At the end of the day, are you happy?

Love this…are YOU happy?

Scribbles

Because no matter how much money you made today, or how much money you lost;

because no matter how many people made you feel good about yourself, or how many tried to bring you down;

because no matter how hectic and stressful work or school was, or how easy your boss or professor let you off;

because no matter how pissed off you are at the world, or how eager you are to embrace it;

and because no matter how successful your life is, or how much it still needs improvement,

At the end of the day, that’s the only question worth asking.

And for what it’s worth, I think our answer can always be yes.

Kind of makes you realize how simple life really is – and how complicated it can get.

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Thanksgiving Project – Home Safely

This is going to be really short tonight.

Twelve and a half hours after I left home this morning, I’m back. Driving with a toddler alone for hours isn’t much fun. He started to get whiny…and I can’t stand whiny. So we sang. We sang Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes about 786 times and Itsy Bitsy Spider about 423 times. And I had to stop more often. So, my 4 hour drive ended up being about 5 hours.

Then, I went for a very late lunch with my daughter. By the time I started home, Friday afternoon work traffic was in full swing…and then came the rain…and wind. I wanted to stop a and rest, but it was slow going as it was and I wanted to get home.

But I’m home…safe and sound…and exhausted. I have tomorrow home alone so I am going to sleep in late (I hope). Beyond that, I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m relaxing I know.

Thankful for safe travels today. And thankful for the fun week with Soren. Always good to see him come…but glad he went home too. I get my bed back…ahhhhhh

Thanksgiving Project – Long Short Week

I love Holiday weeks. But it means cramming the same amount of work into fewer hours. What it really means is staying on task. It also means staying away from WordPress and Facebook and Twitter. I feel so out of touch with everyone.

But it was a very productive week. Good things got accomplished.

Soren has worn me out in the evenings though. I haven’t had any reading time (and that keeps my life in balance). But, of course, I wouldn’t trade my time with him for anything. We have been busy making memories. My books will be there this weekend.

Off tomorrow to take him home. That will be a long, tiring day. It will be a minimum of 9 hours driving. But I will try and at least listen to an audio book after I drop him off.

Today I’m most thankful for staying focused on some worthwhile projects. I’m thankful for my grandson time. And I’m thankful I’m taking him home tomorrow.

He loved his time outside sitting on tractors, pushing around his bubble mower and even time in my office this morning reading.

By the way, I plan to do zip this weekend. Eat, sleep and read…and not necessarily in that order

Thanksgiving Project – The Family Guy

Today was a busy day at work, but a great day. Then home to spend time with the tiny tornado and a visit from one of my cousins.

I’m so surprised by how good Warren is with Soren. Warren is a different kind of guy. He and I couldn’t be any more different. He has never been much of a family guy. We have been together for nearly 17 years…his kids and Grandkids all live two hours from here…and I wouldn’t know any of them if I ran into them on the street. I’ve met all his kids, some only once…but some of his grandchildren I’ve never met. He visits them once or twice a month though. But I’m never invited along…his kids invite me, he just doesn’t take me. Actually, one of his grandsons is having his graduation open house on Sunday. We talked about going, but I doubt I will actually go when it comes right down to it.

So, he just looks at family different than I do. I wasn’t so sure how he would be with Soren. I was amazed the first time I babysat when Soren was two. Those two guys had a blast. And now that Soren is almost four, it is even more evident. Soren idolizes him. And Warren plays with him as much as I do.

Soren calls him The Warren, which I think is so cute. But sometimes he calls me The Grandma too. I just love this little guy. He makes me smile. We will sure miss him when he goes home.

So today I’m so very thankful that Soren has an adult male in his life (he has no grandfathers and his father is not really around much). My dad is not able to do things with Soren either. Plus Warren is a huge help to me when Soren is here.

Just a thought…

Great advice – we should all think about life this way

petitemagique

Every month I will do a post for ‘Bloggers for Peace’. To share the love, let people think or just to support peace in general.

“Peace is not something you wish for, it something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away.”–Robert Fulghum

In an effort to actively do something to create more peace in the world in 2013, I am dedicating a number of my posts specifically to peace. I invite you to join me. We can call ourselves “Bloggers for Peace.” Everyone is invited to join. The requirements are simple and flexible.

You can join by clicking right HERE  Peace is something we all crave for!

There are a lot of people out there who have a serious cause of ‘Judgementality’ and there is no real medicine for that. Luckily, I don’t have that condition. Honestly.

I don’t care what the color of…

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Thanksgiving Project – Book Club

Our book club is poorly named.

I knew my friend Catherine went to a book club every week so I thought it would be fun. I had met one of the other women and liked her. So timidly I asked if I could join in. “Of course!”, they said. We actually picked a book to read. And the next week, over dinner and wine, we talked about it…for about five minutes. Then we decided to read another book. But we didn’t all read it at the same time. And I’m pretty sure we didn’t talk about it.

That was well over a year ago. The lady who hosts book club and I have become best friends. We have traveled together…we go to concerts, theatre, fashion shows. And every week we have book club. Even when we don’t have book club, she and I still have dinner and wine at her house weekly. Her husband is the cook normally. But sometimes I take dinner.

Well, we haven’t had book club for three weeks because Holly (my BFF) has been taking a class. And then tonight, I didn’t think I could go since I still have Soren. So, I invited them here. I made awesome spaghetti with meat sauce. And, if course, had a couple of bottles of wine. And, surprise, we talked about a book. Our small town is home to a man who is former CIA and I’m friends with his wife. He wrote a book, Harbor Knight. Holly had gone to his talk and book signing so she brought the book along. I downloaded the book and the Catherine downloaded it too. So, we are back to being a book club…kinda.

I’m thankful my friends came to dinner. And Holly and her husband brought Soren an awesome birthday present…a bubble mower. It was a big hit with the tiny tornado. I think he ran 10 miles around the yard tonight. And he doesn’t even know about the bubbles yet.

Soren had a big day. I took him to a babysitter so I could go to work today. He went to a farm (remember he lives in Cleveland) and was fascinated by the horses. He rode the Gator with his new friend Brendan and he played with matchbox cars. Then when he got home, he got to ride the tractor with Warren. He just loves all that. Poor little guy is worn out tonight.

Thanksgiving Project – May Showers bring June Bugs?

It has been an unusual month weather wise here. This weekend it turned cool again, leaving the question in so many people’s minds of where was summer. Only about 59 degrees today, and raining.

I am enjoying the quiet inside right now. Soren is out in the barn with Warren and it has been raining too hard to get back to the house.

Well, I spoke too soon. They made it back. Now Warren is working with him on riding his bike. Soren just can’t get the hang of pedaling. He will go a few feet, then he brakes. Not intentionally, but it still happens. His mom has been working with him and she told me she just didn’t think he would ever figure it out. So, that is our mission this week

We have been spending time with family today. It was my niece’s graduation open house. My day’s brother drove over from Toledo. It was nice to see him. And then we went to see my oldest living uncle (my mom’s brother). His daughter, my cousin Jenny, is here visiting from Las Vegas. I love that I’m able to stay in touch with my rather large family through Facebook.

Okay, now back to some quiet time. I fell asleep reading last night. I think I read one whole page. So enough writing, time for some reading while I can. I’ve really missed my reading time this weekend.

So, what am most thankful for today? Hard to narrow it down. But I think one word sums it all up – family! It for sure isn’t the weather. I think that this rain will bring out the already large population of Mosquitos. Luckily they don’t seem to be attracted to me, but I know they are bothersome to lots of other people. April showers didn’t bring the may flowers so much. But I’m sure that the may showers will bring out the bugs in June.

An Adult Book

I have read Curious George, Llama Llama books, and blogs. I have straightened up the house and put away most of the toys the tiny tornado left out. I have done laundry. I have finally taken time to sit down and rest.

Now, it’s time to read an adult book…no, not that kind of adult book…but definitely a boom without more pictures than words.

But I doubt I get much reading done before I start nodding off to sleep. This grandma business is hard work…I’m worn out. But I’m not complaining. I don’t get to do it very often.

Thanksgiving Project – I should be committed

I don’t know if anybody else ever does this or not. But I tend to make plans and have fun anticipating doing something…but then the day of, I’m comfortable at home and don’t feel like going anywhere….but then I go and have an awesome time.

Well, that’s exactly what I did. My daughter had a really good friend in high school, and her mother and I are very good friends still. Well, she happens to have a little girl almost exactly one year older than my grandson. And since she has stayed in contact with me, it was a natural to get together with the kids. But then, all morning I kept thinking about just laying on the couch all day and not going.

Soren and I watched the Indy 500. He loves cars and got so excited when the race started. But with the attention span of a three year old, he started playing with toys instead. He serenaded me with his guitar.

Then it was time to go. I grabbed his dinner. (He’s a vegan and I learned a long time ago, it’s easier to take food for him than for him to just pick at what he can and can’t have). Off we went.

I worry a little bit because he is rarely around other children. But I didn’t need to worry. Maya just took control. They played. Interestingly, they are the same size. But she is going to be in kindergarten this fall so she is a bit more advanced.

She decided he should be a prince and put a purple crown on his head and a cape on him and she put on a princess dress. Then they had a tea party. But he loved playing with the cars and tractors the most.

They sat on opposite sides of a picnic table eating dinner. But next thing I knew, Soren was crawling under the table so he could sit next to her. He tried kissing her hand (which I found adorable since he was a prince and she was a princess) but she didn’t want any of that. And he told her he loved her.

He talked about her all the way home and kept asking if we could go to Maya’s house again. I need my daughter to connect him with other kids. He obviously just wants someone to play with.
Here is a cute picture of the prince and princess. I uploaded tons of pictures to Facebook and won’t subject you to all of those.

Today, I’m thankful that I honored my commitment. We had a delightful time.

Exhaustion

There is a reason women have babies when they are young. Having a toddler around all of a sudden reaffirms that idea.

I’ve always considered myself a high energy person. In fact, even my friends who are younger to me say that all the time.

But, with only four hours’ sleep Wednesday night and then traveling so much on Friday…then add in the nonstop energy of Soren, aka the Tiny Tornado…you get one very tired grandma. I had a nagging headache all morning which I attributed to exhaustion. And now, over two hours earlier than I normally go to bed, I can’t keep my eyes open.

Busy day tomorrow – church, play, dinner with a friend and her little girl. I guess I better rest up for the adventures of the Tiny Tornado (can’t decide it that sounds like a superhero or a wrestling alias).

One more picture. He brought his tools to grandma’s house. He was all set to hammer my countertop.