Day Fourteen: First Sentence

 

 

In my mind, my kitchen is filled with crackers and cheese, roast chicken leftovers, farm fresh eggs, and coffee beans ready to grind.  The reality is that I keep my Smith & Wesson in the cookie jar, my Oreos in the microwave, a jar of peanut butter and hamster food in the over-the-counter cupboard, and I have beer and olives in the refrigerator.     

 

 

                                                                                                           Fearless Fourteen

                                                                                                      A Stephanie Plum Novel

                                                                                                          by Janet Evanovich

                                 







 

 

Sorry, I had to cheat and put the first two sentences.  The first one really didn't make much sense without the second one in tow. 

 

 

I absolutely love this series of novels.  There is always a smile, a giggle, and even a belly laugh while I'm reading.  They make me happy! 

 

 

I have recently finished number 19 in the series, and number 20 came out this past fall.  I am trying to hold off reading that one for a little bit - adding to the anticipation of the read, knowing it's the last for awhile.  

Our first 'place'

Right after we got married,  we were at loose ends for a whole summer!  My husband was headed back to school in the fall and until then we were unemployed and without living arrangements, so rather than live at home with parents we moved into the family 'retreat'.  It was a barely converted barn in the country.  There was a bedroom in the basement and one huge living space at ground level.  It was peaceful and serene and free. 

When we returned from a week of house-sitting we found the skin of a 4-foot black snake on the rug beside the bed.  That was it for me!  We packed up and moved back home for the rest of the summer that very day.

Catchin' Up with Kickin' It Old Skool December Blog Challenge

Things around home have been a little crazy of late, and I have fallen behind on my posts.  So I am trying to get a little caught up today.

Day 10:  Show and Tell!  Here's my latest cross stitching project.  It's done on 14 stitches to an inch because it's getting too hard to do the itsy bitsy stitches that 22 stitches to an inch require!  I used to do those without thinking a thing about it.  Oh well...  This piece is intended as a 'birth announcement' for my latest grandchild, Sullivan.  His parents used a nautical theme in the nursery, so I thought this would be perfect.  I was hoping to have it finished by Thanksgiving.  As you can see, I didn't make that deadline. 

 

 

Day 11:  Weepy Wednesday - sorry I'm passing on that one...

 

 

Day 12:  10 Things I Know for Sure:

 

1.  God is love and peace and forgiveness and joy!

 

 

2.  The hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations and celebrations will come and go. 

And when everything is packed up again,

I need to have a purposeful plan for my days

or the darkness of winter takes over my life.

 

 

3.  It's a blessing to be able to pay all the bills

and have money left at the end of the month.

 

 

4.  I am fortunate to have children who have grown up

to be adults I love to spend time with.

 

 

5.  As much as my mother frustrates me now, I know I will be devastated

when she passes away and my life changes again forever.

 

 

6.  The notes I write to people on the prayer list are appreciated.

 

 

7.  It's time to start paying better attention to my own health.

 

 

8.  Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. 

 No matter what our plans, everything can change in an instant.

 

 

9.  Random acts of kindness can make all the difference

to both the giver and the recipient.

 

 

10.  A positive attitude is a choice we make,

moment to moment, day after day.



Favorite Movies at the Moment....

December Blog-a-thon: Kickin It Old Skool

Here are some of my current favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite an eclectic selection, but then, that's me!

 

Showing You Where I Blog

Participating in Jamie and Shannon's Kickin It Old Skool December Blog Challenge:

So here we are, my working space, my place where I am blogging this month.
I have an "office" space, which presently is also housing anything that does not have a "home" of its own.  I am working on clearing the clutter and sorting through the accumulated mess,
but Christmas has sort of put a hold on that for the time being.

My work space is a corner set up.  I like it because I can have my laptop and/or desktop on one space and my working/journaling/scheduling space just a swivel of the chair away.

 

My favorite part of my space is my Mermaid painting.
 I have a picture of her here just so you would be able to see her up close. 

Today Is.....

The Kickin' It Old Skool Blog-a-thon prompt for today

is to write one sentence that finishes,

"Today is..."

Today is the day for

 

writing and mailing

 

all those Christmas cards;

 

a big job, but I can do it! 



Very First Post 2010

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being my mother; for loving me always and never giving up on me.  Thank you for seeing me through the gawky teen aged years when I longed to fit in, but didn't, and for standing by me when I was a college student hiding my talents because I didn't want to stand out; to be noticed; to be different.

Thank you especially for supporting me through the turmoil of years in a bad marriage.  You knew things were not good, not the way they were supposed to be, even when I was still unable to admit it.  You were always there when I needed you, providing an open ear and as much support as you could muster and I could receive. 

Your steadfast confidence in me has been my North Star and kept me on course through the last twenty years when I was raising your grandchildren alone and trying to make a living, writing and studying in the wee small hours of the morning, and singing like a caged bird.

Now, in your later years, it is my privilege to care for you; to become the vault for your memories, slipping away from your mind and leaving you frustrated and forlorn.  I will hold your hand as you have held mine and we will continue to pass the time together, mother and daughter, great-grandmother and grandma, completing the circle of life assigned to us by God himself, sharing tears and happiness together.

Thank you, Mom, for showing me the way and giving me the freedom to sing.

Love,

Your daughter, Lynn

 

Looking at the history of my blog with Jamie and Shannon for Kickin' It Old Skool Blog-a-thon!

10 Things About Me!

Join in the fun for the December Blog-a-thon!

 

 

1.  I'm trying to break the chocolate habit and it is S-O-O-O hard!

 

 

2.  I grew up in Youngstown, NY, home of Old Fort Niagara.  Our home was at the mouth of the Niagara River.  From our back yard we could look across Lake Ontario and see Toronto's skyline.  That always fascinated me.

 

 

3.  I rise at 5:30 a.m. every day so I can have a couple of hours of peace and quiet to journal and keep up with facebook and emails.

 

 

4.  I am a Words With Friends addict.

 

 

5.  My 97-year-old mother lives with me.  Her health is declining so we are more and more housebound.

 

 

6.  I am long-ago-divorced and raised my three children as a single mom.  People ask me how I did it.  I say, "One disaster at a time." 

 

 

7.  I retired from teaching four years ago.  Over the span of my career I taught everything from 2nd grade through 10th grade English except 6th and 7th grades.

 

 

8.  I have 2 unrevised novels completed.  Maybe 2014 will be the year to re-vision them.

 

 

9.  When I retired I downsized from a 3,400 sq. ft. house to a 1,600 sq. ft. house.  It has had its traumatic moments.

 

 

10.  I have a 'cowlick' on the crown of my head.  When my hairdresser cuts it too short, I look like a rooster.

 

 



Weather Wednesday

Having fun doing the Kickin It Old Skool Blog-a-thon!

The forecast here in the sunny south is a high of 77 F and a low of 57 F with a 30% chance of showers this morning.  A balmy autumn day. "But wait," I hear you saying.  Isn't it already December?  Ah, yes!  But this is December in South Carolina!  We usually have to wait until January and early February to actually feel more like the winters that I remember as a kid in upstate New York.  And even then snow is a really, REALLY far out possibility!  Cold and freezing rain, yes.  Snow, not so much. 

Hope the weather for today is making you happy, wherever you are. 

Catching the Moment

Participating in

Planet Shannon and Jamie Ridler Studio's Blog-a-thon for December. 

Come on and join the fun!

1.  What am I reading?

Laughing out loud at the antics of Stephanie Plum in the series by Janet Evanovich.  Stephanie simply cannot seem to keep a car, no matter new, old, or in between.  It's always a chuckle to see just what happens to her vehicles. 
Ka-boom!

 

2.  What am I watching?

These days my mother's movie of choice is a Hallmark Christmas movie.  So there is sure to be one playing for some part of the afternoon or evening.

 

3.  What am I listening to?

My choir is hard at work learning and perfecting the Christmas Cantata.  We are performing The Father's Night of Love in a couple of weeks and are working out the tough parts now.  So that is what is in the cd player all of the time!

 

4.  What am I loving?

Just put up the Christmas tree and pulled out a selection of Santas for decorating the house.  My favorite part of the holidays.

 

5.  What am I wearing?

Staying as comfortable as possible with jeans and t-shirts most of the time.  I usually top that off with my fuzzy-lined slippers.  Ahhh.  Comfort.

 

6.  What am I creating?

Have written two new arrangements for the choir for this month.  Also, working on finishing a counted cross-stitch piece that should have been finished weeks ago!

 

7.  What am I looking forward to?

All of my children and their spouses and their children will be with us for Christmas.  It is always a houseful, but so much fun. 
I am also looking forward to re-aligning my goals and beginning some
new routines to start the new year. 


Compared to all of you creative folks out there, I sound like the little
old grandma from down the street.  Hoping to recognize my
creative soul in there somewhere!

 

 

 

Selfie

This is my first 'selfie' ever!  The picture shows me as I am, no doubt about it.  Older than I like to admit, with more pounds and wrinkles than I need, but mostly happy with my life at the moment.

I love my work at Bedon Baptist Church, where I have been the Director of Music for 18 years.  Writing and arranging music for my choirs has become a passion for me.  We are currently preparing music for Advent and Christmas, and I come home humming tunes and wake in the night with the music running through my head. 

I retired from teaching four years ago, when my mother needed a full-time caregiver.  So I spend my days with her, balancing her needs with my own.

I am a grandmother, three little ones so far, and I try to be available for them whenever they need me.  Caring for the youngest in the family and the oldest at the same time is an interesting juxtaposition! 

So, hope you'll pop on by for a visit now and then.  See you soon.