Successful Party

"Hey, go pick on somebody on your own Size!!"

Thank you all so much for your Birthday Greetings to our son. It was a very fun and energetic party for his 11th birthday. The kids had a blast jousting, bouncing around, and drinking and eating large quantities of junk food. My husband and I actually got to sit down and chat with a few of the parents. Both the boys said it was a great party and there is no harsher critic than a 13 y/o, so I will take that as an unqualified success. Our dog, Charley had the time of his life in the bounce houses and playing with the kids all day. He is quite the friendly host. He didn't want to wake up this morning for his walk, he was zonked.



This party completes our troika of entertaining. (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday Party, gee, that's a lot of pots, pans, and dishes!!). The smiles and enjoyment of the children makes it all so worthwhile and memorable.

11 years ago today

Eleven years ago today, we welcomed our second son into the world. Sometimes I look at him and I can't believe he's mine. I then realize, he's not mine, he is so much his own person. A kind, compassionate, smart, funny, and talented young man, a loving son, brother, and friend. I am so proud of him and thankful he is part of our family. He makes me laugh when he practices the piano "in the buff" and whistles while he does his homework. He answers most questions with the answer, "Good".

"How was school today?" "Good."
"How was soccer practice?" "Good."
"How are you doing after wiping out on the bike ramp?" "Good."

He pronounces "Hotel" like "Ho-Towel" and loves tortilla chips with cream cheese. He always ends up wearing his condiments, especially after eating ketchup.

His dad and I love him more each day. His older brother too.

Swag Shoutouts in Blogland

Who says The Sun.dance Film Festival has all the swag? The celebs should check out these delightful give aways from my blog buddies:

I just received two Preppy Travel Mugs I had ordered from Monogram Chick. They are just beautiful and I am so happy and proud to give these gifts to my friends. I clicked over to her blog to thank her and she is hosting a give away of this great travel mug. So, please join in the fun if you would like to tote the hot or cold beverage of your choice in this stylish mug. We can both win a great mug if you let her know I sent you, thank you so much.



Got a case of the blahs? Dear Annie is hosting a give away of goodies to chase away the mid winter blues. It will be a basket of warm and wonderful delights to soothe the senses. So, please stop by her "Writer's Lair" if you would like a chance to win.



And last, but certainly not least, my dearest Ashley is a talented artist who makes personalized signs and is giving away an eye catching one at her blog. Again, please click on over if you would like to check this out.

I really enjoy and appreciate their creativity and generosity. I hope you will too.

Blog Housekeeping/Virtual Baby Shower

I am woefully behind in some very important "blog housekeeping" including the acknowledgement and dispensing of some cool awards from a couple of new blog acquaintenances, Tara at Too Much Information and Maricris at Zen Ventures. They are both warm and engaging bloggers and I am happy for the opportunity to get to know them through their blogs and receive an award from each. Yowzah!

I am new to blogging and the ideas of Blog Awards, Memes, feed burners, visit counts, etc. (Can't you tell I'm a newbie by my layout? Some folks have a layout that rivals Homes and Gardens Magazine. I tried a snazzier layout btw, but it was too distracting to my slightly ADD self, I just couldn't cope. Call me simple minded if you like, when I'm ready to rock out my digs, I'll let you know.)

Anyway, I am very flattered to receive any acknowledgement and was thinking this would be cool to do IRL. Give someone a button (like the one they wear on their collar) and tell them, "I think you're Great". Now on to our virtual awards-

The first award, The "Encouraged" Award, is from Tara. The "Encouraged" Award is for bloggers who encourage and support each other. This acknowledgement from Tara means alot to me. Tara is a sweet, smart, and devoted mother of a very special young lady, Chloe, who in turn inspires me. This award shows how bonds can develop across cyperspace through our comments and posts. Thank you so much, Tara (and Chloe). I find all my bloggers very encouraging and want to acknowledge and encourage all who stop by to please "grab the button and go". (Well, you could leave a comment and you don't have to just go, I mean you could stick around as long as you like...)




This next award is from Maricris of Zen Ventures and it is a quartet of awards including:


The Proximity Award
One Lovely Blog Award
Lemonade Award
Friends Award

The rules for this delightful assortment of awards is that there are No Rules, No Instructions, again just please help yourself.

Last, but not least, I would like to invite you to a "Virtual Baby Shower" for a long time blog friend, Kimbosue who is expecting her first child with her husband, Dean, this spring. Kimbosue is very special, funny, and kind and is the reason I got off my bum and started a blog. Please click over to "Kimbosue's Baby Shower" blog if you would like more information or if you have ideas or input. I thank you and I'm very privileged and delighted to play hostess to my friend and hope you can join us.

What's New with You?

A bloggy friend, dear Mrs.Spit asked what's new with her readers, so because I am absent of any profound philosophical thinking, I thought I would shamelessly steal this topic for today. So here goes, this is what's new with me:

It's raining here, Yeah!!!! Yes, this is a wonderful thing in a desert climate that only gets 12 inches of rain per year (frequently less). Relentless sunshine and cloudless blue skies can be boring. It is wonderful to hike the local mountains and see the seasonal streams and wildflowers after the rain.

I took a hike yesterday at "The Beast" in Whitney Canyon, part of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. I went with my cousin and a friend and we had a great chat in addition to doing the "butt buster". (Super steep climb that tightens the buns like no other exercise.)

Also, yesterday I had to give our dog, Charley an "emergency bath", he rolled around in some incredibly foul and horrible excrement, probably his own. He smelled so bad, even the 13 y/o boys were complaining about the dog's noxious scent.

I have some shopping to do to get ready for our youngest son's 11th birthday party this weekend. We are having about a dozen boys and dozen grown ups over to celebrate and enjoy the "Jousting" and the "4 in 1 Bouncehouse". Plus, a cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, and my husband's incredibly delicious Con Queso Dip. I am making a Red Velvet cake with buttercream frosting, (birthday boy's request.)

I have to muck out my house, I mean, clean my house before the party. Thank goodness for a cleaning service.

Oh, yeah, I have to work to pay for all this! So, off to work I go, to solve the world's problems one patient at a time.

So, what's new with you?

Participant in History

I was moved to tears many times during the Inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President of these United States of America. (Including when I first saw Arethra Franklin's hat, or was that an escaped float from the parade?)

I was touched by seeing all our living retired Presidents and the outgoing President provide an honorable and peaceful transition. I told our boys how incredible and special this is, to have a transition of power without bloodshed and that this is not taken for granted across our southern borders in Mexico. Tears streamed down my face when I felt the impact of an individual who was considered "3/5" of a human when the U.S. Constitution was written, now holds the highest office in the land, well, it took my breath away. Anyone who has felt the sting of prejudice for any reason (and that means everybody) has reason to celebrate the election of a Biracial Commander In Chief.

It is wonderful to be part of this challenging and celebratory moment in history. It's been a long time since we as a nation's people or citizens of the world celebrated together. It seems that the only things that have united people have been disasters, like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. We do have disasters on our hands, the financial meltdown, healthcare crisis, environmental degradation, you name it. But I felt a lightening of these burdens as I felt a sense of togetherness and hope for a better day.

Lincoln's Inauguration Meal

Greetings on Inauguration Day of the 44th President of the United States. Today, I am participating in a Bloggy Inauguration Tour sponsored by Muse Swings. I hope you enjoy the tidbits and treasures of history about the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. Thank you for stopping by.



Menu of Lincoln's Inaugural dinner

Barack Obama will be sworn into office on Tuesday -- just weeks before the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Obama's inaugural theme, "A New Birth of Freedom," has, fittingly, been drawn from his fellow Illinoisan's Gettysburg Address, and he's supposed to be sworn in using Lincoln's own Bible. The inaugural menu is based on what supposedly were some of Lincoln's favorite foods, and even the inaugural china is a replica of that used in the Lincoln White House. Despite these connections, let's hope that Obama's inaugural meal does not duplicate Lincoln's first, which turned into a food fight.

Lincoln's inaugural committee had planned a lavish midnight buffet for the inaugural ball: terrapin stew, leg of veal, beef à l'anglais, foie gras, pâté, cream candies, fruit ices, tarts, cakes and more. The venue was the Patent Office, which had two spacious halls for dancing and dining. The buffet was set out in a corridor where patent models were displayed.

When the grand supper was announced, after several hours of dancing, the crowd rushed the table and people began grabbing, pushing and stuffing themselves shamelessly. In a matter of minutes, the sumptuous buffet was a shambles -- as were several of the patent exhibits.

From the Los Angeles Times