Saturday: sweet, sleepy, Saturday.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
1. I love sleeping in until 7:30. Bliss.
2. I love your no rush ways and your fragrant coffee.
3. I love that there will be no heels worn today.
4. I love that soon, the house will be clean and restocked with food.
Thus ends my first full week of full time employment. It was a great week. I've learned so much (and have sooo much to learn). I feel like I really started to accomplish some tasks without much hand holding by the wonderful Megan.
She is happy too. For the first time in months, she left work on a Friday at 5:00pm. I think she danced a little jig on her way to her car.
My Girl's only complaint is that there is nothing to eat in this house!. I will fix that little problem today! Promise!
Today, we'll drive down to see Boy and spend a little time with him. Bliss!!
Ahh, lovely, lovely Saturday. I embrace you with my entire soul!
Showing posts with label Sweet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweet. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday, April 17, 2010
A Little Good News
FIL will be returning home on Monday. The hammers are flying outside, as two men build the final stages of the ramp that will make it possible to actually get FIL into the house.
I wonder if I could slow them down a little? You know, so that they would need more time and FIL wouldn't be able to come home for one or twelve additional days...
BAD ANNIE! BAD!
I was going to rant and rave about the workload, the stress, the games that FIL has been yanking everyone through.
But I won't.
Sigh.
Instead I will tell you only good news. Ha!
Good news number one: Soldier Mommy is in the house! Okay, well, not in the house. She's more like in the area and as soon as the US Army gets all their paperwork completed she'll be home with her boys! She's safely out of enemy fire and we are thankful (THANKFUL) for her safe return from parts hot and sandy.
Isn't that great news?
Good news number two: God is still God regardless of what's going on in the world.
Good news number three: I heard from Baby (my youngest brother). As is usually the case, he is staying out of all the family drama and gossip. I have always loved that about him. It was nice to hear his voice and to know that he isn't taking sides.
Good news number four: I've only got one more week of training my newbies and then they'll be ready to fly! Training is a soul sucking experience. I'm just sayin'.
Good news number five: Over the last few months I have been trying to convince a lady to come in and check out our gym. She's a big girl. Very. Big. and I know that she was fearful of even walking into Curves. Last Monday, she did just that! I'm so very proud of her. She's a sweetheart and I know we at Curves can help her change her life. It's women such as this that make me love my job.
I'm sure there is more good news out there. Certainly the fact that school is nearly out is reason to celebrate. The flowers are blooming and my family is healthy. Life is good. That, and the cows are still secured in the upper pasture!
Booyah!
I wonder if I could slow them down a little? You know, so that they would need more time and FIL wouldn't be able to come home for one or twelve additional days...
BAD ANNIE! BAD!
I was going to rant and rave about the workload, the stress, the games that FIL has been yanking everyone through.
But I won't.
Sigh.
Instead I will tell you only good news. Ha!
Good news number one: Soldier Mommy is in the house! Okay, well, not in the house. She's more like in the area and as soon as the US Army gets all their paperwork completed she'll be home with her boys! She's safely out of enemy fire and we are thankful (THANKFUL) for her safe return from parts hot and sandy.
Isn't that great news?
Good news number two: God is still God regardless of what's going on in the world.
Good news number three: I heard from Baby (my youngest brother). As is usually the case, he is staying out of all the family drama and gossip. I have always loved that about him. It was nice to hear his voice and to know that he isn't taking sides.
Good news number four: I've only got one more week of training my newbies and then they'll be ready to fly! Training is a soul sucking experience. I'm just sayin'.
Good news number five: Over the last few months I have been trying to convince a lady to come in and check out our gym. She's a big girl. Very. Big. and I know that she was fearful of even walking into Curves. Last Monday, she did just that! I'm so very proud of her. She's a sweetheart and I know we at Curves can help her change her life. It's women such as this that make me love my job.
I'm sure there is more good news out there. Certainly the fact that school is nearly out is reason to celebrate. The flowers are blooming and my family is healthy. Life is good. That, and the cows are still secured in the upper pasture!
Booyah!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Part Two
Fun was had by Girl and I.
Fun in the form of breakfast at a local restaurant. Fun in the form of shopping for the perfect formal. When I say perfect I mean less than $200.00 and is perfect for Girl. Those are hard to find, in case you didn't know.
However we had a visit from the dress fairy. Okay, she's really not a fairy, but she did have the inside scoop on the most beautiful dress for girl. We stopped by Nan's Glad Rags - funny name, I know, but the treasures this little resale boutique held were amazing.
And hanging on the wall, for all to see, was my Girl's dress.
It was perfect.
The perfect color.
The perfect length.
The prefect fit.
I teared up the minute she stepped out of the dressing room.
"It's perfect!" I gushed.
And so it was.
The price for this amazing bit of tulle and sequins? I mere $49.99.
GASP!
The rest of the afternoon was spent in giddy girlie gladness. We were pathetic. Truly, pathetic. Every time we looked at each other we giggled. We smiled. Frankly, it was a little sickening and I don't know how Beloved managed to keep his dinner down.
Now all we have to do is buy the shoes, make the graduation announcements, pull together the entire ceremony, plan her party, take her senior photos and survive the day itself.
All of which is really small potatoes now that we've found the gown.
Pictures to follow.
I promise!
Fun in the form of breakfast at a local restaurant. Fun in the form of shopping for the perfect formal. When I say perfect I mean less than $200.00 and is perfect for Girl. Those are hard to find, in case you didn't know.
However we had a visit from the dress fairy. Okay, she's really not a fairy, but she did have the inside scoop on the most beautiful dress for girl. We stopped by Nan's Glad Rags - funny name, I know, but the treasures this little resale boutique held were amazing.
And hanging on the wall, for all to see, was my Girl's dress.
It was perfect.
The perfect color.
The perfect length.
The prefect fit.
I teared up the minute she stepped out of the dressing room.
"It's perfect!" I gushed.
And so it was.
The price for this amazing bit of tulle and sequins? I mere $49.99.
GASP!
The rest of the afternoon was spent in giddy girlie gladness. We were pathetic. Truly, pathetic. Every time we looked at each other we giggled. We smiled. Frankly, it was a little sickening and I don't know how Beloved managed to keep his dinner down.
Now all we have to do is buy the shoes, make the graduation announcements, pull together the entire ceremony, plan her party, take her senior photos and survive the day itself.
All of which is really small potatoes now that we've found the gown.
Pictures to follow.
I promise!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Beach Trip 2009
We don't get away often. There's always money or work or ... money.
Yesterday we went to the beach and Boy had time to go with us (a rare event in the summer I assure you!).
To save money we took our own food. The menu included homemade salsa, hummus, fresh veggies and watermelon. There was a lovely cibatta bread, homemade, fat-free muffins, and string cheese. Yum.
We started in Lincoln City and did the beach thing. It was a beautiful day considering it is the Oregon Coast and it is always windy and cold.
Then we traveled to the outlet malls. We do love to window shop!
Finally, we drove to Boiler Bay and Agate Beach. Then it was off to Newport for a bowl of Mo's clam chowder.
I'm so thankful for such a lovely day with my family. As the children are moving into their adult lives I am holding on to these moments with both hands.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Listening
I wonder why certain colors are chosen for certain offices. Have you noticed the minty green, some form of tanish-yellow, and the various hues of gray that adorn most medical offices? It makes Girl crazy. She wants to know if there is a law or something.
And while the colors seldom change, the furniture certainly has. Remember the good ol' days of uncomfortable, hard plastic chairs? Not anymore my friend. Now you can lounge on a sofa, poor yourself onto a love seat, or drape your sick and weary bones onto a comfy arm chair. Times, they have changed.
The wait, however, has not.
We knew that Beloved's stress test would take anywhere from two to four hours. I went along, just for the fun of it. We were the first ones in the office and I staked out my comfy chair, right in the corner (no sharing chair arms for me!) and realized I'd forgotten my book. Sigh.
Instead, I read Sunset cover to cover. Did you know you can GROW your own saffron? Yeah, that spice that costs $1000 an ounce (okay, it's not really!) can be grown in your very own yard. Planting time is in the fall. You can visit White Flower Farms and purchase 25 of these beautiful plants for around $18.00. All things considered, that's a great price!
Anyway, as Beloved bounced between his tests and the waiting room, my eyes grew heavy. Yawn. The chair was too comfortable and I didn't have anything to do. The room had started filling up around 9:00 and I noted that I was the youngest one in the room. The other guests noted it too. They looked at me quizzically. When Beloved returned (again) to the waiting room this fellow struck up a conversation.
Yes, I know I took a cell phone pic and am posting it without this gentleman's permission. I was BORED, okay? Note the yellow walls in the background.
This talkative fellow served in WWII. He sailed through the Straights of Gibraltar on one of sixty vessels. He chuckled and said he'd never seen so many planes in the air in his life because both the American and British air force flew right over those ships. It was an amazing sight.
He spent months in Marseille, where ironically, his grandfather had fled from as a young man because of war.
In a matter of moments we learned that he'd met his wife at the Grange Hall in Oregon City, where both their farming families were members. She was twelve, he was fourteen. They married the day after he turned twenty-one, because he'd promised his mother that he wouldn't marry until then.
Next weekend will be their sixty-third wedding anniversary. Cool huh?
When Beloved was called back to complete his test another couple entered the waiting room and sat down across from our new friend. I noted that gentlman wore a WWII Navy Veteran cap. I knew it wouldn't be long...
The gentlemen swaped war stories, the one was a wee bit hard of hearing and his sweet wife often repeated things for him. She held his hand, patted his knee, and looked at him in such an adoring way. She proudly told us that her husband was eighty-three and she was eighty-one. They've been married for sixty-five years this spring.
As I sat and listened to these fine folks, I couldn't help but note that Beloved and I are half their age, yet here we all were in the same room, waiting for the same tests. They had lived and loved for so many years. They served. They raised their families. They paid their taxes.
I wondered, was it worth it? All the heartbreak that accompanies life. The hard times. The angry times.
Then out of the blue, the first gentleman said, "It's been a good life."
And I smiled.
And while the colors seldom change, the furniture certainly has. Remember the good ol' days of uncomfortable, hard plastic chairs? Not anymore my friend. Now you can lounge on a sofa, poor yourself onto a love seat, or drape your sick and weary bones onto a comfy arm chair. Times, they have changed.
The wait, however, has not.
We knew that Beloved's stress test would take anywhere from two to four hours. I went along, just for the fun of it. We were the first ones in the office and I staked out my comfy chair, right in the corner (no sharing chair arms for me!) and realized I'd forgotten my book. Sigh.
Instead, I read Sunset cover to cover. Did you know you can GROW your own saffron? Yeah, that spice that costs $1000 an ounce (okay, it's not really!) can be grown in your very own yard. Planting time is in the fall. You can visit White Flower Farms and purchase 25 of these beautiful plants for around $18.00. All things considered, that's a great price!
Anyway, as Beloved bounced between his tests and the waiting room, my eyes grew heavy. Yawn. The chair was too comfortable and I didn't have anything to do. The room had started filling up around 9:00 and I noted that I was the youngest one in the room. The other guests noted it too. They looked at me quizzically. When Beloved returned (again) to the waiting room this fellow struck up a conversation.
Yes, I know I took a cell phone pic and am posting it without this gentleman's permission. I was BORED, okay? Note the yellow walls in the background.
This talkative fellow served in WWII. He sailed through the Straights of Gibraltar on one of sixty vessels. He chuckled and said he'd never seen so many planes in the air in his life because both the American and British air force flew right over those ships. It was an amazing sight.
He spent months in Marseille, where ironically, his grandfather had fled from as a young man because of war.
In a matter of moments we learned that he'd met his wife at the Grange Hall in Oregon City, where both their farming families were members. She was twelve, he was fourteen. They married the day after he turned twenty-one, because he'd promised his mother that he wouldn't marry until then.
Next weekend will be their sixty-third wedding anniversary. Cool huh?
When Beloved was called back to complete his test another couple entered the waiting room and sat down across from our new friend. I noted that gentlman wore a WWII Navy Veteran cap. I knew it wouldn't be long...
The gentlemen swaped war stories, the one was a wee bit hard of hearing and his sweet wife often repeated things for him. She held his hand, patted his knee, and looked at him in such an adoring way. She proudly told us that her husband was eighty-three and she was eighty-one. They've been married for sixty-five years this spring.
As I sat and listened to these fine folks, I couldn't help but note that Beloved and I are half their age, yet here we all were in the same room, waiting for the same tests. They had lived and loved for so many years. They served. They raised their families. They paid their taxes.
I wondered, was it worth it? All the heartbreak that accompanies life. The hard times. The angry times.
Then out of the blue, the first gentleman said, "It's been a good life."
And I smiled.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Ready...Set...
A vat of red potato salad
Forty burgers waiting to BBQ
Sixty-nine hot dogs
Four bags of chips
Twenty-five ears of corn (locally grown, of course)
Oodles of soda and sun tea
Pistachio Cream Cheese Dessert
Peach Crisp
Blackberry cobbler (from our farm)
Coffee
All we need are the brothers, sisters, great uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Bring it!
Forty burgers waiting to BBQ
Sixty-nine hot dogs
Four bags of chips
Twenty-five ears of corn (locally grown, of course)
Oodles of soda and sun tea
Pistachio Cream Cheese Dessert
Peach Crisp
Blackberry cobbler (from our farm)
Coffee
All we need are the brothers, sisters, great uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Bring it!
Friday, August 07, 2009
Things Left Undone
In case you haven't noticed, today is August 7th. That's near the beginning of the end of summer. Where did it go? Did you take it?
I'm just wondering because I haven't been to the beach yet. There hasn't been any serious summer fun happening around here. I've been racking my brain trying to figure this all out.
I think I've found the problem.
Every summer, when my Boy and my Girl were wee little people we would chop up a watermelon, grab a great book of epic adventure, a sheet, and head for our green, grassy backyard. There, laying in the shade of Locust, Cedar and Fir trees, we would read and spit watermelon seeds for a couple hours. It was the perfect way to pass a warm summer afternoon.
Boy and Girl grew up.
Then we invited the Wee Girls to share our home and we spent summer months in the tiny purple pool. Popsicle juice slid down their chins, staining their bathing suits, as we passed the afternoon away.
Then the Wee Girls were returned to their Biological mother.
Last summer, I went to work at the gym.
This summer has been spent with a short visits from the Singer and the Stalker. There were weeks of house-sitting, two months of yard work, a sickie, and work. There simply hasn't been enough fun.
I haven't dug my feet in the sand or felt the salty spray of the sea. No swimming, no evening strolls, and very little sleeping late.
And it's almost over!
Boo hoo hoo!!!
It's the summer of cake and I've haven't baked enough cake!
There are too many things left undone. So, I've decided to freeze time. I hope you don't mind. I'll be taking a few days towards the end of the month and by golly time will NOT pass.
I will sleep late.
I will sift sand through my fingers.
I will scoop up sea foam.
I will buy new sunglasses.
Summer will not end until I have seen the ocean, baked a cake, slept late, spent the entire day with my feet buried in the sand, and eaten Moe's Clam Chowder.
Whose up for a beach trip?
I'm just wondering because I haven't been to the beach yet. There hasn't been any serious summer fun happening around here. I've been racking my brain trying to figure this all out.
I think I've found the problem.
Every summer, when my Boy and my Girl were wee little people we would chop up a watermelon, grab a great book of epic adventure, a sheet, and head for our green, grassy backyard. There, laying in the shade of Locust, Cedar and Fir trees, we would read and spit watermelon seeds for a couple hours. It was the perfect way to pass a warm summer afternoon.
Boy and Girl grew up.
Then we invited the Wee Girls to share our home and we spent summer months in the tiny purple pool. Popsicle juice slid down their chins, staining their bathing suits, as we passed the afternoon away.
Then the Wee Girls were returned to their Biological mother.
Last summer, I went to work at the gym.
This summer has been spent with a short visits from the Singer and the Stalker. There were weeks of house-sitting, two months of yard work, a sickie, and work. There simply hasn't been enough fun.
I haven't dug my feet in the sand or felt the salty spray of the sea. No swimming, no evening strolls, and very little sleeping late.
And it's almost over!
Boo hoo hoo!!!
It's the summer of cake and I've haven't baked enough cake!
There are too many things left undone. So, I've decided to freeze time. I hope you don't mind. I'll be taking a few days towards the end of the month and by golly time will NOT pass.
I will sleep late.
I will sift sand through my fingers.
I will scoop up sea foam.
I will buy new sunglasses.
Summer will not end until I have seen the ocean, baked a cake, slept late, spent the entire day with my feet buried in the sand, and eaten Moe's Clam Chowder.
Whose up for a beach trip?
Friday, July 10, 2009
It Was a Smelly Smell
An old man at the laundry mat smelled strongly of liquor and cigarettes. I suppose that isn't terribly unusual, except it was 8:30 in the morning! Hello!!
We've removed Washerella's body and recycled it. The hoses from the wall have been leaning into the utility sink, still in mourning. They seem so...droopy. Last night, Girl needed to hand wash several items and asked what she should do with the hoses. I told her to let them hang to the floor, it won't hurt anything.
Wrong! Last night the entire room reeked of...something. The cat box? Nothing that toxic has ever emitted a scent like that from the litter box! The room now smells of bleach.
As you walk past the front flowerbed a wisp of fragrance will surround you. It is delightful and I stood in one spot for several moments last night, inhaling deeply and treasuring this small gift.
The aroma of growing tomatoes is beginning to waft through the air while the butterfly bush lures those dainty winged creatures with a subtle hint of sweetness.
Interesting how some scents wrap us in their warmth and beauty while others repulse us.
What did YOU smell today?
We've removed Washerella's body and recycled it. The hoses from the wall have been leaning into the utility sink, still in mourning. They seem so...droopy. Last night, Girl needed to hand wash several items and asked what she should do with the hoses. I told her to let them hang to the floor, it won't hurt anything.
Wrong! Last night the entire room reeked of...something. The cat box? Nothing that toxic has ever emitted a scent like that from the litter box! The room now smells of bleach.
As you walk past the front flowerbed a wisp of fragrance will surround you. It is delightful and I stood in one spot for several moments last night, inhaling deeply and treasuring this small gift.
The aroma of growing tomatoes is beginning to waft through the air while the butterfly bush lures those dainty winged creatures with a subtle hint of sweetness.
Interesting how some scents wrap us in their warmth and beauty while others repulse us.
What did YOU smell today?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Five Bucks Goes a Long Way
A few months ago one of the members at Curves was trying to sell Campfire Girl candy. Seriously. I said, "Um, no, I don't think so!"
Sure I was tempted. Who doesn't like candy?
The lady looked at me, smiling, and asked if I'd donate my candy to the troops, that way I wouldn't have to eat it. Every year the Campfire Girls send candy to the troops and this year was no exception. Now that is candy I can sink my teeth into.
I donated my $5.00 (the only cash I had on me) and never gave it a second thought.
Until last week.
The lady came in with a story and a photo. The story, went something like this:
This year this Campfire Troop sent 2095 boxes of candy to the soldiers. In past years, they seldom received any thanks for it. That didn't bother the girls, they were just happy to have sent something to those men and women serving their country.
However, this year was different. This year the girls received four thank you cards and a photo. It's a great picture and the story behind it is even better. It seems that the troops received their candy, ate it, and discarded the boxes. Then someone suggested that they should have taken a picture. Into the trash receptacles they dug, pulling out the empty boxes. The photo below says it all.
Looking at the picture, I wish I'd donated more. Can you really put a price tag on giving someone else joy?
I don't think so.
Sure I was tempted. Who doesn't like candy?
The lady looked at me, smiling, and asked if I'd donate my candy to the troops, that way I wouldn't have to eat it. Every year the Campfire Girls send candy to the troops and this year was no exception. Now that is candy I can sink my teeth into.
I donated my $5.00 (the only cash I had on me) and never gave it a second thought.
Until last week.
The lady came in with a story and a photo. The story, went something like this:
This year this Campfire Troop sent 2095 boxes of candy to the soldiers. In past years, they seldom received any thanks for it. That didn't bother the girls, they were just happy to have sent something to those men and women serving their country.
However, this year was different. This year the girls received four thank you cards and a photo. It's a great picture and the story behind it is even better. It seems that the troops received their candy, ate it, and discarded the boxes. Then someone suggested that they should have taken a picture. Into the trash receptacles they dug, pulling out the empty boxes. The photo below says it all.
Looking at the picture, I wish I'd donated more. Can you really put a price tag on giving someone else joy?
I don't think so.
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