Simple Pleasures…Small Treasures

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”~~Anne, Anne of Avonlea

I’m tired right now. I’ve had a headache all day. It’s not been that great of day to tell you the truth. I’m sure you all can relate. We all have days like that, right? Days when you’d rather just pull the blankets over your head. Days when the dog pees on the rug, the kids argue, you bang your hip on that same stupid spot on the table for the billionth time! Days when you feel too fat, or too skinny, not smart enough or misunderstood. Those days that if it can go wrong, it will!
I’m thankful that these types of days are not very often for me. Oh, don’t get me wrong I have my share of “Murphy’s Law” type of days it’s just that most times the joys outweigh the sorrows and the smiles overcome the grimaces.
Like the quote mentioned above I believe that life is mostly made up of the simple pleasures. It’s really not the big, huge things that we depend on to make life enjoyable…but those small things, the daily pleasures. The hugs from your children, holding hands with your spouse, the email from an old friend, the sunlight pouring through the window, the flowers blooming in the warm spring weather, a three day weekend, a fluffy pillow to lay your head on at night…. Learning to be content with life’s small treasures. They are there and they are precious.

Its the little things in life, if we take the time to truly appreciate them, that make all the difference.

Profound Happiness

I picked up a magazine while I was at Walmart today. It is called: Faith For Your Journey–Life Beautiful.
I think it is a rather new magazine. Anyway, because it is so close to Mother’s Day they had an article on mothers. I found one young mothers words very profound…and inspiring. The young mother, named Laura, said this, “I don’t want my children to think there is no answer, because there is an Answer. There is a God who loves them and never leaves them adrift…. It’s a very humbling experience to know that your goal in raising a child isn’t that they do well or even that they’re happy but that they are a joy to God.”
Wow. I read that. Then I read it again.I let that sink in. So many times I’ve thought that I want my children to do well. To be successful in school. In social situations. In life. To be happy. But really what is that? Happiness is an elusive emotion. Sure there are days when we as individuals are “happy”. Things are going well. For that moment we are satisfied….but it never lasts. It can’t. We all live in an imperfect world. I think that is why what this young woman had to say struck such a chord with me.
Sure, I have dreams for all my children….but more then anything, I too want my children to be a joy to God. I want them to grow up realizing that their Lord values them. That their decisions should be made in the light of what God thinks. Mom won’t always be there…but God will never leave them nor forsake them. He truly is the friend that they can always count on.
My prayer is not that my children will be successful in the eyes of the world…for the world’s definition of success is fleeting and fickle. I pray that they will be successful in the eyes of the Lord. That one day when they meet Him face to face they will hear the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Oink If You Think The Swine Flu Is A Media Frenzy

Alright already…I’m over hearing about the Swine Flu. It’s a form of a flu. The flu has been around for quite some time. Certain groups of people have routinely died from “regular” flu complications. (the very young and the very old, or those with compromised immune systems) Most people, other then in Mexico, that have gotten the Swine Flu have got sick, but not died. Yes, I know about the toddler in Texas that died (a child BTW, that was brought to the US by Mexican parents)….and that is truly sad….but he/she is in that group that is more susceptible. (We also weren’t told if this child was a normally healthy child or already had other health issues.)
Yes, it has spread, but isn’t that to be expected? People travel internationally. It’s no big surprise that things get spread around.
I don’t know why Mexico was hit so hard. Why people are dying there—from the flu? Is it that health care is poor? People waited too long for treatment? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone really knows.
It really bugs me when the media go crazy with playing and replaying the Swine Flu stories. It is like they WANT for everyone to be scared about what MIGHT happen. The word pandemic starts being thrown around and people think Swine Flu is lurking behind every corner. It’s not….but they want us to think it is. Why is that? Actually, more people die from heart disease and cancer.
Of course, I hope that the Swine Flu gets squashed. No one wants to be sick, but Media, can we let the Swine Flu stories rest in peace?

Building A House Dr. Suess Style

Would I, Could I build a house?
Would I, Could I with my spouse?

I would I could build with my spouse
I would I could FINISH this house!

Would I could I stain window grilles?
Would I could I standing still?
I do not think I can stain without drips.
I do not think I can stand with the pain in my hip!

I want these windows done! done! done!
Staining window casings is no fun.

Would I could I wipe the floor?
Would I could I do some more?

Would I could I wait,wait, wait?
When will be our moving date?!

Staining Window Casings…And Other Forms Of Torture.

While my husband continued to work on the insulation I worked on staining our window casings and the grills for each of the windows. Sounds easy enough, right? Hmmpppfff! Let’s just say that I’ve ended up with Washington Cherry stain on my feet ( I decided to stain barefoot–my thought was that I can wash skin, but didn’t want to stain my shoes and have to wash them), on my shirt (smart me–wore an old flannel shirt to work in), on the floor…opps, didn’t mean to do that, and I think I might have a spot or two in my hair. BUT all in all the windows are looking good and that is all that matters.
Now, I am normally a very neat person…but when staining above ones head, well let’s just say that drips happen. My motto is: ANY MISTAKES JUST ADD CHARACTER TO THE HOUSE. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
The thing is this…I told my husband I remember when I used to be able to sit on the floor to work on projects and hop right up afterwards. Notice I said, “used to”. Those days are now history. Now getting up off the floor is more like a one woman circus act. I have to swing to get some momentum going. Then I sort of roll and get on my knees. (the loud pop from my knees and the even louder crack from my back can no longer be ignored) From my knees I make it to a half standing position and slowly have to stretch the back out before finishing my routine in a full standing posture. Good grief. I turned 40 and not only has everything slid south…but now it’s harder to pick it all up and rearrange it back into some semblance of order in a timely fashion.
On that note….I’m going to go take a nice, long, hot shower. My poor body needs it!

Fiberglass Insulation And Other Exciting Home Construction Stuff

I’m blogging today from the library. Not the public library…my own library. Oh, okay! So it’s not really a library YET, but it will be soon. Right now it’s just the “skeleton” of the room. I can see my husband clear across the house because, of yet we have no walls. The walls will be next week. I’m taking what I can get for right now. I’m currently sitting on a large bunch of (Pink Panther) fiberglass insulation. Don’t worry it’s all still in it’s plastic wrap. I don’t want to get insulation on me…and spend the rest of the night itching. So anyway, it makes a decent place to sit for right now. My hard working hubby is actually putting the insulation up on the walls. He’s putting it up and I’m sitting on it:) Hey, he told me I could take some time to blog. So, I don’t really feel guilty. I haven’t blogged in a few days (since I’ve been back up here in Ohio) and my peeps are wondering where I’m at.
Scott doesn’t usually like me gushing over him, but I’m sitting over here….and he’s over there….so he can’t stop me:) Plus he doesn’t know what I’m writing right now. I just occasionally look up and smile at him then bend back over my computer and type furiously. Deep down he probably thinks I’m weird, but he loves me anyway. I shouldn’t say weird. Weird tends to have negative connotations…I think I prefer the word eclectic. Now, doesn’t that sound better? Might mean the same thing…but alas, it sounds so much better…and I’m all about words you know! Now, back to my husband. He really has done such a nice job on our house….and I know he gets tired…but he perseveres. We will have a nice house when this is all done…and we know it will get done one day. Hopefully, one day not so very far in the future. Hopefully, while we are both still young enough and still have our wits about us to actually enjoy it! I’m very proud of all his effort. (and yes, I help too but he has the majority of the burden on him when it comes to this house. My problems are the house in Tennessee. Don’t get me started with that.)
While I’m on my gushing about my husband kick. My guy is a problem solver. He really is. He thinks inside the box, outside the box, on top of the box and under the box. (that sort of sounds Dr. Suess-ish doesn’t it?) Home construction isn’t his area of expertise (though I think he has done very well for being a novice in this field) and yet…when he comes across a “problem”, many times he figures out his own solution. Can he fix something? Can he make a tool that will work for what he needs done? Can he be more efficient? He’s pretty creative and I’m always amazed at how he comes up with stuff.
In the past when we’ve played board games or card games together I’ve accused him of having a very analytical brain…and just so you know he does. (I cannot win at Dutch Blitz no matter how hard I try!) He likes to solve things. Quite frankly, I’m glad about that. It will serve me well in the future…um, I mean serve US well in the future. Such a big “honey-do” list, so little time………

Simple Woman’s Daybook

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~ Sunday April 19, 2009

Outside my window. . .it is raining…the wetness makes the trees seem even more vividly green.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am thinking. . .that I don’t want to have to drive for 6 hours this afternoon/evening to Ohio.
~~~~~~~~~~
From the learning room. . .it’s Sunday so no scheduled school, though the kids have some odds and ends to catch up on.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am thankful for. . .quiet mornings.
~~~~~~~~~~
From the kitchen. . .unloading the dishes from the dishwasher.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am wearing. . .my pajamas and a robe.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am creating. . .a “to do list” for the coming week.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am going. . .to go to church this morning and then busy getting us all packed and in the car this afternoon. Thank goodness for books on tape so our drive doesn’t seem as long…
~~~~~~~~~~
I am reading. . .so many things. Honestly, I have a couple of books going, plus magazines, plus the internet.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am hoping. . .that I get to move into our new house sometime before I start getting gray hair.
~~~~~~~~~~
I am hearing. . .FOX news on TV, and the rain outside.
~~~~~~~~~~
Around the house. . .I keep tripping over and banging into boxes.
~~~~~~~~~~
One of my favorite things. . .quiet time to myself.
~~~~~~~~~~
A few plans for the rest of the week. . .traveling to Ohio today, two days this week I have to take the kids to their achievement testing, take one son to his drs. appt., and help Scott at the house site.
~~~~~~~~~~
Find out more about the Simple Woman’s Daybook at this site.

100 Things About Me

I have had a rough couple of days….nothing extremely serious….just very overwhelmed with the amounts of stuff I still need to get done around here in order to sell the house and move. It really is putting me over the edge, so to speak. So instead of any political drama today, or news headlines I’ve decided to take a more humorous approach for today’s blog.
Something to make me smile….and I hope it makes you smile also.
100 Things That You Might Already Know About Me……Or Never Cared To Know But I’m Telling You Anyway.
1. I’m 40 years old.
2. My birthday is exactly one month from today.
3. I feel old.
4. But not ancient:)
5. I hate wearing pantyhose.
6. When I was 10 I accidentally tucked my church skirt into my pantyhose after using the rest room and walked into the church that way.
7. That hasn’t happened since….that I am aware of.
8. I hate spiders.
9. I scream bloody murder if I see a big one….if they are small ones I scream too, but I smash them with a shoe.
10. I secretly think the brown spiders that live in my basement KNOW that I’m scared of them…and they laugh.
11. My favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate peanut butter.
12. I would eat it every day if I could….but I don’t want to weigh 900 lbs.
13. I was widowed at 32.
14. I was remarried at 37.
15. In between that time, I dated some interesting men. There are some strange men in this world…I’m just saying…
16.My favorite season is Autumn.
17.My favorite month is October.
18. I prefer cool weather over hot.
19. I don’t like to sweat. I avoid sweating if I can.
20. I love to power walk.
21. I enjoy working out.
22. I don’t work out much anymore because life is so crazy right now.
23. Because of this I have gotten “fluffy”.
24. I don’t want to be fluffy.
25. My goal for the coming year is to “fight the fluff”.
26. I have really white, straight teeth.
27. I never wore braces.
28. People comment on my pretty teeth and smile.
29. I like to brush the old fashioned way…I don’t like electric toothbrushes.
30. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in May of 1995.
31. I love him.
32. He is now a teenager.
33. I still love him….on most days:)
34. I gained another son and a daughter when I remarried.
35. I love them too.
36. They are stuck with me:)
37. When I got remarried I became a grandmother.
38. I’m still working through the therapy of being called grandma… when I’m still wondering when I’m going to grow up.
39.I love dogs.
40.I miss my dog, Buster. R.I.P
41.I tolerate cats.
42.They tolerate me too.
43.I had a mouse in my garage once.
44.I freaked out.
45.I caught it on a glue trap.
46.I couldn’t kill it.
47.Calligraphy is a hobby of mine.
48. I’m pretty good at it.
49.The writing relaxes me.
50. I like to write.
51. I hope to write a book before I die.
52. Some family members think I’m crazy for blogging.
53. Who said I wasn’t crazy?
54. Blogging is a lot cheaper then therapy.
55. I like to listen to talk radio.
56. Listening to conservative talk radio is also therapeutic.
57. I’m in the kitchen a lot.
58. Not because I want to be.
59. Only because I’d feel guilty if my family starved to death on account of me.
60. I am a Christian.
61. I accepted the Lord as my personal savior in May of 1979. Right before my 11th birthday.
62. Jesus saved me…I sure didn’t deserve it.
63. Grace is a beautiful word.
64. My favorite words are epiphany and serendipity. They are just cool.
65. I am a known bibliophile….and no you can’t be arrested for that:)
66.I love small town America.
67. I love reading books about small town America.
68. I love all the members of my family….even the crazy ones. Bless their hearts, they know who they are. (Are you wondering right now if I am talking about YOU?)
69. I have a thing for Toyota cars, trucks and minivans.
70. I’d drive a Toyota forever if I could….or at least until I’m so old they pry my license out of my hand.
71. Don’t give me grief about foreign made cars. We all know most of the parts are made here anyway.
72. I’ve always been a camera ham. Ask any of my extended family.
73. I love my mom.
74. I think she is really smart, and has a quick wit. I think I got that from her. (and my teeth from dad)
75. I love my sister.
76. Even though I threatened her when we were growing up…..and just in case she tries to say that I told her she was adopted, or that I scared her, or I made her think she was going to die when she swallowed a penny….don’t believe her. She is a liar:)
77. I love my husband.
78. He is a good man, except when he’s being bad.
79. He puts up with me for which I am thankful.
80.I love hot chocolate.
81. I love coffee with lots of sugar and cream….or better yet iced coffee.
82. I love nachos.
83. I love 24.
84. I think Jack Bauer is the bomb.
85. I think Jack Bauer could save the world.
86. I think Jack Bauer should run for the presidency.
87. Maybe he will next season.
88. I prefer showers over baths….but that could change with our new whirlpool tub.
89. I love the country.
90. I am a star gazer.
91. I want a new telescope.
92. Lots of times people pronounce my name “Don” like a mans name. When I taught in Anderson County the vice principal’s name was Don. Staff called us “He-Don” and “She-Don”. Only in the South.
93. I’ve lived in Maryland, Tennessee, and soon to be Ohio.
94. I don’t like to polish my finger nails.
95. I do like to polish my toe nails.
96. I was blond, then light brown and now I’m blond. I’ll be blond when they put me in the casket. Just so you know.
97. I have a collection of winter scarves, and thick, colored socks. It’s out of control.
98. I think I have a pretty good life….on most days, when I’m not PMS’ing.
99. I need my GPS to survive. I am directionally challenged.
100. I am too blessed to remain stressed. Amen.

Tax Day Tea Party

The tea party I attended with my children had well over 2,000 people in attendance. It was a sight to behold and the signs….well, let’s just say they were very interesting!
“Obama has what it takes, to take everything you’ve got!”
“Say NO to generational theft”
“Don’t raid my piggy bank for your pork!”
“A government big enough to give you everything you need, is big enough to take all you have.” –Thomas Jefferson
“What would Reagan do?”
“We want Fair Tax”
“Give me liberty! Not a bailout!”

I’m glad we went to the tea party. “We The People” have a lot to say….it felt good to voice what we think about the government’s out of control spending. To let Washington D.C. know that there are MANY people though out this great country who are tired of our money being spent in ridiculous ways. (swine odor research, the sexes of fruit flies etc…..are those truly important? That would be a resounding NO.) Those of us “every day” Americans have to live within our means. If we get in debt we have to work our way back out of it. We don’t spend more and more money in order to get out of debt. That is where Washington is WRONG. What are they thinking? What do they think is going to happen over the long haul? Generations will be paying off the debt as it is right now…..if things keep going the way they have been, our kids and grand kids will suffer under a mountain of debt.
What happened to individual responsibility? We don’t need to be enslaved to our government! They represent US!!! It’s time they started remembering that we vote for them….and we can vote them out too.
Reagan so eloquently put it, “Government IS the problem!”

The turnout for these tea parties has been tremendous….but we cannot stop here. We have to keep going. Don’t let the members of Congress think “this will just blow over.”
Visit fairtax.org to see what you can do….one person CAN make a difference….and another one person…and another one person………

Big and Scary Conservatives…OH MY!

Yes, I can’t stand it any longer I have to blog about it. I cannot believe….really can’t believe that the Dept. of Homeland Security has just put out a file stating that conservatives are basically becoming radicalized and have the potential of becoming terrorists? What?? Are the people that wrote this brain dead?
Is this all because thousands and thousands of citizens will be attending tax day tea parties tomorrow all across this great land? Is the government scared because “we the people” have an opinion and have the right to voice it? (at least for now we do!)
No, many of us do not agree with the turn that our government has taken. We don’t agree with the government having it’s hand in EVERYTHING. There is an entire litany of things that I could list that have happened to make concerned citizens take a second look at the behavior of our government and public officials. We have a right to disagree. This doesn’t make us crazy! It makes us AMERICAN. We have the right to an opinion, even if it is different then what the current government is doing.
I for one am going to be at my local tax day tea party tomorrow. It is a statement. It needs to be said.

Check out Michelle Malkin’s site for the information about the Department of Homeland Security’s report. If you are interested you can also click on her site to find out where the nearest tea party is to your home.

THE PREAMBLE
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general
Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.