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I F**king Hate Cooking
I hate cooking. My kids have always been impossible to cook for. But before I get into that – maybe I should explain where I think my dislike of cooking came from.
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Where Does the Time Go?
Where does the time go?
Some of us are working hard, head down, getting stuff done…others, not so much. -
Soups, Casseroles, etc – Cooking Is Love To Me
In my mind, cooking equals love. The thinking goes this way…
If I love you, I take care of you.
If I take care of you, I want you to be healthy.
If I want you to be healthy, I want you to eat good food.
If I want you to eat good food, I have to cook.
If I cook, then you won’t get processed or fast food.
If you don’t get processed or fast food, you will be healthy.
If you are healthy, it means that I am doing a good job of taking care of you.
If I am taking care of you, then I love you.
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Forgive and Forget vs. Confront, Fight, and Fix
I recently read the book “All About Love” and connected with the author, bell hooks, when she said that “Women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget”.I was married during college to a bright and passionate young man. We were married for 12 tumultuous years. During that time, I believed that everything must be done to save the relationship.
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Do I Have a Favorite Drink?
What is my favorite drink?This sounds like an easy topic…not. My answer is, it depends.
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Hey! Get Me an Old Fashion!
My favorite drink: Alcoholic that is.
I guess I would have to say the this would be an “Old Fashion”. I say this because it has come to be a kind of old friend so to speak. When I came of age, (I don’t like beer) I tried what my Mom always ordered. A Bacardi. Then I thought I should be drinking what my friend liked. Manhattans.
Well, after a couple of years of being totally wiped on only one or two of those (most likely one), I realized that I didn’t really care for them. Anyway, an Old Fashion was presented to me. It had a good taste of booze, I like them rather sweet, and that is where I am at the present time. Margaritas come in second. When you are out of state you don’t even think of asking for an Old Fashion because they are made with brandy, not a staple in other states.
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Green Drink vs. Gin and Tonic
You might think that I have a touch of bipolar with this one. You see, I definitely have a morning drink and an evening drink…and these two are at the opposite end of the beverage spectrum. -
Weird Favorite Drinks
When someone asks you “What is your favorite drink?” – do you automatically think they are referring to an alcoholic drink? Well – I do, and that’s where I take pause. I’m not a big drinker. Typically people talk about coming home from work and having a drink or a beer… I come home from work and grab a glass of milk. Is that weird?
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Does Your Talk Match Your Walk?
Do I walk my talk? Do I follow through? Do my actions match my words? Do I do as I say? Sadly, in many cases, I would have to say NO…I feel kind of creepy admitting that because my intentions are always good. If I get down right honest, I often think out loud. I try out ideas like I try on clothes. When I speak my words and I look for reactions. My need to please is strong, so if the reactions to my thoughts out loud are too severe, I may go another direction. -
Practice What You Preach
I feel I definitely practice what I preach most of the time. For years and years, I’ve said I wanted a cottage on a lake. Now, it wasn’t just any lake or just any area, but I wanted it to be on South Lake Michigan Drive in Door County, WI, on Lake Michigan.
I always knew I was going to do this. We didn’t know how, didn’t know when, but it was going to happen. It had to. I put pictures up at work, constantly looked at the availability of properties and there was nothing… especially in our price range.
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Too Much Profanity!
I wish kids today (including my own) wouldn’t use profanity as much as they do. I really feel that there are so many more productive ways to express oneself other than swearing. This is something I strongly believe, BUT…. do I follow thru myself? Not so much.
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Be Careful Of What You Say Out Loud – Do Your Actions Match Your Words?
Do my actions match my words?
They DO. But…I’m very careful about what I say out loud. There’s a certain power that dreams–shared and spoken aloud–have in my life. A few of my biggies have been completing my master’s degree, adopting my kids, running a marathon. I committed and then took small, methodical steps to work toward the goal. I am slow and steady. I believe in planning your work and working your plan.
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The Magic of Christmas
When I think of Christmas, I remember all of the joy of being a child and feeling the magic of Christmas. There was the night I heard footsteps on the roof and I just knew that Santa and his reindeer were there. As I dozed off to sleep that night, I was sure I saw Rudolph’s bright red nose leading the sleigh onward and upward. -
Making Christmas Cookies
Making Christmas cookies has always been an important part of our holiday traditions. When Grandma Is was around – she would make all the cookies herself and gather the kids to decorate them (Lisa and I). -
Let the Hysteria Begin
When I was a kid, I would love to decorate for the holidays. My Mom always let me do my creative things. I would put evergreens wherever I could find a place. I would put my little sister to bed, (this was not an easy task, as she was always suspicious) then I would sneak downstairs and help decorate the tree which Santa had brought.
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Perfect Time for Gratitude
Sometimes I get really down and crabby. This has been one of those times for me, so tonight when we decided to express our “Gratitude List”, I felt like the timing was perfect. Coincidentally, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I think the “Universe” is telling me to be grateful and thankful.I realize that my greatest lessons have actually come from the most challenging and difficult times in my life. I am truly grateful for my resilience and my ability to be strong and to come back even when circumstances feel like I’m drowning in despair.
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Calm First to Appreciate More
A gratitude list implies that I have numerous things to be thankful for…
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What I’m Grateful For
Have you ever created a gratitude list? This seems like an appropriate time of the year to do this kind of thing. (Although – you shouldn’t save this idea for only this time of the year)There are so many things that I could put on my gratitude list. I’m sure I’ll miss a few, but here is my start to the list:
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I’m So Grateful
Well, it is a day before Thanksgiving and as well as being thankful, I am grateful as well for so many things.I have a wonderful family and I love and know they love me (most of the time that is). That is something to be thankful and grateful to start with. I feel I ponder on the past and present and know that I have been so lucky in so many areas. I think the hardest thing I had to overcome was the lack of my self-confidence and assurance that I am worth what I have earned and achieved.
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5 Love Languages – ‘Chelle
Have you ever heard of The 5 Love Languages? It is a book that I think EVERYONE should read!! I swear by the information in this book!!
Basically – there are 5 ways that people give and receive love.
1. Words of Affirmation – This language uses words to affirm other people.
2. Acts of Service – For these people, actions speak louder than words.
3. Quality Time – This language is all about giving the other person your undivided attention.
4. Physical Touch – To this person, nothing speaks more deeply than appropriate touch.
5. Gift Giving – For some people, what makes them feel most loved is to receive a gift.
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Orange is not for everyone!
All of my life, as I remember it, I have been very aware of color. My older sister always looked so pretty, so for the first many years that I could choose colors, I copied her example. I constantly asked myself why I looked washed out and dumpy when she looked wonderful? -
What color are you?
What color are you? What colors look best on you? Back when I was a teen, my mom and my god-mother took my girlfriend and I to “have our colors done”. Some of you may ask “You had WHAT done?” Well – the process of getting your colors done involves determining what colors look best on you. (Color Me A Season)
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Color Me Green
When I was a kid, mom decorated my bedroom in pumpkin orange, mustard yellow, and avocado green. (I’m just gonna say it…I hated these colors!) There were lollipops painted in these colors with a ribbon on the sticks that made a headboard. I regularly hid the suckers under the bed in protest.
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Respect My Time & Effort, Please!
When someone asks me to do something, I take pride in doing what was asked and doing it well. Sometimes I do research, look up procedures and spend time planning out the best way to complete the task. I finish the project or the document or the job and go back to the person that made the request pleased that I have accomplished my goal only to hear… -
Stupid Questions
I have lots of pet peeves, but I’d have to say my biggest one is stupid people. You know those ones that ask the dumbest questions? Or the ones that ask things that really don’t need to be asked?I can resonate so much with the comedian Bill Engvall when he does his skit stating “Here’s your sign!” With the implication that you need to hold a sign saying “I’M STUPID”
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Brainless Internet Surfing
I used to be so proud of myself. When others would tell about vegging in front of the tv or watching a movie marathon all weekend, I would feel the smug self-satisfaction of accomplishment. I prided myself on creating artsy stuff, crafts, and steadily remodeling my home.
That. Was. Then.
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Biggest Pet Peeve – Aubrey
I really don’t get pet peeves. I mean, why do you call it a pet peeve? Can’t you call it something simpler? Plus, there’s “pet” in pet peeves…is there something wrong with pets? Why don’t you just call it “annoying”. Because isn’t that what pet peeves are? But I guess, it’s just a way that people express themselves. But I’m just going to call it ANNOYING.
#sidetrackedsisters #sidetrackedaubrey #sanity #mindset #thoughts #petpeeves
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So Many Pet Peeves
One of my pet peeves is when people say, “Hi, how are you?”, and really don’t care or want to hear about you anyway.Pet Peeve #2: Husbands with toys. Why is it they complain about your “stuff” sitting around or hanging on walls, but feel there is nothing wrong with their things, such as trailers, sitting out in the driveway 24/7?
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Permission to Avoid Fear
In the day it was felt that if you didn’t meet all of your dreams, goals, were in your job of your dreams, be successful (whatever that meant” where you wanted to be at the ripe old age of thirty, you were, I guess, “A Failure”. That was for a rather short period of time on my part as I just couldn’t accept that. My Dad changed jobs in his fifties and wished he had done it long before that. So, I decided screw that Idea, just keep forging on and as long as you are happy that is a success. -
A Leap of Faith
I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. It was spring break 2006. Our home in Wisconsin had finally sold and our son and I had driven back from Colorado to take the final treasures out of the house. We had lived there for 15 years. My Mom had passed away in that house. So many wonderful family memories had been made there. -
Bad High School Memories
High school. Do you have good memories or bad ones of that time in your life? Many of mine are good, but I always had the feeling that I wasn’t good enough, I felt excluded by people and I was always worried about what others thought of me.
There was the “cool” crowd and the only time I was a part of it, was when one of the crowd would invite me to join. When she didn’t invite me – then I wasn’t included.
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Fears Equal Limitations
I hate the feeling of falling. The gentle decent of a Ferris wheel is a one. Jumping off a bridge with friends into the rushing water of the river below is an eight. Falling out of an airplane at 14,000 feet is a ten. I have done all three. Why???
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Stranger Danger
Unfortunately, I have had several. The one that always comes to my mind is when It was in Junior High, n/k/a Middle school. I was in band and we had band practice at night. -
A Safe Place to Land
Does everyone have a story where they “threatened” a parent with running away and the parent in response helped her pack for the trip? I’ve heard many. The retelling sounds so cute and makes the listeners nod with appreciation, connection, and approval of the parent’s wise response and predictable outcome—that of a short journey around the block or across the street to a friend’s house. -
My Scariest Moment – Aubrey
This is why I hate dolls.Ok, I’m going to start off a way long time ago when I was little, like 3 or 2. (I’m 9 now) I loved to spend lots of time with my cousin Nate – I still love spending time with him.
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Missing Child
Bradley was 1.5 years old and I had to go to the store to return a pair of pants. I figured while we were there, we would take his annual Christmas picture. All went fine during the picture, so it was time to return the pants.We went to JCPenney’s and I started the return process. I smiled down at Bradley and then looked at the clerk to tell her what I needed to do. I then looked down at Bradley and, to my horror, he was gone. I glanced around, thinking he had just started to wander. He was nowhere to be seen.
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Driving in the Fog
I’ve always used the metaphor of “driving in the fog” as a way to go as far as you can see and then you’ll see farther, or what’s next?The drive from Waterloo, Iowa to Beaver Dam, Wi could often be full of foggy sections or just plain socked in with fog. My ex-husband was famous for driving too fast, no matter what the weather was doing. We would often argue about “Please slow down” or “Look out for the curves in the road!!”
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Gardening is Not My Favorite Thing
Everyone has decided to write about gardening. What do I have to write about gardening? I hate gardening!! Mom always tells me that as a kid, I loved to garden. No – I loved to plant a few flowers for her. That is what I liked to do. I don’t like the weeding, the soil preparation, the watering. Ugh. It’s a never-ending job!! Now, granted – I DO love the end result when someone else does it for me. (aka Mom – “Thanks Mom!!”) -
Gardening is Hard Work!
I was never much of a gardener. As a kid, I usually got stuck out in Mom’s garden in the prickly raspberries picking berries or weeding between the brick walk in the back yard. To me gardening was hard work and no fun.When my sister got married and bought her first home, these beautiful gardens started popping up. How did she do that I wondered?
When I left home I lived in apartments, condos, and townhouses so I concentrated on indoor plants. I actually got quite proficient with them.
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Gardening is Therapy
I LOVE gardening or the results of playing in my yard with flowers!
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Procrastination is My Middle Name
I am the queen of procrastination. I have a saying that I post at the office that says “Success is doing the things that we procrastinate doing in a timely fashion”.I always seem to be able accomplish quite a few things when I am under stress, but as I get older, I find that procrastinating for a period of time only puts me in a very stressful straight of mind.
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There’s Always Tomorrow
All my life I have been told I have “no sense of urgency”. What does that mean exactly and why is having “one” a good thing?I watch the world around me fuss and fume and have a fit about getting everything done “on time”. Whose time exactly? Sometimes when I wait until I’m in the mood or I’ve thought a thing through in my head to start, the end result is a better one. I think I have a different view of the world. Often, I watch people hurry up and then wait with nothing to do.
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One Head Trip Without a Map
I wake up in the morning and have plans..plans to write, work on a creation, prepare for teaching. But what do I do after my shower and when I’m dressed for the day? Do I go to the table, set up my materials and dig in? NO. Do I go up to my craft room and start playing? NO. Do I pull out my notebook, put my feet up and get writing? NO! Instead, I load the dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, log into Pinterest…WASH THE KITCHEN FLOOR–ON. MY. HANDS. AND. KNEES (yesterday). -
Procrastination – ‘Chelle
If mom is the queen of procrastination, then I’m the Princess of procrastination. There is only one thing in my life that I ever remember doing ahead of time and that was an assignment back in fifth grade! Since then, I’m the type that does everything last minute. Even getting ready to have kids – I didn’t even have my maternity bag packed before I went into labor. Someone always had to bring me stuff after the fact. For all three kids!!
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I Take Commitments Seriously!
I was the one in our family that always swore when I got married, it would be for life. I said that I take my commitments very seriously and wouldn’t renege on them. Then life got in the way.
I was so shy in school that I could barely say hello to a boy in the hallway. I was very uncomfortable having a conversation with someone of the opposite sex.
My sister was always popular. She had boyfriends at a young age and handled herself well. She married at age 19 some 55 years ago in July.
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Protected: Getting Used to Divorce
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Is Divorce the Answer?
Just hit the print button. that is what I say to anyone who has just plain had it in their insufficient marital status. I use this jokingly and unfortunately, have used the phrase for a serious situation also. You see, I have worked in a law office for 55 years and have seen so many divorces, I wouldn’t even be able to count. -
My Body Image is a Rollercoaster
There was a day when I enjoyed seeing my reflection in a mirror or in a store window. I think this goes back to when I was 15 or 16. I was swimming laps every day after teaching classes at the YMCA pool. I could eat anything and it never showed up on my hips or anywhere else. I felt great and loved wearing the latest styles. My friends said I was too skinny but I didn’t care. -
Big Boobs and a Fluffy Tummy
There is an old picture of me with a skimpy two-piece bikini walking on a beach somewhere in Door County carrying a big log. Don’t ask me why I was carrying the log. I was probably 12. Long legs, barely there cleavage. I was confident and carefree. That was the last time I was that confident and carefree in a bathing suit. -
Taking Control of Your Body Image
“Come here girls – stand back to back and let’s see who’s butt is bigger?”
“Boy ‘Chelle – you’re built like a brick shit house”
“Your sister sure looks good in that size 4 – too bad you can’t wear something like that”
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Technology Ups and Downs
Everyday, people tell me how wonderful technology is and how much time it saves us. Really!?! How often do I spend hours trying to figure out how to insert pictures into something I’ve written only to accidentally delete half my writing or to send a picture into never, never land?How I long for the days of simply doing things by hand or typewriter. Like at work trying to understand how to fool the computer into doing what I need it to do. How wonderful it would feel to put a piece of paper into a typewriter and have it show exactly what I want it to show.
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Tech… The Gluttonous Monster
“Turn it off!” I feel I am constantly asking, bribing, yelling at my children to disconnect from their technology. From the moment my son gets up in the morning until my edict to shut tech down at 7:30, SnapChat bings echo through our house. My son doesn’t even look at the images when he responds to the bing! He just clicks to open and closes it…someone’s “streak” has been maintained. -
Come Hell or High Water – I Will Win!
I LOVE Technology!!! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!! I am the type of person that can’t wait to get the newest gadgets and gizmos. I am the one in the family that the kids come to in order to setup all the new equipment. I am the one that deals with technology on a daily basis. I absolutely LOVE it.
BUT…
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Not for the Faint of Heart
Well, to start with, in order to even start writing this on my rather new tablet (actually 1+ years old), I had to have help in even starting to type this subject. You see, technology to me, is a royal pain, a god send, and one of the most confusing things I have ever had the privilege of being associated with.
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Can You Meditate?
We are discussing meditation and all I can think about is sleeping. How do people meditate? Sitting still and focusing on … nothing. Really? I don’t think I could handle that. All I’d be thinking about is what I should be doing instead. -
Overachieve Meditation
This is a topic that absolutely foreign subject for me. Perhaps I do some form of mediation, but I highly doubt it. The time that I could see doing this is during the day. This, surprisingly, is my awake time. That means I have to move around, and find, unless I am involved in a really fabulous book, I need to accomplish something, even if it is walking, bike riding, whatever.
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Sit. Breathe. Be.
I love the idea of meditating. I’ve experimented with it through the years. But it’s never been a practice that held any substance or continuity for me. -
Start Where You Are
I always knew that taking time to calm down, reflect, clear my mind and be open to the deeper thoughts buried within my brain would be of benefit to me. I knew these things and I had absolutely no idea where to start.
Did I read a book, join a group, listen to a singing bowl, hit a gong with a mallet, figure out a mantra???
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Are New Yoga Mats Motivating?
I just paid a gob of money to learn exercises to strengthen my broken wrist, to increase strength and mobility and to rid myself of pain in my knees and hips. This was an investment in ME… Great, right?? Wrong. Once my OT and PT were done, have I continued to exercise? No, not at all. Why? I just don’t feel like it. There is never a right time and I have other “things” that take priority. -
Dancing is Exercise
I feel the need to exercise. I feel so good when I do this, and yet, it is something that
always goes to the bottom of my to-do list. -
Are Your Mind and Body Friends?
My alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am. I go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. Stella is asleep after an early breakfast. I leave my fuzzy fleece pj pants on, slip on socks and my tennis shoes. Sports bra goes on over the top of my t-shirt. (When you exercise with no witnesses, it doesn’t matter what you wear.) On go coat, neck gator, balaclava, gloves and mittens. I call Stella…quietly. She stretches and yawns like she is doing me a favor. -
Exercise Attempts
Every year I plan on jump-starting my exercise habit. Every year I fall short. I would love to be one of those people that loves to exercise, but I don’t know how to get there. I have a treadmill at home, but when I use it, I feel guilty for not taking the dogs for a walk. -
Walk to Downshift
Stress makes me crazy. Literally. I want to sleep the second I get home from work and then when it is actually time to hit the hay…guess what, I can’t shut my brain off! It doesn’t make sense.I wish I could drink and the calm continues. But alcohol just makes my brain depressed and my body tired. Besides that, I don’t need the empty calories..and I wake up in the middle of the night..and I can’t get back to sleep…My brain is on while my body feels groggy and heavy.
So..is downshifting an art? An art that I have a very limited talent for?
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What Downshifting Means For Me
Beaver Dam has become a member of something called “Blue Zones”. I am a beginner in what that means exactly- but with time I’m sure I’ll be on board. One of the elements that resonates with me in the “Blue Zones” information is something called “downshifting”.
What does that mean exactly? To me, it means letting go of all the crazy things that make me grumpy, psycho and just plain bitchy.
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How Does This Work?
How do you downshift or relax after a sometime (most of the time) stressful day, or just an ordinary, could be boring day.I would like to say that I would leave work, go for a nice casual walk, come home and have a wonderful dinner and then relax for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, this doesn’t ever seem to happen, so when I come home after a very stressful day at work, I like an old-fashioned drink, then I love to (weather permitting) sit out in my patio and just read or listen to the crickets and chill.
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Doing Nothing
The question is how do you downshift at night? How do you relax?
Well for me – it’s very easy. I am not a big drinker, so it’s just a matter of sitting down and doing… NOTHING!!
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Lifetime of Pets
I’m kind of at a negative point as to the need for furry friends in my life. My family has always been a lover of having pets which include dogs, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, including fish and chameleons (which are not so furry).
I started when I was very young by begging and begging for a dog. My first dog was a chocolate lab named Ginger. At a very young age of, I believe three, we ran away together, got into trouble, and I loved him very much. When he passed, I wished on every birthday cake candle, the first star in the night, etc., for another dog to fill the void. -
A Dog That Loved Me
When I was little everyone around me had dogs. Dogs never liked me much. Our first dog, Trouble, used to growl at me but she loved my sister. So, I decided to adopt a cat. I didn’t know that my mom and dad disliked cats so one day, when I was in school, my white cat disappeared. -
Escape Artist Dogs
I have the greatest furry family members, but also the most obnoxious. I have two labradoodles. The black/grey one is 4, the other apricot/tan one is 2. I always say that they are the smartest dumb dogs I’ve ever met.Both girls are like Houdini. We have a fenced in backyard, but they can ALWAYS figure a way out. Every time I fix one hole, they make a new one. Lily (the baby) is the best at this. We’ve had up to 10 neighbors helping us locate her after she has “disappeared”. She’ll come close to us, but stay just out of reach.
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My Spirit Animal
Stella, Huey, Eli…I am partial to golden retrievers. It is my personality. I guess my spirit animal. I have a friend who channels turtles. There is another who has a “monkey” daughter. I have a passion for golden retrievers. There is a sense of peace, calm, focus, with a hint of unpredictability that appeals. -
A Vacation Story
Lik-M-Aid ……..checkDots on a page ……check
Bag of Brach’s Candy …….check
Why am I writing a vacation story about candy? Because, when we went on vacation, it was to see Grandma in Black Earth and the only time we were given permission to eat candy.
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Vacation Thoughts Down on Paper
It’s been months plus since I’ve written for our blog. Life has been hectic and time scarce and the writer lazy. It’s time to reconnect and get back to putting thoughts down on paper.The last 10 days have been spent in Door County with the other Sidetracked Sisters and our families. It reinforces for me that family time is a heavenly time and being at the cottage in Door County makes it even better. Some went horseback riding; there was girls’ day spent shopping, lunching, and enjoying each other; some of us played mini-golf; there were daily swims and time at the beaches; dog walks, and much-needed downtime to read, rest and relax.
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Playing with Others
My family tells me I don’t play well with others. Well – here is an example of why. -
Lifetime Vacationing
In “My day” I never thought of going to Europe, Mexico, Alaska, or wherever for a vacation in the summer, not to mention in the winter months.
My family only took a “vacation” to either paint the house, do the lawn work, or go to the big metropolis of Black Earth, WI, to see my father’s parents. My father was a salesman and when he was home you couldn’t get him out of his recliner to save your soul, much less leave in a car for a family vacation.
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Onion Sandwiches
When I was a child, we went camping every summer. Camping as in TENT camping… The dads were responsible for breakfast…bacon, eggs, hash browns on a little propane camp stove for about 10 people. The smell…aaaahhhh. (Close your eyes and smile. Pause.) The best alarm clock ever. The kids would then take off for a day of bicycle adventures, tanning at the pool, mini-golf, and gift shop exploring. The dads hung out at the camp site. The moms went shopping…antiquing, I think. Around 2ish, we kids would start to get hungry. VERY. HUNGRY. Going back to the camp site, we pillaged the Twinkies, chips, and (if we were lucky) onion sandwiches. -
Childhood Camping Memories
When I think of my childhood vacations, I always come back to the visual of camping with our family and another family. When we would arrive at the campsite, the parents would throw the kids their swimsuits and then we would disappear while they set everything up. When we came back a few hours later – nirvana in the form of a campsite was arranged.We had a huge 14-man canvas tent with an orange and green striped top. The other family we were with had a camper. Everything had a particular place and was always organized the same from year to year.
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I’ll Prove Them Wrong
I don’t remember ever being told that I needed to get a job, but when Lisa was 16, she had a job, therefore, because she was my hero, I had to also get a job at 16. It also followed, that because she worked at Larson’s Family Restaurant, that I had to work there as well. -
All Things Swimming – A Great First Job
When I was a little girl, I always wanted to swim well. I took lessons at the beach. I had to forge my permission slip and promise not to tell Dad because he was deathly afraid of drowning. I scraped my nose trying to dive and almost drown trying to tread water. This was not going well. -
Stuffing Beans is Not My Gig!
My first job taught me what I would never want to do for the rest of my life, or even a small part of it.
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The Power of ONE
Sidetracked Sisters are sidetracked. That’s it…kind of…not really. One of our defining characteristics is that focus, and single-minded purpose is NOT our strong suit. We tend to flit, flutter and putter rather than being devoted to a straight path. Some might attribute ADD characteristics to the way we live our lives. Perhaps that earlier word that I used…putter…is what best defines the way I go about my “free” time (ie: time not taken up by work/job/career and family or household responsibilities). -
Country Roads
Back in 1999, author Stephen King was struck and seriously injured by a minivan while walking on the shoulder of the road near his summer home in Maine. The driver was distracted by his dog in the back of the minivan and was apparently not driving recklessly, speeding, nor had he been drinking. King’s injuries, which included a collapsed right lung, multiple fractures of his right leg, cuts to his scalp, and a broken hip kept him in the hospital for almost a month.
I run every morning on rural Wisconsin roads. Like Stephen King, I go against traffic. I also wear a reflective vest. While I’m on my run, I see perhaps 3 cars. If I run later, mid-morning, that number increases to about a dozen.
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No Concept of Time
I swear I have no concept of time… But in my defense – neither does my family. My entire life – I’ve always been 5 minutes late. We even tease that we’ll be late to our own funerals! Well – that has always irritated me about myself (and my family) – so I’ve started to do something about it… -
No Sense of Urgency
Time and money. The two albatross’ in my life. The two realities over which I struggle for control and yet two commodities that are totally opposite.
Money is distributed based on successes, luck and abilities. On the other hand, each of us has the exact same amount of time in every day, every week, every month and every year. So why do I always feel as though I don’t have enough time to complete the things I want and need to do? -
My Time – Not Yours!
Time is certainly not my best friend. You see, everyone says I don’t like to follow time. The truth of the matter is time is always getting me in trouble. There is never enough of it to go around. My time schedule is definitely different then the norm seems to be. Have you ever noticed at work when someone comes in say at 6:30 a.m. and leaves at 3:30 they are the superstar, even though you come in at 8:00 a.m. and stay until say 8:00 p.m.
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One Little Resolution
The family was at the cottage and the tv was on a local station. Five celebrities were looking back over the past year, they played a snippet of last year’s show…resolutions for the upcoming 2014 year. Did our famous group achieve their goals? (meditation, fitness, weight loss, meatless Thursdays, and book reading)? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Although the book reader didn’t even remember her goal until it was shown on playback, ALL achieved their resolution for 2014. The secret? Well, I believe it is in the missing s. Did you notice the title Resolution(s). Well, the achievable number of “New Year Resolutions” is exactly ONE. -
Shopping Sucks
I think I may be the only person in the world that hates shopping. It totally stresses me out. I can never think of something wonderful to get for the person I’m shopping for. Or if I do think of something wonderful – by the time I actually need to get the present – I’ve forgotten what that wonderful thing is!!
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Wonderful Grandma Memories
I have some wonderful memories of my Grandmas… They were two very different, yet very special ladies.
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No Black Friday Please!
I love how our family does the holidays… Each of us gets a holiday to organize and coordinate – for example, Mom’s house for Christmas, my house for Easter, and Lisa’s house for Thanksgiving. We used to do Easter at Judy’s till she moved away and then I got that holiday… Now that she’s back, we’ll have to reorganize the holiday schedule somewhat.
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Prayers Answered
Wow- This is a topic loaded with awe and wonder- I have more to be thankful about than I can ever remember…
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Thanksgiving – The Simple Life
This is one of my favorite holidays. It is a celebration, lots of food, and, of course, getting together with family and friends, and enjoying a relaxing time together. This seems so much more relaxing than say Christmas as the hysterical shopping binges, and fighting crowds actually makes me crazy. I love the thanksgiving decorations, smells, and the feeling of celebration that I get from this holiday.
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Can I Decorate?
I’ve never considered myself very good at decorating… I especially got a complex when mom would come over and move things around after I’d arranged them… -
Picture Worthy Fluff
My life is decorated by my children. Decorations are the fluff that adds sparkle to your life. Not necessary to survive, but the stuff that makes us smile when we think back. Decorations are the people, places, and “stuff” that we take pictures of. They are the stories we tell… -
My Decorating Mentor
Whenever I think of decorating, I think of my sister (and her two talented daughters). She is hands down the best decorator I have ever met. So she works professionally as a paralegal and office manager. Go figure!
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A Passion for Decorating
If anyone really knows me they know I love to decorate. I can waste more relaxing time (what’s that!!) planning for re-arranging a room, decorating or redecorating it, whatever the case may be. I love planning and gathering all the materials before starting the decorating project. I do not like to start anything until I have all the items needed to finish my vision. That way, if there are changes to be made, it is easy to do so. I think you need to start with one item that you just love and decorate around that. One time I decorated a room around one little pink light. (sorry Lisa).
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Always a Witch, Never a Princess
Always a witch, never a princess…
When I was little, I always wanted to be a princess for Halloween. I could picture the long flowing gown and tiara and I thought I would be soooo pretty. But, before I could get too excited, my mother would tell me, “You can’t be a princess for Halloween… Princesses aren’t scary.”
Thus began the story “Always a witch, never a princess…” So – every Halloween – I would be a witch even though it wasn’t what I wanted to be.
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All You Really Need are Pumpkins and Scary Stories
Fall isn’t my favorite season and Halloween is far from my favorite holiday.Halloween equals crazy kids in my life–and crazy kids (as a mom or a teacher) are NOT at the top of my favorites list. However, I can look past the candy-crazed children, the high cost of cheap, plastic costumes, and insane after-school costume parties and see that there are three…and ONLY three good things about this holiday.
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Costumes with a Parka
Most years, Halloween comes in the middle of the coldest time of the year. From the time I was little, I worked to come up with the best costume only to cover it with snow pants and a parka.
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Witches Only Please
I think Halloween is actually more for adults than children. Every year you see more and more decorations, almost as much as Christmas. I, personally, like a few tasteful semi-scary decorations for Halloween, but the really gruesome ones I can do without. -
Not a Fan of Autumn
What are my thoughts about Autumn?
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Leaf Piles and Pumpkin Spice Lattes
Am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t like fall? Yeah, yeah, yeah…I’ve heard all about the “colors”, cuddling, hot cocoa, the crisp air…blah, blah, blah.
