castles in the sand

everyday you go out,
you pick a spot.

you get started,
building the castles.

some days,
it is easy,
relaxing even.

you notice all the details,
the warmth of the sun,
the cool of the breeze,
the feel of the sand.

other days,
waves crash into the castles,
knocking them down,
piece by piece,
over and over.

and then you don't notice any details,
you are just trying to protect the castles.
help them stay together.
safe.

yet you still try,
everyday,
you build.

sometimes you listen to passersby,
use wet sand,
move up the beach a bit,
build moats.

sometimes you don't listen to passersby,
you build your own way,
right or wrong,
or sometimes oh-so wrong.

but on those other days,
the days when you build right,
and desperately try to remember for tomorrow,
it is worth it.

worth all the time,
the energy,
the worry,
the hassle,
all the crazy.

totally worth it.

the heart of a gymnast

"she doesn't really look like a gymnast, does she?"
people have said to me, more than once.

she has long, thin legs.
her feet are almost the same size as mine.
she is nine.
she will be tall, no doubt,
as her father towers over us all.
her torso is long as well.
she gets that from me.
her arms are thin.

you are right, she doesn't "look" like a gymnast.

but her hands are calloused,
rough from bar work.
her wrists are weathered from her trusty grips.
and do not be fooled by those thin arms.
they are strong.
so strong.

her toes are long enough to wrap
around the sides of the beam,
they keep her in balance.
they too are rough from turn after turn.
and those long, thin legs?
when they are straight, with toes pointed,
the line she makes is gorgeous.
simply gorgeous.

her drive,
her desire,
her will,
her passion,
to practice,
to push herself,
to succeed.
this is inside her heart.
inside her mind.

so, yeah, you could say that
she doesn't "look" like a gymnast.
but then again -
perhaps you are not looking hard enough.

welcome back happy

have you ever watched someone
lose their happy?

but it happened so slowly,
over time,
that you didn't really, truly notice that much?
until you really couldn't tell the difference anymore?

but then after a while, the happy appeared again,
radiating all around him?
and you suddenly realized
how utterly unhappy he must have been
for so long?

it is a revelation, i tell ya.
and all i can say is,
welcome back happy.

from sue

sometimes i get cards from my mom's friend sue.
they always come at just the right time.
and they always make me smile.
thank you, sue!

playaway

i stumbled upon these
at our local library.

http://www.playaway.com/

pre-loaded digital audio books!
just check them out,
plug in your earbuds,
and listen!

they are great for car rides.

the kids are hooked,
hard.

go try 'em out!
you won't be disappointed.

happy parents aren't perfect

every now and again i pick up
a parenting book at the library.
i know.

usually i don't like what i read.
truth hurts, maybe?
but i kind of liked this one.
parts of it, anyway.
"are we having fun yet?"
16 secrets to happy parenting.

i especially loved this part,

"take time to lay each brick the right way -
one at a time.
if you miss a brick -
there will be a gaping hole.
if it goes in crooked,
not only will it look awful,
but it could weaken the wall.
if your wall is wobbly,
it won't stand up to the elements."
~kay willis

happy monday, fellow bricklayers!

best stay out of my house, bugs

 

 

 

 

 

remembering

unmentionables

possible reason(s) a gal might need
a pocket in her underwear?

i got nothing.

worth the read

personal opinion(s) aside,
this is worth the read.

All Joy and No Fun

memorial day

"rev. james russell ballard, 83, of fayetteville,

went home to be with the lord on monday, june 30, 2008,

at the princeton community hospital following a long illness.

born oct. 20, 1924, at cannelton, he was one of the 14 children

of the late william and molly maner ballard.

rev. ballard was ordained a minister of the baptist faith

at cotton hill baptist church.

over the past 25 years he pastored at

gentry, kaymoor, loop creek, and bethel baptist churches.

he was a man who truly loved and served the lord.

he was a graduate of montgomery high school

and attended appalachian bible college.

rev. ballard was a tech sergeant in world war II;

he participated in d-day at utah beach

and aided in the liberation of cherbourg, france.

he received two purple hearts, medals for valor,

and he served with the 79th infantry 313 division.

he was a coal miner and retired from cannelton industries

with 38 years of service and he was a member of the umwa..."

the article goes on to mention his wife of 62! years,

margaret,

his 6 children,

6 grandchildren,

and 3 great-grandchildren.

it's funny that when i was reading this

over and over after he died,

i kept thinking about how he told us kids

that he was shot while

saving a birds' nest

that had fallen out of a tree!

we would listen with wide eyes.

a purple heart for saving the baby birds!

hurray!

and how he couldn't bend his knee.

because he didn't have a kneecap anymore.

(from saving the baby birds, of course!)

so he walked with a straight leg.

and all of his grandchildren would walk that way too.

because we wanted to be like him.

we still do.

thank you for everything, paw-paw.

more than you know.

did i ever tell you how lucky you are?

the kids found the dr. seuss shelf
at the library.
yes!

so many dr. seuss books i haven't read.
i didn't even know he wrote so many.
busy dude.

and fun to read.
i think i'll make up some new words today.
i'll keep you posted.

anyway, isn't it just like dr. seuss
to speak directly to me,
right to my heart,
my soul?

i have been known to cry while reading dr. seuss.
i know, totally weird.
but, oh the places you'll go,
just gets me every time.
the kids look at me like i'm a freak.
mm just shakes his head.

this week we read
did i ever tell you how lucky you are?
preach it, seuss.

"when you think things are bad,
when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad...
you should do what i do!

just tell yourself, duckie,
you're really quite lucky!
some people are much more...
oh, ever so much more...
oh, muchly, much-much more
unlucky than you!"

"poor mr. bix!
every morning at six,
poor mr. bix has his borfin to fix!

it doesn't seem fair. it just doesn't seem right,
but his borfin just seems to go shlump every night.
it shlumps in a heap, sadly needing repair.
bix figures it's due to the local night air.

it takes him all day to un-shlump it.
and then...
the night air comes back
and it shlumps once again!

so don't you feel blue.
don't get down in the dumps.
you're lucky you don't have a borfin that shlumps."

are you crying yet?
no? just me? oh.

"and suppose that you lived in that forest in france,
where the average young person just hasn't a chance
to escape from the perilous pants-eating-plants!
but your pants are safe! you're a fortunate guy.
you ought to be shouting, "how lucky am i!""

happy monday.
hold on to your pants.
xo, lucky duckie

carnivorous mushrooms

as a mom of elementary school kids,
i've seen my fair share of
crappy.library.books.

every week for four years,
m has checked out a book.
for two of those years,
g has also checked out a book.
that's a lot of books.

i'm not sure if their library
is chock full of crappy books,
or if my kids just gravitate toward
the crappy book section.

we've read books highlighting -
hamsters
maine coon cats
goldfish
dwarf rabbits
geckos
cichlids
lovebirds
parakeets
pugs
chinchillas
prairie dogs
ferrets
chameleons
snakes
turtles
newts and salamanders
mice
(fill in the blank)osaurus
rocks and gems (an encyclopedia)
-this one has come home at least five times-
rivers
mountains
volcanoes
lightning
etc.

i know i'm missing hundreds more,
but you get the idea.
crappy.

but then -
last week,
it happened!

g's selection -
"carnivorous mushrooms
lassoing their prey?"

woah.

"an eelworm wriggling through the soil finds itself attracted toward some curious tiny rings. these rings make a substance that the eelworm finds hard to resist. it decides to wriggle its way through a ring. it presses its body against the inside walls of the ring. suddenly, in just a tenth of a second, the ring tightens like a lasso! the eelworm is trapped."

"the rings belong to a fungus called arthrobotrys anchonia. it has many rings. each ring is made up of three cells. within a short time after capturing an eelworm, the arthrobotrys starts to grow into it. the fungus devours the eelworm from the inside."

well, now - that's more like it!
minus the nightmares, obviously.

and may we all strive
to avoid curious tiny rings.

the shack

spring cleaning the mind.
and soul.
feels good.
happy easter!

wordless thursday

yep.

gung hay fat choy!

m is fortunate to have
a few friends that were
born in china.

one friend's mother
comes to school every year
for chinese new year.
it is a big celebration,
and i am always secretly jealous.

while mm and i ate our shrimp,
for wealth, of course,
(at red lobster, does that count?!?)
m had a party with her class.
she got a red envelope,
filled with a bracelet,
a noisemaker,
and some chopsticks.

this year m also got a little booklet
with asian zodiac signs.
i got a kick out of reading them again.

pj - rat, true dat.
full of charm, the rat is the object of admiration. a true sentimentalist, family and friends are close to her heart. her intellect and foresight bring success, money and work. rats are constant seekers of new ventures and travel. (famous rats - shakespeare, the queen mum, t.s. eliot, george bush, claude monet)

mm - rat.
(see above) change the her to his, then add in stubborn just for fun.

m - snake, the original.
a natural philosopher, the snake is blessed with a profound wisdom. always on a mission, she is dedicated to her chosen quest. seductive and mysterious, many are blinded by her hypnotic charm, unforgettable elegance and style. (famous snakes - oprah, maya angelou, simon & garfunkel, picasso, edgar allan poe)

g - ram, the middle one.
gentle and docile, the ram is sincere and kind-hearted. a pacifist, he never questions authority. fueled by compassion, he admires all of nature's beauty. rams strive to create a secure and tranquil environment. (famous rams - bill gates, michelangelo, william shatner, julia roberts, charles dickens)

k - rooster, the baby.
self-reliant and independent, the rooster is not one to seek counsel. she is confident and aggressive and is most at home in a crowd. a perfectionist, she leaves no detail undocumented. roosters will never abandon their dreams. (famous roosters - bette midler, donny osmond, benjamin franklin, elton john, groucho marx)

i surely do love all my crazy animals.
dang, that rooster is spot-on.

so, what's your sign?
happy chinese new year everyone!
i'm off to eat an orange.
for luck, of course.

local talent

amy won the miley cyrus
"be a star" competition!

no, i don't know her personally,
but we are all huge fans
in this house.
yeah, i voted for her, i admit it.

and she lives in our town -
her full name is amy colalella.
this fireflies cover is my favorite.

a lot of her music is on youtube.
she also plays the guitar and piano,
crazy.
she is going places!

things we are learning to live without

i'm really liking this article.

21 things we are learning to live without

surprisingly, we are doing about half of these things already.
so, what are you learning to live without?
how does it feel?

we are feeling groovy.
(cue garfunkel)

gender bender(ish)

our oldest gal is a girly girl.
our middle man is all boy.
and then there is our baby.

she is loud.
she loves princesses
and pokemon.
she also loves singing, dancing,
or mean game of dodgeball.

she will play "chef" for hours
or set up train tracks
in a figure eight.
she wears a tutu
with her star wars t-shirt.

she fills her sequined evening bags
with matchbox cars, squishies,
silly putty, and spy gear.

her legs are usually scratched up
from running and falling -
then running some more.
yet she still manages to look
adorable in tights.

she likes painting,
play-doh,
guitars,
and bikes.

she doesn't mind bugs,
she likes dirt, sand,
chunky jewelry,
and lipgloss.
the more the better.

she gives the sweetest kisses,
and the most painful-est kicks in the shin.
oh, and she is so loud.

it's interesting how i think of m as a girl,
and g as a boy,
but when i think of k,
i just think of her
as a kid.

and well, i kind of like this way of thinking.
a lot.
and although i'm not sure where it's all going,
man, am i thrilled to be on the ride.

i'd rather

i'd rather be a mother
than anyone on earth
bringing up a child (or three)
of unpretentious birth.

i'd rather nurse a rosy babe
with warm lips on my breast
than wear a queen's medallion
above a heart less blessed.

i'd rather tuck a little child
all safe and sound in bed
than twine a chain of diamonds
about my foolish head.

i'd rather wash a smudgy face
with round, bright baby eyes,
than paint the pageantry of fame
or walk among the wise.

-author unknown

this poem reminds me of mary.
don't even pretend to follow that train of thought.
it's okay.

i hope you all have a blessed christmas.

i have a few secret wishes,
ahem, puppy, cough, cough,
but mostly,
all my wishes
have already come true.