ON FUN ~ What Santa & Hockey Have In Common...

Image courtesy seems Artless

At the age of 45, writer Regina Brett wrote a column for the Cleveland Plain Dealer listing 45 lessons that life had taught her thus far. As a breast cancer survivor, many of those lessons were learned the hard way. Five years later she added five more lessons rounding her list up to 50 and turned her popular list into a book called God Never Blinks. I found her list to be entertaining, inspiring and thought provoking. I thought I would go through each of her lessons learned and write about how that lesson has or has not come up in my own life, now that I am 40 and feel old enough to have finally learned something.

"Believe in miracles."

~ LESSON #33

Well - the first thing that I think of when I hear the word "miracle" is not something faith-based or from the world of health and healing. No. The first thing I think of is the 1980 United States Men's Olympic Hockey Team. If you are a fan of the Olympics, or of inspiring movies, you know the story. Underdog college kids beat the vaunted Russian pros on their way to play for the gold medal, which they win. Good versus evil. Cold War heroics. My "miracle" association to this event is thanks to game broadcaster Al Michaels' famous exclamation of "Do you believe in miracles?!" as the U.S.A. triumphed over the U.S.S.R. It became the name of the movie as well.

The term "Miracle" means many different things to many different people. It probably gets overused in less deserving situations - such as unbelievable sports victories. But however we each define the word, the underlying theme is that something truly remarkable has happened.

My boss is a walking miracle, having beat late stage prostate cancer out of the blue. My son is a miracle, because I feel blessed for his existence and purpose in our lives. The window for conception is so specific it blows my mind that any of us procreate. Jack's Tree is a miracle for surviving and thriving despite being subjected to our pathetic arborist skills.

I do believe in miracles. Like the fact that Santa survives to delight generation after generation; how else can you explain everyone across the world innately agreeing to keep it zipped? For many, this upcoming holiday season also tells the story of a great religious miracle. Santa or Jesus, their miracle is cause for celebration. And finding the perfect gift on sale without fighting through Black Friday crowds is a miracle for the ages.

Believe in miracles and question not why they happened or when you might see one again. Faith in the remarkable is simply a good way to live.

ON FAMILY ~ Sweet Dreams...

A few weekends ago, I went out for the night to babysit our friends' nearly-three-year-old twin sons. Andy stayed behind to take care of Sammy. Both of us spent the evening awake, checking in on sleeping boys. I did this by the traditional route, reading a book downstairs with one ear on the ceiling above, poking my head in their rooms here and there to make sure all was well. Andy had the luxury of our video monitor to keep watch over Sammy. But being the good hubby that he is, he decided to document Sammy's sleep for me. We like to take notes on what time he falls asleep, wakes up and eats just to keep track of his patterns. Andy went above and beyond that call of duty, documenting all the different positions Sammy got himself into throughout the night. See for yourself...

7:10 - SLEEP
7:35 - Go Bruins! (Andy was watching the hockey game)
7:46 - Hi Mommy
7:47 - Point (Saturday Night Fever dance move) - Go PATS (Patriots game the next day)
7:58 - Daddy ordered pizza
7:59 - Where's Monkey? (Sammy's favorite blanky toy)
8:50 - Almost an hour (asleep) - Bruins 3-1! (score update)
8:55 - TD Pats (hands over the head = Touch Down)
9:29 - Daddy's listening to the Dead so I have to dance (the Grateful Dead are one of Andy's favorite bands)

9:39 - B's are going to win, Daddy's happy and I'm still asleep
9:49 - I was in this position but returned to this
9:50 - 6-2 Bruins! I wonder if Tedy is in his bed (Tedy the cat is scared of the hockey horn whenever the Bruins score a goal)
10:42 - Dreaming about Patriots touch downs on Sunday (I'm just curious what Andy was doing the past hour instead of drawing)

10:57 - I hope that Trey and Ryan behaved (the twins I was babysitting)
11:00 - I wonder what I will learn tomorrow (awwwwww)
11:29 - On the move
11:31 - I'm scratching my face now but I'm asleep. Daddy is running out of witty things to write. I've noticed that I have grown in these illustrations.

11:35 - Moving again. I may wake up this time
11:38 - Still moving - Kick, Punch & Shake
11:39 - Asleep??
11:41 - Daddy's rocking out to Neil Young - I don't hear it though
11:45 - Moving

11:47 - I rolled over today! I shouldn't move that much because Daddy has to write more
11:52 - Daddy's getting tired. He thinks I'm going to sleep till 5AM. Good night! (he did sleep until after 5AM - and his Daddy got up and fed him)

I am thankful this holiday for such a wonderful, thoughtful, caring and entertaining husband - the best father Sammy could ever hope to have. I am also thankful for a baby that likes to sleep through the night - through lots of wiggling.

ON BLOGGING ~ Amy Wins!!!

Well, my week off from writing blog posts and visiting yours instead was indeed a challenge. The break away from writing made me full of ideas to use for future posts. Why is it that when we need to write something, nothing comes, and when we need to not write, our thoughts become full of writing ideas?

I was spotty in my attempt to reclaim that reader however. I did get to stop by and visit with some of you - reading through a month's worth of posts and catching up on your hopes, dreams and daily dishes. I haven't yet gotten to the rest of you. I will try to do more of that this week and get back into my regular blog hopping routine.

The Reclaim Your Reader event showed me that the other half of blogging, the visiting half, requires dedication and I admire all of you who never waver in your support. I aim to be better soon and have learned a bit more about the approach I need to take to make it happen.

As for the winner of the $25 Amazon gift card, I did a very unscientific and low-tech drawing - I ripped up numbered squares of paper, shuffled them around in a hat and drew one out. The winner is Amy of The House of Seven Tails. Sounds like she could really use the card right about now too so I am very pleased she turned out to be the winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated at any level - hopefully future events will bring more attention to the visiting side of life in the blogosphere :0)

ON BLOGGING ~ Something Sticky...

Image courtesy Mahalie via Flickr

In order to explain why I will not have any fresh content appearing over the next week, I wanted a blurb to appear at the top of my blog letting visitors know. It used to be, in Blogger, if you wanted to create such a blurb, referred to as a Sticky Post, you simply wrote a post, published it, and then went and edited it for a publish date in the future. It would stay on your blog until that point in time ahead of everything else.

Blogger fixed this little loop hole so that posts scheduled for the future would actually only appear on that date in the future, even if they had been published first. Now what to do for a Sticky Post?

Simple. In fact, this way makes more sense. From your Design tab on the Dashboard, you simply click Add A Gadget, select either the Text or HTML Gadget box, type in whatever you want your Sticky Post to say and save it, drag it to the top of your Posts section and call it a day.

When you are done being Sticky, just go back in to Design and Remove that Gadget via the Edit link.

It would be even simpler if Blogger would just create a little check box in Post Options within the regular post box that said Make Sticky. It would be even better if it also had an Until When field to indicate the date you wanted the Sticky status to disappear. But hey, I'm just a Bumble. What do I know?

ON FOOD ~ Thanksgiving Appetizer Needed...

Image courtesy Baked Alaska blog.

I need help.  In more ways than one.  But today, what I am most in need of is a recipe.  Oh sure.  I could hop on Google and search that way.  But I don't really know what I'm looking for so I thought I would just describe it to you and let you guys be my Google.

As confessed multiple times here over the years, I do not cook.  Andy does all of that.  What I can do is bake because I am extremely motivated to eat chocolate and other sweets.  I can also mix and toss and marinade.  I am generally in charge of salads, beverages and cheese plates when entertaining or attending parties.

For Thanksgiving this year, my mother has asked that I bring my holiday salad as well as an hors d'oeuvres.  Already, I have had to look up how to spell hors d'oeuvres so this little assignment has become unnecessarily challenging.  Lets just call it an appetizer and move on.

The only appetizers that I know how to make are ones that my mother makes.  I would like to bring something that is new to her so she has something fun to try on a day that generally sees her doing all of the work.

I would also like this appetizer to be something that my vegetarian brother could eat.

It needs to be simple, able to be made ahead of time and easily transportable since we will be driving two hours to get there on Thanksgiving day.

Oh, and it needs to be really really really kick-ass tasty.

So, please share your ideas for me and my minimal culinary skills.  Feel free to link to the recipe in your comment or e-mail it to me if you prefer.  I'll be sure to share my cooking/prep experience as well as my family's review of what I made.

ON TRAVEL ~ Travel Like You've Been There Before...

How do you plan a trip? Do you go online, to the library or contact the Chamber of Commerce and pour over guidebooks, articles and brochures about the location you will be visiting? Once you've narrowed down the sites/restaurants/hotels you'd like to visit, do you rely on the comments and reviews from other travelers online to decide on your final itinerary? I think that's how most of us plan our travels. Random tosses at a dart board, hoping what you come across is something cool to see or do and the opinions of strangers with potentially entirely different agendas than your own guiding you in your final choices. We work so hard and save so long to take that trip. Why do we use this method to plan our dream vacation? Because it is the only way available, right? Not any more.

Uptake, the travel search engine with the largest online travel library in the U.S., has decided the best way to travel is like you've been there before. To not be the typical tourist, but to be explorers with an inside scoop from folks who know the place inside and out. To let you become that explorer, Uptake combines their travel library of information with your connections in the know about where you want to go - your Facebook Friends.

With the launch this week of their new Travel Q&A platform, Uptake allows you to type in a personalized question right from the home page about wherever it is that you want to go. And then, by typing in your Facebook login, their technology filters through your friends' and acquaintances' data to provide you with a list of who you know, who know about where you want to go.

Once your friends have been filtered you can check off the ones you want to reach out to or just reach out to them all. Your question that you typed up is put right on their Facebook wall. They can either reply to you through Facebook or go right to the Uptake link and post information there.

Your question will also be posted on Uptake and anyone on there can go ahead and respond as well. Uptake will then provide you with links to the pages from their library of information about the specific places recommended to you so you can look up all the details and also read those consumer reviews.  But to me, the innovation of filtering Facebook for people you know, who know you and your tastes, and who are familiar with the place you want to go is the real edge. I bet you weren't even aware that you knew people familiar with wherever it is that you want to go. And maybe they aren't directly familiar, but may have close friends or family of their own who are.

So go give it a whirl. If you are planning a getaway somewhere, type up a question looking for the best beach no one knows about, what kind of hotels are near your planned sightseeing locales or what kind of suitcase to pack for the weather when you visit. Even if you are only looking to liven up a weekend in your own region, use Uptake's new Travel Q&A feature to ask your friends for their favorite fancy restaurant in town or if anyone has an opinion on that new museum exhibit. The possibilities are endless. It is kind of like a travel Twitter with a filter to send out questions only to the people that have the knowledge to respond.

**Full disclosure. I write for and edit Uptake's Restaurants Blog. However, I was not paid to write this post or even asked to do so. I wrote it because I thought their new approach and innovation was wicked cool. Now, if ever baby Sammy would let us have a night out - nearby or on a road trip - I could really put this technology to great use!!!***

ON FUN ~ I Pass On Grass...

Image courtesy Dominus Vobiscum via Flickr

These days, I spend a good chunk of my time as a stay-at-home mom. I work in my office two days a week and am home with Sammy the other three. Somewhere in that mix I also put in another eight hours from home for my boss. The best of both worlds. Especially on an absolute gem of a day like today. A week ago, we were struggling without power after a Nor'Easter over Halloween weekend. Today, it hit 70 degrees and was nothing but blue sky. So Sammy and I took advantage of it with a nice little walk around the neighborhood.

We met Vinny, a large but harmless dog who enjoys joining folks for walks in his neck of the woods. We watched the leaves turning all shades of pretty. And we saw a bunch of other stay-at-home moms mowing their lawns.

Am I now expected to mow the lawn?! Is this what moms do when the rest of us are at work? I thought the guys were supposed to handle all the yard stuff. Garbage emptying, leaf raking, grass mowing, snow shoveling. My mom always handles the gardening - unless she needs a new bed dug out. That gets added to dad's outdoor duties.

Andy spends lots of time tinkering around outside in his shed. That's where he keeps all of his important machinery. Something always needs to be maintained, repaired or used. Other men in the neighborhood are always stopping by to borrow this tool or drop off another to be lent to us for some time consuming project of great importance. Mowing the lawn is a production. There are methods for best accomplishing the task - which direction to go, how low to cut, whether to bag or to mulch. Sticks need to be picked up so as not to damage the blade. Lawn furniture and random toys need to be cleared. Edging needs to be trimmed with a weed whacker. The cat needs to be sent out of harms way. This takes all day. Or so I was led to believe.

And then today I see these super women out mowing their lawns with great precision and simplicity. Drag the machine out, push or drive it quickly across the lawn, then put it back in time to handle the kids returning home from school. Not a project. Just another expeditiously handled chore managed in the time it took me to walk through their part of the neighborhood.

On the one hand, I could use this information to expose Andy's dilly dallying for what it is - an escape from less interesting and more annoying things I have been waiting for him to do. But on the other hand, this could backfire on me. I could end up inheriting the lawn mowing chore.

And lets face it. I don't want to mow the lawn. I want to use that imaginary free time I would have to mow the lawn blogging with you instead. Or reading that book I've been trying to get to since Sammy was born. No. I think I will keep this mom-mowing business to myself. Let Andy continue to spend an entire day with it even though I know it could be done in a quarter of the time. And pray that he doesn't decide to pop home for lunch one day and drive by one of those moms working their mowers.

ON BLOGGING ~ Powerless Situation...

Image by

Welcome to our weekly BlogAnon meeting where we confess a particular blogging sin and turn to you for support, suggestions and that blogging bond so we know we're not all alone. Don't be shy. Read along and let us know if you identify with us this week.

Maybe I don't want to live with Laura Ingalls in the Little House On The Prairie after all. This used to be my dream as a young girl. I would run home from school and sit down in front of the TV with my best friends and watch Little House. We would sit and watch with envy as precocious "Half-Pint" was well loved, independent and funny. She got to do cool things we could never dream of being able to do in our modern world. We would go tromping off into the woods behind our neighborhood and pretend to live off the land, until our parents called us in for dinner.

After spending much of the past week without power thanks to a Nor'Easter dumping wet snow on heavy branches filled with leaves not yet fallen, I hope I never have to rely on fire for warmth unless I am doing so willingly at a campsite. Sammy and I would hunker down inside while Andy went out and chopped up logs in his shed. Then I would spend all day feeding the fire to keep us warm at night. This is no way to live. When we ran out of firewood we packed up bags filled with our electronic devices and chargers and crashed at a relative's house who was out of town.

I do not have a smart phone. Maybe it would make me smarter since I discovered after Andy took his smarty pants phone with him to work that my outdated flip phone was out of juice in a powerless home. Without a car charger, Sammy and I were out of touch for an entire day. I did have a radio to listen to, but no way to communicate with others. Most of our neighbors were either working or had left for brighter and warmer pastures. Sammy decided for the first time ever that he wanted to take a nap for the entire afternoon so I was tied to the house.

I did read quite a bit. And I was able to draft up some writing on my laptop before that battery died. Other than that I spent the day stoking the fire and entertaining the cat. All I could think about was all of that blogging that I could have been doing. And how much I have missed the opportunity to do so on a more regular basis since Sammy arrived. I like being connected - virtually. Nothing against hanging out with our neighbors, but I enjoy the connections the blogosphere has brought me as well.

Now that the power is back and we have returned home, Sammy is back to boycotting naps lasting longer than 45 minutes (perhaps I should build him a fire every day?). My free moments have been spent doing laundry, washing bottles, washing the firewood smoke out of my hair and picking up wood scraps tracked throughout the house. Very little time for blogging - again. I am looking forward to my Reclaim Your Reader event in a few weeks. I hope it will bring me back to blogging by becoming inspired by reading your blogs. Sign up if you haven't already.

No, I'd rather not trade places with Laura Ingalls after all. I don't think I could put up with that Nellie Oleson. And living without power would not be as cool as it seemed when I was ten. But it would be kind of funny to see what kind of blog good ole Half-Pint would have created.