wordless wednesday

spt 1.18.11

this self-portrait is deceptive.

i don't look as stressed as i feel.
i don't look as strong as i feel.
i don't look as sorry as i feel.
i don't look as secure as i feel.

that's a bit of a mixed bag, isn't it?
but i'm owning every one of those emotions this morning.



i definitely look as caffeinated as i feel!!

will you take a self-portrait today? leave me a comment and let me know!

spt 1.11.11

today is cold. and icy.
and i stayed up waaaaay too late watching the last college football game of the season.
and another day of "no school" has attempted to interfere with my career mom routine.

but, i am okay.
i actually love the cold.
and SEC football.
and the extra time with jack.



will you take your self-portrait today? leave me a comment and let me know!

spt 1.4.11

i took a self-portrait today. it's been while since i took a meaningful self-portrait. this is an uncomfortable photo to post. it's not pretty, i'm sweaty and red-faced. i haven't yet had my first cup of coffee.

but, this is *me* - today. this day. 1.4.11

on this day i am worried about my son's ADHD.
and on this day, i completed The Shred before work.

the bad with the good.

i like it.



will you take a self-portrait today? leave me a comment if you do!

What you saw as falling apart was actually things falling into place…

i am super close to choosing my word for 2011, and i promise to write a meaningful post about its purpose.

soon.

boarding pass

a few months ago, i flew to another city and talked with several people. the trip included four flights, two rides with chauffeurs, an eTicket snafu, a plane ride with Dave Navarro and a sighting of The Little Couple. it also included a backscatter xray. when i travel, i T-R-A-V-E-L.

all of this happened in one whirlwind of a day shortly before Thanksgiving.

i don't know what will become of this trip. what i do know is that it was very important for me to grab my oversized tote bag, my mp3 player, my iPhone, and my best personality - and get on that plane.

i also know that it was the scariest thing i've done in a really, really long time. like, "i really don't want to do this but i really must do this" scary. like, sleepless night scary.

like, everything could change forever scary.

maybe i'll have something more to tell you about this trip. i don't know.

but i will have more to tell you about my journey,

If you end up being the same person you were a year ago, you wasted a whole year of your life by not living and learning.

dear 2011

i'm expecting a lot from you.

i have decisions to make.
i have questions to answer.
i have love to give.
i have things to create.
i have ideas to share.
i have places to go.
i have people to meet.

i have all the hope in the world
that you, 2011, will work with me.

every step of the way.
hand in hand.




okay?

ringing out the old

i'm not going to lie, twenty ten was a tough year for me. many, MANY valleys, not a ton of peaks... i'm not a huge fan of making a big deal about "New Years," but I'd really like to commit this one to memory, and move on. if you know what i mean ;)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? ran a trail run with Tony Hawk!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? i don't think i made any, and i didn't choose a word. and honestly, i really feel like i've been treading water and drifting away from the shoreline without one.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? my nephew, Milo, was born on February 1st. he is the smilingest baby you have ever met, and hanging with him has soothed me many times this past year.
4. Did anyone close to you die? not this year.
5. What countries did you visit? right...
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? a passport. i'm not kidding.
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? the month of April. it was embarassing and painful.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? speaking on stage in front of over 2,000 people. it, pretty much, ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF!! more, please! also, appearing in an article about journaling in USA Today was amazing.
9. What was your biggest failure? see #7.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? no, and i am exceedingly thankful.
11. What was the best thing you bought? my iPhone4. oh, and the Victoria Secret faux wrap long sleeve tee. if you are tall, with long arms, you will love this shirt!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? i've got to toss this one to Jack, my xBox addicted skate punk 9 year old - light and love of my life
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? the Westboro Baptist Church. anyone and EVERYONE who bullied, teased or made negative statements about another human. The United States Congress.
14. Where did most of your money go? to the essentials. not a lot of mad money this year.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? a trip to Dallas (visited a high school friend and attended Hampton conference);my bowling birthday party; taking Jack to his first NHL game
16. What song will always remind you of 2010? I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas); Raise Your Glass (Pink), Colors (Crossfade)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? A bit sadder, a bit fatter, a bit poorer. Moving on...
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? things that make my family smile
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? turned to my gadgets instead of being 'in the moment' with my family and friends
20. Did you fall in love in 2010? i fell out. a little bit. i'm working on it.
21. What was your favorite TV program? Glee
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I have some negative feelings that I'm trying to put into perspective.
23. What was the best book you read? I did not read one single book in 2010. fact.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Michael Franti and Spearhead, live at House of Blues
25. What did you want and get? a popcorn popper and a percolator :)
26. What did you want and not get? that special feeling
27. What was your favorite film of this year? The Social Network - the first movie my husband and I have been to as "just us" since 2000.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i turned 41 in 2010, and killed it during Cosmic Bowling with some good friends
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? meeting you
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? boring
31. What kept you sane? social media - facebooking and tweeting and texting and scheduled conference calls with friends

2010... Out.

twas the night before Christmas

wordless wednesday

spt

self-portrait tuesday

because Crystal recently called me out on my As Seen on TV collection (please, PLEASE know that I came by these gifts quite innocently...):





please note, for entertainment purposes only. the owner of this blog is not endorsing any of these products. especially *that* one...

november

my favorite month is wrapping the last of its autumn colored hours around my heart tonight. once again i wish i could rewind a few weeks and spend more time with you, november. but before you go...

thank you for a Thanksgiving birthday. thank you for special dishes and special notes from my son;

thank you for delicious pumpkin spice coffee from my birthday twin, Crystal (which i did NOT share with jack). thank you for #TdayBday and #BHSchallenge (follow me on Twitter! @lelly28461)



thank you for three uninterrupted hours of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while knitting with fabulously lime yarn.


and thank you for snuggies and red knitting needles.


thank you for the salad that i cannot stop eating: spinach, chopped apples, pecans, blue cheese crumbles and Mat-made pomegranate vinaigrette,


thank you for a 9 1/2 year old who understands the value of "making an appearance."


thank you for a Grampie to carve the turkey.


thank you for a fantastic grown up bowling party with grown up friends. thank you for letting me bowl a strike with my very first ball (even IF i did bowl out of turn and inadvertently give the "X" to my husband!)



thank you for then (senior portrait, 1987)


thank you for now (november 2010)

self-portrait Tuesday

Lucy van Pelt: [holding football] Charlie Brown! Oh, Charlie Brown!
Charlie Brown: I can't believe it. She must think I'm the most stupid person alive.
Lucy van Pelt: Come on, Charlie Brown. I'll hold the ball and you kick it.
Charlie Brown: Hold it? Ha! You'll pull it away and I'll land flat on my back and kill myself.
Lucy van Pelt: But Charlie Brown, it's Thanksgiving.
Charlie Brown: What's that got to do with anything?
Lucy van Pelt: Well, one of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day football game. And the biggest, most important tradition of all is the kicking off of the football.
Charlie Brown: Is that right?
Lucy van Pelt: Absolutely. Come on, Charlie Brown. It's a big honor for you.
Charlie Brown: Well, if it's that important, a person should never turn down a big honor. Maybe I *should* do it. Besides, she wouldn't try to trick me on a traditional holiday. This time I'm gonna kick that football clear to the moon!
[he runs to kick the ball, but Lucy pulls it away]
Charlie Brown: Aaauuugh!
[falls flat on his back]
Lucy van Pelt: Isn't it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away?

isn't it peculiar? some traditions do just slowly fade away. when i was growing up in a household of six, with one or more grandparent always within an easy trip, Thanksgiving had different traditions for me. i was fortunate to grow up in a house with formal dining room, and for Thanksgiving, it was set with my parent's wedding china and dishes overflowing with the "standard" dishes. we even had a swinging door that led to the kitchen, which made a pleasant *wooshing* sound as dinner plates were replaced with dessert. seated around the table were often friends mixed in with family, and cousins wearing plaid skirts and mary janes.

every once in a while, we traveled up to Connecticut to visit Grammie (who actually lived in a condominium!!) we even had our own version of "Over the River..." (Around the corner, and through the trees, and here we are at Gramm-eeees!)

and some years, Grabbie and Pop-Pop hosted the big meal. and there was always a plate with a stack of white bread on it for Uncle Bob. memories. i cherish every one of them.

it's different now. some traditions have faded away (i can't imagine putting a stack of white bread on the dinner table). but new ones are growing in their place. even as i sit here remembering my Norman Rockwell-esque childhood holiday, i am smiling about more recent memories - those i've created over the past ten years with my family of three.


erickson Thanksgiving table, c. 2008

Happy Thanksgiving week to you and yours!! may your life be filled with an endless abundance of traditions!


with Grabbie, c. 1974

i've run out of doors

so, recently, i made this wreath and this wreath and i thought about making this wreath. but then, i realized, i've run out of space to hang all of them!

so instead, i made a tree.




and, yes, it was so easy... lelly could do it!

four years ago

four years ago, i began compiling my thoughts about the "little things" in life. four years ago, i had a 5 1/2 year old who still wore homemade Hallowe'en costumes.

today, he makes his own (this year, a "spy")



four years ago, i was ruminating about split pea soup and beautiful food.

today, i have perfected our traditional Mummy sandwich



and whipped up a batch of "bloodworms"



four years ago, i embarked on this blogging journey.

today, i am amazed at all that it has given back to me.

thank you for spending the last four years with me! i'm looking forward to so many, many more!

xoxo
lelly

wordless wednesday

spt

i'm not a flowers-in-her-hair kind of gal. but some days...

it's production week (or "hell week" as we fondly call it) for my theatre's production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." so i've packed away some freezer meals and kissed my boys good-bye for a few days. trying to remember my lines and songs is grueling enough. now it's time to put it all together, with musicians, costumes, lights, sound effects, etc.

i'm playing the role of Rona Lisa Peretti and having a lot of fun with her. this show involves audience participation, and i'm really looking forward to poking fun at some (good-natured, i hope) volunteers!

this is the perfect week for me to break into song spontaneously! (oh, wait, i do that already...)

ain't no mountain high enough

on saturday, jack and i climbed a mountain.

we were in atlanta on a sunny saturday. Stone Mountain beckoned, it's one mile(ish) "hike" to the top of the monadnock was brimming with families and scouts and "breast friends for life" teams. i love october.



the morning was cool enough for sweatshirts and we were full of enthusiasm. we could see our destination. folks young and old were already making their way across the pocked granite surface. we climbed and talked. and visited with a friend i hadn't seen in 26 years. we ate cereal bars and looked at trees covered with gum (yuck!) we sat in a shaded pavilion and watched a man stroll by, strumming his guitar.

and then, a mere 50 yards from the summit, we broke through the tree line. we turned around and took in the sites of Atlanta. we caught our breath. i pointed to the places where i had lived. and then i noticed: jack was done.

we were no longer on our destination UP. he was ready to go DOWN, and not even sure he could make it. something about the unfettered 360 views of Atlanta, the 1,600+ feet between us and sea level, the feeling of smallness. it proved to much for my little mountain climber.



we took one last look toward the summit. i summoned a few pep talks. but it was clear we were meant to go back down. step by "treacherous" step. incantations of "you can do it, jack" (all uttered by jack.) hand over hand, inch by inch. down we went.



and then, once more to the perceived safety below the treeline. surer footsteps and boundless enthusiasm. hand holding and laughing and patience. our feet never reached the top, but our hearts were in the clouds.

rain, rain down on me now

it's been pretty damp around here the past few days. 20+" of rain in four days... that's a lot to absorb. literally. our roads are overflowing!!

made a new friend via Twitter. what do you think?

JimCantore @lelly28461 Not that easy to get around in middle of night. would be happy to share damage reports for you. just send them along
about 2 hours ago via web in reply to lelly28461