Category: Other Posts

Just For Fun!

It’s Almost Perfect

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Okay, I really love my five children, but sometimes they can be little stinkers. If you have children, you understand this. If you babysit, have nieces and nephews, teach school…you get the idea of children. It’s one of those love/hate relationships. Which I actually enjoy. It gives life fullness and character, and saves our years here on this earth from being, well, really boring.

Our second oldest shared this video on my Facebook timeline. I think she loves me, most of the time. But yes, she fits into that ‘stinker’ hole on many occasions. What is really scary about this video, is that it is so true! She nailed it. Please watch all the way until the end if you can stand it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnzz-eFmKaw

If you are a bit on the O.C.D. side, as I am, this video will drive you crazy. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack before it was through. But, I must be getting better, because I found the humor in it as well.

So, I dedicate this post to all of you that need to have things in your life, well…perfect. I understand! Now, I need to go back to tidying my desk so I can get some writing done! Have a great day!

Gardening

Winter Dreams

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This week in Kansas, spring is calling and I don’t want to go! This is very unusual for me. At one time, at the very first hint of warm weather, I was browsing seed catalogs and planning my new additions to the yard.

Spring is coming, way too soon for me. I want to cuddle up beside a fire and watch the snow blow outside my window. The visual beauty of drifts deepening, tree limbs laden with white frosting, and blustery skies is very appealing right now.

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I think I must be sick.

Today will be in the mid-seventies once again. The birds are chirping joyfully as they swing on the bird feeder. Their little chat groups are meeting in my olive shrubs, red cardinals dotting the small branches.

As I look out my back door, I see hedges desperately in need of trimming once again. My northern Hibiscus has dwindled down to only a few stalks, my American Beauty climbing rose died last winter and still needs to be removed. The Angel Face climbing rose on the opposite side of the leaning trellis has green shoots exploding everywhere. The stone terrace is still only half-finished and my little pond is filled with slimy water. These tasks are what meet my eye, and it makes me feel sad and old. Old because the work seems overwhelming these days, and sad because the motivation is not there.

No, it’s not a big deal in the broad spectrum of life. And believe me, there are items that need to be taken care of in the house that are even more important. But this post is suppose to be about gardening, and the outside, not the inside projects.

So, today I’m going to think about winter, because we really haven’t had any this year so far. Not in my opinion anyway. I think we had flurries a couple of times, and nothing really on the ground for long.

This afternoon, I’m going to picture my little pond with the surrounding of limestone, blanketed with white. The birds will be chirping in the silence of a winter day, their colors stark against the blustery, gray sky and drifting snowflakes. I will visualize trees with dark branches covered in white, waiting for new leaves. In my dreams I can think of the bulbs, cozy and warm under the soil, waiting to poke out little green shoots into the springtime sun.

But I will be sitting beside a warm, crackling fire, sipping a cup of something dark and delicious. I may even pull out a gardening catalog, and dream just a little bit about the warmer, to stay, days ahead. But just a little bit.

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A Quick Thought

Brewed Thoughts – Helen Keller

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“I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet” ― Helen Keller

Source: Brewed Thoughts – Helen Keller

I am sharing this from another blog I follow. https://rhythminlife.net. She has many wonderful quotes on her blog as well as some fantastic advice on marriage. Some pretty yummy recipes as well that I would like to give a try when I get a chance.

I love this quote because of its simplicity, and it cuts right to the heart of the matter. So many times we, as humans complain or feel sorry for ourselves. The grass is always greener in someone else’s yard, their life is easier than our life, they are prettier, thinner, have more money and the list goes on and on.

There is always someone that has it more difficult than what we have it. Your house may be small, or need work. But you have one, a place to live. I’ve seen entire families living in places built out of boards, cardboard, and tar paper when I visited Ensenada many, many years ago. You may not think you are pretty or thin enough. But there are those that have lost their faces through accidents,  or their bodies are shriveled with cancer. Be thankful for what you have. Look around and see all the ways you’ve been blessed.

Anyone that has read about Helen Keller, knows what she did with her life. She didn’t allow being deaf and blind to ruin the things she could accomplish in her world. And her world of more than 100 years ago wasn’t as accepting of a person with challenges in life as it is now. Be all that you can be. Dance in the rain with bare feet, warm your hands beside a crackling fire. Listen to the rain on your roof, and enjoy the bounty of food that you have. We are blessed in this world today, in so many ways.

 

Marriage

The Wife I Want to Be When I Grow Up…

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This is a post I wrote a year or so ago. We celebrated Valentine’s Day on the 14th of this month. It made me think of this post, and what our expectations are of days such as Valentine’s Day and our engagement, and the day we wed our prince.

It may start out with Cinderella. A little girl wants to wear the frilly, flowing gown and the sparkly, glass slippers. And, “Oh yeah, I need a Prince to go with that pretty dress!” The husband of her dreams is actually an accessory.

I moved on to the cottage perched daintily in a grassy meadow, pink flowers sprinkled here and there, a rose covered white picket fence guarding the little house. cottage-1234802_1280I would have lots and lots of children skipping through the meadow, laughing and playing together in utter enjoyment of one another’s company. I don’t know where they all slept in that tiny house, but dreams don’t make sense a lot of the time. A husband and father…he was around…somewhere.

As I grew older, I thought more about the kind of husband I actually wanted to be married to. Of course he would have to be handsome and love me immensely. Yes, I would love him and I still wanted the little cottage and a couple of children. They would still frolic in the meadow, loving one another and never arguing. I don’t know why I thought this, I grew up the oldest of four. But again, dreams seldom make sense.

Thankfully, by the time I was old enough to marry I was thinking more about the attributes of a husband. I wanted him to be patient and kind, hard-working and willing to support a family. (Remember, I was down to two children by this time, not a tough job.) I wanted him to love the Lord as I did and live his life for Him. Of course I still hoped he would be handsome and funny and love me forever. I still wanted the rose-covered picket fence and adorable house.

And what kind of wife was I going to be? I knew I could cook and clean and again, I was the oldest of four and had babysat…a lot before I married. I could do all the everyday tasks of general survival and I was and am still pretty good at them. But what kind of wife am I?

Do I lift my husband up in prayer each day? Do I support him in his endeavors as he always has mine? Do I give him a smile even when I don’t wish to, a stroke of his back when I know he’s down? Do I prepare a special meal for him just because he means so much to me and I want to show him I care…even when my day has been lousy? Do I love him and stick with him even when there are times when I want to run from all the responsibilities of being a wife and mother?

Honestly…I can answer ‘no’ to each question above.

The wife I want to be when I grow up…is no longer a dream. I can make it my reality, my life. Not through my own strength, but God is there, showing me the way. The wife I want to be is loving and kind. Giving that pat and smile even when I don’t ‘feel’ like it. Being by my husband’s side even when I want to run. There is no honor or beauty in ‘having our own way’ or expressing our ‘rights’.

I am fortunate and blessed. My husband shows me daily how to be loving and kind. He always has been there for me, even when I haven’t deserved it or earned it. No, it’s not a special day for us…not an anniversary of any kind. But it is another day we have to be together and share our lives. God has blessed us abundantly over the past 32 years. And He is still working on me to become the wife I want to be when I grow up.

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I pray the same for you.

A Quick Thought

Malaise

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As I get older, I don’t seem to get sick as much as I once did. When I do get something, it doesn’t last very long or hit too hard. Just enough to put me off my routine for a couple of days. And that’s aggravating. So here I sit at two in the morning, because lying down hurts, sitting hurts, walking hurts, but I can still type. And I am thankful I can sit at the computer for a couple hours at a time. Doing that yesterday helped me to pretty much finish my current manuscript. Yes, I’ll go back today after I’ve slept a little more and see what damage I did. You want to be careful of what you write in a haze of fever. It may come back to haunt you!

During my malaise, (and I’m calling it that because I don’t know what I have, but everyone in our town has it), I’ve watched way more Netflix and Amazon Prime than I usually do. And for some reason, each movie I’ve seen has been about someone battling a disease. ALS, which my maternal grandfather died of, breast cancer and a coma are just a few of the areas I’ve explored the past couple of days.

These movies have made me extremely thankful for the health I do enjoy, most of the time. I take for granted that I can get out of bed each day, that I have a job that is pretty physical, and that our family hasn’t really had to deal with too much in the health area over the past several years.

Why does God allow some to be stricken with cancer, etc. at such young ages, while others live to be 90+ years old? We don’t know, or understand, but it happens. Why are some given a full life and many years, while others leave this earth as children? It makes me sad, and especially sad when I see others suffering.

So for all of you that aren’t feeling so great, eat some of these:

Have a cup of something warm:

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And feel better soon! get-well-1485632_1280

Before we know it, spring will be here and the flu bug will be gone! Until next time…

A Day to Remember

The Art of Eating

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At one time, it was almost a sin to put a pan of any sort on the table. Back in the past, families sat down to three meals a day, at a table that was set with dishes, glasses and cloth napkins. And strangely enough, I can remember this!

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My maternal grandparents still adhered to these rules when I was a child. Every meal consisted of preparation, table setting, and then cleaning up. That included washing dishes at the sink, not loading them into a dish washer. And I don’t recall this being a huge trial.

Sunday dinners were spent at my grandparent’s house in Denver. We would leave church and head over, the adults talking, the children playing outside on nice days, the basement or back bedrooms when not so nice out. The smell of a well-done roast would drift through the house, causing your mouth to water. There were almost always potatoes of some sort served, and gravy was liquid gold. It was carried in a little gravy boat, small ladle dipped inside, the matching plate beneath to catch any spills. Without fail there was a stack of bread upon a plate and some sort of vegetable.

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We ate on Currier and Ives plates purchased through the grocery store over time. I loved those plates and requested them when I was all grown up. I have them now, and they make me smile.

Of course dinner was finished with dessert. Sometimes we would have ice cream, the carton opened and the frozen goodness sliced. No scoop needed. My grandmother was a great baker at one time, winning ribbons for her peach cobbler and pies. I’ve never been able to find a recipe to match that peach cobbler, and for some reason, hers has vanished. Just like those long-ago meals.

Angel Food cake was another favorite. Always served with frozen strawberries from a cardboard can, a slice of vanilla ice cream on top. Sometimes my grandfather would get really adventurous, and we had the whipping cream in a can. I think he had more fun spraying it than we did!

When I was a child, I dreaded the clean-up process just as I’m sure all children did. But happy memories is what  comes to mind. It was an opportunity to talk with my grandparents. I always dried while they washed in the plastic dish pan, rinsed in the sink-full of scalding hot water, and set the dishes to drain in the matching drainer. Glasses were always washed first, then the plates and silverware. Pots and pans finished up the job. This is the same routine I still use today.

I think of all of the above as the art of eating. In our everyday homes, I think that art is lost, along with suits and dresses for church, and family drives through the countryside on a summer evening. So many things that were once slow and enjoyed, an experience to be remembered.

Yes, the Sunday came when the suggestion was made to get McDonald hamburgers. A franchise had opened near my grandparent’s home. I was nearing my teens by that time. My grandmother made her Waldorf Salad to accompany it. I can still see her standing there, slicing apples into the bowl with her paring knife. I was amazed at her technique that day, and she showed me how to hold the apple in my hand and slice it without a cutting board.  She wore an apron over her Sunday dress, the afternoon sunlight shining through the large window and splashing on the kitchen table. The blue and white plates marched around on the tablecloth, folding chairs situated for additional seating. Even if you had a hamburger, you still needed a vegetable, and a proper plate to eat it on.

And I’m glad.

A Day to Remember

La La Land…

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is a phrase I said to my children on many occasions. It came into heavy use when they thought I was being too strict, or had given them too many jobs to do in a certain time period, or day. Basically, they were living in La La Land if they thought they would spend the day reading, or watching movies, or eating three pieces of cake for dessert.

And now, La La Land is a movie! I don’t claim to be a movie critic. Yes, I am critical of many movies. Too much language, too much violence, too much showing of actions that should be kept intimate, really turn me off. I do understand that when making certain movies, you need to be realistic. A gangster covering his mouth and saying, “Oh sugar!” or slapping his adversary’s hand, probably isn’t going to cut it. But sometimes it seems a bit over the top.

I also don’t act, and I don’t know a lot about that profession. But it seems as though the talents of many actors had become more about what stunts they could do, rather than the dancing, singing, etc. that was once more about glamorous Hollywood. Don’t get me wrong. The training some of the actors go through to play a character is phenomenal, and I wouldn’t want to do it. But millions of dollars of phenomenal? I think it’s a bit over-the-top in my opinion. But let’s get back to La La Land!

My husband and I rarely go to movies. We have streaming and can watch pretty much anything. So to go to a movie and spend that much money doesn’t happen usually. And last night, I went with our second oldest while our oldest daughter took care of five children. Thank you, oldest daughter! My husband would not have enjoyed the movie. War, crime, etc. are more his genre. But he would have loved the theater. It would have made for a terrific nap. Speaking of the theater, you can check it out here: http://www.ovationcinemagrill.com/#locations It’s pretty fantastic if entertainment in the movie and eating area are for you.

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La La Land was a surprise for me. As a writer, I loved the little twist at the end. Just the kind of romantic, sentimental gesture I adore. The actors, Emma Stone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Stone and Ryan Gosling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Gosling didn’t show the typical singing and dancing moves that the old Hollywood was so terrific at, but that could have been intentional. It made it more sweet, in my opinion. Ryan Gosling’s piano playing was a treat, and John Legend…well he is John Legend after all! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Legend. All of this combined with a nice story line made for a really enjoyable couple of hours.

And as I said, that was a surprise to me. I haven’t read any reviews for the movie. A really quick search on Ryan Gosling’s piano playing said that he had actually played the piano in the movie. I hope that is true, my sentimental heart wants to believe that’s true. It was wonderful to see pretty dresses and suits, beautiful scenery, and that song will be in my head forever!

La La Land! It was really special to spend a couple hours there.

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A Quick Thought

Many Thanks!

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Have you heard of ‘while I was sleeping’? Well, ‘while I was working’, this blog crossed over more than 6,000 hits! I now have 80 followers. That’s a big thing to me!

I travel to other blogs, looking at their amazing numbers. Literally thousands and thousands of hits, and thousands of followers. And I think, what am I doing wrong? I’ve been at this for a year and a half now. But it’s alright…really.

I’m so very thankful for each and every person that chooses to read a post by me. I love when people comment and share their lives for a moment. It still amazes me that people have actually read my books! And a few have written lovely reviews. Reaching out to others, sharing my life and who I am is where it’s at. And I’m continually amazed that anyone cares.

So thank you to all my precious followers! Many thanks for those of you that comment. Even a few words connects me to who you are. And that’s fascinating! Have a lovely weekend!

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Just For Fun!

Someday

deborahanndykeman

A couple of weeks ago, our second oldest shared this song with me. I not only really love the song, but as our daughter pointed out, it is Orin and Annabella’s story…and that part was really neat. If you haven’t read, A Place of Refuge yet, this is a spoiler alert! But give it a listen anyway because it’s a fun song. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR4YE7htLgI

Thank you Michael Buble and Meghan Trainor for a great song!

Just For Fun!

For Women Only!

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That got your attention, didn’t it?! I’ll have more men readers today than ever before! 😉 This post may get a couple people in my family upset. My husband because he thinks I have too many shoes, my daughters because they think I should give them away…to them, of course!

Shoes!!! I love them. Pretty strange for someone that prefers going barefoot, and once did most of the time. Not so much anymore, need a bit more padding in the foot area these days. But just think of the shoe options! Pumps, platforms, flats, chunky heels, spikes or kitten heels. Beaded, sequined, ruched, leather or satin. And the lists just go on and on.

Each time we have moved, my husband has commented on the amount of shoes I have, the boxes I needed for them. To be fair, I don’t really have as many as I have seen some women. I don’t have a huge walk-in closet lined with shelves of shoes. I keep mine in their original boxes, stacked in neat rows on the bottom of my closet.

Which is why I’m posting this today. Every year, usually the first of April and the first of October, I get ready for the new season. I have posted on the cleaning aspect of this a couple of times on here, so you can go check that out if you’re interested. But I also rotate my shoes. My closet is small…sigh…and I move those stacks every six months. And yes, I’m a bit late this year. But the flip-flops just don’t work in December…really people. Unless you live in the tropics. So put them away until warmer days arrive!

When I had all those boxes pulled out, I took some pictures to share. And now you can see that I really don’t have that many. Of course these pictures show only a few of my shoes. I thought I should add that disclaimer.

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You always need a dressy shoe for that special occasion. The black ones don’t show well in this picture, but they’ve had a lot of use. The silver ones are really comfy!

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I love the turquoise flats and they are SO comfortable. The pump in the back has a lovely tweed look to it and I haven’t even worn the other platform sandal yet. That is one that could show up missing if my daughters have their say.

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Again, more shoes that I haven’t worn yet! The navy blue and white pump is really pretty and great for summer. The slingback goes perfectly with a dress I have. The red, cute, cute shoe in the back was bought for my daughter and I have a blue pair that I have worn a lot. Again, a dress that goes perfectly with them!

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And of course, boots!!! I adore boots and I wear them a lot in the winter. The burgundy pair in the background was a really nice surprise today. I had purchased them in the summer and I had completely forgot about them! Happy Birthday to me! The black ones in the front go over my knees and they are really comfortable and warm. Purchased for my daughter, but she gave them to me after a season.

Do I have a problem? Should I seek shoe therapy? I think not. Every pair of shoes I have are purchased at extreme sale prices, almost always under $20. I wear my shoes for years, wash them after each use and pack them in their little box. I don’t spend my life shopping for shoes and I don’t keep them on display. But I do enjoy what I have! Now I just need to wear them more!shoes-619529_1920

This is a little bonus for you. Aren’t they adorable? Yes, we start women to thinking about shoes very early on in their lives.These cute, cute little shoes made me think of our newest grand-daughter, due to arrive on December 23rd. And no, the white pumps at the very top are not mine, but they are gorgeous! I wonder if they come in my size? 😉