Last of May

Yesterday was May first and now we are at the end; actually it is June 1st.  No words!  Well, that’s not true I have a few:

• I’m reconsidering how I make my lists. I have “list distraction” so instead of writing things down before I need to do them I write it down after I have done them.  I love to cross things off.  Seems like I get more that way too.  Don’t ask, it just works sometimes.
• We had four great birthdays in May. 
• First this little guy turned three and he is ready to ride!
• The second great birthday was this extra special girl’s. She is our first and turned 10!
• The third birthday, was my Dad’s.  If still living on this earth he would have been 83 years old; not sure how heavenly years are counted. On May 17th I officially have lived longer on this earth than my dad did.  I think about that a lot.
• The fourth great birthday was this girl’s.  She is one amazing girl and is a year away from 8!    
• Our Memorial Day Saturday was wonderful.
• Didn’t know it at the time but a tender mercy was had on our travels that Saturday.  We had stopped on the way home to observe a herd of elk. (Stopping was the tender mercy) After we proceeded onward we were slowed by oncoming travelers alerting us to the fact that there had been a bad accident just ahead.  A motorcyclist had lost control of his bike throwing them into the guard rail; he and his female passenger (62 and 60) both died at the scene.  When we passed by the CHP hadn’t even arrived yet; thankfully fire personnel were there.  So grateful for those elk and that we stopped to stare at them while they stared at us.
• Saying good-bye isn’t always easy.  But good friends don’t say good-bye right?  They say, “see you later!”  Parting is such sweet sorrow.  Miss you “B”!!!
• We are on the hunt for the perfect, we will go back often, the only place we love to go camping spot.  It has to meet a couple of crucial requirements; dog friendly and not a million miles from home, oh and we don’t want to be camping on top of our neighbor.  That doesn’t seem hard.  We haven’t found it yet but I know we will; this is our year.
• A lot more on my mind what it will have to wait for a future post.
• Welcome to June world!!  Summer is upon us!!

On My Mind

• Sometimes if you want something done right YOU just have to do it;
• Sometimes being nice doesn’t work;
• Common sense is not all that common any more;
• Best quote of the day: “the first step to solving any problem is admitting you have one…come to thing of it, it’s the easiest!”  Jase (DD)
• I prefer to surround myself with people who think like me;
• I’m happy for longer days;
• I love the sun but it doesn’t always return the love;
• Our bed is getting made each morning, it is now a habit …. sort of;
• A walk off win is the best kind of win;
• Having another flood at work is very stinks;
• Receiving an email from one of my grans from her very own email address makes for a perfect day;
• I love lemons especially these kind (Meyer), I would love to have a tree full of them.

Remember if life gives you lemons make lemonade!

The Madness of March

Something happened to me in March.  I’m not sure what.  I can’t put my finger on it.  It could be a million things.  I know I’ve had a thousand posts in my head.  They have never made it close to paper.  But there have been a few things that I want to say:

• Two grans had birthday’s this month; love them!
• My happy Dottie girl turns four!!
• Although the world is not perfect; my world is for me!
• I’m blessed by work and despite what those who are retired say I’m happy to go there each day!
• We bought bicycles this month….although out of shape is a shape, I’d like to change my shape from out to in!!
• I’m not happy when I can’t open a jar or have a hard time getting a lid off a can; I have a thumb that is protesting….it needs to buck up!!!
• I found a post in February I’d started and never shared………the Madness of March strikes again!!!
• In February my mother would have been 80 earthly years; I still have questions for her.  I wish she had been able to stick around for them.
• I disappoint myself when I eat so fast sometimes that I don’t even know that I’m done; did ya taste it?  It makes me wonder where the fire is.
• Morning shakes of almond milk, spinach, bananas and kiwi have become the norm!
• Lastly I don’t regret growing old. It is a privilege denied to many………….

Memories

Well the month of love was way too short, there is so much more to share in the love department.  I guess that will have to be for another day.  I love how these months of "themes" have come together for me.  They keep my mind moving and clear out the cobwebs in the process.  And in the process of clearing those cobwebs many wonderful memories have been brought to the forefront.  Memories otherwise tucked away. So in March I will focus on memories.  Memories that have touched me. Memories that fascinate me. Memories of just whatever pops into my head.  So join me for a month of memories............let the madness begin.

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Voices in my head..............

There are just some things that are said.............that when they are said, by whom they are said become forever etched in my mind.  When I hear the word or phrase again all I see and hear in my mind is the person who said it.  They are phrases and words that take on a life of their own.  Case in point.

"Excuse me I have a question?"

That phrase belongs to DL2

She was asking for driving directions......so polite that girl!

or

"Calm your bad self!"

That phrase belongs to D2

She said this to my boss, college student that she was;

she knew how to make a lasting impression!

I love words and the people behind them!

The Draft

This is not a post or commentary about sports. Rather it is about my writing style. From the beginning of my time I have always started anything that had to do with writing on scratch paper; from a birthday card to a major school project, it didn't matter. No writing was too small for it to start as a draft. I can only surmise that this behavior stems from my desire to do good work; to have the end result perfect in my eyes. My children will attest to the fact that when they were in school and had a report to do I always told them to start with a draft and work the project from there. It only made sense to me………to do and re-do until you were satisfied with the results.  So today "do and re-do" goes something like this:

1. I get the idea (usually in the shower or on the road);
2. I put it on paper – that’s my first draft;
3. I call D1 and D2 with my idea;
4. They send me their draft;
5. Then we do and re-do;
6. At last perfection!

What would I do without D1 and D2?

Plague

Why oh why do I avoid this like the plague?

Everyday I think about it...

Every Morning....

Each and every Afternoon...

And all over again at Night...

But still I continue to avoid it.........like the plague!

My Plague

Losing It

So what's up with the word lost.  Generally speaking when we lose something, we are hoping to get it back.

• I lost your phone number.........could you give it to me again;
• I lost my keys..........I need those, I'll be looking hard to find them;
• I lost my mind........well maybe I want to find it and maybe I don't;
• My luggage, my luggage I lost my luggage......well I didn't actually lose it......but it was lost nonetheless.

All of the above worthy of finding; it is stuff I want back.  Now there is one more lost "item" I will never understand.

• I lost 10 pounds........now why do you want that back?

How does the word "lost" work in this instance? If you've lost 10 pounds why, oh why do you want it back.  If you are going to the trouble of losing it, surely you don't want it back.  Maybe that is why it is so hard for me to lose 10 pounds.  So I'm trying a new approach.  I'm dumping "lost" and replacing it with "rid!"  I need to get "rid" of 10 pounds.  Much better.........I think now maybe I'm on the right track.

Dear Diary

If I kept a daily diary this is what the last week would look like:

Tuesday: Received word that Sadie and Birdie were sick and spending the night at the vet to determine the problem;
Wednesday: Sadie dies from ingesting poison; Birdie is touch and go;
Thursday: After a blood transfusion, Birdie is back on the mend and can come home;
Thursday: Learn a friend's father has passed away;
Friday: Nothing thankfully to report;
Saturday: Receive the disappointing news that the family get together with Mr. Man's family would not be happening at our home due to a series of unfortunate events;
Sunday Morning: Woke up to a sick dog; it's Lola this time. Take a trip to the vet for an emergency visit. Vet doesn't know what is wrong with her;
Sunday Afternoon: Went to church and experienced an invisible moment;
Monday Morning: Lola still is not better; not worse but not better; need to take her to an eye specialist;
Monday Afternoon: Learned that a man I use to work with had passed away; he was just weeks away from this 43rd birthday;
Monday Night: Having trouble going to bed...........

Half a Brain

I've known for a long time that I only had half a brain.  I think I started losing it when I had teenagers.  I remember numerous times when they would say, "mom, I told you yesterday I was doing this, that or the other thing."  I use to respond, "I was not ready to receive that information."  They would laugh at me and I would laugh at myself and life would go on.  Half a brain worked at the time.  Fast forward to today and I've discovered where the only half of my brain went. D-1 and D-2 each have a fourth each.  It works perfectly for me.  If I need something..........advice, an opinion about something, you name it, or if I've forgotten something I can just call them and they willingly fill the void.  It is great to have my brain back, especially now that I don't have to think 100% of the time!

The Chronicles of Pandora

As I mentioned earlier, Pandora arrived the week between Christmas and New Year.  It was not an unexpected visit or unwelcome visit (well maybe a little) although I must admit at times she does overwhelm me.  I hadn't expected her to stay so long but now that she is here we are coming to terms with each other.  I've learned that I can't fight her because if I do she will just open another box.  So if you can't beat them join them, that's what I say.  I've discovered too that her way may not be so bad after all.  She really does want to help me. I've found that if I'm patient with her she in turn is patient with me.  Along the way I found this great website that is helping me get better organized as well. 

She really isn't so bad.........I believe I will ask that my next granddaughter be named after her!

My Crazy Mind

One of the things I’m responsible for at work is obtaining the plans and specs. for upcoming jobs. This responsibility requires me to always be working days and weeks and sometimes months ahead of the actual date on the calendar. I have to get these plans and specs in as early as I possibly can to give the estimators enough time to properly bid them. Because of this I’m always looking ahead and working beyond today; it just puts time in a different prospective for me. Today is only October 14th but I’m basically done with October and already looking for and obtaining plans for November. If someone were to ask me what is happening today or tomorrow I usually don’t have a clue because those days happened weeks before in my mind. Thank goodness for my Outlook reminders.

One thing for sure it does tend to shorten the distance between point “A” and “B” for me. For example, on the actually calendar it is 6 weeks until Thanksgiving. I'm currently working on projects that are just a week or two before Thanksgiving and on one project that is after Thanksgiving! Yikes, that means Christmas is knocking on my door; can’t think about that today.

Another way I judge time is by the expiration date on milk. It goes like this. If I went to the store today and bought a gallon of milk and let’s say the expiration date is October 26th that tells me that when the milk is gone, which with only one milk drinker basically it will last until the expiration date, there will only be five days until Halloween. So in my mind it means I have 5 days to get the candy! I know crazy but that’s just how my mind works.

My Waking Thought

So the moment I woke up this morning the very first thought that came to me was “hot water.” I love hot water and I love even more standing in it. And now that we have a tankless water heater I am able to stand in it even longer. Actually, I could stand it in forever if I wanted to since it never runs out; not sure if that is a good thing or not! Now that the weather is moving toward the cooler side I tend to linger even longer; hard to step out into the cool morning air at least that is my winter excuse. While standing in it I do my morning thinking. It washes off my yesterday and prepares me for today. There is just something about stepping out of the shower each morning with a new resolve to make today a better day than the day before. To be more organized, to be more prepared, to be more thoughtful, to be more better!! And all thanks to “hot water!” It just does things for me and for that I’m grateful.

White or Red?

In July we were in Utah for a nanosecond; that equates to about 12 hours of awake time with the Grands! During that time I had the opportunity to tuck Crazy 2 and Crazy 3 into bed. They have in their room one of those "white noise" machines; you know like the sounds of a babbling brook or ocean waves crashing into the shore! After leaving their room I remember commenting......"I can't sleep with noise, I need quiet!" Well, after returning home one night I awoke to very, very heavy breathing, it wasn't quite snoring but it was loud enough to wake me up! Normally I would say to Mr. Man (the offender) STOP breathing and give him a hearty nudge. Not that I really want him to actually stop breathing but that's just our "little system," well actually it is my "little system!" But this night I opted to get up and go to another room inasmuch as Mr. Man had not been feeling well I hated to interrupt what seemed like some much needed deep sleep. The next morning Mr. Man found me and was apologetic for his "loudness!" It was then that I realized I prefer red over white............noise that is!!

Paint

We are in the process of doing some major painting inside the house. Most of which is in the addition but since the paint was out and we had “painter helpers” (Jim, Shawneese, Justin & Ashley) we decided to paint the hall as well. This meant clearing out the hall of pictures, corner tables, etc. Since there is little place for these kinds of items to go (what with Teigen Man crawling about, ruining my prediction that he would be walking by now) it was determined the best empty space was our bedroom. This has made maneuvering around our room interesting at best; if not down right dangerous at times. The first morning in the dark was like bumper cars since we get up before the dawn. We couldn’t see our way just feel our way around things. You are probably thinking just turn on the light; but at that hour the light is equally as blinding. Anyway, this morning when I got up which was day five of the bedroom invasion I was able to weave my way though without a bump. It hit me as I was weaving through the maze that life is that way too. There are always obstacles. Do we learn from them, do we constantly bump into them resisting them thinking our way is better, or do we accept them as lessons and learn from them and move on. Today I learned that there can always be light even in the darkness. I learned that even with obstacles in my life I can work with them to overcome them for I know on Saturday these current obstacles will be put back in their proper space and all will be right with the world and the next time I get up before dawn’s early light I won’t have to fear an obstacle in my way.

The Little Things......

I received this in an email on Monday. It is a perfect explanation of how I feel about life's little twists and turns. I'm reminded of it each morning when we are running a little behind or I have to run in the house for something or I can't find something or the hot water doesn't want to be hot or just about anything that happens I know it is for a reason.

This is the email and I couldn't say any better:

• As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.
• Another fellow was alive because it was His turn to bring donuts.
• One woman was late because her Alarm clock didn't go off in time.
• One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike Because of an auto accident.
• One of them Missed his bus.
• One spilled food on her clothes and had to takeTime to change.
• One's Car wouldn't start.
• One couldn't Get a taxi.
• The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work, but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone ... All the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong; the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; it may be just that God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things. And may you remember their possible purpose.

Something from the Past

So, I was looking for some pictures on my computer this afternoon and came across this email conversation I had with Kimberly. Unfortunately, this is only my response to a question or comment she surely must of had regarding food, sleep and children. It went like this:

To: 'Kimberly Easterling'
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 9:30 AM
Subject: RE: So........

it begins slowly a little hunger, a little tired then it gradually you are able to get by with very little sleep and very little food because there is no time to sleep and your children are eating all your food (except for your mushrooms of course). They are waking you at all times of the day and night but that doesn't matter anymore because your body has been deprived of sleep for so long you wouldn't know what a good nights rest means anyway until.........well I'm not sure when because by the time you can sleep through the night because your children are gone your body has leaped into the next phrase of life where it can't seem to make it through the night without getting up to use the bathroom..............so my dear the moral of the story is enjoy the food while you can get it and grab a nap anywhere you can take it...............la la

To this she responded:
that is a most excellent monologue, we should save this for future use....and I will absolutely take your advice........at least I saved you something (ie the mushrooms) and something as you know is better than nothing!
kae

Words

So, there are certain words that I love, words like:
Hope - It Floats!
Can - It Does!
Faith - It Looks Up!
Work - I'm blessed with it and by it!
Obedience - Once I asked the kids for this for Christmas......they gave it to me in the form of wooden blocks!! I loved it and them for giving it to me.
Attitude - If you put a numeric value to each letter, i.e., a=1, t=60 and add them all up you get 100!

And there are certain words I don't have the love for, words like:
Can't - It never will!
Swears - Surely you are smarter than those four-letter words!
Diet - It makes me want to eat more!
Exercise - I can't avoid it if I want to live to 100 and I do!!

Excuse me now it is time to exercise a good attitude and get on the treadmill!!

Why I love the blog..........

I know I have said this before but I will say it again.........I love the blog, I love the internet, I love the computer. And the reason I love it is even though I'm too many miles away I still feel like I'm across the street when I am able to read about your days and see fun pictures. I love the thoughts you share and the recipes you find for me. I love this thing called technology and I don't for the life me understand how anyone would not want to take advantage of it too. Thank you all for sharing it truly does make the miles seem less.........now if we could just figure out a way to have Sunday dinner together a little more often, then I would be in heaven.

Attitude

Attitude..........."The difference between ordeal and adventure." So my old laptop died in a manner of speaking. It seems to work fine for the guy trying to repair it, he tells us he used it all the time (should of charged him rent) but once it is back home it's a blue screen baby every time. Obviously it has an attitude, a bad one. So I ordered a new one, it arrived on Friday and I was very excited to fire it up and see if I could hook it up to the Internet at work so Val could use it there. Since he has no office to go to it makes it hard at times to get his computer work done. Well, I'm happy to report it worked like a charm. So the next challenge was seeing if I could gain remote access to my computer at work from home. Since the new computer as "Vista" I was warned it wouldn't work. See when I hear things like that I think will it be an adventure or an ordeal. In my mind I just for the life of me couldn't see how it wouldn't work. It had to work I reasoned, it is a new computer after all -- why wouldn't work? Don't tell me no it won't work, it just must..........and it does!! I was prepared for the challenge but there was none; no adventure no ordeal!