so much to do, so much to say ...

So I know it's been a while. And in the midst of that long while, I've come up with some great blogging topics, which I will now list and hope to return to someday . . . and here they are in no particular order . . .
-people are really entertaining to watch at concerts (Eric Clapton, May 31, Blossom Music Center)
-grass and weeds are really difficult to dig up with a shovel, but it's a great workout
-I very much dislike being busy, but am learning a new definition of discipline in a rather new stage of life
-The eldest is now taking swimming lessons
-is it wrong to bribe your children with McDonald's Happy Meals in order to reward them for getting her face wet during swimming lessons?
-getting up at 6am is really not as bad as I once thought
-homemade strawberry anything (i.e. pie, jam) tastes unbelievably good if you've just picked the strawberries
-tricks for keeping an almost 1st grader busy during the summer (any ideas?)

I'll be back soon with some more.

The Prog

So last night we took the girls to their first ever Cleveland Indians baseball game at Progressive Field. And what an appropriate name for the field it turned out to be.

This was my husband's and my first trip to Progressive Field. It used to be called "Jacob's Field" or, even better, "The Jake". We made many memories at the Jake (now called Progressive Field), so you can imagine our sense of dismay (ok not really DISMAY, but you know what I mean) when they changed the name. We spent many a date at The Jake before we were married. We got to see the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners there in '95, in the frigid October air. We got to sit in a loge (spelling?) once with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. We even got to see the home opener of 1996 at the Jake, when they received their World Series rings (even thought they didn't win, they got something for just being in it the year before). We went there on a whim on our 1st wedding anniversary as we were driving by after having a nice brunch aboard the Good Time Two. We were listening to Tom Hamilton on WTAM 1100 when someone hit a homerun, the crowd went wild, we heard it and decided we wanted to be there too. So we parked the car, found a scalper and the rest is history. :)

So when The Jake changed its name, we struggled a bit. What would we call it now "The Prog"? (That was actually my husband's idea.) But last night, it proved an appropriate name for this new stage of life we've recently hit. Namely, the stage where we can go to a large public gathering, such as a professional baseball game, with our children and actually find more enjoyment in the process than stress. (Notice I did not say it was entirely stress-free.)

So we are progressing. And we had so much fun (despite what I may look like in the above picture taken with the cell phone)!

And Cleveland even won!

GO TRIBE!

Fishsticks and Lilacs

Since I started my blog, I've been trying to be more aware of and actively searching for those mini revelations I often get while just doing the mundane. That worked for a while, and kept my blog going for a few weeks, but now I'm back to the mundane with not much depth of thought to share. I'm sure there's lots going on somewhere in that brain of mine, but it just ain't revealing itself quite yet. So for now, we'll have to settle with just plain updates.
I have found that as the weather gets increasingly beautfiul, the family meals become decreasingly so. Last summer, I thought maybe I had lost my love for cooking. This time around, though, I've discovered that it's not so much a love lost, but a love put on the backburner (no pun intended, though it turned out nicely, huh?) for a season or two (namely spring and summer). The nicer it is outside, the less likely I am to be inside cooking or even planning a meal. Sadly, in fact, during this season I often find myself in the late afternoon/early evening having forgotten entirely that I have a family that will be needing dinner in an hour (or 5 minutes, depending on how lost in the moment I am). So I'm scrambling (in my brain while I remain outside) to come up with something that can be thrown together quickly. And usually I come up with something like ... fishsticks. Well, at least for the girls. I can often throw together something like a salad or something for my husband and myself expecting that we'll scrounge later when we get hungry again. :) And there actually are some great things about the fishstick meal at our house. First off, I'm almost guaranteed that the youngest (seriously the very definition of PICKY when it comes to food) will eat (provided ketchup is also involved in the meal). Secondly, they are absolutely the easiest entree to complement with side dishes -- anything pretty much goes with fishsticks!! Finally, the aforementioned benefit is that it's a quick and easy meal. (Albeit not very healthy.) I guess we can't have everything.
Well, at least we get to enjoy the lilacs we cut while being outside all day as we eat our (not so) gourmet meal! :)

Blogger In Training

This morning I got to help the oldest write a story. I know I'm a little biased, but I'm telling you she's a really good author! :) So today, in honor of her hard work, I've chosen to publish her story, kindergarten spelling and all, on the bria blog ...

the big bug

Once upona time there was a bug named Lola. She was a very small butterfly. She sall (i.e. saw) a very big bug. When she sall the big bug she flyd (i.e. flied) away. When she was back home she wishd to be big too. When she went to sleep her wish came troo and she was Lola the big bug just like the big bug.

the end

Ah, if only it were trooly that simple. :) Good stuff, huh?

The Familiarity of the New

Did I mention I love springtime?

Today as I continued the "rolling my lawn" process, I got to bask in the sunshine and in the loud silence that my earplugs provide (so I don't go deaf from the loud engine). And I was reminded of the joys of last summer. I got excited to be approaching a new season in this beautiful rural land from a more experienced circumstance. I mean that this will be our second spring here, so I know the fun stuff I have to look forward to. As I drive past the sprouting daffodils and budding lilacs, I know what they will be. And I can anticipate all of the overgrowth in the woods which will bring with it lots and lots of blackberries (I hope) along with much poison ivy and thorny things. So I'll be more prepared this time -- to soak it all in as it comes, and to kill the dreadful poison as it makes itself known.

Usually I am one who loves and thrives on newness. But this year I am really enjoying the comfort and security of knowing what to expect from the spring and the summer -- long days playing and working outside with my kids. Playing bocce ball with my husbnad. Pulling lots and lots of weeds. Watching the bunnies eat my strawberries and then trying to figure out how to beat them to the perfectly ripe one.

I can't wait! And I'm loving the wait. All at the same time. :)

Look at how much fun we had last summer!

I Love This Yard

This week marks the one-year anniversary of our official move to Moreland. Not quite a town, no zipcode of its own, but a way-out-in-the-country little community which our family has grown to love.

There is so much to love about this place. Franklin Township Elementary School and all 150 or so students and teachers. The beautiful rolling hills that constantly scream out God's creative majesty. Listening to the clippety-cloppety Amish buggies rolling by as we eat dinner with the windows open. Mowing the lawn. And, as of today, I can add to this list the joy of rolling my lawn (see picture above). You see, a short twelve months ago, I had no idea that there was even such a thing as rolling a lawn. And now, not only do I know about it, but I know first-hand HOW it is done! I also know, as of this evening, how to get a riding lawn mower unstuck from a muddy lawn (Calmly turn the mower off before walking inside your home, and lovingly tell your husband you got stuck in the mud. Then, when he tells you the ground is still too soft to be rolling the lawn if you're getting stuck in the mud, smile innocently and grab the camera before following him outside to "help him".) And I love my new knowledge. Mostly because I love to mow my lawn. There's just something about driving on the grass that is so fun!! And it's so beautiful! This is what I get to look at while I mow . . .
I'm so glad we live here!!

Ok, just so you don't think I'm a total nerd, I still love Starbucks and Target.

But here's one more look at our backyard . . .

Ain't it purty?!?

Grandparents Weekend

So a few weeks ago, my mom and dad invited the kids for the weekend after Easter. That would be the weekend that just passed. And when I say "the kids" I mean both of mine and all three of my sister's. That would be five kids, two grandparents, a brand new house and four very happy adult children who would drop off their children for two whole days!

What a blessing to have parents that want to and can spend time with their grandkids making memories and building forever bonds! And oh, the memories they made. Like going to the zoo. And being the first overnight guests in my parents' brand new house. And my eldest eating Chinese food with chopsticks. What fun! And the youngest daughter's first injury-induced trip to the emergency room for a split lip. (Praise God no stitches were needed!) Those memories will last a good, long time, no doubt.

What a blessing to live close enough to our parents that stuff like that can happen!

Not to mention the refreshment I felt as we drove them home yesterday after picking them up. And the escape that my husband and I got to experience as we watched a movie on the big screen (10,000 B.C.) for the first time since ... um ... I think Charlotte's Web was the last movie I saw at the theater. (Wow! That's sad, huh? Good thing we have Netflix.)

As the weekend began, I found myself anxious for time away from my normal routine. I thought, at first, it was the time away from my children that I was wanting and needing. But I came to realize that, like most people, I just looked forward to a bit of relief from my normal routine of life. Recalling the longing I had, just seven years ago, for a routine that included children of my own, I was struck with the reality that the grass usually seems greener in somebody else's yard. Seven years ago, I was so anxious for those endless weekends of getting up early, countless hours of watching Disney movies instead of my own. And the abounding joy of sharing life with my own offspring, teaching, laughing, wiping noses and all. And now, seven short years later I often seek time away from that routine. Maybe that's what McDonald's was talking about -- "we do deserve a break today." But just a break. Because I wouldn't have it any other way -- my children bring so much fun to my life. So much excitement and love of life. What a blessing they are! Truly.

So here I am on Monday. Thankful for my routine. And thankful for time away from it. Enjoying each moment I'm given when I'm given it. And enjoying my children even more because of my awesome parents who had the foresight to see that we all needed a break this weekend.

Thanks, Mom and Dad. Now it's your turn for the break! :)