>It is a delicacy that many women crave.
It can be wrapped in just about any shape for any holiday.
It works almost as well as flowers. Well, almost.
It’s the cure for a dementor attack.
And now:
The truth comes out. Dark chocolate can contribute to lowering blood pressure.
I think I’ll add dark chocolate to my next grocery list, right after the coffee.
>8. Whenever possible, I shop early for Christmas. In fact, I’ve already started.
This is not from uber-organization; it is necessity. Starting at the end of November, we have four birthdays and Christmas all within eight weeks. If I didn’t shop ahead/ year round, we’d go broke by February.
What did I buy already? Eat your heart out, family, I’m not telling.
9. I am older than my husband.
His birthday is exactly two weeks after mine. I am two weeks older than he is.
By the way, his mother tells me he was born about two weeks after his due date. Um, honey? About that problem you have with getting places on time? Is it, perhaps, a birth defect? Just kidding. He’s not really a chronic latecomer. 🙂
In between thunderstorms today, I settled in and read more of Harry Potter #5: The Order of the Phoenix. I plan to re-read the entire series before the new one comes out in July. I finished #4 over the weekend, returned it to the library (the only book in the series that I don’t own), and started on Harry’s adventures before going back to Hogwarts for his fifth year. Thunderstorms are great reading weather. That is, except for the little detail of the power going out before the coffeemaker was done brewing…darn it.
>7. I resist buying wrapping paper whenever possible.
It’s the green combined with the frugal in me. Wrapping paper seems so wasteful. Use it once, then throw it away. It can’t be recycled, it can’t be burned in the fireplace (too many chemicals), so it ends up in a landfill after one use. Does this make sense? Not to me.
My family gives me a hard time about this. I give in at Christmas, and I don’t complain if other family members buy wrapping paper (but it’d better be on sale!). But for birthdays, father’s day, and most other gift-giving occasions, I like to revive the first two Rs: reduce and re-use.
When I open my own presents, I carefully refold the paper for later. Smaller scraps will wrap stocking stuffers or combine with another coordinating wrap. Gift bags and tissue? Multiple uses. Small, attractive shopping bags? Again, multiple reuses. Bows? If possible, I set them aside to be part of another gift. Curling ribbon, well, I admit that’s hard to salvage.
But my favorite of the Green Wrapping techniques is this: last year’s cards become the next year’s tags. After Christmas (sometimes months later), I go through the holiday cards and cut them apart into gift tags. They’re unique and fun, and honestly — I haven’t bought gift tags in twenty years.
>Summer fun includes baseball! Amigo plays in a league of his own, and the family goes to games and enjoys the sport. It helps that our Milwaukee Brewers are doing well this year. It might actually be tough (gulp) to get tickets to Miller Park!
So here’s the family with three of the famous racing sausages. Sausages from left to right: Hot Dog, Polish Sausage, and Bratwurst. Family: back row, me and Husband; front row, La Petite and Amigo. Missing: Italian and Chorizo (Chorizo is new this year and doesn’t have a bendable toy — yet).
>#6: I speak three languages, (including English).
I speak American English (Wisconsin style, y’know).
I speak Spanish very well; with a little practice I could become near fluent. I spoke it better in high school and college when I used the skills more often. Occasionally, I’ll have a chance to use my language knowledge when I have a Spanish-speaking child in class and the translator isn’t available.
A third language? Not unless you count PigLatin or Gibberish.
>5. I drive a soccer-mom style minivan and live in a basic three bedroom ranch.
I drive a minivan, but I don’t live in a three bedroom ranch.
I gave in and bought the van when La Petite was 14 and we found ourselves car pooling groups of her friends to various places. It comes in handy now when we move her to and from her college dorm room.
The house? We bought an older, character home instead. This one spoke to us the first time we walked through it. It needs a lot of work — always — but it’s worth it. It’s not big, but with the high ceilings and the roomy spaces, it feels big. The neighborhood is lovely, complete with full grown trees. You’d be amazed at how many of La Petite’s friends envy our trees! There’s enough room for a few pet rabbits.
And the backyard has room for a garden, too. 🙂
>There won’t be any heirlooms or trust funds, surprise visits to the Antiques Road Show, or other unexpected windfalls for my children to inherit. Instead, I wish for them these three thoughts, these three concepts.
I hope my children will inherit a passion for learning. Whether they seek knowledge through books, the Internet, or quality cable television, I hope they will always want their minds to grow.
I hope my children will inherit an attitude of caring and stewardship for the world they live in. They might take on the reality of slogans such as Think Globally, Act Locally and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Maybe they’ll grow gardens or have compost bins of their own. Their generation may find new, more efficient ways to care for and preserve our Earth. Whatever the future holds for the land around them, I hope my children take an active part in it.
And finally, I hope my children will inherit an appreciation and enjoyment of stories, their own and those of others. Family stories, often passed on in the oral tradition, are part of the fabric of our lives. (“Brother, you’re adorable.” “Mom! She called me adorable! Mom, what’s adorable?”) Those stories we learn from others are part of their fabrics, woven to complement and contrast our own. Stitched together, they make a patchwork quilt of both harmony and dissonance, and ultimately a richness that cannot be equaled.
Would you like to join the Group Writing Project organized by Jordan at MamaBlogga, click here for more information or a submission form.
>4. My favorite teams are the Green Bay Packers, The Milwaukee Brewers, and Gryffindor House Quidditch.
Oh, and the Packer Petunias are thriving.
MamaBlogga has suggested another Group Writing Project, one I couldn’t resist. Her topic is: “Three Things I’d Like my Children to…” and then it’s open ended. Scribbit, in a departure from her usual cheery self, wrote a serious yet optimistic post about “Three things I’d like my children to appreciate.” Jordan, the MamaBlogga herself, has a growing list of all submissions, including links so that you can read them yourself.
Reading Scribbit’s monthly Write-Away contests can be fascinating. I’ve found many, many good blogs and read too many great posts to count. This Project looks quite promising in that vein. If you’d like to read my post on the topic, it’ll be up tomorrow in honor of Love Thursday. If you’d like to enter, the link will also be up tomorrow.
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This is a trick question. I grow vegetables; La Petite is in charge of the flowers around here. I thoroughly enjoy the process: the planting, the weeding, and of course, the harvest. Preparing compost for next year is slow and steady, much unlike my fast-paced and stressful work as a public school teacher. The garden and the compost help me slow down in this speedy and multi-tasking world. I grow a few herbs, too, and I’m still learning how to incorporate them into my cooking. Harvesting fresh basil smells so good!
So no, I’m no expert. I learn a little more every year. I grow a simple vegetable garden, and my darling daughter puts flowers around the deck and the house every year.
