piano recital

My oldest is going to be in a piano recital this month, her first. Her nerves have tried to get her over the last several weeks and I am empathetic to those feelings. She is nervous about people watching her, walking up stairs onto a stage, performing a song in front of an audience and other things I would be nervous about too. I thought knowing her song well would bring some needed confidence along with a fancy new recital dress, and it has. She sat down recently to practice Good King Wenceslas and upon completion she jumped to her feet and declared, "That was freaking awesome!'" I stood there trying to not let my jaw hit the ground too hard. I assured her she had played it perfectly, but asked where she had heard that phrase. Concerned she asked, "Did I say something bad?" I explained that our family didn't use the word freaking because it wasn't a very positive word. (How in the world to explain this?!?!) She felt bad and I explained that she didn't know and now she did and it was all ok. She said, "Well that's what they said in the movie last night (Night at the Museum) and I thought it was a cool thing to say. I won't say it anymore mom." And there you have it. Why yes, Ben Stiller does say freaking awesome in that movie and my 6 year old's ears heard it, recalled it and used it in context. So, maybe we didn't earn a gold star for parenting on that day, but thankfully there's always tomorrow.

on writing

I day dream of writing children's books. Its a dream that's stuck for a long while. For the past several months, I have been in professional level writers block. Well, more project block to be exact. I've lacked direction and passion and questioned what in the world I could or should be working on.

This past Saturday I headed for one of my favorite spots to write. Atmosphere is a warm cup of tea for writing to me and a peppermint coco can help as well. In my head, I knew where I was going, but as in the nature of writing, a new direction was taken. You see, I recently got a fabulous idea for a children's book which for now I will keep a hush about. As I sat to start writing that, a whole different voice emerged from my pen. Rather than a kids book, it was an adult book. I fought it, as I've been wrestling that for quite some time really and finally decided to give in and see where it takes me. What happened was I formulated a few sentences I fell instantly in love with, but the voice was all wrong for toddlers. It was even too old for teenagers. So, the words were for adults, scary as that may be, I loved the words and couldn't scratch them out.

I have great trepidation writing for adults. I can't possibly imagine myself having enough words in me to write a complete book, but I will give it a go, knowing perhaps this may be the next step. And in the end, I will at the least, which is far enough for me, have a wordy essay of the unbelievable adventure leading up to and being the last 18 months of the Bailey's life, A Year With Chickens.

It is evident the picture book I eagerly want to write must come caboose to the book that has been knocking on my heart. I'm opening the door and excited to entertain what's behind it. So long project block, I've got a doozy ahead of me.

Thanksgiving

Part of my sweet North Dakota family was here for Thanksgiving this year. My dad, Chet, and my step mom, Kim, drove over 1,000 miles to be with us. It was wonderful to have family together. Grandparents are a precious blessing and my kids adored having them for 7 whole days. They arrived the Saturday before turkey day and from Sunday until Wednesday we had snow! In my 12 years in WA, we have NEVER had snow before Turkey day. It was an unexpected treat. Now Ted and I have roots in snow so it is only natural our 3 lively off spring would have instinctive fondness for it as well. It blessed my heart to see them making their own snow memories similar to those from my childhood.
For turkey day this year we tried turducken. It was interesting and although I am glad we did it, I personally don't know that I would do it again. In case you don't know, turducken is a boneless chicken inside of a boneless duck inside of a boneless turkey with layers of stuffing between each. For a girl who tried her first raw blueberry on purpose just this past summer, turducken was quite adventurous! (As a side note, blueberries are not tasty.) Our other dishes were more traditional in nature, my favorite being praline sweet potatoes. Yummy!

The morning of Thanksgiving we crafted a paper tree and decorated it with colored leaves. Each leaf shared something we were thankful for. This simple, fun, family project got our hearts right for the day. I am grateful for more things than I can name in a post. But I will share one, my Savior and King Jesus Christ for without Him I don't know where or who I'd be. My cup overfloweth!

glass milk bottle

I recently bought milk from Twin Brook Creamery at Top Foods in Oly. www.twinbrookcreamery.com Honestly, it was the packaging that got me. Milk in a thick glass bottle like once upon a time? Oh my word I was sold. We usually do the organic route, but I needed milk and the bottles were too irresistible. I later read a bit on this family farm and their venture was inspiring. The milk tastes differently too, it is given from Jersey cows, some of the cutest cows ever in my humble opinion. Look at those adorable faces! Anyway, I think it's important to note that by tasting different I mean different as in more delicious. I am not certain where to return the bottle and receive my deposit back (probably the store where I purchased it?), but I think I will forgo the few bucks and keep the glass jugs. I've been using them for cold water in the fridge and they make me nostalgic for things I don't have memories for, as I don't recall my family ever buying glass jar milk. And yet, there's a pull towards them.

As a side note, on the issue of different, I would rather be different than ordinary, wouldn't you? I recall when I worked as a nanny I told the youngest she was unique. She did not like this. She said by unique you mean different Robin and different is weird. I explained that being ordinary was far less fun and it really was a compliment. She was 8 or 9 at the time, and had a hard time understanding. Hopefully my actions and other choice of words showed how much I loved and admired the one-of-a-kind kid she was. After all, my eldest was named after her.

A bakers dozen on what I've learned from our chickens

• If you want something, go for it.
• Regardless of how you feel, there is a job to be done every day.
• It’s good to be in fellowship.
• You can't let a little, or a lot, of rain stop a life from living.
• Play in the dirt.
• Take naps.
• Get excited when a familiar face comes home.
• My kids know how to work hard.
• Discovering an egg is magical, even if it's the 312th egg discovered.
• Every egg varies in size, shape, color and texture.
• You can get attached to poultry.
• Chickens can run fast, especially when you need to catch them.
• A hen can fall in love with a little girl and a little girl a hen.

lamp light

It's a good day. A smile was found in the simplest of things. I moved a lamp from one room to my dining room where it now makes home on my buffet table. All the other lights are off and although it is daytime, this is WA so evening is not needed for lamp light ambiance. I don't know what it is about lamp light, but the warm glow has always made me smile. Somehow the light has slowed down my pace today and I like it.

I tri'd

I was in my 4th or 5th tri in September and this one was different than any of the others. It was by far the most difficult one mentally and physically. I was in a valley mentally and on top of it I had barely worked out, a very tough combination. But I was committed. My sister Tracy was traveling from MN with her whole family to do this with me. She had exercised her sneakers off. There was no turning back, no throwing in the towel no maybe next year instead. Regardless of where I was at, it was going to be done.

The previous Aug., I was registered for a different Seattle tri. My sis had her baby that weekend and Briggs was born with downs and a hole in his heart. It was unknown if he would survive. I left race morning at the crack of dawn to be with my sister. I needed to see her. Hug her. Reassure her that everything was going to be ok. Not for one second did I feel sad about missing the race. This past spring I thought it would be a fun workout goal and a blast to do a tri with my sis. When I asked her, she said yes. She wrote an essay to the Trekk folks dedicating the race to me, her sister. So, you see there was no giving up on this one. We both had to compete and finish, together. (By the way, Briggs is healthy and well!)

Tracy had a hard time with the swim. I love the water and was there to encourage her along. I was SO proud of her as we exited the water. A swim at the lake near our house 2 days prior made me worry if she would be able to complete it. She had panicked in the water and it shook us both up. But in Lake Washington in September, she did it. I am so proud of her! We biked and that part was a breeze, really. Then came the run. My sister rocked it and this time it was my turn to be in despair. I begged her to leave me and go on and she refused, like I had in the water. This race we were doing together. It was such a rush of emotion crossing the finish line. To complete something that felt bigger than myself was overwhelming.

Tracy, I love you. I am so blessed to have YOU as my sister. I always give my medals to the kids to play with, but this one is staying with me. I will remember that day in cold, rainy Seattle always.