Monday, February 25, 2013

Catching Up

Does anyone else feel that for every one step you move forward you fall two steps backwards?  I do!  For instance, just when I feel like I've got my house decorated just so for the current season or holiday-the season changes.  Back to the drawing board.  I guess that is how it goes, but it seems like I just have the most difficult time making progress lately.  And so it goes.

I had every intention of updating here last week, but never got around to it.  To say that work has been busy would over simplifying things.  When I get home, I just collapse and don't want to move!  To top it all off, I seem to be fighting off some type of virus. 


Anyway, last weekend we had the pleasure of having Tim & Esther, Michelle, Shawn & Bella over to the house.  We were all together to celebrate Tim's birthday, it was actually this past Saturday, but Michelle & Shawn were not going to be home to celebrate.  I just love having my kids around and seeing them interact with each other, joking and having fun.  Does a Mom's heart good! 
Above is a shot of my boy hamming it up for the camera with two new books.
He and Esther had an ulterior motive for coming this weekend too.  They had been in contact with a rescue shelter and had choosen a puppy to adopt.  The shelter was in North or South Carolina and they had choosen a little boy, but right before they were to head out with the puppies (they delivered to the area by a retired couple) it was discovered that the puppy wasn't feeling well.  They were informed that there was a girl available and so they decided to take the girl.  When they later found out that the boy only had worms, they decided they would take him too after he was well!
The call came shortly after nine that night that she was in town and ready to be picked up. 
So the kids headed out with Mr. Wonderful and picked up the new little bundle and came back to the house and spent the night.  Bella was just dying to see the new puppy!
Here she is, Miss Bailey:
Look at that face, could you just die?  Tim took her to the vet last week and the vet said that if it weren't for her legs, she'd be all Beagle.  She is mixed with Blue Tick Hound. 
Tim called later in the week and after being up with Bailey every 3 hours, he has decided it may be a long time before he is ready for kids!  Ha!  Just wait 'till the other puppy arrives.  They are thinking it will be next week.

Thursday we got a call from our dear friends in Williamsburg, they were up in our neck of the woods.  Their son and daughter-in-law had celebrated the birth of their first child on Thursday morning, so they drove up to share in their joy.  We got lucky too as they asked if we could meet them for dinner on Friday night.  We had a great time catching up over a terrific Italian meal and I got to see pictures of their beautiful new Grandaughter-Felix Cole.  I know, kind of unusual name for a little girl!  She sure is a beauty though!

Saturday, Michelle & Shawn were out of town for the night.  They were celebrating their anniversary with a night away-courtesy of their good friend Holly.  Holly even took Bella for the night.



Dress rehearsal was scheduled for Bellas dance competition on Saturday, so Holly brought her over to me to do her makeup and then the three of us headed to the rehearsal.  Here is our sweet girl tap dancing:

She just kills me!   Those expressions of hers!
Here she is with her friends.  They all have a bit of a flair for the dramatic!

That's about it for now.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Life is an Adventure

Do you ever think that you try to do too much?  That maybe you can cut back on some of the things that you do, maybe take it a bit easier?  I know that a lot of you have these feelings and I have had them myself from time to time. 
When my children were little and in school was probably the busiest time of my life in many ways.  If I wasn't volunteering at one school then I was at the other.  I was always a 'Team Mom', 'Room Mom', chaperon on field trips, the one who sent in cupcakes or snacks (back in the day when the kids were allowed to have home made treats at school), Sunday School teacher, the kids had to go to practices and after school activities and someone needed to take them there and back, and I needed keep up my home.  Oh yeah, the kids and Mr. Wonderful expected to be fed every day!  And not just once a day would do-they wanted like three meals a day and snacks!  I was doing okay before that came into play, but how could I manage one more thing?  It was the perfect time for my magic wand to go on the fritz!
I was wearing myself ragged trying to get everything done.  I thought that in order to be a good Mom I had to also be Superwoman.  You've been there, you know from where I speak.  So what's the answer?
It's simple: Balance

Well, it's simple to say anyway.  Achieving it?  That is a different story entirely!

It has taken me a long time to find balance and if I am to be honest, I'm not quite there yet.  My children have grown up and moved out with lives of their own.  I work at a full time job for which I have to commute and also take calls from home, dr.'s office, vacation,  wherever I am they find me! Mr. Wonderful has retired and God Bless him, he has taken on the role of cook and shopper extraordinaire!  I can't give him enough props for that.  The stressors are still there, they are just different now. 
While I appreciate Mr. Wonderful cooking and shopping, he makes a real mess doing so!  Rare are the times when he would think to pull out the vaccum or clean the bathroom.  Actually, I don't think he has ever cleaned a bathroom-what am I thinking!  Yes, the kids have moved out but some of their stuff still remains.  It's not a problem, it just requires some inginuity and creative storage ideas. (Our basement looks like a real live Jenga Puzzle!)  The difference is this: I have allowed myself the beauty of Imperfection.  I no longer strive to be so and it has been a huge weight off my shoulders.  It's true, I like it better when the house looks good and the clothes are all washed and ironed, but I can't always get it done.  It's just not going to happen. 
I've tried to learn to see beyond the imperfections, it takes some doing but I'm getting there. I have learned to take some time for me. If that means indulging myself with a nap when I get home from work instead of being productive-so be it! You might say that I have had somewhat of an epiphany. Sometimes it takes a major wake up call for that light to go on overhead and for me, I believe that happened after my diagnosis with MD. I don't fret about it and I am not scared by it either, but what I have learned is that when my body speaks to me, I need to listen. Even if it is just a whisper that I hear. Learning to live with the imperfections is a bit liberating though. I urge you to try it, it can be so freeing.


                                                 
 
I do what I can and what I can't do, it will have to wait for another time.  I also do what I like when I can.  Although the ironing may not have gotten done over the weekend, I did manage to do a little V day decorating. 
This is just a small little frame that I had left over from the wedding.  I stamped and embossed the white hearts and then stamped Love over top.  Simple!

I love this little Love banner!  With the help of my Silhouette, this project was a snap.  The chalkboard printable I found here on Pinterest and then just framed it and created a small banner from Washi tape. 
The pink and red frame is from Target, the red birdcage is from the $1 spot at Michaels, the flowers were from a wedding and the bird is another Michaels find.