The Rhythms of Life

Rhythm, I'm not talking about the musical kind like keeping the beat of a song or having moves to a dance. There is a rhythm to this life, as opposed to the musical rhythm.

Everyone has this kind of rhythm as opposed to musical rhythm which everyone does NOT have. 
 Life Rhythms are the soft quiet way we go about our day, week, month year.
Sometimes the rhythms of life can go by so quietly that we forget to look up and see how the world has changed. Other times, our lives rhythm can be hi-jacked by tragedy and we never really find that beat again. And still other times we can take on someone else's life rhythms and try to adopt them as our own, all the while we are dying inside.

The rhythm of a life looks different for everyone and takes everyone a certain amount of time to find what their true rhythm is. Some are upbeat and always on the go and this feeds their soul. Others life rhythm is much slower and requires much more down time.
I have realized after 40 years on this planet that mine is of the latter group.
Although I do ALOT I don't function well in that  "ALOT" category or rhythm section if you will. It has taken me many years to realize this and to be ok with it.  It's ok now for me to know that every week I need at least two days to regroup as opposed to the one day of Sabbath that every person on the planet really needs, but often denies themselves.
Finding your life's rhythm is somehow tied into finding your true authentic self. Some people never truly find that person that they were always intended to be. I believe finding your true self and life rhythm comes from slowing down long enough to hear the sound, the beat of your heart. Asking yourself questions like;
What makes my heart sing?
That's a saying that my mom has said so many times I can almost hear her saying it now with her east coast accent. It's a good questions because it opens up all kinds of other answers. What makes your heart sing can sometimes often lead you to your rhythm of life.
"When all the world appears to be in a tumult, and nature itself is feeling the assault of climate change, the seasons retain their essential rhythm. Yes, fall gives us a premonition of winter, but then, winter, will be forced to relent, once again, to the new beginnings of soft greens, longer light, and the sweet air of spring."

Madeleine M. Kunin

I want to retain my essential God given rhythm no matter what the seasons of change may bring, and the only way I know how to do that is to check back in again and again with the rhythm maker. 

The season changer.

The life giver.

The conductor if you will.

And of course by now your wondering what the point was to this lil here blog... Well I really just needed more Gloria Estefan in my life!
BIG SMILE

Happy October!

Velveteen Rabbit, Billy Ocean, and A New Tattoo (trust me I'm going to make this work)

“You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

- Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

Yesterday afternoon my oldest daughter and her choir put on a concert for a 90 year old woman who has been an active influence in the world of art and music here in Reno for over 50 years. It was an awesome event to celebrate her life and while I watched her play on stage with the other band members I started to think about the above quote. I absolutely love the above quote.  It really applies to life as a human being as well as life as a Velveteen Rabbit. I miss the days of reading the Velveteen Rabbit, but when I was a child I never even knew the depth of this quote. One of the main reasons I love that quote is because it reminds me that life is a process. There is no final, or test that you take to say you have graduated, or you have now become who you are going to be.  You just become. It really does take a very long time to become. In watching the 90 year old woman last night I thought to myself, not even this lady has become. She still has more memories to make and more lessons to learn, although it seems hard to believe but I bet if you asked her she would tell you that it's true. You never stop learning. You never stop becoming.  It really does take a long time to become. Upon turning 40 years old I thought if a person was ever going to be done with the whole becoming process it should be about half way through this life don't cha think?  But no, as it turns out, it's really not even close. I mean, sure it's closer than it was when I turned 20 but still so much more becoming is needed. I look at older ladies in my life and see how secure they are in their skin and how confident their voices are and  I think I want that even more than I have it now, but I'm pretty sure its wrapped up in... you guessed it... more becoming. It really does take a long time to become. I don't want to be one that breaks easily either.  There's a scripture in Proverbs that says,   "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small."  This scripture has always reminded me of that old Billy Ocean song, When the going gets tough the tough get going! I think we should listen to that song and have a little dance party at the end ...  What do you say, who's with me? Let's get back on topic for now though...  The wisdom in that proverb is that in this life there are going to be days, weeks, maybe even months or quite possibly years of adversity but that is when we have to push through and keep looking up, or  work on those tough muscles or get going like Billy says! Speaking of looking UP, this past Friday I finally got Carl here, from the Disney movie UP tattooed on my inner arm. Can you say OUCH!!

He (Carl) is a perfect example of this becoming business. He thought when his wife died his becoming was over... but OH what joy awaited him when he started to become someone else, someone he always wanted to be. I'm going to move on because even just thinking about that movie gets me weepy. (Because remember when Isaiah turned 5 and had an UP themed bday party?)

I'll be honest, one of the reasons that scripture has always stood out to me is because I don't like adversity. I don't do hard or complicated or tough very well.  I like happy, sunny, champaign wishes and caviar dreams, (only minus the caviar... bleh!) But real life is not like that.  We have to go through the bad that makes the good that much more betta! It really does take a long time to become.
And let's talk about sharp edges.  Have you ever noticed those grumpy old people with so many edges it's hard to be the same room with them? Kinda like Carl before he met Russell. Don't cha just love that Russell kid? Oh wait, sorry I keep getting distracted all I know is that I don't want to become... like that. I know for me there is still so much more life ahead and rather than being worn out and leathered by the storms of life that come my way I want to be like a fine wine that only gets better, not the kind that turns to vinegar. So that being said, let's become well together and don't forget to DANCE!!

Fruit Cake, Fonts, and Funks

Hello There Beloved Reader- I'm sitting here getting drunk on my Momma Nash's amazing fruit cake and drinking coffee.  I should be crafting and creating getting ready for another Craft show tomorrow, but I'm in kind of a FUNK! Are you familiar with the FUNK? I tried taking a shower to wash it off but that didn't work. I'm on my third cup of coffee hoping that the caffeine will kick in and that will help the FUNK find another home. And currently, while eating this delectable fruit cake I'm hoping I can eat it away.
BUT... alas, from previous FUNK days I know none of this will work. 
Maybe if I change the font on this blog post and have one more bite of this delish dish it will slowly work it's way out of my system. I suppose if I was an athlete I'd be going for a run right now, but I don't run, unless someone's chasing me, and even then I might just stop mid sprint and give them what they want to avoid running!!
That font wasn't happy enough.
Maybe I need a happy picture...

That did make me smile.  I love the phrase too. Seize the Day. Carpe Diem. I would be doing the EXACT opposite of that.  Today I'm sitting here and the only thing I'm seizing is this damn good fruit cake.  Which, I have to say now that I have had my self a healthy piece of it, I am starting to feel a little bit better.  There is SO much LOVE in this fruit cake that my mom-in-love made us. I can almost feel her big warm bear hug coming through it.  Along with Lots o Love it is also loaded with nuts, fruits, and some kind of strong alcohol that makes for one of THE best fruit cakes I have EVER had. Did I mention I didn't even like fruit cakes until I had a piece of Momma Nash's fruit cake? Man alive is that woman ever talented!!
Let's try another font shall we and maybe let's slant it a bit...
Because I'm starting to feel a little slanted. Maybe it's the fruit cake or maybe it's words in different fonts, or maybe it's just being here with you but I actually do feel better now that I have bared my soul to you.  Thank you as always for listening and for helping me fight the funk!! Even though, technically you didn't do anything you listened, or at least it feels like you listened. I'm reminded of You've Got Mail right now,
"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."
And with that I will leave you for now, maybe it's time for a tiny bit more of fruit cake?

I'm A Hacking, Pinning , Sickie Girl

What's a girl to do when she's stuck at home, sick in bed, and not a drop of energy or motivation to do anything, all weekend?
Well, in between blowing my nose and hacking up a lung, I wasted a pretty good amount of time on, Pinterest, I re-read the book The Help, and I caught up on all my favorite shows. I'm really enjoying the series on Netflix called, Call The Midwife. Have you heard of it? It's keeping me preoccupied while we all wait for the next season of Downton Abbey. Sigh. I miss you Downton Abbey.
I thought I would do some blogging while I'm on such a roll here, but my head is fuzzy and congested so I fear the only thing I have worth sharing with you are my recent pins.  This sounded like a good idea at the time, but if it all comes out mumbo jumbo-ed then please forgive me.
Oh, did I also mention my phone is on the fritz, and I'm not receiving text messages right now. It's so sad and strange that my lil buddy is so quiet all of a sudden. I thought that nobody loved me until I talked to a bestie today and found out that in fact they really DO love me and that they thought I was just being aloof ... Psh... imagine me being ALOOF!!
So shall we get this pinning party started?

 It all started with the idea that I should go on Pinterest for some embroidery ideas, and then of course run off right away and embroider, but alas I'm sick and so I forgot that last part of actually doing something besides lying in bed and pinning.

I found these two beauties while looking up embroidery. The top one is something I can and WILL re-create but the bottom one well.. that lil clutch purse is a masterpiece of not only embroidery but sewing as well. Those little purses are not as easy as they look to make. I have tried and failed miserably at making a clutch purse.

I may or may not have sewn the zipper on inside out. 

I'm not sure why I'm admitting that to you Beloved Reader... Oh that's right, I'm sick and would probably admit anything to you right about now.

I think I started to get hungry right about then, and that's how I ended up on this pin.

Have I told you that I dream of making my own pasta someday? Yep, that is the next attachment for the ole' Kitchen Aid. It has always been a dream of mine because my mom told me of how her Italian grandmother used to have the pasta hanging from coat hangers all over her kitchen. I want to me that Italian grandma someday. This is a Zucchini Pasta with Avocado cream sauce, and it's literally making my mouth water right now. If only I had the energy to go downstairs and whip it right up. MOSES!!! Oh that's right, I can't even yell cause I sound like a dying frog right now.
I then found a few funnies on my quest of Pins and this one with Lionel Richie ...

   Bah HA HA HA HA!! I just can't stop laughing.  Maybe it's not even that funny, but to this stuffy headed sicky girl... that is some fun-nay shit right there!!
Well, and then my Pinning took a turn for the worst. I started going down that road that is so easy to do on Pinterest. Ya know, the road of NEVER GONNA HAPPEN BUT IT SURE IS NICE TO DREAM?
I started looking at items like this

This ring right here probably cost the same amount as my firstborn's college tuition(for one year at Udub) that is right around the corner.  It probably cost the same amount as raising 4 kids has cost all these 16 years. No joke. It costs way more than all the money I will ever have alloted for jewels in a lifetime and yet...
It had me at Yellow. Cheesy line, I know but it's just so purty. Sigh.
I of course started thinking more realistically with my pins and immediately pinned something more attainable like this...

Just looking at this scene makes me feel better. I wonder what must it be like to live in a cottage so beautifully surrounded by a garden so green and lush?
Then I remembered my little slice of something like that in Redmond, Washington. 
And I was brought back to earth by this quote from C.S. Lewis

He was a wise man that Mr. C.S. Lewis.

A Letter To My 16 Year Old Self

As I look at the above photo of these beautiful young women whom I have known since they were  teeny tiny... I think about being 16 again. I think about all the hopes and dreams that were in my heart at that stage in life and I wish I could have known some things that I know now. So I'm going to write a letter to my 16 year old self in hopes that some young girls out there might benefit from what this almost 40 year old woman knows now. 



Dear Noël,
I would first just like to tell you that you are beautiful. You don't need to drink Slim Fast shakes to get skinny, and you don't need to be ashamed of your beauty or wear clothes to hide it. You are NOT fat!! You and your mind, body, and soul are a gift. Your voice may be quiet, but it is being heard. People are paying attention to the life choices you are making. Without even saying a word you are making a difference. Don't grow tired or weary of doing what you know is right.   Your heart is sensitive and your prayers are building your future. God has you hidden right now that's why the cute boy down the hall that you have a crush on is not paying attention to you. But there will come a day when his head will turn and love will be awakened and you will see all these years that the Lover of your Soul has been perfecting that which you are concerned about. 
God has brought people into your life right now that will later become your family. Treasure them. Don't take their love and devotion for granted, and don't forget to tell them Thank You for being there for you.
Stop. Look. And pay attention to your Mom and Dad and your siblings that are still under one roof right now. This will not always be. Remember these are your life's BEST FRIENDS. Do the dishes for your mom, you have NO idea how much this will bless her. Thank your dad for working so hard to provide for his family, and thank him for all the countless times he picks you up and drops you off to work. Squeeze your brother Greg so hard with a Hug so big that he won't ever forget you LOVE him. Let your little sister Gina come in your room and do something fun with her so she too will remember that you LOVE her. 
As far as going off to college don't worry so much about how, and where you will go. These are things that are already figured out. Live in the NOW. Be in the moment and not so far off in the future that you forget what is really important. 
Those dates that you go on with Jesus, keep those up. HE loves these precious times with you, and you will not have as many opportunities to sneak away like that in your future. 
Have Fun, Be A Kid, and you should probably know that the moon doesn't just turn on. This will save you from some embarrassing moments ahead. 

It's all going to be O.K.  You really can Trust in God for all of this and SO, so, so much more.
Your almost 40 year old self

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I realized something while taking our family photos for Christmas cards this year and that is,

 Cyndi Lauper was right.

We girls really do just wanna have some fun,and also we don't mind photo shoots as much as the men folk in our lives.

You would have thought I was asking my boys to clean the toilet, go to the dentist, and rake the leaves all just to get a smile out of these fellers. 

Now, to be fair My Giant was sick, but then again so was Chloe. The other two though... well they have no excuse for pictures like this;

Notice the joy and elation on the fellers faces.  Kinda lacking in the joy department don't you think? And then compare that to the lovely smiles on my girls faces.
I mean, I don't ever expect much from Solomon he has since the time he was a wee lad HATED, with a capital H, taking pictures. But usually, I can count on Isaiah to help out when it comes to looking somewhat happy. In this picture though, notice the arm over the banister. Don't you think it just screams of PHOTO EXHAUSTION. It's like they have PPTS. Post Photo Traumatic Stress.

Now any mother can relate to my rant here, because to get a good family photo is a task that is not for the faint of heart. But, I mean, I really thought that as my Fab 4 got older I wouldn't have to rely on photo shop so much. Well, and then  a picture like the above photo pops up. 
U G H !! I mean, seriously?
What am I supposed to do with the Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins on the end there? Everyone in this picture, even my Solomon is smiling so nicely, and then there's Mr. Grinch on the end. So, I decided to roll with it this year.  He asked me when I put the word Naughty over his head if he was going to get coal in his stocking and would Santa understand that it's a joke? I assured him he didn't need to worry. His status of naughty or nice wasn't really in true jeopardy from this PHOTO BOMB!
I sure hope your Christmas photo shoot went a little better. If not, keep in mind that a good sense of humor and a hint of sarcasm can go a long way. 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Beloved Reader!!  
 

On Turning 39

Hello There Beloved Reader Yesterday I turned 30+9.  It kinda snuck up on me this last year of my thirties, and to be quite honest I had a bit of a melt down last week with My Giant. 

It was a low point of self-loathing and self-pity and frankly, just all around selfishness.  I'm not proud about it, but I am aware I'm not alone in these type of moments.
My Giant handled it like a champ and patiently waited for the bubbling brook of tears to stop and then, somewhere in the midst of my blubbering like a big Ba-foon, My Giant said, "Do you think this has anything to do with you turning 39?" Sheesh... why does he have to be such a smarty pants!

SO of course I replied like any mature grown woman would and rolled my eyes, grunted and said, "Psh... of course not!! Well... maybe just a little."
But really, I knew somewhere deep down in my knower, that all that blubbering did have something to do with turning 39. My self awareness can be lacking sometimes. Anyone else feel me on that ? 
Ya see, I seem to always get hot and bothered by the year that comes before the BIG year.  So when I turned 29 I had a similar reaction, and of course now here I am doing it again. There is a bit of a pattern going on here, thank God My Giant has been paying attention.
The thing is, that I really have looked forward to my 40's for quite some time.  I have many women who have gone before me as a beautiful example of what 40's can look like and I've always thought that it's a decade of prestige, wisdom, and elegance.  Or maybe that's what I've told myself as I've slowly crept closer to that year. 

All I know is that I'm going to Carpe The Hell out of the next 364 Diems and enjoy my last year of the 30's.
I know that my 40's will come with it's own set of joys and sorrows and if I have learned anything at all in this 30 + 9 years it's that each year is a gift to be celebrated. LIFE... all of it,  the ups the downs is truly beautiful and not to be taken for granted.
I feel extremely grateful for this life and I don't want to waste a minute, not even a second worrying about wrinkles, and age spots, and varicose veins, and grey hairs... Or....  wait... remind me again what I was talking about? Oh yeah, the key to a happy life... Gratefulness. Because no matter what there is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

Calling All Book Nerds

Hello there beloved reader.

We are now full swing into the busiest month of the year and I'm wondering if you will find yourself resting long enough to read a good book, or if your calendar is so jammed packed this month that all books are pushed aside for now?

Out of total curiosity, I would like to know how many books you are reading at the moment? Do you only have time for one (if that), or like me do you feel the pressing need to conquer "the list" in your lifetime so you read at least 2 to 3 at one time? I was telling a friend recently that if I don't read at least 3 books at a time I start to panic.  I'm not kidding people. I'm pretty sure I would never make it through the list of books I want to read in my lifetime if I only read 1 at a time, so 3 seems to be my steady rate. Ya know because, that list gets longer every year because there are just SO many great reads out there.  If you don't feel this way, and can't at all relate like My Giant who is not a big reader,  this might not be the post for you.  Move along now to a fashion post or a DIY!!

But if you are not offended by being deemed a book nerd then let me pick your brain for a minute. I'm currently weaned down to 3 right now after finishing Caterfly by Lara (see book review post below). My book club is going through Jane Austen's, Emma which I have already read so I loaned out my copy. Instead of reading that, I've got My Life in France, Julia Child by my bedside. It's a fun read and light hearted which is perfect for me right before bed.  That brings up another question about reading, and reading styles.  Do you read certain books at certain times? I can't read anything scary or intense before bed so I generally choose light and fluffy before bed. But like, then there are times when you want something a bit deeper, so I have a book in the bathroom right now called The Explicit Gospel by  Matt Chandler. It's a great bathroom read because I can pick it up and put it down and not miss a beat. Every sentence is one to ponder and so what better time to sit and ponder than when you are on the throne (wink wink)

And then I have a book in the car for those times that I'm waiting on teens. I have said it before and I'm gonna go ahead and say it again, to survive the taxi cab drop off and pick ups you have to equip your office (aka your car) with some essentials and a great book is one of them. Then you don't get so impatient while sitting and waiting for a half an hour when your teen told you they would be out in 2 minutes.  The books I usually keep in the car are ones that I can't read at night because they are too intense or scurry, and also the ones I need at least 10-20 minute increments with.  Right now, I currently have the old book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay in my car. It is SO intense but came highly recommended so I knew I needed to push through the intensity to get to the good. And then finally I keep a self-help/ spiritual book near my bible to read a bit in the morning when I first wake up. Right now that book is Life Overflowing, by T.D. Jakes.  Man I love me so T.D. Jakes!! Ok so just to re-cap, I just realized that is a total of 4 books. And if you count the bible which I try to read on the regular that would be 5. Clearly, math was not my strong point in college ;) How about you how many are you reading? What are you reading? How long is your list? What's on your list?

Oh and btw, I love you ... You Beloved Reader Book Nerd!!

Funny Southern Sayings and What Nots

Well Hello There Beloved Reader  " I ain't seen you in a month of Sundays!" or as I would normally say that, it has been a busy, busy month.  We are having our own kind of Octoberfest over here, and it's involved a lotta baseball, and crafting, and dinner dates, and crafting, and Italian festival, and crafting, and visitors from out of town, and crafting.

I am so tired or as they like to say in the South,  "I feel like I've been rode hard and hung up to dry!!" Not to go off on too much of a tangent but I LOVE ME some Southern sayings.

Let me clarify before ya'll start to thinkin I've done gone and lost it; I love southern sayings not so much the south. And That one up there is truly how I feel. 

Here's another one that works well for my post about being busy and tired; "I was busier than a cat burying shit on a marble floor!!" Bah ha ha, isn't that one so funny?

Ok Moving on... This past weekend was the first craft show of the season that I was signed up for and I'm already feeling whelmed, and pooped, and every other word in the english language and Southern language, that means, flat out TIRED. " I been busier than a Cat on a Hot tin roof!!" I'm thinking that a cat on a hot tin roof would be pretty busy not so much from the hot, but more from the tin. I'll tell you what keeps me busy like that Cat with some tin, LAUNDRY!! It never ends PEOPLE!!  In between all the other kinds of busy there is always the laundry and dishes kind of busy. Again just to be sure you are getting the idea, I'm tired, and I'm busy.  Earth shattering news, I know !

Well, all that being said,  even though I'm tired I have to say it's a good kind of tired, as opposed to a bad tired which would be like from being sick or hurting yourself.  I'm having fun crafting and making some extra Christmas money. And of course looking up funny southern sayings. What have you been up to ?  Or how they would say it in the South; "How ya'll doin?"

Ho Hum ....

*(written last night 9/4/13)
Today has been one of those Ho Hum days.  You know the kind that everyday life is made up of. I find myself wanting this day to be over, but for no particular reason. It hasn't been a bad day as days tend to be rated.  Or at least as I tend to rate days. I tend to think there are many ratings for any given day.  I also tend to say tend quite a bit, especially in those last few sentences.  In an effort to make this day not so Ho Hum I'm going to share with you beloved reader one of my favorite books and then of course we are going to talk about why I have given this day the rating of being HO HUM. Being that I am ex-early childhood educator, and the fact that I have 4 grown children, it goes without saying that I have read many children's books in my day, but one of my all time favorites is; Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Buy It Here This book is a favorite because right from the start you just know it's going to go from bad to worse for poor Alexander and we can all relate to that kind of day.   You know the kind of day that starts with the moment some well meaning person says,  " Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." WE are doomed! Doomed I tell ya!! I strongly dislike that saying, because every morning I get up, being that I'm not a morning person you might think I got up on the wrong side. But who died and made YOU the boss of my bed?!! As though if I would have only chosen the other side of the bed my whole face, attitude, day would have been better.  But no,  when I hear that it's like ... Oh well, I started out wrong and God Please help me because I can't even help myself,  I am gonna end up WRONG!! Maybe now is a good time to tell you the real reason for my rating today Ho Hum? Nah... I think I'll keep you wondering until the end. Let's have some ratings and their definitions, shall we? Come on... work with me it's going to be fun... help me out here people! HO HUM- nothing all day. It's like you could go around saying , "I got nothin!" Nothing to give, nothing to take,  a whole lotta nothingness. I mean this day can blend into the back round of days and you would never mention it again. GOOD- means nothing eventful either bad or good has really happened today. It was just a GOOD day because nothing really bad happened.  A good day is a cut above a Ho Hum day only because, you don't want to say every day is a Ho Hum day. I mean if you did say every day was Ho Hum you might begin to sound like a certain Donkey, and not the one on Shrek.  GREAT-  means the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all the traffic lights were green. Your kids were all getting along,  the baby took an extra long nap so you were able to get a lot of stuff done, your honey kissed you like he meant it when he came home, and the stars all lined up just to twinkle for you. Oh and every song on the radio was a favorite. That's crucial to a GREAT day.
FANTASTIC- means something really amazing happened. Something like a baby was born, a marriage took place, or you got a check in the mail saying that your house is paid off ! Or your on vacation with your whole family in a place like Hawaii.  Wouldn't it be nice to have Fantastic days everyday? BAD- means some things didn't really go your way today. You got a ticket on your way to work. You forgot to eat breakfast and were starving until dinner because you didn't get a lunch break. You didn't sleep very well the night before. Or if you are a stay at home working momma the baby didn't take a good nap and cried all through what was supposed to be your masterpiece meal. Ya know, a BAD day.
HORRIBLE- means you found out someone you love is very sick or worse you are very sick, you not only got a ticket but found out there is a warrant for your arrest. You ate breakfast but it landed all over your brand new suit and it had some form of chocolate in it so it's not coming out. You tripped and fell at some point through out this day. You got a bloody nose, the coffee pot exploded because somebody forgot to turn it off. And they just shut off your power because you forgot to pay the bill. Ok, now that I have given you my ratings, let me tell you why this day was Ho Hum. The real reason for this Ho Hum day is that I just tend to like to say Ho Hum, because I tend to think of Eeyore when I say it.  Anyone else think of that cute donkey when you say Ho Hum?

What kind of day did you or are you having? Do you have a rating to add to this list? Hope it was better than a Ho Hum day ;)

Where's the Beef and What's your Beef?

Does anyone recognize this cute lil old lady? She is the gramma for all those Where's the Beef commercials that Wendy's put out in the 80's or was it the 90's? Well, and she is my comedy relief today as I tell you about all the beefs I have been having with life lately. And, No I wasn't eating at Wendy's.

I'm noticing a trend lately in my life, I seem to be having a beef with everyone and everything. Can you say irritable anyone? Seriously, it has made me wonder if I am pre-menopausal. I keep asking God to help mellow me out, but I'm thinking I just wish they made a happy pill, so I could take like 100 of them and call it a day!! Let me give you a few examples of the beefs I am referring to;

So,I don't consider myself to be one that has road rage, but recently I have had a few real bleepity bleep drivers enter my pathway. No biggie, right? Everyone has jerk driver issues sometimes right? Especially, when you live in a big city.Well, the other morning this BMW driver cut in front of me ever so abruptly on our busy street here and then the funny part is(or the not so funny part) he ended up being a parent at my kids school.

What? What? Uh - huh! Needless to say, I was glaring at the back of his skull so fiercely I could have burned a hole right through it. As he drove in he proceeded to the drop off zone at which point he then GOT OUT OF HIS CAR (sorry for yelling but you needed to feel the shock and awe that I was experiencing at this point). It was to get his kids backpack out of the trunk and then button up his child's coat ever so slowly and THEN give the longest hug a parent could ever give... Fer real... It was like hugging was an Olympic sport or like he was never gonna see the kid again. Now I'm all for parent love and affection but there is a place for this. It's called a parking spot. SO ... clearly this guy didn't know about the "code" of the drop off zone. I mean call me crazy, but I think the words " drop off zone" should have given him a clue. Or maybe this sign ...

So here's my beef with this guy, not only was a he a grade A royal A%% hole driver but then he didn't even have the decency to pull in a parking spot to give his long farewell to his child. No, instead he made the long line of cars behind him wait while he was in the drop off zone. 
My beef OBLIVIOUS PEOPLE!!

Ok.. Moving on

I received a letter of "concern" from the elementary school that my children attend. It was regarding how many days of being absent that my youngest Zed head, had. Which, I would like to point out is under 10. Ahem... ok, here's my beef with this one being at school when you are well is great, but what this letter conveyed was "send your kids to school whether they are sick and dying or healthy and happy we just want your money" This letter really bothered me. The more I thought about it the more hot and bothered I became. So, I decided to go talk to the principal. The more I thought about the principal the less bothered I became because I know her. I feel as though knowing and being known by your kids principal is a very important goal to have in all parenting careers, but that's a topic for another day. So the more I thought about our meeting I began to have some Holy Spirit led good self talk that went like this, Noël why are you going to see Melissa you know she didn't personally put out those letters and she probably feels the same way you do about them. They are a district mandated letter you know this.  

Still, I went to go see her and our conversation went something like this ;
"hi Melissa how are you?"
"great noël how are you "
" great I really just have a quick question for you about the letter I received regarding Isaiah's absences ?" 

At which point she rolled her eyes because she already knew what I was going to say.

At which point I felt like doing a Homer Simpson Doh!!

But I said... "the first thing i just want to ask is do you send those letters out as a school district mandate or are they a personal letter that the faculty here has come up with?"

Right away she put my heart at ease by laughing and saying, they were without a doubt a school district mandate and that she had even received one herself for her own child.

Whew... ok so then I was on to the next beef I had.

And so on and so forth. And are you catching the common thread here? 
The common thread is that I HAVE ISSUES!! I'm working on them, but sometimes just typing them out helps me to realize how silly I am and also why people resort to taking happy pills at this point in life. That's a joke, kinda, sorta. 

Oh and also I read this;
"Understand this my beloved brethren(or sisterthen)Let every man or woman be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to take offense, (or a beef,) or get angry. James 1:19

OUCH!!
DOH!!
Double OUCH!!

The End... Pray for me and my issues... And thank you for this therapy session, the check is in the mail and.... have I told you lately how beloved you are? I have NO beef with you beloved reader, none what so ever.

I'm linking up here today cause clearly that's where I need to be;

From One Taxi Cab Driver to Another

Good Monday Morning Beloved Readers, I am being featured over HERE at Brooke's place Covered in Grace.  If you have some extra reading time, go stop by and say hello.
Today though...
I would like to go down on record as the mom who warns all of you younger moms about something that no one ever told me about. And that is that once your lils get into double digits something very strange happens to your life. You no longer live in a home but rather out of your car.

Do you think I'm joking? Well, I kid you NOT. Ask anyone who has children in double digits how often they are in the car on a weekly basis, and then ask them if this has changed since their children were younger?
So, let it go on record that you heard it here first, having double digit children = living out of your car. You can now add Taxi Cab Driving to your list of careers. 
Now, I would not just leave you with this bomb shell of information without some helpful tips. Some of these things you may already know or currently have in your car, but just in case you don't, let me help you out. First off, keep pens and pencils handy because children of this age are always needing you to sign something. It used to be that I kept a good amount of pacifiers at the ready, well now I just replaced that spot with pens. All kinds of pens, because they often get snagged for homework and come in handy when you are reading your "go to book" and need to underline where you left off.

Which brings me to survival tip Number two- Always have a "go to book" waiting in the car. At this season in your life you find that you wait outside for events, and other functions quite a bit so in all that waiting, even if you do have your smart phone and can check your email sometimes it's just nice to pass the time waiting with a good go to book. It can't be a book that is hard to get back into. It has to be one that you can leave at a moments notice and pick right back up again a few minutes later. I usually go to the Sweet Potato Queens for this book because they make me laugh, and because they are easy to leave when I need to go on to the next event.
*(But, I must warn you about the Queens you might have to wash your eyes out after reading some of their stuff cause those ladies can be naughty.. funny, but naughty. I should point out a disclaimer here, if you do find your eyes knee deep in a Queens book  I would like to say I don't whole heartedly agree, or advocate what they say. They just make me LOL... so don't judge)
Speaking of the next event, you may have noticed by now that you will be in the car for some time, and you might get hungry so that brings me to  C.  keep a good stash of snacks handy.  I find that pickle flavored sunflower seeds are my favorite, and granola bars are the kids favs. The reason I like the seeds are that they are not high in calorie, but helpful in making you feel like you are doing something with your hands when you are waiting at the lights. Oh the endless waiting. The eternal red lights!!

Hurry up and wait. Hurry up and wait. You will go from one place to the next just to wait some more. The scenery will change but the action will not. Do I sound bitter? I'm really not. I have come to terms with waiting. I think me and waiting are on a first name basis. Mr. Patience and I have a pretty good relationship, but every now and then I like to show him who's boss and get the first cup of coffee before the coffee pot is done pouring. I just get right in there with my cup and say, "Yeah... take that Mr. Patience!!" Ok moving on...
The final note of advice I have for you rookie Taxi Cab Drivers is to keep the essentials well stocked, lotion, wipes, kleenex, chapstick, and sometimes even nail polish. Ahem... yes fixing the chipped nail look can be done with this job sometimes... ya know multi taskers unite!! And beyond that I would only advise that you keep your Playlist OH SO happy!! Oh... and remember that all this busy means you have healthy, happy children who are able to go from here to there and that my friends is something to smile about. Your fuel tank bill.... not so much.

Don't forget who told you first. 
I would love to know if you other taxi cab driving mom's have some tips for me that I didn't list here?