Why is it that as soon as you sweep the last little bit of the dirt into the dustpan and dump it in the trash you simultaneously kick the cat bowl and water dish and have a wet, cluttered mush all over the floor?
...as soon as all the underwear are folded and stacked on the table, the last pair of underwear tip the scales and the whole stack tumbles over and unfolds?
...the short trip from sugar bowl to coffee cup ends with the sugar on the floor below.
...the cups on the top shelf of the dishwasher are filled with water when all the other dishes are dry and topple over spilling into the utensils and dishes below as you pull the rack out?
....the bottom sheet pulls loose but the sheets above it are still in place?
But all is well and if the house is not perfect when all the little grandbabies come running in...who will even notice?
Showing posts with label Thats Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thats Life. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Living by the Old Tme
What a challenge it has been this week to get the time right.
All this week my internal alarm clock has been waking me up at 4:00 AM because it is the old 5:00 AM. I toodle to the TV downstairs to catch an old movie, put on the coffee, take my morning pills and settle down to the movie until time to go to school. .
Today my internal alarm clock got me up at 5:00 AM which is right for me even though it is Saturday, I toodle downstairs, turn on an old movie, put the coffee on, take my morning pills and settle in to my old movie.
Lee wanders in....awfully early for him....five o'clock.
He thinks it is six o'clock and that is good for him because he thinks it is the old seven o'clock.
Who's on first?
All this week my internal alarm clock has been waking me up at 4:00 AM because it is the old 5:00 AM. I toodle to the TV downstairs to catch an old movie, put on the coffee, take my morning pills and settle down to the movie until time to go to school. .
Today my internal alarm clock got me up at 5:00 AM which is right for me even though it is Saturday, I toodle downstairs, turn on an old movie, put the coffee on, take my morning pills and settle in to my old movie.
Lee wanders in....awfully early for him....five o'clock.
He thinks it is six o'clock and that is good for him because he thinks it is the old seven o'clock.
Who's on first?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Math of Love
Still waiting!
Poor Lisa!
Makes you just hurt for her!
If things do not happen before next Wednesday she will be admitted and induced on the 11th.
It is my prayer that things happen sooner than that for Lisa's sake.
Nine months is long enough to be pregnant for anybody with a three year old (4 in February) and a 20 month old at home with a husband who is out of town on business for days at a time. Poor baby! She is trying not to be grumpy but it is just so hard!
When I went into labor with my first I was eating out with a friend who had a five month old baby. I fed the baby all the way to the hospital. It was either I drive or I feed. I chose feed. Our two babies were friends for life, competed for grades all through their years in Pleasanton, graduated the top two in their class, roomed together at college and continue to keep up with each other even now.
By the way, the meal was Mexican food and I never got to finish the meal.
The second one came a week early and when I got to the hospital they gave me a sleeping pill and all labor stopped. Hours later it started again and he was born in two hours.
The doctor decided to induce the last two I had. He did not think I would make it to the hospital.
The next one was born during my mother's father's funeral. I missed the funeral. It was a happy/sad occasion.
By the time I had the last one I had it down pretty pat! Everything went as scheduled!
What a blessing all the babies have been in my life. I would not want to give any one of them up, mine, their spouses and the grandbabies.
Someone once told me she did not want to have any more children after her one child because she did not think she could ever love another child as much.
How sorry I feel for her. She did not understand the math of love!
You don't divide, you multiply!
So if you please, say a prayer for Lisa and the baby.
Poor Lisa!
Makes you just hurt for her!
If things do not happen before next Wednesday she will be admitted and induced on the 11th.
It is my prayer that things happen sooner than that for Lisa's sake.
Nine months is long enough to be pregnant for anybody with a three year old (4 in February) and a 20 month old at home with a husband who is out of town on business for days at a time. Poor baby! She is trying not to be grumpy but it is just so hard!
When I went into labor with my first I was eating out with a friend who had a five month old baby. I fed the baby all the way to the hospital. It was either I drive or I feed. I chose feed. Our two babies were friends for life, competed for grades all through their years in Pleasanton, graduated the top two in their class, roomed together at college and continue to keep up with each other even now.
By the way, the meal was Mexican food and I never got to finish the meal.
The second one came a week early and when I got to the hospital they gave me a sleeping pill and all labor stopped. Hours later it started again and he was born in two hours.
The doctor decided to induce the last two I had. He did not think I would make it to the hospital.
The next one was born during my mother's father's funeral. I missed the funeral. It was a happy/sad occasion.
By the time I had the last one I had it down pretty pat! Everything went as scheduled!
What a blessing all the babies have been in my life. I would not want to give any one of them up, mine, their spouses and the grandbabies.
Someone once told me she did not want to have any more children after her one child because she did not think she could ever love another child as much.
How sorry I feel for her. She did not understand the math of love!
You don't divide, you multiply!
So if you please, say a prayer for Lisa and the baby.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Driven by the list
Why is it that when I had four kids at home I had a clean, well-organized house and today a job and a wedding eat my lunch?
What drove me when I was young? Not mentioning the difference in the years, the stamina, and well, you know, the weight!
Oh, I remember! I was driven by the list…you know the daily list….the all-the things-to-do-for-the-day-before-I-can-play list. I had the house clean by 10:00 am every day, unless of course, it was the strip-the-old-wax-from-the-floor day and that was an all day job. I remember taking pride in the appearance of my house.
Now I think it is important to play first, clean later.
So, today…now that the wedding is over, a week with one grandchild is over, a weekend at the Guadalupe and now the start of a second week with another grandchild…I am about ready for…
the list….
…Make the beds upstairs,
…clean all the bathrooms,
…clean the living area,
…clean the kitchen,
…clean out the refrigerator,
…clean the pass through space, (that is a clutter space)
…download all pics & load on external hard drive and
…blog
I was done except for the blogging by 1:30 which is swim time for the boys and I had even ventured from the list to include some extras. I scrubbed down the shower, and the bathtub, cleaned the “wedding room” and organized wedding things, boxing things up and putting things away for storage, made several business calls, paid bills, cleaned the play areas from last week, putting away the extra bedding, etc. and decorated as I cleaned and fixed lunch for six of us.
What was the difference today?
The list…I was driven by the list!
I wonder what I should put on tomorrow's list.
Maybe, I will post some pictures of my playtimes.
What drove me when I was young? Not mentioning the difference in the years, the stamina, and well, you know, the weight!
Oh, I remember! I was driven by the list…you know the daily list….the all-the things-to-do-for-the-day-before-I-can-play list. I had the house clean by 10:00 am every day, unless of course, it was the strip-the-old-wax-from-the-floor day and that was an all day job. I remember taking pride in the appearance of my house.
Now I think it is important to play first, clean later.
So, today…now that the wedding is over, a week with one grandchild is over, a weekend at the Guadalupe and now the start of a second week with another grandchild…I am about ready for…
the list….
…Make the beds upstairs,
…clean all the bathrooms,
…clean the living area,
…clean the kitchen,
…clean out the refrigerator,
…clean the pass through space, (that is a clutter space)
…download all pics & load on external hard drive and
…blog
I was done except for the blogging by 1:30 which is swim time for the boys and I had even ventured from the list to include some extras. I scrubbed down the shower, and the bathtub, cleaned the “wedding room” and organized wedding things, boxing things up and putting things away for storage, made several business calls, paid bills, cleaned the play areas from last week, putting away the extra bedding, etc. and decorated as I cleaned and fixed lunch for six of us.
What was the difference today?
The list…I was driven by the list!
I wonder what I should put on tomorrow's list.
Maybe, I will post some pictures of my playtimes.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New Chick in my Brood
Our lives have evolved and now, we are back where we started, just the two of us,
but now we have many, many more people involved in our lives who love us and lean on us from time to time.
Empty nesters?!
Technically, that would be the term but when our friends proclaimed us empty nesters Sunday morning I was surprised. I had not even thought that my nest was empty. And technically, I still had family visiting and the house was full. The last to marry of course, was not present with us but we just added a new chick to our brood.
Instead of feeling empty, I felt full,
full of love for family and friends,
full of excitement over the future,
full of possibilities of the things unexplored....not empty.....just full.
We have been so blessed.
I am sure in weeks to come when 6:30 rolls around and it is time for supper and none of my little chicks come home, or I walk down the hallway through foreign looking bedrooms neatly decorated for guests, no dirt encrusted socks wadded inside out on the floor, nor toys scattered underfoot or books or magazines thrown around, no wet footprints between the bathroom to the bedroom; it will begin to dawn on me that this is again a new phase in my life.
I am sure then the silence will scream at me one day soon but not today.
There is much too much to do still.
Pictures will be posted later.
Trust me, it was good.
but now we have many, many more people involved in our lives who love us and lean on us from time to time.
Empty nesters?!
Technically, that would be the term but when our friends proclaimed us empty nesters Sunday morning I was surprised. I had not even thought that my nest was empty. And technically, I still had family visiting and the house was full. The last to marry of course, was not present with us but we just added a new chick to our brood.
Instead of feeling empty, I felt full,
full of love for family and friends,
full of excitement over the future,
full of possibilities of the things unexplored....not empty.....just full.
We have been so blessed.
I am sure in weeks to come when 6:30 rolls around and it is time for supper and none of my little chicks come home, or I walk down the hallway through foreign looking bedrooms neatly decorated for guests, no dirt encrusted socks wadded inside out on the floor, nor toys scattered underfoot or books or magazines thrown around, no wet footprints between the bathroom to the bedroom; it will begin to dawn on me that this is again a new phase in my life.
I am sure then the silence will scream at me one day soon but not today.
There is much too much to do still.
Pictures will be posted later.
Trust me, it was good.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Spring Cleaning
Okay, Jackie and Gaby, this is for you...It has been a very long time since I blogged. I see it was almost a month ago. What a long time. I have been busy, I guess.
Spring has certainly arrived! I hear that while we are basking in the sun here is south Texas in Athens, Georgia where my nephew lives he had six inches of snow just recently. I can not remember when it was really cold here this year. What a mild winter we had. I guess that is one reason I love Texas. Lately it has been too cool at night to turn on the air conditioner but too warm to turn on the heater so the windows are open.
My huge cat (baby), Einstein loves to sleep on the bed next to me but he also, likes to have the freedom to decide where and when he comes and goes. I let him. I never allowed my children as much freedom as this cat seems to have. You have heard the saying "dogs have owners, cats have staff". I think it applies here.
At night he wants out and stands by the back door and rushes out at the first opportunity. He'll be out there for a little while and then he will come scratching on the window to let him in upstairs.
Usually, I am sleeping when he scratches the window.
The sound wakes me,
I get up,
walk in the dark to the door,
open the sliding glass door,
Einstein sniffs around the door as if trying to sniff out danger,
if he decides it is all clear he then slowly enters,
I slide the door closed,
I go climb back in bed fall asleep again.
This has been a routine now for a long time. In fact, Einstein has scratched a hole in the screen. First it was just a small tear in the screening and then I noticed it was about the size of a quarter or larger.
The warmth of the night invites sleeping with the windows open. The air conditioner was on downstairs and the windows open upstairs so the door between the floors was closed. Einstein came up with me while I prepared to go to bed. He curled up in his usual spot next to me and fell asleep . The next morning as I was getting ready for school I wondered where the big cat was. He could not have gotten out himself with the door closed and I did not remember getting up during the night to let him out. My mind focused on preparing for school, I just did not worry over him.
Last night Einstein rushed outside before I went to bed. I knew he would come scratching on the window upstairs soon so went on to bed. It did not take me but a few minutes before I was sound asleep. Suddenly an unfamiliar noise woke me. The sound came from outside....or was it inside? It was close and to my right side near the window, a strange ripping scratchy sound. Jumping straight up in bed and looking toward the sound I was startled to see a huge cat entering the house through the giant hole in the screen. It looked like the lion in the opening credits on those old black and white Tarzan movies.
Spring cleaning will include replacing some screens this year, I guess.
Spring has certainly arrived! I hear that while we are basking in the sun here is south Texas in Athens, Georgia where my nephew lives he had six inches of snow just recently. I can not remember when it was really cold here this year. What a mild winter we had. I guess that is one reason I love Texas. Lately it has been too cool at night to turn on the air conditioner but too warm to turn on the heater so the windows are open.
My huge cat (baby), Einstein loves to sleep on the bed next to me but he also, likes to have the freedom to decide where and when he comes and goes. I let him. I never allowed my children as much freedom as this cat seems to have. You have heard the saying "dogs have owners, cats have staff". I think it applies here.
At night he wants out and stands by the back door and rushes out at the first opportunity. He'll be out there for a little while and then he will come scratching on the window to let him in upstairs.
Usually, I am sleeping when he scratches the window.
The sound wakes me,
I get up,
walk in the dark to the door,
open the sliding glass door,
Einstein sniffs around the door as if trying to sniff out danger,
if he decides it is all clear he then slowly enters,
I slide the door closed,
I go climb back in bed fall asleep again.
This has been a routine now for a long time. In fact, Einstein has scratched a hole in the screen. First it was just a small tear in the screening and then I noticed it was about the size of a quarter or larger.
The warmth of the night invites sleeping with the windows open. The air conditioner was on downstairs and the windows open upstairs so the door between the floors was closed. Einstein came up with me while I prepared to go to bed. He curled up in his usual spot next to me and fell asleep . The next morning as I was getting ready for school I wondered where the big cat was. He could not have gotten out himself with the door closed and I did not remember getting up during the night to let him out. My mind focused on preparing for school, I just did not worry over him.
Last night Einstein rushed outside before I went to bed. I knew he would come scratching on the window upstairs soon so went on to bed. It did not take me but a few minutes before I was sound asleep. Suddenly an unfamiliar noise woke me. The sound came from outside....or was it inside? It was close and to my right side near the window, a strange ripping scratchy sound. Jumping straight up in bed and looking toward the sound I was startled to see a huge cat entering the house through the giant hole in the screen. It looked like the lion in the opening credits on those old black and white Tarzan movies.
Spring cleaning will include replacing some screens this year, I guess.
Friday, January 30, 2009
When...
Another week down. I look forward to each weekend with great expectation but I fear I am wishing my life away when I should be enjoying each day for its special blessings.
As a young girl I used to think "when I am a teenager I will be grown and then my life will begin".
Then as a teenager I thought "when I get married then I will really be an adult and my life will be perfect".
The years rolled by and I married and became a young wife and I thought "when I have children then my life will be complete".
Then as a wife and young mother I thought "when I can have a house of my own with enough room for my children to run and play and have their own space then my life will be easier and I will be content".
Then as a home owner, wife and mother I thought "when the children are grown and married I will have my life back again and have time to do all the things I have put off doing".
Then my children grew, married and I had everything I could ever dream of including a job with responsibilities and then I thought "Saturday will be wonderful. I can clean out my crowded closets, wash my many clothes, organize my over crowded pantry and start a new painting, watch an old movie on TCM and read that book I have so little time to read, visit with my children, grandchildren and family and find time to go shop for groceries."
And it was not so....
but it is good.
As a young girl I used to think "when I am a teenager I will be grown and then my life will begin".
Then as a teenager I thought "when I get married then I will really be an adult and my life will be perfect".
The years rolled by and I married and became a young wife and I thought "when I have children then my life will be complete".
Then as a wife and young mother I thought "when I can have a house of my own with enough room for my children to run and play and have their own space then my life will be easier and I will be content".
Then as a home owner, wife and mother I thought "when the children are grown and married I will have my life back again and have time to do all the things I have put off doing".
Then my children grew, married and I had everything I could ever dream of including a job with responsibilities and then I thought "Saturday will be wonderful. I can clean out my crowded closets, wash my many clothes, organize my over crowded pantry and start a new painting, watch an old movie on TCM and read that book I have so little time to read, visit with my children, grandchildren and family and find time to go shop for groceries."
And it was not so....
but it is good.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Best Pay
I sit here this morning in the beginning of a new week and wonder where all my time is going this year. Here it already a week into October.
Thanks to my job I have been one busy woman this year and I am thinking they do not pay me enough! Every week I put in at least ten hours extra doing extracurricular activities for the school because I am a junior class sponsor and that is after hours.... work trips to SA, staying to work football games in the concession stand at both junior high as well as high school and whatever else they find for us to do....and as I stated this is only the beginning of October....I help organize prom this year.
I enjoy each class individually.
I enjoy the students individually.
I enjoy the socialization of my fellow co-workers.
But it just waste-es all that good time!
I am a morning person. If I want to get something done I need to get it done in the morning. As a young mother I used to have my house clean by 10:00 in the morning and then I was ready to sit down at my sewing machine to be creative and sew my childrens' clothes or work in the yard.
Oh, work in the yard......(oh, I remember getting to get out in the mornings!) I had a day ahead of me. And I probably slept in until 6:30 or 7:00 in those days.
Now it is up at 5:15, take a shower, fix my face and hair, go downstairs and fix breakfast and off to school...oh, and had a couple of cups of coffee, removed the dishes from the dishwasher, sorted through dirty clothes, put in a couple of loads of clothes to wash, and found my school id. By 10:00 AM I have done my morning duty and am into my second class of the day almost into the third class, helped about forty of my students be creative and submitted all of the paperwork for the morning classes. Not bad for a morning but I still will see at least another 100 kids before the day is over, make at least 500 decisions, provide healthy choices for those disruptive students and guide them all down the road to creative thinking....before 3:45.
When I was a young mother I longed to have a paying job. I thought that would make me more of a valuable person. Now I long for the peace of staying at home with my family and touching those I love the most.
The pay is better.
Thanks to my job I have been one busy woman this year and I am thinking they do not pay me enough! Every week I put in at least ten hours extra doing extracurricular activities for the school because I am a junior class sponsor and that is after hours.... work trips to SA, staying to work football games in the concession stand at both junior high as well as high school and whatever else they find for us to do....and as I stated this is only the beginning of October....I help organize prom this year.
I enjoy each class individually.
I enjoy the students individually.
I enjoy the socialization of my fellow co-workers.
But it just waste-es all that good time!
I am a morning person. If I want to get something done I need to get it done in the morning. As a young mother I used to have my house clean by 10:00 in the morning and then I was ready to sit down at my sewing machine to be creative and sew my childrens' clothes or work in the yard.
Oh, work in the yard......(oh, I remember getting to get out in the mornings!) I had a day ahead of me. And I probably slept in until 6:30 or 7:00 in those days.
Now it is up at 5:15, take a shower, fix my face and hair, go downstairs and fix breakfast and off to school...oh, and had a couple of cups of coffee, removed the dishes from the dishwasher, sorted through dirty clothes, put in a couple of loads of clothes to wash, and found my school id. By 10:00 AM I have done my morning duty and am into my second class of the day almost into the third class, helped about forty of my students be creative and submitted all of the paperwork for the morning classes. Not bad for a morning but I still will see at least another 100 kids before the day is over, make at least 500 decisions, provide healthy choices for those disruptive students and guide them all down the road to creative thinking....before 3:45.
When I was a young mother I longed to have a paying job. I thought that would make me more of a valuable person. Now I long for the peace of staying at home with my family and touching those I love the most.
The pay is better.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Truthfully....
After watching a movie several months ago, I wrote a blog called Of Wars and Loves (Jan) or something. Basically I was saying that we can change a damaged relationship by our actions. Once we begin treating people kindly, in time they will respond to your kindness with a kindness and the relationship is on the road to recovery.
The whole truth is that this is one of the hardest things to do to act kindly to one you think deserves it so little....the heathen!
Remember those perpetual motion things that were on every businessman's desk in the 70's? They would just sit there and look stupid until someone reached out and pulled the ball back and began the object moving toward the other balls and then it kept up the motion until it drove you crazy and you finally grabbed it and made it stop.
Basically I am saying we must be the first ball that puts the movement in motion. THAT is the hardest step and then the others becomes easier with each step but what a difficult first step it is to make.
I find when I am hurt I want to withdraw and
lick my wounds for awhile before dealing with them.
I want to sulk awhile.
Stew in my juices.
Maybe, if I slam that door one more time....or frown a little more vigorously....
You know.....I want to own my feelings for awhile. They are mine and I deserve to feel hurt!
or angry!
Okay, I can do it! I can be the ball that starts the motion....as long as I don't have to massage any body's feet or anything.....
Just give me a little time to get used to the idea.
The whole truth is that this is one of the hardest things to do to act kindly to one you think deserves it so little....the heathen!
Remember those perpetual motion things that were on every businessman's desk in the 70's? They would just sit there and look stupid until someone reached out and pulled the ball back and began the object moving toward the other balls and then it kept up the motion until it drove you crazy and you finally grabbed it and made it stop.
Basically I am saying we must be the first ball that puts the movement in motion. THAT is the hardest step and then the others becomes easier with each step but what a difficult first step it is to make.
I find when I am hurt I want to withdraw and
lick my wounds for awhile before dealing with them.
I want to sulk awhile.
Stew in my juices.
Maybe, if I slam that door one more time....or frown a little more vigorously....
You know.....I want to own my feelings for awhile. They are mine and I deserve to feel hurt!
or angry!
Okay, I can do it! I can be the ball that starts the motion....as long as I don't have to massage any body's feet or anything.....
Just give me a little time to get used to the idea.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Change
On my way home today as I turned on the road just a mile and a half from the house I looked at the beautiful newly cleared field situated on the corner of my road. Just a short month ago, it was a brushy corner that no one even thought about. With all the brush it was difficult to see more than just a few feet from the barbed wire fence surrounding the field. As soon as the big equipment was moved into the field and the clearing of the land began the speculating and worrying began.
Some worried that the land would be subdivided and small plots of ground would be sold off one at a time and a little community of mobile homes would pop up just a mile from the house. In a farming community this is the kiss of death. Roads will wind from one end of the field to the other and wind in and out of individual plots of land. Everyone was asking what was happening but no one seemed to know what was going to happen. I guess time will tell.
Now the freshly plowed field sparkles like black gold across the gently rolling hills with small trees newly covered with tender leaves. The big equipment is gone. The field has been neatly plowed and grass seeds are waiting on the rains. The barbed wire fence is gone on one long side. A small pond in the middle of the field now visible, has been hidden in the midst of the brush all these years. It has dried up but it has been left intact and small blades of grass grow along the banks of the pond.
It is a beautiful field.
As I drove past the field and looked at it today both the beauty of the field and the fear of the unknown struck me. I realized the fear of change that I thought I was so immune to. I thought I welcomed change. Being an artist I always thought change is fun. My students know that in my classroom if the furniture is not nailed down it is subject to rearrangement. From day to day the configuration of the room changed. I think that is one thing I love about my gardening. I can change the look of the yard with just a few little changes (or big ones). I thought old people feared change but not me. I welcomed it. Change means something new happening. And new is fun......but maybe not always.
Maybe today it just has struck me a little harder because of the changes taking place in my work place that are not changes I perceive as good changes.
I guess I still have choices in my life.
I can choose to accept it
or
I can choose to move on and find something different.
Some worried that the land would be subdivided and small plots of ground would be sold off one at a time and a little community of mobile homes would pop up just a mile from the house. In a farming community this is the kiss of death. Roads will wind from one end of the field to the other and wind in and out of individual plots of land. Everyone was asking what was happening but no one seemed to know what was going to happen. I guess time will tell.
Now the freshly plowed field sparkles like black gold across the gently rolling hills with small trees newly covered with tender leaves. The big equipment is gone. The field has been neatly plowed and grass seeds are waiting on the rains. The barbed wire fence is gone on one long side. A small pond in the middle of the field now visible, has been hidden in the midst of the brush all these years. It has dried up but it has been left intact and small blades of grass grow along the banks of the pond.
It is a beautiful field.
As I drove past the field and looked at it today both the beauty of the field and the fear of the unknown struck me. I realized the fear of change that I thought I was so immune to. I thought I welcomed change. Being an artist I always thought change is fun. My students know that in my classroom if the furniture is not nailed down it is subject to rearrangement. From day to day the configuration of the room changed. I think that is one thing I love about my gardening. I can change the look of the yard with just a few little changes (or big ones). I thought old people feared change but not me. I welcomed it. Change means something new happening. And new is fun......but maybe not always.
Maybe today it just has struck me a little harder because of the changes taking place in my work place that are not changes I perceive as good changes.
I guess I still have choices in my life.
I can choose to accept it
or
I can choose to move on and find something different.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
An Old Woman's Spring Fever
I think I have spring fever.....
Everything is greening up so nicely and the flowers are putting on blooms, some already blooming.
My mind begins to get creative.....pathways, dry creek beds, and sprawling flower beds meandering all over the place would be nice.
Put a shovel in my hands and I start digging.
Just enough space to plant a few gourd seeds under the windmill so they will vine upward and the gourds will hang downward and be beautiful.
And Zinnias are good with the gourds because they attract the beneficial insects to eat the aphids that get on the gourds. Dig a little larger area.
I really like pink zinnias. Just a bit more digging.
And caladiums....more digging toward the west.
And maybe something to edge the beds.....digging toward the south.
And then in the dappled shade side of the windmill....maybe a hydrangea......now moving eastward.
Oh, and now the lawn mower will not fit between the tree and the windmill because it will mow over the caladiums.....now stretching toward the tree.
And to finish off I think a little bit more to round it off.
Now, over there in that part of the yard it looks pretty dull....... maybe, if I dig a little over there I could make j-u-s-t a little flower bed, just enough for my plumeria.
Everything is greening up so nicely and the flowers are putting on blooms, some already blooming.
My mind begins to get creative.....pathways, dry creek beds, and sprawling flower beds meandering all over the place would be nice.
Put a shovel in my hands and I start digging.
Just enough space to plant a few gourd seeds under the windmill so they will vine upward and the gourds will hang downward and be beautiful.
And Zinnias are good with the gourds because they attract the beneficial insects to eat the aphids that get on the gourds. Dig a little larger area.
I really like pink zinnias. Just a bit more digging.
And caladiums....more digging toward the west.
And maybe something to edge the beds.....digging toward the south.
And then in the dappled shade side of the windmill....maybe a hydrangea......now moving eastward.
Oh, and now the lawn mower will not fit between the tree and the windmill because it will mow over the caladiums.....now stretching toward the tree.
And to finish off I think a little bit more to round it off.
Now, over there in that part of the yard it looks pretty dull....... maybe, if I dig a little over there I could make j-u-s-t a little flower bed, just enough for my plumeria.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Make it Count
Here I sit with not a thought in my head but time to post a blog.
I am like Jaci, where has the time gone? Here it is Thursday with only three more days of my spring break left. I feel greedy for my days.
And tomorrow my oldest grandchild is going to be a ripe ol' age of TEN! Now where did all the time go?
First it is just the week that passes quickly and then it is months that zoom past, then those months zipped past a year and the years start ticking off one by one.
Every time I say I wish a hectic week would pass quickly I realize I am wishing my life away. Finding contentment in the daily rituals is vital to finding contentment in life.
I have loved my week.
Sing out loud,
Watch bugs crawl,
Take in some sun,
And dance in the moonlight!
Make it count!
You are in my prayers.
I am like Jaci, where has the time gone? Here it is Thursday with only three more days of my spring break left. I feel greedy for my days.
And tomorrow my oldest grandchild is going to be a ripe ol' age of TEN! Now where did all the time go?
First it is just the week that passes quickly and then it is months that zoom past, then those months zipped past a year and the years start ticking off one by one.
Every time I say I wish a hectic week would pass quickly I realize I am wishing my life away. Finding contentment in the daily rituals is vital to finding contentment in life.
I have loved my week.
- I spent most of my time (and a lot of my money) fixing up the rent house for the new renters who are so anxious to get in the house that they keep coming out to feed Mr. Belvedere, the cat that "owns" the house. They have renamed him since they did not know I had a name for him but now, he is Jo-Jo. He won't care as long as the feed keeps coming.
- Wednesday I drove Lee around and hung around to keep him company while he spent the day near the house and I caught up on reading magazines I have not had time to read.
- Leann and the boys came today and spent the day with me. We took pictures of her new style of purses and created new business cards for her to print off. The little boys and I made Rice Krispy Treats and they decorated the tops of them with every kind of "sprinkle" they could shake out of a container. Then I sent them home with most of them.
- Betty came by to bring a pie to Lee. How considerate she is. We did a little catching up on family news and then she went on her way.
- I plan to see every grandchild before I go back to school on Monday and I plan on getting plenty of hugs.
- AND I have blown my diet for yet ONE more week.
Sing out loud,
Watch bugs crawl,
Take in some sun,
And dance in the moonlight!
Make it count!
You are in my prayers.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Spring Break
Spring break!
Great time to catch up on all the work that does not get done during the school year.
I work harder during spring break than any other week of the year
and
I love it.
Great time to catch up on all the work that does not get done during the school year.
I work harder during spring break than any other week of the year
and
I love it.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Recognizing Romance
Yesterday morning I was thinking about romance and how when I was in the midst of a moment that in a novel would seem romantic I did not recognize the romance in it.
Or worse yet, you know this moment IS a romantic moment and it feels.....weird.
Now don't go thinking that Darla is looking for romance so she is posting a blog on it. I believe what got me to thinking of romance was watching young girls and woman wanting their boyfriends or spouses to be romantic but in a desire for spontaneity do not help the poor guy by communicating what they want. They just want the poor guy to do something out of love.
The poor girl is setting herself up for disappointment and the poor guy for failure. The poor guy is probably doing things out of love ALL the time but the poor girl is not recognizing his love.
Then last night after a l-o-n-g day at work/fundraiser/Open House/school I come in late to the Marriage Enrichment video in progress. The discussion question afterward was something like what is romance? (I find that weird often how you think about something then there it is someplace else.)
I did not answer out loud but at a tired old age of 54 romance to me is receiving the first strawberry from the garden for ME to eat, or letting me just crawl up in his arms on the couch at the end of a long day, letting me watch my old movies when he really wants to watch his judge shows,...... Forget about planned/manipulated events for me. If you have to plan to be spontaneous, it isn't.
So ladies, recognize romance and communicate with your guy. Tell him the things you like. He has enough to think about without having to worry whether or not he is pleasing you. And if he is having to worry over you all the time, YOU are not being very romantic.
Or worse yet, you know this moment IS a romantic moment and it feels.....weird.
Now don't go thinking that Darla is looking for romance so she is posting a blog on it. I believe what got me to thinking of romance was watching young girls and woman wanting their boyfriends or spouses to be romantic but in a desire for spontaneity do not help the poor guy by communicating what they want. They just want the poor guy to do something out of love.
The poor girl is setting herself up for disappointment and the poor guy for failure. The poor guy is probably doing things out of love ALL the time but the poor girl is not recognizing his love.
Then last night after a l-o-n-g day at work/fundraiser/Open House/school I come in late to the Marriage Enrichment video in progress. The discussion question afterward was something like what is romance? (I find that weird often how you think about something then there it is someplace else.)
I did not answer out loud but at a tired old age of 54 romance to me is receiving the first strawberry from the garden for ME to eat, or letting me just crawl up in his arms on the couch at the end of a long day, letting me watch my old movies when he really wants to watch his judge shows,...... Forget about planned/manipulated events for me. If you have to plan to be spontaneous, it isn't.
So ladies, recognize romance and communicate with your guy. Tell him the things you like. He has enough to think about without having to worry whether or not he is pleasing you. And if he is having to worry over you all the time, YOU are not being very romantic.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Taking the Wind out of my Sail
I don't think I am the only person who allows someone to take the wind out of my sails but often that is exactly what happens when I put too much importance in one person's opinion.
For about six months now, I have been wanting to get a woman's night out going among our ladies at church. I have mentioned it to several who are in agreement with the idea. but I told one older woman and she said in her very negative tone, "Well, I don't know how well that would go over. I can not afford to go out to eat once a month with the ladies."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I postponed implementing the idea. A loss to any woman in the congregation who would have benefited from bonding with other woman.
I announce I have lost four pounds this week doing a particular diet and a slender woman in the crowd says, "I can lose that in a day."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I become discouraged and go off the diet.
Okay, so this only affects me except for all those people sitting behind me in church who have to see my backside.
I plan to start a new business in town and the nay-sayers say, "It will not go over here in this town."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I don't do anything......
UNTIL.....
I realize that I have stopped doing the things that are good and the things that benefit me or someone else, or even the community because of ONE person's opinion
AND.....
that I have allowed that one person to control me.
The funny thing is that those people never EVEN realize they affected my actions.
So here you are Jackie and Amy, I'm back!
Thanks for your continued support.
For about six months now, I have been wanting to get a woman's night out going among our ladies at church. I have mentioned it to several who are in agreement with the idea. but I told one older woman and she said in her very negative tone, "Well, I don't know how well that would go over. I can not afford to go out to eat once a month with the ladies."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I postponed implementing the idea. A loss to any woman in the congregation who would have benefited from bonding with other woman.
I announce I have lost four pounds this week doing a particular diet and a slender woman in the crowd says, "I can lose that in a day."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I become discouraged and go off the diet.
Okay, so this only affects me except for all those people sitting behind me in church who have to see my backside.
I plan to start a new business in town and the nay-sayers say, "It will not go over here in this town."
.......WHOOF.....all the wind just got sucked out of my sails!
I don't do anything......
UNTIL.....
I realize that I have stopped doing the things that are good and the things that benefit me or someone else, or even the community because of ONE person's opinion
AND.....
that I have allowed that one person to control me.
The funny thing is that those people never EVEN realize they affected my actions.
So here you are Jackie and Amy, I'm back!
Thanks for your continued support.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Funny Thing
Funny thing....ever notice how angry looks so ugly on other people than it does on me?
Selfishness is when other people think so highly of themselves but never me!
And we always want life to be fair except when it means we get what we deserve!
Selfishness is when other people think so highly of themselves but never me!
And we always want life to be fair except when it means we get what we deserve!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Just checking in
I, like Amy, have nothing new to post but am just checking in.
I spent my weekend preparing a lesson that I give tonight. I can not tell you how stressed I have been over this. I have to asked myself why teaching a lesson would stress me but this time it is among my peers and the older women.
I teach kids daily. I have control of my classroom at school. They misbehave I discipline. If their performance is not up to my standards, I help them adjust to reflect a more demanding standard as was set out for them.
I can sit around the table and talk to anyone in this group but leading them a class is very intimidating.
I spent my weekend preparing a lesson that I give tonight. I can not tell you how stressed I have been over this. I have to asked myself why teaching a lesson would stress me but this time it is among my peers and the older women.
I teach kids daily. I have control of my classroom at school. They misbehave I discipline. If their performance is not up to my standards, I help them adjust to reflect a more demanding standard as was set out for them.
I can sit around the table and talk to anyone in this group but leading them a class is very intimidating.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Time Change
I have to admit that the time change messed me up this time. Usually, I change the clocks and am fine when I get up but this time I went to bed and thought my cell phone will show the correct time in the morning and all will be well. So being lazy-to-bed, I left the clocks alone .
So this morning I got up, looked at my cell phone and then I looked at the clocks downstairs, and put a load of clothes in the washer. Folded the ones that were in the dryer and turned on the TV. I looked at the clocks and wondered why my phone did not update the time and why did the TV channel guide not update the time. Everything still had the old time on it. I sat and watched a movie and drank coffee. Then I got Lee up because he needed to get some things going before church. His phone was off an hour from mine. I have Sprint, he has Cingular. He had 6:30, I had 5:30. Then Daniel got up. Now with everyone up but Caleb I am bold to wake Caleb to solve the mystery of the time.
Caleb confirmed my suspicions, he had changed the clocks before he went to bed and now the realization hits us all. I got up at 4:30, thinking it was 5:30.
I guess, I will be down early tonight. Now again, how did this happen?
So this morning I got up, looked at my cell phone and then I looked at the clocks downstairs, and put a load of clothes in the washer. Folded the ones that were in the dryer and turned on the TV. I looked at the clocks and wondered why my phone did not update the time and why did the TV channel guide not update the time. Everything still had the old time on it. I sat and watched a movie and drank coffee. Then I got Lee up because he needed to get some things going before church. His phone was off an hour from mine. I have Sprint, he has Cingular. He had 6:30, I had 5:30. Then Daniel got up. Now with everyone up but Caleb I am bold to wake Caleb to solve the mystery of the time.
Caleb confirmed my suspicions, he had changed the clocks before he went to bed and now the realization hits us all. I got up at 4:30, thinking it was 5:30.
I guess, I will be down early tonight. Now again, how did this happen?
Sunday, September 23, 2007
September
I have not been blogging much because my life suddenly was thrown into high gear when school started. Unfortunately this is not the life style that I really enjoy and I look forward to the evenings and weekends just to be able to relax .....but wait.......being gone all day long means that evenings and weekends are fair game for whatever can not be done during the day.
Fall is just around the corner. I can see it in the mornings as I rush off to work. The countryside is beginning to make the transition. The mornings are foggy again. The air is cool and moist. The leaves on the trees have just a hint of browning and my Autumn ferns that were suffering through the heat of the summer are giving it their last blast of growth before it gets too cold for them to maintain growth.
When I was a child I hated the fall. In fact, my least favorite month was September. Just writing it made me unhappy and finding a paper later in the year that I had written September at the top of the paper made me sick. It would bring back memories of the start of school.
Today it is one of my three most favorite seasons.......spring, summer and fall. Winter is another story. There are good things about winter but being cold and being indoors are not two of my favorite things to do. At least I winter in Texas where winters are mild and most of the time you can get away with a light sweater. An occasional snow is fun but we usually do not even have that.
So Dana and Erin there is my first random fact about myself: I hate writing the date when it is September.
Fall is just around the corner. I can see it in the mornings as I rush off to work. The countryside is beginning to make the transition. The mornings are foggy again. The air is cool and moist. The leaves on the trees have just a hint of browning and my Autumn ferns that were suffering through the heat of the summer are giving it their last blast of growth before it gets too cold for them to maintain growth.
When I was a child I hated the fall. In fact, my least favorite month was September. Just writing it made me unhappy and finding a paper later in the year that I had written September at the top of the paper made me sick. It would bring back memories of the start of school.
Today it is one of my three most favorite seasons.......spring, summer and fall. Winter is another story. There are good things about winter but being cold and being indoors are not two of my favorite things to do. At least I winter in Texas where winters are mild and most of the time you can get away with a light sweater. An occasional snow is fun but we usually do not even have that.
So Dana and Erin there is my first random fact about myself: I hate writing the date when it is September.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Mark of Intelligence
While working in the kitchen with the television on in the family room I can hear but not see. The words are often taken out of context and are strange to my ears like things said in my art room by my students, "where do I put my head?".
It struck me as funny when the current commercial ended it's bit with "people are smart!" I can not tell you what the commercial was about or what accomplishment made the company so proud of the intelligence of man but in my mind I saw people from God's eyes telling ourselves how smart we are like a three year old so proud of themselves because they "ope'd de door" or some simple task to us.
Here is God, creator of the world, the universe, all those things we can not EVEN imagine and who does not mark time like man but rather is eternal and here is man, the product of His power proclaiming how intelligent we are.
It brings to mind a question a friend of mine asks when a student does something not quite so intelligent. "Do stupid people KNOW they are stupid."
As compared to an ape, I guess we are intelligent.......
It struck me as funny when the current commercial ended it's bit with "people are smart!" I can not tell you what the commercial was about or what accomplishment made the company so proud of the intelligence of man but in my mind I saw people from God's eyes telling ourselves how smart we are like a three year old so proud of themselves because they "ope'd de door" or some simple task to us.
Here is God, creator of the world, the universe, all those things we can not EVEN imagine and who does not mark time like man but rather is eternal and here is man, the product of His power proclaiming how intelligent we are.
It brings to mind a question a friend of mine asks when a student does something not quite so intelligent. "Do stupid people KNOW they are stupid."
As compared to an ape, I guess we are intelligent.......
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