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Real life. Real lessons.

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Milestones

Twelve is the New Sixteen

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 By Sherra

We did squeeze a birthday in during April.

Scary Baby turned twelve on April 22nd.

The day before Easter is not her favorite time to have a birthday.

Because of course, I took that opportunity to combine the birthday with the holiday. I’m sure that’s what Christmas Eve babies dislike too. Sorry but I like to be efficient.

Scary Baby should be thankful that Easter does move around each year.

She has reminded me several times I have not blogged about her birthday.

Consider this the new birthday tradition:

Must have blog post written highlighting your birthday.

She set the tone early for her birthday requests.

First, she really, really, really wanted to own a viola for 6th grade orchestra. She hated her rental instrument. She needed her own instrument. She would be performing in the 6th grade Honors Orchestra at the end of April and please, please, please could we buy her a viola.

Dad and Granny got together. Scary Baby got an early birthday present.

An extravagant but useful birthday present arrived.

The concert was lovely and I’m sure it’s because of this amazing viola.

Next, Scary Baby got very frustrated when I said I was not going to buy the giant cupcakes at Costco that were too expensive for her to take to school for her birthday treat for 28 of her closest friends. My Easter dinner budget was already high.

Instead I said I would be glad to make homemade cupcakes with ingredients we already had at home. You would have thought I suggested taking in circus peanuts or some other gross candy as her treat.

And speaking of birthday treats…when the heck does that stop? I think 6th grade, right?

Yes, this had to be the last year.

See, I’m a little unclear because the darling twins have a summer birthday – excellent planning to avoid multiple birthday celebrations. The Grunter wasn’t too caught up in birthday treats after elementary school.

This last child just wears me out with all her expectations. Thank goodness she sketched out her cupcakes so I had instructions.

We started with a cake mix and The Cake Doctor cookbook. She probably remembers what page. I don’t.

All food photo credits: Scary Baby.

Except the photos when she’s in the picture.

I did have to amend her plans. We had raspberries not strawberries.

I’d include the recipe but we made this up. Cream cheese, powdered sugar and raspberry jam.

Approximately this much.

I won her over with this change when I said she could squirt the filling inside with a new pastry bag and tip. And she could ice them all herself.

The kid is relentless when she makes a plan.

The clearance Easter sprinkles in the glass jar for $2.00 from TJMaxx secured my cupcake victory.

She declared the homemade cupcakes a huge success and her brother drove her to school so she didn’t have to drag them on the bus.

She caved on Easter Sunday and our Easter dessert served double duty as The Perfect Lemon Cake also became her birthday cake.

Only because I let her pipe the filling for deviled eggs.

And because she got Easter treats…

And birthday presents on the same day.

Everett gave her a swimsuit and we were glad he didn’t prank her and give him one of his old swimsuits.

The darling twins gave her the movie she wouldn’t see in the theater but really wanted to personally own.

Happy Birthday baby girl! You promised you would stay little and it’s just not happening. We all love you to the moon!

Thanks for your patience while having to wait to read your birthday blog post two months late. I’ll try to be on time next year.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Food, Milestones, Tweens

It Will All Work Out Momma

Monday, June 13, 2011 By Sherra

When I stress about something, especially if it’s related to The Grunter, he loves to chant his mantra.

“It Will All Work Out Momma”

He’s pretty calm and easygoing most of the time. He definitely takes after his father in this department.

The distractions and daily stresses took over towards the end of April and haven’t seem to let up. That led me to barely getting a weekly Typo Tuesday posted. Thanks for hanging with me in my quiet phase. The family would not agree with the previous sentence.

Whatever.

I’m going to play catch up in the coming weeks here on the blog. Mostly because the blog is now our family photo album so I have to continue to tell our stories even if they are not all chronologically perfect. Go me – look at that flexibility. I will also need to high five myself for showing restraint in not writing some of the stories. Saving for the book. Or when I finally start drinking. Hard liquor.

If I were prioritizing the stresses, the following would be…

Stress #1

The Grunter has had a swollen lymph node that he started complaining about a few months ago. I said “Make a doctor’s appointment.”

This is part of the growing up checklist, right?

  1. Make your own doctor’s appointment.
  2. Go to your own doctor’s appointment.
  3. Call Text your mother.

He finally did all three.

#3 really triggered some anxiety…

“He said he didn’t know if it was a tumor or what. They are doing a blood test and then deciding whether I need to go to a specialist. Also I may have had mono last year.”

The swollen lymph nodes were actually from last February when he was really sick with a cold and swollen tonsils. New blood work now confirms he had mono.

This is a kid who has never had a stitch. A cold and/or sore throat is about as sick as he gets.

Next appointment is with a specialist and I attended with him.

I could have gone my whole life without hearing a doctor say…

“We need to rule out lymphoma.”

Three times.

Everett ~ before drugs

This is my way too small tribute to every mother out there who has had to fight the “Big C” battle alongside their children.

Because I know you prayed it would be you and not them.

I can only imagine that there is just one thing worse than battling cancer yourself and that would be having to watch your child battle it.

The good news for us is that our pumpkin is fine. His post-op appointment was last Thursday and the pathology report was all good.

Everett ~ after drugs

“It Will All Work Out Momma”

These words from the baby I was pretty sure would kill me during childbirth. He’s right.

It will all work out. It almost always does. He’s helped me to see that.

And it’s always a milestone when you can embrace a life lesson from one of your own.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Life Lessons, Milestones

One Special Lady

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 By Sherra

I’ve written about her before.

She was a looker.

As they say back in Indiana. 😉

I wrote about her in 2008…

She’s the only Grandma I’ve ever known as my mom’s mother passed away when I was just six months old…

…Imogene is funny and spunky and I have always loved spending time with her. To get to spend one-on-one time with her is a sheer delight for me.

She got such a kick out of riding in my bright blue VW bug.

In May of 2007, on my way home from the Black Hole, she was exactly what I needed and it was my honor to take her bra shopping (oh, the funny story of that shopping trip) and then to Gray Brothers for her favorite meal.

The next year, I got to go back and spend more time with her and we had dinner once again at Gray Brothers.

So glad I documented our visit here.

…words cannot describe what it meant to me to get to spend the afternoon with her and take her out to dinner.

I convinced her I could pick her up the next day so she could enjoy another meal with 6 of the 7 Kivett siblings who were all gathering at another local cafeteria.

She simply beamed through the whole meal. She loved them all so much.

In January of 2009 on my long road trip to the frozen Midwest tundra, I was so glad I got to visit again. It was such a gift that there was no ice in Indiana because I was able to take her on a car ride back past the farm and we got to visit with my Uncle Jack and Aunt Peggy at their house.

Treasured memories…I could go on and on.

I saw her for what would be the last time with darling twin Wizzy in July last year.

We brought her butterscotch pie from Gray Brothers and when I showed her the picture of her in front of that blue bug that I carry in my wallet, her face lit up.

Then she winked and giggled, “We had some fun, didn’t we?”

She passed away Saturday morning.

She is being buried this morning after 95 vibrant years on earth.

May she rest in peace knowing how much she was loved.

Filed Under: Life Lessons, Milestones, Raves

Veterans Day 2010

Thursday, November 11, 2010 By Sherra

No endorsement of any agency or politics – just a tribute worth watching. Taking 5 minutes of your day remembering those who give so much more to fight for our freedom…

Sending blessings to all our veterans and their families,

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Filed Under: Milestones

Quiet Sorrow

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 By Sherra

Forgive my silence.

PhilBillPaul’s younger brother passed away very early this morning after being at home in hospice for just over two weeks. He fought a very courageous battle with liver cancer.

Phil is on his way to Texas tomorrow.

Please keep him and the whole family in your prayers.

If you feel compelled to do so, I know he and Granny will read every comment left here…

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Filed Under: Milestones

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