30

So the scary day has come and gone.

I have now turned the mostly dreaded 3-0.

And really, it's not so bad.

It wasn't so long ago that I remember some older friends of ours

Having a 30th birthday

And thinking:  "I don't ever want to get there, you end up being so lifeless and old!"

You know, the usual picture in your mind of the 30 yr. old

Who somehow got stuck in the 90's and is just so....uncool.

They've settled for sweat pants and baggy t-shirts.

A goatee or hair unstyled and pulled into a ponytail.

And I wasn't EVER going to get there, if I had any choice.

Well, apparently I DON'T have a choice, it was inevitable

This birthday.

And it's been pretty great.

I think 30 is the new 20.  Only your smarter, more worldly wise.

You can pretend to have your act together

-Because everyone expects you to by this time-

But still get out that crazy, fun side when you want to.

-Because you're just not THAT old-

Now I'm trying on my 30 year old self

 And apparently I'm doing a bang up job of embarrasing myself

In front of my own camera, thanks to the random photographer who picked it up.

There are days, my husband rolls his eyes and tries to slide under the table

Because I belong to him...not that he doesn't love it, it's just a little overwhelming.

 

For my birthday, some little childs of mine

Made me a great school scene out of legos

Because they claim I'm the best teacher ever.

Shhh...but I think it's because this "teacher" is a push-over.

Moving on.

My sweetheart suprised me by taking off work at lunch time

And coming home with 30 roses,

A new camera card, tripod, and certificate for a new LENSE!

He also brought me to tears

By promising me the afternoon off while he watched littles

And he had scheduled an appointment at the local castle

for a mani/pedi for me

Talk about a heart winner!

Loved every minute of it.

Now we're in neck deep in wedding prep.

The time could be counted in hours from now

This week was spent sewing cute little girls' dresses...

 Putting together literally HUNDREDS of programs

Can you say huge wedding?

 And fanagling floral arrangements.

( I know, technically that's not a word, but who's technical?)

I'm hardly ever sure of what my finished product will look like before I start

So it's always a bit of a risk.

But I love how these arrangements came out.

 I'm rather liking  the jewel tones in these flowers

And the peacock feathers add a little unexpected punch of color and symmetry.

We're off to spend the afternoon creating chaos at the reception hall

And dinner with the fam.

Pray that I make it through the weekend without coming unglued.

M-kay?

JO

Falling In...

Well, it appears that the month of December

Opened wide its mouth and swallowed me whole.

Where did that month go?

It's all just a bit of a blur in my mind

There were Christmas parties to attend

And Christmas banquets to plan.

There were wedding projects to complete

And so many "lasts" for my family to spend with my mom

Before her big day.

Last shopping excursion, last Christmas dinner, last big vacation, etc.

Now we're into January and I'm wondering

Why did I fall into Dec.and allow it to swallow me?

I'd love to say that I did it with grace and we're so much richer for the experience

But really I'd be only fooling myself.

It was done with a lot more grit your teeth and impatience

And even some unkind words.

I do feel tho, that God was merciful.

There are so many moments that could have risen stress levels to Titanic proportions

But instead were very controllable and sane.

 There was a birthday to celebrate for the big boy

He celebrated with McQueen

Because apparently, when you're a boy-child,

Cars is all that--and so much more.

Finn McMissile, Mater and Holly Shiftwell were also in attendance.

 Myron and I also planned and executed a banquet for a local business.

Altho catering is not technically in my everyday job description

We do have a whole lot of fun a couple times a year

Doing it for special occasions.

So far, we've only done dinners for people we know

But every once in a while someone will ask when we're going to take it on the road.

I love planning the whole "experience" part of a banquet,

And apparently, the food is good too, even tho that is usually not the element of it

That I enjoy the most

 

We went with a winter theme, more than an actual Christmas one for this party.

I loved the black and white plates I found at Wal-Mart

We paired them with paper doilies, juniper berries, greens and logs cut as candle holders.

Love that the logs I found had these beautiful white fungi/mushrooms growing on them.

If I could have, I would've used birch logs, but in this part of the state they're scarce.

 And then there was the "bachelorette" party for my mom

Having an overnight pajama party for mostly 50+ something year olds

Is, um, interesting.

My sister and I spent most of the night in gales of laughter.

Who knew that their inner child would come out in the wee hours

And that we would be so well entertained?

 We had too much yummy food

Which, mixed with all the craziness and laughter, was good for the tummy.

And yes, even matching pajamas.

Everywhere you turned there were fuzzy blue and pink polka dotted pj's

It was enough to make one dizzy and succumb to dark tinted sun glasses.

I'm sure my mom will not soon forget

All the fun and love her friends showed her.

How do you make it all happen?

This fun, and even necessary, events of the holidays

And not fall into the New Year exhausted

And into bed at night wishing that morning wouldn't come for weeks and weeks.

How do you maintain the joy of soul and contentment of spirit

While rushing about. 

How do you maintain God-given relationships while putting forth so much time and energy to make those very people feel special?

I would give anything some days to see time as cyclical,

Tomorrow I'll just have more, no need to rush today to get it all done.

Ease up on the fuss, and have yourself another cup of coffee.

Untie the knot in your shorts, and breathe deep.

Content yourself in what you've accomplished today

"Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself".

JO

Christmas At My House 2

I love driving or walking down Main St

And seeing everyone's personalities come to life

In the way they display lights, greenery, etc

This time of the year.

While the outside of my house

Remains void of lights,

Not for lack of begging on certain small children's part

But more because mama hates a tall ladder

And papa has enough to do already,

The inside of our house is feeling all Christmasy.

Want to come in?
*long post ahead*

You could walk up the sidewalk and enter thru my front door

Take off your boots

-Because of course, there is snow on the ground-

And hang your coat in the front entry.

Or you could walk on around

To my kitchen door.

Because the kitchen is in the final stages of completion

I really didn't put up much in this room.

Just these two simple wreaths

That will be filled with pictures and cards

From people we love.

The dining table is set

Because we're expecting you.

The kids want to know

When can we actually sit at the dining room table again?

Well, kids, you could put on proper manners

And dress to the nines

Then mama will let you dine.

While I might sound the like the evil queen

We do usually have a "dress-up" dinner

Sometime around Christmas.

Gives everyone an excuse to get out the bow tie

And I think it's a great training ground

For proper ettiquette when we're away from home.

 You could pull up a chair in front of the fire

If the fire actually put off heat and not just a flame

Burning gas enough to bankrupt us.

But since it's a special occasion

We'll let you enjoy the flame.

And just to keep it real

This is probably what you'll be tripping over

To even get to a seat.

Lego's--a mama's best friend.

 The front parlor

Is home to, yes, a sleigh

And, yes, we've used it.

Only now the pony has died and so it has gotten a home inside

To keep the small critters from munching on the velvet seat.

She's a beauty, alright.

And squint your eyes, cause that tree is fa-a-alling.

 Upstairs on the landing

We let the kids put up a fake tree

With the train running around the bottom of it.

You're likely to smell the smoke from it's stack

And hear the whistle blow

If you stay for long enough.

I didn't do a lot with the bedrooms upstairs

Although that would be a dream of mine someday.

This house has just so many rooms

It's a monumental job to put everything up

And then take it all back down.

So I settled with lights and some greens in our bedroom.

Now that you've taken your tour

You can come back to the kitchen with me

And inhale the smell of truffles and chocolate

As we finish the candy-making session

Myron and I started last night.

And maybe I'll even send a box of 'em home with you

If I haven't eaten them all

In the time it takes you to say "yummy".

JO