From Chaos Comes Happiness

from here . . .   which really is the only place to go when you are looking for happiness . . .  Oh, what fun we had! I kind of got "hit on" by this guy . . .  I mean, of course he hit on me . . . who could resist this ? Luckily, I knew my true love PG would save me . . . that is, as soon as he finished his pretzel dog . . . Yes, that's  my man. You can't have him. No way. No how. ;) I think the best part of this past week was getting away from daily life and escaping to a place where there were no computers, no phones, no people to make happy . . . just our little family and lots and lots of hugs.    This  is exactly what I needed to help me find my serenity. Hugs from my girls. Yes, my friends, I think the sign is true . . . I'll be back soon with some stories about our adventures . . . just wanted to leave a little post this evening to let you know I was back from our little get-away...

I've been saying that prayer a lot lately. It kind of keeps me in check. Reminds me that I can't fix everything. Allows to me accept things as they are. It really does bring a sense of peace into my soul . . . gees, I guess that whole "Serenity Prayer" title is for real, huh? Serenity. I long for that in life right now. Believe. Remember that Word of the Year thing that I do? I had kind of forgotten about it. My word for 2011 was Believe. Lately I can't even remember what it was I was trying to believe back in January. Right now, I feel like I'm trying to survive. be•lieve verb \ be•lieved be•liev•ing   1 a : to have a firm religious faith b : to accept something as true, genuine, or real 2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something 3: to hold an opinion : THINK se•ren•i•ty noun \ suh - ren -i-tee 1 : The state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled    I'm going away for a few days, my...

Well, we are almost there, dear friends. Tomorrow . . . is my birthday. 40. Wow. I'm having a hard time this year. Not because I'm turning 40. Honestly - it's just a number to me. It's just this particular day that I struggle with. Each year, just when I think I have a handle on it . . . I start to remember and the feelings come back. And this year, it's no exception. It doesn't help that I am PMSing this week - everything magnifies when you're pms'ing, don't you think? But even if I wasn't, I just don't care about my birthday. And I can't wait for the day to be over. On my 25th Birthday, someone had a conversation with me that broke me. Someone who is important in my life hurt me. On my birthday. My 25th Birthday. And while I have long forgiven and have long moved on from that day, it never fails that year after year, as my birthday approaches, those memories surface and I could cry today like it just happened yesterday. The...

You may recall, a few weeks ago I shared a photo with you of some recently hatched robin's that have been living in a lovely little nest on the corner of our house. Well, we have been keeping a close eye on the these little birdies and I wanted to share a few updated photos with you. Here is the first photo, which I really believe was taken the the day they hatched (May 6th, 2011). This photo is sort of freaky, a tad alien like. But really cool, too. I remember Phil running in telling us that the eggs had hatched and the girls and I running out quickly to see the new birds. I didn't want to get too close, so I held the camera up and snapped the photo, then ran quickly away (Momma Bird was sitting on the nearby fence post shouting some pretty loud birdie profanities at us.) They really look like they just hatched, don't they? I mean, I'm no bird expert - but those look like some super fresh babies. We really wanted to give them their space, so we left them alone...

 Google Image search . . . Oprah Winfrey 2011 Well, I've come to this realization that it's too late for me . . . and Oprah. It's shocking. I know. But she's counting down, you know. I think there are 7 shows left. I guess that's probably it. I mean, I'm sure they have the last 7 shows already scheduled, don't you think? Hmmmm . . . . I guess I just didn't make it. Nope, I won't be a guest on her show. Bummer. I always thought I would. Like, perhaps after I wrote that really cool book. You know . . . the one that would make a bazillion dollars that came from a story in my dreams about the vampires? Yeah, I thought that would be me. Or maybe I would be a guest on her show after she discovered I was her half sister. Ok, maybe not. At least I thought I would be on the show when my husband would declare his love for me by jumping up and down on her couch. No? Oh. Ok. Well, then, there was that whole idea I had that maybe someday ...

My dear friends, we have survived yet another fun filled weekend in our happy home. This time, the attention went to dear Ella, our youngest girl, who performed in her very first every ballet recital. She's 4. And so flippin' adorable, sometimes I can't even stand it! The theme of the recital was "Let's Go To The Movies" , with about 15 different movie songs being danced to. Ella's class performed to songs from "The Wizard of Oz" , which is so perfect for her. Remember when I wrote a post back in January 2010 about Ella discovering "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time? She has been in love with this movie ever since, and having the chance to be a munchkin with her fellow ballerinas was just such fun for her. Our seats were pretty far from the stage, but PG did a fantastic job getting some wonderful photos of our Ella. I had a pretty hard time selecting which ones I wanted to show you, so I kind of went a little overboard. But...

Being a mom isn’t easy. I don’t know anyone who says that it is. Well, maybe I know one person who said it was . . . but I don’t talk to her anymore, so let’s not worry about that. (I kid.) I had a couple Ugly Mom moments yesterday. If you aren’t sure what an “Ugly Mom moment” is, allow me to share with you. To me, Ugly Mom moments are like . . . when Medusa takes over my body and my hair turns into thousands of serpents that wiggle and hiss, and then my head spins around like Linda Blair, and flames start coming out of my ears and I turn all green. Then, the screaming starts . . . I lose all sense of vocabulary, and any ability to form a complete sentence is thrown out the window . . . “AAAAHHH!!! WHAT!?!?!!! YOU!!! GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE!! AAHHHH!!!” I think a wart, or two, appears on the top of my nose, too. It’s ugly. PG is on another business trip this week. This time . . . Puerto Rico. Seriously. Before leaving, he shared the weather.com forecast for his time there . . ....

There have been millions of time in Katie's 7.8 years on this Earth when I have been proud to be her mom. Like when she took her first steps, the first time she said "Mama", and the many times I would find her doing something thoughtful for her sister (without any encouragement from me.) I have often been speechless at the very thought of her. How smart she is. How caring she is. How beautiful she is. Honestly, I have been blessed with two children who, to me, are as good as they get. Seeing Katie make her First Holy Communion was just another one of those many moments when I felt a lump of pride and love in my throat, as if my heart was going to swell so much it could pop right out of me. Born and raised Catholic, church was always something important in my childhood. I am ashamed to admit that I have not done as good a job in teaching my children about our faith, as my own parents did for me. But I am not perfect, and if there is one thing I...

Ok, I’m about to make a few confessions here that I hope won’t turn any of my dear blog friends away. You see, I’m all about honesty in this happy chaos called Life that I am living. This will not come as a surprise to some of you. Others may think they have been completely misled by my overall compassion and joy for life. All life. Or so you think. The truth is . . . I am not a warm and cozy pet loving individual. Shocking, right? I understand they can be cute, and my heart has warmed up to one photo or another of a golden retriever (or something of the like). Yes, I will admit that some of those darn cat calendars make me feel like a kid again. But, in reality, the whole idea of having some creature (other than the human kind) living in my house sort makes me cringe. You see, in my book . . . if you walk on four legs, I think you should walk on all four of them . . . outside. If you have fins, I think you should live in water . . . outside. ...

Pollen Levels for our locality taken from weather.com Last week, the Allergy Gods decided to pay a visit to my head. After deciding how much fun it was, they’ve planted their roots and aren’t leaving. I’m all up for a fun party every once in a while, but this is ridiculous. I feel like someone shoved two dandelions up my nose and left them there to bloom, and after a visit to my regular M.D. yesterday, it’s been decided that I better get myself to an allergist. When I asked my doctor if I could pop my eyeballs out and soak them in Visine , I think he thought was kidding. So, I’m just a tad under the weather. But I can’t wait to update you on our weekend – I have lots to show and tell (communions, fishes, updates on the birdies, bunnies - oh, did I tell you? We've been attacked by killer bunnies, just wait until you hear this one.). I’m most looking forward to sitting down and getting caught up on your blogs and stories. It may take me a couple days to get there, as I f...

We are up to our eyeballs in activities this weekend, my friends, as we prepare for Katie's First Communion (on Saturday), Ella's upcoming Ballet Recital (next Sunday), and the birth of some new birdies in a robin's nest in our backyard. In the middle of all of this last night, our ejector pump decided to stop working, and as PG's so eloquently put it, "our house pooped in it's pants." Sorry, again, for the potty humor. But you know, I think that pretty much sums it all up. Yes, never a dull moment in our happy chaos. Oh, did I tell you we have added a family of fishes (in a brand new fish tank) to our home this week, too? Yes, we did. Pictures and story will follow next week, for sure! (You know, there is always a story to tell). Here are some more photos of Ella from her rehearsal this week. She is just lovely, and she reminds me of what I think my blog friend Nicole (destination unknown) must have been like when she was a young ballerina. So cut...

When I was 5, I wanted to be a superhero. My favorite cartoons were The Flintstones  and Tom and Jerry .  As the youngest of four children, I often felt like the shadow following along with the others. I adored my parents, and absolutely loved making stone soup in the puddles of our neighbors gravel driveway. My biggest worry was probably knowing that dinner would be ready soon and I'd have to stop playing the moment I was called inside to eat. When I was 10, I wanted to be an artist. Each and every day I drew something . I also played softball like crazy. My biggest worry was probably wondering when my mom would finally let me wear blush (which would not be for at least four more years.) My sister was also heading off to college around this time, and I remember feeling like was losing my best friend (although I finally had a room all to myself.) When I was 15, I wanted to be an actress. I was cast as "Miss Hannigan" in our high school spring Musical "Annie"...

So much happening in the world right now. The news makes my stomach churn. So many scary scary things. PG left for another business trip today . . . and while his absence is short (only two days this time), the thought of him traveling to the other side of the country right now has left me uneasy. But, he will be home soon. This I know. Tonight the girls played outside for hours and hours, as the recent gloomy and rainy days have taken a rest (finally.) I sat on the front stoop of our home listening to the sounds of their footsteps running outside, followed by their squeals and laughter. Then I glanced over to my magnolia tree, and found that our tulips are in bloom . . . As our country searches for those who have fought against us, As people sacrifice their lives for my safety, and the safety of my daughters, As men and women, half way around the world, defend the beliefs our country was started with, and protect people who are unable to protect them...