Grammy Rules

Pulling Up Stakes...

2006-09-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged for a very long time. It's been a wild and crazy couple of months!

1st we traveled to the great North West to visit with Kathryn (of daringyoungmom) and her family. We worked hard and played hard and barely gave blogging a thought.

Then Heather (of onewomansworld) and her family and Adam (of notanotherblankblog) and his cute wife joined us there for our extended family reunion. And a good time was had by all!

We came home to discover that Clint (aka paparocks) had gotten the job transfer he had been hoping for. And thus began a whirlwind of frenzied activity.

We've done minor home repairs that never seemed like a high priority until now. I've cleaned like a crazed wild woman. (Every window, baseboard, light fixture, blind, closet and cupboard must GLEAM! Gleam, I tell you!) We have "showhome-itized" the whole joint. And filled the garage with the excess.

And it paid off --- BIG TIME! We listed this house on a Wednesday morning and had a signed contract for our full asking price that night.

We got on a plane the next morning and looked at houses all afternoon. We purchased beautiful new home the next day. I think it's my favorite house we've ever owned. We are now homeowners in Billings, Montana!

We are excited to be moving closer to our kids and grandkids and to Clint's family and to have a temple within a couple of miles of our home. But we are also sad to leave behind so many good friends and neighbors here in Houston. I will miss our ward and our active neighborhood and the tropical paradise that we've enjoyed in our own backyard. We never got into the swimming pool without one of us saying, "This is the best toy we ever bought!" And it's absolutely true. It has been wonderful!

At this moment, the packers are working away. First thing Saturday morning, we will be on the road to our new life. We will drive for 2 twelve hour days with the 85 pound lunatic dog in the backseat. (Actually, he has always been a sweetheart in the car, but we've never attempted a trip of this magnitude with him before. I've got a bottle of "doggie tranquilizers" in my purse - just in case.)

We get to spend a week in Utah with Heather & family, Megan (of nantiemeg) & Becky & Andrew and their puppy before heading north. So, I may not have access to a computer for a few weeks. But I'll be back. I promise. Don't forget about me. I miss you when you don't stop by.

2006-07-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's already Friday again and time to leave your random observations, deep thoughts and epiphanies. (For a re-cap of the rules, just scroll down to last week's "Friday Free-For-All" - since I haven't figured out how to make the links work yet.)

HERE'S MINE!

After a few weeks of playing in the swimming pool with the grandkids, I've decided that: "Brown fat looks better than white fat!" And isn't that lucky, since it takes so much less effort to tan than it does to diet and exercise?

The Best Advice I Was Ever Given

2006-07-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Lately, as I've been reading your "Mommy Blogs", I've been thinking about how busy we all seem to be. Sometimes it appears that there is no end to the work that we need to do, or the service that we must give. And I am reminded of the advice my dear Mother gave me one time when I was completely overwhelmed.

I was a junior in college (about to turn 21), when I was asked to accept a postition at church that was very itimidating to me. So, like any young girl would do, I called my Mom. What she said has inspired and sustained me many times over the years.

After a few words of encouragement and re-assurance that I could do what had been asked of me, she gave me this timeless advice:

"A woman is like a pitcher. She spends her life pouring into everyone else's glasses - her friends, husband, children, parents, brothers, sisters, work associates and so many others. But sooner or later, she will come up empty unless she has done one very simple and yet important thing. She must re-fill at the source of "Living Water".

It is only through our reliance on Jesus Christ that we are able to become re-filled and re-freshed. As we immerse ourselves in the scriptures and prayer, we recieve the strength and direction we need to be of service in the world."

So just a reminder to any of you who are feeling stressed and just a little bit empty. Take time for yourself. Read. Pray. Meditate. Do whatever it takes to re-new your spirits. It isn't selfish. It's what we need to carry on!
The Lord will bless you as you try.

2006-07-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new this morning. I've often thought that instead of a whole post, I'd like somewhere to post a sentence or two...A random observation, a deep truth I've discovered or a happy thought.

Well here it is!

Every Friday feel free to post your insights here.

Here's how to play:

In 50 words or less write somethig you'd like to share in my "comments" section.

If it's something you've done a whole post about, either give a link to that post or if it's your most current one just add (see today's post) after your comment & we'll pop on over to see what you have to say. Feel free to use my header (created by Daring Young Mom) at the top if you want.

Remember that this is a family blog so keep your comments G-rated.

For my Friday Free-For-All today, see the comments below:

My History with...

2006-07-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

In honor of the new Disney film (which I haven't seen yet) Here are 24 lessons I've learned about cars over the years:

1. If when you are driving in a torrential downpour, the road ahead of you floods out and the normally well-behaved 3 year old in the backseat starts screaming uncontrolably and will not be hushed; cut the kid some slack. She is not being a BRAT. She is genuinely TERRIFIED, believing that you are all going to drown!

2. Drive-in movies, with the whole family crammed in the car to watch Disney on the big screen on a summer evening were MAGIC!

3. When you are 8 years old and go car shopping with your best friend's family, if the car salesman gives beautiful stuffed "scottie dogs" to your friend and her sister - but not to you, you will feel as unwanted as "a red-headed stepchild".

4. Your new box of Crayolas will melt all over the back window shelf of your Dad's brand new Buick Wildcat in less time than it takes to tour Carlsbad Caverns. (That car will never really be new again.)

5. You and your 13 year old brother can ride all the way home from the New York World's Fair sitting on the back floor, while your sister-in-law lays on the back seat in labour. (This makes for a really exciting trip!)

6. 12 teens and 1 adult driver fit into a '68 classic mustang.

7. If you drive for the 1st time (at your brother's insistence) on rough roads through the piney woods, on the way home from your grandmother's funeral... If one brother is sitting in the front seat tensely asking, "Steer, can't you? Are you trying to hit every pothole in south Jersey?" while another brother in the back seat is firing off questions from the driver's ed manual and the 3rd is laughing hysterically at what a rotten driver you are.....
It will not be your very best performance.

8. If your boyfriend insists that he can do a better job of teaching you to drive than your brothers...and takes you out on the hilly country roads (the ones with all the stop signs) in his beloved standard to try.......that relationship is doomed!

9. It is possible to sleep and drive at the same time - although I don't recommend it! I know this because, one morning at around 5:30am on the way to seminary I was rudely awakened by a bunch of kids in the backseat yelling about how I'd just run a redlight, or some such nonsense. Thank Heaven for Guardian Angels!

10. It is important to know your equipment! If your brother lends you his classic Corvette (with the added bonus of having police license plates, so no officer would ever pick you up for speeding - Not that I would ever do that!) for a day at the shore with your girlfriend....you ought to know how to make the hidden headlights flip up. (The service station attendant will be no help whatsoever!)

11. When driving on back roads in the pouring rain at 5:30 in the morning and confronted with flashing lights take the fork to the left. In this instance, "choosing the right" will get your car mired up to it's axles in mud! Tow trucks will not respond until full sunlight.

12. Any time a date suggests driving down by the river or up the canyon "to see the view", he's not really all that interested in the scenery!

13. The one time you take your Dad's car without permission, you will have an accident. A very slight bump will crease the door of a car (that has been off the showroom floor for aproximtely 20 minutes) to the tune of $250 (in 1972).

14. An entire twin-sized college comforter can be quilted in the back seat of a Chevy between New Jersey and the BYU campus.

15. A blue 2-door Comet is a SWEET wedding gift!

16. If you total the family car, while your husband is out of town studying for his HUGE post-graduate final and his only concern is for you and the kids and how he can be supportive, you will know once again that THIS man is a KEEPER!

17. After an accident that you caused while making a left-hand turn (see #16) your husband may need to teach you one of driving's great lessons. "Honey, you can't drive clockwise forever."

18. When camping in ground-squirrel infested territory. Do Not leave granola bars in your glove case! Those little critters will climb up through your engine block and gnaw trhough the back of your glove case, leaving a royal mess behind. Rodents! EEEWWW!!

19. After the '88 Olympics in Calgary practically new rental vans could be picked up for a song!

20. When you are between houses (1st one sold, 2nd one wasn't finished being built yet) a family of 7 can live for a month in a Chevy Windstar with a pop-up camper.

21. A woman with a blanket can do a complete change of clothes in the front passenger seat without anyone seeing a thing.

22. A bad case of poison ivy and a 24 hour road trip are a really bad combination!

23. There are many interesting and creative ways to get comfortable in the car, while still wearing a seatbelt!

24. Driving anywhere with my Sweetheart still feels like a Date!

2006-07-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

We live in Houston where a good gardener can grow two complete gardens a year. I am not a good gardener. In the past my plants have alternated between suffering from neglect or over-watering - But not any more!

Papa has set me up!

I now have 5 raised beds, surrounded by gravel paths and equiped with automatic sprinklers that regulate the watering. They are back behind the garage where they are out of the way, but get plenty of sunlight all day. Note the chain link fence to keep the great galumpffing dog from digging in the mud.

Now all that's required is occasional weeding. That - I can handle!

The picture was taken this morning. Our spring garden is already finished (it being too hot for anything to thrive - including me!) So weeds have begun to take over the 1st 4 beds. Only the watermelons continue to grow - AND - Boy, do they ever! As you can see, they have overgrown their bed, the paths, the fence and have begun taking over the dog run. To tell you the truth, Caleb is terrified of "The Plant that Ate Milwaukee". (I had watermelon for breakfast and picked 2 more this morning.)

Since we have had the beds and sprinklers up and running, I am able to pass myself off as adequate. Due to a mild winter last year, our fall garden continued to produce until the end of January when we harvested about 40 lbs. of tomatoes. The right equipment makes all the difference!

There is good news and bad news...

2006-07-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

The good news is that we have a terrific family whom we love very much. The bad news is that we live very far away from them.

The good news is that they come for wonderful visits.
The bad news is that those visits are just too darn far apart and are always over much too soon.

It is hard to believe that it has already been 10 days since our little Bean Sprout and her entourage (Mommy & Alison) left us. I am just starting to get over it. Good-byes are always hard for me...as documented by this extremely unflattering red-nosed photograph:

But, oh we had fun when they were here!

We were able to introduce her to Charles, the large dancing rodent. Although she had never before visited Chuck E's place, she could feel the excitement of it almost as soon as we walked in the door. There was jumping and dancing, clapping and uninhibited romping -and that was just Papa!

As for the Bean, the smiles were priceless! This is the kind we got while we were just sitting at the table waiting for our pizza:

We visited the Houston Aquarium with all of it's killer attractions! Miss Bean LOVED the merry-go-round and didn't even freak out on the drop of doom. And of course the "sishies" were a big hit. The Gorgeous, BIG parrot - who sqwaked right in her ear was no one's idea of a good time! But the dancing fountains were pure joy to run through!

Mommy & I were nearly devoured by a ferocious white tiger!

We attended a family-friendly concert presented by the Houston Symphony and discovered that; no matter how classily it is packaged, "Old McDonald" is still "Old McDonald" and will make a 2 year old clap and dance and yell "WOW!" - to the delight of everyone in the vicinity!

We watched movies and read storybooks and visited the ice cream shop and the playground. We played in the pool (which the Beanmeister was crazy about) and played with the dog (which she was not).

We have a LARGE, hairy hound. Caleb is an over-sized and over-enthusiastic golden retriever. Beanie is a smallish, blonde, baby human. This can be a very scary combination (especially since Magoo has just been here and Caleb now views short people as the source all things edible). But it didn't take long for the Bean to recognize him for the gentle giant that he is. I knew we had arrived one afternoon when she was dancing wildly to her french celtic rap and called for him to be her dance partner.

"K-Woof, K-Woof, c'mere. Shake it! Shake it!"

I think life is just Grand when we can make new friends!

Visiting Firemen

2006-06-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

I am a long distance Grammy. This is not by choice. It's just that the grand-kidlets live in Washington and Utah, while Papa and I call Texas "home".

From the beginning we have done all we could to build relationships from afar. Framed 5x7 glossies of us, at our finest, grace the dressers of all 3rd generationists. We send cards or packages quite frequently. We started calling to talk with them from the time their parents were willing to hold a phone up to their dear little ears. (At first, of course, they just want to eat the reciever. Next they speak gibberish for long periods of time. Then just as they get old enough to carry on a resonable conversation, they are suddenly "too busy to talk to Grammy now.") But we persist!

One way that I have been really blessed is that I've been able to be with each of them for some time at the very beginning of their lives. It's let me be of some help to the new mothers, but mostly it's let me hold them and bond & bond & bond! Here are some pictures taken during those sweet interludes:

Me with Laylee

Beanie & me

Magoo & Laylee with me in the center

Do you notice anything similar about these pictures?

Yup! In each case one we are laying down! We didn't get much sleep in those days, so we took every chance we could to get friendly with horizontal surfaces!

These last 2 weeks (when I haven't blogged at all) Laylee & Magoo - oh yeah, and their parents have been at our house. I've been able to be an up close and personal Grammy! It is so much more fun! It also takes so much more time, energy and verticality.

We have visited the "Quarium" ( with all of it's wildlife and amusement rides),

"Enchilada Town", several ice cream shops and Charles E. Cheese's fine establishment. (I don't know him nearly well enough yet to call him "Chuck.")

We have shopped - mostly at "the HEB buddie store". HEB is our favorite local grocery store, but until 2 weeks ago, I had no idea how truly exceptional it was. Before then I just thought they had really good produce and decent prices.....but that is not all, my friend. No, that is not all! They give little children "buddie bucks" with which to play games to win points toward prizes. So far laylee has gotten 2 outstanding sippy cups, 2 beach balls and a box of chocolate chip "buddie cookies". I'm telling you, this is 3 year old excitement!

We have baked and done playdough, paints & sidewalk chalk. We have spent hours playing in the swimming pool and watching Disney movies. We've read loads of story books played a bunch of games, encouraged 1 year old exploring and walking . We have hugged and smooched and tickled. And we have talked.

Mostly we have spent our time upright, but honestly some of my favorite memories have been those times cuddling in my "big bed".

Last Saturday morning (when Papa had already left for his early morning excercise and everyone else was still sleep) Laylee climbed in with me. Our conversation started out like it does every morning:

L: "What day is today?"
me: "Saturday"
L: "What's it to do?"

{Here's where it became day specific.}

me: "Well, after breakfast this morning I have to go to my quilting class for a little while."

At this point, my little sweetheart wrapped her arms around my neck, buried her face in my shoulder and cried real tears. "Grammy, don't go without ME!"

I can't remember many things in my life that have ever tugged at my heartstrings quite so hard. Nothing is more precious than the expression of love from a child you adore. I'm so happy that I've had this chance to be Grammy in person!

They left this afternoon. I was bawling before they were out of the garage!

"The Name's Elin - E. Elin"

2006-05-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

My parents named me Elizabeth Elin (pronounced Ellen, but spelled E-L-I-N) because....well, it's a long story.

When my parents were first married, they had a very specific plan for their family. They were going to have 1 boy followed by 1 girl. And they did it, too! They had my brother J.R. followed by my sister H.C.. Sadly, she left this earth almost as soon as she'd arrived.

So Mom and Dad decided that they needed another little girl to complete their family. And so they had my brothers: J.D., J.R., J.C., J.C. & J.L. before they finally got around to me.

Mother believed that you should name a child after the person who would love them the most in this world and in her heart, she knew that would be her. Her name was Elinor. So she proposed lopping off the o & r and calling me Elin.

Daddy objected to this, as he said that, "All Christian girls are named Mary, Martha or Elizabeth." (Some of you good Christian women who are NOT may take exception to this blanket statement, but I can't help it. I'm just quoting Dad!) Given his choice of the 3, he chose Elizabeth. Mother agreed because - linked with Elin, it meant "heavenly light" (something for me to strive to live up to all of my life.)

But they called me Elin! This created some problems for me, as stated in #4 of " 6 Weird Things about Me". I've always liked Elin (but only spelled MY way). However, I did pull Elizabeth out when it suited me. When I played "Royalty" with my best friend Peggy, I was always Queen Elizabeth and she was stuck being Princess Margaret.

When I was about to start kindergarten, I wanted to become Elizabeth. Somehow, it seemed so much more mature and elegant than Elin. Momma wanted me to be Elin, but she played it cool.

I remember sitting on top of the washing machine in our kitchen, while she taught me how to print my name; so that I would be ready for "school". It was hard, too!

I mastered the E. I got the l down. I learned to print a lovely little i. Then Mom pulled out her trump card. "Now if you decided to be Elin in school, all you have left to learn is the n. But if you want to be Elizabeth, you have to print z, a, b, e, t, AND h. What do you want to do?"

Even as a child, I was no glutton for punishment. I could recognize 2 times the work when I saw it. I chose to be Elin (because I was lazy) and I've been Elin ever since. And now I can see that Mom was right.

I am Elin . Short and sweet. Ordinary - but with a little flair!

Works for Me Wednesday

2006-05-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

I have mentioned before that I am really into organization. Here's the system I've developed for my freezer.

I keep only meat and bread in my deep freeze. Vegetables, fruits, ice cream, butter, etc go in my fridge freezer. This way, I always know where to look for which items.

The contents of my freezer are organized into baskets. Each basket has a laminated label card, attached with plastic cable ties. Although the baskets take up a bit of room, I can always tell at a glance what I am running low on and everything is rotated regularly so that I never lose meat to freezer burn. As soon as I come home from the grocery store with meat, I pull out the appropriate basket and turn it upside down on the counter. I put the fresh meat into ziplocks in the bottom of the basket and put the older meat back in on top.

On the door I keep, bacon, sausages, hot dogs, bagels, english muffins and bread. The bacon I load at the back and pull from the front. Everything else is fed from the right and taken out from the left, so we are sure to use things in the order in which they were purchased.

It took about 20 minutes to print the cards, laminate them, attach them to the baskets and organize them in the freezer. And we've been using it like this for almost 4 years.

It works for me!

P.S. I'm All About the Bling

2006-05-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, when I was having a bad week Papa bought me some jewelry in an effort to cheer me up and make me laugh. Have a look.

I never really felt the need to wear it before, but I'm beginning to think that now might the right time to put it to good use. Just think of all the time it would save. When I get dressed in the morning, I can just pin it on - with the thumb in the appropriate position and aleviate the need to discuss how my symptoms were in the night. Papa and I could then use our precious "getting ready in the morning moments" to discuss things that are really important. Like - the grandkids, our relationship, what to thaw out for supper, how we're gong to spend our precious weekend days, who's going to feed the dog... You know, the things that normal people talk about.

Yes, I think that this may turn out to be the most important piece in my jewelry box.

Bloom Where You're Planted - part 2

2006-05-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about this part of Texas is the incredible wild flower display each spring. Great banks of flowers appear in the fields and along the highways, streams and bayous. I am in love with the bluebonnets (our state flower), the cheerful daisies, the sunshiny buttercups and especially the primroses. They are so delicate and graceful, with their pale pink petals that dance with the slightest breeze.

About 6 weeks ago (when nature's floral art show was at it's peak) I, personally, was at a low spot. Those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, know that I started coughing before Thanksgiving. What you don't know is that I'm still at it.

Since January I have gone from our family doctor, to an asthma/allergy spcialist, to a gastroenterologist. As the tests have progressed, we have ruled out: upper respiratory infection, whooping cough, TB, asthma and allergies. By mid-April the theory was "acid reflux" and I was on major medications and still coughing. I was tired (from 5 months of being up 4 - 6 times most nights coughing my head off - not to mention during the day) and discouraged (from no end in sight) and was thinking alot about adversity and how I'm handling it.....

When I saw this:

These sweet little flowers reminded me of one of life's most important lessons: "When you find yourself in a hard place, bloom anyway. Thrive anyway. Contribute to the world anyway." So I guess that's what I'll do.

My Mom coughed for over 50 years and handled it with good humor - so I guess I have 49 1/2 years to go before I need to start complaining. We always thought Mom had asthma and that the reason she didn't respond well to the meds. was that her case was just too severe. Now I'm not so sure. I think I was always sympathetic. NOW I am empathetic.

Lest anyone should worry, things are looking up, I think. I am working with a good doctor and we have found some possible causes. With the medicines I'm taking, I am coughing a little less and we are looking at treatment options. In the meantime, when people ask me about my cough, I usually respond, "Well, everyone's got to have a hobby. Apparently this is mine."

But between you and me, I'd rather be quilting!

Bloom Where You're Planted!

2006-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day has passed, but the flowers linger on. I got these beauties from my sweet husband:

These were brought to me by my home teachers:

But most importantly, this corsage appeared in my refrigerator on Saturday night - just in time to be worn to church on Sunday morning.

When I was a child, the girls in our family (OK there was just my Mom and me) wore a corsage every Mother's Day to honor our mothers. The flower was white if your mother had passed away and pink if she was still living. {I used to always tease that I should wear a RED flower, because my Mother had more life in her than most folks.)

This is one of the many traditions that I've carried over into my own family. We have four darling daughters, so there were flowers galore in our home. For a number of years Nantie Meg made the corsages. But then she went off to college (The nerve of some kids!) and to my surprise and delight, Papa took over. (He buys the corsages instead of making them.) I just wanted to mention that I am so grateful to have a husband who supports my dreams, schemes and even my family's traditions!

On a related note; "manchild" sent an electronic "20 questions" game for Mothers' Day.

It's fun and silly and kind of incredible that a tiny little hand held device could hold sooo much data. Thinking I would stump the computer on this one for sure, the object I thought of was: "husband". The answer it came up with, was: "soul mate". Smart little Goober, eh?

My Fours

2006-05-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

4 Jobs I have had:

Candy-striper (volunteer at the hospital, not draw-er of lines at the candy factory) -I sure wish I had a picture of my 16 year old self in that cute little striped jumper.

Retail Sales for Lit Brothers Department Store (Is it a coincidence that they went out of business after I stopped working there? I think not!)

Day home Provider (this is a big shot way of saying that I babysat at home for over 20 years)

Teacher (kindergarten & pre-school)

4 Movies I would watch over and over:

“While You Were Sleeping”
“Return to Me”
“The Princess Bride”
“Ever After”

4 Places I have lived:

New Jersey
Utah
Alberta
Denver…Venezuela…Houston (which ones could I leave out?)

4 TV Shows I love to watch:

“West Wing”
“Gilmore Girls”
“Lost”
“Survivor”

4 Places I have been on vacation:

Disneyland
Aruba
London
Carribean Cruise

4 Places I’d like to go on vacation:

Hawaii
The Jersey Shore
The Canadian Rockies
Any cruise

4 Websites I visit often:

Mapqwest
Screenit
LDS.Org
Many of your blog sites

4 Favorite Foods:

Cheesecake
Pizza
Philly Cheesesteaks
Watermelon

4 Places where I would like to be right now:

Anywhere with Papa
With my kids & grandkids
Behind the covers of a really good book
In a hot bubble bath

People I would tag to do this: Any of you who think it would be fun. I’ve enjoyed reading Gabriela & Bright one’s already.

2006-05-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

I found this poem today:

Friends are like quilts.
Their lives pieced together
Stitched with smiles and tears.
Bound with love and memories
Which last for years.

In April I had a visit from my dear friend Gabriella and her precious children. To look at the two of us, you would never expect us to be close. She is young. I am old. She is adventurous. I like to play it safe. She is the mother of young children. I am an empty-nesting grandma. She is thin and athletic and stylish and I’m ….. well, NOT. Whenever she comes to visit me, my acquaintances ask if she is my daughter. It’s true that she is closer to their age than to mine. And yet we are good friends. Here is a picture of the two of us sharing one of the many interests we have in common.

I am so thankful for the gift of friendship. That we are able to find people to love and admire, to laugh and to cry with, to share our stories and personalities with, to advise and be guided by, to be helped by and to serve, to share our concerns and interests with, to spend time and make memories with; is a GREAT Blessing!

One of our family mottos is “Home is where we treat our friends like family and our family like friends.” I am so grateful for my FRIENDS – both in and outside of my family. There are so many people who touch my life with love and kindness. I am richer for all of those I have known and loved and shared with.

I am so glad that we are not alone in this adventure we call life!

I'm Baaaacckkk!

2006-05-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Having been
- nudged by Bowersita (who’s nearly my daughter)
“umm Grammy, Are you ever going to post anything ever again?”
- tagged by Nantie Meg (my actual daughter) and Gabriella (my dear friend)
- and inspired by Bright One (my blogger-buddy) I am finally back with :

6 Weird Things About Me

This was a hard post to write, because there are simply so many to choose from. Do you really want to know about my sense of humor (inherited from my Mom), my propensity to talk to inanimate objects, the fact that I turn most household chores into a game, or any of my other odd habits? Probably not! But here goes anyway.

1. I am 52 years old and have my own security blanket. Mind you, it’s not a raggedy old “woobie” or “kiki” that I drag around wherever I go. It’s a perfectly presentable cotton thermal blanket that lives between my top sheet and comforter. What makes it a security blanket is that I just seem to sleep better when I can feel it against my cheek. Weird? Of course, that’s how it made it onto this list.

2. I am 52 years old and I have no compunction at all about sharing my age. In fact I’m kind of proud of it. Remember when we were kids and people would ask us how old we were. It was always 7 & ½ or almost 10. Somehow I just never got over that.

Maybe it’s because I’m still not very mature. Or maybe it’s because I was a sickly child and the doctor told my Mom that if I lived to be 12, I would likely live to grow up. Well, now I’m grown up (or at least old). I’ve arrived at my goal. Or maybe it’s because my Honey gives such great birthday presents.

3. When I snore (which I promise is very rarely) Papa says that I do it backward. Instead of rumbling when I inhale, I whistle when I exhale. This is only hearsay, you understand. I don’t know it firsthand – as I’ve always slept through it.

4. My “actual” name (aside from Grammy) is Elizabeth Elin, but I’ve always gone by Elin. That’s just who I am. I like the name Elizabeth, but it just doesn’t feel like me. It still kills me to fill out dr. forms, etc with my first name. I swear that I was marked absent for 3 ½ years of college classes because I never responded to Elizabeth. And yet, when I do something really stupid or un-coordinated, I always berate myself with a derivation of it. As in, “Smooth Move Lizzie”. Yup, I am always Lizzie when I am dumb!

5. Papa (the love of my life) says that one of the weirdest things about me is the way I take pills. Apparently the majority of the world throws the meds in and washes them down with a quick drink. Who knew? I always fill my mouth with water, tip my head back, drop the pills in and let them sink to the back of the throat before swallowing. Now, that’s wise use of gravity my friends! And I never have to taste the pills, because they are surrounded by water at all times. It just makes sense to me.

6. I LOVE to organize things! It’s fun! I like the way things look when they are filed or stacked away neatly. I love a system that makes my life more efficient. It makes me happy to know that everything has it’s own place and that I can find it when I want it. And labeling things (not people) is an uplifting experience.

3 of my very good friends showed up on my doorstep early in the morning of my
last birthday (Did I mention that I was 52?) with the ultimate label maker. What a great birthday present that was! I labeled the drawers on my sewing organizer, my photo album supply organizers, my scrapbooking and stamping organizers and my quilting patterns. I used up a whole roll of printer tape and had a happy and productive day.

Ok, there you have it in a nutshell.

Am I weird? Probably.
Can I live with that? Yes, very comfortably.

Have a great day! Let yourself be yourself! It’s liberating!

Frankly, my Dear, I don't care for SPAM:

2006-03-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

This occurred to me when I got up this morning and checked my e-mail box. There was 1 actual note from a friend along with a couple of on-line catalogues, offers for Canadian Drugs, coupons, great give-aways, dating services, pharmaceutical solutions to problems I don’t have, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera……

And I thought, “Frankly, my Dear, I don’t care for SPAM.”

It’s amazing to me how often a line from a movie (or a variation of one) will spring to mind in day to day situations. Maybe this is because we send way too much of our time watching films. Goodness knows we love them.

Our teenagers were especially good at this. Not only did they watch more movies than you can really believe, but they had an amazing ability to remember what they’d seen and to play it back - verbatim. {One summer Manchild memorized “The Princess Bride” from beginning to end – including all of the sound effects. I am still amazed by that!}

Sometimes I thought our entire dinner conversation was made up of a string of quotes from favorite shows. Here are a few that spring to mind.

“We’ll see. We’ll try it and we’ll see.” --- Joe vs. the Volcano

“Get it? Got it. Good.” --- The Court Jester

“Will she like us? Of course she will like us. We are nice.” --- Sarah Plain & Tall

“Whadda ya mean? Spots?” --- Support Your Local Sherriff

“That’s the most tragical thing that’s ever happened.” --- Anne of Green Gables

“Because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” --- Fiddler on the Roof

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
--- the Princess Bride

“I just had the most scathingly brilliant idea.” --- The Trouble With Angels

“These mashed potatoes are soooo creamy.” --- While You Were Sleeping

“Yeah, Dad!” --- Robin Hood (Disney)

“Something vexes thee?” --- Robin Hood Prince of Theives

“Tomorrow is another day.” --- Gone With the Wind

“There’s a big difference between dead and mostly dead.” --- The Princess Bride

“Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.” --- Finding Nemo

“And I can’t stand him.” (in a whiny nasal voice) --- Singing in the Rain

“THAT’s a chick movie.” (said in a disgusted man voice) --- Sleepless in Seattle

“Remember when……… That was AWESOME!” --- Tommy Boy

“In a minute. In a minute.” (bit of a sing song tone) --- Cinderella (Disney)

“There’s no place like home.” --- The Wizard of Oz

“The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.” --- The Court Jester

“I’m not crazy. I’ve just been in a very bad mood for forty years.”
--- Steel Magnolias

I’m sure you’ve got plenty of your own. Let’s hear your favorites. I’ll bet they bring back some memories for us all.

Big, Fat, HAIRY Deal:

2006-03-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

I got a perm yesterday. Now I recognize that perms are passé. But when you have baby-fine, poker straight hair (like mine) that won’t hold a set if you pay it cash {or in this case, very expensive styling products}; you’ll pretty much do whatever it takes.

It seems like I have been struggling with my hair for as long as I can remember. When I was a very little girl, I used to spend part of every Saturday night sitting on the living room floor watching Lawrence Welk while my mother rolled my hair up on flannel rag strips to get me ready for Sunday school the next day.

From those, I graduated to “Spoolies”. Are any of you old enough to remember those? Spoolies were pink rubber rollers. When they were wound up and snapped together, the resembled a hundred little Martian space craft orbiting my head. Rags were softer to sleep on…………….. but "SPOOLIES" were COOL!

When I was about 4, Mom suggested that it was probably time to get my first hair cut. I was pretty excited about it, too. But my older brothers were against the whole thing. One of them (who shall remain nameless here to protect the guilty) tried as hard as he could to talk me out of it, but I was determined. Mom said that I sat there looking more like I was occupying the electric chair, than the seat of honor in a beauty salon. As they made the initial cut, I broke into a huge smile and said, “Why that doesn’t hurt a bit!” Apparently, big brother had told me “Honey, you don’t want to get your hair cut. You know how much it hurts when you cut your finger? Well there is so much hair, it’ll be even worse than that.” And I believed him and still wanted to be beautiful badly enough to face the pain.

Maybe it was my determination to look pretty that swayed her, but Mom went all out that day and shelled out a hard-earned $8 to have it styled as well. On the way home we stopped to show Aunt Roberta – not home, Aunt Greta – not home, and Aunt Louise – also not home. So Mom sat me on the top step to look pretty for Daddy when he got back from work. Unfortunately, before he could arrive and see me in all my glory, big brother had turned the hose on me. So much for glamour!

By 1st grade my hair was long again and worn in braids, which I apparently had a hard time keeping out of my mouth. Momma told me if I didn’t stop chewing on my pigtails, she would cut them off. My Momma was not big on idle threats. By 2nd grade I was back to a short cut.

Recently I told a couple of my brothers that I distinctly remember Mom telling me that she was sorry that I looked so ugly, but that she only knew how to do “boy hair”. They disputed this, saying Mother would NEVER, EVER have said I looked ugly. They are probably right. (Mom was an encourager, never one to put anyone down.) She probably said that my hair style looked “unfortunate” or that she was sorry it turned out “like that”. But what my heart heard was “ugly”.

This is the tip of the hair style night mare, iceberg. There was the “trim” Mom gave my very long hair while I was practicing the piano. “No, I didn’t need to stop. Keep playing.” I must have been a high energy piano player, because the hair kept getting shorter and shorter and crooked-er and crooked-er, until she had to take me to someone to “fix the damage”. That ended up as a pixie cut.

Or the 1st haircut of my teenage years, where my sister-in-law misjudged the distance and gave me ½ way up the forehead bangs.

There was the time I got a perm the day before I was a bride’s maid at my cousin’s wedding and they forgot to put on the neutralizer – effectively giving me a “permanent straight” instead of a “permanent wave”.

All things considered, my hair and I have not ever been best friends, but it’s a relationship I’m willing to keep working on. After all, the alternative is not a pertty picture. And the perm is actually not bad at all…..

It Was a Dark & Stormy Night...

2006-03-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, technically it was a dark and stormy afternoon. I had gone to a quilting class on the other side of town. “And the rain was POURING down.” It was as gloomy as possible – an ideal day to stay home with a good book and a cup of something warm to go with those Girl Scout cookies.

This is apparently what most of the people who signed up for the class did last Saturday, because we were very few in number; just 4 grandma type people in the whole shop. (The 60+, fragile woman who owns the shop was in the sales center out front. The side workroom was inhabited by 1 teacher and 2 students all in our 50s and clearly the kind who would go in for quilting classes.)

About a ½ hour before closing a young man came in and began wandering aimlessly around the store. Now, it’s not unusual for a man to come in looking for a sewing machine for his wife or sweetheart, but this one didn’t fit the mold. He was in his 20s and a mountain of a man. He spoke to no one and seemed more interested in watching us, than in looking at the sewing machines. It was like he was casing the joint. I SWEAR! He wandered into the work areas and when asked if he was interested in a sewing machine, mumbled something non-committal. And he stayed a LONG time.

Once again, my friends, my spider sense was tingling. We all felt it. Something didn’t seem right about the whole thing. Now maybe, the poor guy had just come in to get out of the rain; but we were feeling none too secure.

At this point, the other woman in my class whispered to us, “Don’t worry. I’m going to get my best friend.” I thought, “Don’t tell me her husband has been sitting out in the car this whole time. What can she be talking about?” She went quietly over to the other side of the room and got her purse, slipped her hand inside and released the safety on her HAND GUN. I am not joking! Grandma lady was preparing to take on the scary man.

Now if you think I was nervous with a frightening man invading our little sewing circle, you must believe it was nothing compared to how I felt thinking of an armed confrontation: Granny vs. Shaft.

Luckily for us all, he abruptly turned and walked out of the shop. The store keeper slipped the deadbolt on the front door. The safety went back on “old Betsy” and log cabin squares were successfully completed.

Only in TEXAS, I tell you. Only in TEXAS!!!

7 Sevens

2006-02-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

A while ago, some of my family blogged their 7 Sevens. I've been meaning to respond since then and now have a place in which to do it. So here goes. I'd like to invite any of you who are interested to join me and leave a link where I can find yours. It's fun. Honest.

Seven things I want to do before I die:

1. Prove to myself and the Lord that He can depend on me

2. Make a quilt for each of my children and grandchildren

3. Finish scrap-booking our family photos - up until each of the children have
graduated from high school (I’m 19 years behind right now)

4. Graduate from college (I have 7 classes left to earn the bachelor’s degree I put
on hold to raise the kids)

5. Give so much service to others that it becomes “who I am”

6. Go to Hawaii

7. Read from the Scriptures every day

Seven Things I cannot do:

1. Live without “Papa”

2. Go one day without thinking of and praying for my kids and grandkids

3. Deny my faith

4. Pass up a doughnut

5. Remember numbers (If I tell you a story with numbers in it, it will probably be
inaccurate.)

6. Finish all of the things my “to do list” on any given day

7. Resist the ocean or going barefoot

Seven Things that attract me to my Spouse:

1. His eyes and his smile

2. The way he loves me and supports me in all I do

3. His sense of humor

4. His willingness to put the needs of the family above his own wants (like going to
work every day to provide for us and our future)

5. His faithfulness – to me, to the family and to his beliefs

6. The way he always helps out around the house

7. His passion to create things: wooden treasures, gardens, music, laughter,
security, love……..

Seven things I say often:

1. I love you.

2. Have you got any ideas for dinner?

3. Empty-nesting is just like being newly weds, only with more money.

4. Be safe!

5. Gotta go. I’m running late.

6. Honey, come and see what I made today.

7. Nuts!

Seven Books or Book Series I love:

1. The scriptures

2. The Chosen – Chiam Potok

3. Harry Potter

4. Jane Eyre

5. The Work and the Glory

6. Me and Caleb

7. The Mitford series by Jan Karon

Seven Movies I could watch over and over:

1. The Princess Bride

2. Return to Me

3. While You Were Sleeping

4. Anne of Green Gables

5. A Knight’s Tale

6. Ever After

7. The Court Jester

Seven People who’s Sevens I’d like to hear (now, and again 20 years from now):

1. “Papa”
2. Heather
3. Cody
4. Katie
5. Dan
6. Adam
7. Lisa
8. Megan
9. Becky
10.Andrew

And all of my friends and - 20 years from now, all the grandkids

Piecing Life Together

2006-02-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

A while ago I took my serger in for service. It’s a very specialized machine and I had to go clear across town (well outside my freeway comfort) to have it fixed. What I found was not so much a sewing machine store - as a social club.

In the back of the shop were a bunch of work tables where some friendly women were just hanging around, working on projects and visiting. Intrigued, I came to find out that they teach all kinds of sewing workshops there and on a whim I signed up for “Quilting 101”. (a 4 week course starting December 4th teaching: 4 different squares, sashing, cornerstones, machine quilting, and binding)

After 3 classes, I was successfully assimilated. “Resistance is futile.”
NEVER have I taken to something so quickly and so completely. I am addicted! This is the baby quilt that I made during that class (mistakes included at no extra charge).

The day I finished this course, I signed up for the “Yellow Brick Road” class. It’s taking me longer to complete because for some strange reason I decided to hand quilt this one, as you can see….it’s still on the lap frame.

Right after Christmas I joined the church quilting group that meets weekly. As soon as I walked in the door, it was, “Bwaa-haa-haaa, another compulsive quilter to join in the fun.” They were just starting their annual “friendship quilt” and were excited to have another contributor. We each picked a different star to make (my choice was easy, since I only knew one at the time). We bought fabric for our own quilt, which gets passed around each Thursday until we’ve all made a star out of each person’s fabric. We got to give specific instructions if we wanted to. (Mine are that each square is to have the cream colored background and have at least a little blue fabric in each star.) In April we get our own bags back with 16 completed blocks to use in putting together our own quilts.

Those girls also got me signed up at the local quilting shop for “quilt of the month” club. Starting in January we can get instructions and fabric for 1 block a month. The 1st one was $10 and the subsequent blocks are free, if we come to the next month’s class with the completed block from the previous month. We can also buy “bonus blocks” each month if we want to make a full sized quilt. As a “piecing junkie”, I – of course – had to do them all. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

Then I bought some books and here are my first 2 independent experiments. I’m just using scrap fabrics from my stash. Maybe I’ll make pillows from them.

Another thing I’m doing that I think is fun is making an extra square from each quilt I do, so that someday I can put them together into one wild quilt that is a history of my quilting career. So far I’ve got these 2.

This week I have a class on Thursday at the church and another on Saturday back at the original place – which oddly enough isn’t a bit out of my comfort zone anymore. Now you can understand why I have my new toy. It is amazing to me how much better my work is turning out with a precise tool. I am having the time of my life.

I only wish I had discovered this hobby while my mother was still alive. She was a wonderful quilter and really loved the handwork from assembling, to quilting to binding. Other people used to embroider, appliqué or piece quilts and hire Mom to do the finish work. I love choosing the fabric and the creativity of putting the pieces together, but the actual quilting is a lot like work to me. We would have been a great team. I can’t help but think she would be so tickled to know I’m doing this and loving it just like she did.

There's a New Toy in Town

2006-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

I haven’t blogged in a couple of days. No, I haven’t given up on the whole thing yet. I just have a new toy and as I understand it, any worthwhile toy that comes into the house MUST be given undivided attention for at least 48 hours in order to become acclimated to it’s new surroundings. I want it to feel welcome!

I have a new sewing machine and OH, what a machine it is! It’s all shiny and new and it has bells and whistles up the wahzoo.

When I appliqué, it will do a perfect blanket stitch in varied lengths and widths.

It has oodles of fancy stitches to embellish grand-kiddie clothing.

It has built-in scissors to cut the threads at the end of seams or when winding or inserting the bobbin.

It has a knee peddle to lift the presser foot every time (which I thought I would never use, but I LOVE it).

It’s self-threading and self-tension adjusting.

It will even sign my name or write cryptic messages on stuff.

It has 14 different feet and the LCD screen tells me which one to put in when I select the stitch.

When I broke a needle, it beeped at me 3 times, froze up and displayed “Safety feature has been activated” – which is an ubber-polite way of saying “Stop sewing already, you big dummy! The needle just broke! DUH!

It has an open arm, extended sewing desk top, shiny plastic carrying case, bobbins and needles and tools…oh my.

Now you may think I’m getting way too excited about a hunk of metal and plastic; but it’s all about the dreams I have of things I can create. I love to greet my Honey at the door with a kiss and a hug and a “Come and see what I made today.”

But I can’t write anymore now, I’m in the middle of a project and I can hear it calling me from the sewing room. Maybe tomorrow I’ll write about why I suddenly have the need for this incredible piece of machinery.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2006-02-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

Of all the jobs I’ve ever had, my very favorite was teaching pre-school in Denver. I worked at a Methodist Church which employed an amazing staff of teachers from all different Christian denominations. It was a blessing in my life to know each of the dedicated women on staff and to work with them to make a difference in the lives of the children. We had a director who was warm and helpful and who became more of a cherished friend than a boss.

At the end of one school year, as part of our teacher appreciation gifts, she gave us each a “gratitude journal”. We were encouraged to record 5 things that we were thankful for each day. What a difference that little book made to me. I think I’ve always been a pretty positive person and have appreciated the blessings in my life, but keeping the journal made finding new things to be grateful for each day a priority. I spent my time actively looking for things to be positive about. And it was fun.

I was thinking of that yesterday and began making a mental list of simple pleasures that make me happy.

I like: candle-lit bubble baths

the smell of bread baking

the feel of a new-born baby in my arms (grandbabies are as good as my own)

the sound of “I love you.” or my name on my husband’s lips

classical guitar music

kisses under the mistletoe

the feel of just shaved legs on freshly washed sheets

chocolate

the sound of excitement or laughter in my children’s voices

sunshine days

bare feet in warm beach sand (These are DYM's and Laylee's)

going high on the swings at the park

the sound of rain on the roof

cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven with cream cheese icing

seeing an American flag flying in the breeze

new socks (If I were very, very rich I would have new socks every day.)

my true love’s kisses on the back of my neck

the singing of “Oh Canada”

the smell of a campfire

hearing the blessed story read from Luke 2 each Christmas Eve

lunch eaten @ the teahouse at Lake Agnes (after the killer hike to get up that mountain, EVERYTHING tastes wonderful there)

autumn leaves to jump in or rustle through

sitting in the hot tub on a cool evening

getting to curl up with a good book and a blanket on a chilly afternoon

the sound of canning bottles popping as they seal

Rita’s water ice gellatis (This is a Jersey treat pronounced “wooder ice’.)

Big fluffy snowflakes

making something that turns out well (Get a load of those Christmas pajamas!)

Philly cheese-steaks

a romantic movie

a squeaky clean house

Oh, Enough already! I could go on forever. After all I have a gratitude journal full of this stuff.

Now I want to hear what makes you happy? It’s time to share.

Greetings from Grammy's House of Drugs

2006-02-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have a cough. This may not seem like big news to you, but I’ve had this cough for over 3 months now and it’s begun to be one of the main focuses of my life.

It started as a cold before Thanksgiving. So I did all the usual things: vitamin c, Echinacea, lots of fluids and *z_ _ _ _ to shorten the duration. (I’ve never used this before and it tasted nasty, had to be taken often, was expensive and didn’t seem to work for me – so this is a last time for this experiment.) Then I resorted to over the counter stuff for the symptoms – cough syrup, mentholated chest rub, sinus spray and aspirin for the body aches. Still the nasty cough remained.

By Christmas, it was starting to clear up. But then someone – in the spirit of Christmas giving and sharing – brought home “the plague” and passed it around the family. My cough intensified and was joined by fever, chills, body aches and extreme headache. I felt like “walking death” (or more precisely, like “laying around, moaning death”). But at least I was in good company. We took turns either being sick or taking care of the more dramatically ill. And since almost everyone got their turn being the patient, we were incredibly empathetic! The nasty, rotten cough persisted.

I am of the old school when it comes to doctors. This means I never go to one until after I have toughed it out on my own for as long as I possibly can and exhausted every natural, herbal or over the counter method of treating myself. (Believe me, I have tried them all.) By the middle of January the sound effects had become quite dramatic. An almost non-stop symphony of dry hacking coughs with a wheeze at the end – guaranteed to illicit the sympathy vote of all within range. (And it hurt!) So I finally gave up and made an appointment.

This doesn’t mean that I saw an actual doctor. Around here you have to wait weeks for a consultation with one of those. I saw a PA. She repeatedly used phrases like, “You, poor Dear.” “I am SO sorry.” And “Do you have a history of asthma?” She took blood work and gave me a super strong anti-biotic, something for the nasal drip and an asthma puffer.

After 10 days their office called to say that it was official. I had had an upper respiratory infection, but the antibiotic should have taken care of it and I was now all better. Unfortunately no one told that to the nasty, rotten, good-for-nothing, cough that lingered on.

I was so tired. Coughing up a lung and getting no sleep takes it’s toll after a while. I knew it was bad, when a friend called to see how I was doing and I broke down and bawled on the phone. (The next day, she dropped everything from her busy schedule and came over to see if her prayers for me were working yet. Now that’s a real friend!)

Of course not everyone was as sympathetic. The man conducting a meeting I was coughing my way through indicated that my cough was having an effect on the hearing of everyone in the room. I think the term he used was “deafening”. On another occasions a Hispanic friend was talking to my Honey about my cough. I made out the word “perro” and thought he was empathizing - like “Your wife is sick as a dog.” But no. He was saying that my cough was so shrill that it would kill his dog (presumably if he were in the vicinity.) So much for empathy!

I went back to the doctor and saw PA #2. She kept saying, “Oh, dear. Oh, dear.” After a bunch of tests, she indicated that my infection was gone and that it was most likely allergies. So now I am on prescriptions for cough pearls, 2 different allergy medications and a nose spray.

The good news is, it seems to be working I slept through the night on Tuesday without getting up for a coughing fit and a steam. Wednesday afternoon and evening I hardly coughed at all and went to bed confident of finally getting better. In the middle of the night I woke up from the pain of my annual migraine. Is there no rest for the weary?

I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired! There. Now that I’ve complained to the world in general, I feel strangely better.

How Do They Stay in Business??????

2006-02-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Last night, for an early Valentine’s celebration, Papa and I went out for dinner. Feeling adventurous, we chose a Chinese restaurant that we’ve never been to before. It turned out to be your typical Americanized strip-mall version of Oriental décor and cuisine. Nothing that unusual - except that the place was virtually empty.

There was one other couple in the whole restaurant and they left shortly after the arrival of our entrée. An older Chinese lady waited on us attentively (What else did she have to do?) while an older gentleman and woman (of moderate, indeterminate age) puttered around the outskirts of the room and wandered in and out of the front and kitchen doors. The whole thing had a rather surreal, “Outer Limits-ish” feeling about it.

And we couldn’t help pondering, “How do they stay in business?”. We certainly didn’t pay enough for our meal to cover the food, lights, equipment and hired help. Perhaps they have some illegal and highly lucrative business going on behind the scenes. After all, we never actually saw into “the kitchen”.

There’s another business at our favorite local mall that we’ve been wondering the same thing about. I’m not sure what the store is really called. We’ve always referred to it as “Gaudy Oriental Things “R” Us”. It’s located several miles down the freeway from it’s sister store, “Tacky Lawn Ornaments Galore”.

In the 4 years that we’ve been frequenting this mall we’ve only seen a customer (yes, a single customer) inside on 2 occasions – no sales people either (although one did appear from somewhere mysterious on the 2 occasions when an actual vertical, breathing human set foot on the premises). Now this is a very large corner shop in a prime retail establishment. The rent has to be exorbitant. If they are not selling ANY of the jade dragons, painted fans, geisha dolls, paper lanterns or kimonos; how are they satisfying the landlord? I suspect there’s an illicit drug operation working out of the back room.

My spider sense is tingling folks. I just know something untoward is going on. Have you any theories? Perhaps together we can blow the lid off this mystery.

AWESOME

2006-02-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

I went to church this morning. Not that that’s such an unusual thing to do, really. It’s Sunday and I usually go to church. It’s just that this morning I wasn’t that excited about going and it had nothing to do with the meetings themselves or the people who I would see there. I just wasn’t that excited to have them see me.

What it comes down to, is that I did something clumsy earlier in the week and I didn’t really want to discuss it with everyone. I dropped a curling iron against my cheek and am now sporting the evidence of that mishap in the form of a large brightly colored welt across my face. A copious amount of cover-up only succeeded in making it more look like a bruise than a burn. So a large number of loving and concerned people were anxious to know what I had done to myself. Needless to say, explaining to everyone that I am an idiot is not my favorite pass time.

Unfortunately, it’s not the first time I’ve had to make this kind of explanation. The incident with the ax springs to mind.

Some years ago, I was out in the garage chopping wood for a cozy evening’s fire. As I was swinging my trusty ax, the Spirit whispered to me as clearly as anything, “Don’t hold it like that. You’ll hurt yourself.” Did I listen? No. I countered with, “No, I won’t. I’ll be careful.” The very next swing took off the end of my thumb about half way down the nail. Only after visits to the clinic, the hospital and the pharmacy for major pain killers did I remember that our family was scheduled to sing at our church’s ward conference the next morning. Standing in front of the whole congregation I (and my huge, glowing white bandage) had nowhere to hide.

Let me tell you, the old saying is absolutely true. “Nothing does stick out like a sore thumb! And something else I discovered is that whenever you do something truly stupid, anyone who’s ever had a similar experience will tell you their story. After all, they are safe with you. You’re just as dumb as they are.

I heard sharp knife and ax stories like you wouldn’t believe. So my accident prone friends and I decided to form our own support group. We called ourselves “AWESOME – AWSM”

……… Wait for it………

Ax-wielding self-mutilators Sad but true!

A Little Bit of Nothing

2006-02-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it's amazing to me the things I will do for my kids that I would never have thought of doing on my own. For several months now, I have been resisting their urging to join them in the blogging world. It's not that I am completely illiterate, exactly. I just can't think of anything to say. I'm ok at coming up with an occasional snappy rejoiner to the original, creative things they post. But to think up something on my own? Never going to happen!

So this afternoon, I was vegging on the couch watching a completely inane tv program, while sitting on a heating pad nursing a sore back- mnding my own business, when who should call but the Daring Young Mom. "Guess what, Mom? I just set up a blog for you and all you have to do is fill in the blanks."

So here goes nothing - because I always have a great deal of nothing swirling around in my brain.