Easy Laughs

Yesterday during lunch, Abigail said to me, "Look, Grammie, googly eyes!" She had taken her quesadilla and bitten a couple of holes in it. Yes, she was right, it did look like googly eyes! We both started laughing and I realized how lucky I was to be having a Del Taco lunch with my granddaughter. Her personality is developing more and more each day and she loves to tease and make me laugh as much as I do her. No earth shaking message in this blog, just a reminder to not get so busy that you miss the googly eyes in your life.

Questions

There was an article in the paper this morning that said people think they are trying to better their lives, but, in fact, are not asking themselves the right questions in the right way to actually better their situation. For example, most people would say, "Why can't I find a job?" In this economy, this is heard frequently. It does nothing to change the situation. A better question would be, "What can I do to find a job?' This may seem like a small difference, but consider the fact the second question calls for action. This is a much tougher question because, once again, we must be responsible for our lives. Complaining and lamenting get us no further down the road. Taking action helps us put one foot in front of the other. Steps, even baby steps, move us ahead. What question have you been asking yourself lately that you need to rephrase? What are the new possibilities if you ask the right question and pursue the answer? Scary and exciting, all at the same time!

Modern Conveniences

Last night, while the outside temperature read 85 degrees at 7:30pm and both air conditioning units were working overtime, the power went out. In a split second, everything went dark and stopped ~ no lights, no TV, no internet, no a/c. I am sure it was my imagination (and menopause), but the house instantly became hot and unbearable! The air felt thick and oppressive. As I scurried around lighting candles to give off at least a little light in some rooms, it made me think about all the modern conveniences we take for granted. Most of us don't even realize how much we depend upon these things until they are not there. I walked into a couple of rooms and automatically flipped the light switch on even though I knew the power was out. Silly, but just a habit.
So, what could you or would you be willing to give up? What is something you can't live without among all these modern conveniences? I am not a big TV person, but reading by candlelight is a bit challenging so I guess I want electricity. Besides, have you seen my hair when I don't blow it dry?!?!

I Got You, Babe

The kids helped me put out Halloween decorations this morning. The one pictured is definitely one of their favorites. It moves, lights up and plays the 1967 Sonny & Cher song, "I Got You, Babe". They play it over and over and over again. I bought this the day after Amber and Sean got married because I thought it was so funny that they were a bride and groom, albeit a dead bride and groom! That means we have had it for seven years next week. Now the next generation is enjoying it. Even funnier than the decoration was listening to Jack, riding his bike outside singing to himself his own version of the song. It went something like this ~ "I got Pa to hold my hand. I got Pa to be the man. I got Pa babe!!" Yes, Pa is "the man" to all of them. Lucky him!

No Coincidence

"Your life is not a coincidence. It's a reflection of you!"
Whether we want to face it or not, we all have to own our own life. It is much easier to play the role of victim and blame others, but, truth is, we can only look inward to analyze who we are and where we are. If we are not happy, or think our job sucks or our relationship is less than satisfying, we have to own it. We have to face the fact that we make choices and those choices have a ripple affect in our life. This is not a negative message, but a positive one. We cannot be afraid or paralyzed by fear to make some changes to make our lives better. It only requires that we make a step in the direction we actually want to go, even if they are baby steps. Doing nothing ~ well, that gets you just that, nothing! Remember, indecision IS a decision.

Eye Love You

Eye don't know about you, but eye love the silly, junky fun stuff that comes along with Halloween. Abbey and eye went to the 99 cent store today and brought home $31 worth of junky fun! Eye laughed out loud when they all came up to me and said, "Grammie, look at us!" This picture was their idea, not mine!

Who says money can't buy happiness?!?! Eye say you can buy some for just 99 cents!!!

Holidays

"People are like holidays. Do others see you as Christmas , or more like Tax Day?"

Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn 2010 and, in my opinion, the beginning of the holiday season. I love the holidays. I love decorating, baking, gift giving. I love it all. The added layer of having grandchildren adds to every holiday. They delight in the decorations I put out for each occasion. Where we adults grow weary at the added work and expense, little people just see fun and excitement. The quote I started with gives me pause to consider my attitude and how people see me, not just at the holidays, but every day. My family would probably say I am more Tax Day than Christmas. I tend to be so busy getting things done, I often don't stop to just take it all in and enjoy it. Clients I have had in the past would probably say I am more Christmas than Tax Day. Same person ~ opposite perceptions of me. Both are accurate, no doubt. I guess the key is not to give away the very best of yourself during the day only to come home weary and empty and having nothing left to give to those that mean the most to you.

Guest House

This is the view from my windows of my house. We are currently in the process of building a guest house in the back yard. I am not good during projects. In fact, my husband says I am really a b**** whenever we do a remodel. He has the vision; I see the mess. He can picture the finished project; I see the mess. He knows how it will turn out and how perfect it will be; I see the mess. Well, you get the idea. This time, I have been pretty calm about everything. Even my husband will claim this to be true. Amber stopped by today and had not seen it for a week and she just about fell over! "How can you live with this mess?", she wanted to know. "Why have I not heard you complaining about this mess?" I am not sure how to answer those questions. I think I know how important this is to my husband. He feels it is necessary to have his mother nearby as she gets older and that is why we are building it. We have a half acre and plenty of room. He is a builder. He knows what looks right and he makes things beautiful. As opinionated as I am, I trust his judgement on things like this.

Now the double edged sword of this project is that, when it's completed, my mother-in-law will move into it. Most people cringe when I tell them the initial purpose of the guest house. Many say they could not or would not ever want to live that near to their mother-in-law. I am not sure I do either. We are not what I would call close. However, we have all discussed the need for boundaries and privacy. Adjustments and compromise will no doubt play a part for all of us. Frankly, I am watching several friends care for their aging parents right now and the late evenings helping them, the driving over to their house if a problem arises, etc takes its toll. We will be able to help my mother-in-law by simply opening up one of the sliding glass doors and walking outside. She can go on living on her own as long as she is able, confident that we are steps away if needed. It all sounds good in theory....stay tuned!

Costco

I am convinced that Costco puts something in the air ducts in their warehouses that causes you to spend at least $300 every time you enter. Why else would I find so much stuff in my cart that was not on my original list? Surely I can't be that easily swayed to pick up the set of three flameless, flickering candles that would look lovely on my mantle. Do I really need eighteen scrub sponges at one time? How long will it take to use that many? Will I feel so rich in sponges that I will prematurely toss out the old one, knowing there are plenty more under the sink?! My husband loves Costco, but we have a rule...he is NOT allowed to go alone! It is a dangerous and costly adventure. He contends that we are saving so much, how can you not pick up 12 cans of tuna? I contend that we probably only need two cans, why shell out extra dollars to save a few cents? It is an ongoing "discussion" between us. In the end, nobody wins....except Costco!!

Looking Ahead

Many studies have told us the value of a "be here now" way of living rather than pondering the past or worrying about the future. I am very guilty of being a person who is mostly looking ahead. I like to have something to look forward to, something on the calendar, some project I am working on that is not finished yet. Of course, as soon as that project or event is completed, it is replaced by something else!

Last night, Amber stopped by kind of late, out of the blue, with Jack and Maddy. Now, you may think I see them so often, almost every day, so what's the big deal? This is true, however, schedules this week caused me not to see my beautiful babies for two days. That is a rare occasion for me. At dinner, I had mentioned to my husband that I hadn't seen them in 2 days and here they were unexpectedly. They were as happy to see me as I was to see them.

Maddy lost her first tooth this week and was so proud to show off the hole in her mouth. Being close enough to share these "mini milestones" is a joy I can't explain. It is a subtle lesson in "be here now", because with kids, things change so rapidly, you've got to hang on for the ride. Being the grammie that I am, I fed them mini drum sticks laden with sugar and sent them on their way.

Confession

I am about to make a huge confession and perhaps an unpopular one. I have never liked Oprah! I can't stand the ridiculous power we grant to a TV personality. People let her tell them what they should like and what they should want. She has made a bazillion dollars leading people like sheep ~ and they have allowed her to do it! Why?! I have always refused to buy her magazine because, every month, year after year, she puts herself on every cover. Such ego!!! On the rare occasions I have caught a bit of her show, I find it amazing that she speaks with such clarity one minute and then, when it works, falls into a typical black woman speak. Instead of finding it insulting, people think it's so down home, cute and relatable. HA! She only relates to us the best she can as a woman with a huge bank account, multiple houses and the power and money to do as she pleases. Her generous give-aways are almost never given by her directly, but sponsors who foot the bill. She gets the praise while others pay. What a racket!
I say, find your heroes and people to admire in your own family, your own neighborhood, in your own life. They deserve our admiration, not Oprah!

Descriptions

How do you describe people? I was talking to someone over the weekend and she said, "You know, she's the kinda fat one with the frizzy hair." Now, frankly, her description was spot on, but I couldn't help but wince at the words. I, too, have described people in a less than flattering ways many times. I don't just mean their looks, but things like...she's the cat lady or she's the one who hovers over her kids or he's the guy who forgets to look you in the eye when he talks to you. We all have been known to describe people to others in ways such as this. I wonder how people describe me when I'm not around. Maybe I don't want to know!

What's Going On?

When people ask you, "What's been going on with you?", do you often think your answer sounds boring and humdrum? I mean, here's my latest rundown to answer that question. Let's see...I've been working on expanding my business base for my event business. I lay in bed at night thinking of ways to make it bigger and better and get more clients. Last night I went with my husband to get his haircut and then out for a bite to eat. This morning we went to the bank and got coffee before Maddy's first soccer game of the season. Afterwards, I went to look at sofas with Amber and then to the grocery store. I am in the middle of helping St. Paul's Church with their big fundraiser evening that's coming in two weeks. The fall craft show I am producing now has 35 vendors in it. We are building a guest house in our backyard so that Mark's mother can live in it. We have been meeting with plumbers, electricians and masons to get everything scheduled. I am taking a cooking class next weekend with a girlfriend.
What I would rather answer is...We just got back from Europe where we spent three weeks traveling about and seeing the sights. While we were away, our master bathroom was remodeled completely and is just as I imagined it would be. I have been asked to appear on the Today show next month to talk about easy, yet perfect party planning. Oh, and my darling husband FINALLY won the lottery he's been throwing money at for ten years.
A girl can dream, can't she?!?!

Are You Rusting?

While running yesterday, I was listening to my iPod and the Leon Russell song came on where he says, "It's better to burn out than to rust." It got me thinking about my life and how much I agree with him as a philosophy for living. I am best in high speed, energizer bunny mode. I don't like to be idle and rarely am; just ask my husband. He says I'm always doing something and usually it's three things at once! I am happiest when busy with a full calendar. I am not a good relaxer. It actually makes me twitchy and nervous if I am idle too long. If I was born into this current generation, would I have received a label ~ ADD, ADHD, or something else? Would this label have changed me and the course of my life? I prefer to look at it through Leon's words...I am living my life to be burned out and used up at the end rather than rusted from lack of use.

Blogging

This cartoon made me laugh. I guess many of us (me included) are under the idea that everyone is entitled to our opinion. Why else would blogs be so popular? What a crazy world we live in where we can sit down at a machine and blast out our innermost thoughts, personal photos, and any hair-brained idea that pops into our mind for the whole world to view. I know my daughter uses her blog as her virtual baby books for her kids. She makes amazing videos set to music that brings a tear to my eyes every time. The word "blog" was the #1 new word in 2004. What once didn't exist is now a common word used by everyone. Good or bad, it's here to stay.

My Fix

Books are my drug of choice. I spend my money on them regularly. I need them. I can't go too long without having another one. There is never enough. No matter how good the last one was, I want another and another. Sometimes they keep me up at night. Sometimes they put me to sleep. I am have been known to put off things that need doing just so I can be with them. Yes, books are my drug of choice!

Gratitude

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
Lately, I have been struggling with a lack of gratitude. I am seeing what is not there rather than what is. It is clouding my view of life and bogging me down. There is a disconnect between my head filled with all the daily concerns, strifes and challenges and my heart filled with love for my family, a drive and intelligence to do anything I choose to do and a life full of many blessings. It seems the good whispers and the bad shouts ~ why?!
Gratitude should always win out over grumpy. I will keep working at it.

Milestones

This blue eyed beauty started kindergarten today. Our oldest grand child is almost six years old. In the grand scheme of things, kinder isn't really a big deal and yet it sure feels that way today. It is still a right of passage, marking the continual movement of life. It moves forward whether you are a willing participant or one that gets drug along for the ride. Either way, it keeps moving; guess we may as well make the most of it.
I only pray that I will be a witness to her many accomplishments in the future.