A Year in the Life.

Recently I was watching on Tv all the celebrity deaths of 2009. Patrick Swayze, Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, Etc. It is interesting to think of all the immense talent that was lost. But in the light of hollywood and beautiful people, I have to admit it really makes me gag. I hate hollywood and all the trash that it promotes. The glamour, the sparkles, the dresses, it is really just a shame to fall into that trap, if you ask me. Perhaps I am just like Anne Hathaways character in the beginning of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada"... I just don't give a shit about all of it.

Of all the people that has passed, I only get choked up at one person.. Ted Kennedy. He fought and fought hard.. all the way to the end. I can't imagine having cancer, and battling the terrible disease while speaking in front of millions of people about Health Care reform. I almost cannot even write the words I want to express without feeling immensely sad for him.

This year has been full of changes, and great strides have been made (in my eyes) by electing our first African-American President. I am so proud and happy for the First Family. I have also learned lessons this year that will carry for the rest of my life. Lessons such as standing up for myself, and my children, living my life the way I need to.. not the way other people need me to live. It is a big lesson for me, because I am a people pleaser, and I am learning to love myself in the process of letting go of others. Big Lesson, and HARD. In it all... I am blessed and happy and feeling very fulfilled at the ending of the year.

Well, Internet, I hope you have a wonderful New Year. This is going to be a quiet one for me. I am home, in Jammies, with my Mom and husband and girls.

Many Blessings,

Laura

Easter Weekend.

Easter Weekend wasn't so bad this year. It was actually kind of nice. There were no screaming matches, no food was thrown ,  no vomit, no goose eggs on foreheads.

First, I went to my Mothers side of the family and had lunch with corresponding Egg Hunt.  Then I went  to my Dad's, where we had church, lunch and corresponding Egg Hunt. 

This is my Dad's last year to be preaching during Easter. This June he will retire from the Clergy. THANKYOUGOD. For once, I would like to not have to travel all the way down to Deliverance country and perhaps go to my very own church for Easter Sunday.  I think the church will really miss him.  He has been there for about 12-13 years now, and he has traveled an hour there every Sunday and back again for that long.  His gas bill, and his car, will thank him come June.  

My step mother put  yellow roses she cut from her garden in our room where we stayed, and that made a difference to me. I love yellow roses. She probably didn't know that, but it made me happy to see them and it was sweet.  

Here, I like to joke that my Dad is saying "Lord, what am I going to do with these granddaughters of mine??" They are quite the handful. 

Madeline, standing outside of my Dad's church, being all cute and sweet as usual. 

She reminds me so much of myself when I was her age. 

Here, Lily shows her Aunt Beth this flower she picked and how it is more special than any other flower in the whole wide world and can I ride home with you, please??

When I was Lily's age, I sucked my fingers the exact same way she does, only it was with my other hand. My Step-mother made these dresses for the girls. 

Lily is upset with me that I am trying to take her picture, and clings to big sister Anne for help. Anne loves Lily and loves to show affection to her little sister. She just hugs her back. 

That was pretty much my Easter. It was nice, but I am so glad to be back home and be in Florence. There is no other place like it for us. We've visited all over the country, but Florence holds special meaning for us and we wouldn't trade it for anything else.  Now, if you have a bungalow down in the Caribbean and there are sandy white beaches and twizzlers to drink our coconut drinks out of, and palm trees and all of our friends can come, then I might think about living there for half of the year.

Happy New Year, Internet!

This is the last day of the year. 

The day when we get all dressed up, buy a bottle of champagne and go somewhere to celebrate the New Year. 

Well, at least that is what MOST people do. 

Last year, we had a nice party here at our house.  We played party games, had delicious food and laughed hysterically at other 

peoples New Years Resolutions. 

This year, we are taking down Christmas decorations and getting ready for family that is visiting in about a week from Vermont. I feel like the biggest bozo for not getting a babysitter or at least doing something for my friends here at the house like last year. There just seems to be so much to do and so little time to get it done. 

And since all the kids have been sick for so long, I want to keep them in. 

They all have ear infections, 

and are all on anti-biotics. 

So to all of you out there with your black sparkly cocktail dresses and hairspray and fancy shirts... Happy New Year to you!  And to all of those Ladies like me... who are in their jammies and have their hair up in a ponytail and are surrounded by clean laundry that needs to be folded... Here's a glass to you.. may your laundry get folded, may your children sleep all night.. and may all your dust bunnies flee.

Happy New Year. 

Keep your murderous rage in check.

This Christmas has been the most stressful Christmas in  FOREVER. From Thanksgiving, to what will be New Years, we have been sick at my house. First, getting the stomach flu (which no one else got thankyouGod) then Lily getting the croup, Madeline getting an ear infection, and now on the heels of that, Anne is very sick. 

I am not sure what she is suffering from, but she has a temperature over 102 almost every night three nights in a row and her throat hurts. We have been babying her and giving her lots of whole foods and drinks to ease it, but she is still sick. 

This just in.. Lily now has a fever...

Not being able to really go out and buy gifts, I have been making many gifts this year. I crocheted little hats for my nieces, made pillows and bows and cross-stitched. It reminded me of this web-site that I used to visit to laugh for a while whenever I was down.

 It's called Subversive cross-stitch, and it was born from a woman named Julie Jackson. She was trying to quit smoking and her mother bought her a cross-stitch book to keep her mind busy away from how angry she was at the world.  I used to smoke some when I was a teenager, and I have to admit, I understand where she is coming from. Addictions to anything can make you a cranky loser to be around. I think there have been times when I was denied eating salad for a few days and it wasn't a pretty picture of a loving wife and mother. Jacob might say "horrible fire-breathing beast" but he isn't the one writing this, is he?!?

Subversive Cross stitch might say all the things you want to say to people, but don't have to. I have to say, it is much more therapeutic to cross-stitch these thoughts out then to say them. And afterwards, you have a comical dish towel to display when douche-y friends come over. 

I can think of some more things to cross-stitch but I don't really feel like typing them out on here. 

Maybe I'll just start cross-stitching them out......

xoxoxo,

Laura

A Senecal / Stedman Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2008 was alot like last years Thanksgiving, only my grandmother wasn't there, and there was more booze.  Also, I was sick as Hell but I was a smarty pants and didn't let on. ::gleam::The turkey was basted with rosemary and fresh lemons. 

Brandice brought the most beautiful salad I have ever seen and and still reliving the moments the avocado touched my lips. Little tears met my cheeks. The Stedmans came over making it the second annual Stedman/ Senecal Thanksgiving. We eat, we talk, we go on a walk. This year we walked all the way to the water.  I kept shushing the kids, because of fear that the people whose land we were walking on would get upset, but looking back I was really being a douche!! Geez, Laura. Little kids gotta run and scream and shizz.  Mean ol Aunt Laura making us walk around in the woods all quiet like Indians OH SNAP!! Yes, I said it. If Anne could read this she would give me an hour long speech on how I should NOT say Indian, but Native American. That is what I get for raising awareness in my kids. 

Here, Anne is having the TIME OF HER LIFE. Aaron Stedman has been her dream man since since she graduated Kindergarten and didn't get to see her boyfriend Trey everyday. She told Aaron this summer that she wanted to marry him and tries to get away with flirting with him any chance she gets. Here she probably said something very lady like, such as "Mr. Aaron, I am a little girl and I probably need to hold your hand so I won't fall down in these icky leaves. " Jacob and I laugh and hope that she grows up to marry someone as amazing as Aaron Stedman one day. 

Cousins... and the wierdo at Thanksgiving.  Hey, every family has one, right??  These kids are so adorable and really don't get to see each other all that much, so I was thrilled that they got along so well. From left to right... Madeline, Aidan, and Emma. Creepy dude that wants to get in little girl pictures.. Benstedman. 

The bestestest part about Thanksgiving this year was the part where we are all sitting at the BIG PERSON TABLE and Ms. Stedman starts telling Brandice and me all about her kids when they were little. She tells us that Ben had an imaginary friend named Reggenounce and... and.... HE USED TO KICK HIM .... when he got mad. He kicked his imaginary friend. Okay. Let's stop and take a little breath here.  Little ginger Ben. In overalls  (he probably wasn't wearing overalls, but it makes the scene so much better, don't you think??) all red-faced and mad. He goes over and kicks NOTHING. How his mother understands that he is taking his anger out on Reggenounce.. I'll never know. Also.. How the hell did he come up with "Reggenounce"?? What kind of stupid name is that???  All Brandice and I could do was sit there and TRY to not die from choking on the food in our mouths as we cried from laughter. Ben on the other hand hung his head in shame as he realized the verbal abuse that would ensue for the rest of the day and furthermore... the rest of his life.   It was beautiful.