Thirteen Things aka Brain Dump

Two numbered posts in a row. Its not how I like to do things here on the ole blog but sometimes it just works out that way. When I was a little girl, and especially when I was a teenager, I would sometimes lie in bed at night and worry about things. I know, I know-'pray don't worry' is what we are told, and I would try to follow that advice but sometimes I would still just fill up with worry. My mom would come and sit on my bed and say, "Tell me everything you are worrying about and then it won't feel so heavy." I would tell her all my troubles, which I'm sure were mostly lots of teenage girl angst, but with each worry said aloud and shared I would feel lighter and could eventually drift off to sleep. When I think about this I am so grateful for my mother.

Not sure exactly how I got off on that tangent but I think lately my head has been so full of 'stuff' I feel like I need to put it down somewhere. Hello blog.

I don't know how I pictured this season of life playing out but I'm pretty sure I never imagined going ninety miles an hour week after week. I think I pictured more leisurely conversations over a glass of wine in the backyard, more sitting around pondering what we should do to pass the time. Yeah. That has not been the case around here since early Spring.

Here's some stuff-

1. I'm headed to the airport this morning and cannot wait to see this girl's smiling face-

Daughter2 will be home for her university's October break, really just a long weekend but as you know we take what we can get when it comes to time with our sweet daughters.

2. Tomorrow evening I will trek back to the same general vicinity as the airport, only detour over to the train station where this girl, Daughter1, will be greeted by my smiling face-

The sisters do not get nearly enough time together these days so they are both excited about hanging out together at home.

Home. Daughter2 has not been in the house to sleep in her own bed since May. May! Yes, May. Five months. We have seen her several times since May but we've traveled to her as opposed to her coming here. Daughter1 has been home two or three times more than that but still, this is the reality of the empty nest. I mostly do okay with the separations necessitated by college and working life and growing up girls stepping into the world of adulthood, but every now and then I just need to have my whole little family at home snuggled up on the couch watching The Little Mermaid. The daughters indulge me and the hubs. Truth be told, they need it too.

3. Saturday night the hubs himself will trek out to the airport to catch a long haul flight to Delhi. A long haul flight is... um, long. If you told me I had to make that trip just now I would likely curl up in a ball and suck my thumb. Hubs on the other hand, is a rock star when it comes to traveling. He's made this trip a few times so he knows the drill but I suspect this go round will be a little bit harder. Normally when he travels the girls are not in the house but on Saturday night he'll have to peel himself away from the loves of his life. These girls love their Daddy and he is the best father I know. This picture is one of his favorites and seeing it here today will make him smile. Sometimes it's the little things...

4. Friday night the girls have requested a fire in the firepit so weather permitting we'll roast hotdogs and marshmallows (not together silly) and we'll hang out under blankets and stars sitting right here-

5. We'll make the most of our Saturday and I'm hoping it's a pretty fall day for heading out into the leaves somewhere...maybe an apple orchard or a pumpkin patch or just a walk in the woods with our pup.

She looks raring to go here doesn't she?

6. Saturday night is gonna be a long overdue girls night around here. Although we're sorry hubs has to cut out early I am super excited about a whole evening with my daughters. Giddy might be the word I'm looking for. We may go out to dinner and a movie or we may decide to all cook something together at home and rent movies. We may talk. Ahem.

7. A friend in our little town phoned me mid September in order to try and set a date for a little end of summer backyard cookout she wanted to organize. She is also in the empty nest phase of life and keeps a calendar much like ours. That little end of summer backyard cookout? It has been marked into our calendars as a Christmas party in early December. Crazy!

8. I spent the entire day yesterday in my sweats. I dusted and vacuumed and cleaned every bathroom in the house. It was time. Past time actually and it felt really good.

9. I know I keep talking about the calendar but we have lots of comings and goings happening between now and Christmas that need a little more tweaking. Loose ends. Flights to be booked and hotels in some cases and the kennel. Thank heaven for the kennel...they absolutely love our pup and are so good to her. I think they've seen her almost as much as we have this past month. These loose ends are one of the things I think about when I lie in bed at night.

10. Is my list stressing you out? Actually writing all this down makes it somehow feel more manageable to me. Hey, did I tell you I have both my girls home for the weekend?

11. The holidays. I'm hosting this year. I need to have a game plan because see #9. On the bright side, I thought ahead and we took our Christmas card photo in September. These things need to be planned when you are living in three different states. I'm really happy with the picture and although its a summery photo I got a little creative (thanks Pinterest!) and added a splash of Christmas to the shot.

12. I cannot end this list without mentioning my niece. She is ever and always on our minds and hearts as she deals with leukemia. Cancer is a horrible disease whenever it strikes, but in a child it is truly awful. She is such a brave girl and her wonderful sense of humor remains intact for which we are grateful. She is waiting for a bone marrow donor match to be identified and if you are a person who prays I would be grateful if you would add her to your prayers today.

A few years ago I was in a Beth Moore Bible Study on the Book of Daniel. I keep going back to that study when I think of my niece, particularly the story of the men in the fiery furnace and how God brought the men through the fire. Beth Moore talked alot about how God sometimes stops us before we reach the fire and other times God brings us around the fire. Then there are those times when we must walk through the fire.

A sweet seventeen year old girl with cancer.

There is no way around... only through.

And thankfully, never alone.

13. I saw this when I opened my front door the other day-

A visible reminder that God is good and never fails to keep His promises.

Wednesday Hodgepodge in D Major Vol 48

It's Wednesday which means its time for the weekly Hodgepodge. Everyone is welcome to play along...answer the questions on your own blog or fb page and add your link at the bottom of my post for all the world to see. Here are my answers to this week's questions-

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?

Funny you should ask. I should ask? I recently received my very first summons to report for duty in the not too distant future. It's our local court which is better than one of the bigger courts but you still have to be 'on call' for two days. You may or may not have to report and even if you do report you may or may not be asked to serve. I would normally not mind serving but that particular week my hubs will be out of town and I was hoping to spend a few days with my mom. Criminals. They are always putting a damper on the fun aren't they? Oh wait, innocent until proven guilty. I bet they don't pick me.

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very) how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.

I'm going with a 2. I don't think I'm very mechanically inclined. I can change a battery in a smoke detector but not in a car. Pretty sure this is one of the reasons I got married. Just sayin'.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash...of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?

I love them all. Isn't that what I say every time we have a question involving food choices? If I can only have one I'm going with cauliflower. But really, I love them all.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?

Do something for someone else. Lending a hand or an ear or a meal to someone in need always takes me outside of myself and that's a good thing.

5. Do you enjoy classical music?

Yes. I don't listen to it every day but I do like it and have some on my ipod. My favorites are Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers (really anything from The Nutcracker), Beethoven's Ode to Joy (especially when played on the piano by my darling daughter2 ), Vivaldi's Four Seasons -Spring- because it's beautiful, and Pachelbels Canon in D Major which was played at our wedding.

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?

I just finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and I highly recommend...an amazing story about the triumph of the human spirit. Next on my list are Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and Bloodroot by Amy Greene. I could go on. And on and on. My reading list only gets longer.

7. What is your idea of 'cute' ?

babies, shoes, puppies...the very definition of cute

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Is anyone following the mess on Wall Street which has now spread to cities around the country? We watched a recap on the local news the other night and I can only imagine what this is costing the tax payers of NYC in rubbish collection and police overtime.

I realize there are people with legitimate gripes but seriously is shooting heroin, using the street or even parked cars as your toilet, and 'procreating' in public really helping make your point? One gentleman, when asked what he was protesting, shouted triumphantly-'CAPITALISM!' When the interviewer asked what he would like to see in its place he was completely stumped.

I appreciate the right to protest our very free nation affords its citizens but in my opinion this has gone beyond protest and looks mostly like an excuse for bad behavior. What exactly are they hoping to accomplish? Mob mentality is rarely a good thing. It makes individuals forget they have a brain and can think for themselves.

Whew. Sorry for the rant. I best go listen to some calming classical music now.

Hodgepodge Questions-Vol 48

Here are the questions for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge....be sure to come back tomorrow and link your answers with the rest of the world.

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?

5. Do you enjoy classical music?

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?

7. What is your idea of 'cute'?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Amigos

It's really hard to work up a blog entry immediately after a vacation. It seems like it should be easy, I mean I've been on vacation and there should be lots to tell. There is, but my brain is still in holiday mode and doesn't want to put two thoughts together. Last week I watched the sunrise over Mexico and I'm not quite ready to let that go-

We spent our mornings here poolside, in a lovely resort in Cancun-

The view was not too shabby-

We ate dinner overlooking the turquoise blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico-

We fought some serious surf and played water volleyball in the resort pool-

Okay, some of us played water volleyball and some of us watched from the comfort of our lounge chairs but still, water volleyball was played. Some of us also participated in water aerobics but you will not be seeing those pictures here. I'm sorry or you're welcome....you can decide.

Did I mention we were not alone? These friends-

well, we go waaaaay back... more than thirty years in fact. All the way back to the college years. These boys were fraternity brothers in 1978 and they are brothers still.

One of us may even have celebrated a milestone birthday during the week-

Who better to celebrate with than old friends? Its a very special thing to have friends who knew you when. There's no pretense, no falseness to the relationship...we've all grown up into adulthood together.

Up, not old...we are not old.

Twelve years ago we spent a week together in the Florida Keys. Twelve years doesn't seem that long ago but when I look at this picture I realize that time has most assuredly marched on.

We look like kids ourselves in this photo but here we are, twelve years later with young adult children of our own and many moves between us from sea to shining sea. We've all led busy lives but in our hearts, nothing has changed. There will always be a place reserved there for these friends.

A number of honeymooners also spent the week at our resort and we made them laugh a lot. One commented that she hoped when they were 'our age' they had friends like this. I hope so too.

Life is so much sweeter when shared with friends.

Mucho fun in the Wednesday Hodgepodge-Vol 47

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge Hodgepodgers. Add your link at the bottom of my post and then go visit your friends and neighbors. Here are my answers-

1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?

One of my favorites is homemade vegetable beef soup. I use Paula Deen's recipe but I omit the seasoning salt and I rarely have black eyed peas in the house. I throw in zucchini or regular peas or whatever other veg I have on hand in place of the black eyed peas. This is a hearty, flavorful soup...I always make mine with short ribs and the meat is so delicious and tender. When hubs hears this is on the dinner menu it makes his day.

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.

In a sense yes, and here's what I think that means. The way in which I'll react or behave when I feel angry-hurt-frustrated-happy-excited-anxious, is somewhat predictable...BUT... there's always a but, right?...I'm not inflexible. Does that make sense? While I may always go for door number one I can be taken out of my comfort zone and pull open door number two if necessary. And I can be happy while doing so.

Now, if by habit you mean, do I get up at the same time every day, eat the same breakfast, have meatloaf Monday and taco Tuesday, etc. then no.

Did I over think this question? Yes.

Is that a habit of mine? Maybe.

3. What food product (no longer available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?

The first thing that popped into my head was something called Whip n' Chill. It was a gelatin like dessert and we always had the lemon flavored although it may have come in other flavors too. It was like whipped jello I guess, very light and creamy and I'm sure it was chock full of all sorts of artificial chemically goodness. Along those same lines I also remember a product called Jello 1-2-3.

It was a layered jello dessert with each of the three layers just a little bit fluffier and lighter than the one before. Pretty sure it was more fun to make than it was to eat. I can't say I actually miss either of these products because eww, but they do make me think of my childhood.

4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?

My favorite sunglasses, two pair actually, and neither were the cheap drug store variety. Sigh. One pair I'd only had for about a week when I left them on the seat of a booth in a restaurant. We'd only walked a short way down the street when I realized it but when I went back they were no where to be seen. Hubs bought me a second pair and I had them for a while but they disappeared just before we moved back to the states. Where they went is a complete mystery. I checked every nook and cranny in our cars before we sold them prior to leaving England and I emptied every coat pocket, purse, and tote bag in the house. Nada. So sad too because I loved them and also because hubs likes to bring this up every time I think about buying another pair of expensive sunglasses.

5. Zoo~circus~carnival...your favorite?

I'll say the zoo mostly because I haven't been to a circus in ages and I'm not a fan of carnival rides. Now, carnival food is another story.

6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?

Oh so many...how do I pick just one? It's really hard to resist putting my top ten happy songs here but I will. I know I should say something inspirational but I'm going with this one...beach music always makes me happy.

7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?

Well, I guess that would depend on who you ask. Does that answer sound argumentative? Mostly I'm an easy going laid back person who has opinions about certain things. Holding and expressing an opinion that differs from someone else's is not necessarily being argumentative. I think the argumentative part comes into play in the way you express those opinions and feelings. Occasionally I like to have the last word. Hubs might say more than occasionally. I'm working on it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Are you on facebook? What do you think of all the new changes? If you're confused I invite you to visit my friend Carolyn's blog (The Wonder of Tech). It's a great place to find easy to understand answers to all your tech questions...if you ask she'll answer. Hi Carolyn! Here's a link to her post outlining some of the recent facebook changes which I found really helpful.

I saw this posted on her fb page last week and I 'borrowed' it...a sign of the times, for sure!

Hodgepodge Questions-Vol 47

Happy Tuesday! I have mucho fun planned for this week so I will likely be a little scarce in the blogosphere. Not so scarce that I don't post the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions and of course my answers, but I may not get around to reading all of yours until sometime this weekend. Speaking of this week's questions...here they are-

1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.

3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?

4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?

5. Zoo~circus~ carnival...your favorite?

6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?

7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Come back tomorrow and join the linky party...see you there!

I love it when a plan comes together

A few weeks ago daughter2 celebrated her 21st birthday. You remember this cutie, right?

I had seen what looked like a simple and fun idea online (Pinterest, where else?) and I decided to try to recreate it for her special day. It was definitely fun but the verdict on simple may still be out.

In as few words as I can manage, ahem, here's how it worked-I downloaded this poster template which in essence is actually 25 postcard templates. When these 25 postcards are put together they morph into a poster which reads-'I'm so glad you were born'. Without telling my daughter, I emailed 25 friends and family members, explained what was required, and asked them to email me back if they were in. Tracking down the friends was a little tricky as I had to semi stalk them on facebook. The boyfriend mentioned to her later that his heart started pounding when he saw my name in his inbox. Apparently he was wondering what he'd done to warrant an email from me. Hmmm....I might need to think about that reasoning a little bit more closely when life settles down here.

In a project like this it pays to have a rather large extended family...13/25 postcards were assigned to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Daughter2 has a bazillion friends so narrowing it down to just 12 wasn't easy. I went with a few besties from the high school years who are scattered far and wide, including one across the sea, and then a few friends from the college years, and one special friend who goes all the way back to her toddler days. Mostly I went with friends I felt would remember to mail the cards.

Once I had my 25 names confirmed I assigned a postcard to each one and sent them an email along with instructions and their template. They had to open the attached template, print it out on card stock, write a birthday message along with her address on back, and then put an actual honest to goodness stamp on it. And then mail it of course. I knew that last part would be hard for some of the friends because this generation resists sending snail mail. That requires going to the post office. Bother.

I asked everyone to get their cards in the mail between Aug. 30 and Sept 4 so Daughter 2 would have all of them by her actual birth date. Originally I wasn't going to tell her anything but after I thought about it I decided she might read a postcard and chuck it and I didn't want her to lose any of the pieces. A couple days before the first was due to arrive I told her she'd be getting mail all week long and not to throw it away. She got three cards the first day and knew right away it was some sort of puzzle.

I attempted to photograph the end product while I was in town recently but she was missing one card. She had to track that one down so I was glad I'd kept my list of names and which numbered card they'd been assigned. Naturally its the one in the middle but still really cute-

This was a fun surprise and she absolutely loved it. She loved the birthday wishes and all the love sent her way, she loved the idea of working out the message, and most especially she loved going to her mailbox every day and seeing it jammed with postcards. While they might be resistant to mailing letters college students are big huge fans of receiving letters.

I've tried to white out all the names and addresses but I think you still get the idea.

And my mom wrote her message on the patterned side of the card which we all just love because that is so my mom. It made Daughter2 smile.

The finished product is a collection of happy thoughts and sweet wishes in ink and paper and color on one side with a heartfelt message on the other. I had fun planning this and Daughter2 has a special keepsake to mark a milestone birthday.