Top 5

Sunday was my b-day. After church our family headed up to Wisconsin Dells to spend the night at one of the resorts. They have these deals where the water park (indoor in our case) is included with the room. We had SO MUCH FUN!! Seriously, it was one of my top 5 birthdays of all time.

I was thinking about my past birthdays and these also come to mind as top 5..

BASEMENT PARTIES- My 5th b-day was a surprise party in my basement and that kicked off a strand of basement parties. I loved those- Hot Potato, Musical Chairs, Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Lots of fun.

DOUBLE SLUMBER PARTIES- My best friend in middle school had her birthday the day after mine. So we would have double birthday slumber parties. Pedicures, staying up late watching movies, Mama Lucia's pizza where the provel cheese sticks to the roof of your mouth, confessing which boys we thought were cute and the occasional going out to tp a neighbor.

SWEET 16- Another surprise b-day party to ring in that b-day. Of course this is a top 5, since sweet 16= drivers license.

ADULT B-days- Nothing really stood out to me. I do remember one birthday where I was in Athens, Greece in the morning and St. Louis that night.. it was the longest b-day ever with crossing time zones. But other than that, just your basic going out to eat with friends or stuff like that. So, not really top 5 material.

GET AWAYS- A few years ago I decided that I like quality time and traveling, so that is what I wanted for my b-day. Chris and I took a trip to Nashville for my b-day and had a blast. That settled it, no more parties.. trips for me.

FAMILY FUN- I remember growing up I would ask my parents what they wanted for b-day or Christmas and they would always say, "All I want is to be with my family". I kind of thought that was a lame answer. (I also remember my dad always got stuck with lame gifts like handkerchiefs and wallets because he never specified what he wanted as a gift.) Well, now I am a mom and that is what I want for my b-day... to be with my family. Having fun with my family at the resort was the best birthday gift. Top 5 all the way!

Cool One Minute, Uncool the Next

This evening I felt like a cool mom. I let Liliana "help Mommy" make some banana bread.
This actually translates to , "dump flour on the counter and make a mess."

She was entertained for about 45 minutes just doing that. It was worth the 25 cents of wasted flour that ended up on the floor and it made me feel like the cool mom that lets her kid get messy and have fun.

However, I did have an uncool moment earlier today. We have a neighbor, James, who we have known for the past 10 months. We always stop to talk to him and we have even given him pastries. Well, it turns out James isn't James.. his name is John.
Yes, quite embarrassing.

I guess the cool factor only lasts so long with me.

St Patrick's Day Fun

We had a fun St Patrick's party with some friends- good food, Irish music and of course green clothes.







I'm glad I married an Irish man. Chris' hair is dark brown but his facial hair is red. So there is no denying his Irish roots. People ask him all the time if he dyes his facial hair. (Ummm, no.)

Threee cheers for the Irish!

V. C.

I was out looking at stackable washer/dryers today. I was talking to a sales lady to see what deals they had and get some specs to compare prices.

At one point in the conversation she said, "They will be about 70 inches tall once they are stacked. You are vertically challenged, so let's see if you would be able to press the buttons on the dryer since they are up high."

"Vertically challenged"... I can honestly say that is the first time I have ever been referred to like that from a complete stranger. (or anyone for that matter)

I admit that I do have a step stool in my home that I use all the time. I use it to reach things in the upper shelves of cupboards everyday. I tell you.. most cabinet and pantry designers must be taller than 5'1" or I wouldn't have that problem.

Good news- this VC girl COULD press the buttons on the dryer. What a relief!

Benedictine Women

This upcoming Sunday afternoon I am going to a local monastery for a solitude retreat. It will be my 3rd year to do this and I am very much looking forward to it.

When Chris and I were in school, one of our lectures was on spiritual formation. We were exposed to this idea of taking time at least once a year for a 24 hour period of solitude and prayer reflection. It was a great idea and so I did an internet search on Catholic societies that offer this kind of stuff. I was surprised at how many I found. I was also surprised at how LOONG 24 hours is when you are by yourself in prayer and reflection. As with any new spiritual formation, it takes some getting used to.

Year 1- The theme turned out to be ABIDING. There was a song out at the time that resonated with my heart and my reflection time "Keep my eyes fixed on you, please root my heart deep in you, Keep me abiding that I may bear fruit"

I spent time thinking about what a fruitful life looks like and what it means to abide in Christ.

Year 2- SEASONS. I brought a suitcase full of all my journals I have kept- from teenage years to the present. It was so amazing to see the thread of all God has done in my life and reflecting on the various seasons of my life.

Year 3- We shall see.

My life is full now with an active toddler and church life, so I am looking forward to lots of down time to read, journal and re-align myself.

Mail Lady

Whenever we are home and the mail truck pulls up, Liliana loves to go out to the mail boxes and greet the mail lady.

It has been raining this week, so she comes with her rain gear to deliver the mail. I was asking her a bit about her job the other day and she was talking about the sorting process and then delivering in the various weather elements. It made me stop to be thankful for this public service.

Several years ago when Chris and I were youth pastors, we would have the youth make "kindness bags" for the policemen- filled with beef jerky, peanut packages, popcorn, etc.. It was just a small way to thank those public service workers in our community.
I think it is time for another one of those "kindness bags" for our faithful mail lady!

La Baguette

There is a French bakery near our apartment. I never went in because I figured it was one of those American places who try to act French and hang pictures of the Eiffel Tower and serve croissants.

Last week Chris decided to take Liliana there on their Daddy/Daughter date and came home raving about it. So I went.

I walked in and it completely reminded me of a bakery from France. Family run business, so you had the dad baking in the back, the mom running the register and their little girl getting napkins for customers out in the cafe area. Their 2 older kids came from school and they all were talking French to one another. (Or rather the older brother was yelling at his little sister Charlotte for roller blading in the cafe area. There is something charming about seeing siblings fight in French)

As I sat there enjoying my amazing coffee, I think every francophone in Madison came in and of course placed their order in French. The phone rang.. and they carried on their conversation in French. It was an amazing experience, right in the suburbs of Madison.

I can't wait to go back and try the pear tart. Looked delicious!

More Tea Please

This morning I have been playing "Cafe" with Liliana. We were in St. Louis last week closing on our house (woo hoo) and her cousin gave her a kitchen set to bring back to Madison. It is all Liliana wants to play with every day. So I have been ordering tea and croissants all morning, while Liliana cooks and serves me.

I remember having an olive green metal kitchen set as a kid. I loved it. I would play hours with it on our back enclosed porch. This got me thinking of other favorite toys as a kid.. my metal pool in the summer time, pretend desks in my basement so I could play school, my mom's clip on earings and high heels for dress up, my purple banana seat bike with training wheels, on and on..
(I do confess that when Rubik's cube came out I tried to peel off the stickers and rearrange the colors that way because I couldn't figure out how to work it otherwise)

When I was a little older we had a tradition of buying a new board game every Christmas and playing as a family until we got sick of it. I remember lots of rounds of Taboo and Uno.

Games and toys are so much fun- even now as an adult it is fun to relive those carefree days as a kid with my daughter.