Tribute To A Daughter

Someone else turned a year older in January.  Guess who?

Yep.  There's now an eleven-year-old girl in the house!  I've written so much about Eler Beth in this journal, that most readers probably know her pretty well.  You probably won't want to go back and read all these linked entries, but I sure did have fun re-reading them myself! 

If you've read my journal for very long, you know that Eler Beth loves to fish, and hunt, and collect and learn about fossils and rocks and minerals; that she loves her pets, is good at finding things and noticing things and helping to catch crooks; that she likes to name her possessions, even plants and bicycles!  She's smart and funny and quick-witted and very much a Momma's Baby and a Daddy's Girl, and thinks the sun sets and rises on her grandmother!  (It does, actually.)  She can do anything a boy can do, but she still loves to dress girlie, go shopping and has been known to succumb to the lure of a pair of earrings.  She's tough and will charge into battle against a boy twice her size if she thinks he's threatening her big brother, but passively allow a nurse to take some blood?  No way!  She misses her former school principal who died last year and whom she credits with "changing her life" by making her "drop everything and read".  She got to pet a real live white Bengal Tiger cub, named Glacier, at Bass Pro Shop.  She's quite a little communicator, too.  One thing I miss about working is getting emails from her at work.  They were precious.  And she gave us a wonderful anniversary gift last year.

Yep, that's my girl!

A Sisterly Tribute

Since today is the last day of January, I just want to mention that my sister Dennice turned 59 one day this month (for her privacy I won't say which day).  So I decided to do a little tribute to her.  If you click on the link above you'll get a little background information on this eldest of the Dowell children, if you haven't already.  I will re-post a bit of that here and continue with a funny "Dennice" story.

Dennice is a Speech and Language Pathologist who works in a school system and who also takes private clients. The rest of us thought it was rather ironic when she decided to become a Speech Pathologist because, of all of us, Dee is known as the "talker". She also has a very country/Southern accent that none of the rest of us have, even though we all grew up in the same county in Kentucky. Dee never fails to put her foot in her mouth and then proceed to make matters worse by trying to explain herself out of the situation. And although now, in her later years, she doesn't get into quite as many physical scrapes as she did when she was younger, she is still known as the one who could fall up a set of stairs, and the one who once backed into a parked school bus -- among other things. Oh, the stories I could tell!

And I think I'll tell one now.

When I was about 8 years old Dennice and her husband and young daughter lived in a mobile home for a few years.  At this time she was a stay-at-home-mom, and one who was never idle.  She kept herself busy from sunup to sundown with housekeeping, yardwork, a garden and her young daughter.  One day she took the notion to put a fresh coat of paint on the bathroom.  She'd been painting for a few minutes when it occurred to her that she hadn't opened the window, and that that just might be a good idea!  Struggle as she could, though, she could not get the window in the little bathroom to open.  So she grabbed a hammer and tapped a few times; but the window remained stuck.

Dennice wasn't going to give up easily, so she went outside and around to the back of the trailor to see if tapping on it from the outside would do the trick.  When she got around back, lo and behold, the window was open!  Humpf, she thought!  Her tapping must have loosened it after all!

Back inside she went, to pick up her paint brush and resume her work.  When she got back inside the bathroom the window had closed.  She tried and tried but once again the window was stuck.

Back outside she trudged, hammer in hand, to give that blankety-blank window a piece of her mind.  The window, once again, was open.  This time she charged back inside, a martial light in her eye, just daring that window to be closed.

It was!

Okay.  Was she imagining this?  Had the paint fumes got to her after all?  One more time she was going to go outside, and if that window was open she was going to go get someone to stand guard outside while she went inside, and they were going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

Back outside she went, plan of action in mind, hammer in hand, and a determined set to her jaw.  The window was open.

Furious now and muttering epithets under her breath, she shoved her hammer through the open window, where it landed with a clatter in the kitchen sink.

Yes, the kitchen sink.

Now, as you know, kitchen sinks aren't usually found in bathrooms, but are rather usually located in a kitchen. 

Stunned, she looked to her right, and, sure enough, there was the bathroom window, right where it had been the whole time, stuck tight.

Now, that's a cute story in and of itself, but the really funny thing, and the thing that makes it a true"Dennice" story is the fact that had she not told on herself, none of the rest of us would ever have known about it.  That's my sister, Dennice!

(Oh, I've got a lot of Dennice stories!  This is just the beginning!)

Tags: Family stories

Thought For The Day:

Some People Are Like Slinkies.......................    

 

 

     They are not really good for anything..........................

 

            BUT............................

 

     They still bring a smile to your face 

 

                      When you push them down a flight of stairs!  

  

Wednesday Wanderings

It is, once again, deceivingly beautiful outside today.  Our wind chill is currently about 8 degrees F, but the sun is shining and the skies are clear.  There were some flurries earlier today, but no accumulation.  I fear that is about to change.  It looks like we are either going to get a little accumulation tomorrow or we're going to get icy rain; I'd rather have the snow.

I've done my seasonal cleaning on my kitchen and laundry room (to borrow Martha's term for it), and thought I deserved to get out for a while on this gorgeous day.  With the radio playing and my shades on I could pretend it was a nice early spring day -- until I stepped out of my nicely heated car.

My first stop was the bank to make a deposit into one of our savings accounts.  This particular account is a Passbook Account, and usually I glance at my book when I get it back before I put it away.  This morning after I left the bank I drove on to Kroger and got a really, really good parking space!  But just before I got out of the car I realized I hadn't looked at my account book.  We've used this bank for many years and I can only remember one time that they made a mistake, which they corrected practically as soon as they'd made it.  But I'm a creature of habit and a victim of compulsive behavior, so there was no way I wasn't going to look at it once I'd thought of it; turns out it's a good thing I did!  I'd deposited $400, but my book showed a deposit of only $40.  So it was off to the bank again.  They apologised and corrected my deposit, and I went back to Kroger.  My five star parking space was gone, of course, but there was one just a couple down, so that wasn't too bad.

After a little shopping there I went to Wal-Mart and splurged on a few little items for myself.  I bought some clear plastic storage totes, too, because you can never have too many of those, and I plan to continue my seasonal cleaning, room by room, so they may come in handy.

Well, I'm off to get some lunch, but I'll be back.  I have a few entries I want to make today.  Til later!

This and That

It's very cold here today, but deceivingly sunny.  Every time I step outside I feel like someone has pulled one over on me.  Brrr.

We did get a little snow here on Tuesday, Wednesday and even yesterday, but we've had no accumulation.  Yesterday the sun was shining brightly the whole time it was snowing.  I'm going to stop complaining, though.  At least I've seen some snow this year, even if it did disappear once it hit the ground, and at least it's cold enough to feel like a normal winter.

Last night was Open House at Prosser, where Andrew is taking computer programming.  The whole family went, and we had a nice time.  It was nice to see Andrew's classroom and talk with his instructor; we know a few of the other instructors there, and some of the students, so we had a lot of people to talk to.  Andrew is doing well in his class, and I think maybe he's found his niche.

Today was a special day for Eler Beth.   Back in November her school conducted its annual fund-raiser, and one of the incentive prizes was a limo ride to lunch with the principal, for selling a certain number of items.  There were 15 students who earned the limo ride, and Eler Beth was one of them.  She took a camera along, so hopefully I'll have a few photos to share soon.  They went to Pizza Hut; three adults, including the principal, and the 15 students in one stretch limousine.  The students ranged from pre-school to 5th grade, so it must have been quite a fun time!

I've been kind of bad about journaling this week, although I have tried to keep up with everyone else's journals.  I've been introduced to a few new journals (new to me) that I'm enjoying reading. 

I've also been trying to get some major cleaning done here in the house; as opposed to regular maintenance cleaning.  I've cleaned, re-lined and re-organized all my kitchen and pantry shelves and cabinets, which I guess I do about every three or four months.  It was time.  I also took all the blades and light fixtures apart on my ceiling fan in the kitchen and gave them a good scrubbing.  I try to keep them dusted, but they still get so grimy that once in a while I just can't stand it and have to see them really clean.

Does anyone else out there ever get down on their hands and knees to scrub a floor anymore?  I do.  Not all the time, of course, but once every so often I just have to do my kitchen and utility room floors that way; the bathroom and entrance hall, too.  When I was growing up we had hardwood floors in most of the rooms of our house, and although they were swept daily and mopped at the very least once a week, my mother would, about once a month, get down on her hands and knees and clean them.  She'd have a bucket of soapy water and a bucket of clean, rinse water, and I can remember helping her to scrub them.  I actually enjoy doing it once in a while; I get a really good sense of satisfaction knowing that every inch is completely clean, and it actually feels good physically.  I used to like to wash down walls, too, but not so much anymore. lol

So anyway, my kitchen and utility room floors have been cleaned and polished.  I guess I'll stay with the kitchen theme and give my appliances a good cleaning by next week.  That'll be one room's Spring cleaning just about done! 

And I guess that's about it; not too much exciting going on in the Helms household right now, but I may be back later with something.  I wouldn't put it past me!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Can It Be??

It's snowing!!!

Not much so far, but it is snow!

 

The dogs woke me up, so I peeked outside to see what they were barking at.  I still don't know what they were barking at, but I saw these little, tiny, white things floating softly down out of the sky.

"Snow?"  I asked myself.  "Can that be snow?  It's been so long since I've actually seen any."  So I slipped on my shoes and stepped outside. 

Yep, it is snow.  Wet, tiny little flakes, but it is snow.

Let the word go forth -- Jeffersonville is finally seeing some snow!

Guess What?

No. Snow.

None.

We got a very little bit of freezing rain and sleet early Sunday morning, then it turned to plain old rain.  When that stopped, we got nothing for the rest of the day Sunday.  They are saying we may get a few flurries today sometime, but I think it's all a nasty rumour, personally!

I think Colorado is going to get our snow today, and they don't need any more!  Areas a bit North and East of us did finally get some snow yesterday.  I just want a little bit of snow, you know?  Just a little!

Wintry Sunday Morning

We are getting sleet outside right now.  Thomas just left for work, and before he did he threw down some salt on the front porch and walk and in the driveway.

We're supposed to have some snow this morning, with some areas getting 1-3 inches, then the snow is supposed to change over to rain by late morning.

Weather Pixie

My weatherpixie needed a makeover, so she's cut and dyed her hair and is going with the flapper look for a while!

Tags: Weatherpixie

Stopped in my tracks!

Eler Beth had a doctor's appointment Friday, so she was home with me for part of the time she'd normally be in school.  I was walking into the living room where she was watching TV from the sofa when she greeted me with, "Mom, what do you do all day?"

For some reason this question stopped me in my tracks.  Literally!  For at least 30 seconds I just stood where I was and stared at her.  She stared back.  Finally she blinked and asked, "What?!"

That brought me out of my trance, and I answered, "Oh, it depends on the day, I guess."

This seemed to satisfy her, and she said, "Because I was just wondering if you ever got bored being home by yourself all day."

Ahh!  I should have known there was a good reason for the question.  But if you could have known what was going through my mind!!

Chasing one another through my head were thoughts like:

"What does she MEAN, what do I DO all day??"

   "Actually, what DID I do all day??"

"Just because I don't work outside the home, I have to account for what I DO all day??"  

   "Actually, what DID I do all day??"

"Why is it that what we SAHMs DO isn't obvious to anyone taking a peek into our lives??"

   "Just what the heck DID I do all day today?"

And so on....

As I stood rooted to the spot I was aware that she didn't mean the question the way it sounded, but it came at me like a slap in the face. I would never have thought that I'd be that sensitive to such a question, but apparently I am.  I've worked full time with one kid and with two kids, and I've been a stay-at-home-mom with one kid and with two kids, and this I know as a fact -- it's never a piece of cake.  You make it work, no matter what, and the main ingredient to doing either one successfully is balance.

There are days when I may not actually do a lot during the day while everyone else is gone, but I may have stayed up past midnight helping a child with a science project or report.  There are days when I'm running my butt off or working myself into exhaustion while they're gone, but the next day I can make up for it.  It balances out.

Once when Andrew was around three years old and Thomas and I were both working full time, Thomas was layed off from his job for two weeks, so he kept Andrew at home during those two weeks instead of taking him to his babysitter.  I can remember coming home one day and finding an abviously exhausted Thomas dozing on the couch while Andrew watched Nick Jr.  As I came into the living room, Thomas roused and immediately started to apologise for some bit of housework (I can't remember what) that had needed to be done, but that he hadn't finished, and I cut him off, saying not to worry about it. Then he said, "How do you DO this every day?"  I think that was one of the sweetest things he'd ever said to me!

Andrew had a blast having his Daddy's undivided attention for two weeks, Daddy learned a really valuable lesson, and Mom got a compliment and some affirmation!

I have to admit that I have often been my very own worst critic and have said to myself at the end of a day, "What did I accomplish today?"  I've even been known to say to Thomas, "It doesn't look like I did much today, but I ... (fill in the blank)."  So much of what the primary homemaker does is unseen.  I've loved working outside of the home and have taken pride in doing my work well, but I love staying at home, too. 

We teach our kids how to take care of household duties,and we teach them no one is above any of those duties.  We've taught them that there is as much value in having a parent stay home to take care of the family's needs on a full-time basis as there is in having both parents working full-time.  We've especially tried to make sure that both kids know that there is nothing wrong with wanting outside employment while raising a family, but that having one parent home full time is not something to be taken lightly or for granted.

So, yes I knew, even as I stood stunned and rooted to one spot, that my daughter was not actually questioning whether or not I DID anything all day.  I know my girl, and even as my brain was trying to process all those conflicting thoughts, I knew that to her, a girl who is constantly on the go, 24/7, and who craves constant companionship, the thought of being by herself at home all day must seem very unexciting and unappealing.  But in those 30 seconds of suspended animation I was on the defensive and dealing with a mixture of guilt, doubt, and self-recrimination at the same time that I was affirming to myself that what I do daily matters.  I guess there's just no winning.  We are always going to feel at times like we're letting the ball drop in some area or another or like we're having to defend ourselves to someone else.  Thankfully, I DON'T have to defend myself to the people who really matter in my life. 

But it was a good question.  Even though she hadn't meant it the way it sounded, it was a GOOD question, because it made me defend myself TO myself.  And sometimes that's the hardest defense we have to make!

Tags: Stay-at-home-moms

Updates!

Our friend who had the stroke is home and doing very well!  Thank you to everyone who remembered him in your prayers.  I don't know what the miracle drug was that they gave him, but apparently, if it's given withing three hours of the stroke, there is a good chance that the stroke victim will have very little or no debilitation.  Charles is pretty much back to normal.  He is looking and feeling good according to the family, only tired, and we hope to be able to see him soon.

The fire from the train derailment that happend about four days ago and that caused some families to have to evacuate is finally out.  Yes, it has taken this long!  The original fire was burning for more than a day, then they piped the chemicals that were in two of the damaged tanker cars (that had not ruptured or caught fire in the accident) into a field where a pit had been dug, and then the chemicals were set on fire;  a controlled fire, this time, of course.  I believe the last of that fire was extinguished late Saturday.  The families were allowed to go to their homes for 45 minutes only today to check on pets and possessions, but were allowed to take out very few things, and still cannot go home.  I think there are only around a dozen families that are actually displaced right now.  Investigations into the derailment are still ongoing.

Tags: Train derailment, Bullitt County Kentucky

Morning News

It was hard getting up this morning!

The kids were out of school yesterday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so the three of us slept late.  Then I napped some more in the evening and was up late last night.  Hopefully I'll get straightened out today.

No snow!  Well, we are now getting a few little flakes flying about, but nothing else.  We didn't even get much sleet or freezing rain here.  The roads were clear this morning.  It is, however, very, very cold.

There was a train derailment across the river in Bullitt County, a few miles South of Louisville.  There is a huge fire from it because of several tanker cars catching fire.  They don't know what chemicals were in the cars, so they have evacuated some of the nearby subdivisions and elementary schools.  The flames are still leaping at least 100 ft. up, and the fire department has now backed up, and they're letting it burn.  I guess they've decided that it will be better, environmentally, to let it burn instead of risk causing more damage by trying to put it out with water and washing who-knows-what into the water supply.  Some people in the area are being told not to leave their homes but to stay inside, shut off their furnaces and keep their doors and windows closed.  Interstate 65 North and South is totally stopped at the Brook's exit, and will be shut down to traffic probably for most of the day.

Guess that's it for now.

Tags: train derailment, bullitt county kentucky

More Clean Jokes...

For the slightly twisted mind!

Tags: Clean Humor

A Friend in the Hospital

A friend of ours, Charles, had a stroke Monday morning and is in the stroke unit at University Hospital (U of L). They gave him some new medication that, when administered quickly after a stroke, is supposed to help lesson the permanent effects of the stroke. His left side was paralysed immediately following the stroke. We just saw him on Sunday. He is probably in his 70's, although it's hard to imagine him as being that old. If I were to ask Thomas he'd probably say he couldn't be more than 65, but Thomas has a way of freezing people he's known for most of his life and not allowing them to age in his mind.

Thomas grew up with this man's kids and his grandson is one of Andrew's best friends. I was in a wedding with his son-in-law even before I met Thomas, so even though I've only known him and his wife for about 15 years, I've known other members of his family much longer, and am very good friends with his daughter. Charles had heart by-pass surgery about a year ago and has been doing very well as far as I know, and his general health seems to be good. He's a very, very active person, physically and mentally, so hopefully that will stand him in good stead. There isn't much we can do right now, but just pray for him and be there if the family needs us.

Winter at last??

Can it be?

  (Thank you, Donna!)

We've had three straight days of rain.  When I step into my back yard to feed the dogs, the ground actually squishes under my feet!  It was 60*F this morning at 6 a.m., and now it is 36*F just short of midnight.  It quit raining around noon, and now we have a misty, icy rain/sleet mix out there.  There may be some snow flurries by morning (I'm not holding my breath!), and they say the roads will be slick by drive-time.  I'm glad it is getting, and going to remain, in the 30s for the next few days -- the ground will finally freeze and then I won't squish when I step into the yard!  I hate to squish!

My kids are hoping for a miracle, and that they'll have a snow day.  I say at the most school may be delayed if it really is very slick in the morning.  I'm not going to seriously complain anymore about not having any snow after seeing the deaths from the snow storm out West.  I guess I just want some normal weather this winter.  If we don't have any normal winter weather, then I'm afraid the rest of the seasons this year will be all messed up, too.

I have live-forever plants and crocuses coming up out front.  I've covered them with mulch and leaves.  My trees and shrubs don't seem to be trying to put out buds yet, so hopefully they're okay for now.  But I'm worried that nothing will really bloom right if we don't have enough cold days and nights.

Oh well, enough of that.

I am drinking a cup of flavored coffee (decaf) and just ate a double chocolate Milan cookie.  Heaven!  I needed a chocolate fix, so when I ran out to the grocery earlier in the evening I got one of those BIG Hershey bars and a package of Milan cookies.  I don't eat chocolate very often, so when I crave it I let myself have some, and I don't overdo on it.  That chocolate bar will last for weeks if I'm the only one eating it.  One square will satisfy me when the chocolate monster comes calling.  I wish I had such discipline when it comes to potatoes or pasta!

Lily Munster Died

I was sad to see in AOL News that Yvonne DeCarlo, best known for her role as Lily Munster, died Monday at the age of 84.  I never watched The Munsters a lot, only occasionally the reruns, but I did like DeCarlo in several of her movie roles; in particular McClintock! and Oscar.  I especially loved her voice.

I had forgotton that she played Moses' wife in The Ten Commandments, until the article reminded me.  And that brought up something interesting.  The name of Moses' wife, in any translation of the Bible I've ever read, was Zipporah.  The name given in this article is Sephora.  So I checked, and sure enough, the character of Moses' wife in the movie is listed as "Sephora", according to IMDb.  Is this a mistake by IMDb, or is that how the character's name is spelled in the actual movie credits?  And if it is, why did they change it from Zipporah?  Just curious.

Tags: Yvonne DeCarlo, IMDb, Zipporah, The Ten Commandments, Oscar, McClintock!

A Question

I have a question.  If your fifth-grade daughter reported to you that three times during the school day a male classmate had massaged the teacher's shoulders, and that at least one of those times the teacher had pretended to purr and once stretched her arms out and pretended to knead her paws, like cats will do, would you be a little disturbed about it?

I have the utmost respect for the teaching profession and for teachers in general.  There are some really great educators out there, some really good educators, and, sadly, some who really shouldn't be teaching.  I rarely have a real problem with any of the kids' teachers; she's a veteran teacher, probably around my age or a little older, so I expect a lot from her I guess.  

Am I being overly sensitive about nothing?  I know that teachers, aids, and even volunteers have to be very careful nowadays, and that's a shame, in a way.  There are times when they may really want to give a child a much needed or much deserved hug, but don't because of the implications and possible ramifications.  But this episode disturbed me when Eler Beth told me about it.  Is it just me? 

Tags: Student/Teacher relationships

Some Thoughts On Writing

This morning I read a very interesting entry in Gerry's journal and wanted to share.  Please check it out.

Tags: Daughters Of The Shadowmen, writing, publishing

A Little More Mellow Now...

  Well, I had some lunch and am a little bit mellowed out now.  I forgive the people who held me up while I was shopping.  Perhaps I should have eaten lunch before I went out?

Headache is about gone now, too.

I just love the penguin in my previous post.  He can get me to laughing and feeling better just by doing his thing!

I Really Appreciate It When...

*  I really appreciate it when the person in front of me in line at checkout moves his shopping cart forward after depositing all his items on the counter, thereby allowing me to start unloading my own items when his start moving forward; leaving the cart behind him while he pays would delay that because it would keep me from moving up close enough to unload my own cart.  So thank you.

*  I really appreciate it when the person in front of me in line at checkout has her money, checkbook, credit/debit card, ID out and ready to go before the cashier gives the total.  I appreciate your consideration.

*  I really appreciate it when the cashier doesn't pause, hand hovering enticingly over my change in the drawer, to answer a question/phone call, or stare off into space before handing me my change (or my receipt, for that matter).  You have my utmost respect. 

*  I really appreciate it when the person in front of me in line at checkout doesn't continue to stand in front of the cashier while putting her change, wallet, checkbook, ID, credit/debit card into her purse before picking up her purse and moving on out of the way.  My thanks are as the grains of sand in the sea.

Yes, I just went to do some shopping.

Note:  Yesterday Thomas, because of rumours that gas prices would shortly rise, and with my approval, filled up my car's tank with gas priced at $2.21 a gallon.  Today I saw that the prices had indeed changed -- gas is now $2.16 a gallon.

Apparently it's going to be one of those days all the way around.

                                                         

More Clean Jokes For The Slightly Twisted Mind

Tags: Clean Jokes

Wednesday Catch-up

No Snow!

Areas around us got a little bit of snow, but we got nothing.  Actually, Thomas said that for five minutes Tuesday morning there was a little mix of sleet and snow where he works, but I don't think it got as far as our house.  Well, pretty soon I'm going to use some of Donna's cute winter graphics even if it is like Spring here.  (I think I have crocuses coming up!)

I still have a headache.  I had it all night Monday and all day yesterday.  It is dulled now, but still there.  I've decided it's dull enough to go ahead and ignore it.  My morning caffeine has seemed to help a lot and I was at least able to eat breakfast.  I have a couple of errands to run and some housework to do, so maybe some activity will speed it on its way.

Thomas's boss is putting his name in the hat for a forman position.  He's actually considering it this time.  Always before when he worked there he refused any suggestion of taking a white hat, and he let his bosses know that he wasn't interested, but this time he's considering it.  I have no problem with it.  He's a good worker, knows all the positions and skills inside out and he's good with the other workers.  He takes nothing off of them, but he's fair.  He's trained and tested other employees before and acted as lead man.  I'm a little surprised that he's allowing his name to be considered, though, because always before he said he didn't want to have to deal with the politics there.  His main concern, he told me, was if he'd make as much as he does now with all the overtime he is working.  I guess we'll see what happens.  (He's also had a bunch of other departments trying to lure him to come work for them, but he wouldn't dare do that to his boss -- at least not this soon!)

Well, I have caught up on all my emails except my alerts, so now I'm going to catch up with them and maybe make a few more entries.  Hope everyone is having a good week and that the rest of you (and there were quite a few) who had complained of headaches earlier in the week are enjoying a headache-free day!

 

                       

Snow Advisory

According to our local weather we are under a snow advisory.  I'll believe it when I see it.

We had some rain last night that changed to sleet in the wee hours of the morning, but then it was rather sunny all day; although it was cooler than it has been lately.  Actually, I think we will finally get a little snow, because all the local weathermen and The Weather Channel have said for the past five days that we'll get snow showers on Tuesday.  No one has changed his story yet.

I have a slight headache, and it gets worse when I lay down.  I just took something and drank a glass of water, so hopefully it'll ease up soon and I can go to bed.  In the meantime I figured I might as well read some journals.

Well, I just peeked outside and there's no showers of any kind yet.  But I'll keep you updated, because I know how you're just holding your breath waiting to see if we got any snow!

                                                                                      

Saturday ramblings...warm weather...old ladies...family reunions...

Well, I really did nothing yesterday.  I've done a bit this morning, and am getting ready to head out to the bank and to do my grocery shopping.  I can't believe how warm it is!  It almost hit 70 yesterday!  Are we ever going to have any real winter?  I think Colorado is taking all of our snow; someone needs to look into that.

Last month my mother turned 83.  She is such a happy, spry old bird!  Don't worry, she doesn't mind if I call her that!  She had all of her annual exams last month and came home with a very good bill of health.  My oldest sister, Dee, turns 59 this month.  She's a pretty happy, spry old bird, herself!

Dee's oldest daughter, Sheila, and her family were the ones who had come up from Florida for the holidays last month.  Sheila is only three years younger than I am, so she and I grew up very close to one another, almost like sisters.  She is married to a very nice man (two days older than I am), her older daughter is four months younger than Andrew, and her younger daughter is two months younger than Eler Beth.  It's funny because Andrew and S are, and have always been, so much alike in personality and character and actions, while Eler Beth and the younger daughter, T, have always been just alike too.

Whenever someone in the family would call to tell one of us that there was a new baby expected in the family, I would immediately say, "It's not Sheila, is it?", and she would say, "It's not Lori, is it?"  We figured it would be a bad sign for the other one if one of us were pregnant again!

The younger daughter T is my little IM buddy.  She is so funny; and she will talk your head off (in person or on IM) just like Eler Beth.  Eler Beth spent the whole week with T, and the two were inseparable.  That was kind of funny because they hadn't actually seen each other since they were about 5 years old, and then only briefly, but they've gotten to know each other well over the internet and have so much in common.

We had fun reminiscing and freaking out the kids with some stories they hadn't heard before.  Sheila surprised me with one I'd never heard before that I'm going to share here, because it's too good not to.  When my nieces and nephews were little kids, there was practically nothing that any of the boys could do that Sheila couldn't do.  And she used this power particularly well to torment the cousin two years younger than her, the boy closest to her in age who lived nearby, my nephew Brad.  Brad, apparently, had taken all the one-upping he could manage off of Sheila one day because after she'd proved her dominance in several areas he stood up and yelled, "Yeah?  Well, you can't stand up to pee!"

Sheila said that just infuriated her so much because it was irrefutable.  She just hated that he had that one thing on her.  (Later she admitted that she did at least try it, just to make sure he was right!)

Gotta go.  More stories later.

Tags: Family stories

The Birth of an Island

Ever wonder how the formation of an island would look if you could watch the whole thing?  Well the crew of the yacht Maiken got to see one being formed back in August, and they got pictures!  This is really cool! 

Tags: Formation of islands, volcanic eruptions, Maiken

Jerome Murat -- Awesome performance!

 

Check out this video, it's really well done.  It is long, so it may take a while to load, but well worth the wait if you can do it.  The hosts of the show are speaking French, but it doesn't matter, the performance is silent.  Really cool!

Tags: Jerome Murat

The Seamstress

 One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, her thimble fell into the river.

    When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?" 

    The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.

    The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with pearls. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

 

    The seamstress replied, "No."

 

    The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a silver thimble ringed with sapphires. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

 

    Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

 

    The Lord reached down again and came up with a simple leather thimble. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

 

    The seamstress replied, "Yes."

 

    The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

 

    Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When the seamstress cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?"

 

    "Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"

 

    The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney.

 

    "Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

 

    "Yes!" cried the seamstress.

 

    The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

 

    The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding.

 

    "You see, if I had said 'no' to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if I said 'no' to him, you would have come up with my husband.

 

    "Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said 'yes' to George Clooney."

 

    And so the Lord let her keep him.

 

    The moral of this story is: Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and is always in the best interest of others.

 

    ....That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

 

Signed,

 

All Us Women

Tags: Joke

Clean jokes for the slightly twisted mind....

My sister PJ sent me some Clean Jokes for the Slightly Twisted Mind this morning, and I thought I'd post four of them here.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Tags: Clean Jokes

I'm Alert Now

If my alerts had been working I would have seen that Journals Editor Joe had posted an entry warning us that alerts were down. 

Happily mine seem to be working again now.

Which is more than I can say for me.

I've been sitting in front of this computer screen most of the morning.  It's a rainy, drizzly day, anyway, so this seems to be the perfect thing to do.  Have I mentioned that I have a brand new computer?  Well, I do.  And I am enjoying getting it set up and transferring data from my older (and recently fixed) computer (which is now residing in Andrew's room).  I fussed about my old one not being the same after I had to have it re-programmed, and, although I wasn't hinting, I have a very thoughtful, loving husband who knew just how to get me to stop fussing.

I don't have my scanner hooked up yet, and that's something I need to do because I have some new pictures I want to share.

Well, be back later with more drivel...  Because it doesn't seem like I'll be moving out of this seat anytime soon!

Alerts Acting Up

It just occurred to me this morning that I hadn't got any alerts for several of my favorite journals for quite a while.  I checked and sure enough some of my alerts weren't working.  So now I have some more journals to catch up on!

A Word of Praise When You Need It

 

This is what your computer should do first thing in the morning!!  Just click on the link and type in your first name!

 

Am I Living In An Alternate Universe Or What??

We're a Basketball state, everyone knows that!!

And now in the same month two of our college teams have won bowl games??

First UK beats Clemson 28 - 20 to win the Music City Bowl, (first bowl win for UK in 22 years!) and now, just last night, UofL beats Wake Forest 24 - 13 in the Orange Bowl??  Am I even in Kentucky anymore?

(Well, no, technically I'm in Indiana, but my heart is still in Kentucky -- I believe I've mentioned that before!)

Good picture of Coach Brooks at that Music City Bowl link above. 

Tags: Universtiy of Kentucky, Music City Bowl, University of Louisville, Orange Bowl

Full Moon

The dogs woke me up barking, so I got up to see what was going on.  I didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary, not even 'possums doing a telephone high-wire act.  But now that I'm up. . . .

It is a full moon out there, and I can't get back to sleep.  So I made some of the Gevalia coffee that my niece gave me.  It is so delicious!!  The flavor is Papua New Guinea.  I guess I'm going to have to start getting this; I get offers to try it all the time.  It's about the best coffee I've ever had.

I made some persimmon bread last night, and a little slice of that with my coffee will make a nice late night/early morning snack.  I hope everyone has a nice day!

Tags: Full Moon, Gevalia coffee, persimmon bread, possums, high-wire act

Centeredness Within

A while back I posted a list entitled Symptoms of Inner Peace by Carolyn Kell, and said I'd like to discuss each one in a little depth.  The first one on the list was: 

A tendency to think and act deliberately from a centeredness within, rather than from fears based on past experiences.

I'd like to think that this is an accurate description of me, in general, but I know that there have been some situations where I have allowed fears based on past experiences to cause me to think or act in a way I'm not proud of.  I do, however, generally try to be very deliberate in word and act, especially when dealing with something weighty.  I have never been one to habitually speak without thinking.  When I do, it is the exception, not the norm.  And I have been known to ponder some decision or other for weeks before making a final choice. 

So, in general, yes, I am usually at peace with myself and my loved ones.  And when I find the need to draw deeply on inner peace to help me deal with a difficult situation I do tend to think and act with deliberation, not on impulse.  But I have to be honest and say that I have set limits on myself at times because of fears based on past experiences.  I do pull myself up short sometimes instead of pushing myself to move out of my comfort zone and take a chance.  So, although I would describe myself as a fairly centered person, and although I believe people who know me would describe me as such as well, perhaps I'm not as centered as I could be?

Well, of course I'm not.  I have allowed outside forces or past experiences to be the impetus for some words or acts.  But as a rule I am able to come to terms with things from the past.  I don't have a lot of demons inside.  I think the family I was privileged to be born into accountsfor much of the calmness I usually can count on to hold me up when things are rough.  They and my own family here at home are my safety net.  And a strong faith and proof of answered prayers can not be discounted either.

I also learned at a young age, from my sisters in particular, to talk about things and not to keep everything inside.  I can remember talking to a couple of work mates years ago about OCD and anxiety issues and depression, and I was very open about personal experiences and experiences of family members.  One of the ladies listening told me how surprised she was that I was talking about it, and how impressed she was that I wasn't treating the subjects as taboo. 

I guess the questions I'd like to ask pertaining to this first "symptom of inner peace" are these:

Do you feel like you usually act from a centeredness within?

How do you achieve that centeredness within if you've never had it or if you don't have the right kind of encouragement/environment?

To whom or to what do you turn when you find that your efforts to develop that centeredness are being put down, de-valued, by the person or persons who really should be building you up?

How do you instill that centeredness in your children?  How do you raise them with the self-assuredness and self-contentment and self-awareness needed to engender their own inner peace?

One of the definitions of the word "demean" is "to lower in character or dignity".  If you've been demeaned in your life, how do you raise yourself in character or dignity in order to have inner peace?

I'd really like to have your thoughts.

Tags: Symptoms of Inner Peace, Carolyn Kell

First of the Month

      Is this the month for you to have your yearly mammogram?  What about your monthly self-exam?  Don't put it off!

Tags: Mammogram, Breast self-exam

In Under The Wire

I was determined to get at least one entry in on the first day of the new year, and I've just managed to do it.

Wow, November and December were strange months for me.  They just kind of whirled by in a blur!  We had some family in from Florida, and we had a great visit.  They are safely home tonight.  I want to write about their visit later.  There are a lot of things I want to write about; as a matter of fact I have a list of the things I want to write about.  I thought I'd get to that list today, but apparently I'm going to get to it tomorrow; see I'm just optimistic like that.

I was sick the latter half of November (I think I wrote about that), and the first part of December, and I just didn't really feel like writing, although once in a while I'd think of something interesting to write about.  I was in a little bit of a "funk", I think; just a wee bit depressed.  Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted me to write then; the entries wouldn't have been any good.  No, I don't want to be misleading.  I wasn't depressed about anything in particular, I just felt bad (you know, coming this close to pneumonia will do that to you, not to mention zap you of your strength), and I just wasn't interested in doing much of anything.  If I had written much it probably wouldn't have made any sense.

So this month I'll try to make up for all that.  As a matter of fact, if I write about everything on my list, your inbox will probably be flooded with alerts from me this month.  (Don't hold your breath or anything, though, okay?)

Tags: New Year's Day