Same Ol'

Same ol'. Yup. That's my life. Not all of it. Just with Grace this week.  Grace doesn't like me. She "hates" me...if that's what "I HATE YOU" means.  I'm used to it now. I've heard it muttered, screamed, mumbled and squeaked through tears. Same ol'.

The first time I  heard those words I practically had to dive into bed and climb under the covers! Now, I realize it's a phase....that may last about 5 to 10 years. No worries. I still love Grace. I'll always love Grace. Sometimes it's more challenging than others. Not because of Grace....just because of her teenage ups and downs.

Oh, by the way, I've heard it from T.J. too. It's just not the same. The mother daughter thing is different. Everyone I know, who has girls, understands....if it's a normal relationship. It's actually healthy! Crazy but true. They have to separate from us somehow....if it's not this it's other stuff...sex, drugs, rock and roll? No matter what....it's always somethin'.

I'm really not o.k. with this. I pretend it doesn't hurt. It still does. I'm grateful to have so many friends going through this with their daughters.....some even have the situation with the same girl, then boy family. A friend with girl/boy twins called today...she is at the overwhelmed stage.  It's like walking a tight rope. Everyday is different....some fun, some not, some horrible...for our daughters. It takes a toll on the moms.

But, as I say to our kids. I'm the same everyday. I wake up. I'm happy. I'm grateful. Alright, some days I'm more tired than others. Some days I have better energy for it than others. I'm pretty even keel. Pretty steady. Thankfully, their ups and downs are theirs....I just try to ride the waves. On my sailboat of life, I try to keep my rudder adjusted, my centerboard down, my sails adjusted and try not to get hit in the head by the boom!

As my friend and I said today,"Don't you wish you could call your mom and tell her about this!" Yes. And I know, no matter what, she would laugh me through it and say, oh it's just a phase.

Rations

We live in a different world than the generations before us. I just heard that the last veteran from WWII died at 110 years old. He lived in a different world. Then, I found mom's ration book from 1942. Another world. Life is different today. We live in a world of conspicuous consumption. We live with desposable. Everything is instantaneous and for our instant gratification. Have we really come a long way? Did they live a simpler life? We only have their stories. I wish I knew more of their stories. If only that ration book could talk. Ask questions. Ask to hear their stories. They matter.

Zumba!

Loud music. Intense workout. Nice women. Great instructor. Jump. Shake. Move. Dance. Sing. Clap. Count. Laugh. Reach. Stretch. Roll.

Me? Exhausted.

Crazy Bachelor

It's true. It's a crazy show...."The Bachelor." It's unreal. Literally.

The Bachelor and the chosen women have ridden on elephants, in helicopters, uncovered jeeps on safari in the wild with lions and tigers. They have soaked in hot tubs, swimming pools while wearing itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis. They've worn strapless evening gowns and perky sundresses with high heels and sandals. They've had dinners and picnics indoors, outdoors, on cliffs and beaches. This is a reality show. I think NOT!

Is it really possible to fall in love on cue...literally? There are 20 women or so who work themselves into a frenzy for the bachelor. It seems wild that this diverse group of women each work so hard to become the woman that they think the bachelor finds special. Each woman seems to show the bachelor her best. Best everything. Not one woman seems to go to great lengths to make sure the bachelor is the kind of guy she wants or needs in her life.

It's the personalities of each individual woman and The Bachelor that have me mesmorized.

To make this guilty pleasure even more fun, some of my friends on facebook are hooked and entertained too! We are all crazy. We know it. What fun we have commenting and predicting. We understand why our husbands, children and some friends think we're crazy. We understand. We just can't understand why they don't join in the fun and watch with us. Can't wait til next week!

Fun

Changing. Always changing. There's always one. Always there. At our fingertips. Reference. Inspiration. Information. How can we live without our books?

Bookcases

I read that bookcases will someday be obsolete ...thanks to the Kindle and the i-pad. No way. Its taken me ages to get the bookcases in the order that we like! Categorized, organized and accessorized! I love the whole process...progress isn't going to take away the process. It's. way too much fun.

BOO!

We still play hide and seek......even though I'm "it" every time!

Think ahea d

Boots have been my first choice of footwear for a few months now. Warm. Dry. Insulated. Today I chose sneakers. Perhaps a bit premature? I think so.

In The Woods

As we walked along the road, Daisy gave a tug towards the trail we used to take together all of time. I was happy to take her cue. I noted the leaves spotting the trail with much of the snow melted. As we maneuvered the trail, walking in the footsteps of others that had gone before us, with more snowy patches than leaves. It was peaceful and quiet and wet. I had chosen to wear sneakers rather than boots. It was worth it.

Daisy Day

One on one time. Quality time. Daisy and I needed some alone time. We took a wonderful walk along the road...she even sported a leash! She and I loved it...Daisy was walking proud and we were both enjoying the calm. That's the way it used to be. Calm is good. We all need calm.

Remember This?

Grass. Green grass.

Good Old Days

Devil Dogs. Twinkies. On 2 silver trays. Heaven...in the old days. Plain old fashioned junk food from the days before we knew it was junk. It's nice to have a plain old fashioned treat. The adults were the ones who ate them. The kids had no idea that they were a delicacy!

Old School

We said we'd bring dessert.

Shaggy

At friends for a "Ski Week Chili Party".....we were invited with kids and dogs! Biff and I went for the hour drive together....kids and dogs stayed home
Shaggy seemed disappointed.

What's This?

This is our driveway. We haven't seen it for ages. The snow is melting.

The River Runs Through It

Our driveway.

Rainy Day

T.J

Quiet Vacation Day

Vacation Chill

Chiliin'. Watching "Top Gear"...T.J. laughs out loud. This morning, he's hangin'...chillin' watching the funny Brits on the crazy car show. Yesterday, T.J. and Biff went to their favorite 0n- track racing tracks, donned their helmets and raced their cars? carts? to beat their own best times. We all love hittin' the gas...while Grace had er big driving day so did the guys. Those race cars are so much fun. Biff had his own birthday party there with lots of friends there! T.J. had his 12th birthday there with lots of friends. Boys will be boys!

Relax

Or "chillax" as Grace and T.J say.

Daisy and Boo