Lisa M. Frame

Family

Icy roads and family time

by Leave a Comment

I’ve been a little lax around here. Well, a lot lax. Last week my husband was gone for work. After watching the weather diligently, I made a judgment call Wednesday morning and told him to come home a day early. Turns out his co-workers wife (who travels frequently for work) had called him to do the same thing. By Thursday afternoon, before the bad weather started, planes weren’t landing in Charlotte. I have three friends who played out scenes from “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” to get home.

What have I been doing with all of this time?

The bad weather started Thursday night and I listened to the bouncing of sleet off of my house. I paced later, knowing it was freezing rain and concerned about the damage. After sleeping fitfully, I was up and started cooking. When I wasn’t cooking, I was reading. When I wasn’t reading, I was with my family.

That’s what I did all weekend. My family and I cooked meals together, we read a lot of books, watched Coen brother movies and just spent time with each other. With the constant reminder of death coming from every angle in the form of celebrities who’d had an impact on our lives, my step-dad not doing so well post-op due to a number of setbacks, and a few things that have went on that I prefer not to write about, this was what I needed. It’s what we all needed.

While all of the parents were complaining about the kids being out of school (our back roads were very icy, and we have several mountain ranges to deal with in our county) I cherished each moment The Kid was at home. We drank hot chocolate, more coffee than you can shake a stick at (he’s 15, I’m okay with the coffee), and we allowed ourselves to just be.

It was so peaceful. There was no crankiness, no snapping at each other, no eye rolling. The stress of every day life seemed to melt away. I can’t tell you in words what that did for me, for my family. To just be together, cocooned in our house, like we’re on vacation, but without the stress of vacation. (Why are vacation’s stressful? Am I doing them wrong?)

Knowing that The Kid leaves for college in just over two years made our time together even more precious and bittersweet. We won’t have many days like this with him. Our lives are changing and when we’re housebound again, he might not be here. We’ll take every second we can, because like the icy roads, it won’t last forever.

Norm of the North: Snow Globe DIY

by Leave a Comment

Norm of the North is being released to theaters January 15th and I’d like to take a few minutes and introduce you to Norm. He’s a super cuddly polar bear who has a way with words, and like the rest of us, can get grumpy when things affect his home. Norm is unhappy because developers are pushing him out of his arctic habitat to build luxury condos. Norm decides he needs an adeventure and takes of for the island of Manhattan to have an adventure that only New York City can provide. While he’s there, he runs across people who can help him on quest to restore his homeland, but winds up having an identity crisis. Will Norm be able to save the home he loves? Or will he be lost forever to the concrete jungle?

Luck be a lemming with this Norm of the North Snow Globe DIY!

Who is Norm?

Norm is a 30 year old polar bar and destined to be the future king of the arctic. While he lacks the necessities he needs to lead his people, Norm possess human traits and speaks, dances, and emotes like a real human. (I hoped the polar bears at the National Zoo would dance and sing for me last week, but that wasn’t to be.) He’s helped by his lemming friends and the sarcastic, wise, arctic sage Socrates.

I made my own Norm of the North Craft. It really is a story of crafting gone wrong. I had everything here to make a Norm of the North inspired snow globe. I love snow globes and like to keep a supply of items around the house to make them depending on the season, as well as give them to visiting guests. After getting all of my materials together, spray painting the lid of my jar, allowing drying time, and super glueing my own Norm into the lid, it wouldn’t fit on the jar! I tried every different way to put it together, but nothing worked. I finally opted on a “upside down” snow globe, sealing the lid shut carefully with glue so as not to have any leaks.

How to make a Norm of the North Snow Globe:

Materials:

  • 1 Norm (I used a small polar bear from Michaels)
  • 1 glass jar with lid
  • Waterproof Glue
  • Spray paint
  • Glitter
  • Glycerin (Glycerin helps the glitter float in the jar and leaves some of it suspended longer than just water. I use food grade from Wilton’s.)

Glue your polar bear into the lid of your jar. Allow time to dry. (If you’re using super glue, this is a really quick process.) A 1/2 tsp of glycerin to your jar and pour in glitter. (I like a LOT of glitter.) Add water, leaving enough room for Norm to displace water. (I made the rookie mistake of not leaving enough room and will be cleaning glitter up for days.) Place lid on and flip upside down.

I like using jam or jelly jars because they seal tight. If you’re worried your jar won’t seal tight, you can always add a layer of glue around the inside edge of the jar lid and then place it on the jar. Just give it plenty of time to dry before flipping upside down.

Norm of the North Snow Globe DIY

Two Ways to Win with Norm of the North!

There are two fun ways to win prizes before Norm opens in theaters.

Norm of the North Instagram Sweeps

Enter the #NormOfTheNorthSweeps Instagram Sweeps! Prizes include Norm of the North Swag Bags and a $500 gift card! Entering is fun and easy. All you have to do is take a photo of your Norm-inspired DIY craft or recipe and upload it to your Instagram profile with the tag #NormOfTheNorthSweeps and tag @NormOfTheNorthMovie. The promotion ends on January 13, 2015, so enter soon! Visit the official Norm of the North Sweepstakes page for complete details on how to enter. (Using Repost or adding the hashtag to the comment section of a previously shared Instagram image does not count as an entry in this Sweepstakes.)

Norm of the North Twitter Party

Follow the hashtag #NormOfTheNorthSweeps on Twitter Wednesday, January 13th, from 4-5pm PST (7-8pm EST). You’ll have a chance to win some great Norm-themed prizes. The RSVP page will be live soon, until then, mark your calendars and plan to be there!

Until then, check out the official Norm of the Norm website where you’ll find fun printables and downloads, a free Norm-themed game, computer wallpapers, and more.

Norm of the North on Pinterest

Check out this Norm of the North Pinterest board for a little Pinspiration of your own! Pin the images to your own crafty board, or make your own Norm of the North craft!

Norm of the North Snow Globe DIY

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Social Moms. I was compensated for my time to create a craft for Norm of the North and share it with readers. 

A Day Out with Grandma

by Leave a Comment

This weekend has been quite possibly the most laid back and relaxed one we’ve had in quite some time. Tank had to travel quite a bit the past weeks and with school starting, it just seems like we’ve not bean able to catch a breather. Today was about R&R and family.

We picked up my Grandmother and Aunt after church and took them to visit Asheville, NC, which is just a few miles from where I grew up, for Korean food and beer. What’s that you say? My Grandmother loves Korean food, having been introduced to it by us. This was my Aunt’s first time, and by the looks of things, it won’t be her last.

I know, I know, “Lisa, your husband IS Korean. Why is this the first time she’s had Korean food?” I can’t answer these questions, but I can say she was nibbling off everyone’s plates and killing the banchan (sides dishes of kimchi, radish, etc.) with rapid-fire movements of her chopsticks.

Afterwards, we headed to Highland Brewery to sample this years Clawhammer Oktoberfest. As always, this Mazen-style lager (toasty, rich, full-bodied) lived up to it’s name. They even had a 20th Anniversary American Saison which was, in a word, sublime. We enjoyed the much cooler weather sitting outside, watching puppies frolic while they trained their humans.

Finally, we meandered home down the old Tryon/Asheville Highway, taking curves much more carefully as my Grandmother, The Kid and Tank were all enjoying a siesta in the backseat of my old trusty sedan. It was amazing to see the changes of once popular tourist areas, still somewhat popular, but looking much more tired and disheveled than normal. After all, this area was the place to film movies at one time: Firestarter, Last of the Mohicans, and, everyone’s favorite, Dirty Dancing.

We told stories of floods past, reminisced over buildings washed away, chair-lifts long forgotten. As we passed the man-made Lake Lure, we discussed it’s nickname and the many reasons we wouldn’t swim in it. Finally, as we headed down Old No. 9 in Polk County to begin the final trek to their home, we discussed real estate development, secret, but not-so-secret, billionaire investments in the area, and changes desperately needed for the people who’ve lived a lifetime in these communities and their stubbornness/pride.

As I headed home, I knew it was a good day. Like Ice Cube “It was a good day” kind of day. I wasn’t stressed. Just happy I’d had the day with my family, even if I did find out my Grandmother loves Celebrity Life Swap and has been watching it for quite some time.

First day of school blues

by Leave a Comment

School starts tomorrow and I’ll be feeling lost. It’s been this way every single August since The Kid started school. After spending days with him, laughing, joking, adventuring, etc., I’ll be home alone. Just me, my thoughts, and work.

The quiet creeps in and it’s palpable. A type of loneliness hard to describe to others who’ve not been in your shoes. This year, it’s worse. He’s starting high school. I only have a few more summers with my partner in shenanigans. Quite frankly, I’m a mess.

As parents, our job is to raise this young people to go out into the world. It sucks. Sure, there are times, like when he’s experiencing the male form of PMS I’m ready for him to do his thing. But when you’re contemplating going back to the corporate world and he says “Mom, not yet. I’m not ready for you to go. Just a couple of more summers with me.” Well, you stay. And I’ve not regretted a single moment.

I’m very aware how privileged and lucky I am to have been able to stay with him. It’s been a true blessing and there were many sacrifices made for me to be able to do this. Sacrifices I’d make all over again.

All for my boy. This wonderful young man who has been my constant companion for 14 years. I’ll miss you when school starts, Buddy, but I’ll adjust. And, eventually, we’ll get into a whole new routine before sweet summer rolls around again.

Freedom Fighters, Arlington National Cemetery and Independence Day

by 4 Comments

We buried my father-in-law, Fred, Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery. He now shares something in common with great people who will be remembered throughout history, people like John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Medger Evers, and Charles Durning.

Today is Independence Day. The grand day all over the United States where we listen to John Philip Sousa, eat hamburgers and hot dogs, and then, after it turns dark, blow things up.

I’m not really celebrating today. Oh, I cooked for my family, watched the fireworks on TV, and shared some laughs. But my thoughts keep going back to graves and to the flag sitting in our house that was given to us on behalf of the President of the United States by a young man, dressed in blue woolen dress clothes, as he kneeled on one knee on a 90 degree day in July.

Ours was a simple ceremony by Arlington’s standards. We were led on the grounds in a procession to the funeral pavilion, with the lead car carrying Fred’s cremains. As we pulled up, there were soldiers waiting on us – all in these same dark woolens, shoes shined so much the sunlight bouncing off of them hurt your eyes. As two soldiers took Fred out of the car, carrying him to the pavilion, all were at attention, saluting this man I had loved and adored for nearly 17 years.

As we walked to our seats, out of the corner of my eye, a young man in green woolens, a lone bugler, between the columns, standing in salute, waiting for his moment to play the haunting sounds of Taps.

I don’t remember much what was said during the service, nor of the service itself — I remember the young men, dressed in their finest, unfolding the flag of the United States, heels clicking, with movements so precise it was as if I were seeing brain surgery. They stood, holding the flag to shadow Fred’s cremains — I can’t remember if there were eight or ten — honoring a man they’ve never met and just one of the 20 or so families in mourning they’d see that day. I remember jumping and losing my breath when the volley started — the soldiers who’d greeted us were shooting into the sky, giving Fred one last salute.

And then, the young boy, who couldn’t have been much older than 25, presenting my mother-in-law with a flag. Then we were asked by the Chaplain if any of us would like to carry Fred’s remains to his final resting spot.

This is what I do remember, clearly:

For as long as I live, I’ll never forget my husband saying “I’ll take him,” standing up, and with two hands, gently cradling the remains of his father, carrying them on the walk to his final placement. He held him like he held our newborn son. His shoulders stooped, his face masked in deep determination, love, and pain, as he made that walk. It wasn’t far, only a hundred or so steps. But each step behind him made me see him in a new light — one I’d never seen him in — and gave me insight I’m not even sure I had ever fathomed in this man I’ve been married to for nearly 15 years. He placed Fred is his vault as gently as you’d lay a sleeping newborn down — I still don’t have words for what I saw — I can only describe it to you now.

My mother told me afterwards, “You always want to be able to do one final thing for your parents. You’re biggest regret in life is if you’re not able to.” That’s what he did. Fred brought him lovingly home from the hospital, and Tony placed Fred lovingly in his final resting place here on this earth.

During the service, Chaplin Jenks told us (paraphrased) “The men and women buried here supported their country when it needed them most. We honor them by caring for them throughout eternity.” There he’ll lay, with Presidents, Civil Rights Leaders, Generals, Movie Stars, common men and women, all of them Freedom Fighters with one thing in common, that they served to honor and protect the flag of the United States.

Powered by