Linked 2013 - Everyday Life

Everyday life around here is pretty ho-hum, I sort of feel like I have lost my purpose in life now that my kids have left home to live their own lives, even though Andy is back in Minnesota and living with us. I really can't say it counts, because he is only staying until he gets caught up a bit, he stays in the new room downstairs and I rarely ever see him because he works so late. Not nearly enough for me to do to fulfill my Mom purpose.

Since Annie died, it's been even worse, because I lost my walking buddy. I walk with my hubby, but he's perfectly able to walk on his own without needing any help from me.

I work four days a week, I do most all of the mundane housekeeping chores and I do 90% of the flower gardening and zero percent of the vegetable gardening (I have to leave something for my hubby to do, right??)...oh, oh, I'm probably in trouble now ;-D
So, what have I been doing everyday that doesn't involve my job and homestead upkeep??
I have been taking pictures.
I have been taking LOTS of pictures.
I always have my phone with me, so I always gave a camera with me, and with Projectlife365 on Instagram, I take at least one new picture each day, (yeah, right, one a day hahahahahahahahaha)
and I am loving it...

Stop by the blogs of these lovelies and check out their days.

Amanda  Carla  Hanne  Heather  Rhonda  Jenn  Tracey  Rachel and Tracy

Linked 2013 - Me...

Before I attempt to say a few things about me, I would like to thank those of you that left condolences on my last post, they meant the world to me, and those of you that did not leave a comment, thank you too, I know who you are :-)  and if you haven't read it and you want a good cry...

This is a difficult post to write, I rarely ever talk about myself. I've heard that everyone likes to talk about themselves, but in my case, that would be wrong.

This is my second attempt at this post, so, here goes nothin'..

I was born April 18, 1956 in Minneapolis, MN, so yeah, that makes me old enough to be your mother!
eatyourvegetables brushyourteethbeforebed sayyourprayers
I'm an introvert - big time
I sang in my highschool choir and now sing in my church choir
I listen to music in my car, but I rarely listen to it at home
I hum the same tune Every time I start working, or cleaning, or gardening...it.is.so.very.very.annoying, and I can't stop, I don't even know what I'm humming.
These things make me giddy with excitement:
     Universal Studios
     The air show we saw in Chicago, three years 

     The hospital helicopter taking off or landing
     When rescue vehicles sound their sirens during our city parade
     Fireworks
I love jeans and sweatshirt weather
My signature style is a tank top under a short thin sweater with jeans or pants
I love flip flops
The house I live in used to be my grandparent's house. We remodeled it with a family room, second floor and a three season porch
I have lots of flowers to take care of
I am Mom to Kira, Andrew and Ethan
I am wife to David

I have one grandpup, one grandkitty, and a grandsnake
My first tattoo was done when I was 49
My kids think it's cool that I'm not computer illiterate
I love to draw animal portraits in graphite and flowers in colored pencil
Obsessed is probably an understatement when it comes to my camera(phone) and my Canon 7D *sigh
I look at things differently since Instagram :-)
Fibromyalgia has been my constant companion since 2002...what a stupid thing, no one knows how or why one gets it, but I constantly hurt in specific places
I try very hard to eat gluten free because I've read that it could help with the pain, and it really does
I also try to avoid high fructose corn syrup and ready made dinners
Aspartame will never again touch my lips, or chocolate
I love frozen coffee drinks, especially Dunn Bros. non-fat pumpkin icecremas
I am obsessed with eventually making a tasty, crisp gluten free pizza crust
The last time I had my hair highlighted was December 2011, my gray hair is actually coming in white, I like white
My eyesight is horrible, I've worn glasses since 5th grade and my eyes are too dry to wear contacts anymore - damn
I love action movies with lots of explosions
I would love to be a special effects person, or a set designer or an architect
I would Not be a medical lab tech if I had my life to live over, not a bad job, just not what I'm interested in
I used to smoke
One of my ears is double pierced
I had braces
I get monthly massages
I had a drug during labor with Kira that pretty much knocked me out, I hated it
My other two were natural, no drugs or epidurals or anything else
I could be the woman that goes off on her own, squats behind a rock and has her baby
At my hospital, they use both versed and fentanyl for a Colonoscopy, I found out the hard way that fentanyl makes me throw up
I was given an anti nausea medication during my eye surgery after I told them the versed and fentanyl they were going to use makes me sick
I've had a sleep study
I've had eight cats and eight dogs, two of the cats I still have
I'm not sure how long I'll last without a dog
I love soaking in my claw foot tub
I love a good thunderstorm
If we ever move, it will be to the country with open rolling hills where I can see beautiful sunrises, sunsets and watch thunderstorms roll in

I don't have a dishwasher

I try to go for a daily walk

When a greeting card makes me cry, I know it's the one to buy

I can't watch those ASPCA comercials, even with the sound muted

I cry watching the St. Jude Hospital show

I like dark colors, Kira calls them my comfort colors

I'm not a girly girl, nor have I ever been
 

 Age is just a number...I do not feel my age (I may look it, but I don't feel it)













I've Linked up with the following talented ladies for a monthly post...
click on their name and see who they are.


Amanda  Carla  Hanne  Heather  Rhonda  Jenn  Tracey  Rachel and Tracy


 








peace, love and happiness to all

Linked 2013 - Reflection

Please excuse me for not participating last month, my family life is pretty boring and my imagination was lacking (poor excuse, I know) and I'm late this month because my daughter was here for a visit this past week, then on our way to dinner Wednesday, the transmission on my car went out, and last and worst, that same evening we noticed that Annie (my collie) was still favoring her right leg...

and, I think I will leave Annie's story for a separate post.

I was thinking of reflecting about life, but right now that just takes too much concentration, and that is something that isn't working too well at the moment, so I've got the other reflection for you to view.

 

 

 

Stop by my friends blogs and see their reflections...

Amanda  Carla  Hanne  Heather  Rhonda  Jenn  Tracey  Rachel and Tracy

Linked - Simple

I thought this word would be easy, until I started to think of pictures to go with the word, that was when my mind sort of shut down. I couldn't get past the word Simple and just a tiny bit of an idea. I ended up taking a breath and thinking of things that gave me simple pleasure, then I was on a roll.

sunsets

cherry and spoon with the minneapolis skyline

amazing sunset bursts on a drive home

rolling hills of St. Croix Vineyard

the Lowry bridge

flowers..anykind will do

big cats roaring...he was Not happy

eagles, I haven't been able to get a really good picture of my eagles in the wild, so this will have to do

gibbons, especially when they do their screaming call

sunrises, I see the most amazing sunrises from the parking ramp at work

Check out what Simple means to these fabulous ladies...they all got theirs done on time...not me though!

Amanda, Carla, Hanne, Heather, Rhonda, Jenn, Tracey and Tracy

Linked 2013 - (Furry) Faces

It's amazing the things animal lovers will put up with to share their space with furballs.

hair
slobber
bad breath
drool
snot
sneezing
weeping eyes
cauliflower ears
chronic ear infections
growling
litterbox cleaning
sampling from the litter box
poop pick-up
emergency vet bills
greyhound teeth (syndrome)
cuddles
warmth
friendship
walking buddy
smiles
kisses
barking...nonstop
incontinence
puking
hairballs
garden digging
dirt
wet dog smell
cat toenails - ouch

I can't remember a time when there wasn't at least one furball sharing my space, except for a short time when I lived in an apartment.

This is Annie Belle, an eight year old rough coat collie with one blue eye, one brown eye and a very long snout, longer than what is normal I think. She has this habit of staring at me, just like the picture above. Every evening, she sits in front of my husband and stares at him, while Oliver, our orange tabby with the snotty, sneezing nose, that showed up in our yard three years ago, lies on his chest. He likes to have his face nearly touching our face and he uses his paw to touch our face and mouth (the yucky part, because I Know where those paws have been). He absolutely will Not just quietly lay on my lap, that is simply way too far away from my face, and I won't put up with him being that close to my face, but my husband and sons will, so he doesn't pester me as much, and I don't mind, because that's just a little too much fur, a little too close.

These two have a very strange relationship, we think, for a cat and dog. They groom each other's faces and necks. Oliver uses his paw to get Annie's face into the position he wants, then proceeds to lick her snout. Annie uses her long snout to be able to get into the nooks and crannies of Oliver's neck, gently biting his neck. He rubs his face all over hers, and when they notice us watching them, the looks on their faces is just a little guilty, like they were caught doing something they weren't supposed to.
Honestly, you'd have to see it to believe me. I've even felt a little uncomfortable at times.

 

Now, while Annie is officially My dog (got her for my 48th birthday), and my son considers Little-Bit, below, his cat, he's really mine. Every night he saunters over to me, meows in a certain way that means he wants to jump up on my lap and I automatically grab the blanket. I Always have a blanket on my lap when he wants to lay on me because he's been know to get startled and jump off quickly, using his toenails to help - Ouch!
Bitty has a very expressive face, he'll have his eyes 1/2 closed and if one of us asks him a question, he'll nod at us us.
He is sooo warm and sooo soft. I love the color of his nose and his long white whiskers, and I like to play with his ears as long as he'll let me.
We just realized he is 13 years old, three years older than any of my furballs have ever lived.

More of the "couple"
Photo overload, but you can just skip over them.

Check out my friends view of Faces...


Amanda, Carla, Hanne, Heather, Heidi, Jenn, Kristin, Rhonda, Tracey and Tracy