i blog for chocolate

Welcome Back! Thanks for visiting!

I cannot blog today.  I am too busy.

We are snowed in again, and I reasoned that I have brought a snow curse on our region. 

For those of you who know how much snow I have had at my house compared to everyone else, you may agree that I must be the source of this curse.  On two separate occasions we have had two inches of snow that no one else 10 minutes away received. 

So it must be me.

I thought it would be lovely to leave all those cute snowmen and our snow scene up after Christmas.

I have come to the conclusion that these things must be some sort of talisman bringing snow and bad weather.

So I am spending today banishing all those things to the basement where they belong.

Maybe this will stop the snow curse. 

No more whining (me or the kids).

No more staying up late to check for snow delays.

No more getting up early to check for school cancellations.

No more feeling sorry for the cows in the field behind our house (although they don’t seem to mind the snow as much as I do).

I hope this works.  I may not survive this snow curse much longer.

Jack was my only son who had the common decency to be born during the middle of the day.  That is why I can remember the details of his birth so vividly.

There was no rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night.  We calmly got up and got dressed.  The older boys stayed with some friends the night before, so we had a quiet morning.  I was going to be induced, so it was the first time I didn’t scowl at Matt for driving the speed limit on the way to the hospital.

The whole process was quite pleasant.    In fact, at one point during the morning the doctor ordered the nurse to turn up my meds because I wasn’t in enough pain.  After a lunch of ice chips while watching the Price is Right, I felt a twinge so I summoned the nurse and said that I would like that epidural now.  She said I was third in line.  Unlike the grocery store, this was truly a short line and no one in front of me tried to sneak 20 items into the express lane.   I never reallylost my patience or  felt much pain at all.

So about the time Oprah came on, I was ready to give birth.  Jack popped out, and the doctor held up this beautiful baby with the biggest brown eyes and a head loaded with  jet black hair.  Jack looked at me directly as if to say, “That was some ride!”  I can still picture his big eyes.  Probably the daylight steaming in the windows helped make this day especially clear.

Jack reminded me last night that he was actually due on the 4^th.  He has always had a gift for numbers.  He remembers dates like the birth date of his great grandfather.  In the car he repeated back the phone number for the radio station contest when the rest of us couldn’t remember.     He notices how much money is in the Mega Million Jackpot and reports when someone wins.  He used to regularly check Matt’s company stocks on my iphone to see if we are “winning.”  He only asked for money for his birthday, so he can save for an itouch which costs nearly $200.  He counts his money and spends it carefully. 

And, Jack, I count it a joy to be your mom!

Happy Birthday!

Oprah may have her “Aha” moments, but I had a “Thank you, Lord Jesus” moment yesterday. 

We live at the top of a fairly steep drive.  I currently do not own a four wheel drive vehicle.  And it has been snowing– lots. 

Of course, going down the hill is no problem.  Sliding down sideways is a different sort of problem, but that has only happened once back when I was a much less experienced snow driver.

So I have had to trudge up the hill more than once when I failed to make it all the way to the top of the hill.  Yesterday was one of those days, but I was prepared with boots for me and the kids.  I also had a car full of groceries.  The boys ran their book bags into the house then came back down the hill to help me unload.

Jack was standing on the porch when I was bringing up the last load.

“Is that all?” he asked.

I just stopped and smiled. 

The normal reaction when I ask the boys to do something is to do as little as possible then make themselves as scarce as possible.  Jack genuinely wanted to make sure that he finished the job and make sure that his mom didn’t need anything else.  There is hope. 

But I couldn’t help reflecting on my own attitude toward what God asks me to do.  Do I go the extra mile?  Do I cheerfully ask, “Is that all?” Do I desire to complete my tasks and have a willing, servant’s heart in response to all God requests of me? 

Shamefully, no.  I don’t.  But realizing how much joy Jack’s response brought to me, I will try harder to respond the same way.  I will do what is required then ask, “Is that all? Lord, what else would you have me do?”

It is February.  Do you know where your resolutions are?

You know the ones that you wrote down or at least thought about writing down.

I started out on the Special K diet.  That only lasted for one meal–breakfast.    Then I was tempted to try the Taco Bell Drive Thru diet, but I couldn’t leave the house for a week due to the snow.

Man, being snowed in really makes you hungry.

Watching those kids trudge up and down the hill from inside my cozy house just made me want to warm up a big bowl of soup and drink another hot chocolate.

So as I sit here and tick off my list of unfinished projects and good ideas and intentions, I realize that this year is already 1/12 over.  So I have now designated February as the month to finish it ALL.  I will check off EVERYTHING on my list.

My mom snickered when I told her this.  Of course, it is totally her fault that I even have a list.  She has kept a spiral notebook with her list in it as far back as I can remember.  We are both list makers.  We shake our heads at all those non-list makers and wonder how they get anything done.  (Maybe they are doing things instead of merely writing down what they want to do. There is a thought.)

I did check almost everything off my list yesterday.  I only have three things on my list today.  I read in a magazine that 3 is the maximum number of items you should put on your list.  Listing more items than that transforms your list from a “to-do list” to a WISH LIST. 

I can see that.  If my list is too long I really do WISH that someone else would do it for me.  Having only three items forces me to complete those before I jump down and get started on #10 before #3 is finished. 

So that is my resolution.  Make shorter lists and check off everything on the list. 

Write today’s blog—CHECK.

Do you ever feel that God may have put you here on earth to make other people feel better about themselves?

Do you ever think to yourself in the middle of one of your stories that the person you are relating this hilarious event to is actually GLAD that she is not you?

Has anyone ever said about you, “It could be worse–we could be like the _____?”  (This did happen to us in the church parking lot one time.)

Do you ever look over while you are typing a blog and notice that there are 8 M&M’s under the chair in your TV room?

Do you ever wonder if the 5 second rule is really just an urban myth while you pick up M&M’s off the floor and eat them?  (OK I am just kidding about that one.  The M&M’s are still on the floor. . .for now.)

God made me with a sense of humor.  He knew  I would need one.

So in keeping with my calling in life, I will now relate all those things currently in my life that will make you feel better about yours:

I still have Christmas decorations spread all over the ping pong table in the basement. 

I have lost my hair 3 times, and some days consider that those were the best hair days of my life.

I sometimes feed my kids pop tarts and cereal all week long. (Ok, Ok sometimes they eat that on the weekends too.)

The one day that I did try to make breakfast last week (cinnamon toast!!!), it burned.  Seriously, there was smoke.

I checked Will out of school to  go to the orthodontist office last week.  We were there on the wrong day.  I had the right location, the right time and the right child.  Can I at least get partial credit?

I have started 4 books since Christmas and finished none of them.  But I have read several magazines cover to cover.

My husband was helping me out by taking the baked potato soup out of the oven.  Somehow he sloshed the soup onto the door, and it went inside the door between the exterior glass and the interior glass.  (OK if this has happened to you too, you are starting to make ME feel a little better about my life.  If you can now tell me how to get it clean, I will feel tons better.)

Even though I have survived cancer, I still get mad when I can’t find my car keys.

My kids are closer to their Bible reading goal for the month than I am.

Jack did show up to his basketball game last week with 2 different colored socks on.  (He does this on purpose for some reason.)

So I hope that some of those things make you feel better or at least normal.  I was recently bemoaning to my mom the fact that all my friends’ houses are so neat.  My mom said that I needed to find some messier friends.  But maybe my purpose is to be their messy friend who makes them feel better.  Yes, that must be it.

I am loving life today.  And not JUST because we had a snow day.

I do enjoy those though.  We played Monopoly and went sledding in the dark after eating down at GG’s house. 

Since February is the month when we actually talk about love, I thought I should write this month about how much I love living and all the things I love about life.

Last month marked the 5^th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis.  I am beyond blessed to be here.

In Cancerland there are two benchmarks.  The first benchmark is at one year.  At this point many patients have already completed their treatment.  I was still in treatment at the one year mark.  I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I knew I only had 6 more months to go, and some of the worst was over.  Whew.

The next big milestone is the 5 year mark.  When the doctor first talked to me about my prognosis, this was an important number to me.  How many people with my cancer live to see 5 more Valentine’s Day?  Of course, there are many factors that play into this number.  The prognosis is affected by the size, spread and nature of the cancer.  Going into surgery I knew that my prognosis was good unless they determined that my cancer was at an advanced stage.  It was mostly stage 2 with some stage 3, so that is why I got drugged (chemo) and zapped (radiation) in addition to surgery.

So, 5 years is a big deal. 

George was only two when I got sick.  I remember feeling devastated that he might not remember me. 

Now I am devastated thinking about what they might actually remember:

 “Remember how Mom used to scream like a banshee in the mornings to get us ready for school?”

But I didn’t have to yell at them this morning.  And that is why I love snow days.