Hump Day!

It’s been an awesome, plain old day today. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, and we didn’t do anything special. It was a glorious day, and we were in the same house, each doing our own thing, and we’d check in with each other throughout our day, me in the upper level, him in the lower level, and checking with each other in between. This is what partnership, marriage, and life with your best friend is. Normal, everyday living, with breaks to visit and see how their day is going. I love it.

When we picked Addison up, the Babe took a little power nap while I read. He woke up just as she approached his truck. I asked Addison if she remembered when she and Gavin were over, I was changing Gavin’s diaper, and Grandpa was asleep in the chair, snoring. She immediately picked up the thought, saying, “And Gavin started fake-snoring just like Grandpa was real-snoring? YES I DO!”

I laughed so hard. I told her, “I thought of that while Grandpa was taking a nap while we were waiting. It was so hard not to laugh and wake him up!” We had a great laugh, and my heart was warmed through and through.

My heart was warmed by the history this girl and I have. That includes Grandpa, of course, as he is part of the bond. I look at the tall, intelligent, caring, loving, beautiful girl we’ve seen grow up from a little baby, and we’re blown away. We’ve played, walked, gone out for ice cream, read books, colored, played games, gone to dance recitals and competitions, and sat through dance class rehearsals. It’s all gone so fast.

I cannot imagine what this young woman will decide to do with her life. Right now, she wants to be an OB/GYN. She is in AP classes, and I say that’s amazing. Stay tuned!

Life is so very good. I hope yours is, too. Taking the risk of becoming who you need to be for you to live a life full of love, fulfillment, and living is so worth it. You notice things you’ve never seen before, and oh my gosh, every minute becomes so sweet. It’s just awesome.

Take care, we’ll see each other tomorrow. Be safe. Get those flu shots and COVID boosters. It may be a tough winter. Let’s beat all the bugs! And keep the babies well.

Happy Wednesday!

It was an early start at the Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. It was zero dark thirty, I swear! The coffee was dark and strong, the cream sweet, and the conversation was good for it being 6 a.m. The Babe had an early appointment with the VA, so he had to leave super early. I was convinced all day it was Monday again. How does that happen?

I worked more on the quilt blocks for Kayla. I am having fun learning the stitches to applique the pieces down. I’ve missed the hum of the machine. My thoughts go to a creative world full of colors, shapes, textures, and all sorts of beautiful garments, quilts, and decor. The time just flies.

My goal is to have this quilt pieced and maybe layered and pinned for quilting. Then, cut out Cody’s blocks, pieces, appliques. Assemble it and quilt them both during October. AND get back to my children’s book, once the quilts are well in hand.

The month of November is NaNoWriMo. It is a stretch of 30 days dedicated to writing 50,000 words. This will be back on my novel. To prep for this, I’m reading the book, “Wired for Story.” It is about using brain science and writing to hook readers with the very first sentence. I think it sounds fascinating, and I hope to learn a lot from this 250 page book.

All of these ideas are how I plan to spend the next few months, creating, writing, quilting, and other things I love. I’m so fortunate to have interests I enjoy. I just don’t seem to have enough time to do everything I hope to see through to completion.

Hope you have a pleasant evening (It’s getting dark out by 7 p.m. here in Nebraska)! The temperature was 100 yesterday, and about 65 today. We’re looking towards the cooler days and finding more time to spend with each other. The Babe is heading towards his second retirement (From the VFW) in six or seven months. In the meantime, he’s going to do most of his work from home, and only be at the office when necessary. It’s going to be another change for us. At least we like each other (now!) See you tomorrow!

It’s a creative mess in here! I love it. Out of the chaos comes creations. Quilts, kid books, a novel, clothes.

I love the warning when the bobbin is about to run out!

Never Give Up!

If you know me at all, you know how I love to read books to children. I read to all my kids, and they all enjoyed it. They were used to my changing voices for characters and such things. The first time I read to Gavin and changed voices, he was on my lap. He turned slowly and looked at me; wish I knew what he was thinking. I miss having a little one on my lap and reading aloud to them. I may volunteer at the library someday or as a teachers aide, (when I run out of things to do).

I am thinking of getting copies of some of my favorite kid books and making videos of me reading them. Maybe they could be Podcasts or on You Tube. If kids might calm down and listen while Mom or Dad lets them listen/watch, it might become a thing. You know? I’d have to read just a couple pages of mine, though, because the idea is to sell my books, not read them for free. Thoughts?

I was down in the dumps about “Roxie! WHAT Are You Doing?” last night, and actually told the babe, “Maybe I should just quit.” That is not like me. His response was perfect. “You have too much invested to do that. See it through.” Just what my dad always told me. See things through. True to an Irish proverb; 

“A Good Laugh and a Long Night’s Sleep are the Two Best Cures For Anything.”

And in the world of wonders, I mentioned looking for another illustrator, and a creative group I’m in on Facebook suggested posting my needs in the group. And, voila! (Do people still say that?) I’m doing a Zoom meeting with a fellow group member next week, one day. The Universe truly provides for we who believe! Yes, the Long Night’s Sleep did it’s magic. I have always believed that down to my bones! Thanks, Babe.

All a person needs is a glimmer of hope. And sometimes, you have to look for it. You have to risk asking to find it. There is hope for all creators, it’s part of being what I call a creative soul. Hope and light and love follow. We’re all capable of it, and it takes commitment. Making it means sticking with it when you feel like giving up. So last night was just a fleeting thought, and totally normal. It’s good to know we’re normal sometimes and it’s all part of the process.

Getting Back to Work!

Wow, my weather app on the phone just told me it was going to start raining in Gretna in six minutes. I didn’t know it could be so precise! Of course, the dogs went to find cover. Goldie right by me, Lexie, in our dark closet. I hope it lets up at the the time Addison is leaving school. It should, and it’s supposed to have a fall-like cool off. Looking forward to opening the windows again!

Enjoy the rest of your day. And if you’re feeling down and doubting yourself, just take a very long sleep. It will all look better in the morning. Trust me. It works. See you tomorrow!

Hump Day!

What a crazy day yesterday was. We went to the Post for a very productive meeting, you almost never hear meetings being productive, and had a couple adult beverages with the folks that were present. It was a nice early evening.

Eddie Van Halen, the guitar god of the universe, died yesterday. My son Frankie was a huge fan of his. I became one too. That was one group he played I didn’t holler at him to “turn it down!” We had a bet one time, who was better, Eric Clapton, or Eddie Van Halen. Clapton is a master, but Eddie may have single handedly influenced more young musicians than anyone else on the planet – including Clapton. And on top of that – he was married to Valerie Bertinelli. That alone would make him a hero.

I love the videos of him playing incredible riffs, and looking up with the boy-like look he always had, and smiling with pure joy. That’s how we’ll remember Eddie. Bless Wolfgang, his son, and his wives. Sad days for them. After all is said and done, I think it’s always, always, simply about the music.

I saw a Tweet that stated, “There are guitars gently weeping all over the world.”

And we’re almost to the next Zoom meeting with Sam Tyler, my book coach. We have a few things to discuss tomorrow, and then I think there will be more writing going on. I do look forward to it, and now it’s been three weeks, not just two. More about my new adjusted plan tomorrow.

Gratitude – even about difficult things.

Yes, this is how it is. When people speak of gratitude, it’s easy to have gratitude for the easy things, the things you want. It’s hard to have gratitude for hard times, missing your commuter train, getting fired from your job. We must learn gratitude for even the hard things. It’s only then, can we truly appreciate the gift we receive after the hard one. It’s hard to remember.

And people who you must love from afar. Difficult parents, former spouses, siblings who are hard to deal with. We all have them, somewhere. It’s ok to love them from afar. You don’t have to spend time with them. More people would keep their sanity if they would embrace this. It takes a long time to do that, when you feel as if you’re alone in a crowd. But you really aren’t. The rest of us are there, too.

So as I go to the deck and enjoy the fresh air, I hope you all have a wonderful day. Listen to some music. Read a good book, or at least decide on something relaxing to do. We owe it to ourselves to be nice to ourselves once in awhile. Pick today. Pick tomorrow. Just make sure you do it. And it’s even better with a beautiful puppy to pet. See you tomorrow!