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Sunday mornings are for sleeping in and eating brunch. It is the only day of the week where our family isn’t rushing to a basketball game or swim meet. Instead, everyone wakes up when they feel like it and eventually we all congregate in the kitchen. The kids and my husband look forward to a warm hot breakfast where we can sit down and enjoy a family meal at a leisurely pace. It is a nice change to most mornings when we are all trying to get out the door to get the girls to school on time.
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Three words. Homemade buttermilk pancakes. As a recovering boxed pancake mix addict, I’ll be quite honest. I think boxed pancake mixes have a more consistent flavor and texture than many homemade pancake recipes I’ve tried and tested from magazines, cookbooks, and the internet. Time and time again I would experience such disappointment with these recipes that I preferred to use packaged mixes because I wanted certain results.
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2011 has been a roller coaster of a year for my family and I, one I wish I could have stepped off of before the year began. The year started as a blur, my mind in a complete fog. We buried dad New Year’s Eve and the following months would prove to challenge me in unexpected ways which I’m still dealing with and slowly processing. Mom moved into our “cozy” home, a home my husband and I bought eleven years ago. When we bought this place it was a complete fixer, pink bathroom tile included. It was a seller’s housing market back then and even the dumpiest of homes commanded premium dollars. But we were newly married with a determined vision. Together, we would roll up our sleeves and work on remodeling our house one room every year as our budget allowed. The sweat equity would eventually pay off as years went by. All my cake decorating experience would serve me well when it came to smoothing out drywall puddy. As a contractor friend once told me, if you can frost a cake smooth, smoothing drywall will be a cinch for you.
Slowly but surely our ugly, dumpy home started to transform into something beautiful and permanent. We gutted rooms, opened up walls, designed our kitchen, and added finishing touches like crown molding throughout the house. The process in which our home turned into a butterfly from a lowly caterpillar has been a remarkable journey of perseverance and celebration. This has been the only home my three children have ever known and our plans were to stay here until they were old enough to move out on their own. But sometimes life circumstances have a pesky way of changing plans. [click to continue…]
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Sometimes life and circumstances beyond my control collide in such a way I’m left feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxious. This pretty much sums up the last two weeks spilling over to this week, too. Last Tuesday my youngest sister gave birth to her second son and I was busy caring for my nephew for a couple days. Then, my husband with our kids left for Ohio and Michigan for a family reunion while I stayed behind. Initially I stayed behind because of my sister’s pregnancy but then, my sister stationed in Germany was able to fly home and my other sister from Spokane is also arriving soon. This will be the first time my five siblings and I have been altogether since my dad passed away six months ago. For those of you who have been following my journey of having my mom move in with s on Everyday Alice, then you know it’s been a difficult transition for me. And if this week wasn’t already busy enough, we decided to unexpectedly make an offer on a bigger house to accommodate our growing family better. With mom living here now, one bathroom will not do for a family of six people, not to mention we are a bit cramped. As a result I’ve been spending practically zero time on my computer and all my time working on clearing blackberry brambles, laurel bushes, de-cluttering, and cleaning the house. Who knew getting a house ready to sell was so much work!? [click to continue…]
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Mom is coming home today from being gone for one month -one month too long. She’s been in Spokane helping my younger sister, Grace, and her family adjust to the newest member of their family, sweet baby Emma. It’s funny, mom moves in with us and just when we get into a rhythm of sorts, she leaves us. Her absence was felt immediately and I was quickly reminded how much we appreciate all that she does for us. Her presence here makes the family environment so rich and wonderful. I’ve missed mom.
I spoke with my sister on the phone today and she is sad mom is leaving. I felt bad for her but would be lying if I didn’t tell you I am very relieved her plane will be landing in the next half hour. [click to continue…]
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