Tortillas

Sometimes, I miss home.  A lot.  But not just home, not just my family, but simply, how it used to be.  When this hits... I make tortillas.  And of course, my tortillas don't come out nearly as round as my grandma's, but the girls don't mind.  They love making their own, too, the way I used to when I was a kid.

The best part is for about an hour while I work on dinner, I can picture my grandma's hands kneading the tortilla dough; I can smell my great grandma's kitchen; I can hear my mom's and my sister's laughs as we all chatted at the table; I feel connected.  Just for a little while.

Eviction Notice

Recently, I have realized that I have merely been renting this current life, and apparently, my lease is almost up.  Perhaps, it's always been month to month, and I was just clueless... 
As the day draws nearer, I wonder what direction my life will take next. 

And I wonder how grueling the eviction process will be.

my wish list

• answers
• solutions
• a mental vacation
• a magic pill to fix the hurt
• complete faith

What's my age again?

I love sharing things Miss Dainty says with family and friends on facebook, hopefully giving them a chuckle.  I realized today, though, that I can't remember some of the things she's said in the past, and I want to put them in a more permanent place.  So, I've decided to post them here as well.  Here's the first.  I'll hopefully remember some things from the past and add them, too.

I made a simple dinner of tomato soup and grilled "cheese" sandwiches, and I told the girls, "I used to love when Grandma would make this for me."  Miss Dainty said, "When you were a kid?! ...  How do you remember so long ago?"
!!!???!!! 
0_o

Over Thinking

This morning after sleeping soundly (but unfortunately for not long enough,) I heard the baby yelling for me.  My eyes did not want to open.  I stayed up too late last night finishing a book, and yet, even if I hadn't finished it, I would have laid there awake regardless.

I wondered what day it was.  Is that sad?  I lose track of days when my schedule is not packed.  I remembered that it was Friday.  Nothing to do on Friday.  Good.  That's how I wanted it.  We did something yesterday anyway, and we have something planned for Saturday. 

I thought a day of nothing would be good.  But I forgot one important thing:  I can never do nothing.  Even when I try, my brain is constantly going.  And I over think things.

I think of things forgotten.  Of disregarded goals.  Of undone to-do lists.  Of the future and its many possibilities.  Of ideas that never came to fruition.  Of things that should be but aren't and may never be. 

And I miss the one with whom I would normally share these over thought thoughts of mine.

Motivation, my dear, you are encouraged to return at your earliest convenience.  Doing nothing is not good for me.

Maybe I just need another cup of coffee...  =)

2010 Life Stuff

I started this blog late in the year, after a long time of not posting at my old one, and I'm a little sad that I stopped.  I keep trying to remember the things we did this past year, and I really wish I had written it all down.  I'm glad I've started blogging again, even if it's just for that in the end.  But I know it's not.  I've already made new friends because of it.  =)

Last year, like any other, we had ups and downs.  Here's a very brief list:

• I learned how to knit.
• I received my Associate's degree (finally.)  I got in in business administration, although, I know that if I end up going for my bachelor's it will be for something different.
• We lost my stepdad unexpectedly in April.  It was and is hard.  Thankfully, we were able to go home to be with my mom.
• Miss Dainty finished her year of ballet.  We decided not to put her in again for several reasons.
• I continued to deal with my anxiety, and made a lot of progress over the summer with the support of my summer small group.
• Miss Dainty joined Girl Scouts instead, and I must say it is a much better match for our family.
• We dealt with Mr Hub's ship schedule, in and out, in and out all year.  It was challenging, but the girls handled it fairly well.
• For the first time ever, I led a small group Bible study at church.  It was definitely a challenging new experience, but at the same time, it was very rewarding.  I've made some wonderful friendships, and grew so much.
• I fell in love with my husband all over again.
• We reached 3 years of being vegan.
• Baby D learned to talk.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  

I know 2011 will be just as challenging, if not more so, but we have God on our side.  So, I'm keeping faith that we will get through the hard times, and I'm really looking forward to the good times.  (Plus, blogging about them should be fun...)

Happy New Year Everyone!

I got an award!

My Captivating Images awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award. She is such a sweetheart, and I really enjoy her blog, too!  She is a wonderful photographer, and her posts are inspiring.  This was such a surprise to me, especially since I haven't been blogging here for very long.  =)  Thanks!

Rules for accepting the stylish blogger award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who sent you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this on to 13 other wonderful bloggers.
4. Contact the selected bloggers and tell them about their award.

So, without further ado, 7 Things About Me:

1.  If I can't find a pair of socks, it is not beyond me to grab two very mismatched ones and wear them anyway.  (My most memorable instance of this was a yellow spongebob sock and a red "Talk Nerdy to Me" sock... no one was supposed to see them, but Mr Hubs noticed...)
2.  Diamonds are not my best friend... kitchen appliances, cookbooks, and knitting supplies are.  (And thankfully, my husband knows this.)
3.  I wish I was more creative.  I'm good at following a pattern or replicating something I like, but to actually create something that is all my own... not so much.  Although, I guess I truly haven't tried much either.
4.  I can read a cookbook like a fiction novel, cover to cover.
5.  I am at opposite ends spiritually from where I was when I was younger.  I grew up as an apathetic Catholic.  Now my heart and my passion rest in Jesus.  I have a peace that I never knew was even possible, and it makes me happy.
6.  I met Mr. Hubs when I was 15, and I knew I was going to marry him.
7.  I love the idea of gardening and growing your own food.  You know, the whole self sustaining backyard farm idea.  Unfortunately, I can barely keep ivy alive.  The only plant I've ever had success with is basil.  Someday, I hope to get better at this.

Well, I don't have a big blogroll since I just started back up with blogging, but these blogs are still special to me.  I love stopping by.  So, here are the bloggers I've chosen.  A few haven't posted in a while, maybe this will gently nudge them.  =)

1.  California to Sicily
2.  Creative Disaster
3.  The Thomas Motherload
4.  Through His Eyes
5.  November Babies Plus 1
6.  Life of the Perfectly Flawed
7.  Our Daily Minutiae
8.  The Clayton Family
9.  Snapshots of My Reality
10. Craft Junkie

My Birthday Festivities

I had a great day on my birthday.  Really, it wasn't an out of the ordinary day, but I enjoyed it just the same.  The night before, we carved pumpkins.  Well, Miss Dainty and her daddy carved pumpkins.  Baby D just played with the stringy, squishy pumpkin guts.  I roasted pumpkin seeds and helped Baby D with her pumpkin... mouse?  Whatever it was, it was adorable.  The girls had a lot of fun.

The day of, we went to church which was great, as usual.  Then we had our normal lunch.  And then... I came home, relaxed, and knit, knit, knit, oh and drank coffee with Silk Pumpkin Spice added in.  Everyone I know has been talking about their Pumpkin Spice creamer and how awesome it is, so I decided I'd get the vegan pumpkin spice soymilk and see what all the excitement was about.  I have to admit, it was pretty tasty in my coffee.

So these were my gifts/splurges for my birthday.  The circular needle set, I bought while Mr. Hubs was underway.  He had no idea what he got me for my birthday!  (Thanks sweetheart!)  A new cookbook filled with Indian yummy goodness!  And the Fall KnitScene magazine, which was a haphazard find in my Walmart.  I'm always look for knitting magazines in the magazine section (gasp!) because you'd think that's where they'd be.  Well, I never found them.  Not once.  Until now, I was looking for something in their (teeny tiny) craft section, and lo and behold what did I find strewn across the bottom of the shelf!?  Knitting magazines!  Forgotten, apparently, because they were supposed to have been taken off the shelf already.  Lucky for me, though, I suppose, because I loved reading it, and I really want to make that hooded sweater on the cover.  Oh, and the work in progress is my very first attempt at using double pointed needles.  I'm now half way done with that project, and I love it!  Too bad I can't share a picture, since it's a Christmas present.

Later in the evening, we took the girls to a local church's Fall Festival.  They had tons of games, tons of candy, and the girls had a blast!  I'm not quite sure what they were supposed to be.  Miss Dainty designed their costumes, heh.  She said she was a Bunny Fairy Princess.

So it was a great family day.  The rest of my present was my ticket to the Women's Retreat this weekend, put on by my church.  It will be my first retreat and I'm so excited!