how we celebrate yo'!

July 4th 2015

You'd think Independence Day was a month long deal, like Ramadan, from the number of explosions and illegal fireworks we have seen in the sky around our house lately.
And sometimes during the day, when the pretty colors are hardly visible.
Mistake or stupid person?

It's really just today though.

And for the first time ever, Tarzan and I bought some sparklers and little fireworks to set off in the back yard. (Of course we choose a year with a drought going on to experiment. We're geniuses.) We'll see if I can follow Rocketgirl's instructions and example and get some cool pictures.

Happy 4th of July everybody!!

 

This is me, celebrating.

Happy 2015!

2014 was quite a year.
The first quarter I spent oblivious and the next three quarters I spent going to doctors.
It all came out okay.
Perfect in fact:

And my life will never be the same.

This is me, thankful and looking forward to 2015.

Merry Christmas 2014

From our house to yours:

This is me wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

Shalom

On this, the last day of Hanukkah, it's a good thing we aren't Jewish.
I realized we have a ham, bacon and pork sausage in the fridge right now.

This is me, prepping some pig for consumption.

They Get Stale Quick

The problem with giving baked goods for the holidays is that you have to space out the giving - leading to some people thinking they have been overlooked and all kinds of hurt feelings there - or spend one crazy day/night baking and decorating and labeling. When one has a newborn this is more stressful/exhausting than it has ever been.
(At one point I looked at the clock thinking it was close to midnight and finding out it was only 8:30. On the one hand, that's good - more time - on the other my sense of time is severely distorted.)
If I was less idealistic, I would have recognized the challenge before getting mired in the process and ending up with icing all over because I wasn't thinking clearly and didn't put a tray under the rack of glazed cookies.

This is me rethinking my plan.

Thanksgiving 2014

This year, Thanksgiving means a whole lot more.
Not that Tarzan and I haven't been thankful in the past. We've meant every single one of our kernels, every year. The thankfulness seems bigger, or less qualified this year. My heart has no room for anything other than pure, unadulterated joy and thanksgiving.
This time around, I'm pretty sure Tarzan and my first kernels are the same, but here are my three.

1. Cheeta. Of course I am thankful that he arrived safely. Given the number of things that could have gone wrong, and didn't, I am very thankful for that. I am also thankful that he was able to come at all and I can't take any credit for that. Strictly a higher power in charge of this one, so all I can be is thankful. And try my best to do my best for him.
2. Tarzan. Without him, this trip into parenthood would not be as enjoyable and not as fun. Our world outlook has shifted and it's all for the better, together. He's amazing and was throughout the entire pregnancy/labor/delivery/birth/first week. The change in his demeanor makes me laugh and he's so tender with Cheeta it makes me cry.
3. Sleep. This may seem a redo of another post earlier this month but it is a valid quality for thankfulness. I did not realize what a sense of place and space sleep gave a person until my world got upended and now I don't have any idea what day it is or time of day most of the time. But it doesn't bother me as much as it would have previously because of kernel #1.

I hope your holidays are as joyful and full of thanks as ours are sure to be from now on.

This is me wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I Am Thankful For Family

I can see how easy it would be to post another adorable picture of Cheeta and call it a blogging day but I feel I should put a leetle more effort into it as I have been and am so richly blessed.
And it is Thanksgiving week.
I am thankful for my family. For my parents who tried so hard to teach us right from wrong, to help us develop our testimonies, who taught us how and why we should get along with each other, who took us places, who prepared us for school and then explained why they world wasn't perfect and how to deal. I am extremely thankful that they were married in the temple of the Lord so we could be an eternal family forever.
I am thankful for my siblings who really are there for me, and me for them, despite the number of times we tried to kill each other as children. I am thankful for the things we have in common, the different talents we share between us, the advice, the experiences, the humor, the inside jokes, the new jokes, the things that aren't even funny, the way we can start or stop a conversation and pick up 6 minutes, or 6 weeks later without a pause.
I love my family.
I am thankful for Tarzan's family who accepted me from the very first; a short, round, music-less girl who had has a series of issues. I am thankful for Tarzan's parents who try to include my preferences and needs into their very busy schedules, who have never tried to interfere in our marriage with "advice" or made us feel less than because - until now - we weren't giving them grandchildren.
I am thankful for Tarzan's siblings and the common ground we were able to find, despite our different upbringings. They are all so talented and smart and fun and such different personalities from me and mine, but we gel and it isn't and hasn't ever been hard to get along.
I am thankful for the eternal family Tarzan, Cheeta and I are now are. Tarzan and I have been floating for many years, just doing our thing, and figuring that was all it would be. But now, as Tarzan keeps saying, we have a legacy, a reason for living, a goal, a plan, a family to support and things to teach and do and places to go. Because we have Cheeta it all makes sense. And he will be ours for eternity, no matter what. (I wasn't a weepy person before, but I sure am now!)
I am thankful for the opportunity to be Cheeta's mother and Tarzan's wife and to do a good job at both.

This is me and it was supposed to be this way.

Remembrance Day 2014

When I was growing up, Memorial Day was not celebrated with the same ceremony as it is where we live now. And then, when I moved here, Veteran's Day (called Remembrance Day in The Frozen North) was not celebrated with the same reverence as in my youth.
I suspect it has something to do with the countries involved in which of the World Wars and when the holidays were created and all that.
Perhaps because it's the first war related holiday I recall, or because it's the non-selfish holiday of my childhood, or because it is a tad neglected here in The Jungle, but I've always had a place in my heart for November 11th.
And maybe it's because my mother's father had served in WWII, born during the Great War, and he never talked about his service but always participated in the celebrations, memorials and he always, always wore a poppy during November.
Thanks Granddad.
I found this article today while browsing poppy images and while I'd known who had written the poem, I had forgotten parts of the story about how the poppy became such an iconic image of the day.
It was good to be reminded.

This is me, remembering.

I Am Thankful For Music

This is perhaps an odd thing for me - a non-musician - to say but I am extremely thankful to have music. I'm certainly not as discerning as others I could name about what I listen to. (Occasionally I like a song from Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or other Top 40 artists.)
I don't like all things by any one musician but I do like a wide variety of players. I have a rather eclectic music collection, from Jim Croce and Neil Diamond (don't groan, that man is the highest earning living songwriter in the world. He must be doing something right) to Bach and Holst, Yanni and Sugarland, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy to many others. It stems from my love of choices I think.
But mostly I am in awe of the magic that is music. The moods that can be evoked, the colors, (Fantasia was an incredible experience for me. Both of them) the seemingly endless combinations of the same seven notes is amazing and humbling to me.
I can't tell which note is which, but I am glad that there are those who can and who love to play them. Who have the skill and the talent to play the notes in a pleasing fashion. Tarzan's family is very musical - my sister-in-law Rocketgirl plays in two, 2!, bands - and has even released CDs which makes them legit in my book - and family gatherings are always raucous with music and jamming. (I had to ask them if this was the appropriate use of the term) I am not skilled at all. I don't even know if the notes are correct most of the time but I tell them that someone has to sit in the audience and applaud.
I have decided this is one of my missions in life; appreciation of the musical talents of others.
Tarzan is extremely busy with his jobs and his bishop-ing and all that but he has agreed to learn a piano/organ duet for the Christmas program at church this year. I like to share the talents of the members of the congregation - maybe because I don't have any in this arena and can't believe someone with the talent would not want to share it - and since I live with him he's always top of my list. He rolls his eyes at me because he doesn't like performing, but he graciously participates and he gets others, who are more shy and nervous, with less experience than he to accept the challenge too. It makes for some wonderful programs. (And I get to hear all the practice and working out of the pieces at home as well, which make me so proud of him.)
One of my favorite Sundays of the year.

This is me, listening with adoration.

Happy Halloween!

Cheeta's first holiday:

This was setting up for the ward Halloween party tonight - well done us to have it inside as it's raining for the first time in 3 years right now - but my favorite moment of the party was when the lights went out and all the kids flocked to me because I glowed in the dark.
(I sure wasn't going to fit into my usual hippie costume this year.)

This is me and Happy Halloween everybody!

Memorial Day 2014

This is way late I know, what else is new this year?
But we went:

We saw:

We played with the baby:

We blessed the baby, saw much family:

And some friends.
The trip was good, uneventful, no incidents, everyone remembered their own shoes...
And I barely managed to take half a dozen pictures.
I am pathetic. It's true.
ATL did so much better and most of what you see here is her work.

This is me and it was a good holiday.

Happy 2014

This is me and it's a new one peeps.

Merry Christmas 2013

This is me and:

Everybody!

Every Year

Another Facebook classic:

This is me and it's true.

Last Minute

There are people who can shop on Christmas Eve and not go completely insane, yelling and punching others.
This is not me.
It is Tarzan though. (He is such a better person than I.)
It's fortunate he only has to buy presents for me.

This is me and it's all done for this year.