Summa Cum Laude

Things Precious Oldest did over Christmas Break

Hid the baby Jesus 72 times.

Decided all gift bows must be worn



Decided her mother must wear gift bows too



Made her mother read a Christmas bedtime story



Put out cookies and eggnog for Santa



Made fun of her mother's ass while she was digging gifts out from under the tree



Finished her t-shirt quilt

Yeah, all the rest of that stuff was just to show you how cute the quilt turned out!

Happy 2011

Sort of fell off the map there didn't I? Not to worry, all is well. I just got very immersed in family and well..there you have it.

For the first time since I started working I had a few vacation days saved up to use in and around the holidays. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed having a few extra days at home!

We had a lovely Christmas with our daughters and family.

We also had a birthday. Christmas was forever changed for us in 1988 with the arrival of Precious Oldest. She turned twenty two this Christmas. TWENTY TWO! We’ve ended up with a smart, funny, kind kid who embarks on her student teaching TOMORROW. How did this happen?

We traveled south to visit the Saint's folks the day after Christmas as his father was not up to the trip to come to us.

New Year’s Eve was terribly relaxing filled with friends, family and featured me staying in my PJs until 4:30!

New Year’s Day we went to see “The King’s Speech”. I can’t say enough about this movie – if you haven’t already done so GO SEE IT NOW!

I am off and running on my 2011 New Year’s Resolution.

What have you all been up to?

Where's Waldo? Christmas Edition

The most oft repeated phrase in my house since the Precious Daughters return from college?

"Where is Baby Jesus??!!



"I SAID, WHERE IS BABY JESUS??!!"











Answer: Anywhere but in the manger. Sheesh.

Random Thoughts

Oh the randomness currently rolling through my brain.

We have had THE most unbelievable fall weather. Very Little Rain = Much Sunshine. You have no idea how this pleases me. The windows have been open for weeks upon weeks. It has only been in the last few days I’ve left the heat on for an entire 24 hours.

Precious Youngest was home this past weekend. She needed a break. She is struggling right now. She is in a difficult period of discernment. She is my worrier by nature and I’m losing some sleep on her behalf.

I’ve been notified of two large awards for grants I wrote in late summer. Let me tell you; money is tight and competition is stiff. I feel pretty good about this.

I am afraid I have to walk away from helping my sister with her finances. I had hoped to keep her little ship afloat until she could deal with some long standing issues. My assistance is now being perceived as interference. She is resentful to the point that it is affecting our relationship. I am afraid for her, but I can not make an almost forty seven year-old woman DO anything she doesn’t want to do.

I have a sort of a braggy thing I keep writing about and then deleting. You know what? Make that two things.

The hot flashes. Oh my God people; kill me now. I have an appointment with a doctor next week. I am hoping there is something to be done.

See? Random.

Vanished

vanish
vb (intr)
1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously
2. to cease to exist; fade away

Oh hai. I don’t seem to be able to get over here. Stuff is happening. Life is spinning on. I just don’t seem to have the capacity to sum everything up and spit it out here. Or maybe I do:

• My sister is back at work. Very tired, but in otherwise good health. It is miraculous.
  
  
• We had a grand time with Precious Oldest and her friends doing the tailgate thing a few weeks back.
  
  
• Costco had a wonderful Brunello di Montalcino in last weekend. $28.99 a bottle. $28.99!!!! I was shoving half a case in my cart when the manager walked by. He asked if I knew that Brunello. Know it? I’ve been to the vineyard! Divine.
  
  
• We leave late this afternoon to drive to Precious Youngest’s university for a repeat tailgate performance tomorrow.

I am considering delineating how to properly throw a college tailgate party. We’re pretty good. I’m just sayin’.

Portrait of "Pain"

There is one certainty in fall


It matters not if you are a fan


It can not be avoided

Foot Ball

Can you guess what my college colors were?

Then you can only IMAGINE how painful THIS was!


Ah well, at least the children enjoyed themselves!

Hello? Is anyone out there?

Things are a little dusty around here I see. I didn’t mean to abandon this poor space but many, MANY goings-on have been vying for my time and attention.

My sister finally left the hospital on August 5th. Nearly a month after she was admitted. She came home with a defibrillator but minus the thyroid that started all the trouble to begin with. She is lowly re-gaining her strength and she may be able to return to wok the first of September.

Both of my girls are back at school. Actually, Precious Oldest did not come home this summer, but last Saturday we moved her into the apartment she will share with three others for her last year of college. She has lived in the residents halls her prior years, so this is very exciting for her.

Precious Youngest was deposited at her residence hall on August 7th. Much too soon for her mother’s taste, but she had to train as the desk supervisor so she in turn could train her desk attendants and be ready for the first wave of residents who arrived yesterday.

My nails, house and gardens all show the signs of neglect. I haven’t done a proper grocery shop in I can’t say when. Probably prior to the 4th of July. Work, well work is still here. It has been a relatively quite summer and thank goodness because I did not need to have the office weighing on my mind too!

Slowly I hope to fill in some of the pieces. Some are good, some are wonderful and some are not too nice at all. In the meantime I do appreciate the comments and e-mails of support and concern. The power of prayer has pulled us through some very dark days and I appreciate your prayers good wishes on our behalf.

XOXO Fannie

Off My Chest

Let’s take a break from the hospital shall we? I am currently at the office trying to "work" while waiting to hear what Dr. Tsue has to say about performing surgery on my sister. So the "working" is not going terrible well.

Soooo, let me re-cap some weekend highlights:

Precious Youngest is house sitting for friends who are away at the beach on vacation. In her first seventy two hours the following occurred:

Day 1 Whilst keeping the very large dogs from knocking her over and simultaneously punching in the alarm code she inadvertently hit the silent alarm button. While she was in the back yard throwing balls for the very large dogs, three policemen entered the yard form various points, one with gun drawn. After producing her driver's licence and answering a few questions she was not arrested.

Day 2: Whist attending a concert, and subsequently arriving back at the house quite late, to find some recent high school graduates (friends of one of the sons who is on vacation) had availed themselves of the hot tub and were enjoying a few adult beverages. They were summarily dismissed.

Day 3: We got a call from Precious Youngest that the house seemed to be getting warmer and warmer. A quick look around, a few breakers flipped on and off and it became apparent a professional would need to be called in. The home owners will be returning to a new air conditioner.

She is handling things well, but we believe she may be due some hardship pay!

NOW, about the trespassing, minors in possession, drinking illegally. I did not find out about it until the next morning. Because while the children were trespassing and having a cold one I was at the emergency room with my niece. She had been scratched on the face by an eight year old girl she was babysitting a few days earlier. The scratch had developed a large, red and swollen welt and was beginning to itch. Waiting to have it looked at did not seem a good option and the Minute Clinic was closed. The ER doctor who treated her agreed with our assessment. Augmentin and a topical antibiotic cream seem to be doing the trick.

NOW, about the boys who were trespassing, minors in possession, drinking illegally. Phone calls were placed to all the parents and they were informed that I did not appreciate the position this placed my daughter in and if it happened again the police would be called. I am in no frame of mind to be fucked with these days.

Last night after dinner we did a run by my sister’s house. I needed to do some cleaning and the Saint needed to pick up her mail (he’s handling the finances at present). We discovered that the tub was (and has been) completely stopped up. We await a plumber to come and deal with that situation today.

I believe the folks who produce movies for “Lifetime” will be calling any day to see if they can use this shit in their next movie of the week. I’m just sayin’.

Working Girl

I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear….Precious Youngest is employed! It was not easy let me tell you. The Saint and I took turns nagging her about applications and follow-up calls. There is just not a lot of hiring going on right now.

At any rate, she found this job on her own. The work seemed in-line with her talents and paid better than the standard. She sent them her resume and a link to some work she’s done. They met her Wednesday and hired her on the spot. The job is entry-level, grunt work sort of stuff, but it is in her field of study so we’re hoping it provides some good, practical experience along with a paycheck.

So, home and employed in under three weeks! As the saying goes: I'm not a nag, I'm a motivational speaker! (I might also have bribed her with the promise to buy her this dress. I’m just sayin’.)

Precious Daughters - Bullet Edition

• Precious Youngest is home for the summer.
• It took two vehicles to get all her shit home in one trip.
• Her dorm room wasn’t that big. One wonders how they fit all that stuff in the room all year.
• Priority one is finding a summer job.
• Well, from OUR perspective.
• The real priority one is getting some sleep.
• Priority two is cleaning out the shit hole she calls her room.
• Well, that’s MY priority two.
• The real priority two is catching up with The Pie and friends.
• Precious Oldest is not coming home this summer
• She has a job on campus that pays well and will allow her time to take a six hundred level class she would not otherwise be able to fit in her schedule.
• Let’s allow that to sink in a bit shall we?
• Precious Oldest is not coming home this summer.
• Six young men we have known ALL THEIR LIVES are graduating this week end. Five high school; one college.
• That makes me feel incredibly old.
• I've got nothing else except sweetbabyjesusu enough with the rain already!!!!

Mother's Day

Like all families, we have many inside jokes. Lines of dialogue that have arisen out of conversations and occurrences that are oft repeated and sometimes published. Some have lore so strong people OUTSIDE the family are in on the joke.

This is the Mother's Day card Precious Oldest sent to me:



When Precious Oldest was in high school, after yet another argument about me not allowing her to do ANYTHING FUN AT ALL, I blurted out in frustration: “You know, it’s a good thing we’re more like best friends than mother and daughter!”. She laughed, I laughed and just like that the line became a running part of the family dialogue.

"We always were more like best friends than mother and daughter!"

Then there's this from Precious Youngest:


On a family vacation when Precious Youngest was a baby (in which all four of us shared a room)we discovered that she spent an hour or so in the middle of the night wide awake holding a party. There was no crying, no distress of any sort, just her WIDE AWAKE AND JABBERING TO HERSELF AT MIDNIGHT!

As a toddler, no longer contained in a crib, she took her personal parties on the road. I never knew what I would find in the morning. She would be sound asleep in bed having left in her wake a swath of destruction. My personal favorite (read: OMG what she do NOW!) was finding both the bathroom and the (back in bed and asleep) baby covered in Vaseline!

"Bridgey parties? What? Vaseline? My bad! "

Good God they make me laugh!

Mama Bear Sends Her Love

Green Girl asked, in response to a comment I left on this post, what DOES one send to college students in a care package these days?

I send four or five packages a year. Generally Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and finals weeks. Precious Oldest reports that word spreads quickly when a package has arrived for her and she usually has an audience when she opens it.

Every time I go to Target I swing through their dollar section. The stores I frequent have several aisles devoted to cheap sale items right up front. (Sometimes I throw in a Target gift card too.)

Holiday themed fleece blankets have always been a big hit!

My girls love socks, so those are always fun.

For finals snacks are a must and just plain silly things; sidewalk chalk, gumballs, Disney princess pens.


And, if you are a REALLY good mother, a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints you found squirreled away in the deep freeze gets added to the mix!


I do this the old fashioned way. I save boxes (shoe boxes, catalogue delivery boxes, etc.) and packing materials from the office.



The correct size box is important. Things should fit snugly to avoid to much shifting during transport.





I wrap them in brown paper.







I didn't say I did a good job!

If I get these in the mail today they should arrive Monday.

It isn't extravagant. It isn't expensive. It isn't hard. It just says we love you and we're thinking about you. Isn't that all anyone wants after all?

You Can't Win with Us

I’m sure you are wondering where I’ve been. Um, pretty much hiding from POLLEN. I don’t have spring allergies per se, but our pollen count is hovering over 8,000 when it is usually 800 to 1,000. Everything, it seems, has decided to bloom at the same time this year. While it is beautiful, I find myself with a sniffling nose and itchy eyes at days end. Every surface is covered in a light green dusting of pollen. I find myself praying for rain. ME! I KNOW!

Meanwhile poor Precious Youngest, off at school 135 miles due east of us, is suffering terribly. She developed spring allergies late in grade school which became more severe over time. We believe Oak pollen to be the main culprit. For a sixish week period in the spring she takes Singulair, Clarinex and Rhinocort ALL! AT! THE! SAME! TIME! and is still in abject misery.

So us warm weather, sun loving gals are hoping for rain. Mother Nature just can't catch a break can she?

Delayed Grief

Yesterday afternoon found me submerged in a bath with a glass of champagne; an unfinished bottle resting on the floor near the tub. And I had myself a nice, long, sobby, chest heaving, snotty, sniffling cry.

We’d enjoyed a nice Easter with my parents, my sister and her children. Precious Youngest, home for the past week for her spring break, packed up her car and drove back to college. And I found myself overwhelmed with a single thought: Our house is not “home” for our daughters any more. Not really. They call it “home”, but they are visitors when they come. Think about that for a minute.

I don’t think it is any secret that I adore my children. They are my life’s work. Thinking about who they are and what they’re doing with their lives makes me misty. They are doing all of the things I trained them to do, taught them to do, encouraged them to do. What in the name of all that is holy was I thinking? If you raise responsible adults they LEAVE!

I cried harder and longer yesterday than when I dropped either of them off at college the first time. I can only assume delayed grief to be the culprit. That it has taken me this long to come to terms with reality.

Reality? Bites. Big time.

Sunset

Cabo San Lucas, Sunset



I'm home.
We had a wonderful time.
Daughters heading back to school today, more later.....

Laugh or Cry?

My sister is back in the hospital. The Saint and I took her to the ER yesterday. Elevated heart rate and fluid in the lungs is putting off the radiation therapy she was due to have tomorrow to "kill" her thyroid.

She's been feeling poorly for too long and is beyond upset to be back in the hospital. We're a little low in the morale department around these parts.

So laugh or cry?

OVERHEARD

The Saint calls me today at the office

The Saint: Are you cooking dinner tonight?

Fannie: I was planning to, why?

The Saint: I think the Precious Daughters both have plans tonight.

Fannie: Well, what time? Do the plans involve dinner?

The Saint: I think Precious Oldest has potential dinner plans, I'm not sure about Precious Youngest.

Fannie: It doesn't really matter -I'm cooking whether anyone is home or not. Tell them to do whatever. And any way, I don't want to be "THAT MOTHER" .

The Saint: "THAT MOTHER"?

Fannie: You know, the one that does the guilt.

The Saint: Oh, I'll be sure to pass THAT along!

Fannie: "Well ...when you do make sure you tell them *sniff* you heard tears in my voice!

All joking aside - we need a prayer over here!

P.S. They were both home for family dinner, I'm just sayin'.

Tradition…TRADITION!!

A funny thing happens when you have nearly grown children who believe in Santa Clause and tradition in equal measure.

They still get new PJs on Christmas Eve



They sleep with their very well loved Teddy bears



Even if you’re the MOM you get new PJs on Christmas Eve


Because your nearly grown children don’t want you to feel left out


And of course they leave milk and cookies for Santa



And a carrot for the reindeer



Do YOU still believe?

Simply the best

I don’t know about you but this was about the best Thanksgiving I can remember in years! There are many, MANY aspects of Thanksgiving I have always enjoyed immensely:

1. It is the holiday when we can count on most, or all, of my siblings and families being together.
2. It is about Food and Wine and Beer.
3. There are NO GIFTS, therefore NO SHOPPING.
4. It is a four day weekend, whoopee!

For the past umpteen years my family has taken the show on the road down to my parents. It was not without its own brand of stress, but generally a fun time.

I’m sure you all recall that this year my parents are living a bit….um…closer.

People it was awesome! By seven o’clock Wednesday evening everyone had hit town. My brothers, sisters, spouses, daughters, nieces and nephews. My mother had dinner for everyone on Wednesday night. I hosted Thursday and my sister had everyone for a big breakfast on Friday morning. Then we took the entire clan out for Mexican Friday night. Don’t you love a progressive holiday?

In between we ate and imbibed with whoever happened to be in our respective homes at any given moment. We mostly walked back and forth between homes as the weather was perfect! We even went to a couple of museums, played some games, spent some time at the park and of course watched a whole lot of football.

By five o’clock on Saturday all had departed to their cities of residence except my daughters. We were able to get in church and a movie on Sunday with them before they headed back to school.

I felt so energized by the whole shebang that I (with the help of The Saint) did five loads of laundry and got two thirds of the Christmas decorations up before collapsing last night!

Christmas you say? BRING IT!

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Precious Oldest was on the phone and we were comparing Halloween notes.

Fannie: “We ran out of candy at 9:00! And I had two HUGE bags of assorted candy! I almost resorted to handing out the Almond Joys I held back!”


Precious Oldest: “I did the same thing – took out all the Almond Joys!”

Fannie: “Well of course! Kids don’t like coconut!


Or nuts!


It’s really for the best.”

Precious Oldest: “But …I bought a huge bag of candy that included Almond Joys ON PURPOSE….”

Fannie: “So what?”

Precious Oldest: “SO, I bought candy I had no intention of passing out to the kids! OMG - I am turning into my mother!”

Humph, she says that like it’s a bad thing!