Patience With Waiting

Walking to my car, I balanced my bag, bottled water and a travel mug of hazelnut-laced coffee. My cupholder was blocked with an assortment of Christmas CDs so I set the mug on the lidded storage compartment nestled between the seats. A thought flitted through my head.

"You are going to spill it." 

To which I responded, "No, no I won't. I'll get it as soon as I get in. No worries."

"Uh-huh." (My inner voice is smug, a little too smug.)

I respond, a little smugly as well, "We'll see about that."

But then, I got distracted. My car was blanketed in fluffy white snow and I had to go back into the house for the broom. As I brushed the snow off, shivering as much of it blew back onto me, I looked forward to that cup of hot coffee.

Imagine my utter disappointment as I watched my steaming cup get bumped by my clumsy elbow as I hurried to get in my car and out of the cold. Then imagine the tears as it glurged out of my cup and soaked into the carpet.

(I know "glurged" isn't technically a word, but in a coffee deficient moment it becomes a word.)

With lightning quick reflexes that would do any superhero proud, I grabbed the cup like I was grabbing at the last lifeline thrown at me as I floundered in the ocean. Left with less than half a cup, I was not so desperate as to try and soak the liquid from the carpet. I did have a plan though. On my way home from my meeting, I would stop at a Deep Creek Lake coffee shop that I sometimes treat myself to.

Fast forward a few hours and I found myself pulling into the parking lot of Trader's Coffeehouse. Ah yes, I was glad to be there. Looking at the featured flavors of the day I decided on Maple Walnut. I went to the counter and ordered, noting the odd eyebrow frown on the barista. It took just a second or two but then she said, "That was yesterday's flavor. Today is Blueberry Crumble." She must have seen my face fall because she quickly said, "Oh, I can add maple flavoring to your cup and you can add the featured Guatemalan coffee."

I agreed. I wasn't ready for a second cup of coffee for the day to go down the drain.

May I say that the wait was worth it? That spilling my coffee, although quite annoying, did end up as a blessing? That even misreading the menu was okay because I still got maple flavoring in my coffee?

Let's fast forward again....to this morning. I needed to get tires on my car, a chore I avoid as long as possible because I never know what I want and all tires look the same to me. I am pretty much useless when it comes to this kind of thing.

 I went in armed and ready though; I fully expected to have to wait awhile. While I knew the reading table would be loaded (see above photo), it would be along the lines of Popular Mechanics, Sports Illustrated and Consumer Report. I added a spot of color and womanly interest (see photo below).

And what, I ask you, could make this wait all worth it (not counting the new tires)?
A Gingerbread Latte certainly makes me smile. Time to browse a magazine? That makes me smile too.

As my day winds down, my head starts to nod, and I am already thinking about tomorrow. It will be another water bottle, coffee mug balancing morning. I'll be okay though. This week, I learned that being patient and waiting, neither of which I am good at, can sometimes bring its own reward.

Love,
Dianne

Clippings and Collections

In the pre-Pinterest world, I enjoyed browsing favorite magazines. I would clip articles on:
~how-to garden in a shady place
~ how-to garden in a sunny place
~the best ways to launder my whites
~places I'd like to visit someday like the Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore
~18 different ways to use fresh greenery at Christmas
~pillows anyone?
~ ideas on how to be creative when hanging curtains, hanging pictures, how to hang ten while surfing.

Never mind that last part. I don't surf. Unless you count surfing the web which I partake in on occasion, such as looking up "hang ten" to make sure that was an actual term and I wasn't just making it up or pulling it from a dream.

You see, I found a file box this evening in my sewing corner and after I blew the dust off of it, I dug eagarly into the contents. Not only did I find potential craft ideas telling me how to customize my lampshades but I also found some projects involving papier-mache, old bottles and vintage photographs. Oh yes, this was getting good.

In amongst the photos of what my kitchen could look like (in my dreams), I came across a Country Home April 1990 article called "High Pasture". Showcasing a stately summer home (circa 1907) on the craggy shores of Maine I remembered why I tore it from the magazine and kept it. The home whispered of a time when life was slower, simpler and seemingly more romantic. It had an Anne of Green Gables quality about it; is it any wonder I was drawn to it? 

The Pinterest appeal was with me long before it was an app on my computer. There is nothing wrong with having a dream, an inspiration. A pinsperation if you will. I may never get around to having my gardens look like the shady havens I clipped and kept. I most likely won't have shelves filled with  color-coordinated office supplies and those cute little boxes while school-age children sit beneath at tidy desks happily doing their homework. As for the Attic Retreat complete with dormers and a cozy hammock strung beneath the eaves for the rainy Saturday afternoon...let's just say I have a hammock and I have an attic and leave it at that. 

 I am a dreamer. That's not a bad thing. I don't think Pinterest or magazine clippings make me feel like less of a woman. They inspire me to make the most of what I have been blessed with. Yes, I have had those creative what-in-the-world-was-that-supposed-to-be moments. 

"Oh, you got that on Pinterest?"

"Yes."

"It's umm, well, it's quite, ummm, interesting."

It was supposed to be a cow. A black angus cow. Although lion did enter my head and I tried to talk Ryan into having a Lion Cake for his birthday. After the face fell off, he tells me, "Mom, I didn't mean a standing up cow, just a flat cow on top of my cake." 

Ohhhh, now he tells me. 

But.....back to what I was saying. I like having ideas and tapping into other's creativity. The key for me is this:

Be inspired, but don't be disappointed. Life is fleeting just like the hours in my day. Keep my expectations ultra-realistic, my dreams a little unrealistic and let them meet in the middle. And I have had to learn to laugh at myself. A lot. 

Say, speaking of laughter, did I mention I have an old tin stuffed with my favorite funny cartoons? I could call that my Tin-terest. 

Love,

Dianne 

Cookbook Conundrum

I have this thing about books. 

I like them. 

It's that simple. 

  But "simple" becomes complicated when too many books try to take over. 

This is the case with my cookbooks. 

In these pictures, what you are seeing is most, but not all, 

of a cookbook collection that has accumulated over 26 years. 

I have my favorites, like the original Cherry Glade cookbook. 

The page with Markel Miriam's Chocolate Cake is spattered with cocoa stains and buttermilk and the cover is a bit battered (meaning it is beat up a little and it has literal batter on it!). 

The kids call it "the green cookbook" and I am not allowed to ever get rid of it

even though the black spiral thingie holding it together is coming out. 

I think this is part of it's charm. 

I also have the Cherry Glade Cookbook, Volume 2.

The cover on it?

Completely torn off, or should I say, "Gently worn off with good use."? 

 The page with the brownies is just about as bad as the chocolate cake page in the "green cookbook". 

Then there is the classic Mennonite Community Cookbook 

that was my mom's and somehow I ended up with it. 

I don't think I just took it without asking, but I do have a cookbook obsession. 

Mom, if you want it back, just ask. Or you can just borrow it. For a day. 

It's funny, but really, about the only recipe I use out of this one is for Strawberry Shortcake. 

That's it. 

I have a problem. 

So, yesterday I decided to sort through this cookbook conundrum.

I did manage to weed out a few that I don't use that much (or at all). 

One of them was called "Breakfast In Bed". Now, Leo doesn't use a cookbook for breakfast dishes so if I were to have breakfast in bed using a recipe from this book, I'd be the one making it and if I was the one making it, I wouldn't go back to bed to eat it. 

Goodbye cookbook. 

Ah, that was liberating. 

As I sorted, I did look through some of the pages to see if I was going to actually utilize the book.

In a Pampered Chef "Season's Best" booklet, I found a recipe for BBQ Chicken Taquitos. 

I had all the ingredients except for the carrots (no big loss there) and it called for Smoky BBQ Rub which I bought from my sister and hardly ever use because in reality, I don't cook enough from a recipe to figure out how to use it best. 

(Tell me again why I have so many cookbooks?!?)

In the midst of sorting cookbooks, I paused and actually cooked. From a recipe. 

Ah, that was liberating too, in it's own way. 

Have I mentioned that I am a very distractible person when it comes to cleaning, sorting, organizing?  

I am. 

Very.

It takes me forever to get anything done. 

But it was good!

I did manage, in the end, to get rid of a few cookbooks. I cleaned off a shelf and rearranged a little. 

Cookbooks represent family dinners, time spent together eating something "made from scratch".

It's a good thing.

But too much of a good thing and I don't know where to start. 

Cleaning out is good too. 

I may even be motivated to cook something else. 

The menu for tonight:

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese 

Just kidding. 

There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will. ~Robert Frost

Love,

Dianne

To My Wootsie

This week it was my firstborn's birthday. I was 21 when she was born; now she is two years older than that. Can I just turn back time? Just a little? I remember when she was born I said, "Wow, when I turn 30, she'll be 9 years old!" Now I am a year or two (or ten-ish) past the age of thirty and I am still saying, "Wow!".

So, I was thinking about Adrienne quite often today. Here is what I decided: 

If she was a color, she'd be a jewel-toned blue hue.

She's classy, sassy and sometimes gassy. (Sorry, dear girl but it did rhyme.) Rich in personality and invitingly warm she still strives to maintains her cool regardless of the situation. From another perspective, the BH&G website color personality quiz called her "Maple Gold Yellow, the quintessential warm and inviting hue, gets a sassy spin with the maple gold palette. Inspired by autumn leaves, the palette pairs perfectly with rich neutrals for a luxe yet natural look. Or take the palette for a Moroccan spin by teaming it with daring greens, blues, and reds."

If Adrienne were a flower, she'd be a daisy which to me represents innocence, loyalty and purity. Yet, these flowers are also a bit wild, growing where they may on hillsides, rocky ledges and in ditches by the side of the road. Resilient and growing in spite of the environment that surrounds them. Sound like anyone you know?

Or she could be Queen Anne’s Lace which is a summer wild flower. She grows along the sides of highways, roads, bike trails. She grows up embankments, in fields and vacant lots. She seems particularly comfortable growing where the earth has been disturbed or affected by people, and the soil is not very rich. (http://www.flowersociety.org/queen-annes-lace-plant-study.html). That's my Adrienne. She thrives in situations and deals with difficult people with dignity and grace.

 If Adrienne were an animal, what would she be? Hmmm, I don't know about this one. We call her "Wootsie" which is Pennsylvania Dutch for "little piggy", but truly this girl of mine is not a pig. She is not messy like a pig in any way, shape or form (except when she eats.) (Just kidding.) She took an on-line quiz to see what kind of animal she is and this was the result:

"Whitetip Reef Shark

You may seem scary, but you are really quite a nice person. You can get somewhat angry, but you would never hurt anyone unless you were defending yourself."

Interesting. I never, ever thought of her in shark terms. But, I think this gives me an idea. A beaver...she is a beaver. I don't know what a whitetip reef shark and a beaver have in common but...a beaver. She is industrious, focused, and organized and if she has a dam to build, she will get the job done! It's funny, but even as a newborn, she made her own schedule. Eat 15 minutes on each side (yes, she was a breastfed baby) every three hours. She always has a plan, a blueprint for what needs done. Yes, a beaver. (Her teeth are much nicer though.)

My firstborn is so typically firstborn, she could've written the book. 

~extreme confidence

~ high achiever

~driven

~ self assured

~confident,

 - See more at: http://www.surfnetparents.com/1679/what-are-first-born-personality-traits/#sthash.bpf4GmCI.dpuf 

or you could just spend time with Adrienne and realize that yes, she did write the book. 

 I am a proud mama (in case you couldn't tell). I know that God knew exactly what I needed in my firstborn baby. He knew that Adrienne was the one for me.

I love you Adrienne, Wootsie, my Chickie, my Ms. Beaver.

Love,
Dianne aka Mama Beaver (who is not nearly so organized and is more like a dandelion and a scatter-brained squirrel.)

Day 1 (or Day 4) Focus on Living

November. Is is seriously November already? And not just November 1st but already November 4th going into the 5th. I had thought while it was still October that November would be a good month to try and write something every day. I'm already three days behind. Kinda like one step forward, two steps back, but here goes...

November is notorious for thankfulness and I could write about something I am thankful for each day. Or I could post some delicious holiday meal ideas to remind us that this is the season of weight gain. I could even enthrall you with my creativeness as I handcraft all manner of gifts for Christmas.

Actually, it may be more like this:
~I am thankful and I have been blessed so that may show up along the way, but I hope that is not just a November thing.

~Delicious holiday recipes? Hahahahahahahaha. I like looking at pictures of deliciously juicy turkeys displayed on platters with the right kinds of garnishes in all the right places. (Does that count?) I like thinking about making this year "the year" I actually am organized enough to make all those delicious, yet deceivingly nutritious meals with savory sauces, braided breads and 8 different kinds of pumpkin desserts involving cream cheese, caramel and pecans. I think but I don't really ever do. I usually keep to my basic recipes, tried and true, and maybe I'll share one or two with you.

~Homemade crafts for Christmas? Truly, if this was the plan, I should've started December 26, 2013. I have a scarf I started crocheting for Aaron in camouflage yarn from 7 years ago, give or take a few years. No kidding. Or I could mention the baby blanket I embroidered for Ryan that I started 11 years ago and never finished. Then there's the Nine-Patch quilt in all manner of mauve and country blue that was supposed to be Adrienne's and got as far as being a quilt top but no backing. That project is only 20 years behind schedule. Crafts for Christmas? Maybe. Maybe not.

So, it's November. Day 4. I can't go back and change Day 1, 2 or 3, but today is being lived, one moment at a time. I can choose to make the most of it. I can choose thankfulness. So, at the risk of being totally predictable, I am going to make today a  little bit of a "thankful" post. 

I am thankful that Adrienne has the day off from school. We can spend the day together and this doesn't happen to often anymore as she is busy, busy, busy with school, work and church. Even though she is sitting across from me doing homework and saying everything, and I mean everything,  aloud, I am thankful. (And I thought I talked to myself a lot!). She says this is how she stays focused. I don't know. She is bouncing from her school project, to cleaning out her document file, to emails, to I-don't-even-know-what-she-is-talking-about. She makes my head spin. 

November. It is a month of looking forward, looking ahead, at least it is for me, as I look forward to the upcoming holidays. But this year, I am going to focus on each day; at least I am going to try. Writing keeps me accountable in a way. Instead of getting crazy about what is coming up, I am going to choose, to try to live in the moment. I could focus on regrets, like wishing I'd written on November 1, 2, and 3, or wishing I had not done something, changed this or redone that, etc, etc, but I'm not. Instead, I am going to live for today, look for the positive, make the best of the negative. 

Like I said earlier, "here goes...." 

And here's a challenge. Leave me a note, a message, a post, a response, and tell me in a word (or words) what today means to you. Here's my word(s): Focus on Living instead of regret. 

Love,

Dianne