2011 Favorites

As is often the case, we tend to think back on the waning year and consider the pluses and minuses that occurred.

Tonight I'm thinking about favorites.  Here are a few:

My favorite time of day:  still the early morning, the sunrise. (I guess there's a part of me that's an optimist.)

My favorite form of exercise:  still walking.  I love to walk.  (Wish my knees loved it still as much!)

My favorite treat: still gelato.  Don't think that'll ever change.  Although a fruit smoothie like Jamba Juice runs a close second.

My favorite vacation:  just about anywhere.  We only took a couple short trips this year, to the beach, to Arizona and to NYC and they were all my favorite.

My favorite pastime / hobby: still reading.  Any time, any place.  2nd place still goes to needlework:  embroidery, cross-stitch, quilt piecing, etc.

My favorite chair:  any chair that rocks.

My favorite clothing: outdoors - fun shoes; indoors - jammies!

My favorite dinner:  any that I don't have to fix (still not fond of that cooking thing.)

Favorite word of the year:  unselfish.  Of course, there are others that are so close in the running that I have to include them - steadfast, kindness, hug, hope, tender mercies, and I'm learning more and more to love:  seeing things from another's viewpoint.

I have a new favorite Christmas movie - Arthur Christmas and a new favorite cookie - that I've forgotten the name of but would recognize the package.

Biggest lesson learned:  that no one is "in charge" of another; that no one has the right to demand behavior of another, that no one can make choices for another.

Lots of things have changed over the year, but lots of things haven't changed.  I've been to a couple funerals and given things for new babies, sent lots of birthday cards and remembered birthdays of those who are no longer with us.  I have made a couple new friends and was kicked out of a 10 year friendship.  (And stayed friends with those 20 pounds that I'd rather not be friends with!)  I've watched my chilluns struggle and also rise up to a challenge.  I've learned some things (and forgotten some things) and hope my family has also.

All in all:  a fairly typical year.  Guess that means it was a favorite.








Movie

Took a grandson to see a movie today.  Was delighted by his unabashed enjoyment of it.  (And his generosity with his popcorn wasn't hard to enjoy either!)

We've been to 4 (yes 4!) movies in the last week.  And most of them have been so worth seeing.  I like this little tradition of ours.  As a friend says, "it's cheaper than therapy" and I enjoy the ability to "live" for a time in another world.

The best part is sitting next to My Love and holding hands.  He's my security in life.

Wondered at the youngskinnytrendyblonde parked behind my car when I came out of Walgreen's today.  Apparently she was returning a movie at the Red Box in front of my car and thought it would only take her a minute.  It was several minutes, all the while I'm cooling my heels unable to back out of my spot.  Oh, and did I mention that I was parked next to several empty spots?  Consideration of others must be "old-fashoned" and therefore not worth her time.  I hope I'm old-fashioned for the duration.


Twas The Night After Christmas...

And it has been a delightful holiday.   So glad we had a good one.

There are a couple thoughts / quotes  I want to remember from the past few days:

"This isn't salad, it's leaves."  (From the 3 year old grandson.)

"The most important part of talking is listening."  (from a movie)

This one is an approximation of the quote:  "Imagine the bravery required to keep himself from having pride." (from another movie)

I often find myself feeling "out of step" with the rest of the world - when I like a movie and no one else does, or I don't like a movie or book ( food or whatever)  and everyone else seems to.  I have to keep giving myself private mental pep-talks.  I don't have to like / dislike what everyone else does.  I just have to be true to me.  And I'm not a dummy - perhaps not as educated as others - but still smart enough to reason things through, to see through manipulation, and to find my own true path following the Light that is guiding all of us.  I can do this and I don't need to trumpet my preferences to the world. It is just fine to quietly trudge along, cradling my Banner of Liberty (and by corollary obedience) and doing my best.

And if that makes me "out of step", if I'm lucky, I'll keep my footing.


It Was The NIght Before Christmas...

And all through the house, the children are grown, there's not even a mouse.
The stockings are hung by the stairwell with care
With dreams that St. Nicholas will find them hung there.

And so it goes.  Christmas eve no longer holds that sweet anticipation and wonder that it once did.  Things are much more practical now:  have I done enough, acquired the right things to please, will the day go well, will everyone enjoy each other.

The body grows older, the heart - not so much.  But while the heart doesn't feel older, it can feel more full - and hope springs eternal that it will always be filled with the absolute essence of the Spirit of Christmas. My wish for us all.


Friendship / Goodness

Just finished a children's chapter book that I quite liked.  Also liked the fact that it was written by a local author.  Wanted to share this passage that I was particularly taken with:

"She could feel the warmth of his friendship pouring down from his heart, through his arm, and right out of his fingertips.  It was pure liquid.  It was divine."

I've felt that sort of goodness from a person or two in my lifetime.  (Felt the opposite as well.)  Want to be that kind of person.  A person with a good heart who isn't afraid of sharing their heart with others.  Wonder if that's possible for me?

Bleah.....

So, treated ourselves to a rare treat of potato chips tonight - to go with the hamburgers.

Good thing I bought a small bag.  We sat there until the entire bag was consumed (yes, consumed by us!)

Now the old tummy feels:  bleah.....bloated....

(At least the chips are gone and won't be there to tempt us tomorrow!)

New Career

I think I'm going to carve out a new career for myself:

Designer of Restroom Stalls

I should like to offer my services to airports, department stores, grocery stores, libraries.  Basically any place where restrooms are available to... just about anyone.

I will carefully calculate the optimum useable space to fit within the available space parameters.  (No phone booth size stalls for me!)

I will manage the doors so as to be able to accomodate both ingress and egress without smashing a lady's bosom or behind.

Will maximize the placement of toilet tissue rolls so it doesn't take a contortionist to extract said tissue.  I will decree certain standards of dispensing of toilet tissue - no more of this 3 squares at a time business.  And the tissue itself will be soft, non-pilling and absorbent.

Every single toilet will have seat covers available at all times (that will require some kind of magic - the kind that never lets a container of seat covers be empty of it's contents).  Or better yet, I will invent some sort of material for the seats that retains nothing:  germs, moisture, unmentionable excretions and is always clean and warm to sit on.

Have I covered it all?

From there I might move on to the sinks, soap and solutions for drying.

And yes, this is the sort of thing that I think about when I'm out on the town doing errands and visiting every available restroom.

Sewing / Luxury / Contentment

I just barely finished my last Christmas sewing project.  A trip to the laundromat tomorrow morning, a couple quick stops on the way home and I will officially be finished with the Christmas gifting.

I have so loved doing these little gifts.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy sewing, and how much I enjoy my sewing machine.  No, it isn't a Bernina or Pfaff with all the bells and whistles.  It's a little 3/4 size machine I chose that has been a gift all by itself.

I have a couple other ideas I want to do - some embroidery projects, finish up a couple cross-stitch designs I've got ready to go and a couple small quilts I want to do.  Perhaps I'll find a way to maintain my momentum and continue this fulfilling past-time.

What a luxury life (in lots of respects) that I lead:  I get to spend my days and nights with The Husband, I don't have to work outside the home, there is enough for us to live on without an additional salary.

We don't lead extravagant lives and I will have to occasionally do a mental head slap to whip myself back into shape when I look at someone and think it would be nice to travel for leisure they way they do, or shop the expensive clothing stores they shop at, or drive the expensive cars they do.  But I'm content.  And I still believe that is the way our Heavenly Father prefers us to be - not always wanting, wanting, wanting.  (It's just stuff anyway.  Just stuff.  Stuff to maintain, to clean, to insure - just stuff!)

So, I'll do my sewing and enjoy it, and love being here with My Love, and be grateful.

Strange Day

Today was so unusual  a Saturday for us:

The Husband went off for two hours of choir practice for the Christmas Program - weird to be here on a Saturday without him.  (Actually, it's now weird to be without him at most any time!)

Instead of our usual afternoon movie, we went with some friends to dinner and an evening show - the latest Sherlock Holmes movie.  I really liked it - and it was quite clean.  Thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Managed to get in some seriously needed sewing time this afternoon.  The final Christmas sewing project is nearing the 75% mark.  WooHoo!  Again, thoroughly enjoyable to do, but worrisome about finishing it up in time.

Had a quick lunch break at Der Wienerschnitzel.  Can't really remember the last time we ate there.  And we managed to do it for about $7.  And it tasted good, too.

Got a couple more Christmas cards, but none of them said anything like the previous "in the spirit of the season..." that was so hurtful the other day.  More traditional wishes accompanied these and I was grateful for them.

And now it's on it's way to being 11:00 p.m., I'm heading in for clean jammies, fresh sheets, a good book, and a warm hug from The Husband: a perfect ending to a strangely perfect day.


"In The Spirit Of The Season"

Opened my front door this morning to a cute little tin and card.  The card read, in part, "in the spirit of the season..." and then proceeded to tell me how I need to act when I see this person, and what I should be doing (in their opinion).

Wow!  Talk about destruction of the spirit of the season!  My heart started pounding, I started shaking.  Wonder of wonders I didn't cry, but I surely felt like it.

I've spent the rest of the day trying to retrieve that seed of the spirit of the season and plant it deep in my heart.  It's been hard.

I'm going to hole up in my sewing room, and sew and watch / listen to tv and try to rebuild that shattered portion of my self esteem.  Hope it works, I need it to.

Grateful

Tonight I'm grateful for The Husband who treats me as though I am a valued, treasured, important person.  I'm grateful for his constant care and the way he has always worked so hard for our family.  He's an amazing man.

I'm also:

Loving the Christmas Stocking Candy Elf who places some sweet tidbit in my stocking for each day's discovery.

Thinking that sharing laughter with My Love brightens my whole outlook. (Even when we're laughing over his signature sarcastic / snarky comments.)

Hoping that good health is ours for a v-e-r-y long time...for all the usual reasons.

Glad that the Toyota Service Guy finally listened to my concerns about the weird (apparently undiscoverable) noise coming from the Prius and re-assured me that the car is also currently in good health.

Wishing I had unlimited means to help out some others I know who are suffering in some way or another.

Fortunate to have some warm comfy jammies to put on.  Now to find some chocolate milk....




I'm Still Learning

Today's lesson:

Cinnamon rolls are fabulous with chocolate chips in them.  Didn't know you could do that.  Had my first one today.  Sheer mouth-bliss!

Upside The Head

Had to beat myself upside the head (at least mentally) today.  This is the season of love - it oozes from every possible mouth, nook and cranny.  Oozing along with love are some other traits:  forgiveness, unselfishness, kindness...the list could be nearly endless in this season that celebrates He Who Atoned For Everyone and Everything.

Today it seemed everything anyone said was about that.  And I kept thinking, "Are you listening ******?"  Until about halfway through Sacrament meeting when I realized I was lower than a snake, doing the very thing I had been mentally reprimanding this person for doing.  My only saving grace?  I was only mentally doing it (until now that is, when I've confessed to the world at large what a brat I am!).

That repenting thing?  Will be doing a lot of it tonight on my knees.  Asking for forgiveness.  Counting on the grace that has always been there.  I've still got so much to learn.

Movie

Today we saw "Arthur Christmas"- I think we were the only adults unaccompanied by children in the theater.  Too sad.  I think everyone should see this movie - it is my new favorite Christmas movie.

As The Husband said, "The attention to detail is phenomenal!"  It was such fun - a story about families and relationships and kindness and integrity and goodness.  In order to show all of that they had to address: sibling rivalry, ambition & selfishness (my personal pick for most common-root-of-most-issues-trait).  I'm not normally a fan of animated movies but I was totally engrossed in this one - didn't check my watch even once.  And we loved when (at a tense, critical moment) some little kid impulsively yelled out,"Go, Arthur, go!"  

It seemed the other adults in the theater were enjoying the movie as much as we were.  There was truly something for everyone.

My favorite line:  "I have to worry...it's the only thing I'm good at!"  I can so relate.

Then on to the grocery for a quick gelato, a brief look at the gingerbread houses constructed by architects (they were pretty good, especially the Angry Birds one) and we got to meet one of the brothers who founded the chain.  Pretty important person he is.  And he seemed to be in his element, we saw him all over the store doing his meet-n-greet.

All in all a fairly satisfactory day.  Now I'm counting down the minutes to....jammie time!

Car / People

I took my car in this morning to have a strange noise figured out.  Of course, they couldn't re-create the problem, so I'll be taking it in again next week.  The thing is....

I was sitting trying to read (find it hard to focus anymore when there's lots of commotion around) - the waiting area is quite close to the desks where the employees gather.  They were jovial with naturally accompanying volume so it was impossible to be unaware of their conversations.  I caught this snippet:

"...which..."

"I was sure you said witch and I wanted to tell you my wife is at home!"

How discouraged I was to hear that.  And so grateful that those in my circle don't talk like this about those they love.  I believe that conversations like this are a subtle poison that infect our personality, our relationships and our spirits.  How much better to express one's love and concern for those we share our lives with.  Even though they might not be around to hear those hurtful words, those words taint the image.  And those who are subjected to this kind of "humor" have a hard time forgetting they heard it.

There is so much in the world around us that damages us in various ways that I find it hard to condone deliberately causing pain. And I do believe that we will be held accountable for the times and ways we wound another - even indirectly.

I am sad that there wasn't a way to intervene.

Check

December visiting teaching done?  Check

Remembering one of our ladies' birthdays?  Check

Vacuuming done?  Check

Today's Christmas Angry Birds level - 3 stars?  Check

Appointment for checking on the strange noise coming from the Prius?  Check (tomorrow morning!)

Exploring my Christmas stocking for today's delicacy?  Check (and YUM!)

Heading toward friday and feeling good about weathering the over-scheduled week?  Check

Tamales on tamale day at Cafe Rio?  Check

It's dark outside and jammies on?  Check

A heart that's repentant of unkind thoughts - and full of hope for a better tomorrow?  Check

Making my list and checking it twice:  Check and double check

Stocking / Luncheon / Christmas

The Husband has a tradition of filling my Christmas stocking with fun and unusual chocolates/candies that he finds at Pirate O's.  Every year I swear I'm going to remember to reciprocate, and every year I forget.  (It's that brain-dead-don't-know-what-to-get-for-gifts affliction that I have.)  This year he's trying a new approach:  he's putting one goodie in my stocking every day.  I wasn't expecting this, so he was cute about asking me if I had noticed anything about my Christmas stocking.

What fun it has been the last few days finding some new treat (that I promptly share with Him - He's no dummy!) that is something I've not tried before.

I so wish I was as clever / creative as He is.  He truly has a zest for life and makes most things fun.

I need to figure out some fantabulous thing to do for Him.

I also went to a luncheon today.  It's quite an elite occasion where I am pretty uncomfortable.  It's pretty fancy with lots of lovely china and other touches of elegance that are so out of my realm.  I'm always grateful to be included, but dread the actual occurence.  On my walk home in the freezing sunshine I was finding gratitude in my heart for kindness that people exhibit.  I probably don't deserve a fraction of it that I receive, but find it heart-warming nonetheless.  I grew to know this sister because the Bishop asked me to watch out for her (this has happened in nearly every ward we've lived in.  Unfathomable to me.)  Otherwise we might never have connected.  So glad we did.  So glad to be invited to her home.  And so glad I made it through without spilling my salad or drink, without tripping over my clodhopper feet, and without making too huge of a spectacle of myself.

Christmas is the reward - in lots of ways - for making it through the rest of the year.  And we stock up on that "Christmas Spirit" so it will last until the next Christmas.  And if we truly take that spirit into our hearts and activate it in our behavior, the stress part of the season somehow magically disappears...  I'm working on it.  (Still moderately stressed so I know I haven't made it there yet.)


Boxes, Applesauce and Lucy

Spent a couple hours today helping out at the Welfare Square Cannery.  My second assignment there was to assemble the boxes for the finished applesauce (12 bottles to a box).   I found it somewhat interesting that parts of the boxes were packed in:  boxes!

Then I moved on to packing the applesauce in the boxes.  The applesauce bottles came down a conveyer belt, had the labels affixed and ended up in front of us.  I have to confess I had visions of Lucy (from I Love Lucy) in the episode of the chocolates on the conveyor belt.  At one point I even pictured myself having to put bottles of applesauce in my pockets in order to keep up.  It made the time go a little faster.

How grateful I am for an organization that watches out for those who have a need, for those who volunteer their time to help fulfill that need.  Gratitude also is mine for having the opportunity to be of service to someone else, however indirect it might be as it was today.  All I did was help package applesauce.  But I kept picturing some small child with a particular hunger for applesauce and being so happy to enjoy it.

I probably will never again view applesauce in quite the same way.

Ow....

I've been grateful today for my hands.  I've folded and ironed, scrubbed and wiped, pushed buttons and turned keys and generally kept my hands  busy.

One of the things I've been doing is snipping.  Lots of snipping.  Still not done with the snipping.  I'm loving my spring-loaded snippers and they make the snipping much easier.  However, I'm not used to so much scissor work.  And I've got some sore snipping muscles in my hand.  It would be so much easier if I were ambidextrous.  (The only thing remotely ambidextrous about me is my feet.  I am quite adept at putting either one in my mouth with ease and great frequency!)

So, I'm going to take a break from the snippers for a little while.  Long enough to keep these hands busy preparing dinner and cleaning up and hopefully using them for good purposes.

And when I return to snipping I'll be hoping with every snip that the recipient of all this work will find as much enjoyment in the finished product as I found in the actual producing of it.

Tonight when I say my prayers I'll be sure to express gratitude for all that my hands can do, along with a plea that they be guided in doing good always.

Elves

Every year about this time I start to think about Santa's elves.  I usually feel quite elvish when I'm wrapping the gifts.  Which I did today.  For hours.  And I'm not even finished.  Still have to do the neighbor-remembrances.  And a couple things still have to be purchased (but those elves don't have to do that - purchase things - do they?)

And the funny thing is, I imagine the elves as being quite jolly, bouncing all around, maybe singing, as they accomplish those elf tasks.

I tried to be jolly.  Mostly just ended up being tired.  The elves forgot to share their "bounce" with me.  Maybe next year.

Still Like Thursdays

After the weird problems of Tuesday, I was dreading what would befall me next.  Wednesday was mostly unremarkable. (whew!)

Thursday has been great.  I finished up the sewing on a Christmas project and that is HUGE!  What a stress relief that is.  And along the way, the sewing machine just quit working so I hauled out my trusty screwdriver, dismantled the feed dog area and cleaned out some impacted lint.  Reassembled everything and started sewing and thought perhaps I'd broken things:  the machine is running about half volume and double speed.  It seems much happier now that it is clean.  (Isn't that the way of everything?  Things just like to be clean - sewing machines, cars, houses, our bodies, our minds....)

And the quote for the day:

"Joy is the feeling of grinning inside."  ---Melba Colgrove

Makes me smile to just think about this!