Paul Simon - Kodachrome

kodachrome sounds good to me! nikon...photographs....it all sounds good to me!

for everyone!

no one will believe me!  i'm embarrassed and ashamed!  my "new" camera has just *POOF* ended it! it's blank on the screen...it's over...i had no clue...no warning signs! i've been stood up again!  i was outside with the dogs walking around the front of the house...i was enjoying the day, rainy or not. was it was over nothing! just like that! some close up pictures and that's when it happened....no crashes, no bonks, no bleeps...and *POOF*!  it was over and i was dumbfounded...i didn't even cry...like all of those other ones before. another one bites the dust...

apparently, the new cameras of  today are disposable.  this one has lasted since christmas week when we were skiing....that went kerplunk after a few months.  i know i'm hard on cameras....i know i take them to the beach, the woods, the city....and they live in my pocket as i wander through life...but, this is ridiculous!

my "real" camera that i enjoyed for most of our married life came from an old boyfriend!  my family and friends have always been thankful that i received this major camera and some equipment instead of an engagement ring.  me too! 

thankfully, it was the camera that traveled with me to europe, to nantucket, the cape, with biff and i on all of our adventures, weddings, new babies, our wedding, our new babies, christenings and christmas mornings!

i have been forever grateful....that i dodged a bullet...as they say!

biff always loved that old boyfriend, even though they never met.  it would have been worlds colliding.  biff might have doubted my sanity!  like my mom did!  of course, that's what friends and family said after the fact.  phew!  so glad they kept that to themselves in case i had further lapse of sanity and stayed with that guy out of stubbornness!

since st. patrick's day is in a couple of days, i've been noticing some of the more stubborn qualities of our cute little leprechauns!  i know where they get it from.  o.k, maybe that's a bit harsh...biff has some of his german stubbornness that we see in our kids.

i digress...another irish blarney habit...or plain old fashioned a.d.d. at work, who knows.  it's hereditary, i know that.

back to my major camera that may have been the christmas gift that changed my life.  thanks to that camera and some huge character flaws in a boyfriend, i  became aware that this was not a good choice of men.  that awareness, no matter how overdue it was, opened my life to so many more wonderful opportunities....and i met biff!

biff enjoyed the camera as well!  he also enjoyed the diamond earrings from the other guy...and some other material gifts that were lovely to look at yet, meant nothing to me. since many of the gifts were not so meaningful to me, i was able to sell them!  and what fun that was!  i kept the diamonds as suggested by my mom.  she said, "those are your booby prize." 

and the camera was the door prize! it was better to me than the old boyfriend.  steady, loyal and true. that camera was with me through the good times and bad! unlike the guy!

and now, i sit with no camera. zip! zero! nada!  the digital cameras that i have had since the major door prize have been like one night stands, which thankfully, i never made a habit of those!  the last few cameras have been quick to blow me off,  unfaithful and selfish....never thinking of me and my feelings! treating me like a doormat after filling my heart with joy and some fun times, these cameras just leave me feeling abandoned. dumped!

oh, sure you say...all of the warning signs were there...the battery troubles, the disc was undependable and the zoom! i'm embarrassed to say that the zoom was slow....very slow.  i like a zoom you can count on!  i like a zoom that can move spontaneously!  the disc was always full...at the wrong time...inconsistent...it left me very frustrated and sometimes in tears.  the batteries were filled with excuses....not charged, not fully charged and rechargeable....sure, rechargeable!  then it was the lithium...the lithium caused it's own troubles.

now, i'm looking for a camera that's more like biff.  a great camera, full of energy, strong...physically and emotionally, loving and considerate, spontaneous....he's there for me...in good times and in bad...just like we proclaim in our wedding vows! biff treats me with respect and deserves respect, thoughtful, giving, makes me laugh, has a great sense of humor,he's easygoing and enjoys a good time!  and he seems to love me, despite my pecadillos!

now, how can i find a new camera.  not online...i'm skeptical of finding a camera on line. i need to see it in person, see how it acts with me and reacts to me, how it moves with me and travels with me.... me....not an online me. 

i'm running out of time.  i don't want to sound desperate, but my clock is ticking.  i need to find one soon or i'll go crazy! all of my friends have great cameras.  they haven't gone through this....with bad choices, one after another.

i realize that i can't force something to be...especially, if it's not the right one for me. i have to pay attention to the signs. i have to be true to myself.  i have to be honest and open if i find one that suits me....although i'm a little bit scared.  i just have a hard time trusting these days.

i guess i'll know when i know.  it will just have to be a good fit.  next time, it will be fun, easy and comfortable to be with, it will have all of the qualities that i love so much. i'll write a list of the qualities that matter.   i hope i've learned from experience. i guess i'll know when i know.  oh, and before i forget, if you think of one i might like, let me know! 

sometimes we have to wait and trust that the right one will come.  it never works out when we're on the rebound!  it's a quick fix. it ends poorly...for everyone!

kodak?  done that.
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/6868&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=39239

fuji? done that.

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/index.html

canon? done that.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home_10051_10051_-1

nikon? not yet.

http://www.nikonusa.com/

sony?  not yet.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&categoryId=16161&langId=-1&storeId=10151

minolta? done that.  they don't even have camera business anymore!

http://ca.konicaminolta.com/

this is worse than trying to pick out shampoo!
so many choices....and they're all the same...broken!

what a day! with daylight savings time in effect, i was up early to attend a "women's health conference"http://www.womenandfamilylifecenter.org/index.html in mystic, ct....i would be meeting friends at the breakfast to kick off the day. after wind and rain all night, the day was gloomy.

another sunroof weather report!

on days like this, days for me to call my own, i'm always excited in the planning stages.  when it's time to walk out the door, i seem to have a pang...sorry to be leaving my family. everyday matters....time with family...time with biff...time with the kids...time.  life is precious....family is precious!  everyday is filled with possibilities.

then there's the old oxygen mask theory...biff always reminds me of that when life feels too chaotic and i feel tugged in every direction....a feeling he knows all too well.  on an airplane, if the plane is going down, the most important moment is when the oxygen masks pop out from above....the flight attendant always tells us to take the oxygen first and then help others. most important is for us to grab the mask immediately, THEN take care of the others.

so, today was a day for my oxygen mask.  i was up early...despite daylight savings exhaustion....different than the random exhaustion every mom feels each day....and before i walked out the door, i made a cup of coffee to  go!

rain, rain and more rain.  i passed emergency crews repairing electric lines, police cars pulled over with cars post accident and the steady flow of cars on i95.  as i drank my coffee to fuel myself up for my day, i listened a favorite radio program, senator bill bradley's "american voices"....a group of inspirational stories...a nice way to start my day.http://www.billbradley.com/amvoices/about

i drove further. my timing was looking good...almost  great!  and THEN....right before my eyes, the car about 3-4 car lengths in front of me began to swerve towards the left and he steered into his skid and he swerved over to the right lane....as he moved right, his shiny black car began to spin around, skid sideways and come to a stop on the right shoulder, miraculously facing the original direction!

i drove behind that car...not so far behind that car....i watched it veer off to the left and swerve to the right and i slowed watching the black car ....i was chanting to myself....pleeeeeeeeeeez...pleeeeeeeeeeez...this cannot happen..this cannot happen. this CANNOT HAPPEN!

and it didn't!  and it didn't happen to the silver car behind me!  saved by angels....that's all that i can say.  at the moment, i realized that i was safe and i just had to pull over to be grateful and to breathe!

still with time to spare, i continued up to mystic.  biff and i discussed where the mystic marriott was located....we discussed my timing...we discussed parking....i parked...ran through puddles/lakes...in the rain and got in the door...with my traveler coffee cup...there was coffee and milk at the entrance...i filled up.  i dashed over to the front desk.  i said, "women's health conference?"  the gentleman looked puzzled.

he looked confused and said, "sailing.  we have a sailing conference...i looked at him and said,"marriott women's conference 8a.m."

that's when he looked relieved and said,"oh...this is the hilton! the marriott is 2 exits south of here." and off i drove with my hilton cup of coffee!  back on i95 south for 2 exits...i had driven right past the exit because biff and i had assumed the hotel that we stopped at so many times was a marriott!

i arrived thinking i had missed the breakfast....when i asked about the conference, it became clear that i was early for the breakfast!

that was all before 8:30 a.m.!  and then the awesome conference began!  women, women, women...all inspiring, all empowering and all there to boost each other!  that's not something we see everyday.

i feel very blessed to have friends who are supportive and have been supportive throughout my life!  going to a women's college filled me with the gift of women supporting women!  strength in numbers!  there's an energy in the air!  tenacious women, intelligent women. spirited women, creative women, healthy women, older women, younger women.....all with so much to share!

sharing...giving....energizing!  it was an incredible experience. laughter. caring. talking. listening. eating. thinking....new thoughts.  learning...sharing new goals.

a big boost as we move on to spring...a common theme seemed to be "spring cleaning"....not dusting and vacuuming....thinking and clearing out old, useless thinking, people, behaviors....thinking and consciously choosing to be authentic.  doing what we feel we have to do....HAVE to do it because our hearts tell us so.

we listened to some awesome speakers. amy bloom, a wonderful writer with absolutely sensational stage presence, sharing her wit and fabulous family stories, taking questions and answering candidly. amy bloom teaches creative writing at yale.  i can't wait to sink my teeth into one of her books.

http://www.amybloom.com/ http://www.everywomansvoice.com/?q=node/700

an author,deborah copaken kogan, spoke saturday night at the dinner.  i did not go to the evening events...although my good friend invited me to share a room with her mom and sister.  i considered the gracious invitation but i just knew that i was loving that cozy, rainy day saturday with family. women really enjoyed her!  her book looks hysterical!

http://www.deborahcopakenkogan.com/hell_is_other_parents_76473.htm 

we broke into sessions.... wonderful sessions....some women had massage, reiki, tai chi, pilates, women and finance, listening to your heart, authenticity 

beverly sastri spoke and filled the room with energy and empowered women to reach their dreams and goals. she was so filled with enthusiasm and spoke so well!  we all loved her talk and we enjoyed visualizations and had our own work to do...setting goals...clear goals.  listening to the signs that our bodies give us!  a common theme for me!  i do try.  do you? http://www.beverlysastri.com/about.htm

i have these links available and hope you'll have some inspirational moments as well.

i'm still tired and have made a pact with myself to get some more sleep! good night!

 sunroof view today!

cold, raw and damp...rain!

i picked up grace at school this morning at 9:45.  she had just finished her last exam of the trimester.  we drove to dunkin donuts drive through window...one hot chocolate for grace and one coffee for me.

  we started driving. grace had some great tunes on the radio.  some not so great, but so good to hear her explain her music to me....why it's her favorite...why one singer is good and some rappers are really o.k. 

we do that drive thing together sometimes vacations, and i treasure those times.  she tells me about school, friends, just stuff, dreams....we talk.

those are the moments.  moments are really what we remember.  these moments with my 15 year old are precious.  i look back at our lives with children and think about the moments!

exciting, warm and cozy, sweet, quiet, sleepy, bedtime, bad dreams, wacky, creative.....moments.....and that's what we get!  i'll take them all...that's why we have to live in the moment! i would drive to california to have these times.

grace has had exams all week and t.j. has had the c.m.t.'s, connecticut mastery tests.  stress for grace and relaxation for t.j.  both the exams and the c.m.t.'s are over.

grace was feeling the stress of her finals for the trimester...this was her chance to bump her grades up.  freshman year has been a challenge...priorities, social life with friends, high school classes and teachers, teenage angst plus drama and mono...yup it's been stressful for us too!

t.j. was enjoying the non stress weeks of the c.m.t.'s! his teachers were giving no homework...a joy for us all.  a stress reliever for us all.  life was very enjoyable without homework.

again, being the parents, we work so hard to help our kids through the loop de loop of learning and studying.  we've always worked diligently at giving them a routine....before school, after school, homework, dinner, reading and bedtime.

considering i never fully mastered the concept of good study habits, it's been a great accomplishment to have given our kids a great start!  any friends who read this are probably laughing out loud just thinking of me?, training small children to learn good study habits!

keep laughing!  we're both trying to keep our kids from picking up some of our biggest downfalls. distraction from me...now where was i going with this story!...and procrastination from biff...when he gets around to it.

we just want them to realize their potential.  not for college, not for career, not for ego...just for themselves to have pride in doing their best.

now it's the weekend. everyone is home. life is good. life is good in moments.  today, the moments have been great!  i think i'll crank some of the kids' tunes...and blast them through the house!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb-K2tXWK4w 

this is a link to a song that played while grace and i were driving. grace is fifteen and that's what this song by taylor swift sings about....if you listen to this song, you'll remember what you were like as a freshman in high school!

quotes i like

"Strong people make as many and as ghastly mistakes as weak people. The difference is that strong people admit them, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they became strong."
-Richard Needham The Wit and Wisdom of Richard N

noah's arc!

two by two, our pets come to us. they do seem to come...to us...somehow they find us.  many of them have cut out the middleman!

we haven't always had luck with the middleman. a few years ago, i was visiting my mother at the hospital. it was a day filled with doctors, social workers, physical therapists and some quiet time with my mom.  she had broken her hip...for the second time.

yes, throughout the college years, all of our friends would laugh and imitate the tacky commercial, "help!  i've fallen and i can't get up!"  and after.... that i had been imitating the "help i've fallen and i can't get up!"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6Ygu7DcWQ&feature=related  i reminded my mom about that commercial...i asked if she thought that all of those years of imitating had caught up with me...i had jinxed her and caused her fall...she laughed! thankfully.

theday had been long.  it was hard to see my own mother so frail and hurting.  there were many decisions to be made regarding her future...beginning with her hip rehabilitation. it was alot to take in...and think through. after some time down at the hospital on long island, it was time for me to head off on my 2 hour drive home...to biff and the kids.

it had been an emotionally grueling day.  as i began the drive home, i had an idea that might put a positive spin on the day....at least for me. i called biff to get his opinion...  should i stop at north shore animal league?

http://www.google.com/search?q=north+shore+animal+league&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a  it's an excellent organization...it's run so well! 

adopt a new kitten?  we had just lost a wonderful kitty to a coyote. that happens alot to outdoor kitties in connecticut.  very sad.

so, after a dramatic loss of  grace's little black kitten, named midnight....guess the color....i thought picking out a new kitten to our family might just fill my sadness...even if a temporary fix.

i know, you say...come on it's just a cat...they're a dime a dozen!  this may be true.  until we moved to this house, i had never had a pet until our 2 kittens....we imported them from a shelter up near boston.  we had commuter kitties.  my first real pets.  they would do...until we were able to handle a puppy...something i really wanted...for my whole life!

we had them for some time before tragedy struck.  "boy cat" was a bit quirky.  he was kind of like kramer on seinfeld...on of our favorite shows!  "girl cat" was sweet. let's just say, they weren't meant to live in the wilds of connecticut!  one of the first times "girl cat" went outside, our neighbors' spaniel raced after her and she must have run 30 feet up a tree! after that, she didn't trust a stroll in the park in the backyard again.  she would sit outside and stair at the neighbors' house in fear of "rosie", the spaniel. she gained so much weight, after the traumatic chase by rosie, i had to carry her down to the end of the driveway to let her get some exercise!

and then...soon enough...*POOF*...she was gone....#1...

then "boy cat"...outside one night,,,didn't come back...and *POOF*....he was gone. ... #2... sad.  grace and t.j. were pretty comfortable with the death thing after that, so they asked if we could go to "the cat store" again. we did.

that's when we got "smokey"....#3......t.j's replacement cat for boy cat.  now that was a cool cat!  he was the coolest and most handsome cat i can remember. t.j.'s buddy, smokey used to follow us to the "school bus rock" and wait while the kids all got on the bus.  and after a wonderful life with smokey....he was gone.

sometime around that time, we had to replace "smokey" for t.j......so, off we went to the "cat store"...that's when t.j. picked out "jinx"!  our handsome black kitty with the green glass, marble eyes.  way cool and handsome.  we love him like crazy and hope to have hime

forever.  if daisy has anything to do with it, we will.  she goes out to protect and to get him in at night!  he sleeps with t.j.

after that is when "midnight" arrived...#4....grace's choice at the cat store...to replace "girl cat"  she was precious.  itty bitty and black as night...hence the name!  she used to walk through the house with grace's puffy pink slippers in her mouth!  

 and then she was gone!  sadder than sad. 

back to the "cat store"!  and that's when "tic tac" put his teeny gray paw through the cage to get grace's attention!  he was ours/hers/ours!  awesome kitty who taught our new "daisy" golden retriever puppy  to retrieve....kitties!  theirs was a special relationship. "daisy" and "tic tac" had a mutual admiration society!  tic tac was the cat that was a "he/she" cat...grace thought she was a girl and we found out that she was a he....so we decided "tic tac" was "he/she"....we loved her for a long time...and then "tic tac" was gone. sadder than sad.

and now for the point!

 on my way home to connecticut that spring day many years ago, i stopped at north shore animal league...  

i checked with biff to see how he felt about the kittens that i saw.  we talked about the right one for our family...it would be a special surprise.  this was the day!

i found the kitten...they even had twins...biff and i thought 3 cats would officially make us "cat kooks"...since we had our dogs and our fish, we knew 2 was our limit...and our track record was bad thanks to coyotes in connecticut.

i had paperwork to fill out.  i had my license to show. i had references to list.  i even had a short interview...all for a cat!  biff said cats were out on the streets, they have babies like crazy....why were they so intense?  who cared?  we were on the cusp of a new kitten!

they sent me out to the waiting room. it was quiet.  it was a big room filled with benches....for the adoptive families....to sit...or to pace...patiently...nervously...anticipating the good news...the new pet!  ready to go home for love!

i waited.  i was feeling bubbly...even effervescent!

my brother and sister in law would surely have wonderful words to praise our kitty skills!  my other reference was biff...actually, they wanted to be sure that both parties in the couple wanted this kitten.  they wanted no questionable homes.

i paced.  i sat.  i waited.  i thought...about what joy the kitty would bring to us.  i was pleased with myself to find a sunny spot in the day.

that's when the short, chubby man in the black pants and scruffy white shirt opened the door to the waiting room....he called my name!

i approached quietly.  proudly.  the other adoptive parents stood  showing their approval and apparent joy shared with me....

that's when the shelter adoption manager gave me the news.  we were not acceptable applicants.  our application was denied.  "but why?", i pleaded. "why?....how could this be?"

cat man responded with these words that i'll never forget...."i'm sorry to say that you have been denied because your references did not check out."  i pleaded with him...i told him we loved our kitties...we took good care of them. "i'm sorry." he said curtly. 

i pleaded some more...i asked if there was anyplace else nearby that i could adopt a kitten.

that's when he told me that i would be on the blacklist.  that's when he told me that there was only one faraway place that would not get word of my blacklisted name!

i left in tears...blacklisted.

i called biff.  crying.....crying...crying more and more.  i told him that we had been blacklisted.  i told him that my heart was broken.  we couldn't even adopt a kitten.  we were not fit.

biff quietly spoke.  "hmmm..."  i asked what  he said to my short chubby representative.  biff said that when they called for references and confirmation, they asked about our previous cats.

biff spoke again....i could barely hear him...he said, "i was kind of kidding.  i guess he didn't realize. i was outside doing yardwork .... i was kind of talking like a farmer.... i said something to the effect of, they got 'et by coyotes!" in all of our married life, i had never ever heard this 

"farmer" twang he used.  i cried some more.  and i cried until it turned into laughter!  biff and i were doubled over...we were imagining the chubby man....thinking of the wilds of connecticut and farmers....and cats and coyotes!  we laughed some more!

it was shortly after the"et by coyotes" remark that grace picked out "happy" at an adoptathon...in connecticut...we were more anonymous in connecticut....it all worked out....without extensive applications and references...or phone calls...or waiting rooms... 

today we stopped in to visit a friend...she loves animals...she has 2 turtles for us. 1 for t.j. and 1 for grace!  no applications! no blacklist!  just a gift.  just add water and food.   we're like a mini starter kit for noah's arc!

cook dinner

is this just my life or does anyone else live like this?  from time to time we seem to have life like this and i can't believe it!  it can't be!  it's out of control....there's no stopping us!  we will never get ahead of ourselves!

during finals, a friend from college said, "i'm so far behind, i think i'm first!"

every now and then, this is our life.  it is so stressful!  i haven't gotten my act together since skiing.....i'm feeling guilty for hardly getting anything done....it's 7:30 at night and we haven't eaten dinner.

biff is working on something in the basement/playroom to be (for the second time around after water got in).....grace is crying because she's worried about school and her trimester finals and grades and that she isn't smart and she isn't going to get in a good college...and she'll never be successful...that her grandmother thinks she's smart and i lie to tell her that she has a beautiful voice and tell her that she is, in fact, smart...i remind her that she had mono this year, she is a freshman in a new school, hard work and lots of social but she hasn't knocked herself out and really worked hard.  i tell her we all know what it's like to feel this way.  she is MAD at me for telling her "lies."

ANGRY! CRYING!

b.c. eagles football....boston college 

is/was/is grace's dream

that's for grace and for us.  we haven't experienced this before...it's hard for us to see this happen but we can't study for her...she has to learn how to do it herself.  she has to learn consequences for her less than optimum study habits this year.

i tell her that all she can do is....do the next right thing.  it all can change.  she can turn this around.  it's going to take some effort.  it's harder to do less work and feel more stressed and upset and overwhelmed!  i believe in her.i know she will make a change.  she doesn't believe it yet...and that's the hard part...for grace and for us.

i asked t.j. to help his dad downstairs.  he offered. biff said not now. later, biff needed help...he called t.j.....t.j. went down reluctantly as he had been turned away the first time.  biff asked him to do 2 things. t.j. did 2 things...exactly 2 ...that's it...2.  biff was bothered and he told t.j.  that's when it got kooky. t.j. said he helped. biff said not quite willingly.  t.j. said he offered.  biff said not really.  biff was MAD!  ANGRY!.....that's when the frustration and parental people in the house got mad...angry...frustrated...bothered.....ahhhhhhhhhh!

biff sent t.j. to his room. t.j. went up stairs reluctantly and angry!  MAD! ANGRY! FIGHT!in his voice.

when t.j. went upstairs i asked grace to go help biff if he needed more help.  grace was at the computer...not studying.

i got bothered.  she had some not so nice comments because i had apparently called her name too many times...just think about that...i think if you're a parent, you'll get it!  i got MAD, BOTHERED, FRUSTRATED!

and after words with biff and i, biff sent grace to the dining room table to study.   grace sat for a moment at the table...that's when i told her to do the next right thing.....and the whole house of cards fell on top of each other....to the ground...*POOF*...in one moment.

so, now i'm going to do the next right thing and cook dinner.

"see" you later!

i'm still here!  it's been a whirlwind since we got home from our ski weekend.  i haven't even left the house as i'm not to driving with this concussion!  monday i slept most of the day.  yesterday i was up and taking it slow.

even a dog walk felt like it was too much....it's just a precaution. i was up and trying to get things done at home but just couldn't accomplish enough. it's funny how that happens.....just when i think we're getting ahead, something slows me down.  life.

friends stopped by yesterday.  they were up visiting their son at a boarding school nearby.  i love when friends stop on their way through. it's so nice to get together without the planning.  spontaneity keeps life much more interesting!  for some, more complicated...for me, energized!  i love the connection.

it's been very weird to be slowed down, by my body.  my head is better but i'm trying to listen to my body's signs.

it's not so much the age as it is learning to listen.  i really feel that our bodies have stories to tell us if we would just listen.  right now, it's clear that slowing down is key. there have been times in my life that i didn't slow down to hear the signs.

this book was given to me by an old friend just because  she had 2 copies...it started me on the path of taking care of my own self and listening!  to some, it's a little sensitive new age...i'm grateful that i learned alot!

http://www.simpleabundance.com/

my thyroid slowed me down big time.  it had me so exhausted that i was falling asleep during the day.  i had alot of signs but at the time my mom was beginning to fail....i thought it was some kind of low level depression.  i assumed i was overwhelmed by the changes in my mom's mobility. i was so close to her that i was terrified of life without her.  and *kaboom*...it was my hypothyroid that was causing my slow down and my slow down had me confused.

slowing down when my body tells me to is still something that frustrates me.  it feels like it's beyond my control....because it is.  i remember having that feeling when i was expecting grace.  all of  a sudden the exhaustion was unavoidable and i wasn't used to that....i was a high energy kinda girl!  and times like those, my body wouldn't take no for an answer!

so, laying low is what the doctor prescribes for a concussion....and that's what i'm trying to do....trying....because when a mom slows down there's still alot to be done!  and that's even with a husband who does so much!  all of the time....that's a gift.

i was working on my e-bay store yesterday.  it was almost comical....every time i got some bit completed on the computer, something or someone would call me away....the computer would automatically shut down and i'd lose the work!
 *

 some more of the fun things in my e-bay store!  i'm having so much fun....back to my retail life...this time i get my own hours!
the candle "stick" is so sweet and i love it for the cottage look! the lilly skirt has the tags!  or "nwt" as we say on e-bay!
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even my blog!  my precious blog....precious to me that is! even my blog....i take for granted that i take time every day to write....it pleasures me!  who knew it was something that would mean so much.  i love it for me and every time i get a new follower, it's a thrill.  life is good.

here i sit writing and happy to be back. even though my head is still a bit fuzzy...i can think clearly....or as clear as usual for whatever that's worth!  it's not a good idea to read or use my eyes too much because of eye strain....connected to the brain!!

just when i think i'm getting ahead, some situation causes me to fall behind!  life.  although, if i could get more help from the family i love....we all might get more accomplished!  i seem to be the queen motivator in the house...pushing to get things accomplished.  we are famous for getting things started and falling short on  completion.....of everything! 

biff's dad arrived this morning.  he had dropped off a birdhouse that he made.....for  a habitat for humanity auction.  for many years, he has made dollhouses and birdhouses to donate to the auction. we've been working as a team on these dollhouses and birdhouses for habitat for more than 10 years!

http://www.habitat.org/getinv/default.aspx

his first of many was built for grace before t.j. was born. it was part of the plan....he would build and i would paint and grace would decorate...before she was 2 years old!  it was a staple of playtime in our family!

it was wonderful for all of the girls and even the boys were drawn to it.  it has survived alot....t.j. and his friends pulled up many a fire engine to put out fires at that house!  race cars were parked in the "driveway" at the house...sometimes the house served as a firehouse for t.j.!

they had hours and hours of THE most creative play together making up scenarios with characters of all types.  it seemed to be one of the finest tools of learning how to work things out together.  i still remember their little voices saying, "how 'bout....." and "no!  this guy should use that car" and more "how 'bout"s than you would believe.  they had characters like firemen, race car drivers, construction workers, "woody" from toy storyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr-2_WmOEIs, whose name was "kenny"......arthur and d.w. from p.b.s.http://pbskids.org/arthur/ and so many more!  our family favorites were "pummy and bombi".....imaginary neighbors....names created by grace, 3 and t.j., 2!

 this is made from a dollhouse kit that i sold on e-bay!

 this is the kit!  biff and i have made a couple of these to give as gifts!  i sold one on e-bay and have one more listed!

http://stores.ebay.com/littlemarymixup?_rdc=1  

i have so much more to list!  i have the pictures ready...i need some quiet time to list.

back to jim, biff's dad! since his retirement, he has always worked doing some form of volunteer work and habitat has been the perfect fit for him. he manages a crew building and restoring houses for families in need.  jim was born to be in charge....and he still is! 

he has more energy than most....even more energy than some men my age. he's 80 and still running the show!   when he's on a project, he's a man on a mission!  his mission today is the habitat birdhouse.  he brought it to me last week so that i could paint and make it a home!  it better be done well....that's the moneymaking part for the auction!  but, no pressure!

i knew i wouldn't get it done til this week.  i didn't know that i'd have a concussion and have some fog.  no matter when he brings me a project to paint, it seems i get started just before it's due to pick up.  painting under pressure is what i do best...my creative juices go wild.

i started after dinner last night!  the kids went off to bed, biff finally couldn't stand another minute and i stayed at it while daisy and fitzy kept me company.  hours go by like minutes when we're doing something we live....i'm proof of that while i'm painting.  i went to bed by 2a.m......and woke up this morning for the finishing touches!

jim arrived by 10:15 or so.  i always worry that he won't like my color choices or that i've gone too wild....artistic wimp that i am!  he loved it.  biff was working from home so we all had time to talk.....jim said, "hey, how 'bout painting some ivy too"  and i was off.  biff went to work...jim and i sat and talked while i put on his finishing touches!

 this is the birdhouse that will be auctioned with proceeds to go to habitat for humanity!

and now some friends are here to visit!  i'll "see" you later!