Carrie's Carrying On

Back on the surface

2011-03-25T23:17:00.005-04:00

The rest of my week was productive, which is just what I needed. Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and stocked up for the first time in quite a while. It feel so good to look in the fridge and see food in there again, and to have choices besides deciding which restaurant to go to each night. I got lots of good fruits and veggies, and other healthy foods as I am trying to move a little bit away from having so many unhealthy snacks in the house to tempt me.

Today was nice because I was able to keep a promise to a friend and help raise money for a good cause at the same time. My friend had asked me to help her organize the stuff for a yard sale at her house on Thursday. Because I had not been to the grocery store yet, I had to put her off and wasn't able to go and help. Today was the first day of the yard sale, and I went down there and worked for about 4 hours to help out. We have a friend who does the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer every year, and my friend hosts the yard sale to help her raise money for the walk. I always try to help in some way.

I also tied up some more loose ends today, and it feels good to check a couple more things off my to-do list. I am exhausted (and sunburned), but I feel so accomplished tonight. To top it all off, I might actually get into bed before midnight tonight!

Chipping away from underneath the avalanche

2011-03-23T19:36:00.003-04:00

Today was a better day, even though physically I felt worse. I think my allergies are bothering me, despite a daily dose of Claritin that I used to be able to count on to feel better. My head feels like someone poured soup in it, and I have been exhausted deep down inside all day long. Despite feeling that way, I managed to go do my volunteer work at the Media Center at Rachel's school today for a couple of hours, did the dishes, made dinner (yes in that order...those were yesterday's dishes), and now I'm working through 2 loads of laundry. I have also been looking through my coupons a bit because tomorrow is going to have to be grocery day for us.

The funny thing is, despite doing all that, the thing I am most proud of myself for doing today is being able to give the lady at Kroger who arranged our Girl Scout cookie booth two boxes of free cookies that I saved for her as a thank you for helping us out. I've been trying to take the cookies to her for weeks now, but every time we went over there, she wasn't working. Back a few months ago when she signed our troop up for a booth, I asked her what her favorite cookies were. She said she liked the lemon chalet cremes, but her husband liked the Tagalongs. I told her I wanted to give her a box. She wanted me to bring his favorite and decided not to have them for herself. I didn't want her husband to have her reward, but I honored her wish for him to have his Tagalongs, but I also brought her the lemons that she loves. She gave me a big hug and said, seeming very touched, "You remembered." Yes, I remembered, and in that last day when my time on this earth is finished, if people show up and remember how much I cared for them all, then my life will have been an ultimate success.

Sometimes I get buried under a stress snowball

2011-03-22T17:41:00.004-04:00

Sometimes life moves so fast and furious, it makes me fall down. Things start to pile up...all the cleaning and errand running, doing things for the girls regarding school, Girl Scout stuff, Rob's work stress that spills over to me, having Rob away all the time, and on top of everything, someone gets sick. I feel like such a bad mom because I find that I am angry sometimes when the kids get sick. I try really hard to be sweet and help them, but after a while, I am screaming inside, "Enough already! When do I get a break?" Today was like that for me. Chelsey had strep all last week and was home most of those days from school. Rob was home from Wedneday night until lunch time today, but everything around here was thrown completely out of sorts. Now he's gone, and I already feel like I am at my stress limit. How am I going to survive the next 8 days? It wouldn't be so bad except that Chelsey is still moping around complaining of tummy troubles. I have no doubt that she really feels sick to her stomach, but I just NEED her to be well. I am so exhausted from all the caregiving that I have been shutting down when I do have free time instead of getting all my work done so I can get some things behind me. I'm so stressed even making dinner seems like Mount Everest to me today. I know it will get better, and she will feel better. Until then, I just have to suck it up and do the best I can under the circumstances realizing that maybe I NEED to not do some of my cleaning or errands for a day or two. It will still be waiting for me when I get my mental rest. If you're still reading at this point, thanks for taking the time out of your day to listen to the lamentations of a housewife on the brink. I know it will all get better. I just have to be patient.

I hate when things like this happen, but it sure is funny when it does

2008-12-27T19:55:00.003-05:00

Tonight, when I was about to make dinner, I spied a leftover plate of cakes on the counter. Not wanting to spoil my dinner, but too tempted not to sneak a taste, I opened the ziploc containing the goodies and swirled my finger into some luscious red velvet pudding. Expecting yummy goodness, imagine my horror when the flavor I was greeted with tasted similar to what I would imagine week-old bacon grease would taste like. At precisely the same moment that my tastebuds were being assaulted with Christmas-gone-rancid, my eyes glanced down into the bag. What I had seen just moments before as "icing" that had spilled over from a neighboring treat suddenly came into focus as a large, green spot of mold.

I spat what I could into the trash can, then I began flailing around the room like a dog with a bucket on my head. I ran over to the sink and tried to wash it out with water. My hands and the water could not work fast enough, so as I almost lost my lunch, I called out to Rachel to come and bring me a soda out of the fridge. She ran it over to me and I guzzled down about half the can in an effort to rid my mouth of the foul, offending flavor. Luckily, it worked and the horrible taste began fading away. I continued scraping my tongue and the roof of my mouth for several more minutes just to be safe, then followed it up with a peppermint. After dinner, I went upstairs and brushed my teeth for about 10 minutes but was unable to brush hard enough to get the thought of what I had tasted out of my head. I now have a new definition for the "world's worst taste".

What the Holidays Mean to Me

2008-12-26T20:17:00.002-05:00

The Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. I know it is the same for many others as well. When I was a little girl, I remember waiting for Santa every Christmas Eve by the fireplace. I would inevitably fall asleep and miss his arrival. Of course, there is so much more to Christmas than waiting for Santa's arrival. It's the time to remember the hope we all received 2,000 years ago from someone else's arrival.

I was sitting in the Christmas Mass at my church the other day, and I began to think about the gift that Christ bestowed upon all of us. He came to us in the most vulnerable way. When I think of a tiny baby laying there in a manger, the destiny of the whole world upon his shoulders, it makes me cry every time. I went up to Communion and the band began to play "Away in a Manger", followed by "Silent Night" and finally, my personal favorite, "O Holy Night". I cried through all three songs. Mary and Joseph were most assuredly in awe of the gift that God had chosen them to bring up in this world and nurture for Him until the appointed time for Jesus to fulfill his destiny. Choirs of angels, visiting shepherds, and wise men led to them by a star...the Lord heralded His arrival, but so few even noticed.

I often think about the fact that God is still revealing Himself to us every single day in ways large and small. Little miracles that seem like coincidences, or a lucky break to us, are God's way of encouraging us and renewing us as we move through our lives. I recall an incident earlier this year in which the hot water setting on our washer mysteriously began working, after we had repeatedly tried to figure out why the water wasn't running out when we turned it to hot. I immediately thanked God for the miracle because I had stood right there and watched my husband's futile efforts to get it to work just a couple of days before. I am not a plumber, so I know that my heavenly Father repaired it for us.

I also thank God for his blessings every time I am having a down day, and suddenly a friend will call me out of the blue, or I will get a letter in the mail from someone I haven't heard from in a while. God is always there watching out for me and taking care of me.

That's why I love Christmas so much. It's the time of year that we are ALL begin thinking about others and how much we love and appreciate them. We also help others and do the things that God is always asking us to do, but we are too busy to listen. The good mood that we all get in, the "Christmas Spirit" if you will, is God's Light still shining down on us just like it did for the first time on that first Christmas long ago.

Sharing some of my daughter's funny stories

2008-10-23T00:55:00.005-04:00

I thought it might be fun tonight to share a few of my daughter Chelsey's stories she has been writing for her 2nd grade class this year. They are too funny not to share. Hope you enjoy reading them.

"Lemon Chocolate"

Hi my name is Lemon Chocolate. I live in the bakery. The baker man baked me at 5:00am this morning. The baker man put me in a small bag. "What are you doing?" I asked. Suddenly, I got handed to a man. His name is Mr. Brown. The ride home was very bumpy. "Help!" I cried. "Turn around! Turn around!" But it was no use. I did a sigh. All I wanted was my family. I did not want to be eaten. Then the man sat me on a plate. "Please do not eat me. I'll do anything." "Well, if you say it that way, OK. But only this once." Ended up we were very close friends. That was my story.

"My Liquid Adventure"

Hi. I am Coke. I am a type of liquid. I live in a twelve pack with the others. But one day a human bought me. Then when I got to her house she drank me. It was disgusting. Then I met juice. We ended up being very close friends. The something fell out of the middle of nowhere. Her name was bread. She was very helpful too. In the morning, we were in the sewer. It had spider webs in it. "Where are we?" I said. Suddenly something opened. A man swept us out. We ran away. "Yee haw," we said. Then I went back to Target. "Home sweet home!" I said. And that was my story.

"The Best Present"

The best present I ever got was Don't Wake Daddy. I got it last Christmas. But I just started playing it a couple of days ago. It is kind of scary. You know when the daddy pops up. I will keep it until I die. I might pass it down to my kids. That's how much I like it.

Hot Chocolate

2008-10-21T03:23:00.008-04:00

Fall is here, the weather is turning cooler, and there's nothing more satisfying than a nice, warm cup of cocoa after coming back inside. Curling up by the fireplace with a book and a hot chocolate is one of my absolute favorite ways to spend a chilly day. Hot chocolate is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I love it so much, that right now I have 12 boxes of Swiss Miss in my pantry. Swiss Miss is my favorite of the powdered types of hot chocolate. Any flavor will do. When I was younger, I only drank it with marshmallows in it, but now I have found the true path to hot chocolate heaven.

Quite a while ago, I ordered hot chocolate on an airplane. The flight attendant brought it to me and it was so sweet that I had to ask her what she did to make it taste so good since I knew she was using a powder to make it. At home, my hot chocolate usually tasted too watered down and bland unless I made it homemade with real milk, Hershey's baking cocoa and sugar. She told me that the secret is to use less water. Ever since, that is what I do, and it makes the powdered stuff taste terrific.

The next special ingredient I found was whipped cream. It is loads better than marshmallows in my opinion because it not only livens the flavor of the hot chocolate, but it also acts as a cooling agent to help you avoid the dreaded scorched tongue that happens all too often when drinking hot beverages.

Finally, if you really want to treat yourself, get some chocolate sprinkles, shavings, or syrup and sprinkle a little on the top.

As a side note, it does help to have a favorite mug that you use whenever you fix yourself a cup of heaven. My favorite mug is a red plaid mug that I found when I was working one summer at Berry College painting dorms. It's the one pictured above with some yummy hot chocolate in it waiting to be savored. Someone had left it behind when they moved away. My boss said it would be trash if no one wanted it, so I took it home and it has been my favorite mug ever since. Another reason it is my favorite mug is because it is large. Whenever I use it, I put two packets of mix in and make a larger portion for myself. That mug would make a six ounce cup of hot chocolate look like leftovers, so I like to fill it to the top.

I try hot chocolate in restaurants and cafes instead of coffee whenever I am out, and I do have a couple of favorite places to get it.

One is the Alegria Cafe in Steveston, BC in Canada. Their hot chocolate is amazing. I remember the first time I ordered one, I was so impressed. It came in a beautiful mug...no paper cups there unless it's to go... topped with a generous portion of whipped cream, and best of all....chocolate shavings. Decadent, sinful, and ooooohhhhh so yummy! The ambiance at Alegria is worth the trip, even if the hot chocolate tasted like liquid dung. No two tables or chairs are alike in there. The ladies that run it are as pleasant as anyone you will ever run across in any cafe. It is a very eclectic place, which is why I put the Alegria hot cocoa at the very top of my list.

Closer to home, I visited a Seattle's Best Coffee at a Borders bookstore recently. I ordered the Cocoa Trio hot chocolate. I got the kiddie size because I didn't know if I would like it. It was very delicious. This one also has whipped cream, but there is chocolate sauce drizzled on there, and a special bonus stick of chocolate that melts in the cup as you drink the cocoa. The cocoa is sweet, not bitter like some in cafes tend to be. It does come in a paper cup, but that's so you can sip and browse in the book store at the same time. There are seats in the cafe where you can sit, but why waste time in there when there are thousands of books to explore! Normally, I like to sit and savor my cocoa, but this one works just fine as a get it and go choice unless you have already picked out your book before going in to get your cocoa. One recommendation ...don't get the kiddie size. I almost went back and ordered another one. Save on multiple trips and get the large the very first time you order.

Olympics

2008-08-12T01:31:00.005-04:00

I have to admit it's been a while since I've really gotten excited about the summer Olympics.
Atlanta was such a high (for obvious reasons since it was held in my hometown), but I scarcely remember much at all about the Sydney or Athens games. I probably watched some of the events, but not like I did in my early years. As a kid, I sat by the tv with my eyes fixated for hours watching the diving, swimming, gymnastics, track and field and almost any other event that came on. Of course, those were the days of Greg Louganis, Mary Lou Retton, FloJo and all the great superstars of my childhood. There were still superstars emerging at each Olympics since then, but I got busy in my adult life and stopped noticing them anymore.

My kids are about the age now that I was when I was first dazzled by the Olympics. Los Angeles 1984 stood out in my mind the most, and it hit around the time I was 11 years old. My oldest daughter is now 10, ripe for the excitement of Beijing. This was not an Olympics I had really been looking forward to with a lot of anticipation. I had mixed feelings due to the political situation in China. I came to the conclusion that this is an event that transcends politics and economies. Yes, in two weeks, all those problems will still be there, but for this short little while, I think it would be nice to see a different side of China than the stamp on the bottom of every item at Walmart.

Friday came, and I was excited about the opening ceremonies. As I thought about sharing the experience of that evening with my girls, I became more and more happy. The parade of nations and the lighting of the torch has always been one of my favorite things about any Olympics. My youngest was not very enthusiastic to be watching the spectacle, and she ended up going to bed before the parade of nations was even halfway over. She's 7, so Vancouver will likely be better timed for her interest. Plus, we lived in Vancouver for a while, which will make it doubly enticing for her to watch.

My older daughter, Rachel, did begin to get excited as she watched. She loves flags, so seeing each flag as the athletes entered the arena was something she enjoyed as much as anything. I liked the little tidbit of information that was listed on the bottom of the screen with population statistics and number of athletes from each country. We discussed what we were seeing, and it was a wonderful bonding time for both of us. When the time came for the torch's arrival, I explained that THIS was the pinnacle of the evening....the opening of the Olympic games. We watched in amazement as the Chinese man ran around the top of the stadium suspended in the air as the scroll unrolled in front of him. When he actually lit the torch, and all the fireworks went off....WOW! Best ending to any opening ceremony ever.

Rachel was hooked. The next morning, she told Chelsey all about what we had seen. Both girls spent all day Saturday and Sunday sitting in front of the tv watching event after event with me. Rowing, volleyball, swimming, diving, gymnastics, etc. Chelsey got excited watching the actual sporting events take place. She did get upset once. Boxing came on, and she was flipping around to all the different NBC affiliates looking for a different event. She came running upstairs very upset. "Mom, on every Olympic channel they are showing wrestling (that's what she called it), and something's wrong with the tv. It's only talking in Spanish now". The Olympics are being shown on Telemundo as well, so I explained to her that she had just come across the Spanish-speaking coverage of the Olympics.

Each day, I am feeling more and more of the giddy feeling I would get as a child watching the Olympics. Seeing Lesak pull out the US gold in the men's 400 m relay in swimming was one of the best sports moments I have seen on tv EVER! If I was French, I am sure I would feel very differently about that moment. Anyway, as the games go on, I am going to continue to share them with my children, as will countless others all over the world. We may never achieve true world peace, but as long as there are Olympic games, we can all feel unified for those couple of weeks every two years when we watch with pride as our best fight it out without a drop of blood being shed (except in boxing).

Introductions

2008-08-03T01:08:00.005-04:00

Hello out there!

I am excited to finally be starting a blog. I have wanted to for a while, but didn't quite know what I should talk about. My problem is that I have sooo many interests, and I couldn't pick just one or a few to talk about, so I'm just going to have fun with it and see where it takes me. Here are a few of the things I enjoy, and therefore, may be discussing in the future.

I am a fledgling photographer, but am still afraid to take my camera with me everywhere I go. My favorite shots usually involve nature, although I do enjoy a good photo of my kids when we are out doing something. Posed photos aren't always very interesting, but I find the ones that are spontaneous when we are out having fun to be some of my favorites. I will be posting some of my best photos as I come across them as we go along.

I love to travel, but I have never been off the North American continent even though my husband works for an airline. I have been lots of places in the US, a few in Canada and one place in Mexico. I will probably share a bit of my travel experiences, which are my favorite things to share since travel excites me more than anything else I do.

I love to write, and when the mood strikes, I love to do crafts. Not like some of my friends, but it's really something I dabble in from time to time. My favorite crafts to make are refrigerator magnets. I collect magnets and have hundreds on my refrigerator. I'll have to post a picture of my fridge one day so you can see how magnet crazy I am. I try to get a magnet each time I travel somewhere as a souvenir, but many of the magnets are just ones I like or made myself. I am probably going to end up creating a magnetic wall at my house to showcase all of my magnets someday. I don't even have room on the fridge for some of them now.

Our family considers ourselves to be honorary Canadians because we spent a year and a half living in Richmond, BC Canada while my husband was up there on a work assignment. We enjoyed our time there very much. We learned how to get by using only public transportation, how to recycle, what "poutine" is, and we made many interesting friends along the way. We learned a lot more than that, but those are a few of my favorites.

One last thing....I am a night owl. As you will notice by the time of the evening I am posting this, I usually do my best musings after midnight. With 2 kids in the house, I figured I would have kicked the habit of keeping vampire hours by now, but it's just a part of who I am.