In the Car in the Rain

I'm typing this with my thumbs.

It's 10pm, and I'm sitting in my car in the driveway.

It could be because I'm not looking forward to schlepping groceries in the rain. Or it could just be because it's cozy and quiet in here. Very cozy. With the constant "dibble dibble dibble dop" of the rain falling on the car. (ok parents, who can place that rain reference?)

It's hypnotic. It's soothing.

My cold foods are thawing. I really should go in.

But dibble dibble dibble dop dop dop...

Stewardship Sunday on Monday Again

Wow, what a week. The whole week was a huge gift. The vacation was much-needed, and much enjoyed. It was worth every penny to hear HeyMama say, "I'm going to go outside and run around with my cousins." And since they live in St. Louis, MO and Fairbanks, AK, it takes a few pennies to gather them all together. Yet, still, it was totally worth it.


We returned home to find that our garden had exploded. The pole beans finally decided to climb their poles. The lettuce was trying to race it to the sky. The herbs were elbowing the tomato plants for space. The jalapeños were thick and plentiful. Hot sun and lots of rain will do that, I suppose...

Garden bounty:  basil, jalapeños, and zucchini cake

It's a lot of basil! The pot's just there because it's pretty...

BestestHusband uprooted the peppermint to make more room for the spearmint. We have a lot of mint...

Food waste: We left some produce for Miss Ashley (our beloved daycare teacher/dogsitter/housesitter/babysitter) to eat. She did not eat the produce. MISS ASHLEY, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO EAT THE PRODUCE!!! So we had some fruit go bad. She did help eat some of the garden. So I give her credit for that. On vacation, we made a valiant effort to keep from wasting any leftovers from a week of 3 meals/day x 12 people. I think we deserve credit for that. And we're working very hard to use/preserve the crazy amounts of herbs we brought in from the garden. OH, and we composted at the lake house! Does that earn us bonus points?

Money: Vacation is not cheap. But we cooked most of our own meals (we went out one night with the whole family, and BestestHusband and I went out one night just by ourselves - with coupons), which helps with 12 people. We shopped all of the grocery sales in advance, thanks to my detail-oriented mother-in-law.

Patience: It's easy to be patient when you're on vacation. 

M&Ms: There was a bag of plain M&Ms on vacation. I was too busy eating other yummy stuff to care much. 

Time: We got family time, couple time, 1:1 kid time, and even lots of alone time. The whole week was time well spent, in my mind. 


This week is proving already to be a tough reality check. Sigh. Back to reality. But it was definitely worth it!


How was your week?

I Do Not Waterski

I married into a family of water skiers. BestestHusband and his siblings have been skiing for so long none of them remember actually learning to ski. So any time the family gets together in the summer, waterskiing ensues.

Back when BestestHusband and I were dating, I had my first chance to learn to ski. It was August in the lake country of MN. A cold August. And a cold lake. My lesson involved, "keep your skis together, and hold on." Well, I got hypothermia before I actually got up on the skis. I did a little bit of kneeboarding, but no skiing.

My next few summer gatherings involved me being either pregnant or postpartum, and skiing was not even considered.

But this summer, well, this was my chance to learn. The lake was warm, the weather was warm, and hypothermia was not a concern. Both of my nephews got up on skis. What could be so hard about it?

Well, there's a reason everyone else in the family learned to ski as kids. It's not a simple thing for a 35 year old woman to just pop up on skis. I even tried the kids' trainer skis.

A variety of factors come into play here:
I'm not athletic by nature
I have a horrible sense of balance
I don't like feeling out of control
I don't like falling
I'm still nursing a bad back
I have very poor upper body strength
I'm not very competitive by nature
I don't really trust that my ski instructors are giving me all the info I really need for success
I don't really feel the need to waterski right now

Obviously, the last factor is the most important one here.

If I really wanted to ski, I would figure out a way to get up, despite all of the other factors. But after a few half-hearted attempts, I decided to leave the skiing to the real skiers.

I do not waterski. And for now, I'm ok with that.

In the Beginning

We took a day trip to the headwaters of the Mississippi River today. It's not so far from where we're staying, and it would be a shame to miss it. 

It doesn't look like much. There's a lake, some rocks, then you're in the Mississippi. Kids were splashing and playing, and it was shallow enough for MeToo to stand in. Tiny fish swirled around our ankles as we walked along the pebbly bottom.

But I think it's worth noting that great and mighty things have small and unassuming beginnings. Without the signs, I'd think it was just another forest stream. But by the time it reaches the southern end of the state, it requires significant bridging, and when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it has its own delta.

The girls venture into the water

Well, the girls were underwhelmed. Probably because they were under-napped. We didn't stay long. There were too many tears and meltdowns. But in the future, I hope to show them a picture of themselves knee-deep in the tiny stream while they look at its giant southern counterpart. And someday use it as a metaphor for humble beginnings, possibilities, and hope for the future.

Me in the Mighty Mississippi

Going Looney

Never before coming to MN had I heard the call of the loon.

It's such a distinct and wistful sound...

But it's one of those sounds that transports you to a time and a place. And, so far for me, it's always a good time and a good place.

I hope it does the same thing for the girls...

A family of loons on Lake Belle Taine. Please ignore the tacky popup trailer. I promise we stayed in a nicer place...

Winners and Losers

We're staying at an amazing lake house.

The space is amazing. 

The views are amazing. 

The fenced in yard with a swingset, play structure, and sandbox is amazing. 

The dock and floating dock are amazing. 

The inside gym is amazing.  I could go on and on. The place is our dream home. It even comes furnished with toys and games for the kids. What else could we ask for? This place is everything that we could ask for, and much that we wouldn't even think we could ask for. This home is perfect for our extended family of 12. We all have our own beds, and plenty of space to go to for some peace and quiet. I had no doubt when we walked in that this was the perfect place for us.

But the place makes me a little sad. Within 10 minutes of being here, a friendly and chatty neighbor gave us the down-low of why this place is on the rental market. The owners are going through a divorce, and they can't sell it yet, so they're trying to make a little money off of it before they do. The marriage, a relationship built for two, was entered by a third person. And a family fell apart.

We spent some time poking around into the nooks and crannies of this amazing place. And we found the unfinished attic where a lot of the kids' toys were stored. The little girl has the same name as HeyMama. She also loves pink and Princess stuff. She owns a doll set I was considering getting for HeyMama. Her artwork is on the wall. A photo of her and her family, from the back, is on the wall. This house, a dream home for us, has become a house of broken dreams for two young children. And it breaks my heart.

It won't ruin our ability to have a great time this week. It isn't. The kids have a case of perma-grin. The adults are all pretty happy too. I know that the memories created here this week will be happy ones for my family for years to come. But the happy memories created here for the other family will always be tinged with sorrow. This home is a small reminder that money can't buy happiness. And that dreams can shatter. And it makes me so sad for those kids...

 

 

 

 

The view of the upper deck while I'm drinking morning coffee.

The view from the upper deck while I'm drinking morning coffee. Yes, there are multiple decks.

Chaotic Fun

It's family vacation time.
7 adults + 5 kids + 1 house = chaotic fun.

The last 24 hours have been spent in BestestHusband's childhood home. The next few days will be spent in a cabin on a lake Up North in Minnesota. But in-between, we'll be attending a family reunion. BestestHusband's extended family is large and scattered enough that after 7 years, I still haven't met them all yet. Apparently, I'll meet a few more today.

The trip has been chaos so far, but fun. I'm sure there will be a lot more chaos, and a lot more fun.

Stay tuned.