Do you remember this movie? It’s one of my favorites.
I want to challenge you to do something for someone else this Holiday Season, expecting nothing in return. Prepare a dinner for a family, give a gift to a child that won’t be getting presents this year, serve dinner to the homeless…give back any way you can, it doesn’t have to be big! One of the greatest things about life for me is helping others. Experiencing and seeing the joy on their faces when they are told their next meal is taken care of is gratifying.
I am not only challenging you but I have taken this challenge on myself and hope to make an impact on a young women’s life who is pregnant with her third child. She can fit all her belongings into the run down car that she drives to and from work. She is stuggling to survive in this world alone with three children. She has been chosen by my small group and I to sponsor this year for Christmas. We asked her this week if we could help give them a Christmas and she has already thanked us about 5 times…can you imagine her relief? The basics for her and her children will be taken care of this Christmas all because of the willingness to Pay it Forward.
I’ve never considered myself high maintenance. I’m not one to blow hundreds of dollars on shoes and handbags. In fact, I hate shoes. I don’t make regular appointments at the hair salon for pricey colors or cuts. I don’t get my nails professionally manicured and my makeup collection isn’t top of the line. However, I am a girly girl. I make sure my nails are polished everyday before work (yes, really) and I have a fresh coat of gloss on my lips. I have a pink calculator. I searched like a mad woman trying to find a matching pink trash bin for my office (go ahead, laugh). You get the picture.
For the past couple of months we’ve been making renovations on a house that we’ll soon be moving into. The 2 rooms upstairs has been our main focus for now. In the beginning I maintained my girly girl sheek, but as time went on it slowly became apparent that it wasn’t working out. If I was going to get down and dirty I needed to let go of a few daily routines. Reality is we need to get these two rooms done before we move. Trimming some time away from tackling renovations to do my nails, hair and whatever else was not an option. I didn’t dare. I would have gotten “the look.”
I am well aware that the holidays are right around the corner. It’s almost November. Normally, this time of year I’m floating in that glorified state of knowing that I’ve conquered the majority of things that cause the usual holiday stress. I can breathe easy with the sweet reassurance that what’s left over (baking, holiday cards, gift wrapping, etc) will be smooth sailing. There will be plenty of time to tie up the loose ends. No worries.
That came to a screeching halt about a month and half ago. Mom’s health took a turn for the worst and she now relies on us financially as well as for some daily assisted living. We made the decision to move into Lori’s house next door and Mom will be living with us. We had planned on moving there down the road after we made some renovations, but, under the cirsumstances, we have to do it sooner rather than later. It was our only choice.
My glorified state has now turned to organized chaos. Although we don’t anticipate being fully moved in until mid January, there is an endless amount of work that needs to be done. Not only do we have to contend with the hassle of moving, but we need to renovate the two rooms upstairs in the other house before the move, Okay, I can deal with that. I’m always up for a good challenge.
I had to seriously rethink the holidays this year. Time is of the essence. Every hour of every day needs to be productive. I’ve drafted up timelines. If everything goes as planned (knock on wood) we should be okay. This meant deducting a good chunk of time I usually devote to the holidays.
Do I really need to send out 40 (give or take a few) holiday cards this year each with a few handwritten paragraphs? Most of these people I haven’t heard from in years. This task takes me an entire day. In a day I can apply a coat of joint compound to the walls of both rooms and strip the hardwood floor. Is it necessary to spend three days baking for everyone we know and have come in contact with? No. The possibilities are endless as to what I can get done in those 3 days.
Why is it that many cannot live in the here and now? What is built or trained into our society that makes us look towards tomorrow instead at looking at what is right in front of our face? The best advice I was given while I was pregnant with my first child is to enjoy everyday with them. To take in every bit of their tiny baby smell, beautiful tiny smiles, each little coo, and every ‘baby’ step thereafter. After watching my two oldest grow so quickly, I am very glad that I have enjoyed them to the best of my ability each day.
I have come to realize that tomorrow is just going to be tomorrow, not the day I receive a large inheritance from a distant relative (although that would be nice, he he he). I have a choice in what everyday will bring me. I have a choice to be in a good mood or a bad mood when I wake up. I have a choice to get up 15 minutes earlier so that I am not yelling at my kids to get ready or eat faster. I also have a choice to make changes so that my life continuously improves. Everyday there is a choice to make it a successful day!
This knowledge has helped me to enjoy each day for what it is. I have learned to see the good in the days that I wish never happened. I am not saying I don’t lose it or break down, but for the most part, I look for something to make my day easier. I hope that I can teach my children to look for the good in life and to be able to keep their chin up even when life seems to be crumbling around them.
By definition the word ugly means very unattractive, unpleasant to look at, offensive to the sense of beauty and displeasing in appearance. As a society we tend to keep our distance from the ugly and gravitate towards things that tend to be appealing to the eye. People take great lengths to surround themselves with beautiful things regardless of the cost or consequences. After all, who wants to be the brunt of any comment that would include the word ugly?
If you were to ask my Mom, who is a frequent traveler, what her biggest travel tip is she would tell you one thing, “Buy the ugliest and most hideous strand of wide ribbon you can find and tie it to your luggage.” My Mom has traveled to places like Mexico, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and Jamaica and this is the only bit of helpful information she has to give? I thought she was out of her mind.
A little after 4pm Mountain Time on 10/01/09 the Colorado Rockies officially earned their spot in the baseball postseason (only the 3rd time in team history)! We still have a 3 game set against the Dodgers and if we sweep them, we will win our division (and possibly the National League if a couple key losses happen). This was our 91st win of the season which is a club record!
So, get ready for Rocktober (and hopefully in to November too)!!!
Now I have always thought it was polite to let people know when you’re about to step up on your soap box. Consider this fair warning.
Last weekend my husband got run off of the road while he was on his motorcycle. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt very bad. But, and here’s where the preachin’ begins, the really really sad part of all of this is – NOT A SINGLE PERSON, NOT ONE stopped to ask if he was okay. Even the person who ran him off the road didn’t stop. He lay there in the ditch on the side of the road and not one person stopped to see if he was okay. It wasn’t like he was on some road that no one ever drives down. He was on a two lane highway and lots of people passed him. I shudder to think what might have happened to him had he been seriously hurt. But this incident brings up some questions in my mind.
The cold and flu season is upon us and, with the N1H1 virus roaming around too, it’s going to hit us twice as hard. I have come across articles and heard general information on TV on how to avoid the flu. It’s repetitive. Wash hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze, stay home if you’re sick, etc. We all know this. I’m sure this is the same stuff we heard back in the day when we were in school. Most of us adhere to the preventative measures and even get the dreaded flu shot, but we still get sick.
Truth is, there is no way to completely avoid getting sick. Germs and bacteria that make you sick are everywhere…on every surface and in the air. In my many years of working with kids, from the infant years all the way up to 21, I’ve had to attend a great deal of classes on general health and wellness. I’ve worked in daycares, preschools and group homes and these classes weren’t for those who had weak stomachs. They didn’t do the sugar coat song and dance about washing hands and using a tissue when we sneeze. The people who conducted these classes went to public places and homes to get samples of the bacteria and germs that are on everyday surfaces. The results were mind blowing. Most of us lost our appetite by the time lunch hit.
I don’t know how many of you are like me and spend a lot of your evenings with a laptop in your lap while you watch tv, but if you are then you’ve probably found yourself finding ways to waste time online.
Well have I got a site for you.
Kongregate is a huge, community-driven website full of flash games. There are 1000’s of games on this site. Some of them are terrible, some of them are awesome.
What’s cool about this site is that a lot of times it’s just amateur game-makers putting their games out there for people to comment on and sometimes they come up with some beautiful, intricate ideas. There are also plenty of more professionally done games as well.
It was 9 years ago this month that my husband asked me to be his high school sweetheart. Wooo wooo!
He is the epitome of integrity, love and hard work. A sense of humor is definitely not lacking in this man. There are many times he makes me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt. Although there have been trials in the last 9 years (which we have conquered) his ability to make us laugh was ongoing and one of the things that helped us get through those tough times. He has overcome so much and is truly a miracle several times over. I am very proud of all he has accomplished and so proud to call him my husband. I love you more than I could ever put into words, so you’ll just have to settle on me showing you for the rest of our lives.
A familiar phrase and book, ‘Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus,’ has been around for many, many years. It is popular for a reason. The differences between a man and woman are incredible and can be too much to grasp. It would make sense to me to assume that since men are from Mars, they started out as boys there; and to correspond with that, women grew up on Venus. If this is true, I am curious about what the future holds for my daughter over the next few years.
For all of the parents out there I have a question; How do you get your child/children to talk to you about school?
I love being involved with my children and knowing what they have going on. Generally, they reciprocate in this and make it very easy for me to be a part. However, since my oldest started school last year, I have found it difficult in getting him to talk about his adventures of school. I have asked every question I can think of as well as flat out telling him to tell me what happened at school and the general answer I get back is one of the following;
“I don’t remember.”
Or
“I ate and then I played.”
If I happen to get more from him, he usually tells me that the activity was “dumb” or “boring.” It is funny to me that he thinks that the activities at school are not fun, but yet he jumps out of bed to go to school each morning. There is something he is excited about, he just ‘doesn’t remember’ by the time he comes home.
How do you craftily pull information from your children if they are not wanting to talk about school?
My hubby & I went on a mini vacation last week and spent a night at a Bed & Breakfast close to home http://www.applewoodbb.com/. The hosts were warm and welcoming as I can fortunately say has been my experience with most of the B&Bs I have stayed at. The landscape was beautiful. Just my style; trimmed in enough to show you care but mostly allowing the plants to grow naturally. It was everything you would expect from a B&B in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
But, what I enjoy most about staying at a B&B is the morning breakfast with the other guests along with the sounds and smells of breakfast being made in the kitchen. It is such a treat to be waited on in a relaxed, casual setting. Sends me back to when my family would have house guests as I was growing up. The morning would start with the few early risers. Conversation and coffee to begin with, watching everyone slowly make their way into the kitchen. Brewing more coffee…Mom and Dad getting out the cast iron skillets….Pops & cracks from bacon & sausage along with a toaster springing up…I grab the knife and start to butter the toast…. Scrape scrape and oh i have to have a bite now! Setting the table; plates and silverware, syrup bottles and jams…laughter and picking on the one person who had a little too much too drink the night before….My Dad talking over all with a “Well when I was your age…..” statement.
What a wonderful feeling of camaraderie and a lovely way to start the day. Even though we are strangers and may never meet our table-mates again, for that hour or so we all try to relax and allow the past to mingle with the present.
In our “spare” time my husband and I fix up older houses and then lease them out when we have completed the work. We got into doing remodels when his parents wanted to move to a new house and were unable to sell their old one. We bought it and made it our first project. Both Britt (my hubby) and I had been involved in construction for most of our lives and enjoyed working together on projects so this was a grate process that brought us closer together. 99% of the work was done by just the two of us (with a little help from some adventurous friends that owed us a favor or two). There were a few times when I thought to my self “what the heck did we get our selves into”, but over the next year the house slowly came together. There is something that is very rewarding about stepping out of your comfort zone and accomplishing something that you consider risky. We are now on our 5th property and haven’t looked back. I found some pics of our first house and have included them below. That project will always have a special place in our hearts because it was the first big risk we took together, I’m sure there will be many more in the future hopefully just as gratifying as this one.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in theface… and do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Our house is small and space is limited, but I’ve always loved the cozy feeling of it. Everyone who has come into our home has said that it’s warm, inviting and it reminds them of a New England country cottage. I was born and raised in New Hampshire and lived most of my life there so it’s no surprise that my choice of decor has followed me here to Ohio.
Earlier this summer I was convinced that we needed to open up the space in the main living area. Our living room and dining room are two separate rooms, but the entry way separating the two rooms is large enough to blend the two rooms together. After much convincing, pouting, arguing, and persistence, I convinced Lori that getting rid of the dining room and making it into a second living room would be ideal. After all, we very seldom ate at the dining room table and our large living room set was much too big for one room.
After almost two days it was complete. The dining room set had been taken downstairs and half of the living room furniture had been divided up into two rooms. I loved it! Both of the rooms seemed so much larger and having a second living room gave us a whole new room that we hadn’t much used before. I knew that Lori didn’t like it much and I certainly didn’t miss a beat to encourage her to give it a chance.
A week or so ago I was walking down the stairs and I paused. I looked around at both rooms and realized that the downstairs had lost it’s cozy charm. It looked empty. I sat down at my work desk and decided that I didn’t like it much anymore, but how could I admit this? How could I possibly make the suggestion that we needed to put the two rooms back to the way they had been? I knew I would never hear the end of it especially when it involved lugging the dining room set back up from the basement.
A few days ago, late at night, I admitted that I wanted the two rooms back to the way they were. I held my breath. I knew I was treading on dangerous grounds. I heard a laugh followed by, “You’re funny.” Time to pull out the big guns. I pleaded. I pouted. I put on the sad face. I admitted I was wrong and the new arrangement had been a bad idea. I had to listen to how indecisive I was and how heavy the dining room set was. I don’t do this much, but I bit my tongue. I knew speaking up wouldn’t be in my favor.
After admitting I was wrong several times, offering to do the dishes, and promising to never change my mind again with the furniture, the transformation began. I didn’t expect things to be done that quickly and I had prepared myself for at least a week long battle. Our beautiful living room furniture was moved back into one room and the dining room set was brought upstairs. By the following day everything had been moved back to where it had been. It is, once again, cozy and warm. I got my country cottage back.
This is what I’m full of – useless information. A few fun facts that I bet you didn’t know.
1. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.
(Oh my goodness! The whole time I was in TX my insides were red) 2. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.
(You know you just tried it to hear) 3. In watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it is smiling).
(Yes I did have to google that to check it out – take a looksie) 4. Belly button lint comes from your underwear.
(Not sure how true that is, but I don’t ever have belly button lint) 5. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.
(It’s OK that I licked your food – see I’m germ free) 6. Ingrown toenails are hereditary.
(I’m lucky) 7. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
(Huh, really?! Do you follow on twitter?) 8. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
(And all this time I thought I was average) 9. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath.
(Please do not try this one at home) 10. Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th.”
(Do you have good or bad luck?)
Share any fun, unusual, or just plain useless facts here
Have you ever sat in one of the “those” meetings? You know, those meetings where you wonder why the heck you’re in a meeting that has absolutely nothing to do with anything you’re working on and you’re bored out of your mind. Well lets just say that in my long and extensive career, I’ve been in more than my fair share of those.
A good friend and I found ourselves in a meeting just like that a few months ago. Totally bored, she leaned over and asked me “If they made this meeting into a movie which actress would play you?” I of course immediately thought of several attractive and oh so talented actresses. As I was mulling over my choices, I guess I my friend got tired of waiting for an answer because she leaned over and said “I’d have Kathy Bates play you.” Are you kidding me? Kathy Bates?! I was really hoping for someone cute or sexy. Okay, fine, I’ll admit it I probably look closer to a younger Kathy Bates (that even hurts to type that statement) than I do to say a Megan Fox and there’s no doubt that Kathy Bates has done some fine acting. So who am I to complain?(rhetorical question only)
Nestled in Southern Colorado just west of the continental divide lies a small, pristine town called Pagosa Springs. This town, about 50 miles north of the central New Mexico border, sits in a valley between Wolf Creek Pass and Durango, 7500 feet above sea level.
I was fortunate enough to vacation there with my family in July and by all measures, I came away impressed by the striking beauty and friendliness of the community. I experienced perfect weather and a picturesque backdrop that came right out of a movie set. From the hot steam billowing from the natural springs to the melting mountain snow making up the water of the San Juan River, there wasn’t enough time in the day to see everything.
So, I have lived in either Texas or Colorado pretty much all my life but it took a trip to New York City for me to ride my first mechanical bull. I am not bragging or anything, but I stayed on that thing for over a minute! Those professionals only have to stay on for like 8 seconds, so that makes me like 7 or 8 times better then them I guess. So I now have a big life decision to make: Do I keep working at DealTaker or do I become a professional bull rider? Well, after extensive discussions with my wife (most of which was her laughing uncontrollably) I think I will opt to stay with DealTaker for now. But it is always nice to know that I have something to fall back on…
Well I had hoped to have another Kohana PHP Tutorial written for today’s posting, but with all that has been going on with the house I have not had much time to do anything. I’m thinking I’m going to wait till 3.0 is final, which seems to be around the corner.
Back to the house. We still don’t have the water turned on to the house due to leaks in the faucets. This hopefully will be fixed in the next couple days. It’s amazing how much you can’t do with out running water. We also found out a big issue that the inspector missed. Termites in the outside wall of the master bedroom. There was quite a bit of damage done by them, but not as bad as we thought it would be. After replacing the rotted studs, I called up the pest control people and had them do a thorough check. The termites only had been in that one wall, which is good. I was given two option: Spot treatment, which would only treat that one wall or the whole house. Even thou the whole house treatment was about a little over 2x more expensive, I decided to go that route so I wont have to worry about replacing any more wood in the future. This weekend I hope to get all the insulation back in and drywall up and maybe get it textured.
I’ve never considered myself high maintenance. I’m not one to blow hundreds of dollars on shoes and handbags. In fact, I hate shoes. I don’t make regular appointments at the hair salon for pricey colors or cuts. I don’t get my nails professionally manicured and my makeup collection isn’t top of the line. However, I am a girly girl. I make sure my nails are polished everyday before work (yes, really) and I have a fresh coat of gloss on my lips. I have a pink calculator. I searched like a mad woman trying to find a matching pink trash bin for my office (go ahead, laugh). You get the picture.
I am well aware that the holidays are right around the corner. It’s almost November. Normally, this time of year I’m floating in that glorified state of knowing that I’ve conquered the majority of things that cause the usual holiday stress. I can breathe easy with the sweet reassurance that what’s left over (baking, holiday cards, gift wrapping, etc) will be smooth sailing. There will be plenty of time to tie up the loose ends. No worries.
Why is it that many cannot live in the here and now? What is built or trained into our society that makes us look towards tomorrow instead at looking at what is right in front of our face? The best advice I was given while I was pregnant with my first child is to enjoy everyday with them. To take in every bit of their tiny baby smell, beautiful tiny smiles, each little coo, and every ‘baby’ step thereafter. After watching my two oldest grow so quickly, I am very glad that I have enjoyed them to the best of my ability each day.
By definition the word ugly means very unattractive, unpleasant to look at, offensive to the sense of beauty and displeasing in appearance. As a society we tend to keep our distance from the ugly and gravitate towards things that tend to be appealing to the eye. People take great lengths to surround themselves with beautiful things regardless of the cost or consequences. After all, who wants to be the brunt of any comment that would include the word ugly?
A little after 4pm Mountain Time on 10/01/09 the Colorado Rockies officially earned their spot in the baseball postseason (only the 3rd time in team history)! We still have a 3 game set against the Dodgers and if we sweep them, we will win our division (and possibly the National League if a couple key losses happen). This was our 91st win of the season which is a club record!
Now I have always thought it was polite to let people know when you’re about to step up on your soap box. Consider this fair warning.
The cold and flu season is upon us and, with the N1H1 virus roaming around too, it’s going to hit us twice as hard. I have come across articles and heard general information on TV on how to avoid the flu. It’s repetitive. Wash hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze, stay home if you’re sick, etc. We all know this. I’m sure this is the same stuff we heard back in the day when we were in school. Most of us adhere to the preventative measures and even get the dreaded flu shot, but we still get sick.
It was 9 years ago this month that my husband asked me to be his high school sweetheart. Wooo wooo!
My hubby & I went on a mini vacation last week and spent a night at a Bed & Breakfast close to home 
