Foodie Prom Night

It's Prom. For years, with my daughter at home, Prom was an exciting time - dress shopping, hair appts, pictures... SO exciting. Now with my son, it is completely different. He took his clothes to a friend's house, where the boys (all single) would eat, then go to the dance, then to another friend's house for the night. No fun pictures. No flowers. No excitement. SIGH.

What does this mean for ME? For my HUSBAND? It means we are CHILD FREE tonight. While the DH worked today, I cooked. I am a foodie, and LOVE having an entire day to bake and cook and totally spoil my husband.

Dinner was amazing. Balsamic and brown sugar glazed pork tenderloin, sage stuffing, garlic smashed potatoes, carrots in brown butter, roasted mushrooms, and lemon bars. When he got home, I had his favorite drink ready for him (Jack and coke) and we sat down for a WONDERFUL adult dinner, just the two of us.

As he ate the pork (one of the best I've made), he just kept nodding. Gave me the two thumbs up. Said I'm a keeper.

So prom was definitely different this year - but not in a bad way. Just different.

Time to enjoy an Irish coffee or two. What a wonderful way to end the night!

All About Me....

Some things everyone needs to know (or not - but I'm going to tell you anyway):

• I love the smell of living here in Central Wisconsin. I love the smell of the clover, the woods, the freshly mown hay... I LOVE the smell of my home state.
• I think I was born in the wrong century. I love the Laura Ingalls time - and love when I have to bring in wood to keeep the house warm, or get to can and freeze and "put up" for the winter.
• I am a domestic. I love cleaning, and cooking, and taking care of my family.
• I worry almost every night about something happening to my husband and/or children.
• I once jumped out a window to avoid getting caught at a party. (first floor)
• I think that when I sit on the deck, and the wind gets really strong, it's my mom letting me know she is thinking of me. (I lost my mom in 2006)
• I periodically go months without having any alcohol, just to make sure I have control. (alcoholims runs in my family)
• I want to run a 5K.
• I love life. People have called me a life-a-holic. (soon to be another post)
• I feel like I don't have enough time in my life to do all the things I want to do. (who doesn't)
• I am constantly searching for antiques from my childhood, and am filling my home with them.
• I also search and fill my gardens with the same plants my mother and grandmother had.
• The thought of losing memory scares me to death. I hope and pray that in heaven I can remember all the details of my life vividly. (dimentia runs in my family)
• I think that filling my home and garden with things from my childhood will help me retain those memories a little longer.
• I hate that when I think of my kids as babies, I don't "feel" the memory.
• I miss having my family Christmases.
• I have started three different books, but never tried to finish/publish any of them.
• Some day I want to be published.

So these are some things about ME.

Birthday month: a work in progress

Had an amazing 42nd birthday. Blessed by a day with fellowship, crafting, good friends, lots of laughing, and great food and coffee. Once a month, we have craft day at our church, and it's been one of my guilty pleasures since I semi-retired last October. The ladies that I get to hang with are such amazing people, and it's just a refreshing, soul-feeding day!

Most of the ladies are there to quilt.

I am not a quilter.

I cannot sew.

There. I said it. I feel better just saying it out loud.

Don't judge.

For the last six months, the ladies have been joking about "converting" me. Turning me into a sewing quilter. And in all truth, I have always WANTED to quilt. I used to sew. Well, that may be an overstatement. I made two ugly pillows right after I got my sewing machine. Since then, it's not been threaded.

I know.

PLEASE don't judge.

Yesterday I asked a few questions - I really feel like I need to explore this way of expressing my creativity. I love the beauty of the PROCESS of quilting. the HISTORY.

I crave the ability to create something that tells a story. In such a beautiful way.

I vowed, in front of them all, that I have officially added a goal to my 2012 list: I will learn to thread my machine. I will get to know my machine. I will learn to love my machine. (Not saying I will actually SEW anything in 2012.. don't go crazy.)

So, as we were leaving church yesterday, one of the ladies joked with me that I was simply "a work in progress". Meaning - they're not done with me yet. They'll get me quilting.

Funny thing is, "A work in progress" could be the name of this blog. So I loved her reference. And I love that they've not given up on me yet. Who knows? There is a piece in this quilt-like life set aside for sewing. I just haven't conquered it yet.

But no one is giving up on me.

Because I'm just a work in progress.

Birthday Month : the wife

I am dedicating today's note to my dear husband, and being his wife. Tomorrow is his birthday.

I have known from our second date that he is my life mate. We just fit. We are serious yin and yang. Opposites attract. etc...

And honestly, the longer we're together the closer we get. We've been together for 19 years, married this October for 17 years. Wow, that seems like a lifetime. And yet to me, it seems like nothing at all.

What do I love best about being a wife? Being taken care of. He just "does" things. Fixes them. Changes the oil. Tightens the dishwasher hose. Tills the garden. So many things, too many to mention.

And I love taking care of HIM. I love keeping a clean house, making a wonderful dinner, packing a lunch, making something to surprise him.

And I love living life with him. The ups and the downs. The twists and turns. He's an amazing partner. I am very lucky to have been Blessed with him.

In Honor of Earth Day - birthday month: the conservationist

I actually feel wrong calling myself a conservationist, but couldn't come up with a different word. I am a novice conservationist. One in training. But something I am very interested in, and am looking to improve at!

A little history. My parents were way ahead of their game when it came to living naturally. Knowing my parents, one wouldn't think so. But while living in a lower middle class home in small town America, I was taught the importance of living green. We recycled in the early 70s, when we had to take them to the recycling center. We composted, even though we lived in town. They religiously read Mother Earth News, and had great hopes (which did not come true) about building an underground home that existed on solar energy. So thank you Mom and Dad!

While in college in Blair, NE, I had an opportunity to spend an Earth Day weekend with the Lakota indian tribe on their reservation. It was an amazing weekend of learning about the respect for Grandmother Earth, and all of the traditions and history the native americans have about Earth.

Fast forward to 2012 - I am a small town wife and mother, trying to do my best for the Earth. We composte, grow our own veggies, recycle as much as possible. (I even brought home two bags of recycling from NE this weekend because they couldn't recycle it, and we can! I am not above hauling trash!) I try to make as much as I can from scratch, to ensure the least amount of energy used - understanding the energy used to make, package, warehouse, and transport pre-packed products. I love hanging clothes out to dry, cooking outside on a dutch oven...

But I also know there is SO much more we can do. But I am focusing today on what we can do MORE to be BETTER to this amazing Mother Earth we live on. I'll keep you posted! What do YOU do to keep Mother Earth going???

Birthday month - the wannabe landscaper

Oh how I wish I had talent for landscaping. I have great ideas. Amazing intentions. But my projects just NEVER look like I imagined. Had the same problem back in art classes. Great vision, no idea how to execute.

This spring is no different. Three pretty big projects in the works. Last fall my DH built me a beautiful pergola. So this summer, my goal is to put a flagstone "patio" underneath it. Have the list of materials.... the "how to". We'll see how that goes. Because I have MORE time this year, I want more VEGGIES! But we live in town, so I've never been able to have the "creepers" - cukes, etc. But we are going to try to build a cucumber climbing trellis. Again. Have plans, the "how to". Keeping our fingers crossed. And the last project for this spring is a rock edge. We have been struggling with how to finish the edge of our gravel pad - and I think a simple rock edge with plants is the answer. I have rocks coming next week, so it's a go.

I have great visions of a beautiful, shaded lush yard. But I'm definitely not there. We'll see. I'm young. There is time... And I'm not afraid to try/screw up/and try again.

Birthday month - I've lost track! : scrapbooker

I've been ill. And then I was "unplugged" for five days (NOT A BAD THING). So I have completely lost track of what is going on, what day of the month it is, etc. Today I'm trying to regain my home, having been gone for 5 days - doing dishes, laundry, etc.

The reason I was gone this weekend - I was scrapbooking. So instead of blogging late at night when up coughing, I simply got up and scrapbooked. It was a very productive weekend!

I started scrapbooking about 15 years ago... was a CM consultant for awhile, then owned a store. Now I just get to scrapbook because I love it. It is the most relaxing thing. I become "regrounded" when I get to spend time doing it. I've been REALLY Blessed to have TWO weekends in the last month to get away and crop. With two different groups of women. Both amazing groups.

This month I was just cropping family pix. But more than that, I really enjoy doing specialty albums. I have started a Faithbook. I need to resurrect that. And I have been pulling pictures and things to do an album on ME. About me. What I love to do, sort of like this blog patter this month - showcasing the different things that make up Missy.

I used to think I was not a creative person. But I can scrapbook. I don't have to be artisitic to scrapbook. And for that, I am thankful!

I found myself STARING at some of the pictures I worked on this weekend. My friend kept asking me if I was "ok". I just giggled. "Just enjoying the pictures" was my response. I love the memories that are hidden behind those photos. THAT is why I do this. WHy I spend the time and money creating these keepsakes. They hold the memories....