Heather Kate--Dreams Delivered.

Last night I let the kids stay up late coloring at the coffee table while I sat on the couch proofing my latest web project.  Most of my work I do after they go to bed, but on this Christmas vacation schedule, we’re not so pressed to get them to bed at a reasonable hour.  When they’re occupied every now and then, I’ll pick up the computer and do a little work.

After a few minutes of my chatting, working, coloring, working, watching a video online, then working some more, Will was curious about my work.  “Mom,” he asked, “do you have to do that?”

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Our emphasis at Christmas time is not on gifts.  Most of our “Christmasy” discussion all month long is centered around the manger and the fact that we celebrate the birth of Christ, and not the coming of Santa and his reindeer.  We partake in plenty of seemingly secular Christmas traditions, like decorating the house, making ornaments, baking goodies, and giving gifts, but we use those traditions to signify the important event that we are celebrating, just as we have traditions that celebrate our own birthdays.  I suspect that most of my readers feel exactly the same way about Christmas.  The point of it all is to celebrate the birth of Christ.  But we still have lots to do and talk about that seems a bit less spiritual.  I don’t want to downplay the importance of Christ on this Christmas evening.  However, I think that most of us have had our time of reflection and praise for this Christmas season, and we will continue to do that at least weekly, if not daily, throughout the year.  So at the risk of sounding sac-religious, I’m going to use my Christmas blog post to give an annual gift report rather than prolong the manger scene sentiments.

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I’ve always admired people who have a Christmas tree in every room.  I personally find it far too difficult and time-consuming to put up more than one tree, although I have been known to put up maybe one big tree and a couple of small ones.  After all, we don’t usually finish our tree until the day or two before Christmas.  We start early enough--don’t be mistaken.  The day after Thanksgiving, I’m usually banging my head on the attic rafters while the rest of the world risks being trampled to death in public places.  Bill drags out the Christmas decor (less and less each year, at my request), and we get the pre-lit tree put up and re-lit.  But we don’t always put the ornaments on it just yet.

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It’s inevitable.  When I get in the kitchen, there is going to be trouble.  And that’s a problem, because I practically live in the kitchen.  If I’m not in the bathroom (tending to kids, of course), I’m probably in the kitchen.  As long as we’re moseying along doing everyday sorts of things, though, we’re all pretty safe.  But mix in some baking products and a little holiday cheer and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.

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We’ve known for nearly four years now that we would come to this point. It’s not a major dilemma, and there are many things that would be much worse.  But still, the reality of the moment is weighing so heavily on my heart.  Today we received the official news from Hunter’s new endocrinologist that it is time to start growth hormones.  All of the realities that we’ve been able to “ignore” for a while are once again on the surface.

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I want to introduce you to my new company, The DigiFix Web Design Studio. I have been dreaming and planning for nearly two years about starting this company, and after much ado, the time has finally come to launch The DigiFix.

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Sarah Palin was absolutely brilliant as she addressed the RNC with poise, confidence, and the skill of an experienced politician and speaker. Her resolute, cunning, and downright hilarious comments toward her opponent, the “liberal media”, and the “Washington elite” brought the RNC to their feet with uncontrollable applause and hoopla. America is excited about the reform Sarah Palin can bring to our government, and we will watch our nation rally around her and McCain like never before.

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I had planned to get to work as soon as putting the kids to bed tonight.  Instead, I am sitting here in a pool of tears at the thought of my first-born son going off to kindergarten Wednesday.  We met his teacher today, and she seems really nice and well-organized.  I had a pretty good feeling about his school, and I think he is really excited about it.  I’ve so loved having him at home this summer since preschool let out, and I’ve sort of dreaded this moment in time.  I thought I was handling everything like a big girl, until I popped in his preschool classroom today to say hi on my way to Hunter’s 3-year-old preschool orientation.  Just the sight of his little preschool room turned me into a fountain of tears I didn’t know I had.

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I don’t have much good to say about living in a small town.  Especially after spending two weeks of July in three different metropolitan cities in the Southeast.  And I always try to hold to the adage that if you don’t have anything good to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all.  And that, my friends, is one of the reasons I haven’t blogged in over a month.  But despite my discontentment with things like a brand-new Starbucks planning to close its doors, nowhere to buy a swimsuit for small children, and driving over two hours just to see a medical specialist, there is still one thing I love about a small town--the people.

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When I first started sewing, oh, about 3 or 4 projects ago, my sewing machine and I had to get a few things worked out.  First of all, it’s actually Bill’s sewing machine.  It’s some foreign job called a Bernina.  He says it’s really high end and is “top-of-the-line”, but I wasn’t so sure at first.  It sure did have a way of matting up my threads.

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If someone asks me if I sew, I can’t really answer “yes”.  But I do, on occasion, do a random sewing project. The latest project to have taken over my kitchen is a bunch of travel crayon pouches.  When I happened upon one at a local boutique, I immediately knew I couldn’t make it another week without trying it out myself.

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I’d like to blame my blogging absence over the past several weeks on the power having been out so much.  But while that wouldn’t be entirely true, gathering candles and flashlights seems to have become the routine in our Southwest Oklahoma household this summer.

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When I asked Hunter how old she was on the morning of her 3rd birthday, she put out her little hand with an attitude and said, “I’m BIG!!” After laughing for a moment I said, “Are you two or three?” Again, she replied, “BIG.” So, we’re going with that.  If you ask her today how old she is, she will give you the same BIG answer.  And indeed, her semi-annual checkup at the doctor yesterday proved her case.

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{Big sigh.} The 2008 McKelvey Birthday Bash is officially history.  The Captain Hook and Tinker Bell party went down without a hitch, and we had a wonderful time celebrating the birthdays of our precious children.  I’ve posted pictures at my dropshots page, and password-holders can get there by clicking on the photos in this article.  I’m uploading over a hundred just from today, so it is taking a while. 

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Today is the big day.  The moment for the Peter Pan Pirates and Fairies Birthday Party is nearly here.  The Tinker Bell tablecloth lies in await beneath some leftover loot (beaded necklaces and rhinestones) and the Southern Living at HOME Gail Pittman Hand Painted Pots and Stand holding purple and black dessert napkins and a complementary purple African violet.  Bill is away filling purple, green and clear balloons with helium, while I prep the back yard and bury hidden treasures in the freshly built sandbox and black cardboard treasure box which Bill fashioned out of a diaper box.

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My darling little Will turned five today.  We had a fun birthday together with just our little family to celebrate.  We’re planning a big double party in two weeks for both the kids, so today was a bit low-key.

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My blogs seem to be spacing farther and farther apart these days.  I spent this entire last week dealing with some maintenance issues on a client website, which still are not resolved, as well as writing up a Photoshop tutorial.  I hope to finish the tutorial over the weekend and attempt to get it published on one of my favorite Photoshop tutorial websites.

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“Mom, I chased Karlee at school today,” Will told me as I chewed my Arby’s roast beef sandwich in the parking lot waiting to pick up Hunter after school today.  “I chased her because you can do that.  You can chase people.” A big grin sneaked across his face.

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Today is the first day in my stay-at-home life that I have not cleaned a coffee pot.  (Unless you count that uncomfortable experience when my coffeemaker died, and I forgot to get a new one until the next day.) The Senseo arrived yesterday, giving me just cause to jump up and down and act like a lunatic in front of my giggling children, who then did the same. 

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I have suddenly become interested in the amount of time it takes my coffee to brew.  I found myself timing the process, from pouring the water and scooping the grounds to filling the mug and stirring the sugar.  Yesterday it took me five minutes, from start to finish, to enjoy my cup of coffee.

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You may remember the time two years ago when I determined to simplify my life.  “Simplify” was truly my theme for 2006.  I pared down my projects, spent more time reading, and less time working.  Then, by vacation midway through the year, I found myself a workaholic again.  After several days at the beach with no kids, no work, and absolutely no thinking, I once again discovered what relaxation was.  I determined to do some form of it each day.  That lasted, oh, about a week.

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Delirious, once again, I realize that I have neglected my journaling for like, 4 days, and I am going to cram a bunch of nonsense and news into this one post.  I’ve just been having too much fun to sit down at the computer.

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Monday afternoon as I put fresh sheets on all the beds, I told myself it was a guarantee for a night of soiling sheets.  That’s pretty much the way it always happens.  Murphy’s Law, I guess.  But I had no idea Hunter was coming down with a stomach virus and would vomit all over her bed at just 10:30, before I even hit the sack.

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“I’m sorry to tell you this son,” said Bill, “but I’m afraid we’re going to have to save this one for outside only.” I messed up tonight and made THE best paper airplane either Bill or I have ever seen.  I’ve prided myself in my paper airplane crafting expertise for a while, now, but this new and improved version of the Heather Kate airplane really soars to the top of the homemade toy charts.

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Santa Claus brought my children the most delectable big red lollipops with teddy bears painted in icing on the front.  He always brought them to me when I was a kid, and now he brings them to my children.  They are every kids’ dream--the kind they go to bed dreaming of on Christmas Eve.  But they are also every parent’s nightmare.

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Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was so full of blessings and fun!  I’ve contemplated much the last few days about the true meaning of Christmas and how we have ended up making it such a season of busyness.  I plan to take some time to think out my musings through some typed words, to which of course, you will be privy.

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I’ve never been a school teacher in my life.  I’ve never even wanted to be a school teacher.  My college degree was not in music, although I did probably spend enough time in the music building to have earned one there.  And I didn’t know a thing about how to create a comprehensive music curriculum for Kindergarten through fourth grade.  So I was pretty dumbfounded when the principal of Will’s preschool asked to me to be the music teacher THE WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED.  With NO curriculum.

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I’m waiting for my coffee to brew.  It’s after 3:00 and time for my afternoon coffee break.  But just like usual, I’m so exhausted that if I sit down in the armchair, I may not get back up to pour my coffee.  So I’m taking my own advice from a blog I once thought up but never wrote, to blog when I’m tired.

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Kids are known for saying funny things.  I used to keep a list of all the funny things Will said, but I’m not sure what happened to it.  Anyhow, this week has produced some funny words that I thought I’d share.

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We’re getting the tail end of the winter storm that’s raking across the midwest.  Unfortunately though, it takes a whole lot of snow for us to actually see it sitting on the ground.  When it snows this far west, the snow doesn’t fall.  It blows.  Sideways.  The snow that sits on our grass probably started two counties away.

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My worthwhile cooking efforts are so few and far between, I thought I’d share my soup recipe from last night.  I’ve never been a big soup fan until I had some really good ones in the past couple of years.  A sweet lady in our church brought us some Mexican Chicken Soup after I had Hunter that will make you slap your mamma.  So when she gave me a recipe for potato soup two weeks ago, I immediately bought the ingredients and added it to my menu.

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I have the most random list of things to purchase today.

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Here is a photo from one of last week’s party nights.  Five Christmas parties in one week was enough for the whole season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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So there I was, the very day after I implemented my new thank-you note system, staring down at a pile of written, addressed, stamped, and TORN-UP envelopes.  Such a vivid picture of how my children have invaded every single area of my life.  I LOVE my children, and they have been such a blessing, but WOW.  The messes they can make.

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I was just sitting here reading my friend’s blog when in toddled my 2 1/2-year-old rubbing her eyes and announcing she needed to “tee-tee.” What is it with kids and bedtime?  They will use ANY excuse to get out of the bed.

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I am Martha Stewart’s worst nightmare.  That is especially sad considering she’s set as my homepage.  I used to look forward to doing my Christmas baking until I screwed it up so many times that I realized I mess up more recipes than I actually finish.  That little fact only took me seven years to figure out.

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Yesterday we received our first Christmas gift.  As a southern lady, the first thing that crosses my mind when I receive any kind of gift or service is the need to write a thank you note.  For some reason, the term “thank you note” has become quite a burden to me in recent years.  Today I decided once and for all to revamp my miserable thank-you writing habit.

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My kids are busily making their lists for Santa Claus this year, so I thought I’d post my own Top Ten for Christmas, just in case Santa reads my blog.

 

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I did it again.  I do it every night.  And every night I try to talk myself out of it.  In four brief seconds from the time I close the kids’ bedroom door to the time I round the corner…

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The email I lost last week?  It’s back.  Thank God!

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I’m not your stereotypical nerd.  I don’t wear funny glasses (unless my contacts are bothering me.) I don’t know much about computers (except how to hand-code websites and integrate them into content management systems).  And I do not own pocket-protectors (I don’t need them since I have a Blackberry.)

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“Put ‘em back on, Hunter.  Quick!” I heard Will say as I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner.  Bill had the bath water running, and I had told the kids they had to put all the ornaments back on the tree before they could get in the bath.

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I usually don’t think anything about an empty egg carton.  I just throw it in the trash can.  Unless, of course, it is handed to me by my 2 1/2-year-old daughter on the cosmetic aisle of Wal-mart.

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A couple of days ago I blogged about my weekly planning system.  I really love paper, and I like that I can see it without logging in to anything.  My biggest gripe about it, though, is that you can’t delete it and start over if it gets messy. 

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There are things in life that are worse than shopping for new jeans.  But not very many.  I can’t believe I actually looked forward to getting a new pair of jeans today.

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People often ask me how I do everything I do.  Usually, I answer with something silly, like, “I don’t sleep much,” “I never watch TV,” or “My house doesn’t stay very clean.” But really, I get plenty of sleep, and while I don’t watch much TV at all, my house is relatively clean and neat most of the time.  While I was talking with a friend this week, I realized how indeed I do fit everything in.

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I saw a red tree today.  You may find it funny for me to mention that on a crisp November day.  But in a place where trees are too scarce to mention, finding one with leaves other than green ones is a rare and special treat.  I had almost forgotten it was fall.

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Since I’ve been absent from my blogging habit for so long, I’m sure my out-of-towners are a little out of the loop on my current life situation.  I thought I’d take a minute to update you on the happenings of our household.

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It’s been a LONG time in coming, but HeatherKate.com is officially LIVE.  I’m finally back to the blogoshpere, and this time hopefully to stay.  If you haven’t seen the new site, take a minute to check it out.  Today is a brand new day in my web-life.

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