Back in the Saddle Again

I'm back ... maybe not a full 100%, but I'm here. My laptop has bitten the dust and unfortunately a new computer for Mama Hen ain't happening anytime soon, but where there's a will there's a way.  The Munchkin's awesome uncle gave her a gently loved PC and she has graciously allowed her mama to use it to get her writing mojo on.  Yay me! 


It's been so long since I last posted I could write a novel!  The Geek has begun a major travel period for work.  He just returned from Erie, PA and heads off to Las Vegas soon.  He'll be in and out quite a bit in the next few months, in fact by the end of May he will have been gone almost 10 weeks total :(  I gotta tell ya' folks  I am not cut out for single parenthood.  The chicklets say I'm doing swell, but I fall to my knees every night asking for the good Lord's grace to give me the strength to make it through one more day (not to mention forgiveness for all the times I blow it throughout the course of  the day.)  I have learned not to look ahead and just make it through one day at a time.  That and I never lose control.Okay, maybe that last one needs a bit lot of work, but it is what it is and this ain't nothing compared to what's lies ahead. Right around the time the Geek wraps up his "work tour" we will be welcoming the new residents here on the farm.  My mama and daddy have sold their home in Florida and will be moving in with us and I have a great big mix of emotions about it.


I'd be a liar if I didn't say there wasn't some apprehension about the whole thing.  It's going to be a big change opening up our home and lives to "outsiders."  My parents have stayed with us every summer for our entire marriage, so we have done this before.  This time is different though.  This time it's permanent.  I can only imagine how this will affect our entire family dynamics.  We aren't saints here on the farm.  Sometimes our attitudes can be downright nasty.  What will it be like when we have "one of those days"?  Maybe it's a good thing.  Maybe this will make us all think a bit more before we take out our "yuckies" on one another. 


I am excited too.  I enjoy my parents company and I love the fact that my chicklets will interact with them on a daily basis.  I mean how cool is that?  I never really knew my grandparents (two were gone before I was born, one died when I was four and the other was never a part of our lives) so I have to admit I am a bit envious of their relationship.  I see everyday as another deposit in their memory banks and it almost makes me giddy.


I'm dealing with a bit of sadness/grief here as well.  The real reason they are coming here is because time has taken its toll and in reality Mama and Daddy can't live on their own anymore.  Daddy is in what appears to be the final stages of his life.  Congestive heart failure is stealing him away from us and there is only so much modern medicine can do before God calls him home.  Mama is unable to get around all that easily anymore and without Daddy would be pretty much helpless.  She wants to be here and settled when he passes and I don't blame her.  Can I just say it hurts to see my parents fading away?


A lot of people have asked me how can I do it?  How can I open up my home to two more people who will be depending on me when I already have my hands for with the three I've got.  To them I say, I will do what I have to do because I believe this is all a part of God's plan.  Truthfully, I am thrilled to be a part of His "show" and I consider it an honor to take care of my parents like they have done for me.  When you become a parent you don't think about all the care and feeding you will now have to do (okay maybe you do a little, but...) you just do it.  You do it because God has given you a blessing like no other and you do it because you are filled with love for that little human being.  Well, I am filled with love beyond measure for my parents.  They haven't been perfect (duh, none of us are... can I get an "amen"?), but they are mine and I wouldn't trade that or this next stage of life serving them for anything in the world.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.

Mother Teresa

A Happy Day

There's a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, the sun is shining brightly and my computer is acting like nothing is wrong.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I am going to just play along and say today is an especially happy day. 

Granted the chicklets are fighting and the laundry pile is expanding exponentially, but I ain't going to let it kill my buzz today.  I need to get my happy on and ain't nobody gonna stop me!

Speaking of happy, check this out.

Does it make you smile?  I know it does for me. 

I managed to eek out a few moments to myself during the holidays to finally get my creative juices flowing.  I have been wanting to try out a little mixed media on canvas for quite a while.  I've seen so many inspiring ideas out there in blogland and was itching to give it my own spin.

 I can't seem to find my bookmark for the original artwork that inspired this piece ... sorry if it's yours... let me know and I'll give credit where credit is due:) 

 Gotta tell ya, it was as fun as I hoped for and more!  I made this little number for the Munchkin.  One of her many passions at the moment is owls and this was definitely right up her alley.  

In case you can't read it it says "Owl Always Love You"  

I made different pieces for the Geek and Boy Wonder too, but don't have pictures of them yet.  I like how they turned out, but this is the one that brings a smile to my face every time I look at it.  I think I can be fairly certain this is an art form I will be trying again sometime soon.

Forced Hiatus

Sometimes things will fall apart in order for other things to fall into place.

Author Unknown

Just a little explanation for the readers of this blog (all two of you) ... I am still here.  I did not take off, change my name and start a new life someplace warm ... although the thought has crossed my mind from time to time :)  Something much less major, but none the less life changing has occurred.  My computer bit the dust.  You never know how much you miss something until its gone and let me tell you ... I MISS MY COMPUTER!!!!

I have so many thoughts bouncing around inside my head just begging to come out.  Heaven forbid I be forced to go "old school" and resort to pen and paper.  Actually, I have done just that because quite frankly writing has become a very crucial part of how I maintain some semblance of sanity on this crazy ride called my life.  I never thought I would say this about myself, but I cannot imagine myself not writing.

I have put in a purchase request with the Big Cheese (aka the Geek) and have been told, "it is duly noted."  I am not entirely sure what that means exactly, but I'm going with it's coming soon 'cuz this gal's gotta believe it's true or I may have to do something drastic ... like take off, change my name and start a new life someplace warm:)

So you may not be hearing from me quite as often for a bit, but I promise I am still here, living the life fantastic with my brood.  Check back again soon ... I'll be back before you know it with tales from here on the funny farm and beyond.

Oh, almost forgot ...

I mentioned in my last post I was going to make a conscious effort to look on the brighter side each and every day.  I had thought a written journal was a good place to keep record of the "slices of sunshine" I spot along the way, however I have decided to go another route.  I started a new blog called called happy minutia.  It's a place where I hope (once I overcome the little issue of being sans computer) to document in pictures the little things that make me smile.  I've challenged myself to take a picture every day for a year.  So far -- so good.  Granted I've only been at this for fourteen days, but I feel pretty confident I can do this.  It's still a bit under construction (ie. I'm not sure I am entirely happy with the design) and I haven't gotten all my pictures up there yet, but feel free to take a peek if you want.

Be back soon!

Look on the Bright Side

It has been a very unusal winter so far with mild tempuratures and very little of the white stuff.  We have a had a few chilly days here and there, but for the most part things have not been too icy.  We haven't been without moisture, however. In fact I am afraid we may soon need an ark if the raindrops keep falling on my head!  The weatherman reported that 2011 was the wettest on record ... ever.  It's just not that I'm complaining ... oh, okay I guess maybe I am a little.  I mean it is winter and Christmas wasn't the same without the snowflakes, you know?  Mud the consistency of chocolate pudding isn't mentioned once in any Christmas carols that I know of.

Look on the brignt side. 

I've been hearing that a lot lately.  Just this morning the devotion I read had a similar message ... try to look for the good in everything and you will be blessed with hope and joy no matter the situation you are in.  I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me.

Look on the bright side. 

There are days when this is easy to do.  Days when the sun is out and all is hunky-dory in my little corner of the world.  But there are days that to be quite honest, I have trouble spotting the goodness.  To be really honest, I have a lot of those days folks!  I think that might be why the Big Guy upstairs has been trying to get me to hear this message.  He's telling me that even in the midst of what seems like a joy-less situation, I need look to find even the teeniest bit of joy.  Because it's there.  It is.  Sometimes it's really hard to see, but finding it will give me the strength and hope (and joy) to make it through another day.  And who couldn't use that? 

I am challenging myself this year to find that slice of goodness in each and everyday.  Not only noticing it, but finding a way to remember it.  I have decided to use a journal to keep track of my joys.  I may not get to it every day, but I hope to make a determined effort to spot the bright spots along my trip around the sun this year. I am sure I will be sharing some of joy sightings here on my blog from time to time. 

Look on the bright side. 

On that note, let me get back to the beginning of this post.  Despite missing Jack Frost's handiwork this winter so far, I can see that it really has been a blessing.  We heat our home entirely with wood and each warm day means less wood burned.  Less wood burned means the wood pile stays around a lot longer.  The Geek works hard to gather, chop and stock up the wood, but it's a tough job.  There's certainly no denying warm days are "bright side" when it comes to gathering wood.  

Putting My Dancing Shoes On

I gave up making New Year's resolutions years ago.  They just didn't do much for me.  They were like empty words and that were easily forgotten (or if I'm being honest, ignored) within no time.  Last year I decided to do something different.  I cannot take credit for the idea ... it's all over the blogoshere ... but I have embraced it as my own.  I chose one word to sort of set the tone for my year.  One word that resonated with me and that I could see myself applying to all aspects of my life.

The word I chose last year was ruminate.  I had gone through alot of craziness in 2010 and knew I needed to allow myself the time to just sit back and think about things for a while.  I needed to take the pressure off myself to do, and give myslf permission to just think about the possibilities.  I needed to ruminate. 

I can honestly say that ruminate was the perfect word for me in 2011, but now I feel like I am ready to do.  I thought long and hard about the w0rd I could choose  for 2012,  but in the end one kinda sorta chose me.  Are you familiar with the song by Lee Ann Womack called, "I Hope You Dance"? 

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'

Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'

Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

 

lyrics from Lee Ann Womack's, "I Hope You Dance"

writers:  Tia Sillers & Mark D. Sanders 

 

This song has  been a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it, but I always thought of it as a type of wish/prayer for my chicklets.  The other day, however, I was walking on the treadmill (a wonderful place to ruminate, by the way) and my thoughts began to wander from here to there and everywhere in between.  At one point I found myself thinking about my sister, as I often do, and about the things I wish I could talk to her about.  I thought a bit about what she might have shared with me if we had had more time.  What words of wisdom would she have given me.  It was right then that this song came on the radio.  A meaningful coincidence -- or as I like to call it a God-instance?  I don't know, but for the first time I didn't think about the song's lyrics being for my littles.  Instead I thought of them as a charge for me to stop wasting my precious time sitting it out on the sidelines.  It felt like a divine nudge aimed directly at  me to make the choice to, well for lack of a better word, to dance.
 
I often think about what I will do "when".  When I lose weight.  When I have more time.  When I grow up.  You get the picture.  The truth is some of those things may take a while ... a very looooooooooong while :)  In the meantime, I have passed up so many chances to  "dance"  -- chances that I may never have again.  Well, for 2012 (and beyond God-willing) I am going to change that.  I'm not going to sit this one out ... I'm gonna dance! 

Happy 2012!

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Wishing You a Blessed Christimas!

May your holiday be JOY FILLED and may you have the PEACE that only GOD can give.

Have a BLESSED CHRISTMAS!