Annual Valentines Party

When our girls were very young, we started having holiday parties and establishing annual family celebrations.  We have found the creative side of ourselves while making each gathering special in its own way with traditions and activities our family can enjoy as we spend time together.

Each year my oldest daughter (now 13) has taken on more and more of the responsibilities of putting together our annual family Valentine's Day party. 

And each year she has tailored it more & more to become her own ideas as well as traditions that she has incorporated. 

One year she spent an entire afternoon creating "Val-opoly" which is a fabulous game of fun, and incorporates lots of hugs and kisses into the mix! Notice the pink dice, pink, red, & purple "money", homemade heart shaped player pieces, properties full of "sweet things", a landing spot to get a hug & $5, and even a "ticket to love" which will cost you $75!

 

Somehow when they were small I started them trying to pick up the little Sweetheart candies with chopsticks and it is now an annual battle against the clock to hold the title of Sweetheart Champion!

 

This year she has done lots of cutting and coloring to use for decorations and even gave me special candlesticks for Christmas so we could use them at our "dress-up" dinner.

She decided she wanted to make heart shaped brownies for our special dessert and did all the baking and cleanup herself. Now THAT is really sweet!

She also designed special invitations for each of us as well as wristbands for entry and instructions on what to wear! The wristbands used a special invisible ink pen which she "validated" when we arrived - what appeared were our names and a heart or diamond or club or spade. (This was used as a clue to one of the games she had us play later...)

 

She was very pleased when we all arrived dressed properly, with our invitation and wristband, ready for a lovely dinner party!

She had a guessing game ready for us on the buffet called the "Jar O' Hearts". Daddy won with his guess of 147 as there were 146 hearts in the jar!

She had 2 fun crafts for us to do. The first was to create a Valentine mobile with pipe cleaners. She had the supplies all ready and ribbons cut, beads in a heart dish and had made one the night before so she knew how it would work. A very fun project and they all turned out fabulous! Decorations for next years party!

The second craft was to create fish using hearts for scales on a paper plate. She had the hearts precut and colored, the google eyes, plates, and extra markers glue scissors and paper ready so we could just sit back and be creative. I was so impressed. This one was fun as well!

After crafts, (and major cleanup help from Daddy!) we played the final game of the night. Of course it would have to be a full round of Hearts! The girls are fun to play cards with now as they actually have strategies. We were all loud, laughing, giggling, and overall having a blast.

We all enjoyed the party very much and let her know how much we appreciated all of her work. At the end of the night, even the dog was exhausted but happy! It was a great family evening! Happy Valentines Day 2014!

Operation Christmas Child

This was such a fun activity! I must say I really enjoyed it as much as the kids did or more! The idea of filling a shoe box with fun items - stocking stuffer type items - to benefit kids who may never see some of the things we take for granted and also have a chance to hear the gospel - this is a cause we are proud to stand behind

We will plan on contributing to this cause on an annual basis. The girls really enjoyed it!

Winning - After THE Call

As a breast cancer survivor, being under the supervision of a doctor is supposed to be a "normal" and regular part of my life. So this past week I began the process of finding a new physician and oncologist; beginning the process of blood work and X-rays to establish their records of my new post-cancer normal. Let me just say I dislike this.

Perhaps this is why I never "found" a doctor while we were in PA. Perhaps. Or maybe I just plain freaked out about the whole situation in some sort of a 4-year delay? Perhaps. Maybe I just didn't deal with it while it was all happening? Perhaps. I mean, you know my husband was gone for about 8 months of the 18 we lived there, right? Isn't that a good reason? Perhaps.

I know I have more respect for those with ongoing issues because of my own negative neuro-associations with the whole appointment process and the time to be seen by a specialist and the paperwork and the wait for results and the heartache. Oh, and the fear. Strike that. Terror. And ultimately, just making an appointment as a cancer survivor can, in my experience, be a true act of courage. The terror for me lies in the process - that I won't put on the "It's all good" face well enough - to put on a smile and say it is no big deal - just another Dr.'s appointment.

In reality, for me there is a  knee-buckling terror that beats in my heart because I have received the call before. You've heard about the call - you've listened to someone tell you about their call and silently praised all things holy it was them not you. "I'm so sorry to have to tell you, we found cancer" - that call. You remember - you felt guilty about being able to walk away from the whole situation and not have to deal with what they were about to go through. It's how you know without question that you don't can't truly understand.

Admittedly, the terror isn't really in the medical process for me. It is the realization that my body could have silently planned and carried out an uprising without my knowledge. A rebellion. Total betrayal. A dirty rotten traitor. I mean, if you can't be in charge of your own body - then how can you handle all the other things you are supposed to do and be responsible for? Your sense of direction and purpose come to a grinding halt and a new direction becomes just the next day, the next appointment, the next test, another call.

So, yes, willingly submitting myself to be in the process makes me catch my breath if I think about it too much. I know in my mind it is just a new doctor, just an appointment. I also know in the back of my mind I want to throw a 2-year old tantrum screaming I DON'T WANT TO GO! I know to just BREATHE DEEP in and out; that I can keep tears from spilling over by looking up and thinking of something else.  Ultimately it is me who determines and I refuse to be blind-sided by my body again. Which is why I met the doctor, went to the appointment, got a call to return for follow-up, and sat through the results recently. It is why I will go to see the referred oncologist and be diligent about knowledgeable care.

I am already a proven survivor. Strike that. I am living strong and healthy. My record is 1-0 in a 1-game series. I have already won.

Red, White, & Blue - Thank You.

There are those things in life that are guaranteed to bring tears to my eyes, give me goosebumps, and get me a bit choked up. Although I won't bore you with a complete list, today of all days I will talk about those in the patriotic realm. The red, white, and blue. Those that serve as a symbol of our freedoms, our rights, our liberty. Things that pertain to those who are still willing to serve - to put their life and liberty on the line for us. The documents that hold us accountable to the origins of this country.

I admit it. I tear up every single time the national anthem is played. Every time I see a soldier in uniform or a vet proudly wearing his hat I feel a rush of pride. And after I see one of those homecoming videos of returning troops do not expect me to be presentable. Every house displaying an American flag prominently always gets a second look from me and my respect without even knowing who lives there or anything about them. As a military spouse of over 20 years, I still feel a thrill when I enter the gates of a military base and in awe of those who are VOLUNTARILY serving for this country.

As I listened to the radio this morning and the voting polls were opening on the East coast, I was overcome with emotion. What an honor and a privilege: every single American citizen over the age of 18 has the potential for their voice to be heard. Inside I was cheering "Go America!" I have so much hope for our country and so much respect for those who are willing to serve as leaders. I am hoping those who grabbed hold of the right to vote, took it to heart, and passionately studied those they are supporting. I have become a very interested student of history over the past few years and realize what a difference every single American can make, let alone what a difference two to four years of decision making in a leadership role can make. It is both frightening and exciting.

Today I am thankful I live in a place where my emotions can be stirred in a positive way with the pride I feel in everything the United States of America stands for. I am thankful for a right to vote which is both a privilege and an honor to fulfill. I am grateful for a nation that has proven time and again it will come together in times of both victory and need. Red, white, and blue - thank you.

Thankful for Paths that Cross

 

After a full day of "take-down" on Friday, we got busy and after several trips to the storage unit have officially moved Christmas "in". Of course, moving it in and placing it in a decorative location are two very different tasks!

On Saturday, we had to deliver the fall decor and bring back 2 loads to the house. Of course, we needed to clear space in the garage, and also make a run to the Goodwill drop off station. 

       

The girls were invited to a birthday party so last minute gift shopping and wrapping had to fit in after clean up. Then we headed to a great place that had bowling, laser tag, arcade games, cafe, sports bar, ropes course, and free wifi! It was great fun and I was so glad to be there with them. You can check out the venue which has locations around the country here ==> http://www.mainevent.com 

Today I am reflecting on friends: the friendships I have been fortunate enough to have, and the friends my girls have made here in TX already. I am so thankful for the people who have crossed paths with us and allowed us to be a  part of their lives. Thank you.

Thankful for Traditions

Today was a work day at our house - we were taking down the fall decor and preparing the house for the Christmas transformation. This is no minor task in our home! The fall take down is an exciting time for us as we all know what that means - the house RE-DO is about to happen!

Really what happened is we boxed and wrapped and hauled and sweat like we were doing a major workout! We did get the fall boxes to storage and the first round of Christmas boxes brought to the house. We are all excited to find the perfect place for all our treasures in this new Texas home. It is always fun to decorate in a new place as all of our favorite things get a new home as well.

The Christmas transformation for us is when all of the wall hangings. the curio cabinets, the bedding and window coverings, and even more are taken down and then replaced with holiday decor. For us it is almost our "New Year" transformation - we all feel like we are starting fresh and have a new focus on family activities and fun traditions. We all look forward to this time of year!

So today I am thankful for traditions. Traditions - that started when I was growing up and surrounded every holiday with special family activities - which my husband has generously allowed me to incorporate into our home and family life. I am excited to embark on the 2012 version of those traditions and find out what new family memories are in store for us this year.

Thankfully Hopeful

As we enter this month that traditionally signifies thankfulness, it seemed to call out perfect timing to start your 30-day blog commitment! Of course, this was made late night on a day that I was feeling like a daily commitment to creativity had to be simple. I mean, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a column 6 days a week for thirty years or something outrageous on top of all of her other responsibilities, so surely I could commit to 30 days of daily posts on an obscure, probably never-to-be read blog, right?

So, I am going to use the best tools available to me for topics and ideas and this being November 1, it the obvious topic would be thankfulness. Being thankful conjures different emotions, triggers different thoughts, and evokes a variety of answers to the question, "What am I thankful for TODAY?". In this moment in time, in this situation of my life, with my reflection of the world around me, what am I choosing to be thankful for?

It seems I should tout all the big idea things, my life, my health, my family, this great nation in which I live, etc. I don't take those things lightly but what if I tried to think outside the proverbial box for a moment and went with a childlike view. I want to talk about just this moment. Right now I am a homeschool mom and sitting in a coop waiting while my most precious gifts - my 2 daughters - are having their worldview influenced by a science teacher, an art teacher, 2 PE teachers, a spanish teacher, and many other homeschooled middle school kids who we never met until 9 weeks ago. I am thankful for the opportunity. I am thankful for the instructors' willingness to serve. I am thankful we have been afforded the opportunity to take charge of guiding our children and determining who will influence and be a role model for them.

As I am thankful, I realize more than being thankful, I am hopeful. I am hopeful in my daily decisions - hopeful that I make good choices and better decisions. Hopeful that making a promise to myself to write daily is the start of something not just good for me but inspiring for my children. I hope to know myself better and in doing so to know them better. I hope to reach a point that my thankfulness so abundantly overflows into my hopefulness and joy that it can impact others in a great way. Is that "thankful enough"? It is my definition for the moment, for today, and for my heart it is enough right now. Blessings to you.