Saturday, October 20, 2012

Can't Do It . . . . .

I had the chance to hang out with some of my co-worker friends last night.  This rarely happensSo getting invited to hang out, is actually pretty cool.   

We had a second round of movie night.  We all brought along some food to share: pumpkin pie, taco chips, dip, meat & cheese tray, soda, brownies, and our host made butter beer (something to do with Harry Potter).

During the last movie night back in September and we watched "Thor" and "Sideways".  Somehow I got deemed as a cool mom, because I did not excessively talk about my kids or husband.  Which seemed to surprise the girls.   

Anyway, the girls decided that we should watch "Cabin in the Woods" because the movie had Chris Hemsworth, from "Thor", in it and none of us had seen it.  Well it did sound like a horror movie, which I cannot do very well.  But one of the girls assured me that one of her friends told her that it was not that scaryOh . . . . I should of googled it.

The movie did not start out to scary, but as with all horror movies when night time arrives that is when the problems start.   To prevent a glare on the tv, one of the girls suggested turning off the lamp in the room.  So it was nice a dark in the apartment.  Then the dead zombie people arrived on the scene to start killing people.  YEAH, that did me in!  I spent the rest of the movie with my jacket over my head.  When the characters on the tv screamed and the girls screamed I jumped.  I think at one point I was even shaking.  Not fun!  I tried sticking my fingers in my ears- that did not help.  I was SO glad when the movie was over. 

Thankfully the next movie was the "Breakfast Club."  That was much better on my poor nerves.  I did have fun with the girls, but I do not think I want to watch anymore horror movies ever, ever again.  I think I will stick with the drama, action, comedy, romance, historical, animated mixtures.   

Maybe I will watch the "Aristocats" with the kids later.  That sounds like a nice and safe movie to me. ;-)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Pumpkin Time

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keeper;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he keep her very well
~ Traditional Nursery Rhyme 

We had our annual pumpkin painting tradition on Monday evening with the kids.  Did you know that if you paint them, you can keep them longer We typically get pumpkins in September and hold on to them until after the kids birthdays in the beginning of February.  Afterwards, we place them outside for the deer and squirrels to have a nice winter's treat.

Now back to pumpkin painting . . . Pumpkin and Princess were able to paint one pumpkin each this year.  They got to pick their pumpkin, paint brush, and four colors.

 
When we were at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, Princess's cousins told her that her pumpkin looks like the pumpkin that turns into Cinderella's carriage in the Disney movieSo, Princess decorated her "Cinderella" pumpkin with splashes of color everywhere. 


Now that Pumpkin is in kindergarten he was more artistic and creative this year.  One side of his pumpkin is a happy face and the other side is a scary monster face.


Maybe later we will attempted to carve our first pumpkin with the kids, but it will have to be closer to Halloween. Good thing I picked up a few carving kits last year after Halloween when everything was on sale. ;-)

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Best Year Of Your Life




Back in the spring I was listening to The Morning Show Tim & Pam on WBGL.  I enjoy listening to their banter in the morning and find it amazing that Christians from all over the world are listening in.  Anyway they were talking about a European study that had recently come out.  The gist of the study was that people felt the happiest and most content at the age of thirty-three.  This study actually upset me quite a bit and there were times over the next few days when it was discussed that it was tempted to turn the show off.

I do understand why in most peoples’ lives this might be true.  Most people in their early thirties have figured out what they are doing with their life.  Most people in their thirties have found a significant other and are enjoying their children.  Most people in their thirties have managed to pay off their college loans.  Most people in their thirties have matured enough to enjoy life.

To me age thirty-three was one of the worst years of my life.  On my thirty-third birthday, I took my then 18 month old daughter and 3-1/2 year old son to the funeral home to say goodbye to my mom, their grandma.  She past a few days before my birthday from stage four brain & lung cancer and was buried the day after my birthday.  Losing a parent tears you up.  I had trying to take care my young children, husband, maternal grandma, sister, and dad as a distraction during my thirty-third year

I remember not crying at the funeral, which I think horrified my brother.  But, I had learned over the years that if I cried in front of grandma or my sister when the going got tough that they would also break down in tears.   So years ago, I taught myself to not cry in front of them because I felt like the glue that kept us together. 

Don’t get me wrong, I cried and cried the day my mom died.  Grandma and I were the only ones at grandma house when mom died and I was the one that had discovered that she quit breathing.  It was me that tried to find a pulse.  It was me that called the hospice nurse, our pastor, my husband, my brother, and others.  I cried when pastor recited the 23rd Psalms over mom’s body.  I was also the one that told my step-dad and my sister when they walked into the house to see mom, only find out that they were too late.  It was like déjà vu since we had just buried my maternal grandpa the month before.  So we once again went through the motions at the funeral home and cemetery. 

That first month just feels like a horrible dream and the world seems to just zoom by while you are stuck in place and can’t move.  But of course you have to move, you have to go on with life.  You can’t hole yourself up for ever.  The hardest part of that first year with my mom’s death was holidays, mom’s birthday a few months later, and my kids birthdays were the worst.  Many things helped me through. . . . my hubby, my kids, a few good friends, my faith, and reading. 

Faith-wise I believe: 1) That God does not give us more than we can handle and what he does give us makes us stronger, 2) That God has a reason for everything even if we cannot see it and even the bad can become something good in the end, and 3) That God is walking with us every step of the way even if we lose faith in Him.  The verse that helped me the most was “Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decision and his way!” ~ Romans 11:33 (NLT)

Book-wise:  The fictional book that helped me the most is called The Good Nearby by NancyMoser.  I found this book at the local library and hope that someday I can add it to my home library.  It illustrates how God can use things we would think are bad and undesirable to bring out the good in way we may never expect.  It also illustrates how over lives are so interconnected even with those that we deem as strangers.  I recommend this book to anyone going through a rough patch in life or anyone that needs a faith pick-me-up. 

Anyway, a few months after my mom’s death I had manage to maintain a new normal in my life.  I was trying to loose some of the pounds I gained during the eight months my mom was sick.  I am a stress-eater and so I had gained a bit of weight.    

A few weeks after my mom died a friend emailed me that her five year old daughter had leukemia.  She was diagnosis the day that we learned that my mom had about two weeks to live.  I had known this little girl since she was two and it broke my heart again.  This precious little one that is dear to my heart was sick, but that is the thing with cancer it does not care about age, race, or whether you are good or bad personThankfully that wonderful inspiring little girl is in remission and is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with regards to treatments.  Yay to her and her strong enduring family!

So three months after my mom died, between Christmas and New Year’s, we were learned that my dad’s multiple myeloma had returned.  Well within a week, I had gained back all that I had lost, after all I had lost my mom three months before and was now faced with losing my dad too.  Anyway, multiple myeloma is a type of bone cancer.  It can cause brittle bones.  There is no permanent cure for it, only maintenance treatments that can temporarily put it into remission or can slow the progress of the cancer.  This past April dad had his second bone marrow transplant and his doctor said that it is in remission for now.  As of right now it is rare to have third bone marrow transplants for his type of cancer.   The thing with multiple myeloma is that it weakens the body and makes it more susceptible to other cancers, so if the multiple myeloma does not get him another cancer will.  The last bone marrow transplant bought him five years, so we will see how long the current one holds.  Oh, and I have yet to lose the weight and have even gained more pounds through dad’s and my paternal grandma’s many hospitalizations earlier this year.

Anyway, I felt like I lost a year, my thirty-third year.  I could not remember how old I was or sometimes how old my kids were.  I would sometime walk into a room and forget why I was there or what I was doing.  I am finally two years later remembering how old I am and I am doing better remembering things.  So I guess to wrap it up my thirty-third year was not the best year of my life.  But life is what you make of it, so we will keep our chins up and trudge on the best we can with what we have.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Am I crazy?

 

I cannot get "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" out of my head.  Every time I think about a new post for the blog it pops into mind.  Every time I think about updating my Facebook status it pops into my mind.  Next thing you know, I'll start answering the telephone that way.  It is like the record in my brain is broken and it replays the same line over and over and over again.  

Let me see what I can do about that:

"This is the song that never ends.  It goes on and on my friends.  Someone started singing not knowing what it was.  And they'll continue singing it for ever just because.  This is the song that never ends.  It goes on and on my friends.  Someone started singing not knowing what it was.  And they'll continue singing it for ever just because."   - Nope brings back memories of Lamb Chop, which my preschool age sister watched while I was in high school.

"I love you.  You love me.  We're a happy family.  With a great big hug.  And a kiss from me to you.  Aren't you as happy as can be?" - NOOOOOOOOOOOO, not Barney!!!!!!!  Another flash back to a high schooler being tortured by a preschoolers choice of television shows.  Okay. . . . . . let's try this again. . . . .

"One bright day in the middle of the night.  Two dead boys got up to fight.  Back to back they faced each other.  Drew their swords and shot each other.  If you don't believe this lie is true.  Ask the blind man he saw it too."  - A bit better, learned that one from my BFF in grade school. 

"Have you ever gone fishing on a bright and sunny day?  With all the little fishies swimming up and down the bay?  With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants?  And all the little fishies do the hoochie- coochie dance?"  - Oooooooo, 4-H camp and the kids' camps

"There's a raging sea.  Right in front of me.  Wants to pull me in.  Bring me to my knees.  So let the waters rise.  If you want them to.  I will follow You.  I will follow You.  I will follow You."  - chorus of a song by Mikeschair, good song!

Well I am not really getting anywhere am I?  So since I am coming up short with any ideas for a post.  How about you help me out?  What should my next post be about: food, kids, nature, books, recipes, pictures, etc. . . ?

Thursday, October 11, 2012

A B C

Have you seen those nifty framed one word works of art in the stores?   The ones where they have found the letters hidden in architecture or nature.

" J. O. Y. "
" L. O. V. E. "
" P. E. A. C. E. "
" F. A. I. T. H. "

Those framed masterpieces have alway intrigued me. 
So off and on, I try to discover letters with my camera.

Here are some of my first attempts.  
I'm sure that with practice, I'll really rock it!








Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Another Question of the Day

Has anyone ever heard the saying "If you don't behave, I'll sell you to the gypsies."?  

I heard this statement quite often growing up.  Now it was not always directed to me, usually more my brother than my sister and I.  I am sure that it was said to instill the fear that "Oh No!  I better behave or my parents will get rid of me."  

Now why would I be thinking about this silly notion?  Because I REALLY want to scream that at my kids, BUT I don't think that they will understand one little bit.  

Most of the time they are angelic little angels, but ever once in a while they get a spur under their saddle and they turn into the most annoying and onrey children ever.  I think boys are more prone to this behavior than girls, at least during the younger years of life.

So I think I need to take a page from the new PBS show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.

The Roar Song
"When you feel so mad that you want to ROAR.  
Just take a deep breathe and count to 4.
1 . . . . 2 . . . . 3 . . . . 4"

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Silly Question of the Day

How much wood 
would a woodchuck chuck 
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?


Monday, October 8, 2012

Highlights

We have been very busy lately. . . . .

Two Sunday's ago ~ church, a walk through the neighboring cemetery, visiting with my dad and grandma R, and singing Happy Birthday to grandma R.


Monday ~ jury duty and both kids to the dentist.  Pumpkin has two teeth that are starting to get wiggly.  Maybe he will lose his first tooth in a few months. 

Tuesday ~ woke up to Princess having an accident in her bed.  Family dinner night: Auntie and guy pal made some wonderful cheese toasties to go with yummy vegetable soup.  Hubby had about a 16-hour day at work.  
 
Wednesday ~ relieved to once again go to work and once again woke up to Princess having an accident at 2:30 a.m. (must be the cold weather). Pumpkin had a half day of school.

Thursday ~ no school for Pumpkin, jury duty, lunch glitch, amazingly kind office mate, purchased stuff for decorating at church potluck, and watched a favorite tv show.

Friday ~ yay, no more jury duty!  No school for Pumpkin.  Hung for a few hours with dad and grandma R.



Saturday ~ decorating for church potluck with kiddos, grocery shopping, went to a pumpkin patch with family, daddy & I got a flu shot.







Sunday ~ church, funeral, church potluck, made cheese soup, finally did some laundry



Today ~ no school for Pumpkin, rescheduled Princess's eye doctor appointment, and birthday dinner for grandma A

Whew!!!!!  Remembering made me so tired that I think I will go to bed now.