5.31.2012

IN THE SPAN OF A WEEK

I know I haven't posted in a week but I've been keeping busy.  Aside from the obvious (you know...work, errands, ), I have been consumed with the following:

Reading a lot more. In fact, I have spent more time reading than I have in the past three...no make that 5 years;

Walking on my lunch hour (3 days out of 5) which doesn't take into consideration the 3/4 mile walk to Mixon Deli that Linda and I take every Friday; and

Bruce and I worked in our back yard last weekend and got our pool completely set up, filled and covered. The water temp was already 84 degrees this afternoon!

We got great news that our bikes will be delivered by the middle of June and we'll be cruising the shores of San Diego as soon as we get them!

Bring on the summer weather!  We are ready!

5.24.2012

I GO OUT WALKIN'

After an 8 day haitus, I returned to walking during my lunch hour.  Almost 3 miles in 45 minutes...uphill and back.  It's a great walk and workout.  The day was perfect for a long walk. 

May cloud cover with sunshine peeking through and a breeze from the coast kept me cooled.

Tomorrow will be another perfect day for a walk. 

It will be the best way start to a long holiday weekend and I can't wait!

5.20.2012

WEEKEND WRAP

I have had a productive, good weekend.

It was a perfect balance between getting things done and relaxing.  Crossing things off my to-do list and we had a really good visit with Cameron, Heather and Ethan. We took up some steaks to put on the grill and enjoyed some yummy baked potatoes,a spring greens salad, and sipped homemade Mead with dinner (Cameron's hobby).  It was delicious!

I was in heaven holding sweet Ethan and kissing his sweet cheeks.  He is such a sweet baby.  He is a month old today!

I trimmed the ends of my hair--still growing it out; organized my closet and drawers (digging out some more clothes that I am not going to ever wear again); did my nails and painted them a bright spring red to match my toesies.

I read some more of my Goldie Hawn book--still not finished; mailed a box off to my darling daughter; made myself a hashbrown/scrambled egg burrito for breakfast and sipped 3 mugs of coffee.

Laundry is going...one load in the dryer and one in the washer and enjoying the close of the day.

Yeah, I had a good weekend.

5.17.2012

A POSITIVE SPIN WON'T MAKE YOU DIZZY

I started to blog about what a rough work week I've had, but then I decided that would be a downer and not very nice...so instead, I decided to highlight some positive happenings in my week.

  • we just got word that our bikes will be ready and we'll be riding them in 30 days
  • we are seeing our newest grandson again this weekend
  • I finished one book and started another one
  • I am getting 8 hours of sleep every night this week
  • our weather has been awesome...warm sunny days!
  • Bruce made the most delicious homemade pizza for dinner last night
  • It's almost Friday!
I have a nice hot cup of coffee in hand and I am ready to kick this work week on its behind and tackle the weekend!

Carry on...

5.13.2012

MOTHER'S DAY PART 2: TRIBUTE TO MY MOM

I thought I better edit this blogpost with this preface:

I did not write this...I found it on Facebook and it touched me enough to want to share it here.  Though it is a message from a mother to a daughter, I want to keep in mind for ME with my own Mother--she has given ME so much.


Letter from a Mother to a Daughter:

“My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through.

If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”… Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl?

When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way… remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day…

The day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionally lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant.

Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked.

When those days come, don’t feel sad… just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared.

With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you… my darling daughter. “

MOTHER'S DAY TRIBUTE TO MY CHILDREN

I am a Mother because of my children. I owe them a debt of gratitude.

I could not be the person I am today if it were not for all of them.  I learned so much about being flexible, patient and how to listen to my gut...just from raising them.  They taught me so much about life.  They taught me important lessons. As much as they learned from me, I learned from them. I learned so many things.  Too many to list. But here are a few.

I learned what it feels like to hold my babe brand new, placed in my arms, eyes struggling to open to look at me.  How raw and real that feels.  I learned how precious those moments in the middle of the night were--when I was nursing my newborns..just me and my child.  I learned the way my child's smile can light up my world. Every single time they smile. Even now.

I learned that my pediatrician really did know what he was talking about and to relax and not worry so much. That was a tough one.  I must have driven him crazy with all my calls about fevers and symptoms of what I thought must have been some horrid disease.

I learned that all kids really do stay dry through the night well before they get to college and not to compare myself against other parents. I learned that my children's disappointments are mine, their pain is mine and how it feels to go all "mama bear" for my children.  I embraced my role as their protector from the time they left my womb!  I realized early on that I would give my life for my children without hesitation.

I learned that pacifiers are okay and 'Pyjamas Don't Matter' (Thank you, Trish Gibben).  Kisses and hugs, snuggles in bed and prayers in the middle of the night DO matter. Kissed boo-boos are big deals.  Chaos is normal...and okay. 

Sleepless nights are worth it.  No matter the reason.  A child that needs to be held and rocked, waiting for a teen child to come home from work or a date, a visit from law enforcement at 3 a.m. delivering a child safely back home.  Time well spent and lessons worth learning.

My children taught me patience.  They taught me to pray without ceasing.  They taught me to be silly and to keep laughing.  They gave me the gift of daily joy. They made me strong and tough.  They were my light in dark times.  They lifted me with their love.  They saved me.


There is so much more...I am forever indebted to my children.  I am honored to be their Mother. I thank God every single day for giving me these amazing children to love and raise!

This Mother's Day, I want to take the time to say Thank You to my children for everything you have given me! I love you so much! 

5.07.2012

HABENERO HOME RUN

I finally got brave enough to try some of our jalapeno/habenero blend jelly that I made last summer after harvesting the jalapenos and habeneros we grew in our garden.

I was a little nervous about how 'hot' this jelly was going to be.  I hadn't tried it yet.  It was a new addition to my jelly recipe and I had been loving the straight jalapeno jelly I'd made the previous two summers. It has good flavor and just a touch of heat.  I love spicy food, but I don't like food so spicy that it overpowers the flavor of the food you have added the spice to.  Was this one gonna be a bust?

Anyway, I decided to put a dab of the jalapeno/habenero jelly on a fresh "everything" bagel I toasted for breakfast on Sunday. First, I spread some whipped cream cheese on top and then spread a small amount of the jelly on top of that. 

Oh. My. Goodness....It was out-of-the-park delicioso! It was the perfect amount of heat.  How perfect?  I could have eaten the whole jar. 

But I didn't.  I showed a considerable amount of restraint, closed the lid and put the jar into the fridge.

We did break out a half a block of cream cheese and dropped a few spoonfuls of the jelly over the top and scooped it up with baked pita chips as an appetizer before dinner that night.  Another home run!

My wheels began churning about creating this summer's batches of jalapeno jelly.

In addition to my original jalapeno jelly recipe (made with some seeded and unseeded jalapenos) and the jalapeno/habenero jelly batch (made with the aforementioned jalapeno blend and one seeded habenero, I am going to make a batch with an unseeded habenero...and maybe a fourth batch of two seeded habeneros...yeah! 

I'll see what that brings and go from there...unlimited concoctions of jalapeno jelly goodness shall be cooked and canned in my kitchen!

DEEP

Sometimes I am left shaken or moved emotionally when I've read or heard something that speaks so deeply to me that I am ready to act on it. It happens when I least expect it to and I think that is when I know it is something profound. Something important.  It is God's voice whispering in my ear and the message goes straight to my gut.  Ever have that happen?

At that precise moment, I am ready to leap into action. There is an urgency pulsing through me.  Quick! Before my life gets so busy again that I lose track of that moment of passion that washed over me as I read the words.  Before it becomes unimportant.  Before I put it aside, compartmentalizing into another part of my brain and promising to act on it another day.  Tomorrow.

Last week, I packed a book I had bought several years ago, thinking I would read it sooner rather than later, but then here I was, so many years later, tossing it in my suitcase this past weekend and opening it for the first time on our return flight.

I took it out of my purse to read and take my mind off of the fact that our plane felt like some kind of poorly constructed carnival ride as we were tossed side to side and falling suddenly off of pockets of unstable air, making me wonder if this was the day I would die.  (I always think that thought when I fly because it I am still in awe that something SO huge and heavy can actually take off the ground and stay up in the air).

The book I am reading is Goldie: A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn. It is very good and I would recommend it.

I still have 1/3 more of the book to read before I am finished, and I will add more of my thoughts and comments after I have completed it later this week.

This book, so far, has definitely made me pause for periods of reflection and instilled a sense of urgency to do certain things in my own life.  I have been inspired and brought to tears over some of her experiences that I can connect with in my own life. 

Though I still have more to read, I am reminded that life is short and we must do the things our heart tells us to do, when we hear it speak to us and not wait until it is then too late.