Lenten Plans

Sam: snack better (more fruits and veggies) and teach mom chess
Anna: treat Sam more humanely and see Hunger Games
Me: frown less and laugh more (and, I smile and laugh lots), start couch-to-5k and work on those boxes in the garage.
all of us: walk dogs more, exercise more, enjoy each others presence

Yes, my mom work is complete.

Sunday Scribblings - REST

Pauses in time to rest and enjoy the quiet moments. Greatness in the beauty a calm soul can see.

Rest is not simply for the wicked.

The ‘Rest of the Story’ is every day, every hour and every moment. What is the rest of your thoughts, your dreams, and you desires?

I seek and search and scrape to find a few moments of utter peace, daily. This is a new determination, perhaps a goal for the rest of my time on this earth. Seek that moment or two or four to rest and grasp the lovely. I have found so much in those moments. I will continue to look in there as I rest my mind from all the hubbub and wackiness.

http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/

(image from Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah taken October 2009)

Happy Valentine's Day

(what starts out sad ends in a twist of hope and joy)


Dear old Valentine,


I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for releasing me from your grasp. This is a day to remember those sweet times. There were many more than a few. But, it also a day to celebrate the future good times and happinesses we will all enjoy now and in the future. We can and will prevail. We are strong and determined.


We don’t need tempestuous behavior and spoiled adults to placate. We need maturity and co-parenting. We all have our own stories and woes. We support and love each and every one of our friends. We celebrate today the absence of your drama, even if we are in the midst of some of that drama. Realize it may not in our home with us any longer.


We celebrate the martyrs today. And that we are not among them. We appreciate Geoffrey Chaucer and his courtly love that has tainted the hearts of women waiting for that white knight and of men searching for their princess.


We don’t need candy, flowers, dinners, and jewels. We need love and in its simplicity with the honor and commitments, respect, adoration and generosity of spirit that should accompany love.


With all the anger, drama, bitternesses we feel or have felt, we all want the same things: happiness and security for ourselves and our children today and every day hereafter.


We are not sad today. We are jubilant with the what-ifs and the gorgeous day that is today. We are pleasantly surprised by the gentle touches from our friends and families.


Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
Everything that's wonderful is what I feel when we're together,
Brighter than a lucky penny,
When you're near
The rain goes and
I know, that it’s
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows for me.
(mostly by Gore Lesley)


Mostly, we breathe a sigh of relief that we can breathe and smiles and laugh and cry and that these actions are our own. We love what love stands for and that it is good. We relish those moments of pleasant peace and gentle moods.


Thank you, my friends for supporting me when I want to bash heads, kick shins or simply vent and shriek. You are my TRUE VALENTINES, I love you.


**** this began as a letter to help a friend on Valentine's and ended up being more reminders of why the day was important and how we continue to travel down our paths***

Getting Organized

I have struggled getting organized. I am not there. I have fits and spurts. My goal is to finish unpacking this year. I mean I've lived here for a long time. I may make it I may not, but I will try.

I am currently working with a plan:
1) mail... 1 stop. I had recently spent hours organizing mail and files. I am not quite done with old medical flies but the rest is pretty complete. I vowed never to do it again (this probably isn't true, but I can hope, right).. But, this week, I have brought the mail in and handled it. When I let the dogs out after getting home, I deal with the mail. Why haven't I done this before?

2) have a cleaning plan in the house (now I don't have Ellen's house)so I can vacuum or sweep the house on Mondays (I actually do it daily... have you met my dogs). But, I do dust on Tuesdays now.

3) Using the 2012 Declutter and Organizing - this has been working, so far. Today, I have to declutter a bedroom shelf, I can handle it.

4) Don't leave a room empty handed. This isn't as bad as you'd think. I always am moving stuff around. And sometimes, I pick something up to put in the donate box.

5) yes, that donate box. I have one. I have it hidden in the spare shower right now, because I can't decide where to put it, but it has stuff in it. That is a start.

Wish me luck.

Baseball!

Seriously, who was the genius making sliding pants white?! These are kids -- BOYS at that. They can't stay in a 'clean' room and stay clean. My child can get dirt on him and never move off the seat.





I know the decision maker on these pants WASN'T a mom or the guy who washes the heck out of those pants after games. My kid has ground in mud, grass, and other unknown icks into his new sliding pants. I use spray-n-wash, oxy-clean, bleach, and even dawn. Most of the yuck does get removed with a hot wash. HOWEVER, there is always SOME left over. I know, I know, it shows he plays and enjoys and has fun. I know, I don't want them sparkling white, but black or dirt colored pants aren't an option!?


Sigh, I am not the best laundress, but boy, he likes dirt. So, we will have dirty pants, yell, scream, cheer for both sides when a play is good, encourage, burn in the sun, sweat to death, get eaten by mosquitoes, eat popcorn, sip an Icee, laugh and love the day.







Of course, if we are ever in the majors this is the goal, isn't it?



Dirty pants show your efforts and that you have your eye on the goal! We may never make the majors, but we will play with all the heart and love of the game every practice, very game, and every time we just have a catch. We love the game. GEAUX!