Growing Older

I complain about gray hair, wrinkles & losing my fight with gravity, but the truth is, each day I find myself on this side of the dirt, it is a good day!
I laughed out loud MANY times today. Thank you Maddy, Jack & Abbey. You fill me with joy and awe that I get to be your grandmother. It is a gift of which I am probably not worthy.

Smile

A beautiful boy and his warm chocolate chip cookie. How can you not smile at this? He makes me laugh every day. It is in the small, simple moments of life that we often realize these moments are actually the only ones that matter.
Happy Monday, all!

Shake It Up?

You would have to be living in a cave not to know we are in the mist of an election year. The mud slinging is fast and furious and coming from all sides. This blog does not venture into politics as a topic, but I had to say something about all the talk this week regarding Romney's staffer who said his campaign was like an Etch A Sketch...."just shake it up and start all over again".
Now, I for one, LOVED my Etch A Sketch as a kid. It was back in the dark ages before computers, hand held games, "Draw Something" on your phone or iPads. We drew my turning two knobs...by hand!!!! Drawing a circle was nearly impossible unless you were an expert Etch A Sketcher.
I am less interested in its drawing abilities and more interested in the notion of "shaking it up and starting all over". It made be pause and wonder how many of us would like a chance or two in our own lives to simply "shake it up and start over". If it were that simple, what would you change? Would you change anything? If we allow ourselves to fantasize, for a moment, that we could easily erase some things in our past, would we dare do it? Maybe you look back on decisions about jobs we did or didn't take, risks we did or didn't take, mates we did or didn't take. Would these decisions have made a difference on where we are today? Would we be any happier or more successful?
For most of us, myself included, once we make a decision, we somehow make the best of it and live with it. We do our best to move forward, grow as a person, use our situations in life to learn more. It can be a painful process, but second guessing our decisions later on down the road doesn't have much value. It usually just causes us undue agony and worry. Of course we all could have taken another path, made another choice, ended up somewhere else. No matter the decision, our own skin follows us in all our choices. We have to love ourselves enough that the decisions we make feel okay regardless of the outcome. We have to love ourselves enough that we can stand up, dust ourselves off, and keep going. We have to love ourselves enough so we can truly love others.
Maybe we can't "shake it up and start over", but we can always be perfecting the picture that is our life.

Green Eyed Monster

Where did we come to identify envy with the color green, as in "the green eyed monster".
In the ancient Greek theory of medicine, which long governed medical treatment, it was believed that an imbalance of certain "humors" produced one's physical symptoms. Jealousy was considered to result in an excess of bile, which would give a pale-greenish cast to the skin. This idea remained popular for centuries, though it underwent some transformations. It famously appears in "Othello," when Iago refers to jealousy as a "green-eyed" monster.
I admit to being jealous of people on occasion throughout my life. It is a terrible feeling. There was a time, decades ago, when I told my husband that I would look at people driving convertibles and think they were happier than me. Of, course, in his ever constant logic, he said, "How can they be when they are being whipped around in the wind and their hair is getting all messed up?! If you think that, let's buy a convertible, but you won't like it!"
Well, we never did get the convertible. He was probably right. I don't like my hair messed up. Wouldn't it be nice if solving our jealousy was as easy as buying a convertible? I fear it is far more difficult to solve than a new set of wheels.
Longing for things...more money, more time, a better job, kids who listen, a vacation, etc is probably not the root of the problem. The real issue is a longing in ourselves for a fulfillment that we suppose these things will be. Rarely does it and, only for a short time, in most cases. Like most things of value, they come from within and not from others.
It has been said that if everyone tossed their problems in one big pile, we would end up choosing our own problems over those others. If this is true, being jealous or envious of anyone is a complete waste of time. Stop being jealous of others. Jealousy is the art of counting someone else's blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?” I bet each of us can all put a few things on that list!

Stand By Me

"It’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends."
When your life is smooth sailing, anybody can ride along in your boat. It's easy and fun and lighthearted. Unfortunately, much of life cannot be described in these terms. More often that not, we have challenges, worries and troubles that eat away at our attempt at joy. Instead of smooth sailing, we have some turbulent waters that sometimes feel like our boat may capsize. Who hangs with us during these times?? I bet you can count these people on one hand, but count them you should, because they are the only ones that really matter. I can steer the boat by myself when the waters are calm. It's when the storm threatens my safety that I need a crew.
Who's on your crew?

Grapevine Magic

Recently, in a catalog, I found a really cute front door decoration. It got my creative juices flowing. The important component, that I didn't have, was grapevines. Luckily, I have a friend with access to loads of grapevines and she generously offered to pass some my way. I guess I wasn't sure exactly what I would be picking up. When my husband and I stopped to pick them up in my car, they proved much larger than expected and would not fit. My husband rolled his eyes! My friend's husband just laughed. The next day, my husband picked up the grapevines in his truck.

I immediately ran the tub with HOT water and dropped some into it. I read online that this is the best was to make them pliable. After several hours in the hot water, I was able to bend the grapevines into this shape ~ exactly what I wanted. I used light gauge wire to keep them together and in place.
I added some silk flowers that I bought from Michaels (40% off coupon, of course!!!).
Adding some wired ribbon and a pastel egg were the finishing touches. It looks awesome hanging on the front door. When I get complements on it, I can proudly say, "I made it!"
HAPPY SPRING!!

Small But Mighty!

When Abbey and I spend time together, she always has A LOT to say! This kid remembers everything so you have to be careful what you say and do around her, even in passing. She will likely bring it up to you months later...in detail!!!
Things she said to me this week:
"I am going to live right by coffee so I don't have to drive so far to get it."
"Mommy skips the red lights sometimes."
"Jack was being so inappropriate!"
"I can do this by myself. Don't help me."
She may be the littlest, but she is a force to be reckoned with to be sure. Smart and sassy may be a challenge at four years old, but it will serve her well in adulthood. I can't imagine anyone talking her into anything she doesn't want to do. She has a clear idea of right and wrong and on which side she stands. She rarely wavers. Some adults could take a lesson!