Stuffed

Stuffed with turkey, dressing, and an abundance of assorted pies ... Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week left me thinking a lot about food.

During my extravagant holiday feasting some truths came out.

*It wasn't a secret to most. Those who thought it possible a Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker hid inside my kitchen pantry soon found out differently. No I did not make the scrumptious pecan pie that graced the dessert table. It was purchased the day before at a bakery. Next year I'll probably bring another one just like it. Thanks so much for your beautiful compliments though.

*My mom and sister baked soft pretzels one night. On the recipe card there was an arrow pointing to a comment -----> A kitchen aide makes things easier. I thought that was a brilliant idea. In fact that has been my problem with baking all along. Mom made me her kitchen aide. Eventually and happily I did catch on to forming the pretzel shape with rolled out dough.

*Eating turkey only makes grown ups fall asleep after dinner. My 3 kids age 4 ate their turkey dinners, took off their shirts, and began running around the living room. If only I had that kind of energy. After dinner it was asking a lot for me to move myself from the dining table to the sofa.

*Watching a football game after eating lots of food does alleviate feelings of eating remorse. Watching someone exercise is almost as good as exercising myself. LSU vs Arkansas went overtime too. That means I watched even more exercise than a typical football game. That has to be better. Right?! Absolutely!

*Somewhere I read that the average American eats 5 slices of pie a year. Well, they obviously do not have the exceptional cooks that are in my family. Easily I ate that much and more in 5 days. There were so many mouth watering pies to choose from: freshly baked apple caramel pie, freshly baked pumpkin pie, freshly baked strawberry pie, freshly baked chocolate pie, my store bought pecan pie, and my store bought apple pie. ***** These pies were eaten in Texas and Louisiana at our families' homes.*****

*I LOVE to cook and REALLY DON'T LIKE to bake. If I ask how a pie or other baked good was made ... just tell me the basic ingredients. I'm never going to attempt to make it. My husband and children prefer it that way. Pecan pie has pecans and Karo in it. Peach pie has peaches. That is all I really need to know. Second thought ... it is kind of silly for me to even ask. The ingredients I need to know are said in the pie's name.

Okay, I'm teasing quite a lot here.

The Barker and Middleton feasts were a sight to behold. I truly enjoyed every last morsel. Thanks so much for inviting us. It was well worth the 16 hour round trip with 3 kids age 4. We loved seeing everyone and I cannot compliment the chefs enough.

Now on Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. It is time for sleigh bells to ring in another holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was a little girl I knew there were some undeniable truths. Absolutes that no one questioned. In the safe world my parent created I knew somehow these sacred facts would always be.

*No matter what mischief I found myself in (and believe it - I could find trouble) my parents always ended the day with a kiss and I love you.

*Birthdays always came with a cake decorated by Mom, a party complete with gifts, and a mood of thanks and festivity.

*My brother could always be counted on to play with and tease me. (He cleverly came up with the nickname "Messy" for Melissa when we were toddling around. I still argue disorganization often points to creative genius)

*My baby sisters always thought I had the right answers. (This was not true ... they just thought it was. Even so .... thanks :)

*My closest friends would always be what I needed for them to be ... at the time I needed for them to be it.

*Money does not grow on trees but my parents somehow always had just enough to give me everything I needed and most things I wanted.

*Family nearby and across the country were always there to support and care about us because family is family.

*A golden turkey, stuffed with dressing, would bake in our oven Thanksgiving morning.

*Christmas gifts with my name on them would always wait prettily beneath the tree.

*Holidays were an occasion to express thanks for all of our blessings.

This Thanksgiving my brother and sister in law live across the country. At my parent's house this week our entire family will not gather together. Some new faces will join us...which we are thankful for. Faces we love and expect will be there too. However, Brandon and Tej will celebrate the holiday season on their own.

Savoring separate holiday dinners was not something I expected as a child. Never before was this an issue necessary to discuss. Our family ate Thanksgiving dinner together .... even if it was a few days before or after the actual holiday.

This year .... this is not to be. A fact that crumbled over time when childhood gave way to adult realities. An absolute that can no longer be taken for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving - to my brother and sis-in-law. We love you and hope your holiday is filled with sustenance, warmth, friendship, and new traditions.

Ben, Callie, and Donovan send their usual greetings. "Tell Uncle Brandon and Aunt Tej we love them and they need to come play with us."

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends. New babies will celebrate their first holiday season with proud parents. Our eldest family members will reminisce about past Thanksgivings. We will all over eat, laugh until our sides ache, and celebrate what is most important in our lives.

A Pocketful of Wonderful

Donovan is a collector. He picks up rocks, leaves, pinecones, and walnuts. Each natural treasure is tucked neatly into his pocket.

Once in a while he finds a flat space to stop and admire his findings. Gently he places each item in his palm. He turns it over and studies it. Then he pushes it away into a neat line.

“What are you doing?” I wonder out loud.

“I’m looking at these.” He points to his hand.

“You are carrying a lot of stuff in your pockets.”

He smiles at me and shakes his head. “I want to find more.”

“Tell me about all the cool things you’ve found.”

“Stick out your hand.” He places a sweet gum ball into my palm and closes my fingers around it.

“Ouch! The spines hurt.”

His smile widens. “Yes and this rock is smooth.”

I ruffle his hair. “The sweet gum ball is rough and the rock is smooth. That is exactly right.”

He stuffs his collection back into his pocket. “I’m going to find a worm.”

I watch him run off and realize how very proud I am. Donovan is so aware of his world. With an unquenchable curiosity he runs head first into the unknown and smiles while pulling me behind him.

November is Prematurity Awarenss Month. Every baby has a story. The March of Dimes celebrates healthy babies. This amazing organization also funds research to finds ways to stop birth defects, premature births, and infant death. Families are supported by March of Dimes NICU Family Support programs across the nation and online communities (now also in spanish) like shareyourstory.org. Every baby deserves a chance to grow and explore their world.

Lights in My Rearview

To work and home I went all week and was frequently asked, "How are you doing today?"

More than once I scrunched my brow, scratched my head, and shrugged my shoulders admitting, "I don't know."

This week has not been terrible. Certainly it could have been a lot worse. However, it was not a wonderful week either.

Each year it seems like there is at least one week when

my world becomes unhinged. Everything is Topsy turvy. I walk around peeking through my splayed fingers afraid of what else is waiting for me. Like a B horror flick I want to look away but cannot resist seeing what happens next.

Thankfully my children were not truly a part of this week's drama. They were "extras" and that was minimal. Brett barely made the ending credits. (He will quickly agree this is not only true but he is happy about it.) Nope, I honestly say this week was about me.

Tuesday I was stopped for going the speed limit. Okay ... not exactly. I was going the speed limit but it was in a school zone. Yep. Bad me. It was twelve thirty in the afternoon and it did not occur to me that some older kids were coming back out into the world.

Benjamin was with me. I just picked him up from school (he goes half days). Boy was he excited to see the shining police lights.

This particular incident ended far better than it could have .... Whew! It is amazing what a little humbleness might sometimes accomplish. (No, I did not cry.)

Tuesday night I sat around a table in the "chaplain's conference room". It is where I have parent meetings because there is no room up in our hospital unit. A nun was finishing up report. Before leaving she chit chatted with me and remarked, "I'm going to say extra prayers for you tonight. That is your points for doing good work."

I softly laughed because the work I was doing was part of my job. Work that I love. Still, work that I am supposed to do.

Thursday arrived and I had no idea what the morning would bring. Lights were out ... construction was here and there ... and I had a wreck. Not a fender bender but a full blown wreck.

It could have been a whole lot worse. There were no injuries. Drivers were the only passengers. No ticket was given. My car looks pretty bad though. Ugh! The motor grinds ... seriously. It is a truly ugly sound.

Most of the day I squinted around a terrible headache asprin would not ease. My blood pressure was through the roof. Exhausted I just wanted the day to stop. (All of this from stress and not the accident)

Someone very dear to me suggested it was very "narcissistic of (me) to assume the universe is plotting against me". Humph.

I went to work anyway. Another parent hour inside the "chaplain's conference room". On the table there was a piece of paper sitting on the desk. It was a prayer of Acceptance.

This prayer went something like this:

"For all the things that happen...the experiences, people, and places we meet that cause us to find reason to complain and become anxious .... for all the times we try to find a reason why .... the questions we ask that have no obvious answers ... Help me to stop being selfish... so focused on me. Everything is not about me. In the end we will have the answers. Everything will fit. Help me to accept this."

Seriously. This is what it said.

I am unsure how any of it fits together. Really. I'm clueless.

However I have to admit this week has been unusual. This was the first time I've been stopped for a speeding ticket and the first big wreck I've ever been a driver in.... Really. About six years ago I had a minor fender bender.

To say this week has been surreal is putting it mildly. It reminds me of the children's books titled, "A Series of Unfortunate Events"... Then again ... they may not be unfortunate at all. Weeks like this offer much to think about.

Please excuse my unusual blog topic today. Most of you come to see pictures of the kids. So without further neglect .... here you go. :-)

Scurvy Pirates!

They are creepy and they're spooky. All a little kooky.

That's right! The Middleton kidlets clothed themselves in pirate gear and roamed my parent's home saying "arrrrrgh" and "I'm a scurvy pirate".

They attended a very cool Halloween party catered by their very own Nana. She is a whiz at party themes. Her grandchildren had a frightfully good time this weekend.

It was great fun! All ghouls and goblins gathered round for a fanciful feast ... buffet style. On the menu were delectable dishes like - graveyard gravel, skeleton fingers, mummy dogs, and apple teeth.

Oh, yes! There were games. Pin the tail on the black cat and ring toss on a witches hat were both something to giggle about.

And.... there were prizes. Lots of ticks and treats to tease their Halloween bags with pirate booty.

We had such fun!

So, on Halloween we carved a jack-o-lantern. Donovan requested we carry it up to his room to be used as his conventional nightlight. As if!

When I picked Ben up from school today he was eating his lunch tray in the cafeteria. (He requests a tray and I so love packing his Thomas lunchbox). His teacher said Ben has been really chattering away about this party. She already knew all there was to tell. (Kids spill all at school .... you've been warned)

Hope everyone else had a fanciful fright night.