The City of Joy

Last night was our book club meeting. Our book this month was The City of Joy and after last month's choice, I found this book much easier to "digest." The story was about life in Calcutta, India. It was terribly distressing in areas, and completely uplifting in others. It reminded me of how many blessings I have... of how easy life is for me. With that in mind, I decided to list some of the things I am thankful for. Here goes.

I am thankful for:
1. My life
2. My home
3. My family... sisters, brother, (mother and father even though they have passed on), uncles, aunts, etc.
4. My children..(Emile is telling me to look at this the next time I say "I hate my life")
5. My employment
6. My pets... Samantha, Kitty, Angel, and Oreo
7. Trusted friends... Kristi, Cheri, Lesa, and Pat
8. My heater
9. Running water
10. Flushing toilets
11. My washer and dryer
12. My van
13. My health
14. My warm bed at the end of a long day
15. Music
16. My books
17. Sunrise and sunset
18. Fresh, clean air
19. Mountains and forests
20. Food to eat
21. My computer (and access to the internet... it's so easy to keep up with loved ones)
22. Electricity
23. My citizenship and the freedoms I enjoy
24. My talents
25. Access to medical care
26. Coca Cola
27. My rocking chairs (I have 3)
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST......
28. My church
29. The scriptures
AND
30. My Savior

Obviously these are not listed in order of importance. There are so many more things I enjoy on a daily basis. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to live in India... in the slums. I have been blessed by being born here in the United States. Yes I had challenges as a child, however, those experiences gave me the drive to succeed and make life better for my own children. Without a doubt I make mistakes all the time. There are things I can do better... and with time I have grown and evolved into a better person. When I stop improving... when I stop seeing the beauty around me... when I fail to see how many blessings I have, I cease to be alive.

Can You Say Service?

Wasn't this just WAY too funny?!

It's Alive!

Last night Emile started a load of laundry for me. I was cooking supper and could hear an unusual sound coming from the washing machine in the basement. Hmmm, that's not good. I immediately called Brad, my repair man. He's fantastic and I knew he'd be able to help me out.Since I was canceled on a case today, I was home earlier than expected. That was good because Brad called around 11:45 to see about coming over. It took him a total of 5 minutes to figure out the problem. Can you say.... UNDERWIRE BRA!That's it. A wire in the pump. Nice. Since I use a mesh bag for our "private items" I'm not sure how it got there. I'll have to inspect bras and find out which one is missing a wire.So 10 minutes and $70.00 later the washer is working like new again. Life is good.

Freakin' Cold

Man oh days. I have no idea where all the global warming has gone, but I sure wish I could have just a little bit of it for a few days. I'm freezing. This winter has been so cold even though we've had very little snow. I'm really beginning look forward to spring and warmer temperatures. That's pretty unusual for me since I normally love winter. Maybe I'm just getting old (and cold).Brrrr!I think I'd be warmer living in this igloo. Em was walking around with a blanket over her shoulders tonight. On top of the cold temps, I'm still refusing to raise the thermostat any higher than 65 degrees because of oil prices for home heating. Come on spring!

Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants when I saw this. This is exactly how my life would go if it were me.

Monday Memories

When I was a child, I loved pretend play. What I'd give to be able to pretend play some days now. I thought I'd go back in time to remember my favorite dolls.I had a Shirley Temple type doll. She had the same style dress, socks and shoes. The difference was that she had her hair pulled into a ponytail. I didn't play with her often, instead I kept her on a shelf above my bed. She was beautiful.I also had a Mary Poppins doll. I thought she was totally cool, especially her tapestry bag and umbrella. She had several changes of clothes, and unlike my other doll, I played with Mary for hours on end. She was great.My favorite doll was "Knickerbocker" from Holly Hobbie. She was the last doll I ever got for Christmas (I was in Middle School). I loved that doll. Holly Hobbie dolls were very popular in the 70's, probably due to Little House on the Prairie. I had her on my bed well into my married life. She stayed there until one of my dogs chewed her braids off. I was going to fix her, but of course I never got to it. I have no idea where she ended up. I wish I had taken better care of her.

Now my "dolls" are Emile and Brie. Not quite the same as pretend. It was great watching Brie playing with her baby doll and remembering how much fun I had doing the same with mine. The circle of life never ends.

According to Prudence

TODAY'S TOPIC??
You guessed it. Diapers and the contents thereof. According to Prudence, disposable diapers are the worst invention of all times. They are disgusting!!"One time we were driving along the turnpike when I saw someone toss one of those disposable diapers into the garbage can. That's terrible. Where do they think it's going to end up?" HMMMM.... let me guess. A landfill somewhere?? Of course then it will take millions of years to break down, thus adding to the destruction of our planet. Cloth diapers are much better.Although some advocates say when you factor in how much water it takes to properly clean said diapers, the detergent used (chemically based), fuel to make hot water for washing, etc., it's a toss up.

In Prudence's case, she had diaper service.Convenient enough. None of the nasty on her fingers. Nice that she had the financial resources to pay for the service. I wonder how she'd feel about "alternative" diapers?Is there a service for this type of diapering need?

Regardless, when it comes to thisI'll take whatever I can get my hands on. Well except for the poop.

Asian Eats

 

Last evening we went to Mike and Angie's house for an Asian dinner. Andy, Jamie, Dave, Josie, plus all our children were also invited. Everyone brought something to share... yum. We had curry chicken, sticky rice, fried rice, sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, and of course fortune cookies. Good food, great friends! Next get together.... my house... stromboli, pasta, and Italian themed desserts.

That Amazing Dog

I know I always talk about my girls. They really are wonderful, however, there is another very talented female in our family. Samantha. Many of you have met her. She's a hoot... well most of the time anyway.She loves watching TV.She lives for her daily naps.She's a natural at putting her butt in your face!She loves her tongue... and she adores licking you. I'm not so big on this one.She's a great listener. She NEVER repeats anything she hears.She has a blast in the snow.But most of all....... We don't have to feed her from a bowl anymore. She's now able to be fork fed. WOOHOO. We're still trying to teach her how to use her own paws to hold the fork. It's not going so well. So for all of us with children on the Honor Roll, don't forget about the "other" loves of our lives. Our four legged friends!

Oh Canada

Brie had an extensive project she had to do in World Cultures. The assignment was given in December, which allowed the students one month to work on it. That gives you an idea of how involved it was. Brie is a weird child. She actually enjoys school! She also loves a challenge. When she brought the rubric home she was so excited about everything she'd have to do.

I think she did a terrific job! She had to highlight the following: polar bears, the Inuits, dog sled teams, hockey, mounties, beavers, and a famous Canadian actor (which happened to be Hayden Christensen... rather interesting name, don't you think???). Additionally, she had to find a picture of Niagara Falls, Canadian products sold in the York area, Canadian currency, and a Canadian news article, something about the maple leaf (like the leaf itself), and last but not least, the Canadian flag. Thanks to Cheri for the money, news items, and Green Giant label (that one counted as extra credit). When all was said and done it looked something like this.......Don't you just love the beaver!?! We had to figure out how to "mount" it on the display. Just for future reference, the little plastic thingies with the "teeth" at one end that you stick the other end into (like you find on the backs of toys to keep them in place) is what we used. It worked out great. I used box cutters to score the cardboard, then Brie slid the thingy through, connected it to a second one, and tightened it in place. Nice work!

Has Winter Arrived??

I think it has. It's beginning to look a lot like WINTER!! WooHoo! This has been an unusual winter season. We had a small snowfall in November... then nothing but rain or freezing rain... resulting in ice. I loathe ice. I'm terrified of falling, not to mention wrecking the van. That would be a total bummer. It's starting to look like we're entering a different pattern... at least a little bit.

Yesterday we woke to a few inches of snow. Last night we got a bit more snow. Over night we got freezing rain... this afternoon plain rain. I guess you can say we had a mixed bag. That's ok though. We had enough snow for Brie and some of her friends to go sledding.It was really cold. The wind was kicking up causing it to feel really bitter on the skin. I guess it's a sure sign that I'm getting old because I was ready to come home much sooner than the girls were.As I was watching the girls, the clouds opened and it rained pretty hard for a few minutes. Out to the west you could see the clouds beginning to break and the sun was starting to shine through. It was really pretty. When I turned back to the east, I saw a beautiful double rainbow.I'm not sure how well you can see it, but the second rainbow is just to the left of the brighter one. It was so cool to see it in the winter. Another reminder of God's promises. What a wonderful winter day!

Monday Memories

The other day there was a figure skating program on TV. The girls were in the room with me and before I knew it I was telling them about Emile and her love of Scott Hamilton as well as the Riverdance troupe. SO, today's memory is called....
My Very Talented Dancing Emile!!

When Em was about 3, Riverdance was extremely popular. You couldn't turn on PBS without seeing one of their performances, which was fine with me since I really liked watching them. What I didn't realize at first was just how much of an impression it was having on Emile.One evening while I was watching a performance, Emile came into the room, ran back out and after several minutes came running back into my room. She had put on her black patent leather shoes and was ready to join the dance. It was hysterical! Here she was in her panties and undershirt... and of course her dancing shoes... She was dancing her little heart out!She says she's grateful I didn't have a video camera to record such events. I on the other hand wish I had had one. (It's ironic I came across this picture. Emile had these exact shoes AND socks that went with a black and gold dress I bought her for Christmas one year).

Another HUGE love of hers was Scott Hamilton. EVERY time she spotted him on TV she'd ask if I could bring him home so she could play with him. She thought he was pretty darn great. For the record, so did I.Such sweet memories. Where have the years gone? I'd love to be able to go back in time once in awhile and replay moments like these. This will have to do.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I came across this today. I thought it was quite profound. Perhaps it will touch you as it did me.

Teenage Brains (or lack thereof)

I'll get right to the point. Contrary to popular belief, I suck! Ok, now that we've established that point, let me tell you why. I'm a bad mom. I have a favorite child. I'm always mean to my other child. I yell all the time. You can add you're own thoughts from here......It's out of the realm of possibilities to consider the fact that I actually try to do more for the "unfavored" child just to keep the peace. Of course, that's not how said child sees things. Figures.So we come to the brain. According to Cosmos (8 Sept 2006), teenagers "hardly use area of brain involved in thinking about other people's emotions." Duh! Imagine that. It took a fMRI to tell us what we already had figured out on our own. Now all I have to do in keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass."Does this apply to me, her, or both?!?

According to Prudence

I have the "pleasure" of seeing a woman several times a week. For confidentiality reasons, I will refer to her as "Prudence." Prudence is in her early 80's and obviously very set in her ways. I've NEVER encountered someone quite like her. I've decided to share some of her more interesting statements with you. There are so many that I won't be able to share more than one at a time. Further more, I'm 100% certain that with each passing visit, I'll obtain more to share. Let's see what you all think about some of the world.... ACCORDING TO PRUDENCE.

BREASTFEEDING:
"I never breastfed my babies. They were just starting to tell us it was better than bottle feeding, but my children seldom got sick. They did just fine. The thought of breastfeeding is vulgar. That's what animals do. I'm not an animal." Prudence.So began our "discussion" one day last week. Being a strong supporter of alternative health choices, home based and midwife assisted childbirth, as well as breastfeeding, I just couldn't keep quiet on this one. She went on to give me some examples of how offended she's been seeing women breastfeeding in public. "They just pull up their shirts and do it in front of everyone." When asked if the nursing mothers had blankets over their breasts, she said "yes, but you could still see the outline of their breast and you knew what they were doing."

I was told of another time when she and her husband were on a boat tour with several other people (mostly retired). There was a nursing mom on board, who was covered up but still breastfeeding during the tour. Several people got upset by this. Finally the Captain came over and told the mother there was a special room for nursing on board. The mother went to the room to finish. Prudence said everyone applauded the Captain. That ticked me off. I said "Shame on them. Shame on everyone who applauded a nursing mother being treated in such a rude manner." I asked about a child's right to be fed. Her response? "Children have no rights." I disagreed with her and said that the child's mother was protecting its right to eat. We "adults" are the voices of our children. Some obviously care more than others! I also reminded her that babies have been fed at the breast since the beginning of time, and will continue to be forever. It's a natural part of life and shame on people for making it ugly or sinful. Heck we see more on TV and magazines than most nursing mother's show!When I was breastfeeding my children, I had a sling. It was great. I also pumped and gave the girls breast milk from a bottle. It was a great way to let others be hands on with them, too. I suppose growing up in a culture that is pro-nursing, I am more tolerant. Regardless, everyone has a right to sustenance."Virgin Suckling the Infant Christ" by Gasparo Da Loho Annibale Carracci. 1883

It finally got to the point where I knew it wouldn't matter what I said. She wasn't going to concede, nor was I. I still had one last remark to make. Prudence is a devout Catholic. As such, I reminded her that even Christ nursed at his mother's breast. She stammered at that, at which point I said it again. Jesus Christ, the very savior of this world, was breastfed. That was the end of the conversation.

Did I make a difference? Probably not. You'd have to meet her to understand. I felt better though. And just for the record, my home is a .......