Today is a busy day! I am making my mom's birthday cake for a celebration tonight at her house. Of course, I have to run out and get some last minute ingredients...ugh. BUT, I have an exciting gift to present to her, and for that, I am very happy. Mom, if there is any chance you're reading this, stop now or you'll ruin your surprise.
I asked our family a couple of weeks ago, to come up with some memories they have of mom/grandma/aunt... the plan was to combine all the memories and present them to her as a gift. Silly me, I really thought they would do it! My sister replied with 10 good memories, and my brother Jeff came up with a whopping 13! This shocked me, as he started out by saying, "I don't remember anything...can you give me some hints?" Aaargh! :)
BUT, it turns out that those 23 memories, plus a few from me and my girls are just enough. The heck with the rest of you slackers, is what I say. They will just miss out on the blessing. Can I help but be annoyed, perturbed, disappointed? No, I can't. Mom has bent over backwards for all of these who chose not to participate. It is disgusting and I would tell them so, if they didn't already not speak to me anyway. God, I love family. Tee Hee
I am ashamed to say that while I was praying the other day, I did tell God that I didn't understand why he gave me the family I have. (extended family, and I mean a handful of those) Didn't he get my request? Didn't he know that I wanted the Walton's? I needed the Walton's!! And believe me, I get so mad at them that I totally lose any "Walton" I may have inside. You get what you get, apparently. Sigh. Don't get me wrong. I love them. I just don't know how we could be related sometimes. :) Cuz I'm just so perfect, you know....
Anyway, I have lots of nice memories, a cake on the way, a beautiful card, hugs galore, and a wonderful evening planned with my mom. I would have chosen her all over again. Dad can come too. A few would be allowed on my "mountain".....very few.
Happy 70th birthday to my beautiful blessed Mom!!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Focus on the "what".
Thanksgiving Day. Will I be shopping? Are you kidding me? NO! I won't be shopping the day after either. I have no desire to watch what I can only call, "the greed show". I'm sorry if you're a big deal hunter on that day. I don't mean to call you greedy! But the general air, when I see people running. RUNNING! with shopping carts, two or more of them- I can only become sick to my stomach. And that was a bad bunch of sentence structure. Who cares.
Anyway, this whole business, and I mean business of having your stores open ON Thanksgiving is just deplorable to me. Do we ever get a rest? Is it ever about family or is it about bargains? Do we ever stop, hesitate, ponder, enjoy, relish in the time we have on holidays, or are we just worried about the next day already? Are we so worried about getting the "deal", that we put our material gain ahead of people? People who are there for the long haul. That gift you're chasing will be forgotten in a week, a day, a month....a minute. The people won't.
I don't mean to poo poo the idea of saving money, I just think Christmas has already been so commercial, why do we need to amp it up even more? Does it really matter that you got the Legos for $10 less? Did it help you buy more of something you need, or did it just make you buy more junk that your kids will forget or not appreciate? Impulse buying. Greed. Gluttony. Overspending. Overeating. Wasting time. Wasting gas. And for what??
Maybe it's the "what" that we all need to focus on. Why do you spend 12 or more hours shopping for deals? Is it because you enjoy giving that much? Is it because you pinch pennies? Is it because secretly you're a compulsive shopper and this gives you free reign? Is it for a more noble reason- that you are on a fixed income and it's the only way to save money and still be able to provide gifts? Or maybe you buy toys for charities. Focus on the "what". Don't just focus on the deal.
Don't just do the whole shopping thing because you think you're missing out on the most fabulous deal in the world ever. Advertising is a great lie. It is meant to make you believe you need things you don't need! It's there to pull you in and take your money. Remember that. Sometimes these shopping trips are a bonding time with your friends or family. Sometimes what you end up with is witnessing the rudest people ever. And my friends, I can't stand that!! I would much rather spend a little more, buy a few less gifts, and keep my peace. I don't mind spending money on people I love. I really don't. I'm pretty disciplined about gift-buying. I've had to be. Just because you have more money doesn't mean you should be spending it. Especially on massive amounts of gifts for your kids, who believe me, will only play with one or two things they really like. The rest is overwhelming.
I am speaking from experience here. I'm not just spouting off today. The best gifts I have given my daughters have been made by my hand. TIME is the best gift. Family movie night is a gift. Sledding is a gift. There is so much we can give to others that doesn't involve leaving them on Thanksgiving in search of the "perfect gift" or the best "deal". The best deal is spending your time with that family you love so much.
Focus on the "what".
Anyway, this whole business, and I mean business of having your stores open ON Thanksgiving is just deplorable to me. Do we ever get a rest? Is it ever about family or is it about bargains? Do we ever stop, hesitate, ponder, enjoy, relish in the time we have on holidays, or are we just worried about the next day already? Are we so worried about getting the "deal", that we put our material gain ahead of people? People who are there for the long haul. That gift you're chasing will be forgotten in a week, a day, a month....a minute. The people won't.
I don't mean to poo poo the idea of saving money, I just think Christmas has already been so commercial, why do we need to amp it up even more? Does it really matter that you got the Legos for $10 less? Did it help you buy more of something you need, or did it just make you buy more junk that your kids will forget or not appreciate? Impulse buying. Greed. Gluttony. Overspending. Overeating. Wasting time. Wasting gas. And for what??
Maybe it's the "what" that we all need to focus on. Why do you spend 12 or more hours shopping for deals? Is it because you enjoy giving that much? Is it because you pinch pennies? Is it because secretly you're a compulsive shopper and this gives you free reign? Is it for a more noble reason- that you are on a fixed income and it's the only way to save money and still be able to provide gifts? Or maybe you buy toys for charities. Focus on the "what". Don't just focus on the deal.
Don't just do the whole shopping thing because you think you're missing out on the most fabulous deal in the world ever. Advertising is a great lie. It is meant to make you believe you need things you don't need! It's there to pull you in and take your money. Remember that. Sometimes these shopping trips are a bonding time with your friends or family. Sometimes what you end up with is witnessing the rudest people ever. And my friends, I can't stand that!! I would much rather spend a little more, buy a few less gifts, and keep my peace. I don't mind spending money on people I love. I really don't. I'm pretty disciplined about gift-buying. I've had to be. Just because you have more money doesn't mean you should be spending it. Especially on massive amounts of gifts for your kids, who believe me, will only play with one or two things they really like. The rest is overwhelming.
I am speaking from experience here. I'm not just spouting off today. The best gifts I have given my daughters have been made by my hand. TIME is the best gift. Family movie night is a gift. Sledding is a gift. There is so much we can give to others that doesn't involve leaving them on Thanksgiving in search of the "perfect gift" or the best "deal". The best deal is spending your time with that family you love so much.
Focus on the "what".
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Thankful
Our "30 Days of Thanksgiving" Project is going much better than I first anticipated. We're on day 10, and everyone is caught up. Well, most everyone. Natalie has proved to be quite the procrastinator. On Day 7, she was thankful for "hand sanitizer". That kills me, really. The child hates the thought of getting sick, or anyone around her getting sick. Thinking someone might be sick in the house puts her in quite a dither, to say the least. She will avoid the suspect at all costs. So, yes. Thank God for sanitizer. Sheesh. I'm thankful it comes in really good-smelling scents these days. Who knew "pumpkin cupcake" scented sanitizer could save the world? Or at least Natalie's world...
Serena was thankful for "grammar" yesterday. Who knows what brought that about. She's the world's youngest English teacher, apparently. I just found that so amusing. And cool. I'm a word nerd, and though it's been awhile since I've studied grammar, I still remember her. She was a kind lady who made wonderful pies...
And Steve, he's keeping it real with his list. He was thankful for the dinner I made the other night. Roast Turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, and rolls. All homemade. This followed the apple and pumpkin pies I had made a couple days beforehand. He might be thankful for my cooking, but I'm not sure what he'll think of his belt size next week. Or mine. Yikes!
Angel has been thankful too. For toys, treats, fresh water, sisters, and "crust bones" on pizza night. She appreciates everything, that happy little thing.
And what was I thankful for today? My thankful family. Yesterday I wrote "Saturdays", although I spent the entire day with a migraine, and so it wasn't my favorite day after all. But the best part was when my family walked through the door. Maybe I should have erased "saturday", and wrote, "when everyone comes home". Yep. That's what I am thankful for the most.
Serena was thankful for "grammar" yesterday. Who knows what brought that about. She's the world's youngest English teacher, apparently. I just found that so amusing. And cool. I'm a word nerd, and though it's been awhile since I've studied grammar, I still remember her. She was a kind lady who made wonderful pies...
And Steve, he's keeping it real with his list. He was thankful for the dinner I made the other night. Roast Turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, and rolls. All homemade. This followed the apple and pumpkin pies I had made a couple days beforehand. He might be thankful for my cooking, but I'm not sure what he'll think of his belt size next week. Or mine. Yikes!
Angel has been thankful too. For toys, treats, fresh water, sisters, and "crust bones" on pizza night. She appreciates everything, that happy little thing.
And what was I thankful for today? My thankful family. Yesterday I wrote "Saturdays", although I spent the entire day with a migraine, and so it wasn't my favorite day after all. But the best part was when my family walked through the door. Maybe I should have erased "saturday", and wrote, "when everyone comes home". Yep. That's what I am thankful for the most.