Will the person responsible for inventing scissors please come and clean up the mess at my house!
My five year old has taken it upon herself to cut paper every waking moment for the last month.
I love her to pieces.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Procrastinate....
təˌneɪt
–verb (used without object)
1.
to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
–verb (used with object)
2.
to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.
Some days my motto is "why do today what you can put off til tomorrow!".
I don't advise this to just anyone.
I wonder what is in my nature that tends towards putting things off until later?
Is it the thrill of having everything come due all at once?
Maybe I work better under that kind of pressure.
If I'm being honest, I'll tell you that sometimes I can clean my house in 37 minutes flat. Including bathrooms.
And I do mean spotless clean.
Never mind that I am sweating like I've just run a marathon.
Never mind that I am sweating like I've just run a marathon.
My next topic would have to be "piles".
Thursday, November 4, 2010
It's fall....
Fall has been present.
Many times in the past I've complained that Mother Nature went right from summer to winter, robbing us of our fall. This time around she has made up for all the stolen days of the past.
When I was younger I hated fall.
I didn't want the leaves to loose their green or the ground to turn cold. I wanted to always feel the warm sun and have the smell of fresh cut grass.
I guess I've changed.
Fall now feels like a wonderfully deep breath.
It's a season that gives me pause.
I love the fall. I look forward to it.
I wonder if I will ever feel this way about winter. We aren't good friends yet.
Many times in the past I've complained that Mother Nature went right from summer to winter, robbing us of our fall. This time around she has made up for all the stolen days of the past.
When I was younger I hated fall.
I didn't want the leaves to loose their green or the ground to turn cold. I wanted to always feel the warm sun and have the smell of fresh cut grass.
I guess I've changed.
Fall now feels like a wonderfully deep breath.
It's a season that gives me pause.
I love the fall. I look forward to it.
I wonder if I will ever feel this way about winter. We aren't good friends yet.
(I actually took this photo! I'm quite impressed. Aren't you?)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Reading Teen giveaway
One more giveaway to wet the appetite!
Get a move on this one because it ends tomorrow!
Go here for details.
Good luck!
Get a move on this one because it ends tomorrow!
Go here for details.
Good luck!
Wordbird Giveaway
Wordbird is having an amazing giveaway. Grand prize is 5 books and a $10 Amazon gift card.
Go here for the details.
Pretty awesome if I do say so myself!
Go here for the details.
Pretty awesome if I do say so myself!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Nine lives......
First off, where has the time gone!!!! Oh my, I must have had an amazing summer and early fall because I let pretty much everything else go! Well, now the kids are back in school, routines are in place and I can once again commit!
Now, on to my nine lives story!
Several weeks ago, I was driving across the gully near my home when I noticed a dead animal in the road. As I got closer I realized that this poor animal appeared to be my neighbors cat named Squeaker. Before I go any further I need to explain a few things about Squeaker.
First, I am a dog person myself, but this cat is invaluable as a mouser and window well cleaner. Since his arrival at my neighbors a few years ago we have had nary a mouse in the house. We regularly have dead birds in our window wells from birds hitting our big picture window and this crazy cat gets them out and takes care of them every time. (So much nicer than doing it myself, and we really have been trying to find a solution to the bird problem, I promise!) Anyway...
Second, Squeaker is strictly an outdoor cat. It was one of the stipulations by the dad of the neighbor kids. He has the worst allergies of anyone I have ever met. They have tried all kinds of animals and it always causes a problem. When the kids brought Squeaker home they hid him from their dad for a long time. He finally noticed that he was having trouble with allergies in the garage and the kids fessed up about the cat. Their kind dad agreed to a compromise, as long as the cat never came in the house, he would tolerate the garage being a den of runny noses and swollen eyes. His wife is the one who does the yard work anyway because he works crazy hours, so it was a win win for everyone! But, he did tell the kids that once Squeaker died, there would be no more pets of any kind! A man's willingness to be uncomfortable can only go so far!
Third, the neighbor kids love and adore that crazy cat. My kids do too for that matter. He has a funny personality and he loves to tease any dog that walks near his hiding place. It is a funny thing to watch. That is, it's funny until the cat messes with the wrong dog, which he did one day when a stray happened into our neck of the woods. That is a story for another day, but let's just say the cat ended up with stitches and a drain and we didn't know if he would make it through the night. He did. Everyone rejoiced!
With all of that you can understand my sadness as I saw Squeaker lying in the street lifeless. I didn't want to leave Squeaker in the road because the kids would be coming home from school soon and it wouldn't be a nice thing for them to see, but, I had my 5 year old with me and didn't want her to see what had happened either, so I called my neighbor and told her where she would be able to find their cat.
Later that day the funeral was in the neighbors backyard by their big pine tree. They dug a hole, laid the cat to rest and buried him. Then the older brother gave the eulogy. The neighbor kids and mom were in tears, rightfully so, but the youngest in the family was beside herself. They all talked about what a great cat Squeaker had been and that Heaven was a better place because he was in it. No cat could ever have a nicer funeral.
Hand in hand, they walked solemnly together back towards the house and climbed the stairs of their deck. When they reached the door the youngest felt something touch her leg and looked down.
She screamed in shock!
Standing right next to her was Squeaker!
They could not believe their eyes. The youngest asked if Squeaker had come back to life and the mom wondered for a horrified minute if they had just buried him alive! The older brother ran to the pine tree to check, and to their relief the cat was still there. It wasn't Squeaker they had buried after all.
Tears and laughter and a hefty dose of shock filled the air. One of the girls asked if they should try to find the owner of the dead cat. Their mom told them that no, they should leave him in peace and that hopefully the owner would know that the cat had been well cared for in his death.
When the neighbors called to tell me that Squeaker was still alive I could not believe it. That crazy cat has gotten himself in more scrapes and situations than he should and this time he really dodged the bullet.
I won't jinx things by telling you how many lives he has left of the nine, but rather, I'll just say that I hope to be seeing him for a long time coming!
Now, on to my nine lives story!
Several weeks ago, I was driving across the gully near my home when I noticed a dead animal in the road. As I got closer I realized that this poor animal appeared to be my neighbors cat named Squeaker. Before I go any further I need to explain a few things about Squeaker.
First, I am a dog person myself, but this cat is invaluable as a mouser and window well cleaner. Since his arrival at my neighbors a few years ago we have had nary a mouse in the house. We regularly have dead birds in our window wells from birds hitting our big picture window and this crazy cat gets them out and takes care of them every time. (So much nicer than doing it myself, and we really have been trying to find a solution to the bird problem, I promise!) Anyway...
Second, Squeaker is strictly an outdoor cat. It was one of the stipulations by the dad of the neighbor kids. He has the worst allergies of anyone I have ever met. They have tried all kinds of animals and it always causes a problem. When the kids brought Squeaker home they hid him from their dad for a long time. He finally noticed that he was having trouble with allergies in the garage and the kids fessed up about the cat. Their kind dad agreed to a compromise, as long as the cat never came in the house, he would tolerate the garage being a den of runny noses and swollen eyes. His wife is the one who does the yard work anyway because he works crazy hours, so it was a win win for everyone! But, he did tell the kids that once Squeaker died, there would be no more pets of any kind! A man's willingness to be uncomfortable can only go so far!
Third, the neighbor kids love and adore that crazy cat. My kids do too for that matter. He has a funny personality and he loves to tease any dog that walks near his hiding place. It is a funny thing to watch. That is, it's funny until the cat messes with the wrong dog, which he did one day when a stray happened into our neck of the woods. That is a story for another day, but let's just say the cat ended up with stitches and a drain and we didn't know if he would make it through the night. He did. Everyone rejoiced!
With all of that you can understand my sadness as I saw Squeaker lying in the street lifeless. I didn't want to leave Squeaker in the road because the kids would be coming home from school soon and it wouldn't be a nice thing for them to see, but, I had my 5 year old with me and didn't want her to see what had happened either, so I called my neighbor and told her where she would be able to find their cat.
Later that day the funeral was in the neighbors backyard by their big pine tree. They dug a hole, laid the cat to rest and buried him. Then the older brother gave the eulogy. The neighbor kids and mom were in tears, rightfully so, but the youngest in the family was beside herself. They all talked about what a great cat Squeaker had been and that Heaven was a better place because he was in it. No cat could ever have a nicer funeral.
Hand in hand, they walked solemnly together back towards the house and climbed the stairs of their deck. When they reached the door the youngest felt something touch her leg and looked down.
She screamed in shock!
Standing right next to her was Squeaker!
They could not believe their eyes. The youngest asked if Squeaker had come back to life and the mom wondered for a horrified minute if they had just buried him alive! The older brother ran to the pine tree to check, and to their relief the cat was still there. It wasn't Squeaker they had buried after all.
Tears and laughter and a hefty dose of shock filled the air. One of the girls asked if they should try to find the owner of the dead cat. Their mom told them that no, they should leave him in peace and that hopefully the owner would know that the cat had been well cared for in his death.
When the neighbors called to tell me that Squeaker was still alive I could not believe it. That crazy cat has gotten himself in more scrapes and situations than he should and this time he really dodged the bullet.
I won't jinx things by telling you how many lives he has left of the nine, but rather, I'll just say that I hope to be seeing him for a long time coming!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Refreshed....
There are times I love to be all by myself, but that rarely happens in my house. Kids run in and out all day long. Last night my husband and I counted 34 kids (ages 4 to 18) running around our yard playing night games. I set out water pitchers, cups, licorice and bags of chips and was immediately swarmed.
I'm not compaining.
Not one bit.
I love it, I really do. There is an infectious energy that hums in the air when I watch memories being made before my eyes.
I'm just glad that I was able to recharge my soul somewhere this last week.
The mountains were calm and refreshing, the stars, brilliant and bright.
I lounged at night in my reclining camp chair, the last one awake. I watched the embers of the fire slowly burn out, enjoying the warmth near my feet and the chill from the cool night air on my head.
The everyday world around me was silenced.
No phones.
No cars.
No lights.
No ipod.
No computer.
No stereo.
No television.
No hum of things plugged in.
There was only the symphony of the wind rustling the leaves overhead.
Birds chirped, frogs croaked and crickets played their song of love. The lake rippled and the deer wandered close. My lungs took in the clean, crisp air. I gazed at the Big Dipper with all of her friends and my eyes wondered at the beauty around me.
It's good to get away.
It's good to come home.
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