Blogs 'n Journals 'n Stuff

If you don't blog, it really is easy and fun, and FREE! I am doing so much better about journaling both on here and on a private blog I have. There is something about being able to add pictures, edit, etc. that I like better than writing in my journal. Sure it would be nice for posterity if my actual handwriting was left with my thoughts. But that just wasn't getting done. At least this way there is something.

It also seems to be helping with time management and achieving goals. This makes me at least a little accountable. If I know someone might ask me about something, I guess I want to have an affirmative answer!

To my Friends Who Blog I just want to say that I really enjoy reading all of your posts. I don't get to leave comments as much as I'd like, but I almost always have one:) I love the glimpses into your hearts, your daily lives, your random thoughts. I love the humility and the honesty, the pictures and the sillies. I love it all.

I am sad on days when no one posts anything. I have found some other blogs I enjoy checking, but the ones posted by friends are my most favorite. Post, post, post away!!!

The View From Where I Live

(photo is a northeasterly view from our back deck)

I remember the very first night this place became ours. I came out here all alone to start unpacking our kitchen. My strongest memory is of the scent of pine trees on a warm summer night. I remember thinking that is all I could smell. There were no car smells or anyone's barbeque. I took long, deep breaths of it and marveled to myself that I might just get to smell that the rest of my life. And it was so very dark, unlike city life where street lights illuminate most streets. I was actually kind of scared.

One of my strongest memories of moving out of our city house is sitting in my garage weeping because I'd be moving away from one of my dearest friends. It was such a blessing to live right next door to Wendy for five years. We both had upheavals in our lives during those years, as we all will within the span of five years, and I am grateful for the support we could lend to one another. I remember her mom stopping by and seeing me cry and asking why. When I told her, she reminded me that we'd only be moving 20 minutes away. Although I knew that was true, I also know that life gets in the way, and I knew there was no way we'd get to see each other nearly as often. I was right. But our friendship is still very precious to me. She walked so closely with me, probably as close as I let anyone walk with me, when I walked through My Dark Night.

Today, our lovely newest neighbor's two mini horses got out and came up onto our property. Of course, Mr. Herriot (my husband) who would certainly know how to catch the horses quickly, wasn't home. But myself and the four of our children who were home, and can walk steadily on uneven ground, were out there slipping and sliding and getting mud covered trying anyway. I was the one in fleece pajamas, wearing Crocs with empty holes for Jibbitz in 4 inch deep mud, in front of the neighbors I don't know very well. Hey, it was what looked decent and comfy when I got home from church. Attractive. I am sure I am making a great impression. The homeschool mom of six, who has goats and a milk cow AND drinks their milk plus wears fleece pajamas on Sundays.

I did thoroughly enjoy it that this time it was someone else's turn to catch their animals. Those tiny horses were really very beautiful to watch running around. Seeing my children want to help the neighbor rather than sit and quietly enjoy one of the few work-free days they get - good naturedly and with laughter I might add - is a true joy.

Mimmers and Doodle found and caught a beautiful tree frog. I got to stand and chat (in my fleece pajamas) with my neighbor, Lynn, while her daughter very patiently sat kneeling and waiting for the minis to settle down. Our Trusty Farmhand and our Aspiring Statesman were chivalrous in their efforts to help a damsel in distress. Each time I turned around I got to admire the valley below with it's ever changing patchwork of petals and leaves, now in it's spring attire. And I got to breathe in long, deep breaths of pine trees.

I will never take for granted, and never grow tired of, the View From Where I Live.

Show and Tell Friday: Rindercella and Her Three Sistie Uglers

Thank you Brenna, for telling me about Show and Tell. Show and Tell Friday is being hosted by Kelli over at her blog. You can go there by clicking on the little square above that says Show and Tell. Maybe you also can show and tell next Friday. I am enjoying, as I can, going to the different blogs and looking at what they are showing. There are collections, things that are historical or came from other countries,items that speak of tradition and heirlooms, things people have made and much more. I smiled to see that I am not the only one who showed something book related. It really is fun to get a glimpse into other women's lives, to see what they treasure, etc.


When I read about it, I started thinking about what "things" really are important to me. If you have read some of my other posts about things, you know I have had this subject of "things" on my mind quite alot lately. It is no surprise, I found that the things most precious to me are not very practical. Many have memories attached or a story behind them which are what make them so special. For this first Show and Tell, I decided to show a book I treasure.

Here's the "tell":

As a kid, usually once or twice a summer, I would go to visit grandparents whom we called "The Grampies" who lived in Bend,Oregon. I have many fond memories of those days.

Grandpa would always be the first one up. I could hear him out in the living room building a fire. The sound of a crackling fire and smell of burning wood would waft through the house, inviting me to go join him. For breakfast, Grandma would often serve the fruit of our berry-picking labors. Grandpa especially loved huckleberrying. Huckleberries only grow in the higher elevations there, which is also where the bears are - or so Grandpa said. He had many a fun moment with various grandchildren, popping out of the bushes with a roar -- each was certain they were about to become bear food!

They had raspberries growing in their yard too, so we often had raspberries on our pancakes, or even just a dish of them, sometimes over vanilla ice cream. And Grandma would always give us a little orange flavored vitamin C next to our plates. To this day, the taste of orange flavors and raspberries take me back to that 60's style table where I would look out over the beautiful view of the mountain range, including the Three Sisters, peaks named Faith, Hope and Charity, with their neighbor, Brokentop Mountain.

Sometimes Grandpa would hitch up their boat and they would take us water skiing. He'd also take me fishing once in awhile. Of particular recall is once when we went with one of his friends (or maybe my Great Uncle Elmer) and we fished all day in his little boat. I was the one who caught the biggest and best fish. Funny how that always happens when little girls go fishing with grandpas...

If we weren't going anywhere, Grandpa would let us ride his little Honda 90 motorcycle all by ourselves around their acreage. We would swim in their slimy pond next to the chicken house, hike around in the red dirt where tumbleweeds (and stinging ants!) grew abundantly, or build things with wood scraps.

Sometimes before bed Grandpa would "read" a book to me. It was more a retelling of famous stories, with Grandpa's own artistic interpretation. One of my favorites was "Rindercella and Her Three Sisty Uglers" (he must have read it to his own children too, because it was already "vintage"). I'd say "No, Grandpa, it's CINderella and her three UGLY SISTERS!". He'd say "Really? Okay, I'll try it again", then just read it again, the same way he always did. He'd tickle me if I protested too much. It is special to me that he lived long enough for me to see him do the same thing with several with my own children.

After he passed away suddenly in early March 2005, just days after we had a huge celebration for his 90th birthday, my aunt was asking us if there was anything we wanted. I mentioned that if she ever ran across the old Cinderella book, that would be something very precious to me. Being from a fairly large family, I never assumed that, even if it was still around and located, I'd actually get it! But soon thereafter, she unearthed it from somewhere and it became one of my most treasured possessions. It sits on a shelf in our bedroom where I can see it every day. Some of my children are too grown now to enjoy a fairy tale, though they do enjoy mom's reminisces, but sometimes I take it down and read it to my younger children.

I hope you enjoyed my walk down Memory Lane and now, my pictures of the beautiful 1954 Grosset & Dunlap edition of Cinderella, which is the very book my Grandpa read to me those years ago.




This is the front cover. As a girl, I imagined this is what my wedding dress would look like.



The artwork of the illustrations is so beautiful.


All of her little friends and that famous pumpkin.

Cinderella forgave her step-sisters, even after they were so selfish. And a romantic outdoor dinner with her prince.

A lovely wedding of every little girl's dreams.

Thanks Honey

This letter one of my friends sent her husband yesterday cracked me up. It so very much reminded me of when my husband was out of town for almost two weeks earlier this month and just about everything went wrong: the brakes went out in my car so I was pretty much stranded out in the country, the cow got out every day, once she took off overnight and it took me and one of our sons over two hours to find her and herd her and her calf back in, the goats kept getting out, I had to tolerate the horribly disgusting smell of a billy goat my husband had conveniently arranged to be dropped off and stay while he himself was out of town -- and the doorknob broke off of the front door. Maybe I'll write about that another day...

'Nuff about me, here is my friend's letter to her man yesterday. Names have been changed to protect the guilty. I love her style...

Just had to tell you how my morning went...

I went out to mow the lawn...

First I checked to see how Adam did on picking up dog poop. I think he miss-understood and just went around and smeared it in the lawn everywhere (besides the 10-15 piles he missed)...

It took me about 20 minutes to get the mower started...

Everytime I shut it off I had a hard time starting it again (I really think we need to buy a new one!)...

The lawn was wet and mushy and the grass kept coming out of the bottom of the mower in clumps...big pain!

I finally finished after it had started raining...(I am soooo ready for sunshine!)

My pants and shoes were a complete mess from wet grass and smeared dog poop...

When I went to wash off my shoes outside, the hose squirt all over me...

I figured after all that I was deserving of a manicure, so I relaxed for the next 1/2 hour and tried to forget the lawn, the rain and the dog poop!

Thanks for the manicure!

Cyndi

Do any of you have a lovely story you can thank your hubby for?

I need your tiaras!

In addition to looking for stories about "Expectations and Disappointments", I also need your tiara pictures and stories. Some of you have already sent me some pictures -- I need many, many more! Keep 'em coming! Send me tiaras that you think are beautiful or whimsical - or downright dorky!

They can be pictures of yourselves, a friend, a child or anyone wearing a tiara. They can be made of metal or plastic or whatever else a tiara might be made of. They can be funnies about or pictures of tiaras you have found online (but need to be attached as jpg image, not a link), or a piece of artwork you have found or created. It could be a picture of a tiara your child has colored or glittered. They can be jokes, poems or stories involving tiaras - or your thoughts on tiaras, as one of my dear friends artfully expressed in her tiara email. One of my friends actually even gave me a tiny baby tiara:)

Anything tiara related

is very much appreciated :)

Spring Reading Thing 2008 and My Bookshelf

I have had a list of books I have been wanting to read and I just found out about The Spring Reading Thing 2008! It seems I always have a stack under my bed, in the diaper bag or stashed in the car "just in case" I get a moment to read one. I usually have too many and often don't even get all of the way through them. So, here is my preliminary list of books I want to get all the way through this spring (I might add more but want to make it practical for now, since I joined the SRT2008 late):

Total Forgiveness
A Thankful Heart
Age of Opportunity
The Shack
Do Hard Things
Teach Them Diligently
The Heart of Anger (re-read)


My bookshelf will help me organize my thoughts about each book.I love this new "widget"! I can put all of the books I love on here and then review them. I can add books I want to read, rate them, make comments and write reviews as I read them.

This will help me get through more books, give me a way to keep track of them, and share my thoughts on them:) Even when The Spring Reading Thing 2008 is past.

Blooming Sideways

(Fromthe 18th of April)

On another day, I will write about the beautiful place where we live. It is what "inspired" today's musings.

The view from the bathtub in our master bathroom is mostly a beautiful stand of evergreen trees. I think they are Fir Trees because of the yellow shower of pollen that comes from them this time of year (this week in fact), coating everything around here in a thin film of yellow powder.

As I was relaxing in the tub last week, while the rest of the house was still quiet (maybe I got the idea from Christa!), I particularly noticed a more spindly tree growing in the midst of those giants (see pic above, to left and going across and up). It is growing there in the shade of the big trees -- and it is blooming! It doesn't refuse to bloom because it isn't getting much sunshine and warmth. Apparently it is making the best of it's situation and even grows somewhat sideways to get the most it can out of what sunshine it does get. It isn't just standing there waiting for sunshine to come to it. It is going out and looking for it!

I think that I, too, shall choose to bloom - even on my shady days.

Even if it's sideways.