Happy Halloween

If you're a mom of school children, you may have spent some time last night getting the department store costume together.  Or if you are one of those highly crafty, motivated moms, you may have even been sewing the last few strands of straw peeking from scarecrow's jacket or long fingernails on wolverine's glove or pink hair under a witch's hat, or whatever would make the signature statement that your little guys and gals desired.

Dreamer, Sci Guy, Clone, Bluebird and Sunshine posed last year in front of ferns and flowers still growing under the warm Oklahoma sun.

Sparky, Muffin and Cautious will be wearing these costumes tonight as they ring doorbells in their much cooler Wyoming neighborhood.

Little Miss Boo wants to be a butterfly, but her mom says she is too little to go trick-or-treating.

She will just have to remain the angel she is and continue to let her halo shine at home.

Tornado was thinking about dressing as a boxer, but he wasn't ready to trade in his pampers for silk boxers. 

Maybe he'd be better off to simply wear his fire jacket.  Then he could put out some fires like his daddy does.  And the jacket would be long enough to cover up the pampers... he'd be good to go.  Except his mom said he's too young to go trick-or-treating too.


Boy oh boy, being a mom is not fun sometimes. Not only do moms have to stay up late to sew costumes, or pack lunches or finally get their own bath.  Sometimes moms have to say no to one child while they are saying yes to another.  Poohy!!  All moms really want is for their kids to be happy and safe.  Unfortunately that doesn't always  happen at the same time. 


11. I am grateful for imagination.

Whether you're a mom, a dad, a grandparent or a costume wearer, I hope you have a fun day today.  I hope you see more beauty than fright.  And I hope you're as happy as your mom really wants you to be.

THE INDWELLING PRESENCE

 
“Everything exposed to the light itself becomes light,” says Ephesians 5:13. In prayer, we merely keep returning the divine gaze and we become its reflection, almost in spite of ourselves (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The word “prayer” has often been trivialized by making it into a way of getting what you want. But here I use “prayer” as the umbrella word for any interior journeys or practices that allow you to experience faith, hope, and love within yourself. It is not a technique for getting things, a pious exercise that somehow makes God happy, or a requirement for entry into heaven. It is much more like practicing heaven now.

Adapted from The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See, pp22-23

Sound Bite Saturday

This so me... I just can't help myself!!!

What makes you feel alive?

.... you know who they are.

10. I am grateful that Little Miss Boo and Tornado are coming to spend the day with me.

I hope you arrange something that needs to be put in order.  I hope you do something this Saturday that makes you come alive.  I hope your laugh makes others want to laugh too.

Reason to Celebrate

Our family uses most any excuse to have a party.  Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, births.... are the expected events.  But every once in a while the mere glory of victory promotes an occasion worthy of celebration.

JD has spent the last six months with his nose in a book, his ear tuned into a recording, his hands flipping through note cards, his dreams filled with numbers and his focus on one goal ....... ........ ....... passing the Lieutenant's exam for the BA Fire Department.

It is a comprehensive test of mechanical aptitude, written expression, math, judgment, reasoning, mapping, pressures, visualization and a whole lot more that I know nothing about.

At 8:00 a.m. on October 24 JD went to the testing site and we all hit our knees, praying for a successful outcome.  Six hours later we learned that not only did JD pass, he received the highest test score out of the forty applicants. 

We were ecstatic!  Not because he passed.... nor that he got the highest score.  Although both were celebration worthy.  But because we knew how strongly he desired to become a  Lieutenant, and we witnessed the enormous amount of effort he extended to make it happen.

So naturally there was only one thing left to do and that was ..... PARTY!!!

These are the required ingredients on He-man's list for a party... 

beer, crackers and summer sausage.

These are the ingredients I use to fashion a party..... a decorated table,

 

...a personalized pinata, loaded with party favors

...steak and potatoes for the Celelbrantee (my own word, again)

 

Champagne

and games.

  

Everyone got a chance to swing the stick until the pinata was broken 

and loot covered the floor.

  If the following picture looks like a blur it's because it was.

9. I am grateful for desire that demands our best efforts

I hope you woke up happy.  I hope you swing as hard as you can to break open the life that you want.   I hope you celebrate.

One of the perks of being married for thirty-nine years is that He-man has had plenty of time to get used to my obsession with changing the furniture.  

About three months into our marriage he got his first taste of how I roll.  He came home from work to find the sofa that was against the wall when he left that morning, sitting in the middle of the living room. The television had been moved from a book shelf to the top of the dining room buffet and a window that used to be in the kitchen had been covered over with red flowered contact paper.

He shook his head in what I thought was surprise, but found out later was complete disbelief.  He said very little, only muttering under his breath off and on throughout the evening while trying to manipulate his way around our newly designed apartment. 

I couldn't understand why he was so bewildered.  Changing things gave me a chance to do some deep cleaning.   And besides, new perspective is good for the soul, right?

 
After more than three decades of having my own home, I must say that I have yet to find a permanent place for our furniture.  Just last week I changed the sofa from one wall to the opposite.  I separated a pair of bookshelves and moved one behind the sofa and one to the entryway.  And most risky of all.... I moved the recliner to another corner.

He-man was cool with the move.  No more bewilderment.  No more muttering.  Why, I don't think he even had a different perspective.  Just acceptance.

Yesterday I did it again.  I didn't like the new arrangement, so I paired up the shelves again on a different wall, moved one sofa to another room, brought in a chair from the bedroom and Autumed-up the mantel.

This was He-man's reaction ---------------------->

Now I don't know if that is humble acceptance or just too old and tired to grumble.  Whatever it is, to me it is the sweet realization that he likes me just the way I am, obbssesions and all.

After so many years of still surprising him with a new furniture arrangement, he is no longer surprised that I do it.   He just grins, looks for the remote and settles in to his newly designed space.  

10.  I am grateful for growing older and smoother.

I hope you are given a new perspective.  I hope this day feeds your soul.  I hope you grin and settle in to what ever surprises are offered.

Big Sister's Birthday

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. She is the oldest by two years. 

We were very close growing up, playing house (she was always the mom), 

and playing school (she was always the teacher), 

 

coloring, 

building forts in the sand box, 

sharing the night time bath 

and sleeping in the same room.

As we began to grow into our adolescence, so did the sibling rivalry -- my sister wanting to declare her independence and me wanting to follow in her cool shadow for as long as possible.

I would beg to go with her and her friends and she would refuse.  If I complained long and loud enough mom would make her take me along.  Sister D didn't like it, but she complied with mom's decree and off we would go to the park or a friend's house or the library.

As we grew older and naturally developed our own circle of friends I no longer wanted to follow my sister around like a puppy looking for someone to throw them a stick.  And even though we shared a bedroom, we didn't share clothes or shoes or homework.

As I look back on those days, I realize how little I knew.  Today, I can't imagine not having Sister D to depend upon, tell stories to, or laugh with.  She is one of the most generous people I know... always thinking of others, sending cards, little gifts or making something special for someone else. 

When He-man and I were in our early years of marriage we moved to Sister D's town with no job and no home.  She and her husband invited us in to their house where we lived for the next nine weeks.  

Sister D Husband and First Born.     Check out the tall hair!!

Sister D had two small children and we had three.  She and her husband gave their bedroom to He-man and I.  

The five kids all bunked together in the bedroom upstairs.   

Sister D and her husband slept across the floor in a bedroom without a door that literally opened to the bedroom full of children.  Now that's generosity, don't you agree?

My older sister lives 900 miles away and we see each other not nearly as much as I would like.  But when we are together it's as if we take up right where we left off.... telling funny stories about our families, reporting what great books we are reading and fixing all the world's problems. 

I encourage all young mothers with siblings who compete or fuss or do what most young siblings do, to take heart.  In time, moving with the natural course of things, your children will grow to appreciate each other.  And even more than that they may even develop an unconditional friendship that remains beyond all else that constantly changes.

9. I am grateful for children who fuss and fight and come out hugging.

I hope this day brings you fond memories.  I hope you call your brother or sister or friend because you can. I hope you have a friendship that rolls easy and free.

Rootin' Tootin' Reading

 

When we visit our family in Wyoming He-man and I will sometimes take our three little chickadees with us when driving from one town to another.  On one particular occasion we were driving the 187-mile stretch from Riverton to Laramie. Cautious, Sparky and Muffin were strapped in their seats, squashed tightly in our midsized Toyota.

We were impressed with the girl’s ability to read and wanted to test their skills by asking them to read road signs.  

One of the signs read, “Do Not Pass.”  He-man asked them what that meant.  

“That means you aren’t supposed to go over to that side,” Sparky replied as she pointed out her backseat window.

 

‘Yes, it does,” said He-man.  “And,” he added.  “It means that you can not pass gas.”

No comment came from the back seat.  

We continued on reading more signs while waiting for familiar landmarks to tell us that Laramie was getting closer.  

 

Twenty minutes later we began to see cabins, small corrals and trailers that lined the highway outside Laramie City limits.  I heard a rumbling from the middle of the back seat and turned my head quickly to ask, “Muffin, did you toot?”

I was met with saucer brown eyes that twinkled and an impish grin as Muffin announced, “You can toot in Laramie.”

He-man and I burst our laughing, not at all expecting such a response and wondering if our three-year-old had been obeying the road signs or simply waiting for the right moment to express herself?

Since then we have adopted, “You can toot in Laramie,” as our personal permission go-to-phrase.  Like when I ask He-man, “Why are you wearing that T-shirt to the party?”  He replies, “Because, you can toot in Laramie.” 

Or when He-man asks me, “Why are you parking here?”  Without my usual emotional explanation, I just say, “You can toot in Laramie.”

The phrase has served us well in remembering not to take things so seriously… to give ourselves permission to be ourselves and to embrace Muffin’s three-year-old playful vibe.

8. I am grateful for the closeness of midsized cars.

I hope you can express yourself freely today.  I hope you listen to the expressions of another.  I hope you enjoy the day as you did when you were a child.

Where We Live

Craft-Tee and Nice-Nephew live in Wyoming on small acreage outside of town.  

 

The term "small" may be deceiving to those of us who live in the big city. Because it is really land, lots of land under starry skies above.   

 

They bought a small farmhouse and have revamped it into a modern, comfy space they call home.

 

 
They added a large addition to house a master suite and living room. With their own sweat and brawn they dug a foundation, poured concrete, built walls, set in cabinets, installed tile, plumbed in a bathroom and upgraded the electrical.

After months and months of home-owner-remodelingitis,  Craf-Tee and Nice-Nephew finally were able to sit down, put their feet up in their new living room and enjoy a night of nothing more than television and idle conversation.

Their new open kitchen accommodates large crowds like our  crazy family. And the granite island is a perfect place to land a case of Bud. 


 












The master bedroom is big enough for a king-sized bed and small enough to feel cozy and warm.

The master bath is vast and open with a walk-in-shower, free standing soaker-tub, dresser and vanity.

 

But most impressive is the large walk-in-closet with a window and a washer and dryer.  What a smart idea.  Choose your clothes, change your clothes and clean your clothes all in the same space.

All the inside doors were finished in the original dark stain, keeping the integrity of the old farmhouse intact. 

 

Pairing charm with upgrades is always a winning combination.

Craf-Tee is a pretty crafty lass.  She designs and sews quilts, as well as purses and totes.  She makes signs and wall art and takes amazing photographs.  

And she always decorates for the season.

She took inexpensive plastic pumpkins, applied a couple of coats of chalkboard spray paint and drew Jack-o-Lantern faces on them. Cute, huh? 

There is another bedroom awaiting a redo in their home.  Right now it serves the special-needs-children who occasionally stay with them on weekends.

But the plan is to transform it into a nursery.   

Craf-Tee and Nice-Nephew are adopting a baby.  

While waiting on the waiting list... the nursery takes shape in their heads and will soon become a reality in their house.... just like their baby.  

Before long Craf-Tee and Nice-Nephew will be singing the song all new parents sing, "Will we ever sleep all night again?"

But for now they are well rested and excited while waiting for the big day in their newly remodeled home on the land that they love.

7. I am grateful for ways parents can become parents, even when they thought they couldn't.

I hope you find time today to walk upon the land.  I hope you have a place to call home.  I hope your deepest desire becomes a hopeful reality, even as you wait.

The Booger... by Pleasure

A booger.............................can it bring you closer to the one you love?

Yes, you read right.   Seriously, I'm going to blog about a big fat huge booger. 

 





In my class that I was telling you about a couple blogs ago one of the chapters in the book was about having an attitude of gratitude - being down right thankful for your husband -quit gripping and so on and so on. 

 












One night I grabbed my J.D. right on the face and was ALL IN THE MOMENT, telling my sweet husband how grateful I was for him. 

While I'm in the moment telling him all this sweet stuff he looks at me and says, " WHAT IS THAT?"




I said, "What.....what are you talking about?"

He pointed at it, and as he pointed at it, I followed with my eyes.  My eyes crossed. There it was - a big booger on my nose. 

At first I was mortified. But then J.D and I burst out laughing.  We had never laughed so hard in our lives. That good belly laugh....you laugh so hard that you can't hear it....one of those. 

Ok so it's way gross.  But, hey, it happens. Boogers happen.
And they can bring you closer. A simple big booger brought us closer together. 

So remember to be thankful even for the smallest things like a booger.

pleasure

My Favorite Season

First of all, I want to thank you for commenting on yesterday's post.  I value your input and have taken your comments to heart. I hope to make some changes to my blog, such as how to post and respond to comments (haven't been able to technologically figure that one out yet).  And after hearing from you, there will be some things that remain the same.  Thanks for your help.

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We had a freeze in Green Country last night, which is early for our neck of the woods.  When I heard the forecast, I grabbed my garden shears and headed straight to the rose bed.  

 

I had not cut any roses to enjoy inside all summer.  The unusually high temperatures over the summer kept me from giving my gardens the attention they normally receive.  But since cooler temperatures arrived last month, the flowers in my neglected gardens look as though they have been to a Baptist Revival... all happy and giddy with new life.

That's exactly how I feel about Autumn weather in Green Country - giddy with delight.

We spend more time on our patio, although much of that is in sweeping away the thousands of leaves that cover it daily.  We watch the squirrels go nutty gathering their stash for winter and the birds flying in comfortable abandon to the softer breezes that embrace their wings.

And like most of what I experience in life, my favorite season is a mixed bag.  While the mums are popping out in colorful masses the phlox and the lawn are dying back... changing from a variety of vibrant tones to a unified dry beige straw.

Maybe that's why we have different seasons... to heighten the unique gifts of each, or so we learn to appreciate different colors, textures, activity and song, or to rest from constant growing.  

6. I am grateful for sunlight on yellow mums.

I hope this day is one of your favorites.  I hope that what ever maybe dying or fading in your life be replaced with something of deep beauty and gentle embrace.