Keeping The Foolish Out Of My Writing

A few days ago I wrote a somewhat poignant entry regarding the many, many thankful (facebook) updates I have been scrolling through- it was Day 16 at that point. I thought better of what I had written (like I usually do) and decided the wisest thing to do would be to not publish it. There is, afterall, a proverb for this very thing:

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. Proverbs 18:2

I write alot of things that never make it to the publishing button. I've been asked on numerous occasions to write a book (something my ego loves), but I never get far with it. What in the world would I write about? I've tried fiction- love to read it, hate to write it. I can't keep the characters straight and I'm bored with myself by the second chapter. I've tried non-fiction, too, but there is nothing out there that fascinates me enough that I would want to devote a book to it... that's why I go to a library. So what does that leave? An auto-biographical book-of-my-opinions type of thing. I'm pretty sure that publication would rest dead in the water.

I did write a short book years ago entitled Proverbs 31 for the Real Woman (or something like that). I never knew what to do with it, though, and have since noticed that that theme is severely overused anyway. Actually, that particular manila envelope full of typed pages is kind of fun for me to read now. I was a fairly new wife and mom when I wrote it and full-to-the-brim of that funny thing called hope. Oh, I still have hope (I wouldn't be here if I didn't), but my hope today is edged with a whole lot of truth,  I guess. I have my faith, but believe me... if I were to write that thing now, I am certain it would read differently.

Hey. There's an idea. Maybe I should do that. It could be sort of a before and after thing.
Before the end of your twenties. After the reality of your forties. Marriage. Kids. Daily wrinkle cream.

But then again, I wouldn't want to scare the young people.

Happy & Sad (Don't Know What Else To Call It)

Picture this:

The horseshoe drop-off area at your kids' high school.
Your teenage daughter dressed up for professional day to earn extra credit.
Her boyfriend walking by at the exact same time your mini-van drives up.

Keep in mind this is the same girl who typically wears a camouflage jacket and jeans and boots on any given day. She is now in a skirt and heels and looking very professional. As she recognizes the boyfriend walking up in his own camouflage jacket and jeans and boots, her only response is,

Drive, Mom! Drive!

Oh, the things that make me laugh.

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We lost a member of our extended family yesterday whose passing came as such as surprise- I mean, the events leading up to it were so unexpected, my head is still whirling from it all. I suppose it's good for us all to  be reminded from time to time that life certainly is fleeting... we never know when our day may come. I know I have been looking at my own close family in a brand new light. A renewed appreciation. My heart aches for the unexpected tragedy of it all.

Life is a balancing act of the laughter and the tears.

May your laughter side always weigh more.

Take A Walk With Me

Do you ever daydream about stuff that is so far out there, it's somewhat relaxing (and fun) to conjure up scenarios in your mind that you know could never happen? I typically do this kind of daydreaming at night when I've got other stuff on my mind. For some reason, picturing myself in the craziest of circumstances- descending the steps of a private plane, for example- eases my mind and helps me fall asleep. It only takes a few minutes of pure ridiculous-ness to knock me out (and yes, I know ridiculous-ness is not  a word, but I bet you know what I mean).

The husband had no work today. I am still without work. And the oldest was sent home due to lack of work. Just think, it hasn't even been a full week since the election, but we won't go there. Instead, let's go to the river where the beauty of autumn beats any night-dreaming I may do.

This is how I spent my morning.

Just When You Thought I Was Out Of Hair Stories...

I come up with another one.

I was the only one in the house today when I left for church. I changed my shoes twice, added another layer of hair spray, and grabbed my Bible on the way out the door. I made it through one stoplight when the thought occurred to me that I really didn't want to go. Driving through three more stoplights, I made a right when I should've went straight and headed back to the house. I swapped my nice, dark green sweater for a Falcon t-shirt and an old black cardigan and popped a chicken pot pie into the microwave. I fixed up a baby shower gift for later today and flipped on The Brady Bunch and wondered what the Lord might be thinking.

You know, I've never pretended to have it all together.

Anyway.

The daughter made the decision to cut her hair yesterday. Technically, she made the decision some time ago when she began growing her hair for the sole purpose of cutting it one day. That beautiful hair is now in the form of a ponytail waiting to be mailed to Locks of Love in honor of her own battle with alopecia areata. Seeing as how I've still got the ponytail of the middle waiting to be mailed, we'll probably just make it a dual mailing event. One thing's for sure... this family ought to be saving some money on shampoo and conditioner and drain cleaners.

And yes, she loves it.

No regrets, Mom, she said leaving the hair salon.



Not a bad way to live.

My Thoughts On The Election, Steam Mops, and Those Eggs That Didn't Hatch

The Election.

Sheesh. Can I just say I'm glad it's over? My candidate of choice did not make it to the Oval Office and I have grave concerns about the man who currently sits in that seat, but... well, assuming all went according to design in terms of our electoral process, this is a democracy in which we live. I remember thinking Bill Clinton would usher in the end of the world with his second term. Granted, the current guy makes Bill Clinton look good to me, but hey... life and arguments and unemployment shall continue on.

Steam Mops.

There is something therapeutic about the steam of a plugged-in mop. Vacuuming and cleaning in general can help clear my mind, but when a dirty hardwood floor falls prey to steam and a good squirt of OrangeGLO for Hardwood Floors... well, let me just say that I feel rather accomplished right now. Oh, I know by the time the kids roll in and supper is finished and the nightly snack is consumed those floors will have lost the gleaming luster they hold at the moment, but for now, I am at peace.

Those Eggs That Didn't Hatch.

If you're lost on this one, back up to the last post (it had to do with cake, I believe). Whatever eggs I heard crackin' were not meant for me. I shut down on life-as-I-know-it for a good twenty-four hours, I guess. Even big girls need time to recover. Like the husband said, though, I'll do what I always do: Get Back Up. Probably the only ones who have a clue what the husband and I are going through (in terms of finances) are my parents and if they say I'll be all right, well then, I will be all right. Between them and God Almighty Himself, this thing can only end on a positive note.



Even another term of Barack Obama can't change that.

The Last Thing I Need Is Cake

This is what I keep telling myself as the offer of pound cake lingers in the air. I've never been one to play the weight game. I have no idea when I last stood on a scale. My jeans have always been the determining factor on where I stand as far as to eat the pound cake or not to eat the pound cake. Right now I'm pretty sure the jeans would agree with the mirror that the pound cake can wait. Besides, I'm really not that hungry. I can wait, I think, till lunch.

Maybe.

(And the fact that I was asked how I felt about substituting for a PE class should not be a sign to me at all. Right?)

The things that make me laugh.

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I wrote that a few days ago. Something happened before I got around to actually publishing it, though. I was going to ramble on about how I got to see my mid-western nieces via the webcam the night before and how that made me cry when the end button was clicked and how I get so darn homesick for my family far away. The cake incident was only a little humor to mask the tears. Oh, it happened and it made me laugh (if only to myself). Then the PE substitute thing came along which really made me chuckle. I'll tell you, there are times when I would testify that I hear the Lord laughing right along with me. That was one of those times. I have no idea what He is up to, but I'm betting it is the last thing I would have thought of... He's a genius like that.

So anyway, things might be a-changing. I have learned, however, not to count my chickens before they hatch. I'll not count 'em yet, but the sound of crackin' eggs are in the air.

And if that's the best idiom I can come up with, I better quit while I'm ahead.

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Oh,

The oldest is riding a motorcycle.
The middle looks like a body builder.
And the youngest has a boyfriend.

Life never stands still, does it?

Tuesday

I'm looking out on what our local weather guy has deemed a blustery day. The forecast this morning included smiling warnings to bundle up! and I've seen no less than seven stocking caps, three scarves, and one pair of mittens so far this morning. Is it really that cold out? No, but then again, I know what a blustery day is suppose to feel like. I remember the days of long johns under the clothes and the mandatory two pair of socks. I'll take southern cold over mid-western cold any day.

The weather is the big headline, though, isn't it? I hate it for the people being affected by the latest big wind to blow in off the ocean... times like this make me rethink that fictional house on the beach (the one that exists inside my head anyway). The only good that has come from the latest turn of events is that the media has something else to talk about besides politics, Lindsey Lohan, and Octomom. When you think about it, it must be pretty tough to come up with enough stuff to talk about in this constant news-hungry world. I mean, I don't ever remember thinking, Boy, I wish I could watch/read/listen to news twenty-four hours a day; but evidently somebody out there had that thought (and I bet it was the same person who decided Lindsay Lohan and Octomom were newsworthy to begin with).

Anyway.

Last night we did the parent-teacher thing and collected a few report cards. I presented this account to my mom: No Drama. No Lecture. No Tears. The two remaining school-age kids are doing very well as they muddle through their high school years. In fact, I was so relaxed afterward that I willingly watched an hour of The Voice. I'm not a fan of any kind of music show that does not include a live singer in a cowboy hat, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Actually, I think I might like that show better than the rest of the wanna-be-a-star series. Listening to the opinions of the kids as they watch it is entertainment enough. That's about as much television as I can take on a week night.

And that's about all I can do for right now.

It's just another Tuesday. Life goes on.