Growing up in the desert, iced tea was a staple of summer. And of course, it’s got to be Sun Tea - brewed in the sunshine. Why waste any other kind of energy brewing it when you can harness the sun? I still make Sun Tea and drink it all summer long (thank goodness for decaf tea bags). And I’ve always added sugar or some kind of sweetener to my glass before I drink it.

Today, I read a blog post that mentioned “Sweet Tea”, and I googled it because although I’ve heard of it, I never really knew what the difference was between Sweet Tea and Iced Tea. I guess, after reading, that the difference is that you add sugar (or some sort of sweetener) before or after brewing but before it’s chilled and served. I don’t quite do that since I just add it when I pour it, but the really shocking thing for me was learning that some people (who don’t live in the South part of the country or grew up with people who were raised in or by people from the South) actually do not add sweetener to their tea at ALL! Now I know this is common when you drink hot tea, but no sugar in iced tea? I can’t imagine!

So I’m wondering…how do YOU drink your iced tea? Sweetened or not? And how do you brew it? Inside or outside?

• First and foremost, happy Memorial Day to all of you, and since it is Memorial Day, please remember the reason we have this day off from work (or at least some of us do), is because so many sacrificed their lives for our freedom. (Read on …)

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So have you heard about our crazy weather? Monday the high was 110° (record for the date). Tuesday the high was 108° (another record for the date). Wednesday it was in the 90s. Thursday it was in the 70s and overcast and rainy. Yesterday the high was 65° (in our part of town, but it was officially 72°) and it rained off and on all day long. It was so cold in the morning that we had to dig out the sweaters, sweatshirts and long pants.

Crazy. And do the math. From Monday to Friday the difference in the high was 55 degrees! In fact, the low on Monday (76°) wasn’t as low as the high on Friday. I’ve never seen it do that much of a temperature swing in my whole life.

But I’m not complaining! It gave LG and I the chance to go to the zoo on Thursday, which I thought was going to have to wait until October. Here’s a slideshow of some of the pics I took at the zoo…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

And finally, my night-blooming cereus cactus bloomed Thursday night and even though I got up at 5:30 am to get some photos of it (shivering in the cold, wind and rain), the 18 blossoms stayed open longer than they usually do because of the overcast sky, so I got some more photos later in the morning.  (The first one is from 5:30 am, though!)

Do you ever have one of those moments where something just hits you and you just think, “Wow.” Today’s wow moment happened as I was going through old movies of LG that I’m saving to my external hard drive so that I can delete them from my laptop to give me some more space until I get my new desktop computer. I was looking at the little chubby 9 month old baby with not much hair and big eyes and then I turned and looked at the 3 year old with long curls and still big eyes and a much leaner physique and a crazy big vocabulary and I realized that even though I love(d) that 9 month old baby a lot, I love this 3 year old a thousand times more.

And I imagine that I’ll love the 13 year old who is as tall as I am and rolls her eyes at me to the point I might want to scream a thousand times more than that. I think it just surprised me because I thought there was no way I could love anything more than I loved that little baby girl. But, I do. I really really do.

Monday the high was 110°, smashing the record high for the date. Yesterday the high was 108° (again breaking the record high). Today the high is forecast to be under 100, tomorrow it will be in the 80s and Friday in the 70s with rain in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. Crazy. A possible 40 degree turn around in five days. It’s very very windy right now as the high pressure blows out and the low pressure blows in. But I’m not complaining. The cool weather is welcome to stay as long as it likes. The summer is long and hot enough as it is.

Update on my MIL: She’s home now - and on the road to recovery. It definitely will be a road to recovery, because she’s weak and tired and not liking the fact that she has to be taken care of. I’ve known her for around 20 years, and she’s always been the caregiver. I’ve never known her to be down with much more than a cold or the flu, so this is tough for her. But I think she’s earned a little care getting. So we’ll all pitch in and do what we can.

We went over to see her yesterday, since Mike had to drop off a wedge that he made for the bottom of her bed and she specifically requested to see LG (who missed her Grandma terribly). I had to go grocery shopping, so I picked up some things for them and then dropped them off on the way back home. I hope she gets better as quickly as possible, because I can tell how frustrated she is already. Thanks so much for all the prayers and good thoughts. Please keep them coming for a speedy recovery!

My mother-in-law is coming home today. Not sure when, because you know how hospitals are, but that’s really good news. Thanks again for all your prayers and good thoughts.

We have our last event of the 10 day stretch tonight. And I’m so relieved to get it all over with. Other than a Mommy and Me dance class once a week in June and a dance recital to attend, I have nothing going on until July’s 8 days of Vacation Bible School. And since it’s going to be too hot to do much outside, maybe I can get some things done around here.

The forecasts are all a bit different, but the high is supposed to be anywhere from 107° to 110° today. Ugh. And tomorrow won’t be much better. But later in the week after the high pressure system moves out and a low pressure system moves in, it will drop 20 degrees for a few days and we’ll probably have our last nice weather until October. Time to “hibernate” for the long, hot summer. People with hard winters hibernate in the winter. But here? We hibernate in the summer because it’s just too hot to do much else. Thank goodness for air conditioning, though!

School is finished and/or winding down for most of the people I know. We’re going to have to start doing our watering in the evenings rather than in the morning (it was already 90° at 9 am today just to give you an idea of summer mornings around here). I think LG and I might take a trip to the mall every week just to get some exercise. I’d better leave my credit cards home, though! ;)

Mike has some summer projects for the house in the works. The music room is going to get window seats that will make it nicer in there when we have rehearsals. I also hope to get some painting done. I’m getting tired of everything being white. I just have to figure out what color to paint, and that seems to be the hardest part of all. We’ll also try to plan out what we want to do with our back patio and our front courtyard. If we get the plans all sketched out, then when it cools off he can get to work on them faster. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get the master shower and bathroom finished. Yeah, keep dreaming Karin.

Anyway, summer stretches ahead of us, long and hot, but it also brings a slower pace to our lives and I do look forward to that! What are your plans for the summer?

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Three total surgeries - there was blockage from her knee to her hip. Not good. They put a filter in the main artery in her neck to keep anything from going to the heart, lungs, and brain. They had to put the drugs directly in the vein to get it to thin out. But she’s doing well - so far so good. They’ll keep her there a few more days, but hopefully she’ll be home Monday or Tuesday. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts! Keep them coming.

Just got a wrong number call. Here’s how the conversation went…

Me: Hello?

Caller: Hello.

I wait for them to say something else since they were the one who called me after all. But then I give up, because it doesn’t seem like they’re going to say anything.

Me: Can I help you?

Caller: Is Unrecognized First Name there?

Me: What number are you calling?

Caller: Isn’t this the Last Name I Didn’t Recognize’s?

Me: Noooo

Caller: Oh, I’m sorry.

And we hung up.

Look, we all dial the wrong number now and then, so I’m not upset about that.  And I appreciate the fact that she apologized instead of just hanging up the phone on me. The part that upset me was that this young lady (probably around 11 or 12 from her voice) didn’t bother to say who she was calling for or why she was calling without me having to practically pry it out of her. I don’t know, maybe the people who answer the phone at this person’s house know her voice, but whether they do or not, hasn’t someone taught her better phone manners than that? You don’t just sit there and wait for the other person to ask what you want when you make the phone call. Do you? Or am I just expecting too much here?

We got the opportunity to visit Mike’s mom at the hospital yesterday. It was hard seeing her down because she’s a lot like Mike - not one to sit around and not do all the time. As we were leaving the hospital, LG looked up at Mike and said, “I think Grandma will be all right. I think your mom will be all right, Dad.” The first time she’s really connected the fact that Grandma is her dad’s mommy. And I thought the fact that she was trying to comfort him was pretty precious. It’s amazing what they can process at the age of 3.

The news today is that they will be doing several surgeries to clear out all the clots in her leg. They were going to do the first one today, but there were no open slots, so they will be doing it tomorrow. I don’t know much more than that at this time, and I’m sure that the surgery will go well. But surgery is surgery and there is always a risk, so please keep sending those good thoughts and prayers.

Yesterday I sang at the wedding of a young lady who I knew as a child. She was kind of a wild child back then, so it was amazing to see her all grown up and crying as she said her vows. She is so different from the child that I knew.

As she walked down the aisle, I got teary eyed, as I usually do at weddings. I think that since I’ve become a mom, it hits a lot closer to home. I imagined what it will be like 20 or so years in the future when LG walks down the aisle in her fancy white dress and promises to love, honor and cherish. To think about giving my baby girl away to someone else is tough. I wonder what my mother thought when she watched me walk down the aisle. I wish I could ask her, but I think I will have a pretty good idea some day in the future.

Sometimes it feels like being a mom is all about letting go. You carry this baby in your womb, and then your body lets it go. You watch her take her first steps. Spend her first night away from you. Take her to kindergarten. Send her to college. Watch her get married. And become a parent. Always letting go just a little more.

And yet…you never really let go. Because once you become a mother, even when the cord is cut and that baby is no longer physically attached to your body, there is an invisible cord that remains. And you feel every hurt, every tear, every joy, every sorrow, every failure, every triumph. Forever that baby is a piece of your heart that just happens to live outside of your body. And you are both happier and more afraid to lose something than you’ve ever been or ever will be again.

And that is motherhood.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in my life - those that were, those that are, and those that will be.

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So this is shaping up to be a banner day.

7:00 am I am awoken by Mike telling me he has to go to his parents house because his mom’s leg is swollen and she needs to go to the hospital. (Someone has to stay with his grandpa and aunt, so his dad stayed and Mike took her to the ER).

Did I mention we are doing music for a wedding ceremony this afternoon? And that LG was supposed to go to Grandma’s while we did that? So that was my immediate thought - what are we going to do with LG? Well, thank God for good friends. I emailed Marlene and she offered to take LG with them to the birthday party they are going to (which is for the little girl I made the onesies for in the last post) and to which we were invited, but couldn’t attend because of the wedding obligation. She’s even going to come pick her up. For both things, I am eternally grateful. The back up plan was that she go to Rochelle’s where we will be going after the wedding, but they are in the middle of getting ready for her graduation party and I figured she would freak out with all the strange people there anyway…lol!

7:30 am The doorbell rings. WTF??? Who on earth would be ringing my doorbell at 7:30 am??? I look out my bedroom window and see a strange car parked in the cul-de-sac. Obviously, I was not yet dressed since I’d been awoken only half an hour before and since then had been busy arranging for my daughter’s care. So, I jump out of bed, throw on some shorts and a robe, and go to the door. Only to see the car driving off down the road and no clue left as to why they rang the doorbell in the first place. Do you think that if you ring someone’s doorbell that early on a Saturday morning, you might assume they are not dressed yet and give them time to answer the door? Again I say, WTF???

8:30 am I have to take a shower and there is no one to keep an eye on LG while I do it. Other than Melody. And she’s just as mischievous as LG is. So, I get LG changed and dressed. I turn on Disney Channel. I make her a bowl of cereal and move her little table off the carpet and onto the tile so she can eat and watch TV figuring that should keep her out of trouble. Then I go take my shower. When I come out, she has spilled her cereal on her table. (I knew that would happen!) But not on herself or the floor. And she’s trying to clean it up. So that went fairly well don’t you think?

9:00 am I am IMing with Rochelle about various things. I also sent an IM to a friend who is graduating from college today. At one point, I sent Rochelle a message saying that I just realized I needed to get the graduating friend a grad gift/card and that I was a dork. Only I didn’t type it in Rochelle’s window. I typed it in the graduating friend’s window. Doh! Karin = bigger dork.

So, that’s my morning so far. Mike is still at the ER, but he texted me when they went in the exam room. That was an hour ago and I haven’t heard anything since. So, on a serious note, please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers. Swollen legs can be scary things and we want her to be around for a good long time.

Now, let’s just hope the wedding is a resounding success. Please. I can’t take anymore stress today!

Update 1: Mike called and they did an ultrasound on his mom’s leg and were waiting for results, but said they would be very surprised if it was not a blood clot. *sigh*

Update 2: Opened the door to go outside and look at my garden and found a newspaper up against the door - which explains the doorbell ringing at 7:30 am.

Update 3: Or not. Mike said the paper was here when he left, so whoever it was brought it to the door with them. Still don’t know who or why they rang the doorbell at 7:30 am!

Update 4: The ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis of a blood clot in the leg. At this point in time they are treating it with medication, so please send prayers and/or good thoughts that this treatment will be successful. She will be in the hospital for a couple of days. Including Mother’s Day. :(

Update 5: Mike’s mom is status quo, but apparently in less pain (thank you morphine). The wedding went well. I didn’t screw anything up! Yay! And I think I sounded pretty okay if I do say so myself. LG had a good time at the birthday party and ate cake (even though she told me she didn’t want to eat cake). Thank you again, Marlene! Rochelle’s party was good. And hey guess what? LG ate more cake (even though she told me didn’t want to eat cake).

A lot has been going on around here. But don’t worry, Marlene, I’ll put the snake story after the jump so you don’t have to see it…lol!

• Monday night, we finished the religious education program for the season. We now have a few months off before it starts back up again in September, and it is a welcome break. We ended the year with a song that I think we all really enjoyed doing (Let Us Pray by Steven Curtis Chapman).

• Have I mentioned I have three new “epals”? I found this site and I’ve been email chatting with three very nice ladies from England. As far as I know, they don’t know each other, but they’re all around my age and have kids, so it’s fun to talk to someone far away. Before LG was born, I used to be involved in an international community through an internet radio station that I DJed for and I was kind of missing that, even though I’m still in touch with some of those people that I used to talk with.

• Yesterday I spent doing crafty things. I made some cards with flowers and plants from my yard that I had dried…

And some onesies for a first birthday gift for a friend’s daughter…

• Starting Saturday, I have 10 days of craziness. Now don’t get me wrong, I know everyone is busy this time of the year, but other than last weekend’s religious education program, I have nothing else going on this month other than those 10 days. It would be nice if it was a little more spread out through the month, but I guess it’s also nice to get it all over with at once. Saturday we are singing at a wedding, then going to Rochelle’s graduation party. Sunday is mass as usual. Tuesday we have two rehearsals. Wednesday we have the last mass of the year at the local Catholic high school. Thursday is a confirmation mass at our church. The next Saturday is another confirmation mass at our church that I won’t be going to, because of so much other stuff already going on. Sunday is again mass as usual. And finally, that last Monday night is the baccalaureate mass for the local Catholic high school. Lots. of. stuff.

• Okay, now it’s time for the snake story. There is a photo, so I’m warning you now that if you’re squeamish about snakes, you might not want to click! (Read on …)