A Simple Country Mouse

I know I haven't posted in a while bloggers, but to be entirely honest, I've not been wanting to smash the Christmas spirit. Until yesterday, I was in a bit of a funk. In other words, I was stuck, and didn't know how to get out of the hole that had been dug for me. I was lost, edgy, and confused, hurting, sad, and lonely. I had no idea how to get my childlike Christmas joy back, and had lost all sense of hope. I didn't really want to post with all the doom and gloom floating around in my head. And then my sister happened. Author and I are sisters of a sort. Its the easiest way of explaining our relationship. We fight like sisters, we love like sisters, and we get each other out of their funks like sisters. And boy howdy did she pull me out of mine. By the hair of my scalp. May Abba always bless her for being able to do what no one else can. Now as you hear this story remember, she hates shopping, but clothes shopping is considered a success if no one bleeds, and shoe s...

You know the old saying "Your stress will catch up to you?" Mine finally did. And of course it was in the form of laying me flat on m back for the day yesterday. To my knowledge it was food poisoning, but I managed to break my fever and start feeling almost back to normal 5 hours after it started. It had to be the fastest set of sickness in my life. I don't get sick very often but when I do, it's no fun. Gamer stayed home from work and took care of me. Poor guy. In the whole time we have been together, both dating and married, I think he has only seen me this sick maybe twice. Like I said, it doesn't happen often. Besides getting sick, everything has been no to bad. Work, while stressful, has been beginning to get a flow to it. My director is out until the end of the month, but things seem to be going alright. I just keep right on going. Everyone is helping me out and I'm figuring out how to get stuff done. Well, all the stuff that I don't normally do, I...

You know how lights on a Christmas tree just seem to radiate Christmas cheer? Some like white lights, and other colored lights. My husband and I go back and forth on whether they should be white or colored. I love white lights because they set off the ornaments so well. Gamer likes the colored ones because they match the ornaments. It sounds silly, and to be entirely honest it is. But we do enjoy having out little debates over it. This year we compromised. Colored lights for the tree, and white for everything else. Today we are going to clean the house so we can finish decorating it for the Christmas season. I can't wait to pull out my garlands, lights, and glittery stuff. Scientist is working on the dishes right now, and I will start in on the bathroom here shortly. I want to finish my post first. Then I will vacuum, dust, rearrange, and clean out the fireplace. Then its onto the deeper cleaning. Picking up clutter, wiping down counters, cleaning out the fridge, organizing the pa...

You know that old saying "trial by fire"? I certainly got a taste of it this week. You remember I mentioned that I wound up director for the week? Well, it was quite the experience. This got more than a little crazy at work. The dinner I did last night went off without a hitch. Ok, that being no one noticed the difference. Let me give you the bad news, that way you will like the good news that much better. For starters, the meat for our servers was raw, the tilt skillet wouldn't light, and the two lower ovens wouldn't stay hot. On top of that, 6 pans of veggies burned, the meat suddenly over cooked itself, our cider kept blocking the pour spouts, and our carver was rushing to keep up with all the people, and couldn't quite do it. So we improvised. I set one of my kitchen staff to carving in the back, and others to firing up some fresh veggies. We put the raviolis on the stove instead of in the tilt skillet, and put the cider in containers that could handle the lit...

Director's daughter had her baby at 12:30 this afternoon!!! The tiny one is finally here. Director is with her new grandbaby and getting to enjoy sometime off before the holidays. While she may be in a wheelchair herself, at least she gets to spend time with the little one. Tomorrow night is our big dinner. With Director out that makes me...well...director. I'm a little nervous. Ok, I'm scared out of my mind, but I know with all my help I can wing it. The only thing I have to do, is just stay calm and carry on! We got almost all the prep work done, and look forward to hitting it hard in the morning. I have my two tables decorated, and everything ready to roll there so we should be good to go. I can't wait to see people's reaction to my tables. I hope they like them. So, Unfortunately because there is so much going on I do need to go to bed soon. I'm sitting down watching a show, and eating dinner. Then it's off to bed with me. Good night, and wish me luck!

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks. One where no matter what happens something, or in my case, nearly everything, seems to go wrong. The one week a year when you have shopping, cooking, a job, and a house to run, then add another 100 things on your to do list. When you've finished making your list, and you start on your first event, then realize your boss can not move their leg, and goes out sick. You now have to run the rest of the busiest week of the year alone, and with your boss in a wheelchair for a while. That makes my week. With five events on the list for this week, and my boss completely out for three, and in a wheelchair for the last one, things tend to get a little hectic. I went from my happy little job as kitchen minion, to kitchen director on the craziest week of our year. The one we have to run entirely. Our first event was a 70 guest count dinner which we managed to make it most of the way though. On my way over to my office, I found my boss standing in the hal...

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!! My favorite time of the year. I LOVE Christmas!!! or as the kids say these days i <3 x-mas. (I always did think text speak was stupid. You can never quite tell what someone is trying to tell you.) Anyways, today being December 1st and all, in my family that meant you got to open one present. So you can imagine what we all did today. We each got to open one present...well everyone but me that is. I got to open two! I got a teddy bear, and a very special sweatshirt. As you know I collect sweatpants, but what I failed to mention is I also have a thing for sweatshirts. I have more than a dozen by now mostly black with varying colors and fonts of writing. Today's is one from a place I call home. While I have a few homes, this one is special. It was my launch pad into life. After I left for college, I didn't have enough money to stay through the final term. I couldn't go back to where I grew up, and had no money to go anywhere else. When I called Autho...

I am in awe bloggers. How is it that so many of you want to read this quirky little blog about the odd stuff in life? It will never cease to amaze me. Perhaps it's time to tell you all why I started this blog. I was originally inspired by Author. She had come home from a writer's conference, and had been inspired to start one. So, I thought "What the heck, why not have a place to write down all of my random thoughts and things going on in life?" I never believed when I got 5 hits. Then it started getting 6, 7, 8 everyday. Next thing I knew it was getting hits from all over the world. And then it was hitting 15, 20 hits a day. I kept writing, thinking this was a blast, and fun to see how many hits, and where they were coming from. Now, everyday when I check I find 40 to 50, and sometimes even 60 hits. That's so far beyond what attention I thought this little blog would ever get. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. How you found me, or why you continue to ...

The sun is out Bloggers!!!! While it may only be a break of just a day in the consistently cold and deary world around me, I'm still thankful for each moment it is here. Here the rain starts and then doesn't stop (unless it decides to snow) for several months. So each day of little bit of sunshine here is amazing! It certainly makes you appreciate the good weather when you have it. The one thing I do enjoy about the rain is the fact that the clouds act like a big blanket and help to keep some of the warmth of the earth closer to home. When there are no clouds the temperature takes a nose dive because the heat takes a high flying adventure to the tip top of the skies. So, bundle up if you are having a sunny day in the middle of winter. It's going to be chilly. With Liddy meowing around in hopes of extra food and attention, and Scientist doing dishes, it looks to be a day to relax and get some house cleaning in. As I haven't been home much this weekend, and when I have I...

As you all know, I love a good cup of coffee. So, when I was in this little coffee shop down the street (not Starbucks for the record, though I do like their coffee), I got to enjoy a great espresso. One of my favorite drinks is known as, wait for it and don't laugh, a "French Kiss". Basically it consists of french vanilla, white chocolate, and caramel. I prefer a double or triple shot with balanced pumps of flavor, but that's just me. Depending on the day I may go with extra sweet. I felt a little bad for the guy behind the bar, but not to bad. When he called out my drink it went something like this. "The French Kiss is ready, and I hope I never have to say that out loud again." "Aww come on, you have to admit that was entertaining." "Well, yeah. I suppose." I think the entire coffee shop chuckled under their breath. Poor guy....well, maybe not. Another one of my favorites is a little coffee shop downtown that serves the local apple cid...

"Good morning, good morning, it's great to stay up late, good morning, good morning to you." Ever hear this little wake up song? If not, hear's another one for you. "Good morning to you, good morning to you, we're all in our places with bright shining faces, good morning to you, good morning to you." No? Ok, how about this one. A classic VeggieTales song. "Good morning George, how are you? I hope your feeling fine, I'd love to stay and talk but it's almost 8 o'clock and I haven't got the time." Ahh, one you remember! Oh good, good. I do so love a good song in the morning. Then again, I love music in general. Music is a passion of mine that very rarely gets let out of the closet. I have a healthy appreciation for music as I used to play brass. For those of you who don't speak instruments, brass is known as the instruments that were made of brass. Trumpets, trombones, and tubas are all good examples of brass. There's some...

Well bloggers, the rain is in full swing here at the Sound Castle, and the air is chilling to a wintery feel. With the holidays in the near future and the things gearing up for craziness, I feel the need to stop and mention a few things. For starters, this holiday season, make sure you take time to drink a cup of coffee (or tea, cocoa, or whatever it is that is warm you drink) with a friend, or with family. You never realize how important family is until it is gone. You never realize that friends are so needed in your life until they no longer are there. So in the midst of all the chaos of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, make sure you take the time to be with those you love. Secondly, don't let everyone else tell you that the gifts and the food is all that is important. I promise, in the span of things, the gifts and food are really not that big of a deal. What people will remember the most are the memories you make. The ones like Aunt Matilda spilled all the green bea...

Remember how some time ago I mentioned I am not a morning person? Here's another fun fact. I don't like taking my showers in the morning. In college I would take them as late at night as I possibly could. I found that the community bathroom was as quiet as can be at midnight, and that the hot water was on an endless supply. I would wait until curfew (as ours you just had to be in the dorm, but you could be wandering the dorm) and then go take a shower just after everyone cleared out of our community bathroom. Our bathroom was shared with 4 other rooms, and each contained 2-4 people in them. I think there was a total of 11 or 12 of us. The bathroom itself contained three toilet stalls, three shower stalls, and a long, wrap around counter with three sinks. There was a small closet where some people kept their stuff, and the extra toilet paper and paper towels were kept there. The bonus to having a community bathroom, unlike the other dorms which had bathrooms built into each room...

With our niece over today, I realized how excited I am for kids of my own. Putting Little One down, and hearing her cry was so sad, but it gave me an excuse to pick her up and hold her for an hour or so while she slept in my arms. I finally put her in her play pen which is where she is right now sleeping. All the lights in the house are off except the kitchen light, which Scientist is using to make himself breakfast. I'm sitting here mostly in the dark blogging watching Little One sleep. It's such a pleasure to see babies and toddlers sleep. They are so relaxed and comfortable, it makes you want to curl in a ball and snuggle up in some blankets yourself. They are so cute. The soft cadence of their breathing is a lullaby in itself, because you know they are safe and sleeping. In my opinion, there is nothing more peaceful than the soft sound of a little one's breathing. Liddy is curious as to what this littler person in the little box is. As Liddy has never really spent much...

As I haven't posted about our cat Liddy for a while I decided it was only fair to devote an entire post just to her. Granted, this is probably one of the few times I will post about her, let alone an entire post. But needless to say, this one's for you Liddy. Liddy is our long haired black (or Scientist is determined she is brown but she must be so dark brown everyone thinks she's black) ball of fluff. Her unusual meow is a constant source of amusement for us all. With it's purring quality and her constant chattering with us, we all find that we worry when she is quiet. That typically means she's got something up her sleeve...or shall we say furry paw. ;) She has seems to have decided that we live for her entertainment and needs. Oh, and apparently she owns the house as well, including all of our beds. You know how most cats seem to find the most comfortable place in the entire house and stake it out as theirs? Yeah, no, not Liddy. She hates anything to comfortabl...

You know how you always here the old saying "What are you doing for the holidays?" Me? My answer is usually something like "hopefully spending it with family and friends." I won't lie, I love the holidays. The scents of Thanksgiving, and the whirl of Christmas. The lights, the music, and the general happiness in the air. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone seems to be kinder, and less grumpy. The cheer seems to light up any room, and places like the mall don't seem quite as bad as they normally do. With Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas on everyone's lips, and music ringing through the air, the whole world seems right, even just for a little while. I can't wait. So with the holidays just around the corner, we are gearing up for them. I love to spend time with my family and to hear what they have been up to since the last holiday. I have most of my Christmas shopping done, but still have to shop for Gamer, Author, and Scientist. Beyond tha...

Sometimes in our world we have to say goodbye before we even get a chance to say hello. When a life is lost before it is even begun to really live is one of the hardest things about our world. So many lives are lost, but the ones that are yet to be born and are lost are some of the saddest. Watching the people deal with the loss can be heartbreaking. What do you do? How do you help? These are some of the questions that run on a constant loop through your head. The silent tears that fall from your eyes as you hold them while they cry, run deeper than just the surface. Wondering what will happen next, and how you are going to help them get through can be questions that you don't know the answer to. Sometimes, the constant worry about them and the heartache of having to sit back and let them go through it can bring you down. It can seem like it will never end, and that one thing after the next just keeps happening, with no end in sight. The sorrow and hurt can be overwhelming, but do...

This little phrase is what I heard this morning when I told Author she could take the rest of the mint chocolate bar to work today. The rest of the conversation went something like this: "Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. Ponies and chocolate! Chocolate ponies! Like chocolate bunnies, but they are shaped like ponies. You eat them while you ride a pony!" Yeah, she was a little excited. I promise, this is a normal conversation for our little family. Every once in a while when Author is sitting on her bed in the living room we hear a random little something from over there. One of my favorites was "I know you! You are president Ulysses S. Grant and the snowman, and your here because it's Armor Day and there aren't enough zippers to go around." Another was something along the lines of "Yes, because trusting your uncle who just killed your mother is a completely normal and great thing to do...moron." The funny thing about all this is we won't here a ...

So deciding to go into work in a kitchen on a sprained ankle probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. No idea why that sounded like a good idea. Well, other than I can only take 4 hours of sick leave a day, and I had a 9 hour day on the schedule. With a lunch and a dinner on the event list, fortunately, my boss had sent me a text that night and I called her to let her know about my....fall. She decided that she had enough help for the first event so I was to come in for the second event. Then if my ankle hurt, I was supposed to go home and put it up. I'm a stubborn brat, so I stuck it out until I couldn't handle it anymore and then, and only then, did I go home. My boss followed shortly. I got home, and sat and chilled to take it easy. My poor little foot was ready to be done. It was definitely a "I'm done, I'm going HOME!" kinda days. The next morning I got up, totally spaced on having a sprained ankle, that is until I stood up and hit the ...

You know how when you wear those adorable heels, and someone says, "How do you walk in those? I would break my ankle." I really think that all those people should shush it, as it always seems to jinx anyone wearing heels. So help me heaven, the next time I hear that phrase I think I will scream. The reason for this rant is that I love heels. I have probably somewhere in between 25-30 pairs. In all colors and shapes, I love them all. So today when I was in the parking lot and fell, well you can imagine what happened. Yup sprained ankle. Again. I have never fell in heels, but I have sprained my ankles several times. So, tonight's post is short, but that's because I'm in a mood. Yes, I'm ticked off that I fell. And I'm the one in the family with the balance of a cat. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be brighter. Hope all of your days were much better than mine. Goodnight!

You know those days when you get a call and the conversation goes something like this: "Hey, this is so and so, I was thinking we should do dinner sometime?" You answer, "Yes, of course, we should catch up. When should we go?" You continue to have a conversation until you both come to an agreement on when, where, and what time you should meet. Sometimes you are even really looking forward to going and hanging out with this person, and sometimes, you are already beginning to wonder how you can pull and dine and run. Well, as I have much experience in the dine and run area, here are a few ideas. Idea Number One: Show up with a date. Seriously, pick some random person that you sort of know-ish, and invite them to dinner. Then proceed to call and ask if it's ok if you bring them along. Truly it works. They feel obligated to let them come, and usually dinner is cut short as the person you intended on meeting doesn't really want to hang out with random person. I...

Yup, yesterday was that time of year again. The time of year when you pull out all those itchy costumes, and greasy face paint. Just kidding. Not all the costumes are itchy (though I'm sure there are some) and not all the face paint is greasy, but it can be hard to get off. Here at Sound Castle we dressed up, and headed out for dinner and a movie. Ender's Game and Applebees to be specific. Both were wonderful. Author was in a full evening gown, white mask, and rhinestone tiara to turn her into the perfect princess. She stayed warm in her black cape which looked awesome over her deep blue dress. Scientist was, well, a mad scientist. Armed with a lab coat, glasses, and some frizzy hair, he looked the part to be sure. Gamer was debonair in his classy vampire costume, right down to his waistcoat, and cravat. Yup, even did the touch of mascara and eye liner to make him look a little mysterious. Surprisingly the make up made him look even more manly, rather than feminine. Lastly, but...

You remember the old children's books we used to get read each night before bed? Ones like Good Night Moon, My Fuzzy Blanket, The Little Prince and Tell Me Cat? The old Dr. Seuss books like Oh The Places You Will Go, Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, and of course, the most famous, Cat in the Hat? As I am an avid reader and love books of all kinds, I will always love a good book. But, I have to say children's books have always been, and always will be, a favorite of mine. Good Night Moon was my favorite book when I was little. My Papi would read it to me just before bed for many years. When I began to read myself, it was one I would go back and read ever so often just because it's so sweet. As i got older and my little brother was born, I read it a few times to him before bed. My Mum and I began reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was about 7 or 8. I think I was a bit young at that age, though I quickly climbed to things like Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys. After...

I know, I know, I know. I haven't written for a while. That my dear friends is because I've been driving along the coast, and then blasting back to work. I was headed to a really great conference on the beach with Author, and it was a kick in the pants. Let me tell you, it was hilarious, and sad, and emotionally draining like nobody's business. We met up with one of the mamas and spent the weekend in this adorable little town on the beach. It has this little Christmas shop that we hit, and found Christmas presents for some of the family. Author got all of her Christmas shopping done, well, almost. I, on the other hand, only got two of my presents done. The conference itself was about rest, of all things. Me? Rest? Remind me of the definition of rest, because last time I checked it was something like, "run around like a chicken with your head cut off until you drop down dead." No? Oh, bummer. Well, I tried. Anyways, we had a blast, and then headed to mama and papa...

Yup, I'm headed to the beach once again, only this time, it's a different beach. This is another quaint town but a little larger than the last one. Actually, I've been there once before and look forward to going back. With it's soft beaches, and tides to play in, I look forward to a girl's weekend away. While I will try to post I cannot promise I will be able to. Depending on where we are I may or may not have cell reception. In which case I will do my best to find a coffee shop with internet access. On the way down tomorrow, I can't wait to see all the sites I haven't seen since I was a freshman in high school. That was the last time I was down in this region. So, we shall see. Onto other news (as the casters always say), with fall chilling the air, and summer definitely over, we are all starting fires, and pulling out those warm winter coats. I love to settle in in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea, and watch the fire one of the boys built roar to l...

Do you ever get those days where all you can think is "Dear Heaven, why me?" I've seemed to have had a string of those the past few days. I know this is typically a whimsical little blog, but today I just need to rant. So forgive me as I go off for a moment. Saturday was a pleasant enough day, until my roommate and I decided to try a new church which had an evening service. Author laughed her way through the service, as I tried to curl up in the smallest ball possible. No, she wasn't laughing at the service itself, but at the effect it had on me. Let's just say I don't do so well in large crowds of jumping beans and loud shouts that seem to have no rhyme or reason. I twitched and shuddered my way through it until I discovered that if I simply went into my own little world I would be just fine. She intends on laughing for the next 15 years of my life. I intend on never going back, and she owes me one. I plan on using it when she will feel my uncomfyness. (Yes,...

We made it to 500 page views bloggers!!!! That's so amazing! With over 30 page views each time I post we are growing bigger and bigger every day. When I started this blog, I was just putting my crazy thoughts down for fun, never realizing, or even imagining people might actually enjoy reading about this odd little place we all the Sound Castle. It will never cease to surprise me that all you out there really want to read this. I am humbled and awed. My crazy thoughts of my crazy house in my crazy little world. I'm sure many of you can relate to living a crazy life, but I wouldn't trade it, or this for the world. Seriously, 500 page views...wow. Thank you. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you all read this. So, on that note, here's my crazy thoughts for the day. I spent the day sketching an odd little piece that looks a little like the Sound Castle, but has some interesting little bits in it. Like my personality, things aren't always as they appear....

I do so love a good book, but with every to good to be true thing there is likely a downside. For me, books, and Pier 1 are my kryptonite (stupid spell check won't work). Books in particular are my favorite. So, since yesterday was an unexpectedly long one, I decided to not crawl out from beneath my cozy warm covers until roughly 1:00 this afternoon. Let me tell you, it was a pleasure. I don't remember the last time I stayed in bed so long. Well beyond when I sicker than a dog. With my nose stuck in a delightful fairytale about Captain Hook finding love, I lazed the time away and was completely content. Only the smell of fresh brewed coffee coaxed me out. That and I had to use the bathroom. And my tummy was yelling at me to feed it. My hubby bought me a kindle a few years back for Christmas, and it's one of the gifts I hold most precious. Because I love books so much, the fact that I can carry 1000 books or more in my back pocket is pretty awesome. It's great for long ...

This morning was all bright and sunny until....oh that's right, I had to wake up. Bummer. Rousing out of bed at an ungodly hour of the morning after last night, and still being sick, I dragged myself up to go make coffee for work. Ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off because my dishwasher didn't actually do his job...again. So help me heaven, I seriously want to teach him like you would a dog. Stick his nose in the gross stuff. That ought to hopefully teach him gross stuff in the sink and on the floor is bad. I have a pet peeve about sticky stuff being left on the floor, and leftover wet food left in the bottom of the sink. EEEEEWWWWW!!!!!!! At least he wasn't there today so I didn't have to deal with him. When I got home, Gamer was off at a meeting, and then headed to a friend's to watch a football game. American football that is. My personal theory is that it's a bunch of guys running back and forth in spandex on a field kicking an odd shaped ...

You know those days when you wake up in the morning and you just feel sick? Your tummy tosses and turns. You want to sleep all day, and you are hungry but the thought of food makes your stomach want to revolt. Yup, that's how I spent my very busy day. Woke up at 6:00 this morning and started my day with my tummy deciding to play chase with itself. It was going round and round until I thought I might lose it, and then next thing you know, it just stops. Then, to make things even better, it's starts playing in the playground of my insides with my other organs, popping in and out of the dome climbing gym, swinging up and down on the swings, and going on the merry go round so many times my head began to spin. To make things even more entertaining, it began to do flips on the monkey bars, and promptly fell off. And that's when I decided it was time to go home before my tummy decided to pay me a visit outside of my body. Having lunch a second time didn't sound appetizing for ...

I love a good curry, but curling up with a ball of fur in your lap with a bowl of curry is even better. Liddy was meowing around the house while Scientist was making curry last night. It reminded me of how much I enjoy being home with the smell of food cooking, and the sound of a cat purring. Some days I forget about the little things we should all enjoy. And then something happens to remind me of how important they are. It's so often the little things we take for granted, and yet they are also so often the ones we appreciate the most. To come home this evening to hamburgers cooking on the stove, was a pleasant surprise. Author decided to make dinner for all of us, and then headed to bed as she has to be up early tomorrow morning. I have to hit the hay here soon myself as I'm going to be hopping up around the same time. Tomorrow is a day full of cooking, and a baby shower. We are serving breakfast at 8:00 am. Then a lunch at 12:00, and a baby shower for a friend at 3:00. Like...

You've probably never heard of freezing sunshine. Let's see if I can explain. On those days you wake up, the sun is shining, and you go to roll out of bed with a big stretch and a nice yawn, but get stopped short because the moment you crawl out from under the covers you freeze. Yup, freezing sunshine. It looks like it should be a pleasant day, slightly warm without being overly hot, and next thing you know, you are trying to crawl back under the covers until someone turns up the heat, or starts a fire for you to curl up next to wrapped in your cozy blankets, and coffee in your hand. That's what I woke up to this morning, only without the luxury of being able to curl up next to the fire, or the cup of coffee in hand. It was up and at 'em this morning. The one redeeming fact of the morning was I got to spend it with Gamer. We had an appointment this morning, so we met there and then hung out for a few moments after the appointment. Then I headed home to a fire and breakf...

As the rain and storms start to roll through, I begin to think on other things. I begin thinking about life, and the deeper meaning of it. The hope, and the sorrow. The rain beats down, and the fire crackles next to me. The purr of the cat, and the laughter of the boys fill the air with contentedness, but I ponder the times that things weren't always to peaceful. As we just had a power outage a day or so ago, I have had time to wonder about all of these things. So here's what I've been pondering. When you go through those storms of life, whether they be a simple rain storm or a full blown hurricane, what do you do? How do you deal with those things? How do you deal with the grief, pain, loss, sorrow, anger, and rage? I know there is no cure all but there are things to help cope. For starters, prayer is the first thing on the list. There is always a Friend who is there to love on you, and all you have to do is ask. Simple as that. Just ask. Now I am not just saying this to ...

Good morning bloggers. How have you been? I hope good, but even if you are going through hard times, I hope that you have a silver lining to hold onto. Me? Well, it's been a long week to be sure. Earlier this week I made a post about when we have to say goodbye. Whether it's goodbye to a friend who is moving away, or someone who is retiring, or someone who you love who has passed away, it's never easy to say goodbye. I suppose we have to look to the future and know that Abba has a plan for each and every one of our lives, and that no matter what, He has our best in mind. Now we may not always like what He has for us, and we may decide to throw a temper tantrum, but He still has what's best. He gives us the strength to say goodbye no matter the situation. It never gets easier to say it, but it does get easier to understand that he is holding us in His arms. All we have to say is "Abba, hold me please. I don't have the strength to stand." As someone I knew o...

I do love a good day of relaxation and sleeping. Sleep is a great thing. Really is. I do so love a good nap. How about you? I spent my day napping, watching Doctor Who and stuffing my face with all kinds of yummy food. With several seasons to catch up on I could only make it through a few episodes before nearly falling asleep and needing to wander around the house in my jim-jams. Pjs, sweats,ushers to whatever you choose to call them, they were quite comfy. With everything from Gushers to Crackers and gravy, Fruit roll ups to bugles, I thoroughly enjoyed munching all day until we as a whole family went out and had Red Robin burgers. Yumm!!!! I can't wait to eat leftovers tomorrow. Sorry I haven't written in a while. things have been a bit crazy. Sunday my parents took off. Monday we had Author's friends in for a quick lunch, and Tuesday was back at work. Wednesday was work yet again, but it was the day I had to begin to say goodbye. So, today was along day of quiet relaxat...

When we have to say goodbye, it's not always as easy as it sounds. The staff at my work threw a retirement party for one of two of our retiring bosses. They are well loved and respected. For me, today's is almost harder than the other one because I am much closer to this one. He is a caring and kind, gentle and patient. When I first came to this job, he was always there to check on me. He was the one who made this place home. I am having a heck of a time trying to let go. Trying to say goodbye.

So, family came last night, and it was a blast. We stuffed our faces with yummy food, laughed hysterically, and passed out from exhaustion. This morning I woke up early and got to head to take my dad out to do something we have never done before. We went out to the dock, and then hit the coffee shop. Chai tea in his hand, and white chocolate mocha in my hand, we sat down and chatted for a while. We then headed back to the hotel, so that we could pick up mum and Half-Pint to head the farmer's market. Munching on gyros from the greek vendor, mum and I enjoyed some one on one time. We then headed out to World Market and Top Foods. Can't wait to see what we will do next. Talk to you later.

Well bloggers, the house is clean and we await the arrival of my parents. With country music in the background and Author tapping away at her latest book, Scientist doing the dishes, and me sitting here blogging, we are all at ease and enjoying some down time before the everything goings bonkers. I really should work on my sketches but I am just going to enjoy a little relax time. I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous about my parents coming. I hope they see what I see when I look at our little home. Yes, we live in an apartment, yes, we have a section of the living room screened off for Author, and yes, not everything is in perfect order, but when I see our home, I see a place of safety. I see a place where those who need a place to crash can stay, a home that's warm, and to be honest it looks like it just stepped out of a magazine. Covered in Pier 1, World Market, vintage picked up here and there, and of course a touch of each of us, it's warm without being overwhelming. ...

Well bloggers, just 24 more hours until my family arrives at my door. So, in all in a flutter, I head to an appointment, and then get ready for a day of serious house cleaning. With 2 loads of laundry to do (which considering there was about 9 loads just over a week ago), vacuuming, dusting, and touch ups of this and that, I do believe the house will look great. Especially since Gamer and I grabbed that last little decor that the house needed before they get here. Scientist and I put it up the night before last and it looks quite adorable. In our house we have a thing for forest colors. Chocolate brown, beige, greens, and splashes of this, that and the other, including reds, yellows, and even a tiny dash of blue, though blue is very tucked away. We have a wall applique tree of all chocolate brown that we had put up on the screens that block out Author's bedroom. It has little mirrors formed like leaves tossed about with the chocolate brown leaves that make up the rest of the tree....

Errands and chores, errands and chores. Does that ever feel like your mantra on days off? You just get stuck doing more errands and even more chores? That's how I spent my day off...doing guess what? Errands and chores! Oh joy. Not. Well at least the house is clean, the laundry is done, dinner was made (and quite yummy if I do say so myself), and the world is put to rights in the Sound Castle. Gamer and I spent the day running errands to all over town. Everywhere from the fabric store to the movie rental store that is closing down, to (my favorite) Pier 1 Imports, and the grocery store. We had to pick up a needle and thread to hem Author's slacks for work, return a movie (and of course pick up a few), get a couple of decor items to finish a particular corner in the house, and grab a couple of groceries as we were out of coffee creamer (a horrifying thought to have coffee in the morning with no creamer) and Author needed deli meat for her sandwiches. Once we finished running a...

Remind me why I got up at 8:30 this morning? Oh yeah, that's right, so I could get off earlier and head to big brother and sister's for dinner and games. At work this morning we were supposed to serve 70 people...which turned into more like 90-100. Oops. Thankfully we had just enough food. The Lord provides. Our menu was quite delicious. Consisting of crab ragoons, Pad Thai noodles, Shrimp, Chinese BBQ pork, and fried rice, all finished with a coconut and pineapple ice cream topped in toasted coconut and a fortune cookie, the lunch was a smashing hit. Directly after work, I came home, and passed out on the bed for a little while. I was plumb tuckered out. Gamer dragged me out of bed so we could make dinner and game night with family on time. We still wound up late. Then again, we missed the turn twice. Third times the charm they say. Granted, big brother ran down to the road so we could find the house. He then hopped onto the hood of my MR2 and rode up to the house. Sister had...

I'm a dreamer. Always have been. When people tell me grow up, dreams are for kids, or adults don't day dream...I smile and chuckle. Why not dream? In a world where this is sorrow, grief and pain, why not dream? There is so much joy and love in this world too don't get me wrong, but imagine if you could fly, or swim underwater without having to come back up to breathe. Imagine if you could travel time, and watch history for yourself, or maybe you want to head to the stars and find a new planet that has yet to be discovered. If you are like me, you want to dream. It's a good thing. Some dreams are things that can become a reality, and some that are so far impossible, but come on, it's worth thinking about. Perhaps you dream about a new place to live, or a new friend to help you through something. Those are amazing dreams too. Think about it, what would the world be like if no one ever had a dream. We would have no lights, not internet, no computers, no outrageous shoe...