i really enjoyed this piece by mark bittman about comfort foods, which includes this line:
"Every family, every ethnic group and every person can talk about their cravings. The comfort food of others rarely appeals to us; it’s our own that matters."
the comfort foods i grew up on? my mama's gingerbread cookies, made-from-scratch yeast rolls, fettuccine alfredo (made with angel hair pasta, of course), and a huge block of cheddar cheese sitting on the top shelf of the fridge and carved up bit by bit. probably nothing special to anyone else, but they scream of home to me.
belated happy mother's day to my mama! i love you!
Showing posts with label my mama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my mama. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
Thursday, July 18, 2013
visitors!
my mom, sister, aunt monica, and cousin sara came to visit me in houston! hooray! um, this was three weeks ago and i am just now getting around to posting about it. oops.
things we did:
ate: we tried new restaurants and liked them all! a hard thing about hosting when you've only lived somewhere for a month - and don't have many friends yet - is that i haven't had a chance to try many restaurants, but i got recommendations from coworkers and friends and was able to piece together a pretty good list of restaurants for us. we also went to el bollilo, an awesome mexican bakery where sara picked out all sorts of pastries that were (delicious) mysteries to all of us (no labels - just dozens of shelves of different colors/shapes/sizes of pastries).
mom stayed a day longer than everyone else, and she and i also bought yummy cheese and bread from houston dairymaids, a tiny little fancy cheese shop.
we all went to the butterfly center at the natural science museum, which was steamy hot even though it was indoors...
so that was the thing: it hadn't broken 100 degrees since i'd moved to houston, but there it was, the day everyone was in town, at 104. sigh. i guess they got an accurate picture of what texas is like... since then it has broken 100 a couple times, but mostly hovers around 97. i hide inside.
we went to the turrell skyspace on the rice university campus, which is this very cool light show at sunset. you sit in this auditorium thing and look up at a square in the ceiling, through which you can see the sky. the way the lights shown on the ceiling contrast with the sky makes the sky look BEAUTIFUL and different all the time. it's hard to explain, but was totally worth seeing.
my apartment is furnished, but i hadn't put anything on the wall when they came to town. i enlisted their help in deciding what should go where, as well as, you know, physically putting it up for me. thanks, aunt monica!
there was also scrabble, a game i love.
hoooooooray for a fun girls' weekend! we're already plotting about getting together again next year...
things we did:
ate: we tried new restaurants and liked them all! a hard thing about hosting when you've only lived somewhere for a month - and don't have many friends yet - is that i haven't had a chance to try many restaurants, but i got recommendations from coworkers and friends and was able to piece together a pretty good list of restaurants for us. we also went to el bollilo, an awesome mexican bakery where sara picked out all sorts of pastries that were (delicious) mysteries to all of us (no labels - just dozens of shelves of different colors/shapes/sizes of pastries).
mom stayed a day longer than everyone else, and she and i also bought yummy cheese and bread from houston dairymaids, a tiny little fancy cheese shop.
we all went to the butterfly center at the natural science museum, which was steamy hot even though it was indoors...
so that was the thing: it hadn't broken 100 degrees since i'd moved to houston, but there it was, the day everyone was in town, at 104. sigh. i guess they got an accurate picture of what texas is like... since then it has broken 100 a couple times, but mostly hovers around 97. i hide inside.
we went to the turrell skyspace on the rice university campus, which is this very cool light show at sunset. you sit in this auditorium thing and look up at a square in the ceiling, through which you can see the sky. the way the lights shown on the ceiling contrast with the sky makes the sky look BEAUTIFUL and different all the time. it's hard to explain, but was totally worth seeing.
my apartment is furnished, but i hadn't put anything on the wall when they came to town. i enlisted their help in deciding what should go where, as well as, you know, physically putting it up for me. thanks, aunt monica!
there was also scrabble, a game i love.
hoooooooray for a fun girls' weekend! we're already plotting about getting together again next year...
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sunday, June 17, 2012
gchat conversation, 10:50pm:
Rebecca: okay, i need to shower and then finish this episode of white collar and then try to go to sleep
i've been kind of wired today
and i just ate shake shack
me: you are mom right now
too wired to go to sleep
DON'T VACUUM*
Rebecca: zoommmmmmmmers
that is how i feel
me: hahahaha
Rebecca: i need to run around the house three times**
did you ever have to do that?
me: NO
that was only you
Rebecca: i was threatened with it A LOT
me: you were
and you had to do it at least once
Rebecca: oh, totally
okay, off i go
*our mom inexplicably gains energy as the night wears on, and has been known to vacuum the living room at like 10pm, while everyone else is lying on the couch watching tv.
**this is what my sister was threatened with as a child when she had too much energy and was driving people crazy. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.
Rebecca: okay, i need to shower and then finish this episode of white collar and then try to go to sleep
i've been kind of wired today
and i just ate shake shack
me: you are mom right now
too wired to go to sleep
DON'T VACUUM*
Rebecca: zoommmmmmmmers
that is how i feel
me: hahahaha
Rebecca: i need to run around the house three times**
did you ever have to do that?
me: NO
that was only you
Rebecca: i was threatened with it A LOT
me: you were
and you had to do it at least once
Rebecca: oh, totally
okay, off i go
*our mom inexplicably gains energy as the night wears on, and has been known to vacuum the living room at like 10pm, while everyone else is lying on the couch watching tv.
**this is what my sister was threatened with as a child when she had too much energy and was driving people crazy. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
spring break, day 1
i am my mother, example #7: i bought, and am currently wearing, a pedometer.
[pause for the laughing to subside.]
a couple years ago my mom bought, and wore, a pedometer. she would pretty diligently try to get to 10,000 steps per day, as apparently 10,000 steps is 5 miles and this is what we should all be doing on a daily basis according to lots of important health people. in general, this is probably a pretty good plan, as it is motivation to exercise every day. if my mom was close to 10,000 steps at the end of the day, though, she would walk around inside the house until she got there. this was entertaining, and definitely a reason to make fun of her.
fast forward to the present. i have been wanting a pedometer, as i'd be interested in knowing how much walking i do on a normal day, just doing my job and such, and then how many i add on by going to the gym or going for a walk. yes, i realize this is nerdy, but whatever. i want it. so i bought one on amazon.com and it arrived yesterday just in time for my trip to florida for spring break. woo hoo!
today is my first day with the pedometer, as yesterday was mostly spent in the car and then eating delicious greasy mexican food. things i have learned on day one:
1. my pedometer is a liar. i did a trial walk through the condo where we're staying; i walked 100 steps. the pedometer registered 118 steps. i did another trial walk and it registered 109 steps. curses! i'm going to have to adjust appropriately, but i don't exactly know how to. i guess i need to get to 10,900-11,800 steps in a day, according to this silly pedometer, in order to actually reach 10,000.
2. as of right now i've gone 9,129 steps today:
(my pedometer has the time on it! and it resets automatically at midnight! and remembers 6 past days of steps! now, if only is was accurate in measuring steps...)
3. my step count was helped by an hour long walk before lunch. this is the view from the condo where we're staying, and i walked on a path right by the beach. it was lovely, but VERY windy.
4. i am so white that my nose is a little sunburned from my walk. oops.
4a. i went to the dermatologist on monday and got a clean bill of skin health. woo hoo!
5. now other claire and i are having our own happy hour, so i need to go.
[pause for the laughing to subside.]
a couple years ago my mom bought, and wore, a pedometer. she would pretty diligently try to get to 10,000 steps per day, as apparently 10,000 steps is 5 miles and this is what we should all be doing on a daily basis according to lots of important health people. in general, this is probably a pretty good plan, as it is motivation to exercise every day. if my mom was close to 10,000 steps at the end of the day, though, she would walk around inside the house until she got there. this was entertaining, and definitely a reason to make fun of her.
fast forward to the present. i have been wanting a pedometer, as i'd be interested in knowing how much walking i do on a normal day, just doing my job and such, and then how many i add on by going to the gym or going for a walk. yes, i realize this is nerdy, but whatever. i want it. so i bought one on amazon.com and it arrived yesterday just in time for my trip to florida for spring break. woo hoo!
today is my first day with the pedometer, as yesterday was mostly spent in the car and then eating delicious greasy mexican food. things i have learned on day one:
1. my pedometer is a liar. i did a trial walk through the condo where we're staying; i walked 100 steps. the pedometer registered 118 steps. i did another trial walk and it registered 109 steps. curses! i'm going to have to adjust appropriately, but i don't exactly know how to. i guess i need to get to 10,900-11,800 steps in a day, according to this silly pedometer, in order to actually reach 10,000.
2. as of right now i've gone 9,129 steps today:
(my pedometer has the time on it! and it resets automatically at midnight! and remembers 6 past days of steps! now, if only is was accurate in measuring steps...)
3. my step count was helped by an hour long walk before lunch. this is the view from the condo where we're staying, and i walked on a path right by the beach. it was lovely, but VERY windy.
4. i am so white that my nose is a little sunburned from my walk. oops.
4a. i went to the dermatologist on monday and got a clean bill of skin health. woo hoo!
5. now other claire and i are having our own happy hour, so i need to go.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
um, oops.
i had my two year blog anniversary in late september and i didn't realize until after the fact.
in belated honor of the anniversary, i've changed up the format of the blog again - mostly just changed the background (love these flowers*) and added a "favicon." if you know what a favicon is, i'm impressed, as i did not. it is the little picture to the left of the address in your address bar at the top of the page. assuming it's still working, that's little me!
my biggest accomplishment today was actually going to the gym even though it was cold and gray outside and i DID NOT want to. my second biggest accomplishment was completing an 8 x 8 kenken puzzle, probably only the second or third 8 x 8 i've ever completed (i had been doing 6 x 6s until last week). if you are not kenken-ing, you should be.
*yes, blue with flowers again. but slightly different blue with flowers! you shouldn't be surprised about more blue. let me recreate an exact conversation i had on the phone with my grandma (my dad's mom) about 10 years ago:
me: dad redid the bathroom and mom painted it...
grandma: let me guess: blue.
me: how did you know?
grandma: your mother loves blue. she always has.
(let's call this "i am my mother, example #6.")
i had my two year blog anniversary in late september and i didn't realize until after the fact.
in belated honor of the anniversary, i've changed up the format of the blog again - mostly just changed the background (love these flowers*) and added a "favicon." if you know what a favicon is, i'm impressed, as i did not. it is the little picture to the left of the address in your address bar at the top of the page. assuming it's still working, that's little me!
my biggest accomplishment today was actually going to the gym even though it was cold and gray outside and i DID NOT want to. my second biggest accomplishment was completing an 8 x 8 kenken puzzle, probably only the second or third 8 x 8 i've ever completed (i had been doing 6 x 6s until last week). if you are not kenken-ing, you should be.
*yes, blue with flowers again. but slightly different blue with flowers! you shouldn't be surprised about more blue. let me recreate an exact conversation i had on the phone with my grandma (my dad's mom) about 10 years ago:
me: dad redid the bathroom and mom painted it...
grandma: let me guess: blue.
me: how did you know?
grandma: your mother loves blue. she always has.
(let's call this "i am my mother, example #6.")
Sunday, October 16, 2011
i am my mother, example #5
yesterday it was beautiful (we're having such incredible weather here - highs in the 80s, lows in the 50s, sleeping with the windows open weather. LOVE IT) and i went for a walk at my new favorite walking location (read about it here!). it is history + beautiful + shady + a 1 hour round trip walk. it makes me happy.
as i'm on the home stretch and nearing the parking lot, i see a mcdonald's coffee cup on the trail. here is a transcription of what happened in my brain: "argh!! it is beautiful here and some lame person is littering. i hate them. i should throw this away. i'm not too far from the parking lot so i won't have to carry it too far. oh my god. I AM MY MOTHER."
so i picked up the coffee cup, and then a twix wrapper, and then a starbucks napkin.
when i was growing up, this is what my mom would do all the time. it's wonderful, of course - leaving the place cleaner than you found it - but somehow this really embarrassed me as a child. like, mom, don't be weird. no one else does this. isn't it funny how much of our childhood we spend trying to be like everyone else?
next thing you know i'll be carrying a special bag on my walks just for other people's trash.
(i will do my best not to let that happen.)
as i'm on the home stretch and nearing the parking lot, i see a mcdonald's coffee cup on the trail. here is a transcription of what happened in my brain: "argh!! it is beautiful here and some lame person is littering. i hate them. i should throw this away. i'm not too far from the parking lot so i won't have to carry it too far. oh my god. I AM MY MOTHER."
so i picked up the coffee cup, and then a twix wrapper, and then a starbucks napkin.
when i was growing up, this is what my mom would do all the time. it's wonderful, of course - leaving the place cleaner than you found it - but somehow this really embarrassed me as a child. like, mom, don't be weird. no one else does this. isn't it funny how much of our childhood we spend trying to be like everyone else?
next thing you know i'll be carrying a special bag on my walks just for other people's trash.
(i will do my best not to let that happen.)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
i'm home! hooray!
i went to work today! hooray-ish!
in other news, the following occurred in the middle of a phone conversation with my mom - after she told me about the garden, teacher workdays, and having my sister home to visit (AKA this was not her top priority during our phone call):
mom: "oh! did i tell you i was in the hospital for three days?"
o.m.g.
a week or two ago (they don't remember) my mom was in the hospital for three days AND NO ONE CALLED ME OR MY SISTER. three days! three! days! to quote my dad, "to be honest, it never occurred to me to call you."
wtf, parents. wtf.
mom is fine now and went back to school this week for teacher workdays and all is well and i'm not to worry. my sister and i have both informed our parents that in the future THEY HAVE TO TELL US THESE THINGS and they have agreed to do so. sheesh. shouldn't it be the other way around?!
i went to work today! hooray-ish!
in other news, the following occurred in the middle of a phone conversation with my mom - after she told me about the garden, teacher workdays, and having my sister home to visit (AKA this was not her top priority during our phone call):
mom: "oh! did i tell you i was in the hospital for three days?"
o.m.g.
a week or two ago (they don't remember) my mom was in the hospital for three days AND NO ONE CALLED ME OR MY SISTER. three days! three! days! to quote my dad, "to be honest, it never occurred to me to call you."
wtf, parents. wtf.
mom is fine now and went back to school this week for teacher workdays and all is well and i'm not to worry. my sister and i have both informed our parents that in the future THEY HAVE TO TELL US THESE THINGS and they have agreed to do so. sheesh. shouldn't it be the other way around?!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
i have been sick.
this is why i haven't blogged in a couple days. sometimes i don't blog because fun! exciting! things are going on in my life and i'm too busy to write every day. this is the less fun and less exciting reason to not blog: i felt like CRAP on friday, a little better on saturday, and a little better today. needless to say, i watched a lot of movies this weekend (despicable me, the social network, the double hour, multiple episodes of 30 rock) and wore my pajamas for the majority of the time. i slowed down, and it was much needed.
on friday, when i felt horrible, my main complaint was a really really sore throat. i decided this was partially because of the dry winter air and the breathing in of heated air while sleeping. my work friend vanessa, who is a mom (moms know about these things), suggested saline nose spray (an awesome invention that has helped so much) and confirmed my desire for a humidifier to make the air nicer to breathe. so i bought one. I AM MY MOTHER, EXAMPLE #4. in my fever-y haze at target, i was pointed to the humidifier aisle (um, i mean shelf), where the only two humidifiers for sale were shaped like an elephant or shaped like a frog. apparently humidifiers are common for children? i bought the frog.
this MAY be the most ridiculous thing i own, but i breathed a lot easier after sleeping with this on, and my throat is almost back to normal. i heart my humidifier.
make fun of me all you want.
on friday, when i felt horrible, my main complaint was a really really sore throat. i decided this was partially because of the dry winter air and the breathing in of heated air while sleeping. my work friend vanessa, who is a mom (moms know about these things), suggested saline nose spray (an awesome invention that has helped so much) and confirmed my desire for a humidifier to make the air nicer to breathe. so i bought one. I AM MY MOTHER, EXAMPLE #4. in my fever-y haze at target, i was pointed to the humidifier aisle (um, i mean shelf), where the only two humidifiers for sale were shaped like an elephant or shaped like a frog. apparently humidifiers are common for children? i bought the frog.
this MAY be the most ridiculous thing i own, but i breathed a lot easier after sleeping with this on, and my throat is almost back to normal. i heart my humidifier.
make fun of me all you want.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
i am my mother, example #3
i wanted to read some books really badly. but i didn't want to buy them. so i had the library reserve them for me. THIS IS GENIUS. my mom has done this all my life - she always has her name on the list at the library for lots of different books. how am i just now figuring out that this is a good idea???
one book is really popular right now (it is a young adult book, so i won't embarrass myself by listing it here just yet), so i had to get on the waiting list. i am #28 currently, but there are 39 copies "in the system" (my county had 15 library branches), so hopefully it won't take me long to get it. and you can monitor where you are on the list by logging on to the library's website. the other book lives at a library that isn't MY branch of the library, so my library will get it from the other library for me. and then the books will be waiting for me. GENIUS.
and the library is free. i mean seriously, people. TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!!
AND my library is right next door to a yummy frozen yogurt place. can we say "frozen yogurt consumption is about to go up exponentially"?
one book is really popular right now (it is a young adult book, so i won't embarrass myself by listing it here just yet), so i had to get on the waiting list. i am #28 currently, but there are 39 copies "in the system" (my county had 15 library branches), so hopefully it won't take me long to get it. and you can monitor where you are on the list by logging on to the library's website. the other book lives at a library that isn't MY branch of the library, so my library will get it from the other library for me. and then the books will be waiting for me. GENIUS.
and the library is free. i mean seriously, people. TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!!
AND my library is right next door to a yummy frozen yogurt place. can we say "frozen yogurt consumption is about to go up exponentially"?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
celebration
i am basically my mom's PR person, since she won't do it herself.
my mom won teacher of the year at her school!
she is totally deserving every year, but this year above all: my mom teaches exceptional children (low IQ), and normally she has 3rd-5th graders in her classroom, but because of lower enrollment this year she has 1st-5th graders all in the same room. ALL IN THE SAME ROOM. AND SHE IS SUPPOSED TO TEACH THEM THINGS. i think i'd have a hard time just keeping them alive all day and myself sane, to be perfectly honest.
while i was home for christmas i wanted to make a cake and i decided that it was to celebrate her teacher of the year status. i made this recipe for spiced applesauce cake with cream cheese frosting from one of my favorite cooking blogs. the cake is really dense and really moist at the same time, and the frosting is incredible. i ate a big piece for dessert that night...and then i ate two pieces for breakfast the next morning. oh, the shame. haha... i'm not a big sweets person, so my favorite desserts aren't too sweet and have some substance to them - i'm a big fan of cake, but not candy, if that makes sense. this cake is awesome and very fall/winter-like, and you should make it.
my mom won teacher of the year at her school!
she is totally deserving every year, but this year above all: my mom teaches exceptional children (low IQ), and normally she has 3rd-5th graders in her classroom, but because of lower enrollment this year she has 1st-5th graders all in the same room. ALL IN THE SAME ROOM. AND SHE IS SUPPOSED TO TEACH THEM THINGS. i think i'd have a hard time just keeping them alive all day and myself sane, to be perfectly honest.
while i was home for christmas i wanted to make a cake and i decided that it was to celebrate her teacher of the year status. i made this recipe for spiced applesauce cake with cream cheese frosting from one of my favorite cooking blogs. the cake is really dense and really moist at the same time, and the frosting is incredible. i ate a big piece for dessert that night...and then i ate two pieces for breakfast the next morning. oh, the shame. haha... i'm not a big sweets person, so my favorite desserts aren't too sweet and have some substance to them - i'm a big fan of cake, but not candy, if that makes sense. this cake is awesome and very fall/winter-like, and you should make it.
Friday, December 10, 2010
i have this to look forward to: productivity
i called my mom last night. here is a transcript of a portion of that phone call:
me: so how much snow did you end up getting?
mom: about 2 inches! school was cancelled on monday and we had a two hour delay on tuesday.
me: yay!
mom: so on monday i was really productive. i called the doctor's office and got a prescription filled, i went to lowe's to look at carpeting, i mailed something to becky, i returned that [insert name of tractor/bush hog/lawnmower part that i don't recognize] that dad wanted me to return, and then i went to habitat [for humanity].
me: um, if i had a day off, i would have done this: slept until noon, had lunch with willis and probably had a margarita, and spent the entire afternoon on the couch watching tv.
mom [in that mom voice that says "stop kidding me"]: no you wouldn't.
me: mom, i literally would have. that is exactly what i do when we have snow days!
mom [still not quite believing me]: well...this is what happens when you get old.
me: so how much snow did you end up getting?
mom: about 2 inches! school was cancelled on monday and we had a two hour delay on tuesday.
me: yay!
mom: so on monday i was really productive. i called the doctor's office and got a prescription filled, i went to lowe's to look at carpeting, i mailed something to becky, i returned that [insert name of tractor/bush hog/lawnmower part that i don't recognize] that dad wanted me to return, and then i went to habitat [for humanity].
me: um, if i had a day off, i would have done this: slept until noon, had lunch with willis and probably had a margarita, and spent the entire afternoon on the couch watching tv.
mom [in that mom voice that says "stop kidding me"]: no you wouldn't.
me: mom, i literally would have. that is exactly what i do when we have snow days!
mom [still not quite believing me]: well...this is what happens when you get old.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
my mom saw avatar before me. what is this world coming to?
so, i saw avatar this week and let me just say this: interesting story, cool visuals, but THIS was a best oscar contender?! more than ever, i'm happy that the hurt locker won. and now, unlike my previous rants, i've seen avatar and thus can talk bad about it all i want.
3 out of 5 stars.
and that is my movie review of the day.
3 out of 5 stars.
and that is my movie review of the day.
Monday, May 31, 2010
it's pronounced m'waukee
all my life i've been slightly embarrassed by my mom's dancing. at this point in my life i'm not embarrassed, necessarily, just like, "dance however makes you happy, but i'd like to go on the record as saying you dance funny." this weekend at my cousin pat's wedding, with all the cousins and aunts (and a couple uncles) on the dance floor, i looked around...and my aunt monica was dancing EXACTLY LIKE MY MOM HAS ALWAYS DANCED. and my aunt mary WAS TOO. the same arm movements, the same body movements. it was almost creepy how similar their dancing styles all were. a lightbulb went off, and 27 years of my mom's dancing suddenly make sense: in the '60s and '70s THIS MUST HAVE BEEN HOW PEOPLE DANCED. OHMYGOD. additionally, my mom and aunts were so cute on the dance floor.
mom, apologies. you dance just as well as your contemporaries. props to you.
also, props for staying up and dancing longer than one of your children.
mom, apologies. you dance just as well as your contemporaries. props to you.
also, props for staying up and dancing longer than one of your children.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
mother's day
this is one of my favorite pictures of me and my mom. i am very little, but i have a big head. and no hair. that was par for the course for my first couple years of life. this is the winter of 1982-83 and we're in the front yard of our house in mcgrady.
one of my favorite parts of this picture is what is written on the back:
i don't know whose handwriting this is...my grandpa george's? my (great) aunt isabel's? either way, i love it - i'm so new in the world that my name has been misspelled. this entertains me.
anyways: back on track.
happy mother's day, mama! my favorite things about my mama are too numerous to list, but i'll give you a couple of them:
1. she's always there when i need her - ALWAYS - from the mundane ("um, mom, i left a bag of groceries in the car for three hours when i got home. can i still eat the yogurt?") to the important ("A DOG JUST BIT ME."), she is always the first person i call when i have a problem i can't solve. i value this so much. additionally, during the few times i have needed to, i can be ridiculous and cry on the phone and she will just pretend like it isn't happening and will do an excellent job of diverting me/making me feel better. prime example: the newark airport (aka HELL), 2004. i'd missed a connecting flight on the way up to exeter, new hampshire to interview for my first job and had to spend the night in newark (i did fine), but it was the next day and i'd missed my connecting flight on the way back home, too. and i hated my life a lot. and i cried into a pay phone and she let me.
2. she taught me how to cook. she created two girls who love to cook and who are, i think, pretty good at it. this is a lesson you can't buy anywhere and one that i think is so valuable. cooking relaxes me, feeds me, brings people together, lets me care for others. i can't understand people whose parents didn't teach them to cook. i love that my mom did.
3. she is not scared of anything. not dead things or the dark or being home alone. she is tough.
4. she never puts herself first. ever. she always puts her family first, and her students, and her friends. she is an incredible example of selflessness. she rocks.
so happy mother's day to my mama (i love you!) and all the other mothers out there...
one of my favorite parts of this picture is what is written on the back:
i don't know whose handwriting this is...my grandpa george's? my (great) aunt isabel's? either way, i love it - i'm so new in the world that my name has been misspelled. this entertains me.
anyways: back on track.
happy mother's day, mama! my favorite things about my mama are too numerous to list, but i'll give you a couple of them:
1. she's always there when i need her - ALWAYS - from the mundane ("um, mom, i left a bag of groceries in the car for three hours when i got home. can i still eat the yogurt?") to the important ("A DOG JUST BIT ME."), she is always the first person i call when i have a problem i can't solve. i value this so much. additionally, during the few times i have needed to, i can be ridiculous and cry on the phone and she will just pretend like it isn't happening and will do an excellent job of diverting me/making me feel better. prime example: the newark airport (aka HELL), 2004. i'd missed a connecting flight on the way up to exeter, new hampshire to interview for my first job and had to spend the night in newark (i did fine), but it was the next day and i'd missed my connecting flight on the way back home, too. and i hated my life a lot. and i cried into a pay phone and she let me.
2. she taught me how to cook. she created two girls who love to cook and who are, i think, pretty good at it. this is a lesson you can't buy anywhere and one that i think is so valuable. cooking relaxes me, feeds me, brings people together, lets me care for others. i can't understand people whose parents didn't teach them to cook. i love that my mom did.
3. she is not scared of anything. not dead things or the dark or being home alone. she is tough.
4. she never puts herself first. ever. she always puts her family first, and her students, and her friends. she is an incredible example of selflessness. she rocks.
so happy mother's day to my mama (i love you!) and all the other mothers out there...
Friday, May 7, 2010
i am my mother: example #2
i mean, really. I AM BECOMING MY MOTHER. it is clearer and clearer every day. this morning i couldn't get any more lotion out of the bottle, but i knew there was more hiding at the bottom. i cut the bottle in half and slid the top half over the bottom so the pump could reach the lotion at the bottom. BECAUSE I AM MY MOTHER. if you go into the bathroom at my parents' house in mcgrady i can pretty much guarantee that there is a bottle sitting like this on the counter. except it wouldn't be oil of olay. it would be jergens.
when i was younger i thought this looked ridiculous. now i just don't care. i need that lotion. I PAID FOR THAT LOTION.
when i was younger i thought this looked ridiculous. now i just don't care. i need that lotion. I PAID FOR THAT LOTION.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
wilkes county
when i saw my parents last weekend, claire #2 and i were telling them that we're going to see the zac brown band in atlanta in may and we are SO EXCITED. my mom then told us two facts, one of which is true and one of which is not.
fact #1: the zac brown band is coming to merlefest this year! (a quick google search confirmed this. i was impressed that my mom (a) had heard of the band, and (b) remembered that they were coming to merlefest. merlefest, for those who don't know, is this big mostly-bluegrass music festival that happens in my hometown every may.)
fact #2: my mom then says, "zach galifianakis, the drummer in the band, is from wilkes county! i know his mom!" my dad was EXTREMELY skeptical. (so was i. in fact, i did no research and just wrote this off as false information. it was interesting, though, that she came up with this [unusual] name seemingly out of nowhere. perhaps she was on to something.) fast forward two weeks. last night i was on facebook. for those who don't know, facebook suggests friends for you if you know people in common or went to the same school. there on my facebook homepage was this: "become friends with zach galifianakis. you both went to wilkes central high school." HOLY SHIT. now, he is not in the zac brown band, but my mom was right about something.
wilkes county will now be famous for: lowes foods and lowes hardware starting there, having a nascar racetrack once-upon-a-time, tom dooley, merlefest, famous siamese twins who lived here, and the birthplace of the longest serving senator in us history. and zach galifianakis.
fact #1: the zac brown band is coming to merlefest this year! (a quick google search confirmed this. i was impressed that my mom (a) had heard of the band, and (b) remembered that they were coming to merlefest. merlefest, for those who don't know, is this big mostly-bluegrass music festival that happens in my hometown every may.)
fact #2: my mom then says, "zach galifianakis, the drummer in the band, is from wilkes county! i know his mom!" my dad was EXTREMELY skeptical. (so was i. in fact, i did no research and just wrote this off as false information. it was interesting, though, that she came up with this [unusual] name seemingly out of nowhere. perhaps she was on to something.) fast forward two weeks. last night i was on facebook. for those who don't know, facebook suggests friends for you if you know people in common or went to the same school. there on my facebook homepage was this: "become friends with zach galifianakis. you both went to wilkes central high school." HOLY SHIT. now, he is not in the zac brown band, but my mom was right about something.
wilkes county will now be famous for: lowes foods and lowes hardware starting there, having a nascar racetrack once-upon-a-time, tom dooley, merlefest, famous siamese twins who lived here, and the birthplace of the longest serving senator in us history. and zach galifianakis.
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