Category: Family

This morning, I finally stopped procrastinating and checked out a new church.

Well, to be honest the church isn’t exactly new to myself, since my daughter goes to the school. She’s been attending that school since she was in kindergarten. You want to know something else? It’s the same school I attended when I was in kindergarten. Yet in all those years (outside of school based functions that I attended with my daughter) I never attended their church.

There really wasn’t a reason to attend. I’ve been happy with the church where I’ve been a member, but recently I found myself wanting more. I was raised Baptist, so attending a Lutheran church is a big change.

The 9:00 service I attended this morning, was a new experience. Although there were differences in how the service was conducted. The message was sound, and I found myself enjoying the pastors sermon. More importantly, the people were very friendly and made my daughter and I feel at home, so we’ll definitely be returning.

During the service I scanned the church bulletin (that one of friendly ushers had given me) and to my surprise I noticed that they have a quilters club…

Let’s just say it’s been a long time since I’ve made a quilt. I’m forty-one, so it’s been at least twenty-five years. The last quilt I made, I was in my early teens. So yeah… I was still a child, but recently I’ve been thinking about making them. That has everything to do with viewing several of Karen’s hand-stitched quilts. Wow, what a talented lady! Viewing her blog, Quilts… etc. made me realize exactly how much I missed quilting.

As a child, sewing was the first craft I got into. I started with small projects and eventually moved to designing most of my own clothing, with the occasional quilt, and some cross-stitched afghans tossed into the mix.

Anyway… the church’s quilting club meets on Monday mornings. Good thing, I work from home right? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to attend. I’ll be sure to get more information, and stop by the quilting group and introduce myself, once the holidays are over.

It seems as if my Nikon D80’s battery charger has gone missing.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my Nikons battery was running low, when I went to its usual spot (that I keep the charger) it was gone.

Countless searches have been done, and I still haven’t found my Nikon D80 battery charger.

Autumn is my favorite season, and there’s tons of outdoor photos that I’m itching to shoot, but with a near dead battery I’ve been holding off.

I’ve ordered a charger from Amazon. You know what’s going to happen? By the time the new battery charger arrives to my house, my old charger will miraculously appear, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll know where it’ll be found… in my daughter’s room. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of looking in her room earlier. I just thought about this a few moments ago.

You have to understand something…

My eight-year old daughter is very talented. She’s won awards for her artwork, and has already had some of it featured in local shows — so it’s not just mommy bias. I love art so naturally I’m thrilled. This girl churns out art pieces several times weekly —  like it’s not a big deal. She has lots of talent, and therefore I encourage her. It’s ‘her thing’.

So yeah… she’ll  take anything that’s not nailed down and incorporate it into one of her art projects. I have mixed feelings about this; I applaud her creativity but at the same time… this mom gets tired of looking for misplaced items. <sighs> It looks as though I’ll have to have another conversation with her about asking, before using items in her artistic creations.

I’m betting if I look in her room, the Nikon D80 battery charger will be gracing one of her art sculptures.

Nikon D80 battery charger

Updated to add…

Thus far, my mommy’s intuition hasn’t failed. I looked in my daughters room and found the Nikon D80 battery charger buried under her pipe cleaners and colored papers.

Because of a teachers in-service, my daughter is out of school today. Naturally, I’m planning on squeezing tons of activities into her three-day weekend.

Yesterday, we made a quick stop at the library. About a week ago, I’d requested books for my daughter, and they arrived at the library. When I checked yesterday, I noticed that was the last day to pick them up. Whoops, so off we went to pick up her books. My daughter is a big R. L. Stine fan, and that’s the books were available. She had her nose buried in one of those books as soon as we hopped into the SUV.

This day has been spent making crafts, reading, and hanging out together. Tonights menu will be my normal theme; simple, nutritious, and delicious. My daughter has requested finger foods for dinner, and so I’ll be preparing Vegan wontons, black bean hummus, and I’m making pineapple kiwi  smoothies. Quick meal, fast clean up, which is just how I like it.

 

Is it lame that my daughter is the best person I’d like to hang out with? I don’t think so. I really enjoy her company.

My daughter is eight years old, and I love the fact that she still enjoys hanging with mom. We spend a lot of time together — always have. When she was younger, it was a lot harder but I still made it work, even though I work from home.

It looks as if it’ll be warm in Maryland, and so we’ve planned an insect hunt on our property. I’ll be sure to take pictures with my Nikon. I’m sure she’ll beg me to use my camera. She’s been snapping pictures since she was three. A few of those bug shots might make their way onto this blog.

In other news, the little miss has a piano piece she has to ‘perfect’. Her piano teacher requested she create her own song. She  completed that yesterday. Being the ‘noob card maker’ (yeah I’m using leet speak) that I am, I decided to turn her masterpiece into an album. Forget the noob bit, even if I’d been making cards for years — I’d see this as an opportunity to create another project. That’s how I roll.

The above photo was taken on my daughter’s kindergarten graduation. That was a few years ago. People that have known me for years, say she looks a lot like myself, especially when I was that age.The dress was something I created for her. She loved that dress, and held onto it long after she outgrew the ability to wear the item.

Weekends are the time for my daughter and me to spend a lot of time with each other

Many times it’s simply hanging out together. My daughter is eight years old, and is still at the age where mommy is still her favorite person in the world to hang out with.

Today, while I was checking out some Machinima for World of Warcraft, I stumbled upon a catchy little tune, titled I’ll make a man out of you. After I Googled, I discovered that it appears to originate from the Disney movie Mulan. Being a Disney fan, I definitely want to check it out. I convinced my daughter it would be a great movie to watch. A few clicks, and I’ve requested it at the local library, so the only thing left is for me to pick it up.

This weekend, my daughter and I’ll be watching Mulan. We’ll have the popcorn and roasted garbanzo beans (they’re so delicious — and healthy). There will be plenty of paper on hand, in case my daughter decides to draw what she sees.

Mulan: I’ll make a man out of you

Much to my surprise, I found that one of my favorite actors, jackie Chan, is also a singer. I studied American Freestyle Karate and Wing Chun King Fu for several years, so was happy to see Jackie Chan’s rendition of this song. I think it’s beautiful. Enjoy!

 

Lyrics: I’ll Make a Man out of You

Let’s get down to business
To defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters
When I asked for sons?
You’re the saddest bunch
I ever met
But you can bet
Before we’re through
Mister, I’ll make a man
out of you

Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within
Once you find your center
you are sure to win
You’re a spineless, pale
pathetic lot
And you haven’t got a clue
Somehow I’ll make a man
out of you

I’m never gonna catch
my breath
Say good-bye to those
who knew me
Boy, was I a fool in school
for cutting gym
This guy’s got ’em
scared to death
Hope he doesn’t see
right through me
Now I really wish that I
knew how to swim

(Be a man)
We must be swift as
the coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force
of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength
of a raging fire
Mysterious as the
dark side of the moon

Time is racing toward us
till the Huns arrive
Heed my every order
and you might survive
You’re unsuited for
the rage of war
So pack up, go home
you’re through
How could I make a man
out of you?

(Be a man)
We must be swift as
the coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force
of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength
of a raging fire
Mysterious as the
dark side of the moon

(Be a man)
We must be swift as
the Coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force
of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength
of a raging fire
Mysterious as the
dark side of the moon

 

I enjoy all seasons, but my all time favorite is Fall. This year, I’m thinking of ways I can preserve the autumn leaves that my daughter and I collect without laminating them. I guess a Google search is in order.

This past weekend, my daughter wasn’t feeling that great. She received a cold, and so I kept her out of school yesterday. “Mommy, will you make me broccoli and cheese soup?” It’s her favorite comfort food, so how could I deny that? Luckily I had all the ingredients needed. Garlic was added because of it’s antimicrobial and antiviral properties. My daughter gobbled up three bowls yesterday, and I was able to sneak one bowl (without the cheese) too. My daughter has asked that I make it soon, so when I do I’ll make sure I measure the ingredients and post it here.

Soccer season is officially over, and things are starting to settle down in our household. This past Saturday, my daughter’s soccer team was in the soccer tournament. Although they didn’t win they did an excellent job, and our school awarded them with trophies. They’ve all made major improvements since the start of soccer season, and it’s nice  to see that many are eagerly looking forward to next year.

My daughter will be accompanying me in some of my marathons next year. Although seven years old, she’s been the fastest runner on her team, and the teams they’ve faced. Although she won’t be accompanying me on the high distance runs, I have no problem letting her join me on runs up to 3 miles. Naturally with her accompanying me, I’m not running to place it will be just another way to bond with her and to do something we both enjoy.