Me, My Couch, and Half of My Life

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently adopted an orphaned kitten.  To make space for the kitten, I had to clean out the spare bedroom ... and because I cleaned out the spare bedroom, I had to have a garage sale.  Yes, this is just like the children's book, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" (which is a very cute book by Laura Numeroff, if you have not had the pleasure of reading it); quite the cascade of events was caused by this kitten coming into our household.  Anyways, because of the garage sale, I made a last minute decision to try and sell a 3-piece couch set that I have had for the last 20 years of my life (plus, I am ready for a new couch).  Ironically, selling the couch inspired quite the nostalgia, and hence, this blog.

As I was thoroughly vacuuming the couch set to get it ready for its new home, it prompted memories of where this couch and I have been.  (It is quite amazing how something like a piece of furniture can make you reminisce about your past.)  When I first bought the couch set, I was 25 years-old, full of hope and excitement for my future, which was just about to take a giant leap into adulthood.  I was engaged to be married and my fiance and I had just rented a brand new apartment with an awesome view of a river.  I was so young and excited about life.  The world was my oyster; there was so much I wanted to accomplish and experience; it was all so exciting and promising.

The couch set was very inexpensive, but I have to say, it has held up extremely well over the 20 years I have had it (if only the marriage had that longevity).  But alas, that was not the case and by my first anniversary I was ready for a divorce.  Hence, two years after bringing my new couch home, I moved it with me to a much older apartment, on the west side (from the east side), in a much less excited view of the world.  In fact, the view at that time had been a stressful and depressed view; however, as I was still young, I was still hopeful and excited about a new start in life.

A couple of years later, my couch and I moved into our first home with a new fiance.  This was not a new home, but it was thrilling none-the-less because we were now homeowners!  A year and a half later, we welcomed twins into the world and three and a half years after that, we welcomed a third daughter.  Due to more than doubling the size of our family, six years after buying our first home, we were ready to move into a bigger house back on the east side of town.  So my couch made the exciting journey into a newer and bigger house with me and my family.

The past 20 years with this couch have seen me through early adulthood into middle adulthood (aka midlife ... which is a whole other topic ... who knew mid-life was the 40s...I always thought mid-life crises were for people in their mid-50s...but not so much with me.).  As I was vacuuming the couch set, I thought back about the past 20 years and all that I have experienced; the roads taken and the roads not taken; the good and the bad; the ups and the downs.  There have been many fun, wonderful, exciting times during those 20 years, as well as extremely difficult, stressful, and even depressing times.  But it comes down to the fact that we only have one life to live and it is ours alone; no one else can live it for us; it is up to us to live a life that is true to us and lived to its fullest potential.  I am working on that; I feel that I am not quite there, but am striving to live my best life and a life true to who I am.

As I have written this blog, I realize that every move I made with my couch, to a new residence, was a time of excitement and hope for a better future.  I have no complaints.  My life thus far has been a good one.  I am blessed with three, smart, amazing, and beautiful daughters.  I have a husband who is a wonderful father to those three girls.  We all have our health.  My mom lives nearby and loves my girls a ton; my two sisters are enjoying life in sunny Florida; I am blessed with many good friends and neighbors.  So despite the fact that some days are hard, I truly realize how lucky I am to have made it 43 years with the health and life I have.  Here's to another 40 years, with new experiences, new hopes, new dreams, and if I'm lucky, new dependable furniture.  And to the new family that is now the owner of this couch set, I send them love and wonderful life experiences and many, many good years and memories with this couch!  Without further ado, here is today's inspiration:

The couch that talked without saying a word.

So little did I know what the journey of saying yes to a kitten was going to take me on.

Nostalgically Yours,
Me

Motivational Moment:

Today was an unbelievably beautiful, fall day.  The weather was a gorgeous 65 sunny degrees and the sky and fall foliage were perfect.  Despite the fact that I had tons of household chores on my to-do list (including garage sale clean up!), I made a date with the park.  My three daughters and I headed out to spend an hour basking in the glory of today.  We walked the 2-mile circuit around the lake and also took the time to just sit on a bench and take in the beauty surrounding us.  I know that winter will be here all too soon (and I will be in my house under a blanket trying to take off the chill); but for today, I am very happy to say that I seized the moment to stop and smell the roses.  Here are a few pics from my walk:

  

Wishing you beautiful days and time to enjoy them.

Hugs,

SG

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