In Training

We teach our children many things, mostly by example rather than words. Be nice, play fair, tell the truth...all important. However, teaching our girls the importance of carrying a large, beautiful handbag is high on the list as well! You're never too young to learn this!

Turkey?! Again?!?!

By now, your family may be protesting, "NO MORE turkey leftovers!" I have a wonderful recipe for that last little bit that is nothing like Thanksgiving dinner and I promise they will be clamoring for more. Even better, it contains only five ingredients!

WHITE SAUCE ENCHILADAS
8-10 taco size flour tortillas
2 cups chopped leftover turkey (any other time of year, chicken is fine)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups shredded Jack cheese
1 can diced Ortega chilies (optional)

HOW TO:
1. In a bowl, mix together the turkey, cheese and, if using them, the green chilies.
2. Slightly heat the heavy cream in a large skillet.
3. Dip each flour tortilla in the cream & fill with meat & cheese mixture.
4. Roll up and place filled tortilla in a 13 x 9 pan.
5. When all the tortillas are filled, pour the remaining cream over them in the pan.
6. Sprinkle with additional Jack cheese.
7. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes. They should be slightly browned.
Guaranteed YUM!!

Black Friday

For seven years now, my daughter and I have been avid Black Friday shoppers. Some call us crazy, but we don't care. We sit down with the ads. We plot, we plan, we discuss the best way to navigate the county in the dark of the night. In response to this limping economy, many stores opened up much earlier than before. It was a little trickier, but I am happy to report ~ SUCCESS!!
For the first time ever, we enlisted a driver (thanks, Pa!) and it really helped. In the past, he has shaken his head and thought we were crazy to do this, but after last night, he knows we are crazy!! He and Amber left me off at 5pm in front of Toys R Us as they sped off to Old Navy. I was second in line behind a charming man with two little girls. (Yes, I could tell you most of his life story and will be friend requesting him on Facebook today!!) Did I mention that the store did not open until 9pm?!?! That means I waited for four hours in line. Amber had a very long list for this store. We decided to "divide and conquer", so we each had an assignment of what to go after first. Pa, elevated from driver to semi-willing participant, was told to head straight to bikes in the back of the store. Amber headed to electronics for buy one-get one free games. I had four games on my list and, of course, they were spread throughout the store. Cell phones come in handy when you are part of a mob scene.
We entered the store at 9:02pm and were walking to the car at 9:28pm with EVERYTHING that was on the list! The savings tally was in the hundreds of dollar range. The prices are only part of why we do this. We have made some fantastic memories together over the last seven years, and that would be the case if we were asleep in our beds. Many sentences start with, "Remember that time in Target..." = PRICELESS!!
P.S. the photo above was taken by an OC Register reporter last night because we were at the front of line. The caption in the paper reads:
Second in line, Susan Svoboda of North Tustin, waits with line with her daughter, Amber Riley, for the doors to open Thursday night at 9 p.m. at the Toys-R-Us at The Market Place in Tustin as the toy store gets a jump on Black Friday. "Good deals, good prices, been here since 5 o'clock," said Susan when asked why she was in line, "three grand children, wanting to make them happy."
Enough said!!

Turkey Trot

I have always wanted to do a Turkey trot on Thanksgiving, but have not made it to one yet. Last night I said I was going to run my own Turkey Trot and the girls said they wanted to run with me. In true Jack style, he proclaimed, "I don't like turkey!!" I figured they'd forget about it, but, no they asked right away this morning about when we were running.
So, first we stretched a bit in the driveway.
Then, off we were!! Running the mean streets of North Tustin!

Abbey walked/ran, but held her own. She is determined not to be outdone by her older sister!

We even "ran" from their house to my house and they made it the whole way, with Pa following us in the car in case someone got tired. It was the best Turkey Trot EVER!! Here I am with my beautiful "medals". Love Maddy's headband!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

My Videits

They only a know a world where everything is a finger touch away!
Good or bad (or a little of each), it's here to stay.
They're quick, they're smart & they just want to play!
So, move over grammie & get out of their way!!

Life

I can't tell you how many times I have told my daughter, "Life is messy." It's not my line, but one borrowed from the movie "Parenthood" (circa 1989). The movie is one of my favorites because it is so real. Things happen. People are disappointed. It's not how you planned it. It all seems more "Plan B" than "Plan A". But, guess what? It's okay! In fact, it's more than okay, it's grand! This wonderful sign reminds us that, not only is life messy, but that messiness is what gives it it's color, it's fun, it's adventure. We wouldn't have it any other way!

Two Ingredients

I would not have believed this if I didn't try it myself. Yes, just TWO ingredients, a boxed spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin turned into these delicious pumpkin muffins! No eggs, no oil, no water!! Just mix the two things together and bake!!
I made them in the Babycakes machine because the kids love the small size.

Kid tested. Kid approved! I couldn't get a photo of Maddy's because she ate it so fast!!

The Crew

Oh, my how their personalities emerge!!
Maddy = the always ready to pose actress
Jack = really too cool for this
Abbey = I'm here. I'm standing still. That's all you get!!
I love them all so very much!!!

Happy Ending

This blog is a P.S. to my blog dated November 10th. If you read it, you know that I had a terrible day because I lost both the charms from my Nike Women's Half Marathons. To say the least, I was inconsolable. Whenever I told someone new the story, I started crying again, even days after it happened.
One charm was actually found at Starbucks, a miracle to say the least, but this year's never turned up. I am happy to report that my wonderful son, who has a heart as big as his body even if he works at hiding it, went on Ebay, found the necklace, entered the auction, won the auction and presented me with an early Christmas present yesterday. Now, this charm represents a whole lot more than just a half marathon. It represents love and caring and wanting to make someone happy. It means so much. Thank you, Tyler!
Oh, and, I put both charms on a much better chain! Lesson learned!

Chapters

People often refer to their life in "chapters". "Well, I guess this is the next chapter of my life." etc. Being an avid book reader, I can totally relate to this sign. So often, we stew about the past or worry about the future, that we fail to ever "be here now". It's not an easy concept to master. Try as we might to avoid thinking about it,we are often plagued by thoughts of regret for things we did (or didn't do) from our past. Logically, it is a waste of time. The past IS past! Today, here and now, is where our head and hearts need to be. Today, we still have the potential to be the kind of person we want to be. Today, we can figure out how to tackle life's challenges. Today, we can stop and be thankful for the gift that this day is. Today, we can try, once again, to be who and what we know is deep inside of us.
Another chance...don't waste it.

Wishes

A few years ago, I tied a wishbone to every gift with a note that said, "We WISH you a Merry Christmas!". My poor family had to eat whole chickens a LOT that year to collect enough wishbones! It was kind of fun, though. It seemed that most every week there was one drying on my window sill in the kitchen. I still have a hard time just throwing them away with the rest of the carcass.
It got me thinking about wishes and how they change when you get older. Try as we might to be otherwise, adulthood and life have a way of beating the wishes right out of you. Day to day tasks and demands can push your wishes even further from your mind. Who has time to wish for something when there is so much to do?! Wishes become silly in a life that seems, so often, serious. Disappointment squelches our wishes even more. No wonder wishes take a backseat to reality.
Well, I, for one, am going to start making wishes on a regular basis. I promise myself to make at least one wish a day ~ big or small, silly or sincere. The power is in believing that wishes do come true and as long as we keep believing, anything is possible.
Just wishin'....and I hope you do too!

Five Years Ago

Cleaning out my desk, I discovered this little gem of an email from my daughter dated five years ago today. My husband, aka "Pa", watched the kids one day a week so Amber could work. Anyone who knows him will tell you, Pa is an awesome grandpa. However, he does not run a tight ship. He prefers to just hang out with the kids, do what they want, when they want and how they want. This, surely, is one of the reasons they adore him.
For reasons unknown at the time, I printed and saved this funny email. It seems fitting to share it now. Five years later, Maddy is potty trained and Jack no longer wishes to be held 24/7. Our family even has an additional member we didn't know would make it all so complete. The lesson is, what sometimes seems to be a huge issue or problem, generally works itself out over time, whether we worry about it or not!

Heartache

I have run the last two years in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. This year's race was especially hard for me. The hills were not kind to this old body. At the end of the race, each finisher is presented with a beautiful, blue Tiffany box. Inside is a necklace that is made especially for the race. They are medals of honor among runners. Most women put all of the charms from each race on one chain and wear them together. When I got home last month, I proudly did the same thing. I have worn it nonstop since I received it. Sadly, I looked down today and saw the chain only on my shirt ~ the two charms were gone. I burst into tears and was inconsolable. These were earned necklaces, not bought. I had done a million errands today, as always. Retracing my steps seemed fruitless. I called Target and asked if anyone had turned in silver charms. I was crying so hard on the phone, the poor man who answered was upset he couldn't help me. He said to call back tomorrow as they find a lot of things when the store closes. I went to Michaels and asked the same thing. Again, crying in front of the sales clerk, I explained it had no value to anyone but me. She, too, was sorry she couldn't help. I went into Starbucks and, again, asked about the charms. My crying was so intense, not only were the clerks trying to look but a couple of customers did also. Lo and behold, there was the charm from last year on the ground under the counter. We searched and searched for the other one, but it was not there. I know I should be happy to have found one of the two, but I am still so sad. I cried myself all over Tustin today. My heart is still broken for what is lost.
Oh, I can BUY one on Ebay for $150 to $200!!! How can I justify spending that kind of money on something that only matters to me? So, so sad...

Good Enough

Been busy and not blogging these last few days. My daughter and son-in-law took off for a much needed getaway and I have been watching the three beauties. I wish I had some really funny story about how crazy it has been, but the truth is, they are getting older and I run a tight ship. It was a pretty drama free four days. Now, there are three of them, so it was hectic, but no really ugly moments.
I ran across this sign this morning and it made me think about mothering my own children and all the times I felt I had failed miserably. We mothers are the best at beating ourselves up over what we said, what we failed to say, what we did or what we failed to do. We see our shortcomings as a technicolor movie and our successes as black and white snapshots. It is a stilted view to say the least. I guess that is why this little saying made an impression on me. Yes, we fail as mothers. Yes, we fall short many times over the decades it takes to grow our children into adults. Yes, we would often like a "do over". Truth be told, most of us have done a pretty decent job. While never quite achieving perfection, we have often hit a home run at "good".
And good, is good enough. We must never forget that fact!!
And it counts for grammies as well!

Balance

Boy, this really hit me when I saw this cool plate. Simple words that ring so true in my life. I am not sure which is harder ~ holding on or letting go. I am still holding on to a few things that I know are not getting me what I really want from life. Letting go is the right answer, it is just a hard one to enact. Being the controller that I am, I want to be the to ultimate hold on or let go dictator. The reality of it is, however, rather than me holding or letting go of many situations, they are holding me. What is that saying, "What we resist, persists!"
This blog holds no answers. It just reminds me, once again, to try and find balance, in my life, in my work, in my relationships, in my joy and in my sorrow.

November

I have been putting this sign out front for more Novembers than I can count and each time it gives me a chuckle. I guess it reminds us that there are always two sides to any story. While we all love the thought of Thanksgiving and gathering together over a bountiful meal, from the turkey's point of view, it seems a lot less appealing! Hence his request to try ham!!
I am going to use this silly sign to remind myself this month to try and see other people's point of view. It is so easy to discount others in favor of taking a stand on what we believe is true or right or important. I am going to let go a little more and just let life happen. Too often I am steering so hard to make things go the way I want them to, that I lose sight of the fact that they usually turn out just fine anyway. Whether it is in a straight line or a meandering, curvy line, we still end up where we are supposed to be in this life.