Good Week-End

Coco celebrated her 3rd Birthday on Friday night.

She wanted a Pink Barbie Birthday Party.

That means she wanted everyone to wear pink.

Popop did not attend.  He said he did not have pink.

 Tink was a goof.  She had all her favorite little peeps there.

 There were many, many gifts.  Many helpers too.

 This was the big one!!

A BARBIE bike.

There is a helmet too.

Doc thought of pads.

Coco needed them.  She took a few falls.

 It was a Barbie cake for Coco.

It was from Janet's for Tru Stories.

Strawberry and Lemon.  Soooo good!!

She blew out all the candles.

I thinks she managed it without too much spit hitting the cake.

These girls are so adorable.

It is going to be a trip watching them grow up.

Communication Skills

This is Hubby's family, minus 1 sibling.  They stand oldest to youngest.  It is the rule.  Oldest sibling missing from this picture.  He lives in California.  From top step to lowest they live in:  Colorado, Tokyo, Seattle area, Plainfield and home sweet home.

I have a sister-in-law that lives in Tokyo.  That is about 231 miles from the disaster areas.  This sister-in-law is a traveler.  She lives in Tokyo but could be anywhere.  I was immediately concerned.   Hubby says I am sure she is fine.  I know what you are thinking.  Did you call her?  No, we did not.  We do not have her phone number. Nor do we have her address.  Her thinking, no sense in giving us her phone number, not like we are going to call Japan.  I know what you are thinking.  Hubby would not call sister.  No, not even when she lives in the United States.  We saw his family last August.  He has five siblings.  We saw four last summer.  We have seen and talked to one sibling since August.  This sibling lives 40 minutes from us.  We like to hang out.  If it were not for "the wives" they might not see each other.  The four of us see each other often.  The brothers really enjoy being together.  That said, they do not call to chat.
I know what you are thinking.  No, they are not estranged.  They like each other just fine.  Every other year when four siblings vacation together they have a great time.  They just do not believe in calling each other for no reason.  I have been involved with this family for 34 years.  I am not 100% sure what are valid reasons to call each other.  I thought when the Seahawks played the Bears that might warrant a phone call.  (A brother lives in Seattle.)  I was wrong.  Sometimes birthdays will mean phone calls.  Not all the time.  Hubby received a phone call from sister in Tokyo for his birthday.  He was not home and she left a message.  Even if he was home, he probably would not answer the phone.  He rarely does.  Christmas does not mean a phone call.  Brother in California used to stop and visit in November when he went to Wisconsin to hunt.  We have not seen him in three years.  Husband has not talked to him on the phone in over a year and a half.  I spoke to him a year ago.  He just had one question.  Hubby was not around.  Sometimes sports event will cause a phone call.  Not always.  The family vacation will usually mean a few calls of where are we going.  There used to be a family letter.  Sometimes there would be a call to find out who was holding the letter.  It appears to be lost right now.
Their parents did not talk on the phone either.  They only called if there was a reason.  A reason is not, "What are you doing?  Nothing, what are you doing?"  I call one of my sister-in-laws at least twice a week to say hi.  No big deal.  We are not charged by the minute.  She lives a few blocks away anyway.  I cannot tell you how many times Tru Stories and I all each other for no reason.
Back to my point.  I sent Tokyo sister an e-mail on Friday morning our time.  They are 14 hours ahead of us.  I received a two line e-mail back.  Something like, "living the good life. Did not get home from work until after 1:00am due to subways being closed.  Felt the quake.  Exhausted."  That was it.  Another sister-in-law received a few more lines.  Only damage in her apartment was some things fell off shelves.
I am a natural worrier.  So is my sister-in-law (married to a brother).  We have normal communication skills.  We have normal worry skills.  We have both sent additional e-mails.  Brothers are like, whatever.  If she has something to say, we will hear from her.  Do you think her company will send her back to the States?   Calmly, brothers reply, they might.  They are sure she is fine.  No biggie.  Nothing we can do about it from here.
I know what you are thinking?  What the heck constitutes something that would evoke some emotion and feelings?  Answer.  A bad call during a Bears game would cause yelling.  A great play during a baseball game could get him going.  Democrats doing anything will FREAK him out.  My mentioning that Bill O'Reilly is an idiot, can evoke STRONG emotions. 
Sister in Japan in a disaster area with nuclear power stations melting down.  Not so much.  He is just about non-stop watching the news.  I know he loves her.  He has done some pacing in the last 15 minutes since the reactor situation is getting worse.  As I am writing he just remembered he might have a number he wrote down from caller id on his birthday.  No luck in finding number.  More pacing.
I came up with the creative idea of sending a message to her son on facebook.  We are not facebook friends.  I hope he answers my message.  He lives in Arkansas.  If he is on Spring Break, he could be anywhere.  Seriously!  These kids got to pick any place in the WORLD to visit for their high school graduation gift.  THE WORLD.  One brother picked Australia.  They are travelers. 
Saying a prayer.  Hope to hear some more news soon.  Feeling very lucky with my little life, in my little town.   Remebering Tru Stories moment of clarity.  We need to count blessings followers.  Keep people far away in our thoughts.

Very Good Night

This little beauty is Our Tink. Tonight Tink did not want to attend the High School football game. A BIG deal in her family. I said she could hang with me. Doing nothing on Friday night is a BIG deal in my house.

As everyone has heard by now, tomorrow is Tink's special birthday party. Tink has been planning this day for months. Like her mother, she is a party planner. It was such a joy to spend the evening with her. She is so excited about her big event tomorrow she almost quivers with excitement.

Tonight Tink and I put together the party bags for her friends. Many little Tinkerbell items to give away. On one hand, Tink is so happy to have these great bags to give her friends. On the other hand, she mentioned I was stealing all the good stuff from her.

Tonight was all about fairies. I was dusting ceiling lights and fans. To some people the dust is little piles of dirt. If you live in fairyland, dust floating down is little fairies. Flying down so softly. Tink wanted to catch some in her mouth and keep them safe. I gave that suggestion a loud no. Part of the evening Tink practiced her flying. She knows she can't really fly. She can jump from couch to chair to ottoman to Grammy's stomach. The thing about fairies is they have back up plans. Tink is no exception. She told me the "real" Tinkerbell is going to come out of the new movie, take her hand, and fly her around. That was a beautiful moment, imagining the Tinks flying around hand in hand. My Tink mentioned it would be hard for Tinkerbell to fly her because the "real" Tinkerbell is bery little. Here are a few Tink quotes: Tinkerbell is strong like a real human, she is a real human. Real humans are berry nice. Out of nowhere Tink realized there was a problem with her plan. How will Tinkerbell get out of the TV? It is glass. She will keep hitting her head. Tink illustrates Tinkerbell banging her head against the TV. Now she discusses how Tinkerbell lives inside the TV. Spending the evening before the EVENT with Tink was such a joy. Four year olds are such a joy. I felt some of the magic.

The real magic is in our Tink. She has sprinkled her fairy dust around all of us that love her. I think the adults are more excited than the children. Shirts have been made, sparkle has been purchased. I think there will be more adults than children at the party. All gurls. No boys are allowed. What I have learned is that all gurls believe in fairies, even big gurls. I am looking forward to the EVENT tomorrow. I am anxious to see all the fairies after they have been sparkled up. I am very anxious to feel the love in the room. Our little Tink that has been accused of not being loving, has managed to plan an event that is going to fill Coach's newly spruced up garage with all kinds of fairy love.

You know there will be pictures. Unfortunately, dust fairies do not photograph well. It will be a great day. Filled with, Faith, Love, and Pixie Dust. (We will be trying to get that Pixie Dust out of our hair for days.)

Good Idea Mrs.

Tru Stories, what can I do to be a better Mom? Be careful, be very careful.

Hit Some Turbulance

Today was one of those days that could be described as the best laid plans that did not turn out as planned. I went downtown to the Farmer's Market. Picked up a few mums for the fall. I wanted to spend some time organizing and cleaning the garage. The husband is out of town. That makes it the perfect time to go into his space. Throw some things away and organize it. I spent about two hours getting the garage cleaned up. It was satisfying work.
What I did not see coming was my son's reaction to the newly organized garage. Mental illness is very unpredictable. Because we have only been back a week from vacation, our son has been out of sorts. We had two nieces take turns staying with him. He liked having them both around. That said, anytime he has changes in his routine, it is upsetting. While we were gone he went a few days in a row without sleeping. When he comes down from that, he usually sleeps too long. My husband is away on a three day guys week-end. Not good timing since we just came back from such a long vacation. Since my husband is retired, he spends most of his time with our son. He can use another break. Does not happen very often.
Back to my clean garage. What I did not anticipate was, the clean garage was very upsetting to my son. Very upsetting. I just did not see it coming. He likes things neat and clean. My husband's hoarding does not sit well with our son. Today, as soon as The Son saw what I had done, he lost it. He insisted I put everything back the way it was before. Obviously, that was not going to happen. I bought a shelf and set it up to organize a few things. He did not like the shelf. He did not like any of it. Very verbal about it too. I made the decision to get my car out of the garage. Seemed to be a wise choice at that time. He was determined to put the garage back as close as he could get it to the way it was before. I already threw away all the stuff we did not need. It still looks good. Just not the way I wanted it.
The up side to this is, my son knew he had been mean to me. While I was gone he did some house cleaning. That was nice. Would rather it not be after such a show of anger. Instead of a relaxing week-end, there has been to much stress. I really am exhausted. I had Tink and Coca. We spent a few hours at the depot watering flowers. We even had a Dairy Queen picnic. They love watching the trains stop. When we got back home, everything was calm.
I am more than ready for bed. I am also ready for at least one quiet day out of the week-end. Fingers crossed that I wake up to a calm day tomorrow. I would not mind if he slept the day away so I can have some calm.

This Is What Relaxing Looks Like

This is the natural hot springs, high above Steamboat Springs where we ended our day. My body was sore from a difficult hike. The warm water was fantastic.


My sister in law, Winey, and I. We are at the bottom of the falls. The water is so cold we can't feel our feet.

A picture from the bottom of the falls.

Last day in Colorado. A hike up to look down at the falls, then down to the falls, then a difficult hike back up. Very, very difficult hike back up. The trip to the natural springs was amazing. Hey, Old Lady, does this look relaxing.

Little Reading Going On

My plan was to at least get this book finished on vacation. If you will remember, The Old Lady's plan was for me to read four books. To The Old Lady that was the number I need to read for my vacation to be relaxing. My reading count so far, a couple of chapters of a book on my ipod. A few chapters of Eat, Pray, Love.
Listen Old Lady, before you get upset, I am relaxing. I am in Steamboat Springs. Mountains all around me. I am sitting in what is considered a Two Million dollar vacation home. Not by Illinois standards, by Colorado standards. The living room has a wall of windows facing West. Soon I will watch the sunset behind the mountains. If it sounds relaxing, it is. The house has a deck on three sides. The evenings cool down in the 50's. There is a beautiful breeze. There are not mosquitoes eating me. I have sat on the deck and made an attempt to read my book. Unfortunately, or very fortunately, I end up distracted by the view and put my book down. Today, I have spent time in a rocking chair, on the deck, my head back, and rocking.
Yesterday, we drove over the Continental Divide, through the Rocky Mountain National Park. I cannot begin to describe the beauty. I will come up with some pictures after I get home. That was relaxing. Except when the two boys that we were in charge of would get too close to the edge of million foot drop offs. When my husband would drive over 20 mph on the curving roads. Other than those two things, RElaxxxing.
Vacation is going too quickly. We are seeing so many beautiful things and places. We have spent too much time in the car. That is why I backed out on the raft trip today. I could not face another trip in the car.
We are vacationing with three generations of family. Minutes ago, an engagement was announced. It is a happy time. A very relaxing time. I will probably not finish my four books. I am enjoying myself. Surrounded by beauty and family.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday I attended a birthday party for my oldest brother. He turns 70 tomorrow. He is standing to my left in the picture. Here is the birth order from left to right, 1, 5, 3, and 4. Brother number 2 passed on 4 years ago. I know during the party he was on all of our minds at some point. I feel him missing in every picture we take. I am the baby with four older brothers. That is part of who I am. I have always loved being the baby and only girl. There are times I miss having a sister. I wonder what it would be like to share life with a sister. I am not going to lie, brothers are not great about sharing life with a sister.
To celebrate #1's birthday, his wife planned a golf outing/pool party at their Country Club. We arrived after the golf in time for the dinner. Brothers 1 & 4 look sweaty and exhausted from golfing in extreme heat. It was a nice celebration. I was glad to be there. My Dad passed on when I was 11. My Mom when I was 34. I know life goes quickly. I know family is important. I have learned to appreciate my family.
There was a time I looked towards Brother #1 as a Father figure. He is a very successful business man. He loves his family. He enjoys life. He sure does not look 70. Happy Birthday to my brother. Here is to many, many more. All My Love, The Little Sister

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

There are times it can be more than challenging to deal with a son that is mentally ill. There were a couple of hours around dinner time tonight that were a bit rough at my house. My Grandson was at the house so we did some yard work than made an escape to Tru Stories. There was a ladies luncheon at Tru Stories house today. They were officially welcoming the newest woman to their family. The festivities were winding down. I located some grape vodka courtesy of Munchkin and sat down for some laughter.

All the ladies from the blogs were in attendance. If you think they are funny on the computer, in person they are hilarious. I shared a couple of hours of major laughter. Doc, Munchkin, Tru Stories, Flag Girl, Life and Times, The Bride, are as smart as they are beautiful. These are women that enjoy each other's company, genuinely like spending time together. They are sisters and cousins and in laws. Not too often that there is an opportunity to sit with a group of women that are so comfortable together. It is because they are each other's fans. It is a delight to watch. I am so glad Tru Stories is part of such a wonderful family.

I am not going to let them off the hook completely. If all these women are together, there have to be kids coming out of the woodwork. In the house, in the yard. Many little girls and my grandson. While the women sat and talked (and drank) the kids ran wild. These kids gets along as well as the adult women. I did not hear one argument. They were all looking out for each other. The bugs starting biting so I decided to save little Coco from getting eaten up and bring her to my house. While I was packing Coco up I ran into Shortcake (who had a matching dress with Punkin), she was in the house hiding from the bugs. I asked her if she wanted me to find her bug spray so she could play outside with the other kids. She said no she was fine. She was 5 years old and could take care of herself. I believe she could. I piled Coco into the car and could hear the laughter continuing from the patio.

I was the big winner tonight. I had a few laughs. Had a taste of grape vodka. Brought Coco home with me for some cuddles. Most importantly, took a handful of Lindor Balls with me when I left. That my friends is how you turn a bad night into something good.