Daybook 6/5/2011

Outside my window...

The sun is setting.  Not a bright pink setting, the sky is white and a few blue spots peek out.  Cloudy but not raining.  Is this what Spring feels like?

I am thankful...

For closure.  I am also thankful for being able to make it to my beautiful cousin's graduation.  I am thankful for the rain that will prevent a drought and for bbq's even when the weather is not bright!

I am thinking about...

I have two baby showers and a wedding coming up, thinking about those...

Learning all the time...

Tolerance and patience...  Yes, I know that is a constant learning experience!  Learning with my Little about all the new things she experiences.

From the kitchen...

Not much...  Last night we did have garlic red-potatoes and asparagus, but the bbq is getting a workout the last few nights.

I am creating...

At the moment, nothing...  Tomorrow is a new day though, and I will be checking my inventory to begin projects for the upcoming showers.  I also need to get to work on some Stuff N Junk projects, my Etsy page is a little bare.

I am working on...

Keeping calm.  "Who me?"  You may think I am the PICTURE of calm and collected (tee-hee) and you would normally be (mostly) right.  A bit emotional right now, kind of scattered in my head.  It's been quite a month and I'm playing a bit of catch-up now.

I am going...

No where any time soon.  Hanging in there though with hopes of a trip soon!

I am hoping...

For change!  Nothing Obama can help with, just good, old-fashioned, life altering change.  It's good for us!

I am reading...

Again, no reading for me this week.  My mom did finally get a NOOK!  We spent a few hours last night going over the ins-and-outs of it.  Maybe I will find time this week to read something other than invoices and pattern instructions!

I am praying...

Sure.  Always.  Right?  Isn't every good thought about someone just a tiny little prayer?  If not, it should be!

I am hearing...

Angelina Ballerina.  My Little doesn't really watch the show, she just likes the music at the beginnings of the shows.  Although, I think she might enjoy Angelina soon, since every time we turn around she's on her tip-toes!!!

Around the house...

Laundry, dishes, all-around cleaning.  Gregg has been doing a great job while I have been so distracted, but now it's time for both of us to tackle the beast and get the job done!.

One of my favorite things...

Celebrating my nephews birthday with him!  Six years ago much of our family got together on this very date in anticipation of his arrival...  Who would have known they would actually be around for his birth!

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Sewing...  Cleaning house...  Helping mom...

Random thought...

Hmmm, I may have to get back to you this week...  It's getting late and random thoughts seem to slip away at this time of the day...

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

I really wanted to post a picture of my cousin Mandy at her graduation, but I'm having a problem with transferring the picture...  So, here we go:

My nephew, six years ago...

Change=Progress?

I thought of a few different titles for this post...  "It's Gone" and "Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead" were among a few that crossed my mind.  Where do I start?  Well, here we go...
Basically I have lived in Contra Costa County for about 20 years...  Now let me tell you, that is frightening for me.  When I was younger we moved a lot.  No, I mean A LOT.  I usually only went to a school for about two years before we picked up and left, I once went to a school for two weeks.  I am not one for "setting down roots."  I like being mobile, I like the option to move, I have always prided myself on my ability to not only accept change, I encourage it!  Well, that is until I accidentally set down roots...
When my brother and I moved in with our dad we were told that we would finish High School where we started it.  Don't get me wrong, we still moved while we attended High School, but just a few blocks away and in the same town.  I did move away for a little over a year after High School, but for some strange reason I came back.
I really liked High School.  I liked my friends, I liked my step-family that lived close by.  I never thought I would get "attached" to the place though.  I said mean things to my close friends about how we would not "hang-out" after High School and how I would never just go back to the school to check-in or hang out.  Both ended up being true.  I still talk to a few of my close friends, via the internet, but I don't see any of my friends very often.  I've only been back to the school a handful of times, for graduations or sporting events that I was dragged to.  You see, I liked High School.  I had a great time and wouldn't change a thing, and I don't need to go back and re-live it.
I now live a few blocks from the school and over the last year I have watched the city change.  Where there used to be a city park they are now building new city office buildings.  Personally I think the whole thing is pretty ugly, but the old offices are pretty old, so whatever, progress, right?  What really got to me was that I had my first kiss in the park that now houses this enormous metal structure.  I don't even know the guy anymore, but I could have showed you the exact bench where it happened, if it was still there...  That kind of got to me.  Don't forget though, I deal well with change, so I've gotten over it.  I've moved on...  Right?  Well, I'm getting there.
Last week was my cousin's wedding.  We ventured to Northern California for a week-long of festivities!  Actually, it was mostly preparation, but spending time with family is always (and never) work at the same time!
After an exhausting drive home we passed through the town where I had lived while I was in High School.  I don't go that way much.  They've opened new roads out here.  Unless I'm specifically going to my dad's I can pretty much get away with never going through that town.  At the corner to turn to my dad's is a building that stood for (what I've been told was) ninety years.  It was a building that held a lot of emotion for me, a lot of memories.  And the building was gone.
In 1994 (and off-and-on over the next six years) I worked for Round Table Pizza.  I worked there with friends and family.  I met my husband there.  I could tell you stories about that place, but that would stray from where I need to go now...  Because the building is gone.  I started in the back making pizza.  I may have been the messiest person on the "paint" line.  In my first weeks I was told that I didn't talk very much, boy was that a mistake!  I eventually worked my way through the back and got to work the front counter.  I never thought answering a phone was as frightening in my entire life!  I worked my way to supervisor and eventually assistant manager.  I scrubbed baseboards and walls, cleaned the grout with a toothbrush and soda water, I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed floors.  I learned to make the pizza's, roll the dough, count the tills.  As a supervisor you would most often hear me shouting "CLOCK OUT AND GO HOME!"  I would tell the employees that swearing was a sign of low intelligence because smart people could think of something better to say.  I would giggle phrases like "Yippy Skippy!"  I chased out a few bums, made a few enemies and I even threatened a few customers that I would "take them outside" if they couldn't talk to my employees more respectfully.  Summer's were spent dripping sweat because the swamp cooler never worked right.  After closing we would make brownies, cookies, sometimes cake or we would go up and get ice cream to finish out the night.  It wasn't the best job in the world, but I worked with some wonderful people and I had some amazing customers.  We were a family.
We drove past that spot again yesterday.  We were going to my nephew's kindergarten graduation and there was that huge pile of ruble where a restaurant once stood.  The last few years that we were dealing with that company I had thought many times about how nice it would be for that building to come crashing down, but now that it's down...  I don't know...  But don't forget, I deal well with change, I'm all about change!
Change is going to happen.  Progress may or may not be the end result.  No matter how you spin it, Memory Lane can be a great place to visit, I just wouldn't want to live there.
I will try to get by and take some pictures the next time I am in the area...

Wordless Wednesday 6/1/2011

All Gave Some, Some Gave All

Memorial Day 2011.
Last night I received a text from my dad asking us to join him at a local cemetery for Memorial Day.  
You see, while my dad has always been patriotic, he has recently joined a motorcycle club consisting of veterans and police officers.  In the last few months this group has been making appearances at the funerals of fallen soldiers to show their support and to keep protesters at bay, in a peaceful manner.  It is important that you understand I have no patience for people that protest a funeral no matter whose it is.  My Grandfather was a Marine and I have a cousin that is a Marine.  I have had friends and family that have served my our country my entire life and I have always been taught to respect them.
Today was a day that left me speechless, breathless, in tears of appreciation.  We saw the American flag raised to half-mast by a local boy scout group.  The National Anthem was sung, not over-done by some celebrity, but by a 13-year-old girl who sung from her heart.  We heard stories from soldiers and about soldiers.  We said the pledge of allegiance and no one protested the use of "Under God" when we all used it.  Prayers were said, and we used  "in Jesus name" and "Amen" and it did not offend those fallen soldiers that lay six feet below our feet.  It left me wondering if someone miles away was honoring my own Grandfather's grave the way we stood above these complete strangers.
I looked at the headstones of these fallen veterans and I was amazed by what I saw.  You see, this was a local cemetery and many of the deceased did not die in battle.  Many fought for this country and then made it back to their families to develop the towns and cities I have lived in for the last twenty years.  What truly amazed me was that so many of these soldiers were not natural born Americans.  The dozens of graves that surrounded me were of Greek immigrants.  They came to America to make a better life for themselves and their families.  They were so confident in this great new land that they risked their lives for it.  The man that lay below my feet had received a purple heart in WWII, he and his wife were born in Greece.  A veteran a few feet away was from Korea.
What kind of an America have we turned this country into?  I am a natural born American.  My ancestors came from many countries, I couldn't even tell you exactly how many.  The fact of the matter is, those men who passed away so many years ago are my family, they made me what I am today.
You see, in America, we do not have dual-citizenship.  African-American, Mexican-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, they simply do not exist.  Your family can come from wherever they were born, but if they came to America, it was for one purpose.  America is the great melting pot for nationalities.  Well, I am an American.  My blood relations come from all over the globe, but I am connected to the people I am not biologically related to because we all believe there can be a better place, a place worth fighting for, a place worth dying for.
Please remember the next time you see a service person, a veteran, a police officer, a firefighter, they have put their life on the line for you, for your rights, for your safety, and they deserve nothing less than your respect.
Please remember them.

Daybook 5/29/11

Outside my window...

The sun is setting.  The sky is golden, wind is breezy.  I actually haven't been outside at all today.  Well, that is, if you don't count when we got home at one in the morning.

I am thankful...

For family and friends.  For births and get-togethers.

I am thinking about...

My busy week.  I didn't even have time to post Wordless Wednesday photos!!!  What an amazing week though!  Starting out with the arrival of my niece and new second cousin followed by a week filled with wedding preparation!  Ending of course with an amazing wedding, graduation party, and lots of family!

Learning all the time...

I'm learning my limits.  As a "normal" human being I tend to push myself a bit too far, all for the greater good of course!  In the end, it's about know what I can and cannot handle, accepting that what I do is really good enough and being happy with the end results.

From the kitchen...

This week?  Nothing from my own kitchen!  I have been blessed with enjoying the amazing food from other peoples kitchens though!!!  Amazing creamy pasta with chicken, cheesy potatoes, tri-tip, garlicky-buttery green beans and potatoes, and wonderful wedding cake!

I am creating...

Actually, I am doing a day of non-creating!  Last month was an overwhelming month of creating and I feel OK taking a day off!  On my schedule to come;  a couple of baby shower gifts and finishing up some projects that had to be put aside last month.

I am working on...

Getting the house back in order and catching up on some rest.

I am going...

To spend Memorial Day with my Dad.  He has joined a motorcycle group and they do a lot with fallen soldiers.  Tomorrow he asked us to join him at a local cemetery.

I am hoping...

To get to bed early.  I've got a little girl that is also needing some extra sleep and I'm hoping she gets to bed early tonight.

I am reading...

Nothing at the moment.  Wuthering Heights has had to take a back seat to my busy plans.  Perhaps I can take back up with it tomorrow.

I am praying...

For the health and well-being of my friends and family.  Also for the soldiers that have given their lives and are currently serving their country.  May they be kept safe.

I am hearing...

Angelina Ballerina and a screaming child.  Oh wait, now she is making spitting noises...  She is a silly girl!

Around the house...

We're getting a new gate for Little this week!  It will give her more space around the house without letting her into the kitchen.

One of my favorite things...

Getting to spend time with family.  The world has become such a large place, no matter how we try to keep in touch via this contraption called "the internet" it doesn't come close to visiting with them in person.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Catching up on sleep and chores around the house.  Maybe try and get in the sewing room!

Random thought...

Hmmm, not much time for random thoughts this week.  I guess remembering could be considered a random thought?  If that's the case, I did a lot of remembering this last week.  A little girl with pigtails, her first toe shoes and the way her poor feet looked after every practice, taking her to get beanie babies and countless trips to McDonald's trying to collect their beanie babies for her.  Her eighth grade graduation, her high school graduation, her college graduation.  Her first Disney performance and now her wedding.  I've been there when she was sick and dressed her up like she was my own little doll.  She will always be my Missy Jewel.

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

Daybook 5/22/2011

Outside my window...

Dark, windy, kinda cold.  It was a beautiful weekend though, so no complaints here!

I am thankful...

For family, for time at home.

I am thinking about...
About the very busy week coming up...  About how neighbors can make us angry...  About how much I love my little girl!

Learning all the time...
Oh-yeah!  Learning again...  I'm sure I've learned something this week, I just can't think of anything that stands out...

From the kitchen...
BROWNIES!!!  Can you believe we went a whole week with NO chocolate in our house!?!?  That pretty much NEVER happens.  Not that we living in Willie Wonka's chocolate factory, but there is always some chocolate-y goodness in the cupboards!

I am creating...
A lovely little dress for my girl!  Still working on wedding sewing, but we're down to the wire now, wedding is this week!

I am working on...
Patience.  Mostly with my neighbors...  I don't like it when they park in front of my house because they have eight cars!  I especially don't like when they try to block my driveway.  Not that I'm a shy wall-flower, I had no problem telling the lady in the pick-up she had to park somewhere else!

I am going...
To a wedding at the end of the week!  So very excited about my beautiful cousin who is getting married!

I am hoping...
I don't drive myself nuts before the end of the week!  I am also hoping my Little makes it down the isle without incident...

I am reading...
OK, here we go!!!  I started reading Wuthering Heights!!!  I busted out my NOOK and couldn't pick which book I wanted to read.  I mostly have a lot of free classics.  I decided to go the "easy" route and simply picked the last (alphabetically) book in my reader!  So far I have gotten through the first to introductions.  Working on the forward by Charlotte Bronte.  Funny thing, mostly the intros just talked about Emily Bronte, gave background on who she was, a bit about her life, whatever...  But the second introduction/forward actually gave away parts of the book!  Who does that?

I am praying...
For a local family that woke up this morning to find their four-month-old little girl missing.  The facts are a little sketchy and I would say there are a few more missing pieces of the puzzle than I am comfortable with but I truly hope that she is found safe and sound.

I am hearing...
The news commercial discussing the above mentioned baby as well as the Brian Stow case.  Now they've switched back to Celebrity Apprentice...  The finally now.  For all the drama these famous people can be, the money they are raising for these amazing charities, that makes it all worth it.  

Around the house...
Things are crazy!  Too many toys in the living room, too many dishes in the sink, too much laundry still left to wash, dry and put away.

One of my favorite things...
Favorite things...  Ah, they slip past us so quickly!  A favorite thing today would be having my nephew over for the weekend and enjoying cinnamon rolls with both kids!  Hugs and kisses and pleases and thank-you's.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
A little work, a lot of wedding.  Very excited to see so much family!  We've been very blessed that we can usually get-together once a year.

Random thought...
Oh my random thoughts...  I have been a bit more focussed lately.  Not that I haven't had a single random thought, I just can't seem to think of one right now...  Oh-wait!!!  I was thinking today of the bliss of being old and senile!  Tee-hee!  I mean, you could just fake it at some point, right?  Look at it this way...  When you get old, you know who you just don't want to deal with, you know your family and friends crap.  What's to stop you from simply pretending that you just don't know who they are?  Yes, there are some things I look forward to!  I just don't want to wear diapers!

Here are picture thoughts I am sharing with you....

Yes, she IS on her tip-toes! 

Watching Toy Story while each is playing with a Buzz Lightyear!

Wordless Wednesday 5/18/2011