Aubergine

I decided to make a triangle shawl for my next project. I've got the buttery mohair mittens on hold until I get the shawl to the point that it will cover my lap. I need to get it big enough to keep me warm while I work on it during Saturday's meeting. :)

I've got 14 rows done. I figure another 5 or six and I will be able to keep warm while I work. Then I'll get back to those yummy buttery mittens.

Sunshine, snow, and bitter cold

This is what the front yard looks like this morning. It is deceptively lovely.

I can guarantee you that I'm not ready for any of the predicted weather except the sunshine part. Now, 75 and sunny with low humidity -- I'm all over that!  We don't have much snow - unlike my dear friends in New England and I'm fine with that.   What I'm not fine with is temps that are supposed to drop like a stone to below zero. I live in the south - where cold is supposed to be 40, not -10. 

I'm off to Prayer Shawl today. I think I'll start a shawl or a lap robe today and finish it during the VMI Parents Council Meeting on Saturday. The room is notoriously cold and if I'm working on a larger item, it will keep me warm. See? I'm always thinking. 

2 years?

It's been 2 years since I last posted. How can this be?
I guess I'd better get back to it, huh?

I can attribute my return here to a friend who told me that he, too, was censored, but didn't much care what people said.  I thought - you know, he is right. This is my blog. It's my opinion. Opinions are like a$$holes. Everyone has one. If you don't like what I have to say, click the little red button up there in the corner, close the window, and don't come back.

Much has happened in those 2 years. Almost too much to say.
I will post the past 2 Christmas letters and that will catch you up.

For now, it goes like this:
Both of my cherubs are in college.
We are enjoying our empty nest, but we also love spending time with the kids when we visit or when they are home.
I work at a local winery part time and as Mr says, "I've become a wine snob." Nah! I just know what I like. FYI: I like a good Merlot.
I've picked up another bell choir to direct. I start with them in a week and a half and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the ladies and making music with them.

Well, the wood stove needs feeding and the dog needs to go out.
Mini keeps trying to steal my blog and type her own thing. Maybe tomorrow, I'll let her post. If I do that, my next post might actually post sooner than 2 years from now...

Christmas Letter - 2014

Hello!

I thought I’d fill you in on our family life this year. Since there is so much to tell and I’m too lazy to write it all down in each and every Christmas card with a pen, you’re getting this note.

#1 is now 22 and is a Senior Chemistry Major at Virginia Military Institute. His senior thesis is about some bacteria I can’t say never mind spell and the effects of spices on it.  Cinnamon is the spice that works best to kill it – so my advice is to sprinkle cinnamon on everything.

He is an S2 Lieutenant, which – in my world - means he gets a sword, has a whole lot of embroidery on his sleeve, and marches up front for Parade. #1 continues to play the tenor sax in the Jazz Band. He is headed to Florida – to the beaches and Disney World for a week with the Jazz Band in just a few days. It certainly pays to be in the Jazz Band at VMI!

He spent a good part of this past summer in Fort Knox, Kentucky at LDAC – the Army’s Leadership Development Assessment Course. He scored an E for Excellent and came back “Army Strong”! Upon graduation, he will commission with the US Army and will be headed to Arizona to become an Intelligence Analyst – his first choice pick. His training there should last about six weeks and then he thinks he will be placed at Ft. Meade in MD for his first assignment.

LLB is a Sophomore Applied Mathematics and Physics Major at VMI. She continues to play the trumpet and is a member of the Regimental Band, the Jazz Band, and the Brass Ensemble. LLB has had an amazing year. She is also a “ranker” and holds the office of Corporal. As far as I can tell, that means she has some embroidery on her sleeve and gets to tell the Rats what to do. She has embraced all that VMI has to offer and has figured out how to “make it pay”. She is on the Recycling Committee, is a tour guide for the VMI Museum, and plays jazz gigs. Emma will be headed south with Matt and the rest of the Jazz Band to see Mickey and lounge on the beach. I’m sure they have a gig or two to play somewhere in Florida. When I find out where they will be, I’ll post it on Face Book.

This past summer, she spent a month learning about all the great things the US Navy has to offer her upon graduation. Sub Week was her favorite, Aviation Week came in a close second, but Marine week and Surface Warfare Week tied for last place. Needless to say, Submarines are where she wants to be.

LLB is back at the Episcopal Church in Lexington this fall – she missed the liturgy and the traditions of the church we call home here. Because of that, she acquired a new host family but also managed to hang on to her original host family, as they are terrific people. The new host family comes with a cat and a 4 year old. She loves it there!

Mr is still busy working. He enjoys sawing fallen trees with his chain saw and mowing our acreage with his tractor in his spare time.  He continues to play bass guitar in the Church Gospel band, and rings bells in two choirs.  I still direct a handbell choir and am active in the Prayer Shawl ministry at a local United Methodist Church.  Mr and I are involved in the VMI Parents Council and a half dozen other volunteer committees. Basically, we keep busy.  

Christmas 2013

Hello!

It's Christmas! Time for me to fill you in on what we've been up to. We've been busy!

#1 is now 21 and is a Junior Chemistry Major at Virginia Military Institute.   How time flies!  And no, I’m not old enough to have a college junior. This fall he got to participate in Ring Figure and got his VMI Class Ring. VMI is the toughest college in the nation and their rings are hard earned!

#1 continues to sing in the Glee Club and play sax in the Regimental Band and Jazz Band. FYI: VMI’s musicians travel much further than their football team. He played for the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC this past January, spent Mardi Gras in New Orleans marching in the Endimyon Parade, spent spring break in Florida with the Glee Club, and is looking forward to the Gubernatorial Parade in Richmond in January and the St. Patrick’s Day parade in March in Savannah.

LLB is a Freshman Applied Mathematics and Physics Major at VMI. (I can spell that!) How do they grow up so fast?! She graduated from high school in June. Her senior year was busy and full. She once again directed the Pit Orchestra for the spring musical, went to USC for an Honor Band Clinic, and ran track for the first time.  She did all of this while she took AP classes, did an independent study in Multivariable Calculus, and fought off the symptoms of Senioritis.  All of her hard work paid off and she received a 4-year Navy Scholarship as well as an Institute Honors Scholarship to VMI.  

LLB continues to play the trumpet and is also a member of the Regimental Band, the Jazz Band, and the Glee Club, as well as the Brass Ensemble. LLB has had an amazing fall. She was selected to play the Herald Trumpet, played a few Jazz gigs for pay, and got to see her brother get his ring at Ring Figure.   She was privileged to be able to attend the VMI vs. Citadel game with the Regimental Band in Charleston this fall. (As a freshman, or Rat - as they are called at VMI, her time off campus is extremely limited.) She is looking forward to Break Out – that time where they cease to be Rats and become full-fledged 4^th Class Members of the Corps. She will march all those parades with Matt, and has been informed that the Brass Ensemble will be headed to Morocco next year. Unfortunately, they don’t need chaperones, so Mr and I will be here…

LLB likes to get off campus and away from the Cadre on Sundays, so she is playing handbells at the Lexington Presbyterian Church. She has a wonderful host family who provides her with a soft place to land between church and rehearsal.

There is so much more to tell, but I’m running out of space…

Mr works. He enjoys sawing fallen trees with his chain saw and mowing our acreage with his tractor in his spare time.  Once a month, he plays bass guitar in the Church Folk and Gospel band.  I direct a handbell choir and am active in the Prayer Shawl ministry at a local United Methodist Church.  We are involved in the VMI Parents Council and a half dozen other volunteer committees. Basically, we keep busy.   

The Empty Nest

So I read this page called Mamapedia. There was this one post where the mother wanted to know if An Empty Nest is Cause for Celebration. Well, yeah... Duh!

I posted an answer over there and since I really liked my answer, I'm going to post it over here for posterity.

Every step children take is a step away from mom and dad, but that is how it should be. 

I've been called "overprotective". I've called "over-involved". I've been called "a terrific mom". I've been called a lot of names over the years, but so what? I do what is best for my family, my children, and me. Yes... me. (It's not selfish. It's self preservation. I'm more than "just a mom".) We are a close knit family, but everyone needs space.

Heck, I'm the mom who clicked her heels when the kindergarten bus drove out of sight. Does that make me a bad mom? No. It makes me an honest mom. 

When it is time for my daughter - my youngest - to head to college this summer, I will be more than happy and extremely proud of her and her accomplishments. It is time for her to go and live her life. Her. Life. 

Will I click my heels? Maybe. Will I shed a tear or two? Probably. Will I grab Mr's hand and run for the car? You bet! It will be time for us... time for us to go back to being the couple we were 21 years ago before we had children.

We have worked toward that day starting with small steps of letting go. We got babysitters for date nights. We let them walk next to us without holding hands. We let them go to birthday parties and day camp. We let them make decisions - even if we thought they might make the "wrong" ones. We let them learn consequences. We let them go to overnight camp. We took them to the DMV to get the driving permit. We let them apply to colleges near and far and we let them choose the institution that they believe will serve them best.

Upon graduation from their colleges of choice, they will go on to see the world and do amazing things. I'm sure that they will come home -- to visit. So - am I looking forward to my children leaving? Yes. Yes I am. When it's time, it's time.

They will always be in our hearts, but they don't have to be underfoot forever...

LLB is getting ready to head off to college this summer. Where? We aren't sure just yet, but wherever she ends up it will be the right place for her. It will be bittersweet when we drop her off, but it will be time. 

It's August 13th? Already?

Really? Wow! The summer is almost gone... and I've been busy busy busy...
We've driven to Annapolis 3 times, Farmville (yes, it's a real place) twice, VMI three times, New London twice, Orkney Springs 3 times, Montreal, the Thousand Islands, and West Virginia. If I keep this up, Dad's car might actually hit 20k miles this year!
My LLB has been home a total of 9 days since June 2. She has had a great summer - it wasn't easy sometimes, but it is the stuff of which memories are made.  She did 7 camps - each one very different from the rest. She will look back on this summer as one of the best -- once her muscles stop hurting and she gets some serious sleep.
#1 spent most of the summer at VMI working on Calculus 3 and a Leadership class -- his 4.0 made it worth his time.  From there he went right to St. Elizabeth's camp to be a buddy and got his Shrine Mont fix. LLB was up there with him, so he did get some time with her.  He was home for one week and we weren't. Of course he was kinda happy about that! We were at Band Camp with LLB. She was marching her butt off and we were cooking 4 meals a day for 75 hungry souls. He, on the other hand was ensconced on the couch with his laptop, his TV, and his dog. He was supposed to be packing to go back to VMI... ahem.  That said, he did pick up the house and it was relatively spotless when we got home. I got less than 24 hours to spend with him - but we moms take what we can get, you know.  We spent a good 35 minutes packing his trunk -- why did that chore take all afternoon last year? He is back at VMI. He is Cadre and has a job: Company Clerk.  I miss him, but we have email and phone, so he isn't really all that far away.
Today my baby starts her "Behind The Wheel" driving lessons and in approximately one week, she will have her driver's license. This means that if I get her a parking spot at school, she will be driving my sweet CRV, and I will be left with the Civic or the Camry for wheels. Do I like this? Ummm... not so much.  I'd honestly prefer that she learn how to drive the Camry and take that. But it is a stick and we are out of time until she is home longer than it takes for her to do homework and crawl into bed at an unreasonably late hour. So - I have two choices.  I can either suck it up or make her take the bus... And since I really don't feel like driving to school every day at 6pm to pick her up from band practice, I'll be sucking it up - a lot.
If you need me this week, check the Uniform Room. I'll be stuffing kids into band uniforms and telling them not to grow until the season is over in November.