1. Be happy.
2. Eat a lowfat diet from January 1 - Thanksgiving Eve. (Face it...December is impossible!)
3. Exercise more regularly.
4. Spend time well.
5. More curtains! and finish other projects around the house.
6. Have some fun.
7. Be a better Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Birth-Month Traits
Oh man! There are way to many descriptors for me. I must be a complicated and complex, but not convex, individual!
NOVEMBER:
Has a lot of ideas. - I come up with crazy things like the automatic anti-bacterial sprayer on the bathroom door handle, and then sometime later, I hear that someone has really designed it and made it happen! If I think it, it will happen.
Difficult to fathom. - Am I difficult to fathom? I am real, but not 6 feet tall. Or are my ideas difficult to fathom? They must not be difficult since someone actually came up with bathroom door handle thingy? However, sometimes, others don't know what in the world I'm talking about?
Thinks forward. - I'm always thinking about what could be. How do I make all that happen though?
Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. - I have been known to cut a rug outside the box under a bare bulb swinging from the middle of the ceiling.
Fine and strong clairvoyance. - Sometimes, I get the feeling that I know what someone else is thinking, like why is that Mary-person here?
Can become good doctors. - I can be calm when others are in an emergency situation. However, I cannot even touch raw meat, and so I think that surgeon is not an option for me.
Dynamic in personality. - I am dynamic when pretending to be someone else.
Secretive. - Totally. No one knows me.
Inquisitive. - I like to know why, sometimes to the chagrin and/or pain of others.
Knows how to dig secrets. - Two words...Secret Squirrel.
Always thinking. I am a thinker on the Thinker/Director/Relator/Socializer quad. Many have asked me to stop thinking some times. Some have asked me to stop thinking many times.
Less talkative but amiable. - I'm more of a writer than a talker, probably because I can think faster than I write, but talking sometimes happens faster than thinking.
Brave and generous. - I tend to be brave on behalf of others, and let others generously walk all over me.
Patient. - Is this done yet? Are we there yet? Is it time to go yet?
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Stubborn? Am not! Am not! Am not! If my heart is hard, it's because it's been broken.
If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. - There is always hope!
Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. - True. Very few people have ever seen me truly angry. It was the summer of 1984. I went to Cedar Point with my friend Jane and her co-workers from McDonald's. It was a dark and dreary moment, sandwiched between hundreds of cars in the parking lot. Bill Willis said something so mean to Jane. I retaliated. I cannot even remember what I said. It was as if I was watching me say what I said to him. I was shaking. Do not mess with my friends and family.
Loves to be alone. - True. Rarely happens, and so it's weird when it does now, but I can amuse myself. (Get your mind out of gutter!)
Thinks differently from others. - I try. Like, other bi-peds are like, so totally un-koolio.
Sharp-minded. - uh...
Motivates oneself. - I can motivate myself, but I can also throw myself into the pit of despair.
Does not appreciate praises. - I would prefer not to be praised. It makes me uncomfortable. I feel cynical, because I think that if someone praises me that he wants something from me.
High-spirited. - Spirits...maybe, but I have never inhaled!
Well-built and tough. - Good, hardy, German-stock!
Deep love and emotions. - Yes. Love is higher than a mountain; love is thicker than water. And I'll give it all to you. My love, my endless love. Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart. There's nothing I can do...A total eclipse of the heart. All by myself. Don't wanna be...all by myself anymore.
Romantic. - I used to be when I had someone with whom I could be romantic. It's difficult to send those romantic vibes to cars and trucks passing me on the freeway.
Uncertain in relationships. - Sure.
Homely. - 1: suggestive or characteristic of a home - not really! 2: being something familiar with which one is at home - sure. 3: unaffectedly natural - sure. 4: plain or unattractive in appearance - NO!
Hardworking. - I never stop working. Always something to do. I follow my little tornado around. Sometimes, I feel like the vacuum is an extension of my arm.
High abilities. - I am able.
Trustworthy. - Yes.
Honest and keeps secrets. - Honest - painfully so. I can keep a TRUE secret.
Not able to control emotions. - When I am emotionally full, I share things with my Mother or my Sister or maybe someone else. I can usually control emotions unless someone has pushed me over the freaking edge, and then watch out!
Unpredictable. - I used to have every moment planned, but spontaneous and unpredictable are sometimes more fun.
NOVEMBER:
Has a lot of ideas. - I come up with crazy things like the automatic anti-bacterial sprayer on the bathroom door handle, and then sometime later, I hear that someone has really designed it and made it happen! If I think it, it will happen.
Difficult to fathom. - Am I difficult to fathom? I am real, but not 6 feet tall. Or are my ideas difficult to fathom? They must not be difficult since someone actually came up with bathroom door handle thingy? However, sometimes, others don't know what in the world I'm talking about?
Thinks forward. - I'm always thinking about what could be. How do I make all that happen though?
Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. - I have been known to cut a rug outside the box under a bare bulb swinging from the middle of the ceiling.
Fine and strong clairvoyance. - Sometimes, I get the feeling that I know what someone else is thinking, like why is that Mary-person here?
Can become good doctors. - I can be calm when others are in an emergency situation. However, I cannot even touch raw meat, and so I think that surgeon is not an option for me.
Dynamic in personality. - I am dynamic when pretending to be someone else.
Secretive. - Totally. No one knows me.
Inquisitive. - I like to know why, sometimes to the chagrin and/or pain of others.
Knows how to dig secrets. - Two words...Secret Squirrel.
Always thinking. I am a thinker on the Thinker/Director/Relator/Socializer quad. Many have asked me to stop thinking some times. Some have asked me to stop thinking many times.
Less talkative but amiable. - I'm more of a writer than a talker, probably because I can think faster than I write, but talking sometimes happens faster than thinking.
Brave and generous. - I tend to be brave on behalf of others, and let others generously walk all over me.
Patient. - Is this done yet? Are we there yet? Is it time to go yet?
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Stubborn? Am not! Am not! Am not! If my heart is hard, it's because it's been broken.
If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. - There is always hope!
Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. - True. Very few people have ever seen me truly angry. It was the summer of 1984. I went to Cedar Point with my friend Jane and her co-workers from McDonald's. It was a dark and dreary moment, sandwiched between hundreds of cars in the parking lot. Bill Willis said something so mean to Jane. I retaliated. I cannot even remember what I said. It was as if I was watching me say what I said to him. I was shaking. Do not mess with my friends and family.
Loves to be alone. - True. Rarely happens, and so it's weird when it does now, but I can amuse myself. (Get your mind out of gutter!)
Thinks differently from others. - I try. Like, other bi-peds are like, so totally un-koolio.
Sharp-minded. - uh...
Motivates oneself. - I can motivate myself, but I can also throw myself into the pit of despair.
Does not appreciate praises. - I would prefer not to be praised. It makes me uncomfortable. I feel cynical, because I think that if someone praises me that he wants something from me.
High-spirited. - Spirits...maybe, but I have never inhaled!
Well-built and tough. - Good, hardy, German-stock!
Deep love and emotions. - Yes. Love is higher than a mountain; love is thicker than water. And I'll give it all to you. My love, my endless love. Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart. There's nothing I can do...A total eclipse of the heart. All by myself. Don't wanna be...all by myself anymore.
Romantic. - I used to be when I had someone with whom I could be romantic. It's difficult to send those romantic vibes to cars and trucks passing me on the freeway.
Uncertain in relationships. - Sure.
Homely. - 1: suggestive or characteristic of a home - not really! 2: being something familiar with which one is at home - sure. 3: unaffectedly natural - sure. 4: plain or unattractive in appearance - NO!
Hardworking. - I never stop working. Always something to do. I follow my little tornado around. Sometimes, I feel like the vacuum is an extension of my arm.
High abilities. - I am able.
Trustworthy. - Yes.
Honest and keeps secrets. - Honest - painfully so. I can keep a TRUE secret.
Not able to control emotions. - When I am emotionally full, I share things with my Mother or my Sister or maybe someone else. I can usually control emotions unless someone has pushed me over the freaking edge, and then watch out!
Unpredictable. - I used to have every moment planned, but spontaneous and unpredictable are sometimes more fun.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Humpty Dumpty...back on the wall?
Sometimes, I feel like Humpty Dumpty. I get up on the wall. I fall. The king's things cannot put me back together, but I put myself back together and climb back up on the wall. Lo and behold...someone or something knocks me down again. What holds me together is that I keep getting back up. Since I've gotten back up before, I know that I'll do it again...climb back up. Even though things happen that I knew would happen and wished wouldn't happen for a long time, they happen and knock me out.
What, you ask? Well, that I am reading nursery rhymes (Humpty Dumpty is one) to my 9-year-old daughter and her Aunt Flo. Autism sometimes adds a layer of stress that makes climbing the wall a slippery slope.
What, you ask? Well, that I am reading nursery rhymes (Humpty Dumpty is one) to my 9-year-old daughter and her Aunt Flo. Autism sometimes adds a layer of stress that makes climbing the wall a slippery slope.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Ode to Shovel
It's snowing! It's blowing!
This old lady is insane-going.
She went to the garage,
wished for a mirage,
because she didn't find one shovel for removal-snowing.
Yeah, someone stole my shovels. I'm just glad that the snow looks like it will be fading soon. It's going to be a long evening of using the baby-shovel.
This old lady is insane-going.
She went to the garage,
wished for a mirage,
because she didn't find one shovel for removal-snowing.
Yeah, someone stole my shovels. I'm just glad that the snow looks like it will be fading soon. It's going to be a long evening of using the baby-shovel.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
An ostrich with a computer, finding a penny in the bathtub
I am so busy and so behind with anything and everything that I just want to crawl in bed and cover my head. Why can't I be an ostrich?
I'd like to just delete all my work emails and start from scratch. Do you think that I could get away with it? Maybe some tech guy could make my computer crash so that I could legitimately use that excuse.
I found a penny in a parking lot this morning, and I picked it up. When, oh when, will it kick into gear and make things happen? I had it in my shoe, but I just put it on my phone. C'mon phone, ring with a customer who wants to spend $85,000-$200,000!
I cannot even say, "Calgon, take me away" because that would conjure about the chore of how I need to clean the tub!
See, how random my thoughts are. I cannot focus as there are too many things racing through my mind.
I'd like to just delete all my work emails and start from scratch. Do you think that I could get away with it? Maybe some tech guy could make my computer crash so that I could legitimately use that excuse.
I found a penny in a parking lot this morning, and I picked it up. When, oh when, will it kick into gear and make things happen? I had it in my shoe, but I just put it on my phone. C'mon phone, ring with a customer who wants to spend $85,000-$200,000!
I cannot even say, "Calgon, take me away" because that would conjure about the chore of how I need to clean the tub!
See, how random my thoughts are. I cannot focus as there are too many things racing through my mind.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Snow Days
I'm awake early waiting to hear if schools will be closed today. So far just Ida in Monroe County. This morning, I'm thinking...hoping...that the roads are okay. I need to get to work, as you know it's the busy time of year. I have 2 contracts in and 8 contracts out. Those 10 won't even get me close to my goal, but I have to keep trying. I also need to get to the post office to mail a case verification package to Friend of Court. Such grown-up things!
(Already another school closed in Monroe.)
I read/heard somewhere that adults do not call themselves grown-ups. How did I get to this grown-up place? I must not be an adult yet as I do not feel like one of them. I look at people just 10 years older than I am, and they seem so old! (Shhh! Do not tell them I said that!) Am I going to act like them before I know it?
Remember when...we wished for a snow day. I remember that jubilant feeling of nothingness. When my Mom came in and wiggled my foot, and did not say, "time to get up," but said, "snow day - no school," I remember that feeling of happiness, relief, no anxiety for things that needed to get done. It was complete dispensation from your day, your responsibilities. A day off without guilt or regret. It was a day of sleeping in, hot chocolate, reading by the picture window, playing in the snow with your snowsuit, warming up by the oven, playing barbies and cards, just doing whatever you pleased.
Oh...to have a day without responsibility for everything, for the snow to wash away the stressy-sky and to cover the guilty-ground and to make it all pretty and bright and happy without a care in the world. That's a snow day!
(Already another school closed in Monroe.)
I read/heard somewhere that adults do not call themselves grown-ups. How did I get to this grown-up place? I must not be an adult yet as I do not feel like one of them. I look at people just 10 years older than I am, and they seem so old! (Shhh! Do not tell them I said that!) Am I going to act like them before I know it?
Remember when...we wished for a snow day. I remember that jubilant feeling of nothingness. When my Mom came in and wiggled my foot, and did not say, "time to get up," but said, "snow day - no school," I remember that feeling of happiness, relief, no anxiety for things that needed to get done. It was complete dispensation from your day, your responsibilities. A day off without guilt or regret. It was a day of sleeping in, hot chocolate, reading by the picture window, playing in the snow with your snowsuit, warming up by the oven, playing barbies and cards, just doing whatever you pleased.
Oh...to have a day without responsibility for everything, for the snow to wash away the stressy-sky and to cover the guilty-ground and to make it all pretty and bright and happy without a care in the world. That's a snow day!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Mary...Hail Mary
Prayers are there when I feel powerless, yet I need to do something.
When I hear tragic news, the first thing I say is Hail Mary...
When my Mom called home that Sunday evening in March 2000 and said, "They think they're losing him," about my Dad, I said the Hail Mary in my head while my words were a constant "Oh no."
When they called to say that Rodney had been in a farming accident and it didn't look good, I paced the sidewalk, carrying my baby, wailing the Hail Mary up to the Heaven.
When my 7th-grade-ESP-project-pal Jane was hospitalized later when we were in our 30s with they-didn't-know-what-scary-thing-at-the-time, this Scary-Mary said the Hail Mary for that Scrapper-Jane.
When I hear today that a family friend who has lived through enough heartbreak needs chemo for a cancer that is advancing rapidly, Hail Mary immediately pops into my head.
Sometimes, I feel as if my soul is constantly praying to keep others safe and healthy and to keep my heart from breaking from the physical demands that life puts on my family and friends. If I could take the pain of a sickness or disability from them, I would. Anything from my child's muteness to my sister's surgery tomorrow, everything from a chronic condition to a specific event, I would take it, but I can't, and so I pray. I pray with my heart and my soul.
My prayers are not always answered with the outcome I desire, but I know that Mary intercedes on my behalf. She hears and listens.
When I hear tragic news, the first thing I say is Hail Mary...
When my Mom called home that Sunday evening in March 2000 and said, "They think they're losing him," about my Dad, I said the Hail Mary in my head while my words were a constant "Oh no."
When they called to say that Rodney had been in a farming accident and it didn't look good, I paced the sidewalk, carrying my baby, wailing the Hail Mary up to the Heaven.
When my 7th-grade-ESP-project-pal Jane was hospitalized later when we were in our 30s with they-didn't-know-what-scary-thing-at-the-time, this Scary-Mary said the Hail Mary for that Scrapper-Jane.
When I hear today that a family friend who has lived through enough heartbreak needs chemo for a cancer that is advancing rapidly, Hail Mary immediately pops into my head.
Sometimes, I feel as if my soul is constantly praying to keep others safe and healthy and to keep my heart from breaking from the physical demands that life puts on my family and friends. If I could take the pain of a sickness or disability from them, I would. Anything from my child's muteness to my sister's surgery tomorrow, everything from a chronic condition to a specific event, I would take it, but I can't, and so I pray. I pray with my heart and my soul.
My prayers are not always answered with the outcome I desire, but I know that Mary intercedes on my behalf. She hears and listens.
Friday, November 30, 2007
I love Santa!
Here's a photo of some of my Santas!I love Santa.
He's more than just a secular symbol of Christmas. He knows how to have a good time, but is reponsible. He's a loving husband, a good parent, a hard worker. He is the perfect man.
Wacky "If You Could" questions:
Wacky "If You Could" questions:
1) If you could time-travel, and go back to any particular time/place in history, what would it be? I'd like to keep hopping back each generation and check out my family.
2) If you could go back and relive any time in your life, what would it be? High school...I was so, so stupid. I would have enjoyed more all the fun things that I did, and I wouldn't have worried so much about boys and what others thought.
3) If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be? I would be more muscular...stronger!
4) If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would it be? I would have my own foundation and give money away! If I had to work, then I would be an architect or a writer.
5) If you could only read one book over and over again in your life, what one book would that be? Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
6) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? My hometown! There's nowhere else to live. But...I would get out of town and back into the country.
7) If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your days, what outfit would that be? Jeans, white v-neck tee, white cotton socks, and cute sneakers.
8) If you could have dinner with any one person (dead or alive) -- anyone -- who would it be? Pope John Paul II
9) If you could ask for any talent or skill and instantly receive it, what talent would that be? I could read minds (so that I knew what wonderful thoughts that my non-verbal daughter is thinking!)
10) If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? A knight in shining armor would be in my life.
11) If you could name your biggest regret, what would that be? Procrastination...can that be a regret?
12) If you could have exactly one million dollars right now in your hands, what would you do with it? $400K for a home in the country. A new car for me, therapy for Sophie, and a Jonas Brothers concert for Hannah! I would save, invest, donate, and share the rest.
13) If you could fix one major world problem on this Earth, what would you fix? Autism
1) If you could time-travel, and go back to any particular time/place in history, what would it be? I'd like to keep hopping back each generation and check out my family.
2) If you could go back and relive any time in your life, what would it be? High school...I was so, so stupid. I would have enjoyed more all the fun things that I did, and I wouldn't have worried so much about boys and what others thought.
3) If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be? I would be more muscular...stronger!
4) If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would it be? I would have my own foundation and give money away! If I had to work, then I would be an architect or a writer.
5) If you could only read one book over and over again in your life, what one book would that be? Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
6) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? My hometown! There's nowhere else to live. But...I would get out of town and back into the country.
7) If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your days, what outfit would that be? Jeans, white v-neck tee, white cotton socks, and cute sneakers.
8) If you could have dinner with any one person (dead or alive) -- anyone -- who would it be? Pope John Paul II
9) If you could ask for any talent or skill and instantly receive it, what talent would that be? I could read minds (so that I knew what wonderful thoughts that my non-verbal daughter is thinking!)
10) If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? A knight in shining armor would be in my life.
11) If you could name your biggest regret, what would that be? Procrastination...can that be a regret?
12) If you could have exactly one million dollars right now in your hands, what would you do with it? $400K for a home in the country. A new car for me, therapy for Sophie, and a Jonas Brothers concert for Hannah! I would save, invest, donate, and share the rest.
13) If you could fix one major world problem on this Earth, what would you fix? Autism
Thursday, November 29, 2007
unfinished sentences...
Here are my words to Maria's unfinished sentences...
I've come to realize my ex is: a selfish bore who is more concerned with himself than with our children. That's my problem only in the way that it affects my beautiful children. He is the one missing out on all the wonder and beauty and fun of them.
I talk: way more now than I ever did as a kid. My friends say I never spoke until junior high. I was painfully shy.
I love: completely.
I lost: myself and then was found. I had a friend who said that in Paris. Oh wait, that was Julia Ormond who said that in the movie Sabrina. I think we all lose ourselves some time, but we come out of the coccoon like a beautiful butterfly. Hold on...that one's from A Bug's Life.
I hate it when: people (including me) are stupid.
Love is: all around. awesome. true.
Marriage was: not what it was supposed to be. Marriage could be: wonderful.
I'll always be: me.
My cell phone is: my lifeline to be family.
When I wake up in the morning: I let the dog out. Let's see...I let him out at 1:00 a.m. and then at 1:30 a.m. and then at 4:00 a.m. and then at 5:00 a.m. Bad Rascal! (Bad night for Rascal, usually, just once when I get up.)
Before I go to sleep at night: I make my kids go to sleep.
Right now I am thinking about: everything! Everything I need to do today and everything I should have done already.
Babies are: always my babies, no matter how old they are.
I get on MySpace: never.
Today I Will: do the best that I can.
Tonight I: will Sophie to music therapy and then work on Christmas cards.
Tomorrow I will: do the best that I can.
I really want to: get married to a wonderful man and move into the country and have a barn full of animals so that my children and I can breathe. (We currently breathe, but in the previous sentence, breathing is symbolic for a simpler, sweeter life.)
The person who is most likely to repost this: ???
I've come to realize my ex is: a selfish bore who is more concerned with himself than with our children. That's my problem only in the way that it affects my beautiful children. He is the one missing out on all the wonder and beauty and fun of them.
I talk: way more now than I ever did as a kid. My friends say I never spoke until junior high. I was painfully shy.
I love: completely.
I lost: myself and then was found. I had a friend who said that in Paris. Oh wait, that was Julia Ormond who said that in the movie Sabrina. I think we all lose ourselves some time, but we come out of the coccoon like a beautiful butterfly. Hold on...that one's from A Bug's Life.
I hate it when: people (including me) are stupid.
Love is: all around. awesome. true.
Marriage was: not what it was supposed to be. Marriage could be: wonderful.
I'll always be: me.
My cell phone is: my lifeline to be family.
When I wake up in the morning: I let the dog out. Let's see...I let him out at 1:00 a.m. and then at 1:30 a.m. and then at 4:00 a.m. and then at 5:00 a.m. Bad Rascal! (Bad night for Rascal, usually, just once when I get up.)
Before I go to sleep at night: I make my kids go to sleep.
Right now I am thinking about: everything! Everything I need to do today and everything I should have done already.
Babies are: always my babies, no matter how old they are.
I get on MySpace: never.
Today I Will: do the best that I can.
Tonight I: will Sophie to music therapy and then work on Christmas cards.
Tomorrow I will: do the best that I can.
I really want to: get married to a wonderful man and move into the country and have a barn full of animals so that my children and I can breathe. (We currently breathe, but in the previous sentence, breathing is symbolic for a simpler, sweeter life.)
The person who is most likely to repost this: ???
Sunday, November 25, 2007
It's beginning to look a lot like...
Christmas!
Thanksgiving decorations, consisting of a couple of fun turkeys and antique turkey salt and pepper shakers in the living room, school projects in the dining room, and turkey rubber duckies in the bathroom, were down and packed away first thing on Friday morning.
My ever-growing collection of Santas (and a few precious Mrs. Clauses) are gracing the living room buffet and overflowing onto other surfaces. I made way for the two trees by removing/rearranging furniture. The trees went up on Saturday! In front of the living room window, we put a 7 1/2 foot with multi-colored lights. In the family room, we put up a skinny 6 1/2-footer with white lights (my first time for an all-white-lighted-tree).
My elves managed the ornaments. Everything but some getting-very-fragile-school-project-keepsakes and the glass bulbs went up. My younger elf will be spending the next month rearranging the ornaments, moving them from tree to other tree and back again. She likes to group like ones together; all the grinches sometime end up on the same branches. I'm sure that she can reach all the way to the top of the tree, but I still put my precious ones near the top. I think that she understands that she can play with the ornaments that she put on the trees, but she better leave Mommy's alone. I hope that she gets this concept! We had several casualties with the glass bulbs last year. Those were better left in the basement, as they do not flutter or twirl very successfully.
Oh, of course, the first set of Christmas rubber duckies are in the bathroom. We have the large Santa ducks, a small set of Santa ducks, and new this year the Christmas Carol set with Scrooge Duck himself.
A smallish tree graces the kitchen counter along with the Santa Chef and some Snowmen and Nutcracker Bakers. A couple of even smaller trees are on the dining room table, as well as the Santa who holds candy canes.
You might think that this is too early to decorate for Christmas. December is busy! With a 4-day weekend, it works for me. Plus, that little elf of mine has been asking for Christmas since August. Waiting until now was a really patient thing for her to do.
If I get one more ornament, I'll need to get another tree. I hope someone gets me one more ornament!
If I get one more Santa, I'll need to buy a bigger house by next Christmas. Santa always brings me a Santa! I better start saving for a new home!
I believe! Do you?
Thanksgiving decorations, consisting of a couple of fun turkeys and antique turkey salt and pepper shakers in the living room, school projects in the dining room, and turkey rubber duckies in the bathroom, were down and packed away first thing on Friday morning.
My ever-growing collection of Santas (and a few precious Mrs. Clauses) are gracing the living room buffet and overflowing onto other surfaces. I made way for the two trees by removing/rearranging furniture. The trees went up on Saturday! In front of the living room window, we put a 7 1/2 foot with multi-colored lights. In the family room, we put up a skinny 6 1/2-footer with white lights (my first time for an all-white-lighted-tree).
My elves managed the ornaments. Everything but some getting-very-fragile-school-project-keepsakes and the glass bulbs went up. My younger elf will be spending the next month rearranging the ornaments, moving them from tree to other tree and back again. She likes to group like ones together; all the grinches sometime end up on the same branches. I'm sure that she can reach all the way to the top of the tree, but I still put my precious ones near the top. I think that she understands that she can play with the ornaments that she put on the trees, but she better leave Mommy's alone. I hope that she gets this concept! We had several casualties with the glass bulbs last year. Those were better left in the basement, as they do not flutter or twirl very successfully.
Oh, of course, the first set of Christmas rubber duckies are in the bathroom. We have the large Santa ducks, a small set of Santa ducks, and new this year the Christmas Carol set with Scrooge Duck himself.
A smallish tree graces the kitchen counter along with the Santa Chef and some Snowmen and Nutcracker Bakers. A couple of even smaller trees are on the dining room table, as well as the Santa who holds candy canes.
You might think that this is too early to decorate for Christmas. December is busy! With a 4-day weekend, it works for me. Plus, that little elf of mine has been asking for Christmas since August. Waiting until now was a really patient thing for her to do.
If I get one more ornament, I'll need to get another tree. I hope someone gets me one more ornament!
If I get one more Santa, I'll need to buy a bigger house by next Christmas. Santa always brings me a Santa! I better start saving for a new home!
I believe! Do you?
Forfeiting ourselves to be like others?
We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves in order to be like other people. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
In movies, on television, within songs, in books and newspapers and blogs, we read and hear and see about other people and what they have and what they've done. Does this mean that we covet those attributes and accomplishments? I think not neccessarily.
These things we do can be ways to connect to others. We read and watch to learn about others, to learn to connect with others. The world is not supposed to be a self-centered place, but an other-centered arena. Once we get the hang of that by understanding others, we can become more about others. The learning process takes longer for some than for others.
In make-believe, we learn methods of communication and dealing. It makes us who we are, more of who we are, not less like we are, but to be truly who we are. In reality, we can decide if there's a learned attribute that we would like or we would not like. The quote above could very well also say that we forfeit a part of ourselves NOT to be like other people, but to show others a better way. Giving and taking, taking and giving. That's connecting, a relationship of sorts.
What can we do and say for one another? We can be the best person that we can be. We don't forfeit ourselves in order to be like other people, but we may temporarily forfeit a part of ourselves for the sake of another person. That is the life of a person.
In movies, on television, within songs, in books and newspapers and blogs, we read and hear and see about other people and what they have and what they've done. Does this mean that we covet those attributes and accomplishments? I think not neccessarily.
These things we do can be ways to connect to others. We read and watch to learn about others, to learn to connect with others. The world is not supposed to be a self-centered place, but an other-centered arena. Once we get the hang of that by understanding others, we can become more about others. The learning process takes longer for some than for others.
In make-believe, we learn methods of communication and dealing. It makes us who we are, more of who we are, not less like we are, but to be truly who we are. In reality, we can decide if there's a learned attribute that we would like or we would not like. The quote above could very well also say that we forfeit a part of ourselves NOT to be like other people, but to show others a better way. Giving and taking, taking and giving. That's connecting, a relationship of sorts.
What can we do and say for one another? We can be the best person that we can be. We don't forfeit ourselves in order to be like other people, but we may temporarily forfeit a part of ourselves for the sake of another person. That is the life of a person.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
thankful for...because...
I am thankful for...
my Children, because they are who they are. They make me proud and bring me unbelievable joy.
my Mother, because she is strength and honor and love.
my Father, because he was not perfect, but his heart and mind persevered until his body could not.
my Siblings, because even when they are too near or too far away, they make me feel loved and safe, wrapped inside a special cocoon.
my Divorce, because if it hadn't happened, I would be at my in-laws right now, and it's snowing there...lake-effect snow. Snow...bad.
my Chelsea Friends, because each one has a special talent and goodness that she brings into the world that makes it shine for the better.
my Work Friends, because how could we all get through 5 days a week without the laughter and support.
my Furnace Man, because he's coming over to service my furnace tomorrow (literally, not symbolically).
the Meijer on Jackson Rd., because they had 2 planters, and I finally, finally re-potted most of the plants in my house. (Probably not the best time of year to do so, but I got it DONE.)
my Dog, because he gives me unconditional love, and I have no idea what I will do with him tomorrow when the furnace man shows up. Come to think of it...what will I do with my children?
my Children, because they are who they are. They make me proud and bring me unbelievable joy.
my Mother, because she is strength and honor and love.
my Father, because he was not perfect, but his heart and mind persevered until his body could not.
my Siblings, because even when they are too near or too far away, they make me feel loved and safe, wrapped inside a special cocoon.
my Divorce, because if it hadn't happened, I would be at my in-laws right now, and it's snowing there...lake-effect snow. Snow...bad.
my Chelsea Friends, because each one has a special talent and goodness that she brings into the world that makes it shine for the better.
my Work Friends, because how could we all get through 5 days a week without the laughter and support.
my Furnace Man, because he's coming over to service my furnace tomorrow (literally, not symbolically).
the Meijer on Jackson Rd., because they had 2 planters, and I finally, finally re-potted most of the plants in my house. (Probably not the best time of year to do so, but I got it DONE.)
my Dog, because he gives me unconditional love, and I have no idea what I will do with him tomorrow when the furnace man shows up. Come to think of it...what will I do with my children?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
If I had a Magic Power...
it would be the ability to make a coffee cup filled with a Starbucks (venti, decaf, nonfat, no whip) Caramel Macchiato never empty.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Judge Mary or Pastor Mary or Sharey-Mary?
I don't judge people. I don't preach. I am more open-minded the longer I live. My friends are Baptist, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, etc...I love them all. My Mother says I am too nice to my ex. My friends say that I am too nice to my previous dysfunction.
No one is going to change because of anything I say or do, but I am still nice to them. If I can be nice to my ex after he broke my heart, then I can be nice to most anyone. When I am upset about something, I write or I stare out the window and compose prose in my head. Writing, at least, makes it seem as though I am working. While staring out the window, well, that would not look like it.
We all have our demon-issues. I never said bad habits make bad people. I had a lifelong friend who weighed around 800 pounds when he died. He had to crawl up the stairs, because he couldn't walk up them. He smoked, drank, and ate. His obsessions were upsetting, but I still miss his protective presence. I think briefly about him and his sadness almost every day. I didn't judge Rodney. I didn't preach to him. I did throw his hat on the roof once when he made me mad. It shocked the heck out of him and made him laugh, which made me madder. I surely shared with him what I thought about things though.
That's all...just sharing my thoughts @ anything or nothing.
No one is going to change because of anything I say or do, but I am still nice to them. If I can be nice to my ex after he broke my heart, then I can be nice to most anyone. When I am upset about something, I write or I stare out the window and compose prose in my head. Writing, at least, makes it seem as though I am working. While staring out the window, well, that would not look like it.
We all have our demon-issues. I never said bad habits make bad people. I had a lifelong friend who weighed around 800 pounds when he died. He had to crawl up the stairs, because he couldn't walk up them. He smoked, drank, and ate. His obsessions were upsetting, but I still miss his protective presence. I think briefly about him and his sadness almost every day. I didn't judge Rodney. I didn't preach to him. I did throw his hat on the roof once when he made me mad. It shocked the heck out of him and made him laugh, which made me madder. I surely shared with him what I thought about things though.
That's all...just sharing my thoughts @ anything or nothing.
Monday, November 19, 2007
the Smoking Gun...
To smokers: this might make you mad. Read at your own risk...
A Smoking Gun is usually a reference to something that shows conclusive evidence of a crime.
I think that cigarettes should be classified as gun...a smoking gun. Smoking kills people. That's the sum of the whole thing. Why is that so hard to understand?
It makes living difficult. My brother does not smoke, but his wife smokes. I love my sister-in-law, but if I could change one thing, it would be to stop her from smoking. I listen to my brother's constant cough, and I think about how young my Dad was when he died. I don't want my brother to die until he's 99. My brother says that the coughing is asthma; I think, I know, it's cigarettes.
It complicates things. When I was little, my dad smoked a pipe. (Before I remember, it was cigarettes and cigars. I've seen pictures.) He was a handsome young man. He looked like the movie stars with that ciggie hanging on his lip. I would get into his pretty yellow truck and see the tar and nicotine coating the roof completely brown. That truck was his body. It looked great, but the inside...his lungs...were ugly. He stopped smoking about 10 years before he had a quintuple heart bypass in 1986. After years and years of smoke-free lungs, he was still coughing and spitting up the remnants. Our bodies are our temples, not our smoke dens.
It's a trick. It doesn't give pleasure. It's a temporary feeling that is fake and makes you feel like crap in the long run. It's a fake orgasm. No meaning. True pleasure comes from smiling and laughing and connecting to another human. Yesterday, at church, we sat in the back. I so enjoyed the whole hour, not due to the homily or ritual, but because of the Gerber baby sitting next to me. Those rambunctious toddlers running around made me smile and laugh and gave me hope for the future of mankind. Dragging on the stick...makes you cough and die.
It's not glamorous. For a while, no one smoked in movies, but movies are again displaying how sexy it is. It's not sexy! Have you looked at an ashtray? That's your mouth. Gross. Smoking calms you or excites you? Really? Does it give true pleasure from a mental or emotional or spiritual cause? Or just the physical? What does that make you?
Smoking is a gun. You stick it in your mouth, and it's killing you. You wave it around, and you're killing the rest of us.
A Smoking Gun is usually a reference to something that shows conclusive evidence of a crime.
I think that cigarettes should be classified as gun...a smoking gun. Smoking kills people. That's the sum of the whole thing. Why is that so hard to understand?
It makes living difficult. My brother does not smoke, but his wife smokes. I love my sister-in-law, but if I could change one thing, it would be to stop her from smoking. I listen to my brother's constant cough, and I think about how young my Dad was when he died. I don't want my brother to die until he's 99. My brother says that the coughing is asthma; I think, I know, it's cigarettes.
It complicates things. When I was little, my dad smoked a pipe. (Before I remember, it was cigarettes and cigars. I've seen pictures.) He was a handsome young man. He looked like the movie stars with that ciggie hanging on his lip. I would get into his pretty yellow truck and see the tar and nicotine coating the roof completely brown. That truck was his body. It looked great, but the inside...his lungs...were ugly. He stopped smoking about 10 years before he had a quintuple heart bypass in 1986. After years and years of smoke-free lungs, he was still coughing and spitting up the remnants. Our bodies are our temples, not our smoke dens.
It's a trick. It doesn't give pleasure. It's a temporary feeling that is fake and makes you feel like crap in the long run. It's a fake orgasm. No meaning. True pleasure comes from smiling and laughing and connecting to another human. Yesterday, at church, we sat in the back. I so enjoyed the whole hour, not due to the homily or ritual, but because of the Gerber baby sitting next to me. Those rambunctious toddlers running around made me smile and laugh and gave me hope for the future of mankind. Dragging on the stick...makes you cough and die.
It's not glamorous. For a while, no one smoked in movies, but movies are again displaying how sexy it is. It's not sexy! Have you looked at an ashtray? That's your mouth. Gross. Smoking calms you or excites you? Really? Does it give true pleasure from a mental or emotional or spiritual cause? Or just the physical? What does that make you?
Smoking is a gun. You stick it in your mouth, and it's killing you. You wave it around, and you're killing the rest of us.
concern = burden = prayer
Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.
-Corrie ten Boom
I am lighthearted today! It's been a long time since I was so on a Monday morning.
Sophie woke up cranky, but went into school fine.
I stopped at Target to return a pair of a shoes, the gazillionth that I have gotten for my Mom to try. And I found two Christmas presents for the girls...on sale!
People drive with their lights off and pull out in front of me, but I made it to work safely.
Small concerns...sometimes add up and seem unmanageable. So, keep them small, take care of them, manage them, and they cannot become a burden. These things that add up are not worth it.
Crankiness, errands, idiots = not worth the concern
-Corrie ten Boom
I am lighthearted today! It's been a long time since I was so on a Monday morning.
Sophie woke up cranky, but went into school fine.
I stopped at Target to return a pair of a shoes, the gazillionth that I have gotten for my Mom to try. And I found two Christmas presents for the girls...on sale!
People drive with their lights off and pull out in front of me, but I made it to work safely.
Small concerns...sometimes add up and seem unmanageable. So, keep them small, take care of them, manage them, and they cannot become a burden. These things that add up are not worth it.
Crankiness, errands, idiots = not worth the concern
Monday, November 12, 2007
Go, Go, Gutter Mind...de-activate!
Everything anyone says lately puts my mind right in the old dirty, sexy gutter. Shouldn't the upcoming Thanksgiving put my mind somewhere wholesome and familial, or at least thinking about food and naps? Maybe the whole Thanksgiving "family-ness" makes me want to feather the nest and where better to start than to find a man? Of course, just thinking about a man, any man, doesn't get me one. No one seems to know any good men. It's a sad state of the world when there are no good men. I have to hope that there is one left, and I'll be greedy enough to grab him if he would make himself known. So, be warned, if you speak to me, watch what you say as there might be consequences of smut of the mind or pleas for a man. Either way, not pretty.
Friday, November 9, 2007
7 Random Facts about me, because my friend tagged me
- My favorite color is orange. Studies show that looking at the color orange actually makes you happy. I painted my back door orange so that every night when I come home I leave my cares outside and "c'mon, get happy".
- If I could get away with it, I'd wear the same basic outfit every single day. White knit v-neck tee, denim, white sneakers. I happen to have that on right now. I love my Friday outfit!
- When I was little, I wanted to be an architect. I used to spend hours designing my dream home.
- My confirmation name is Claudia. I wanted a name that started with "C" so that my initials spelled, "MUCH". And at the time, I was reading a book titled, "Claudia".
- Although I don't get cable tv or even the local channels, I'm a "closet-watcher". I watch a couple of shows online late at night when I cannot sleep.
- My ex-husband thinks that I am a competitive control freak. Hmm...I wonder what I think he is.
- I'm very boring and cannot think of 7 random facts.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
a Man
Okay, all you girls, reading this post, you gotta find me a Man...a Good Man. I cannot divulge the entire why. It's nothing nasty or anything. Partially, I'm becoming distracted and cannot work or concentrate or focus on anything worthwhile. I'm used to my former dysfunction who would constantly distract me with stupid emails throughout the day. It kept me busy. Busy begets busy. No distractions are really starting to distract me and make my mind wonder. Of course, to what does my mind wander? To inappropriate and distracting men. To the brother-of-Andrew-type-of-man and not to the Andrew-type-of-man. To the off-limits-type-of-man, like the Eagle (Sharon, have you joined me here yet?)...just to have someone in my head. I need distraction!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
New eyeglasses
Hey, I got new glasses on Friday. When I went to the eye doctor, she said my next glasses will be bifocals. Can you believe that? OLD!
When I was picking out these new frames, Sophie was distracting, and so I wasn't really paying attention. The eye doctor assistant was handing me pairs to try on. I decided on a pair. I had to pay a little extra for them, but I couldn't change my mind at that point, because Sophie was ready to go. When I picked them up on Friday, I understood why they cost more. They are Gucci! I never before in my life have purchased Gucci! I guess if my eyesight is going...it might as well go in style!
Maybe my Gucci glasses will attract Tom Jones in Vegas.
When I was picking out these new frames, Sophie was distracting, and so I wasn't really paying attention. The eye doctor assistant was handing me pairs to try on. I decided on a pair. I had to pay a little extra for them, but I couldn't change my mind at that point, because Sophie was ready to go. When I picked them up on Friday, I understood why they cost more. They are Gucci! I never before in my life have purchased Gucci! I guess if my eyesight is going...it might as well go in style!
Maybe my Gucci glasses will attract Tom Jones in Vegas.
Monday, November 5, 2007
What's new, Princess Pussycat?
I'm traveling to Vegas in January for a global sales meeting for work. I've never been to Vegas. I have no interest in gambling or outdoor activities like kayaking. I am a princess. However, I was telling co-worker Matt B that if we get to go to a show with Wayne Newton or Tom Jones, well then, that's a different story and something that would excite me, the princess. Someone else who happened to be standing there told me that when she was in Vegas she actually, accidentally, ran into Tom Jones! She touched the TomCat--- not TomKat, but the real TomCat! Then, someone else standing around said that she had met Clint Eastwood at a golf tournament. Now, that would Make My Day too! My claim to seeing someone famous on my world travels...uh...not Tom or Clint, but yes, CarrotTop. On a layover in the Atlanta airport, there he was with a bodyguard. Why would he need a bodyguard? I was more interested in checking out his hunky security detail. Anyway, if I return from Vegas with a Pussycat tat on my bum, you'll know it's because I actually, accidentally, ran into Tom Jones!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Switcheroo?
Is it time to switch from Yahoo 360 to Blogger? I like the name...reminds me of Frogger, like I'm playing an old video game. My brother suggested that I use gmail. So, I thought I might as well try this out too.
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