later....

friday, we woke up to another winter wonderland. it really is pretty....but the buses were running.....although there was no letting up of the snow....”early delay?”, I suggested enthusiastically! no one shared the joy....snow day or de-lay makes a big difference in the sleep of our teenagers.

started the morning with a great cup of coffee and my e-bay selling! now that's fun! i'm having a ball! i've always wanted my own little store.....and now I have it just the way I like it...on my terms! that's been so much fun for me. I forgot how much I love selling.....what I like or have enthusiasm for makes all of the difference! so, i'm only selling what I like! so far, there's been lilly pulitzer with tags still on, a sweet bracelet from a special store with happy blue boxes, a china cup, some lovely vintage prints and lots of my shabby chic collectibles! now we're talking fun....

that's a nice way to start my day.....my coffee with my blog that I love writing, my e-bay selling, walking the dogs, doing the usual run around....as I said on my facebook status, “here, there and everywhere...going nowhere fast!” I can't tell you how many friends responded to that.

 

 

it seems that it's just a part of life with kids! and i''m not complaining...it's a little of the old “what do you do all day?” question that stay at home moms get asked.....when I stop to think about that or it comes up in conversation, no matter how I try to account for my whereabouts or whatabouts......my answer always seems to be the same after trying to sort out an average day....”i just sit at home and eat bonbons!

days like mine just can't be tallied easily. in some of my conversations last week, here are some of the most sincerely mentioned topics of conversation.....even ones that get cut short and I feel disappointed not to have time to continue..... because life seems rushed...people seem rushed....teachers seem rushed...parents seem rushed...friends and family seem rushed....EVERYONE seems rushed even with the simplest lives. it seems like we have so much to say and do, there's never enough time. I think that's why I love writing my blog....i have to sit down and think about my days and how I spend them! I am accountable to my followers! all 25/ oh! I mean 26 of you! i'm really accountable to me, but it sure is fun imagining that you're hanging on my every word.........about what? oh, let me continue!

so, conversations that got cut short....this week.......

*a friend called to thank me for suggesting some shelves for her closets....i told her the ones I like....they are like a bakers rack in metal.....they're a great look, not dust catchers and they hold a lot of clothing and if you like organizing your clothes by color...they look so pretty! my friend actually called me to thank me!!! hysterical, just like me, my very artsy friend was glad for any suggestion that might make her life simpler.....we had time to catch up......but never enough and it would be hard to make plans to get together....we'll figure that out later.

 

 *the sweet and enthusiastic friend that I love to bump into.....she told me at stop and shop that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer....but had to check out....we would talk later.

*my friend, whose husband was travelling, needed butter and was trying to keep life simple while being mrs. mom and dad to her teenage boys. we chatted on the phone and butter came up...i bought some butter at the store while I was out.....grace and I dropped off the butter. she had just been telling me about a recipe that she thought our family would like.......that I can handle making.......healthy.....and...butter.....and oops, I never did find out that recipe.

*talking to a friend who lives in florida, we talked about our kids and when we may plan to get our families together with other friends from college.....we were on our cell phones....we got cut short because her garden club meeting was about to start....we would talk later.

 *my friend, in town, and I wanted to walk the dogs....our timing wouldn't work out between her appointments and my schedule....we'll walk the dogs with each other next week, when life is a little calmer....later.

another old friend called to share some sad news about a friend who is sick.....we were both in shock over the news of her sickness....we talked about our mutual friend and what we could do for her and her family....and she had to pick up her son at hockey.....we would talk again when we weren't so rushed....later.

patti, an old friend from college, and I had been “talking” on facebook a lot lately, trying to plan our time to get together....having lots of laughs about her kids and my kids and life and my blog.....and more life and family and shopping and home and doggies and..............we were making a plan...she would be passing through with her husband at some point over the weekend.......she would let me know and then we had to hurry and hang up.............i realized I had no idea if we had a plan or not.....i had no time to figure it out.....i knew at some point we'd talk.....later.

these are genuine friends and real moments of life where we have time to get together or talk on the phone, we talk often, we may even talk a lot.......but we're always in between and almost somewhere that we have to be or the doorbell rings or the school bus arrives......or someone from before finds this is their later time.... 

so friday was later for patti and I. it was such fun just talking about our little day together. when I asked what she wanted to do while visiting for the day, she said, “oh,I don't care.....i'll pick up the kids from school....i'll go grocery shopping with you, have a cup of coffee.....who cares..we'll just get together!” that was great for me...great for her! time to get together....time! yay...time!  

thankfully, i am accountable to the dogs.....and i make sure they get their walk everyday..... the dogs at the beach.... my day instantly slows down....

here's my other blogswith lots of photos

well, we didn't plan on snow to mix things up. we thought we'd have the day to play and chat and chat and chat and chat.......like we always do when we're together......and chat and chat......sometimes we chat at the same time and still understand each other. we have great friends from college and we all know each other so well.....we know each others' families and friends....and dogs and cats.......and lives....even long distance! we try to make the time. we definitely get lots of phone time....getting together we usually have to plan for another time...later.

well, that's life...that's what we all do...we just do our best to keep it together with our husbands our kids, our families, our friends, our dogs and cats and so many more. some now, some fall to later.

patti called to say she would be coming....even with the snow and warnings for more to follow....she would stop and spend time......wow! we actually worked it out...we're good like that...she and I are very spontaneous! that's probably one of the reasons we've stayed close for so long! spontaneity helps in this busy life we're all living!

patti would be getting here much later than we hoped because of the snow. she was leaving later...driving slow....

I spent some time with the dogs at the beach...beautiful to be there on a snowy day! I had some other errands to run.....i was at the beach with the dogs when the phone rang.

it was patti! she was at my house....in the driveway.....i was at the beach! starting home, I realized the kids were there already....i called to tell grace and t.j. to let patti in.....i'd be there in a few...later.

not too much later. I got home to see patti....to talk...have a cup of coffee...grace wanted a ride to a friend's house.....”wait”.i told her.....” i'll take you in a bit....later.” patti and I sat with our coffee like we were in our dorm in college.....only now we were talking about our husbands and our kids....we had both known since they were in our lives..weddings..husbands.....babies.....toddlers....kids....

....graduations.....and even funerals....in our life....later.

and now we had the time...just to hang and chat about stuff....nothing stuff that we love to hear. about our moms who we all have enjoyed.....patti and I have always talked about color...colors in the house...colors of clothes....just the simple things of life....in between some of the bigger things in life.

biff came home from work! he got a little time with patti. then he had to leave to take grace to her friends.....he got back...and OH! it was time to leave to pick up david at the train station....and then they'd be off to their weekend plans! 

I couldn't believe..we had barely gotten started....we were behind because of the snow! oh she had to go. they had to get moving to their own weekend plans. our plans for the weekend were skiing with friends UNTIL I found out that I had the wrong weekend! so, that allowed patti and I to get together but it was time to go.....david would be waiting......friday night.....everyone is so beat on a friday night.

hugs. griff. hugs. patti. hugs. “wait! i'll show you the way to the train! i'll go with you! then i'll get to see david too! it's been ages! you and david drop me off on your way through after the train....at least we'll have a little time and time with david!” and we were off.

  

and there was david. waiting at the train...perfect timing. we weren't late! they had to get up toward boston....they had snow and didn't want to get their too late.

we rode in the car...chatting about nothing and some things.....and time to say good bye! I called biff in the house....i asked him to come out to say hi to david! hello....man hug/shake....hi! good to see you...how ya doing? better go. we'll all get together later!

10:30 p.m. my cell phone rang. patti. hi. …..hi.....they made it they were at their hotel.....she wanted to tell us that there room was a suite. we should come up.....there's room for the kids to have their own room...bathroom.....we could all spend some of saturday together...and ...i got caught up in the spontaneity! biff. biff! we can go meet them. we can bring our ice skates....oh how fun ….oh, let's go. the dogs. our plans to be home and get things done...grace's babysitting job...1^st one in a little while. the dogs. the snow. the snow. the snow...it just doesn't stop. we went to sleep....what fun to see our old friends! saturday morning....so much snow....grace has her babysitting....doggies...dogsitter....all of the things we had to get done......i called patti. she was excited!

 I was disappointed....it just couldn't work out without a lot of mixups and chaos. we wouldn't be going. maybe patti and david would pass through on their way through on the way down.....later.

 

 

maybe, next time!  later...............

Raghava KK: Five lives of an artist | Video on TED.com

today i came across the most interesting site called

"tedblog".....lots more to how i got there but it is a wonderful site with a beautiful mission.  it is to share many topics of discussion and interest without being political....just a site to find things that interest you ....that you may become involved in with friends, neighbors and family....colleagues form school or work.  it's all about discussing the stuff that makes you think and sharing what you think with others creates more thinking and so on....and so on....and so on.......

i'll have to post a link to let you see on your own...you may be curious or not.  you are welcome to check this out on your own.....or not. 

i found this site and remained open minded...but just a tad cynical...i entered a new world of culture, learning and exposure!  the internet is amazing how it has opened me to so many new things....just because of facebook, my blog, my new computer from biff!

this link below is magical to me.  it is a young guy from india who tells a great story of his love of art, doodling, cartooning, painting and so much more.....

he is amazing.  his honesty is amazing.  his love for his art is amazing and a beautiful path he chose to follow....and he is very creative in staying true to his dream!

if you can take the time to hear the story.....it is so moving for me...he believes passionately about art and the healing of art......and the joy of art and freedom it allows children......at the end he tells of a beautiful way that he was touched by a little girl.

i cried because i remember some of those same beautiful moments doing art with children and what a joy it is to share with children.  i was also touched to hear him tell of sharing his gift with others....in the hospital.

when i did art therapy volunteering in hospice here in connecticut, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. i had a friend who said to me, "couldn't you think of something a little more uplifting to do for volunteer work?"

the irony is that it was one of THE most uplifting experiences of my life.  each and every person that i worked with and sat with to do  a variety of art  projects with have forever touched ME!  and i thought i was there to give to them, to take their mind off of some of their pain, both physical and emotional!  it was me that was moved to laughter and tears with each patient.....and it was me that was given the gift of time with them for the rest of their lives....quite literally!

each person that i "worked" with made a difference in my life....and not a day goes by that i don't think of one of the people that i was so blessed to know!  they were angels in my life....and they shared some of the love with my family.  we are all forever touched by that time spent with incredibly strong people and their outrageously strong family members....children, grandchildren,daughters and sons.....  they, too changed my life!

that time doing artwork with the families, of all races, religions and cultures gave me the learning of a lifetime.  art matters.  art can change the way people think.  more children should know the joy of creating and sharing.....children need to be exposed to the joy of crayons, markers, paper, paint, scissors, chalk, pastels colored pencils...........and adults too.  children can teach us!   they teach us to be less inhibited and free and to be proud and excited and enthusiastic of whatever we create.

i believe  busy homes with over scheduled children, living life in the material world....along with public education cutting back the arts.....and teaching to the test....are keeping our children from some of the simplest and healthy pleasures of life......like....

a box of crayons and a little paper.  it is magically healing!  

thisRaghava KK: Five lives of an artist | Video on TED.com

 
today, i was walking the dogs in the rain....just taking it slow and meandering through the woods.

 that's when i saw the heart shaped rock.

i like to daydream and enjoy all of the textures and colors of nature. it's like my senses come alive.

the dogs run...and stop.....along stone walls they seem to be hunting chipmunks, all over and under rocks, the trails, the knot holes, the water, the grass, the snow........

every walk, everyday is a new adventure!

sometimes i feel like that.

everyday is different.....some days are more high energy, some low....but mostly, i try to enjoy the little things in life and just be aware of who and what surrounds me.

daisy and fitzy have taught me alot....slowing down and enjoying the simple things and the beauty around me!

my days are better when i take the time to pay attention to my energy and enjoy the people i meet along the way. sometimes i feel better myself when i take the time to say hello to someone.....it's easier to just keep going when life's busy-ness takes over.....not in the long run.  just sharing some good....simple.

today was one of those days.  a wonderful man that we know from  town, who has just recovered from brain surgery, was getting into his car as i passed by....i thought as i passed by....oh, i'm just going to keep going....i have to get things done.  and  then i thought, this man is here....now.  i turned around for a friendly hello. what a delight. what an inspiration. how great it was just to see his smile. i was glad that i stopped. simple.

today i was out and about. many people had high energy...maybe the more mild weather made people more hopeful.....believing that sometime we would thaw out.  it seems it's always the simple kind words that make a difference....awareness of the people i encounter.  simple.

a funny thing has happened since i'm out with the dogs i love so much....they have taught me alot.  our kids have taught me alot.  to see the world from the dogs perspective is great....they have no agenda....they just love exploring, being with people, finding new scents!  so simple.  they wander, i wander with them.  simple!

the kids really are always teaching us.  when they were little, i had to learn to go the long way....little kids don't just go from point a to point b........they find so much all along the way.  i saw some 4 year olds in a store today....they were standing at some refrigerated shelving....with little organic milk boxes on the top shelf....they talked and tippy toed and jumped and reached and discussed just what they should do.....together to get that unreachable milk! it was awesome....their little brains at work doing something big people take for granted!  simple.

in the woods, i was simply taking in the beauty. i was walking looking down.....looking at the velvety moss and the testures....i was looking at the melted snow and the puddles....i was looking at the dogs paws.

life around me.  simple.

some days i'm more aware of the people and nature and my surroundings than others....

i'm always grateful when i'm aware of the goodness surrounding me.  i think having kids did that for me. i think that's what i have always loved about being with little people.....they are just people that are little!  they take time to notice the details around them.  they ask questions.  they look. they stay in the moment. simple.

i was soaking in my surroundings.  literally.  thanks to the dogs, i've learned to love the pouring rain. i've learned so much from these four legged creatures that we all love so much!  just be where we are.  simple.

when i slow down, that's when i have more appreciation for the simple bits in nature.

the heart shape rocks....

as i walk and take in everything around me.....i looked down at the trail as i walked. simple.

another heart shaped rock.

today, these heart rocks in the woods are a reminder. 

love is all around.  we just have to notice.

simple.

see the dishes!

 

hi!  it's me!  again!

i know,  right now you're saying,"oh no! she's playing with her computer again.....here she goes again with these ridiculous pictures!"

well, it's been fun learning a bit more about this techno world that i've been thrown into.......or chosen, ever since starting this mixed up blog.  it's been a ball!   i've learned so much!

who knew that when starting this blog about 4 months ago, i would learn so much!  and i'm proud to say that i've done it all by myself!

in the past, i always looked for a techno enabler....or some innocent codependent...preferably in my family....because of their proximity to my computer....to help me through even the simplest of mouse clicking...right click, left click, scroll!

so as it turns out, i "littlemarymixup" as my mom so endearingly nicknamed me, have enjoyed writing so much that it seems that perhaps some other bits and pieces of my life have gone astray.

how? you ask?  i'll tell you.....or at least i 'll give you the answer that comes to me right off of the top of my head.....(sorry to you if you didn't even ask that question!)....i seem to have so much fun writing that i forget to do some of the little things i'm supposed to do like.....hmmmmmm.....clean, do laundry, wash the floor, cook dinner, darn socks....oh wait! i throw out socks!  who ever darned anyway?  hey, i guess that's where the phrase,"darn it!" came from!

so where was i?  oh! that's right, i was mentioning that my blog gets me a little distracted from things.....like bedtime and sleep and....hey wait a minute!  this blog is having the same effect on me as the olympics!

sometimes, the blog comes in handy!  it's like those people we all know, who use their children as an excuse.....come on, we all know them....so they don't have to go to another luckless potluck supper over at the neighbor cat lady's house.

do i blame the blog because i have some issues with mail....not that i don't have the stamps....i have lots of stamps...i always buy those adorable ones that come out with old movie stars or antique cars or blooming flowers or artists. i just don't always have the stamp at the time i address the envelope and if i have the stamp on the envelope, i may not have the address....if i have the address and the stamp on the envelope, i can't find  a mailbox......if i get them all together at the same time, the letter drops down between the car seat and the  middle console.....

it just goes on and on!  can i use the blog for an excuse for what happened today?  i woke up, got the kids off to school, walked the dogs through the woods in the rain, got back home, used the "sham-wow!" to wipe the 3 gallons of water on each golden retriever.........

 

had my coffee while watching a bit of olympic recaps, got myself ready to get out the door, drove off to my doctor's appointment,arrived at my appointment with minutes to spare, sat down to enjoy a wonderful magazine and........they saw me sitting down and......i was there one day early!  24 hours.

no, i don't think my blog is responsible for that! 

the reason that i have some crazy looking pictures on this blog is because i wanted to show my kids what can happen with the ripple effect.  lately, i think the ripple effect has come about because of my blog......it's the little things.  i like to have the kitchen clean, not perfect...just clean, orderly and comfortable. that's all.  things like counters, floor, clutter, dishes, dishwasher......what was that?  DISHES....in the sink....in the picture that i took with my little net book.....and another picture with DISHES in the sink....hmmmmm.....why would dishes be piled up  over the edge of the sink.....

 

we have two kids...they are responsible for some work in our house.  the dishwasher must be emptied by both kids.  grace empties the top shelf and t.j. empties the bottom half.  somehow, last night, while i was writing my blog and watching the olympics with the family.....two of our two children did not empty the dishwasher.  i was "blogging", a word t.j. uses to make fun of my writing.....and when grace and t.j. went upstairs, i failed to notice that.......until i finished writing my -b-l-o-g- ....they were asleep!  

 

so, i really showed those kids of ours! i didn't empty the dishwasher all day...i waited until they came home from school and let them do it....well, guess what?  they didn't even notice....they might not have even noticed dishes up to the ceiling until i mentioned the fact that i couldn't wash the floor, because i couldn't get to the water in the sink....because the dishes in the sink didn't go into the dishwasher....because the dishwasher didn't get emptied.

and it's all because of my blog. so the reason that i have all of these pictures of me trying to get a picture of the sink in our kitchen, in our house, where i write my

blog!

over my shoulder, you might be able to see the dishes!

ShamWow (Full Length)

beware of imitators!

in my own mind.

this may be a first!  i might just be too tired to write.  we are a week or so into the olympics and i feel like i've been worn out from all of this activity. 

                  our olympic training on the luge.......

i've been on the luge...mens' and womens', i've done freestyle skiing and snowboarding, ice dancing, ice hockey, womens' skating, free skating, curling, speed skating, giant slalom, snowboarding, downhill skiing, bobsledding, the bi-athalon and much more that my brain can't even function well enough to remember.

                             our bobsled

i feel like i'm at the academy awards and i don't have my script with all of the names of the fine actors, producers and directors and oh! don't let me forget to mention the set directors and lighting and oh!  cinematography director!!!  and last but not least, how could i forget bob costas?

let's face it....we all know that bob costas makes the olympics!  how grateful we are in our house that he has such a lovely and even tone low, melodic voice!  think of the different commentators that could make these events even more stressful!

 our commentator!

and who could forget the greatest commentators on ice,

dick buttons and tom, sarah.....and what's her name, you know, peggy fleming, dorothy hamill...the one with the haircut!....i had that haircut but i don't know how to spell her name!  well, they were all there!

sensuality, flirt, style, grace, poise.......just some of the words used to describe their performance.

triple toe loop and double toe loops and working the program, rotations, technical, triple lutz,  triple flips, combination, sequence, triple loops, timing, awkward, athleticism,  artistic elements, moving freely, good and solid, short of rotation, landing............and that's just the ice skating!!

phew! i'm exhausted from working so hard...o.k., so i'm not actually working toward the olympic medal with all of the years of preparation, family sacrifice, time, money, willpower, strength, drive, dreams, goals and triumphs, but these 2010 winter olympic games are killing me!

our ski team!

the pressure!  the emotion! the hopes! the dreams! the stories of excellence and struggle, personal, physical and emotional....are all so much to take in!  and what about our personal favorites....and our country loyalty...the greatest story of perserverence through much adversity!

as i'm writing this, the canadian ice skater, whose mother just died, is on the ice...magnificent....and bob costas is interviewing tim janssen, a speed skater from the last winter olympic games, whose sister died just before his big skate......it's one big lump in my throat!  how did she do it....so beautifully and so flawlessly.  i feel her pain....and i have no idea how she even stood up, much less skated through it all!

i can imagine her thinking about her mom and doing it for her mom, in her memory....i can imagine how she feels like she's going through the motions and just not allowing her emotions ......until after....and....the healing begins....the sadness and the loss.....yet, she pulled herself together enough to be able to skate and live her dream!

these olympic days and nights have me physically and emotionally exhausted.  i can't just watch quietly....the kids have made fun of my armchair coaching and cheering and plain old hysterics!

and why are we all so captivated?  to sit and sit and shout and ooh and ahhhh and ohhhhh!  and i hold my breath! because of that thinking.....magical thinking......it could have been me! 

rachel flatt.....17  years old...... a high school senior...... preparing for her graduation in the spring.........this u.s. champion has a mom and dad who are

o.k. now the molecular biologist and biochemical engineer...great personality...american champion....cheyenne high school senior who is planning to go to stanford!  not just any old school, stanford!.......and she's adorable!  talent and beauty and smarts!  to the max in each category!  wow!  

and to think i was proud that i went to the post office today to mail a package, mail 2 letters and pick up a return package that had been returned because it had been deemed an insufficient address.......because i had not written the name of my sister in law on the package.......just a name....don't most people leave out the zip code?

i was proud that i returned d.v.d's to the library in a timely manner!  

i was proud that i walked the dogs at the beach in the rain.

i was proud that i made it to an appointment today.

i was proud that i cooked a whole recipe by myself tonight....and biff missed it because he is out of town....it was a new recipe with lots of ingredients that i had never used before! .......and i had all of the ingredients! very proud...did i already say that?

i was proud that when i went to the back of the car and i saw fitzy and daisy sitting so nicely ......waiting for me!  i found out later, when i went out to the car......fitzy had eaten a pizza......... that fell out of the bag of groceries earlier!

i'm still a champion!.....in my own mind.