Jumping Rainbows, Lassoing Dreams, and Wishing On Stars

...so says Cinderella.
Without my dreams and hopes, life seems rather dull. It’s like total boredom, never reaching for anything, never stepping out on that limb but always sitting at home on the couch…waiting.  Waiting for what?  Different desires come with age. My dreams are not the same as they used to be as some of those dreams have been fulfilled throughout the years.  I’ve strattled a few fences along the way…do I do this or do I do that, this way or that way?  I’ve fallen off only to get back up, put on my big girl panties, the pretty lacey ones, and move on again.
Standing at the intersection of life with 3 other ways to go, has been a test. Do I go straight ahead or turn to the left or to the right? As long as I didn’t come to a dead end, I was usually OK.
Looking ahead now the dream is looking at 59½.  I know there are those of you who know exactly what I am referring to and can relate…but for those of you who are way too young, let me explain: Retirement age…not that you cannot retire before then…but you cannot draw on your retirement funds you worked hard for until that age. Its part of that government control stuff you know. Oh they give you ways that you can get to your money with penalties and taxes, that way they still control your money while getting a chunk of it for themselves. So unlike Cinderella with her fairy godmother who is always watching out for her, I think I will just wait it out.

It sounds like I’m wishing my life away to get to that age…not so; it’s just the dream, brewing in its early stages that I cannot reach yet.
In the mean time I will jump a few rainbows, climb one or two and slide down the curve hoping to land softly in that pile of gold at the bottom. I will stand in the dark night gazing into the starry sky making wishes on every twinkle.  I will lasso the moon because I know that I can reach that far.  I will dance in the rain with my tongue hanging out to catch the sweet drops and taste the present moment. I will live in that moment; I will live in the right now.

My dreams come true

 Growing up

Dating

Being an artist…starving one but still one

Graduating high school

Going to college

Getting married

Working

Buying a house

Buying some land

Having a child

Being a Mama

Watching her walk and talk

Selling the house

Building our new home

Raising our child right

Still working

Building a nest egg

Watching her grow up

Sending her to college

Watching her walk the aisle to her love

Being happy and blessed

Retiring

Living well and comfortable, not money rich

My dreams of hope

Being a Grammie

Living long enough

Hubby retiring

Living in each moment

Traveling

Being healthy

Living easy

Spending that money I waited for

Helping and giving

Living in eternity one day

My dreams were/are pretty simple really…nothing fancy or wild, nothing out of the ordinary, just plain simple everyday typical things of life. I have been blessed.
I have made it through the rain…thus far. Sometimes I got drenched and caught a cold, sometimes I fell in the mud puddle instead of jumping over it or sometimes I simply enjoyed the coolness of it and sometimes I danced. And I know that it will continue to rain every now and then on my parade but it is up to me to decide if I will keep on dancing.

Notice how my future dream list is shorter….what’s up with that!?

Cinderella and I need to chat or either she needs to share her fairy godmother!

"Dreams are illustrations... from the book your soul is writing about you."

~Marsha Norman~

I hope that all your dreams come true!

Loving me some Adele on the playlist….

Learning 101

You can teach an old dog new tricks. Remember, you are never too old to learn.



Before we get started let me introduce Ms. Thang...better known as

Miss Thinks-She-Knows-It-All. Please do not mistake her for me.


Things I have learned…some the easy way…some the hard way.

~It doesn’t matter what time your family gets to your house, as long as they get there. Never mind that you told them all to be there at 1:00 and they showed up 20-30 minutes late.
~Dust isn’t important until it begins the rolling up stage and starts to crave carrots.
~No matter how hard I try, I still may fail, and often do.
~Worry is a product of the devil.
~Material things are unimportant in this world; however some just really make life a little easier…ie: mixer, dishwasher, dryer, recliner….do I need to go on?
~I have learned you can only eat so much…no matter how good it is.
~I have learned that the “change” this world needs comes from the heart and starts with me.
~It is easier to be nice and it doesn’t leave your feathers ruffled.
~I need to remember to put sunscreen on my neck with this new haircut….Yep!
~All people are not nice…Revenge is top on their list of priorities.
~Christ defeated satan on the cross; any power the devil has is what YOU give him.
~Your family can still hurt your feelings.
~I have learned that Jesus gives us second chances…remember Peter?  Look it up: Mark chapter 16.
~No matter how high gas prices get…people will still be burning it on the road.
~You don’t need to “cook” a pre-cooked ham! Warmed is just fine.
~Stay away from snakes.
~Carrot cake is considered a vegetable...right?  Oh thank goodness!
~I have learned that I CANNOT please everyone no matter how hard I try.
~Every prayer gets an answer, sooner or later, yes or no, and sometimes maybe.

Learning is a forever process…each day brings new challenges. Tomorrow will bring some for me as I have been dubbed for jury duty…I want to do my civic duty but I sure hope I do not get selected this time around…I don’t think I can handle it right now. Emotions are running high with several things that are being presented at this time. One of which is that my MIL is in the hospital. She got to spend her Easter weekend in CCU. She is out in a regular room now and is feeling some better.

I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Easter Sunday and that life continues that way. Smile and be happy when you can, give when you can, laugh a lot, and don’t forget to brush your teeth…it makes that smile prettier.  But remember above all, Jesus still loves you no matter what!

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean

over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you,

you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”

Winnie the Pooh

This Time of Year

Sweet and pleasant October...where are you going in such a hurry?
You just arrived on my doorsteps and greeted me with a cool umber feeling of gracefulness.
I have set about putting on a festive face with pumpkins, pinecones, candles of cinnamon and spice, and the colors of autumn. And now the season of gratitude is soon upon us…A time to reflect and be ever so thankful for our many blessings. Although I am truly thankful 24/7…November is our gentle reminder that we should stop and consider where we would be without our Heavenly Father and all that He has given us… It’s a time to gather with our precious families and friends and share our bounty.

Time seems to be fleeting from…day to day…month to month. I look back with wonder and question where August and September have gone. I look back and reflect on what I did, what I accomplished, what I learned.

All is good...
All is well.

And before I know it, that Thanksgiving turkey will be slapping me up side the head with his big drumstick and it will be Christmas. A holiday that I love and it will be special this year because my little family will be here at home…so up with the tree and the many decorations! The meal has to be planned out, lists made, notes posted, hints made, prayers said and a birthday celebration for Him. I even did a little on-line shopping today for some gifts. Shhhhh…secrets are to be kept!

Now I’m looking forward…not back. Each day holds precious time that should be well spent.

So what have I been up to? Well I

...Baked a homemade carrot cake, my Mama’s recipe…YuMmY!

...Helped Jackie put up a white cottage style fence near our turn-around

...Picked the garden, it’s the time of year for greens

...Shopped on-line for Christmas gifts

...Have been working in the yard and flower beds…never ending

...Am trying to read “Where the Heart is” when I find time

...Cleaned the ceiling fans….Ugggggh! Now that they have stopped, I see the dust!



...Am getting ready for a family reunion and 2 Birthday parties this weekend.

...Am praying for Holly and her MIL as they travel from New Orleans to Las Vegas by car. Holly is going to help drive and keep her MIL company before flying back to NOLA…all in 4 days!

...Am doing all that everyday stuff too that has to be done everyday! haha

I hope you are getting into the holiday spirit!



Confessions of a Somewhat-Normal Person

Notice I said somewhat-normal.  I am not perfect. No body knows me better than me…well except the One that counts. But admitting to some of my aspects, you know those that we find hard to come clean about, is a touchy subject. If we choose to divulge them out in the open, we run the risk of people judging us…and no one likes to be judged? I do not want to portray any false ideas or lead you to believe I am someone I am not. I hope you read my blog because you enjoy it here. My fellow blogger Char, shared in all honesty about herself.  I admire her for opening up and doing this. I love it that I can draw inspiration from other bloggers and friends. No hidden secrets, no surprises….This is me…take me or leave me; love me or hate me. My skeletons are coming out of the closet so beware…Bahahaha... There is the good and there is the bad…you know one has to come with the other. Just being honest. Why am I doing this….I don’t have a clue. Is it because they say "confessions are good for the soul"?  Maybe.  Maybe it is just something to blog about. Be wary and cautious as you proceed.

The not so pretty me…

• I hate to dust, and I hate dust. Yes there is dust in my house…somewhere. It makes me sneeze so that’s my excuse for not dusting very often.

• I love to eat. Food is good. I eat stuff that is not good for me, and believe me I am paying for it too…dearly.

• I complain about the heat in the summer and I will complain about the cold in winter. I am only satisfied in the fall and springtime of the year. Alabama has awful weather in the other two seasons. When I want it to snow, it rains. When I want it to rain, it’s dry as a bone and everything dies. Ok I’ll stop complaining now.

• I need to be a better Christian. Lord knows this is true, for He alone knows my heart and where it is. I try, yes I do. But sometimes it’s like trusting a blind person to pilot a plane. Or like jumping off a high cliff and thinking I will land on my feet and walk away. It is one giant leap of faith. Please forgive me Lord for I am not worthy of your blessings and forgiveness.

• I will talk about you behind the wheel of my car. But only if you are the one who cuts me off, takes up two lanes, or will not get into the turn lane until you are ready to turn. The talk is not nice sometimes. And don’t even think about slamming on the breaks in front of me.

• If I get your mail in my mail box I will look at the magazine before returning it. Junk mail will get thrown away and you should thank me.

• I dislike shallow-minded people who think only of themselves. It is not all about you, the clothes you wear, or how much money you have or pretend to have.

• I am not a real blond…not now anyway. I used to be and I liked it that way!

• I’m a cheap tipper. However if you really impress me, and this is not very often, I will be very generous. You have to earn your tip from me and I pay accordingly; no percentage involved.

• I do not like politicians and solicitors! Do NOT use my side door through our garage. I HAVE A FRONT DOOR! And DO NOT CALL my phone. I appreciate that you have a job, but I will not buy meat or seafood from the back of your truck; I appreciate that you believe in your religion, but I have my own beliefs and do not wish to start a debate; and I appreciate your desire to enter an elected office, but I do not wish to speak to you at or in my home.

• My feelings get easily hurt and I lack confidence in some areas. I cry when I get mad. I try to be a bad-ass but it just doesn’t work for me.

• I’m sure I could go on and on…….but I’m through downing myself and boring you. Please do not judge me too harshly.

My up side~

• If I see you drop money…I will run after you so I can give it back!

• I love good clean TV programs like Little House on the Prairie. I could have it on my TV all day. I believe I have seen very episode. Although I do not always sit and watch it…I like hearing it. The characters are like welcome guests in my home. It makes me feel good.

• I love to smile at people, especially old people. I will let them go ahead of me, offer them a hand, and just try to make them feel good. Some times I think it shocks them, especially if we are not of the same color. It’s nice to be nice.

• I’m honest. Years ago I somehow got out of the store without paying for a pair of shoes. Yes I put them on the counter, but or some odd reason the cashier did not ring them up with my other items. I did not notice until I got home. On my next trip to the store I went to the service desk with the shoes and told the girl I needed to pay for these. The look on her face was priceless and I don’t mean in a good way. She made me feel stupid for being honest…Oh and she never said thank-you!

• I will root for the under-dog.

• Your secret is safe with me. Tell me something in confidence and it will not be repeated. Mums the word.

• I am not materialistic.

• I have a soft spot in my heart for little children, the elderly, and animals. They do not deserve to be mistreated or harmed. You hurt them, you hurt my heart. They cry, I cry. I’m a sap.

• I can forgive. Although often hard to do, I know in my heart that it is the righteous thing to do. I let it go; knowing that one day you will have to answer for your misdeed. The bad part of this is that I will still have to deal with the memory and will never understand your reason for it but in my heart I have made peace with it. It doesn’t matter anymore and I do not have to understand it.

• I exercise my privileged right to vote. God help me to make the right choice.

• I’m a fairly neat person…I like things in their place. (Please put them back and if you don’t, oh well, I will)

• I love to give. The joy I receive from giving is the simple look of happiness on the recipients’ face. If it is a case of giving through a program…the joy I get is in knowing that someone is better off because of the small effort I made. One such giving is OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD . What a joy it is to fill a box, ship it across the oceans, and sense in your heart the happiness, joy, and excitement as a child opens it and feels your love.

• If you ask me to pray for you …I will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow…this was harder than I thought….As I pondered over my good and bad traits, the bad seemed to come to me easier and quicker than the good. That does not look good through my eyes. What does this really say about me? Hummmm…. Oh well, keep me or leave me. It’s just me being honest. I have also learned a few things about myself through all this deep thinking, and that my friend is good. It tells me that I have some things to work on, that I am only human, and God still loves me. Thank you Char for making me open my own eyes and talk about a few of my imperfections, because God only knows this cannot be all of them.

PS. Check out Samaritans Purse and fill a shoe box with love this year.

Where the Wild Things Are

Wow….where has the time gone? Here it is almost mid September and I’m still trying to figure out what happened to August. Holly and Richard were home with us this week from their vacation in Tennessee. They returned to their home in Louisiana late last night with all their fur babies. Now I have the chore of cleaning up the aftermath and putting things back into my order. I miss them already.


I wanted to share a few fun smiles from our trip to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. You remember back when families would bore their friends to a sleeping stupor of death with their home slide shows and movies of their vacation…well please bear with me in my sharing. Believe me when I say I have spared you, really…there were lots of photos taken of lots of animals.  ~Enjoy

Richard and Holly

I look like I've been out in the sun too long!

Wake up now!!!!  The show is not over yet.....

A face only a Mama could love!

There were a few funny looking breeds too...

and a few that didn't mind expressing themselves.

After we cooled your hot bodies *smiling* in this running pool…we decided to treat ourselves to a famous Hansen’s Sno-Bliz,  a New Orleans tradition for 71 years where people old and young stand in line for this icy treat.

Yeah it looks kinda bad…not a place I would just walk into off the street…but by word of mouth from friends and locals…you gotta go get one if you are there!

Cream of Chocolate and Cream of Coffee….yummy!

The chocolate tasted like a good ole Tootsie Pop.

Oh yeah…didn’t I mention that we were going fishing? A fishing we did go.

One fish, two fish, red fish, no blue fish, we did catch.

Now...If stingray were good for eating we would have a freezer full. They were such a nuisance and scary too! The catching was rather slim on the red fish; out of the seven that were large enough to keep, Holly and I caught six!!

I caught the biggest two ~smiling happy evil smile! One a full 24 inches long!! Boy did he put up a good fight! Sorry guys that we out-did you!

Now back to my cleaning up and catching up with all of you!

Why aren't red fish red?

What's in Your Bucket?

Inspiration. Where does it come from? A thought, a bright idea, a brain bleep, seeing something through different eyes, pairing creative combinations, flashes…

How do we get motivated to go with that inspiration? Whether it is writing, creating art, sewing, painting, taking a chance, crafting, exploring, cooking…what gets those juices flowing in your veins? At times it seems we run into brick walls or dead end streets and things just stop. When do we get off the well traveled track and strike out on our own. Go. Chase a rainbow. Take that chance. Run with scissors… Or do we just stay in that comfortable zone of safety that keeps us in the norm of things. Norm. Normal. What the heck is normal? There are things that I want to do. Roads I want to travel that are not familiar to me. I want to jump out the box like Jack. Dance like Cinderella.  Take chances. Dare. Accomplish a bucket list.

My Bucket List

Build one more house and live in it

Travel to places far far away, but always come back home

Paint like Picasso

Sing like Eva Cassidy

Play with my grandchildren everyday because they live nearby

Photograph like no other

Lose some pounds, lots of them, forever

Chase that skittle rainbow to see what is really at the end

Catch a BIG fish, a really BIG fish

Sail on some calm open waters

Hop some tropical islands

Witness the miracle of peace in this world

Be debt free (almost there!)

Live the month of October on the North Carolina shore

Go river rafting on a not so raging river

Dig for clams

What I’m likin’ today~

Sappy movies

Porches

Clean

A planned trip

Swings

Pretty papers

Glue sticks

Messages

A new day

My incomplete b-list

~~~~~~

What's in your bucket?

One thing I will never understand: Why do they like to use that awful sounding F word in movies? Don’t they know it would still be a great movie without it?

My Poor Rich Life

On this day in the late 1900’s, umpteen years ago, I came into the world kicking and screaming, weighing in at just over 6 pounds, with a steady weigh gain ever since. The head full of black hair was soon replaced with blonde by growing out, not falling out. I looked like I had been dipped. I grew up poor *insert the sound of screeching tires here* My definition (then) of 'poor' and the reality of poor are two different things. Poor is having nothing and lacking everything. Poor by definition is~ Deprived Underprivileged Needy Disfavored Weak Inadequate Meager Inferior Mediocre.

I came to realize that I had everything I needed and wanted…and then some. Self reflection is good for shaking you into knowing the truth. Here are some truths: I was drugged as a child on a daily basis…drug to church, drug everywhere my Mama went, drug to the pea patch or corn field, and drug to the grandparents every other weekend. The grandparents live in a palace (mini country farm) where the pillows were filled with authentic down feathers (straight from the chicken’s butt) *insert sneeze here* This princess was allergic! The meats were all freshly butchered (in the country kitchen, by Grannie, including that chicken). The veggies were all natural, organic, handpicked, selected and shelled (by everyone and anyone that ate). There were acres and acres to roam and explore, from wide open fields (working fields of corn and cotton) to the lush shady woods with rippling streams (roamed by foot, no quarter horses to ride). Just up the street (dirt road) was the Methodist church, where we all attended on Sunday if we stayed over night at Grannie and Granddaddy’s. The church was old so the air conditioner (opened windows) didn’t work real well, so the fans (paper ones from the funeral home) were held and waved by hand. The singing was good and the little Sunday school room smelled of crayons. If I close my eyes I can still hear Grannie’s voice singing and smell that smell……

Growing up I only wore designer clothes, all custom made (by my Mama on her Singer ZigZag) There were three of us children, the average middle class American family…. a sister and a brother, and I was caught in the middle…The dreaded middle child...always in the middle of everything. I was always into whatever my Daddy was doing. Yep I was a TomBoy…romped and played with all the boys in the neighborhood. The TomBoy phase lasted until I discovered that boys were cute…well some of them anyway.

When I was young we had our own gym…(a gym set, swings with a sliding board), in the back yard. We also had professional driving lessons ...in the back yard too…(self taught by going round and round in a dune buggy made by my Daddy). Our swimming pool (a large foot tub and a water hose) kept us cool in the hot summers. We were scientist who invented and used our imagination to its fullest (mostly dreaming of the what ifs).

 We were doctors, poking and prodding; lawyers dictating lots of rules and defending the helpless; and we were even the occasional Indian chief who made sure the rules were followed. Barbie was my best friend and Davy Jones was my idol. 
We each had a good education for as many years as we cared to pursue…our minds were expanded and talents were utilized and built upon. I could do or be anything I wanted to be. And what I wanted to be was an artist…to create, paint, draw, and photograph. What I became was a wife with a job in a bank, a Mama to Holly years later, a Baptist, and an artist too; by her own right and God given talent… talents pursued not by profession or job but by pleasure, desire, and choice.

These were all my choices. You see, life is as luxurious and rich as you believe it to be. One person’s richness is to another considered a poor life. I am blessed with the richness of a Mama and Daddy that are still living and still married to each other and to have had grandparents that I looked up to, who loved and adored us. We were taught values and morals, given responsibilities (chores) and an allowance (a very small amount of $ with certain privileges). I am blessed to have a husband, the only one I’ve ever had, a beautiful daughter, wonderful family on both sides, and lots and lots of great friends. Rich by definition is ~ Prosperous Full Plentiful Stuffed (I love that one) Valuable Sweet Fertile Productive Fruitful Strong Opulent Precious Abounding

….So you see…Rich describes my life...My life as I know and love it,

from the day I was born and born again until today…My Birthday!

I have been blessed more than I deserve. I’m thankful for actually having another birthday; for friends that share my birthday; and for all the small things today. We all have our special day…so…Happy Birthday to you too.

I made myself a Birthday Pie...a Blueberry Birthday Pie!

 

Janan I will share the recipe with you later...it is easy!

Happy Birthday Christina and Kim =)
After thought~ Grannie always called me on my Birthday and sang to me~
~Swoon~
I miss that.....