Growning Pains

Remember the old TV show, Growing Pains? I used to love watching that show. It was funny. True growing pains are anything but funny. They hurt. Whether they be the ones in your legs which kept you awake at night when you were a kid or the ones in your heart as you watch your own kids growing up.

It's hard to watch as each stage goes away never to be seen again. When the baby is no longer a baby. When the toddler is no longer a toddler. When the child is slowly approaching those teen years. Running toward them as fast as they can as you do your utmost best to pull them back and hang on just awhile longer. But it doesn't work that way, does it?

Lots of things seem to not work the way I would prefer them to work.

Why is it too, that we never seem to be able to appreciate things as they are happening? It always seems to be when they are over that we realize how great we had it or how we could do it so much better if given the chance.

I remember always being so aggravated at my oldest daughter. She would always, always leave her clothes either in the washer or the dryer. It drove me crazy. Until of course the day after her wedding. When I went to put a load of laundry in the washing machine and there was a load of her laundry. But I wasn't aggravated. I was sad. I started crying. This would be the last time I would find her laundry in my washer. A milestone. A growing pain.

I remember that first year of homeschooling. It was a little daunting. I really didn't know what I was doing. Every morning as the day stretched before me I would meet it with dread. And now as I look to the last few weeks of homeschooling with that same child I'm so sad. How can it be almost over? And why didn't I just enjoy it more in the beginning?

And it hit me like a ton of bricks this past summer. Time with my kids at home is coming to a close. My youngest is almost 15! How did that happen?

Gone are the days of all those simple family outings. Things like collecting fall leaves. Trips to the pumpkin patch. Afternoons in the park. Hunting for rocks. Bird watching. Feeding the ducks. Crafting around the dining room table. Silly science experiments. Museum trips. Gardening. Made-up backyard games.

These are things that defined me for a lot of years. And now I need to find a new definition.

Is this the day I looked forward to when babies were crying and toddlers were whining? Is this the day I looked forward to when sleepless nights stacked up like pancakes? Is this the day I looked forward to when siblings argued and drove me crazy? Is this the day I looked forward to when the house was always cluttered with toys? Is this the day I looked forward to when teenagers where moody?

I think it must be, but I'm not so sure I want it anymore.

Sunday Afternoon Musings...

I'm very blessed, very blessed indeed. Sometimes it's all too easy to play the whoa as me game. That happens when we focus in too much on ourselves. Sometimes we have to stop and look out a bit further to remember how well we're doing.

I don't want to be nor do I ever think I have been the type of person who focuses on what's wrong. I usually always try to find wants right.

But sometimes it's all too easy to have that pity party. I think especially when you're getting older and you realize that there isn't as much time to make things right anymore. Maybe, just maybe, perhaps...this is it! Maybe, just maybe, perhaps this will be all there is.

I won't own a house, I don't have money put away, I won't be taking any fancy vacations...

But what I do have is so valuable. I have been married to a wonderful and loving man for over 30 years. I have 4 children who are doing well and who love me and like to spend time with me. I have a terrific father who is a part of our lives and who adds so much. I have three amazing grandchildren who love to visit. And I have a great son-in-law whom I am so proud of. We are all healthy. And when we get together we have such a good time full of laughter. I love to laugh and I love it when we are all laughing together. I wouldn't trade any of the previous paragraph for what I have just written. I value so very much all of these precious people in my life and I value so very much all that we share together!!

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part five)

Amy and Allie have a definite routine they like to follow. Like children they are most comfortable when they know what is coming next.

Mornings are always the same. The heater goes on at 6:45 and it's time for Amy to wake up her peeps. On the bed she jumps with many meows. Alley hangs in the hall, waiting patiently. Amy pesters until her demands are met. When Amy and I come out into the hall Alley is most excited. She may be 77 in people years and her body definitely is, but her spirit is around... oh, I'd say 4 years old. She is happy and excited that the day is about to begin. Me, myself, well I'm not quite there yet.

Amy and Alley greet with sniffs on the noses and down the stairs we all head and into the garage. We collect the can of dog food and off to the kitchen we go, single file. Alley is such the lady, her patience is to be admired. Amy does not like to wait even two seconds. So while Alley lays low on the floor Amy is meowing on the sink as I open the dog food. Half a can for Alley at breakfast, into the dish, and onto the floor. And then Amy finally gets what she has been clamoring for, she gets to stick her head into the can and lick the top of the other half. She can do this because I have a can opener that does not leave a sharp edge and because I am easy. She enjoys her licks while I make coffee. Allie goes outside, comes back in, coffee is made, dog food can is put away, and Amy's chows are poured.

Now it is time to make hubby's breakfast and to pack his lunch, drink coffee, and read the paper. Pretty much in that order. Allie has headed back upstairs and Amy waits for Gramps. She loves to sit on his lap every morning and waits anxiously for his arrival. Finally he comes in and he his greeted with many loud, demanding meows. In people speak I think she is saying..."well it's about time you woke up, now hurry, get your coffee and sit down, I've been looking forward to a lap to sit on and quite frankly I'm pretty tired of waiting". And Gramps is usually happy to oblige, although I think sometimes he'd rather just sit and read his paper in peace.

Yes, those are the mornings around here with Amy and Allie. It's a good thing I'm as into routine as they are...

The Mellow Sound

In a previous post I mentioned the launching of my husband's new radio station. The Mellow Sound...truly a labor of love and truly a laborious process.

My husband's passion is music. Not his own music, but the music of others. And he loves all different kinds of it. He remembers what it's called, who did it, and what he was doing the first time he heard it. That's definitely not me. I have vague recollections of the music I've listened to. I can never remember the titles, the artists, or even much of the lyrics. But I like it when I hear it.

My husband has an extensive music collection. We have cases of actual records in the garage, several racks of CD's in the house, and full music files on the computer. After we were married we spent many a weekend in used record stores collecting ALL of the hits of the 70's. Those finds make up the garage collection. The CD collection has lots of smooth jazz. We are always teasing him about his "no-word" music collection. Especially the Christmas CD's. You'd be hard pressed to find a Christmas CD with words on it in our house. And then there is his mellow sound music, that makes up much of what is in the computer files.

And that leads us to The Mellow Sound. His very own radio station. His very own creation. A dream come true! Any words that I could use to describe The Mellow Sound would certainly not do it justice. But please click on the links and find out from his own words what it is all about.

What I can speak to is the passion he feels for this project and the hurdles he's had to jump to get it off the ground. The learning curve for this as been at times most overwhelming. If not for the help of our very computer literate son I don't think this would be happening. And it's not come easy for him either. There has really been one glitch after another. Every step has been a mountain to climb. But he keeps pressing on. His desire for this is that great. This is a project full of love. He loves to find really good music that few people have heard of and then share it with them. He is at his best when he is able to share.

And I am so proud of what he has accomplished. And so excited for what is to come. And I so hope that you will all give it a listen.

Saturday

This past Saturday was a day of highs and lows. A day of laughs and tears. Not really a day to remember, but a day to consider.

We were going to spend the morning in El Cajon, picking up trash. This was to be our Give A Day, Get A Day volunteer assignment. Give a day of service and get a day at Disneyland. But that was not to be. Our event was re-scheduled due to rain.

So a gloomy, rainy Saturday lay ahead. I don't mind those kind of days...as long as I don't have to go out in them. So a rainy day at home sounded just fine. Coffee in hand, newspaper in lap, morning news on, and the only one awake ( besides, of course, Amy and Alley)...I'm content.

But that didn't last long. The news was not good. Earthquake in Chile, young girl missing from jogging trail, impending tsunami because of the earthquake in Chile...suddenly the contentment of the stormy morning turned into a very unsettled feeling. My world was now eerie and unfriendly.

And reading e-mails later did not make it any better. I learned that an acquaintance of mine lives right next to where the young runner went missing. And I learned that Christian missionaries were under attack in India. I'm telling you it was beginning to feel like the end of the world as we Christians know it. I'm thinking that Jesus will be here any minute to collect us all. It was time for prayer and time to turn the whole mess over and to lay it in God's hands. It was time to remember; "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:6-7 It was time to feel God's peace.

And I did. And the day wore on. And all of those things were on my mind, but I had turned them over. And I was feeling more at peace with it all.

And then we made cookies. And we all played Monopoly. And we laughed and we had fun. And my teenage daughter texted her friend saying, "I love rainy days, I love hanging out with my family"...priceless!

Oh and I should tell you the funny part. My daughter must think that I am certifiably crazy. My husband and my father were in the driveway replacing the battery in my car. I was in the kitchen making cookies when a downpour hit. I said, "oh, I'd better take an umbrella out there and hold it over them". And my daughter responded with, "oh Mom, don't worry about them, they'll be all right, they're under that big bush you know..." "Ummm, huh?", I asked. "The bunnies", she answered, "they won't get wet under that bush". Bunnies?? I was talking about my husband and my father. My daughter seems to think that I would actually run out into the rain and hold an umbrella over bunnies!! Really??

So now you can see the range of emotions that covered that day. Not really a day to remember, but a day to consider...

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I've visited with you all. Sometimes life is just too busy, not with anything big, but with lots of little stuff. I have been thinking of you though and I'm anxious to play catch up.

I'm sure that you are all wondering how Amy and Allie are doing. Well they seem to be over the whole tortoise/water turtle incident. Now we are on to bunnies. Last spring we had baby bunnies all over the neighborhood. They would dart through the yard when we would walk outside. They would hop in front of the car when we were driving. They were everywhere! Now we have at least two who have taken residence in our yard. One lives in the bush in the front and another appears to live behind the retaining wall in the back. It has become a common occurrence to see them hopping about. They have, in fact, become a regular part of the morning routine. Amy and Allie and I will make our way into the kitchen and Amy will spot the bunny first. She sits by the window watching with longing in her eyes. I have no idea what she thinks she might do with that bunny if she ever caught up to him, but she longs. Alley is too busy eating at this point. But after she finishes she always asks to go outside. And she doesn't see the bunny so I open the door a crack, thus giving said bunny a running head start and then I open the door the rest of the way. Allie sees the bunny and runs! But Mr. Bunny always manages to hop over the wall before Allie gets to him, thanks in part to that little head start I give. I can't wait until spring. I'm anticipating many babies.

You might be wondering why I talk so much about animals. Well I love them, not in a PETA sort of way, but I love to watch them and to interact with them. I do realize that humans are more important, but I also believe that animals can and do bring joy into our lives. That's why God gave them to us. Lots of other blogs I read are by young mothers' talking about their kids and I love to read them. And I would do that too except that I am an older mother with two teenage daughters who have placed a gag order on me. I know better that to tell you all stories about them. And before I offend my other two...I do have an older daughter and a son who are on there own. And I am so proud of both of them. And I have three wonderful grandchildren, but I'll leave it up to them to decide if they want to tell their stories. As for me, I'll talk about my animals. And any strays that might cross my path.

I mentioned my busyness and one of the things that is keeping me busy is my Avon business. I've been working on it for almost a year now and it's stating to take off. It's exciting! I spent all of this past Tuesday afternoon sorting through products, packing orders, and printing invoices. And I'm learning through my mistakes how to be more efficient and that's a good thing. So if you're ever interested in ordering Avon or you would like to check out all of the many new products we have coming out (such as the new Mega Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick) then please just let me know.

Another thing that has been keeping us busy is the launching of my husband's new radio station! But that story I will save as it is worthy of it's very own post.

Well, enough for now. See you next time.

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part four,continued)

I know you are probably anxiously awaiting news on Mr. Tortoise. Well in turns out that Mr. Tortoise is not a desert tortoise after all. He is a water turtle!

He was on is way to join 10 other desert tortoises who are hibernating in the tortoise lady's bathroom. But when he arrived it was determined that he was a water turtle and so he will be joining the other water turtles in the pond in the backyard of the tortoise lady's house.

Amy and Alley and I both miss Mr. Tortoise, who is not a tortoise but a water turtle. But we are glad he has found an accommodating new home. He was a handful that is for sure. He did not like to be in the box they told us to keep him in. He was always escaping. It's no wonder that he probably meandered away from someone's backyard pond. He did not like to stay put. I only hope that he does not wander from where he is now.

Amy and Alley are still perplexed by the whole event. While they were never comfortable with him being here, they were sad to see him leave. And they are still trying to figure out what or for that matter who that was...

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part four)

Amy and Alley were quite perplexed this morning. A creature had invaded. A creature the likes of which they had never seen before. This creature was somewhat prehistoric looking, it had a hard shell and was able to pull his head and extremities in and out at will. Amy and Alley had never before seen anything quite like it. And they were not really sure what they should do about it.

The creature was a desert tortoise. We found him wondering down the street and some might say, foolishly, brought him in. But we couldn't just leave him out there to fend for himself, could we?

We put him (just assuming it was a him, not really sure) in a box. But he was not happy and so we, probably being foolish again, let him out of the box. We had him in a corner surrounded by more boxes...which he had no trouble moving and he then proceeded to explore the house. If you can imagine a tortoise walking through your living room.

Well Amy and Alley were simply beside themselves. Mr. Tortoise did not seem to be at all bothered by them, but they did not know what to do or think. They both followed him as he explored. And they would each get only so close and then they would back away with fear and trepidation. It was really quite comical. This went on for about 10 minutes when we realized that we needed to separate Mr. Tortoise from Amy and Allie. For his safety and our sanity.

He is now securely ensconced in my daughter's room, hiding under her bed. Which reminds me that truly "no good deed does goes unpunished". We have put up a sign hoping that an owner will call. And we have left a message with the tortoise rescue people.

But as of now we have a wayward tortoise in our house. A tortoise whom I've just learned needs sunlight, warmth, and carries salmonella. Need I say more?

I'm beginning to understand the feelings of fear and trepidation expressed by Amy and Allie. And I shall keep you all posted as to how this latest adventure turns out.

Our Story

I've just finished watching the 4th hour of The Today Show with Hoda Kobe and Kathie Lee Gifford. Today was an "Everyone Has A Story" episode. If you're not familiar with it people send in their life changing, pivotal stories. The stories that change everything. The stories that mark the moment when life will never be the same. One story is chosen each month and a song is written and performed in honor of the person and their tale. It's an emotional moment.

This morning's story was of an accident victim. The accident changed everything. It marked the moment when life will never be the same...and it got me to remembering that moment in my life.

It was Friday the 13th, believe it or not. The year was 1992. It was about 4:00 am. The house was asleep. Myself, my 11 year old daughter, my 9 year old son, and my 4 month old baby. My husband was not home yet. He was working a late shift and should have been home, but was not. I had actually woken up earlier and was concerned that he was not there, but I convinced myself that there was a logical explanation and I fell back to sleep, only to wake up to the phone ringing at 4:00 am. I wasn't able to pick up in time, but I heard the message. It was Sharp Hospital calling and there had been an accident and I needed to call back right away. Heart beating fast, I remember racing around, trying to find a pencil or a pen so I could write down the number and return the call...when the phone rang again. It was Sharp Hospital again. There had been a serious accident, my husband had been hit, head on, on the freeway, by a wrong-way driver. I needed to get there right away. Panic ensued...but was quickly met with the calm reassurance of the person on the other end of the phone. "Who should I call?", he asked. I gave him my neighbor's number and my Dad's number. I don't remember anything else about that conversation. But then my neighbor called. She offered to come over and stay at the house with my sleeping kids, she also said that her husband would drive me to the hospital. And then my Dad called and he said he would meet me at the hospital. The next thing I can remember is waiting for that neighbor and it hit, like a ton of bricks...this is a pivotal moment. Life from this point on will never be the same as it was before. I was scared. I didn't know what I would find at the hospital. I felt very alone. And, at that very moment, I had no idea as to what the future held. Talk about your world being shaken.

Well that was almost 18 years ago. And things did change. My husband was pretty well broken from head to toe, but when the nurse said "he's lucky" I breathed a sigh of relief, but he was in the hospital for 10 weeks. And he was unable to work for an entire year. And his worst injury is still with him today. His ankle was crushed and the bones had to be fused together. He can not bend that ankle and so he hear wears an orthopedic boot to stabilize it. To this day he experiences pain in that foot, sometimes it's excruciating. But he doesn't let it slow him down and he never uses it as an excuse. He rides his bike, he hikes, he plays baseball, he plays basketball, and he does pay a price of pain after doing these things. But he still does them.

We lost the business we had at the time of the accident and my husband lost the job he was doing that year. But so many, many people rallied to our side and got us through. People we knew and people we didn't know. It was an amazing outpouring of love and support.

And little by little we rebuild our lives. My husband eventually returned to a new job and we started a new business. And we had a new baby. And we moved to a different neighborhood. And I became a homeschooling mom. And two of my kids grew up and moved out. And now I'm a grandma too! Life goes on.

And the then college age girl who hit my husband on the freeway that night who had been driving under the influence and who had served time in jail and who we never thought much about as time went by...well she called a couple of years ago. And she apologized. My husband and I both had a chance to speak with her. And she told us that at first she was more concerned with herself than with us, but as she got older and she was married and she had her own kids, well the gravity of the situation hit her. She told us that she was so sorry for ruining our lives and that she was carrying this burden and she couldn't let it go. But my husband and I were both able to tell her that we forgave her. That she should let it go. That our lives were not ruined, changed yes, but definitely not ruined. And it was good to be able to do that for her.

And we learned things too. We learned what is important. We learned that the people around you are so precious and are to be treasured. And we learned that being on the fast track is no way to live and that making time for loved ones is what is most important. And we keep those lessons with us after all those years ago.

So now you're probably wondering why I am recounting all of this now. Well seeing that story this morning just brought it all back and that song that they sang could have been sung to us and it just made me remember...

Not Me! Monday

I did not first find out about Not Me! Monday at Our Three Bean Circus
and I do not enjoy reading Not Me! Monday. And I certainly would not suggest that you too should read all about Not Me! Monday at Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. And I'm not very excited about my first Not Me! Monday. But here goes...

This past week I did not eat 3 chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon, another one at work, and then I most definitely did not eat a piece of home-made chocolate cake when I got home. No, not me.

And I'm sure that I did not put off doing laundry until Sat. and I'm positive that by poor hubby did not have to re-wear his underwear. No, no he would never do that.

And I did not peek out the upstairs window to watch the lady next door in her back yard while she was singing full blast. I would never be so nosey.

And the other morning, when I was very tired, I did not accidentally dump the dog's food into the salad bowl that happened to be sitting on the sink. No, I wouldn't do that.

And I did not, while attempting to deposit my check into the bank, pull up to the auto teller unprepared. I would never be so inconsiderate. And I did not try to quickly prepare a deposit slip and sign the check while a car was waiting behind me. And I definitely did not rip the check in two while I was hurriedly trying to prepare it for deposit and I didn't end up having to leave without even depositing the torn check. No, not me.

And I did not take my knitting to Starbucks where I did not order a mocha with whip cream and then I did not spill said whip cream onto said knitting. No I would not have done that.

Not me!

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part three)

Amy is sooo cat and Alley is sooo dog.

Amy and Alley both spend the better part of each day sleeping. Alley sleeps on the couch in the living room. Amy sleeps on the chair in the family room.

Amy gives love bites and Alley gives kisses.

Alley comes whenever she is summoned and Amy comes when she darn well feels like it.

Amy and Alley both talk. Amy has a rather extensive meow vocabulary, while Alley talks mainly with her eyes. And those eyes have a lot to say.

When left alone Alley howls mournfully, and Amy meows longingly. How do I know this you ask? One day they didn't realize they were not alone...

Alley does her business outside, Amy does hers upstairs in the liter box. She is very fussy about her liter box being clean. Don't ask me how I know this...

Alley chases bunnies in the back yard. While Amy chases her tail while sitting on a stool in the kitchen.

Alley has trouble climbing the stairs, poor baby. While Amy shakes the whole house with her morning runs.

Amy and Allie both shed, but Allie's hair is darker so it's more apparent.

Allie eats canned dog food, but steals kitty chows whenever she can. Amy eats kitty chows but licks Allie's bowl clean every morning.

As you can see Allie and Amy are well loved and much appreciated by their humans..and one is sooo dog and the other is sooo cat...

Killing time

I'm sure that you, like me are guilty of killing time.

What a thought, killing time.

It would not be okay to just randomly talk about killing anything else, yet it is perfectly okay to talk about killing time.

Imagine??

How often do we wish we had MORE time? And yet here we going around killing the time we do have.

It's really too bad that we can't order our time to accomadate us better.
It seems like we either don't have enough of it or we have too much of it. And then we go around killing it.

If only we could save the extra time we have and use it at those times when we are running out of it. It could be like roll over minutes only it would be roll over time.

And then we could stop killing it.

MORNING musings??

I'm wondering what's with this title I've chosen? I never post to this blog in the morning. As a matter of fact I'm sure that I probably won't ever post to this blog in the morning. I'm much more likely to write something in the late afternoon or early evening. What was I thinking? Morning Musings?? But what's done is done. I don't think I can change the title. And I don't want to move...I just got here...so Morning Musings it is.

That is so typical of me. Something turns out to be not quite right and I don't go out of my way to fix it, I just figure out how to adapt to it.

I remember years ago, we had this white Aerostar van and the electric window on the driver's side stopped working. Did I have that fixed? No I learned how to slide (push) the windows up and down with my hands.

We have a double sink in our master bedroom and the faucet on "my" side is very difficult to turn on...so I just use the other side.

We have a pool table and for the longest time we couldn't find one of the pool balls..no problem...we played nine ball.

We have an electrical outlet in the kitchen, the one in the most convenient spot, but for some reason the cords won't plug into it...well I go out of way to use the one on the other counter. Never mind if I have to move everything around just to accomplish that.

I don't know what it is about me, but I don't like to go out of my way to get these things fixed. I don't like having to call in repair men, and I don't like having to take things places. In my mind it's just easier to find a way around it.

Until the poop gets to high that is...

Which reminds me of a story that I've heard Dr. Laura tell. When she was in graduate school she had this very dignified lady professor. The kind without so much as a hair out of place. And she told of these people who lived in a house with no bathroom and slats for a floor. Well since there was no bathrooms they did their ummm business...yes, through the slats. And they just kept it up, until of course the poop got too high and they had no choice but to find a different answer.

Actually I think that's the way a lot of us are, don't you?

Stowaway

We had a stowaway last night, even though the door was closed.

She sneaked in when the search lights went on.

The search lights went on when the helicopter flew by.

I don't know why the helicopter flew by. But it tends to do that a little too much these days.

When the search lights came on after the helicopter flew by I opened the door and that's when she darted by.

I didn't even notice.

I was too busy checking with my daughter making sure that she was fine and not freaked out by the search lights which came on after the helicopter flew by.

After the helicopter flew by and the search lights went on and I opened the door to make sure my daughter was fine, the search lights went out and the helicopter was gone and my daughter was well so the door was closed.

Not realizing that the furry little one had snuck by...

Not realizing until the sun came up and the furry little one was on the bed with her wake-up meows at least an hour too early which is why the door was closed.

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part two)

Amy is most annoyed that Allie gets to go outside whenever she wants to. "Why is that fair?" "Who made that rule?" I'm sure are the thoughts going through her head every time Allie gets to venture in the great outdoors.

But every once in awhile Amy escapes. She knows she is not suppose to. And she knows she will be in big time trouble, but that does not deter her from the occasional outside adventure.

And I think that Allie just may be in cahoots with her...

Allie knows how to open the back slider. When the screen is not closed all the way she can inch her nose in and push it to the side. And she does this all the time. The problem is she doesn't close the door behind her. I think she may have a deal with Amy. I can just hear her saying, "leave the door open and I won't swat you next time you walk by"...hmmm...maybe more like blackmail...

Anyways Allie left the back screen open the other day. No one was in the room at the time so no one noticed. But when we did walk in and we saw the screen cracked ever so slightly...well we knew. And the search began.

Amy had not gotten far. And she knows when she is caught the gig is up and she runs back in.

And she did.

Only she had a lizard in her mouth. A lizard with no tail because she probably bit it off.

We didn't notice the lizard until she was inside. And needless to say we were not amused. And we were not quite sure what to do next.

Then Amy lost interest, dropped the lizard, and the lizard was no where to be found.

Well that's another fine mess those two had gotten us into.

We searched, we pulled furniture out, we pulled knick knacks out, and we searched some more.

Allie was of no help. She went upstairs to hide as she often does when anything is amiss. Amy was of no help. She had long since forgotten about "her" lizard.

Finally about 20 minutes later the way word creature was spotted, scooped up and returned to the backyard. Allie came back downstairs to make amends for the problems she had caused and Amy, well Amy curled up and took a nap after this last exhausting adventure of Amy and Allie.

Hats

One of my Christmas presents was a circular knifty knitter. I can make hats with it. All different kinds and sizes of knitted hats. I've made two already.

I've always wanted to knit. I've always thought it would be good to have a knitting project going so I could take it with me places when I'm playing the waiting game. And I play that game quite a bit and I'm actually pretty good at it. But I think I'd be even better it I could bring my knitting.

And now I can!

I love making those little hats. They are just addicting. Once I get started I just can't stop. I can sit there for a couple of hours just doing row after row after row. I don't want to get up to get a snack, or to do to the bathroom, or even to change positions, I just knit...row, after row, after row...

Now here in lies the problem. What am I going to do with all of those hats? I've already made my daughter one and she loves it and wants more, so that's good. Christmas is over but I can always start making hats for next Christmas. Or I can donate them to a homeless shelter. Or maybe I can make little hats for preemies.

I can also invest in the long knifty knitter. And then I can make scarves, baby blankets, even afghans.

But for now I'll keep making hats.

Would you, by any chance, like a hat?

Girls behaving badly

Sometimes the world is just too much for me. I just don't like to see the direction it is headed. I know that it is to be expected. And I know that it will not get any better until Jesus comes back. Actually it will just get worse and worse. But I still don't like it!

And I don't like the way girls are behaving these days.

I believe that it's the women who set the standards. If women expect to be treated well they will be treated well. If women command respect they will be respected. A woman should set herself on a pedestal and stay there until she finds the man who will keep her there. And he will be found and he is worth waiting for.

But girls today are not taught this. Girls today are acting like sluts. And our whole society is paying the price.

Case in point, someone told me of a 12 year old girl sending what amounted to be porno pictures of herself to her boyfriend (please, a 12 year old with a boyfriend!). He in turn forwarded them to everyone in school and now they are all calling her a slut...HELLO, I believe she is acting like one. Now the girl's mom is angry with the boy for forwarding the pictures and yes he was wrong. And yes the boy's mom should lay into him (which she is not), but what are boys to think when girls act this way? No one is setting any standards. Not the girls or the mothers. Again, I ask you, what are boys to think?

The bar has gotten so low. Our children are bombarded with all kinds of bad behavior on TV and in movies and lots of times from watching their own families. What hope do we have for any future generations rising above all of this?

Somewhere we have to stop the madness! And it's going to have to come from the women. Men will take note if women start expecting, or rather demanding better.

The Adventures of Amy and Alley...(part one)

Amy is a two year old Tabby cat. Alley is an 11 year old mixed lab. And they are both kind enough to share their living space with me.

Amy is small but feisty. Alley is old and creaky.

Amy rules the roost and Alley tries to get by.

The only thing Alley has on Amy is that she is allowed to go outside. And boy would Amy love to go outside. She never quite forgives Alley for this simple unfairness. Amy watches longingly through the back window as Alley makes her morning rounds in the yard. And she waits by the door so she can inform me when Alley is ready to come in. Alley knocks and Amy meows, and meows, and meows until the door is opened and Alley enters. Alley goes about her business making her way through the hall and up the stairs totally oblivious to the small creature that is chasing her and batting at her and telling her all about the unfairness of being an indoor only cat.

And that my gentle readers is just one of the many adventures of Amy and Alley.

Goodbye Christmas

It's January 3rd, time to take the Christmas decorations down. And we're working on it. Not feeling at the top of my game today so the going is slow. The Christmas tree will be gone for sure by the end of the day, fire hazard you know. But the rest of it...well it's likely to be an ongoing project. But that's okay.

I have mixed emotions about packing it all up. It's sad to see it all go, to see Christmas over. And yet it's nice to feel the new beginnings and to peel away the layers of clutter. It fits January to be somewhat empty and barren in the same way that it fits December to be filled to the brim. Filled with decorations and activities and food and shopping. And after so much excess the quiet stillness of January is a welcome friend. The friend who visits only once a year and can't stay too long because life will quickly fill the void that the first few days of the New Year brings.

And that's okay too.

The trick is in learning how to tune into the rhythm of life and it goes all so much easier when we learn to flow right along with it.

New beginnings...

Well here we are, it's January 2, 2010. It's the start of a new year for all and the start of a new blog for me. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of nervous. I've wanted to blog for quite awhile now and here I am finally taking the plunge.

Who knows if anything I might have to say will be of interest to anyone else.

But I'm starting this journey not really knowing where my destination lies. We'll just have to take it as it comes and see where it leads.

I hope you'll join me.