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!

Sleep & Laugh

Sometimes we look for complicated answers for simple problems. For me, if I have gone too many days without finding something about which to laugh out loud or my sleep has been lousy for several nights, I let all the little things get to me. Women, especially, can often say, "I could just start crying and I'm not sure why." It is an awful feeling and fighting back tears takes a ton of energy in the day.
Remembering that laughing and sleeping are two answers to many of life's struggles, helps.
Choose one!

My Weekend

My weekend consisted of: dinner out (Peppino's great Italian), watching Jack's t-ball game, running five miles, taking the kids to see The Lorax, out for lunch, baking something yummy, a homemade lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, Facebook, Pinterest, MANY walks with the dog, picking up dog poop in a tiny baggie, a bottle of better than average wine, a few craft projects that I love, talking with friends on the phone, wondering if I can accomplish everything that is on my list for the week, arguing politics with my husband, reading a great motivational running book, getting a Starbucks reward postcard in the mail, playing Words with Friends, and more things that I can't remember due to age!
Here's the thing....my life is SO boring! It is nothing exciting, or interesting, or exotic....it is my life and it suits me just fine. As my husband loves to remind me...people would kill to have your life. HA!! Only boring people, I think!!

St. Pat's Treats

I love the combination of salty and sweet and when I saw this snack idea, I knew it was one I had to try, especially because it was themed for St. Patrick's Day and I am sucker for themes! It begins with small pretzels. I like the look of these square ones, plus they are flatter than the small twisted ones. I recommend splurging on this size. Place the pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. Do not use wax paper for this! It is going in the oven. If you don't have parchment paper, foil would also work.
Next, you place one candy melt on each pretzel. Keeping with my theme, I used milk chocolate, white and green melts. Wilton makes good melts that I use in all my candy classes. You can find them at Michaels (with a 40% coupon, of course!!) This is placed into a 350 degree oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not get sidetracked!! It goes fast and you need to keep an eye on it. You are not melting the chocolate, you are only softening it. Big difference. I did these for just a little over a minute, and, looking back, I think I should have let them go another 30 seconds. I was just so shocked at how fast they began to melt, I didn't want to have a mess on my hands and waste everything. Just keep an eye on them.

I bought a big bag of plain M & Ms as I only wanted to use green and a little bit of yellow ones. Have these separated and ready to go the minute you remove the cookie sheet from the oven. You need to work fast and having a helper would come in handy at this point. I did it myself and, by the end, they had begun to harden back up already. You are going to gently push the M & M into each candy melt so it sticks.
Here's what they looked like when I had finished all of them. Some are a little off center, but I think they will taste just as good as the perfect looking ones!

A close up of the finished tray.

They really look adorable in my shamrock tray. this would make a darling little treat for kids to take to school for their teacher on St. Patrick's Day. Bagging a small amount and tying it with a bow would be a cute treat for friends, neighbors or coworkers.
It is fun to celebrate everything in life and even better to share it with others.

Who?? Me?!?!

Something terrible happened today. I was dashing into Petco to buy dog food and they had a big sign out front advertising an upcoming photo shoot where you can bring your pet and have photos taken. I stopped, read the entire sign and thought, that's not a bad price at all. When is the date and do I have anything on my calendar? Will she need to be groomed right before the photos? I pondered who would get the 5 x 7s over the wallet sizes!!
What has become of me?? I just considered having professional photos taken of a dog!!! I can't even believe I am owning up to any of these thoughts because two months ago, I didn't even have a dog! Dogs were a nuisance and smelly. Today, the dog who resides in my house is my constant companion. She makes me laugh every day. I sometimes reorganize my errands so she can ride in the car with me. I walk her two or three times every day, rain or shine.
"Hi, my name is Susan and I'm a DOG PERSON!!!"

32 - 35

I just finished reading an article that talked about at what age a woman feels the best about herself and her body. In the story, the author stated that she felt, for most women, it was the years from 32 to 35. You are past your youthful angst and still far enough away from severe wrinkles and body breakdown. I totally agree. Looking back to when I was in my early thirties, I did feel pretty good about myself. I wore stylish clothes ~ oh my gosh, I had this yellow and black dress that was just fabulous! To top it off, I had a chunky necklace and earrings in black and yellow and beautiful four inch heels that were also black and yellow. I made a statement when I entered the room! Years later, when my daughter came across this ensemble, she was completely aghast that I would wear such a thing!
I didn't have a speck of cellulite anywhere on my body. I was not skinny, but on the trim side. I rarely exercised and never dieted. My skin looked pretty good and, often, I forgot to wear foundation. Today, I wouldn't walk out to the mailbox without foundation for fear a neighbor might see me! My hair was a lovely shade of red and it didn't need to be touched up every four weeks to hide the gray. There was no gray! Alas, I did not appreciate these years enough, just as my husband predicted.
Today, the hard truth of age is with me daily. I think my pillow causes wrinkles because many mornings when I get up, there are new ones on my face! I have become obsessed with women's necks and how wrinkly they are. I can't stop staring and wonder if they are staring at mine. No matter how many miles I run each week, gravity is still winning and things are slowly moving south. I feel sad to think there is little I can do to stop this. Oh, sure, I could get plastic surgery and wear that "surprised" look all the time. My husband is totally opposed and would never forgive me. I am a chicken anyways and just wouldn't do it. Right for some, not for me.
The best I hear these days is, "You look good for your age." What does that mean?! What is my age supposed to look like? I often lie about my age. I add years. Then they really think I look good "for my age".
I hesitate when buying clothes and ask myself if it's age appropriate. There's nothing worse that wearing too youthful clothes, unless it's finally giving up and wearing only elastic wasted pants!! Where is the happy medium? Style at any age? Magazine love to write about the topic, but when I gaze at the photos that accompany the article, I can't see any wrinkly necks!
I don't wish for the life of 35 to come again, just the body. I promise I will be much more appreciative of it this time around!
Does anyone know where I can get some yellow and black shoes?