American Idol

American Idol is holding auditions in Orlando July 9. The Singer is bound and determined to 1) get an audition and 2) make it to the show. She's pretty excited. Personally, I think she's got what it takes, both from a voice perspective and being quite a charming personality. But what do I know, I'm just the mom. As a non-watcher of the show, I have no advice for her, except "Do your best," "Be yourself." And "If you don't make it, don't let it crush you." She's scheduled times with her voice teacher, who also does not watch the show. So we're going in blind. At least it's something interesting to look forward to.

I made Chocolate chip meringue cookies the other day. I was surprised at how easy they were, how good they were and they're only 21 calories per cookie. I think I'll be making them again, and soon. The Imp absolutely loves them. In fact, I think I'll make them for our pastor's good-bye party. After 20 years at our parish (unusual for a Catholic church) he's being re-assigned. There'll be a big hoopla after all the Masses next weekend. The Women's Guild is asking for lots of baked goods. It's going to be a big deal. I'm looking forward to meeting our new pastor, too. We're also getting a new music director (both start on July 1). So lots of changes in store for our church.

Guys tend to be harder to shop for than women. The girls never have trouble coming up with what to do for me for any special event. The choice of things that'll make a mom say "Ohhhh, how wonderful!" are many. The girls have had their picture made at Penney's, made powerpoint presentations that essentially say, "We love you." And bought me cute knick knacks, all with equal success. Father's Day is next weekend and the girls are stumped. For years they've made him T-shirts. Decorating them with various sayings. The first one they made (when they were 4 and 1) had their handprints on it. Then they did a thumbprint one (where you make the thumbprints into people).



Because Hubby doesn't wear the T-shirts all the time (primarily because he doesn't want to wear them out...he used to wear them more) the girls don't want to make him any more. So they're left with a week to figure it out. I agree with them that getting something for my mom is way easier than for my dad. Dad's wish lists tend to be smaller but with bigger ticket items. My own dad's list includes an acrobatic airplane...that's a real one that he could get in and fly! Hubby's list would include a new gas grill, a plasma TV, an iPhone, etc. Sort of "Keep on dreamin'" kind of items.

2 Years Already

It's hard to believe that it has already been 2 years since my little brother, John died from ALS. He was so full of life, even when his body was slowly becoming useless, that it doesn't seem possible that he isn't still here. I miss him. I love living in Florida, but wish we were closer to John's widow. How our brains process information is interesting. How memories of certain events can be so vivid, that they seem as if they happened just yesterday, even though years of other memories actually exist.
I wore my "Piece by Piece" ALS awareness T-shirt


yesterday when volunteering and one of the other volunteers said her ex-husband's aunt was diagnosed 2 years ago. It amazes me for a disease that isn't "common" how many people know someone (or know someone who knows someone) who has/had it.

The beans and green peppers in my garden are still doing well, but I'm fighting some pests and fungus on my cucumbers, tomatoes and cantaloupe. I planted my cantaloupe too close together and am afraid that is a contributing factor. I'm enjoying the products of my gardening but have to fight feeling inadequate when I lose produce to disease or pests. The Singer reminded me of a saying I gave to her on a poster, "Striving for Excellence Motivates You; Striving for Perfection is just demoralizing." Guess I'm still striving for perfection. Ugh.

I'm reading Gary Smalley's Making Love Last Forever. Quite interesting. Most marriage books contain great information about improving any relationship. This is no different. Smalley talks in great detail how anger occurs when your expectations and reality are vastly different. You think (expect/predict) your hubby is going to be thrilled with dinner and thank you. Reality: he shovels the food down without comment and possibly even says something about are fixing anything better tomorrow. You become hurt and angry. Often the anger is manifested from exactly such mundane encounters. So sometimes your expectations need to change. But other times a true injustice takes place and your anger is an indication that change is needed in the reality. I expect to be safe from physical abuse. If I'm abused, my expectations don't need to change, my situation does. Lots of other pearls in his book. It's a good read.

Dumb Decision

Let me set the stage, as the story (and my aggravation/amazement) has much more meaning knowing all that happened leading up to the Singer's poor decision.
The Singer's best friend from college lives just north of Ft Lauderdale (across the state). The friend had knee surgery at the beginning of May and has been laid up. So many of her friends have gone to visit to keep her occupied and upbeat. So Mid-May the Singer hops in her new car and putt-putts over there. Not home but a few days and she was requesting to go again. She's telling me all about which friends are going when and in that conversation mentions that the boyfriend (and we'll not go into all my thoughts on that one) has to go visit again so he can go to court in Collier county because on each of his previous 2 trips to see her he got a speeding ticket on Alligator Alley. At this same time she's asking to go, she and I sat down to come up with her summer budget. She has most of what she earned in high school saved up, but told me she wanted to spend less than she was scheduled to make this summer. So we sat down and figured out things she'd want to spend money on this summer (movies, clothes, gas). And made a nice little budget and had a great talk about budgeting. It ended with me telling her how proud I was she was not planning on spending any of her savings and would end the summer ahead of where she began. As you can predict, she blew it. She got a speeding ticket on Alligator Alley.


I get a call, "Mom....I got a speeding ticket." "How fast were you going?" "Ummm, 15 miles over." "What?!" "But the good news is the cop only wrote me up for seat belt violation, so there's no points and it's only [only?] $98. I sort of got caught up in my music and wasn't paying attention." As if telling me she's not paying attention while she's racing in her car will make me feel better!
After counting to 20 (10 wasn't going to handle it) and biting my tongue so I won't scream into the phone, "And you didn't think that maybe Alligator Alley was a speed trap after hearing about the other tickets?" I think her ticket was given within 10 miles of the boyfriends'. I mentioned she'd have to adjust her budget to accommodate the $98 she was now spending. She tells me she'll just use her savings. Ugh!
Overall, I think she gets it...budgeting and being responsible, but she gets it only as much as a teenager can. Oh how I hate seeing my kids make dumb mistakes.

What Happened to May?

The Singer finally got her car. We'd promised her a car if she got the Bright Future's Scholarship to college. We'd buy the car but she had to pay insurance, gas, etc. Last summer the Singer decided that she wanted to wait a year before having to worry about money like that. Hubby and I really wanted to get her a new car, so reliability and upkeep weren't concerns. We just got her a 2009 Toyota Yaris.



She wasn't sure she was going to like it, until it was hers. She loves it. It's great for Hubby and I, too, from a logistical point of view. With the Singer working, having her own car makes life a lot easier.

The girls, once again, had their pictures made for me for Mother's Day. Of course, I think it's about the best gift ever. And of course, I think they're gorgeous, too.


My birthday/Mother's Day celebration this year was very different than in previous years. Normally the week or week and a half between Mother's Day and my birthday is "Adele is Queen" time. Hubby and the kids tend to make dinners, clean up, and we have bookend celebrations, starting with Mother's Day and ending with my birthday cake. I must say I look forward to May every year. I am spoiled. I know it, I love it and I appreciate it.
This year, I spent the first week of May driving to SC to get my parents and then drive to Baltimore, MD to pick up my sister (who was there on business), then drive to Lancaster, PA to see my sister-in-law, my nieces and my brother, Chris', gravesite. The trip itself was really good. Getting to see both my sisters and spend time with my parents was great. My sister-in-law looks great and the girls seem like perfectly normal little girls (I'm sure Cameron, at age 12, doesn't appreciate being called a little girl, but...). Cameron looks so much like my Imp at that age it's uncanning. They both obviously have strong Ellis genes. My friend said that Camille has a strong resemblence to my Singer. Maybe...but not like the Imp and Cameron.

I arrived back home on Mother's Day with my family at a community celebration. The next week, Hubby and I flew to Sharon, PA to visit his family since his brother from Seattle was in town. So I was in cold Pennsylvania on my birthday. So we finally had my one day celebration (instead of week-long) on the 23rd.



At the beginning of May, we participated in the Walk to Defeat ALS. We made shirts in John's honor. The walk was well attended. It felt good to be doing something. We raised over $700 for John's team. Can't believe in a few days it'll be 2 years since he died.


With all that going on, May disappeared right before my eyes. It's already June 5!