The Mother's Day Checklist!

Let's hear it for Mother's Week or even Mother's Month.
Go big or go home!!!

• afternoon Tea booked with my Mama and sisters ... in two weeks mind you, but it's booked  (curse you procrastination) - check
• card bought for my Mom-in-law, and signed by 8 people ... but not yet mailed  (curse you AGAIN procrastination!) - kind of check
• pedicure with my girl-who's-now-a-mama - check

The Nail Lounge with my Girl!

• delicious cake from Susie Cakes bought (thank you sweet girl xo) and devoured by both of us - check
• flowers delivered to my door from my Man - check

Roses from my Man

• decisions made  (Don't judge. Deciding is half the battle for me.)
• brunch at a restaurant or at home? 
• or should we have lunch or dinner on Sunday and where?
• can everyone make it? - check                   

• working really hard on NOT putting so much pressure on myself, my husband, my kids or the universe  - check (kind of)

You might notice this isn't a list of what others will do for me ...

     with the exception of the beautiful flowers that landed on my doorstep
     at such a perfect time....
     PERFECT time I tell you!  Thank you Babe xo

But it is how I've decided to celebrate this nationally appointed day to celebrate Moms.

I am a mom
and every day I thank God for that privilege.

I thank God every day for my sweet Girl
my courageous young Men (all four of them)
and my adorable Granddaughter

Let's not sit around this year,
waiting for the accolades and the parade in our honor
    the perfect card or they-know-me-so-well gift
          the Facebook post that is so amazing that it trends

Let's give ourselves a break from expectations
     that I'm afraid too often
            we ALL fall short of.

Say it with me ....
      Happy Mother's Day to me!

now go get your nails done

the gospel according to Chopped

Norb's gone on a very important to our family 3-day trip.

He's gone to visit the beautiful people of Haiti.

I do know what's going to happen to his heart ...

    but I won't pretend I know right now how We will respond.

Here I sit watching

Four grandmas duking it out on the TV show Chopped
I love you Food Network

Four adorable, apron-wearing grandmas, cooking their hearts out

Four ingredients in the infamous Basket to be used for the Appetizer Round

• filet of sole
• popovers
• ginger
• bacon grease

The clock is set to 30 minutes.

They may not be moving as fast as the All-Star chefs, but they're doing their thing.
They've lived enough life to know, slow and steady wins the race.
     creating delicious-looking, home-style, Chopped-worthy food.

Then it happens... if you've ever watched the show you'll know this is a thanks-for-coming-on-the-show-but-you've-been-chopped kind of No-No.
One grandma, the one with 8 kids and 35+ grandchildren.
She forgot the popovers!
Her plate of delicious-looking grandma-style tacos, were supposed to have crumbles of crisped popovers on top and ... true to the show, that countdown clock got the best of her.

While she's lamenting and correctly assuming she'll be automatically chopped from the competition for such an erroneous mistake, the camera pans over to one of her competitors.

Her name is Mannee. A sweet grandma, born and raised in Thailand. As this competitor tells it, as a child she knew what it was like to go to bed hungry. She is a survivor of extreme poverty.
And here's where the real beauty of this episode kicks in.
Grandma Mannee is on the show so she can win the $10,000, so she can return to her beautiful home country of Thailand so she can feed the little children, because children shouldn't ever be so hungry.

Back to Grandma-who-forgot-popover, agonizing over her forgetfulness
     forgetting to, or running out of time to plate those silly popovers because of that silly time clock.

Back again to Grandma Mannee who doesn't miss a beat...
"I feel bad for her, 
but if I make mistake I'm not going to be crying.
When I see the children don't have food to eat, then I cry."

That's it, isn't it.
The Gospel ... on Chopped

Norb, he's in Haiti, right now!

Because I know him.

Because he is the man he is and he hears the heart of the Father

When he sees those children that don't have food to eat

 ... he will cry.

...and if you offer yourself to the hungry,

and satisfy the afflicted one,

then your light will shine in the darkness,

and your night will be like noonday

Isaiah 58:10 

"How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." I John 3:17

- See more at: http://www.elca.org/News-and-events/blogs/ELCAWorldHunger/589#sthash.X2F51NZD.dpuf