A To Do List

I've decided to do a better job at making lists each week so life doesn't just happen. I mean life does just happen but I want to be intentional about accomplishing something each day and I do better with a list.

Today-

1. Get rid of the Christmas Chex Mix-and by get rid of I don't mean eat what's left. I mean toss it. The combination of sweet and salty is perfection but enough is enough. If you've never made this version click here for the recipe. You may not want it this week but there will come a day...trust me. I use red and green m & ms for the Christmas version but you could use pastels and call it Easter Chex Mix. Not that I'll be doing that of course.

2. Along these same lines-empty the frig already. Seriously. Before someone gets hurt. Trying to find the mustard is like playing a game of Eye Spy. There is just way too much in there.

2. Sticking with my theme here-get reacquainted with Jillian today. She might not even remember my name its been so long. I remember her though. 'nuff said.

3. There's more-wake daughter2 who has promised to work out with me at the very hotly debated and intensely negotiated time of 9 am. Why so early mom? Why so late daughter2?

4. And speaking of daughters-take the ornaments off the Christmas trees and put away the decorations around the house while I have elves here to help me. Why is putting it away so much less fun than setting it all up? And why doesn't it all go back into the containers and boxes the same way it came out? Am I the only one who ends up with miscellaneous items that seemingly have no storage container? I mean it all came out of these boxes didn't it?

5. Take daughters to lunch at French cafe in town. While at lunch discuss important stuff like

'you're graduating and there are a milliontrillion things to do this term to be ready to face the world in May'

and...

'eat right, talk to God every day, study hard, get enough sleep'

and...

'why oh why did Jake keep Michelle on The Bachelor...didn't he see Fatal Attraction'?

And while we're on the subject of The Bachelor dear daughters, do I need to remind you that you cannot possibly know in the span of one obviously alcohol enhanced hour spent with millions viewing that you have met the love of your life? I thought not. But I might say it anyway because I'm a mother and that's just how I roll. And dear daughters will roll their eyes and say, M-ooooo-m!, in that way only a nearly grown up child can because that's just how they roll.

6. Finally, remember that my children are not back in the nest to stay...they're home for a break that is rapidly coming to a close. Think about that.

Wait...scratch that last one. Definitely don't think about that. Which may be even harder than an hour spent with Jillian.

Everybody's working for the weekend

I thought you'd appreciate a little Loverboy to get your week started. You're welcome. Loverboy was a popular 80's band in case you're too young to know or in case you were preoccupied during 1981.

It's Monday so how about a little weekend update? It will be kinda like Saturday Night Live except without the funny...

Let me begin by saying it was good to be home in our own house. In fact it was great. We knocked out a few projects and by we I mostly mean my husband. I did cheer him on as I finished a book I could not put down (Still Alice by Lisa Genova in case you're wondering) and it was my birthday after all. Hey, my kids can make theirs last for weeks so I figured mine could run through the weekend, right?

Early Saturday we had a landscape architect out to give us an estimate on putting in some uplighting in front of the house...a relatively small project. I went into the house for literally five minutes to get everyone coffee and came back outside to find husband and landscaper at the back edge of our deck pacing out a 20 x 20 patio with a fire pit and plantings all around. And there was talk of drains and rocks and more plantings on the side of our driveway. And perhaps a bed cut around a large tree out front. And maybe a little something around the mailbox and driveway entry lights. Whoa! Lights. We're starting with lights.

Besides all the dreaming we painted our front door and our porch railing (again, using the term we very loosely), washed the windows in the back of the house (I did locate the correct product in Loews), power washed the front walkway...and here I genuinely was a huge help because as soon as my husband turned on the power washer the tiny little tip shot outta there like a bullet. We were like CSIs marking off a crime scene while trying to locate that small, but unfortunately essential, end piece. He was ready to give up and use the superduper spray nozzle when I spotted it in the shrubbery. As an aside does anyone else's husband get a big grin on their face when they get to power wash something?

And while we were doing this and that we may have happened to glance over and see this-

We have four acres of forest behind our house so I have no idea why they are standing here...some kind of confab going on it looks like. They eventually lined up and trotted across the street and into the woods...so pretty.

What else...oh I may have eaten 1/4 of a German chocolate cake. My husband had one made specially for my birthday. Thankfully it was only half a cake so when I ate half of that it was really only 1/4. Whatever...I met my good friend Jillian this morning after my walk so its all good. Has anyone else noticed she can't count? She likes to say 'only three more' and then we do something like 12 by my count. She's mean like that.

We went to church on Sunday...this is the first time we've been to church in our new town since moving into the house mid-July. We've only actually been home three weekends so this was really our first opportunity. We visited a church we used to attend when we lived in this area 15 years ago... it's changed quite a bit but as I sat in the pew I couldn't help but think about my sweet little daughter2 at age 3 performing in a VBS program there in 1993. The entire week she had refused to sing any of the songs when they practiced them on the stage. The night of the program she did everything but grab the microphone and walk out into the crowd. Such hilarity.

Hubs and I may have spent part of Friday evening watching some of our old VCR tapes that we haven't seen since before we moved to England. Little girls with their soft sweet voices and babydolls and bicycles with training wheels, and big pink bows and little blonde curls...we agreed we could only watch a little bit...the sweetness almost makes your heart hurt. Well that and the fact that I seemed to enjoy speaking at a decibel level that only dogs can hear. Why? And what was my husband thinking with that big mustache and those tennis socks? And my hair??? It's just too much in every sense of the word. Why is it so dark? Was my hair really that dark? Well, obviously the answer to that is yes since we have it saved for posterity on videotape but yuk. Oh and I was really thin. And young. Like I said, our hearts could only take so much y'all.

It's time to be productive so I'll leave you with a picture of what I saw as I walked over our hill this morning...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Enjoy your Monday...Joyce

Big Girls Don't Cry. Or Complain.

So who was that lady who wrote that whiny post yesterday? What a baby. Well that's how it sounded to me when I read it today. I generally don't have a lot of patience for complainers. Count your blessings already! is what I'm usually thinking. And I suppose I shouldn't post when I'm having a day although one of the reasons I started blogging in the first place was to write about these days and months (and years?) of transition. So while I'd like to say I won't look back... I might. The good news is I excel at compartmentalizing so it won't happen too often.

Now that I've posted my disclaimer for any future whiny posts can you stand to read some happy thoughts? For starters, the weekend is here and my husband and I are exited about the fact that we have absolutely nowhere to go that involves either packing a suitcase or loading a car/truck. Did you know that we closed on our house on June 15th and that this weekend will be only the second weekend we've actually been home? In our own house? We have been on the go every single weekend and although the trips have been filled with fun things (if you don't count the 17 hour trip in the big rig which I've already totally blocked -told you I excel at compartmentalizing) they've still involved packing, driving, and not being home to get the house looking perfectly perfect.

So this weekend we are going to hit the container store...and a side note here...I love just writing those words-Container Store. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to get storage containers in England. I looked everywhere for bins when we first arrived in the UK and they were nowhere to be found. I finally went into my small but very well stocked local hardware shop and asked where I could find bins and the owner's reply was this (and I kid you not)...'Bins, why yes, I think we have a bin.' A bin? A? I need about 10 bins because I have no closets. And that bin cost the equivalent of over 15 US Dollars. Oh see, there are a few things I don't miss! Anyway, besides loading up on containers this weekend we plan to finally hang pictures, throw something delicious on the grill and.... we're going to enter a local car show.

Now, I have to interject here and say that I'm not 100% sure I'm a car show kind of girl so that may or may not stay in the 'things to love about the weekend column' but....I do love our little car and I do love my husband. And he has been working so hard in his new job in addition to driving all over the East Coast every weekend in addition to moving furniture in addition to taking a business trip halfway around the world all in the last few weeks so I think the least I can do is get a little bit excited about a car show.

And just in case you don't think this post is random enough...my pup has a small injury to her paw. We have no idea how it happened but the vet said I've possibly over exercised her. Hello!! Didn't I tell you that walking in this neighborhood is a workout? I bet if the vet looked at my paws she'd say the same thing. In fact I moved up to Level 2 on the Shred and can I just say that I hate the plank and my knees are not cut out for 3400 squats in a 20 minute time period?

Here's hoping your weekend is smashing! Cheers...Joyce

I can't help it. I like their words. Very very much. They are brilliant.

And the painted ponies they go up and down

I'm pretty sure we set some sort of record on Friday when we managed to make a 12 1/2 hour drive in only 17 hours. And stopping at the DMV wasn't even our biggest delay. Getting to the DMV was a bit of a side trek off the planned route but once we found the building it only took about an hour to finally get all the paperwork completed and to leave with temporary tags and a temporary registration for the MG. That's progress people. Plus there was a Dunkin Donuts conveniently placed in the lobby of the building so I had a nice cup of coffee while I waited on hubby. No donut though. I'm pretty sure Jillian would frown at a donut.

The real delay didn't occur until we were nearing Charlotte, NC. We sat in our 'big rig' as we liked to call it for over an hour and a half on I-85 while a multi-vehicle accident was cleared. And we had to turn off the a/c while we were sitting because we wanted her to start back up when it was time to move. And it's hot down south y'all. And humid.

In spite of all the aggravation in getting to South Carolina my husband and I agreed that moving our girls this time around was a piece of cake compared to previous years. Having a truck meant we were able to get all of daughter2's belongings to her dorm in one trip. Moving everything by car generally takes about 157 trips because did I mention that girls have alot of stuff? Oh, and they need it too. All of it. Every last item. Let's just say if my husband doesn't set foot in another Target or Bed Bath and Beyond or Lowes or Wal Mart or Macys or Pottery Barn or Pier 1 or World Market for at least 52 weeks it won't be too soon.

We said goodbye to the big rig in South Carolina and flew home last night. And we also said goodbye for now to our girls because we probably won't make another trip to SC until their school's Family Weekend in October. And the whole way home I was thinking about how I wish I lived closer to them. And I know NJ is way closer than England but it's still not close. And my girls are basically young adults now so shouldn't this whole missing them when they're away from me start to ease up a little bit?

I've realized something recently and that is this-I am never going to stop missing them when they are away from me. Not even when they are the age I am now. I know my mom still misses me. She's going to spend a few days with me next week and that makes her so happy. Why? I mean I've lived away from her for 32 years. But that doesn't matter because no matter how old I am in her heart I'm still her little girl.

I think I've been imagining that at some point along this road of raising children that the missing would subside. I thought I'd someday reach the end of the 'letting go'. That being away from them would get easier. But it doesn't. And in my head I know my girls are 21 and nearly 19. But my heart says something different.

I don't think a mom ever completely lets go.

And I don't think we want them to.

'And the seasons they go round and round,

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return we can only look

behind from where we came

and go round and round and round

in the circle game' Joni Mitchell

Shred? I don't need no stinkin' shred

Because I live in a neighborhood where walking every morning is like a daily climb up Mt. Everest.

Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but y'all, it's steep here. Way steeper than you can tell from my pictures. Trust me. And I've been walking with my pup every morning and can I tell you that even the tops of my feet hurt? Why is that? I mean other than the obvious reason being that I'm slightly out of shape?

This is what my pup does every single morning as soon as we get back to the house-

She flings herself flat out on the garage floor. Can't even make it up the four measly steps into the house. Most days I'd like to join her. I don't, but believe me when I say that I most definitely could lay down right there beside her on the garage floor.

And when she finally does come back into the house she generally goes back to bed-

A dog's life is rough isn't it?

Now me, I'd like to go back to bed but I'm into that whole new house, new town, fresh start way of thinking so when I come in from our walk I go straight to the DVD player for a workout with Jillian.

And, I'm pretty sure I'm the last person in America jumping on the whole 30 day shred thing but better late than never. If you've missed out on all the 'fun' check out Jillian Michael's workout. Even my hair hurts. And I'm only on day 3. I actually bought the DVD just before we left England and it's been following me around, taunting me, reminding me of what's coming, shaming me into working out all the way from the UK to the month+ in the hotel and finally to our new house...still wrapped of course. In my defense we just got our DVD player connected on Saturday.

My husband said last night that he thought exercising was supposed to mellow me out. He's just lucky I couldn't lift my arms.