Guess Who was Caught Doing Nothing?

 Me!

I finally had the opportunity yesterday to try out the beauiful patio furniture Jasmine left at my back door on Mother's Day.

Timothy caught me and snapped a couple pictures for posterity.

By the way, I was drinking a very nice dark roast from a mug that was also a gift from Jasmine a couple of years ago.

I have no firm plans for today except to have only one firm plan.

And that's to take a moment of silence at 3 p.m. today.

A Song For Sarah

 Below is a picture of my fourth child Timothy with my second child Sarah on Mother's Day 2016 at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

Sarah doesn't get back to Illinois that often, so we chose to spend Mother's Day that year by paying tribute to our mothers-in-law and grandmothers.

Now Sarah was just six years old when Timothy was born, but she was certainly old enough to know he was more fun than her dolls. She jumped right into being a helper, which included changing diapers and helping out during colic with a pacifier (he wouldn't accept one from me) when he was all "nursed out."

When Timothy started saying "Mama," he applied that to Sarah, too, to Sarah's delight. (I straightened him out).

The two have remained close over the years. So for Mother's Day, he recorded this song for her.

Now before you think I'm getting sentimental, I have a quick story to share.

Timothy likes to sing, and he has a naturally nice singing voice. The rest of us sing like out-of-tune sick frogs, at best.

Sarah and Timothy were sitting in the back seat of the family van singing a new Backstreet Boys song - "I Want it That Way" - when she pointed out his voice.

Timothy could hit the high notes on any song like no other and used to practice hitting them by singing over John Schlitt while listening to old Petra CDs when we threw the newspaper routes in the middle of the night.

One day when Timothy was in his late teens, he launched into Disney's "A Whole New World." And we cracked up because he could sing both parts accurately and well.

Now that he's thirty, he has to strain a small bit to hit those high notes - but he can still hit them. Timothy's rendition of "A Whole New World" has become urban legend in our family.

So he recorded a really sweet version on Mother's Day (the first link) for Sarah.

The second link is a version we caught on a crummy cell phone more than ten years ago on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day.

He had to work a brunch at Joliet Junior College's Renaissance Center and was late to the family party at my mother's house. No one could believe he could hit those notes.

But the people present had heard the rumors. So - Timothy found the lyrics on his cell phone and proved his stuff.

His oldest brother Christopher recorded it on his cell phone. So if it looks as if Timothy is lip syncing it, well, he's not. Ah, vintage cell phone technology.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdU1paRL8Pg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpMbNILhkNQ

Dark Chocolate, Dark Roast Coffee, Purple Roses, and Patio Furniture

I woke up on Mother's Day realizing that, for the first time in a very long time, I had absolutely no plans.

I had nothing I had to do. I had nowhere I had to be.

I'm pretty sure I would get tired of nothing as a regular non-activity diet. 

But most days I'm already giving myself a mental run-down of the priorities of the day, so as to keep me from repeatedly hitting "snooze."

So on Mother's Day, with background of falling rain, it was a most delicious feeling to know I had absolutely no obligations in the moment.

I did eat way too much chocolate and drink a fair amount of dark roast coffee (incuding an Americano when Timothy surprised the whole family with their favorite beverages from Dunkin).

Here is a quick pictorial glance of the rest of the gifts. All have a BryonySeries theme, except for the chocolate from Rebekah. I didn't even know you could get Kit Kats in dark chocolate, mmm.

First up, two views of the bouquet of purple flowers (including purple roses) from Timothy:

And then two views of the real purple rose in water under the globe and pation furniture from Jasmine:

And finally an assortment of dark chocolate from Rebekah:

I'm sure you're wondering how Bertrand the Mouse feted me.

Well, that is a sad tale.

Bertrand is missing.

Yes, he is missing.

Four of us spent some very long hours searching the neighborhoods for him on Sunday. Even Jasmine offered to drive up from Morris to help.

When three adult children give up a chunk of their Sunday to look for a crocheted mouse on Mother's Day, you realize what kind of children you've raised.

When a fourth adult offers to travel more than half an hour one way to help look for a crocheted mouse, you'll understand the impact Bertrand has on people - and why he is more than just a crocheted mouse.

As of this writing (Tuesday morning), Bertrand is still gone.

Rock Me To Sleep, Mother