Alex is my great nephew and, I'm sure you will agree, is the most adorable baby ever! Well, besides my own of course.
Happy 1st Alex, your Aunt Lisa loves you!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
This one is for Kim....
Not the best picture, but this cardinal and I started our day together this morning. We had a brief conversation, brief because is was a bit one sided :) I thanked him for reminding me of a person I love and miss very much. Hope you had a wonderful day today too!
Your BFF,
Lisa
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Back to my obsession!
BK (before kids) I read all the time. In fact, I read so much, I remember Mark complaining about it when we were first married. But over the years and with the raising of two children, my book obsession took a back seat to real life.
Over the past couple of weeks and with the help of http://www.paperbackswap.com/, I have renewed my love of reading.
With the exception of the Twilight Book series, I really haven't done much reading since I was at the lake in July. But over the last few weeks I have read:
Memoirs of a Geisha which was a great "epic" novel detailing the life of a Geisha during the 1930's and 1940's and covering the period when we were at war with Japan.
I loved entering the mysterious world of the Geisha and about the Japanese culture and people. It's a great read but not when I would call a "light" read.
I just finished:
The Glass Castle. Excellent book! I read it in two days only because I started it at night and fell asleep reading. If I had started it in the morning I promise you nothing would have gotten done around my house that day. The book is that good!
It's the true story of Jeannette Walls childhood with her parents who refused to work and her brother and sister. While living in the most extreme poverty and enduring incredible neglect, Jeannette overcomes it all to be a successful writer for MSNBC. I highly recommend it!
Right now I'm reading:
On The Road. This is the book that inspired the Beat generation. It chronicles the life of the author as he travels North America in search of
self-knowledge and experience.
I've wanted to read this book for many years but for some reason it has just sat on my bookshelf gathering dust. While I wanted to read it just to see what all the fuss is about, it's not one that has gotten my attention like the Bill Bryson books have. The humor that Bryson uses in describing his travels make reading about the adventure more fun than On The Road. To me, On The Road is a more gritty read. But, like I said, I'm only about 1/2 way done. I'll save my final opinion for later.
While I don't normally like to read two books at once, I'm feeling the urge to reread my favorite book from last year:
I usually read my books then pass them on. Or, more recently, repost them on Paperbackswap. But this book is a keeper. It touched something in me.
It's a book about self-discovery and changing the direction of your life.
Maybe because I feel like my life is in transition with my boys growing up and leaving home, but I feel a connection with the author.
Whether you've ever experienced a major change in your life or even have had a desire to try something outside of your comfort zone, Eat, Pray, Love is a book every woman should read.
What about you? What good books have your read lately?
Over the past couple of weeks and with the help of http://www.paperbackswap.com/, I have renewed my love of reading.
With the exception of the Twilight Book series, I really haven't done much reading since I was at the lake in July. But over the last few weeks I have read:
Memoirs of a Geisha which was a great "epic" novel detailing the life of a Geisha during the 1930's and 1940's and covering the period when we were at war with Japan.
I loved entering the mysterious world of the Geisha and about the Japanese culture and people. It's a great read but not when I would call a "light" read.
I just finished:
The Glass Castle. Excellent book! I read it in two days only because I started it at night and fell asleep reading. If I had started it in the morning I promise you nothing would have gotten done around my house that day. The book is that good!It's the true story of Jeannette Walls childhood with her parents who refused to work and her brother and sister. While living in the most extreme poverty and enduring incredible neglect, Jeannette overcomes it all to be a successful writer for MSNBC. I highly recommend it!
Right now I'm reading:
On The Road. This is the book that inspired the Beat generation. It chronicles the life of the author as he travels North America in search ofself-knowledge and experience.
I've wanted to read this book for many years but for some reason it has just sat on my bookshelf gathering dust. While I wanted to read it just to see what all the fuss is about, it's not one that has gotten my attention like the Bill Bryson books have. The humor that Bryson uses in describing his travels make reading about the adventure more fun than On The Road. To me, On The Road is a more gritty read. But, like I said, I'm only about 1/2 way done. I'll save my final opinion for later.
While I don't normally like to read two books at once, I'm feeling the urge to reread my favorite book from last year:
I usually read my books then pass them on. Or, more recently, repost them on Paperbackswap. But this book is a keeper. It touched something in me.It's a book about self-discovery and changing the direction of your life.
Maybe because I feel like my life is in transition with my boys growing up and leaving home, but I feel a connection with the author.
Whether you've ever experienced a major change in your life or even have had a desire to try something outside of your comfort zone, Eat, Pray, Love is a book every woman should read.
What about you? What good books have your read lately?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A Belated Happy Easter
Yes, we are LOVING Ben's baseball mohawk......so much for taking senior pictures anytime soon. And no holiday photo op is complete without Ben and Mark making an Andy sandwich.
Hope your Easter was as blessed as ours!
Lisa
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009.....Really
I freely admit that the view off my deck has not looked like the photo in my sidebar for a couple of weeks.
Yesterday I meant to replace it with my current view but it was raining. And this morning I woke up to this view.
No really, I'm not kiddding, there is snow on the ground again!
I'm guessing the varsity baseball game is cancelled for tonight........
Yesterday I meant to replace it with my current view but it was raining. And this morning I woke up to this view.
No really, I'm not kiddding, there is snow on the ground again!
I'm guessing the varsity baseball game is cancelled for tonight........
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Man, A Truck and Ebay
This past week I found myself on a bit of an ebay kick. I bought two Cricut cartridges I've been wanting and a Cricut Tote Carrier. I got them all at a great price!
But it reminded me of how the "redneck" truck came into our possession and the hilarious story behind it.
A couple of winters ago Mark got a new car. He got the "man toy", a Saab convertible. It promptly went into storage that winter while he continued driving the Durango. In April of that year Ben got his drivers license and he inherited the Durangeo which meant Mark was now driving the Saab full time. All was well until winter came around again. That's when Mark declared that he couldn't drive the Saab in the wintertime. For goodness sake it might get wet!:) So he decided to look for a beater truck that he could pay cash for to drive in the wintertime. Besides, then we would have it to "haul stuff" when we needed to.
The other thing you must know about Mark is that while he works on a computer all day he really doesn't surf the internet. Ever. Not ever. So he knows nothing about wonderful sites like ebay.
So, I'm at work one day and Mark calls me and says his boss told him about ebay and he is just looking around and wondered if we have a password already set with them. Since I have been buying and selling on ebay for years, of course we do! He asked what it is, I gave it to him and THEN I asked if he was placing a bid. He said yes, I asked on what, and he said.........a TRUCK!!! Hellooooo, most people start small on ebay!
Long story short, Mark won his first and only ebay auction and was now the owner of a beater truck....soon to be called the redneck truck because of the lift kit, camaflouge seat covers, and the loudest muffler ever! I swear I could hear him pull into the subdivision's entrance at night.
The truck lived up to its reputation. We constantly had to have it towed in for repair. So much so that I was sure AAA was going to cancel us for taking unfair advantage of the towing package.
But the best story was the muffler fiasco. Mark put an extender on the muffler as a way of keeping the gas fumes from filling up the truck cab but also to try and muffle some of the noise. So one day Mark takes the redneck truck over to the high school parking lot just as school is letting out (I don't remember why) and just as Ben and his friends approach the truck, it backfires, and the extension on the muffler comes flying off! Now I still find that story funny to the point of laughing until my stomach hurts. However, a 17 year old boy does NOT! And Ben forever refused to drive that truck.
I did one time though. My sister-in-law and I where moving items for a garage sale from her house to mine and we used the truck. We tied down all the items in the back and began driving down Hickory Road. We looked so much like the Beverly Hillbillies that Raton took pictures of it. And since the seat was broken and I could barley reach the peddle with the tip of my big toe, I could only drive 20 miles an hour....no more. It gave all the other drivers plenty of time to laugh and point at us!
Sadly, the redneck truck died one time too many for Mark and he got rid of it right after Christmas this year. But that's not the end of truck buying for Mark. He bought another one. This one large and BRIGHT yellow. We call it the yellow submarine. And he bought it..........
.........
..........
from a dealer, his ebay days are OVER!
But it reminded me of how the "redneck" truck came into our possession and the hilarious story behind it.
A couple of winters ago Mark got a new car. He got the "man toy", a Saab convertible. It promptly went into storage that winter while he continued driving the Durango. In April of that year Ben got his drivers license and he inherited the Durangeo which meant Mark was now driving the Saab full time. All was well until winter came around again. That's when Mark declared that he couldn't drive the Saab in the wintertime. For goodness sake it might get wet!
The other thing you must know about Mark is that while he works on a computer all day he really doesn't surf the internet. Ever. Not ever. So he knows nothing about wonderful sites like ebay.
So, I'm at work one day and Mark calls me and says his boss told him about ebay and he is just looking around and wondered if we have a password already set with them. Since I have been buying and selling on ebay for years, of course we do! He asked what it is, I gave it to him and THEN I asked if he was placing a bid. He said yes, I asked on what, and he said.........a TRUCK!!! Hellooooo, most people start small on ebay!
Long story short, Mark won his first and only ebay auction and was now the owner of a beater truck....soon to be called the redneck truck because of the lift kit, camaflouge seat covers, and the loudest muffler ever! I swear I could hear him pull into the subdivision's entrance at night.
The truck lived up to its reputation. We constantly had to have it towed in for repair. So much so that I was sure AAA was going to cancel us for taking unfair advantage of the towing package.
But the best story was the muffler fiasco. Mark put an extender on the muffler as a way of keeping the gas fumes from filling up the truck cab but also to try and muffle some of the noise. So one day Mark takes the redneck truck over to the high school parking lot just as school is letting out (I don't remember why) and just as Ben and his friends approach the truck, it backfires, and the extension on the muffler comes flying off! Now I still find that story funny to the point of laughing until my stomach hurts. However, a 17 year old boy does NOT! And Ben forever refused to drive that truck.
I did one time though. My sister-in-law and I where moving items for a garage sale from her house to mine and we used the truck. We tied down all the items in the back and began driving down Hickory Road. We looked so much like the Beverly Hillbillies that Raton took pictures of it. And since the seat was broken and I could barley reach the peddle with the tip of my big toe, I could only drive 20 miles an hour....no more. It gave all the other drivers plenty of time to laugh and point at us!
Sadly, the redneck truck died one time too many for Mark and he got rid of it right after Christmas this year. But that's not the end of truck buying for Mark. He bought another one. This one large and BRIGHT yellow. We call it the yellow submarine. And he bought it..........
.........
..........
from a dealer, his ebay days are OVER!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Happy Birthday Ben
Yesterday Ben turned 18. And as he is so fond of reminding me, he is now considered an adult in many ways. He has been teasing me for weeks of all the things he can do when he turns 18....none of them good in my opinion! He can now buy tobacco, lottery tickets, get a tattoo, get piercings, rent porn and my favorite....buy a gun! Yicks....a mother's worst nightmare!
Teasing aside, I have seriously seen him mature and grow more responsible this year as he (and I) prepare for him to leave home in the fall. I was prepared to feel some sadness yesterday. Afterall, it's not easy watching your children grow up and realizing they will never be little again. I heard once that being a mother is like living with your heart outside your body for the rest of your life. An apt description I think.
What I wasn't prepared for yesterday was how proud I felt when looking at him. I remember on his first day of preschool the director, Mrs. Lennon, telling us how this was the first step of giving our children wings. The first letting go. And I remember sitting in that room and thinking "will I ever be ready to really let go?" And the answer is, not really. He may be 18 but he'll always be my child. I'm learning to step aside and let him make his own decisions and his own mistakes but I'll always be here to catch him if he falls. That's just what moms do.
Happy Birthday Ben. I love you with all my heart.
Mom
"Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, and wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them" - Jonas Salk
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