Friday Flashback: In 9 months time

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Each Friday I write about something from my past. Sometimes it's meaningful, sometimes it's nonsense. But it all has purpose. Our past moments have all been a part of the story of who we are...so why not tell it!
Join me each Friday as I announce a topic and then we write about it and look back to see how far we've come. (Feel free to link in with old posts)

My friend Camie from My Life in a Blog picked this week's topic. Here's what she choose:

I considered a few options. And then I thought of the one story that gets every mother's tongue wagging and that is pregnancy and/or labor. You could include how you knew you were pregnant. Now, I've also taken into consideration that you might not be a mother yet, so I'd like to suggest that you share with us what it was like to hear your birth/adoption story as a child.

Whatever comes to mind when you read: In 9 months time....

Enjoy!

Here's my story. It starts NOW:

I suspected I was pregnant with my first child but ignored symptoms. I figured I was newly married and incapable of getting pregnant that quick.

Turns out I come from very fertile soil.

My husband and I went to the doctor's and I asked Jeep to wait out in the waiting room while I went pee in a cup. They ushered me into the room once I left my sample and then a nurse or the doctor, can't remember, told me that I was pregnant. And I remember thinking, "Where is Jeep?" But we had just not been able to get to the room together. We were newly married and didn't realized how things worked. Always go with your spouse on big issues--nurses like to hurry you into tiny rooms and reveal life altering truth while handing you a gown and recommending you get naked.

I knew I was pregnant with my second child when I opened the fridge door and I looked at the Sricha sauce and the mayo and thought, "I should mix those together."

I shut the fridge door and said, "Baby, I think we're pregnant."

The third time, I thought I was pregnant.

I was going into the doctor's office for a follow up for one of my kids and I thought I'd get a pregnancy test done. It came back negative and I went home crushed.

I was depressed for a week and sat on the couch lethargic and morose.

Jeep was home from working out of town and I was a general lump on the couch complaining that I needed more sleep, more food and more sanity. Heather came the next week and I said, "I don't know why I'm in such a funk. I just can't get my act together." She asked if I was pregnant and I said 'no. I was down a little about not being pregnant and was generally feeling lost as a mom and woman.

"You're pregnant," she declared.

I knew I wasn't.

Jeep came home with a pregnancy test. I obliged but I left the room and sat on the couch. I told him he and my daughter could let me know the results.

Well my sweet little girl came running in and said, "Guess what, mama? You are going to have a baby!"

And I did.

What's your story from "In 9 months time..."

Friday Flashback: Party Cakes

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Each Friday I write about something from my past. Sometimes it's meaningful, sometimes it's nonsense. But it all has purpose. Our past moments have all been a part of the story of who we are...so why not tell it!
Join me each Friday as I announce a topic and then we write about it and look back to see how far we've come.

For my daughter's first birthday I did not serve a cake. We served spring rolls bought from the store. Because all our friends had no kids and the only friend that I had who had a child was not able to make it.

For my daughter's second birthday party I figured it was time to smarten up and be a mom. A healthy one at that so I made banana chocolate chip whole grain muffins.

I ended up throwing them all out as it turns out the six kids at the party couldn't stomach them.

Wonder why?

For my daughter's third party, I got smart and bought an angel food cake, a tray of strawberries and whipped cream. I cute the cake in have and put whipped cream in between the layers and all over the cake. Turns out that whipping cream makes cake slippery and it falls over.

Thankfully it waited until after I started cutting it.

For my daughter's fourth party, I made dirt mud pie cake complete with gummy worms. We used Cool Whip, chocolate graham crackers and Oreos.

I ended up throwing out most of them as I served too big slices and it was too sweet.

For my daughter's fifth party, I held a huge bash and can't remember any of it.

For my daughter's sixth party, we partnered up with my sister-in-law and celebrated a double birthday for the cousins. She made the cake and we all loved it.

For my daughter's seventh birthday, we went BIG. Seven is a big deal to my girl ever since she was four. So, We searched online, I learned about crumbing a cake, and designs and all sorts of stuff. We took two days to make it-her little hands helping beside mine.

We did it! Ta-da!

But I ended up throwing a good deal of it out because the icing was way too sweet.

Where's the moral? there isn't one.

But I will say this: I am a mom who will bake my child's cake until she asks me to stop doing it.

Until then, I will continue to build memories with little hands beside me making cake.

Friday Flashback: Street Names

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Each Friday I write about something from my past. Sometimes it's meaningful, sometimes it's nonsense. But it all has purpose. Our past moments, however significant, have all been a part of the story of who we are...so why not tell it!
Join me each Friday as I announce a topic and then we write about it and look back to see how far we've come.

This entry concludes my Dear Diary series.

May 16 1999

Today my sister Lori Ann and I were driving to the Convention Centre in EauClaire, WI.

Suddenly she said, "Oh! That's stupid! Look a street called 'Wisconsin' Street. We are in Wisconsin."

"No, that's not stupid. We live in Ontario and our town has a street called Ontario street."

"Yeah, your right. I guess it would only be stupid if it was called Eau Claire Street."

"Yeah."

And then we stopped at a red light and saw that the street we were stopped at was called "Eau Claire Street"

we nearly peed we were laughing so hard.

How about you? Link up and tell us what memory 'Street Names' invokes in your mind.

Flashback Friday: Dear Diary

Welcome to Flashback Friday.
Each Friday I write about something from my past. Sometimes it's meaningful, sometimes it's nonsense. But it all has purpose. Our past moments, however significant, have all been a part of the story of who we are...so why not tell it!
Join me each Friday as I announce a topic and then we write about it and look back to see how far we've come.

I have been spring cleaning and found my old journals.

A journal is like an old friend isn't it? It holds your dreams, your fears, your suspicions--real and imagined, and it helps you understand yourself in a whole new way.

I loved finding my aunt's old journal up in my Grandma's attic. But I was bitterly disappointed to see that the juicy bits were all taken out. Humph!

That is not the case in this attic, my friends.

This is a journal entry on which I commented on numerous times over the years adding a thought here and there.

April 24 1993

It takes a big person to forgive. I am NOT a big person.

Sigh.

Thank you God for helping me to forgive Greg. Only you can help me.

I love You always.

July 20 1994

What did Greg do?

Jan 26 1995

Who cares? I chose to forgive!

March 18 1995

Isn't it crazy how you can laugh at your immaturity. hahahaha!

Dec 31 1995

Looking back on that whole Greg thing--who cares, who really cares?

April 9 2009

Apparently I did. A lot.

How about you? Do you have a memory about your journals? A thought about your blog and how it has become a record of all that you've loved, lost and gained? Link up and tell us about it.

Flashback Friday: What's the secret code word?

On Friday nights after school we would cross the field and head over to my Grandma's house. We would eat her fresh baked bread, watch Sesame Street on channel nine and we would play the game Password to while away the hours waiting for my Aunt Edie to come home from work.

Aunt Edie is the funnest aunt around. Our family developed the moniker of 'Ed' for her and we all love to say, "Hey Ed!" At first it started because we were small and thought that it was funny calling my Aunt a man's name. After awhile, it became our family's codename for her.

Aunt Edie is so much fun. And everyone loves her.

Everyone.

Everyone knows how to have a good laugh with my aunt. So as a result, we kept the name 'Ed' for her. We wanted to have something special, something all to ourselves...because let's face it:Only adorable nieces and nephews can get away with calling you a man's name.

It was our password.

A word that said, "Everyone else may love you, but we love you best."

It's a lot better than Open Sesame, don't ya think?

Friday Flashback: Flushbacks

This has been my week.

We now keep all doors to the bathroom closed.

Anyone want to guess what my third child is busy doing these days?

Keeping his Mom employed in the department of rescue services

Flashback Friday: So that's what happened to the bangs

I found this the other day. I remember it all so clearly.

Antics and mischief that day. I was at my wit's end. I needed a creative solution for correction and this was all I had:

How about you? Any hair cutting stories you care to share?

Friday Flashback: Spinning

I remember spinning around and around and around when I was little

fast

fast

super fast

smile growing

fingers free combing the air

hair extended

eyes crinkled

my world blurring into colors

colors

colors

beautiful colors

oh to be little again wearing that big, fancy dress.

Did you spin when you were little?

Friday Flashback: Cookies, and globes and fun...oh my!

Our college girls came over last Friday...and what a blast!!!

They got to open Christmas crackers that we made from toilet paper rolls and they found the mustaches!!! (templates found here and here).

Charlie Chaplin? No, it's L-girl!

Now that I see this pic, I should have taken the pictures like an old Western WANTED poster.

G-girl, you look a bit like the Pink Panther's Inspector Clouseau!! G-girl reads my blog and therefore shall get a shout-out for the unique woman that she is!!!

We made cookies with icing sugar and loads of sprinkles...

K-girl brought the little silver balls that she admitted was afraid to eat as a child because they looked like metal ball bearings! And then my children thought they were metal ball bearings. And then we all ate one to show them that they weren't metal ball bearings. How many times do you think I can slip metal ball bearings into a story?

Check out the fine detail on the reindeer and the bell. K-girl seriously rocks using sprinkles.

This has got to be the easiest gift to pull together. And when I say easy, I mean, I put one together while the girls were playing their French horn, harmonica and violin in the other room. Get directions here.

L-girls instrument playing clown. Honest. I know the photo doesn't show it, but trussssst me.

The snowman globe.

I love our college girls. We ended the night with a fantastic time of prayer and we're looking forward to meeting in the New Year.

Friday Flashback: His glory revealed

My sister twisted both of her ankles once. We were supposed to dance our duet, a duet we had spent months working on. But you don't dance on twisted ankles.

We got together as a family and started to pray. My sister felt strongly that she was to get up and jump and praise the Lord. You don't jump on twisted ankles.

She got up,in faith, and started to jump. And then cry, laugh and dance.

"My feet feel like they are on fire. He's healing me. He's healing me!"

And she danced because He makes you dance on twisted ankles.

People die. Some never get healed. Some never become whole on this earth. It doesn't change the fact that He heals. That He is the Healer and the Great Physician.

Some people remain faithful to Him. I've been pondering a statement I read here:

During my dad’s journey with ALS, I had always assumed that a miraculous healing would have most definitely brought God the most glory. Until recently, I didn’t pause to consider that maybe, just maybe, my dad’s unwavering faith through one of the most disabling diseases out there could have glorified God, possibly more than a miracle healing. I don’t have the bird’s eye view of the mysterious ways of God but would it be possible that the faith of God’s people through the storms of life bring more glory to Him than a miracle?

I believe that both experiences bring glory to His name. We were made to bring Him glory and honour...in all things. In vacuuming, in serving, In working, in living and dying. It is all for the King!

Friday Flashback: My Grandma dances

I have the most incredible Grandma.

She has red hair, has never grown hair on her legs (a trait she did not pass down unfortunately) and an incredible sense of humor. She giggles and it makes me laugh.

She taught me how to make pie. She read goodnight stories to me while I was tucked under the blankets. Her soft voice would float around the room and then was carried out out the window to dance with the fireflies. Tea was our thing. She'd brew a cup of tea for us and we'd sit at the table while playing 500 rummy or a last minute Scrabble.

She taught me to love Robert Frost and took me hazelnut picking. Her hands pressed on top of mine as we rolled out the bread dough and made special treats for Grandpa. Her warm softness would swallow me up in a hug and she would dance with me.

We'd always pretend to waltz and she would hum and sing as we did.

My Grandma is 82 today. And she is still dancing to her own song.

Friday Flashback: And that's why I don't drink lemonade

OK, before Friday Flashback begins...I must tell you to come back here on Monday. That's right...come back Monday. Semi-sorta biggish news being announced then.

When I was little I drank some lemonade. I thought it was gross. It rolled around in my mouth for a minute and then I spit it back in my glass.

And then I poured the glass back into the pitcher.

"What did you just do?" Big sister Lori Ann said with her most authoritative voice that mimicked my Mom's angry voice.

Fear and trembling fell upon me, so I decided to omit certain truths. "Nothing."

"I saw you. I saw you gargle the lemonade, put it in the cup and then into the pitcher."

I just stared blankly, hoping the incident would go away.

"That is dis-gus-ting! Do you know what you just did? No one can drink that now. You put all your germy germs in their and now no one can have that."

"Well, I didn't like it."

"That's no excuse," Lori Ann said, once again sounding quite motherish. "You are going to drink this whole jug now."

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes."

Here's the thing. Lori Ann was bigger than me, she was six years older and babysitting me and she had this really firm grip on my arm. So I relented and started to drink the jug of lemonade, gagging the whole time.

Well, you can only get so far before the inevitable happens.

"I have to go pee, Lori."

"No."

"I do. I have to go."

"Fine, but you're still drinking the lemonade. Don't think this bathroom trick is going to get you out of anything."

There I was, on the toilet. My little seven year old self drinking and peeing lemonade.

It was a rude and harsh introduction to manners when it comes to double dipping.

But it worked.

Scarringly, so.

And that's why I don't like yellow beverages.

How about you? What was your Friday Flashback about manners? Was it as horrifying as mine or quite pleasant?

Friday Flashback

It is 26 degrees today. It was 32 degrees yesterday. It makes me think of summer. Here's a flashback to one day this summer.

Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you. Annie Dillard