Minnie & BoBo

Here are pictures of Minnie Mouse and her new friend BoBo the Third. 2 years ago after seeing the PetSmart commercial with the cute little Dachsund and his beloved stuffed friend BoBo, I bought Minnie her own BoBo. She loves him dearly! He's purple. However he has been loved so much that he has had several surgeries to put his insides back in and seams stitched back together. Santa brought Minnie a Grinch BoBo for Christmas last year, but thanks to Maddie (our 11 month old Lab) the Grinch is missing an arm, half his Santa coat,the middle squeaker, and most of his stuffing. So I decided it was time for BoBo the Third. I'm hoping to quietly retire the Grinch. Like purple BoBo , Minnie loves him dearly and is extremely protective of him. She's moved him to several hiding places to keep him away from Maddie. Maddie has now claimed the Grinch and Minnie doesn't seem to mind at all. Now I've got to find a new BoBo for Maddie.

Budding Photgrapher

Miss T has been playing around with my camera. I downloaded some photos I'd taken and found these. I put the daylilly on my desktop. What a beautiful surprise!

Miss T's Room

Miss T and I have redecorated her room. As a tweenager, she decided her ocean theme room was too babyish. Her tastes at age 11 are more sophisticated now. What a difference two years can make! That's what I get for letting her watch too much TLC and HGTV. We made the wall art over her dressing table by stapling fabric to the back of a photo screen (given as a gift). The bed linens and Roman shade were found on clearance at JC Penney (catalog). The brown square pillow was found at Tuesday Morning. The art over the bed, teal cubes, (put under the window to form a window seat ,also great storage), teal lamps and the white rug were found at WalMart. The two small storage units on each side of the bed were found at Fred's (local dollar store). The walls were painted hemp rope, found at Lowe's. We could have filmed our own episode of Design on a Dime (HGTV). The dressing table with mirror and bench was found at Trees and Trends (on clearance of course). BTW, the bed fits in the nook without an inch to spare. Thank goodness, because she based the arrangement on the placement of the bed.
She really enjoys her room. I find myself watching TV there when she's at her dad's. It is so calm and serene.
I've added a before photo to show the dramatic change.

Gustav

The eye of Hurricane Gustav is 200 miles away, yet some of Gustav is trying to come in my garage. It is also covering my street. There has been some wind, but no more than we would have during a summer thunderstorm. Our concern right now is that the power box (electric) is halfway under water. We're hoping for a lull in the rain. That will help the water recede a bit

Going to Washington.

One of my goals this year was to go Washington state to visit my son and the daughter of my heart. I don't know why, but I've always felt drawn to this area even before they moved there. I read novels that take place in that region. I've always been interested in anything "Seattle". I "love" Starbucks! I even like a brand of coffee called "Seattle's Best". The Cinnabon and Henry's blend are my favorite flavors. Debbie MaComber's Shop on Blossom Street series are my favorite novels. My favorite webcam is the Space Needle cam found @ EarthCam.com. One of my favorite movies is Sleepless in Seattle. So when I flew into SeaTac May 21st, I felt like I was coming home.

The Puget Sound area is as beautiful and exciting as I imagined. For dinner the first evening my son and daughter of my heart prepared fresh salmon on the grill. It was absolutely delicious! The next day we drove through the Olympic National Forrest & along the Hood Canal. We headed south from Tacoma and made a complete circle which took us to Bremerton to the north. We rode the ferry from Bremerton across Puget Sound to Seattle's waterfront. Seeing Seattle's skyline from the water with my own eyes was a dream come true. After exiting the ferry, we explored the waterfront and had supper at The Crab Pot where we were given bibs and mallets before a pot full of steamed crabs, shrimp, mussels, clams, sausage and corn were dumped on the table. It was awesome!
On the drive down I-5 back to Tacoma I was happy and "full". We finished the day hanging out, watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy which takes place in Seattle.

The next day (Friday) we headed to downtown Seattle for the first ultrasound of the new grand baby due in January. It was such a beautiful sight. Even though I'd seen so many wonderful things,looking back, the ultra sound was my favorite. After that we explored Pike Place Market, ate Thai food for lunch and attended a folk art festival below the Space Needle.
Saturday was spent exploring Tacoma. From Point Defiance Park, I saw the peak of Mount Ranier. It had been hiding behind clouds since my arrival. We ate lunch at Sushi Revolution. I had it in my mind that sushi was nothing but fancy raw fish. I was so wrong! It was delicious. There is cooked sushi and uncooked sushi . I was a little nervous about the uncooked but found that it wasn't raw after all. It was cooked by the salty brine of the ocean. Talk about misconceptions!

Sunday morning was spent at a local nursery selecting plants and a large planter for my "domh" for the front steps of their home which is a 1929 Craftsman Bungalow. Sunday afternoon, a cookout was given in my honor. I had a great time meeting my children's friends, playing games and enjoying good food.
Monday was Memorial Day. I enjoyed hanging out at the bungalow, walking the dogs through the neighborhoods, admiring all the flowers and greenery. Rhododendrons were in bloom everywhere! We attended a Mariners game at Safeco Field in the evening. I proudly wore my new Mariners t-shirt with Mom on the back. Even though the Mariners lost, it was such a great experience. The "people" watching is so entertaining!

Even though I missed my family in AL, I hated to leave Washington on Tuesday morning. The last thing I did in Washington, after saying goodbye to my children, was to buy a Cinnamon Dolce @ SeaTac's Starbucks. Delicious! After hiding behind clouds for most of the past week, Mount Rainier was in full view through the plane's window as we flew over it. It was as if it was bidding me " goodbye and comeback soon . I'll be waiting for you".
Each day since my return to AL, I've looked at my photos and thought about how some day I want to live in the Puget Sound area. Life there has so many options in so many different areas.
In the mean time, I'm trying to bloom where I'm planted. I've gotten many good ideas and examples for embracing the green lifestyle. It is more of a challenge here on the gulf coast, but I'm trying. I loved how in WA so many people walked or biked rather than drove to where they wanted to go. I hope to break out the bike this winter and drive less. The 90 degree temps make it too hard to do here in the summer. In WA recycling is the norm rather than the exception.
I always thought that Montana (where I lived for 12 years) was God's Country, but I now believe that He has expanded it further west to include Puget Sound.

Calm and Clutter Free?

It has been a long time since I last blogged. Where does time go? Here we are halfway through the year as I read my list of goals from last January's post. I thought about how many I've accomplished and how far I have to go. Today I'll evaluate the first one. The first was to create a calm, clutter free home. I've come a long way on that one,but find it is a daily struggle. It would be easy if there were just me, but I share my daily life with a husband, a tweenage girl and three dogs, one of which is a now 9 month old Lab puppy named Maddie (Madalyn when she's in trouble) and a grown son who fortunately has his own apartment. Even though they live across the country, I also share my life with another son and his wife who is the daughter of my heart. They are my go to when I need adult thoughts and conversation about anything and everything. I learn so much from them.
As far as clutter goes, I have over the months given or thrown out many things after asking myself "Do I love it?"or " Do I need It?"or "Have I used it or worn it in the past year?" I've rearranged "my" bedroom (the spare bedroom I call my sanctuary) creating a place to watch a video or HGTV and do some needlework while sitting in my rocker. I've made a cozy home office in a corner behind the door with my desk and pictures of my favorite people, places and my collection of angels. That is where I am blogging right now. My tweenager and I have painted and redecorated her bedroom to be a calm clutter free refuge. However, remember that she is a tweenager after all so clutter free is a moment to moment thing.

I find I have to really work on the calm part of the goal. People in northern parts of the country suffer from cabin fever in the winter. Because of the extreme heat here (The temp and humidity are both in the 90's!) I spend a lot of time indoors so I have cabin fever in the summer. Sure I go out late in the day or early in the morning to water plants and walk the dogs, but otherwise I run from air conditioning to air conditioning with no stopping in between! We do swim in our above ground pool which gives some relief.
As far as calm goes, that seems to be a frame of mind, which I confess is a daily struggle. I feel calmer on the days I have prayer and a Bible study and do some needlework. I am working on a project for the new grandchild due in January.

Overall, I feel like I've come a long way on this goal, but must continue to work on it daily to keep it up. I have to remember Phillippians 4:13 daily which says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Time Flies

I always thought that November and December were the busiest months of the year. Now I'm not so sure. February may be the shortest, but it was jam packed with occasions. Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) fell on Februrary 5th this year. My grandmother's birthday was Feb. 4th. Feb. 10-14 (Valentine's Day) was busy as I had declared this a year for making cards and gifts to show the wonderful people in my life how much I love them. I also wanted to spend more time than money. I was busy with this until noon Feb. 14. I also hosted a party for my grandchild, Miss T's 5th grade class on Valentine's Day. My dad's birthday was Feb. 19th. My husband's birthday was Feb. 26th. Between the three dogs, we went to the vet 3 times. Miss T" goes to karate 3 times a week. (I help my older son raise this terrific kid.) She is also on the karate demonstration team. So there were extra classes this month. I volunteer at Miss T's school each Friday. During this past month, my husband worked 17 straight (12 hour) days.
I am so thankful there is an extra day in this month!
Despite all the busyness, I watched several sunsets, worked in my yard, read an entire book, read a dozen magazines, did a jigsaw puzzle, saw the Hannah Montana movie, watched 2 dvds I hadn't seen, and walked my dogs (especially the 4 month old Lab puppy) daily. I was even in bed many nights by 10pm.
I also found time to slow down and dream. I already have tickets to fly to Washington (state) in May. I dream of the places I've always wanted to see and of the things I've always wanted to do. I also dream of spending time with my younger son and his wife who is the "daughter of my heart".
I made time to pray. I continue to pray for each member of my family (including the dogs), my friends and my enemies daily. It is really hard to pray for people who aren't very good, but I will persevere. I've counted my blessings. There are more than I can name. I've done some of a Beth Moore Bible study. God is showing me who I am more and more. No matter what, I know that I am His.
So, as I get back into the busyness of life, I will embrace it and thank God for an extra day.
Happy Leap Year!

One Thing Leads to Another

I spent today doing my usual Monday cleaning. Today's designated room was the dining room. I wiped the dining room table and chairs with Murphy's wood soap. As I cleaned the many glass panels of my dining room lights. I thought about what a great library my china cabinet would make. I cleaned out my china cabinet and moved it into a corner of my living room. My intention is to take all of my books which are scattered around the house and put them in this cabinet. This involved moving a baker's rack that holds my tin collection and aquarium containing 2 gray tetras and 4 neons into the dining room in the now vacant corner. The baker's rack and tins look great! The fish seem happy! The hard part was clearing out the dishes, goblets, champagne glasses, water glasses, dessert bowls, plates, vases... well, you get the idea. I am amazed at all that I've collected over the years. I weeded out a couple of candlesticks, but couldn't part with the rest. I packed many of the glasses (I rarely drink champagne!) into a plastic crate and stashed it in a closet. I worked some of the wine goblets, dessert dishes, and water glasses into the kitchen cabinet with my every day dishes, promising myself that I will use them daily. Why save them only for company and holidays?

I am pleased with the results so far. I'm going to enjoy looking at my favorite books in one place. My main complaint is that this took "5 hours"! It all started when I set out to do a "little" cleaning. It just seems that one thing leads to another. Who knows what project I'll concoct as I search the house for books?!

What did I learn from today? I learned not to save things for company and holidays only. There are so many little things that can be done to make each day special. After all, each day is gift from God. I also found that water tastes great in a beautiful green goblet!

Changing My Ways

Last week went by in a blur.  In my effort to simplify my life, I concentrated on clearing out some clutter in my kitchen and a closet.  I pondered different ways to clear spaces and bring calm into my life.  I also cleared most of the dead plants and flowers from my entire backyard. I thought that each day had to be "full" of accomplishments. At the end of the week I felt my life was a little more open. I also felt like a workaholic obsessed with seeing how much I could get done in one day!  I decided I needed to change my ways in that area, so this week I cut back on accomplishments and focused on things that really mattered.  

On Monday I organized my kitchen pantry.  This took about an hour.  I felt good! Yes, those rows of perfectly aligned canned goods brought a sense of satisfaction!  However it didn't compare to happiness of having two friends bring lunch and hang out watching HGTV and talking about anything and everything all afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, I had coffee at Starbucks with three of my favorite people.  On Tuesday afternoon, I cleaned out a closet.  Cleaning out the closet didn't even begin to bring the satisfaction I felt sipping a grande white chocolate mocha latte with people I love! 

This letting go of accomplishing something all day long felt good!

Well, here it is Wednesday night. Today was a cold and rainy day. My only major accomplishments were renewing my driver's license and doing a little grocery shopping.  It wasn't much, but my contentment level is over the top.   I spent most of the day with my husband.  It was nice to have someone else drive for a change.  I read several magazines. I actually took a nap! Contentment is snuggling with a Dachshund on a rainy afternoon.  I made no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with my granddaughter after school. To finish the day, my husband and I watched American Idol and laughed together. Did I get a lot done today?  No, not much.  Am I stressed out over it?  No, not at all.  My family and friends I'm sure find this amazing!  

Now, I'm going to climb into bed after thanking God for the love and grace He has shown me and also for the precious moments I've discovered when I slow down and embrace them. 

 

Keeping the Sabbath

Yesterday I read a blog called Go Lightly Place.  One of this creative person's resolutions was to keep the Sabbath. What she meant was that on Sundays she was going to do things she enjoyed after attending her place of worship such as knitting, sketching, reading etc. She was going to try not to spend Sunday doing household chores that could wait until Monday or that she could do on Saturday. She said she would put something for dinner in the crock pot to make cooking dinner easier.

As I read this I thought of how I'm always doing chores that really don't have to be done on Sunday instead of doing the things that bring me joy.  I long to carry the spiritual calm I feel after worship services into the rest of my Sunday.  So today, I've done as many of my Sunday chores as possible, one of which is grocery shopping.  I've done the laundry. I plan to cook a roast along with some potatoes in the oven for dinner. I'm looking forward to embroidering a pillow case and catching up on my reading. (It will be nice to read the entire Sunday paper on Sunday for a change!) If the weather is nice, I may go for a walk on the city trail near my home or just sit drinking tea in my favorite tea cup while watching my young Lab puppy make new discoveries in the yard. 

I'm looking forward to Sunday and plan to "keep the Sabbath" each week.

A New Year

As I type this, I'm thinking of the dreams and wishes I have for the new year.  This is the first time in 27 years that I am not employed outside the home.  I can focus on my family and my home now. The first thing I've done is give myself a promotion. After 34 years of being a working mom and homemaker, I am now a grandmother and home manager. This job requires a lot of negotiating and planning to do everything I want and need to do.  I often wonder how I did it all and worked outside the home as a preschool teacher.

My goals for 2008 are:       to create a calm, clutter free home

                                                to travel to Washington state ( a long time dream)

                                                to volunteer at my grandchildren's school

                                                to have more "me" time 

                                                to embrace a healthier lifestyle

                                                to live a "greener" life (recycle,reuse etc.)

                                                to create a lifetime of memories with my family

                                                 and friends (the most important goal of all)