February 28, 2010

now you're a button...

good morning blog loves
::
in case you're wondering
i moved all of you to your own page
well
actually
to your own blog
::
i had an extra blog that I wasn't using
and
i wanted a big back yard
where all of you could play and jump and skip and throw snow balls
so i moved you
::
i had a number of options in the "moving" category
but
i really like seeing the titles of your newest blog posts
{so i don't miss anything}
and
this seemed the best way to go
::
i'm still doing a bit of organizing and cleaning
and
there's still a few blogs that haven't been added
~as many of you got lost in the shuffle~
but
i'm really really close
::
so
there you have it
you're all now a button
::
but
not just any button
~like an old one with strings and just barely hanging on~
nope
you
all are a fabulous button
on my side bar
where i visit you with a cup of tea in my hand and a smile on my face
everyday
*


February 26, 2010

sometimes....

sometimes
it's my heart that feels all crumpled up like this
and
sometimes
it's just my thoughts
::
every now and then
it's my dreams about the future that feel all bent out of shape
so i wait patiently for a sign
to help straighten them out
::
some days
my words
that sound so wonderful in my head
come out crumpled up and in the wrong place and don't make any sense
and
while spilling all over the place
get walked on and really messed up
yet
they still belong to me
so it's my mess to clean up
::
and
sometimes
it's my ideas that keep me awake all night
that make me feel all mangled up in the morning
so
i try to write them all down
but
ideas
that are bright and beautiful and wonderful
while laying in the safety of my bed
never
seem to be the same
when morning is staring at me
with questioning eyes
and
my empty notebook is resting in my hands
::
here's to a weekend without any crumpled anything
*

February 24, 2010

oh, winter winter winter...

it's still winter
::
the snow was falling again last night
and
it's cold
but
i don't fight it anymore
::
is there any chance i have actually gotten used to winter
and
the cold
and
the snow
?
well now that's just crazy talk
~~
can you see the bird house in this photo
?
can you tell that unless i go on vacation or spring comes early
that my writing here is getting a bit stagnant
?
can you tell that being cooped all winter starts to make you a bit crazy
?

February 23, 2010

oh sugar...you are a little shit !

it was the middle of the night and I was all alone. the pain was excruciating. worse than a migraine or maybe the same, but just different. i got up and walked around, went to the bathroom, let the dog out and climbed back into bed.
~~
i know it was the sugar
or lack of.
~~
today i will have a little bit of sugar
because going cold turkey
sucks
~~
thank you
all of you
for your support while i change my way of eating and for the book suggestions and the reminder to take it slow and everything in moderation and while many of you said you couldn't change
what you eat or drink
i thought that too
but sometimes you have to show yourself who's boss
~
last night proved to me that sugar has been my boss
and
i'm ready to work for someone else
~
and
the photo above
well that's my coffee table or what i refer to as my evening desk while i sit and watch the
olympics
and
those mentos
have been the hardest thing to give up
and
if i smell them on your breath
be forewarned
i will knock you to the ground and lick your tongue
*

February 22, 2010

warning...I could be a bit cranky this week

are you a vegan
or
a vegetarian
?
~~
i'm not
not even close
but
i might be someday
~~
have you seen the movie
food, inc.
~where you will never look at a cow or a chicken the way do now~
?
or
have you picked up the book
~the kind diet~
by
alicia silverstone
?
well together
those two things are going to change my life
well
maybe not my life
but
they're at least going to change what i put in my body
~~
i'm on day two of no processed sugar
~all that stuff that ends in "ose"
which will possibly make me cranky and jittery and forgetful and headachey
and
so far
I am not the raging lunatic i thought i might be
~~
new groceries in my pantry are foreign to me
brown rice syrup
~surprisingly good in my hot tea~
brown rice vinegar
brown rice
~a great substitute for the pasta in my dinner last night~
lots of organic
everything
including peanut butter which was pretty tasty this morning on my whole grain bread
~~
i have
vanilla flavored rice milk
~who knew there was even such a thing~
in my fridge
which was delicious on my organic cinnamon cereal
and
now i can't wait to try the pure almond milk calling my name
~~
and
lunch today
will be miso soup
~whatever that is~
with some edamame and rice crackers
~~
so in a few days from now i might be pulling my hair out and stomping my feet
while my body screams for a kit kat bar
and
a handful of m&m's and a golden oreo cookie
~part of my old diet~
or
i might just be feeling so great
that
i'll be dancing around the house wondering what took me so long
to be good to myself
~~
i'll be sure to let you know
*


February 21, 2010

I'll admit it...

when
the winter blues
start attacking my soul
and
vitamin D
isn't enough
it's animal therapy
at the zoo
that makes me feel whole again
the mating calls and smiles from the harbor seals
the blinding colors and humidity in the rain forest
the silence surrounding the chimpanzees and orangutans while they sit and watch me
the pacing of the tiger
the rhythmic horn rubbing from the rhinoceros
even
the unfamiliar smells

all of it
fills me up
and
makes me feel like a little girl
who was just told she can have dessert without eating her broccoli first
~~
seriously
the feeling is that good
::

February 20, 2010

yes, you can...


i believe we have the ability to
be everything
and
do anything
~~
and
if there is any doubt in your mind
and
you just might be swayed
::
thanks mom for sending this to me

February 19, 2010

blame it on the sun...


i went to the zoo yesterday
and
smiled
a lot
~~

February 18, 2010

really spring....you can show up early and you don't even have to rsvp

things are looking up
~~
if you haven't been to tj maxx lately
go
~~
they've gotten in a new selection for spring that has that
"anthropologie"
look
for a fraction of the price
and
it's really quite yummy
~~
with my closet cleaned out and new clothes waving at me
i think i'm going to survive these next four weeks
of winter
without any complaining
~~
well
maybe
just not as much complaining
*

February 16, 2010

page 102 in the dictionary...


somedays
I have so many words
that if I shared all of them with you
you'd run out of the room
far away from your computer screen
holding your head
pulling your hair
screaming
"what is that lady trying to do to me"
~~
other days
I have none
~
no words
~
nada
~
nothing
~
and
today is one of those days
~~
okay
wait
I do have one word
~
a really long word
but
if it's not in the dictionary
is it really a word
~~
oh that's right
it is in the dictionary published
in the antarctic and alaska
and
wisconsin
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
*




February 15, 2010

but wait~I'm not done...

I know
we can celebrate hearts and love
anytime of the year
and
most of us do
but
I wanted to squeeze in one last valentine photo
before
everything turns pastel
and
bunnies take over the world
::
when I was out shoveling a few weeks ago
the snow had turned hard and wicked
and
my muscles ached just looking at it
but
see what kept me motivated
?
little heart chunks
were everywhere
and
even though I was cold and my shoulders hurt
my spirit
was jumping around like a three year old
::
so to all of you
my blog loves
who inspire me more than you'll ever know
and
fill my heart everyday with love
I give to you
a
sun filled
dancing in a field of wild flowers
walking hand in hand while talking about life
sleeping under the stars
chunk
of
my
heart
*


February 12, 2010

it was her little secret...

he knew she wore her heart on her sleeve
::
but
what he didn't know
was that she had a tiny garden out back
filled with extra hearts
for those days when one just wasn't enough
::

February 11, 2010

she was silly that way...

it was at this time of year
that she decided professing her love for him from the rooftops
just wasn't enough anymore
::
so when he wasn't looking
she climbed to the top of the windmill
and
lodged
a piece of her heart
there
::

February 10, 2010

wearing sunglasses indoors...

this past week
in my little world
mother nature has been unenthusiastic
~~
i know her box of crayons is large enough to sink a cruise ship
but
she's been favoring just the grey and white shades lately
~~
the funny thing is
i hadn't really been paying that much attention to it
until
i took photos of my tulips
~~
now granted
these are
the tulips
that waved at me while i was shopping at whole foods
the tulips
that danced like children in a splash pool
once i got them home and settled in a vase
the tulips
that made me smile just by sitting at the edge of my kitchen sink
but
they are also the tulips
that made me want to put my sunglasses on
when i looked at them
on my computer screen

maybe it's just because
i love old and vintage and faded
~
maybe it's because
my world has been so grey and colorless
but
seriously
my eyes actually hurt when i looked at their photos
~~
so in order not to blind any of you
i played with the photos
and
ended up loving them even more than I did
when they were all dancing around in their bright pink tutus
~
now granted
if you live somewhere
where all the crayons that mother nature uses
have been scattered out all over the floor
making you step over them on a regular basis
i'm sure
the tulip brightness
won't bother you
but
if you're like me
i'm guessing the toned down versions might be a bit more soothing to your
winter soul
today

and
as if mother nature somehow knew i was talking about her
she just started coloring outside the lines
a tiny bit
adding a few shades of
blue and yellow
to the world i see
outside my office window
*

February 9, 2010

today, I'm a mommy blogger...

I didn't go to college
~gasp~
~~
even while I was in high school
all I ever wanted to do was be a mom
~
so when my counselor mentioned dental assisting
I heard
"only a year of schooling"
and
I was hooked
~~
I went
I conquered
I specialized in orthodontics
I worked
and
then I became a mom
~at 23 and again at 27~
who stayed home
~
granted
throughout the years
I worked a little bit
a day or two
here and there
as
a pediatric receptionist for my daughter's doctor
~having an on call doctor who is your boss is a huge perk~
a freelance interior designer
~did you know black is a neutral~
a dental receptionist
~because the office was right down the road and of course I was trained~
a cashier at old navy
~for the discount of course~
and
then fell in love
with children in foster care
for three whole years
while
volunteering as a casa
which
left my heart forever unbalanced
since I left little bits of it behind
with all of the children I worked with
~
but
my real title all these years
has been
a
a stay at home mom
a
SAHM
~~
on another blog
this topic was brought up as she felt herself cringing when someone asked
"do you work"
and
she reluctantly replied
"no"
~~
there isn't one mom I know that doesn't work
~~
chances are
she worked hard to get pregnant in the first place
and
I know she worked hard for 9 months carrying what felt like a moving bowling ball
and
then even harder
delivering that bowling ball
or
bowling balls
and
when those kids
learned to walk
into everything head first
~
vomited on every clean blanket in the house in the middle of the night
~
ran at lightening speed toward traffic glowing like a neon sign saying "see me"
~
screamed loud enough to crack small windows
~
used a toilet {almost}
~
hid under a clothing rack in a department store
which caused your heart to stop more than once
~
went through puberty
testing how tightly your hair actually is attached to your head
~
drove
~
rode in cars with kids who looked suspiciously like members from kiss
~
dated
and
god only knows what else
SHE WAS WORKING
~~
full on
24 hours a day
~~
so to moms everywhere
if anyone asks
"do you work"
hope instead
they ask
"so, umm, and what do you do"
so
you can reply
"anything I want to"
because
really
you can do anything you want to
~~
if that surprise afternoon vomit
from your
"but she looked totally healthy"
child
doesn't get cleaned up until
after you've watched
the one episode of ellen you've been waiting for all week
who's going to know
or
if you want to walk right by
your toddler
~that has become one with the grocery store floor~
acting as if you don't know him
because
you said "no" to a box of hot tamales
and
now everyone within a mile radius has heard about it
and
those close by
are wide eyed while watching the gymnastic like temper tantrum
you can
and
if you hide the car keys from your 16 year old
and
pull off a full fledged
"I have no idea where you left them, I guess you'll have to stay home with us tonight"
straight faced
you get extra points
~~
so
moms everywhere
go now
and
do whatever you want to do
because
really
you can
::
and
for moms who work outside the house
especially full time
I bow to you
*



February 8, 2010

yes, laughter has a color...


~~~~~
inspired by the
who I found through relyn
who
always seems to love what I love
~thanks relyn~

February 6, 2010

he's home...

which means
::
my sky is bluer
my laughter is louder
my hand holding is tighter
my bed is warmer
my smile is wider
my eyes are brighter
and
most of all
it means
I have somebody to watch
the super bowl
with
::
but
he wants the colts to win
and
I think the saints are going to win
~actually I think ass kicking was how I phrased it maybe~
oh
and
I hate losing
::
happy weekend
everybody

February 5, 2010

do you know what today is.....

there's only one person missing here
and
she's busy turning 22
so
this is what we decided to do to make her laugh
and
show her how much we love her
because
we're a wild and crazy bunch
~not really but it sounds good and we can put on a fun show when we need to~
~
anyhow
~
obviously
someone else came up with the
human calendar idea
and
many of us have one somewhere on our blogs
{mine is on the very bottom}
so
in needing something different this year to celebrate
I thought I'd give it a try
~
I think the dog is a nice touch
don't you
*
happy happy birthday to you sweet child
who we adore more than you'll ever know
I hope
this year is overflowing with everything wonderful
*
and
for any of you wanting to try this
it works across the miles
~
since john is in colorado
he had to send his photo to me and then I did the rest here at home
but
you could do it with lots of family members and get really silly for pretty much any occasion

February 4, 2010

appearing a bit more serious than I really am....




{and like an idiot I forgot to mention that it's my dear friend kim who made the focus and kurva charms for me}

February 3, 2010

would you....

would you
build me a tree house
with funny crooked windows
to play in
~~
would you
help me look for fairy footprints
under the fallen leaves
~~
would you
come looking for me
if I wanted to play hide and seek
~~
would you
hold my secrets gently in your heart
if I whispered them in your ear
~~
would you
push me on the park swing
until my feet touch the sky
~~
would you
paddle the canoe
so I could just sit and watch the clouds go by
~~
would you
carry my sled to the top of the snowy hill
so
I could slide back down again
~~
you would
?
I would
too
*




February 2, 2010

I didn't know....

how much I love
pink
~~
not the color pink
but
the artist~the amazing performer~the singer
pink
~~
did you see her on the grammy's
sunday night
~~
did her performance make your breathing stop
or
even bring a tear to your eye
~~
it did me
~~
it was
stunning and brilliant and mesmerizing
~~
it really was
~~
I decided I wanted to share the words with you
first
because
they are beautiful and get lost a bit during the performance
~the video is below~
and
then please
to see her become an angel
and
promise me
~
please promise me
you'll watch the entire thing
?
seriously
it will blow you away
~~

February 1, 2010

I'll let you in...

maybe it's because you're new
and
fresh
and
that much closer to my beloved spring
~~
maybe it's because we celebrate my daughter's birthday
with you
~~
maybe it's because you're spelled funny
~~
maybe it's because
when you say
30 days has september
april june and november
all the rest have 31
except
february
which has 28
I love that you are brave enough to stand all alone
~~
well
whatever the case
~short brave spelled funny~
february
I'm opening the door to my heart
and
letting you in
~~
and
even though january didn't do much for me
as far as starting my new year off in a way that I'll remember
or
even the way I had pictured in my head
~a full out sprint with wind in my hair where my side hurts and I bend over to catch my breath and then pick up speed again because it feels so good~
I'm hoping you will
~~
but
no pressure
february
~~
really
~~
no pressure
~~
well
at least until I get a new pair of running shoes
~~
deal
?