The State of Forgetfulness

I know now why as you get older, you get frustrated because you can't find anything anymore and your kids start to think you are crazy (-er than they already think). I think I have discovered the problem. As you begin to do the big D ( downsize), you start getting rid of things. And the next week you don't remember getting rid of what you got rid of , so you spend endless minutes, hours searching for the item that you gave to Goodwill a week ago. I have started keeping a detailed list ( color, brand, size) of items I donate, not only to cash in on the tax break, but as a reference sheet when I KNOW I saw that shirt somewhere in my closet and am unable to find it. That way, after I have searched unproductively for awhile, I can check my list to see if it is worth continuing to look for, or if it indeed made it to the brown bag in the hallway that collects items to give away. What are your coping tricks? Can you remember any to share? Wait, let me get my sticky note to write it down before I forget!

Attempt at posting pictures

Michael and Deanna's landscaping on their new house. Looks great , doesn't it? OK my attempts are over as every new pic goes on top of the old. I need my live in tech who moved out and is relocating in Oklahoma. Miss you, Arika!

Here is a pic of the journals the girls and I are making for our upcoming craft show in the fall. ( Like I don't have enough to do!) But it is very fun, relaxing, and gives us quality time together. ( I can hear them now saying, Oh, Mother!) These are actually our older ones that sold.

OK, can't figure out how to not have the pics next to each other...any help out there?

Great sunset fam pic on the dock at Ernie Cooper's Cabin which we rented for a week in Michigan. Ernie is the owner's dog.

Last lazy days of summer....

I remember the days of paper maps and garage sale-ing. I had all the places circled, numbered, and my map highlighted in the most efficient route. Gone are those days. I have taken garage sale-ing to a new level. For the first time today, I used my GPS( a 6 am day after Thanksgiving special with a $20 gift card thrown in) to find my way to the garage sales of choice. Very effective. If I could figure out how to program more than one at a time, it might be even better! So I whipped around town listening to the slightly British accented voice telling me " in 300 yahhhds, tarn riiaahhht." (Who records these voices, anyway?)

I was able to find a few "smokin deals" ( as my sister says!). Brand new, in the box, waiting to be put together 12 compartment filing/storage container for our desk. Or maybe my scrapbooking paraphanelia. I also found a former bead store owner selling her wares, so I got my daughter some square beads which she loves. As the customer before me was an antique dealer, shelling out literally hundreds of dollars, my purchase of one little tube of beads got me the sarcastic remark of "Big purchase, huh?" (Note to garage salees- be nice to your petty purchasers. Those few dollars also add up at the end of the day.)

Anyway, I have a few days left to try to organize my life before school starts. I always wonder where the time flies to. If I could only program my GPS to the beginning of summer.....

I'm Back! Hunting for Dish Towels

Not sure for how long, but I had an overwhelming urge to vent and this seems to be as good a place as any.After 31 years of marriage, our dish towels are in a sad state of affairs. If they are not stained or discolored, they are shredding at the sides. So the hunt for new dish towels is on. My kitchen is a very neutral navy blue, with splashes of red, I guess, in the wall paper border. So I assumed I would happily trot to the store and buy navy towels, or at least some shade of blue. (Red bleeds too much and you have to do a separate load).
Not so fast. After going to 4 stores, I became aware that the colors of the hour are orange, green, brown and yellow. Yuck. Throw backs to my childhood. I would have kept my mother's towels if I wanted those colors. I think it is a conspiracy to have you change your color scheme. I like my navy and red. I could go with white- but that would would be boring and the only size they had at ANY store were "bar towels". When did that come in vogue? I suppose sometime in the last 31 years when I was using my shredded towels. I even asked my friends where to get towels. I went to all the suggested stores and all I can figure is that they have the "in" color scheme.
So if anyone happens to come across any blue or navy cute towels, let me know where to find them. Or I have to keep using my shredded, stained ones for 31 more years.

Traveling

Just realized a few days ago that we have off school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Wanted to make a quick trip to Ohio for my mother-in-law's birthday, but my husband has to work. The girls couldn't go, so I started thinking I had to do something with my 3 day weekend. I haven't seen my dad in Arizona for over a year and a half- so I called our travel agent and asked if she could get a better price than what I got on the internet. She couldn't- but she went ahead and booked the flight anyway, telling me that I HAVE to go- coming from one who didn't have her parents anymore. She said if she could have a chance to see her parents for that much, she would go. So I am going!!! This is very unlike me to be spontaneous and spur of the moment. I just felt nudged to go, and bless Jan's heart- she confirmed it.
So off to Phoenix for the weekend- I leave home at 4 am Sat. and hope to arrive back by 2 am Tuesday- using every minute I have off! Planning on going to bed early tonight!!
It's hard to put a price tag on being with those you love. It's a stretch right now for us for the ticket, but when would it not be? I am thankful I have the time, got a great price, and am going to spend the weekend with my parents.
What have you been wanting to do? What is holding you back? When was the last time you were spontaneous?

Happy State

Just read the headlines on comcast.net that Indiana is not a happy state. They rank the top 15, I have no idea how unhappy a state we were. However, where my son lives, Utah, is the number one happy state. Figures. If I could wake up to mountains everyday, a town that goes to bed at 9 p.m., and beautiful 70 degree weather for a lot of the year, I'd be in a happy state also. I'm glad he gets to enjoy that.
My Cleveland brother texted me yesterday. "Keep the snow, we don't want it." Cleveland generally gets our southern Indiana weather a day later. (But we don't get the lake effect.)
I told him we had rain and high winds, but no snow. Yet. He replies, "Why do we live here?".
I have asked myself that countless times. One, jobs. Two, comfort level of not having to move every couple of years. I absolutely loved living in Colorado, and would love to be in that climate again, but reality is 4/5 of my family are right here in Bloomington. And I love my neighbors, workmates, church, and the town in general. It is hard enough being so far from our eldest, and I wouldn't want to be that far while we still have one here in college. Once the chicks are all hatched and settled in their own life, (and we have Obama insurance or other portable coverage), we can consider moving to where we really like to live.
Until then, we will continue to live in a not happy state according to comcast. But in our minds we are in the perfect state for us at this time in our journey.
You can be in a happy state and be miserable, proably as easily as living in a sad state and being happy. Make sense?
Share what state you living in.

December already?

I have a little calendar on the side of my computer for reference. The other day ( or so it seemed, I leaned over to look at a date and low and behold it was on August. So I tore off the next three months and had them sitting on my desk to remind me how time flies. Not that I need to be reminded. So yesterday, I went to check it again and it was still on November. How could I miss 4 months of time just flying by? I don't like this.I try to savor each moment, yet the moments are fleeting. So I shall rip off one more page of 4 weeks, 30 days, 720 hours, 43,200 minutes, (I don't want to think about the seconds) and look forward to a month filled with the love of Christ, family and friends. I am so excited that we have been able to make plans to go to our beloved vacation place for Christmas and have our whole family together. We haven't seen my son and his soon to be fiance since last Christmas. What are your plans? How will you celebrate the greatest gift we have all been given? One thing I plan on doing is moving my calendar.