You Will Also Channel Your Mother

Nov 302011
 

Since Nichole has 2 daughters, she is faced with the same rules that I had when raising 2 daughters:  you must remember and recite the Mommy Mantra.

Now if you have children, you know (or soon will know) that this is a requirement of every Mom because there is one constant when raising children:  they will fight.

Not only will they fight, they will pick on each other.

They will also tease one another in ways that only siblings can.

And above all else, they will test your patience.

And to top that off, when they are done fighting and testing your patience and you feel that you are at your wit’s end, they will come up to you, look up at you with those beautiful eyes and say, “Mommy, I love you.”

And your heart will melt.

And you will pull them close, hug them and kiss them and all will be right with the world.

For exactly 2 seconds.

And it will start all over again, and not end until… well, quite possibly never.

It is at those moments when you are required to recite your Mantra:  “I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids.”

It’s in the Mommy Handbook, between the chapters on How to Heal a Booboo and Checking for Monsters Under the Bed:  Five Steps to Sweet Dreams.

But believe me, you won’t have to earmark that page, you’ll have it memorized pretty quick.

Welcome Home Old Friend

Nov 292011
 

It has been 8 years since we have had a Christmas tree in the house (long story) and even though Rick has mentioned getting one a few times, the idea has always been nixed (because of long story).

But this year that spell was broken and we got one.  And in true Rooney fashion, we can’t just get your old run of the mill, ordinary, “standard size” tree.  No, Rick decided that we needed to utilize the cathedral ceiling that we have in the house with a tree that was a little “taller.”

Don’t let this photo fool you.  His car may not seem that big, but that tree is hanging another 3 feet past the back of it.

And  It  Was  Heavy!

So after getting a foot cut off and spending a night in the garage (the tree, not Rick) in a bucket of water, it was time for it to be placed on it’s pedestal in the living room.

This was the perfect time to get the tree, because the kids were visiting and I had help!  And boy did I need it.  We used every single ornament I had collected over the past 30 years.

Now to give you a perspective of how tall this thing is, the ladder that Nichole is standing on is 8 feet, and the top of the tree is another 2 feet past that.

The only other person I know that gets a tree taller than ours is my SIL Roxy.  Hers Is Gorgeous!!!

Thanks girls for all of your help last weekend!  It was fun to take a trip down memory lane with all the ornaments.  There sure are a lot of stories that go with them.

The house has the fresh scent of pine and we are enjoying the twinkling lights that dance in the branches.

Now I just have to keep the darn thing alive until everyone gets up here for Christmas!

And I’d Though I’d Seen It All

Nov 272011
 

Pop quiz time, kids.

The tire is in the kitchen sink because:

A. It was too big to fit in the dishwasher.

B. It was holding down the Thanksgiving turkey that needed to thaw.

C.  It’s the best way to check for leaks.

If you answered C, you are correct.  Seems this little fella wasn’t holding air and needs to be fixed before it can go back to work on the snowblower.

So, what strange things have you come upon in your kitchen sink?

A Day Late

Nov 252011
 

I always let my kids dictate when holidays will be celebrated.  Because they have families of their own, rarely do these types of days fall on the actually holiday day.

And that’s OK with me.  That just means I get to spend more relaxing time with them, and they are not all hustle and bustle to get to other places.  I always hated to be at 3 different places at once when I was younger… pleasing everyone except myself.  I said goodbye to that crap years ago.

Why did I just get a picture of Maxine in my head?

I had today’s post already done yesterday afternoon.  It was beautiful.  Gorgeous, even.  I had pictures, witty commentary.

But as you know, even the best laid plans can go kablooey at the last minute.  And did they ever around 10 pm last night with a text from oldest saying they couldn’t make it.  Hey, I understand, things come up that are unavoidable.  Sh*t happens.  We move on.

While it will only be Nichole and the girls joining us, I am still going to be cooking the big spread that I had planned.

I sure hope their hungry, because I have enough food to feed an army!

 

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Gobble Gobble

Nov 242011
 

To quote one of my favorite characters from Charlie Brown: ” Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. We should just be thankful for being together.”

And just because I just can’t resist another blast from the past for the holiday, I bring you the following.