Home Truths

These are some of the things that I have learned this past week:

1. Never “taste” anything you find on the kitchen island that you have not placed there yourself. That is the current site of home experiments.
2. Searching pockets will not only yield loose change, gum, and paperclips, but also notes full of chemical equations and logical fallacies. Save those.
3. Always wear your glasses, even when you don’t think you need them. Screaming for your son to kill the massive spider you spied under the endtable is all well and good, until he explains it is a bit of fuzz from the dog’s toy.
4. Boredom can lead to shopping. And chemical failings, but mostly shopping.
5. The amount of cleaning you do is inversely proportional to the amount of visitors you receive. This means I should keep the house a mess if I want company coming by.
6. You only notice the amount of cookies in the pantry when you decide to give up snacking.
7. The same goes for liquor.

This concludes this week’s Extreme Wrap-Up: Aggie Losing Her Marbles Edition™. Hope y’all are enjoying your weekend!!

Soothing the Soul

Yesterday I spent the day driving in the rain. Normally that will set me on edge, because I hate driving, for one thing, and I hate dealing with idiot drivers who have no idea how to drive in the rain, for another. I must have seen the aftermath of four accidents, and several road closures, along with one bridge washout.Needless to say, by the time I got home I was beyond tired, and more than a bit grumpy.

But laying in bed after a long day, there is nothing more soothing than the sound of gentle rain falling on your roof. Thankfully, there was no thunder or lightning to disturb the dogs.

As harried as I have been, this morning finds my soul soothed, and my grumpiness gone, as I sit here and enjoy the birds singing and warbling outside, enjoying the freshness of a cool morning.

Of course, once the kids wake up that lovely peace will be shattered, but it is nice while it lasts 😀

Rough Day Ahead

It’s a rough week for me. This week Hubby would have been home from his deployment. Though we don’t do much celebrating for Valentine’s Day, it still hard not having him here.

So I send him a kiss…

And I send him flowers….

And my fervent wish that he comes home soon.

I would send more, but this here is a family friendly blog 😉

This Day is Like a Joke

And yes, I mean that. I started off today by getting up with the alarm, only to find myself knocking glasses and phone off the nightstand. As I scrambled off the bed, I stepped on the glasses. Picking up the phone, I shut off the alarm on it, and turn off the little light it gives, so not only do I walk in the dark, I do so without my glasses, which HILARIOUSLY leads to me stubbing my foot on the Turkish chest at the foot of the bed. No worries, as I finally manage to get slippers on, and walk out of my room in time to trip over the little dog who is SO GLAD to see me she barks over, and over, and over…

Making my way to the kitchen, I remember I was supposed to change two spotlights, and sigh in the mediocre light as I fill the coffee pot with water, only to find I had forgotten to wash it out yesterday. As I turn to get the coffee grounds, I trip over Miss Attention and fall against the counter, spilling coffee everywhere. I scoop it up (hey, it’s still good!), and finally get the coffee started, going on to wake Eldest first, since she takes a bit longer to get ready.

Finally sitting down to drink my coffee, and I realize I had forgotten my pajama pants.

Yes, my friends, it’s that kind of day!! Make sure to enjoy it!! 😉

Feeling Lost

Sometimes I wander through the house, looking at pictures on the wall, wondering how Time passed so quickly. I see my children making decisions about what to wear, and how to style their hair, and even what kind of milk they prefer, and wonder when I was demoted from that job. I look around me and feel lost, no longer sure of my job here, or if I’m doing a good job, or even if I still have a job. I see them losing patience with me when I restrict their TV habits or tell them a certain movie is too adult or scary for them. I hear their sighs when they have to explain to me where they will be, and with whom, and when they will come home, and who is chaperoning the event. Sometimes late at night, I cry for what I have lost, knowing I won’t ever get it back, and wonder if they understand that it hurts me to see them splintering the bounds of childhood. Being a parent is not just tough. It’s extremely painful and sad. But it’s also wonderful and full of joy and happiness.

And through the pain and the fighting and the struggles, I know I would never change any of it. I only pray that when it’s their turn that they have it easier. And that they have a new appreciation for their mother 😉

Because Plans Go Out the Window Once You Begin Execution

Last night I was awakened by the sound of rain. At first it was very nice, but soon enough it turned into a racket, my headboard being against the outside wall being pelted by it, and the thunder adding to it. Most people would sleep right through that, but not me. Why? Because I have a fraidy cat for a dog. I just knew she was going to be upset and whiny, and wanting to have company. Sure enough, she was at my door, whimpering until I got up and went to lay down with her until the storm passed.

Two hours later the storm was still going strong, and I am so grateful we got the rain, but the dog…. she would NOT let me sleep. So I stayed up with her until about 3 AM, when it turned into a more steady rain. I got in bed just in time to get a text message from Hubby, telling me it was snowing so hard where he is at that he couldn’t see the river. So we conversed by text for a while, finally letting myself fall asleep just in time for the alarm to go off, since Son has a drill meet today.

And what does this have to do with planning anything? Well, I had planned to go out and do some clothes shopping for the kids, groceries, Goodwill™ run, and of course, shopping for the Red Dress. For once my day was planned to the minute. Now I have to wait until the people around here stop their raindance so I can go out and manage to salvage the day. That is, if Hubby doesn’t Skype today. If he does, I will just put everything on hold until tomorrow. I do have my priorities straight.

Seems like a great time to make some brownies. Oh… I’m out of eggs.

Sigh….

Ladies in Red

Some of you out in the Blogosphere may know of The Bloggess, Jenny, and her Travelling Red Dress. It is a wonderful project done for the purpose of bringing a woman’s inner beauty into the open, celebrating one’s life, or a milestone, or just to give a woman the feel of magic. There is even a Facebook page to bring women with red dresses together with women who need them.

Yes, I admit I am a maudlin sap. I can’t help it. And most of you know me well enough to know that I don’t subscribe to feminism as defined by Gloria Steinem. My feminism was defined by June Cleaver. But the magic of the Travelling Red Dress is one that transcends all walks of life. It has a purpose, and there is never a downside to having a Red Dress moment, because as soon as you slip it on, you are filled with magic and love and hope, and guess what??

ALL THAT STAYS WITH YOU, FOREVER!!

And so, I am taking a step, and getting a Red Dress, and I will wear it, and believe in the magic, and then pass it on to another who needs the magic. And so on, and so forth, until it falls apart.

And then I’ll get a new one. And start the cycle all over again!!

PS: Yes, I will model it here. And if any of my readers are interested in having it, send me an email, or leave a comment on this post. All I ask is that you send it along to another gal who needs the magic, too 🙂

On Regretting

I must say, I have very few regrets. I am very lucky in that regard. All that said, I do have some, and sometimes they surface, making me ask the inevitable, What if…?

I remember in college my Anthropology professor offered me the chance to be her student assistant during her sabbatical to Mali. I was excited, because that position was usually reserved for graduate students, and I was only a junior in college. That position could mean a slot in the graduate program (which at the time was very difficult to get). But after enjoying the accolades from fellow students, I realized I could never go. My parents were paying for part of my schooling, and my sister’s as well. The money I was earning was barely able to pay for food and incidentals, so I couldn’t save up for the flight and the expenses, since the position was that of an unpaid intern. So, I turned it down, knowing that I was passing up a huge opportunity, but also knowing the timing was not good. Years later, talking with my dad about that, he looked at me as if I had grown another head, and asked me why in the world I didn’t ask. In retrospect, it was fear that kept me from asking. Fear of being told “No”. My dad being a very smart man, told me that not only should I never be afraid of the word “No”, I should also not be afraid of accepting it, or rejecting it.

I used to regret not having gone to Mali. But I am glad that I have learned to regret the things I’ve done, rather than the ones I didn’t get to do, like dyeing my hair a chocolate cherry color.

Now, there’s a regret about which I laugh!!

The Great Purge

And so it begins. Winter is here, so the calendar tells me, and time for me to start getting rid of the accumulated junk around here. That’s what Hubby calls it. I tend to have a tough time getting rid of stuff. Unfortunately, the kids tend to take after me in that respect. Oh, I’m not a hoarder by any stretch. And if I’m going to own up to it, so is Hubby, since a LOT of the stuff in the garage is his.

The worst part about going through stuff is the memories. Most people see that as a wonderful thing, but I don’t. I tend to remember everything, or at least, more than most people, and going through stuff tends to set off an avalanche of emotions for which sometimes I am not prepared. The other day I found a little hat that Eldest was fond of wearing when she was only a year old, and I had a really, really tough time placing it in the donation pile. All I kept seeing was Eldest walking around wearing the hat and smiling because she had learned to put it on herself.

I have to remind myself that these are just things. Some things I can never give away, no matter what. But I know that sometimes the memory is enough, and I need to learn to let go eventually. I’m just not sure that’s today 😉

Random Acts

A few days ago, I was shopping at the mall for a couple of birthday presents. Ahead of me in line was an older lady, buying a gift for her teenage granddaughter. She had been rung up when she noticed the little tubes of handcream by the register, and asked if she could add one to her sale. The salesgal said sure, but she would have to re-ring the whole thing again, and it was no trouble as long as the lady wasn’t in a hurry. Without a thought, I told her to put it on my purchase, so that the lady wouldn’t have to wait. The lady turned to me and said it wasn’t necessary, and I told her it was no bother, since I didn’t want her inconvenienced. She smiled and thanked me, and as she completed her sale, she took my hand and blessed me for my kindness.

I admit that stunned me a bit. I didn’t practice a kindness, as far as I was concerned. A courtesy? Yes, that’s what my parents taught us to do. But offering to purchase a little tube of handcream doesn’t elevate to a kindness in my book. It saddened me a bit to think that she thought it was, because perhaps she doesn’t experience kindnesses often. Sometimes we are in too much of a hurry to help others, and slowing down a bit can help put things in a better perspective.

The Golden Rule™: It’s where it’s at 😉