Menopause Moment....

Menopause sucks!

No one really tells you how much fun this is not going to be.  Mmm.  Maybe I knew but never believed it could happen to me.  I would never be "one of those" that ended up with a "middle age spread".  Afterall, I am a lifer at Weight Watchers.  Just haul my sorry self back to the meetings and get my eating under control again.  Right.

Then there are the hot flashes.  Or, as I prefer to call it, "my faulty thermostat".  Now, I live in Arizona.  Being hot is normal.   The difference?  I was out running errands the other day.  I walked into a store that was very cool.  My first reaction was that it felt so good to hit that cool air.  20 minutes later my body was still trying to actually cool off.  It is a wierd feeling to be in a 70 degree room and sweating.

Probably my least favorite part of all this are the short term memory lapses...

It was 10pm.

I was tired.

Washed my face.  Brushed my teeth.

Reached in my pocket to get my phone so I could plug it in for the night.

It wasn't there.

Looked in the bathroom.

Looked in my chair.  (Sometimes it falls out of my pocket there.)

Checked all over the house.

It was nowhere.

Finally decided I would call myself.

Guess where it rang?

In my bra.

I'm still laughing at myself over that one.  Laughter really IS the best medicine.  Learning to laugh at myself is a lesson I could have used in my younger days. 

Think this will never happen to you? 

It can. 

It will. 

Get ready.



2011

Headed for home....

10 days away from home is a lot.

Family reunion was great.

Temperatures were great.

I loved seeing the color GREEN again.

I loved spending time with family.

Time to say good-bye.

See you next time.

I can hardly wait to get off the plane and see this face!  :)



Why is it so hard???? (Rant Warning!)

One year ago today I started this blog. 

One would think after a year that I would have it all figured out. 

I don't. 

Lately all it does is make me feel guilty for not posting on a regular basis. 

I keep telling myself that I will do better......next week when my schedule eases up. 

Next week comes and goes and nothing changes. 

I am a stay at home mom. 

Doesn't that mean that I have lots of time on my hands?  (I get that a lot.) 

One year.

365 days. 

91 posts.

Averages out to once every 4 days.

Not great.

Not terrible either. 

Next year's goal?

How about once every 3 days?

(Baby steps.)

Thank you to my faithful readers!

You make me smile.

You've encouraged me.

I'll see you......in 3 days.  ;-)

The End

Closer and Closer......

I really don't know what to make of this owl!  Scott is out in the back yard mowing the lawn and the owl is not only out there but in a lower to the ground tree!  I am amazed at the pictures he's letting me get.

Another Encounter....

Zoe (my little rat terrier) was barking like crazy a little while ago.  I looked out the patio door and there was our owl friend again.  I am surprised at how unafraid he is of us.  I took my first pictures from inside the house and decided to walk outside.  He just sat there watching me while I shot pictures and walked towards him. 

I shared the first pictures with my neighbor and he expressed concern about the owl.  He indicated that a large owl will sometime scoop up and take off with a small animal.  Miz Zoe is only 15 lbs.  Truth is, I hadn't expected to see the owl out during the daytime.  Zoe is in the house mostly at night.  I figured an owl would be sleeping during the day.  Not sure if I should be concerned or not.  What do you all think?

An Unusual Encounter.....

You may remember I blogged in March about the owl that was hanging around our house. I was hoping he would stay around and scare away the birds that were hanging out over my clothesline.   Katy has started calling him Hootie.  Not only are the birds not afraid of him, I've seen the smaller birds swoop down and ruffle his feathers.  Literally!  I was able to get a couple of pictures of him. 

I'm amazed at how big he is!

He seems to move around often but lately we've been seeing him up in the palm tree a lot.

I tried to get a close up so you can see.  When taking this picture, we discovered that there were actually 2 owls up there!  They are not very easy to see but I marked the picture so you could get an idea of where they were.  The day we took these pictures, they were up in the palm tree watching Becky and I plant flowers.  It was a wierd feeling to have those big eyes watching us.  We could see his eyes from down on the ground and it is a very tall tree!

THEN.....a funny thing happened.  Becky was the only one home.  She heard a knocking on the patio door.  She got up to investigate.  This is what she saw......

Not only was he there but he stayed and allowed her to take pictures.

She said each time the flash would go off, Hootie's wings would spread. 

Becky ended up covering the doggie door.  She was afraid he might actually come in. 

It's been interesting getting know Hootie.  :)

I Have a Friend.....

I have a friend.  (Yes it's true.)

Her name is Janelle.

She is a dentist.

Her husband is a dentist.

Her mom is a dentist.

Her (late) dad was a dentist.

They started taking care of my teeth when

Janelle was 4 or 5.  (Geez, that makes me feel old!)

Janelle made an announcement recently! 

I'm so excited for them!

Babies are so fun!

I found the coolest site!  Robin at Soggy Bottom Baby Duds can make anything! I WISH I could sew like her!  I got "inspired" when I found this adorable little Tooth Fairy pillow on Robin's Etsy Site!

I messaged Robin to see if she could make one of her (already very cute) pacifier clips and wrist rattles with one of these little teeth on them.  She was so much fun to work with!  I feel like I made a new friend! 

I think she outdid herself! 

Thanks Robin!

Best Wishes Janelle and Phil!

A New Friend

I enjoy using the clothesline.

Not for everything.

Mostly for sheets, towels and blue jeans.

Yes, the towels are rough.

But they are so much more absorbent!

There is a tree next to my clothesline.

Perfect to shade me in the hot AZ sun.

It has also become home to pigeons.

Lots of them.

Not a good over your laundry.

I miss using my clothesline.

Last year I read:

buy a plastic owl.

Birds are afraid of owls.

Move it around your yard to keep them away.

I never got it done.

About a month ago

an owl moved into one of our trees!

We heard his sound first.

Whoooo.  Whoooo.

Only in the night.

He's outside Katy's bedroom window.

She's not thrilled.

I'm beyond excited.

The real thing!

I hope he stays!

I think I'll go to the store today.

Time to re-string the clothesline.

Might even spring for some new clothespins.

Thankful

I was thinking about how long it's been since I've written on here and came across this post I had started before Thanksgiving and never used.  Decided "thankfulness" should be a year round event so here you go. I am so thankfull for my girls.  They bring a lot of JOY to our home.  I can't imagine life without the spark they add.

Who ARE these old people and how did they get that way?  I am thankful for the man that has loved me all these years!(My mother in law, my girls and my mom.)

Thankful for family!

(Marlene, Mark, Karen)
Thankful for my brother and sister.

Thankful for friends.
Alice, on the left, has been my neighbor for more than 25 years! 

Kathi, on the right, is a friend.  Kathi and I sit together every Sunday in church.  Someone asks almost every week if we are sisters!  It always makes us laugh.  We do look a lot alike. We also have the same hairdresser. :-)

I'm thankful that my brother works for the airlines which allows me to travel to my mom's house every year and play in her craft room!

 

I'm thankful for my friend, Janelle, who got me started card making this year.  This was an especially difficult year for her.  I think the crafting was therapudic for both of us!

Thankful for my friend, Marilyn!  Lunches out, shopping trips, hair appointments, decorating advice, etc.  Friends since before I had children, wrinkles or a middle age spread!

If you are reading this, I am thankful for YOU!  Blogging is a new challenge for me this year.  I am thankful for your comments, imput and help along the way!

 

Wishing you a happy 2011!

Mixed Emotions...

I'm feeling an odd mix of emotions today. Yesterday we attended the funeral of our good friend and former Pastor, George Webb. I am feeling sad at the loss but thankful for all he meant to us. I met he and his wife, Florence when I was about 14. I was visiting my grandparents in Holbrook, Arizona. Florence was my Sunday School teacher that summer.

(George, our friend Bill, Florence)

After graduation from high school, I ended up moving to Holbrook. I didn't exactly plan to stay there (It is a very small town!) but found a job and ultimately met and married my husband. George performed the ceremony.

Over the years, we maintained a close friendship with George and Florence. They were with us for all of the important events in our life.

Florence passed away about a year ago. I think George has been ready to go ever since. Their life was a 68 year love story. I'm hoping for the same.

I miss you, my friends.

(But I'm happy you're together again.)

Love you!

Friendship and Crafting.....

Yesterday I was in a bit of a funk! Right now I am juggling creative stuff for 3 events. A little stressful but I can manage the busy work. My problem was trying to come up with the right design for one of the favors I am working on. I just couldn't seem to make it come together. Ended up with a big mess of paper and cut outs on the kitchen counter and no real inspiration.

I plopped down in my chair and pulled up Facebook to take a little break and re-group. My card making buddie, Janelle, happened to be on at the time and we started chatting about the project. Her comment to me was "let's talk it through". So we did. Our talking led to her designing a piece of the project. (She is a wiz on Photoshop!) Once that piece was done, the project came together in a hurry! I headed out to Michaels to purchase the supplies and had all the parts all cut out by the end of the evening (A lot of cutting.....200 for this event!)

I was re-energized with the help of a friend! SO, I just wanted to say THANK-YOU Janelle! You really Sparked a Smile today!

(And here's the final product!)

Exercise

It's been a long time since I've exercised. Today I started riding my bike again. My friend, Marilyn, brought her bike over and we rode together.

Lots of cobwebs and dust on my bike. How does a stay at home mom clean a bike?

With a vacuum cleaner of course. (You didn't think I was going to touch all those spider webs, did you?

Finished the job with Endust and a rag. My neighbor (and die hard biker) would have died laughing if he could have seen me vacuuming my bike.

We rode. We visited. It wasn't so bad. Why is it so hard to make myself exercise when it is so good for me?

Katy

Katy is the baby of the family. When she was born, I became a stay at home mom. Learning to be a SAHM was a big adjustment. I had been in the work force for 16 years. To get me out a bit, I began to do some volunteer work at church. Katy was my helper.

She was such a cutie pie!

I love this picture of her in the sand box in her tutu. :)

She is heavily involved in DECA at school. This year she is the president!

Don't be fooled though. She can be a wild thing!

She loves to take fun and crazy photos!

This is her friend, Kelli. They drive matching cars!

She adds a lot of joy to our family. :-)