All You can Do Is Laugh

Today's blog is dedicated to some of my recent Life’s Little LaughablesTM
because sometimes all you can do is laugh - and hey - it's even healthy for your body and mind.

One week ago, I made the impulsive decision to add a 2nd cat to our household; this one in the form of a 1.25lb, 5-week-old kitten.  Her coloring melted my heart and I had to have her (Oh - if only she had been a plain, boring, solid color.):

So deceptively innocent

The first four Laughables are dedicated to her:

1. We were discussing possible names for the kitten, and I said: "We should call her Trouble with a capital T."  And daughter B responds: "ALL names are spelled with a capital letter at the beginning!"  (Can you see her eyes rolling and hear her sigh when you read that?)

2. Whack-A-Mole.  When I was at the pet store picking up kitten items, I saw a cardboard box with big holes in it for play time.  Rather than buying a cardboard box, I decided to cut a doorway on each side of one I had at home.  This was a big hit for both the kitten and the 4 year-old cat that we have.  It was particularly hilarious watching them play the Whack-A-Mole game.  The kitten was inside of the box and the cat was outside of the box.  All of a sudden, the kitten starts popping her head in and out of the box, at a very fast rate, and the cat was sitting there with his paw up in the air ready to whack the kitten's head.  (And no - the kitten was not injured in the least people.)

3. This next one I am writing in the hopes that I will soon look back on this and laugh and be thankful it was short-lived: apparently kittens are NOT born with the innate ability to cover their litter box items effectively.  She has fallen in it, stepped in it, tracked it around the room, thrown it against the wall ... she has yet to get down the clean and tidy way of covering it, without getting it on her.

4.  Another joy of getting a baby kitten that was stranded in the wild by her mother - worms.  I am told it is quite common for kittens and puppies to have worms and that it typically takes at least two treatments before the worms are all gone.  This is just great news for me and my husband (whom I have turned into quite the germ-a-phobe); so we wash our hands a thousand times a day and just feel that there are worms all over us.  The other night daughter B was giving me a hug at bed time and I yelled out: "Ack! Your face is where the kitten was!" to which she replied: "Yuk! I feel all wormy now!".

And now on to non-kitten Laughables:

5. The other day my 12 year-old was doing her homework when she excitedly exclaimed: "I LOVE how the abbreviation for Miles Per Hour is M.P.H. (which she pronounced as Mmmph)!".

6. Apparently the result of a few too many tequila shots for my husband is him being unaware that mosquitoes are feasting on him:

7. As I was writing this blog, my sister, who is an attorney, and who is very smart (and very good at arguing, I might add) called me to share what she just did.  She was running out to her car in a parking lot and there was a torrential rainfall, so she runs up to a 4-door black sedan and opens the door and then realizes it's not her car.  She then proceeds to tell me she has done this before.  Lesson learned here: one may be very smart at some things and not so brilliant - or even observant - at other things.  (Love you sis!)

8. I currently am battling carpenter ants in my kitchen.  After fighting them for two months, I surrendered and called pest control.  The down side is that it will take up to three weeks for the poison to get back to the colony and kill the queen (I am just through week one).  Apparently, the scoundrels are living somewhere either in the wall behind my stove or in the ground below my stove (which in and of itself is extremely disturbing to my psyche), because twice now, I have had the extreme displeasure of cooking on the stove, while the oven is also on, and have had to kill at least 20 ants over the course of the hour.  The problem is that I HATE bugs.  Particularly fast-crawling things that I have to smush.  

Here is a description of my experience:

Large ant darts across counter ... I scream.

I rush to grab a paper-towel and attempt to smush the rotten intruder ... I scream. 

Said intruder darts out from under my paper-towel ... I scream.

I hurry and smush him dead ... I scream.

One would think one would get accustomed to bug killing...   *SIGH*

Laughingly Shaking My Head,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Laugh people!  For Pete's sake, this is the only life you have, you might as well enjoy the crazy ride! 

Here's wishing you lots of laughter today!  

Hugs,

SG

The Big Picture

The past couple of weeks have been difficult ones for me because my joint pain has been particularly bad and unrelenting.  At times like this, it amazes me how easily I get pulled into the misery of the moment and lose all sight of the bigger picture of life.  During these times, I tend to think deeply about life and its meaning and purpose (or shall I say, I tend to struggle more with those thoughts).  And then I come across a quote, or a movie, or a book, that provides such hope that it almost is a lifeline during dark times.

My best friend recommended a movie to me.  As I was watching the first half of this movie, I was questioning why he recommended it for me, as I saw it as somewhat violent and dark.  And then I got to the end of the movie.  The final thoughts that were voiced tied it all together so beautifully and were so poignant that they really resonated with me.  The move was a "Winter's Tale" and here are the final quotes from the movie:

-       "What if we are all unique and the universe loves us all equally, so much so that it bends over backwards across the centuries for each and every one of us and sometimes we are just lucky enough to see it." 

-          "No life is more important than another and nothing has been without purpose.  Nothing.  What if we are all part of a great pattern that we may someday understand?  And one day, when we have done what we alone are capable of doing, we get to rise up and reunite with those we have loved the most?  Forever embraced.  What if we get to become stars?!" 

I love the hope and beauty that those thoughts inspire.  It makes the troubles and stress of your current life seem small.  They promise a greater purpose that makes it all worthwhile.  I find them very comforting and encouraging.

Searching for that Greater Purpose,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's Moment is one of my Life’s Little LaughablesTM and is dedicated to daughter B (age 12), who is a very sweet and tender-hearted child and who simply loves walking around the backyard, discovering nature...and bugs...and animals.  Here is what she said to me yesterday:

Her: "Did I tell you that I walked through a giant web in the backyard yesterday?"

Me:  LOL. "NO! Yuk!"

Her: "It was between a bush against our house and the swing set and it was the size of my entire body.  And it was REALLY hard trying to pick it off my skin and shirt; that stuff really sticks."

Me: (At this point, I have the TOTAL heebee jeebies - and if that were me, I would have been freaking out wondering WHERE, exactly, the spider was that made that giant web ... and particularly, was it ON me), but instead, she simply said:

Her: "I felt SO bad because that was A LOT of work I just ruined."


May you all have tender-hearted moments that make your heart melt.  SG

Back to School Time...Again

Well, this seems to be a recurring time of year for me to post; apparently changes in schedule, or more so, changes that mark the passage of time, cause me to ponder life.

The summer is over and my daughters are entering a new school year; I can't believe how the years have flown.  It seems like just yesterday, I was exhausted and overwhelmed with two newborn babies, and now 12 years have passed.  There is a quote I have seen a lot lately that is so fitting to these feelings: "The days go slow but the years go fast." So very true! (I was unable to find the originator of the quote; however I came across this poem containing the quote and it resonated with today's blog: Walter Erickson Blog )

What shocked me about this year, is that I am not my typical, stressed-out-freak self, like I normally am at this time of year.  I find that odd.  I must be getting old.

Rather than cramming in back-to-school shopping the weekend before school starts (when there are barely any supplies left on the shelves), I actually went shopping the first weekend in August.  Crazy organized for me - I know!

I have recently begun to take the first and last days of school off from work so that I can celebrate at the morning and afternoon bus stops with my girls; marking this passage of time; noting its fleeting spotlight in the sun.  I would like to say that I cherish these rare days off and lounge around while the girls are at school, curling up with a good book or napping or some sort of leisure activity; however that is not how it ever plays out.  I did a couple of loads of laundry and dishes and went grocery shopping...such are the deeds of a domestic goddess  Oh, and I also cleaned out a bowl of candy that was sitting on my counter and found this:

Yes folks, it is sad when you have Christmas candy still hanging around in August!  *Sigh*  Still working on earning that Domestic Goddess title.

I will note that I experienced that human folly of emotion called jealousy - or even envy - on this special day off of mine.  As I was returning from grocery shopping, I happen to pass the local coffee shop and saw a bunch of moms hanging out and laughing.  Here I was, feeling proud of all I had accomplished during my 6 hours of alone time and then ...Wham! ... envy hits me.  I know I should be above this; in fact jealousy and envy are quite the stupid emotions to have because of course no one truly has it easy, and you never know what battles someone is facing.  But of course, in MY mind, these four women had quite the charmed life ... I was picturing them as stay-at-home moms who were celebrating their returned freedom and alone time now that their kids were back in school.  However, in reality, who knows what trials they face.  I am glad they took the time to celebrate their moment with their friends.  Go away Green-Eyed Monster, you are a waste of my precious time.

I wish all of the kids going back to school a good, successful, enjoyable school year.  I wish all of the parents out there some time for peace and quality time for themselves.

Still Working On My Domestic Goddess status as well as Seizing the Moment,

Me

Motivational Moment:

I have three, very varied, motivational moments for today:

1. On a light-hearted and happy note, my Dinner Plate Hibiscus has bloomed:

How cool are these flowers?!  I just love how big they get and how they are so colorful!

2. On a fun note, I really like Taylor Swift's new song and video, Shake It Off.  So true that Haters are gonna hate and you need to shake it off and just be you.  Shake It Off Video

3. On a very deep and emotional level, here is the heart-breaking story of Anthony Carbajal, who is currently going through his ALS battle and helping care for his mom who also has it.  Anthony's website
 - Anthony - what an awesome video you made for "Kiss My ALS" and the ice bucket challenge!
 - Sending a shout out of love for our friend Brenda, and her family, who are currently going thru her battle with ALS.

Peace, Love, and Hugs!
SG

Birthday Bliss

A familiar theme of mine is to pamper yourself whenever possible.  Life is hard; life is short; you deserve it!

With that said, last week was my birthday.  And I decided that another rule of mine is to NOT work on my birthday.  So I took the day off and filled it with some of my favorite things!

I started the day off with a massage.  As I have talked about numerous times before, for me, there is no greater relaxation than a massage.  It is the ultimate escape for an anxious stress freak, such as myself.

Thank you, Alison, for my perfect massage on my birthday!

Hubby sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers:

Thank you, hubby, for my flowers.  I love them!

And a homemade bouquet from daughter B:

Thank you, my creative daughter!  I love it!

Next up was a shopping trip to Barnes and Noble with my three daughters.  They have a love of reading which they picked up from their grandmother and me.  I love the escape that books offer.  And my one daughter is absolutely addicted to books; she would be happy if she could read all day, every day, and not have to do anything else.

Here we are at Barnes and Noble.  I absolutely love this bookstore, not only for all of their books, but also for all of the inspirational gift items.  I am a lover of quotes, and Barnes and Noble has many, amazing quotes printed on magnets, plaques, and bookmarks.  *sigh*

My favorite genre - Romance, of course!

My youngest enjoying the children's section.

My older two checking out some games (my book lover already has 4 books picked out).

Next on the agenda was dinner with my mom, followed by dessert at a yogurt place.  After pigging out for two hours, we finally headed home at 8:30 pm.  Unexpectedly, my two neighbors were there waiting for us with cupcakes and ice cream!  And yes, we all proceeded to have a second dessert...it was a celebration after all!

Delicious gluten free cupcakes from Trader Joe's!

Officially Another Year Older,
Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's moment is one of Life’s Little LaughablesTM:

The following conversation occurred the day after my birthday with a friend from work:

Me: I strongly believe in spoiling yourself on your birthday and doing something you enjoy.  What is that saying ...?

Her (excitedly yelling as if she were on a game show): KICK THE BUCKET?!!

Me: NO! That is NOT what I was thinking.  I do NOT want to "Kick the Bucket", particularly ON my birthday.  I was thinking more along the lines of "Seize the Day" and checking things off of my bucket list on my birthday.  But thank you VERY much for your suggestion.


Make it a point to pamper yourself whenever you can, even it is something small and quick, like sharing a laugh with a friend. And always take care of you.

Peace and Love,
SG

A Beautiful Day

Today ended up being my perfect kind of day. (I love it when days end up exceeding expectations...I think the key here, is that I really didn't have any expectations...or big plans.)  The 4th of July is definitely becoming my favorite holiday.  A day off from work.  Leisurely hanging with the family.  Weather was mild and pleasant: temperatures in the 70s, beautiful sunshine, light breeze, gorgeous sky.  My idea of perfect weather.

 
I live in a small town that has a 4th of July parade in the morning followed by a festival in town. Then we go back home and just relax for the middle part of the day.  We have the parents over for dinner (grilled hamburgers and hot dogs) and then we end our day with fireworks.

There was a beautiful sunset...

and an awesome fireworks display.

Enjoying the Moment,
Me

Motivational Moment:

Life is what happens in between our plans.  May you enjoy your downtime.

Daughters, Books, and Quotes

It's all relativity folks.  When I looked at my last post, which was over a month ago, I laughed since I thought I had it bad in the month of April.  The month of April was just a really, crazy, busy time at work. The month of May was much more damaging to my psyche.  (And let's not forget that the month of May is a notoriously bad month for me, as described here: End of School Year Insanity Link.)  But this past month of May added fuel to the already raging fire.  I was hit with two big surprises at work, at the same time, and let's just say they were not of the good kind.  And then last week, we had a tragedy of the purest sense: a co-worker died in a motorcycle accident. He was a very kind man, a very hard worker, and he will be greatly missed.

Moving on to a much lighter topic than death (which, isn't pretty much everything a lighter topic than death), I wasn't feeling well this morning (lingering stomach flu issues); I actually cancelled my massage, which is shocking in and of itself.  I spent most of the day laying around reading a book that my twelve-year-old daughter highly recommended: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It is a fiction book, (which the author emphatically states a couple of different times) about kids with cancer.  As you can expect, I sobbed several times during this book, but the book is written very well (obviously, since a movie was made from it).  Reading this book prompted two blog-worthy notes (well actually there are many topics I could delve into from reading this book); however here are today's two:

1.  I truly love the fact that I have a twelve-year-old daughter who is recommending books to me, and I actually, really like them.  They have deep meanings, fabulous quotes about life (and I love quotes!), enjoyable sarcasm and wit, and are just wonderful reads.  It was a moment of pure enjoyment for me. I am seizing the day and enjoying this time in my life with my daughters.

2.  The second reason was a quote in the book that I just loved!   "What a slut time is.  She screws everybody."  True.  So very true. (I could also add that Death is a Bitch!)  One of my family's favorite TV sitcoms, The Middle, also had a quote about time that resonates: "The days go by slow, but the year's fly by."   There never seems to be enough hours in a day.  Ever.  And Death just pretty much sucks.  Enough said.

Ever the Optimist,

Me

Motivational Moment:

Alright, so I have to turn the negativity around from my 'time and death rant', so here goes:

May you enjoy the time you have here on earth.  May you find little things - or big things - that make you laugh or smile every day. May you enjoy the special moments that each season of your life brings you.

Peace and Love,
SG

Unexpected Beauty

This past Saturday, I was having a crabby morning, coming off of a crappy week.  Not only is work crazy for me this month, but I had to go to an earlier shift (since hubby got a new job) and trust me when I tell you that I am NOT a morning person.  And on top of all of that (or perhaps because of all of that) my joint pain has been very bad.  I know, blah, blah, blah...we all have our trials in life.  But humor me and allow me to call the month of April my Perfect Storm for stress.  With that said, I am still able to enjoy simple beauty that is around me.  I had to share my unexpected beauty of Saturday afternoon, which also brought to mind two other simple beauties I felt were blog-worthy.

Saturday, I had a massage scheduled for 12:30pm.  (I know - rough life!  But I always encourage all people to indulge in what brings them bliss, as much as they can, for their time here on earth!).  As I was saying, I was heading to the massage in a crabby mood (hubby and I were in a disagreement over a movie that he thought was acceptable for our children to watch and to which I couldn't have disagreed with more.).  But as I arrived at the spa, I remembered that I had referred a co-worker (I shall call him Kurt for this blog) to my masseuse (Alison) and he happened to have the appointment before me.  When I walked in, I saw Kurt right away and asked him how he liked his massage.  He said he loved it and would definitely be coming back again.  This made me so happy since he had previously checked out a place I had recommended about 6 months earlier and did not have good luck. He, unfortunately, had a 19-year-old girl who was very new to her position and was not at all versed in the fine arts of massage.  I was worried that his first experience would scare him off massages (which I, of course, adore), but I am happy to say that he was willing to try another place.  So when he said he loved his massage and that Alison had done a great job, I was very happy.  This is not, however, the unexpected moment of beauty that I experienced that day.

Apparently, when Kurt was checking out, he had asked Alison which of the products I liked that they sell.  So she pointed him to one of my favorite Aveda lotions and he bought me one.  He then had them give me my unexpected gift at the end of my massage.  When Alison handed me the gift bag and told me it was from Kurt, it melted my heart.  I do not know Kurt very well.  We are more like work acquaintances then close friends. So the fact that he would buy me such an extravagant gift just for simply referring him to my masseuse, left me speechless and humbled.  He not only made my day, but he turned around my crappy day with his completely unexpected, but thoughtfully beautiful gift.  It put me into such a grateful and happy mood, that it immediately made me think of two other people who I thought were beautiful.

The first one is another co-worker, who had just turned in her resignation at work.  I talked with her to see what was going on and I ended up being humbled by her leap of faith as well as her love and dedication as a mom.  She has three children who all have different levels of ADD and one who also has OCD.  This child seemed to be struggling a lot lately and his doctor mentioned that home life has to be calm, consistent, and schedule-driven.  The doctor also said that children struggle more with maternal stress than paternal stress; she knew right then and there that she needed to quit her job and stay home with her kids.  I find her actions beautiful, full of love, and a complete leap of faith.  And I wish her and her family the absolute best in life.

The second observation was about my 52 year-old male friend.  He is married with a 17 year-old son.  This is not the demographic of a person whom you would think would want to watch the animated movie "Frozen".  Not only did he watch the movie on his own accord, he actually enjoyed the movie.  His exact words were: "Fantasy, magic, adventure, love...all the things in the books I read.  Such a great movie!"  I found this entire thing to be very cool.  Not only is he comfortable enough in his manhood to rent such a movie for himself, but he has such a depth of character to actually, truly, enjoy such a movie (and readily admit it!).  It's a beautiful thing.  (By the way, if you haven't yet seen Frozen, my three daughters and I absolutely love it!)

Enjoying the Beauty Along the Way,
Me

Motivational Moment:

Today's Mo Moment is another of Life’s Little LaughablesTM :

We were watching a comedy the other night and the term "lingerie" was mentioned a couple of times.  My twelve-year-old asked me why they were pronouncing that word wrong.  So I asked her what word she was talking about.  And she said: "laundry".  I laughed, but I could understand how she could make that connection.  The word "lingerie" does sound as if you are separating out the word "laundry".  What was not fun was trying to explain what lingerie was.  I think I would have preferred just letting her think they were mispronouncing "laundry".  ;)

May you find beauty in unexpected places each day!  ~SG