You're Umbrella? Its Over Their. ACK!!

You're, it's, and there...these are three of the most troublesome words in the English language.  It's because they have siblings who sound just like them, even though their meanings are very different.   

Here's my breakdown on these tricksters:

1.  YOUR vs. YOU'RE

Your (possessive - it's yours) umbrella is going to be helpful if you're (you are) out in the rain.  Your must be followed by a noun - your what?  You're must be replaceable with 'you are.'  


2.  IT'S vs. ITS

It's (it is) going to rain today.   The sky is going to open up its clouds (possessive - the clouds belong to the sky.)  If you can replace it's with 'it is', use it's.  If you can't, use its.


3.  THEY'RE, THEIR, and THERE

They're (they are) going to take their (possessive - always followed by a noun) umbrellas over there (a place opposite of here.)  They're must be replaceable with 'they are.'   Their always means belonging to them.  If it's not either one of these, it's there.

Got it?  You can bookmark this page and use it as a cheat sheet.  I'll never tell.  

X Men

A good friend of our son's was married over the weekend.

As the groomsmen stood to watch the bride and groom cut the cake (on stage), several wedding guests hopped up to get a shot of the groomsmen.  Some of these guys have known each other since second grade.  To see them all standing tall and grown, although a bit rumpled....well, it brought tears to my eyes.

I love these boys and the history they have shared.  Our son is second from the left, the tallest.  He's married, as are two of the other groomsmen.  They know what the groom is getting into.

And when challenges come, as they always do, these young men will encourage their buddy and tell him that no, you'll never completely understand your wife, but you really don't have to.  Your job is to love her anyway.  As she'll need to do for you too, because she won't always get you either.

Such is marriage.

From chubby toddler-hood, to scrawny adolescence, to manhood, our boys grow up.  And by the grace of God, they make us proud.

Why Writing is Like Motherhood

The two things I'm most crazy about in life are: 

1.  Being a mom
2.  Writing
3.  Chocolate

OK, three things.

But, in the grand scheme of life, motherhood and writing really define me.  I knew from the time I was about eight I wanted to be a mom.  I discovered in junior high school I loved to write.  (I also discovered I did not have the legs for mini-skirts.)

My three children are now young adults, but I still squeeze them whenever I can and pray for them every day, that they will be constantly aware of how much God loves them and know that His plans for them will be more fulfilling than any harebrained ideas of their own.

My firstborn and me

I pray for my writing too - that my harebrained ideas will be filtered out so God can run the show there as well.  Writing is like mothering, in that I'm directing characters that sometimes have minds of their own. 

Motherhood and writing are both huge investments.  Long hours, sleepless nights, mistakes and do-overs.  Shaping character.  Big hopes and dreams.  Praying I get it right.

If I haven't talked to/seen my kids in a while, I get restless.  I just need to touch base, see if all is well.  Same thing with writing.  I have to transfer words to paper (or monitor) regularly, or I get cranky.

Life can spin so fast, sometimes I feel invisible.  Writing inserts a dowel into the bike spokes and halts everything.  It creates space in my head to think and reflect and imagine.  I remember feeding my children at three a.m. and feeling the same way.  Only the moon was up with me as I gently rocked my babies.  For half an hour, the world stopped, and I could think and remember and pray.   

Motherhood and writing have another thing in common: rejection.  We've all heard "I hate you!" from a wailing toddler.  Rejection letters feel the same way, even though they're on fancy letterhead.  The cut is deep, and we might just want to give up.  I don't know what I'm doing! I've thought more than once.  On both writing and motherhood.

Motherhood and writing are the same in my heart.  They are passionate, often tedious, rewarding, soul-searching endeavors.  They can make me cry and rejoice in the same day.

My desire for them is also the same:  I want the end product to honor God.

A VERY Silly Thing in the Freezer

I save beef / chicken broth after I've roasted an animal, or part of an animal, for my carnivore husband.  Then I freeze the juice in a zippered baggie for future use. Recently, I made the mistake of tossing a broth bag in the freezer before it was cool. It wrapped itself around the grid shelf and froze in place.  I had to practically disassemble the freezer to get the thing loose.  

You don't see the problem here...

But, on the flip side...

Good grief.  All I could think was - a broth bag wearing a thong.  And I couldn't separate the two.  The bag was frozen solid to the grid and to itself.  

So I laughed hysterically and took a picture.  It seemed like the thing to do. 

My husband suggested I run hot water over the bag to free it from its misery.  Which I did.  But, oh my, what a sight.  :-) 

Don't try this at home.

T is for TEACHERS!

The letter T is a hard worker.  It serves so many words, and has rhyming siblings, like tee and tea.   Along with the letter R, it's one of my favorite letters.  In fact, my favorite 'T' word starts with T and ends with R:  TEACHER.

We are a family of teachers.  My mom was an English teacher.  My sister is a special ed. teacher.  I taught character education to high school students.  My niece teaches English at the college level.  A nephew teaches in conjunction with earning his PhD.  My cousin taught math for 25 years. 

Our daughter, my favorite teacher, teaches chemistry.  She has also taught theology, physics, and forensics. (Just don't ask her to crochet you a SOCK.)

Our daughter, the teacher

We are a family of teachers.  Our daughter remarked recently, "That's why our family never has any any money." 

I can't argue that.  But, hey, we're impacting young minds and hoping to make a difference in the world.  At least, that's what we feel in our hearts.  For most teachers, that passion somewhat boosts the lowly paycheck. 

As for the Kobe Bryants and the LeBron James', who make millions for bouncing a ball - lest we forget - someone taught them how to play.

Regardless, It's the Letter R

R is for REGARDLESS, meaning despite the circumstances, or without regard for.

The shocker?  IRREGARDLESS is the improper usage of REGARDLESS.  I know.  It surprised me too, because so many people say it.  In the past, I've said it myself.

The word is REGARDLESS.  IRREGARDLESS is a double negative, and the "non-standard" use of REGARDLESS.  It's improper all around and makes English teachers and editors cringe. 

Example of the two words used properly:  Irregardless is an incorrect word, regardless of your desire to use it.

Tuck that in the grammar slot of your brain, so you don't upset the grammar goblin.  Never use irregardless again. You'll look so smart.

Tell everyone you heard it here first.  Regardless of whether you did or not. 

Then, I'll look real smart.

  

Q is for Quick Quotes

Today's post for Q is QUICK:  Three of my favorite QUOTES, which on more than one occasion, have helped me stop short and rethink my path.

1. From Maya Angelou: "When people show you who they are, believe them."   I learned the hard way that people's actions do speak louder than their words.

2.  This one...

Enough said.

3.  "Don't judge me because my sin is different from yours." 
I saw this on Facebook, but I don't know the original source.  It has come to mind many times since.  We ALL fall short of God's plan for our lives.  No sin is worse than another.  We are ALL broken, and we ALL need redemption.  Amen.

Have a blessed Easter!

P is for PIE!

I love pie more than cake, or ice cream, or brownies, or even a chocolate bar.  Pie is my favorite dessert.

Recently, however, I made a chicken pie that my husband and I ate in two sittings.  He ate a quarter of this pie the first night.

I combined several recipes for chicken pot pie and made a simple version.  I'm all about simple.

It starts with a store-bought pie crust (like the Pillsbury rolled crusts) and cooked/shredded chicken (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken from Walmart, which was delish.)  Rolled pie crusts come two in a package.  Perfect.   You can make your own pie crust if you prefer, but I never have luck with that.  If you can make a good pie crust, you get an A+ from the Ballpark.

Roll out one crust in a pie pan, like so...

Don't worry about uneven edges.  You're going to scrunch it with the top crust anyway.

In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, saute:

2 T. olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery sliced (include some leaves, if you love the celery flavor)

When veggies are just soft (remember they'll bake some more in the oven), sprinkle over the veggies 4 heaping T. flour.  Stir the veggies until the flour is absorbed.  Slowly stir in 1 C. milk (I use skim) and 1 C. chicken or vegetable broth (I use the stuff in the box, but you can certainly use homemade.)  Stir gently until mixture bubbles and thickens.

Stir in some frozen peas, as many as you like.  I added a couple handfuls.  Stir in 1 t. dried thyme and 1 t. dried basil.  And salt and pepper to taste. 

Stir and simmer a little more until mixture is smooth and looks like this...

Dump in your chicken, as much as you like.  I used about 1 and 1/2 cups.  Stir it all together.  

The more solids you have, the thicker the broth will be; fewer veggies and chicken, the thinner the broth will be.

Spoon this creamy filling into your pie shell.

Cover with the top crust.  On the edges, fold the top dough over the lower dough.  Press them together as you go.  You want to seal in the pie juice.

Gently go around the pie pan again, pressing the edges against the pan, giving an extra seal and creating a pretty trim. 

Make a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake according to the pie crust directions on the box.  Keep in mind the innards of the pie are already cooked; you're just baking the crust.  Keep an eye on it and remove it when it's a dark golden.

Let the pie rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.  Otherwise, the juices will run out.  As the pie sits, the juices thicken a bit.

This is even better the next day.  If you have any leftover the next day.

P is for PIE!!!!!

Would You Like to Buy an 'O'?

Today, in honor of the letter O, I invited Ernie from Sesame Street and a curious stranger to perform one of my favorite numbers.  My kids grew up with Jim Henson and all his fuzzy friends.  The man was brilliant.






This post was brought to you by the letter O and the number 2.

Finding Neverland

I think Finding Neverland is my favorite movie.

Depp plays James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan.  The movie is based on Barrie's real-life friendship with the Davies family of a beautiful widow and her four active boys.  As he grows to love Sylvia Davies and her youngsters, the adventures of Peter Pan take shape in his mind.  It's such a delightful movie, great for kids and adults of all ages.  Dustin Hoffman is superb as the theater owner. 

I've never seen Johnny Depp look more handsome, or exhibit more charm.

I've never seen such a joyous scene as when Julie Christie claps her hands, signalling that, yes, she believes in fairies!

I've never seen such a sweet movie scene as when Depp points out to the child George that he has indeed become a man. 

I've never seen a more beautifully, heart-wrenching movie scene with a child (at the end, when Freddie Highmore and Depp are on the park bench.)  I cannot watch it without tears.  Ever.

If you have not seen Finding Neverland, you have not witnessed Johnny Depp's best work.  If you only know him as Captain Jack Sparrow...you've only seen the quirky (albeit creative) face of Depp.  In Finding Neverland, he will steal your heart.

Make some popcorn and treat yourself to Finding Neverland this summer. It's magical.

Many, Many, Many Lunches!

M is for MANY!  As in 30+ packed lunch ideas.

A few years ago, I started packing lunches for my husband and our teacher/daughter who was back home for awhile.  Peanut butter and jelly was OK on occasion, but I wanted to see how many different ideas I could create.  I wanted to use leftovers and produce as much as possible.

Here's what I came up with:  30 + PACKED LUNCHES. 

I guarantee there will be something you'll want to try.   Don't we all get tired of fixing the same thing over and over?

Leftover roast beef, whatever-you-have pasta salad, celery brooms 
with peanut butter/honey, and grapes

Do you pack a lunch?  If so, what are your favorite ideas?

Lessons Learned (8 things I've learned from caretaking)

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K is for Klinedale

Klinedale is my 90 year-old dad.  Yep, that's his real name.

When my mom first met him, she chuckled after hearing his name.  "Klinedale?" she repeated.  "What do people call you?"

Deadpan, he replied, "Klinedale."

They've been married 64 years.  

Here's a picture of him doing his favorite thing these days.

Getting a hot fudge sundae with our daughter

He received his Master's in Public Health and worked for the government most of his adult life.  He was an accomplished pianist.  He had four children, one of whom died at the age of 23.   He has developed Parkinson's in the past few years, so he's mostly parked in his wheel chair.

His spirit is still young (about 12), and his sense of humor still shines.  A lot of people think their dad is the best, but mine really is.  Ask either of my two remaining siblings.   

I don't know when God might take my dad, so I just wanted you to meet him.

You've probably never met a Klinedale before.

And you'll probably never meet another one.

My J word is Jabberwocky.  It's an adventurous word created by Lewis Carroll, whom I believe Dr. Seuss channeled years later.  If you've never read this poem, spend a minute on it now.  It will challenge your brain and tickle your imagination like no other poetry on the planet. 

JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll

         (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)   
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
     Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
   All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/611518-Jabberwocky

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

 The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

 The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

  Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

         He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?

                                   Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
                                   O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
                                         He chortled in his joy.

  'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
   Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
 All mimsy were the borogoves,
  nd the mome raths outgrabe.    Cool, huh?  You have just read a classic.    

   

I is For Images

I love great photographs.  Without a word, they tell a story.  I've gone through several cameras, trying to improve my photo-taking skills, but in all honesty, I don't get aperture or ISO or f-stop.  But, I know a good picture when I see it.  Here are four of my favorites, taken by our nephew.

Our son and his bride - first dance

Overboard at sunset!  (not really)

"I know there's a bride in here somewhere."

Pictures are a perfect reminder of life's moments.   The groom used to look like this.

Redskins cap and Easter vest with chocolate on the front from sneaking a candy egg before church. 

Aren't pictures great? 

H is for Happy (dance)

Pharrell Williams has a hit with his song Happy from the Despicable Me movies.  If you've not seen the movies, check out the bouncy number here:  HAPPY.  You can't help but tap your toes.

In a world where so much music is provocative, controversial, or negative, Happy is breath of fresh air for young and old. After trolling through blogs during this A-Z challenge, you need a pick-me-up.

Treat yourself! 

"G" Things I Just Don't Get

1.  I don't get Google+.   I understand it's supposed to be like facebook, but it doesn't look like it.  It doesn't seem to get the interaction facebook does. Maybe I don't know how to use it.  This is entirely possible.

2.  Gluten.  It wreaks such havoc in tummies these days.  It's been around forever, but just in the past two decades, it's been a problem.  Why is that?  What happened?

3.  Gambling.  Why take money you already have and risk not having it?  I don't get it.

4.  Gibson, as in Mel.  Such a high-energy talent that went off the rails.  Get help, Mel, and then come back.

5.  Gnocchi.  I've tried it.  Wet little balls of gooey dough.  I don't get the appeal.  I think you have to grow up with it. 

6.  Gray.  The color of cement.  Everybody looks better in some other color.    

7.  Golf.  Some people love it.  I know there's skill involved.  I tried it once and could not stay interested.  I kept thinking, I could be home cleaning toilets.   

8.  Gummy Bears.  They're rubbery and slimy.  Give me a Peppermint Patty any day.

This post was brought to you by the number 8 and the letter G.

Facebook

F is for Facebook.  Love it, or hate it, it's a staple in most households these days. 

I love seeing the new babies, the placards on forgiveness, cats wiggling around in oatmeal canisters, and those amazing youngsters singing like Josh Groban.

Who could fully live without Bejeweled Blitz or Candy Crush?  (Here in the Ballpark, Angry Birds is the must-play.)

Without Facebook, how would we ever know who's giving away Kitchen Aid mixers, or what character we are most like in Once Upon a Time?  (I'm Charming, by the way.) 

I've loved connecting with high school friends and being able to pray for people who are suffering with one difficulty or another.   Sure, Facebook can be a time drain, but, in moderation, it can be a valuable tool for networking and staying in touch with far away loved ones.

At some point, I will be changing servers on this blog, and connecting to my Facebook page will always provide a link to that and whatever else I'm doing in cyberspace.  (Info. on my book The 12 Days of Christmas Adventure will be shared that way.)  I've come to prefer connecting to sites I enjoy by way of Facebook myself.   Here's my Facebook page, if you'd like to link up, or 'like' me (goofy terminology): ADVENTURES IN THE BALLPARK - MARE BALL.

I'll be there as long as Zuckerberg and his buddies keep the thing going.

How do you feel about Facebook?  Are you more of a Twitter fan? (I don't get it.)