The Word is: MOTHER

Yesterday was Mother's Day. It was lovely. I received a phone call from my Steph, a cupcake and a card from my David, and a lovely plant from my sweetie. We then went to church, where there were talks in honor of motherhood, and all of the moms were presented with a gift of chocolate (yum). Then we came home and had chicken enchiladas that I had whipped up that morning, along with rice, corn and gracamole. Extra yum. Then I had a nice nap on the sofa. As I said, it was a lovely day!

According to Wikipedia, "a MOTHER is a woman who has conceived, given birth to, or raised a child in the role of a parent." Wiki goes on to say that "Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition." Hmmm. Interesting.

Here's my definition: "Mother. The toughest job in the world, and also the best. It can and will, throughout its course, deliver you to the greatest heights of joy and also the deepest depths of despair. You will love it and you will hate it. You will weep tears of joy and will sob with tears of sadness. Over and over. You will embrace it and you will run away from it. But when you do run away, you will miss it terribly and will inevitably return. Motherhood never ends. The love, the tears, the worry, and the rewards are eternal. You are God's hands on earth, and motherhood will change you forever."

All in all, it's awesome to be a mom. It brings purpose to my life. Thank you Rich for being the father of my children, and thank you Stephanie and David for letting me be your mother. I love you forever!

"A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled." —Emily Dickinson

"Mother's love grows by giving." —Charles Lamb

"God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers." —Jewish Proverb

Tyler is IN on "The Voice!"

I am so excited — Tyler Robinson, son of my sweet friend Sherrie from Folsom, was selected on Team Blake tonight on NBC's "The Voice." He is an amazingly talented guy from an amazingly talented family. I've known Sherrie, her kids and her hubby Paul since they moved to Folsom about 14 years ago, when Tyler was just a little guy. Tyler, his sister Amber, and his brother Tanner are all products of the INCREDIBLE jazz program at Folsom High School, as is my son David. So great. I am so privileged to know Tyler and his family, and so JAZZED that Tyler was selected! Just to get onto the show's on-air blind auditions was a huge accomplishment, but to be one of the 32 artists chosen to move forward is awesome! Go Tyler!

And if you're interested in hearing some of Tyler's recent musical stylings, go HERE or HERE. Or HERE. And yeah, he's also an incredible actor. And he plays a mean trombone. Wow. He's good. Did I say Go Tyler? Yay!

"Hide not your talents. They for use were made." —Benjamin Franklin

"A really great talent finds its happiness in execution." —Goethe

May Day!

Happy first day of May! So where is this year going, anyway? 2011 is already one-third gone. Holy smokes. And I've been working on some new Thanksgiving/Gratitude and Christmas stamp designs (for Impression Obsession's upcoming Fall/Winter releases that will happen at CHA this summer) so my mind is thinking even further ahead. Yikes, how time flies! I will share some sneak peeks of a new design or two sometime soon - stay tuned!

Today was another bee-autiful day here in Nor-Cal, although it has been a sneezy weekend due to the north breeze and lots of green things growing. We've been burning through the kleenex around here! And for being such a quiet guy, you should hear Rich sneeze. It sounds like a big dog barking - loud! Kinda funny...

And speaking of Rich, he's just LOVING our new big backyard. He's planting veggies and fruit trees and vines, and digging and having a wonderful time! I love watching him "work the land." It's good for his soul, and for mine!

OK, well, it's been a long weekend. I am tired and I have a big day tomorrow. Nighty-night!

"It's spring fever, that's what the name of it is. And when you've got it you want — oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" —Mark Twain

23 Years Ago Today...

Amazing - 23 years! Seems like forever and yesterday at the same time. Happy Anniversary to my eternal companion and my best friend. Rich, you have made my life wonderful. I love you!

Rich served his mission in London, and was there to witness the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981. He stood outside the cathedral with the throngs of people and watched as the royal coaches drove by. Rich even caught a glimpse of Diana's father. And isn't it interesting that Charles & Diana's son has chosen this date — the date of OUR wedding, as the day to marry his princess, the lovely Kate? We wish them all the best. Life is tough enough, but having to live it in a fish bowl in front of the world... good luck, kids! Just remember how much you love each other today and keep your feet on the ground. It's all about love, and sacrifice, and being nice.

So, my sweetheart Rich, here's to growing old together! Thanks for choosing me. I love you so much!

"There is no feeling more comforting and consoling than knowing you are right next to the one you love." —unknown

"What a happy and holy fashion it is that those who love one another should rest on the same pillow." —Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate." —Barnett R. Brickner

"There is no more lovely, friendly or charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage." —Martin Luther

Banana Cake Heaven

Hello. It's spring. Northern California is THE PLACE to be this time of year. I love it (except for the allergy torment that my boy David deals with. All of his sneezing breaks my heart! What I would not do to suffer in his place. He takes the meds but they don't really help. Poo.)

Anyway, the sun is shining and it's a great day. I took all of the tools and construction junk off of our fireplace hearth today and moved the mess to our garage. Rich will probably grouse about it tonight ("I need that stuff - I'm still using it."), but it's a short walk from the family room to the garage and it's all still right there and accessible and he will get over it. I am a bad wife. But having the junk moved allowed me to give the brick hearth a good cleaning and arrange some cute stuff in front, and now the family room is all "put together." Starting to feel a little like home around here, kinda. Getting there. Not to mention that it will be nice to relax on the sofa in the evening and not have to stare at a bunch-o tools and what-have-you...

Hey you — Make this cake and eat it. You will thank me.

GRAMMA BERTHA'S BANANA CAKE (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained (optional)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1 cup sour cream

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the bananas, pineapple or chocolate chips, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; stir into batter just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Top each portion with a dollop of whipped cream or your favorite cream cheese frosting. Serve chilled. This cake rocks. Enough said.

"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems." —Rainer Maria Rilke

The Word is: PERSPECTIVE

per·spec·tive
—noun
1. a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface.
2. a visible scene, especially one extending to a distance.
3. the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one in having a meaningful relationship.
4. the faculty of seeing all of the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.
5. A mental view or prospect.

I am pondering today on how perspective relates to truth. A wise woman once said, "The truth is the truth, no matter what." And this I believe. This is true. Regardless of what a person thinks, certain things are TRUE. There is order in the universe.

I have also come to the conclusion lately that one of the greatest challenges of life is learning to truly get along with other people, especially those within our own families — those we know and love the most (or do we really know them? Hmmm). It's a shame that we often (and I am guilty of this) save our best selves and our best behavior for acquaintance or even virtual strangers, and we dump the worst versions of ourselves on those we hold dear. Why is this? Is it because we feel they have to keep loving us? Well keep on dumping, sweetie, and find out what happens. Uh huh. That's right.

Ok. Let's go love each other. And show it. And mean it. Every day. All the time.

"Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." —Iris Murdoch

"'Tis the most tender part of love, each other to forgive." —John Sheffield

"Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke." —Lynda Barry

"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." —Bryant McGill

He is Risen!

What a beautiful time of year, when we celebrate what is the single most important thing that ever happened on this earth: the atonement and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He died for all of us. He endured the pain and anguish of the cumulative sins and afflictions of the entire human race. I cannot comprehend it, but I know that he literally is my savior, and yours. With him and through him we can be forgiven of our sins and someday return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. What a wonderful gift this is! It is everything. It is why we are here. Yes, chocolate and bunnies and treats and lovely dinners are fun, but let us always remember the true meaning of Easter, which is the true meaning of life itself and the very reason why the earth was created: so we can learn and grow and progress and someday become like God.

Let us love our families, hug our children, be kind to our fellow men, go about doing good, and strive to be more Christ-like in all of our dealings. Happy Easter.

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days' prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered, man is free.
Christ has won the victory!
—Cecil Frances Alexander