April 26, 2008

it seems like it should be so easy.......


I'm still learning and
also appreciating
that
~~~~~
the laundry will always get done

my kids will never be any younger than they are today

getting nothing done can actually be a form of exercise

a great friend gives more than she takes

husbands need to be reminded how important they are

very few people will actually notice if I have make-up on or not
{even though I feel like I need to wear some everyday}

giving every now and then to the needy is not often enough

ignoring my family for a great TV show is bad

more people read my blog
than the number of comments that are left

cheese and crackers can be a meal

I will never look good in reading glasses

not finding clothes to fit will not be the end of the world

tennis shoes will never look sexy but will always feel good

that my heart will always be the strongest muscle in my body

that my years as a CASA were life changing

being friends with your kids comes after parenting them
~~~~~
I'm not too old to take a hip-hop body jam dance class
with my daughter

vintage and old are two very different things

finding your soul mate only happens once in a lifetime

fresh air can act as a sleeping aid

my grandma ruby lived her life as a guardian angel in disguise

I used to be a good runner

my dreams are getting more vivid
~~~~~
my childhood memories are too few

I'll never be able to tan like I used to

I think I could have been a great nurse

I could eat pizza every day

polka dots always look cool

geography just isn't something I'll ever be good at

you can never take too many pictures of your kids

words can really hurt
~~~~~
you can't have too many books

pap smears are necessary
but that will never make me enjoy them

a day without laughing is bad
~~~~~
we are who we are
and we have to guard that with everything we have



April 24, 2008

and since I love shoes, add your feet

Obviously today was not a day for bare piggies !!!
{oh yeah, this post goes with the one below it}

who are you really ?

{this is crazy, 3 posts with today's date}
Okay, here goes.
This is me.
Or as least, half of me.
Have you ever noticed that most of the blogs
we read
are "faceless" {gasp!}
In my mind I conjure up what I think everyone looks like,
the same way I do with characters in the books I read
and every now and then
there will be a post on someone's blog
where we finally get to see what they look like,
and then I'm like, "no, that's not you....
you have blonde hair, not brown
and you can't be that tall."
~~~~~
Do you ever do the same thing ?
~~~~~
Well, Toni has started a revolution
as far as I'm concerned.
She posted LOTS of pictures....of herself....
on her blog...
and I think she's amazing for doing so !!
~~~~~
So come on people....
let us see who you are !!
Show yourself off.
Smile for the camera !!
{and if I'm really brave, I'll post more pictures of myself tomorrow or the next day or the next....I'm just not photogenic AT ALL and I really hate pictures of me....so this takes alot of my inner strength....so if I can do it, can you do it ??}

Just a day, just an ordinary day


a day where I showered
immediately after I woke up
~~~~~
a day where I picked out
my favorite outfit to wear to sculpting class
~~~~~
a day where I pushed
myself to use the 10 lb weights
and still didn't sweat
~~~~~
a day where with a quick stop at the grocery store
I made a perfect salad from the salad bar
that was mostly garbanzo beans and hard boiled eggs
~~~~~
a day where I opened all the windows
to let the air swish around
~~~~~
a day where I made dinner, in the late morning,
for us and some neighbors
~~~~~
a day where I still couldn't touch raw hamburger
with my bare hands
~~~~~
a day where my kitchen had so many dishes to wash
but with the sun shining, it didn't matter
~~~~~
a day where I put my bird wings
in Borax to preserve them
~~~~~
a day where it was too beautiful to stay inside
any longer
~~~~~
a day where I had to run to the vet's office
for a new summer dose
of preventative flea/tick medication
~~~~~
a day where I took Sophie
to the neighborhood dog park
and we took our time
walking and seeing
~~~~~
a day where I savored every bite
of my salad bar salad
drenched in blue cheese dressing
~~~~~
a day when the weather forces you to
wear bare toes with your jeans
~~~~~
a day where I sat outside reading
my book in the afternoon sun,
while the barn swallows let me know
they didn't like me
~~~~~
a day where I listened to music
instead of the televison
~~~~~
a day where the kids made me laugh
with their adult sense of humor
~~~~~
a day where I delivered dinner
to our neighbors
and they were thankful
~~~~~
a day where my hubby
told me I was cute
and then he nibbled on my ear
~~~~~
a day where our dinner tasted
extra yummy and seconds were needed
~~~~~
a day where I was exhausted
by 8pm
~~~~~
a day....an ordinary day
and for that
I'm so very thankful
{this was inspired by mccabe.....
who always inspires me with her writing, photos and kindness}

April 21, 2008

There's worse things I could have done


It's not what it looks like....
okay, maybe it is,
but it's not really my fault.
Well, maybe a little.
I mean he was already dead.
I found him on the side of the road.
~~~~~
After having taken a class with LK Ludwig
at the fabulous Valley Ridge last year
and seeing the gorgeous pages she made using bird wings....
well, I decided I needed birdwings, too.
And so my search started.
~~~~~
The bad thing is that most dead birds are flat
and smooshed when you find them....
totally useless for any kind of art project.
~~~~~
So imagine how thrilled I was when I came across
a dead bird
in perfect condition.
Well, not totally perfect,
as he was dead.
But he was perfect for me.
~~~~~
I was on my way to the cottage
when I found him.
I rounded a corner and there he was.
Now stop scrunching up your face thinking that I'm a freak....
only my family is allowed to think such things about me !!!!
~~~~~
So I picked up the dead bird...
yes, with my bare hands
and threw him in the back of my SUV
{and like I knew this could actually happen someday,
I actually had a garbage bag to put him in}
and happily drove to the cottage,
with a big smile on my face,
so anxious to show my hubby the present I had to share with him.
~~~~~
"Buff.....you're a freak," he said,
as I pulled the dead
red-headed woodpecker out of the garbage bag...
And then just like I knew he would,
he held the bird for me
while I clipped his wings off with a pair of scissors.
~~~~~
And then my sister called
and I told her the bird story
and she called me a freak.
And when I came back home from the cottage,
I showed the kids and told them the story
and they called me a freak
and then laughed alot !!!
~~~~~
And sometimes isn't that what life is all about ?
Having your family call you a freak,
while knowing
that deep down inside
they wouldn't trade you for a million bucks !!!!



April 20, 2008

you can find me today reading in my adirondack chair


Where Peace Lives
Leo Daily Horoscope
Your spirit may be awash in feelings of comfort and tranquility today. You are likely in a peaceful mood because the winter that just about you in a mental hospital is gone and it's going to be 75 degrees today... and drawn to the many pleasures your cottage and family have to offer.

You may find yourself driven to gather your loved ones for a day of relaxing activities. Or, you may wish to interrupt your routine {routine ?} by reading a book, {and it's a good one right now....Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Piccoult} writing in your journal, or cooking something special....well, let's not go too far !! Today may be best spent doing what makes you happy and peaceful.
It is the serenity of your cottage and the proximity of your loved ones that will sustain your pleasant mood. Little needs to come between you and your peaceful quiet. When you enjoy the comforts of your cottage today, you can tap into your inner peace....or as I like to call it, "bringing sanity back !"

April 17, 2008

different can be normal

I spent four hours yesterday sitting with a friend, just listening.
~~~~~
He had somewhat disappeared over the past three months
and I had been worried about him.
I found out today that he had gone through a rough time,
having suffered a personal loss,
greater than something most of us would have been able to handle.
But he was full of stories and laughter
and had a sparkle in his eyes.
The sparkle wasn't quite as brilliant as I remember it being,
but none the less, it was still there.
~~~~~
He's the type of person who takes risks that would scare most of us,
giving more than he takes,
yet he never seems to look back with any regret....
only forward, asking for more,
with a "bring it on" attitude
and no matter how things turn out,
he chalks everything up to "life experience"
~~~~~
Personally, this is the kind of attitude that scares the crap out of me,
but yet I appreciate it in him.
I play it safe.
I plan.
I don't "fly by the seat of my pants"
I'm cautious.
I take baby steps, never giant leaps.
I'm pragmatic.
I'm not a risk taker
~~~~~
But today,
while talking to my friend,
I thought to myself....
~self, you need to throw caution to the wind
and take some chances
every now and then~
~jump in with your eyes closed~
~take the other road and see where it takes you~
and then I came to my senses,
because I know that that's just not who I am
and that's okay
~~~~~
And then I realized that's why I have this friend....
~because we are different~
~~~~~
so once again, I was reminded
that as humans,
we tend to forget that it's our differences
that make us ALL normal.....
and sometimes we all need that little reminder.
~~~~~
So I ask you today.....what makes you normal ??




April 15, 2008

hear what you say

Didn't you all grow up feeling really special
when your mom or dad would utter...
sweetly under their breath
or as a whisper in your ear...
sometimes even with a roll of their eyes
because they had given up a bit
the best
three words
a child could ever hear ?
~No~
not "I love you"
although that's nice, too
but sometimes used too often
~~~~~
What I'm talking about is even better
and as a parent myself
I remember when my kids were little
and I would take their hand in mine
and I could see
the light in their big eyes looking up at me~
and feel
the softness in their souls~
and I would melt
in the tiny upward curve of their lips~
when I would quietly say those three words
"just this once"
~~~~~
and it was like we had just shared something magical
because as a child
"no"
is so often heard
but if it is replaced by
"just this once"
then you have just
said something
that someone
will remember
forever

April 13, 2008

follow my steps carefully and at your own risk.....



Step 1.
Start with a very handsome man who goes along with any wild idea that you might have
and is really good with paint and measurements
Step 2.
After handsome man has painted your wild idea,
stand back and watch
Step 3.
Let handsome man know that one letter from wild idea
is slightly off and has to be moved
Step 4.
Give a big hug to handsome man for a fabulous job that couldn't have
been done without him
~~~~~
{and promise him hot sex for later that evening
knowing that this will secure all future
wild ideas to also be completed}


April 10, 2008

The last lecture.....


I'm hoping all of you have had the chance to see
"the last lecture"
Randy Pausch is an amazing man
and has taught thousands of people how to live,
even though he is dying.
So after many tears last night watching him on TV,
and puffy eyes this morning as a result,
this is what I found in my in-box.....
~~~~~
Today you are You, that is truer than true
There is no one alive
who is Youer than You
dr. seuss
{makes you think, huh ?}

April 8, 2008

I want to create and breathe the air in my studio...

but
my mind is not being very cooperative~
it's in a creative funk
somebody throw me a life line
and pull me out...
~~~~~
I don't like feeling this way.
Is it the weather?
spring is here, somewhere
it's hiding again today behind the clouds.
~~~~~
I need to feel the sun
on my face
which acts likes a battery
to rev up the rest of my body.
~~~~~
So instead of creating
I'm reading a great book
and drinking tea.
Which really isn't anything to complain about is it ?

April 5, 2008

color me happy.......

it was 64 degrees here today,
and this is how it made me feel inside !

April 2, 2008

You can count on me to...............

always be on time
carry the conversation
give you my opinion
be honest
act silly
listen
dance around the room when I hear a great song
eat junk food
be home on a Friday night
feel itchy when it's buggy outside
screw up when I'm telling a joke
lose my patience in traffic
ohh and ahh over a newborn anything
become distracted if I'm bored
wear Uggs all winter
and
cry easily
{which I just did when Ramielle got sent home from American Idol. Not that I thought she had a chance of winning, but she was so cute and sweet....actually, I was already crying before she lost because of the video clip they showed of the little girl looking for her sister on the dirty and crowded streets of Ethiopia}
You can count on me to.......
pledge money on the "American Idol gives back" show
next week
on April 9th...
because I did last year
and it felt great !