10 things....me, and the floor waxer...

1. I ran away from home recently one late night. You read it right. I did.

2. Sometimes I do this. Sometimes I need this.

3. Sometimes no one notices. Darn. I hate that part!

4. Where to go that late? What is still open? I ended up at one of those "big box" stores.

5. Not many places are open all night. It was me and the floor waxer. Well, and a lonely cashier and some semi-truckers out in the parking lot -asleep- waiting for morning, to make their deliveries.

6. I walked around for about 2 hours. Truth be told, the music is pretty good in the middle of the night and the noise of hundreds of shoppers is missing. There were lots of clearance racks filled with summer stuff and great deals, you know, since they have to make room for the back to school and even the Halloween stuff- ALREADY!!!

7. I should have shopped for myself, not the family. I was trying to run away, after all. I bought a few things and went home.

8. I wondered the whole time if anyone would question me the moment I got in the back door or the next morning.

Nope.

Everyone was asleep and never knew I was even missing.

Nothing was ever said.

9. No one even thought to ask, "Where did this new stuff you bought for me come from?"

Nothing. No comment.

I ended up returning most of what I bought. Wrong size, didn't like, etc, etc.

10. Morale of the story:

•  make sure everyone KNOWS you're running away(but only if you WANT them to know or care)
•  shop for yourself
•  maybe the floor waxer man has a few good stories to share and could become a new friend

10 or more thoughts...

in no particular order...

(Our babies from a few springtimes ago.

Just a random cute photo to go with a random post)

1. I am looking forward to a trip coming up soon.

2. I have so much to do before upcoming trip.

3. The slush and piles of dirty snow are slowly disappearing, as the air smells like springtime.

4. I love fresh white snow covering everything.

5. I also like the smell of springtime.

6. I am going to eat a BMT. This is my boy N's coined abbreviation for bacon, mayonnaise and toast.

7. I should probably skip the heart clogging bacon, heart clogging mayonnaise, oh- and the toast too. But then I would have no fun heart clogging flavor to savor. At least the bread is whole grain wheat, give me some credit. The tomato was beyond saving and the lettuce has had better days.

8. Note to self: buy a fresh tomato and some non-wilted lettuce.

9. Do you ever write on the bathroom mirror in the foggy steam after your shower? I yell at the kids for the streaks after it dries when they do it, but boy is it fun to do anyway. Maybe I'll do that today. Write on the mirror, not the yelling at the kids part.(Yes, then I wash it!)

10. Oh did I just admit I have been known to yell at my kids? So sue me! They sometimes "forget" to pick up after themselves either. See, I knew you'd be on my side.

11. I read to N. the other night while we were cuddling on the couch. He got very quiet and I read 2 more chapters before I realized he was sound asleep.I read one more chapter to myself after that.

12. We finished the book last night - after I back tracked to find the paragraph in which chapter he actually recalled last hearing.

13. I will miss the times when N. wants to cuddle and be read to.

14. I know I am not supposed to end a sentence with the word to.

15. I am going thrifting today in my window of opportunity. Translation: The shop is along the route from one place I have to be to the next place I have to be...with 40 minutes in between the two location responsibilities. How 'bout that for a relaxing session of browsing? Sometimes you have to take what you can get. My budget is $2.00.

16. Those bunnies we raised, shown in the photo above, were so cute (and so fun to dress in Barbie doll crowns), but I am actually happy to say "Been there, done that."

17. Random thoughts can be fun to record.

10 memories of springtime from my childhood

(Me among spring bulb flowers in 1965 and then 10 years later in 1975. The first one at home, the second at the park.)

1. Watching the spring bulb flowers emerge from the cold ground and burst into color and fragrance. My very favorites are Hyacinths. (I have been known to detour from my rushed, planned out route inside the grocery store just to swing through the floral dept and breathe in a big fragrant dose of potted brightly colored Hyacinths!)

2. Being able to run outside to play without having to first bundle up in 5 layers of clothing and coats, mittens, hats etc.

3. Seeing adorable baby bunnies and chicks, and other birds. I always wished we could raise baby chicks. Mom said absolutely not-They grow much too quickly. (Now that I'm a Mom, I have allowed my E. to breed her bunnies several years in the spring.)

4. Being able to wear white shoes again. Who can resist a new pair of white patent leather shoes? I think I may have even tried to sneak wearing mine to bed when I got a new pair. I didn't want to take them off. I'm sure they stayed next to the bed so I could open my eyes and see them first thing in the morning!

5. Taking my bike out for a spin up and down the street after it being banished to the garage all winter.

(1970-Me with my oldest nephew at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Michigan for Easter. He seemed like a little brother since only 6 years divided us. By the way, I loved those t-strap suede Hush Puppy shoes!! Big yarn tied in my hair!)

6. Going to Aunt B's and Uncle J's house and Grandma and Grandpa's house each Easter Sunday. They lived on the same street, which was pretty convenient. As a kid it seemed like a long ride in the back seat to get to their town in Michigan from our house in Ohio. The Easter Bunny would include a new stuffed animal in my candy basket and leave it by my bed so I would find it first thing when I woke up. The new animal usually went in the car with me that day. (In the photo above you can see me holding a rabbit. I still have her. Touching the pink velvet inside her ears still reminds me of that Easter's car ride.)

I had fun playing with my cousins and eating too much candy. We had to save room in our tummies because there were always plenty of good things to eat for dinner. Chairs were gathered from all around the house and pressed into service as we squeezed around the huge table .

( my ink and water color paint art)

7. The arrival of the first fat Robin birds in the yard and watching them take things from the dormant garden to fashion their nests.

8. Springtime break from school meant that when we returned to school it would be a more tolerable amount of time until the school year ended!!

9. Warm rain showers and the smell of the dirt after a quick down pour. The air feels so invigorating!! Jumping in puddles up and down the street and searching for the biggest and deepest puddle.

10. I had a great friend named Joan who lived next door. We would sit on the split rail fence that divided our two yards and play hand clapping rhyme games..."Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack..." and others. We even made up lots of them. When it was springtime, there was a Pussy Willow bush by the fence and we would pick off the soft, fuzzy buds in between hand clapping games-- and then get yelled at by her Mom or mine without fail! Here is where you insert an all-knowing Mom voice = "Are you girls picking at that bush??!" It was too tempting. We couldn't help ourselves.
(I just saw a bush for sale in the garden section of the store the other day when my kids were in tow. I shared this story with them and they thoroughly enjoyed hearing about Mommy getting yelled at for acting mischievously!!!!)

Things you can live without knowing

My handmade quilt and redwork embroidery.

More random facts about

this  author:

1. We had 5 living generations of males in my family until my Grandpa died in his late 90's.  * my dad's dad * my dad * my brother * my nephew * my great nephew

2. I liked these TV shows when I was growing up= The Flying Nun, That Girl, Ed Sullivan, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show, Laugh-In, All In The Family.

3. I have tiny little Native American dolls from almost each time throughout my life that we vacationed in northern Michigan .

4. All three of our kids have my hair and eye color.

5. I always let my kids lick the spoon or mixer beaters, I know I am not supposed to, pretty sure no one died recently from it.

6. When I was about 6, I remember my dad telling me never to play with matches and I would be rewarded with a popsicle. I never played with matches. I received many popsicles through my life but I don't know if I ever received THAT popsicle!!

7. I drive a 5 speed stick shift car. Most of my cars have been stick shifts. I prefer them.

8. I enjoy watching classic dance like ballroom, ballet, Rockettes, Latin, tap... I used to be a dancer from age 3 until age 29. I long to dance and sew and not have the thousands of responsibilities that face me each year!

9. Among my family tree branches from long ago I have= a nun,  a priest, a grave digger, nurses, and a circus trapeze performer.

10. I can't stand the smell of the kind of coffee made in my house, but the smell any other place never bothers me. B drinks coffee from morning till night, it never keeps him awake that's for certain. I don't drink coffee, I have never made even one pot of coffee at my home.

Random, Unnecessary, Facts about me

1. my kids like the music from back when I was in school, I promise I don't MAKE them listen

2. I like to slice a banana in my Rice Krispies cereal

3. the movie Uncle Buck with John Candy always makes me laugh, no matter how many times I watch it

4. I am only cold when it is lower than 20 degrees outside- I often don't wear a coat until then

5. I love playing Chinese checkers, but I dislike playing regular checkers




6. my mom couldn't swim, I was on the swim team and earned a varsity letter in school

7. I once wrote reports on President Lincoln and President Polk. The teacher made me do Polk

8. I love casseroles and the way they are usually lots of weird things thrown together

9. nightmares fill my sleep every night--been that way as long as I can remember














10. climbing into a blanket fort under a table is just as fun for me as an adult as when I was a kid


11. late night trips to the grocery store are the best ever, a different world



12. while I listen to someone talk to me I always focus on just 
one of their eyes

10 Things I Like To Do Outside During Summer

Note: These two little pictures are my own drawings that I did in colored pencil. I matted them this morning with card stock.

1. I really enjoy digging in the compost pile in the backyard and finding lots of wiggly worms busy at work. I have wonderful rich soil under the surface of the compost and the worms are the reason!!

2. This kind of goes with the first one...I think it is fun to get really, really dirty while gardening and then shower all clean with some yummy smelling shower gel.

3. Have you ever just reclined in the grass and looked up into the tree tops? I think it is a very peaceful, almost meditation type, thing to do.

4. Can anyone ever grow out of the fun that is riding a bike? I hope not! It brings so much to your senses.

5. I get a thrill out of finding interesting dead wood branches that fall from our tall trees. Some of them are truly nature's art.

6. I like the smell of the wet dirt after a summer rain. I adore going out to jump in puddles with the kids.  (I just noticed that a lot of these thoughts include "dirt"!!)

7. On rare occasions I get the chance to sit in the shade and read. When I do get the chance, I wish I could change my name temporarily to something other than "MOM!". Sometimes in my lap it's decorating magazines or papercrafting/scrapbooking magazines. Sometimes a non-fiction book.

8. We go to the cemetery and feed the ducks in the big pond. It is a perfect way to clean out all the stale bits and crumbs of crackers, cereal and the like from the pantry. I also like to hang out in cemeteries cuz it's in my blood (read more cemetery posts for that info!)

9. Strangely enough, I like to wash windows. I don't do it as often as I should - but the sparkling satisfaction of clean glass makes me happy and seems to make the house almost smile!

10. The kids and I build "fairy houses" in the front yard in an area where the grass never grows. We use sticks, leaves, moss, ferns, pine needles, shells, stones and other nature things. We have done this for about 10 years. It is like a whole village!! Their friends love to come over and build too.

A Hand-Me-Down Dress

These two pictures represent a time span of almost 30 years! The baby on the left is my E. [now a teenager]. I am the baby on the right. The same dress on mother and daughter! I wrote of this dress in my post entitled - 10 Things I Still Have From Childhood. E's baby hair was dark, so was mine as a newborn. Her hair is dark blonde now but just as thick, and my baby hair turned to strawberry blonde. The old wives tale of having heartburn when you are carrying a baby with lots of hair was very true in my experience!! One extra especially restless night near the end of my pregnancy I awoke with an awful feeling that I had never before felt in my life (but would live with daily/nightly until she was born). That would be called: welcome to heartburn!! 

10 Things About Me

1. I have an ocean of creativity sloshing around in my brain.

2. If I had known that being a "stay-at-home mom" was going to be harder and more stressful than running a business and managing 10 employees, I never would have submitted my resume! Heehee! You can't just tell your kids "you're fired!".

3. I would enjoy traveling to lots of places in the world, but I most enjoy the fact that my feather pillow is still in the same place it has remained for all but 2 years of my entire life.

4. Some people marry for money, I sure didn't.

5. One of the best ways to spend a summer morning is to dig in the garden and get thoroughly dirty from crown to toe and then shower clean and put on perfume. " Spend an afternoon. You can't take it with you."

6. " Quiet please" is what I was raised to say, never "Shut up"!

7. Books are a treasure. The older the better. I have been known to purchase a book just because it is old and has a red cover! Only if it fits into my book buying budget, though (50 cents or less).

8. What could be better than a pot of homemade soup simmering upon the stove for hours? Not much.

9. I have oodles of fabric and all good intentions of assembling it into marvelous things! Some day when there are 25 hours!

10. I am just CRAZY about the Romanov's [the last czar of Russia and his family]. I voraciously devour anything I can read about them. I have my own N. and A. in my ancestors' family tree. To carry on the names to yet more genealogy branches, I have recycled the names to two of my children.