Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Animated Movie Addict



OK, I admit it, I am a big fan of animated movies.  I have loved them since I was a little girl from Disney's Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White up to recent ones like Despicable Me, Hotel Transylvania, The Minions, etc.  They are fun.  They make me laugh and I enjoy watching them again and again.  There is only one downside for a person my age loving them so much (this may not be a downside for everyone but it is for me), I can't go to a theatre to watch them.  I have no small children to take to the theatre to enjoy them with (yes, this is an excuse) and it makes my husband and I very self conscious to be there surrounded by children and we have none.  However, with progress comes the benefits of movies on tv and dvds.  Since we don't like going to see the movies in the theatre plus the cost of the theatre these days is outrageous, we wait for them to come to tv.  Then its butter popcorn, soda and the comfort of our living room and an enjoyable evening watching the latest animated flick or one of the old standbys.  We watch, we laugh and we enjoy and for a couple of hours, the seriousness of the world today goes away.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

AJ's Tattoo


When my son AJ was 17, he got a tattoo.  I had no idea he was even thinking of getting one.  My husband and I along with AJ and a friend of his were on a mini vacation for a weekend.  My husband and I had called it a night and gone back to the hotel while the boys had decided to hang out at the mall near us.  17 year old boys do not want to hang out with the parents and possibly go to bed too early.  At about midnight, they both showed up.  Waking my husband and I, they proudly announced they had gotten tattoos.  Half asleep, I watched as AJ removed his shirt and showed me a cross tattooed on his back.  I was quiet.  I was in shock.  His response to my silence was, "Mom, it's in your favorite color."  That was about 5 years ago and since then he has gotten  a couple more tattoos.  Being a supportive mom, I have taken it in stride that he has been having someone draw artwork on his body with a needle.  I would never have anyone use a needle for artwork on my body.  But that is my AJ marching to his own beat.  The only advice I have offered throughout this is that he not put a tattoo where it could be seen while wearing a shirt.  I felt that AJ could be judged negatively by future employers who might think the tattoos were not appropriate for their workplace.  If you are a parent, you know that you are not always sure your child is listening to your advice.  Last week, my husband and I were having lunch with AJ and he said, "Mom, I don't want you to get upset.  I am getting a new tattoo.  It won't be on my face, neck or hands.  You won't be able to see it when I wear a good shirt."  I smiled and he smiled back at me, happy that I was okay with the new tattoo.  I had smiled because I realized he had been listening to me all this time.

Monday, January 18, 2016

MLK Inspiration


For this week's inspiration, my words cannot even come close to the words of the man we celebrate today.  Here are 3 of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.







Monday, January 11, 2016

Trait changes

Today I was thinking about a trait I have that I would like to change.  I have had this trait for a good portion of my life and it has been known to drive my family and others crazy.  To be honest, it has driven me crazy at times.  The trait I am speaking of is patience....I don't have a lot of this.  Most of my life, I have looked at time as 2 ways...my time and everyone else's time.  Usually my time is faster than everybody else's.  Which means I want everything done in my time.  Over the years, I have had to learn that not everyone follows my time and they can get pretty upset with me about it.  I have learned to adjust and go along with someone else's time frame even though inside I can hear myself saying, "could we get started now?  This is taking too long."  In recent years I have found my patience severely tested when I am waiting on God.  It seems God's time doesn't match mine either.  When I pray to God and ask for something, I want it now.  However, God has other ideas of when and if I should receive what I asked for.  So I am trying to remember that God knows my journey better than me and that when the time is right, He will give me what I need.  It will be in His time not mine.  So I must have patience...easier said than done.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Mom was ahead of her time

I am amazed at the adult coloring craze that started last year.  I can go into any bookstore or any store for that matter, and see coloring books of all kinds and they are not just for kids.  Adults have finally discovered coloring or they have been coloring all the time and are now coming out and speaking about their secret.  Professionals have been talking and writing about the healing power of coloring.  How it can help alleviate stress and put people in a more meditative state.  Manufacturers are making money on coloring books and the supplies that go with them.  Magazines and books are being written about coloring.   But what is most surprising to me is that my mom knew all this over 50+ years ago.  As far back as I can remember, my mom enjoyed coloring.  She colored in magazines, newspapers and coloring books.  She used pencils, pens and crayons to color.  She loved it.  She used to tell me how relaxing it was for her.  As she got older and found herself alone after my dad passed, she would set aside an hour or two each day to color.  Part of my Christmas gift to her each year were coloring books and a new box of colored sharpies. I have found that now I enjoy coloring as much as she did.  So when I read about this "new" craze for coloring by adults, I smile and remember and look up to heaven and say "you were ahead of your time, Mom!"

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Bucket List


When I retired in 2014, one of the first things I did was to create a bucket list.  Everyone knows what a bucket list is.  It is what you would like to do before you "kick the bucket".  I admit mine is not very long and most of what I have on it will never come to pass (unless I win the lottery).  However, there is one item on that list that I decided to shoot for.  I have always wanted to write a children's book and get it published.  So with that idea in mind, I started looking for inspiration on what
kind of story to tell.  I didn't have far to look because being a retired teacher who loved to read to her students, I had a great many examples of the kinds of stories the children and I preferred.  I came up with the idea to write a fictional story about animals which included real life facts about those animals.  The animals would be those that I have seen on my property in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It took me a number of months to get an outline and then first draft pulled together.  I am now working on the final draft and when I have finished it, I have a number of publishing houses I will send it to.  I know that my chances of being published are quite slim but how can you be sure if you don't try.  And I see this as part of the adventure of retirement, having the time to shoot for the dream.  Maybe I should take a look at my bucket list again.  There might be another item on that list to shoot for.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Inspirational Monday

To me, Mondays have always been the hardest day of the week.  It is the day you must shake off whatever relaxation or downtime you experienced over the weekend and get yourself into more of a work mode.  Whatever your "work mode" is, be it a 9 to 5 job, school or housework, Monday is the day (in my opinion) when your brain has to settle into that situation.  So I am always looking for a way to ease myself into the Monday mode.  I have found that when I use some kind of inspirational
quote, story or image to help me start my week, it makes the transition less stressful.  I want to share this with you, so Mondays will be inspirational on this blog.  It might be a quote, story or image. I hope it helps you face whatever life throws at you even for  a short time.




Friday, January 1, 2016

Not Resolutions for 2016

Every year on New Years Day, I write out my resolutions for the coming year.  The list seems quite long at times and although I have the best of intentions, the resolutions are usually broken and forgotten before January ends.  So this year, I am trying something new.  Instead of making a list of my new year resolutions, I am making a list of my NOT resolutions.

*I will NOT obsess about my weight unless absolutely nothing in my closet fits me right and/or my health becomes an issue related to it.

*I will NOT come down on my husband for putting things away willy-nilly even though I personally prescribe to the theory "everything has a place and everything in its place".

*I will NOT let depression take over as I watch or read about what's happening in the world today even though 80% of what is happening is dreary, despicable and depressing.

*I will NOT "sweat the small stuff" even though this goes against my OCD big time.

*I will NOT wallow in the regrets of my past but instead will focus on the future.

*I will NOT worry about what I don't have but be grateful for the blessings I do have-my husband, my children, my health and most of all, my God.