Sixteen things I've done today

because I'm sure everyone is sitting around on this cold Sunday morning wondering what I am doing....here's a run down thus far.

1. silently cursed the children for playing with Jeremy's alarm clock
2. loudly cursed the alarm clock when it went off at 5 am
3. laundry
4. watched 10 minutes of 90210.  Poor Dylan.  He had it rough.
5. sent a FB congrats to Jeremy's cousins on their new bundle of joy!!
6. watched the last half of Knocked Up and considered being such....decided against it after the labor scene
7. had a mimosa
8. had some eggs Benedict and lobster bisque among other things at Granite City brunch with my hubby
9. had another mimosa
10. convinced my wonderful and giving husband to pump my gas in 20 degree weather
11. bought some ice melt and threw in a new ice scraper for good measure
12. scheduled a massage on a whim
13. got my eyebrows waxed FINALLY
14. cancelled my massage 10 minutes later after some Dave Ramsey reflection....not like I was following the plan anyway (see #7-9)
15. tried on a sample of some $90 wrinkle creme
16. had a nice long conversation with a great friend

Not bad.  It's only 1:00.  What to do next?

They're Grrrrrreat!

We all mark the important milestones and achievements of our offspring with great pride.  Rolling over, sitting up, first steps, first day of school, all the way through graduations, marriages, and their own kids.  So it with great pride that I announce a first in this house.  A real milestone. 

Justin had a bowl of Frosted Flakes.  That's right folks.  Cereal.  Can I get a WHOO HOO?  I really wanted to take his picture.  His favorite part,  you might be asking?  Ok, you probably aren't asking, but I'm telling anyway.  It was slurping the soy milk from the spoon.  He was fascinated with it. 

It's not that he hasn't had dry cereal before...that in itself was a huge milestone about a year ago.  It was just the actual event of having a bowl of cereal with milk that nearly brought a tear to my eye.  Such a normal childhood experience and here he is 2 months shy of 4 years old and just now experiencing it.  After five trips to the ER with overnight hospital stays in his first year of life, food allergies pretty much ruled the roost in this house.  Slowly but surely we have added pretty much every food except for the dreaded rice.  He generally avoids dairy too. 

Anyway, a successful night of new food in the O'Brien household!  Grrrrreat!

The Queen Mother Tells All

On a cozy December night a few days before Christmas, my little sis and I were treated to a day of cooking family recipes and an evening of family history from Grandma Dorothy...who just happens to be a Queen Mother in her Red Hatter's group (hence the title). I can't say it was a particularly calm night because we had more than our fair share of company. My niece and nephew were spending the night so we had four children ages 7 to 2. Much of their night consisted of "dance party" to fun and funky music in the play room. But upstairs, we were getting a family history lesson.

Here is what I learned:
My great-great grandma's name was Elsie Belle Kelsey. Yup, Elsie Kelsey. And I learned that she was nice. That might not seem like a revelation to most people, but if you knew her daughter you would be surprised. Elsie's daughter, Jeanette, was my great-grandmother. We all knew her as Grandma Net and she, my friends, was a crotchety old woman. God love her and may she rest in peace, but I'm telling ya she was one cranky woman! She couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall and she was NEVER without her headscarf. Honestly, I don't have a single memory of her without her headscarf on...in or outside the house. She couldn't hear worth a darn in the first place and then to put a scarf over her ears....well, to each her own.

I also learned that Grandma Elsie's husband, my Grandpa Brenneman, was a womanizer. GASP! He left his wife, children, and grandchildren (including my Grandma Dorothy), in the late 1930's. But he didn't just leave. He took the mattress with him! Yup, that's right. He took the actual bed that he shared with his wife. And to top it off, the bed frame made a huge scrape down the stairs as he dragged it out of the house. So Grandma Elsie had a constant reminder of his departure every time she went up and down her own stairs! Grandma Elsie ran her farm with her children to survive, but they never did get running water.

Grandpa Brenneman didn't show up again until many years later (1955) on the night before my Grandma Dorothy's wedding. He didn't even know that she was getting married.

So that brings me to the second topic that we learned about that night. Grandma Dorothy's wedding. She and Papa Norm were married in December 1955 in the chapel of the Christian Church. Grandma wore a red skirt/suit and high heels. They only had two people in attendance, Papa Norm's friend and the friends girlfriend. Papa Norm is a bit of an introvert to put it mildly. Not only did he not want anyone to attend, but he wouldn't even let Grandma tell anyone that they were getting married. I am always grateful that he came to my wedding because I know how strongly he dislikes large groups of people. So I'm guessing I don't get my extreme need to be the center of attention from his side!!

The last little tidbit of information that we learned that night was that my Grandma Dorothy was born at the family farmhouse on a cold January day. Her family set her on the oven door to keep her warm and alive. Don't try that at home!

So that was our wonderful day with Grandma Dorothy. Cooking, crafts, family history lesson, and watching the kids have a dance party in the playroom.

Follow me?

Just playing around with my blog format this afternoon. I've worked my butt off all morning cleaning and doing odds and ends that I think I deserve some time to veg out and play on the computer.

I chose this new background because of my love of books! I want a whole library in my house...someday. Ahhhh, yes...someday.

And I'm messing around with some other formatting stuff. Here's what I need, or rather what I want, from my faithful blog followers. I want to try to get to 30 followers in the next 30 days. Figured might as well stick with the 30 theme of the blog and see how it goes.

So we'll see how it goes. Thanks in advance.

Happy New Year

Hap, Hap, Happy New Year!! So many blog thoughts...so little time to put them on "paper." I'm always anxious to see what a new year will bring. Well anxious makes it seem bad. I'm excited actually. I think this will be a good year.

I can't set resolutions. They freak me out. Generally make me feel like a loser because I can't live up to them. I set my sights too high and can't succeed, thus the LOSER feeling.

I have about 150 things I would like to do better all which fall into standard categories of be a better mother, wife, woman, boss, friend, daughter, sister. Ahhhh the list goes on. Shall I? Nope. Stopping myself from that long list.

And now I'm getting anxious just thinking about it. Gotta change subjects. Oh crap. I can't. Now I'm stuck in the thoughts of all the things I need to do better. I never should have started down this track. I KNOW better :)

As I read back, I started this blog with being excited about the new year. Gotta get back to that.

Whew. That was a huge digression that was near catastrophic. Perhaps a New Year's Resolution could be to be less dramatic.....nah, we all know I couldn't follow through on that one either ;).

So, I ask myself: Self, what DO I think will go well for me in 2011? A lot. We are on the track to ol' Dave Ramsey's Debt Free plan despite a November/December spending spree. The boys are getting older and more fun by the minute, if not by the second! Jeremy is DONE, DONE, DONE with paramedic school! YIPPEE!! I have the most excellent group of people to work with who make our difficult work tolerable every day. That's a good start.

Ok. I redeemed myself from my own freak out.

Sigh.

Dear Papa Dean

For his 80th Birthday party on Christmas Eve the family is getting together and offering a note of what we have each learned from Papa Dean. I won't be in attendance due to another family Christmas party but I am sending my letter. Here it is:
Dear Papa,
I want to be just like you when I grow up. I want to be on the cusp of my 80th birthday and still living a full life. I want to still be married to the love of my life. I want to be retired, but working full time because my work ethic is like no others. I want to have 6 grown children who are all as much the same as they are different; who are all successful in their own way, but don't flaunt it; who are all raising children and grandchildren to be respectful people and productive citizens; who have all had their trials and tribulations but have a level of faithfulness that is to be admired and copied.

I want to attend as many sporting events, band concerts, graduations, choir concerts, high school plays, talent shows, dance recitals, homecoming parades, and any other activity under the sun as many times as humanly possible just so I don't miss out on the events of my children and grandchildren. Even if these events are clear across the country, I want to find a way to get there and make sure whoever else wants to go can get there too. And I want to do this because I LOVE every minute of it.

And when I attend each of these activities, games, meets, events, and performances I want to meet people. I want to stand in line at the front door and know the person next to me. Or know their neighbor. Or know their 3rd cousin who used to live next door to my best friend. And I want to remember that person so that when I sit down in the bleachers or theater seat or lawn chair I can meet someone else that knows someone else that knows that someone else. And I want to say "This is what my Papa Dean always did whenever he met someone."

I want to teach my family to be competitive and appreciate a good win, but be respectful and have great sportsmanship.

I want to have 19 grandchildren (including their spouses) and seven great-grandchildren with 1 one the way. And I want all of those children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to LOVE coming to my house for Christmas. Even when we might have outgrown my home, I want them to still want to come because there is no place else they would rather be on the weekend before Christmas.

And at Christmas, I want to hear my adult grandchildren talking to each other about their fondest memories of my house "I loved the kitchen in the playroom." "Oh, what about the rocking horse?" "and the Lincoln Logs." I want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remember reading Dr. Seuss books in my basement and playing on the back patio and the carport (YUP, I want a carport) in the summer.

I want to be there on my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren's first (and second, and third, etc) trip to Disney World. I want to be in the pictures pushing the stroller and holding a place on the curb for the Disney Electrical Parade while everyone takes turns with potty breaks and snacks...and more potty breaks because of the snacks.

I want my children to start every other story with "On our way to...." or "we were on our way back from....." because it will mean that we have travelled and shown our children as much of this great country as we possibly can.

and lastly, at the age of 60ish I really, really, really want to be able to beat my 12 year old granddaughter in a foot race down Main Street in Gallatin just to say that I can.

Happy Birthday Papa Dean. I love you.

The holiday season is here!!!

Has it really been well over 2 weeks since my last post? Yikes! We have been so very, very busy already with the holiday season. Every day, evening, and weekend has been filled with something or other. This weekend was no different. Two parties in two nights and they were both wonderful! I love, love, love having friends and family in my home sharing great times and making memories.

I've become just a teeny bit obsessed with holiday decorations this year, but I'm trying hard to keep it under control. Trying being the operative word here. Hey, I focus my successes in other areas. Money management does not happen to be one of them. Jeremy tries to act like he is bothered by it but we all know he secretly loves all of the decorations. After all, he is the one who spruced up the whole outside of the house as a surprise for me and the boys a few weeks ago. He loves it every bit as much as I do. Maybe more.

My favorite part of the decorations this year....oooooo....I can't even choose. I was starting to write that I love having the boys tree downstairs with our childhood ornaments and the first few years of theirs. But I also really love that we found our childhood stockings and have them hung up this year too. Really makes me want to get fun stockings for the boys to start this memory for them. Ohhhhhhh, there I go again. Want, want, want. Spend, spend, spend. I'm in a spending, present-buying frenzy. And yes, I finished my shopping a few weeks ago. And yes, I continue to find reasons to buy more items. I love giving gifts and it's so much fun to find things that you just know people are going to love! Not things just so they will have something to open, but things they will really enjoy. It's the joy of giving! And I'm lovin' it!

I'm totally rambling here as usual. There seems to be something therapeutic about writing it all out. I know, I know. Too social worky. I actually got on tonight to capture in writing more of the funny little things the boys have said this weekend. I love that this blog is sort of an electronic baby book where I can keep track of their antics. They crack me up every day. But when my fingers started typing all that came out was holiday, holiday, holiday! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

And let us not forget the reason for the season!

But I can't leave my blog tonight without just a few tidbits from the boys this weekend.

**Justin when my mom, Brett, and Grandma Dorothy got here for Leo's party: Jiminy Crickets, mom. They ARE here!

**Leo has croup this morning and sounds like an 85 year old man with COPD. He can barely speak or cry above a whisper and you can hear him breathing from two rooms away. He sounds so sad, but it didn't decrease his cuteness rating. He turned on the charm with Dr. Tina this morning. When she was done with him he whispered in his hoarse little voice "Oh tank you, mommy. Tank you Tina." She was eating him up! She said she has never seen a sick two year old thank his mom and doctor! That's my baby! I hate it that he is sick, but does it make me a bad person that I just love how cuddly and sweet he gets when he doesn't feel good?

**Justin keeps saying that Leo can't catch up with his breath. As if Leo is chasing his breath around the house and can't seem to catch it. Then he told Leo to "be wax (relax). I have had a hard day."

And my favorite from tonight from Justin while saying his prayers tonight in bed "Spirit is my favorite part of the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Spirit is my favorite. I love every part of the cross and everything and everyone and every TV and everything beautiful and you are a beautiful mommy and I love you."

A perfect end to my weekend.