Happy Birthday Debbie Lou

I mentioned it on Facebook but forgot to write here about what would have been the 74th birthday of my mother, Debbie Lou Dolley Kraft. Really unbelieveable that she has been physically gone for more of my life than she was in it. But she is there everyday...I talk to her and think about her.

My mom was the cool mom on the block. She made coffee or hot cocoa for the bus driver. She came to drive us home but let us ride the bus so we could stop for ice cream. She decorated the house for every holiday. She treated birthdays like the big deal they are. And she loved each one of us crazy five kids in our own unique and special way. And she loved her dogs.

As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the qualities I have of each of my parents. I have creativity from my mom but also my dad; my mom taught me paper crafts and fun and cooking and dad taught me photography and gardening.

My dad taught me perseverance and insane ongoing curiosity..while my mother taught me to never stop believing, especially in myself.

I am who I am because of their love and differences and similarities and I am grateful. So Happy Fathers Day, Dad and Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope I am making you both proud!

Happy Fathers Day from Qwackerqueen

I think I have mentioned before that I was the oldest and the only girl out of five kids. That's right...four brothers. Lots of testosterone in my house. With all of that stuff happening in our house, there were lots of nicknames to be found. I had (and still have) many ranging from K2 to K to Kat to Kath to "Hey You!) also some others which will not be shared :-) But one I remember the best is Qwackerqueen. When I was still not reading cursive well, my father bought a mailbox and he and my mom had our names painted on them. My father told me had put Qwackerqueen on the mailbox and in my still untrained eyes I read it and believed it. I cried for days until my mother took me out to the box and traced the letters to Kathleen for me.

Fast forward 40 some odd years. My dad is still teasing, and laughing and pretending...pulling a good one over us. And he is now at work on the new generation.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.

Five on the Fifth - is it June already?!??!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of Graduation, Birthdays, Packing, crafting and very little sleep. Fortunately this past Wednesday night I flew to Texas and met up with my BFF Amy. We went to one of our annual scrapbooking events, Great American Scrapbook Convention. It's an annual show with classes, shopping and, for us, some pool and chill time. We stayed at the Arlington Sheration and enjoyed big fluffy beds, fabulous staff, a great restaurant and a lovely pool (with chilly water) accompanied by a great waitress and cold adult beverages. This week Amy and I crossed something off our bucket list -- we scrapbooked by the pool, under the pavilion while drinking an adult beverage...very civilized. WHich leads me to my Five Favorite Things on the Fifth:

5. Scissors, glue and patterned paper....enuf said
4. A bed with crisp sheets and a fluffy comforter which I do not have to make
3. Prix fix meals of steak, horseradish mashed potatoes, caesar salad and key lime pie - $20....!
2. hanging with my BFF for three days
1. Finishing two scrapbooks in two days...watch out jess and LCB...here they come!

The Graduate

No, not a remake of the Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft story. This is a true graduation of the eldest of our next generation. In her mind, Jessica has been an adult on her own since she was about 2 months old. Interestingly, when it came to the graduation, she actually seemed introspective and -- while excited -- a bit nervous about how her whole world was changing.
So the family came out in force and even all went out to dinner together. Despite a jam packed weekend including moving Mom and Dad Darabaris all day on Saturday -- Aunt Celeste and Uncle Albert came down from Chicago too. It turned out to be a great family celebration.
On to the next chapter...for both Jess and us, her loyal servants. :-)

Boas, Tiaras and Sweet Potato Queens

Sometimes you just have to do a girlfriend over-the-top, sweet-potato-queen-in-the-making weekend. So, last week, my girlfriend of many years, Leigh Coulter Beal, the diva of Fernandina Beach, turned 50. I myself am only a year from that so I felt it proper..along with our other friend Lisa DeGreif Lauterbach, to honor her. So Lisa hopped on a plane from NY, I hopped on a plane from Chicago (along with two suitcases of tshirts, boas, tiaras, crepe paper, greyish black roses, a $50 MILLION dollar check, tinsel, scrapbooks and whatever else we could come up with.) When she walked in the door after work there we were...with a margarita in our hands..

The pictures tell the story. Though, in fairness, they do not show the look on the faces of David Beal Jr and Sarah Elizabeth Beal as we sat in the stands at the baseball game, cheering David on, in our boas and tiaras. Totally worth it.

Happy $50 Million Celebration, LCB. Here's to $50 million more!

Mothers Day 2009

Mothers Day is truly a day for women....most of us were raised by at least one if not more women. While I had and was greatly influenced by the men in my life (including my four brothers) I had a great mom and incredibly interesting aunts and grandmothers and special women in my life. Still do..lucky for me.
Nonetheless, Mothers Day has not been a great day for me since my mom passed away 23 years ago. Hard to believe I have lived almost half of my life without her.
This year I consciously decided to do something that would fill me with the spirit of mother's day and honor my mother -- and all of those influential women -- in my life. So I walked (and jogged a little) of the three mile Breast Cancer Network of Strength walk in downtown Chicago with lots of other women (and a good amount of men and kids!). The weather was just right...slightly cool and overcast until just before the walk. I walked with Donna and Sharla and Donna's god child. It was not just a good time to catch up with friends it was also overwhelmingly awesome and soul filling. Now it's time for a hot bath, a nap and a foot bath. Next year...I want to run :-)

Happy Mothers Day to all of those awesome women who have helped make me who I am..
(image from Rhonna Farrar and the House of 3)

Five on the Fifth - May

Spring is finally trying to bloom around here...which of course means allergies and all sorts of fun physical reactions to having buried ourselves and our environment for the winter (for starters, my feet need a total makeover!). Blooming is a good thing though and we had an awesome fifth to start out the spring....
5. Happy Cinco De Mayo!! Margaritas for all...
4. Carpooling with a friend makes the commute faster
3. 2010 Planning..planning at work and at home is getting our lives together!
2. Crafting of all kinds..mothers day goodness, layouts, getting ready for a craft fair
1. Dinner with friends...lucky to have fun and interesting friends and great wine!