How time flies...

I can't believe it has been a year since I posted something here, but time flies.  Or maybe it was just me flying around the world - usually for work.  I think I have averaged a trip a month since I wrote last.  That is my ideal amount of travel.  It's just enough to get me out of the home office and keep me from going stir crazy.  I was home for several weeks in a row in June, so I made up for it by going somewhere every weekend in July.  Taking a break from the regular routine and knowing that we can plan an overnight trip on the spur of the moment make me happy.

Pretty blue walls

So, I finally finished with my office transformation.  Over a year ago I built the desk.  Even before that I had picked out some paint samples.  Earlier this year, I finally got test patches on the wall.  This week - a friend helped paint it.  My office is now a turquoise-robin's egg blue with brown (almost the same color as my desk) on the bottom and white trim.  The walls are all bare right now and I am thinking about what I to pick to decorate them.  Right now, I am just enjoying the thought of possibilities.  I ordered some frames for kid's artwork from dynamicFRAMES.  I hope to keep the kid's art clutter contained.

In the past I had lots of little pictures, but I think I want some big things this time around... oh what can I do...  Of course, the first order would be to try to keep the actual desk clutter to a minimum!

But that's my happy thought for the day - pretty blue walls and the possibilities...

Preconceived notions

We all have preconceived notions of who we are, what we do, and what we like.  But sometimes it pays to think about them a minute.  It all started for me when I was reading The Happiness Project - she has a resolution to Be Gretchen.  Now, you might be thinking Be Me?  how can I not be me? 

Well it all starts when I go on auto-pilot.  I default to my preconceived notions of myself.  I am a shirt and jeans kind of girl - um wait, except in summer when I wear dresses 6 out of 7 days.  I don't wear pink - um, well, 2 of those dresses are pink and so is my only cashmere sweater...  I like to cook - um, then why don't I cook more, why do I eat out whenever I can?  oh wait, I like to eat :)  I like to read - yes, yes, I do - I'm almost back on pace with 3 - 5 books a week.  I like to go to the movies - um, then why have I only seen 4 movies in the theater in the last 3 years?  I like to travel - yes, except not for work - or at least not every single week for work.

For a long time, I lost who I was.  I let someone else define it.  I need to make an effort to think about what really makes me happy, what I enjoy.  But when I am tired and overwhelmed, I fall back on those preconceived ideas based on who I was.  I guess I need to work on Be Me a little more.

Feeling like the Grinch

Since I feel cranky and rather Grinch-like, here's some things that make me happy about the coming holidays

1.  Lights on houses, trees, fences and all other stationary objects
2.  Pecan tarts, Yummy Carmel Bars, Sugar Cookies, and Lemon Bars - the familiar holiday cookies.
3.  The first Christmas song after Thanksgiving (all the early ones don't count)
4.  Decorating the tree and the house
5.  Vacation days - use it or lose it - I end up with a few extra days at the end of the year

Where has the time gone?

It's been a busy few months - with many happy thoughts to keep me going...

• Spain - good food, long walks, and beautiful gardens, cathedrals and palaces - and art, wonderful art - enough for art overload.
• Birthdays - we've celebrated 7 in the last few weeks - lots of parties, cake and ice cream
• Parties - friends, food and dancing
• Friends - those near and far, old and new
• Books - not reading as many as I would like, but enjoying the ones I do read
  

Great (wee) White Shark

A few weekends ago, I took a day trip to Monterey and back to see a great white shark. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a young male one. Before I thought sharks looked like they were smiling. Not anymore..

Tulips

I love Spring. One of my favorite things about Spring is the presence of tulips at the florist - which means I'll be bringing them home. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers - a flower you only see in Spring. Maybe it is the fleeting presence - miss those few weeks and they're gone until next year. Or maybe it's the bright colors in contrast to the gray cloudy days. When you first get them, the flowers open and close each day.

The other thing I love about tulips is the way they die like little sculptures. The flowers lean toward the light. The petals shrivel instead of just dropping. They stay interesting and on my mantle until the petals drop.

When you see those bright bulbs, you know that winter is almost over. So for as long as they are available, I'll be a filling my vases with them. And I'll smile when I see their bright colors.

(And maybe this year is the one I plant some. My old tulips ended up in the lawn when we reconfigured the yard. They are casualties of the lawn mower...)

25 things that make me happy

This is for the 3 people in the last week who "tagged" me with the 25 things post on facebook.
1. Higgy
2. Big boy O - he won't let me call him baby anymore
3. Baby L - she'll always be the baby
4. Reading a really good book
5. Recommending a book to some one and finding out they really enjoyed it
6. My comfy bed - feather bed, soft sheets and down comforter
7. thick fuzzy socks - my favorites are pink and purple stripes and they have a face with ears that stick out on the ankles
8. Getting letters in the mail, e-mail - whatever, I like to hear from people
9. the smell of fresh baked bread
10. Hot chocolate with whipped cream, although marshmallows work too
11. Hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry
12. sleeping children - bonus for 2 kids taking naps at the same time
13. laughing children
14. Quiet - with rain on the roof
15. Watching silly teen romance movies in the dark in my comfy bed
16. Skipping
17. Eating dinner in a restaurant by myself - especially eating just dessert and appetizers
18. Being able to touch my toes the first time I try
19. Having bicep muscles that I can actually see
20. Friends who travel to a different city for a girl's weekend and the friends who just wish they could make it
21. Making a fancy recipe and having it actually come out the first time
22. Photos or paintings of a single tree and either the sun or the moon
23. A warm bath with smelly bath salts (Hurray for the arrival of Lush in Sacramento)
24. A cat curled on my lap who doesn't bite when I move (unfortunately, the one in my house bites..., I miss my Waldo cat)
25. Christmas cookies - Yummy Carmel Bars, Pecan tarts, lemon bars, crisp decorated sugar cookies - why are the only for Christmas?

Citizen Higgy

Congratulations to the newest citizen in my family - Higgy. The family turned out in sickness (mine) and in health (everyone else) to celebrate Higgy taking the citizenship oath. Favorite parts - seeing him wave from the 780+ crowd, hearing how many citizens from each country, watching O drink from his flag straw, watching L wave her flag and clap, and the grins on all those faces.

It would have been better if I hadn't needed a 3 hour nap to recover.

Playing on the bed

Recipe for Playing on the bed:
1 king bed
1 feather bed
4 feather pillows
1 down comforter
2 hyper children
2 tired adults

Place feather bed and down comforter on bed. Give 2 pillows to each adult. Lovingly throw one child on the bed. Laugh. Carefully place 2nd child on bed - push over (flop). Laugh. Repeat. Use pillows to push children over. Laugh. Repeat. Tickle. Laugh. Repeat.

Books in bed

I've been sick for about a week. It's left me tired and resting during O's bedtime routine. I've been unable to read bedtime stories without coughing so much that O asks "are you ok?" followed by "here's bob, he'll make you feel better" or "we could watch Sesame Street to make you feel better."

So when it was time for another book before bed, he decided to read it to himself sitting next to me while I read mine. He pointed to the pictures and talked to himself. He gave the little boy in the story advice - "you should wipe your feet", "you're making a mess" and then asked questions - "what is this for?". It was the nice end to a tiring day.

It's not football season

it's Sesame Street season.

at least, it is according to O.

Hope that made you grin - it made me grin.

Playing on the floor

For about 15 minutes today I just sat with L and watched her play. She had opened the pull out shelf with tea and coffee. She would take it out, stack it and put it back. Occasionally, I would take some tea bags or a coffee bag and put it back on the shelf. She was so intent on her task she seemed confused by where it came from.

Bat man

Bat man - noun - the man who hits the big ball with the bat
synonym: Baseball batter
Usage: What are you going to be for Halloween? A bat man. Mom then gives the definition as the person asking starts referencing that caped crusader and O looks on in confusion.

Political skits

I was amused by two recent skits one from Saturday Night Live and another from The Daily Show.

SNL: Palin & Clinton address sexism

Daily Show: Small Town Values

Friends

There is nothing like seeing a friend you haven't seen in years - I think it was almost 5 years for Jen - and feeling like you just saw them yesterday. Those are the friends you try to keep for life. In fact, I think that is the only kind of friend I have... I love you all.

Not sick

Ok - I'm not happy that there are those in my family who are keeping a tissue or handkerchief nearby. I'm not happy to be wiping runny noses and trying to convince people to drink more fluids and take a vitamin. But, I am happy that this is the second illness that only hit me with the mildest attack. I've been tired - but no antibiotics, no days off work and I wasn't miserable. Yippee!

Helpful

I like being helpful - it makes me happy to solve someone else's problem or make someone else's life easier.

Olympics

Six gold medals and six world records - amazing! Here's hoping for eight and eight.

Friends

It's always good to see a friend after a few years. And even more fun when they bring a lovely wife. While it was a short visit, it was great to catch up.