How well do you know your mom?

She said she wasn't surprised by how well I knew her, so I guess I got them all right:
(From a Facebook post on Saturday)

1. She is sitting in front of the TV, what is she watching? Young and the Restless, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Antique Road Show, Outlander, Elementary, Fixer Upper, Poldark, and all W Network movies.

2. What dressing does she eat on her salad? Her favorite is Julie's homemade 1,000 Island. Or Heinz Cucumber dressing.

3. Name something she hates. People who talk slowly. Anything red, orange or yellow.

4. What does she like to drink?
Black coffee first thing in the morning. 

5. Favorite song?
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

6. What is her nickname for you?
Don't think she ever had one for me. Or for any of us.

7. What does she collect? 
Creamware china. Turquoise decorative items, books, wooden dolls, Windy Meadows Pottery houses, craft supplies, ancestry information, purple paper clips

8. What would she eat every day if she could?
Anything Julie cooks. 

9. What is her favorite color? 
Turquoise and cream

10. What would she never wear? 
A red bikini and knee high support hose.

11. What is her favorite pro sports team? 
Canucks

12. What is something that you do that she wishes you didn't?
Walk by myself in the evening. 

13. You bake her her favorite cake, what is it? 
Her favorite cake is not a cake - it's the pre-cake. She likes licking the bowl of chocolate cake batter. 

14. Favorite animal? 
Not a fan of any animals. 

15. What could she spend all day doing if she could? If her knees would cooperate, I think she'd like to spend a day wandering through home decorating stores (Pier One and Homesense etc) and garden centers, stopping for coffee often. 

16. What's her favorite sweet?
Ice cream

17. One of her favorite memories? Her grade 11 year at MEI, living in a shack with no running water or heat and sharing a double bed with 2 girlfriends, dating like a rock star. 

18. Her favorite season? She loves being inside, sitting in cozy, warm settings with mood lighting ... so I'll say winter. 

19. Favorite alcoholic drink?
Brown cow, made by Daryl, or coolers with Mandi and Jule.

20. You're in jail & you call her, what's her response?
"What? There must be some mistake...WHO ARE YOU WITH?"

Thanks, mom, for sharing your home and your heart with me, Drew and Dani.

Thanks for loving me all the days of my life...

Happy Mother's Day,

Love you

xo 

Stuff.

Random bits from the weekend and beyond:

We’re both sitting at the table, dealing with files, (hers are actual - mine are digital) both of us wearing ear buds listening to our own playlists on our respective laptops. She’s at a Passion Concert, lifting her hands and singing worship songs with a bunch of Pentecostals. I’m in an Irish pub humming along to Galway girl.

We both take off our ear buds at the same time.

“We need to go to a Passion Concert,” she says.

“We need to go to Ireland,” I say at the same time. 

“OK," we say in unison. 

Have I mentioned my leg?

I think I snapped something in the back. Like, in my calf. I can bearly walk.

I checked online and either I am going to die in a few minutes of a blood clot or I will be forever lame because I’ve torn a tendon. Walking, not a sport for wimps.

Also, my dentist called. I need gum/bone surgery in my mouth.

Aging: the fun never stops.

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Its only when you spend a lot time with other women that you notice (or its pointed out to you) how very 'different' you are from 'normal' women. 

For example:

(Well the biggest examples are, hello? Normal women are married. And don't live in the basement of their parent's place. But, in addition to that, there are other things I do that make me unlike most women...)

I like using tea towels as dish cloths. They are more efficient. (Use the largest tool for the job. A couple swipes across the counter, and you're done. None of this going back and forth a million times ...)

Most women, apparently, prefer small dish cloths, that when scrunched, fit entirely inside their hands.

I like keeping the dish soap under the sink. It's not a decorative item, it doesn't belong on the counter. Also, those Costco scrubby things with suction cups under their handles? I prefer to keep mine inside the sink when I'm done. It's not decorative  - why have it on display, upside down, on the edge of the sink?

I am a minority in this matter. 

And in others, as well.

Like, the smell of fresh basil? GAG.

Cilantro? The entire world’s most popular herb/flavor? NOT A FAN.

I think I'm going to make this a regular feature. 

The Minority Report: an ongoing list of all the things that make me unique/different/totally weird. 

Maybe it will help you feel less alone in your own individual quirkiness. 

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On Sunday morning, instead of my usual sleeping-in-til-my-body-wants-to-get-out-of-bed routine, I set my alarm so that I could meet my kin and take some pics.

My dad's side of the family grew by one this week, and I was going to hold her...

Nothing like a newborn in your arms. NOTHING.

Meet Sadie Elisabeth:

These be my people:

My dad's brother, his son, his grandson, his great grandchildren. 

(In case you were wondering.)

And then it was my turn:

Happy sigh.

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Today after work, my mom and I went looking for a vehicle for her ...

I sent the following text to Drew:

And then a few hours later, while we were at our first dealership, the conversation continued:

Then my sister texted me wondering where mom was.

"She's with me. We're sitting in a Cadillac."

Sent her this pic:

Drew arrived before we signed any sales agreement ...

... and made a few suggestions that were helpful.

We drove through a few more car lots then went out for dinner.

We were all in agreement... car salesmen are a breed unto themselves. 

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. New babies.

2. Time spent with my boy.

3. Happy surprises.

Shalom, 

xo

My Mom's House

Just thought I'd post a few pics of my mom's house.
Maybe by the time I'm 70 I'll know how to decorate like her...

(Yes that's a Royal Dalton figurine on her kitchen island.)

(Those tiny little ducks next to the H were my grandmas. She had them next to her kitchen sink too.)

(Collector's plates. That one ^ above? Was wicked hard to get.)

This will probably become an ongoing series. 

She's got flair, she does.